Amanda Mueller

Independent Journalist and Non-Fiction Author

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Hamas Release British Journalist Paul Martin

March 11th, 2010 by Amanda Mueller

Hamas has released British journalist Paul Martin.

Martin traveled to Gaza to give testimony on behalf of a Palestinian militant charged with collaborating with Israel. He was then detained for what his lawyer, Sharhabil al-Zaim, has said  was  an unspecified “security charge.

The Hamas-run interior ministry had accused Martin of “violating Palestinian law and security in the Gaza Strip,” without providing further details.

Martin, who has freelanced in the area for over five years,  was handed over to a delegation from the British consulate and driven in an armoured vehicle to the Erez crossing with Israel. He is the only foreigner to be arrested in the Gaza territory since the Islamist group seized power in June 2007.

Senior Hamas leader Mahmud al-Zahar,  said Martin was “not welcome in the Palestinian territories.”

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Israeli Court Begins Hearing Testimonies in American Activist Rachel Corrie Trial

March 10th, 2010 by Amanda Mueller

For Immediate Release from the Rachel Corrie Foundation:

The Haifa District Court began hearing eyewitness testimonies today, March 10, 2010, in a civil lawsuit filed by Rachel Corrie’s family against the State of Israel for her unlawful killing in Rafah, Gaza.

Rachel Corrie, an American human rights defender from Olympia, Washington, was crushed to death on March 16, 2003 by a Caterpillar D9R bulldozer. She had been nonviolently demonstrating against Palestinian home demolitions with fellow members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using nonviolent, direct action methods and principles.

The court heard the testimonies of two ISM witnesses, British citizens Richard Purssell and Tom Dale. Their testimonies were frequently interrupted due to poor court-provided translation, which the presiding judge, Oded Gershon, acknowledged to be flawed. A new court translator was requested by the judge for the coming hearings.

The state attorneys spent most of their time cross-examining the eye- witnesses about the ISM and their purpose in Rafah. Purssell repeatedly affirmed that his purpose for being in Gaza was to offer nonviolent protection to Palestinian civilians whose homes were threatened with demolition by the Israeli military. Relatively little time was spent ascertaining what happened to Rachel Corrie.

“Seven years after my daughter Rachel was killed, I was finally able to hear Rachel’s friends, who were with her, testify in a court of law. Despite some disheartening procedural challenges, we remain hopeful that the truth about what happened to Rachel will be revealed, and that the people responsible for her killing will be held accountable,” said Cindy Corrie, Rachel’s mother.

The courtroom was filled with local and international reporters, human rights observers and three representatives from the U.S. Embassy, including Consul General Andrew Parker. Last night, the Corrie family met with Parker and senior members of Vice President Joseph Biden’s staff in Jerusalem. Antony Blinken, the Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President, reconfirmed the long-standing U.S. Government position that there has not been a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation into Rachel’s case. They reiterated the U.S. Government’s endorsement of pursuing justice for Rachel through the Israeli court system. Embassy staff will continue to attend the trial.

“I continue to be humbled by the steadfast dedication to nonviolent support for all of our human rights demonstrated by Rachel’s friends, not just seven years ago in Rafah, but again today in Haifa,” said Craig Corrie, Rachel’s father.

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Posted in Activism, Home Demolition, Human Rights, IDF, Israel, Judicial Issues, Non-Violence, Palestine | 1 Comment »

Haifa Professor Targets the Corrie Family (Again)

March 10th, 2010 by Amanda Mueller

Steven Plaut is no stranger to controversy or holding extreme views. In fact, in 2009, he called for the Israeli military to use live ammunition on anti-wall protesters and is caught up in a libel suit in the Israeli Supreme Court.  Plaut,  born in Philadelphia, immigrated to Israel in the 80’s. Before becoming a professor at Haifa University, he taught in many US universities including UC- Berkley. He thinks that Norman Finklestein is a self-hating Jew and that the Israeli/Palestine peace process is nothing but a cover for the Palestinians to destroy Israel through terror campaigns. His editorials convey his extreme views.

