topic by
John Calvin
5/7/2002 (17:18) |
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Events of the past 24 hours in the Palestinian arena
Ramallah May 7, 2002 Wafa;
The invading Israeli occupation forces declared the southern entrance of the City of Ramallah as a closed military area and prevented the citizens from passing through while any media actions were forbidden, the same measure applies on the Palestinian of Israeli citizenship and carrying Israeli blue IDs.
According to medical sources from the Gaza Hospital, the Palestinian citizen Mazen Fouad (20) was killed by the Israeli occupation forces who shot him with tens of bullets when they opened their automatic fire, when he was behind the Alshuhada cemetery (The Martyrs cemetery).
Volunteers and municipality employees turned the surrounding area to the Presidential HQ into a noisy hive where they are removing, cleaning, reorganizing and rebuilding everything the Israelis have destroyed, they are also cleaning the streets and removing the wreck resulted of the Israeli vandalism through there vengeful attacks on the city.
Without previous notice, the Israeli forces helping the employees of Ulmert Municipality of Jerusalem, demolished three Palestinian residential buildings, scattering 32 citizens without enabling them to salvage anything except for their worn cloths, the Israeli allegation was after the demolish act, that the area is an archeological site, (The entire areas of the city of Jerusalem is a grand archeological site!! The citizens say).
Dr. Moawiya Hasanain the head of the emergency in the Gaza Hospital said that the Israeli invading forces opened their heavy machine gun fire towards Alsha’er the residential area killing Jamal Alsha’er (17) and severely injuring his brother Salem (15), and yesterday they opened their tank machinegun fire towards citizens killing Soheil Ziyada (27) and severely injuring Marwan Abu Alhusna (24) from Jabalia Refugee Camp.
In Deir Albalah in the Gaza Strip, the invading Israeli occupation forces leveled over 50 acres of agricultural land destroying hundreds of fruit trees, and in Abu Holey they leveled another 400 acres of agricultural lands belong to Palestinian private citizens.
Andrews concerned at destruction and health hazards
during Red Cross visit to Bethlehem
Dublin, May, 7, 2002, Wafa - The Irish Red Cross winded up a mission to the West Bank and Israel aimed at assessing the needs of civilians who have been caught up in the recent conflict.
The chairman of the Red Cross, former Irish minister Mr. David Andrews, headed the team which included Mrs. Carmel Dunne, acting secretary general, and Ms. Aoife MacEoin, national communications officer, The Irish Times reported.
The visit was coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The Irish mission toured battered Bethlehem on Saturday morning. Mr. Andrews was struck by the destruction wrought in the streets leading to the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus, and expressed concern over the health hazard posed by mounds of rotting refuse.
In the afternoon the team visited Ramallah for a meeting with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS). In reply to a question put by Mr. Andrews, the director, Dr. Yunis al-Khatib, said: 'There is no way that we can get rid of the garbage from the centre of Bethlehem until the curfew is lifted and the Israeli army withdraws. The people who clean the streets cannot get to work or do any serious clearing of the garbage in the three or four hour period the curfew is off.'
Dr Khatib continued, 'The situation in Bethlehem is better than that in the villages which are totally cut off. Our medical staff cannot get to the villages, ambulances are blocked and fired upon. At times when they can move, an ambulance may take three hours to get to a patient and three hours to get back to the medical centre. Of our 250 emergency medical staff, 190 have been fired upon, four killed and 40 arrested.
'Since the Israeli offensive began at the end of March, 36 women have delivered babies at checkpoints, three died and four infants died, 21 babies have been delivered by telephone.'
Yesterday the mission made the long journey to Jenin where a tour of the devastated refugee camp had been organized. Mr Andrews was very moved by the ravaged site. 'This place is absolutely appalling and quite shocking,' he said.
'I have been to a number of places in the recent past which do not compare. It reminded me of Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Centre, which I visited last December with \ Mary Robinson', who heads the Human Rights Commission.
'In some ways this was worse. According to UN estimates, the cost of reinstating Jenin will be $35 million. That may well be an underestimate.'
Mr Andrews said that the Irish Red Cross intends to launch a broad appeal for funds which will be channeled to specific projects identified by the ICRC.
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