Kristen Ess: Palestine, Iraq, Ethnic Cleansing and Powell's Speech
Kristen Ess | 06.02.2003 12:05
the West Bank turns into Gaza and Gaza turns into the West Bank. Latest on the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by way of extrajudicial murders, mass destruction of housing, farmlands and businesses, travel restrictions, land appropriation. Iraq and it's relevance to Palestine, fears of Zionist expansion throughout the Middle East, Palestinian opinions of Powell's speech and the decade-long military and economic campaign against the Iraqi people. 19m37s
Woman Crushed in Israeli Demolition of Gaza Home
By JAMES BENNET
JERUSALEM, Feb. 5 - While demolishing the home of a Palestinian militant's family in the Central Gaza Strip today, Israeli forces crushed to death his 65-year-old stepmother, who apparently did not hear their warnings to leave, the woman's family said.
In separate raids and clashes in West Bank cities today, soldiers shot dead two other Palestinians - a policeman and a teenager - and wounded several more.
The Israeli army said that it was checking the incident in Gaza, but that its soldiers followed established procedure to create a "sterile zone" before blowing up the structure, a two-story home in the Maghazi refugee camp.
Abla Said, the widow of the militant, Baha Said, said that soldiers ordered her and her children to leave the house, but prevented her from returning to warn the 65-year-old woman, Kamla Said.
"I told the Israelis I have to go and ask her to come, but they didn't let me go and wake her up," she said.
Kamla Said lived in a one-room building behind the house targeted for demolition, her family said.
The army said that over a 90-minute period, soldiers evacuated the targeted building and searched it, and then evacuated surrounding buildings.
"We are checking the claims, but the procedure was fully conducted for an hour and a half," an army spokesman said.
In recent months, the Israeli army has demolished dozens of houses of Palestinian militants, saying that the tactic discourages terrorist attacks.
Baha Said was killed two years ago while attacking Israeli soldiers guarding the Gaza settlement of Kfar Darom. Mr. Said and another gunman killed two soldiers in that attack.
The house was occupied by Mr. Said's four children and Abla Said, who, after Mr. Said's death, married his brother. Four brothers of Mr. Said were arrested at the house today, the family said.
In the West Bank early this morning, Israeli forces shot dead a 22-year-old Palestinian policeman during a raid into the city of Qalqiliya.
The army said its soldiers were pursuing wanted men when they approached a police station and spotted several men trying to flee. They army said that soldiers shouted warnings in Arabic and fired into the air before shooting at the fleeing men and hitting two of them.
Palestinian officials in Qalqiliya said that the soldiers issued no warnings, and that the fleeing men were not armed. The man who was killed was identified as Rida Ghanem.
This evening, paratroopers conducting searches in the center of the city of Nablus shot dead Samer Zurba, 17. Palestinians said that he was throwing stones, but the Israeli army said that he was armed and shooting at troops. No soldiers were injured.
Palestinian officials said that, during another Israeli raid today, into the town of Tamoun north of Nablus, soldiers opened fire on a group of youths throwing stones. They said a 13-year-old boy was shot in the head and critically injured.
The army said that soldiers used mostly non-lethal weapons and ammunition to disperse a crowd throwing stones and bricks. The army said that one soldier fired one live bullet, hitting a Palestinian in the leg.
In the southern Gaza Strip early today, 13 Palestinians were injured by Israeli tank fire during clashes on the western edge of the Khan Younis refugee camp, local Palestinian officials said. The army said that nearby Israeli settlements had come under mortar fire, and that Israeli forces had returned fire with light weapons toward the source of the mortar bombs. In all, ten mortar bombs were fired, the army said.
In operations throughout the West Bank, Israelis soldiers arrested 15 Palestinians overnight Tuesday, the army said.
For news and analysis from Palestine:
www.between-lines.org
www.electronicintifada.net
www.ccmep.org
www.palestinechronicle.com
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/
To get involved in Palestine solidarity in the US:
www.sustaincampaign.org
www.justiceinpalestine.org
www.al-awda.org
www.jewsagainsttheoccupation.org
www.palsolidarity.org
Torture and Palestinian political prisoners:
http://www.ppsmo.org/e-website/
Weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in Palestine:
http://www.pchrgaza.org/
By JAMES BENNET
JERUSALEM, Feb. 5 - While demolishing the home of a Palestinian militant's family in the Central Gaza Strip today, Israeli forces crushed to death his 65-year-old stepmother, who apparently did not hear their warnings to leave, the woman's family said.
In separate raids and clashes in West Bank cities today, soldiers shot dead two other Palestinians - a policeman and a teenager - and wounded several more.
The Israeli army said that it was checking the incident in Gaza, but that its soldiers followed established procedure to create a "sterile zone" before blowing up the structure, a two-story home in the Maghazi refugee camp.
Abla Said, the widow of the militant, Baha Said, said that soldiers ordered her and her children to leave the house, but prevented her from returning to warn the 65-year-old woman, Kamla Said.
"I told the Israelis I have to go and ask her to come, but they didn't let me go and wake her up," she said.
