In Occupied Palestine

In Occupied Palestine

May 6 & 7, 2005

Israeli Soldiers Shoot 14-year-old for Refusing to be an Informant

Israeli Occupation Rampage

Israeli Soldiers Shoot 14-year-old Palestinian

Israeli soldiers near Bethlehem shot and wounded a Palestinian youngster for refusing to inform on friends who had thrown stones at them, Israeli media sources reported.

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Ahmad Salah (14) from the town of Khadr, was shot and critically wounded in the back and chest, after being taken prisoner by Israeli soldiers patrolling a settlement road near the town.

"It was about one and a half in the afternoon when the soldiers raided the grocery shop I was in, and ordered the owner to get everyone out, especially young children. One of the soldiers grabbed me and led me to road number 60 and told me to tell him where did the kids who threw stones at them ran to, especially someone who was wearing a black shirt," Ahmad Salah said. He added that he told the soldiers he didn't see anyone throwing stones or know the boy with the black shirt. This response angered the soldiers and they took him to his home to search it.

Ahmad’s father, Taha, arrived and tried to defend his son, telling him to get out of the jeep in which the Israeli soldiers were holding him. Ahmad leaped out of the jeep and ran towards his house and one of the soldiers opened fire, shooting him in the back. The boy’s father is afraid to file a complaint against the soldiers for fear of reprisals. He is the sole provider for his family.

Israeli Occupation Rampage

Despite the so-called ceasefire, Israeli Occupation forces are running amok, taking prisoners, suppressing anti-Wall protests, invading people’s homes and attacking and restricting the movement of Palestinians everywhere.

For example, Fawwaz al-Rashayda, the head of al-Rashayda village council, reported that soldiers, supported by armoured jeeps, invaded his village, breaking into dozens of homes. Salama Hasan Rashayda (30) was taken prisoner and his whereabouts are unknown. The head of the village council added that soldiers and settlers had repeatedly attacked the village over the last few weeks, causing damage.

On Friday afternoon, Israeli soldiers took three residents prisoner in the village of Billin during a protest against Israel’s annexation Wall. A source in the village said that hundreds of villagers and dozens of Israeli peace activists protested against the annexation of 230 hectares of village land for the Wall. The Israelis used concussion grenades and tear gas to suppress the protest.

Two colonists from the settlement of Halamish in the West Bank attacked Palestinians who attempted to prevent them from uprooting an olive tree. One of the settlers fired in the air and another attacked and wounded a Palestinian youth.

A local source in Hebron reported that soldiers broke into and ransacked dozens of homes, punching and clubbing one resident before taking him prisoner.

Zionism in practice

Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Property

[Source of statistics: Palestinian Monitoring Group]

Annexation Wall Building: 22 sites

Attacks: 17 – in Occupied Palestine the following were some of the people and areas that came under Israeli fire:

Rafah –

Palestinian territory in the area surrounding Salah ad Din gate
(intense fire).

At
1:20am, people’s homes in the Yabna neighbourhood of the Rafah
refugee camp.

At
3:30am, Palestinian territory north of the city of Rafah, from the
area surrounding the settlement of Morag.

At 6am on Palestinian territory in the neighbourhoods of As Salaam
and Yabna in the Rafah refugee camp.

Khan Yunis – a number of Palestinian children as they approached Israel’s ‘security line’ in the area opposite the Al Amal neighbourhood and the West Khan Yunis refugee camp (twice).

Curfews: 1

Jenin – at 7:30am the Israeli Army raided the town of Silat adh Dhahr, imposed a curfew, preventing students from getting to schools in the area. The raid went on throughout the day and all night until at least 8am the following morning.

Deaths: 1

Tulkarem – Abdul Fattah Raddad, wounded and arrested by the Israeli Army in the village of Seida on May 2, died of his injuries in Ar Ramlah Prison Hospital.

Detentions: 10

Home invasions and occupation: Numerous

Tulkarem – three houses were violated by the Israeli Army during a raid on the village of Ar Ras.

