In Occupied Palestine

Zionism in practice

Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Property

(Compiled by Leslie Bravery, Palestine Human Rights Campaign, Auckland, New Zealand www.palestine.org.nz) [If you have difficulty with the display of this report, it may be better viewed on our website]

NB: We shall always do our utmost to verify the accuracy of all items in these IOP newsletters/reports wherever possible – but please forgive us for any errors or omissions (not of our own making) that may occur! L & M.

IOP Report {No.1 for July 2017}

Israel denies right to

family visits for

15-year-old

Palestinian prisoner

World Heritage Committee

calls on Israel to stop its

vandalism in East Jerusalem

South Africa ruling party votes

to downgrade ties with Israel

Dozens injured by

Israeli police during

East Jerusalem funeral

Thousands displaced

in Gaza still awaiting

return to their homes

Zionist fanaticism –

IDF officer suspect

OCHA appeal for funding to

stabilise Gaza’s deteriorating

humanitarian crisis

More Israeli agricultural

sabotage in Gaza

Israel denies exit permit

for medical treatment to

dreadfully wounded

Gaza teenager

Jewish Voice for Peace

on anti-Semitism

UNESCO declares

Hebron Old City

a world heritage site

Recent news updates:

Israel denies 15-year-old Palestinian prisoner right of family visits. 2 July 2017 | The Israeli Occupation has prevented a 15-year-old Palestinian boy from receiving family visits since he was taken prisoner more than two months ago, his father said on Monday. Since Abd al-Nasser Lahham, from al-Deheishe UN refugee camp, was taken prisoner on 26 April, six military court sessions have been held in which the Prosecution has repeatedly demanded that he be sentenced to 15 months in prison. A representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross has told the boy's father, Muhammad Lahham, a journalist at Ma’an, that the reasons for denying the boy family visits are still unexplained. Of the 6,200 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, 490 are held without charge or trial and 300 of them are minors, according to the Palestinian prisoners’ rights group Addameer. Last Monday marked five years since a delegation of lawyers from the United Kingdom reviewed the treatment of Palestinian children under Israeli military law and published their findings and recommendations in a report funded by the UK Foreign Office, according to a statement from Military Court Watch (MCW). The report found “undisputed evidence” that the military detention system violated at least six articles under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and two articles under the Fourth Geneva Convention. A follow-up mission by the UK legal delegation has announced that their imminent visit to the region to review progress in implementing the report's 40 recommendations had been cancelled due to a lack of co-operation by Israel. According to the testimony gathered by MCW of the 127 children taken prisoner by the military in 2016, 53% were seized between the hours of 10pm and 5am. MCW stresses that: “Night arrest operations have a tendency to intimidate and terrify the targeted communities and children report being ‘scared’ or ‘terrified’ when confronted with heavily-armed soldiers in their homes and bedrooms.” Of the vast majority of child detainees 94% reported being hand-tied, 81% were blindfolded or hooded and 64% subjected to various forms of physical abuse. Of the majority of Palestinian children interviewed by MCW, 84% said they were not informed of their right to silence and 88% of them said they were denied access to a lawyer prior to questioning. An overwhelming 94% of children reported that they were not accompanied by a parent throughout their interrogation. https://www.albawaba.com/news/israel-denies-15-year-old-palestinian-prisoner-right-family-visits-992040

World Heritage Committee calls on Israel to stop illegal practises in East Jerusalem. 6 July 2017 | The UNESCO World Heritage Committee adopted a decision to defend the Old City of Jerusalem from Israel's persistent vandalism, including excavations, tunnelling, works projects and other illegal practises in East Jerusalem, especially in the Old City. The Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs, Mohammad Momani, said on Wednesday that Jordan’s pro-Jerusalem efforts are part of Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian sites in the holy city. Participants in the World Heritage Committee’s 41st session in Krakow, Poland, have decided to keep Jerusalem’s Old City and its historic walls on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The resolution stated that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the Occupying power, which have altered or purport to alter the character and status of the holy city of Jerusalem, and in particular, the “basic law” on Jerusalem, are null and void and must be rescinded forthwith. https://www.albawaba.com/news/world-heritage-committee-calls-israel-stop-illegal-practices-east-jerusalem-993834

South Africa ruling party votes to downgrade ties with Israel. 6 July 2017 | The African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party of South Africa, voted on Tuesday in favour of downgrading South Africa’s diplomatic representation in Israel in protest against the Occupation. The decision, made during ANC’s National Policy Conference, was hailed as a “major victory for human rights and for the people of Palestine”, according to a statement released by the Western Cape Branch of the ANC. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170706-south-africa-ruling-party-votes-to-downgrade-ties-with-israel/

Israeli police injure dozens, one seriously, during East Jerusalem funeral. 2/3 July 2017 | Dozens of Palestinians were injured, at least one seriously, and one young man was taken prisoner on Sunday evening in Occupied East Jerusalem when Israeli forces assaulted a funeral procession for a Palestinian man, Abu Gharbiyeh, who had drowned three days earlier. Ali Abu Gharbiyeh, 24, drowned in Lake Tabariya in northern Israel on Friday, with his body washing ashore on Sunday morning. Locals said Israeli forces deployed heavily in the Suwwana neighbourhood immediately after Gharbiyeh's body arrived at the al-Maqasid Hospital. When the funeral procession, with mourners carrying Palestinian flags arrived, the Israeli Army began firing stun grenades, seizing the flags. The Palestinian Red Crescent told Ma’an that at least 35 Palestinians were injured and nine hospitalised. The remainder were treated by medics at the scene. At least one mourner was wounded, suffering a head injury from a rubber-coated steel bullet. The victim suffered internal bleeding with shrapnel lodged in his eye. The Israeli Army regards the displaying of a Palestinian flag as a prohibited “disorderly act”. https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=777893

Norwegian Council: Thousands of displaced people in Gaza still await return to their homes. 6 July 2017 | Three years after the Israeli blitz in 2014, Gaza's population continues to live amid rubble. Of 11,000 homes totally destroyed during the war, only a little over one-third have been rebuilt. Many families continue to live in tents, according to a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on the situation for civilians in Gaza, three years after the 2014 war, published on Thursday. “I built a tent and stayed in it for three years, while waiting for Gaza to be rebuilt. We’re still living in it (…) We are alive now because death hasn’t bothered to take us yet. It will be way better for us to die, as we won’t face problems anymore,” Thaer Al Sheesh, a father of four living in Gaza, told NRC. On 8 July 2014, Israeli assaults on Gaza escalated into a full-scale blitz which cost 1492 Palestinian and six Israeli civilian lives. In addition to the 11,000 homes totally destroyed, 160,000 homes were damaged during the seven weeks of war. “Palestinians in Gaza are still waiting for their homes to be rebuilt; 6,300 families remain displaced with no home to return to, in the absence of funding,” NRC´s Country Director in Jerusalem, Hanibal Abiy Worku, says. In addition to the devastating consequences of the last war, Palestinians in Gaza are also suffering the impact of a ten-year-long siege that has led to increasing deprivation. Reconstruction efforts have been adversely affected by Israeli restrictions on the entry of building material and lack of funding. Three years on, 35,000 people remain displaced and Gaza is on the brink of collapse, with severe power shortages having all but ground Gaza to a halt. The situation has become increasingly dire in recent months, with power cuts to hospitals, water treatment plants, sewerage and other key facilities due to lack of fuel. Over halfway into the year, only 30% of the promised funding for the humanitarian appeal has been covered. This leaves a funding gap of over $380 million. “Even if the necessary funding is made available immediately, we are still looking at another year of construction before the displaced families can return to their homes,” Worku says. Humanitarian assistance is subject to siege restrictions imposed by Israel and is not enough to help families break out of the cycle of aid dependency. http://english.wafa.ps/page.aspx?id=npUGTra91251222381anpUGTr

OCHA bi-weekly reports. http://mailchi.mp/un/protection-of-civilians-weekly-report-4-18-april-543021?e=47f1bb36d5

Zionist fanaticism – IDF officer suspected of attempting to stage own death as terror act. A 52-year-old Lt Col (res.) who was found stabbed in his own home last May is suspected of orchestrating the entire scenario in an attempt to make his own death look like the result of an act of terrorism. The officer, who survived the incident, was abroad as the story broke and is to be questioned on the matter upon his return. The incident in question took place in mid-May, when the alleged victim did not show up for work. His absence caused concerned friends to call his landlord, who rented the man a housing unit of his in Moshav Elishema in the central Sharon region. The landlord sent his son to check in on his tenant, and it was then that the man was found in his home, stabbed and lying in his own blood. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment. A large police force arrived on the scene and began an investigation into the apparent attack. After police found “Death to Jews” scrawled inside the house, it was suspected that the attacker had acted out of nationalistic motivations. The police then set up blockades in the area and conducted searches that also relied on helicopter assistance. In addition to seeing it as a possible terrorist attack, police tried to figure out whether the attack was criminally motivated, due to claims that the injured man was surprised by the attacker, who had broken into his home before stabbing him. Though the injured party had repeatedly claimed he did not recognise his attacker, further investigating found evidence that contradicted both the victim's statements and the condition of his injuries. Eventually, the police ruled out both that the attack was nationally or criminally motivated, as a new suspicion suggested that the man injured in the event had actually tried to stage his own death or end his life. He will be questioned under warning of giving false information. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4983866,00.html

OCHA appeal for funding to stabilise Gaza’s deteriorating humanitarian condition. http://mailchi.mp/un/0gxh7zgz0n-542989?e=47f1bb36d5

More Israeli agricultural sabotage in Gaza. 6 July 2017 | Israeli military vehicles raided farmland in the northern besieged Gaza Strip on Thursday morning and destroyed crops. Witnesses told Ma’an that seven Israeli Army vehicles, four bulldozers and three tanks, coming from the Nahal Oz military base, entered the Gaza City neighbourhood of Shuja'iya, with drones flying overhead. Meanwhile, four more Israeli military vehicles were also reported to have raided an area east of Jabaliya, as Israeli forces opened fire and bulldozed crops. Continual Israeli incursions and attacks from military bases have destroyed much of Gaza's agricultural and fishing sector. https://www.albawaba.com/news/israel-raids-besieged-gaza-destroys-agricultural-sector-993920

Injured Gaza teenager denied exit permit for medical treatment. Israeli authorities denied 17-year-old Khaled Ghamri an exit permit to travel from Gaza to Jerusalem for medical treatment after being wounded by Israeli forces on 23 May. Israeli forces had opened fire on Gaza, critically wounding Khaled, who was aged 16 at the time, near the al-Bureij UN refugee camp in Central Gaza. After fracturing Khaled's arm and severing a nerve, the bullet had settled in the right side of Khaled’s stomach, causing damage to the aorta, liver, right kidney, ureter and intestines. Khaled underwent surgery to remove his right kidney and repair damage to his aorta. Heavy blood-loss carried the possibility of damage to other organs, including his brain, and caused a nine-day coma. While Khaled was still in a coma, on 27 May, his family applied for permission for him to exit Gaza for treatment in an Israeli hospital but Israel denied the request. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 42% of Palestinian requests for medical travel out of Gaza were denied or delayed by Israel in April 2017. Of this number, three children were denied and 178 children had care delayed. WHO also reported that three Palestinians, including a five-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, died in Gaza in April while waiting for permission to leave for external treatment. As a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Israel is obliged to recognise the children’s right “to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health,” as laid out in Article 24. http://www.dci-palestine.org/june2017_newsletter?utm_campaign=7_1_17_nwslttr&utm_medium=email&utm_source=dcipalestine   

OCHA: May Humanitarian Bulletin.

