1. Only a few hundred of the 1.5
million residents of the strip
have been allowed to leave
since June 2007. The hospitals
no longer have vital medicines,
food and essentials are in short
supply and over 80% of the
population are reliant on food
hand outs.
Those suffering the greatest
are medical patients who are
in desperate need of treatment
which is only available in
neighbouring countries.
New born babies
are at great risk
as hospitals lack
lifesaving equipment.
Israel has refused to allow
many patients to pass the
borders, denying them their
right to health and as a result
between June and the end of
November, 44 patients had
died. Most of these deaths
were avoidable.
8 year old Amir Shaher
Abdallah El-Yazji had the
necessary permits to enter
Israel for treatment for a
suspected brain tumour. He
was denied passage through
the border crossing despite
4 attempts. Amir died in a
Gaza hospital after losing
consciousness.
Amir’s death came a week
after a 6 month old infant
was denied entry to Israel
for urgent medical treatment,
and died as a result of kidney
failure which could not be
treated in the besieged Gaza
Strip. Many Palestinians with
treatable illnesses now face a
bleak future as Israel continues
to deny passage of goods and
people. Many medicines and
supplies have been prevented
from reaching Gaza as Israel
denies they are humanitarian
necessities. An assertion than
many would disagree with.
The Gaza Ministry of
Health has appealed to the
International Community to
take immediate action to put
an end to this catastrophe
which threatens the health
sector with total collapse. To
make matters worse, the Fatah
government led by Abbas in
the West Bank is calling on
all medical professionals to
go on strike in the Gaza Strip.
Those who fail to do so are
having their wages withheld.
This has resulted in even
deeper animosity from most
Palestinians towards President
Abbas.
Palestinian Farmers
face difficulties with
Olive harvest
take immediate action to put
Gaza students denied
the right to education
Gaza running out of
vital supplies
AqsaN E W S
vital supplies
Quarterly Issue 35 January 2008
For Free Distribution
Israel puts pressure
on UK to change laws
Israel
Commits
War Crimes
in Gaza
The complete closure of the Gaza Strip from the outside world has resulted in a
humanitarian catastrophe which is being ignored by the international community.

2. On Tuesday 27 November 2007, the US hosted a
conference in Annapolis, Maryland, bringing together
the Israelis and the Palestinians in an effort to begin new
peace negotiations. Over 40 states were present for the
pre-negotiations conference, although the one day affair
was seen by many as little more than time for delivering
a few speeches and a photo opportunity for unpopular
politicians.
The obvious deficiencies with the gathering included
the absence of Hamas, who represent a large portion
of Palestinian people. President Abbas, who is deeply
unpopular with Palestinians, has been intensely criticized
for attempting to curb what little freedoms the Palestinians
enjoy under occupation, by banning protests against the
Annapolis gathering. Despite this, wide protests still
occurred, although they were violently broken up by
Abbas’s security forces.
The agreement reached atAnnapolis was for further peace
talks to take place over the course of 2008. However,
many doubt whether anything will be achieved due to
the inconsistency between the words being spoken and
the events being played out in the occupied territories.
8 Palestinians were killed while the conference took
place, and the entire Gaza community continued to live
under siege. Despite inflicting such deep suffering, Israel
continued to demand recognition of itself as a racist state
to the exclusion of all its non-Jewish citizens.
I N B R I E F
2
Amnesty International reiterates
Israel’s obligations
In a recent statement,Amnesty International
reiterated the international law position on
Israel’s obligations over the Gaza Strip.
Israel, as the occupying power, is prohibited
from imposing collective punishment or
reprisals on the Palestinian population.
Israel is ultimately responsible for ensuring
the welfare of the 1.5 million Palestinians
who live in the Gaza Strip where Israel
controls all the land borders, air space and
territorial water. Amnesty confirmed that
Israeli officials’ contention that Israel is
no longer bound by the laws of occupation
since it redeployed its forces to the perimeter
of the Gaza Strip is simply a fallacy.
