a friend goes to prison & another remains

In these past days, yet another friend of mine, and a friend of the Palestinian people has been jailed for non-violent resistance. This time, Sahar Vardi, 18 years old, is voluntarily beginning a prison sentence of an undetermined length. Her crime, refusing to serve in the army of the Israeli occupation forces. As an active member of Palestinian-led and Israeli-led anti-occupation movements, Sahar is refusing to join the occupation army and will instead serve her time in prison as a conscious objector. According to the Palestine Solidarity Project, Sahar is "part of a larger group of High School seniors who signed a joint letter informing the Israeli Ministry of Defence of their intention to refuse to serve."

Protest supporting Sahar Vardi, Tel Hashomer. Israel, 25/8/2008., originally uploaded by activestills.
"Sahar Vardi and her father are seen out side the recruiting station in Tel Hashomer army base, during a protest supporting Sahar in her objection to serve in the occupying military."

On August 25, 2008 she was sentenced to seven days in prison, to be extended and continually renewed once completed. It is unclear how long her total prison sentence will be. Supporters of Sahar held a demonstration outside of the military prison where she will be serving her sentence. Her friends in the anti-occupation community celebrated her brave choice to resist, and she began her sentence with pride; surrounded in solidarity.

Protest supporting Sahar Vardi, Tel Hashomer. Israel, 25/8/2008., originally uploaded byactivestills.
"Sahar Vardi and her father walk into the recruiting station in “Tel Hashomer” army base, after a protest supporting Sahar in her objection to serve in the occupying military."

The last time I saw Sahar, she was only 16 years old but already an active campaigner for an end to the Israeli occupation. She was always on the front lines of demonstrations, attempting to use her privilege as an Israeli for the safety of the Palestinian demonstrators. She is a tireless campaigner for human and animal rights, a kind and compassionate woman.

Sahar can be contacted via mail at:

Sahar Vardi
Military ID 6055780
Military Prison No. 400
Military Postal Code 02447, IDF
Israel

Because mail to refusers is often withheld, letters of support can also be sent to shministim@gmail.com and will be printed out and given to her during visits. Because she is in isolation for refusal to wear a military uniform while in prison, and it is anticipated that her imprisonment will be extended, letters are encouraged.

to view the PSP report on Sahar's case visit:
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2008/08/26/israeli-concientious-objector-goes-to-prison/

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Also in prison news, Palestine Solidarity Project co-founder Mousa Abu Maria will be serving more time in occupation jails for his involvement with non-violent anti-occupation resistance.

Mousa was seized from his home in the West Bank village of Beit Ummar on April 11, 2008. At the time Mousa was recovering from a head injury he sustained about three months prior when he was shot in the head by occupation soldiers during an invasion of his village. After Mousa's 4am arrest in April, he was held in a military jail via "administrative detention." Under the "administrative detention" system, Palestinians can be held without trial indefinitely.

Mousa Abu Maria's appeal against his administrative detention, high court of (so called) justice, Jerusalem, Israel, 7/8/2008., originally uploaded by activestills.
"Mousa Abu Maria's appeal against his administrative detention, high court of (so called) justice, Jerusalem, Israel, 7/8/2008."

At present, Mousa has spent more than four months in "administrative detention." He has not seen the evidence being used to hold him and he has not been charged with a crime. On April 23rd of this year, the "administrative detention" court sentenced Mousa to a 6 month term, renewable indefinitely at the completion of the sentence.

Mousa is not unfamiliar with the prisons of the occupation as he spent several months in prison in 1999, where he was tortured necessitating hospital recovery time after being released.

Earlier this month, Mousa spent the day in the Israeli Supreme Court. Here, a three judge panel declared that Mousa's "administrative detention" would be extended. Mousa was denied the universal human right to an open judiciary as his lawyer was denied access to the evidence being presented against her client. During the Supreme Court hearing, Mousa's lawyer, Gaby Lasky, was prevented from presenting her client's case, and his appeal for release.

Mousa Abu Maria's appeal against his administrative detention, high court of (so called) justice, Jerusalem, Israel, 7/8/2008., originally uploaded by activestills.

Following Mousa and Gaby's 15 minutes in court, they and other "civilians" were forced to leave the court room while Israeli occupation authorities (Shin Bet/Shabak) presented secret evidence to the court. Thus, both Mousa and his lawyer were denied access to review the evidence being used against them. When Mousa's 6 month "administrative detention" sentence is completed, it will likely be extended. Under the "administrative detention" system, these 6 month sentences can be continually extended without charging the defendant or conducting a trial.

This is the "administrative detention" court system.

Supporters in the court room report that Mousa looked well and seemed in good spirits despite his indefinite prison sentence. Mousa is also a friend of mine, and a friend of many internationals who have stood in solidarity with Palestinians in their lands. In 2006, Mousa helped to found the Palestine Solidarity Project, and has opened his home for foreign activists to live in and work. He is a gentle and generous man and well respected in his community.

Mousa Abu Maria in his home, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

If you are interested in contributing to Mousa's defense fund, visit:

http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/donate/

or you can help by sending a donation, to:

PSP-NYC
P.O. Box 721234
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
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for more information visit my previous blog posts about Mousa's legal struggle....

