4,050 Palestinians killed during intifada

Report Source: Xinhua

An official report said on Sunday that 4,050 Palestinians were killed and 44,848 others injured by the Israeli army since the beginning of the intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation in September 2000. The report, issued by the State Information Service, said that Israeli military actions persisted even after Palestinian militant groups accepted in March a one-year halt of attacks against Israel. According to the report, the number of Palestinians killed during the intifada, is 4,050, including 751 children, 236 women, 344 security men, 836 students and teachers and 325 militants. The report said that 50 people were killed during Jewish settlers’ assaults on Palestinian residents in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It said that among the dead, 1,922 people were from the West Bank and 2,128 from the Gaza Strip, adding they were killed from Sept. 29, 2000 to June 30, 2005.

It also said that 8,200 Palestinians are detained in Israeli jails, 614 of whom were arrested by the Israeli army before the intifada. Meanwhile, the report said that some 272,000 Palestinians are jobless in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, while the rate of the Palestinians living under poverty line reached 76.6 percent in 2003.

Border Policeman Dies, Police Lie About Cause

By Jonathan Lis
July 4th
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/595276.html

A Border Policeman died yesterday after suddenly collapsing while policing the separation fence near Har Adar, outside Jerusalem.

Police initially said that Natan Yasais, 21, of Lod had been hit by a rock thrown by a Palestinian. However, hospital officials said they saw no signs of him having been hit by anything. They said that he arrived with a high fever and apparently died either of an existing illness or of dehydration. They added that he was in critical condition upon arrival and died very shortly afterward.

Police officials said they initially assumed Yasais had been hit by a rock because when he died, he was helping to disperse a violent demonstration against the fence that involved dozens of rock-throwing Palestinians. The demonstrators were eventually dispersed by means of shock grenades, the police reported.

Anarchists Against the Fence, which is involved in many anti-fence demonstrations, insisted that there was no demonstration at all in the Har Adar area yesterday, either by Israelis or by local Palestinians. They accused the police of deliberately spreading misinformation in order to “delegitimize the nonviolent demonstrations that take place in this area” – a charge that the police termed “a gross lie.

IDF officer arrests Israeli cameraman

By Meron Rapaport
July 4th
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/595280.html

An Israel Defense Forces deputy brigade commander confiscated the Government Press Office-issued press card of an Israeli journalist, informing him that he was revoking his card and ordering that he be arrested for terming him “insolent.” The director of the Association of Israeli Journalists, Yossi Bar-Moha, defined the incident as severe, and as one that “can only take place in totalitarian states.”

The incident occured last Friday during a demonstration in the Palestinian village of Bili’in and involved cameraman Shai Carmeli Pollack, who is filming a documentary for Channel 8 on the protests against the fence. During the course of the demonstration, Pollack exchanged words with IDF officers about the way in which the security forces were dealing with the protesters and their demand t Brigade deputy commander Shai Malka then asked Pollack if he was a journalist. On receiving an affirmative response, Malka said, “I am revoking your press card.” Malka then ordered that Pollack be arrested, and seized his credentials, accusing him also of insulting a public official.

This was Pollack’s third arrest during demonstrations against the fence.

“Clearly the IDF doesn’t want coverage of what is happening there,” said Adi Arbel, program director for Channel 8.

Israeli army enforced collective punishment

By: Nijmie IWPS

Date of incident: July 1, 2005
Place: Hares
Witness/es: Villagers

On the evening of Friday July 1, the Israeli army entered the village of Hares with two jeeps. The jeeps stationed themselves at the entrance to the village, and the soldiers proceeded to prevent any Palestinian resident, whether on foot or by car, from entering or exiting the village for approximately 1.5 hours. No explanation was given to the Palestinian residents for the cause of this collective punishment. The jeeps exited the village at approximately 8:30 p.m.

Israeli army takes seven boys and young men from Marda village.

By: Nijmie, IWPS

Date of incident: July 4, 2005
Place: Marda, Salfit district
Witness/es: Marda residents, IWPS

On the afternoon of Monday July 4, the Israeli army entered the village of Marda with approximately eight jeeps. They proceed to round up youths they accused of throwing rocks at soldiers who were guarding the building of work on the Wall. The Israeli army has been a continuous presence in the village of Marda since preparation for the fence around Ariel settlement, situated above the village of Marda, began in early June. Eight youths were gathered and detained at the Western entrance of the village for approximately one hour.
One of the youths was injured, reported Palestinian residents, and another one is ill with kidney problems. IWPS members and Palestinian Red Crescent workers asked to know where the youths were being taken and also attempted to alert the soldiers to the chronic illness of one of the boys. We were given no assurance, however, that the boy’s medical needs would be attended to. The boys and young men are of the following ages:13, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, and one is of unknown age. The boys were first taken to Ariel police station and then to Qedumim, where they are as of this writing.

Date report written on: Tuesday July 5, 2005