ISM Digest 15/12/07: Intifada anniversary, non-violent demonstrations, settlement protests and more

[ISM Media Group]

ISM Digest 15/12/07: Intifada anniversary, non-violent demonstrations,
settlement protests and more

1. PNGO: Palestinian Delegation Withdraws from Madrid Just Peace Forum
2. Why don't the residents of Sderot ask this question to their
government?
3. On the Twentieth Anniversary of the First Intifada
4. Adalah-NY: Despite NYC Palestinian rights protest, Dershowitz buys
jewelry from settlement mogul Leviev
5. CAIA: Protesting the JNF: Community Groups Oppose Fundraising for
Illegal "Canada Park"
6. Stealing From Children: Azzoun Children's Park Further Threatened
by Impending Demolition
7. Another voice: call for boycott on intifada anniversary
8. 11 Human Rights activists arrested in E-1 Area
9. Ha'aretz: Leftists announce mock power cuts to protest Gaza fuel
slash
10. Apartheid Masked: A Generous Offer to Palestinian Refugees
11. 16 Year Old Boy Seriously Injured by Live Ammunition during
Israeli Army Invasion In Azzoun
12. Three Nonviolent Protests in the West Bank

________________________________________________________________________
1. PNGO: Palestinian Delegation Withdraws from Madrid Just Peace Forum
(Foro Por Una Paz Justa)

December 13th, 2007

Protesting Serious Violations

The Palestinian civil society delegation to the Forum for a Just Peace
in the Middle East (Foro por una Paz Justa en Oriente Proximo),
planned for December 14 to 16 in Madrid, has decided not to
participate in the Forum due to serious last-minute violations.
Coordinators of the delegation, which was to be led by the Palestinian
NGO Network (PNGO), learned last night that due to unprecedented
pressure from the Israeli establishment, a substantial Israeli
delegation (different from the progressive civil society Israeli
delegation led by the Alternative Information Center, AIC, scheduled
to participate in the Forum) was undemocratically and underhandedly
"invited" to participate in the Forum without endorsing the Forum's
Reference Document [1]. This is not only a significant breach of the
key rule of participation; it is a contravention of the express will
of the overwhelming majority of the International Committee, the
decision-making steering committee of the conference.

The International Committee, which includes representatives of PNGO,
AIC, and other key Arab and international civil society networks,
decided as far back as July that any group that wishes to take part in
the Forum must first endorse the Reference Document as a necessary
condition of participation. This Reference Document articulates the
consensus principles agreed upon by the diverse international groups
organizing the Forum, and projects an alternative vision for justice
and peace based on international law and universal human rights. We,
and virtually all of our partners, view the violation of this basic
criterion as an undemocratic, unprofessional and utterly unacceptable
attempt by some to impose governmental will on a distinguished civil
society initiative. Protesting this infringement of democratic
principles and recognizing that it effectively opens the door to the
possibility of imposing an agenda at odds with the Forum's vision,
several of our local and international partners have also decided to
withdraw. These include the Israeli delegation led by AIC, the
Occupied Syrian Golan-Heights delegation, as well as many Arab and
international figures and institutions.

We are deeply disappointed, saddened and surprised by this not-so-
innocently-timed turn of events. We sincerely regret that an otherwise
truly inspiring and democratically-organized initiative advocating
peace based on justice and solidarity between nations has been
hijacked by outside groups that, after failing to influence the
progressive and visionary political platform of the Forum, resorted to
an undemocratic coup to impose their will. Their political agenda
essentially contradicts the basic principle that only peace built on
justice, international law and human rights, as outlined in the
Forum's Reference Document, can be viable, equitable and sustainable.

We deeply appreciate the Spanish civil society organizations' noble
and untiring efforts in organizing this Forum in the most
professional, progressive and inclusive way. They are our partners for
the long haul in the struggle against the forces of occupation, racism
and imperial hegemony. We share with them our aspirations for a just
peace.

http://www.foroporlapaz.org/upload/documentos/D0005-07_Reference_doc_FINAL_EN.pdf
_______________________
2. Why don't the residents of Sderot ask this question to their
government?

December 13th, 2007
By Nick

Can you please stop the collective punishment of 1.5 million
Palestinians in Gaza?

BBC news reported the resignation today of the Mayor of Sderot, Eli
Moyal. Eli Moyal is fed up with the situation and says the Israeli
government is not doing enough to stop the missiles coming from Gaza
nor is it re-enforcing houses in Sderot to protect local residents
from rocket attacks on their homes.

The Israeli government controls all aspects of life in the Gaza strip.
Israel has recently reduced electricity and fuel supplies to Gaza and
threatens to reduce them further. Food and basic supplies are
monitored and prevented from entering and people in need of treatment
are prevented from getting to hospital. The people of Gaza live in a
large prison.

