26 sept 2016
On an international day of solidarity with Palestinian Journalists, Israeli forces detained 79 journalists and shot 130 others, the Commission of Supporting Palestinian Journalists reported.
The commission reported, according to Al Ray, that Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists and cameramen have raised dramatically since the beginning of Al-Aqsa Habba – uprising.
Last October saw the highest number of Israeli violations against Palestinian media staff in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and occupied Jerusalem.
The commission said, in a statement published on Monday, that it recorded more than 489 violations committed by Israeli forces against Palestinian media staff between October of 2015 and August of 2016.
174 of the violations committed in the last three months of 2015, while 315 violations were committed at the beginning of 2016.
The 26th of September is now commemorated as the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Journalists.
The commission reported, according to Al Ray, that Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists and cameramen have raised dramatically since the beginning of Al-Aqsa Habba – uprising.
Last October saw the highest number of Israeli violations against Palestinian media staff in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and occupied Jerusalem.
The commission said, in a statement published on Monday, that it recorded more than 489 violations committed by Israeli forces against Palestinian media staff between October of 2015 and August of 2016.
174 of the violations committed in the last three months of 2015, while 315 violations were committed at the beginning of 2016.
The 26th of September is now commemorated as the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Journalists.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has separately met with the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, as well as the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, in New York.
During the visit, Trump reportedly pledged to recognize Jerusalem as the “undivided capital” of Israel if elected president.In an official statement, the Trump administration said, according to the PNN:
“Mr. Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish People for over 3,000 years, and that the United States, under a Trump administration, will finally accept the long-standing Congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel.”
Apart from the Israeli-Palestinian issue, RT reported that Trump and Netanyahu also discussed “at length” Israel’s “successful”experience in building a border fence, a 708-kilometer long security barrier in the West Bank along the Green Line, which Palestine criticized as an “apartheid wall.” The Republic nominee is eying to build a similar kind of wall, at the border with Mexico, the construction of which he says would be financed by Mexico.
Following that, Netanyahu paid a visit to Hillary Clinton, who to her part said she would oppose BDS and UN meddling.
The Israeli PM’s meeting with Clinton, who was also attended by her advisor Jake Sullivan and Israel’s Dermer, lasted about 50 minutes.“Secretary Clinton stressed that a strong and secure Israel is vital to the United States because we share overarching strategic interests and the common values of democracy, equality, tolerance, and pluralism,” says a campaign statement, released after the meeting by her campaign.
During the visit, Trump reportedly pledged to recognize Jerusalem as the “undivided capital” of Israel if elected president.In an official statement, the Trump administration said, according to the PNN:
“Mr. Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish People for over 3,000 years, and that the United States, under a Trump administration, will finally accept the long-standing Congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel.”
Apart from the Israeli-Palestinian issue, RT reported that Trump and Netanyahu also discussed “at length” Israel’s “successful”experience in building a border fence, a 708-kilometer long security barrier in the West Bank along the Green Line, which Palestine criticized as an “apartheid wall.” The Republic nominee is eying to build a similar kind of wall, at the border with Mexico, the construction of which he says would be financed by Mexico.
Following that, Netanyahu paid a visit to Hillary Clinton, who to her part said she would oppose BDS and UN meddling.
The Israeli PM’s meeting with Clinton, who was also attended by her advisor Jake Sullivan and Israel’s Dermer, lasted about 50 minutes.“Secretary Clinton stressed that a strong and secure Israel is vital to the United States because we share overarching strategic interests and the common values of democracy, equality, tolerance, and pluralism,” says a campaign statement, released after the meeting by her campaign.
Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHRI) has been under attack by a right wing group named Reservists on Duty, which called for funding to be cut for National Service positions at PHRI.
The group also called for the cancellation of PHRI’s participation in a course entitled “Equality and Justice regarding Health in the South” run by the Beersheba Municipality.
Such attacks are yet another sign of the shrinking space available to civil society organizations which oppose the occupation.
PHRI currently doesn’t have National Service staff members, but such an option must remain available so that younger generations of Israelis are exposed to the struggle to secure basic human rights – the foundation of any solid democracy.
