20 nov 2018
The botched Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip on 12 November is delineating Tel Aviv’s failure to utilize its army as a tool to achieve Palestinian political concessions.
Now that Palestinian popular resistance has gone global through the exponential rise and growing success of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement, the Israeli government is fighting two desperate wars.
Following the Gaza attack, Palestinians responded by showering the southern Israeli border with rockets and carried out a precise operation targeting an Israeli army bus. As Palestinians marched in celebration of pushing the Israeli army out of their besieged enclave, the fragile political order in Israel – long-managed by right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – was quickly unraveling.
Two days after the Israeli attack on Gaza, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman quit in protest of Netanyahu’s ‘surrender’ to the Palestinian resistance. Israeli leaders are in a precarious situation. Untamed violence comes at a price of international condemnation and a Palestinian response that is bolder and more strategic every time. However, failing to teach Gaza its proverbial ‘lesson’ is viewed as an act of surrender by opportunistic Israeli politicians.
While Israel is experiencing such limitations on the traditional battlefield, which it once completely dominated, its war against the global BDS movement is surely a lost battle. Israel has a poor track record in confronting civil society-based mobilization. Despite the vulnerability of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, it took the Israeli government and military seven long years to pacify the Intifada, the popular uprising of 1987. Even on this, the jury is still out on what truly ended the popular revolt.
Of course, it should be accepted that a global Intifada is much more difficult to suppress, or even contain. Yet, when Israel began to sense the growing danger of BDS – which was officially launched by Palestinian civil society in 2005 – it responded with the same superfluous and predictable pattern: arrests, violence and a torrent of laws that criminalize dissent at home, while unleashing an international campaign of intimidation and smearing of boycott activists and organisations.
This approach achieved little, aside from garnering BDS more attention and international solidarity. However, Israel’s war on the movement took a serious turn last year when Netanyahu’s government dedicated about $72 million to defeat the civil society-led campaign.
Utilizing the ever-willing US government to boost its anti-BDS tactics, Tel Aviv feels assured that its counter-BDS efforts in the US are off to a promising start. However, it is only recently that Israel has begun to formulate the wider European component of its global strategy.
In a two-day conference in Brussels earlier this month, Israeli officials and their European supporters unleashed their broader European anti-BDS campaign. Organised by the European Jewish Association (EJA) and the Europe Israel Public Affairs group (EIPA), the conference was fully supported by the Israeli government and featured right-wing Israeli Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ze’ev Elkin.
Under the usual pretext of addressing the danger of anti-Semitism in Europe, attendees deliberately conflated racism and any criticism of Israel, of its military occupation and colonization of Palestinian land. The EJA Annual Conference has raised Israel’s manipulation of the term ‘anti-Semitism’ to a whole new level, as it drafted a text that will purportedly be presented to prospective members of the European Parliament (MEPs), demanding their signature before running in next May’s elections. Those who decline to sign – or worse, repudiate the Israeli initiative – are likely to find themselves fending off accusations of racism and anti-Semitism.
Yet this was certainly not the first conference of its kind. The anti-BDS euphoria that has swept Israel in recent years yielded several crowded and passionate conferences in luxurious hotels, where Israeli officials openly threatened BDS activists such as Omar Barghouti. Barghouti was warned by a top Israeli official during a 2016 conference in Jerusalem of “civil assassination” for his role in the organisation of the movement.
In March 2017, the Israeli Knesset passed the Anti-BDS Travel Ban, which requires the Interior Minister to deny entry to the country to any foreign national who “knowingly issued a public call to boycott the state of Israel”. Since the ban went into effect, many BDS supporters have been detained, deported and barred from entering the country.
While Israel has demonstrated its ability to galvanize self-serving US and European politicians to support its cause, there is no evidence that the BDS movement is being quelled or weakened in any way. On the contrary, Israel’s strategy has raised the ire of many activists, civil society and civil rights groups who are angered by its attempt at subverting freedom of speech in western countries.
Just recently, the University of Leeds in the UK has joined many other campuses around the world in divesting from Israel. The tide is, indeed, turning.
Decades of Zionist indoctrination failed, not only in reversing the vastly-changing public opinion on the Palestinian struggle for freedom and rights, but even in preserving the once solid pro-Israel sentiment among young Jews, most notably in the US. For BDS supporters, however, every Israeli strategy presents an opportunity to raise awareness of Palestinian rights and to mobilize civil society around the world against Israel’s occupation and racism.
