3 jan 2014
Israeli forces on Friday arrested a Palestinian teenager near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem for allegedly attempting to stab a border guard officer.
Israeli police spokesman Luba Samari said that a 16-year-old girl from Jabal al-Mukkaber attempted to stab an Israeli soldier.
During the arrest, a soldier was lightly wounded in the leg, Samari added.
The teenager was taken to a police station in the city, and is currently under investigation, Samari said. video
Israeli police spokesman Luba Samari said that a 16-year-old girl from Jabal al-Mukkaber attempted to stab an Israeli soldier.
During the arrest, a soldier was lightly wounded in the leg, Samari added.
The teenager was taken to a police station in the city, and is currently under investigation, Samari said. video
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A note written by Naim Shawamrah reads: "No one can imagine the amount of pain I'm suffering."
A newly released Palestinian prisoner suffered a major deterioration in his health conditions only days after being released from Israeli prisons, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society said. Naim Shawamrah lost his ability to speak, fainted three times, and had several seizures on early Friday. Director of PPS's Hebron office Amjad al-Najjar said that Shawamrah regained consciousness at dawn, and wrote several notes. |
"People! My saliva is going to kill me, and no one in this hospital can cure me," read one note.
It was signed: "A tormented prisoner."
On Thursday, PPS said Shawamrah had been hospitalized late Wednesday due to serious deterioration in his health condition.
Doctors said his condition was worsening, and transferred him to al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron, al-Najjar said at the time.
Shawamrah was released Tuesday morning along with 25 other Palestinian prisoners who were detained before the Oslo Accords. He spent 19 years in Israeli jails and in 2013 was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Throughout his final days in prison, he was unable to walk.
Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian veteran prisoners from Israeli jails in conjunction with US-mediated peace talks with the PLO. Tuesday marked the release of the third round of prisoners.
5,200 Palestinians were being held in Israeli jails as of Oct. 2013, according to the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs.
Since 1967, more than 650,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel, representing 20 percent of the total population and 40 percent of all males in the occupied territories. Video
It was signed: "A tormented prisoner."
On Thursday, PPS said Shawamrah had been hospitalized late Wednesday due to serious deterioration in his health condition.
Doctors said his condition was worsening, and transferred him to al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron, al-Najjar said at the time.
Shawamrah was released Tuesday morning along with 25 other Palestinian prisoners who were detained before the Oslo Accords. He spent 19 years in Israeli jails and in 2013 was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Throughout his final days in prison, he was unable to walk.
Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian veteran prisoners from Israeli jails in conjunction with US-mediated peace talks with the PLO. Tuesday marked the release of the third round of prisoners.
5,200 Palestinians were being held in Israeli jails as of Oct. 2013, according to the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs.
Since 1967, more than 650,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel, representing 20 percent of the total population and 40 percent of all males in the occupied territories. Video
By Khalid Amayreh in the West Bank
The Family of Naim Shawamreh, a 45-year-old Palestinian prisoner released by Israel on Tuesday has accused the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) of having deliberately injected him with a chemical substance that caused him an incurable illness.
The illness is known medically as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or (ALS). It is also known as Lou Gerig’s Disease.
According to medical dictionaries, ALS is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscles (muscle action we are able to control, such as those in the arms, legs, and face).
Early symptoms include fasciculations, cramps, tight and stiff muscles (spasticity), muscle weakness affecting an arm or a leg, slurred and nasal speech, or difficulty chewing or swallowing. These general complaints then develop into more obvious muscle weakness and atrophy, spreading to other parts of the body as the disease progresses
It is obvious that many of these symptoms appeared rather conspicuously on Naim who arrived at his home in an ambulance. He could hardly verbally communicate with well-wishers or the media.
Journalists were politely asked by Naim's family to refrain from "asking too many questions" in light of his health condition.
A strongly slurred speech and an inability to hold a microphone with his hands were noticed.
They wanted to kill him
Nabil, Naim's younger brother says Naim told him the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) deliberately injected him with a chemical substance that caused the ALS disease to afflict his body.
"He told me they (the Prison's doctor) gave him a pill seven months ago which caused several symptoms to appear on him including a severe swallowing of the face, severe headache and slurred speech.
"They simply wanted to kill him."
Nabil said the Israeli Prison Service admitted that that the "pill" was given to him by mistake.
Nabil, who didn't seem fully aware of his brother's medical condition, said he hoped Naim would be able to receive proper medical care abroad and be cured.
The Governor of Hebron who came to wish him well promised his family that every effort would be made to give him the best possible medical treatment.
Nabil was reminded of the gravity and seriousness of the charges he was voicing. He argued that his brother was in nearly perfect physical condition and that he only began to experience the illness soon after he was injected with "the pill."
The Israeli response
This correspondent contacted Sivan Wayzman, a spokeswoman for the IPS who categorically denied the accusations.
Wayzman, who expressed her astonishment at the charges, emailed the following response.
"The Israel Prison Service declines all allegations of any intended actions which allegedly caused the prisoner's disease. It is a well-known fact that there is little understanding of the causes of ALS disease. Nonetheless, 10 percent of the cases have to do with genetic disorders.
Since the prisoner has been diagnosed as suffering from it, he has been examined and treated by specialists who have lay out the ways in which he must be treated – the IPS has followed accordingly.
The court, who has discussed the prisoner's petition, concluded that the treatment he is receiving is professional and adjusted to his needs."
Ahmed Ibrahim is a medical doctor from the Hebron region specialized in muscular flaccidity. He says that it is not medically known that a given chemical or biological agent can cause the sudden occurrence of ALS.
However he noticed that Israel was highly advanced in the production of chemical and biological agents that can kill people either immediately or slowly.
He cited the Khalid Misha'al case in 1997, when two Mossad agents carrying fake Canadian passports tried to assassinate the Islamist Palestinian leader by smacking a device to Mishal's left ear that transmitted a fast-acting poison.
The two Mossad agents were captured and Israel was forced to hand over to the Jordanians the antidote that saved Mish'al's life.
However, despite his progressive disability and deteriorating health (it is unclear if he knows his condition is incurable), Naim maintained a broad smile as he thanked everyone that came to congratulate him.
His mother, although relieved that her son is finally free, is worried that he may not live long due to his incurable illness.
"I am really having a lot of mixed feelings. On the one hand I am happy that he is out of jail. On the other hand, I am extremely worried about his illness and the possibility that he won't recover. I implore God to cure him."
Khalid Amayreh is an American-educated journalist living in the Hebron region of the West Bank.
The Family of Naim Shawamreh, a 45-year-old Palestinian prisoner released by Israel on Tuesday has accused the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) of having deliberately injected him with a chemical substance that caused him an incurable illness.
The illness is known medically as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or (ALS). It is also known as Lou Gerig’s Disease.
According to medical dictionaries, ALS is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscles (muscle action we are able to control, such as those in the arms, legs, and face).
Early symptoms include fasciculations, cramps, tight and stiff muscles (spasticity), muscle weakness affecting an arm or a leg, slurred and nasal speech, or difficulty chewing or swallowing. These general complaints then develop into more obvious muscle weakness and atrophy, spreading to other parts of the body as the disease progresses
It is obvious that many of these symptoms appeared rather conspicuously on Naim who arrived at his home in an ambulance. He could hardly verbally communicate with well-wishers or the media.
Journalists were politely asked by Naim's family to refrain from "asking too many questions" in light of his health condition.
A strongly slurred speech and an inability to hold a microphone with his hands were noticed.
They wanted to kill him
Nabil, Naim's younger brother says Naim told him the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) deliberately injected him with a chemical substance that caused the ALS disease to afflict his body.
"He told me they (the Prison's doctor) gave him a pill seven months ago which caused several symptoms to appear on him including a severe swallowing of the face, severe headache and slurred speech.
"They simply wanted to kill him."
Nabil said the Israeli Prison Service admitted that that the "pill" was given to him by mistake.
Nabil, who didn't seem fully aware of his brother's medical condition, said he hoped Naim would be able to receive proper medical care abroad and be cured.
The Governor of Hebron who came to wish him well promised his family that every effort would be made to give him the best possible medical treatment.
Nabil was reminded of the gravity and seriousness of the charges he was voicing. He argued that his brother was in nearly perfect physical condition and that he only began to experience the illness soon after he was injected with "the pill."
The Israeli response
This correspondent contacted Sivan Wayzman, a spokeswoman for the IPS who categorically denied the accusations.