Moreover, the inclusion of voices like PHRI’s in initiatives such as those run by Beersheba Municipality are vital to ensure a critical discussion on the right to health.
As stated by Ran Goldstein, PHRI’s Executive Director, in response to the attack “Such attacks force us to turn our attention away from the real problems we are dealing with, such as the important gaps in health services between the periphery and the center of Israel”.
This attack forms part of a trend of intimidation and harassment of organizations and activists by both right wing organization and the government.
It follows on the heels of the recent efforts of right-wing Members of Knesset to deny PHRI of its’ tax exempt status. All these steps have the aim of undermining the legitimacy and efforts of those who are fighting against the occupation.
Dana Moss – International Advocacy Coordinator
dana[at]phr.org.il
The group also called for the cancellation of PHRI’s participation in a course entitled “Equality and Justice regarding Health in the South” run by the Beersheba Municipality.
Such attacks are yet another sign of the shrinking space available to civil society organizations which oppose the occupation.
PHRI currently doesn’t have National Service staff members, but such an option must remain available so that younger generations of Israelis are exposed to the struggle to secure basic human rights – the foundation of any solid democracy.
Moreover, the inclusion of voices like PHRI’s in initiatives such as those run by Beersheba Municipality are vital to ensure a critical discussion on the right to health.
As stated by Ran Goldstein, PHRI’s Executive Director, in response to the attack “Such attacks force us to turn our attention away from the real problems we are dealing with, such as the important gaps in health services between the periphery and the center of Israel”.
This attack forms part of a trend of intimidation and harassment of organizations and activists by both right wing organization and the government.
It follows on the heels of the recent efforts of right-wing Members of Knesset to deny PHRI of its’ tax exempt status. All these steps have the aim of undermining the legitimacy and efforts of those who are fighting against the occupation.
Dana Moss – International Advocacy Coordinator
dana[at]phr.org.il
Dozens of Tunisian activists marched Sunday evening in Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the central thoroughfare of Tunis, commemorating the Palestinian second Intifada and in support of the prisoners’ issue.
The participants raised during the march Palestinian flags and trampled the Israeli flag. Head of Palestine’s supporters society Murad al-Yaqoubi said that the march came to commemorate al-Aqsa Intifada that started on September 28, 2000 in protest against Ariel Sharon’s provocative break-in into the holy Aqsa Mosque.
4,412 Palestinians were killed during the five-year Intifada while 48,322 others were injured.
Al-Yaqoubi also pointed out that the event was organized with the aim of showing support to the women’s boat to Gaza and in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. There are currently 7,000 Palestinian prisoners held arbitrary in Israeli jails amid very difficult detention conditions.
The participants raised during the march Palestinian flags and trampled the Israeli flag. Head of Palestine’s supporters society Murad al-Yaqoubi said that the march came to commemorate al-Aqsa Intifada that started on September 28, 2000 in protest against Ariel Sharon’s provocative break-in into the holy Aqsa Mosque.
4,412 Palestinians were killed during the five-year Intifada while 48,322 others were injured.
Al-Yaqoubi also pointed out that the event was organized with the aim of showing support to the women’s boat to Gaza and in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. There are currently 7,000 Palestinian prisoners held arbitrary in Israeli jails amid very difficult detention conditions.
25 sept 2016
After endorsing then-presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making an effort to appear unbiased in the current US presidential elections; to that end, he has spoken to Donald Trump and is due to sit down with Hillary Clinton prior to the two candidates’ first debate Monday; hinting at a possible move of the US embassy to Jerusalem, Trump’s campaign stated that Trump sees ‘Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel.’
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be meeting separately with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in sessions that could set the tone for relations between the allied countries during the next presidential administration.
Trump met Sunday with Netanyahu for over an hour at his residence in Trump Tower in Manhattan, according to Israeli and campaign officials. Clinton also was expected to meet with the prime minister in New York on the eve of the first debate between the candidates. The Israeli leader has sought to project neutrality this time after perceptions arose that he favored Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama in 2012.
The press was barred from covering the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump, but Trump's campaign said in a statement that the men, who have known each other for years, discussed "many topics important to both countries," including "the special relationship between America and Israel and the unbreakable bond between the two countries."
