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15 may 2015 (three pages)
As thousands of Palestinians marked, on Friday, the 67th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, Israeli soldiers resorted to the excessive use of force against the protesters, causing dozens of injuries.
The Palestinians held protesters, starting on Friday afternoon, in different parts of the occupied city, and the West Bank.
The protesters affirmed national Palestinian unity, and ongoing struggle against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Hundreds of protesters marched in various alleys and streets in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, challenging the soldiers who were extensively deployed in an attempt to stop the procession.
Clashes took place with the soldiers in Ras al-‘Amoud area, one of the most prominent gates of the Old City, after the soldiers used excessive forces against the protestors.
In addition, hundreds marched in Jabal al-Mokabber neighborhood, southeast of occupied Jerusalem marking the Nakba of 1948, and chanted against the ongoing Israeli occupation and aggression, including Israel’s illegal policies of home demolitions. Several mild injuries were reported.
Hundreds also marked the Nakba in Ras al-‘Amoud area, in Silwan town, south of the al-Aqsa Mosque, and commemorated the death of a local child, Milad ‘Ayyash, who was killed by army fire in 2011.
The Follow-Up Committee in the al-‘Eesawiyya town, south of the Al-Asa Mosque, said the soldiers fired dozens of gas bombs, firebombs, and rubber-coated metal bullets on Palestinian protestors.
The Committee added that 15 Palestinians were shot by rubber-coated metal bullets, while dozens suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. Local youths used fireworks to target military jeeps, and hurled stones and empty bottles.
Clashes also too place near the main entrance of the Shu’fat refugee camp, in the center of Jerusalem.
The Israeli Police issued a statement revealing the three Border Guard officers have been injured, in the Suwwana neighborhood, on Friday at night.
In addition, at least ten Palestinians were injured in clashes that took place with the soldiers on the northern entrance of the ar-Ram town, north of occupied Jerusalem, and were moved to local medical centers.
Similar clashes took place in Bir Nibala town, west of Jerusalem.
In addition, soldiers invaded the main entrance area of the Qalandia refugee camp, north of Jerusalem, kidnapped several Palestinians, and installed a roadblock on the Jaba’-Qalandia road, northeast of Jerusalem.
The Palestinians held protesters, starting on Friday afternoon, in different parts of the occupied city, and the West Bank.
The protesters affirmed national Palestinian unity, and ongoing struggle against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Hundreds of protesters marched in various alleys and streets in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, challenging the soldiers who were extensively deployed in an attempt to stop the procession.
Clashes took place with the soldiers in Ras al-‘Amoud area, one of the most prominent gates of the Old City, after the soldiers used excessive forces against the protestors.
In addition, hundreds marched in Jabal al-Mokabber neighborhood, southeast of occupied Jerusalem marking the Nakba of 1948, and chanted against the ongoing Israeli occupation and aggression, including Israel’s illegal policies of home demolitions. Several mild injuries were reported.
Hundreds also marked the Nakba in Ras al-‘Amoud area, in Silwan town, south of the al-Aqsa Mosque, and commemorated the death of a local child, Milad ‘Ayyash, who was killed by army fire in 2011.
The Follow-Up Committee in the al-‘Eesawiyya town, south of the Al-Asa Mosque, said the soldiers fired dozens of gas bombs, firebombs, and rubber-coated metal bullets on Palestinian protestors.
The Committee added that 15 Palestinians were shot by rubber-coated metal bullets, while dozens suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. Local youths used fireworks to target military jeeps, and hurled stones and empty bottles.
Clashes also too place near the main entrance of the Shu’fat refugee camp, in the center of Jerusalem.
The Israeli Police issued a statement revealing the three Border Guard officers have been injured, in the Suwwana neighborhood, on Friday at night.
In addition, at least ten Palestinians were injured in clashes that took place with the soldiers on the northern entrance of the ar-Ram town, north of occupied Jerusalem, and were moved to local medical centers.
Similar clashes took place in Bir Nibala town, west of Jerusalem.
In addition, soldiers invaded the main entrance area of the Qalandia refugee camp, north of Jerusalem, kidnapped several Palestinians, and installed a roadblock on the Jaba’-Qalandia road, northeast of Jerusalem.
Still Image From Palestine TV Report
Israeli soldiers invaded, on Friday afternoon, Silwad and Betunia towns, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and attacked dozens of Palestinians marking the Nakba Day.
The Palestine TV has reported that several military vehicles invaded the southern area of Silwad town, and clashed with dozens of local youths.
The soldiers fired dozens of gas bombs, concussion grenades, rubber-coated metal bullets, and several rounds of live ammunition.
Medical sources said ten Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, and received treatment by local medics.
During the clashes, a number of youths hurled Molotov cocktails on the invading soldiers, while the army also fired the “Tutu” live ammunition on the protestors.
The Tutu live rounds cause larger bodily harm, and were outlawed by an Israeli court in 2001, but the army continued to use them.
Israeli sources said a number of soldiers were mildly injured during the clashes with local youths in the town, while a few soldiers received treatment for the effects of tear gas inhalation, after the protestors managed to throw back some of the gas bombs fired at them.
In addition, clashes took place in Betunia nearby town, after the soldiers invaded it, and attacked local protesters marking the Nakba, and marking the first anniversary of the death of Nadim Nuwwara and Mohammad Abu Thaher, who were killed by Israeli army fire, on May 15 2014.
The soldiers fired dozens of gas bombs, in addition to rubber-coated metal bullets and live rounds, while local youths hurled stones and empty bottles on the soldiers; several Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Local protesters also burnt Israeli flags, and said, “The Palestinians will never abandon their legitimate rights of liberation and independence in their homeland.”
Israeli soldiers invaded, on Friday afternoon, Silwad and Betunia towns, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and attacked dozens of Palestinians marking the Nakba Day.