PSP Co-Founder Seized, in Administrative Detention

http://occupiedlove.blogspot.com/2008/04/psp-co-founder-seized-in-administrative.html

Update: PSP Co Founder Sentenced to 6 Months

http://occupiedlove.blogspot.com/2008/04/update-psp-co-founder-sentenced-to-6.html

and PSP's report on Mousa's extended detention:
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2008/08/09/mousa-abu-maria-to-remain-in-detention/

images from the Great Grape Party 2/2

October 8, 2006: Palestinian, international and Israeli activists joined together to demonstrate against land theft, road closures and economic isolation by bringing two tons of the surplus Palestinian grape harvest to an occupation checkpoint along Route 60.

In a display of civil disobedience akin to the North American Boston Tea Party, the demonstrators hoped to dump the surplus harvest onto the road, but were viciously attacked before they were able to reach the checkpoint.

to see the first half of the pictures (images from the Great Grape Party 1/2), published here a few weeks back visit:
http://occupiedlove.blogspot.com/2008/08/images-from-great-grape-party-12.html

to read my blog report on the protest:
http://occupiedlove.blogspot.com/2006/10/great-grape-partyattacked.html

to read PSP´s report on the protest:
http://www.blogger.com/www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/08/khadrgrape/

to read Maan news´s coverage of the protest:
http://www.blogger.com/www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=16032

the Great Grape Harvest #13, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

the Great Grape Harvest #14, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

the Great Grape Harvest #15, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

the Great Grape Harvest #16, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Al-Khadr terminal under construction #1, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

here, you can see the construction of a future checkpoint terminal intended to further restrict Palestinian freedom of movement within the West Bank. this particular barrier will further restrict transit between the Bethlehem area and the Jerusalem suburbs.

Al-Khadr terminal under construction #2, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Al-Khadr terminal under construction #3, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Shin Bet films us #1, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

here, and israeli intelligence officer with the Shin Bet films the activists attending the demonstration.

Shin Bet films us #2, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

the Great Grape Harvest #19, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Free Gaza Boats Reach Gaza Shore!

FREE GAZA BOATS ARRIVE IN GAZA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 08-23-2008

GAZA (23 August 2008) - Two small boats, the SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty, successfully landed in Gaza early this evening, breaking the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The boats were crewed by a determined group of international human rights workers from the Free Gaza Movement. They had spent two years organizing the effort, raising money by giving small presentations at churches, mosques, synagogues, and in the homes of family, friends, and supporters.

They left Cyprus on Thursday morning, sailing over 350 kilometers through choppy seas. They made the journey despite threats that the Israeli government would use force to stop them. They continued sailing although they lost almost all communications and navigation systems due to outside jamming by some unknown party. They arrived in Gaza to the cheers and joyful tears of hundreds of Palestinians who came out to the beaches to welcome them.

Two small boats, 42 determined human rights workers, one simple message: “The world has not forgotten the people of this land. Today, we are all from Gaza.”

Tonight, the cheering will be heard as far away as Tel Aviv and Washington D.C.

QUOTES FOR PUBLICATION

“We recognize that we’re two, humble boats, but what we’ve accomplished is to show that average people from around the world can mobilize to create change. We do not have to stay silent in the face of injustice. Reaching Gaza today, there is such a sense of hope, and hope is what mobilizes people everywhere.”
--Huwaida Arraf.

Huwaida is Palestinian-American, and also a citizen of Israel. She’s a human rights activist and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement. In 2007 she received her Juris Doctor from American University in Washington D.C. Currently she teaches Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Al Quds University in Jerusalem. Huwaida sailed to Gaza aboard the SS Liberty.

“We’re the first ones in 41 years to enter Gaza freely - but we won’t be the last. We welcome the world to join us and see what we’re seeing.”
--Paul Larudee, Ph.D.

Paul is a cofounder of the Free Gaza Movement and a San Francisco Bay Area activist on the issue of justice in Palestine. He sailed to Gaza aboard the SS Liberty.

“What we’ve done shows that people can do what governments should have done. If people stand up against injustice, we can truly be the conscience of the world.”
--Jeff Halper, Ph.D.

Jeff is an Israeli professor of anthropology and coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), a non-violent Israeli peace and human rights organization that resists the Israeli occupation on the ground. In 2006, the American Friends Service Committee nominated Jeff to receive the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize with Palestinian intellectual and activist Ghassan Andoni. Jeff sailed to Gaza aboard the SS Free Gaza.

For More Information, please contact:

(Gaza) Huwaida Arraf, tel. +972 599 130 426

(Gaza) Jeff Halper, tel. +972 542 002 642

(Cyprus) Osama Qashoo, tel. +357 99 793 595 / osamaqashoo@gmail.com

(Jerusalem) Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, tel. +972 547 366 393 / angela@icahd.org

Biographies of other Free Gaza members on boat...

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Haniyeh: Free Gaza ships a seige breaking success; vessels arrive safely in Gaza

Date: 23 / 08 / 2008 Time: 09:53

Palestinians and reporters wait to receive the free Gaza ships [Ma'anImages] Gaza – Ma'an – The Free Gaza ships docked Saturday at aproximately six o'clock local time in the Gaza port. The two wooden boats were greeted by hundreds of Gazans and journalists who lined the beach and piled into boats to welcome the activists. The group will stay in Gaza for at least ten days, first attending a conference on the situation, then touring the entire Gaza Strip to see first hand what the seige has done to the area. Officials said it was possible that the crew will meet local political leaders, though no decision has been made. As the crew pulled into the port, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the ships to congratulate them on the voyage, and thank them for their perseverence. Palestinian de facto Prime Minister of the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh gave an interview, and said that the voyage succeeded because of the enduring Palestinian spirit of steadfastness. He called the Free Gaza project a "seige smashing" success, and thanked the crew for their efforts. Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri, said that the arrival of the two ships has prepared Gaza for a new phase in the journey of breaking the siege. "The main message," he said "is that the world is intolerant of the continued Israeli siege. The act has put pressure on the Arab nations and leaders to work harder towards breaking the siege." Commenting on the arrival of the two ships Nimer Hammad, the advisor of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that "this effort that was prepared for two years was able to draw the attention of the public to the unfair siege Israel is imposing on the Gaza Strip and the necessity of ending it." Israeli cabinet decides to allow ships to dock Earlier Saturday the Israel cabinet meeting decided that the country would allow the Free Gaza ships to dock in the Gaza port despite earlier warnings from the Foreign Ministry that force might be used to prevent docking. Israeli press reported their Foreign Ministry spokesman Aviv Shiron as issuing the statement, saying he gave no reason for the change in policy. Earlier Saturday 11 boats and 20 journalists launched boats from the Gaza beach to meet the Free Gaza ships for their scheduled noon arrival. The boats returned to shore, however, after warning shots were fired around three o'clock, and the siege-breaking vessels were still not within sight. Crew says Israel jammed navigation signals Problems with navigation equipment which the crew blames on signal-jamming radio waves broadcast by Israel, delayed the arrival of the ships. Originally expected to dock in the early afternoon, the estimated time of arrival for the wooden boats is between five and seven this evening. Twenty journalists had launched 11 boats from the Gaza beach in order to receive the Free Gaza ships coming from Cyprus to break the siege, but almost all have returned to shore. Palestinian citizens have been waiting for the ships to arrive since morning, though they are not in sight yet. At 10am local time the crew of the Free Gaza released the following statement to the project's organizers: "The electronic systems which guarantee our safety aboard the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty have been jammed and scrambled. Both ships are flying Greek flags, and are in international waters. We are the victims of electronic piracy. We are currently in GMS P area A2 and we are relying on our satellite communications equipment to make a distress call, if needed. We are civilians from 17 nations and are on this project to break the siege of Gaza. We are not experienced sailors. As a result, there is concern about the health and safety of the people on board such an emergency develop. We are currently experiencing rough sea conditions, and we call on the Greek government and the international community to meet their responsibilities and protect the civilians on board our two ships in international waters." Gazans worried ships would be attacked Jamal Al-Khudari, Chairman of the People's committee against the blockade and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), warned Israel against harming the ships, which are carrying international peace activists and medical supplies for the people of Gaza. He said in a press conference Saturday morning that organizers had lost contact with the ships for several hours during their voyage due to Israeli distortion frequencies that were broadcast. The ships resumed contact with Gaza later on in the early hours of the morning. Al-Khudari commended the activists for persevering despite the disturbances, and added that the crew had come across water mines as they entered Gaza waters. "We will meet them and honor them as heroes," said Al-Khudari. -------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- BBC: Activist boats reach Gaza Strip The boats are carrying 40 activists, 200 hearing aids and 5,000 balloons Two boats carrying members of a US-based pro-Palestinian group have arrived in the Gaza Strip, despite an Israeli blockade of the territory. Israel earlier said they would be let in, saying they would not be given the chance to have a "provocation at sea". The boats left the port of Larnaca in Cyprus on Friday morning. The Free Gaza protest group said about 40 activists from 14 countries were on board the boats to highlight the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in June 2007 when the militant group Hamas took control of the territory by force. Since then, Israel has allowed in little more than basic humanitarian aid as a means of isolating Hamas and persuading militant groups to stop firing rockets into Israel. The closure of Gaza's borders by the Israeli and Egyptian authorities has also meant that very few Gazans have been able to leave. 'No provocation' Before Free Gaza's boats set sail on Friday, the Israeli foreign ministry had said they wanted the activists to steer clear of the Gazan coastline, which it said was "the subject of an [Israeli Navy] advisory notice" that warns off foreign vessels from the "designated maritime zone". But on Saturday, an Israeli spokesman said they would be allowed in. "They wanted provocation at sea, but they won't get it," foreign ministry spokesman Aviv Shiron told the AFP news agency. "We know who the passengers are and what they are bringing with them and so we have no problem letting them through." Truce barely eases Gaza embargo Guide: Gaza under blockade The two vessels - named Liberty and Free Gaza - are carrying 200 hearing aids for children and 5,000 balloons. "No matter what happens we have already achieved our goal by proving that ordinary citizens with ordinary means can mobilise a defence of human rights for Palestinians," organiser Paul Larudee told the AFP news agency. "We want people to see the Palestinian problem as one of human rights, not feeding them rice," he added. The activists on board the boats include Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of UK former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is now an international Middle East peace envoy. Also on board is left-wing Greek MP Tasos Kourakis. Israel withdrew its settlers from Gaza in 2005, but it still controls its coast, airspace and borders, and, until a ceasefire with Hamas was agreed in June, carried out regular military operations in the territory. However, correspondents say the truce has not improved the situation for Gaza's population, except to reduce the number of Israeli incursions and the number of rockets fired by Palestinian militants.

Join ISM's 2008 Olive Harvest Campaign!!

