West Bank farmers face ruin after trees uprooted

Jamil Khader, 87 years old, became very will when he discovered that nearly all of the 1,400 olive
trees his extended family planted in February had suddenly gone missing. (Shabtai Gold/IRIN)

JEET, WEST BANK, 27 April (IRIN) - It was difficult for 87-year-old Jamil Khader to discover that nearly all of the 1,400 olive trees his extended family planted in February had suddenly gone missing, having been uprooted and stolen. "He became very ill when I told him. He was hospitalized and was in bed for a week," his son Khalil, from the small town of Jeet in the northern West Bank, told IRIN.

The family reckon that the trees were uprooted in March but they did not find out about it until 16 April, when they got to the land, which they do not do regularly because of its proximity to the nearby Israeli settlement of Kedumim.

"We only go to work the land in coordination with the [Israeli] military. I am afraid to go alone, as the settlers have pulled guns on me in the past," Khalil said.

The family and aid workers blamed settlers from Kedumim for the missing trees.

"There have been many violent incidents against Palestinians in that area of the West Bank," said Emily Schaefer, a lawyer from the Israeli rights group Yesh Din, which specializes in such cases.

"In the three years we have been operating, not a single [Israeli] was convicted for uprooting or damaging Palestinian olive trees," she said, noting that from her research she was doubtful anyone had ever been brought to justice by the Israeli authorities for such crimes.

Jamil was born in Nazereth, in what is now Israel, in 1922. During the spring of 1948 his family became refugees.

"We left Nazereth with nothing at all," he said, retelling his life as a policeman with the British during World War II, a soldier with the Arab armies in 1948 and later as a police officer with the Jordanians when they ruled the West Bank.

The last job gave him enough money to purchase the plot of land near Nablus, which has become the family's most important possession. They, like others, have become increasingly dependent on agriculture for their livelihood as harsh restrictions on movement have cut them off from their former jobs as laborers inside Israel.

In the foreground is the land where Khader's trees were planted and then uprooted,
in the background lies the Israeli settlement of Kedumim. (Shabtai Gold/IRIN)

Reliant on agriculture

"I am completely reliant on agriculture; I don't have any other work," said Khalil, who is also registered with UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

"The olive trees and the other products from the land help support my family and my brothers and their children."

With the local economy faltering, aid agencies had stepped in and tried to help: Of the missing trees, 1,000 had been donated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which said Jeet and the neighboring villages were especially vulnerable due to their limited land access and proximity to Israeli settlements. "

It is very disturbing to see that the farmers yet again have had their trees uprooted. Unfortunately it proves how difficult daily life is for these people," Helge Kvam, a spokesman for the ICRC in Jerusalem, told IRIN.

This was, in fact, the fourth time in a decade that the village's agriculture had been attacked. In the 1990s arsonists burnt down many hectares of olive trees. In 2005 another wave of violence destroyed most of the remaining trees.

In 2007 the Israeli Rabbis for Human Rights purchased and planted some 500 olive trees, hoping to improve the local economy. But over the following four months nearly all those trees were destroyed or uprooted and taken away.

With the ICRC donation now missing, residents feel at a loss and do not know if it will be possible to continue counting on agriculture as a source of livelihood, which was their fallback option.

In response to the incident, the Israeli military said it fell under the jurisdiction of the Civil Administration which in turn asked IRIN to contact the Israeli police. A police spokesman could only say that as the Palestinians had filed a complaint the case would be investigated, and suggested contacting the military.

This item comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information service, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. All IRIN material may be reposted or reprinted free-of-charge; refer to the copyright page for conditions of use. IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Mother, four children amongst victims of Israeli Gaza strike

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed four children and their mother when they shelled their home in Ezbet Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip today. Another man was killed in the attack which occurred during an IOF incursion in different parts of the town of Beit Hanoun. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights' monitoring finds that the IOF stepped up their aggression on Gaza. In April 2008 alone, the IOF killed 66 Palestinians, 20 of whom were children and one was a woman. One hundred and thirty-nine others were injured, including 18 children. IOF launched 29 incursions into the Gaza Strip during the same period.

According to Al Mezan Center's field investigations, at approximately 8:15am on 28 April 2008, IOF scouting drones fired two rockets that landed in front of the house of Ahmed Eid Abu Me'teq, which is located near Abdullah Azzam mosque in Ezbet Beit Hanoun. As a result, four children and their mother were killed, and their sister was wounded. One man was also killed. Those who were killed were identified as:

Five-year-old Saleh Abu Me'teq;
Four-year-old Rodina Abu Me'teq;
Three-year-old Hana' Abu Me'teq;
One-year-old Mos'ad Abu Me'teq;
Their mother, 40-year-old Myassar Abu Me'teq; and
40-year-old Ibrahim Hajouj.

Eleven other people were also injured, including four children. Five of the injured were reported to have sustained serious wounds.

Meanwhile, according to the Center's monitoring, IOF's incursion in the area continues. At approximately 6:00am on 28 April 2008, IOF ground troops, backed by 20 armored vehicles and drones, penetrated the vicinity of Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing. They took positions in the streets of al-Sultan Abdul Hamid and al-Shanti, and in the Thakanet al-Ghazalat, Talet al-Haowuz and Um al-Nasser areas. The IOF took combat positions and opened fire towards Ezbet Beit Hanoun, al-Seka and al-Sultan Streets in western Beit Hanoun.

The IOF's incursion continues at the time of issuance of this release. At approximately 9:30am today, IOF tanks fired ten shells that landed in the vicinity of al-Nada and al-Awda Towers. One of the shells hit the fourth floor of building number four in al-Nada Towers; and another shell hit the seventh floor of building number seven in al-Awda Towers. No injuries were reported; however, the shelling caused damage to apartments in the two towers. The shelling also traumatized the residents, particularly children. At approximately 10:20am, also today, IOF drones fired one missile that landed in an open area in al-Wad Street in western Beit Hanoun, but no injuries or damages were reported.

This new IOF aggression comes as the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip continues. Al Mezan emphasizes that IOF's conducts represent serious violations of the population's human rights in a gross way that infringes upon the different aspects of their life.

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns strongly the IOF's brutal aggression and the escalation of arbitrary killing of civilians, especially children, in the Gaza Strip. This conduct has taken a systematic manner as IOF blatantly and indiscriminately targets residential buildings with artillery shells and guided missiles.

These conducts, in addition to the IOF's collective punishment of the entire population of Gaza through the tight blockade that seriously infringes upon Gazans' humanitarian conditions, constitute grave breaches of the rules of international humanitarian law (IHL) and are acts that must be investigated and whose perpetrators must be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law.

