PCHR Weekly Report: 3 Palestinians injured, 23 abducted this week

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, during the week of 09 – 16 April 2009, 3 Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank. Israeli forces abducted 23 Palestinians, including 3 children. 18 were abducted during military invasions in the West Bank, and 5 were abducted at Israeli checkpoints within the West Bank.

For full article, visit http://www.imemc.org/article/60000

Jenin Freedom Theatre survives second arson attempt following production of Animal Farm

A Scene from Animal Farm

In the morning of April 15, 2009, an unknown individual set fire to The Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp, Occupied Palestine. The main door of the theatre was completely burned, but the fire did not spread inside the building and the theatre remains largely unharmed.

For full article, visit http://www.thefreedomtheatre.org/news.php?id=145

One month ago, when arsonists burned the Al-Kamanjati Society for Music in Jenin building to the ground, destroying thousands of dollars of instruments and equipment, a first attempt to set fire to the Freedom Theatre was also made.

For full article, visit http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37148

Hamas: PA security forces seized 27 West Bank affiliates

In Nablus, PA security forces seized ex-prisoner A’lam Tabanja for the second time, in addition to I’sam Fahmi, head of a religious school (Dar Al-Quran) in Qabalan after he was summoned for questioning, Basaam A’marneh, a student at An-Najah University, who was arrested in front the university. PA forces also issued an order to shut down At-Tadamun sports club in Nablus, the statement said.

In Qalqiliia, PA security forces arrested Sheikh Mahmoud Ar-Rabe and Sheikh Riyad Al-Walweel, one of the Hamas leaders there, who was taken from his home, Wael Al-Hotari, who was released from an Israeli jail one week earlier, and Sharif Hanani, who was seized after being summoned for questioning.

For full article, visit http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37007

Even After Exile, Palestinian Musician Vows to Play On

Younis says she was told by parents that armed militants had gone to their houses and warned the children to stay away from her music center. “In one house, the woman kept running to the window to check if anybody was watching us,” she says. “The parents, the children, they’re all scared.”

For full article, visit http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1889443,00.html?xid=rss-world

The Israeli army kidnaps 27 Palestinian civilian from the West Bank

The Palestine News and Information Center, WAFA, reported that the invasions were carried out throughout the night and at dawn.

Local sources said that soldiers broke into and searched homes and interrogated several residents in their homes and the streets before kidnapping 27 residents.

Eleven were kidnapped from a village near Jenin, three from Qalqlia city, seven from Jericho, while three from Al Izriyah town near Jerusalem, and two from Bethlehem city.

Source: http://www.imemc.org/article/59741

Israel seizes, deports 208 Palestinian workers

The Secretary-General of Palestinian Workers’ Public Union, Shaher Sa’d, condemned the arrests of the workers as a violation of international law. He also accused Israeli police of beating Palestinians during arrest raids.

For full article, visit http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36751

Palestinian youth orchestra disbanded over concert for Holocaust survivor

“She exploited the children,” said Hindi, the head of the camp’s popular committee, which takes on municipal duties. “She will be forbidden from doing any activities…. We have to protect our children and our community.”

The move highlights the sensitivity of many Palestinians over acknowledging Jewish suffering, fearing it would weaken their own historical grievances against Israel.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1074678.html

Animal Farm rankles the West Bank

George Orwell’s 1945 fictional satire of Stalinist Russia, Animal Farm, is being performed in the West Bank with a decidedly Palestinian twist.

Play has proved controversial

So why is the production proving so controversial?

Mr Raee says much of the anger stems from the choice of play – with its theme of revolutionaries imitating their oppressors.

Juliano Mer-Khamis, theatre director

But for Mr Mer-Khamis, the most present and immediate enemy is not Israel or Israeli troops.

Instead, he says, it is the unspoken restrictions Palestinian society imposes on those who want to challenge the Territories’ political leadership.

For full article, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7968812.stm

In one of the scenes, Molly, one of the horses, runs away from the farm. “The corruption here is worse than when Jones was in control,” says Molly.

The human who comes to talk business at the end of the play wears green army uniform and speaks Hebrew, a reference to the Israeli military.

“It is a thinly veiled attack on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its collaboration with Israel at the expense of Palestinian citizens,” adds Steti.

For full article, visit http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10468.shtml

Violence also affected artistic decisions. The theater initially selected “The Lieutenant of Inishmore,” a satire of armed resistance by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, for the debut production.

But the play was shelved after someone smashed the window of Mer Khamis’ car. The cast worried that the play’s message would be ill-received after Israel’s recent offensive in the Gaza Strip, which killed some 1,400 Palestinians.

For full article, visit http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3693134,00.html

Israeli forces detain locals, confiscate mobile phones in Aqqaba village

Israeli troops confiscated mobile phones and detained four men in Aqqaba village south of Jenin before dawn Thursday morning.

Security sources said 13 Israeli military vehicles stormed the village and took 19-year-old Ra’fat Al-Masry, 30-year-old Mustafa Abu Ara, 27-year-old Muhammad Ghassan Abu Ghannam, and 20-year-old Muhammad Mahmoud Abu Ara.

Israeli radio reported Thursday morning that an Israeli raid on the village uncovered three explosives and “experts were sent in to dispose of the material.”

Source: http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36686

Palestinian children sing for Holocaust survivors

“The choir burst into songs for peace, bringing surprised smiles from the audience. But the event had another twist: Most of the Holocaust survivors did not know the youths were Palestinians from the West Bank, a rare sight in Israel these days. And the youths had no idea they were performing for people who lived through Nazi genocide – or even what the Holocaust was. “

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1073846.html

Leaders and representatives of the Jenin refugee camp condemned the participation of Palestinian teenagers from the camp in a concert honoring Holocaust survivors in Holon last week, accusing the organizers of exploiting the children for “political purposes”. Ramzi Fayad, a spokesman for various political factions in the Jenin refugee camp, denounced the teenagers’ participation, saying that all the groups were strongly opposed to any form of normalization with Israel.

For full article, visit http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/162830