Special Palestine Cry Blog articles: The Catholic Creed: The meaning of the Pasch of Christians.

JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY AND TRUTH AND LIFE - NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT BY HIM.

For as it was not possible that the man who had once for all been conquered, and who had been destroyed through disobedience, could reform himself, and obtain the prize of victory; and as it was also impossible that he could attain to salvation who had fallen under the power of sin,-the Son effected both these things, being the Word of God, descending from the Father, becoming incarnate, stooping low, even to death, and consummating the arranged plan of our salvation, upon whom [Paul], exhorting us unhesitatingly to believe, again says, "Who shall ascend into heaven? that is, to bring down Christ; or who shall descend into the deep? that is, to liberate Christ again from the dead." Then he continues, "If thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shall be saved." And he renders the reason why the Son of God did these things, saying, "For to this end Christ both lived, and died, and revived, that He might rule over the living and the dead." And again, writing to the Corinthians, he declares, "But we preach Christ Jesus crucified; "and adds, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? " - St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book III, Chapter XVIII, Section 2.

The Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, Mary and John and the women at the foot of the Cross

Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour, there was darkness over all the earth, until the ninth hour.

Origen tell us this darkness was only in Palestine, and the neighbouring countries: for as to the words, over the whole earth, or over the whole land, we find one kingdom or empire, by a common way of speaking, called the whole earth, or the whole world. As to the cause of the obscuration of the sun; and secondly, as to the extent of its darkness. Origen tells us that the darkness was partial, and confined to Judea and the neighbouring countries, as the darkness of Egypt was only perceived in that country, and not in Gessen, where the children of Israel were. Saint Jerome tells us that the obscurity was caused by the rays of the sun being suddenly withdrawn by divine power, as was the case in Egypt. The darkness in Egypt during the Passover of Moses was due to God's protection withdrawn from that land at that time. The darkness when Christ was Crucified for us is the judgement of God upon His Son Jesus Christ, in our place. For Jesus Christ knew NO sin. He never sinned, nor could He ever.

The meaning of the Pasch of Christians.

The Book of Wisdom, Chapter 17, describes the devils and demons thrown back upon the Egyptians when the Israelites under Moses were brought out of Egypt by God for God’s purposes (to prepare a place for the Crucifixion of Our Lord for the Redemption of the whole world of those who are saved). In the same way the same false gods and goddesses that the Egyptians served and which in so doing were the reason the Egyptians sacrificed their sons and daughters to the devils and demons behind the false gods/goddesses were the spirits that killed the Egyptian children that perished when the Israelites were brought out of Egypt. God does not murder children, period. The angel of death which destroyed in Egypt was one of the fallen spirits. God did not cause any of the fallen spirits to hurt anyone. God allowed the fallen spirits to do what it is their nature do to when He brought the Israelites out of the gates of hell which was Egypt. The children below the age of reason that died went to be with God for eternity, they will be resurrected with the just at the Second Coming of Christ. This principle of God allowing the innocent to be afflicted along with guilty finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ’s singular and only salvific Kenosis. Jesus Christ committed no sin, not ever nor could He, and was and is and only could be utterly and absolutely and completely innocent of any and all wrongdoing and sin by His very nature as the Holy and True God. The guiltless sacrificed by His own will for the guilty. Even when the innocent are afflicted by the actions and evils instigated by the fallen spirits in the world, the innocent are not possessed by those fallen spirits. The principle of all being afflicted by the evil set loose upon the world for its unrepentant sin will occur when the universal plagues are let loose upon the world. See Apocalypse 16 –

And see: The Plagues will be real - Three Looks at the 16th Chapter of the Book of the Revelation

The principle of our always, for our part, protecting children is given us by Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 18

1 At *that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who, thinkest thou, is the greater in the kingdom of heaven?

