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Hamas slams Egypt for tunnel deaths

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The Hamas movement has criticised Egyptian security forces after four Palestinians were killed when a smuggling tunnel from the country’s Sinai desert region into the Gaza Strip was destroyed.

Al Jazeera’s Ayman Mohyeldin said Egyptian authorities had warned the Palestinians that the tunnel would be destroyed, before using gas canisters and dynamite to blow it up on Wednesday.

“Every few weeks, every few months, there are these incidents where the Egyptian authorities drop gas canisters followed by dynamite or explosives into the tunnels in trying to collapse them,” he said.

“The Egyptians often warn the Palestinians [before the attacks]. Whether or not that warning is heeded though is really dependent on who is there at the specific time.

He said that the tunnels are poorly constructed.

“Many of them collapse. In fact, more than 45 Palestinians have died in cave-ins. More than 40 has died as a result of direct attacks by the Egyptians in these attempts to stop [smuggling].
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University students commit to sweeping boycotts

28/04/2010 18:00

Bethlehem – Ma’an – In anticipation of Nakba commemoration day next month, Palestinian student and youth groups across the West Bank and Gaza signed a memorandum enacting a massive boycott of Israeli products and programs.

The document calls for a halt to any activities that could normalize relations between Palestine and Israel.

“Economic, political, cultural and institutional normalization legitimize Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people by giving the appearance of normalcy to the relationship between oppressor and oppressed. This relationship is hardly one between equals as Israel continues to violate our inalienable rights, steal our land, and prevent refugees from our right of return in contravention of international law and numerous UN resolutions,” a statement from the student groups said.

The memorandum went on to describe a series of measures the students intended to apply on or before 15 May, when Palestinians commemorate the 1948 expulsion of hundreds of thousands from their homes that lead to the declaration of an Israeli state.

More than list the elements of the boycott, the students asserted “our right to resist Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people through all forms of resistance and in accordance to international law, including forms of civil resistance such as demonstrations, sits-ins and, boycotts of Israel.”

The students declared adherence to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BDS) and said they would reject “any Israeli-Palestinian meetings that do not recognize our inalienable rights, and explicitly aim to resist Israel’s occupation, colonization and apartheid.”

The student statement said the participating groups would “refuse to take part in whitewashing Israel’s public image,” and that “meetings that are not committed to such principles give a false picture of equality between the two parties by ignoring and legitimizing Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people.”

The petition was endorsed by the following university councils:

Birzeit University’s student council
An-Najah University’s student council and the majority of student blocks on campus
Hebron University’s student council
Bethlehem University’s student council
Arab American University in Jenin’ student council
Al-Quds University’s student council
Palestine Technical College’s student council -Aroub
Al-Quds Open University’s student council-Tulkarem
Al-Quds Open University’s student council-Qalqiliya
Palestine Technical College’s student council – Khadouri
The Palestinian Student Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel (PSCABI)
Progressive Student Union Bloc-Gaza
Fateh Youth Organization- Gaza
Progressive Student Labor Front-Gaza
Islamic Bloc-Gaza
Islamic League of Palestinian Student s- Gaza
Student Unity Bloc-Gaza
Union of Youth Activity Centers in Palestinian Refugee Camps
Palestinian Youth Network-all branches
General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) -Chile
General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) -Colombia
General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) -France
General Union for Palestinian Youth
Palestinian Federation -Chile
Palestinian Federation- Argentine
US Palestinian Communities Network (USPCN)
Palestinian Community of Catalonia

And the following youth groups:

Center for Argentinean – Palestinian Friendship- Rosario/Argentina
Arab Youth for Palestine Valdivia/ Chile
Arab Youth for Valparaiso – Via Del Mar/Chile
Arab Youth of Concepcion – Concepcion /Chile
The youth group of the Evan Lutheran Church – Beit Sahour
Sheppard’s Scouts Troup – Beit Sahour
The Papal Scout Troop – Beit Jala
Student Council of the Evangelical Lutheran School – Beit Sahour
Student Council of the Evangelical Lutheran School – Ramallah
Student Council of the Friends Boys School – Ramallah
Student Council of the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School – Ramallah
Student Council of St. Joseph’s School – Ramallah
Jafra Palestinian Youth Center-Al-Yarmouk Refugee Camp
Joint Advocacy Initiative – The East Jerusalem YMCA and YWCA of Palestine

source : by e-mail

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Beit Umar 24-4-10

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Hamas Releases Animated Gilad Shalit Cartoon [Video]

