17 Citizens Killed due to Ongoing Vigilantism and Excessive Use of Force throughout PNA

The Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens’ Rights -November 2007 Report on Human Rights Violations

During November 2007, the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens' Rights
(PICCR) reported several human rights violations throughout the Palestinian National
Authority (PNA) controlled territories, particularly incidents of excessive use of force by
the Palestinian security forces. PICCR also monitored a number of violations against
other human rights and freedoms, including the freedom of media, attacks on public
institutions and property, personal security and arrests.
1. Violation of the right to life and physical safety:
Compared to October, incidents of violations of the right to life and physical safety
sharply dropped during November throughout the PNA-controlled territories. PICCR
reported that 17 citizens were killed during incidents of, excessive use of force and
infighting throughout the PA-controlled territories. Of these, 5 citizens were killed in the
West Bank and 12 in the Gaza Strip, in comparison, 31 citizens were killed in October.
Of the striking remarks about incidents reported by PICCR, almost half of those citizens
killed were victims of the excessive use of force, particularly by firearms used by Police
forces affiliated with the deposed Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip and PNA
security personnel in the West Bank: 8 citizens were reported to be killed by firearms in
these incidents, including 7 in the Gaza Strip and 1 in the West Bank.
On 12 November, Police forces of the deposed government opened fire towards a
gathering of citizens in the Al Katibah Yard in the Gaza city during a festival
commemorating the third anniversary of President Yasser Arafat's death. As a result, 6
citizens were killed and several others wounded. Of those injured, 1 citizen died two days
later of bullet wounds sustained.
On 27 November, Palestinian security forces opened fire during dispersal a peaceful
demonstration organised by activists of the Islamic Liberation Party in the city of Hebron in protest against the Annapolis Conference, killing 38-year-old Hisham Na'im Yousef al
Barad'i, who sustained a fatal bullet wound in the chest.
Other killings happened for different reasons: 4 citizens were killed in incidents of arms
chaos; 1 citizen under obscure circumstances; and 4 others during family fights and acts
of revenge.
Among the victims were 2 children killed in the Gaza Strip. According to PICCR
investigations, 16 citizens were killed by firearms or due to the detonation of explosive
devices. The other citizen was beaten to death with sharp tools. Regarding to this, as a
result of various incidents of infighting and security instability, over 167 citizens
sustained various wounds in 20 separate incidents.
2. Violations against Freedom of Opinion and Expression:
Over the past month, several violations and aggressions were reported to have been
committed against the freedom of opinion and expression in the Gaza Strip and West
Bank. Most prominently was the incident reported on 12 November, when the Police
force of the deposed government killed 7 citizens and injured dozens others while they
were taking part in a peaceful gathering. On 27 November, PNA security forces also
oppressed a number of peaceful demonstrations which protested against the Annapolis
Conference. Moreover, security forces beat and injured a number of journalists in an
attempt to prevent them from covering these demonstrations. In the city of Ramallah,
security personnel beat Wael ash Shuyoukhi, Al Jazeera Satellite Channel correspondent,
with clubs, leaving him a broken left arm. Moreover, security personnel beat Mu'ammar
'Urabi, Director of Watan Television Station, while he was reporting a similar
demonstration in the city.
Furthermore, several violations were committed against the freedom of the media:
– On 24 November, a group of armed individuals abducted Hafeth Ibrahim
'Asakreh, a news editor at Maan News Agency in the governorate of Bethlehem,
while he was travelling to the News Agency. The armed individuals demanded
that 'Asakreh reported 'false' news on behalf of superior officials in return for a
certain amount of money to be paid to him. Once done, those individuals
intrigued to deny such 'false' news as well as bring a lawsuit against Maan News
Agency. 'Asakreh was abducted for a period of 12 hours.
– On 12 November, members of the Police forces of the deposed government beat
Tamim Abu Mu'ammar, a correspondent at the Palestine Voice, leaving him with
contusions and bone fractures.
– On 10 November, Police forces of the deposed government detained for several
hours Sami Abu Salem, a press photographer at the Palestine News Agency
"WAFA", while he was covering a students' vigil on the commemoration of
President Yasser Arafat's death in the Gaza city.
– On 5 November, Palestinian Preventive Security personnel arrested Ala'
Mohammed el-Titi, an independent journalist in the city of Hebron for approximately 20 days, after which he was brought to justice and charged with
incitement and fragmenting of the national unity. It should be mentioned that el-
Titi used to work for the Hamas' Al Aqsa Satellite Channel. After its offices were
sealed in the city of Ramallah, he worked as a freelance journalist.
– On 5 November 2007, Preventive Security Agency personnel arrested Usayd
Abdul Majeed Amarneh in the city of Hebron, who used to work for the Hamas'
Al Aqsa Satellite Channel. After its offices were closed in Ramallah, he worked
independently. Having detained him for about 20 days, the Preventive Security
Agency brought Amarneh to justice, charging him with incitement and
fragmenting the national unity.
– On 6 November, Police forces of the deposed government raided a house
belonging to Hisham Saqallah, Editor-in-Chief at the Electronic Media Monitor
Pamphlet, confiscated his personal computer, cellular telephone, CDs, as well as
some books, ostensibly because a complaint was filed against him. However,
Saqallah never knew what the complaint was.
– On 12 November, Police officer beat Khaled Jamal Bulbul, while he was covering
activities in the festival commemorating the third anniversary of Arafat's death in
the Al Katibah Yard in the Gaza city. After the Police personnel opened fire,
Bulbul went to the Mobilisation and Organisation Headquarters (the Offices of
the Central Committee of the Fatah movement) in the vicinity of the Bureau of
Personnel. Police officers raided the Headquarters, beat Bulbul, threw his camera
on the ground, and stated that he should report to the Naval Police station to
receive it.
3. Attacks on Institutions:
During the month of November, PICCR reported 11 attacks against public institutions
and property as well as private property. The majority of these attacks took place in the
Gaza Strip. Moreover, several patrols belonging to the Police forces of the deposed
government were detonated by explosive devices.
On 20 November, unidentified individuals raided an office belonging to the Fatah
movement in the city of Deir al Balah and damaged as well as stole its contents. Reasons
behind the attack were not known.
On 21 November, unidentified individuals detonated an explosive device near a jeep
belonging to the Police forces of the deposed government in the area of Al Faluja in
Jabalya refugee camp, causing severe damage to the jeep. Also, causes of the attack were
never known.
On 24 November, unidentified individuals set fire to the offices of a local community
services association in Al Maghazi refugee camp, gravely damaging facilities of the
association. Likewise, background of the attack was not known.
4. Attacks on personal security and arrests:
Over the past month, PICCR reported 10 incidents of abduction, all of which took place
in the Gaza Strip. Most incidents of abduction were committed in the course of the
conflict between Fatah and Hamas movements. In addition, the Police forces of the
deposed government in the Gaza Strip and PNA security agencies in the West Bank
continued to arrest citizens. In Gaza, Police forces arrested dozens of Fatah activists as
well as former PNA security personnel in the aftermath of the 12 November incidents of
the peaceful festival commemorating the death of President Arafat. Currently, scores of
citizens are still being detained in stations and detention centres belonging to those Police
forces on grounds of their political affiliation.
In the West Bank, PNA security forces also arrested over 50 Hamas activists due to their
political affiliation. These, along with dozens others, are still detained.