Originally published in the Jewish Press ( here) Plaut has once again decided to attack the Corrie’s on the wake of civil trial of their daughter’s death. Plaut has targeted the Corrie’s before on website such as Free Republic and in publications such as FrontPage Magazine and Israel National News. After reading Plaut’s blog, it is clear to see that he supports separatism and feels that anyone who does not share his views is the enemy. Below is his latest letter targeting Corrie’s parents and the case they are bringing against the Israeli Defense for the death of their daughter.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Corrie,

You are coming to our lovely town to sue Israel, claiming that your
daughter was “killed by an Israeli bulldozer.” But you neglect to
mention the circumstances under which she was so killed (nor the
fact that she died from her injuries while under Palestinian medical
care).

You have stated, “She had been working in Rafah with a nonviolent
resistance organization, the International Solidarity Movement,
trying to stop the demolition of Palestinian homes and wells.”

Homes and wells, huh?

Well, she was not. Rachel was trying to prevent the demolition of
tunnels used to smuggle weapons for Palestinian terrorists seeking
to murder Jewish civilians. ISM openly endorses Palestinian “armed
struggle” against Jewish children and civilians and openly collaborates
with terrorists. It has hidden wanted terrorists and their weapons
in its offices. It is an accomplice in murder. Lying is not the
best way to drum up sympathy for your daughter.

You say your daughter died trying to protect an “innocent house.”
Again, this is not the truth. That “innocent house” was camouflage
for a not-so-innocent terrorist smuggling tunnel, and the residents
of that innocent house knew all about the tunnel.

Your daughter was in a war zone as a belligerent, on behalf of a
movement of Arab fascists seeking to destroy Israel and murder as
many Jews as possible. Your daughter died while interfering with
an anti-terror operation carried out by soldiers in a land in which
she had no business being at all.

You demand that we feel your pain at the loss of your daughter, yet
your daughter conscripted herself as an accomplice for those seeking
to murderbb my children. You feel no pain for the scores of martyrs
in my own city of Haifa murdered by those same terrorists.

Your daughter put herself in harm’s way by challenging a large
bulldozer and positioning herself where the operator could not see
her. You know quite well that the bulldozer operator was not seeking
to harm her.

You have written, “We had not understood the devastating nature of
the Palestinians’ situation.” Of course, youbbhave never expressed
any interest in the devastating nature of the Jews’ situation. The
Jews have been battling Arab fascism and genocidal terrorism for a
hundred years, before, during, and after the Nazi Holocaust of six
million Jews. Your daughter was helping those who perpetrate Nazi-like
atrocities against randomly selected Jews.

You smugly praise the propaganda play about your daughter, which
ignored all the other Rachels – the Jewish victims of terror in
Israel who were murdered by genocidal terrorists.

Your daughter, and apparently you as well, never had any understanding
of the Middle East conflict. The Middle East conflict isbb not about
the right to self-determination of Palestinian Arabs, but rather
about the right to self-determination of Israeli Jews.

For a century the Arabs have attempted to block any expression of
Jewish self-determination, using violence, armed aggression, and
terrorism. The Arabs today control 22 countries and territory nearly
twice the size of the United States. They refuse to share even a
fraction of one percent of the Middle East with Jews, even in a
territory smaller than New Jersey.

The Arab countries invented the Palestinian people and their “plight”
as a propaganda ploy in imitation of the German campaign on behalf
of Sudeten self-determination in the 1930s. Just as the struggle
for “Sudeten liberation”

was nothing more than a fig leaf for the German aggression aimed
at annihilating Czechoslovakia, so the struggle for “Palestinian
liberation” is nothing more than cover for a jihad to destroy Israel
and its population.

Your write, “Clearly, our daughter has become a positive symbol for
people.”

I am afraid you are mistaken. Your daughter has become a symbol for
dangerous foolhardiness. She essentially committed suicide as an
empty gesture to assist murderers and terrorists.

