Boycott israHell!

Boycott israHell!
Бойкот на израел и печелещите от окупацията! Boycott israHell and those who profit from occupation!
Showing posts with label human right. Show all posts
Showing posts with label human right. Show all posts

Sunday, July 13, 2014

#GazaUnderAttack / От Правозащитни организации твърдят, че израел удря Газа на вски 3 минути


В събота от Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network казаха, че израел е ударил 2,061 от началото на операцията Operation Protective Edge на 7.07. От тях 1,402 са въздушни удари, 330 от силите на сухоземната артилерия и 329 от кораби
“Атаките са насочени към жени и деца и области, където живеят цивилни,” казват от Хуманиратната мрежа и призовават израел да спре с атаките над граждани.
израелски военни съобщиха, че са ударени 1,160 цели в Газа по време на провеждащата се в Газа Operation Protective Edge, а Палестинските сили са изстреляли 689 ракети към израел.
В изявление на IDF се казва, че Хамас са изстреляли повече от 689 ракети в рамките на 4 дни – това се пада по 1 ракета на всеки 10 минути.
израел твърди, че операцията е защитна, но много наблюдатели заявяват, че не е защитна, а наказателна за намаляване на военната сила на ХАмас. 
По репортаж на Anadolu Agency

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Illegal Israeli settlements expanding rapidly

The population in illegal West Bank settlements has grown twice as much as in Israel itself, military radio said, quoting official statistics.

The figures show an increase of 7,700 illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank during the first six month of 2013 for a total settler population of 367,000, according to the radio on Tuesday.
This represents a 2.1 percent increase in six months compared to an annual population growth of two percent registered in Israel.
The figures released by the interior ministry are likely to add to Palestinian misgivings about resuming talks in Washington last week with the Israelis.
The talks broke down three years ago over the settlement issue.
The number of illegal settlers in West Bank outposts that could be dismantled as part of an eventual agreement between Israel and the Palestinians rose by 1.7 percent in the first half of the year, the report added.
Subsidising illegal settlements
The Israeli government on Sunday added 20 more illegal settlements to a list drawn up in 2009 of Jewish communities prioritised for aid.
Some of the illegal settlements on the list are strongholds of Jewish Home, a nationalist party in the government coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has rejected Palestinian calls for a freeze on settlement construction as a condition to resume peace talks.
Settlement building in the West Bank and mostly Arab East Jerusalem, which Israel seized in the 1967 Six-Day War, are considered illegal under international law.
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators agreed at an initial meeting in Washington last week hosted by US Secretary of State John Kerry to aim for a peace deal within nine months.
But analysts say the issue of illegal settlements, which triggered the breakdown of the last round of talks in September 2010, would prove even more of a sticking point this time with hardline pro-settler ministers inside the Israeli government.
Yesha, the main settler organisation, has urged the government to launch new tenders for the construction of homes in the illegal settlements to meet what is says is a "growing demand."
Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now has accused the government of encouraging people to move into illegal settlements.
"The government is offering land free of charge [to settlers]... and under such conditions it is no surprise that Israelis are moving into settlements," said Peace Now head Yariv Oppenheimer.
Meanwhile, Jewish Home leader and Economy Minister Naftali Bennet was quoted as saying in media reports that the government was preparing to issue tenders for the construction of new settler homes in  East Jerusalem.

Monday, July 15, 2013

ACTION: 75 days of hunger strike - Abdullah Barghouthi in health crisis. Implement the demands of Jordanian hunger strikers!



Take Action: 75 days of strike. Abdullah Barghouthi in health crisis. Implement the demands of Jordanian hunger strikers!

