Monday, March 25, 2013
Lawyer: Issawi's heart could stop at any moment
Maan News Agency
Published today (updated) 25/03/2013 13:03
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Samer Issawi's heart could stop at any moment, a lawyer said Monday, as the prisoner's health continues to deteriorate after 236 days on hunger strike.
Israeli doctors told Palestinian Prisoners Society lawyer Fawaz al-Shalawdi that Issawi's heartbeat had decreased to 28 beats per minute and his blood glucose has fallen to 65 milligrams per deciliter.
Doctors say his heart could stop at any moment.
Issawi suffers from breathing problems, constant dizziness and severe pain in his abdomen and kidneys, al-Shalawdi said.
"Despite my critical health situation, and all that I suffer from, I promise everyone that my health situation will not affect my decisions," Issawi said in a letter.
"I will continue my open hunger strike, and will not retract my steps. My life is not more precious than the blood of Palestinian martyrs."
Issawi was hospitalized in late February and stopped drinking water earlier in March. He was too sick to attend a hearing at Israel's Ofer military detention center last week.
On Feb. 21, a magistrates court in Jerusalem sentenced Issawi to eight months in prison, but he has yet to face a military committee which could imprison him for 20 years.
The director of the Palestinian prisoners’ club, Qadura Fares, said the court's decision was "a judicial farce that only happens in Israel," labeling the Israeli government a "mafia."
In March, Issawi said his death would be a victory for refusing to surrender to Israel's occupation.
"Do not worry if my heart stops. I am still alive now and even after death, because Jerusalem runs through my veins. If I die, it is a victory; if we are liberated, it is a victory, because either way I have refused to surrender to the Israeli occupation, its tyranny and arrogance," he wrote in The Guardian.
Issawi was freed in the Oct. 2011 prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel, but soldiers rearrested him on July 7, accusing him of violating the terms of his release by leaving Jerusalem.
Israeli prosecutors are seeking to cancel his amnesty and reinstate his former sentence.
Israeli doctors told Palestinian Prisoners Society lawyer Fawaz al-Shalawdi that Issawi's heartbeat had decreased to 28 beats per minute and his blood glucose has fallen to 65 milligrams per deciliter.
Doctors say his heart could stop at any moment.
Issawi suffers from breathing problems, constant dizziness and severe pain in his abdomen and kidneys, al-Shalawdi said.
"Despite my critical health situation, and all that I suffer from, I promise everyone that my health situation will not affect my decisions," Issawi said in a letter.
"I will continue my open hunger strike, and will not retract my steps. My life is not more precious than the blood of Palestinian martyrs."
Issawi was hospitalized in late February and stopped drinking water earlier in March. He was too sick to attend a hearing at Israel's Ofer military detention center last week.
On Feb. 21, a magistrates court in Jerusalem sentenced Issawi to eight months in prison, but he has yet to face a military committee which could imprison him for 20 years.
The director of the Palestinian prisoners’ club, Qadura Fares, said the court's decision was "a judicial farce that only happens in Israel," labeling the Israeli government a "mafia."
In March, Issawi said his death would be a victory for refusing to surrender to Israel's occupation.
"Do not worry if my heart stops. I am still alive now and even after death, because Jerusalem runs through my veins. If I die, it is a victory; if we are liberated, it is a victory, because either way I have refused to surrender to the Israeli occupation, its tyranny and arrogance," he wrote in The Guardian.
Issawi was freed in the Oct. 2011 prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel, but soldiers rearrested him on July 7, accusing him of violating the terms of his release by leaving Jerusalem.
Israeli prosecutors are seeking to cancel his amnesty and reinstate his former sentence.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Gaza fishermen struggle to eke out a livelihood | ReliefWeb
Gaza fishermen struggle to eke out a livelihood | ReliefWeb
Held each year on 22 March, International World Water Day draws attention to the importance of freshwater and advocates for the sustainable management of freshwater resources around the world. In Gaza, the ongoing occupation, the Israeli and Egyptian blockade, as well as the dumping of sewage in the sea are some of the factors that have prevented Palestinians from enjoying clean, healthy water. The story below is about a fisherman whose livelihood has been nearly destroyed due to water pollution on Gaza’s seashore.
