Friday, March 4, 2011
Palestinian Center for Human Rights weekly report
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
A Palestinian worker and a resistance activist were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip.
· IOF launched a series of air strikes against civilian targets in the Gaza Strip.
- 4 houses were destroyed and 14 others were damaged.
- 11 civilian establishments were destroyed or heavily damaged, a security building was destroyed and a mosque was damaged.
· IOF continued to target Palestinian workers, farmers and fishermen in border areas in the Gaza Strip.
- A Palestinian worker and a farmer were wounded.
· IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.
- 7 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded.
- A PCHR field worker, a paramedic and two journalists suffered from tear gas inhalation.
- IOF arrested a Palestinian civilian, an Israeli journalist, an Israeli human rights defender and two international ones.
· IOF conducted 40 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 3 limited ones into the Gaza Strip.
- IOF arrested 13 Palestinian civilians, including two children.
· Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
- IOF razed 15 donums of land in Deir Estia village near Salfit.
- IOF ordered the demolition of a school, a mosque and 13 houses in al-Ramadin village near Hebron.
- Israeli settlers attacked a house in Hawara village near Nablus using Molotov cocktail
Airstrikes so far today ...Gaza, Libya , Yemen
Airstrikes in Gaza-
Locals said Israeli fighter jets fired two missiles near the An-Nuseirat refugee camp, destroying a jeep belonging to a resistance fighter.
Airstrikes in Libya on protesters.
Libyan warplane bombs close to munitions dump held by rebels in east... Fresh reports of bomb attacks on eastern Libya town of Brega
North Yemen Shi'ite rebels say army bombed their anti-government protest, dead and wounded reported
Locals said Israeli fighter jets fired two missiles near the An-Nuseirat refugee camp, destroying a jeep belonging to a resistance fighter.
Airstrikes in Libya on protesters.
Libyan warplane bombs close to munitions dump held by rebels in east... Fresh reports of bomb attacks on eastern Libya town of Brega
North Yemen Shi'ite rebels say army bombed their anti-government protest, dead and wounded reported
Thursday, March 3, 2011
kidnapping campaign in Tripoli
The Network of Free Ulema - Libya, a group of clerics in that country, alleges that pro-Gaddafi forces have been carrying out a "massive kidnapping campaign" in Tripoli, targetting opposition activists ahead of a call for marches in the capital following Friday prayers.
The statement from the group read:
The statement from the group read:
This is to URGENTLY notify the world and the International Criminal Court in particular, that Gaddafi and his criminal accomplices are currently (March 2nd and 3rd 2011) implementing a massive kidnapping campaign in Tripoli and its vicinities in order to ‘clean up’ key youth leaders before tomorrow’s Friday prayers, and in order to ‘look good’ to the international Media, which has been invited to Tripoli as part of a public relations campaign aimed at covering up the crimes against humanity that have been inflicted upon the brave Libyan people. We call upon and urge every man and woman of good will, worldwide, to do their utmost to save our youth from the hands of Gaddafi, his thugs, and mercenaries."
Libya updates and.. Video Of Bloody Battle To Hold Brega
http://bit.ly/eJhTvx
The World Food Programme says a ship carrying 1,000 tonnes of flour to Benghazi has had to turn back without unloading its cargo because of aerial bombardments, AFP reports
Poland has suspended diplomatic activity in Tripoli, and says it will evacuate its embassy staff from the Libyan capital, the foreign ministry said in Warsaw,
Rebels fighting the Kadhafi regime say it appears that the Libyan stongman is shoring up his forces with more hired foreign troops in and around the rebel-held Libyan town of Brega. "Today it seems like Kadhafi is reinforcing his forces with mercenaries. Witnesses have seen troops (and Chadian mercenaries) moving towards Raslanuf," said Abdelfattah al-Moghrabi, director of supplies for Brega hospital."We are waiting to see if they attack or make a reinforcing line before Sirte," he said.Several sources said meanwhile that forces loyal to Kadhafi captured at least five people in Brega during their counter-offensive.