Five Palestinian political prisoners with Jordanian nationality being held in Israeli prisons are entering their 75th day of hunger strike, and facing a severe health crisis. Take action today to join in their demands for justice.
Abdullah Barghouthi, Mohammad Rimawi, Muneer Mar’i, Alaa Hammad, and Hamza Othman al-Dabbas launched their hunger strike on May 2, 2013. All carry Jordanian citizenship, and together issued three demands:
1. That they be released from Israeli prisons and serve their sentences in Jordanian prisons according to the Wadi Araba Agreement between Jordan and Israel. This agreement was previously applied to the case of prisoner Sultan Al-Ajouli, who was transferred to Jordanian custody in accordance with the agreement.
2. That the Occupation disclose the whereabouts of missing Jordanian prisoners, of which there are 20.
3. That the Occupation remove martyrs from the ‘numbered graves’, where prisoners who died in custody are currently kept in nameless graves.
 Their health has worsened progressively. Abdullah Barghouthi is currently held in Afula hospital, while Rimawi, Mar’i, Hammad and Othman al-Dabbas are held in the Ramle prison clinic. All are shackled, hand and foot, to their hospital beds. Abdullah Barghouthi has been physically assaulted on multiple occasions by his jailers, and is now in a severe health crisis.
abdullahbarghouthiHe is no longer able to receive injections in his arms due to inflammation, and is taking only water. He is suffering from kidney, liver and other diseases, reported lawyer Jawad Boulos on July 13. These reports followed updates on July 10 that Barghouthi was suffering severe inflammations throughout his body. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society also released a statement in which Barghouthi said “his hunger strike would end only on or under the Jordanian soil.” Barghouthi has been consistently suffering severe headaches and shivering throughout his body.
Hunger striking prisoners Muneer Mar’i, Mohammad Rimawi, and Ala’a Hammad were transferred to the Ramle prison clinic from Soroka Hospital on July 14. Hamza Othman al-Dabbas remained at Ramle clinic. Each of the prisoners have lost over 18 kilograms of weight and must use wheelchairs to move. Rimawi is being denied critical medicine for his heart disease because he refuses to end his hunger strike.
The families of the hunger strikers have called for action. Protests have taken place in London, throughout all areas of occupied Palestine, including ’48 Palestine, Ramallah, Gaza, and Nablus; and over 70 protests in Jordan. Take action today:
nnmTAKE ACTION!
1. Sign a letter demanding the Israeli state immediately implement the demands of the Jordanian hunger strikers. Tell the Israeli Prison Services that the world is watching! Click here to sign..
2. Join a protest or demonstration outside an Israeli consulate for Palestinian prisoners. Join one or announce your own. Organizing an event, action or forum on Palestinian prisoners on your city or campus? Use this form to contact us and we will post the event widely. If you need suggestions, materials or speakers for your event, please contact us at samidoun@samidoun.ca. 
3. Contact your government officials and demand an end to international silence and complicity with the repression of Palestinian political prisoners. In Canada, Call the office of John Baird, Foreign Minister, and demand an end to Canadian support for Israel and justice for Palestinian prisoners, at : 613-990-7720; Email: bairdj@parl.gc.ca. In the US, call the office of Elizabeth Jones, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs (1.202.647.7209). Demand that Elizabeth Jones bring this issue urgently to his counterparts in Israel.
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Monday, February 18, 2013

Samer Issawi: No going back, I am owner of Right

Samer's father and sister, Tariq and Shireen, holding a photo of Samer in the family's home in East Jerusalem's Issawiya (Photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler)

Posted by Zahi Damuni (cause leader)
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Letter from prisoner Samer al-Issawi as it came from the Ministry of Prisoners:
I turn with admiration to the masses of our heroic Palestinian people, to our Palestinian leadership, to all forces, parties and national institutions. I salute them for standing by our fight to defend our right to freedom and dignity.
I draw my strength from my people, from all the free people in the world, from friends and the families of the prisoners who continue day and night chanting for freedom and an end to the occupation.
My health has deteriorated dramatically and I'm hanging between life and death. My weak body is collapsing but still able to be patient and continue the confrontation. My message is that I will continue until the end, until the last drop of water in my body, until martyrdom. Martyrdom is an honor for me in this battle. My martyrdom is my remaining bomb in the confrontation with the tyrants and the jailers, in the face of the racist policy of the occupation that humiliates our people and exercises against us all means of oppression and repression.
I say to my people: I'm stronger than the occupation army and its racist laws. I, Samer al-Issawi, son of Jerusalem, send you my last will that, in case I fell as a martyr, you will carry my soul as a cry for all the prisoners, man and women, cry for freedom, emancipation and salvation from the nightmare of prisons and their harsh darkness.
My battle is not only for individual freedom. The battle waged by me and by my heroic colleagues, Tariq, Ayman and Ja'affar, is everyone's battle, the battle of the Palestinian people against the occupation and its prisons. Our goal is to be free and sovereign in our liberated state and in our blessed Jerusalem. 
The weak and strained beats of my heart derive their steadfastness from you, the great people. My eyes, which started to lose their sight, draws light from your solidarity and your support of me. My weak voice takes its strength from your voice that is louder than the warden's voice and higher than the walls.
I'm one of your sons, among thousands of your sons who are prisoners, still languishing steadfastly in the prisons, waiting for an end to be brought to their plight, their pains and the suffering of their families.
The doctors told me I became exposed to stroke because of the disorder of my heartbeats, the shortage of sugar and the drop in blood pressure. My body is full of cold and I can't sleep because of the continued pain. But despite the extreme fatigue and chronic headaches, as I move on my chair, I'm trying to summon all my resources to continue on the road till its end. There is no going back, only in my victory, because I'm the owner of Right and my detention is invalid and illegal.
Do not be afraid for my heart if it will stop, don't be afraid for my hands if they will be paralyzed. I am still alive now and tomorrow and after death, because Jerusalem is moving in my blood, in my devotion and my faith.
Palestine 16/02/2013
The above letter (in Arabic) was published on 16 February on Shirin Issawi's Page in Facebook. Translated to English and Hebrew by Free Haifa
Please share it and act everywhere to save Samer Issawi and for all the people that were imprisoned for their struggle for freedom.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

