5 nov 2015
IDF Spokesman
A 19-year-old soldier who started serving in March, foiled two recent attempted stabbing attacks in nine days.
A soldier who foiled an attempted terror attack at a Gush Etzion hitchhiking station on Thursday evening had also stopped two terrorists during an attempted attack about a week ago. He shot three terrorists attempting to kill Israelis within nine days.
Corporal T', 19, began his service in March 2015, and already won praise from his officers for his coolheaded and speedy response to a previous incident last week, during which he shot and killed two terrorists.
According to the officers, his alert and accurate response during the incidents was even more impressive given the fact that he is a "regular", young soldier who has only been serving in the IDF for eight months – with only less than two months of operational activity.
The Shimshon Battalion to which the soldier belongs has been over the past month facing a large portion of the terror attacks north of Hebron.
"As we guarded the junction, we noticed the suspect, told him to cross the road to us and when he reached us he pulled out a knife with the intention of stabbing the friend who was with me," the soldier recalled in a conversation with ynet. "At that moment I cocked my weapon and shot him. During another stabbing attempt a week ago, I shot two terrorists in order to remove the threat."
A 19-year-old soldier who started serving in March, foiled two recent attempted stabbing attacks in nine days.
A soldier who foiled an attempted terror attack at a Gush Etzion hitchhiking station on Thursday evening had also stopped two terrorists during an attempted attack about a week ago. He shot three terrorists attempting to kill Israelis within nine days.
Corporal T', 19, began his service in March 2015, and already won praise from his officers for his coolheaded and speedy response to a previous incident last week, during which he shot and killed two terrorists.
According to the officers, his alert and accurate response during the incidents was even more impressive given the fact that he is a "regular", young soldier who has only been serving in the IDF for eight months – with only less than two months of operational activity.
The Shimshon Battalion to which the soldier belongs has been over the past month facing a large portion of the terror attacks north of Hebron.
"As we guarded the junction, we noticed the suspect, told him to cross the road to us and when he reached us he pulled out a knife with the intention of stabbing the friend who was with me," the soldier recalled in a conversation with ynet. "At that moment I cocked my weapon and shot him. During another stabbing attempt a week ago, I shot two terrorists in order to remove the threat."
American journalist Laura Lossero slammed the biased position adopted by western mass media vis-à-vis the ongoing anti-occupation Jerusalem Intifada waged by the Palestinian people.
Lossero said in an exclusive statement to the PIC: “Israel’s cold-blooded and extra-judicial execution of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since early October is just a heinous crime.”
She added that the videos propagated online are just shocking and have to be sent to the International Criminal Court in Geneva.
The journalist said the pro-Israel lobbies in the western countries have been distorting facts about the nature of the anti-occupation Jerusalem Intifada.
She voiced hope that she can gain access to the blockaded Gaza Strip so that she can transmit to the western nations facts as they truly are on the ground.
“Our ethical duty does not only lie in searching for the truth and making ourselves knowledgeable about the real state of affairs but also in taking the necessary measures to raise peoples’ awareness,” the American journalist further reported.
Lossero said in an exclusive statement to the PIC: “Israel’s cold-blooded and extra-judicial execution of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since early October is just a heinous crime.”
She added that the videos propagated online are just shocking and have to be sent to the International Criminal Court in Geneva.
The journalist said the pro-Israel lobbies in the western countries have been distorting facts about the nature of the anti-occupation Jerusalem Intifada.
She voiced hope that she can gain access to the blockaded Gaza Strip so that she can transmit to the western nations facts as they truly are on the ground.
“Our ethical duty does not only lie in searching for the truth and making ourselves knowledgeable about the real state of affairs but also in taking the necessary measures to raise peoples’ awareness,” the American journalist further reported.
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Riyad Mansour said that Israel is harvesting the organs of Palestinians killed during the ongoing Jerusalem Intifada.
Riyad Mansour said in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday that the bodies of the Palestinians killed by Israeli forces are “returned with missing corneas and other organs, further confirming past reports about organ harvesting by the occupying power.”
“A medical examination conducted on bodies of Palestinians returned after they were killed by the occupying power found that they were missing organs,” Mansour wrote in the letter.
The issue of organ theft by Israel was first brought to the fore in a report published by Sweden’s most highly-circulated daily Aftonbladet in 2009.
The New York Times has also reported in 2014 that “transplant brokers in Israel have pocketed enormous sums of money.” Based on the report “Israelis have played a ‘disproportionate role’ in organ trafficking since 2000.”
According to the latest figures by the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 74 Palestinians were shot and killed at the hands of Israeli forces since the beginning of October.
The bodies of the Palestinian victims are most often held in Israeli custody for long periods of time before they are returned to relatives.
Palestinian UN observer: Israel is harvesting terrorists' organs
Palestinian Permanent Observer to the UN Riyad Mansour submitted a formal complaint against Israel on Wednesday, alleging that it had returned terrorists' bodies with organs missing.
"A medical examination conducted on bodies of Palestinians returned after they were killed by the occupying power found that they were missing organs," Mansour claimed in the letter.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon wrote a letter in response to the UN Secretary General, stating that "the Palestinian representative's anti-Semitic face has been revealed" and that the allegation was "blood libel".
Danon urged the UN to sharply condemn "the Palestinian representative's inflammatory statements and remove anti-Semitism from the hallways of the United Nations."
Riyad Mansour said in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday that the bodies of the Palestinians killed by Israeli forces are “returned with missing corneas and other organs, further confirming past reports about organ harvesting by the occupying power.”
“A medical examination conducted on bodies of Palestinians returned after they were killed by the occupying power found that they were missing organs,” Mansour wrote in the letter.
The issue of organ theft by Israel was first brought to the fore in a report published by Sweden’s most highly-circulated daily Aftonbladet in 2009.
The New York Times has also reported in 2014 that “transplant brokers in Israel have pocketed enormous sums of money.” Based on the report “Israelis have played a ‘disproportionate role’ in organ trafficking since 2000.”
According to the latest figures by the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 74 Palestinians were shot and killed at the hands of Israeli forces since the beginning of October.
The bodies of the Palestinian victims are most often held in Israeli custody for long periods of time before they are returned to relatives.
Palestinian UN observer: Israel is harvesting terrorists' organs
Palestinian Permanent Observer to the UN Riyad Mansour submitted a formal complaint against Israel on Wednesday, alleging that it had returned terrorists' bodies with organs missing.
"A medical examination conducted on bodies of Palestinians returned after they were killed by the occupying power found that they were missing organs," Mansour claimed in the letter.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon wrote a letter in response to the UN Secretary General, stating that "the Palestinian representative's anti-Semitic face has been revealed" and that the allegation was "blood libel".
Danon urged the UN to sharply condemn "the Palestinian representative's inflammatory statements and remove anti-Semitism from the hallways of the United Nations."
Samir Skafi, latest Palestinian to be killed by Israeli troops
The shooting of a Palestinian youth in Hebron Wednesday by Israeli soldiers brought the number of Palestinians slain since October 1st to 75.
57 have been killed in the West Bank, 17 in the Gaza Strip, and one in the Negev. More than 20% of those killed have been children.
The Ministry of Health said earlier this week that 2355 Palestinians were shot with live rounds and rubber-coated steel bullets, including many who suffered fractures and bruises after being repeatedly beaten by soldiers and paramilitary settlers in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.
The Ministry added that 1125 of the wounded Palestinians were shot with live rounds (732 of them in the West Bank), and 975 were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets (865 in the West Bank), and more than 5000 Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
235 Palestinians were injured after being assaulted and beaten by soldiers and paramilitary settlers, and 20 suffered burns due to Israeli gas bombs and concussion grenades.
In the Gaza Strip, 393 Palestinians have been shot with live army fire, 110 with rubber-coated steel bullets, and dozens suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
The number of wounded children in the West Bank is 325; 165 were shot with live army fire, 108 with rubber-coated steel bullets, 19 were directly shot with gas bombs, 33 were beaten by the soldiers. In Gaza, 170 children were shot, most of them with live rounds.
On Friday, October 30, a Palestinian baby suffocated to death from Israeli tear gas in Bethlehem a day after Israeli forces tore through a Bethlehem neighborhood shouting "we will gas you all to death".
The shooting of a Palestinian youth in Hebron Wednesday by Israeli soldiers brought the number of Palestinians slain since October 1st to 75.
57 have been killed in the West Bank, 17 in the Gaza Strip, and one in the Negev. More than 20% of those killed have been children.
The Ministry of Health said earlier this week that 2355 Palestinians were shot with live rounds and rubber-coated steel bullets, including many who suffered fractures and bruises after being repeatedly beaten by soldiers and paramilitary settlers in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.
