Israeli military court rejects appeal of hunger striker Khader Adnan

 ´´My husband is dying inside an Israeli jail. The world should make sure I am able to see him. And it should pressure the Israeli government to release him before it’s too late.” 

That is what Randa Adnan, the wife of Khader Adnan, 33, said yesterday,  the day that an Israeli military judge rejected his appeal against his administrative detention. Today, Tuesday 14 February Adnan enters the 59th day of his hungerstrike.

Demonstration, Sunday, forAdnan at the Ofer prison

This is how the human rights organisation Addameer described the situation :

The Israeli Military Appeals Court dismissed the appeal against Khader Adnan’s administrative detention order today, 13 February 2012. The court decision orders Khader to remain detained for the full duration of his four month administrative detention order, to be expired on 8 May.  Today’s decision follows the inconclusive Appeals Court hearing that took place on 9 February in a hospital room at the Zif Medical Center in Safad due to his critical medical condition. The decision comes as Khader Adnan persists in the 58^th day of his ongoing hunger strike and his health continues to deteriorate.   

 In the Appeals Court decision confirming Khader’s administrative detention, Judge Moshe Tirosh stated that according to the secret material available to the judge but not available to Khader or his lawyers, the court decision was “balanced”. He also commented that the secret material confirms that Khader Adnan is a political leader in the Islamic Jihad party.  In his decision, Judge Tirosh completely disregarded Khader’s lawyers’ numerous arguments, including the lack of evidence that Khader Adnan has carried out any activities providing grounds for detention; that administrative detention is used in an arbitrary manner; and that affiliation to a political party is aligned with the right to freedom of expression, assembly and political association.

Furthermore, in response to Khader’s statement during the appeals hearing on 9 February, which outlined the details of the torture, inhuman and degrading treatment to which he was subjected by Israeli Occupying Forces since his arrest, the military prosecutor stated that these allegations were exaggerated and did not take place in the way Khader described.  In commenting on Khader’s life-threatening health condition, Judge Tirosh stated that only Khader is to blame for his physical health condition as a result of his choice to continue his hunger strike and that his medical condition will not influence the administrative detention decision. 

File photo of Khader Adnan

 Addameer lawyer Samer Sama’n was also able to visit Khader in Zif Medical Center in Safad today. According to Khader, Israeli Prison Service (IPS) forces carried out an extensive search of his room on 10 February, despite the fact that throughout his stay in the hospital room, IPS forces have continued to shackle one arm and his opposite leg. Khader also stated that yesterday, 12 February, IPS personnel threatened to shackle all four of his limbs for reasons that were unclear to him.

Physicians for Human Rights-Israel doctors were permitted to visit Khader today and conduct medical examinations. This examination is only the third since he began his hunger strike. His medical condition, already at a life-threatening stage, continues to deteriorate and he is experiencing extreme pain. For more details on his current medical condition, please refer directly to Physicians for Human Rights.

Addameer holds Israel accountable for the life of Khader Adnan, whose health has entered an alarmingly critical stage that will now have irreversible consequences and could lead to his fatal collapse at any moment. Addameer also holds the international community responsible for not taking action to save Khader’s life.

Again clashes between Houthis and tribesmen in N-Yemen

Violent clashes continued on Sunday evening between Shiite al-Houthi rebels and Sunni tribal armed men in the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah, leaving at least 30 killed. "After a short-lived ceasefire agreement was broken, fierce clashes occurred in Ahm and Kashir districts, Hajjah, leaving at least 30 killed and many others wounded from the two sides," a tribal source told the Yemen Post.
Al-Houthis have reportedly prevented a team of mediators, which was formed of tribal chiefs in the area, from supervising the implementation of the agreement that was struck late last week.
The sectarian clashes broke out some two week ago in Sa´adah and Hajjah provinces, when al-Houthis tried to expand their dominance in the area, according to the Yemen Post. According to the paper at least 55 people were killed (40 Houthis and 15 tribesmen) during these earlier fights and an unknown number got wounded. The tribesmen managed to repel the attack, local sources told the paper.
Al-Houthi rebels have reportedly come in large number to Hajjah to reinforce their fighters based in the province. In the fall of last year the Houthis laid siege to the Salafi bulwark Al-Damaj in the Sa´ada governorate after clashes with the Salafis. The Houthis took over the city Sa´ada in March last year, taking advantage of the recent unrest the fragmented-state is currently experiencing.

