one year anniversary

Today- December 27th is the anniversary of the attack by israel on the gaza strip.
The following is a statement from Gisha (legal centre for freedom of movement)

Despite the fact that a year has passed since the start of the Gaza military operation, the damage caused by three weeks of war and the near total closure preceding it has yet to be repaired. The reason: Israel's ongoing policy blocking goods from entering the Gaza Strip, including a near total ban on reconstruction materials.

As an example, part of the report issued today by Gisha:

Funds for Reconstruction:

• Reconstruction funds pledged at the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit: Some $4.5 billion.
• Number of months international community negotiated with Israeli government over mechanism for transferring reconstruction funds and materials: 9 months.
• Implementation of mechanism for transferring reconstruction funds and materials: None.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights has also released a report:

23 Days of way 928 Days of Closure: Life One Year after Israel’s Latest Offensive on the Gaza Strip, 27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009

Within this report it is reiterated that no action has been taken again Israel since the Goldstone Report has been issued. For over 42 years Israel has acted with impunity to international law. And by our governments remaining impassive, they are intrinsically complicit to the actions of Israel.

PCHR stress the urgent need for accountability. All those who violate international law must be investigated, tried and prosecuted in accordance with international standards. Victims’ rights to the equal protection of the law and an effective judicial remedy must be upheld.

Act now:

sign this petition to Gordon Brown

COMET Project

The comet project is support by the villages, the inspirational group set up in the Hebron region of the west bank by both Israeli's and Palestinian's.


The project has been entered into the BBC world's competition 'world challenge' which quite ironically is sponsored by shell. The idea of the competition is to champion new innovative projects which have been implemented at a grass roots level.

Two Israeli physicists, Elad Orian and Noam Dotan, are hoping to bring power to the desert by installing wind and solar technologies to help run lights and fridges for these impoverished people.

Further details about the project can be found here

more photos

Thank you to Matthias for setting us up with a group photo stream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45114946@N07/

picture above:
the Burin group with Bilal and Ghassan at Bilal's uncles house. This house was built years ago fro Bilal's family, but due to its location on a small hill between the settlements of Itzhar and Baracha each time the family moved in they were evicted by the Israeli Army.
The family still hope to live there at some point in the future.
inshallah.

letter to the Telegraph

Peter has put his pen to paper on behalf of the group once again and submitted the following article to the Telegraph.

Lets hope it gets the same page space as his previous excellent efforts.

Fairness in the Land?


I have recently returned from taking part in the olive harvest on the West Bank. In my encounter with the Israeli army, I was told that it was “protecting farmers from settlers.” In reality, this amounted to preventing farmers from picking olives on their own land (by declaring it a “closed military zone”) and failing to prevent settlers from leaving their illegally occupied hill-top to harass the farmers.

The group I was with met the local headmaster, who told us that his greatest concern was the pollution of the water-table by untreated sewage flowing from the settlement.

I have now heard, two weeks after our departure, that settlers have cut down 95 olive trees (Haaretz Nov. 21) and invaded the neighbouring village, where they were escorted by the army, who fired tear gas and live bullets (Palestinian Centre for Human Rights).

Settlers receive inducements from the Israeli government: loans for the purchase of property, price reductions on the leasing of land, financial incentives for teachers, grants for investors and free school transport.

One of the farmers I met showed me his documentation for the land he thought he owned. This included the large part of his grove which he was no longer allowed to access and the hilltop itself, where 20 years ago he and his family used to picnic, and which is now occupied by the same settlement which pours its sewage on to the village water supply.

In view of the unparalleled level of support given to one favoured group of inhabitants of the West Bank, will the State of Israeli be providing compensation to their victims, the Palestinian farmer who has now lost his livelihood, the other who cannot access his own grove and the villagers who habitually suffer amoebic dysentery caused by the polluted water supply?

Yours sincerely,

(Rev. Canon Dr.) Peter G. Liddell

machsom watch

machsom watch are an Israeli organisation run by women.

They call for a stop to the oppression that is destroying both the prospect of a Palestinian state and the future of Israel.

Machsom Watch monitor the human rights abuses at checkpoints, often present with a clipboard, camera and video camera to document what may occur at such points of exchange.

This video shows what one man must go through almost every time he passes a checkpoint, due ot his ID card being 'similar' to a suspected criminal.

A friend of mine from Burin told me that a week ago he had been held Huwara check point- the very same one in this video and the very same one that we passed through on our journeys to and from Nablus. He was detained for many hours until his father was brought to argue for his release.

