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Exactions, pillage, torture, humiliations, barbarie...(ndlr)

TODAY in PALESTINE

Vendredi, 12 avril 2013 - 12h35

vendredi 12 avril 2013

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Violence / Attacks / Raids / Clashes / Arrests

Army kidnaps a wounded, disabled Palestinian in Hebron

IMEMC 11 Apr — Israeli soldiers kidnapped former political prisoner, Mo’taz Obeido, 32, from Hebron city, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank ... Back in 2011 Obeido was shot by the soldiers leading to paralysis in his left leg, in addition to suffering extensive damage to his stomach and intestines after the soldiers fired an international-banned dumdum bullet at him from a distance that does not exceed 5 meters. His father said that a large military force surrounded his son’s store in Wad Al-Harya area, in Hebron, and kidnapped him after forcing him to remove his clothes. He added that soldiers also fired several rounds of live ammunition during the attack, and that several blood stains were found on the ground after the soldiers left the area, an issue that raises fears among the family that Obeido might have been injured again.
link to www.imemc.org

Settlers assault 60-year-old Palestinian judge

RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 12 Apr — Israeli settlers on Thursday assaulted a 60-year-old Palestinian judge as he worked on his land near Ramallah, sparking violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces. Judge Ahmad al-Zir sustained multiple injuries, including head wounds, and was left unconscious in the attack, a Ma‘an reporter said. He was taken to the Ramallah Governmental Hospital. Residents of Silwad headed to the al-Asour area, where the attack happened, and confronted settlers, setting fire to caravans in a nearby outpost. Israeli forces arrived and fired tear gas and plastic-coated bullets at the Palestinians. A 16-year-old Palestinian was shot in the chest and the arm with plastic-coated bullets, medics said.
link to www.maannews.net

Reporters without Borders condemn shooting of photographer

PARIS, April 11, 2013 (WAFA) - Reporters without Borders Thursday strongly condemned the action of an Israeli soldier who deliberately shot a Palestinian photographer in the face with a rubber-coated steel bullet during an incursion by the Israeli forces into the Aida refugee camp, north of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on April 8. Mohamed Al-Azza, a photographer for Palestine News Network (PNN), was taking photos of the Israeli soldiers from the Lajee Centre, a children’s educational centre inside the camp when he was shot by the soldier. Azza was taken to Beit Jala hospital after being hit in the right cheekbone by the bullet where he underwent an operation. He is expected to remain in the hospital for about 10 days.
link to english.wafa.ps

IOF soldiers arrest injured teen, assault ambulance crew in Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM (PIC) 10 Apr — Violent clashes broke out on Tuesday evening in Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem between Palestinian youths and Israeli occupation forces, wounding two young men one of them was arrested by IOF. IOF prevented ambulance crews from reaching a Palestinian teenager who was hit by a tear gas bomb and arrested him, while another young man was injured by rubber bullets, spokesman for ambulance and emergency services in Bethlehem said.
The spokesman stressed that the IOF used the Red Crescent ambulance crews as human shields while withdrawing from Aida refugee camp after being besieged by young men who threw stones at them, warning against the serious implications of such Israeli practice on medical crews. Local sources identified the injured young man as Sajid Jawarish, 17
link to www.palestine-info.co.ukChUGuXExMGf2zRqtINF82sqm%2f0miaEM2Y%3d

IOF kidnap Thaer Halahela once again

RAMALLAH (PIC) 10 Apr — The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Wednesday re-kidnapped ex-detainee Thaer Halahela from his home in Ramallah city after beating him severely. The IOF had released Halahela along with his fellow hunger striker Bilal Diyab from administrative detention last June after a deal that ended their hunger strike. According to eyewitnesses, the IOF violently broke into and ransacked the houses of Halahela and his neighbors. The troops also brutally beat him in front of his wife and children, and confiscated his cellphone. Halahela moved to live in Ramallah three months ago and was an active participant in all events held lately in support of the Palestinian prisoners, and he might be kidnapped this time because of his solidarity activities. His wife was reportedly rushed to hospital after she lost her consciousness as the troops were beating and humiliating her husband.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

After years of work, Roots of Peace starts de-mining West Bank

BETHLEHEM, April 9, 2013 (WAFA) – After several years of hard work and lobbying, the international humanitarian organization, Roots of Peace, started this week historic demining the fields of Bethlehem, starting with Husan village, said a Roots of Peace statement. Roots of Peace founder and chief executive officer Heidi Kühn said, "No child should be born anywhere in the world with the risk of losing life or limb to a landmine. This is generational wisdom." During the past three years, Kuhn has worked with interfaith organizations and political leaders in Israel and Palestine to assure that deminers representing both countries will be included in the historic Roots of Peace landmine removal program, said the statement ... There are an estimated 1.5 million landmines and UXO [unexploded ordnance] in the Holy Land, said Roots of Peace.
link to english.wafa.ps

