17 apr 2016
Dareen Tatour, 33, a Palestinian poet, photographer and activist was arrested at her home in Oct. 2015. They didn’t have a search order or a warrant.
At 3:00am before dawn, on October 10, 2015, patrol cars from Nazareth police, escorted by a unit of Israel’s notorious “Border Guards”, surrounded a quite house in the nearby village of Al-Reineh. They broke in and waked up the terrified family. Their target was Dareen Tatour, 33, a Palestinian poet, photographer and activist. They didn’t have a search order, neither an arrest warrant, but they carried the astonished Dareen with them anyway.
Who is a martyr?
October 2015 saw a wave of mass struggle by the Palestinians, centered in Al-Quds as response to Israeli provocations in Al-Aqsa, but spreading throughout Gaza, the West Bank and the 48 occupied territories. But Dareen didn’t expect to be arrested. She didn’t take part in the demonstrations this time. She used to go to demonstrations before and as a photographer was targeted by the police. She was wounded in 2008, as settlers and police attacked the March of Return in Saffuriya.
But why now?
Apparently the immediate reason for Dareen’s detention was a status that she published on Facebook. On October 9 a Palestinian woman from Nazareth, Israa Abed, a mother of 3 and a post-graduate student of genetic engineering, was shot by Israel soldiers in the central bus station in ‘Afula, on her way home from her studies. The films of her cold-blooded shooting by several Israel soldiers were published everywhere. The Arab public was shocked. According to the Israeli police Dareen posted Israa’s picture and wrote “I will be the next martyr”.
For the Israeli racist regime, media and public every Palestinian that is shot by the Israelis is immediately defined as “Mekhabel” – a special term invented in Hebrew to de-humanize Arab resistance fighters, not even describing them as regular “terrorists”. While every single Arab that looked at the film saw clearly that Israa didn’t attack anyone, and concluded that any Arab now can be shoot for no reason, the Israeli media hysterically interpreted the same incident as a proof that any Arab can be “Mekhabel”. (Luckily Israa didn’t die from her wounds and Israel later dropped any “security” accusations against her.)
For the Israelis any Palestinian “martyr” (Shahid) is a suicide bomber. For the Palestinians not only freedom fighters but every innocent victim of the occupation is a Shahid. In this bloody period Dareen was identified as an enemy and can be regarded lucky to be arrested and not shoot at and actually becoming Shahida, like so many others.
The case against Dareen
Having Dareen in their custody, with her computer and smartphone, the best brains of the Israeli police in Nazareth worked hard to prove that she is a real security threat and stitch a file against her. On Monday, November 2, Dareen was indicted on charges of incitement to violence and supporting a terrorist organization. (I didn’t see the official indictment, but here are media reports about it in Arabic and Hebrew.)
At 3:00am before dawn, on October 10, 2015, patrol cars from Nazareth police, escorted by a unit of Israel’s notorious “Border Guards”, surrounded a quite house in the nearby village of Al-Reineh. They broke in and waked up the terrified family. Their target was Dareen Tatour, 33, a Palestinian poet, photographer and activist. They didn’t have a search order, neither an arrest warrant, but they carried the astonished Dareen with them anyway.
Who is a martyr?
October 2015 saw a wave of mass struggle by the Palestinians, centered in Al-Quds as response to Israeli provocations in Al-Aqsa, but spreading throughout Gaza, the West Bank and the 48 occupied territories. But Dareen didn’t expect to be arrested. She didn’t take part in the demonstrations this time. She used to go to demonstrations before and as a photographer was targeted by the police. She was wounded in 2008, as settlers and police attacked the March of Return in Saffuriya.
But why now?
Apparently the immediate reason for Dareen’s detention was a status that she published on Facebook. On October 9 a Palestinian woman from Nazareth, Israa Abed, a mother of 3 and a post-graduate student of genetic engineering, was shot by Israel soldiers in the central bus station in ‘Afula, on her way home from her studies. The films of her cold-blooded shooting by several Israel soldiers were published everywhere. The Arab public was shocked. According to the Israeli police Dareen posted Israa’s picture and wrote “I will be the next martyr”.
For the Israeli racist regime, media and public every Palestinian that is shot by the Israelis is immediately defined as “Mekhabel” – a special term invented in Hebrew to de-humanize Arab resistance fighters, not even describing them as regular “terrorists”. While every single Arab that looked at the film saw clearly that Israa didn’t attack anyone, and concluded that any Arab now can be shoot for no reason, the Israeli media hysterically interpreted the same incident as a proof that any Arab can be “Mekhabel”. (Luckily Israa didn’t die from her wounds and Israel later dropped any “security” accusations against her.)
For the Israelis any Palestinian “martyr” (Shahid) is a suicide bomber. For the Palestinians not only freedom fighters but every innocent victim of the occupation is a Shahid. In this bloody period Dareen was identified as an enemy and can be regarded lucky to be arrested and not shoot at and actually becoming Shahida, like so many others.
The case against Dareen
Having Dareen in their custody, with her computer and smartphone, the best brains of the Israeli police in Nazareth worked hard to prove that she is a real security threat and stitch a file against her. On Monday, November 2, Dareen was indicted on charges of incitement to violence and supporting a terrorist organization. (I didn’t see the official indictment, but here are media reports about it in Arabic and Hebrew.)