Police in Gaza use excessive force
against Arafat rally participants
The Gaza police force have been accused
by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
of using excessive force and indiscriminate
gun fire against participants at the third year
anniversary rally following the death of
Yasser Arafat. Many Fatah supporters were
injured in the clashes, and 8 people died.
Hamas fighting back ‘like an
army’
As the Israeli Occupation Forces continue to
bomb and attack Gaza, killing Palestinians
indiscriminately, Hamas is reportedly
putting up a strong counter-attack. Hamas
is opposing Israel’s almost daily incursions
into the Gaza Strip in an orchestrated way
and has inflicted damage including the
destruction of military hardware and the
killing of Israeli soldiers. Israeli journalist,
Amos Harel, has reported that the IOF are
no longer facing an untrained guerrilla force
but that Hamas is now better equipped and
trained and “fighting like and army”’
Academic Boycott Debate held in
Canada
Students at Ryerson University in Toronto,
Canada, were the recent additions to the
Boycott Israel debate. Their first debate
was held at the university to a packed hall
of students, academics and community
members on November 28. This was the
first time that such a debate was held on a
Canadian campus with the explicit support
of the university administration, and signals
a major success for the anti-apartheid
movement in Canada.
Join Friends of Al-Aqsa
Be a part of Friends of Al-Aqsa. Join our
mailing list
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our events, log in your email at our website
www.aqsa.org.uk
Following the complete closure of
the Gaza Strip on 10th June 2007,
approximately 2,700 students have
been denied the right to travel abroad
to their universities and colleges and
continue their studies. Many of these
students were in the Gaza Strip during
the summer with their families and
are now trapped within the densely
populated area unable to leave.
Over 7,500 Gazans are waiting to
leave the Gaza Strip to return to work,
studies or other commitments inter-
nationally. Israel is denying them all
the freedom of movement to do this,
and is effectively holding them pris-
oners with the rest of the residents of
Gaza.
Those trapped include Elham Akram
Rajab who usually lives in Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia, with her husband and
children. She had travelled to Gaza
with her 3 children to spend the sum-
mer with her family for the first time
in 4 years. The children missed the
start of their school year on 8th Sep-
tember 2007.
In addition, her exit visa from Saudi
Arabia expired in November,
placing her under threat of losing her
residency in Saudi Arabia and being
cut off from her husband.
This miserable situation has been
continuing for months with no end in
site.
2,700 Gaza students denied the right to education
Peace talks at Annapolis
Manchester University students defy racist anti-Palestinian motion
On 14 November 2007, the Manchester Students Union
strengthened its commitment to Palestinian rights to
education by voting in favour of twinning with An-Najah
University (ANU) with almost a two-thirds majority.
This defied the motion titled ‘Peace Through Education’
which was proposed in order to undermine the twinning,
and was opposed by many on the grounds that it was a
racist motion stereotyping Palestinians as terrorists and
accusing ANU of actively supporting terrorism. This
caused great indignation amongst Manchester’s student
population. The writers of the motion had also cited an
unreliable website as a resource which included many
inaccuracies and racist quotes.
One student who attended the meeting said, “The motion
shows that the racism against the Palestinians is one of the
last forms of acceptable racism. If we had been twinned
with a black university during apartheid in South Africa
and they had been given them the ultimatum asking them
to condemn gun crime there would have been international
outrage, and rightly so.”
Manchester Students Union continues to support the
Palestinian right to education which they believe is clearly
being denied by the Israeli occupation policies which
include shelling educational establishments, shooting at
students, denying students and teachers passage through
checkpoints, and closures which prevent schools and
universities from opening. This move was intended
to help break the isolation imposed on the Palestinian
people, and follows moves by many UK universities to
twin with Palestinian universities.

3. I N B R I E F
3
Israel openly
‘Judaising’ Jerusalem
Palestinian women held prisoner
Israel continues to detain Palestinian
women as political prisoners, and at present,
approximately 120 women are being detained
and treated as criminals. They are subjected
to regular body searches, sexual harassment,
solitary confinement, being prevented from
going outside regularly, cell searches and
confiscation of personal belongings and
attacks including the use of tear gas in cells
occur regularly.
