New photos of soldiers rejoicing at killing, arresting Palestinians exposed

[ 18/08/2010 - 01:16 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli Shovrim Shtika (breaking the silence) organization unveiled pictures posted by Israeli soldiers on the internet showing them standing beside Palestinian detainees or dead bodies rejoicing over what they had done. The pictures, showing Israeli soldiers with handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinians or dead bodies lying on the ground, illustrated the pleasure the Israeli soldiers normally find in killing and arresting Palestinians. Shovrim Shtika said that the pictures that were revealed yesterday and today proved that this phenomenon is much broader than individual incidents, adding that it launched a campaign against the Israeli army which denies the spread of such incidents. This new revelation came one day after a female soldier posted on Facebook pictures showing her smirking at handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian detainees next to her. For its part, the prisoners' center for studies called on international human rights organizations to necessarily follow up the Israeli violations committed against Palestinians and detainees at military checkpoints. This appeal was made in reaction to the pictures of suppressed Palestinian detainees posted on Facebook by an Israeli female soldier yesterday. Director of the center Ra'fat Hamdouna said in a statement Tuesday that Israel's violations against Palestinian citizens and detainees went too far and became unbearable, similar to what happens in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prisons.

NGO accuses Israel of violations against underage detainees

[ 18/08/2010 - 01:06 PM ]

NAZARETH, (PIC)-- The Defense for Children International (DCI) has accused the Israeli Shin Bet security service of committing violations against Palestinian juveniles in detention, highlighting the force’s harsh treatment against suspects in even the most minor assault cases against Israeli settlers. The organization reported Wednesday that the Shin Bet arrested two children from the town of Usaira suspected in setting fire near the Yitzhar settlement in the West Bank before they were jailed for three weeks at Shin Bet headquarters in Petah Tekva. The 15- and 16-year-old victims were taken from their homes in Asira after police raided their houses in search for the perpetrators in the arson July 2 near Yitzhar. They were taken in cuffs and blindfolds. The boys were held in solitary confinement in a cell without windows or ventilation for an entire week and were later released without indictment or being transferred to court. The children said that food was scarce during their three week stay, and they were not allowed to leave the cell for fresh air except for a half an hour only each day. They were allowed visits by family members one time during their detainment but were ordered not to speak to them face to face. “A prison guard called ‘Jihad’ threatened to shock us with electricity if we did not confess over charges we did not commit,” they recalled. Fortunately, the Israeli Shin Bet quit investigating after discovering the boys had actually been in school at the time of the fire. DCI  Voices from the Occupation  Two boys wrongly accused - The human cost of settlements 18 August 2010 Voices from the Occupation Two boys wrongly accused - The human cost of settlements

Rights center slams Facebook pictures as crime against humanity

[ 17/08/2010 - 03:17 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The Palestinian center for defending prisoners condemned the pictures posted on Facebook showing a female Israeli soldier smirking at handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian detainees as a crime against humanity and a violation of the Geneva convention. The center said in a statement on Tuesday that these pictures clearly illustrated some of the suffering faced by the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and reflected that the Israeli soldiers take great delight in seeing the Palestinians suffer and agonize. The center emphasized that these scenes further vindicated that the Israeli occupation authority takes pleasure in humiliating and torturing Palestinian detainees, and in violating the international law. It called on all international human rights organizations to seriously move to put an end to Israel's persistence in violating the international law, and to protect the rights of Palestinian prisoners in its jails.

Lawyer says detainee could go blind without medical intervention

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian detainee from Ramallah appealed Wednesday for urgent intervention to receive treatment for an eye condition that could cause blindness, his lawyer said.

Tamer Hamayel was treated at the Hadassa and Ramlah hospitals, but doctors said they were unable to provide him with the required treatment for his condition.

Hamayel's lawyer said his client was detained on 6 November 2009, prior to which he was receiving specialized laser treatment in Jordanian hospitals.

Detention Bulletin - Issue 7 - July 2010

	August 14, 2010
	DCI-Palestine's monthly bulletin on detention issues. Detention Bulletin - Issue 07 - July 2010

Israel releases Gaza prisoner after 6-year term

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities released a Palestinian prisoner on Sunday evening after he completed a 6-year sentence.

Salem Naseer Shawi from the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza was received at the Erez crossing on the northern Israel-Gaza border by several Hamas leaders and residents before being escorted to his home.

“Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have patience and faith enough to help them challenge the tough conditions in detention,” Al-Maghazi said upon arrival.

Shawi called for an immediate end to rivalry between Hamas and Fatah.

Detentions in West Bank and '48 areas

extract from PIC article

In the West Bank, IOF soldiers detained eight Palestinians in their routine raids on West Bank towns and cities. Citizens complain that the soldiers do not pay any attention to the sanctity of the holy Islamic fasting month of Ramadan and storm Palestinian homes at dawn when Muslims start to observe fasting.
An IOF spokesman said that 17 Palestinians workers were arrested on Monday for heading to their jobs in 1948 occupied land without permits.
Labor sources pointed out that the IOF rounded up 200 workers since the start of Ramadan almost a week ago.

Prisoner Lubada appeals a kidney to save his life

[ 17/08/2010 - 02:16 PM ]

NABLUS, (PIC)-- Prisoner Zuhair Lubada from Nablus city appealed to the Palestinian people to donate one kidney to save his life. "I am in need for a kidney, I would be grateful forever to any Palestinian who would donate his kidney," Libada said. Al-Ahrar center for prisoners' studies and human rights stated that Lubada has been in the Ramla prison's hospital since he was kidnapped, where he has been suffering from kidney failure since the mid-nineties and he has to be on dialysis for four hours everyday. The center noted that Lubada's dependence on the dialysis machine on a daily basis made him lose half of his weight and rendered him very skinny. One of the Palestinian prisoners who visits the Ramla hospital regularly said that Lubada suffers from a high level of phosphorus in his blood and became in a very bad physical condition. The prisoner added that because of the poor nutrition provided for Lubada, his health condition tends to become much worse. For his part, director of Al-Ahrar center Fouad Al-Khafsh pointed out that Lubada's sister gave him one of her kidneys three years ago, but the surgery failed and now he is in dire need for another kidney to save his life, adding that one of his cousins was also willing to donate his kidney, but the prison administration refused at the pretext that he is not a close relative. The suffering of prisoner Lubada is not only confined to his medical condition, but also his wife has suffered breast cancer while he is in detention. He is a breadwinner for four children and has been in administrative detention since his arrest in 2008 without any charge leveled against him. In another incident, a report issued by the ministry of prisoners' affairs said that 13 Palestinian prisoners in solitary confinement intend to launch a campaign dubbed "the right to reading" in protest at depriving them of their right to educational attainment and not providing them with any reading materials. For its part, the prisoner committee of the national and Islamic forces in the Gaza Strip strongly denounced the international human rights organizations for their silence regarding Israel's violations of the rights of Palestinian prisoners and their families. In a statement issued on the occasion of the weekly sit-in organized by the families of Palestinian prisoners in Gaza, the committee stressed the need for organizing national events in support for prisoners in Israeli jails and their families who are deprived of visiting their sons. Spokesman for the committee Nash'at Wahidi said that the prison administrations prevent the prisoners from performing their religious rituals in Ramadan in a proper way and deliberately force them to take their break under scorching sun at one o'clock at noon.

Israeli officer poses for Facebook in front of Palestinian prisoners

16/08/2010 / ISRAEL

 

France 24

These photos were taken by a young female Israeli soldier. They were posted on Facebook in an album titled "IDF...The best time of my life :)".
The photos were posted by Eden Abergil, a young Israeli woman who finished her military service over a year ago. They show the uniformed officer smiling and posing next to bound and blindfolded Palestinian men.
The pictures have raised a huge storm on the Internet after being picked up by the Israeli blog Sachim. The comments on Facebook published below the picture sparked extra outrage: "Eden, he’s got a hard-on for you...lol!" wrote one of her girlfriends, while Eden joked that she wondered if the prisoner "has Facebook" so she could "tag" him.
The Israeli army issued a statement calling Abergil’s behaviour "ugly and callous", adding that "details of the incident have been forwarded up the chain of command".
All Israeli citizens aged 18 and over must complete an 18-month-long military service. Only married, pregnant, religious, or disabled women are exempted.

Contributors

Lisa Goldman

"I tried to contact Eden Abergil on Facebook, but she answered that she ‘doesn’t talk to leftists'"

Lisa Goldman is a blogger and freelance journalist in Tel Aviv.