BDS’ success is attributed to the very reason Israel is failing to counter its efforts: it is a disciplined model of popular, civil resistance based on engagement, open debate and democratic choices, while grounded in international and humanitarian law.
Israel’s ‘war-chest’ will run dry in the end, for no amount of money could have saved the racist, Apartheid regime in South Africa when it came tumbling down decades ago. Needless to say, $72 million will not turn the tide in favor of Apartheid Israel, nor will it change the course of history that can only belong to those people who are unrelenting when it comes to achieving their long-coveted freedom.
- Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of Palestine Chronicle.
Now that Palestinian popular resistance has gone global through the exponential rise and growing success of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement, the Israeli government is fighting two desperate wars.
Following the Gaza attack, Palestinians responded by showering the southern Israeli border with rockets and carried out a precise operation targeting an Israeli army bus. As Palestinians marched in celebration of pushing the Israeli army out of their besieged enclave, the fragile political order in Israel – long-managed by right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – was quickly unraveling.
Two days after the Israeli attack on Gaza, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman quit in protest of Netanyahu’s ‘surrender’ to the Palestinian resistance. Israeli leaders are in a precarious situation. Untamed violence comes at a price of international condemnation and a Palestinian response that is bolder and more strategic every time. However, failing to teach Gaza its proverbial ‘lesson’ is viewed as an act of surrender by opportunistic Israeli politicians.
While Israel is experiencing such limitations on the traditional battlefield, which it once completely dominated, its war against the global BDS movement is surely a lost battle. Israel has a poor track record in confronting civil society-based mobilization. Despite the vulnerability of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, it took the Israeli government and military seven long years to pacify the Intifada, the popular uprising of 1987. Even on this, the jury is still out on what truly ended the popular revolt.
Of course, it should be accepted that a global Intifada is much more difficult to suppress, or even contain. Yet, when Israel began to sense the growing danger of BDS – which was officially launched by Palestinian civil society in 2005 – it responded with the same superfluous and predictable pattern: arrests, violence and a torrent of laws that criminalize dissent at home, while unleashing an international campaign of intimidation and smearing of boycott activists and organisations.
This approach achieved little, aside from garnering BDS more attention and international solidarity. However, Israel’s war on the movement took a serious turn last year when Netanyahu’s government dedicated about $72 million to defeat the civil society-led campaign.
Utilizing the ever-willing US government to boost its anti-BDS tactics, Tel Aviv feels assured that its counter-BDS efforts in the US are off to a promising start. However, it is only recently that Israel has begun to formulate the wider European component of its global strategy.
In a two-day conference in Brussels earlier this month, Israeli officials and their European supporters unleashed their broader European anti-BDS campaign. Organised by the European Jewish Association (EJA) and the Europe Israel Public Affairs group (EIPA), the conference was fully supported by the Israeli government and featured right-wing Israeli Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ze’ev Elkin.
Under the usual pretext of addressing the danger of anti-Semitism in Europe, attendees deliberately conflated racism and any criticism of Israel, of its military occupation and colonization of Palestinian land. The EJA Annual Conference has raised Israel’s manipulation of the term ‘anti-Semitism’ to a whole new level, as it drafted a text that will purportedly be presented to prospective members of the European Parliament (MEPs), demanding their signature before running in next May’s elections. Those who decline to sign – or worse, repudiate the Israeli initiative – are likely to find themselves fending off accusations of racism and anti-Semitism.
Yet this was certainly not the first conference of its kind. The anti-BDS euphoria that has swept Israel in recent years yielded several crowded and passionate conferences in luxurious hotels, where Israeli officials openly threatened BDS activists such as Omar Barghouti. Barghouti was warned by a top Israeli official during a 2016 conference in Jerusalem of “civil assassination” for his role in the organisation of the movement.
In March 2017, the Israeli Knesset passed the Anti-BDS Travel Ban, which requires the Interior Minister to deny entry to the country to any foreign national who “knowingly issued a public call to boycott the state of Israel”. Since the ban went into effect, many BDS supporters have been detained, deported and barred from entering the country.
While Israel has demonstrated its ability to galvanize self-serving US and European politicians to support its cause, there is no evidence that the BDS movement is being quelled or weakened in any way. On the contrary, Israel’s strategy has raised the ire of many activists, civil society and civil rights groups who are angered by its attempt at subverting freedom of speech in western countries.
Just recently, the University of Leeds in the UK has joined many other campuses around the world in divesting from Israel. The tide is, indeed, turning.
