Druze Leaders are Calling for Canceling the Mandatory Military Service: Many journalists and columnists wrote this week about the Druze community.
The issue was brought up again after the testimonies of the young Druze soldier who is the suspect in killing Rami Garah in “Black October” clashes. Rami Garah’s father attacked this boarder patrolman at the first session of the Or Commission (see weekly press review No.20).
The male members of the Druze community are subjected to mandatory military service in the IDF since 1950. Many Druze leaders are working those days on preparing a conference to demand cancellation of the mandatory military service. Jehad Saed, a member of the Druze Committee declared on Tuesday’s edition of Al-Ittihad (February 27): “it is very important those days to have an abolition from the military service in the IDF, and make it as an optional or voluntary service. We are going to sign petitions and send it to different officials”.
Amir Makhul in Al-Sinnara Friday’s edition suggests “a civilized project: no Arabic conscript in IDF”. Amir distinguishes between two cases: the youngster of the Druze community who are bounded to serve in IDF, and Muslim and Christian youngsters who are collectively exempted from it.” Moreover, Amir stress on the fact that: “we do not need an Investigation Committee in order to know the truth, but we should remember that the killer is one of us, and that it is our weakness which we must prevent it in the future. Without this act, the boarders inside our community will widen and the government mission will be much easier in getting away from responsibility”. (Al-Sinnara, March 2nd).
Al-Ittihad and Panorama Friday’s editions present the same point of view from different voices. Salah Dabaj in his report in Al- Ittihad brings the Martyrs’ Families Committee’s announcement: “the media’s attempt to divide us under affiliation or sectarian is very impertinent. From our point of view, the police and the government are the suspects in this case”.
Sameh Al-Kasem in Dabaj’s report defines the military service as a political, Zionism process, which its main target is to affect our people solidarity”.
The poet Salman Nator clarify the fact: “that the Druze are Arab Palestinian, who must continue struggling until we get free from the tragedy of 1956”.
Natour claims as well: “most of the Druze refuse military service by humane, ethical and initial position. Those who came back home after three years of service, physically and mentally healthy, his suffer will grow the minute he feels the racial, national and sectarian discrimination in his daily life”. (Al-Ittihad, March 2nd).
Suhil Kblan refers to the same issue, but he focuses on the Or Commission, where the Druze soldier testify in front of the whole world, where the snipers of the special anti-terrorist police (Jews), testified behind a shield…” (Al-Ittihad, March 2nd).
Salman Kheir, an attorney, declared in Panorama: “I refuse the use of Druze expression, the soldiers are soldiers of the government and they receive instructions from the army they serve in.” (Panorama, March 2nd).
Druze leaders usually stress the military service imposed on them to legitimate their demands for equal rights, but It is more clear that the Druze Community is feeling outcasts from the Jewish Israeli society.
More Facts Regarding Education in the Negev
communities:
Another subject of concern reflected the Arabic press this week
is the education in the Negev and in the unrecognized villages.
Again Kull Al-Arab and Al-Ittihad revealed almost the same
numbers, which were reported in August 2000.
Maekel Al-Hwashli, education council of the unrecognized
villages says: “we need more than 22 high school, cause there
isn’t any school in any of the 45 villages, in spite the fact that the
inhabitant’s number at this villages is up to 70 thousand. (Al-
Ittihad, March 2nd). Moreover, just 9000 pupils continue their
education, cause 60% of 32798 students drop out of school.
Al-Hwashli gives an example from his village, only 1 teacher was
graduated over the 20 past years, and there is no one finished his
high school education for the last 3 years.
Amal Al-Sana’ co-coordinator of the Orientation Committee for
the Education of the Negev Arabs, declared: “the unconcern and
the obliviousness by the government is its way to achieve two
goals: ignorance which make the control over them much easier,
and the second one is avoiding investment in order to force people
leaving their lands”. (Al-Ittihad, March 2nd).
