Sheikh Jarrah

To those of you with whom I've shared my experiences, you already understand my connection and eternal love for Sheikh Jarrah! For those of you who don't, this is for you. Although you might find some new thoughts because I'm sure this will not be my last post about SJ.

First, here is some contextual background on Sheikh Jarrah:

Approximately 475 Palestinian residents living in the Karm Al-Ja’ouni neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, located directly north of the Old City, face imminent eviction from their homes. All 28 families are refugees from 1948, primarily from West Jerusalem and Haifa, whose houses in Sheikh Jarrah were built and given to them through a joint project between the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the Jordanian government in 1956.

Facing systematic ethnic cleansing through the Israeli judicial system, all 28 families of the neighborhood ultimately await eviction. The violent eviction of the Kamel al-Kurd family, by Israeli police and settlers in November of 2008, resulted in the death of ailing Abu Kamel (Mohammad) al Kurd, 61. The August 2009 evictions of the Gawi and Hannoun extended families and December 2009 occupation of Rifqa al Kurd’s front addition followed, beginning a visible trend of ethnic cleansing in Sheikh Jarrah. Over 60 residents, including 20 children, have now been displaced.

The evicted families established protest tents near their homes, many of which were repeatedly demolished by the Jerusalem Municipality. As a result, only the Rifqa al Kurd tent remains standing. Members of the Gawi, Hannoun and Kamel al Kurd families continue a daily presence outside of the occupied Gawi home. The Palestinians and their international and Israeli supporters face continual harassment from Israeli settlers. Police presence in the community is almost entirely directed at prosecuting Palestinians, and not in neutrally protecting residents from harassment and violence.

Constructing new Jewish settlements and/or occupying Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank is illegal under many international laws, including Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The plight of the Gawi, al-Kurd and Hannoun families is just a small part of Israel’s ongoing campaign of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from East Jerusalem, the capital of a hypothetical independent state.

Legal Background

The eviction orders, issued by Israeli courts, are a result of claims made in 1967 by the Sephardic Community Committee and the Knesseth Yisrael Association (who since sold their claim to the area to Nahalat Shimon) – settler organizations whose aim is to take over the whole area using falsified deeds for the land dating back to 1875. In 1972, these two settler organizations applied to have the land registered in their names with the Israel Lands Administration (ILA). Their claim to ownership was noted in the Land Registry; however, it was never made into an official registry of title. The first Palestinian property in the area was taken over at this time.

The case continued in the courts for another 37 years. Amongst other developments, the first lawyer of the Palestinian residents reached an agreement with the settler organizations in 1982 (without the knowledge or consent of the Palestinian families) in which he recognized the settlers’ ownership in return for granting the families the legal status of protected tenants. This affected 23 families and served as a basis for future court and eviction orders (including theal -Kurd family house take-over in December 2009), despite the immediate appeal filed by the families’ new lawyer. Furthermore, a Palestinian landowner, Suleiman Darwish Hijazi , has legally challenged the settlers’ claims. In 1994 he presented documents certifying his ownership of the land to the courts, including tax receipts from 1927. In addition, the new lawyer of the Palestinian residents located a document, proving the land in Sheikh Jarrah had never been under Jewish ownership. The Israeli courts rejected these documents.

The first eviction orders were issued in 1999 based on the (still disputed) agreement from 1982 and, as a result, two Palestinian families (Hannoun and Gawi) were evicted in February 2002. After the 2006 Israeli Supreme Court finding that the settler committees’ ownership of the lands was uncertain, and the Lands Settlement officer of the court requesting that the ILA remove their names from the Lands Registrar, the Palestinian families returned back to their homes. The courts, however, failed to recognize new evidence presented to them and continued to issue eviction orders based on decisions from 1982 and 1999 respectively. Further evictions followed in November 2008 (Kamel al-Kurd family) and August 2009 (Hannoun and Gawi families for the second time). An uninhabited section of a house belonging to the al-Kurd family was taken over by settlers on 1 December 2009.

The ultimate aim of the Zionist organizations is to convert Sheikh Jarrah into a new Jewish settlement and to create a Jewish continuum that will effectively cut off the Old City from the northern Palestinian neighborhoods. On 28 August 2008, Nahalat Shimon International filed a plan to build a series of five and six-story apartment blocks – Town Plan Scheme (TPS) 12705 – in the Jerusalem Local Planning Commission. If TPS 12705 comes to pass, the existing Palestinian houses in this key area would be demolished, about 500 Palestinians would be evicted, and 200 new settler units would be built for a new settlement: Shimon HaTzadik


To put this into perspective, what is happening in SJ is very basic. The Israeli government organizes and pays for ideological settlers to do their dirty work in the name of Religion.

Imagine one night at 2am, you and your entire family are sleeping, BANG BANG, loud knocks on your door, the person on the other side screaming for you to exit the house or your door will come down, waking everyone in the household up. You're so scared and want to protect your family, so you wait...hoping it will stop and the person on the other side will go away. BAM!! In comes your door, followed by AK-47's and army in full gear. "Get out this is no longer your property"...what would you do!? To top the whole night off, your entire family is physically removed from your home and are forced to watch everything inside be destroyed.

This is what happened to the al-Kurd, Hannoun, and Gawi families in SJ, not once but TWICE and they are just 3 of the families in Palestine. I speak of them because I know them personally. I slept outside in tents to protest the taking of their homes and the horrendous occupation. I played with their children in hopes of bringing a moment of happiness and normalcy.

This is Sara Gawi. She is the youngest child of Nasser Gawi. She was present the night they were evicted from their home. Do you know what she said to the army as they raided her house? "Get out...This is MY house!! MY house...Get out!!" Sara is 4 years old.

Four Months and counting...

Today marks the 62nd anniversary of Nabka (catastrophe) where many Palestinians became refugees and were displaced from their homes, still without the right to return.

Today I realized it has been four months since I returned from Palestine. While I think of Palestine everyday and dream of Palestine every night, I still feel I am not doing my short time spent there justice. I feel more at home sleeping on the floor then in a bed, taking cold showers, and drinking as much tea as possible. Yet I know it is not enough.