The incident has sparked a huge wave of outrage since the photos were published on Sicham. Twitter users here are speaking of nothing but Eden. We don’t have details on where the photos were taken, all we know is that the men are Palestinian soldiers and the scene takes place in the West Bank. I tried to contact Eden Abergil on Facebook, but she just responded that "she doesn’t talk to leftists".

"She was an officer"

This woman’s attitude is simply disgusting. I wouldn’t say her behaviour is the norm, but there have been precedents in the Israeli army. Some people have absolutely no discipline. To make matters worse, Eden Abergil was an officer. If she had posted the photos during her military service, she would now be in big trouble with the IDF. But now that she’s been discharged, she’s just an ordinary citizen. The army can’t do anything. Eden didn’t even take the photos off her Facebook page after the scandal broke out, she just changed her privacy settings. But there’s going to be a lot of noise around this story".

Lisa Goldman

• Israel
• Journalist and blogger

More photos from the album : "IDF... the best time of my life"

Report: Ghaddafi's son negotiates mini swap deal

TRIPOLI, Libya (Ma'an/Agencies) -- The son of Libya's leader reportedly worked out a deal with Israeli leaders securing the release of Palestinian prisoners for an Israeli held in Tripoli, BBC Arabic reported on Thursday.

Sayf Al-Islam Al-Ghaddafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar Al-Ghaddafi, spoke to the news service about a deal he allegedly reached, exchanging an Israeli-Tunisian dual national, a photographer who had spent five months in a Libyan prison, for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

According the the Associated Press, Rafael Rafram Chaddad was released on Sunday, but Al-Ghaddafi would not say how many Palestinians were to be released in exchange.

"It is better to release our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Palestine instead of keeping an Israeli inside our prisons," he told the agency, adding that an announcement about the deal would be made in the coming days.

The younger Al-Ghaddafi told reporters about the deal during a meeting with UNRWA officials, with whom a deal was being made to bring 20 prefabricated homes into the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, Israeli officials reportedly said a deal with the Libyan leader's son involved the delivery of homes via an agreement arranged by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and an Austrian-Jewish businessman, Martin Schlaff.

Lieberman, however, refused comment to news agencies over what promises were made to Libya.

Al-Ghaddafi told the BBC, that he "made use" of the Israeli photographer, who had used his Tunisian passport to enter Libya, but who was arrested when it was discovered that he also held an Israeli passport. It is illegal for Israeli citizens to enter the country.

"I might be an opportunist, but my intentions were good," Al-Ghaddafi commented, according to the BBC.

Hamdouna: occupation provides meal seven hours before dusk

[ 13/08/2010 - 03:45 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Ex-captive Rafat Hamdouna, director of Captives Studies Centre, said that the Israeli occupation prison authority refuses to provide the main meal at sunset, which is the time Muslims break their fast, and denies them performing night prayers in a congregation. Hamdouna said in a statement on Friday that the Israeli occupation prison authority does not care about the basic needs of the captives during the blessed month of Ramadan and prohibits congregational night prayers even for individual sections. He said that the prison authority provides a light meal consisting of eggs, jam and cheese while the main meal is served at noon, 7 hours before it is time to break the fast. Hamdouna added that the situation of the captives is especially harsh in Ramadan and particularly for those who are denied family visits such as captives from the Gaza Strip who have not been visited by their families for more than four years. He called on all activists and institutions in this field to work towards improving the conditions of the Palestinian captives in occupation jails. Meanwhile, a statement by the same institution on Friday focused on the special suffering of Palestinian women captives in Israeli occupation jails, especially those who have children and are denied contact with them. 'Prison administration fails to respect Ramadan'   Published yesterday (updated) 13/08/2010 21:42 GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Israel’s prison administration is preventing detainees from observing the holy month of Ramadan, a detainees’ center reported. Head of the center, Ra’fat Hamdounah, said the prison administration was not distributing food according to Ramadan fasting schedules, but rather sticking to the regular meal service routine. Throughout the holy month, Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. Without a pre-dawn breakfast, those fasting would go without food or liquids until sundown. Hamdounah added that detainees have been banned from praying together, and called on human rights organizations to stand by prisoners, especially during Ramadan.

3 boys taken from homes for suspected rock throwing

QALQILIYA (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces entered the town of Azzun shortly after midnight on Friday morning and took three 14-year-old boys from their homes, head of the municipal council told Ma'an.

