Israeli Tank Shell Kills 3 Palestinian Refugee Children
Israel’s Army & Settlers Beat Up Children & Other Defenceless Palestinians
Israeli Troops Impose Curfew – Heighten Military Repression
More Palestinian Land Stolen by Israel
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See Deaths below.
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Israeli Troops Impose Curfew, Heighten Military Repression
Israeli occupation forces imposed an early morning curfew on the village of Qasamta, south of Jenin, as they heightened
their military repression in other Palestinian cities, towns and refugee camps.
According to local witnesses the Israelis broke into the Nabi Saleh elementary school, northwest of Ramallah during the
morning and beat up the pupils. One of the witnesses, Taleb Alyamimi, said that after Israeli armoured vehicles had
stormed the village the Israelis invaded the elementary school and occupied it.
Israeli Occupation forces also invaded Ateel, north of Tulkarem and were deployed in the streets in large numbers where
they broke into people’s homes. Israeli soldiers also broke into a Palestinian kindergarten in Hebron, the director of
the kindergarten told an IPC correspondent. The soldiers held the teachers along with 80 children inside the classrooms
for an hour and a half.
The Israelis also annexed five hectares of Palestinian agricultural land belonging to the towns of Beit Ommar and
Halhoul, on the outskirts of Hebron. Israel stole the land for its annexation wall. Landowners in the area fear the loss
of their livelihoods, saying that more Israeli military orders are set to steal dozens more hectares of olive groves and
vineyards. The Israelis have already ordered the annexation of dozens more hectares of Palestinian agricultural land
belonging to the villages of Shofa and Kufer Labbad near Tulkare, local sources confirmed. Tahseen Hamed, one of those
affected by the annexation and a member of the Local Lands Defence Committee, said that the Israeli army is also to take
more Palestinian land in order to expand the Jewish settlement of Avni Haifets.
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Zionism in practice
Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Property
[Source of statistics: Palestinian Monitoring Group]
Annexation: 1
Hebron – The Israeli army issued notices announcing that Israel intends to take more Palestinian agricultural land, this
time belonging to the towns of Beit Ummar and Halhul. The 3.5km strip of land is 26 metres wide and is being taken for
construction of a racially segregated bypass road leading to the Jewish settlement of Karmei.
See also article above ‘Israeli Troops Impose Curfew, Heighten Military Repression’
Annexation Wall Building: 23 sites
Attacks: 14
Across the West Bank and Gaza the following areas came under fire by Israel:
Khan Yunis –
Palestinian land southwest of the city of Deir Al Balah.
Homes in the West Khan Yunis refugee camp.
Palestinian land and a person in the neighbourhood of Al Amal.
Rafah –
Palestinian land in the area surrounding Salah ad Din gate and the neighbourhood of Yabna in the Rafah refugee camp,
killing 3 children in the camp.
The neighbourhood of Tall as Sultan.
Closures: 17
Curfews: 1
Jenin – Israeli Occupation forces imposed a curfew on the village of Qasamta.
Deaths: 3
Rafah – An Israeli tank fired a shell into Al-She'out near the neighbourhood of Yabna in the Rafah refugee camp killing:
Ashraf Sameer Mousa (15)
Hassan Ahmed Abu Zeid (16)
Khaled Fu’ad Al Ghannam (16)
Detentions: 10
Home invasions and occupation: numerous
Bethlehem – at 5pm an Israeli army patrol raided the town of Al Khadr, set up a checkpoint in the centre of the town,
and invaded people’s homes in the area of Al Balou. At 7:15pm the Israelis raided the town again. They set up a
checkpoint and searched people and vehicles.
Hebron – Israeli Occupation forces raided the town of Yatta and invaded a house. They also beat a Palestinian, Rashid
Abu ‘Iram so savagely that he had to be admitted to hospital.
Injuries: 10
Physical assaults: 11
Ramallah & El Bireh – Israeli Occupation forces shot their way into the town of Silwad, patrolled the streets firing stun grenades
and assaulted nine Palestinian townspeople. Two of the victims were beaten so savagely by the Israelis that they had to
be admitted to hospital.