Yaser Al-Aqbi’s report in Kull Al-Arab reveals some very frightening facts about the Bedouin youth. “50% of the Bedouin Delinquents are youth under the age of 18”. Yitzhak Ahronovitch, police commander of the Southern District said that 4254 criminal files were open in 2000, which is 20.5 % of the whole criminal files in the south. Ahronovitch warn from a Bedouin Intifada (upraising) very soon, if the situation continues the way it is now”. (Kull Al-Arab, March 2nd).
Swat Al-Haqq Wal-Hurriya, reported only the meeting which was held in the Knesset last Tuesday. The Education Committee in the Knesset decided to build kindergartens inside the neighborhoods, and the Bedouin Education Authority declared its well to repair the rugged roads for the students”. (March 2nd).
A New Palestinian Feminine Council:
In the wake of the horrifying clashes that have occurred last October, the women’s absence was very notified. There was a very strong need for women’s rule inside this clashes in different ways.
Nehaia Dawod, a lecturer in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem: “The political oppression of the Arabic women is a result of a social oppression”. “It is not a reasonable to have only male leaders at the beginning of the 21 century”. (Al-Ein, February 27).
Fasel Al-Maqal reported that the first meeting of this council: “took place on last Friday – Saturday in Saint Gabriel Hotel in Nazareth. 150 women participated in this meeting under the title “women are taking decisions”.
Afnan Ajbaria, a teacher reported that: “Academic, working and housekeepers women gathered from all over the Arab towns and villages and from different parties, in order to participate in taking decisions”. (Fasel Al-Maqal, March 2nd).
Al-Sinnara’s Friday edition gave a full coverage of this meeting. Amna Abu-Rass tried to summaries some of the important decisions: “The council will try to have an active rule inside the Follow-Up Committee, the Arabic Municipalities and the parents committees. Moreover the council will support each woman who decide to participate in any election”. Arien Hwari, Women Human Rights programme Coordinator, shed a light on the Arab Association for Human Rights’ research regarding working women and she stress the fact that the council will deal with new ideas and new issues as well”. (Al-Sinnara, March 2nd).
The Supreme Court’s Decision regarding the Shbrentzak Area of Nazareth:
“The Supreme Court obliges Ministry of Interior to appoint a state Committee in order to solve the problem of the Shbrentzak area in Nazareth”. (Sawt Al-Haqq Wal-Hurriya, March 2nd).
Panorama stress the fact:” that the municipality needs this area very badly in order to solve the housing problem in Nazareth. Moreover, the area has no geographic relation to Natzrat Illit, and it receives its infrastructure services from the Nazareth municipality”. (March 2nd).
“Natzrat Illit is extended for about 34,000 dunam (land measure –1000sq. meters) with an about 45,000 citizens, while Nazareth is extended for about 14,500 dunam, with 70,000 citizens”. (Al- Ittihad, March 2nd).
Tarshiha’s Land:
Nakhla Tanus, a member in the local council of Tarshiha (a village
in Upper Galilee), wrote to Arab MKs in order to help him in the
council’s appeal to Ministry of Interior.
“The council is trying to join back the Dabshi’s land which was
taking from its area to Kfar Hvradim” (Panorama, March 2nd).
“It is worth mentioning that MK Natan Sharnzki appointed a committee in order to discuss this problem and to extend the village’s territory from west, instead of doing that to Kfar Hvradim, which was built on Tarshiha’s expropriated lands”. (Ayyam Al-Arab, Friday 18).
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In solidarity with one of the world's
oldest and
largest refugee populations, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
will construct a Palestinian refugee camp on the UC Berkeley
campus.
On Wednesday, March 7, 2001, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, by
Dwinelle
Hall, near Bancroft and Telegraph, SJP will rally in support of
Palestinian rights and demand that the UC divest from Israel
In response to the ongoing occupation and escalating military violence
against the Palestinian civilian population, SJP will reiterate its
demand that the University of California (UC) sever its financial ties
to the Israeli government. The UC invests at least $6.2 billion of its
$59 billion endowment in companies with sizeable operations in Israel.