Decades of Zionist indoctrination failed, not only in reversing the vastly-changing public opinion on the Palestinian struggle for freedom and rights, but even in preserving the once solid pro-Israel sentiment among young Jews, most notably in the US. For BDS supporters, however, every Israeli strategy presents an opportunity to raise awareness of Palestinian rights and to mobilize civil society around the world against Israel’s occupation and racism.
BDS’ success is attributed to the very reason Israel is failing to counter its efforts: it is a disciplined model of popular, civil resistance based on engagement, open debate and democratic choices, while grounded in international and humanitarian law.
Israel’s ‘war-chest’ will run dry in the end, for no amount of money could have saved the racist, Apartheid regime in South Africa when it came tumbling down decades ago. Needless to say, $72 million will not turn the tide in favor of Apartheid Israel, nor will it change the course of history that can only belong to those people who are unrelenting when it comes to achieving their long-coveted freedom.
- Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of Palestine Chronicle.
Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) said that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) had killed 52 Palestinian children, 46 of them in the besieged Gaza Strip, since the beginning of the current year, 2018.
In a report released on Monday on the occasion of Children's Day, DCIP affirmed that 18 children of those killed by the IOF were shot dead in their heads, nine in their chests, seven in their abdomens and five in their necks, while the others received injuries in different areas of their bodies.
DCIP accused the IOF of intentionally causing fatal injuries to those children and persisting in using excessive force and live fire against Palestinian children in general.
It attributed such deliberate targeting of children to the immunity provided for Israeli soldiers, who knows that they will not be held accountable for their actions.
In a report released on Monday on the occasion of Children's Day, DCIP affirmed that 18 children of those killed by the IOF were shot dead in their heads, nine in their chests, seven in their abdomens and five in their necks, while the others received injuries in different areas of their bodies.
DCIP accused the IOF of intentionally causing fatal injuries to those children and persisting in using excessive force and live fire against Palestinian children in general.
It attributed such deliberate targeting of children to the immunity provided for Israeli soldiers, who knows that they will not be held accountable for their actions.
Nikolay Mladenov, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, has warned that the situation in the besieged Gaza Strip is on the brink of explosion, calling for ending the blockade imposed on its population.
Briefing the UN Security Council on Monday, Mladenov “called upon Israel to recognize that Gaza is about to explode and prevent that from happening by relaxing and ultimately lifting closures to help normalize the lives of people living there.”
According to a statement released by the UN, the peace coordinator also expressed concern over Israel’s persistent use of live fire against Palestinian protesters in Gaza.
He demanded Israel to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from using lethal force against Gaza protesters.
Briefing the UN Security Council on Monday, Mladenov “called upon Israel to recognize that Gaza is about to explode and prevent that from happening by relaxing and ultimately lifting closures to help normalize the lives of people living there.”
According to a statement released by the UN, the peace coordinator also expressed concern over Israel’s persistent use of live fire against Palestinian protesters in Gaza.
He demanded Israel to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from using lethal force against Gaza protesters.
Kuwait has warned the United Nations Security Council of Israel's attempts to change the historical and legal status quo at Jerusalem’s holy Al-Aqsa Mosque, condemning the Israeli incursion into the besieged Gaza Strip.
This came in a statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the United Nations, Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi, during the meeting on the Palestinian issue held on Monday at the United Nations permanent headquarters in New York.
"The way the council deals with the Palestinian issue and the Middle East peace process has contributed to the loss of confidence in the ability of the international community to provide solutions," he said.
He stressed the need to promote multilateralism and boost UN efforts to prevent a third world war.
The Kuwaiti ambassador warned against the Israeli violations in East Jerusalem and the underway attempts to change the historical and legal situation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and to divide spatially and temporarily.
The Kuwaiti envoy added that the lack of action by the UN Security Council has given room to simmering Israeli violations of international law.
Al-Otaibi pointed out that his country and the Bolivians demanded that a meeting be convened in response to the the serious escalation sparked by an Israeli military incursion into the blockaded Gaza Strip.
He said Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza has been escalating since March, with at least 228 people killed, including 41 children.
Al-Otaibi added that the eleven-year long siege on Gaza has led to a serious breakdown in the economic and security conditions in the enclave, where half of the population lives below the poverty line and earns no more than $ 1.25 per day.
This came in a statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the United Nations, Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi, during the meeting on the Palestinian issue held on Monday at the United Nations permanent headquarters in New York.
"The way the council deals with the Palestinian issue and the Middle East peace process has contributed to the loss of confidence in the ability of the international community to provide solutions," he said.
He stressed the need to promote multilateralism and boost UN efforts to prevent a third world war.