Mezan calls for immediate international action to end the siege of Gaza and alleviate the risks it poses on people's lives and well-being. The siege threatens to stop hospitals and medical crews from operating at the very time when IOF escalate their acts of killing and maiming. Al Mezan also reiterates its warning about the consequences of the international community's silence while the IOF conduct such grave breaches of IHL, especially after the Israeli government's numerous statements threatening of more military attacks on Gaza.

Al Mezan calls on the international community to take urgent action to bring to an end the IOF's crimes, and to provide protection for the civilian population of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These acts represent part of the legal and moral obligations towards the civilians who live under control and occupation.

Muslims Protest Against Denmark

To whom it may concern:Peace be upon those who follow the true guidanceI have reviewed what some of the news agencies dealt with concerning the Danish news agency Jyllands-Posten and what had been published. I believe it to be a heinous mistake and dreadful deviation from the path of justice, reverence and equality.

The said agency published 12 cartoon caricatures on the 30th of September, 2005, ridiculing Mohammed, the messenger of Islam (Peace be upon him). One of these cartoons pictures Allah's Messenger (PBUH), wearing a turban that resembles a bomb wrapped around his head. What a pathetic projection! I was extremely saddened to read such news.I personally visited the site of the agency on the net and i examined the size of the blundering scandal it was. On Sept 29th, 2005 issue of Jyllands-Posten, the news and the cartoons were horrifying and extremely disturbing to me.

There have been many violent protests against the cartoons since the cartoons were first published, in which many people have been injured and many people even lost there lives (reports say fifty) as a result of those protests. So how could these news agencies be so irresponsible as to re-publish the sickening cartoons?

The contemporary world is witnessing today much confusion all over. Innocent blood is being shed and innocent lives are being harvested by oppression and transgression. We are in utmost need to spread peace, justice and love all over the world. We need to call for the respect and reverence of all divine and heavenly Messages and Scriptures. By doing so, we would be able to preserve the divine messages and demonstrate love, appreciation and reverence to the Prophets and Messengers of Allah The Almighty to this world. We would help to preserve the souls, honor and belongings of all mankind and we would further demonstrate the respect and honor of the human rights all over the world.

The claim of Jyllands-Posten newspaper that they allow, promote and practice freedom-of-speech, by publishing cartoons ridiculing Mohammed the Prophet of Islam, is a non-convincing claim. All of the world's constitutions and international organizations insist on and demand to respect all the Prophets and Messengers of Allah, the Almighty. Moreover, they confirm the necessity to respect the Divine Messages, respect others and do not attack the privacy, dignity and honor and principles of others. In the International World Federation Council of media and press people, it is stated:'Media people must be alert of risks that may arise as a result of prejudice and discrimination implied by the media. The Council would exert every possible effort to avoid being involved in such calls, which are based on prejudice and religion, or other social differences discrimination. A media man may commit a dangerous professional deviation such as: claiming other's work, ill-interpretation of facts, false accusations of others, condemning others for no basis, accusing others with their integrity and honor for no sound basis or accepting bribes to either publish or prevent the publishing of specific materials. A noteworthy media-person should believe that it is their duty to give an honest attention to the aforementioned items, and through the general framework of the law in each country.' Therefore, we also base our opinion and/or statements herein on an honest and sound media proclamation requesting the Danish newspaper to apologize for what they did. The proclamations states: (The media person would exert every possible effort to correct, modify any published information that he/she noticed that they are inaccurate and/or harmful to others.) Undoubtedly, what the Danish newspaper; Jyllands-Posten published is harmful not only for more than two hundred thousand Danish citizen, but also to more than one-billion-three-hundred-million Muslims along with others who are fair and just people. All these hurt people honor, respect and love Mohammed the Prophet (PBUH). This action will continue to hurt and harm all muslims so long as we live on the face of this earth. Denmark, if it does not deal with this problem on a fair ground, will also continue to be a source of harm and revulsion to many Muslims. This is because of the mentality of some Danish individuals who are anti-prophets, messengers and divine messages. We would like to remind also with the decree which the Human Rights Agency in the United Nations adopted on the 12th of April, 2005. This decree insisted on the ban of distortions and vicious attacks against religions and especially Islam; which had been strongly attacked in the last few years..

Finally, I would like to inform you that all Muslims will certainly stop their commercial business dealing with Denmark until they openly and officially apologize for the shameful attack to the person of Allah's Messenger (PBUH) by Jyllands-Posten newspaper and the other news organizations which have followed their example.

Boycott

*729 Israel*

*570 - 579 Denmark (i.e. 570, 571... 579)*

NO PEACE WITHOUT HAMAS

Mahmoud al-Zahar: I am eternally proud of my sons and miss them every day

US President Jimmy Carter's sensible plan to visit the Hamas leadership this week brings honesty and pragmatism to the Middle East while underscoring the fact that American policy has reached its dead end. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acts as if a few alterations here and there would make the hideous straitjacket of apartheid fit better. While Rice persuades Israeli occupation forces to cut a few dozen meaningless roadblocks from among the more than 500 West Bank control points, these forces simultaneously choke off fuel supplies to Gaza; blockade its 1.5 million people; approve illegal housing projects on West Bank land; and attack Gaza City with F-16s, killing men, women and children. Sadly, this is "business as usual" for the Palestinians.

Last week's attack on the Nahal Oz fuel depot should not surprise critics in the West. Palestinians are fighting a total war waged on us by a nation that mobilizes against our people with every means at its disposal -- from its high-tech military to its economic stranglehold, from its falsified history to its judiciary that "legalizes" the infrastructure of apartheid. Resistance remains our only option. Sixty-five years ago, the courageous Jews of the Warsaw ghetto rose in defense of their people. We Gazans, living in the world's largest open-air prison, can do no less.

The US-Israeli alliance has sought to negate the results of the January 2006 elections, when the Palestinian people handed our party a mandate to rule. Hundreds of independent monitors, Carter among them, declared this the fairest election ever held in the Arab Middle East. Yet efforts to subvert our democratic experience include the American coup d'etat that created the new sectarian paradigm with Fatah and the continuing warfare against and enforced isolation of Gazans.

Now, finally, we have the welcome tonic of Carter saying what any independent, uncorrupted thinker should conclude: that no "peace plan," "road map" or "legacy" can succeed unless we are sitting at the negotiating table and without any preconditions.

