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Denied Entry

September 4, 2012 By 2 Comments

Guest contribution by Wedad Yassin

On July 3, 2012, I was detained by Israeli police and soldiers in Al-Khalil (Hebron) simply for being Palestinian and walking on the wrong road.

My friends and I were walking in the Old City and found ourselves on Shuhada Street. We were almost at the end of the street when we were stopped and told that we were not allowed. Why?

“Because,” the soldier said, “this road is for Jews and tourists only.”

Reflexively, I pulled out my American passport and flashed my visa and said, “according to your law I am a tourist. Here is my visa.”

The soldier looked back at me with confused eyes. I did not at all fit the description of a “tourist” the way it’s described in the Israeli school system, for example. I am Arab, I am Muslim, and I wear the hijab. Tourist? No. I’m the perfect example of a “threat.”

After seven hours of interrogation, my friends and I were released from the station at midnight, all thanks to the lawyer who helped us and found absolutely no legal basis to preventing Palestinian pedestrians from walking on this road. The only things prohibited—and for no legitimate reason—are Palestinian-owned vehicles.

Again, this experience happened in July, two months ago.

Today I’m sitting in Amman in Jordan, writing this piece far from home because on August 31st, I was denied re-entry into my homeland. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Guest Contribution, Personal Tagged With: , , , ,

Israel’s Ministry of Tourism endorses de facto annexation of West Bank

March 23, 2012 By 2 Comments

One of the main reasons why the “peace process” never panned out the way it was supposed to, according to Israel at least, is because many Palestinians simply do not recognize the State of Israel. Albeit Israel has yet to define its ever-shifting borders, one must question how Israel can demand recognition without even recognizing the existence of Palestinians.

In a map published and presented by Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, the West Bank ceases to exist. Instead, it shows highway routes weaving through a borderless Judea and Samaria — highway routes that Palestinians are typically prevented from using. The only territory marked as Palestinian is the Gaza Strip which looks to be less than 1% of the total mapped territory.

Here is a government website that endorses the de facto annexation of Palestinian land. The next time Israel complains about recognition, ask why it doesn’t even bother recognizing Palestine.

Hat tip to A. Milbes

Sami Kishawi

Filed Under: Analysis, Commentary Tagged With: , ,

The Palestine Entries: The Rafah border crossing

June 21, 2011 By 6 Comments

// Entry #4

Ask anyone who has ever traveled to the Gaza Strip from Cairo; the Rafah border crossing is the most strenuous, most tense, and most taxing experience of the entire trip.

We left Cairo’s newest airport at around 1 a.m. and took a taxi to Mawqaf al-Marj, a rallying point for any individuals traveling to the Gaza Strip. We boarded a red, eight-seater Mercedes Benz diesel engine taxi with three other travelers and began the five hour drive northeast to the border shortly thereafter.

For the most part, the scenery was bleak. Shrubbery, cactus plants, and unfinished cement structures lined the road. We had been traveling for almost twenty hours by now and I was really growing restless. The frequent roadblocks and passport checks weren’t helping. I counted nine Egyptian tanks and a dozen soldiers throughout the course of the drive. [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Palestine Entries Tagged With: , , , ,

Netanyahu’s response to Obama’s speech reveals Israel’s unconditional defiance of international law

May 19, 2011 By 2 Comments

In response to President Barack Obama’s statements concerning American strategy and outlook in Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Obama’s stance on the conflict with the most illogical of arguments. Haaretz published a short article outlining his general response. Provided is the Haaretz article in full, supplemented by the reality that Netanyahu’s administration chooses to ignore.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday Israel would object to any withdrawal to “indefensible” borders, adding he expected Washington to allow it to keep major settlement blocs in any peace deal.

The first sentence of this article reveals Israel’s true role in the ‘peace process’. While the anti-Palestinian narrative involves blaming Hamas’ existence for the repeated failures of the most recent peace talks, it has purposely ignored Israel’s continued defiance of both humanitarian law as well as American policy. The United States has repeatedly called on Israel to end all settlement building within the West Bank on the basis that it directly contradicts humanitarian and international law. Striking up a peace deal does not elevate Israel above the law. Settlement building is illegal and it is clear that it remains a source for continued conflict. Even if peace talks continue to fall through, Israel should comply with the law and Netanyahu’s administration should not expect to keep any settlement blocs.

In a statement after President Barack Obama’s speech outlining Middle East strategy, Netanyahu said before heading to Washington that “the viability of a Palestinian state cannot come at the expense of Israel’s existence”.

Establishing a formally-recognized Palestinian state does nothing to Israel’s existence, especially if relegated to the 1967 borders. However, unless Israel’s existence is predicated on occupation, illegal land grabs, and the destruction of a Palestinian identity, than yes, a Palestinian state will come at the expense of Israel’s existence because the occupation, the land grabbing, and the destruction of Palestinian culture and identity will be forced to end, most likely under threat of UN-regulated sanctions. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Commentary, News Tagged With: , , , ,
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