Untangling the Gaza Beach Bombings

In the last few days, the specter of factional violence has once again surfaced in Gaza and the West Bank. Following a series of bombings in Gaza that killed numerous Hamas members, and one civilian, a cycle of retaliation began and continues into today.

The first explosion to occur on Friday was in Gaza city. In this attack, a man thought to be the bomber was killed in an attempted attack on the al-Jazera cafe in the center of Gaza City. This is the third such attack on this cafe in recent time. In the days following this attack, Fatah will claim that Jihad Hejeila, an al-Qassam Brigade fighter, was behind this attack as well as the two explosions that followed. Fatah claims that Hejeila is the man killed in the bombing.

The second attack occurred around 8:30pm West of Gaza City near the Al-Hilal Café, a site known to host meetings of Hamas members. In this bombing, the car of Khalil al-Hayya, a local Hamas leader exploded, killing six people. The explosion was the result of an explosive device hidden on the car. The explosion killed six people including five members of Hamas´s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades. The five men are reported to be: Nidal Muhammad Hussein Musabih, 27, a Qassam brigade leader, and Iyad al-Hayya, 32, the nephew of local Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, the owner of the car which was targeted. The other three men, Nidal Al-Mubayyad, 37, Tamir Al-Hilou, 33, and Hassan Al-Hilou, 28, are also reported to be Qassam brigade members. The sixth fatality was Sireen as-Safadi, 4, a civilian girl.

The third Friday explosion occurred outside of the Gaza City home of Dr. Marwan Abu Ras, a Hamas-affiliated member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. No one was injured in this attack. News reports indicate that a man, affiliated with Fatah, was arrested following this attack.

Throughout the three bombings, six people were killed and approximately 27 bystanders injured.

Following the attacks on Hamas fighters and politicians, Ismail Haniyeh leader of the de facto Hamas government in Gaza declared a state of emergency and quickly announced that Fatah, not the Israeli army, was responsible. Several hours after the bombings, Hamas´ Gazan police began arresting Fatah-affiliated persons and raiding and closing Fatah-affiliated institutions.

These actions were followed similarly by Fatah in the West Bank. Since the Palestinian territories have been factionalized, Hamas forces arrested Fatah members in Gaza, and Fatah forces arrested Hamas members in the West Bank.

During the arrests carried out by Hamas police in Gaza, several high profile Fatah members were seized including Ahmad Nasser, a senior Fatah leader in Gaza, Muhammad Ajjour, the former colonel of the Palestinian intelligence service, Mahmoud Qassem al-Barbar, and a Palestinian cameraman for German ARD TV, Sawh Abu Seif. Abu Seif is a former member of Fatah´s student union but has worked as a cameraman since the 1990s. Additionally, the Owaydat family home was raided by Hamas police as the family is known to be Fatah affiliated. The Owaydat home raid resulted in armed clashes between members of the family and Hamas police. Also the home of former Palestinian minister of Health, Thihni al-Wahidi was raided.

Between Friday night and Sunday, Hamas police are reported to have arrested between 160 and 200 Fatah-affiliated persons in Gaza. Hamas has since claimed that the reports of arrests have been exaggerated, and that most of those detained were released after several hours and were held temporally, solely for the purpose of collecting information. Hamas police in Gaza have also established roadblocks in numerous areas and have been stopping cars and questioning occupants. In at least one report, Hamas police threw hand grenades at the home of a Fatah leader.

Hamas also raided at least 40 Fatah-affiliated institutions including the Ash-Shamal Association for Social Development, the Beit Lahia Association, the al-Karama Sports Center for Children, the Countryside Developmenjt Center Association Rida, the Nuwar Educational Center and the al-Bureij Association for Rehabilitation. Also raided were the local governate offices responsible in the areas of central Gaza, khan Younis and Rafah. Additionally, the offices of the National Work Commission, a PLO-affiliated organization, were raided. During these raids, several Fatah members were arrested and large amounts of property, including computers and records were taken. These arrests and raids have since been widely condemned by Palestinian human rights organizations, civil society organizations, as well as numerous Fatah political institutions including the Fatah bloc of the Palestinian Legislative Council. In addition to the arrests and raids on institutions, Hamas police spokesmen Islam Shahwan announced that Hamas police forces had seized a ¨huge amount¨ of explosives and weapons from Fatah forces on Saturday.

The political reaction to the bombing was swift as several Palestinian factions condemned the attack and called for national unity and a criminal investigation free of political interests. The Hamas government adjourned an emergency session, and senior Hamas political leader Mahmoud Zahhar announced that he had received information that could lead to arrests in the atatcks. Zahhar urged Fatah to establish a ¨firm position¨ regarding the bombings, and promised to find those responsible for the attacks. During the emergency government session, the Hamas government stated that elements related to Fatah, and Mahmoud Abas´s Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority are responsible for the attack. Following this accusation, Hamas later refined their position and announced that a ¨revolutionary stream¨ element in Fatah´s forces in Gaza, affiliated with Mohammed Dahlan, were responsible for the attacks. This claim was strengthened when an unknown faction of Fatah calling itself al-Uda (the return), took responsibility for the bombings. This claim has not been verified.

In response to Hamas´ accusations, Mahmoud Abbas´s Fatah government in the West Bank city of Ramallah announced that the bombings were a result of Hamas´s lack of control in Gaza. Hamas responded to this accusation calling it an admission of Fatah´s political motivations behind the bombings. Hamas also claimed that Fatah-affiliated TV stations in the West Bank broadcasted ¨celebrations¨ of the bombings including scenes of the explosions with happy music.