Israel's escalation of violence since the staged Annapolis "peace conference" in November has been consistent with its policy of illegal, often deadly collective punishment -- in violation of international conventions. Israeli military strikes on Gaza have killed hundreds of Palestinians since then with unwavering White House approval; in 2007 alone the ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed was 40 to 1, up from 4 to 1 during the period from 2000 to 2005.

Only three months ago I buried my son Hussam, who studied finance at college and wanted to be an accountant; he was killed by an Israeli air strike. In 2003, I buried Khaled -- my first-born -- after an Israeli F-16 targeting me wounded my daughter and my wife and flattened the apartment building where we lived, injuring and killing many of our neighbors. Last year, my son-in-law was killed.

Hussam was only 21, but like most young men in Gaza he had grown up fast out of necessity. When I was his age, I wanted to be a surgeon; in the 1960s, we were already refugees, but there was no humiliating blockade then. But now, after decades of imprisonment, killing, statelessness and impoverishment, we ask: What peace can there be if there is no dignity first? And where does dignity come from if not from justice?

Our movement fights on because we cannot allow the foundational crime at the core of the Jewish state -- the violent expulsion from our lands and villages that made us refugees -- to slip out of world consciousness, forgotten or negotiated away. Judaism -- which gave so much to human culture in the contributions of its ancient lawgivers and modern proponents of tikkun olam -- has corrupted itself in the detour into Zionism, nationalism and apartheid.

A "peace process" with Palestinians cannot take even its first tiny step until Israel first withdraws to the borders of 1967; dismantles all settlements; removes all soldiers from Gaza and the West Bank; repudiates its illegal annexation of Jerusalem; releases all prisoners; and ends its blockade of our international borders, our coastline and our airspace permanently. This would provide the starting point for just negotiations and would lay the groundwork for the return of millions of refugees. Given what we have lost, it is the only basis by which we can start to be whole again.

I am eternally proud of my sons and miss them every day. I think of them as fathers everywhere, even in Israel, think of their sons -- as innocent boys, as curious students, as young men with limitless potential -- not as "gunmen" or "militants." But better that they were defenders of their people than parties to their ultimate dispossession; better that they were active in the Palestinian struggle for survival than passive witnesses to our subjugation.

History teaches us that everything is in flux. Our fight to redress the material crimes of 1948 is scarcely begun, and adversity has taught us patience. As for the Israeli state and its Spartan culture of permanent war, it is all too vulnerable to time, fatigue and demographics: In the end, it is always a question of our children and those who come after us.

Mahmoud al-Zahar, a surgeon, is a founder of Hamas. He is foreign minister in the government of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, which was elected in January 2006. This essay was originally published by The Washington Post.

Thousands attend funeral of slain Gaza journalist

GAZA CITY, 18 April (IPS) - Fadel Shana'a just had to go to the scene of the Israeli bombing. As a Reuters cameraman, that was his job. He wasn't the only one killed, but through his pursuit of attacks as they happen, he was always more at risk than most others.

Fadel Shana'a was killed Wednesday because he was in the firing line, but also because, eyewitnesses said, he had begun to film the tanks that were firing. A barrage of metal shrapnel pierced his body as a tank missile landed close to him.

Fadel Shana'a, 23, had been injured in August 2006 in the north of the Gaza Strip in an Israeli missile attack. This time he wasn't lucky enough to survive.

After the first missile that killed Fadel, a second tank missile directly hit the Reuters vehicle in which Fadel had been traveling, killing two children and another civilian close by, and injuring 12 others, including five children. Wafa Abu Mezyed, 25, a Reuters sound man, was injured.

The Reuters silver colored Mitsubishi SUV carried "TV" and "Press" stickers in English and Arabic prominently across its doors, hood, and roof. And yet it was attacked more than once. Agency-France Press photographer Mohammed Abed who was driving behind Abed said the vehicle burst into flames after the second missile struck it. "I saw the body and head of my friend and colleague torn to pieces," he said, visibly shattered by the loss.

Fadel Shana'a was among many journalists and photographers who had come to film the children and civilians injured by earlier Israeli air strikes and tank shelling. At least 20 Palestinians have been killed since dawn on Wednesday, among them Fadel and eight children.

Abu Mezyed said that after filming some children, Fadel turned to film Israeli tanks. That was when a tank immediately fired a missile in his direction, killing him.Journalists have long been targeted in the region. Since September 2000, Israeli forces have killed nine journalists, and have wounded at least 170 others.Reuters has 70 journalists and other members of the media in Palestinian and Israeli areas, 15 of them in Gaza. Last October, a Reuters photographer was injured by Israeli occupation forces close to the Erez crossing.

Fadel Shana'a was injured in an August 2006 Israeli air strike that hit the Reuters vehicle in which he was traveling

The killing of Fadel Shana'a has raised new concern among Gaza's journalists. The Fatah party which runs the administration in the West Bank has called the killing of journalists "assassinating the truth.

" Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said "the Israeli occupation targets journalists in order to kill the truth."The Palestinian Journalists Union announced a strike on Thursday in protest against the killing of journalists. Reuters editor-in-chief David Schlesinger called for an investigation. "This tragic incident shows the risks journalists take every day to report the news.

All governments and organizations have a responsibility to take the utmost care to protect professionals trying to do their jobs," he said in a comment posted on the agency website."Our thoughts are with his family.

We request an immediate investigation into the incident by the Israeli defense forces." The group Reporters Without Borders also called on Israeli authorities "to quickly investigate the circumstances that led to the Reuters cameraman's death."Israel apologized for the killing of Fadel Shana'a, and pledged to investigate the circumstances of his killing.Thousands attended the funeral of Fadel Shana'a Thursday. With his body was carried another stretcher bearing his camera.

But the attacks continue, for others to suffer, and still others to film. The attacks on Juhor al-Dik village, east of al-Bureij refugee camp have injured 35 people, at least eight of them critically. The injured include 17 children and a woman, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.And there is not enough fuel for ambulances to get to the injured. Some of the injured have been brought to hospital on donkey carts.

The latest Israeli assault follows what the Ezz al-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, an armed wing of Hamas, called a "sophisticated ambush" in which three Israeli soldiers were killed.Israeli

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday: "We are aware of the suffering of the people of Gaza, but in our eyes, the suffering of the residents of communities that border on that area, and those of the Israeli army count more.

