Amira Hass - Industrial wastelands

The Abu E'ida company for concrete and construction materials could stand a very good chance of winning any public tender issued during the Gaza reconstruction process - if it ever gets under way. This family business manufactured the concrete and carried out the concrete works in the construction of Gaza's power station (under joint American-Palestinian ownership). It also supplied the concrete used to build the sewage treatment facility in northern Gaza, known as the "Blair project" because of the former British prime minister's role in securing the funding. After June 2007, this was the only infrastructure project in the Gaza Strip whose construction Israel allowed to continue.

Abu E'ida's company produced and supplied 35-40 percent of all concrete used in the Strip before the crossings between Israel and Gaza were hermetically sealed that summer. The family, which has been in the concrete business since the mid-1980s, has ties with the Israeli firm Nesher, which also manufactures and sells cement, with the Shapir and Reichman quarries, and with companies in the metal works industry, such as Elkayam.

Abu E'ida stood a good chance of being awarded rebuilding contracts. The only problem is that his company's plants were destroyed by Israel Defense Forces tanks and bulldozers sometime between January 5 and January 18. The pumps and the conveyor belts were demolished, along with the silo and the laboratory, the control rooms and the cement scale, the ventilation, electricity and water systems, the cement mixers and the trucks and cars. His four factories (two family-owned, two in partnership) were located in the northeast part of the Gaza Strip, in an industrial zone that sprang up on both sides of the eastern road, on the slopes of the hill on which stands I'zbet Abed Rabbo, the easternmost neighborhood in the city of Jabalya. Over the years, about 60 workshops, industries and packing houses were built along this road, manufacturing a wide array of products: concrete, iron, cinderblocks, tiles and electrical appliances. Interspersed among the industries were cowsheds, sheep and goat pens as well as chicken coops. The whole area was greened by orchards, groves and fields. Some of the industries, such as the plant that produced biscuits and ice cream, owned by the al-Wadeya family - who are also the exclusive distributor in Gaza for Tnuva, the giant Israeli food company - date back to the late 1950s and early '60s.

Now, both sides of the eastern road are littered with ruins: piles of smashed concrete, mangled steel, broken planks. Protruding from beneath the wreckage are crushed trucks, cement mixers and shattered pumps, lacerated rolls of sheet metal, overturned power generators, scorched cars, torn pipes and puddles. There is a lingering smell of death emanating from the carcasses of animals crushed to death here.

This was the picture that greeted the owners of these enterprises on the morning of January 18, the first day of the cease-fire. Most local inhabitants - Bedouin with their herds and the occupants of a few isolated homes (who own the barns and pens) - fled during the first days of the Israeli ground incursion, forced out by the tanks' shelling. As a result, no one knows for certain when each factory, workshop or goat pen was destroyed. Among the ruins of the only plant for packing cement bags in the Gaza Strip, which belongs to Abu Jiba, 14 antitank mines were found, seven of which had exploded and seven of which had not.

No ordinary destruction

According to Ali al-Hayek, head of the Palestinian Union of Businessmen and the owner of factories that manufacture cinderblocks, "It was not an ordinary soldier that blew up and destroyed all these buildings." Hayek, who has taken dozens of photographs of the different arenas of destruction, added: "Only an engineer knows how and where to attack a building made of concrete so that it will collapse completely, and not fall on the destroyers. A simple soldier will be afraid. This is an army that spent about three hours in every factory and demolished it or blew it up without coming under attack. It's not a five-minute wrecking job."

Hayek and his counterpart in the Palestinian Federation of Industries, A'mer Hamad, are convinced that the destruction was directed against Gaza's economy and also against the prospects of reconstruction. "The army knew the location of every plant, every workshop, every cowshed, and with all its soul set out to destroy them," Hayek said.

Hayek and A'mer Hamad are among 17 Gaza businessmen who will attend Monday's conference of donor countries for the reconstruction of Gaza, as part of the delegation put together by the Palestinian Authority, in Ramallah. With the conference in mind, they are busy making final calculations of the extent of the destruction. They will report that the IDF destroyed 600-700 factories, small industries, workshops and business enterprises throughout the Gaza Strip. Some were destroyed completely, others seriously damaged.

Of the 255 Gaza plants connected to the construction industry (concrete, tiles and sidewalk stones, asphalt, marble, cinderblocks), 63 were hit directly - 29 were reduced to rubble and 34 partially damaged. "Partial" damage ranges from $6,000 to $1.5 million. Total damage ranges from $300,000 to $12 million (the latter sum was sustained by Abu Jiba's cement factory). The total damage done to the 63 enterprises is estimated at $36 million. Hayek and Hamad will tell the conference that even if all political obstacles are removed, the fact that the leading plants of the construction industry were destroyed will in itself delay the rebuilding process.

According to calculations made by UNDP, the United Nations development agency, the total damage sustained by all the plants and industrial and commercial structures that came under IDF fire in last month's offensive is $185 million. The damage done to Abu E'ida's plants alone is estimated at $5 million.

No livelihood, no home

Tayasir Abu E'ida, one of the brothers and co-owners, was a Fatah candidate in the 2006 elections. His brothers and cousins who share in managing the business hold special free-movement permits, which Israel grants to a limited number of businessmen. In contrast to the other owners whose plants were damaged, the extended Abu E'ida family lost not only its facilities but also eight of its nine homes, with their entire contents: furniture, clothing, computers, electrical appliances, documents, ID cards. Eight of the homes stood on the hill overlooking the concrete plants; the ninth - the first house to which the family moved, in 1972, from Jabalya refugee camp - is located to the west, in the heart of the I'zbet Abed Rabbo neighborhood.

This same family home that was not blown up - only seriously damaged, its contents savaged - served as an IDF base for almost two weeks. The graffiti on the walls indicates that the unit was from the Golani Brigade (soldiers drafted in January and March 2008). The inscriptions left by the soldiers on the walls of this lone house that was not destroyed included, for example, "Death to the Arabs," "No patience, we want to liquidate them," "We shall return" and "The eternal people does not fear a long road."

The Abu E'ida family embarked on a long road in 1948, when the Israeli army expelled them from Be'er Sheva, and again in 1971, when the family's home in Jabalya was demolished like many other refugee shacks which were demolished that year for military purposes - i.e., the widening of camp streets. Now, in 2009, the same army made this family homeless again. In the 1950s and '60s, two younger brothers worked in construction and commerce in the Persian Gulf, sending all their earnings home to Gaza. They started to trade in citrus fruits, then bought land and in the 1980s switched to concrete, in partnership with an Israeli citizen. In December 1992, the head of the Civil Administration at the time, Brig. Gen. Dubi Gazit, awarded them an "authorized industry" certificate for their concrete manufacturing factory.

The sons of the two founding fathers pursued their studies in the United States and returned as engineers. All of them are partners in the management of the enterprise, which employed 85 workers. At the end of the 1990s, the family began to build mansions. "Others invested abroad, we invested here," said Jihad Abu E'ida, proudly and sadly. Twice in the past the army entered their homes and took them over as military positions.

Despite the losses they sustained by the closure of the crossings, they continued to invest. They built a fish pond between the homes, as well as chicken coops and animal pens. "We spoiled the children," Jihad Abu E'ida says. "Now they feel as though they are in prison, in the small apartments we rented. The whole family is scattered. Our personal cars were also destroyed. We take turns driving an old Subaru that I got from a friend who took pity on us. In the past, people came to us for help. Now my daughter has to get a gym suit from her girlfriends." The family's only consolation is that they do not owe a penny to Israeli companies.

Haaretz asked the IDF Spokesman for a comment regarding the destruction of the Abu E'ida and al-Wadeya families' plants, as well as the general destruction of facilities along the eastern road. By press time, no response had been received.

Source: Haaretz

Gazan couple marry, move into tent after home destroyed in Israeli war

Why not?” said Eman when her fiancé asked “will you agree to marry me and live in a tent?”