You want the world to mourn for your daughter, who died while working
with monsters out to murderbb our children. On the pages of
anti-Semitic propaganda web magazines you denounce Israel, but you
do not have a single word of sympathy for the families of the
thousands of innocent Israeli victims of the terrorists with whom
your daughter chose to ally herself.

On behalf of the citizens of Haifa, all of whom your daughter’s
Hamas friends are trying to murder, I remain,

Steven Plaut

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Posted in Human Rights, Israel, Judicial Issues | No Comments »

Rachel Corrie Civil Trial Starts Today

March 10th, 2010 by Amanda Mueller

Rachel Corrie / Courtesy Rachel Corrie Foundation

The civil trial brought against the Israeli Defense Ministry by the parents of Rachel Corrie begins today.  Rachel Corrie was the 23-year-old American activist that was crushed by a bulldozer while demonstrating against home demolition in Gaza in March of 2003.  The civil case, brought by Corrie’s parents five years ago,  is expected to last two weeks.

Pressure from the United States caused Israel to approve the visas of four eye witnesses after initially denying their entry into Israel. One United States citizen and three UK nationals will testify in court to what they witnessed that day. One person whose visa was not approved is Dr Ahmed Abu Nakira, the Gazan doctor that treated Corrie’s injuries and pronounced her death. Israel stated that Israel does not have relations with Gaza since the 2007 take over by Hamas, however, Corrie’s family attorney states that their failure to approve a travel permit was an obstacle to justice.  Israel is also refusing to allow Dr. Abu Nakira to testify by video conference, a technology that is incorporated into courtrooms world wide.

The Corrie’s hope isn’t one for money, but one for responsibility to be taken by Israel for the death of their daughter.  They also hope that this case will provide proof that soldiers are treated much different than civilians, even in the case of death. It has been Israel’s assertion that what happened with Rachel was an accident and that the soldier driving the bulldozer didn’t see her, despite hours of protest and wearing a bright orange vest.

If a monetary award should be granted, they plan to donate the whole sum to causes that support Rachel’s quest for peace.

A documentary called Rachel: An American Conscience features footage from the day of Rachel’s death. The documentary can be viewed online here.

Letters that Rachel wrote to her family while volunteering in Gaza were later turned into a play. The letters are available online at The Guardian here and here

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Posted in Activism, Home Demolition, Human Rights, IDF, Israel, Judicial Issues, Non-Violence, Palestine | No Comments »

Young Boy Critically Injured in Nabi Saleh

March 7th, 2010 by Amanda Mueller

From Stop The Wall:

Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, March 7th, 2010

A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was critically injured during a demonstration Friday in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah. Ehab Fadel Barghouthi was shot in the head with a rubber-coated steel bullet; doctors said the bullet entered his forehead above his right eye and penetrated his brain.

Barghouthi remains in critical condition in Ramallah Hospital. Surgeons removed the bullet and predict possible damage to the youth’s right eye and paralysis of his hand and leg. Doctors emphasized the critical nature of Barghouthi’s condition, and said it is too early to determine the extent of his recovery.

Nabi Saleh, a village of 500 people, has been the scene of weekly demonstrations since January, when residents gathered to gain access to their agricultural lands and to protest confiscation of village land by the Israeli settlement of Halamish.

Halamish, conceived in 1978, is situated on land belonging to the villages of Nabi Saleh and Deir Nizam, both of which experience daily military and settler harassment. Due to the Wall and the closing off of the West Bank, a large percentage of Nabi Saleh’s workforce has lost their jobs across the Green Line. Residents say the majority of the permits for these workers are no longer being issued. Violence by settlers is escalating, villagers say, and so is harassment from soldiers who inhabit the military base next to Nabi Saleh. Shepherds are prohibited from grazing with their flocks and 400 olive trees belonging to the two villages have been destroyed. Villagers report that settler attacks are unfailingly committed while under the protection of the army.

Nabi Saleh residents report that much of the recently confiscated land contains water resources – wells and springs – and that when villagers visit water areas for agricultural or recreational purposes, they are frequently driven out by settlers.