Des ultranationalistes israéliens tentent de créer des colonies sauvages

Le Monde Portfolio. 12.10.07
Un millier d'ultranationalistes israéliens se sont rendus, dimanche 9 décembre, dans huit sites de Cisjordanie occupée pour tenter de créer des colonies sauvages. Ils ont notamment manifesté leur soutien à un projet controversé d'Israël visant à créer une continuité territoriale entre la colonie de Maalé Adoumim et Jérusalem.

S'il était réalisé, ce projet couperait pratiquement la Cisjordanie en deux, rendant difficile la création d'un Etat palestinien pourvu d'une continuité territoriale.

Le mouvement d'extrême droite qui organise cette opération, les "Fidèles d'Eretz d'Israël", entend dénoncer à l'avance tout projet de retrait partiel en Cisjordanie que pourrait consentir le premier ministre Ehoud Olmert, dans le cadre des négociations entamées au sommet d'Annapolis.

Des militaires et policiers israéliens ont été déployés sur les lieux. Ils ont laissé passer les manifestants à pied mais ont bloqué l'accès aux véhicules pour empêcher la construction de bâtiments provisoires.

Des pacifistes israéliens, notamment l'association anticolonisation La paix maintenant, ont protesté sur place. Selon ce mouvement, une centaine de colonies sauvages habitées sont disséminées en Cisjordanie, dont 56 établies après l'arrivée au pouvoir d'Ariel Sharon, en mars 2001. Israël s'est engagé auprès des Etats-Unis à démanteler ces colonies, mais cette promesse est restée lettre morte.

The Har Homa test Building in E. J'lem undermines spirit of Annapolis

In February, 1997, a few weeks after it signed the Hebron agreement, the Netanyahu government decided to erect 6,500 housing units on the southern border of East Jerusalem, about one-third of them on private land owned by Palestinians. And what will happen to the spirit of Annapolis? The same thing that happened to the spirit of Hebron. The Prime Minister at the time, Benyamin Netanyahu, and the Jerusalem Mayor at the time, Ehud Olmert, in a press conference, explaining the planned building in Har Homa

Akiva Eldar, Haaretz, 10.12.07. It is difficult to think of a place more suitable than Har Homa for holding the first test in the spirit of Annapolis. The comparison between Har Homa Crisis No. 2 and the development of Har Homa Crisis No. 1 can teach us whether the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has indeed started a new track or whether all the players are stuck on the old line.

Does Ehud Olmert, who pressed for the establishment of the new neighborhood in East Jerusalem, really see something different from the Prime Minister's Bureau than what he saw from the office of the mayor of Jerusalem? Will President George W. Bush pay lip service and eventually have to eat his words, just as Bill Clinton did 10 years ago?

Meanwhile, it is difficult to find the differences. Har Homa Crisis No. 1 also broke out a short while after an American attempt to revive the peace process. In February, 1997, a few weeks after it signed the Hebron agreement, the Netanyahu government decided to erect 6,500 housing units on the southern border of East Jerusalem, about one-third of them on private land owned by Palestinians. In the Palestinian Authority (and the Israeli peace camp) this plan was seen as another step in a scheme to cut off their capital from the West Bank. Yasser Arafat threatened to declare the establishment of an independent state and the Palestinian Legislative Council announced a general strike in the territories.

That crisis was the focus of Arafat's visit to the White House the following month. Clinton asked the Palestinian leader to be sensitive to Netanyahu's "coalition pressures." Arafat explained that he, too, had troubles at home and begged the president to at least demand that Israel delay the implementation of the decision to establish the neighborhood. The president sent envoy Dennis Ross to Netanyahu with a letter in which he demanded that the establishment of the neighborhood be postponed.

On the other side were the settlers and the activists from the right. They were flanked by then-mayor Olmert, who a short while earlier had pushed Netanyahu into the Western Wall tunnel - an adventure that ended with the death of 16 Israeli soldiers and dozens of Palestinians. Olmert declared that Har Homa was "the most substantive test of the government's ability to withstand pressure and demonstrate leadership." Work at the site began four days later. The U.S. secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, called U.S. Ambassador Martin Indyk at 5:30 A.M. and instructed him to go to Netanyahu with a firm message stating that the United States saw the establishment of the new neighborhood as "a step that undermines everything that we are trying to do."

The ambassador made his protest, the Arabs demonstrated, the UN Security Council met, the United States cast a veto - and Har Homa was taken off the international agenda. Arafat licked another wound and Hamas threw more salt on it.

The new neighborhood - or, from one point of view, the "settlement" - which arose on the southern hills of Jerusalem became a mark of Cain on the forehead of the Oslo camp in Ramallah. Ed Abington, who was then American consul general in Jerusalem, said later, "Arafat understood that we do not understand, or do not want to understand, the enormity of the troubles that the settlements cause him at home. Arafat understood that he was left alone in the campaign."

