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340 UK academics pledge to boycott Israeli universities

A commitment signed by 343 academics across UK’s higher education system says they will not accept invitations for academic visits to Israel. They will not act as referees in activities related to Israeli academic institutions, or cooperate in any other way with Israeli universities. 

The initiative will be announced in a full page advert in the Guardian newspaper on Tuesday October 27, and includes academics from across 72 different institutions who ‘took the pledge’, with more expected to follow as campaign grows.

This Academic Commitment is a response to the appeal for such action by Palestinian academics and civil society due to the deep complicity of Israeli academic institutions in Israeli violations of international law. For example, Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, has developed weaponised unmanned bulldozers used to demolish Palestinian homes, and has created special technology to detect tunnels that Palestinians use to break the illegal siege on Gaza.Signatories have pledged to continue their commitment until Israel complies with international law, and respects Palestinian human rights.

The need for solidarity with the Palestinian people, as expressed in the Academic Commitment, is made more urgent today by the current escalation of violent conflict in Israel/Palestine. The fatalities are
overwhelmingly of Palestinians engaging in street protests provoked by Israel’s 48-year and ever tightening occupation. Palestinians are driven to desperation in the face of Israeli intransigence, and its
continuing ethnic cleansing of East Jerusalem.

According to Professor Conor Gearty, Professor of Human Rights Law at London School of Economics “As a State that aspires to live by the values of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights,
Israel needs urgently to change its behaviour so far as its Palestinian citizens and those Palestinians under its control are concerned. This boycott is a small way of saying a big thing: that fairness and justice should be for real and not just for show, that all international laws must be respected, not only those that happen to be convenient”.

Speaking for the organisers of the Academic Commitment Professor Jonathan Rosenhead (London School of Economics) said “Israeli universities are at the heart of Israel’s violations of international
law and oppression of the Palestinian people. These signatures were all collected despite the pressures that can be put on people not to criticise the state of Israel. Now that the invitation to join the Commitment is in the public domain, we anticipate many more to join us.”

“Israel’s ongoing oppression of Palestinians has led tens of thousands of Palestinians to take to the streets in mass protest and is causing a sea change in attitudes towards Israel across the UK university
sector. We will be conducting a campaign across the country’s universities over the coming months, and inviting fellow academics to contact us if they wish to sign the commitment”.

Professor Jane Hardy, Professor of Global Political Economy at the University of Hertfordshire gave her reasons for signing in this way:

“This is an opportunity for academics to add their voices to the growing international movement to hold Israel accountable for its human rights abuses and specifically the deprivation of opportunity
for our Palestinian colleagues to participate in the global academic community. The commitment does not call for the termination of links with individual colleagues nor the end of dialogue, rather it is a
boycott of institutions directly or indirectly complicit in the systematic and illegal occupation of Palestine.”

Professor Malcolm Levitt FRS, a chemist at the University of Southampton explained why he signed the Commitment: “For decades Israel has enjoyed special protection and privileges despite its blatantly illegal occupation and settlement policy. This privileged status has lured Israel into a dead end, with consequences that are becoming increasingly apparent to everyone. In the face of the silence and complicity of our elected representatives, individuals must exert pressure as best as they can. This commitment allows me, as an academic, to collaborate with Israeli individuals in the best scientific traditions, while still resisting the attempt by Israeli institutions to normalise their complicity in grossly illegal and unjust activities.”

Echoing these sentiments, Dr. Rachel Cohen of City University said, “It is the responsibility of those of us who have the freedom to act to exercise that freedom in support of our colleagues in Palestinian
universities who do not have such freedom. The Israeli state presentsitself as an enlightened funder of academic pursuits, and yet it systematically denies Palestinian academics and students their basic
freedoms, such as the freedom of movement necessary to attend international academic conferences, or simply to get to lectures on time.”

Professor Costas Lapavitsas of the School of Oriental and African Studies, and recent deputy in the Greek parliament, declared, “The Palestinian people continue to show remarkable determination in
fighting for their national rights. The action by UK scholars is a small gesture of support and a way of reminding Israel that the arrogance of strength is a bad and dangerous principle for any state to adopt.”