Israeli occupation forces have prevented both media and medics from accessing Nabi Saleh during demonstrations by closing off the entrance to the village. Witnesses say that in this Friday’s demonstration, attended by approximately 150 people, Border Police officers took up positions from the rooftop of a house on the edge of the village, and that Barghouthi was standing 20 meters from the house when he was shot. He immediately collapsed and was evacuated unconscious to Salfeet, and then to Ramallah Hospital.
This serious injury is yet another tragic example of the Israeli policy to target children to terrify and repress entire communities. The demonstration was still within the range of the village when the Israeli military attacked the residents. The child clearly posed no threat to anybody.
In addition to Barghouthi, nine other people were injured, including two journalists and an 18-year-old woman who was hit with projectile from an aluminum tear-gas container.

For participation or mere suspicion of participation in the weekly demonstrations, nine residents of the two villages have been arrested, with five arrests occurring last week alone.

http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2186.shtml

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Posted in Activism, Human Rights, IDF, Israel, Non-Violence, Palestine | No Comments »

Civil Rights Icons Revisited – Bil’in Demonstration March 5, 2010

March 5th, 2010 by Amanda Mueller

Protesters in Bil'in dress as civil rights icons March 5, 2010 (photo by Hamde Abu-Rahma)

(Bil’in) Protesters from the village of Bil’in symbolized International Week Against Racism by dressing up as Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr and Nelson Mendella, historic symbols of civil rights oppressions.  Meeting after Friday prayer, over 100 protesters marched to the village center and continued on to the West gate of the barrier wall.

The demonstration was met with tear gas, sound bombs and rubber bullets.

IDF soldiers also fired tear gas canisters at journalists reporting from Bil’in for Palestinian TV in an attempt to suppress media reports about the event. Other journalists in the past, including a live broadcast for Al-Jazeera English, have experienced similar actions.

Last week, demonstrators dressed up as the Navi from the movie Avatar.

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Posted in Activism, Human Rights, IDF, Israel, Non-Violence, Palestine | No Comments »

Life Under Occupation: Rizik Salah

March 5th, 2010 by Amanda Mueller

Despite their situation, Salah's mother tries to keep spirits up.

In the village of al-Khader, 3 miles west of Bethlehem, Rizik Salah worries about how he is going to care for his family. In 2003, his family’s home was destroyed  for being too close to a road imposed on al-Khader by Israeli settlers. When the IDF came to his home on demolition orders by the state of Israel, Salah was handcuffed. The military officer was overheard telling his soldiers not to put a bag over Rizik’’s head, making him watch as his home was demolished.

Rizik saw the home he funded by selling all of his wife’s jewelry fall to the ground . What was once the place meant to house his family had become nothing more than unrecognizable rubble and a memory of what was supposed to be. This is not the only time Rizik has watched his dreams for his family disappear into a cloud of dust In 1997, his home was demolished for being built without a permit, despite the fact that  it was build on Palestinian land that the Salah’s own.  Within the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank, Palestinians are required to apply for building permits only to  be denied.  Lack of permit is often used as justification to demolish homes by IDF soldiers.

A construction worker by trade, Rizik already faces limitations on travel. His employment is dictated by travel restrictions and permits. Though he speaks some Hebrew and has a clean criminal record, he cannot get a permit that will allow him to travel into Israel to work. Lack of  permit makes finding work extremely difficult. Plagued by an outstanding debt on  his home demolished in 2003, Salah feels that the taking of his home was demoralizing and humiliating. His family of nine stay in the partially demolished home of his step-brother –  a two room dwelling  that forces  his teenage daughters sleep in the kitchen. They, too, have been harassed, arbitrarily held in administrative detention in Israeli military prisons, only to be released months later with no charges. This practice has become common place as a way to gain intelligence information, demanding  personal information of friends and family, with documented cases of torture practices used by military interrogators. Currently over 700 children are jailed in Israeli military prison, most detained on charges of stone-throwing.