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The main clause of the indictment is based on a poem that she (or somebody else using her name – the case is still in the court) published in “youtube” under the title: “” – “resist my people, resist them”. There is nothing illegal in this poem, not even according to Israel’s anti-democratic laws. But the poem is read against a background of Palestinian youth clashing with the occupation forces. The Israeli prosecution and media now relate to such iconic images as “Palestinians engaged in terrorist activity”!
Another main clause in the indictment relates to an item from the news, cited in a post on Dareen’s Facebook page, according to which “The Islamic Jihad movement calls for continuing the Intifada all over the (West) Bank…” The same post calls for “comprehensive intifada”. You can argue what this call for intifada means, but there is no support for Islamic Jihad there. |
The same report could appear, using exactly the same language, in an Israeli media… But Palestinians are always suspected of not really loving their oppressors.
Endless tireless persecution
The harshest part of Dareen’s saga started after the indictment. In some similar cases, only involving some mild posts on Facebook, the accused were transferred to house arrest as the trial went on.
The prosecution in Nazareth fought a trench war to extend Dareen’s detention as long as possible. They wouldn’t agree to house detention in her parent’s home and demanded that she will be deported far away from the district altogether. This doesn’t make any sense, as all the charges against Dareen related only to publications on the net, where geography is not relevant. But at this stage they already inflated the case against Dareen as their main crusade to guard “the security of the region”. And in Israeli courts the word “security” transforms almost any judge to an obedient stamp carrier at the service of the prosecution.
The prosecution went on to demand that Dareen will be held in a house that is isolated from the internet, under the supervision of volunteer guards that should be with her for 24 hours a day and pay a high penalty in case of any infringement. They objected to any specific proposal that met these harsh conditions and appealed to the district court over any decision of the low court that seemed a bit lenient toward Dareen.
As a result Dareen spent more than 3 months in different prisons, suffering harsh conditions and attending endless court hearings. Finally she was transferred (on January 14, 2016) to detention in a house that her brother rented especially in a remote suburb of Tel Aviv. She is not allowed to exit the small apartment at any time. An electronic device attached to her ankle is supervising her movements, in addition to the hapless “guards”.
The first hearing of the trial
On Wednesday, April 13, I went to Nazareth to attend the first hearing of Dareen’s trial. The small supporting crowd included some of Dareen’s relatives as well as Muhammad Barakeh, the head of the Arab High Follow-up Committee (the official united leadership of the 48 occupied Palestinians) and Knesset member Haneen Zoabi.
The prosecution started to rest her case by bringing the policemen that translated the “Qawem” poem to Hebrew. The scene was completely surrealistic. Poems, by their very nature, are contradictory to the concept of “proven beyond reasonable doubt” that stands at the heart of the criminal law. The (policeman) witness was struggling with the ambiguities of the poem’s words, supplying his intuitive interpretation to the phrases. We were torn between the urge to laugh loudly and bewilderment at the knowledge that the freedom of our dear Dareen depends on this nonsense.
The fact that the prosecution and the judge continued to discuss seriously the supposed incitement in the poem is only another demonstration of the way the Israeli oppressive apparatus is blinded by its own hatred and lies. But the lack of any semblance of justice and the zero value that they give to the basic Human Rights of the Palestinians is even more blatantly proved by their careless decision to use as translator a policeman with no special competence at translation. He testified breezily that his competence was based on studying literature at high school and his love for the Arab language. They are confident they can rob Dareen of her freedom according to an interpretation of her poem without even caring to bring a proper translator!
(If you read Hebrew you can read a detailed report about this amazing literary experience.)
Solidarity required
The case of Dareen Tatour is just another small example of Israeli oppression against the Palestinians. Till now I don’t know of any specific solidarity actions with her, nor inside Palestine, neither abroad. This is understandable, taking into account that Palestinians of all ages are shot and killed every day, there are thousands of Palestinian prisoners (many of them children) and many hundreds are held in prison for years without any trial.
Yet I think that the case of Dareen deserves special attention.
She is a women and a poet. The main accusation against her is her poem. This is a good opportunity for poets and writers to make a stand against the occupation and its practice of criminalizing any Palestinian expression of the desire for freedom and dignity.
Also, Dareen’s lawyer, Abed Fahoum, raised in court the principled issue of discriminatory enforcement of the law against incitement. Israeli social and official media is boiling with calls to kill Arabs, some by prominent politicians and rabbis. The racist attitude of the prosecution, going exclusively against the freedom of expression of the Arab population while turning a blind eye to Zionist incitement, should be exposed. Pursuing this line of defense is a major interest of the Palestinian Arab public in general. Dareen and her lawyer will need all the help they can get during the next few weeks in the court and out of it to make this point heard.
Website: http://freehaifa.wordpress.com/
Free Haifa is one of a million new spaces which opened to develop and display the thinking of the Arab revolution.
Endless tireless persecution
The harshest part of Dareen’s saga started after the indictment. In some similar cases, only involving some mild posts on Facebook, the accused were transferred to house arrest as the trial went on.
The prosecution in Nazareth fought a trench war to extend Dareen’s detention as long as possible. They wouldn’t agree to house detention in her parent’s home and demanded that she will be deported far away from the district altogether. This doesn’t make any sense, as all the charges against Dareen related only to publications on the net, where geography is not relevant. But at this stage they already inflated the case against Dareen as their main crusade to guard “the security of the region”. And in Israeli courts the word “security” transforms almost any judge to an obedient stamp carrier at the service of the prosecution.
The prosecution went on to demand that Dareen will be held in a house that is isolated from the internet, under the supervision of volunteer guards that should be with her for 24 hours a day and pay a high penalty in case of any infringement. They objected to any specific proposal that met these harsh conditions and appealed to the district court over any decision of the low court that seemed a bit lenient toward Dareen.
As a result Dareen spent more than 3 months in different prisons, suffering harsh conditions and attending endless court hearings. Finally she was transferred (on January 14, 2016) to detention in a house that her brother rented especially in a remote suburb of Tel Aviv. She is not allowed to exit the small apartment at any time. An electronic device attached to her ankle is supervising her movements, in addition to the hapless “guards”.
The first hearing of the trial
On Wednesday, April 13, I went to Nazareth to attend the first hearing of Dareen’s trial. The small supporting crowd included some of Dareen’s relatives as well as Muhammad Barakeh, the head of the Arab High Follow-up Committee (the official united leadership of the 48 occupied Palestinians) and Knesset member Haneen Zoabi.
The prosecution started to rest her case by bringing the policemen that translated the “Qawem” poem to Hebrew. The scene was completely surrealistic. Poems, by their very nature, are contradictory to the concept of “proven beyond reasonable doubt” that stands at the heart of the criminal law. The (policeman) witness was struggling with the ambiguities of the poem’s words, supplying his intuitive interpretation to the phrases. We were torn between the urge to laugh loudly and bewilderment at the knowledge that the freedom of our dear Dareen depends on this nonsense.
The fact that the prosecution and the judge continued to discuss seriously the supposed incitement in the poem is only another demonstration of the way the Israeli oppressive apparatus is blinded by its own hatred and lies. But the lack of any semblance of justice and the zero value that they give to the basic Human Rights of the Palestinians is even more blatantly proved by their careless decision to use as translator a policeman with no special competence at translation. He testified breezily that his competence was based on studying literature at high school and his love for the Arab language. They are confident they can rob Dareen of her freedom according to an interpretation of her poem without even caring to bring a proper translator!
(If you read Hebrew you can read a detailed report about this amazing literary experience.)
Solidarity required
The case of Dareen Tatour is just another small example of Israeli oppression against the Palestinians. Till now I don’t know of any specific solidarity actions with her, nor inside Palestine, neither abroad. This is understandable, taking into account that Palestinians of all ages are shot and killed every day, there are thousands of Palestinian prisoners (many of them children) and many hundreds are held in prison for years without any trial.
Yet I think that the case of Dareen deserves special attention.
She is a women and a poet. The main accusation against her is her poem. This is a good opportunity for poets and writers to make a stand against the occupation and its practice of criminalizing any Palestinian expression of the desire for freedom and dignity.
Also, Dareen’s lawyer, Abed Fahoum, raised in court the principled issue of discriminatory enforcement of the law against incitement. Israeli social and official media is boiling with calls to kill Arabs, some by prominent politicians and rabbis. The racist attitude of the prosecution, going exclusively against the freedom of expression of the Arab population while turning a blind eye to Zionist incitement, should be exposed. Pursuing this line of defense is a major interest of the Palestinian Arab public in general. Dareen and her lawyer will need all the help they can get during the next few weeks in the court and out of it to make this point heard.
Website: http://freehaifa.wordpress.com/
Free Haifa is one of a million new spaces which opened to develop and display the thinking of the Arab revolution.
The Committee to Support Palestinian Journalists said, on Saturday, that Israel had detained 43 journalists in the occupied Palestinian territory since October 2015, including two foreign reporters.The New York-based committee said in a report that during detention and imprisonment, journalists have reported torture, medical negligence, and unreasonable and illegal rulings by the Israeli authorities.
The committee condemned the increasing number of detentions of journalists, and called for their immediate release.
According to Ma’an, at least four of the 43 journalists were released in February and March, while 20 others — including a female journalist and a media student — remain in Israeli prison, and others have been transferred to house arrest. The report also said that three journalists were suffering from medical conditions.
Bassam al-Sayih was suffering from an advanced stage of cancer and administrative detainee Ali al-Ewawi was suffering from ulcerative colitis. The committee added that Palestinian journalist Muhammad al-Qiq was still recovering from his grueling 94-day hunger strike that brought him close to death, and was currently being treated in Israel’s HaEmek Medical Center in Afula.
The journalists’ rights committee released Saturday’s report marking Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, held on April 17 every year in solidarity with the 7,000 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons.The Israeli crackdown on media organizations and journalists in particular has been part of a systematic policy that often designates outlets affiliated with Palestinian political parties as terrorist organizations, according to Palestinian prisoners’ rights group Addameer.“The practical implication of these broadly-defined offenses is the criminalization of many aspects of Palestinian civic life,” Addameer stated.
In a statement released in March, Palestinian media freedoms group MADA said it was “highly concerned” by recent Israeli resolutions targeting Palestinian media, saying it neglected “the main reason for the whole conflict, which is the continuous occupation and all systematic violations against Palestinian people.”
The watchdog also released a report, last month, showing that 2015 had seen an “unprecedented” increase in Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists across the occupied Palestinian territory.
The committee condemned the increasing number of detentions of journalists, and called for their immediate release.
According to Ma’an, at least four of the 43 journalists were released in February and March, while 20 others — including a female journalist and a media student — remain in Israeli prison, and others have been transferred to house arrest. The report also said that three journalists were suffering from medical conditions.
Bassam al-Sayih was suffering from an advanced stage of cancer and administrative detainee Ali al-Ewawi was suffering from ulcerative colitis. The committee added that Palestinian journalist Muhammad al-Qiq was still recovering from his grueling 94-day hunger strike that brought him close to death, and was currently being treated in Israel’s HaEmek Medical Center in Afula.
The journalists’ rights committee released Saturday’s report marking Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, held on April 17 every year in solidarity with the 7,000 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons.The Israeli crackdown on media organizations and journalists in particular has been part of a systematic policy that often designates outlets affiliated with Palestinian political parties as terrorist organizations, according to Palestinian prisoners’ rights group Addameer.“The practical implication of these broadly-defined offenses is the criminalization of many aspects of Palestinian civic life,” Addameer stated.
In a statement released in March, Palestinian media freedoms group MADA said it was “highly concerned” by recent Israeli resolutions targeting Palestinian media, saying it neglected “the main reason for the whole conflict, which is the continuous occupation and all systematic violations against Palestinian people.”
The watchdog also released a report, last month, showing that 2015 had seen an “unprecedented” increase in Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists across the occupied Palestinian territory.
14 apr 2016
18 Palestinian journalists are being held in Israeli jails, and two of them have been imprisoned during the current month, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS).
In a press release on Wednesday, the PPS stated that Israeli soldiers kidnapped last Monday photojournalist Hazem Naser at a makeshift checkpoint near Nablus.
The Israeli police, in turn, arrested journalist Samah Dweik, who works for al-Quds News Network, on April 10 in Occupied Jerusalem.
Journalist Mahmoud Issa is one of those long-time prisoners who have been in detention before the signing of the Oslo accords. He is serving three life sentences in addition to 46 years in jail.
Four of those journalists are also administratively detained, with no indictment.
In a press release on Wednesday, the PPS stated that Israeli soldiers kidnapped last Monday photojournalist Hazem Naser at a makeshift checkpoint near Nablus.
The Israeli police, in turn, arrested journalist Samah Dweik, who works for al-Quds News Network, on April 10 in Occupied Jerusalem.
Journalist Mahmoud Issa is one of those long-time prisoners who have been in detention before the signing of the Oslo accords. He is serving three life sentences in addition to 46 years in jail.
Four of those journalists are also administratively detained, with no indictment.
12 apr 2016
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) carried out at dawn Tuesday a large-scale raid and arrest campaign across West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.
A child and a photographer were among several detainees reported during the raid.
Israeli Army claimed in a statement issued Tuesday that 12 “wanted” Palestinians were detained for allegedly being involved in anti-occupation attacks.
Three youths were arrested in Tulkarem including a photographer, while an activist in Hamas Movement was detained in Salfit. Four other arrests were reported in occupied Jerusalem.
A second activist in Hamas Movement was arrested in al-Khalil, while three citizens were detained in Bethlehem.
Meanwhile, the PIC reporter in Jenin said that a young man was arrested early this morning after Israeli forces brutally stormed his house.
Israeli forces also deployed in large numbers throughout the city and carried out combing operations. A second youngster was detained at Za'atara checkpoint before being taken to an unknown detention center.
Several Palestinian vehicles were also stopped and searched at the checkpoint.
On the other hand, a group of settlers brutally attacked a number of Palestinian children while on their way to school in al-Khalil. A 10-year-old child suffered several injuries and bruises all over his body during the settlers’ attack.
A 20-year-old young man was detained by Israeli forces as he intervened to protect the children. The detainee was taken to an unknown detention center and charged with attacking the settlers!
Despite living under a brutal military occupation, Palestinian towns and villages located near illegal Israeli settlements are subjected to regular attacks by Israeli settlers.
A child and a photographer were among several detainees reported during the raid.
Israeli Army claimed in a statement issued Tuesday that 12 “wanted” Palestinians were detained for allegedly being involved in anti-occupation attacks.
Three youths were arrested in Tulkarem including a photographer, while an activist in Hamas Movement was detained in Salfit. Four other arrests were reported in occupied Jerusalem.
A second activist in Hamas Movement was arrested in al-Khalil, while three citizens were detained in Bethlehem.
Meanwhile, the PIC reporter in Jenin said that a young man was arrested early this morning after Israeli forces brutally stormed his house.