Join the International Solidarity Movement in Palestine:

2008 Olive Harvest Campaign

Farm Against Apartheid
August 19th, 2008

With rapidly escalating levels of settler violence in the West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to participate in its 2008 Olive Harvest Campaign.

picking olives in Kufr Qallil, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

The olive tree is a national symbol for Palestinians. As thousands of olive trees have been bulldozed, uprooted and burned by the Israeli military and settlers, harvesting has become more than a source of livelihood; it has become a form of resistance. The olive harvest is an annual affirmation of Palestinians’ historical, spiritual and economic connection to their land, and a rejection of Israeli efforts to seize it.

Palestinian communities are inviting internationals to support and show solidarity with this resistance by working in the olive groves with them. By doing so, activists can reduce the risk of extreme violence from Israeli settlers or army through non-violent intervention and documentation.

The Human Rights Group B’Tselem recently issued a report detailing the rise in settler violence, describing it as “reflect[ing] a sharp increase in reports of such violence, and represent[ing] a peak to an escalation that has been underway over the past few weeks“. Violence has been particularly concentrated around the Yitzhar and Bracha settlements in the Nablus region. This area will therefore be the focus point for this year’s olive harvest campaign.

sifting the harvest #2, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

The campaign will begin on the 15th October and run for approximately 6-8 weeks, depending on the size of the harvest.

Training:
The ISM will be holding 2 day training sessions every Wednesday and Thursday. Training is mandatory for all internationals wishing to participate in the campaign. Please contact palreports@gmail.com for further information.

Ongoing campaigns:
In addition to the olive harvest, there will also be other opportunities to participate in grass-roots, non-violent resistance in Palestine.

For example, the ISM has been active with the village of Ni’lin, supporting its non-violent resistance to the construction of the Apartheid Wall that will annex much of its land. Demonstrations have been continuing for several months now and Israeli attempts to crush this popular resistance have proved murderous. Two boys, aged 10 and 17, were killed by the Israeli army while they were protesting construction of the Apartheid Wall.

With the recent Israeli orders to use live ammunition against demonstrations close to the apartheid wall, unless there are internationals or Israelis present, an international presence is vital to help protect the basic rights of Palestinians to non-violent protest.

There are also regular non-violent demonstrations, such as in Bil’in, al-Ma’sara and al-Khader.

soldiers in the Azmut grove #6, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Come! Bear witness to the suffering, courage and generosity of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation.

Experiencing the situation for yourself is vital to adequately convey the reality of life in Palestine to your home communities and to re-frame the conflict in a way that will expose Israel’s apartheid policies; creeping ethnic cleansing in the West Bank as well as collective punishment and genocidal practices in Gaza.

SS Free Gaza & SS Liberty set sail to break siege!

After approximately two years of planning and weather delays, the Free Gaza boats have set sail, and in the coming days will attempt to sail into Palestine without first passing through Israeli occupation border controls. They will do this as a political action, as an attempt to symbolically break the Gaza siege through a concrete act of non-violent civil disobedience.

The theory of the sailors is as such, since Israel has ¨disengaged¨ itself from Gaza in the summer of 2005, providing Gaza with ¨autonomy,¨ then the Palestinian government in Gaza should therefore control the sea border. The activists are attempting to enter Palestine via Palestinian control, something that has not been done before.

In order to enter Gaza by land, one must pass through Israeli-controlled checkpoints. It is not possible to enter Gaza via the air as Israel controls the airspace and destroyed Gaza´s airport through bombing years ago.

Today, Israel has announced that it is considering using force to prevent the civilian boats from reaching the Gaza shores. Israel regularly fires artillery shells at the Gaza coastal area and beaches and Palestinian fishermen sailing adjacent to the beach are often fired on both by nearby soldiers and off shore tanks and warships.

So a number of international, Israeli and Palestinians are sailing to Gaza in opposition to the Israeli blockade. The sailors include numerous international activists denied entry and deported from Israel because of anti-occupation work. The boat includes a Palestinian nakba survivor, a Jewish Holocaust survivor...all in all people from at least 13 different countries.

Today the boat reached Crete on its way to Palestine.

The Free Gaza movement is still seeking financial help after raising more than $300,000 to fund their work. Click here to read more about how you can help financially.

Below you will find more information from their website. Visit the website, follow the journey and support the movement to end the siege of the Gaza Strip!