Netanyahu identified the weakness of the international community and continued to nurture the settlers. The response today of spokesmen for the Olmert government gives rise to the fear that the Annapolis conference did not change the situation on the Israeli side. They claim that "the neighborhood is within the area of the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem, over which Israeli law is binding, and therefore there is no prohibition to building there, just as there is no obstacle to building in any other part of Israel."

We have already forgotten that the prime minister agreed that everything would be open to negotiation, including Jerusalem. Is this the way to build a wall to fortify the status of PA President Mahmoud Abbas? And what will "the world" do - all those people who were in attendance at Annapolis - if Olmert decides to hide behind "pressures from the coalition" and approves the new construction?

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said over the weekend that new construction in the territories does not contribute to building mutual trust. She also stressed the special importance of refraining from moves that could have influence a final status agreement. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, said that the decision to expand the neighborhood "is not helpful."

So the gentiles say these things - and thousands of Jewish residents laugh all the way to Har Homa. And what will happen to the spirit of Annapolis? The same thing that happened to the spirit of Hebron.

Civil rights group: Israel has reached new heights of racism

Yuval Yoaz and Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondents, 9.12.07. Racism against Israel’s Arab citizens has dramatically increased in the past year, including a 26 percent rise in anti-Arab incidents, according to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel’s annual report. Author Sami Michael, the association’s president, said upon the release of the report that racism was so rife it was damaging civil liberty in Israel. “Israeli society is reaching new heights of racism that damages freedom of expression and privacy,” Michael said. The publication coincides with Human Rights Week, which begins Sunday. “We are a society under supervision under a democratic regime whose institutions are being undermined and which confers a different status to residents in the center of the country and in the periphery,” Michael said.

The number of Jews expressing feelings of hatred toward Arabs has doubled, the report stated.

According to the June 2007 Democracy Index of the Israel Democracy Institute, for example, only half the public believes that Jews and Arabs must have full equal rights.

Among Jewish respondents, 55 percent support the idea that the state should encourage Arab emigration from Israel and 78 percent oppose the inclusion of Arab political parties in the government. According to a Haifa University study, 74 percent of Jewish youths in Israel think that Arabs are “unclean.”

The ACRI says that bills introduced in the Knesset contribute to delegitimize the country’s Arab citizens, such as ones that would link the right to vote and receive state allowances to military or national service.

They also include bills that require ministers and MKs to swear allegiance to a Jewish state and those that set aside 13 percent of all state lands owned by the Jewish National Fund for Jews only.

“Arab citizens are frequently subject to ridicule at the airports,” the report states.

It says that Arab citizens “are subject to ‘racial profiling’ that classifies them as a security threat. The government also threatens the freedom of expression of Arab journalists by brandishing the whip of economic boycott and ending the publication of government announcements in newspapers that criticize its policy.”

Hadash Chairman MK Mohammad Barakeh said that the report “did not take us by surprise and neither should anyone be surprised by it. Its results are the natural consequence of a racist campaign led by political and military leaders, as well as the result of the anti-Arab racist policies implemented by consecutive governments.”

Related articles:

Arab MK leads campaign against bill allocating state land to Jews only

Colored tags for Arabs' luggage at Ben Gurion airport discontinued

UN anti-racism panel questions Israel over non-Jewish holy sites

It's not racism, it's just patriotism

Il comandante delle pietre

Moni Ovadia, l'Unità, 1.12.07. In questi ultimi giorni ad Annapolis si tiene una conferenza di pace fra israeliani e palestinesi con il premier israeliano Olmert e il presidente palestinese Abu Mazen patrocinata da George W. Bush, l’uomo più potente del mondo, alla presenza di alte autorità del mondo arabo in uno schieramento che non conosce precedenti. Quasi simultaneamente, a Roma, all’Auditorium Parco della Musica, viene messo in scena un oratorio di testimonianza dal titolo Al Kamandjati. A questa rappresentazione ideata da Guido Barbieri ed Oscar Pizzo, prendono parte fra gli altri, un attore e un musicista palestinese, una scrittrice-giornalista israeliana e un raccontastorie ebreo, il sottoscritto. Fra i due eventi non c’è nessuna relazione di causa-effetto ma solo una consonanza tematica. La conferenza di Annapolis è l’ennesimo tentativo di risolvere il dramma mediorientale con gli strumenti della diplomazia e della politica. Su questo summit spira una brezza di ottimismo. Voci autorevoli, riportate dal nostro quotidiano come quella di Hanna Sinora, direttore del giornale palestinese Jerusalem Times, considerano questo incontro un’occasione storica. Hamas, il grande escluso, considera Annapolis un’inutile messa in scena, una trappola degli Usa ordita di concerto con Israele ai danni della causa palestinese. Personalmente ritengo non fuori luogo un’acuta sensazione di scetticismo riguardo alla vera efficacia di un processo che esclude uno degli «attori» principali, in un contesto così drammaticamente complesso e compromesso. Ma Al Kamandjati, il nostro racconto con musica, immagini e un concertato di lingue (arabo, ebraico, inglese e italiano), affronta la questione da un punto di vista remoto rispetto a quello della grande conferenza che si tiene nel Maryland. Il testo straordinario di Amira Hass, la scrittrice e giornalista israeliana che è la più lucida ed implacabile testimone del suo paese riguardo del dramma palestinese, racconta la storia di Ramzi Aburedwan, una storia positiva, una gemmazione poetica, atipica e fortunata che tuttavia rivela la profondità umana del dramma palestinese. Ramzi è un grande violista, fa parte della Diwan Orchestra diretta da Daniel Barenboim e ha appena finito di registrare un disco con la «Mozart» diretta da Claudio Abbado, ma Ramzi è anche il «comandante delle pietre», il bimbo che a otto anni diede avvio all’Intifada delle pietre diventandone l’icona immortalata da una fotografia che fece il giro del mondo. Ramzi è riuscito nel miracolo di fare una sintesi luminosa dei suoi due titoli. Dopo il diploma di violista a Lione è tornato a Ramallah dove ha aperto la scuola di Al Kamndjati il cui scopo è la formazione musicale dei bambini dei campi profughi. Al Kamandjati in un paio d’anni è diventata un network di cinque scuole ad insegnamento totalmente gratuito anche grazie ai riconoscimenti e ai sostegni internazionali che si è conquistata. Ramzi, da grande comandante quale è, ha scelto delle armi più efficaci per vincere la sua battaglia. Quarant’anni di occupazione militare israeliana, di colonizzazione arbitraria violenta e ininterrotta, di sradicamento di ulivi, di demolizione delle topografie esistenziali palestinesi, hanno sconvolto l’identità culturale e tradizionale del popolo palestinese. La musica è uno strumento potente per resistere e avviare la ricostruzione, Ramzi lo sa. Forse ad Annapolis verrà gettato un primo seme diplomatico per un qualche negoziato ma, come spiega lucidamente Amira Hass, la pace necessita di ben altro. È indispensabile un radicale cambiamento di orizzonte nella cultura dell’estabilishment di potere israeliano. È urgente stabilire una sintonia con la lezione che viene dai Ramzi e dalle loro storie. La vera sicurezza si ottiene solo con la pace e la pace si conquista con il pieno riconoscimento dell’altro, con l’accoglienza del suo volto.