On 26 February 22-year-old Ahmad Al-Hirsh and his 18-year-old fiancé Eiman Abd Al-Aal got married outside of their tent, where they will live, until Israel opens the Gaza crossings and allows building materials into the area. For now, the tent, on the rubble of their nearly finished home will serve as their honeymoon location as well.

“Despite the destruction of our home - the foundation for our dreams for a better life - we still have a strong will and insist on life and joy, and we will be reborn,” the groom said following the wedding celebration.

Though his fiancé was at first hesitant to marry him without having a home for them to move into, she eventually came to the conclusion that it was better to get married and go home to a tent than to wait for their dream house to be built.

It is traditional in Palestinian culture for couples to engage and then wait to have the wedding ceremony until their home, often on or near the groom’s family home, is constructed. The home is the investment of the family in the future of the couple and ensures a measure of security and stability for newlyweds.

With Israel refusing to allow construction materials into Gaza without the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, no new homes will be constructed. Moreover, the estimated 1,885 completely destroyed homes, 2,200 partially destroyed homes and 5,000 damaged homes will not be fixed, leaving hundreds of thousands in shelters, tents and make-shift shacks.

Along with Ahmad and Eman’s apartment Israeli warplanes destroyed the three-story home, containing half a dozen apartments for Ahmad’s family members. The house was destroyed as collateral damage when Israeli forces assassinated Hamas leader Nizar Rayyan on 1 January.

As the family puts it though, the Israeli army may have destroyed the family home, but they did not destroy their will.

A donation from an anonymous Kuwaiti funded the wedding party, which was then organized by the Al-Falah society.

The bride sat in a puffy white gown in an area marked out in front of the once-home. Smiling women’s faces periodically snuck glances over at the men’s celebration, and laughter could be heard from all corners.

Ahmad said that his bride’s family was in full support of the idea of marriage despite the rather untraditional living arrangements for the newlyweds. He recalls the day she accepted his second proposal; to get married in the tent.

“Everybody should get married in a beautiful home, but Gaza is an exception to this rule,” he remembers her saying. “That our homes have been destroyed does not mean our lives come to an end, so I will live with you in a tent until God changes the situation.”

“We will light a candle,” Eman said, “amidst darkness and know that that candle will light up our lives.”

Source: Maan News Agency

Europeans launch campaign to remove Hamas from EU terror list

Removing Hamas from the list of terrorist organizations is the goal of a new petitioning campaign organized by the European Anti-Imperialism Camp ahead of the European Parliament elections in June.

In declaring Hamas a terrorist organization in September 2003, the EU cut all direct ties with the political party and froze its assets in Europe. The Anti-Imperialism Camp is set to target the candidates for the EU Parliament’s 736 seats and call for support to remove what they describe as the rightfully elected government of the Palestinians from the terror list.

The petition put together by the group calls for the realization of Palestinians’ rights to self determination and resistance to occupation. Kicking off the campaign the document was signed by dozens of parliamentarians and prominent European figures including academics, human rights activists, media members, professionals and local council members.

A supporter of the campaign, the European campaign for Lifting the Siege on Gaza based in Brussels, called it a move to insist that EU policy mirror its desire to listen to all Palestinian parties and support all sides equally.

“Europe will not turn a blind eye to Israeli policy,” campaign organizers said in a statement, and affirmed Israel’s failure in hiding their crimes against humanity during the war on Gaza.

Source: Maan News Agency

ICRC - Gaza: the struggle to pick up the pieces

More than a month after the end of the war, people in the Gaza Strip are still struggling to rebuild their lives. Tens of thousands of people have had their houses partially or completely destroyed, while thousands remain without access to running water.

"What can we do other than wait for someone to help us?" asked a woman from East Jabaliya. In her family of 12, the men are all unemployed. Their house has been reduced to rubble, and all of their goats, who could have generated a bit of income, were killed during the air strikes. "We have no choice but to wait – all we own now is the clothes we are wearing and the mattresses and blankets we have been given. Someone will have to help us get on from here," she said.

According to the results of assessments that the ICRC and the Palestine Red Crescent Society have conducted in the hardest hit areas of the Gaza Strip, the conflict destroyed more than 2,800 houses completely and almost 1,900 partially, leaving tens of thousands homeless. So far, the ICRC has given plastic sheeting to cover broken windows and holes in walls, kitchen sets, mattresses and blankets to 72,500 people.

Emergency assistance for those who suffered the greatest loss during the conflict will not suffice. In order to help Gazans get their lives back on track, commercial imports of goods for rebuilding are sorely needed, as are machinery and spare parts. Construction materials from Israel are at present still not allowed into Gaza.

"I have to wake up very early in the morning, prepare my dough, and wake my son Hassan, who has to collect wood and hard paper from the street for a fire to bake my loaves of bread in my neighbour's mud oven," said Souad Abd Rabou, who lives east of Jabaliya. "No electricity or cooking gas is available for us to prepare our bread and food. But what is even worse is that we lost our home. Our house was totally destroyed, as was the little shop that gave us the small income we needed to live with a bit of dignity."

Daily life a struggle amid increasing poverty

Outside Gaza's worst-hit neighbourhoods, one almost has the sense that things are back to normal. But even in areas unscathed by shelling and bombardments many families are struggling to make ends meet.

Poverty rates were already standing at 70 per cent before the recent hostilities, leaving many families struggling to afford a healthy diet. Because of the conflict, even more breadwinners have lost their jobs and source of income. Many workers at small factories have been laid off, as have many agricultural workers, for example those employed at chicken farms that are now destroyed.

"Our association estimates damage to the industrial sector at over 250 million dollars, as more than 690 industrial facilities were either partially or completely destroyed. For example, the 13,000-square-metre Atta Abu Jeba cement factory was totally destroyed despite the fact that it was working in partnership with the Israeli cement factory Nesher," said Ali Al Hayek, deputy head of the Gaza Businessmen Association. "It is only if the crossings open fully that we will be able to start over again and rebuild our capacity to produce. No assistance or relief materials can be sufficient to help our people. Raw materials, machines and tools are what are needed to replace those destroyed and bring Gaza back to life again."

Because of Israeli-imposed restrictions on imports into Gaza, the price of everyday goods remains high, especially for the poorest. There are also shortages. A refilled cylinder of cooking gas sells for 100-150 shekels (around 24-36 US dollars) on the black market, an amount many families cannot afford. The price on the legal market is lower, but it can take several months before the gas is available. Poor families try to make do with firewood, which they collect, but even this is scarce in the Gaza Strip.

Items like diapers, laundry detergent, yoghurt and cheese have become impossible to find. Petrol stations have started closing down again because of a lack of fuel. Meat has become even more of a luxury, with the price of chicken doubling to 17 shekels (around 4 US dollars) for a kilo. Fish is scarce and expensive.

A hard blow for farming

Agriculture is a lifeline for Gaza as farming families make up some 27 per cent of the population. Approximately 43 per cent of farmland lies within the buffer zone imposed by Israel that extends up to one kilometre into Gazan territory from the fence separating the Gaza Strip from Israel. Over the past 18 months, the Israel Defense Forces have regularly carried out military operations in the buffer zone that resulted in destruction of the fields and harvests. Farmers working on their land in the zone risk being detained or shot at.

Since closure was imposed in June 2007, followed by restrictions on exports such as strawberries, cut flowers and cherry tomatoes, agricultural production has continued to decline. Farmers have typically seen their income cut by half.

The recent fighting dealt an additional blow to farmers as fruit trees, olive groves and large swathes of other cultivated land were ruined. Many irrigation systems, water wells, warehouses and greenhouses were damaged or destroyed. These losses have further impoverished the population.

A health-care crisis

During the latest war, health and medical facilities were stretched to their limits and were only able to cope thanks to emergency aid. Many suffered significant damage, sometimes from direct hits during Israeli attacks. Certain drugs, for instance for cancer treatment, and certain types of X-ray films are still lacking. The stock of disposables is also dwindling. Vital equipment is often outdated, and it takes months to get equipment and spare parts into the Gaza Strip, if it is allowed at all. Electrical power supplied through the network remains unreliable, and backup generators often lack proper maintenance. This has had a direct and lasting impact on the health of the population.

Transferring patients in need of specialized medical care to facilities outside Gaza remains difficult. No patients have been transferred to Egypt since the closure of the Rafah crossing on 5 February. Only slightly more than 100 patients have been permitted to leave through the Erez crossing into Israel for treatment outside the Gaza Strip in recent weeks. This represents less than half the average number of those transferred before December 27.

Since mid-January, approximately 100 new amputees have been registered at the Artificial Limb and Polio Centre in GazaCity, and 10 have started treatment.

"On 15 January, the IDF fired numerous shells in the area around my home, which set several neighbouring houses on fire. I had a bad feeling about that day. I went to the room where my children were sleeping, woke them up and brought them to another room. Then I went back to the same room to get extra blankets to keep them warm. As I was entering the room, a tank shell exploded, cutting off my leg and causing other serious injuries," said Suhair Zemo, a 47-year-old woman from Tal Al-Hawa, Gaza. "My husband called the ambulance and the Red Cross, but no one could reach us. He had to risk his own life to bring me to hospital in our private car. I am now waiting for further operations that will prepare my stump to be fitted with an artificial limb in a few months. I will never forget what happened to me. This war will be with me for the rest of my life."

The ICRC is providing support for the Artificial Limb and Polio Centre in Gaza City by giving it supplies and expertise and upgrading its facilities. It is also delivering medical supplies and equipment to hospitals in Gaza on a regular basis. It has installed electrical sterilization systems in Beit Hanun and Kamal Edwan Hospitals, in the north of Gaza, and provided washing machines and other laundry equipment for Nasser and Tal Al Sultan Hospitals, in the south.

Access to water remains a challenge

Water and sanitation infrastructure remains in a perilous state as the Israeli closure on Gaza is still making it almost impossible to import such essential materials as pipes and spare parts. Thousands of people still without access to running water depend on water trucked to their homes.

In Jabaliya and Beit Hanun, in the north of the Strip, about 200,000 inhabitants have only limited access to potable water as several wells were destroyed during the hostilities. Even if the necessary materials were available, it would take several months to restore the water supply to acceptable levels.

Some neighbourhoods in the Gaza Strip also remain without electricity because of a lack of new transformers. The equipment has already been purchased but authorization from the Israeli authorities is needed to bring it into Gaza. Most hospitals in the Gaza Strip continue to rely on generators during power cuts.

After a month of emergency repairs, essential infrastructure is now functioning at the same level as it was before the conflict erupted in late December. This is insufficient. Construction materials and spare parts must be imported urgently to proceed with repairs and reconstruction that can prevent breakdowns in services, to ensure that at least minimal maintenance is carried out, and to slow down the steady deterioration in infrastructure.

EU to donate €436m to help Gaza

The European Commission announced Friday that it would donate 436 million euros (553 million dollars) in aid to the conflict-torn Gaza Strip at an international donors conference next week.

"By offering a substantial aid package we confirm our generosity and commitment towards the Palestinians," EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a statement.

The commissioner is to pledge the funds, for this year, on Monday at a donors conference in Egypt aimed at helping rebuild Gaza following Israel's war on Hamas, which started in late December.

The European Union is the biggest donor of funds to the Palestinians, providing more than half a billion euros each year.

The Palestinian Authority has said that it will seek 2.8 billion dollars to rebuild Gaza, even as Israel warned of another military strike if arms smuggling into the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave continues.

"We will dedicate part of our assistance to early recovery after the conflict at the beginning of the year, notably for urgently needed removal of rubble and unexploded ordinance and for providing assistance for traumatised children," Ferrero-Waldner said.

The funds will also be used to back a "cash for work" scheme and repair shelters damaged during Israel's attack on Hamas militants, aimed at ending rocket attacks launched from Gaza on Israeli citizens.

In announcing the pledge, the commissioner also called on Israel to end its blockade of the impoverished Palestinian territory, to allow aid and goods to enter unhindered.

Source: Ramattan

Solana visits Gaza, urges for reconstruction

EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana visited on Friday Gaza strip and toured the war-shattered areas, in his first trip since the Hamas took control of Gaza.

Solana voiced support for Palestinian unity talks between rival political factions but said the bloc's final position could only be determined once they reach a deal.

"It is just a first step, let's see what happens, but in principle, as the people in Cairo know very well, we are supporting that process," Solana told reporters in Gaza City.

"Let's see what's at the end and we will talk when it comes to an end, but in principle we are supporting them," he added.

He visited the ruins of the American International School and the wasteland of Ezbet Abed Rabbo, where scores of Palestinians huddle in shanties erected on mounds of rubble that used to be their homes.

He hasn’t met with any representative of Hamas, which the European Union considers as "terrorist organization."

Source: Ramattan

Senior Hamas official says party in strong position for upcoming unity talks

“The war on Gaza made the world respect Palestinians’ democratic choice and doubled the popularity of Hamas,” said member of Palestinian Legislative Council for the Hamas bloc Salah Al-Bardawil on Friday.

Al-Bardawil spoke following a Hamas political in the Gazan Al-Amal neighborhood west of Khan Younis Friday. Attendees spoke on “Gaza after the war” and generally agreed that Hamas is in a better strategic position after the war to negotiate with Fatah.

Crediting the steadfastness of the Gaza factions and Hamas in particular, Al-Bardawil called the “political flirting” from the Arab world with Hamas was based on its actions during the war. The resilience of Gazans foiled what he described as an Israeli plan to “eliminate Hamas” that has been in the works for more than a year.

On the current reconciliation track committees will begin work on smoothing out obstacles in front of Palestinian unity, including the political prisoners issue as well as the task of putting together an acceptable transitional government list. The committees will start work on 10 March.

On the current prisoner swap talks, which have sidelined the issue of a long-term truce and the opening of Gaza borders, Al-Bardawil explained the Hamas demands for 1,500 Palestinian detainees. Attached to the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, he said, was the demand that the crossings be opened and a halt to the siege on Gaza implemented.

“Before the war the Egyptian government asked us to approve its [internal Palestinian reconciliation] initiative as it was and we refused,” said Al-Bardawil. He called the initial proposal a “tool to eliminate resistance,” and reminded Palestinians that it was the resistance that was steadfast and forced the Israeli army to withdraw.

Al-Bardawil lamented the Israeli decision to add the prisoner swap to the truce negotiations, noting that Hamas was ready to call a long-term truce and had given Egypt the okay for the agreement. “The Israeli occupation thwarted the Egyptian efforts and worked on embarrassing Egypt in front of the Palestinian factions and the whole world,” he added.

Because the agreement was foiled Egypt has agreed to open the Rafah crossing periodically so patients and those holding international residency documents can pass out of the Gaza Strip.

Source - Maan News Agency - Gaza City

PA urges visiting US envoy to press Israel on Jerusalem demolitions

The Palestinian Authority (PA) urged the visiting United States envoy to halt an Israeli plan to demolish up to 90 Palestinian houses in Jerusalem and expel 1,500 residents on Thursday.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat raised this issue in a meeting with newly-appointed US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell and the US Consul in Jerusalem, Jake Walles, in the West Bank city of Jericho.

Israeli authorities issued eviction notices last week to the 1,500 Palestinians in the Bustan area of Jerusalem, near the Old City. The Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem has slated the area for a park.

Erekat said he also raised the issues of settlement expansion, the construction of Israel’s separation wall. Specifically he addressed Israel’s plan for the E1 area, east of Jerusalem, which, if seized by Israel, will render the West Bank sliced into two.

