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19 février 2016 5 19 /02 /février /2016 02:38

Optimisme de volonté

Voilà que maintenant nous avons un antisémite de plus.

Mazal Tov (“bonne chance”) comme nous disons en hébreu.

Il se nomme Ban Ki Moon.

Uri Avnery, mardi 16 février 2016

C’est le Secrétaire général des Nations unies. Concrètement la plus haute personnalité internationale, une sorte de Premier ministre du Monde.

Il a eu l’audace de critiquer le gouvernement israélien, ainsi que l’Autorité Palestinienne, les accusant de saboter le processus de paix, et par la même de rendre la réalisation de la paix israélo-palestinienne presque impossible.

Il a souligné le fait qu’il y a un consensus au niveau mondial sur le fait que la “solution à deux États” était la seule possible.

La formulation avait une tonalité neutre, mais Ban laissait entendre clairement que presque toute la faute était du côté israélien.

Du fait que les Palestiniens vivent sous une occupation hostile, il n’y a pas grand chose qu’ils puissent faire dans un sens ou dans l’autre.

Quiconque incriminant Israël pour quoi que ce soit est, naturellement, un antisémite avéré, le dernier d’une longue lignée, à commencer par Pharaon, roi d’Égypte, il y a quelques milliers d’années.

JE NE critique pas Ban, sauf pour l’excessive modération de son langage.

C’est peut-être le style coréen. Si j’avais été – à Dieu ne plaise – à sa place, je me serais exprimé de façon bien plus vigoureuse.

Contrairement aux apparences, il n’y a pas de grande différence entre Ban et Bibi, du moins en matière de pronostics. Il y a quelques semaines,

Benjamin Nétanyahou annonçait en effet que nous allions “toujours vivre par l’épée” – une phrase biblique remontant à l’avertissement d’Avner, le général du roi Saül, qui s’écria devant Yoav, le général du roi David, “L’épée dévorera-t-elle sans cesse à jamais ?” (J’ai toujours aimé Avner et j’ai adopté son nom.)

Mais ce qui est bon pour un patriote comme Nétanyahou n’est pas bon pour quelqu’un qui déteste les Juifs comme Ban. Alors qu’il aille au diable.

IL SE PEUT QUE NÉTANYAHOU n’ait pas apprécié l’affirmation par Ban que la “solution à deux États” recueillait l’accord du monde entier. Le monde à l’exception de Nétanyahou et de ses cohortes. Il n’en a pas toujours été ainsi.

Bien au contraire.

Le plan de partition fut d’abord adopté par la Commission royale britannique nommée après la révolte arabe de 1936 (que les Juifs appellent “les Évènements”) au cours de laquelle un grand nombre d’Arabes, de Juifs et de soldats britanniques trouvèrent la mort.

Dans ce plan les Juifs ne se voyaient attribuer qu’une petite partie de la Palestine, une bande étroite le long de la mer, mais c’était la première fois dans l’histoire moderne qu’un État juif était envisagé.

L’idée entraîna une profonde division dans la communauté juive de Palestine (appelée le “Yishouv”), mais l’éclatement de la Seconde Guerre mondiale mit un terme à ce plan. Après la guerre et l’Holocauste, il y eut une recherche au niveau mondial pour une solution permanente.

L’Assemblée générale des nouvelles Nations unies décida la partition de la Palestine en deux États, un juif et un arabe.

La direction juive accepta formellement cette solution, mais avec l’intention secrète d’agrandir le territoire de leur État à la première occasion.

L’occasion se présenta assez vite. Les Arabes rejetèrent la partition et engagèrent une guerre au cours de laquelle nous avons conquis beaucoup plus de territoire et nous l’avons annexé à notre jeune État.

À la fin de la guerre, au début de 1949, la situation se présentait ainsi : l’État juif agrandi, appelé désormais Israël, occupait 78% du pays, dont Jérusalem Ouest ; l’émir de Jordanie conservait la rive ouest du Jourdain avec Jérusalem Est et prenait le titre de roi de Jordanie ; le roi d’Égypte conservait la bande de Gaza.

La Palestine avait disparu de la carte.

QUAND J’AI ÉTÉ libéré de l’armée (en raison de mes blessures) j’ai eu la conviction que cette situation conduirait à un conflit permanent. Pendant la guerre, j’avais vu beaucoup de villages et de villes arabes dont les habitants avaient fui ou avaient été expulsés et j’avais acquis la conviction qu’il existait un peuple palestinien – contrairement aux affirmations israéliennes et à l’opinion mondiale – et qu’il n’y aurait jamais de paix si l’on refusait à ce peuple d’avoir un État à lui. Encore sous l’uniforme, je recherchais des partenaires dans le but de répandre cette conviction. Je trouvai un jeune architecte arabe musulman à Haïfa et un jeune cheikh druze. (Les Druzes sont des Arabes qui ont fait sécession de l’islam pour fonder une nouvelle religion il y a des siècles). Nous nous sommes réunis tous les trois plusieurs fois dans l’appartement de l’architecte, mais n’avons trouvé aucun écho dans le public.

La politique du gouvernement et l’opinion publique en Israël étaient favorables au statu quo. L’existence d’un peuple palestinien était totalement déniée.

La Jordanie devint un allié de fait d’Israël – comme elle l’avait toujours été en secret.

Si quelqu’un avait procédé à un sondage d’opinion international au début des années 50, je me demande s’il aurait trouvé une centaine de personnes dans le monde sérieusement favorables à un État palestinien.

Quelques États arabes adhéraient en paroles à l’idée, mais aucun ne la prenait au sérieux.

Mon magazine Haolam Hazeh, et plus tard le parti que je fondai (qui portait le même nom) furent les seules organisations au monde à poursuivre ce combat. Golda Meir eut cette formule célèbre “Il n’y a rien qui corresponde à un peuple palestinien” (et celle moins célèbre : “Je suis prête à monter aux barricades pour expulser Uri Avnery de la Knesset !”)

Ce refus total des droits et de l’existence même du peuple palestinien fut encore renforcé par la guerre des Six-Jours de 1967, lorsque Israël prit possession de ce qui restait de la Palestine.

La doctrine qui avait cours était l’“option jordanienne” – l’idée que si un jour Israël rendait tout ou partie de la Cisjordanie, ce serait au roi Hussein.

Cette façon de voir passa de David Ben-Gourion à Levy Eshkol, de Yitzhak Rabin à Shimon Peres.

L’idée sous-jacente était non seulement le refus traditionnel de l’existence du peuple palestinien, mais aussi la conviction insensée que le roi renoncerait à Jérusalem puisque sa capitale était Amman.

Seul un parfait ignorant aurait pu penser que le roi hachémite, descendant en ligne directe du Prophète, pourrait céder le troisième lieu saint de l’islam à des infidèles.

Le parti communiste israélien pro-soviétique était aussi partisan de l’option jordanienne, m’amenant à faire cette plaisanterie à la Knesset que ce devait être le seul parti communiste monarchiste au monde.

Cela prit fin en 1969 lorsque Leonid Brejnev changea brusquement de position pour accepter la formule de “Deux États pour deux peuples”.

Les communistes israéliens lui emboitèrent le pas presque avant que les mots ne lui soient sortis de la bouche. Le Likoud, bien sûr, n’avait jamais été disposé à céder même un pouce d’Éretz Israël.

Officiellement il revendique encore la rive est du Jourdain.

Seul un menteur invétéré comme Nétanyahou pouvait proclamer à la face du monde son acceptation de la “Solution à deux États”. Aucun membre du Likoud ne prenait cela au sérieux.

Alors, lorsque le diplomate le plus important du monde déclare qu’il y a un consensus mondial en faveur de la Solution à deux États, j’ai le droit de m’accorder un moment de satisfaction.

Et d’optimisme.

“OPTIMISTE” EST le titre de mes mémoires, dont la seconde partie vient juste de sortir cette semaine. (Hélas, seulement en hébreu. Je n’ai pas encore trouvé d’éditeurs dans d’autres langues.)

Lors de la parution de la première partie, les gens pensaient que le titre était fou. Maintenant ils disent qu’il est dément.

Optimiste ?

Aujourd’hui ?

Alors que le camp de la paix israélien est dans un profond désespoir ? Alors que le fascisme du pays relève la tête et que le gouvernement est en train de nous mener à un suicide national ?

J’ai tenté à plusieurs reprises d’expliquer d’où vient cet optimisme irrationnel : des racines génétiques, une expérience de la vie, de savoir que les pessimistes ne font rien, du fait que ce sont les optimistes qui tentent de faire changer les choses.

Pour citer la devise d’Antonio Gramsci : “Pessimisme de l’intelligence, optimisme de la volonté.”

BAN N’EST PAS le seul antisémite récemment démasqué.

Un autre est Laurent Fabius, ministre des Affaires étrangères de la France Comment cela ?

Fabius a dernièrement émis l’idée de réunir (à Paris, bien sûr) une conférence internationale pour la paix israélo-palestinienne.

Il a déclaré d’avance que si cette idée n’est pas acceptée, la France reconnaîtra officiellement l’État de Palestine, ouvrant les portes de l’Europe pour que d’autres suivent. Cela soulève une question sémantique.

En langage sioniste, seul un non-juif peut être antisémite. Un Juif qui tient exactement les mêmes propos est un “Juif qui a la haine de soi”. Fabius appartient à une famille juive qui s’est convertie au catholicisme. Selon la loi religieuse juive (la Halakha) un juif qui a péché reste un juif.

La conversion est un péché. Alors Fabius est-il un non-juif et par conséquent un antisémite, ou un juif pécheur, quelqu’un qui a la haine de soi ? De quelle façon, exactement, devrions-nous le maudire ?