Disabled Palestinians not spared
oppressive policies
3rd December marked UN International
Day of Disabled Persons (IDoDP) and this
day was used by the Palestinian Centre for
Human Rights to highlight the suffering
of Palestine’s disabled citizens. Israel’s
human rights violations were said to have
caused a deterioration in the conditions of
the wounded, which has raised the number
of disabled Palestinians to high levels. The
services available to the disabled are abysmal
due to the general poverty which now exists
in the occupied territories.
Security Chaos in Gaza
The closure of Gaza has led to a precarious
security situation for its civilians. Gun crimes
are now rife and street violence has increased.
Such a situation was widely foreseen by
experts due to the strain being put on the
population by the Israeli closure.
Iranian Holocaust Drama
Iranian state television is running a drama
series called “Zero Degree Turn” which
depicts the story of an Iranian who helped
Jews escape Nazism during WWII. It has
proved to be a huge hit in Iran, challenging
the view that Iran and anti-Semitism are
indistinguishable.
Lobby of Parliament Day 2007
November 29th marked the UN International
Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people.
FriendsofAl-Aqsaworkedinconjunctionwith
numerous Palestine solidarity organisations to
make November 28th a Lobby of Parliament
day in Britain.
This was an opportunity for members of the
public to lobby their MPs on the issue of
Palestine and bring to their attention the facts
about the occupation policies. The lobby was
intended to change political attitudes and
government policies to make a change for
Palestine.
The lobby day was also used to putt pressure
on MPs to sign up to EDM’s and sign motions
against the Israeli occupation and to show
their support for peace which recognises the
interests of the Palestinians as well as the
Israelis.
The lobby day was successful, attracting
around 600 people who had arranged meetings
with their MPs. This year encouraged the
youngest ever person to lobby parliament – a
nine year old boy representing his primary
school.
Gaza running out of vital
supplies
1.5 million Palestinians
in the Gaza Strip are
now suffering from acute
shortage of basic supplies.
Hospitals are reporting
zero stock availability
of paediatric drugs and
antibiotics, as well as
a shortage in chronic
disease drugs, cancer
treatment drugs, a range
of kidney dialysis drugs
and IV glucose solution.
In addition, there are also
shortagesofkidneydialysis
machine equipment. Thus,
as expected, dozens of
patients with treatable
illnesses have died and
will continue to die in the
coming months unless the
siege ends.
Overall, according to the
United Nations Office
for Coordination for
Humanitarian Affairs in
the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, 91 drugs are
no longer available in
hospitals. The international
blockade of Gaza has also
led to shortages in many
types of foodstuffs, and
soaring prices for what is
available. A bag of flour
used to cost 80 shekels
and now costs over 200
shekels.
Other goods such as
building materials are no
longer available and even
fuel supplies are becoming
scarce. The impact of
fuel shortages affect
every aspect of life, from
basic cooking; running
of hospitals and schools;
purifying, sterilising and
pumping water; running
garbage collection trucks
and ambulances, and much
more. As fuel becomes
increasingly scarce, the
price of fuel is shooting
up.
Gaza’s economy has
collapsed following the
mass closure of industries
including factories in
the wood, clothing,
food, construction and
agricultural sectors. More
than 800,000 Gazan’s,
more than half the
population, have lost their
jobs and their abilities to
provide for their families.
This was the direct result of
border closures which have
prevented raw materials
passing through.
Israel puts pressure on
UK to change laws
Israel’s Public Security
Minister Avi Dichter
cancelled a planned visit to
the UK over fears that he
would be arrested on war
crimes charges. British law
allows private citizens to
file complaints for alleged
war crimes.
Dichter was one of the
planners behind the 2002
assassination of Saleh
Shehada, a Hamas military
leader. Israel dropped a 1
tonne bomb on his house
killing him, his wife and 3
children, his bodyguard and
other civilians including a
further 6 children. This was
condemned by the world.