The Palestine TV has reported that several military vehicles invaded the southern area of Silwad town, and clashed with dozens of local youths.
The soldiers fired dozens of gas bombs, concussion grenades, rubber-coated metal bullets, and several rounds of live ammunition.
Medical sources said ten Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, and received treatment by local medics.
During the clashes, a number of youths hurled Molotov cocktails on the invading soldiers, while the army also fired the “Tutu” live ammunition on the protestors.
The Tutu live rounds cause larger bodily harm, and were outlawed by an Israeli court in 2001, but the army continued to use them.
Israeli sources said a number of soldiers were mildly injured during the clashes with local youths in the town, while a few soldiers received treatment for the effects of tear gas inhalation, after the protestors managed to throw back some of the gas bombs fired at them.
In addition, clashes took place in Betunia nearby town, after the soldiers invaded it, and attacked local protesters marking the Nakba, and marking the first anniversary of the death of Nadim Nuwwara and Mohammad Abu Thaher, who were killed by Israeli army fire, on May 15 2014.
The soldiers fired dozens of gas bombs, in addition to rubber-coated metal bullets and live rounds, while local youths hurled stones and empty bottles on the soldiers; several Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Local protesters also burnt Israeli flags, and said, “The Palestinians will never abandon their legitimate rights of liberation and independence in their homeland.”
The Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Bil’in village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, has reported that Israeli soldiers have attacked the weekly protest, firing dozens of gas bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets.
This week’s protest marks May 15, the Palestinian Nakba Day when Israel was established in the historic land of Palestine after massive expulsion of the indigenous population and the destruction of hundreds of villages and towns.
The Popular Committee said that locals, accompanied by Israeli and International peace activists, marched from the center of the village towards Palestinian orchards, isolated by the Wall and illegal Israeli colonies.
The protesters marched nonviolently, carrying Palestinian flags, and black flags commemorating the Nakba, chanted and sang for Palestinian unity, liberation, independence, and the Right of Return of all refugees.
They also chanted for the ongoing popular resistance against the Israeli occupation and its illegal colonies, and for the release of all political prisoners.
The soldiers intercepted the protest firing dozens of gas bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets, and invaded and western area of Bil’in.
They also chased the protesters through olive orchards, and in between homes in the village while firing more gas bombs, also targeting local homes with them.
Medical sources said that dozens of residents, Israeli and international peace activists, suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
The gas bombs also set fire to a number of olive trees belonging to the villagers, while residents rushed to contain the fire.
This week’s protest marks May 15, the Palestinian Nakba Day when Israel was established in the historic land of Palestine after massive expulsion of the indigenous population and the destruction of hundreds of villages and towns.
The Popular Committee said that locals, accompanied by Israeli and International peace activists, marched from the center of the village towards Palestinian orchards, isolated by the Wall and illegal Israeli colonies.
The protesters marched nonviolently, carrying Palestinian flags, and black flags commemorating the Nakba, chanted and sang for Palestinian unity, liberation, independence, and the Right of Return of all refugees.
They also chanted for the ongoing popular resistance against the Israeli occupation and its illegal colonies, and for the release of all political prisoners.
The soldiers intercepted the protest firing dozens of gas bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets, and invaded and western area of Bil’in.
They also chased the protesters through olive orchards, and in between homes in the village while firing more gas bombs, also targeting local homes with them.
Medical sources said that dozens of residents, Israeli and international peace activists, suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
The gas bombs also set fire to a number of olive trees belonging to the villagers, while residents rushed to contain the fire.
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More than 1,200 Palestinians, accompanied by Israeli and international peace activists, marched in the weekly protest in Ni’lin village on Friday, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, marking the 67th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (May 15 1948). Five Palestinians were shot, and dozens more suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
The Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Ni’lin has reported that the protesters, including representatives of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), various other political factions, as well as representatives of National Committee of Commemorating the Nakba, the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine, the Right to Land Coalition, the |
Coordination Committee against the Wall, marched along with Israeli and international activist, starting at noon in the center of the village.
The Nakba Commemoration started in the village with a speech by the head of the Ni’lin Village Council, Nader al-Khawaja, who welcomed both Palestinians and activists, including those who came from different cities, towns and refugee camps across the occupied West Bank, and especially the villagers living close to illegal Israeli settlements.
Al-Khawaja saluted the residents of Ni’lin and their determination to continue their legitimate struggle against the apartheid wall and colonies which isolate them from their orchards.
He added that Ni’lin has been holding the ongoing protest against the wall and settlements for eight consecutive years, now, embracing their steadfastness and determination to defend their lands despite the ongoing Israeli violations and excessive use of force by the soldiers.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers detained Palestinians coming from Hebron, Bethlehem and Salfit to participate in this week’s protest marking the Palestinian Nakba of 1948.
The Imam of Ni’lin said in a speech, following noon prayers in the center of the village, that Ni’lin and its ongoing nonviolent popular resistance, has become a symbol of the national struggle against the occupation, and a symbol for national unity.
He added that the Nakba of 1948 did not just happen and end, as it is ongoing, while refugees continue to suffer, and Palestinians continue to be targeted by Israel's illegal occupation and colonial settlements.
The imam called for national unity among all factions, among the Palestinian people, so that the struggle can continue until liberation and independence, and until achieving the Right of Return of all refugees.
The procession then took off from the southern area of the village heading towards the Annexation Wall and the settlements that were illegally built on Palestinian lands, while the residents chanted in demand of their legitimate Palestinian rights.
Israeli soldiers used excessive force against the protesters, firing rubber-coated metal bullets and dozens of gas bombs, wounding five Palestinians, while dozens suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. The gas bombs also set fired to olive orchards and farmlands, the only source of livelihood for literally hundreds of villages.