Uri Avnery, journaliste israélien et militant de paix d’origine allemande émigré en Palestine en 1933 à l’âge de 10 ans, écrit chaque semaine à l’intention d’abord de ses compatriotes, un article qui lui est inspiré par la situation politique de son pays ou en lien avec lui. Ces articles, écrits en hébreu et en anglais sont publiés sur le site de Gush Shalom, mouvement de paix israélien dont il est l’un des fondateurs. À partir de son expérience et avec son regard, Uri Avnery raconte et commente. Depuis 2004, l’AFPS réalise et publie la traduction en français de cette chronique, excepté les rares articles qui n’ont aucun lien avec la Palestine. Retrouvez l’ensemble des articles d’Uri Avnery sur le site de l’AFPS : http://www.france-palestine.org/+Uri-Avnery+ Source Publié sur le site de Gush Shalom le 8 février 2016 – Traduit de l’anglais "Optimism of the Will" pour l’AFPS : FL/SW

http://www.france-palestine.org/Optimisme-de-volonte

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19 février 2016 5 19 /02 /février /2016 02:37

PLO: British boycott ban negates democracy, freedom of choice

International Share• Facebook • Twitter • Google + • Stumbleupon • LinkedIn • Pinterest Related Articles ش Palestinian teacher announced one of top 10 in the world 4 hours ago gettyimages-479029258 British boycotters of Israeli goods to face “severe penalties” by gov’t 1 day ago

PNN/ Ramallah/ PLO Executive Committee Members Dr. Hanan Ashrawi and Dr. Saeb Erekat (Secretary General), met in separate meetings with the British Minister for Middle East Affairs, Tobias Ellwood.

After the meetings, Dr. Ashrawi and Dr. Erekat released the following joint statement: We are seriously concerned at the new British “guidance” that would entail the banning of any kind of ethical procurement by local governments, public bodies and any organization that receives public funding, including some student unions.

In practical terms this means that such bodies are forbidden from exercising their democratic right and freedom of choice not to be complicit in the Israeli settlement project and to take a positive, moral and legal stand in the face of such a war crime.

This represents a serious regression in British policy and it would empower the Israeli occupation by sending a message of impunity.

In order to accommodate the Israeli occupation, the British Government is undermining British democracy and their own people’s rights.

Such a law would have prevented British citizens from taking peaceful actions against the South African Apartheid. Such a law also contradicts international responsibility and even the UK’s own practice when it comes to entities violating human rights.

Only last week, the Israeli Human Rights Organization Peace Now released a study detailing the Israeli government’s escalation of settlement activities at an unprecedented rate.

They found that only in 2015 construction was initiated in at least 1,800 settlement units.

It is no longer acceptable for any government to claim support for the two-state solution while granting immunity to Israeli crimes and systematic violations of international law and UN resolutions.

Those who claim to seek the two-state solution should hold Israel accountable for deliberately destroying the prospects of peace and should work on ending the Israeli occupation rather than rewarding it.

Next year signals the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a tragedy that continues to victimize the Palestinian people, both under occupation and in exile.

The United Kingdom bears the primary responsibility for such a historical injustice in Palestine.

It is called upon to begin the process of rectification and redemption rather than to insist on perpetuating the injustice.

We strongly urge the British government to reconsider its positions and to rescind this regulation.

This is not only a matter of law or politics, but also of moral responsibility.

http://english.pnn.ps/2016/02/17/plo-british-boycott-ban-negates-democracy-freedom-of-choice/

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19 février 2016 5 19 /02 /février /2016 02:36

Israël a déjà dévoré toutes les carottes, il ne reste que le bâton, qui s’appelle BDS.

mercredi 17 février 2016 par Gideon Levy.

Cet article a été publié par Haaretz le 13 février 2016 Traduction : Luc Delval

Le plus célèbre chroniqueur du monde, qui reflète et façonne toujours l’ambiance à Washington, vient finalement de réaliser que la “solution deux États” est morte.

Le club vient de faire une recrue très en vue.

Comme toujours avec les nouveaux, il se tient encore un peu à l’écart, hésitant, incertain, peut-être manquant de courage.

Comme tous ceux qui sentent qu’on l’observe de près, il hésite encore à se déplacer vers le centre de cette piste de danse agitée, mais il est là.

Laissez-lui un peu de temps pour s’habituer.

Bienvenue au club, Thomas L. Friedman.

Le plus fameux des chroniqueurs politiques dans le monde a écrit la semaine passer dans le New York Times : « C’est terminé, les gars, alors s’il vous plaît arrêtez d’envoyer au responsable des tribunes libres du New York Times vos propositions pour une “solution à deux États” entre Israël et les Palestiniens » (“The Many Mideast Solutions” – 10 février 2016).