Dichter’s visit was called
off after the UK government
hadbeenunabletoguarantee
him immunity against
private citizens’ complaints
leading to an arrest warrant
for war crimes.
Israel has made it clear
that it finds this situation
‘intolerable’.
In 2005, an Israeli ex-
general Doron Almog who
was also involved in the
Shehada assassination,
narrowly avoided arrest in
London. He was warned
of the impending arrest
by Israeli Diplomats who
boarded his plane before
he had disembarked. He
avoided arrest by returning
to Israel without getting off
the plane.
After the Almog incident,
Israeli foreign minister
Tzipi Livni asked British
judicial authorities to
review laws allowing
magistrates to issue such
arrest warrants.This request
was made once again during
Foreign Secreatary David
Millibands recent visit to
Israel.
The Israeli parliament has granted preliminary approval
of a bill which seeks to permanently incorporate East
Jerusalem as part of Israel.
This is illegal under international law as the fourth Geneva
Convention prohibits a country from annexing any part
of the land which they are occupying militarily. United
Nations Resolutions have also prohibited this move by
Israel.
Most notably, this move demonstrates that Israel will not
allow the Palestinians to have East Jerusalem as the capital
of any future state if a two state solution is negotiated. In
preparation for this, since 1967, Israel has steadily built
a ring of illegal settlements around East Jerusalem, and
these now totally isolate East Jerusalem from the rest of
the West Bank.
There are 240,000 Palestinians living in Jerusalem but
they endure strict regulations, which control the amount
of land they live on, building policies, the denial of the
righttofamilyre-unification,amongstothers.Thereisalso
now a deliberate drive to move extremist Israeli settlers
into Arab neighbourhoods. Reports suggest millions of
dollars of US money is being poured into settling Jews
into Arab neighbourhoods in Jerusalem, most notably the
Silwan district.
Amongsttheseextremistsettlersaredeeplyracistelements
who advocate the Old City being free of all non-Jews and
the building of the ‘Temple’ on the site of the Al-Aqsa
sanctuary. Thus, while Israeli politicians continue to talk
about a Palestinian state, they are simultaneously acting
to make that an impossibility.

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4
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Football Shirt – Palestine Colours
November 29th marked the United
Nations’InternationalDayofSolidarity
with the Palestinian People. This was
commemorated all over the world
by people seeking to show solidarity
with the Palestinians in their darkest
hour. Gaza has become a humanitarian
catastrophe, but the deepest despair
of all comes from the world’s apathy
to Israel’s war crimes in this strip of
land.
Gaza’s 1.5 million people are being
starved of all necessities of life, yet in
the epitome of cruelty, just enough aid
and equipment is being allowed to filter
through to its people so that they are not
actually dying in large numbers. This
ensures that international attention is
not drawn to Israel’s inhumane actions
yet life is made unbearable for the
civilians.
While babies and children die of
treatable diseases, world leaders met
in Annapolis to talk about peace. The
hypocrisy of the words spoken when
compared with the actions being played
out on the ground in the occupied
territories was plain for all to see. 8
Palestinians were killed while the one
day conference took place.
In the 40 years since Israel’s occupation
of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it has
become clear that peace will only be
achieved if both sides feel international
pressure. While Palestinians face daily
scrutiny, the actions of Israel have
gone largely un-criticised. Israel needs
to feel the pressure of world public
opinion and it is important now more
than ever, that we all move to boycott
Israel.
FoAActivities
FoAhas been busy raising awareness of
the worsening humanitarian situation
in Gaza and the West Bank over recent
months. A number of talks have been
held in order to boost the boycott
campaign, and ensure the Palestinians
are not forgotten.
In addition, FoAis producing a number
of new bite-size information leaflets
including ‘The Right of Return’,
‘Israel’s War Crimes’ and ‘Israel’s
Weapons of Mass Destruction’. These
will be available for free distribution.
FoA Volunteers (branches)
Friends of Al-Aqsa branches now
operate in Leicester (head office),
London, Walsall and Bradford. All
branches welcome new volunteers
to participate in the campaign work.
