Muslim, Jewish and Christian Women Tour the US Offering Perspectives on Coping with War and Building Peace Between Israelis and Palestinians
Jerusalem Women Speak: Three Women, Three Faiths, One Shared Vision
April 9- 26, 2007
Chicago Events: April 10 - 11
Does your audience know what it means to live in Palestine and Israel? Do they know what it takes to build peace after years of war, occupation and conflict? How often have they heard of Israelis and Palestinians working together to build a new future?Three women, a Christian, a Jew, and a Muslim, who are living the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can answer these questions and many more. These women bring their unique voices to the United States to call for an end to occupation and the ongoing violence between Israelis and Palestinians. They will share their experiences and hopes for a just peace with American audiences.The women are working professionals, educators and activists, all involved in their own way in resolving the conflict and charting a brighter future for their region.Each woman lives the hardships of conflict and the tragedy of occupation in unique ways. Each has also witnessed decades of Israeli-Palestinian violence and the intermittent attempts to rekindle peace talks. They have made a commitment to address American audiences about their work for a peaceful future and what must be done to improve today’s deteriorating situation.
What does an Israeli of South African descent, whose parents were involved in the founding of the state of Israel, think of President Carter’s description of Israeli policy as “Apartheid”?
What does an Educational Consultant with the Palestinian Ministry of Education face when accessing schools and communities surrounded by Israeli settlements and checkpoints?
How has one Christian Palestinian family used their contested land as a means to bring Israelis and Palestinians together?
How do Palestinians and Israelis work together in spite of the ongoing violence and animosity that surrounds them?
These three women can address these issues and more. The three will travel together on a national speaking tour for three weeks (April 9-26) to address realities of the conflict – the loss of family, the demolition of homes, persecution, occupation, violence, the separation barrier currently being constructed in the West Bank, Israel’s unilateral “disengagement” from the Gaza Strip, recent escalations of the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon, and more. They are here to demonstrate that working together for peace, while difficult, is possible.
The April tour is the Thirteenth National Jerusalem Women Speak Tour organized by Partners for Peace. The response to the tour in past years has been remarkable. Audiences have been fascinated and thrilled to hear their stories and see that even today in the midst of the ongoing conflict there are Palestinians and Israelis willing to travel together to talk about their lives, their fears, their hopes and their work for a just and sustainable peace.We refer to these individuals as “extraordinary ordinary women” for they are real women that deserve international recognition. If there is to be a real and lasting peace, everyday people like them will make it happen. The speakers for the Thirteenth National Jerusalem Women Speak Tour:
Huda Abu Arqoub, a Muslim Palestinian from Hebron, Palestine
Tal Dor, a Jewish Israeli from Haifa, Israel
Amal Nassar, a Christian Palestinian from Bethlehem, Palestine
Photos availableInterviews, talk shows appearances, editorial appearances and community presentations are currently being scheduled. They may be arranged by contacting Partners for Peace. Partners for Peace is an NGO based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to help bring about a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This is the thirteenth tour since 1998.
Chicago Schedule:Tuesday, April 10
12:00 – 2:00 PMPresbyterian Church of Western Springs5250 Wolf RoadWestern Springs, Illinois 60558Sponsored by the Presbyterian Church of Western Springs, the American Friends Service Committee and the Chicago Interfaith Work Group on Middle East PolicyLocal Media
Contact Person
Jennifer LewisPresbyterian Church of Western Springs
jlewis@presbyws.org708-246-5220 6:00 – 8:00DePaul University
Richardson Library, Rosati Room
2350 North Kenmore Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60614
Sponsored by Global Voices, the Islamic World Studies Program, the Women’s Center, the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, the Department of Modern Languages, the Department of Religion, the Department of Political Science, the Department of Peace, Conflict Resolution and Social Justice and the Irwin W. Steans Center for Community-based Service Learning
Local Media Contact Person
Nicole Zimmerer
Global Voices773-325-7407
nzimmere@depaul.edu
Wednesday, April 112:00 - 3:30 PMThe Chicago School of Professional PsychologyRm. 412325 N. Wells StreetChicago, Illinois 60610Sponsored by The Center for International Studies
Local Media Contact Person
Nancy Dubrow
Center for International Studies, Chicago
Schoolndubrow@thechicagoschool.edu
773-327-8817 (work)
5:00 – 7:00 PM
Northwestern UniversityMcCormick Tribune Center
Room - McCormick Tribune Center Forum
1870 Campus Drive
Evanston, Illinois 60208
Sponsored by The Roberta Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies and the Department of Women's and Gender Studies
Local Media Contact Person
Brian T. Hanson, Associate Director
Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies
Phone: 847-491-5058 Email: bhanson@northwestern.edu
Full schedule details available at www.partnersforpeace.org.
Speakers’ Biographies:Huda Abu Arqoub (Age 36):A Muslim Palestinian, Ms. Abu Arqoub is an Educational Consultant with the Ministry of Education of the Palestinian National Authority. A resident of Dura in the occupied West Bank, Ms. Abu Arqoub’s work takes her to schools throughout the district of Hebron where she documents the unique situation students and teachers face as they endure Israeli military and settler violence. She sees overcoming these daily injustices as a key component to peacebuilding and conflict transformation in Israel/Palestine. One of twelve children, Ms. Abu Arqoub was born in Jerusalem.† She is currently denied Jerusalem residency, however, and cannot travel freely to the city of her birth or visit relatives there because of Israeli-imposed restrictions.† Ms. Abu Arqoub’s family has lost 250 acres of land planted with olive trees and vineyards to Israeli confiscation and settlement construction. She has only visited the land once, in 1988, when her father took the family to see the property. Ms. Abu Arqoub’s parents are both teachers and she followed in their footsteps, obtaining her diploma for teaching English as a Second Language and a degree in Education and English Literature from Al Quds Open University in Palestine. A Fulbright Scholar, she now holds a Masters Degree in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University in the United States.Ms Abu Arqoub is also active in grassroots Palestinian initiatives focusing on issues related to gender equality and human rights. She is a member of several local Palestinian organizations that work on empowering women to be more active in building a healthy society.† Ms Abu Arqoub’s advocacy has also brought her in contact with many international groups and she has worked with organizations like Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children International and the University of the Middle East Project.† Most recently, she has joined the faculty of AL Quds Open University as a part time professor in the Departments of Language and Social Studies. The land Ms. Abu Arqoub calls home is saturated with Jewish Israeli settlements built illegally on Palestinian territory.† As a result, Ms. Abu Arqoub works in areas that endure Israeli military and settlement policies that privilege Israeli Jewish settlers over the indigenous Palestinian population.† Her commitment to peace between Israelis and Palestinians necessitates her opposition to these Israeli policies, which she describes as apartheid.† Such policies will never result in peace, Ms. Abu Arqoub argues, because ultimately "human interaction is needed to bridge gaps created by distance, cultural difference and politics."Tal Dor (Age 29):A Jewish Israeli, Ms. Dor’s work urges her society to critically examine both its past and its present. For the past six years, Ms. Dor worked for Mahapach-Tagier, a joint Jewish-Palestinian grassroots organization developing leadership and social justice in disempowered communities throughout Israel. She left the organization last year after serving as Executive Director. She is also active in many other organizations, including serving on the Board of Directors of Zochrot, an association working to develop a critical consciousness in Israel of the history and current reality of the Israeli War of Independence and Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe) in 1948.Ms. Dor was born in Haifa, on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Her parents were Zionist immigrants from South Africa, one of whom came in 1948 to fight in the war to establish the state of Israel. Her identity and activism have been influenced by South Africa’s struggle to overcome its own conflict. The challenge to come to terms with both her family’s Zionism and her South African heritage led Ms. Dor to search for new and creative ways to address the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.Ms. Dor graduated with a BA in Social Work from Tel Hai College and holds advanced degrees in Community Organizing and Facilitating Groups in Conflict. In 1996 and 1997, she served in the Israeli army as a trainer for soldier-teachers working with at-risk youth in Israel. The experience opened her eyes to the reality of poverty in Israel, but her political activism began several years after her service ended. Following the outbreak of the second Intifada in late 2000, Ms. Dor joined thousands of other Israelis in peace rallies and actions across Israel and in the occupied West Bank. Meanwhile, she continued her work with the disempowered in Israel proper. In the fall of 2006, Ms. Dor moved to France where she is currently writing a book with Palestinian colleague Manal Al Tamimi. The book documents and analyzes their dialogues as two women activists against the occupation- one Israeli and one Palestinian.Ms. Dor's work draws important links between the struggle for peace and justice among Israelis and Palestinians and the struggle for a more just and equitable Israeli society. Her work with disempowered communities and at-risk youth in Israel informs her work with Palestinian colleagues and contributes to her analysis of the broader trends in the region. Ms. Dor believes that peace between Israelis and Palestinians is within reach, but to achieve that peace, political awareness and activism has to spread to a larger cadre and in an equal civic partnership between Israelis and Palestinians. "I don’t think we can speak about peace in a situation of occupation," Ms. Dor argues. "I believe we have to speak about justice, equality and ending the occupation. We cannot live at the expense of other peoples and speak about peace."Amal Nassar (Age 46):A Christian Palestinian, Ms.. Nassar is a physiotherapist for infants and a nurse at the Caritas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem. Concern for the next generation of Palestinians also extends to her volunteer activism. Ms. Nassar is a founding member of Tent of Nations- People Building Bridges, a project inviting Palestinians, Israelis and international visitors to take part in programs focusing on coexistence, peace and nonviolence. Her work with Tent of Nations is motivated by the belief that Palestinians and Israelis, especially young people, must participate actively in shaping their society and building a peaceful future based on principles of justice and sharing the land.Ms. Nassar and her family founded Tent of Nations on the 100 acres of land her family owns near Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank. Her grandfather purchased the property in 1917 and moved his family from the Old City of Bethlehem, where his ancestors had lived for generations. The family lived in a cave that they extended into a full stone house and tended the fruit trees and vineyards they planted.Ms. Nassar’s land is now surrounded by four illegal Israeli settlements built after Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. In 1991, the Israeli military left notices on the property announcing that it had been classified as Israeli "state land" and would be confiscated. Ms. Nassar’s family began a legal battle to keep their land that continues today. In 2002, Israeli settlers attacked her family. The settlers beat two of her brothers and entered their home to threaten her 65 year old mother at gunpoint. Meanwhile, the attackers uprooted 250 olive trees. Ms. Nassar’s family has never been granted compensation. In light of such assaults on her family’s very presence on their own lands, Ms Nassar views Tent of Nations as more than an educational project. It is also a form of nonviolent resistance against the confiscation of her heritage.Ms. Nassar’s father taught his children that the land is an integral aspect of their identity as Palestinians and dreamt that the property would become a meeting point for people from around the world. Today, thirty years after her father died, Ms. Nassar is working to make his dream a reality. She organizes programs for youth and women that focus on peace education and nonviolence. Meanwhile, she fosters an understanding in Palestinian children of the vital connection between their people and the land.Through her work, Ms. Nassar has forged lasting friendships with Israeli peace activists who join Tent of Nations activities and support the family’s resistance. Ms. Nassar stays in contact with them through e-mails and phone calls. She cannot visit them, however, unless she is granted a special permit from the Israeli military.Despite the enduring efforts to dispossess her and her family of their land and heritage, Ms. Nassar remains optimistic that Israelis and Palestinians will live together in peace. "My dream is to see the youth of Israel and Palestine working together for a better future and a better quality of life for both nations," she explains. "I am looking forward to our young generation living together in peace without hatred and with an understanding that we must work for a new society based on democracy and justice."
GW Associates702 S. BeechSyracuse, NY 13210315-476-3396 603-590-8273 faxpwirth2@verizon.nethttp://www.peterwirth.net
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Metro Detroit Leaders Respond to New Immigration Bill
Metro Detroit Leaders Respond to New Immigration Bill
New Bipartisan STRIVE Act Initiates Action in Congress
Detroit, MI – Clergy from MOSES and a diverse group of community leaders from across Metro Detroit came together on Thursday to praise action in Congress on comprehensive immigration reform. Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced bipartisan comprehensive legislation today that will replace an immigration system that is unregulated, chaotic and abusive with one that is secure, controlled and fair.
The STRIVE Act (Security Through Regularized Immigration and Vibrant Economy) includes principles and elements that are needed to fix our broken immigration system. These principles include restoring the rule of law, providing a path to earned citizenship, protecting immigrant and American workers alike, reuniting families, respecting due process, and helping newcomers become new Americans while helping the communities in which they settle.
“A comprehensive solution must include solutions to many problems, including fundamental due process protections. Many of the enforcement measures introduced in the last Congress involved increasing the use of secret evidence in immigration processes and removing judicial discretion. Such provisions represent a particular threat to our community and, in general, a threat to the core principles on which our country was founded,” said Noel Saleh, President of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS).
“We welcome the STRIVE Act because it moves us in the direction of our goal: to get our Federal government to act decisively to get comprehensive immigration reform done this year, to get it done right, and to make it work on the ground once it is implemented,” said Rev. Kevin Turman of 2nd Baptist Church.
There are an estimated 12 million undocumented people who are working and living in the US, and deportation would be an extreme and unworkable alternative. Comprehensive immigration reform legislation along the lines of the Gutierrez-Flake proposal offers a realistic way of dealing with this issue.
It gives families the opportunity to be united with family members in a timely manner. The legislation also makes the changes needed to satisfy the needs of our economy for workers.
“We hope Congress will work together like these two Representatives because America will finally have an immigration system that serves our national interests through increased security, an improved economy and a renewal of the values that define our nation.” Father Tom Sepulveda, Ste Anne Catholic Church.
“Metro Detroit has experienced a renaissance and tremendous growth by the investments made by immigrants, some of whom are undocumented, and are trapped in the complex tangle of immigration backlogs and extended waiting periods.” Kathy Wendler, President and CEO of the Southwest Detroit Business Association.”
###
New Bipartisan STRIVE Act Initiates Action in Congress
Detroit, MI – Clergy from MOSES and a diverse group of community leaders from across Metro Detroit came together on Thursday to praise action in Congress on comprehensive immigration reform. Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced bipartisan comprehensive legislation today that will replace an immigration system that is unregulated, chaotic and abusive with one that is secure, controlled and fair.
The STRIVE Act (Security Through Regularized Immigration and Vibrant Economy) includes principles and elements that are needed to fix our broken immigration system. These principles include restoring the rule of law, providing a path to earned citizenship, protecting immigrant and American workers alike, reuniting families, respecting due process, and helping newcomers become new Americans while helping the communities in which they settle.
“A comprehensive solution must include solutions to many problems, including fundamental due process protections. Many of the enforcement measures introduced in the last Congress involved increasing the use of secret evidence in immigration processes and removing judicial discretion. Such provisions represent a particular threat to our community and, in general, a threat to the core principles on which our country was founded,” said Noel Saleh, President of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS).
“We welcome the STRIVE Act because it moves us in the direction of our goal: to get our Federal government to act decisively to get comprehensive immigration reform done this year, to get it done right, and to make it work on the ground once it is implemented,” said Rev. Kevin Turman of 2nd Baptist Church.
There are an estimated 12 million undocumented people who are working and living in the US, and deportation would be an extreme and unworkable alternative. Comprehensive immigration reform legislation along the lines of the Gutierrez-Flake proposal offers a realistic way of dealing with this issue.
It gives families the opportunity to be united with family members in a timely manner. The legislation also makes the changes needed to satisfy the needs of our economy for workers.
“We hope Congress will work together like these two Representatives because America will finally have an immigration system that serves our national interests through increased security, an improved economy and a renewal of the values that define our nation.” Father Tom Sepulveda, Ste Anne Catholic Church.
“Metro Detroit has experienced a renaissance and tremendous growth by the investments made by immigrants, some of whom are undocumented, and are trapped in the complex tangle of immigration backlogs and extended waiting periods.” Kathy Wendler, President and CEO of the Southwest Detroit Business Association.”
###
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Dr. Maya Angelou joins Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour at May 29 Toronto show
Famed poet Dr. Maya Angelou to open for Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Troupe
Chicago -- Poet, playwright, producer, director, conductor, actor, author, and social activist, the remarkable Dr. Maya Angelou will make a special appearance May 29 in Toronto, Canada to launch The Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour in North America.
The show is being booked by Howard Szigeti, producer of the acclaimed Unique Lives & Experiences Women's Lecture Series, and features Daily-Herald Columnist and standup comedian Ray Hanania.
A veteran journalist named "Best Ethnic American Columnist for 2006/2007" by the New America Media in November, Hanania entered standup comedy as an effort to promote peace between Palestinians and Israelis, Arabs and Jews. Hanania has performed around the country including at Carolines on Broadway, the New York Comedy Club, and in the Chicago area at the Schaumburg Comedy Spot and Riddles Comedy Club in Orland Park.
Dr. Angelou recently learned of this new "Peace Through Comedy" initiative called The Israeli Palestinian Comedy Tour and asked to be a part of the landmark event, which premiered before sold-out audiences Jan. 23 to Israeli and Palestinian audiences in Tel Aviv and West Jerusalem in Israel, and in East Jerusalem.
Hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary literature, Dr. Angelou travels the world, spreading her legendary wisdom of peace and love through the sheer beauty of her words and lyrics.
Hanania is joined by Israeli American comedian Charley Warady, former Irish Catholic convertand Israeli citizen Yisrael Campbell and African American convert Aaron Freeman, who is a veteran of Chicago area comedy clubs and the famed Second City. It is the first time Palestinian and Israeli comedians have ever toured together.
Warady and Hanania met on the Internet when Warady was researching his former Chicago neighborhood, Pill Hill, on the city's Southeast Side. As it turned out, Warady and Hanania attended the same school, only a few years apart. When Warady, who is an Israeli citizen and has been living in Israel for th epast 10 years, emailed Hanania to note the ties, Hanania asked Warady if he would perform comedy on the same stage as a Palestinian.
"Warady immediately accepted and together, we were able to enlist several other comedians including Yisrael Campbell, who is very popular in Israeli comedy clubs, and Chicago's very own Aaron Freeman," Hanania said.
"This tour differs from other Middle East comedy groups because most Arabs will not appear with Israelis, although they will appear with 'Jews.' I think that is hypocritical and decided to break the Arab taboo, performing not just with Jewish comedians but also Israeli comedians," Hanania said. "The audiences, Israeli and Palestinian, overwhelming agreed that this is needed."
The group is hoping to plan performances in Chicago. Hanania's first venture into standup comedy in August 2002 exploded in international headlines when Jewish Comedian Jackie Mason refused to allow him to perform on the same stage at Zanies Comedy Club because Hanania is Palestinian.
The group's web site is www.IPComedyTour.com.
END
JUST FYI: PRESS RELEASE DETAILS
For Immediate Release: March 20, 2007 • Please include in listings/announcements
Three Jews, an Arab and Dr. Maya Angelou walk into a bar …
MAYA ANGELOU TO MAKE SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY REMARKS AT THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR
Peace Through ComedyLive on Stage at Roy Thomson Hall
One Night Only, May 29, 2007
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
"We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike."
Human Family, Maya Angelou
Poet, playwright, producer, director, conductor, actor, author, and social activist, the remarkable Dr. Maya Angelou will make a special appearance in Toronto to christen THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR in North America.
A long time friend and colleague of presenter Howard Szigeti (producer of the acclaimed Unique Lives & Experiences Women's Lecture Series), Dr. Angelou recently learned of this new Peace Through Comedy initiative, THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR, and wanted to be part of the landmark event.
Hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary literature, Dr. Angelou travels the world, spreading her legendary wisdom of peace and love through the sheer beauty of her words and lyrics.
Israeli American Charley Warady, Palestinian American Ray Hanania, former Irish Catholic convert Yisrael Campbell and African American convert Aaron Freeman will grace the same stage, the first time Palestinian and Israeli comics have ever toured together, for THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR, launching in Toronto at Roy Thomson Hall on May 29, 2007.
I note the obvious differences/in the human family. Some of us are serious,/some thrive on comedy.
… We are more alike, my friends,/than we are unalike. Human Family, Maya Angelou
THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR
With Special Guest Dr. Maya Angelou
Live on Stage at Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe Street
One Night Only, Tuesday, May 29, 2007 @ 8pm
Tickets range from $49 - $69 (incl. taxes) and can be purchased at http://www.roythomson.com or by calling 416.872-4255or in person at Roy Thomson Hall box office
Peace Through Comedy!
www.ipcomedytour.com
Media Contact: Carrie Sager, FLIP Publicity & Promotions Inc., 416.533.7710X224
carrie@flip-publicity.com • www.flip-publicity.com
end
Chicago -- Poet, playwright, producer, director, conductor, actor, author, and social activist, the remarkable Dr. Maya Angelou will make a special appearance May 29 in Toronto, Canada to launch The Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour in North America.
The show is being booked by Howard Szigeti, producer of the acclaimed Unique Lives & Experiences Women's Lecture Series, and features Daily-Herald Columnist and standup comedian Ray Hanania.
A veteran journalist named "Best Ethnic American Columnist for 2006/2007" by the New America Media in November, Hanania entered standup comedy as an effort to promote peace between Palestinians and Israelis, Arabs and Jews. Hanania has performed around the country including at Carolines on Broadway, the New York Comedy Club, and in the Chicago area at the Schaumburg Comedy Spot and Riddles Comedy Club in Orland Park.
Dr. Angelou recently learned of this new "Peace Through Comedy" initiative called The Israeli Palestinian Comedy Tour and asked to be a part of the landmark event, which premiered before sold-out audiences Jan. 23 to Israeli and Palestinian audiences in Tel Aviv and West Jerusalem in Israel, and in East Jerusalem.
Hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary literature, Dr. Angelou travels the world, spreading her legendary wisdom of peace and love through the sheer beauty of her words and lyrics.
Hanania is joined by Israeli American comedian Charley Warady, former Irish Catholic convertand Israeli citizen Yisrael Campbell and African American convert Aaron Freeman, who is a veteran of Chicago area comedy clubs and the famed Second City. It is the first time Palestinian and Israeli comedians have ever toured together.
Warady and Hanania met on the Internet when Warady was researching his former Chicago neighborhood, Pill Hill, on the city's Southeast Side. As it turned out, Warady and Hanania attended the same school, only a few years apart. When Warady, who is an Israeli citizen and has been living in Israel for th epast 10 years, emailed Hanania to note the ties, Hanania asked Warady if he would perform comedy on the same stage as a Palestinian.
"Warady immediately accepted and together, we were able to enlist several other comedians including Yisrael Campbell, who is very popular in Israeli comedy clubs, and Chicago's very own Aaron Freeman," Hanania said.
"This tour differs from other Middle East comedy groups because most Arabs will not appear with Israelis, although they will appear with 'Jews.' I think that is hypocritical and decided to break the Arab taboo, performing not just with Jewish comedians but also Israeli comedians," Hanania said. "The audiences, Israeli and Palestinian, overwhelming agreed that this is needed."
The group is hoping to plan performances in Chicago. Hanania's first venture into standup comedy in August 2002 exploded in international headlines when Jewish Comedian Jackie Mason refused to allow him to perform on the same stage at Zanies Comedy Club because Hanania is Palestinian.
The group's web site is www.IPComedyTour.com.
END
JUST FYI: PRESS RELEASE DETAILS
For Immediate Release: March 20, 2007 • Please include in listings/announcements
Three Jews, an Arab and Dr. Maya Angelou walk into a bar …
MAYA ANGELOU TO MAKE SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY REMARKS AT THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR
Peace Through ComedyLive on Stage at Roy Thomson Hall
One Night Only, May 29, 2007
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
"We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike."
Human Family, Maya Angelou
Poet, playwright, producer, director, conductor, actor, author, and social activist, the remarkable Dr. Maya Angelou will make a special appearance in Toronto to christen THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR in North America.
A long time friend and colleague of presenter Howard Szigeti (producer of the acclaimed Unique Lives & Experiences Women's Lecture Series), Dr. Angelou recently learned of this new Peace Through Comedy initiative, THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR, and wanted to be part of the landmark event.
Hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary literature, Dr. Angelou travels the world, spreading her legendary wisdom of peace and love through the sheer beauty of her words and lyrics.
Israeli American Charley Warady, Palestinian American Ray Hanania, former Irish Catholic convert Yisrael Campbell and African American convert Aaron Freeman will grace the same stage, the first time Palestinian and Israeli comics have ever toured together, for THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR, launching in Toronto at Roy Thomson Hall on May 29, 2007.
I note the obvious differences/in the human family. Some of us are serious,/some thrive on comedy.
… We are more alike, my friends,/than we are unalike. Human Family, Maya Angelou
THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR
With Special Guest Dr. Maya Angelou
Live on Stage at Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe Street
One Night Only, Tuesday, May 29, 2007 @ 8pm
Tickets range from $49 - $69 (incl. taxes) and can be purchased at http://www.roythomson.com or by calling 416.872-4255or in person at Roy Thomson Hall box office
Peace Through Comedy!
www.ipcomedytour.com
Media Contact: Carrie Sager, FLIP Publicity & Promotions Inc., 416.533.7710X224
carrie@flip-publicity.com • www.flip-publicity.com
end
MEDIA ADVISORY: Metro Detroit Leaders Respond to new immigration bill
MEDIA ADVISORY: Metro Detroit Leaders Respond to new immigration bill
Contact:
Hannan Deep, ACCESS
Juan Escareno, MOSES
313-842-7010
hdeep@accesscommunity.org
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WHAT:
Press conference to address the introduction of the Strive Act of 2007 - - the Bill deals with comprehensive immigration reform.
WHEN:
Thursday, March 22 at 9:45 a.m.
WHERE:
Central United Methodist Church (corner of East Adams/Woodward - in front of Comerica Park)
23 East Adams Street
Detroit, MI 48226
(Inside Sanctuary)
SUMMARY:
STRIVE Act authored by Representative Luis Guiterrez (D-IL) and Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ) is a bi-partisan response to the demands of millions of immigrants and their supporters for comprehensive immigration reform.
The following speakers will comment on the impact of this Bill on Michigan and on millions of immigrants around the country. Fr. Tom Sepulveda of St. Anne's Church, Rev. Kevin Turman of Second Baptist Church, Noel Saleh of ACCESS, Kathy Wendler of Southwest Detroit Business Association, and Dawud Walid of CAIR-MI.
###
Contact:
Hannan Deep, ACCESS
Juan Escareno, MOSES
hdeep@accesscommunity.org
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WHAT:
Press conference to address the introduction of the Strive Act of 2007 - - the Bill deals with comprehensive immigration reform.
WHEN:
Thursday, March 22 at 9:45 a.m.
WHERE:
Central United Methodist Church (corner of East Adams/Woodward - in front of Comerica Park)
23 East Adams Street
Detroit, MI 48226
(Inside Sanctuary)
SUMMARY:
STRIVE Act authored by Representative Luis Guiterrez (D-IL) and Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ) is a bi-partisan response to the demands of millions of immigrants and their supporters for comprehensive immigration reform.
The following speakers will comment on the impact of this Bill on Michigan and on millions of immigrants around the country. Fr. Tom Sepulveda of St. Anne's Church, Rev. Kevin Turman of Second Baptist Church, Noel Saleh of ACCESS, Kathy Wendler of Southwest Detroit Business Association, and Dawud Walid of CAIR-MI.
###
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Israeli Palestinian Comedy Tour Toronto, Canada May 29 Roy Thompson Hall
For Immediate Release: March 13, 2007 • Please include in listings/announcements
Three Jews and an Arab walk into a bar …
Sumrey and Let’s Talk Entertainment present
THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOURLive on Stage at Roy Thomson Hall
One Night Only, May 29, 2007
TICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW!
Peace Through Comedy
If we can laugh together, we can live together!
Performing for the first time outside of Israel, an Israeli American, a Palestinian American and two converts to Judaism, one African American and the other ultra-Orthodox, will take the stage at Roy Thomson Hall for one night only, Tuesday, May 29, 2007 at 8pm.
The brainchild of Charley Warady (American ex-pat comedian and Israeli since 1996) and Ray Hanania (Palestinian American comedian since forever), THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR was borne of a conversation about peace in the Middle East. "How hard could it be? First peace in the Mideast, then the Nobel Peace Prize."
THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR is full of jokes that test political and religious limits. There are cracks about settlers, occupation, Jewish circumcision and suicide bombers. One may wonder how anyone could laugh about these things, but after four SRO shows in Israel so far this year, one in a synagogue, the comedians will tell everyone who will listen, humour can help any warring relationship!
It's the first time Palestinian and Israeli comics have toured together; instead of pointing fingers at one another and blaming each other, they are laughing; they are pointing fingers at themselves and laughing; and they are pointing fingers in indiscriminate directions and laughing … it's never been done before. "Well, except for the peace talks," adds Charley Warady.
The Jerusalem Post recently reported, "Protesters outside Jerusalem's American Colony Hotel last Thursday night couldn't halt the peals of laughter emanating from the historic inn, where a group of Israeli, Palestinian and Jewish American comics calling themselves 'The Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour' were staging their two-hour show."
"I don't think humour or comedy by itself resolves conflicts," reflected Hanania, "Israelis and Palestinians need to see each other as human beings. I don't think the shows can do more than be funny and successful. But in doing that, it has to leave an impact on people that's positive."
- more -
The Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour Release, Pg 2.
Israeli American Charley Warady headlined comedy clubs and colleges across the U.S., and appeared on NBC and Comedy Central, before immigrating to Israel ten years ago where he has continued his career targeting every aspect of life and politics in Israel.
Palestinian American Ray Hanania is a columnist, former political operative and current stand-up comedian making his Jewish audience laugh at themselves and at the luckless, ordinary Arabs living in the U.S. after 9/11, who are often branded as terrorists by their countrymen.
A former Irish Italian Catholic from Philadelphia, Yisrael Campbell made aliyah six years ago. Campbell appears on stage much as he dresses every day around the holy city — wearing a long black coat, a hat and a Moses-like beard. "Is it warm in here or am I the only one dressed for Poland in the 1700s?"
African American Jewish convert Aaron Freeman is a standup comedian, popular columnist, and radio commentator. His views on being a black, Jewish convert, have made him a hit all across America. "Are you trying to give an extra merit badge to a KKK sniper?" queried Freeman's friends upon learning of his conversion plans.
With a message of hope in the midst of hatred THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR uses comedy to help people in conflict find a way to co-exist since "it's not possible to aim a rifle when you're laughing."
Sumrey and Let’s Talk Entertainment present
THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOURLive on Stage at Roy Thomson Hall
60 Simcoe Street
One Night Only, May 29, 2007 @ 8pm
Tickets on Sale at 10am on Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Tickets range from $49 - $69 including taxes
and can be purchased at http://www.roythomson.com or by calling 416.872-4255 or in person at Roy Thomson Hall box office
Peace Through Comedy!
Media Contact:
Carrie Sager carrie@flip-publicity.com
416.533.7710 X224
FLIP Publicity & Promotions Inc.
www.flip-publicity.com
Three Jews and an Arab walk into a bar …
Sumrey and Let’s Talk Entertainment present
THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOURLive on Stage at Roy Thomson Hall
One Night Only, May 29, 2007
TICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW!
Peace Through Comedy
If we can laugh together, we can live together!
Performing for the first time outside of Israel, an Israeli American, a Palestinian American and two converts to Judaism, one African American and the other ultra-Orthodox, will take the stage at Roy Thomson Hall for one night only, Tuesday, May 29, 2007 at 8pm.
The brainchild of Charley Warady (American ex-pat comedian and Israeli since 1996) and Ray Hanania (Palestinian American comedian since forever), THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR was borne of a conversation about peace in the Middle East. "How hard could it be? First peace in the Mideast, then the Nobel Peace Prize."
THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR is full of jokes that test political and religious limits. There are cracks about settlers, occupation, Jewish circumcision and suicide bombers. One may wonder how anyone could laugh about these things, but after four SRO shows in Israel so far this year, one in a synagogue, the comedians will tell everyone who will listen, humour can help any warring relationship!
It's the first time Palestinian and Israeli comics have toured together; instead of pointing fingers at one another and blaming each other, they are laughing; they are pointing fingers at themselves and laughing; and they are pointing fingers in indiscriminate directions and laughing … it's never been done before. "Well, except for the peace talks," adds Charley Warady.
The Jerusalem Post recently reported, "Protesters outside Jerusalem's American Colony Hotel last Thursday night couldn't halt the peals of laughter emanating from the historic inn, where a group of Israeli, Palestinian and Jewish American comics calling themselves 'The Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour' were staging their two-hour show."
"I don't think humour or comedy by itself resolves conflicts," reflected Hanania, "Israelis and Palestinians need to see each other as human beings. I don't think the shows can do more than be funny and successful. But in doing that, it has to leave an impact on people that's positive."
- more -
The Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour Release, Pg 2.
Israeli American Charley Warady headlined comedy clubs and colleges across the U.S., and appeared on NBC and Comedy Central, before immigrating to Israel ten years ago where he has continued his career targeting every aspect of life and politics in Israel.
Palestinian American Ray Hanania is a columnist, former political operative and current stand-up comedian making his Jewish audience laugh at themselves and at the luckless, ordinary Arabs living in the U.S. after 9/11, who are often branded as terrorists by their countrymen.
A former Irish Italian Catholic from Philadelphia, Yisrael Campbell made aliyah six years ago. Campbell appears on stage much as he dresses every day around the holy city — wearing a long black coat, a hat and a Moses-like beard. "Is it warm in here or am I the only one dressed for Poland in the 1700s?"
African American Jewish convert Aaron Freeman is a standup comedian, popular columnist, and radio commentator. His views on being a black, Jewish convert, have made him a hit all across America. "Are you trying to give an extra merit badge to a KKK sniper?" queried Freeman's friends upon learning of his conversion plans.
With a message of hope in the midst of hatred THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR uses comedy to help people in conflict find a way to co-exist since "it's not possible to aim a rifle when you're laughing."
