Friday, November 21, 2014


We all know how the interrogation went: It was torture. There is no way this youth is a member of Hamas - he turned himself in the day after the incident. Hamas' or other resistance group member would not have done that. Hamas' supporters would have also publicly supported him. Now there's been crickets and tumbleweed. This was an accident.
Hares Boys

Five Palestinian teenagers are facing life imprisonment for a crime that never happened. A settler car accident labels them as "terrorists". Fight for justice for the Hares Boys!



Israeli military court is no court of justice. It is a brutal system that systematically treats Palestinians, including children, in humiliating, dangerous, and unjust ways. Military court ‘hearings’ in occupied Palestine are conducted in Hebrew, a language many detainees and their families do not speak; the soldiers whose job it is to translate for the families often play with their phones instead.

However, the presence of international observers – especially diplomatic representatives – at Israeli court ‘hearings’ does make a difference to the way the boys and their families are treated. That is why we are asking you to contact your embassy in Tel Aviv and/or consulate in Jerusalem and kindly demand that they consider attending Hares Boys ‘hearings’, currently held at Salem military court. IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Find your respective embassy or pick one from the list.

Here is pre-form letter that can be used to email / post / dictate over the telephone (.doc and PDF):
[Spanish, French, and Finnish versions follow English]
ENGLISH

To [Ambassador’s Name]

I am writing to request your presence at the upcoming court hearings of five Palestinian schoolboys at Salem Military Court. The boys are: Mohammed Kleib, Mohammed Suleiman, Ali Shamlawi, Ammar Souf, Tamer Souf.


In March 2013, five teenage boys from Hares village (Salfit district, occupied Palestine) were arrested and charged with 20 counts of attempted murder for allegedly throwing stones at an Israeli settler’s car. They received these charges despite an overwhelming lack of evidence.

Ever since, the boys have been imprisoned, first in Al-Jalame interrogation center and later in Megiddo prison, both inside the 1948 territories of Israel (as I’m sure you know, transferring detained / arrested / imprisoned people from occupied territories to the territory of the occupier violates international law, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention).

Each boy reported being tortured, including being held in solitary confinement for as long as two weeks and being beaten by soldiers and other prison personnel. The boys have only been granted very limited visits with both their families and their lawyers. Each of their court hearings has been closed to outside observers. Moreover, the boys’ trials have continuously been postponed, meaning they have been awaiting trial for over a year and a half now.

It is difficult to comprehend how terrible this ordeal must be for the boys and their families.

I ask you to attend the next court hearing, as your presence as an international observer will ensure that these boys receive as fair a trial as is possible in a military court system. I hope that you will attend and I look forward to hearing your response.

If you need more information about the court hearing, please email the Hares Boys campaign team at: haresboys@gmail.com. Alternatively please have a look at the detailed account of the Hares Boys case online: http://haresboys.wordpress.com/

Thank you very much in advance.

Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
CASTELLANO // SPANISH [.doc y PDF]:

Envia esto a su Embajador!

Para Exmo. Sr. D. Fernando Carderera Soler (Embajador de España en Tel Aviv)/ Para D. Juan José Escobar Stemmann (Consul español en Jerusalén)

Le escribo para solicitar su presencia en la próximas audiencias de los 5 Chicos de Hares – Mohammed Kleib, Mohammed Suleiman, Ali Shamlawi, Ammar Soyf, y Tamer Souf – en el Tribunal Militar de Salem.


En marzo de 2013, cinco adolescentes del pueblo de Hares (distrito de Salfit, Palestina ocupada) fueron detenidos y acusados con 20 cargos por intento de asesinato al presuntamente arrojar piedras contra el auto de un colono ilegal israelí. Recibieron estos cargos a pesar de una abrumadora falta de pruebas.

Desde el 15 de marzo de 2013, los niños han sido encarcelados, primero en el centro de interrogatorios de Al-Jalame y más tarde en la prisión de Megiddo, ambas dentro de los territorios de 1948 de Israel (como bien sabéis, la transferencia de detenidos / detenidos / presos personas de los territorios ocupados al territorio del ocupante viola el derecho internacional, en concreto el Cuarto Convenio de Ginebra).

Cada uno de los niños afirmó haber sido torturado, encerrado en confinamiento solitario durante dos semanas y golpeado por los soldados y otro personal de la prisión. A los chicos se les han concedido visitas muy limitadas tanto con sus familias como con sus abogados. Todas las audiencias en la corte se han cerrado a los observadores externos.