Avec cette lenteur caractéristique de ceux qui essaient de se positionner dans un centre imaginaire, Friedman est arrivé à la conclusion que le processus de paix est mort, que le prochain Président des États-Unis “devra traiter avec un Israël déterminé à occuper indéfiniment tout le territoire compris entre le Jourdain et la Méditerranée, y compris celui où 2,5 millions de Palestiniens de Cisjordanie vivent” et que Israël n’est plus celui que les grands-pères des candidats ont connu.

Comme d’habitude avec les gens prudents et symétriques comme les libéraux du centre, Friedman se hâte de rejeter la faute un peu sur le monde entier – les colons, Sheldon Adelson, Benjamin Netanyahou, le Hamas et Mahmoud Abbas.

Il est regrettable qu’il fasse de nouveau cela.

Il y a un grand responsable à la situation actuelle, le seul dont c’était la responsabilité de mettre fin à l’occupation, et qui n’a jamais bougé le petit doigt pour le faire. Israël n’a jamais eu l’intention, pas même un moment, de réaliser une “solution à deux États”.

Israël est à la fois la partie la plus puissante et l’occupant, et par conséquent les reproches ne peuvent être divisés entre lui et la partie faible, celle des occupés.

On ne peut davantage s’en tirer en blâmant Netanyahou, les colons et Adelson.

Est-ce que tous les autres, de Shimon Peres à Isaac Herzog en passant par Tzipi Livni et Ehud Barak, sont un peu moins coupables ?

Est-ce que la plupart des Israéliens, qui ont permis par leur indifférence que cette situation perdure pendant tant d’années, sont moins coupables ?

L’évolution de Friedman est hésitante, bien entendu, pas assez tranchée compte tenu d’une réalité abrupte.

Mais le cœur de son propos est aussi clair qu’il est possible de l’être : « Ils ont tous tué la “solution à deux États”. Que commence l’ère de la solution à un État ».

Friedman n’est qu’un journaliste.

Pourtant, il est impossible d’ignorer ce moment fondateur, le moment où un de ceux qui ont toujours reflété l’ambiance à Washington et l’influencent, rejette l’idée qui l’a accompagné – et nous avec lui – pendant des années.

Friedman l’a entendu dans les couloirs. Et s’il ne l’a pas entendu dans les couloirs on ne va plus y parler que de ça.

Trop peu, trop tard – mais c’est encourageant. Le plus long bal masqué, cette “orgie à deux États”, est arrivée à son terme, du moins pour autant que Friedman soit concerné.

Si l’Amérique écoute son commentateur le plus chevronné, alors il y a de l’espoir.

L’Europe, qui continue à réciter “deux États” dans un spasme post-mortem incontrôlé – parce que c’est pratique pour tout le monde – devra se trouver son propre Friedman pour émerger de son sommeil.

Seules l’Amérique et l’Europe peuvent secouer la beauté endormie – Israël – et lui révéler la nouvelle réalité, car Israël ne le fera jamais par ses propres moyens.

Quiconque connaît Israël le sait. Qu’est-ce qu’on fait après avoir enterré le mort ? Friedman n’en est pas encore à ce stade.

Attendons encore un moment, et peut-être lui aussi arrivera-t-il à cette conclusion inévitable que la “solution à un État” existe depuis près de 50 ans, qu’elle existe pour continuer et que tout ce qui reste à faire est de combattre le régime d’apartheid que cet État a établi sur une partie de son territoire.

“Des droits égaux pour tous”, tel doit être le nom du jeu à partir de maintenant – un homme, une voix, comme dans les luttes contre d’autres régimes maléfiques dans l’histoire. Et comment arrive-t-on à réaliser cela ?

La seule méthode non-violente qui s’offre à nous, ce sont les sanctions.

Les carottes ont déjà toutes été dévorées par Israël, seul demeure le bâton.

Il s’appelle BDS en anglais [et en français aussi – NDLR], ainsi que Friedman le sait.

Eh oui, cher Tom, ce n’est pas l’État dont nos grands-parents ont rêvé, loin de là.

Maintenant, il faut le traiter en conséquence pour essayer de le remettre dans le droit chemin.

Gideon Levy est un chroniqueur et membre du comité de rédaction du journal Haaretz. Il a rejoint Haaretz en 1982 et a passé quatre ans comme vice-rédacteur en chef du journal. Il a obtenu le prix Euro-Med Journalist en 2008, le prix Leipzig Freedom en 2001, le prix Israeli Journalists’ Union en 1997, et le prix de l’Association of Human Rights in Israel en 1996. Il est l’auteur du livre The Punishment of Gaza, qui a été traduit en français : Gaza, articles pour Haaretz, 2006-2009, La Fabrique, 2009.

http://www.ujfp.org/spip.php?article4730

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19 février 2016 5 19 /02 /février /2016 02:35

Netanyahu says Palestinians have 'culture of death'

Feb. 11, 2016 11:32 A.M. (Updated: Feb. 12, 2016 12:37 P.M.)