Injuries: 2

Medical obstruction: 1

Ramallah & El Bireh – a protester was shot in the leg by Israeli Occupation forces as they violently suppressed a peaceful anti-Wall demonstration in the village of Beit Liqya. The Israeli Army prevented an ambulance from taking the wounded man to hospital and took him prisoner.

Obstruction of elections: 1

Ramallah & El Bireh – the Israeli Army raided the town of Silat adh Dhahr and patrolled the area near the local Palestinian polling station.

Bethlehem – the Israeli Army raided the village of Dar Salah and patrolled the area near the local Palestinian polling station.

Physical assaults: 1

Prisoners taken: 18

Bethlehem – at 8am, and again at 6:45pm, an Israeli Army patrol raided the town of Al Khadr. The Israelis took a 15-year-old boy prisoner as they encountered resistance by the local people.

Raids: 29

Bethlehem – at 2am, Israeli Occupation forces raided the city and set up a checkpoint near the Ad Duheisha refugee camp. They patrolled the area, molesting people and searching vehicles as they continued the raid until 3:50am.

Ramallah & El Bireh –

At
9:15pm, the Israeli Army raided the city of El Bireh and patrolled
the area near Al Hashimiya School.

At
11:50pm, Israeli Army infantry forces raided and patrolled the
village of Dura al Qar’.

Nablus – At 10:30pm, the Israeli Army raided the village of Sarra, firing stun and tear-gas grenades as they patrolled the streets.

Hebron –

At 11pm, the Israeli Army raided the city of Hebron and patrolled several neighbourhoods.

At 8pm, Israeli Army infantry raided and patrolled the town of Dura.

School disruption: 2

Nablus – the Israeli Army intensified restrictions at the Za’tara junction checkpoint, prevented everyone in the towns and villages south of the city of Nablus, including schoolteachers, from crossing in either direction.

Also see Curfews above.

Settler violence: 3

Salfit – Palestinian, Raji Yousef Tanib, was hit in the eye by a stone-throwing mob of Israelis from the Jewish settlement of Tappuah, who were attacking vehicles travelling along the Trans-Samaria Highway. He was taken to Nablus Public Hospital.

Hebron – a gang of Israeli settlers threw stones at houses belonging to the Abu ‘Eisheh family in the neighbourhood of Tall Rumeida in the Old City.

Ramallah & El Bireh – Israelis from the Jewish settlement of Halamish opened fire on two Palestinian shepherds while they were tending their sheep. The Israeli settlers also detained Isam’il Abdul Hafith at Tamimi and beat his son, 17-year-old Mohammed, so brutally that he had to be taken to hospital.

Times indicated in red contribute to the sleep deprivation suffered by Palestinian children.

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Zionism in principle

"There is no other way than to transfer the Arabs from here [Palestine] to the neighbouring countries, to transfer all of them; not one village, not one tribe should be left."

Joseph Weitz

Davar, 29 September 1967

From: My Diary and Letters to the Children

Massada, 1965, III, p. 293.

New age destroyers of the Temple mount

A contingent of Orthodox Jewish Rabbis and laymen will stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, to protest the Zionist zealots - extreme right-wing supposed "Orthodox Jews" - who are threatening to gather en-masse on the Temple Mount to attack the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Rabbi Dovid Weiss, a spokesman for the Neturei Karta International, a group of anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews, stated that the Rabbis will voice the true Jewish view, that such an action is totally forbidden according to the Torah and that in general, the Zionist view and the State of "Israel" cannot and does not represent Judaism or the Jewish people.

He further stated, that the Zionist zealots have attempted on many occasions to incite hatred between Jews and Arabs. These zealots are an ugly embodiment of Zionism, a movement rooted in insensitivity to others and predicated upon rebellion against the Creator. "Judaism demands that the Jewish people live in peace and respect towards all people, regardless of their nationality. The history of the State of Israel is testimony to Zionism's rejection of these Torah axioms. It is high time that world Jewry abandoned Zionism and its path of bloodshed.

"The Jewish people were sent into exile through a Divine decree. The attempt at revoking this state of exile by establishing a sovereign so-called Jewish state was and still remains in direct conflict with sacred Jewish Law and is a demonstration of defiance of G-d. The State of Israel is a forbidden fruit.