Among those topics: the nuclear deal with Iran, the battle against ISIS militants, military assistance provided by the US to Israel and other security issues.
"Trump recognized that Israel and its citizens have suffered far too long on the front lines of Islamic terrorism," the campaign said in a statement. "He agreed with Prime Minister Netanyahu that the Israeli people want a just and lasting peace with their neighbors, but that peace will only come when the Palestinians renounce hatred and violence and accept Israel as a Jewish State."
Trump also repeated his pledge to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv if he's elected to the White House.
"Mr. Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish People for over 3000 years, and that the United States, under a Trump administration, will finally accept the long-standing Congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel," the campaign said.
That promise has been made in various forms since at least 1992. Congress three years later passed a law calling for the US embassy to be moved to Jerusalem by 1999, but presidents of both parties always have waived the requirement. George W. Bush promised in 2000 to start the move "as soon as I take office," then didn't.
The pair also discussed "at length" Israel's use of a security fence to help secure its borders. Trump has proposed building a wall along the length of the southern border to keep out people and illegal drugs and often points to Israel as an example of how such barricades can be successful.
Trump also vowed "extraordinary strategic, technological, military and intelligence cooperation between the two countries" if he's elected.
Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying that Israel's Ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner also participated in the meeting.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu presented to Mr. Trump Israel's positions on regional affairs related to Israel's security and efforts to reach peace and stability in our region," said the statement. "Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Mr. Trump for his friendship and support of Israel.
The one-on-one discussions follow what was likely Netanyahu's final meeting with Obama last week, capping what has been a sometimes rocky relationship between the leaders of the two ally countries.
The Obama administration has opposed Israel's push to expand settlements in the West Bank while Netanyahu has been a leading critic of the US nuclear agreement with Iran. More recently, Netanyahu has urged Obama to avoid pushing for a Palestinian state in his final months in office.
Clinton has supported a negotiated two-state solution in the region, vowed to enforce the Iran nuclear agreement and help defend Israel's security. The former secretary of state suggested in an interview with Israel's Channel 2 earlier this month that the ISIS was "rooting for Donald Trump's victory" and he had helped strengthen the hands of extremists by his provocative statements about Muslims.
Trump has been a fierce critic of the Iran nuclear agreement and promised during a speech to AIPAC earlier this year that he would deepen ties between the two countries if he was elected president, adding the days of "treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end on day one." But he also raised eyebrows when he questioned Israel's commitment to a peace deal last year and said he didn't want to show any bias in favor of one side or the other.
The meetings will also come after the US recently completed a 10-year, $38 billion military aid package for Israel. Clinton said in a statement that it would help "solidify and chart a course for the U.S.-Israeli defense relationship in the 21st century as we face a range of common challenges."
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be meeting separately with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in sessions that could set the tone for relations between the allied countries during the next presidential administration.
Trump met Sunday with Netanyahu for over an hour at his residence in Trump Tower in Manhattan, according to Israeli and campaign officials. Clinton also was expected to meet with the prime minister in New York on the eve of the first debate between the candidates. The Israeli leader has sought to project neutrality this time after perceptions arose that he favored Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama in 2012.
The press was barred from covering the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump, but Trump's campaign said in a statement that the men, who have known each other for years, discussed "many topics important to both countries," including "the special relationship between America and Israel and the unbreakable bond between the two countries."
Among those topics: the nuclear deal with Iran, the battle against ISIS militants, military assistance provided by the US to Israel and other security issues.
"Trump recognized that Israel and its citizens have suffered far too long on the front lines of Islamic terrorism," the campaign said in a statement. "He agreed with Prime Minister Netanyahu that the Israeli people want a just and lasting peace with their neighbors, but that peace will only come when the Palestinians renounce hatred and violence and accept Israel as a Jewish State."
Trump also repeated his pledge to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv if he's elected to the White House.
"Mr. Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish People for over 3000 years, and that the United States, under a Trump administration, will finally accept the long-standing Congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel," the campaign said.
