If you are asking for my point of view, I would say that the Palestinians should go back to Palestine
Read more at

Gaza under the eyes of their children

A few months ago I had occasion to visit the exhibition "Gaza under the eyes of their children" in Weaver. This exhibition is a series of films selected by the "Foundation Middle East Partnership for Children '(MECA) that were meant to be displayed at the Museum of Children's Art in Oakland (San Francisco Bay) where he eventually was suspended due to pressures received.

I have no words to express the emotions I felt when observing each of the drawings with your message, but I can say I felt very sad to see how some are stealing the laughter and the future opportunities for Palestinian children, and also a lot of indignation at the thought of living in a society in which they are tolerating injustice so enormous in size with the Palestinian people.

I invite you to visit the exhibition in The Weaver. In advance of it I have left the previous video montage and leave you messages too (some tearing) of the children who have developed each of the drawings:

We are children who live life on the border, narrow streets, we have no places to play. We could laugh and dream about security?!. When ending the occupation?! (Nizar Ismail, 8 years, refugee camp of Al-Fara'a).

A message to the world's children of a Palestinian child who has no desires. I ask you to accept my message, live your life and not lose your time in sadness (Khaled Soboh, 13, Um-Zinat, Haifa).

I have the right to live and sleep in peace as you do. I have the right to education and refugees returning to their homes. There should be no discrimination between children of the world (Hind Abu Yusef, 14, Abasan Al-Kabira, Gaza).

I hope that children all over the world live together in security and freedom (Islam Abi Dib, 14, Bani Shaila, Gaza).

I go to school and love it. I like to play. I see on TV as children play, swim, run and have it all (Amal, 5 years).

I want to thank the children of the world for their solidarity with us, want to live as you live. I need affection, love and compassion. I want to be a teacher (Hanin Abu Did, 11, Bani Shaila, Gaza).

I want to be a teacher and allow children to play away from cars, but I do not know what to do with the Israelis (Rand Ismael, age 7, Al-Fara'a).

I have the right to live in freedom and security, and to express my opinion (Ahmad Abu Dan, 13, Bani Shaila, Gaza).

Greetings to the world's children. My heart fills with joy in the Universal Children's Day (Mabu'ut Abu Yusef, 14, Abasan Al-Kabira, Gaza).

I am a Palestinian girl from the village of Sabbarin. I hope that all children are happy in the Universal Children's Day (Tasbih Abu Hasan, 7, Sabbarin).

My hope is that we return to our land and live in freedom and not fight among ourselves because we have the right to live in security and freedom (Salah Saeed, 13).

I love my brothers and friends, and I hope that the wall and disappear for no barriers away from them and to see them forever (Tasneem Khader, 13, Sharayet Um, Ramallah).

I dream of being a lawyer to defend the rights of our Palestinian people and force the Israelis to return the usurped lands to build their settlements and the wall. The wall that separated the Palestinian territories, families, friends, farmers from their land, workers from their jobs and children from their schools (Fanoun Ameer, 12, refugee camp of Al-Ama'ari).

I want every child in the world and want to be like you, thank you very much for your support and celebrate with us on the Universal Day of Children (Muhanad Qdaih, 13 years).

My name is Elijah, I am a Palestinian child from the village of Um Zinat in Haifa, I hope that our land is free, we can live in dignity and have all our rights as the rest of the world's children (Elijah Suboh, 11, field Fra'a refugees from Um Al-Zinat, Haifa).

Palestinians were pleased to achieve that Bethlehem is a UNESCO World Heritage

Palestinian officials today welcomed the Basilica of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route in Bethlehem have been included, with a single candidacy on the List of World Heritage in Danger UNESCO.

"This is the result of diplomatic efforts undertaken by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) with members of the Committee of UNESCO, and the vote demonstrates the Palestinian people's right to protect their heritage," he told the media the Minister Palestinian Tourism and Archaeology, Roly Maiyaa.

The decision was adopted by thirteen votes in favor, six against and two abstentions, according to the World Heritage Committee of the organization.

This is the first time that the ANP, accepted as full member of UNESCO in December 2011, requesting the inclusion of a Palestinian site on the List of World Heritage.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian foreign minister, Riyad Malki, said at a news conference in St. Petersburg, where they held the vote and before the applause of the participants: "You have our heartfelt thanks," reads the Palestinian news agency independent "Maan".

Palestine, he added, is "the cradle of human civilization", before announcing that more applications will be submitted to villages south of Jerusalem and threatened by the Israeli separation wall are included in the list of protected world heritage.

In Bethlehem, Deputy Mayor George Saade thanked all the countries that gave their support to the Palestinian demand.

"We feel that justice has been done and we are very happy. Everyone is happy in Bethlehem and Palestine," he added.

The PLO leader, Hanan Ashrawi welcomed the decision which he described as a moment of "national pride".

"The Palestinian people are celebrating this decision as a moment of national pride and affirmation of their rich and unique heritage and identity," he said in a statement after the vote.

The Palestinians called for urgent registration due to degradation of the architectural complex in Bethlehem.

"Bethlehem, the Old City and its churches were victims of deliberate Israeli military attacks in 1977 and again between 2001 and 2002," said the Palestinian authorities in an open letter to the committee.