The Ministry added that 1125 of the wounded Palestinians were shot with live rounds (732 of them in the West Bank), and 975 were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets (865 in the West Bank), and more than 5000 Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
235 Palestinians were injured after being assaulted and beaten by soldiers and paramilitary settlers, and 20 suffered burns due to Israeli gas bombs and concussion grenades.
In the Gaza Strip, 393 Palestinians have been shot with live army fire, 110 with rubber-coated steel bullets, and dozens suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
The number of wounded children in the West Bank is 325; 165 were shot with live army fire, 108 with rubber-coated steel bullets, 19 were directly shot with gas bombs, 33 were beaten by the soldiers. In Gaza, 170 children were shot, most of them with live rounds.
On Friday, October 30, a Palestinian baby suffocated to death from Israeli tear gas in Bethlehem a day after Israeli forces tore through a Bethlehem neighborhood shouting "we will gas you all to death".
Army Kidnaped 800 Children In October
Representative of Detained Palestinian children in Ofer Israeli prison, Abdul-Fattah Doula, said the Israeli army has transferred more than 138 children to the detention center in October, and that 48 of the kidnapped children have been beaten and tortured by the soldiers and interrogators.
Doula added that six of the imprisoned children were shot with live Israeli army fire prior to their abduction, and require constant medical attention and treatment, in addition to six children who suffer with various illnesses.
The children were beaten and tortured, resulting in various cuts and bruises, especially after the soldiers struck them with their batons and rifles on several parts of their bodies.
In addition, 71 of the detained children, 13 to 17 years of age, were kidnapped from their homes, during late-night and early dawn hours.
The Palestinian Detainees' Committee said the children have no change of clothes, are not provided with winter blankets, and are held under dire conditions unfit even for adults.
Head of the Detainees' Committee Issa Qaraqe said the soldiers have kidnapped 800 Palestinian children in October, and that most of them are from occupied Jerusalem.
Qaraqe’ added that the level of abductions of children is the highest since many years, as Israeli soldiers would usually annually kidnap 700-900 children, comparing to the 800 children kidnapped in October alone.
He added that Israel deliberately targets children as they "represent the future of Palestine, and the continuation of the struggle against its illegal and criminal occupation of Palestine."
The Detainees' Committee provided the following list of names of detainees who have been severely beaten during their arrest, and tortured during interrogation:
Representative of Detained Palestinian children in Ofer Israeli prison, Abdul-Fattah Doula, said the Israeli army has transferred more than 138 children to the detention center in October, and that 48 of the kidnapped children have been beaten and tortured by the soldiers and interrogators.
Doula added that six of the imprisoned children were shot with live Israeli army fire prior to their abduction, and require constant medical attention and treatment, in addition to six children who suffer with various illnesses.
The children were beaten and tortured, resulting in various cuts and bruises, especially after the soldiers struck them with their batons and rifles on several parts of their bodies.
In addition, 71 of the detained children, 13 to 17 years of age, were kidnapped from their homes, during late-night and early dawn hours.
The Palestinian Detainees' Committee said the children have no change of clothes, are not provided with winter blankets, and are held under dire conditions unfit even for adults.
Head of the Detainees' Committee Issa Qaraqe said the soldiers have kidnapped 800 Palestinian children in October, and that most of them are from occupied Jerusalem.
Qaraqe’ added that the level of abductions of children is the highest since many years, as Israeli soldiers would usually annually kidnap 700-900 children, comparing to the 800 children kidnapped in October alone.
He added that Israel deliberately targets children as they "represent the future of Palestine, and the continuation of the struggle against its illegal and criminal occupation of Palestine."
The Detainees' Committee provided the following list of names of detainees who have been severely beaten during their arrest, and tortured during interrogation:
1. Hamad Nadi Mohammad Gharbiyya, from Kafr Ni’ma – Ramallah.
2. Qais Mahdi Mohammad Hayek, from Jericho. 3. Ayham Marwan Naim Syouri, from Hebron. 4. Hasan Daoud Rajabi, from Hebron. 5. Rami Sa’id As’ad Minshar, from Hebron. 6. Fadi Mohammad Ali, from Ramallah. 7. Mahammad Mahmoud Omar Eshtiyya, from Kafr Ni’ma – Ramallah. 8. Anas Jamal Ahmad Abu Sharar, from Doura – Hebron. 9. Mahmoud Khalil Ahmad Abu Mfarreh, Teqoua’ – Bethlehem. 10. Ahmad Khaled Ahmad Awwad, al-Biereh – Ramallah. 11. Mahmoud Ali Abed Sabah, Teqoua’ – Bethlehem. 12. Mohammad Thiab Ali Sabah, Teqoua’ – Bethlehem. 13. Salam Adel Ahmad Qar’an, al-Biereh – Ramallah. 14. Mohammad Jouda Kathem Abu ‘Amro, Hebron. 15. Hamza Ayman Mohammad Naim, Beith Ummar – Hebron. 16. Adham Adnan Farhan Qar’an, al-Biereh – Ramallah. 17. Majdi Isamel Mohammad Salah, Bethlehem. 18. Ibrahim Jamil Salama Abu Seif – Qalandia – Ramallah. 19. Ahmad Salah Marwan Ahmad, Jericho. 20. Qussai Ibrahim Masalma, Beit ‘Awwa – Hebron. 21. Mohyeddin Ahmad ‘Amoud, Teqoua’ – Bethlehem. 22. Hussein Mahmoud Hussein Sleibi, Beit Ummar – Hebron. 23. Hamza Nader Azmi Abu Hlayyel, Doura – Hebron. 24. Waseem Taha Mohammad Abu Mariya, Beit Ummar – Hebron. |
25. Bassel Jamal Mohammad Bragheeth, Beit Ummar – Hebron.
26. Adnan Soheil Khaled Kawamla, al-‘Arroub – Hebron. 27. Khalil Mohammad Fares Qattash – Aqbat Jabr – Jericho. 28. Sultan Jad Mahmoud Hijazi – Ramallah. 29. Abdul-Rahim Mohammad Hameeda, Ramallah. 30. Omar Hussein Mahmoud al-Heeh, Surif – Hebron. 31. Naseem Taha Mohammad Abu Mariya, Beit Ummar – Hebron. 32. Tareq Nasser Hilmy Abu Ayyash, Beit Ummar – Hebron. 33. Mohammad Issa Zama’ra, Halhoul – Hebron. 34. Anas Jamal Abu Sharar, Doura – Hebron. 35. Bilal Ziad Ahmad Khatib, Yatta – Hebron. 36. Mo’men Rateb Mahmoud Awadallah – Teqoua’, Bethlehem. 37. Haroun Rashid Abdul-Ghani al-Karaki, Hebron. 38. Mohammad Anwar Mohammad Shreitih, Ramallah. 39. Ahmad Tareq Mohammad Abu Lateefa, Qalandia – Ramallah. 40. Sultan Mofeed Abu Halal, Abu Dis – Jerusalem. 41. Waseem Waleed Saher Rajabi – Hebron. 42. Laith Abdul-Karim Mahmoud Rayyan, Beit Doqqo – Jerusalem. 43. Mo’tasem Salman Sharawna, Doura – Hebron. 44. Nasser Abu Seif – Jericho. 45. Ameed Rajeh al-Kteifi – Jericho. 46. Mustafa Nael Omar Tal, al-Jalazoun – Ramallah. 47. ‘Awni Jalal Ahmad Salah, Abu Dis – Jerusalem. 48. Yazan Radi Yousef Qazzar, Doura – Hebron. |
The Hamas Movement and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Lebanon have called for necessarily establishing an Islamic-Arab safety net system for the support of al-Quds intifada (uprising) and the families of its martyrs.
This came during a meeting between Hamas's representative in Lebanon Ali Baraka and senior PFLP official Marwan Abdul-Al at the latter's office in Mar Elias refugee camp in Beirut.
The two sides tabled the general situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the refugee camps in Lebanon.
They hailed the courage of the intifada youths and paid tribute to those who were martyred, wounded and jailed for Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque, , according to a statement released by Hamas on Wednesday.
They stressed the importance of strengthening the Palestinian national unity, and backing and promoting the popular uprising against the Israeli occupation.
The Hamas and PFLP officials also expressed their condemnation of the US and international moves that are aimed to end al-Quds intifada without recognizing the Palestinian people's legitimate rights, and demanded president Mahmoud Abbas not to give in to any pressures in this regard.
Hamas Chief pushes for national strategy to uphold J’lem Intifada
Chairman of Hamas Political Bureau, Khaled Mishaal, urged on Wednesday the Palestinian factions to set up a national strategy to materialize the objectives of the ongoing Jerusalem Intifada.
