Current Affairs Israel is an apartheid state

[Noisy noise annoys]

The REAL area C:

Some 60 percent of West Bank lands have been classified as “Area C” and are under full and exclusive Israeli control. Area C is home to an estimated 180,000 Palestinians and includes the major residential and development land reserves for the entire West Bank. Israel prohibits Palestinian construction and development on some 70 percent of Area C territory, arguing various rationales, such as being “state lands” or “firing zones.” Israel’s planning and construction policy virtually ignores the needs of the local population: it refuses to recognize most of the villages in the area or draw up plans for them, prevents the expansion and development of Palestinian communities, demolishes homes and does not allow the communities to hook up to infrastructure. Thousands of inhabitants live under the constant threat of expulsion for living in alleged firing zones or “illegal” communities. In addition, Israel has taken over most of the water sources in Area C and has restricted Palestinian access to them.

In theory, Israel retains full control in the West Bank only of Area C. In practice, Israel’s control of Area C adversely affects all Palestinian West Bank residents. Scattered throughout the vast expanses of Area C are 166 “islands” of Area A- and B-land that are home to the major concentrations of population in the West Bank. The land reserves that surround the built-up sections of West Bank towns and villages are often designated as Area C, and Israel does not allow construction or development on these reserves. Israel thereby stifles many Area A and B communities, denying them the opportunity to develop. This is one of the contributing factors to the difficulty in obtaining lots for construction, the steep price hike in the cost of the few available plots, the dearth of open areas, and the total lack of suitable sites for infrastructure and industrial zones. If, for want of an alternative, residents of these areas build homes without permits on nearby land – owned by them but classified “Area C” – they live under the constant shadow of the threat of demolition.

This report presents Israel’s policy as implemented in Area C, primarily by the Civil Administration, and explores the policy’s implications for the population of the West Bank as a whole. The report focuses on several specific locations in Area C where the policy has considerable impact on the lives of the residents:

• There are dozens of Palestinian villages in the South Hebron Hills that the Civil Administration refuses to recognize and for which it does not prepare master plans. Over 1,000 people, residents of eight of these villages, currently live under the perpetual threat of expulsion on the grounds of residing in a designated “firing zone”.
• The Civil Administration plans to uproot at least two thousand Bedouins from land near the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim and transfer them to so-called “permanent communities” in order to expand nearby Israeli settlements and achieve a contiguous built-up bloc linking the settlements to the city of Jerusalem. Previously, hundreds of Bedouins from this area had been displaced for the establishment and then the expansion of Ma’ale Adumim.
• Palestinians in the Jordan Valley are subject to frequent house demolitions. They are occasionally evacuated for the benefit of military exercises and must deal with the confiscation of water cisterns that are the source of drinking water for them and their livestock.
• Al-Khader, Yatma and Qibyah are examples of Palestinian communities most of whose built-up area is located in Area B. Yet most of these communities’ lands available for construction of homes, infrastructure and public services are located in Area C, where the Civil Administration does not allow construction and development. Palestinians in these communities who, for the want of any other options, built homes on their community’s lands in Area C, face the constant threat of demolition.

Some Area C residents, harmed by Israel’s planning and building policy, have applied to Israel’s High Court of Justice for redress. However, of the dozens of petitions submitted, the court deemed not a single case worthy of its intervention with Civil Administration considerations. The court thus enabled the restrictive, harmful and discriminatory policy to carry on.

At the same time, and counter to international law, Israel encourages its own nationals to settle in the West Bank. Israel allocates vast tracts of land and generous water supplies to these settlements, draws up detailed plans that take into account both current requirements and future expansion, and turns a blind eye to violations of planning and construction laws in settlements.

Israel’s policy in Area C is anchored in a perception of the area as meant above all to serve Israeli needs. Consequently, Israel consistently takes actions that strengthen its hold on Area C, displace Palestinian presence, exploit the area’s resources to benefit Israelis, and bring about a permanent situation in which Israeli settlements thrive and Palestinian presence is negligible. Israel’s actions have brought about a de facto annexation of Area C and have created circumstances that will influence the final status of the area.

Israel’s policy in Area C violates the essential obligations of international humanitarian law, namely: to safeguard occupied territory on a temporary basis; to refrain from altering the area or exploiting its resources to benefit the occupying power; and, most importantly, to undertake to fulfill the needs of the local residents and respect their rights. Instead, through the Civil Administration, Israel pursues a policy designed to achieve precisely the opposite: the Civil Administration refuses to prepare master plans for the Area C communities and draws on the absence of these plans to justify the prohibition of virtually all Area C construction and infrastructure hook-ups. In cases where, having no alternative, residents carry out construction despite the prohibition, the Civil Administration demolishes their homes. Israel utterly ignores the reality that residents cannot build their homes legally. Israel conducts itself as though this situation were not in fact a direct result of its own policy.

