:icon_sadangel2: Palestine Peace a dream?

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Twelve Palestinian Children Honored for Animation Movie “Warda”
Date : 19/12/2009 Time : 14:59

NEW YORK, December 19, 2009 (WAFA)- Twelve Palestinian children were honored, Friday, for their animated film, “Warda,” which examines how young people perceive the wall between Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, Un news service said.

These children were honored in the 9-12 age category as winners of the PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival Awards , an initiative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). They were selected by an international jury out of more than 150 videos from 36 countries.

The award-winning videos will be shown at festivals and events around the world next year.

Young filmmakers from around the world will be recognized for their efforts to highlight migration, identity and diversity issues at a United Nations-backed ceremony in New York today.

The UN explained that the festival seeks to give voice to youth on integration, inclusiveness, human rights and social cohesiveness and also to promote respect and appreciation for all people.

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London Jewish school guilty of discrimination
Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:12:42 GMT

The UK Supreme Court ruled that JFS school broke the law by granting admissions based on ethnicity.
A Jewish school in London is found guilty of racial discrimination as the UK top court describes the school's admission policy as based on ethnic origins, not faith.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the popular JFS school north of the capital broke the law by granting admissions based on ethnicity.

The ruling, passed by a narrow five-to-four majority by the nine judges sitting on Britain's highest judicial body, received criticism from Jewish leaders, who argued it could have an impact on other Jewish organizations in Britain.

The controversy arose after the school refused to admit a 12-year-old boy whose mother was not born into Judaism but had converted at a non-Orthodox synagogue — a conversion process unrecognized by the Office of the Chief Rabbi of Britain.

The school accordingly rejected the boy's application, saying that his mother was not Jewish, and therefore the boy was not either.

The family's suit against JFS was rejected until an appeals court overturned the previous rulings in July and said, "The admissions policy should be based on the faith itself, not origin."

The school, backed by Britain's Jewish community, appealed to the Supreme Court but the judicial body ruled the school had discriminated against the boy on the basis of his ethnic origin.

Russell Kett, the chairman of governors at JFS, formerly the Jews' Free School, said they were disappointed by the decision and would now try to establish a more workable solution for the school's admission test.

MRS/AKM

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Police shoot U.S. student's laptop upon entry to Israel
16.12.09 - 20:37

Israel Border Police officers shot at an American student's laptop as she entered Israel via Taba, Egypt, two weeks ago.

ImageLily Sussman, 21, wrote on her blog that border police subjected her to two hours of questioning and searches prior to shooting her Apple Macbook three times.

"They had pressed every sock and scarf with a security device, ripped open soap and had me strip extra layers. They asked me tons of questions?where are you going?" Sussman wrote, describing the experience.

"Who do you know? Do you have a boyfriend? Is he Arab, Egyptian, Palestinian? Why do you live in Egypt? Why not Israel? What do you know about the 'conflict' here? What do you think? They quizzed me on Judaism, which I know nothing about," she continued.

Sussman said that she then heard an announcement on the loudspeaker. "It was something along the lines of, 'Do not to be alarmed by gunshots because the Israeli security needs to blow up suspicious passenger luggage,'" she wrote on her blog.

Moments later a man came to her and introduced himself as the manager on duty. "I'm sorry but we had to blow up your laptop," Sussman said he told her.

"The security officers did not ask about my laptop prior to shooting it," Sussman told Daily News Egypt. "They used the word 'blew up' when they told me they destroyed my laptop. I don't know why they shot it."

Sussman said the guards also looked through the photos saved on her camera, flipped through her journal and asked her about a map a friend had drawn for her that pointed out a main street, central bus station and the hostel where she was planning on stayig in Jerusalem.

She added that she had also been carrying an Arabic phrasebook, stamps from Syria, Qatar and the UAE and a Palestinians in Palestine guidebook.

The Israel Airports Authority said in response to the story: "A check that the lady's luggage underwent raised an indication that required security figures to act according to procedures. A police, who carried out the stated operation, was called to the scene. We suggest that the Israel Police be approached for any additional information."

