Setting Gaza Free
Palestinian gives birth to quadruplets
Israel makes journalists a legitimate target
Aqsa
British diplomats attacked by violent Israeli settler
Peace Activists Sail to Gaza’s Shore The plight of the 1.5 million people in Gaza has been in the forefront of people’s minds throughout the world. As the blockade tightened, and the humanitarian situation turned catastrophic, a group of peace activists decided to take action and break the siege themselves and help bring relief to the suffering people. Months of planning culminated in August with the sailing of two boats from Greece to Gaza, with 46 international activists from 14
countries around the world on board. With them, they carried vital medicines and supplies which the people of Gaza have been denied for many months. These included hearing aids for the hundreds of children in Gaza whose hearing has been impaired by Israel’s loud bombs, explosions and sonic booms. The SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty were by no means luxurious liners, but rather, there was doubt about their seaworthiness from many
quarters. However, these 46 heroes and heroines braved the tides and made the perilous journey on a rough sea, even with the threat of Israeli guns targeting them. Those on board included journalist and presenter Yvonne Ridley, who alluded to many threats made against the peace activists and their family’s during the planning of this voyage and while it was under way. Israel initially responded by stating that the boats would not be allowed to reach Gaza.
This position later changed following intense international media interest in the voyage. ,VUDHO ¿QDOO\ FRQFHGHG WKDW WKH mission was humanitarian and did not intervene as the boats approached Gaza. Thousands of Palestinians ÀRFNHG WR *D]D¶V EHDFKHV WR meet the peace activists, and GR]HQV RI 3DOHVWLQLDQ ¿VKLQJ boats were in the waters to escort them in. The peace activists described their mission as perilous but absolutely necessary. While in Gaza, they
HVFRUWHG *D]D¶V ¿VKHUPHQ RXW WR VHD VR WKDW WKH\ FRXOG ¿VK LQ their territorial waters safely. All too often, the lives of these ¿VKHUPHQ DUH WKUHDWHQHG E\ Israeli gun-boats. Most of the peace activists left Gaza on August 28th, having achieved their mission of bringing the world’s attention to the humanitarian situation there. However, Israel has closed all of Gaza’s borders ‘until further notice,’ DQG KDV RQFH DJDLQ EHJXQ ¿ULQJ DW 3DOHVWLQLDQ ¿VKLQJ ERDWV
Condemnation as Israel Closes Al-Aqsa Foundation In late August, the Israeli army stormed through the AlAqsa Foundation in Umm al)DKP DQG FRQ¿VFDWHG DOO WKH historic documents stored there DQG JXDUGHG E\ WKH RI¿FH RI WKH Mayor of the town, Sheikh Raed Salah. Thousands of historic
documents which preserve the heritage of the Islamic and Christian sanctuaries in Jerusalem were removed, and WKHVH DUH VDLG WR EH VLJQL¿FDQWO\ valuable historically, culturally and academically. The actions of Israel have been condemned
internationally, and the Palestinians are calling for intervention and pressure to be brought on Israel to return all of the documents. Friends of Al-Aqsa has called on the government to intervene and ensure the
documents are returned to their rightful owners. Many fear that this is another attempt by Israel to erase the historic rights of all non-Jews to Jerusalem. Reports have also emerged that Israeli Raabis have called for the murder of prominent
Palestinian leader Shaykh Raed Salah and for attacks against the Al-Aqsa mosque. Shaykh Raed is a well-known and popular Palestinian peace activist and has been arrested by Israel previously for his activism.