The Popular Committee against the Wall in Ni’lin said that the soldiers installed roadblocks oat the entrances of the village over the past week, in an attempt to isolate it and prevent residents from reaching it to participate in the protest, and even installed surveillance cameras on the main road and main entrance of the village.
It added that dozens of soldiers were also deployed near the second roadblock, installed by the army near Palestinian orchards belonging to villages of Ni’lin and several nearby villages.
The Nakba Commemoration started in the village with a speech by the head of the Ni’lin Village Council, Nader al-Khawaja, who welcomed both Palestinians and activists, including those who came from different cities, towns and refugee camps across the occupied West Bank, and especially the villagers living close to illegal Israeli settlements.
Al-Khawaja saluted the residents of Ni’lin and their determination to continue their legitimate struggle against the apartheid wall and colonies which isolate them from their orchards.
He added that Ni’lin has been holding the ongoing protest against the wall and settlements for eight consecutive years, now, embracing their steadfastness and determination to defend their lands despite the ongoing Israeli violations and excessive use of force by the soldiers.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers detained Palestinians coming from Hebron, Bethlehem and Salfit to participate in this week’s protest marking the Palestinian Nakba of 1948.
The Imam of Ni’lin said in a speech, following noon prayers in the center of the village, that Ni’lin and its ongoing nonviolent popular resistance, has become a symbol of the national struggle against the occupation, and a symbol for national unity.
He added that the Nakba of 1948 did not just happen and end, as it is ongoing, while refugees continue to suffer, and Palestinians continue to be targeted by Israel's illegal occupation and colonial settlements.
The imam called for national unity among all factions, among the Palestinian people, so that the struggle can continue until liberation and independence, and until achieving the Right of Return of all refugees.
The procession then took off from the southern area of the village heading towards the Annexation Wall and the settlements that were illegally built on Palestinian lands, while the residents chanted in demand of their legitimate Palestinian rights.
Israeli soldiers used excessive force against the protesters, firing rubber-coated metal bullets and dozens of gas bombs, wounding five Palestinians, while dozens suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. The gas bombs also set fired to olive orchards and farmlands, the only source of livelihood for literally hundreds of villages.
The Popular Committee against the Wall in Ni’lin said that the soldiers installed roadblocks oat the entrances of the village over the past week, in an attempt to isolate it and prevent residents from reaching it to participate in the protest, and even installed surveillance cameras on the main road and main entrance of the village.
It added that dozens of soldiers were also deployed near the second roadblock, installed by the army near Palestinian orchards belonging to villages of Ni’lin and several nearby villages.
Protestor shot in his leg with live ammunition.
Today (15th of May), during the Nakba day demonstration in Kafr Qaddum, four young men were shot with live ammunition in their legs. One of the men got a serious bone fracture.
Apart from the live ammunition being shot from all directions, Israeli forces fired several rounds of rubber coated steel bullets, tear gas and stun grenades. Throughout the protest, the Israeli military forces used a skunk truck to force the demonstrators back from reaching the closed road; closed since 2002 due to the building of the settlement Kedumim. ISMers in the demonstration saw houses and gardens being sprayed, and a boy as young as four crying, covered in the noxious chemical skunk ‘water’.
Before the prayer had started, which end usually marks the beginning of the demonstration, soldiers attacked the gathered crowd with the chemical-laced water from the skunk truck. About 200 protesters marched up towards the closed road and were chanting words of freedom. 67 years later, the Nakba is still going on. They were soon met with rubber coated steel bullets and more skunk water.
The Israeli military fired tear gas and several protesters suffered from its inhalation and its blinding effect. The military then fired sound bombs and also started firing live .22 calibre ammunition. Anas, 25 years old, was hit with one of these live bullets in his leg, fracturing it. Within a few minutes, Odaye, 21 years old, had both legs pierced from the side with one of them too – the bullet first went through one leg and then into the other. Joseph, 23 years old, was hit by two bullets in the leg.
He was brought in to the hospital with a regular car as both of the ambulances had already left with casualties. Bilal, 22 years old, was also hit by a .22 bullet in his leg. He was also ferried to hospital in a private car. When the soldiers retreated, the youth continued the protest with burning tires – the smoke from the demo drifted up towards the illegal settlement of Kedumim.
The villagers of Kafr Qaddum demonstrate weekly against the closure of the road between their village and Nablus, since 2002. The Palestinians are not allowed to travel the most direct route to Nablus, 13 km away, due to the positioning of nearby illegal Israeli settlement Kedumim. The commute to Nablus from Kafr Qaddum has now doubled.
Today’s demonstration at Kafr Qaddum was just one of many large scale demonstrations held in commemoration of Nakba Day. The Nakba is the Palestinian name for the ethnic cleansing of the vast majority of Palestinian Arabs from Historic Palestine in 1948. The systematic massacres and expulsion of some 700,000 Palestinians and the destruction of 500 villages by Zionist paramilitary groups paved the way for the creation of Israel as an ethnically and ideologically ‘Jewish State’.
The ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians by Israeli zionists did not stop in 1948. Both within the recognised boundaries of the Israeli state and within the illegally Occupied Palestinian Territories, Palestinians are struggling daily against expulsion and land theft. In Kafr Qaddum, as in the rest of Palestine, Israel’s attempts at ethnic cleansing are being resisted.
Additional photos
Today (15th of May), during the Nakba day demonstration in Kafr Qaddum, four young men were shot with live ammunition in their legs. One of the men got a serious bone fracture.
Apart from the live ammunition being shot from all directions, Israeli forces fired several rounds of rubber coated steel bullets, tear gas and stun grenades. Throughout the protest, the Israeli military forces used a skunk truck to force the demonstrators back from reaching the closed road; closed since 2002 due to the building of the settlement Kedumim. ISMers in the demonstration saw houses and gardens being sprayed, and a boy as young as four crying, covered in the noxious chemical skunk ‘water’.
