31 july 2015
Dirar Abu Sisi was once the technical director of Gaza's only electricity plant. One night in February 2011, traveling on a train to visit his brother in Ukraine he was kidnapped and disappeared. His frantic family could find no word of him. A month and a half later he turned up in an Israel jail.
The Mossad, Israel's notorious and brutal spy agency, had kidnapped him. The groups seems to have been aided by the Ukrainian authorities, who had intimated to his family they knew where he was being held, but would give no confirmation. The Israeli press, acting under orders from the military censor were gagged from reporting on the case for 45 days.
Abu Sisi has now been in solitary confinement for more than four years. His case has been largely forgotten and there are no western human rights organizations championing his case and calling for his freedom.
The real reason for the imprisonment of Abu Sisi, it seems to me, is that his technical expertise as a civil engineer made it harder for Israel to strangle the Gaza Strip with its unjust siege.
During the 2008-09 war on Gaza, Israel bombed the power plant, but afterwards Abu Sisi helped get it running again. What's more, he was responsible for refining a new fuel system that made the plant far less dependent on Israeli-supplied diesel.
Speaking to AP in March 2011, while the Israeli press was still banned by the military from reporting on his secret detention, his wife Veronika described him as the "brain" of the electric station in Gaza: "It's a strategic object and they wanted to disable it."
The Israelis have long had a policy of "economic de-development" in Gaza [PDF], to use the phrase of Harvard academic Sara Roy. The confinement of Abu Sisi is likely another aspect to this policy.
In Gaza right now, due to precise and sadistic Israel limits on everything that comes in and out of the strip, there are severe power shortages. Power cuts are the norm and people generally have three to four hours of electricity per day. Egypt's military dictatorship has also played a key role in this siege.
When the Israeli military finally lifted the censor's gag on Abu Sisi's case, it was only then that they started to make the claim that he was secretly a member in the top ranks of Hamas's armed wing (something Hamas denies).
But, as Richard Silverstein has shown, these Israeli claims are full of inconsistencies. They simply do not add up.
The Israelis claimed that his studies towards a civil engineering degree in the Ukraine were a front for attendance of a military academy. But, as Silvertstein's reporting has shown, the academy the Israelis named actually closed down years before Abu Sisi even entered the country.
According to his Israeli lawyer, after his initial detention in Israel Abu Sisi was tortured by the Shin Bet, the Israeli secret police. The use of torture against Palestinians and other Arabs is widespread in Israeli jails. In the end they managed to coerce a "confession" out of him. He was eventually given little choice but to accept a plea bargain for 21 years, having been threatened with life imprisonment if he refused.
It was no more than a show trial, the verdict having been pre-determined by Israel's powerful secret police and spy agencies.
In September 2012, he managed to get a letter out of jail in which he described the appalling conditions of his solitary confinement: "can you even imagine the feeling of being in a confined cell which you leave for one hour a day, still being handcuffed and shackled and carrying garbage bags ... seeing nobody and only seen by your warder. Then returned to spend the rest of that day in your temporary grave, obscured from knowing whether it is day or night, Friday or a Saturday, summer or autumn except the feeling of heat or cold... deprived from seeing any of your loved ones, your own children, or your family ... and not seen by anyone."
The Mossad's reputation in the West as a just defender of Jews around the world is erroneous. The reality is that this is a brutal gang of thugs which kidnaps and murders at will. They need to be reigned in.
An associate editor with The Electronic Intifada, Asa Winstanley is an investigative journalist who lives in London.
The Mossad, Israel's notorious and brutal spy agency, had kidnapped him. The groups seems to have been aided by the Ukrainian authorities, who had intimated to his family they knew where he was being held, but would give no confirmation. The Israeli press, acting under orders from the military censor were gagged from reporting on the case for 45 days.
Abu Sisi has now been in solitary confinement for more than four years. His case has been largely forgotten and there are no western human rights organizations championing his case and calling for his freedom.
The real reason for the imprisonment of Abu Sisi, it seems to me, is that his technical expertise as a civil engineer made it harder for Israel to strangle the Gaza Strip with its unjust siege.
During the 2008-09 war on Gaza, Israel bombed the power plant, but afterwards Abu Sisi helped get it running again. What's more, he was responsible for refining a new fuel system that made the plant far less dependent on Israeli-supplied diesel.