When Israel sends its army into the Gaza strip 'to search for Hams
militants', it often results in civilian deaths. Israel collectively
punishes the citizens of Gaza for the rocket attacks on towns such as
Sderot, but also kills innocent men, women and children, who already
live in a prison, in search of those responsible for firing the
rockets.

The rocket attacks are a response to Israel's brutal treatment of Gaza
residents. If the citizens of Israel were to be treated as the
Palestinians are currently being treated in Gaza they would also be
fighting back as best they could.

The general Israeli public seem happy to allow the collective
punishment of Gaza, and are unwilling to challenge the right-wing
members of their government who care not for how many Palestinians die
as long as they can get their Jewish state.

Local residents in Sderot are not happy. Unlike their fellow Israeli's
living in Tel Aviv they must endure the results of Israel's constant
oppression of the Palestinians.

And rightly the Ex-Mayor of Sderot blames the Israeli government. Eli
Moyal has every right to be upset that rockets are falling down on his
township. But what Eli Moyal has requested, that the government make
an incursion to get those who shoot the rockets and to re-enforce
houses to make them more resistant to rocket attacks, is not going to
stop the rockets being fired upon Sderot.

The collective punishment of Gaza will stop the rockets falling on
Sderot. The killing of innocent civilians will stop the rockets.
Talking to Hamas, who represent over half of the Palestinian people,
will stop the rockets. And no, requesting Gaza militants to stop
firing the rockets before allowing Gazan residents to live like human
beings will not work because Hamas know that if they stop first,
Israel will just keep destroying the lives of 1.5 million Palestinians
in Gaza less any consequences. Israel's treatment of Gaza is wrong;
many members of the international community who don't have vested
interests in the suffering of the Palestinians have said it is wrong.
It must stop.

Eli Moyal should be asking the Israeli government, pleading in fact,
to stop the collective punishment of Gaza. Why do the residents of
Sderot not see the root of the problem and accept that the government
they voted in collectively punishes 1.5 million people and that this
may have consequences in the form of home made rockets.

The next Mayor of Sderot can do something for his township and the
people of Gaza. He can ask the Israeli government to stop practicing
numerous human rights abuses in the Gaza strip. He can ask the Israeli
government to allow Gazans to live as human beings free of fear, which
is created by military incursions, threats to cut electricity, limited
staple goods, not knowing when food is next available, army incursions
and rockets from fighter planes, just as rocket attacks on Sderot
bring fear to its local residents.

The next Mayor of Sderot needs to ask Israel to respect the rights of
1.5 million people in Gaza so 22,000 residents in Sderot can be free
of rocket attacks, which mind you, is something the people of Gaza
also put up, along with so much else.

_______________________
3. On the Twentieth Anniversary of the First Intifada

December 9th, 2007

The first Intifada began in a piecemeal fashion with demonstrations
and civil disobedience sparked by an increasing number of shootings
and human rights abuses by the Israeli occupation. The Intifada marked
an end to passive resistance. The grassroots protests of 1987
escalated into full-blown riots involving much of civil society, from
organizations, union groups to newly created institutions to the
ordinary population who came out in large numbers on to the streets
led by rock-throwing youths.

As the protest movement developed, more sophisticated missiles, such
as the Molotov cocktail, were used and occasional operations by
resistance fighters against the Israeli occupation forces and its
installations were carried out. Israel reacted by killing and
deporting Palestinian residents, closing universities and making mass
arrests. By December 1987 a full-scale uprising had broken out in the
Gaza Strip. It continued for five years.

Inventive tactics

The Intifada (or popular uprising) marked a new era in mass resistance
in Palestine, signaling an end to years of passivity. Lacking the
necessary arms to face the Israeli military, people in the occupied
territories invented their own ways of fighting back. Many young men
took to wearing masks and ambushing the Israeli army with a rain of
stones. One interesting mode of asserting independence was when
Palestinians rejected Israel's daylight-saving time and worked to
their own clock.

Initially the Intifada was led by the Unified National Command, a
loose grouping of Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) bodies.
Later, the PLO incorporated with the command to take credit for
leading the Intifada.

Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement) defied the secular national
movement, especially in Gaza, and sought to take over the leadership
of the Intifada. It saw the new developments as a deliberate
relinquishment of the rights of the Palestinian people. Hamas
continued to carry out field operations against the Israeli forces,
insisting that armed resistance was the only way to win back
Palestinian rights.

The Intifada developed more sophisticated tactics. The military
operations and stone-throwing were backed by a network of well
organized strikes, the boycotting of Israeli goods, closures and
demonstrations.

Refugees' resistance:

The refugee camps became major centers for action. The goals of the
Intifada won broad sympathy from the governments and people of Arab
and Muslim countries, while Arabs in Israel took the side of their
blood brothers.