Before the prayer had started, which end usually marks the beginning of the demonstration, soldiers attacked the gathered crowd with the chemical-laced water from the skunk truck. About 200 protesters marched up towards the closed road and were chanting words of freedom. 67 years later, the Nakba is still going on. They were soon met with rubber coated steel bullets and more skunk water.
The Israeli military fired tear gas and several protesters suffered from its inhalation and its blinding effect. The military then fired sound bombs and also started firing live .22 calibre ammunition. Anas, 25 years old, was hit with one of these live bullets in his leg, fracturing it. Within a few minutes, Odaye, 21 years old, had both legs pierced from the side with one of them too – the bullet first went through one leg and then into the other. Joseph, 23 years old, was hit by two bullets in the leg.
He was brought in to the hospital with a regular car as both of the ambulances had already left with casualties. Bilal, 22 years old, was also hit by a .22 bullet in his leg. He was also ferried to hospital in a private car. When the soldiers retreated, the youth continued the protest with burning tires – the smoke from the demo drifted up towards the illegal settlement of Kedumim.
The villagers of Kafr Qaddum demonstrate weekly against the closure of the road between their village and Nablus, since 2002. The Palestinians are not allowed to travel the most direct route to Nablus, 13 km away, due to the positioning of nearby illegal Israeli settlement Kedumim. The commute to Nablus from Kafr Qaddum has now doubled.
Today’s demonstration at Kafr Qaddum was just one of many large scale demonstrations held in commemoration of Nakba Day. The Nakba is the Palestinian name for the ethnic cleansing of the vast majority of Palestinian Arabs from Historic Palestine in 1948. The systematic massacres and expulsion of some 700,000 Palestinians and the destruction of 500 villages by Zionist paramilitary groups paved the way for the creation of Israel as an ethnically and ideologically ‘Jewish State’.
The ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians by Israeli zionists did not stop in 1948. Both within the recognised boundaries of the Israeli state and within the illegally Occupied Palestinian Territories, Palestinians are struggling daily against expulsion and land theft. In Kafr Qaddum, as in the rest of Palestine, Israel’s attempts at ethnic cleansing are being resisted.
Additional photos
Demonstrators rush to the aid of a comrade injured during clashes with Israeli security forces following a demonstration to mark the 67th anniversary of the "Nakba" near the Israeli Ofer prison, in the West Bank village of Betunia near Ramallah on May 15, 2015.
Dozens of people have been injured after Tel Aviv regime’s forces fired live rounds to disperse thousands of Palestinian demonstrators marking the 67th anniversary of the Nakba Day (Day of the Catastrophe).
On Friday, thousands of Palestinians held massive rallies in Ramallah, Nablus, and al-Khalil (Hebron) in the occupied West Bank, to express their resentment over the ongoing Israeli occupation.
The angry protesters chanted slogans against the Tel Aviv regime’s expansionist agenda and the confiscation of Palestinian land by Israel.
Local residents and witnesses said that the demonstrations were largely peaceful until Israeli forces assaulted the protesters, fired teargas canisters, and live bullets to break up the protests. The protesters pelted stones at Israeli forces in return.
Palestinian medical and security sources said that nearly three dozen people were injured in the fierce clashes.
A series of scuffles and fierce clashes also broke out at a demonstration outside Ofer military prison near the West Bank administrative center of Ramallah.
Similar rallies were also held in several other towns and regions across the occupied territories.
Thousands of Palestinians also marched through al-Quds (Jerusalem) to mark al-Nakba. A large number of demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and marched toward the holy al-Aqsa mosque compound.
Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip also took to the streets to voice their anger against the Israeli occupation of their land. Israeli forces also shot and injured several Nakba Day protesters near the blockaded enclave.
Thousands of protesters attended a massive rally in Gaza City. At the rally, a speaker from the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement called for "continuing the resistance against the enemy Israel, until we liberate Palestine.”
Similar demonstrations were also held in some neighboring regional countries and other parts of the world.
Every year on May 15, Palestinians all over the world hold demonstrations to commemorate Nakba Day, which marks the anniversary of the forcible eviction of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland by Israelis and the creation of the Israeli regime in 1948.
On May 15, 1948, Israeli forces displaced some 700,000 Palestinians, forcing them to flee to different neighboring countries. Israeli soldiers also wiped nearly 500 Palestinian villages and towns off the map, leaving an estimated total of 4.7 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants dreaming of an eventual return to their ancestral homeland more than six decades later.
Dozens of people have been injured after Tel Aviv regime’s forces fired live rounds to disperse thousands of Palestinian demonstrators marking the 67th anniversary of the Nakba Day (Day of the Catastrophe).
On Friday, thousands of Palestinians held massive rallies in Ramallah, Nablus, and al-Khalil (Hebron) in the occupied West Bank, to express their resentment over the ongoing Israeli occupation.
The angry protesters chanted slogans against the Tel Aviv regime’s expansionist agenda and the confiscation of Palestinian land by Israel.
Local residents and witnesses said that the demonstrations were largely peaceful until Israeli forces assaulted the protesters, fired teargas canisters, and live bullets to break up the protests. The protesters pelted stones at Israeli forces in return.
Palestinian medical and security sources said that nearly three dozen people were injured in the fierce clashes.
A series of scuffles and fierce clashes also broke out at a demonstration outside Ofer military prison near the West Bank administrative center of Ramallah.
Similar rallies were also held in several other towns and regions across the occupied territories.
Thousands of Palestinians also marched through al-Quds (Jerusalem) to mark al-Nakba. A large number of demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and marched toward the holy al-Aqsa mosque compound.
Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip also took to the streets to voice their anger against the Israeli occupation of their land. Israeli forces also shot and injured several Nakba Day protesters near the blockaded enclave.
Thousands of protesters attended a massive rally in Gaza City. At the rally, a speaker from the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement called for "continuing the resistance against the enemy Israel, until we liberate Palestine.”
Similar demonstrations were also held in some neighboring regional countries and other parts of the world.
Every year on May 15, Palestinians all over the world hold demonstrations to commemorate Nakba Day, which marks the anniversary of the forcible eviction of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland by Israelis and the creation of the Israeli regime in 1948.
On May 15, 1948, Israeli forces displaced some 700,000 Palestinians, forcing them to flee to different neighboring countries. Israeli soldiers also wiped nearly 500 Palestinian villages and towns off the map, leaving an estimated total of 4.7 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants dreaming of an eventual return to their ancestral homeland more than six decades later.
For Palestinians, 2015 marks the 67th year of forced displacement from, and within, their ancestral homeland.
This ongoing Nakba (‘catastrophe’) continues to be perpetuated through Israel’s denial of the Palestinian refugees’ Right of Return, the right to self-determination, and various other Israeli policies, which give rise to forced displacement, including forcible transfer as a grave breach of international law. These policies are framed within the wider gamut of perpetual human rights violations being committed on both sides of the green line (across the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel).
During the summer of 2014, Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip - more than 75 percent of whom are refugees – were subjected to a 50-day Israeli aerial bombardment and ground assault. At least 2,215 Palestinians were killed, with the homes of 108,000 more destroyed or severely damaged, whilst the already crippled civilian infrastructure of this besieged enclave received further extensive damage. At the peak of the assault, 520,000 Palestinians were internally displaced inside the Gaza Strip, accounting for 34 per cent of its total population.
Inside occupied East Jerusalem and so-called ‘Area C’ (accounting for more than 60% of occupied West Bank land), Israel pursues a policy of forcible transfer of Palestinians by way of - inter alia - unlawful land appropriation, home demolitions, denial of residency, restrictions on land access, and extensive settlement expansion. This multitude of grievous rights abuses is conducted against a backdrop of discrimination, harassment and violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers and security services alike, and reflected in Israel’s rapidly advancing plans to forcibly transfer Palestinian Bedouin communities on the Jerusalem periphery to urban townships in the Jordan Valley.
Yet this widespread Palestinian suffering is not limited to the borders of Mandate Palestine, but extends to the millions of individuals who make up the international Palestinian Diaspora. Of particular concern is the fate of those in Syria, with UNRWA finding that half a million Palestinian refugees have been directly affected by the country’s ongoing conflict. Many of these refugees will now have experienced secondary or tertiary displacement, whilst the level of human suffering for residents of Yarmouk Camp in Damascus has escalated wildly following extreme violence and the failure of the international community to ensure the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid and assistance.
These abhorrent developments, along with the predictable failure of US-led ‘peace talks’ in 2014, highlight the necessity of providing a durable solution to Palestinian refugees which is based upon the just application of international law, rather than political bargaining. The continued failure to deliver to Palestinians the full protection to which they are entitled under international law - centered around their inalienable right to return to their ancestral homes, unequivocally codified in UDHR Article 13, UNGA Resolution 194 and UNSC Resolution 237 – must be addressed as a matter of extreme urgency. For as long as the current status quo is maintained, and international protection is absent, Palestinians remain condemned to a fate of continued acute hardship and suffering.
Avenues through which to pursue the just application of international law and, by extension, the promotion of durable, rights-based solutions, are already in place. Alongside diplomatic efforts at the international level to demand Israeli adherence to all applicable legal instruments, states and international civil society alike must also support and fully participate in mechanisms such as United Nations Independent Commissions of Inquiry, and the investigations of the International Criminal Court. The strength of these processes lies not just in their respective potential to promote accountability and deliver justice, but also in their contribution to a wider movement towards legally-rooted solutions for the Palestinian people.
Accordingly, we, the undersigned members of the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council, make the following recommendations:
(i) That the international community genuinely strives to secure international protection - including durable solutions - for Palestinian refugees, and primarily, their Right of Return and to self-determination.
(ii) That the international community takes all measures to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under IHL and IHRL and calls on Israel to cease those policies and practices which adversely affect the protected population. The international community is thus reminded that forcible transfer amounts to a grave breach of IHL, and as such, States must not recognize the ensuing situation as lawful, nor render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation. The International Community should further call for immediate cessation of such activities and seek guarantees of non-repetition and reparations.
(iii) That the PLO makes concerted efforts to press concerned states and international agencies to meet their responsibilities, particularly with a view to fulfilling their obligations relating to non-refoulment, and non-discrimination.
(iv) That the international community supports endeavors by international mechanisms aimed at securing justice and accountability, including the UN Commission of Inquiry and the ICC.
(v) That the international community significantly strengthens efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance and protection in accordance with international standards to Palestinian refugees and IDPs, particularly to those besieged in Gaza and Syria.
This ongoing Nakba (‘catastrophe’) continues to be perpetuated through Israel’s denial of the Palestinian refugees’ Right of Return, the right to self-determination, and various other Israeli policies, which give rise to forced displacement, including forcible transfer as a grave breach of international law. These policies are framed within the wider gamut of perpetual human rights violations being committed on both sides of the green line (across the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel).
During the summer of 2014, Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip - more than 75 percent of whom are refugees – were subjected to a 50-day Israeli aerial bombardment and ground assault. At least 2,215 Palestinians were killed, with the homes of 108,000 more destroyed or severely damaged, whilst the already crippled civilian infrastructure of this besieged enclave received further extensive damage. At the peak of the assault, 520,000 Palestinians were internally displaced inside the Gaza Strip, accounting for 34 per cent of its total population.