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Truth and consequences under the Israeli occupation Mohammed Omer 5 August 2008
I am a Palestinian journalist from Gaza. At the age of 17, I armed myself with a camera and a pen, committed to report accurately on events in Gaza. , KDYH ÂżOHG UHSRUWV DV ,VUDHOL ÂżJKWHU MHWV ERPEHG *D]D &LW\ I have interviewed mothers as they watched their children die in hospitals unequipped WR VHUYH WKHP EHFDXVH RI ,VUDHOÂśV HPEDUJR , KDYH EHHQ recognized for my reporting, even in the United States and United Kingdom, where I have won two international awards. , KDYH DOVR EHHQ EHDWHQ DQG WRUWXUHG E\ ,VUDHOL VROGLHUV This summer, at age 24, I was honored to learn that , KDG EHFRPH WKH \RXQJHVW journalist to receive the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, named for the famed American war reporter and awarded to journalists who counter propaganda with the truth. Although Israel has sealed Gazaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1.5 million Palestinians in what many now call the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest open-air prison, Dutch MP Hans Van Baalen
OREELHG WKH ,VUDHOL JRYHUQPHQW to let me leave Gaza to receive my award in person. Upon my return from London, I was VXUURXQGHG E\ ,VUDHOL VHFXULW\ RIÂżFHUV , ZDV VWULSSHG QDNHG DW JXQSRLQW LQWHUURJDWHG NLFNHG DQG EHDWHQ IRU PRUH WKDQ IRXU hours. At one point I fainted and WKHQ DZDNHQHG WR ÂżQJHUQDLOV JRXJLQJ DW WKH Ă&#x20AC;HVK EHQHDWK P\ H\HV $Q RIÂżFHU FUXVKHG P\ QHFN EHQHDWK KLV ERRW DQG SUHVVHG P\ FKHVW LQWR WKH Ă&#x20AC;RRU 2WKHUV WRRN WXUQV NLFNLQJ DQG pinching me, laughing all the ZKLOH 7KH\ GUDJJHG PH E\ my feet, sweeping my head through my own vomit. I lost consciousness. I was told later that they transferred me to a hospital only when they thought I might die. 7RGD\ , KDYH GLIÂżFXOW\ EUHDWKLQJ , KDYH DEUDVLRQV and scratches on my chest and QHFN 0\ KDQGV GRQÂśW IXQFWLRQ ZHOO W\SLQJ LV GLIÂżFXOW 0\ doctor informed me that due to nerve damage from one NLFN , PD\ EH XQDEOH WR IDWKHU children and will need to have an operation. ,VUDHOL DWWDFNV RQ MRXUQDOLVWV are not new; nor are they rare.
BOOK REVIEW
Making Israel By Benny Morris (ed) 2007, University of Michigan Press, ISBN 978 0 472 03216 7, pp 384, ÂŁ17.50.
Benny Morris is a FRQWURYHUVLDO ÂżJXUH LQ WKH history and historiography of Palestine and Israel. One of the Âľ1HZ +LVWRULDQVÂś RI WKH V DQG V KH ZDV RQFH KDLOHG E\ SUR 3DOHVWLQLDQV DV RQH RI D JURXS RI EUDYH VFKRODUV ZKR had challenged the propagandist tendencies of much Israeli history and helped to reveal the WUXWK DERXW ,VUDHOL DFWLRQV LQ Morrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; later career, however, KDV GHPRQVWUDWHG WKDW EHLQJ D FULWLF RI ÂľRIÂżFLDOÂś ,VUDHOL YHUVLRQV RI WKH HYHQWV RI DQG D challenger to hard-line Zionist schools of scholarship, does not necessarily correlate with a concern for modern-day Palesti-
nian rights or experiences, or rejection of the theory and LQWHQW EHKLQG WKH H[SXOVLRQ RI Palestinians from the current VWDWH RI ,VUDHO LQ 7KH ERRNÂśV LQWURGXFWLRQ LV a neat (though not necessarily complete) potted history of the JHQHVLV RI WKH 1HZ +LVWRULDQV movement, such as it was, and LI WKH SHUVRQDO IHXGV DUH ÂżOWHUHG out, an interesting account of this phase in Israeli historiography. Morris highlights the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;outsiderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; VWDWXV