Abbas get support of Arab League for the dusted off idea of an international conference

 Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Sunday got the support of the Arab League for the old idea of an international peace conference for the Middle East. Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo on Sunday supported his request and stressed in a statement "the importance of holding an international peace conference on the Palestinian issue." That meeting would seek "an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories and to reach a comprehensive solution to the issues of borders, security, Jerusalem and refugees based on the Arab peace initiative." 

Secretary general Al-Arabi and Abbas.

The last international conference took place in Madrid in 1991 and was convened at the request of  James Baker III, the Secretary of State under Bush sr. It led to talks in sub-committees that weren´t very successful and were eventually overtaken by the secret talks in Oslo that resulted in the Oslo-Agreements between Israel and the PLO.

Before the League took its decision, Abbas told the Arab League's Follow-Up Committee, which tracks Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, that he will not resume peace talks with Israel before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will agree to a building freeze in the Israeli settlements including Jerusalem, as well to the demand to accept Israel's pre-1967 war frontier as the basis for a border with a future Palestinian state. Abbas said he is sending a letter to Netanyahu with these demands. In case of a negative response, Abbas said he will resume the campaign for recognition of a state of Palestine by the U.N.

Abbas also warned that the continued deadlock could have dire consequences for the Palestinian Authority. "The current situation cannot continue as it is, that of an Authority without power," he said.

Abbas is under pressure, particularly  from the so called Quartet (the USA, UN, EU and Russia) , to resume low-level border talks that began last month. His request for support for the dusted off idea of an international conference is meant to give him backing in his refusal to give in.

The League statement also called on its members to contribute financially to support the Palestinian Authority with $100 million a month. The statement said the funds were needed "in light of the financial strain on the Palestinian leadership and Palestinian people, with Israel not transferring the rightful money of the Palestinian Authority."

Arab League now opts for a peacekeeping force in Syria

Tanks around the Baba Amro neighbourhood in Homs, 12 February 2012. (Reuters)

The Arab League has formally abolished its observer mission in Syria and has moved on to another stage. In a meeting in Cairo on Sunday it decided to ask the ´´UN Security Council to issue a decision on the formation of a joint UN-Arab peacekeeping force to oversee the implementation of a ceasefire."

Also Arab League diplomats "will open channels of communication with the Syrian opposition and offer full political and financial support, urging (the opposition) to unify its ranks," said a League statement obtained by AFP.  Of the League member states only Algeria and Lebanon expressed reservations about the resolution. 

By getting rid of the observer mission the Arab League also definitively bid farewell to its ability to act as a mediator. For a peacekeeping force to be installed, the cooperation of the Syrian government is indispensable. But as could be expected Syria immediately rejected the League´s decision. "The Syrian Arab Republic categorically rejects the decisions of the Arab League," which "reflects the hysteria of these governments" after failing to get foreign intervention at the UN Security Council, said Yusef Ahmed, Syria´s representative with the League.

Opposition campaigners meanwhile said that the  Syrian army continued its shelling of Homs. The tank fire was concentrated on two large Sunni Muslim neighborhoods that have been at the forefront of opposition to Assad. They said 23 people were killed on Sunday, prompting street demonstrations across the country in support of Homs. A lull in the bombardment earlier in the day prompted anti-Assad rallies in Qusour, Bayada and Khalidua and Bab Houd districts of Homs. Demonstrations also broke out in Houla in the nearby countryside, which has also been under bombardment.

Hungerstriking Khader Adnan is fast approaching death

Demonstration in Tel Aviv in front of Red Cross office, 12-2-12 (Active Stills, Oren Ziv)

Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called on Israel last week to either bring charges against him or immediately release Khader Adnan, 33, is - what is unlawful -  kept in administrative detention and is in hunger strike since his arrest in December.   