They considered the Intifada to be a rebirth of the 1976 uprising,
later known as the "day of the land", which saw demonstrations and
strikes in protest against the confiscation of Arab land for use by
Jewish settlers in the north of Israel.

In June 1988, a new way of resistance to back the stone-throwers was
adopted. Palestinian resistance fighters set fire to 500 Israeli
interests over a 27-day period.

Israel had demanded the international community put pressure on the
Intifada leaders to give up armed resistance. Yet, in July 1988 the
Israeli authorities did not prevent a group of Jewish extremists from
digging a new tunnel between the two Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem,
al-Buraq Wall and the al-Aqsa mosque.

Appeal to the people

Muslim clerics, through mosque loudspeakers, appealed to the people to
defend their holy sites. Muslim Arab Palestinians rushed to stop the
digging. The Israeli police forces were brought in leading to bloody
clashes in and around al-Aqsa.

Later, fighting spread throughout Palestine. There were dozens of
Palestinian casualties. A state of emergency was declared, and
Palestinian cities, towns and villages were put under siege. Schools
and universities were closed.

The Intifada carried on throughout the early 1990s. On 9 October 1990
Israeli forces killed 19 Palestinians in clashes with stone-throwers,
and in December 1992, 413 Palestinians were deported to the
inhospitable borders with Lebanon.

As the first Gulf war was underway in 1991, Iraq ceased to be a major
power in the Middle East. The Palestinians felt that they had lost a
substantial backer, and this resulted in rapid developments in the
Arab-Israeli conflict.

The peace process, started in Madrid in 1991, led to secret
negotiations in Oslo, Norway, and by 1993 Arafat recognized Israel's
right to exist and signed a peace agreement. In 1994, the Palestinians
were given limited autonomy in parts of the occupied Palestinian
territories. By that time, tension began to ease and the popular
uprising petered out, amid high hopes for a better future.

According to the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the
Occupied Territories, Bt'selem, 1124 Palestinians lost their lives in
the first Intifada. Some 16,000 were imprisoned and many were
routinely tortured. Fewer than 50 Israeli civilians were killed.

___________________
4. Adalah-NY: Despite NYC Palestinian rights protest, Dershowitz buys
jewelry from settlement mogul Leviev

December 9th, 2007

New York, NY, Dec. 8 - Wealthy Madison Avenue holiday shoppers were
greeted Saturday afternoon by boisterous music and dancing, as 60 New
Yorkers protested in a growing campaign to boycott Israeli diamond
magnate Lev Leviev over his settlement construction in the Israeli-
occupied West Bank. Participants performed a joyous dabke, a
traditional Palestinian dance, and chanted to music from the eight-
piece Rude Mechanical Orchestra. During the protest, Harvard professor
Alan Dershowitz entered LEVIEV New York and emerged to jeers as he
displayed a LEVIEV shopping bag to the crowd.

Saturday's event was the third and largest protest outside LEVIEV New
York since the store's November 13 gala opening. The protesters
highlighted Leviev's abuse of marginalized communities in Palestine,
Angola and New York. In the West Bank companies owned by Leviev have
built homes in at least five Israeli settlements. These settlements
carve the West Bank into disconnected bantustans, seize valuable
Palestinian agricultural and water resources, and isolate Palestinian
East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, rendering the creation
of a viable Palestinian state impossible. All Israeli settlements
violate international law. Yesterday, Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice warned Israel against its plans to build new homes in Har Homa,
one of the settlements where Leviev's company Danya Cebus is building.

Midway through Saturday's protest Alan Dershowitz suddenly appeared in
front of LEVIEV New York. "Just before he entered the store, I told
Mr. Dershowitz, "you claim to be for peace, but you are deliberately
putting money in the pockets of a man who builds settlements and
prevents peace," explained Issa Mikel of Adalah-NY." Dershowitz
responded, 'Thank you for telling me about this place. I'm going to
shop here from now on.' It's not surprising that Dershowitz is proud
to support Israeli settlements, despite their illegality and
immorality. Dershowitz is also a defender of torture, and has proposed
that Israel destroy entire Palestinian villages." As Dershowitz
emerged from the store holding high his LEVIEV shopping bag, he was
met by loud chants of, "Alan, Alan, you can't hide, your support for
Apartheid."

New Yorkers were joined by members of the New Jersey Star dance troupe
for likely the first ever Madison Avenue performance of the
Palestinian folk dance dabke. Riham Barghouti of Adalah-NY explained,
"Our dabke performance at Leviev's store was an affirmation of our
identity as Palestinians, and of our refusal to accept Israel's
efforts to cleanse us from our land and destroy our culture."

Participants were reminded of the breadth of Leviev's abuses when a
stream of cars decorated with Burmese flags and "Free Burma" banners
drove by the protest honking their horns in support. In September,
2007 The Sunday Times in London reported that its undercover
journalist was shown Burmese rubies for sale, allegedly "blood rubies"
used to finance Myanmar's military junta. UPI reported in October that
Leviev was warned by the EU to stop doing business with Myanmar or
face sanctions.

