| [ 04/08/2009 - 12:28 PM ] |
 |
|
GAZA, (PIC)-- Minister of prisoners' affairs Mohammed Al-Ghoul has said that Israeli leaders should stand trial as war criminals for their flagrant violations of Palestinian female prisoners' rights. He told a press conference in Gaza on Monday that the number of female prisoners in Israeli occupation jails had reached 65 including three from the Gaza Strip, four from Jerusalem and the rest from the West Bank. Ghoul said that the Israeli prisons authority was preventing prisoners from visiting each other and corresponding with their families. They are also deprived of new clothes and shoes other than the fact that their cells are stormed at late night hours and their personal belongings searched, he said, adding that the prisoners are held in solitary confinement and forced to pay hefty financial fines at trivial pretexts. The women captives suffer from deliberate medical neglect, he said, noting that one third of them suffer from disease including serious cases such as Amal Juma who is suffering from cancer, and Nawal Al-Saadi, who suffered a stroke due to torture. Six of those prisoners are minors, the minister underlined, adding that three were kidnapped with their husbands, three held under administrative detention, and five had brothers also held in Israeli jails. |
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Ghoul: Israeli leaders should stand trial for crimes against women prisoners
Report: Prisoners, guard injured in jail clashes
PCS asserted that Israeli prison service has trained special units to counter Palestinian prisoners’ protests. Amongst these units is one called Nehshon, and another called Matsada which use nonlethal weapons that can cause prisoners eyes to be plucked out, or pain lasting several days.
These units, according to the PCS, ransack prisoners’ living quarters overnight wearing masks, and even torture prisoners. They also confiscate prisoners’ property such as family letters and photo albums. It was one of these raids that sparked the clashes. No further details were given.
Israeli authorities have not commented on the report.
Three Palestinian prisoners wounded in Israeli quelling of protest |
| [ 04/08/2009 - 12:30 PM ] |
 |
|
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Three Palestinian prisoners were wounded at dawn Tuesday during the Israeli jailors' violent quelling of protests by prisoners over tragic incarceration conditions. The Hebrew radio claimed that the prisoners set their tents on fire in the Negev desert prison which necessitated intervention on the part of prison guards. It said that three prisoners were injured and one of the jailors was hurt in the confrontations that ensued. More than 2,000 Palestinians are held captives in Negev under harsh imprisonment conditions with many of them deprived of family visits. The prisoners' center for studies warned that the Israeli prisons authority could impose penalties on the prisoners as a result such as distributing them on other prisons and wards or beat them up. It asked human rights groups and institutions concerned with prisoners' affairs to immediately intervene before further possible worsening of the situation in the prison. |
Three detainees wounded in the Negev detention camp
Palestinian sources reported on Tuesday morning that three Palestinian detainees were wounded om Monday at night ehrn fire that broke out in section 5 at the Israeli Negev detention facility.
Negev Detention Camp - Qudsnet
Ala’ Sammar, representative of Fateh detainees at the facility said in a phone interview with the Palestinian News and Information Center (WAFA) that the fire was caused by an electric circuit in some tents causing fires to spread in the tents.
Several detainees were wounded and were moved to an Israeli military hospital.
Sammar held the Israeli authorities responsible for endangering the lives of the detainees, and added that the Israeli violations, repeated attacks against the detainees, tortutre, and medical negligence policies have claimed the lives of hundreds of detainees since 1967.
| Three Palestinians injured by blaze in Israeli desert prison of Al Naqab where the cells are tents |
| 04.08.09 - 09:20 | |
| Naqab / PNN – At dawn today three Palestinians were injured in such a way that the Israeli prison administration alerted its own media. The Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot and Israeli Channel Two both reported that three Palestinian political prisoners were injured Tuesday morning in Al Naqab Desert Prison. The situation was reported upon it seems because it involves a fire where an Israeli jailer was also injured. The details involve a fire in the tents that serve as cells in the outdoor prison of the Naqab (Negev) Desert. Some 11,000 Palestinians are being held by the Israeli administration. Among the imprisoned are children, women, the elderly and the ill. |
Israeli army kidnaps 13 Palestinians from the West Bank
13 Palestinians from different areas of the West Bank were taken from their homes by the Israeli army, during pre-dawn invasions on Tuesday.
Night time round up of Palestinian men by Israeli soldiers in Hebron - Photo by Christian Peacemaker Team
Five Palestinians were taken from the area of Qalqilya, four from the Bethlehem area, two men from the Hebron area and another two from around Jericho.
Five Palestinians were taken from the Qalqilya area, four from the Ramallah area, two from the Hebron area, and two others near Jericho.
The previous night Israel said it detained 14 Palestinians in the nightly raids. In one such incursion, a force of 200 soldiers attacked the village of Bil’in, near Ramallah, seizing six Palestinians and one American activist. The village holds weekly demonstrations against the Israeli separation wall.
Israel releases two Ramallah Hamas leaders
Israeli soldiers seized Hassan Abu Kwaik, 52, and Faraj Rumaneh 37 during a raid on Al-Am'ari Refugee Camp in Ramallah.
Both men had previously served five years in Israeli jails.
Villager detained at checkpoint Monday evening
Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli troops detained and took to unknown destination a Palestinian from Beit Kahil on Monday evening.
Palestinian security sources said troops arrested 45-year-old Hashem Atiyeh Az-Zuhour after stopping him at a checkpoint at the central gate to Edna village west of Hebron.
The reasons behind his arrest remain unclear.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Soldiers kidnap 14 Palestinians in the West Bank
Israeli soldiers kidnapped on Monday at dawn fourteen Palestinians after breaking into their homes in several parts of the occupied West bank, local sources reported.
The army claimed that the 14 residents are ‘wanted’. Three were kidnapped in Qalqilia, three in Nablus, three in Bethlehem, three in Ramallah, and one in Hebron. They were all moved to interrogation centers.
The army violently broke into their homes and searched them.
In related news, Israeli soldiers attacked on Sunday evening a 15-year old Palestinian child from Izbit Al Tabeeb village, near the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, and detained him for more than three hours.
Troops claimed that he hurled stones at them on the main Qalqilia road.
Dozens of Israeli soldiers were deployed around the village and near its entrances raising fear among the residents of a possible invasion.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Summer camp for Palestinian children of torture victims explores ways of dealing with trauma
Ramallah / PNN - Palestinian victims of torture are prevalent with such a high number arrested by Israeli forces: currently between 9,500 and 11,000 Palestinians are in Israeli prisons.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society and the Palestinian Authority’s prisons ministry regularly report on the extensive use of torture by the Israelis against Palestinians.
The Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture has just concluded a three-week annual summer camp.
More than 260 children of Palestinian victims of torture have enjoyed a summer camp organized by an EU-funded project, giving them the opportunity to step out of the violence of their everyday lives and explore ways of dealing with trauma.
The summer camp comes as a part of a three-year project co-funded by the EU entitled “Sustaining and enhancing a comprehensive service delivery for victims of torture” in the West Bank. The European Union is contributing 80 percent of the project’s €1.2 million budget.
Now into its ninth year and inspired by its previous successes, the ‘Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims Of Torture’ (TRC) in partnership with the UN high commissioner office in the Palestinian territory, held its annual summer camp, titled “Zahra Al-Madain, in reference to Jerusalem” from 5-23 July in four locations in the West Bank – Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin and Hebron.
The summer camp activity enjoyed the support of a wide spectrum of international and local foundations, which participated either as volunteers, supporters or educators, and included the Spanish organization GINSO, Jawwal, NBC and the Council of Ministries.
“Similar to the summer camps of past years, the camp offered children a wide range of educational, developmental, recreational and leisure activities,” writes Fares Abdullah, Media Coordinator of TRC.
Moreover, this summer witnessed the incorporation of additional unprecedented activities, which included the ‘human rights corner’ and the simulation of democratic elections in the Jenin camp.
Through the human rights corner, representatives of the UN high commissioner office introduced children to basic principles of human rights and children’s rights. In Jenin, children simulated democratic parliamentary elections through holding their own elections under the supervision of representatives of the UN high commissioner office. This unique experience proved the willingness of the young generations to try another life full of peace, love and hope.
In his welcoming address during the graduation ceremony held for the children of the summer camp last week, TRC’s general director Dr. Mahmud Sehwail highlighted the role of the summer camps in giving children the opportunity to step out of the violence of their day-to-day lives and explore different ways of dealing with trauma without using violence themselves.
“Summer camps are set apart from the pace of everyday life,” he said. “The potential in children and their abundant curiosity and capacity for learning can be nurtured. Children learn more life skills in a few weeks at camp than in nine months of school. Through summer camps, children gain new skills like problem solving, time management, study techniques, memory, data collection, leadership and decision making,” he added.
