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CRY FREEDOM.net
formerly known as
Women's Liberation Front
MORE INSIGHT MORE LIFE
Welcome to cryfreedom.net,
formerly known as Womens
Liberation Front.
A website
that hopes to draw and keeps your attention for both the global 21th. century 3rd. feminist revolution as well
as especially for the Zan, Zendegi, Azadi uprising in Iran and the
struggles of our sisters in other parts of the Middle East. This online magazine
that started December 2019 will
be published every week. Thank you for your time and interest.
Gino d'Artali
indept investigative
journalist
radical feminist and women's rights activist
'WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM'
You are now at the section on what is happening in the rest of the Middle
east
(Updates
Sept. 4, 2024)
Click here for the
Iran 'Woman, Life, Freedom' section Updated
Sept
3, 2024
For the 'Women's Arab Spring 1.2' Revolt
news
click here
Updated Sept. 2, 2024
CLICK HERE ON HOW TO READ
ALL ON THIS PAGE
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SPECIAL
REPORTS PALESTINE
FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA - FREE PALESTINE
Sept wk1 P3 -- Sept
wk1 P2 --
Sept wk1 --
August wk4 P3 -- August
wk4 P2 -- August
wk 4 -- August
wk3 P3 -- August
wk3 bis2 -- August
wk3bis -- Click here for an overview by week in 2024
When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi
figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da
qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so
called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.
Al Jazeera - Sept 4, 2024 - By Ruwaida Amer
<<Back to school - but not for the 625,000 students of Gaza
A teacher in Gaza reflects on how the first day of school used to bring
excitement to students, parents and teachers.
The start of the school year in Gaza is special, marked by a palpable
excitement in the air as thousands of students gear up for a new
academic journey. Many eagerly look forward to inching closer to the
futures they've always dreamed of. As a teacher, I deeply miss the start
of the new school year. I would feel like a student myself, with that
sense of anticipation for the first day back - excited to meet my new
fifth-grade students. A week or two before the start of school I used to
renew my energy by buying stationery, gifts and equipment for my
lessons. I took a lot of care putting together a new study plan that
made science less rigid and more fun for my students. The markets would
be crowded with parents and their children, there to pick out school
uniforms and stationery. Children would be asking for their favourite
stationery. Gaza had many popular stationery shops including Pens and
Pins, where every child dreamed of buying their school supplies. That
shop brought so much joy to so many children, it was like a close
friend. On their first day of school, children are always beaming, as if
the sun is shining out of their faces, bringing a smile to everyone's
face.
I used to shop for new clothes as well because I loved to meet my
students looking nice. After three months of summer vacation, students
would be excited to return to school and resume their daily routines. I
miss my school and its daily routine.
'I miss washing school uniforms'
All of this disappeared because of the war. We still can't believe that
we've lost everything in this war on Gaza. There is a deep sense of
sadness among the parents and students. Instead of getting back to
school, at least 625,000 children are out of school. "I haven't stopped
crying since the beginning of August - the month at the end of the
summer vacation", Lina al-Saadi, 37, a displaced mother from Gaza City,
tells me. Lina has four children who she would normally be preparing for
school. "What saddens me the most is thinking about my daughter, Kenzi,
who was supposed to be in the first grade. I would think about how her
school uniform would look and what I would do with her hair each morning
to make her look beautiful." Lina adds. She now lives in a tent where
her daughter spends most of her day playing in the sand while her three
sons search for water.
"They have lost their education, their lives and everything they love.
When I look at those tents near the camp and hear the sound of children
studying inside, I cry. Is this what we dreamed of for our children? To
end up in a tent, sitting on the sand, studying this way?" In a voice
barely audible from the depth of her sadness, Lina says: "I miss making
school sandwiches every morning. I miss washing school uniforms and
spending the whole day thinking about what I will prepare for them for
lunch. I miss looking forward to Fridays to rest from waking up early
every day to prepare them for school. I miss gathering them around me to
study for exams and refusing social invitations during the exam period.
I miss being a mother with children in school. Now, I am in a tent,
struggling to find water and figuring out how to cook on the fire. This
is a monotonous, terrifying routine with the ongoing war, bombings and
displacement from one place to another."
Lina isn't the only one sad over her children losing their education.
Samar Barbakh, 32, a mother of two from Gaza City's Tal al-Hawa
neighbourhood, also reflects on what her daughter Masa, a second-grader,
and son Saeed, a third-grader, are missing. "I used to take my children
to school and walk a little by the sea on the way home. I miss that a
lot. We mothers feel a different sense of responsibility during the
school year. We have different tasks, not just cooking, cleaning and
housework. Days pass without any hope of ending this war. Our children's
future is slipping away," Samar weeps.