Wayzman, who expressed her astonishment at the charges, emailed the following response.
"The Israel Prison Service declines all allegations of any intended actions which allegedly caused the prisoner's disease. It is a well-known fact that there is little understanding of the causes of ALS disease. Nonetheless, 10 percent of the cases have to do with genetic disorders.
Since the prisoner has been diagnosed as suffering from it, he has been examined and treated by specialists who have lay out the ways in which he must be treated – the IPS has followed accordingly.
The court, who has discussed the prisoner's petition, concluded that the treatment he is receiving is professional and adjusted to his needs."
Ahmed Ibrahim is a medical doctor from the Hebron region specialized in muscular flaccidity. He says that it is not medically known that a given chemical or biological agent can cause the sudden occurrence of ALS.
However he noticed that Israel was highly advanced in the production of chemical and biological agents that can kill people either immediately or slowly.
He cited the Khalid Misha'al case in 1997, when two Mossad agents carrying fake Canadian passports tried to assassinate the Islamist Palestinian leader by smacking a device to Mishal's left ear that transmitted a fast-acting poison.
The two Mossad agents were captured and Israel was forced to hand over to the Jordanians the antidote that saved Mish'al's life.
However, despite his progressive disability and deteriorating health (it is unclear if he knows his condition is incurable), Naim maintained a broad smile as he thanked everyone that came to congratulate him.
His mother, although relieved that her son is finally free, is worried that he may not live long due to his incurable illness.
"I am really having a lot of mixed feelings. On the one hand I am happy that he is out of jail. On the other hand, I am extremely worried about his illness and the possibility that he won't recover. I implore God to cure him."
Khalid Amayreh is an American-educated journalist living in the Hebron region of the West Bank.
2 jan 2014
Shin Bet, IDF, police detain 14 men suspected of involvement in last week's explosion. Sami Harimi went to pray in mosque in Jaffa, then boarded bus, placed bomb
It was cleared for publication on Thursday that the Shin Bet, in collaboration with the IDF and police, arrested 14 men for involvement in the blast on a bus in Bat Yam last week.
Four of the suspects are senior Islamic Jihad operatives, one of whom in Palestinian police training, residents of Bethlehem.
Ten other suspects arrested for involvement in the attack include Negev Bedouins.
The security forces arrested Sahada Taamri, 24, Hamadi Taamri, 21, Sami Harimi, 20, and Yosef Salamah, 22. The other 10 suspects were involved in the minor details of the plan.
The Shin Bet's investigation revealed that during the last several months the group decided to execute a massive terror attack in Israel. The explosive was prepared by the Taamri brothers and Salamah, who used two kilograms of improvised detonation material, nails and screws, and had a switch attached to a cellphone to activate the bomb remotely.
Harimi was given the bomb, hidden in a black bag, which he took with him on December 22 to the southern Hebron Hills, where he went with other illegal aliens to infiltrate into Israel. Harimi then got into the car of a Bedouin man, an Israeli citizen who helps Palestinians illegally residing in Israel, and the two drove to Jaffa. After praying in a Jaffa mosque, Harimi got on bus no. 240, laid the bomb, got off a few minutes later, and then called the cellphone that was attached to the bomb, thus triggering the explosion. The bomb was placed in a pressure cooker, similar to the bomb in last year's Boston Marathon.
Harimi was arrested several days later in Bethlehem, admitting his part in the attack, and said that the group of terrorists wanted to execute a larger attack in Tel Aviv a few days after the Bat Yam explosion, but their arrests hindered their plans. Commanding officer of the Judea and Samaria Brigade, Brig. Gen. Tamir Yadi, told Ynet that "over the past few days we were after that cell of four operatives, including the one who planted the explosive device." "I'm upset and scared that we didn’t know about the cell, but it is possible that with hundreds of cells planning attacks there is one that we didn't about it," he said. One of the Taamri brothers led the security forces to a cache of explosives near his house.
Upon entering the structure where the explosive was assembled, Israeli forces "found 25kg of explosives meant for further attacks," according to the IDF official. "This group is knowledgeable on preparing explosive devices." According to the official, security forces were familiar with several of the suspects.
Reportedly, The Taamri brothers had already been in prison in Israel, Sahada was in training to become an officer with Palestinian police, and Harimi worked at a restaurant in Jaffa, even though he had no work permit.
Security forces noted that the Bedouin who drove the perpetrator may had done so innocently and was not aware of his passenger's terror plans. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended the Shin Bet, IDF, and police forces for "a timely capturing of a terror cell that laid an explosive device on Bat Yam bus." Netanyahu addressed the fact that one of the suspects was in officer training with the Palestinian police noting that "this is further proof of Palestinian Authority personnel's direct involvement with terror. It's time that Abu Mazen stops celebrating with released murderers and lead his people into the way of peace."
Despite the attempted terror attack, the IDF official said that there is no clear indication that there is a security escalation and that "We can't ignore the successive events in Judea and Samaria during the past two years, but there is no specific alertness of terror in the Israeli home front." Security forces said that the Islamic Jihad terror cell in Area A worked out of Bethlehem, and that it was relatively new. The two Taamri brothers built the device together, and Harimi was the one who knew the best ways to sneak into Israeli territory. Two hours after the bomb exploded last week the Shin Bet had already detained some of the suspects.
Ynet analyst Ron Ben-Yishai said that the use of the pressure cooker was used to intensify the blast, and that this was the first time the Palestinians used a pressure cooker.
One of the workers in the Jaffa restaurant where Harimi is supposed to have been working said he knows all the workers there, and that Harimi didn't work there.
A policeman was lightly injured in the blast in the city of Bat Yam in Israel's center last week.
It was cleared for publication on Thursday that the Shin Bet, in collaboration with the IDF and police, arrested 14 men for involvement in the blast on a bus in Bat Yam last week.
Four of the suspects are senior Islamic Jihad operatives, one of whom in Palestinian police training, residents of Bethlehem.
Ten other suspects arrested for involvement in the attack include Negev Bedouins.
The security forces arrested Sahada Taamri, 24, Hamadi Taamri, 21, Sami Harimi, 20, and Yosef Salamah, 22. The other 10 suspects were involved in the minor details of the plan.
The Shin Bet's investigation revealed that during the last several months the group decided to execute a massive terror attack in Israel. The explosive was prepared by the Taamri brothers and Salamah, who used two kilograms of improvised detonation material, nails and screws, and had a switch attached to a cellphone to activate the bomb remotely.
Harimi was given the bomb, hidden in a black bag, which he took with him on December 22 to the southern Hebron Hills, where he went with other illegal aliens to infiltrate into Israel. Harimi then got into the car of a Bedouin man, an Israeli citizen who helps Palestinians illegally residing in Israel, and the two drove to Jaffa. After praying in a Jaffa mosque, Harimi got on bus no. 240, laid the bomb, got off a few minutes later, and then called the cellphone that was attached to the bomb, thus triggering the explosion. The bomb was placed in a pressure cooker, similar to the bomb in last year's Boston Marathon.
Harimi was arrested several days later in Bethlehem, admitting his part in the attack, and said that the group of terrorists wanted to execute a larger attack in Tel Aviv a few days after the Bat Yam explosion, but their arrests hindered their plans. Commanding officer of the Judea and Samaria Brigade, Brig. Gen. Tamir Yadi, told Ynet that "over the past few days we were after that cell of four operatives, including the one who planted the explosive device." "I'm upset and scared that we didn’t know about the cell, but it is possible that with hundreds of cells planning attacks there is one that we didn't about it," he said. One of the Taamri brothers led the security forces to a cache of explosives near his house.
Upon entering the structure where the explosive was assembled, Israeli forces "found 25kg of explosives meant for further attacks," according to the IDF official. "This group is knowledgeable on preparing explosive devices." According to the official, security forces were familiar with several of the suspects.
Reportedly, The Taamri brothers had already been in prison in Israel, Sahada was in training to become an officer with Palestinian police, and Harimi worked at a restaurant in Jaffa, even though he had no work permit.
Security forces noted that the Bedouin who drove the perpetrator may had done so innocently and was not aware of his passenger's terror plans. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended the Shin Bet, IDF, and police forces for "a timely capturing of a terror cell that laid an explosive device on Bat Yam bus." Netanyahu addressed the fact that one of the suspects was in officer training with the Palestinian police noting that "this is further proof of Palestinian Authority personnel's direct involvement with terror. It's time that Abu Mazen stops celebrating with released murderers and lead his people into the way of peace."
