lEgypt: Urgent Update - Youssef Zahri, brother of Hamas spokesman, tortured to deathShare
Today at 22:32
Youssef Hamdan Abu Zahri, brother of senior Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri, died on Tuesday in Burg al-Arab prison after sustaining critical injuries caused by torture at the hands of State Security Investigative (SSI) Forces at their Headquarters in Alexandria.

Youssef Zahri, a Palestinian national, was arrest in April 2008 in Al-Arish, near Egypt's border with Gaza, and accused of illegally entering the country through an underground tunnel. Fellow inmates confirm that since his arrest he was continuously tortured - at Burg al-Arab and SSI Headquarters in Nasr City, Cairo and finally at SSI Headquarters in Alexandria. His death is clearly as a result of the torture he was exposed to throughout his detention.

Events leading to his death

Youssef Zahri was originally arrested on 28 April 2008. There is no doubt that his arrest was connected with his brother's activities as a member of Hamas.

Sources inside Egypt informed Alkarama that the Palestinian prisoner was transported nearly two weeks ago from Burg al-Arab prison to SSI Headquarters in Alexandria. Zahra Youssef was detained by the SSI for four consecutive days, during which time he suffered severe torture which ultimately led to cranial hemorrhaging and bleeding. Once his health had finally completely deteriorated, the Intelligence Services took him back to Burg al-Arab prison.

Given the seriousness of his condition, he was urgently evacuated to Alexandria University Hospital, where medical emergency staff, for reasons which remain unknown, refused to treat him. He was once again brought into custody and died in his cell on 13 October 2009.

Egyptian officials claim that he died of natural causes.

Egyptian impunity

Based on evidence from this most recent case and numerous past events, it has become evidently clear that Egyptian security forces have been using torture in a systematic manner. Despite on-going condemnation from human rights NGOs and the international community, Egyptian security forces continue to use torture on a large-scale with total impunity.

Alkarama will raise Youssef Zahri's case with the UN special procedures in due course. Our organisation intends to present his case to the Special Rapporteur on Torture and to the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.
http://en.alkarama.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=320:egypt-urgent-update-youssef-zahri-brother-of-hamas-spokesman-tortured-to-death&catid=22:communiqu&Itemid=102


ished Monday 05/10/2009 (updated) 06/10/2009 18:42

The Hall of Nations in Geneva [MaanImages]The Goldstone report on the violence in Gaza is a shocking record of the inhumanity of mankind in wartime. It was assumed that Israel, the main target of its criticism, and its principle ally, the United States, would oppose the report.

What was not expected was how the report was suppressed in the United Nations Human Rights Council last week not by Israel and the US directly, but by these two acting in synchronized concert with the Palestinian diplomats in Geneva and their Palestinian leaders from Ramallah.

On 15 September, the report of a team of four experts was published. The UN-appointed team was led by world-renowned and well-respected South African justice Richard Goldstone and his three colleagues, a law professor, a human rights lawyer, and a military expert. When the report emerged, it stunned the world because it was one of the best-documented descriptions of violations of human rights in war ever produced.

It documents allegations of international crimes with meticulously collected evidence and careful analysis. It is a report of the highest standard of professionalism. It is a report commensurate with what one would expect from the group of leading legal experts. It describes the violations by Palestinians against Israelis and by Palestinians against each other, but it especially describes the numerous violations by Israelis against Palestinians living in Gaza.

Because it was presented with such well-documented evidence, it was widely assumed that all the parties to the conflict would be concerned. This was the case with Israel, which after studying it for about 48 hours, roundly rejected it. The Gaza authorities initially reacted with caution, but by the end of September had decided to accept the report's findings in full and to institute an investigation of the persons who were under their jurisdiction.

Perhaps most disappointingly for proponents of international law and justice, the American ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, almost immediately rejected the report's findings without giving detailed reasons and apparently based solely on her political disagreement with any criticism of Israel. In addition, Michael Posner, a former human rights lawyer who had forsaken his profession to become the US assistant secretary of state, stated that he "disagree[s] sharply with many of the report's assessments and its recommendations and believe[s] it to be deeply flawed."

The dismissal of the well-documented report in such an arrogant manner by the administration of US President Obama would have diplomats whispering in the halls of the UN that perhaps the new American administration was as bad, or worse, than the Bush administration on Palestine.