Israeli forces evict the Hanoun and al-Ghawe families from their Sheikh Jarrah homes
UPDATE: Seven of the arrested activists were released after court, with a condition to not be in Sheikh Jarrah for 3 weeks. One American solidarity activist has been taken to the immigration prison for deportation.
Another international activist is reportedly refusing to give her name and intends to go on hunger-strike, according to the released activists who were in detention with her.
Rami Hannoun is being treated at a local hospital after being beaten by Israeli forces.
For Immediate Release:
2 August 2009: Israeli forces have evicted the Hanoun and al-Ghawe families from their homes.
At around 5:30 in the morning, Israeli police arrived at the Hannoun family home and broke into the house through the windows. They forcefully removed Maher Hanoun, his wife Nadia and their 3 children. The police violently separated the family from the international and Israeli solidarity activists that were staying in the home. Police then arrested the international and Israeli solidarity activists that were staying with the family. Similarly, Israeli police came into the al-Ghawe family home at 5:30am and removed the family and internationals staying in the home.
Settlers arrived with a truck and began to move the al-Gwahe Hannoun family possessions out of their home. Everyone outside of the house was forced across the street, away from the house.
According to eyewitnesses, Israeli forces beat a Palestinian male who was trying to intervene when police were yelling at an elderly Palestinian woman. Additionally, media personnel were pushed around by police when they were trying to get close to the evicted Sheikh Jarrah homes.
Amongst those arrested are at least 7 international activists and 1 Israeli activist. They are scheduled to be brought to court in Jerusalem at 11am.
Maher Hannoun, Palestinian resident of Sheikh Jarrah:
Despite condemnation from the international community about the evictions of my neighborhood, Sheikh Jarrah, the Israeli government continues to pursue the ethnic cleansing of East Jerusalem. My family were refugees from 1948 and now we have become refugees again. We were forced out of homes to make way for settlers, contrary to international law. The legal case that residents presented in court included an Ottoman-era document which discounts the settler associations claim of ownership over Sheikh Jarrah land and homes. But the unjust policies of Israel to judaize East Jerusalem render our legal proof of ownership irrelevant.
Jody McIntyre, a British solidarity activist:
I woke up to the sound of a brick through the front window. By the time I could get up, I was being pushed out the door by Israeli forces. They wouldn’t allow me to take my wheelchair and were physically violent towards me and the others in the Hannoun house. The unjust policies of the Israeli government are not just written documents, they affect real families. The government has made the Hannoun and al-Ghawe families homeless, and their only crime is being Palestinian in a system that is racist against them.
The case of Sheikh Jarrah
The Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem was built by the UN and Jordanian government in 1956 to house Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war. However, with the the start of the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, following the 1967 war, settlers began claiming ownership of the land the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood was built on.
Stating that they had purchased the land from a previous Ottoman owner in the 1800s, settlers claimed ownership of the land. In 1972, settlers successfully registered this claim with the Israeli Land Registrar.
The 28 families of Sheikh Jarrah face eviction from their homes. In November 2008, the al-Kurd family was violently evicted from their home in Sheikh Jarrah. Two weeks thereafter, Mohammad al-Kurd died from a stress induced heart attack.
In 2004 Nadav Shargai from Ha’aretz reported that: “A process of Judaization has already begun . The compound is currently, and
gradually, being cleared of its Arab population by means of legal procedures.” (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml? itemNo=481362&contrassID=1&subContrassID=7&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y)
PA: 255 delegates to Fatah's conference in Israeli custody
The list of delegates was ratified by the Fatah leadership in Israel’s custody before it was sent to the conference’ preparatory committee, he said. The list is expected to be read during the conference.
Qaraqi applauded the Palestinian president and the preparatory committee for staying focused on the 255 delegates. A number of detained Fatah leaders will be nominated for the Fatah Revolutionary Council, he added.
The Fatah movement is holding its sixth conference in Bethlehem from 4-5 August. The meet is the first in over 20 years.
Israeli police arrest 154 "illegal" Palestinians
Published yesterday (updated) 01/08/2009 22:53
The Hebrew-language daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the 154 Palestinians were "illegally residing in Israel," and that some were deported to areas loosely administrated by the Palestinian Authority.
The newspaper also said that several of the detainees were first taken for questioning, and that only some were deported across the Green Line.