We are particularly looking for
people to take part in research work,
selling merchandise and distributing
information leaflets. Please contact
info@aqsa.org.uk or call 0116 2125441
if you wish to participate.
FoA talks and workshops
If you think people in your locality,
school, university or other place can
benefit from lectures or workshops
on Palestine, contact FoA to make
arrangements for a speaker to attend.
Workshops aimed at school children
between the ages of 5-16 are also an
option, in order to educate them on
the basic issues of the conflict and the
importance of Masjid Al-Aqsa. If you
would like a workshop at your school,
please contact us.

5. The One
State
Declaration
For decades, efforts to bring
about a two-state solution in
historic Palestine have failed to
provide justice and peace for the
Palestinian and Israeli Jewish
peoples, or to offer a genuine
process leading towards them.
The two-state solution ignores
the physical and political realities
on the ground, and presumes a
false parity in power and moral
claims between a colonized
and occupied people on the one
hand and a colonizing state and
military occupier on the other. It is
predicated on the unjust premise
that peace can be achieved by
granting limited national rights
to Palestinians living in the areas
occupied in 1967, while denying
the rights of Palestinians inside the
1948 borders and in the Diaspora.
Thus, the two-state solution
condemns Palestinian citizens of
Israel to permanent second-class
status within their homeland, in a
racist state that denies their rights
by enacting laws that privilege
Jews constitutionally, legally,
politically, socially and culturally.
Moreover, the two-state solution
denies Palestinian refugees their
internationally recognized right of
return.
The two-state solution entrenches
and formalizes a policy of unequal
separation on a land that has
become ever more integrated
territorially and economically.
All the international efforts to
implement a two-state solution
cannot conceal the fact that a
Palestinian state is not viable,
and that Palestinian and Israeli
Jewish independence in separate
states cannot resolve fundamental
injustices, the acknowledgment
and redress of which are at the
core of any just solution.
In light of these stark realities,
we affirm our commitment to a
democratic solution that will offer
a just, and thus enduring, peace
in a single state based on the
following principles:
- The historic land of Palestine
belongs to all who live in it and to
those who were expelled or exiled
from it since 1948, regardless of
religion, ethnicity, national origin
or current citizenship status;
- Any system of government must
be founded on the principle of
equality in civil, political, social
and cultural rights for all citizens.
Power must be exercised with
rigorous impartiality on behalf of
all people in the diversity of their
identities;
- There must be just redress for the
devastating effects of decades of
Zionist colonization in the pre- and
post-state period, including the
abrogation of all laws, and ending
all policies, practices and systems
of military and civil control that
oppress and discriminate on the
basis of ethnicity, religion or
national origin;
- The recognition of the diverse
character of the society,
encompassing distinct religious,
linguistic and cultural traditions,
and national experiences;
- The creation of a non-sectarian
state that does not privilege the
rights of one ethnic or religious
group over another and that
respects the separation of state
from all organized religion;
- The implementation of the Right
of Return for Palestinian refugees
in accordance with UN Resolution
194 is a fundamental requirement
for justice, and a benchmark of the
respect for equality.
- The creation of a transparent and
non-discriminatory immigration
policy;
- The recognition of the historic
connections between the diverse
communities inside the new,
democratic state and their
respective fellow communities
outside;
- In articulating the specific
contours of such a solution,
those who have been historically
excluded from decision-making --
especially the Palestinian Diaspora
and its refugees, and Palestinians
inside Israel -- must play a central
role;
- The establishment of legal and
institutional frameworks for justice
and reconciliation.
The struggle for justice and
liberation must be accompanied
by a clear, compelling and moral
vision of the destination ¬ a
solution in which all people who
share a belief in equality can see a
future for themselves and others.
We call for the widest possible
discussion, research and action
to advance a unitary, democratic
solution and bring it to fruition.
Madrid and London, 2007
5
Amnesty International
Gaza As A Hostile
Entity: A Self-Fulfilling
Prophecy?