Sumrey and Let’s Talk Entertainment present
THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOURLive on Stage at Roy Thomson Hall
60 Simcoe Street
One Night Only, May 29, 2007 @ 8pm
Tickets on Sale at 10am on Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Tickets range from $49 - $69 including taxes
and can be purchased at http://www.roythomson.com or by calling 416.872-4255 or in person at Roy Thomson Hall box office
Peace Through Comedy!
Media Contact:
Carrie Sager carrie@flip-publicity.com
416.533.7710 X224
FLIP Publicity & Promotions Inc.
www.flip-publicity.com
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Bil'in Palestine Conference April 18-20, 2007
The Palestinian summer celebration 2007June 20 - August 18th 2007
Come and celebrate Palestine, learn Arabic, study history, know the people and their culture, share some time with local families and volunteer with a local community organization
The Palestinian summer celebration is a unique annual program that gives people from all over the world the chance to encounter the life and culture in Palestine in addition to donating some of their time to a local community organization through voluntary work and internships. The Palestinian summer celebration 2007 will take place in the Bethlehem area in Palestine, between Wednesday June 20th and August 18th 2007. the annual celebration is organized by Siraj Center for Holy Land Studies www.sirajcenter.org in partnership with Bethlehem University www.bethlehem.edu and the US based Society for Biblical Studies, www.sbsedu.org.
Participants will also have the opportunity to listen and question high level speakers of various positions and expertise. Educational opportunity:An Arabic language Course and a Modern Palestine Course are offered by Bethlehem U as apart of the program. Three credits hours will be given for each course, upon the participant’s request.
An opportunity to serve a good cause: Voluntary work in over 50 different organizations in Bethlehem and the surrounding towns of Beit Sahour, Beit Jala and Doha, also in the three refugee camps in the vicinity Dehaisheh, Aida and Azza who have been suffering the longest tragedy in the history of humanity.
Where to go home to:Accommodation will be in the hospitality of local families in the Bethlehem and the vicinity depending on the voluntary work place. Participants will have the chance to share the lives of the local family’s and get exposed to real life situation where they can practice there freshly learnt Arabic and Palestinian culture, experience the tasty traditional Palestinian dishes and all other aspects of Palestinian extended family life. Such an experience will give the participants the chance to build relations with their host families that may last for ever. Never the less accommodations at guesthouses are available for daily, weekly or monthly rates.
For more information: http://www.sirajcenter.org/courses.htm
YOU ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE
SECOND ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN BIL'IN, PALESTINE
18 – 20 APRIL 2007
February 2007 marks the second anniversary of the weekly non-violent protests in opposition to the "work-site of shame" for the Apartheid Wall that has annexed almost 60% of the land of Bil'in village in the West Bank. Bil'in has become a symbol both of the theft of land across Palestine and of the power of non-violent grassroots movements in building local and international resistance to Occupation.
The International Conference will follow upon a Palestinian conference to be held in March to extend the Popular Non-Violent Struggle across Palestine and offers Israelis and Internationals opportunity to join their Palestinian partners in spreading non-violent resistance to the injustice suffered by Palestinians: land confiscation, home demolitions, checkpoints, and imprisonment behind the Wall.
The year between June 2007 and May 2008 provides an effective framework for highlighting the ongoing Palestinian catastrophe: 90 years since the Balfour Declaration, 60 years since the Nakba, 40 years of Occupation, 25 years since Sabra/Shatila, 20 years since the First Intifada, 5 years of building the Apartheid Wall. Join us in strategizing effective, concerted non-violent action in Palestine and across the globe!
WHEN: 18 – 20 APRIL, 2007 with a major non-violent action on the final day
WHERE: BIL'IN VILLAGE near Ramallah, Palestine
SPEAKERS:
Dr. Azmi Bishara, Palestinian Israeli Knesset member
Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Irish Nobel Peace Prize recipient
Dr. Ilan Pappe, author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Luisa Morgantini, Italian EU Parliament member and Peace Activist
Stéphane Hessel, former French Ambassador
Jean-Claude Lefort, French parliament member
Amira Haas, author and journalist, Ha'aretz
Sam Bahour, Palestinian activist and entrepreneur
Representatives of the Bil'in Popular Committee
WORKSHOPS: NON-VIOLENT STRATEGIES TO OPPOSE OPPRESSION
Boycott, divestment, and sanctions
Building economic independence
Media & Advocacy
Direct Action
COST: Accommodations per night, 20 Euros plus Conference Registration, 20 Euros per day (April 18 -19)
TO REGISTER and for information on options for pre-and-post conference activities see: www.bilin-village.org
For Pre and post Confrence tours: http://www.sirajcenter.org/bilin.htm
Come and celebrate Palestine, learn Arabic, study history, know the people and their culture, share some time with local families and volunteer with a local community organization
The Palestinian summer celebration is a unique annual program that gives people from all over the world the chance to encounter the life and culture in Palestine in addition to donating some of their time to a local community organization through voluntary work and internships. The Palestinian summer celebration 2007 will take place in the Bethlehem area in Palestine, between Wednesday June 20th and August 18th 2007. the annual celebration is organized by Siraj Center for Holy Land Studies www.sirajcenter.org in partnership with Bethlehem University www.bethlehem.edu and the US based Society for Biblical Studies, www.sbsedu.org.
Participants will also have the opportunity to listen and question high level speakers of various positions and expertise. Educational opportunity:An Arabic language Course and a Modern Palestine Course are offered by Bethlehem U as apart of the program. Three credits hours will be given for each course, upon the participant’s request.
An opportunity to serve a good cause: Voluntary work in over 50 different organizations in Bethlehem and the surrounding towns of Beit Sahour, Beit Jala and Doha, also in the three refugee camps in the vicinity Dehaisheh, Aida and Azza who have been suffering the longest tragedy in the history of humanity.
Where to go home to:Accommodation will be in the hospitality of local families in the Bethlehem and the vicinity depending on the voluntary work place. Participants will have the chance to share the lives of the local family’s and get exposed to real life situation where they can practice there freshly learnt Arabic and Palestinian culture, experience the tasty traditional Palestinian dishes and all other aspects of Palestinian extended family life. Such an experience will give the participants the chance to build relations with their host families that may last for ever. Never the less accommodations at guesthouses are available for daily, weekly or monthly rates.
For more information: http://www.sirajcenter.org/courses.htm
YOU ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE
SECOND ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN BIL'IN, PALESTINE
18 – 20 APRIL 2007
February 2007 marks the second anniversary of the weekly non-violent protests in opposition to the "work-site of shame" for the Apartheid Wall that has annexed almost 60% of the land of Bil'in village in the West Bank. Bil'in has become a symbol both of the theft of land across Palestine and of the power of non-violent grassroots movements in building local and international resistance to Occupation.
The International Conference will follow upon a Palestinian conference to be held in March to extend the Popular Non-Violent Struggle across Palestine and offers Israelis and Internationals opportunity to join their Palestinian partners in spreading non-violent resistance to the injustice suffered by Palestinians: land confiscation, home demolitions, checkpoints, and imprisonment behind the Wall.
The year between June 2007 and May 2008 provides an effective framework for highlighting the ongoing Palestinian catastrophe: 90 years since the Balfour Declaration, 60 years since the Nakba, 40 years of Occupation, 25 years since Sabra/Shatila, 20 years since the First Intifada, 5 years of building the Apartheid Wall. Join us in strategizing effective, concerted non-violent action in Palestine and across the globe!
WHEN: 18 – 20 APRIL, 2007 with a major non-violent action on the final day
WHERE: BIL'IN VILLAGE near Ramallah, Palestine
SPEAKERS:
Dr. Azmi Bishara, Palestinian Israeli Knesset member
Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Irish Nobel Peace Prize recipient
Dr. Ilan Pappe, author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Luisa Morgantini, Italian EU Parliament member and Peace Activist
Stéphane Hessel, former French Ambassador
Jean-Claude Lefort, French parliament member
Amira Haas, author and journalist, Ha'aretz
Sam Bahour, Palestinian activist and entrepreneur
Representatives of the Bil'in Popular Committee
WORKSHOPS: NON-VIOLENT STRATEGIES TO OPPOSE OPPRESSION
Boycott, divestment, and sanctions
Building economic independence
Media & Advocacy
Direct Action
COST: Accommodations per night, 20 Euros plus Conference Registration, 20 Euros per day (April 18 -19)
TO REGISTER and for information on options for pre-and-post conference activities see: www.bilin-village.org
For Pre and post Confrence tours: http://www.sirajcenter.org/bilin.htm
Sunday, February 25, 2007
New Muslim magazine seeks writers
Soon to be launched Elan: a magazine of contemporary Muslim culture, is on the lookout for talented journalists! Our start-up four-color glossy magazine is scheduled to launch Fall 2007, and we need a few good writers to work on short topical pieces 200-300 words) as well as longer, investigative features (2,000-3,000 words). The topics range from Music and Fashion to Media and Culture—all with an American Muslim focus.
Elan is dedicated to quality reporting on the current trends in the arts, business and contemporary Muslim lifestyle. We will also provide a public forum for the young professional community in print and on the web. Elan represents, embraces and commemorates the unique and distinct lifestyles of American Muslim, making Elsan a handbook for the chic Muslim. Our cosmopolitan publication is committed to incorporating all interpretations of Islam, realizing unity within our diversity.
For more information, please submit a resume and writing samples (pasted into the body of the e-mail---no attachments, please!) to: elan@elanthemag.com
Elan is dedicated to quality reporting on the current trends in the arts, business and contemporary Muslim lifestyle. We will also provide a public forum for the young professional community in print and on the web. Elan represents, embraces and commemorates the unique and distinct lifestyles of American Muslim, making Elsan a handbook for the chic Muslim. Our cosmopolitan publication is committed to incorporating all interpretations of Islam, realizing unity within our diversity.
For more information, please submit a resume and writing samples (pasted into the body of the e-mail---no attachments, please!) to: elan@elanthemag.com
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Ambassador al-Jubeir presents credentials to State Department
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
Washington, DC
www.saudiembassy.net
Ambassador Al-Jubeir presents a copy of his credentials to the State Department
WASHINGTON, DC [February, 21, 2007] - Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel A. Al-Jubeir presented a copy of his credentials to Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte at the State Department in Washington today.
Al-Jubeir was appointed to the post by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz on January 29, 2007. He succeeds Prince Turki Al-Faisal, who resigned last year for personal reasons.
Washington, DC
www.saudiembassy.net
Ambassador Al-Jubeir presents a copy of his credentials to the State Department
WASHINGTON, DC [February, 21, 2007] - Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel A. Al-Jubeir presented a copy of his credentials to Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte at the State Department in Washington today.
Al-Jubeir was appointed to the post by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz on January 29, 2007. He succeeds Prince Turki Al-Faisal, who resigned last year for personal reasons.
NEWS: Mohammed Mar'i's columns, features and analysis now moved to Arabisto.com
Mohammed Mar'i, a member of the National Arab American Journalists Association and a journalist based in Ramallah, Palestine, is now writing for the popular Arab American/Arab World blog "Arabisto.com."
Arabisto is considered "The Arab Street" when it comes to diversity of Arab World and Arab American opinion, one of the most read Arab blogs on the Internet.
Mar'i's columns are now being featured on the Arabisto site at www.Arabisto.com
# # #
Arabisto is considered "The Arab Street" when it comes to diversity of Arab World and Arab American opinion, one of the most read Arab blogs on the Internet.
Mar'i's columns are now being featured on the Arabisto site at www.Arabisto.com
# # #
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
FEATURE: 10,400 Palestinian prisoners face inhumane treatment in Israeli jails, By Mohammed Mar'i
10400 Palestinian Prisoners live inhumanly in Israeli Jails
By Mohammed Mar'i*
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)--The family of Palestinian prisoner Ismail Al Jamal of West Bank reugee camp of Balata appealed in a letter directed to international human rights organizations, especially the International Red Cross, Doctors without Borders and the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners Affaires to pressure Israel Occupation Forces (IOF) for the release of their son.
The family said that Jamal, who has been sentenced to10 and half years, suffers from thrombosis and sclerosis of the arteries, after being shot by Israeli forces, during his arrest on 30th of January 2004.
Yahya Al Jamal, brother of Ismail, said that his brother's health is severely deteriorating since the Israeli prisoners' authority refused his treatment, despite his increasing suffering and his need of an urgent medical operation
The Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners Affaires (MPA) revealed in its report, published Tuesday, February 13, 2007, that around 10400 Palestinian Prisoners live inhuman circumstances in 30 Israeli Jails, including Women and Children. The MPA said that most of prisoners suffer various physical and psychological diseases as a result of the inhuman circumstances of living. It added that 118 female prisoners and 330 children are still detained in Israeli jails facing daily Israeli torture and provocation. MPA mentioned that hundreds of children became more than 18 year-old inside prisons. It affirmed that at least 1000 prisoners suffer chronic diseases like pain of cartilage, cardiac diseases, diabetes and rheumatism, including 150 prisoners in critical case as a result of cancer, paralysis and kidney failure.
The report stated that the IOF have arrested 600 women and 6000 children during al-Aqsa Intifada which erupted in September 2000 . It mentioned that 553 prisoners have been detained before al-Aqsa Intifada, including 367 who have been detained before the Oslo Accord in 1993 .
In a recent development concerning the prisoners exchange deal, spokesman of the Popular Resistance Committees, Abu Mujahid, announced that the new Egyptian offer to release captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, will be conducted in three stages.
He said that "the man (Shalit) will be transported to Egypt before being handed over to Israel when the three stages are completed." Abu Mujahid said that the factions that captured Shalit had formed a joint intelligence body to deal with the case. He added that the factions adopted an antiquated system for contact between the faction leaders which cannot be traced by the Israeli intelligence. He refused to reveal this technique of communication but confirmed that "Shalit is now in good health and treated in a humanitarian way, he was not tortured." He also confirmed that the factions "will keep him until Israel complies with our demands."
Abu Mujahid denied that Shalit was being held at the Islamic University in Gaza, stating that the resistance cannot "hold him in such an open space, where anybody can enter and survey the area."
He clarified that the Egyptian offer comprises of "three stages, through which he (Shalit) is going to be sent to Egypt and they will hand him over to Israel, but only after the three stages are completed."
Abu Mujahid said that the factions have not yet confirmed their response to the offer but that the reply "will be made, after we hear the Israeli response." He blamed the Israeli government for the failure of all the four previous offers and he said "we prefer not to disclose the details of the offer and not to speak about it, as this may jeopardize the deal."
He said the Egyptians are playing an important role in the issue and have put in a lot of effort to arrange the exchange.
*Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com
By Mohammed Mar'i*
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)--The family of Palestinian prisoner Ismail Al Jamal of West Bank reugee camp of Balata appealed in a letter directed to international human rights organizations, especially the International Red Cross, Doctors without Borders and the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners Affaires to pressure Israel Occupation Forces (IOF) for the release of their son.
The family said that Jamal, who has been sentenced to10 and half years, suffers from thrombosis and sclerosis of the arteries, after being shot by Israeli forces, during his arrest on 30th of January 2004.
Yahya Al Jamal, brother of Ismail, said that his brother's health is severely deteriorating since the Israeli prisoners' authority refused his treatment, despite his increasing suffering and his need of an urgent medical operation
The Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners Affaires (MPA) revealed in its report, published Tuesday, February 13, 2007, that around 10400 Palestinian Prisoners live inhuman circumstances in 30 Israeli Jails, including Women and Children. The MPA said that most of prisoners suffer various physical and psychological diseases as a result of the inhuman circumstances of living. It added that 118 female prisoners and 330 children are still detained in Israeli jails facing daily Israeli torture and provocation. MPA mentioned that hundreds of children became more than 18 year-old inside prisons. It affirmed that at least 1000 prisoners suffer chronic diseases like pain of cartilage, cardiac diseases, diabetes and rheumatism, including 150 prisoners in critical case as a result of cancer, paralysis and kidney failure.
The report stated that the IOF have arrested 600 women and 6000 children during al-Aqsa Intifada which erupted in September 2000 . It mentioned that 553 prisoners have been detained before al-Aqsa Intifada, including 367 who have been detained before the Oslo Accord in 1993 .
In a recent development concerning the prisoners exchange deal, spokesman of the Popular Resistance Committees, Abu Mujahid, announced that the new Egyptian offer to release captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, will be conducted in three stages.
He said that "the man (Shalit) will be transported to Egypt before being handed over to Israel when the three stages are completed." Abu Mujahid said that the factions that captured Shalit had formed a joint intelligence body to deal with the case. He added that the factions adopted an antiquated system for contact between the faction leaders which cannot be traced by the Israeli intelligence. He refused to reveal this technique of communication but confirmed that "Shalit is now in good health and treated in a humanitarian way, he was not tortured." He also confirmed that the factions "will keep him until Israel complies with our demands."
Abu Mujahid denied that Shalit was being held at the Islamic University in Gaza, stating that the resistance cannot "hold him in such an open space, where anybody can enter and survey the area."
He clarified that the Egyptian offer comprises of "three stages, through which he (Shalit) is going to be sent to Egypt and they will hand him over to Israel, but only after the three stages are completed."
Abu Mujahid said that the factions have not yet confirmed their response to the offer but that the reply "will be made, after we hear the Israeli response." He blamed the Israeli government for the failure of all the four previous offers and he said "we prefer not to disclose the details of the offer and not to speak about it, as this may jeopardize the deal."