At least the old administration's confused and malicious ways had always been apparent. A wolf in sheep's clothes might be even more harmful to the international community that so wanted to establish a repertoire of cooperation with a state that had acted for the best part of the last decade as an international pariah.

But even before the Goldstone report had been submitted to the UN Human Rights Council, a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly, the US was working not only at the UN in Geneva and New York, but also in a host of capitals around the world to pressure and coerce states into taking no action on a report that called for action no less serious than the prosecution of international criminals.

Like the Bush administration, the Obama administration, according to an administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity, "used threats and bribes" to convince states to reject upholding international law in favor of policies that ensure the impunity of violators of international law.

That American allies like Britain and France fell in line behind the Obama administration like well-trained poodles was no surprise. That a weak African state like Cameroon would betray the memory of the liberation struggle of the African people, and appear more compliant with the wishes of its former French colonial masters than it had under colonialism, might also be sadly expected.

But what must shock the conscience of any person who believes in the rule of law is that Palestine's self-proclaimed leaders and Geneva diplomats would be so compliant with the wishes of the Israelis, who have been oppressing them for more than 60 years, and the Americans who supply or pay for the very weapons that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and have forced millions of them to live in inhumane conditions for generations.

Was this the consequence of threats and bribes? Were the Palestinian leadership and diplomats so weak that they could not stand up to political threats when their people have steadfastly opposed an inhumane occupation for decades? Could it be that that Palestinian leadership and diplomats really trust their enemies more than their friends? It certainly looked like one or all of the above were true last week in Geneva.

From the start, something seemed wrong. The Palestinian delegation began discussions of the draft Human Rights Council resolution on the Goldstone report, not with the Arab Group, the African Group, the Asian Group, or the states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, all of whom had strongly supported Palestine for decades.

Instead, the Palestinian delegation, according to a US government official, approached the United States and began discussions on the resolution with the Americans and the Europeans. Such a virtually unprecedented snub of Palestine's allies had diplomats from longtime allies speaking about opposing Palestine or any resolution it might submit.

How this appears to have happened is another story of injustice to the people of Palestine who have already suffered through more than 60 years of oppressive occupation. The main force behind what transpired appears to have been the Obama administration and perhaps the American president himself. What better evidence could Obama proffer of the incompatibility of America's self-proclaimed role of peace negotiator, while it is the largest arms dealer to Israel?

Of course, the Americans and Israelis were probably dancing in their Permanent Missions knowing that if, nothing else, they had been able to force a wedge between Palestine and its allies.

But that was just the start. Quickly, rumors spread in Geneva that the Palestinian delegation favored a weak resolution on the Goldstone report. At the same time, these rumors were also circulating in New York about senior officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas, who was in town. These rumors indicated that Abbas, under pressure from the Americans, his own prime minster, Salam Fayyad, and Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan, also favored a weak resolution. Not only did this amplify the disappointment of many of Palestine's longtime allies, but again American and Israeli officials expressed their gratitude to Palestine.

Why were the representatives of the Palestinian people so obviously shooting themselves in the foot to the glee of their enemies? Could it be that they felt duty-bound to honor the wishes of the United States and Europe because they are the paymasters of the Palestinian government that is represented in Geneva? Or did they really believe that the US and Europe were the real allies of Palestine, not the Arab, African and Asian countries that were prepared to vote for a strong follow-up to the Goldstone report?

In any event, the Palestinian efforts to weaken a resolution protecting their own people elicited expressions of disgust both from its allies in Geneva and in their allies' capitals. One government's head of state, allegedly giving Abbas the benefit of the doubt that he was above the fray, asked the Palestinian president to change the diplomats in Geneva. This understanding of the problem, however, proved overly optimistic. The actual orders to weaken the resolution reportedly came from the top.

At the same time as PLO Ambassador Ibrahim Khreisha was working in Geneva to weaken the Human Rights Council resolution, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings being held at UN headquarters in New York, the Palestinian president was allegedly agreeing to submit to the pressure of the US and Israel in a meeting between representatives of at least these three entities. The agreement was apparently a concession by the Palestinians to express their trust in the efforts of the Obama administration to bring peace to the region.

The thrust of this agreement was that the Palestinians would not allow the Goldstone report to become an issue affecting US efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East and, as a quid pro quo, the US gave an implicit commitment to the timely realization of a Palestinian state.