As long as Israel controls the West Bank, including Area C, it must meet its obligations under international law and human rights law. First, Israel must revoke the allocation it has made of vast tracts of “state land” to the local and district councils of settlements’ – whose very existence is in contravention of international law – and also retract the classification of extensive areas as firing zones. Second, Israel must allocate lands throughout Area C to Palestinians for housing, infrastructure and industrial zones, and pursue an expert planning process whose top priority will be the needs of the Palestinians in the West Bank. In accordance with Jordanian law which was in effect in the West Bank before Israel changed it, representatives of the local Palestinian population must be included in this process. The process must also feature recognition of existing communities in the West Bank, and all Palestinian residents of the West Bank must be promptly hooked up to water and power infrastructure. Israel must work in conjunction with Palestinian Authority representatives to promote overall planning in the West Bank and to address the planning and development needs of the residents of the entire West Bank.

As long as Israel retains planning authority in Area C and does not allow Palestinians to build legally, it must immediately desist from demolishing homes, business-related structures (e.g., buildings used for agriculture or trade) and rainwater-collection cisterns. In addition, Israel must not expel people from their homes in the absence of a clear, essential and immediate military justification.

 

[Noisy noise annoys]

https://news.sky.com/story/israels-...-palestinian-flag-from-public-spaces-12783071Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir bans Palestinian flag from public spaces

 

[BigMick]

Congratulations to Mahmoud Abbas who on today enters the 19th year of his 4-year term as President of the PA.

Abbas was elected in the last PA elections for the position of President held on 9th Jan 2005. In preparation for those elections, the PA Central Elections Committee reported that there were 1,760,481 registered voters. Hamas boycotted the elections, and only 802,077 actually cast their vote. Of those who voted, 501,448 voted for Abbas. In other words, Abbas was elected by only 28% of the Palestinians eligible to vote. And he's still there!

The Palestinian public fear two things:

1. Being dragged into a 3rd intifada by Islamists, right-wing gunmen and youngsters not old enough to remember the death and destruction of the previous one.

2. The power vacuum that will exist following the 87 year old Abbas's departure. The ensuing power struggle between various Fatah factions and with Hamas could easily descend into civil war and open another route to a 3rd intifada. The Hamas and Islamic Jihad campaign to incite trouble in the West bank is as much aimed at weakening the PA as it is attacking Israel. One of their recent official cartoons confirms this:




The tethered lion represents the West Bank's biggest and most southerly city, Hebron. The lion is flanked by two masked figures representing the two northern cities that have been at the heart of most of the current wave of violence, Jenin and Nablus. They are severing the cables that hold the "Lion of Hebron": one is labelled the security coordination between the PA and Israel, while the other refers to the incessant clan battles that have scarred the city for the last year.

One of the men is saying, "Rise up our lion, al Aqsa needs you." (The 100 year old 'al Aqsa is in danger myth.')

The cartoon makes clear the strategy of the Islamist movement, led by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, funded by Iran, in the West Bank. Persuading the gunmen of Hebron to join the upsurge in violence would be a great coup for Hamas, spreading the trouble from the north of the West Bank to the south. To do that they urge the battling clans to stop shooting each other and instead concentrate their weapons on the Israelis. They also take aim at the PA for security co-ordination with Israel, and urge that link to be broken by the outbreak of violence.

Their belief is that an increase in the level of friction between Palestinians and the IDF would cause far higher Palestinian casualties, which in turn would recruit more Palestinians to join the struggle, leading to a 3rd intifada. This would serve their cause of undermining the PA at a time when the removal of the ageing Abbas, through health or death, cannot be too far away, and helping their ambition of taking control of the West Bank. They are also able to get credit for attacking Israel without resorting to missiles from Gaza, thus maintaining the economic help they are getting from Israel and suffering no harm to their tunnels and missile facilities.

All the above shows that anyone who thinks the recent violence is the result of a spontaneous uprising is naive or unaware of the 18 month campaign of incitement that Hamas reverted to following the cancellation of last year's elections, and an increase in funding from Iran.

 

[Toffeeslam]

Congratulations to Mahmoud Abbas who on today enters the 19th year of his 4-year term as President of the PA.

Abbas was elected in the last PA elections for the position of President held on 9th Jan 2005. In preparation for those elections, the PA Central Elections Committee reported that there were 1,760,481 registered voters. Hamas boycotted the elections, and only 802,077 actually cast their vote. Of those who voted, 501,448 voted for Abbas. In other words, Abbas was elected by only 28% of the Palestinians eligible to vote. And he's still there!

The Palestinian public fear two things:

1. Being dragged into a 3rd intifada by Islamists, right-wing gunmen and youngsters not old enough to remember the death and destruction of the previous one.

2. The power vacuum that will exist following the 87 year old Abbas's departure. The ensuing power struggle between various Fatah factions and with Hamas could easily descend into civil war and open another route to a 3rd intifada. The Hamas and Islamic Jihad campaign to incite trouble in the West bank is as much aimed at weakening the PA as it is attacking Israel. One of their recent official cartoons confirms this:

View attachment 200221


The tethered lion represents the West Bank's biggest and most southerly city, Hebron. The lion is flanked by two masked figures representing the two northern cities that have been at the heart of most of the current wave of violence, Jenin and Nablus. They are severing the cables that hold the "Lion of Hebron": one is labelled the security coordination between the PA and Israel, while the other refers to the incessant clan battles that have scarred the city for the last year.

One of the men is saying, "Rise up our lion, al Aqsa needs you." (The 100 year old 'al Aqsa is in danger myth.')

The cartoon makes clear the strategy of the Islamist movement, led by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, funded by Iran, in the West Bank. Persuading the gunmen of Hebron to join the upsurge in violence would be a great coup for Hamas, spreading the trouble from the north of the West Bank to the south. To do that they urge the battling clans to stop shooting each other and instead concentrate their weapons on the Israelis. They also take aim at the PA for security co-ordination with Israel, and urge that link to be broken by the outbreak of violence.

Their belief is that an increase in the level of friction between Palestinians and the IDF would cause far higher Palestinian casualties, which in turn would recruit more Palestinians to join the struggle, leading to a 3rd intifada. This would serve their cause of undermining the PA at a time when the removal of the ageing Abbas, through health or death, cannot be too far away, and helping their ambition of taking control of the West Bank. They are also able to get credit for attacking Israel without resorting to missiles from Gaza, thus maintaining the economic help they are getting from Israel and suffering no harm to their tunnels and missile facilities.

All the above shows that anyone who thinks the recent violence is the result of a spontaneous uprising is naive or unaware of the 18 month campaign of incitement that Hamas reverted to following the cancellation of last year's elections, and an increase in funding from Iran.

What I have said is exactly what Israel wants…..to keep the Palestinians divided whilst implementing ever more draconian policies and provocative actions (which is more likely to spark an intifada) whilst quietly changing the facts in the ground to the point that there will never be room for a Palestinian state.

But let’s all victim blame the Palestinians

 

[Noisy noise annoys]

What I have said is exactly what Israel wants…..to keep the Palestinians divided whilst implementing ever more draconian policies and provocative actions (which is more likely to spark an intifada) whilst quietly changing the facts in the ground to the point that there will never be room for a Palestinian state.

But let’s all victim blame the Palestinians

Exactly. Blaming the natives for resisting occupation

Madness (insulting even).

 

[BigMick]

What I have said is exactly what Israel wants…..to keep the Palestinians divided whilst implementing ever more draconian policies and provocative actions (which is more likely to spark an intifada) whilst quietly changing the facts in the ground to the point that there will never be room for a Palestinian state.

But let’s all victim blame the Palestinians

Sorry mate but if you don't think Hamas want to control the West Bank, that there will be a power struggle when Abbas disappears, that there is a danger of another civil war, but bigger than last time, that ordinary Palestinians do not want gunmen controlling their city streets, that they don't want an Islamist government, that they don't want Palestine to turn into another Syria, Lebanon, Libya etc, then we will just have to disagree.

Absolutely nothing to do with Israel that an already agreed unity government wasn't formed in 2021 - Abbas alone called off the elections because he was going to lose the presidency. We should now be in a totally different situation.

I don't blame the Palestinian people - I do blame the Palestinian factions for the disunity.

Where I agree with you is that Israel are, and certainly were, content with Palestinian disunity. That's why the cancellation of the 2021 election was such a disaster. The Palestinian people were furious but not surprised about it - a pity that so many so called Palestinian supporters were conspicuous by their silence.

 

[BigMick]

I've mentioned the Fayyad Plan many time on this thread. I've come across an online English version of it which differs only slightly from my paper, Arabic version. Main differences are in the Introduction which has been expanded, probably for the benefit of western benefactors.

Anyway it's worth a read, if only to lament another missed opportunity.

http://www.miftah.org/Doc/Reports/2009/PNA_EndingTheOccupation.pdf

 

[BigMick]

The new Israeli government has announced its first important policy regarding Palestine. It will withhold $39.5 million of tax revenues collected for the Palestinian Authority, the equivalent to payments made by the PA to terrorists and their families in 2022 under their 'Pay For Slay' scheme.

What is 'Pay For Slay'?

The official name is The Palestinian Authority Martyrs’ Fund - it was introduced in 2004 during the 2nd Intifada. It provides monthly stipends to Palestinians imprisoned or injured by Israel and to families of martyrs.

It's a tiered system in which prisoners receive more funding the longer they sit in prison, with more money waiting for them on the outside in the form of a monthly salary far higher than the average West Bank wage.

In addition, an ex-prisoner who sat in captivity for 1-3 years is eligible for a one-time bonus of $1,500 upon release; that number jumps to $6,000 at over a decade in prison, and to $25,000 for 30 years or more. Ex-prisoners also receive additional benefits from the government, including partially or fully-waived health insurance payments. Like prisoners, the families of “martyrs” receive a lump sum and a monthly allowance from the government.

There is a $100 per month bonus paid to Israeli citizens who commit attacks, and $90 for Jerusalemites.

The scheme does not apply to the 2-3,000 political prisoners held in Palestinian prisons at any given time - accurate figures are not released.

The PA spends 33 times more per capita on the scheme than it spends on health services for the Palestinian population,
11 times more than it spends on education of Palestinian children under the age of 18, and 1.87 times more than it spends on benefits for the needy Palestinian population (most of those payments are covered by foreign donations, notably from the EU.)

Critics of the policy, including Israel, the EU and different US governments, have dubbed it “pay for slay,” claiming that it amounts to incentivizing terror because the amount of money paid is proportional to the length of the sentence, which is usually proportional to the severity of the crime.

Prime Minister Shtayyeh attempted to counter criticism with a sleight of hand that saw responsibility for the payments transferred to the PLO - it didn't work because the PLO is funded by the PA.

The previous Israeli government also withheld money for the same reason. However, a few weeks later following the first Abbas/Gantz meeting, Israel 'loaned' the PA the same amount, earning them ridicule from the far-right opposition. The government's explanation was that by initially withholding the money they had signalled their displeasure to the PA, but because they didn't want to fatally wound the PA they loaned them the money, in the knowledge that they would never get it back.

In contrast, new Finance Minister Smotrich said, “As long as the Palestinian Authority encourages terrorism and is an enemy, what interest do I have in helping it exist?”

That is about as stupid a remark as it is possible to make.

Finally, whereas the previous government put the money in a 'special account' - which was probably the source of the 'loan' - the new government plans to distribute it to the families of the victims of terror attacks.

In my view it is unfair to claim that all who benefit from the scheme are terrorists. Not all Palestinians in Israeli prisons have, or intend to have, Israeli blood on their hands - some are imprisoned for nonviolent offenses and 'security threats' that could be described as civil disobedience rather than terrorism. Moreover, Palestinians in the territories are subject to Israeli military law and do not enjoy the legal rights guaranteed by Israeli civil law.

However, Israel, the EU and the US are right - the scheme does incentivise acts of terror against Israelis. A possible solution would be for the US to help the PA transition to a general welfare system that does not correlate the amount of money received to the length of a prison sentence, thereby removing the incentive for violence. That will need both a strong, confident Palestinian government capable of facing down its critics, and a US government committed to positive action in the region rather than maintaining the status quo, which seems to be the Biden policy.

 

[Noisy noise annoys]

The new Israeli government has announced its first important policy regarding Palestine. It will withhold $39.5 million of tax revenues collected for the Palestinian Authority, the equivalent to payments made by the PA to terrorists and their families in 2022 under their 'Pay For Slay' scheme.

What is 'Pay For Slay'?

The official name is The Palestinian Authority Martyrs’ Fund - it was introduced in 2004 during the 2nd Intifada. It provides monthly stipends to Palestinians imprisoned or injured by Israel and to families of martyrs.

It's a tiered system in which prisoners receive more funding the longer they sit in prison, with more money waiting for them on the outside in the form of a monthly salary far higher than the average West Bank wage.

In addition, an ex-prisoner who sat in captivity for 1-3 years is eligible for a one-time bonus of $1,500 upon release; that number jumps to $6,000 at over a decade in prison, and to $25,000 for 30 years or more. Ex-prisoners also receive additional benefits from the government, including partially or fully-waived health insurance payments. Like prisoners, the families of “martyrs” receive a lump sum and a monthly allowance from the government.

There is a $100 per month bonus paid to Israeli citizens who commit attacks, and $90 for Jerusalemites.

The scheme does not apply to the 2-3,000 political prisoners held in Palestinian prisons at any given time - accurate figures are not released.

The PA spends 33 times more per capita on the scheme than it spends on health services for the Palestinian population,
11 times more than it spends on education of Palestinian children under the age of 18, and 1.87 times more than it spends on benefits for the needy Palestinian population (most of those payments are covered by foreign donations, notably from the EU.)

Critics of the policy, including Israel, the EU and different US governments, have dubbed it “pay for slay,” claiming that it amounts to incentivizing terror because the amount of money paid is proportional to the length of the sentence, which is usually proportional to the severity of the crime.

Prime Minister Shtayyeh attempted to counter criticism with a sleight of hand that saw responsibility for the payments transferred to the PLO - it didn't work because the PLO is funded by the PA.

The previous Israeli government also withheld money for the same reason. However, a few weeks later following the first Abbas/Gantz meeting, Israel 'loaned' the PA the same amount, earning them ridicule from the far-right opposition. The government's explanation was that by initially withholding the money they had signalled their displeasure to the PA, but because they didn't want to fatally wound the PA they loaned them the money, in the knowledge that they would never get it back.

In contrast, new Finance Minister Smotrich said, “As long as the Palestinian Authority encourages terrorism and is an enemy, what interest do I have in helping it exist?”

That is about as stupid a remark as it is possible to make.

Finally, whereas the previous government put the money in a 'special account' - which was probably the source of the 'loan' - the new government plans to distribute it to the families of the victims of terror attacks.

In my view it is unfair to claim that all who benefit from the scheme are terrorists. Not all Palestinians in Israeli prisons have, or intend to have, Israeli blood on their hands - some are imprisoned for nonviolent offenses and 'security threats' that could be described as civil disobedience rather than terrorism. Moreover, Palestinians in the territories are subject to Israeli military law and do not enjoy the legal rights guaranteed by Israeli civil law.

However, Israel, the EU and the US are right - the scheme does incentivise acts of terror against Israelis. A possible solution would be for the US to help the PA transition to a general welfare system that does not correlate the amount of money received to the length of a prison sentence, thereby removing the incentive for violence. That will need both a strong, confident Palestinian government capable of facing down its critics, and a US government committed to positive action in the region rather than maintaining the status quo, which seems to be the Biden policy.

Does this apply to the children and innocent men and women they imprison without trial?

 

[BigMick]

Does this apply to the children and innocent men and women they imprison without trial?

Those that are held long enough yes - but not to those in the Palestinian prisons.

Coincidentally, only today one of the Lions' Den was moved to Istishari Hospital after his health deteriorated to dangerous levels in Jericho prison, known to Palestinians as 'The Slaughterhouse', probably due to the hunger strikes he's been on - and he's only been in there a couple of months.

He is one of those you mention that was once held in Israel without trial and now finds himself in a PA prison without trial - a regular occurrence.

Most of them are Hamas or Islamic Jihad supporters. Others held without trial in Palestinian prisons include supporters of Fatah exiles such as Mohammed Dahlan, and journalists or academics brave enough to criticise the PA.

 

[Noisy noise annoys]

Those that are held long enough yes - but not to those in the Palestinian prisons.

Coincidentally, only today one of the Lions' Den was moved to Istishari Hospital after his health deteriorated to dangerous levels in Jericho prison, known to Palestinians as 'The Slaughterhouse', probably due to the hunger strikes he's been on - and he's only been in there a couple of months.

He is one of those you mention that was once held in Israel without trial and now finds himself in a PA prison without trial - a regular occurrence.

Most of them are Hamas or Islamic Jihad supporters. Others held without trial in Palestinian prisons include supporters of Fatah exiles such as Mohammed Dahlan, and journalists or academics brave enough to criticise the PA.

Currently, 160 Palestinian children remain in Israeli prisons, most are in pre-trial detention and have not been convicted of any offence. One of the most harrowing child prisoner cases is that of Ahmad Manasra who was arrested at the age of 13, brutally interrogated and then sentenced.

Israeli forces stormed the prison cells of Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, using attack dogs and pepper spray to assault the inmates.

According to local sources, Israeli officers unleashed the dogs on the prisoners, causing severe bites to several inmates. In addition, numerous prisoners suffered from the effects of tear gas being fired at them in confined spaces with no place to escape to be able to breathe.

The attack came after Palestinian prisoners organized protests at the lack of medical treatment and the refusal of Israeli authorities to curb an outbreak of COVID19 in the Israeli-run prison that began last week.

The prison is located in the Palestinian Territories near Ramallah, but is owned and operated by the Israeli military which occupies and controls all aspects of life in the Palestinian Territories. Since 1967, the Palestinian population of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem have lived under martial law under the rule of the Israeli military.

Dozens of Palestinian prisoners suffered injuries from the assault, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS).

Following the attack, Israeli officers transferred dozens of prisoners to other parts of the prison.

This was the third such incident at Ofer Prison since Palestinian political prisoner Daoud al-Khatib died of a heart attack on September 3rd. Palestinian prisoners and their supporters have blamed his death on deliberate medical negligence by Israeli prison authorities.

al-Khatib was 45 when he died. He had been imprisoned by Israeli authorities since 2002, for being part of the resistance against the Israeli occupation. He was a member of the armed wing of the Fateh party, and was arrested during the Second Intifada, also known as the al-Aqsa Intifada.

On September 6th, Israeli authorities raided prison cells and confiscated all electronic devices and other personal belongings of the inmates.

More than 7,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently held in some 17 Israeli jails, with dozens of them serving multiple life sentences. Over 350 detainees, including women and minors, are under Israel’s administrative detention, held without charges or trial for indefinite periods of time. Some prisoners have been held in administrative detention for up to 11 years.

Since the occupation began in 1967, Israel’s military legal system has jailed anywhere between half a million and 800,000 Palestinians, according to estimates. This is an almost inconceivable number. The saying goes that there are practically no Palestinian homes without someone in jail. The conviction rate of Palestinians who have been arrested and tried in this system stands at around 99 percent. This means that if you are a Palestinian who has been arrested, it is worthwhile agreeing to a plea bargain, because you have almost no chance of being found innocent.

Millions of people living in the occupied territories lack human rights and are subjected to daily violence, monitoring and financial control, restrictions on movement and building, and more. Furthermore, every Palestinian knows that the threat of prison is permanently dangling over him, and that Israel can arrest and detain him without trial for an unlimited period, citing “confidential materials.” These wholesale arrests are a central part of the mechanism that allows for Israel’s continued hold over the occupied territories.

Israel arrested 6,440 Palestinians in 2016, among them 1,332 children, including girls, and 164 women, according to a recent report published by the Palestinian Prisoners Club, Palestinian prisoner rights group Addameer and the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights. Palestinians in East Jerusalem, many of whom are Israeli residents, were particularly targeted: 2,029 were arrested in 2016, 37 percent of whom were minors.

The number of Palestinians in Israeli prisons at the end of 2016 numbered around 7,000, according to the report, of whom 42 were women. Some 300 of them are children, including 11 girls, the report states.

Among the arrestees are also those in administrative detention, an Israeli speciality: over the previous year, 1,742 orders for detention without trial were served against Palestinians. As of the end of 2016, Israel was holding around 700 Palestinian administrative detainees, according to the report — around 10 percent of the total number of Palestinian prisoners. What was supposed to be a tool used exceptionally in “ticking bomb” scenarios has become almost routine.

It’s important to note that there are people who have been sitting in jail under administrative detention for months, or even years, without knowing what they’re suspected of or being given the opportunity to defend themselves. They have been imprisoned after members of Israel’s security apparatus managed to persuade the court that they have evidence, that nonetheless remains confidential. And the courts are easily persuaded. Each time, someone can be sent to jail for up to six months under administrative detention — but there’s no limit to the number of times the detention order can be extended, without the need to go to trial.

Of the 22 Palestinian journalists currently in detention, nine are under administrative detention. They include Omar Nazzal, a member of the Palestinian Journalists’ Guild, who was arrested at the Allenby Crossing at the end of April last year. He had been on his way to a meeting of the European Federation of Journalists in Sarajevo. A few days after Nazzal’s arrest, the military prosecutor realized there wasn’t enough evidence to put him on trial, and he was instead sent to administrative detention on the basis of confidential information. In an interview with The Seventh Eye, Nazzal’s lawyer claimed that he had been arrested because of his journalism. He also voiced his suspicion that the Israelis and the Palestinians were coordinating his detention, due to his writing “causing a headache” for both sides.

 

[Noisy noise annoys]

@BigMick
Do you get your info direct from Bibi?