Speaking to AP in March 2011, while the Israeli press was still banned by the military from reporting on his secret detention, his wife Veronika described him as the "brain" of the electric station in Gaza: "It's a strategic object and they wanted to disable it."
The Israelis have long had a policy of "economic de-development" in Gaza [PDF], to use the phrase of Harvard academic Sara Roy. The confinement of Abu Sisi is likely another aspect to this policy.
In Gaza right now, due to precise and sadistic Israel limits on everything that comes in and out of the strip, there are severe power shortages. Power cuts are the norm and people generally have three to four hours of electricity per day. Egypt's military dictatorship has also played a key role in this siege.
When the Israeli military finally lifted the censor's gag on Abu Sisi's case, it was only then that they started to make the claim that he was secretly a member in the top ranks of Hamas's armed wing (something Hamas denies).
But, as Richard Silverstein has shown, these Israeli claims are full of inconsistencies. They simply do not add up.
The Israelis claimed that his studies towards a civil engineering degree in the Ukraine were a front for attendance of a military academy. But, as Silvertstein's reporting has shown, the academy the Israelis named actually closed down years before Abu Sisi even entered the country.
According to his Israeli lawyer, after his initial detention in Israel Abu Sisi was tortured by the Shin Bet, the Israeli secret police. The use of torture against Palestinians and other Arabs is widespread in Israeli jails. In the end they managed to coerce a "confession" out of him. He was eventually given little choice but to accept a plea bargain for 21 years, having been threatened with life imprisonment if he refused.
It was no more than a show trial, the verdict having been pre-determined by Israel's powerful secret police and spy agencies.
In September 2012, he managed to get a letter out of jail in which he described the appalling conditions of his solitary confinement: "can you even imagine the feeling of being in a confined cell which you leave for one hour a day, still being handcuffed and shackled and carrying garbage bags ... seeing nobody and only seen by your warder. Then returned to spend the rest of that day in your temporary grave, obscured from knowing whether it is day or night, Friday or a Saturday, summer or autumn except the feeling of heat or cold... deprived from seeing any of your loved ones, your own children, or your family ... and not seen by anyone."
The Mossad's reputation in the West as a just defender of Jews around the world is erroneous. The reality is that this is a brutal gang of thugs which kidnaps and murders at will. They need to be reigned in.
An associate editor with The Electronic Intifada, Asa Winstanley is an investigative journalist who lives in London.
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The occupation forces arrested on Wednesday the 21-year old Naeem Al-Banna from the neighborhood of Wadi Hilweh in Silwan.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center was informed that the occupation forces arrested Al-Banna and transferred him to the police station. |
Detaining a “wedding” bus, searching the passengers and arresting one young man after assaulting him
The occupation forces arrested one Jerusalemite young man on Wednesday night after he passed through Al-Z’ayem checkpoint.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center was informed that the occupation forces arrested the 19-year old Baha’ Ahmad Abulhawa and severely beat him while he was passing through Al-Z’ayem checkpoint.
Ahmad Abulhawa explained that his son was coming back from a wedding in a bus that was transferring dozens of people from the family including women, children and old people. The bus was stopped and the passengers were asked to get out and the forces searched the bus. When the passengers were allowed to go back to the bus, the forces provoked the young men by pushing them and assaulted some of them after they refused to be pushed.
Abulhawa added that the occupation forces detained his son and severely beat him and also assaulted Mahmoud Naser.
He also explained that the forces arrested his son at Al-Z’ayem checkpoint and said: “When I was informed that Baha’ was arrested and assaulted, I immediately headed towards Al-Z’ayem checkpoint but the soldiers prevented me from approaching and threatened to arrested and assault me if I stayed in the area. One officer told me that my son will be transferred to the police station in the settlement of Maale Adomim on charges of assaulting Israeli soldiers.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center was informed that the occupation forces arrested the 19-year old Baha’ Ahmad Abulhawa and severely beat him while he was passing through Al-Z’ayem checkpoint.
Ahmad Abulhawa explained that his son was coming back from a wedding in a bus that was transferring dozens of people from the family including women, children and old people. The bus was stopped and the passengers were asked to get out and the forces searched the bus. When the passengers were allowed to go back to the bus, the forces provoked the young men by pushing them and assaulted some of them after they refused to be pushed.
Abulhawa added that the occupation forces detained his son and severely beat him and also assaulted Mahmoud Naser.
