More than 60 female Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails

March 7, 2018 By administrator

female Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails

A prominent non-governmental organization says 62 female Palestinian prisoners are currently held in Israeli jails.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said at least six of the 62 female Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails are under the age of 18.

The NGO also called on international human rights groups to shed light on the issue.

Some 7,000 Palestinians are currently behind bars in 17 Israeli prisons and detention centers, according to reports.

More than 400 Palestinians are being held without trial under so-called administrative detention, which is a policy according to which Palestinian inmates are kept in Israeli detention facilities without trial or charge. Some Palestinian prisoners have been held in administrative detention for up to 11 years.

Palestinian detainees have continuously resorted to open-ended hunger strikes to voice their outrage at the administrative detention.

Palestinian prisoners complain that they have been subjected to assault and torture at Israeli prisons.

Palestinian Christians & Muslims come together against Israel over Al-Aqsa protests

July 28, 2017 By administrator

Palestinian Christians, Muslims come together B Ahmed el-Komi,

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Video footage showing Nidal Aboud, a young Palestinian Christian man, reading his Bible amid a crowd of Muslims performing Friday prayers July 21 in front of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem created a buzz on social media.

Palestinian activists saw the video as an example of coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem and an expression of a shared fate against Israeli measures in the city.

Palestinians have been staging sit-ins for a week and a half now in the streets of Jerusalem and around Al-Aqsa Mosque denouncing Israel’s attempt to install metal detectors at the entrances of Al-Aqsa Mosque to search worshippers.

Palestinian Christian youths and activists have also participated in these sit-ins to express their rejection of these measures, even though they target Al-Aqsa Mosque, a religious symbol of Muslims.

Aboud, 24, from Mount Olivet in Jerusalem, seen praying among thousands of Muslims, told Al-Monitor that he participated in the sit-in in front of Al-Aqsa Mosque as an act of patriotism. He said, “A day before the sit-in, I saw on TV an elderly Palestinian in a wheelchair crying because he was not allowed to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque. I was deeply touched and felt I must act out to end this. This is why I decided to take part in the sit-in in front of Al-Aqsa Mosque and took my cross and Bible with me. I was there at 8 a.m. the next day in front of one of the mosque’s entrances.”

Aboud noted that Israeli soldiers at the entrances of Al-Aqsa Mosque prevented him and a number of elderly Palestinians from entering the mosque and fired tear gas at them, describing the scene as “devoid of humanity and appalling.”

“Because I am a Palestinian national it is my right to defend all of my country’s religious sanctities,” he said. He noted that he was unaware media outlets were reporting live, saying, “I was thrilled with how Muslim activists and friends welcomed me among them. Their warmth was genuine, and it gave me the strength to stay with them.”

Aboud added that when they started praying, he was asked to join them. “They were very welcoming and they placed me in the center. At that moment, I began to recite Bible verses. We were all praying with great fervor,” he said.

Denouncing Israel’s attempt to install metal detectors at the entrances of Al-Aqsa Mosque, he stressed that Christianity is an integral part of the Palestinian cause. “I would not accept such metal detectors to be installed at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, so why would I accept them to be installed at Al-Aqsa Mosque?” Aboud said.

Pointing to the efficient role and participation of Christians in sit-ins and protests around Al-Aqsa Mosque against Israeli measures, he noted, “Jerusalem needs us — even if we are a minority. The Palestinian cause needs all Palestinians. This is the land of peace.”

The participation of Palestinian Christians in Al-Aqsa protests and sit-ins is attracting media attention as it reflects the strong interfaith relations in Palestine and represents a means to promote national unity and tolerance.

Zeina Mosleh, a Christian from Jerusalem, said she participated in a sit-in with Muslims in front of one of the entrances of Al-Aqsa Mosque because she felt this was a religious duty. She told Al-Monitor, “I was shouting their slogans and distributing drinking water to worshippers and young protesters.”

She strongly rejected Israel’s measures, describing them as unacceptable and against freedom of worship. “It is not about a specific religion. We must have the courage to reject Israeli practices against one of the most important and sacred mosques for Muslims,” she said.

Hanna Issa, a Palestinian Christian historian and the head of the Islamic-Christian Commission in Support of Jerusalem and Holy Sites, told Al-Monitor, “Israel wants to portray the conflict as a conflict between Judaism and Islam. We as Christians refuse this.”

He said, “We believe the attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque is an attack on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Relations between Muslims and Christians in Palestine are governed by Umar’s Assurance of Safety that we believe is tantamount to a constitution. Churches in Jerusalem are adjacent to mosques. We respect Ramadan, they respect our fasting, and we exchange visits on religious and national holidays.”

