Israeli Navy Fires At Fishing Boats In Gaza
On Friday evening, the Israeli Navy opened fire on a number of Palestinian fishing boats in Palestinian territorial waters near Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip; no injuries were reported.
Violent clashes break out in Ras al-Amud
An outbreak of violent clashes erupted Friday after Israeli occupation forces cordoned off East Jerusalem’s Ras al-Amud district in conjunction with the Jewish Yom Kippur holidays.
Settlers attack a village near al-Khalil
Dozens of Jewish settlers at dawn Friday attacked the village of Khirbat Tuwwana, to the east of Yatta in the southern West Bank al-Khalil district.
And more news from Today in Palestine:
Settlers / Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction / Ethnic Cleansing
JERUSALEM (AFP) — The Jerusalem municipality has given the green light for the construction of 11 new apartments in the Jewish settlement of Pisgat Zeev in the annexed east of the city, a councilor told AFP on Saturday. ”The municipality approved at the beginning of the week the construction of 11 apartments, as part of a project of 300 housing units supposed to be approved section by section,” Pepe Alalou of the leftist Meretz party said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=427275
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The success of an upcoming statement by the Middle East Quartet on Sunday will depend on whether it condemns Israeli settlement building, a Fatah official said. The official said that the Quartet is expected to release a statement about negotiations after a meeting in Brussels on Sunday. Fatah spokesman in Europe Jamal Nazzal said Saturday that “the Quartet should realize that the aim of negotiations is to end the occupation and that settlements deepen the occupation.”
Israeli forces prevented Palestinian vehicles from driving on Al-Turbeh Road on Tuesday, 4 October for the second consecutive day. The road runs adjacent to Jethmanyiah and serves as the north-eastern entrance to Silwan. The road was the scene of a violent dawn attack of local Palestinian youth Mansour Shyoukhi the previous day, who was one of the many residents obliged to enter the village on foot when banned from driving through the entrance. The road also lies in an area of tension heightened by Israeli settlers’ celebration of Jewish New Year, with hysterical celebrations continuing through the night and into the day. Israeli forces manning the road displayed a clear discrimination towards Palesitnian residents attempting to pass, whilst allowing Israeli settlers to pass freely.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20879
The Israeli Antiquities Authority claim to have discovered a cave on Maryr Street in Wadi Hilweh, named after resident Samer Sarhan who was killed there last September by an Israeli settler security guard. The cave seems to be historically significant in the context of the Islamic era. Silwan is an area considered to be rich in archaeology, retaining traces of multiple ancient settlements that flourished here. The first recorded human settlement of the Jerusalem area, known as Yaboos, had its core in where Silwan now lies some 5,000 years ago. The Egyptian, Persian, Besantian, Christian and Islamic civilizations followed, leaving their finger prints on the area. The most famous was the caliphate of Umayyad era, which is connected to the recent discoveries in Silwan. Elad settlement association, which is spearheading the City of David archaeological settlement project in Wadi Hilweh, has attempted to relate such discoveries to the era of the Jewish king David to further the project’s advancement. Israeli archaeologists, however, have reached no consensus on the legitimacy of Elad’s claims, with no proof linking archaeological finds in Silwan to the biblical City of David. For further information on Israeli archaeological activity in Silwan, visit www.alt-arch.org
Dozens of local residents, accompanied by Israeli and international peace activists, held the weekly non-violent protest against the Israeli Annexation Wall and settlements on Friday in Bil’in village, north of the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Although it is permissible to fire tear gas canisters in an arc to disperse demonstrations, it is forbidden to use them as weapons by firing them directly at protesters. Firing tear gas canisters directly at protesters and at close range turns the canisters into a missile that can maim and endanger life. According to B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, “Firing of this kind has already resulted in injuries, some grave, to dozens of Palestinians and Israeli and foreign citizens”. Israeli military forces fired tear gas canisters directly at protesters and international observers during the weekly demonstration at Nabi Saleh yesterday, 7 October. An international activist sustained a minor wound to the leg after being struck by a tear gas canister fired directly from a distance of around 15 metres by the Israeli military.