Also see Home invasions and occupation above.
Also see Settler violence and School disruption below.
Prisoners taken: 8
Medical disruption: 1
Ramallah & El Bireh – the Israeli army set up a flying checkpoint on the junction to the Jewish settlement of Halamish, detained a
Palestinian ambulance and took the driver prisoner.
Raids: 20
Tulkarem – the Israelis shot their way into the town of Beit Lid, firing stun grenades as they patrolled the streets.
Also see School disruption below.
School disruption: 1
Hebron – at 8:30am Israeli Occupation forces raided a kindergarten run by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, holding
and terrorising 60 children inside. At 10:30am the Israeli army raided the city again, detained several Palestinian
Police officers and severely beat them. At 7:30pm the Israelis raided the city yet again.
See also article above ‘Israeli Troops Impose Curfew, Heighten Military Repression’
Settlement activity: 1
See Annexation above.
Settler violence: 1
Bethlehem – Jewish settlers raided the village of Al Fureidis and severely beat two of the villagers.
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Abu Safaia Exposes Israeli Contamination Palestinian Environment
The head of the Palestinian Environment Authority Dr. Yousef Abu Safaia rebutted Israeli claims that it pumped only
organic garbage in the West Bank City of Nablus. He says that the garbage is industrial waste and poses serious dangers
to health and to the environment.
In a press briefing at the Gaza- based International Press Center (IPC), Abu Safaia said that while the Palestinian
National Authority was tying to solve garbage problems with the construction of new pumping machinery, the Israelis were
frequently using armed force to deny Palestinians access to garbage disposal. Hundreds tons of waste was piling up in
Palestinian communities, polluting the environment and increasing health risks.
In violation of international treaties prohibiting an occupying power from making use of occupied territory, Israel is
determined to dump 10,000 tons of garbage in what was known as the Abu Shusha quarry. The quarry lies between the
villages of Kussein and Deir Shraf in Nablus province, which Israel re-occupied in 2002. The Israeli garbage will arrive
monthly from the Dan and Sharon regions and the nearby Israeli colony Kidomin.
Abu Safaia remarked that Israel is trying to slowly kill the Palestinians ability to breathe and that the ill effects
of the dump will be irreversible. He added that Israeli Occupation forces continue with the disposal of industrial waste
in the Al Mawasi area, in the Gaza strip, despite of the Israeli promises not do so made in 1999. During al Aqsa
Intifada, Israel buried nearly 50,000 tons of hazardous waste in its illegal colony in the Kateif block in the Gaza
strip. Dr. Abu Safaia said further that for more than a month Israeli Occupation forces dumped 150,000 cubic metres per
day of the wastewater in Gaza, resulting in the contamination of the natural reserves there and the pollution of the sea
in the area also.
Dr Safia said that Israel’s conduct is criminal and in contravention of the all the international laws and convention.
Israel says it is not bound by international law because Palestine is not a state.
Safia recalled - "Israel has a garbage dump, Ramat Huvat, in the Negev desert and it's supposed to dispose its entire
solid waste their but each load of the waste will cost US$3000 to dispose of so the Israeli Occupation decided to get
rid of the garbage inside Occupied Palestine.
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Zionism in principle
"In Palestine we do not propose even to go through the form of consulting the wishes of the present inhabitants of the
country"
Lord Balfour
11 August 1919
(in a private memorandum to Lord Curzon)
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Council of Christians and Muslims (NZ) Inc.
The Council of Christians & Muslims will meet at the PONSONBY MOSQUE Vermont Street, Ponsonby on * Monday, 25 April 2005 * 7.30 pm
******
Annual General Meeting followed by Abdul Rahim Rasheed CCM Patron also Ahmed Zaoui speaking on his involvement in Muslim
– Christian Dialogue.
Council of Christians & Muslims (NZ) Inc.