Posted on March 14th, 2010 by Marian Houk
The director of Amnesty International’s program for the Middle East and North Africa, Malcolm Smart, has issued (on 12 March) a statement expressing concern about the “continuing curbs on media freedom and harassment of journalists working in Gaza and the West Bank”
The statement notes that “Amnesty International has called on the Palestinian and Israeli authorities [...]
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Filed under: Human Rights, Israel, Journalism and Journalists, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on March 14th, 2010 by Marian Houk
This is from the Jerusalem Post: “Following a weekend of sporadic clashes between Arab youths and security forces in and around the capital, Jerusalem police chief Cmdr. Aharon Franco decided to extend heightened security measures put into place in the Old City and east Jerusalem for an additional day. Franco’s decision, made following [...]
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Filed under: Boundaries & Borders, Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on March 13th, 2010 by Marian Houk
In Ramallah, the truth is, one does not feel the worst effects of the Israeli military occupation — most of the time.
But, those who lived here during the re-invasion of Palestinian cities in the West Bank still see the ghosts of the huge Israeli tanks tearing up the pavement and rolling through the streets, turrets [...]
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Filed under: Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on March 12th, 2010 by Marian Houk
It was a lovely, sunny, warm spring-like morning in Ramallah. It was Friday — the day off work, the day of the Friday prayer for Muslims, who would prefer to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of East Jerusalem, if they could…if they could get a permit.
Friday is also the day of [...]
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Filed under: Boundaries & Borders, Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on March 11th, 2010 by Marian Houk
Paul Martin, detained nearly 30 days ago at the Gaza City courthouse when he was there to testify on behalf of a Palestinian member of a militant group who is charged with collaboration with Israel, was released today without having been charged.
Hamas said they released Martin to make us happy. We are happy. [...]
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Filed under: Gaza, Human Rights, Journalism and Journalists, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on March 9th, 2010 by Marian Houk
In a sharp statement, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, currently on a visit to Israel in which there has been a lot of schmoozing going on (but tomorrow he visits Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah), said tonight that “I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units [...]
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Filed under: Boundaries & Borders, Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, Israel, Middle East Peace Process, Negotiators and negotiations, Palestine & Palestinians, USA
Posted on March 9th, 2010 by Marian Houk
A shocking story: Ma’an News Agency reported from Chicago today that “Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, said on Monday the Palestinian Authority (PA) urged him to step down after he criticized the PA’s treatment of a UN war crimes report”.
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Filed under: Gaza, Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians, United Nations Agencies and Programmes
Posted on February 28th, 2010 by Marian Houk
Where to begin?
Israel’s YNet news website is reporting today that Israel’s State President Shimon Peres “is unpleased by the government’s decision to renovate a selected list of heritage sites – which includes the Cave of the Patriarchs [which is also, for Palestinians and Muslims worldwide, the Ibrahimi or Abraham Mosque in Hebron] and Rachel’s Tomb [...]
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Filed under: Boundaries & Borders, Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on February 26th, 2010 by Marian Houk
The UN General Assembly has asked UNSG BAN Ki-Moon to report back in five months about Israeli and Palestinian progress in investigating concerns about war crimes during the IDF’s three-week Operation Cast Lead in Gaza last year.
That does not mean, however, that there is a five-month deadline for the completion of the investigations. [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Gaza, Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on February 26th, 2010 by Marian Houk
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad attended the Friday prayers at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron today.
In remarks to journalists in Hebron, Fayyad accused Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and his government of “expropriating” or “annexing” the Ibrahimi (Abraham) Mosque and several other sites important to the three monotheistic religions, including Rachel’s tomb in Bethlehem. [...]
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Filed under: Boundaries & Borders, Human Rights, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians, United Nations Agencies and Programmes