 As the human rights organisation Addameer stated:

Khader was arrested on 17 December 2011, when Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) raided his home outside Jenin at 3:30 am. Before entering his house, soldiers used the driver that takes Khader’s father to the vegetable market, Mohammad Mustafa, as a human shield by forcing him to knock on the door of the house and call out Khader’s name while blindfolded. A huge force of soldiers then entered the house shouting. Recognizing Khader immediately, they grabbed him violently in front of his two young daughters and ailing mother.

The soldiers blindfolded him and tied his hands behind his back using plastic shackles before leading him out of his house and taking him to a military jeep. Khader was then thrown on his back and the soldiers began slapping him in the face and kicking his legs. They kept him lying on his back until they reached Dutan settlement, beating him on the head throughout the 10-minute drive. When they reached the settlement, Khader was pushed aggressively out of the jeep. Because of the blindfold, Khader did not see the wall right in front of him and smashed into it, causing injuries to his face.

Demonstration last week of schoolboys in Ramallah.

Adnan, who is a leader of the Islamic Jihad on the West Bank, started his trike under the motto ´´My dignity is more precious  than food´´.  Today is his day no 57. Adnan is extremely weak, his health is deteriorating rapidly. He is kept shackled against his bed in an Israeli hospital in Safed. He only takes water and some pills. His hunger strike is the longest ever held by a Palestinian. It brings to mind the case of Bobby Sands of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and 10 of his comrades who in 1981 maintained their hunger strike till the very end. Bobby himself died after 66 days. The strike and subsequent death of the participants gave a fresh impulse to the struggle of the IRA

Syria-related clashes in Tripoli continue for third day

Armed citizens gather in Tripoli. (Photo The Daily Star)

Gun battles in the north city of Tripoli, which killed two people and wounded 17 Saturday, resumed Sunday between the pre-dominantly Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen and the mainly Sunni district of Bab al-Tabbaneh in the northern city of Tripoli. The two neighbourhoods,  both rather poor, are notorious for the frequent.clashes that have been taking place between them.  There were fights in 2008 and 2011, for instance. The present fighting, like the fighting in 2011, is directly related to the tensions in Syria. The Alawites of Jabal Mohsen are supporters of the Assad-regime, while the Sunnis of Bab al-Tabbaneh side with the opposition. 
One of the wounded from Saturday’s clashes included a teenage girl who is in critical condition.
The Lebanese Army, which stepped in Friday to stem the violence, saw at least six of its members wounded.
Heavy shooting was heard on Sunday throughout the rival neighborhoods. Security sources told Lebajese newspaper The Daily Star on Saturday that the Lebanese Army had been ordered to arrest on sight anyone carrying weapons.

Malaysia deports Saudi journalist who 'insulted Muhammad'

Malaysia on Sunday deported the 23 year old Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari, accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad on Twitter, in spite of warnings of rights groups that he will be persecuted at home. 

Hamza Kashgari

Kashgari, a journalist from Jeddah,  was detained Thursday upon his arrival in Malaysia. Amnesty International had called Kashgari a "prisoner of conscience" and called for his release. Human Rights Watch had urged Malaysia to allow him to seek asylum. On Sunday he was flown back to Saudi Arabia.

Kashgari wrote on the birthday of the prophet Muhammed:

“On your birthday, I will say that I have loved the rebel in you, that you’ve always been a source of inspiration to me, and that I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you,”
In another tweet he said: “On your birthday, I find you wherever I turn. I will say that I have loved aspects of you, hated others, and could not understand many more.”
And in a third: “On your birthday, I shall not bow to you. I shall not kiss your hand. Rather, I shall shake it as equals do, and smile at you as you smile at me. I shall speak to you as a friend, no more.”

Two Saudi clerics deemed him an apostate because of this. He then fled the country. Kashgari may face the death penalty.
Shame on the Malaysian (and Saudi) authorities.