Sussman managed to salvage the hard and guards gave her an address where she would be reimbursed for her mangled laptop, she told Daily news Egypt. "I'm going through the process of compensation," she said. "It supposedly will take about one month to receive the money."

source: Haaretz

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BLOG "WELCOME TO ISRAEL"

I was sitting on the deck overlooking the Red Sea. Israeli security officers (most who looked around 18 years old) had completed around two hours of questioning and searching me. They had pressed every sock and scarf with a security device, ripped open soap and had me strip extra layers. They asked me tons of questions–where are you going? Who do you know? Do you have a boyfriend? Is he Arab, Egyptian, Palestinian? Why do you live in Egypt? Why not Israel? What do you know about the ‘conflict’ here? What do you think? They quized me on Judaism,which I know nothing about.

Then they asked me to wait. Since they had asked for friends and families phone numbers I assumed they might be calling to verify my answers to questions or confirm I really had extended family in Tel Aviv. An announcement played over the sound system, interrupting my break in the sunshine. First in Hebrew, then Arabic, then in English. It was something along the lines of, ” do not to be alarmed by gunshots because the Israeli security needs to blow up suspicious passanger luggage.”

I went inside to check on my bag. I had left it unattended, where they instructed. It was still there so I went back outside.

Moments later a man came outside and introduced himself as the manager on duty. And then, “I’m sorry but we had to blow up your laptop. “

What….all my client case notes and testimony, writing, pictures, music and applications. Years of work. NO!!! What?? Are you insane?? What were you thinking? THAT’S ALL MY WORK!?

After much yelling, crying and frantic phone dialing (don’t be alarmed if I called you repeatedly this morning), he took me outside to see the wreckage. It turned out it hadn’t been quite blown up, but rather shot through with three bullets. We were able to extract the hard drive, seemingly unscaved. Thank goodness…

Security had never asked for my password. Was it my peeling Arabic stickers on the keyboard? Or something else during the questioning which set them off?

Toward the beginning of the search an officer began clicking through the photos on my camera. She froze on a picture of graffiti, which read “Fuck” scrawled next to the Jewish star of David. “Why do you have this picture?” She asked me rather aggressively. “Because I was disturbed by it too,” I answered. She didn’t press the subject but continued clicking…presumably looking at pictures from a photo exhibit about Israel’s January attack of Gaza.

Though I usually delete all my pictures when uploading, unluckily I had clicked save rather than delete when uploading this set and never got around to manually deleting on my camera. Whoops…

Among other suspicious item; an Arabic phrasebook, a journal entry that mentioned a Palestinian(yes, they even flipped through my journal), stamps from Syria, Qatar and the UAE, Palestinians in Palestine guidebook, and a map a friend had drawn with a main street in Jerusalem, the central bus station and my intended hostel. “Who are you meeting there?” They asked me.

Anyway I am in Jerusalem. Years of my life and my RLAP work is not destroyed. *sigh*. Insha’allah I will like Israel better tomorrow….

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Rabbis snub Israeli defense minister
Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:57:24 GMT

Har Bracha Yeshiva Rabbi Eliezer Melamed

Dozens of Israeli rabbis have signed a document expressing their support of Har Bracha Yeshiva Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, snubbing Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

The declaration was signed on Thursday by rabbis serving as educators in government-affiliated religious seminaries — known as 'hesder yeshivas' — after Barak, in an unprecedented step, cut ties with hesder yeshiva over what its dean, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, had said.

"Loyalty to God comes above all other loyalties; be it to the military or the government," Rabbi Eliezer Melamed had earlier said, the Ynet news website reported.

The rabbis explain in their document that Tel Aviv has in recent years been using the army "for purposes that are not related to Israel's defense, and contradict God's will, which is expressed in the sacred Torah. This situation puts IDF soldiers in a reality where there is a contradiction between God's orders and those of the commanders."

"We educate our students of the hesder yeshivas, to integrate into the army and be excellent and loyal soldiers while staying committed to God's words. We trust that God is the one who instills fear in our enemies, and helps our soldiers prosper and receive the crown of victory," the rabbis write in closing.

One of the signatories, Rabbi Ariel Bareli, told Israel Radio that faith outweighs government policies in the event of a clash. "You must understand, that the desire of the nation isn't meaningful for someone who believes in the creator,'' he commented.