RI PDQ\ RI WKH 1HZ Historians, such as Tom Segev or Avi Shlaim â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as journalists rather than conventional academics, or as scholars who had studied overseas and had the opportunity to acquire new perspectives. He is also realistic DERXW WKH LPSDFW RI WKH 1HZ +LVWRULDQV DFNQRZOHGJLQJ that they did play an important UROH LQ TXHVWLRQLQJ ÂľRIÂżFLDOÂś narratives and challenging some of the founding myths of Israeli VRFLHW\ EXW FKDOOHQJLQJ WKH LGHD that they had a particularly major role in political shifts towards contact with the PLO leadership and the genesis of the Oslo peace accords. These, he insists, PXVW EH SXW GRZQ WR ÂłSUHVVLQJ
In April, Reuters cameraman IDGHO 6KDQD ZDV NLOOHG E\ ÂżUH IURP DQ ,VUDHOL WDQN +H ZDV LQ D FDU FOHDUO\ PDUNHG DV press. According to Amnesty International, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fadel Shana DSSHDUV WR KDYH EHHQ NLOOHG GHOLEHUDWHO\ DOWKRXJK KH ZDV D FLYLOLDQ WDNLQJ QR SDUW LQ DWWDFNV RQ ,VUDHOÂśV IRUFHV ´ Reporters Without Borders has condemned the Israeli PLOLWDU\ÂśV ZLGHVSUHDG ÂłDEXVLYH EHKDYLRU´ RI 3DOHVWLQLDQ MRXUQDOLVWV $QG WKH &RPPLWWHH to Protect Journalists reports that journalists covering Israeli military actions in the West %DQN DQG *D]D ÂłFRQWHQG ZLWK SHUHQQLDO DEXVHV DW WKH KDQGV RI ,VUDHOL IRUFHV ´ ,Q alone, Israeli soldiers shot photographers from Agence France-Presse, Al-Ayyam newspaper and Al-Aqsa TV. The television cameraman, Imad Ghanem, fell to the ground when wounded. Israeli forces then shot him twice more in the legs. Both of his OHJV KDYH EHHQ DPSXWDWHG &RXOG LW EH WKDW GHVSLWH WKHLU WDQNV ÂżJKWHU SODQHV DQG QXFOHDU DUVHQDO ,VUDHO LV WKUHDWHQHG E\ our cameras and computers, political, economic and security QHHGV´ DQG QRW DWWULEXWHG WR ÂłWKH VFULEEOLQJV RI D KDQGIXO RI KLVWRULDQV ´ Morris also contextualises some of the developments in ,VUDHOL KLVWRU\ RI ZKLFK WKH 1HZ Historians were a part. Rather WKDQ EHLQJ DQ LQGHSHQGHQW VHW RI WUDLOEOD]HUV KH SRLQWV RXW WKDW they were in part responding to WKH RSHQLQJ XS RI RIÂżFLDO DUFKLYHV which allowed them access to DFFRXQWV RI WKH HYHQWV RI which provided documentary evidence of expulsions and PDVVDFUHV DQG RI WKH ZRUNLQJV of the commanders of the Israeli troops who carried them out. As such, he to an extent defends the Old Historiansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tradition, E\ QRWLQJ WKDW WKH\ ZHUH ZRUNLQJ LQ D PXFK PRUH KHDYLO\ censored academic and political atmosphere. While Morris may EH DFFXUDWH LQ WHUPV RI WKH IDFWV of the opening of Israeli archives, some of the Palestinian writers FLWHG LQ 0XVWDID .DEKDÂśV FORVLQJ chapter, including famous names VXFK DV ,EUDKLP DEX /XJKRG and Edward Said, point out that to question and explore history and identity is often easier to do IURP D SRVLWLRQ RI HVWDEOLVKHG SRZHU VXFK DV WKDW LQKDELWHG E\ Israeli writers, particularly those
which give the world access to images and information DERXW WKHLU PLOLWDU\ RFFXSDWLRQ of Palestinians? Indeed, this PRQWK D 3DOHVWLQLDQ JLUO ÂżOPHG an Israeli soldier shooting D EOLQGIROGHG 3DOHVWLQLDQ DW SRLQW EODQN UDQJH ZLWK D UXEEHU EXOOHW 7KH YLGHR DLUHG ZLGHO\ RQ &11 1%& 1HZV DQG WKH %%& DPRQJ RWKHU PHGLD outlets. Although Palestinians face this violence daily, the images and our stories rarely WUDYHO EH\RQG RXU ERUGHUV Israel seems intent on hiding its oppression of Palestinians under its rule -- including its dual system of laws, one giving civil, political and social rights to Israelis, and the other denying those rights to Palestinians living under occupation. This system allows -HZLVK VHWWOHUV LQ WKH :HVW %DQN to enjoy freedom of movement and access to healthcare and education, while Palestinian FKLOGUHQ LQ *D]D GLH RI FXUDEOH LOOQHVVHV EHFDXVH KRVSLWDOV have run out of medicine. 