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2008: Sixty Years On

May 2008 marks the 60-year anniversary of the Nakba, "the catastrophe", when the overwhelming majority of Palestinians were forcibly evicted from their ancestral homeland to create the state of Israel. In contravention of International law, human rights, and basic principles of morality, Israel continues to deny these refugees and their descendants their right to return home. Israel has neither acknowledged nor attempted to amend this historic injustice that gave birth to the Jewish state. Instead, more than 5 million Palestinian refugees languish in refugee camps, while their homes, farms, and properties are inhabited by Jewish immigrants who arrived in Palestine from around the globe. The historic illegal appropriation of Palestinian land, home and heritage is at the heart of the Middle East conflict. It has given rise to the largest ongoing refugee population in the world. It paved the way for subsequent land theft in 1967, and the ongoing ethnic cleansing that has squeezed Palestinians in the West Bank into ghettos and bantustans surrounded by 27-foot walls, sniper towers, and military guards. It has created the open-air prison of Gaza with an impoverished and overcrowded population of 1.4 million inhabitants. This tragic event has dispossessed and disinherited Palestinians all over the world; and a destitute population of refugees with only their memories of Palestine, crumbling property deeds, and an undaunted will to return. Mission Statement We want to break the siege of Gaza. We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation. We want to uphold Palestine's right to welcome internationals as visitors, human rights observers, humanitarian aid workers, journalists, or otherwise. Who are we? We are these human rights observers, aid workers, and journalists. We have years of experience volunteering in Gaza and the West Bank at the invitation of Palestinians. But now, because of the increasing stranglehold of Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine, many of us find it almost impossible to enter Gaza, and an increasing number have been refused entry to Israel and the West Bank as well. Despite the great need for our work, the Israeli Government will not allow us in to do it. We are of all ages and backgrounds. Back home, we are teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers, truck drivers, youth workers, musicians, secretaries, parents, grandparents, lawyers, students, activists, actors, playwrights, politicians, web designers, authors, international training consultants, and we even include a former Hollywood film industry worker, a former Marine, an aviator, and an explorer. We are Italian, Irish, Canadian, Greek, Tunisian, German, Australian, American, English, Scottish, Danish, Israeli, and Palestinian. What are we going to do? We've tried to enter Palestine by land. We've tried to arrive by air. Now we're getting serious. We're taking a ship.

The ¨Great Offer¨ of 2008

When debating Palestinian politics, one is often faced with the same arguments again and again. One of the most common and annoying arguments is the fallacy of a ¨Great Offer¨ made by Israel and rejected by the Palestinians. The argument goes like this, ¨If the Palestinians want settlers and military to withdrawal from the West Bank, why didn't they accept this when it was offered to Arafat in the Camp David and/or Oslo negotiations.¨ Anyone who has knowledge of the conflict with greater depth than a sound byte will know why this statement is factually inaccurate and absurd. Summarizing the Palestinian reasoning for rejecting the ¨Great Offer¨ we find:

1.) The ¨Great Offer¨ DID NOT offer the Palestinians a contiguous state in the West Bank as Israel was allowed to retain its largest settlement blocks housing the majority of its settler population. Thus Israel is able to effectively annex large swaths of Palestinians land and legalize its settler population in the Palestinian West Bank

2.) The ¨Great Offer¨ DID NOT solve the problem of Jerusalem as a shared capital and as such effectively relinquished any future right to a major Palestinian population center in East Jerusalem.

3.) The ¨Great Offer¨ DID NOT allow millions of Palestinians expelled in 1948 to return to a Palestinian State.

4.) The ¨Great Offer¨ DID NOT offer the Palestinians progress in the release of nearly 11,000 prisoners detained in Israeli jails.

5.) The ¨Great Offer¨ DID NOT provide any real national autonomy in the way of airspace, sea borders, control of their electronic magnetic spectrum, the right to establish a military......and on and on and on.

The reason this history lesson is relevant on this day, nearly ten years later, is that once again the Israeli government has made an offer to the Palestinians that is being herald as a ¨Great Offer.¨ When one major newspaper headline reads, ¨PA rejects Olmert's offer to withdraw from 93% of West Bank¨ (Haaretz), I can see the history books being written once again as 2008 becomes known as the third time that the Palestinians ¨foolishly rejected an offer for peace.¨

In an attempt to show why Israeli Prime Minister Olmerts 2008 offer is unacceptable to both the Palestinian Authority and the 60 year old Palestinian demand for a State, I will once again create a numbered list....ready:

1.) Israel retains the vast majority of its illegal settler population centers that exist inside the borders of the Palestinian West Bank. Israel is allowed to maintain the city-sized settlements of Ma'aleh Adumim, Gush Etzion, the settlements surrounding Jerusalem (i.e. Ariel) and ¨some land in the northern West Bank adjacent to Israel.¨ By allowing Israel to annex these settlements, Israel is able to legally retain its population centers and only relinquish small settlements established deep inside the West Bank. Israel is also able to relocate settlers from the smaller settlements to the annexed settlements, as is the case in the current relation of settlers from Migron. Israel is also able to retain the Israeli-only road system serving the settlements, annexing more land.

The proposal states that after Israel annexes the settlement blocks, they are then free to expand them indefinitely, establishing a giant Israel population of the newly formed Palestinian border. Currently, the settlement blocks under examination for annexation are being heavily expanded possibly in preparation for the announcement of this plan. Under the terms of this agreement, NO ISRAELI SETTLER IS FORCED TO LEAVE THE WEST BANK, they simply must relocate to a settlement closer to the new border! This rejection constitutes the main Palestinians arguments; that they will not accept a State unless it is contiguous, based on the border agreed to in 1967, and free of Israeli settlements. The proposal under examination fulfils none of these three basic demands.

2.) In an attempt to pacify complaints concerning land annexation, Israel has proposed a land swap. Since 7-10% of the West Bank will be annexed through the Israeli retention of settlement blocks, Israel proposes to swap this area for 5.5% land on the Gaza border, in the Negev desert. While this proposal is unjust because it swaps 7-10% of the West Bank for an area equivalent to 5.5%, it is also unjust because it proposes to swap the heavily populated areas around Jerusalem and Bethlehem for a completely unpopulated area in the middle of a harsh desert. No Palestinian leader will ever accept the exchange of the Jerusalem suburbs for worthless and barren desert land.

