Invasion in Bil'in on 19.07.2009‏

At 5:30am, shortly after the Palestinian and international activists returned to their houses after patrolling the village all night, villagers gave the alert that four Israeli Army Jeeps were driving toward the village. Shortly thereafter, Israeli soldiers raided the house of Abd Al Fatah Bornat whose son Muhammed Abd Al Fatah Bornat (age 21) they had arrested at 2am on July 17, 2009. His brother is also wanted by the occupation forces, but he was not at home this morning. The Army left without making any arrests.

A few minutes later, they reached the house of Emad Bornat whom they arrested. Villagers and Palestinian and international activists tried to block the path to the Jeep where the soldiers were about to take the victim. They were pushed back violently by the Army so that any attempt to de-arrest the victim was futile. As the Jeep with the victim inside was about to drive off, the activists marched in a chain in front of it, preventing its escape. Soldiers in a second Jeep then threw sound bombs and tear gas at the activists which made them disperse allowing the Jeep to escape. The three remaining Jeeps followed under a rain of rocks thrown by the villagers. They drove into the village while activists followed. After stopping at an intersection, soldiers took extensive video footage of all the activists. All the Jeeps then turned back and left the village with the victim.

The situation is extremely serious for Emad Bornat. He is currently under medical treatment after a very bad tractor accident. It is vital for him to continue receiving this treatment.

Thank you for you continued support,

Iyad Burnat- Head of Popular Commitee in Bilin
co-founder of Friends of Freedom and Justice - Bilin

Email- bel3in@yahoo.com
Mobile- (00972) (0) 547847942
Office- (00972) (2) 2489129
Mobile- (00972) (0) 598403676
www.bilin-ffj.org

IOA extends administrative detention of director of prisoners' center

[ 20/07/2009 - 09:30 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has extended the administrative detention of Raja' Al-Ghoul, the director of the prisoners' center for studies in Jenin, for the second time running. Ghoul, 38, is held in the Sharon prison where she is suffering from deliberate medical neglect on the part of the prison administration despite her heart ailment. Relatives of the director, whose detention was being renewed for three months, appealed to human rights groups to intervene to put an end to her pain and to allow her to undergo a heart surgery.

Israeli forces seize Palestinian teen near Tulkarem

Published yesterday (updated) 20/07/2009 12:40

Tulkarem – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained a teenage Palestinian from his home near Tulkarem on Sunday morning.

Palestinian security sources identified the young man as 18-year-old Ibrahim Kheil, "a Fatah operative."

Soldiers reportedly seized him at his house in the northern West Bank village of Atteel, taking him to an undisclosed location.

Palestinian prisoner in Israel starts hunger strike

Published yesterday (updated) 20/07/2009 12:41

Israeli jail [Ma'anImages]

Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinian prisoner Jilbu Riyad Al-Umour began a hunger strike six days ago in protest of situation, relatives told the Palestinian Prisoners' Society in Bethlehem on Sunday.

Al-Umour has been serving a life sentence since 2003 in an Israeli jail, but suffers from several health conditions, including heart disease. He has insisted that he requires medical intervention but that it had been denied.

The Prisoners' Society demanded that Israel respect its obligations to detainees' health, and said that the Israeli prison service would be "held accountable for Al-Umour's life, and the more than 1,000 ill Palestinian prisoners in Israel's custody."

Israel shoots and detains Palestinian youth at Gaza border

Monday July 20, 2009 12:29 by Katherine Orwell - 1 of International Middle East Media Center Editorial Group

Israeli forces at the Gaza border shot a Palestinian teenager in his foot and proceeded to detain him, on Sunday evening.

Israeli army detains a Palestinian man in the West Bank - Photo by Delayed Gratification

Gaza's Health Ministry told local media that the 15-year-old boy was taken to a hospital inside Israel.

Israeli sources reported that a military patrol discovered the boy approaching the electronic fence that surrounds Gaza. The patrol shot the boy when he refused to stop.

Others sources claim that the boy was wearing a thick jacket, which made the boy look suspicious in the eyes of the soldiers. The boy was searched and no explosives or weapons where found on him.

The boy reportedly admitted that he intended to "infiltrate" into Israel during his interrogation. But he kept insisting that he had no plans to carry out any attacks against Israel.

It remains unknown how trustworthy this testimony is, since it is widely documented by human rights organizations that Israel employs dubious interrogation techniques that can be qualified as torture. Palestinian children have not been exempted from such treatment.

Palestinian teen shot, detained near Israel border

Published yesterday (updated) 20/07/2009 11:59

Palestinian boy, file photo [Ma'anImages]

Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained a Palestinian teenager after shooting him in the foot near the Israel border on Sunday evening, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

The 15-year-old boy was taken to Barzalai Hospital inside Israel, according to Muawiyah Hassanein, the director of Ambulance and Emergency Services at the ministry.