Ministry says 38 children died from landmines since 1967

RAMALLAH, April 9, 2013 (WAFA) – A total of 38 Palestinian children were killed by landmines in the West Bank since 1967 and 81 others injured, a statement by the Ministry of Information said Tuesday. It said figures given by the Palestinian Center Against Mines showed that a total of 260 people were either killed or injured from landmines that are found in 16 areas throughout the West Bank. It said there are 65 landmine fields in the Jordan Valley which prevent local farmers from using their land. It believes there are 1.5 million landmines in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
link to english.wafa.ps

Israel arrests child with dual US citizenship

RAMALLAH, April 11, 2013 (WAFA) – The Israeli army’s arrest on Friday of a 14-year-old Palestinian child with dual Palestinian-US citizenship prompted human rights groups to warn on Thursday of mistreatment of children in Israeli detention. A joint statement by Addameer and Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCI) said the two groups have expressed “deep concern about the arrest and mistreatment” of the Palestinian child who was identified only as Mohammad K. from the West Bank town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah. Israeli forces detained Mohammad K. on suspicion of stone-throwing during a predawn raid on his home, according to his father. Israeli soldiers tied his hands and roughed him up while transferring him for interrogation at a nearby police station. "Mohammad was arrested without a warrant, denied access to an attorney, and interrogated without the presence of a parent," said Randa Wahbe, advocacy officer at Addameer. "There is also evidence that he was mistreated during his arrest and transfer. It is difficult to find a right that was not violated." Mohammad is being held at Ofer prison near Ramallah, according to his lawyer, Firas Sabah of Addameer.
link to english.wafa.ps

Youth against Settlements coordinator Issa Amro arrested
ISM 10 Apr by Team Khalil — The co-ordinator of Youth Against Settlements Issa Amro was arrested yesterday at the Qiryat Araba settlement in Hebron. He was summoned to the police station at which point he was interrogated and arrested. He is being charged with "Incitement of terrorism" and is being tried today at Ofer prison in Ramallah. Issa is a prominent activist and organiser of non violent demonstrations in actions in Hebron.
link to palsolidarity.org

Israeli forces summon Yatta committee coordinator for questioning
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 10 Apr — Israeli forces summoned a popular committee official in Yatta for questioning on Wednesday, a Ma‘an reporter said. Coordinator of the popular committee against settlements in Yatta, Rateb al-Jabour, was issued a summons order by Israeli forces in a dawn raid on his home.
link to www.maannews.net

Israel detains 22 in West Bank arrest raids
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 10 Apr — Israeli forces arrested 22 people in the West Bank overnight Tuesday, Israel’s army and locals said. In Nablus, Bahiq Darwaza, 20, and Hakam al-Risheh, 19, were arrested by Israeli troops, witnesses told Ma‘an. Omar al-Dein al-Jabari, 24, was arrested in Hebron and Amjad al-Titi was detained in al-‘Arrub refugee camp, family members said. An Israeli army spokeswoman said 10 people were detained in Qalqiliya, three in Hebron, three in Nablus, two in Ramallah, two in el-‘Arrub and two in Jenin.
link to www.maannews.net

IOF kidnap three citizens in Abu Dis
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 10 Apr — The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Tuesday kidnapped three Palestinian citizens from the street near the entrance of Al-Quds university in Abu Dis town east of occupied Jerusalem. Eyewitnesses reported that a force of Israeli troops stormed the area with three jeeps and embarked on searching all vehicles at the entrance of the university. During the search, they took three citizens prisoners without giving any reason. The eyewitnesses also said that a number of young men in Abu Dis clashed with the troops in the morning without any reported injuries.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Group : Israeli forces arrest 3 Palestinians in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 10 Apr — Israeli forces arrested three Palestinians in Jerusalem on Wednesday, a local group said. The Wadi Hilweh Information Center said in a statement that Thaer al-Abasi, 22, Muhammad Oweis, 23, and Majd Oweis, 29, were arrested in the neighborhoods of Silwan and Ras al-Amoud. Another unidentified man was arrested during a sit-in protest for Palestinian prisoners outside of the Hebrew University on Tuesday, the group added.
link to www.maannews.net

Israeli forces detain 4 Palestinians south of Nablus
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 11 Apr — Israeli forces on Thursday detained four Palestinians in Burin village south of Nablus, locals said, while the Israeli army put the number at nine. Locals told Ma’an that the Israeli forces raided the village and detained 10 Palestinians after raiding their houses. Soldiers released six of them before they left the village around 5 a.m. Thursday ... An army spokeswoman said nine Palestinians were arrested from Burin overnight. Overall in the West Bank, soldiers arrested two people in ‘Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem and one person in Tulkarem, she said.
link to www.maannews.net

4 injured in clashes with Israeli soldiers near Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 11 Apr — Four Palestinians were injured Thursday in clashes with Israeli troops near Bethlehem, medics said. Four people were hospitalized after they were hit by plastic-coated bullets in the Um Rukba neighborhood of al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, medics told Ma‘an.
link to www.maannews.net