A superbly-made futuristic animated cartoon broadcast by Hamas movement on Sunday is creating waves in Israel. It is thought to be the first of its kind from the military wing of Hamas that does not depend on the traditional images of brave Hamas warriors fighting against Israel.

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHVR63sDY7c

The film wants to send the message that unless there is a real change in thinking on the part of the Israeli government, captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit will be returned to his family in a coffin rather than standing on his own feet.

The Israeli government reacted angrily to the film, describing it as “deplorable” and blamed Hamas for the failure to agree a deal for the release of Shalit, who was captured in June 2006. He is alive and believed to be held somewhere in Gaza.

The Hebrew animation is broadcast on various popular video websites, predominantly with English subtitles. On the website of Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas armed wing, the item also appears in Arabic, giving rise to guess that the intended target audiences are both Israelis and Palestinians.

If Hamas was looking for a reaction in Israel with the video, it certainly has achieved that on Sunday and Monday as news outlets gave substantial time and space to the animation.

Israeli politicians and pundits alike felt the need to talk about the movie. “It is best if Hamas leaders would focus less on videos and presentations and more concerned about the interests of their prisoners and the public in Gaza,” Noam Shalit, father of Gilad Shalit, told the Israeli news website Ynet.

The film focuses on Noam Shalit. Through a series of vignettes, Noam is portrayed trudging through the streets of Israel and being confronted by huge advertising boardings each with a different Israeli leader pledging to free his son and then finds a newspaper discarded in a rubbish bin showing on its front page a $50m reward for information on his son’s case.

Towards the end of the clip, Noam is an old man when he arrives at the Gaza border to greet Gilad at his long-awaited homecoming. He lets out an anguished cry as he sees his son is no longer alive.

Hamas and Israel have been in on-off negotiations for Gilad Shalit’s release since the soldier was captured by Hamas-led Gaza militants on the Gaza frontier in June 2006.

A deal between Israel and Hamas, negotiated by German intelligence officials, appeared close at the end of last year but fell through at the last minute when Israel stepped back. Hamas was to release Shalit and in return Israel would free 1,000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. About 11,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli jails, most of which without charge.

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Europeans’ money benefits Israel, not Palestine

In Dutch, English and Arabic

Video here

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An Israeli bulldozer destroys a children’s playground near Bethlehem

Israeli bulldozers today destroyed a garden and children’s playground in Beit Jala, and 100 fruit and olive trees in Al Walaja and Beit Jala, both in the Bethlehem district, to make way for the continued construction of their illegal apartheid wall. Soldiers present used violent force to remove Palestinian, Israeli and international activists who attempted to prevent the destruction. Two Israelis were arrested immediately, and six internationals were later arrested.

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Bilin to Beit Jala

The past two days witnessed further Israeli war crimes from shooting at unarmed protesters in Gaza, to destruction of land and property, and to raids in the middle of the night. But we also had a good first day of the International conference in Bilin. It was so good to meet with dear friends (e.g. Neta Golan, Huwaida Arraf, Lubna Masarwa, Iyad Burnat, Mohammed Al-Khatib, etc) and make many new ones. Hundreds of people attended on the first day from many countries. Speeches from dignitaries (e.g. Archbishop Atallah Hanna) to politicians (e.g. Salam Fayyad). There were representatives of all political factions. But the most interesting of all was the video-uplink with Gaza. Facilitated by Lubna Masarwa on this end and our dear friend Dr. Haidar Eid in Gaza. The site of the video uplink was a destroyed three story residential building whose residents still remain homeless. We also heard from a daughter of one of the abductees (many activists were abducted by the occupation soldiers and are still held in the gulags of the fascist occupation army). We also heard from relatives of the martyrs (murdered mercilessly by the occupation authorities). Everybody especially remembered the wonderful positive spirit of Bassem Abu-Rahma murdered one year ago at peaceful demonstration against the apartheid wall.