Protesters held signs saying, "Latkes not land theft", and "Dreidels
not demolition and "Candles not confiscation." Ethan Heitner of Adalah-
NY explained, "I can think of no better way to celebrate Hanukah than
to shine a light on the abuses Leviev is committing around the world."

Leviev mines diamonds in close partnership with Angola's repressive
Dos Santos regime, and the security company Leviev employs in Angola
has been accused of serious human rights abuses. In New York City,
Shaya Boymelgreen, Leviev's US partner until this summer, has been the
target of a campaign by local groups for employing underpaid, non-
union workers in hazardous conditions, and violating housing codes to
construct luxury apartments that threaten to displace lower-income
residents.

Protest photos available upon request, email us at:
just...@gmail.com
For more on Adalah-NY: www.mideastjustice.org

________________________
5. CAIA: Protesting the JNF: Community Groups Oppose Fundraising for
Illegal "Canada Park"

December 9th, 2007

On December 2nd, two hundred people from a host of community
organizations braved the first snowstorm of the winter to protest the
Jewish National Fund (JNF) annual Negev Dinner held at the Sheraton
Hotel in downtown Toronto. This year's JNF dinner aimed to raise 7
million dollars for the refurbishment of the illegal "Canada Park".
Protesters denounced fund raising for the park, which is built on the
destroyed Palestinian villages of Beit Nuba, Yallu and Imwas seized
and destroyed by the Israeli military in 1967. The 10,000 Palestinian
residents of these villages were expelled and have been denied the
right to return to their homes for the past 40-years. In 1973, the
Canadian branch of the JNF raised $15-million to establish "Canada
Park" as a 'picnic area' build on top of the destroyed Palestinian
villages.

Protesters welcomed dinner guests with powerful chants denouncing
Israeli Apartheid and large pictures of the destroyed villages that
"Canada Park" has replaced. Representatives of community organizations
spoke against fund raising for Israeli Apartheid. Reena Katz from the
Jewish Women's Committee to End the Occupation (JWCEO) argued that "it
is unconscionable for the JNF of Canada to continue to fund raise for
such a monument to ethnic cleansing and racism." Samir Jabour,
speaking on behalf of Palestine House, added "it is shameful that the
JNF enjoys charitable status in Canada and that such outrages are
subsidized by taxpayers - we are here to demand that the Canadian
state revoke the charitable status of the JNF."

Khaled Mouamar, president of the Canadian Arab Federation stressed in
his speech to the crowd that "according to the Fourth Geneva
Convention, the forcible displacement of people and destruction of
property belonging to those under occupation are war-crimes. Despite
this the JNF of Canada continues with business-as-usual, receiving
Canadian government support." The JNF has obtained charitable status
in Canada by posing as an environmentalist organization, which means
that the Canadian government reimburses a portion of donations made to
the JNF.

The reality is that the JNF is one of the key instruments of Israeli
Apartheid. The zionist movement has always aimed to take control of as
much Palestinian land and as few indigenous Palestinians as possible.
The JNF was established in 1901 to acquire Palestinian land that would
be for Jewish use only. In 1948, the JNF had control of less than 7%
of the land. In that year the state of Israel was created by
ethnically cleansing about 85% of the Palestinians from their homes
and lands. Much of the land that belongs to Palestinian refugees was
deemed 'absentee property' and transferred to the JNF. The rest of the
stolen land was transferred to the Israel Land Authority (ILA). Half
of the board members of the ILA are appointed by the JNF. The JNF
plants trees, (as Israel continues to uproot Palestinian olive
groves), in order to hide the remains of over 500 Palestinian villages
destroyed in and since the Nakba (catastrophe) of 1948.

Significantly, board members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees
in Ontario were present at the picket, including CUPE Ontario
President Sid Ryan. This is consistent with CUPE Ontario's Resolution
50, adopted democratically at the union convention, to educate
membership about the apartheid-like policies of the Israeli state and
to support the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign.

Another inspiring moment of the evening was the announcement of the
new group: High schools Against Israeli Apartheid (HAIA). High school
students were present at the protest carrying beautiful banners with
Naji al Ali's famous Handala to signify that the JNF will not get away
with the theft of refugee property.

The protest was organized by a broad coalition of community groups
including Palestine House, Canadian Arab Federation, Jewish Women's
Committee to End the Occupation (JWCEO), Coalition Against Israeli
Apartheid (CAIA), Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA), Not in
Our Name - Jewish Voices Against Israel's Wars (NION), Yosher-Jewish
Social Justice Network, No One is Illegal, Ontario Coalition Against
Poverty (OCAP), Labour for Palestine, New Socialist Group, Toronto
Coalition to Stop the War, Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians
(ACJC) and Educators for Peace and Justice (EPJ).