Daniel Barenbhoim: Annapolis, una caricatura, un insulto all'intelligenza

Daniel Barenbhoim. La Stampa, 28.11.07. “La cosiddetta conferenza di pace è una messinscena allestita da un presidente americano che per sette anni interi non si è occupato di questo problema nevralgico. E che sembra accorgersene solo ora, a un anno e un mese dalla fine del suo mandato, illudendosi di strappare un successo con il dollaro a buon mercato… È una caricatura, un insulto all'intelligenza”.

Nuovi insediamenti, assedio a Gaza, uccisioni mirate sono atti di guerra, non di pace

Luisa Morgantini, Vice Presidente del Parlamento Europeo, Roma, 7 dicembre 2007
Le piccole speranze di Annapolis sono cancellate dalla politica israeliana di punizione collettiva e dagli insensati lanci di razzi da gruppi estremisti palestinesi. Tutto questo accade immediatamente dopo la Conferenza di Annapolis, che tra l'atro non ha portato a negoziati finali ma solo a una dichiarazione comune per i negoziati. Il Governo Israeliano non ha perso tempo e ha annunciato l'espansione di insediamenti a Gerusalemme Est e ogni giorno i Palestinesi vengono uccisi dall’esercito israeliano o da squadre segrete: nella scorsa settimana 27 Palestinesi sono stati uccisi dai raid israeliani nella Striscia di Gaza e molti altri nella West Bank. E che dire delle chiusure, dei check point, della confisca di terre, dell'assoluta mancanza di libertà di movimento per i feriti e i malati sia in Cisgiordania che a Gaza, o ancora dei molti Palestinesi arrestati e che raggiungeranno gli oltre undicimila prigionieri politici? Queste parole, questi atti sono per la pace? No. Il piano israeliano di costruire più di 300 nuove case a Har Homa, un insediamento costruito dopo gli accordi di Oslo sulla terra confiscata ai villaggi vicino a Betlemme, come Beit Sahour, e considerata dalla politica di annessione di Israele parte della "Grande Gerusalemme", distrugge drammaticamente i recenti e rinati negoziati di pace di Annapolis ma anche il prossimo incontro che si dovrebbe tenere il 12 dicembre.

Prima di quello che è ora l'orrendo blocco di cemento dell'insediamento, c'era una fantastica collina verde che i Palestinesi chiamavano Jabal Abu Ghneim. Ora, le nuove costruzioni, che peraltro non rispondono neppure a una crescita demografica dell'insediamento dato che molte case già costruite rimangono invendute e vuote, rappresentano davvero un atto di guerra.

Il solo modo per creare una pace duratura è porre fine ai 40 anni di occupazione militare israeliana sulla Cisgiordania e a Gaza è mostrare fatti e atti concreti che producano subito cambiamenti reali nella vita quotidiana dei Palestinesi.

Il Governo israeliano dichiara di volere la pace e noi vogliamo credergli, ma da quello che si può vedere fa il contrario, continuando a seguire la via della violenza e dell'illegalità e dimenticando che nella Conferenza di Annapolis entrambe le parti erano concordi nel basare i loro negoziati sulla road map, in cui si dichiara di congelare l'espansione delle colonie e di porre fine alla violenza. L'attuale Ministro della Difesa israeliano, Ehud Barak, che non ha condiviso le scelte di Rabin a Oslo, continua a fare l'opposto di quello che Annapolis vorrebbe far credere, preparando piani per una massiccia aggressione militare contro la Striscia di Gaza e dichiarando che gli insediamenti in Cisgiordania non si bloccheranno.

Da parte sua, l'Autorità Palestinese non può fare di più. I gruppi estremisti che lanciano razzi da Gaza devono essere fermati ma questi non sono sotto il controllo dell'Autorità Palestinese.

Se il Presidente Mahmoud Abbas, che ha già scelto la via della non violenza, non mostrerà subito un reale cambiamento nella vita quotidiana dei Palestinesi e che le loro vite non saranno mai più assoggettate all'esercito israeliano, verrà sicuramente delegittimato e negato dalla sua popolazione.

Come si può far credere ai Palestinesi (ma anche a noi) che il Governo israeliano vuole la pace se le sue politiche continuano a mantenere il blocco alla Striscia di Gaza, a spargere terrore con i raid, a praticare punizioni collettive e non c'è nessuna libertà di movimento per persone e merci? Persino ai malati non è concesso di attraversare i confini, in oltre 900 sono in attesa del permesso di lasciare la Striscia (Palestinian Medical Relief) per accedere a cure specializzate, in Egitto o nella West Bank, inesistenti a Gaza dove gli ospedali scarseggiano anche di medicine e strumenti di base e sono stati costretti negli ultimi giorni a spegnere i generatori elettrici di emergenza, a causa del "disastro umanitario" dovuto alla forte riduzione da parte di Israele di rifornimenti di carburante e all'assedio più totale.