Israeli forces also deployed in large numbers throughout the city and carried out combing operations. A second youngster was detained at Za'atara checkpoint before being taken to an unknown detention center.
Several Palestinian vehicles were also stopped and searched at the checkpoint.
On the other hand, a group of settlers brutally attacked a number of Palestinian children while on their way to school in al-Khalil. A 10-year-old child suffered several injuries and bruises all over his body during the settlers’ attack.
A 20-year-old young man was detained by Israeli forces as he intervened to protect the children. The detainee was taken to an unknown detention center and charged with attacking the settlers!
Despite living under a brutal military occupation, Palestinian towns and villages located near illegal Israeli settlements are subjected to regular attacks by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday evening arrested a Palestinian journalist at a military checkpoint in southern Nablus province, bringing the number of Palestinian journalists held in occupation jails to 16.
A PIC journalist said the IOF arrested the photojournalist Hazem Naser at the Yitzhar checkpoint, in the northern occupied West Bank, and dragged him to the Kadumim camp.
Earlier, on Sunday, the IOF kidnapped the Palestinian female journalist Sameh Dweik from her own family home in Silwan’s neighborhood of Ras al-Amoud, in Occupied Jerusalem.
The Committee to Support Journalists called on, in a statement issued sometime earlier, the international human rights organizations to urgently intervene and work on ending Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists.
The committee said the abductions make part of Israeli attempts to quell freedom of expression and prevent an authentic coverage of Israeli aggressions on the Palestinians.
Over recent months, Palestinian journalists have increasingly been targeted with interrogation summonses and arbitrary abductions by the Israeli occupation army.
A PIC journalist said the IOF arrested the photojournalist Hazem Naser at the Yitzhar checkpoint, in the northern occupied West Bank, and dragged him to the Kadumim camp.
Earlier, on Sunday, the IOF kidnapped the Palestinian female journalist Sameh Dweik from her own family home in Silwan’s neighborhood of Ras al-Amoud, in Occupied Jerusalem.
The Committee to Support Journalists called on, in a statement issued sometime earlier, the international human rights organizations to urgently intervene and work on ending Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists.
The committee said the abductions make part of Israeli attempts to quell freedom of expression and prevent an authentic coverage of Israeli aggressions on the Palestinians.
Over recent months, Palestinian journalists have increasingly been targeted with interrogation summonses and arbitrary abductions by the Israeli occupation army.
11 apr 2016
Israeli prison service (IPS) Sunday morning transferred the Palestinian sick captive Bassam al-Sayeh who suffers from cancer in addition to other diseases from Megiddo to Eshel jail to meet his detained brother Amjad.
Former Minister of Prisoners and leader in Hamas Movement Wasfi Qabaha said that the IPS transferred Sayeh after long procrastination and stalling as well as pressures practiced by Hamas prisoners in escalated steps last month.
The wife of detainee Sayeh told the PIC reporter that her husband Bassam is suffering from a serious health condition and he is in need to undergo a surgery to plant a pacemaker.
The IPS has been procrastinating for the pretext of waiting for a medical report confirming his need to the operation.
The patient captive Bassam al-Sayeh, who has been arrested since October 08, 2015, suffers from leukemia and bones cancer in addition to severe pneumonia as well as weakness in the heart muscle.
Former Minister of Prisoners and leader in Hamas Movement Wasfi Qabaha said that the IPS transferred Sayeh after long procrastination and stalling as well as pressures practiced by Hamas prisoners in escalated steps last month.
The wife of detainee Sayeh told the PIC reporter that her husband Bassam is suffering from a serious health condition and he is in need to undergo a surgery to plant a pacemaker.
The IPS has been procrastinating for the pretext of waiting for a medical report confirming his need to the operation.
The patient captive Bassam al-Sayeh, who has been arrested since October 08, 2015, suffers from leukemia and bones cancer in addition to severe pneumonia as well as weakness in the heart muscle.
The Israeli prison service (IPS) on Sunday transferred the Palestinian journalist Muhammad al-Qeiq from the Ramla prison clinic to the Israeli Nafha desert lock-up.
Speaking in an exclusive statement to the PIC, al-Qeiq’s wife, Fayhaa Shalash, said her husband was transferred in the morning to the Nafha jail pending his release next month as stipulated by a deal struck between his lawyers and the Israeli prosecution.
The wife added that al-Qeiq ended two phases of medical therapy following a 95-day hunger strike that was on the verge of taking away his life in Israeli jail. Al-Qeiq is in need of more medical checks and treatment, his wife added.
Prisoner al-Qeiq was arrested on November 21, 2015 from his own family home in the central occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and had been subjected to harsh torture in the Jalama investigation center before he was sentenced to six months in administrative detention, without charge or trial.
He ended his hunger strike on February 26 after the Israeli prison authorities promised to release him in May.
Speaking in an exclusive statement to the PIC, al-Qeiq’s wife, Fayhaa Shalash, said her husband was transferred in the morning to the Nafha jail pending his release next month as stipulated by a deal struck between his lawyers and the Israeli prosecution.
The wife added that al-Qeiq ended two phases of medical therapy following a 95-day hunger strike that was on the verge of taking away his life in Israeli jail. Al-Qeiq is in need of more medical checks and treatment, his wife added.