He also explained that the forces arrested his son at Al-Z’ayem checkpoint and said: “When I was informed that Baha’ was arrested and assaulted, I immediately headed towards Al-Z’ayem checkpoint but the soldiers prevented me from approaching and threatened to arrested and assault me if I stayed in the area. One officer told me that my son will be transferred to the police station in the settlement of Maale Adomim on charges of assaulting Israeli soldiers.
The Magistrate court judges extended on Thursday the arrest of 15 Jerusalemites and released 5 others.
Al-Dameer organization lawyer, Mohammad Mahmoud, explained that the Magistrate judge extended the arrest of Mohammad Kiswani (18) and Amir Mahmoud (18) until next Sunday; note that they were arrested by the Musta’ribeen (undercover) unit on Thursday night and were severely beaten.
The judge also extended the arrest of Hani Naser until next Sunday.
The lawyer also explained that the judge extended the arrest of Yehya Dirbas, Nouh Ghazzawi, Ahmad Ghazzawi and Ibrahim Ghazzawi until next Sunday to submit indictments against them.
The judge also extended the arrest of Ahmad Darwish until 10/09/2015 and Firas Mahmoud until 17/09/2015 for sentencing.
The judge decided to release Ayoub Ghazzawi on condition of house-arrest for 15 days and a third-party bail of 5 thousand NIS.
In a related matter, Wadi Hilweh Information Center’s lawyer explained that the Magistrate judge extended the arrest of Ahmad Rweidi, Atyeh Ghazzawi, Abed Ghazzawi and Majd Mustafa until next Sunday.
The judge also released Adam Mahmoud and Mohammad Mizi’ro on conditions of a third-party bail of 5 thousand NIS and house-arrest for 7 days.
The judge also decided to release the 14-year old Majd Ahmad on condition of house-arrest for 5 days and deportation to the village of Sur Baher in addition to paying a 500-NIS bail and a third-party bail of 5 thousand NIS.
The center was also informed that the judge extended the arrest of Baker Mahmoud Abbasi (15) and Omar Daoud Abbasi (15) until next Sunday.
The police of Maale Adomim settlement released on Thursday Baha’ Ahmad Abulhawa with a 1500-NIS bail; note that he was arrested on Wednesday night after assaulting and severely beating him while passing through Al-Z’ayem checkpoint.
Al-Dameer organization lawyer, Mohammad Mahmoud, explained that the Magistrate judge extended the arrest of Mohammad Kiswani (18) and Amir Mahmoud (18) until next Sunday; note that they were arrested by the Musta’ribeen (undercover) unit on Thursday night and were severely beaten.
The judge also extended the arrest of Hani Naser until next Sunday.
The lawyer also explained that the judge extended the arrest of Yehya Dirbas, Nouh Ghazzawi, Ahmad Ghazzawi and Ibrahim Ghazzawi until next Sunday to submit indictments against them.
The judge also extended the arrest of Ahmad Darwish until 10/09/2015 and Firas Mahmoud until 17/09/2015 for sentencing.
The judge decided to release Ayoub Ghazzawi on condition of house-arrest for 15 days and a third-party bail of 5 thousand NIS.
In a related matter, Wadi Hilweh Information Center’s lawyer explained that the Magistrate judge extended the arrest of Ahmad Rweidi, Atyeh Ghazzawi, Abed Ghazzawi and Majd Mustafa until next Sunday.
The judge also released Adam Mahmoud and Mohammad Mizi’ro on conditions of a third-party bail of 5 thousand NIS and house-arrest for 7 days.
The judge also decided to release the 14-year old Majd Ahmad on condition of house-arrest for 5 days and deportation to the village of Sur Baher in addition to paying a 500-NIS bail and a third-party bail of 5 thousand NIS.
The center was also informed that the judge extended the arrest of Baker Mahmoud Abbasi (15) and Omar Daoud Abbasi (15) until next Sunday.
The police of Maale Adomim settlement released on Thursday Baha’ Ahmad Abulhawa with a 1500-NIS bail; note that he was arrested on Wednesday night after assaulting and severely beating him while passing through Al-Z’ayem checkpoint.
Attack comes in wake of arson that killed Palestinian baby overnight; Hamas calls for demonstrations in West Bank leading to clashes with police.
Two Israelis were fired upon from a passing vehicle in the West Bank Friday afternoon while driving to Jerusalem, just hours after Hamas called on Palestinians to take to the streets in protest against an attack in Duma overnight when a Palestinian baby was burned to death in a fire suspectedly started by Jewish settlers.