My excitement about the achievements in Bilin was needed to balance the pain as we watched the Israeli bulldozers destroy a familys front yard (the family of Mitri Ghneim in Beit Jala). The olive trees did not stand for two long. Nor did the childrens playground. The carefully tended garden lasted even less. Feelings of anger, sadness, pain, misery and more fluctuated but the emotions settled always on a sense of betrayal. Why is the world letting this happen. Israeli soldiers behaving like sadists dragging internationals out of the way and preventing all activists from getting close to victims family as they ravaged the yard. Six activists managed to get through and were beaten. They included two Palestinians. One international was taken asnd the others released on site later. My eyes welled up with tears as I watched two of the familys children return from school and look in horror at what is happening to their gardens.

In Al-Walaja village, the fascist Israeli army uprooted over 50 trees as it bulldozed areas around the illegal colony of Har Gilo. Much of the Land of Al-Walaja (near Beit Jala). THe demonstration there on Friday was inspiring as villagers also blocked the road for the vehicles of destruction.

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Two Palestinians and an International activist shot with live ammunition at a non-violent demonstration against the Buffer Zone in Gaza

El Maghazi, Deir Al Balah, Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territories, 24th April 2010, 12PM – At a peaceful nonviolent demonstration against the forceful cessation of farming within what Israel defines as a “buffer zone,” which was attended by 150 people, two Palestinians demonstrators and one International activist were shot. Israeli soldiers opened fire on the demonstrators from the border fence. Nidal Al Naji (18) was shot in the right thigh. Hind Al Akra (22) was shot in the stomach and is undergoing emergency surgery. Bianca Zimmit (28) from Malta was filming the demonstration when she was shot in her left thigh. The wounded are currently being treated in Al Aqsa Hospital.

Shortly after 11 a.m., women and men, including 6 ISM activists, marched from Al Maghazi towards the Israeli fence closing off the Gaza strip. After being met with live ammunition upon cresting a ridge, some demonstrators continued walking forward. This group included six women, two ISM activists and 20 men. The 20 male demonstrators reached the border fence. Zimmit was shot while filming the demonstration between the ridge and the fence, at a distance of roughly 80-100 meters. Hind Al Akra, also standing between the ridge and the fence, was shot in the stomach, and Niadal al Naji was shot in the leg near the fence. Demonstrators carried the wounded back across rough terrain to taxis for transport to Al-Aqsa Hospital.

The demonstrations are held in protest against the arbitrary decision by Israel to instate a 300 metre buffer zone as no-go area for Palestinians where “shoot to kill” policy is implemented. People have been shot regularly as far as 2 kilometres away from the border. Popular Campaign for the Security in the Buffer Zone, an umbrella organization that includes organizations representing farmers and Gaza residents living near the border, and also a number of political parties are present at many of these demonstrations.

Those venturing to the border regions to gather rubble and steel do so as a result of the siege on Gaza which, along with Israel’s 23 day winter war on Gaza, has decimated Gaza’s economy, including 95 percent of Gaza’s factories and businesses, according to the United Nations. Additionally, these recycled construction materials are vital in Gaza where the Israeli-led siege bans all but under 40 items from entering.

The siege prevents vitally needed construction materials from entering Gaza, where over 6,400 houses were destroyed or severely damaged in the Israeli war on Gaza, and nearly 53,000 sustained lesser damages. Hospitals and medical centres, schools, kindergartens and mosques are among the other buildings destroyed and damaged during the Israeli war on Gaza.

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Mourid Barghouti on Writing as Displacement

I had just finished I Saw Ramallah, which was published in English in 2000 by AUC Press. I have no excuse for being 10 years late to this beautiful book, and am reading it now because of translator Ahdaf Souief’s upcoming visit to Cairo, as part of the AUC’s “in translation” series.

I will have to say more about the book, because it’s creaking and shifting inside me, but for now I just wanted to quote this passage on writing:

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