Article by Mohammed Omer, The Electronic Intifada,

Pictures (Wissam Nassar/MaanImages)

Israel declares Gaza "enemy entity" (19 September 2007)

On Wednesday, 19 September 2007, Israel's security cabinet unanimously declared the Gaza Strip an "enemy entity." The declaration, ostensibly in reaction to the firing of rockets from Gaza, was immediately backed by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and followed by a series of collective punishment measures that have crippled Gaza's already suffering economy. Israel has denied the importing of basic needs including medicine, severely limited exports, cut fuel supplies to the impoverished strip, and halted the movement of people to and from Gaza -- including those in need of urgent medical care

The "enemy entity" declaration follows months of Israeli closure of the Egyptian-Gazan border crossing at Rafah, during which thousands of Palestinians were stranded in Egypt. Rafah crossing remains closed since 9 June 2007. With the Erez crossing into Israel open to only an exceptionally few number of Palestinians, Gazans feel as though their jailer has thrown away the key to their open-air prison

With the total closure of the Strip, whose residents are mainly food aid-dependent refugees, Palestinians fear a major disaster is imminent. Gaza Community Mental Health Programme Director Eyad Al Sarraj wrote before Gaza went dark following Israel's cutting of fuel supplies on 17 January 2008

"[The] Israeli military establishment decided to stop power supply and fuel to Gaza. Since Thursday, food and humanitarian aid are not allowed in. Very soon life will come to a standstill. Water will not be pumped for a even drink. My step-son is on ventilator for asthma every night. What will happen to him when our generator is not running anymore? What will happen to hospitals, vaccines and blood banks? What will happen to patients on dialysis machines, and to babies in incubators?Before it is dark and when there is no communication with the world, I want to tell you that the current Israeli policy of squeezing [Gaza] has the aim of pushing Egypt to open its borders with Gaza and bring the situation to [Egyptian occupation as it was] prior 1967. Israel will then close its borders with Gaza, separate the Strip from the West bank, and destroy the peace proposals of one state or two states. In short, Israel is fulfilling the Sharon unilateral withdrawal strategy. If Egypt fails to open its borders with Gaza, Israel will push us through Rafah towards the Sinai desert. Wait for the exodus."

As The Guardian (UK) reported on 27 November 2007:

Aid officials working in Gaza say the reality of life here is barely understood abroad. "You must be on the ground for days and weeks to begin to appreciate the full horror of the situation," said John Ging, the Gaza director of the UN Relief and Works Agency which works with Palestinian refugees, in a speech in London last week. He said as many as 800 patients needing treatment abroad were waiting permission to leave. "By what other definition or name can these sanctions be described, other than arbitrary collective punishment of a civilian population, helplessly caught in the middle of a conflict?"Palestinians watching Gaza come apart at the seams are furious. "We are on the verge of a real catastrophe," said Raji Sourani, director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. "What is the meaning of international humanitarian law? Is it just something for academics to discuss? This is the law of the jungle."

The same day of The Guardian's report, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) reported the death of a Palestinian woman and mother of seven after she was denied permission to travel to Israel to receive medical treatment. As of 27 November, PCHR documents that 11 Gaza patients, including three woman and an infant, have died since August because they haven't been able to access medical care. Many more remain vulnerable as Gaza doctors can only look on as stocks of medicine have depleted and hospitals are unable to bring in medical equipment.

The Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq stated in response to the declaration:

In addition to the ongoing sanctions, the aim of the decision of the Israeli security cabinet is clearly to diminish popular support for Hamas in the Gaza Strip by imposing intolerable living conditions on a population already subjected to a belligerent occupation. As such, these measures amount to an attempt to coerce 1.5 million Palestinians to bend to the political will of Israel and certain members of the international community. Article 31 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibiting coercion against protected persons clearly states that this prohibition applies to both physical and moral forms of coercion, covering both direct and indirect pressure, and that "[c]oercion is forbidden for any purpose or motive whatsoever."

However, the effects of Israel's policy towards Gaza have been that of collective punishment. As the Quartet maintained its boycott of the Hamas government and the sanctions that have come along with it, Gaza's population is now almost entirely dependent on humanitarian food aid.

Following three days of Israeli raids and air strikes on Gaza that killed at least 30 persons, and a day after US President George W. Bush left the region, on 17 January Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the total closure of the Gaza Strip.

Nineteen were killed in Gaza on 15 January, including the son of Hamas head Mahmoud al-Zahar. Several fighters were amongst them but also slain were three farmers and a student. That same day an Ecuadorian farmer in Israel was killed by sniper fire from the Strip. The launching of homemade rockets from Gaza into Israel has increased with the intensified Israeli attacks. More than 150 rockets and mortars have struck Israel between 15-18 January, none of them causing any fatalities or serious injuries. Such rockets have killed 12 in the past six years. Conversely, research by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights finds that almost 700 Palestinians, including 224 civilians (78 of them children) have been killed by Israeli forces in extra-judicial executions during that same time period.

While Israeli officials insisted that "there will not be a humanitarian crisis in Gaza," saying that necessary provisions would be let into the Strip, earlier that same week The Jerusalem Post quoted a defense official who said, "'The ultimate idea is to completely disengage from Gaza and to cut off all ties with the Strip.'" However, as the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem states, "The state's action is especially wrongful given the Gazans' almost total dependence on Israel for electricity and fuel, a result of the thirty-eight years of Israel's direct control of the Strip. This dependence has grown since June 2006, when Israel bombed the only power station in the Strip." As Israel still has effective control over the Strip, it is still consdired an Occupying Power under international humanitarian law and is thus responsible for the welfare of the civilian population.

Even before the total closure orders, Gaza's residents have been acutely suffering under Israel's collective punishment policies. As a widowed mother of five living in Shati refugee camp told the IRIN news agency, "'We had electricity for only two hours during the day yesterday [16 January] ... We can't afford to buy gas heaters, or even gase ... We try using blankets to keep warm, but we don't have enough blankets.'"

While Hamas officials accuse the US of complicity with the severe Israeli measures as they coincided with Bush's visit to the area, the killings in Gaza have only merited verbal wrist-slapping by Washington and the usual calls for restraint by the UN Secretary-General. Meanwhile, EI's correspondent Rami Almeghari writes, "we Gazans are trying our best to live normally as our fate is toyed with in a court in Jerusalem."

Israel kills seven, mostly civilian teenagers, in Gaza invasion

At approximately 4am 11 April 2008, a special unit of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) penetrated on foot into the Gaza Strip. The force mobilized at the Gaza border and moved one kilometer into northeastern al-Bureij refugee

camp, where it broke into a number of houses and took positions atop them. This force was backed by many tanks, military vehicles, and drones. IOF tanks opened fire indiscriminately in the area and bulldozed fields planted with olive trees. At approximately 1pm, IOF opened fire at a group of children, who are residents of the nearby area. As a result, 13-year-old Riyad Sherif al-Owais was killed and five other children were injured. In all, seven people were killed in this incursion.At approximately 2:20pm later that day, IOF fired an artillery shell at a group of children and teenagers who gathered to watch the incursion.