'I can't believe that we will lose this year, too'
Rima al-Kurd, 11 and a seventh-grader, says she misses her mathematics
teacher, Salma, the most. "I love her so much; she's very kind and used
to give us goodbye gifts at the end of the school year. I miss break
time when I would sit with my friends, and we would laugh. This war is
very long and terrible. Every day, my mum tells me it will stop soon,
but it doesn't. I can't believe we'll lose this year, too. I always pray
for the war to stop so I can return to my home in Rafah. I don't like
going to classes in tents. I only love school, and I understand my
lessons there. I want to return to it and hope this war will end soon."
More than 85 percent (477 out of 564) of Gaza's school buildings have
been destroyed by Israel's continuing bombardment.
Students have been deprived of a full academic year, and now the world
is beginning a new school year without Gaza.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA>> and read more here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2024/9/4/back-to-school-but-not-for-the-625000-students-of-gaza
Al Jazeera - Sept 4, 2024
<<Israeli forces using ‘war-like’ tactics in occupied West Bank: UN
Israeli forces are using "lethal war-like tactics" in the occupied West
Bank, according to the UN's humanitarian agency. The Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement on
Wednesday that Israeli attacks have killed more than two dozen people
over the past week or so, including children. The continuing raids,
mostly concentrated on the Tulkarem and Jenin refugee camps, constitute
Israel's largest assault on the occupied territory since the second
Intifada in the early 2000s. The raids have seen significant violence
and numerous arrests, while roads and other infrastructure have been
destroyed by Israeli military bulldozers. OCHA said it had mobilised
organisations from the UN and beyond to assess the damage and
humanitarian needs on the ground. Visiting Tulkarem on Saturday, the
teams confirmed the displacement of 120 people, including more than 40
children, whose homes were destroyed, the statement said. "At the time
of the assessment, 13,000 people in Nur Shams refugee camp experienced
water cut-offs, attributed to damages caused to the water network, and
sewage overflow was observed. The teams also noted that the population
was traumatized and in need of psychosocial support," OCHA said. A
similar assessment team was denied access to Jenin by the Israeli
authorities on Wednesday. "OCHA warns that access impediments are
impacting the ability to provide meaningful humanitarian response. The
movement of ambulances and medical teams has been impeded and delayed
since the onset of the now-week-long operation. Humanitarian access must
always be facilitated," the statement said. Israeli military's latest
assault in Jenin is in its eighth day, and the third day in Tulkarem,
where Israeli forces are inflicting "widespread destruction", according
to the Wafa news agency. Citing its correspondents on the ground, the
agency said Israeli forces dropped bombs on the refugee camp, sparking
fires in al-Shamaliya neighbourhood. Israeli snipers were stationed on
tall buildings, while spy drones flew and bulldozers damaged
infrastructure, with "no street or alley left without destruction", Wafa
reported.
A siege of al-Israa and Thabet school was also continuing, it added.
Al Jazeera's team on the ground also reported an ongoing Israeli raid in
the Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah. Sources said that dozens
of Palestinians have been detained and questioned in local community
centres.
At least 20 Palestinians have also been rounded up from Beit Surik. Most
returned after they were interrogated.
Other raids were reported in Qalqilya, Nablus with a focus on Balata and
Askar refugee camps, as well as al-Khader town south of Bethlehem and
al-Azza refugee camp north of the city.
Israeli security forces have besieged Hebron for a fourth day running
and more checkpoints and gates have been erected.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES>>
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/4/israeli-forces-using-war-like-tactics-in-occupied-west-bank-ocha
BBC - Sept 4, 2024 - By Robert Greenall
<<Family of aid worker killed in Gaza call for inquiry
The family of a British aid worker killed in Gaza in April has urged the
government to launch an independent legal inquiry into his death.
James Kirby was one of three Britons killed in Israeli drone strikes on
an aid convoy run by the World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity.
Ahead of a memorial service for Mr Kirby at Bristol Cathedral on
Wednesday, the family also criticised the government for not being in
touch since his death and expressed their "surprise" at not receiving
any contact or condolence from Israel's ambassador to the UK or any
Israeli official since the attack. In a statement to the BBC, a
spokesperson for Israel's embassy in London called the incident <a
tragic mistake> and expressed their <deepest sorrow> to James's family,
adding that the IDF dismissed two people following an investigation into
the incident. Speaking on behalf of the family, James’s cousin, Louise
Kirby, said: "There must be a proper, independent inquiry into this
attack on innocent aid workers, and for the evidence to be assessed, if
appropriate, in a relevant court of law. However, unfortunately,
families have had no contact from the UK Government since James and his
colleagues' deaths, nor have we received any information as to whether a
credible, independent investigation is taking place; or of the results
of any investigation if it has taken place." She added: "I very much
hope the prime minister will take our concerns seriously and instigate
an appropriate, independent or legal inquiry - not only so we can have
transparency and accountability, but so that other British citizens and
their families know that their government will act for them, if a
foreign state unlawfully kills their loved ones." James Kirby, 47, a
former serviceman, was one of seven killed in the air strikes on an aid
convoy run by WCK on 1 April. Two other Britons - John Chapman, 57, and
James Henderson, 33 - were also killed. They were providing security for
the convoy moving food to a warehouse in Gaza. The IDF has said a drone
operator mistakenly targeted the convoy after thinking it had been taken
over by Hamas gunmen. Three missiles were fired in three locations over
five minutes. The first missile hit a car and some passengers escaped to
another vehicle. That was then hit by a second missile. Some survivors
tried to flee in a third car which was also struck. Everyone in the
convoy was killed. After an internal investigation, the IDF sacked two
officers and formally reprimanded two senior commanders. The evidence
from the investigation was passed to the military advocate general - the
Israeli army's top legal authority - to determine if there had been any
criminal conduct. A spokesperson for Israel's embassy in London said:
<This incident was a tragic mistake and we express our deepest sorrow to
James Kirby's family, the other bereaved families, including those of
John Chapman and James Henderson, and the entire World Central Kitchen
team, who were doing such vital work in extremely challenging
circumstances. As outlined by the IDF's Fact-Finding and Assessment
Mechanism (FFAM) in the in-depth independent investigation, conducted
following the incident, a serious failure was made due to a mistaken
identification as well as errors in decision-making. In light of this, a
brigade fire support commander and brigade chief of staff were
dismissed. Once again, we express our deepest condolences and sorrow to
the families of the bereaved and the WCK team.> In the wake of the
attack, the then-Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, called for a "thorough and
transparent independent investigation" into what had happened.
In the statement, Louise Kirby thanked friends and supporters -
including WCK - for their support. She said the family had been touched
to receive personal letters of condolence from the King and Queen and
the former Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron. But she said "the murder" of
James and his fellow aid workers was "a diabolical tragedy" and the
family were "still struggling to find answers and accountability for
what happened".
She said that, given Israel had said the strikes were an accident, the
family had been surprised not to have had any contact or message of
condolence from Israel’s ambassador to the UK, nor from any Israeli
official. "Any family of a loved one who has been killed needs closure.
We need to understand how this disaster could have happened," she said.
"But this is not just about us. This is about how Britain looks after
its own citizens and their families, when a British citizen has been
unlawfully killed by another state." Ms Kirby added: "We appreciate the
compassion and respect we have been shown, but we must also have
transparency and accountability. How did this happen? Who is
responsible? What accountability did they face? Just saying 'sorry it
was an accident' is not enough. We need to know, and we need to know
there has been accountability at all levels, so it never happens again."
A government spokesman said the bereaved families were being supported
by police liaison support officers who were <regular contact> with the
Foreign Office. <The death of James and his fellow aid workers was
horrific and our thoughts remain with their families,> the spokesperson
said. <Attacks on aid workers are never justified and we remain fully
committed to their protection as they support some of the most
vulnerable people in the world. There must be an immediate ceasefire to
protect civilians and aid workers, secure the release of all hostages
and ensure much more aid gets into Gaza. Israel must guarantee the
protection of aid workers and ensure a tragedy like this cannot happen
again.>
The spokesperson did not address the families' demand for an independent
inquiry.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's
unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October during which about
1,200 were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according
to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.>>
Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y8zp8zdpzo
Al Jazeera - Sept 3, 2024
<<Journalist presses State Department for answers on arms sales to
Israel
A journalist pressed US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on
the UK’s decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel, asking how the
US has not reached similar conclusions about possible violations of
international law.>>
Source and view video here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/9/3/journalist-presses-state-department-for-answers-on-arms-sales-to-israel
Al Jazeera - Sept 3, 2024
<<Arrests, violence reported in occupied West Bank as Israeli raids
persist
Dozens reported killed, injured and arrested as Israeli forces continue
to attack Jenin and Tulkarem refugee camps.
Israeli forces in Jenin
Arrests, violence and destruction have been reported as the Israeli
military continued to mount raids across the occupied West Bank. Israel
continued its raid on the Jenin refugee camp for a seventh day on
Tuesday while carrying out operations across various parts of the
territory. Reports say one civilian was killed and dozens arrested,
while Palestinian groups said they are fighting with Israeli forces.
Israel says it has killed 14 fighters in Jenin since it launched the
raid last Wednesday and arrested 25 more. Palestinian health officials
said at least 29 people have been killed, including five children. The
Palestinian Prisoner's Society reported that 22 people were arrested
across the West Bank over the last 24 hours. The Palestine Red Crescent
Society (PRCS) posted a video on X, accusing the Israeli military of
blocking its ambulances from reaching the injured in Jenin. The Jenin
Battalion of al-Quds Brigades, part of the armed wing of the Palestinian
Islamic Jihad group, said its fighters are confronting Israeli forces
using guns and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In posts on the
Telegram messaging app, it said it had achieved "direct hits" on Israeli
troops. The Associated Press news agency quoted Mohannad Hajj Hussein, a
Jenin resident, as saying electricity and water supplies were cut off.
"We are ready to live by candlelight and we will feed our children from
our bodies and teach them resistance and steadfastness in this land," he
said. "We will rebuild what the occupation destroyed and we will not
kneel."
Jenin
To the south in the Tulkarem refugee camp, Israeli forces conducted a
raid for the second time this week. A Palestinian teenager was killed by
an Israeli sniper, according to the Wafa news agency, which identified
the victim as Mohamed Kanaan. Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim, reporting from
Tulkarem, said the minor was shot in the neck as he was going to a
mosque with his father for prayers. His father was injured in the
abdomen in the incident, she added. "Palestinians say Israeli forces
have raided the area over and over again and are still there. The roads
are empty and people are scared," she added. Footage shared online, and
verified by Al Jazeera, shows Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers
driving on the streets.
According to Wafa, Israeli forces have imposed a curfew on the camp,
preventing residents from leaving or entering. Elsewhere in the West
Bank, the Israeli army was reported to have stormed Birzeit University,
north of Ramallah, confiscating <properties and publications>. A young
man was injured in a raid in Qalqilya, a city in the northwest of the
territory, after Israeli forces opened fire. Two homes were also
demolished by Israeli army bulldozers in the town of az-Zawiya. Five
people were arrested in the Hebron towns of Idhna and Beit Ummar.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES>>
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/3/arrests-violence-reported-in-occupied-west-bank-as-israeli-raids-persist
Al Jazeera - Sept 2, 2024
<<Inside Story
Hezbollah and Israel attacks: What's the risk of a wider conflict?
Missiles and drones fired by both sides across the Lebanese-Israeli
border.>>
View video and read more here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/inside-story/2024/9/3/hezbollah-and-israel-attacks-whats-the-risk-of-a-wider-conflict
Al Jazeera - Sept 2, 2024
<<Hamas says Gaza captives will return 'in coffins' if Israel continues
raids
Group's armed wing Qassam Brigades issues statement, two days after
bodies of six captives are recovered from a Gaza tunnel by Israeli
forces.
The armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas says captives held in Gaza
would return to Israel "in coffins" if Israeli military pressure
continues, warning that <new instructions> had been given to its
fighters guarding the captives in case Israeli troops approach.
"[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's insistence on freeing the
captives through military pressure instead of reaching a deal means they
will go back to their families in coffins. Their families have to choose
between receiving them dead or alive," Abu Obeida, spokesman for the
Qassam Brigades, said in a statement on Monday, two days after the
bodies of six captives were recovered by Israel. "Netanyahu and the army
are fully responsible for the death of the captives after they
intentionally hindered any prisoners' exchange deal," it said. The
statement from the Qassam Brigades came shortly after Netanyahu said the
six captives whose bodies were recovered from a tunnel in southern
Gaza's Rafah area had been "executed" by Hamas.
<I ask for your forgiveness for not bringing them back alive,> Netanyahu
said during a televised news conference earlier on Monday as protests
over the deaths continued for a second day in Israel. <We were close,
but we didn't succeed. Hamas will pay a very heavy price for this,> he
added.
Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq said the six captives were killed
in Israeli air strikes.
Strike raises pressure on Israeli PM as US prepares 'final' ceasefire
deal
Meanwhile, protests in Israel over the deaths of the captives continued
with angry demonstrators saying they could have been returned alive if
Netanyahu's government had signed a ceasefire with Hamas. However,
political analyst Akiva Eldar told Al Jazeera that a nationwide strike
in Israel on Monday and rising public anger will not make a real
difference to end the war in Gaza and free the captives. "It seems that
for Netanyahu, the alternative - which is his personal, political and
personal life - is more important than the lives of the Israeli
captives," Eldar said, adding that despite a large number of protesters,
"the Israeli right and radical right" who support the government "have
the upper hand". <The government and the prime minister are now on the
defensive,> Ori Goldberg, an expert on Israeli politics, told Al Jazeera.
<This is about momentum now.>
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden also said Netanyahu was not doing
enough to secure a deal for the release of the captives. Speaking to
reporters at the White House on Monday, Biden was asked whether he
thought Netanyahu was doing enough to reach a deal. Biden said, <No.> He
did not elaborate. Months of stop-start negotiations mediated by the
United States, Qatar and Egypt have so far failed to reach an accord on
a Gaza ceasefire proposal laid out by Biden in May. Hamas wants an
agreement to end the war and get Israeli forces out of Gaza while
Netanyahu says the war can only end once Hamas is defeated. Alon Pinkas,
a former Israeli ambassador and government adviser, told Al Jazeera that
it is Netanyahu who <absolutely has no interest in a hostage deal or
ceasefire. <Those who are shocked and devastated and angered about what
happened should not be surprised because this is exactly what the
[Israeli] defence minister [Yoav Gallant] and all of us were warning
would happen,> Pinkas said. "His [Netanyahu's] and only his reluctance
to engage in a deal is what made all this happen.>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES>>
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/2/hamas-says-gaza-captives-will-return-in-coffins-if-israel-continues-raids
Jinha - Womens News Agency - Sept 3 , 2024
<<158,992 children in Gaza receive polio vaccinations
158,992 children in Gaza received polio vaccinations within two days of
the start of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, the Gaza's health
ministry said in a statement on Monday.
News Center- 158,992 children received polio vaccinations in the central
area of the Gaza Strip within two days of the start of the United
Nations vaccination campaign against polio, the Gaza's health ministry
said in a statement late on Monday. The vaccination campaign started on
September 1, in central Gaza, with a "humanitarian pause" lasting from 6
a.m. until 3 p.m. The vaccination campaign targets 640,000 children
under 10.
The vaccination campaign against polio started on the evening of August
31 for children under 10 in the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza
Strip, continues.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/158-992-children-in-gaza-receive-polio-vaccinations-35617
Al Jazeera - Sept 2, 2024
<<Palestinian dies an hour after Israel arrests him from occupied West
Bank
The 58-year-old man's body was handed over to the Palestine Red Crescent
Society amid intensified Israeli attacks on the Palestinian territory.
Israeli troops have handed the body of a Palestinian man who was
arrested about an hour earlier in the occupied West Bank to the
Palestinian health authorities. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said
on Monday that it had received the body of 58-year-old Ayman Rajeh Abed,
from Kafr Dan village outside Jenin, shortly after he was arrested at
dawn on Monday. The director of the Jenin Government Hospital said the
body bore signs of beatings and torture. The Israeli military said Abed
was detained during <counterterrorism> operations and experienced a
<cardiac event> on arrival at a detention centre. It added that he was
initially treated by medical staff from the military before being
transferred to the hospital in Jenin. <[Israel's army] is aware of
reports that the suspect died during his evacuation by the Red
Crescent,> the military said in a statement, adding that details of the
incident were under review. The incident came as Israeli forces expanded
their operations in the city of Jenin and the surrounding areas for a
sixth day. Bulldozers continued to dig up streets and major
thoroughfares on Monday. Israel launched the operation, one of the
largest in months, last Wednesday, saying Iranian-backed fighter groups
were planning to attack civilian targets. Hundreds of Israeli troops
backed by drones and helicopters have taken part in the assault. At
least 29 Palestinians have been killed, with Israel claiming they were
members of armed factions including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic
Jihad. Another 121 people have been wounded, according to Palestinian
health authorities. The assault has caused extensive damage to houses
and infrastructure in Jenin and the densely-packed refugee camp adjacent
to the city.
'Collective punishment'
Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Kafr Dan, said that
Palestinians have described Israel's actions in Jenin as "collective
punishment. They say Israel wants to show that Palestinians would pay a
heavy price for supporting armed fighters - those who pick up arms and
try to combat Israeli forces while they are raiding Palestinian homes,
refugee camps and cities," she said.
Late on Sunday, a man was killed in the west of Jenin city. On Monday,
the Palestine Red Crescent Society said another man was hit in the chest
by gunfire in Qabatiya near Jenin. His condition was described as
serious.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES>>
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/2/palestinian-dies-an-hour-after-israel-arrested-him-from-occupied-west-bank
And....
<<Israeli forces return body of Palestinian man an hour after his arrest
Israeli forces arrested Ayman Abed, a 58-year-old Palestinian from the
occupied West Bank, and returned his body to his family an hour later.
Doctors said he died as a result of beatings and torture. Al Jazeera’s
Nida Ibrahim visited his home.>>
View video here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/9/2/israeli-forces-return-body-of-palestinian-man-an-hour-after-his-arrest
France 24 - Sept 2, 2024 - By: Louis CHAHUNEAU
<<'We're not afraid': French-Palestinian family fights for West Bank
land seized by Israeli settlers
A French-Palestinian family in the Makhrour valley in the West Bank has
been campaigning for years against the expropriation of their land.
Israeli settlers seized the land by force at the end of July amid a
drastic acceleration of settlements in the Palestinian territory since
the start of the war in Gaza. It was a restaurant appreciated for its
cuisine and friendliness in the West Bank town of Beit Jala. "The place
is beautiful, the food succulent and the owners are adorable [...]. If
you're passing through Beit Jala, a stop at Al Makhrour is a must," a
comment from 2015 reads on its Facebook page. In this Catholic valley
west of Bethlehem, which in 2014 became a UNESCO World Heritage Site due
to its its olive groves and vineyards, the Kisiya family's restaurant is
nothing more than a pile of ruins topped by fences. Israeli settlers
backed by the army seized the 5,000 square-metre plot on July 31 and
evicted the French-Palestinian family on the grounds they did not own
it. "We are being targeted because we reject the government's Zionist
policy," said Michelle Kisiya, a 54-year-old French-Israeli woman, in a
phone call with FRANCE 24. Kisiya's Palestinian husband, Ramzi, had
inherited the land. In 2001 he opened a restaurant there with his wife
and their four children. At first there was no electricity, but then
solar panels solved the problem. For years, hundreds of tourists passing
through Bethlehem stopped there for a salad before continuing their hike
in the green valleys. The establishment was so successful that the
family decided to add on a house in 2012, which was also used as a
chapel for religious festivals. Since Israel's occupation of the West
Bank began in 1967, almost 500,000 Israelis have settled amid the 3
million Palestinians living in the territory. For a long time, the
Makhrour valley was untouched by uncontrolled settlements, but the
trouble began in 2012 when an Israeli outpost - a settlement not
authorised by the government – was built there. The Kisiya family did
not have a valid building permit for their house, and their restaurant
was destroyed for the first time. A spokesman for the regional council
of Gush Etzion, a cluster of Jewish settlements south of Bethlehem, told
FRANCE 24 that the disputed land has belonged to a subsidiary of the
Jewish National Fund since 1969. <Twenty years ago, the Kasiya [sic]
family invaded it illegally,> he said. The Kisiya family, who insist
otherwise, rebuilt their restaurant before it was demolished again in
2013 and then again in 2015. In 2019 the family decided to take the case
to court to have their rights heard. But in 2023, a civil court in
Jerusalem validated the expropriation. The family is far from alone: for
historical reasons, most private land in the West Bank is not officially
registered, which makes it easier for Israel to seize. Israel in June
seized more than 1,200 hectares of land in the territory, a three-decade
high. In a bid to prevent the family's restaurant from being rebuilt
again, the Israeli army declared the site to be a <closed military
zone>, which prevented anyone from entering it until Sunday. The
settlers, who are supported by the army, are not worried. They know the
Israeli government will soon consider the outposts built in the vicinity
as legal, even though international law does not recognise them.
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who monitors
illegal construction in the occupied West Bank, in late June announced
the approval of five illegal settlements - some 1,270 hectares of land –
in response to Norway, Ireland, Spain, Estonia and Armenia’s decisions
to recognise a Palestinian state. These settlements include the new town
of Nahal Heletz in Gush Etzion, close to the Kisiya family plot. Israel
hopes to connect Jerusalem to the Gush Etzion settlements, which are
home to almost 100,000 Israelis. "First of all, it's a settlement that
will block the expansion of the Palestinian village of Battir towards
Jerusalem. Above all, it provides a faster link between Gush Etzion and
Jerusalem," said Yonatan Mizrachi, co-director of the Israeli NGO Peace
Now, which campaigns for a two-state solution. For the past month,
Michelle Kisiya and her daughter Alice, 30, have been organising a
non-violent citizens' movement to protest against the seizure of their
land. Israeli police arrested them on August 25 before releasing them a
few hours later. "If I leave my land, I have nothing left in this
country. If I don’t fight, the whole valley will be invaded by settlers.
We're not afraid. We're not criminals," said Michelle Kisiya, who has
set up a tent a stone's throw from the family's land to welcome
activists, journalists and supporters of her cause. The French consul in
Jerusalem, Nicolas Kassianides, did not want to answer FRANCE 24's
questions but he has travelled to Makhrour in recent weeks to offer his
support to the Kisiya family. "This is a French family and it is the
consulate's job to support its nationals, so I wanted to show our
solidarity and our support for the steps being taken to assert their
rights [...]. The Kasiya [sic] family has sent us documents proving
their right to the property," he told an AFP team on site. Although the
family's case has reached the highest echelons of the state of Israel,
it is by no means an anomaly. Expulsions of Palestinians from their land
in West Bank have increased, particularly since Israel's far-right
government came to power in 2022. The situation has sharply deteriorated
since Israel's invasion of Gaza in the wake of the October 7 attacks.
"They are taking advantage of the fact that the world's attention is
focused on Gaza to step up their activity," said Michelle Kisiya. Peace
Now's Mizrachi agreed. "Since October 7, settlement activity has
accelerated: new outposts are being built, thousands of Palestinians
have been denied access to their land for security reasons, and there
have been more declarations of state ownership of land in the West Bank
this year than ever before. Settler violence has also increased
significantly." The Israeli NGO warned in January of the record number
of unauthorised settlements that had sprung up since the Gaza war began.
For its part, the UN has recorded some 1,270 settler attacks and more
than 620 Palestinians killed in the West Bank by either the Israeli army
or settlers since October 7. "Many Palestinians are subjected to
physical violence, but the most common form of violence is damaging
property or burning crops," said Mizrachi. "All these practices existed
even before October 7, but they have now become widespread."
