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The Occupation Report Receiving This Newsletter Purpose of this Newsletter [Maps not included in this web re-publication of the newsletter] September 25, 2006 Reports Sources WAFA Palestine News Agency
Palestinian Information
Center Palestine News Network Jerusalem Post Ha'aretz IDF web site Yedioth Ahronoth International Middle East
Media Center
Gaza Strip: Israeli soldiers, backed by a tank and a bulldozer, stormed the eastern part of al-Farrahein in 'Absan Al al-Kabera and razed Palestinian land. (3) Monday dawn, Israeli forces invaded Beit Hanoun. They are putting up a military installation nearby located between two former Jewish settlements, Dugit and Eli Sinai. About three days ago Israeli soldiers forced Palestinians from their homes in that area "under the pretext of" searching for tunnels used for resistance activities. (14) Continuing the siege against the northern Gaza Strip, a large contingent of military equipment and armored vehicles stormed the Saifa area north of Beit Hanoun, and installed sand barriers. Tamer Al-Khateeb, 20, was passing through the area, and was shot at by Israeli soldiers, who hit his foot with bullets. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment with a moderate injury. In the south of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army warned the family of Zeyyad Abu Jarad to immediately leave their home in the Shouka area east of Rafah, in preparation for bombing it. They said the house contained secret tunnels used by resistance fighters against Israel. "Last week, three Palestinian houses were shelled with Israeli missiles for the same allegation that later proved to be false." (4) West Bank: Israeli soldiers launched a search campaign in az-Zaherya town, Israeli soldiers arrested Nasser al-Khderat, 24, a member of Security. (3) IMEMC identifies the town has Al Thahria south of Hebron. Soldiers also searched and ransacked several additional homes in the town before leaving. (23) In a widespread search campaign, Israeli soldiers swept into Nablus, the Jenin Refugee Camp, Kufor Qaleel village, the northern neighborhoods of Tubas, the al-Farea Refugee Camp, and el-Zebedat village, besieging homes. There were no arrests reported (3) Israeli soldiers in al-Khader village west of Bethlehem, clashed with Palestinians, and shot and wounded three Palestinian boys less than 14 years old, one critically. (4) The following is apparently the same story, but captured in greater detail. Israeli forces surrounded the Grand Mosque in the town square of al-Khader during late night hours as thousands of Palestinian Muslims prayed on the second evening of the holy month of Ramadan. Upon exiting the Mosque the Israeli soldiers began arresting worshipers, and held many against stone walls, facing the walls, taking their identification cards. Many Palestinians became angered. Several young people began throwing stones and empty bottles at the soldiers and their vehicles. Israeli soldiers opened fire at them seriously injuring three. They were removed by Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances. One 14-year-old boy underwent hours of surgery, and remains in critical condition. Another a 14-year-old boy was shot in the foot, "and may never walk properly again." A15-year-old boy was injured less seriously. (12) Soldiers opened fire at Beit Sahour east of Bethlehem for several hours, starting at noon. They brought military dogs with them and began breaking into homes, conducting invasive searches. They opened fire on three young men who tried to find work in the Har Homa settlement (about 2 kilometers north of Beit Sahour) without obtaining permits, and arrested one. (11) Israeli army sources reported that the soldiers chased the three workers because they did not stop when soldiers shouted at them while they jumped over the electric barbed-wire fence and ran away. Soldiers also arrested two boys from Bethlehem at a roadblock put up between Beit Sahour and Obaidiya. They blindfolded the boys and took them away. (11) Israeli soldiers raided and ransacked Jenin and the town of Marada north of Salfit, where they tampered with personal belongings of several Palestinian families. (4) Eight Israeli soldiers have been wounded over the Rosh Hashanah holiday, one moderately and the rest lightly, when Israeli troops entering the Nablus casbah came under attack from explosive devices. The soldiers could not identify the source. They didn't open fire. The injured soldiers were taken to hospitals in Israel. A detachment from the same battalion came under similar attack in the Balata Refugee Camp in Nablus, but there were no casualties. In this second case soldiers opened fire, and reported hitting an armed Palestinian. We have discussed a third incident in which a soldier was attacked when he tried to break up a brawl among Palestinians waiting at the Hawara checkpoint. As it turns out, he had his nose broken. (20) 2355 hours: An Israeli army force fired at a group of Palestinians who were throwing rocks near Al-Hader south of Jerusalem, and hit the group. "Their condition is unknown." According to the force, fire bombs were found near the group, ready to be used. Palestinian government The reaction to Abbas's UN statement that the PA would recognize Israel: The headline: "Four Palestinian armed wings warn any future government of recognizing Israel". The first paragraph: "Four Palestinian armed wings on Sunday warned any future PA government of recognizing Israel and asked PA chief Mahmoud Abbas to revoke his statement in this regard." They were referring to his statements in New York that the PA government would recognize Israel. Abu Abir, Nasser Salahuddin Brigades spokesman, said that any Palestinian Authority government recognizing the Zionist entity would be a legitimate target, "and we will deal with