Last week, 150 miscellaneous writers, broadcasters, conservative MPs and others, some distinguished, the others less so, produced a joint statement opposing the cultural boycott pledge in support of
Palestinian rights that was launched last February by 1000 cultural workers. The very publication of this attempted counter-blast by Israel’s friends, the delay in assembling its list of celebrities, and its padding out by those with little or no involvement in culture, indicate both the power and the public resonance of civil society initiatives aimed at isolating Israel.

A Commitment by UK scholars to the rights of Palestinians

As scholars associated with British universities, we are deeply disturbed by Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land, the intolerable human rights violations that it inflicts on all sections of the Palestinian people, and its apparent determination to resist any feasible settlement.

Responding to the appeal from Palestinian civil society, we therefore declare that we will not:

accept invitations to visit Israeli academic institutions;
act as referees in any of their processes;
participate in conferences funded, organised or sponsored by them, or
otherwise cooperate with them.
We will, however, continue to work with our Israeli colleagues in
their individual capacities.

We will maintain this position until the State of Israel complies with international law, and respects universal principles of human rights.

2. Signatories

All signatures are in personal capacities.

Academics signing the Academic Commitment are drawn from across the spectrum of disciplines: for example Anthropology, Art, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Classics, Cultural Studies, Design History,
History, Information Systems, Law, Linguistics, Management Science, Mathematics, Medicine, Music, Pharmacology, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Population Studies, Psychology, Translation
Studies, Zoology. This list is illustrative only.

Leading figures who have signed the Academic Commitment include:

Professor Sir Patrick Bateson FRS of University of Cambridge

Dr. Rachel Cohen of City University London

Professor Larry Dreyfus of Oxford University

Professor Jane Hardy of University of Hertfordshire

Professor Conor Gearty of London School of Economics

Professor Dorothy Griffiths of Imperial College London

Professor Penny Green of Queen Mary University of London

Professor Susan Himmelweit of Open University

Professor Ted Honderich of University College London

Professor Sir Tom Kibble FRS of Imperial College London

Professor Malcolm Levitt FRS of University of Southampton

Professor Sara Mills of Sheffield Hallam University

Professor Catherine Moriarty of University of Brighton

Dr. Gabriela Sandalha of University of Birmingham

Professor Stella Sandford of University of Kingston

Professor Richard Sennett of the London School of Economics

Professor Tim Shallice FRS, FBA of University College London

Professor Julian Stallabrass of the Courtauld Institute of Art

Dr. Alberto Toscano, Goldsmiths College

Source: http://english.pnn.ps/2015/10/27/340-uk-academics-pledge-to-boycott-israeli-universities/

The Holy Land, a Graveyard for Hope

OPINION

Hikmat Ajjuri

In his speech at Cairo University in 2009, President Obama boosted the morale of the Palestinians.
After all, the strongest leader in the world had finally and correctly diagnosed the problem in the Holy land. President Obama singled out the Jewish settlements on the occupied Palestinian territories as the main obstacle to peace over there. Late Israeli PM Rabin, said in 1976 that Israel will become an apartheid state if continues to occupy the Palestinian territory and called the Israeli settlements on the occupied Palestinian land, “cancer”.
In medicine, cure becomes possible only when the right early diagnosis is made. Had Rabin when became Prime Minister or President Obama done the proper surgery for this cancer or at least froze building and expanding these settlements , thousands of innocent lives in the Holy Land would have been saved and concrete would have been laid in the foundation of the state of Palestine next to the state of Israel. In fact, Rabin was assassinated at the hands of a Jewish terrorist to prevent any likelihood of freezing settlements expansion and president Obama succumbed to domestic politics dictated by the Zionist lobby.
On the other hand the Security Council in many of its resolutions called on Israel to refrain from such an internationally illegal settlement activities.
In spite of all these calls, Israel continued with its illegal construction of settlements with impunity granted to it by the American vetoes and the shameful silence of the world which was culminated by president Obama silence in his last speech at the 70th UN general assembly in September this year.
This total ignorance by president Obama, of the Palestinian grievances and injustices in his last speech, does in fact contradict the spirit of Nobel and his prize which was granted to him.
This ignorance coupled with the Israeli blatant defiance of the International legitimacy sent a demoralizing message to the Palestinians who have been living under the most oppressive and longest ever known Israeli military occupation.
Consequently, the Palestinians felt betrayed and their aspirations to achieve their goals for freedom from captivity and bondage from this monstrous Israeli occupation by non- violent means are now questionable.
It is made clear by the legitimate leadership of the Palestinians that they will do everything possible to not militarizing this Palestinian anger.
But could it be possible for anyone to contain such anger at a time when Israel the occupying power is doing everything possible to make historic Palestine, the Holy land a grave yard for the Palestinians hope. Any attempt by any one including an impotent American administration to sustain the unsustainable status quo rather than finding the missing state of Palestine next to Israel, will only lead to more suffering for all the residents of the Holy Land. An apple fell and newton discovered the law of gravity, tens of thousands of innocent residents of the Holy Land so far fell and no one discovered the law of humanity.