"Compounding this transgression is the constant trampling on the rights of the Palestinians. Only through the complete dismantlement of the State of Israel and the reinstatement of Palestinian sovereignty over the Holy Land in its entirety can true peace be achieved. We pray, through peaceful means.

"Torah doctrine teaches that defiance of G-d cannot be successful. It follows that no real peace will eventuate as long as this forbidden fruit, a blatant rebellion against G-d continues to exist. "Traditional Jews have always opposed Zionism and the State of "Israel". Events today have proven this position to be right".

"These supposed "Orthodox Jews" and the actions that emanate from their repugnant ideology, are vile and represent something utterly foreign to Judaism."

The demonstration will take place in front of the "Israeli" consulate, 2nd Ave and 42nd Streets, NYC, on May 6, 2005. - 1:00 PM

Contact Neturei Karta International: 914-262-8342 www.nkusa.org

Neturei Karta International

www.nkusa.org
Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2005

Please forward this newsletter to your friends.

You don’t think any radioactivity might accidentally get spilt on such a mission. There won’t be many rag-head Iranian civilians damaged in any way will there? Of course the Israelis wouldn’t be allowed to overfly the sovereign state of Iraq while it is under American protection. I am sure, as must be Cheney and Rumsfeld, that it is also extremely unlikely such an attack would have any effect on the peaceful relations between Iraq’s Shia community and their American allies! It is clearly just a bit of reassurance for poor little under-armed Israeli friend who is under severe risk of attack from those vicious Iranians.

www.haaretz.com

Israel to purchase American-made 'bunker-buster' bombs

By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent, and Reuters

The Pentagon notified Congress on Tuesday of a proposed sale to Israel of 100 guided bunker-busting bombs, a weapon which would significantly upgrade the Israel Air Force's offensive operational capability and one which analysts said could prompt concerns about a unilateral Israeli strike against Iran. In a notice required by law for government-to-government military sales, the Pentagon's Defence Security Co-operation Agency said Israel had requested the sale of the Lockheed Martin Corp. GBU-28s, worth as much as US$30 million.

The GBU-28 was developed for penetrating hardened command centres located deep underground and would be used by the Israeli Air Force on their US-built F-15 aircraft, the agency said. Experiments have shown the two-ton bomb capable of penetrating as deep as 30 metres below the ground surface or a six metre-thick cement wall. The laser-guided bomb was originally developed during the first gulf war, when it was first put in action. Israel has denied speculation that it might make a military strike on Iran to prevent it from producing an atomic bomb. In 1981 Israel sent jets to bomb an Iraqi reactor, driving Saddam Hussein's quest for a bomb underground, and fueling speculation of a similar strike on Iran.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in an interview with CNN earlier this month, said his country was not planning any military attack on Iran. Sharon, in a separate interview with Fox News, said: "Of course we take all precautions and all the steps to defend ourselves. But it's not that Israel should give the answer to the international problem" of Iran potentially developing a bomb. In January, US Vice President Dick Cheney warned Israel could in the future try to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. The Defence Security Co-operation Agency said the sale of the GBU-28s would "not affect the basic military balance in the region."

John Isaacs, president of the Council for a Livable World, said the proposed sale was clearly "a provocative step" that would prompt concerns about a unilateral Israel strike, particularly in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East. "One could be suspicious that these bombs could be used for an Israeli attack on Iran," Isaacs said, noting that the bunker-busting bombs in question were non-nuclear, which limited their ability to dig far underground. "This particular munition is designed to destroy deeply buried high-value assets such as command centres or nuclear weapons facilities," agreed Loren Thompson at the Virginia-based Lexington Institute. "Draw your own conclusions."

The success of any such strike on possible Iranian nuclear facilities would depend on the quality of intelligence about the location of such facilities, as well as how far underground such sites were buried, Isaacs said. "It's not a slam-dunk in any way," he added. Once notified, Congress has 30 days to reject planned foreign military sales but rarely does so. The Pentagon announced the sale a short time after visits by Sharon and Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz to Washington. This week, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon is visiting the US for the final time prior to his retirement from the military.

Palestine Human Rights Campaign

www.palestine.org.nz

ENDS

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