3.) The time table for this annexation and land swap is also extremely problematic. Under the proposal, Israel would establish ownership of the annexed land immediately after the agreement is signed. This means that the day the agreement is signed, the largest Israeli settlement blocks that are currently illegally in the West Bank would become legal territory of Israel. Despite the speed of this territorial realignment, the Palestinians would receive their land swap at an undetermined future date after they have ¨completed certain internal reforms,¨ and after the Palestinian Authority ¨regains control¨ of the Gaza Strip. Israel is demanding that prior to the Palestinians receiving land, Hamas must be removed from power in the Gaza Strip, and unclear internal reforms must be made within the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. This means that while Israel will increase its territory immediately, the Palestinians will not receive any benefit until a later date, decided by Israel, and after the completion of vague measures.

4.) The border established in the new plan denies the West Bank national contiguity. With Israel retaining its largest settlement blocks, the West Bank is divided into three sections. Ariel and other Jerusalem-area settlements will separate northern Palestinian cities including Nablus, Tulkarem, Qalqiliya, and Jenin from the central cities of Ramallah, Salfit and Jericho. The annexing of Gush Etzion settlement will separate the southern Palestinian cities of Bethlehem and Hebron from their northern neighbors. By retaining settlement blocks in the central, northern and southern areas of the West Bank, the Palestinian state is non-contiguous. Under this plan, the Palestinian state is fragmented into four areas: the northern West Bank, the central West Bank, the southern West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Under the proposed plan the Palestinians are asked to accept the illegal border established by the Apartheid Wall and not the border promised to them in 1967 and legitimized by numerous UN resolutions and signed peace agreements.

One slim ray of positivity is that Israel has offered a passage way between the West Bank and Gaza. Israel argues that this passage accounts for the disparity between lands annexed in the West Bank and those offered in the Negev. Despite this positive offer, it fails to meet the requirements for an autonomous state as the passage way would not be part of the Palestinian State and remain in Israeli control.

5.) Jerusalem is not slated as the capital of a future Palestinian state and thus the large Palestinian population in East Jerusalem would not be citizens of the State. The Israeli government did not even see fit to state that the city would be a shared capital as is the international consensus concerning a framework for an Israeli-Palestinian bi-national state. According to Olmert´s offer, the issue of Jerusalem will be discussed at a later time.

6.) The proposal carries with it a ¨security plan¨ for the future Palestinian state. The security plan was developed not jointly by the Palestinian Security forces and Israel, but rather by a completely Israeli team headed by the commander of the Israeli air force, General Ido Nehoshtan. Under the Nehoshtan plan the nation of Palestine is to have no army and be ¨demilitarizaed.¨ This condition robs the Palestinian state of national autonomy as all nations in the world are allowed to regulate their own armed forces, and possess the means to defend themselves from foreign and domestic threats.

7.) The proposed plan also fails to meet the Palestinian refugee demands. Since their expulsion in 1948, the Palestinians have consistently demanded the ¨right of return.¨ Today's proposal states that Palestinian refugees would not be able to return to their communities unless those communities were located in the newly established Palestinian borders. This means that major Palestinian population centers that existed before 1948 such as Jerusalem, Jaffa and the areas north of the West Bank including the modern cities of Nazareth and the Galilee would be off limits. This requirement effectively denies the Palestinian right of return to all Palestinians expelled from areas outside of current the West Bank boundaries.

Because of these seven reasons, and the MANY implications they have, Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority has rejected the proposal, calling it a ¨waste of time,¨ ¨unacceptale,¨ and proof that Israel has a "lack of seriousness" when considering a realistic peace plan.

It is unrealistic to think that ANY Palestinian leader would accept the promise of a state that is:

- denied contiguity
- denied guarantees established in previous border agreements
- denied a set date for a land swap
- denied Jerusalem as a shared capital
- denied the right to establish an armed forces
- denied the right of return for Palestinian exiles

Though some media reports are simplifying the event as ¨Israel offers the Palestinians 93% of their land and the Palestinians reject,¨ this is a misleading, inaccurate and politically-tinged framing of events. The timing of the offer seems to be a last ditch effort for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US President George W Bush to write their names in the history books as the great brokers of an Israeli-Palestinian peace. Both leaders are leaving office in the coming months and have promised their constituents to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict before their terms end.

Because of these unrealistic goals, the deal was offered now.

The timeline is unrealistic because as the nations speak of peace Israel continues to build settlements and maintain a military occupation, while the US continues to fund that occupation. Israeli authors of the proposal knew full well that the Palestinian leadership would reject the offer, and thus once again, Israel could frame itself as the great promoter of peace, and simultaneously frame the Palestinians as revolutionaries who will never compromise. Because of these politically-motivated maneuvers by Israel, the average consumer of news in our countries are once again delivered confusing and misleading information.

This is my attempt to untangle some of it.

----------------------------
major media sources:
Haaretz News
BBC News
Maan News

Setter Violence in Four Day Spike

Israeli settlers storm Ibrahimi mosque; settler aggression on the rise
Date: 09 / 08 / 2008 Time: 11:36

Bethlehem – Ma'an – A group of 50 armed Israeli settlers attempted to storm the Ibrahimi Mosque on Friday. The attack marks the fourth recorded settler attack in the West Bank in four days, and a general rise in aggressive tactics of settlers.

The Ibrahimi mosque is believed to be the burial site of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah and Jacob and Leah; also known as the tomb of the patriarchs, and is located in the West Bank city of Hebron.