Some of these investments directly support the Israeli military,
responsible for over 400 Palestinian civilian deaths since September
2000. One such investment is in General Electric. The UC invests $650
million in General Electric, which produces propulsion systems for
Israeli aircraft, such as the AH-64 Apache assault helicopters used
strike Palestinian villages with missiles. This direct connection
between the University and Israel's occupation and Apartheid against
Palestinians is unacceptable. Our public universities should not be
investing in occupation and massacres of civilians and SJP demands
that the UC immediately divest from all such companies.
The event on Wednesday, March 7, will dramatically portray the
dispossession and entrapment of the Palestinian refugees, displaced
since 1948, and now numbering over 4 million. During and after the
1948 establishment of the Israeli state, Zionist forces expelled
nearly 800,000 Palestinians out of an approximate 1.2 million
indigenous Palestinian population in a process that today would be
called ethnic cleansing.
These refugees and their descendants account for one of the world's
largest and oldest refugee populations. To date, over 3.7 million are
registered by the United Nations and another 2 million unregistered
Palestinian refugees live in neighboring countries or in internal
refugee camps sometimes within a very short distance of their original
homes and properties.
Israel's refusal to allow these refugees to return to their homes is
in violation of the Geneva Conventions, the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, and UN Resolution 194 (1948), which specifically
addresses the rights of the Palestinian refugees. In light of the
Israeli "Law of Return" (Hak Ha Shevut), which grants Israeli
citizenship to all Jewish people worldwide wishing to immigrate to
Palestine, Israel's refusal to allow the Palestinian refugees to
return to their own homes can only be described as the continuation of
an ethnic cleansing policy and unabashed Apartheid.
SJP is a diverse coalition of students, faculty, and community members
at the University of California, Berkeley with an interest in the
human rights of the Palestinian people and their struggle for
liberation under Israeli occupation. SJP also seeks to raise
publicawareness in the United States about the plight of the
Palestinian refugees. SJP conducts education, programming, information
distribution, and other coordinated efforts in order to counterbalance
anti-Palestinian biases in the American media
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The Israeli army and settlers are increasingly and purposefully
targeting Palestinian civilian areas located in the vicinity of
illegal Israeli settlements, causing numerous deaths and injuries.
This past week, a nine-year old boy was shot and killed while in his
bedroom, a woman was shot and killed while shopping with her
family,
and a fifty-four year old man was killed by a rocket which was shot
into his home.
On March 2, 2001, nine-year old Obei Mohammed Darraj was killed as he
was helping his father paint a window frame at home. The Palestine
Monitor team visited the boy's family on March 4, 2001. Obei's father
confirmed that there had been no exchange of fire between Palestinians
and the Israeli army and settlers that day. The bullet that entered
the little boy's chest and exited from his back, was fired from the
illegal settlement of Psagot. Another bullet also entered the family's
living room. Upon seeing his son collapse, Obei's father called an
ambulance but couldn¹t bear the pain of seeing his son bleeding to
death while he waited, so he decided to carry him to the hospital
himself. At 3:30 the boy was declared dead.
On March 3, 2001 at around 7:30 pm, Aida Daoud Moussa Fatiha was shot
dead next to the Quakers' Boys' Friends school by a 50-caliber,
anti-tank bullet fired from the illegal Israeli settlement of Psagot.
Aida Fatiha was walking in the street with her husband and children,
shopping in preparation for the Eid feast when she was killed. While
the settlement is relatively far from the mid-town area where Aida
Fatiha was shot dead, the type of guns and ammunition used by the
Israeli army against Palestinian civilians have an extremely long
range.
On March 4, 2001, the Palestine Monitor team visited the house of
54-year old Mohammed Badarin of Ramallah who was killed by an Israeli
rocket on February 27, 2001 as he was sitting in his living room.
Mohammed Baradin leaves behind a family of ten children. The day the
shelling happened, there were some clashes between Palestinian youth
and the Israeli army at the City Inn Hotel and Beit Eil settlement
intersection. According to his brother, unusually heavy rounds of
bullets were fired into Palestinian residential areas facing the
nearby Israeli settlement of Beit Eil. The shooting was coming from
three different directions and civilians were caught in the crossfire
for an hour and a half, starting at 6 pm.
At 8:30 pm that same evening, Israeli tanks starting firing rockets at
the house of Mohammed Badarin, although the clashes had stopped an
hour before. An Israeli rocket hit Mohammed Badarin as he was sitting
in his living room. The rest of the family was dispersed in different
rooms, some of the men were attempting to remove cooking gas canisters
from the kitchen for fear that they would be hit by subsequent
shelling. According to testimonies by his family, Mohammed Badarin's
body was torn into several pieces. The Palestine Monitor team noticed
numerous pools of blood splattered over the walls and ceiling of the
living room. Shortly afterwards, the second floor of the Badarin
family's house was hit by a second rocket, although clashes had long
stopped by that time.
The Badarins¹ home is severely damaged and uninhabitable. The façade
of the home is riddled with hundreds of bullet holes and there are
two-meter wide holes on each of the floors of the house. Bullets and
rockets entered the home, causing severe damage to its contents. The
Badarin family now has to sleep on makeshift beds on the floor,
scattered in the house's corridors. There are no longer any rooms that
can be utilized, except for the kitchen which has windows pierced by
several bullet holes.
On this same night of shelling, the nearby Ministry of Local Councils
was also hit by several hundred bullets and by a rocket, which
completely destroyed the top floor.
For more information go to The Palestine Monitor website,
www.palestinemonitor.org
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When Sharon forms his aggressive unity government with Peres,
confrontation between the Israeli government, on the one hand, and
the
PNA and the Palestinian people, on the other hand, becomes
inevitable.
This confrontation will be the result of the conflicting visions of
the peace process and its components. A brief revision of these
components will show us the gap that stands between the Palestinian
position and the Israeli one. Sharon’s government will still make the
gap less bridgeable. First: The Israeli position The terms of
reference of the peace process Sharon’s position vis-à-vis the peace
process puts an end to whatever has been agreed up in terms of
agreements or achievements. He thinks that agreements signed following
the Oslo Accord failed to achieve peace. In his view, this failure is
the result of the application of the international legality and the
principle of land for peace. The sponsorship of the peace process
Sharon sees no need for any kind of sponsorship including that of the
UN or even that of the US. Violence and terrorism Sharon claims that
there will be no negotiations unless “violence” stops. Security for
the Israelis comes first, and, in his view, this opens the way to
peace. The fait accompli To legitimize and, therefore, prolong the
Israeli occupation, Sharon suggests a long transitional phase. On this
basis, he writes off the Camp David and Taba negotiations concerning
the final status solution. He also stands against Clinton’s proposals
which dealt with sensitive issues such as the refugees, Jerusalem and
settlements. Second: The Palestinian position Terms of reference of
the peace process Palestinians will continue to adhere to
international legality which is in line with their national rights.
Although the Oslo Accord expired on May 4, 1999, negotiations have not
ceased. The Accord itself was based on UN resolutions 242 & 338 and
the principle of land for peace. These resolutions call for ending the
Israeli occupation including the full withdrawal of Israeli troops and
settlers from the territories occupied in 1967 including East
Jerusalem. UN Resolution 252 considers East Jerusalem an occupied Arab
territory. Other important UN resolutions include 465 which considers
Israeli settlements illegal, 194 which calls for giving the
Palestinian refugees the right to return and to be compensated for
their suffering, and 181which calls for the establishment of a
Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. The sponsorship of
the peace process The Madrid peace conference was held under the
sponsorship of the United States and the then-USSR. The collapse of
the USSR allowed the US to monopolize the process although signing the
Oslo Accord was made with the participation of some international
forces such as the European Union, Japan and some Arab countries.