As a result, four of them were killed immediately and were identified as:

18-year-old Shihab Mohammad Ahmad Abu Zubeida of al-Bureij refugee camp;

19-year-old Jihad Mohammad Salem Abu Zubeida of al-Bureij refugee camp;

18-year-old Yousif Ali al-Maghari of al-Bureij refugee camp; and,

18-year-old Abdul-Raziq Atta Nofal of al-Nuseirat refugee camp.

Three others were injured and one, 15-year-old Yousif Sarhan, sustained serious injury. He was transferred to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for treatment, where medical sources later pronounced his death. He was from al-Bureij refugee camp.

IOF continued to fire at crowds, causing injury to 31 people including 15 children. The injured were transferred to al-Shadha'a al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah for treatment. Due to the seriousness of their wounds, eight of those injured were transferred to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Later that day, at approximately 8pm, an IOF warplane fired one missile at a group of armed resistance members. As a result, 28-year-old Munzir Abu Howeshl, from al-Nuseriat refugee camp, was killed.At approximately 10:30am on 12 April 2008, IOF began to withdraw and pulled out completely by 2pm that afternoon.

Al Mezan documented that IOF bulldozed 50 dunams of olive trees and one water well. The forces destroyed three homes and one private vehicle. In what appears to be random, indiscriminate detention of civilians, IOF arrested 17 Palestinians during the incursion. They were interrogated and all but one were released later that day. This represents a standard policy practiced by IOF that humiliates and encroaches upon the dignity of Gazans.In addition, IOF continue to deny the entry of fuel into the strip and this severely delays medical treatment for the wounded. During this incursion, medical crews had severe difficulty transferring the critically injured from al-Shadha'a al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. It is noteworthy that the hospital in Deir al-Balah cannot treat severe injuries due to lack of medicines and specialized health care.

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns strongly IOF's escalation of acts of murder in the Gaza Strip, particularly civilians and children. As this press release shows, the majority of people killed in the al-Bureij incursion were civilian children and teenagers. Furthermore, homes were targeted and farms were bulldozed, denying hundreds of people their source of livelihood. Al Mezan emphasizes that IOF's conducts constitute grave breaches of the rules of international humanitarian law (IHL).

The Center demands immediate action to investigate IOF's conducts and to lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip. The ongoing blockade of goods, particularly fuel, harms peoples' lives and threatens to stop the work of hospitals and medical crews.

Al Mezan warns that the international community's ongoing silence in regard to IOF's crimes will have major consequences on the civilian population, especially since the Israelis repeatedly threaten to launch severe, brutal attacks on Gaza.Al Mezan calls on the international community to act effectively and urgently to stop Israel's grave breaches of IHL and provide international protection for the civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In addition, as part of their legal and moral obligations towards these civilians, they must act urgently to end the siege on the Gaza Strip that affects their humanitarian needs.

PCHR Weekly Report: 9 Palestinians killed, 25 wounded in Israeli attacks

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)'s Weekly Report, during the week of 03 - 09 April 2008, 8 Palestinians, including a child and a farmer, were killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. 5 of the victims, including a child and his uncle, were killed in a series of attacks launched by Israeli forces against the east of Gaza City in less than 5 hours. In the West Bank, A Palestinian child was rammed to death by an Israeli settler vehicle. 25 Palestinians, including 5 children, were wounded by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Israeli attacks in the West Bank:

Israeli forces conducted 30 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During those incursions, Israeli forces abducted 65 Palestinian civilians, including 7 children and a girl, in the West Bank. 6 Palestinian civilian were abducted by Israeli forces at military checkpoints in the West Bank.

Israeli forces raided a number of charities and NGOs in Ramallah and al-Bireh. Israeli forces raided and searched a number of charities, mosques and shops in Qalqilia, and closed 4 charities.

On 3 April 2008, Israeli forces wounded a Palestinian civilian in Hebron, claiming that he wanted to seize a gun from an Israeli soldier. On 9 April 2008, a Palestinian child was wounded in Beit Reema village, northwest of Ramallah, when Israeli forces fired at a number of children who threw stones at military vehicles. Two Palestinian children also sustained bruises and dozens of civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation when Israeli forces used force to disperse peaceful demonstration organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in al-Ma’sara village, south of Bethlehem, and Bil'in village, west of Ramallah.


Israeli Settlement Activity:

Israeli forces have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

On Monday evening, 7 April 2008, an Israeli settler driving a bus ran down a Palestinian child to the east of Nablus, killing the child. The child was on a donkey grazing animals crossing the bypass road to the east of Salam village. His donkey and 8 sheep were also killed. On 9 April 2008, 2 Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian vehicle near Nablus. As a result, 2 women were injured.


Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:

During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed 8 Palestinians, including a child and a farmer, and wounded 24 others, including 5 children, in the Gaza Strip.

In the Gaza Strip, on 9 April 2008, Israeli forces killed 4 Palestinian civilian and an activist of the Palestinian resistance in less than 5 hours in a series of attacks against the east of Gaza City, after fighters of the Palestinian resistance had killed 2 Israelis near Nahal Ouz crossing, east of Gaza City. Additionally, 11 Palestinians, including 2 children, were wounded. On 3 April 2008, 6 Palestinians, including 5 civilians, were wounded when Israeli forces moved into al-Sraij area in al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis. On 5 April 2008, 2 Palestinian children were wounded in al-Qarara village when they played with a shell left by Israeli forces. On the same day, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian farmer and wounded his nephew in Jabalya town. On 4 April 2008, a Palestinian child was wounded by Israeli forces in al-Boreij refugee camp. On 8 and 9 April 2008, Israeli forces killed 2 fighters from the Palestinian resistance and wounded 2 others during incursions into al-Qarara village and Jabalya town.

Israeli forces have continued to close all border crossings of the Gaza Strip for more than one year and a half. The total siege imposed by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip has left disastrous impacts on the humanitarian situation and has violated the economic and social rights of the nearly 1.5 million Palestinian civilian population, particularly the rights to appropriate living conditions, health and education. It has also paralyzed most economic sectors. Furthermore, severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the Palestinian civilian population. The siege imposed on the Gaza Strip has severely impacted the flow of food, medical supplies and other necessities such as fuel, construction materials and raw materials for various economic sectors.