“The fact that a real anti-occupation intifada is being waged with an unparalleled heroism, despite the region’s bleeding wounds, is enough proof that Palestine is always present,” Mishaal told reporters in a video-conference hosted by the Beit Al-Sahafa Foundation in Gaza.
“The flames of the Intifada were fanned from the al-Aqsa in response to Israel’s schemes to divide the mosque spatially and temporally,” Mishaal said.
“All disputes on whether we should name the ongoing event an intifada or a volatile moment of unrest should be halted,” he said. “Can’t we see that this is a real uprising in all possible senses of the term?”
According to Mishaal, the anti-occupation uprising calls attention to Israel’s and the U.S.’s “slip-ups” and “weak choices.”
He added that the battle against the Israeli occupation and its terrorism against Palestinians should be waged both on a national and international scale.
Hamas’ head called for a joint national roadmap, to be endorsed politically, so as to thwart Israel’s division schemes at al-Aqsa and aggression on the Palestinian people.
He further accentuated the need for the national leadership to acquire an intrinsic enthusiasm and determination to make Palestinians’ objectives see the day and step up pressure on the Israeli occupation.
In Mishaal’s view, in order for the uprising to succeed, a national unity, should be maintained and propped up both on the socio-political arena and the battleground.
He called on the Palestinian Authority to cease security coordination with the Israeli occupation.
Addressing the situation in Gaza, Mishaal urged all concerned parties to pool resources and assume their responsibility as regards the blockaded coastal enclave.
“Gaza’s wounds are deep, so deep that they cannot be borne anymore,” Mishaal stated.
Hamas Chief reiterated the group’s sincere keenness and underway endeavors to foster national reconciliation and unity by all means available.
This came during a meeting between Hamas's representative in Lebanon Ali Baraka and senior PFLP official Marwan Abdul-Al at the latter's office in Mar Elias refugee camp in Beirut.
The two sides tabled the general situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the refugee camps in Lebanon.
They hailed the courage of the intifada youths and paid tribute to those who were martyred, wounded and jailed for Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque, , according to a statement released by Hamas on Wednesday.
They stressed the importance of strengthening the Palestinian national unity, and backing and promoting the popular uprising against the Israeli occupation.
The Hamas and PFLP officials also expressed their condemnation of the US and international moves that are aimed to end al-Quds intifada without recognizing the Palestinian people's legitimate rights, and demanded president Mahmoud Abbas not to give in to any pressures in this regard.
Hamas Chief pushes for national strategy to uphold J’lem Intifada
Chairman of Hamas Political Bureau, Khaled Mishaal, urged on Wednesday the Palestinian factions to set up a national strategy to materialize the objectives of the ongoing Jerusalem Intifada.
“The fact that a real anti-occupation intifada is being waged with an unparalleled heroism, despite the region’s bleeding wounds, is enough proof that Palestine is always present,” Mishaal told reporters in a video-conference hosted by the Beit Al-Sahafa Foundation in Gaza.
“The flames of the Intifada were fanned from the al-Aqsa in response to Israel’s schemes to divide the mosque spatially and temporally,” Mishaal said.
“All disputes on whether we should name the ongoing event an intifada or a volatile moment of unrest should be halted,” he said. “Can’t we see that this is a real uprising in all possible senses of the term?”
According to Mishaal, the anti-occupation uprising calls attention to Israel’s and the U.S.’s “slip-ups” and “weak choices.”
He added that the battle against the Israeli occupation and its terrorism against Palestinians should be waged both on a national and international scale.
Hamas’ head called for a joint national roadmap, to be endorsed politically, so as to thwart Israel’s division schemes at al-Aqsa and aggression on the Palestinian people.
He further accentuated the need for the national leadership to acquire an intrinsic enthusiasm and determination to make Palestinians’ objectives see the day and step up pressure on the Israeli occupation.
In Mishaal’s view, in order for the uprising to succeed, a national unity, should be maintained and propped up both on the socio-political arena and the battleground.
He called on the Palestinian Authority to cease security coordination with the Israeli occupation.
Addressing the situation in Gaza, Mishaal urged all concerned parties to pool resources and assume their responsibility as regards the blockaded coastal enclave.
“Gaza’s wounds are deep, so deep that they cannot be borne anymore,” Mishaal stated.
Hamas Chief reiterated the group’s sincere keenness and underway endeavors to foster national reconciliation and unity by all means available.
4 nov 2015
The storm unleashed by Netanyahu when he addressed the Zionist Congress garnered responses from beyond the borders of the state of Jews, responses ranging from the tagging of Bibi as one who lost contact with reality to insults at his gross impertinence.
Within this colourful batter of responses it was difficult to find one that clarified the logic in the insanity behind Bibi's decision to invent history that would tie the Palestinians with the Nazis. Until a few months ago, during the fight against the nuclear agreement with Iran, the role of Nazis was saved for Iran. Several weeks ago, when discussions were held in the EU concerning the need to label settlement products, Bibi had a similar response: He declared that Europe had forgotten too quickly the period in which humans were labeled as non-humans, and he compared the labelling hand cream with the labelling of humans. This isn't only provocative demogagery, but additional proof of how Netanyahu endlessly describes how the enemies of Israel are plotting to destroy it and bring about another Holocaust. Netanyahu is now essentially telling us that the main regional power will be defeated by children and youth who set out on sacrifical actions using stones and knives against a massive military system.
This wave of sacrificial acts by Palestinian youth began after a lengthy period in which Netanyahu permitted messianic Jewish provocateurs to violate the status quo in Jerusalem's al Aqsa. Netanyahu blamed the Palestinians, including the Palestinian Authority (which serves as an Israeli flak jacket) for incitement and creating this current uprising, even though hatred of the Palestinian youth who conduct sacrificial operations is divided between Israel and its servant, Abu Mazen. During this period there was also increased oppression against Palestinians, both in the 1967 territories and within the official borders of the state of Jews. It appears that the increase of messianic tendencies of Netanyahu and his government are pushing the entire country to journeys of murder, terror and revenge. The Jewish leadership is again fitting the state of Jews and its residents into the straitjacket of the Zionist mantra “In every generation they rise up against us.” This false slogan has always served as justification for the crimes of Zionism.
The enlistment of Haj Amin al-Hussein to Netanyahu's scenario and his role as initiator of the destruction of European Jewry is not solely an attempt to sow hatred amongst Netanyahu's flock, but an intentional exercise in arousing mass fear of the Mufti's imaginary successors, such as Abu Mazen. Joseph Goebbels, the smiling Nazi minister of propaganda, terrorised the Germans with the contention that Germany is under attack by world Jewry, and thus brought about national unity against the Jews. Moreoever, frightening the German population from the “filthy schemes of the Jews” was one of the ways Nazis created delegitimisation and dehumanisation of the Jews in Germany, and it worked superbly. Netanyahu uses a similar method when he presents the victims of Israel's deepening occupation and oppression as cruel foes, aiming to destroy the Jews. Expoosed here is Netanyahu's reversal method, in which he projects onto the other side his own plans in order to justify actions against the Palestinians as “self defense”. Inflating the importance of the Mufti, who was a British-appointed leader, received bribes from the Jewish Agency and actually helped Zionism with his grandiose positions, is like all truths of Netanyahu: a factual and historical lie which hides political plans.
The new level of lies illustrates that Netanyahu's future plans have reached a stage requiring vigorous preparation of public opinion, preparation for which reality can provide no assistance. When Netanyahu's political plans are analysed it is obvious he has no intention of relinquishing Israeli control over occupied territories, and will not permit any rights for Palestinians in the greater apartheid state. Netanyahu's intention is to attempt and expel the Palestinians in every possible way from the expanded Jewish state and to erase them from the face of the earth. It appears he believes all the Zionist parties will support his actions, just as they supported his foolish and failed war against the nuclear agreement with Iran and the accusation of the Palestinian Authority of incitement and support of anti-Israeli terror.
The forces at Netanyahu's disposal for implementing his plan to expel the Palestinians and enlist the people of Israel to this campaign are, first and foremost, the complete lack of an opposition, both inside and outside of parliament, which challenges his leadership. There is no political figure in the entire Zionist system who can take into her or his hands the leadership of sinking Israel. Various in-depth polls show that Netanyahu has managed to establish himself as a leader for more than 55 percent of Israel's population. Also at his disposal, of course, are the settler storm troops, with whom Israeli governments have divied up the oppressive power of the state, and which will be happy to take part in such a plan. The Israeli army, which has been completely transformed in the past 25 years: its central command represents a national-religious and even ultra-orthodox nationalist force. A large part of this command follows rabbis of the Judeo-Nazi variety, which perceives Palestinians as the mythical Amalek. Add to this Israel's tamed media, which serves primarily as a sub-agent of the Israeli military spokesperson, as well as a reminder that amongst religious Zionists there exists an expanding group dreaming of “death camps for Amalek”, as reported by Yair Ettinger in Ha'aretz on 21 January 2011.