Mitchell is meeting PA officials in the West Bank on Friday after meeting Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of Israel’s main right-wing party, Likud.

Regarding the election of a right-wing government in Israel, Erekat reiterated that the PA is urging the international community to boycott a government that rejects the principle of the two-state solution.

“Such a government will not be a partner. No political negotiation will be held with this government,” said Erekat.

He also said: “It’s time to make decisions, especially those related to ending the occupation, establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and resolving all of the final status issues in accordance with related international law. It is the shortest ways to peace, security and stability in the region.”

Source: Maan News Agency - Jericho

Official Hamas-Fatah talks begin in Cairo

The Arab League is forming a special committee to follow up on efforts to reunite Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah, a senior Hamas leader said on Thursday.

Hamas leader Ismail Radwan said that the committee, along with five other Palestinian committees, began work on Thursday.

The five committees of Hamas and Fatah negotiators will hammer out the details of a plan to restore unity to Palestinian politics after nearly two years of division. The panels will address the formation of a transitional government, the timing of elections, reform of the security services, the integration of Hamas into the PLO, and other issues.

Radwan said that several Palestinian factions would be involved in the PLO committee, which will reform the PLO based on a 2005 Hamas-Fatah agreement. Currently Hamas and Islamic Jihad are barred from the organization.

Radwan said Hamas views the Egyptian-sponsored talks with Hamas “positively,” welcoming Fatah’s pledge to release Hamas political prisoners in the West Bank. He said the prisoners should be released soon if the talks are to succeed. He also said it would be critical for the Palestinian Authority to reopen Hamas-linked educational, charity, health and media institutions that had been shut down in the West Bank.

After wining parliamentary elections in 2006, Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, fearing a coup by Fatah. After Hamas prevailed in the fighting in Gaza, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed a Hamas-Fatah unity government and appointed a caretaker government that still holds power in the West Bank.

Source:Maan News Agency - Gaza-Betlehem

Gaza 2009. - Gaza City - Interwiev with Ibrahim Abu An-Naja

Gaza 2009. - Gaza City - Interwiev with Ibrahim Abu An-Naja from bogARTphoto on Vimeo.

Hamas leader calls for Palestinian unity to face Israel

De facto government spokesman Taher An-Nounou called Palestinians to unite and put an end to political detentions so “the resistance can oppose all Israeli practices in Jerusalem.”

An-Nunu said in a news conference on Monday evening that he “condemns the Israeli practices in Jerusalem,” referring to new plans to move hundreds of Palestinians from their homes in order to create a public park, something he said would “have consequences.”

He stressed the need of Arab and Islamic countries to show their support for Al-Aqsa Mosque and the residents of Jerusalem, “who are under threat of being forced out of their homes and lands.”

He added that settlement-building in the West Bank “needs a strong stance from the international community to stop such practices, including the confiscation of land.”

On a separate note, the Hamas leader said he stands by Christians “in the aftermath of the latest Israeli assault to the holiness of Jesus Christ,” referring to a satirical Israeli television show that mocked the Christian.

Source: Maan News Agency

B'Tselem: If Israel has nothing to hide, let us into Gaza

Israel is preventing independent human rights monitors from entering Gaza, Human Rights Watch and B’Tselem said Sunday.

"Israel continues to obstruct independent investigations into allegations of laws of war violations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas military forces in Gaza," the groups said in a joint statement to Ma'an.

After submitting applications for permission to enter via the Erez crossing in January 2009, the groups faced continued delays from the military unit reviewing the applications. In February, the army told Human Rights Watch that it had rejected its application. The Israeli military denied B’Tselem's first request to enter Gaza and has failed to respond to a second.

“Israel’s refusal to allow human rights groups access to Gaza raises a strong suspicion that there are things it doesn’t want us to see or the world to know about its military operation there,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “If Israel has nothing to hide, why is it refusing to allow us in?”

Human Rights Watch requested permission to enter Gaza on 5 January. After weeks of delay, the military rejected the application on 9 February, on the grounds that Human Rights Watch “was not registered with the [Israeli] Ministry of Social Affairs.” On all previous occasions, including several times in 2008, Israeli authorities permitted Human Rights Watch staff to enter and leave Gaza via the Erez crossing.

The army never previously suggested such a requirement for access to Gaza, and Human Rights Watch is not aware of any such Israeli law or regulation. The Israeli military has not responded to Human Rights Watch’s requests for clarification, they said.

Israel does not allow Jewish citizens of Israel, other than security forces, to enter Gaza on the grounds that their security would be at risk. B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, on 20 January requested permission from the military to allow the organization’s fieldwork director (a Palestinian citizen of Israel) to enter Gaza. The military refused the request nine days later.

B’Tselem submitted an additional request on 29 January for entry for three staff members and an international consultant. The Israeli military has not responded to this request.

Human Rights Watch and other international human rights groups were able to enter Gaza via Egypt in late January to carry out initial investigations. The international researchers left Gaza just before 5 February, when Egypt had announced it would close the Rafah crossing.

The army had told Human Rights Watch that because its researchers had entered Gaza through Rafah, they would not permit the researchers to exit through Erez.

B’Tselem has not managed to gain access for its Israeli or West Bank staff, or for international consultants. Only the organization’s two field researchers, who are residents of the Gaza Strip, have been able to conduct research on the ground, they said.

“Israel puts itself in the same league as Burma, North Korea, and Syria in keeping out independent human rights monitors,” said Jessica Montell, executive director of B’Tselem. “The people of Israel deserve to know the truth about the conduct of our forces in Gaza. It is also in Israel’s best interest that the full picture comes out.”

The army prevented journalists from entering Gaza during the 22-day military operation, called “Operation Cast Lead,” even after an Israeli Supreme Court ruling on 2 January ordered the state to allow entry to members of the Foreign Press Association.

Since the escalation of fighting in Gaza on 27 December, 2008, both Human Rights Watch and B’Tselem have documented serious violations of international humanitarian law by Israel and Hamas. On 10 January, Human Rights Watch exposed Israel’s unlawful use of white phosphorus in civilian areas, an allegation the army initially denied but now claims to be investigating.

B’Tselem has expressed grave concern over violations of the principles of proportionality and distinction, including the deliberate targeting of civilian installations, such as government ministries and the Palestinian Legislative Council. Both organizations have, for over two decades, documented violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Article Six of the Human Rights Defenders Declaration ensures that everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, “to know, seek, obtain, receive, and hold information about all human rights and fundamental freedoms,” B’Tselem noted.

In addition, “the apparent blanket denial of access to Gaza by human rights groups violates the right to freedom of movement,” B’Tselem said. “Although human rights law permits restrictions on freedom of movement for security reasons, the restrictions must have a clear legal basis, be limited to what is necessary, and be proportionate to the threat.”

Source: Maan News Agency

Israeli army arrests a Palestinian in Bethlehem

The Israeli Forces arrested on Monday a Palestinian citizen in city of Bethlehem in southern the West Bank, Palestinian security sources said.

The sources added that the 24-year-old Adli Balaha was arrested by the IOF in the city of Bethlehem, without indication the arrest reasons.
Earlier on Sunday, the IOF arrested a 16-year-old Palestinian teen in the city of Jenin, taking him to an undisclosed area.

During the last week, The IOF arrested more than 102 Palestinian citizens from the different cities across the West Bank

There are more than 11.000 Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails, including children, women and lawmakers.

Source: Ramattan

Palestinians injured in Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza strip

At least three Palestinian citizens were injured on Monday as the Israeli warplanes launched several air strikes against a house in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian security and medical sources said.

The sources added that the Israeli warplanes completely destroyed the house and a car was beside it in the east of Al-Maghazi camp of in central Gaza.

The Israeli army said that Palestinian gunmen fired at an Israel patrol near the border fence, but no injures were reported in the Israeli soldiers.

