Category: Gaza medical treatment

“. . . We continue to strengthen the Jewish settlement in the West Bank with actions, not words . . .” (Avigdor Lieberman)

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SELECTED   NEWS   OF   THE   DAY. . .

|  LIEBERMAN  TO  APPROVE  31  SETTLEMENT  HOUSING  UNITS  IN  HEBRON  CITY
The Israeli Defense Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, announced on Thursday that he expects the Israeli government to approve the construction of 31 new illegal settlement housing units in the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron.    ___Lieberman announced his intention to have the Israeli government approve the construction of 31 news illegal settlement housing units, in Hebron City, on Sunday.     ___He posted a tweet on his official Twitter account that the illegal settlement plan includes new housing units, kindergartens and public parks.     ___”We continue to strengthen the Jewish settlement in the West Bank with actions, not words.”   More . . .
|  ISRAEL  DECLARES  TUBAS-AREA  VILLAGE  CLOSED  MILITARY  ZONE
Israeli forces declared the village of Khirbet al-Hadidiyeh in the northern Jordan Valley a closed military zone and sealed off several roads leading to the village, on Friday.    ___Local activist, Aaref Daraghmeh, said that Israeli forces sealed off entrance roads to Khirbet al-Hadidiyeh and prevented activists from reaching the area, where Israeli forces demolished Palestinian housing structures and steel structures used for housing sheep on Thursday.    ___Israeli forces declared the village a closed military zone . . .    More . . .
. . . . Related   Clashes  break  out  as  IOF  storms  Nablus  villages
. . . . Related   Illegal  Settlers  Attack  Palestinian  Cars  and  High  School  [Nablus  area]
|  283,000  UNEMPLOYED  INDIVIDUALS  IN  GAZA  STRIP 
Gaza unemployment has doubled since Israel imposed a land, sea and air blockade on the Gaza Strip 12 years ago, the General Federation of Palestinian Labor Unions said on Thursday.     ___It said that while unemployment rate has reached 27.2% before the blockade, it has now reached 50%, including 283,000 workers considered unemployed in 2018, which it described as “unprecedented.”     ___The poverty rate has reached 80%, which indicates critical deterioration in the standard of living and economic performance in the Gaza Strip, said the Federation, explaining that Gaza’s two million people have been living difficult and catastrophic conditions for over 12 years.    More . . .
. . . . Related  Thousands  of  Chronically  Ill  Gazans  Deprived  of  Medicine
. . . . Related   Weekly  Report  On  Israeli  Human  Rights  Violations  in  the  Occupied  Palestinian  Territory  (04  –  10  October  2018)

COMMENTARY    AND    OPINION. . . .

|  THE  AUDACITY  OF  UNCHECKED  POWER  IN  KHAN  AL-AHMAR 
An entire Palestinian village is facing destruction. What follows will dictate the fate of Palestinian communities all over the West Bank.
Hagai El-Ad
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s recent op-ed in the Jerusalem Post – designed to whitewash the war crime of the destruction of an entire Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank – is riddled with lies and distortions.    ___ The very premise he posits in his opening sentence is untrue. Lieberman writes of “a judicial ruling for the relocation of a small group of squatters from Khan al-Ahmar.” The High Court of Justice’s ruling, however, actually addressed demolition orders, not “relocation.”     More . . .
|  AS  THE  OLIVE  HARVEST  BEGINS,  SO  DO  THE  SETTLER  ATTACKS
Yumna Patel
The time had finally come: the residents of Turmusayya, a lush Palestinian village nestled in a valley between Ramallah and Nablus in the central occupied West Bank, had gotten permission from Israeli authorities to go harvest their olive trees.   [. . . .]  When they arrived, they were devastated to find dozens of trees chopped down, uprooted, and rotting.   ___The 40 olive trees belonged to 78-year-old Palestinian Mahmoud al-Araj, who had been tending to the trees since he was a boy.    [. . . .]  “I have been cultivating these trees, this land, since I was a boy. We helped our families and tired ourselves on this land so we could provide for our children and the future generations,” he said. “We give everything we have to our land and to these trees, and then the settlers come and destroy it all.”    More . . .