A source with knowledge of the meeting called it a "pact of faith." Effectively, it traded timely action on behalf of Palestinians who had and were still being subjected to atrocities, for the promise of a Palestinian state. Such promises had been made numerous times before and were repeatedly broken. Would Obama's administration, that had already indicated a disdain for human rights and international law by summarily rejecting the Goldstone report, suddenly champion the principles that it had treated with such scorn?

It would be unreasonable to think that the Palestinians did not understand that the best they could expect from a solution negotiated by the Obama administration at this time is a state surrounded by Israel that is less than 50 percent of the territory that the same UN resolutions that created Israel had mandated for a Palestinian state. In the 60 years since this unfulfilled promise, Palestine has been systematically eroded away by Israel. This has been done by the stranglehold Israel has put on Gaza and on all the Palestinian people in an attempt to destroy them, at least in part.

As a result, a rapidly increasing number of Palestinians are rejecting a two-state solution. Indeed, international law unambiguously —although many Palestinian diplomats claim unrealistically — demands that the Palestinian people be able to exercise their right to self-determination throughout all of Mandate Palestine. Even the 1948 borders, much less than the 1967 borders, are compromises that run contrary to what international law requires.

Perhaps as a reflection in part of their own confusion about international law, as the Human Rights Council drew to a close last week, the Palestine delegation further incensed its allies by going to them with a proposal that was obviously "made in America" to defer consideration of the Goldstone report.

Through trick, treat or threat, the Palestinian representatives at the UN and their superiors had agreed to obstruct justice for their own people who had been victims of atrocities in favour of, well, nobody really knew nor was being told. On Friday, 2 October, the Human Rights Council thus voted to delay consideration of the Goldstone report until its next meeting in March 2010.

Palestinian diplomats have been quick to point out that the report can still be discussed, apparently mimicking the words of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who, speaking unchallenged at a press conference in New York with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad sitting next to him, said that all that can be done about Gaza is talk about it.

It is true that the report will come before the UN General Assembly irrespective of what transpired in Geneva. Because the Human Rights Council is a subsidiary body of the General Assembly, there can be no doubt that the General Assembly can discuss the report and even take action on it. As the Israelis have rejected action together with three Permanent Members of the Security Council, it is in fact General Assembly action that the report itself explicitly recommends.

Moreover, the General Assembly has unambiguous authority to create an international judicial tribunal to deal with serious violations of international humanitarian, human rights, or criminal law. The Security Council has exercised the authority to create ad hoc judicial tribunals several times; the General Assembly's authority to do so is founded in even clearer international law.

Because this involves serious violations of international humanitarian, human rights, and criminal law, there is no need to defer to any action the Security Council may take on issues of peace and security. Indeed, the just-ended 63rd General Assembly established a precedent by dealing with the issue of Gaza and adopting a resolution on Gaza just after the Security Council had dealt with the case.

There is also an unequivocal precedent for the current president of the General Assembly to put the matter before the world body. Like his predecessor, he can reopen the special session that has been convened on and (mainly) off since the late 1990s. He can do this by a simple invitation to Member States. At such a session, a majority decision of the General Assembly is enough to create a judicial body to deal with the international crimes committed in Gaza.

Whether the new Libyan president of the UN General Assembly is willing, or has the courage, to act on the allegations of atrocities in Gaza will be an important test of his qualities as the highest ranking official in the United Nations. To date he has brushed aside calls by NGOs to act and his staff has displayed a discouraging propensity to avoid action if there might be technical arguments to suggest inaction. In this case, the legal arguments clearly suggest action. As an Arab representing Africa and as president of the UN General Assembly, Ali Abdelsalam Treki will be burdened by the additional moral imperative of acting to promote justice for the Palestinian people. His failure to do so would likely be an irreparable scar on his presidency.

Despite this possibly dismal outcome, the failure of the Human Rights Council can be turned into a victory for the UN General Assembly. For this to happen, not only must Member States of the "G192" show the courage of their convictions, but also the president of the General Assembly and the diplomats representing the Palestinian people in New York. Arguments that political circumstances constraint action, like those made in Geneva, cannot but be understood as a willingness to submit to the will of the oppressors. This is not an option that the Palestinian people will accept.

The author is an international human rights lawyer and professor of law at An-Najah National University in Nablus. He has represented both the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas government in Gaza.


December convoy application form now online

The application form for UK volunteers wishing to join the December convoy is now available to download and complete at

http://www.vivapalestina.org/apply2009

Deadline for applications is Friday 6th November 2009.