Despite the attempted terror attack, the IDF official said that there is no clear indication that there is a security escalation and that "We can't ignore the successive events in Judea and Samaria during the past two years, but there is no specific alertness of terror in the Israeli home front." Security forces said that the Islamic Jihad terror cell in Area A worked out of Bethlehem, and that it was relatively new. The two Taamri brothers built the device together, and Harimi was the one who knew the best ways to sneak into Israeli territory. Two hours after the bomb exploded last week the Shin Bet had already detained some of the suspects.
Ynet analyst Ron Ben-Yishai said that the use of the pressure cooker was used to intensify the blast, and that this was the first time the Palestinians used a pressure cooker.
One of the workers in the Jaffa restaurant where Harimi is supposed to have been working said he knows all the workers there, and that Harimi didn't work there.
A policeman was lightly injured in the blast in the city of Bat Yam in Israel's center last week.
Omar Saad is among a growing number of Druze youth ready to face jail rather than join the Israeli army
Several Palestinian citizens of Israel from the Druze religious community are in prison for refusing to serve in the Israeli military.
“How can I serve in Israel’s occupation army?” said Seif Abu Seif, an 18-year-old Druze recently jailed for refusing military service. “I cannot stand at the border and stop its people from entering. I am an Arab.”
Omar Saad, whose refusal was widely publicized on the Internet after he wrote an open letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu in 2012, is currently serving twenty days in military prison, along with Mahmoud Saad and Nizar Abu Hammoud.
There are several more jailed Druze conscientious objectors who have remained anonymous.
On 24 December, Israeli officers came to Abu Seif’s home in Shefa Amr — a Palestinian town in the Galilee region of present-day Israel — detained him, and took him to a nearby military induction base. There, he declared his refusal to serve in the army. This was the second time that Abu Seif had been detained during December.
After being held for less than a week, he was temporarily released on medical grounds relating to a pre-existing heart condition.
“Psychological stress”
“They put psychological stress on me in prison,” said Abu Seif, who, during his detention, was held in solitary confinement after refusing to cut his hair for religious reasons.
Later this month, he will have to declare his refusal to join the army yet again. It is likely that he will be arrested and imprisoned after he makes this declaration.
All male Druze citizens of Israel are required to serve in the military as part of an agreement between the state and community leaders that dates back to 1956. Yet there have always been individuals who have refused for moral, political or religious reasons.
Along with others, 22-year-old activist Maisan Hamdan coordinates activities for The Group Against Compulsory Service, which supports conscientious objectors from the Druze community.
“We want young people who are against serving in the military to come to us, that’s why we’re here,” Hamdan said. “In every Druze village there are people who don’t want to serve in the army.”
The group provides both legal and moral support to conscientious objectors. It has staged a number of protests outside Israeli military prisons to demonstrate solidarity. On 14 December, the group helped organize a protest outside Israel’s Prison Six. It plans to hold another demonstration there on 4 January.
Hamdan said that Druze boys are pressured to serve in the military from a young age from both within Druze society and from the state. “It starts in the family and in public schools, where the idea is planted in the kids.”
“Fear to refuse”
Israel also treats Jewish and Druze conscientious objectors differently. While Jewish Israelis can obtain exemptions on conscientious grounds, Druze cannot. “There is still a lot of fear to refuse,” said Hamdan.
This pressure means that many young people do not to go public with their refusal and instead seek exemptions by intentionally failing mental aptitude tests. The Israeli military classifies these exemptions as “Profile 21.”
Sahar Vardi, an activist who works with New Profile, a group opposing the militarization of Israeli society, explained that the state uses a number of tactics to deter members of the Druze community from rejecting military service. Most significant among those is the lack of economic opportunities in Palestinian towns and villages in present-day Israel.
“This leads many Druze to become career soldiers … it’s a steady job,” Vahar told The Electronic Intifada, explaining that after finishing their service, they have a better opportunity to “receive land from the state to build on.”
The willingness to serve in the military is partially born from desperation caused by geographic “confinement to their [towns and villages] and because many of their lands have been confiscated” in the past, she added.
Wadah al-Qasim, 33, is a Druze citizen who briefly went to prison after he refused to serve in Israel’s army more than a decade ago.
Speaking to The Electronic Intifada by telephone, al-Qasim said: “The numbers [of conscientious objectors] are always increasing … I think that in the next ten years the majority of Druze will refuse to serve in the military.”
Al-Qasim is from al-Rama, a village in the northern Galilee region. His 74-year-old father is the renowned Palestinian poet Samih al-Qasim, who spent several stints in jail for refusing military service as well as for communist activism.
Israel “tried to brainwash us”
“The state has tried to brainwash us for over sixty years by telling us that we are not Arabs, that Muslims and Arabs want to kill us,” Wadah al-Qasim said.
Yet more and more Druze youth are seeing through Israeli propaganda.
“The biggest thing is the lack of access to land … But today there is a growing consciousness, not like when I was in jail and nobody cared about it in the media or even knew that there was Druze who didn’t serve in the army,” al-Qasim explained.
As a growing number of Druze refuse to serve in Israel’s army, the state has sought to recruit more Palestinian citizens of Israel into military service by targeting the Palestinian Christian minority.
Other Israeli measures attempt to increase the number of Palestinian citizens who participate in the national service program.
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, also recently discussed a bill that would discriminate against all citizens that don’t serve in the military. The proposed bill aims to “set out rights for those who contribute to the state,” the Israeli daily Haaretz has reported (“Israeli bill that benefits veterans discriminates against Israeli Arabs,” 18 November 2013).
Yet “there is more solidarity from both Arab society and abroad with Druze who don’t serve in the military than ever before,” according to Maisan Hamdan.
“Before, nobody knew about this, but now people know much more and feel solidarity with us.”
Several Palestinian citizens of Israel from the Druze religious community are in prison for refusing to serve in the Israeli military.
“How can I serve in Israel’s occupation army?” said Seif Abu Seif, an 18-year-old Druze recently jailed for refusing military service. “I cannot stand at the border and stop its people from entering. I am an Arab.”
Omar Saad, whose refusal was widely publicized on the Internet after he wrote an open letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu in 2012, is currently serving twenty days in military prison, along with Mahmoud Saad and Nizar Abu Hammoud.
There are several more jailed Druze conscientious objectors who have remained anonymous.
On 24 December, Israeli officers came to Abu Seif’s home in Shefa Amr — a Palestinian town in the Galilee region of present-day Israel — detained him, and took him to a nearby military induction base. There, he declared his refusal to serve in the army. This was the second time that Abu Seif had been detained during December.
After being held for less than a week, he was temporarily released on medical grounds relating to a pre-existing heart condition.
“Psychological stress”
“They put psychological stress on me in prison,” said Abu Seif, who, during his detention, was held in solitary confinement after refusing to cut his hair for religious reasons.
Later this month, he will have to declare his refusal to join the army yet again. It is likely that he will be arrested and imprisoned after he makes this declaration.
All male Druze citizens of Israel are required to serve in the military as part of an agreement between the state and community leaders that dates back to 1956. Yet there have always been individuals who have refused for moral, political or religious reasons.
Along with others, 22-year-old activist Maisan Hamdan coordinates activities for The Group Against Compulsory Service, which supports conscientious objectors from the Druze community.
“We want young people who are against serving in the military to come to us, that’s why we’re here,” Hamdan said. “In every Druze village there are people who don’t want to serve in the army.”
The group provides both legal and moral support to conscientious objectors. It has staged a number of protests outside Israeli military prisons to demonstrate solidarity. On 14 December, the group helped organize a protest outside Israel’s Prison Six. It plans to hold another demonstration there on 4 January.
Hamdan said that Druze boys are pressured to serve in the military from a young age from both within Druze society and from the state. “It starts in the family and in public schools, where the idea is planted in the kids.”
“Fear to refuse”
Israel also treats Jewish and Druze conscientious objectors differently. While Jewish Israelis can obtain exemptions on conscientious grounds, Druze cannot. “There is still a lot of fear to refuse,” said Hamdan.
This pressure means that many young people do not to go public with their refusal and instead seek exemptions by intentionally failing mental aptitude tests. The Israeli military classifies these exemptions as “Profile 21.”
Sahar Vardi, an activist who works with New Profile, a group opposing the militarization of Israeli society, explained that the state uses a number of tactics to deter members of the Druze community from rejecting military service. Most significant among those is the lack of economic opportunities in Palestinian towns and villages in present-day Israel.