How do you explain that a few months can change your life!?

How do you explain the will of Palestinian's in the face of events you know everyday American's can't imagine!?

My only excuse, for not writing about my everyday experiences in Palestine, is that I feel my words will not adequately explain the truth. From here on out I refuse to let my shortcomings be an excuse. I will do my best to explain how, four months later, I can still remember every single day spent in Palestine.

Day in the life of an activist - Entry from a friends blog: West Coast to West Bank

Hello family and friends! I’ve been promising myself and many of you that I would send out meaningful updates on my travels. I’ve pretty well failed at this. I apologize, and offer the following 24hours of events to sum up my life for the past few months.

I arrived in Palestine in December and have been working with the International Solidarity Movement since. It has been amazing and very very difficult. The following is not an abnormal 24hours, but it is an average active one. I’ve written the background on Sheikh Jarrah for those who I haven’t told about it yet as well as some background on the wall. Here goes:

Sheikh Jarrah – A neighborhood of East Jerusalem that I’ve spent most of my time in since arriving in the middle east. 28 families were relocated here by the UN and Jordan after being kicked out of their homes which were in what is now Israel in 1948 when the Israeli state was created. In August three families were kicked out of their homes again on the basis that Jews owned this land before 1948. Some of the family members are staying with relatives while others live in a tent on the street outside their house. Ultra-orthodox Jewish settlers now occupy all three homes in an attempt to change the ethnic balance of the neighborhood (ethnic cleansing) to establish a Jewish stronghold around the old city (holiest part of Jerusalem) and connect Jewish West Jerusalem to a Jewish settlement east of the city. This is all on the Palestinian side of the green line and therefore the settlements are illegal under international law. I have been staying with the family on, living on the street, documenting settler violence and aggression, supporting the families, holding night watch. By staying on the street in protest they are the front lines fighting against ethnic cleansing in one of the holiest cities in the world.

The Wall – The wall has many names. Separation fence, separation wall, apartheid wall, etc. It separates people who live on the Israeli side from people who live on the Palestinian side. It steals Palestinian land and cuts through people’s fields, separates people from their olive orchards and their communities and it is a constant reminder of the racist occupation. In some places it dips 5 to 10 kilometers into the West Bank, stealing thousands of hectares of land which Palestinians used for their lively hood. As a result, it is illegal under international law.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010:

6:30PM Dinner is served on the street in Sheikh Jarrah. I’ve been making lasagna all afternoon for the community dinner that Jasmine and I started two months ago to bring Israeli, Palestinian and international activists together. There are 30 or more people here with a mix of dishes from all over the world. Food is delicious and this is the one time each week when everyone smiles for a couple of hours. I love it. It makes me very happy.

7:15PM A car pulls up and plays Palestinian music. People are dabke dancing and a game of hand ball breaks out. Five year olds and 30 year olds play side by side. A few settlers come and go from the Ghawi house but there is little tension. Spirits are high.

7:45PM Settlers are seen on cell phones at the gate of the Ghawi house. This usually means they are calling the police. Fun and games continue.

8:00PM Police arrive and announce on a loud speaker that there is to be no more ball played in the street. People argue with them. The game almost continues but the police arrest a neighborhood teenager. Seriously? It’s illegal to play ball if you’re Palestinian? Have these children not suffered enough, kicked out of their homes, living on the street while ultraorthodox jewish settlers live in the houses they were born in? A cop tells us that this dead end road is a “highway” and no ball is to be played.

8:10PM A neighborhood teenager sets the ball down but before kicking off he is grabbed by two soldiers who walk him towards their car. I am irate. I run in front of them and snap a photo but can’t bare the thought of writing one more report about one more arrest. They’re holding my friend. I loose control; I snap. This is unusual. I jump in front of the soldiers and let out a string of profanity that would make any sailor proud. Jasmine stands by. The soldiers stop and a small crowd gathers. An argument breaks out. I’m bear hugging the 19 year old they want to arrest. Jasmine is picking apart the soldiers grip one finger at a time. A few seconds later we’re walking briskly with our friend towards… anywhere there aren’t cops. He disappears.

8:30PM I’m so angry I’m still shaking, taking deep breaths to calm down, pacing. Kids are crying. How can they understand? Seeing this every day here has gotten to me. I sit around the fire barrel and smoke a cigarette. The occupation has gotten to me.

9:00PM All is quiet. This is normal. This is an improvement from the years of the second intifada, much less violence. We drink tea.

9:15AM Daniel, an Israeli activist arrives and asks us to come to a place where they’ve started construction on a new section of the wall for a demonstration the next morning at 7:30AM. Here, the wall goes through people’s yards. It separates houses from their olive trees, children from their swing sets. Here the wall is a few kilometers from the green line. This means it confiscates hundreds of acres of Palestinian land and is illegal under international law. We’re already planning on going and make plans to meet at 6AM.

10:30PM We go to sleep behind the protest tent. The cops confiscated the tent where the Ghawi family lived making them refugees for a third time. Now, there’s no separate covered space for those who stay up for night watch and those who catch a few hours of sleep before their shift begins. We sleep poorly; young Palestinians are loud.

5:30AM Brush teeth and go. It’s a long walk to the meeting spot.

6:15AM Downtown in the holy city. That means we’re on the Jewish side, west Jerusalem. We meet Daniel and joke about what the popular committee could have meant when they said a “creative” action was planned for this morning. We never know until we get there.

7:30AM The crew coalesces. A mix of Palestinians, some leaders of the non-violent movement, some supporters, a handful of Israelis and eight internationals. We discuss who can and cannot get arrested. A bulldozer is scheduled to uproot dozens of olive trees today. 100 year old trees that will die before they are replanted, roots torn out of the ground. Volunteers are requested to lock down to the trees. More creative than we expected.

8:00AM I’m chained to an olive tree. Two close friends hold sets of keys. The plan is to create a giant bear hug around the tree until I am eventually alone. Seems reasonable.