Neither of the Israelis were harmed in the attack, but the vehicle was damaged by the gun fire.
Yona Betzalel, one of the Israelis traveling in the car, said the gun shots had come from a vehicle passing in the opposite direction. "We heard gun fire. The driver stopped immediately; neither of us were hurt. I pulled out my pistol and the driver pulled out his rifle and we ran at the car that had fired at us. I fired in the air and the driver shot at their car."
The duo was apparently unable to stop the vehicle however, and IDF troops were rushed to the scene to begin searching for the perpetrators. A suspected act of arson also occurred near the Jewish settlement of Yitzhar in wake of the attack overnight that killed 18-month-old Palestinian Ali Dawabsheh and put his parents and brother in critical condition in the hospital.
Two fire trucks were brought to the scene to combat the flames. Additional clashes and protests erupted in the West Bank Friday, giving rise to intense fears of further escalation. Riots first began in Jerusalem where Hamas had already declared a "Day of Rage" following clashes at the Temple Mount. The Palestinian organization based in Gaza then called on West Bank residents to demonstrate in response to the Duma attack.
A Palestinian was seriously wounded in the chest by gunfire from IDF troops in the late afternoon after he threw a fire bomb at security forces near Birzeit north of Ramallah.
No soldiers were reported wounded in the incident.
One police officer was lightly wounded by broken glass from a bottle thrown at security forces in the Old City of Jerusalem alongside rocks and other objects. One Palestinian was arrested.
Several young Palestinians threw rocks at the entrance to Qalandiya, just north of Jerusalem. Israel border police responded with tear gas, dispersing the crowd.
In the Isawiya neighborhood in East Jerusalem, border police clashed with dozens of Palestinians who threw fire bombs and stones at security forces. The rioters were met with riot-control measures and pushed back toward the center of the neighborhood.
Two Israelis were fired upon from a passing vehicle in the West Bank Friday afternoon while driving to Jerusalem, just hours after Hamas called on Palestinians to take to the streets in protest against an attack in Duma overnight when a Palestinian baby was burned to death in a fire suspectedly started by Jewish settlers.
Neither of the Israelis were harmed in the attack, but the vehicle was damaged by the gun fire.
Yona Betzalel, one of the Israelis traveling in the car, said the gun shots had come from a vehicle passing in the opposite direction. "We heard gun fire. The driver stopped immediately; neither of us were hurt. I pulled out my pistol and the driver pulled out his rifle and we ran at the car that had fired at us. I fired in the air and the driver shot at their car."
The duo was apparently unable to stop the vehicle however, and IDF troops were rushed to the scene to begin searching for the perpetrators. A suspected act of arson also occurred near the Jewish settlement of Yitzhar in wake of the attack overnight that killed 18-month-old Palestinian Ali Dawabsheh and put his parents and brother in critical condition in the hospital.
Two fire trucks were brought to the scene to combat the flames. Additional clashes and protests erupted in the West Bank Friday, giving rise to intense fears of further escalation. Riots first began in Jerusalem where Hamas had already declared a "Day of Rage" following clashes at the Temple Mount. The Palestinian organization based in Gaza then called on West Bank residents to demonstrate in response to the Duma attack.
A Palestinian was seriously wounded in the chest by gunfire from IDF troops in the late afternoon after he threw a fire bomb at security forces near Birzeit north of Ramallah.
No soldiers were reported wounded in the incident.
One police officer was lightly wounded by broken glass from a bottle thrown at security forces in the Old City of Jerusalem alongside rocks and other objects. One Palestinian was arrested.
Several young Palestinians threw rocks at the entrance to Qalandiya, just north of Jerusalem. Israel border police responded with tear gas, dispersing the crowd.
In the Isawiya neighborhood in East Jerusalem, border police clashed with dozens of Palestinians who threw fire bombs and stones at security forces. The rioters were met with riot-control measures and pushed back toward the center of the neighborhood.
Israeli soldiers invaded, Friday, the West Bank districts of Jericho and Ramallah, searched homes and kidnapped two Palestinians. Soldiers also invaded a town near Qalqilia, while a man was injured in Jerusalem after being rammed by a settler’s car.
Media sources in Jericho said several Israeli military vehicles invaded the city, before breaking into, and violently searching, the home of ‘Ala Zoheir Badawi, 27 years of age, and kidnapped him.