New office

Viva Palestina is currently setting up new office structures. We will send out details of a new phone number and the regional coordinators very soon. Thank you for your patience.





Charity status and Viva Palestina bank account

Viva Palestina has completed its registration with the UK Charity Commission. Our registration number is 1129092. We are currently in the process of setting up a new bank account and registering for gift aid donations. We will let people know about this as soon as we possibly can.

Once again we thank our supporters for their patience - and remind you that donations can still be made via our website at www.vivapalestina.org/donations





Make a date with Viva Palestina

Planning for 2010? Why plan your time and support Gaza with one of our new Viva Palestina 2010 calendars. With wonderful pictures from photographers Mike Day and Richard Searle, these calendars celebrate the first Viva Palestina convoy earlier this year.

Visit our VP shop at www.vivapalestina.org/shop/shop.htm to take a look and place an order.






Sent by Viva Palestina - Lifeline to Gaza (UK registered charity number 1129092)
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http://towerhamletsrespect.wordpress.com/

Look and see what is happening in Tower hamlets Have your say

-- Please Try to attend the Launch and pass it on
Also for your information
The details will be ready for all those who are intending on Going To Gaza
on the next Convoy Tonight on the website
remember places are limited

FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE
END THE SIEGE OF GAZA

Tower Hamlets Palestine Solidarity Campaign
LAUNCH MEETING -

All welcome
Initial confirmed speakers:
George Galloway MP
Betty Hunter – Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Shamiul Joarder - Friends of Al Aqsa
Ken Livingstone
Kevin Ovenden - Viva Palestina
Brady Arts Centre,
192-196 Hanbury St
London, E1 5HU
Sat. 10 October
5.30 – 7.30pm
Following the massacre in Gaza by Israel earlier this year, and with the
ongoing inhumane blockade depriving Palestinians the most basic human
rights, this meeting will bring together all those in Tower Hamlets
who want to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. It will include
ways you can get involved in the Viva Palestina convoy this December
For more info:
towerhamletspsc@gmail.com
Students Campaigning for Peace, Justice and Equality
Saturday 10th October 2009 - 10.30am - 5.30pm
Brunei Gallery (Room B102) at SOAS, University of London, Central London

Speakers include George Galloway MP and Salma Yaqoob (Respect Party Leader) plus

* Kevin Ovenden, Viva Palestina
* Dr. Francisco Dominguez, Venezuela Solidarity Campaign
* Bellavia Riberiro-Addy, NUS Black Students' Officer
* Azad Ali, Islamic Forum of Europe
* Unite Against Fascism
* Free Education Campaign

This free event is open to all students in further and higher education.

The Brunei Gallery at SOAS is located on Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG. It is just 5 minutes walk from the Russell Square tube station.

For more details please contact us at students@therespectparty.info

Download flyer

FREEDOM FOR
PALESTINE
END THE SIEGE OF GAZA
Tower Hamlets Palestine Solidarity Campaign
LAUNCH MEETING - All welcome
Initial confirmed speakers:
• George Galloway MP
• Betty Hunter – Palestine Solidarity
Campaign
• Shamiul Joarder - Friends of Al Aqsa
• Ken Livingstone
• Kevin Ovenden - Viva Palestina
Brady Arts Centre,
192-196 Hanbury St, London, E1 5HU
Sat. 10 October
5.30 – 7.30pm
Following the massacre in Gaza by Israel earlier this year, and with the
ongoing inhumane blockade depriving Palestinians the most basic human
rights, this meeting will bring together all those in Tower Hamlets
who want to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. It will include
ways you can get involved in the Viva Palestina convoy this December
For more info: towerhamletspsc@gmail.com

