Madison-Rafah Journal

Richard Falk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, said the human rights situation there continued to be of great concern, primarily due to a lack of progress in the peace process, ongoing restrictions to the movement of Palestinians, and a harsher regime of confinement and siege imposed on the population of Gaza. As well, a deepening health crisis had resulted in a serious deterioration of the mental and physical health of Palestinians, and additional checkpoints had caused a growing number of deaths. Established procedures had failed to end the occupation and, after 40 years, there still seemed to be no signs of an end.

It was now up to the United Nations to seek alternative procedures that would bring greater relief to the Palestinian people, he said. In particular, the General Assembly should seek a legal assessment of the Israeli occupation by the International Court of Justice and, in an effort to implement previous international legal opinions of the Court, the Security Council should consider assisting in the implementation of the Court’s advisory opinion on the construction of a wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

(Read on …)

Al Mezan Condemns IOF's Continuous Violations; Calls for International Intervention

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, 27 Oct 2008

Amidst the tightened siege imposed by the IOF on the Gaza Strip, the IOF continues to open fire on areas adjacent to the eastern border. Today morning it targeted a school at Khiza'a town in the southeast of the Gaza Strip, injuring a girl inside her classroom.

According to the Center's investigations, IOF troops, which are fortified and stationed along the eastern border line, opened fire on Khiza'a town, east to Khan Younis, at around 8:15am on Monday, October 27, 2008. Aziza Sulaiman Qdeih, 15, was injured by a live bullet's shrapnel to the nose while she was at her first-story classroom in the Shuhada Khiza'a high school. She sustained minor injuries, according to medical resources.

The high school is located nearly 700 meters away from the borderline. The shooting incident caused a state of panic among the school students. The Center's information says the IOF opened intensive fire on the town continuously for nearly 15 minutes.

Al Mezan documentation indicates that since the start of the Intifada in 2000, the IOF has continued to target schools and their surrounding areas, including the UNRWA-operated schools. Dozens of children were injured and hundreds were intimidated. This also resulted in the killing of 19 school children since the breakout of the start of Intifada, who were either at school or in their way to or from school.

(Read on …)

Palestinian Center for Human Rights, 26 October 2008

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the decision taken by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to prevent some 100 international academics and human rights activists from entering Gaza via Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing to participate in an international conference organized by Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP) in cooperation with World Health Organization (WHO). PCHR views the IOF’s decision as a qualitative step that constitutes a form of collective punishment against 1.7 millions Palestinian civilians and further reinforces their isolation and the siege imposed on them through preventing all international delegations from entering Gaza to report on the humanitarian crisis and daily suffering of the civilian population due to ever deteriorating economic and social conditions.

WHO and GCMHP who are organizing the international conference on the siege and mental health in the Gaza Strip, which is scheduled to be held on 27 and 28 October 2008, submitted to IOF lists of some 100 international participants, including academics, physicians, researchers, human rights activists and representatives of civil society organization from all over the world. The lists were submitted a month ago to make necessary procedures to allow the international participants to enter Gaza and participate in the conference.

PCHR views the IOF’s decision to prevent international participants from entering Gaza to participate in this important conference not only as a serious violation of the right to freedom of movement, but also a serious violation of the right to academic freedoms, the right to acquire knowledge, the right to freedom of expression and of cultural rights. Such unjustifiable prevention aims at cutting off all forms of communication between the Gaza Strip and the outside world, and maintaining isolation and strangulation of the Palestinian civilian population causing further deterioration to humanitarian conditions.

PCHR calls upon the international community, including the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention OF 1949, to promptly and urgently intervene to ensure IOF’s agreement to allow internationals to enter Gaza, stop all forms of collective punishment, and lift the siege imposed on the Palestinian civilian population.

mrgrieves9876, YouTube, May 15, 2007

Jonathan Cook, The National, September 27, 2008

The words “Jewish” and “terrorist” are not easily uttered together by Israelis. But just occasionally, such as last week when one of the country’s leading intellectuals was injured by a pipe bomb placed at the front door of his home, they find themselves with little choice.

The target of the attack was 73-year-old Zeev Sternhell, a politics professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem specialising in European fascism and a prominent supporter of the left-wing group Peace Now.

Shortly after the explosion, police found pamphlets nearby offering 1.1 million shekels (Dh720,000) to anyone assassinating a Peace Now leader. The movement’s most visible activity has been tracking and criticising the growth of the settlements in the West Bank.

Mr Sternhell, whose leg was injured in the blast, warned that this attack might mark the “collapse of democracy” in Israel. He has earned the enmity of the religious far-right by justifying the targeting of settlers by Palestinians in their resistance to occupation.

(Read on …)

Sunday, November 9, 2008
1:00 - 4:00 pm

Save the date for a fun fair trade house party event!

PfP-Madison will sell fair trade Palestinian olive oil, olive oil soap, and za'atar spice blend!

We will also have, thanks to our friends at Just Coffee, our "Play Grounds" fair trade organic french roast coffee for sale (whole bean and ground regular, and ground decaf), plus fair trade teas and chocolate.

Get a head start on your holiday shopping, and feel free to bring friends!

For more information, email pfpmadison (at) gmail.com or call 345-8659.

Sunday, October 26
6:30 pm
Harmony Bar & Grill
2201 Williamson Street, Madison

Satirical songster Dave Lippman & his alter ego Singing CIA Agent George Shrub bid farewell to the Bush era with an evening of side-splitting political comedy and much-needed relief from the electoral circus. Also featuring a multi-media presentation on El Salvador, Palestine and Venezuela.

Your donation benefits the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, the Madison-Arcatao (El Salvador) Sister City Project, and the Dane-Andres Eloy Blanco (Venezuela) Sistering Alliance. (Sorry, 21 & over unless accompanied by parent/guardian).

For more about Lippman and Shrub, including video of past performances see www.davelippman.com.

Monday, October 20
7:00 pm
UW Memorial Union
Rathskeller

Madison premiere of Slingshot Hip-Hop, a film by Jackie Saloum about the Palestinian hip-hop scene. Part of El Mes Xicano 2008!

One of the Palestinian hip-hop groups featured in the film, DAM, is scheduled to perform. DAM can be seen performing "Meen Erhabi" (Who's the Terrorist?) on YouTube.

For more info contact Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlan. (MEChA, Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan) at 608.263.4830 or e-mail mechistasyque (at) yahoo.com.