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) --

Members of the Knesset on Wednesday argued the possibility of a two-state solution at a special plenum debate, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Palestinian "terror" came from a "culture of death," according to a Knesset press release.

During the debate, the Israeli PM and Israel's Labor party opposition leader Isaac Herzog exchanged criticisms over the "most realistic" way to obtain a two-state solution.

Herzog, who is a strong supporter of the two-state solution, recently announced that he did not think two states were possible under today's political climate, and introduced a plan late last month that would see many Palestinian areas in occupied East Jerusalem cut off from the rest of the city.

"We have a different vision, and as hard as you try, you will not be able to kill it.

The two-state vision isn`t dead," Herzog said. "But it won`t happen tomorrow, certainly not as long as you, Mr. Netanyahu and [Palestinian President] Abu Mazen are afraid to make a move."

"Therefore, I am determining that what we can achieve today is security for the citizens of Israel and separation between us and the Palestinians, with actions rather than talk."

Netanyahu said Herzog and the Labor party could not be "trusted" with solutions due to being "years late in understanding" facts on the ground. "Terror is not a result of occupation,”

Netanyahu said. "The terror stems from a culture of death. Its goal is not to free a state, it is to destroy a state."

In response, Herzog argued that the two-state solution "is the only vision that will preserve Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.

The alternative is a Jewish-Arab state that will destroy Israel as a Jewish state." "I know the far right disagrees with me.

The far right thinks annexing the territories with their Palestinian residents is the solution,” Herzog said. "Well, who stopped you? You set up a purely rightist government.

What are you afraid of?"

Herzog accused Netanyahu's government of putting Israel on a trajectory that would force the country to accept Palestinian's "right of return." "The radical right want to annex territories and bring millions of Palestinians to the State of Israel," Herzog said.

Zehava Galon, the chairwoman of Meretz, a left-wing Zionist party, criticized Herzog's Labor party for "giving up on the two-state solution." "The terror wave that has been wreaking havoc here over the past few months is proof of the collapse of the notion that the conflict can be managed. What solution are you proposing," Golan shot back at both parties. "To surround ourselves with fences?

To annex 150,000 Palestinians?

Where`s the security?

When will the moment come when Israelis and Palestinians will stop being murdered?

We are paying the price for your cowardly policy, which assumed that we can continue life here as usual when millions of Palestinians are under occupation and without rights."

During the debate, Israeli media reported that several MKs from the Joint List -- a party composed of four Palestinian-dominated parties -- walked out of the plenum in protest.

The Israeli government has long been criticized for policy that has made a two-state solution impossible, particularly in regards to ongoing settlement expansion in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Netanyahu consistently argues that settlements are not an obstacle to peace despite international condemnation of illegal settlement growth onto private Palestinian land.

Well over 500,000 Israelis are currently living across the occupied Palestinian territory, interconnected by Israeli-only infrastructure that both steals from Palestinian resources and cuts off Palestinian communities from one another.

The Israeli PM's allegations that "terror" stems from a "culture of death" rather than occupation comes despite remarks from UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon last month that it was "human nature" for Palestinians to react violently to Israel's nearly 50-year military occupation.

http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=770232

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17 février 2016 3 17 /02 /février /2016 02:37

Israeli forces shoot, critically injure 14-year-old girl

Feb. 14, 2016 6:19 P.M. (Updated: Feb. 15, 2016 1:34 P.M.) Facebook1,597Twitter

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Sunday shot and injured a 14-year-old Palestinian girl near Hebron city's Ibrahimi Mosque after an alleged attempted stabbing attack in the southern occupied West Bank, an Israeli police spokesperson said.

Local Palestinian sources provided a conflicting report, and told Ma'an the 14-year-old was with her sister, and neither had attempted an attack when the girl, identified as Yasmin Rashad al-Zarou was shot.

Locals said the two girls had crossed an Israeli military checkpoint known as 160, after which the girls walked a few meters past the checkpoint, when Israeli soldiers fired at the 14-year-old who was walking away from the soldiers, critically injuring her. Israeli media reported that no Israelis were injured during the incident.

She was evacuated from the scene by Israeli forces. Minutes after the attack, a graphic video of the injured girl surfaced on social media.

Hours earlier, Israeli forces shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian after the teen allegedly attempted to stab an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint north of Bethlehem, official Palestinian sources said.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the teen as as Naim Ahmad Yousif Safi from the town of al-Ubediya, just east of Bethlehem.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld initially told Ma’an that a young Palestinian man approached the Mazmoria checkpoint near the illegal Israeli settlement of Har Homa and took out a knife. Spotting the knife, Israeli soldiers shot at Safi, Rosenfeld said.

It was unclear whether the teen died on site or later as a result of his wounds.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli forces shot and killed two 15-year-old Palestinian teenagers in the northern West Bank after the two allegedly opened fire at Israeli soldiers, an Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an.