#GazaUnderAttack | An urgent call for people of conscience | Human Rights Defenders Needed in #Gaza


Due to the failures of the United Nations, governments and the International community to fulfill their obligation to protect the besieged civilians of Gaza, we urge people of conscience to come to Gaza to act as human rights defenders against the wanton lethal attacks unleashed by Israel against the civilian population.
In the last 7 days 116 people have been murdered, including 23 children. More are being murdered as you read this call. We call on all people of conscience to do what the UN and the international governments are failing to do–to enter Gaza in groups to act as human rights defenders. We will be entering Gaza as affinity groups. The groups will remain together for the duration of their stay. In Gaza, Palestinian human rights workers will coordinate our work.
We will collectively document and report on the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza and be present to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Through our efforts we will bring the reality of life in Gaza to our own communities. Activists have the option of forming groups or delegations in their home countries, or traveling to Egypt to join other human rights defenders there. Groups will enter Gaza via Rafah crossing.
To endorse this action and joining us, contact: gazasolidarity2012@gmail.com


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Urgent alert: Act now to save the lives of Samer al-Barq, Hassan Safadi and Ayman Sharawna!



Protest in London in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, August 18.
Samer al-Barq has now been on hunger strike for 105 days, in addition to 30 days prior on hunger strike with the mass prisoners’ hunger strike in April-May 2012, and is now the longest serving hunger striker anywhere in the world, having taken over this title from fellow Palestinian prisoner Akram Rikhawi.
He is joined on hunger strike by Hassan Safadi, who has now been on hunger strike for 75 days, on top of a 71-day long-term hunger strike including the April-May 2012 period, and Ayman Sharawna, who has now been refusing food for 65 days. All three are suffering from serious medical conditions, including major kidney problems, unconsciousness, and suppressed immune systems, as confirmed by Addameer, Physicians for Human Rights and al-Haq. Take action today to call for their immediate release and save the lives of Samer al-Barq, Hassan Safadi and Ayman Sharawna! 

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Urgent: 83 Days of Hunger Strike- Take action for Palestinian prisoner Akram Al-Rikhawi!