Armed resistance and the Syrian dilemmas II

A Syrian oil train was derailed by an explosion on 15 January 2012. (SANA)

More food for thought on Syria: Many things have been said about the Arab League observer mission, but strangely enough the official report of this mission was not really brought into the open by the League, let alone by Western powers. Below are some excerpts. And from them it is not too difficult to grasp why it was suppressed. The picture that arises from it is rather different from what we were used to read in most accounts by the press.
Divisions within the Arab League about the path to be taken must have been the reason why it was kept somewhere in a drawer - the Saudis who are in favor of taking the toughest possible line against Assad will hardly have been pleased with its content. While others, who were aware that it's not only a question of  a regime butchering its subjects but that the situation is more complex, were inclined to seek ways to find a negotiated solution.
The full report is worth reading - it can be found here.  

 The excerpts are followed by fragments of an interview that the Tunisian blog Nawaat held with a Tunisian former member of the observer force, Ahmed Manaï. He was happy with the Russian- Chinese veto (it spared Syria the sort of Iraq and Libya), but foremost he is extremely critical of the way the Arab League handled the matter.

26. In Homs and Dera‘a, the Mission observed armed groups committing acts of violence against

Government forces, resulting in death and injury among their ranks. In certain situations, Government forces

responded to attacks against their personnel with force. The observers noted that some of the armed groups

were using flares and armour-piercing projectiles.

27. In Homs, Idlib and Hama, the Observer Mission witnessed acts of violence being committed against

Government forces and civilians that resulted in several deaths and injuries. Examples of those acts include the bombing of a civilian bus, killing eight persons and injuring others, including women and children, and the

bombing of a train carrying diesel oil. In another incident in Homs, a police bus was blown up, killing two

police officers. A fuel pipeline and some small bridges were also bombed.

28. The Mission noted that many parties falsely reported that explosions or violence had occurred in
several locations. When the observers went to those locations, they found that those reports were unfounded.
29. The Mission also noted that, according to its teams in the field, the media exaggerated the nature of the
incidents and the number of persons killed in incidents and protests in certain towns.

44. In Homs, a French journalist who worked for the France 2 channel was killed and a Belgian journalist

was injured. The Government and opposition accused each other of being responsible for the incident, and both sides issued statements of condemnation. The Government formed an investigative committee in order to determine the cause of the incident. It should be noted that Mission reports from Homs indicate that the French journalist was killed by opposition mortar shells.

74. In some cities, the Mission sensed the extreme tension, oppression and injustice from which the Syrian

people are suffering. However, the citizens believe the crisis should be resolved peacefully through Arab

mediation alone, without international intervention. Doing so would allow them to live in peace and complete

the reform process and bring about the change they desire. The Mission was informed by the opposition,

particularly in Dar‘a, Homs, Hama and Idlib, that some of its members had taken up arms in response to the

suffering of the Syrian people as a result of the regime’s oppression and tyranny; corruption, which affects all

sectors of society; the use of torture by the security agencies; and human rights violations.

 Arab observers in action (EPA).

 And here is part of Nawaat's interview:

Nawaat: By continuing to work with the Syrian regime and the divided Syrian opposition, the Arab League seems to believe in a possible ‘political solution’ to the Syrian crisis, in a way President Bashar Al-Assad delegates his powers to Vice President to form, within two months, a government of national unity that would lead the country to free elections.
The Sino-Russian veto blocks the resolution, what kind of pressure you feel is necessary to get   Bashar Al Assad on his knees?

AM: The Arab League is entirely discredited by burying the report of its own observers’ mission and its appeal to the Security Council. It missed the opportunity to participate in the settlement of the Syrian affair. All it can offer in the future will be worthless.
Now it’s Russia’s turn to play the lead role but also to the Syrian leadership required to accelerate and implement the reforms.

Nawaat: In your opinion, what is the true weight of the CNS (pro military intervention) and the National Coordinating Committee for Democratic Change (against intervention and which is rarely we hear from it in the international media)?

AM: The CNS does not have a good reputation in Syria precisely because it calls for armed intervention. The Syrians have a long tradition of patriotism and a high history of resistance to foreign domination. By cons, abroad, it is a media darling and favorite partner of politicians, who support and finance.
Besides the CNS does not have representatives inside the country and one of its components, the Kurds, has just left it.
It’s different in the case of the Coordination Committee, because its representatives are almost all activists within the country, and have no spokesman abroad, Haytham Manna. It is quite normal that we do not speak of this Committee in the propaganda and disinformation’s Medias that support the intervention.