John Ging manages a programme
valued at $350 million and over
10,000 staff, delivering education,
health care, social services and
micro finance and micro enterprise
support to over one million refu-
gees. To mitigate the worst effects
of the current economic and hu-
manitarian crisis in Gaza, the Gaza
Operation also includes an Emer-
gency Program, of Job Creation
(11,000 positions), Food Assistance
(860,000 beneficiaries), Cash As-
sistance and a range of other relief
measures. In addition the Gaza Op-
eration also includes reconstruction
and infrastructure projects valued
at over USD $93 million.
In the Gaza Strip, the blockade
imposed by Israel on the cross-
ing points to the outside world has
effectively trapped the 1.5 million
Palestinian inhabitants and fur-
ther undermined the beleaguered
economy – with devastating social
and economic consequences for a
population most of whom already
live below the poverty line.
Under international law, Israel, as
the occupying power, is prohibited
from imposing collective punish-
ment or reprisals on the Palestinian
population. Israel is ultimately re-
sponsible for ensuring the welfare
of the 1.5 million Palestinians who
live in the Gaza Strip where Israel
controls all the land borders, air
space and territorial water. Israeli
officials’ contention that Israel is no
longer bound by the laws of occu-
pation since it redeployed its forces
to the perimeter of the Gaza Strip is
simply a fallacy.

6. 6
Fun & Games
C O M P E T I T I O N
Deadline for both
competitions:
20 February 2008
Send your answers with your
name, age and address to:
Friends of Al-Aqsa, PO Box
5127, Leicester, LE2 0WU.
Or email us on
info@aqsa.org
Winners of the last
competition:
Saaqib Abdul-Hameed,
age 12 from Sheffield
Fatima Kathoria,
age 18 from Leicester.
Prophet Musa (as) was commanded by Allah (swt)
to go to the pharaoh in Egypt and tell him about the
signs of Allah (swt) so that he would believe and stop
being a tyrant. When Musa (as) went to the palace,
Pharaoh rejected him and his message. To convince
him, Musa (as) threw down his staff (walking stick) on
the floor and by Allah’s (swt) miracle it turned into a
big snake.
Pharaoh called his own magicians who challenged
Musa (as). They threw down their ropes and sticks
and made them look like snakes using illusions. But the
snake of Musa (as) ate them all up! The magicians all
saw this as being a real miracle and not magic, and so
they believed the message of Musa (as).
Pharaoh still refused to believe and became even
crueller to the Children of Israel who were slaves. Musa
(as) was then commanded by Allah (swt) to leave
Egypt with the Children of Israel.
Prophet Musa (as) and the Children of Israel
There are two paths in this maze, one of which
leads the Children of Israel to safety. Can you find
the right path?
Win a £20 Argos voucher and a
Friends of Al-Aqsa goody bag!!!
13 years old or under???
Using the story of Musa (as)
above and your own knowledge,
answer the following questions:
1. What did Musa (as) do
to convince Pharaoh that his
message was true?
2. Why did the magicians
believe Musa (as)?
3. What was the difference
between Musa’s (as) snake and
the magicians’ snakes?
4. How did the children of
Israel reach safety?
5. What happened to
Pharaoh and his army?
14-18 years old???
Use the following clues to
identify names of each
Prophet that they refer to.
Send us your answers for the
chance to win!
1. He was impatient with his
people and left them. He
was then punished by Allah
(swt) when he went out
to sea. He was swallowed
by a big fish. He repented
to Allah (swt) while in the
stomach of the fish.
2. He was so handsome that
at one time, a group of
women who saw him while
they were cutting fruit with
knives ended up cutting
their fingers in distraction.
3. He was given command of
the wind by Allah swt, and
was able to talk to animals.
4. He is in Jannah, but his life
on this earth is not over yet.
5. He is the imam of all the
Prophets.
Comic strip

7. 7
Children in PalestineAs with most conflict areas around
the world, one of the most vulnera-
ble groups of people in the occupied
territories are children.
Palestinian children are
faced with challenges in
every facet of their lives
ranging from obtaining
basic food and nutri-
tion, to personal safety
and well-being.