POEM  FOR  THE  DAY. . . . 

“NAME  OF  THE  SOIL,”  BY  ZUHAIR  ABU  SHAIB

what is its name?
what is the name of the soil
that falls from my withered body?
what is its name as it drifts and gathers
under my clothes
while, slowly, I build wall after wall?

I picture a sky full of clouds
I see it as I wish it to be

when night falls, I gulp my fill of springs
in darkness I lift my latch
to wise men

I ask my guests
who imprisoned the soul in rock?
who left prophets spread-eagled on doorsteps?

who risks everything to capture the earth?
a man who does not know his own shadow

what can I call this rug of soil?
is it my country or the source of my exile?
is it my miracle or my cross?

what is its name?

Zuhair Abu Shaib was born in Deir al-Ghusun and studied at Yarmouk University. She has been a teacher and journalist in Yemen, and a book designer. She has also been editor of the journal Awarq.
From A BIRD IS NOT A STONE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY PALESTINIAN POETRY. Glasgow: Freight Books, 2014.
House of Poetry in Mafraq launches its fourth meeting in Amman
Under the patronage of the Minister of Culture, the House of Poetry – Mafraq – was opened four years ago on the initiative of the ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi. In the presence of the chairman of the cultural authority in Sharjah Abdullah Al Owais with creative contributions by the poet Zuhair Abu Shaib. . .  More . . .

“. . . the concordance between aggressive development and external reality. . .” (Samir Qouta)

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Muhammad abu Khdeir
Muhammad Abu Khdeir, Palestinian teenager who was burned alive by Israeli settlers in 2014; his cousins are charged stone throwing (Photo: Times of Israel, July 31, 2016)

❶ Relatives of Muhammad Abu Khdeir detained for throwing stones, Molotov cocktails

  • Background from Aggressive Behavior

❷ My daughter sends joy to Gaza
❸ House of Lords debate on Palestinian children 21 July 2016
❹ Irish public figures’ statement in support of Israel boycott
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
❶ RELATIVES  OF  MUHAMMAD  ABU  KHDEIR  DETAINED  FOR  THROWING  STONES,  MOLOTOV  COCKTAILS
Ma’an News Agency
July 31, 2016
Two young Palestinians related to Muhammad Abu Khdeir, a Palestinian teenager who was burned alive by Israeli settlers in 2014, have been indicted by a Jerusalem court over a number of charges in the wake of their cousin’s brutal murder, Israeli police said on Sunday.
___Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Samri said in a statement that Nasser Abu Khdeir, 19, and Muhammad Abu Khdeir, 21 — who shares a name with his slain cousin — had been detained on June 26.
___The two youths have been accused of breaking the law following Abu Khdeir’s death, with al-Samri noting that they stood accused of throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli security forces . . .
___A 16-year-old from Shufat in occupied East Jerusalem, Muhammad Abu Khdeir was kidnapped and murdered by three Israeli extremists on July 2, 2014.       MORE . . .

From Aggressive Behavior
War and military violence signify a shattering and nightmarish reality for children: life threat, loss of home, killing and detention of family members, and witnessing humiliation of trusted and admired adults. According to psychoanalytical view, human beings have two possibilities to deal with pain and bewilderment that overwhelms their cognitive-emotional processing capacity: to turn them inside and suffer subsequently from depression and anxiety or target them outside in the form of aggression and acting out. Contemporary conceptualization of children’s psychiatric distress as internalizing and externalizing symptoms concurs with these alternatives given for humans when facing devastating events.
[. . . .]
Society at war sends double messages to children who until early adolescence face difficulties in interpreting them: the aggression, defiance and revenge are encouraged toward the enemy, but discouraged or even punished when directed toward own family and peers.  Similarly, research on children’s war attitudes and moral development point out dilemmas and conflicts: children learn that war is generally bad and immoral, but our own war is heroic, legitimate and moral and our fighters are pure and honorable, whereas enemy soldiers are cruel and coward-like.