0DUWKD *HOOKRUQ EURXJKW to light atrocities committed in World War II and in the RI $VKNHQD]L RULJLQ E\ WKH ODWH V As with some manifestations of the Israeli peace movement and its US and European sympathisers, most of the LVVXHV WRXFKHG RQ LQ WKLV ERRN are concerned with cleaning up the inside of Jewish Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own house, not with restoring justice to Palestinians, whether citizens of Israel, living under Occupation or in the diaspora. Mordechai Bar-Onâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attempt to illustrate how dominant QDUUDWLYHV RI WKH ZDU developed in Israeli society, E\ FRPSDULQJ YDULRXV FDPSVÂś accounts to his own experiences DV D VROGLHU LQ WKH -HZLVK UDQNV ÂżUPO\ DVVHUWV WKDW KRZHYHU PXFK KH PLJKW EHOLHYH WKDW WKH WUXWKV RI QHHG WR EH UHYHDOHG KH LV QRW VLJQLÂżFDQWO\ FRQFHUQHG with the political or ethical implications of admitting that Palestinian villagers were forced WR Ă&#x20AC;HH UDWKHU WKDQ JLYHQ D FKRLFH or of conceding that the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;David vs Goliathâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; story of the tiny, valiant Jewish resistance might QRW EH HQWLUHO\ DFFXUDWH Âł7KH GHVLUH RI WKH 1HZ +LVWRULDQV WR enlist historiography in the cause of peace is morally praiseworthy, EXW LW GRHV QRW SURYLGH XV ZLWK EHWWHU KLVWRULRJUDSK\ ´ KH VD\V
Vietnam War. In her tradition, I remain committed to accurate reporting from Gaza today. For this I may suffer lifelong consequences. But I hold on to the hope that Americans -- as well as journalists worldwide -- will impress upon Israel the need to respect the rights of reporters. Freedom of speech DQG D IUHH SUHVV DUH KDOOPDUNV of any democracy. I am proud to call myself a Palestinian and a journalist. The might of the Israeli military will not silence P\ SHQ RU GDUNHQ P\ FDPHUD lens. Mohammed Omer is an awardwinning photographer and journalist based in Rafah Refugee Camp in the southern Gaza Strip. .
VWUHVVLQJ WKDW LI KH ZDV DJDLQ KH ZRXOG WDNH SDUW LQ WKH VDPH EDWWOHV RI ZKLFK KH ZDV SDUW LQ 7KH HVWDEOLVKPHQW RI WKH State of Israel was, he asserts, the act of a people â&#x20AC;&#x153;regaining its QDWLRQDO VRYHUHLJQW\ ´ 7KLV ERRN VKRXOG SHUKDSV EH FDOOHG Âľ0DNLQJ ,VUDHOL +LVWRU\ Âś QRW Âľ0DNLQJ ,VUDHO Âś EHFDXVH LW LV ÂżUVW DQG IRUHPRVW D UHĂ&#x20AC;HFWLRQ RQ GHEDWHV ZLWKLQ ,VUDHOL DFDGHPLD and views of history in Israeli VRFLHW\ $V VXFK LWÂśV OLNHO\ WR GLVDSSRLQW DQ\RQH ORRNLQJ IRU an education in the wider events RI WKH 1DTED DQG DOWKRXJK LQGLYLGXDO HYHQWV DUH GHVFULEHG DV LOOXVWUDWLRQV RI EURDGHU SRLQWV such as the account in Morrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; RZQ RSHQLQJ HVVD\ RI WKH EUXWDO VXSSUHVVLRQ RI DQ $UDE ÂľUHYROWÂś LQ /\GGD RU WKH ÂżUVW hand account of military service E\ 0RUGHFKDL %DU 2Q -HZLVK soldier turned peace activist). )RU DQ\RQH ZLWK D EDVLFDOO\ SUR Palestinian position, some of the language used and assumptions DQG JHQHUDOLVDWLRQV PDGH ZLOO EH GLVWUHVVLQJO\ ELDVHG HYHQ UDFLVW Reviewed by Sarah Irving, Freelance writer and researcher. www.sarahirving.net .