The fall out from the bombings is also being felt in the Fatah-controlled West Bank. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the main armed wing of Fatah, announced that if Hamas forces in Gaza continued to target Fatah activists, that the Aqsa Brigades would attack Hamas-affiliated persons and institutions in the West Bank. Abu Mahmoud, a spokesman for the Brigades stated to Ma'an news, "The Al-Aqsa Brigades hold Hamas completely responsible for the life of its personnel and for the assaults against its organizations in the Gaza Strip. We will take practical measures on the ground against a number of Hamas leaders in the West Bank within the coming 12 hours if Hamas does not stop its attacks in the Gaza Strip." Abu Mahmoud also denied Fatah involvement in the bombing and claimed that the attacks were the result of divisions within Hamas´s Qassam brigades. He also stated that Hamas is using the attacks as an excuse to arrest Fatah forces seen as political enemies. Fatah spokesmen Fahmi Zaarir announced on Monday that a Hamas member, Jihad Hejeila, thought to be the bomber killed in the second cafe attack, was responsible for all three attacks. Zaarir reiterated that Fatah believes that the bombings were carried out by elements in Hamas´s al-Qassam brigades as the result of ¨well known¨ internal divisions.

In response to Hamas´ arrest of Fatah forces in Gaza, Fatah forces in the West Bank carried out their own arrest campaign. In the West Bank, Fatah-affiliated police have arrested at least 54 Hamas members in the city of Nablus. These arrests include the Mayor of Nablus, Hafidh Shaheen, his son, Qadri Shaheen, a professor at al-Njah University, Dr. Abdul-Sattar Qasim, a member of the Nablus municipal council, Sheikh Fayyad al-Aghbar, and Dr. Muhammad Sleibi, his Son Usayd Sleibi, as well as Dr. Husam Khraim and Ghassan al-Jawhari. Arrests were also carried out by Fatah forces in the West Bank cities of Tulkarem, Qalqilya, Jenin and Ramallah targeting Hamas members. These arrests resulted in the detention of at least 30 Hamas members. These arrests targeted prominent Hamas members including Muftis, Imams, the vice-President of al-Najah University, directors of numerous social and political organizations, the children of politicians, journalists, and several local politicians. For more information on those arrested see: http://maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=30869

At this time it is still unclear who is behind the bombings. Hamas claims it was Fatah, in an attempt to cause disruption and chaos within its de facto Gaza government. Fatah claims it was Hamas, the result of a political dispute within Hamas´ armed wing. Strangely, a previously unknown Fatah faction claimed responsibility for the bombing while Fatah´s spokesman claimed that a known Hamas fighter, killed in Friday´s second attack, is responsible.

Throughout these accusations, no party has openly accused Israeli forces despite the obvious benefit they receive by the internal fighting and arrest campaign. With Mohammed Dahlan´s name being mentioned by Hamas, one has to question the role of Israel in conjunction with the United States, as Dahlan is a known US ally. For more information on Dahlan, visit: http://occupiedlove.blogspot.com/2008/03/documents-show-us-provoked-palestinian.html Mohammed Dahlan has been previously shown to have cooperated with the United States to help initiate and accelerate factional strife in Gaza. Dahlan is also known to have met with US officials, including George W. Bush, and helped to import weapons delivered by the US intended for Fatah forces to be better armed in their fight against Hamas in Gaza.

So with all of these players in the political game who is responsible? Is it Fatah´s Ramallah-based government led by Mahmoud Abas? Is it Fatah´s Gaza-based forces led by Mohammed Dahlan, possibly in conjunction with the United States? Is is the previously unknown Fatah faction of al-Uda? Is it Hamas´s Gaza-based government? Is it Hamas´s armed wing the al-Qassam Brigades? Is it Israeli forces trying to cause confusion and internal strife within the ranks of the Palestinian resistance?

Only time will answer these questions.

UN: Gaza Worse Now Then In 1999

A UK parliamentary committee has called for dialogue with Hamas, as a UN report says poverty has reached an unprecedented high in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza's economy has been hit hard by an Israeli embargo tightened when the militant group took control last year...

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said 52% of Gaza households were living in poverty, and unemployment there had topped 45%.

The House of Commons International Development Committee said in a report on Gaza that the current truce between Hamas and Israel, agreed on 19 June, "offers the international community an opportunity to begin a dialogue with Hamas".

The aim of the talks should be to move the group towards accepting principles laid down by the international community and to repairing the rift between it and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party, it said...

The senior Labour MP Ann Clwyd also backed the call for talks, telling the BBC it was "essential" that the international community engaged with Hamas.

"They comprise a majority of elected parliamentarians that the Palestinian people voted for - they have a legitimate standing and should be treated in that way," she said. In its report, the committee described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as "acute", saying food, fuel and water were in "short supply" and the public health system "under severe pressure".

It said Israel had failed to meet its obligations under international law to ensure the health and welfare of the Palestinian population.

The MPs also said they considered the scale of Israeli military attacks and border restrictions to be "collective punishment" of Gazans.

The Unrwa report, based on figures from the Palestinian Authority said that GDP across the whole Palestinian economy was more than 8% below 1999 levels.

Population growth had left GDP per capita more than a third below 1999 levels, it said....

GOODS ENTERING GAZA

Jan 2007: 450 truckloads a day

May/June 2008 (before truce): 99 truckloads a day

June 2008 (after truce): 148 truckloads a day

source: UN OCHA

note: these quotes are taken from the BBC article, "UK MPs call for talks with Hamas," visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7523113.stm for the complete article.

images from Lebanon war protest

'ya hizbollah, ya habibi', originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

this man was in many of my photographs. he was hoisted up onto the shoulders of the marchers and shouted chants into a megaphone, his arm raised in defiant anger the entire time.

in this picture he is framed by a number of flags. in the center is the yellow and green flag of hezbollah, and to his left, the national flag of lebanon.