The spokesperson said the two teens were shot and killed after allegedly shooting at Israeli soldiers near the village of al-Araqa west of Jenin. The spokesperson added that no Israeli soldiers were injured.

The Ministry of Health identified the deceased Palestinians as Nihad Raed Muhammad Waqed and Fuad Marwan Khalid Waqed, both 15-year-olds from al-Araqa.

On Saturday, an 18-year-old Palestinian woman identified as Kilzar al-Uweiwi was shot and killed near Ibrahimi Mosque, where Sunday's most recent attack took place.

The checkpoint near the Ibrahimi Mosque is located in Hebron's Old City, which has been designated as a "closed military zone" by the Israeli army since November.

Palestinian residents of the area have had to register under a number system in order to pass through the Old City's nearly 20 military checkpoints, and locals have reported heavier restrictions imposed by the army that Israeli rights group B'Tselem has referred to as "draconian measures."

Over 170 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since a wave of unrest spread across the occupied Palestinian territory in October.

The unrest has been marked by a surge of small-scale attacks carried out by Palestinian individuals -- predominantly on Israeli military targets -- which have left over 25 Israelis dead, with the majority of suspected Palestinian attackers shot dead on site.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last month said that it was “human nature” for Palestinians to react violently to Israel’s decades-long military occupation, and urged change in Israel’s policies in the occupied area.

http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=770279

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17 février 2016 3 17 /02 /février /2016 02:35

PM: International forces needed to protect Palestinian lives

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PNN/ Ramallah/ The Palestinian Prime Minister, Rami Hamdallah on Monday reiterated the urgent need for international forces to protect Palestinian lives in the West Bank and Gaza to a visiting British Parliamentary delegation.

Hamdallah briefed the delegation about the continuous Israeli violations of Palestinian rights, daily incursions, home demolitions and illegal transfer of Palestinians in Area C.

He also informed them about Palestinian plans to raise the issue of illegal Israeli settlements at the UNSC no later than April.

Israeli forces have shot dead five Palestinians in the past 24 hours, including three teenagers, in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

“More than 175 Palestinians have been killed since October, many of them are children. Israel’s policy of extrajudicial assassinations can only be prevented by the presence of international forces; this Israeli government has shown no regard to Palestinian lives,” said Jamal Dajani, Director of Strategic Communications & Media at the Prime Minister’s Office.

http://english.pnn.ps/2016/02/15/pm-international-forces-needed-to-protect-palestinian-lives/

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16 février 2016 2 16 /02 /février /2016 02:35

In a three-day demolition campaign in the Jordan Valley, the authorities left 59 people, including 28 minors, homeless

Published: 11 Feb 2016

Over three days during the past week, the authorities demolished 22 dwellings in the Jordan Valley, along with 41 other structures used for storage and livestock, leaving 59 people, including 28 minors without a roof over their heads.

Wreckage of a structure donated by the European Union in Fasayil.

Photo by ‘Aref Daraghmeh, B’Tselem, 10 February 2016.

Wreckage of a structure donated by the European Union in Fasayil.

Photo by ‘Aref Daraghmeh, B’Tselem, 10 February 2016.

Yesterday, Thursday, 11 February 2016, Civil Administration and military forces destroyed 11 dwellings and 16 agricultural structures and livestock enclosures.

The eleven dwellings and ten of the agricultural structures demolished were located in the Khallet Khader community, near the village of al-Farisiyah.

Many of the community members reside at that location on a seasonal basis, and at the time of the demolition, seven members of the community were present, including one minor.

The Civil Administration and the military then proceeded to destroy two vegetable and grain storage rooms in the village of Bardalah and three sheep pens and a milking station in the village of Ein al-Beida..

Civil Administration bulldozer destroying a structure in the village of Ein al-Beida.

Photo by ‘Aref Daraghmeh, B’Tselem, 11 February 2016. Civil Administration bulldozer destroying a structure in the village of Ein al-Beida.

Photo by ‘Aref Daraghmeh, B’Tselem, 11 February 2016.

On Wednesday, 10 February 2016, the Civil Administration and the military destroyed nine dwellings in the Jordan Valley, leaving 49 people, including 28 minors, without a roof over their heads, in addition to 14 agricultural structures, livestock pens and enclosures and a 2km water line.

In Khirbet ‘Ein Karzaliyah, located some five km south-west of the village of al-Jiftlik, the Civil Administration and the military destroyed three tents used as dwellings by 21 people, including ten minors, as well as ten livestock pens and enclosures.

The military also razed the community’s access road, to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching its members. This is a small shepherding community whose members relocate to other parts of the Jordan Valley over the spring and summer.

In October 2015, four families returned.

On 12 January 2016, Civil Administration officials arrived at the site and took photos of the tents and structures in preparation for demolishing them. In 2014 and 2015, the Civil Administration demolished all structures in the community on four different occasions.