Denis Ross and Martin Indyk represented this monopoly and they never
failed to achieve Isaac Shameer’s promise to make negotiations with
the Palestinians last for ten years without giving them any of their
rights. The Intifada as a way of confronting the Zionist aggression
The Intifada erupted as a public expression against the attempts of
Clinton and Barak to impose their proposals. Sharon’s visit to al-Aqsa
mosque was only the last straw element. The killing of Palestinians in
al-Aqsa premises by the Israeli troops made the Intifada spread to
other Palestinian territories including some of those occupied in
1948. The Israeli barbaric reaction was condemned by many countries,
and the PNA did not accept Barak’s call for a mutual cessation of
“violence”. Barak who first refused to negotiate “under fire”, found
his way back to the negotiating table. Sharon in his turn calls for
putting an end to the Intifada before sitting at the negotiating table
to negotiate a proposal that Palestinians have already rejected.
Sharon’s intransigence imposes on us a long war of liberation. The
fait accompli Taking into account Sharon’s terms for negotiations, the
region will witness some changes because of the aggressive approach of
Sharon’s government. This government should be isolated and boycotted
since it is impossible to negotiate with a government that does not
recognize UN resolutions as a basis for the peace process. And imposes
a blockade on our cities and villages. An end should be put to Israeli
assassinations and the use of internationally banned gas. Also, the US
monopoly on the peace process should come to an end to allow the UN to
play a much more effective role. Finally, no negotiations can be
started until the international investigation committee (Mitchel’s
Committee) decides who is the aggressor and condemns Israel’s criminal
acts. The international community is asked to provide protection for
the Palestinian people to ensure the continuation of the negotiations.
Future developments will be affected not only by Sharon’s aggressive
plans but also by how the PNA is going to confront these plans and how
it will employ the Intifada to defeat Israeli plans. To do so, the PNA
should take into account the following factors: The double language of
Sharon’s aggression government Sharon will use the defense minister as
the sword of deterrence and Peres as the branch of olive that
symbolizes peace. The resulting double discourse may entice those
Palestinians who favour to negotiate with Peres. They will justify
this tendency by citing the economic hardships and the deterioration
in the security situation that our people are suffering from. They
will also claim that by negotiation with Peres they can call the bluff
of Sharon. On the other hand, national and Islamic forces will
continue the Intifada despite the difficulties our people are living.
They will also stand against any dealing with Sharon’s government. If
the Israelis mange to coordinate their conflicting positions, we
should adhere to our basic principles. President Arafat’s statement
following Taba’s negotiations embodies the position that national and
Islamic forces have so far adopted. Any deviation from that position
which may be made by those who favour negotiations, is likely to
endanger our national unity. A united position by the PNA, the
national and Islamic forces, and the institutions of the civil society
will strengthen our Intifada against the Israeli occupation. This will
affect stability in the region as long as we are denied our rights.
Racial menace Barak attempts to weaken the Palestinian resolve has
failed especially when he thought he could subdue the PNA following
the Camp David negotiations. However, further deterioration will occur
if Sharon’s threats are carried out. The Israeli prime minister is
governed by his past actions. The man who stood behind the massacres
of Qibya, Sabra and Shatila is now threatening to reoccupy the PNA
territories and to assassinate Palestinians leaders. These threats
coincide with Israel’s tightening of its blockade of our cities and
villages. The blockade includes closing crossing points, preventing
people from getting in or out of their cities or villages, and banning
the import of food. Israel has also refused to transfer to the PNA
millions of dollars in taxes. These threats are aimed at pushing the
PNA to the verge of collapse. If such an aim is achieved, then anarchy
will prevail not only at the Palestinian level but also at the
regional level. US air strikes against Iraq will increase
deterioration. This racial menace has frightened some Israelis who
warned against the effects of such an approach on Israel at the
strategic level. A united front that consists of Arab and Islamic
countries is the only answer to the menace posed by Sharon and his
aggression government. Financial support should be increased to
strengthen the Intifada against the Israeli occupation. The key to the
stability or instability should remain in our hand. The concentrated
campaign against corruption Nobody denies that corruption exists at
the administrative, financial and moral levels. However, the worst
form of corruption is the presence among us of collaborators who help
the Israeli occupation murder some of our activists. The PNA has taken
certain steps towards the elimination of this kind of corruption.