Inside occupied East Jerusalem and so-called ‘Area C’ (accounting for more than 60% of occupied West Bank land), Israel pursues a policy of forcible transfer of Palestinians by way of - inter alia - unlawful land appropriation, home demolitions, denial of residency, restrictions on land access, and extensive settlement expansion. This multitude of grievous rights abuses is conducted against a backdrop of discrimination, harassment and violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers and security services alike, and reflected in Israel’s rapidly advancing plans to forcibly transfer Palestinian Bedouin communities on the Jerusalem periphery to urban townships in the Jordan Valley.
Yet this widespread Palestinian suffering is not limited to the borders of Mandate Palestine, but extends to the millions of individuals who make up the international Palestinian Diaspora. Of particular concern is the fate of those in Syria, with UNRWA finding that half a million Palestinian refugees have been directly affected by the country’s ongoing conflict. Many of these refugees will now have experienced secondary or tertiary displacement, whilst the level of human suffering for residents of Yarmouk Camp in Damascus has escalated wildly following extreme violence and the failure of the international community to ensure the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid and assistance.
These abhorrent developments, along with the predictable failure of US-led ‘peace talks’ in 2014, highlight the necessity of providing a durable solution to Palestinian refugees which is based upon the just application of international law, rather than political bargaining. The continued failure to deliver to Palestinians the full protection to which they are entitled under international law - centered around their inalienable right to return to their ancestral homes, unequivocally codified in UDHR Article 13, UNGA Resolution 194 and UNSC Resolution 237 – must be addressed as a matter of extreme urgency. For as long as the current status quo is maintained, and international protection is absent, Palestinians remain condemned to a fate of continued acute hardship and suffering.
Avenues through which to pursue the just application of international law and, by extension, the promotion of durable, rights-based solutions, are already in place. Alongside diplomatic efforts at the international level to demand Israeli adherence to all applicable legal instruments, states and international civil society alike must also support and fully participate in mechanisms such as United Nations Independent Commissions of Inquiry, and the investigations of the International Criminal Court. The strength of these processes lies not just in their respective potential to promote accountability and deliver justice, but also in their contribution to a wider movement towards legally-rooted solutions for the Palestinian people.
Accordingly, we, the undersigned members of the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council, make the following recommendations:
(i) That the international community genuinely strives to secure international protection - including durable solutions - for Palestinian refugees, and primarily, their Right of Return and to self-determination.
(ii) That the international community takes all measures to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under IHL and IHRL and calls on Israel to cease those policies and practices which adversely affect the protected population. The international community is thus reminded that forcible transfer amounts to a grave breach of IHL, and as such, States must not recognize the ensuing situation as lawful, nor render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation. The International Community should further call for immediate cessation of such activities and seek guarantees of non-repetition and reparations.
(iii) That the PLO makes concerted efforts to press concerned states and international agencies to meet their responsibilities, particularly with a view to fulfilling their obligations relating to non-refoulment, and non-discrimination.
(iv) That the international community supports endeavors by international mechanisms aimed at securing justice and accountability, including the UN Commission of Inquiry and the ICC.
(v) That the international community significantly strengthens efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance and protection in accordance with international standards to Palestinian refugees and IDPs, particularly to those besieged in Gaza and Syria.
A march was organized, Thursday evening in Ramallah, where 67 torches, 67 keys, 67 Palestinian flags and 67 black flags were held high in remembrance of Nakba 1948.
The streets were packed with people surrounding the demonstrators, who made their way through central Ramallah in circles from Arafat square to Al-Manara and back, according to the Palestinian News Network (PNN).
The march was carefully choreographed with Palestinian and Nakba flags in the front followed by a uniformed orchestra in the centre and torches rearmost.
Behind the event stood the Higher Coordinating Commission to Commemorate the Anniversary of Nakba. According to Commission member Omar Assaf, the activities this year have two main messages. The first is the right of return and the second is the Palestinian internal unity.
The Commission also held a march on Wednesday from the tomb of late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to Arafat Square where a central ceremony was held and Arab Idol-star Haythem Khaleily was giving concert.
On Friday, sirens of mourning will be blared at 12 pm as an expression of mourning on the losses of the Palestinian people. In addition, a march will be launched near the Apartheid Wall in Nelain town, near Ramallah.
The streets were packed with people surrounding the demonstrators, who made their way through central Ramallah in circles from Arafat square to Al-Manara and back, according to the Palestinian News Network (PNN).
The march was carefully choreographed with Palestinian and Nakba flags in the front followed by a uniformed orchestra in the centre and torches rearmost.
Behind the event stood the Higher Coordinating Commission to Commemorate the Anniversary of Nakba. According to Commission member Omar Assaf, the activities this year have two main messages. The first is the right of return and the second is the Palestinian internal unity.
The Commission also held a march on Wednesday from the tomb of late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to Arafat Square where a central ceremony was held and Arab Idol-star Haythem Khaleily was giving concert.
On Friday, sirens of mourning will be blared at 12 pm as an expression of mourning on the losses of the Palestinian people. In addition, a march will be launched near the Apartheid Wall in Nelain town, near Ramallah.
More than 10,000 South African
students marched, earlier today, in protest against Woolworths Stores'
trade agreements with Israel.
15th May 2015 | Congress of South African Students | Welkom (Free State), SA
The #BoycottWoolworths protest was led by the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) in the Free State. COSAS represents school children in all 9 SA provinces and is arguably the largest school learner organization in the country. Click here for photos from today’s COSAS protest against Woolworths.
The 15th of May was chosen for the protest to also mark the 67th year of the Palestinian Nakba “Catastrophe” (the 1948 establishment of the modern State of Israel that was the start of the displacement and oppression of the indigenous Palestinian people).
According to COSAS Free State, the protest march by COSAS against Woolworths is “in solidarity with the people of Palestine who continue to experience the harshest form of apartheid by the Israeli regime”. Sipho Tsunke of COSAS Free State said: “We are therefore mobilizing all young people and parents to boycott Woolworths which continues to have relations with Apartheid Israel. We will not be misled by Woolworths and their silly PR campaigns for example their MySchool programme or that of bringing USA musician Pharrell Williams to South Africa. We are telling Pharrell Williams, as school learners of South Africa, to cancel his shows in South Africa until Woolworths ends its relations with Israel.”
Today’s protest march started at Thabong Community Center at 09h00 and ended at Goldfields Mall (where Woolworths store is located) in Welkom in the Free State. The protest, according to police estimates, drew between 10 000 and 13 000 young learners from various areas in and around the Free State province of South Africa. Further COSAS protests against Woolworths are due to take place in coming weeks in other provinces.
In August 2014 a call for the complete boycott of Woolworths until it ends its Israeli trade links was made by BDS South Africa, COSATU, ANC Youth League, MJC, SACP, YCL, SASCO, PSA, COSAS and various others including the National Coalition 4 Palestine (a coalition of more than 30 organizations, trade unions and other groups). An independent #BoycottWoolworths impact report by a Wits University researcher has found that Woolworths is losing over R30 million (close to R8 million per month) since the start of the BDS #BoycottWoolworths campaign. According to the report the actual impact “could be in the hundreds of millions”.
15th May 2015 | Congress of South African Students | Welkom (Free State), SA
The #BoycottWoolworths protest was led by the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) in the Free State. COSAS represents school children in all 9 SA provinces and is arguably the largest school learner organization in the country. Click here for photos from today’s COSAS protest against Woolworths.
The 15th of May was chosen for the protest to also mark the 67th year of the Palestinian Nakba “Catastrophe” (the 1948 establishment of the modern State of Israel that was the start of the displacement and oppression of the indigenous Palestinian people).
According to COSAS Free State, the protest march by COSAS against Woolworths is “in solidarity with the people of Palestine who continue to experience the harshest form of apartheid by the Israeli regime”. Sipho Tsunke of COSAS Free State said: “We are therefore mobilizing all young people and parents to boycott Woolworths which continues to have relations with Apartheid Israel. We will not be misled by Woolworths and their silly PR campaigns for example their MySchool programme or that of bringing USA musician Pharrell Williams to South Africa. We are telling Pharrell Williams, as school learners of South Africa, to cancel his shows in South Africa until Woolworths ends its relations with Israel.”
Today’s protest march started at Thabong Community Center at 09h00 and ended at Goldfields Mall (where Woolworths store is located) in Welkom in the Free State. The protest, according to police estimates, drew between 10 000 and 13 000 young learners from various areas in and around the Free State province of South Africa. Further COSAS protests against Woolworths are due to take place in coming weeks in other provinces.
In August 2014 a call for the complete boycott of Woolworths until it ends its Israeli trade links was made by BDS South Africa, COSATU, ANC Youth League, MJC, SACP, YCL, SASCO, PSA, COSAS and various others including the National Coalition 4 Palestine (a coalition of more than 30 organizations, trade unions and other groups). An independent #BoycottWoolworths impact report by a Wits University researcher has found that Woolworths is losing over R30 million (close to R8 million per month) since the start of the BDS #BoycottWoolworths campaign. According to the report the actual impact “could be in the hundreds of millions”.
Alrowwad Cultural & Theatre Society, today, organized a march commemorating the 67th anniversary of the Nakba.
The group, mainly consisting of young people, marched from the Alrowwad centre in Aida Camp to the Jerusalem-Hebron Road, where it was stopped from going further by PA troops. PNN reports that 16-year-old Ahmed,, from Aida Camp, expressed his anger at the PA intervention, while other members of the march burned an Israeli flag and chanted towards the Israeli base from a distance.
Lajee Centre in Aida Camp also arranged a peaceful protest action to commemorate the Nakba. As has been done for the last six years, children from the camp made kites, many from Palestinian flags, to fly at the gate to Rachel’s Tomb. PA troops were also present.
Salah Ajarma of the Lajee Centre said that the kites represented freedom, and that there was no better way of expressing the freedom yearned for by the Palestinians was through the flying of these.
The group, mainly consisting of young people, marched from the Alrowwad centre in Aida Camp to the Jerusalem-Hebron Road, where it was stopped from going further by PA troops. PNN reports that 16-year-old Ahmed,, from Aida Camp, expressed his anger at the PA intervention, while other members of the march burned an Israeli flag and chanted towards the Israeli base from a distance.
Lajee Centre in Aida Camp also arranged a peaceful protest action to commemorate the Nakba. As has been done for the last six years, children from the camp made kites, many from Palestinian flags, to fly at the gate to Rachel’s Tomb. PA troops were also present.
Salah Ajarma of the Lajee Centre said that the kites represented freedom, and that there was no better way of expressing the freedom yearned for by the Palestinians was through the flying of these.
The occupation was only partially successful in implanting the culture of defeat and surrender, even 67 years after the Nakba. This is because people are alive and will not die and because the free Palestinian women do not stop giving birth to heroes who will liberate Palestine. Rights can be taken but they are not lost as long as there are those demanding them, and this is how the occupation was removed from southern Lebanon and Gaza.
This year marks the Palestinian Nakba's 67th anniversary, and it represents the pain of over 12 million Palestinians. The occupation is exhausting and depleting the souls, possessions, natural resources and energy of an entire nation. This exhaustion is both accumulating and continuous.
