Issue No : 97
Palestinian Cultural Organization Malaysia
25th June , 2014
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25th June , 2014
Issue No : 97
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Hamas blames Netanyahu for disappearance of Israeli settlers
Palestinian “battle of empty stomachs� enters its 3rd month
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FEATURED STORY
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529 arrests reported during the last ten days
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Bring Back Our Boys Israel may target Hamas leaders abroad 2 |
ARTICLES
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Palestinian Cultural Organization Malaysia
Issue No : 97
25th June , 2014
CONTENTS News of Palestine
Palestinian “battle of empty stomachs� enters its 3rd month Hamas blames Netanyahu for disappearance of Israeli settlers 529 arrests reported during the last ten days Israel to issue 200 administrative detention orders against Palestinians Israel may target Hamas leaders abroad Palestinians protest against Israeli-Palestinian cooperation FIFA to monitor Israeli violations against Palestinian football team
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Malaysia & Palestinian Cause
Meshaal phones Najib to discuss recent Israeli escalations
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ARTICLES Bring Back Our Boys
Palestinian Cultural Organization Malaysia
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25th June , 2014
Issue No : 97
News of Palestine
Palestinian “battle of empty stomachs� enters its 3rd month
23/6/2014 The Palestinian administrative hunger-strikers have been without food for the third month in a row in protest at their illegal detention without charge or trial. Alarm bells have been raised over the health conditions of the prisoners, who have started their hunger-strike last April 24. The Israeli prison authority has utilized administrative detention as an arbitrary tool to suppress the freedom of any Palestinian. It is a sort of incarceration without indictment and court trials at the pretext of having alleged secret ďŹ les against the detainee. The administrative prison term is also subject to the mood of Israeli jailers who renews it for extended periods of time. According Haaretz newspaper, the Israeli prosecution is planning to issue administration prison orders against half of the Palestinians detained in recent arrest campaigns in the occupied West Bank. They are estimated at 468 captives. There are already 220 administrative detainees in Israeli jails, including lawmakers, human rights activists, lawyers, businessmen and students
Source: PIC 4 |
Palestinian Cultural Organization Malaysia
Issue No : 97
25th June , 2014
Hamas blames Netanyahu for disappearance of Israeli settlers
24/6/2014 Head of Hamas’s political bureau Khalid Meshaal blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the alleged kidnapping of the three Israeli settlers, saying that the latter had ignored the suffering of Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails have been on hunger strike for more than 60 days. “If Netanyahu had listened to the suffering of the hunger strikers and had not objected to the Palestinian unity government,” he said, “the Palestinian situation would have been less furious.” In an interview with Al-Jazeera satellite channel, Meshaal reportedly said that he could neither confirm nor deny the kidnapping of the three Israelis. “In any case, I congratulate the abductors because our prisoners must be freed from the prisons of the occupation.” Regarding Netanyahu’s threats to undermine Hamas’s infrastructure and target its top leaders based on the claim that he had strong evidence about Hamas’s responsibility for the alleged kidnapping, Meshaal remarked that, “This does not scare us.” He ruled out the possibility that Israel fabricated the disappearance of the settlers to justify its escalating aggression against the Palestinians, noting that Netanyahu usually does not need any pretext to launch attacks against the Palestinians. Regarding whether he had issued any directives to carry out the alleged kidnapping, he said that AlQassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, “does not need directions from the political leadership.” Meshaal reiterated that the Palestinian unity government had pledged to use all means to free the Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails, considering this a “sacred national” mission. He also reaffirmed that the unity pact involved the formation of a national front to carry out resistance against the occupation and form a political reference to criminalise security cooperation. The top Hamas leader stressed that no Palestinian official had the right to warn of cleansing any groups that could be responsible for the alleged kidnapping. “This work incites the feelings of pride and if it is proven that a Palestinian faction stood behind it, we would greet it.” Source: MEMO
Palestinian Cultural Organization Malaysia
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25th June , 2014
Issue No : 97
529 arrests reported during the last ten days 529 Palestinians were detained so far since Israel started its arbitrary mass arrest campaign throughout occupied West Bank on Thursday evening 12th June 2014. 61 arrests were carried out on Monday in different parts of occupied West Bank. 179 arrests were carried out in Hebron, while 87 arrests were reported in Nablus. 49 Palestinians were detained in Ramallah, 52 detainees were documented in Jenin and 23 others in Tulkarm, while 13 Palestinian citizens were arrested in Qalqilya. 75 Palestinians were also detained in Bethlehem, while 36 from Jerusalem were detained. Including 7 arrests were reported in Tubas town near Nablus, and 7 others in SalďŹ t city near Nablus, while one Palestinian was detained in Jericho. Source : Ufree network
Israel to issue 200 administrative detention orders against Palestinians
The Israeli military prosecution intends to issue orders to administratively detain half of the Palestinians kidnapped in recent West Bank campaigns, Haaretz newspaper said. According to the newspaper, such orders have already been issued against 100 Palestinian captives and the same number of administrative detention orders will be approved soon. The newspaper quoted a number of prisoners’ lawyers as saying that the Israeli intelligence interrogated 30 detainees only out of 400 citizens detained recently. With these new orders, the number of Palestinians administratively detained without incitement or trial will rise to 400 prisoners.
Source: AL-RAAY -----------------------
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Palestinian Cultural Organization Malaysia
Issue No : 97
25th June , 2014
Israel may target Hamas leaders abroad 22/6/2014 Israel may carry out assassination attempts against Hamas leaders living abroad who it believes were involved in the kidnapping of the three missing Israeli settlers. Israel formally accused Saleh Al-Aruri, a Hamas official currently based in Ankara, Turkey, of the kidnapping operation. The head of the political and security circle in the Israeli Ministry of Defence, General Amos Gilad, claimed AlAruri’s relationship with this particular kidnapping is uncertain, but he emphasised that Al-Aruri was closely involved in previous attempted kidnapping operations over the past two years and that these kidnappings were at a much larger scale. Gilad also accused AlAruri of organising a number of shootings in the West Bank in recent years. Last week, during an interview with the online news portal Walla! Israeli journalist Avi Sakharov asked Gilad if the Israeli government had sought the help of Turkish intelligence in order to stop Al-Aruri. The official said all communication between Ankara and Tel Aviv had been suspended.
demolished Al-Aruri’s house in his hometown of Arura, located northwest of Ramallah following a decision by the cabinet of security affairs. The Israeli government also accused Khaled Meshaal, the chief of the Hamas Political Bureau of having a direct role in the kidnappings. Israeli security officials stated that Meshaal assured Hamas’ political prisoners, and members of the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades in particular, that Hamas was keen on doing whatever it takes to achieve their liberation. Security officials in Tel Aviv saw Meshaal’s speech as a general invitation for Hamas members in the West Bank to carry out a kidnapping operation against soldiers or settlers. Meanwhile, an Israeli channel recently revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become aware of the crucial role that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plays in ensuring Israeli interests. Veteran Israeli journalist Amnon Abramovich said last night that Netanyahu greatly appreciates the speech that was recently given by Abbas in front of a delegation of foreign ministers from Arab countries in Jeddah in which he condemned the kidnappings. Abbas said that the perpetrators and the kidnapping threatened cooperation with Israel on matters of stability and security. According to Abramovich, Netanyahu considers Abbas’ speech to be unprecedented since it negates the legitimacy of the argument that Palestinians have the right to practise violence against Israel.
“It is Israel’s duty to ensure that this individual is not given any more opportunity to carry out such operations. He must be stopped from doing such things,” Gilad said. Many believe this is a hint that Israel plans to target Al-Aruri abroad.
Israeli journalist Yehudi Yaari noted that Netanyahu was careful not to publically thank Abbas so as not to frame him as a collaborator in Palestinian public opinion. Yaari also pointed out that Israel is quite aware of the important role that Abbas plays and as such, they are not willing to reference him in Israeli media.
On Friday, the Israeli army
Source: Al-RAY
Yesterday evening, Israel Ten TV noted that Abbas now finds himself in a dangerous position among his people, many of whom view him as an “agent collaborating with Israel”.
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Issue No : 97
25th June , 2014
Palestinians protest against Israeli-Palestinian cooperation
Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets in Ramallah to condemn the continuous Israeli aggression in the West Bank, as well as the Palestinian Authority’s security cooperation with Israel. Large numbers of Palestinians also took part in the funeral processions of two Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli occupation forces during their raids. The protesters raised posters calling for the PA’s security cooperation with the Israeli occupation to stop. They called it a “free service by the PA to the Israeli occupation at the expense of Palestinian civilians.” In response to the protests, the PA security services took up arms in the face of the protesters, who called for them to protect the Palestinian civilians instead of stopping the protests. Since the beginning of the Israeli manhunt for the three Israeli settlers who went missing on June 12, the Israeli occupation arrested more than 400 Palestinians, including 24 Palestinian members of parliament and 54 former prisoners released by a prisoners swap in 2011. Five Palestinian civilians were killed and more than 10 were wounded, while 1,700 homes have been searched. Israeli forces also damaged the properties. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that killing the Palestinian civilians during the search operation was an act of “self-defence”. The city of Hebron, where the settlers were believed to have been last seen, has been under siege for 11 consecutive days. Israeli sources said that still have no leads regarding the settlers’ whereabouts.
Source: PIC 8 |
Palestinian Cultural Organization Malaysia
Issue No : 97
25th June , 2014
FIFA to monitor Israeli violations against Palestinian football team
15/6/2014 The FIFA Congress decided on June 11 to form a neutral committee to monitor Israeli violations against the Palestinian football team, Deputy Director of International Relations at the Palestinian Federation of Football Muna Dabdoub said in an exclusive interview with the Anadolu news agency. Dabdoub pointed out that President of the Union of European Football Associations Michel Platini decided to form a special committee to monitor Israeli violations against the Palestinian football team. The committee will submit its report during FIFA’s executive committee meeting in December. Dabdoub said: “Sports should not be governed by political disputes. The Palestinians have the right to play football in peace and freedom, especially since the Palestinian territories are often viewed as a place of war and fighting. Therefore football is a means to show the other face of Palestine and that the Palestinians, like others, love football and want to live in peace.” She noted that the Palestinian delegation “demanded FIFA press the Israeli Union to call on the Israeli government to abide by FIFA’s laws and the International Olympic Charter.” The Palestinians demanded players’ movement within the Palestinian territories including the West Bank and Gaza Strip be eased as well as the entry of sports equipment and foreign teams and for sports facilities in Palestine to be respected. The Palestinian football team won the Asia Challenge Cup in May and qualified to play during the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia in January.
Source: Ma’an news
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Issue No : 97
25th June , 2014
Malaysia & Palestinian Cause
Meshaal phones Najib to discuss recent Israeli escalations
Khaled Meshaal, Chairman of Hamas, telephoned yesterday evening the Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak to discuss the recent developments in Palestine. According to Hamas’ official website, Meshaal conveyed to the Malaysian PM the suffering of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails who are on an open-ended hunger strike since around 60 days, besides, the Israeli escalations and detentions’ campaign against Palestinian Parliament’s Speaker and members and other national figures in the occupied West Bank. “The continuous Israeli aggression against our people in shadow of the absence of any international deterring intervention exposes the double-standard policy adopted by the International community and international organizations towards the Palestinian issue”, Meshaal added. At the end of his phone-call, Meshaal stressed on the influential position of Malaysia towards the Palestinian cause and called Najib to exert political efforts with all International parties to end the Israeli aggression and its collective punishments policy in West Bank and Gaza, and to exert pressure on the concerned parties to rescue the lives of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. In the same context, Meshaal also phoned the Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs, Dato’ Seri Zahid Hamidi to put him in the picture of latest developments of the Palestinian cause.
Source: PCOM 10 |
Palestinian Cultural Organization Malaysia
Issue No : 97
25th June , 2014
Articles
Bring Back Our Boys By: Mohammad Alherbawi On their 50th day of the longest mass hunger strike in Palestinian history, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails received news of the 3 Israeli soldiers who went missing in the occupied West Bank with hopes that they were captured by the Palestinian resistance, and held for a future prisoners’ swap deal. The news has breathed life into their emaciated bodies that are atrophy and melt away day by day through- the detainee’s lawyer. Among the Palestinian prisoners, there are over 200 children, 17 women, 100 out their open-ended hunger strike. In light of the unjustified rush of several offi- elderly, 1,400 ill and 20 Palestinian Members of Parcial bodies and International organizations to liament (PLC) as well as its Speaker and several forcondemn the capture of the Israeli soldiers, it mer Palestinian ministers and officials. is unjust and illogical to take that action out of its context. In fact, it should be examined in the context of its backgrounds, the causes that led up to it and related issues.
Palestinian Prisoners at a Glance “Israel” has used the detention of Palestinians as a tool of deterrence to counter any form of resistance levelled against its unlawful occupation of the land of Palestine. Based on a report published by the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners (April 2014), over 800,000 Palestinians have been detained by “Israel” since 1967. This staggering number amounts to around 20% of the Palestinian population, and approximately 40% of the Palestinian male population. Put simply, there is no single Palestinian family that is not touched or directly affected by the prisoners’ cause and dilemma. According to Al-Dameer Institution, there are currently over 5,200 Palestinians in Israeli jails, including 190 held under administrative detention with neither charge nor trial, on the basis of “secret files” that cannot even be revealed to
Palestinian Cultural Organization Malaysia
Prisoners in Israeli jails face every conceivable form of humiliation and ill-treatment including strip searches, prolonged solitary confinement, aggravated abuse and vindictive medical negligence. Over 150 Palestinians died in Israeli jails since 1967; three of them were tortured to death in the past year alone. Palestinian administrative detainees decided to carry out several protest measures to force “Israel” to end its arbitrary administrative detention, beginning with the boycott of Israeli military courts, followed by boycotting prisons’ clinics, then carrying out a mass partial hunger strike. Their protests intensified - due to Israeli neglect to their demands - culminating in an open-ended mass hunger strike that began on April 24th and is still ongoing.
Failure of Peace Process In July 2013, the Palestinian Authority (PA) accepted the resumption of negotiations with “Israel”, dropping its major precondition of freezing Israeli settlement construction, and accepting to replace this requisite condition with the release of 104 Palestinian prisoners who had been detained before | 11
25th June , 2014
Issue No : 97 the Oslo Agreement, and who were supposed to be released upon the signing of the agreement in 1993. However, with Israeli stubbornness and Palestinian official negligence to their cause, “Israel” kept them in its jails for 20 more years, as revealed by Israeli president Shimon Peres in his personal diary. “Israel” accepted to release the 104 prisoners in a series of 4 stages throughout the 9 months of negotiations to win more time to further its expansion agenda beneath the umbrella of the “Peace Process”. However, the Israeli promise was reneged upon, where only three batches of the prisoners were released, with the fourth one consisting of prisoners with the highest sentences and prisoners from Jerusalem and 1948 occupied lands all kept in limbo. The release was halted by “Israel” to pressure the PA into giving more concessions in the peace process.
prisoners. Throughout the past few decades, Palestinian resistance succeeded in securing the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners through swap deals. The most famous deals are the following: In 1983, “Israel” released over 4,800 Palestinian and Arab prisoners in return for the release of 8 Israeli soldiers who were captured by Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - The General Command. In 1985, “Israel” released 1,150 Palestinian and Arab prisoners in return for the release of 3 Israeli soldiers who were captured by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - The General Command. In 2011, “Israel” released 1,027 Palestinian prisoners including 500 prisoners with life sentences in return for the release of the Israeli soldier “Gilad Shalit” who was captured by Hamas and held for 5 years in the Gaza strip.
While “Israel” continues its arbitrary detention of Palestinians, placing them in inhuman conditions, and refusing to release them even through the political peace process, Palestinians were forced to search for alternatives to free their fellow brothers from Israeli jails.
On the other hand, throughout 25 years of peace process negotiations, “Israel” has released few hundred Palestinian prisoners as a gesture of good-will to the PA, arguably to deceive international public opinion, whereby most of the released prisoners were nearing the completion of their sentences in Israeli jails in what literally amounted to a few months or days in most cases.
Capturing Israeli soldiers and exchanging them with Palestinian prisoners proved to be the most effective form of resistance to pressure “Israel” into releasing said Palestinian
In this regard, it is clearly seen that “Israel” has never made any concession willingly and furthermore, it has been proven time and time again throughout the past decades that “Israel”
Finding an Alternative
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concedes under the pressure of resistance alone.
A Double Standard Since the capture of the 3 Israeli soldiers, several pro-Israel organizations have launched a media campaign with the hashtag “#BringBackOurBoys” claiming that Palestinian “terrorists” have “kidnapped” Israeli “teenagers” or “boys”. It is a clear act of double standards when many international media outlets and organizations adopt the Israeli narrative and refer to the missing Israelis as “teenagers”, blinding their eyes to hundreds of Palestinian children who are being kidnapped and held in Israeli jails; dozens of whom are below 16 years old. According to the International Movement for Defence of Children in its report dated (June 23rd, 2014), over 8,000 Palestinian children were detained and around 1,400 were killed by the Israeli forces since the outbreak of the Second Palestinian Intifada in the year 2000. On the other hand, the missing Israelis are soldiers in the first place, and serving in 1967 lands which are occupied lands according to UN resolutions; the question therefore arises as to what were these “boys” doing in an occupied territory? Resistance in all its forms; diplomatic, popular or militant, is a legitimate right for all peoples suffering occupation until they restore their land, rights and freedom. Simply put therefore, it is “Israel” who should bring back our boys.
Palestinian Cultural Organization Malaysia
Issue No : 97
Palestinian Cultural Organization Malaysia
25th June , 2014
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