He said the Egyptians are playing an important role in the issue and have put in a lot of effort to arrange the exchange.
*Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com
NEWS: Palestinian Youth barred from Ramallah, By Mohammed Mar'i
Israel Barred Palestinian Youth from Interring Ramallah
By Mohammed Mar'i*
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) for the second day barred all Palestinians under the age of 30 from the West Bank cities of Nablus and Tulkarm from passing the Israeli checkpoints on their way to Ramallah under the pretext of "security alerts". Israeli security sources pretended that Palestinians intend to carry out "terrorist attacks" in respond to the Israeli excavation at Al Aqsa Mosque.
The IOF tightened its suppressive measures exerted on Palestinians at the checkpoints that block all the entrances of Nablus. The Huwwara, Beit Eiba, Al Bathan Valley, Yitzhar, and Za'tara checkpoints which surround the city from all directions prevented university students, civil servants, and teachers under the age of 30 from passing through.
The Palestinians of same age and same area were also not allowed to pass the Atara checkpoint, north of West Bank city of Ramallah. They were forced to use bypass roads through the mountains and hills to pass the Israeli checkpoints in an attempt to reach their places of work or study.
As a good-will gesture toward the Palestinian people following the meeting between Israeli Prime Minster Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last year, Israeli Occupation forces were supposed to remove some of the roadblocks and checkpoints that surround the Palestinian cities and converting the life of Palestinians willing to leave or to inter any city in the West Bank to a real hill.
Palestinians who travel through the West Bank cities didn't notice any change in the (IOF)'s policy at the checkpoints. They have horrible experience with them. They have to wait in long lines, under the burning sun or the freezing wind, alone or with their wives and kids, sick or healthy, young or old. Many Palestinian pregnant women deliver at these roadblocks, many sick Palestinians died while waiting the Israeli soldier to let them pass to the ambulance in the other side of the checkpoint or due to heart attack. Many Palestinians were beaten in the witness of their kids. Many Palestinians were obliged to sing songs, to dance, to give the Israeli soldiers cigarettes just to BASS. And other Palestinians were obliged to drink their urine just to cross the checkpoint. Israeli good-will steps no more than a mere illusion for them .
Mohammed Samaheh, a taxi driver from Salfeet area goes to Nablus every day. He said that the rainy weather did not encourage the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to ease their inspections, but instead, they forced passengers out of their cars into the rain for "extra screening". Khalid Saleem, an employee, travels from his hometown Jenin to Ramallah almost every day. He passes Za'tara checkpoint, south of Nablus. This checkpoint controls all Palestinians who travel from the West Bank northern cities to its center or southern ones. He said that the (IOF) serving at the checkpoint stop every car or bus, force passengers out of them into the rain or freezing wind, check their identity cards in search for wanted activists, the vehicles are checked by trained dogs in search for weapons. Ayman Adam, a student at An Najjah National University in Nablus said the same notice about Huwarra checkpoint, just south of Nablus. He goes ever day from his village Kafr el Dick, south of Nablus to the university to obtain his B.A in Business Administration. He said that "the Israeli soldiers oblige all passengers to stand in strait and long rows. They check every one, his identity card, his books' bag, and his body by electronic equipments before he allowed entering or leaving Nablus through revolving doors usually used for cows". "This is a collective punishment" he added. I can't usually attend the lectures at 8 o'clock in the morning because I arrive late. He accused the (IOF) policy as "it aims to increase ignorance in the Palestinian society". Salam Rimawee, an employee from Beit Reema village north of Ramallah, faced similar (IOF) measures at Atarah checkpoint, north of Ramallah and the only entrance for Palestinians who reside in West Bank northern cities. He said that "a unit from the Israeli Borders Police serves in the place humiliates Palestinians of who pass through this checkpoint". "The Israeli soldiers force the Palestinian drivers to stand in long rows; the soldiers don't allow any passenger to leave the car, and we have to stay for hours to pass ".
Usually, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and right wing politicians oppose any comprehensive plan to ease restrictions on the Palestinians and prefer gradual and cautious measures toward the Palestinian population to prevent the so called Palestinian "terrorists" from taking advantage of these measures to carry out "terrorist attacks" against Israeli civilian targets in the heart of Israel .
It is well known that this usual security pretext of (IOF) has no reality on ground. The (IOF) and other Israeli security apparatus know that any supposed Palestinian "terrorist" will not seek to pass through Israeli roadblocks but he will look for bypass roads .
It is clear for all observers and even to the Israeli organization "Machsom Watch" which supervises the (IOF) checkpoints that the decision to keep or remove these roadblocks, checkpoints is political rather than for security reasons. The Israeli Politicians used the checkpoints as suppressive measures against the Palestinian people to enforce them either to accept its plans for a Palestinian state with temporary boundaries, or Olmerts "convergence" plan, or to pressure the Palestinian leadership for some Political concessions. Since two years, the (IOF) checkpoint in the Jordan Valley doesn't allow any Palestinian from outside the area to enter. This means that the Palestinian must be living there, and that must be printed on his identity card to be allowed entry. This Israeli policy is part of its plan to isolate the Jordan Valley from the surrounding Palestinian neighborhood, to build further settlements in it so as to ease its annexation to Israel. Israel will continue with its de facto policy waiting a moderate Palestinian peace partner, at this point the cantons will not be negotiable .
When he was asked: "As someone who is familiar with the conditions of the Palestinians in Gaza, do you feel empathy toward them?" Nissim Levy who served in the Israeli intelligence service "Shin Bet" for 20 years answered Israeli journalist Uri Blau in an interview published in Haaretz on Jan. 6th 2007, saying: "Let's forget our patriotism for a moment. If a boy in Be'er Sheva falls in love with a girl in Haifa, what does he do? He picks up the phone, makes a date and drives to see her. If a boy from Bethlehem falls in love with a girl from Nablus, what does he do? He has to cross checkpoints, he needs a 1,001 permits. The moment that you reach the conclusion that you have nothing to live for, you immediately find that you have something to die for ."
*Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com
By Mohammed Mar'i*
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) for the second day barred all Palestinians under the age of 30 from the West Bank cities of Nablus and Tulkarm from passing the Israeli checkpoints on their way to Ramallah under the pretext of "security alerts". Israeli security sources pretended that Palestinians intend to carry out "terrorist attacks" in respond to the Israeli excavation at Al Aqsa Mosque.
The IOF tightened its suppressive measures exerted on Palestinians at the checkpoints that block all the entrances of Nablus. The Huwwara, Beit Eiba, Al Bathan Valley, Yitzhar, and Za'tara checkpoints which surround the city from all directions prevented university students, civil servants, and teachers under the age of 30 from passing through.
The Palestinians of same age and same area were also not allowed to pass the Atara checkpoint, north of West Bank city of Ramallah. They were forced to use bypass roads through the mountains and hills to pass the Israeli checkpoints in an attempt to reach their places of work or study.
As a good-will gesture toward the Palestinian people following the meeting between Israeli Prime Minster Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last year, Israeli Occupation forces were supposed to remove some of the roadblocks and checkpoints that surround the Palestinian cities and converting the life of Palestinians willing to leave or to inter any city in the West Bank to a real hill.
Palestinians who travel through the West Bank cities didn't notice any change in the (IOF)'s policy at the checkpoints. They have horrible experience with them. They have to wait in long lines, under the burning sun or the freezing wind, alone or with their wives and kids, sick or healthy, young or old. Many Palestinian pregnant women deliver at these roadblocks, many sick Palestinians died while waiting the Israeli soldier to let them pass to the ambulance in the other side of the checkpoint or due to heart attack. Many Palestinians were beaten in the witness of their kids. Many Palestinians were obliged to sing songs, to dance, to give the Israeli soldiers cigarettes just to BASS. And other Palestinians were obliged to drink their urine just to cross the checkpoint. Israeli good-will steps no more than a mere illusion for them .
Mohammed Samaheh, a taxi driver from Salfeet area goes to Nablus every day. He said that the rainy weather did not encourage the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to ease their inspections, but instead, they forced passengers out of their cars into the rain for "extra screening". Khalid Saleem, an employee, travels from his hometown Jenin to Ramallah almost every day. He passes Za'tara checkpoint, south of Nablus. This checkpoint controls all Palestinians who travel from the West Bank northern cities to its center or southern ones. He said that the (IOF) serving at the checkpoint stop every car or bus, force passengers out of them into the rain or freezing wind, check their identity cards in search for wanted activists, the vehicles are checked by trained dogs in search for weapons. Ayman Adam, a student at An Najjah National University in Nablus said the same notice about Huwarra checkpoint, just south of Nablus. He goes ever day from his village Kafr el Dick, south of Nablus to the university to obtain his B.A in Business Administration. He said that "the Israeli soldiers oblige all passengers to stand in strait and long rows. They check every one, his identity card, his books' bag, and his body by electronic equipments before he allowed entering or leaving Nablus through revolving doors usually used for cows". "This is a collective punishment" he added. I can't usually attend the lectures at 8 o'clock in the morning because I arrive late. He accused the (IOF) policy as "it aims to increase ignorance in the Palestinian society". Salam Rimawee, an employee from Beit Reema village north of Ramallah, faced similar (IOF) measures at Atarah checkpoint, north of Ramallah and the only entrance for Palestinians who reside in West Bank northern cities. He said that "a unit from the Israeli Borders Police serves in the place humiliates Palestinians of who pass through this checkpoint". "The Israeli soldiers force the Palestinian drivers to stand in long rows; the soldiers don't allow any passenger to leave the car, and we have to stay for hours to pass ".
Usually, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and right wing politicians oppose any comprehensive plan to ease restrictions on the Palestinians and prefer gradual and cautious measures toward the Palestinian population to prevent the so called Palestinian "terrorists" from taking advantage of these measures to carry out "terrorist attacks" against Israeli civilian targets in the heart of Israel .
It is well known that this usual security pretext of (IOF) has no reality on ground. The (IOF) and other Israeli security apparatus know that any supposed Palestinian "terrorist" will not seek to pass through Israeli roadblocks but he will look for bypass roads .
It is clear for all observers and even to the Israeli organization "Machsom Watch" which supervises the (IOF) checkpoints that the decision to keep or remove these roadblocks, checkpoints is political rather than for security reasons. The Israeli Politicians used the checkpoints as suppressive measures against the Palestinian people to enforce them either to accept its plans for a Palestinian state with temporary boundaries, or Olmerts "convergence" plan, or to pressure the Palestinian leadership for some Political concessions. Since two years, the (IOF) checkpoint in the Jordan Valley doesn't allow any Palestinian from outside the area to enter. This means that the Palestinian must be living there, and that must be printed on his identity card to be allowed entry. This Israeli policy is part of its plan to isolate the Jordan Valley from the surrounding Palestinian neighborhood, to build further settlements in it so as to ease its annexation to Israel. Israel will continue with its de facto policy waiting a moderate Palestinian peace partner, at this point the cantons will not be negotiable .
When he was asked: "As someone who is familiar with the conditions of the Palestinians in Gaza, do you feel empathy toward them?" Nissim Levy who served in the Israeli intelligence service "Shin Bet" for 20 years answered Israeli journalist Uri Blau in an interview published in Haaretz on Jan. 6th 2007, saying: "Let's forget our patriotism for a moment. If a boy in Be'er Sheva falls in love with a girl in Haifa, what does he do? He picks up the phone, makes a date and drives to see her. If a boy from Bethlehem falls in love with a girl from Nablus, what does he do? He has to cross checkpoints, he needs a 1,001 permits. The moment that you reach the conclusion that you have nothing to live for, you immediately find that you have something to die for ."
*Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com
Monday, February 12, 2007
ANALYSIS: Mecca Agreement refreshes hope for Palestinian Securities Exchange
Mecca Agreement Refreshes Palestine Securities Exchange
By Mohammed Mar'i*
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- As a first sign of economic improvement following the Mecca Agreement between Fatah and Hamas, the Palestine Securities Exchange (PSE) "Al-Quds Index" increased by ( 4.26%) compared with the last trading session.
Dr. Hassan Abu Libdeh , PSE Chairman, said in a special interview that " the results of today's session is due to the fact that the investors were encouraged by the Mecca Agreement so they returned back to invest in shares". "As we emphasized all the time, the PSE in Palestine is highly influenced by the current political situations. The evaluation of listed companies in PSE was usually beyond the real value due to political developments. Even with the start of Mecca meeting last week, "Al Quds Index" closed at an increasing by ( 2.61%) compared with the last trade session" he added.
Abu Libdeh hoped that the Mecca Agreement between the Palestinian rivals is a beginning to freeze the international political and financial siege imposed on the Hamas-led government. "An agreement with this size at the place where it was held must be internationally endorsed. We hope that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia play the needed role to insure it (endorsement) especially with the United States", he said. "This international endorsement will lead to drop economic siege and resumption of financial aid and accordingly the Palestinian Authority will be devoted to the national cause and to administer the economic affair. This will enable the public sector establishments from extending their services to the public", Abu Libdeh added.
He highly evaluated the generous donation of Saudi Arabia to the Palestinian people saying that "the initiative reveal genuine Arab morals of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Saudi leadership. It (the financial donation) has a strategic influence on the Palestinian Authority. It will enable the Authority from extending its services to the Palestinian public; activate the stalled economic situation, to reduce the unemployment within the Palestinian society, to implement frozen infrastructure projects after the formation of Hamas-led government".
As for the ability of Saudi Arabia to transfer the donation to the new Palestinian government which is a step in breaking the financial siege Abu Libdeh said that" I think that Kingdom which succeeded in ending the Palestinian crisis has the considerable regional and international role to insure international acceptance of the financial transfer mechanism". "We notice good signs on the Mecca Agreement from the European Union. Although the European Union reaffirmed the Quartet preconditions, but I think there is a possibility to renew the financial aid. What is more important more than the donations is the Palestinian welcome of the Mecca Agreement which means that the Palestinian factions understood the danger of internal strife", he added.
Abu Libdeh declined the influence of financial grants that the Palestinian civil servants get from the European Union and the down payments from the President's office or the Government on the economic situation. He considered that there must be "an official treatment to the financial crisis which began since a year". He said that the importance of Mecca Agreement is not that it will solve the issue of Palestinian civil servants salaries but it will enable the Palestinian Authority from extending its services to the public with responsibility and respect. "It isn't enough to ensure the salaries. There are frozen infrastructure projects. The Palestinian Ministries can't extend basic services to the Palestinian public which badly affected the health, education, and social services", he clarified.
He considers that the implementation of Mecca Agreement depends on the behavior of Palestinian factions which is the only factor to torpedo any procedures. "We are now in a critical stage and we have the Mecca Agreement as a base to go back to the political track. If the Palestinian factions abide by the Agreement we can success, otherwise it a matter of time to return to the field language (internal strife)" Abu Libdeh estimated.
*Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com
By Mohammed Mar'i*
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- As a first sign of economic improvement following the Mecca Agreement between Fatah and Hamas, the Palestine Securities Exchange (PSE) "Al-Quds Index" increased by ( 4.26%) compared with the last trading session.
Dr. Hassan Abu Libdeh , PSE Chairman, said in a special interview that " the results of today's session is due to the fact that the investors were encouraged by the Mecca Agreement so they returned back to invest in shares". "As we emphasized all the time, the PSE in Palestine is highly influenced by the current political situations. The evaluation of listed companies in PSE was usually beyond the real value due to political developments. Even with the start of Mecca meeting last week, "Al Quds Index" closed at an increasing by ( 2.61%) compared with the last trade session" he added.
Abu Libdeh hoped that the Mecca Agreement between the Palestinian rivals is a beginning to freeze the international political and financial siege imposed on the Hamas-led government. "An agreement with this size at the place where it was held must be internationally endorsed. We hope that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia play the needed role to insure it (endorsement) especially with the United States", he said. "This international endorsement will lead to drop economic siege and resumption of financial aid and accordingly the Palestinian Authority will be devoted to the national cause and to administer the economic affair. This will enable the public sector establishments from extending their services to the public", Abu Libdeh added.
He highly evaluated the generous donation of Saudi Arabia to the Palestinian people saying that "the initiative reveal genuine Arab morals of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Saudi leadership. It (the financial donation) has a strategic influence on the Palestinian Authority. It will enable the Authority from extending its services to the Palestinian public; activate the stalled economic situation, to reduce the unemployment within the Palestinian society, to implement frozen infrastructure projects after the formation of Hamas-led government".
As for the ability of Saudi Arabia to transfer the donation to the new Palestinian government which is a step in breaking the financial siege Abu Libdeh said that" I think that Kingdom which succeeded in ending the Palestinian crisis has the considerable regional and international role to insure international acceptance of the financial transfer mechanism". "We notice good signs on the Mecca Agreement from the European Union. Although the European Union reaffirmed the Quartet preconditions, but I think there is a possibility to renew the financial aid. What is more important more than the donations is the Palestinian welcome of the Mecca Agreement which means that the Palestinian factions understood the danger of internal strife", he added.