Lebanon protest untitled #1, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

atop al-manara, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

here, a man stands on one of the giant stone lion sculptures positioned on the manara, in the center of ramallah. the manara forms a traffic circle in the city's center, where money changers, fruit sellers and taxis all mingle with traffic cops and pedestrians.

at the manara's six pronged meeting point, there are many sights. there is the man selling chalk portraits of famous palestinian and arab leaders. there is the heightened bustle of city traffic, and of course, there is the american-style coffee house, 'stars & bucks.'

plastic gun, yellow flag, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

this boy was the center of the media's attention for a few short minutes. as soon as a young child placed a hezbollah flag into the barrel of his toy gun, every cameraman said, 'now here's a great picture!'

this boy symbolizes many complexities of palestine. the militarization of children, the theft of their childhood, the eroticism of violence intersecting with the innocence of youth.....

so many times i has children run up to me to take their picture. when i seemed less than interested, they would grab toy guns, gun shaped pieces of wood, or make gun shapes with their hands. they have been taught, time and again, that to get their picture taken by the media, they are to be armed with sling shots, stones or toy guns.

this is the image photographers want.

Lebanon protest untitled #2, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

flags of many colors, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Maan: One month into the truce: ceasefire on thin ice, negotiations on Shalit stalled

One month into the truce: ceasefire on thin ice, negotiations on Shalit stalled

Date: 19 / 07 / 2008 Time: 18:20

[Ma'anImages archive] Gaza – Ma'an – The Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements on Saturday expressed disapproval of Israel's commitment to implementing the ceasefire agreement, characterising Israel's behavior over the past month as haggling and slow. Leaders of both movements stressed to Ma'an that they are still committed to the ceasefire agreement, in an effort to bolster its chances of success. "About a month into the ceasefire agreement, Israel is haggling over implementation of its articles, despite the Palestinian commitment to it," said senior Islamic Jihad leader Nafidh Azzam. He explained, "Israel has not allowed goods to enter the Gaza Strip to the extent decided, and they have not opened the crossing points as agreed. Instead there have been numerous Israeli violations. In general, we can say that there have been few noticeable changes on the ground for Palestinians." "There should be serious Egyptian intervention to force Israel to change its policy, and Palestinian factions must thoroughly evaluate the ceasefire period," Azzam added. He also explained that nothing has changed regarding the Rafah crossing, which has increased the feeling among Palestinians that the ceasefire has brought no substantive benefits. As for future steps, Azzam said, "Islamic Jihad will comprehensively reassess the past month together with Hamas and the other Palestinian factions, and we will intensify our contacts with the Egyptians to urge them to pressure Israel to end the siege, open the crossings, and stop its aggression." If Israel continues to close the border crossings, Azzam said, "We are not alone in the Palestinian arena in our conviction that Israel is not seriously addressing the Egyptian efforts. Consultations between the Palestinian factions and the Egyptians are necessary to reach a common vision for the next stage of ceasefire." Regarding the prospects for inter-Palestinian dialogue, Azzam affirmed there have been no tangible steps to translate the optimism that prevailed among Palestinians over the past few weeks into reality. He noted that the internal rivalry and divisions have harmed all Palestinians, and that all the parties are now convinced that dialogue is a necessity and in their interests as well as the interest of the Palestinian people. He called for Arab intervention to activate president Abbas' call for dialogue, and urged Hamas to cooperate with the initiative. "Egypt might be more influential in this regard because several rounds of talks were held in Cairo, but that does not mean other Arab countries should not play effective roles, such as Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen," added Azzam. For his part, the spokesperson of the Hamas-affiliated Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubayda, confirmed that his movement continued to adhere to ceasefire, but warned that new confrontations with Israeli forces remained a possibility. "We informed the Egyptians that we are not satisfied with Israel's implementation of its ceasefire commitments, and requested that they warn the Israeli authorities that the situation could return to the way it was previously," he explained. Abu Ubayda also affirmed that negotiations with Israel over captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit had been suspended, stressing that Shalit's case is not connected with the ceasefire, and that Hamas had merely promised Egyptian negotiators to open discussions on Shalit if Israel abided by all its ceasefire commitments. Abu Ubayda objected to Israel using the ceasefire and crossing points as bargaining points to continue negotiations on Shalit, saying, "Whatever pressures they might exert in order to move the Shalit case forward, they will not succeed because the ceasefire track is completely different, and Shalit's case is more difficult and hinges on releasing Palestinian prisoners."

Israel-Hezbollah Prisoner Swap Completed

Samir Quntar returns to Lebanon

After months of negotiations, Israel and the Lebanese resistance organization, Hezbollah have completed a prisoner/body exchange.

In July 2006, Hezbollah fighters led a cross border attack into Israel, killing 8 soldiers and abducting two others, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser. This attack led to the Israel-Hezbollah war which lasted a little over one month. From July 2006 to the day of the prisoner swap, Hezbollah refused to announce if the two Israeli soldiers were alive or dead, and as such, was able to negotiate with greater urgency.

In the prisoner swap, Israel received the bodies of Regev and Goldwasser and additional bodies and body parts from an undisclosed number of Israeli soldiers killed in the 2006 war.

In exchange, Hezbollah received five living prisoners, including Samir Quntar, said to be the longest held prisoner in Israeli custody. Hezbollah also received the bodies of nearly 200 fighters, of numerous nationalities, who were killed in various attacks and buried in Israel.