More videos by machsom watch can be found here.

They include checkpoints, testimonials, tours, demonstrations and an act of arson in the frield of Burin.

bbc

Yesterday there was an article featured on the bbc website.

It told of the problems that the people living in Burin have been encountering with settlers cutting down the trees in the groves closestn to the settlements.

The article describes the loss of trees from a Palestinian farmer in Burin and a Jewish settler in the south of the West Bank.

It is interesting that the bbc is seeming to strive for impartiality in this article as it consistently reassures the everyday news reader.

Yet I find myself wondering if the lives of these two men, considering the stark difference of a west bank settlement and a Palestinian village can really be comparable.

the article can be read here :
Middle east conflict played out in the olive groves

And I will leave you to decide for yourselves.

project hope

project hope

During the months of october and november 2009, forty five school drop-outs from Nablus, Westbank, took part into a photography camp. There are some absolutely beautiful pictures on this blog, ranging from intimate portraits to barren landscapes. We had the pleasure of meeting the Montreal photojournalist Valerian Mazataud whilst staying in Madama, learning of project hope and the work he was doing in the Nablus district. his own website: focuszero holds the portfolio named:

La guerre des oliviers - The Olive War

check it out

dispatches

The most recent Dispatches goes by the title : Inside Britain's Israel lobby

Dispatches investigates one of the most powerful and influential political lobbies in Britain, which is working in support of the interests of the State of Israel.Despite wielding great influence among the highest realms of British politics and media, little is known about the individuals and groups which collectively are known as the pro-Israel lobby.Political commentator Peter Oborne sets out to establish who they are, how they are funded, how they work and what influence they have, from the key groups to the wealthy individuals who help bankroll the lobbying.He investigates how accountable, transparent and open to scrutiny the lobby is, particularly in regard to its funding and financial support of MP. The pro-Israel lobby aims to shape the debate about Britain's relationship with Israel and future foreign policies relating to it.Oborne examines how the lobby operates from within parliament and the tactics it employs behind the scenes when engaging with print and broadcast media. - blurb

It seems to me that transparancy is a word we are all familiar with but many are not fully aware of its implications. If lobbying the government is not wrong, then why should we not be aware of it. After all these are the men and women who are running our country- a supposed democracy. I would like to influence my government, but at times like these I am convinced that my pockets are not deep enough to satisfy the big men upstairs.

watch it here: Dispatches 4OD

Read the guardians comment is free here: friends in high places

read more about it here: opendemocracy

Michigan Peace team

Whilst in the West Bank, we picked with various international organisations including the International Solidarity Movement and the Michigan Peace Team.

Here is a link to the blog of the MPT:

http://mptinpalestine.blogspot.com/

The have documented very effectively various events that have occured in Burin, the village in which the majority of our olive harvest was conducted this year. They were also a lovely group of people with big smiles and good conversation.
For more information on the work they conducted in and aorund Burina nd the west bank, please view their blog above.

- Tree Planting Protest in Burin
- Burin: Olive Harvesting under Occupation
- Burin Tree Massacre

Working Together for Justice & Peace

Earlier this week I attended a talk given by Erella Dunayevsky from Kibbutz Shoval, dialogue facilitator and activist in the Villages Project in the South Hebron hills.

Erella was supposed to be accompanied by Hamed Qawasmeh, a Palestinian humanitarian worker in Hebron, but due to problems with his visa, could not be present for the leg of the talks. Hopefully he will make it to the UK next week and continue with the tour, inshallah.

On hearing that Hamed's visa had first been refused Erella contemplated whether she should take this trip to the uk at all. After all, it was meant as a show of solidarity- A Palestinian and an Israeli working together. But after spending some time thinking about the issue, Erella realised that her relationship with Hamed transcended nationality, it was on a personal level; a friendship. And so she came to the UK alone.

The stories she told rang of hard work, detailed organisation and a high level of dedication and time by those on the ground spearheading the projects. But as she stated- the difference with this group is that the relationship with people comes first and the solutions to defined problems follow later. Many grassroots projects function in the opposite way with bonds with individuals growing from work implemented.

Erella spoke with passion, conviction and on in intimate level through stories and examples which had us laughing along with her smiles and pause in shock at some of the situation described.

As she spoke one story really struck me regarding a walk to school for some young children which was disrupted by settler attacks.

It seemed to be either the short road or the long road.
to fight or to fly...

the villages projects can be found here

convoy

The bristol to gaza convoy leaves in three weeks.