Abu Libdeh declined the influence of financial grants that the Palestinian civil servants get from the European Union and the down payments from the President's office or the Government on the economic situation. He considered that there must be "an official treatment to the financial crisis which began since a year". He said that the importance of Mecca Agreement is not that it will solve the issue of Palestinian civil servants salaries but it will enable the Palestinian Authority from extending its services to the public with responsibility and respect. "It isn't enough to ensure the salaries. There are frozen infrastructure projects. The Palestinian Ministries can't extend basic services to the Palestinian public which badly affected the health, education, and social services", he clarified.
He considers that the implementation of Mecca Agreement depends on the behavior of Palestinian factions which is the only factor to torpedo any procedures. "We are now in a critical stage and we have the Mecca Agreement as a base to go back to the political track. If the Palestinian factions abide by the Agreement we can success, otherwise it a matter of time to return to the field language (internal strife)" Abu Libdeh estimated.
*Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com
RELEASE: Arab Jewish cooperation continues at Neve Shalom
For Immediate Release: February 12, 2007
Contact: Deanna Armbruster 818-325-8884,
deanna@oasisofpeace.org
Promoting, Supporting and Demonstrating Jewish-Arab Cooperation and Equality in IsraelNeve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, Israel - Major Jewish-American organization have been discussing, recently, the reality of Jewish citizens in Israel living together with the State's Arab citizens. The Israeli Democracy Institute, United Jewish Community, Jewish Funders Network, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, UJA-Federation of New York, New Israel Fund, Alfred and Hanna Fromm Fund, and the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, and even AIPAC, have all formed task forces, held conferences and panels or are planning events addressing this issue.All of these efforts reflect a growing trend and understanding of the importance of addressing the issue of Israeli-Arabs, citizens of the State of Israel, who often experience discrimination in various spheres - national, economic, social, cultural, etc. Arab citizens make up 18% of Israel's total population and their demographic is growing rapidly.
The community of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam ("Oasis of Peace" in Hebrew and Arabic) has been focusing its efforts on promoting equality and understanding between Jewish and Arab citizens for nearly thirty-five years. 26 Jewish families and 26 Arab families - all citizens of Israel - live together and raise their children together in this unique community. The village offers experience and expertise in leading programs that promote Jewish-Arab interactions and understanding. Its bilingual, binational Primary School was the first such school in Israel when it was founded nearly twenty-five years ago. Arab and Jewish students learn each other's languages, cultures, histories and traditions and breakthrough many of the stereotypes and barriers that separate them. The majority of the students come from around the "Oasis of Peace" expanding the school's reach to parents and friends as well.
"It is important that the discussion is turning to this issue, but it will be critical that genuine equality for all peoples of Israel is central. The example of the "Oasis of Peace" is a key place to turn to in order to understand the challenges, and opportunities, to create such a state." explains Deanna Armbruster, the Executive Director of the American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (www.oasisofpeace.org), a U.S. based 501c3 not-for-profit organization working to support and publicize the work of the "Oasis of Peace."
Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam is also home to the School for Peace, a conflict management institute that also works to build positive relationships between Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians. Its workshops bring together Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel, as well as Palestinians living in the West Bank, for important dialogue workshops and conflict management training to promote equality.The "Oasis of Peace" has been bridging the gap between Arabs and Jews living in Israel for more than three decades and has been a pioneering voice in this area.
Its workshops and school often offer participants their first opportunities to meet someone from the other side. Its residents demonstrate daily that Arabs and Jews can live together with equality, understanding and peace. As attention in the U.S. turns toward the improvement of Jewish-Arab relations and the plight of Arab-Israelis, the model and programs of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam can provide insight and guidance.##
American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat Al-Salam
12925 Riverside Drive, 3rd Floor
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Tel. 818-325-8884, Fax 856-325-8983
Email afnswas@oasisofpeace.org
www.oasisofpeace.org ;
Contact: Deanna Armbruster 818-325-8884,
deanna@oasisofpeace.org
Promoting, Supporting and Demonstrating Jewish-Arab Cooperation and Equality in IsraelNeve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, Israel - Major Jewish-American organization have been discussing, recently, the reality of Jewish citizens in Israel living together with the State's Arab citizens. The Israeli Democracy Institute, United Jewish Community, Jewish Funders Network, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, UJA-Federation of New York, New Israel Fund, Alfred and Hanna Fromm Fund, and the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, and even AIPAC, have all formed task forces, held conferences and panels or are planning events addressing this issue.All of these efforts reflect a growing trend and understanding of the importance of addressing the issue of Israeli-Arabs, citizens of the State of Israel, who often experience discrimination in various spheres - national, economic, social, cultural, etc. Arab citizens make up 18% of Israel's total population and their demographic is growing rapidly.
The community of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam ("Oasis of Peace" in Hebrew and Arabic) has been focusing its efforts on promoting equality and understanding between Jewish and Arab citizens for nearly thirty-five years. 26 Jewish families and 26 Arab families - all citizens of Israel - live together and raise their children together in this unique community. The village offers experience and expertise in leading programs that promote Jewish-Arab interactions and understanding. Its bilingual, binational Primary School was the first such school in Israel when it was founded nearly twenty-five years ago. Arab and Jewish students learn each other's languages, cultures, histories and traditions and breakthrough many of the stereotypes and barriers that separate them. The majority of the students come from around the "Oasis of Peace" expanding the school's reach to parents and friends as well.
"It is important that the discussion is turning to this issue, but it will be critical that genuine equality for all peoples of Israel is central. The example of the "Oasis of Peace" is a key place to turn to in order to understand the challenges, and opportunities, to create such a state." explains Deanna Armbruster, the Executive Director of the American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (www.oasisofpeace.org), a U.S. based 501c3 not-for-profit organization working to support and publicize the work of the "Oasis of Peace."
Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam is also home to the School for Peace, a conflict management institute that also works to build positive relationships between Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians. Its workshops bring together Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel, as well as Palestinians living in the West Bank, for important dialogue workshops and conflict management training to promote equality.The "Oasis of Peace" has been bridging the gap between Arabs and Jews living in Israel for more than three decades and has been a pioneering voice in this area.
Its workshops and school often offer participants their first opportunities to meet someone from the other side. Its residents demonstrate daily that Arabs and Jews can live together with equality, understanding and peace. As attention in the U.S. turns toward the improvement of Jewish-Arab relations and the plight of Arab-Israelis, the model and programs of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam can provide insight and guidance.##
American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat Al-Salam
12925 Riverside Drive, 3rd Floor
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Tel. 818-325-8884, Fax 856-325-8983
Email afnswas@oasisofpeace.org
www.oasisofpeace.org ;
Monday, February 05, 2007
ANALYSIS: Mecca Meeting puts Saudi Leadership on challenge, By Mohammed Mar'i
Mecca Meeting Puts Saudi Leadership on Challenge
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)--The Palestinians, who their faces and hearts directed towards Mecca five times a day in prayers, questioned what the Mecca meeting between Palestinian rivals will conclude on Tuesday after the Quartet meeting and previous Arab mediations failed to end the Palestinian strife.
The Palestinians expressed their depression from the results of Quartet's meeting in Washington. The Quartet, as the Palestinians expected, was supposed to intervene in the fierce infighting in Gaza and to end the financial and political boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian government. Contrarily, the Quartet reaffirmed the international aid embargo against the Hamas-led Palestinian government unless it renounces violence, recognizes Israel and accepts past peace agreements signed between the PLO and Israel. Hamas has refused to meet those terms up to now, leading to a cutoff of direct international aid and a breakdown of services and order in the Palestinian Authority. Political and financial sanctions imposed by the international community have failed to bring down the Hamas-led government. Many observers today admit that they were mistaken in their earlier assessments that Haniyeh's government would collapse as a result of the local and international pressure. Their predictions that Hamas's popularity would drop have also proven to be wrong.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hopes that replacing the current Hamas-led government with a more moderate national unity government would be enough to persuade the West and Israel to lift crippling sanctions imposed on the Palestinian government to pressure it to abandon its militantly anti-Israel stand. But previous rounds of coalition talks between Abbas and Hamas leaders to convince Hamas to change its positions in order to save the Palestinian Authority from government, social and economic collapse, as well as from catastrophic anarchy have ended in failure and often led to new bloodletting. The last round of talks for forming a national unity government was held between Abbas and Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal in Damascus last month. They failed to reach an agreement over the distribution of cabinet portfolios in the proposed unity government, mainly the Interior Ministry, which is formally responsible for the PA security forces, and the political platform of the government.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia invited Abbas, Mashaal, and Prime Minster Ismail Haniyeh to meet in the holy city of Mecca in a step to end the mutual slaughter taking place between Fatah and Hamas, and to solve the internal conflict which lies in the formation of a Palestinian national unity government. Saudi Arabia is trying by this political maneuver to succeed where Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and Syria have failed.
Observers see that what Saudi Arabia needs is to find a foreign-policy compromise that would free the Palestinian Authority from the international political and financial siege imposed on them. Once a compromise is found, the obstacles of distributing ministerial portfolios will be secondary if the two sides have the real intention to resolve the crises.
It would appear that there is a chance for Saudi Arabia to recognize the real stands of the two Palestinian sides. It can clarify if there is a diplomatic or political solution with Hamas, or that the internecine fighting between Fatah and Hamas no more than a struggle for power and domination of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO. Saudi Arabia has the chance to bring the two Palestinian factions back to the rationale that no one can eliminate the other. It seems that reviving the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 of Saudi King Abdullah will be of great interest at this time. The initiative "called for full Israeli withdrawal from all the Arab territories occupied since June 1967, in implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, reaffirmed by the Madrid Conference of 1991 and the land-for-peace principle, and Israel's acceptance of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in return for the establishment of normal relations in the context of a comprehensive peace with Israel". For Hamas, the initiative can be a suitable approach towards Israel in light of Mashal's last month statement recognizing Israel as a "fact" and calling for long Hudna (cease-fire) with Israel in exchange of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and by implicitly presenting its recognition of Israel as a condition for Israel's recognition of it. Hamas can put the initiative pack on track as a basis for future peace negotiation with Israel remembering Israeli defense Minister Amir Peretz saying last year that Israel "must deal with the Saudi initiative as a basis for negotiations".
Saudi Arabia , once Hamas and Fatah accepted this compromise, can adopt this political step and formed a Palestinian national unity government without previous US consultation. Saudi Arabia can acquire recognition from the Quartet, mainly the US which benefit from the regional role of Saudi Arabia in dealing with Iran's Nukes and against its activities in Iraq. Moreover, the moderate policy of Saudi Arabia enabled the Kingdom to resolve Arab disputes in the last century. In 1973, Saudi Arabia ended the crisis between Iraq and Kuwait when Iraq infiltrated the Kuwaiti boundaries. In 1989, Saudi Arabia succeeded in putting an end to the Lebanese civil war by concluding the Taif Agreement.
An agreement in Mecca, on the basis of Arab Peace Initiative, or on the basis of Hamas "respecting" the Quartet preconditions, is of high significance for the Palestinians and Saudi Arabia. For Palestinians, it seems that it will be the last chance before sliding to a civil war taking into consideration the rising military forces and arsenal in both sides. The Mecca meeting will be the last chance for the Palestinians before moving to the second phase of confrontation backed by the US and Iran after the phase of financial siege failed. For Saudi Arabia, it is a chance to prove its leading regional role despite the fact that the Quartet's reaffirmation of its January 30, 2006 preconditions minimized the chance of Saudi Arabia to success. Besides it will be a step for Saudi Arabia to regain consideration for its peace initiative which was rejected and humiliated by Israel. The Initiative was adopted by the Arab League in its summit at Beirut on March 28, 2002. Ariel Sharon, then Israeli Prime Minster, launched in the next day the "Operation Defensive Shield" where he reoccupied all major West Bank cities. Failing to achieve an agreement, the regional leadership will be dominated by Iran.
*(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)--The Palestinians, who their faces and hearts directed towards Mecca five times a day in prayers, questioned what the Mecca meeting between Palestinian rivals will conclude on Tuesday after the Quartet meeting and previous Arab mediations failed to end the Palestinian strife.
The Palestinians expressed their depression from the results of Quartet's meeting in Washington. The Quartet, as the Palestinians expected, was supposed to intervene in the fierce infighting in Gaza and to end the financial and political boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian government. Contrarily, the Quartet reaffirmed the international aid embargo against the Hamas-led Palestinian government unless it renounces violence, recognizes Israel and accepts past peace agreements signed between the PLO and Israel. Hamas has refused to meet those terms up to now, leading to a cutoff of direct international aid and a breakdown of services and order in the Palestinian Authority. Political and financial sanctions imposed by the international community have failed to bring down the Hamas-led government. Many observers today admit that they were mistaken in their earlier assessments that Haniyeh's government would collapse as a result of the local and international pressure. Their predictions that Hamas's popularity would drop have also proven to be wrong.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hopes that replacing the current Hamas-led government with a more moderate national unity government would be enough to persuade the West and Israel to lift crippling sanctions imposed on the Palestinian government to pressure it to abandon its militantly anti-Israel stand. But previous rounds of coalition talks between Abbas and Hamas leaders to convince Hamas to change its positions in order to save the Palestinian Authority from government, social and economic collapse, as well as from catastrophic anarchy have ended in failure and often led to new bloodletting. The last round of talks for forming a national unity government was held between Abbas and Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal in Damascus last month. They failed to reach an agreement over the distribution of cabinet portfolios in the proposed unity government, mainly the Interior Ministry, which is formally responsible for the PA security forces, and the political platform of the government.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia invited Abbas, Mashaal, and Prime Minster Ismail Haniyeh to meet in the holy city of Mecca in a step to end the mutual slaughter taking place between Fatah and Hamas, and to solve the internal conflict which lies in the formation of a Palestinian national unity government. Saudi Arabia is trying by this political maneuver to succeed where Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and Syria have failed.
Observers see that what Saudi Arabia needs is to find a foreign-policy compromise that would free the Palestinian Authority from the international political and financial siege imposed on them. Once a compromise is found, the obstacles of distributing ministerial portfolios will be secondary if the two sides have the real intention to resolve the crises.
It would appear that there is a chance for Saudi Arabia to recognize the real stands of the two Palestinian sides. It can clarify if there is a diplomatic or political solution with Hamas, or that the internecine fighting between Fatah and Hamas no more than a struggle for power and domination of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO. Saudi Arabia has the chance to bring the two Palestinian factions back to the rationale that no one can eliminate the other. It seems that reviving the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 of Saudi King Abdullah will be of great interest at this time. The initiative "called for full Israeli withdrawal from all the Arab territories occupied since June 1967, in implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, reaffirmed by the Madrid Conference of 1991 and the land-for-peace principle, and Israel's acceptance of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in return for the establishment of normal relations in the context of a comprehensive peace with Israel". For Hamas, the initiative can be a suitable approach towards Israel in light of Mashal's last month statement recognizing Israel as a "fact" and calling for long Hudna (cease-fire) with Israel in exchange of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and by implicitly presenting its recognition of Israel as a condition for Israel's recognition of it. Hamas can put the initiative pack on track as a basis for future peace negotiation with Israel remembering Israeli defense Minister Amir Peretz saying last year that Israel "must deal with the Saudi initiative as a basis for negotiations".
Saudi Arabia , once Hamas and Fatah accepted this compromise, can adopt this political step and formed a Palestinian national unity government without previous US consultation. Saudi Arabia can acquire recognition from the Quartet, mainly the US which benefit from the regional role of Saudi Arabia in dealing with Iran's Nukes and against its activities in Iraq. Moreover, the moderate policy of Saudi Arabia enabled the Kingdom to resolve Arab disputes in the last century. In 1973, Saudi Arabia ended the crisis between Iraq and Kuwait when Iraq infiltrated the Kuwaiti boundaries. In 1989, Saudi Arabia succeeded in putting an end to the Lebanese civil war by concluding the Taif Agreement.
An agreement in Mecca, on the basis of Arab Peace Initiative, or on the basis of Hamas "respecting" the Quartet preconditions, is of high significance for the Palestinians and Saudi Arabia. For Palestinians, it seems that it will be the last chance before sliding to a civil war taking into consideration the rising military forces and arsenal in both sides. The Mecca meeting will be the last chance for the Palestinians before moving to the second phase of confrontation backed by the US and Iran after the phase of financial siege failed. For Saudi Arabia, it is a chance to prove its leading regional role despite the fact that the Quartet's reaffirmation of its January 30, 2006 preconditions minimized the chance of Saudi Arabia to success. Besides it will be a step for Saudi Arabia to regain consideration for its peace initiative which was rejected and humiliated by Israel. The Initiative was adopted by the Arab League in its summit at Beirut on March 28, 2002. Ariel Sharon, then Israeli Prime Minster, launched in the next day the "Operation Defensive Shield" where he reoccupied all major West Bank cities. Failing to achieve an agreement, the regional leadership will be dominated by Iran.
*(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
ANALYSIS: Mecca Meeting puts Saudi Leadership on challenge, By Mohammed Mar'i
Mecca Meeting Puts Saudi Leadership on Challenge
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)--The Palestinians, who their faces and hearts directed towards Mecca five times a day in prayers, questioned what the Mecca meeting between Palestinian rivals will conclude on Tuesday after the Quartet meeting and previous Arab mediations failed to end the Palestinian strife.