The Kuwaiti ambassador warned against the Israeli violations in East Jerusalem and the underway attempts to change the historical and legal situation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and to divide spatially and temporarily.
The Kuwaiti envoy added that the lack of action by the UN Security Council has given room to simmering Israeli violations of international law.
Al-Otaibi pointed out that his country and the Bolivians demanded that a meeting be convened in response to the the serious escalation sparked by an Israeli military incursion into the blockaded Gaza Strip.
He said Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza has been escalating since March, with at least 228 people killed, including 41 children.
Al-Otaibi added that the eleven-year long siege on Gaza has led to a serious breakdown in the economic and security conditions in the enclave, where half of the population lives below the poverty line and earns no more than $ 1.25 per day.
19 nov 2018
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At least 25 Palestinians were injured on Monday when the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened fire at peaceful protesters on norther Gaza coast.
Gaza Ministry of Health said that 25 Palestinian citizens suffered different injuries by the IOF gunfire in the northern Gaza Strip. video video Meanwhile, a 13-year-old boy was shot by the IOF soldiers east of al-Bureij refugee camp in the middle area of the Gaza Strip. The PIC reporter said that the IOF heavily fired live ammunition and teargas canisters at the Palestinians protesting on northern Gaza coast for the 16th week in a row. The Higher National Committee for the Great March of Return and Breaking |
the Siege on Sunday affirmed that Gaza border protests will continue until the siege is lifted. video
The committee praised the efforts made by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people living in the besieged Gaza Strip.
It also called on human rights organizations to work toward holding Israel accountable at international courts for its crimes against Palestinian civilians.
Gaza border protests, also known as the Great March of Return, started on 30 March with the aim of shedding light on the Palestinian refugees' right of return and pressuring Israel to lift the 13-year-long blockade on Gaza.
About three months ago, the Gazans decided to expand the marches and started to demonstrate on a weekly basis near the sea border.
Israeli Forces Wound 25 Palestinians, Including AP Cameraman, in Gaza Boat Protest
The weekly protest at the Gaza beach to protest the ongoing Israeli closure of sea access to Gaza was met with violence from Israeli forces today, who fired live ammunition at protesters in boats and along the shore. 25 were wounded with live bullets, including an AP camera operator.
The protest took place off the coast of Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, when hundreds of Palestinians gathered on the shore and then took off in small fishing boats bearing Palestinian flags into the Mediterranean Sea.
Almost immediately, the Israeli Naval ships stationed off the coast began firing live ammunition toward the protesters, according to local sources.
The Israeli Navy also fired tear gas canisters, causing passengers on the boats to suffer from tear gas inhalation.
One of the people wounded by the Israeli forces’ live ammunition was a camera operator working for the Associated Press (AP), who was shot in the foot.
As part of Israel’s blockade of the coastal enclave since 2007, the Israeli army, citing security concerns, requires Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip to work within a limited “designated fishing zone,” the exact limits of which are decided by Israeli authorities and have historically fluctuated.
Many attempts have been made, throughout the years, to draw the public’s attention to and break the on-going siege of the Gaza Strip, whether via ships attempting to sail into Gaza, or ships attempting to sail from Gaza.
The maritime protest has continued each Monday despite an announcement on November 3rd that Qatar and Israel had agreed to establish a sea passage between Cyprus and the Gaza Strip.
At that time, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that the route would be monitored by international forces and under Israeli security supervision – including cameras, computer networking and the presence of international inspectors.
But a few days after the agreement was announced, Israeli forces violated the ceasefire with an operation in Gaza in which they killed several Palestinians and one of their soldiers was also killed. That was followed by a series of Israeli airstrikes and Palestinian resistance fighters’ rocket attacks – leading to the breakdown of the ceasefire agreement.
The plan for a maritime passage remains uncertain at this time, and the popular resistance in Gaza has vowed to continue its weekly non-violent challenge to the Israeli naval siege, despite being met each time with live ammunition from the Israeli naval forces.
The committee praised the efforts made by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people living in the besieged Gaza Strip.
It also called on human rights organizations to work toward holding Israel accountable at international courts for its crimes against Palestinian civilians.
Gaza border protests, also known as the Great March of Return, started on 30 March with the aim of shedding light on the Palestinian refugees' right of return and pressuring Israel to lift the 13-year-long blockade on Gaza.
About three months ago, the Gazans decided to expand the marches and started to demonstrate on a weekly basis near the sea border.