Article first appeared on 24.10.2015: http://expresso.sapo.pt/

Extra People or Missing State

This deafening silence of the International community, in spite of all these gruesome images aired every day on TV screens coming from the Holy Land, children burned alive, killing at zero point, 25 had been killed since the beginning of October, at the hands of the occupying Israelis, settlers, under cover and soldiers against civilian Palestinians under their occupation. Casualties and injuries among the Palestinian civilian population are tragically mounting.

The crime these Palestinians are committing is their cry out for freedom out of the Israeli captivity and bondage. especially after the Palestinians realized with no doubts that the undeclared intentions of the occupying Israelis to maintain the current status quo; where the Palestinians are requested to be enslaved by their occupiers in return for food by others, a profitable occupation. This is coupled with land theft and a call from the Israeli prime minister to his Jewish citizens to openly carry arms.

The Palestinians have endured for nearly five decades this inhumane living, enslavement and a status of lawlessness and impunity to the Jewish settlers, under the Israeli occupation. It is not only last month or last year but is becoming an ongoing process of Israeli repression, violence and collective punishment since Israel conquered the Palestinian territories in 1967. Unfortunately, the Vetoes adopted by the Security Council, to evade Israel from accountability for its war crimes and crimes against humanity, (Goldstone report 4 April 2011)

This irresponsible attitude by the highest International security institution, grants Israel a kind of impunity to make it behave as an above the International law country.

What is happening now in the Holy Land is not just another Intifada *uprising* but is a Palestinian contribution to fight terrorism, exactly as all other nations do in our region.

The difference is those nations are targeting the tail of terror while the Palestinians are targeting the head of it, which is the Israeli military occupation of the state of Palestine, which houses the holiest shrines of Muslims and Christians. The relevance of the Israeli occupation to the overall expanding terror in the region, was asserted by many leaders and politicians worldwide, of them is former president Clinton, said on the 21st of Sep 2010, “Solving the Israeli Palestinian conflict would take away much of the motivation for terrorism around the world”.

The other difference is the defenseless Palestinians are facing 380 000 machine guns carried by lawless Jewish settlers whom are also protected by what is called the Israelis under cover and the army of the Israeli occupation. These occupation forces are doing everything possible to provoke the Palestinians to use guns exactly as they did during the second intifada. This reckless behavior by the Israeli occupation forces aimed at terrorizing and harming the Palestinians under their occupation, risks the unraveling of the already fragile situation. This cruelty by the Israeli occupying forces, ought to be prohibited forthwith by the international community, represented its security council, in its capacity as the custodian of the international law and the internal humanitarian law. Because the Palestinians are not extra people in this world but their state is still missing and needs to be found sooner than later in the Holy land side by side with Israel.

Ambassador of Palestine

first appeared on 14-10-2015: http://www.publico.pt/mundo/noticia/pessoas-a-mais-ou-estado-a-menos-1711003

 

There will be no peace until Israel’s occupation of Palestine ends

by MARWAN BARGHOUTI

The current escalation in violence did not start with the killing of two Israeli settlers, it started a long while ago and has been going on for years. Every day Palestinians are killed, wounded, arrested. Every day colonialism advances, the siege on our people in Gaza continues, oppression persists. As many today want us to be overwhelmed by the potential consequences of a new spiral of violence, I will plead, as I did in 2002, to deal with its root causes: the denial of Palestinian freedom.