In his article, Ettinger quotes from the popular newsletter entitled Hayeshua, distributed free in synagogues and published by an association of the same name, whose heads are Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu from Safed, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner from Beit El and Rabbi Yaakov Ariel from Ramat Gan. According to Ettinger, the fire and brimstone of this group is saved primarily for rabbis who disagree with the association's leaders and primarily for Tzohar rabbis (considered moderate - AIC)...which it dubs “career rabbis”. The unsigned article contends that “the career rabbis” are only minor players amongst rabbis in Israel and it is doubtful they took part in “the history of our cultural struggles...it is interesting whether concentration of the Amaleks into death camps they will leave to others or perhaps they will rule that this is no longer relevant. Time will tell.” Of course, no legal advisor or other authority, including those shouting about Palestinian incitement, did not blame the document's authors for planning death camps or inciting for genocide.
This catastrophic situation is a result of the failure of the Zionist movement, which attempted to create a modern nation on the basis of a myth. The non-separation of religion from state resulted in the creation of a caricature of a nation on the basis of religion. The simple idea that the nationality of the Israeli citizen can simply be Israeli did not come to mind at all as Zionism is occupied with separating and not connecting Jews from others. Yet if the residents of the apartheid territory in Palestine wish for life, they must completely reject the idea that a Jewish state is an institution that can hold a community of people living in a democratic fashion. It is therefore not possible to separate the Jewish religion from the Jewish state without annulment of the latter. The current situation serves as a sharp reminder of the urgent historic need for the establishment of a secular democratic state, through establishment of a constituent assembly of all inhabitants of historical Palestine, an assembly that will issue an egalitarian constitution for this divided land, and will establish a state in which religion or lack thereof is the private matter of each citizen, and that the nation will include all of its citizens.
Within this colourful batter of responses it was difficult to find one that clarified the logic in the insanity behind Bibi's decision to invent history that would tie the Palestinians with the Nazis. Until a few months ago, during the fight against the nuclear agreement with Iran, the role of Nazis was saved for Iran. Several weeks ago, when discussions were held in the EU concerning the need to label settlement products, Bibi had a similar response: He declared that Europe had forgotten too quickly the period in which humans were labeled as non-humans, and he compared the labelling hand cream with the labelling of humans. This isn't only provocative demogagery, but additional proof of how Netanyahu endlessly describes how the enemies of Israel are plotting to destroy it and bring about another Holocaust. Netanyahu is now essentially telling us that the main regional power will be defeated by children and youth who set out on sacrifical actions using stones and knives against a massive military system.
This wave of sacrificial acts by Palestinian youth began after a lengthy period in which Netanyahu permitted messianic Jewish provocateurs to violate the status quo in Jerusalem's al Aqsa. Netanyahu blamed the Palestinians, including the Palestinian Authority (which serves as an Israeli flak jacket) for incitement and creating this current uprising, even though hatred of the Palestinian youth who conduct sacrificial operations is divided between Israel and its servant, Abu Mazen. During this period there was also increased oppression against Palestinians, both in the 1967 territories and within the official borders of the state of Jews. It appears that the increase of messianic tendencies of Netanyahu and his government are pushing the entire country to journeys of murder, terror and revenge. The Jewish leadership is again fitting the state of Jews and its residents into the straitjacket of the Zionist mantra “In every generation they rise up against us.” This false slogan has always served as justification for the crimes of Zionism.
The enlistment of Haj Amin al-Hussein to Netanyahu's scenario and his role as initiator of the destruction of European Jewry is not solely an attempt to sow hatred amongst Netanyahu's flock, but an intentional exercise in arousing mass fear of the Mufti's imaginary successors, such as Abu Mazen. Joseph Goebbels, the smiling Nazi minister of propaganda, terrorised the Germans with the contention that Germany is under attack by world Jewry, and thus brought about national unity against the Jews. Moreoever, frightening the German population from the “filthy schemes of the Jews” was one of the ways Nazis created delegitimisation and dehumanisation of the Jews in Germany, and it worked superbly. Netanyahu uses a similar method when he presents the victims of Israel's deepening occupation and oppression as cruel foes, aiming to destroy the Jews. Expoosed here is Netanyahu's reversal method, in which he projects onto the other side his own plans in order to justify actions against the Palestinians as “self defense”. Inflating the importance of the Mufti, who was a British-appointed leader, received bribes from the Jewish Agency and actually helped Zionism with his grandiose positions, is like all truths of Netanyahu: a factual and historical lie which hides political plans.
The new level of lies illustrates that Netanyahu's future plans have reached a stage requiring vigorous preparation of public opinion, preparation for which reality can provide no assistance. When Netanyahu's political plans are analysed it is obvious he has no intention of relinquishing Israeli control over occupied territories, and will not permit any rights for Palestinians in the greater apartheid state. Netanyahu's intention is to attempt and expel the Palestinians in every possible way from the expanded Jewish state and to erase them from the face of the earth. It appears he believes all the Zionist parties will support his actions, just as they supported his foolish and failed war against the nuclear agreement with Iran and the accusation of the Palestinian Authority of incitement and support of anti-Israeli terror.
The forces at Netanyahu's disposal for implementing his plan to expel the Palestinians and enlist the people of Israel to this campaign are, first and foremost, the complete lack of an opposition, both inside and outside of parliament, which challenges his leadership. There is no political figure in the entire Zionist system who can take into her or his hands the leadership of sinking Israel. Various in-depth polls show that Netanyahu has managed to establish himself as a leader for more than 55 percent of Israel's population. Also at his disposal, of course, are the settler storm troops, with whom Israeli governments have divied up the oppressive power of the state, and which will be happy to take part in such a plan. The Israeli army, which has been completely transformed in the past 25 years: its central command represents a national-religious and even ultra-orthodox nationalist force. A large part of this command follows rabbis of the Judeo-Nazi variety, which perceives Palestinians as the mythical Amalek. Add to this Israel's tamed media, which serves primarily as a sub-agent of the Israeli military spokesperson, as well as a reminder that amongst religious Zionists there exists an expanding group dreaming of “death camps for Amalek”, as reported by Yair Ettinger in Ha'aretz on 21 January 2011.
In his article, Ettinger quotes from the popular newsletter entitled Hayeshua, distributed free in synagogues and published by an association of the same name, whose heads are Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu from Safed, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner from Beit El and Rabbi Yaakov Ariel from Ramat Gan. According to Ettinger, the fire and brimstone of this group is saved primarily for rabbis who disagree with the association's leaders and primarily for Tzohar rabbis (considered moderate - AIC)...which it dubs “career rabbis”. The unsigned article contends that “the career rabbis” are only minor players amongst rabbis in Israel and it is doubtful they took part in “the history of our cultural struggles...it is interesting whether concentration of the Amaleks into death camps they will leave to others or perhaps they will rule that this is no longer relevant. Time will tell.” Of course, no legal advisor or other authority, including those shouting about Palestinian incitement, did not blame the document's authors for planning death camps or inciting for genocide.
This catastrophic situation is a result of the failure of the Zionist movement, which attempted to create a modern nation on the basis of a myth. The non-separation of religion from state resulted in the creation of a caricature of a nation on the basis of religion. The simple idea that the nationality of the Israeli citizen can simply be Israeli did not come to mind at all as Zionism is occupied with separating and not connecting Jews from others. Yet if the residents of the apartheid territory in Palestine wish for life, they must completely reject the idea that a Jewish state is an institution that can hold a community of people living in a democratic fashion. It is therefore not possible to separate the Jewish religion from the Jewish state without annulment of the latter. The current situation serves as a sharp reminder of the urgent historic need for the establishment of a secular democratic state, through establishment of a constituent assembly of all inhabitants of historical Palestine, an assembly that will issue an egalitarian constitution for this divided land, and will establish a state in which religion or lack thereof is the private matter of each citizen, and that the nation will include all of its citizens.
By Khalid Amayreh in occupied Palestine
During a visit to the town of Affula, north east of Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu blamed Muslim extremism for "this wave of violence and terror that Israel is witnessing today."
Netanyahu, a habitual liar who thinks mendacious PR comes first before everything else, ignored the legitimate causes that made Palestinians, especially youngsters, risk their lives and get murdered by trigger-happy Israeli soldiers and settlers.
Netanyahu is not a liar who thinks he is honest and telling the truth. He knows deep in his heart that he is dishonest and not telling the truth.
Otherwise, he would have alluded to Jewish extremism which not only produced his own government, evidently the most extremist in Israel's history, but is morphing the entire region into a powder keg as a result of tampering with the sensitive issue of Jerusalem, especially the Aqsa Mosque.