9:00AM Soldiers gather on all sides. They load tear gas canisters. I laugh about the witty comments I’ll try to make as they try to get me to unlock. I’ll tell them that they’re committing war crimes, that I’ll see them in the Hague, that they’ll come for the soldiers, not the presidents when everyone is tried by the war crimes tribunal. I don’t believe any of this, but I’m not planning on unlocking so I may as well think about something that will make me feel good. Cameras click everywhere. Video cameras roll.

9:30AM We get a call that the municipality has gotten the construction delayed. The bulldozers are called off. This makes me happy because my laptop power chord died and I have to find a mac store. That could take the rest of the day if I have to go to Tel Aviv. I’m glad this action ended earlier than expected.

12:00PM Back in Jerusalem and exhausted. Jasmine and I find a park and lay down in the sunny grass for a nap.

1:00PM We hear children… recess maybe? Roll over. Too tired.

1:30PM Children are too loud… must be surrounding us. Time to sit up. Eyes adjust to the light and HOLY SHIT! Javelin practice. There are 15 12 year olds with Olympic sized spears in front of us and we’re uncomfortably close to their target. We move. This place is crazy.

3:00PM Almost back in Sheikh Jarrah, I eat my daily falafel. I eat two every day, one at breakfast with sweet bread and an egg, one at lunch in a sandwich with veggies and hummus.

3:10PM We are recognized by a journalist from Turkey that I met 4 weeks ago. He and his camera man jump out of a car, they say they’ve been looking for us all week. They want to do a story on us staying in Sheikh Jarrah and supporting the struggle. They think people in Turkey will be inspired. I’m sad to learn that he means now… I’m still exhausted. I finish a coke and realize he’s already filming. Very embarrassing. Occupation makes us do things we wouldn’t normally… like drink coke products.

3:20PM Game on – be charming, convincing, focus on the children, hit all the buzz words – convince the world that the ethnic cleansing in Sheikh Jarrah is worth paying attention to.

3:30PM Interview over, journalist gone. Damn, it’s getting late and I still don’t have a charger.

3:40PM Charger located by another journalist who knew of the only mac store around but it’s on the West Bank side of the wall. That means I’ll have to wait through the line at Qalandiya checkpoint. I hate the checkpoint.

5:00PM I have the charger and I’m waiting in line at Qalandiya. This could take 20 minutes but if the soldiers decide to go on break or mop the floors they could close the checkpoint for hours. What if you have work to get to? Doesn’t matter. This is occupation. There are two kids (6 years old?) that latch on to every white person. If I don’t buy gum they’ll grab my water bottle from my backpack, maybe my cell phone from my pocket. Their parents won’t let them come home until they’ve sold all their gum.

5:15PM I buy “cola” flavored gum. They don’t leave. The others in line help me shoe them away. I hate the occupation.

5:20PM Qalandiya is fast today. The bus leaves.

6:00PM Off the bus, I turn off the main road to Sheikh Jarrah excited about another dinner invitation by a neighborhood activist. There is a TV truck in front of me. This is bad. Something is happening. Something big enough to warrant a live broadcast. Shit shit shit. I’m running.


6:01PM I arrive at Sheikh Jarrah in time to see 40 or 60 Muslim men finish praying. This is odd. People I know usher me into a friend’s yard where everyone has just sat down to dinner. What? Who are these people? I thought there would be 6 or 8 people talking about the demonstration scheduled for this weekend. I’m confused and happy. I eat a ton of food. Muslim leaders from all over Jerusalem have come tonight to support the families of Sheikh Jarrah. A prayer and dabke dancing followed.

VOV on Facebook

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The Trial for Rachel Begins

The trail for Rachel Corrie's death begins today. For those of you who don't know, Rachel, 23, was murdered in 2003 by a CAT bulldozer, which crushed her to death, as she was nonviolently protesting Palestinian home demolitions. Rachel was a member of ISM.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/03/201031042646747585.html

IDF raids Ramallah office of pro-Palestinian group, confiscating computers and T-shirts

Israel Defense Forces soldiers raided the International Solidarity Movement's Ramallah office yesterday for the second time this week, confiscating computers, T-shirts and bracelets engraved with the word "Palestine."

On Sunday, soldiers arrested Ariadna Jove Marti of Spain and Bridgette Chappell of Australia at the Ramallah office. The High Court of Justice ordered the two women freed on Monday.

Yesterday's raid took place at 3 A.M. Hours later, the ISM held a press conference, in conjunction with other pro-Palestinian organizations, at which they lashed out at the IDF's behavior. According to the ISM, the army launched an organized campaign in mid-December, the goal of which was to break up the popular protests against the separation fence in the West Bank villages of Bili'in and Na'alin. This campaign has included arrests and other forms of harassment, the activists charged.

Chappell said the IDF apparently sees the ISM as a "challenge" to Israel, and is therefore taking action against it. She added that the army would not find anything incriminating in the group's computers, as all its activities are strictly legal.

According to the Israeli organization Anarchists Against the Wall, the IDF has conducted no fewer than 18 nighttime raids in Na'alin alone since December, during which time it has arrested 25 people. Bili'in was subject to five raids and eight arrests.

"I don't think there were even that many army raids in Nablus in 2002, at the height of the intifada," claimed Jonathan Pollack of the anarchist group.

In addition to its two raids on the ISM office, the IDF also raided the offices of two other groups - Stop the Wall and the Palestinian Communist Party - this week. The activists claim that none of these groups are involved in terrorist activities; they merely organize demonstrations.

ISM, founded soon after the second intifada began in September 2000, is a very small group. It usually has less than 20 activists in the West Bank at any one time. Nevertheless, it has been heavily involved in anti-Israel protests, and is currently active in the demonstrations against house demolitions in East Jerusalem as well as the protests in Bili'in and Na'alin. It also has four activists located in the Gaza Strip.

Two ISM activists have been killed while protesting, Rachel Corrie in 2003 and Tom Hurndall in 2004; two others have been seriously wounded.