Administrative corruption leads to both financial and moral
corruption. Despite the formation of some administrative reform
committees, corruption continues to result in a certain degree of
malfunction that characterizes the general performance of the PNA.
Self-immunity against corruption requires further administrative
reform to ensure a better, if not a more creative, performance of each
working individual. It also requires the removal of any power centers
that result from occupying a certain position for an indefinite period
of time. Conflicts among such power centers will distort the image of
the PNA. Having the right person in the right position will also help
maintain a stronger administrative structure. It is important to note
here that the continuation of the Intifada can only be guaranteed
through the ‘clean’ performance of the PNA. Revolution Until Victory.
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Dear Friends
The present situation in the Palestinian Occupied territories is
determined by two dimensions; the escalation of the Israeli
pressure
on the Palestinians to submit to political concessions, and the
ability of the Palestinians to withstand the pressure and not to
surrender. In this frame the Health Work Committees is doing its
utmost to withstand the pressure. However we have to admit; it
hurts.
What we have been going through in the last weeks is very hard to
describe and at the same time is very hard to imagine. The siege
and
the closures are suffocating our work, especially in the villages. We
still go there no matter how much the Israeli Occupation forces are
tightening the noose. Admittedly it is very difficult for the medical
team to carry the medical equipment over the mountains of rubble and
blockades, and it is sometimes dangerous. But still we go. Maybe the
translation of some of the headlines of the Palestinian newspapers can
give some insight.
21.2.2000
24.2.2001
25.2.2001
2.3.2001
3.3.2001
5.3.2001
Although all reports state, that the Palestinians are under massive
threats and under the sign of a collapse, and that the future is very
dark because the boogie man, Mr. Sharon is coming to town, we, at the
Health Work Committees in Palestine, want to assure you that we are
still standing.
Dr.
Majed Nassar
Health Work Committees
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On 7 April 2001, thousands of Palestinians and people of
conscience
will take part in marches and rallies to demand implementation of
the
right of Palestinian refugees to return to homes and lands from
which
theywere expelled.
Marches and rallies will take place in New York (US) and other
cities
including those in Palestine, Canada, Spain and Australia.
Protestors
will call for an end to five decades of exile and demand that
Palestinian refugees be permitted to return to their properties and
homes of origin. These events will coincide with the fifty-third
anniversary of the massacre of Palestinian civilians committed by
Zionist forces in the village of Deir Yassin.
Organizers intend to draw the public's attention to the human rights
abuses and suffering inflicted on the Palestinian people. They also
plan to send a strong signal of support to Palestinians in territories
occupied since 1948 and 1967. More than three hundred and fifty
Palestinian civilians have been killed, and over 11,000 injured by
Israeli occupation forces in the past few months. Many of those
injured and killed are children.
The April 7 marches and rallies follow from those successfully held in
September 2000 simultaneously in Washington DC, London, Lebanon and
Palestine. These events, spearheaded by Al-Awda, The Palestine Right
to Return Coalition, are co-sponsored and endorsed by thousands of
individuals and over one hundred and fifty organizations.
Palestinian refugees, numbering more than 5 million in this year 2001,
represent one of the oldest and largest refugee populations in the
world. Their suffering is magnified by Israel's ongoing denial of
their right to repatriation and restitution, as required by
international law and UN Resolution 194.
Among the confirmed speakers for the forthcoming rally in New York
City are Dr. Souheil Natour, Muna Hamze, Dr. Sami el-Aryan, Rafael
Cancel Miranda, Sarah Flounders and son of Deir Yassin massacre
survivors Abbas Hamidah. The rally will also include a statement by
George Habash former Secretary General of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine. Internationally renowned musicians Marcel
Khalife and Simon Shaheen have been invited to take part.