Nawaat: How do you assess the actions taken by deserters from the Syrian army? Do you have evidence to prove that the Free Syrian Army (FSA) commits acts of barbarism?

AM: The report of on the Arab observers’ mission reported the existence of FSA and other armed groups who attack governmental forces, carry out the abduction of civilians who are released only against payment of ransom, murder, sabotage oil facilities, civil buildings, trains and railways…

Nawaat: Last question: can we be for or against the regime of Bashar Al Assad and the Syrian president himself?

AM: Those who believe that the departure of a president would solve all the problems of the country, are simply idiots. We were unable to learn from the examples of Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen and agree that the aftermath of dictatorship are often harder to manage than the dictatorship itself because oppositions have not yet learned to govern!

Armed resistance and the Syrian dilemmas I

 Checkpoint manned by the Free Syrian Army in the Baba Amro district of Homs, picture taken in December 2011, (Der Spiegel). 

 Somebody who uses the alias 'Ehsani', writes On Joshua Landis' blog Syria Comment from within Syria about the frightening direction the Syrian opposition has taken by more and more resorting to armed resistance. It is not Ehsani's first contribution on Landis' blog, but this one is the most sobering:  

Since Hama, Syrian opposition members have begun increasingly to  call to demand weapons and a military response to overpower the regime. For the next 6 months, Syrian streets and neighborhoods became armed enough that the mighty Syrian army had to think twice before entering the developing mini enclaves ruled by the opposition within its cities. Not surprisingly, taking up arms suddenly became the accepted modus operandi of the opposition and the uprising. Those cautioning against such strategies were referred to as ignorant or regime supporters.

Young opposition activists who followed the advice to arm and fight the regime are now being left to fend for themselves against the military Goliath of the Syrian Army. As I wrote following my return from the country, many assured me that the armed forces were yet to use more than 20% of their capacity. As I listened to pronouncements by opposition leaders about the necessity to arm, I could not help but wonder what would happen when Damascus would unleash its full  military might. We will now find out.

and: 

Sadly, following the double veto at the U.N., many capitals have announced that they are willing to further arm the rebels. This is a travesty. The fact is that no amount of arms in the hands of such untrained rebels will come even close to defeating the Syrian army. This insanity must stop. The Syrian National Council and regional powers must come up with a different strategy if they truly care about the Syrian people who are now dying on the streets and in their homes.  Some have argued that had it not been for the veto at the U.N., the Syrian army would not have responded this way over the past 48 hours. This is false. The decision to storm Homs and Zabadani was made before the vote. The central government decided to restore its control

over all its cities before a Syrian Benghazi could be established.

At the beginning of this crisis, I was skeptical that the opposition was as armed as the government media claimed. By the end of Ramadan, I had no doubt that armed elements were indeed committing violence against government forces and others. 

Food for thought in some Western capitals? 

Free Syrian Army denies responsiblity for explosions in Aleppo

On of the sites of the blasts in Aleppo. 

The Free Syrian Army denies responsibility for two deadly bombings in Syria's second largest city Aleppo, according to a French news channel. Syrian state television says 25 people died in the explosions, which targeted the Military Security Branch and headquarters of law enforcement forces in the city.
It said the death toll, which included civilians and members of the security forces, was based on preliminary information but gave no further details. The number of wounded was said to be 175.
Early in the morning Colonel Arif Hamood of the Free Syrian Army, talking to FRANCE 4 claimed responsibility for the two blasts. However a message posted on the group's Facebook site later on denied they had planted the bombs, which killed at least two dozen people.
"The Free Syrian Army denies any connection or involvement with the bombing in Aleppo," the statement said.
 Friday's blasts were the biggest since two suicide bombings in the capital Damascus, one of which killed 44 people in December and the second 26 people in January.

More than 80 people were killed in Syria Thursday, most of them in a new regime blitz on the city of Homs, an attack US President Barack Obama decried as "outrageous bloodshed".

Shelling erupted at daybreak, killing more than 50 civilians in the besieged central city and burning several bodies beyond recognition, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Troops trying to crush opponents of President Bashar al-Assad have killed at least 400 people in a relentless six-day onslaught on Homs, opposition activists say.