Today PSP joined the weekly demonstration in Beit Ommar.Residents of Beit Ommar walked towards the illegal settlement of Karmei Tsur. About 20 soldiers had blocked the road and did not allow the demonstrators to continue to their fields. Different entries where tried but soldiers blocked and finally threatened to use sound bombs. After some confrontations the demonstrators decided to retreat.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2011/10/08/soldiers-threatened-to-use-sound-bombs-in-weekly-demonstration-in-beit-ommar/
Brothers Mansour and Musa’ab Shyoukhi were arrested by Israeli forces for unknown reasons on Monday, 3 October. Mansour was reported to have been beaten by settlers prior to arrest. 20-year old Mansour was attacked by settlers on the evening of Tuesday, 2 October, as he walked home on Cemetery Street near the Old City’s Golden Gate to his house in Al-Hara al-Wasta neighborhood. Mansour would later tell relatives that the attack was so violent that he didn’t believe he would survive. Several hours later in the early morning of Monday, Israeli forces stormed the Shyoukhi family home and arrested Mansour on the pretext of throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the nearby settlement. Forces returned later that day to arrest his 18-year old brother Musa’ab on identical charges. The Shyoukhi family has suffered extensively at the hands of the Israeli authorities, having experienced multiple arrests and house raids. The mother of the family was also arrested several months ago. The Shyoukhi family’s story will be published by Silwanic in the near future.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20877
Jerusalem captives’ families hold protest at the Aqsa Mosque
Families of Jerusalem captives held a protest at the Aqsa Mosque after the Friday prayers outside the Dome of the Rock.
Israel to Release Abu Zent Corpse after Being Kept for 35 Years
Israel No. 1 in Violating Prisoners’ Rights, says Group
VIENNA, October 8, 2011 (WAFA) – “Israel is classified as the first country in the world that violates the international law and human rights resolutions of the Prisoners,” Friday said Friends of Humanity International in a press release. “Since 30 months, conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been deteriorating at all levels,” as the Israeli prisons administration had “adopted new harsh physical and psychological techniques to oppress and torture prisoners,” said the organization. It warned that what is really happening inside the Israeli jails against the Palestinian prisoners is “an ongoing catastrophe resulting in an unlimited number of dead, sick or harmed prisoners.”
Bardawil calls for uprising with aim of freeing prisoners
Senior Hamas official Salah al-Bardawil has called for a popular uprising with the aim of freeing the Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli prisons.
Hunger Strike Ongoing, Violations Against Detainees Escalating
Palestinian Minister of Detainees, Issa Qaraqe’, stated Saturday that Palestinian political detainees in Israeli prisons are ongoing with their hunger strike demanding their legal rights, yet, Israel is escalating its violations against them in an attempt to break their strike.
Prisoner hospitalized after health fails in hunger strike
A Palestinian prisoner who joined the mass hunger strike rocking the Israeli prisons has been transferred to the hospital after his health deteriorated drastically.
Students march to Ofer Prison in solidarity with hunger strike
Over 100 students from Bir Zeit University marched to the gates of Ofer Prison, near Ramallah today, to demonstrate solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails. Prisoners in several Israeli jails began hunger strikes on 27 September 2011 to to protest against solitary confinement, restricted visiting hours and harsh conditions. The protests have since gathered momentum, with Reuters reporting that there are around 500 prisoners currently on hunger strike in Israeli prisons. It is thought that there are around 9 or 10 prisoners in Ofer prison on hunger strike.
Gaza
Gaza orphans: on the line of fire
European rights group accuses Alstom of ‘direct involvement’ in Judaizing J’lem
A European rights group has called on Saudi Arabia to boycott French transportation giant Alstom, saying the company “clearly defied international law” by participating in the Jerusalem Light Rail.
September 26 – 30, 2011, Washington, DC. Last week Washington, DC joined Chicago, Boston, Houston, Ann Arbor, and a string of other cities and communities in putting on the first DC Palestinian Film & Arts Festival. Over the past ten years, Palestinian Film Festivals produced by the Palestinian diaspora community have been popping up all over and have come to exhibit a new stage in Palestinian artistic expression and the showcasing of it. In the Middle East, the film industry powerhouse has always been Egypt, and while that is still very much the case, Palestinian directors, both in Palestine and in the diaspora, have started to make quite a splash on the independent circuit as of late. These filmmakers have filled a modern niche in a nation that has been involved in a constant endeavor to perfect the storytelling of its struggle for and love of life through various forms of artistic expression.