Students for Justice in Palestine
Stand up to ethnic cleansing
Students to Construct Palestinian Refugee Camp on UC Berkeley
Campus
Demand for UC Divestment Continues
The Palestine Monitor, An Information Clearinghouse
EYEWITNESS REPORT:ISRAELI ARMY and SETTLERS SHOOT to KILL UNARMED
PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS
FATEH Editorial
The Intifada Between Stability and Anarchy
Union of Health Work Committees
12.2.?2001
The Israeli Army destroys a house in Gaza and bulldozes large areas
An Israeli soldier killed and another wounded. Severe shelling to the
residential areas of Bethlehem and Ramallah Barak's government refuses
the Clinton suggestions (Palestinian) Court sentences a Palestinian
officer to a firing squad. (Who was accused of collaboration with the
Israeli Secret service.) More than 6000 tress were, either uprooted,
burned or cut by the Israeli army and the settlers. The popular
committee to boycott the Israeli products calls upon the people to
increase the boycott and to encourage the national products.
13.2.2001
Burning of several houses and six (Palestinians) critically wounded.
Two Palestinians killed, dozens wounded by Israeli bullets. Severe
shelling in Khan Younis, Ramallah and Hebron. The Israeli soldiers are
shooting poisonous gas whose symptoms are similar to the
internationally banned gases. The Israeli army: Arafat is in full
control of the situation in the Palestinian territories. Sharon's
security advisor: We have to hit the Palestinian leaders and enter the
cities. Three Palestinians injured after being shot by the Israeli
army.
14.2.2000
Washington: the situation is deteriorating seriously
Arafat: Israel is using internationally banned weapons
More than 1000 citizens in the Golan Heights demonstrate against
Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights in 1981 More than 100
Palestinians injured by Israeli bullets and shrapnel Killing of a
Palestinian officer and a young boy in Gaza Barak justifies the
assassination of Palestinian leaders Barak congratulates the army for
the assassination of Ayyad The Israeli shelling kills an embryo in his
mother's womb Four paramedics from the Red Crescent are wounded The
rabbi of the Israeli settlement Allon Shofot: If we could carry out
sabotage in Arab cities, we would Palestinian officer assassinated
from Israeli helicopters Terry Rod Larsen: 32 % of the Palestinians
are living below the poverty line The economic losses of the
Palestinian economy are 1150 Million US $ in 4 months. Khan Younis:
The occupation soldiers open fire toward the direction of the
International investigation committee Israeli units kidnap three young
people from the village Selet Alharthiyyeh (near Jenin) The Israeli
army closes all schools in AlKhader( a village near Bethlehem) In Khan
Younis (Gaza) 85 people were injured when the Israeli army shelled the
neighborhood by tanks and gun ships A complete siege over the village
Huwwarah ( near Nablus) for 4 days
The Belgian Foreign Minister threatens to freeze relations with Israel
due to Israel's policies against the Palestinians Amnesty
International calls on Israel to stop the series of assassinations
against the Palestinian leaders Israel allows newspapers and fuel to
enter Gaza after 5 days of blockade Beit Jala shelled with tanks and
heavy machine guns. 10 people injured and several houses burned Barak
decides to leave political life.
Israel welcomes Powell by tightening the closure and fragmenting Gaza
Israel approves a new settlement on the lands of AlBireh( near
Ramallah) The office of Abu Mazen in Ramallah was shelled by heavy
machine guns A young Palestinian killed in Al Khader and tens wounded
A school and two offices for the national security destroyed The
Palestinian Authority warns Israel not to carry out its threats by
cutting off the water and electricity on Hebron, Bethlehem and Jenin.