Israeli Forces Wound 25 Palestinians, Including AP Cameraman, in Gaza Boat Protest
The weekly protest at the Gaza beach to protest the ongoing Israeli closure of sea access to Gaza was met with violence from Israeli forces today, who fired live ammunition at protesters in boats and along the shore. 25 were wounded with live bullets, including an AP camera operator.
The protest took place off the coast of Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, when hundreds of Palestinians gathered on the shore and then took off in small fishing boats bearing Palestinian flags into the Mediterranean Sea.
Almost immediately, the Israeli Naval ships stationed off the coast began firing live ammunition toward the protesters, according to local sources.
The Israeli Navy also fired tear gas canisters, causing passengers on the boats to suffer from tear gas inhalation.
One of the people wounded by the Israeli forces’ live ammunition was a camera operator working for the Associated Press (AP), who was shot in the foot.
As part of Israel’s blockade of the coastal enclave since 2007, the Israeli army, citing security concerns, requires Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip to work within a limited “designated fishing zone,” the exact limits of which are decided by Israeli authorities and have historically fluctuated.
Many attempts have been made, throughout the years, to draw the public’s attention to and break the on-going siege of the Gaza Strip, whether via ships attempting to sail into Gaza, or ships attempting to sail from Gaza.
The maritime protest has continued each Monday despite an announcement on November 3rd that Qatar and Israel had agreed to establish a sea passage between Cyprus and the Gaza Strip.
At that time, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that the route would be monitored by international forces and under Israeli security supervision – including cameras, computer networking and the presence of international inspectors.
But a few days after the agreement was announced, Israeli forces violated the ceasefire with an operation in Gaza in which they killed several Palestinians and one of their soldiers was also killed. That was followed by a series of Israeli airstrikes and Palestinian resistance fighters’ rocket attacks – leading to the breakdown of the ceasefire agreement.
The plan for a maritime passage remains uncertain at this time, and the popular resistance in Gaza has vowed to continue its weekly non-violent challenge to the Israeli naval siege, despite being met each time with live ammunition from the Israeli naval forces.
The Israeli occupation army on Monday morning launched a limited incursion into Beit Lahia city in the northern area of the Gaza Strip.
The PIC reporter said that four Israeli bulldozers moved a few hundred meters into Beit Lahia.
The Israeli occupation army every now and then carries out military incursions into the eastern and northern areas of the Gaza Strip to bulldoze border lands or set up barbed wire to prevent Palestinian demonstrators from reaching the border fence during Gaza weekly protests.
The PIC reporter said that four Israeli bulldozers moved a few hundred meters into Beit Lahia.
The Israeli occupation army every now and then carries out military incursions into the eastern and northern areas of the Gaza Strip to bulldoze border lands or set up barbed wire to prevent Palestinian demonstrators from reaching the border fence during Gaza weekly protests.
16 nov 2018
Dozens of Palestinians were injured on Friday afternoon when the Israeli occupation forces opened fire at the protesters taking part in the Great March of Return for the 34th week in a row.
Gaza Ministry of Health announced that 40 protesters were injured by Israeli gunfire, three of whom are in critical condition.
The PIC reporter said that hundreds of Palestinians on Friday marched along the border between the Gaza Strip and the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories.
The Higher National Committee for the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege earlier in the week called for the largest popular participation in Friday's protests under the slogan "Normalization is Betrayal".
Member of the Political Bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Talal Abu Zarifa, said that the Great March of Return will retain its peaceful character and continue until the siege is lifted.
The Great March of Return was launched on 30 March along the border fence with the aim of shedding light on the Palestinian refugees' right to return and pressuring Israel to lift the 13-year-long blockade on Gaza.
Since the border protests started the Israeli army has killed 247 Palestinian protesters, while about 25,000 have been injured, 500 of whom are in critical condition.
Army Injures Four Palestinians In Gaza
Israeli soldiers attacked, Friday, the Great Return March processions in the Gaza Strip, and wounded at least four Palestinians, including one who suffered a serious injury.
Media sources in Gaza said the soldiers fired dozens of live rounds and high-velocity gas bombs at the protesters, on Palestinian lands near the perimeter fence, along the eastern part of the besieged coastal region.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said the soldiers shot and seriously injured one Palestinian, east of Gaza city.
It added that the soldiers also shot two Palestinians, in Jabalia, in the northern part of the coastal region.
The army fired a barrage of live rounds, in addition to rubber-coated steel bullets and high-velocity gas bombs at the protesters, in addition to journalists and medics, especially when the army fired at the Great Return March encampment, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
On Friday morning, the soldiers fired many live rounds at Palestinians on their farmlands, east of al-Qarara, near Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip.