:Kadhafi son Seif al-Islam, defending the bombing of Brega harbour, said the port was of critical importance to the Libyan economy.Brega, he said, is the "oil and gas hub of Libya. All of us, we eat, we live because of Brega. Without Brega six million people have no future, because we export all of our oil from there".Those taking over the city were clearly a "militia, they were filming themselves, they came with three tanks and heavy machine guns".He added: "Nobody would allow the militia to control Brega, it's like you're allowing somebody to control Rotterdam harbour in Holland."
Rebels in the opposition-held city of Benghazi mourned their dead, holding funerals for six of the militia fighting the Kadhafi regime, as well as several others in the town of Ajdabiya, 150 kilometres (94 miles) to the west. "Kadhafi get out, Libyans don't want you" and "Kadhafi you're crazy" they shouted.In Benghazi a spokesman at the courthouse, the rebels' nerve centre, who did not want to be named, said, "We have taken a lot of prisoners, as many as 100."An official at a hospital in Benghazi told AFP that rebels captured included three Libyans and two unidentified "Africans," adding that they had been taken to Benghazi for questioning.
Moamer Kadhafi's son Seif al-Islam tells Britain's Sky News television that bombs dropped on the eastern port of Brega were intended simply to "frighten" rebels there, not to kill anyone."First of all. the bombs (are) just to frighten them to go away, not to attack the harbour. Not to kill our people," he said, adding "Brega is not a city. Brega is an oil harbour."
The World Food Programme says a ship carrying 1,000 tonnes of flour to Benghazi has had to turn back without unloading its cargo because of aerial bombardments, AFP reports
Poland has suspended diplomatic activity in Tripoli, and says it will evacuate its embassy staff from the Libyan capital, the foreign ministry said in Warsaw,
Rebels fighting the Kadhafi regime say it appears that the Libyan stongman is shoring up his forces with more hired foreign troops in and around the rebel-held Libyan town of Brega. "Today it seems like Kadhafi is reinforcing his forces with mercenaries. Witnesses have seen troops (and Chadian mercenaries) moving towards Raslanuf," said Abdelfattah al-Moghrabi, director of supplies for Brega hospital."We are waiting to see if they attack or make a reinforcing line before Sirte," he said.Several sources said meanwhile that forces loyal to Kadhafi captured at least five people in Brega during their counter-offensive.
:Kadhafi son Seif al-Islam, defending the bombing of Brega harbour, said the port was of critical importance to the Libyan economy.Brega, he said, is the "oil and gas hub of Libya. All of us, we eat, we live because of Brega. Without Brega six million people have no future, because we export all of our oil from there".Those taking over the city were clearly a "militia, they were filming themselves, they came with three tanks and heavy machine guns".He added: "Nobody would allow the militia to control Brega, it's like you're allowing somebody to control Rotterdam harbour in Holland."
Rebels in the opposition-held city of Benghazi mourned their dead, holding funerals for six of the militia fighting the Kadhafi regime, as well as several others in the town of Ajdabiya, 150 kilometres (94 miles) to the west. "Kadhafi get out, Libyans don't want you" and "Kadhafi you're crazy" they shouted.In Benghazi a spokesman at the courthouse, the rebels' nerve centre, who did not want to be named, said, "We have taken a lot of prisoners, as many as 100."An official at a hospital in Benghazi told AFP that rebels captured included three Libyans and two unidentified "Africans," adding that they had been taken to Benghazi for questioning.
Moamer Kadhafi's son Seif al-Islam tells Britain's Sky News television that bombs dropped on the eastern port of Brega were intended simply to "frighten" rebels there, not to kill anyone."First of all. the bombs (are) just to frighten them to go away, not to attack the harbour. Not to kill our people," he said, adding "Brega is not a city. Brega is an oil harbour."
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Libya 6000+ dead in 2 weeks
More details are coming in on estimates from the Libyan Human Rights League that 6,000 people have been killed in Libya since the start of the revolt.
Ali Zeidan, a spokesman for the group, tells AFP reporters in Paris that 3,000 are thought to have died in the capital Tripoli, 2,000 in the rebel-held second city Benghazi and 1,000 in other cities.