No one is denying the existence of extremists among the followers of all religions.
However, blaming Muslim extremists for all the trouble in the world is beyond the pale.
In the final analysis, it is mostly Muslims who are being victimized, even exterminated, in many parts of the globe at the hands of those self-righteous states that claim to be fighting terror.
Just consider the genocidal anti-Muslim pogroms in places like Myanmar and the Central African Republic where Muslim civilians have been burned to death very much like Jews were in concentration camps in Europe in the mid-forties of the past century.
Or consider Afghanistan and Pakistan where civilians are haphazardly and blithely murdered under the rubric of fighting Taliban.
Or in Syria, where superpowers that are supposed to maintain world peace, are conducting a slow-motion holocaust against the people of Syria, triggering massive waves of refugees, fleeing death and terror.
Or in Iraq, where vengeful sectarian gangs are carrying out murderous ethnic cleansing against Muslims.
Or, indeed, in Palestine, where the grandchildren and great grand-children of the Holocaust victims and survivors are murdering (and burning alive) Palestinian children, on no other accounts than the victims want to be free from Zionist oppression and racism.
So, it is mainly Muslims, not Jews, or Christians or Buddhists, who are bearing the brunt of terror and religious intolerance in the world today.
True, with the help of modern media, a highlighted criminal act by violent groups such as ISIS might give impression that the group represents ultimate evil whereas truly criminal entities such Israel and the Assad regime stand out as more reasonable.
But this is not true.
In the final analysis, Israel stole Palestine from its legitimate owners, the Palestinians, murdered them, destroyed their homes, bulldozed their fields and then dispersed them to the four winds.
And at the top of this, Israel added insult to injury by calling its victims "terrorists."
It is really sad and lamentable that Netanyahu leads Jews, a people who once valued truth, honesty and justice before Zionism led many them astray, transforming them into land thieves and child killers.
Today, the Netanyahu government is the biggest sponsor of extremism in Israel-Palestine.
The Netanyahu government is the sponsor, enabler and ultimate protector of Messianic Jewish thugs who are ganging up on helpless Palestinians on the hills of the West Bank.
Today, the Netanyahu government, which has effectively killed any remaining realistic chances for a just and durable peace in Palestine-Israel is encouraging Jewish fanatics and Gush Emunim gangs to trigger a religious war with the Muslim world by tampering with the delicate status quo at the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) in Jerusalem.
Today, the Netanyahu government is suffocating or trying to suffocate every legitimate expression of Palestinian grievances, pushing them to the squares of despair, frustration and violence.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak was once quoted as saying that had he been born a Palestinian, he would probably have become a "terrorist."
Barak was by means a paragon of honesty, but his unintended remark was a slip of a tongue that spelled volumes.
But Netanyahu is much worse. What else can be said of a leader whose policy is mendacity and whose shield is dishonesty?
Yes, the Palestinians are undergoing hard times. They have always found themselves facing hard times.
But Jews should also brace for harder times ahead.
Now, with the two-state solution practically dead, the consequences of decades of stone-walling, intransigence and arrogance of power will soon begin to reveal themselves. But it would be too late for Israel and the Jews.
During a visit to the town of Affula, north east of Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu blamed Muslim extremism for "this wave of violence and terror that Israel is witnessing today."
Netanyahu, a habitual liar who thinks mendacious PR comes first before everything else, ignored the legitimate causes that made Palestinians, especially youngsters, risk their lives and get murdered by trigger-happy Israeli soldiers and settlers.
Netanyahu is not a liar who thinks he is honest and telling the truth. He knows deep in his heart that he is dishonest and not telling the truth.
Otherwise, he would have alluded to Jewish extremism which not only produced his own government, evidently the most extremist in Israel's history, but is morphing the entire region into a powder keg as a result of tampering with the sensitive issue of Jerusalem, especially the Aqsa Mosque.
No one is denying the existence of extremists among the followers of all religions.
However, blaming Muslim extremists for all the trouble in the world is beyond the pale.
In the final analysis, it is mostly Muslims who are being victimized, even exterminated, in many parts of the globe at the hands of those self-righteous states that claim to be fighting terror.
Just consider the genocidal anti-Muslim pogroms in places like Myanmar and the Central African Republic where Muslim civilians have been burned to death very much like Jews were in concentration camps in Europe in the mid-forties of the past century.
Or consider Afghanistan and Pakistan where civilians are haphazardly and blithely murdered under the rubric of fighting Taliban.
Or in Syria, where superpowers that are supposed to maintain world peace, are conducting a slow-motion holocaust against the people of Syria, triggering massive waves of refugees, fleeing death and terror.
Or in Iraq, where vengeful sectarian gangs are carrying out murderous ethnic cleansing against Muslims.
Or, indeed, in Palestine, where the grandchildren and great grand-children of the Holocaust victims and survivors are murdering (and burning alive) Palestinian children, on no other accounts than the victims want to be free from Zionist oppression and racism.
So, it is mainly Muslims, not Jews, or Christians or Buddhists, who are bearing the brunt of terror and religious intolerance in the world today.
True, with the help of modern media, a highlighted criminal act by violent groups such as ISIS might give impression that the group represents ultimate evil whereas truly criminal entities such Israel and the Assad regime stand out as more reasonable.
But this is not true.
In the final analysis, Israel stole Palestine from its legitimate owners, the Palestinians, murdered them, destroyed their homes, bulldozed their fields and then dispersed them to the four winds.
And at the top of this, Israel added insult to injury by calling its victims "terrorists."
It is really sad and lamentable that Netanyahu leads Jews, a people who once valued truth, honesty and justice before Zionism led many them astray, transforming them into land thieves and child killers.
Today, the Netanyahu government is the biggest sponsor of extremism in Israel-Palestine.
The Netanyahu government is the sponsor, enabler and ultimate protector of Messianic Jewish thugs who are ganging up on helpless Palestinians on the hills of the West Bank.
Today, the Netanyahu government, which has effectively killed any remaining realistic chances for a just and durable peace in Palestine-Israel is encouraging Jewish fanatics and Gush Emunim gangs to trigger a religious war with the Muslim world by tampering with the delicate status quo at the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) in Jerusalem.
Today, the Netanyahu government is suffocating or trying to suffocate every legitimate expression of Palestinian grievances, pushing them to the squares of despair, frustration and violence.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak was once quoted as saying that had he been born a Palestinian, he would probably have become a "terrorist."
Barak was by means a paragon of honesty, but his unintended remark was a slip of a tongue that spelled volumes.
But Netanyahu is much worse. What else can be said of a leader whose policy is mendacity and whose shield is dishonesty?
Yes, the Palestinians are undergoing hard times. They have always found themselves facing hard times.
But Jews should also brace for harder times ahead.
Now, with the two-state solution practically dead, the consequences of decades of stone-walling, intransigence and arrogance of power will soon begin to reveal themselves. But it would be too late for Israel and the Jews.
Robert Piper, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territories, slammed the ongoing Israeli raids on al-Makassid hospital, in Occupied Jerusalem.
“Actions that undermine the ability of health workers to provide care to those in need are violations of international law,” Robert Piper said.
The conduct by the Israeli occupation forces during several raids on al-Makassid hospital this past week is unacceptable and must not be repeated, he added.
For three straight days, On October 27, 28, and 29 the Israeli occupation soldiers rampaged through East Jerusalem’s only emergency hospital, located on the Mount of Olives, demanding the medical records of a Palestinian child in Israeli custody.
On October 29 the occupation patrols discharged heavy barrages of tear gas canisters inside the hospital halls, where medics were peacefully rallying in protest at earlier raids.
The raids at al-Makassid last month interrupted the treatment of patients. The medical staff were prevented from doing their work and their sense of security and safety was seriously jeopardized.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation troops afternoon Tuesday stormed the Baladna medical complex in al-Issawiya village, in Occupied Jerusalem.
Medical and human rights groups say the raids are part of a pattern of Israeli obstruction of medical care in the occupied city.
Activist Mohamed Abu al-Hums said the raid was launched under the pretext of searching medical records of Palestinians shot and injured in anti-occupation clashes.
The activist slammed the raid, branding it a serious escalation and a new violation of patients’ and medics’ rights.
He said the occupation troops further kidnapped the youngster Ameer Mustafa before they backtracked.
Over the last month, the Israeli occupation forces have seriously hindered medical care for Palestinians by blocking ambulances at checkpoints, harassing medics and violating patient privacy.
“Actions that undermine the ability of health workers to provide care to those in need are violations of international law,” Robert Piper said.
The conduct by the Israeli occupation forces during several raids on al-Makassid hospital this past week is unacceptable and must not be repeated, he added.