Anche se la dichiarazione congiunta di Annapolis ha praticamente escluso l’Unione Europea, l'Onu, il Quartetto e i Governi Arabi, stabilendo che gli Stati Uniti hanno la responsabilità di vigilare sull’applicazione dei negoziati, l'intera Comunità Internazionale deve avere un ruolo politico negli accordi, condannando fortemente ogni ostacolo ai negoziati e rafforzando ogni segnale di pace, cominciando dalla fine dell'assedio di Gaza, così come già richiesto dal Parlamento Europeo l'11 Ottobre con una risoluzione che chiede al Governo israeliano di rimuovere il blocco alla Striscia di Gaza e di adempiere agli obblighi internazionali nel rispetto delle Convenzioni di Ginevra".

Per informazioni Luisa Morgantini 0039 348 39 21 465 o Francesca Cutarelli 0039 340 56 49 335

luisa.morgantini@europarl.europa.eu www.luisamorgantini.net

Recognising what?

Al-Ahram Weekly, 06-12.12.07. It's not that Israel's borders are porous. They don't exist at all, writes Galal Nassar
Perhaps seeking to distract attention from the crisis facing his government, or hoping to exploit the weakness of the Arab regional system, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is asking the Arabs to recognise Israel. Unfortunately, such a move may be a prelude to ethnic cleansing in Palestine. Zionist ideas are a mixture of racism that exists in symbiotic relation with Western imperialism -- something made clear in Theodore Hertzl's book The Jewish State. Hertzl ignored the fact that Palestine was already inhabited by a people with an extensive history, something he sees as a minor hurdle. "Supposing, for example, we were obliged to clear a country of wild beasts, we would not set about the task in the fashion of Europeans of the fifth century. We would not take spear and lance and go out singly in pursuit of bears; we would organise a large and active hunting party, drive the animals together, and throw a melinite bomb into their midst," he writes. It was on the basis of such formulations that the Basel Conference endorsed Zionism as its strategy in 1897.

Now Israel wants the Palestinians, and eventually all Arabs, to recognise Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. That is the demand it makes at every gathering addressing Palestinian rights. The fact that Israel has to voice this demand so often is extraordinary. Countries recognise one another in a routine manner. They do so without references to the "right to exist" and without noting their being Islamic, Christian, or even secular countries. So why does Israel repeat itself in this fashion? What does a Jewish state entail?

Apparently, Israel wants Jews and only Jews to live on the "land of Israel". In other words, non- Jewish sovereignty is out of the question in all, or even part, of Palestine. But without recognising a non-Jewish sovereignty on at least a section of the historic land of Palestine, diplomatic and political efforts are pointless. Israel wants non-Jews to be second class citizens and it treats Israeli Arabs accordingly. This is the main reason Israel has no constitution so far. A Jewish state is one that remains open to immigration by Jews living abroad, and we all know that such immigration would take place at the expense of the Palestinians.

So how about Israel's "right to exist"? This right is accorded to states that exist within recognised borders. So when Israel demands recognition of its "right to exist", one has to start wondering about its final borders. How can you recognise a country that has no clear borders? Once Israel draws borders it will imply an admission that what lies within them belongs to all its citizens, including non-Jews. It would thus be abandoning its Zionist ideals. So far, it has been reluctant to do so.

Israel is demanding recognition of its "right to exist" and yet it is in no mood to discuss borders. Yet since 1947 Israel's borders have changed repeatedly. Which are the ones it wants recognised?

Israel's settlement expansion plan 'not helpful' : UN chief

AFP Photo: A general view of the Jewish settlement of Har Homa in east Jerusalem
05 December...

UNITED NATIONS (AFP), 06.12.07. UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday said Israel's decision to expand a Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem was "not helpful" and he would discuss the matter with his partners in the diplomatic Quartet for Middle East peace. The UN position on the illegality of settlements is well known," he told reporters. "This new tender for 300 new homes in east Jerusalem so soon after this Annapolis Middle East peace conference, I think, is not helpful," he added, referring to a recent US-hosted peace summit. "I will be discussing this matter with my Quartet partners." On Tuesday Israel said it had invited bids to build more than 300 new housing units in Har Homa, a settlement in annexed east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians have demanded as the capital of their future state. Israel does not consider construction in east Jerusalem -- which it captured in the 1967 Six-Day war -- as settlement growth because it annexed the Arab part of the Holy City shortly after the conflict.

Ban's Quartet partners are US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