Israeli sources reported that an Israeli military patrol spotted the boy approaching the electronic fence in the northern Gaza Strip, shooting him when he refused to stop.

Others said he was wearing a heavy jacket, uncharacteristic for the time of year. Nevertheless the boy was searched and found not to be carrying weapons or explosives.

The Israelis added that under interrogation he admitted intending to "infiltrate" into Israel, but insisted that he had no other plans to carry out attacks inside the country.

Israeli forces routinely patrol a "buffer zone" up to 500 meters wide along the Green Line, inside Palestinian territory. Palestinians who approach the border are often shot.

Meanwhile, Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces clashes near the Nahal Oz crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Fighters launched a rocket-propelled grenade at forces stationed there, according to Israeli news reports. No one was reported injured, and Ma'an received no claim of responsibility for the alleged attack.

Campaign to release Palestinian activist arrested in Bil’in

14 July 2009

Adeeb Abu Rahme, a leading Palestinian non-violent peace activist was arrested in the weekly Bil’in demonstration against the Apartheid Wall (see the video, Adeeb is the protester in the orange shirt with the mega-phone). The Israeli military is charging Adeeb with “incitement to violence,” a charge that could bring a serious jail term. This charge is the culmination of a new attempt to “break” the non-violent resistance in Palestine by targeting the leaders of the non-violent protests.

Adeeb is currently in detention and will be taken in front of a military judge on Thursday, 16 July 2009. The military prosecutor intends to request for Adeeb to remain in detention until the end of the proceedings against him. This could mean months or a year in military prison for Adeeb, who is the sole provider for his family of 9 children, wife and mother.

Adeeb Abu Rahme (in grey) at a Bil'in demonstration

In the past five years, many attempts have been made by the to break the spirit of the Bil’in protests. Every new commander in Bil’in has promised to break the resistance, using new weapons and increasing the level of violence against unarmed demonstrators. But the spirit and resilience of Bil’in residents and their supporters cannot be broken; every Friday they continue to march and chant against the theft of Palestinian land and the systemic violence of the Occupation.

In the past month, Israeli forces have attacked Bil’in and other villages with renewed vigor, raiding homes in the early hours of the morning to seize suspected demonstrators. Mostly children under the age of 18, they are interrogated and pressured to ‘confess’ that they throw stones at the instructions of the village leaders. The truth remains that village leaders discourage stone throwing and recognize that it is used as a tool by the Occupation to falsely accuse the demonstrations of instigating violence. The Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements requested the presence of Israeli and international solidarity activists to document and discourage the night raids.

Anyone of the thousands who have marched with Adeeb can testify that despite provocation and serious attacks on his person, he has never responded violently. Attempts to criminalize the leadership of non-violent protests where curbed in the past with the help of an outpouring of support from people committed to justice from all over the world. We need you now to testify to Adeeb’s commitment to non-violence and to hold the Israeli military accountable for trying to destroy the resistance.

Please email your letter to palestinesolidarity@gmail.com

SAMPLE LETTER:

To whom it may concern,

I was disturbed to learn that Mr. Adeeb Abu Rahme, a leader in his village and participant in the non-violent demonstrations that take place in Bil’in every Friday, was arrested for peacefully demonstrating against Israel’s separation fence on July 10th, 2009 and is still being held in prison. Over the past five years Mr. Rahme and the leaders in Bil’in village have displayed an unshakable commitment to non-violence and dignified action.

Mr. Rahme in particular is well known for his commitment to the struggle for peace through non-violent means and for his willingness to work in partnership with Israelis. He is a respected member of the community. I am impressed with his honesty and commitment to non-violence. My understanding of Israeli law is that the right to demonstrate peacefully is protected. Mr. Rahme should be commended and not punished for his efforts.

I hope and trust that Mr. Rahme will be allowed to return to his family, including his 9 children, wife and mother for whom he is the sole supporter, and community without further delay and that his name be cleared of all accusations.

Sincerely,

IOA extends administrative detention of Palestinian mayor for 9th time

[ 18/07/2009 - 07:25 AM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has renewed the administrative detention of Fathi Al-Hayek, the chairman of the Zeita village municipal council, for three months for the 9th consecutive time.

Ahrar center for prisoners' studies and human rights said on Friday that the Israeli intelligence renewed the detention of Hayek, 41, while his family members were waiting for his release. Hayek has been held in IOA administrative custody since 22/11/2006.

Um Mujahed, the wife of the detainee who is one of the oldest administrative detainees, said that her five children were impatiently waiting for their father's return home.

She noted that her husband had served 108 months in IOA jails at separate intervals.

Um Mujahed said that she gave birth to two of her children while her husband was in jail.