For three straight days, On October 27, 28, and 29 the Israeli occupation soldiers rampaged through East Jerusalem’s only emergency hospital, located on the Mount of Olives, demanding the medical records of a Palestinian child in Israeli custody.
On October 29 the occupation patrols discharged heavy barrages of tear gas canisters inside the hospital halls, where medics were peacefully rallying in protest at earlier raids.
The raids at al-Makassid last month interrupted the treatment of patients. The medical staff were prevented from doing their work and their sense of security and safety was seriously jeopardized.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation troops afternoon Tuesday stormed the Baladna medical complex in al-Issawiya village, in Occupied Jerusalem.
Medical and human rights groups say the raids are part of a pattern of Israeli obstruction of medical care in the occupied city.
Activist Mohamed Abu al-Hums said the raid was launched under the pretext of searching medical records of Palestinians shot and injured in anti-occupation clashes.
The activist slammed the raid, branding it a serious escalation and a new violation of patients’ and medics’ rights.
He said the occupation troops further kidnapped the youngster Ameer Mustafa before they backtracked.
Over the last month, the Israeli occupation forces have seriously hindered medical care for Palestinians by blocking ambulances at checkpoints, harassing medics and violating patient privacy.
Dozens of Palestinian women at noontime Tuesday took to Nablus streets, in the northern occupied West Bank, to denounce the horrendous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian civilians, particularly women.
Local sources said the rally was staged by the General Union of Palestinian Women.
Dozens of activists and representative of human rights institutions roamed Nablus streets, chanting slogans demanding an end to the Israeli crimes against Palestinians.
The rally-goers lifted photos of Palestinian female detainees and raised banners calling to protect the Palestinian people and impeach the Israeli criminals.
Palestinian girls and women who have been active in the ongoing Jerusalem Intifada, flaring up since early October, have either been executed or kidnapped by the Israeli occupation troops on allegations that they stabbed army soldiers or attempted to do so.
Two female minors 16-year-old Bayan Asili and 17-year-old Dania Ershid were cold-bloodedly slain by the Israeli occupation army on the same alleged grounds.
Four Palestinian young ladies and a two-year-old baby girl were among 74 Palestinians cold-bloodedly executed by the Israeli occupation forces in the ongoing uprising.
Local sources said the rally was staged by the General Union of Palestinian Women.
Dozens of activists and representative of human rights institutions roamed Nablus streets, chanting slogans demanding an end to the Israeli crimes against Palestinians.
The rally-goers lifted photos of Palestinian female detainees and raised banners calling to protect the Palestinian people and impeach the Israeli criminals.
Palestinian girls and women who have been active in the ongoing Jerusalem Intifada, flaring up since early October, have either been executed or kidnapped by the Israeli occupation troops on allegations that they stabbed army soldiers or attempted to do so.
Two female minors 16-year-old Bayan Asili and 17-year-old Dania Ershid were cold-bloodedly slain by the Israeli occupation army on the same alleged grounds.
Four Palestinian young ladies and a two-year-old baby girl were among 74 Palestinians cold-bloodedly executed by the Israeli occupation forces in the ongoing uprising.
3 nov 2015
Palestinians mourn over the bodies of three Palestinians who were killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Hebron on 31 October, after their bodies were released by Israeli authorities. Amnesty International says several youths in the city were extrajudicially executed by Israel.
A week ago, Amnesty International published a report on Israel’s summary executions of Palestinians.
As The Electronic Intifada reported, the human rights group said it had “documented in depth at least four incidents in which Palestinians were deliberately shot dead by Israeli forces when they posed no imminent threat to life, in what appear to have been extrajudicial executions.”
It examined the killings of teenagers Saad al-Atrash, Dania Irsheid, Fadi Alloun and Hadil Hashlamoun.
“In some cases,” Amnesty said, “the person shot was left bleeding to death on the ground and was not given prompt medical assistance, in violation of the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment.”
Amnesty published an Arabic-language release of its report that is faithful to the English version.
Yet the no-holds-barred report was considerably softened for the organizations’s much shorter Hebrew press release (translation below).
“Israeli palate”At the Hebrew-language news website Local Call, journalist Noam Rotem wrote that the Hebrew version looked like it had been changed “in order to adapt it to the Israeli palate.”
He observed that the Hebrew release sent to journalists by Amnesty’s Israel office “is entirely different from the original press release issued by the organization in English.”
The English version is clear right from the headline about who is responsible for violence: “Israeli forces in occupied Palestinian territories must end pattern of unlawful killings.”
The Hebrew headline is more circumspect: “Lethal force should not be used to eradicate a violent incident.” (The Hebrew version does include the headline that appeared in the English version, but only as a sub-heading.)
The differences go deeper. “The Hebrew version makes significant efforts to stress Palestinian violence,” Rotem observed.
It does speak about “unlawful killings” by Israelis but, unlike the English/Arabic version, omits the term “extrajudicial executions.”
The English/Arabic version also includes several quotes from Philip Luther, director of Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa program.
“There is mounting evidence that, as tensions have risen dramatically, in some cases Israeli forces appear to have ripped up the rulebook and resorted to extreme and unlawful measures,” Luther states. “They seem increasingly prone to using lethal force against anyone they perceive as posing a threat, without ensuring that the threat is real.”
Luther also notes that “Israel’s investigation systems have long served to perpetuate impunity for unlawful killings of Palestinians by Israeli military and police forces,” and he warns of the potential for international justice to take its course.
The Hebrew language version omits these key quotes and includes only one where Luther emphasizes “a wave of recent stabbing attacks by Palestinians against Israeli civilians and military or police forces in Israel and the occupied West Bank.”
Finally, most of the specific cases in the English/Arabic version are absent from the Hebrew release.
For the one case that is discussed – the killing of Yousef al-Atrash on 26 October – the Hebrew version leaves out key details. It acknowledges that al-Atrash was shot as he tried to pull out his ID to show Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint in Hebron, and that an eyewitness “said that the young man did not constitute a life-endangering threat when shot.”
But it omits testimony that after al-Atrash was shot six or seven times, soldiers left him bleeding on the ground without medical care for 40 minutes, and then when an ambulance arrived, delayed it for a further 20 minutes.
The Hebrew version also does not mention that the eyewitness claimed to see soldiers plant a knife in the dying youth’s hand.
Amnesty’s response“It is normal practice for national sections of Amnesty International to condense press releases issued by the organization’s International Secretariat during translation,” Amnesty’s Philip Luther explained in an email responding to an inquiry from The Electronic Intifada.
He said that the national sections typically only issue one-page press releases “while making the full English-language original version available as well.”
“The intention is always to produce a faithful summary of the original.”
But Luther acknowledged that “in this case, the condensed Hebrew-language summary was not of the quality we would normally expect and we can see how a comparison of the Hebrew-language and English-language versions of the press release in question would provoke questions about discrepancies between the content of the two texts.”
Luther said that unspecified “Action is being taken now to ensure the quality of such translations is always of the right quality in the future.”
He added that “there was no intention to alter the strong messages contained in the English-language original, which was, as always, shared with Israeli media.”
Given how complicit Israeli media are in inciting and covering up violence against Palestinians, Amnesty should be making extra efforts to ensure that its findings are not whitewashed, no matter what the reason.
Dena Shunra provided Hebrew translation.
Translation of Hebrew press release[Emphasis in original]
Amnesty International 28 October 2015 Press Release
Amnesty: lethal force should not be used to eradicate a violent incident
Israeli forces must put an end to the unlawful killing of Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories
Israeli forces have carried out unlawful killings of Palestinians in a series of events, using lethal force intentionally with no justification, it transpires from the findings of a study performed by Amnesty International.
The information is based on the findings of research that is still ongoing in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Amnesty International has documented in depth at least four incidents where the Israeli forces intentionally killed Palestinians, despite the fact that there was no life-threatening danger to those forces. Since 1 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 30 Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank and in Israel, after individual Palestinians stabbed Israeli citizens or after Israel suspected there was an intention to perform a stabbing.
“There is recently a pattern of using lethal force by Israeli forces following the wave of stabbing attacks by Palestinians against Israeli civilians, military forces and police forces in the occupied Palestinian territories and in Israel,” said Philp Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa programs at Amnesty International.
Among documented cases, Israeli forces shot 19-year old Saad Muhammad Yusif al-Atrash in the Old City of Hebron, when he tried to draw out his ID document, as he was asked to do in the Israeli army checkpoint on 26 October. The Israel Police labeled the case as an “attempted stabbing,” but eyewitnesses from a balcony near the site of the incident said that the young man did not constitute a life-endangering threat when he was shot[.]