Over 3,000 signatures to deregister fake Zionist charity. Tony Greenstein: On 28 June, I sent a further letter to the Charity Commission re. their continued registration of an overtly Zionist and racist 'charity' – the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism. So far I have received no response. See letter. LET US MAKE IT 5,000 SIGNATURES. See campaign

Nature and the environment in Palestine https://youtu.be/ZDHVfK5u-B4 Mazin Qumsiyeh's 20-minute presentation at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences: “Palestine has a rich natural history that is often overshadowed (and threatened by) the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In the midst of this challenging environment a team of mostly volunteers has made major progress in documenting the biodiversity and conservation status of Palestine’s flora and fauna and sharing that natural heritage with students, local citizens and the international community. Hear the story of how the Palestine Museum of Natural History is studying biodiversity and promoting environmental conservation and sustainability.” Another talk by Mazin on political challenges given at the Jerusalem Fund in Washington DC, please see: “Dr. Qumsiyeh argues that movements towards uniformity such as Zionism have threatened the crucial diversity found in the landscape. This applies both to social diversity and also to biodiversity. Restoring our social and natural ecosystems to balance requires challenging ideas of dominance and hegemony, which Dr Qumsiyeh is uniquely positioned to illuminate as a Palestinian Christian, a biologist and a human rights activist. His talk is framed by three points of focus: the plants and animals of the Holy Land and the status of nature conservation there; the role fulfilled by establishing museums and botanical gardens in third-world areas, and the perspective of a Palestinian Christian on Islam, peace studies and conflict resolution.”

Nature and Resistance in Palestine – New paper published http://www.activearabvoices.org/asfari-papers.html   Article:http://www.activearabvoices.org/uploads/8/0/8/4/80849840/qumsiyehpmnhresistance-rm.pdf

BDS: twelfth birthday.

Jewish Voice for Peace on anti-Semitism. If you haven’t already, you can order our book On Antisemitism: Solidarity and the Struggle for Justice here! In light of so much recent public discourse on the relationship between Zionism and antisemitism and the role of Israel in Jewish identity (and discussions on the intersection of queerness with Jewishness sparked by events at the Celebrate Israel Parade in New York and the Chicago Dyke March), this is a great time to organise talks about the book – if you are interested in doing so please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

UNESCO declares Hebron Old City a world heritage site. The UN's cultural arm voted 12 to three to give heritage status to the Old City of Hebron in the Israeli-Occupied West Bank. UNESCO voted 12 to three – with six abstentions – to give heritage status to Hebron in the Israeli-Occupied West Bank. Hebron is home to more than 200,000 Palestinians and a few hundred Israeli settlers, who live in a heavily-fortified enclave near the site known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque and to Jews as the Tomb of the Patriarchs. The resolution, brought by the Palestinians and which declares Hebron's Old City an area of outstanding universal value, was fast-tracked on the basis that the site was under threat, with the Palestinians accusing Israel of an “alarming” number of violations, including vandalism. On Tuesday in a separate vote, the heritage committee backed a resolution condemning Israeli actions in Jerusalem, sparking Israeli anger. Israel says the Hebron resolution – which refers to the city as Islamic – denies thousands of years of Jewish connection there. Hebron claims to be one of the oldest cities in the world, dating from the chalcolithic period or more than 3,000 years BC, the UNESCO resolution said. In May, Israel reacted furiously after UNESCO passed a separate resolution on Jerusalem, and has recently prevented UNESCO researchers from visiting Hebron. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/07/unesco-declares-hebron-city-world-heritage-site-170707100548525.html

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The Palestine Yearbook 2015

The genocide the world ignores

by Diana Lodge

Everyone should have a copy

of this invaluable resource!

To order the book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=The+Palestine+Yearbook+2015

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See this In Occupied Palestine newsletter at: the PHRC website: www.palestine.org.nz

- and you can check out previous editions by clicking on In Occupied Palestine listed under Contents

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