12 arrested for disrupting Israeli ambassador

Please go to the link for the article & video. 

http://collegelife.freedomblogging.com/2010/02/08/israeli-ambassador-xxxx-at-uci/15647/

Australian activist released on bail in Israel

By Middle East correspondent Anne Barker, staff

Posted Tue Feb 9, 2010 7:04am AEDT

Released on bail: Bridgette Chappell from Canberra (APTN)

Israel's Supreme Court has ordered the release of an Australian woman who was arrested during a pre-dawn military raid in the West Bank.

Bridgette Chappell, 22, from Canberra, was arrested with a Spanish woman after Israeli soldiers burst into the apartment they shared in Ramallah.

The Israeli government says Ms Chappell, who was studying Arabic and politics at Birzeit University in the West Bank, was arrested for overstaying her visa.

But she was also active in the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) - a pro-Palestinian organisation committed to resisting Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

Israel alleged Ms Chappell had taken part in illegal protests against Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

But Ms Chappell's lawyer argued in court that Israel had no jurisdiction in Ramallah on matters unrelated to security.

Ms Chappell lashed out at Israel from the dock before being led away.

"It's completely illegal what they're doing. They're trying to crush the popular resistance in Palestine," she said.

The court has ordered the women's release on bail until it can consider their appeals against deportation.
They have been ordered not to return to the West Bank.

Ms Chapell says she is currently in Tel Aviv and has been in touch with the Australian consulate.

"It's still pretty up in the air. I was released but I also have to appear in court again," she said.

"I can stay as long as the trial continues but we'll see what happens. I'm really going to try and fight to stay as long as I can."

She said that on the night of the raid she woke up at 3am to heavy banging on her door at the headquarters of the ISM in Ramallah.

"I looked out the window and I could see a line of army jeeps outside in the street. The next thing I knew about 15 soldiers came bursting into the house pointing their guns at us," she told ABC radio.

"The soldiers barged in, pointed their guns at us and asked us for our passports, which is actually illegal.

"IDF (Israel Defence Force) soldiers don't have the jurisdiction to ask you for your passports.

"It was ridiculous. It was a complete military operation. The IDF can say it was to do with our visas all they like but we know that's not the real reason. It was a very convenient excuse for them to take us."

Foreign activists released from detention

High Court discussion reveals two Spanish, Australian women were detained near Ramallah in improper procedure

Aviad Glickman
Published: 02.08.10, 12:31 / Israel News

The Supreme Court ordered the release of two foreign left-wing activists Ariadna Jove Marti and Bridgette Chappell in exchange for NIS 3,000 each (about $800). In addition, they were banned from the West Bank.

It was also decided that the two must submit an administrative petitions on their stay in Israel within five days. In addition, the judges ruled that the State must issue affidavits regarding the jurisdiction of Oz unit inspectors in the territories.

The State Prosecutor's Office admitted that the arrest of the two near Ramallah on Sunday by members of the Interior Ministry's Oz unit was conducted in an improper procedure.

During a High Court discussion Monday, the State agreed to release the two women on bail, under the condition that they would be released into Israeli territories only.

The women, Ariadna Jove Marti of Spain and Bridgette Chappell of Australia, petitioned the High Court of Justice, claiming that their arrest was illegal as it was conducted in Area A, which is under full Palestinian control and not under the jurisdiction of the Israel Police.

The State's response revealed that the Israel Defense Forces handed the two women over to the Oz unit in the territories, rather than in Israel's sovereign territory, as it should have.

The State representative, Attorney Ilil Amir, said that despite the mishap, the two should be released as they were not allowed to enter the territories in the first place.

After the discussion ended, the State representative reconsidered and said that the detainees could be released.

'Army persecuting people'

During the discussion, the judges criticized the arrest procedure. Judge Asher Grunis asked the State representative whether her people took any action aimed at regulating the authority issues. She replied, "It has become clear that not all elements understand all the instructions."

Judge Grunis added, "If the two women are staying in Israel illegally, you must act in accordance with Israel's entry law. Why keep them in custody? In light of the circumstances, you should consider releasing them under conditions."

Judge Uzi Vogelman asked the State representative, "If we decide to release them, are there any special conditions under which you would want to release them?"

Following a consultation between the State Prosecutor's Office and the Interior Ministry, the State representative told the judges that there would be no problem releasing the two women into Israel only and on bail of NIS 25,000 (about $6,685).

The women's lawyer, Attorney Omer Shatz, said: "We're asking ourselves why the army is motivated to arrest these two peace activists of all people. The army's motivation is to persecute people based on their political opinions. I ask the court not to lend a hand to this illegality."

According to the lawyer, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos has become involved in the matter, asking the Israeli ambassador in Spain not to deport Marti.

Stop the Wall offices hit in late night raid

Late last night Occupation forces raided the Stop the Wall offices in Ramallah. Some 10 military jeeps, hummers and an armoured bus surrounded the building as soldiers searched rooms, turning the office upside down and confiscating computer hard disks, laptops, and video cameras along with paper documents, CDs, and video cassettes.


Part of the mounting repression of the anti-Wall movement, this attack on the Campaign offices comes after the arrests of Jamal Juma’ and Mohammed Othman, who were both were later released after significant international pressure. Other arrest operations are ongoing, and currently some 40 anti-Wall activists are held for their grassroots mobilizing and international advocacy efforts in Israeli jails.

Many of those arrested are residents of Ni’lin, a village known for its fierce protests against the Wall. As part of an intensifying arrest campaign, 20 people were arrested last month in what has been the most serious campaign of arrests targeting the grassroots anti-Wall movement in the village.

Occupation forces have also been targeting international activists. Two foreign nationals working with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) were arrested in Ramallah several nights ago after Occupation forces raided the apartment where they were staying. Last month, another activist with the same organization was also arrested during a Ramallah night raid and deported.

The continuous targeting of the popular grassroots movement will not intimidate Palestinians struggling against the Wall. Resistance on the ground and on the international stage will continue will only cease once the decision of the International Court of Justice, which calls for the Wall to be torn down, is implemented.

Israeli forces arrest two foreigners in West Bank

Israeli forces arrest two foreigners in West Bank

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Israel detains 2 internationals in overnight raid

Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli soldiers raided a Ramallah apartment early Sunday morning and detained a Spanish and Australian nationals over expired visas, the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee said in a statement.