3 injured in clashes with Israeli forces in Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 10 Apr — Three people were injured Wednesday in clashes with Israeli forces in Bethlehem. A foreign activist was hit in the leg by a rubber-coated steel bullet near ‘Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, a Ma‘an reporter said. South of the city, in al-Khader, a Palestinian was shot by a rubber bullet and another was hit in the head by a tear gas canister, another reporter said.
link to www.maannews.net

Palestinian detained en route to Jericho
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 11 Apr — Israeli forces detained a Palestinian worker early Thursday on his way from Beita village south of Nablus to work in Jericho, a relative said. "Israeli troops called me and told me that my 23-year-old son Ahmad Bahloul is at Huwwara military camp and will be taken to Megiddo prison," the man’s father told Ma‘an. They did not elaborate on any accusations against the detainee, he said.
link to www.maannews.net

IOF arrests young man on his return from Jordan
SALFIT (PIC) 11 Apr — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) manning the Karame crossing between the West Bank and Jordan arrested a young man from Eskaka village, Salfit province, on his return from Jordan. Local sources said that the soldiers detained Ahmed Harb at the crossing afternoon Thursday for hours at the intelligence room before informing him that he was under arrest.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

In memory of Tom Hurndall, shot in the head by Israeli sniper 10 years ago today
ISM 11 Apr — The International Solidarity Movement today remember Tom Hurndall, ISM volunteer who 10 years ago on 11th April 2003 was shot in the head by an Israeli sniper. The Israeli army were invading the city of Rafah, in the Gaza Strip when Tom and other ISM volunteers saw a group of children in a street where snipers were firing. Witnesses say that bullets were shot around the children, who were paralysed by fear and unable to move – Tom pulled one child to safety, but as he was returning for a second, he was shot in the head by a sniper. He went into a coma and died nine months later on 13th January 2004. He was 22 years old.
link to palsolidarity.org

PCHR Weekly Report : 11 civilians wounded, 59 abducted ; 350 trees cut by Israeli troops this weel [4-10 April]
IMEMC 12 Apr ...Israeli forces conducted 78 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. 55 Palestinian civilians, including 8 children, were abducted during those incursions. Among the abducted was the former prisoner, Tha’er Halahla. During the reporting period, Israeli forces wounded 11 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children and a woman, in the West Bank. They were all wounded during peaceful protests organised by Palestinian civilians against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities and in support of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israeli forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank. 4 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were abducted at checkpoints ... In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces stationed along the border fence continued to open fire. On 06 April 2013, Israeli forces stationed along the border fence, east of Khan Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip, opened fire at houses and agricultural lands in al-Qarara village and around al-Sreij gate. No casualties were reported. Israeli forces continued to chase fishermen at sea.... Full Report
link to www.imemc.org

From tear gas to rubber-coated steel bullets : a week in photos - April 4-10
Activestills 11 Apr — This week : Solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, opposition to Yair Lapid, preserving Tel Aviv’s beaches, resisting the occupation’s obstacles, Tel Aviv’s ‘Slutwalk’, and the targeting of a Palestinian photographer.
link to 972mag.com

Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Restriction of movement

Protests in Gaza and 40 European cities urge end to trade with Israeli agriculture firms
IMEMC 11 Apr — Palestinian farming organisations and campaigners in more than 40 European cities held demonstrations Tuesday calling for governments and supermarkets to end trade with Israeli agricultural export companies over their role in the destruction of Palestinian agriculture. Farmers and fishermen in Gaza have been holding demonstrations throughout the week and 300 people today marched towards the buffer zone near the border with Israel, where regular attacks and incursions by the Israeli military force farmers to abandon their land or take huge risks to tend to their crops (photos here). There was also a rally on Wednesday at the Gaza seaport ... In the West Bank, activists planted Olive trees on the land of Madama village where illegal settlers have cut down hundreds of olive trees. A conference on boycotting Israeli agriculture firms will be held in Salfit on Monday...
In Europe, many of the 40 protests that took place targeted Mehadrin, a large Israeli export company that supplies citrus fruits, dates and other fresh produce to supermarkets across Europe. The company operates in illegal Israeli settlements, is involved in the theft of Palestinian land and water and employs Palestinian workers forced to work in illegal settlements in unsafe conditions for as little as €11 per day. "Israeli agriculture companies such as Mehadrin and Hadaklaim profit from the siege on Gaza and grow crops for export to European supermarkets in illegal settlements on land from which Palestinian farmers have been forcibly removed," said Dr. Taha Rifae, director of the grassroots department at the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.
link to www.imemc.org