Recommendations to the International Community:

Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made a number of recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation to the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their legal and moral obligations under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure Israel's respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The PCHR believes that the conspiracy of silence practiced by the international community has encouraged Israel to act as if it is above the law and encourages Israel continue to violate international human rights and humanitarian law.

The PCHR also called upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to convene a conference to take effective steps to ensure Israel's respect of the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to provide immediate protection for Palestinian civilians.

"When I'm big will I go to jail like Daddy?"

Momma, when I'm big will I go to jail like Daddy?"

That was little Adam's question for his mother when I came to visit their house, just before leaving the village of al-Tuwani for a brief trip home to the United States. Adam is three years old. His mother tells me that he wants his father to come home from jail and bring him ice cream. "Adam is upset," she says. Looking at her eyes, I can tell that she is too. So am I.

Adam's father was arrested on 28 March, just a few days ago. A group of eight to ten Israeli settlers from Havot Ma'on, an illegal Israeli settlement outpost, came inside the village of al-Tuwani where they found Adam's father and his grandfather. The settlers sprayed them with an aerosol substance, which I can only imagine was pepper spray. They hit Adam's father in the eyes. Soon, the settlement guard arrived, a man everyone in al-Tuwani knows all too well. He was followed by the Israeli army and total chaos began to unfold. The settlement guard accused Adam's father of breaking his sunglasses. While the settlers who attacked Adam's father and grandfather stood by, Israeli police arrested Adam's father. They didn't listen to the Palestinians who witnessed the settler attack. They didn't question the settlers. The police forced Adam's father, still seriously injured, into a police van and took him away. There was nothing anyone could do.

Sitting in Adam's house, I try to find a way to convey my feelings of anguish in my limited Arabic. Adam's mother is unfailingly gracious. Making terrible situations seem funny is an art practiced by many Palestinians and perfected by Adam's family. Somehow, we laugh while we drink our tea. Then Adam's mother tells me how the settlement guard threatened Adam's father. "If he sees him again, he will kill him," she says. "Then, he said, there will no more problems." My mouth drops open upon hearing this threat on Adam's father's life. My Arabic fails me utterly. "Really? That's bad," I say. Adam's mother laughs.

"Momma, when I'm big will I go to jail like Daddy?" Adam asks.

"No, when you are big, God willing, this will be Palestine." she answers, smiling. I wrap myself in the words of this beautiful and strong woman and praise God that she still has hope.

Joy Ellison is an American activist with Christian Peacemaker Teams, an organization that supports Palestinian nonviolent resistance. She lives in al-Tuwani, a small village in the South Hebron Hills which is nonviolently resisting settlement expansion and violence. She writes about her experiences on her blog, "I Saw it in Palestine" at http://inpalestine.blogspot.com.

Over Name

Each day in America over 100,000 Muslim physicians, surgeons, and therapists devotedly report to their clinics and hospitals providing the best health care they can to their patients. Each day in America, several thousand Muslim engineers are part of the nations engineering staff, managing and running infrastructure facilities to ensure that water, electricity and critical services are supplied in an efficient manner. Several thousand software engineers use their skills on a daily basis ensuring that the businesses that provide the lifelines of this country are managed smoothly. Even in securing the security of our country and US embassies abroad, about 5000 Muslim military personal provide valuable services to the nation.
Over 2 million Muslims work hard to contribute more than $30 billion annually to various taxes and revenue agencies.

The Muslim dependence on welfare is minimal. The number of alcoholics, child abusers, drug users and pushers and criminals involved in big or small crimes is unnoticeable.
Yet, when a political candidate's middle name is announced as "Hussein", all kinds of doubt are raised about his links with Muslims and Islam. People are urged to reject him because his presence might contaminate the sanctity of the seat of power in Washington.

Lets not beat around the bush! The issue is not about a middle name, the issue is about Islam and Muslims. Those who are questioning Obama's middle name are using the phobia that has been created against Islam and Muslims and using that for their political whims. They might as well start creating fear against everyone named Adam (From Prophet Aadam, the first man created by God) and Susan (Derived from Soozan which connotates pure like a Lily flower) which are also common names used by Arabs and Muslims.

Obama has clearly stated that he is a Christian belonging to Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago and his loyalties are to his country. Yet the tirade and fear tactics from the right-wingers against him does not stop.

Despite a history in America as old as the history of first European settlers, Islam is still viewed with fear and suspicion in America and more so after the tragedy of 9/11. The rejection and hatred shown in Europe by earlier Christian leaders towards Islam still lingers. Forgotten in this frenzy are the facts that Muslim slaves were an essential part of the construction of the roadways, railroads and development of agriculture and industries in their resent forms in this country.

Europe has never been objective in its relations and understanding of Islam. Its religious institutions viewed Islam as anti-Christ and its ideas pertaining to individual autonomy in relation to the divine as dangerous for its religious hierarchy. These biases were formed even before Europe took the path of enlightenment and renaissance. Islam was always seen as a faith of sword-holding nomadic people bent on destroying the kingdom of the Lord that was yet to be experienced on earth.

Even with enlightenment and renaissance that gradually rendered the religious institutions irrelevant in Europe's growth, Islam was seen as an anti-rational and anti-science faith. This was a pattern that came to America's with the arrival of European settlers. Even though the founding fathers of our nation were enlightened leaders, but the centuries of bias are even reflected in Thomas Jefferson's letter to Dr. Stiles in 1815 where he wrote, "It is really a pity so charming a country (Turkey) should remain in the hands of a people whose religion forbids the admission of science and the arts among them." (Aslam Munjee's book, "Crusades: Then and Now")

The religious and secular elites of Europe and America have somehow concluded on the basis of their own prejudice and contaminated reading that Islam cannot be trusted in any aspect of life as it is based on false ideas. Despite the presence of large Muslim communities in Europe and America, this view has not changed as there is very limited and serious dialogue and interaction among various sections of modern religious and secular European and American elites and Muslims.

Muslims by and large, have not made any serious efforts to address the concerns and issues raised by the power elites in a language that can be understood. And the power elites are so comfortable with their position that they do not want to make any serious efforts to comprehend Islam.

Those who have extensively written about Islam and Muslims from either a religious or secular perspective in Europe and America have tried to interpret events and the faith of Islam from their selective and highly biased sources often used to reinforce their viewpoint. Amongst Muslims, the shadow of colonialism has always been present in their writings.

