Palestinian World

Call for World Social Forum Free Palestine, Nov. 2012 in Brazil

2012-01-30T10:39:00.000-08:00

Last week, the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) issued an international call for the World Social Forum Free Palestine, scheduled to take place in November 2012 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. In an email message to solidarity groups publicizing the call, the BNC wrote:

This is a unique opportunity, challenge and responsibility for all of us. This potentially game changing forum will bring together the entirety of the international solidarity movement and allow us to show our strength, celebrate our successes and plan for more. We're very excited about the opportunities it presents for the solidarity movement in general and for the BDS movement in particular.

The BNC's call can be read in full below. Please share widely!!!

Call for the World Social Forum Free Palestine, Nov. 2012 in Brazil

Posted on January 19, 2012 by StopTheWall Campaign

Occupied Palestine is part of every free heartbeat in this world and her cause continues to inspire solidarity across the globe. The World Social Forum Free Palestine is an expression of the human instinct to unite for justice and freedom and an echo of the World Social Forum’s opposition to neo-liberal hegemony, colonialism, and racism through struggles for social, political and economic alternatives to promote justice, equality, and the sovereignty of peoples.

The WSF Free Palestine will be a global encounter of broad-based popular and civil society mobilizations from around the world. It aims to:

1. Show the strength of solidarity with the calls of the Palestinian people and the diversity of initiatives and actions aimed at promoting justice and peace in the region.

2. Create effective actions to ensure Palestinian self-determination, the creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the fulfillment of human rights and international law, by:

a) Ending Israeli occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;

b) Ensuring the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and

c) Implementing, protecting, and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.

3. Be a space for discussion, exchange of ideas, strategizing, and planning in order to improve the structure of solidarity.

Exactly sixty-five years after Brazil presided over the UN General Assembly session that agreed upon the partition of Palestine, Brazil will host a different type of global forum: an historic opportunity for people from all over the world to stand up where governments have failed. The world’s people will come together to discuss new visions and effective actions to contribute to justice and peace in the region.

We call on all organizations, movements, networks, and unions across the globe to join the WSF Free Palestine in November 2012 in Porto Alegre. We ask you to join the International Committee for the WSF Free Palestine, we will establish as soon as possible. Participation in this forum will structurally strengthen solidarity with Palestine, promote action to implement Palestinian’s legitimate rights, and hold Israel and its allies accountable to international law.

Together we can raise global solidarity with Palestine to a new level.

Palestinian Preparatory Committee for the WSF Free Palestine 2012

Secretariat members:

· PNGO – Palestinian NGO Network

· Stop the Wall – Palestinian grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign,

· OPGAI – Occupied Palestinian Golan Heights Advocacy Initiative

· Alternatives represented by:

Alternative Information Center,

Teacher Creativity Center

· Ittijah

· General Union of Palestinian women

Coordination office:

PNGO – Palestinian NGO Network

Tel: +970 2 2975320/1

Fax: +970 2 2950704

E mail: samahd@pngo.net

SEE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE...

Take Action: Pro-BDS Op-Ed Needs Letters to Editor

2012-01-30T10:00:00.000-08:00

US Campaign member group WRITE! for Justice, Human Rights, and International Law in Palestine issued the following action alert yesterday. Please respond by writing a letter to the Philadelphia Inquirer in support of Ali Abunimah's op-ed promoting boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS).

***

Today, The Philadelphia Inquirer has courageously published a pro-BDS piece by Ali Abunimah 'Aim to promote human rights of the Palestinians' (1/29) in the Sunday newspaper opposite a piece by R. James Woolsey and Jonathan Schanzer 'Anti-Israeli agenda expected at Penn conference.' In his op-ed Abunimah lays out a principled case for BDS and the upcoming conference at the University of Pennsylvania (February 3-5), "we are coming together to push forward an inclusive movement that supports nonviolent action to promote the human rights of the Palestinian people, because only full respect for these rights can lead to peace." Abunimah continues, "Modeled explicitly on the tactics used to help end apartheid in South Africa, Palestinians urge that Israel be sanctioned until it respects Palestinian rights and international law in three specific ways: an end to the occupation of all Palestinian lands seized by Israel in 1967; full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel; and full respect for the rights of Palestinian refugees."

In contrast, the Woolsey (former CIA director) and Schanzer op-ed contains the standard misdirection, spin, and propaganda talking points that is so typical of the 'Foundation for Defense of Democracies.'

Please WRITE! your letter of support to the Philadelphia Inquirer Inquirer.Letters@phillynews.com. The point and counter-point op-eds, along with the upcoming BDS conference, provide a unique opportunity to put the issue of the principled BDS campaign before the American public. Your help is crucial in thoughtful online responses and letters to the editor. Letters should be kept under 200 words and be sure to include your name, address, and phone number for verification purposes.

For further information

R. James Woolsey and Jonathan Schanzer -- Anti-Israeli agenda expected at Penn conference
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20120129_Anti-Israeli_agenda_expected_at_Penn_conference.html

Human Rights Watch: World Report 2012 -- Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories
http://www.hrw.org/world-report-2012/world-report-2012-israeloccupied-palestinian-territories

OCHA: Monthly Humanitarian Monitor - December 2011
http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_the_humanitarian_monitor_2012_01_19_english.pdf

ICAHD Report: The Judaization of Palestine -- 2011 Displacement Trends
http://www.scribd.com/iepshtain/d/78666859-The-Judaization-of-Palestine-2011-Displacement-Trends

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Aim to promote human rights of the Palestinians

By Ali Abunimah

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20120129_Aim_to_promote_human_rights_of_the_Palestinians_.html

I am coming to the University of Pennsylvania this week to incite violence against the State of Israel - pro-Israel groups and commentators have contended - and, along with hundreds of students and other speakers who will attend the 2012 National Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Conference, to engage in an "act of warfare."

Nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, we are coming together to push forward an inclusive movement that supports nonviolent action to promote the human rights of the Palestinian people, because only full respect for these rights can lead to peace. Today, millions of Palestinians live without basic rights under Israeli rule. This intolerable situation is at the root of problems that affect the whole world.

People everywhere, whether they consider themselves "pro-Israel" or "pro-Palestinian" or both, want to see justice and peace. Yet, in recent years, the U.S.-brokered peace process has seen failure after failure.

Amid election-year politics, President Obama and his Republican rivals are pledging ever more unconditional support for Israel, even as Israel openly flouts U.N. resolutions and U.S. policy by building Jewish-only settlements on Palestinian land and depriving Palestinians of their rights, including hundreds of children who languish in Israeli military prisons.

There's no chance that the United States will use the billions of dollars it gives Israel in aid as leverage to compel an end to these practices and respect for Palestinian rights. So should we just give up?

The answer from Palestinian civil society is a clear "no." All of us can play a role in ending this terrible situation and securing equal rights for Palestinians rather than superior rights for Jewish Israelis.

In 2004, the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands, ruled that the wall Israel built across Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank was illegal and was aimed at confiscating more land. Frustrated by the inaction of governments, 170 Palestinian civil society organizations, including labor unions, student groups, and cultural and social organizations, came together to issue the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) on Israel in 2005.

Modeled explicitly on the tactics used to help end apartheid in South Africa, Palestinians urge that Israel be sanctioned until it respects Palestinian rights and international law in three specific ways: an end to the occupation of all Palestinian lands seized by Israel in 1967; full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel; and full respect for the rights of Palestinian refugees.

This call doesn't prescribe a specific political solution - for example, a single democratic state, or a two-state solution - but it recognizes that full rights have to be at the core of any resolution. And implementing these rights does not threaten any legitimate rights of Israelis, unless one considers discrimination against Palestinians simply because they are not Jews to be a "right." In just the same way, granting full legal and political rights to African Americans in the United States did not threaten any legitimate rights of white citizens.

The all-too-frequent claim that the BDS goal is to "destroy Israel" or "incite violence" - rather than win rights - or that it is motivated by "anti-Semitism," is just as offensive and simplistic as saying that participants in the Montgomery bus boycott wanted to "destroy Alabama" and simply "hated white people."

And just like that celebrated bus boycott, BDS is not an end in itself; it is a tactic designed to bring about change. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote in support of a divestment effort on behalf of Palestinian rights, "We could not have won our freedom in South Africa without the solidarity of people around the world who adopted nonviolent methods to pressure governments and corporations to end their support for the apartheid regime. Faith-based groups, unions, students, and consumers organized on a grassroots level and catalyzed a global wave of divestment, ultimately contributing to the collapse of apartheid."

But let us remember that in the 1980s, not everyone supported sanctions on South Africa. President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were strongly opposed to sanctions and insisted on "constructive dialogue" that went nowhere, just like the U.S.-brokered Middle East peace process. What helped turn the tide in the United States was a young member of Congress who broke ranks with Reagan to support boycott and sanctions on the apartheid regime. His name was Newt Gingrich.

Tragically, Gingrich today notoriously contends that the Palestinians are an "invented people" - a way of suggesting they have no rights, and certainly no claim to the land they've tended since long before Israel existed.

As the growth of such extremist rhetoric diminishes the chances for a constructive U.S. role, it is all the more important that we as citizens take action. That's what our conference is about, and everyone who shares a belief in human equality is welcome to attend.