The Israeli army forcefully entered an apartment in the Area A city of Ramallah at 3am and arrested two activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) on suspicion of overstaying their visas. The two, Ariadna Jove Marti, a Spanish journalist, and Bridgette Chappell, an Australian student at Birzeit University, were then taken to the Ofer military prison located inside the occupied territories, where they were handed over to the Israeli immigration police unit "Oz," The PSCC said

"The raid and detention of the two is in direct violation of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which clearly forbids any Israeli incursion into Area A for reasons not directly and urgently related to security. Even the conduct of 'hot pursuit' is disallowed in non-security related matters, which overstayed visas are," the statement read.

In January, Czech national Eva Nováková was detained and deported to Prague under similar circumstances.

An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that the women were in Israel illegally and the arrests were executed by the army, adding that one woman was in possession of "fake documents" while the other had an expired visa. "Both were involved in illegal riots and in interferring with IDF activity," he said.

According to the spokesman, the two women were transferred to the Ministry of the Interior.

Ryan Olander, an American solidarity activist who was at the scene during the raid, told the PSCC that around ten soldiers forcefully entered the apartment and demanded to see the passports of everyone who was present and informed the two of their detention on the grounds of overstayed visas.

The soldiers confiscated cameras, a computer, pro-Palestinian banners and ISM volunteers' registration forms, Orlander said.

Orlander has been arrested twice by the Oz Immigration Unit but his deportation was stayed after a judge ruled his detention illegal, the PSCC said.

Army raids Ramallah to arrest international activists in violation of Oslo Accords

Israeli soldiers raided a Ramallah apartment around 3AM to arrest a Spanish and an Australian activist over expired visas in direct violation of the Oslo Accords.

At three in the morning, the Israeli army forcefully entered an apartment in the Area A city of Ramallah and arrested two activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) on suspicion of overstaying their visas. The two, Ariadna Jove Marti, a Spanish journalist, and Bridgette Chappell, an Australian student in the Beir Zeit university, were then taken to the Ofer military prison located inside the Occupied Territories, where they were handed over to the Israeli immigration police unit “Oz”.

The raid and detention of the two is in direct violation of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which clearly forbids any Israeli incursion into Area A for reasons not directly and urgently related to security. Even the conduct of “hot pursuit” is disallowed in non-security related matters, which overstayed visas are.

The arrests tonight follow the unlawful detention and deportation of Czech citizen Eva Nováková under similar circumstances last month. Her arrest stirred controversy over the misuse of the “Oz” unit inside the Occupied Territories, despite them having no authority in the area.

According to Ryan Olander, an American solidarity activist who was at the scene during the raid, around ten soldiers forcefully entered the apartment and demanded to see the passports of everyone who was present and informed the two of their detention on the grounds of overstayed visas. The soldiers confiscated cameras, a computer, pro-Palestinian banners and ISM volunteers’ registration forms.

Following the arrests Olander said that, “This raid is a continuation of Israel’s attempts to quash the grassroots movement against the Occupation. This is a cynical and unjust attempt to hide the reality of the Occupation and further bar access to information from the international community”.

Israeli attempts to deport foreigners involved with Palestinian solidarity work are part of a recent campaign to end Palestinian grassroots demonstrations, which involves mass arrests of Palestinian protesters and organizers. Over the last ten months, the “Oz” immigration unit illegally arrested and attempted to deport four other international activists.

Eva Nováková, a Czech national and former ISM media coordinator, was arrested in Ramallah on January 11th, 2010, and deported the next day, before the deportation could be appealed. Nováková’s lawyer is currently in the process of preparing an appeal to the Israeli High Court to challenge the legality of her arrest.

Additionally, American solidarity activist, Ryan Olander, was twice arrested illegally by the “Oz” Immigration unit, but his deportation was prevented after a judge ruled his detention illegal. Similar appeals to the court have also annulled the deportations of other American and British activists in recent months.

IOF raids ISM-Media Office in Ramallah

Israeli Occupation Forces have raided the ISM-Media Office in Ramallah and arrested 3 of our activists. Bridgette (Ausi) & Ari (Spain) were two of them, we are unsure of  third. I worked with them both in December-January. Bridgette is one of my very best friends & one of the best activists I have met. She replaced Eva, who was deported from Ramallah in the beginning of January, as the media coordinator & has written many articles speaking against the occupation. Unfortunately the role of ISM-Media Coordinator is played out by being arrested, harassed, & finally deported. I remember after Eva was deported, Bridgette saying "I wonder when my time will come?"

Ramallah is Area A, which means the IOF can't enter without military coordination from the Palestinian Authority. This raid follows an extensive arrest wave targeting grassroots activists and oragnizers throughout the West Bank. Such raids have been conducted in the villages of Bil’in – where 32 residents have been arrested in the past six month, Ni’ilin – where 94 residents have been arrested in the past 18 months, the cities of Nablus and Ramallah and East Jerusalem. The past three weeks have seen raids on ex-ISM bases in both Bil’in and Ni’lin also.

Israel’s tactic of repressing nonviolent international Palestinian solidarity activists is a true detriment to the nonviolent movement. We recognize the targeting of international nonviolent activists as part of a greater campaign against all nonviolent activists in Palestine (e.g. Wa’el A- Faqeeh and Abdallah Abu Rahmah). We will not, however, let their force deter us from standing with the Palestinian people and continuing to support the nonviolent struggle for freedom.

Palestinian Christians urge nonviolent resistance

The leaders of the thirteen Christian communities serving in the Palestinian territories -- including Latin and Orthodox patriarchs -- have declared the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories a “sin against God and humanity” and urged Christians everywhere to nonviolently intervene to end its injustices.

“Today, we have reached a dead end in the tragedy of the Palestinian people,” wrote the authors of the Kairos Palestine Document, which was issued last month.

“The decision-makers content themselves with managing the crisis rather than committing themselves to the serious task of resolving it," the document says. "The problem is not just a political one. It is a policy in which human beings are destroyed, and this must be of concern to the church.”