"The shells are raining down on us and regime forces are using heavy artillery," said Ali Hazuri, a doctor in the Baba Amr district reached by telephone from BeiruTanks stormed a neighborhood in the flashpoint city near the Lebanese border on Friday morning as soldiers launched a house-to-house sweep of the area, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
"The tanks entered the neighborhood of Inshaat overnight," the Observatory's Rami Abdulrahman said.
Inshaat is next to the protest hub of Baba Amr in Homs, which has been subjected to a bombardment by regime forces since Saturday that has killed several hundred people, activists say.
Abdel Rahman said that the government forces were in the main streets of Inshaat, while tanks were firing on Baba Amr from a bridge positioned between the two neighborhoods.

Ghetto Israel

Fencxe along the Israeli-Egyptian border. The project is partly finished, at the end of 2012 the work should be done. Cost:  $ 360 million.

Under the title 'Israel overcome by paranoia' the military correspondent of the Israeli newspaper Ynet (Yedioth Ahronot), Alex Fishman, writes about the strange way Israel is fencing itself in:  

In the year 2000 we built a smart, electronic fence on our northern border. It made sense; after all, Hezbollah is a dangerous and unpredictable foe.

In the past decade we started to erect the West Bank barrier: A cement wall along with an electronic fence equipped with sensors and cameras. We’re still building it today. This made sense; we must curb the suicide bombers and illegal aliens. In 2005 we also built a sophisticated fence around the Gaza Strip. It monitors the area, fires on its own, and can even sing our national anthem if you want. It made sense; Hamas is also a dangerous foe. After that we also had to curb terrorism and infiltrators from the Sinai. There is no argument that we need a fence. We also need one on the Golan Heights, after Palestinian refugees crossed the border and rushed into Majdal Shams. So we came up with a proud Zionist response – a sophisticated 15-kilomter fence. In a few years, once the fence on the Jordanian border is built, we shall complete our disengagement from the Middle East. Who would believe that once upon a time we spoke about integrating into the region? By now we are a tiny state with a large fence. How did it happen to us? 


He himself gives some of the answers to his last question:
''Apparently this is deeply entrenched in our DNA: A persecuted people who seeks cover.'' And 'We are again Diaspora Jews in our own country. There is no wonder that the polls show a religious revival; after all, it is God who shall protect us.' 
I'don't agree with all that Fishman says. For example: "Such society, which loses its self-confidence, does not convey deterrence. With all the bombs and advanced aircraft, this is not a society that conveys a sense of strength. The Americans and Iranians can sleep well; this is not a society that will decide to strike in Iran and pay the price.'' is not a text I could easily get out of the keyboard of my laptop.     
But the rest: yes. Somewhere on my Dutch blog I once wrote that it is a remarkable experience for someone who descended from a family that once -literally - lived in the ghettoes of both Frankfurt and Venice, to see how the whole of Israel is turning itself into a fortress that in a creepy way ressembles a gigantic contemporary ghetto.  
 

Human Rights Watch sounds alarm over executions in Iraq

Executions in Iraq are mostly done by hanging. Leaked images of the hanging of Saddam Hussein in 2006 offered a rare view of the procedure.  



Human Rights Watch has sounded the alarm about a mounting number of executions in Iraq. Since the beginning of 2012, Iraq has executed at least 65 prisoners, 51 of them in January, and 14 more on February 8, for various offenses, the organisation says. 
Human Rights Watch is particularly concerned that Iraqi courts admit as evidence confessions obtained under coercion. The government should disclose the identities, locations, and status of all prisoners on death row, the crimes for which they have been convicted, court records for their being charged, tried, and sentenced, and details of any impending executions, HRW says.
A Justice Ministry official confirmed to HRW on February 8 that authorities had executed 14 prisoners earlier in the day. “You should expect more executions in the coming days and weeks,” the official added.
According to the United Nations, more than 1,200 people are believed to have been sentenced to death in Iraq since 2004. The number of prisoners executed during that period has not been revealed publicly. Iraqi law authorizes the death penalty for close to 50 crimes, including terrorism, kidnapping, and murder, but also including such offenses as damage to public property.