it as an extension of the Zionist project." He strongly denounced Abbas's speech in New York saying that any future Palestinian Authority government should recognize Israel. Abu Abir supported the formation of a national unity government that stuck to Palestinian "constants" and Jerusalem as the sole capital of the Palestinian state. This warning was issued in a press conference held by the Nasser Salahuddin Brigades, Aqsa Martyr's Brigades Military Council, Ahmed Abul Reesh-Seiful Islam, and Fatah Warriors-Unification Battalion in Gaza City. (5) The word "constants" is often seen in articles about Palestinian policy, and appears to mean the basic demands of a Palestinian state that have survived over years. These would include retreat of Israel to the 1967 borders including return of lands acquired since then, right of return for Palestinian refugees, and making Jerusalem the capital of the new Palestinian state. The Deputy Head of Hamas political bureau, Dr. Mousa Abu Marzook, gave his views that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah faction have tried to foil the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government. Abbas has never had any government ministers with him in his tours abroad or in receiving foreign officials at his office. While he had expected stiff Israeli and American resistance, what he didn't expect was that several Arab countries would participate in their blockade. He pointed out that not only did they not support the Palestinian people in breaking the embargo, but some of them helped in intensifying the siege. (7) Palestinian Authority Refugees' Affairs Minister Dr. Atef Odwan accused President Abbas of reneging on his promises to release one month of salary to all Palestinian Authority employees. He charged that this step was taken after Abbas found that the Hamas-led government's political stance was not in harmony with his political wishes. Odwan furthermore said that large amounts of money were available to the presidency that if dispersed justly would help to soothe the Palestinian people's ordeals. He was certain that $300 million was available, although some reports talked about $1.2 billion. "The Palestinian national fund's money is neither for Fatah nor for the PA. It is, rather, for the Palestinian people and must be spent on them." (8) Hamas has expressed surprise over President Abbas's statements in New York to the effect that the Palestinian Authority would recognize Israel. "Despite President Abbas’ statements in New York, Hamas party officials insist that negotiations for the government of national unity did not include the recognition of Israel." A Hamas official said that Hamas did not at any time agree to recognize Israel. Negotiations for the new government were based on the National Accord document which does not include recognition of the state of Israel. (13) Palestinian lawlessness Armed Fatah elements stormed the main campus of Najah University in Nablus Sunday with intense machine gun fire "and threatened to liquidate activists of the Islamic bloc." The university had adopted a policy against the Islamic bloc that controlled the student council, and in favor of the Shabiba movement, the academic wing of Fatah that lost the students' election. Activists of the Islamic bloc "had calmly decorated the University façades with streamers welcoming the holy month of Ramadan without bearing any signatures." That didn't please the Fatah-affiliated guards of the University. They immediately arrived on the scene carrying their rifles and pointing them at the Islamic bloc activists, "who preferred to calmly withdraw to avoid bloodshed." The guards erased all the welcome phrases written on the university fences. The head of the guards led followers in attacking the University's College of Arts Building to forcibly stop Islamic activists who were decorating the building to celebrate Ramadan. The Islamists refused to stop decorating the building. The Dean of Students stopped the quarrel and forced the guards out of the building. A Fatah cadre fired into the air saying he could not be challenged. "The armed men were, regrettably, seen later while smoking publicly in the fasting day of Ramadan before the University's gate in a clear religious violation that disgusted the Palestinian masses and students." At least 15 gunmen stormed the offices of the local Voice of Freedom radio station in Gaza City, and forced journalist Salim Abu Amr to go with them in a van. He is a Fatah supporter and a critic of Hamas. Palestinian Authority policemen rushed to the scene and put checkpoints up in Gaza City to catch the kidnappers. The journalist was released a few hours later. No group took responsibility for the kidnapping. This kidnapping follows the storming of the WAFA news agency and beating up of the bureau head by about a week. (16) Palestinian prisoners Shadi Mattar was arrested in 2003 and sentenced to 24 years in prison. His mother, Um Shadi, said that he used to suffer troubles in both legs. He was shot in his left leg by Israeli soldiers during his arrest in 2003. He suffers severe inflammation in both legs. She said he is in need of medical treatment, and that he might lose his right leg. His Israeli jailers in Natha Israeli jail refuse to allow him to access medicine in the prison or provide him medicine from the clinic inside the prison. His mother added that her son suffers troubles in his respiratory tract with breathing. She called on international organizations and the Red Cross to intervene for her son. (2) The Israeli Prisons Authority put a news blackout on the transfer of PLC Speaker Dr. Aziz Duwaik from the Kfar Yona jail to the Megiddo prison. His attorney said that the Prison Authority had been delaying her visit to Dr. Duwaik for the past 10 days and refused to give any reason for the delay, and she was surprised to