July 5th: A fire apparently set by Israeli settlers destroyed a large and obviously ancient olive tree in the Tel Rumeida section of Al-Khalil (Hebron) today. The tree, located about 100 meters west of “Abraham’s Well,” belonged to the Abu Ghalyoun family, according to a Palestinian fire fighter quoted by the International Middle East Media Center. The fire was reported in mid-morning to the municipal fire brigade, which dispatched a truck to the area, but the fire fighters were unable to get equipment directly to the burning tree [Palestinian vehicles are not allowed on the road in the Israeli-controlled H2 area under which Tel Rumeida falls]. They used pails of water to put out the flames in the grass surrounding the tree, preventing damage to other trees, but their efforts to extinguish the fire in the tree itself were not successful. Twenty four hours later, the fire continues to smoulder, and the targeted tree is almost completely destroyed.
While there is no conclusive proof that Israeli settlers started the fire, they have in the past set many other fires in the area – including one that burned two dunams last month – as part of their decades-long campaign to drive Palestinians out of the Tel Rumeida neighborhood.
The Freedom Theatre wishes to express its condolences to the Nagnagiyya family for the death of their son Eid (16), who was murdered yesterday, 6 July, by the Israeli army in Jenin refugee camp. The Nagnagiyya family contributed their old house to The Freedom Theatre to host a computer centre. The family offered to renovate the house as a contribution to the children of Jenin. Eid’s brother was also killed during the Battle on Jenin in 2002.
The Freedom Theatre also wishes to express its condolences to the El Hannoun family for the death of their son Ammar (16), who was murdered in the same incident, yesterday, 6 July, by the Israeli army in Jenin refugee camp.
The attack of the Israeli army took place at a memorial tent where many people were expressing their condolences to the Qandil family for the death of their son Fida (22), who was killed by the Israeli army on Tuesday 4 July. Among the people in the tent was Zacharia Zubaidi, the leader of the Al-Aqsa Brigades. According to the army the force was intending to arrest him. The special forces acted in a crowded place, injuring 30 people and killing two children. Zacharia Zubaidi managed to flee the attempted assassination.
July 8th: In response to the incursion in the Gaza Strip, many national and international organizations have condemned Israel’s violence. This release is intended to highlight some of the entities speaking out in support of the Palestinian people and in opposition to Israel’s unchecked aggression. Please visit the following sites to read more about the individual condemnations:
The European Union condemns the Gaza offensive:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5159050.stm
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3272507,00.html
The United Nations condemns the Gaza offensive:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5154594.stm
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=19108&Cr=middle&Cr1=east
The Swiss government condemns the Gaza offensive:
http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/e/home/singlem.html?id=5978
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5145654.stm
The National Lawyers Guild (US) condemns the Gaza offensive:
http://www.nlg.org/news/statements/gaza0706.htm
A group of 300 British Jews condemn the Gaza offensive:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5154838.stm
In addition to the the above mentioned voices, a collection of 71 international and Palestinian social justice groups have co-signed a plea to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan asking the United Nations to take action to protect the residents of Gaza. The letter entitled, “Immediate International Protection for the Palestinian People in the Occupied Territory,” was addressed to the entire security council and called on the UN to take the following three actions:
1.) “Forming an international force to protect Palestinian lives against
violent attacks by the Israeli military.”
2.) “Calling for the immediate release of Palestinian prisoners held in violation of international law;.”
3.) Holding Israel accountable for its war crimes against the Palestinian people, its violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right and the Convention Against Torture, and its blatant disregard for the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Following the capture of an Israeli soldier near the Gaza Strip thirteen days ago, Israel has launched a major offensive in Gaza killing over 40 Palestinians and decimating the infrastructure. The air strikes have destroyed bridges, power facilities, structures within the Islamic University, the office of the Prime Minister, the Interior Ministry, and countless civilian targets. In tandem with the constant air strikes by the Israeli airforce, Israeli ground forces have led an invasion into the north and south of Gaza. During this time, the Israeli military has arrested over eight hundred Palestinians, including democratically elected members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and Palestinian civilians living in Israel.
Since the incursion began, Israel has modified its public rationale and objective; Israel now states that the offensive has expanded its focus from freeing its captured soldier to eliminating “institutions of terrorism.” Despite Israel’s new claims, many analysts have explained that the attacks and arrests are aimed at destabilizing the newly elected Palestinian government. It is beyond an abridgement of international law for Israel to attempt to undermine, by force, the democratically elected government of Palestine. Israel must allow the Palestinian people political self-determination and must abide by their choice of an elected government.
The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) joins these voices and strongly opposes the ongoing Israeli violence in the Gaza Strip. ISM activists will continue to support the Palestinian people on the ground, and remain committed to opposing occupation, violence and oppression at the hands of the Israeli military.
Palestinian women sit in a bedroom in Beit Lahiya, Gaza where Israeli soldiers shot into a home. (AFP/Thomas Coex)
From Mona Elfarra, a Palestinian physician and women’s rights activist living in the Jabalia refuge camp in the Gaza Strip.
