1. Aqsa News FOR FREE DISTRIBUTIONQUARTERLY | ISSUE 45 | DECEMBER 2010
While the governments
around the world have been
distracted by the hopes that
peace talks between Israel
and the Palestinians will bear
fruit, Israel has continued
with deliberate policies to
Judiase Jerusalem discarding
the ancient claims that Pales-
tinians have to the city.
The deliberate policies
seek to increase the number
of Jewish people in the city
and reduce the number of
Palestinians, so that Israel can
then stake a claim to the en-
tire city, excluding the Mus-
lim and Christian Palestinians
whose cultural and religious
heritage in the city is over-
whelming.
Part of the process of
driving Palestinians out of Je-
rusalem includes demolishing
their homes, refusing build-
ing permits for desperately
needed new homes, moving
extremist Israeli settlers into
Palestinian neighbourhoods
to make everyday living a
nightmare, revoking Jerusa-
lem ID cards without which
Palestinians are not allowed
to live in the city, and demol-
ishing historic sites such as
cemeteries.
Read the full report on
page 6.
Palestinians being forced
out of Jerusalem
Following the Conserva-
tive government’s promise to
change the procedures for ap-
plying Universal Jurisdiction
laws in Britain; lawyers, MPs
and activists around Britain
have stated that they will not
allow such changes to be qui-
etly implemented.
William Hague’s visit to
Israel during the first week of
November was used by Israel
to humiliate him and again
put pressure on the govern-
ment to change the laws. Nu-
merous high profile Israeli
politicians have not been able
to visit Britain since the 2009
attack on Gaza, due to fears
of being arrested. Israeli poli-
ticians continue to react furi-
ously to this, however, peace
activists in Britain state that
the only politicians who need
to have such fears of arrest
are those who have commit-
ted War Crimes and there is a
collective duty to bring these
people to justice.
On November 24th, a
lobby of Parliament day was
called by Friends of Al-Aqsa
and the Palestine Solidarity
Campaign. Which drew atten-
tion to the issue of Universal
Jurisdiction. Constituents lob-
bied their MPs to vote against
any proposed changes. It is
hoped that the momentum
created on the day will be
continued by activists in the
following weeks and months
to ensure that no change is
made to the law.
Activists Challenge Universal Jurisdiction Law Changes
Join us on Facebook & Twitter
www.facebook.com | www.twitter.com
Friends of Al-Aqsa, P.O Box 5127, Leicester, LE2 0WU
www.aqsa.org.uk | info@aqsa.org.uk
Friends of Al-Aqsa
Update
“We need to Nationalize the
resistance” - Jody McIntyre
Page 6 > Page 8 > Page 9 > Page 18 >
Inside...
Torture and cruelty to
Palestinian prisoners
Page 2
New Labour leader
signals change in
Middle East policy
Page 4
To live as a
Palestinian for
a moment
Page 8
Update: Boycott,
Divestment and
Sanctions
Page 14
John Ging:
conditions in Gaza
have not changed
Page 16
Interview:
Refusnik! - Or Ben David
Special Feature - Jerusalem
One city, three faiths

2. A petition submitted to
the High Court of Justice in
March 2009 calling for Is-
rael to stop mining activity
in the Occupied West Bank
has been successful. Israel
will stop the mining in the
Occupied Territory, which
is considered illegal under
international law due to the
prohibition of exploiting the
natural resources of occupied
land.
AQSA NEWS
02 Inside Palestine
OECD Conference uses
Settlement bus company
350 Palestinians arrested
Israel forced to stop
West Bank mining
Israeli army attacks farmers
A 91-year-old man, his
grandson aged 16 and grand-
son’s friend aged 17, were
killed when Israeli soldiers
fired five shells towards a
group of farmers and shep-
herds. The elderly man Ib-
rahim Abdullah Mossa Abu
Sa’id from block 7 in Jaba-
liya Refugee Camp, was re-
ported to regularly graze his
sheep and farm the land on
which he was shot and killed.
30 sheep were also killed dur-
ing the shooting. The Israeli
army first accused them of
being terrorists but changed
its story when it became ap-
parent that it was an elderly
man and 2 children. The fam-
ily has no recourse to justice.
A joint report published
in October by Israeli Hu-
man Rights Group B’Tselem
and the Centre for the De-
fence of the Individual
showed clear patterns of
abuse of Palestinian detain-
ees. The report was based
on the testimonies of 121
Palestinians who were held
for up to two months in the
Petach-Tikva interrogation
facility belonging to the
Israel SecurityAgency (ISA).
The testimonies received,
showed clear patterns of
ill-treatment of detainees
by the prison staff. Each
time, individuals were ar-
rested from their homes late
at night. In 30 percent of the
cases, there was physical
violence toward the detainee
during arrest or on the way
to the detention facility. De-
tainees were taken in military
vehicles and forced to crouch
or lie on the floor rather than
sit on the bench seat of the
vehicle.
Cells are large enough
to fit a thin mattress (or
several for those hold-
ing more than one person),
have low ceilings which the
prisoners could touch, and
most cells have no windows.
There is no fresh air into
the cells, and the artificial
ventilation is usually either
too cold or too hot. The light
is kept on continously, there-
by causing problems with
sleeping and vision. Further
misery is caused by the lack
of hygiene – each cell has a
squalid squat toilet and blan-
kets are filthy. A change of
clothes was usually not pro-
vided and 27 percent of the
detainees said they were not
allowed to even take a show-
er. As a result, the chances
of their health suffering in-
creased.
During interrogation,
the prisoners reported being
tied to a chair and unable to
move. Some were kept in
the same position for hours
and only given short breaks.
Others reported sleep depri-
vation during interrogation,
lasting more than 24 hours.
Some detainees were inter-
rogated continuously for a
stretch of several days, with
only short sleep breaks.
During the interrogation, 56
percent reported that they
were threatened by interro-
gators, including threats of
violence. Many reported that
the interrogators used fam-
ily members as a means of
pressure: in one case, a
63-year-old widow was
brought to the facility, appar-
ently so that her incarcerated
relatives could witness her
anguish in detention. She
was released without charge
two days later.
Such treatment has been
reported by Palestinians for
years despite a 1999 ruling
in an Israeli court against
such practices. B’Tselem
has called on the Israeli
government to do more to
ensure that such violations
of basic human rights do not
continue.
Torture and cruelty to Palestinian prisoners
Illegal Israeli
Settlers
recruited in
Police force
Israel’s National Police
force has announced that for
the first time ever, it is turn-
ing to the illegal settler com-
munities to recruit its offic-
ers. A decrease in the number
of Israeli’s joining the police
force has resulted in a nation-
al shortage leading to the re-
cruitment of settlers, an idea
originally proposed by right-
wing groups.
The move has been met
with outrage by Israel’s 1.5
million Palestinians who fear
that the hatred against Pal-
estinians prevalent in West
Bank settlers could lead to
abuse of their power against
Palestinians in Israel.
Jafar Farah, director of
the Palestinian advocacy cen-
tre Mossawwa stated, “The
police have already repeated-
ly demonstrated their hostil-
ity to Palestinian citizens, but
this move proves that the au-
thorities want to extend and
deepen our oppression.”
Recruits will undergo
training which will include
three years of study at Haifa
University in addition to sev-
en months in a religious sem-
inary in the illegal West Bank
settlement of Elisha. The first
35 cadets are to begin their
training soon. 300 settlers
have already expressed inter-
est.
A team of Rabbi’s has
been recruited to deal with
the potential clash between
police duties and religious
principles such as working on
the Sabbath and ‘immodest
women’. The role of extrem-
ist Rabbi’s in providing jus-
tification for Israel’s immoral
acts seems increasingly ap-
parent. Over the summer, two
Rabbi’s were questioned after
publishing a book in which
they claimed that “There is
justification for killing ba-
bies if it is clear that they
will grow up to harm us.”
The book has been endorsed
by some senior Rabbi’s and
such sentiments are growing
amongst army Rabbi’s.
Settlers are already over-
represented in the army and
now may be moving towards
the same with regards to the
Israeli police force. The wor-
rying trend is that settlers
known for their hostility and
violence against Palestinians,
are rising up to positions of
power which quite often are
unregulated.
PalestinianHumanRights
Group Al Haq has revealed
that at least 350 Palestinians
were arrested and detained
from across the West Bank
by the Palestinian Authority.
The arrest sweep took place
following the shooting of
six Israeli settlers for which
a Hamas-wing claimed re-
sponsibility. However, Al
Haq states that the correct
procedure was not followed
and arrest warrants not prop-
erly sought. The number of
people detained without le-
gitimate warrant is thought to
be high.
The recent Organisation
for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD)
conference which was held
in Jerusalem, despite global
objections, sparked further
controversy by using buses
leased from a company that
develops illegal settlements
in the West Bank. The buses
were used to take delegates
around the city. Some Israeli
politicians were quoted as
saying that the OECD con-
ference in Jerusalem was a
tacit international approval
of Israel’s claim to the city.
These remarks caused some
states to pull out of the con-
ference including Britain
and France.

3. AQSA NEWS
03
The Israeli secret Police
known as the Shin Bet have
been accused of exploiting
the law to their own ends
and making unlawful arrests
of Arab-Israeli’s. The vague
offence of “contact with a
foreign agent” is being used
by the Shin Bet to arrest and
detain political activists with-
out evidence of any crime
committed. The revelations
have been used to explain the
detention of activists such as
Ameer Makhoul whose situ-
ation was described by Am-
nesty International as “pure
harassment”.
Israeli Soldier jailed
following prisoner
abuse photographs
Israeli secret
Police abuse powers
There have been many
peaceful protests against the
building of Israel’s separation
wall in the town of Bil’in in
the West Bank. In response,
Israeli soldiers have fired tear
gas and rubber coated bul-
lets at the protestors, causing
numerous injuries. They also
arrested the Co-ordinator of
the Bil’in Popular Committee
Abdullah Abu Rahmah and
jailed him in October 2010
for his part in the peaceful
opposition to the building of
the illegal wall.
Bil’in is a small Pales-
tinian village where weekly
protests are held by village
locals as well as an increas-
ing number of international
peace and solidarity activists.
Gatherings take place every
Friday to protest against the
illegal construction of the
wall, which continues to en-
croach on Palestinian land
and divide families on either
side.
Abu Rahmah was origi-
nally arrested on the 10th
December 2009 in a mid-
night raid on his home where
he lives with his wife and
three children aged 7, 5 and 8
months. Soldiers broke down
the door; blind-folded him
and took him into custody.