find that he had been moved to the Megiddo prison. The Prison Authority refused permission for her to visit him there. The source states that Dr. Duwaik suffers a number of ailments that have repeatedly worsened his health condition in captivity. (10) "An IDF military court overturned a previous ruling Monday, declaring that the 21 Hamas ministers and lawmakers currently in Israeli custody would remain in jail until the end of legal proceedings against them." His reason: they were part of a terrorist organization. (17) Palestinian resistance The Quds Brigades (Islamic Jihad) claimed responsibility for firing two medium-range Quds missiles at the Israeli settlement of Sderot. Israeli sources said that at least two settlers suffered from hysteria, and the missiles damaged two cars. The Mayor of Sderot complained to the Israeli Premier that Palestinian resistance used to fire their rockets 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. but suddenly changed the time and started to hit the settlement at different times, posing danger to settlers in the settlement. He acknowledged that the Palestinian missiles have become more accurate and upgraded, as evidenced by the damage they cause to property. The Nasser Salahuddin Brigades (PRC) stated that two of its snipers shot and directly hit two Israeli soldiers who were atop their tank in Rafah, near the Gaza International Airport. (3) 0925 hours: "An explosive device was detonated near an IDF force traveling near the electronic border fence near Gaza, south of Kisufim. There were no injuries and no damage was caused." (22) "Monday afternoon, a Palestinian resistance group open fired at Israeli soldiers during an army invasion to Al Maghazi area in central Gaza Strip. The Al Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, claimed responsibility for the attack, and said that its fighters will continue to fight the invading forces." (23) Restrictions in movement The Rafah Crossing Point stayed open from September 22 to September 24. 8,039 Palestinians used the Rafah crossing point during the three days. Of the three days, Sunday was the quietest, with only 327 Palestinians crossing through. There is no information as to when the crossing will open again. The European Union Border Assistance Mission Rafah (EU BAM Rafah) said that it would be fully operational and ready to return to normal monitoring, and following a coordination and evaluation meeting, the possibility of keeping Rafah open would be discussed with representatives of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. (1) "At least 11,000 Palestinians were able to leave through the crossing in the last three days." (23) (IMEMC did not give the source of their figure of 11,000.) Soldiers erected a mobile checkpoint in Bethlehem at the road linking Beit Sahour and Dar Salah village, where they stopped and arrested two teenagers from the al-'Eza Refugee Camp north of the city. (3) Israeli soldiers put up a road block north of the Salfit district and arrested three Palestinians from Kira and Hares villages. Two of the youths were identified as Salah Awad, 21 and Ibrahim Ziyada, 19. Following their arrest, the Israeli soldiers removed the barriers. Another surprise barrier had been installed at the Eastern entrance to Salfit on Sunday, where soldiers checked all IDs of commuters. (9) "The general closure of Judea, Samaria and Gaza that was in effect for the duration of Rosh HaShanah was lifted today as planned, and both the Karni goods crossing and the Nahal Oz gasoline terminal were opened." (Judea and Samaria make up the West Bank.) "Palestinian residents were provided with other measures of relief during the closure. Permission was granted for humanitarian workers, medical workers, lawyers, teachers, religious workers and additional persons to cross between central Israel and the aforementioned areas. Among the others, 3,000 Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria were granted passage to allow them to harvest olives." (21) Or in the words of Yedioth Ahronoth, "The Karni goods crossing will be opened in Gaza, as will the terminal at Nahal Oz which serves to transfer petrol and gas into the Gaza Strip." (23) Miscellany Interpol has accepted Israel into its European branch, five years after Israel made the request. A police spokesman says that 70% of Israel's international police operations take place in Europe. Interpol took five years to comply with Israel's request so as not to anger Arab nations. To date, Israel was part of the Asia region. (15) The European Union began paying social allowances to 40,000 needy Palestinian families through a temporary mechanism overseen by the World Bank. The families will get $346 each. The temporary mechanism bypasses the Hamas-led government. (18) The Haifa District Court rejected a petition last week to connect unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev to clean water sources. The court ruled that the water commissioner has no authority over considerations pertaining to town regularization in Israel. The Adalah Legal Center, appealing on behalf of over 100 Negev families, said there was no connection between the basic right that all state residents had to clean water and the legal standing of those towns. The judge stated that the larger issue was that a public interest existed in not encouraging additional illegal settlement. (The Bedouin villages are counted as illegal.) (19) ----------------------------- Samples of this newsletter may be found at http://aberdeenpublishing.com/ocreport.eml . That "eml" extension means that people with Internet Explorer and Outlook Express can see it. Others may not unless their programs recognize the "eml" extension. Links for buying my book, Awakened, may be found at http://aberdeenpublishing.com. -- Jerrold Cohen, Ph.D
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