2 *And Jesus calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them,

3 And said: Amen I say unto you, *unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven.

5 And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me.

10 Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, *that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

The principle of our ONLY worshipping the True God, the Father and the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is given first in the historical truth of the Garden of Eden when Christ, who is the Tree of Life commands the first man and his wife, Adam and Eve to not have anything to do with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which is Satan, the first fallen angel, nor with any of the fallen angels with Satan. Assisi of Babylon/Vatican/Rome is absolute and complete violation of that principle and is the Great Apostasy in full blown Satanic evil. Have nothing to do with the Vatican or suffer its eternal damnation in hell with it. The devil and demon worshipping pagans and the perfidious deicidal Jews are not ever any part of the Salvific action of Christ upon Golgotha/Calvary. Individual pagans and Jews if they repent of their not confessing Jesus Christ as the Immortal Son of God become flesh for our sake and sacrificed for our salvation and who confess publicly their sin of devil and demon worshipping and perfidy and deicide and who beg the Lord of all, the Lord God, the Father and the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit for forgiveness of their horrid and abominable sins, can and will be forgiven if they do so now in this life and will enter into the only path of salvation there is as dictated by God Himself. The Church, all the faithful – there is no other meaning acceptable to God for the word Church, is commanded by God to not have anything to do with the Apostasy.

Book of Wisdom, Chapter 17

1 For thy judgments, O Lord, are great, and thy words cannot be expressed: therefore undisciplined souls have erred.

2 For while the wicked thought to be able to have dominion over the holy nation, they themselves being fettered with the bonds of darkness, and a long night, shut up in their houses, lay there exiled from the eternal providence.

3 And while they thought to lie hid in their obscure sins, they were scattered under a dark veil of forgetfulness, being horribly afraid and troubled with exceeding great astonishment.

4 For neither did the den that held them, keep them from fear: for noises coming down troubled them, and sad visions appearing to them, affrighted them.

5 And no power of fire could give them light, neither could the bright flames of the stars enlighten that horrible night.

6 But there appeared to them a sudden fire, very dreadful: and being struck with the fear of that face, which was not seen, they thought the things which they saw to be worse:

7 And the delusions of their magic art were put down, and their boasting of wisdom was reproachfully rebuked.

8 For they who promised to drive away fears and troubles from a sick soul, were sick themselves of a fear worthy to be laughed at.

9 For though no terrible thing disturbed them: yet being scared with the passing by of beasts, and hissing of serpents, they died for fear: and denying that they saw the air, which could by no means be avoided.

10 For whereas wickedness is fearful, it beareth witness of its condemnation: for a troubled conscience always forecasteth grievous things.

11 For fear is nothing else but a yielding up of the succours from thought.

12 And while there is less expectation from within, the greater doth it count the ignorance of that cause which bringeth the torment.

13 But they that during that night, in which nothing could be done, and which came upon them from the lowest and deepest hell, slept the same sleep.

14 Were sometimes molested with the fear of monsters, sometimes fainted away, their soul failing them: for a sudden and unlooked for fear was come upon them.

15 Moreover if any of them had fallen down, he was kept shut up in prison without irons.

16 For if any one were a husbandman, or a shepherd, or a labourer in the field, and was suddenly overtaken, he endured a necessity from which he could not fly.

17 For they were all bound together with one chain of darkness. Whether it were a whistling wind, or the melodious voice of birds, among the spreading branches of trees, or a fall of water running down with violence,

18 Or the mighty noise of stones tumbling down, or the running that could not be seen of beasts playing together, or the roaring voice of wild beasts, or a rebounding echo from the highest mountains: these things made them to swoon for fear.

19 For the whole world was enlightened with a clear light, and none were hindered in their labours.

20 But over them only was spread a heavy night, an image of that darkness which was to come upon them. But they were to themselves more grievous than the darkness.

The Catholic Creed: The Final Trial: Traditional Catholic Prayers: Baptism

Showing posts with label Gaza. Show all posts

Monday, May 12, 2014

Europa & Palestine News « Europa & Middle East News

Letter to President Abbas: The Ball Is Now In The Court Of Palestine

Dear President Abbas,

We, the undersigned Palestinian and international human rights organizations, write to urge you to ensure that Palestine pursues the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) by promptly acceding to the Rome Statute and/or filing a further declaration accepting the Court’s jurisdiction over crimes committed on Palestinian territory from 1 July 2002.

Taking such steps could ensure access to international justice for victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on Palestinian territories, and would send an important message that such crimes cannot be committed with impunity.

As you know, following the UN General Assembly’s decision in November 2012 to upgrade Palestine’s status to “non-member observer state”, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor stated that the decision “does not cure the legal invalidity of [Palestine's] 2009 declaration” which accepted the ICC’s jurisdiction over acts committed on its territory since 1 July 2002, and that “at this stage, the Office has no legal basis to open a new preliminary examination.”

The Office stated that it was, therefore, not in a position to consider allegations of serious crimes committed in Palestine without further steps by your government. On this basis, the current ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, has said that “the ball is now in the court of Palestine” to seek the court’s jurisdiction.

We understand the pressure that Palestine is under from Israel and the United States not to pursue the jurisdiction of the ICC, whether during or after the current US-sponsored negotiations with Israel. We are aware that even countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Canada, which are states parties to the ICC treaty and purport to seek its universal ratification, have, at times, opposed Palestine seeking access to the ICC.

We oppose these efforts to politicize justice for victims of serious crimes under international law, and urge you to resist them. Justice is an important end in its own right, preserving the rights of victims and affected communities regardless of the uncertain prospects for peace. The commission of war crimes with impunity has regularly undermined the peace process. A credible prosecution threat would help to advance the cause of peace.

Palestine’s accession in April to 20 international treaties and conventions was a significant and positive step, obliging the Palestinian government to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights, and requiring Palestinian forces to abide by international rules on armed conflict. Accession to the Rome Statute would be a vital further step towards protecting human rights by ensuring that the ICC can step in to address impunity when domestic authorities are genuinely unable or unwilling to do so.

Seeking the ICC’s jurisdiction over serious crimes committed on Palestinian territory should therefore be seen as an apolitical step towards ending impunity and could help deter future abuses.

The ICC represents an important tool for justice and effective remedies for victims. We urge you to seize it without any further delay.

Sincerely,

Sahar Francis, Executive Director
Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
Khalil Abu Shammala, Executive Director
Al Dameer Association for Human Rights
Shawan Jabarin, General Director
Al-Haq
Issam Younis, General Director
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Munir Nuseibah, Director
Al-Quds University Human Rights Clinic
Salil Shetty, Secretary General
Amnesty International
Nidal Azza, Director
Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
Rifat Kassis, Director
Defense for Children International – Palestine
Shawqi Issa, Director
Ensan Center for Human Rights and Democracy
Ken Roth, Executive Director
Human Rights Watch
Helmi al-Araj, General Director
Hurryyat Centre for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights
Said Benarbia, Director, Middle East and North Africa Programme
International Commission of Jurists
Karim Lahidji, President
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
Issam Aruri, Director
Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center
Raji Sourani, Director
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Iyad Barghouti, Director
Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies
Maha Abu Dayyeh, General Director
Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling

Source: Al-Mezan for Human Rights

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Saturday, May 3, 2014

Europa & Palestine News « Europa & Middle East News

Workers Day: No Cause for Celebration for Palestinians Working in Israel

The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories (B’Tselem) issued Wednesday a press statement decrying Israel’s mistreatment, humiliation of Palestinian workers and denying them their basic rights.
May 1 1014, marks International Workers’ Day. For Palestinian workers, there is not much cause for celebration: the day is a painful reminder that another year has gone by and nothing has changed. Palestinians are still denied basic rights, including the right to earn a living without risking their lives.

The West Bank has been under Israeli military rule for nearly 47 years. As the occupying power, Israel is responsible for the well-being, dignity and livelihood of West Bank residents. Yet it acts in contravention of international law, exploiting natural resources in the West Bank for its own needs and those of Israeli settlers, while ignoring the needs of the Palestinian population. These resources – largely inArea C, which is under full Israeli control – include quarries, water sources, land for agricultural or industrial development, and tourist attractions. A case in point: even as Israel prevents Palestinians from developing modern and potentially more profitable agriculture by denying them access to most of the Jordan Valley as well as to most of its water, it allocates land and much water to settlements so that they can develop such agriculture.

This policy is a major underlying cause for the absence of an independent Palestinian economy, which could provide sufficient and profitable work opportunities for all or most Palestinians in the West Bank. In the present economic situation, the only option available to tens of thousands of Palestinians for earning a living is work within Israel, either with a work permit from Israeli authorities or illegally.

Israel has strict criteria for the approval of work permits and issues no more permits than the number fixed in an occasionally revised quota. The current (March 2014) quota is 47,350 work permits for Israel and the settlements; most of the quota has been utilized.

Workers with permits may enter Israel by one of eleven designated checkpoints throughout the West Bank. In June 2013, B’Tselem staff visited the Tarqumya and Eyal Checkpoints, through which Palestinians with work permits enter Israel. We found harsh conditions of overcrowding, long lines, and cases of humiliation during inspection. On Sundays, the number of Palestinians crossing through both checkpoints peaks at 4,500. The workers and their belongings are scanned with a metal detector. Then, they move on to stations where personnel check their fingerprints and their papers, including their entry permits. Some individuals are sent for an additional inspection procedure, which is at times humiliating. Although both checkpoints open at 4:00 A.M., hundreds of laborers arrive hours earlier, in the middle of the night, concerned they will not reach their workplaces in time due to the long lines and the chance of being sent for additional inspection. Despite the throngs of people waiting to cross, not all eight inspection stations are regularly staffed.