Palestinian political prisoner Akram Al-Rikhawi is currently on his 83rd day of hunger strike, in severe danger of death. He is suffering from numerous medical conditions, including diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, glaucoma, kidney problems and immune deficiency. Addameer reports that “Prior to his arrest, Akram received injections of Kenacort to treat his asthma, but following his arrest, the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) did not allow Akram to take this injection. Instead, it was replaced with injections of cortisone, which is most likely the cause of severe complications, resulting in additional chronic illnesses such as diabetes and osteoporosis, from which Akram now suffers.” Take action today to call for the immediate release of Akram al-Rikhawi!
Akram began his hunger strike on April 12 of this year to demand his early release due to his heath circumstances. He also has eight children, and he and his wife are also responsible for the care of the five children of his late brother. Despite his severe health circumstances and his difficult family and economic straits and responsibility for 13 children, his appeals for early release in 2012 and on June 5, 2012 were both rejected.
He did not stop his hunger strike on May 14 at the time of the agreement between prisoners and the Israel Prison Services because his unique circumstances were not addressed – namely, early release on medical grounds. Physicians for Human Rights were denied access to Akram for nearly two months, until June 6. He has lost 26.5% of his body weight – and was already very unhealthy. Akram has been refusing medical examinations since mid-May – and in response, the cortisone injections have only increased. PHR has stated that he must be transferred immediately to a civilian hospital in order to receive proper medical care, and filed suit to demand he be transferred – which wasdenied by an Israeli District Court on June 14.
On the heels of the victory achieved by Mahmoud Sarsak after an unprecedented 95-day hunger strike, in which Sarsak, held without charge or trial under a new law labelling uncharged detainees from Gaza as “unlawful combatants” – won his release, scheduled for July 10. Sarsak – a Palestinian football player on the national team – was released after international publicity – including statements from FIFPro and FIFA officials and players – was drawn to his case. It is urgent that we act now to free Akram Rikhawi and secure his much-needed medical care.
Akram al-Rikhawi is not the only Palestinian prisoner currently on hunger strike. Samer al-Barq has now been on hunger strike since May 22, for 43 days, protesting Israeli violations of the agreement with the prisoners – after his own administrative detention, rather than expiring as agreed by the Israelis at the end of the strike, was renewed for an additional three months. Samer al-Barq is now on hunger strike until his release is secured.
Samer al-Barq is not the only Palestinian victim of the Israeli violations of the agreement ending the hunger strike. Notably, Hassan Safadi, a long-term hunger striker who had been striking for 71 days at the time the agreement was concluded, had his administrative detention order renewed by the Israelis on June 21, despite the explicit agreement that the long-term hunger strikers such as Safadi serving in administrative detention without charge or trial would not have those orders renewed. Safadi is now on his 13th day of hunger strike and plans to continue until he is released.
Addameer reports that the cases of al-Barq and Safadi are not the only examples of Israeli intransigence and violation of the agreement:
In regards to the implementation of the agreement as a whole, one of the 19 prisoners in long-term isolation, Dirar Abu Sisi, has still not been moved to the general prison population, and an additional prisoner was moved to isolation last week. Furthermore, family visits to prisoners from Gaza have not yet resumed, though one month has passed since the agreement was signed. Addameer has observed no change in Israel’s overall administrative detention policy and fears that these practices will only continue without significant pressure from the international community.
Administrative detention, mass roundups, and military trials are continuing in Palestine. Activists like Walid Abo Rass, the financial and administrative manager of the Health Work Committees – a community based health organization – continue to be kidnapped and held arbitrarily in occupation prisons. International solidarity and action is needed to hold the occupation accountable for its ongoing imprisonment and abuse of the people of Palestine!
TAKE ACTION!
4. Join a protest or demonstration for Palestinian prisoners. Many groups and organizations are holding events – join one or announce your own. Organizing an event, action or forum on Palestinian prisoners on your city or campus? Use this form to contact us and we will post the event widely. If you need suggestions, materials or speakers for your event, please contact us at samidoun@samidoun.ca.
5. Contact your government officials and demand an end to international silence and complicity with the repression of Palestinian political prisoners. In Canada, Call the office of John Baird, Foreign Minister, and demand an end to Canadian support for Israel and justice for Palestinian prisoners, at : 613-990-7720; Email: bairdj@parl.gc.ca. In the US, call the office of Elizabeth Jones, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs (1.202.647.7209). Demand that Elizabeth Jones bring this issue urgently to his counterparts in Israel.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Can Israel survive its 45-year occupation?




Nadia Hijab is Director of Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network. She serves on the advisory board of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.


This week marks the 45th anniversary of Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. A decade ago, I joined a small group of Americans in identifying the occupation as the Achilles heel in Israel's decades-old violations of Palestinian human rights. We believed that hard work and our diverse ethnicities, faiths, and ideologies, grounded in a common commitment to international law, would soon get the "end occupation, uphold human rights" message out to the political establishment and fellow Americans. After all, there was international consensus concerning the "inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war," a basic principle of international law enshrined in U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 of 1967, which called for Israel's withdrawal from the territories it seized in the 6-day war it launched on June 5.  




Even though the organization we co-founded has since grown to represent hundreds of thousands of Americans, the Israeli occupation appears more entrenched than ever. Israel has cemented its control of Palestinian land and water, settling over 500,000 of its people in the territories and herding the Palestinians into ever-smaller enclaves, all the while flagrantly violating international law. Yet it has continued to enjoy the support of the United States, including diplomatic cover at the U.N. and massive military aid.  


Israel has also benefited from the acquiescence of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization in the moribund "peace process" launched by the Oslo Accords nearly 20 years ago. Although this so-called leadership now refuses to participate in negotiations so long as Israel continues to colonize, they have not definitively pulled out of them, even though the only tangible result has been the inexorable loss of Palestinian land and rights. 


Worse, they have no clear counter-strategy and have not been willing to invest in the sources of power necessary to achieve Palestinian human rights, even though there are many avenues available -- diplomatic, economic, mobilization of Arab and international civil society -- that could effectively challenge Israel.


http://blog.endtheoccupation.org

Monday, May 16, 2011

EU Commissioner Georgieva calls for an end to evictions and house demolitions in East Jerusalem

16-05-2011



EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva yesterday called for an end to evictions and house demolitions in East Jerusalem on a visit to the area, during which she met Palestinian families who had suffered evictions. The meeting came during a four-day visit to the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, together with UN Under Secretary General Valerie Amos.
 
The Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response met yesterday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and together they visited the West Bank’s area C, where the Commissioner and the UN Under Secretary-General met the victims of East Jerusalem evictions.
 