Source: Ramattan

Fatah and Hamas will talk

Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation talks between Palestinian groups will take place on Wednesday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Ending divisions between Islamist Hamas and the rival Fatah group of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is seen as key to lifting an Israeli-led blockade of the Gaza Strip, enforced since Hamas won a parliamentary election in 2006.

The reconciliation talks were meant to have begun in Egypt on Sunday, but were postponed last week with Hamas blaming Israel’s refusal to agree to a new Gaza truce after its January offensive in the territory to counter cross-border rocket fire.

Hamas drove Fatah out of Gaza in June 2007 after a power struggle that turned violent, leaving Abbas with a truncated mandate in the occupied West Bank.

Fatah has mounted roundups of West Bank Hamas activists. Hamas wants them released as part of the rapprochement efforts.

“In order for the dialogue to succeed, serious work must be exerted to release all political prisoners from the Palestinian Authority jails in the West Bank,” said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, who also confirmed the Feb. 25 date for the talks.

An official from Fatah, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the group could order an imminent amnesty for some Hamas prisoners.

“Under an understanding with Hamas, there will be releases of many Hamas detainees,” the Fatah official told Reuters.

Gulf states launch Arab aid plan to rebuild Gaza

Gulf Arab states proposed on Sunday a joint plan for Arab aid to rebuild the Gaza Strip.

The extent of the funding has not been revealed but a Gulf Arab official said $1.25 billion has been pledged by Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The plan is to put aid from Arab donors under the joint management of a committee made up of contributors and the Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank, Gulf Arab ministers said in a statement after a meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

"The goal is for this program to be implemented fast and minutely planned and also for it to respond to the needs of our Palestinian brethren in Gaza as soon as possible," Oman's minister in charge of foreign affairs, Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, told reporters.

Israel's three-week offensive against Gaza created new divisions in Arab ranks, pitting Saudi Arabia, Egypt and their allies against Qatar, Iran, Syria and their allies.

Qatar hosted the leaders of Iran, Syria and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas at a conference to support Gaza. It suspended its ties with Israel and called for the withdrawal of a 2002 Arab peace initiative sponsored by Saudi Arabia.

Under the joint plan, an office may be opened in Gaza to ease the execution of projects and the entry to the densely populated strip of material needed for reconstruction.

Details of the plan are to be outlined by a meeting on Saturday before an expected conference of international donors in Cairo on March 2.

"Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Libya also plan to contribute (funding)," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Source: Reuters

President of European Parliament to visit Gaza on Monday

European official delegation headed by European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pottering will visit Gaza on Monday, UN sources told Ramattan.

According to a statement received by Ramattan, the EU Parliamentarian delegation would make a tour in Gaza with the UNRWA Commissioner General, Karen AbuZayd.

The Delegation will hold a press conference in Beit Lahia School, north of Gaza, where Palestinian children killed in an Israeli bombardment.

Source: Ramattan

Five Palestinians died, two wounded due to tunnel collapse south of Gaza

Palestinian medical sources said on Sunday that five Palestinians died today morning due to a tunnel collapse near the Palestinian-Egyptian borders southern Gaza.
Palestinian Ministry of Health sources said that the medical emergency teams evacuated five dead people and two wounded.
The sources added that the casualties died as a result of suffocation.
The incident came after a series of Israeli air strikes along the borderline between Gaza and Egypt in the south of Gaza Strip through the last week.
The tunnels phenomenon appeared after the Israeli tighten siege on Gaza following Hamas takeover of Gaza two years ago.
Around 60 Palestinians died in tunnels collapse in the last two years.

Source: Ramattan

Fatah and PPP argue: Palestinian unity the only response to Netanyahu government

Gaza – Ma’an – Rival Palestinian factions must reunite in order to face a likely right-wing government that will emerge in Israel, senior Palestinian officials argued on Saturday.

“This attitude shows Israeli public support for the complete destruction of what was left in Gaza …[the election] is evidence that Israeli voters are not satisfied with their [government’s] performance and want more killing and destruction among the Palestinians ,” said Senior Fatah leader Ibrahim Abu An-Naja.

Abu Naja called for “unity [among] the Palestinians through a comprehensive national dialogue and what would come out of it of forming a national unity government that is able to face the expected dangerous risks.”

“Designating Benjamin Netanyahu, head of the Israeli Likud party, to form the new Israeli government was not surprising but came along with the attitudes of the Israeli voters that are heading towards the right wing,” said Walid Al-Awad, a member of the PPP’s politburo, said.

On Friday Netanyahu was officially tasked with forming a ruling coalition. Israel’s national election earlier this month saw the extreme right make significant gains.

“Netanyahu will work on getting centrist parties to join his government, which will make it a center-right government in an attempt to market it to the world,” Al-Awad said, adding, “Such an option is ruled out until now as indicated by the statements of the centrist parties which will make forming a extremist government likely.”

“In such a case the possibility is of escalating attacks on the Palestinians,” he said, calling for a united Palestinian front to confront Netanyahu’s government.

The competing Palestinian parties are meeting in Egypt next week in an attempt to restore political unity.

The last unity government was dissolved in June 2007 when Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip.

Source: Maan News Agency - Palestine

Amnesty International urges freeze on arms sales to Israel

More than 20 countries sold Israel weapons and munitions whose use during Operation Cast Lead could constitute war crimes and might pose serious infractions of international law, according to a report to be released by Amnesty International on Monday.

The United States is at the top of the list of arms exporters to Israel, but France, Romania, Bosnia and Serbia are listed as well. Amnesty's report, entitled, "Fueling Conflict: Foreign Arms supplies to Israel/Gaza," details arms sales to Israel between 2004 and 2007, and publishes some of the organization's findings on the use of such weapons against civilians and civilian targets.

"Direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects, disproportionate attacks and indiscriminate attacks are war crimes," the report states, describing such attacks during the war in Gaza. The organization recommends that all arms sales to Israel be frozen until "there is no longer a substantial risk that such equipment will be used for serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses."
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The report further noted that Hamas and other Palestinian groups also used weapons indiscriminately against civilians. Although Amnesty cannot determine the direct supplier of non-homemade weapons (which are manufactured in Iran and Russia), it also calls for a moratorium on weapons sales and shipments to the Palestinians. The report also mentions that the types and quantity of weapons in Hamas' hands are much smaller than those in Israel's possession.

"Even before the three-week conflict, those who armed the two sides will have been aware of the pattern of repeated misuse of weapons by the parties. They must take some responsibility for the violations perpetrated with the weapons they have supplied and should immediately cease further transfers," the report states."

Since 2001, the Unites States has been Israel's main supplier of conventional weapons, the report states. The figures Amnesty obtained show that from 2004 to 2007, the total value of U.S.-supplied arms to Israel stood at some $8.3 billion.

The report also notes that since 2002, Israel has received military and security aid to the tune of $21 billion, of which $19 billion was direct military aid. "Put simply, Israel's military intervention in the Gaza Strip has been equipped to a large extent by U.S.-supplied weapons, munitions and military equipment paid for with U.S. taxpayers' money."

A 10-year agreement, in force until 2017, stipulates that the United States will supply Israel with military aid totaling $30 billion.

"The Obama administration should immediately suspend U.S. military aid to Israel," Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's Middle East director, said ahead of the report's release.

Between 2004 to 2007, France exported military equipment to Israel to the tune of 59 million Euros. Romania exported equipment worth approximately 20 million Euros, while Britain provided the equivalent of some 10 million pounds sterling's worth. Serbia sold Israel approximately $15 million worth of weapons and munitions, whereas Germany provided some $1.5 million in military aid.

The report also mentions civilian targets, including The American School in Beit Lahia, Gaza, destroyed by F-16 aircraft. Amnesty's report further states that three ambulance crew-members and a boy who showed them the way to a group of injured were killed on January 4 by an Israeli guided missile that was manufactured jointly by Hellfire Systems and Lockheed Martin/Boeing as part of a U.S. military contract.

The Amnesty representative in the Gaza Strip also found extensive evidence of the use of U.S.-made phosphorus bombs against civilian targets and densely populated areas.

Amira Hass - Haaretz

Israel 'evicts Jerusalem families'

More than 1,500 Palestinians living in East Jerusalem could be made homeless after Israel told them their homes are illegal and are to be demolished.

"The owners of 80 houses in the al-Bustan neighbourhood have received eviction notices saying that the structures will be destroyed because they are illegal," Hatem Abdel Kader, an official responsible for Jerusalem affairs in the Palestinian government, said.

Kader said that several of the houses served with demolition orders had been built before the 1967 war, when Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan, but that numerous extensions have been built since.

"The [Jerusalem] municipality used this as a pretext to issue the demolition orders despite appeals by the residents," he said.

No comment was immediately available from the city authorities.

Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital and has annexed the Arab east of the city, but under international law east Jerusalem is considered to be occupied and has not been recognised by world powers as the Israeli capital.

According to B'Tselem, the Israeli human rights organisation, Israeli authorities have demolished about 350 houses in east Jerusalem since 2004, saying that they were built without permits.

Source: (Al-Jazeera)

Who can probe Gaza war crimes claims?

There have been numerous calls for investigations into whether war crimes were committed during the recent Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The Geneva Conventions and additional protocols prohibit the destruction of property, "except when rendered absolutely necessary by military operations" and "indiscriminate attacks" affecting civilians.

Concerns about the number of civilian casualties and damage to buildings in Gaza have been raised - among others - by the United Nations, by the Palestinian Authority, the Arab League and by human rights groups.

But it is not clear whether the alleged violations count as war crimes or how people responsible might be held accountable.

'Appalling acts'

During the three-week conflict, the United Nations says more than 40 people were killed when Israeli shells landed near a UN school and that warehouses at its main compound in Gaza City were hit by Israeli white phosphorus shells.

The UN says many people were sheltering in the school and the compound at the time of the attacks.

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the attacks, although he did not use the term "war crimes". He has demanded "a thorough investigation into these incidents and the punishment of those who are responsible for these appalling acts."

Mr Ban has also announced a UN inquiry into the "casualties and damage" at United Nations property during the conflict.

Human rights groups, like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, say this is not enough.

They want a comprehensive international investigation into all the alleged violations of international law during the conflict - by Israel, by Hamas and by other Palestinian armed groups.

Human Rights Watch says it has been in Gaza investigating a number of allegations.

The claims against Hamas include firing unguided rockets at residential areas. The allegations against Israel include firing on ambulances or preventing them from reaching people in need. The claims against both Israel and Hamas include the indiscriminate use of weapons such as heavy artillery in densely populated areas, and using civilians as human shields.

Amnesty International says it has found "compelling evidence" that white phosphorus weapons were used by Israel in crowded parts of Gaza.

The substance, which can cause severe burns, is not illegal to use on the battlefield. But the international convention on the use of incendiary weapons says it shouldn't be used in civilian areas.

Mr Ban says such allegations should be investigated but not by the UN inquiry. He said these issues should be dealt with "by a proper judiciary, organisations, agencies at a national level".

'Highest regards'

Under international law, it is the responsibility of the state whose forces are accused to conduct their own inquiry, although the UN Security Council (and the General Assembly) has the power to establish special international tribunals, such as those set up for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

Israel says it has the matter in hand.

The Deputy Spokesman at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andy David, told the BBC that "Israel investigates all its actions regardless of outside calls." He said the country did not need "external intervention to conduct any investigation".

He said: "Israel acts according to international laws and with highest regards to morality during combat, even beyond the requirement of the law."

A spokesperson for the Israeli army said the hits near the UN school and on the UN compound were being investigated.

The army says its "operations in the Gaza Strip were carried out in compliance with the rules of warfare under international law". It says it took "numerous measures to avoid causing harm to the civilian population".

In a written response to a BBC query, the army said it "always permitted the traffic of convoys and ambulances to deliver humanitarian aid and to perform emergency evacuations".

Regarding the use of white phosphorus, it said the army only used weapons "that are permitted by international laws and conventions. Even so, the matter is included in the inquiries conducted" by the military.

Human Rights Watch says Israel has a "poor record" of investigating allegations of serious violations by its forces and bringing prosecutions.

Israeli rights groups and some columnists have called for an independent commission to be set up in Israel, saying it is not sufficient for the Israeli military to investigate itself.

'Completely baseless'

The Israeli army, and a number of human rights groups, say Hamas violated the rules of war by using civilians as human shields.

Human Right Watch says Hamas has done nothing to investigate.

A senior Hamas official, Ahmed Youssef, said allegations of violations were "completely baseless and nonsense", the result of the "Israeli propaganda machine of fabrication". He said there were "no violations by Hamas."

Mr Youssef added: "It was ridiculous to say human shields were used. No Palestinian would use another Palestinian as a human shield".

He said Human Rights Watch was not a credible institution, taking its findings from Israel. "They need to ask the people of Gaza what happened," he said.

Legal options

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wants the International Criminal Court, the ICC, in the Hague to look into whether war crimes occurred in Gaza during the conflict.

But that is problematic.

The court's prosecutor can only instigate his own proceedings against a state that belongs to the court. Israel is not a formal member.

The UN Security Council can refer cases against non-members to the court, but such a move would likely be blocked by the United States, Israel's strongest ally.

A state party to the court can ask for a referral - but there is no Palestinian state.

At the end of January, in a bid to get the ICC involved in a Gaza investigation, the Palestinian Authority lodged a declaration recognising the authority of the court.

The ICC's prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is now examining whether the PA has the legal power to accept the court's jurisdiction.

He is also analysing whether the alleged violations fall within the category of crimes the Court has authority to deal with (genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes); and whether national proceedings are taking place.

The legal issues are very complex and could take years to work out.

Other international lawyers say it is more likely that suspects could be prosecuted by a court in a third country under the principle of universal jurisdiction.

A Spanish judge is currently investigating the role of Israeli soldiers and security officials in a bombing in Gaza in 2002, in which a top Hamas militant, Salah Shehada and 14 other people were killed. There is concern in Israel that more cases like this could emerge.

In 2005, Israeli commander Brig Gen Doron Almog escaped arrest on war crimes charges after receiving a tip-off at Heathrow Airport. An Israeli official had warned him not to leave his plane, as a UK court had issued a warrant for his detention. European arrest warrants may discourage other Israeli commanders from travelling to Europe.

Israel's government has said it will provide legal protection for its soldiers against any foreign prosecution that may arise as a result of its military operation in Gaza.

The names of IDF commanders who took part in the Gaza offensive have not been published because of worries that foreign courts may pursue what the army calls "politically motivated legal action".

Source: BBC News

Songs from the other side of the wall of the shame

It Is No Dream - Watch it! Important!

It Is No Dream (2002 - 53min.) from Joseph Rochlitz on Vimeo.

Gaza 2009. - Al Attatrah - Palestinian Red Cresent Temporary Camp

Gaza 2009. - Al Attatrah - Palestinian Red Cresent Temporary Camp from bogARTphoto on Vimeo.

Preedited footage

Hundreds of Palestinian schoolchildren used to come to the Gaza Zoo every week, but not now.

Tanks rolled through the area during the Israeli offensive. Much of the zoo was badly damaged, most of the animals died.

Cage after cage lies empty. Ostrich feathers are strewn close to a crater in the ground, beside the mangled steel bars of what was the birds' pen.

The remains of a camel lie inside its former enclosure.

"Some were killed in air strikes," says the zoo's manager, Emad Qassim, "but some of the animals were shot dead."

"Thank God our two lions survived, but we used to have over 400 animals and birds, now there are just 10 left."

Many of the animals died of starvation.