Abu Rahmah was cleared
of charges of arms possession
but was instead convicted of
organising ‘illegal’ demon-
strations and incitement. This
conviction is seen as a clear
abuse of legal power on the
part of Israel, and an example
of using such power to clamp
down and silence legitimate
political dissent. Leading hu-
man rights group Amnesty
International called the con-
viction an assault on freedom
of expression, and Human
Rights Watch declared that
the whole process constituted
an “unfair trial”.
This case has led many
to accuse Israel of employing
double standards in its justice
system.
An Israeli soldier was
imprisoned for 5 months for
abuse and behaviour unbe-
coming of a soldier follow-
ing the emergence of photo-
graphs showing him pointing
a gun at a blindfolded and
handcuffed Palestinian pris-
oner. Images of such abuse
have been on the increase and
this was the first time that a
prison sentence was passed
for the offence. The abuse
of Palestinian prisoners by
Israeli soldiers is well docu-
mented by various human
rights groups.
Delegation of Islamic
deputies meets with
British parliamentarians
On 8th November 2010,
a group of British parliamen-
tarians and journalists on a
tour of Palestine met with a
delegation of Islamic depu-
ties at their offices in Ramal-
lah. The British visit aimed
to explore the latest develop-
ments in Palestine.
The delegation of depu-
ties was led by the head of
the Palestinian Legislative
Council, Dr Aziz Dweik and
was made up of several repre-
sentatives including the Sec-
retary General of the Legisla-
tive Council, Dr Mahmoud
al-Ramahi, the former minis-
ter of finance, Dr Omar Ab-
dul Razzak, Professor Muna
Mansour and Dr Nasser Ab-
del Jawad.
The British delegation
included a number of jour-
nalists, parliamentarians and
members of the British La-
bour Party. The two groups
discussed the most recent
developments related to the
Palestinian issue including
attacks being carried out by
the Israeli occupation at all
levels; from its Judaisation
efforts and settlement activi-
ties, to criminal practices in-
cluding killings, demolitions,
siege and daily arrests.
The deputies also briefed
the British delegation on the
latest developments toward
Palestinian national reconcil-
iation stressing the necessity
of reaching an agreement that
would resolve the internal
situation and extricate it from
the deadlock and degrada-
tion it has reached. They also
addressed the bitter reality
faced by West Bank Palestin-
ians as a result of the internal
dispute which has given rise
to the current reality in which
crimes are being committed
against the rights of Palestin-
ians citizens including politi-
cal arrests, prosecution and
torture, which has led to the
collapse of the Legislative
Council and the paralysis of
its work.
At the end of the meet-
ing, the British delegation ex-
pressed their solidarity with
Palestinians and their just
cause shouldering responsi-
bility for conveying Palestin-
ian concerns, based on what
they have witnessed and ex-
perienced during their visit,
to European public opinion.
Report by the Middle
East Monitor.
Peaceful anti-Wall protestor jailed
Settlement
construction
resumes, causing
peace talks to fail
Israel decided not to ex-
tend a ten-month freeze on
settlement building late in
September. The decision
came during ‘peace talks’ be-
tween Palestinians and Israe-
lis, despite pressure from the
UN, US and EU to extend the
settlement freeze.
UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-Moon dubbed the
move as “provocative” be-
haviour on the part of Israel
and called on the internation-
al community to pressure Is-
rael to honour its obligations
under the Road Map and halt
illegal settlement construc-
tion in occupied territories.
The Palestinian Authority
was urged by Khaled Meshaal
to pull out of peace talks if
settlement construction con-
tinued, as negotiations would
be pointless if the Palestinians
did not hold an equal share of
power in the discussions.
The end of the settlement
freeze was marked in Israel
with large celebrations and
bulldozers began levelling
ground for 50 new homes in
the settlement of Ariel in the
Occupied West Bank, just a
day after the freeze expired.
Israel now continues to build
illegal settlements at an
alarming rate. Israeli watch-
dog Peace Now states that the
pace of settlement construc-
tion is at least two – if not
four times what it was previ-
ously, despite all settlement
construction in the Occupied
Territory being considered il-
legal under international law.
The EU’s position on
the Settlements was made
clear by the spokesperson
for Catherine Ashton, EU
Foreign Policy Chief who
stated: “The position of the
EU is very clear: settlements
are illegal under international
law, constitute an obstacle to
peace and threaten to make
a two-state solution impos-
sible.”
Palestinians in Israel told to make loyalty oath to the ‘Jewish’ state
Early in October the Is-
raeli Cabinet took the deci-
sion that was to require all
new non-Jewish people to
take an oath of allegiance to
Israel as a “Jewish and demo-
cratic” state. The law has
been described as ‘racist’ and
‘provocative’ and was intro-
duced by right-wing foreign
minister Avigdor Lieberman.
The decision was im-
mediately met with outrage
and Prime Minister Ben-
jamin Netanyahu quickly at-
tempted to limit the damage,
by extending the loyalty oath
to new Jewish citizens also.
Under the immigration laws,
Jews would be granted auto-
matic citizenship whilst non-
Jewish citizens would have to
pledge loyalty to the state of
Israel.
One opposing cabinet
minister called Isaac Herzog
said the Bill had a “whiff
of fascism”. Speaker of the
Knesset Reuven Rivlin also
criticised the proposal, as did
several Likud cabinet mem-
bers and Labour ministers.
Arab-Israeli Knesset mem-
ber Ahmed Tibi stated “The
government of Israel has be-
come subservient to Yisrael
Beiteinu [Lieberman’s party]
and its fascist doctrine… No
other state in the world would
force its citizens or those
seeking citizenship to pledge
allegiance to an ideology.”
Many have pointed out
that saying Israel is a “Jew-
ish” and “democratic” state
is in itself a contradictory
statement, since a democratic
state can not require its citi-
zens to pledge allegiance to
something which may in fact
exclude them. Rather, a true
democratic state would be-
long to all citizens equally
regardless of whether they
are Jewish or non-Jewish. In
addition, the precise mean-
ing as to what a “Jewish”
state constitutes is somewhat
blurry. The question arises as
to whether a “Jewish” state
would refer solely to reli-
gion, culture, community or a
system of values. Citizens of
a democratic state cannot be
expected to pledge loyalty to
an unclear set of terms.

4. Nobel Peace Laureate
Mairead Corrigan Maguire
was deported to Britain in
October, after being held in
an airport detention facility
in Tel Aviv. She travelled to
Israel intending to attend a
delegation meeting with Pal-
estinian and Israeli peace ac-
tivists.
Maguire, aged 66 is
known for her work in North-
ern Ireland for which she
won the Nobel Peace prize
in 1976. She has been an out-
spoken critic of Israel, and
has accused the state of “eth-
nic cleansing”. Maguire was
originally banned from Israel
for a period of ten years after
attempting to sail to Gaza in
June 2010 to break the naval
blockade – a blockade which
has resulted in the imprison-
ment of the population of
Gaza.
The decision to ban and
deport Maguire further re-
inforces the position that Is-
rael will not accept or tolerate
healthy criticism of its ac-
tions. Maguire is not the first
to receive such treatment.
Noam Chomsky, the 81-year-
old Jewish-American linguist
was also banned from enter-
ing the country, alongside
many other peace activists.
Maguire held a press con-
ference on her return to Ire-
land where she accused Israel
of being an “apartheid” state.
Israel’s deputy Prime
Minister Dan Meridor was
forced to cancel a visit to Lon-
don in November following
warnings he could be arrested
for War Crimes. Meridor is
the latest high-profile Israeli
politician to cancel a visit to
London because of concerns
about possible arrest.
Previously, in 2009
former Israeli foreign minis-
ter Tzipi Livni cancelled her
planned UK visit after a Brit-
ish Magistrate issued a war-
rant for her arrest over War
Crimes in Gaza. Israeli poli-
ticians reacted with fury over
the warrant and have been
pressuring British politicians
to change the laws on Univer-
sal Jurisdiction.
Foreign Secretary David
Miliband ordered an ‘urgent’
review of the law while the
Labour party were still in
power. The current laws al-
low members of the public to
apply for arrest warrants for
alleged War Crimes occur-
ring anywhere in the world.
Unlike most offences War
Crimes carry Universal Juris-
diction in British law, which
means that foreign nationals
can be arrested in the UK
for alleged crimes commit-
ted abroad. The Conservative
government has pledged to
change the law.
A report published fol-
lowing the United Nations
Human Rights Council’s
fact-finding mission into the
raid on the Gaza-bound Free-
dom Flotilla in May of 2010,
has accused Israeli forces of
violating international law.
Human Rights experts
appointed on the panel of
investigation stated that com-
mandoes had used “incred-
ible force”, which resulted
in the killing of nine peace
activists, the youngest aged
just 19.
The flotilla was sail-
ing to Gaza with the aim of
breaking the illegal block-
ade which has resulted in the
imprisonment of the Gazan
population. The tiny Gaza
Strip is often dubbed as ‘the
largest open-air prison in the
world’. After mounting pres-
sure, Israel claimed to have
eased the blockade though
the true effect of this remains
somewhat doubtful as re-
building materials are still
largely ruled out.
Karl Hudson-Phillips,
a retired judge of the Inter-
national criminal Court and
former Secretary-General of
Trinidad and Tobago, led the
UN panel and travelled to
Britain, Turkey and Jordan in
order to interview witnesses.
The report stated that
“The conduct of the Israeli
military and other personnel
towards the flotilla passen-
gers was not only dispropor-
tionate to the occasion but
demonstrated levels of totally
unnecessary and incredible
violence. It betrayed an un-
acceptable level of brutality.
Such conduct cannot be justi-
fied or condoned on security
or any other grounds. It con-
stituted grave violations of
human rights law and inter-
national humanitarian law.”
The investigation con-
cluded that there was evi-
dence of ‘wilfull killing, tor-
ture, or inhuman treatment
and wilfully causing great
suffering or serious injury to
body or health’ – all of which
are considered crimes under
the Geneva Conventions.
Throughout the process
Israel continued to reject the
investigation, instead claim-
ing that it was conducting its
own internal investigations
- by the Turkel Commis-
sion. However, this has been
largely discreditted.
The Dutch National
Crime Squad in October raid-
ed the headquarters of Riwal,
over its involvement in the il-
legal construction of the wall
and settlements in the West
Bank. The European com-
pany produces large scale
cranes and access equipment
for construction sites. Hu-
man Rights group Al Haq has
lodged criminal complaints
against the company, based
in the Netherlands.