Commissioner Georgieva reiterated the EU’s continued humanitarian support to the most vulnerable among the Palestinians. Following her visit to Jahalin School in Area C and East Jerusalem’s neighbourhood of Sheik Jerrash, she said: “I am particularly moved by the plight of ordinary Palestinian families whom I met in the West Bank’s area C and in East Jerusalem. Notably women and children live under the constant threat of harassment, eviction and disruption of their lives. There is an issue of protection. Any action that leads to forced displacement must stop.”
 
She added: “This issue combined with serious restrictions on access and movement imposed by the occupying power means that most of the people are denied the possibility for economic and social development. They are denied the right to live a life in dignity.”
 
A European Commission press release said Jahalin School epitomized the challenges faced by people in the West Bank and in particular in Area C: the risk of demolition of houses and infrastructure, subsequent displacement, shrinking land available, poor access to services, water shortage and communities being subject to settler violence.
Around 60,000 Palestinians (out of 225,000) in East Jerusalem face the risk of eviction from their homes.
 
The European Union is financing humanitarian projects which provide legal support to people threatened by evictions or cash to allow them to pay the rent in their new homes and basic household items, as well as psychosocial support.
 
Speaking last week ahead of her departure, Commissioner Georgieva had said: “While all eyes are set on the tremendous changes happening on the political scene with the Arab Spring and the inter-Palestinian reconciliation, we must not forget the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian Territory… During our visit to the region, Valerie Amos and I will engage with the relevant stakeholders to ensure not only the continuous provision of relief, but also of humanitarian access and protection to civilians, in line with international humanitarian principles and law.” (ENPI Info Centre)

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

April is Right to Education Month



Jewish Voice for Peace has designated this month for focusing on the Right to Education.

The Right to Education speaking tour is in full swing, featuring Palestinian voices focused on Palestinian youth and the barriers that the Israeli occupation imposes on their access to education.Mira, Amer, and Hanna have been speaking at many universities, connecting the Palestinian student experience to the American one. Click here to find out some of what people are saying about the tour. Here are the remaining tour dates/locations:

4/13-14
Hanna and Mira at UC-Berkeley and City College of San Francisco

4/17
Hanna and Mira at UT-Austin

4/20-21
Hanna and Mira at Albuquerque

4/21-22
Hanna and Mira at Arizona State University and University of Arizona

4/25
Hanna and Mira at UC-San Diego

4/27
Hanna and Mira at UCLA

May is Right to Healthcare Month. Stay tuned at wedivest.org.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Fundraiser for IFPB "African Heritage" delegation to Palestine/Israel, Saturday in Washington, DC

Interfaith Peace-Builders & Way to Jerusalem Mission Group invite you to a very special evening to raise funds for the upcoming African Heritage Delegation to Palestine/Israel


Saturday, March 26
7:00 – 9:00 PM
Festival Center
1640 Columbia Road Northwest
Washington DC, 20009

FOOD! MUSIC! INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKERS! DISCUSSION!

Suggested donation: $10 or above (please give what you can; much is needed and contributions of all sums are tax-deductible)
Fundraising Goal: $35,000
This will allow us to help a group of around 20 people travel!

Download and print the event flyer here.

The African Heritage Delegation will raise awareness, heighten activism, and further link struggles between African Heritage communities in the US and those working for justice in Israel/Palestine.  Given the racism directed towards Palestinians and other communities of color in the Middle East, the growth of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, and the mounting relevance of an Apartheid analogy to Israeli policies, voices of African Heritage communities are increasingly important to strengthen and support struggles for justice in the Middle East.

The delegation will:  Exchange lessons learned from Black Power, Civil Rights, anti-apartheid and anti-racist, pro-justice, struggles in the US with those waging similar campaigns in Palestine/Israel; strengthen a cadre of African Heritage leaders who have on-the-ground experience in Israel/Palestine; and further link activism in African Heritage communities with peace and justice work in other communities.

This program is built upon existing efforts within African Heritage communities and will strengthen work focusing on Apartheid in Israel, justice in Palestine, and the growth of boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns nationally.    Nothing can do more to amplify such voices than an on-the-ground experience which will allow you the chance to develop strong and lasting relationships with Palestinian and Israeli activists.

MORE INFORMATION HERE...

Friday, January 14, 2011

ISRAEL’S ORTHODOX RABBIS: ‘PALESTINIANS TO THE OVENS!’