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Message from Friends of Al-Aqsa We wish all the readers of Aqsa News a blessed Ramadan. In this month of VSLULWXDOLW\ UHÃ&#x20AC;HFWLRQ DQG FRQWHPSODWLRQ we ask you all to take a moment to imagine life in Palestine. Gaza is a prison and everyday life is full of hardships and misery. Palestinians living there are being IRUFHG WR UHO\ RQ WKH EODFN PDUNHW IRU HYHQ HVVHQWLDOV OLNH IXHO DQG PHGLFLQH 7KHUH LV nothing to look forward to and no end in sight to the misery. Palestinians need two things from the LQWHUQDWLRQDO FRPPXQLW\ 7KH\ QHHG DLGH to get through to them in Gaza and the :HVW %DQN VR WKDW WKH\ RQFH DJDLQ KDYH DFFHVV WR HVVHQWLDOV OLNH PHGLFLQHV DQG IXHO 7KH\ DOVR QHHG D SROLWLFDO FKDQJH VR WKDW WKH RFFXSDWLRQ FDQ EH EURXJKW WR DQ HQG QRW HQWUHQFKHG IXUWKHU E\ IDOVH µSHDFH¶ SURFHVVHV 7KLV UHTXLUHV PRUH WKDQ DLGH LW UHTXLUHV WLPH DQG HIIRUW IURP HDFK and every one of us. Governments around the world have failed to bring Palestinians WKHLU IUHHGRP ,W LV QRZ XS WR XV LQ FLYLO VRFLHW\ WR HQVXUH WKDW ZH PDNH D FKDQJH Friends of Al-Aqsa works hard to bring DERXW WKLV FKDQJH :H UDLVH DZDUHQHVV DERXW 3DOHVWLQH LQ HYHU\ VHFWRU RI VRFLHW\ WKURXJK OLWHUDWXUH OHFWXUHV DQG PDQ\ RWKHU PHDQV :H OREE\ SROLWLFLDQV DQG WKH media and work in solidarity with other DFWLYLVWV WR HQVXUH WKDW WKHUH LV D UHDO DQG DFWLYH PRYHPHQW ZRUNLQJ WRZDUGV IUHHLQJ Palestinians from oppression. Until 3DOHVWLQLDQV DUH IUHH WKH\ ZLOO FRQWLQXH WR QHHG DLGH WR VXVWDLQ WKHPVHOYHV 7KH\ GR QRW ZDQW WKLV DLGH WKH\ ZDQW WKH FKDQFH to live freely and build their lives up independently. Help them to do this by supporting solidarity groups like Friends of Al-Aqsa to spread knowledge and XQGHUVWDQGLQJ DERXW WKH FRQÃ&#x20AC;LFW
What does Friends of Al-Aqsa do? Friends of Al-Aqsa is a non-government RUJDQLVDWLRQ QRW D FKDULW\ ZKLFK DLPV WR defend the human rights of Palestinians. We do this by highlighting the abuses WKDW RFFXU LQ RUGHU WR EULQJ LQWHUQDWLRQDO SUHVVXUH RQ ,VUDHO WR FHDVH LWV RFFXSDWLRQ and oppression. As more and more information about KXPDQ ULJKWV DEXVHV LV FLUFXODWHG LQ WKH SXEOLF GRPDLQ DQG WKH VWRULHV WKDW DUH RIWHQ OHIW XQWROG E\ MRXUQDOLVWV DUH ¿QDOO\ EHLQJ KHDUG SXEOLF RSLQLRQ LV FKDQJLQJ DQG WKH 3DOHVWLQH VROLGDULW\ PRYHPHQWV DFURVV %ULWDLQ DQG PXFK RI WKH ZRUOG LV JURZLQJ 7KLV ZRUN PXVW FRQWLQXH XQWLO WKHUH LV D WDQJLEOH SXEOLF SUHVVXUH RQ JRYHUQPHQWV WR FKDQJH WKHLU SROLFLHV WRZDUGV ,VUDHO 7KXV far, Israel has barely been rebuked over its JURVV KXPDQ ULJKWV DEXVHV 7KLV QHHGV WR FKDQJH IRU WKH RFFXSDWLRQ WR FRPH WR DQ end. 7KH JRYHUQPHQW RI ,VUDHO ZLOO RQO\ FRPSO\ ZLWK ,QWHUQDWLRQDO ODZ LI LW LV pressured into doing so. Many movements, LQFOXGLQJ WKH ER\FRWW PRYHPHQW DUH mounting this pressure. )ULHQGV RI $O $TVD SURGXFHV PDQ\ YDULHG SXEOLFDWLRQV IRFXVLQJ RQ LVVXHV VXFK