Organizing groups will continue the campaign to strip the JNF of its
charitable status in Canada. To help with these efforts contact the
committee at endapa...@riseup.net

___________________
6. Stealing From Children: Azzoun Children's Park Further Threatened
by Impending Demolition

December 8th, 2007

Only a few months from now the entire children's park on the outskirts
of Azzoun will be in ruins, demolished by the Israeli Occupation Force
(IOF). The reason given is the lack of building permit from the
Israeli authorities, even though the park is located on Palestinian
land.

It was in early 2006, when the IOF first razed the children's park,
demolishing it within an hour. The park, just off the road between
Azzoun and Jayous, attracted many children both from Azzoun but also
from the many surrounding villages, being the only of its kind in the
region. The cost of US $200,000 was financed mainly by USAID through
the YMCA, with some money coming from the village of Azzoun. The
justification given by the IOF for the demolition was that the park
lacked a building permit for that specific ground, an area which falls
within Area C, thus under Israeli civil and military control. Building
permits for Area C are notoriously unattainable, applicants are denied
by the Israeli-run Civil Administration, even when building on private
land. The IOF had, prior to the demolition, several times given the
order to stop the building but despite that, the village decided to
continue, strengthened by the knowledge that the building was taking
place on Palestinian land.

On the morning of February 22nd, 2006, bulldozers accompanied by
Israeli soldiers arrived and demolished half of the park - which
consisted of two swimming pools and changing rooms. The park had been
near completion, after 18 months of building work.

Almost one year later, that part of the park is still in ruins. The
other half of the park, consisting of a large playground and an
amphitheater, for the time remains untouched, but looks to meet the
same fate soon enough. Approximately one year ago, the Azzoun
municipality received a notice informing them that the remaining area
of the park was to be demolished. The pretext is the same - without a
building permit they are illegal structures. Upon applying for a
building permit, the Azzoun municipality was told that they could
build on land on the other side of the hill, an expensive and
inconvenient proposition. The park area in question is currently in a
location accessible to many.

The question now remains whether the planned demolition of the second
area of the park can be stopped. An Israeli lawyer is working together
with the Azzoun municipality on the case, and has succeeded in getting
the demolition postponed until March 15th, 2008. She is now planning
to take the case to the Supreme Court, in the hopes of overturning the
IOF imposition of an illogical and inaccessible building permit, a
barrier which in this case is serving as a barrier to children's
recreation. Particularly in a region suffering from Israeli military
invasions, road closures, town curfews, and the losses that come with
Israel's Apartheid Wall, a children's park was a fragment of hope in
very dire circumstances.

---------------------
7. Another voice: call for boycott on intifada anniversary

On December 9th, 2007, the twentieth anniversary of the first
intifada, we call for a general boycott of Israeli products.

Israel's income from Palestine is estimated at 3 billion dollars
annually. When anyone purchases Israeli products, they are funding the
occupation of our land. They are funding bullets, weapons, tanks, and
fighter planes which are being used to kill our family and countrymen.
They are funding bulldozers to uproot the trees of our ancestors and
demolish our relatives' homes. The soldiers manning the checkpoints
are kept warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and well fed year
round, with every purchase of an Israeli product.

Israel has a stranglehold over our economy which allows it to punish
us whenever it wants by cutting off our access to essentials, as they
are doing to our brothers and sisters in the Gaza Strip. Yet, despite
the overwhelming odds, we must continue to resist and take action.

Boycotting during the first intifada was an essential component in the
collective effort to end the occupation. People tried not to buy
Israeli products but, instead, to contribute to the development of a
national economy. Cooperatives sprung up to cover the shortages
created by the boycott of Israeli products. People reclaimed lots and
planted them, raised livestock, looked locally within their
communities for alternatives to raw Israeli materials. This was part
of civil disobedience against the civil administration, directed by
local popular committees together with the political direction
formulated by the Unified National Leadership.

Our call for a day of boycott is in remembrance of what once was, and
what could resume today. We are all children and parents of the
intifada. Every single one of us has a role to play in the struggle
for our freedom. So, to commemorate the spark that awoke the world to
our plight; to recall the spirit of our collective resistance; and to
affirm the power that people have to make change, we call on everyone
to refrain from buying any Israeli products on December 9th.

Resist! Boycott! We Are Intifada!
For more information, contact:
Huwaida Arraf: 0599-130-426
Saleh Hijazi: 0599-776-894
Web: www.anothervoice-palestine.org
E-mail: in...@anothervoice-palestine.org

-----------------------
8. Action update. 11 Human Rights activists arrested in E-1 Area.