“This leads many Druze to become career soldiers … it’s a steady job,” Vahar told The Electronic Intifada, explaining that after finishing their service, they have a better opportunity to “receive land from the state to build on.”
The willingness to serve in the military is partially born from desperation caused by geographic “confinement to their [towns and villages] and because many of their lands have been confiscated” in the past, she added.
Wadah al-Qasim, 33, is a Druze citizen who briefly went to prison after he refused to serve in Israel’s army more than a decade ago.
Speaking to The Electronic Intifada by telephone, al-Qasim said: “The numbers [of conscientious objectors] are always increasing … I think that in the next ten years the majority of Druze will refuse to serve in the military.”
Al-Qasim is from al-Rama, a village in the northern Galilee region. His 74-year-old father is the renowned Palestinian poet Samih al-Qasim, who spent several stints in jail for refusing military service as well as for communist activism.
Israel “tried to brainwash us”
“The state has tried to brainwash us for over sixty years by telling us that we are not Arabs, that Muslims and Arabs want to kill us,” Wadah al-Qasim said.
Yet more and more Druze youth are seeing through Israeli propaganda.
“The biggest thing is the lack of access to land … But today there is a growing consciousness, not like when I was in jail and nobody cared about it in the media or even knew that there was Druze who didn’t serve in the army,” al-Qasim explained.
As a growing number of Druze refuse to serve in Israel’s army, the state has sought to recruit more Palestinian citizens of Israel into military service by targeting the Palestinian Christian minority.
Other Israeli measures attempt to increase the number of Palestinian citizens who participate in the national service program.
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, also recently discussed a bill that would discriminate against all citizens that don’t serve in the military. The proposed bill aims to “set out rights for those who contribute to the state,” the Israeli daily Haaretz has reported (“Israeli bill that benefits veterans discriminates against Israeli Arabs,” 18 November 2013).
Yet “there is more solidarity from both Arab society and abroad with Druze who don’t serve in the military than ever before,” according to Maisan Hamdan.
“Before, nobody knew about this, but now people know much more and feel solidarity with us.”
Mustafa Dirani undergoing interrogation. One of the figures facing away from the camera is "Captain George."
A new victim is born: Doron Zahavi, better known as Captain George.
An earlier Zahavi, Yaron, one of the heroes of the “Hasamba” series of adventure books for juvenile readers, died long ago. In 1966, Yigal Mossinson, author of the series, appointed him to serve as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces as a member of SOC, short for Special Operations Command.
Today’s Zahavi, Doron, served in a similar military unit, with the hush-hush number 504; the unit is today known by the euphemistic name Human Military Intelligence Formation. Nearly 20 years ago, in an interrogation facility with another hush-hush number, 1391, Doron Zahavi interrogated Lebanese militia operative Mustafa Dirani in an effort to learn the fate of missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad. Whether or not he actually inserted a baton into Dirani’s rectum, Zahavi-George is suing the State of Israel for damages on the grounds that the state tarnished his reputation. This week, Captain George’s true identity was revealed – at his own request.
In a coincidence that could be called poetic justice, two lawsuits against the state are now being deliberated in the courtroom: George’s and Dirani’s. In an installment of Channel 2’s investigative journalism program, “Uvda,” which was broadcast in late 2011, video clips of Dirani’s interrogation were screened: Captain George, who says the state besmirched his “good name,” can be seen in those video tapes in an arrogant Israeli pose, his feet on the desk, sitting opposite Dirani, who is in his underpants, hunched over, looking humiliated and frightened.
The commander, Col. S., threatens to sodomize Dirani; the soldier who will commit the act of sodomy is on his way. “What a lovely skirt you are wearing, you mother-fucker … just open your legs wide” is the utterance made in the name of the State of Israel when Dirani is forced to stand on a chair, naked, before the watchful eyes of his investigators. At Base 1391, Israel’s version of Guantanamo, this was – and perhaps still is – just a routine questioning session.
According to testimonies that have become public over the years, a chilling picture of Base 1391 emerges: a canister of shaving foam emptied into the interrogated person’s mouth, water mixed with ash that Dirani and other people being investigated were forced to drink from an ashtray, along with the usual repertoire of sleep and food deprivation, beatings, abuse and other acts intended to humiliate the subject. This is how the work was carried out. There are still some people around who defend it. This week, Israel’s singer-philosopher, Idan Raichel, called on Instagram for the IDF to award Zahavi a medal of honor.
The bottom line today is that despite all of the sophisticated and disgusting “acts” performed by the interrogators, their actions made no contribution whatsoever to the efforts to find out what happened to Arad. However, one cannot remain indifferent in the face of the campaign to clear Zahavi’s name; the big interview on “Uvda” is already in the works.
Today Zahavi is an adviser on Arab affairs with the Jerusalem District of the Israel Police. His lawyer has stated that his client is a “talented individual” and that the “Israel Police has benefited, and will continue to benefit, from his fine skills and from his understanding of the population with which the police must deal.” Whether or not the Israel Police really benefits from Zahavi’s services, this expert on Arab affairs has already referred to the “well-developed Arab imagination” that gave rise to Dirani’s accusations about the baton allegedly inserted into his rectum. “If there are so many complaints,” Captain George once boasted, “that’s a sign that I was doing my job diligently.”
Zahavi the victim says that he received full authorization and permission to do what he did. The video tapes prove that Col. S. also wallowed in that garbage. Even Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad personally visited the interrogation rooms. We are left with only one unequivocal fact: The abuser has become the victim and the victim has become a senior officer with the Israel Police.
No one is denying that Captain George committed contemptible acts and no one seems appalled by them. Chief Superintendent Zahavi is today an expert on Arab affairs, advising the commander of the Jerusalem District police how to “deal with” Arabs. Need anything more be added to this depiction of the mood that prevails today in Israel, this Georgetown, this district of filth and decay?
A new victim is born: Doron Zahavi, better known as Captain George.
An earlier Zahavi, Yaron, one of the heroes of the “Hasamba” series of adventure books for juvenile readers, died long ago. In 1966, Yigal Mossinson, author of the series, appointed him to serve as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces as a member of SOC, short for Special Operations Command.
Today’s Zahavi, Doron, served in a similar military unit, with the hush-hush number 504; the unit is today known by the euphemistic name Human Military Intelligence Formation. Nearly 20 years ago, in an interrogation facility with another hush-hush number, 1391, Doron Zahavi interrogated Lebanese militia operative Mustafa Dirani in an effort to learn the fate of missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad. Whether or not he actually inserted a baton into Dirani’s rectum, Zahavi-George is suing the State of Israel for damages on the grounds that the state tarnished his reputation. This week, Captain George’s true identity was revealed – at his own request.
In a coincidence that could be called poetic justice, two lawsuits against the state are now being deliberated in the courtroom: George’s and Dirani’s. In an installment of Channel 2’s investigative journalism program, “Uvda,” which was broadcast in late 2011, video clips of Dirani’s interrogation were screened: Captain George, who says the state besmirched his “good name,” can be seen in those video tapes in an arrogant Israeli pose, his feet on the desk, sitting opposite Dirani, who is in his underpants, hunched over, looking humiliated and frightened.
The commander, Col. S., threatens to sodomize Dirani; the soldier who will commit the act of sodomy is on his way. “What a lovely skirt you are wearing, you mother-fucker … just open your legs wide” is the utterance made in the name of the State of Israel when Dirani is forced to stand on a chair, naked, before the watchful eyes of his investigators. At Base 1391, Israel’s version of Guantanamo, this was – and perhaps still is – just a routine questioning session.
According to testimonies that have become public over the years, a chilling picture of Base 1391 emerges: a canister of shaving foam emptied into the interrogated person’s mouth, water mixed with ash that Dirani and other people being investigated were forced to drink from an ashtray, along with the usual repertoire of sleep and food deprivation, beatings, abuse and other acts intended to humiliate the subject. This is how the work was carried out. There are still some people around who defend it. This week, Israel’s singer-philosopher, Idan Raichel, called on Instagram for the IDF to award Zahavi a medal of honor.
The bottom line today is that despite all of the sophisticated and disgusting “acts” performed by the interrogators, their actions made no contribution whatsoever to the efforts to find out what happened to Arad. However, one cannot remain indifferent in the face of the campaign to clear Zahavi’s name; the big interview on “Uvda” is already in the works.