“Israeli security forces and Israeli civilians have contended with real attacks and threats to their lives in recent weeks,” stated Luther. “However the armed soldiers and the police personnel wear body armor against possible knife attacks – lead to the use of lethal force[.]” [sic]
Amnesty International calls upon the Israeli authorities to conduct independent, unbiased investigations into all the events specified in the report. Intentional killing of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories are serious violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
PFD in Hebrew
A week ago, Amnesty International published a report on Israel’s summary executions of Palestinians.
As The Electronic Intifada reported, the human rights group said it had “documented in depth at least four incidents in which Palestinians were deliberately shot dead by Israeli forces when they posed no imminent threat to life, in what appear to have been extrajudicial executions.”
It examined the killings of teenagers Saad al-Atrash, Dania Irsheid, Fadi Alloun and Hadil Hashlamoun.
“In some cases,” Amnesty said, “the person shot was left bleeding to death on the ground and was not given prompt medical assistance, in violation of the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment.”
Amnesty published an Arabic-language release of its report that is faithful to the English version.
Yet the no-holds-barred report was considerably softened for the organizations’s much shorter Hebrew press release (translation below).
“Israeli palate”At the Hebrew-language news website Local Call, journalist Noam Rotem wrote that the Hebrew version looked like it had been changed “in order to adapt it to the Israeli palate.”
He observed that the Hebrew release sent to journalists by Amnesty’s Israel office “is entirely different from the original press release issued by the organization in English.”
The English version is clear right from the headline about who is responsible for violence: “Israeli forces in occupied Palestinian territories must end pattern of unlawful killings.”
The Hebrew headline is more circumspect: “Lethal force should not be used to eradicate a violent incident.” (The Hebrew version does include the headline that appeared in the English version, but only as a sub-heading.)
The differences go deeper. “The Hebrew version makes significant efforts to stress Palestinian violence,” Rotem observed.
It does speak about “unlawful killings” by Israelis but, unlike the English/Arabic version, omits the term “extrajudicial executions.”
The English/Arabic version also includes several quotes from Philip Luther, director of Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa program.
“There is mounting evidence that, as tensions have risen dramatically, in some cases Israeli forces appear to have ripped up the rulebook and resorted to extreme and unlawful measures,” Luther states. “They seem increasingly prone to using lethal force against anyone they perceive as posing a threat, without ensuring that the threat is real.”
Luther also notes that “Israel’s investigation systems have long served to perpetuate impunity for unlawful killings of Palestinians by Israeli military and police forces,” and he warns of the potential for international justice to take its course.
The Hebrew language version omits these key quotes and includes only one where Luther emphasizes “a wave of recent stabbing attacks by Palestinians against Israeli civilians and military or police forces in Israel and the occupied West Bank.”
Finally, most of the specific cases in the English/Arabic version are absent from the Hebrew release.
For the one case that is discussed – the killing of Yousef al-Atrash on 26 October – the Hebrew version leaves out key details. It acknowledges that al-Atrash was shot as he tried to pull out his ID to show Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint in Hebron, and that an eyewitness “said that the young man did not constitute a life-endangering threat when shot.”
But it omits testimony that after al-Atrash was shot six or seven times, soldiers left him bleeding on the ground without medical care for 40 minutes, and then when an ambulance arrived, delayed it for a further 20 minutes.
The Hebrew version also does not mention that the eyewitness claimed to see soldiers plant a knife in the dying youth’s hand.
Amnesty’s response“It is normal practice for national sections of Amnesty International to condense press releases issued by the organization’s International Secretariat during translation,” Amnesty’s Philip Luther explained in an email responding to an inquiry from The Electronic Intifada.
He said that the national sections typically only issue one-page press releases “while making the full English-language original version available as well.”
“The intention is always to produce a faithful summary of the original.”
But Luther acknowledged that “in this case, the condensed Hebrew-language summary was not of the quality we would normally expect and we can see how a comparison of the Hebrew-language and English-language versions of the press release in question would provoke questions about discrepancies between the content of the two texts.”
Luther said that unspecified “Action is being taken now to ensure the quality of such translations is always of the right quality in the future.”
He added that “there was no intention to alter the strong messages contained in the English-language original, which was, as always, shared with Israeli media.”
Given how complicit Israeli media are in inciting and covering up violence against Palestinians, Amnesty should be making extra efforts to ensure that its findings are not whitewashed, no matter what the reason.
Dena Shunra provided Hebrew translation.
Translation of Hebrew press release[Emphasis in original]
Amnesty International 28 October 2015 Press Release
Amnesty: lethal force should not be used to eradicate a violent incident
Israeli forces must put an end to the unlawful killing of Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories
Israeli forces have carried out unlawful killings of Palestinians in a series of events, using lethal force intentionally with no justification, it transpires from the findings of a study performed by Amnesty International.
The information is based on the findings of research that is still ongoing in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Amnesty International has documented in depth at least four incidents where the Israeli forces intentionally killed Palestinians, despite the fact that there was no life-threatening danger to those forces. Since 1 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 30 Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank and in Israel, after individual Palestinians stabbed Israeli citizens or after Israel suspected there was an intention to perform a stabbing.
“There is recently a pattern of using lethal force by Israeli forces following the wave of stabbing attacks by Palestinians against Israeli civilians, military forces and police forces in the occupied Palestinian territories and in Israel,” said Philp Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa programs at Amnesty International.
Among documented cases, Israeli forces shot 19-year old Saad Muhammad Yusif al-Atrash in the Old City of Hebron, when he tried to draw out his ID document, as he was asked to do in the Israeli army checkpoint on 26 October. The Israel Police labeled the case as an “attempted stabbing,” but eyewitnesses from a balcony near the site of the incident said that the young man did not constitute a life-endangering threat when he was shot[.]
“Israeli security forces and Israeli civilians have contended with real attacks and threats to their lives in recent weeks,” stated Luther. “However the armed soldiers and the police personnel wear body armor against possible knife attacks – lead to the use of lethal force[.]” [sic]
Amnesty International calls upon the Israeli authorities to conduct independent, unbiased investigations into all the events specified in the report. Intentional killing of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories are serious violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
PFD in Hebrew
The “Temple Mount Youths” declared its intention to hold a meeting in Jaffa next Thursday to discuss the issue of the alleged “Temple” with the participation of MK Moshe Feiglin.
Israeli police and intelligence services have earlier declared rejection to provide security for the scheduled meeting.
The meeting’s organizers have received an advice from the police warning against the serious consequences of holding the meeting in Jaffa.
Such meetings and issues would ignite tension and clashes in the city, the police warned.
Despite the police’s warnings, the group renewed calls for holding the meeting as scheduled with the possibility of changing its location.
Commenting on the issue, head of the Islamic Supreme Authority in Jaffa Mohamed al-Ashqar said that the meeting, if held, would be in provocation to the Palestinian people in Jaffa, who are well known by their support for al-Aqsa Mosque and occupied Jerusalem.
He emphasized that al-Aqsa Mosque will forever remain solely for Muslims.
Israeli police and intelligence services have earlier declared rejection to provide security for the scheduled meeting.
The meeting’s organizers have received an advice from the police warning against the serious consequences of holding the meeting in Jaffa.
Such meetings and issues would ignite tension and clashes in the city, the police warned.
Despite the police’s warnings, the group renewed calls for holding the meeting as scheduled with the possibility of changing its location.
Commenting on the issue, head of the Islamic Supreme Authority in Jaffa Mohamed al-Ashqar said that the meeting, if held, would be in provocation to the Palestinian people in Jaffa, who are well known by their support for al-Aqsa Mosque and occupied Jerusalem.
He emphasized that al-Aqsa Mosque will forever remain solely for Muslims.
The council of Palestinian human rights organizations charged Israeli Occupation Authority (IOA) of deliberate detention of the bodies of Palestinian martyrs who have been killed by Israeli soldiers since October the first to conceal its crimes.
In a statement on Tuesday, the council revealed that Israeli forces are still detaining 23 bodies of martyrs including four bodies of minors and two girls.
The council called on the international organizations to intervene in order to release martyrs’ bodies.
The council called for a Palestinian and international supervision on the dissection of all of the victims' bodies in order to examine the real causes of their death, the types of weapons used in killing, and the distances from which bullets were fired.
The council which includes a coalition of 12 Palestinian human rights organizations underlined that detaining the bodies of Palestinian martyrs aims at concealing the Israeli crimes and comes within the Israeli policy of collective punishment against Palestinians.
In a statement on Tuesday, the council revealed that Israeli forces are still detaining 23 bodies of martyrs including four bodies of minors and two girls.
The council called on the international organizations to intervene in order to release martyrs’ bodies.
The council called for a Palestinian and international supervision on the dissection of all of the victims' bodies in order to examine the real causes of their death, the types of weapons used in killing, and the distances from which bullets were fired.