Ali Abunimah is the author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. The BDS conference is scheduled for Friday to Sunday at the University of Pennsylvania. To attend Ali Abunimah's keynote address at 7 p.m. Saturday, visit http://pennbds.org. Admission is free to members of the Penn community; $5 for others.

http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/

Hands Not Bombs: From the cave of your invented neighbors

2012-01-17T13:03:00.000-08:00

The following was written by former US Campaign intern Tamara Masri. It appeared yesterday (Martin Luther King, Jr., Day) on 972mag.com.

“Dare to look for the handprints, dare to acknowledge the humanity of an invented people.” A Palestinian-American student, writer and activist takes a journey of discovery, in an essay inspired by the culture and literature of liberation, an ancient symbol, and a prehistoric cranium.

The author against a mural she painted on the separation wall.
"Do not take the sun out of my palm," it reads.

By Tamara Masri

January 16, 2012

+972 Blog

Skulls of early man flashed across the screen. Dr. Bailey looked at no notes as he described the anatomical features of the ancient cranium. “Female Neanderthal found in Mt. Taboun, Israel”.. For the first time in my Biological Anthropology class, I felt a small jolt in my gut. Until that moment, the babble and jargon revolving around some chick named Lucy had flooded my head with a kind of collegiate wonder. Like the unfamiliar New England snow, the names given to the various early stages of man wafted around and settled within me. The exact location of the Garden of Eden no longer seemed to matter. Though every concept Dr. Bailey spoke was completely foreign to me, it was not the word Neanderthal that had gotten my attention. It was the fact that I had never heard of a place called Mt. Taboun. For Dr. Bailey, the name of the site might have been as dry as the bones unearthed there. But for me the word hung in the air like a piece of ripe fruit, forbidden fruit, and the Mitochondrial Eve within me was reaching for it. Forbidden, that is, for a Palestinian.

Dr. Bailey continued, now speaking of cave paintings found around the world. He was explaining how early man pressed their palms against cave walls; blowing red ochre around the outline of their hands. He raised his own hand slowly, revealing an open palm. “Hands. Why have we always been so fascinated by them?” Long after class ended the question lingered in my mind, a feather floating on a red ochre breeze.

Now I see hands everywhere. On bathroom stalls, imprinted in cement, worn as amulets, the once unnoticed shape now follows me. And I wonder, why hands, indeed? The figurative hands of past literary greats are imprinted on my memory as well. Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish once wrote, “Don’t leave the palm of my hand without the sun.” During elementary school, those elusive Arabic words rolled on my tongue, heavy with syllables but lost in meaning. Other symbols I knew well: keys, the sea, Jaffa oranges. Those are the symbols that are etched into every psyche identified as Palestinian. While the land dwindles with each passing year, those are nostalgic symbols of loss that have never failed to be passed down to the next generation—our negative inheritance.

But for hands, the connotation has never been clear. The symbols of loss we carry around with us, sometimes emerging in the midst of controlled and intellectual New England conversation. Those symbols introduce an uncomfortable tide that shifts the once placid conversation into the uncharted waters of “politics”. Friends at school come back from their Birthright trips; conversation is pleasant when they speak of the deep blue of the Mediterranean. I think of how in Palestine, my friends call it the “white sea”. And for the life of me, I don’t know why. Perhaps because when you stand on a rooftop, balance on your tiptoes, and the haze has cleared… you can see a white glimmer. That’s the only way they’ve ever seen that water. But in Birthright pictures, the sea is a deep blue. I begin to speak of our white mirage of a sea, and I see the straining tide tugging at the corners of their bright faces. Politics. I give a tight smile and swallow the symbols. Can I blame them? The Palestinians are just one uncomfortable paradox that doesn’t fit into their newly discovered Jewish “Narnia”.

The next picture: An innocuous camel ride, a boy helps them climb on to the spitting beast’s back. Their bright faces are the dots of exclamation points. How exciting, foreign, authentic! But my friends don’t even know the best of it: it is all already theirs. Their paradox now pulls at the fringes of my smile: an exotic welcome home in a land in which that boy helping them has no place. He wears the familiar tight smile, a chapped crescent moon carved into dark skies of his skin. The silent smile of submission.

This camel, this ride, this land…it’s their birthright, their Manifest Destiny, not his. I’ve seen him and those rides times before. The stage is set: American teenager and camel in center, the boy edging to the picture’s frame. Another photograph snapped, another album of legitimacy complete. Later it will be posted on Facebook, or perhaps even developed, anything to build the sentimental bedrock of the newfound homeland. My friends move onto the next room of this new house of a country, we awkwardly stand between their frames. Place a golden Israeli coin into our dirt-caked palms, and we stand a little further. The faux sun that has pacified the oppressed, unprivileged, and unwanted—my people— for 63 years. No different than the colonized the revolutionary writer Frantz Fanon once described; we are the wretched of the earth.

When arriving in Israel last week, I handed the soldier my American passport. The passport is the only reason I can use that airport. The soldier is a girl my age, a gun strapped around her shoulder; I smile tightly as I hand her the booklet. Every time I do this I hope she doesn’t open it. It is because of my American passport that I know that the Mediterranean Sea isn’t white, but blue. I want her to see the rolling blue waves of my star-spangled passport. I want her to see the white of my colonial skin. But she does not look at me as she opens the booklet, and suddenly she sees something in the fine print: the red that flows in my veins. “The middle name. Eman. It’s Arabic for what?” She doesn’t believe the lie that my parents would name me after David Bowie’s wife. I scramble trying to explain that I carry only an American passport. I am red, white and blue. She only raises her hand, “Stop talking. A Palestinian is a Palestinian.” And I am sent into a room for interrogation. With every question, the image of her hand – that primitive outline of what makes us all human – kept flashing. Driving home I hand over my passport at each military checkpoint for inspection, now freshly scarred with yet another short-term visa. Being the persistent visitor who can’t seem to get enough of the Israeli State is my only fragile connection to home.

Hands continue to emerge in places where I least expect them. I walk through the streets of Jerusalem, and only now do I notice the hand talisman hanging on the walls of old Palestinians homes in Jerusalem. An Israeli girl walks by, a hand amulet glitters on her neck. Hamseh in Hebrew, Khamsah in Arabic – the hand signifies protection. The irony is blatant. A sole symbol of semblance amongst the two peoples, adorned as protection against the wrath of the other.

The hand itself is such a versatile appendage, completely at the will of the mind’s great machinery. The symbolism of the hand appears to be just as boundless and malleable. Perhaps those hands did not emerge cosmically, but rather I finally chose to see them. I read a poet’s verse and adopt the universal symbol of the human hand as our own. It’s a vain and naïve attempt of just another kid trying to find “meaning.” But that’s what a forgotten people do. We collect the detritus of our ancestors; mold them into ornaments to adorn the colorful, crumbling inner cathedrals of our intricate and fragile identities. And so I hunt—in search of that symbol that can’t be taken.

Now more than ever I have visions of running up to that girl in the cubicle, pressing my hand against the glass that separates us. I want her to look at that hand, at something she can’t take away from me. I want to tell her that we are just a people of hands—not carrying bombs but suns within our palms. It is not the red of blood she sees but the red of ancient ochre outlining my handprint. The symbol is a primal bond far older than our teenage selves, far older than this conflict and all the visceral bitterness that has set us so far apart. Though we may emphasize the unique intricacies of those scars in our palms, holistically our hands are the same. I want her to not only see, but to believe in our equality.

But I did none of that as I returned to the masses of the oppressed and tired prisoners. People were killed during the non-violent demonstrations commemorating Al-Nakba, referring to the Palestinian Diaspora. When I heard my cousin was injured, I sent him a message to which he replied, “Everything is fine.” He did not mention that he may be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. An Israeli asked me if he regretted his “mistake”.

After those words sank in, I spent the next month making mistakes in the village of Bil’in.

Every week for the past six years the people of Bil’in and many Israeli supporters protest the separation wall. I went, hoping that clouds of burning tear gas would fill the void of helplessness. Through the haze and chaos, I saw a man in a wheelchair heaving himself up a hill against a crowd of running protesters – toward the gas, bullets, soldiers, wall. I did not know how he could withstand the physical pain, all I could see was his relentless battle to photograph the injustice he was forced to swallow as the law of his life. When I spoke to Rani Burnat he replied in hushed, gentle whispers. A quiet disposition radically contrasts to the image of a man hurling himself and the mechanism that binds him towards the grey fumes of chemicals. Every week more images, more characters, more stories burn within me. A boy once ran between the recovering protesters, yelping with joy. He carried a strange electrical box wrapped in loose wires like a trophy. Someone told me that he had dissembled a security device from the wall itself. He ran ahead of the crowd, up the hill toward the soldiers. He moved swiftly through the smoke, eventually throwing the device over the fence. He ran down the hill cheering, weaving between the descending tear gas torpedoes, dodging and dancing. The celebration and the struggle, inseparable. You see, for the wretched of the earth, everything is a wedding.

I still can’t help but think Darwish was speaking of something distinctively meaningful. Suns in the palms of our hands. The image resonates with gravitas similar to that of the Israeli whistleblower Mordachai Vanunu’s first words when he was released from prison, “You tried, but you cannot break the human spirit!” In fact, it was the photograph of Vanunu’s palm pressed up against a car window inscribed with the details of his kidnapping that told the world of his own injustice. His hand served as a fleshy canvas of truth. Saying such words after 11 years of solitary confinement for “treason,” I wouldn’t have ever believed him. But after living in the urban prison that the Palestinian Territories prove to be, I know his words are true. Perhaps this is what Darwish meant. To take the sun, the spirit, out the palms of the innocent is impossible. Under the smoke and sun, there will always be jubilee.

