Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Action alert: Arrested on the way to school in Bil’in
23rd September 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Bil’in, Occupied Palestine
On September 14th at 11:00 in the morning, 15 year-old Ibrahim Abu-Rahma was walking to school with his little brother, 13-year-old Ahmed, in their village of Bil’in. An Israeli army jeep had infiltrated the village and stopped near the boys. The two ran in the opposite direction, only to run into another of the army’s infiltrating units. Ibrahim was grabbed by the soldiers and arrested.
A military Judge ruled that he could be released on bail. Now, the Bil’in popular committee need 5000 NIS to pay the bail money.
Bil’in village has been diligently protesting Israel’s theft of their land and the construction of settlements and the apartheid wall, for the past 10 years. All families in the village have payed a high price of resistance to a brutal military occupation. The Abu-Rahma family has lost two family members, Bassem and Jawaher, as a direct result of soldier violence. And the young men and boys of the village are constantly targeted for arrests.
Any amount helps. Please donate here http://palsolidarity.org/donate/ and send an email to lumalayan@yahoo.com with “Free Ibrahim” in the subject line telling us the sum you have sent.
In solidarity,
ISM
Israeli Police Brutally Assault Jerusalem Youth
Israeli police assaulted, this past Wednesday, 16-year old Shadi Raed Ghurab as he was walking along Nablus Street, in occupied East Jerusalem.
Police severely beat the boy with batons while he was being detained in the interrogation room, at the Salah Eddin Street police station, according to Jerusalem's Wadi Hilweh Information Center. The Center noted that he suffered fractures in his arm and leg, as seen in the photo.
Shadi explained that an officer detained him on Nablus Street and, then, took him to Salah Eddin Street police station. After the interrogator entered the room, he mocked the child for being a resident of the Al-Thori neighborhood, which resulted in a number of verbal altercations.
Additionally, according to the boy's testimony, the interrogator then transferred him to a different room which did not have any cameras, upon which he was assaulted by not one but three officers.
Shadi explained that he was able to leave the station during the arrest of another young man, and was then transferred to Al-Maqased hospital for treatment.
Such inhumane treatment of Palestinians is a common occurrence, by both Israeli authorities and civilian settlers alike.
See also, from Wadi Hilweh Info Center, "In pictures: The police arrest the 9-year old Qusai Ashoor and detain him for hours"
Shadi explained that an officer detained him on Nablus Street and, then, took him to Salah Eddin Street police station. After the interrogator entered the room, he mocked the child for being a resident of the Al-Thori neighborhood, which resulted in a number of verbal altercations.
Additionally, according to the boy's testimony, the interrogator then transferred him to a different room which did not have any cameras, upon which he was assaulted by not one but three officers.
Shadi explained that he was able to leave the station during the arrest of another young man, and was then transferred to Al-Maqased hospital for treatment.
Such inhumane treatment of Palestinians is a common occurrence, by both Israeli authorities and civilian settlers alike.
See also, from Wadi Hilweh Info Center, "In pictures: The police arrest the 9-year old Qusai Ashoor and detain him for hours"
Two Palestinian teenagers arrested by Israeli forces in Hebron
23rd September 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
Today at Salaymeh checkpoint in Hebron, Israeli forces fired 29 rounds of tear gas and 5 stun grenades at children going to school.
The morning started off peaceful as children passed through the checkpoint but as word spread that two Palestinians had been murdered by the Israeli army the night before, tensions began to rise quickly. Israeli forces had a clear presence at the checkpoint from the start. A few small stones were thrown by a small number of young boys, but landed nowhere near the checkpoint.
Three Israeli Border police proceeded to fire the first round of tear gas at the children. In total, 29 tear gas canisters and 5 stun grenades were fired. This was extremely excessive and unnecessary as the Israeli border police were clearly in no danger. Two ambulances were called to the scene due to the immense amounts of tear gas fired and a Palestinian teacher stated that 30 school children and 15 teachers suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation.
International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activists then left Salaymeh checkpoint and headed over to Qeitun checkpoint around 5 minutes away as they heard the firing of tear gas.
At Qeitun checkpoint clashes had erupted and were underway between unarmed Palestinian youth and Israeli forces. An excessive amount of tear gas was used in addition to rubber coated steel bullets and stun grenades.