For more information visit their home at http://www.bristolgazalink.org/
or their social networking site at http://bglink.ning.com/ which also includes the most up to date calander of events in and aorund Bristol for solidarity with Plestine.

This will be the second convoy to have travelled to Palestine, bringing the question of Palestine to the eyes and lips of every Bristolian on the streets of the city.

Viva Palestina!

Party

PARTY FOR PALESTINE

November 21st / Malcolm X centre, Bristol / 7.30-12 / bring your friends / £10&£6

night of Palestinian food / dabka dancing / special guest speakers / campaign stalls

photos

A selection of photos from the olive harvest 2009 in Burin, Madama and Asira.

To use these photos please click on the links below and top update your own onto an 'online photo album' follow this link to flickr.

Matthias: photos

Holly: photos

boycott

Peter, a member of the IWPS Olive Harvest 2009, submitted a letter last week to the Independent newspaper.

His letter was published here

and it reads:

Israeli goods in UK supermarkets

I have recently returned from taking part in the olive harvest in the West Bank. In my encounters with the Israeli army, I was told that it was "protecting farmers from settlers". In reality, this amounted to preventing farmers from picking olives on their own land (by declaring it a "closed military area"), and failing to prevent settlers from leaving their illegally occupied hill-top to harass the farmers.

The group I was with had an interview with the local headmaster, who told us that his greatest concern was the pollution of the water-table by untreated sewage flowing from the settlement. Since our departure I have heard that settlers have cut down 95 olive trees (Maan news agency, 13 November) and raided the local village. They were escorted by the army, who fired tear gas and stun grenades.

Some of our supermarkets are complicit in supporting the Israeli occupation by labelling settlement products as being from the "West Bank". In a letter I received today from Morrisons, I am assured that the facility which produces its dates employs Palestinians and Israelis and is located in the "Jordan valley (Israel)". Morrisons appear not to know that the Jordan valley is Occupied West Bank and that any facility which employs Palestinians and Israelis is a settlement. Palestinian workers must get up at 3am to get through the checkpoint by 6am; they are paid $11 for eight hours' work; they have no contract or union and they include children aged between nine and 15.

I have given up buying any Israeli goods. The Palestinians I met approved.

Peter G Liddell

Boycotting Israeli goods has been an action taking place in many countries around the world, from right on out doorstep to inside Palestine and Israel themselves.

To find out more about boycotting actions have a look at the boycott, divestment and sanctions page where there are regular updates of boycott movements, groups and information on exactly why so many support the Palestinian cause in such a way.

water

The water situation in Palestine appears to be quite complex according to its highlighted importance with in such an arid area. As presented in this report by Amnesty...

however, the real situation is fundamentally very simple..
there is not enough of it.

Palestine had it and now Israel has taken it.. leaving an awful situation for those people living wihtin the west bank and gaza.

My first experience of the troubles associated with water was when we ran out of water in the house in Madama, Nablus District, where we were staying for the duration of the olive harvest.

Fawsi and Ali came to our rescue and helped us move the water from the well to the water tank.
Before this point i was not aware that we had a well. I thought that the water was delivered by a large tanker which seemed to be tearing around the streets of the village some mornings when we ambled down the main road to Burin for picking.

The rain water collects in the well throughout the year, and this is used by the families living in the premises (currently us). when this water runs out, water is purchased from the large tanker, and is quite expensive to buy, so families are careful with how they use water.

Some families however, do not have a well. And they cannot afford to buy water. So they depend on a spring from the hillside to provide them with the water they need, which had worked out fine until the beginning of construction of the settlement Y'Itzar in the late 80's.

the settlers have decided to use the spring as a form of waste disposal. they dispose of rubbish and human sewage into the stream of water, resulting in contamination. This means many families and children of the village of Madama have chronic dystentry.

this has been recognised as a problem and an application was put forward to Oxfam to help with the issue. Oxfam put together a project to cover the open pipes down to the village so contamination would not longer be possible. The project itself was riddled with problems- gaining permission from the army, the employment of Palestinian workers and the aggression of the settlers which ended in gunshot wounds.

It amazed me that the headteacher of the local boys school, who was involved in the project for Oxfam, claimed that it was not the settlers aggression, the army incursion at night, the destruction of the olive harvest that was the main problem for the village...

it was the water.


A verson of the Oxfam report can be found here

Article 25 of the universal declaration of human rights:

• (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability.