• Canadian Arabs and Muslims meet with Canadian Prime Minister Chretien
• Al Haq CLASHES CONTINUE IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES; SEVEN MORE PALESTINIANS KILLED AND HUNDREDS MORE INJURED SINCE YESTERDAY
• Al Mezan The massacre continues: The belligerent Israeli Occupation Forces shell the Palestinian civilians and kill 8 of them

Canadian Arabs and Muslims meet with Canadian Prime Minister Chretien

A group of representatives of the Canadian Arab and Muslim communities from accross Canada met on Sunday November 12, 2000 in Ottawa with Prime Minister Chretien. The purpose of the meeting was to convey our communities concerns about Canada s recent voting at the UN. We also voiced our expectations that Canada should uphold the principles of international justice and legitimacy embodied in UN Security Council resolutions 242, 338, and 1322, as well as the Fourth Geneva Convention, which are supported by Canada.

We reminded Mr. Chretien that there is a military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in defiance of international law and of UN Security Council resolutions. We stressed that it is not possible to find a sustainable solution to end years of violence without ending the military occupation and without the implementation of Security Council resolutions.

We agreed that Canada s international reputation and effectiveness depends on its continuous upholding of Canadian values as embodied in the stated principles of our foreign policy. We asked that these principles be applied in the current conflict in the Middle East.

The Prime Minister assured us that his doors are open to us and that he welcomed continuous communications with our community. We suggested that Canada could be involved in initiating a new approach towards addressing the current deadlock in the Middle East. He showed interest and requested written suggestions.

For further information please contact NCCAR@ (613) 238-3795 or CAF @ (514) 331-5060

Signed By:
The National Council on Canada Arab Relations(NCCAR)
The Canadian Arab Federation(CAF)
Canada Palestine Association
Arab Canadian Association of the Atlantic Provinces
Palestine House Educational And Cultural Centre
Association Islamique Hidaya
The Parish Council on Sts. Peter and Paul
The Ottawa Mosque
The Near East Cultural and Educational Foundation (NECEF)

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Al Haq

CLASHES CONTINUE IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES; SEVEN MORE PALESTINIANS KILLED AND HUNDREDS MORE INJURED SINCE YESTERDAY

News update Sunday, November 12, 2000

Today

events:Mohammed Nafith Abu-Naji, 17, from Shiekh Radwan in Gaza, was killed when two bullet struck him in the shoulder and chest during demonstrations in Beit Hanoun.

Other clashes continued throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip as Palestinians buried 5 more Palestinian demonstrators. Israel continues to use excessive force throughout the Occupied Territories, especially in Beit Sahour where three homes were destroyed by shelling from Israeli tanks. One house in a crowded residential neighborhood was set on fire caused by the shelling. The city of al-Bireh was shelled continuously throughout last evening causing the death of two Palestinians. Severe damage to property throughout al-Bireh was documented. The shelling has been the heaviest seen in the Ramallah District to date.

In a separate event, settlers opened fire on the vehicles carrying UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Mary Robinson and her delegation while they visited downtown Hebron. One bullet struck a TIPH patrol car standing in front of the TIPH shuttle. One member of the delegation witnessed a phosphoric trailed bullet pass him, nearly striking one of his colleagues.The incident took place in an area between Tel Armada and Beit Haddasa, an area with a history of documented settler violence.

Summary of events in Gaza on 11/11/00:

In the second extrajudicial killing in three days, Israeli Occupying Forces have killed Munzer Hamdi Yassin, 25, and Muhammad Wassin Darwish, 25, both from Shati Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. Al-Haq is gravely concerned about the lives of Palestinian civilians in the Palestinian Territories, especially in view of the recent upsurge in arbitrary and summary executions perpetrated by the Israeli Authorities.

As the attention of the world focused on the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Ms. Mary Robinson’s visit to the Gaza strip, Israel military personnel opened fire on to the car driven by Muhammad Darwish and Munzer Yassin without provocation.Furthermore, after their bodies were riddled with bullets, the victims vehicle was closed off in an area near the illegal Gush Qatif settlement. Ambulances were not allowed into the area to assist them. Eventually the victims were removed from the vehicle by a crane and their car was blown up by the Israel military.