Al- Khader is a village of 10,000 surrounded by history  important to both Muslims and Christians.  It was once  the home of St. George. Nearby sit Solomon’s pools, referenced in the book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. Once an agricultural village of 5,436 acres, increased encroachment by Israeli settlers and settlement expansion has left the village with less than 500 acres.  Farmers do the best with what they have, finding places for their herds to graze within the confined spaces while struggling to survive.

Rizik is concerned about the future of his family, with colder temperatures  and increased settler violence, the Salah family has been left vulnerable by the occupation. Rizik has no political affiliation, nor has he been deemed a criminal. His only crime is that he is a Palestinian living in the West Bank.

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Posted in Activism, Arbitrary Detention, Child Detention, Home Demolition, Human Rights, IDF, Israel, Land Encroachment, Palestine | No Comments »

12 Yr Old being Held at Ofer Military Prison

March 4th, 2010 by Amanda Mueller

Al-Hasan al-Mohtasib, 12, being held at Ofer military prison. (Ma'an)

Fadel al-Mohtasib came home to find his two sons, aged 12 and 7, missing.  Neighbors told him that they had been taken by soldiers from the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).

Al-Hasan and al-Amir, went missing from al-Shallalah Street in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.  Accused of  stone-throwing, an offense that Israeli Military Order 378 has made punishable up to twenty years of detention, both boys were taken to the al-Karaj military camp.  Fadel went to al-Karaj military camp, looking for his children and he was told they had been moved  to al-Haram military camp.  Once he arrived there, he was directed towards a police station on the Keryat Arba Jewish settlement. When he arrived there, he was again turned away without information on his two children. Fadel went home.  When he arrived, his 7 year old son, al-Amir,  was waiting for him,  terrified after having been held for ten hours.

It wasn’t until an adult prisoner placed a phone call to Fadel that he learned his son, al-Hasan, was being held at Ofer military prison near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.  Seen in court, an extension of 15 days has been added to his detention, yet he remains  uncharged.

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Posted in Arbitrary Detention, Child Detention, Detention, Human Rights, IDF, Israel, Judicial Issues, Palestine | No Comments »

IDF Keeping Record of Israeli Protesters

March 4th, 2010 by Amanda Mueller

Haaretz reported this morning that the IDF is investigating Israeli protesters participating in non-violent, anti-wall protests in Bil’in and Na’alin. With the information they are receiving, possibly from police or from others who disagree with these Israeli protesters’ actions, is being used to collect the licence plate registration information for individuals, leading border police to prevent those individuals from crossing checkpoints to participate in the protests.

Activist that were prevented from attending were given a document by border police entitled Data of vehicles used by left-wing Israeli activists and anarchists to reach demonstrations in Na’alin and Bil’in distributed by the IDF. On the document, 11 vehicles were listed to be stopped at check points. One vehicle that was on the list was prohibited from crossing, however,  Border Police were prohibiting vehicles NOT on the list from crossing also.

One of the passengers in the Subaru told Haaretz that “the soldier asked whether we belong to the anarcho-mobile.”

The activist said he did not know how the army learned that this was the term used by his colleagues in the car.

“Perhaps they are listening in on our phone calls, looking into our e-mails, or they have a snitch,” he told Haaretz. “We do not know and do not bother ourselves about these things. We are not an underground organization and our activities are open, but the army has recently been investing a great deal of intelligence effort in preventing us from demonstrating.”

Attorney Dan Yakir, the legal counselor for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, told Haaretz that:

“the problem begins with the flawed attitude of the IDF, which considers demonstrations in the West Bank unlawful. Hence these questionable legal measures. If there is no suspicion that a violation is expected, there is no cause to collect information or pass it on to the IDF.”


I find this very frustrating for many reasons,  but am particularly disturbed by the fact that they are further sending a separatist message by not permitting Israeli-citizens to exercise their freedoms and rights.  The fact that few people will really know about these actions world-wide is equally as frustrating.