It is possible that Israel would impose curfew on Beit Jala Demolition
of another office for the Palestinian security forces in Beit Lahia(
Gaza) Rafah: Israeli snipers shoot a young man in the head, wounding
him seriously. The Ambulance that transported the injured was held
three hours at the check- point. The Israeli occupation forces close
the road between north and south Gaza In Hebron 10 Palestinians
injured. In Sourif (a village near Hebron) 3 Palestinians arrested. In
Khan Younis: The Israeli settlers from Gush Katif are fencing
Palestinian lands with barb-wire and iron bars. Gaza: The Israeli
soldiers shot live ammunition at 4 journalists while reporting about
the Israeli tanks blocking the streets. The Palestinian authority asks
the Dutch government to help investigate the damage of the Gas used by
the Israeli army. AlBireh: 70 Palestinians injured among them a French
journalist and paramedics, and the Israeli occupation forces shells
several houses with tanks. Jericho: 8 Palestinians injured at the
southern entrance of the city during clashes with the Israeli
occupation forces Rafah: Since the beginning of the Intifada 19 houses
completely destroyed and 734 houses damaged
The Israeli occupation forces increase their assaults and confiscate
more lands. Palestinians are crawling on the beach (in Gaza) to bypass
the Israeli check- points. Sharon decides to annex a security strip in
the north of Gaza The Israeli forces tightens its siege over Nablus
The Israeli settlers of Itmar near Nablus steal 150 sheep from
Palestinian shepherds Bethlehem: Israeli soldiers prohibit
Palestinians from movement between Bethlehem and the western villages.
Palestinian drivers are beaten and tires punctured Kol Hair: (Israeli
Newspaper) An Israeli soldier killed a Palestinian youth on his way to
school in cold blood. The Israeli commanding officers did not report
the incident. A Palestinian woman from Yabad( near Nablus) loses her
baby through tear gas inhalation.
USA warns Israel not to reoccupy the PA territory
Sharon's advisor: Israel does not intend to reoccupy the (PA)
territory The Israeli forces shell residential areas of Rafah and
north of Gaza with tanks and heavy machine guns An Israeli killed and
9 others wounded by a car explosion in Wadi Arara (inside the green
line) Arafat: Israel will not be able to enforce its solution through
aggression. Peace can be achieved through Israel's commitment to the
basics of Madrid and international legitimacy. A Palestinian driver
hits an Israeli policeman injuring him seriously Israel arrests a
Swedish girl and intends to deport her for participating in a
demonstration in Gaza. The (Israeli) settlers take over more than 4000
Dunum in Sinjel( near Ramallah) Israel intends to dig a canal around
the city of Jenin. The Israeli army finished digging a two meter deep
canal around Jericho.
Four Palestinians killed among them a nine years old child( shot in
his house) Sharon includes the extreme right wing in his government
Washington warns Israel not to reoccupy the Palestinian cities 38
Palestinians from Hebron arrested by the Israeli soldiers Two
(Palestinian) children wounded in Rafah Half of the prisoners inside
Israel are Arabs
Three Israelis killed and 67 wounded in a suicide attack in Nahariya(
inside Israel) Residential area in Jenin shelled with heavy machine
guns Uri Savir(Knesset member of the central party) declares his
withdrawal from political life and his resignation from the Knesset.
He says: The Israeli politicians do not tell the truth to the people.
Shas agrees to join the Unity Government in Israel Three Palestinians
wounded by knives in West Jerusalem The relatives of Palestinian
detainees are not allowed to visit the detainees on the day of Eid
AlAdha. Three Palestinians (Two women and a man, who were killed
yesterday by the Israeli soldiers) are buried today in Ramallah and
Nablus Rahibam Zeevi:(Israeli Knesset member) Ben Gurion was the first
to implement the policy of transfer ( of the Palestinians) Asad Abdel
Rahman:(Palestinian Cabinet member) The collapse of the PNA is part of
the Israeli psychological war. ? 6.3.2001 No newspapers today. Eid
Al-Adha. We wish you a happy feast.
Al Awda
THOUSANDS RALLY WORLDWIDE TO DEMAND REFUGEES'
RIGHT TO RETURN