December 8th, 2007

**UPDATE** As of 6:00 pm all of those arrested have been released. But
the conditions of their release reveal the apartheid nature of the
Israeli courts system. The Israelis and internationals arrested have
only been made to sign conditions, the Palestinians alone are forced
to go to court. We will see what happens tomorrow when settlers try to
establish themselves in the E-1 area, as well as in seven other areas
across the West Bank. Will they be forced out as soon, and with as
much force as these activists did today?

Three Palestinians, five Israelis, and three international (Swedish)
activists were forcibly evicted from a Palestinian house and arrested
today in the E-1 area. They have now been taken to Ma'ale Adumim
police station. Early this morning Palestinians built a house in the
controversial E-1 area. Palestinians are routinely denied permits to
build on their own land, and homes that have been built are
demolished. The Human Rights activists stayed inside for a few hours
before a large police and army presence evicted them through use of
force.

The E-1, or East-1 area, is between Ma'ale Adumim and Jerusalem, on
lands from nearby Palestinian villages. The Israeli government plans
to build a settlement of 3,500 apartments and an industrial park in
this area. This will effectively connect the Ma'ale Adumim settlement
with Occupied East Jerusalem, dividing the West Bank in two while
separating Jerusalem from all of it. In addition land has recently
been confiscated to build a road to connect the two Palestinian
enclaves that will be created on both sides of the "settlement bloc".

On September 24th, the Israeli army confiscated 1,100 dunums of
Palestinian land to provide 'transportation contiguity' by building a
Palestinian-only road through the E1 area. The settlement blocs will
be annexed to Israel with territorial contiguity, while Palestinians
must settle for a collection of tunnels and bridges that will allow
them to drive between the separate enclaves of the West Bank. These
Apartheid roads will be controlled by Israel for security reasons, and
will further divide the future 'viable' Palestinian state on more
confiscated lands.

This Palestinian family is not the only one to be forced to leave
their homes. The 2,700 strong Jahalin Bedouin community is also being
driven out of the land they have lived on as refugees since they were
forced to leave the Negev desert after the Nakba. Israel plans to
displace the Bedouin onto lands belonging to the adjacent Palestinian
villages. In some cases in the past, the Bedouin were forcibly
displaced onto private properties belonging to the residents of these
communities.

For more information please contact:
0545573285 or 0547847942

-----------------------
9. Ha'aretz: Leftists announce mock power cuts to protest Gaza fuel
slash

December 7th

By: Yigal Hai

Residents of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were surprised Thursday morning to
find on the doors to their homes mock notices announcing that the flow
of electricity to the two cities would be cut off next week.

The 10,000 or so fake notices were posted across both cities by some
70 left-wing activists in response to the government's decision to
reduce the supply of fuel to the Gaza Strip, and its plan to cut power
flow in the near future.

The High Court of Justice on Sunday ordered the state to delay its
reduction of power supplies to the Gaza Strip by at least one week,
pending a full presentation detailing the proposed operation.

The justices upheld the state's plan to reduce fuel transfers to the
Strip, as long as the humanitarian needs of Gaza's residents were
given primary consideration.

The notices posted Thursday by the activists read: "We wish to inform
you that there will be a wave of cessation and severance of
electricity. We have no choice but to cut off power and we are forced
to do it because in your cities reside the commanders of an army that
harms civilians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip."

"For humanitarian reasons, the cessation of electricity will not be
permanent and should leave you to consider: should the flow allotted
be directed to hospitals, water systems, sewers or private homes. We
apologize for the temporary inconvenience this might cause you and
emphasize that this is a necessary defense move," read the notices.

According to the activists, the notices were hung to draw attention to
the government's "arbitrary" decision to cut fuel and power from the
civilian Palestinian population.

"There is no legitimacy for the collective punishment on civilians. We
are talking about a move that even the army has admitted has no chance
of stopping Qassam fire on Sderot."

"Through this activity we are interested in raising the awareness of
Israeli citizens to the arbitrariness of these offensive moves and to
try to create solidarity with the plight of civilians in Gaza," said
the activists.

-------------------------
10. Apartheid Masked: A Generous Offer to Palestinian Refugees

By Neta Golan

Anyone familiar with Israeli politics, was not surprised that Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert did not acknowledge Israel's occupation in
his speech at Annapolis. What was surprising was, that, short of
mentioning the "R" word- refugees, Olmert acknowledged the Palestinian
refugee problem.

Referring to the Palestinians Olmert stated: "your people, too, have
suffered for many years; and there are some who still suffer. Many
Palestinians have been living for decades in camps, disconnected from
the environment in which they grew up, wallowing in poverty, in
neglect, alienation, bitterness, and a deep, unrelenting sense of
humiliation."

Olmert's characterization of the refugees is partial. Poverty, neglect
and alienation are only one component of the refugee experience. There
are other components, such as community, pride, generosity, and
perseverance. This one-dimensional characterization suits Olmert's
conception of a solution, it casts refugees as objects that will be
acted upon (once again), rather than subjects who can genuinely
participate in finding a solution. A recent article in the Israeli
newspaper Ha'aretz Daily titled "Refugees and Jerusalem: A question of
money" Sheds light on the workings behind Olmert's statements.