The zookeepers say that for more than two weeks, Zeitoun, the southern suburb of Gaza City where the zoo is located, was simply too dangerous to access because of the presence of troops and tanks.

'Booby-trapped'

During the conflict the Israeli army released footage from the zoo in which soldiers pointed to what they said was a fuse running along one line of cages.

The white cable led out of the compound to the school next door, a building the soldiers said had been booby-trapped by militants.

That is why troops carried out their attack here, the army said.

In the 22 days of the offensive, which Israel says was a response to rocket fire from Hamas, Gazan authorities and human-rights groups say 1,300 Palestinians died, hundreds of them children. Thousands were injured.

Many had their homes damaged or destroyed, but other aspects of the territory's infrastructure were affected too.

That includes those places, like the zoo, where people in Gaza could go to escape the considerable troubles of daily life here.

Perseverance and trauma

Just a few months ago, Gaza's first archaeological museum was opened in the northern part of Gaza City.

It is an impressive building, especially considering that it was constructed during the last year and a half of harsh sanctions.

One of the owners, Jawdat Khoudary, collected the stone with which the museum was eventually built from old demolished homes in Gaza.

He had also spent years collecting artefacts from Gaza's ancient past, paying the locals who had happened upon the many Roman, Bronze age or Byzantine finds.

"We were determined to develop a nice place for Gazans to come to, whatever the circumstances," says his business partner, Sohail al-Saqqa.

"We managed to open this place, but we didn't have long before the war started."

Staff say that when a tank shell fell close by, items that had survived centuries were destroyed.

Bronze age vases still lie, shattered, on the floor of the main exhibition hall.

But while such physical damage is limited, business at the museum and its restaurant has come to a standstill. Mr Saqqa insists he will persevere.

"We don't have another choice," he says. "We have to have hope that this will end and people here can come back to life.

"But look at people's faces in Gaza now and they seem like they almost died."

Gradually, following the ceasefires declared by Israel and Hamas, some in Gaza have been heading back to the coffee shops and, those who can afford it, to those restaurants that have reopened.

But the sense of shock in this society is still palpable.

Gaza's coastline has the potential to give people some sanctuary, and the numbers of families seen going for walks on the beach is undoubtedly increasing. But even here there are problems.

With more damage done to Gaza's ailing sewage system during the war, millions of litres of raw waste continue to flow straight into the sea every day.

For a population that is unable to leave this territory, there are very few places to turn, without being reminded about the trauma of the conflict.

(source: BBC)

UN Envoy: Gaza Will Suffer More Violence unless Truce Achieved

The UN's top Mideast envoy Robert Serry warned Wednesday that Gaza could erupt in renewed and more devastating violence unless there is a lasting cease-fire.

"There is an urgent need for all acts of violence to cease and for full respect of international humanitarian law by all parties," Serry said.

Serry spoke to the UN Security Council shortly before Israel announced that it will not open Gaza's blockaded crossings until Hamas resistance fighters free captured Israeli occupation soldier Gilad Shalit.

Serry told council members that a durable cease-fire can only be achieved if there is broad progress including an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Shalit, who was captured in a 2006 cross-border raid, action to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza, the opening of borders, and unity among rival Palestinian factions.

These steps, he said, would also pave the way for the longer term recovery and reconstruction of Gaza. "I emphasize these points...because one month since unilateral cease-fires were declared, a proper cease-fire is still not in place, and there is an ever present danger of a return to the unsustainable conditions of last year, or even for renewed and more devastating violence," Serry warned.

Asked afterward about Israel's decision to link the border openings with Shalit's release, the UN's special coordinator for the Middle East peace process said, "If you want to improve the situation in Gaza, you have to look at the other issues as well, and Shalit is a very important one."

The Palestinian UN observer, Riyad Mansour, stressed the importance of achieving a long-lasting cease-fire so that Israel does not go and attack our people as they want but said Shalit's release should not be linked to the opening of border crossings.

"These are two separate issues," he told reporters. "To connect them in this manner, it means that the Israeli government is not interested in a long-lasting cease-fire now, and not interested in opening the crossings and lifting the siege."

Japan's UN Ambassador Yukio Takasu, the current Security Council president, said members noted the fragility of the unilateral cease-fires and also want a durable cease-fire as soon as possible.

(source:AJP)

Gaza 2009. - South of Gaza City - Jaher Al Deek

Gaza 2009. - South of Gaza City - Jaher Al Deek from bogARTphoto on Vimeo.

Israel rules out opening Gaza borders without release of Shalit

The Israeli Security Cabinet voted on Wednesday to reject a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip until Palestinian fighters release captured soldier Gilad Shalit.

The cabinet ministers were backing a demand by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to link the Shalit issue to the status of a proposed truce which would involve the opening of Gaza’s border crossings.

Hamas has once again rejected a link between Shalit and the borders, calling Wednesday's decision a "stab in the back" to the Egyptian-mediated truce talks.

The cabinet agreed after than four hours that "it would be inconceivable" for Israel to accept an Egyptian-proposed cease-fire calling for reopening border crossings to more than limited humanitarian aid without Shalit's release, Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit told Israel Radio.

“Expanded activity at the crossings will be discussed upon the release of Gilad Shalit,” the Security Cabinet agreed, according to a statement.

Shalit was captured in June 2006 in a cross-border raid by Palestinian fighters.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the Israeli leaders also considered a prisoner exchange for the release of Shalit.

Israel imposed a comprehensive blockade on Gaza, a small coastal territory home to 1.5 million Palestinians, after Hamas seized full control of the territory from their Fatah rivals in June 2007. Hamas' central demand in the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire talks is the end of the siege.

In a statement released after the Security Cabinet meeting, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said that the ministers agreed that “the release of Gilad Shalit will entail the release of Palestinian prisoners, according to a list that will be formulated and approved, as soon as possible, by the duly authorized Israeli officials.”

“The Rafah crossing will be opened – in coordination with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority – only according to the parameters that were set in November 2006,” the statement added.

(source: agencies)

About Gilad Shalit

Gilad Shalit is an Israeli soldier who was captured in a cross border raid on the crossing Kerem Shalom from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants on 25 June 2006 and has been held hostage by Hamas since. Shalit, a soldier of the IDF's Armor Corps, held the rank of corporal at the time of the incident but has since been promoted to staff sergeant.
He became the first Israeli soldier captured by militant Palestinian forces since Nachshon Wachsman in 1994. His abduction and the following cross border raid by Hezbollah, resulting in the abduction of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev into Lebanon, were key events leading up to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon during summer 2006.

Phosphorous weapons – the ICRC's view

Peter Herby, head of the ICRC's Arms Unit, outlines the rules applicable to phosphorous weapons to explain the organization's approach to the issue.

Has the use of white phosphorous weapons by Israel in the current conflict in Gaza been confirmed?

Yes. According to widespread media reports, images and analysis from credible experts, phosphorous weapons have been used in the conflict.

What are the rules of international humanitarian law applicable to the use of phosphorous weapons and intended to spare civilians?

Let me begin by saying that there are fundamental rules stipulating that civilians must be protected from the effects of all military operations and that attacking civilians with any weapon is categorically prohibited.

The use of weapons containing white phosphorous is, like the use of any other weapon, regulated by the basic rules of international humanitarian law. These require parties to a conflict to discriminate between military objectives on the one hand and civilians and civilian objects on the other. The law also requires that they take all feasible precautions to prevent harm to civilians and civilian objects that can result from military operations. Attacks which cause "disproportionate" damage to civilians and to civilian objects are prohibited.