As pressure increases on the government to curtail and eventually remove many West Bank settlements, the dispute highlights the growing political and spiritual dilemma within Israel.

MP/MTM/MMN

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EU castigates Israel over 'national priority' settlements
Sun, 20 Dec 2009 03:23:20 GMT

The European Union has condemned Israel's decision to list some Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank as 'special zones,' saying the move is against the spirit of the freeze on settlement building.

“The European Union expresses its disapproval of the decision of the government of Israel on December 13 to include settlements in the National Priority Areas program. The decision runs counter to the spirit of the settlement freeze,” Sweden, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said in a statement on Friday.

The statement added, “The move by Israel prevents the creation of an atmosphere conducive to resuming negotiations on a two-state solution." The European Union encourages Israel instead to continue along the path set forth by the moratorium.

“The European Union reiterates that settlements on occupied land are illegal under international law.”

The communities designated as 'national priority zones' will have access to credits of $41 million (28 million euros), which will benefit 110,000 illegal settlers.

Tel Aviv is currently under intense pressure from the international community to halt the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank. Israeli settlements are widely considered the main obstacle preventing the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Under the 2002 Roadmap for Peace plan brokered by the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia, Israel has to 'dismantle settlement outposts erected since 2001 and freeze all settlement activities.'

There are currently 121 Israeli settlements and 102 Israeli outposts built on Palestinian land occupied by Israel in 1967.

These settlements and outposts are inhabited by a population of approximately 462,000 Israeli settlers. Some 191,000 Israelis are living in settlements around Jerusalem Al-Quds and an additional 271,400 are spread throughout the West Bank.

All such Jewish settlements are deemed illegal under international law because they have been erected on occupied lands that the Palestinians claim for a future state.

All of these illegal settlements and outposts have been condemned by numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions.

MP/HGL

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Kuwait barred from West Bank cultural event
Sun, 20 Dec 2009 06:13:38 GMT

Israel has prevented an official Kuwaiti delegation from attending a Palestinian cultural festival in the West Bank, Kuwait's arts council announces.

In a statement released Saturday, Kuwait's National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature declared that it was not allowed entry from Jordan to participate in the "Jerusalem Al-Quds: Arab Culture Capital 2009"event held at a university in Nablus.

The Arab League last year designated East Jerusalem Al-Quds as the capital of Arab culture for 2009.

Israel and Kuwait have no diplomatic relations.

Israel, which controls the West Bank borders, regularly hampers Palestinian attempts to hold events in the city.

Israel occupied and annexed East Jerusalem Al-Quds during the 1967 war in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

MGH/JG/DT

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Hamas slams Egypt for Gaza wall, siege
Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:21:37 GMT

Children in the Gaza Strip
In a meeting with Egyptian government officials, Iran's Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani says Tehran and Cairo should put aside their differences with regards to the Palestinian issue.

Larijani, who is in Cairo to attend a committee meeting for the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC), said Sunday that the governments of Iran and Egypt should work together to bring unity to Palestinian factions.

"It is most important for Iran and Egypt to set aside their differences and to focus on bridging the gap between political factions in Palestine," Larijani said in a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Larijani pointed to Egypt's power in lessening the miseries of the beleaguered population of Gaza -- which is still shaken by the devastating war waged by Israel last year -- by keeping the Rafah border open.

The Rafah border is the only escape route from the Gaza Strip which does not lead into Israel.

"At a time when Palestinians are dealing with a full-fledged crisis, we hope the Egyptian government would step in to help them deal with it," he said.

The comments come as Larijani held “constructive” talks with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Fathi Surur and President Hosni Mubarak.

Receiving full cooperation of the Egyptian authorities, Israel has long imposed a complete siege on the already impoverished Gaza Strip, causing a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian sliver.

The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli siege ever since Hamas resistance movement, which does not recognize Israel, won Parliamentary elections in 2007.

Gaza's economy has been devastated in the wake of the Israeli siege, leaving Palestinians hungry for basic goods and commodities.

The meetings are believed to be the first high-level talks between the two countries since they broke off relations in 1980. Tehran was critical of Cairo's peace treaty with Israel.