"This is what people told us, but it can be more," he adds.
Diplomats have said that between 1,000 and 2,000 people have been killed in the rebellion, although precise figures are hard to come by because of the situation on the ground.
Zeidan says thousands of mercenaries were deployed in Libya, including 3,000 in Tripoli and 3,000 just outside it, allegedly being commanded by officers from Libya's southern neighbour, Chad.
1521 GMT Moamer Kadhafi has appointed new interior and justice ministers to replace men who resigned and joined the insurrection against him, state television reports.
One of the defecting officials, former justice minister Mustapha Abdel Jalil, is heading a new national council set up by rebels in eastern Libya. He will be replaced by Ahmad al-Qmouidi, while Massoud Abdel Hafiz replaces Abdel Fatah Younes as interior minister.
The marathon speech broadcast by Kadhafi on state TV earlier finally wrapped up after two-and-a-half hours. Among other things, the Libyan leader used the speech to challenge calls for him to step down, saying he has "no real power."
1509 GMT More coming in from our correspondent in Brega who has been speaking to Khalid al-Quafi, a worker at the Sirte oil company compound. Al-Quafi was originally responsible for health and safety at the plant, but since the revolt has been looking after workers staying there, our reporter says.
Describing this morning's attack by pro-Kadhafi fighters, Al-Quafi says: "They came at 6:30 am and shot the people guarding the gate. When I heard the fire, I climbed up the Uria (fertiliser) tower. I saw everything. They killed the two people at the gate, the two of them young boys. After 45 minutes, they left the compound."
1500 GMT Libyan dissidents who control part of the country's east are calling for the UN to order air strikes on pro-Kadhafi mercenaries, AFP's correspondent in Benghazi reports.
1444 GMT At least 6,000 people have died since the start of the Libyan revolt two weeks ago, a spokesman for the Libyan Human Rights League says.
Ali Zeidan, a spokesman for the group, tells AFP reporters in Paris that 3,000 are thought to have died in the capital Tripoli, 2,000 in the rebel-held second city Benghazi and 1,000 in other cities.
"This is what people told us, but it can be more," he adds.
Diplomats have said that between 1,000 and 2,000 people have been killed in the rebellion, although precise figures are hard to come by because of the situation on the ground.
Zeidan says thousands of mercenaries were deployed in Libya, including 3,000 in Tripoli and 3,000 just outside it, allegedly being commanded by officers from Libya's southern neighbour, Chad.
1521 GMT Moamer Kadhafi has appointed new interior and justice ministers to replace men who resigned and joined the insurrection against him, state television reports.
One of the defecting officials, former justice minister Mustapha Abdel Jalil, is heading a new national council set up by rebels in eastern Libya. He will be replaced by Ahmad al-Qmouidi, while Massoud Abdel Hafiz replaces Abdel Fatah Younes as interior minister.
The marathon speech broadcast by Kadhafi on state TV earlier finally wrapped up after two-and-a-half hours. Among other things, the Libyan leader used the speech to challenge calls for him to step down, saying he has "no real power."
1509 GMT More coming in from our correspondent in Brega who has been speaking to Khalid al-Quafi, a worker at the Sirte oil company compound. Al-Quafi was originally responsible for health and safety at the plant, but since the revolt has been looking after workers staying there, our reporter says.
Describing this morning's attack by pro-Kadhafi fighters, Al-Quafi says: "They came at 6:30 am and shot the people guarding the gate. When I heard the fire, I climbed up the Uria (fertiliser) tower. I saw everything. They killed the two people at the gate, the two of them young boys. After 45 minutes, they left the compound."
1500 GMT Libyan dissidents who control part of the country's east are calling for the UN to order air strikes on pro-Kadhafi mercenaries, AFP's correspondent in Benghazi reports.
1444 GMT At least 6,000 people have died since the start of the Libyan revolt two weeks ago, a spokesman for the Libyan Human Rights League says.
Gaza
Gaza residents on the outskirts of Khan Younis reported Wednesday an Israeli force entering the Gaza borders, penetrating some 200 meters beyond the Green Line.