The shots came from soldiers on military towers in Kissufim base, across the perimeter fence.
Gaza Ministry of Health announced that 40 protesters were injured by Israeli gunfire, three of whom are in critical condition.
The PIC reporter said that hundreds of Palestinians on Friday marched along the border between the Gaza Strip and the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories.
The Higher National Committee for the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege earlier in the week called for the largest popular participation in Friday's protests under the slogan "Normalization is Betrayal".
Member of the Political Bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Talal Abu Zarifa, said that the Great March of Return will retain its peaceful character and continue until the siege is lifted.
The Great March of Return was launched on 30 March along the border fence with the aim of shedding light on the Palestinian refugees' right to return and pressuring Israel to lift the 13-year-long blockade on Gaza.
Since the border protests started the Israeli army has killed 247 Palestinian protesters, while about 25,000 have been injured, 500 of whom are in critical condition.
Army Injures Four Palestinians In Gaza
Israeli soldiers attacked, Friday, the Great Return March processions in the Gaza Strip, and wounded at least four Palestinians, including one who suffered a serious injury.
Media sources in Gaza said the soldiers fired dozens of live rounds and high-velocity gas bombs at the protesters, on Palestinian lands near the perimeter fence, along the eastern part of the besieged coastal region.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said the soldiers shot and seriously injured one Palestinian, east of Gaza city.
It added that the soldiers also shot two Palestinians, in Jabalia, in the northern part of the coastal region.
The army fired a barrage of live rounds, in addition to rubber-coated steel bullets and high-velocity gas bombs at the protesters, in addition to journalists and medics, especially when the army fired at the Great Return March encampment, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
On Friday morning, the soldiers fired many live rounds at Palestinians on their farmlands, east of al-Qarara, near Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip.
The shots came from soldiers on military towers in Kissufim base, across the perimeter fence.
15 nov 2018
Nearly 3 weeks into its planned 4-week run, an electronic billboard honoring first responders in the Gaza Strip was pulled on November 13th when the billboard company received phone calls and email complaints labeling their staff as terrorists and anti-Semites, and threatening a boycott.
The Palestine Advocacy Project sponsored the billboard on Interstate 93, near Boston, Massachusetts, USA, to highlight the desperate situation in the Gaza Strip, and to emphasize the humanity and agency of the people of Gaza, who are often portrayed as terrorists or victims.
The billboard included a photo of deceased Palestinian medic Razan al-Najjar, and text reading: “Honoring the First Responders of Gaza. Saving Lives.
Rescuing Hope.” It was estimated to be viewed by over a half million motorists each week of its planned 4-week run, beginning 24 October. The billboard was met with positive media coverage.
This week, a coordinated, aggressive campaign was launched against the billboard company with accusations of anti-Semitism, intended to damage the company for hosting this billboard. Sarah Gold, a volunteer with the Palestine Advocacy Project, said, “This campaign is neither engaging us nor our perspective. Instead it is attempting through intimidation to eradicate the avenues of free speech we have endeavored to use; to silence us.”
The billboard is another casualty in an ongoing attack on free speech. Palestine Legal states in their 2017 report, “The Israeli state and its proxy organizations in the U.S. are investing heavily in punitive measures to intimidate and chill the free speech of those who wish to express criticism of Israeli policies.” The report documents 308 attacks on U.S.-based Palestine-related free speech in 2017 alone, according to the PNN.
Razan al-Najjar and other Gazan first responders were doing their best to attend to wounded civilians; yet celebrating them is construed as an act of “hate & anti-Semitism.”
One complaint reads in part: “A billboard glorifying those who try to kill and destroy our People and Homeland! Anti Semitism is as old as time itself, Hate of Israel is hate of Jews, completely unacceptable!”
This negative campaign appears to be based on the erroneous notions that all Gazans are anti-Semites intent on murdering Jews, that Gazans are not entitled to basic human rights, and that any display of solidarity with them equates to a call for the destruction of Israel.
Richard Colbath-Hess, founder of the Palestine Advocacy Project, remarked that “The billboard was extremely positive and does not even mention Israel.
Instead it was a celebration of Palestinian heroes. Apparently, there cannot be Palestinian heroes without some advocates of Israel feeling attacked.”
The Palestine Advocacy Project sponsored the billboard on Interstate 93, near Boston, Massachusetts, USA, to highlight the desperate situation in the Gaza Strip, and to emphasize the humanity and agency of the people of Gaza, who are often portrayed as terrorists or victims.