Prisoner al-Qeiq was arrested on November 21, 2015 from his own family home in the central occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and had been subjected to harsh torture in the Jalama investigation center before he was sentenced to six months in administrative detention, without charge or trial.
He ended his hunger strike on February 26 after the Israeli prison authorities promised to release him in May.
10 apr 2016
Journalist Samah Dweik
Israeli soldiers kidnapped, late at night and on Sunday at dawn, at least eleven Palestinians, including children and a journalist, in different parts of the occupied West Bank, and summoned many for interrogation in a number of military centers.
The soldiers also invaded and bulldozed farmlands, in Gaza.
Several military vehicles invaded Silwad town, east of the central West bank city of Ramallah, searched many homes and kidnapped three Palestinians, identified as Saif Khalil Hammad, 19, Bilal Sobhi Hamed, 17, and Mo’men Bassem Hamed, 17.
The soldiers also invaded the home of Taleb Hamed, looking for his son, Tareq, 19, but he was not at home; he is a student of Birzeit University.
A university student, identified as Bahaeddin Sheja’eyya, 19, was kidnapped after the soldiers invaded his home in Deir Jarir town, east of Ramallah.
The soldiers also invaded Zawiya town, in the central West Bank district of Salfit, and kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Monir Shaqqoura.
In the southern West Bank district of Hebron, the soldiers kidnapped Tamer Waleed Ghazi, 17, from the al-‘Arroub refugee camp, Monir Nasser Shadeed, 20, from Doura town, and Husam al-Misk, a student of the Al-Quds – Abu Dis University.
The soldiers also summoned for interrogation the head of Palestine Detainees’ Center Osama Shahin, and Jaber Rajoub, from Doura, in addition to a former political prisoner, identified as Zeid Abu Fannar, in Yatta town.
In occupied Jerusalem, the soldiers kidnapped a child, identified as Mohammad Ishaq Taha, 15, from his home in Qotna town.
Another Palestinian, who remained unidentified until the time of this report, was kidnapped from his home in Rafat town, north of Jerusalem.
The soldiers also kidnapped Palestinian journalist, identified as Samah Dweik, 25, after invading her home in Ras al-‘Amoud neighborhood in Silwan town, in Jerusalem, and confiscated her computer and other equipment.
It is worth mentioning that Samah, a reporter with Quds News Network, is “blacklisted” by Israel, and has been denied access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Jerusalem, for the past several homes.
In addition, several Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers invaded Palestinian agricultural lands, close to the border fence near the Sheja’eyya neighborhood, east of Gaza city, before uprooting them. The soldiers also fired a number of rounds of live ammunition.
The Israeli vehicles also invaded lands in the Nahda neighborhood, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip; the invasion in the fifth in the last five days.
Israeli soldiers kidnapped, late at night and on Sunday at dawn, at least eleven Palestinians, including children and a journalist, in different parts of the occupied West Bank, and summoned many for interrogation in a number of military centers.
The soldiers also invaded and bulldozed farmlands, in Gaza.
Several military vehicles invaded Silwad town, east of the central West bank city of Ramallah, searched many homes and kidnapped three Palestinians, identified as Saif Khalil Hammad, 19, Bilal Sobhi Hamed, 17, and Mo’men Bassem Hamed, 17.
The soldiers also invaded the home of Taleb Hamed, looking for his son, Tareq, 19, but he was not at home; he is a student of Birzeit University.
A university student, identified as Bahaeddin Sheja’eyya, 19, was kidnapped after the soldiers invaded his home in Deir Jarir town, east of Ramallah.
The soldiers also invaded Zawiya town, in the central West Bank district of Salfit, and kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Monir Shaqqoura.
In the southern West Bank district of Hebron, the soldiers kidnapped Tamer Waleed Ghazi, 17, from the al-‘Arroub refugee camp, Monir Nasser Shadeed, 20, from Doura town, and Husam al-Misk, a student of the Al-Quds – Abu Dis University.
The soldiers also summoned for interrogation the head of Palestine Detainees’ Center Osama Shahin, and Jaber Rajoub, from Doura, in addition to a former political prisoner, identified as Zeid Abu Fannar, in Yatta town.
In occupied Jerusalem, the soldiers kidnapped a child, identified as Mohammad Ishaq Taha, 15, from his home in Qotna town.
Another Palestinian, who remained unidentified until the time of this report, was kidnapped from his home in Rafat town, north of Jerusalem.
The soldiers also kidnapped Palestinian journalist, identified as Samah Dweik, 25, after invading her home in Ras al-‘Amoud neighborhood in Silwan town, in Jerusalem, and confiscated her computer and other equipment.
It is worth mentioning that Samah, a reporter with Quds News Network, is “blacklisted” by Israel, and has been denied access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Jerusalem, for the past several homes.
In addition, several Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers invaded Palestinian agricultural lands, close to the border fence near the Sheja’eyya neighborhood, east of Gaza city, before uprooting them. The soldiers also fired a number of rounds of live ammunition.
The Israeli vehicles also invaded lands in the Nahda neighborhood, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip; the invasion in the fifth in the last five days.