Twelve Israelis suspected of employing or aiding what the newspaper called illegal aliens were also arrested.
Israel has control over not only its country but also the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, which were occupied in 1967.
It maintains a three-tier system of citizenship for Palestinians. Palestinians inside Israel are considered for the most part Israeli citizens, while Palestinians residing in occupied East Jerusalem have IDs that permit them to travel inside Israel. Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip are citizens of no country, and are generally banned from entering Israel or East Jerusalem.
Israeli Jews are permitted to work and are considered full Israeli citizens wherever they reside. Hundreds of thousands of them live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israeli forces detain Palestinian youth 'carrying knife'
Tubas – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained a young Palestinian man at Al-Hamra checkpoint east of Tubas in the northern West Bank on Saturday, claiming he was carrying a knife.
According to members of his family, 16-year-old Muhannad Daraghma was detained by Israeli forces as he attempted to cross the checkpoint. He was taken for interrogation.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Human rights report notes 200 arrests in Barta’ and 900 Palestinians in prison without family visits
PNN - Some 900 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for over two years.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights report for the week of 23 through 29 July also notes this week that Israeli forces arrested 200 workers from Barta’a Village which is isolated by the Wall.
A report by the Prisoners’ Society noted today that three Palestinians have just passed 17 years in Israeli prisons while Israeli forces arrested 312 Palestinians during month of July and 3,372 since beginning of the year.
Appeal for isolated Palestinian prisoner in Israeli prison
Nablus/PNN – The lawyer for a Palestinian prisoner in isolation at Israel’s Ayalon Prison said he’s suffering from dreadful living conditions.
The prisoner, 50-year-old Balazer Ahalisi from Jerusalem, was sentenced to life in prison in 1986 after being convicted of murdering Israelis.
Ahalisi’s lawyer, Nasser Sherine, said that his client has been in and out of isolation in multiple prisons for the last 13 years. He’s been in isolation in Ayalon for 6 months, according to the lawyer.
Sherine also said that Ahalisi suffers from several dental problems, and despite repeated efforts to visit the prison dentist, he’s told that he must wait or that the doctor is busy.
Ahalisi also reportedly suffered from a fever and pain in his joints for two weeks before being transferred to the clinic and given medicine.
Sherine has appealed to outside parties to look into the issue, and asked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to include Ahalisi in any prisoner swap deals.
Israeli soldiers kidnapped 312 Palestinians in July
Palestinian researcher, Abdul-Nasser Farawna, stated Saturday that Israeli soldiers kidnapped 312 Palestinians, including dozens of teens, during the month of July.
Farawna added that the soldiers kidnapped 3372 Palestinians since the beginning of this year, among them dozens of women and children.
Most of the kidnapped residents are from the West Bank, while hundreds were kidnapped during the war of Gaza.
Farawna also said that the Israeli Navy kidnapped dozens of Palestinian fishermen in Palestinian territorial waters in the Gaza Strip.
Yet, the researcher stated that July witnessed the least incidents of kidnappings as in comparison to previous months.
He also said that the Israeli army kidnaps Palestinians with the aim to harm different sectors of the society, including but not limited to harming the economy, social life, educational life, in addition to harming the health and psychological conditions of the residents by placing them under extreme conditions and torturing them during interrogation.
Farawna added that there are hundreds of Palestinians who are still suffering from health and psychological issues due to abuse and torture they were subjected while imprisoned by Israel.
Report: Israel kidnapped 312 Palestinians last month |
| [ 01/08/2009 - 03:29 PM ] |
 |
|
GAZA, (PIC)-- A Palestinian report said that the IOF troops kidnapped 312 Palestinian citizens during last July at a rate of 11 Palestinians everyday. The report, which was prepared by specialist in prisoners’ affairs Abdelnasser Farwana, stated that the total of Palestinians who had been kidnapped since the beginning of the year rose to 3,372 citizens, dozens of them were children and women. Farwana affirmed that Israel pursues the policy of kidnapping as a daily and temperamental tradition or as a means to take revenge, pressure or blackmail, adding that most of the kidnappings were arbitrary and not carried out for security reasons as Israel alleged. In another related context, the Israeli police admitted Saturday that it detained 154 Palestinian workers from the West Bank last week at the pretext of entering and working in the 1948 occupied lands without permits. The police said they transported the detainees to their residential areas in the West Bank after they were interrogated and signed pledges not to enter the occupied lands. |