Friday, June 30, 2006
The power is still off. It comes on and off irregularly. The electricity company is trying hard to supply power to 1.5 million people who used to get electricity from the power plant that was completely destroyed two nights ago.
Tonight another electrical generator was attacked and destroyed completely. I tried to explain to my daughter the complicated mechanisms of power distribution and how the electrical company is trying hard. But she was so frustrated to learn that we will be receiving patchy power for another three months at least.
They are attacking Gaza City right now, Jabalia and Beit Lahia. The emergency room at Al Awda Hospital received seven casualties. They launched at least 15 missiles, and the noise of the jet fighters and Apache helicopters interrupted my already interrupted sleep. I am fully awake now. I have not gotten good sleep for four days.
Saturday, July 1, 2006
My friend Hoda lives next to the Ministry of Interior building in Gaza, which was hit last night with two rockets. The attack occurred at 2 a.m. yesterday. (Please forgive me about the accuracy – I am starting to lose track of days and nights, and how many times we were attacked). Hoda told me that her whole building was shaking. She went out in her pajamas, and all the residents were out in their nightwear; children’s faces were too pale, some of them were crying hysterically. The fumes filled the place. I live 150 meters [about 164 yards] from Hoda’s place. Nobody is safe, no one is immune.
The power is still off. We had it for three hours yesterday, enough to recharge my laptop and mobile phone and to do some cooking. I am highly concerned about the hospitals; the fuel supply to run the local generators is running down. The medication and medical supplies are running down too. Water is scarce too. We need to ration our water use. We are going through a big humanitarian disaster.
Sonic booming happens when the jet fighters go quickly through the sound barrier. We experience this sort of terrifying raid at least seven times during the day and night. How can I let you know my personal feelings during these raids? If I am sleeping, my bed shakes tremendously; my daughter jumps into my bed, shivering with fear and then both of us end up on the floor. My heart beats very fast. I have to pacify my daughter; now she knows we need to pacify each other. She feels my fear. If I am awake, I flinch and scream loudly; I cannot help myself. OK, I am a doctor and a mature middle-aged woman with a lot of experience, and an activist too, but with this booming I become hysterical – after all we are all humans and each have our own threshold.
Monday, July 3, 2006
We in Gaza face great pressure. For those who need to be reminded, since the start of this intifada (in September 2000), Gaza’s economy has been severely affected by the continuous Israeli atrocities: roadblocks, border closures, destruction of agricultural areas and home demolitions. The current rate of unemployment more than 50%. The vast majority of Palestinian families are living on humanitarian aid, and an increasing number of families live under the poverty line. Gaza is just 360 square kilometers [about 139 square miles] with nearly 1.5 million residents, so we have a very high population density.
After four months of economic sanctions, we in the health field face a collapsing health system. We do not have medications in our stores and have had to prioritize surgical operations due to lack of medical supplies. The last thing we needed is the power cut off.
Wednesday, July 5, 2006 – 1:45 a.m
Big explosion, very big and so loud; I’m fully awake, and so is Sondos, my daughter. We hardly can see anything. It is very dark. The drone hit the Ministry of Interior building again with a missile. That completely destroyed the building, according to the news from the radio.
I contacted Hoda, who lives next to the building, and found her hysterically screaming and shouting in pain, trapped under her broken windows, all the windows of her flat broken, the fumes filling the place. She is waiting for the emergency team to evacuate her.
I can hear the hysterical sounds of her neighbors over the phone. I feel helpless and don’t know what to do. Five of her neighbors were injured, some of them the terrified kids I mentioned in one of my previous blogs.
When I visited Hoda four hours ago, we both were tense. A third friend asked us to talk about anything but not politics or what is going on in the Palestinian scene. We tried to but couldn’t. I left her, walked home.
I have no analysis. Maybe you can try to help me to know why they would hit an empty building twice. I see it as desperation, eagerness to revenge themselves.
It is not because of the soldier. They dropped thousands of shells on Gaza, killing women, children and old people, even before he was captured. Fatah and Hamas signed a national agreement. There could have been negotiations.
But Israel would have to give up control of our land, our resources. They want to destroy our government. They want to destroy our will to get our rights, to live a normal life in our land.
Wednesday, July 5, 2006 – 3 a.m
It is dark. Sondos is asleep. I cannot go to bed. I have no batteries for my transistor. I do not know where Hoda is. My mobile needs to be recharged. I have no power; I am restless, anxious and helpless. My laptop is gasping too.
Thursday, July 6, 2006 – 8:13 p.m
It seems that the Israeli military operation is escalating. 1:30 p.m. our local time, casualties started to reach the Al Awda hospital (Jabalia refugee camp). The hospital medical team received 13 civilians seriously injured and 2 dead militia men. The hospital’s 3 operating rooms worked with its full capacity, for continuous 5 hours. I was told by Mr. Abusaada, one of our ambulance drivers, that they evacuated the injured under heavy fire. Mr. Abusaada, told that they were working under fire, I always think of him and others and how they work under the most difficult circumstances, the worse, he faced when he evacuated the Galia family from the beach 3 weeks ago.