There are approximately 4 million
Palestinians living in the West Bank
and Gaza strip. About 52% or 2.1
million of them are children below
the age of 18. They have not been
spared the violence of the occu-
pation, and between January and
September 2007 alone, 39 children
were killed and 209 injured as a
direct result of Israeli military and
settler violence. A further 29 died as
a result of Palestinian inter-factional
fighting.
Children also face ar-
rest and incarceration
in adult Israeli pris-
ons and in September
2007, 335 children were
known to be in deten-
tion.
If these children are brought to trial,
they will be tried as adults if they
are aged 12 or over. This is contrary
to international laws relating to
children and Israel has no mecha-
nism in place for dealing with these
children in Juvenile courts. For
many of these children, their crime,
if any, was throwing stones.
Palestinian children are also being
hit hard by the economic collapse
being faced by Palestinian society
due to the harsh occupation poli-
cies. 58% of all Palestinians (2.3
million) live below the poverty line
and 42% of households in Gaza are
now faced with extreme poverty,
with over 80% totally reliant on
aide for their daily needs.
The infant mortality rate was at a
high of 25.3/1000 during 2004-
2005. Comparatively, Israel’s infant
mortality rate in 2005 was 5/1000.
Health is a major factor for Pales-
tinians and 10% of Palestinian chil-
dren under the age of 5 are stunted.
Furthermore, over 70% of 9-month-
old children in Gaza and 50% in the
West Bank are anaemic.
The educational opportunities for
Palestinian children are affected by
many factors, including Israel’s wall
which has separated many children
from their schools in the West Bank.
Checkpoints make at-
tendance at school un-
predictable as both stu-
dents and teachers are
easily prevented from
reaching their schools.
Further to this, achievements are
low amongst children in certain
areas. UNWRA puts this down to
violence, overcrowding and poverty
which all reduce the chances of a
successful education for most Pales-
tinian children.
A new born baby in an under-equipped Gaza hospital

8. Published by Friends of Al-Aqsa, P.O.Box 5127, Leicester, LE2 0WU, Tel 07711 823 524, (0116) 2125441, Email: info@aqsa.org.uk, www.aqsa.org.uk
8
Each year, during the olive harvest
period, Palestinian farmers face intense
difficulties with Israeli soldiers and
violent extremist settlers attempting
to disrupt the harvest. Restrictions are
placed on when farmers can access
their land when they are close to illegal
settlements, and this makes the harvest
unpredictable and often impossible.
In many places farmers are
intimidated and threatened by
settlers who have in the past
stolen olive groves, chopped
down orburnttrees,prevented
farmers from visiting their
land, and stolen the harvest
once the olives were picked.
In villages that have been divided by
the wall, farmers were forced to apply
for permits in order to access their own
land. These permits were then denied or
withdrawn at will by the Israeli Army.
For many Palestinian families, the
olive harvest provides much needed
income to counter their increasingly
desperate situations. Each year, the
harvest becomes more difficult and
the situation gets worse for Palestinian
farmers and their families. Israel’s
occupation policies mean poverty and
unemployment are rife. The situation
is so poor now that in places, such
as the village of Kufr Qudum which
relies on a generator for electricity, the
village council was forced to reduce the
numbers of hours electricity is available
because villagers cannot afford to pay
for the diesel required.
The UK based ethical business
‘Zaytoun’ was established to
support marginalized farming
communities in Palestine.
Every year Zaytoun organizes
an olive picking group and a
tour over the olive harvest
period.
This year, 16 people travelled with
Zaytoun as olive picking volunteers and
international observers.
Palestinian
farmers face
difficulties with
Olive harvest
Their mission was to help Palestinian
farmerswhofaceintensedifficultieswith
their olive harvest. The volunteers found
that this year was worse than previous
years and confirmed the desperation of
the farmers they went to support.
Most of the farmers whom they helped
pleaded for more people to go out to
Palestine, and to return home and tell the
stories of what they have seen there.
Visit www.zaytoun.org for details about
the trips.