According to Israeli Historian Benny Morris "In the months of April-
May 1948, units of the Haganah [the pre-state defense force that was
to become the IDF] were given operational orders that stated
explicitly that they were to uproot the villagers, expel them and
destroy the villages themselves." Yet Olmert presented the refugee
issue as a humanitarian problem, not unlike one caused by a natural
disaster, saying that "Israel will be part of an international
mechanism that will assist in finding a solution to this problem".

The solution Olmert suggests is: "an international effort, in which we
(Israel) will participate, to assist these Palestinians in finding a
proper framework for their future, in the Palestinian state that will
be established in the territories agreed upon between us." The
suggestion that the refugees do not have the choice to return to the
lands from which they were expelled but instead "return" to a future
Palestinian state, is contrary to international humanitarian law, and
to UN resolution 194 that "Resolves that the refugees wishing to
return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should
be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date". Despite this,
U.S President George Bush promised Ariel Sharon in a letter on the
14Th of April 2004: "...an agreed, just, fair and realistic framework
for a solution to the Palestinian refugee issue as part of any final
status agreement will need to be found through the establishment of a
Palestinian state, and the settling of Palestinian refugees there,
rather than in Israel." The promises were subsequently ratified by
both the United States House and Senate. Olmert referred to this
letter in his Annapolis statement as a departure point for the
negotiations.

According to Ha'aretz The Aix Group, "a semi-official political-
economic backchannel" AIX group members, who include Israeli,
Palestinian and International economic experts, academics, members of
economic organizations, and officials from international institutions,
including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the
European Union, submitted a document to the Israeli team preparing
Olmert's Annapolis statement.

The document opens with a declaration of principles that "an agreed
and just long-term solution to the problem of the 1948 refugees must
be based on the relevant United Nations resolutions, including General
Assembly Resolution 194″ but then nullifies that statement by saying
that: "while recognizing that a literal application of this Resolution
is no longer possible given the substantial changes on the ground".
The document then describes an arrangement that would substitute the
U.N. resolution which they have deemed no longer applicable. As
stated, "The parties would agree that the measures recommended in the
paper implement Resolution 194."

The reference to "substantial changes on the ground" as an obstacle
that render the UN resolution inapplicable, perpetuate the myth that
physical or material obstacles render return impossible. According to
Salman Abu Sitta an expert on the Palestinian refugee issue "90% of
the village sites are still vacant, 7% are partially built-over, and
only 3% are totally built over in Tel Aviv and West Jerusalem." A hint
to what the real obstacle may be lies in Ha'aretz corespondent Akiva
Eldar's statement "The Aix Group is convinced that if bold steps are
not taken in the right direction, the vision of one state for two
peoples, based on joint citizenship and equality before the law, will
be placed on the agenda."

The group suggests an international committee of experts would
determine what constituted "fair and full" compensation for property
claims. They estimate that the total cost of these claims will be
between $15 billion and $30 billion." According to Ha'aretz this and
more money can be attained in a period spread out over 10 years and
with extensive, generous international aid. In its proposal the group
suggests that in cases in which "fair and full compensation" is
offered "restitution" (the right of return) will not be considered.
This formulation turns the basic principle set in the UN Principles on
Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons on
end. The principles clearly notes that restitution is the primary
remedy and compensation only comes into play if refugees themselves
choose compensation or if restitution is factually not possible as
determined by an independent tribunal. They suggest that refugees will
be sponsored financially to relocate to countries that would chose to
accept them or be rehabilitated in their current county of residence.
They also suggest that a fund be created from which every refugee
receive 4000$ each for what the group calls refugeehood.

Under international humanitarian law the rights of refugees to return
to their homes like all human rights it is invaluable and cannot be
bought. Under Israel and Bush's "solution" Palestinian refugee
families which had been expelled from what is now Israel would be
consigned to return, not to their homes, but to small, non-contiguous
parts of less than 22% of their original homeland. Jews from anywhere
in the world, on the other hand, would be free to "return" to more
than 78% of historic Palestine, frequently to live on land seized from
those same Palestinian refugees. Such clear discrimination against
Palestinian refugees and privileging of Jews from anywhere in the
world illustrates clearly that these proposals would further an
separate but unequal solution that cannot result in peace.