Using white phosphorous as an incendiary weapon, i.e. to set fire to military targets, is subject to further restrictions. The use of such white phosphorous weapons against any military objective within concentrations of civilians is prohibited unless the military objective is clearly separated from the civilians. The use of air-dropped incendiary weapons against military objectives within a concentration of civilians is simply prohibited. These prohibitions are contained in Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

In addition, customary international humanitarian law, which is applicable to all parties to any conflict, requires that particular care must be taken when attacking a military target with incendiary weapons containing white phosphorous, in order to avoid harm to civilians and damage to civilian objects. If this substance is used against fighters, the party using it is obliged to assess whether a less harmful weapon can be used to put the fighters out of action.

If munitions containing white phosphorous are used to mark military targets or to spread smoke then their use is regulated by the basic rules of international humanitarian law.

The fact that international humanitarian law does not specifically prohibit phosphorous weapons does not imply that any specific use of weapons containing this substance is legal. The legality of each incident of use has to be considered in light of all of the fundamental rules I have mentioned. It may be legal or not, depending on a variety of factors.

Does the ICRC consider white phosphorous weapons as they have been used in Gaza to be legal under international humanitarian law?

If ICRC delegates in the field gather credible and precise evidence of violations, or if ICRC medical personnel corroborate reports by others, the ICRC would begin by discussing this with the party concerned – rather than speaking publicly – in keeping with our standard practices. We have not commented publicly on the legality of the current use of phosphorous weapons by Israel, contrary to what has been attributed to us in recent media reports.

Does the use of weapons containing white phosphorous, in particular incendiary weapons, in a populated area give rise to any specific humanitarian concerns?


Yes. White phosphorous weapons spread burning phosphorous, which burns at over 800 degrees centigrade (about 1,500 degrees fahrenheit), over a wide area, up to several hundred square metres. The burning will continue until the phosphorous has been completely depleted or until it no longer is exposed to oxygen. The weapon has a potential to cause particularly horrific and painful injuries or slow painful death. Medical personnel must be specially trained to treat such injuries and may themselves be exposed to phosphorous burns. If used against military targets in or near populated areas, weapons containing this substance must be used with extreme caution to prevent civilian casualties.

ICRC

Israel launches air strikes on Gaza

Israeli warplanes struck a number of sites in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, causing some damage but no casualties, Palestinian residents and Hamas security officials said.

Residents said one air strike targeted tunnels which run under the Egyptian border at the town of Rafah that militants use to smuggle arms into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Another hit an already bombed security compound in the town of Khan Younis.

An Israeli army spokesman said the warplanes had hit seven tunnels and one other target in Gaza.

The strikes followed the firing of a mortar round into Israel by Gaza militants on Tuesday.

Since Israel's 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip that ended last month in a ceasefire, Israeli leaders have said they would respond very harshly to any firing of rockets or mortar bombs into the Jewish state.

Officials from the Islamist Hamas group and Israel are trying to cement an Egyptian-brokered deal for an extended ceasefire, the opening of Gaza's border crossings and a prisoner swap between the two sides.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is due to convene his security cabinet later on Wednesday to discuss the outline of such a deal and possibly vote on it.

(source: Reuters)

Israel debates prisoner exchange

Israel's security cabinet is debating the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a captured soldier.

The discussion comes as negotiations continue with the aim of establishing a long-term truce in Gaza following Israel's 22-day war on the Hamas-run territory.

The meeting on Wednesday comes a day after Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, insisted that Sergeant Gilad Shalit be released by his captors.

Shalit was captured in June 2006 in a cross-border raid by Palestinian fighters.

"We will negotiate his release first, and only then will we be willing to discuss things like the Gaza crossings and rebuilding the [Gaza] Strip," Olmert said during a tour of Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Israel imposed an economic blockade on Gaza, a small coastal territory that is home to 1.5 million Palestinians, after Hamas seized de facto control of the territory from their Fatah rivals in June 2007.

Sensitive deal

Jackie Rowland, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem, said that the prisoner exchange deal was a sensitive issue for the security cabinet.

"It would involve the possible release of Gilad Shalit ... Israel is aware that it would have to pay a price to get him back - that price being the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from a list drawn up by Hamas," she said.

"Most of those prisoners are people who Isrsel describes as having blood on their hands; people who have been convicted and imprisoned by Israeli courts for alleged murder or conspiring to murder.

Tel Aviv is likely to call for the release of Shalit before a long-term ceasefire with Hamas can be agreed, Rowland said.

"The argument of Olmert - one largely supported by the security cabinet - is that this prisoner exchange would have to be agreed before Israel is actually willing to agree to a ceasefire arrangement with Hamas in the Gaza Strip," she said.

Truce conditions

Khaled Meshaal, Hamas' exiled political leader, has said that Olmert's position on releasing Shalit was not conducive to a lasting truce between Hamas and Israel.
"There can be no truce unless the [Gaza] blockade is lifted and the crossings are opened. The truce issue should not be linked to the issue of prisoner Shalit," Meshaal said in Damascus.

Olmert, whose term as prime minister is set to end soon, has suggested that a deal leading to Shalit's release could take time.

"Even if Shalit's case cannot be resolved while I am in office, the foundations we built will facilitate in his release," he said on Tuesday.

Egyptian officials have in recent weeks tried to secure a long-term truce deal between Hamas and Israel, following Israel's war on Gaza.

Hamas and Israel, which refuse to deal with each other directly, have each had ceasefire orders in place since January 18, but a bilateral truce has so far proved elusive.

Sporadic fighting

More than 1,300 Palestinians, at least a third of them women and children, died during 22 days of attacks by Israeli ground and air forces.

At least 13 Israelis were killed over the course of the war, which Tel Aviv says was aimed at preventing rockets from being fired from Gaza.

Israeli aircraft have continued to launch raids on targets in Gaza, while there has been sporadic rocket fire from Palestinian fighters.

The Israeli security council meeting comes just hours before Shimon Peres, the country's president, is due to begin consultations with political parties on the formation of a new government, following an indecisive general election.

The centrist Kadima party, led by foreign minister Tzipi Livni, won 28 seats in the parliament, just one more than Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party.

Despite Livni's narrow election victory, Netanyahu appears to have the backing of more parliamentarians in the 120-member Knesset [Israeli parliament] and is, therefore, tipped as the leader Peres is most likely to invite to form a coalition government.

While official election results are due on Wednesday evening, Peres has until February 25 to name the new prime minister.

(source: Al-Jazeera and agencies)

Gaza 2009. - Gaza City - "We need more then ten years..."

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ICRC - Occupied Golan: ICRC transports 8,000 tonnes of apples to help local communities

Geneva (ICRC) – The gates at Kuneitra opened today and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) began transporting up to 8,000 tonnes of apples between the occupied Golan and the Syrian checkpoint. Three ICRC trucks made the first crossing at approximately 10 a.m. local time.

An apple transfer through the demarcation line between the occupied Golan and Syria proper is no everyday event. The ICRC is acting in its capacity as a neutral intermediary at the request of the farmers of the occupied Golan and with the approval of the Syrian and Israeli authorities.

"There has been keen interest on both sides in the apple transfer," said Jean-Jacques Frésard, the ICRC's head of delegation in Syria. "We hope this operation will help create an environment conducive to raising other humanitarian concerns – for example the fact that family members separated by the demarcation line cannot cross the gates to maintain family ties."

The operation has been coordinated with all the parties concerned, including the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). The transfer of all of the apples is expected to take between six and eight weeks.

This will be the fourth time the ICRC has conducted such an operation at the Kuneitra crossing. While there was no apple transfer in 2008 because of poor harvests, the ICRC transported almost 8,000 tonnes of apples in 2007, 5,000 tonnes in 2006 and 4,000 tonnes during the first operation, which took place in 2005. The sale of the fruit is the main source of income for the Syrian farmers of the occupied Golan, as apple production is the backbone of the local economy.

The ICRC has been carrying out humanitarian activities in the occupied Golan since 1967 and has maintained a permanent presence there since 1988. In its role as a trusted neutral intermediary, the ICRC provides a range of services addressing the consequences of restrictions placed on the movement of the population as well as legal and administrative difficulties resulting from the occupation.