The group of settlers attempted to enter what is now the Muslim section of the mosque, an area that represents about 81% of the structure and is under the control of the Awaqf Ministry (the traditional trust) in Palestine. All Palestinians entering the area, however, are searched by Israeli soldiers guarding the area. The remaining section is used as synagogue for Israeli settlers in and around the city of Hebron.

The Hebron settlers were able to enter the Muslim portion of the mosque on Friday before Israeli forces were able to pull the attackers out and remove them from the Palestinian area.

Attacks on the mosque by settlers are a semi-regular occurrence. On Thursday a group of settlers who have been occupying an area near the building for the past several years, threw dust at the entrance and surprised the skeikhs and mufti's in the building.

Also this week five settlers were arrested by Israeli soldiers in Nablus after trying to sneak into Joseph's shrine. Settlers are not permitted into Palestinian areas without Israeli army security, though an increasing number of violations are being recorded.

On Thursday in Beit Sahour just outside of Bethlehem, settlers assaulted peaceful worshipers trying to protect what is planned as the site of a multimillion dollar children's hospital.

Almost every week since May, steadily larger groups of Israeli settlers, mainly from the nearby settlements Har Homa, Gush Etzion, and Tekoa, have come to the area slated for hospital construction, which was an Israeli military base abandoned in 2005.

On 1 August, settlers attacked a Hebron wedding, throwing stones and bottles at those celebrating; a rock was also thrown through the windshield of a pregnant Palestinian woman's car near a Nablus settlement, injuring both her and her 7-year-old daughter. On 2 August, a young Palestinian boy in Hebron was pushed off the roof of his home by a settler. The boy broke his back and is in Hospital.

On 6 August settlers were arrested by Palestinian police after entering Nablus illegally, they were handed over to Israeli authorities. On 7 August settlers attacked British diplomats visiting Hebron, and on 8 August five settlers were arrested by Israeli soldiers after they illegally entered Nablus.

Israeli media reported this week that the army intended to "boost" security around illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, after settlers hospitalized the Pregnant woman and her daughter.

The Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz reported that Israeli defense authorities in the West Bank ordered a special alert near for Israeli soldiers guarding the Nablus, and Hebron settlements of Havat Gilad, Adei Ad and Ma'on.

The heightened security order comes after increasing aggression and attacks by Israeli settlers all over the West Bank.

Responding to the most recent attack on the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, Minister of Al-Awaqf (Islamic trust sites) and Islamic Religious Affairs Al-Sheikh Jamal Bawatnah condemned the settlers' attempt to storm the portion of the mosque that still belongs to Muslims.

Such an attack, he said, was a "violation of the holiness of the mosque" and a serious attempt wrest control over the area away from its Muslim caretakers. He said that he feared a new massacre against "the holiness of our religious places."

The Minister phoned Ma'an on Saturday and issued a statement to Palestinian President Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) and Palestinian Prime Minister Dr. Salam Fayyad and all Arabs and Muslims to redouble their efforts to oppose such Israeli practices. He appealed to all forces of the world to stand by Palestinians at this difficult time for fear of later steps to be taken by settlers.

Report: Gaza patients asked to spy to recieve treament

Gaza patients asked to spy to get treatment, rights group says Date: 06 / 08 / 2008 Time: 16:52 JERUSALEM, 6 August 2008 (IRIN) - An Israeli rights group said on 4 August it had collected 32 affidavits over the past 12 months from Palestinian patients who said they were prevented from leaving the Gaza Strip for medical treatment due to their refusal to cooperate with the state's internal security service. A new report by the Israeli Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), entitled "Holding Health to Ransom," which includes 11 testimonies of Gazan patients who underwent interrogation at the Erez Crossing between Gaza and Israel, blamed the Israel Security Agency for trying to take advantage of "the most helpless members of society". "The exploitation of ill people who are helpless in the face of the demand to inform and report on their relatives, acquaintances and others, constitutes intolerable intimidation and a moral problem of serious magnitude," PHR said in the 80-page report [http://www.phr.org.il/phr/files/articlefile_1217865604015.pdf]. Some patients use Erez to go to Israeli hospitals, while others only transit through to reach the West Bank or Jordan. Patients were routinely asked all sorts of questions about their political and social beliefs or activities, although at times the information asked was about relatives or regarding issues to which the people did not know the answer. Testimonies According to one affidavit, a patient was told by an interrogator that to reach a hospital he would have to give information on people. He said he was also offered money in return for information on Hamas activists. Another man said he was told: "You will not be able to receive treatment in Israel if you don't give us additional information." Several patients were arrested and placed in detention, PHR said, after being summoned to Erez on the pretext of being allowed in for treatment. The group, backed up by the sworn statements, said some people were giving up on medical treatment in order to avoid interrogations. Gazans need treatment outside the Gaza Strip due to local deficiencies, particularly in some specialist fields and because of a lack of equipment, such as machines and devices for radiology, which Israel refuses to let into the enclave for security reasons. Miri Weingarten from PHR said in the past labourers had been the primary target of such interrogations, but as workers no longer entered Israel from Gaza, the security agency had apparently switched to the only group still allowed in. Cancer Bella Kaufman, an oncologist and member of the Israeli group, told reporters that "the cancer survival rate in Gaza was very low" due to the quality of treatment available in the enclave. She did say, however, that in her ward at a Tel Aviv hospital many Palestinian patients received treatment. Israeli officials said security checks were conducted, but egress and medical treatment were not made contingent on a patients' willingness to collaborate with the authorities. The tight security was needed, they said, due to some previous incidents in which Palestinian militants tried to obtain permits to Israel to carry out attacks on soldiers and civilians. --- This item comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information service, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The information in this article is not compiled by Ma'an reporters.

images from the Great Grape Party 1/2

October 8, 2006: Palestinian, international and Israeli activists joined together to demonstrate against land theft, road closures and economic isolation by bringing two tons of the surplus Palestinian grape harvest to an occupation checkpoint along Route 60.