How can this challenge of developing a better understanding of these two view points about Islam be met in our times? Perhaps the best response would come from Muslims if they engage with people at levels of society and make their presence felt through service and improving the conditions of life wherever they are. The fact is that Muslims have remained confined to their mosques and secluded shells despite their presence in America and Europe for centuries. In art, science, technology, social services, welfare activities, they have abdicated their responsibilities. They somehow, believe that by confining them to their mosques, Europe and America will one day discover the beauty and rationality of their religion. Things do not happen that way. Even the Prophet had to roam in the streets of Makkah and Taif identifying people in the situation they lived and engaging them in efforts that had direct consequences for their lives.

In order to do that a new agenda has to emerge and a new style of leadership has to take roots within the Muslim community. A leadership that understands its responsibilities towards people in general regardless of their religious or ethnic background. To do this, Muslims have to have a paradigm shift in their thinking. They have to rise above their sectarian identities and issues.

They have to look at the future rather than dwell on the past to redirect their energies.
Without Muslims preparing them for this new role, things will not easily be changed. Violence and anger have never solved any problem. They only complicate things. Those who believe that through terrorizing people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, they would be able to force change in the thinking of people about Islam, must realize that history is not on their side and above all the creator is not on their side.

Change in the attitude and behavior of people comes when they see a clear contradiction in the their biases and the actions of those they were biased against. Once their own paradoxes become clear to them, they begin to realize the myopic vision they had held and begin to appreciate the viewpoint of others. So far, Muslims in America and Europe and elsewhere have not acted in a manner that reconciles them with the spirit of their faith. A spirit that views all of humanity as a big family and a view that feels the pain of others as ones own

Mutiny on the River Tigris - a report in Iraq

The one-week war between Al Mahdi militia and the Iraqi government, has left more than 270 people dead in Al Sadr City, Basra and Karbala.

Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki described the Sadrists (former parliamentary allies, ministers in his cabinet, and friends) as "ignorant" and "paid agents who corrupted all posts they had assumed". He added: "We spoke before about Al Qaida but there are amongst us who are worst then Al Qaida".

In addition to Shiite blood, there is mutiny in the air, where some Iraqi soldiers are laying down their arms, saying that they will not engage in a civil war with their fellow countrymen, showing just how popular Al Sadr is in the Shiite community.

Others have complained that instead of using so much force against the Sadrists, it would be wiser to train their weapons against the Americans. Still a third group has come up to Al Sadr and offered him their weapons, saying that they have switched sides and will now fight with the Mahdi Army.

Things brings back scary memories that the Iraqis know only too well of Iranian soldiers refusing to shoot on day two or three of the revolution - despite orders from the Shah - so as not to drag their nation into civil war.
Some claim that all of this is part of a deal hammered out in Baghdad earlier last March between Al Maliki, the Americans, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Iranians, who had encouraged Al Maliki to deal with Al Sadr back in 2006-2007, were now willing to turn a blind eye as he crushed the Shiite militia.

This cooperation (with the price being Al Sadr) would please the Americans, who would respond in similar goodwill by softening their tone against Tehran. That - illogical as it may sound - is one option floating around political circles in the Arab World.

It is hard to believe especially since other sources confirm that during the past 10 months, Iran has politically, financially and militarily invested heavily in Al Mahdi Army.

Apparently the Iranians believe that the US President George W. Bush will not leave the White House with Hamas and Hezbollah still alive and kicking, Syria and Iran surviving US pressure, Iraq in flames and Al Qaida firmly in control of major pockets throughout the Muslim World.

Of all the potential targets, the Iranians believe that both Hezbollah and Hamas are the easiest for the Israelis and the Americans to tackle. The war on Hamas started in January and will continue in what remains of Bush's term at the White House.

Coming next is an Israeli war - this time a ground invasion -on Hezbollah. Iran, worried at the future of its regional proxy, has started planning for the "day after" Hezbollah leaves the scene in Lebanon.
The plan is to create a new Hezbollah in Iraq through Al Mahdi Army. The Americans are taking pre-emptive measures to bring down Al Mahdi Army before it is even re-born.

Reasonable
Both stories sound reasonable, but it remains to be noted that Al Mahdi Army was never an Iranian instrument in Iraqi politics. Al Sadr was inspired by the Iranian model and wanted to create a similar theocracy in Baghdad, which was Iran-free.

He did not want foreigners to interfere and was described as an Iraqi Arab nationalist, rather than a Shiite nationalist as Abdulaziz Al Hakim. The later had always been frowned upon by Al Sadr for accepting sanctuary in Tehran during the days of Saddam Hussain.

Al Sadr always trashed him for calling for the creation of a autonomous Shiite district in southern Iraq. In 1980-1988, the Badr Brigade (under orders from Al Hakim family) fought alongside the Iranian Army against the Iraqis. They were fighting for Shiite nationalism (since a bulk of the Iraqi Army was Sunni) rather than Iraqi nationalism.

Al Sadr on the other hand never left Iraq even after his father was assassinated by Saddam Hussain. At one point in 2006, one of Al Sadr's allies (then turned opponent) named Ayatollah Mahmoud Hasani had his troops storm the Iranian Consulate in Basra, torch it, and bring down the Iranian flag. That is how independent from Iran Al Sadr was.

He once used his weight within the Shiite community to prevent the election of Iran's proxy Adel Abdul Mahdi to the job of prime minister.
Instead he supported somebody such as Ebrahim Jaafari (who is now lobbying on his behalf with Al Maliki) because Al Jaafari had refused to take refugee in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq War but rather, moved on to neutral London so as not to be seen as an Iranian stooge.

The truth is that if it were not for Al Sadr, Al Maliki would never have become prime minister. The man was a lightweight in Shiite politics and he needed the backing of a young, credible, and popular leader such as Al Sadr.

Al Maliki promised protection from the Americans. Al Sadr pledged backing of grassroots Shiites. This formula worked (until December 2006) and in reward Al Sadr's men were given portfolios, such as health, commerce, and education - in addition to the 30-seat parliamentary bloc that they enjoyed.
Something seemed wrong. Al Sadr was opposed to the post-2003 order because it was brought about by the Americans but by joining the Cabinet and parliament, he was legitimising this same order.
This did wonders to Al Maliki's reputation, and gave Al Sadr's team fresh territory to cultivate members - within the apparatus of government, dishing out services and patronage via charity funds and hospitals under his control, in addition to imposing his hallmark on elementary and middle school curriculums.
Pretty soon, however, the relationship became a burden for the prime minister. He repeatedly covered up for misconduct of the Sadrists and refused to send Iraqi troops or the US army into Al Sadr City, receiving great criticism from Iraqi Sunnis of being a stooge of Al Sadr.