The prelates of all thirteen Christian communities in the Palestinian territories endorsed the document. The co-authors of the statement include Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Lutheran Bishop of Jerusalem Munib Younan, and Archbishop Theodosius Attallah Hannah of Sebastian from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The 12-page call-to-action details the consequences of the Israeli occupation for Palestinians and advocates for a Christian response that reflects the church’s universal mission “to bear witness to God and the dignity of human beings.” Such a response, the authors wrote, includes civil disobedience, boycotts, and divestment campaigns.

“Resistance is a right and duty for Christians. But it is resistance with love as its logic,” they said.

A year and a half in the making, “Kairos Palestine” represents “an unprecedented collaboration” among Palestinian Christians, said Rifat Kassis, a Palestinian Christian who coordinated the “Kairos” initiative. While church leaders have issued ecumenical statements on the future of Jerusalem, this marks the first time they have written on the occupation, “so thoroughly and with such wide representation,” he said.

The statement is primarily intended to encourage and motivate Palestinian Christians. A small minority in the region, many are emigrating because of the hardships of the Israeli occupation.

But Kassis said the document is also addressed to the universal church, encouraging its members “to not be passive but to look with compassion on the conflict, to help the two nations. They should exercise as much intervention and pressure in order to bring a just peace.”


“Kairos Palestine” opens with a bleak assessment of the Palestinian experience under Israeli occupation. The separation wall, the expansion of settlements and their acquisition of natural resources, the closure of Gaza, the imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians, and the emptying of Jerusalem of its Palestinian residents impede fair political solutions and contradict “the will of God for this land,” the authors wrote.

In contrast to the sectionalism that plagues the region, the statement emphasizes the land’s “universal mission” to be a place of “reconciliation, peace, and love” and the church’s prophetic mission to stand with the oppressed. Pointed words of criticism are levied at western theologians who give “theological legitimacy to the infringement” of Palestinian rights.

Publicly launched Dec. 11 at a gathering of religious leaders in Bethlehem, “Kairos Palestine” received coverage in the Arab media but scant attention, so far, in the Western press. The document did, however, evoke commentary from Christians for Fair Witness on the Middle East, a pro-Israel, ecumenical organization based in New York city.

A member of that group's executive committee, Msgr. Dennis Mikulanis, said the Palestinian appeal failed to “acknowledge some fundamental truths.”

“I understand that it comes from a place of deep Palestinian suffering. But we will not advance peace by placing all the blame on Israel’s shoulders, or by promoting the false idea that boycotting Israel will solve this conflict,” said Mikulanis, who is also vicar for ecumenical and interreligious affairs for the San Diego, Calif., diocese.

Others have lauded the Christian statement for championing specific action. The national committee for the Palestinian Boycott and Divestment and Sanctions campaign said it “saluted the moral clarity, courage, and principled position conveyed in this new document which emphasizes that resisting injustice should ‘concern the church.’ ”

Several mainline Protestant churches have already begun to consider divestment from companies directly involved in the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

In 2004, the Presbyterian Church USA passed a resolution calling for “phased divestment” from companies profiting from the occupation. In 2007, the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church identified 20 such companies and recommended individuals divest from them. Included in the list were Lockheed Martin, the biggest overseas supplier for Israel’s armament industry, General Electric, provider of parts for Israel’s AH-64 Apache Assault Helicopter, and Caterpillar, manufacturer of militarized bulldozers and mining equipment used to demolish Palestinian homes.

David Hosey, media coordinator for the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and a missionary with the United Methodist Church, said members of the New England conference of that church are in correspondence with the targeted companies, the first step in “phased divestment.” The Methodists adopted a resolution in 2004 opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territories. Various regional conferences are now debating whether or not to express that opposition with divestment campaigns.

In December 2008, the Church of England divested 3.3 million dollars from Caterpillar. Church officials said the withdrawal was purely for economic reasons. But it was not publicly announced until February 2009, a month after the Israeli invasion of Gaza and a day before the British newspaper The Guardian was scheduled to publish a letter signed by twenty-three Anglican clergy condemning the Church’s “unethical” investment policy.

As for action from the Roman Catholic Church, Hosey said members of the Sisters of Loretto, a U.S. order of Catholic women religious, were pushing for shareholder resolutions urging Caterpillar to stop its sale of militarized bulldozers to Israel.

Christian calls for divestment have sparked criticism from various Jewish organizations and, at times, strained inter-religious dialogue. But Hosey thinks that could change as more Jewish and Israeli groups endorse using economic pressure to change Israeli action in the Occupied Territories.

Among the religious leaders who spoke at the Bethlehem launch of the Kairos document were American Rabbi Brian Walt, a member of Rabbis for Human Rights and co-founder of the Jewish Fast for Gaza, and Dr. Mark Braverman, executive director of the Holy Land Peace Project. Both praised the Palestinian statement for its call to action. Braverman likened it to Martin Luther King Jr’s, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

“The bold claim in the document that action for justice for the Palestinian people will also bring liberation for the Jewish people struck me as particularly important,” Walt said.

Kassis has created a Web site for the ongoing collection of endorsements. He said the document is being circulated among the member churches of the World Council of Churches, and has also been sent to regional ecumenical bodies, Pax Christi, and Caritas International.

“Soon we are going to ask them about action,” Kassis said.

Hope for Middle East peace talks?

Please Watch:
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/insidestory/2010/02/201023132631822538.html

Until now, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has resolutely refused all negotiations with Israel until it stops building Jewish settlements for 12 months, including in East Jerusalem.

But Abbas seems to have lowered his ceiling of demands for resuming peace talks with Israel under the current situation.

He told a British newspaper that he would return to direct talks if Israel halted building for three months.
He repeated his new position at a press conference in Berlin, adding that he was also against armed resistance.

But why is Abbas backtracking now? And will it get results?

Inside Story presenter Shiulie Ghosh is joined by Manuel Hassassian, the PLO's ambassador to the UK, Professor Shmuel Sandler, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Bar Ilan University, and Ali Abunimah, the co-founder of electronicintifada.net, and author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse.