I think back to Dr. Bailey’s statement: “The most intact Neanderthal remains were found in Taboun, a cave in Israel.” If that cave had to go through a checkpoint, surely it wouldn’t pass with a name like that. The cave itself, with its ethnic name, betrays the country that has adopted it. Taboun in Arabic means oven. And though I may be denied of ever seeing this relic, I can feel the temperature rising in this oven-cave I call my home. The fumes of third world traffic exhaust trace the tight circles of the confined motion of a buzzing people with too much energy – too much potential – and nowhere to go. These grey walls we’ve been placed in only incubate the heat of all these wasted suns.

It is no wonder the handprint was the first art form. Early man must have been so fascinated with hands because that print was proof of his own existence on this Earth. And that is in fact the only crime Palestinians are guilty of: sheer existence. But there is a consolation in knowing that other hands across the world have experienced the similar struggles. A man at Bil’in once told me, “Didn’t Martin Luther King have a dream? Why not us?” I smile at the wonderful naïveté of the cliché, but cannot help but think of the question Langston Hughes once posed, about what happens to a dream deferred.

Indeed, Dr. King’s words have never been more applicable than today, “I have tried to stand between these two forces, saying that we need emulate neither the “do-nothingism” of the complacent nor the hatred and despair of the black nationalist.” The equivalent forces that have always polarized the Palestinian image have never been more unpopular. Like in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, they too have been busy projecting images on these cave walls. But it is far too hot now to keep watching the players take turns at shadow games between the flames of empty promises. Though this prison I write from may be larger than Dr. King’s cell in Birmingham, I am reminded of the fact people do overcome. I do believe that the wind of red ochre blows within Palestine. An age has come in which making handprints on these walls has never been so alluring. The walls may rob us of our freedom, but let them remind the outside and ourselves of our own humanity.

For us, Plato’s cave is no allegory but a 63-year old reality we have endured. Darwish, Vanunu, a boy with the camel, a girl with the gun. They are all just hands, some with prints, some without. Their existence within a conversation carries a certain tension, but they are not political. The hands I speak of, the hands I have held, are not about politics. Politicians have hands too, but as Stephan Walt of Foreign Policy noted a few months ago when referring to Congress; hands may also “applaud for apartheid.” The sound of those hands applauding is amplified with Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich’s sentiment, when he called the Palestinians an “invented people” in early December.

Mustafa Tamimi. Bassem Abu Rahma. Jawaher Abu Rahma. These are the “invented” names that chose to protest non-violently in the past few months. American-made “non-lethal” teargas torpedoes took their lives, human hands no longer.

Let it be known that the hands of the Palestinians are open, empty, and reaching. Whether you hold onto that extended hand now or wait to shake it after all is said and done, that is your choice. Our dream is no different from that of Martin Luther King Jr., Langston Hughes, or any people who have been oppressed. Together we share the dream of justice “deferred.” Ours has been blooming in the form of non-violent resistance, and only now are you seeing the blossom. In this garden of a world that my generation will inherit, I know that I will struggle to protect that delicate bud from the weeding hands of the various gardeners we never asked for. And though I take solace in reading the literature of the oppressed, I am reminded that there are multiple fates for a dream deferred. Even blossoms are ephemeral, if they spend their lives fighting the violent heat insulated between these cave walls. Dare to look for our handprints, dare to acknowledge our humanity. For it is the only thing we have left, the only thing we really need.

Here’s to the wretched, the indigenous, the “invented” people who brought me into existence. Our emergence from this cave is inevitable. With fists unclenched, flickering suns illuminate the path to freedom.

Tamara Masri is a sophomore at Tufts Univeristy in Medford, Massachusetts. She lives in Ramallah.

SEE ORIGINAL ARTICLE...

10 забележителности в Палестина

2011-12-21T05:55:00.000-08:00

Сара Ървинг е автор на новия пътеводител Bradt guide to Palestine. Това е нейната статия за guardian.co.uk , в която тя представя десет от местата, които туристите в Палестина трябва да посетят:

За повечето хора думите Палестина и Западния бряг не предизвикват асоциация с понятието туристическа дестинация. Но нека оставим на страна съществуващите стереотипи: забраната за пътуване до Западния бряг бе премахната преди няколко години, а в Палестина ще бъдете посрещнати с топлина и възторг. Там, върху малка площ се намират повече исторически, религиозни и културни обекти отколкото може би навсякъде другаде по света, а малкият размер означава, че е напълно възможно да посетите повечто забележителности без да се налага да пътувате дълго. Няколко нови туристически организации, сред които и такива за походи или обиколки с колело също помагат да превърнат запознаването със зашеметяващия пейзаж на Палестина и чудесната храна във все по-лесно начинание.

По-голямата част от пътуващите до Палестина посещават страната около Коледа, когато във Витлеем идват хиляди вярващи за Празничната вечерна литургия. Лидерите на различните християнски деноминации водят шествието от Ерусалим през главния площад, докато деца скаути свирят празнични мелодии с гайди. За религиозните туристи Коледа и Великден ще бъдат основните причини да посетят Палестина, но всъщност цените са по-ниски, а настаняването се намира по-лесно през другите месеци на годината.

Пътуването из Западния бряг е доста лесно, благодарение на неофициалната, но доста широко разпространена мрежа от таксита за споделяне. Най-дългото ви пътуване вероятно ще бъде от административната столица Рамала (с космополитни ресторанти, нощни клубове и официални центрове за изкуства) до северния град Дженин. Това пътуване може да отнеме само час и половина, ако израелските контролно-пропускателни пунктове по маршрута са отворени. Чуждестранните посетители са все още достатъчно малко на брой, така че общите таксита са чудесен начин да се срещнете с местни хора. Много палестинци говорят поне малко английски и са много щастливи да практикуват знанията си с чужденци – един разговор, който често завършва с покана за пиене на сладък арабски чай или даването на полезни телефонни номера.

През последните години се появиха и нови хотели, къщи за гости, хостели и програми за домашен престой в Западния бряг. Това прави пребиваването в Палестина по-лесно, без да се налага да сте обвързани с хотелите за поклонници в Рамала или Витлеем. Вместо това като туристи можете да дадете реален принос за укрепването на изолираната селска икономика.

Признавам, че туризмът в Палестина е все още изправен пред много предизвикателства, не на последно място израелските гранични власти, които контролират всички пътища в Западния бряг. За международните пътници, преминаването през контролно-пропускателни пунктове за Западния бряг при Каландия и Витлеем обикновено е лесно. Обявяването на намерението ви за посещение на Западния бряг при кацане на летище „Бен Гурион“ или сухопътно пресичане на границата от към Йордания често обаче може да доведе до разпит, който продължава с часове. Гости с печати от страни като Ливан, Сирия или Иран може да преминат през дълги разпити или пълен отказ за влизане в страната от израелските граничари. Газа е друг въпрос, външното министерство на Великобритания съветва всички туристи да не посещават Ивицата. От посетителите обикновено се изисква журналистическа или дипломатическа акредитацияза да преминат в Газа през Израел.

Себастия

Част от руините в Себастия. Снимка: Richard T Nowitz/Corbis

Впечатляващите елински наблюдателни кули, разрушените самарянски дворци и рушащите се византийски църкви в Себастия са доста добре позната дестинация от израелските турове. Но нов туристически проект в палестинското село Себастия превръща престоя в този живописен район в наслада. В елегантната малка къща за гости Sebastia се сервира за закуска пресен хляб, зехтин, билки и плодове, които са били отгледани буквално няколко ярда по-далеч, там може да се храните на тераса с гледка към маслинови горички или в обновените помещения от византийски времена. Младите местни жители са обучени като водачи за пешеходни преходи, които започват от информационния център при Османската жп гара или от древният maqamat – ислямска светиня – до околните хълмове. И информационният център, и къщата за гости се намират точно на края на централния площад в селото.

Къщата за гости в Себастия (http://www.toursinenglish.com/2006/01/sebastiya-guest-house.html)

Стигнето до село Себастия със споделено такси от Наблус. Къща за гости Sebastia: +972 9 253 2545 , tinyurl.com/sebastiastay

Ал-Харам ал-Шариф, Йерусалим

Част от Купола на скалата (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauraelaine/galleries/72157625775458115/)

Голямата златна джамия Куполът на Скалата може и да бъде международно признатия символ на Йерусалим, но всъщност да влезете там, където се намира и третото най-святото място в Исляма, може да изисква известна предприемчивост. Входът за немюсюлмани е закътан зад бариерата за сигурност при Западната стена. Идете там рано сутрин и бъдете подготвени да чакате на опашка, но знайте, че всяка секунда от чакането си заслужава. В свещения комплекс се намират не само греещата в златно и синьо джамия Купола на скалата, както и великолепната джамия Ал-Акса, но и много други по-малки, но също толкова красива структури. Особено си струва да се види един Сабил (чешма, фонтан за пиене) от Кайт Бей, който впечатлява с елегантен купол от дялан камък, един от малкото по рода си извън Египет.

Официално работно време (макар то да е обект на промяна) от Неделя до Четвъртък: 7.30-11ч, 13:30-15:00. Обикновено е затворен по време на ислямските празници, еврейските празници, Петък / Събота (изключение се прави за мюсюлманските поклонници) и всеки път, когато израелските власти смятат, че има риск за сигурността. Посетето комплекса в началото на престоя си, така че да можете да се върнете, ако се окаже затворен.