Fuad Al-Khafsh, the center's director, described administrative detention as the "cruelest" form of incarceration and the most painful to the detainee and his family where his release is left to the Israeli intelligence's "mood".

He pointed out that more than 400 Palestinians are held under administrative custody and do not know the exact date of their release.

Khafsh appealed to human rights organizations to shed light on this important issue and to form a legal committee to expose the IOA practices against those detainees.

Israeli lawmaker calls to reduce water supply to Palestinian prisoners

[ 17/07/2009 - 08:31 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The prisoners' study center has warned Thursday of the adverse call of the extremist rightist Israeli Knesset member Dani Danoun to reduce water supply to Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails.

The fanatic Israeli official alleged that Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails leave water taps open during night time with the aim to "harm the Israeli economy".

In a statement it issued Thursday and a copy of which was obtained by the PIC, the center described Danoun allegations as "old", adding that every time the Israeli community suffer shortage in water supplies they use such allegations in order to tighten the grip on the Palestinian captives, and to make their life more difficult.

Moreover, the center affirmed that the captives had been suffering from a shortage of water supplies for a long time, but the Israeli prison authorities paid no attention to their suffering, urging the IOA not to listen to such extremist calls that would be counter-productive especially after the Israeli prison authorities reduced bread rations for the Palestinian detainees.

Prisons expert: Palestinian children in Israeli prison are deprived the most basic of human rights

17.07.09 - 11:15

Gaza / PNN – There are 345 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons where physical and psychological torture are both practiced.

Since the beginning of the Al Aqsa Intifada in September 2000 some 7,800 boys and girls have been arrested. The number since the occupation of 1967 is in the tens of thousands.

The figures come as part of a report by prison expert Abdel Nasser Ferwana issued today that says children constitute 3.6 percent of the total number of Palestinian political prisoners. “The future of these children are at risk and face harsh torture and degrading treatment,” he said. “Children are subjected to systematic violations and the continual deprivation of their most basic rights, among them sickness without medical care.”

Children are treated similarly to adults: arrested at checkpoints or snatched from homes and are subjected to middle-of-the-night searches that use dogs. The difference is the destruction of the formative years and the denial of the right to education. Ferwana noted the targeting of the next generation to ensure that it comes into its own without proper education or socialization, and with deep-rooted psychological problems.

International law does not prohibit the imprisonment of children for short periods of time but does not condone the deprivation of liberty.

Ghoul: Linking visits of Palestinian detainees to Shalit's issue unfair

[ 17/07/2009 - 08:19 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian lawmaker MP Dr. Mohammed Faraj Al-Ghoul, who is also the minister of prisoners and ex-prisoners' affairs, has described linking family visits of Palestinian captives in Israeli jails to developments in the issue of the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit as "unfair".

Ghoul uttered his remarks as he received a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and urged them to take brave stand against the repressive Israeli measures against Palestinian captives in Israeli jails.

He explained that it wasn’t the Palestinian government that detains Shalit in its jails but those who capture Shalit were Palestinian resistance fighters calling to swap him with Palestinian captives in the Israeli jails, and therefore, he added, it is unfair to link family visits of Gazan prisoners in Israeli jails to Shalit's issue.

"It is unfair to equal the victim to the butcher as the ICRC strongly demands to visit Shalit, but at the same time it shyly and weakly calls on the Israeli authorities to allow family visits to Palestinian captives hailing from Gaza Strip", Ghoul pointed out.

However, he underlined that his ministry and the ICRC discussed ways and means to enhance their relationship to serve the prisoners and their families in the best way, underscoring that the ministry would spare no efforts to consolidate those ties.

He also called on the ICRC to resume its services to the Palestinian detainees, including the canteen allocations and clothes, describing conditions of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails as "miserable".

Furthermore, Ghoul called on the ICRC to check health conditions of sick Palestinian captives in Israeli jails, and to pressure the Israeli occupation authorities to extend them proper medical attention as stipulated in international laws and conventions.

Hundreds of Palestinian captives in Israeli jails suffer from different kinds of chronic diseases that reaped the lives of nearly 200 of them so far.

Moreover, Ghoul highlighted the issue of Palestinian captives detained in solitary confinement in the Israeli jails, describing the policy of solitary detention as "grave violation" of international laws, and urged the ICRC to work to end such oppressive Israeli policy.

Finally, Ghoul invited the ICRC to come out of the secrecy condition that engulfs the nature of its work, and to frankly tell relatives of the Palestinian captives of the efforts they were doing to alleviate the suffering of the captives in order to build bridges of trust between the international organizations and the foundations that cater for the prisoners.

With 106 Palestinians in prisons for more than 20 years officials looking for inclusion in exchange

15.07.09 - 10:07

Jenin / Ali Samoudi for PNN – The number of Palestinians who have spent more than 20 years in Israeli prisons has reached 106.