Soldiers also kidnapped a Palestinian, identified as Wisam Sider, in Bab Hatta area, in occupied Jerusalem, and took him to an interrogation center in the city.
In addition, dozens of soldiers invaded ‘Azzoun town, east of the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, and closed its main road, in addition to the road that leads to Ezbet at-Tabib village.
The invasion led to clashes between the soldiers and scores of youths.
In Jerusalem, a Palestinian man was injured after being struck by a speeding Israeli settler’s car, in Ras al-‘Amoud neighborhood.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic) said the Israeli driver “deliberately struck the Palestinian man, and fled the scene.”
It added that after Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene, the Israeli driver fled to an illegal colony in Ras al-‘Amoud.
Media sources in Jericho said several Israeli military vehicles invaded the city, before breaking into, and violently searching, the home of ‘Ala Zoheir Badawi, 27 years of age, and kidnapped him.
Soldiers also kidnapped a Palestinian, identified as Wisam Sider, in Bab Hatta area, in occupied Jerusalem, and took him to an interrogation center in the city.
In addition, dozens of soldiers invaded ‘Azzoun town, east of the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, and closed its main road, in addition to the road that leads to Ezbet at-Tabib village.
The invasion led to clashes between the soldiers and scores of youths.
In Jerusalem, a Palestinian man was injured after being struck by a speeding Israeli settler’s car, in Ras al-‘Amoud neighborhood.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic) said the Israeli driver “deliberately struck the Palestinian man, and fled the scene.”
It added that after Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene, the Israeli driver fled to an illegal colony in Ras al-‘Amoud.
Palestinian prisoner Abdul-Rahman Othman has been on hunger strike for 22 days in an Israeli jail in protest at locking him up in solitary confinement for about two years.
Othman, from Bani Majdal town in Nablus, has been in prison since 2006.
He is now in Eshel jail serving a life sentence and seven years, according to his family.
Othman, from Bani Majdal town in Nablus, has been in prison since 2006.
He is now in Eshel jail serving a life sentence and seven years, according to his family.
Al-Mizan Center for Human Rights stated in statement issued Thursday that Israel’s force-feed law mainly aims at breaking the will of Palestinian prisoners in face of its brutal measures and practices.
It is clear that force-feed law proves Israel as a racist state, the center said.
The center called for uniting all national and international efforts to deter Israel that “considers itself a state above UN resolutions and laws.”
Earlier Thursday, the Israeli Knesset passed Force-feed law by a majority of 46 votes to 40.
The law, which seeks to prevent imprisoned Palestinian prisoners from launching hunger strikes, was initially approved in June 2014 at the height of a mass hunger strike of Palestinian detainees.
It is clear that force-feed law proves Israel as a racist state, the center said.
The center called for uniting all national and international efforts to deter Israel that “considers itself a state above UN resolutions and laws.”
Earlier Thursday, the Israeli Knesset passed Force-feed law by a majority of 46 votes to 40.
The law, which seeks to prevent imprisoned Palestinian prisoners from launching hunger strikes, was initially approved in June 2014 at the height of a mass hunger strike of Palestinian detainees.
Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Thursday at night, a Palestinian from the northern West Bank district of Jenin, after stopping him on a roadblock near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Media sources in Jenin said the soldiers have kidnapped Fadel Riyad Qabaha, 26 years of age, on sudden roadblock near Ramallah, and took him to an unknown destination.
The kidnapped Palestinian is from Toura al-Gharbiyya village, west of Jenin.
The sources added that, last week, the soldiers have escalated their invasions and arrests against villages near Jenin, kidnapping many Palestinians, including several residents who were taken prisoner on sudden roadblocks.
Last week, the soldiers kidnapped many young Palestinian men in Toura al-Gharbiyya, and took them to a number of interrogation centers.
Media sources in Jenin said the soldiers have kidnapped Fadel Riyad Qabaha, 26 years of age, on sudden roadblock near Ramallah, and took him to an unknown destination.
The kidnapped Palestinian is from Toura al-Gharbiyya village, west of Jenin.
The sources added that, last week, the soldiers have escalated their invasions and arrests against villages near Jenin, kidnapping many Palestinians, including several residents who were taken prisoner on sudden roadblocks.
Last week, the soldiers kidnapped many young Palestinian men in Toura al-Gharbiyya, and took them to a number of interrogation centers.