Деир Гасанех (Deir Ghassaneh)

Читателите на книгата на Мурид Баргути I Saw Ramallah са чували за Деир Гасанех. В своя автобиографичен разказ за детството си в това малко селце, намиращо се на север от Рамала, той разказва за стари каменни къщи, групирани за да се защитят взаимно около тесни проходи и дворове. Създаден в по-голямата си част през 18-ти век, когато селото е било обитавано от едно от семействата, които са управлявали няколко малки части от Османска Палестина, много от тези домове все още имат кладенци за съхраняване на вода, зехтин и зърно, които са били изградени с цел да се издържа при обсади. Днес, Асоциацията на местните жени е започнала нова инициатива в селото – малък музей с експонати от селския бит, в който те също така организират прекрасни угощения с местни храни или дават следобедни уроци по автентично палестинско готварство.

Сграда в Деир Гасанех (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bramhubbell/5876190757/in/photostream)

Посетете с такси или личен автомобил от Рамала или се свържете с асоциацията на местните жени чрез палестинската Асоциация за културен обмен +972 2240 7611 , pace.ps , традиционни ястия от £ 5 – £ 10

Старият град на Дженин

Старият град на Дженин (http://www.flickr.com/photos/maryjoyce/5546971304/sizes/l/in/photostream/ )

Събуждане в 4:30 сутринта рядко е плюс. Но ако спите в къщата за гости Кино Дженин в центъра на града, ще чуете как в хладното ясно утро азанът (призивът за молитва) се носи към хълмовете край Дженин. Това е момент на спокойна красота в този иначе оживен град, за съжаление по-известен с внушителната атака на израелската армия в бежанския лагер през 2002 година. Но в древния и оцветен с прах Стар град служители на палестинската организация за честна търговия могат в каменната сграда от османско време, в която се намира офисът им, да ви обяснят как търговията със зехтин е направила живота на хиляди фермери по-лесен. Или Ум Имад, чийто син-журналист бе застрелян от израелски войник през 2002 г., да ви се усмихва, докато ви показва грамада от красива ръчна бродерия, която се продава в двора на Женското културно дружество на няколко метра нагоре по улицата. Освен да осигурява прехраната за няколко местни семейства, организацията на жените продължава мисията на сина ѝ, а именно да запази палестинската култура жива.

Стигнете до Дженин с общо такси (1,5 часа) от централната автогара в Рамала. Къща за гости Кино Дженин : + 972 4250 2455 , cinemajenin.org

Туристически походи и колоездачни обиколки

Както Guardian Travel съобщи миналата година, организираните екскурзии, разходки и колоездачни обиколки са все по-достъпен начин, за да видите палестинската провинция и да се срещнете с местни семейства в малките градове и села, като Ал-Фараа и Акраба , които едва сега започват да бъдат посещавани от международни посетители. Обиколката с Bike Palestine обхваща зелените хълмове на северната част на Западния бряг, зловещата Юдейска пустинята на юг и исторически градове като Йерихон и Витлеем. Пътят на Авраам и пътеката, която води по следите на Рождество Христово са вдъхновени от странстванията на пророка Авраам и Исус Христос. Тези туристически пътеки минават през северната и централната част на Западния бряг и са отворени за туристи от всички вероизповедания, както и за атеисти.

Снимка от един от туровете на Bike Palestine http://www.bikepalestine.com/photos.html

Седемдневен тур с колела из Западния бряг с Bike Palestine +972 2274 8590 , bikepalestine.com струва okolo $ 1,400, включващи храна, преспиване, екскурзоводи, но не и самолетни биелти.

Четиридневна екскурзия по пътя на Авраам с Walk Palestine +972 2 274 8590 , walkpalestine.com струва $ 620 с настаняване, храна, екскурзовод и трансфери, но без самолетни полети.

За повече информация относно пътеките, вижте уебсайта на групата за алтернативен туризъм atg.ps

Хамам Аш-Шифа, Наблус

След цялотова товаходене пеш и колоездене определено ще имате нужда от релаксация. В Наблус се намират два хамама (турски бани) от периода на Османската империя, които предлагат традиционната смес от гореща пара, студена вода, местно направен сапун от зехтин и усърдно направени масажи. Хамамът от 17-ти век Аш-Шифа е най-известният; персоналът е гостоприемен, но ако отидете сами може и да не се чуствате добре, някои местни организации и хотели предлагат организирани пътувания, които включват турска баня, чай, сладкиши и наргиле в луксозната външна стая на банята. Аш-Шифа също така е понякога домакин на коцерти с арабска музика, както и на четения на книги по време налитературния фестивал PalFest.

Хамам Аш-Шифа. Photograph: Alamy

Хаммам Аш-Шифа: +972 9238 1176 .Хаммам Ал-Хана (известен също като Хамам ал-Самара или Самарянската баня): +972 9238 5185 )

Октоберфест в Тайбе

Живописното селоТайбе е дом на може би най-невероятния Октоберфест в света. Всяка есен, пивоварната Тайбе – управлявана от местно семейство, което се е научило да правят бира в чужбина – е домакин на оживен фестивал. Немските фолклорни певци в кожени панталони обаче са заменени от Toot Ard (протестна ска група от Голанските възвишения), политически хип-хоп групи от бежанските лагери и традиционни палестински дабка танцьори. Но бирата е отлична и ако ви се стори, че навалицата е прекалено голяма, то руините на построената през 5-ти век църква „Св. Георги“ са наблизо, а от там се открива невероятна гледка към другия бряг на река Йордан.

Дабке танцьори в народни носии по време на фестивала в Тайбе (повече снимки: http://mkimpo.sakura.ne.jp/diary/2009/go_go_palestina_2009a.html)

Стигенте до Тайбе с автобус или споделено такси от централната автогара в Рамала. За повече информация за Октоберфеста, вижте taybehbeer.com

Дворецът Хишам, Ерихон
Настроението в древния град Ерихон е много по-различно от това в останалата част от Западния бряг. През лятото посетителите ще видят, че жителите се превръщат в нощни птици, за да избягат от горещината през деня, така че през нощта широките, плоски пътища се изпълват с хора. Ресторант-градините по улица “Ейн ал Султан“, които предлагат само маси на закрито през зимата, лятно време дават възможност на посетителите да се настанят на маси под жасминови дървета и да опитат от вкусното арабско барбекю. Каср Хишам – Дворецът Хишам – е един от най-зрелищните обекти в Ерихон; сложно издълбаната каменна зидария дава представа за славата и красотата на двореца преди тя да бъде разрушена от земетресение, а известната мозайка Дървото на Живота доказва уменията на омаяддските занаятчии от 8-ми век. Плановете за нова защитна конструкция, коите трябва да се осъществят през 2013 г., означават, че мозайките ще могат да бъдат посещавани постоянно, а не както сега в редки случаи.

Дворецът Хишам (Снимка: Corbis)

Дворецът Хишам ( +972 2232 2522 ) е отворен 8am-17:00

Пазарът в Хеброн
Вът вътрешността на главния вход на древния арабски пазар (сук) в Хеброн се намира малък, тесен магазин, който е пълен с красиво бродирани материали и с карирани шалове от останалата единствена в Западния бряг фабрика за кефия, намираща се близо до пътя. Този магазин е главната квартира на Жени в Хеброн , малка, но непобедима организация, която притежава един от малкото оцелели магазини на пазара. Много от магазините са затворен след заповеди на израелските военни с цел да защитят заселниците, които живеят в части на града, или защото заселниците са заплашвали да направят бизнеса им нежизнеспособен. Но благодарение на подкрепата на намиращия се наблизо Комитет за рехабилитация на Хеброн и на малки групи от пътници, няколко оцелели от онова, което някога е било основният икономически център на южната част на Западния бряг остават. На пейките срещу магазина можете да седнете да опитате сандвич с фалафел (напревен в стил Хеброн – мазен, солен и вкусен, с пържени картофи и патладжан) и да пиете чай с някои от тези забележителни жени.

Магазинът отвътре

Жените в Хеброн, womeninhebron.com

Aка

Новият пътеводител също така включва райони на Израел, които са дом на голям брой палестинци и коите са запазили своята култура. Не може да пропуснате стария град на Ака (или Ако), малко пристанище на брега на Средиземно море, едно от най-старите обитавани райони в света, което е било столицата на царство на кръстоносцитек. Пътуването до тук е популярна еднодневна туристическа екскурзия за посетители на Израел, но си струва да се остане и за по-дълго, за да се запознаете с арабското сърце на града, далеч от „официалния“ туристически комплекси.

Пристанището е дом на известния рибен ресторант Абу Христо, в който се предлага пресния улов от съседното пристанище. Само на няколко крачки се намират внушителните khans, огромни кервансараи, чиито каменни арки помещавали търговците, изминаващи Пътя на коприната, за които това е било краят на пътуването. Повечето са полу-изоставени, посетителите свободни могат да ги разгледат, често местните модни фотографи, които търсят живописни гледки, както и групите от малки момчета, играещи футбол, безгрижно игнорират предупредителните знаци при рушащите се стени.