Some have suggested the reason why a peace deal could not be reached was President Yasser Arafat’s unwillingness or President Mahmoud Abbas’s inability, but both of them were ready and able to sign a peace agreement. The real problem is that Israel has chosen occupation over peace, and used negotiations as a smokescreen to advance its colonial project. Every government across the globe knows this simple fact and yet so many of them pretend that returning to the failed recipes of the past could achieve freedom and peace. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

There can be no negotiations without a clear Israeli commitment to fully withdraw from the Palestinian territory it occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem; a complete end to all colonial policies; a recognition of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people including their right to self-determination and return; and the release of all Palestinian prisoners. We cannot coexist with the occupation, and we will not surrender to it.

We were called upon to be patient, and we were, giving chance after chance to reach a peace agreement. Maybe it is useful to remind the world that our dispossession, forced exile and transfer, and oppression have now lasted for nearly 70 years. We are the only item to have stood on the UN’s agenda since its inception. We were told that by resorting to peaceful means and to diplomatic channels we would garner the support of the international community to end the occupation. And yet, as in 1999 at the close of the interim period, that community failed yet again to undertake any meaningful steps, neither setting up an international framework to implement international law and UN resolutions, nor enacting measures to ensure accountability, including boycott, divestment and sanctions, which played a crucial role in ridding the world of the apartheid regime.

So, in the absence of international action to end Israeli occupation and impunity or even provide protection, what are we asked to do? Stand by and wait for the next Palestinian family to be burned, for the next Palestinian child to be killed or arrested, for the next settlement to be built? The entire world knows that Jerusalem is the flame that can inspire peace and ignite war. Why then does the world stand still while the Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people in the city and Muslim and Christian holy sites, notably Al-Haram al-Sharif, continue unabated? Israel’s actions and crimes not only destroy the two-state solution on 1967 borders and violate international law, they threaten to transform a solvable political conflict into a never-ending religious war that will undermine stability in a region already experiencing unprecedented turmoil.

No people on the globe would accept to coexist with oppression. By nature, humans yearn for freedom, struggle for freedom, sacrifice for freedom, and the freedom of the Palestinian people is long overdue. During the first intifada, the Israeli government launched a “break their bones to break their will” policy, but for generation after generation the Palestinian people have proven their will is unbreakable and needs not to be tested.

This new Palestinian generation has not awaited reconciliation talks to embody a national unity that political parties have failed to achieve, but has risen above political divides and geographic fragmentation. It has not awaited instructions to uphold its right, and its duty, to resist this occupation. It is doing so unarmed, while being confronted by one of the biggest military powers in the world. And yet, we remain convinced that freedom and dignity shall triumph, and we shall overcome. The flag that we raised with pride at the UN will one day fly over the walls of the old city of Jerusalem to signal our independence.

I joined the struggle for Palestinian independence 40 years ago, and was first imprisoned at the age of 15. This did not prevent me from pleading for peace in accordance with international law and UN resolutions. But Israel, the occupying power, has methodically destroyed this perspective year after year. I have spent 20 years of my life in Israeli jails, including the past 13 years, and these years have made me even more certain of this unalterable truth: the last day of occupation will be the first day of peace. Those who seek the latter need to act, and act now, to precipitate the former.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/11/israel-occupation-palestinian-territory-peace-diplomacy#_=_

News from Palestine

Israeli forces shoot, kill Palestinian boy, 13, in Aida refugee camp

 