AQSA NEWS
04 Global News
Israel deports Nobel
Peace Laureate
Israeli Deputy Prime
Minister cancels UK trip
fearing arrest warrant
UN Flotilla report condemns Israel
Dutch Crime Squad raid
Settlement company
Following a long bat-
tle for leadership within the
Labour party, Ed Miliband
emerged as the new party
leader with what many hope
will be a fresh perspective
on some vital issues. In the
leader’s speech on 29th Sep-
tember, he stated that Labour
foreign policy should be
“based on values, not just al-
liances”. This may well sug-
gest a move away from long
established blind alliances
with countries such as the US
and Israel.
Human rights activists,
trade unionists and academ-
ics have called on Mr Mili-
band to begin the process by
breaking away from the tradi-
tion of former leaders of the
party, in being patrons of the
Jewish National Fund (JNF)
– an organisation accused of
being complicit in the ethnic
cleansing of Palestinian vil-
lages.
Mr Miliband has made
some interesting statements
in recent weeks, including:
“on the Middle East and Isra-
el-Palestine, [the Americans
are] always going to have
their particular view. We’ve
got to have our particular
view. So I was certainly out-
spoken at the time about the
attack on the Gaza flotilla.
We need to do that. The Gaza
blockade needs to be lifted.
You’ve got to be willing.” He
further added “Yes, the rela-
tionship with the US is im-
portant but you’ve got to be
stronger about saying we’ve
got an independent foreign
policy.”
Whilst some may view
this new approach as some-
what dangerous, it may have
the potential to add a new
dimension to British politics.
Mr Miliband has not shied
away from confidently at-
tending the annual reception
held by the Labour Friends of
Palestine and the Middle East
(LFPME) in Manchester,
sponsored by Friends of Al
Aqsa. He delivered a speech
to a packed room of MP’s,
MEP’s and Councillors, say-
ing:
“…as Israel ends the
moratorium on settlement
building, I will always defend
the right of Israel to exist in
peace and security. But Israel
must accept and recognise
in its actions the Palestinian
right to statehood. That is
why the attack on the Gaza
Flotilla was so wrong. And
that is why the Gaza blockade
must be lifted and we must
strain every sinew to work to
make that happen.”
Following the event,
Chair of Friends of Al Aqsa,
Ismail Patel stated: “It was
refreshing to have a leader
of a political party appreci-
ate the fact that the general
public hold a lot of sympathy
for the Palestinian people and
that Britain should be pursu-
ing a fair and just policy in
the region.”
New Labour leader signals
change in Middle East policy
A delegation from the
Council of Elders, a grouping
composed of former heads
of state and others, have met
with Hamas leaders after a
visit to the Gaza Strip. The
delegation was headed by
former President of the Irish
Republic Mary Robinson and
former US President Jimmy
Carter. Hamas welcomed the
visit and reinforced the im-
portance of applying pressure
on Israel to ensure that au-
thorities recognise the rights
of the Palestinian people.
Elders meet Hamas

5. The soldier who was driv-
ing the bulldozer which ran
over the body of 23-year-old
Rachel Corrie stated in court
from behind a screen that he
had not seen the peace ac-
tivist. He stated that he then
reversed to reveal Corrie’s
crushed body as he was told
that he had hit someone. The
parents, who have taken Is-
rael to court over the murder
of their daughter expressed
sadness that not a word of re-
morse was expressed. Other
solidarity activists who wit-
nessed the murder stated that
it was impossible for him not
to have seen Rachel as she
was wearing a fluorescent
jacket and shouting out using
a mega-phone.
AQSA NEWS
05
Soldier “didn’t see” Corrie
Passenger testimonies
from those aboard an aid-ship
to Gaza have revealed an ex-
cessive use of force by the Is-
raeli navy against them, just
months after their deadly raid
on the Freedom Flotilla. The
ship was organised by Jew-
ish and Israeli activists and
included Reuben Moscowitz,
a survivor of the Holocaust.
The activists, who showed
no violence, were met with
extreme IDF brutality. One
passenger was tasered. Mos-
cowitz expressed his sheer
disbelief that “Israeli soldiers
would treat nine Jews this
way. They just hit people.”
He further went on to describe
the similarities between the
horrors of the Holocaust and
what besieged Palestinian
children are going through.
IDF use force against
Jewish aid ship
The annual Greenbelt
festival which takes place
at Cheltenham Racecourse
in Gloucestershire has been
known for its solidarity with
the Palestinian people. This
year’s festival saw a particu-
lar emphasis on the apartheid-
like wall in the West Bank and
the existence of checkpoints
which causes great difficulty
for Palestinians in their daily
lives, both of which were rec-
reated at the festival to por-
tray some of the Palestinian
struggle.
For this edition of Aqsa
News, John Noble of the
Greenbelt Festival speaks a
littleabouttheorganisation:
Early in 2008 I was asked
by an Amos Trust/Greenbelt
friend if I would like to visit
Palestine with some other
Greenbelt Festival and Amos
Trust folk - volunteers, staff
members, trustees - to go and
see for ourselves the situation
and the ‘facts on the ground’.
Greenbelt and Amos
Trust have historically been
(and continue to be), support-
ers of the Palestinian people
- Greenbelt Festival has over
the years invited many speak-
ers, artists and campaign
groups from Israel/Palestine
to come to the festival, and
has provided a platform and
a space for them to engage
with the over 20,000 visi-
tors the festival attracts each
August Bank holiday week-
end, at its current location
at Cheltenham Racecourse,
Gloucestershire.
This particular trip was
in response to a request to
Greenbelt’s Board of Trustees
by Garth Hewitt, the singer/
songwriter and founder of
Amos Trust who had recent-
ly returned from one of his
many visits to Palestine. His
feelings were that by inviting
people within the Greenbelt
setup to go to the area and
experience for themselves
what life is like for those
who live there, then maybe a
seed would be planted within
Greenbelt that could hopeful-
ly grow into a greater aware-
ness and understanding.
Greenbelt Festival is pro-
duced by over 1600 volun-
teers, a small staff body and
a board of trustees, and has
been in existence since 1973.
“Greenbelt is a collision
of the arts, faith and justice.
Engaged with culture, in-
spired by the arts, sustained
by faith, we aspire to be an
open, generous community,
re-imagining the Christian
narrative for the present mo-
ment”.
For more information on
Greenbelt please visit: www.
greenbelt.org.uk
Greenbelt festival support for
Palestinians grows
It is estimated that 10
million people gathered
across the world to mark the
annual International Al Quds
day which takes place on the
final Friday of Ramadan, the
month of fasting for Muslims.
Protestors gather to show sol-
idarity with the Palestinian
people and call for an end to
Israel’s illegal occupation.
Al Quds day is gaining
popularity in many countries
across the world. However,
in the UK, demonstrations
were threatened by the pres-
ence of extremist right-wing
groups such as the English
Defence League (EDL), who
have caused great tensions
and initiated violence in cit-
ies across the UK promoting
their racist ideology. Also
amongst the racist and fascist
groups that threatened the
demonstrations were the Jew-
ish Defense League (JDL)
who have increasingly been
seen to be working alongside
the EDL. However the rally
went ahead in London as
protestors marched through
the streets in solidarity with
the oppressed people of Pal-
estine.
Millions gather for
Al Quds protest
EU Commissioner for
Trade, Kacel De Gucht was
accused of anti-Semitism af-
ter making comments on the
outcome of peace talks, attrib-
uting it to the strength of the
Jewish lobby on Capitol Hill.
Jewish leaders were angered
by the comments and Gucht
later apologised, stating that
the comments made were not
understood as they were in-
tended, and that there was no
place for anti-Semitism in the
world today.
EU Commissioner accused of Anti-Semitism
On November 8th, the
Jewish Federation General
Assembly in New Orleans
was attended by Benjamin
Netanyahu who gave a
keynote speech. Five young
Jews took the courageous
step of disrupting the speech
in order to draw the audi-
ence’s attention to the actions
of the state of Israel and its
politicians, which in their
view, forms the real de-legiti-
misation of Israel.
In Netanyahu’s speech,
he described the two great-
est threats to Israel as being
a nuclear Iran and ‘de-legit-
imisation’. The activists each
got up one at a time and pro-
tested about different aspects
of Israeli occupation which
in their view were the real
causes of de-legitimacy.
The courage that it took
for these young people to
stand up for justice in a room
full of 4,000 potentially hos-
tile supporters of Israel is
profound. Emily Ratner, Ei-
tan Isaacson, Rae Abileah,
Matan Cohen and Matthew
Taylor all stood up, risking
their safety and faced the
wrath of some in the crowd.
Each of them was forcibly
removed from the conference
hall, having endured physi-
cal restraint from others in
the hall, including attempts
to gag them, being pushed
to the ground, having their
clothes torn, and one of the
female protestors being held
in a chokehold by the presi-
dent of the Synagogue broth-
erhood.
The response from the
audience was mixed, from
extreme rage on the part of
some, to other young Jews
who said the scenes they wit-
nessed were a reflection of
their inner turmoil between
loyalty to Israel and opposi-
tion to the scale of suffering
in Palestine.
Netanyahu’s speech disrupted by
five young Jews in the US

6. AQSA NEWS
06 Special Feature - Jerusalem
One city, three faiths
By Sanam Mirza
Evictions
Demolitions Identity card revocations
Family unification laws
Palestinians are routine-
ly being removed from the
land that they have lived on
for millennia, as their right
to live in Jerusalem is being
revoked by Israel. Interior
ministry figures show that
more than 4,500 Palestin-
ians lost their Jerusalem resi-
dency in 2008, up from the
comparatively modest 91 in
1995. In addition to this, sec-
tions of Israel’s illegal Wall
have been deliberately built
through Palestinian areas of
Jerusalem, resulting in the
physical separation of 60,000
residents from the city.
For those lucky enough to
have retained their residency
rights so far, the picture is
bleak. Palestinian residents
live in cramped and over-
crowded conditions as Israel
rarely grants permission to
build new homes toArab resi-
dents. While Palestinian resi-
dents have an average of 11.9
square metres of living space,
their Israeli counterparts en-
joy double that amount with
23.8 square metres.
Palestinian residents who
choose to build houses with-
out ‘permits’which are rarely
granted, face demolitions de-
spite the lack of alternative
accommodation. Between
2004 and 2009 alone, 420
Palestinian homes were de-
molished in East Jerusalem
leaving 1,459 people home-
less.
Areport by Human Rights
Watch (HRW) in August this
year found that demolitions
in East Jerusalem have sig-
nificantly increased in 2010.