list of the children who were killed In the conflict
Please end the suffering of those who survived to live in torment and are being denied any basic human rights
Please do not forget them.
We did not include the babies and stillbirths
or mothers killed who were pregnant
also not included all those children who have died since the conflect with injuries sustained
btihal Kechko Girl 10
Ahmed Riad Mohammed Al-Sinwar Boy 3
Ahmed Al-Homs Boy 18
Ahmed Rasmi Abu Jazar Boy 16
Ahmed Sameeh Al-Halabi Boy 18
Tamer Hassan Al-Akhrass Boy 5
Hassan Ali Al-Akhrass Boy 3
Haneen Wael Mohammed Daban Girl 15
Khaled Sami Al-Astal Boy 15
alaat Mokhless Bassal Boy 18
Aaed Imad Kheera Boy 14
Abdullah Al-Rayess Boy 17
Odai Hakeem Al-Mansi Boy 4
Allam Nehrou Idriss Boy 18
Ali Marwan Abu Rabih Boy 18
Anan Saber Atiyah Boy 13
Camelia Al-Bardini Girl 10
Lama Talal Hamdan Girl 10
Mohammed Jaber Howeij Boy 17
Nimr Mustafa Amoom Boy 10
29/12/2008 Ismail Talal Hamdan Boy 10
Ahmed Ziad Al-Absi Boy 14
Ahmed Youssef Khello Boy 18
Ikram Anwar Baaloosha Girl 14
Tahrier Anwar Baaloosha Girl 17
Jihad Saleh Ghobn Boy 10
Jawaher Anwar Baaloosha Girl 8
Dina Anwar Baaloosha Girl 7
Samar Anwar Baaloosha Girl 6
Shady Youssef Ghobn Boy 12
Sudqi Ziad Al-Absi Boy 3
Imad Nabeel Abou Khater Boy 16
Lina Anwar Baaloosha Girl 7
Mohammed Basseel Madi Boy 17
Mohammed Jalal Abou Tair Boy 18
Mohammed Ziad Al-Absi Boy 14
Mahmoud Nabeel Ghabayen Boy 15
Moaz Yasser Abou Tair Boy 6
Wissam Akram Eid Girl 14
30/12/2008 Haya Talal Hamdan Girl 8
31/12/2008 Ahmed Kanouh Boy 10
Ameen Al-Zarbatlee Boy 10
Mohammed Nafez Mohaissen Boy 10
Mustafa Abou Ghanimah Boy 16
Yehya Awnee Mohaissen Boy 10
Ossman Bin Zaid Nizar Rayyan Boy 3
Assaad Nizar Rayyan Boy 2
Moaz-Uldeen Allah Al-Nasla Boy 5
Aya Nizar Rayyan Girl 12
Halima Nizar Rayyan Girl 5
Reem Nizar Rayyan Boy 4
Aicha Nizar Rayyan Girl 3
Abdul Rahman Nizar Rayyan Boy 6
Abdul Qader Nizar Rayyan Boy 12
Oyoon Jihad Al-Nasla Girl 16
Mahmoud Mustafa Ashour Boy 13
Maryam Nizar Rayyan Girl 5
01/01/2009 Hamada Ibrahim Mousabbah Boy 10
Zeinab Nizar Rayyan Girl 12
Sujud Mahmoud Al-Derdesawi Girl 10
Abdul Sattar Waleed Al-Astal Boy 12
Abed Rabbo Iyyad Abed Rabbo Al-Astal Boy 10
Ghassan Nizar Rayyan Boy 15
Christine Wadih El-Turk Boy 6
Mohammed Mousabbah Boy 14
Mohammed Iyad Abed Rabbo Al-Astal Boy 13
Mahmoud Samsoom Boy 16
Ahmed Tobail Boy 16
Ahmed Sameeh Al-Kafarneh Boy 17
Hassan Hejjo Boy 14
Rajeh Ziadeh Boy 18
Shareef Abdul Mota Armeelat Boy 15
Mohammed Moussa Al-Silawi Boy 10
Mahmoud Majed Mahmoud Abou Nahel Boy 16
Mohannad Al-Tatnaneeh Boy 18
Hani Mohammed Al-Silawi Boy 10
01/01/2009 Ahmed Al-Meshharawi Boy 16
Ahmed Khodair Sobaih Boy 17
Ahmed Sameeh Al-Kafarneh Boy 18
Asraa Kossai Al-Habash Girl 10
Assad Khaled Al-Meshharawi Boy 17
Asmaa Ibrahim Afana Girl 12
Ismail Abdullah Abou Sneima Boy 4
Akram Ziad Al-Nemr Boy 18
Aya Ziad Al-Nemr Girl 8
Ahmed Mohammed Al-Adham Boy 1
Akram Ziad Al-Nemr Boy 13
Hamza Zuhair Tantish Boy 12
Khalil Mohammed Mokdad Boy 18
Ruba Mohammed Fadl Abou-Rass Girl 13
Ziad Mohammed Salma Abou Sneima Boy 9
Shaza Al-Abed Al-Habash Girl 16
Abed Ziad Al-Nemr Boy 12
Attia Rushdi Al-Khawli Boy 16
Luay Yahya Abou Haleema Boy 17
Mohammed Akram Abou Harbeed Boy 18
Mohammed Abed Berbekh Boy 18
Mohammed Faraj Hassouna Boy 16
Mahmoud Khalil Al-Mashharawi Boy 12
Mahmoud Zahir Tantish Boy 17
Mahmoud Sami Assliya Boy 3