The force entered under the cover of gunfire, witnesses said, and included three military vehicles and an armored bulldozer.
An Israeli military spokesman said he had no reports of fire in the area.
The force entered under the cover of gunfire, witnesses said, and included three military vehicles and an armored bulldozer.
An Israeli military spokesman said he had no reports of fire in the area.
LIBYA -summary of the latest developments:
Libya's Gaddafi has appeared on state television.
Rebels holding eastern Libyan town of al-Brega fight off attack by government forces - CNN
Libyan state TV says Gaddafi's armed forces control airport, seaport of Brega, contradicting rebel accounts that attack was repulsed -Reuters
-- Two US warships carrying marines and equipment have entered the Suez Canal and are heading towards Libya, as the West flexes its military muscle.
-- The UN refugee agency has warned that the situation on the Libya-Tunisia border is reaching crisis point as desperate migrant workers flee for safety. More than 100,000 people have already left Libya to escape a vicious crackdown by Kadhafi loyalists which has left at least 1,000 dead, according to conservative UN estimates.
-- Western powers are arguing over imposing a proposed no-fly zone over Libya to support rebels fighting Kadhafi's regime.
-- Kadhafi opponents are beginning to organise the trappings of parallel government. Rebels in Benghazi said they had formed a military council in the eastern Libyan city, the hotbed of the uprising against Kadhafi's four-decade iron rule.
1030 GMT Several hundred pro-Kadhafi supporters -- some carrying Kalashnikov rifles -- are rallying near the site of a petrol tanker explosion near the compound of the Libyan leader in Tripoli, an AFP reporter says.
Flames shot up to four metres (12 feet) in the air after the tanker overturned and split open. The blast happened near a mosque and a hotel but there appeared to be no casualties, according to our correspondent on the ground.
1040 GMT Kadhafi's forces enter the rebel-held eastern town of Brega, sparking fierce clashes, witnesses and opposition sources say.
A resident of Brega -- 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of the main eastern city of Benghazi -- tells AFP by phone that Kadhafi's forces stormed the town with tanks and heavy artillery, and describes violent fighting at the port.
A doctor in Ajdabiya -- 40 kilometres from Brega -- tells AFP the attack began under cover of darkness:
"During the night Kadhafi's forces attacked the airport at Brega where they clashed with the rebels," said Aymane al-Moghrabi.
1100 GMT Kadhafi's forces have launched air strikes on the rebel-controlled town of Ajdabiya in the east of the country, witnesses tell AFP.
According to the BBC, pro-Kadhafi jets bombed an arms dump in city which it says is "in a high state of excitement".
1055 GMT The UNHCR makes a plea for hundreds of planes to end a gridlock at the Tunisia border with Libya, where it says "acres of people" are still waiting to cross in freezing conditions.
"My colleague on the ground say that acres of people, as far as you can see, are waiting to cross," UNHCR spokeswoman Sybella Wilkes tells AFP.
"There's a huge building and there are thousands behind," she adds.
"They are outdoors in the freezing cold, under the rain, many of them have spent three or four nights outside already.
"It's really chaotic."
Some 77,320 people have already crossed into Egypt, UNHRC Wilkes says, while a similar number have crossed into Tunisia.
"We're looking at over 150,000 people who have fled into the two countries," she estimates.
The UN refugees agency is particularly concerned about the situation on the Tunisian side of the border, where a huge transit camp has been set up. Up to 10,000 people spent the night in the tents, squeezed in like sardines to keep out of the rain and cold, the agency says.
Rebels holding eastern Libyan town of al-Brega fight off attack by government forces - CNN
Libyan state TV says Gaddafi's armed forces control airport, seaport of Brega, contradicting rebel accounts that attack was repulsed -Reuters
-- Two US warships carrying marines and equipment have entered the Suez Canal and are heading towards Libya, as the West flexes its military muscle.
-- The UN refugee agency has warned that the situation on the Libya-Tunisia border is reaching crisis point as desperate migrant workers flee for safety. More than 100,000 people have already left Libya to escape a vicious crackdown by Kadhafi loyalists which has left at least 1,000 dead, according to conservative UN estimates.