Внушителният Khan el-Umdan от османско време (Снимка: Alamy)

От Ерусалим най-бързият път към Ака е чрез споделяне на таксита или влак през Тел Авив, пътуването отнема около 2.5-3 часа, ако връзките са добри .Ресторант Абу Христо ( +972 4991 0065 , abu-christo.co.il ) се намира в началото на градксата стена, близо до пристанището

ignoranceisnotanoption.wordpress.com

"Newt Gingrich puts Israel interests first" - Kristin Szremski

2011-12-21T02:48:00.000-08:00

Szremski

Our Steering Committee member Kristin Szremski writes that Newt Gingrich is forwarding a Zionist agenda at the expense of Americans. In trying to "out-Romney" Romney, and align himself to the pro-Israel element, the potential GOP frontrunner is not only selling off the values and safety of the United States for his shot in the Oval Office -- and still failing to impress the pro-Israel Jewish voters he was trying to court -- he's also inflaming tensions in the Middle East, where U.S. neutrality and integrity are already is viewed with suspicion and hostility. He's proven he does not care about the people whom he'd be sworn to protect as President.

Szremski faults Gingrich with helping to inflame Islamophobia by using the pro-Israel entities behind it. Millions of dollars are being funneled into organizations bent on helping Israel maintain its occupation of Palestine, thanks to figures like Gingrich demonizing Islam in the United States by planting outrageous and false innuendos of a "stealth jihad" here, and insinuating a connection between American Muslims and overseas groups on the State Department's list of designated foreign terrorist organizations.

Newt Gingrich puts Israel interests first

Gingrich will abandon US values and safety for a chance at the White House.

By Kristin Szremski
December 19, 2011
AlJazeera.com

Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House who faded into obscurity after resigning in 1998 amid a sex scandal, is back and seemingly ready to say anything to become the next president of the United States - even if it means making sycophantic statements that pander to the pro-Israel lobby but that oppose US policy and the best interests of the American people.

Gingrich apparently revised history when he told Jewish reporter Steven Weiss recently that the Palestinians are an "invented" people. He willfully obfuscated the fact that Palestinians' roots in the Holy Land go back thousands of years. He ignored that Palestinians and Palestine are mentioned in the Torah and the Bible; that they are referred to in many historical documents, including the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which gave British support for "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people".

Gingrich re-invented history when he said the
Palestinians are an "invented" people
[GALLO/GETTY]

The potential GOP frontrunner is far from alone in his pandering to the pro-Israel lobby. Mitt Romney, running a close second to Gingrich, Rick Perry and Michelle Bachman, also have made concerted efforts to undermine President Barack Obama's Middle East policy while emphasising their own loyalty to Israel in attempts to gain the votes of Tea Partiers and Christian evangelicals, who are strongly pro-Israel. During the GOP debate in Des Moines, it appeared as if it were an open season on Palestinians.

That Gingrich would intentionally contradict stated and long-standing US policy, which recognises the Palestinian people and their right for a state of their own, for his own self-interest is extremely troubling. But even more problematic is the fact that Gingrich told Weiss he would consider granting clemency to one of the most notorious spies ever to infiltrate our national security agencies: Johathon Pollard.

Pollard's release

Pollard was sentenced to life in prison in 1986 after he confessed to spying for the state of Israel. Pollard, who was a civilian research analyst with high security clearance for the US Navy, had agreed to spy for Israel for 10 years in exchange for more than $500,000.

According to a January 1999 article in the New Yorker by Seymour Hersh, Pollard "betrayed elements of four major American intelligence systems". He caused extensive damage to US intelligence and US national security because of the nature of the highly sensitive documents he sold to Israel. According to Hersh, Pollard gave up data dealing with specific American intelligence systems and how they worked, a "most sensitive area of intelligence". The espionage was so great that successive presidents have rejected Israel's pleas for Pollard's release.

Gingrich told Weiss he'd consider granting clemency if Pollard were no longer a security threat and also had served time within the range of people with "similar problems". To be sure, seasoned politicians often have to compromise goals - sometimes even ideals - to achieve their own. But when a potential presidential candidate so easily panders to the interests of a foreign country and its lobby here, in the United States, over the interests of his fellow countrymen, he is clearly not fit to hold public office.

And that is only one of the ways in which Gingrich is forwarding a Zionist agenda at the expense of Americans, which is readily seen in his "Clash of Civilisations" narrative that became prominent in 2010 during the controversy surrounding the Park 51 mosque project. During the controversy, the country's favourable attitude towards Muslims fell 10 points (from 40 per cent to 30 per cent), according to a study co-authored by the Centre for Race and Gender at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Council on American Islamic Relations.

Islamophobic rhetoric

That same report says Gingrich was one of those at the forefront of fuelling mistrust and hatred of Muslims. In other words, a former Speaker of the House was working against American unity by bringing divisive Islamophobic rhetoric into mainstream discourse.

The Constitution founded the United States as a pluralistic society; the First Amendment grants the free expression of religion. Yet Gingrich behaves as if allowing Muslims that right would lead to the loss of American values and liberty.

Other credible reports - "The Great Isamophobic Crusade", by Max Blumenthal and "The Roots of the Islamophobic Network in America", by the Centre for American Progress - have exposed the link between Islamophobia and the pro-Israel entities behind it. Millions of dollars are funneled into organisations bent on helping Israel maintain its occupation of Palestine.

One way they accomplish this is by smearing anyone trying to raise awareness about Israel's continued violations of international law. Another way is to demonise Islam in the United States by planting outrageous and false innuendos of a "stealth jihad" here. Or they insinuate that there is a connection between American Muslims and overseas groups on the State Department's list of designated foreign terrorist organisations. These fallacies are then taken up and trumpeted about by unprincipled people like Gingrich.

Gingrich seems to have no qualms allying himself to pro-Israel element and selling the values and safety of the US for his shot in the Oval Office. But based upon published reports, he's failed to impress the pro-Israel Jewish voters he was trying to court. Instead, he's inflamed tensions in the Middle East where the neutrality and integrity of the US already is viewed with suspicion and in some cases hostility, and he's proven he does not care about the people who, if he were elected president, he'd be sworn to protect.

In trying to "out-Romney" Romney, Gingrich may have passed Israel's litmus test, but he hopelessly failed to show his loyalty to the US or the American people.

Kristin Szremski is the director of media and communications for the American Muslims for Palestine, a national grassroots organisation. Follow her on Twitter: @kristin_scribe

READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE...

Critically Injured Mustafa Tamimi of Nabi Saleh Dies of His Wounds

2011-12-20T05:26:00.000-08:00

Mustafa Tamimi, who was fatally injured yesterday during a demonstration in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh passed away earlier today. Tamimi was hit in the face by a tear-gas projectile shot directly at him, from only a few feet away.

Mustafa Tamimi, a 28 year old resident of Nabi Saleh, was shot in the face yesterday, during the weekly protest in the village of Nabi Saleh. He sustained a critical head injury, under his right eye, and was evacuated to the Belinson hospital in Petah Tikwa. The severe trauma to Tamimi's brain, caused by the shooting, left the doctors with little to do to save his life, and he eventually passed away at 09:21 AM today.

Tamimi's funeral will take place tomorrow, leaving Ramallah at 10:00 AM towards Nabi Saleh, where it is expected to reach at around 11:00 AM.

Mustafa Tamimi (left) a moment before his injury. Circled in red are the barrel of the gun and the projectile that hit him. Picture credit: Haim Scwarczenberg

A photo of the incident shows Tamimi at a distance of less than 10 meters behind the semi-open door of an armored military jeep with the gun aimed directly at him. Clearly visible in the photo is also the tear-gas projectile flying in his direction.

The incident took place in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh today, when dozens gathered for the weekly demonstration in the village, protesting the theft of village lands by the adjacent Jewish-only settlement of Nabi Saleh. After the army dispersed the peaceful march, minor clashes erupted followed by a severe response from the Israeli forces. Several people were hit with rubber-coated bullets and directly shot tear-gas projectiles. Three were evacuated to the Ramallah hospital for further treatment, including a 14 year-old. One protester was arrested.

In complete disregard to the army’s own open fire regulations, soldiers often shoot tear-gas projectiles directly at groups of protesters or individuals. Rubber-coated bullets are indiscriminately shot at protesters from short distances on a regular basis. The Israeli army also resumed the use of high velocity tear-gas projectiles in NabiSaleh, despite the fact that they have been declared banned for use, after causing the death of Bassem Abu Rahmah in the neighboring village of Bil’in, in April 2009, and the critical injury of American protester Tristan Anderson in Ni’ilin in March of the same year.

The demonstrations, which have been held regularly for the past two years have seen hundreds of injuries to protesters by Israeli forces, as well as dozens of arrests carried out by Israel with the aim of suppressing dissent.

Background
Late in 2009, settlers began gradually taking over Ein al-Qaws (the Bow Spring), which rests on lands belonging to Bashir Tamimi, the head of the Nabi Saleh village council. The settlers, abetted by the army, erected a shed over the spring, renamed it Maayan Meir, after a late settler, and began driving away Palestinians who came to use the spring by force - at times throwing stones or even pointing guns at them, threatening to shoot.

While residents of Nabi Saleh have already endured decades of continuous land grab and expulsion to allow for the ever continuing expansion of the Halamish settlement, the takeover of the spring served as the last straw that lead to the beginning of the village’s grassroots protest campaign of weekly demonstrations in demand for the return of their lands.

Protest in the tiny village enjoys the regular support of Palestinians from surrounding areas, as well as that of Israeli and international activists. Demonstrations in Nabi Saleh are also unique in the level of women participation in them, and the role they hold in all their aspects, including organizing. Such participation, which often also includes the participation of children reflects the village’s commitment to a truly popular grassroots mobilization, encompassing all segments of the community.

The response of the Israeli military to the protests has been especially brutal and includes regularly laying complete siege on village every Friday, accompanied by the declaration of the entire village, including the built up area, as a closed military zone. Prior and during the demonstrations themselves, the army often completely occupies the village, in effect enforcing an undeclared curfew. Military nighttime raids and arrest operations are also a common tactic in the army’s strategy of intimidation, often targeting minors.