Back in the days of the Shoah, one of the slogans of the Jew haters was: “Jews to the Ovens.” Now, it causes me anguish to say, we have Israeli Orthodox rabbis saying the same about the Palestinians.
Thanks to Cicero for pointing me to ashocking passage in an Israeli Orthodox “family magazine,” Fountains of Salvation, which suggests that Israel will create death camps for Palestinians in order to wipe them out like Amalek.  The article attacks Israeli rabbis who dispute the letter recently circulated from pro-settler extremist rabbis which urged that no Israeli Jew rent apartments or homes to Israeli Palestinians.  It chided them for being “politically correct” and refusing to do their jobs and educate the populace in the true path of Torah (which is presumably to hate Palestinians).
The last paragraph (page 4 of the original) though is the whopper:
It will be interesting to see whether they leave the assembly of the Amalekites [Palestinians] in extermination camps to others, or whether they will declare that wiping out Amalek is no longer [historically] relevant.  Only time will tell…
A few words of explanation.  There is a Biblical command for Jews to wipe out Amalek because of the viciousness with which that people attacked Israelites.  Essentially, this is a Jewish call to commit genocide against Amalek.  We should note that the Bible records such Jewish campaigns against other tribes as well (Moabites, Jebusites) and no doubt others did the same to their enemies.
Rabbis throughout the ages have allegorized the reference to Amalek to connote any sworn enemy of the Jewish people from Hitler to Barack Obama (yes, prominent American Orthodox Jews wrote such garbage before the last election).  But this is the first time I’ve ever read any Orthodox publication calling for committing genocide against Palestinians.
As Cicero pointed out to me, the articulation of this passage doesn’t only refer to Palestinians (though most likely this was specifically who the writer had in mind given the context).  It can refer to any enemy of the Jewish people including you or me.
Now a word on who is behind this publication: it is the cream of the crop of the radical right-wing Israeli Orthodox rabbinate.  It was founded by the former chief rabbi of Safed, whose son currently holds that position and who circulated the letter I refer to above.  Another is the chief rabbi of Ramat Gan and finally Rabbi Avinar, suspected of sexually abusing a troubled woman who approached him for spiritual advice.  Each of them holds paid government sinecures, allowing them to spew hate on the dime of the Israeli taxpayer.
This raises the important question: why does the U.S. government allow tax-deductible contributions to Israeli charities like Chabad given their propagation of such genocidal rhetoric?
Cicero first learned about the Chabad article from Udi Aloni’s Ynet column, which pointed it out.  He points out that it has been his custom in criticizing Israelis who support the Occupation to attack the liberal elite which is characterized by the slogan “shooting and crying.”  Instead, he says he now will have to pay closer attention to the radical Orthodox who “shoot and laugh.”  Aloni imagines the young Orthodox boy reading this publication in his synagogue where it’s distributed, who conjures to himself with a smile on his face the picture of Palestinians standing behind barbed wire in such a camp.  This is the legacy these rabbis are bequeathing to their young followers.
Finally, since I know people of all ideological stripes may read into this story what they wish, I want to make clear that this is not Judaism.  These wicked men may be Jews and rabbis, but they don’t represent normative Judaism any more than Osama bin Laden represents normative Islam.  Do not make the mistake of conflating this idiocy with all of Israel or all of Judaism.  Yes, these men are dangerous, they are hateful, and they must be challenged.  But there is another face of Judaism and another face of Israel (though that is becoming increasingly difficult to see I concede).

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

U.S. Needs to Match Words to Action on Palestinian Rights

Our National Advocacy Director has published the following excellent analysis on IViews.com:


by Josh Ruebner

1/11/11

Last month, the State Department held a town hall for Human Rights Day, which commemorates the anniversary of the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At the event, Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs P.J. Crowley, Legal Adviser Harold Koh, and Assistant Secretary of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Michael Posner took questions from the audience and shared their thoughts on the role of human rights in U.S. foreign policy.



Given that the United States provides Israel with nearly unconditional diplomatic support and military aid to sustain its illegal 43-year military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip and to commit systematic human rights abuses while doing so, I asked the panelists if the State Department holds Israel to a lower standard of account on human rights than other countries, and if Palestinians were entitled to equal human rights

 
Posner responded unambiguously that there is a "single universal standard that applies to every country, including our own. We apply it to Israelis." He also affirmed that the State Department views "Palestinians as being human beings under the Universal Declaration [of Human Rights] and entitled to these rights."



ARTICLE CONTINUES...