Anti-BDS
Other Diplomatic / Political News
Palestinian membership in UNESCO is just the tip of the iceberg
The Obama administration is scrambling right now to find a way around the fact that existing U.S. law could force the United States to stop participating in the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO if the Palestinians are given member state status, setting a precedent that could repeat itself in a host of other U.N. organizations.
AP – Security Council experts have begun examining the Palestinian application for United Nations membership.
Time.com – The President of the Palestinian Authority starts a tour to drum up support for U.N. membership among countries critical to the Security Council vote.
Dominican Republic Offers Support for Palestine’s UN Bid
SANTO DOMINGO, October 8, 2011 (WAFA) – Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez, in a meeting with visiting President Mahmoud Abbas, Friday offered his country’s support for the Palestinians’ United Nations membership bid, according to reports.
Abbas, on an official visit to several Central American and Caribbean countries, discussed with Fernandez the Palestinian plan to gain UN recognition and membership. The Palestinian president addressed the Dominican Parliament during which he announced that the Palestinian Authority intends to open an embassy in Santo Domingo.
Palestinian officials tell Tony Blair to quit
Palestinian officials have accused Tony Blair, Middle East Quartet special envoy, of trying to lobby European countries against PLO Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas’s bid for statehood recognition at the United Nations. The allegations against Blair have ranged from inappropriate business dealings to bias in favour of Israel. British media reports have focused on claims that Blair’s other job as an adviser with the merchant bank JP Morgan has opened doors for numerous private business interests. Blair says the allegations are “absolutely untrue.” Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford reports from Ramallah, in the West Bank.
Cairo wants Jerusalem to release Egyptian nationals held in Israeli jails, al-Ahram report; US submits official request to free Ilan Garpel.
Death of teenage Bahrain protester must be fully investigated
Ahmed al-Jaber al-Qatan, 16, was shot while participating in an anti-government protest after riot police opened fire.
Saudi Arabia executes eight Bangladeshi nationals
Saudi Arabia has executed eight Bangladeshi migrant workers, sentenced to death for the alleged murder of an Egyptian man.
‘Occupy DC’ protesters clash with guards at Smithsonian
Protesters clashed with security staff when they tried to enter a museum in Washington on Saturday, prompting one guard to use pepper spray and leading to at least one arrest, a spokeswoman said. The incident occurred at The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum around 3:15 pm (1915 GMT), after hundreds of activists had marched from Freedom Plaza, near the White House, along the National Mall towards the US Capitol. Some of those in the demonstration were affiliated with the Occupy DC protest group that sprung up earlier this week as a spin-off of the larger Occupy Wall Street movement in New York, angered at “corporate greed.”
After the New York Police Dept. arrested over 700 protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge last Saturday, six of those arrested filed a class action lawsuit on Oct. 4, alleging constitutional violations for intentional entrapment and false arrest. “The NYPD engaged in a premeditated, planned, scripted and calculated effort to sweep the streets of protesters and disrupt a growing protest movement in New York,” plaintiffs charged in the complaint.
The Great and the Poor America, Eyad Sarraj – Gaza
A few days ago, Three American scientists have won the noble peace prize for discovering that the universe is expanding. Many American scientists are prize winners and laureates. There is no doubt that the US is the most advanced on almost all sciences. American universities are the top on all others. The intellectual life in campus is so rich and vibrant.
The former Director General of the Al-Jazeera Network became the first Muslim and non-Western journalist to deliver the annual James Cameron Memorial Lecture at City University in London on Thursday. The anticipation buzzed through the crowd waiting to hear from Wadah Khanfar, one of the most influential figures in world journalism who had been at the helm of Al-Jazeera for 8 years, as the lecture theatre filled to capacity. A number of significant figures were in the audience, including journalists from the Guardian and the Financial Times as well as lecturers and media pundits. The high calibre of the audience highlighted just how significant Al-Jazeera under Khanfar’s leadership has been in the development of journalism in the Arab world and beyond.
Hundreds of cops, some on horsebacks, are now protecting Wall Street 24 hours a day. At Bowling Green Park, they have also blocked access to the Merryll Lynch bull. To be warmed by the methane gas of a healthy market, no doubt, a group of New York’s Finest gathered near their sacred bovine’s digestive exit, just below its up-lashing tail.