That promise has been made in various forms since at least 1992. Congress three years later passed a law calling for the US embassy to be moved to Jerusalem by 1999, but presidents of both parties always have waived the requirement. George W. Bush promised in 2000 to start the move "as soon as I take office," then didn't.
The pair also discussed "at length" Israel's use of a security fence to help secure its borders. Trump has proposed building a wall along the length of the southern border to keep out people and illegal drugs and often points to Israel as an example of how such barricades can be successful.
Trump also vowed "extraordinary strategic, technological, military and intelligence cooperation between the two countries" if he's elected.
Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying that Israel's Ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner also participated in the meeting.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu presented to Mr. Trump Israel's positions on regional affairs related to Israel's security and efforts to reach peace and stability in our region," said the statement. "Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Mr. Trump for his friendship and support of Israel.
The one-on-one discussions follow what was likely Netanyahu's final meeting with Obama last week, capping what has been a sometimes rocky relationship between the leaders of the two ally countries.
The Obama administration has opposed Israel's push to expand settlements in the West Bank while Netanyahu has been a leading critic of the US nuclear agreement with Iran. More recently, Netanyahu has urged Obama to avoid pushing for a Palestinian state in his final months in office.
Clinton has supported a negotiated two-state solution in the region, vowed to enforce the Iran nuclear agreement and help defend Israel's security. The former secretary of state suggested in an interview with Israel's Channel 2 earlier this month that the ISIS was "rooting for Donald Trump's victory" and he had helped strengthen the hands of extremists by his provocative statements about Muslims.
Trump has been a fierce critic of the Iran nuclear agreement and promised during a speech to AIPAC earlier this year that he would deepen ties between the two countries if he was elected president, adding the days of "treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end on day one." But he also raised eyebrows when he questioned Israel's commitment to a peace deal last year and said he didn't want to show any bias in favor of one side or the other.
The meetings will also come after the US recently completed a 10-year, $38 billion military aid package for Israel. Clinton said in a statement that it would help "solidify and chart a course for the U.S.-Israeli defense relationship in the 21st century as we face a range of common challenges."
24 sept 2016
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested since the beginning of 2016 more than 1000 Palestinian minors aged between 11 and 18, a rights group revealed.
The Palestinian committee for prisoners’ affairs affirmed in a statement issued Saturday afternoon that detained Palestinian minors are subjected to inhuman treatment at the hands of Israeli jailers.
The detained minors’ number has increased by 80% in comparison with 2015, the committee added.
The statement pointed out that some of the detained minors were held under administrative detention according to which they are detained without charge or trial.
Some others were subjected to high prison sentences with heavy fines, according to the statement.
Since the start of the year, 70 Jerusalemite children were placed under house arrest. The committee underlined that Israeli jailers systematically practice torture against the detained minors.
The Palestinian committee for prisoners’ affairs affirmed in a statement issued Saturday afternoon that detained Palestinian minors are subjected to inhuman treatment at the hands of Israeli jailers.
The detained minors’ number has increased by 80% in comparison with 2015, the committee added.
The statement pointed out that some of the detained minors were held under administrative detention according to which they are detained without charge or trial.
Some others were subjected to high prison sentences with heavy fines, according to the statement.
Since the start of the year, 70 Jerusalemite children were placed under house arrest. The committee underlined that Israeli jailers systematically practice torture against the detained minors.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) closed once again the main entrance to Aynabous town, south of Nablus city, with a roadblock after local residents removed it.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that a military bulldozer escorted by Israeli soldiers re-placed the concrete blocks on Huwara road near the entrance to Aynabous and blocked internal roads connecting the town with other areas.
Local young men had opened the road last night after its closure for five days. The Israeli army has closed the main road to Aynabous and other nearby roads since last Sunday at the pretext of preventing stone-throwing attacks on settlers' cars.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that a military bulldozer escorted by Israeli soldiers re-placed the concrete blocks on Huwara road near the entrance to Aynabous and blocked internal roads connecting the town with other areas.
Local young men had opened the road last night after its closure for five days. The Israeli army has closed the main road to Aynabous and other nearby roads since last Sunday at the pretext of preventing stone-throwing attacks on settlers' cars.