Blockade and wastewater’s effect on Gaza’s fishermen
52 year-old Khalil Ibrahim Al-Habil, a Palestine refugee living in Gaza, has been a fisherman for all of his adult life. The Israeli blockade on the coastal enclave in recent years has made it extremely difficult for him to support his family of 12.
“Ten years ago, there was a 12-mile limit on fishing, but now, we have been relegated to six miles”, said Al-Habil.
The Israeli-imposed fishing limit and the sewage water being poured into the sea means that Gaza’s fishermen are forced to fish in mostly polluted water. “The water is not clear like it used to be decades ago. Even at cheap prices, people refrain from buying this unhealthy fish and many of us hardly manage to sell anything”, Al-Habil added.
This had a detrimental effect on Al-Habil’s ability to continue fishing, forcing him to sell his wife’s jewelry, and take loans from relatives and other sources to buy a motorboat. Sadly, business did not improve. “It became a nightmare. I sank into pool of debts and am unable to make ends meet” Al Habil said
A livelihood destroyed
The head of Gaza’s Fishermen Association Nizar Ayyash says that “about 98 per cent” of Gaza fishermen fall below the poverty line. “UNRWA used to provide the Association with 1,000 three-month-job opportunities a year through its job creation programme,” he said.
Al-Habil was one of many beneficiaries who received employment opportunities through UNRWA’s Job Creation Programme (JCP). He now receives emergency food coupons from the Agency.
“In the 1990s, the Gaza fishing industry produced a considerable annual income, but things have gone downhill in recent years. Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, Gaza’s fishermen were to be allowed 20 nautical miles for fishing, but they are only allowed six”, added Ayyash.
Al-Habil cannot see himself doing anything other than fishing, the trade he inherited from his ancestors. “I'm happy at sea, happy to be fishing, this is what I know, and what I am good at, if only there was something to catch. It is very depressing when I go home empty-handed,” he said.
Blockade and wastewater’s effect on Gaza’s fishermen
52 year-old Khalil Ibrahim Al-Habil, a Palestine refugee living in Gaza, has been a fisherman for all of his adult life. The Israeli blockade on the coastal enclave in recent years has made it extremely difficult for him to support his family of 12.
“Ten years ago, there was a 12-mile limit on fishing, but now, we have been relegated to six miles”, said Al-Habil.
The Israeli-imposed fishing limit and the sewage water being poured into the sea means that Gaza’s fishermen are forced to fish in mostly polluted water. “The water is not clear like it used to be decades ago. Even at cheap prices, people refrain from buying this unhealthy fish and many of us hardly manage to sell anything”, Al-Habil added.
This had a detrimental effect on Al-Habil’s ability to continue fishing, forcing him to sell his wife’s jewelry, and take loans from relatives and other sources to buy a motorboat. Sadly, business did not improve. “It became a nightmare. I sank into pool of debts and am unable to make ends meet” Al Habil said
A livelihood destroyed
The head of Gaza’s Fishermen Association Nizar Ayyash says that “about 98 per cent” of Gaza fishermen fall below the poverty line. “UNRWA used to provide the Association with 1,000 three-month-job opportunities a year through its job creation programme,” he said.
Al-Habil was one of many beneficiaries who received employment opportunities through UNRWA’s Job Creation Programme (JCP). He now receives emergency food coupons from the Agency.
“In the 1990s, the Gaza fishing industry produced a considerable annual income, but things have gone downhill in recent years. Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, Gaza’s fishermen were to be allowed 20 nautical miles for fishing, but they are only allowed six”, added Ayyash.
Al-Habil cannot see himself doing anything other than fishing, the trade he inherited from his ancestors. “I'm happy at sea, happy to be fishing, this is what I know, and what I am good at, if only there was something to catch. It is very depressing when I go home empty-handed,” he said.
Featured
Primary country
occupied Palestinian territoryTuesday, March 19, 2013
PCHR: Sharawna deportation violates Geneva Conventions
PCHR: Sharawna deportation violates Geneva Conventions
Published yesterday (updated) 18/03/2013 21:44
People carry freed prisoner Ayman Sharawna on a stretcher as he
gestures upon his arrival to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, March 17.
(Reuters/Mohammed Salem)
gestures upon his arrival to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, March 17.
(Reuters/Mohammed Salem)
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The deportation to Gaza of hunger-striking prisoner Ayman Sharawna is a violation of the Geneva Conventions, a Palestinian rights group said Monday.
Sharawna arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening after signing a deportation deal to end an 8-month long hunger strike in Israeli jail.
Forcible deportation is a form of collective punishment prohibited under the fourth Geneva Convention which prohibits "individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not," PCHR said in a statement.
The deal stipulates that Sharawna would stay in Gaza for 10 years before being able to return to his home in Gaza.
A 2011 prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas saw 40 Palestinians deported to other countries and 163 to the Gaza Strip, PHCR said, calling for all deportees to be allowed to return home.
Sharawna, 36, is from the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and is married with nine children.
He was released in the Oct. 2011 prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas but was rearrested in Jan. 2012 and accused of violating the terms of his release.
Israeli authorities refused to reveal how Sharawna violated his release terms, even to his lawyers, and he was jailed without charge or trial.
Israeli prosecutors sought to cancel Sharawna's amnesty and jail him for 28 years, the remainder of his previous sentence. He went on hunger strike to demand his release.
Sharawna arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening after signing a deportation deal to end an 8-month long hunger strike in Israeli jail.
Forcible deportation is a form of collective punishment prohibited under the fourth Geneva Convention which prohibits "individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not," PCHR said in a statement.
The deal stipulates that Sharawna would stay in Gaza for 10 years before being able to return to his home in Gaza.
A 2011 prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas saw 40 Palestinians deported to other countries and 163 to the Gaza Strip, PHCR said, calling for all deportees to be allowed to return home.
Sharawna, 36, is from the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and is married with nine children.
He was released in the Oct. 2011 prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas but was rearrested in Jan. 2012 and accused of violating the terms of his release.
Israeli authorities refused to reveal how Sharawna violated his release terms, even to his lawyers, and he was jailed without charge or trial.
Israeli prosecutors sought to cancel Sharawna's amnesty and jail him for 28 years, the remainder of his previous sentence. He went on hunger strike to demand his release.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Ayman Sharawna arrives in Gaza Strip
Ayman Sharawna arrives in Gaza Strip | Maan News Agency
Published today (updated) 17/03/2013 22:32
People carry freed prisoner Ayman Sharawna on a stretcher as he
gestures upon his arrival to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, March 17.
(Reuters/Mohammed Salem)
gestures upon his arrival to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, March 17.
(Reuters/Mohammed Salem)
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Ayman Sharawna arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening after signing a deportation deal to end an 8-month long hunger strike in Israeli jail.
Sharawna arrived at the Erez crossing, where a Palestinian ambulance was waiting to take him into Gaza. Hundreds of people crowded at the Palestinian side of the checkpoint to greet him.
Sharawna signed an agreement with Israeli authorities to be deported to Gaza for 10 years, bringing an end to a hunger strike he launched on July 1, said Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Society.
The undersecretary of the PA Ministry of Detainee Affairs, Ziad Abu Ein, told Ma'an the agreement was signed without notifying the ministry. He said Israeli authorities were pressuring Samer Issawi, who has been on hunger strike for 228 days, to make a similar deal.
Earlier Sunday, the Minister of Detainee Affairs Issa Qaraqe said the Palestinian Authority rejected the deportation of prisoners as political blackmail.
Sharawna, 36, is from the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and is married with nine children.
He was released in the Oct. 2011 prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas but was rearrested in Jan. 2012 and accused of violating the terms of his release.
Israeli authorities refused to reveal how Sharawna violated his release terms, even to his lawyers, and he was jailed without charge or trial.
Israeli prosecutors sought to cancel Sharawna's amnesty and jail him for 28 years, the remainder of his previous sentence. He went on hunger strike to demand his release.