Moussa Youssef Berbekh Boy 16
Wi'am Jamal Al-Kafarneh Girl 2
Wadih Ayman Omar Boy 4
Youssef Abed Berbekh Boy 10
05/01/2009 Ibrahim Rouhee Akl Boy 17
Ibrahim Abdullah Merjan Boy 13
Ahmed Attiyah Al-Semouni Boy 4
Aya Youssef Al-Defdah Girl 13
Aya Al-Sersawi Girl 5
Ahmed Amer Abou Eisha Boy 5
Ameen Attiyah Al-Semouni Boy 4
Hazem Alewa Boy 8
Khalil Mohammed Helless Boy 12
Diana Mosbah Saad Girl 17
Raya Al-Sersawi Girl 5
Rahma Mohammed Al-Semouni Girl 18
Ramadan Ali Felfel Boy 14
Rahaf Ahmed Saeed Al-Azaar Girl 4
Shahad Mohammed Hijjih Girl 3
Arafat Mohammed Abdul Dayem Boy 10
Omar Mahmoud Al-Baradei Boy 12
Ghaydaa Amer Abou Eisha Girl 6
Fathiyya Ayman Al-Dabari Girl 4
Faraj Ammar Al-Helou Boy 2
Moumen Alewah Boy 9
Moumen Mahmoud Talal Alaw Boy 10
Mohammed Amer Abu Eisha Boy 8
Mahmoud Mohammed Abu Kamar Boy 15
Marwan Hein Kodeih Girl 6
Montasser Alewah Boy 12
Naji Nidal Al-Hamlawi Boy 16
Nada Redwan Mardi Girl 5
Hanadi Bassem Khaleefa Girl 13
06/01/2009 Ibrahim Ahmed Maarouf Boy 14
Ahmed Shaher Khodeir Boy 14
Ismail Adnan Hweilah Boy 15
Aseel Moeen Deeb Boy 17
Adam Mamoun Al-Kurdee Boy 3
Alaa Iyad Al-Daya Girl 8
Areej Mohammed Al-Daya Girl 3 months
Amani Mohammed Al-Daya Girl 4
Baraa Ramez Al-Daya Girl 2
Bilal Hamza Obaid Boy 15
Thaer Shaker Karmout Boy 17
Hozaifa Jihad Al-Kahloot Boy 17
Khitam Iyad Al-Daya Girl 9
Rafik Abdul Basset Al-Khodari Boy 15
Raneen Abdullah saleh Girl 12
Zakariya Yahya Al-Taweel Boy 5
Sahar Hatem Dawood Girl 10
Salsabeel Ramez Al-Daya Girl 6 months
Sharafuldeen Iyad Al-Daya Boy 7
Doha Mohammed Al-Daya Girl 5
Ahed Iyad Kodas Boy 15
Abdullah Mohammed Abdullah Boy 10
Issam Sameer Deeb Boy 12
Alaa Ismail Ismail Boy 18
Ali Iyad Al-Daya Boy 10
Imad Abu Askar Boy 18
Filasteen Al-Daya Girl 5
Kamar Mohammed Al-Daya Boy 3
Lina Abdul Menem Hassan Girl 10
Unidentified Boy 9
Unidentified Boy 15
Mohammed Iyad Al-Daya Boy 6
Mohammed Bassem Shakoura Boy 10
Mohammed Bassem Eid Boy 18
Mohammed Deeb Boy 17
Mohammed Eid Boy 18
Mustafa Moeen Deeb Boy 12
Noor Moeen Deeb Boy 2
Youssef Saad Al-Kahloot Boy 17
Youssef Mohammed Al-Daya Boy 1
07/01/2009 Ibrahim Kamal Awaja Boy 9
Ahmed Jaber Howeij Boy 7
Ahmed Fawzi Labad Boy 18
Ayman Al-Bayed Boy 16
Amal Khaled Abed Rabbo Girl 3
Toufic Khaled Al-Khahloot Boy 10
Habeeb Khaled Al-Khahloot Boy 12
Houssam Raed Sobeh Boy 12
Hassan Rateb Semaan Boy 18
Hassan Ata Hassan Azzam Boy 2
Redwan Mohammed Ashoor Boy 10
Suad Khaled Abed Rabbo Girl 6
Samar Khaled Abed Rabbo Girl 2
Abdul Rahman Mohammmed Ashoor Boy 12
Fareed Ata Hassan Azzam Boy 13
Mohammed Khaled Al-Kahloot Boy 15
Mohammed Samir Hijji Boy 16
Mohammed Fareed Al-Maasawabi Boy 16
Mohammed Moeen Deeb Boy 17
Mohammed Nasseem Salama Saba Boy 16
Mahmoud Hameed Boy 17
Hamam Issa Boy 1
08/01/2009 Anas Arif Abou Baraka Boy 7
Ibrahim Akram Abou Dakkka Boy 12
Ibrahim Moeen Jiha Boy 15
Baraa Iyad Shalha Girl 6
Basma Yasser Al-Jeblawi Girl 5
Shahd Saad Abou Haleema Girl 15
Azmi Diab Boy 16
Mohammed Akram Abou Dakka Boy 14
Mohammed Hikmat Abou Haleema Boy 17
Ibrahim Moeen Jiha Boy 15
Matar Saad Abou Haleema Boy 17
09/01/2009 Ahmed Ibrahim Abou Kleik Boy 17
Ismail Ayman Yasseen Boy 18
Alaa Ahmed Jaber Girl 11
Baha-Uldeen Fayez Salha Girl 5
Rana Fayez Salha Girl 12
Rola Fayez Salha Girl 13
Diyaa-Uldeen Fayez Salah Boy 14
Ghanima Sultan Halawa Girl 11
Fatima Raed Jadullah Girl 10
Mohammed Atef Abou Al-Hussna Boy 15


FREEDOM FOR
PALESTINE
END THE SIEGE OF GAZA
Tower Hamlets Palestine Solidarity Campaign
LAUNCH MEETING - All welcome
Initial confirmed speakers:
• George Galloway MP
• Betty Hunter – Palestine Solidarity
Campaign
• Shamiul Joarder - Friends of Al Aqsa
• Ken Livingstone
• Kevin Ovenden - Viva Palestina
Brady Arts Centre,
192-196 Hanbury St, London, E1 5HU
Sat. 10 October
5.30 – 7.30pm
Following the massacre in Gaza by Israel earlier this year, and with the
ongoing inhumane blockade depriving Palestinians the most basic human
rights, this meeting will bring together all those in Tower Hamlets
who want to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. It will include
ways you can get involved in the Viva Palestina convoy this December
For more info: towerhamletspsc@gmail.com

Viva Palestina Alert
17th September 2009
Palestine Solidarity Campaign Press release
Britain’s unions commit to a mass boycott movement of Israeli goods
In a landmark decision, Britain’s trade unions have voted overwhelmingly to commit to build a mass boycott movement, disinvestment and sanctions on Israel for a negotiated settlement based on justice for Palestinians.

The motion was passed at the 2009 TUC Annual Congress in Liverpool today (17 September), by unions representing 6.5 million workers across the UK.

Hugh Lanning, chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: ‘This motion is the culmination of a wave of motions passed at union conferences this year, following outrage at Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, and reflects the massive growth in support for Palestinian rights. We will be working with the TUC to develop a mass campaign to boycott Israeli goods, especially agricultural products that have been produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank.’

The motion additionally called for the TUC General Council to put pressure on the British government to end all arms trading with Israel and support moves to suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement. Unions are also encouraged to disinvest from companies which profit from Israel’s illegal 42-year occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.

The motion was tabled by the Fire Brigades Union. The biggest unions in the UK, including Unite, the public sector union, and UNISON, which represents health service workers, voted in favour of the motion.

The motion also condemned the Israeli trade union Histadrut’s statement supporting Israel’s war on Gaza, which killed 1,450 Palestinians in three weeks, and called for a review of the TUC’s relationship with Histadrut.

Britain’s trade unions join those of South Africa and Ireland in voting to use a mass boycott campaign as a tool to bring Israel into line with international law, and pressure it to comply with UN resolutions that encourage justice and equality for the Palestinian people.