The Palestinians expressed their depression from the results of Quartet's meeting in Washington. The Quartet, as the Palestinians expected, was supposed to intervene in the fierce infighting in Gaza and to end the financial and political boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian government. Contrarily, the Quartet reaffirmed the international aid embargo against the Hamas-led Palestinian government unless it renounces violence, recognizes Israel and accepts past peace agreements signed between the PLO and Israel. Hamas has refused to meet those terms up to now, leading to a cutoff of direct international aid and a breakdown of services and order in the Palestinian Authority. Political and financial sanctions imposed by the international community have failed to bring down the Hamas-led government. Many observers today admit that they were mistaken in their earlier assessments that Haniyeh's government would collapse as a result of the local and international pressure. Their predictions that Hamas's popularity would drop have also proven to be wrong.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hopes that replacing the current Hamas-led government with a more moderate national unity government would be enough to persuade the West and Israel to lift crippling sanctions imposed on the Palestinian government to pressure it to abandon its militantly anti-Israel stand. But previous rounds of coalition talks between Abbas and Hamas leaders to convince Hamas to change its positions in order to save the Palestinian Authority from government, social and economic collapse, as well as from catastrophic anarchy have ended in failure and often led to new bloodletting. The last round of talks for forming a national unity government was held between Abbas and Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal in Damascus last month. They failed to reach an agreement over the distribution of cabinet portfolios in the proposed unity government, mainly the Interior Ministry, which is formally responsible for the PA security forces, and the political platform of the government.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia invited Abbas, Mashaal, and Prime Minster Ismail Haniyeh to meet in the holy city of Mecca in a step to end the mutual slaughter taking place between Fatah and Hamas, and to solve the internal conflict which lies in the formation of a Palestinian national unity government. Saudi Arabia is trying by this political maneuver to succeed where Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and Syria have failed.
Observers see that what Saudi Arabia needs is to find a foreign-policy compromise that would free the Palestinian Authority from the international political and financial siege imposed on them. Once a compromise is found, the obstacles of distributing ministerial portfolios will be secondary if the two sides have the real intention to resolve the crises.
It would appear that there is a chance for Saudi Arabia to recognize the real stands of the two Palestinian sides. It can clarify if there is a diplomatic or political solution with Hamas, or that the internecine fighting between Fatah and Hamas no more than a struggle for power and domination of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO. Saudi Arabia has the chance to bring the two Palestinian factions back to the rationale that no one can eliminate the other. It seems that reviving the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 of Saudi King Abdullah will be of great interest at this time. The initiative "called for full Israeli withdrawal from all the Arab territories occupied since June 1967, in implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, reaffirmed by the Madrid Conference of 1991 and the land-for-peace principle, and Israel's acceptance of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in return for the establishment of normal relations in the context of a comprehensive peace with Israel". For Hamas, the initiative can be a suitable approach towards Israel in light of Mashal's last month statement recognizing Israel as a "fact" and calling for long Hudna (cease-fire) with Israel in exchange of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and by implicitly presenting its recognition of Israel as a condition for Israel's recognition of it. Hamas can put the initiative pack on track as a basis for future peace negotiation with Israel remembering Israeli defense Minister Amir Peretz saying last year that Israel "must deal with the Saudi initiative as a basis for negotiations".
Saudi Arabia , once Hamas and Fatah accepted this compromise, can adopt this political step and formed a Palestinian national unity government without previous US consultation. Saudi Arabia can acquire recognition from the Quartet, mainly the US which benefit from the regional role of Saudi Arabia in dealing with Iran's Nukes and against its activities in Iraq. Moreover, the moderate policy of Saudi Arabia enabled the Kingdom to resolve Arab disputes in the last century. In 1973, Saudi Arabia ended the crisis between Iraq and Kuwait when Iraq infiltrated the Kuwaiti boundaries. In 1989, Saudi Arabia succeeded in putting an end to the Lebanese civil war by concluding the Taif Agreement.
An agreement in Mecca, on the basis of Arab Peace Initiative, or on the basis of Hamas "respecting" the Quartet preconditions, is of high significance for the Palestinians and Saudi Arabia. For Palestinians, it seems that it will be the last chance before sliding to a civil war taking into consideration the rising military forces and arsenal in both sides. The Mecca meeting will be the last chance for the Palestinians before moving to the second phase of confrontation backed by the US and Iran after the phase of financial siege failed. For Saudi Arabia, it is a chance to prove its leading regional role despite the fact that the Quartet's reaffirmation of its January 30, 2006 preconditions minimized the chance of Saudi Arabia to success. Besides it will be a step for Saudi Arabia to regain consideration for its peace initiative which was rejected and humiliated by Israel. The Initiative was adopted by the Arab League in its summit at Beirut on March 28, 2002. Ariel Sharon, then Israeli Prime Minster, launched in the next day the "Operation Defensive Shield" where he reoccupied all major West Bank cities. Failing to achieve an agreement, the regional leadership will be dominated by Iran.
*(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)--The Palestinians, who their faces and hearts directed towards Mecca five times a day in prayers, questioned what the Mecca meeting between Palestinian rivals will conclude on Tuesday after the Quartet meeting and previous Arab mediations failed to end the Palestinian strife.
The Palestinians expressed their depression from the results of Quartet's meeting in Washington. The Quartet, as the Palestinians expected, was supposed to intervene in the fierce infighting in Gaza and to end the financial and political boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian government. Contrarily, the Quartet reaffirmed the international aid embargo against the Hamas-led Palestinian government unless it renounces violence, recognizes Israel and accepts past peace agreements signed between the PLO and Israel. Hamas has refused to meet those terms up to now, leading to a cutoff of direct international aid and a breakdown of services and order in the Palestinian Authority. Political and financial sanctions imposed by the international community have failed to bring down the Hamas-led government. Many observers today admit that they were mistaken in their earlier assessments that Haniyeh's government would collapse as a result of the local and international pressure. Their predictions that Hamas's popularity would drop have also proven to be wrong.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hopes that replacing the current Hamas-led government with a more moderate national unity government would be enough to persuade the West and Israel to lift crippling sanctions imposed on the Palestinian government to pressure it to abandon its militantly anti-Israel stand. But previous rounds of coalition talks between Abbas and Hamas leaders to convince Hamas to change its positions in order to save the Palestinian Authority from government, social and economic collapse, as well as from catastrophic anarchy have ended in failure and often led to new bloodletting. The last round of talks for forming a national unity government was held between Abbas and Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal in Damascus last month. They failed to reach an agreement over the distribution of cabinet portfolios in the proposed unity government, mainly the Interior Ministry, which is formally responsible for the PA security forces, and the political platform of the government.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia invited Abbas, Mashaal, and Prime Minster Ismail Haniyeh to meet in the holy city of Mecca in a step to end the mutual slaughter taking place between Fatah and Hamas, and to solve the internal conflict which lies in the formation of a Palestinian national unity government. Saudi Arabia is trying by this political maneuver to succeed where Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and Syria have failed.
Observers see that what Saudi Arabia needs is to find a foreign-policy compromise that would free the Palestinian Authority from the international political and financial siege imposed on them. Once a compromise is found, the obstacles of distributing ministerial portfolios will be secondary if the two sides have the real intention to resolve the crises.
It would appear that there is a chance for Saudi Arabia to recognize the real stands of the two Palestinian sides. It can clarify if there is a diplomatic or political solution with Hamas, or that the internecine fighting between Fatah and Hamas no more than a struggle for power and domination of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO. Saudi Arabia has the chance to bring the two Palestinian factions back to the rationale that no one can eliminate the other. It seems that reviving the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 of Saudi King Abdullah will be of great interest at this time. The initiative "called for full Israeli withdrawal from all the Arab territories occupied since June 1967, in implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, reaffirmed by the Madrid Conference of 1991 and the land-for-peace principle, and Israel's acceptance of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in return for the establishment of normal relations in the context of a comprehensive peace with Israel". For Hamas, the initiative can be a suitable approach towards Israel in light of Mashal's last month statement recognizing Israel as a "fact" and calling for long Hudna (cease-fire) with Israel in exchange of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and by implicitly presenting its recognition of Israel as a condition for Israel's recognition of it. Hamas can put the initiative pack on track as a basis for future peace negotiation with Israel remembering Israeli defense Minister Amir Peretz saying last year that Israel "must deal with the Saudi initiative as a basis for negotiations".
Saudi Arabia , once Hamas and Fatah accepted this compromise, can adopt this political step and formed a Palestinian national unity government without previous US consultation. Saudi Arabia can acquire recognition from the Quartet, mainly the US which benefit from the regional role of Saudi Arabia in dealing with Iran's Nukes and against its activities in Iraq. Moreover, the moderate policy of Saudi Arabia enabled the Kingdom to resolve Arab disputes in the last century. In 1973, Saudi Arabia ended the crisis between Iraq and Kuwait when Iraq infiltrated the Kuwaiti boundaries. In 1989, Saudi Arabia succeeded in putting an end to the Lebanese civil war by concluding the Taif Agreement.
An agreement in Mecca, on the basis of Arab Peace Initiative, or on the basis of Hamas "respecting" the Quartet preconditions, is of high significance for the Palestinians and Saudi Arabia. For Palestinians, it seems that it will be the last chance before sliding to a civil war taking into consideration the rising military forces and arsenal in both sides. The Mecca meeting will be the last chance for the Palestinians before moving to the second phase of confrontation backed by the US and Iran after the phase of financial siege failed. For Saudi Arabia, it is a chance to prove its leading regional role despite the fact that the Quartet's reaffirmation of its January 30, 2006 preconditions minimized the chance of Saudi Arabia to success. Besides it will be a step for Saudi Arabia to regain consideration for its peace initiative which was rejected and humiliated by Israel. The Initiative was adopted by the Arab League in its summit at Beirut on March 28, 2002. Ariel Sharon, then Israeli Prime Minster, launched in the next day the "Operation Defensive Shield" where he reoccupied all major West Bank cities. Failing to achieve an agreement, the regional leadership will be dominated by Iran.
*(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Israel builds a bridge under al-Aqsa Mosque, By Mohammed Mar'i
Israel Builds a Bridge under Al Aqsa Mosque
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- While severe fighting continues between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza Strip, Israel will start constructing a bridge At Al Aqsa Mosque Sunday. The director of the cartographic department in the society for Arab Studies, Khalil Toufakji, has warned of an ethnic cleansing operation against some 24,000 Palestinians in the old city of Jerusalem.
Toufakji added that Israel has built "the Jewish neighborhood" in the city, which contains around 70 settlement units.
Speaking in a press conference in Ramallah on Saturday, Toufakji spoke about the holy city, "and the dangers it faces in the shadow of the Israeli government policy of Judaizing the city". He added that "anyone who is watching the Israeli strategy in the city will find that it has reached a dangerous stage, and is now in the last steps of its demographic Judaization."
Operating on the demographic level, the policy aims to reduce the number of Palestinian citizens in the city, so the Israelis will form a significant majority in the future.
Toufakji drew attention to the tunnels and bridges which Israel is currently constructing. The Israeli authorities are attempting to build a link between the Western wall complex by opening a tunnel from Magharbah Gate. It is understood that this tunnel will be opened on Sunday.
Toufakji declared "there is nothing left of the Magharbah neighborhood… the goal of all these excavations is an attempt to find the temple although there isn't proven sign of its existence in the place."
Toufakji criticized the Palestinian, Arab and Islamic neglect of Jerusalem saying "as all parties are ignoring the issue of Jerusalem… we speak on every occasion about the dangers facing the city but we do nothing". He also mentioned the change in the Israeli prime minister's convergence plans, stating that "there will be streets for Jews only, and other streets for Palestinians."
*(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- While severe fighting continues between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza Strip, Israel will start constructing a bridge At Al Aqsa Mosque Sunday. The director of the cartographic department in the society for Arab Studies, Khalil Toufakji, has warned of an ethnic cleansing operation against some 24,000 Palestinians in the old city of Jerusalem.
Toufakji added that Israel has built "the Jewish neighborhood" in the city, which contains around 70 settlement units.
Speaking in a press conference in Ramallah on Saturday, Toufakji spoke about the holy city, "and the dangers it faces in the shadow of the Israeli government policy of Judaizing the city". He added that "anyone who is watching the Israeli strategy in the city will find that it has reached a dangerous stage, and is now in the last steps of its demographic Judaization."
Operating on the demographic level, the policy aims to reduce the number of Palestinian citizens in the city, so the Israelis will form a significant majority in the future.
Toufakji drew attention to the tunnels and bridges which Israel is currently constructing. The Israeli authorities are attempting to build a link between the Western wall complex by opening a tunnel from Magharbah Gate. It is understood that this tunnel will be opened on Sunday.
Toufakji declared "there is nothing left of the Magharbah neighborhood… the goal of all these excavations is an attempt to find the temple although there isn't proven sign of its existence in the place."
Toufakji criticized the Palestinian, Arab and Islamic neglect of Jerusalem saying "as all parties are ignoring the issue of Jerusalem… we speak on every occasion about the dangers facing the city but we do nothing". He also mentioned the change in the Israeli prime minister's convergence plans, stating that "there will be streets for Jews only, and other streets for Palestinians."
*(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
Thursday, February 01, 2007
NEWS: 3 Palestinians killed in West Bank, By Mohammed Mar'i
Israel Killed Three Palestinians in the West Bank
The non-violent resistance of Martin Luther King in Hebron
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish or distribute.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- Amid tense cease fire between the Palestinian rivals Fatah and Hamas and an accusation to the US of promoting civil war among the Palestinians by transferring $86 million to strengthen security forces loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed three Palestinians in the West Bank on Thursday.
The IOF troops killed Taha Mohammed, from the old city in Jerusalem, who tried to infiltrate Israel through the Separation Wall near the Kalandiya refugee camp, north of Jerusalem, on Thursday morning.
In Nablus, the IOF killed Amer Kalbouneh and Wael Awad during a predawn raid in the city. Dr Ghassan Hamdan who works for the Palestinian Medical Relief Committees said "that two were killed several IOF jeeps and bulldozers opened fire on Palestinian crowds and houses in the Old city of Nablus". He added that "the Israeli Forces prevented medical teams from rescuing and left them bleeding from their wounds until they died". The IOF accused Kalbouneh and Awad of belonging to al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, military wing of Fatah.
On separate Palestinian peaceful activity to protest the Israeli apartheid policy in Hebron city, Palestinian, Israeli and international peace activists, held Thursday a teach-in in front of the Tel Rumeida checkpoint in the city of Hebron. The theme of the action is the non-violent resistance promoted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The International Solidarity Movement said in a press release that "Dr. King was one of the pioneers of the civil rights movement in the United States in the early 60s and was the youngest person ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize".
The children of Tel Rumeida gathered together for their weekly art lesson at the checkpoint where they learned about the work of Dr. King and created a T-shirt with Dr. King's famous quote: "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed" in Arabic, English and Hebrew.
Last Thursday local residents and community representatives rallied at the Tel Rumeida checkpoint to demonstrate against settlers' violence and the closure of Shuhada Street which cuts through the centre of Hebron. Shuhada Street has been closed to Palestinians for six years, although the Israeli High Court recently ruled that this had been a 'mistake' and Palestinians had the right of access. Despite this ruling the Israeli authorities continue to deny passage to Palestinians along Shuhada Street. The residents of Hebron and Tel Rumeida demand the right to access freely all parts of their city.
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
The non-violent resistance of Martin Luther King in Hebron
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish or distribute.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- Amid tense cease fire between the Palestinian rivals Fatah and Hamas and an accusation to the US of promoting civil war among the Palestinians by transferring $86 million to strengthen security forces loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed three Palestinians in the West Bank on Thursday.
The IOF troops killed Taha Mohammed, from the old city in Jerusalem, who tried to infiltrate Israel through the Separation Wall near the Kalandiya refugee camp, north of Jerusalem, on Thursday morning.
In Nablus, the IOF killed Amer Kalbouneh and Wael Awad during a predawn raid in the city. Dr Ghassan Hamdan who works for the Palestinian Medical Relief Committees said "that two were killed several IOF jeeps and bulldozers opened fire on Palestinian crowds and houses in the Old city of Nablus". He added that "the Israeli Forces prevented medical teams from rescuing and left them bleeding from their wounds until they died". The IOF accused Kalbouneh and Awad of belonging to al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, military wing of Fatah.
On separate Palestinian peaceful activity to protest the Israeli apartheid policy in Hebron city, Palestinian, Israeli and international peace activists, held Thursday a teach-in in front of the Tel Rumeida checkpoint in the city of Hebron. The theme of the action is the non-violent resistance promoted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The International Solidarity Movement said in a press release that "Dr. King was one of the pioneers of the civil rights movement in the United States in the early 60s and was the youngest person ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize".
The children of Tel Rumeida gathered together for their weekly art lesson at the checkpoint where they learned about the work of Dr. King and created a T-shirt with Dr. King's famous quote: "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed" in Arabic, English and Hebrew.
Last Thursday local residents and community representatives rallied at the Tel Rumeida checkpoint to demonstrate against settlers' violence and the closure of Shuhada Street which cuts through the centre of Hebron. Shuhada Street has been closed to Palestinians for six years, although the Israeli High Court recently ruled that this had been a 'mistake' and Palestinians had the right of access. Despite this ruling the Israeli authorities continue to deny passage to Palestinians along Shuhada Street. The residents of Hebron and Tel Rumeida demand the right to access freely all parts of their city.
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
Monday, January 29, 2007
ANALYSIS: Is Eilat bombing attempt to end Palestinian in-fighting? By Mohammed Mar'i
Eilat Bombing Attack left 3 Killed Israelis
Is the attack an attempt to end the fighting in Gaza or an invitation for Israel to inter it?
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- The bombing attack killed three Israelis and critically wounded two, Monday, January 29, 2007, when Mohammad Faisal al- Siksik, 21, from Shaja'iyyah in Gaza blew himself up in a bakery in the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat.
"Saraya Al Quds", the military wing of Islamic Jihad which claimed the attack with another two Palestinian groups, said in a statement that they had engineered the attack in "an attempt to focus Palestinians' attention away from killing each other".
Abu Hamza, the spokesman of Saraya Al Quds, said in a special interview said that" Saraya Al Quds is planning for an attack in the heart of the Zionist enemy since seven months, we have chosen Eilat since it is the most safe and quiet Israeli city". "Saraya Al Quds and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades planned how to enter Eilat through hard and complex procedures", he added.
In its statement, "Saraya Al Quds" said that" the attacker infiltrated Eilat from Jordan and that the attack is part of "Operation Ice Thawing" in response to ongoing Israel aggressions against Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank".
The Israeli Army Radio reported that another two persons were critically wounded in the attack. An Israeli police officer told the Radio that "This was a suicide bombing and the bomber is one of the dead. He apparently entered with a bag or explosives belt and blew himself up inside the shop". "Bread still in trays and shattered glass were scattered outside the shop as ambulance crews and police swarmed the residential street", the officer added to the Radio. Witnesses told the Radio that "body parts were strewn throughout the bakery". Eilat Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi told the Israel Radio that" the victims of the attack were likely to be local residents and not tourists" adding that" the city had not been prepared for an attack".
Early Monday morning, "Saraya Al Quds", the military wing of Islamic Jihad movement, the "Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades", the military wing of Fatah movement, and the unknown Palestinian group "Army of Believers" claimed responsibility for carrying the attack.
The Islamic Jihad praised the Eilat attack and announced that "this is a welcomed attack that emphasizes the Palestinian resistance's intent to continue the Jihad until all Palestinian lands are freed".
Fatah spokesman Ahmad Abdul Rahman in a press release condemned the attack, saying, "We are against any operation that targets civilians, Israelis or Palestinians."
Fawzi Barhoum, spokesman of Hamas, called the attack a "natural response" to Israeli Occupation Forces policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as its ongoing boycott of the Hamas-led government". He added that "So long as there is occupation, resistance is legitimate". He considered that attacks on Israel are preferable than the bloody confrontations between Palestinians saying "the right thing is for Fatah weapons to be directed toward the occupation not toward Hamas". He added that "This is a message to the world saying that the Palestinian resistance has the right to choose the time and the place for their actions."
But can the Eilat attack which is the first bombing attack since April 2006, when a Palestinian bomber blew himself up at the old central bus station in Tel Aviv, killing nine people, can it put the Palestinian "resistance" back on track to fight Israel only? Or is it an invitation for Israel to be a third party in the fighting between the rivals Fatah and Hamas taking into consideration the continued Israeli threat to enter Gaza?
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
Is the attack an attempt to end the fighting in Gaza or an invitation for Israel to inter it?
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- The bombing attack killed three Israelis and critically wounded two, Monday, January 29, 2007, when Mohammad Faisal al- Siksik, 21, from Shaja'iyyah in Gaza blew himself up in a bakery in the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat.
"Saraya Al Quds", the military wing of Islamic Jihad which claimed the attack with another two Palestinian groups, said in a statement that they had engineered the attack in "an attempt to focus Palestinians' attention away from killing each other".
Abu Hamza, the spokesman of Saraya Al Quds, said in a special interview said that" Saraya Al Quds is planning for an attack in the heart of the Zionist enemy since seven months, we have chosen Eilat since it is the most safe and quiet Israeli city". "Saraya Al Quds and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades planned how to enter Eilat through hard and complex procedures", he added.
In its statement, "Saraya Al Quds" said that" the attacker infiltrated Eilat from Jordan and that the attack is part of "Operation Ice Thawing" in response to ongoing Israel aggressions against Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank".
The Israeli Army Radio reported that another two persons were critically wounded in the attack. An Israeli police officer told the Radio that "This was a suicide bombing and the bomber is one of the dead. He apparently entered with a bag or explosives belt and blew himself up inside the shop". "Bread still in trays and shattered glass were scattered outside the shop as ambulance crews and police swarmed the residential street", the officer added to the Radio. Witnesses told the Radio that "body parts were strewn throughout the bakery". Eilat Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi told the Israel Radio that" the victims of the attack were likely to be local residents and not tourists" adding that" the city had not been prepared for an attack".
Early Monday morning, "Saraya Al Quds", the military wing of Islamic Jihad movement, the "Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades", the military wing of Fatah movement, and the unknown Palestinian group "Army of Believers" claimed responsibility for carrying the attack.
The Islamic Jihad praised the Eilat attack and announced that "this is a welcomed attack that emphasizes the Palestinian resistance's intent to continue the Jihad until all Palestinian lands are freed".
Fatah spokesman Ahmad Abdul Rahman in a press release condemned the attack, saying, "We are against any operation that targets civilians, Israelis or Palestinians."
Fawzi Barhoum, spokesman of Hamas, called the attack a "natural response" to Israeli Occupation Forces policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as its ongoing boycott of the Hamas-led government". He added that "So long as there is occupation, resistance is legitimate". He considered that attacks on Israel are preferable than the bloody confrontations between Palestinians saying "the right thing is for Fatah weapons to be directed toward the occupation not toward Hamas". He added that "This is a message to the world saying that the Palestinian resistance has the right to choose the time and the place for their actions."
But can the Eilat attack which is the first bombing attack since April 2006, when a Palestinian bomber blew himself up at the old central bus station in Tel Aviv, killing nine people, can it put the Palestinian "resistance" back on track to fight Israel only? Or is it an invitation for Israel to be a third party in the fighting between the rivals Fatah and Hamas taking into consideration the continued Israeli threat to enter Gaza?
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
Sunday, January 28, 2007
NEWS: Palestinian employee salaries bolster Hamas-led government, By Mohammed Mar'i
Salaries of Palestinian Servants Bolster Hamas-led Government
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
The Palestinian public sector servants received Sunday, January 28, 2007 a complete salary for the first time since the formation of Hamas-led government ten months ago. The Servants used to receive 350 US$ down payments from the European Union and internal tax revenues to secure the basic needs for their families. Although the payments didn't resolve the internal economic crisis but they relieved the pressure exerted on Palestinian Government.
Following the triumph of Hamas in January 2006 elections, international sanctions, both political and financial, were imposed on its government to oblige it to abide by Quartet's demands: government must be committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the roadmap. The Palestinian Authority relied upon the international and Arab aid to pay the salaries of its servants. In an attempt to undermine the financial siege, Hamas leaders organized tours to some Arab and Islamic countries mainly Iran to raise money for the ostracized government. The raised money failed to be transferred to the Palestinian Finance Ministry due to the U. S. led embargo on banks not to transfer money to "Hamas terrorist government".
The European Union, which is the biggest donor to the PA, initiated a mechanism of financial grants to the Palestinian civil servants, especially teachers, health workers, and poor families with a goal of undermining support for Hamas within the Palestinian society. Their predictions that Hamas's popularity would drop in the Palestinian society have proven to be wrong. Many observers today admit that they were mistaken in their earlier assessments that Haniyeh's government would collapse as a result of the local and international pressure. It seems that the political and financial sanctions imposed by the international community not only have failed to bring down the Hamas-led government, but the international aid to the Palestinians increased by nearly 10 percent following Hamas's election victory, the United Nations under-secretary general for political affairs Ibrahim Gambari told the UN Security Council on Thursday, January 25, 2007 .
He said on the anniversary of Hamas's winning 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections that "aid to Palestinians in 2006 had actually increased, despite the reassessment of donor programs and the cessation of financial transfers by Israel to the Palestinians", adding that "most of the aid was bypassing the Palestinian government". He said in a UN press release that the "total assistance to Palestinians last year - not including funds channeled to the Palestinian Authority government or Hamas by regional donors - had been $1.2 billion, which represented a nearly 10% increase over 2005," a UN press release said .
Gambari said also that "humanitarian assistance alone had doubled since 2004 and primarily took the form of food aid and cash-for-work programs". The food and cash for work programs allowed around 35000 poor Palestinian families to get a monthly allowance.
The Abbas' Office played a great role in relieving pressure on Hamas Government. The international institutions, the European Union, and even Israel which transferred $100 million to the Palestinian Authority from the Palestinian tax revenues that have been frozen since the Hamas-led government came to power in the PA, transferred their fund to Abbas' Office account to bypass the Hamas government.
The US, European countries, and Fatah leaders pledged that Hamas would not stay in power for more than three of four months due to Palestinian public pressure after discovering that Hamas will not be able to run a government isolated politically and financially. But observers see that Hamas will not make any concessions or leave governance without a pressure from the Palestinian street. With a Palestinian people taking salaries and grants from international community and Israel via Abbas, there is no need change the Hamas Government.
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
The Palestinian public sector servants received Sunday, January 28, 2007 a complete salary for the first time since the formation of Hamas-led government ten months ago. The Servants used to receive 350 US$ down payments from the European Union and internal tax revenues to secure the basic needs for their families. Although the payments didn't resolve the internal economic crisis but they relieved the pressure exerted on Palestinian Government.
Following the triumph of Hamas in January 2006 elections, international sanctions, both political and financial, were imposed on its government to oblige it to abide by Quartet's demands: government must be committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the roadmap. The Palestinian Authority relied upon the international and Arab aid to pay the salaries of its servants. In an attempt to undermine the financial siege, Hamas leaders organized tours to some Arab and Islamic countries mainly Iran to raise money for the ostracized government. The raised money failed to be transferred to the Palestinian Finance Ministry due to the U. S. led embargo on banks not to transfer money to "Hamas terrorist government".
The European Union, which is the biggest donor to the PA, initiated a mechanism of financial grants to the Palestinian civil servants, especially teachers, health workers, and poor families with a goal of undermining support for Hamas within the Palestinian society. Their predictions that Hamas's popularity would drop in the Palestinian society have proven to be wrong. Many observers today admit that they were mistaken in their earlier assessments that Haniyeh's government would collapse as a result of the local and international pressure. It seems that the political and financial sanctions imposed by the international community not only have failed to bring down the Hamas-led government, but the international aid to the Palestinians increased by nearly 10 percent following Hamas's election victory, the United Nations under-secretary general for political affairs Ibrahim Gambari told the UN Security Council on Thursday, January 25, 2007 .
He said on the anniversary of Hamas's winning 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections that "aid to Palestinians in 2006 had actually increased, despite the reassessment of donor programs and the cessation of financial transfers by Israel to the Palestinians", adding that "most of the aid was bypassing the Palestinian government". He said in a UN press release that the "total assistance to Palestinians last year - not including funds channeled to the Palestinian Authority government or Hamas by regional donors - had been $1.2 billion, which represented a nearly 10% increase over 2005," a UN press release said .
Gambari said also that "humanitarian assistance alone had doubled since 2004 and primarily took the form of food aid and cash-for-work programs". The food and cash for work programs allowed around 35000 poor Palestinian families to get a monthly allowance.
The Abbas' Office played a great role in relieving pressure on Hamas Government. The international institutions, the European Union, and even Israel which transferred $100 million to the Palestinian Authority from the Palestinian tax revenues that have been frozen since the Hamas-led government came to power in the PA, transferred their fund to Abbas' Office account to bypass the Hamas government.
The US, European countries, and Fatah leaders pledged that Hamas would not stay in power for more than three of four months due to Palestinian public pressure after discovering that Hamas will not be able to run a government isolated politically and financially. But observers see that Hamas will not make any concessions or leave governance without a pressure from the Palestinian street. With a Palestinian people taking salaries and grants from international community and Israel via Abbas, there is no need change the Hamas Government.
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
NEWS: Palestinian polls show majority feel they are not safe, By Mohammed Mar'i
The Palestinian Internal Crisis: 86.9% of Palestinians aren't safe, 53.5% see it a civil war
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- A recent Palestinian public opinion poll shown that the majority of Palestinian people are concerned with the deteriorated internal security and bloody confrontations between Fateh and Hamas due to the failure of forming a national unity government. Whereas ð86.9 % of respondents, of the 25th Palestinian Public Opinion Poll conducted by the Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies at An-Najah National University during the period from January 22-24, 2006, did not feel safe neither for themselves nor for their families and properties under the present circumstances, 53.5 % of respondents believed that Palestinians have entered in a civil war after the armed confrontations between Fateh and Hamas.
According to the Poll that included 1360 persons from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 71.8% of respondents said that their economic situation under the current circumstances is deteriorating and 74.5 % of respondents said that the local security conditions deteriorated .
Regarding Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared intention to conduct early Presidential and Legislative elections after the wavering of the negotiations on the formation of a unity government, 52 %of respondents supported Abass' call for early Presidential and Legislative elections if no compromise is reached towards the formation of a unity Palestinian government while 517 %of respondents rejected Hamas' position in refusing conducting early Presidential and Legislative elections if no compromise is reached towards the formation of a new Palestinian government .
The Palestinians consider that a national unity government may rescue them from the current crisis whether the brutal confrontations between the rivals Fateh and Hamas or the international financial siege. 54.4 %of respondents saw that a unity government is the proper form of government that can manage Palestinian affairs, 18.1% saw that it is an independent national technocrat government, 8.1% saw that it is a Hamas government and 15.3% saw that it is a Fateh government . 23.7% of respondents supported the idea that the future government should be a government of services without having anything to do with the political affairs . 71.3 % of respondents saw that an agreement to form a national unity government, if achieved, will relieve the Palestinian People from the political and financial siege imposed on them . 16.6 %of respondents saw that the delay in the formation of a unity government is related to the disagreement on the political agenda of the government; 29.6% saw that it is related to the disagreement on the distribution of portfolios . 46 %of respondents supported the idea that the responsibilities of negotiations with Israel should be given to the PLO . 77.6% of respondents supported the reformation of the PLO so that it would include all nonmember Palestinian factions.
If early Palestinian presidential and legislative elections is conducted, 29 % of respondents said that they will vote for a Fateh candidate if new Presidential elections are conducted; 19% said they will vote for a Hamas candidate, while 29.5 % of respondents said that they will vote for Fateh candidates if new Legislative elections are conducted; 19.3% said they will vote for Hamas candidates.
Hamas recognition of Israel is an international condition to deal with a Hamas led government and to leave the financial siege. 49.5% of respondents believed that Khalid Mishal's declaration that 'Israel is a reality' is a preface to the recognition of Israel by Hamas . 40.5 % of respondents considered the proposal submitted to the Palestinian Prime Minister's Advisor Ahmed Yousif by some European countries and personalities as a "new Oslo deal ".
Concerning the attitudes of Palestinians towards methods of resistance against Israel, 56.6% of respondents supported armed operations inside Israel; while 37.4% rejected them. 64.2% of respondents supported concentrating armed operations within the borders of the 1967 occupied territories . 47.4 % of respondents rejected firing rockets at Israeli targets from the Gaza Strip . 47.1% of respondents said that firing rockets against Israeli targets from the Gaza Strip hurts the Palestinian cause; 30.1% said it serves the Palestinian cause positively . 27.2 % of respondents said the form of struggle that best serves the Palestinian cause is the armed struggle .
The poll also concentrated on the external intervention and pressure exerted on Abbas and Hamas to resolve the internal crisis. 75% of respondents said that kidnapping foreign journalists and sympathizers with Palestinians hurts the Palestinian cause . 77.3 % of respondents said that there is some outside intervention in the Palestinian decision; 6.5% said that it is an Arab intervention, 22.5% said that it is a foreign one, 68.9% said that it is both foreign and Arab, and 72.1% said that this intervention is a negative one . 9.5% of respondents believed that the last visit of US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice to the Middle East achieved some progress in pushing forward the peace process and the implementation of the Road Map; 80.7% believed the contrary. 12.9% of respondents believed that the US and Israeli declarations in support of President Mahmoud Abbas reinforce the Palestinian people's trust in his policy; 50.1% believed that such declarations reduce people's trust .
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- A recent Palestinian public opinion poll shown that the majority of Palestinian people are concerned with the deteriorated internal security and bloody confrontations between Fateh and Hamas due to the failure of forming a national unity government. Whereas ð86.9 % of respondents, of the 25th Palestinian Public Opinion Poll conducted by the Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies at An-Najah National University during the period from January 22-24, 2006, did not feel safe neither for themselves nor for their families and properties under the present circumstances, 53.5 % of respondents believed that Palestinians have entered in a civil war after the armed confrontations between Fateh and Hamas.