The razing of a Bedouin Pal-
estinian encampment in Isaw-
iya in October destroyed the
homes of six families. The
amount of land bulldozed in
this single incident amounted
to more than 50 dunams (12.5
acres). It is no coincidence
that these bulldozed homes
were close to an Israeli settle-
ment, Maale Adumim. Such
demolitions show no signs
of abating. On 25 October
Israeli police handed out 231
demolition orders to Palestin-
ians living in areas of East
Jerusalem including Silwan,
Shufat, Beit Hanina, Isawiya,
Wadi al-Dam and al Ras area
in Wadi al-Joz.
Israeli municipal authori-
ties have allocated 13% of
East Jerusalem for Palestin-
ian construction, while Israeli
settlements which are illegal
have been assigned 35%.
Israel has built 50,000 hous-
ing units for Jewish settlers
in East Jerusalem, as part
of a carefully devised cam-
paign to Judaise Jerusalem
by eliminating its Palestin-
ian populace and replacing it
with Israelis.
In 2005 Israel claimed that
it unilaterally “disengaged”
from the Gaza Strip. As a re-
sult of the “disengagement”,
Palestinian Jerusalemites
have been dealt a further dev-
astating blow as Israel arbi-
trarily declared that travelling
to and staying in Gaza, count-
ed as moving ‘abroad’ and
would mean a forfeit of their
right to return to Jerusalem.
All Palestinians are forced
to carry ID cards which limit
where they are allowed to
live, work and move. Now
Palestinians living in Gaza
(due to circumstances such
as work and marriage) but
carrying Jerusalem ID cards
are having their ID cards re-
voked or are simply barred
from re-entering Jerusalem
on the pretext that they are
living ‘abroad’. Without
their ID cards Palestinian
Jerusalemites are completely
barred from returning to their
homes. Jerusalemites can also
have their residence cards
taken away simply by marry-
ing Palestinians possessing a
Gaza or West Bank ID card.
This colonialist policy effec-
tively serves the Israeli aim
of changing the demograph-
ics of Jerusalem in favour of
Israelis.
Changes to family unifi-
cation laws have also allowed
Israel to thin the Palestinian
presence in Jerusalem. Since
2000 Israel de facto suspend-
ed all family unification proc-
esses, thus preventing Pal-
estinian Jerusalemites from
bringing their families from
other parts of the Occupied
Territories or abroad into East
Jerusalem. Legal discrimina-
tion cements the separation of
families as the ‘Citizenship
and Entry into Israel Law of
2003’ (most recently updated
in July 2010) serves the same
purpose of preventing uni-
fication of Palestinian fami-
lies in East Jerusalem and
Israel. Jewish citizens and
immigrants on the other hand
are legally entitled to obtain
residency and citizenship for
their relatives who are from
outside Jerusalem.
There is a great irony about the day on which I be-
gin to draft this article (11 November). Whilst all over
the world millions observe two minutes of silence to re-
member men who lost their lives in a fight to preserve
freedom in World War 1; a rather blind eye is turned to
the plight of some of those suffering the worst obstruc-
tions to freedom in our world today.
The general plight of the besieged Palestinians is to-
day more widely recognised than ever before. Yet one
carefully orchestrated campaign is stealthily continuing
almost unobserved and certainly unobstructed, in the
holy city of Jerusalem.

7. AQSA NEWS
07
The “Museum of Tolerance”
The Light Railway
The annexation of
Jerusalem by Israel and the
construction of Settlements
The legal position
Tensions around Masjid
Al Aqsa
Israel is also engaged in
activities designed to elimi-
nate the Palestinian-Islamic
and Christian heritage in Je-
rusalem. In one of its most
controversial moves in recent
times, Israeli authorities have
given the green light to the
building of a courthouse and
“Museum of Tolerance” on
the site of a historic Muslim
cemetery in the city, inevita-
bly involving the desecration
of Muslim graves.
Despite claims asserting
otherwise, as many as 1,500
Muslim graves were uproot-
ed from the Mamilla cem-
etery, just outside the walls of
Jerusalem’s Old City.
An investigation by
Haaretz, the liberal Israeli
newspaper, revealed the dis-
turbing nature of work car-
ried out at the museum site.
Workers told the newspaper
that ancient skulls and bones
were dug out in such haste
that some disintegrated as
a result. Shocking photo-
graphs published in the paper
showed remains from graves
stuffed into cardboard boxes.
Such outright desecration
of Muslim graves to eliminate
Palestinian heritage in Jeru-
salem has naturally outraged
Palestinians. Gideon Suli-
mani, a senior archaeologist
involved in initial excava-
tions, gave Haaretz a telling
insight: “They call this an ar-
chaeological excavation but
it’s really a clearing-out, an
erasure of the Muslim past.
It is actually Jews against
Arabs.”
A $500 million project to
build a ‘light railway’, which
will have Occupied East Je-
rusalem (OEJ) as one of its
central stations is another
new venture, aimed at con-
necting illegal settlements
around East Jerusalem with
West Jerusalem.
Six kilometres of railway
is set on a main street taken
from Arab property, while the
OEJ station is just 20 metres
away from the Damascus
Gate, the main gateway into
the Old City for Palestinians.
Once it is operational the OEJ
station will be used daily by
nearly 10,000 settlers from in
and around Occupied East Je-
rusalem. The daily congrega-
tion of such huge numbers of
Jewish settlers using the rail-
way will inevitably change
the dynamics outside the old
city, making it seem as if the
Palestinian neighbourhood is
actually a Jewish Israeli one.
Since the illegal occupa-
tion of East Jerusalem began
in 1967 Israel has made a
determined effort to limit the
city’s Palestinian influences
and choke it off from the wid-
er West Bank. Palestinians
in Jerusalem face restrictions
on residency, deportations,
house demolitions, land con-
fiscation, restricted access to
Holy sites, and other oppres-
sive measures as part of a
carefully thought out plan to
deny them their rightful pres-
ence in the city.
The ‘Greater Jerusalem’
project by Zionist politicians
and strategists continues to
be at the heart of such efforts.
By changing the boundaries
of Jerusalem so that settle-
ments are counted within
Jerusalem, Palestinians
have been outnumbered by
the Israelis living in East
Jerusalem.
Not only are settlements
being constantly expanded,
but plans to link individual
blocs of settlements are also
accelerating. One current
settlement project aims to
connect the Givat Zeev and
Ariel settlement blocs in the
north, Maale Adumim in the
center, and Gush Etzion in
the south. This plan would
also stretch east, connecting
to settlements in the West
Bank’s Jordan Valley.
The pace of expansion of
Israeli settlements is extraor-
dinary given that all settle-
ments in the West Bank (in-
cluding East Jerusalem) are
illegal. As a result more than
half a million Israelis are liv-
ing in these settlements in de-
fiance of International Law.
Israel has violated
countless UN resolutions
and International Laws by
colonising Palestinian land
in East Jerusalem. Israel’s
unilateral annexation of East
Jerusalem contravenes nu-
merous UN Security Council
and General Assembly Reso-
lutions, and is also prohibited
by Article 2 (4) of the Charter
of the United Nations and the
Fourth Geneva Convention.
Nonetheless, Israel is en-
trenching this annexation
by building its Separation
Wall around the ring of set-
tlements it has created on
occupied territories.
27 September 2010: extremist Israeli settlers attempt-•
ed to enter the sacred Al Aqsa Sanctuary in a deliber-
ately provocative move during the Israeli celebration
of Yom Kippur.
9 October 2010: the Israeli army prevented all Pal-•
estinian men under the age of 50 from praying the
Friday Jumu’ah prayers within the Sanctuary, forc-
ing thousands to pray in the streets surrounding the
walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. Israeli deployed 2,000
security personnel in the city.
Riots following the ban were met with deadly force by•
Israeli soldiers firing stun grenades, tear gas canisters
and rubber coated bullets.
Israeli forces arrested the Palestinian leader of the•
Islamic movement in Israel (and former mayor of
Um al-Fahm) Shaykh Raed Salah and on his release
prohibited him from entering the blessed city for 30
days.
Jerusalem before and after the Nakba:
Before 1948 - 40% of West Jerusalem was •
Palestinian owned and 26% Jewish.
After 1948 - 85% of Jerusalem was occupied by•
the Israelis and between 64,000 – 80,000
Palestinians were forced out of their homes.
In Israeli West Jerusalem, only 750 Arabs •
remained out of an original population of
28,000, as Zionist militia resorted to
intimidation, and terrorist attacks against
civilians
In the wider Jerusalem sub-district - 84% of•
land was Palestinian owned and just 2% Jewish
owned.
Of an initial population of 150,590 Arabs,•
42,000 remained in the city after 1948.
Occupied East Jerusalem:
East Jerusalem remained under Arab control until it was occupied•
and unilaterally annexed by Israel after the Six Day War in 1967.
Since its illegal occupation Jewish settlers have moved in and•
around East Jerusalem. The numbers have been steadily increasing:
1972: 8,649•
1983: 76,095•
1993: 152,800•
Today: approximately 250,000 illegal Israeli settlers in and •
around East Jerusalem
Their position in a belt around East Jerusalem allows settlements to•
cut the city off from the rest of the West Bank.
Palestinians represent 34% of the total population of East •
Jerusalem but live on only 7% of the land
Israel’s drive to nullify
the Palestinian claim to Je-
rusalem has resulted in at-
tempts to deny the Islamic
and Christian importance of
the city and access to Muslim
holy sites, notably Masjid Al
Aqsa, the third holiest site in
Islam.
Masjid Al Aqsa is a con-
stant target of Israeli ex-
tremists, while Israel does
little to prevent this. Former
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
sparked the Second Intifada
when he entered the Al Aqsa
compound with hundreds
of Israeli soldiers in 2000.
5, 500 Palestinians and 1,000
Israelis died as a result.
Recent tensions around
the Al Aqsa sanctuary have
increased due to the tunnel-
ling that Israel has carried
out which has weakened its
foundation in parts leading to
fears of collapse in the event
of earth tremors.
In the last four years Israel’s campaign to Judaise
Jerusalem has become increasingly relentless. Evictions
of Palestinians living in Jerusalem and the demolition
of their homes, whilst ever more illegal settlers arrive
to take their place, are now routine actions as part of a
wider campaign ultimately designed to cleanse the an-
cient city of its Arab- Islamic and Christian heritage and
population. Israeli actions in the last few years show no
signs of abating.
Sanam Mirza is a History graduate from the University of
Oxford. She is a writer and teacher.

8. AQSA NEWS
08
Jody McIntyre writing from
al-Nabi Saleh, Occupied West
Bank, Live from Palestine,
September 2010
Public servant Bassem
Mohammed al-Tamimi is
from al-Nabi Saleh, a small
village about 20 kilometers
northwest of Ramallah.
As coordinator of the local
Popular Committee, Tamimi
has played a leading role in
al-Nabi Saleh’s demonstra-
tions against the nearby il-
legal Israeli settlement and
military base of Halamish.
Jody McIntyre interviewed
al-Tamimi for The Electronic
Intifada.
Jody McIntyre: Tell me
about your personal experi-
ence of the occupation.
Bassem Mohammed al-
Tamimi: I was born in 1967,
and in my mind as a child
growing up, an Israeli is
someone who shoots at me,
questions me in prison, beats
me up, or someone I see as-
saulting women. I’ve been
jailed over 10 times in the
space of four years, mostly
for questioning or adminis-
trative reasons.
My sister was killed after
she was assaulted by a transla-
tor in an Israeli military court.
Right in front of the eyes of
the Israeli justice system, the
soldiers translating proceed-
ings beat her until she fell off
her chair, hit her head on the
ground and died. At the time,
I was in an Israeli jail being
interrogated. They used ille-
gal torture techniques on me
that induced haemorrhaging
and an eight-day coma, and
half my body remained para-
lyzed for a while.
These experiences did not
help the image I had of Israe-
lis, but after we started our
demonstrations in al-Nabi
Saleh and I met the Israeli
activists that would join us, I
realized that once the mental-
ity of the occupiers had been
removed from their minds,
they became humans just like
us. They became our friends,
they lived with us and ate and
slept in our homes. This gives
me the belief that one nation,
where we are all equal citi-
zens, is a possibility.
JM: Tell me about al-Nabi
Saleh.
BT: I moved to the area in
1976, when some people
from a settler organization
named Gush Emunim came
to form a settlement in the
place of an old army barracks
from the days of the British
occupation. People rose up to
demonstrate and eventually
managed to halt the move-
ment through legal action.
But after the rise of [Men-
achem] Begin’s Likud gov-
ernment in 1977 the settlers
tried again and this time they
were successful. They began
burning down the woodland
around the area, in order to
expand the settlement in eve-
ry direction.
Since that day in 1977,
the settlement has not stopped
encroaching on our lands, up-
rooting our trees and destroy-
ing anything and everything
in its wake. In 2002, they
began constructing the wall
around the settlement, steal-
ing even more of our olive
groves and farm land in the
process.
In 2008, the original land
owners succeeded in getting
an Israeli court order against
this route of the wall, but
despite this, no one from the
village has been allowed to
access their land behind the
wall. We wanted the court
order to make it clear to the
world that this wall is an il-
legal act of the occupation on
our land, even under Israeli
law!
JM: How did the popular
resistance begin in al-Nabi
Saleh?
BT: Al-Nabi Saleh has al-
ways had a strong history of
popular resistance. In 2001
the Israeli army laid siege to
one of the homes in the vil-
lage, which they occupied
and converted into a military
watch-tower and checkpoint.
For a whole month, we dem-
onstrated day and night out-
side the house, until the army
felt that it was impossible for
them to stay any longer.
In December 2009,
younger members of the vil-
lage started organizing pro-
tests here, alongside residents
of neighbouring villages, as
a way of raising awareness
about our situation. As soon
as the demonstrations began,
the settlers began destroying,
uprooting and burning more
than 150 of our olive trees,
but it only made us more de-
termined to continue in our
resistance.
After a couple of protests,
many women from the village
started to join us, but they
were immediately targeted by
the Israeli army, who know
the Palestinian mentality in
regards to defending the dig-
nity of our women. The sol-
diers arrested several women,
including my wife, who were
later interrogated and physi-
cally assaulted in jail. At the
very next demonstration,
they again attacked and ar-
rested several more women.
Then the army started tar-
geting homes in our village,
even before we set off, enter-
ing the village from a number
of directions.
Every week, we would
have an average of 20 casu-
alties in the hospital; some
would have broken jaws,
broken bones ... one guy
was shot in the head with a
rubber-coated steel bullet and
still suffers from the injury.
Some homes were targeted
with tear gas while the chil-
dren were inside, and we had
to break the windows to get
them out for fear of the gas
canisters setting fire to the
homes.As the demonstrations
continued, attacks of this na-
ture became more frequent.
They were trying to send us
a very clear message: “your
protesting will not get you
anywhere.” The last tactic
the army resorted to was to
demolish a number of homes
in the village. But despite the
suffering inflicted upon us,
these efforts can never match
the suffering of the occupa-
tion itself, and thus, it is the
occupation which we contin-
ue to struggle against.
JM: Do you think that the Is-
raeli army has been particu-
larly violent in al-Nabi Saleh
in order to crush the resist-
ance at an early stage?
BT: Of course they want to
crush our resistance! I told
you that on the day of the
very first demonstration, the
settlers burnt down 150 of
our olive trees, and this was
despite the fact that the land-
owners had gone to the dem-
onstration each carrying a
branch from those same olive
trees, as a symbol of peace
and their willingness for a
peaceful resolution. After
the settlers had burned down
our trees, there were no olive
branches left for us to carry.
We feel that the Israel
army and government try to
push the Palestinians towards
violent resistance, so they can
continue lying to the world
and spreading their propa-
ganda that the Palestinians
are only capable of reacting
violently.
JM: What role do you think
internationals should play in
the peace movement?
BT: The presence of inter-
nationals is important, but
what is far more important
is the presence of a Palestin-
ian agenda and leadership, so
that the people from abroad
can join us in our struggle.
Unfortunately, in some plac-
es we now have a situation
where the foreigners are out-
numbering the Palestinians,
and this is unacceptable.
Jody McIntyre is a journal-
ist from the UK. (Re-printed
with permission from EI.)
I am not Palestinian, I am
not Israeli, I am not Muslim
nor am I Jewish. But I am hu-
man. Despite what we may
have been told about this
conflict, this is all I need to
know to be able to judge be-
tween right and wrong. And
this summer it was finally
time for me to go and see the
Palestine I had thought so
much about. I wanted to look
the soldiers and the settlers in
the eye and tell them how the
whole world condemns them.
I wanted to look the Palestin-
ian mother in the eye and tell
her that more than anything I
want to see her son walk in a
free Palestine.
I first heard about the In-
ternational Solidarity Move-
ment (ISM) when I read
about Rachel Corrie, the 22
year old American ISM activ-
ist who was killed while try-
ing to prevent a home from
being bulldozed in Gaza in
2003. The requirements to
join ISM were simple; to be
over 18 years old, to be able
to stay for a minimum of 2
weeks and to agree with the
principles of ISM. ISM is
a Palestinian led solidarity
movement that resists the Is-
raeli apartheid through non-
violent measures. The volun-
teers are divided throughout
the West Bank and Gaza
and our activities included:
documenting the atrocities
committed by the Israeli De-
fence Forces in the villages
surrounded by growing set-
tlements, going on school pa-
trols and checkpoint watches,
helping the farmers who are
being prevented from farm-
ing their lands and most im-
portantly going to the weekly
demonstrations. These dem-
onstrations take place all over
the West Bank and Gaza and
are the very core of Palestin-
ian non-violent resistance
against the ongoing theft of
Palestinian land.
I will never forget the vil-
lage of Ni’lin that had lost
five of its young residents in
demonstrations in the past
two years. Or the East Je-
rusalem neighbourhood of
Sheikh Jarrah where a fam-
ily that had lost its home to
settlers would sit everyday
in front of the house, swear-
ing they would return so that
three-year-old Sarah could
live in her home one day.
Or the village of Al Ma’sara
where a British circus group
had come to entertain the
children, and the soldiers tear
gassed the crowd within five
minutes. I left a part of me in
each of these places and the
struggle for a free Palestine is
now also my struggle.
I encourage you all to
start learning more about
what is happening in Pales-
tine and from the bottom of
my heart I encourage you
all to visit Palestine. It will
change your views on hu-
manity forever and you will
not have to choose which
‘side’ you stand on, you will
know it in a heartbeat.
Anna visited Palestine
September/October 2010
“We Need to Nationalize the
Resistance”
This edition of Aqsa News presents the grassroots picture of the Pales-
tinian people – one of resistance, of activism and of determination. The
following interview was conducted by Electronic Intifada, an organisa-
tion committed to providing comprehensive public education on the
question of Palestine.
To live as a Palestinian
for a moment
By Anna Sekular
A view for NABI SALEH Tomb in the West Bank village of NABI SALEH, near Ramallah

9. AQSA NEWS
09
As the end of 2010 fast
approaches it is a good time
to reflect on the past year of
campaigning for a free Pales-
tine. Many of us were skep-
tical when the latest Peace
Talks commenced, and un-
fortunately it seems that our
skepticism was well places.
The Netanyahu government
has shown its real lack of
ability or willingness to com-
promise on the most basic is-
sue – illegal settlements.
It was difficult not to feel
resentment against the US
government for its attempted
bribery of Israel for a meager
3 month extension on the
settlement freeze – to what
end? For the resumption of
this illegal activity by Israel
once the 3 months are up?
What the US was offering
was to pay Israel not to break
the law – the only word that
springs to mind is ‘absurd’.
As the greatest superpower
of our time, the US should
be leading the charge against
Israel in the International
Criminal Court, but instead,
they invite its government for
dinner and plead and cajole
for a meaningless extension
to settlement building.
This latest act of political
exploitation of the Palestinian
people and their cause brings
home yet again the fact that
it is up to the ordinary peo-
ple in the streets of the cit-
ies around the world to exert
their influence and power in
order to bring an end to the
occupation, as our leadership
has failed to take an impartial
stance on it for decades, and
has allowed Israel to break
every conceivable interna-
tional law which protects oc-
cupied people.
We must continue in the
struggle, by lobbying, cam-
paigning, boycotting and
raising awareness.
Last but not least, we
must pray that peace in the re-
gion is achieved before even
greater misery is witnessed
by the children of Palestine.
Ismail Patel
Update from Friends of Al-AqsaAll that is in the heavens and all that is in the
earth glorifies Allah; unto Him belongs
sovereignty and unto Him belongs praise, and
He is Able to do all things.
Thank you for your donations!
Many of you donated thousands of pounds towards our projects in Palestine during Ramadhan. Food
parcels have now been received by many poverty stricken Palestinian families and will ensure that they have
the basics for everyday living – for the time being. Water tanks have also been installed in numerous homes
bringing some relief to young and old alike. A big thank you comes from the families who benefitted from your
generosity!
Israeli Committee Against House
Demolitions UK Tour
Friends of Al-Aqsa supported the UK tour by the Israeli Com-
mittee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) which aimed to
raise awareness about the demolition of Palestinian homes by
Israel. Salim and Arabiya Shawamreh from Palestine spoke in
numerous British cities to help raise funds for the rebuilding
of Palestinian homes.
They didn’t just demolish our house, they
knocked down the walls, cut down the trees,
and they killed everything inside us. That is the
Israeli Occupation.
Arabiya Shawamreh
Friends of Al- Aqsa hosted the pair and other group members
at a public meeting in London which was just one stop in a
tour that travelled all the way to Edinburg and back. The issue
of house demolitions continues to plague Palestinians caus-
ing immense suffering to all family members, especially little
children.
The annual lobby day in Par-
liament was held on Wednes-
day 24th November. Each
year, all solidarity organiza-
tions call on their supporters
to lobby their MPs on the
issue of Palestine. This year,
over 100 MPs were met and
the issue of the Siege on Gaza
and Universal Jurisdiction
were top on the agenda.
The day was concluded
with a meeting in Parlia-
ment chaired by Jeremy
Corbyn MP and attended by
a number of other MPs and
individuals. Speaking to the
crowded room, Ismail Patel,
Chair of Friends of Al-Aqsa
reminded everyone why we
need to fight to preserve our
laws on Universal Jurisdic-
tion. He stated that the laws
were developed hundreds of
years ago for the greater good
of all people, and to allow the
state of Israel to pressure us
to change a law so that War
Criminals can still visit us is
unacceptable. He reminded
everyone that Israel itself
used Universal Jurisdiction to
rightly prosecute war crimi-
nal Adolph Eichmann, and
yet it is trying to restrict this
right for the British public.
His final reminder was that
only Israeli politicians who
had committed war crimes
would have to fear arrest, as
there has never been a misuse
of this law in Britain histori-
cally. This reminder was well
timed, especially in light of
the apparent misunderstand-
ing by some politicians about
the reasons why the proposal
to change the law has been
made. They are being told
that the law is being misused
by ‘interest groups’ when in
fact there is no evidence of
this being the case at all.
Lobby Day 2010 – A Great Success!
Dear Editor,
Without the Balfour Declaration there wouldn’t have been a
Mandate for Palestine, without the Mandate there wouldn’t
have been a British administration, without the British ad-
ministration there wouldn’t have been a situation in which the
Jewish presence was able to develop the attributes necessary
for a Jewish state to become a reality and Zionism to flourish.
How was Britain thanked for the birth of Israel? By the death
of 784 soldiers in the final scramble by Zionists to grab more
than their share of this tiny country. Have they apologised for
killing so many Britons? No!
Has the British government ever acknowledged the role of the
armed forces in the attempt to achieve an amicable conclu-
sion to forty years of political blunders? No, quite the reverse.
Politicians and commentators prefer to ignore those three con-
troversial, violent years of Jewish terrorism.
Yours,
Eric Lowe
Author. Forgotten Conscripts, Prelude to Palestine’s Struggle
for Survival. Private soldier serving in Palestine 1947-48
Aqsa News
Aqsa News is published quarterly by
Friends of Al-Aqsa.
To contact the Editorial Department, or to
respond to an article or send a letter,
email us at: info@aqsa.org.uk
Letters - To The Editor,
“ “

10. AQSA NEWS
10 Merchandise
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11. AQSA NEWS
11
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Foreword by Friends of Al-Aqsa
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12. AQSA NEWS
12 Fun & Games
COMPETITION
WIN!£20ARGOSVOUCHER!
The Year of the Elephant
This story begins in the land of Yemen. There was once a King by the name of Abraha who built a large temple - larger than the Ka’bah in
Makkah! Abraha wanted everyone to visit his temple and not the Ka’bah. But people just did not come. They carried on making pilgrimage
to Makkah.
Abraha became very angry at this and decided that he would destroy the Ka’bah. So, he got together a huge army, and with that army he
also brought together large and powerful elephants, and made his way to Makkah.
Meanwhile, in Makkah, the grandfather of the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) whose name was Abdul Muttalib, saw
what Abraha was planning to do, but he was not afraid. In fact, when the army reached Makkah, he confidently said:
“The house has a Lord who will protect it.”
Abraha was not convinced. So he continued on his mission, without realising that Allah had another plan.
The elephants in Abraha’s army who were supposed to help to destroy the Ka’bah stopped in their tracks. They refused to move. Abraha
and the soldiers were greatly disturbed.
Suddenly, birds began to cover the entire sky so that none of it could be seen. The world went dark, and the birds began to drop stones of
baked clay that they were carrying in their beaks. Even with the smallest stone the largest elephant would fall to the ground. The plan to
destroy the Ka’bah had failed as Abraha’s army was destroyed.
The people of Makkah were overjoyed and began to cheer. Abraha’s army was defeated and the Ka’bah was safe! Allah protected the Ka’bah
and the people of Makkah, and from this story we learn that if we trust Allah and ask Him to protect us, then no army in the world can
cause any harm.
The story of the Elephant has been mentioned in the Quraan in Surah Al – Fil. Do you know this Surah?
Send your answers with
your name, age and
address to: Friends of
Al-Aqsa, PO Box 5127,
Leicester, LE2 0WU. You
can also email us your
answers for the 13-18
year old competition to:
info@aqsa.org.uk but
please put ‘competition’
as the subject heading.
Deadline for both
competitions is 31st of
May 2010. Good luck
inshallah!
Storytime
The following word search
is based on the story of
the Year of Elephants.
Find the words and send
us your answers for your
chance to win!
WORDS
Ka’bah
Abraha
Makkah
Surah
Protect
Birds
Clay
Stones
Elephants
Wordsearch
12 years old or under?

13. AQSA NEWS
13
13-18 Years Old?
Answer the following five questions for a chance to win the prize for
this edition of Aqsa News (*clue* you can find the answer to each of
these questions in articles throughout the paper).
1) When did the UN vote to partition Palestine take place and why did
the partition plan come about?
2) Early this year, the Israeli cabinet approved a controversial decision
to make non-Jewish citizens take an oath of loyalty. Under this
measure, what would non-Jewish citizens have to declare allegiance to?
3) Which European country recently ended an arms contract with
Israel?
4) On the last Friday of Ramadan people all around the world gathered
to show support and solidarity with the people of Palestine – what is
this day known as?
5) Since the end of the freeze on settlement building, an Israeli
watchdog has said that the rate of settlement construction has now
increased. How much has the rate of settlement construction
increased by?
Sudoku
Can you make each column, each row and each of the nine
sub-grids that make up this puzzle contain the numbers
1 to 9?
Try your luck – but don’t pull your hair out!
Not so fast!
Now before you turn away thinking that there is
no point in contacting your local MP, remember
that whilst the media does have an impact on
people’s perceptions of certain issues, it is the
MP’s who are really in the position to make
decisions – decisions that will affect you.
And since you have the power to hold them to
account – after all without your support and the
support of other constituents, they will be out of a
job - you can ensure that your voice is listened to.
To make sure this is done in the most effective
way, it helps to begin building this ‘positive
relationship’ from now. This means that when an
issue does arise that you are not happy about, you
are in a better position and will have easier access
to your local MP. They are also more likely to take
what you have to say seriously since you have
already built up a relationship based on respect.
So how do you go about ‘building
this relationship’? It’s easy. Make
an appointment to visit your MP
and just chat about issues – most
MP’s will hold regular surgeries and
you should be able to find details of
this from your local councils.
Not so hard eh?
Now, when Early Day Motions (EDM)’s or Action
Alerts are sent to you by Friends of Al Aqsa, you
can quite easily contact your local MP knowing
that they will hopefully be more inclined to take
your concerns on board, and speak to the relevant
people.
Bear in mind that your local MP is your window to
access other MP’s who may have greater powers –
for example if you were to email William Hague,
it is highly unlikely that you will get the response
you are looking for – in most cases it will be a
civil servant issuing a general response. However,
since your local MP has an obligation to listen to
your concerns, if you can convince them of your
argument, they can take the case up with other
MP’s who may have more clout. That way, your
case is put forward to more than just one person.
So what are you waiting for? Find out when your
next MP’s surgery is going to be held,
and make an appointment!
Let us know how it went by emailing
editor@aqsa.org.uk for a chance to
get your letter and feedback published
in the next edition of Aqsa News.
Get Political Know your history...
For this edition of Aqsa News, we will focus on the month of November, and take
a look back into history to see what was happening in Palestine, right up to 1947.
2 November 1917
Balfour Declaration – a formal
statement of policy by the British
Government declaring that the
government would “view with
favour the establishment of a
national home for the Jewish in
Palestine”29 November 1947
UN vote on the partition of
Palestine. The Proposal for
Partition ignored many rights of
international law, including
majority rule and right to
self-determination. 30 November 1947
Civil War - Jewish and Arab
communities of Palestine clash,
while the British organise their
withdrawal from Palestine.15 November 1988
Palestinian Declaration of
Independence. Palestinian Nation-
al Council proclaims a State of
Palestine at Algiers. Declaration
proclaims a “State of Palestine on
our Palestinian territory with its
capital Jerusalem”
11 November 2004
Yasser Arafat dies aged 75 after
undergoing medical treatment.8 November 2006
IDF shells hit a row of houses in
the Gaza Strip town of Beit
Hanoun, killing 19 Palestinians
and wounding more than 40. Israel
apologizes and attributes the
incident to a technical
malfunction. 27 November 2007
Annapolis Conference. A Mid-
dle East peace conference held in
USA trying to resolve the Israel –
Palestine Conflict.
In the last edition of Aqsa News, we focussed on media monitoring and how to respond positively to
the media, both when there is biased reporting and fair reporting. This edition, we focus on
building a relationship with your local MP.
COMPETITION
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14. AQSA NEWS
14 Update: Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
29th November 1947 -
the UN voted to partition
Palestine.
This was to be one
month, one moment, one
decision that would change
the entire demography, and
shape a future of conflict
between Palestine, and
what was to become the
state of Israel.
It is the story of how
one party (the Israelis)
was awarded land belong-
ing to a second party (the
Palestinians) without their
permission, by a third body
(the UN) who had no right
to do so.
Britain held a Mandate
over Palestine and after
the Second World War
had been declared in 1939,
Jews and Arabs in Pales-
tine allied themselves with
the British. Zionists aimed
to create a Jewish battalion
within the army and were
able to train to the highest
levels.