7 apr 2016
journalist Musaab Kufeisheh
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Thursday rolled into al-Khalil’s southern neighborhoods and wreaked havoc on Palestinian homes.
The IOF soldiers stormed the family house of citizen Muhammad Fayez al-Rajabi and rummaged into it before they forced the native inhabitants out. The soldiers further handcuffed the house owner and dragged him to an unidentified destination.
IOF units also stormed Wadi al-Saman area, in southern al-Khalil, and ravaged civilian homes. A number of Palestinians were summoned for interrogation in the Israeli Etzion camp shortly afterwards.
The IOF soldiers later broke into house of prisoner Sahban al-Titi in the Fawar refugee camp, in al-Khalil, and took measurements of the building, paving the way for a demolition procedure.
Meanwhile, the Ofer military court sentenced the Palestinian journalist Musaab Kufeisheh, from al-Khalil, to four months in administrative detention, without charge or trial.
The Ofer court also sentenced the youngster Harun al-Ajlouni and Hazem Abu Hudwan, both from al-Khalil, respectively to one year and a half and 10 months in jail. Both were also sentenced to pay a three-thousand-shekel fine.
Reporting from the city, a PIC correspondent said the IOF sealed off the northern entrance of al-Khalil with a military checkpoint and searched all passing vehicles, blocking Palestinians’ movement inside and out.
The IOF further carried out military maneuvers in Dura city, to the southwest of al-Khalil. Sounds of explosions and heavy gunfire were heard in the area while Israeli jets have been hovering over the territory since predawn time.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Thursday rolled into al-Khalil’s southern neighborhoods and wreaked havoc on Palestinian homes.
The IOF soldiers stormed the family house of citizen Muhammad Fayez al-Rajabi and rummaged into it before they forced the native inhabitants out. The soldiers further handcuffed the house owner and dragged him to an unidentified destination.
IOF units also stormed Wadi al-Saman area, in southern al-Khalil, and ravaged civilian homes. A number of Palestinians were summoned for interrogation in the Israeli Etzion camp shortly afterwards.
The IOF soldiers later broke into house of prisoner Sahban al-Titi in the Fawar refugee camp, in al-Khalil, and took measurements of the building, paving the way for a demolition procedure.
Meanwhile, the Ofer military court sentenced the Palestinian journalist Musaab Kufeisheh, from al-Khalil, to four months in administrative detention, without charge or trial.
The Ofer court also sentenced the youngster Harun al-Ajlouni and Hazem Abu Hudwan, both from al-Khalil, respectively to one year and a half and 10 months in jail. Both were also sentenced to pay a three-thousand-shekel fine.
Reporting from the city, a PIC correspondent said the IOF sealed off the northern entrance of al-Khalil with a military checkpoint and searched all passing vehicles, blocking Palestinians’ movement inside and out.
The IOF further carried out military maneuvers in Dura city, to the southwest of al-Khalil. Sounds of explosions and heavy gunfire were heard in the area while Israeli jets have been hovering over the territory since predawn time.
6 apr 2016
Israeli Intelligence Services (Shin Bet) summoned Tuesday the female journalist Diyala Jowayhan for investigation in Maskoubiya prison east of occupied Jerusalem.
According to Quds Press, agents of the Israeli Intelligence Service stormed Diyala’s house in Silwan town east of occupied Jerusalem and summoned her for investigation next Sunday.
Diyala, a journalist at al-Hayat al-Jadida local newspaper, was summoned for investigation more than once for covering events in occupied Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the Shin Bet claimed the arrest of a Palestinian cell for being involved in shooting attack near Salfit city north of occupied Jerusalem.
Israeli 0404 website said that three Palestinians, from Ramallah, were detained for being allegedly involved in a shooting attack at an Israeli settler’s car on February 5 near Salfit.
The three detainees were identified as Abdullah Aruri, 30, Hamada Aruri, 30, and Saleh Aruri, 23.
The website claimed that the three detainees confessed during interrogation of buying weapons from a Palestinian dealer in northern occupied West Bank.
The 0404 website also said that another young man identified as Imad al-Khuli was arrested on March 23 near Qalqilia for attempting to carry out a shooting attack.
According to Quds Press, agents of the Israeli Intelligence Service stormed Diyala’s house in Silwan town east of occupied Jerusalem and summoned her for investigation next Sunday.
Diyala, a journalist at al-Hayat al-Jadida local newspaper, was summoned for investigation more than once for covering events in occupied Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the Shin Bet claimed the arrest of a Palestinian cell for being involved in shooting attack near Salfit city north of occupied Jerusalem.
Israeli 0404 website said that three Palestinians, from Ramallah, were detained for being allegedly involved in a shooting attack at an Israeli settler’s car on February 5 near Salfit.
The three detainees were identified as Abdullah Aruri, 30, Hamada Aruri, 30, and Saleh Aruri, 23.
The website claimed that the three detainees confessed during interrogation of buying weapons from a Palestinian dealer in northern occupied West Bank.
The 0404 website also said that another young man identified as Imad al-Khuli was arrested on March 23 near Qalqilia for attempting to carry out a shooting attack.