  • Qouta, Samir, et al. “Does War Beget Child Aggression? Military Violence, Gender, Age And Aggressive Behavior In Two Palestinian Samples.” Aggressive Behavior 34.3 (2008): 231-244.       SOURCE  

❷ MY  DAUGHTER  SENDS  JOY  TO  GAZA
The Electronic Intifada
Rami Almeghari
July 25, 2016
It has been a long time since my family has had reason to celebrate.
___For nine years my wife Faten and I have been intermittently separated from our school-age children as we traveled back and forth between our home in Gaza and Cairo as Faten needed brain surgery and radiotherapy treatment unavailable here.
[. . . ]  my wife and I returned to Gaza in mid-February of this year. By then, Aseel had already been in school for five months without us present. The pressure on her mounted as summer neared and the time to sit for exams grew closer. Whether or not she would succeed became a matter of concern for our extended family.
___After she finished her exams in mid-June, we waited anxiously for the results. Is this a good result, Dad?” Aseel asked, her eyes tearing up. She had scored 86 percent.
___“Of course it is, my dear daughter. It is even great,” I replied, to Aseel’s relief.  MORE . . . 

granddaughter-001
The granddaughter of Um Hani, killed May 5, 2016, as she worked in a field in Gaza, displays a photo of her grandmother (Photo: Shadi Alqarra)

❸ HOUSE OF LORDS DEBATE ON PALESTINIAN CHILDREN 21 JULY 2016
Caabu
On 21 July, a two-and-a-half-hour long debate was held in the House of Lords on the situation of Palestinian children in the Occupied Territories and the impact of the occupation on their mental health. This was the second debate on the issue this year following a Commons debate on 6 January.
The Lords debate was put forward by Lord Norman Warner. Lord Warner was part of a Caabu and Medical Aid for Palestinians delegation to the West Bank in April 2016 and  to Gaza in 2010.
___WATCH Lord Warner’s speech in his debate in the House of Lords on the situation of Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza.

❹ IRISH  PUBLIC  FIGURES’  STATEMENT  IN  SUPPORT  OF  ISRAEL  BOYCOTT
The Palestinian Information Center
July 27, 2016
In an open letter published recently in the Irish Times and Irish Independent, thirteen of Ireland’s best-known musicians, writers, artists and sports stars have called on the Irish government to join them in supporting the growing worldwide boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel. The statement has been welcomed by Palestinian and Irish human rights campaigners.
[. . . .]
The letter welcomes Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan’s support for BDS as a legitimate political standpoint, but also outlines their disappointment that the Irish government does not go further and support the BDS movement. . .      MORE . . .  

“. . . the shedding of blood cleanses nothing. . .” (Aftab Yusuf Shaikh)

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The press conference announcing the launch of a new Arab-speaking station, Palestine 48, in Nazareth on Wednesday, June 17 2015. (Screen capture: Ynet)
The press conference announcing the launch of a new Arab-speaking station, Palestine 48, in Nazareth on Wednesday, June 17 2015. (Screen capture: Ynet)

❶ From INTERNATIONAL MIDDLE EAST MEDIA CENTER (IMEMC)
NETANYAHU ORDERS NEW PALESTINIAN TV SHUT, P.A PLANS TO APPEAL DECISION
June 18, 2015
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also serves as the Communication Minister, has instructed the head of the Communications Ministry, to begin shutting down a new Palestinian TV station, funded by the Palestinian Authority, in Israel.
____The official launch of the new TV was scheduled for today, Thursday, and all official preparations were concluded Wednesday for the historic launch of the new Palestine 48 TV Station. . . .
Al-Hasan said the Netanyahu decision to shut down the new TV station was illegal, and that the TV Channel will pursue all legal means to counter the move. . . .
____Netanyahu gave the order to Director General Shlomo Filber, just a few hours after a press conference was held during the inauguration of the Palestine 48 Arabic-language Channel. . . .
____Netanyahu’s main argument was that the new TV “receives funding from the Palestinian Authority, which is considered a foreign entity in Israel”.
(More. . .)