Settlers seize Palestinian land in al-Khalil
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 10 Apr — A group of Jewish settlers seized by force Palestinian agricultural land in Tel Armidah area in the city of al-Khalil [Hebron] south of the West Bank. The settlers seized an agricultural land owned by Abu Haikel family and began to farm it after linking it to a water network in a neighboring settlement, the Rehabilitation Committee in al-Khalil said on Tuesday. Abu Haikel family pointed out that their land, about five dunums, has been subjected to several previous settlers’ attacks during the past ten years...
In the same context, Israeli bulldozers demolished on Tuesday water wells in Khirbet Alderat, east of the town of Yatta southern al-Khalil, under the pretext of being established without permit, the coordinator of Committee Against Settlement revealed. The committee’s coordinator added that the Israeli occupation forces had served demolition notices to more than 60 facilities in the region.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Settlers attack Palestinian land in Hebron
HEBRON, April 10, 2013 (WAFA) – Jewish settlers Wednesday destroyed several olive trees and demolished several retaining walls in an area in the town of Halhoul, north of Hebron, according to the landowner. Abdallah Aql told WAFA that a group of settlers from the Israeli settlement of Karmei Tzur, built illegally on Palestinian-owned land in northern Hebron, raided his land and destroyed 40-year-old olive trees as well as demolished the retaining walls surrounding it.
link to english.wafa.ps

Israeli settlers uproot dozens of trees near Hebron
HEBRON, April 11, 2013 (WAFA) – Jewish settlers Thursday cut down dozens of trees from an area near Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, according to a local activist. He said the settlers cut and damaged 47 olive trees and 55 grape vines in a plot of land that belonged Hamad Isleibi, 78. The settlers have also assaulted the landowner while working on his land and threatened to kill him. They also wrote hate graffiti on stones. This is the fifth time settlers attack Isleibi for working on his land in an attempt to force him to leave it.
link to english.wafa.ps

IOF soldiers bulldoze land in Jenin
JENIN (PIC) 11 Apr — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) bulldozed Palestinian fertile farmland between two villages in Jenin province to pave the way for construction of a new street. Local sources said that IOF soldiers were deployed in the land between Fakua [or [Faqqu‘a] and Arbuna [or ‘Arabbuna] villages and guarded the bulldozers. They pointed out that the new street, which is near to the racist, separation wall, would serve Jewish settlers in the area. They said that IOF soldiers had recently distributed notifications for the confiscation of 150 dunums in that same area.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Israel to demolish house near Hebron
HEBRON, April 10, 2013 (WAFA) – The Israeli authorities Wednesday handed a Palestinian from an area south of Hebron a demolition notice of his private owned two-story house, under the pretext of building without permit, according to the owner. Khader Abu Torki told WAFA that forces entered the area and handed him a demolition notice for his 2000-square-meter house, which houses a family of 11 members.
link to english.wafa.ps

For Israeli Bedouin, it’s sink or swim
Haaretz 11 Apr by Meirav Arlosoroff — The recent drowning of three brothers in Ashkelon reflects the reality that the 200,000 Bedouin living in the Negev don’t have a single swimming pool - not to mention other municipal services — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a phone call last week to Hassan a-Sariya to express his condolences for the terrible tragedy he suffered. Sariya’s three sons were swept away and drowned at an Ashkelon beach during the Passover vacation. The event briefly shocked the Israeli public out of its indifference – before it clucked its tongue and reminded itself, "This is how things are with the Bedouin.”"
link to www.haaretz.com

Source : Israel will freeze settlement construction
Ynet 12 Apr by Attila Somfalvi — US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to the Mid-East may have ended without any obvious results, but official sources involved in the preliminary talks said Thursday night that "eventually the negotiations will resume. Israel is expected to quietly freeze construction outside of the major settlement blocs in order to resume bilateral talks."
link to www.ynetnews.com

Israeli forces deny Hebron governor access to the Ibrahimi mosque
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 11 Apr – Israeli forces on Thursday stopped the governor of Hebron Kamil Hmeid and other officials from his office near the entrance to the Ibrahimi Mosque in the old city and denied the delegation entry for prayer. A Ma‘an reporter said an officer tried to assault the governor’s attendant because he was armed. Hmeid and officials from the governor’s office were taking part in a normal tour in the old city of Hebron, and part of the tour was to perform prayer in the Ibrahimi Mosque. Hmeid urged all residents of Hebron district to visit the mosque frequently in order to counter Israeli plans to take hold of the holy mosque. The ongoing assaults against the mosque, and against freedom of worship, the governor said, are part of Israeli attempts to interrupt Muslim visits and gradually take hold of the mosque.
link to www.maannews.net

Witnesses : Israeli police detain woman, 57, in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 10 Apr — Israeli police on Wednesday arrested a 57-year-old woman trying to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, witnesses said. Aida Sidawi quarreled with police after they stopped her entering the compound and pushed her, witnesses told Ma‘an. Sidawi, whose ban from the compound was recently lifted, was accused of "assaulting an officer," they added. Sidawi has had problems entering the mosque since 2007.
link to www.maannews.net