Monday, December 27, 2010

Западния брях и израел: отдалечени и неравнопоставени

Според доклад на Human Rights Watch политиката на Израел в Западния бряг остро дискриминира палестинските жители, лишавайки ги от услуги от първа необходимост, като същевременно осигурява отличните удобства за еврейските колониални селища.
В доклада се описват дискриминационни практики, които нямат законна обосновка, поради това Human Rights Watch призовава Израел да спазва задълженията си според международното право, да оттегли заелниците от Западния бряг и да преустанови да нарушава правата на палестинците.
166-те страници на доклада, „Отделени и неравнопоставени: Израел и дискриминационното третиране на палестинците в окупираните палестински територии„, показват, че Израел използва две разлчини системи за двете популации на Западния бряг в районите, в които Израел има изключителен контрол. Докладът се основава на проучвания, които анализират различното отношение на Израел към еврейските засленици и към живеещото в съседство палестинско население. Той призовава САЩ и страните от ЕС да спрат да подкрепят заселническата политиката на Израел в Западния бряг, защото в своята същност тази политика е дискриминационна и е в нарушение на международното право.
„Палестинците се сблъскват със систематична дискриминация, порадена единствено от тяхната раса, етническа принадлежност и национална принадлежност. Поради това те са лишени от ток, вода, образование, както и от достъп до по-добри пътища, докато живеещите наблизо еврейски заселници се радват на всички тези услуги, предоставени безпрепятсвено от израелската държава“, казва Карол Богерт, заместник-изпълнителен директор на Human Rights Watch. „Докато израелските селища процъфтяват, палестинските такива под израелски контрол живееят в непредвидими условия – те не само са отделени и в неравностойно положение, но понякога палестинците дори биват прогонвани от земите им, а домовете им разрушавани.“
Дискриминационната политика на Израел често превръща палестинските селища в практически необитаеми, това принуждава голяма част от техните жители да напуснат своите домове. Според проучвания от юни 2009 година сред палестинските домакинства в „зона С“ (район, който обхваща 60 процента от Западния бряг и която е под пълен израелски контрол) и Източен Йерусалим, който Израел едностранно анексира, около 31 на сто от палестински жители са били изселени от 2000 г. насам.
Human Rights Watch анализират ситуацията в зона С и Източен Йерусалим и установяват, че двете различни системи на управление в двете области дават щедри финансови ползи и чрез поддръжка на инфраструктурата насърчаваат живота в еврейските селища, докато същевременно съзнателно лишават от финансиране и основни услуги палестинското население, налагайки по този начин сурови условия за техния живот. Това различно третиране въз основа на раса, етническа принадлежност и национално самосъзнание е в нарушение на основните закони за правата на човека.
Израелската политика контролира много аспекти от всекидневието на палестинците, които живеят в зона С и Източен Ерусалим. Пример за дискриминационни практики е отчуждаването на палестинска земя с цел построяване на населени места, в които могат да живеят само евреи и съответно поддържащата инфраструктура; забраната палестинците да използват пътищата и да обработват собствените си земеделски земи; отказът на достъп до ток и вода; неиздаването на разрешителни за строеж на къщи, училища, клиники и инфраструктура, както и разрушаването на жилища и дори цели общности.
Тези мерки водят до невъзможността за разширяване на палестинските селища и причиняват големи трудности на жителите, като дори ги оставят с ограничен достъп до медицински грижи.
От друга страна политиката на Израел насърчава и популяризира разрастването на колониалните еврейски селища в зона С и Източен Ерусалим, често използвайки земята и другите ресурси, които на практика стават недостъпни за палестинците. Израелското правителство поощрява непрекъснато заселници чрез финансиране на жилищното настаняване, по-евтино и достъпно образование и инфраструктура. Тези мерки от страна на израелското правителство са довели до последователното и бързо разрастване на еврейските селища, населението на които се е увеличил от около 241 500 жители през 1992 г. до около 490 000 през 2010 г. (включително Източен Ерусалим).
„Докато израелските политици се борят за “естествен прираст“ в незаконните заселнически селища, те задушават местното палестинско население, забранявайки на семействата да разширяват домовете си и правейки живота им непоносим“, казва Богерт. „Тази тяхна политика нарушава равенство между хората и е основна пречка за водене на нормален живот сред палестинците.“