B’Tselem reported these findings to the head of the Land Crossings Authority at the Ministry of Defense whose office responded by saying that there are no long lines and no overcrowding at checkpoints. B’Tselem’s field researchers returned to Tarqumya Checkpoint on 1 September 2013 to and documented that fact that nothing had changed: many workers arrive at the checkpoint soon shortly after midnight and by the time it opened, at 3:30 A.M., the line was extremely long. Palestinians at the checkpoint also reported being sent for additional inspection procedure in designated rooms that are overcrowded and have neither seating nor any air conditioning. Read more here. Tens of thousands of Palestinians whose applications for work permits have been denied, or who do not meet Israel’s strict criteria to begin with, are forced to try and enter Israel without a permit. Estimates of the number of Palestinians working in Israel without permits range from 15,000 to 30,000. Israeli authorities do not offer a systemic solution to the problem, and prefer to deal with random individual cases. Every now then, soldiers are sent out on missions to “capture illegals”, involving the arrest, injury, and rarely even death, of people who are not considered a threat even by the security establishment. According to current (31 March 2014) figures provided by the Israel Prison Service, 1,424 Palestinians – including 22 minors – are being held in Israeli prisons for illegal entry into the country.

For Palestinian workers who regularly enter Israel illegally to earn a living, life is a constant struggle for survival and returning home safe and sound from work cannot be taken for granted. They live in constant anxiety, fearing arrest or injury. In such a reality, labor rights such as a minimum wage, reasonable work hours, and a pension scheme seem like a distant dream.

I.’A., a 46-year-old floorer by trade, told B’Tselem field research Musa Abu Hashhash on 25 April 2014 what it’s like to work in Israel without a permit:

Work without a permit means endless suffering, worry and fear from the second I leave home. I leave early in the morning, at the beginning of the week, and head to the [Separation] Barrier in the Ramadin area in the South Hebron Hills. From there I enter Israel with other laborers. Usually, I have to wait near the barrier for hours, until I’m sure it’s safe. There’ve been times when I waited a whole day but finally had to go back home and miss a week of work. Every trip to work costs me 100 shekels [approx. 30 USD], which are split between the Palestinian who drives me to barrier and the Israeli driver who takes me from the barrier to Beersheba [in Israel].

Once I reach my workplace, I make sure not to leave it. I stay in Beersheba for a week or two at a time. At the end of each work day, I stay on site with the other laborers. We have to sleep in rough condition in unfinished buildings, on the floor, with no electricity or bathroom. We never go out so that the police won’t catch us. If we need to buy something, one of us goes carefully to a grocery store. Mostly, we eat tinned food. Sometimes, we have to move from one building to another to sleep, so we won’t be caught in a police raid. It’s happened – and more than once – that the police raided the place we were in and we escaped.

The contractors who hire me know that I don’t have a permit to enter Israel and use that to exploit me. They pay me only about 250 shekels a day [approx. 80 USD] and when I tell them it’s too little when taking my experience into account, they tell me I have no choice because I have no permit. I’ve also had times when my employer wouldn’t pay me at the end of the month and threatened that if I insisted on getting the money, he’d report me to the police. I have five little children and my wife works as a nurse. If I had a work permit, I could go home every day and help out with the kids. I worry because I’m so far away from them and I try to talk to them on the phone at least once a day.

Israel must enable the development of a Palestinian economy in the West Bank to provide decent work opportunities for the local population. Until that development is realized, Israel must issue permits to Palestinians wishing to work in Israel – based on appropriate security checks – and must ensure workers’ rights are upheld.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Europa & Palestine News « Europa & Middle East News

Severe Floods Prompt Evacuation of 3,000 Houses in Gaza

ِAl-Mizan for Human Rights - Approximately 3,000 houses in the Gaza Strip have been evacuated due to severe floods caused by torrential rain. The unusually harsh winter storm, called Alexa, has covered the occupied Palestinian territory causing disruption across the region and particularly deteriorated conditions in the Gaza Strip where the humanitarian situation remains dire.