Le pido que asista a la audiencia en la corte, ya que su presencia como observador internacional asegurará de que estos chicos reciben un juicio lo más justo que sea posible en un sistema de tribunales militares. Tengo esperanza en que usted asistirá y espero con interés escuchar su respuesta.

Si necesita más información acerca de la audiencia en la corte, por favor envíenos un email a:haresboys@gmail.com. Alternativamente, por favor eche un vistazo a la descripción detallada del caso de los niños de Hares online: http://haresboys.wordpress.com/

Muchas gracias por adelantado.

Le saluda atentamente,
[su nombre]
FRANCAIS // FRENCH

A l’attention de Mr Patrick Maisonnave, ambassadeur de France en Israel

Je vous écris afin de vous demander de vous rendre aux audiences de cinq écoliers palestiniens à la cour militaire de justice de Salem. Ces garçons sont: Mohammed Kleib, Mohammed Suleiman, Ali Shamlawi, Ammar Souf, Tamer Souf.

En Mars 2013 cinq adolescents du village de Hares (district de Salfit, territoires occupés de Palestine) ont été arrêtés et inculpés de 20 tentatives de meurtres pour avoir jeté des pierres contre la voiture d’un colon israélien. Ces charges ont été retenues malgré un manque accablant de preuves. Depuis ce jour, les garçons ont été maintenus en prison, premièrement au centre d’interrogatoires d’Al-Jalame, puis à la prison de Megiddo, les deux se trouvant dans les territoires d’Israël selon la convention de 1948 (comme vous le savez certainement, transférer des détenus depuis les territoires occupés vers les territoires de l’occupation est un viol des lois internationales, plus particulièrement de la 4e Convention de Genève). Chaque garçon a raconté avoir subi des tortures, avoir été maintenu en cellule de confinement jusqu’à 2 semaines et avoir été battu par des soldats ainsi que par le personnel carcéral. Les familles des garçons et leurs avocats ont seulement obtenu des droits de visite extrêmement limités. Chacune de leurs audiences a été réalisée en huis clos. De plus, le jugement des garçons a été continuellement reporté, de sorte qu’ils attendent aujourd’hui leur jugement depuis plus d’un an et demi. Il est difficile de s’imagine à quel point cette situation doit être terrible pour ces garçons et leurs familles. Je vous demande d’être présent à la prochaine audience, car votre présence en tant qu’observateur international assurera à ces garçons de recevoir un jugement aussi juste qu’il est possible dans ce cadre de système de justice militaire.

J’espère que vous vous y rendrez et je reste dans l’attente de votre réponse.

Si vous avez besoin de plus d’informations au sujet de l’audience, je vous prie d’écrire un courrier électronique à l’équipe de campagne des garçons de Hares à haresboys@gmail.com. Vous pouvez aussi regarder le compte rendu détaillés de l’affaire sur http://haresboys.wordpress.com/

En vous remerciant par avance,
Moi
SUOMI / FINNISH

Arvoisa Suomen diplomaattinen edustajisto,

kirjoitan täten teille pyytäen osallistumistanne Israelin vangitsemien viiden palestiinalaisen lapsen seuraaviin oikeusistuntoihin, jotta heidän tapaustensa käsittely edistyisi myönteisellä tavalla ja he saisivat osakseen kansainvälisten lakien vaatiman kohtelun.

Muhammed Kleib, Ali Shamlawi, Ammar ja Tamer Souf sekä Muhammed Suleiman Salfitin alueen Hareksen kylästä ovat olleet Israelin vangitsemia maaliskuusta 2013 lähtien. Syyte heitä kohtaan on naurettava epäuskottavuudessaan, tuomiovaatimus järkyttävä ja todellisuudessa kyseessä on pelkkä lapsiin kohdistuva rasistinen ajojahti, joka nostaa esiin räikeällä tavalla sekä Israelin miehittämillä alueilla käyttämän juridisen vallan epäkohdat että pidätettyihin lapsiin kohdistuvan henkisen ja fyysisen väkivallan, jota pojat ovat joutuneet kokemaan.