This article has been translated from the original in French.>>
Source:
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240902-we-re-not-afraid-french-palestinian-family-fights-for-west-bank-land-seized-by-israel-settlers-makhrour-valley-kisiya
Al Jazeera - Sept 2, 2024
<<Journalists flee Israeli assault in the occupied West Bank
Journalists say Israeli forces fired at them and chased them with
bulldozers as they documented Israel’s continued assault on the occupied
West Bank.>>
View video here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/9/2/journalists-flee-israeli-assault-in-the-occupied-west-bank
Al Jazeera - Sept 2, 2024
<<UK suspends some arms exports to Israel over humanitarian law concerns
Thirty of 350 licences suspended over ‘clear risk’ the weapons could be
used in breach of international humanitarian law.
The United Kingdom says it will suspend 30 out of 350 arms exports
licences to Israel, citing a "clear risk" they could be used in serious
breaches of international humanitarian law. Foreign Secretary David
Lammy told parliament on Monday that the partial ban covers items "which
could be used in the current conflict in Gaza" against Hamas but did not
include parts for F-35 fighter jets. He said the decision to suspend the
licences did not amount to a blanket ban or an arms embargo, adding that
the UK continues to support Israel's right to self-defence in accordance
with international law. Soon after the Labour Party won the general
election in July, Lammy said he would update a review on arms sales to
Britain's ally Israel to ensure they complied with international law.
"It is with regret that I inform the House [of Commons] today the
assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other
than that for certain UK arms exports to Israel, there does exist a
clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious
violation of international humanitarian law," Lammy said. In response,
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that his
country was <disappointed by a series of decisions> made by the British
government, including the decision regarding defence exports. Katz said
the move <sends a very problematic message> to the Palestinian group
Hamas and its patrons in Iran.
'Very important' step
Hassan Barari, an international affairs professor at Qatar University,
said the UK's decision is "very important" since it has supported
Israel's right to defend itself since October 7. "But there is a
deception here because there is a huge difference between a right to
defend yourself and the genocide that Israel has been doing, so we
haven't heard from the British government a critique or criticism of
what the Israeli government is doing in Gaza. But, anyway, I think it's
a good step," Barari told Al Jazeera. Barari said this action is
important because it serves as a "reminder to everyone, the
international community, there is a need to do something to tell the
Israelis they cannot continue the war unchecked in this way". British
exports amount to less than 1 percent of the total arms Israel receives,
and Lammy told parliament the suspension would not have a material
impact on Israel’s security. Among the items that will come under the
suspension will be components for military aircraft, including fighter
jets, helicopters and drones. Unlike the United States, Britain's
government does not give arms directly to Israel but rather issues
licences for companies to sell weapons with input from lawyers on
whether they comply with international law. But Samuel Perlo-Freeman of
the Campaign Against Arms Trade told Al Jazeera the UK's move was "a
cautiously welcome step" which was "not good enough". "The government
has acknowledged for the first time that Israel is not complying with
international law and made some moves in direction of acting upon that,"
he said from Dundee in Scotland. He added that there was "one huge, huge
loophole" in the UK’s move: that components for the F-35 fighter jets
can still be supplied to Israel. "We had confirmation just today from a
Danish NGO Danwatch which got confirmation from the Israeli military
that an F-35 was used to drop 3,000-pound bombs on al-Mawasi, a
so-called safe zone, on July 19. So saying that you're going to stop
arms that might be used in Gaza except for the F-35 is a bit like saying
you're going vegetarian except for bacon."
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/2/uk-announces-partial-suspension-of-arms-exports-to-israel
and:
Al Jazeera - Sept 3, 2024 - By Maziar Motamedi
<<What does the UK’s partial stop on arms exports to Israel really mean?
Campaigners say UK government decision does not go far enough as only 30
of 350 arms licences are suspended.
The British government has suspended some arms export licences to
Israel, saying the weapons could be used to commit violations of
international humanitarian law. But the move, which comes amid lingering
international criticism of Israel's killing of more than 40,000
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, does not go far enough as it exempts
crucial F-35 fighter jet parts, according to rights organisations and
experts.
Let's take a look at what we know:
How have the suspensions been received?
Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the United Kingdom's parliament on
Monday that 30 of 350 arms exports licences to Israel are being
suspended to cover items that could be used in the Gaza war, citing
international humanitarian law concerns. Those comprise components for
military aircraft including fighter jets, helicopters and drones, but
will exclude parts for lethal F-35 jets, except for those going directly
to Israel. Independent Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn asked the top
diplomat whether the UK had played a role in flying surveillance drones
over Gaza, and if Israel had been using a British military base in
Cyprus to fly its jets. But Lammy only repeated the government’s
position that the UK supplies less than 1 percent of the total arms that
Israel receives. Amnesty International said the decision announced by
Lammy was "filled with loopholes and does not go far enough". Continuing
to supply Israel with F-35 components "is a catastrophic failure for
arms control and justice," it said. "Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have
already killed and injured tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians.
It's time for a complete halt to arms transfers - no loopholes, no
limitations," the organisation's UK branch said in a statement. Zarah
Sultana, the Labour MP from Coventry South, wrote on X that the
government is temporarily banning only a small part of its arms licences
"when Israel is carrying out a genocidal assault in Gaza". She also
echoed other critics in saying the ban should cover all arms exports to
Israel. Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz said the decision
was disappointing and <sends a very problematic message> to the
Palestinian group Hamas and Iran. Israel backers in the UK criticised
the government for adopting the decision, a day after the bodies of six
Israeli captives were found in southern Gaza.
Why are the F-35 parts largely excluded?
The British government has said it will no longer directly send
components for the fighter aircraft to Israel. But its parts will still
find their way to Israel - and will most likely be used in Gaza -
through an international programme. The programme includes dozens of
companies based in Western nations allied with Israel, predominantly the
United States. At least 15 percent of the value of each US-made F-35
combat aircraft is produced by the UK, according to research by the
UK-based Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT). The argument presented by
the British government for excluding parts supplied through the
programme is that any suspension "is not possible without having a
significant effect on the global F-35 fleet with serious implications
for international peace and security". But Lammy's announcement came on
the same day that Danish news outlet Daglabet Information, together with
NGO Danwatch, was able to definitively confirm - for the first time -
the use of an F-35 stealth fighter to carry out a specific attack in
Gaza. They reported, after confirming with the Israeli military, that
one of the warplanes was used to drop three US-made bombs on a so-called
<humanitarian zone> for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza's al-Mawasi,
an attack that killed at least 90 people and wounded 300 others.
The justification presented by Israel was that it was targeting Hamas
military chief Mohammed Deif and others - an attack that it later
claimed was successful. Hamas has not confirmed Deif’s death. Israel's
attacks on used the same claim it had in the aftermath of all its other
mass-casualty attacks that have disproportionately killed civilians,
especially children.
What's the impact on Israel's operations?
This is the first time since the start of the war on Gaza that the UK
government has admitted that there is a "clear risk" that UK-supplied
weapons and components might be used in a serious violation of
international humanitarian law, according to arms trade researcher Anna
Stavrianakis. This is significant because it means the government is
legally obliged to halt arms exports to Israel that might be used in
such violations, but the F-35 exemption constitutes "an enormous
loophole" that undermines the government’s position, she told Al Jazeera.
"F-35 parts are probably the single biggest UK contribution to Israel’s
genocidal war," the professor of international relations at Sussex
University said. "The UK exports parts and components to the US, where
companies led by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman incorporate them
into F-35 fighter jets, including those that go to Israel via US
military aid. There might be some custom parts for the Israeli F-35I
that the UK sells directly to Israel, but they are the minority."
Stavrianakis pointed out that Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are
also subject to violence by Israeli forces that is also committed and
facilitated with foreign-supplied weapons. "And more broadly,
UK-supplied weapons facilitate the Israeli occupation of Palestinian
land and its apartheid system of dispossession, violence and control.
Given this, and given that the UK is a party to the Genocide Convention,
the UK should not be supplying any weapons or providing any military aid
to or cooperation with Israel - something that Palestinians have long
been demanding," she said. In July, the International Court of Justice
ruled that Israel's continued presence in the occupied West Bank and
East Jerusalem is unlawful and should come to an end "as rapidly as
possible".
How has the UK's position changed under Labour?
The incumbent Labour government replaced the Conservatives after a
resounding victory in early July. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's
government has resumed funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees
(UNRWA) that had been suspended after unproven allegations by Israel
that the organisation's staff participated in the October 7 attacks. It
has also said it will no longer challenge the arrest warrant requests
issued by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav
Gallant. The ICC prosecutor has also sought warrants against two Hamas
leaders.
When has the UK blocked arms sales to Israel in the past?
The British government has had a history of restricting arms sales to
Israel after mass killings, with Starmer becoming the sixth prime
minister and third Labour leader to do so. Here are the other five:
Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath halted weapons supplies to both
Israel and its Arab opponents during the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War.
Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher imposed an arms embargo on
Israel that lasted for 12 years until 1994, also withdrawing an
invitation to Israel to attend a British Army Equipment Exhibition after
Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair secretly imposed an arms embargo on
Israel to block weapons that could be used in offensives on the occupied
Palestinian territories during the second Intifada in 2002.
Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown revoked export licences for weapons
on Israeli navy missile boats after Israel launched an attack on Gaza in
2009, which killed about 1,400 Palestinians.
Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron said his government suspended
12 licences for components that could be used in the 2014 Israeli
military attacks on Gaza.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/3/what-does-the-uks-partial-stop-on-arms-exports-to-israel-really-mean
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