In order to prevent the villagers and their supporters from exercising their fundamental right to demonstrate and march to their lands, soldiers regularly use disproportional force against the unarmed protesters. The means utilized by the army to hinder demonstrations include, but are not limited to, the use of tear-gas projectiles, banned high-velocity tear-gas projectiles, rubber-coated bullets and, at times, even live ammunition.

The use of such practices have already caused countless injuries, several of them serious, including those of children - the most serious of which is that of 14 year-oldEhab Barghouthi, who was shot in the head with a rubber-coated bullet from short range on March 5th, 2010 and laid comatose in the hospital for three weeks.

Tear-gas, as well as a foul liquid called “The Skunk”, which is shot from a water cannon, is often used inside the built up area of the village, or even directly pointed into houses, in a way that allows no refuge for the uninvolved residents of the village, including children and the elderly. The interior of at least one house caught fire and was severely damaged after soldiers shot a tear-gas projectile through its windows.

Since December 2009, when protest in the village was sparked, hundreds of demonstration-related injuries caused by disproportionate military violence have been recorded in Nabi Saleh.

Between January 2010 and June 2011, the Israeli Army has carried 76 arrests of people detained for 24 hours or more on suspicions related to protest in the village of Nabi Saleh, including those of women and of children as young as 11 years old. Of the 76, 18 were minors. Dozens more were detained for shorter periods.

popularstruggle.org

The murder of Mustafa Tamimi

2011-12-20T05:24:00.000-08:00

Dear friend,

I have just been released from jail, after three days inside. I was arrested last Friday, together with 22 others, in the village of Nabi Saleh, during a demonstration commemorating the murder of Mustafa Tamimi. Our arrest took place as we peacefully protested near the entrance to the Jewish-only settlement of Halamish, which is built on lands stolen from Nabi Saleh.

Minutes after we got to the gate, Israeli Border Police officers moved in to remove us from the scene. Palestinians, Israeli and international activists, we were all shackled and dragged away into military jeeps that transported us to the adjacent military base, which is in fact part of the settlement.

In the military base, still shackled, I was assaulted by a settler who hit me in the face, leaving me with a bloody nose. Shortly after, the settler also attacked a female Israeli activist who was by my side. The soldiers and policemen present did not prevent the attack, nor did they bother to detain the settler after the fact. Instead, the zip-tie locks on my hands were removed, only for my arms to be bound again, this time behind my back.

Hours later, at the police station, I learned that to cover up their responsibility for my attack, the soldiers have laid a bogus complaint against me for assaulting them. My hands were tied, my face was bleeding, but it was I who spent the night in the inside of prison cell.

Mohammed Tamimi from Nabi Saleh was also arrested during that same demonstration. While the police decided to release all the others, he and I were to remain in jail. During our demonstrations, soldiers often take pictures, to later use them as "incriminating evidence". This time, the soldiers used one such picture to accuse Mohammed of throwing stones during a demonstration a few weeks or months back. The man pictured in that photograph is not Mohammed Tamimi from Nabi Saleh, regardless, he remains in jail. Military law allows Israel to keep us Palestinians in jail for eight days before seeing a judge, and even then, it is a soldier in uniform who is the so called neutral arbitrator.

As the prison doors closed behind me, my happiness was clouded by the fact that Mohammed Tamimi was not released. The battle for his freedom is only beginning, as our lawyers prepare the petition for his release. If you can, please help us fund legal aidfor him and for the countless others who are regularly arrested protesting Israeli Occupation.

I would also like to use this letter to extend my gratitude to Ayala Shani, an Israeli comrade who was arrested with me. She refused the injustice of being released while both me and Mohammed Tamimi were still detained. As these words are written, she is still in jail, despite having been offered her freedom twice already by Israeli courts.

Sincerely,
Mohammed Khatib

====================================================

Mohammed Khatib, a prominenet protest ofrganizer from the village of Bil'in and the coordinator of the
PSCC, was arrested during a demonstration in memory and protest of the killing of Mustafa Tamimi.

Mustafa was murdered by a soldier who shot a si
ngle tear-gas projectile at him from only a few meters away while standing safely within an armoured military jeep.

The demonstration Khatib was arrested in, together with 22 others - Palestinians, Israelis and internationals - was the first to take place after the shooting.

But the Israeli army, unaccountable and unafeected, supressed this demonstration too, barraging the protesters with tear-gas and making arrests.

Please help us demand accountabilty and providing legal-aid by making a donation to our legal fund

Mustafa Tamimi (left) a moment before his injury. Circled in red are the barrel of the gun and the projectile that hit him. Picture credit: Haim Scwarczenberg

Canadians face two months of incarceration in Israel without trial

2011-11-10T04:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Freedom Waves to Gaza activists detained in Israel - including Canadians David Heap and Ehab Lotayef - came before a judge and were told they could be held in prison for 2 months without charges or trial.

To avoid this, the judge told them, they must sign a statement that they entered Israel 'voluntarily' and 'illegally' despite being violently kidnapped from international waters and taken to Israel against their will while trying to reach Gaza. While a handful of Freedom Waves to Gaza participants have been deported – including Canadian Karen DeVito – 18 activists and journalists have now been in Israeli prison for 5 days with no end in sight. DeVito is available for interviews.

The Israeli military forcibly commandeered the boats Tahrir and MV Saoirse that journalists and activists were traveling on as part of the Freedom Waves initiative and brought them to Ashdod port in Israel.

American journalist Jihan Hafiz was on the Canadian boat Tahrir, and was among those detained by Israel despite her press credentials. Israeli authorities ordered her and others not to talk about "anything negative or political" during their brief phone calls to home from Israeli detention. This censorship explains why some details are only just coming out now. She reported Tuesday about her experience during the Israeli takeover of the Irish and Canadian boats:

"There were three warships [...] four Zodiacs, four water cannon boats, as well as four regular gunboats. All of the commandos on all of these boats were heavily armed. It looked like they were taking on an army of a foreign country."

She added: "Two water cannons started to pour lots of water into the Irish boat, which flooded it, blew their sockets, and cut off all the electricity. And so, at that point, the Irish delegates I spoke to said they told the Israeli army, "We're taking on water. We're sinking. We're going to go down at sea if you continue with the water."

Hafiz went on to describe the violent takeover during which guns were pointed at the heads of the boats' passengers, how they were roughed up, mistreated, strip-searched, and filmed naked. She also tells of how the journalists' equipment was confiscated, in a bid to silence any reporting that might contradict the sanitized Israeli account of what happened during the hijacking of the Tahrir and the MV Saoirse.

For the full video interview and transcript, click here

"Our friends have been assaulted, tasered, beaten, kidnapped, robbed, and imprisoned. Now Israel is threatening to illegally detain them for two months. What is it going to take for the Canadian government to actually do something about another country kidnapping Canadian citizens and refusing to let them go?" demands Wendy Goldsmith, an organizer with the Canadian Boat to Gaza.

"We are disappointed, but not surprised, by the inaction of Baird and Harper," said Canadian Boat to Gaza organizer Dylan Penner. "In its failure to speak out against Israel's blockade of Gaza, the Canadian Government is condoning Israel's disregard for the human rights of the citizens of Gaza and giving it impunity for its refusal to comply with its international obligations. It is this silence that compels citizens of good conscience, like David and Ehab, to act where our Government has so consistently failed to do so."

Organizers of the Canadian Boat to Gaza are demanding Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird step down for failing to do his job to stand up for the interests of Canadians.

Please help us continue our work.

www.freepalestinemovement.org

Canadian Boat to Gaza

2011-11-10T04:04:00.000-08:00

For Immediate Release – Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Canadians detained in Israel arriving home tomorrow

Despite a threat from an Israeli judge that they could face 2 months in prison, Freedom Waves to Gaza activists David Heap and Ehab Lotayef are being released and deported back to Canada today. They will arrive on Thursday, November 10.

ARRIVAL

What: Heap and Lotayef will arrive in Toronto after 5 days in Israeli prison, following their abduction from international waters en route to Gaza to challenge Israel’s illegal blockade.

When: Scheduled flight arrival time is 6:40am, with likely disembarkation completed by 7:20, Thursday, November 10, 2011.

Where: Arrivals Gate, Pearson International Airport, Toronto

PRESS CONFERENCE

What: Heap and Lotayef will discuss their experiences on Freedom Waves to Gaza aboard the Canadian ship Tahrir and their time in Israeli prison.

When: 1pm, Thursday, November 10, 2011

Where: Charles Lynch Room, 130-S, Parliament Hill, Ottawa

The third Canadian who was aboard the Tahrir, Karen DeVito, has also been released and will be returning home to Vancouver next week. The remaining delegates from Ireland and Australia are also expected to arrive home by the end of the week, but the status of UK journalist Hassan Ghani is still unclear.

The reason why those who were detained undertook this journey in the first place was to show solidarity with the ordinary people of Gaza who have lost their basic freedoms as a result of a blockade imposed by the military forces of Israel, and to take action that would contribute to the end of that blockade.

Freedom Waves was never intended to focus attention on the 27 people aboard the MV Saoirse and the Tahrir, but on the 1.6 million people of Gaza – half of whom are children under the age of 16 – who continue to suffer collective punishment at the hands of the Israeli military. While Canadian and international citizens were languishing in prison in Israel for the “crime” of coming to their aid, the population of Gaza continues to languish in what is, in effect, the world’s largest open air prison.