Hello Everyone.
This is Carole from "Viva Palastina"
My regards to all on "viva Palastina facebook
Just an apology as there have not been any posts for a while as once again the site was reported to facebook and I was unable to get access

Once again it is now up and running but most of the content has been removed.
There are a lot of updates that need to be posted but I will get to them over the next week

Firstly I urge you to keep on passing this cause to all your contacts to Join
The suffering still continues and the People of Palastine are still living in unbearable conditions
We NEED now more than ever to continue with keeping this atrocity in the headlines and not let the people of Gaza think the world has forgotten there plight

PLEASE PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR AIM
"TO MAKE PALESTINE FREE"

.................................................................
Bigger Better, and more effective in December

We have the chance to organize an incredible convoy, far more significant than either the British or the US ones that have taken place thus far. Given the various attempts to restrict or prevent aid to Gaza by sea and land, nothing less than a significant increase in the size and impact of the next convoy will do. We are committed to promoting a bigger build up towards a combined mission in December of US, UK and international efforts. The reasons for and the plans to combine the convoys, emerging from discussions between the British and American convoy coordinators and others, are as follows:



December 27 marks the anniversary of the beginning of the Israeli assault on Gaza. Aiming to enter Gaza then will be part of focusing the world’s attention on the massacres. It is also when people in Gaza have said they wish to have maximum support in remembrance of the tragedy.



The UK convoy was initially planned for sometime in November and the US convoy for shortly thereafter. Combining the two efforts, with additional volunteer support of the international community, will have more impact than two smaller ones. Additionally, the timing of work and school obligations do not allow many to participate before the holiday breaks in December.



Efforts in building both the British and US convoys were remarkable and were done in approximately five and seven weeks, respectively. With the extra months of October and November afforded us, we believe we can far outdo what we’ve done before. We will have extra time to build up the regional structures and organization of the convoy to make the mission both smoother and more effective.



Our outreach teams will be working on, not only dispersing information generally about the convoy, but recruiting key public figures, organizations and endorsements from a wide scope of influence. There is the opportunity to reach out to political and entertainment figures, who will be able to consider attending the convoy with the additional time to plan.



Plan of Action
This noble event will be one that everyone will be talking about! We are excited about the details and want to convey as much information as possible at every step in the planning process. Generally, the plan is as follows:



Volunteers will travel to London by December 5th, 2009. The mission will head off from London on December 6th, driving through France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and then into Egypt towards the Rafah border. Vehicles that are donated or purchased prior to the December departure will be used – filled with medical supplies and our inexhaustible volunteers. We hope to arrive at the Rafah Border crossing around December 26th, 2009, and to then spend several days in Gaza before leaving our dear friends and regrouping as a convoy in Cairo for a final event. We anticipate that volunteers will be able to make reservations to fly home from that area on January 2nd, 2010.



Because we anticipate that not all who wish to attend will be able to commit to the month long travel experience, there will be mustering points along the route for pre-registered volunteers to join with us, as will there be donations of vehicles and medical supplies from the local population as we travel through towns, villages and cities who support the Palestinians. The details of the exact route and the arrangements for travel are being discussed fully before being included in our information.



We have begun discussions on organizing major events – rallies, music, cultural and sporting – at strategic points on the route. Events and other identifiable outreach along the way does far more than build the morale of the volunteers – it will 1) create critical momentum to cross the Rafah border and 2) continue to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza for the world to acknowledge, hopefully inspiring action.



The extra time we have to organize and do outreach should ensure a great success. But that will only happen if press forward now, through Ramadan and beyond, to build support. Please join us in this incredible effort! You could organize speaking events and informational sessions, fund raise at your local level, secure donations of medical equipment or vehicles, help us spread the word through your lists and contact lists, etc….and the list goes on! Also, let us know if you would like to part of the regional and central organizing teams for what promises to be an historic event.



Further information and registration details for the convoy will be released shortly



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lEgypt: Urgent Update - Youssef Zahri, brother of Hamas spokesman, tortured to deathShare
Today at 22:32
Youssef Hamdan Abu Zahri, brother of senior Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri, died on Tuesday in Burg al-Arab prison after sustaining critical injuries caused by torture at the hands of State Security Investigative (SSI) Forces at their Headquarters in Alexandria.

Youssef Zahri, a Palestinian national, was arrest in April 2008 in Al-Arish, near Egypt's border with Gaza, and accused of... (read more)