 

[BigMick]

Itamar Ben-Gvir has ordered Israeli police to remove Palestinian flags from public spaces in Israel. His order came a day after he'd had a temper tantrum when protesters against the government’s planned legal revolution blocked roads and hoisted Palestinian flags in Tel Aviv.

Following the Oslo Accords Israeli law does not prohibit the display of Palestinian flags. Legal experts said Ben-Gvir’s order is unlikely to withstand legal scrutiny and could even be ruled illegal. Israeli courts have ruled several times that waving Palestinian flags is legal, and that police are only allowed to prevent it if there is a fear of disturbing the public order. The security forces have in the past exercised the right to remove them when they are deemed to be a threat to public security, despite it sometimes being misused and triggering international condemnation.

It will also be extremely difficult to enforce on the ground. If anything it will probably lead to a boom in the sales of Palestinian flags in Israel - at least amongst those opposed to the present government. I would hope to see the flag waved en mass at future demonstrations.

 

[BigMick]

@BigMick
Do you get your info direct from Bibi?

No, from the Palestinian press.

I write about the things Palestinian people are concerned about that's all. It always amazes me that people who claim to be supporters of the Palestinians are uninterested in what goes on inside Palestine. To them, Palestine is just something to kick Israel with... I wonder why?

Anyway, for those who are interested, this is directly from the main Palestinian news today. If not interested, don't bother reading it.

"The Palestinian security services suppressed a march in Nablus today, which went out to demand the release of the persecuted Musab Shtayyeh, who has been detained in their prisons for months.

Members of the security services, who were deployed extensively in the streets of the city, fired tear gas canisters at the participants in the march, as a result of which a number of those present in the area suffocated. Clips circulated on social media showed that security forces assaulted a young man during the suppression of the march.

According to press sources, the security forces tried to prevent journalists from covering and confiscated the phone of the Al-Jazeera correspondent.

The participants in the vigil and march chanted slogans in support of the resistance to the "Lions' Den", amid the participation of families of political detainees, some of whom had been arrested for several months.

Video clips on social media documented the terror of children and women in the streets and markets as a result of tear gas canisters being fired.

According to the Lawyers for Justice group, one of the detainees from tonight during the events in Nablus contacted the group and informed that he was arrested with thirteen other young men and they were assaulted at the moment of their arrest.

The coordinator of the Popular Congress, Omar Assaf, said, "The authority's behavior and its recent repression in Nablus indicate that it does not draw lessons from the suppression of marches, is not serious about confronting the extremist occupation government, and lies to citizens that it wants dialogue and national reconciliation."

Hamas strongly condemned the security forces' suppression of the march, and said in a statement to its spokesperson, Abdul Latif al-Qanouh: We consider this a crime against them, and a reprehensible behavior that contradicts all national norms and values.

It called on the Palestinian Authority to immediately release all political prisoners in its prisons, to protect our people's freedom of expression, and to stop the policy of political detention that only serves the occupation's agenda.

For its part, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine strongly condemned the security services' suppression of the peaceful march that took place in the centre of Nablus, rejecting political arrest and demanding the release of all detainees.

It demanded "the immediate release of all political prisoners, and a complete cessation of all practices that do not serve the interests of our people. The policies of repression and the continuation of political arrests are an attempt to obstruct the path of unity that we all seek to strengthen and develop."

The Al-Ahrar Movement considered that the attack by the security services on journalists and the peaceful march is a gang act and persistence in bullying and unpatriotic behavior, and said: "This orgy comes with direct instructions from the leadership of the authority to prove that it is a foreign body operating in the context of serving the occupation and its plans and goals to muzzle the mouths of our people, their prosecutions, their arrests, their draining them, and diverting their compass from the correct path of the struggle with the occupation."

They stressed that the sinful attack that took place is rejected nationally, popularly and morally, and requires all factions and components of our people to raise their voices loudly to expose and expose the behavior and policy of the authority that is harmful to our people and to the national fabric and servant of the occupation.

A statement issued by the Media Office of the Resistance Committees in Palestine said that what the security services are doing in Nablus is a scene that is outside all the values, traditions and customs of our Palestinian people.

It emphasized that our people have the right to peaceful demonstration and to express their opinions freely, and everyone is required to raise their voice and reject the policy of political detention, calling for the immediate release of the political prisoner, leader Musab Shtayyeh, and all political detainees, and leaving this square that only serves the enemy.

For its part, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement denounced the attack on the march, and called on the authority to stop this sinful attack against our people and our people in Nablus, which is only in the interest of the occupation and its supporters."

At least there was no gun battle this time, unlike the one in Bethlehem the other day when Fatah gunmen fought with the Palestinian security service.