SBB/DT

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Israel stripped body organs off Palestinians: MP
Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:54:02 GMT

An Israeli Knesset member says there is evidence showing that deceased Palestinians were stripped bare of their vital organs while in police custody in Tel Aviv.

Israeli politician and leader of the Arab nationalist party, Ahmad Tibi, said on Saturday that a medical institution in Israel harvested appendages from the bodies of dead Palestinians in the 1990's.

According to Tibi, the body parts, which included heart arteries, bones, and corneal tissue, were used in organ transplants for Israeli soldiers.

Meanwhile, the Israeli television has shown a documentary in this regard, claiming that Israeli politician and Knesset member Aryeh Eldad was the main culprit behind the bodysnatching incident.

The organ theft issue was first brought to the fore in a report published earlier in August by Sweden's largest circulation daily, Aftonbladet.

According to the report, Israeli soldiers were snatching and killing Palestinian men to harvest their organs for sale on the black market. It sheds light on the case of Bilal Ahmed Ghanem, a 19-year-old Palestinian man, who was shot dead in 1992 by Israeli forces in the West Bank village of Imatin.

The report claimed that Ghanem's body was then abducted and returned several days later by the Israeli military with a cut from the stomach to the neck that had been stitched up.

When asked what happened to the body, the soldiers told Bilal's family that he had undergone an autopsy in Tel Aviv. The family, however, claims that his organs had been stolen.

After the incident, at least 20 Palestinian families told Bostrom that they suspected that the Israeli military had taken the organs of their sons after they had been killed by Israeli forces and their bodies were taken away.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry reacted with anger to the report, calling it "a grotesque libel to incite anti-Semitic sentiments."

Their anger was widely believed to be due to the fact that it had made reference to the recent arrests in New Jersey of several prominent US Jews for a number of alleged crimes, including brokering the sale of organs for transplant.

In 2004, pathologist Yehuda Hiss was removed from his post as head of the state-run L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine after a Health Ministry investigation found that he had been involved for years in taking body parts, such as legs and ovaries, without family permission during autopsies, and selling them to medical schools for use in research and training.

This is while in July 2009, a New York Rabbi, Levy Izhak Rosenbaum, was arrested after it became clear that he was the main broker for a major human organs trafficking ring.

According to Knesset Member Muhammad Baraka there are more than 600 dead Palestinians' bodies buried in what Israel calls 'the number graveyards', which were created for freedom fighters Palestinians killed in combat with the Israeli army.

Baraka requested in August that Israel return the bodies to their families, but his demand is yet to be taken into account by Israeli authorities.

SBB/DT

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'Israeli whistleblower helped us daunt others'
Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:19:49 GMT

Israel's Dimona nuclear reactor
Former head of Israel's Atomic Energy Commission says the Israeli nuclear whistleblower has served the regime because his revelations helped Tel Aviv intimidate others.

Yet Uzi Eilam, a retired army brigadier-general who ran the commission between 1976 and 1986, says whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu did a service by alerting foes to the country's military might.

Vanunu was sentenced to 18 years as a traitor in a secret trial in 1986. He was abducted at that time from Italy after revealing information about an illegal nuclear program at Israel's Dimona reactor to Britain's Sunday Times newspaper.

Vanunu's information proved that Israel had broken the 1968 treaty on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

There is a US law that prohibits the support of countries that break the treaty in question.

Eilam said Vanunu's interview with the British paper, which led foreign experts to conclude that Israel had produced fissile material for as many as 200 atomic warheads, had helped Israel's strategic standing by unveiling its military might.

He was released in 2004, but confined to Israel since then even though he was merely a technical assistant with limited and outdated information. Israeli military officials; however, worry that he may reveal more secrets about Israel's nuclear weapons.

To date, he is still not permitted to speak to non-Israeli's.

"I've always believed he should be let go," Eilam, told Reuters on Sunday.

"I don't think he has significant knowledge to reveal (about Dimona) now," he added.

"It served to bolster our deterrence," he concluded.

Vanunu has been nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize including this years' award. He has reportedly asked that his name be removed from the list that holds the name of Shimon Peres as the man, according to Vanunu, is behind Israeli atomic policy.

MGH/SC/DT