---------------------------
11. Sixteen Year Old Boy Seriously Injured by live ammunition during
Israeli Army Invasion In Azzoun

December 2nd, 2007

On Tuesday November 27th, at approximately 3 pm, 16 year old Mohammed
Fathi Asad Swedan was on his way to visit his grandmother when he was
shot by live ammunition by the Israeli army. One bullet struck him in
the left side of his chest, heading down through his stomach before
finally lodging in his spleen, on the right side of his body. He had
been standing outside of his grandmother's house in Azzoun, talking
with his cousin, and unaware of the presence of soldiers until he was
shot at. Given the angle from which the bullet entered his upper body,
the conclusion can be drawn that the soldier who shot him fired from
the rooftops above. Residents report that just prior to the shooting
some children had been throwing stones in that same area but then ran
to hide.

After five days Mohammed is still hospitalized in Qalqilya, and will
then need at least one year of physiotherapy to fully recover. About
seven months ago, Israeli soldiers arrested him from his home, looking
for children throwing stones and accusing him of participating.
Soldiers held him for four hours while beating him then dropped him by
the gate of an Israeli settlement.

In addition to Mohammed, three other teenage boys were hit by Israeli
army bullets that same day. Two of the incidents occurred in the same
area as where Mohammed was shot. Fortunately, these two youths were
luckier, as the bullets first hit the wall behind them before
shattering and ricocheting into them. One of the boys, 13 year old
Amjad Nedal Mahmood Mishill, was on his way home from school with his
brother when he was struck by a bullet fragment in the upper part of
his right leg. Like Mohammed, Amjad also did not see the soldiers that
shot him. The bullet left a large hole in his leg, resulting in the
need to spend two days in the hospital in Qalqilya. Due to the open-
wound nature of his injury, and the time needed for it to heal
properly, it is very likely that Amjad will not be able to go to
school again until next semester (February 2008).

Since the injuries of the two boys were caused by the Israeli army,
the hospital is paying for the expenses of the surgeries and hospital
treatment, but the families have to take care of all other costs.
These costs, such as doctor's treatment at home and the long
physiotherapy needed can be very hard for a Palestinian family to
cover.

According to both international human right laws and Israeli military
law, it is absolutely forbidden for soldiers to shoot with live
ammunition unless their lives are being threatened. Situations such as
the throwing of stones by children are not considered as "life
threatening," and thus live ammunition is not legally allowed to be
used. IOF soldiers invading Azzoun have repeatedly breached
international law in firing live ammunition against unarmed civilians
and innocent bystanders.

-------------------------------
12. Three Nonviolent Protests in the West Bank

Nov. 30

Palestinian villagers protest on Road-443, Israel prevent them from
using it. Residents of a number of villages in the Ramallah area
organized a protest joined by a number of International and Israeli
peace activists at Highway 443, on Friday after the noon prayer.

Protesters carried anti-racism signs and Palestinian flags, and
demanded that the Israeli authorities allow them to use this road that
passes through the villagers' land. Troops installed barbed wire in an
attempt to prevent the protesters from reaching the highway. However,
the villagers insisted and managed to reach the road. Troops fired
several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at the
protesters, however no injuries were reported. For seven years in a
row, Israel prohibits Palestinians from using this 200-mile road which
is built on the land of Palestinian villages, and allows only Jewish
settlers to use it.

Six wounded, five detained in Bil'in's Anti-wall protest

Residents of the village of Bil'in near the West Bank city of Ramallah
organized their weekly Anti-Wall nonviolent protest this Friday, and
were joined by a number of international and Israeli peace activists.

Protesters marched through the village carrying banners demanding the
dismantling of the wall and calling for national unity. Israeli troops
intercepted the protest and prevented them from reaching the
construction site of the wall by installing additional layers of
barbed wire.

As the protesters approached the wire, troops showered them with tear
gas and rubber-coated-steel bullets. Dozens were treated for gas
inhalation, while five were wounded by the rubber bullets. The five
were identified as, Nasser, Adeeb, Rateb and Ayed Abu Rahme from Bilin
and Yanni from Israel.

Adeeb Abu Rahme, was struck in the head by a police baton, resulting
in a wound that required stitches. Five including two American
protesters, two Palestinians and an Israeli protester were detained by
the soldiers. Another international, who was not detained, was struck
in the temple by a rubber bullet, which left him disoriented.
Meanwhile, troops assaulted and arrested an Israeli journalist
identified as David. They released him and all the other detainees an
hour later.

Israeli army attacks a peaceful demonstration in a Bethlehem village
Dozens of residents of al Me'sarah village near the southern West Bank
city of Bethlehem were joined by a group of Israeli and International
peace activists on Friday at noon to protest the confiscation of their
land. The Israeli army installed road blocks to prevent the peace
activists from reaching the village.

The protesters marched to the lands that will be annexed for the
expansion of a nearby settlement and the construction of the
Separation Wall. After the Friday prayers some protesters delivered
speeches in Arabic and English stressing the need to resist the land
confiscation labeling it as "land theft."The Israeli troops who were
at the scene attacked the demonstrators and prevented them from
reaching the settlement road known as road 60. One resident identified
as Bassam Ibrahim, 22, suffered light injuries.