Contents of a family home after a demolition in Khirbet ‘Ein Karzaliyah.

Photo by ‘Aref Daraghmeh, B’Tselem, 10 February 2016. Contents of a family home after a demolition in Khirbet ‘Ein Karzaliyah.

Photo by ‘Aref Daraghmeh, B’Tselem, 10 February 2016. Stranded UN vehicle on razed access road to Khirbet ‘Ein Karzaliyah.

Photo by ‘Aref Daraghmeh, B’Tselem, 10 February 2016. Stranded UN vehicle on razed access road to Khirbet ‘Ein Karzaliyah.

Photo by ‘Aref Daraghmeh, B’Tselem, 10 February 2016.

The forces later arrived at the al-Mukasar community, which is located in-between the Beka’ot military base, the settlement of Ro’i and the Hamra checkpoint.

The forces destroyed a tent which serves as a dwelling for a family of ten, including five minors, and a livestock pen.

This is the third time since June 2015 that the military has demolished structures belonging to the family.

Yesterday’s demolition came less than a week after the last demolition of the family’s tent on 4 February 2016.

During these last two demolitions, the authorities demolished and confiscated tents given to the family by humanitarian aid organizations.

The forces subsequently arrived at the village of Fasayil, which is partly located in Area A and partly in Area C.

They destroyed a tent used as a dwelling by five people, including three minors.

This is also a repeat demolition, after the Civil Administration and the military destroyed the family’s home and livestock pens and enclosures in August 2015.

In the communities of al-Misfah and Abu al-‘Ajaj, located on the outskirts of al-Jiflik, the forces destroyed four dwellings and two additional structures, leaving 13 people, including ten minors, without a roof over their heads.

Some of the families living at the site remain there on a seasonal basis only, and were away while their homes were destroyed.

The authorities also destroyed a 2km water line which was meant to supply water to about fifty families in the area and was laid with the help of a humanitarian aid organization.

On Tuesday, 9 February, 2016, Civil Administration and military forces destroyed two homes in the community of Khirbet Tana, east of Beit Furik.

The homes were occupied by 13 people, including four minors. The forces also destroyed eleven livestock pens and enclosures.

Wreckage in Khirbet Tana. Photo by ‘Aref Daraghmeh, B’Tselem, 9 February 2016 Wreckage in Khirbet Tana. Photo by ‘Aref Daraghmeh, B’Tselem, 9 February 2016

http://www.btselem.org/20160211_jordan_valley_demolitions

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15 février 2016 1 15 /02 /février /2016 02:39

Over 40 Palestinian homes, structures demolished in Jordan Valley

Feb. 11, 2016 6:01 P.M. (Updated: Feb. 12, 2016 2:54 P.M.) Facebook658Twitter Jordan Valley, April 2014. (AFP/File)

TUBAS (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces on Thursday destroyed over 40 Palestinian homes and structures in the Tubas district of the occupied West Bank as ongoing Israeli policies in the Jordan Valley continue to drive Palestinians out of their homes.

A Palestinian official from the governor’s office in Tubas, Mutaz Bsharat, told Ma’an that Israeli forces and bulldozers stormed the Palestinian communities of al-Farisiya and Khallet al-Khader and demolished seven homes, displacing seven families.

Forces also demolished 35 structures in the Bardala and Ein al-Baida communities, Bsharat added.

Tubas Mayor Rabih Khandaqji told Ma’an that local and international organizations were carrying out efforts to aid Palestinians displaced during the demolitions and to rebuild destroyed structures.

A spokesperson for Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) did not have immediate information on the demolitions.

Israel has carried out near-daily demolitions in the occupied Palestinian territory since the start of this month and destroyed 42 Palestinian-owned structures in the last week of January alone, displacing 168 people, including 94 children.

The communities targeted in Thursday’s demolitions are all located in Area C, the over 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli military control where building permits are near-impossible for Palestinians to obtain from Israel.

As a result, Palestinian communities are forced to build illegally and face the constant threat of demolition and displacement.

Threats of displacement for the thousands of Palestinian Bedouins living in the Jordan Valley in particular have reportedly increased dramatically since 2012.

Rights groups argue that Israel aims to fully annex the strategic area of land and is unlikely to return the occupied area to Palestinians.

In addition to demolition, Israeli rights group B’Tselem earlier this month pointed to the use of Israeli military training exercises as a means of forcible displacement of Palestinians from the Jordan Valley.

Palestinians are frequently ordered to evacuate their villages during military trainings, and B’Tselem reported that military exercises carried out last month caused severe damage to crops belonging to Palestinian communities.

The group said that while no Israeli official has ever issued statement regarding how military training grounds are chosen, “the apparent selectiveness uncovers the motivation behind it -- dispossession.”

http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=770240

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14 février 2016 7 14 /02 /février /2016 02:37

Israeli military threatens village after residents protest settler bypass road

Feb. 13, 2016 10:14 A.M. (Updated: Feb. 13, 2016 12:13 P.M.)

