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Summary of new UN investigation of latest Israeli assault on Gaza

December 19, 2012 By 1 Comment

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (UN OCHA oPt) just published a 35-page initial rapid assessment of Israel’s latest invasion of Gaza which officially spanned eight days starting on November 14, 2012. The investigation more formally known as the Multi-Agency Initial Rapid Assessment of Gaza was conducted just days after a ceasefire brought relative calm to the territory.

The publishing of the report caps Phase 2 of a four-phase emergency assessment and action plan that UN agencies and Gaza-based NGOs have implemented. The report can be found in full here (PDF).

Here is a summary of the investigation’s findings (emphasis is my own):

  • The 8-day assault began following Israel’s assassination of Ahmed Al-Jabari, acting chief of Hamas’ armed wing. Israel followed with repeated air strikes, naval shelling, and tank fire. Palestinians responded with rocket fire.
  • According to the UN’s latest casualty counts, 103 Palestinian civilians were killed and 1,399 injured. There is no confirmed count for Palestinian resistance fighters. Four Israeli civilians were killed and 224 injured. Two Israeli soldiers were also confirmed dead.
  • Israel destroyed or severely damaged 450 homes in the Gaza Strip. This statistic does not concern non-residential buildings. 8,000 homes suffered lesser damage.
  • 14,920 Palestinians in Gaza became Internally Displaced Persons, including 12,000 who fled to UN-operated buildings or government-run schools. (Ironically, Israel targeted these very same institutions in its previous full-scale invasion in 2008-2009). Entire small communities (towns and refugee camps) claimed 100% displacement rates, meaning every family was forced to flee. [Read more...]
Filed Under: Analysis Tagged With: , , ,

Netanyahu’s thought process before bringing a bomb diagram to the UN

September 28, 2012 By 1 Comment

Netanyahu showed up to the General Assembly of the United Nations with a folding diagram of a round bomb to make an equally dramatic slash comical point about Iran’s duck of a nuclear program. An unnamed source just sent us this writeup of Netanyahu’s thought process, complete with embedded thoughts and personal revelations.

Okay, today is the day. I think I will wear a different blue tie today. Perfect, this is the one. Lighter and brighter than Obama’s. And now to make my speech lighter and brighter than his. I have to come up with something so wild and intellectually stimulating, something that’ll make the cut for Ynet’s unbelievably high standards.

I’m stumped. You know, this is my fault really. I set the bar way too high with my duck analogy. They warned me that I wouldn’t be able to top it and, well, look. Here I am, sitting alone in my room wondering how I’m going to tie this tie and how I’m going to crash the UN with an epic performance that rivals the fake compassion and the phony pledge for peace that I normally give.

Hm, maybe I can say something honest. Imagine the headline: “Israeli PM admits to inhumane slaughter of hundreds in Gaza”. Or this one: “Sabra hummus a global embarrassment, Netanyahu admits”. Babyboy, please. Who am I kidding. The UN is no place for honesty.

How about acknowledging the occupa— okay Bibster, let’s not take it that far ever again. Imagine the look on Vicky Nuland’s face as Matt Lee throws up a quote of me thanking Congress for generously bankrolling my very own military occupation. Talk about damage control. [Read more...]

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

Breaking: Activists shut down UN building to raise awareness about Palestinian hunger strikers

May 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Update: The UN has released a statement in response to the demonstration. It can be found here. Details can be found below.

Demonstrators in Ramallah surrounded a United Nations building in Ramallah to demand attention to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

At 7:30 AM, about 25 youth activists reportedly blocked access into and out of the UN Ramallah Common Premises building. Later reports indicate upwards of 40 demonstrators involved in this morning’s action. A few minutes into the action, the hashtag #UNclosed began to trend worldwide on Twitter.

Palestinian Authority police officers arrived at the scene at about 7:50 AM. According to Ahmad Nimer, one of the demonstrators, the police officers outnumbered the activists and threatened to use force to move the demonstrators from the scene. The police have not yet made any moves.

The action transitioned into full-fledged sit-in outside of the UN building’s gates and doors. Eyewitness accounts say that UN employees were having difficulty getting inside the building but some are said to have found passage through doors that were not blocked.

Khader Adnan, who was recently released after going on a 66-day hunger strike, telephoned the demonstrators to express his support and to further demand an end to Israel’s illegal detention of Palestinians without charge.

An announcement from the upper management informed UN staff members that they will not be working from within the building today. It is unclear whether staff members were given the day off or if they were instructed to work from home. Meanwhile, demonstrators announced plans to remain at the UN building until 5:00 PM. Linah Alsaafin explains more about the purpose of the demonstration here:

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The attendance increased three hours into the demonstration as community members began to join in on the sit-in. Many of these individuals are reported to be relatives of imprisoned Palestinians.

The protesters delivered a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

Activists in Amman, Jordan, also took part in a solidarity action at a local UN building, according to Ola Al-Tamimi.

At about 5:27 PM, the UN official Twitter account tweeted the following message:

The UN released an official statement just hours after the demonstration, stressing “the importance of averting any further deterioration in the condition of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody who are on hunger strike”. The full text can be found here.

Currently, between 2000 and 2500 Palestinian prisoners are on an open-ended hunger strike that has just entered into its 23nd day. Two individuals, Thaer Halahleh and Bilal Diab, have both entered day 72 of their hunger strikes.

The prisoners and their supporters have released a list of demands which can be found here: ‘A Situation Room on the Issue of the Mass Hunger Strike‘.

Here are some images from the scene:


(Source)


(Source)

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Activism, News Tagged With: , , , ,

Obama crosses the line: A list of US ‘pressures’ on Israel

November 9, 2011 By 1 Comment

The U.S. Speaker of the House has had enough. According to Haaretz, Republican John Boehner, a staunch supporter of everything Israeli, declared his disapproval of the current administration’s policies, stating that Barack Obama’s pressure on Israel crosses the line.

To better understand Boehner’s mindset, I decided to compile a non-comprehensive list of pressures Obama is allegedly directing towards Israel.

In 2011, under the policies implemented by the Obama Administration, each American taxpayer will have paid $21.59 in military aid to Israel.

By the end of the 2011 fiscal year, Obama will have given Israel $3 billion in foreign military financing. By the end of Obama’s four years as President, he will have given Israel between $11.41 and $12 billion in military aid alone. This is enough to provide over 9.2 million Americans with guaranteed primary care for ten years.

Since 2007, military aid to Israel has increased by roughly $150 million every year, and the Obama administration has yet to alter this policy in any way.

In March 2010, Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met for a private meeting. Obama proposed a plan to Netanyahu that involved halting settlement building. Netanyahu responded with a flowchart diagram demonstrating that permission for settlement expansion does not go directly through him and that, as a result, he lacks knowledge of these plans and is unable to adequately intervene. Settlement building continues today.

In 2009, Obama ordered a 10-month settlement freeze during which he allowed Israel to immediately construct 3,000 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem and to further expand illegal settlements and outposts in the West Bank. By the end of the freeze, Israel had begun construction on 1,600 more housing units in Jerusalem. [Read more...]

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

Reporter stumps State Department spokeswoman on US cutting funds to UNESCO (video and full transcript)

October 31, 2011 By 8 Comments

Watch as reporter Matthew Lee with the Associated Press grills State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on the United States’ apparent disappointment with the UNESCO vote that welcomed Palestine as its newest full member state. The questions are straightforward and logical, and it becomes clear that the Obama administration is only concerned with Israel’s one-sided demands. The spokesperson eventually ends the questioning after being unable to address even the most basic loopholes in the United States’ stance.

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Victoria Nuland: Today’s vote by the member states of UNESCO to admit Palestine as a member is regrettable, premature, and undermines our shared goal of a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East. The United States remains steadfast in its support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state. But such a state can only be realized through direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The United States also remains strongly committed to robust multilateral engagement across the UN system. However, Palestinian membership as a state in UNESCO triggers longstanding legislative restrictions which will compel the United States to refrain from making contributions to UNESCO. US engagement with UNESCO serves a wide range of our national interests on education, science, culture, and communications issues. The US will maintain its membership in and committment to UNESCO, and we will consult with Congress to ensure that US interests and influence are preserved.

Reporter: Does that mean that you have stopped, effectively, today contributing to UNESCO?

Victoria Nuland: It does. [Read more...]

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , , ,

UNESCO votes Palestine in, US pushes UNESCO out

October 31, 2011 By 1 Comment
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voted Monday voted in favor of admitting Palestine as a full member. Although I am not an ardent supporter of Mahmoud Abbas’ bid for statehood (I’m of the opinion that we don’t need to “bid” for self-autonomy), I am touched by the growing international support for the Palestinian cause. Those hostile to the idea of a sovereign Palestine typically frame the country and its people as a threat to the entire world, so it is both refreshing and relieving to see nations from every corner of the world prove otherwise. [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Opinion Tagged With: , ,

Israel pulls Jersey Shore-like stunt on Turkey

September 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Is it just me, or does Israel’s latest political strategy sound more like reality television?

From Haaretz (and I invite you to view the featured image and the equally ridiculous caption):

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released on Friday a statement regarding Foreign Minister Avidgor Lieberman’s “plan” to take retaliatory steps against Turkey.

According to a report in Yedioth Ahronoth, Lieberman assembled a team in charge of retaliating against Turkey. According to the report, the team recommended to Lieberman that Israel should cooperate with the terrorist organization PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) and even consider supplying it with weapons. Another suggestion was to offer assistance to the Armenians and file UN reports against Turkey for violating human rights of Turkey’s minorities.

In other words, Israel and Turkey were once friends, but the relationship hasn’t been the same since Israel not-so-covertly shot and killed nine Turkish nationals during 2010′s Flotilla attempt. With Turkey at the forefront of shifting political leverage in the Middle East, Israel’s government feels compelled to make a stand for itself in what appears to be a dramatically childish attempt to undermine Turkey’s authority. Not that I watch Jersey Shore or anything, but I’m fairly certain The Situation pulled this same move on Snooki in the fourth season. [Read more...]

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

Israel’s one-sided, ‘liberal’ housing protest is not a movement worth joining or even championing

July 31, 2011 By 10 Comments

Gali Tibbon / AFP

Over 150,000 Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv yesterday, joining the thousands more protesting the policies behind soaring housing prices in Israel. Unfortunately, and with all due respect, the movement in its current state is flawed and deserves to be recognized as such until it demands an end to all unfair civil policies in Israel, including the ones targeting Arabs.

The demonstrations began on 14 July 2011 when dozens of Israeli citizens pitched tents in central Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to protest the high costs of housing and basic living expenses. In the two weeks following the establishment of these tent cities, the protests grew much larger in both participation and scope due in part to increased media attention as well as growing frustration with the government’s refusal to meet the protesters’ demands.

No longer are protesters focusing their efforts on just the expensive costs of owning a home. The message now brings attention to poor working conditions, high costs of education, unaffordable food expenses, and rising gas prices. According to one unnamed protester interviewed for a Russian Times newscast, “it’s becoming impossible to live here [in Israel].”

This is true – but only if it refers to everybody, Israelis and non-Israelis alike.

Rallying for social justice is a noble concept, an ideal one at that. But if the grassroots movement ignores specific aspects of social progress or limits justice to a certain group of people, especially when the issue lies so central to the political messes Israel finds itself in, it is not a movement worth joining or even championing. [Read more...]

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

The Palestine Entries: Photos of Beit Lahya after intense shelling

June 29, 2011 By 4 Comments

// Entry #15

A cloudless blue sky engulfed the city and a cool sea breeze kept me awake during the long car ride to the northernmost parts of the Gaza Strip. I was headed to Beit Lahya near the coast to gather photographic evidence of the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead. Beit Lahya and its surrounding areas were the hardest hit regions in Gaza, targeted first during the aerial invasion and subsequently leveled to the ground during the land offensive.

Together with an assortment of family members, we began our drive through the outskirts of town. Most of the land was flat and covered with sand, grass, and short rows of domesticated crops. The area appeared almost entirely depopulated and one of the few visible signs of civilization was a row of concrete pillars jutting upwards from the earth.

The driver informed us that the pillars once held the roof of a prestigious school, the American International School in Gaza, funded by the United States. Prior to the invasion, the school attracted the brightest students in the Gaza Strip, but it was hit so often during Israel’s air and ground assault that the entire structure aside from the row of pillars was wiped to the ground. Not a single wall remained standing. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Photo Set, The Palestine Entries, Visual Arts Tagged With: , , ,

The Palestine Entries: ‘Vittorio, we miss you’

June 23, 2011 By 1 Comment

// Entry #7

Virtually every street in Gaza is lined with beautiful graffiti, much of which directly references the occupation with an empowering phrase, a short prayer in honor of a shaheed, or a mural of a heroic figure involved in the struggle for Palestinian self-sovereignty. This is one of the latest pieces, drawn in the same neighborhood as the busy al-Quds Hospital, the United Nations’ Gaza headquarters, and the site of some of the first buildings to be hit by heavy shelling in the 2008-2009 invasion.

There are conflicting reports on how exactly he was murdered. Word on the street varies depending on the source’s political allegiance. Regardless, the entire population of Gaza continues to mourn the death of one of their own.

In commemoration of Vittorio Arrigoni, 1975 to 2011, who was murdered championing the Palestinian cause.

Sami Kishawi

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