Today Zahavi is an adviser on Arab affairs with the Jerusalem District of the Israel Police. His lawyer has stated that his client is a “talented individual” and that the “Israel Police has benefited, and will continue to benefit, from his fine skills and from his understanding of the population with which the police must deal.” Whether or not the Israel Police really benefits from Zahavi’s services, this expert on Arab affairs has already referred to the “well-developed Arab imagination” that gave rise to Dirani’s accusations about the baton allegedly inserted into his rectum. “If there are so many complaints,” Captain George once boasted, “that’s a sign that I was doing my job diligently.”
Zahavi the victim says that he received full authorization and permission to do what he did. The video tapes prove that Col. S. also wallowed in that garbage. Even Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad personally visited the interrogation rooms. We are left with only one unequivocal fact: The abuser has become the victim and the victim has become a senior officer with the Israel Police.
No one is denying that Captain George committed contemptible acts and no one seems appalled by them. Chief Superintendent Zahavi is today an expert on Arab affairs, advising the commander of the Jerusalem District police how to “deal with” Arabs. Need anything more be added to this depiction of the mood that prevails today in Israel, this Georgetown, this district of filth and decay?
Freed Palestinian prisoner Naim Shawamrah was hospitalized late Wednesday due to serious deterioration in his health condition, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society said.
Shawamrah was taken to an emergency room in Dura south of Hebron Wednesday night, said Amjad al-Najjar, director of the Society's Hebron office.
Early Thursday, doctors said his condition was worsening, and transferred him to al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron, al-Najjar said.
Shawamrah was released Tuesday morning along with 25 other Palestinian prisoners who were detained before the Oslo Accords. He spent 19 years in Israeli jails and in 2013 was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Throughout his final days in prison, he was unable to walk.
Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian veteran prisoners from Israeli jails in conjunction with US-mediated peace talks with the PLO. Tuesday marked the release of the third round of prisoners.
Shawamrah was taken to an emergency room in Dura south of Hebron Wednesday night, said Amjad al-Najjar, director of the Society's Hebron office.
Early Thursday, doctors said his condition was worsening, and transferred him to al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron, al-Najjar said.
Shawamrah was released Tuesday morning along with 25 other Palestinian prisoners who were detained before the Oslo Accords. He spent 19 years in Israeli jails and in 2013 was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Throughout his final days in prison, he was unable to walk.
Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian veteran prisoners from Israeli jails in conjunction with US-mediated peace talks with the PLO. Tuesday marked the release of the third round of prisoners.
The Israeli Prison Service transferred Jordanian captive the child Mohammed Mahdi to the hospital after he sustained wounds in his hands, caused by the cuffs the Israeli soldiers put in his hands during his transfer from the prison to the court. His father said: "My son's health and psychological conditions are too bad. He was handcuffed during his transfer to jail, which caused him wounds in his hands. Besides, his trial has been postponed more than 17 times, and this caused him psychological pressure."
He appealed to the Jordanian King Abdullah II to intervene to save his son and held the Jordanian Foreign Ministry full responsibility for his son's life because it has not followed-up his case.
The occupation forces arrested the child Mahdi on March 15, 2013, on charges of throwing stones at a military patrol, injuring seven Israeli soldiers, according to Israeli sources.
He appealed to the Jordanian King Abdullah II to intervene to save his son and held the Jordanian Foreign Ministry full responsibility for his son's life because it has not followed-up his case.
The occupation forces arrested the child Mahdi on March 15, 2013, on charges of throwing stones at a military patrol, injuring seven Israeli soldiers, according to Israeli sources.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed at dawn Thursday several areas in al-Khalil south of the West Bank, and arrested 13 citizens, including minors. Israeli soldiers, reinforced by military vehicles, raided several neighborhoods in the village of Tabaka western Dura city in al-Khalil, where they opened fire and fired tear gas grenades at residents.
Eyewitnesses reported that the IOF arrested 12 Palestinians, including five minors between the ages of 13 and 16 years, after attacking them.
The Israeli soldiers were deployed in several areas inside the village and on the roofs of several houses during the arrest campaign, and threatened to shoot and arrest the citizens if they throw stones at the military patrols.
Meanwhile, the IOF stormed the neighborhood of Nemra, in the center of al-Khalil, and arrested a student at the Palestine Polytechnic University Munir Dofesh, who had been recently released from the Palestinian intelligence service's prison.
Eyewitnesses stated that clashes erupted between the soldiers and the citizens during the arrest of Dofesh, while an Israeli force surrounded the entrances of al-Khalil and erected barriers.
Another young man Nadi Hawamdeh was arrested in the village of Samu.
The IOF also stormed the towns of Dhahiriyya and Tappuah, while Israeli aircrafts were intensively flying over the area until the withdrawal of the military forces.
Aroub refugee camp also witnessed confrontations at late hours of last night between Palestinian citizens and Israeli forces at its main entrance adjacent to the bypass road No. 60.
Eyewitnesses reported that the IOF arrested 12 Palestinians, including five minors between the ages of 13 and 16 years, after attacking them.
The Israeli soldiers were deployed in several areas inside the village and on the roofs of several houses during the arrest campaign, and threatened to shoot and arrest the citizens if they throw stones at the military patrols.
Meanwhile, the IOF stormed the neighborhood of Nemra, in the center of al-Khalil, and arrested a student at the Palestine Polytechnic University Munir Dofesh, who had been recently released from the Palestinian intelligence service's prison.
Eyewitnesses stated that clashes erupted between the soldiers and the citizens during the arrest of Dofesh, while an Israeli force surrounded the entrances of al-Khalil and erected barriers.
Another young man Nadi Hawamdeh was arrested in the village of Samu.
The IOF also stormed the towns of Dhahiriyya and Tappuah, while Israeli aircrafts were intensively flying over the area until the withdrawal of the military forces.
Aroub refugee camp also witnessed confrontations at late hours of last night between Palestinian citizens and Israeli forces at its main entrance adjacent to the bypass road No. 60.
Palestinian journalist Suleiman Khader
Palestinian media forum strongly condemned the escalation of Israeli occupation's attacks and abuses against Palestinian journalists during the last days of 2013. The forum, in a statement on Wednesday, reviewed the most prominent violations during the last days of 2013, pointing to the occupation forces' attack on photojournalist Suleiman Khader while he was covering the process of the release of Jerusalemite prisoners at the eastern entrance of the town of Issawiya.
It also reported that three Palestinian journalists were injured last Friday afternoon during their coverage of the anti-apartheid wall marches in Bil'in and Nabi Saleh in the West Bank.
The forum also pointed out that the occupation intelligence service has continued the investigation with the journalist Bilal Dofesh from al-Khalil, who works in the field of photography and the production of documentaries, despite his serious health condition.
It stressed that these systematic attacks come within the context of failed attempts to terrorize the Palestinian journalists and prevent them from exposing the Israeli authorities' crimes in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian media forum asserted that the silence of the international community has encouraged the occupation to continue attacking and detaining the Palestinian journalists under the illegal administrative detention policy.
It also expressed surprise at the silence of the relevant international organizations, such as the International Federation of Journalists and Reporters without Borders, vis-à-vis the occupation crimes, and demanded them to intervene in order to stop these crimes and release the detained journalists.
Palestinian media forum strongly condemned the escalation of Israeli occupation's attacks and abuses against Palestinian journalists during the last days of 2013. The forum, in a statement on Wednesday, reviewed the most prominent violations during the last days of 2013, pointing to the occupation forces' attack on photojournalist Suleiman Khader while he was covering the process of the release of Jerusalemite prisoners at the eastern entrance of the town of Issawiya.
It also reported that three Palestinian journalists were injured last Friday afternoon during their coverage of the anti-apartheid wall marches in Bil'in and Nabi Saleh in the West Bank.
The forum also pointed out that the occupation intelligence service has continued the investigation with the journalist Bilal Dofesh from al-Khalil, who works in the field of photography and the production of documentaries, despite his serious health condition.
It stressed that these systematic attacks come within the context of failed attempts to terrorize the Palestinian journalists and prevent them from exposing the Israeli authorities' crimes in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian media forum asserted that the silence of the international community has encouraged the occupation to continue attacking and detaining the Palestinian journalists under the illegal administrative detention policy.