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most important Christian religious monuments in Jerusalem, located deep inside the walls of the Old City.

Issa asserted that Muslims and Christians share the same just cause, and that the participation of young Christian activists in the sit-in in front of Al-Aqsa Mosque is the best example of this. Commenting on Aboud’s video footage, he said, “We are all believers. There is no discrimination. We share the same sense of belonging.”

According to Issa, there are 50,000 Christians in the Palestinian territories: 47,000 in the West Bank and the rest in the Gaza Strip.

It is said that Muslim Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab had written to the people of Aelia (Jerusalem) upon the first Muslim conquest of the city in 638 a document in which he assured safety for their churches and properties, provided that no Jews live with them in the city. This assurance is one of the most important documents in the history of Jerusalem and Palestine.

Ahmed el-Komi, a Palestinian journalist from Gaza, writes for a number of Arab and international newspapers, magazines and media sites. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Islamic University in Gaza and is

Israeli police storm al-Aqsa, clash with Palestinians

September 13, 2015 By administrator

Israeli police raided the plaza outside Jerusalem‘s al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday in what they said was a bid to head off Palestinian attempts to disrupt visits by Jews and foreign tourists on the eve of the Jewish New Year.

Police used tear gas and threw stun grenades towards Palestinian youths, who barricaded themselves inside the mosque and hurled rocks and flares, a Reuters witness said. Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, in a statement, claimed the Palestinian youngsters also had pipe bombs.

There was no sign that these had been detonated. No serious injuries were reported and the compound, revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and by Jews as the Temple Mount, was opened to visitors after the violence subsided, police said.

Vatican to Recognize Palestinian State in New Treaty

May 13, 2015 By administrator

The Vatican said Wednesday that it had concluded a treaty to recognize Palestinian statehood, a symbolic but significant step that was bound to be welcomed by many Palestinians but was likely to cause deep concern for the Israeli government.
Formal recognition of a Palestinian state by the Vatican, which has deep religious interests in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories that include Christian holy sites, lends a powerful signal of legitimacy to the efforts by the Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, to achieve statehood despite the long paralyzed Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Israel has grown increasingly alarmed about the increased international acceptance of Palestine as a state since the United Nations upgraded the Palestinian delegation’s status in 2012 to that of a nonmember observer state. A number of European countries have also signaled their acceptance of Palestinian statehood.
Pope Francis, the leader of the world’s 1 billion Catholics, has long signaled his wish for a Palestinian state. For the past year, the Vatican had informally referred to the country as “state of Palestine,” in its yearbook as well as in its program for Francis’ 2014 visit to the Holy Land.
A statement from a joint commission of Vatican and Palestinian diplomatic officials, posted on the Vatican news website, said “the work of the Commission on the text of the agreement has been concluded,” and that it will be submitted for formal approval and for signing “in the near future.”

Haaretz: How Herzl Zionist sold out the Armenians for return of Palestinian

May 1, 2015 By administrator

He supported the brutal Ottoman sultan against them, believing this would get the sultan to sell Palestine to the Jews.
By Rachel Elboim-Dror

Theodor Herzl in Basel, site of First Zionist Congress.

The Armenian question has occupied the Zionist movement since a mass killing of Armenians was carried out by the Turks in the mid 1890s – prior even to the First Zionist Congress. Herzl’s strategy was based on the idea of an exchange: The Jews would pay off the Ottoman Empire’s huge debt, in return for the acquisition of Palestine and the establishment of a Jewish state there, with the major powers’ consent. Herzl had been working hard to persuade Sultan Abdul Hamid II to accept the proposal, but to no avail. Haaretz

“Instead of offering the Sultan money,” Herzl’s diplomatic agent Philip Michael Nevlinski (who also advised the Sultan) told him, “give him political support on the Armenian issue, and he’ll be grateful and accept your proposal, in part at least.” The Christian European countries had been critical of the murder of Armenian Christians at the hands of Muslims, and committees supporting the Armenians had been founded in various places, and Europe also offered refuge to leaders of the Armenian revolt. This situation made it very difficult for Turkey to obtain loans from European banks.

Herzl eagerly took the advice. He felt that it was appropriate to try any means possible to hasten the establishment of a Jewish state. And so he agreed to serve as a tool of the Sultan, by trying to convince the leaders of the Armenian revolt that if they surrendered to the Sultan, he would comply with some of their demands. Herzl also tried to show the West that Turkey was in fact more humane, that it had no choice but to deal with the Armenian revolt this way, and that it aspired to a ceasefire and a political arrangement. After much effort, he also met with the Sultan on May 17, 1901.