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Posted in Activism, Human Rights, IDF, Israel, Non-Violence, Palestine | No Comments »

Reported Violations of Media Freedom in Palestine for Feb 2009

March 2nd, 2010 by Amanda Mueller

Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedoms compiled a list of reported violations of press suppression in the occupied Palestinian territory for February 2009. Incidents include:

Details of violations:

(6 Feb) the Chinese news agency photographer Nidal Ishteh was attacked by Israeli Occupation Forces in Oraq Burin village near Nablus city. Ishteh said that he went on Saturday noon, 6 February 2010 to cover the confrontation between Israeli settlers and people from Oraq Burin village, after number of settlers’ vandalized water well used by the village farmers to irrigate their crops. the Israeli army was in the area, and when he was covering the confrontation, one soldier approached him and ordered him to stop covering, but Ishteh insist to do so, the soldier shot him with rubber bullets, wounding him in his left foot, so he couldn’t continue his work, and he was treated by the medical team who was in the place.

(6 Feb) A bus, which was carrying fifty journalists, was detained by the Israeli occupation forces, on the Container checkpoint Saturday evening 6 February 2010, while they were returning from Ramallah to Hebron, after they voted in the Journalists syndicate election, they also attacked Baladna local Radio producer and presenter in Hebron Raed Al-atrash. Al-atrash said that the Israeli soldiers ordered them to disembark the bus and confiscated their identity cards, and started to speak obscene words, so he told the solider to stop speaking these words; particularly because there were ten female journalists with them. So they argued, after that the soldier pushed, cuffed, and took him to a closed room, and returned the identity cards to the rest of journalists, and ordered them to leave, but they refused to go unless he is released. Al-atrash added: “They detained me about one hour and a half, where they provoked me by gestures and words, and then the officer came and made me sign a paper which stated that I was not tortured, and that they did not inspect my personal belongings, then they released me.

(8 Feb) Quds net news website correspondent and photographer Diala Jwehan, and CNN cameraman Kareem Khadir were attacked by Israeli occupation forces Monday afternoon on 8 February 2010, while they were covering the army’s raid on Shua’fat refugee camp in Jerusalem. On the other hand Al-Jazeera English photographer Samir Abu Gharbiya was injured by Palestinian youth stone. According to Jwehan she was covering the confrontations in the camp from a far place, but the Israeli occupation forces fired directly a sound grenade on her, which it exploded on her back. So she lost her consciousness immediately, then she was taken to Almakased hospital in Jerusalem. Jwehan added that she suffered from severe pain in her back, burning in her thigh and a large swelling in her right hand.
Kareem Khadir said that he was covering with other journalists in the camp, where the Israeli army wanted to prevent them from covering, so they fired sound bomb on them and he was wounded by its shrapnel on his ankle and his left hand, where he suffered from acute pain. Khadir added that after ten minutes, the soldiers have fired rubber bullets on them and one of the bullets rebounded from the wall to his hand, causing a large swelling in it.
Samir Abu Gharbiya said: “when I was in the field to cover the confrontation in the camp, I was injured slightly in my head from a stone thrown by a Palestinian youth.”

(11 Feb) The free lance journalist Mustafa Sabri’s home was fired at by unknown people
on Thursday midnight 11 February 2010, in Qalqilia city in the West Bank. Sabri’s wife Leila Doud said that she heard a gunfire sound outside her house at midnight, where she was with her children, so she called the Palestinian security forces, and they found that 2 bullets
penetrated the house fence. It’s worthy to mention that the Preventive Security Service arrested Sabri on 4 January 2009.

(11 Feb.) The free lance journalist Ahmed Fathi Al-Khaseb was arrested upon his return from Jordan through the Karama (Allenby) crossing on Thursday 11 February 2010 by the Israeli occupation forces. His brother Musa’b Al-Khaseb said that Ahmad was scheduled to return to Palestine on Thursday but they received a call from Jalma investigation center, where they told them that his brother was arrested.