It also expressed surprise at the silence of the relevant international organizations, such as the International Federation of Journalists and Reporters without Borders, vis-à-vis the occupation crimes, and demanded them to intervene in order to stop these crimes and release the detained journalists.
Undercover forces of the Israeli army have invaded the West Bank city of Bethlehem, kidnapping two Palestinians.
Local sources have reported that undercover soldiers, driving a local Palestinian car, infiltrated the Jerusalem-Hebron road in Bethlehem, and broke into a shopping center before kidnapping Sajed Abu Khashaba, 20.
The kidnapped Palestinian works at a local store in the shopping center; the soldiers also confiscated his mobile phone.
Furthermore, the army invaded Saff Street, in Bethlehem, kidnapped Ahmad Ezzat, 33, and confiscated his phone.
Eyewitnesses said that the soldiers also fired rounds of live ammunition and gas bombs, in the area.
On Wednesday night, several Israeli military jeeps kidnapped a student of Polytechnic University, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron.
The kidnapped Palestinian, Moneer Dofesh, was taken prisoner in the Nomra area of Hebron, and was moved to an unknown destination.
Also on Wednesday night, soldiers kidnapped at least 15 Palestinian children and a young man in the Tabaqa village, south of Doura, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron.
Local sources have reported that undercover soldiers, driving a local Palestinian car, infiltrated the Jerusalem-Hebron road in Bethlehem, and broke into a shopping center before kidnapping Sajed Abu Khashaba, 20.
The kidnapped Palestinian works at a local store in the shopping center; the soldiers also confiscated his mobile phone.
Furthermore, the army invaded Saff Street, in Bethlehem, kidnapped Ahmad Ezzat, 33, and confiscated his phone.
Eyewitnesses said that the soldiers also fired rounds of live ammunition and gas bombs, in the area.
On Wednesday night, several Israeli military jeeps kidnapped a student of Polytechnic University, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron.
The kidnapped Palestinian, Moneer Dofesh, was taken prisoner in the Nomra area of Hebron, and was moved to an unknown destination.
Also on Wednesday night, soldiers kidnapped at least 15 Palestinian children and a young man in the Tabaqa village, south of Doura, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron.
Moneer Dofesh
Israeli soldiers invaded Al-‘Ezariyya town, southeast of occupied East Jerusalem, and kidnapped one Palestinian.
Local sources have reported that the soldiers violently broke into several homes and searched them, before kidnapping a young man identified as Fadi Tamimi.
The sources added that clashes took place late on Wednesday at night in the Ras Kabsa area, between Al-Ezariyya and Abu Dis, after the army invaded them.
The soldiers fired several gas bombs, concussion grenades and rubber-coated metal bullets.
On Wednesday night, several Israeli military jeeps kidnapped a student of Polytechnic University in the Hebron district, in the southern part of the West Bank.
The kidnapped Palestinian, Moneer Dofesh, was kidnapped in Nomra area, in Hebron, and was moved to an unknown destination.
Also on Wednesday night, soldiers kidnapped at least 15 Palestinian children and a young man in the Tabaqa village, south of Doura, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron.
Israeli soldiers invaded Al-‘Ezariyya town, southeast of occupied East Jerusalem, and kidnapped one Palestinian.
Local sources have reported that the soldiers violently broke into several homes and searched them, before kidnapping a young man identified as Fadi Tamimi.
The sources added that clashes took place late on Wednesday at night in the Ras Kabsa area, between Al-Ezariyya and Abu Dis, after the army invaded them.
The soldiers fired several gas bombs, concussion grenades and rubber-coated metal bullets.
On Wednesday night, several Israeli military jeeps kidnapped a student of Polytechnic University in the Hebron district, in the southern part of the West Bank.
The kidnapped Palestinian, Moneer Dofesh, was kidnapped in Nomra area, in Hebron, and was moved to an unknown destination.
Also on Wednesday night, soldiers kidnapped at least 15 Palestinian children and a young man in the Tabaqa village, south of Doura, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron.
Dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded the Tabaqa village, south of Doura, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, invaded local homes and kidnapped several children.
Local sources have reported that the soldiers violently broke into and searched dozens of homes, and kidnapped at least 15 children.
Some of the kidnapped children have been identified as Mahmoud Hakam Al-Harbiyyat, 12, Ghaleb Badawy Hamdan, 13, Riyadh Taiseer Abu Ras, 16, Amir Nasser Abu Hawwash, Mohammad Kamel Al-Atrash and his brother Qosai.
The soldiers also kidnapped resident Mohammad Yasser Abu Hawwash, 20, the Radio Bethlehem 2000 has reported.
It added that the arrests started after Israeli soldiers surrounded a home, south of Doura, before violently invading it and kidnapping four residents.
It is worth mentioning that the village, surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements, is subject to frequent Israeli military invasions, and various attacks carried out by extremist Israeli settlers.
Israeli settlements and the illegal Annexation Wall do not only surround the Hebron district, but the hundreds of settlers live in the heart of the city and frequently assault the residents in their homes and as they move around in the city.
Extremist settlers are also responsible for hundreds of attacks against Palestinian villagers, farmlands, homes and property in the city.
Local sources have reported that the soldiers violently broke into and searched dozens of homes, and kidnapped at least 15 children.
Some of the kidnapped children have been identified as Mahmoud Hakam Al-Harbiyyat, 12, Ghaleb Badawy Hamdan, 13, Riyadh Taiseer Abu Ras, 16, Amir Nasser Abu Hawwash, Mohammad Kamel Al-Atrash and his brother Qosai.
The soldiers also kidnapped resident Mohammad Yasser Abu Hawwash, 20, the Radio Bethlehem 2000 has reported.
It added that the arrests started after Israeli soldiers surrounded a home, south of Doura, before violently invading it and kidnapping four residents.
It is worth mentioning that the village, surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements, is subject to frequent Israeli military invasions, and various attacks carried out by extremist Israeli settlers.
Israeli settlements and the illegal Annexation Wall do not only surround the Hebron district, but the hundreds of settlers live in the heart of the city and frequently assault the residents in their homes and as they move around in the city.
Extremist settlers are also responsible for hundreds of attacks against Palestinian villagers, farmlands, homes and property in the city.
Israeli Prison Services (IPS) intensified search operations and break-ins into Palestinian prisoners' sections and rooms during 2013, where they carried out 172 raids during the past year, Palestine Center for Prisoners' Studies said. The center stated in a statement on Wednesday that 42 Palestinian prisoners, including members of Captive Movement's leadership, have sustained injuries during Israeli systematic attacks and raids into their sections.
Israeli raids into Palestinian prisoners' rooms are usually accompanied with brutal assaults and attacks on prisoners, in addition to isolating them, confiscating their personal belongings, including their family pictures and letters, and imposing heavy fines as part of IPS punitive policy, the statement said.
The center documented a number of Israeli attacks during 2013 targeting Palestinian detained leaders including leader Abdullah Barghouthi who was severely beaten during his hunger strike, in addition to assaulting the prisoners Mahmoud Issa and Salim Ja'aba after declaring hunger strike in solidarity with the isolated prisoner Dirar Abu Sisi.
Approximately 11 Palestinian detainees were injured during Israeli break-ins into Ashkelon prison, while 20 others sustained injuries in Megiddo prison during Israeli raids into their rooms following the prisoner Hassan al-Turabi's martyrdom.
Palestine Center for Prisoners' Studies said that the Negev prison had witnessed 65 break-ins during 2013. The last Israeli break-in during 2013 was carried out on the 31st of December in Raymond prison, when Palestinian detainees held in section 2 were taken to unknown detention center.
Israeli raids into Palestinian prisoners' rooms are usually accompanied with brutal assaults and attacks on prisoners, in addition to isolating them, confiscating their personal belongings, including their family pictures and letters, and imposing heavy fines as part of IPS punitive policy, the statement said.
The center documented a number of Israeli attacks during 2013 targeting Palestinian detained leaders including leader Abdullah Barghouthi who was severely beaten during his hunger strike, in addition to assaulting the prisoners Mahmoud Issa and Salim Ja'aba after declaring hunger strike in solidarity with the isolated prisoner Dirar Abu Sisi.
Approximately 11 Palestinian detainees were injured during Israeli break-ins into Ashkelon prison, while 20 others sustained injuries in Megiddo prison during Israeli raids into their rooms following the prisoner Hassan al-Turabi's martyrdom.