-- Western powers are arguing over imposing a proposed no-fly zone over Libya to support rebels fighting Kadhafi's regime.
-- Kadhafi opponents are beginning to organise the trappings of parallel government. Rebels in Benghazi said they had formed a military council in the eastern Libyan city, the hotbed of the uprising against Kadhafi's four-decade iron rule.
1030 GMT Several hundred pro-Kadhafi supporters -- some carrying Kalashnikov rifles -- are rallying near the site of a petrol tanker explosion near the compound of the Libyan leader in Tripoli, an AFP reporter says.
Flames shot up to four metres (12 feet) in the air after the tanker overturned and split open. The blast happened near a mosque and a hotel but there appeared to be no casualties, according to our correspondent on the ground.
1040 GMT Kadhafi's forces enter the rebel-held eastern town of Brega, sparking fierce clashes, witnesses and opposition sources say.
A resident of Brega -- 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of the main eastern city of Benghazi -- tells AFP by phone that Kadhafi's forces stormed the town with tanks and heavy artillery, and describes violent fighting at the port.
A doctor in Ajdabiya -- 40 kilometres from Brega -- tells AFP the attack began under cover of darkness:
"During the night Kadhafi's forces attacked the airport at Brega where they clashed with the rebels," said Aymane al-Moghrabi.
1100 GMT Kadhafi's forces have launched air strikes on the rebel-controlled town of Ajdabiya in the east of the country, witnesses tell AFP.
According to the BBC, pro-Kadhafi jets bombed an arms dump in city which it says is "in a high state of excitement".
1055 GMT The UNHCR makes a plea for hundreds of planes to end a gridlock at the Tunisia border with Libya, where it says "acres of people" are still waiting to cross in freezing conditions.
"My colleague on the ground say that acres of people, as far as you can see, are waiting to cross," UNHCR spokeswoman Sybella Wilkes tells AFP.
"There's a huge building and there are thousands behind," she adds.
"They are outdoors in the freezing cold, under the rain, many of them have spent three or four nights outside already.
"It's really chaotic."
Some 77,320 people have already crossed into Egypt, UNHRC Wilkes says, while a similar number have crossed into Tunisia.
"We're looking at over 150,000 people who have fled into the two countries," she estimates.
The UN refugees agency is particularly concerned about the situation on the Tunisian side of the border, where a huge transit camp has been set up. Up to 10,000 people spent the night in the tents, squeezed in like sardines to keep out of the rain and cold, the agency says.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Latest on plans to march to Tripoli
Brigadier General Ahmed Qatrani, tasked with organising rebel forces in Benghazi, says there are no plans yet to march on the capital. "Tripoli is being held hostage. We are in touch with them, but they asked us to hold back," he told reporters. But he said some soldiers and civilians have volunteered to go to Tripoli by desert routes after receiving training around Benghazi. "They are moving their experience to Tripoli," he said. Organisers say communications with the volunteers have been sporadic, and they have received conflicting reports about their whereabouts. One, Motaz Suleiman, said pro-Kadhafi gunmen had killed 18 unarmed volunteers captured near Sirte, but there is no way to independently confirm his claims. Others say volunteers have successfully made it to Tripoli, about 1,000 west of Benghazi
Libya Latest
1400 GMT: Residents in Zawiyah, just 60 kilometres (40 miles) west of Tripoli, have been telling AFP how heavily-armed pro-Kadhafi militiamen attempted to retake control of the middle-class dormitory town overnight. The fighters fell back when they met resistance from armed opposition supporters in control of the city centre.
"Today, it's very calm, I'm able to get around town as normal," one resident said, reached by telephone. "The militiamen did not enter the city centre. They are still on the outskirts. They are heavily armed and have tanks with them."
1356 GMT: Here's a roundup of today's main events so far:
-- The UN's refugee agency says the situation on the Libya-Tunisia border is reaching crisis point. Between 70,000 and 75,000 people have crossed the border since February 20, with between 10,000 and 15,000 more expected on Tuesday. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says two US relief teams are being sent to Libya's borders with Egypt and Tunisia, adding that Washington has set aside $10 million in emergency assistance.
-- On the ground, the cities of Misrata, east of Tripoli, and Gherian to its south remain in opposition hands, as does virtually all of the east of the country including several key oil fields.
-- Austria has announced a freeze on the assets of Kadhafi and his close associates, while Germany says it is freezing an account at a German bank held by Moamer Kadhafi's son containing two million euros ($2.8 million). British publisher Pearson, which owns the Financial Times newspaper, has frozen the Libyan state's shares in the company.
Elsewhere in the region:
-- In Yemen, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of the capital Sanaa to demand the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Saleh has blamed the US and Israel for the wave of Middle Eastern unrest.
-- Tanks have dispersed demonstrators in Oman's industrial city of Sohar, who had been occupying a roundabout for three nights. Clashes had erupted at the intersection on Sunday, killing at least one protester.
1342 GMT: In Tunisia, the country that sparked the wave of unrest spreading across the Arab world, two more ministers have quit the interim government. This follows the resignations of the prime minister and two other ministers after weeks of protests about the caretaker authority.
1335 GMT: The Organisation of the Islamic Conference, representing 57 Muslim countries, says it is against any military intervention in Libya. "All options should be utilised for the settlement of disputes through peaceful means and without resorting to the use of force," OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has told the UN Human Rights Council. The United States on Monday positioned naval and air forces around Libya.
1328 GMT: European Union leaders are to hold an extraordinary summit on March 11 to agree a response to the crisis in Libya and events across North Africa, an EU diplomat has said.
1318 GMT: Paul Wolfowitz, the USA's former deputy defence secretary, tells the British broadcaster Sky that the US "went too far" in welcoming Kadhafi as a legitimate leader after he gave up weapons of mass destruction.
"Today, it's very calm, I'm able to get around town as normal," one resident said, reached by telephone. "The militiamen did not enter the city centre. They are still on the outskirts. They are heavily armed and have tanks with them."
1356 GMT: Here's a roundup of today's main events so far:
-- The UN's refugee agency says the situation on the Libya-Tunisia border is reaching crisis point. Between 70,000 and 75,000 people have crossed the border since February 20, with between 10,000 and 15,000 more expected on Tuesday. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says two US relief teams are being sent to Libya's borders with Egypt and Tunisia, adding that Washington has set aside $10 million in emergency assistance.
-- On the ground, the cities of Misrata, east of Tripoli, and Gherian to its south remain in opposition hands, as does virtually all of the east of the country including several key oil fields.
-- Austria has announced a freeze on the assets of Kadhafi and his close associates, while Germany says it is freezing an account at a German bank held by Moamer Kadhafi's son containing two million euros ($2.8 million). British publisher Pearson, which owns the Financial Times newspaper, has frozen the Libyan state's shares in the company.
Elsewhere in the region:
-- In Yemen, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of the capital Sanaa to demand the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Saleh has blamed the US and Israel for the wave of Middle Eastern unrest.
-- Tanks have dispersed demonstrators in Oman's industrial city of Sohar, who had been occupying a roundabout for three nights. Clashes had erupted at the intersection on Sunday, killing at least one protester.
1342 GMT: In Tunisia, the country that sparked the wave of unrest spreading across the Arab world, two more ministers have quit the interim government. This follows the resignations of the prime minister and two other ministers after weeks of protests about the caretaker authority.
1335 GMT: The Organisation of the Islamic Conference, representing 57 Muslim countries, says it is against any military intervention in Libya. "All options should be utilised for the settlement of disputes through peaceful means and without resorting to the use of force," OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has told the UN Human Rights Council. The United States on Monday positioned naval and air forces around Libya.
1328 GMT: European Union leaders are to hold an extraordinary summit on March 11 to agree a response to the crisis in Libya and events across North Africa, an EU diplomat has said.
1318 GMT: Paul Wolfowitz, the USA's former deputy defence secretary, tells the British broadcaster Sky that the US "went too far" in welcoming Kadhafi as a legitimate leader after he gave up weapons of mass destruction.
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