The council which includes a coalition of 12 Palestinian human rights organizations underlined that detaining the bodies of Palestinian martyrs aims at concealing the Israeli crimes and comes within the Israeli policy of collective punishment against Palestinians.
Suhair Zaqout, the Red Cross spokesperson in Gaza, described the Israeli resolution to demolish Palestinian houses in Jerusalem and the West Bank as a collective punishment that is internationally prohibited.
Zaqout pointed out, in an interview with the PIC in Gaza, that the number of injured Palestinians reached 3,600 in Jerusalem and the West Bank in October. She added that the Red Cross is documenting the Israeli crimes, and is asking the Israeli government in non-public sessions to respect the international law.
Israeli live ammunition
Regarding the Israeli field executions against Palestinians, Zaqout demanded the Israeli army not to use live ammunition since Palestinians are unarmed and pose no real threat. She mentioned that this point is referred to in the dialogues with the Israeli government.
Humanitarian diplomacy, according to Zaqout, plays a role in delivering the Palestinian suffering to the world at international events, as the Red Cross is present in such events.
In respect to the Israeli violations against journalists, Zaqout confirmed that international law protects journalists and that the Red Cross is taking the necessary procedures to ensure their rights.
Gaza Strip
Zaqout pointed out that the Palestinians of Gaza have endured a lot of suffering, especially during the 51-day Israeli assault last summer. She confirmed that the Gaza people’s life is not easy-going as the Strip is still waiting for the reconstruction process that has slowly started, even after a year and half of the Israeli aggression.
She called for breaking down all the restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip in order to allow the people of Gaza get construction materials and humanitarian help, referring to the electricity, water, and salaries problems that the people of Gaza are going through among other problems.
Assistance programs
Zaqout mentioned that the Red Cross cannot take the responsibilities of the authorities, but it is still providing some programs to help.
The Red Cross, according to Zaqout, is working on a land reclamation program for 10 thousand dunums in the border areas of Gaza. Moreover, the Red Cross is maintaining contacts with the Gaza Ministry of Health to develop the human resources to help the Ministry.
She confirmed that the Red Cross is still having the same budget for the Palestinian territories, in spite of the financial crisis that is affecting many international organizations. She also assured that the Red Cross budget was not affected in 2015, and it will not be affected in 2016.
Zaqout pointed out, in an interview with the PIC in Gaza, that the number of injured Palestinians reached 3,600 in Jerusalem and the West Bank in October. She added that the Red Cross is documenting the Israeli crimes, and is asking the Israeli government in non-public sessions to respect the international law.
Israeli live ammunition
Regarding the Israeli field executions against Palestinians, Zaqout demanded the Israeli army not to use live ammunition since Palestinians are unarmed and pose no real threat. She mentioned that this point is referred to in the dialogues with the Israeli government.
Humanitarian diplomacy, according to Zaqout, plays a role in delivering the Palestinian suffering to the world at international events, as the Red Cross is present in such events.
In respect to the Israeli violations against journalists, Zaqout confirmed that international law protects journalists and that the Red Cross is taking the necessary procedures to ensure their rights.
Gaza Strip
Zaqout pointed out that the Palestinians of Gaza have endured a lot of suffering, especially during the 51-day Israeli assault last summer. She confirmed that the Gaza people’s life is not easy-going as the Strip is still waiting for the reconstruction process that has slowly started, even after a year and half of the Israeli aggression.
She called for breaking down all the restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip in order to allow the people of Gaza get construction materials and humanitarian help, referring to the electricity, water, and salaries problems that the people of Gaza are going through among other problems.
Assistance programs
Zaqout mentioned that the Red Cross cannot take the responsibilities of the authorities, but it is still providing some programs to help.
The Red Cross, according to Zaqout, is working on a land reclamation program for 10 thousand dunums in the border areas of Gaza. Moreover, the Red Cross is maintaining contacts with the Gaza Ministry of Health to develop the human resources to help the Ministry.
She confirmed that the Red Cross is still having the same budget for the Palestinian territories, in spite of the financial crisis that is affecting many international organizations. She also assured that the Red Cross budget was not affected in 2015, and it will not be affected in 2016.
The Gaza-based Information-Government Media Office released, on Monday, a report documenting 89 Israeli violations committed against Palestinian journalists in October.
The report cited 89 violations against Palestinian journalists, including shootings with live and rubber bullets, physical assaults, arrests, and bans on news coverage.
Head of the office Salama Maarouf said, in a press release, that the documentation team has kept record of 89 Israeli attacks on journalists in the Occupied West Bank and the blockaded Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the Jerusalem Intifada.
He further cited instances of incitement and intimidation against journalists via text messages and Israeli media outlets.
He said all the violations were carried out in a direct and deliberate manner as the journalists were wearing Press-marked vests.
Maarouf called on the International Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and the International Federation of Journalists to work on protecting the journalists working in the occupied Palestinian territories.
He further appealed to the Arab Information Ministers Council to keep tabs on the ongoing Jerusalem Intifada and back it up via media outlets.
The report cited 89 violations against Palestinian journalists, including shootings with live and rubber bullets, physical assaults, arrests, and bans on news coverage.
Head of the office Salama Maarouf said, in a press release, that the documentation team has kept record of 89 Israeli attacks on journalists in the Occupied West Bank and the blockaded Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the Jerusalem Intifada.
He further cited instances of incitement and intimidation against journalists via text messages and Israeli media outlets.
He said all the violations were carried out in a direct and deliberate manner as the journalists were wearing Press-marked vests.
Maarouf called on the International Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and the International Federation of Journalists to work on protecting the journalists working in the occupied Palestinian territories.
He further appealed to the Arab Information Ministers Council to keep tabs on the ongoing Jerusalem Intifada and back it up via media outlets.
Head of the International Jerusalem Center, Dr. Hasan Khater, slammed on Monday the pro-Israeli parties who have been attempting to abort the underway anti-occupation Jerusalem Intifada.
Khater spoke out against the U.S.’s meddling in and biased position vis-à-vis the ongoing tension rocking the occupied Palestinian territories.
He further warned of American procedures and initiatives to “anesthetize” the Palestinian masses and strengthen Israeli grips on al-Aqsa.
He added that such procedures do not manifest of any intention to protect the al-Aqsa Mosque and Occupied Jerusalem from daily Israeli violations and aggressions on the Muslim congregations, women, and children.
He said the surveillance cameras installed across al-Aqsa Mosque are aimed at cracking down on the Muslim worshipers and paralyzing their free movement across such a sacred place of worship.
The expert further stated that the status quo at al-Aqsa has been delineated since the days of the Ottoman Empire.
“But the Israeli occupation is doing exactly the opposite by violating the architectural, historical, and religious character of the al-Aqsa Mosque. They even dared to misname it ‘the temple mount,’” Khater maintained.
For his part, secretary of the Supreme Islamic Council in Occupied Jerusalem, Sheikh Tayseer al-Tamimi, also spoke out against underway attempts to hold sway over the holy al-Aqsa Mosque.
He discredited Netanyahu’s claims that he does not intend to alter the status quo at al-Aqsa, referring to the excavations carried out beneath the site and to a declaration by an occupation mayor dubbing the plazas of al-Aqsa “public places.”
He reiterated Muslims’ firm rebuff of the recent arrangements carried out by the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, on October 25 to regulate supervision and sovereignty over the al-Aqsa.
Khater spoke out against the U.S.’s meddling in and biased position vis-à-vis the ongoing tension rocking the occupied Palestinian territories.
He further warned of American procedures and initiatives to “anesthetize” the Palestinian masses and strengthen Israeli grips on al-Aqsa.
He added that such procedures do not manifest of any intention to protect the al-Aqsa Mosque and Occupied Jerusalem from daily Israeli violations and aggressions on the Muslim congregations, women, and children.
He said the surveillance cameras installed across al-Aqsa Mosque are aimed at cracking down on the Muslim worshipers and paralyzing their free movement across such a sacred place of worship.
The expert further stated that the status quo at al-Aqsa has been delineated since the days of the Ottoman Empire.
“But the Israeli occupation is doing exactly the opposite by violating the architectural, historical, and religious character of the al-Aqsa Mosque. They even dared to misname it ‘the temple mount,’” Khater maintained.
For his part, secretary of the Supreme Islamic Council in Occupied Jerusalem, Sheikh Tayseer al-Tamimi, also spoke out against underway attempts to hold sway over the holy al-Aqsa Mosque.
He discredited Netanyahu’s claims that he does not intend to alter the status quo at al-Aqsa, referring to the excavations carried out beneath the site and to a declaration by an occupation mayor dubbing the plazas of al-Aqsa “public places.”
He reiterated Muslims’ firm rebuff of the recent arrangements carried out by the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, on October 25 to regulate supervision and sovereignty over the al-Aqsa.