As a result of the storm and further exacerbating the electricity crisis in Gaza, in the five main districts, electricity is being connected for only four hours to each area with a cut then proceeding of 20 hours.

Without infrastructure to manage such severe weather conditions including shelter centers, some schools have been opened to provide cover to people forced to evacuate their homes; however, these schools lack the basic facilities to provide adequate shelter especially under such harsh weather conditions.

The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights pays tribute to the civil defense and rescue teams, municipality workers, and the concerned authorities at UNRWA for their efforts to help the people of Gaza. Al Mezan urges all local and international relief organizations, UN bodies, and International Committee of the Red Cross to promptly provide relief for the families who have been forced to leave their homes under these exceptional conditions.

The Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza Strip and the ensuing humanitarian crisis has been further inflamed under the current weather conditions where the lack of infrastructure made available to the people of Gaza has notably exacerbated critical conditions. Al Mezan therefore continues to reiterate its previous calls on the international community to oblige Israeli authorities to lift the siege imposed on Gaza Strip to allow for appropriate recovery actions and to prevent further deterioration in living conditions.

Europa & Palestine News « Europa & Middle East News

Catastrophe in Gaza, World Silent and Blind

Darkness, shortage of fuel, flooding, hunger. Two Palestinians were killed and thousands evacuated to shelters while international community is blind and keeps silence like nothing is happening.

During the last two days thousands of Gazans were evacuated from their homes because of the flooding caused by the storm “Alexa” that invaded the Middle East and has covered it with snow, rain and hail.
Chris Gunness, The UNRWA spokesperson, has described the Gaza Strip on Sunday, Dec. 15 2013 as a “disaster area”. He called on the international community to send relief for the Gazans and to lift the Israeli blockade for human reasons.

He said: “large areas near the refugee camp of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip have become a “lake of up to two meters depth of sink waters engulfing and surrounding the homes of thousands of people.”

Gaza also lives in continuous darkness due the cut of electricity because of the shortage of fuel. Over the last few years, the Gaza Strip has largely relied on the fuel coming in from Egypt through the cross-border smuggling tunnels under Rafah. Egypt has demolished hundreds of smuggling tunnels earlier this year. The Gaza Strip uses about 120 megawatts of electricity purchased from Israel and about 27 megawatts from Egypt.

According to UNRWA, “Everything stops,” says Daulat. She doesn’t just mean the refrigerator, the washing machine and other devices; this Palestine refugee mother means daily life in her neighbourhood of Shajaiya. “Electricity outages paralyze our entire life,” she explains. Since the Gaza Power Plant stopped operating, on 1 November, she’s had to change her entire routine: “I sleep when the electricity is off, and I wake up when it’s on.”

Power outages are something that Gaza has dealt with for years. Israel’s restrictions on the amount of fuel Gaza could import, together with supply from Egypt not always being reliable, meant regular cuts for homes and businesses, hospitals, schools and even basic infrastructure.

But after several years, the shortages have finally grown so severe that the plant can no longer operate at all. Blackouts now last for an average of 16 hours a day. With the essentials of daily life compressed into only a few hours, it is no wonder that Gaza and its residents – young and old, women, men and children alike – are tense and anxious.

For mothers like Daulat, the loss of power has upended their entire routine. For students like her daughter, 17-year-old Khitam, it means a threat to her future as well. She is in her last year of secondary school. “This is crucial for my future,” Khitam says. “I am afraid of how these outages will affect my studies and my achievement.”

The family can’t afford a generator or an emergency light, so Khitam has no option but to study by the light of candles or mobile phones. But candles have their own risks, Khitam adds. “Once, my mother woke up because she smelled smoke – the candle had fallen down on the mattress.”

They were able to extinguish the fire quickly, but now, Daulat stays up until everyone else has gone to bed, to make sure she blows out the candle. And then, until morning, there is darkness. Khitam explains that getting up at night means stumbling over furniture or running into walls; her brother, afraid of going to the bathroom in the dark, has been wetting the bed.

Khitam’s mother asks only that her daughter’s teachers consider the conditions under which the children of Gaza must study and try to learn. But Khitam asks the other question: “How long will this continue?”

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Europa & Palestine News « Europa & Middle East News

Zionist Settlements Are Violation Of International Law

علامات إستفهام عريضة في يوم التضامن مع الشعب الفلسطيني في النمسا؟؟

30 November 2013 – It has been 66 years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 181, proposing the partition of the mandate territory into two States. Achieving the two-State solution, to which both Israel and the Palestinians have committed, is long overdue but still the Zionist Israel occupation in Palestine.

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned on Friday Nov. 29 2013, of “increasingly dangerous” tensions between Israel and the Palestinians which could threaten peace talks. His message was delivered by Ms Mazlan Othman at the UN office in Vienna on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

Ki-moon said: “settlement activity in the Occupied PalestinianTerritory continues, and remains a cause for very grave concern. Announcements of thousands of new housing units cannot be reconciled with the goal of a two-state solution and risk the collapse of negotiations. Settlements are in violation of international law and constitute obstacles to peace. All settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem must cease. Measures that prejudge final status issues will not be recognized by the international community.

The Secretary-General Ki-moon, sharply criticized the demolitions of the Palestinian house in the occupied West Bank, he said: “Palestinians continue to be displaced through house demolitions in Area C of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Of particular concern are developments in East Jerusalem, where this year alone, some 100 structures have been demolished, displacing 300 people. Hundreds more Palestinians are at risk because their homes were built without Israeli-issued building permits. This underscores the importance of Palestinian access to a fair planning and zoning regime. I remind Israel of its obligation to protect the population under occupation.”

Ki-moon described the situation in Gaza as a source of serious concern. He said: “The situation in Gaza remains a source of serious concern. I reiterate my condemnation of all rocket fire into Israel, as well as of the construction of tunnels into Israel by militants. Following the recent tunnel discovery, Israel suspended the transfer of construction material into Gaza, including for humanitarian projects. While I recognize Israel’s legitimate security concerns, I urge Israel to ensure that the needs of the civilian population in Gaza are met.”

He added: “The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a lifeline for millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and the region, continues to face serious financial difficulties. I call on all donors, including new ones, to make or increase contributions to sustain UNRWA’s vital and indispensable operations.”

Salahaldin Abd al Shafi, the Palestinian ambassador to Austria read President Abbas message on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. He calls for a Palestinian state along pre-67 lines with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital. Full text of his message is below.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Europa & Palestine News « Europa & Middle East News

12 Soldiers Killed In Car Bomb Attack in Egypt

Sky News - At least 12 Egyptian soldiers have been killed and 24 wounded in a car bomb attack in Sinai, according to Sky sources.

According to reports a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into one of two busses carrying off-duty soldiers between Rafah and el-Arish, the regional capital of North Sinai, where security forces are battling Islamists.

The blast was one of the deadliest attacks in the Sinai since al Qaeda-inspired militants began stepping up assaults following the army’s ousting of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

Although no group has claimed responsibility, suicide car bombings are a signature method used by militant groups linked to or inspired by al Qaeda.

Sky News’ Middle East producer Tom Rayner said: “This area has seen unrest for some time but that unrest, lawlessness and insurgency the army are trying to fight has increased in intensity since the coup against former President Morsi in July.

“What we’ve seen since then is an increase in attacks against soldiers at checkpoints in the Sinai but also in Egypt itself here have been repeated attacks on army checkpoints.

“The anger is based around the fact they are trying to control this area where there are tunnels going into Gaza. This will be a serious omen for the Egyptian army in their attempts to control insurgency in the north of the Sinai.”

The attack came after one person was killed and dozens more injured during clashes between opponents and supporters of Egypt’s military-backed regime in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Tuesday.

Police backed by armoured vehicles fired tear gas and shots to drive protesters out the square after they gathered to mark the anniversary of the 2011 demonstrations against the military which took power after Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow.

During those protests more than 40 protesters were killed during fighting with security forces which lasted several days.

Tuesday’s rally was aimed against people the protesters felt had “betrayed” the revolution – Mubarak loyalists, the military council that ruled for 17 months after his fall, and the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood which won subsequent elections but was ousted by the military in July.

The military handed power to Islamist president Mr Morsi in June 2012, after he won the country’s first free election, but overthrew him a year later following mass protests demanding his resignation.

Some protesters threw rocks and fireworks but left the square shortly after the security forces moved in.

Security forces have killed hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members since Mr Morsi was removed from power.

Thousands have been arrested and the group has been outlawed.

The new military-backed government of General Abdel Fatah al Sisi is pushing ahead with a transition plan aiming for new presidential and parliamentary elections early next year.

http://news.sky.com/story/1171013/egypt-12-soldiers-killed-in-car-bomb-attack

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Europa & Palestine News « Europa & Middle East News

Egypt Involved in Crimes Against Humanity in Gaza??

What is the benefit to the Egyptians from the continuous closure of the Rafah crossing, the only crossing that allows the million and a half persons living in Gaza to have contact with the world?
What are the motives that make the Egyptian government insist on the closure of the crossing, denying Palestinian students, patients, traders to reach their universities, hospitals, business partners?

The Egyptian Government continues to tighten the siege on the Gaza Strip side by side with israel and works to aggravate the humanitarian situation in Gaza in contravention to international laws which their country has signed. The residents of the Gaza Strip live under an unjust policy of the siege which has been imposed on them continuously for nearly 7 year by israel with the collusion of western as well as Arab countries.

Newborn Baby Dies – On Friday 27 September 2013, new Palestinian born baby Mohammed Adel Al Mashharawi died as his mother was not able to reach hospital on time due to the Israeli closure imposed on the Gaza Strip. His mother Eman Hamdi Dughmush, 38, was waiting at Cairo Airport and in the vicinity of Rafah crossing to be allowed to enter Gaza.

In her affidavit to Al Mezan, Eman stated that she had waited for one day at Cairo Airport and for another day nearby Rafah crossing. She was not able to reach hospital in Egypt due to the imposed curfew and the security circumstances. She was forced to give birth to Mohammed in Egypt because she was not allowed to enter Gaza Strip.

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights asserts that Israeli siege imposed on Gaza Strip is violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The international community must insist on a complete lift of Israel’s illegal siege of the Gaza Strip rather than easing the restrictions as the current negotiations seem to be deciding. The dire situation in the Gaza Strip cannot be reduced to a merely ‘humanitarian crisis’, as it is basically a human rights crisis borne out of the occupation and continuing closure of the Gaza Strip. The humanitarian aspects of the siege are only symptoms. Dealing with them alone cannot provide an answer to the root causes of the current crisis now or in the future. Furthermore, the proposals also risk exacerbating the separation and isolation of the Gaza Strip from the West Bank.

Following the international condemnation of the Israeli attack on the flotilla fleet carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the deaths of 9 solidarity activists, criticism of Israel’s actions has veered towards easing the siege instead of ending it. Once again, voices from international community stressed the illegal nature of the siege, which represents a measure of collective punishment of the entire population of Gaza. This measure has been tolerated for too long. In September 2013, the Israeli authorities allowed the entry of construction materials for Palestinian private sector and it announced it will increase the amount of fuel allowed into the Gaza Strip.

Approximately four thousands of Palestinians, including Palestinian families living in other countries and university students who study abroad, have been stuck in Gaza they may lose their work and study due to the Israeli closure and siege. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 1,000 critically patients are supposed to travel monthly to receive medical treatment at Egyptian hospitals. The closure of Rafah crossing comes amidst the continuous Israeli prevention of Palestinians from freedom of travelling via Erez crossing. Moreover, the Israeli authorities blackmail and detain Palestinian patients who seek travel via Erez crossing

The proposals to ease the siege should not be accepted as sufficient by the international community. They focus on the entry of more goods into Gaza while ignoring the movement of Palestinians within their own territory; that is between Gaza and the West Bank (including Jerusalem). They focus on imports and completely ignore exports. The freedom of movement for the people of Gaza will remain tightly controlled as it is currently with only certain people such as some of the patients and students potentially being able to leave. Gaza students are expected to continue to be prohibited from studying in the West Bank universities.

Al Mezan Centre is dismayed at the failure of the international community to take concrete action to lift the Israeli-imposed siege in its entirety as the first step towards ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories. Many governments have recognized that the siege is unsustainable. The ICRC has declared it a violation of international humanitarian law which constitutes collective punishment.

“It is intolerable that discussions among the major players have focused on a step-by-step approach to addressing the siege,” Issam, Younis said. “Governments in the international community are continuing to give priority to Israel’s self-defence while the population of Gaza is being collectively punished and the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination ignored.”

Governments should recognize that the siege is a violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law, and constitutes collective punishment. Al Mezan calls on the international community to end the siege on the Gaza Strip. All restrictions on the Gaza Strip including the movement of people should be lifted unconditionally and immediately. The international community should work towards ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to enjoy their rights; including to self-determination.

http://www.mezan.org/en/details.php?id=17654&ddname=Crossings&id2=9&id_dept=9&p=center

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