[Suspicious behavior in al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday]
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 10 Apr — ...In a separate incident, Israeli policemen and other men in civilian attire desecrated the Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday morning and acted suspiciously, some guards of the Mosque told the Palestinian information center (PIC) reporter. They said that these Israelis entered the minarets of Al-Maghariba Gate and Al-Asbat Gate and embarked on taking pictures. However, director of the Islamic waqf authority in Jerusalem Sheikh Azzam Al-Khatib prevented them from doing the same thing at the minaret of Al-Gawanema Gate, according to the eyewitnesses.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Settlers escorted into Jenin village
JENIN (Ma‘an) 11 Apr — A group of Israeli settlers entered the Jenin-area ‘Arraba village on Thursday to pray at a shrine, residents said. Two military jeeps accompanied the settlers to secure their arrival to the site, they said.
link to www.maannews.net

Israel : Morocco MPs refused entry as had no visas
JERUSALEM (AFP) 10 Apr — Israel on Wednesday defended a decision to turn away two Moroccan MPs trying to enter the West Bank from Jordan earlier this week saying they did not have entry visas. "Every Moroccan citizen, whether or not they are part of a delegation, needs a visa to enter the West Bank via Israel," foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP ... "If we had been warned about their visit, we could have facilitated their entry," Palmor explained, saying the other members of the delegation they were traveling with had been allowed in because they were carrying European passports which do not require visas. The incident, which saw Ali Salem Chekkaf and Mehdi Bensaid being turned away at the border, has sparked criticism in Rabat with Morocco’s parliamentary speaker on Tuesday accusing Israel of a "discriminatory and arrogant act".
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=584234

Prisoners / Hunger strikers / Court actions

Detainee shot at Tulkarem checkpoint undergoes surgery
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 10 Apr — Israeli authorities on Wednesday hospitalized a detainee who was shot before his arrest in Tulkarem, the ministry for prisoners said. Fadi Abdul Qader, 20, was shot in the hand when Israeli forces opened fire at a group of Palestinians by a checkpoint in Tulkarem on April 3. Israeli forces fatally shot two teenagers in the incident, Amer Nassar, 17, and 18-year-old Naji al-Balbisi. Israeli soldiers detained Qader on Tuesday, and he was taken for surgery on his right hand on Wednesday, the prisoners ministry said in a statement.
link to www.maannews.net

Report : Israeli intelligence recommends release of pre-Oslo prisoners
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma‘an) 10 Apr — Israeli intelligence services advised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release dozens of Palestinians detained before the Oslo Accords, Israeli media reported Wednesday. The Hebrew-language daily Maariv reported that security services advised Netanyahu that the prisoners detained before 1993 did not pose a security risk to Israel. Some 123 Palestinians have been detained in Israel for over 20 years. According to the report, US Secretary of State John Kerry unsuccessfully pressured Netanyahu to release some of the detainees during talks earlier this week.
link to www.maannews.net

Israel-based rights group accuses prisons of abusing Palestinian hunger strikers
Haaretz 11 Apr — Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, a nongovernmental healthcare organization, has accused the Prison Service of violating medical ethics and human rights norms in its treatment of prisoners and called for the transfer of responsibility for prisoner medical care to a professional body. The organization, which opposes the occupation, made the statements in a detailed report published Thursday morning ahead of Palestinian Prisoners Day, to be observed April 17.
link to www.haaretz.com

Lawyer : Guards assault prisoner who lowered Israeli flag
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 11 Apr — Israeli guards fractured the hand of a Palestinian in Rimon jail who protested the death of a detainee by lowering the Israeli flag, the prisoner’s lawyer said Thursday ... In a letter passed to his lawyer, the prisoner said he was interrogated for over 12 hours and that others were being interrogated "for 20 hours and more."
link to www.maannews.net

Minister : Prisoners set April 17 deadline to release Issawi
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 10 Apr — Detainees have set a deadline of April 17, Palestinian Prisoners Day, for the release of long-term hunger striker Samer Issawi, the prisoners minister said Wednesday ... Prisoner representatives met with prison officials and discussed their complaints, including the continued detention of Issawi, the practice of solitary confinement and medical neglect of sick detainees, Qaraqe said. Prisoners are giving the Israeli Prison Service one week to stop repressive measures before the situation explodes, the minister said.
link to www.maannews.net

IOF kidnap mothers of two prisoners after visit
RAMALLAH (PIC) 10 Apr — The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) kidnapped on Tuesday afternoon mothers of two Palestinian prisoners after they finished visiting their sons in Ashkelon jail. The ministry of prisoners said that after the families were about to leave the prison facility, Israeli soldiers stopped the bus they were boarding and detained them from one to five o’clock in the evening. During that time, the jailers searched the women on the bus before kidnapping the mothers of prisoners Yakoub Al-Haj and Ahmed Al-Jalazoun and taking them to an unknown place.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Israel releases 10-year-old boy from prison custody
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 10 Apr — A ten-year-old boy was released from Israeli prison custody on Tuesday after Palestinian liaison officials contacted their Israeli counterparts, a statement said. Yousef Abu Ramadan was arrested by Israeli soldiers north of Jerusalem for allegedly throwing stones.
link to www.maannews.net

Rights group says Israeli military court allows torture
RAMALLAH, April 10, 2013 (WAFA) - An Israeli military court at Ofer camp, near Ramallah, extended the detention of two Palestinians to continue interrogation in spite of its admittance that the two underwent difficult interrogation methods, a press statement by Addameer Association said on Wednesday. It said that on April 7, a judge in the appeal court of Ofer military court, Ronin Atsamon, extended the detention of Ahmad Zahran, 36, and Mahmoud Zahran, 36, for a further 14 days so that their interrogation might be completed. "This decision came in spite of the fact that the continued detention of the two men exposes them to various forms of physical and psychological torture," added Addameer.
link to english.wafa.ps

IOA re-opens interrogation center in 1948-occupied territories
NABLUS (PIC) 10 Apr — Human rights organization concerned with the Palestinian prisoners’ affairs and human rights revealed that the Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) had re-opened the Petah Tikva interrogation center, which had been closed for maintenance ... The prison administration had closed Petah Tikva Center in June of last year, and transferred all its prisoners to the Jalama and Moscobiya interrogation centers. Petah Tikva interrogation center is an old building, located near Tel Aviv, and known for its poor and harsh living conditions.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Gaza siege

Israel to open Gaza crossing for 4 hours
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 11 Apr — Israel will open the Kerem Shalom crossing for four hours on Friday to allow food and gas into the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said Thursday. Israeli authorities informed Palestinian liaison officials that the terminal would open from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., said border official Nathmi Muhana. Only food products, animal feed and domestic-use gas will be allowed into Gaza, Muhana told Ma‘an. Israel closed Kerem Shalom and the Erez passenger crossing on Monday after militants in Gaza fired a rocket across the border.
link to www.maannews.net

1,000 trucks waiting to enter Gaza as border remains closed
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 10 Apr — Israel is holding up 1,000 truckloads of goods at the border of the Gaza Strip, the popular committee against the siege said Wednesday. Israel has closed the Kerem Shalom border, used to transport goods into Gaza, since Monday. It is the sole goods crossing into the enclave as the Rafah crossing on Egypt’s border is not equipped to transfer goods. The closure has a heavy impact on trade and business in Gaza and is causing large financial losses, the border department of the popular committee said in a statement. Trucks for UNRWA, which provides food aid to refugees in Gaza, are also stranded at the terminal, the committee said.
link to www.maannews.net

UN : Gaza restrictions hitting food stocks
JERUSALEM (AFP) 11 Apr — A UN humanitarian official said on Wednesday a fresh round of Israeli sanctions on the Gaza Strip was hitting food supplies and would have "serious" effects if continued. "In response to a deteriorating security situation in and around Gaza ... Israel has announced a series of heightened restrictions on the movement of people and goods to and from the Gaza Strip, including closures of the Kerem Shalom crossing," UN Humanitarian Coordinator James Rawley said. "These measures are resulting in the depletion of stocks of essential supplies, including basic foodstuffs and cooking gas, and undermine the livelihoods and rights of many vulnerable Gazan families," he said in a statement.
link to www.maannews.net

Survey : Palestinian support for Gaza rocket attacks falls
JERUSALEM (AFP) 10 Apr — Palestinian support for rocket fire by Gaza militants on southern Israel has fallen sharply over the past four months, according to a survey published on Wednesday. "Support for firing locally-made rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli regions has dropped," a poll by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center said, indicating it had fallen to 38.4 percent, from 74 percent in December, just weeks after the end of a major confrontation with Israel. The eight-day operation, which ended with an Egyptian-brokered truce on November 21, saw the Israeli air force pounding the Hamas-run territory as militants there fired more than 1,000 rockets over the border. Israel has broken the truce numerous times, fatally shooting several Palestinians and detaining fishermen in Gaza. In recent weeks hardline Salafist Islamists have fired several rockets over the border, causing no damage or casualties, with Israel imposing commercial and travel restrictions as a punitive measure. Of 1,179 people interviewed in Gaza and the West Bank, which is controlled by Fatah, Hamas’s political rival, 60.2 percent said "military action" harmed Palestinian national interests.
link to www.maannews.net

IOF incursion reported in southern Gaza
KHAN YOUNIS (PIC) 10 Apr — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) advanced into eastern Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, on Wednesday morning escorting huge military bulldozers. Local sources told the PIC reporter that the bulldozers leveled land in the same area they raided on Tuesday during which one of them was targeted by Palestinian resistance. The IOF troops and their bulldozers evacuated the area to the east of Khuza‘a town east of Khan Younis at noon Tuesday.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Reporter : Israeli tanks cross Gaza border
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 11 Apr — Israeli tanks penetrated onto lands east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, a Ma‘an correspondent said. The tanks were seen about 150 meters over the border line close to the Kerem Shalom crossing. The tanks were believed to be escorting bulldozers performing construction at the border line near a military access gate.
link to www.maannews.net