The billboard included a photo of deceased Palestinian medic Razan al-Najjar, and text reading: “Honoring the First Responders of Gaza. Saving Lives.
Rescuing Hope.” It was estimated to be viewed by over a half million motorists each week of its planned 4-week run, beginning 24 October. The billboard was met with positive media coverage.
This week, a coordinated, aggressive campaign was launched against the billboard company with accusations of anti-Semitism, intended to damage the company for hosting this billboard. Sarah Gold, a volunteer with the Palestine Advocacy Project, said, “This campaign is neither engaging us nor our perspective. Instead it is attempting through intimidation to eradicate the avenues of free speech we have endeavored to use; to silence us.”
The billboard is another casualty in an ongoing attack on free speech. Palestine Legal states in their 2017 report, “The Israeli state and its proxy organizations in the U.S. are investing heavily in punitive measures to intimidate and chill the free speech of those who wish to express criticism of Israeli policies.” The report documents 308 attacks on U.S.-based Palestine-related free speech in 2017 alone, according to the PNN.
Razan al-Najjar and other Gazan first responders were doing their best to attend to wounded civilians; yet celebrating them is construed as an act of “hate & anti-Semitism.”
One complaint reads in part: “A billboard glorifying those who try to kill and destroy our People and Homeland! Anti Semitism is as old as time itself, Hate of Israel is hate of Jews, completely unacceptable!”
This negative campaign appears to be based on the erroneous notions that all Gazans are anti-Semites intent on murdering Jews, that Gazans are not entitled to basic human rights, and that any display of solidarity with them equates to a call for the destruction of Israel.
Richard Colbath-Hess, founder of the Palestine Advocacy Project, remarked that “The billboard was extremely positive and does not even mention Israel.
Instead it was a celebration of Palestinian heroes. Apparently, there cannot be Palestinian heroes without some advocates of Israel feeling attacked.”
10 nov 2018
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have killed 233 Palestinians since the March of Return rallies started last March in the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, 11 bodies of those slain citizens are still being held by the Israeli occupation authority.
A spokesman for the health ministry said that a Palestinian young man died of a serious injury he sustained on Friday afternoon during his participation in a March of Return rally, east of Rafah.
The spokesman added that 28-year-old Wa’el Qahman suffered from a bullet injury when an Israeli sniper shot him in a border area east of Rafah, and died later in the evening in the European Gaza Hospital.
Another 37 protesters, including six children and nine women, were also injured by Israeli gunfire yesterday during Friday’s rallies east of Gaza.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, 11 bodies of those slain citizens are still being held by the Israeli occupation authority.
A spokesman for the health ministry said that a Palestinian young man died of a serious injury he sustained on Friday afternoon during his participation in a March of Return rally, east of Rafah.
The spokesman added that 28-year-old Wa’el Qahman suffered from a bullet injury when an Israeli sniper shot him in a border area east of Rafah, and died later in the evening in the European Gaza Hospital.
Another 37 protesters, including six children and nine women, were also injured by Israeli gunfire yesterday during Friday’s rallies east of Gaza.
Israeli sources have reported, Friday, that the soldiers have detained a Palestinian “who breached the perimeter fence, and set a greenhouse ablaze in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council.”
Israeli daily Haaretz said the army initially believed the greenhouse was accidentally burnt by the soldiers, who were firing at Palestinian protesters across the perimeter fence.
Israeli Army spokesperson said the soldiers detained the young Palestinian “who breached the perimeter fence, and determined that he was responsible for the fire.”
The incident took place in Netiv HaAsara colony, in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council of Settlements, near the Gaza Strip.
Also on Friday, Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, has reported that a young man, identified as Rami Wael Ishaq Qahman, 28, was killed by Israeli army fire, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the coastal region, after the soldiers shot him with a live round in the neck.
Dr. al-Qedra also confirmed that at least 37 Palestinians were injured with Israeli live ammunition, including six children, nine women and one female paramedic, identified as Falasteen Qdeih, who was shot in the leg.
Israeli daily Haaretz said the army initially believed the greenhouse was accidentally burnt by the soldiers, who were firing at Palestinian protesters across the perimeter fence.
Israeli Army spokesperson said the soldiers detained the young Palestinian “who breached the perimeter fence, and determined that he was responsible for the fire.”
The incident took place in Netiv HaAsara colony, in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council of Settlements, near the Gaza Strip.