Today he told me he was not allowed to reach one of the injured who bled on the ground for at least half an hour (when one minute can make a difference for bleeding case ), before passing away. Other hospitals received 15 injured civilians as well, different ages, no children, were hurt in this incident. I hope I will not give news about dead or injured children. 18 Palestinians were killed today in Gaza strip tens were injured, mainly in the north of Gaza.
My main concern now is to find a way to get medications and medical supplies through the borders, into Gaza. The hospital medical resources are exhausted, the borders are completely sealed, some very crucial medications are lacking.
The Rafah borders in the south, was opened today for 3 hours. There are at least 2,000 Palestinians on the Egyptian side, waiting to enter Gaza. They have been waiting since last Sunday. When the “summer rain” operation started, internationals were asked to leave Gaza, via Eretz checkpoint, that was opened for 2 hours only (for us here in Gaza this is alarming sign). Karni checkpoint, the commercial checkpoint, was opened to let in some stuff for 4 hours, maybe to let in more candles, transistors and torches.
It seems that this business is booming in Gaza those days. On my way back from the hospital, I could see people queuing to purchase candles.
Saturday, July 8, 2006 – 1:00 a.m
The Gaza hospitals medical resources is critically decreasing , the number of causalities increases as the operation continues, in 2 days 34 Palestinian were killed, of the many injured 33 were children. The city’s 3 hospitals are working round the hour they urged people to donate blood. I told you earlier on that the civilians are not avoided, it is a battle that lacks the balance of power; with the resistance men and their comparatively limited weapons, and the most powerful army in the region, with the full support of the USA.
I was at Al Awda hospital this morning. The staff enjoys good spirit, but they are exhausted. They complained of their worries regarding the shortage of the fuel that runs the electrical generators. It has to be used for the ambulances too. It was quiet in the morning, casualties started to arrive in the late afternoon. I shall be there tomorrow.
I hate war, it is ugly so is the occupation.
Saturday, July 8, 2006 – 12:40 a.m
I did not tell you before about my mother. She lives in Khan Yunis, 22 km to the south of Gaza City. I was born and brought up there, until I was 16, when I left to university in Egypt. My mother is 84, she is living alone after the death of my father, and she is physically disabled. She is well looked after. I visit her whenever I have time, and this happens twice weekly at least, my elder sister lives next door and since the start of the “summer rain” operation, by the occupying Israeli forces, I couldn’t reach her.
I was overwhelmed with the situation, besides the 2 bridges that connect Gaza in the north and Khan Yunis in the south, were destroyed in the 1st few hours of the military assault, as well as the power plant. I was afraid to use the unreliable side roads. I was not ready to risk by leaving Sondos alone, with all the consequences, air raids, sonic booming, no power, complete road block, and staying away of my daughter and my work.
On the 2nd anniversary of the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Sunday July 9th, 2006, the Israeli Supreme court in Jerusalem will hear two petitions from the West Bank village of Bil’in. This ruling, from 2004 declared that the Israeli Annexation Wall is illegal under international law.
The petitions that will be discussed in the Israeli Supreme Court tomorrow concern the illegal construction of the Matityahu East colonial settlement on the lands of Bil’in, west of the Annexation Wall (HCJ 143/06); the second petition demands an annulment of the declaration which claims that the lands of Bil’in, in Matityahu East, are government property (HCJ 3998/06).
The route of the wall in Bil’in was designed to accommodate an unapproved plan for the expansion of the Matityahu East colonial settlement. The building of the settlement, according to the above-mentioned plan, was carried out illegally. The Bil’in petition challenges the legality of the settlement due to a suspicious transfer of land ownership from the Palestinian village to the Israeli realtors; a sale which involved the Israeli state declaring the territory state land only to later transfer it to private developers.
During the hearing of the petition challenging the route of the wall through Bil’in (HCJ 8414/05), the Israeli state revealed its involvement. An Israeli lawyer signed the sale papers instead of the head of Bil’in village. This was done without the village’s knowledge, and based on the false claim that any Israeli who entered Bil’in would be killed. In addition, it was falsely argued that it was illegal for Israelis to enter Bil’in. The Israeli state alleges that they declared in 1991 that the land, upon which the settlement is built, was to be state property in order to protect the Palestinian man who allegedly sold the land to the contractors.
Despite these claims by the Israeli state, through the process of the petition, the main reasons for these action have been exposed. Through the illegal cooperation with the state, the realtors managed to avoid the lengthy and expensive procedures associated with registering the land as their property. These procedures, which were circumvented, involve careful examinations of land transfer between the buyer and seller. These procedures are done publicly, so that each person from Bil’in who claims to have ownership on the lands, in whole or in part, has the right to object. These procedures often lead to the conclusion that the purchase deal was false, and to the result that the realtors are left without the lands which allegedly it has bought. Despite the history of transferring land in this way, in the case of this sale, the process was avoided.
The Bil’in petitions will be heard at the Israeli Supreme Court in Jerusalem at 10:00am. Supporters and journalists are being encouraged to attend the court session.