Нарастването на еврейските заселници в Окупираните Палестински територии през годините (цифирите са в хиляди))
Една от палестинските общности, които Хюман райтс уоч разглежда в доклада си е Джубет Ал Диб, село с 160 жители, намиращо се на югоизток от Витлеем, което е създадено през 1929. Селото е достъпна само пеша, защото за да се достигне от него до павиран път трябва да се мине през дълъг 1.5 километра труднопроходим черен път. Децата от това село трябва да ходят на училища в други населени места, намиращи се на няколко километра, защото в тяхното села няма училище.
В Джуберт Ал Диб няма ток въпреки многобройните искания на обитателите му да бъдат свързани към електрическата мрежа на Израел. Израелските власти също са отхвърли и финансиран от международни донори проект, който е целял да захранва селото със слънчева енергия. Месото или млякото в селото трябва да се ядат на същия ден, поради липса на хладилници; жителите често прибягват до яденето на консервирани храни вместо пресни продукти. Селяните са зависими от светлината на свещи, керосина или фенери, а когато могат да си позволят да го напълнят с бензин, и от малък генератор.
На около 350 метра от тях е еврейското селище Сде бар, основано през 1997 година. В него живеят около 50 души и те имат достъп до павиран път и магистрала, струваща милиони долари, свързваща ги с Ерусалим, заобикаляйки палестинските градове и села, както и Джубет Ал Диб. В Сде Бар има гимназия, но чуениците от Джуберт Ал Диб не могат да я посещават. Заселническите селища са обявени за затворени военни зони и в тях може да се влиза само със специални военни разрешителни. Жителите на Сде Бар се радват на удобства, общи за всички израелски град, като например хладилници и електрически лампи, които селяните от Джуберт Ал Диб виждат от домовете си през нощта.

Изглед към Сде Бар
„Палестинските деца, живеещи в райони под израелски контрол учат на свещи, докато гледат от далеч електрическите светлини в домовете на заселниците“, „допълва Богерт. „Твърдението, че лишаването на палестинските деца от достъпа им до училище, вода или електричество има нещо общо със сигурността на Израел е абсурдно.“
В повечето случаи, когато Израел признаe, че третира по различен начин палестинците опрадванието е, че това са необходими мерки за защита на еврейските заселници и останалите израелци, които са обект на периодични атаки на палестински въоръжени групи. Но нито сигурност, нито друга основателна причина може да обясни защо на палестинците се забранява да строят или ремонтират своите домове, училища, пътища и резервоари за вода.
Освен това, в справянето с проблемите по сигурността, Израел често действа така сякаш всички палестинци представляват заплаха за сигурността въз основа на тяхната раса, етническа принадлежност и национална принадлежност. Законите против дискриминация забраняват налагането на подобни широки наказания.
„Светът отдавна отхвърли подобни грешни аргументи, които целят да оправдаят третирането на една група от хора по различен начин само поради тяхната различна раса, етническа принадлежност или национален произход,“ казва Богерт. „Време е Израел да прекрати политиката си на дискриминация и да се спре да се отнася с палестинците под техен контрол значително по-лошо от колкото с евреите, живеещи в същия район.“
Върховният съд на Израел е постановил, че някои мерки срещу палестинските граждани на Израел са били незаконни, тъй като са дискриминационни. Въпреки това, Human Rights Watch не знае за случай, в който съдът да е обявил израелската политика в Западния бряг за дискриминираща спрямо палестинците, въпреки че петиции са били внасяни по редица случаи.
Според Human Rights Watch тези очевидни дискриминационни практики създават спешен въпрос пред страните-донори – ще продължат ли да допринасят и да бъдат съучастници в нарушенията на международното право, причинени от заселниците. Тези страни трябва да извършат осезаеми стъпки в насърчаването на израелското правителство да се придържа към законовите си задълженията.
Human Rights Watch повторно препоръчва на Съединените щати, който всяка година дава $ 2,75 милиарда помощ на Израел, да извади от тях сумата, която на Израел е нужна по разходите в подкрепа на заселнците, които проучване от 2003 г. оценява на $ 1,4 милиарда. По същия начин, въз основа на многобройни доклади става ясно, че много американски донорски организации, които са освободени от данъци всъщност подкрепят финансово заселниците, поради това докладът призовава САЩ да проверят дали тези данъчни облекчения са в съответствие със задълженията на САЩ да гарантира зачитането на международното право, включително забраната срещу дискриминацията.
Хюман Райтс Уоч призовава ЕС, който е основният пазар за износ на продукти, произведени от заселниците, да гарантира, че тя не предоставя стимули за този вид износ чрез преференциално третиране, както и да идентифицира случаите, в които дискриминацията срещу палестинците допринеся за производството на изнасяните стоки. Например, докладът съобщава за случай, в които култури са изнасясни от заселнически селища, използващи вода от пробити от Израел кладенци за сметка на пресъхнали наблизо палестински такиви. По този начин се ограничава възможността на палестинците да обработват собствените си земи и дори се ограничава достъпът им до питейна вода.
Докладът също така описва случаи, в които цели предприятията са се възползвали пряко от дискриминацията срещу палестинците, например чрез търговска дейност в земи, които са били незаконно конфискувани от палестинците, без право на обезщетение. Тези предприятия също се радват на израелски правителствени субсидии, данъчни преференции и дискриминационен достъп до инфраструктура и канали за износ.