Sixty-seven years after the West's conspiracy against the Arabs and Palestinians and its armed forceful imposition of the Jewish state in the region, Netanyahu used the arrogance he is known for to gain the Judaisation of Jerusalem and the West Bank and built settlements before the eyes and ears of the hypocritical international community that only respects the strong. The international community only recognises the rights of the oppressed in terms of sympathy and pity.
By means of his use of brutal force, Netanyahu is saying: "As long as we have the upper hand, the Palestinians will continue to suffer, and your crying, weeping, and painful memories will do nothing for you. I will continue to Judaise Jerusalem, expel its people, Judaise the West Bank, and construct more settlements. I will renew your Nakba and bring about successive Nakbas as long as you remain weak. I am most happy when you are divided and I am overjoyed to hear all the statements and matters that continue to weaken your internal affairs."
The occupation leaders' achievements and victories are merely a summer cloud that will quickly pass due to the reality and logic of matters and cosmic ways. The best proof of this is the quick pace of the developments in the Arab world and the ability of one Palestinian faction to threaten the heart of Israel easily and quickly without giving any weight to the occupation's threats.
The occupation's attempts to falsify history will not work, as its attempts to change the names of Palestinian villages, towns and cities occupied in 1948, its implantation of settlements in the West Bank, and changing the names of holy sites in occupied Jerusalem is all classified as a systematic process of falsifying history.
Palestine was planned to be forgotten and lost from our minds, as well as erased from the world geographical and political map. Instead, after 67 years of occupation, the Palestinians are still able to revive and restore the memory of every inch of the land occupied in 1948.
Wisdom is the lost property of the believer and we must learn from the example of our enemy who does not involve its constants in its internal disputes and divisions between the Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews. Its security is a sacred matter that cannot be disputed and the interests of Israel are a top priority over anything else; have we Palestinians learned this from our enemy?
Have Britain, the West, and the occupation achieved their desired displacement and expulsion of an entire nation using the argument "the old will die and the young will forget"?
It is true that the occupation is strong with it oppression and brutality, but it is weak in its logic and morals. It does not possess intellectual or moral strength and this is the main and clear reason for the eminence of Israel's demise. This has been stated by a number of Israeli intellectuals.
What we can gather from the events of the Nakba Day commemoration is that the people who have a right to the country are alive and well and they cannot forget or forgive those who displaced them and committed crimes against them. Britain committed a sin and a crime against the people and those who commit sins must atone for their sins by compensating the refugees.
In the future, Britain will be humbled and it will be forced, by the developments and changes occurring, to compensate the free Palestinian state for the suffering it has caused for an entire nation during the years of occupation. This is not impossible or difficult to achieve, as Germany is compensating the Jews 67 years later. "They will shake their heads at you and ask: 'Well, when will this happen?' Say, 'That time may be near.'"
This year marks the Palestinian Nakba's 67th anniversary, and it represents the pain of over 12 million Palestinians. The occupation is exhausting and depleting the souls, possessions, natural resources and energy of an entire nation. This exhaustion is both accumulating and continuous.
Sixty-seven years after the West's conspiracy against the Arabs and Palestinians and its armed forceful imposition of the Jewish state in the region, Netanyahu used the arrogance he is known for to gain the Judaisation of Jerusalem and the West Bank and built settlements before the eyes and ears of the hypocritical international community that only respects the strong. The international community only recognises the rights of the oppressed in terms of sympathy and pity.
By means of his use of brutal force, Netanyahu is saying: "As long as we have the upper hand, the Palestinians will continue to suffer, and your crying, weeping, and painful memories will do nothing for you. I will continue to Judaise Jerusalem, expel its people, Judaise the West Bank, and construct more settlements. I will renew your Nakba and bring about successive Nakbas as long as you remain weak. I am most happy when you are divided and I am overjoyed to hear all the statements and matters that continue to weaken your internal affairs."
The occupation leaders' achievements and victories are merely a summer cloud that will quickly pass due to the reality and logic of matters and cosmic ways. The best proof of this is the quick pace of the developments in the Arab world and the ability of one Palestinian faction to threaten the heart of Israel easily and quickly without giving any weight to the occupation's threats.
The occupation's attempts to falsify history will not work, as its attempts to change the names of Palestinian villages, towns and cities occupied in 1948, its implantation of settlements in the West Bank, and changing the names of holy sites in occupied Jerusalem is all classified as a systematic process of falsifying history.
Palestine was planned to be forgotten and lost from our minds, as well as erased from the world geographical and political map. Instead, after 67 years of occupation, the Palestinians are still able to revive and restore the memory of every inch of the land occupied in 1948.
Wisdom is the lost property of the believer and we must learn from the example of our enemy who does not involve its constants in its internal disputes and divisions between the Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews. Its security is a sacred matter that cannot be disputed and the interests of Israel are a top priority over anything else; have we Palestinians learned this from our enemy?
Have Britain, the West, and the occupation achieved their desired displacement and expulsion of an entire nation using the argument "the old will die and the young will forget"?
It is true that the occupation is strong with it oppression and brutality, but it is weak in its logic and morals. It does not possess intellectual or moral strength and this is the main and clear reason for the eminence of Israel's demise. This has been stated by a number of Israeli intellectuals.
What we can gather from the events of the Nakba Day commemoration is that the people who have a right to the country are alive and well and they cannot forget or forgive those who displaced them and committed crimes against them. Britain committed a sin and a crime against the people and those who commit sins must atone for their sins by compensating the refugees.
In the future, Britain will be humbled and it will be forced, by the developments and changes occurring, to compensate the free Palestinian state for the suffering it has caused for an entire nation during the years of occupation. This is not impossible or difficult to achieve, as Germany is compensating the Jews 67 years later. "They will shake their heads at you and ask: 'Well, when will this happen?' Say, 'That time may be near.'"