DV ,VUDHOL ZDU FULPHV KXPDQ ULJKWV DEXVHV LOOHJDO VHWWOHPHQWV 3DOHVWLQLDQ FKLOGUHQ DQG WKH LPSDFW RI WKH RFFXSDWLRQ DQG PXFK PRUH ,W LV HVVHQWLDO WKDW ZH FRQWLQXH ZLWK WKLV ZRUN ZLWK \RXU VXSSRUW WR LQFUHDVH the pressure on Israel. )XOO GHWDLOV RI SXEOLFDWLRQV FDQ EH IRXQG on our web-site www.aqsa.org.uk. %DFNJURXQG WR WKH FRQÃ&#x20AC;LFW $OO WKH ODQG RI KLVWRULF 3DOHVWLQH LV QRZ RFFXSLHG E\ ,VUDHO ,Q WKH VWDWH RI ,VUDHO ZDV HVWDEOLVKHG RQ RI 3DOHVWLQLDQ ODQG ,Q ,VUDHO RFFXSLHG WKH UHPDLQLQJ RI 3DOHVWLQLDQ ODQG WKH :HVW %DQN DQG *D]D 6WULS 7KLV RFFXSDWLRQ KDV SHUVLVWHG WR WKLV GD\ LQ GH¿DQFH RI LQWHUQDWLRQDO ODZ 7KH FUHDWLRQ RI ,VUDHO UHVXOWHG LQ D FDWDVWURSKH 1DNED IRU WKH 3DOHVWLQLDQV DQG RYHU EHFDPH UHIXJHHV 2QO\ a few thousand were able to return to their KRPHV 7KHUH DUH QRZ DOPRVW PLOOLRQ Palestinian refugees living in refugee FDPSV LQ WKH RFFXSLHG WHUULWRULHV DQG LQ RWKHU FRXQWULHV DURXQG WKH ZRUOG 7KH\ OLYH LQ VTXDOLG FRQGLWLRQV ZLWK OLWWOH KRSH for a prosperous future without the right to UHWXUQ KRPH WR WKHLU KLVWRULF ODQGV 7KRVH 3DOHVWLQLDQV ZKR ZHUH DEOH WR return to their homes and live in what is now Israel shoulder the harsh burden of DSDUWKHLG ODZV 7KHLU PRYHPHQW ZLWKLQ WKHLU RZQ FRXQWU\ LV UHVWULFWHG DQG WKH\ IDFH DOO PDQQHU RI GLVFULPLQDWLRQ IURP WKH VWDWH ,I WKH\ FKRRVH WR PDUU\ D VSRXVH IURP WKH RFFXSLHG WHUULWRULHV WKH\ DUH GHQLHG WKH ULJKW WR IDPLO\ XQL¿FDWLRQ LQ Israel; they are denied employment and HGXFDWLRQDO RSSRUWXQLWLHV DQG PDQ\ OLYH LQ $UDE RQO\ WRZQV DQG YLOODJHV ZKLFK GR QRW UHFHLYH WKH VDPH SXEOLF VHUYLFHV DV -HZLVK WRZQV :KLOH WKH\ VXIIHU VRFLDO denigration, they are still required to pay KHDY\ WD[HV WR WKH ,VUDHOL VWDWH 7KH\ DUH LQ HYHU\ VHQVH VHFRQG FODVV FLWL]HQV GHQLHG EDVLF ULJKWV E\ WKH VWDWH RI ,VUDHO ,VUDHO LV FRQWLQXLQJ WR HQFURDFK RQ Palestinian land through its settlements LQ WKH :HVW %DQN ZKLFK DUH SHUVLVWHQWO\ H[SDQGLQJ 7KH EXLOGLQJ RI WKH VHSDUDWLRQ wall has also led to the isolation of East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank DQG WKH FUHDWLRQ RI SHUPDQHQW IDFWV RQ WKH JURXQG 7KURXJK WKH VORZ H[SXOVLRQ RI Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the Holy FLW\ LV EHLQJ VWROHQ E\ ,VUDHO 7R GR \RXU ELW IRU WKH 3DOHVWLQLDQ FDXVH EHFRPH D PHPEHU RI )ULHQGV RI Al-Aqsa. Membership Form on page 5.
Leicester Radio Ramadan
Friends of Al-Aqsa Pledge Day
Sunday 14 September 2008 Collection point: 200 Melbourne Road, Leicester
Tune in to 87.7FM and support us!!
Palestine Palestine Co lo u r i n g A c t i vi ty
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Thank you for the Olive Trees During the Friends of AlAqsa Pledge Day in Ramadan 2007, many of you donated towards the campaign to raise funds for Olive trees in Palestine. Your kind donations amounted to thousands of pounds. These funds were sent
to Palestinian organisations in Tulkarem, Nablus and Jenin. The funds were used to plant olive trees and adopt preexisting olive tree orchards. Palestinians have grown and harvested olives for generations, and your donations will bring
much needed income to the people of these areas for many years to come. The need to plant new olive trees and protect existing ones in order to give Palestinian farmers some hope for the future remains pressing. The Israeli
army has been responsible for uprooting thousands of olive and fruit trees in the Occupied Territories, and has used this as a tactic to force Palestinian farmers to leave their land. Friends of Al-Aqsa asks all supporters to Please continue to
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donate towards the planting of olive trees to help Palestinians regain sustainable futures. .