27 Arab and foreign delegations visited Gaza last month
GAZA (PIC) 11 Apr — The government committee for the reception of delegations in the Gaza Strip declared that it has received about 27 solidarity delegations during March 2013. The committee said that about 500 visitors entered the Gaza Strip from various Arab and foreign nationalities in solidarity with the people of Gaza. The delegation included various political and societal segments and not only solidarity activists, where the delegations comprised MPs, diplomats, politicians, doctors, jurists, academics and journalists, the committee’s vice-Chairman added.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Hamas says ’collaborator’ campaign a success
GAZA CITY (AFP) 11 Apr — Hamas claimed success on Thursday in their month-long campaign to encourage people in the Gaza Strip accused of collaborating with Israel to turn themselves in. "The campaign to combat espionage achieved a number of goals, and from this evening the deadline for Israeli collaborators to turn themselves in has ended," said Interior Ministry spokesman Islam Shahwan. "Successes were achieved," he said, adding that the number of people now believed to be working on behalf of Israel was "low." ... "A number of agents turned themselves in," he said, without giving a number and saying only that they would be "dealt with" according to Palestinian law. Under Palestinian law, collaboration with Israel is punishable by death.
link to www.maannews.net

Rights group slams Hamas failure to investigate Gaza deaths
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 11 Apr — Human Rights Watch on Thursday criticized the Hamas government in Gaza’s apparent failure to investigate the murders of seven prisoners accused of collaboration with Israel. The prisoners were publicly killed during two days in November, during Israel’s week-long assault on the enclave. An image of one of the victims being dragged behind a motorcycle through Gaza City quickly became a symbol of the conflict, which killed at least 170 Palestinians. "Hamas’s inability or unwillingness to investigate the brazen murders of seven men makes a mockery of its claims that it’s upholding the rule of law in Gaza," said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW’s Middle East director.
link to www.maannews.net

Egypt detains 4 ’trying to smuggle maps, arms into Gaza’
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma‘an) 10 Apr — Egyptian border guards on Wednesday detained four people suspected of planning to smuggle weapons and blueprints of Egyptian security buildings into the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian security official said.
link to www.maannews.net

110 Palestinian refugees flee Syria to Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 10 Apr — At least 110 Palestinian families have fled Syria to the Gaza Strip, a refugee affairs official in Gaza said Wednesday. Issam al-Adwan, who heads the Hamas government’s refugee affairs department, said a growing number of Palestinian refugees were arriving in Gaza to escape the two-year conflict in Syria. Al-Adwan told Ma‘an that representatives of the families met with officials from the government and from UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. They asked for residence, employment and food aid, al-Adwan said.
link to www.maannews.net

Political developments

Elections commission completes voter registry
RAMALLAH, April 10, 2013 (WAFA) – The Central Elections Commission (CEC) completed the voter registry update conducted between February 11 and 20 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a CEC statement said Wednesday. CEC chairman Hanna Nasser said the registration and data management process is now complete as the CEC now has "an updated and accurate voters list ready for any electoral event." President Mahmoud Abbas said he will issue a decree announcing a date for presidential and legislative elections once the CEC completes its voter registration update.
link to english.wafa.ps

US dismisses speculation over Fayyad resignation
RAMALLAH (AFP) 11 Apr — The United States on Thursday shot down speculation Palestinian Authority premier Salam Fayyad is poised to offer his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas after a dispute between the two. Rumors the US-educated economist would either resign or be told to step down by Abbas have been rife in recent weeks following the high-profile dispute between the pair over the government’s hiring and firing policy. But a senior official at the US State Department poured cold water on the idea, telling reporters he did not believe Fayyad was on the verge of resigning.
link to www.maannews.net

Hamas hails progress of its student bloc in Birzeit elections
GAZA (PIC) 11 Apr — Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the results of the student council’s recent elections at Birzeit university confirm that Hamas is still strong and deep-rooted in the West Bank despite all attempts by its rival Fatah to marginalize it. The Islamic bloc, the student wing of Hamas, won 20 seats against 23 seats for the student bloc of Fatah in the student elections at Birzeit university despite the political suppression which the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority pursues on a daily basis against Hamas and its members and supporters in the West Bank.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Hamas, Fatah officials meet in Cairo
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 11 Apr — Hamas politburo member Mousa Abu Marzouk said Thursday that he met Fatah leader Azzam Ahmad in Cairo and discussed general political issues. Abu Marzouq said the two discussed US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Palestine, the reconciliation process, and the emir of Qatar’s offer to hold a "mini-summit" in Cairo.
link to www.maannews.net