4 apr 2016
Dozens of Palestinian journalists rallied outside the headquarters of the Red Cross in Gaza on Sunday in solidarity with cancer-stricken journalist Bassem al-Sayeh, held in Israeli occupation jails.
The rally was organized by the Palestinian Media Forum to push for the release of prisoner al-Sayeh. Chairman of the forum, Imad al-Ifranji said addressing al-Sayeh and the other Palestinian detainees: “You’re not alone. Gaza and the West Bank will forever stand by your side.”
“Al-Sayeh is dying 100 times at every single moment. Yet, he is being left without treatment,” he added.
Al-Ifranji called on the world’s journalists unions and the International Federation of Journalists to assume their responsibilities and send a medical committee to Israeli jails so as to keep tabs on al-Sayeh’s critical condition.
The journalist held the Israeli occupation authority responsible for any turn for the worse al-Sayeh’s life might take, urging the International Red Cross to immediately step in. Undersecretary of the prisoners’ ministry, Bahaa al-Madhoun, also appealed to the Palestinian resistance to rally round the prisoners, saying al-Sayeh is one among 1,500 Palestinian sick detainees locked up in Israeli jails.
He slammed the silence maintained by the international community as regards Israel’s mistreatment of sick Palestinian captives. The official called on the Palestinian Authority, the European parliaments, and human rights institutions to seriously work on releasing sick prisoners before it is too late.
Activist Samir al-Zaqut, from the Mizan Center for Human Rights, also slammed the Israeli occupation for its crimes against al-Sayeh and sick Palestinian detainees in a flagrant contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
“Such Israeli crimes amount to extrajudicial executions,” he said, adding that none of such terrorist policies shall suppress the voice of truth and free speech.
The rally was organized by the Palestinian Media Forum to push for the release of prisoner al-Sayeh. Chairman of the forum, Imad al-Ifranji said addressing al-Sayeh and the other Palestinian detainees: “You’re not alone. Gaza and the West Bank will forever stand by your side.”
“Al-Sayeh is dying 100 times at every single moment. Yet, he is being left without treatment,” he added.
Al-Ifranji called on the world’s journalists unions and the International Federation of Journalists to assume their responsibilities and send a medical committee to Israeli jails so as to keep tabs on al-Sayeh’s critical condition.
The journalist held the Israeli occupation authority responsible for any turn for the worse al-Sayeh’s life might take, urging the International Red Cross to immediately step in. Undersecretary of the prisoners’ ministry, Bahaa al-Madhoun, also appealed to the Palestinian resistance to rally round the prisoners, saying al-Sayeh is one among 1,500 Palestinian sick detainees locked up in Israeli jails.
He slammed the silence maintained by the international community as regards Israel’s mistreatment of sick Palestinian captives. The official called on the Palestinian Authority, the European parliaments, and human rights institutions to seriously work on releasing sick prisoners before it is too late.
Activist Samir al-Zaqut, from the Mizan Center for Human Rights, also slammed the Israeli occupation for its crimes against al-Sayeh and sick Palestinian detainees in a flagrant contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
“Such Israeli crimes amount to extrajudicial executions,” he said, adding that none of such terrorist policies shall suppress the voice of truth and free speech.
2 apr 2016
While trying to report on weekly protest in Nabi Saleh, Palestinian journalist is interrupted by Israeli youth singing 'El El Israel' and making faces at the camera.
A video of an Israeli settler interrupting the report of a Palestinian journalist went viral on Palestinian social media over the weekend.
The reporter, from a small TV station called Roya TV, was in Nabi Saleh on Friday to cover the weekly protest.
During her report, a young Israeli wearing a kippah walked into the frame and started interrupting her, making faces at the camera and chanting "El, el, Israel."
Later, the young man pointed to the writing on his shirt and told the reporter in Hebrew: "Read this, the Samaria is the state's Iron Dome."
The reporter responded by telling her viewers: "This is actual proof of the filth of settlers and their illegal presence on Palestinian land."
The video went viral on social media over the past 24 hours and received thousands of shares, with some calling the interrupting Israeli names.
Israeli youth clashed with media teams who came to cover the protest on Friday. Among other things, the Israelis were documented snatching a camera from one of the cameramen and blocking a reporter who was trying to reach her vehicle.
A video of an Israeli settler interrupting the report of a Palestinian journalist went viral on Palestinian social media over the weekend.
The reporter, from a small TV station called Roya TV, was in Nabi Saleh on Friday to cover the weekly protest.
During her report, a young Israeli wearing a kippah walked into the frame and started interrupting her, making faces at the camera and chanting "El, el, Israel."
Later, the young man pointed to the writing on his shirt and told the reporter in Hebrew: "Read this, the Samaria is the state's Iron Dome."
The reporter responded by telling her viewers: "This is actual proof of the filth of settlers and their illegal presence on Palestinian land."
The video went viral on social media over the past 24 hours and received thousands of shares, with some calling the interrupting Israeli names.
Israeli youth clashed with media teams who came to cover the protest on Friday. Among other things, the Israelis were documented snatching a camera from one of the cameramen and blocking a reporter who was trying to reach her vehicle.