This latest of eleven attempts to break the blockade of Gaza via the sea demonstrates once again that Israel is able to act with impunity when it comes to the welfare of the Palestinian people and anyone trying to help them. It is because of the continuing inaction of governments around the world, including the Canadian government, that ordinary people feel compelled to act.

The brave activists returning tomorrow will be available for press interviews upon arrival at Pearson International Airport.

-30-

For more information or to arrange interviews:

English inquiries:

Wendy Goldsmith, Canadian Boat to Gaza, 519-619-6766

Dylan Penner, Canadian Boat to Gaza, 613-859-6996

French inquiries:

Denis Kosseim, Canadian Boat to Gaza, 514-923-5594

Twitter (@CanadaBoatGaza and #freedomwaves), Facebook.com/CanadaBoatGaza, www.tahrir.ca<http://www.tahrir.ca> , www.ustogaza.org <http://www.ustogaza.org> , www.freegazaoz.org<http://www.freegazaoz.org> , and www.irishshiptogaza.org <http://www.irishshiptogaza.org> .

You have received this message from the Canadian Boat to Gaza.

www.canadaboatgaza.org
info@canadaboatgaza.org

ISRAELIS PREVENT IRISH ACTIVISTS FROM BOARDING FLIGHT HOME

2011-11-10T04:02:00.000-08:00

The Tahrir folks, aside from UK citizen Hassan Ghani, are all back right?

On Thursday, November 10, 2011 11:02 AM, "Irish" wrote:

For more information, contact:
Laurence Davis (+353) (0) 86 360 5053
Claudia Saba (+353) (0) 086 393 8821
Irish Ship to Gaza
Press release, Thursday 10 November 2011, 9:45 am
he seven Irish human rights activists due home in Ireland this afternoon at 2:25 pm were at the last minute prevented from boarding their flight out of Ben Gurion airport by Israeli armed guards. They had been taken last night to a holding cell and were ready to board their 7:40 am flight to London this morning when at the last minute they were prevented from doing so by Israeli security forces and returned to Givon prison. All seven are now being detained indefinitely, with no further news available from Israeli authorities or the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs about when they will be released.
An Irish Ship to Gaza shore team coordinator spoke briefly on the phone with Fintan Lane before communication was abruptly cut off. Lane said: “This is a deliberate and calculated attempt by the Israelis to break our spirit. It won’t succeed.”
Lane also reported that the seven had been subject to “continuous harassment and repeated, humiliating body searches” and were shackled and “denied sleep”.
Gay Lawlor, Zoe Lawlor’s brother, spoke briefly with Zoe, who described what was happening as “sheer malice” on the part of the Israelis.
The families of the detainees are phoning member of the Irish Ship to Gaza shore team this morning in great distress.
Laurence Davis, Irish Ship to Gaza spokesperson, commented: “We are outraged by this latest attempt by the Israeli authorities to break the morale of the human rights activists, their families and their supporters, all of whom had been looking forward to the homecoming this afternoon in Dublin. This is yet another example of the cruelty and arrogance that the Palestinians face every day.”
Irish Ship to Gaza spokesperson Claudia Saba added: “It is particularly distressing for the families to learn that their loved ones won’t be coming home as they had expected, and distressing that they have no update as to what exactly is happening or when they will be finally freed.”
ENDS

UPDATE ON FREEDOM WAVES POLITICAL PRISONERS

2011-11-07T09:24:00.000-08:00

Freedom Waves to GazaPalestine Office @PALWaves
7 November 2011

[RAMALLAH] Of the 27 human rights defenders captured during Israel’s illegal takeover of the Freedom Waves to Gaza vessels on Friday, 4 November, 20 remain in Givon prison and the whereabouts of one is unknown.
Israeli officials have been claiming that all 27 people aboard the MV Tahrir and MV Saoirse have been released or are awaiting deportation. This is not true. Freedom Waves can confirm that six people have been released or deported. These are Majd Kayyal (Palestinian from Haifa), Lina Attalah (Journalist from Egypt), Casey James (Journalist from the US), Aimane Zoubir (Journalist from Morocco), Captain George Klontzas (Greece) and Captain Zacharias Stylianakis.
The whereabouts of British journalist, Hassan Ghani of PressTV is unknown. On Saturday prison authorities told lawyers that Hassan was not at the prison, yet we know that he has not yet been released. Freedom Waves organizers demand that the Israeli authorities reveal where Hassan Ghani is being held and that he be allowed access to a lawyer.
The Israeli authorities have tried to pressure the human rights defenders that remain in Israeli prison to sign a voluntary deportation agreement (waiver of right to see a judge) in order to be immediately deported. The activists refuse to sign, not because they want to come before an Israeli judge, but rather because the wavier states that they came to Israel voluntarily and entered the country illegally, which are patently untrue in light of the fact that Israeli naval ships violently seized the Tahrir and Saoirse, and forcibly transported them and all on board to Ashdod. Israeli authorities have ignored requests by the group’s lawyer to deport the activists immediately without having to sign this form that contains falsities meant to absolve Israel of responsibility for illegal abduction of foreign nationals in international waters.
Because they have refused to sign the waiver, according to Israeli law, they will be detained for 72 hours and then brought before an immigration judge, who will rubberstamp the deportation order. After this mock legal process, deportation will commence. For the first 24 hours of their abduction, none of the activists, crew, or journalists, were allowed to call a lawyer or family members. On Sunday, a few were able to make one one-minute phone call.
NOTE: Various accounts from prisoners have come out contradicting Israel's claim of a peaceful takeover of the boats. Some activists were tasered and beaten, and at least one of the captains abused during interrogation. For accounts that we have been able to obtain, please see: www.tahrir.ca andwww.irishtogaza.org
For more information, please call:
+970-592-346-895 or
+970-598-336-215
www.witnessgaza.com

--
Greta Berlin, Co-Founder
+33 607 374 512
witnessgaza.com
www.freegaza.org
http://www.flickr.com/photos/freegaza

[GazaFriends] Captured in international waters en route to Gaza: An eyewitness account

2011-11-07T02:17:00.000-08:00

Soon after, the Israeli presence in the waters around us intensified. We counted at least 15 ships, four of which were warships, and the rest a mix of smaller boats and water cannons. From inside the smaller boats, dozens of Israeli soldiers pointed their machines guns at us. This is when our communications system was jammed and we lost contact with the world.
Our boat's captain started receiving radio messages from the Israeli navy, asking about the organizers and the destination of the trip. Ehab Lotayef, another organizer of the Tahrir boat to Gaza, communicated with the Israeli navy, telling them that our destination was Gaza and that any attempt to arrest us would be illegal. When the navy repeated over the radio, “Tahrir, what is your final destination?” Lotayef, who is a poet, responded, “the betterment of mankind.”

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/512198

Lina Attalah, Al-Masry Al-Youm English's managing editor,
As Israeli naval vessels loomed around our boat, the Israelis made a proposition that they would send one person to inspect for weapons, and if he found nothing, they would let us pass. The proposition was met with skepticism among the activists, although some thought this could really be a way to get to Gaza. The Irish boat, which was sailing with us, staunchly refused the proposition.
Our boat's captain started receiving radio messages from the Israeli navy, asking about the organizers and the destination of the trip. Ehab Lotayef, another organizer of the Tahrir boat to Gaza, communicated with the Israeli navy, telling them that our destination was Gaza and that any attempt to arrest us would be illegal. When the navy repeated over the radio, “Tahrir, what is your final destination?” Lotayef, who is a poet, responded, “the betterment of mankind.”
As Israeli naval vessels loomed around our boat, the Israelis made a proposition that they would send one person to inspect for weapons, and if he found nothing, they would let us pass. The proposition was met with skepticism among the activists, although some thought this could really be a way to get to Gaza. The Irish boat, which was sailing with us, staunchly refused the proposition.

Help send children's books to Gaza

2011-11-05T12:10:00.001-07:00

Posted By: United Palestinian Appeal, Inc.

To: Members in 82 Causes

Help send children's books to Gaza

Do you remember the joy of reading when you were a child? Of immersing yourself in the stories of the Itsy-Bitsy Spider and other adventuresome creatures? The spark of curiosity that you felt flipping through the pages of great works of art, maps of the world and photos from the natural world?

Give children in the Gaza Strip that same sense of wonder and exploration through books. Local partners in Gaza helped us assemble a shipment of 11,000 donated books, 7,500 children's books plus 3,500 other books, for their libraries. We need $10,000 to ship and distribute them.

Each dollar that you donate to this project will pay for one book to reach Gaza. $10 will send 10 children's books to Gaza. $20 will send a complete World Book encyclopedia. Could you donate $10, $20, $35 or more today to ensure children in Gaza have greater access to books?

Call to Action

Fundraising Project: $10 will send 10 children's books to Gaza

Donate

FREEDOM WAVES TO GAZA BOARDED BY ISRAELI MILITARY

2011-11-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

Canadian and Irish ships sailing with Freedom Waves to Gaza have been illegally boarded by the Israeli military in international waters a short while ago.

The Israeli military stated that “Upon arrival of the vessels at the Ashdod port, the activists will be transferred to the custody of the Israel Police and immigration authorities in the Ministry of Interior”.

Freedom Waves to Gaza organizers have been unable to communicate with the ships since soon after the vessels were approached by Israeli warships earlier this afternoon.