Al-Haq reiterates its demands and calls on all High Contracting Parties to the IV Geneva Convention to signal to the Israeli authorities that it will not abide death missions.High Contracting Parties can actively communicate this by asking their judicial authorities to open prosecution briefs on willful killings in the Israeli occupied territories.

Al-Haq also calls on the international community of states to exercise its role under international law and to adopt effective measures, including economic sanctions, to oblige Israel to adhere to UN resolutions, and to pressure the Israeli government in order to put an end to its aggressive actions in the Occupied Palestinian territory

Al-Haq reiterates its demands for an international peace keeping force for the protection of the Palestinian people.

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Al Mezan

The massacre continues: The belligerent Israeli Occupation Forces shell the Palestinian civilians and kill 8 of them

The belligerent Israeli Occupation Army has continued to increase its use of excessive and lethal force against the Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Territories. Yesterday, 11/11/2000, the Israeli Army deliberately killed Palestinian civilians by bombarding Palestinian civilian cars and houses. Yesterday, 11/11/2000 at about 12:30 p.m. (10:30 GMT), Israeli soldiers opened fire at a civilian Palestinian car near Almatahin junction in the south of Gaza Strip. As a result, Monzir Hamdy Yaseen (a 22 year-old resident of Asheikh Redhwan in Gaza), and Mohammad Yaseen Almadhoun (a 22 year-old resident of Ashaty refugee camp in Gaza) were killed. Soon after this, the Israeli army exploded the car, detained their dead bodies, and closed Salah Addeen road that connects Gaza with Rafah. Mrs. Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who had been on her trip from Rafah to Gaza after paying a visit to observe the damage resulting from the Israeli shelling of Palestinian civil properties, was prevented from continuing her way to Gaza. The Israeli soldiers delayed her journey by two and a half hours. They let her and the accompanying UN cars travel along the Jewish settlements’ road while preventing the accompanying Palestinians, (who had to travel along a roundroad). Yesterday evening, the belligerent Israeli Occupation Forces had heavily shelled Albireh using anti-tank missiles and machine-guns. As a result, Osamah Khaleel Albawab (28 years old) and Majid Husein Aljaro (30 years old) were killed.

In the context of the policy which seems to aim to kill the highest possible number of Palestinian civilians, the Israeli army opened fire at unarmed Palestinian civilians. This led to the killing of:
1. Mosa Ibraheem Addibs, a 15 year- old resident of Jabalya refugee camp who was shot in the heart.
2. Moneeb Mohammad Abu Minshar, a 17 year- old resident of Hebron who was shot in the heart.
3. Hany Abdallah Abu Marzouq, a 37 year- old resident of Jenin who was shot in the heart on 10/11/2000.
4. Ayman Salah Wady, a 20 year- old resident of Khan Younis who was shot in the head. This raises the number of Palestinians killed by the Israelis since 29/9/2000 to 187.

Today, 12/11/2000, at about 4:00 a.m. (2:00 GMT), the belligerent Israeli Occupation Army has shelled civilan houses in Rafah in the Gaza Strip leading to their total or partial damage. The damaged houses belong to:
1. Saeed Mahmoud Musslih Zurub.
2. Sad Mohammad Hasan Jabr.
3. Husein Ayyad Hajjaj Assoufy.
4. Khalid Oudah MusslihZurub.
5. Wail Saeed Mohammad Zurub.
6. Hisham Oudah Musslih Zurub.
7. Musstafa Ayyad Hajjaj Assoufy.
8. Hasan Ibraheem Jaddou Assoufy.
9. Husein Mohammad Hasan Jabr.

Today, 12/11/2000, since 12:00 noon (10:00 GMT) until this time, the belligerent Israeli Occupation Forces have been brutally shelling Beit Jala in the West Bank using missiles and machine-guns. As a result, 7 houses have been severley damaged (One of the houses has been on fire). 9 Palestinian civilians including two children have been injured during the shelling. One of the two children has been seriously injured in the chest. Four cars have been destroyed and two others burnt during the attack. The Orthothox sport club has also been heavily damaged as a result of the shelling. In the same context, a Jewish settler has opened fire at a group of Palestinian pupils in Taqou village near Bethlehem. As a result one pupil has been injured.