Palestine Center for Prisoners' Studies said that the Negev prison had witnessed 65 break-ins during 2013. The last Israeli break-in during 2013 was carried out on the 31st of December in Raymond prison, when Palestinian detainees held in section 2 were taken to unknown detention center.
Violent clashes broke out on Wednesday in Al-Aroub refugee camp, north of Al-Khalil city, after the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired a hail of tear gas grenades at Palestinian homes and attacked citizens. Eyewitnesses told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that a large number of Israeli troops aboard more than 15 military vehicles stormed the neighborhoods of the camp and started to fire tear gas grenades randomly at homes, which caused many Palestinian citizens to suffer suffocation.
They added that angry young men from the refugee camp responded to the invading troops by throwing back tear gas canisters at them and attacking an Israeli military tower at the entrance to the camp with Molotov cocktails.
In another incident on the same day, the IOF kidnapped 10 Palestinian citizens during violent raids on homes in Al-Tabka area near Dura town.
Eyewitnesses explained that an unknown person opened fire at an Israeli military vehicle near Al-Tabka area and some minutes later, scores of Israeli troops invaded the area and started to violently raid homes and brutally attack families and children.
They added that the IOF also closed all entrances to Dura town and established roadblocks before they embarked on searching vehicles and checking the IDs of passing citizens.
The IOF also kidnapped on the same day a university student in Al-Khalil during a security campaign in its northern neighborhoods.
They added that angry young men from the refugee camp responded to the invading troops by throwing back tear gas canisters at them and attacking an Israeli military tower at the entrance to the camp with Molotov cocktails.
In another incident on the same day, the IOF kidnapped 10 Palestinian citizens during violent raids on homes in Al-Tabka area near Dura town.
Eyewitnesses explained that an unknown person opened fire at an Israeli military vehicle near Al-Tabka area and some minutes later, scores of Israeli troops invaded the area and started to violently raid homes and brutally attack families and children.
They added that the IOF also closed all entrances to Dura town and established roadblocks before they embarked on searching vehicles and checking the IDs of passing citizens.
The IOF also kidnapped on the same day a university student in Al-Khalil during a security campaign in its northern neighborhoods.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) nabbed four Palestinians in Tabaka village, south west of Al-Khalil, on Wednesday night. Eyewitnesses said that big numbers of IOF soldiers suddenly burst into the village in ten army vehicles and quickly headed to a certain house and surrounded it.
They said that the heavily armed soldiers nabbed four citizens who were in the house and remained positioned nearby
They said that the heavily armed soldiers nabbed four citizens who were in the house and remained positioned nearby
1 jan 2014
The Magistrate court judge decided to release 19-year old Hamed Shafiq Obeid with a bail and house arrest conditions.
Mohammad Mahmoud, Al-Dameer organization lawyer, said that the Magistrate court judge decided to release Hamed Obeid with a 2000-NIS bail, a third –party bail and house arrest for 10 days.
The lawyer explained that the police accused the young man of being a member of the Popular Front and claimed that he listens to “patriotic sons” which raised doubts about his membership in the Popular Front. The police also claimed that he had bullets in his car; note that he has been detained for several days and was being interrogated in Al-Maskobyeh.
The lawyer also explained that he refused the claims of the police stressing that hearing songs of any kind is not a condemnation of anyone and is not legally prohibited. He also objected the searching of his client’s car and told the judge that the police searched the car in his presence and didn’t find anything but the police claimed that they searched it again and found the bullets.
Mohammad Mahmoud, Al-Dameer organization lawyer, said that the Magistrate court judge decided to release Hamed Obeid with a 2000-NIS bail, a third –party bail and house arrest for 10 days.
The lawyer explained that the police accused the young man of being a member of the Popular Front and claimed that he listens to “patriotic sons” which raised doubts about his membership in the Popular Front. The police also claimed that he had bullets in his car; note that he has been detained for several days and was being interrogated in Al-Maskobyeh.
The lawyer also explained that he refused the claims of the police stressing that hearing songs of any kind is not a condemnation of anyone and is not legally prohibited. He also objected the searching of his client’s car and told the judge that the police searched the car in his presence and didn’t find anything but the police claimed that they searched it again and found the bullets.
The Israeli police released 3 children last Monday after they had been detained for several hours on charges of throwing stones in Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Magistrate court judge extended the arrest of a child to continue investigating him.
Naser Qos, head of Prisoner’s Club in Jerusalem, said that the police released the children Abdulrahman Hashlamon, Ahmad Takruri and Hamza Abu Nab without any conditions after arresting them from inside Al-Aqsa courtyards and interrogating them for several hours on charges of throwing stones at a group of settlers that were making a tour inside Al-Aqsa.
In a related matter, Al-Dameer organization lawyer, Mohammad Mahmoud said that the Magistrate court judge extended the arrest of 16-year old Mohammad Ghanem until Thursday to continue investigating him.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center was informed that the police arrested 15-year old Abdel Mu’men Abu Ta’a last Sunday from in front of his school “Dar Al-Aytam” in the neighbourhood of Wadi Al-Joz in Jerusalem.
The lawyer of Prisoner’s Club, Mufeed Al-Hajj, explained that the Magistrate court judge extended the arrest of Jihad Ahmad Obeid and Abdulkarim Ahmad Nokad from the African community in the old city of Jerusalem until Thursday.
The Israeli forces had arrested them from their homes at 6 o’clock in the morning and interrogated them regarding the throwing of stones at the police individuals at Al-Majles Gate on 28/12/2013.
The Magistrate court also extended the arrest of 3 minors until Thursday who were arrested on Sunday on charges of throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Jewish people in Ras Al-Amoud and they are Malek Ismaeel Shweiki, Mohammad Mahmoud Beebe and Issa Hamza Beebe.
Mufeed Al-Hajj said that he requested the meeting’s proceedings to be sent to the Department of Investigation for police individuals in order to check the complaint filed by Malek Shweiki regarding police personnel assaulting and terrifying him before starting the interrogation.
He pointed out that the families of the three minors did not attend the interrogation because the police officer said that the presence of the parents will disrupt the investigation.
Al-Hajj explained that young man Khaled Khashan from Shu’fat refugee camp was presented last Monday to the Magistrate court and was accused of injuring a policeman in Sultan Suleiman Street on 18/07/2013. The lawyer refused the charge and requested a hearing session to listen to the testimony of the policeman; a session was scheduled on 17/02/2014.
Naser Qos, head of Prisoner’s Club in Jerusalem, said that the police released the children Abdulrahman Hashlamon, Ahmad Takruri and Hamza Abu Nab without any conditions after arresting them from inside Al-Aqsa courtyards and interrogating them for several hours on charges of throwing stones at a group of settlers that were making a tour inside Al-Aqsa.
In a related matter, Al-Dameer organization lawyer, Mohammad Mahmoud said that the Magistrate court judge extended the arrest of 16-year old Mohammad Ghanem until Thursday to continue investigating him.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center was informed that the police arrested 15-year old Abdel Mu’men Abu Ta’a last Sunday from in front of his school “Dar Al-Aytam” in the neighbourhood of Wadi Al-Joz in Jerusalem.
The lawyer of Prisoner’s Club, Mufeed Al-Hajj, explained that the Magistrate court judge extended the arrest of Jihad Ahmad Obeid and Abdulkarim Ahmad Nokad from the African community in the old city of Jerusalem until Thursday.
The Israeli forces had arrested them from their homes at 6 o’clock in the morning and interrogated them regarding the throwing of stones at the police individuals at Al-Majles Gate on 28/12/2013.
The Magistrate court also extended the arrest of 3 minors until Thursday who were arrested on Sunday on charges of throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Jewish people in Ras Al-Amoud and they are Malek Ismaeel Shweiki, Mohammad Mahmoud Beebe and Issa Hamza Beebe.
Mufeed Al-Hajj said that he requested the meeting’s proceedings to be sent to the Department of Investigation for police individuals in order to check the complaint filed by Malek Shweiki regarding police personnel assaulting and terrifying him before starting the interrogation.
He pointed out that the families of the three minors did not attend the interrogation because the police officer said that the presence of the parents will disrupt the investigation.
Al-Hajj explained that young man Khaled Khashan from Shu’fat refugee camp was presented last Monday to the Magistrate court and was accused of injuring a policeman in Sultan Suleiman Street on 18/07/2013. The lawyer refused the charge and requested a hearing session to listen to the testimony of the policeman; a session was scheduled on 17/02/2014.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Wednesday razed the tent village of Canaan 10 built by popular activists in the Jordan Valley to the east of the West Bank.
Local sources and eyewitnesses said that IOF soldiers destroyed the tents and arrested eight activists after chasing and assaulting them.
The sources said that the tent village was built in response to the Israeli ministerial committee’s decision to annex the Jordan Valley.
They said that the IOF soldiers set up seven roadblocks leading to the area of the village to block arrival of activists.
Local sources and eyewitnesses said that IOF soldiers destroyed the tents and arrested eight activists after chasing and assaulting them.
The sources said that the tent village was built in response to the Israeli ministerial committee’s decision to annex the Jordan Valley.
They said that the IOF soldiers set up seven roadblocks leading to the area of the village to block arrival of activists.
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The Israeli regime tortures detained Palestinian children in freezing conditions, according to an Israeli NGO.
On Tuesday, the Public Committee Against Torture accused Tel Aviv of torturing the Palestinian children, saying the minors are routinely held in outdoor cages for hours after their arrest. The organization said the children have to endure freezing temperatures outside transit facilities, stressing that this kind of torture is a long-running practice meant to terrify the detained children. The NGO added that it's just one example of the torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian children by Israeli forces. |
Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Magistrates Court on Monday extended the sentence of Ahmad Dawuod Obeid, the mentally-ill Palestinian teenager, arrested by Israeli forces back in August in Issawiya, near East al-Quds (Jerusalem). Obeid was put under house arrest on charges of throwing stones at Israeli forces.
Aouda Zbeidat, Obeid’s lawyer from Addameer prisoners’ group, accused the Israeli court of corruption and breaking international humanitarian law.
“As his lawyer, I tell you that it is illegal to judge him without due process of a person with a mental illness. He should have had a specialist investigator who deals with mentally ill people in a suitable manner,” Zbeidat said.
In a report on December 10, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said the Israeli regime is holding captive over 5000 Palestinians, including 200 children and women.
The PPS said Israel holds the Palestinian prisoners, without charges or trial, under terrible conditions, sprays them with gas and forces dozens into solitary confinement.
It added that four Palestinian prisoners lost their lives this year due to poor medical condition, saying three of them died in prison and one shortly after his release.
The society called on the international community to hold Tel Aviv accountable for its crimes against the Palestinians.
Aouda Zbeidat, Obeid’s lawyer from Addameer prisoners’ group, accused the Israeli court of corruption and breaking international humanitarian law.
“As his lawyer, I tell you that it is illegal to judge him without due process of a person with a mental illness. He should have had a specialist investigator who deals with mentally ill people in a suitable manner,” Zbeidat said.
In a report on December 10, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said the Israeli regime is holding captive over 5000 Palestinians, including 200 children and women.
The PPS said Israel holds the Palestinian prisoners, without charges or trial, under terrible conditions, sprays them with gas and forces dozens into solitary confinement.
It added that four Palestinian prisoners lost their lives this year due to poor medical condition, saying three of them died in prison and one shortly after his release.
The society called on the international community to hold Tel Aviv accountable for its crimes against the Palestinians.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided Deir Abu Da’eef village, east of Jenin, on Tuesday night and arrested a young man south of the city. Local sources said that IOF soldiers in a number of army jeeps burst into the town and started combing its alleys prompting young men to throw stones at them.
They said that the soldiers broke into the home of Omar Ershayda and searched it and fired teargas canisters at the protestors causing breathing problems to some of the citizens.
Meanwhile, IOF soldiers set up a roadblock at the entrance to Arrabe village, south of Jenin, and arrested a young man.
IOF soldiers also last night stormed northern suburbs of Al-Khalil city and nearby areas and closed the main road, eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter.
They said that the slow search of vehicles and IDs of commuters led to long queues of vehicles for two hours.
Locals in Samu village, south of Al-Khalil, said that IOF soldiers in six patrols burst into the village and roamed its various alleys and streets on Wednesday morning.
They said that the soldiers broke into the home of Nadi Al-Hawamde, wreaking havoc on it and terrorizing children before taking him away.
They said that the soldiers broke into the home of Omar Ershayda and searched it and fired teargas canisters at the protestors causing breathing problems to some of the citizens.
Meanwhile, IOF soldiers set up a roadblock at the entrance to Arrabe village, south of Jenin, and arrested a young man.
IOF soldiers also last night stormed northern suburbs of Al-Khalil city and nearby areas and closed the main road, eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter.
They said that the slow search of vehicles and IDs of commuters led to long queues of vehicles for two hours.
Locals in Samu village, south of Al-Khalil, said that IOF soldiers in six patrols burst into the village and roamed its various alleys and streets on Wednesday morning.
They said that the soldiers broke into the home of Nadi Al-Hawamde, wreaking havoc on it and terrorizing children before taking him away.
Clare Short is a member of the Board of Directors of the non-profit group, and is a British Parliament member with the Labour Party
Hebrew media sources said that Israel's war minister Moshe Ya'alon has outlawed the Council for European Palestinian Relations (CEPR), a Belgian non-profit organization, and the European Campaign to Remove the Siege on the Gaza Strip. Haaretz newspaper claimed in its Tuesday edition that these two organizations serve as Hamas’ representatives in Europe.
It said that members of the CEPR, including four European MPs, are now in danger of arrest if they land at Ben Gurion airport.
The paper added that the CEPR organization acts as a lobby for the Gaza government in the European Union.
The CEPR website said it was established to promote dialogue and understanding between European, Palestinian and Arab parliamentarians and policy-makers.
“We seek a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on justice and the restoration of Palestinian rights in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law", the Brussels-based NGO said.
In the past three years the CEPR has organized six delegations of European MPs, who visited the occupied territories, the West Bank and Gaza. In 2010, director of the organization Dr. Arafat Shoukri met with the then-chairman of the EU Parliament.
Haaretz reported that Ya’alon had already declared the CEPR “an outlawed organization” two weeks ago, which means Israel can confiscate money related to the group and try its members or those who provide them with services.
The occupation's Shin Bet security services said that the CEPR was recently declared an illegal organization “in light of the fact that it is Hamas’s leading organization in Europe, which carries out its activity under cover of being a pro-Palestinian organization.”
It added that “the organization is headed by senior Hamas activists, including Arafat Shoukri and Rami Abdo, while the European Campaign to Remove the Siege on the Gaza Strip is a media name only, without any real organization behind it.”
Hebrew media sources said that Israel's war minister Moshe Ya'alon has outlawed the Council for European Palestinian Relations (CEPR), a Belgian non-profit organization, and the European Campaign to Remove the Siege on the Gaza Strip. Haaretz newspaper claimed in its Tuesday edition that these two organizations serve as Hamas’ representatives in Europe.
It said that members of the CEPR, including four European MPs, are now in danger of arrest if they land at Ben Gurion airport.
The paper added that the CEPR organization acts as a lobby for the Gaza government in the European Union.
The CEPR website said it was established to promote dialogue and understanding between European, Palestinian and Arab parliamentarians and policy-makers.
“We seek a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on justice and the restoration of Palestinian rights in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law", the Brussels-based NGO said.
In the past three years the CEPR has organized six delegations of European MPs, who visited the occupied territories, the West Bank and Gaza. In 2010, director of the organization Dr. Arafat Shoukri met with the then-chairman of the EU Parliament.
Haaretz reported that Ya’alon had already declared the CEPR “an outlawed organization” two weeks ago, which means Israel can confiscate money related to the group and try its members or those who provide them with services.
The occupation's Shin Bet security services said that the CEPR was recently declared an illegal organization “in light of the fact that it is Hamas’s leading organization in Europe, which carries out its activity under cover of being a pro-Palestinian organization.”
It added that “the organization is headed by senior Hamas activists, including Arafat Shoukri and Rami Abdo, while the European Campaign to Remove the Siege on the Gaza Strip is a media name only, without any real organization behind it.”
Two Palestinian students were arrested during violent confrontations with Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in Khader village, south of Bethlehem, on Tuesday. Local sources said that IOF patrols were deployed at the main entrance to the village and harassed passing citizens and students and arrested two of them.
The detention triggered clashes with the soldiers, who used teargas to disperse the angry students causing breathing difficulty among a number of them, the sources said, adding that both students were taken to Gush Etzion detention center.
The detention triggered clashes with the soldiers, who used teargas to disperse the angry students causing breathing difficulty among a number of them, the sources said, adding that both students were taken to Gush Etzion detention center.
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