Israeli delegation lands in Cairo for talks
CAIRO (Ma‘an) 11 Apr — Four Israeli security and diplomatic officials arrived in Egypt on Thursday on a private plane from Tel Aviv, a source at Cairo International Airport said. Egyptian intelligence and military officials greeted the Israeli delegation, the airport source told Ma‘an. The officials were expected to discuss the security situation in Sinai and conduct indirect talks with Hamas.
link to www.maannews.net

Canada breaks taboo on East Jerusalem talks
JERUSALEM (AFP) 11 Apr — Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird met an Israeli minister in East Jerusalem this week, deliberately breaking a widely observed diplomatic taboo, an Israeli newspaper reported Thursday. Baird met Justice Minister Tzipi Livni at her office in East Jerusalem, in a move normally avoided by visiting diplomats over concerns it could be seen as legitimizing Israel’s annexation of the city’s eastern sector. An Israeli working for an NGO that focuses on Canada-Israel relations told the Haaretz newspaper that the East Jerusalem meeting was a deliberate move with a political aim. "Baird recognizes the sensitivity but he wants to set a precedent," the source said ...
During his six-day visit to the region, Baird also visited troops in the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan Heights, Syrian territory which Israel annexed in 1981 in another move never recognized by the international community. A senior official at the foreign ministry told Haaretz that the Canadian embassy had advised Baird against both the East Jerusalem meeting and the Golan visit.
Canada is one of Israel’s staunchest allies and was one of the few countries that opposed a successful Palestinian bid for upgraded status at the United Nations late last year.
link to www.maannews.net

Erdogan postpones Gaza visit at Obama’s urging
Ynet 10 Apr — Following meeting with Kerry, Turkish premier announces he’ll visit Gaza after trip to Washington in mid-May, Turkish media reports
link to www.ynetnews.com

Other news

IDF backtracks : Last fallen soldier will be honored in ceremony regardless of Jewish status
Haaretz 11 Apr by Gili Cohen — Fallen Israel Defense Forces soldiers whose Jewish status is in question will no longer be left out of a pre-Memorial Day ceremony, the IDF and Defense Ministry decided Thursday. The decision means that from now on, the IDF chief of staff will place a flag on the grave of the last soldier to be buried in the Mount Herzl military cemetery before the Flags for the Fallen project begins, regardless of whether the soldier is definitively Jewish. If that soldier is not buried in the main section of the cemetery, which is reserved for Jewish soldiers, the chief of staff will also lay a flag on the grave of the Jewish soldier who died most recently.
link to www.haaretz.com

Last of Warsaw ghetto survivors calls for rebellion against Israeli occupation / Richard Silverstein
Tikun Olam 9 Apr — On Yom Ha-Shoah, one of the few remaining living survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto, Chavka Fulman-Raban, delivered a fierce denunciation of evil and injustice, including the Israeli Occupation. Her speech was offered to guests at the ceremony of Beit Lohamey Ha-Getaot (the Ghetto-Fighters House). I’ve translated it based on the speech she uploaded to Facebook : "...Rebel against the Occupation. No — it is forbidden for us to rule over another people, to oppress another [people]. The most important thing is to achieve peace and an end to the cycle of blood[letting]. My generation dreamed of peace. I so want to achieve it. You have the power to help. All my hopes are with you. If only [you could].”
link to www.richardsilverstein.com

Israel cuts funding to extremist seminary over violence
JERUSALEM (AFP) 11 Apr - Israel’s attorney general has backed plans to cut funding to a Jewish seminary in an extremist settlement over violence by its students towards Palestinians and Israeli troops, court documents showed. The decision by Yehuda Weinstein to back education ministry plans to halt the cash flow to the seminary in the hardline Yitzhar settlement was spelled out in a statement to the High Court on Wednesday. In response to a petition by the settlement’s yeshiva or Talmudic seminary against the funding cut, Weinstein wrote that evidence from the security forces showed the "widespread involvement" by Yitzhar students in "very serious and wide-ranging violence against the local Palestinian population and the security forces." In a 19-page statement, he said the violence mostly took place at a time when the students were supposed to studying, and that the rabbis either "turned a blind eye to it or supported it, and were sometimes involved themselves."
link to www.maannews.net

Palestinian citizen of Israel indicted for joining Syria rebels
JERUSALEM (AFP) 10 Apr — A Palestinian citizen of Israel was indicted on Wednesday for contact with an enemy agent after he went to Syria and joined rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar Assad, security officials said. Hikmat Massarwa, from Taibe village in Galilee, was also charged at Lod District Court with undergoing military training and for traveling overseas illegally, the Shin Bet domestic security agency said. Israel is still technically at war with Syria and it is illegal for its citizens to go there. In a statement detailing the reasons for the arrest, the Shin Bet said it viewed the participation of Palestinian citizens of Israel in the Syrian civil war as "a very dangerous phenomenon."
link to www.maannews.net
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