A small group of older boys were throwing stones but they did not manage to reach the Israeli forces. However, the commander insisted on firing despite the presence of the many young children, some as young as 8 years old, in front of them attempting to get to school.
Later on the Israeli forces threw stun grenades and brutally grabbed and arrested two young Palestinian boys between the ages of 14 and 15 years old. One of the boys whilst in a headlock and handcuffed was punched several times in the side. ISM activists ran up to ask the boys their names and correct ages but the Israeli forces were very hostile. They were both forced through the turnstiles and were kept at the checkpoint for a few minutes before Israeli forces marched them to the police station near the Ibrahimi mosque.
Source: http://palsolidarity.org/2014/09/video-israeli-forces-arrest-two-children-and-fire-29-rounds-of-tear-gas-at-schoolchildren/
Source: http://palsolidarity.org/2014/09/video-israeli-forces-arrest-two-children-and-fire-29-rounds-of-tear-gas-at-schoolchildren/
Danish foreign minister threatens sanctions against Israel
If the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas set to start Tuesday in Cairo do not yield significant Israel concessions, the EU should consider trade sanctions against Israel, Denmark’s foreign minister said on Monday.
According to the website of the Danish English news site, The Local, Martin Lidegaard told the DanishJyllands- Posten newspaper that if Israel does not commit to end its “blockade” of Gaza and stop “illegal settlements,” then tougher steps should be adopted.
“If nothing happens in the peace talks this time, and if we don’t see a new pattern of response from Israel’s side, then we will need to discuss the possibility of taking new steps, including changes to our trade relations with Israel,” he said.
“I hope that it doesn’t come to that, but I think that the EU’s policies are moving in that direction,” he said.
His comments about the EU “moving in that direction” are at variance with a growing sense in Jerusalem that Islamic State has led to a greater understanding among many governments in the EU for what Israel is up against.
Israel did not seem particularly troubled by Lidegaard’s comments, nor interested in turning them into a full-blown diplomatic incident with Copenhagen.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said only that Lidegaard “is mistaken and does not understand the situation. When he comes to visit in Israel, he will certainly understand the reality and understand that Israel is not responsible for the stalemate.”
There are no plans at present for a visit by the Danish foreign minister.
Even in Denmark his words received a cold reception.
The country’s trade minister, Mogens Jensen, was quoted by Jyllands-Posten as saying, “Only when a broad international coalition can agree on sanctions do I think it is reasonable to consider that action. I’m not at a point where I can say that there is a need for sanctions.”
According to the website of the Danish English news site, The Local, Martin Lidegaard told the DanishJyllands- Posten newspaper that if Israel does not commit to end its “blockade” of Gaza and stop “illegal settlements,” then tougher steps should be adopted.
“If nothing happens in the peace talks this time, and if we don’t see a new pattern of response from Israel’s side, then we will need to discuss the possibility of taking new steps, including changes to our trade relations with Israel,” he said.
“I hope that it doesn’t come to that, but I think that the EU’s policies are moving in that direction,” he said.
His comments about the EU “moving in that direction” are at variance with a growing sense in Jerusalem that Islamic State has led to a greater understanding among many governments in the EU for what Israel is up against.
Israel did not seem particularly troubled by Lidegaard’s comments, nor interested in turning them into a full-blown diplomatic incident with Copenhagen.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said only that Lidegaard “is mistaken and does not understand the situation. When he comes to visit in Israel, he will certainly understand the reality and understand that Israel is not responsible for the stalemate.”
There are no plans at present for a visit by the Danish foreign minister.
Even in Denmark his words received a cold reception.
The country’s trade minister, Mogens Jensen, was quoted by Jyllands-Posten as saying, “Only when a broad international coalition can agree on sanctions do I think it is reasonable to consider that action. I’m not at a point where I can say that there is a need for sanctions.”
New Israeli Policy Results In Keeping Hundreds Imprisoned
The Israeli Persecution initiated, since the beginning of July, a new policy in occupied East Jerusalem, resulting in keeping hundreds of Palestinians, including dozens of children, behind bars for extended periods, until concluding all “legal measures” against them.
Israeli daily Haaretz said the new policy, used by Israeli prosecution, is resulting in keeping every detained Palestinian, believed to have thrown stones at the soldiers or settlers, or believed to have committed a violation, behind bars until all legal measures are concluded.
Such measures led to keeping dozens of children imprisoned for a month, and in many cases two months, before there were even sent to trial. Haaretz said the army and police have arrested 260 Palestinian children in the last two months.
It added that 58 Palestinian children from Jerusalem are currently detained by Israel for “participating in clashes with the army and police in Jerusalem."
Several defense attorneys, and social workers, said most of the detained children actually “confess” to whatever the interrogators accuse them of, hoping to be able to see their families, and have their detention time reduced.
Haaretz said it closely examined the issue, and found out that, in many cases, Israeli courts respond to requests of alternative measures to prison when it comes to detained Jewish suspects, and largely denies similar requests when it comes to Arab prisoners.
Following the July 2nd kidnapping of Mohammad Abu Khdeir, 16, from Jerusalem, who was tortured and burnt to death by fanatic Israelis, and the resulting clashes in occupied Jerusalem, the police kidnapped 760 Palestinians, including 260 children.
Most of them face charges of “committing violent acts,” “throwing stones at the Police,” and “assaulting an officer,” therefore, any Arab person, even a child over 14 years of age, who is facing any sort of charges, is kept detained under interrogation for an extended period of time.
They are largely kept detained for 14 days, which are automatically renewed each time until the end of all legal measures against them.
Haaretz also stated that, because the detained children do not have relatives living outside of Jerusalem, and because there are no institutions to deal with such issues for Arab children in Jerusalem, the courts largely reject all appeals for placing them under house arrest, instead of prison, especially since ankle monitors do not function in occupied East Jerusalem.
Haaretz said these issues lead to releasing many Jewish prisoners, even those who committed more serious violations, while keeping Arab prisoners, including children, behind bars.
An example to that is the Sunday decision of the Israeli Supreme Court to release four Jewish-Israelis facing charges of torching a Palestinian coffee shop in Doura town, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
The four conducted what is known as a “Price Tag” attack against the Palestinians. Such attacks refer to assaults carried out by Israeli fanatics against the Palestinians, their property and lands, allegedly “to avenge a certain attack," or “avenge the Israeli removal of an illegitimate settlement outpost," although very few outposts have actually been dismantled.
Under the Price Tag attacks, Israeli fanatics burnt and attempted to burn several mosques and churches, defaced many Islamic and Christians graveyards and holy sites, defaced cars and punctured their tires, among various other violations, including torching farmlands and orchards, cutting and bulldozing Palestinian trees.
PCHR Statement On Abduction And Murder Of Palestinian Child.
The Israeli offensive on Gaza caused full or partial damages to 75 kindergartens and day-care centers
The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center field teams have documented full or partial damages to 75 kindergartens and day-care centers caused during the 51 day Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip this summer.
DWRC’s field workers conducted field visits to all the kindergartens that suffered damages and collected information through filling questionnaires and affidavits from kindergarten owners in the five Gaza governorates, with a particular focus on eastern areas, where these damages were concentrated.
Among the 75 kindergartens and day-care centers that suffered damages, 12 were fully destroyed and 63 partially damaged by shelling and bombing. They are distributed as follows: 10 are located in the North Gaza governorate, 17 in the Gaza governorate, 17 in the Middle Gaza governorate, 21 in Khan Younis governorate, and 10 in Rafah governorate. These kindergartens employ 629 female workers, including educators, administrators and cleaning agents, and they used to care for and provide pre-school education to 12,671 children.
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| Photo by Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center in Palestine |
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| Photo by Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center in Palestine |
The owners of some of the kindergartens have undertaken repairs at their own cost in order to reopen them and others have relocated to alternative premises near their original location, while a third group has been unable to open their kindergartens or day-care centers to this day.
The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center strongly condemns Israeli attacks on educational institutions and calls upon the international community to hold the Israeli occupying power accountable for crimes committed during its latest military offensive against the Gaza Strip. The Center stresses the need ensure special care and protection for children under all circumstances as stipulated in international human rights law and humanitarian law, and declarations on the rights of the child. DWRC also emphasizes the urgent need to rehabilitate damaged kindergartens and day-care centers, and compensate their owners as soon as possible due to the society’s need for their essential services.
Early childhood education in the occupied Palestinian territory is provided by private sector or NGOs, and receives no subsidies from the government. 99% of the workers in the sector are women, most of them paid well below the monthly minimum wage of 1450 NIS. It is a sector that has already suffered greatly from high poverty and unemployment rates, particularly in the Gaza Strip, since it largely depends on the capacity of families to pay for its services.
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