The prisoner exchange was heralded as a national victory for Hezbollah and Lebanon, and widely celebrated in Palestine as well. As the Palestinians continue negotiations for a prisoner swap of their own, today´s event gives hope to the families of 11,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Every news source is covering the exchange, and as such, I need not write any more. For more information:

Maan News:
Hizbullah and Israel exchange prisoners, bodies
Hamas stages rally in Gaza to celebrate handover of Lebanese prisoners
Festival in Ramallah honouring released bodies

Haaretz News:
Olmert: We paid heavy price due to moral duty to our troops
ANALYSIS / In Lebanon, prisoner swap is Hezbollah victory
'We want to remember our son as he was, not as a body'
IN PICTURES / How the abduction was carried out

BBC News:
Israel swaps prisoners for bodies
Hezbollah wins in prisoner deal - press
In pictures: Mid-East prisoner swap

Al Jazeera News:
Israel returns Lebanese prisoners

The State of the Truce in Summary

Update, July 11th- July 14th: Israeli & Palestinian Ceasefire Violation Summary

In the last few days, both Israeli and Palestinian forces have violated the Gazan-Israeli ceasefire that began June 18, 2008.

Monday morning, a Palestinian man was shot and injured by occupation military forces. The incident occurred near the Kisufim crossing, east of Deir Al-Balah, in central Gaza, and according to Israeli military sources, the man was shot as he was approximately 10 meters away from the Gaza border fence. At the time of writing, both the man´s name and condition are unknown.

Two days prior, on Saturday, Palestinian forces from an unknown faction fired one homemade projectile from Gaza. Though the projectile launch was not detected by Israeli forces, an explosion was reported, and remains of a projectile found in Shaar Hanegev, in the western portion of the Negev desert. No injuries or property damage was reported and no Palestinian faction has taken claim for the breach.

June 18th- July 14th: Israeli & Palestinian Ceasefire Violation Summary

Prior to these two ceasefire breaches, Israeli forces are reported to have violated the ceasefire 39 times with offensive maneuvers, including the attacks that injured at least 4 named Palestinians and the death of at least one. Additionally Israeli military forces have injured additional, unnamed Palestinians largely in artillery shelling of Gaza´s western coast, the shooting of fishing boats off the Gaza coast, and shooting attacks on Gaza border areas and agricultural lands.

In turn, Palestinians affiliated with Fatah and Islamic Jihad have carried out at least 10 projectile attacks. These ten ceasefire violations took the form of 6 mortars and 7 homemade projectiles launched from Gaza into Israeli border areas. These attacks resulted in no human injuries or deaths and slight property damage in one incident. Additionally, on July 6, Israeli military sources reported that a Palestinian shot at Israeli working near the Gaza border.

Israeli & Palestinian Ceasefire Benefits?

So what has been the positive results for both sides? Israel has an almost total cessation of Palestinian rocket fire, which was their intended goal. Prior to the ceasefire, nearly 10 Palestinian factions regularly fired projectiles into Israel and engaged in other offensive attacks. Now, only sparse rogue attacks by two factions working counter to the ceasefire have occurred and Hamas, as the de facto Gaza government, has taken steps to prevent these and future attacks. The Israeli border towns are experiencing a relatively normal state of calm, and heavily targeted areas such as Sderot see a stark difference in daily attacks. Without a government to coordinate between military factions, and while under siege, I believe that the Hamas government has done extremely well in keeping their word regarding the truce.

From the Palestinian prospective, the truce has not been as beneficial. While Israel has refrained from air strikes and ground incursions, they have not ceased firing artillery and small arms fire at Palestinians. Israel continues to fire machine guns at Gaza´s north, east and southern costs, and heavily artillery at the western beach coast. The promises of an Israeli ¨end to the seige¨have also not been truthful. While some humanitarian and commercial supplies are being allowed to enter Gaza, the borders are still closed often, restricted throughout the day and under complete Israeli control. Israel also continues to violate the ceasefire by continuing to close the civilian borders, allowing Gazans to enter either Egypt or Israel.

According to Maán News: ¨Only the purported reason for the closure (of Gaza) has changed. Whereas before Israel blockaded Gaza in response to homemade rockets fired by Palestinian fighters, it now justifies the closure in terms of ´violations of the truce´...Twenty-year-old Mohammad, a university student, who Ma'an spoke with on the Gaza beach, said ´I think that our situation is not a one of a truce but it more like the same siege but with a new flavor.´¨

According to United Nations Refugee Works Asociation (UNRWA) Director General of operations in the Gaza Strip John Ging, Palestinians are not being served adequately by Israeli crossings despite halting projectile attacks. Conditions, according to Ging, are getting worse and Gazans are suffering.

In an UNRWA statement released today Ging said that the missing element for the truce in Gaza is the fact that "the crossings have not opened to the extent that Gazans need."

Ging has also expressed frustration: "when projectiles were launched from Gaza into Israel last October (four months into the tightened siege), oil deliveries to the Gaza Strip were higher than they are today.”

Palestinians, he said in his Sunday release, have not been able to realize their human rights. He added that UNRWA will continue its support as best it can, and encouraged Palestinians to demand their human rights and the end of the blockade. When the blockade is over, he said, Palestinians in Gaza will no longer need food supplies delivered in aid trucks, but will be able to furnish them on their own.

"UNWRA wants justice for Palestinians" he concluded, "and when it is achieved everything is achieved.”

News from Europe, the jails & the Ministry of Health

According to Maan News, the Vice President of the European Parliament, Luisa Morgantini has released a statement condemning the "ongoing raids, closures, arrests and confiscations actuated by the Israeli army against Institutions, associations and even schools in Nablus." She also stated that the actions of the Israeli army are "not only a clear violation of International law...a direct attack on the Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's Government." She continued, "The escalation of the Israeli raids is unacceptable...(and represent) a direct attack to all opportunities for peace showing the arrogance of the Israeli occupation and the hypocrisy of the Israeli Government claiming to support the Palestinian leadership."

Morgantini asked the Quartet (US, Russia, EU and UN), Arab countries and, "all the people who say that they believe in peace (to) act now and call on the Israeli Government to stop its illegal and inhuman practices against the Palestinian population."

showing their bellies, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

In other news,¨The Palestinian Center for Defending Detainees, a Gaza-based organization, revealed on Saturday that Israeli forces apprehended 130 Palestinians in six West Bank districts during the first week of July.¨

¨The report shows that the Nablus district was subjected to the largest number of raids and a correspondingly high number of 47 residents arrested. In Ramallah district 23 have been arrested, in Bethlehem there were 21, Jenin and Hebron had 14 and Tulkarem 11.¨

Huwarra checkpoint #3, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

According to a statement released this week by the Gazan government´s Ministry of Health, at least 205 Palestinians in Gaza have died because of the Israeli-imposed blockade and siege of Gaza. These 205 deaths are not due to military attacks, but rather due to restrictions of movement, restrictions on health services, restrictions on imports of food aid and medicines and so on. These 205 Palestinians died in ONE YEAR of closure, as the statement clarifies that this number does not account for the 2 years of prior blockade following the ¨disengagement¨from Gaza in the summer of 2005.

The Ministry of Health released this siege report following the death of the 205th person, 19-month-old Hadeel Haddad, who died after failing to receive a permit from the Israeli military to leave Gaza to seek medical treatment. According to the Ministry´s report, 1,500 Gazan Palestinians ¨urgently¨ require medical services not available in Gaza and thus require exit permits to seek medical services in Israel, Egypt or other countries. According to the report at least 500 of these urgent cases are children.

In The Gaza Strip, The Palesstinian deal toll continues to rise. According to Amnesty International, at least 650 Palestinians were killed directly by the Israeli army in 2007. Amnesty states in their 2007 report that half of these killings were of unarmed civilians, including 120 children. According to the Amnesty report, the death toll in 2007 was a threefold increase from 2005.

Also according to Amnesty, in the first three months of 2008 (January-March), more than 230 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip alone, with scores more killed in the proceeding months of escalation before the current ceasefire began in June. The Palestinian branch of the International Red Cross confirms these statistics, and ads that by the end of April 2008, at least 349 Palestinians had been killed. This number would be much larger if reliable data was available for the additional months of May, June and July. The Palestinian Red Crescent provides detailed statistics, and reports that in the first four months of 2008 (January-April) at least 912 Palestinians were injured, but not killed, by Israeli army activity.

For one example of the Gaza violence, Ei has released the story of 16-year-old Abdul Rahman, ¨one of the hundreds who were injured by intense Israeli shelling and firing on Gaza between 27 February - 3 March 2008, during an operation dubbed "Hot Winter" by Israel. According to a World Health Organization report, during this period the Israeli army killed at least 116 Palestinians, nearly half of them civilians and more than a quarter children, including a six-month-old and a 20-day-old baby, and injured 350. Later counts put the number killed as high as 150, with more than 55 killed in one day alone.¨

tulkarem kids #10, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Lastly, the organization Defence for Children International has released a report detailing the detention and torture of a 10-year-old boy in his own home. The report can be foud at

Summary of Truce Violations June 18-July 8

The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, has closely documented Israeli violations of the Gaza-Israeli ceasefire since it began on June 18th, 2008. The majority of these events have also been reported in other Palestinian, Israeli and independent media. Through the Brigade´s recently established ¨War Media department,¨ they will continue to monitor and record violations.

Included in the 38 truce violations documented by the Palestinians are the injury of at least 3 persons (2 elderly men and one adult woman) and the killing of one man.

In their own documenting and reporting, Israeli military sources report 13 Palestinian violations. These violations include the firing of homemade projectiles and mortars as well as one shooting incident on the Gaza border. All of the truce violations were carried out by military factions linked to Fatah or Islamic Jihad. Hamas, and its affiliated military brigades have not violated the truce since it began 3 weeks ago.

In fact, Hamas has taken numerous steps to ensure the continued success of the truce. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the Prime Minister of Hamas´Gaza-based defacto government, has partnered with the US-based Carter Center to monitor the Palestinian and Israeli commitment to the truce. Additionally, Hamas police have arrested three men (affiliated with Fatah´s main military wing) which are reportedly responsible for violating the truce by firing two homemade projectiles at Israel.

According to the ¨War Media department,¨ the Israeli violations between June 18th and July 8th include:
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1.) Thursday 19 June at 6 am - four missiles were launched by Israeli battleships at Palestinian fishing boats.

2.) Thursday 19 June at 8.30 am - Israeli forces fired at farmers east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

3.) Thursday 19 June at 12pm - Israeli F16 warplanes flew over the Gaza Strip. A loud explosion was heard causing panic and fear.

4.) Friday 20 June from 1 - 2.30am - Israeli forces shot at fishermen off the Gaza coast.

5.) Saturday 21 June - intensive reconnaissance flights over the Gaza Strip, especially in the western and eastern areas.

6.) Saturday 21 June at 1pm - battleships opened fire on fishermen of the Gaza coast

7.) Sunday 22 June at 1.30am – Israeli military vehicles crossed the border into the northern Gaza Strip before withdrawing.

8.) Sunday 22 June - intensive reconnaissance flights by F16 warplanes over the Gaza Strip

9.) Sunday 22 June at 2.15pm - a military jeep carrying ground missiles was stationed on the eastern border of Gaza City.

10.) Monday 23 June - intensive reconnaissance flights by warplanes over the Gaza Strip

11.) Monday 23 June at 11am - Israeli vehicles open fire on farmlands north of the Gaza Strip, shooting and seriously injuring 67-year-old Jameel Al-Ghoul.

12.) Monday 23 June at 3pm - Israeli vehicles open fire at farmers in the Abu Mutebeq area, east of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

13.) Tuesday 24 June - intensive reconnaissance flights over the eastern Gaza Strip.

14.) Wednesday 25 June at 8.35am - Israeli vehicles east of Khan Younis shoot randomly at civilians, seriously injuring 80-year-old farmer Salem Abu Reideh.

15.) Wednesday 25 June - intensive reconnaissance flights over the Gaza Strip.

16.) Thursday 26-6-2008 at 6:00 pm - Israeli jeeps opened fire on citizens and farmers east of Khan Younis.

17.) Thursday 26-6-2008 at 8.18 pm - Israeli boats fired on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Rafah.

18.) Thursday 26-6-2008 at 9 pm - Israeli boats fired on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Khan Younis.

19.) Thursday 26-6-2008 - intensive flights by Israeli aircraft over the Gaza Strip

20.) Friday 27-6-2008 at 11.30 pm - Israeli boats fired on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Rafah.

21.) Friday 27-6-2008 - a large number of military jeeps, one of which was armed with missiles patrolled the Gaza border near Nahel 'Oz.

22.) Saturday 28-6-2008 at 7:00 pm - Israeli boats fired at Palestinian fishing boats west of Al-Qarara in the southern Gaza Strip.

23.) Saturday 28-6-2008 - intensive flights by Israeli aircraft, monitoring the movements of resistance fighters.

24.) Monday 30-6-2008 at 5:45 am - Israeli forces stationed east of Khan Younis and opened fire randomly.

25.) Monday 30-6-2008 - intensive Israeli flights over the Gaza Strip.

26.) Tuesday 1-7-2008 at 8:05 am - Israeli forces stationed to the south-east of the sector fired at an area east of Al-Fakhari, to the east of Khan Younis and Rafah, injuring a Palestinian woman.

27.) Tuesday 1-7-2008 - intensive flights by Israeli warplanes, monitoring the movement of resistance fighters.

28.) Wednesday 2-7-2008 - intensive flights by Israeli warplanes, monitoring the movements of resistance fighters.

29.) Thursday 3 July- warplanes and reconnaissance planes fly over the Gaza strip throughout the day.

30.) Friday 4 July, 5:15am - war cruisers launch a number of missiles and open fire at fishermen’s boats near Rafah city, several fishermen reported damages.

31.) Friday 4 July, 7:15am - Israeli forces open fire on farmers near Abu Reida gate east of Khaza’a, no injuries reported.

32.) Saturday 5 July, 3:48am - war cruises open fire at fishermen’s boats at sea near Gaza City, no damages or injuries reported.

33.) Saturday 5 July, 7:43pm - a number of Israeli jeeps crossed the border between Israel and Gaza near Kissufim, where they performed maintenance operations on the electric fence.

34.) Saturday 5 July, 4am – unscheduled and repeated flight of warplanes, F16s, Apatchis and reconnaissance planes along the Gaza Strip coast.

35.) Sunday 6 July, 11:05am - Israeli forces open fire at civilians working their lands near the abandoned Israeli settlement of Dogeet, which is close to the northern border of Gaza.

36.) Sunday 6 July, 11:52am - Israeli forces open fire at civilians’ lands in the north of the Gaza Strip causing cuts in electric wires which caused blackout in the electricity for 15 hours until the forces allowed workers to fix them.

37.) Tuesday 8 July, 3:30am - war cruises open fire at areas west of Khan Yunis, no injuries or damages reported.

38.) Not included in the Brigades report was the death of one Gazan, near the town of Kissufim, at 6am Thursday morning. The death happened after the release of the report.

In parallel, attacks in the West Bank have increased

During the third week of truce, Israeli forces carried out more than 34 raids in cities and villages in the West Bank. One resistance fighter, Talal Abed, was assassinated near Jenin, 62 Palestinians were detained and 47 others injured.

Also in the third week: A mosque was raided in Silwad and its Sports Club vandalized, 12 were injured in the Al-Far’a refugee camp north of Nablus, and three civilians were injured in the weekly of Bil’in protest. Israeli forces imposed closure on the town of Ni’lin west of Ramallah, stormed Jenin city and the town of Qabatia at dawn, closed six charity societies in Nablus and confiscating all of their properties and injured two civilians near the settlement of Sham’a south of Hebron.

The last day of the third week of the truce – Wedesday 9 July - saw the highest number of incidents so far. In addition to the assassination in Jenin, Israeli forces carried out a wide military operation in Nablus where they stormed municipal buildings, mosques, and factories. This included one sewing workshop and a number of buses. A curfew was imposed on the village of Kefl Hares, 17 civilians were injured during protests against the wall in Deir Al-Ghusoun, Ni’lin, Tulkarem and Ramallah. Israeli settlers launched homemade projectiles at the villages south Nablus. Israeli forces attacked a church in Nablus and stormed the town of Al-Fawwar north of Jenin.
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sources:
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/jul1_0808e.htm
http://maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=30272
http://maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=30457
http://maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=30113

Statement from the Ni’lin Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall

Statement from the Ni’lin Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall

July 9th, 2008

8 July 2008 for immediate release

for images from Ni´lin, visit: http://flickr.com/photos/activestills/sets/72157605311279427/

As of today, Tuesday 8th of July 2008, the military curfew in Ni’lin has been lifted. In response to statements released earlier today by an Israeli army spokeswoman claiming that “There were discussions between the villagers and the army commanders and they decided to lift the curfew,” and that “The villagers promised not to protest and to keep the village quiet” (Reuters 7/8/08), the Ni’lin Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall wants to clarify the following:

The Popular Committee, who is representing the Ni’lin municipality, political parties, institutions and organizations in Ni’lin, has not been in any discussions with any Israeli army commanders and has not made a promise to the Israeli army that there will be no more protests.

No such discussions have taken place with the village. The Popular Committee wants to stress that the people of Ni’lin village will not give up their right to defend their basic human, economic, and social rights and therefore will not relinquish their
right to protest against the confiscation of their land. The people of Ni’lin are also not willing to give up their right to stand up against the construction of a Wall that has been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice.

The village will not be quiet! The demonstrations organized in Ni’lin were always of a peaceful, nonviolent nature. Each time, the unarmed demonstrators were met with severe force and heavy violence from the side of the Israeli army (often before even reaching the construction site), injuring many Palestinian, international and Israeli participants, even attacking and injuring journalists and medical workers.

The Ni’lin Popular Committee would like to draw attention to the following facts regarding the disproportionate use of force by the Israeli army and Border Police since the beginning of the construction of the Wall (May 2008):

*160 people were injured by rubber coated steel bullets during the protests, including children

*Hundreds of non-violent protesters were brutally beaten by the Israeli army during the protests

*26 people were arrested

*A Palestinian Medical Relief Society ambulance was shot at. The driver counted 18 bullet marks on the outside of the van and two of the ambulance windows were shattered, with several bullets found inside the van

*Many people in the protests suffered severe respiratory problems due to the heavy use of tear gas

*Tear gas canisters were shot directly into the crowds, aiming at people and injuring dozens

*The Israeli army started using a new tear gas machine, shooting 30 tear gas canisters at the same time

*The Israeli army used live ammunition on several occasions

*There were numerous incidents where the Israeli army invaded the village in the middle of the night after a protest, shooting tear gas and rubber coated steal bullets at and into homes where families were sleeping, and also arresting several people during these military incursions into the village

The curfew imposed on Friday 4th of July 2008 was yet another measure in line with the severely disproportionate tactics that the Israeli army is using to slam down the protests and silence the people of Ni’lin, who are merely trying to defend their land and lives through nonviolent measures. The Ni’lin Popular Committee against the Apartheid Wall strongly condemns these aggressive and unprovoked Israeli military policies that have been declared illegal under international law. The Popular Committee specifically condemns the recent curfew and siege on Ni’lin, which caused excessive damage and severe injuries in a village that is already being strangled due to the construction of the Wall.

The Ni’lin Popular Committee draws your attention to the casualties and damages caused by the 4-day curfew and siege on Ni’lin:

*The Israeli army injured more than 50 villagers with rubber coated-steal bullets, three of them were seriously injured by live
ammunition. They are currently undergoing treatment in different hospitals in Ramallah

*Hundreds of people suffered from respiratory problems due to teargas inhalation. Teargas was shot at and into the houses. Villagers, who went on their rooftops or gardens in order to try to communicate with family and neighbors, were immediately attacked with tear gas and rubber coated steal bullets. Even standing too close to the window meant risking being shot at. The firing of teargas and rubber coated steal bullets at the windows has caused irreconcilable damage to the houses in Ni’lin

*During the first three days of the siege ambulances were not allowed access into the village, the injured remained untreated
The body of a deceased villager was kept for four hours at the entrance of Ni’lin before they let the remains into the village for burial

*A woman in labor was not allowed to leave the village and was forced to deliver the baby at home

*A twelve year old boy was kidnapped from his home by the Israeli army, who kept him hostage for 2 days.

*The army invaded approximately 20 houses, breaking personal property in the house and beating women, children and men

*The army used bulldozers to dig up newly paved roads, thereby wrecking parts of the municipal sewage system and destroying a large portion of the village’s infrastructure. In order to strategically control the whole area of the village, they entered the girls’ school, breaking the school’s windows and doors

*Shops and businesses were closed during the curfew and people could not get to work, depriving the people of Ni’lin from their much-needed income

*Three journalists were detained for several hours while trying to report on the situation of Ni’lin.

The Ni’lin people are calling for local, regional, and international support to sustain solidarity with the village. This support is very much needed. The Popular Committee would also like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who participated in the demonstrations and for all the efforts individuals have put into advocating for Ni’lin, contacting political representatives, and drawing worldwide media attention. We cannot express enough our feelings of deep gratitude for all of these efforts and the coming efforts too!

This Thursday, 10th of July 2008, a monumental protest is organized for the 4th anniversary of the ruling on the Wall of the International Court of Justice. The protest will start at 11 am in front of the municipality of Ni’lin. We will leave Ramallah at 9.30 am from the bus station behind Ziryab. Please confirm your attendance by contacting Hindi: 0599 83 98 43. He is also available for questions regarding the protest or for more information regarding the situation in Ni’lin.

For online information, please refer to the following links:
www.palestinemonitor. org/spip/spip.php?article439

or

www.facebook.com/inbox/#/group.php? gid=18853218651&ref=mf

Only 13 of 163 Settler Attacks End in Charges

Israel 'soft' on settler attacks
9 July 2008 17:58

Palestinian civilians regularly get into clashes with Israeli settlers

Nine out of 10 investigations into alleged attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers end without anyone being charged, a rights group says.

The Israeli group Yesh Din says of 163 cases that it looked at only 13 ended with assailants being indicted.

Israeli police disputed the findings, but admitted just 15% of cases in the West Bank in 2007 ended in a charge.

There are frequent reports of settlers harassing Palestinians, with two attacks recently captured on video.

The police questioned Yesh Din's methodology, focussing on a selected group of cases over a number of years. The group countered, saying this was because the police did not publish comprehensive breakdowns.

Alibis not checked

Yesh Din says police rarely visit crime scenes, often failed to collect witness testimonies and statements from suspects, and hardly ever arrange identity parades.

One recent incident was filmed as part of a human rights project

It also says that sometimes suspects' alibis were not checked out, according to case files which it examined.

The group said the cases included alleged assaults on Palestinians, seizure of their land, damaging trees, crops or agricultural equipment, arson and theft.

A spokesman for Israel's West Bank police force told AP news agency that there were 195 investigations last year, resulting in 30 indictments, giving about a 50% higher success rate than the Yesh Din findings.

Two Israelis from Susia settlement were recently arrested over an assault of Palestinians that was filmed as part of a human rights project.

They were held for two days before being released to house arrest, police say, and charges have yet to be filed.

Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 war and has planted hundreds of thousands of its citizens in heavily guarded settlements there.

Israeli human rights groups have long accused the authorities of showing little interest in punishing Israeli civilians who harass Palestinians and say only a small proportion of cases are ever reported.

An Israeli police spokesman told the BBC their priorities in the West Bank are to deal with terrorism against Israelis as well as criminal and public order offences, and resources are allocated accordingly.
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Too Easy on Settler Crime
Last update - 10:59 09/07/2008
By Haaretz Editorial

In the early days of Israeli occupation in the territories, Jewish settler leaders promised a life of "coexistence" with the Palestinian population, and they even employed Palestinian laborers in construction and service jobs.

In recent years, as radical elements in the settlements and outposts have proliferated and become more powerful, the coexistence approach often seems to make way for a violent struggle that aims to deprive the Palestinians of their land.

Jews who presume to be upholding the duty of settling the land openly discuss their intention of making the lives of Arab residents a misery and pushing them out of what they call Judea and Samaria.

In the last four weeks, the media have reported a series of grave incidents, most of them in the Hebron Hills area.

Four Palestinians from the village of Khirbet Sussia were beaten by masked settlers while herding their sheep. One of them, a 57-year-old woman, was hospitalized. The Be'er Sheva Magistrate's Court released two suspects in the assault to house arrest.

Last week Palestinian police sources reported that two improvised mortar shells, bearing the legends "Sharon 1" and "Sharon 2," were fired from the settlement of Bracha to the village of Burin, near Nablus.

Last weekend a Palestinian from the village of Samua in the southern Hebron Hills complained that he had been beaten by a group of settlers from Asael. Police who found the man tied to a post in the settlement took him to the hospital for treatment and arrested one of the settlers.

Most offenses against Palestinians are not reported at all because in many cases the victims do not bother to call the police or file a complaint against the attackers.

This is in part because cases are usually closed, for various reasons; even those that are heard by a court usually end in acquittal or a light sentence.

Commander Avshalom Peled, the chief of police in Hebron - a center of anti-Palestinian violence - recently expressed the attitude of the Judea and Samaria District Police toward Jewish crime.

This high-ranking officer said that "the settlers are etched in the public consciousness as those who create disturbances, but the majority of the settler public is quiet and only a minority among them disturbs the peace."

By contrast, Peled described the human rights organizations that try to protect the Palestinians as belonging to the "militant left" and said their activities "might be grave and dangerous."

As long as there is no political agreement on the fate of the occupied territories, the State of Israel is responsible for the welfare of the Palestinian population there. Just as the Defense Ministry allocates forces and funds to protect the settlers, including trespassers and illegal builders, the Public Security Ministry must give the police the resources they need to protect law-abiding Palestinian citizens. The law-enforcement agencies, including the prosecution and the courts, must treat Jewish criminal behavior as severely as they do Palestinian crimes.

One cannot expect the Palestinian Authority to deal harshly with those who attack Jews when Jewish violence against Palestinians is tolerated.

images from Susiya 2/2

activists with the international solidarity movement (ISM), led a delegation of 400 anti-occupation activists to susiya, in the south hills of al-khalil (hebron) in a show of solidarity with a palestinian area often attacked by colonists from the near by settlement. both the international solidarity movement and the palestine solidarity project (PSP) have previously aided the palestinian residents of susiya in their fight against settler violence, and yesterday, their large numbers were able to force the retreat of the settlers. as the palestinian, international and israeli activists were confronted by the settlers, the colonists were forced to withdrawal and retreat because of the large crowd.

my blog entry about our work in Susiya:
occupiedlove.blogspot.com/2006/09/road-up-north.html

our report from ISM:
http://www.blogger.com/www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/01/13/susya-13-01/

here is a recent (june 2008) story from the israeli press about settler violence in Susiya:
haaretz.com/hasen/spages/991150.html

report from IMEMC about settler attacks in Susiya:
http://www.blogger.com/www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/09/19/susiya-19-09/

for previous reports from PSP about settler violence in Susiya:

- palestinesolidarityproject.org/2006/12/22/38/

- palestinesolidarityproject.org/2006/10/26/settlers-occupy-more-land-destroy-olive-groves/


Susiya family speaks, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

here we sit and interview numerous Palestinian families of Susiya about problems of violence and theft they are experiencing with the neighboring settler population.

Susiya settlement #5, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

a picture of the israeli settlement of Susiya.

Susiya settlement #6, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Susiya settler outpost and soldiers #1, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

a picture of an israeli settlement outpost established by radical expansionist settlers living in the Palestinian village of Susiya. here you can also see occupation soldiers protecting the outpost.

Susiya settler outpost and soldiers #2, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Susiya military base, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

a picture of a military site established in Susiya.

olive grove and military base #1, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

here you can see a shooting range built and used by the occupation army. they saw fit to place the shooting field atop of the Palestinian olive field.

olive grove adjacent to military base, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

here you can see the remainder of the Palestinian olive grove not converted into the military base´s shooting range.

olive grove and military base #2, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Susiya settler outpost #3, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

more images of the expanding settler outposts surrounding the Palestinians living in Susiya.

view of Yatta from Susiya #1, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

a view of Yatta from Susiya

view of Yatta from Susiya #2, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Susiya bread oven, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.