The Canadian boat ‘Tahrir’ (Liberation) confirmed that the Israeli navy had contacted them asking for their destination at around 13:00 (Gaza time) to which Ehab Lotayef, an activist on board the ship, replied ‘The conscience of humanity’. When the Israelis again demanded to know the destination of the ship Lotayef replied; ‘The betterment of mankind’. ’

Huwaida Arraf, spokesperson from Freedom Waves to Gaza, said “It’s clear that 27 civilians on two small boats, carrying only medicine, constituted no security threat to the Israeli state, and that the determination to keep them out is only a furtherance of Israel’s policy of collective punishment, a crime against humanity. Despite this Israeli aggression, we will keep coming, wave after wave, by air, sea, and land, to challenge Israel’s illegal policies towards Gaza and all of Palestine. Our movement will not stop or be stopped until Palestine is free.”

The Israeli military reported that the navy has been ordered by IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz to board the ships after “attempts to contact them failed.” The Israeli military has offered to unload the boats’ supplies at Ashdod, Israel.

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey, has reported that the boats were offered the choice to go to Egypt or return.

At 13:00 both ships were around 51 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza in international waters.

Israeli commandos boarded a previous Gaza Freedom Flotilla on 31 May 2010, killing nine Turkish activists and wounding many more.

The Freedom Waves to Gaza initiative is a non-violent, civil society movement to challenge the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza Earlier this morning, activists aboard both ships were preparing for possible attack by the Israeli navy by training in nonviolent resistance tactics. The two ships, carrying a total of 27 passengers and $30,000 worth of medicine and supplies, set off from Turkey on November 2.

Please help us continue our work.

www.freepalestinemovement.org

From David Schermerhorn regarding the last voyage

2011-11-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

Some comments I am sending out locally. David

ISRAEL CONTINUES BLOCKADE OF SHIPS TO GAZA.

I have just returned from Turkey where I had hoped to join the Canadian boat Tahrir that together with the Irish vessel Saoirse would attempt to reach Gaza in an effort to break the 44-year blockade by Israel. Both ships were stopped, boarded and taken to Ashdod in international waters by Israeli naval forces.

In an unexplained reversal the Turkish authorities imposed a limit of 12 crew and passengers on each ship. As a result Kit Kittredge of Quilcene, WA was the only US citizen aboard. I had been on the Audacity of Hope with Kittredge in June when it was stopped and impounded by the Greek authorities.

The United States policy of support and justification for the blockade is deplorable and represents one more concession to the pro-Israeli lobby AIPAC. The Palestinians were filled with hope by Obama’s election that they would finally have an honest broker who would have the courage to pursue a fair and equitable solution to the decades old conflict. Their hopes were further bolstered by Obama’s memorable speech in Cairo that spoke to the Islamic world.

And then came a silence on the subject that was broken on rare occasions by timid admonishments for the continuing settlement construction. A continuation of an economic blockade that leaves 1.5 million with the barest necessities and the inability to develop a viable economy through a nearly total restriction on exports. Attacks on U.S. citizens and ships.

As the presidential election approaches we see even fewer attempts to restrain the settlement expansions or the daily assaults on the lives, the homes, the dignity of the Palestinian people. Instead Obama promises to veto any effort to achieve recognition of statehood at the UN’s Security Council. To withhold financial aid from the Palestinians if they should attain a limited status in the General Assembly. Most recently the State Department has warned American citizens participating in Flotillas of possible legal consequences for breaking U.S. and Israeli law. And meantime we appear to be about to condone and possibly assist an Israeli attack on Iran.

Obama’s willingness to grant Israel impunity for the most egregious actions highlights the irony of his early claim to The Audacity of Hope. That stirring battle cry has sadly been replaced by The Audacity of Political Cowardice and Expediency.

David K. Schermerhorn

Nov. 4, 2011

ACT NOW!! BOATS SAILING NOW TO GAZA! SPREAD THE WORD.

2011-11-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

Israel and the US outsourced the siege of Gaza to Athens last summer by preventing 8 boats in the Freedom Flotilla 2-Stay Human from sailing from Greek ports to Gaza. Despite this we were able to bring world-wide attention to the blockade of the Gaza Strip. Our efforts in Greece only fueled our determination to challenge the imprisonment of the people of Gaza. We said we would continue to sail and so we are!!!

At this moment, two boats are in international waters in the Mediterranean heading to Gaza. One boat, the Saoirse from Ireland, includes parliamentarians among its passengers. The other, the Tahrir, carries representatives from Canada, the U.S., Australia, and Palestine.  The U.S. Representative on the Tahrir, Kit Kittredge, was a passenger on the U.S. Boat to Gaza, The Audacity of Hope mission in Athens in July.  A journalist from Democracy Now is on the Tahrir also. Civil society organizations in Gaza await their arrival, and look forward to the delivery of letters collected from thousands of U.S. supporters in the To Gaza With Love campaign.

We need your help to make this mission a success. Please take these actions immediately.

1. Check these websites for updates:  US to Gaza, Irish Ship to Gaza and Canadian Boat to Gaza,  watch or listen to Democracy Now for live coverage from the Tahrir.. Look for twitter hashtag #Freedomwaves.

2. Spread the word far and wide – send this alert to your contacts.

3. Call the State Department  and the White House- demand that they take immediate action to ensure the safe passage of these boats and to put an end to the siege of Gaza.

Call the State Department:
      Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 202-647-5291
      U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro 011-972-3-519-7575
      Office of Israel/Palestinian Affairs Paul Sutphin 202-647-3672
      Office of Consular Affairs, Kim Richter 202-647-8308

and the White House: 202-456-1414

      email President Obama at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Here are some talking points or suggested messaging:

Gaza has been under siege since mid-2006, depriving 1.6 million people of their liberty and basic human rights. Although the siege has been condemned by the United Nations, the Red Cross, and many national governments, nothing has been done to ease the plight of these civilians. Civil society has had to act where governments would not. Two ships with 27 passengers from 5 countries are sailing to Gaza to confront the Israeli naval blockade, and to bring medical supplies and letters of support.

As Americans we insist that our government (which sends Israel $3 billion in military aid every year), demands that Israel insures the ships’ safe passage and ends its illegal blockade of Gaza. There is absolutely no excuse to subject 1.6 million people to collective punishment. Ask your local press to cover this story. Up-to-date information will be available at www.ustogaza.org, www.irishshiptogaza.org  andwww.tahrir.ca

Palestinian youth join boats set to challenge Israel’s siege of Gaza

2011-11-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

2 November 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Palestinian youth join boats set to challenge Israel’s siege of Gaza

Irish and Canadian boats in international waters on their way to challenge illegal siege policy
Palestinian activists call for end to international complicity in Israel’s crimes
Support actions taking place throughout the West Bank and inside Israel

[Ramallah] Two civilian boats, the Canadian Tahrir (Liberation), and the Irish Saoirse (Freedom), carrying 27 people from nine countries, are currently in international waters making their way to the beleaguered Gaza Strip to challenge Israel’s ongoing criminal blockade of the territory. A Palestinian youth activist from Haifa has joined this renewed international mission to challenge Israel’s unrelenting stranglehold on Gaza via the sea. The message they carry is one of unity, defiance, and hope, in spite of Israel’s policies that have physically separated Palestinians from each other. The “Freedom Waves to Gaza” organizers chose not to publicize the effort in advance given Israel’s efforts to block and sabotage Freedom Flotilla II last July. The boats, which set sail from Fethiye, Turkey, are expected to arrive in Gaza on Friday afternoon, sailing from international waters straight into Gaza’s territorial waters without entering Israel’s waters. The boats carry symbolic cargo - $30,000 in medicines, along with a diverse group of passengers, all committed to nonviolent defense of the flotilla and Palestinian human rights.

“Israel has caged Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, prohibiting physical contact between us. We want to break the siege Israel has imposed on our people,” said Majd Kayyal, a Palestinian philosophy student from Haifa on board the Tahrir. Kayyal added, “The fact that we’re in international waters is already a victory for the movement. Israel’s siege of Gaza is untenable and it’s a moral responsibility to put an end to this injustice.”

Meanwhile, a statement signed by Palestinian youth urged the international community and the U.N. in particular “to take urgent action to protect this mission as well as to end its compliance with Israel’s criminal blockade of Gaza.” They condemned the U.N. Secretary General’s previous declarations calling for aid to Gaza to go through "legitimate crossings and established channels," despite the U.N.’s own admission that Israel’s failure to own up to its responsibilities has created an unprecedented crisis of human dignity.

Throughout the week Palestinian activists in the West Bank and inside Israel are organizing solidarity actions with the Freedom Waves mission, including a presence outside the UN compound (Tokyo Street, Ramallah) and rallies across West Bank towns.

This is the 11th attempt to break the siege of Gaza via the sea, with five missions arriving safely in Gaza between August and December 2008 and the remaining violently intercepted by Israel. On May 2010, Israel attacked passengers of the Freedom Flotilla in international waters, killing nine civilians and injuring over 50. Israel’s actions were widely condemned and led to protests around the world. Efforts to bring a second flotilla to Gaza were foiled by the government of Greece last July following pressure by Israel and Western governments, as well as by acts of Israeli sabotage.

Israel has intensified in the past days its aerial bombardments on Gaza, underlining the need for international initiatives of deterrence similar to this one.

For more information contact:

+970-592-346-895

FreedomWaves4PAL @ gmail.com

Note to editors:

For up to the minute information on the Freedom Waves flotilla: http://witnessgaza.com/

Twitter: @PalWaves #FreedomWaves

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