Scattered Palestinian protests reflect a fractured struggle

Scattered Palestinian protests reflect a fractured struggle

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Gathering to rebuild Gawi tent creates air of solidarity and support in the face of police repression and settler violence

Gathering to rebuild Gawi tent creates air of solidarity and support in the face of police repression and settler violence

Posted using ShareThis

The 'summary' of the week

Israeli attacks on Palestinians this week

West Bank, February 01, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -This week, Israeli forces injured 12 Palestinians throughout the West Bank, compared to the 2009 weekly average of 17. This week's injuries bring the total number of Palestinians injured in Israeli‐Palestinian violence since the beginning of 2010 to 53.

Eight of this week's injuries were sustained in non-violent demonstrations throughout the West Bank: Ni'lin, where the apartheid wall is being built (two), Tuwani, where Israeli forces and settlers entered the village (one); and the Ramallah area, where locals and internationals were protesting the expansion of Hallamish settlement (five, see below). Three international activists and one Israeli soldier were also wounded in the latter. In a separate incident, Israeli forces physically assaulted and injured four Palestinians who were trying to enter East Jerusalem without the Israeli‐required permit.

Meanwhile, in two separate incidents that occurred at the checkpoints of Az Zayem and Jaba' (Jerusalem), Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians after allegedly attempting to cross with a weapon.

On one occasion, Palestinians threw a pipe bomb towards Israeli forces at Qalandiya checkpoint, the main entrance for Palestinians through the barrier into East Jerusalem from the north, known for its long lines and heavy security checks. While no injuries were reported, Israeli forces partially closed the checkpoint for almost eight hours (from 8:30 p.m. until 5 a.m.).

During the week, Israeli forces conducted 102 search operations inside Palestinian villages, the majority of which took place in the northern West Bank (68), slightly below the weekly average during 2009 (103). Media reports indicated that Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces arrested six men who work as aides to Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Speaker Aziz Dwaik.

Israeli settler-related incidents

During the week, there were 10 settler‐related incidents, resulting in injury to five Palestinians; three settlers were also injured in the clashes, after they attacked a Palestinian community. A further six incidents affecting Israeli settlers occurred during the week, resulting in no injuries.

In  the  Sheikh  Jarrah  neighbourhood  of  East  Jerusalem,  where  Israeli  settlers  have  evicted 53 Palestinian residents and moved into their homes, Israeli settlers physically assaulted five Palestinians,   injuring   two   of   them.   Clashes   subsequently   took   place   between the settlers and Palestinians. Israeli forces arrested two of the Palestinians; both were later released. In the same area, more than 400 Israeli, Palestinian and international activists held a demonstration against the eviction of Palestinian families from their homes. During the demonstration, Israeli forces blocked all entrances leading to the scene of the demonstration and arrested 20 activists; all were later released. These protests are now taking place on a weekly basis.

Price-tag strategy

One of the incidents reported this week stemmed from the "price tag" strategy, in which settlers attack Palestinians after attempts to dismantle a settlement outpost. Settlers entered the village of Beitillu (Ramallah) and clashed with the residents after the Israeli authorities dismantled a structure serving as a synagogue in the Givat Menachem outpost. Two Palestinians and three settlers were injured by stones, and one house and two vehicles sustained damage. Israeli army and police evacuated the settlers from the area and conducted an investigation. In a report issued in November, OCHA identified Beitillu as one of the Palestinian communities vulnerable to settler violence in the context of the "price tag" strategy.

In a separate incident, settlers from Bracha settlement (Nablus) entered the nearby village of Iraq Burin and clashed with the residents, after which Israeli forces arrived and fired tear gas and rubber‐coated metal bullets to disperse the settlers and the Palestinians; one Palestinian was treated for tear gas inhalation. During the week, settlers from Hallamish settlement also cut down 20 olive trees belonging to a Palestinian farmer from Deir Nidham village (Ramallah). In recent weeks, there have been regular demonstrations protesting the expansion of Hallamish settlement on Deir Nidham lands that have resulted in clashes between Palestinians, Israeli settlers and the Israeli army.

Also during the week, there were four incidents of stone‐throwing by Israeli settlers at Palestinians driving vehicles on roads near settlements in the Ramallah, Nablus and Hebron areas, resulting in no injuries  or  damage  to  vehicles.  In  addition,  there  were  five  incidents  affecting  Israeli settlers, in which Palestinians threw stones and Molotov cocktails towards Israeli vehicles driving near Palestinian villages in the Ramallah and  Hebron areas. No injuries were reported,  but the vehicles sustained some damage. In an additional incident, Palestinians threw stones at a vehicle carrying an Israeli minister who was visiting settlers in East Jerusalem; no injuries were reported.

Following last week's arrests of a number of Israeli settlers on suspicion of setting fire to and vandalizing a mosque in the village of Yasuf (Salfit) in December 2009, the Israeli police arrested a rabbi suspected of involvement in the incident. However, he, along with a number of those arrested, was subsequently released.

The lack of adequate law enforcement against violent Israeli settlers remains an issue of concern; during the reporting period, the Israeli human rights group, Yesh Din, demanded indictments of four settlers who were filmed by the police attacking Bedouins in the West Bank in the summer of 2008. However, the cases for all four settlers were subsequently closed without charge.

Palestinian cemetery vandalized in 'Awarta (Nablus)

During the week, a Palestinian graveyard was vandalized in 'Awarta (Nablus) and offensive graffiti was sprayed in Hebrew, English and Russian inside the village. The incidents happened while a group of settlers, under the protection of the Israeli army, were visiting a nearby site. Palestinians accuse the settlers and Israeli soldiers of being responsible for the damage; the Israeli army has started to investigate the incident.