Local official Ahmad E’mran said the town, west of Qalqiliya, was targeted during a night raid, and that a total of five homes were entered and three teenagers taken to an unknown location.

E'mran identified the boys as Nehad Ibrahim, Hamedu Abu Haniyeh and Raed Radwan.

He noted that the homes of Sa’eed Al-Shallu and Mus’ab Al-Drar Radwan were also entered and searched, with families reporting that homes were ransacked.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said three young Palestinians were detained on Thursday evening, saying they were suspected of hurling rocks that damaged Israeli military vehicles on a patrol in the area.

She said the boys were identified and military personnel later entered the town and searched for the teenagers. All three were taken into Israeli custody and were held for questioning.

Tubas center appeals for medical intervention for detainee

TUBAS (Ma'an) -- The head of a Tubas prisoners society appealed for assistance in the case of a long-term prisoner, who is reported to lose consciousness several times a day, and suffers impaired vision.

Director of the detainees center Mahmoud Sawaftah said local resident Yehya Hafeth Daraghmeh has been serving a 22-year sentence at Gilboa prison in Israel, and said the for the past months he has suffered severe pain and has not received treatment.

The official accused Israel's prison administration of violating the rights of detainees, particularly those who are ill. He said treatment often amounts to medical neglect.

Student from Gaza tells story of his torture by Egyptian officers

[ 11/08/2010 - 12:12 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- A Palestinian young man who used the name Talal as his pseudonym revealed shocking details of his detention in Egyptian jails and his exposure to severe torture at the hands of officers in order to extract information from him he actually knows nothing about. Talal told Quds Press in detail about the first moments of his detention at Cairo airport and how he had been subjected in interrogation centers to different forms of torture including beatings and electric shocks to his head and sensitive areas, and burning him with lit cigarettes. "After I arrived at Cairo international airport and gave the security officers the passport, a number of policemen showed up and took me to an inner room at the airport. I remained in detention for several hours during which I was able to contact my family and tell them about the matter," Talal said starting his story. "Later, they confiscated my mobile phone, put a bag on my head, handcuffed me and pushed me inside a car as criminals and thieves are treated." "One or two hours later, I do no know exactly, I found myself in a place hearing people scream and sounds of beating and breaking, then I realized I was in the investigation division of the notorious Egyptian state security apparatus," he explained. The young man asserted that during torture sessions, Egyptian interrogators questioned him about the Palestinian resistance's weapons and activists in Gaza and Syria, but they released him days later after they came to know that he was only a student and had nothing to do with the resistance. He stressed that the torture and maltreatment he was exposed to by Egyptian officers can never be erased from his memory. Talal arrived at his home in Gaza after spending two weeks in the jails of the Egyptian state security. He is a student at a university in the Syrian capital Damascus and came to Gaza to visit his family. The story of Talal was a new example of dozens of sad stories that happened to many Palestinian patients and students who wanted to come back to Gaza, but they fell prey to the Egyptian security well known for its torture practices and cooperation with Israel.

Israel releases Palestinian man’s corpse after 35 years

[ 10/08/2010 - 05:56 PM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- The Israeli army released Tuesday morning the body of Palestinian martyr Mashour Talab al-Arouri to his family after holding him for 35 years in the Arqam (numbers) cemetery, Palestinian sources in Ramallah said. The body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag and taken to the Ramallah Hospital after it was taken by the Israeli army to the Rantis barrier, where the body was met by a committee made up of members of the Palestinian “national campaign” to retrieve dead bodies, members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the deceased’s family. The funeral will be held Thursday or Friday in the deceased’s hometown of Aroura with a march of honor. The body was released after legal efforts led by the national campaign for the release of dead bodies and the Jerusalem Legal Aid Center. Arouri was reportedly killed May 18, 1976 along with two of his peers while leading a Democratic Front operation in the Jordan Valley. Since the time of their burial in the Arqam cemetery, Arouri’s family was active in demanding the release of his body, a struggle which ended when the Israeli army delivered the body on Tuesday after a decision by the Israeli Supreme Court. Arouri’s case was a judicial precedent, being the first of 317 missing and dead Palestinians in the Arqam cemetery to be delivered to their families. Jerusalem legal aid center attorney Haitham al-Khatib said the case required a long time and serious efforts because of delays by the attorney general and Israeli Supreme Court. Khatib emphasized his conviction for the right of the families of those martyrs held in the Arqam cemetery to retrieve their loved ones.