QALQILIYA (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces raided the occupied West Bank village of Izbat al-Tabib overnight Friday after residents demonstrated against the construction of a settler bypass road on their private land.

Head of the village’s local council, Bayan Tabib, told Ma’an that residents had protested during the day Friday after Israeli forces announced plans to confiscate their land to build a new road serving illegal Israeli settlements in the area.

Tabib said Israeli military forces then stormed the Qalqilya-area village in the night, searching several homes including his own.

When the forces arrived to his home, an Israeli officer reportedly threatened the village council head to stop residents from demonstrating near route 55, the settler bypass road where locals had protested earlier that day.

“An Israeli officer, who said he was the deputy commander of the Qalqiliya area, notified me that Israel won’t accept any more demonstrations on route 55,” Tabib said.

“He threatened to take punitive procedures against me including the demolition of my house if I continue to coordinate the demonstrations,” Tabib added.

The village council head told Ma’an that Izbat al-Tabib residents planned to continue “peaceful activities in protest against the confiscation of their land and the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.”

Much of the village's land has been slowly taken over since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967 and the majority of homes in the village -- located in Area C under full Israeli military control -- are slated for demolition, as residents were forced to build without permits they were unable to obtain from the Israeli authorities.

The illegal Israeli settlement of Alfe Menashe meanwhile has continued to expand to the village's south.

According to Tabib, around 25 acres of private Palestinian land in the villages of Azzun, Nabi Ilyas and Izbat at-Tabib are slated for confiscation before being reappropriated as a road connecting to nearby settlements.

Such construction of bypass roads is ongoing throughout the occupied West Bank, where roads limited for use only by settlers and Israeli military cut across private Palestinian land in order to connect a vast network of Jewish-only settlements.

The three villages identified by Tabib as facing land confiscation for the new bypass road are already cut off from neighboring Palestinian villages by the Israeli separation wall, which completely encircles the nearby Palestinian city of Qalqilya.

Meanwhile, Palestinian locals have limited access to route 55 -- where Izbat al-Tabib residents have demonstrated several times before -- despite its construction across Palestinian land.

An Israeli army spokesperson did not have immediate information on Friday’s overnight raid, and a spokesperson for the Coordination of Government Activity in the Territories was not immediately available for comment on the land confiscation.

http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=770262

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14 février 2016 7 14 /02 /février /2016 02:35

Friday demonstrations suppressed by the IOF

PNN/Bethlehem Clashes erupted between young Palestinians and the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) across the occupied West Bank during this week’s Friday demonstrations, leaving several wounded and many others suffered from the tear gas effects.

Near Ofer Israeli detention center and military base, in the Ramallah district, the IOF assaulted dozens of Palestinians and fired live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs, while local youths throw stones and empty bottles at them.

According to local sources, several journalists also suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation after Israeli soldiers fired gas bombs directly at them.

Several other Palestinians have also been injured by Israeli soldiers after they used excessive force against them at the weekly nonviolent protests in Kafr Qaddoum town, east of Qalqilia, in Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah and in Bil’in village, near Ramallah.

In Karf Qaddoum, the Popular Committee against the Wall and Colonies stated that the local population marched from the center of the village demanding the IOF to reopen the main road, that was blockaded more than 13 years ago.

The IOF soldiers assaulted them, spraying the protesters and many homes, with waste-water mixed with chemicals, and fired many gas bombs, causing several mild injuries.

According to locals, the IOF arrested a cameraman, working for the WAFA Palestinian News Agency, identified as Ayman Noubani, 24, and another cameraman, identified as Mohammad Torabi, and only released them after the protest ended, several hours later.

In Ni’lin village, the IOF shot four young men, one of them directly in his head, causing him a serious injury.

Dozens of protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.

According to the Popular Committee against the Wall and Colonies in Ni’lin this last Friday’s protest was organized in solidarity with hunger-striking journalist Mohammad al-Qiq.

In Bil’in village, Israeli soldiers attacked with loads of tear gas and concussion grenades the weekly nonviolent protest against the Apartheid Wall and illegal settlements, held by Palestinian, Israeli and international peace activists.

This week protest was also organized to show solidarity with Mohammad al-Qiq. In the Gaza Strip, at least three Palestinians were injured after clashes broke east of al-Bureij refugee camp, spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra said.

He stated that two young Palestinians were injured by live fire in al-Bureij, and a third was in serious condition after being hit in the face by a tear gas cannister.

Clashes also took place near the Beit Hanoun crossing in the north of the Gaza Strip, and east of al-Shujaiyya neighborhood of Gaza City, where at least one person was injured by live ammunition.

http://english.pnn.ps/2016/02/13/friday-demonstrations-suppressed-by-the-iof

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