New demolition orders issued

The  Israeli  Civil  Administration  (ICA)  distributed  demolition  and  stop-work  orders  against 17 Palestinian‐owned structures in Area C of the West Bank, due to the lack of required building permits. Three are in Beitillu (Ramallah), seven in Al Ka'abna (Jericho), two in Qizoon in Hebron City, three in Kerzliyeh (Aqraba‐Nablus) and two in Burin (Nablus). The orders include five residences in Kerzliyeh and Qizoon, placing 39 persons at risk of displacement; five structures under construction, two of which are planned for a mosque; a clinic; a two‐story building in Burin village; three residences in Beitillu; and seven structures in Al Ka'abneh, including five caravans belonging to the community's school, a mosque and a restroom. In 2009 and 2010, 226 Palestinian‐owned structures have been demolished in Area C to date, due to a lack of building permits, resulting in the displacement of 431 people and affecting an additional 554 people.

Also in Area C, the ICA delivered an eviction order targeting five tents and two animal shelters belonging to three families in Fasayil Al Fauqa area (Jericho), due to its location in a closed military zone for military training ("firing zone"). The order indicates that the family should evacuate their residence within 72 hours, placing 18 persons, including 11 children, at risk of displacement. Over 80 percent of the Area C demolitions in 2009 occurred in areas declared "firing zones". Since 1967, Israel has designated some 18 percent of the West Bank as a "firing zone". Many residents, however, report that they have never seen the Israeli military training in their vicinity.

Gaza Strip

No Palestinian direct conflict casualties for the second week in a row

For the second week in a row, there were no Palestinian casualties recorded in the Gaza Strip in the context of the Palestinian‐Israeli conflict. This period follows a significant escalation in violence during the first two weeks of 2010, which resulted in nine Palestinians killed and five others injured. This week only one land‐leveling operation by Israeli forces along the Gazan side of the border was reported, compared to a weekly average of three during the previous four weeks. Palestinian armed factions have continued to fire rudimentary rockets and mortars towards southern Israel, including military bases, resulting in no injuries or damage to property; a number of rockets reportedly landed inside the Gaza Strip or exploded prematurely.

Gaza floods update: 800 people affected

During the week, humanitarian organizations carried out damage assessments of homes, livelihoods and agricultural lands caused by the heavy rain and flooding that occurred on 18 January in the Wadi Gaza/Al Mughraqa area of central Gaza. The total number of people affected by the floods is estimated at approximately 140 households or 800 persons, who have since received basic emergency assistance including food and non‐food items from various agencies, including the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the Ministry of Social Affairs in Gaza, UNRWA, UNICEF and several NGOs and local  associations.  An  estimated  500  sheep  and  some  goats,  as  well  as  hundreds  of  chickens, including those on two poultry farms, have perished, and many bee hives have been destroyed, as a result of the floods.  Following health concerns, the carcasses of many these animals have now been cleared from the area and disposed of by the municipality; further clean up and repair to the area continues. A number of families are still living with host families, while waiting for their houses to dry out and subsequently be cleaned.

Gaza power plant partially shut down due to fuel shortage; up to 12-hour blackouts

On Jan. 23, Gaza's powerpPlant (GPP) had to shut down one of its two operating turbines and reduce its output from 65 to 30 megawatts (MW), due to a shortage of industrial fuel. The supply of industrial fuel, which is imported only from Israel, has been reduced since the beginning of 2010 from an average of 2.2 to 1.5 million liters a week, following a cut in the funds allocated by the Palestinian Authority, due to alleged financial constraints. Since the European Union's commitment to fund fuel for the GPP expired in November 2009, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah has assumed responsibility for funding.

This week's reduction in the electricity output by the GPP has triggered long rolling scheduled blackouts, which reached 10‐12 hours, 4‐5 days per week in Gaza City, northern Gaza and middle area and 6‐8 hours, 3‐4 days per week in Khan Younis and Rafah, as indicated by the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO). There are also some 40,000 people, who remain without electricity at all times due to damage incurred to electricity networks during the "Cast Lead" offensive. The GPP authority indicated that fuel reserves are available for a few additional days and, if no more fuel is delivered in the next days, the GPP will completely shut down.

According to GEDCO, the overall supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip stands now at approximately 167 MW (120 MW purchased from Israel, 30 MW produced by the GPP and 17 MW delivered by Egypt), some 60 percent of the estimated electricity demand (280 MW). Electricity cuts are directly affecting refrigerated food, water pumping and air conditioning supply in individual households, as well as the provision of essential services, including water supply, sewage removal and treatment and medical treatment. As a result, public institutions are forced  to rely extensively on backup generators and other alternative devices, which are extremely vulnerable due to the inconsistent supply of spare parts. WHO warned that the continued power cuts and blackouts not only put the life of hundreds of patients at risk but also may damage hospital equipment.

Exports of flowers and strawberries continue

Despite the ongoing prohibition of exports from Gaza, Israel agreed to allow four truckloads of cut flowers and two truckloads of strawberries to be exported via Kerem Shalom this week. Since 10
December 2009, 39 truckloads exited Gaza, including 15 truckloads of cut flowers (1,674,840 stems) and 24 truckloads of strawberries These shipments took place after the intervention of the Dutch government and are limited to the two types of goods. The Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC) indicated that 300 tonnes of strawberries and 30 million cut flowers are slated for export during this season (ending on 15 February for strawberries and 20 May 2010 for cut flowers)

after the intervention of the Dutch government and are limited to the two types of goods. The Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC) indicated that 300 tons of strawberries and 30 million cut flowers are slated for export during this season (ending on Feb. 15 for strawberries and May 20 for cut flowers).

There was a 34 percent increase in the amount of cooking gas that entered this week compared to last week (764.5 tonnes vs. 571 tonnes).* The Gas Stations Owners Association (GSOA), however, indicated that at least 2,000 tonnes of cooking gas needs to be transferred into Gaza, in addition to an uninterrupted transfer of at least 250 tonnes each day to overcome the ongoing shortfall. Since November 2009, the shortfall has led to a gas rationing scheme throughout the Gaza Strip, in which quantities of gas available at the Palestinian General Petroleum Corporation (PPC) are being distributed to bakeries and hospitals first, as a priority.

* The actual amount of cooking gas that entered last week was 571 tons during Jan. 10-16,  while the amount reported in the previous weekly report was 914 tons, which  includes quantities that entered via Kerem Shalom and Nahal Oz crossings, when both opened on Jan. 19.

Ref: OCHAOPT.