The Sultan hoped that Herzl, a well-known journalist, would be able to alter the Ottoman Empire’s negative image. And so Herzl launched an intensive campaign to fulfill the Sultan’s wish, casting himself as a mediator for peace. He established ties with and held secret meetings with the Armenian rebels, in an attempt to get them to stop the violence, but they were not convinced of his sincerity, and did not trust the Sultan’s promises. Herzl also made energetic attempts to this effect in diplomatic channels in Europe, which he was very familiar with.

As was his way, he did not consult with other Zionist movement leaders, and kept his activities secret. But in need of some assistance, he wrote to Max Nordau to try to recruit him for the mission as well. Nordau responded with a one-word telegram: “No.” In his eagerness to obtain the charter for Palestine from the Turks, Herzl publicly declared – after the start of the yearly Zionist Congresses – that the Zionist movement expresses its admiration and gratitude to the Sultan, despite opposition from some representatives.

Herzl’s chief opponent on this was Bernard Lazare, a French Jewish intellectual, leftist, well-known journalist and literary critic, who had fought prominently against the Dreyfus trial, and was a supporter of the Armenian cause. He was so incensed by Herzl’s activity that he resigned from the Zionist Committee and abandoned the movement altogether in 1899. Lazare published an open letter to Herzl in which he asked: How can those who purport to represent the ancient people whose history is written in blood extend a welcoming hand to murderers, and no delegate to the Zionist Congress rises up in protest?

This drama involving Herzl – a leader who subordinated humanitarian considerations and served the Turkish authorities for the sake of the ideal of the Jewish state – is just one illustration of the frequent clash between political goals and moral principles. Israel has repeatedly been faced with such tragic dilemmas, as evidenced in its long-standing position of not officially recognizing the Armenian genocide, as well as in other more recent decisions that reflect the tension between humanitarian values and realpolitik considerations.

The writer is professor emeritus of history of education and culture at Hebrew University.

Israel hits mosque in Gaza strike as death toll tops 120

July 12, 2014 By administrator

Airstrikes by the Israel Defense Forces on Gaza have hit a mosque and a center for the disabled, killing two women. That raises the death toll from the IDF‘s “Operation Protective Edge” to more than 120.

Officials claim the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) targeted the mosque because militants had stored rockets there. Since Israel launched “Operation Protective Edge” Tuesday, militants have launched 700 rockets into the country, killing no one so far, perhaps thanks in part to the Iron Dome missile-defense system, which has intercepted 140 such attacks so far.

“We have accumulated achievements as far as the price Hamas is paying and we are continuing to destroy significant targets of it and other terror organizations,” Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said after a meeting with top security officials on Saturday. “We will continue to punish it until quiet and security returns to southern Israel and the rest of the country.”

Air raid sirens have sounded as far north as Haifa, 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Gaza, previously thought out of missile range. A rocket struck a gas station Friday in the southern city of Ashdod, leaving eight people injured, one man seriously. In another incident, a rocket launched from Gaza made a direct hit on a house in Beersheba, though the family living there was out.

The UN, which say some three-quarters of the Palestinians killed in Gaza are civilians, said the campaign may violate international law. On Saturday, the organization called for a ceasefire, saying it was worried about the possibility of escalating casualties on both sides.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked Hamas to tell militants to hold their fire. “I don’t like it when Palestinian blood is being traded,” Abbas told Lebanese television. He said the IDF had superior firepower and that, “with great sorrow, Israel does not treat us as humans or people.”

Relations between Israeli and Palestinian officials were at a low even before “Operation Protective Edge” began.

‘Deeply disturbing reports’

In Israel’s last major Gaza assault, 2012‘s weeklong “Operation Pillar of Defense,” airstrikes killed 100 Palestinians and the IDF earned accusations of war crimes for bombing civilians and media. In “Protective Edge,” Israel has killed 120 people, as many as two-thirds of them civilians, including the two women killed Saturday at the center for people with disabilities, and more than 20 of those children.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would press the campaign until militants ceased fire. IDF troops have massed along the border ahead of a possible ground invasion, creating worry of a repeat of “Operation Cast Lead,” in which more than 900 Palestinian civilians were killed in a three-week period at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009.

By Saturday, the IDF had struck more than 1,100 targets, including rocket launchers, command centers and weapons facilities. Gaza officials say the strikes have also hit places of worship, health care centers and homes. Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said on Saturday that, in addition to the 120 Palestinians killed, more than 920 had been wounded in the attacks by Israel.

mkg/rc (Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP)