Palestinian academics, advocates targeted for imprisonment without charge or trial

The Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition by Palestinian political detainee Dr. Ghassan Thuqan, 57, an academic lecturer in the Faculty of Education at An-Najah University, on Tuesday, 16 December.

Thuqan was arrested on 9 July as part of a wave of mass arrests by Israeli ocupation forces throughout the West Bank; he is held in administrative detention, imprisoned without charge or trial. His administrative detention term will expire on 9 January, but his lawyer informed his family that he expects the term to be renewed, particularly following this court decision. The petition was rejected on the basis of a “secret file” on his case; he has already had his three-month administrative detention order renewed twice. Thuqan, held in the Negev desert prison, suffers from asthma, dental pains and arthritis, and is not receiving appropriate treatment from the prison medical clinics.

Dr. Imad Barghouthi, a Palestinian astrophysicist and professor at Al-Quds University who formerly worked at NASA in the United States, is now being held in three months administrative detention (imprisonment without charge or trial.)

Barghouthi, 52, from Beit Rima, has been ordered held without charge or trial from 9 December until 5 March 2015 under a three-month, indefinitely renewable, military court order.

He was arrested on 6 December as he attempted to cross to Jordan at the Karama border crossing in order to attend a scientific conference in the United Arab Emirates. Barghouthi’s scientific work is widely published internationally in academic journals. This is the first time he was arrested by Israeli occupation forces. It was reported that he was investigated for participating in a mass march against the assault on Gaza over the summer.

Also held in administrative detention without charge or trial is Osama Hussein Shaheen, 32, the director of the Prisoners of Palestine Studies Center in al-Khalil. He was arrested on 11 December as he traveled through the Container checkpoint and was taken to Ofer military prison. Shaheen, a prominent activist on prisoners’ issues, was released only 3 months ago from administrative detention without charge or trial. He has spent 7 years total inside Israeli prisons and suffers from several health problems. The Center denounced the arrest of Shaheen, saying that “this action aims to obstruct the center’s work exposing occupation crimes against prisoners of war and documenting them on a daily basis.”

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society reported that 54 administrative detention orders for imprisonment without charge or trial have been issued by Israeli military courts against Palestinians since the beginning of December 2014.

Source: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network

Gerald Kaufman MP "You cannot appeal to the Israelis’ better nature, bec...

Australian film on Israel's torturing of Palestinian children sparks controversy

Published on Dec 15, 2014

A controversial film which has been produced by a group of Australian journalists has sparked an international outcry against Israel after it explicitly deta.

Israelis torturing non-Jewish children documentary film full length. Viewer discretion. The still picture shows Palestinian girl Nesreen Hash'hash after bein.

Israelis torturing non-Jewish children documentary film full length. Viewer discretion. The still picture shows Palestinian girl Nesreen Hash'hash after bein. Israelis torturing non-Jewish.

Palestinian shot dead by Israeli troops

Today 16/12/2014: Mahmoud Adwan,21 year old was shot dead during a clash early this morning,at Qalandia checkpoint, between Jerusalem and Ramallah.
Another brutal murder.
With complete impunity.
Another martyr whose only crime was to be PALESTINIAN in OCCUPIED PALESTINE.
Haitham Al Khatib

Source : http://gulfnews.com/news/region/palestine/palestinian-shot-dead-by-israeli-troops-1.1427524

Running In The Rubble Of Gaza

Palestinian Olympic runner Nader Al-Masri isn't letting the destruction left by the Israeli attacks on Gaza keep him from training and running for Palestine.

Rauf Snoubar, 14, shot in head with live bullet in Jalazon

Rauf Snoubar, 14, shot in head with live bullet in Jalazon refugee camp 10 Dec by #Israel's occupation forces. Tweeted by @rk70534

Israel to receive 50 American jets free of cost

On December 5, 2014, the Jewish Daily Forwardreported that during a business meeting between Israeli defense minister Moshe Ya’alon and his American counter-part Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon in October 2014, US defense department agreed to sell additional 14-F35As to Israel for $2 billion.

Hagel at the Pentagon in October 2014, US defense department agreed to sell additional 14-F35As to Israel for $2 billion.

“It’s just part of a long term deal that includes a 2010 purchase of 19 warplanes (which won’t arrive until 2016) for $2.75 billion and maintains option of purchasing 17 more in the future,” said Yael Even Ro.

What the cunning Zionist Jew writer ignored to mention that the Zionist regime is paying $4.75 billion for the purchase of 50 America’s most advanced jets, comes from US-taxpayers pockets. The US provides $3 billion + annual military aid to Israel on the condition that 75% of it would be used to buy American military hardware.

As that was not a joke enough. Yael also reported that in return for this new deal, America’s top arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin has agreed to buy $6 billion worth of security equipment from Israel. I’m sure some readers must have heard the idiom: Have Your Cake, and Eat it Too!

On August 8, 2014, Professor Marjorie Cohn (Thomas Jefferson School of Law) in an article said: “By sending vast amounts of military aid to Israel, members of the Congress, President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel have aided and abetted the commission of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity by Israeli officials and commanders in Gaza. An individual can be convicted of a war crime, genocide or crime against humanity in the International Criminal Court (ICC) if he or she “aids, abets or otherwise assists” in the commission or attempted commission of the crime “including providing the means for its commission.”

According to the Congressional Research Service, in 2007, the Bush Administration agreed to provide Israel with $30 billion in military assistance from 2009 to 2018, provided in annual increments of $3.1 billion. During his March 2013 visit to Israel, Obama pledged that the US would continue to provide Israel with multi-year commitments of military aid subject to the approval of Congress.

Since 2012, the US has donated $276 million worth of weapons and munitions to Israel, not including exports of military transport equipment and high technologies. From January to May 2014, the US transferred to Israel almost $27 million for rocket launchers, $9.3 million worth of parts of guided missiles and nearly $762,000 for bombs, grenades and munitions of war.

On July 20, 2014, Israel requested additional ammunition, including 140mm tank rounds and 40mm illumination grenades, and the Defense Department approved the sale three days later. It came from a $1 billion stockpile of ammunition the US military stores in Israel for that country’s use; it is called War Reserve Stockpile Ammunition-Israel. In early August 2014, both houses of Congress overwhelmingly passed, and Obama signed, an appropriation of $225 million for Israel’s Iron Dome aka Dumb Dome missile defense system, which has also been used in Gaza. The Senate vote was unanimous. With no debate, the House of Representatives voted 395 to 8 to approve the deal.

James M. Wall, journalist and editor of the Christian Century magazine has more on this story here.