According to the Hamas government’s Ministry of Detainees and Ex Detainees Affairs, Mohamed Mahmoud Hamdieh from Gaza is the latest.

Detained since 14 July 1989, Hamdieh was sentenced to life in prison by an Israeli military court.

On the same day Faraj Saleh Ramahi entered his eighth year and Salah Mahmoud of Khan Younis his seventh.

Representatives of these three from the Gaza Strip in addition to supporters of the 11,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons are appealing for the release of long-term prisoners in any exchange deal.

“Good will gestures mean little,” said a representative of the Ministry of Detainees, “when there are people whose release would be much more meaningful.”

The inference was that hundreds of Palestinians with short sentences or little time left could be exchanged for the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, but what many are looking for is the release of those who will otherwise never make it out.

Hamas captives condemn Abbas's militia for kidnapping freed captives

[ 17/07/2009 - 12:07 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas captives, in Israeli jails, condemned the continued campaign by Abbas's militia against Palestinian resistance activists and in particular the kidnapping of Palestinian captives who have just been freed from Israeli jails.

The captives said in a statement, smuggled out of Israeli jails, that Abbas's security agencies continue unabated with their campaign of detention, torture and murder of Hamas's freedom fighters, activists and supporters.

The captives also said in their statement that it was indeed regrettable that those agencies wait for Hamas captives who are freed from Israeli jails on roadblocks to kidnap them before they reach their homes and families citing the case of Iyad Habib from Bethlehem, who was released from Israeli jails after spending two years in administrative detention to be kidnapped by Abbas's security before he reaches his home.

Habib was kidnapped by Abbas's militia as soon as he crossed the Daherya roadblock, even before he could say hello to his wife and little daughter who were waiting for him at the roadblock.

The captives stressed that such behaviour is alien to Palestinian society and held Abbas's security agencies responsible for the life of political detainees in their jails.

They also called on Palestinian factions to end their silence towards these crimes and to raise their voices against the targeting of resistance fighters by Abbas's forces.

Israeli forces detain camera crew and confiscate equipment

14.07.09 - 14:38

Ramallah / PNN - Israeli forces have detained a Palestinian television crew at a checkpoint in Ramallah.

The flying checkpoint was imposed at the northern entrance to the central West Bank city.

Occupying Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint have confiscated equipment belonging to the crew: Nizar Habash, Nadia Sarsour, Ibrahim Badwan, Khaled Melhem and Suleiman Abu Surur are being detained.

Hundreds of cars are unable to move through the barrier with entrance and exit in and out of Ramallah currently banned.

Ahrar center: Israel escalated its medical neglect policy against prisoners

[ 16/07/2009 - 01:37 PM ]

OCCUPIED PALESTINE, (PIC)-- Al-Ahrar center for prisoners’ studies and human rights said Thursday that Israel escalated the policy of medical neglect pursued against Palestinian prisoners in its jails with the aim of destroying them psychologically.

The center affirmed that the Israeli behavior against Palestinian prisoners became worse than ever after the capture of soldier Gilad Shalit, adding that Israel escalated its restrictions and punitive measures against them.

Fouad Al-Khafash, the center director, said that the prisoners in Ramle prison are living in a big stable not suitable for human use.

Khafash also said that 30 prisoners in Ramale are dying, while many others live on medical equipments or suffer from paralysis or chronic diseases, noting that there are thousands of prisoners in other jails who are living in the same misery.

He added that the Ramle prison administration provides prisoners with tons of different painkillers which palliate the pain and not eliminate it, which made the prisoners’ bodies lose their reaction to these medicines and suffer from stomach disorders and other internal diseases.

In another context, the IOF troops stormed and ransacked the house of prisoner Anas Abdelrahim in Deir Al-Ghusun town in Tulkarem and confiscated the hard disk of his personal computer. The prisoner has been questioned by Israeli interrogators since two months.

In a press release, the ministry of prisoners stated that prisoner Mohamed Hamdeo from Gaza, who was kidnapped in 1989 and is serving a life sentence, has joined the list of prisoners who served 20 years or more, thus raising the number of prisoners’ deans to 106 detainees.

Three people taken to Israeli prisons during overnight raids of West Bank towns

13.07.09 - 10:32

Qalqilia / PNN – During overnight raids in the West Bank Israeli forces arrested three Palestinians. Hit hardest during the nightly routine were the neighboring cities of Qalqilia and Tulkarem.

Local sources reported this morning that Israeli soldiers invaded different regions of the governorates of Tulkarem and arrested citizens, and then entered Qalqilia arresting another.

Meanwhile the Prisoners Studies organization is reporting that a new campaign is underway the in the northern West Bank’s Jenin for Palestinian children and minors in Israeli prisons.

There are approximately 11,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons.