One of the seized buildings in Hebron
From Khalid Amayreh in Occupied Hebron
"Palestinian leaders and Christian peace activists as well as representatives of human rights organizations operating in the occupied Palestinian territories on Thursday made an impassioned appeal to “all men and women of conscience all over the world” to help stop Israeli army plans to close down and take over several orphanages and boarding schools sheltering thousands of orphans and impoverished students. Many of the orphans’ parents had been killed by the Israeli army and paramilitary Jewish terrorists, also known as “settlers.”
The Israeli army accuses the Islamic Charitable Society, the largest and oldest in occupied Palestine, of teaching school children “radical ideas.” However, the Charity lawyer Muhammed Farrah dismisses the charges as “a big canard and a blatant lie.” “We have challenged them to produce a shred of evidence proving their claims. And so far they have failed to prove any of their allegations.”
Art Arbor, a Christian Peace-maker Team (CPT) member spoke at the beginning of the press conference, saying he was pretty sure that Israeli charges against the Hebron Charity were “baseless.”......
Nago Humbert, Head of the Swiss Medecins du Mond Agency, lashed out at the immense brutality and savagery being inflicted on the Palestinian people by the Israeli state and army.“Closure of schools, storming orphanages in the dead of night, destroying bakeries, confiscating food and clothes, throwing orphan kids onto the street…What is happening here? What is the lasting image Israel is going to leave in the minds of these kids when they grow up?”
Humbert, who spoke in French, said he couldn’t really understand what the Israeli army’s ultimate goal by acting in this manner.” “How can we teach Palestinian children non-violence when Israel is doing to them all this, when Israeli soldiers are throwing kids from their orphanages onto the streets. Israel is destroying all our efforts.”......
Two representatives from President Jimmy “Carter’s Center” in Ramallah also showed up at the press conference and one of them delivered a statement from the former US President. The statement urged the Israeli government to rescind military orders to shut down and expropriate school buildings, orphanages and supporting businesses.
Far from being fazed by nonviolent protests against its draconian measures in Hebron, the Israeli army last week stormed a bakery owned by the Islamic Charitable Society, seizing ovens and other equipments used to provide bread for thousands of orphans and needy students......
“It is enough to claim that a given institution is associated with Hamas to destroy that institution. This is very much like Nazi Germany behaved toward political opponents prior to the Second World War,” said Muhammed Hirbawi, a Hebron civic leader. Hirbawi said the Israeli occupation army was acting as a policeman, a plaintiff, a General Prosecutor and a judge combined.....
The Israeli army has not given really convincing reasons for its brutal onslaught against the Hebron charities. However, Israeli officials are saying privately at least that Israel is doing what the Western-backed Palestinian Authority wants. Last month, an Israeli government official was quoted by the Israeli radio as saying that “what we are doing in Hebron is in the interest of (PA Chairman Mahmoud) Abbas.”....."
"Palestinian leaders and Christian peace activists as well as representatives of human rights organizations operating in the occupied Palestinian territories on Thursday made an impassioned appeal to “all men and women of conscience all over the world” to help stop Israeli army plans to close down and take over several orphanages and boarding schools sheltering thousands of orphans and impoverished students. Many of the orphans’ parents had been killed by the Israeli army and paramilitary Jewish terrorists, also known as “settlers.”
The Israeli army accuses the Islamic Charitable Society, the largest and oldest in occupied Palestine, of teaching school children “radical ideas.” However, the Charity lawyer Muhammed Farrah dismisses the charges as “a big canard and a blatant lie.” “We have challenged them to produce a shred of evidence proving their claims. And so far they have failed to prove any of their allegations.”
Art Arbor, a Christian Peace-maker Team (CPT) member spoke at the beginning of the press conference, saying he was pretty sure that Israeli charges against the Hebron Charity were “baseless.”......
Nago Humbert, Head of the Swiss Medecins du Mond Agency, lashed out at the immense brutality and savagery being inflicted on the Palestinian people by the Israeli state and army.“Closure of schools, storming orphanages in the dead of night, destroying bakeries, confiscating food and clothes, throwing orphan kids onto the street…What is happening here? What is the lasting image Israel is going to leave in the minds of these kids when they grow up?”
Humbert, who spoke in French, said he couldn’t really understand what the Israeli army’s ultimate goal by acting in this manner.” “How can we teach Palestinian children non-violence when Israel is doing to them all this, when Israeli soldiers are throwing kids from their orphanages onto the streets. Israel is destroying all our efforts.”......
Two representatives from President Jimmy “Carter’s Center” in Ramallah also showed up at the press conference and one of them delivered a statement from the former US President. The statement urged the Israeli government to rescind military orders to shut down and expropriate school buildings, orphanages and supporting businesses.
Far from being fazed by nonviolent protests against its draconian measures in Hebron, the Israeli army last week stormed a bakery owned by the Islamic Charitable Society, seizing ovens and other equipments used to provide bread for thousands of orphans and needy students......
“It is enough to claim that a given institution is associated with Hamas to destroy that institution. This is very much like Nazi Germany behaved toward political opponents prior to the Second World War,” said Muhammed Hirbawi, a Hebron civic leader. Hirbawi said the Israeli occupation army was acting as a policeman, a plaintiff, a General Prosecutor and a judge combined.....
The Israeli army has not given really convincing reasons for its brutal onslaught against the Hebron charities. However, Israeli officials are saying privately at least that Israel is doing what the Western-backed Palestinian Authority wants. Last month, an Israeli government official was quoted by the Israeli radio as saying that “what we are doing in Hebron is in the interest of (PA Chairman Mahmoud) Abbas.”....."
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