(12 Feb) Palestinian Public TV correspondent Haron Amayreh and its cameraman Fadi Jayyousi were attacked by the Israeli occupation forces during their coverage of Bil’in weekly march near Ramallah. Amayreh reported that he went with his colleague Jayyousi twelve o’clock noon on Friday 12 February 2010 to cover Bil’in antiapartheid weekly march, and while they were preparing the filming equipment the Israeli army threw tear gas grenade directly on them, so Amayreh was wounded in his right leg and burned in his feet and difficulty in breathing, while his colleague Jayyousi suffered from a very severe difficulty in breathing and was taken to the ambulance to take the necessary treatment.

(16 Feb) Aqsa TV former correspondent Tarek Abu Zeid was sentenced for a year and a half by the military court in Nablus city (West Bank). His father Abdul Razik Abu Zeid said that he was supposed to visit his son in jail on Saturday (13 February), but they prevented him. He also added:“My son has been arrested on 8 November 2009 because he was working with Aqsa TV, then the Supreme Court of Justice issued a decision to release him on 12 January 2010, but no one has responded to the court’s decision, although we have sent the court’s decision in an official letter to the General Attorney and the Prime Minister”.
Abu Zeid lawyer Bassam Karajeh said that the military court decision was illegal for two reasons: first, because Abu Zeid is a civilian, and according to the Palestinian law it isn’t permissible for the military court to trail any civilian person whatever his indictment is, the second one the Supreme Court of Justice had issued a decision to release him, so his arrest was unlawful. Karajeh added: there have not been any indictment against Abu Zeid and the talk about his involvement in money and information transfer is not true, and if it was true, that is the civil
court competence.

(19 Feb) Middle East Center for Media photographer Ghassan Bannoura was attacked by the Israeli occupying forces during the coverage of Bil’in weekly march near Ramallah. Bannoura said that he went to cover the weekly march on Friday afternoon19 February 2010, and when he arrived there an Israeli vehicle started spraying a wastewater mixed with gas on the journalists, so they stuck between the car and the fence adjacent to the wall. Meanwhile, a group of Israeli occupation army came and ordered them to leave, so the journalists told them stop spraying the wastewater so we can go out, so they agreed. Bannoura added:  “when we started to move, the army fired at us rubber bullets for no reason, and one of the bullets hit my head, and my legs were also hit by gas bombs shrapnel, so I lost consciousness and was transferred directly to the ambulance for treatment” .

(23 Feb) AP photographer Nasser Al-Shuokhi was arrested by the Israeli Occupation
forces in the Ibrahimi mosque area in Hebron city south of West Bank. Al-Shuokhi said that he went Tuesday  morning on 23 February2010 to portray in the Ibrahimi Mosque, where one soldier approached him and confiscated his identity card, and told him: “you are a terrorist” then he took him to an interrogation center in the Kiryat Arba’ settlement. Al-Shuokhi added: “when I reached there, it was cleared to me that one of the settlers sued me for assault before two months. But I’ve denied the accusation and told them that I’m a journalist and I didn’t attack anyone, and this settler sued me because I was covering the confrontations between Palestinian youth and settlers in Hebron . Then I was released on1000 shekels bail, to come to the Court on 28 September 2010 “.

(25 Feb) AP agency photographer Nasser Al-Shuokhi, Pal Media cameraman Adul Ghani Natshe were attacked and the France Press Agency photography director Marco Longri was arrested, by the Israeli occupation forces, while they were covering a peaceful march near Karantena checkpoint in Hebron city in the West Bank. Al-Shuokhi said that he went with his colleagues to cover solidarity rally near the Israeli barrier “Karantena” on Thursday 25 February 2010, and while he was filming, the Israeli soldiers attacked and pushed him without any reason, and one of them beat him on his chest so he fainted immediately, then he  was transferred to the ambulance. Al-Shuokhi added that Longri was arrested when he was filming in the area, his director; Philip Agert said that he was released after six hours. According to Natshe he said that he lost consciousness when a soldier threw at him bomb gas canister deliberately.

Posted in Activism, Detention, Human Rights, IDF, Israel, Journalist Detention, Judicial Issues, Palestine | No Comments »

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