ISRAEL-OPT: Only 41 percent of Gaza's food import needs being met

JERUSALEM, 6 December 2007 (IRIN) - Food imports into the Gaza Strip are only enough to meet 41 percent of demand, the World Food Programme (WFP) has said, though critical UN humanitarian food supplies are being allowed in. The cost of many basic items, such as beef, wheat and some dairy products have increased significantly, while locally grown produce is fetching extremely low prices on the local market, as exports are banned, threatening the livelihood of farmers. "Unless all terminals are fully opened within the upcoming weeks, both for exports and imports, the agricultural sector in Gaza is facing a major catastrophe," said Santiago Rippoll, a FAO food security analyst. Since the Hamas takeover of Gaza in June, the commercial crossing points with Israel have been all but shut, except for the import of basic humanitarian goods. Israel said it could not operate the crossings with Hamas, which it deems a terrorist organisation, controlling the other side. Israel is imposing the restrictions in retaliation for the continued firing of missiles from Gaza into Israel. A spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said there "cannot be business as usual" with the Gaza Strip as long as rocket attacks against southern Israel continue. "Israel is committed to the continued supply of the essential humanitarian support to the people of Gaza," said spokesman Mark Regev, who added that it was up to the ruling Hamas movement to stop the rockets. Rise in requests for charity Israeli travel and trade restrictions have led to a decline in purchasing power in Gaza. A recent WFP survey found that of the 62 percent of people who said they had reduced their expenditure in recent months, 97 percent reported a decrease in spending on clothing and 93 percent on food. "The number of people in need is increasing and the percentage of people we can help is low," said Nasser al-Sharqawi, from al-Falah, a local Islamic charity. Half of all non-refugees in Gaza receive WFP food aid, while UNRWA, the UN Palestinian refugee agency, helps over 80 percent of refugees. About 70 percent of Gaza's population are refugees from the 1948 Israeli-Arab war. Naheda Ghabaien, a mother of five in the Beach refugee camp in central Gaza, said her husband Yousef used to work three or four days a week bringing home about US$10 a day. Now, like tens of thousands of Gazans who have lost their jobs since June - when Hamas seized control and tight travel and trade restrictions were imposed on the territory - Yousef only works a few days a month. Every three months, Naheda said, the family receives from UNRWA amounts of rice, flour, oil and sugar that can last for four to six weeks. The family rarely eats meat anymore, relying mostly on vegetables. "When the agency food runs out, we buy the food we need on credit from the grocer. When my husband works, most of his daily earnings go to settling the debt," she told IRIN. Aid workers say these sorts of coping mechanisms are reaching their limits as the economy in Gaza continues its downward spiral. Agriculture hit The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said farmers have so far lost $4.5 million due to the squeeze on imports and exports since June 2007. However, the main season for exporting cash crops began in November, and the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture has estimated that farmers will lose another $50 million this season, if they cannot export to Israel and other foreign markets. According to the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees, about 25 percent of Gazans rely directly or indirectly on agriculture for their income. Farmers who used to export can only earn a fraction of their profits on the local market, which is now over-saturated, according to FAO. For example, last year strawberries were sold at $6 per kilogram, while now the price has dropped to 40 cents on the local market. Potatoes dropped from about $2.5 per kilo on the export market to only about 12 cents locally, according to aid workers and residents. "The potato business has been killed and the strawberry business is in the emergency room," said farmers recently in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya. The significant drop in profit means some are working at a loss and many question if they will be able to replant next year. Israel recently allowed out several trucks of strawberries and carnations, but locals say this will hardly be enough. In addition, many goods, such as fertilizers and pesticides, are not making it into Gaza or in such small numbers that their cost is beyond the reach of most farmers. "Unless all terminals are fully opened within the upcoming weeks, both for exports and imports, the agricultural sector in Gaza is facing a major catastrophe," said Santiago Rippoll, a FAO food security analyst.

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org

This item comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

Fuel stations in the Gaza Strip are closed due to the lack of fuels caused by the total siege imposed on the Strip.

29.11-05.12.07 PCHR Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in The OPT

• 20 Palestinians, including one civilian, were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

• 18 of the victims are members of the military wing of Hamas and were killed by missiles and tanks shells.

• 22 Palestinians, including a woman, were wounded by IOF in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

• IOF conducted 19 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 2 ones into the Gaza Strip.

• IOF arrested 56 Palestinian civilians, including a child, in the West Bank and 3 others in the Gaza Strip.

• IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.

• IOF have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world and a humanitarian crisis has emerged.

• The number of patients who died due to the denial of their access to medical treatment increased to 13.

• The Gaza Strip is suffering a serious shortage of fuels.

• IOF troops positioned at checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 2 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children.

• IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.

• 4 Palestinian civilians were wounded IOF used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized in protest to the construction of the Wall.

• IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property.

• 
  

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (29 November – 5 December 2007):

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 20 Palestinians, including one civilian, and wounded 222 others, including a woman, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF killed 18 members of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) and 17 others were wounded in 7 separate attacks throughout the Gaza Strip. A Palestinian civilian was also wounded and arrested by IOF that had moved into Wadi al-Salqa village in the central Gaza Strip on 3 December 2007.

In the West Bank, on 2 December 2007, IOF killed a Palestinian civilian near Ramallah, when they deliberately fired at him when he was having a picnic together with 2 of his relatives. On 5 December 2007, an IOF undercover unit shot dead a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces in Bethlehem. On 30 November 2007, 4 Palestinian civilians were wounded when IOF troops used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 19 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During those incursions, IOF arrested 56 Palestinian civilians, including a child. Thus, the number of Palestinians arrested by IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of this year has mounted to 2,525. During the reporting period, IOF transformed 3 Palestinian houses into military sites.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 2 incursions into Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip, and Wadi al-Salqa in the central Gaza Strip. During those incursions, IOF wounded and arrested a Palestinian civilian, and arrested his two sons.

Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Gaza Strip

IOF have continued to close all border crossings of the Gaza Strip for nearly 17 months. The total siege imposed by IOF on the Gaza Strip has left disastrous impacts on the humanitarian situation and has violated the economic and social rights of the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the rights to appropriate living conditions, health and education. It has also paralyzed most economic sectors. Furthermore, severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the Palestinian civilian population. Moreover, the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip has severely impacted the flow of food, medical supplies and other necessities such as fuel, construction materials and raw materials for various economic sectors. IOF have further tightened the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip, and the living and economic conditions of Palestinian civilians have further deteriorated. On 19 September 2007, the Israeli government declared the Gaza Strip as “a hostile entity” and accordingly measures of collective punishment against Gaza escalated. Since that time, IOF have limited the goods exported to the Gaza Strip to only 9 basic materials. As a consequence, local markets ran out of many goods, which caused a sharp increase in prices, which mounted to 500% for some goods. Israeli occupation forces have banned the flow of some medicines, furniture, electrical appliances and cigarettes into the Gaza Strip, and have decreased the amounts of some goods allowed into the Gaza Strip, such as fruits, milk and some dairy products. During the reporting period, IOF sharply decreased the amounts of fuels allowed entry into the Gaza Strip (for more details, see PCHR’s press release on 29 November 2007).

West Bank

IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been denied access to the city. IOF have established many checkpoints around and inside the city. Restrictions of the movement of Palestinian civilians often escalate on Fridays to prevent them from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque. IOF often violently beat Palestinian civilians who attempt to bypass checkpoints and enter the city. IOF have also tightened the siege imposed on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF also erected more checkpoints on the main roads and intersections in the West Bank. During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at checkpoints and border crossings in the West Bank arrested at least 2 Palestinian civilians.

Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. On 29 November 2007, at least 10 Israeli settlers from “Ma’oun” settlement, south of Hebron, closed the road that links Yatta town with Kherbat Touba areas with rocks and sand. IOF troops were present in the area, but did not intervene to prevent the settlers from closing the road.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (22 – 28 November 2007)

The full report is available online at:

html format:

http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2007/06-12-2007.htm

pdf format:

http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2007/pdf/Weekly%20Report%2048.pdf

Public Document

For further information please visit our website (http://www.pchrgaza.org) or contact PCHR’s office in Gaza City, Gaza Strip by email (pchr@pchrgaza.org) or telephone (+972 (0)8 2824776 – 2825893).

PCHR Is Concerned over Measures Taken by Dismissed Government towards Gaza Municipality

06.12.07 PCHR is deeply concerned over the latest measures taken by the dismissed government in Gaza towards the Municipality of Gaza, and stresses that such measures, which contributes to further deterioration to the persistent inherited crisis of the municipality, like other municipalities that are managed by councils appointed by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

1) PCHR stresses that these latest measures are part of the political conflict between Fatah and Hamas movements, which has impacted the executive, the judiciary and the legislature.

2) PCHR rejects the intervention of the dismissed government in Gaza into the affairs of the Municipality of Gaza, emphasizing that such intervention does not solve the municipality’s persistent problems, rather it devastates them.

3) PCHR fully realizes the problems endured by the Municipality of Gaza, the largest city in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, especially the problem of salaries, which caused strikes that disrupted basic services provided by the municipality.

4) PCHR believes that the absence of democratic practice and the appointment of committees by the PNA to manage municipalities constituted a prelude for mismanagement and the absence of transparency, which reinforced affiliation to governmental bodies rather than maintaining the independence of professionalism of municipalities.

5) The persistent crisis of municipalities can only be resolved through democracy and free and fair elections. In this context, PCHR recalls that a number of major municipalities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, including the Municipality of Gaza, are managed by councils appointed by the PNA although elections were held for the majority of municipalities in the period December 2004 – December 2005.

6) Although PCHR believes that elections are the sole solution, it realizes the obstacles that obstruct holding such elections, including the lack of political will and compromise of the parties of the crisis.

Public Document

**************************************

For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 - 2825893

PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org

ISRAEL-OPT: From bad to worse in OPT Fewer resources for a worsening situation - UNRWA

Photo: Shabtai Gold/IRIN

A UNRWA aid worker in a warehouse. UNRWA says over 80,000 civilians in Gaza have lost their jobs in recent months and therefore rely on humanitarian aid

Israeli policies and lack of funds inhibit UN agency for Palestinian refugees
NEW YORK, 6 December 2007 (IRIN) - The UN agency supplying basic services for Palestinian refugees is in a funding crisis, and is facing a difficult year as the political situation continues to hamper its work in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Despite initial pledges towards the 2008 budget from 22 donors at a meeting in New York on 4 December, some US$1.21 billion is still required.

Filippo Grandi, the deputy commissioner general of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) - which provides education, health, relief and social services for some 4.5 million Palestinian refugees - said the refugees must not be forgotten.

“It’s a bad situation which becomes worse, and for which we seem to get less resources rather than more resources, to address,” said Grandi. In Gaza, this means that UNRWA is unable to provide a single high nutrient biscuit to 200,000 children in schools.

In a statement to the conference on 4 December, Grandi said UNRWA’s general budget was 20 percent under funded while its emergency funds were only half of what was required, with US$133 million committed towards a US$246 million budget.

More on OPT

Palestinian police boost security in Nablus

Inside the maze: movement restrictions in the West Bank

Proposed humanitarian terminals in West Bank could triple aid costs - UNRWA

Self-help Gazans still need outside world

Interview with Karen AbuZayd, Commissioner General of UNRWA

The agency said its work and the condition of the refugees had also been made harder by the broader political strife. Grandi said Israeli actions had hampered UNRWA’s work in the area and stifled economic activity.

“We understand the security situation very well and it is the right of Israel to implement measures to address these concerns, but we think if these measures become so operationally cumbersome and difficult to implement, it will be a problem for us to sustain the operation financially and to move around.”

UN criticises Israeli policy

Grandi also warned that Israeli policy, which includes economic sanctions, the closure of borders in Gaza and the checkpoints across the West Bank was counterproductive.

He asked that Israelis be mindful of the rights of the people and of the welfare of those who have no intention of committing any violence against the Israelis, because if these people are blocked from moving, from accessing employment, from earning a livelihood then their intentions may become really more aggressive than they would otherwise be, he said. “So we think that sometimes these measures are counter-productive rather than conducive to increased security.”

The Israeli view

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has said: "The Israeli government works on a daily basis to help UNRWA fulfil its mandate and allows the entrance of humanitarian goods into Gaza. However, one must keep in mind that Gaza is controlled by an enemy entity, a terror group, Hamas, which continues to fire rockets and attacks the crossing points.”

And on Israel’s contribution to UN finances, a recent ministry statement said: “While UNRWA's budget is not directly related to Israel, Israel does contribute to the UN budget, and in this way contributes to UNRWA."

On the humanitarian issue, an unnamed Israeli security official (Israeli policy is not to routinely disclose the names of such officials) said: "While steps are taken for the security of the Israeli population, Israel works to prevent a humanitarian crisis."

Palestinian politics

UNRWA says over 80,000 civilians in Gaza have lost their jobs in recent months and therefore rely on humanitarian aid.

The economic sanctions are seen to be creating poverty and a reliance on help, which would not be necessary if people were allowed the access to get to work and therefore rely on themselves.

The situation has been exacerbated by the internal politics of the Palestinians.

Photo: Shabtai Gold/IRIN

UNRWA says the closure of borders in Gaza and the checkpoints across the West Bank are hampering their efforts to deliver aid

Grandi described the split between the West Bank and Gaza as leading to disillusionment within the Palestinian people.

“There’s a political problem with the rift between Hamas and Fatah which affects people in Gaza, in particular through the intermittent episodes of violence. There are multiple layers of crisis that are worsening; there is a humanitarian crisis but more serious I think, even in Gaza, is an economic and institutional crisis which results in the progressive disillusionment of civil society. This is dangerous: it can lead to radicalisation. It can only play into the hands of those that have a negative agenda. Despair does not push people in the right direction.”

UNRWA was set up in 1948 to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees. It has become the largest operational agency of the UN and provides support to the displaced now living in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org

This item comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Abu Obaida, the English spokesman, answers important Questions about the Brigades

Ezzedeen Al Qassam Brigades, 04.12.07

What is the justification behind the martyrdom operations against the " Israeli" civilians?

There is no justification for targeting civilians. It is against Islam to deliberately kill unarmed civilians during jihad. In addition, our doctrine is to target the enemies army, security services, and support apparatus. But it is known that Zionist society is a militarized society. Service in the army is mandatory; and reserve duty continues past the age of 40. Our determined stance is that unarmed persons on both sides of the conflict should be left out of the fighting. However, we will not accept giving the enemy a free hand against our civilians.

What is the latest news about Shalit?

No news. Shalit is one enemy soldier captured from a combat position (from inside a tank) besieging the Gaza Strip. We have more than 10,000 prisoners, the majority of them taken from their homes in our occupied land.

How much your preparation to defend any aggression on the Gaza Strip? Are you in a dilemma under the siege?

We know that our enemy has support from all over the world. The Zionist army is very well equipped with the most modern weapons that include tanks, aircraft, artillery, and other equipment. But they are an occupying power; and we are an occupied people fighting to defend ourselves. We firmly believe in Allah the Almighty; and we pray for his support in our battle. That is our most important preparation against any future aggression. After that, we are exerting all possible effort to train our fighters and upgrade their capacities and equipment to confront any aggressors and inflict heavy and surprising casualties among their ranks.

The politicians in the Zionist entity have plans to execute more bloody operations against the brigades and Hamas, what can you say about that?

They have been doing that for 20 decades. Nothing new here. They have failed to eliminate us; and their failure, Allah-willing, will continue till we attain all our rights.

What if the Zionist entity executed its threatens and assassinated your leaders, How your response will be look like?

We do not and will not discuss details. But let us compare Hamas before and after the assassinations of Sheikh Yassin, Eng. Abu Shanab, and Dr. Rantisi. We have gained strength from these painful losses; and our organization has become more powerful. We are not a figurehead organization; we are a resistance movement with deep roots in our Palestinian, Arab and Islamic culture. We are only the tip of the iceberg of a nation of hundreds of millions of freedom-loving Muslims.

What is your message to the Zionist entity?

Our message is clear. We will not give up a single right of ours; and we will continue the struggle till our rights are restored. Till then the sword will be the judge between us.

Are Hamas working on developing better Qassam Rockets? I think this is very important.

Hamas is working to develop all its combat abilities. We do not and will not go into details.

Why doesn't Hamas get anti-aircraft weapons to shot down Zionist Helicopters.

No answer.

Why doesn't Hamas make more propaganda videos of Zionist Tanks being destroyed and Soldiers being shot?

We do our best to cover our operations; but we cannot cover every single operation we conduct against the enemy.

how does Hamas use in their bombs?

Our bombs are used against enemy armored vehicles and infantry.

How can we none-Muslims (who support Hamas anyway) make a fond to raise money for the troops of Al Qassam?

We advise giving general support to the victims of the Zionist occupation. There are tens of thousands of people who have lost family members, homes, and jobs as a result of the occupation. Helping them is a very good way of supporting the Palestinian people.

Why do the soldiers of Al-Qassam Brigades wear masks ?? what is the reason behind it ??

Our troops wear masks to conceal their identity. We are operating in an environment where there are more hidden enemies than visible ones. We try to take as many security measures as possible so as not to help the enemy target our troops.

How does one become a Member of Al Qassam In Gaza?

Al-Qassam chooses its members. We do not have an open registration policy.

Why does Hamas stay silent about kouffaar regimes who make their support for Abbas and al-Fatah?

Our struggle is against the Zionist enemy. We are not in a war against non-Muslims or against Muslims who support parties that act against the resistance. However, we make it clear that we will defend our resistance project with all our strength. We will not allow any party to interfere or hinder our resistance action.

How come Ezzedeen al-Qassam don't punish these regimes?

We take actions, covert and visible. However, our main enemy is the Zionist occupation. We will not let this enemy rest by getting involved in other conflicts.

What is the position of Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades about these speeches from Doctor al-Dhawahry where he makes attacks on the djehad and says that al-mokawama in palatine has given up on istshahadiya operations?

We do not tell Al-Dhawahry what to do in Afghanistan since we are not aware of his situation. And I'm sure that his knowledge of our circumstances is very limited. His judgments and opinions are his; but they are not correct. More importantly, we are not awaiting approval or blessing from anyone except Allah.

Why does he make all these attacks and this fitnaah?

Al-Dhawahry's impact is only in the media. Otherwise, we are not affected by his comments at all on the ground.

How do you deal with Jaysh al-Islam in al-Falasteen since the release of the Brittaani journalist?

They are treated like any resistance group actively seeking to target the Zionist enemy. But on the internal front, it is very clear for them that they cannot interfere in internal affairs or cause internal problems.

Will Hamas make the most of its weaponry and existing capabilities, by increasing the usefulness of its weapons? This can be done readily by adapting Qassam rockets to carry new warheads like smoke, teargas, anti tank, incendiary and cluster sub-munitions. It can also include the use of thermite warheads on rockets and hand grenades. Thermite will melt any Zionist armored vehicles and structures.

We are doing our best to upgrade our capabilities. However, we stress that our source of strength is Allah the All-Mighty. We will never have equipment comparable to our enemy; but we will have enough to make any aggression a regrettable adventure for the enemy.