Also on Friday, Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, has reported that a young man, identified as Rami Wael Ishaq Qahman, 28, was killed by Israeli army fire, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the coastal region, after the soldiers shot him with a live round in the neck.
Dr. al-Qedra also confirmed that at least 37 Palestinians were injured with Israeli live ammunition, including six children, nine women and one female paramedic, identified as Falasteen Qdeih, who was shot in the leg.
9 nov 2018
Rami Wael Ishaq Qahman, 28
The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip has confirmed that one Palestinian was killed by Israeli army fire, Friday, while 37 others were injured, during the Great Return March processions near the eastern borders of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, has reported that a young man, identified as Rami Wael Ishaq Qahman, 28, was shot and seriously injured, before he was rushed to the Gaza European Hospital, where he died from his wounds.
The Palestinian was shot with a live round in the neck, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip., Dr. al-Qedra added.
He also confirmed that at least 37 Palestinians were injured with Israeli live ammunition, including six children, nine women and one female paramedic, identified as Falasteen Qdeih, who was shot in the leg.
Hundreds of Palestinian protesters held protests close to the eastern borders of the Gaza Strip; tires were set on fire across several areas while Israeli forces fired live ammunition and tear-gas bombs to suppress protesters.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, 221 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of “The Great March of Return” on March 30th, while more than 24,000 others have been injured.
“The Great March of Return” protests were launched with the participation of thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza — which has suffered from a decade-long Israeli siege — who took to the borders to demand their right of return as refugees to their original homelands, now in present-day Israel.
37 Injuries reported at eastern borders of Gaza
At least 37 Palestinians were shot and injured by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) at the eastern borders of the besieged Gaza Strip, on Friday.
According to the PIC reporter, 25 youths were injured with live bullets after Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian protesters near the eastern borders, while dozens suffered from tear-gas suffocation.
Meanwhile, the Qatari Ambassador Mohammed Al-Emadi visited Al-Awda refugee camp to be the first Arab diplomat to visit the Great March of Return protests along Gaza borders.
Earlier Friday, hundreds of Palestinians started joining the 33rd Friday of protests which has been organized under the title “the March continues.”
For nearly seven months, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have protested along the fence with Israel demanding their right to return to the homes and land their families were expelled from 70 years ago.
They are also demanding an end to Israel's crippling blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave's economy and deprived its two million inhabitants of many basic commodities.
Since the Great March of Return demonstrations began on March 30, more than 200 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more wounded by Israeli troops deployed along the other side of the fence.
The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip has confirmed that one Palestinian was killed by Israeli army fire, Friday, while 37 others were injured, during the Great Return March processions near the eastern borders of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, has reported that a young man, identified as Rami Wael Ishaq Qahman, 28, was shot and seriously injured, before he was rushed to the Gaza European Hospital, where he died from his wounds.
The Palestinian was shot with a live round in the neck, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip., Dr. al-Qedra added.
He also confirmed that at least 37 Palestinians were injured with Israeli live ammunition, including six children, nine women and one female paramedic, identified as Falasteen Qdeih, who was shot in the leg.
Hundreds of Palestinian protesters held protests close to the eastern borders of the Gaza Strip; tires were set on fire across several areas while Israeli forces fired live ammunition and tear-gas bombs to suppress protesters.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, 221 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of “The Great March of Return” on March 30th, while more than 24,000 others have been injured.
“The Great March of Return” protests were launched with the participation of thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza — which has suffered from a decade-long Israeli siege — who took to the borders to demand their right of return as refugees to their original homelands, now in present-day Israel.
37 Injuries reported at eastern borders of Gaza
At least 37 Palestinians were shot and injured by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) at the eastern borders of the besieged Gaza Strip, on Friday.
According to the PIC reporter, 25 youths were injured with live bullets after Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian protesters near the eastern borders, while dozens suffered from tear-gas suffocation.
Meanwhile, the Qatari Ambassador Mohammed Al-Emadi visited Al-Awda refugee camp to be the first Arab diplomat to visit the Great March of Return protests along Gaza borders.
Earlier Friday, hundreds of Palestinians started joining the 33rd Friday of protests which has been organized under the title “the March continues.”
For nearly seven months, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have protested along the fence with Israel demanding their right to return to the homes and land their families were expelled from 70 years ago.
They are also demanding an end to Israel's crippling blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave's economy and deprived its two million inhabitants of many basic commodities.
Since the Great March of Return demonstrations began on March 30, more than 200 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more wounded by Israeli troops deployed along the other side of the fence.
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