Friday, April 24, 2015
On 10 March 2015, soldiers entered the home of ‘Imad and Fayzeh Abu
Shamsiyeh, B'Tselem camera volunteers in Hebron. The soldiers woke the
children, photographed them, viewed footage the Shamsiyehs filmed of
life in Hebron and of Israeli security forces, and confiscated a hard
disk and a memory card with images. Photographing and recording, even of
soldiers, are permitted in the West Bank. B'Tselem urges the military
to immediately return the confiscated property with its contents intact,
and refrain from harassing B’Tselem volunteers or hampering the work of
photographers.
Palestinian women from Beit Hanoun found shelter with their families at
an UNRWA school. They tell of the rough living conditions after losing
their homes and speak of their hopes for the future.
According to UN figures for Beit Hanoun, 90 homes were destroyed and 24 others damaged during Operation Protective Edge.
On 1 Apr. 2015, Civil Administration officials confiscated 12 solar
panels, the sole source of electricity in the community of Khan
al-Ahmar, near the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim. In a bid to force out
residents and seize the area, Israel denies the community access to the
power grid and prevents any possibility for legal construction. B'Tselem
urges the Civil Administration to return the panels and allow residents
to build legally in their community. Israel must meet its obligations
under IHL to act for the benefit and well-being of the residents of the
occupied territory.
The severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the vicinity
of the settlements in Hebron encourage the arbitrary and regular
harassment of the residents. B'Tselem volunteer Raed Abu a-Rmeileh
filmed a video showing what happened to an ice cream delivery intended
for a grocery store owned by Anwar Maswdeh.
Filmed by: Raed Abu a-Rmeileh
UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl visited Syria in
coordination with the Office of the UN Secretary-General. The visit is
prompted by UNRWA's deepening concerns for the safety and protection of
some 18,000 Palestinian and Syrian civilians, including 3,500 children
and as civilian lives continue to be threatened by the effects of the
armed conflict in the area.
Pierre Krähenbühl met with civilians
who were temporarily displaced last week by the recent escalation in
Yarmouk camp. He visited a government school in Tadamon, a neighbourhood
on the eastern border of the camp. The school is serving as temporary
accommodation for those displaced from Yarmouk.
Friday, April 17, 2015
The severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the vicinity
of the settlements in Hebron encourage the arbitrary and regular
harassment of the residents. Like this case in which a grocery store
owner lost 1,200 NIS worth of merchandise.
On 17 March 2014, Anwar
Maswdeh, a Hebron grocery store owner, received a delivery of snacks and
ice creams. In his testimony to B'Tselem he described what happened:
“I
unloaded about 20 boxes of chips and 50 boxes of ice cream from the
vehicle. I asked the Border Police officer at the checkpoint to open the
gate for the truck so that I could transfer the goods to my grocery
store. He refused, claiming that I didn’t have a permit from the Civil
Administration. I had to bring in the goods by hand using a cart. I got
the chips into the store in three loads without any problems. When I
started loading the ice cream boxes, the Border Police officer suddenly
stopped me and ordered me to bring the boxes to him for inspection. He
demanded that I bring them one box at a time. I refused because it was
very hot, and because I knew that if I opened the boxes it would be very
hard to arrange them in the fridge afterwards. The police officer
insisted on searching the boxes.”
The painstaking search took a
long time, and in the meantime the ice cream melted. After a delay of
about one hour, Maswdeh asked B'Tselem volunteer Raed Abu a-Rmeileh to
come to the scene. A-Rmeileh filmed the search of the boxes and the
ensuing argument between Maswdeh and the Border Police officer.
Eventually, some two hours after the merchandise arrived, Maswdeh had no
choice but to abandon the melted ice cream. He sent the shipment back
to the factory, but suffered NIS 1,200 in losses.
Since the
massacre of Muslim worshippers at the Tomb of the Patriarchs,
perpetrated by settler Baruch Goldstein in 1994, the military has openly
pursued an official policy of segregation in Hebron. The main means the
military uses to this end is the imposition of severe restrictions on
the movement of Palestinians in the city center, where most of the
settlements are situated. Since the settlements themselves are illegal,
the restrictions add insult to injury. The freedom of movement of an
entire population is put under sweeping and disproportionate
restrictions in order to facilitate and perpetuate a policy that is
inherently illegal.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Friday, April 3, 2015
Better a War than an Agreement?
Phyllis Bennis says forces aligned in opposition to the Iran Framework
Agreement in the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia would rather see war than
a deal that brings Iran out of sanctions and back into play as a
regional power
https://youtu.be/oXtaYILzTpM
Phyllis Bennis says forces aligned in opposition to the Iran Framework
Agreement in the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia would rather see war than
a deal that brings Iran out of sanctions and back into play as a
regional power
https://youtu.be/oXtaYILzTpM
100,000 Palestinian Bedouins living in villages in Israel's Negev desert
are being threatened with eviction. Their communities are not recognized by the State of Israel, and so they have no paved roads, and
aren't connected to the electricity or water networks. Ayman Odeh,
leader of the third-largest political group in Israel, led an 80 mile
march from the villages to the Knesset in Jerusalem.
The Pain Doesn't Go Away - Rachel Corrie's Parents on Reality Asserts Itself
On Reality Asserts Itself, Craig and Cindy Corrie tell Paul Jay that in
ruling against their claim, the Israeli Supreme Court essentially said
that Israel is beyond international law.
https://youtu.be/c6BXGBEX9Bk
https://youtu.be/sQbm0UCEGFQ
On Reality Asserts Itself, Craig and Cindy Corrie tell Paul Jay that in
ruling against their claim, the Israeli Supreme Court essentially said
that Israel is beyond international law.
https://youtu.be/c6BXGBEX9Bk
https://youtu.be/sQbm0UCEGFQ
Late at night on 23 Feb. 2015 Israeli troops entered 10 neighboring
apartments in Hebron. B’Tselem camera volunteer Nayef Da’na lives in one
of the apartments and filmed the incident in his home. The soldiers
demanded that the children be awakened, asked them their names and
photographed them. The military cannot treat civilians–and certainly not
children–as potential criminals. Not only is this policy of entering
Palestinian homes by night unjust and terrifying. It illustrates how
casually and arbitrarily the lives of Palestinians under occupation are
disrupted and their rights violated. B’Tselem calls on the military to
discontinue this policy without delay.
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