Sharawna arrived at the Erez crossing, where a Palestinian ambulance was waiting to take him into Gaza. Hundreds of people crowded at the Palestinian side of the checkpoint to greet him.
Sharawna signed an agreement with Israeli authorities to be deported to Gaza for 10 years, bringing an end to a hunger strike he launched on July 1, said Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Society.
The undersecretary of the PA Ministry of Detainee Affairs, Ziad Abu Ein, told Ma'an the agreement was signed without notifying the ministry. He said Israeli authorities were pressuring Samer Issawi, who has been on hunger strike for 228 days, to make a similar deal.
Earlier Sunday, the Minister of Detainee Affairs Issa Qaraqe said the Palestinian Authority rejected the deportation of prisoners as political blackmail.
Sharawna, 36, is from the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and is married with nine children.
He was released in the Oct. 2011 prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas but was rearrested in Jan. 2012 and accused of violating the terms of his release.
Israeli authorities refused to reveal how Sharawna violated his release terms, even to his lawyers, and he was jailed without charge or trial.
Israeli prosecutors sought to cancel Sharawna's amnesty and jail him for 28 years, the remainder of his previous sentence. He went on hunger strike to demand his release.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Israel forces 'order 15 families to leave homes'
Maan News Agency
Published today 21:01
HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Monday ordered 15 families to evacuate their homes in the southern West Bank and said the area was a "closed military zone," a resident facing eviction said.
Abed Shalalda said 15 families from his tribe were told they would be evicted from their homes in al-Ganoub, east of Sair, by force if they did not leave within days.
The families live in caves and ancient stone dwellings in an area with fruit trees and water wells. Shalalda said all the residents had land ownership deeds.
Abed Shalalda said 15 families from his tribe were told they would be evicted from their homes in al-Ganoub, east of Sair, by force if they did not leave within days.
The families live in caves and ancient stone dwellings in an area with fruit trees and water wells. Shalalda said all the residents had land ownership deeds.
Israeli forces incursion east of Gaza
Israeli forces incursion east of Gaza
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) mounting a number of armored vehicles and escorting bulldozers advanced east of Juhr Al-Deek to the south east of Gaza city on Monday.
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) mounting a number of armored vehicles and escorting bulldozers advanced east of Juhr Al-Deek to the south east of Gaza city on Monday.
Local and security sources said that the IOF army vehicles advanced 200 meters from the border fence.
The sources told the PIC reporter that the bulldozers leveled land in the area while the vehicles combed its vicinity.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Ramallah man dies of injuries sustained in clashes
Ramallah man dies of injuries sustained in clashes | Maan News Agency
Published today (updated) 07/03/2013 14:54
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Mohammad Asfour, 22, died on Thursday morning of wounds sustained in clashes two weeks ago, medical officials said.
The incident occurred during protests in support of a hunger strike by four Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Clashes erupted in Abud village north of Ramallah and Asfour sustained injuries to the head including bleeding in his brain. He was in a coma, and transferred to an Israeli hospital in critical condition.
Asfour was a student in the sports department in Al-Quds University in Abu Dis.
Asfour's family said he would be buried on Friday.
Hamas said Asfour was one of its members.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on his death.
A surge in violence in the West Bank over the past several weeks has raised concern in Israel that a new Palestinian uprising could erupt. The violence largely subsided last week after Israel indicated it was likely to release two of the hunger-strikers in May and they ended their protest.
Reuters contributed to this report.
The incident occurred during protests in support of a hunger strike by four Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Clashes erupted in Abud village north of Ramallah and Asfour sustained injuries to the head including bleeding in his brain. He was in a coma, and transferred to an Israeli hospital in critical condition.
Asfour was a student in the sports department in Al-Quds University in Abu Dis.
Asfour's family said he would be buried on Friday.
Hamas said Asfour was one of its members.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on his death.
A surge in violence in the West Bank over the past several weeks has raised concern in Israel that a new Palestinian uprising could erupt. The violence largely subsided last week after Israel indicated it was likely to release two of the hunger-strikers in May and they ended their protest.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)