❷ From MA’AN NEWS AGENCY
HAMAS REJECTS UNILATERAL DISSOLUTION OF PALESTINIAN UNITY GOVT
June 17, 2015
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas rejected any unilateral dissolution of the Palestinian unity government on Wednesday, hours before Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah was expected to meet President Mahmoud Abbas to present his government’s resignation and discuss the formation of a new government.
____The rejection comes as senior Fatah officials reported Tuesday night that Abbas announced during a Fatah council meeting that the government would be dissolved and entirely reformed.
____”Hamas rejects any one-sided change in the government without the agreement of all parties,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP.
(More. . .)

❸ From +972 MAGAZINE
OCCUPATION IS THE PROBLEM, NOT THE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT IT
Israel’s Foreign Ministry is going after Israeli human rights and anti-occupation activists overseas. Doing so will only make things worse for Israel.
Ilan Baruch
June 16, 2015
It’s been less than a month since Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely instructed Israeli embassies abroad to explain to the nations of the world that the land of Israel is ours in its entirety. Global hostility toward Israel, she insisted, does not stem from the occupation or settlements.
____Now, we have learned that she instructed the Israeli embassy in Switzerland to attempt to cancel a “Breaking the Silence” exhibition in Zurich. The exhibition presents soldiers’ testimonies on their experiences during their military service regarding the daily reality in the occupied territories.
(More. . .)

❹ From INTERNATIONAL MIDDLE EAST MEDIA CENTER (IMEMC)
TWO INJURED IN NABLUS, TWO KIDNAPPED IN BETA NEARBY TOWN
June 18, 2015
Israeli soldiers shot and injured, on Thursday at dawn, two Palestinians in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and kidnapped two brothers in an invasion into Beta town, south of the city.
____Media sources in Nablus said several military vehicles, a number of settlers’ buses, and a military bulldozer, invaded the Eastern Area in Nablus, leading to clashes with local Palestinian youths.
____Medical sources said resident Eyad Ma’in Kalbouna, 23, was shot with a live round in his left leg, while Mohammad Ghassan Hashshash, 24, from the Balata refugee camp, was shot with two live rounds in the chest and thigh.
(More. . .)

Al-Wafah Hospital, Gaza
Al-Wafah Hospital, Gaza

❺ From PALESTINE NEWS NETWORK
PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: ISRAEL DENIES RIGHT TO MEDICAL TREATMENT IN GAZA
June 16, 2015
A report compiled by the organisation Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said that during 2014 Israel refused half of the applications made by residents to leave Gaza for medical treatment. Two of those who talked to PHR about the refusal of their applications died during the year.
____“The results point to the abuse of the Palestinian population”.
____The report revealed PHR’s findings that approximately half (47.5%) of the applications for permits to leave Gaza were denied by the Israeli border control. . . . in many cases applicants were seeking potentially life-saving treatment.
____PHR found that during the year, 246 requests from ill Palestinians were denied or postponed by Israeli authorities. All applicants had obtained the appropriate travel documents and knew of the obligation to pay medical fees
(More. . .)

“JERUSALEM,” BY AFTAB YUSUF SHAIKH
If this city were a woman,
She must have earned a bad name by now,
For the number of swords unsheathed,
For the cauldrons of blood shed,
For the haunting silence that rings in wombs,
For the innocent childhoods weeded,

But, No!
This is a city, and a holy one!
Holy for whom? The ones who heap
unholiness on it.

O children of Abraham!
You are not pagans or witches,
You must remember very sharply,
That the shedding of blood cleanses nothing,
And nothing cleanses the shedding of blood,

Man remembers the Promises of God,
But very casually forgets
The Promise God took from him.

About Aftab Yusuf Shaikh
http://aftabyusufshaikh.weebly.com/
From BEFORE THERE IS NOWHERE TO STAND: PALESTINE ISRAEL POETS RESPOND TO THE STRUGGLE. Ed. By Joan Dobbie and Grace Beeler. Sandpoint ID: Lost Horse Press, 2012.

Old City from the Mount of the Olives.
Old City from the Mount of the Olives. “Holy for whom? The ones who heap
unholiness on it.”