In a display of civil disobedience akin to the North American Boston Tea Party, the demonstrators hoped to dump the surplus harvest onto the road, but were viciously attacked before they were able to reach the checkpoint.

to read my blog report on the protest:
http://occupiedlove.blogspot.com/2006/10/great-grape-partyattacked.html

to read PSP´s report on the protest:
http://www.blogger.com/www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/08/khadrgrape/

to read Maan news´s coverage of the protest:
http://www.blogger.com/www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=16032

the Great Grape Harvest #1, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

here, Palestinian, international and israeli solidarity activists assemble the cases of grapes they will use in the protest.

the Great Grape Harvest #2, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

here, Palestinian, international and israeli solidarity activists march towrads the israeli-only road with cases of grapes.

the Great Grape Harvest #3, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

the Great Grape Harvest #4, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

the Great Grape Harvest #5, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

here, international and israeli solidarity activists march down an israeli-only road with cases of grapes.

the Great Grape Harvest #6, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

here, international and israeli solidarity activists march down an israeli-only road with cases of grapes.

the Great Grape Harvest #7, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

the Great Grape Harvest #8, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

here, international and israeli solidarity activists are assualted by an israeli police officer during the demonstration.

the Great Grape Harvest #9, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

the Great Grape Harvest #10, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

the Great Grape Harvest #11, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

the Great Grape Harvest #12, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Nilin Village Mourns as 2nd Protestor Dies

As the apartheid wall continues to ghettoize the West Bank and confiscate more Palestinian land for the benefit of illegal Israeli settlements, the Palestinian-led, anti-wall, non-violent resistance is spreading.

Since January 2005, the residents of Bilin village have led non-violent demonstrations every Friday. Every week the residents of Bilin are joined by international and Israeli anti-occupation activists, and every week they attempt to march to the area of the village that is being confiscated by the army.

Every week the people march and every week the Israeli army attacks.

The Bilin model of weekly non-violent marches drawing attention to the wall has spread to numerous villages and town in the area. Recently, world attention has focused on the similarly named Nilin village, also in the Ramallah area in the central region of the West Bank.

Like Bilin village, the daily and weekly protests in Nilin village have been met with severe retaliatory violence and collective punishment from the Israeli army. In July, the village was put under a multi-day occupation and curfew as punishment for participation in the anti-wall demonstrations. Protest participants and organizers have been shot, arrested and beaten.

Recently, Nilin was in the news again as a video surfaced showing an Israeli soldier firing a rubber-coated steal bullet at close range, targeting a Nilin protest participant restrained and blindfolded by Israeli soldiers.

Two days ago, Nilin village was once again in the news when Israeli soldiers killed a 10 year old boy, Ahmed Ussam Yusef Mousa. Mousa was attending the weekly demonstration in his village and was attempting to remove a coil of razor wire when Israeli soldiers opened fire with live ammunition. Mousa was struck in the head with a single round fired from an American-made M-16 assault rife from close range. He was killed instantly. The Israeli army claims to be investigating the incident.

The day after Mousa was killed, over 3,000 Palestinians marched in his funeral. During the funeral, Israeli forces fired tear gas and rubber-coated steal bullets into the crowd in an attempt to disperse the mourners, and as the soldiers continued to fire into the crowd, a second Palestinian youth was fatally wounded, 17 year old Yousef Ahmad Youkis Amira.

Amira was shot in the head with two rubber-coated steal bullets, and on July 30th, was declared brain dead while in the Ramallah hospital. On August 4, he was announced dead. At least 17 other mourners were injured during the funeral.

Ahmed Ussam Yusef Mousa and Yousef Ahmad Youkis Amira are now the the 12th and 13th Palestinians to be killed by the Israeli army during non-violent anti-wall demonstrations in the West Bank.

Those killed before are:

Mohammad Fadel Hashem Rayan, age 25.

Zakaria MaHmud Salem, age 28.

Abdal Rahman Abu Eid, age 62.

Mohammad Daud Badwan, age 21.

Diaa Abdel Karim Abu Eid, age 24.

Hussain mahmud Awwad Aliyan, age 17.

Islam Hashem Rizik Zhahran, age 14.

Alaa Mohammad Abdel Rahman Khalil, age 14.

Jamal Jaber Ibrahim Assi, age 15.

Odai Mofeed Mahmud Assi, age 14.

Mahayub Nimer Assi, age 15.

for recent news from Nilin village:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7531741.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7533858.stm
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2008/07/29/10-year-old-shot-dead-at-nilin/
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2008/07/30/palestinian-teenager-killed-by-israeli-army-in-nilin/

for images from demonstrations at Nilin village:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/activestills/sets/72157605311279427/

for more information on Bilin village:
http://www.bilin-village.org/english/discover-bilin/