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A 13-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers during clashes in Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem on Monday, Palestinian medics told Ma’an.Abed al-Rahman Shadi Obeidallah, was shot near the heart by Israeli forces during clashes in the refugee camp.He was taken in a civilian car to Beit Jala hospital where he immediately underwent surgery. However, doctors later pronounced him dead.The child was initially reported to be 12 years old, although medics later confirmed he was 13.Another teenager was reportedly shot with live fire in the leg during the same clashes and taken to hospital for treatment, locals said.An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was looking into the reports.Overnight Sunday, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager during clashes in the northern West Bank village of Bala, east of Tulkarem.Red Crescent officials told Ma’an that 18-year-old Huthayfa Othman Suleiman was shot in the chest during clashes and died in the operating room.The killings follow violent confrontations over the weekend in which the Palestinian Red Crescent documented at least 96 Palestinians who were wounded by live rounds or rubber-coated steel bullets in clashes with Israeli forces and settlers.Overnight Saturday, Fadi Samir Mustafa Alloun, 19, from the East Jerusalem village of al-Issawiya, was shot dead by Israeli forces after allegedly attempting to stab a group of Israelis.The incident took place just hours after another Palestinian was shot dead when he stabbed and possibly opened fire on a family of Israelis at the Old City’s Lion’s Gate.Two Israelis were killed and two others injured, including a two-year-old infant, in the attack.

Israeli troops detain 11 Palestinians across West Bank

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HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained at least 11 Palestinians in detention raids across the occupied West Bank overnight Monday, local sources and Israel’s army said.There were at least five detentions across Hebron district, locals said.A popular committee spokesperson, Muhammad Ayyad Awad, told Ma’an that Israeli soldiers raided the northern Hebron village of Beit Ummar early Tuesday and detained Muhannad Khalid Suliman al-Awwadi, 26, a former prisoner who previously spent two years in Israel’s jails.Three brothers were detained from Khursa village south of Dura in southern Hebron, identified as Udai, Qusai and Abdullah Masalma.Locals said that Israeli forces smashed a Palestinian car while they were in Khursa, where clashes also broke out.Local sources told Ma’an that Israeli forces also detained a Palestinian identified as Hani Joulani from Bab al-Zaweya neighborhood in Hebron city.Meanwhile, three Palestinians were detained in the village of Tuqu west of Bethlehem, Palestinian security sources told Ma’an.They said that Israeli forces raided the village early Tuesday and ransacked a number of houses there.The detainees were identified as Ali Diab Sabbah,17, Marwan Fuad Abed Kahlil,18, and Sabir Muhammad al-Badan.An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed that at least 11 Palestinians were detained in overnight raids.She said that two were detained in Hebron, six in southern Bethlehem, one in southern Ramallah, and two in Nablus.She said the detainee from Ramallah was a “Hamas operative,” while the others were detained for “suspected illegal activity.”She added that two rifles and a handgun were found in Huwwara village south of Nablus.The raids took place amid heightened tensions across the occupied Palestinian territory, which has seen fierce clashes in recent days and which continued overnight.

6 Palestinians injured in overnight clashes in Ramallah

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RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces shot and injured six Palestinians with live rounds and rubber-coated steel bullets during clashes in Bireh north of Ramallah overnight Monday, medics said.The clashes, which lasted up to 12 hours, also saw dozens of Palestinians suffer excessive tear gas inhalation.Palestinian protesters threw stones at Israeli forces in the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit El, and the army fired live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas canisters at protesters.The army later raided parts of al-Bireh, where it was reported that Palestinian gunmen opened fire on them, forcing them out of the northern Ramallah neighborhood.On Monday evening, a Red Crescent spokeswoman told Ma’an that at least 500 Palestinians had so far been injured in fierce clashes that have swept across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.At least 41 Palestinians have been shot with live rounds, while 143 have been injured by rubber-coated steel bullets.Israeli forces have also killed two Palestinians in the same time frame, including a 13-year-old boy in Aida refugee camp on Monday.The Palestinian Red Cross on Sunday declared a state of emergency across the occupied Palestinian territory, and said it was putting all its staff, teams and volunteers on standby.The PLO has also warned that attacks by both Israeli soldiers and settlers indicated “the Israeli government is deliberately creating a situation of violence and instability that threatens to spiral out of control.”