They were further united with the hanging of Saddam in December 2006, as the Iraqi Shiite community was coming under fire from Sunnis, and as Al Sadr's men attended and co-hanged the ex-president under the watchful eye of Al Maliki's officials.

Things broke down, however, in early 2007 when Al Sadr quarrelled with Al Maliki because the latter failed to discuss US troop withdrawal with President Bush.
He threatened to step out of government and rather than plead him to say, Al Maliki nodded, as if it were a blessing in disguise. Al Sadr left the government in the summer of 2007 and Al Maliki did nothing to bring him back.

Al Sadr had become too much of an embarrassment and Al Maliki wanted to get rid of him. Step one was political divorce; step two is the war we are currently seeing in Basra.

The stones of Suhmata - Diaries: Live from Palestine

Unlike the majority of Palestinian refugees dispersed across the Middle East and beyond, Wagih Semaan can drive a few kilometers from his house, cross a ditch and a fence and sit in the stones of the village he was driven out of at the age of 11. But despite his Israeli "citizenship," he is no more able to return to live on his land than the Palestinian sitting in Ein al-Hilwe camp across the Lebanese border.Wagih is one of more than 250,000 Palestinian refugees who are internally displaced -- they managed to remain in their homeland yet are denied access to their lands and homes. Like the rest of the million Palestinians inside Israel, internally displaced live with Israeli passports yet in all sectors are treated as second class citizens. While the brutality meted out to residents of the West Bank and Gaza demonstrates clearly that Palestinian life is not valued by the state of Israel, the second class status of Palestinians inside the Jewish state shows the inherent apartheid nature of a state defined as Jewish. Israeli apartheid would not end even in the (very unlikely) scenario that Israel totally withdrew to 1967 borders. The case of the internally displaced and land confiscation from Palestinians legally defined by Israel as "citizens" -- both in 1948, and continuing since that date -- undermines any Israeli claims that it functions as a democracy for its Palestinian citizens.The Semaan family come from Suhmata, a northern Galilee village attacked by Haganah [the pre-state Zionist militia that later became the Israeli army] aircraft in October 1948. In addition to more than one thousand inhabitants, by that stage many hundreds of refugees exiled from other villages already occupied were seeking shelter in homes and olive groves. As villagers fled the onslaught in terror, 16 were killed, as Wagih explains: "they put a bullet in the head of one young man in front of his father then left the body for the dogs to eat." Some tried their hardest to stay to no avail. "My father didn't want to leave -- he hid under the trees. One time he had just moved and the tree which he had been under was hit from the air. He was lucky to stay alive," says Wagih. The village was surrounded from all sides except the northern direction to Lebanon. The message was clear -- there was no room for Palestinians in the new state. Ninety-three percent of Suhmatans became refugees in Lebanon and Syria, one famous village son being Abu Maher al-Yamani, the deputy of the late resistance leader George Habash.Seven percent, however, succeeded in sheltering with relatives in some of the few Palestinian villages which were not destroyed in the Israel occupation, finally becoming citizens in the new Jewish state. But remaining in the homeland was not an easy option. Creeping into the fields around their village, in the first months Suhmatans saw some of their homes dynamited. The oldest Semaan brother approached the village to see that their home had been dynamited. "He just could not bring himself to tell our mother," one of the Semaan brothers recalls. Other homes were quickly occupied by a group of Romanian Jews waiting for their own settlement to be built on the land of the village. Within a few years the village was destroyed -- Jewish settlers moved into the new buildings -- and Israel believed it had shattered the hopes of the refugees to return. "They even took the stones from our houses to the new settlement," says Wagih.From 1948 to 1967 all Palestinians remaining in Israel, not just the refugees, were subject to military law, similar to that imposed on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which Israel occupied in 1967. Military rule brought curfews, restrictions on movement and employment, and strict penalties for any political activity. At this time the struggle was simply to eat and to live, to stay alive.

The Semaan family lived 13 in one room in the village of Fassuta; as Wagih explains, "lying next to each other we couldn't move." As a young man Wagih was pursued by the police for political activity with the Communist Party; many people were just too frightened to even try to speak out.Although the days of military rule for Palestinians inside Israel are over, a more sophisticated system of surveillance and political control of this minority remains in place. Many Palestinians inside Israel today remain nervous of political activity, fully aware of its implications for themselves and their families, but an increasing number are prepared to speak out. To draw attention to the continuing injustice of the Nakba six decades on, the Suhmata Committee in the Galilee has launched a new petition to protest further settlement expansion on their land.Individual village committees, and later an overarching umbrella organization to promote the right of return for the internally displaced, were formed in the wake of Madrid Conference 1991, when Palestinians inside Israel realized that their status was not to be represented at the negotiating table. Having previously relied on international movements for the liberation of Palestine, many Palestinian political activists inside Israel decided to take control of their own struggle, to fight to be seen as an integral part of the Palestinian people and not an Israeli "domestic" concern.

The Suhmata committee promotes awareness of the village amongst remaining Suhmatans, running a regularly updated website (http://www.suhmata.com/), organizing visits and tours to the site of the village and attempting to protect remains, particularly in regards to the holy sites. Over the past decade villagers have held events at the village -- today grazing ground for settler cattle -- on Nakba Day, Land Day and other Palestinian national events, summer camps for children, renovation work in the graveyards. The village even has its own play, performed in the ruins (as well as other locations across the globe).The current petition demands a halt to Israeli plans announced in January 2008 for the building of around 3,500 new housing lots on land of Suhmata to expand the Jewish town of Ma'alot. Ma'alot was founded in 1957 as part of Israeli attempts to Judaize the Galilee which still had a significant Palestinian population. The town already overwhelms and confiscates the lands of the still existing Palestinian villages of Tarshiha and Mi'lia.Villagers are under no illusion that a petition can transform the direction of Israeli policy but see it as part of the wider struggle to spread awareness of the rights of all Palestinians to return and Israel's continuing attempts to establish "facts on the ground" and to dictate their own terms of any future settlement -- a settlement which would not bring justice to the refugees."Why is this land open to the Russian immigrant yet forbidden to us?" asks Wagih."It is enough -- stop this project -- this is Palestinian land. We call on the conscience of all good people, here and outside. They speak about peace, but there will be no peace without a solution to the problem of return; while they continue to build on our expense.

"Isabelle Humphries has worked for several years with Palestinian non-governmental organizations in the Galilee, and is completing a doctoral thesis on Palestinian internally displaced. She can be contacted at isabellebh2004 A T yahoo D O T co D O T uk.