Library Images of Olive trees planted in 2007.
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Yvonne Ridley was one of the 46 Peace Activists who participated in the Free Gaza Campaign. She reported the events which unfolded in a daily column. There were times when it was clear that Yvonne and her fellow activists did not think they would ever reach Gaza. Below LV KHU FROXPQ UHĂ&#x20AC;HFWLQJ KHU MXELODWLRQ ZKHQ WKH\ IXOÂżOOHG their mission.
Setting Gaza Free By Yvonne Ridley
I still cannot believe I am writing to you from Gaza. Since the Free Gaza Movement sailed its two boats into Palestinian waters the celebrations have not stopped and our groups have been very busy. Today I joined some women whose husbands, fathers and brothers are Israeli-held detainees; in a protest rally as a sign of solidarity in the hope that the Zionist State might show a little bit of humanity and release these political prisoners. And yes, many, if not all of them are political prisoners. This was reinforced today at the Gazan legislative council where we were told how 40 democratically elected MPs from Gaza are being held in Israeli jails having been kidnapped by the Zionist State for nothing more than being chosen to represent their people. It is unbelievable, No wonder the Israelis like to shut out Western journalists from
Gaza, they really do not want the world to know what is happening here. While I was doing this some 20 of the other international peace activists were up at 4am WR JR RXW ÂżVKLQJ 7KH 66 )UHH Gaza, with six Palestinian ÂżVKHUPHQÂśV ERDWV LV FXUUHQWO\ 8-miles off the coast of Gaza as I write. I hear that they are being circled by three Israeli Dabur naval vessels. No shots KDYH EHHQ ÂżUHG DQG WKH ÂżVKLQJ boats are continuing to exercise WKHLU ULJKW WR ÂżVK DQG KDYH QRW turned round. The Oslo Accords allow Palestinian Gazans a 20-mile limit off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Currently the Navy is enforcing a 6 mile limit, so the Free Gaza Movement has broken that naval blockade, too. And tomorrow we all intend to go to the Rafah crossing to demand the Egyptians open the border so we can get sick Palestinians out to receive urgent medical aid and make sure humanitarian aid can get in from the other side. Egypt - you have been put on notice - we are a determined group of peace activists who will stop at nothing ... especially brutal man-made barriers, blockades, walls and borders. It is about time you and the rest of the Arab world started to show some solidarity with your Palestinian brothers and sisters. Do you really need to take lessons from a bunch of westerners in solidarity? Mr Hosni Mubarak - time to rip down the borders. You have been warned!
The passing of Mahmoud Darwish Celebrated Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish passed away on Saturday 9 August 2008 after 67 years of a life jumping from one peak to another, rising higher every time, transcending his own successes. Mahmoud Darwish was considered to be the most important contemporary Arab poet. He was born in 1942 in the village of Barweh in the Galilee, which was razed to the ground by Israelis in 1948. As a result of his political activism he faced house arrest and imprisonment. Darwish was
the editor of Ittihad Newspaper before leaving in 1971 to study for a year in the USSR. He then travelled to Egypt where he worked in Cairo for Al-Ahram Newspaper and in Beirut, Lebanon as an editor of the Journal â&#x20AC;&#x153;Palestinian Issuesâ&#x20AC;?. He was also the director of the Palestinian Research Center. Darwish was a member of the Executive Committee of the PLO and lived in exile between Beirut and Paris until his return in 1996 to Palestine. His poems are known throughout the Arab world, and several of them
were put to music. He published 30 poetry and prose collections, which were translated into 35 languages. In 2001, Muhamoud Darwish won the Lannan Prize for Cultural Freedom. The prize recognizes people whose extraordinary and courageous work celebrates the human right to freedom of imagination, inquiry, and expression. As GHÂżQHG E\ WKH IRXQGDWLRQ cultural freedom is the right of individuals and communities to GHÂżQH DQG SURWHFW YDOXHG DQG diverse ways of life currently threatened by globalization.
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Fun & Games
COMPETITION En ch hance to win a ÂŁ20 Argos voucher and a Friends of Al-Aqsa goody bag!!! There will be one winner per competition.
aaphroh iramucllyous esa fatfs rrhuied taph didmle ootrps
13 years old or under??? )RU \RXU FKDQFH WR ZLQ Ă&#x20AC;QG WKH following words in this word search and send us your entries! The Children Of Palestine Will Have Little Food This Ramadan There
Is Hunger For People In Gaza And West Bank
14-18 years old??? Can you rearrange these letters to make words from the story of Musa (as) above?