I don't post these things to make some spurious point about the Israel-Palestine conflict. On the contrary, it breaks my heart to see such scenes. But this is the reality in Palestine - people are worried about the country slipping into the chaos they see in neighbouring states.

@Noisy noise annoys - I ask you to read them in that spirit. If not, don't bother reading them.

 

[Noisy noise annoys]

No, from the Palestinian press.

I write about the things Palestinian people are concerned about that's all. It always amazes me that people who claim to be supporters of the Palestinians are uninterested in what goes on inside Palestine. To them, Palestine is just something to kick Israel with... I wonder why?

Anyway, for those who are interested, this is directly from the main Palestinian news today. If not interested, don't bother reading it.

"The Palestinian security services suppressed a march in Nablus today, which went out to demand the release of the persecuted Musab Shtayyeh, who has been detained in their prisons for months.

Members of the security services, who were deployed extensively in the streets of the city, fired tear gas canisters at the participants in the march, as a result of which a number of those present in the area suffocated. Clips circulated on social media showed that security forces assaulted a young man during the suppression of the march.

According to press sources, the security forces tried to prevent journalists from covering and confiscated the phone of the Al-Jazeera correspondent.

The participants in the vigil and march chanted slogans in support of the resistance to the "Lions' Den", amid the participation of families of political detainees, some of whom had been arrested for several months.

Video clips on social media documented the terror of children and women in the streets and markets as a result of tear gas canisters being fired.

According to the Lawyers for Justice group, one of the detainees from tonight during the events in Nablus contacted the group and informed that he was arrested with thirteen other young men and they were assaulted at the moment of their arrest.

The coordinator of the Popular Congress, Omar Assaf, said, "The authority's behavior and its recent repression in Nablus indicate that it does not draw lessons from the suppression of marches, is not serious about confronting the extremist occupation government, and lies to citizens that it wants dialogue and national reconciliation."

Hamas strongly condemned the security forces' suppression of the march, and said in a statement to its spokesperson, Abdul Latif al-Qanouh: We consider this a crime against them, and a reprehensible behavior that contradicts all national norms and values.

It called on the Palestinian Authority to immediately release all political prisoners in its prisons, to protect our people's freedom of expression, and to stop the policy of political detention that only serves the occupation's agenda.

For its part, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine strongly condemned the security services' suppression of the peaceful march that took place in the centre of Nablus, rejecting political arrest and demanding the release of all detainees.

It demanded "the immediate release of all political prisoners, and a complete cessation of all practices that do not serve the interests of our people. The policies of repression and the continuation of political arrests are an attempt to obstruct the path of unity that we all seek to strengthen and develop."

The Al-Ahrar Movement considered that the attack by the security services on journalists and the peaceful march is a gang act and persistence in bullying and unpatriotic behavior, and said: "This orgy comes with direct instructions from the leadership of the authority to prove that it is a foreign body operating in the context of serving the occupation and its plans and goals to muzzle the mouths of our people, their prosecutions, their arrests, their draining them, and diverting their compass from the correct path of the struggle with the occupation."

They stressed that the sinful attack that took place is rejected nationally, popularly and morally, and requires all factions and components of our people to raise their voices loudly to expose and expose the behavior and policy of the authority that is harmful to our people and to the national fabric and servant of the occupation.

A statement issued by the Media Office of the Resistance Committees in Palestine said that what the security services are doing in Nablus is a scene that is outside all the values, traditions and customs of our Palestinian people.

It emphasized that our people have the right to peaceful demonstration and to express their opinions freely, and everyone is required to raise their voice and reject the policy of political detention, calling for the immediate release of the political prisoner, leader Musab Shtayyeh, and all political detainees, and leaving this square that only serves the enemy.

For its part, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement denounced the attack on the march, and called on the authority to stop this sinful attack against our people and our people in Nablus, which is only in the interest of the occupation and its supporters."

At least there was no gun battle this time, unlike the one in Bethlehem the other day when Fatah gunmen fought with the Palestinian security service.






I don't post these things to make some spurious point about the Israel-Palestine conflict. On the contrary, it breaks my heart to see such scenes. But this is the reality in Palestine - people are worried about the country slipping into the chaos they see in neighbouring states.

@Noisy noise annoys - I ask you to read them in that spirit. If not, don't bother reading them.

@BigMick
You say it pains you to post such things yet constantly post material that absolves Israel and blames Palestine for the mess they’re in. I generally counter these posts which you ignore.

Perhaps you believe you’re impartial but your posts massively suggest otherwise