According to the Poll that included 1360 persons from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 71.8% of respondents said that their economic situation under the current circumstances is deteriorating and 74.5 % of respondents said that the local security conditions deteriorated .
Regarding Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared intention to conduct early Presidential and Legislative elections after the wavering of the negotiations on the formation of a unity government, 52 %of respondents supported Abass' call for early Presidential and Legislative elections if no compromise is reached towards the formation of a unity Palestinian government while 517 %of respondents rejected Hamas' position in refusing conducting early Presidential and Legislative elections if no compromise is reached towards the formation of a new Palestinian government .
The Palestinians consider that a national unity government may rescue them from the current crisis whether the brutal confrontations between the rivals Fateh and Hamas or the international financial siege. 54.4 %of respondents saw that a unity government is the proper form of government that can manage Palestinian affairs, 18.1% saw that it is an independent national technocrat government, 8.1% saw that it is a Hamas government and 15.3% saw that it is a Fateh government . 23.7% of respondents supported the idea that the future government should be a government of services without having anything to do with the political affairs . 71.3 % of respondents saw that an agreement to form a national unity government, if achieved, will relieve the Palestinian People from the political and financial siege imposed on them . 16.6 %of respondents saw that the delay in the formation of a unity government is related to the disagreement on the political agenda of the government; 29.6% saw that it is related to the disagreement on the distribution of portfolios . 46 %of respondents supported the idea that the responsibilities of negotiations with Israel should be given to the PLO . 77.6% of respondents supported the reformation of the PLO so that it would include all nonmember Palestinian factions.
If early Palestinian presidential and legislative elections is conducted, 29 % of respondents said that they will vote for a Fateh candidate if new Presidential elections are conducted; 19% said they will vote for a Hamas candidate, while 29.5 % of respondents said that they will vote for Fateh candidates if new Legislative elections are conducted; 19.3% said they will vote for Hamas candidates.
Hamas recognition of Israel is an international condition to deal with a Hamas led government and to leave the financial siege. 49.5% of respondents believed that Khalid Mishal's declaration that 'Israel is a reality' is a preface to the recognition of Israel by Hamas . 40.5 % of respondents considered the proposal submitted to the Palestinian Prime Minister's Advisor Ahmed Yousif by some European countries and personalities as a "new Oslo deal ".
Concerning the attitudes of Palestinians towards methods of resistance against Israel, 56.6% of respondents supported armed operations inside Israel; while 37.4% rejected them. 64.2% of respondents supported concentrating armed operations within the borders of the 1967 occupied territories . 47.4 % of respondents rejected firing rockets at Israeli targets from the Gaza Strip . 47.1% of respondents said that firing rockets against Israeli targets from the Gaza Strip hurts the Palestinian cause; 30.1% said it serves the Palestinian cause positively . 27.2 % of respondents said the form of struggle that best serves the Palestinian cause is the armed struggle .
The poll also concentrated on the external intervention and pressure exerted on Abbas and Hamas to resolve the internal crisis. 75% of respondents said that kidnapping foreign journalists and sympathizers with Palestinians hurts the Palestinian cause . 77.3 % of respondents said that there is some outside intervention in the Palestinian decision; 6.5% said that it is an Arab intervention, 22.5% said that it is a foreign one, 68.9% said that it is both foreign and Arab, and 72.1% said that this intervention is a negative one . 9.5% of respondents believed that the last visit of US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice to the Middle East achieved some progress in pushing forward the peace process and the implementation of the Road Map; 80.7% believed the contrary. 12.9% of respondents believed that the US and Israeli declarations in support of President Mahmoud Abbas reinforce the Palestinian people's trust in his policy; 50.1% believed that such declarations reduce people's trust .
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
Saturday, January 27, 2007
NEWS?ANALYSIS: An Islamic militia claims attack on Al-Arabiya News Channel by Mohammed Mar'i
An Islamic Militia Claimed Blasting Al Arabiya News Channel in Gaza
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- Although it isn't the first time the Palestinians hear cover names for Palestinian armed militias after blasting and violent incidents in the West Bank and Gaza , an armed group called 'Suyuf Al-Haq Al-Islamiya', which means 'The Islamic Swords of Right Group', has claimed responsibility for the explosion at Al-Arabiya news channel in Gaza City on Monday night.
The group said in a statement that this explosion came as part of its campaign "Al-Ard Al-Baida", that means 'The White Land'. It said that the campaign has been launched to make "the land of Rabat pure from infidelity and corruption". 'The land of Rabat' is an Islamic term referring to the region surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the land of historic Palestine.
The statement accused Al-Arabiya of lying, hypocrisy and infidelity over several months. In its statement, the Group accused the Channel of being the voice of the Jewish state and not an Arabic channel. It said, "The perpetrators of this explosion send a message to the channel and other channels that put themselves in the service of Zionism whose main concern is to fight Islam and Muslims."
This Group has also claimed responsibility for the bombing of several Internet cafes and stores selling popular music cassettes in the Gaza Strip, and also for threatening women who wear modern cloths and unveiled their faces in the Gaza Strip.
At the beginning of 2006, this same group threatened to blow up churches in the Palestinian territories after newspapers in Denmark published insulting cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad, and also after the Pope Benedict XVI expressed comments in a lecture at a German university that were considered insulting about Islam.
In another violation of the freedom of expression in the West Bank and Gaza, the Executive Force has said that "it will prosecute any media outlet that does not broadcast or publish neutral news and insists on publishing lying and deception, and ignores the obvious realities".
The media office of the Executive Force, which is an armed militia under the control of the Hamas Minister of Interior Said Siyam, "promised to pursue any outlet that provokes incitement against members of the Executive Force and puts their blood in danger". The office said that "whereas some local radio stations and websites say they provide the truth, and that they broadcast the news, accurately and objectively, we (the media office) find that the reality is that they are exposing allegations, thereby losing credibility in the eyes of our people."
The media office also called "the Palestinian people not to believe the so-called 'salaried mouthpieces' which do not allow other parties an opportunity to explain their points of view". It also "called the print media, radio and television to deal professionally with the statements from the Executive Force's media and to convey the facts and events in the Palestinian arena with responsibility and professionalism".
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- Although it isn't the first time the Palestinians hear cover names for Palestinian armed militias after blasting and violent incidents in the West Bank and Gaza , an armed group called 'Suyuf Al-Haq Al-Islamiya', which means 'The Islamic Swords of Right Group', has claimed responsibility for the explosion at Al-Arabiya news channel in Gaza City on Monday night.
The group said in a statement that this explosion came as part of its campaign "Al-Ard Al-Baida", that means 'The White Land'. It said that the campaign has been launched to make "the land of Rabat pure from infidelity and corruption". 'The land of Rabat' is an Islamic term referring to the region surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the land of historic Palestine.
The statement accused Al-Arabiya of lying, hypocrisy and infidelity over several months. In its statement, the Group accused the Channel of being the voice of the Jewish state and not an Arabic channel. It said, "The perpetrators of this explosion send a message to the channel and other channels that put themselves in the service of Zionism whose main concern is to fight Islam and Muslims."
This Group has also claimed responsibility for the bombing of several Internet cafes and stores selling popular music cassettes in the Gaza Strip, and also for threatening women who wear modern cloths and unveiled their faces in the Gaza Strip.
At the beginning of 2006, this same group threatened to blow up churches in the Palestinian territories after newspapers in Denmark published insulting cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad, and also after the Pope Benedict XVI expressed comments in a lecture at a German university that were considered insulting about Islam.
In another violation of the freedom of expression in the West Bank and Gaza, the Executive Force has said that "it will prosecute any media outlet that does not broadcast or publish neutral news and insists on publishing lying and deception, and ignores the obvious realities".
The media office of the Executive Force, which is an armed militia under the control of the Hamas Minister of Interior Said Siyam, "promised to pursue any outlet that provokes incitement against members of the Executive Force and puts their blood in danger". The office said that "whereas some local radio stations and websites say they provide the truth, and that they broadcast the news, accurately and objectively, we (the media office) find that the reality is that they are exposing allegations, thereby losing credibility in the eyes of our people."
The media office also called "the Palestinian people not to believe the so-called 'salaried mouthpieces' which do not allow other parties an opportunity to explain their points of view". It also "called the print media, radio and television to deal professionally with the statements from the Executive Force's media and to convey the facts and events in the Palestinian arena with responsibility and professionalism".
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
Thursday, January 25, 2007
FEATURE: Dome of the Rock on Vodka Bottle in Israel, By Mohammed Mar'i
Dome of the Rock on Vodka Bottle in Israeli
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- While the Muslims in Palestine were pleased by the arrival of the renovated pulpit (minbar in Arabic) of Salah Ad-Deen of Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, an Israeli import and export company distributed vodka bottles with pictures of the Dome of the Rock printed on.
Ahmed Al Abrah, citizen of Al Ramleh in Israel, told the Al Aqsa Establishment for Reconstructing the Islamic Holy Sites on Monday, January 22, 2007 that he has seen the photo of the Dome of the Rock on bottles of wine he bought from a cafeteria in Rahovot city in Israel a few days ago . "I went in a tour to check if this kind of vodka is being sold in other stores or cities in Israel and I found it in so many stores like in Ashdod", he said.
Al Abrah told them that he broke all the bottles with the photo except one as an evident. The Establishment said that the bottle contains a kind of vodka labeled "SOYUS-VICTAN EVREISKAYA". It is distributed by an Israeli company called "Bolonia for import and export company 2000 MD" in the Israeli city of Ashdod. The Establishment added that on the other side of the bottle it appears that it is originally manufactured in the Ukraine.
The Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine Sheikh Mohammed Hussein condemned the behavior of the Israeli company saying that "the marketing of wine bottles with a picture of the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem, on them is an Israeli attempt to humiliate Muslims everywhere". He said that "putting a picture of a holy shrine on a bottle of wine which is forbidden in Islam is an insult on Islamic creed and Islamic civilization." "It is a belligerence on Muslims dignity and passion", he added.
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- While the Muslims in Palestine were pleased by the arrival of the renovated pulpit (minbar in Arabic) of Salah Ad-Deen of Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, an Israeli import and export company distributed vodka bottles with pictures of the Dome of the Rock printed on.
Ahmed Al Abrah, citizen of Al Ramleh in Israel, told the Al Aqsa Establishment for Reconstructing the Islamic Holy Sites on Monday, January 22, 2007 that he has seen the photo of the Dome of the Rock on bottles of wine he bought from a cafeteria in Rahovot city in Israel a few days ago . "I went in a tour to check if this kind of vodka is being sold in other stores or cities in Israel and I found it in so many stores like in Ashdod", he said.
Al Abrah told them that he broke all the bottles with the photo except one as an evident. The Establishment said that the bottle contains a kind of vodka labeled "SOYUS-VICTAN EVREISKAYA". It is distributed by an Israeli company called "Bolonia for import and export company 2000 MD" in the Israeli city of Ashdod. The Establishment added that on the other side of the bottle it appears that it is originally manufactured in the Ukraine.
The Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine Sheikh Mohammed Hussein condemned the behavior of the Israeli company saying that "the marketing of wine bottles with a picture of the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem, on them is an Israeli attempt to humiliate Muslims everywhere". He said that "putting a picture of a holy shrine on a bottle of wine which is forbidden in Islam is an insult on Islamic creed and Islamic civilization." "It is a belligerence on Muslims dignity and passion", he added.
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
NEWS/ANALYSIS: Palestinian journalists under attack in Gaza, By Mohamed Mar'i
Who Attacks Journalists in Palestine
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- The Palestinian journalists in Gaza held a one-day strike in protest of the blasting attack on the Al Arabiya TV offices in Gaza, which occurred late Monday evening causing severe property damage but no injuries.
The assault came a day after the failure of the Damascus meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas politburo Khalid Mashaal in forming a unity government and days after Al Arabiya aired a report in which it was claimed that Palestinian Prime Minister and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh cursed God saying "Even if God sets conditions for us, we will reject this."
Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, Fatah official Maher Mikdad blamed Hamas. "This is the project of fear and terrorizing that is taking place," he said. "Hamas is the hero of that scene par excellence". Palestinian government spokesman Ghazi Hamad of Hamas denounced the bombing. "Despite the disagreement between us and Al Arabiya, we reject this method and we consider it unacceptable. I have urged the Interior Minister to find out who is responsible," he said. Reham Abdel Karim, the Al Arabiya office manager, refused to blame anyone. She said there have been many threats against staffers, and the government was informed of them. "We received a clear threat they would explode the office and kill some employees," she said, but would not name those responsible.
In the continued Palestinian internal crisis, Hamas and Fatah leaders hurl accusations that the reports of Arab news channels Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya usually biased. Hamas supporters refer to Al Arabiya channel as 'al-Ibriya', meaning 'the Hebrew', accusing the news channel of promoting American and Israeli interests in the Middle East. The Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan accused Al Jazeera news channel of being biased for Hamas, charging it as a mouthpiece for the Islamic group and the Islamic Brotherhood. Last year Fatah gunmen set fire to a number of vehicles belonging to Al-Jazeera in Ramallah to protest the station's failure to cover a Fatah rally.
Taking into consideration the increasing number of attacks on journalists and media outlets whether local or external, Palestinian or Arab it seems that the issue more than bias and the lack of objectivity. The Palestinian independent news agency Maan was threatened by Fatah official Jamal Nazzal accusing it of being biased in favor of Hamas. Many days ago unidentified gunmen set fire to two vehicles belonging to the Palestinian Media and Communication Company in Ramallah. One of them belongs to the Palestinian journalist Maher Shalabi. Several Journalists have been kidnapped in Gaza Strip last year: two FOX News journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig, the AP photographer Emilio Morenatti, and AFP photographer Jaime Razuri. Moreover, several Palestinian journalists have received repeated death threats, the matter that led some of them to stop writing under their real names and others to take measures to ensure their safety.
The observer of attacks on journalists and media premises in the West Bank and Gaza Stip can conclude that the timing of such attacks usually follows the failure of calming between the rivals Fatah and Hamas. The two sides want to oblige journalists to adopt their point of view. With the absence of law that guards the freedom of expression in Palestinian Authority and the "failure" of PA security forces to arrest any of the assailants, the attacks will continue and the assailant will be "unknown" as usual.
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
By Mohammed Mar'i
(Arab American Media Services. Permission granted to republish.)
(Ramallah, Occupied Palestine)-- The Palestinian journalists in Gaza held a one-day strike in protest of the blasting attack on the Al Arabiya TV offices in Gaza, which occurred late Monday evening causing severe property damage but no injuries.
The assault came a day after the failure of the Damascus meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas politburo Khalid Mashaal in forming a unity government and days after Al Arabiya aired a report in which it was claimed that Palestinian Prime Minister and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh cursed God saying "Even if God sets conditions for us, we will reject this."
Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, Fatah official Maher Mikdad blamed Hamas. "This is the project of fear and terrorizing that is taking place," he said. "Hamas is the hero of that scene par excellence". Palestinian government spokesman Ghazi Hamad of Hamas denounced the bombing. "Despite the disagreement between us and Al Arabiya, we reject this method and we consider it unacceptable. I have urged the Interior Minister to find out who is responsible," he said. Reham Abdel Karim, the Al Arabiya office manager, refused to blame anyone. She said there have been many threats against staffers, and the government was informed of them. "We received a clear threat they would explode the office and kill some employees," she said, but would not name those responsible.
In the continued Palestinian internal crisis, Hamas and Fatah leaders hurl accusations that the reports of Arab news channels Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya usually biased. Hamas supporters refer to Al Arabiya channel as 'al-Ibriya', meaning 'the Hebrew', accusing the news channel of promoting American and Israeli interests in the Middle East. The Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan accused Al Jazeera news channel of being biased for Hamas, charging it as a mouthpiece for the Islamic group and the Islamic Brotherhood. Last year Fatah gunmen set fire to a number of vehicles belonging to Al-Jazeera in Ramallah to protest the station's failure to cover a Fatah rally.
Taking into consideration the increasing number of attacks on journalists and media outlets whether local or external, Palestinian or Arab it seems that the issue more than bias and the lack of objectivity. The Palestinian independent news agency Maan was threatened by Fatah official Jamal Nazzal accusing it of being biased in favor of Hamas. Many days ago unidentified gunmen set fire to two vehicles belonging to the Palestinian Media and Communication Company in Ramallah. One of them belongs to the Palestinian journalist Maher Shalabi. Several Journalists have been kidnapped in Gaza Strip last year: two FOX News journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig, the AP photographer Emilio Morenatti, and AFP photographer Jaime Razuri. Moreover, several Palestinian journalists have received repeated death threats, the matter that led some of them to stop writing under their real names and others to take measures to ensure their safety.
The observer of attacks on journalists and media premises in the West Bank and Gaza Stip can conclude that the timing of such attacks usually follows the failure of calming between the rivals Fatah and Hamas. The two sides want to oblige journalists to adopt their point of view. With the absence of law that guards the freedom of expression in Palestinian Authority and the "failure" of PA security forces to arrest any of the assailants, the attacks will continue and the assailant will be "unknown" as usual.
(Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com.)
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