According to Palestinian officials, including the Basilica of the Nativity in the UNESCO list of the necessary measures to ensure its restoration.

Shackles and solitary confinement for children in Palestinian jails 

Iron shackles, abuse, isolation cells. These are the tortures suffered by Palestinian children imprisoned. This was denounced an independent report by a group of British lawyers and supported by the Foreign Ministry.

In the first study of its kind, a group of nine lawyers has investigated the abuses to which children are subjected to Palestinians arrested in Israel. This amazing report, entitled 'Children in military custody', which contains key findings on Wednesday the newspaper 'The Independent' reports that children are dragged from their beds in the middle of the night and forced to lie in front of military vehicles.

These children of the Gaza Strip are locked in a position that could be described as torture, solitary confinement and with little chance of seeing their parents. The British report also denounces mistreatment and physical abuse, and cases in which these children forced to sign statements that can not even read.

Children treated as terrorists

The team that drafted the report, led by Stephen Sedley, Judge of the British Court of Appeal said, quote, that "every Palestinian child is treated as a terrorist." These practices, explains this dramatic text, violated several articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits inhuman and degrading treatment. Also contrary to Israeli law, which states that children should be entitled to a lawyer within 48 hours and that in no case be jailed if they are under 14 years. But, in practice, hundreds of children under 12 years are incarcerated each year.

One of the authors of the research, Greg Davies, known defender of human rights, the British newspaper explained how, during a visit to an Israeli military court, in a preview, "a little boy entered the room, wearing shackles legs. "

The report, which states that these practices involve clear cases of torture, has been endorsed by the office of the British Foreign Ministry. The agency has already announced its intention to denounce these practices with the Israeli authorities.

The dramatic situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has been reported repeatedly. Recently, thousands of them seconded a hunger strike lasting nearly a month to demand improved conditions.

Voices of Women. In the shadow of settlements

This report analyzes WCLAC through different testimonies of Palestinian women, the effects on the Palestinian population in the colonies and violations of international law.

2010 report on Israeli violations of human rights of Palestinian women

Corina Mora (Platform 2015 and more)

This report by the organization WCLAC - Women Center for Legal Aid and Councelling, is part of a series of reports produced and translated under the Convention "Support for peace building initiatives between Palestinians and Israelis, through the strengthening of organizations of both civil society, political and social dialogue and knowledge, protection and awareness of the international law and human rights "funded by the AECI and executed by a consortium of 6 organizations Platform 2015 and (ACSUR the Segovias IEPALA , Mundubat, CEAR, Habitáfrica, International Solidarity).

This report analyzes WCLAC through different testimonies of Palestinian women, the effects on the Palestinian population in the colonies and violations of international law.

One of the objectives of this paper is to highlight the impact of gender in employment and how women are particularly affected by the specific violations of their rights. So through an analysis based on international law issues are discussed as settler violence against Palestinians, harassment, arrests, arbitrary imprisonment, the effects of the wall and check points, displacement, problems family reunification.

For each of these issues is a summary of the issue, a legal analysis and finally the testimony of women.

Voices of Women. In the shadow of the settlement (PDF - 3.1 MB)

Netanyahu will support the military conscription law by including Arabs and ultra-Orthodox
Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said that only will support the new law on military recruitment and national service if it includes all Israeli citizens, including Arab and the ultra-Orthodox population.

"Do not take a vote a law that does not require the recruitment equal to ultra-Orthodox and Arabs," said Netanyahu, as reported by the Israeli daily Haaretz.

The prime minister has given response to the news and who reported that the Act may, exempting students from the 'yeshiva' (center studies the Torah and the Talmud for Orthodox youth) of compulsory military service in exchange for meet civil service would be extended to support this group. This Act was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court in February, expires in August.

Before Netanyahu's statements, members of the Yisrael Beitenu coalition and HaBayit Hayehudi, had announced their withdrawal from Plesner Committee - which is trying the case - arguing that "the Israeli public is favoring Arabic."

Moreover, a source close to Netanyahu said that the head of state will meet with Kadima leader and member of the coalition government, Shaul Mofaz, to discuss "how to fix the problem created by the committee."

Israel completes evacuation of West Bank enclave

The last family of an Israeli enclave in the West Bank, which must be vacated for the July 1, left Monday night home after initially refusing, which was completed three-day eviction without major incidents present.

Although some young people of a movement in favor of settlements barricaded themselves inside one of the homes to protest the operation, police officials said that so far there has been no confrontation with them.

"There are some young people in one building and the police are monitoring the area in case there are any complications, but so far nothing has happened," the spokesman told Xinhua on the Israel Police, Mickey Rosenfeld, without giving more details on whether the police will force young people to leave.

The last family, said Rosenfeld, left peacefully at night, though initially opposed to being evicted and refused to allow government employees pack their belongings in boxes.

The Ulpana neighborhood built outside the settlement Beit El near Ramallah, West Bank, will be relocated to another area for the July 1, after the Supreme Court determined that the five buildings were illegal because they were built on Palestinian land private.

Despite government attempts to postpone the demolition of the neighborhood, the Supreme Court refused appeals to delay the demolition, but approved the transfer of buildings rather than demolish them.

The 33 families who lived in the enclave were placed in modular homes in the Beit El settlement until the conclusion of the transfer of their homes.