Israel on toistuvasti järjestänyt oikeudessa kuulemisia, joissa on vain lykätty tapauksen käsittelyä yhä uudestaan. Aikomuksena ilmeisesti on pitää pojat vangittuina ja tuomita heidät vankeusrangaistukseen sen jälkeen, kun kaikki heistä ovat täysi-ikäisiä, jotta tuomion saama kansainvälinen julkisuus olisi pienempää. Täten seuraavat kuulemiset tulevat edelleen noudattamaan samaa linjaa. Tämän on loputtava ja poikien on päästävä vapaiksi, ennen kuin heidän elämänsä on kokonaan tuhottu ja vain voimakas kansainvälinen tuenosoitus pojille saa Israelin vapauttamaan heidät.

Täten pyydän Suomen diplomaattisia edustajia osallistumaan seuraaviin kuulemisiin ja pyytämään myös muiden maiden, etenkin Euroopan Union maiden, diplomaattisia edustajia tekemään samoin. Kyseessä olisi konkreettinen, mutta diplomaattinen tapa tuoda esille tyytymättämyys Israelin kielteiseen toimintaan ei vain tässä tapauksessa vaan yleensä miehitetyillä alueilla lain varjolla, ja se edesauttaisi Suomen ja Euroopan Union tavoitteita suhteessa Palestiinan kysymykseen.

Jos haluatte lisätietoja, pyydän teitä ottamaan yhteyttä poikien vapauttamisen puolesta toimivaan kampanjaan sen sähköpostisoitteessa haresboys@gmail.com. Ja tarkastelemaan sen sivuja osotteessahttp://haresboys.wordpress.com/

Seuraavat kerrat kun pojat ovat oikeuden edessä: Ammar Souf 14.11., Muhammed Suleiman 16.11., Muhammed Kleib, Ali Shamlawi ja Tamer Souf 27.11.

Teidän, kunnioittavasti

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

My recent co-written post to https://www.facebook.com/146535155527394/photos/a.146542638859979.1073741828.146535155527394/364960390351535/?type=1&pnref=story:

With Pats Kokomo:

GAZA WAR STILL CLAIMING VICTIMS

Mohammed Siam, who died today aged 14, was an inspiring boy who seemed to have overcome the terrible injuries he suffered in Gaza during Israel's offensive.

In August he was visited by journalist Allison Deger in E. Jerusalem hospital, and was described thus:

"The first day I visited the hospital Mohammed cried for hours. His right leg is gone from the air strike, an arm broken, shrapnel is still lodged inside of his torso, but most noticeably he is rail thin. His grandfather who crossed from Gaza with him said he was always slender, but Mohammed hasn’t been eating. And when he does, he vomits. He can’t sit up, because his back is in crushing pain."

The news about his death today has come as a terrible shock, as after transfer to hospital in Turkey he seemed to be on the mend, adjusting to his new prosthesis leg he had gotten at the beginning of November.

His death reminds us of the tens of thousands of people injured in the war, among which are about a thousand children injured for life.

Below is an PNN news article announcing the passing of this child who would have deserved so much more:

PNN/ #Gaza

Mohammed Siam, 14 years old, from Gaza lost his leg in an israeli bombardment during the latest aggression on Gaza last July.

After he lost 12 members of his family, and both of his legs, Mohammad was moved to #Jerusalem to receive treatment there.

Later he was moved to #Turkey where he obtained artificial legs and finally improved his health.

On Tuesday, Mohammed needed a respiratory tract and lung operation, where he was announced dead.

Israeli offensive on Gaza last July and August killed about 2,200 Palestinians, about 500 of which were children.

More than 11,000 Palestinians were injured. Some neighborhoods were completely flattened, and about 30,000 houses were demolished.




Har Nof is next to Deir Yassin, the site of 1948 massacre when Zionists killed about 125 civilians (and claimed to have killed twice that). Two dozen captured men were taken on the back of a truck through cheering Jewish crowds celebrating the massacre and were shot in a quarry.

Colonialists who go to lands where natives live under oppression can never be fully safe as long as oppression goes on and justice has not been done, no matter the illusions the colonialists have about the land and the situation there.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014



On two consecutive nights bodies of killed Palestinian men has been found in areas relatively close to each other. First it was Nehad Naholwa, 35, near Zemer, now Fuad Halaf.

Let's be frank, the reason why these deaths are being called 'criminal' by Israeli police when in both cases killers and motive are unidentified is because the dead were Palestinians and not Jews.