Israeli forces searching for ‘stone-thrower’ find he is 3 years old

HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Monday raided a home in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, searching for a Palestinian boy they accused of throwing stones, only to discover the child was only three years old, the boy’s father told Ma’an.Muhammad Jamal al-Jaabri said that Israeli forces raided his home in the al-Ras neighborhood of Hebron seeking to arrest his son Yousef, who they accused of throwing stones.However, Muhammad said that his son Yousef is only three years old.He said that the soldiers ransacked his house and threatened to detain the child, at which point the father said that he told the soldiers: “Go ahead and take him if you want.”He said the soldiers left his home without any arrests.Human Rights Watch has condemned Israel over its “abusive arrests” of Palestinian children as young as 11 and of using threats to force them to sign confessions.Israeli authorities regularly failed to inform parents of their children’s arrest or whereabouts, the New York-based watchdog said in a report in July.”Forces have choked children, thrown stun grenades at them, beaten them in custody, threatened and interrogated them without the presence of parents or lawyers, and failed to let their parents know their whereabouts,” the report said.

Source:  http://www.maannews.com/Default.aspx

 

Dr. Saeb Erekat: Palestine cries ‘We exist’ to the world as UN raises its flag

For decades the flag of Palestine has represented the struggle of a whole nation for its human and national rights. Whether it is from the ruins of Gaza, in Yarmouk Refugee Camp in Syria, over the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, in Jericho, in Santiago de Chile or in San Francisco, generation after generation of our people have gathered around our flag, reinforcing our rights for freedom, return, justice and peace. Today, our flag will be raised in New York, after an overwhelming majority of the international community voted in favour of this resolution.

 The Zionist movement and later the State of Israel, with the complicity of the international community, has for decades tried to negate the existence of the Palestinian people. First, for them Palestine was a “land without a people for a people without a land,” and several policies were implemented in order to displace Palestinian villagers.

 In 1948, after Israel destroyed at least 418 Palestinian villages and 70% of our people became refugees, some would refer to the Palestinian national cause as a “humanitarian problem of near east refugees”.

After 1967, Israel would not talk about withdrawing from the occupied territory but about colonising what they refer to as “Judea and Samaria” with foreign settlers. Today, despite all the efforts to break our will, the flag of a recognised state flies at the United Nations. This recognised state is called Palestine.

In 1988 the Palestine National Council declared the independence of the State of Palestine. The declaration of independence, written by Mahmoud Darwish and translated by Edward Said, made a direct reference to the symbolism of our flag: “We call upon our great people to rally to the Palestinian flag, to take pride in it and to defend it, so that it shall remain forever a symbol of our freedom and dignity in a homeland that shall be forever free and the abode of a people of free men.”

Yes, this is a symbolic step, but these symbolic steps build upon other steps, which aim to consolidate the fact that Palestine exists. Palestine is legally a state under occupation and its flag now has been raised at the United Nations as a symbol of its international recognition. Furthermore, it sends a powerful message of hope and dignity to our people. With such steps, along with the steadfastness of our people, we are returning Palestine to the map.

 We understand that the Israeli government fiercely opposes this step. We are not surprised. In fact, Israel opposes any step that provides Palestinians any sign of sovereignty or strengthens of the two-state solution. For Netanyahu, any peaceful step towards ending Israel’s belligerent occupation of Palestine is a declaration of war.

 This reflects the fact that, as said by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his electoral campaign, a Palestinian state will not be established “on their watch”. This was echoed a few days ago by Israel’s top diplomat Tzipi Hotovely, who stated that leaving the West Bank “is not an option” for the Israeli government. Israel rejects two-sovereign states living side by side but also rejects one state with equal rights for all its citizens. What they are working on is to consolidate a “one-state/two systems” structure – a pure apartheid regime.

Today, I cannot help but think about the thousands who were imprisoned and beaten by Israeli forces simply for raising our flag during the first Intifada, and particularly of my students at Al-Najah University. I think of Mahmoud Darwish, our national poet and his words: “Standing here, staying here, permanent here, eternal here, and we have one goal, one, one: to be.”

At a moment some prefer to ignore our presence and negate their historic responsibility for the Palestinian catastrophe by strengthening Israel’s culture of impunity − even as it continues to violate UN resolutions and international law − we proudly say that no matter the disparity of our forces, we are here to stay.

As Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem Michael Sabbah said: “Whatever you do, this land belongs to us and will return to us one day. You are stronger with your weapons, but you are not the strongest when it comes to humanity.” This message has been repeated by the hundreds of women and men who have risked their own lives to defend al-Aqsa mosque and the identity of our occupied capital, Jerusalem, against the Israeli plans to change the city’s identity.

Today is a moment of pride and joy for 11 million Palestinians all over the world. Raising the flag of Palestine is raising a symbol of the universal struggle for justice, freedom and equality. Today we proudly repeat the words of the late Yasser Arafat: “A day will come when one of our boys or girls will raise the flag of Palestine over the walls of Jerusalem, the minarets of Jerusalem and the churches of Jerusalem.”

 Dr Saeb Erekat is the Secretary General of the PLO.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/saeb-erekat-palestine-cries-we-exist-world-un-raises-its-flag-1521784

 

Amnesty International: Israeli Killing of Hashlamoun in Hebron an ‘extrajudicial execution’

Evidence obtained by Amnesty International indicated that the killing of Hadeel al-Hashlamoun by Israeli forces in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, on 22 September 2015, was an ‘extrajudicial execution‘.

Amnesty, which is headquarted in London, interviewed two eyewitnesses who saw Israeli occupation forces shoot the young student. Based on the evidence, Amnesty concluded that al-Hashlamoun “at no time posed a sufficient threat to the soldiers to make their use of deliberate lethal force permissible”.

This killing is the latest in a long line of unlawful killings carried out by the Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank with near total impunity,” Amnesty said.

The witnesses told Amnesty al-Hashlamoun was asked to open her bag for a search. She showed them the inside of her bag, but the soldiers began to yell at her, and she froze in fear. They were shouting in Hebrew, which the young woman did not understand.

Witness Fawaz Abu Aisheh, who speaks Hebrew, said he tried to help the young woman, who was trying to leave the checkpoint. He offered to translate for her, but four Israeli soldiers arrived and pushed him away.
At this point, a soldier shot al-Hashlamoun in the leg. The young woman fell to the ground. One witness says he saw her drop a knife with a brown handle, but another said he did not see a knife.

The Israeli soldier then walked closer to al-Hashlamoun and shot at her chest four or five more times, while she was lying motionless on the ground. Other soldiers yelled at him to stop, yet he kept on shooting.

The Israeli military claims that al-Hashlamoun walked toward the occupation forces with a knife, but witnesses said the young woman had her hands inside her niqab, her full veil, the entire time, and never tried to move toward any of the soldiers.

Israel also released a photo of a knife with a blue and yellow handle on the ground at the scene. The two eyewitnesses interviewed by Amnesty and photographs of the incident contradict these official claims.

As for the allegation that al-Hashlamoun had a knife, Amnesty remarks that, “Even if al-Hashlamoun did have a knife, Israeli soldiers, who are protected with body armour and heavily equipped with advanced weapons, could have controlled the situation and arrested her without threatening her life”.

Open fire regulations of the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank allow soldiers to open fire only when their lives are in imminent danger, and Amnesty International concludes that this was not the case in the shooting of al-Hashlamoun, as she was standing still and separated from the soldiers by a metal barrier.

“There was no attempt to arrest al-Hashlamoun, according to the eyewitnesses, or to use non-lethal alternatives,” said Amnesty.

“To then shoot al-Hashlamoun again multiple times as she lay wounded on the ground indicates that her killing was an extrajudicial execution,” added Amnesty.

“Unlawful and deliberate killings carried out by order of government or military officials, or with their complicity or acquiescence, amount to extrajudicial executions, which are prohibited at all times and constitute crimes under international law”.

Amnesty added that, “An extrajudicial execution would also constitute a willful killing, which is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies to Israel’s long-standing military occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and a war crime”.

An eyewitness who stayed in the area around al-Hashlamoun for 15-20 minutes after the shooting, before being forced to leave by Israeli soldiers, said no medical help was given to the young woman, who lay bleeding to death.

Local media reported that Israeli forces prevented Palestinian medics from helping al-Hashlamoun, and did not put her into an ambulance for 30-40 minutes after they shot her.

“In order to comply with their obligations under the right to life, Israeli forces had a duty to provide al- Hashlamoun with medical assistance at the earliest possible moment, which they clearly did not meet,” Amnesty said.

Regarding the Israeli military announcement that it is investigation the killing of Hadeel, Amnesty said that, “such internal investigations have consistently failed to identify those responsible for previous unlawful killings or to hold anyone accountable”.

“International law requires states to ensure prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigations into suspected extrajudicial executions,” it said.

Amnesty International called on the Israeli authorities to carry out such an investigation into the incident, promptly disclose the findings and ensure that anyone responsible for a human rights violation is brought to justice and that the victim’s family receives full reparation.

“Failure to effectively investigate a suspected unlawful killing in itself constitutes a violation of the right to life”.

The human rights organization indicates that it has “consistently criticized the Israeli authorities for their failure to bring to justice military or police personnel, who operate with impunity”.

Amnesty also noted that more than 25 Palestinians, including at least three children, have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank in 2015.

It said that, dozens more in the West Bank were killed by Israeli soldiers in 2014; “In many cases, it appears that the killings were unlawful, and some may have been either willful killings or extrajudicial execution”, the human rights organization stated.

Source: http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=29383

#This Amnesty`s Report came soon after the Palestinian Authority on demanded on the 22nd of September, that the UN form a committee to investigate the shooting of 18-year-old Hadel al-Hashlamon by Israeli forces in Hebron in the occupied West Bank earlier in theday.

The 18-year-old was shot at a checkpoint a at the entrance of Hebron’s central al-Shuhada street, after allegedly attempting to stab an Israeli soldier, according to the Israeli army’s official account.

She later died at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, where she arrived “terribly injured, and underwent surgery upon her arrival,” the hospital spokesperson told Ma’an.

No Israeli soldiers were injured during the incident, and Israeli authorities presented no evidence of the alleged stabbing attempt.#

Netanyahu’s New Law of “Shoot to Kill Defenceless Palestinians”. Two Palestinians Killed within Hours.

The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday demanded that the UN form a committee to investigate the shooting of 18-year-old Hadel al-Hashlamon by Israeli forces in Hebron in the occupied West Bank earlier in the day.
The 18-year-old was shot at a checkpoint a at the entrance of Hebron’s central al-Shuhada street, after allegedly attempting to stab an Israeli soldier, according to the Israeli army’s official account.
She later died at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, where she arrived “terribly injured, and underwent surgery upon her arrival,” the hospital spokesperson told Ma’an.
No Israeli soldiers were injured during the incident, and Israeli authorities presented no evidence of the alleged stabbing attempt.
A local activist group, Youth Against Settlements, later released photos of the incident appearing to contradict the army’s account of events.
They appear to show the girl without any knife and at some distance from the soldiers before they opened fire.
Video footage from local new agency PalMedia, meanwhile, showed the teen left bleeding on the pavement, reportedly for up to 30 minutes, before she was roughly dragged away by an Israeli soldier, with soldiers and heavily armed settlers looked on.
The PA reiterated calls for the urgent intervention of the international community to pressure Israel into halting crimes against unarmed Palestinians, as well as ending policies of killing with impunity carried out under military occupation.
Al-Hashlamon’s death came only hours after another Palestinian, 21-year-old Diyaa Abdul-Halim Talahmah, was also killed during clashes with Israeli forces Monday night, also with contradictory reports of how he died.
The Israeli army said he died when an Improvised Explosive Device he was attempting to throw at soldiers exploded prematurely, although Palestinian sources said he was shot dead.
In recent months, Israeli forces have shot a number of Palestinians, later alleging that they had attempted to carry out stabbing attacks on them, although Palestinians have questioned the allegations.

The Palestinian leadership is making efforts to bring Israeli authorities to justice in the international arena, particularly as they say there is a lack of due process in Israeli military courts and investigations.

Source: http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=767770

Portuguese Parliamentarians in Palestine

Portuguese parliamentarians from The Portuguese Parliamentary Friendship with Palestine Group, representing all Portuguese political parties, in first time visit to Palestine. The group met in Ramallah with Mr. Mahmoud Abbas President of Palestine, and their Palestinian counterparts, in addition to visits of the parliamentarians to Bethlehem and Hebron.

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