Once the Zionist forces
had risen to a position of
power, they began to attack
British interests in Pales-
tine, to the extent that Brit-
ain could no longer deal
with the atrocities commit-
ted. In April 1947, the Brit-
ish approached the inexpe-
rienced and still teething
United Nations to consider
the future of Palestine.
What resulted was the
United Nations Partition
Plan for Palestine, other-
wise known as UN Resolu-
tion 181 (II) Future Gov-
ernment of Palestine. The
resolution recommended
an end to the British Man-
date in Palestine and in-
stead suggested the parti-
tion of territory into two
states, one Arab and the
other Jewish. Under these
terms, 56% of the land was
awarded to the Jewish mi-
nority of 32%, and the re-
maining land left to Pales-
tinians. The land awarded
to form the state of Israel
was also the most fertile.
Whilst Zionist leaders
accepted the partition plan,
Palestinians were outraged
– and understandably so,
since over 50% of their
land was being handed
over to a minority in the
country amounting to an
enormous injustice that no
people would accept. The
vote was passed with 33 in
favour, 13 against and 10
abstentions. The passing of
the vote marked the begin-
ning of a civil war which
lasted for 20 months until
Israel declared itself a state
and the Palestinians lost
78% of their homeland.
In HistoryActors & Academics boycott Settlements
60 of Israel’s most promi-
nent actors, writers and di-
rectors pledged to boycott
planned performances in the
illegal settlement of Ariel in
the West Bank. The decision
was then followed by 150
academics who vowed not to
lecture or participate in any
discussions taking place in
settlements.
The academics explained
the move in a petition saying:
“We support the theatre art-
ists refusing to play in Ariel,
express our appreciation of
their public courage and
thank them for bringing the
debate on settlements back
into the headlines… We’d
like to remind the Israeli pub-
lic that like all settlements,
Ariel is also in occupied ter-
ritory.”
Ariel is a settlement
in the West Bank housing
around 20,000 illegal Israeli
settlers. It is home to a new
£6.4m cultural centre where
the actors were supposed to
perform before they decided
to boycott.
An Israeli newspaper re-
ported in October that the
Irish Ministry of Defence has
cancelled a contract with Is-
rael to supply the Irish army
with over 20 million bullets
annually. The Irish Minis-
try of Defence have decided
to sign alternative contracts
with Brazil and Belgium.
Irish press have interpreted
this as a response to the use
of forged Irish passports over
the assassination of Mah-
moud al Mabhouh.
A boycott campaign has
been launched in two city
universities in Montreal after
a recent report revealed how
links between the universities
“serve to normalize the Israeli
state’s policies of institution-
alized oppression...”
Students, professors and
staff at McGill and Concor-
dia universities are calling
on their schools to cut ties
with the Israeli Institute of
Technology, more commonly
known as Technion Univer-
sity.
The Haifa based univer-
sity enrols approximately
12,600 students and prides
itself on far-reaching links
to Israeli military technology
manufacturers and to the mil-
itary itself. A report in 2009
by the Alternative Informa-
tion Center stated that the
university has “has all but en-
listed itself in the military.”
Archbishop Desmond
Tutu urges boycott
Archbishop Desmond
Tutu has called on a South
African Opera company to
boycott performing in Israel
due to its apartheid policies.
The Noble peace prize laure-
ate compared the treatment of
Palestinians to South Africa’s
own ere of racial apartheid
and stated that it would be
“unconscionable” to show
support for such an action.
Despite this intervention, the
opera company have stated
that they will go ahead with
the tour.
A visit to the Netherlands
by 30 Israeli Mayors was can-
celled after The Association
of Netherlands Municipalities
(VNG) found that amongst
the delegation, would be
heads of settlements in the
occupied West Bank.
The visit, which was
planned by the Israeli branch
of the American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee
(JDC) was originally planned
for Spain, but did not go
ahead due to the events on the
Freedom Flotilla. The visit
was then moved to Holland,
however, the list of the May-
ors who would be attending
revealed that Mayors from
settlements would be part of
the delegation – something
previously unknown. The
VNG cancelled the trip, stat-
ing that the issue was “politi-
cally sensitive”.
The Palestinian Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions
National Committee (BNC)
have welcomed the decision
and saluted the courage of the
VNG. The VNG have come
under pressure from certain
right-wing groups within the
government but remain firm
in support of international
law and human rights, as it
did during the South African
apartheid when the Dutch
government were unwilling
to hold the apartheid state to
account.
The BNC used the occa-
sion to reiterate that there are
over 150 settlements in the
Occupied West Bank, hous-
ing 475,000 settlers who oc-
cupy more that 40% of the
West Bank land.
A former captain in the
Israeli Air Force who was
known to be an ardent Zion-
ist has taken a stand against
Israeli aggression, and joined
the movement calling for
boycott, divestment and sanc-
tions against Israel.
Since making his new
position known, 38-year-old
Yonatan Shapira has faced
verbal abuse, death threats,
interrogation by the Israeli
Secret Service Shin Bet and
has been fired from his job.
However, he continues to par-
take in actions to bring justice
to the Palestinians. Most re-
cently, Shapira was aboard
the boat to Gaza organised by
Jews for Justice, in an effort
to break the illegal siege.
He said, “Now I believe
Israel is a racist state that
brutalizes the Palestinians in
the Occupied Territories and
discriminates against [Pal-
estinians] within Israel. My
friends and I have come to
the conclusion that the only
way to save Israel from itself
is through international sup-
port of the boycott, disinvest-
ment and sanctions campaign
against Israel.”
He further stated, “The
current government is the
most extreme and right-wing
Israeli government ever. It is
no longer enough to try and
change Israel from within.
Israel has to be pressured
in the same way apartheid
South Africa was forced to
change.”
Former Zionist advocates boycott
Israeli Settlement mayors
not welcome
Campus Boycott In Montreal
Ireland cancels arms
contract with Israel
Palestinians in the occu-
pied West Bank have called
for a boycott of the popular
Israeli supermarket chain
Ramy Levi, which has sev-
eral stores in illegal settle-
ments. Many Palestinians are
attracted to shop in the store
due to low prices but activ-
ists within the Popular Strug-
gle Coordination Committee
(PSCC) are trying to raise
awareness of the impact of
this. One of the group organ-
isers explained the absurdity
of Palestinians supporting the
Israeli occupation in such a
way, particularly when alter-
natives do exist.
Palestinian campaign for
supermarket boycott

15. AQSA NEWS
15
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an urgent need emerges for specialist medical support. MiST particularly helps the poorest people in the world who often
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Charity Number #1132221 For more information on our projects or if you want to get in touch with us please check our website: www.mistngo.org.uk
Actress from ‘Harry Potter’
Embarrassed by Israel
Actress Miriam Margol-
yes who stars in Harry Pot-
ter recently went on a visit
to West Bank refugee camps
with the charity ‘Action Aid’
and said she was embar-
rassed by what Israel was do-
ing. Herself a Jew, she stated
that the Palestinians were not
to blame for the Holocaust
and that Israel should apolo-
gise for all its cruelty, just
as Germany had apologised
for the Holocaust. She made
the comments on the BBC’s
Andrew Marr Show and has
been criticised by pro-Israelis
for her show of sympathy.
UNESCO Supports Muslim
Claim to Tomb of Rachel
TheWorldcultureandher-
itage organization UNESCO
has classified the Tomb of
Rachel situated in Bethlehem
in the Occupied West Bank as
both a mosque and a holy site
in Judaism. Earlier this year,
the Israeli government listed
the site as an Israeli heritage
site, despite it being within
Occupied Territories and
therefore not something that
Israel can legally lay claim
to. Israel’s response has been,
some say predictably, to un-
dermine UNESCO for taking
this objective position and
recognizing the joint Jewish-
Muslim claim to the site.
Little Progress in Peace Talks
The latest peace talks
between Palestinians and Is-
raelis began on 2 September
2010 and are ongoing. De-
spite news reports about the
Middle East being dominated
by this news, many have com-
mented that there has been
little to show for the work.
The talks, which have
been largely mediated by the
US, have involved numerous
discussions and negotiations
between Israeli Prime Minis-
ter Benjamin Netanyahu and
Palestinian representative
Mahmoud Abbas.
Many have stated that the
reason for such little progress
is twofold. Firstly, that Pales-
tinians are being pushed into
talks with a gun to the head
and therefore have no power
to negotiate, but instead sim-
ply submit to Israel’s unfair
demands. Without beginning
with a level playing field, ne-
gotiations can be expected to
be extremely one-sided. The
second drawback is that the
Palestinian Authority, rep-
resented by Mahmoud Ab-
bas has little authority and
legitimacy and Hamas, who
control the Gaza Strip have
been entirely sidelined from
talks. The possibility of peace
in the regions of Israel, Gaza
and the West Bank seems
doubtful if Israel is unpre-
pared to speak with all parties
involved.
Furthermore, Israel con-
troversially ended a ten-
month settlement freeze on
26 September despite being
urged by numerous states and
the UN to extend the freeze.
This jeopardized already
shaky talks and caused fur-
ther tensions between the two
sides. At the time of writing
(November 2010), the US
were in the process of at-
tempting to restart direct ne-
gotiations between the two
sides.
Canada’s
Support for
Israel
Canadian Prime minister
Stephen Harper showed un-
questioning support for Israel
during a speech to a gathering
of international parliamentar-
ians and experts, stating that
Israel was “consistently and
conspicuously singled out for
condemnation.” He has been
criticised for showing a lack
of balance and perspective
in his unstinting support for
Israel and ignoring its human
rights record.
Palestinian Secretary
General Arrested
Israeli armed forces ar-
rested the Secretary-General
of the Palestinian Legislative
Council, Dr Mahmoud Al-
Ramahi, from his West Bank
home in the City of Al Bira.
Witnesses said that the heav-
ily armed forces surrounded
Al-Ramahi’s home in the pre-
dawn hours before storming it
and taking him into custody.
The arrest has been widely
condemned by both the Re-
form and Change bloc of the
Palestinian Legislative Coun-
cil and the Islamic Resistance
Movement, Hamas.
BT Accused of
Complicity in
Israeli Occupation
In a report produced by
War on Want, British firm
BT is accused of having
close ties with Israeli com-
pany Bezeq International and
giving the firm preferential
access to its products, even
though the company provides
services to illegal Israeli set-
tlements, checkpoints and
army bases in the Occupied
West Bank. As a result of the
report, several activist groups
are launching boycott action
against BT.

16. ASH-SHIFA
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Ismail Adam Patel
Challenging Narratives
Women in Islam
WomeninIslam:ChallengingNarrativesIsmailAdamPatel
ves exist regarding women in Islam and
of much criticism from theWest levelled
n.The discrepancies between Islamic
he practice of Muslim communities are
ng Narratives intends to address certain
men in Islam and dispel some common myths.
k also challenges the accepted narrative that
n cultures are emancipated.
in Islam’ provides a more accurate
position conferred to women within the
often illusive in Muslim communities around
discourse scrutinises the impact of the
ting new ideals for women that negate their
home, and assesses whether this has created
men in the modern era.
iter and a campaigner. He is Chairman and
a, a UK based NGO dedicated to campaigning for
ured widely on a number of political and social
d has authored books and articles on an array of
advisor for several other organisations
m and Clear Conscience. A graduate of the
stitute of Science andTechnology, he is an
VIATOR BOOKS
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Women in Islam
Challenging Narratives
Ismail Adam Patel
Many conflicting narratives exist regarding women in Islam and this subject is the cause of much criticism
from theWest levelled against Islam as a religion.The discrepancies between Islamic religious discourse
and the practice of Muslim communities are often disregarded.
Women in Islam, Challenging Narratives intends to address certain misconceptions about women in Islam
and dispel some common myths. At the same time, this book also challenges the accepted narrative that
women in modernWestern cultures are emancipated.
The chapter titled ‘Women in Islam’ provides a more accurate representation of the lofty position
conferred to women within the Islamic tradition, which is often illusive in Muslim communities around the
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A final analysis of feminist discourse scrutinises the impact of the feminist movement on setting new
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10 and 11
AQSA NEWS
16
John Ging: conditions in Gaza
have not changed
UNRWA’s John Ging
said in a statement in No-
vember that the conditions in
Gaza have not changed since
Israel declared that it would
lift the blockade, suggesting
that the occupying state has
been misleading the world.
The siege of Gaza has contin-
ued now for more than four
years and it has created abject
poverty and misery in Gaza.
Mr Ging went on to say that
“The ease as described was
nothing more than a political
ease of pressure on Israel and
Egypt.”
10 year sentence likely for Ameer Makhoul
Political prisoner Ameer
Makhoul is likely to be
charged with crimes which
could see him imprisoned for
up to 10 years. Human rights
organisations have rubbished
‘trumped up’ charges which
Israel has brought forward,
including the unlikely charge
of being a spy for Hezbol-
lah. Makhoul was the leader
of a non-violent resistance
movement, and many in Pal-
estine view his arrest and the
charges as part of Israel’s
war against Palestinian civil
society and its non-violent
protests against occupation
policies and the illegal sepa-
ration Wall.
Violence against Palestinians rises as olive
harvest season begins
Palestinian farmers har-
vesting their olives usually
face attack from Israeli set-
tlers and this has been well-
documented by various in-
ternational solidarity groups.
During 6 weeks in September
and October, 25 olive trees
were vandalised leading to
several Israeli human rights
organizations sending an ur-
gent letter to Israeli military
commanders calling for the
protection of Palestinians
and their property against ex-
tremist settler violence. Most
of the incidents take place at
Palestinian villages which
border illegal settlements.
Voter disillusion with Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg, leader of
the Liberal Democrats has in
the past been known for his
balanced view on the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict and has
rebuked Israel for its aggres-
sion, when other leaders and
members of government have
shied away. However, since
the Coalition Government
formed, the stance of our
Deputy Prime Minister seems
to have clearly shifted.
In an article in The
Guardian last year, Clegg
commented on the situation
in Gaza stating:
“...And what has the Brit-
ish government and the in-
ternational community done
to lift the blockade? Next
to nothing. Tough-sounding
declarations are issued at
regular intervals but little
real pressure is applied. It
is a scandal that the interna-
tional community has sat on
its hands in the face of this
unfolding crisis.”
Despite holding such a
strong opinion in the past,
some commentators are sug-
gesting that the pressure
of being in Coalition with
the Conservative party has
proved all too much for the
‘former Liberal Democrat’.
Since entering his new role,
Clegg has welcomed the ap-
pointment of Lord Trimble (a
founding member of the in-
ternational ‘Friends of Israel
Initiative’) to the internal in-
quiry panel investigating the
attack on the Mavi Marmara;
congratulated the Liberal
Democrats Friends of Israel
for their work and claimed to
be in admiration of the “dem-
ocratic traditions and liberal
ethos of life within Israel”
and attended his own party’s
Friends of Israel fringe meet-
ing whilst failing to show at
the Liberal Democrat Friends
of Palestine meeting.
The marked shift in
Clegg’s position has been
evident in many spheres, and
appears to contradict the Lib-
eral Democrat constitution
Preamble which a sizeable
proportion of the British pub-
lic voted for at the last general
election – the championing of
freedom and dignity, opposi-
tion to inequality, promotion
of human rights and the com-
mitment to “fight poverty,
oppression, hunger, igno-
rance, disease and aggression
wherever they occur…”

17. AQSA NEWS
17

18. Refusnik! Or Ben David
20 year old Or Ben David is visiting
the UK to talk about her experiences
as a Refusnik – an Israeli who
refused to serve in the Israeli
Defence Force. She is a remarkable
young woman who has shown
resilience and determination to fight
for what she believes in. We caught
up with Or during her visit to
Leicester in October 2010.
Q. Tell us about yourself
I was born in West Jerusalem and I have a twin brother as well as four other siblings. I went
to school in Jerusalem and up until the age of 14 I didn’t know any Arab Israelis or Palestinians.
I did a lot of volunteering work and when I was 14, I remembered going into the West Bank to
join a demonstration against the building of the Separation Wall in Bil’in. This was the first time
I met Palestinians, and it was a moment of truth. I suddenly realised that they were not all terror-
ists as we were led to believe. I also learnt for the first time what occupation really meant.
If you are Jewish and going through a check point, it is easy as you just get waved through.
You tend not to notice the Palestinians waiting in their cars or in the queues, often for hours.
For the first time, I looked at them. I realised what the army does to demonstrators and what a
closure really is. And I also realised the reality of demolitions.
I met international activists, some of whom were almost fanatical and others were inspiring
in their belief in peace.
I continued to volunteer within the community and this meant that I was not conscripted into
the army until I turned 19. I refused to join, as I believe in the good in all people and this belief
makes me certain that we can achieve peace.
Q. How did your friends and family re-
spond to your decision?
The response I received was mixed
and the next few months were very chal-
lenging. My mum is the daughter of a
Holocaust survivor and my dad fought
in the Israeli army during previous wars.
They were not happy at all with my de-
cisions – they told me that people had
died for me to be able to live peacefully
in Israel and so I needed to do my bit for
the next generation of Israelis. There is
always the argument that we need to pro-
tect the country. My parents also found it
tough as others were criticising them for
not being good parents. We argued about
it and in the end, my father said he would
be behind me even though he does not
agree with me because I am his daugh-
ter. My mother found it harder, and she
called me in jail once and suggested roles
in the army that would help people, but
I refused.
I lost some friends, but I believe that
if they cannot accept me for who I am,
then they weren’t friends to start with.
Q. What made you decide not to serve in the Israeli Army?
Everyone in Israel believes in the Army. From a young age we are taught what you have to
join the army because of what happened to Jews in the past. Everyone says Israel has the most
moral army in the world, but going to the West Bank and seeing what the army has done out
there made me determined not to be a part of it.
I first thought maybe I could go in the army and be a good soldier. But then I realised I was
not capable of holding a gun or wearing a uniform that symbolises the occupation. In the army,
it doesn’t matter what act you are doing, even paper work as you are part of a violent act (the
occupation.)
When I told the Army that I would not join, they asked why and I told them about the oc-
cupation. The responses were mixed – some were aggressive negative responses, and others
actually understood.
In Palestine, the response was also mixed. There were those who still did not care whether
I was in the army or not, they still saw me as the enemy who had caused them so much pain.
But most Palestinians welcomed it. I think the Palestinians who responded negatively did so
because of the pain that they felt under occupation, and this is a pain that I see on the Israeli side
too, from those who have suffered from Palestinian acts of violence. One of my friends who
was affected by a terrorist act when she was young which killed her best friend still carries this
pain with her as Palestinians do.
Q. What happened to you after you refused to join the Army?
I was put in prison for 4 months when I was 19. It was an army prison and everyone within
it was treated as a soldier. We were anonymous and everyone had a number and everyone was
treated the same. I responded by refusing to behave like a soldier. So I did not respond when
I was called ‘soldier’, I laughed and sang and generally disturbed the prison conditions. I was
taken on a number of trials for misbehaviour, and in the end I think they gave up and declared
that I was not ‘sane’ and so I was released.
One of the officers of the prison came to me and said she respected what I did and she
wished she could be as courageous. With another commander, she told me we had to go in the
army by law and it was not a choice. But I told her we all have a choice with what we do. In
Nazi Germany, if the SAS soldiers had refused to join then imagine how many people might
not have been killed. I do believe that joining the Army is a choice and I don’t judge anyone for
their choice, but they cannot deny that it is their choice.
They released me on the grounds that I was mentally ill – they usually use this excuse when
they realise that there is nothing they can do to change someone’s mind. I was clearly not go-
ing to give up. Others I know have now also refused to serve in the army, including my twin
brother.
Q. What was it like growing up in Israel?
There is a focus on the Jewish history of persecution and the Holocaust. I visited Poland
when I was 17 in an organised school trip. We went to learn about the Holocaust. I saw what
happened at the concentration camps and other terrible things that will always stay with me.
But I also saw that this trip was trying to indoctrinate us with the idea that we are under threat
and we need to join the Israeli army to deter the threat. While this was not the only purpose of
the trip, it was a strong element as they drew a link between the Holocaust and the army so that
we feel compelled to join the army.
Q. What are your hopes for the future in Israel and Palestine?
What I want is a one state solution or no states at all. However, because of the pain I see
in people - those in their 40’s have only ever seen occupation and violence - as a result I don’t
think there can be a one state solution.
On the other hand I don’t think you can build a wall between them and have a solution as
this only masks the pain felt by both sides. I believe we need to keep educating people and I
believe that Israel as the occupiers have a lot of responsibility, such as over Gaza. We are now
obligated to do things like build schools and roads and help them with the government because
we destroyed their society. Palestinians are capable of doing it for themselves, but there is a lot
of chaos at the moment between the factions.
AQSA NEWS
18 Interview