If these would have been Jews killed there would have been uproar and mass arrests in the neighbouring Arab towns and villages, but now... crickets and tumbleweed.

Halaf's death especially carries signs of a very violent and hateful attack, he had bruises around his body, had been choked and then stabbed repeatedly. It could be a "normal" crime, or it could be a 'nationalistic' hate crime.

In neither case there has been no reports of theft of the property of the dead. Halaf's car was found near his body.



Acre, Jaffa and Haifa are both being ethnically cleansed of Palestinians by Israel, and quite openly. Palestinian neighbourhoods and isolated homes are being razed to make place for houses where de facto only Jews are allowed to live.

And let's put in here the number of non-segregated schools in Israel: According to different sources, it's either 4 or 5.

Apartheid, Jim Crow, segregation. All apt names for it.

When it comes to illegal Israeli settlements, well... only Jews are allowed to live in them. There was even a court case about it in the early 90s which went up to the Israeli High Court, but the Israeli Arab man who was behind it, lost it there.



My comment: Those who complain about this should look at the family photograph of al-Kilani family. Father had a German nationality and he was killed along with his wife and their five small children by Israel during the Gaza war in the summer:



He was an engineer, not a militant. So, if you complain about the 'uncivility' of the journalists, do remember that the al-Kilani family hasn't got the privilege of being treated like Gregor Gysi here, because they are dead and Gysi de facto supported their murder and that of 2200 others in Gaza by Israel's racist rightwing government.

The Guerrilla Women Fighting ISIS

My 10 November post for I am Palestinian I am not a terrorist:

Is this the day one can say for sure that a Third Intifada has began?

It has been proclaimed before and it's possibility has been denied by the Palestinian Authority, but Israel's increasingly aggressive actions that make the two state solution through negotiations impossible have finally reached the stage when even the Western media could agree that a Third Intifada has begun:

That is the stage when Israel suffers casualties regularly. For the Western media peace and stability reigns in the occupied areas as long as only Palestinians die and are injured - events which are given little or no notice - but that is no longer the case.

Today a soldier and an illegal settler died in attacks that also cost the live of one attacker - a young man named Maher Hamdi al-Hashlamon apparently left to bleed to death as medical attention was given only to the injured illegal settlers - and which follow the deadly incidents in occupied E. Jerusalem.

If a Third Intifada has indeed began, everybody should remember that the choice between political, non-violent and armed resistance is the choice that only Palestinians can make for themselves and that those who support their cause should not think that they know better than Palestinians which path they should choose.

The blood that would flow as a result of a Third Intifada would be, as it has been in recent months, mostly Palestinian. It would be a heavy price to pay and the ensuing violence more widespread than ever before based on the recent evidence. A price that no foreign supporter can demand that the Palestinians should pay.

Islamic Jihad's involvement today will likely lead to Israeli attacks on Gaza and the Green Line might be no dividing line between Palestinians, as Israeli regime's increasing extremism leaves minorities in Israel itself few chances to accommodate themselves with the regime in the manner of the Arameans. Israel is leaving Arab populations in Galilee and Negev no other options than total submission or embracing the Palestinian cause.

Sunday, November 09, 2014

Protest Bafta hosting Israel Sponsored Jewish Film Festival 8 Nov 2014 avi


Israel's has deliberately planted the seeds of E. Jerusalem violence and watered them and is now collecting the harvest. Of course the violence will spread. Israel's rulers and their illegal settler henchmen want a Third Intifada which they intend to use to excuse annexation and ethnic cleansing on both sides of the Green Line.

What Israel and it's vassal state USA have never understood is that no Palestinian leader can persuade the Palestinian people accept the Israeli terms that would indefinitely continue the occupation under another name and leave millions on refugee camps. Arafat, let's remember, with rest of the PLO leadership made enormous and unpopular concessions until they could do no more and still have at least partial support from the people. The people in the end decide, not the leaders who just represent the people. Now Israel and USA have the weak Abbas in charge of PA, but he has offered them the concessions they expected, because he understands, like Arafat did, where the people draw the line.

PalWatch is a racist hate group and when it comes to hit&runs, a dozen Palestinians have died in them during last year and no illegal Israeli settlers responsible has been charged for these or previous attacks during the last ten years.

Israel can't allow it's illegal settlers to kill people with cars and then expect that the oppressed wouldn't start to follow the oppressors' example.