Order your free copies of these posters from Friends of AlAqsa today.
These handy posters can be displayed anywhere including at home or in the office. The Shrinking Map tells the story of Palestine; the Wall poster shows how Palestinians are being caged in; and the Boycott poster is a great reminder of which companies to boycott. To order your copies, email us at info@aqsa.org.uk with your details and specify how many posters you require.
ilhcdren eaiisr
Deadline for both competitions: 31st October 2008 Send your answers with your name, age and address to: Friends of Al-Aqsa, PO Box 5127, Leicester, LE2 0WU. Or email us on info@aqsa.org Winners of the last
competition: Ammaarah Usmani, age 9 from Birmingham. Khushbana Jan, age 14 from Bradford.
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Gaza patients continue painful wait for urgent medical treatment The story of Ahmed Hisham Abu Shawish. August 2008 ‘I have been sick for more than a year now. Five months DJR , ZDV ¿QDOO\ GLDJQRVHG ZLWK FDQFHU RI P\ EODGGHU , ZDV ZRUNLQJ DW WKH ,VODPLF University here in Gaza city, EXW QRZ , DP VWXFN DW KRPH DQG WDNLQJ D GLHW RI SDLQNLOOHUV ¶ $KPHG +LVKDP $EX 6KDZLVK LV IRXUW\ VL[ EXW KH ORRNV ROGHU +LV VNLQ LV WLQJHG ZLWK JUH\ DQG KH VLWV VOXPSHG IRUZDUG LQ KLV FKDLU +H XVHG WR ZRUN IXOO WLPH DW WKH ,VODPLF 8QLYHUVLW\ GRLQJ ORJLVWLFDO VXSSRUW EXW WKHVH GD\V LV FRQ¿QHG WR KLV KRPH LQ WKH $O 'DUDM GLVWULFW RI northern Gaza city. +H KDV DQ DJJUHVVLYH FDUFLQRJHQLF WXPRXU DQG suffers from serious hematuria, RU EORRG LQ KLV XULQH +H KDV WR DWWHQG KRVSLWDO HYHU\ WZR RU WKUHH GD\V LQ RUGHU WR UHFHLYH UHJXODU EORRG WUDQVIXVLRQV µ, JR WR WKH (XURSHDQ +RVSLWDO LQ .KDQ <XQLV IRU P\ WUHDWPHQW¶ KH VD\V 7KLV LQYROYHV D SDLQIXO MRXUQH\ E\ VKDUHG SXEOLF WD[L
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Digging tunnels between Gaza and Egypt is the only option for Gazans starved of medicine, fuel and basic supplies
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Gaza Health Ministry appeals for Rafah Border opening The number of medical patients who have died of treatable illnesses in the Gaza Strip since the siege began rose to 239 on 21 August 2008. The Gaza Health Ministry called on Egypt to defy Israel and open up the border crossing at Rafah so that patients who cannot be treated in Gaza can safely pass without relying on Israeli issued permits. Israel issues permits on an ad hoc basis and many desperate patients have been denied the right of passage. There are at least 10 patients in ICUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Gaza waiting to be transferred to hospitals where they can be treated. The situation is also exacerbated by the refusal of the Ramallah based Palestinian Authority to issue new PA passports to Palestinians in Gaza who cannot travel internationally without them. Israeli human rights groups have also revealed that they have received reports from some patients stating that Israeli soldiers have been exerting pressure on them to
Swiss Bank heeds divestment calls The Swiss Bank Sarasin has heeded the calls of local activists to divest from Veolia Environnement, a company involved in the building of a tramway running through occupied East Jerusalem. The tramway is intended to make movement in East Jerusalem easier for the hundreds of thousands of illegal Israeli settlers living in the settlement belt built around the Palestinian side of the city. Bank Sarasin has entered into talks with Veolia about the Jerusalem contract and it is expected that they will either convince Veolia to withdraw from it, or sell their shares in the company. Building of the tramway is illegal under international law, and is another step being taken by Israel to consolidate its control over East Jerusalem. The tram line cuts through Palestinian neighbourhoods already cut off from the rest of the West Bank by the separation wall.
become collaborators in return for passage abroad for medical treatment. This has been condemned. Earlier on this year, Palestinians held protests in *D]D XVLQJ HPSW\ FRIÂżQV to symbolise the number of patients who have died due to lack of medical treatment in Gaza. These Palestinians continue to call on the international community to bring an end to the suffering of medical patients in the besieged strip.