Kamla Said lived in a one-room building behind the house targeted for demolition, her family said.
The army said that over a 90-minute period, soldiers evacuated the targeted building and searched it, and then evacuated surrounding buildings.
"We are checking the claims, but the procedure was fully conducted for an hour and a half," an army spokesman said.
In recent months, the Israeli army has demolished dozens of houses of Palestinian militants, saying that the tactic discourages terrorist attacks.
Baha Said was killed two years ago while attacking Israeli soldiers guarding the Gaza settlement of Kfar Darom. Mr. Said and another gunman killed two soldiers in that attack.
The house was occupied by Mr. Said's four children and Abla Said, who, after Mr. Said's death, married his brother. Four brothers of Mr. Said were arrested at the house today, the family said.
In the West Bank early this morning, Israeli forces shot dead a 22-year-old Palestinian policeman during a raid into the city of Qalqiliya.
The army said its soldiers were pursuing wanted men when they approached a police station and spotted several men trying to flee. They army said that soldiers shouted warnings in Arabic and fired into the air before shooting at the fleeing men and hitting two of them.
Palestinian officials in Qalqiliya said that the soldiers issued no warnings, and that the fleeing men were not armed. The man who was killed was identified as Rida Ghanem.
This evening, paratroopers conducting searches in the center of the city of Nablus shot dead Samer Zurba, 17. Palestinians said that he was throwing stones, but the Israeli army said that he was armed and shooting at troops. No soldiers were injured.
Palestinian officials said that, during another Israeli raid today, into the town of Tamoun north of Nablus, soldiers opened fire on a group of youths throwing stones. They said a 13-year-old boy was shot in the head and critically injured.
The army said that soldiers used mostly non-lethal weapons and ammunition to disperse a crowd throwing stones and bricks. The army said that one soldier fired one live bullet, hitting a Palestinian in the leg.
In the southern Gaza Strip early today, 13 Palestinians were injured by Israeli tank fire during clashes on the western edge of the Khan Younis refugee camp, local Palestinian officials said. The army said that nearby Israeli settlements had come under mortar fire, and that Israeli forces had returned fire with light weapons toward the source of the mortar bombs. In all, ten mortar bombs were fired, the army said.
In operations throughout the West Bank, Israelis soldiers arrested 15 Palestinians overnight Tuesday, the army said.
For news and analysis from Palestine:
www.between-lines.org
www.electronicintifada.net
www.ccmep.org
www.palestinechronicle.com
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/ To get involved in Palestine solidarity in the US:
www.sustaincampaign.org
www.justiceinpalestine.org
www.al-awda.org
www.jewsagainsttheoccupation.org
www.palsolidarity.org
Torture and Palestinian political prisoners:
http://www.ppsmo.org/e-website/ Weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in Palestine:
http://www.pchrgaza.org/
Kristen Ess
Comments
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How much more can they take?
06.02.2003 15:22
I can't think of any other country that has so continuously and openly terrorised a largely defensive population and yet is still welcomed as a fellow 'civilised' nation.
I have seen repeated references on the IMC sites, posted by apologists for these actions, that claim that israel is the only democracy in the middle east and that they are only defending themselves.
How many more elderly women have to be entombed alive by these repugnant bullies before we have a live debate from the UN about them and THEIR weapons of mass distruction?
How much longer can we stand this vicious land grabbing racist affront to decency?
Time and time again the media world has taken an 'interest' only to be sated by the usual parade of blandishments and sensational pictures offered out of context.
And now we find out that israel, our so called allies, are targeting us with their illegal nuclear weapons. These were developed with the help of south africa - in fact it is probable that one of the reasons why SA was so 'successful' in disposing of its nuclear program, often sited as the model for iraq to follow and thus be judged to have failed, was that they disposed of them by shipping them wholesale to israel. Any one remember Dr Walter Bosson[?spelling]?
He was responsible for developing SA's chemical and biological weapons program. During the hearings on the crimes committed by these racist thugs evidence emerged that he aided and coordinated several programs with israel to develop 'ethnic' bombs. Of course like most dumb racists the reality of [or rather myth of] genetics did not impead their work until it was compleated at great expense and god knows what hidden human sacrifice. Then it was aknowledged, if only by their paymasters, that such bombs were useless in isreals conflicts because there was not sufficient genetic difference between the 'sides' to cause significant damage to one without doing the same to the other.
How long can we take it?
I know my patience is running out.
Is that the plan?
Like all bullies, do they wait for a reaction and then act with false self rightousness?
We are divided into jew and non jew, arab and non arab, terrorist and non terrorist. We are paralised by these meaningless definitions.
Feb 15 will be about more than opposing just one of their wars, for me it will be about demonstrating my total and implacable opposition to the agenda of race, nation and division of wealth. I can not hope to make a difference alone, but perhaps a million of us decending on the centres of power and disobeying, dissenting and disrupting their filthy war crimes might.
If not, what next?
jackslucid
e-mail:
jackslucid@hotmail.com