Palästina-News No. 36

Page 1

Menna Hamouda has been displaced from Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, to Deir al-Balah. She had dreamed of establishing an art center to display her paintings in order to reach international standards, but her home and studio were bombed and were completely destroyed. Therefore, she has decided to complete her paintings on the wall of the shelter school where she currently lives with her displaced family. Credit: Renee Levant

Palästina-News Nr. 36, March 2024

What you don't learn in Switzerland

The aim of this newsletter is to improve information about events in Palestine and Israel, with a focus - but not only - on the German-speaking part of Switzerland. For this purpose, articles from English-language online newspapers, online portals, publications, etc., are quoted in abbreviated form.

References provide a link to the original article and / or publication medium. The edited articles have been shortened and may not fully reflect the opinions of the authors. Martin Luzi Büechi (MLB)

Mail: palnews@bluewin.ch

Website: www.palaestina-news.ch

Accountability Now: Palestinians Sue German Government officials for Enabling the Genocide in Gaza

The Justice and Accountability for Palestine Initiative

Accountability Now: a group of German lawyers – representing families of two Gazans – is filing a criminal complaint against German Government officials, for the crime of aiding and abetting genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza by providing Israel with weapons and issuing related export

Page 2

permissions. They are supported by civil society organisations: European Legal Support Center (ELSC), Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD) and Law for Palestine under the Justice and Accountability for Palestine Initiative. The charges are being filed at the Office of the Federal Prosecutor in Karlsruhe.

German criminal law requires a ground for initial suspicion to start investigations on a potential crime being committed. The ICJ ruling clearly showed that there is such ground for initial suspicion when it comes to the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

When it comes to “aiding and abetting”, this can be done through logistical, financial or material support, but also by creating favorable conditions for the main crime. In particular, aiding and abetting includes the authorization of arms exports and political support.

The German state is one of the countries that has shown some of the strongest political and material support to Israel in its assault on the Gaza Strip and the Palestinians, with many German officials also inciting to genocide in their statements since October 2023.

The plaintiffs have decided to act, attemptting to hold Germany accountable for its complicity in the unspeakable horrors their families are living through.

Video pressconference (summary in English):

Gemäss der deutschen Strafprozessordnung ist die Voraussetzung für die Einleitung von Ermittlungen der sogenannte Anfangsverdacht. Der IGH-Beschluss hat deutlich gezeigt, dass ein solcher Anfangsverdacht hinsichtlich eines Völkermords gegen die Palästinenser und Palästinenserinnen in Gaza besteht.

Beihilfe kann geleistet werden durch logistische, finanzielle oder materielle Unterstützung, aber auch durch das Kreieren von günstigen Umständen für die Straftat. Hier sind insbesondere die Genehmigungen von Rüstungsexporten und die politische und diplomatische Unterstützung zu benennen.

Der deutsche Staat gehört zu den Ländern, die Israel bei seinen Angriffen auf den Gazastreifen und die palästinensischee Bevölkerung politisch und materiell am stärksten unterstützen, wobei viele deutsche Beamte seit Oktober 2023 in ihren Äusserungen auch zum Völkermord aufrufen.

Die Anzeigeerstattenden haben sich entschieden zu handeln, um die Verantwortlichen in Deutschland für die Unterstützung unbeschreiblicher Gräuel zur Rechenschaft zu ziehen.

+972 and Local Call stand with colleagues Basel and Yuval

+972

The attacks on Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham illustrate the repressive forces working to silence those who speak hard truths about Israeli apartheid. By +972 Magazine, February 28, 2024

The winners of the NO OTHER LAND documentary film prize at the 74th Berlinale, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, are the subject of an unspeakable smear campaign by German politicians and the media, as well as rightwing Israeli politicians and the media in Israel, because of the antiwar speech by the two directors, Israeli Yuval Abraham and Palestinian Basel Adra, whose film depicts everyday life under occupation in the West Bank. The incitement has now had its first consequences: A rightwing mob in Israel attacked Yuval's family, who had to flee as a result. MLB

Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham holding the Best Docu mentary Award for their film “No Other Land” at the Berlinale film festival, Febru-ary 24, 2024 (Ali Ghan-dtschi/ Berlinale 2024)

Page 3

The two activists and journalists- Basel being a longtime writer for our sites, and Yuval our current reporter - have been subjected to an aggressive campaign after their film “No Other Land,” codirected with Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor, won the Best Documentary Award and the Audience Favorite Documentary Award at the Berlinale film festival. The film is an insightful look into life and struggle in Masafer Yatta, Basel’s home region in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces and settlers are working to forcibly expel Palestinian communities from their homes.

Palestinians protest as Israeli forces demolish Palestinian structures in Masafer Yatta, in AlKhalil, in the occupied West Bank. (File photo: APA)

In their acceptance speeches, Basel and Yuval humbly chose to use their platforms to spotlight the structures of oppression in Israel-Palestine and the need to challenge them. Basel stressed Germany’s responsibility to end its complicity in Israel’s brutal war on the Gaza Strip, while Yuval described the mechanisms of apartheid that separate the co-directors’ lives.

The campaign against our colleagues is indicative of several alarming trends. It illustrates the depravity of Germany’s discourse on antisemitism, which has twisted itself so far as to interpret statements against Israel’s occupation - even by Jews themselves - as anti-Jewish racism. It reflects the growing intolerance for hearing hard truths about Israeli apartheid, not just in places like Masafer Yatta, but also in Gaza, which continues to be besieged and bombarded. And it shows that many cannot comprehend a partnership between Palestinians and Israelis that recognizes their power dynamics and actively coresists the systems of dispossession and domination that make them unequal under Israeli law.

Die beiden Aktivisten und Journalisten - Basel, der seit langem für unsere Seiten schreibt, und Yuval, unser aktueller Reporter - sind einer aggressiven Kampagne ausgesetzt, nachdem ihr Film "No Other Land", bei dem sie gemeinsam mit Hamdan Ballal und Rachel Szor Regie führten, auf der Berlinale den Preis für den besten Dokumentarfilm und den Preis für den beliebtesten Dokumentarfilm des Publikums gewonnen hat. Der Film ist ein aufschlussreicher Einblick in das Leben und den Kampf in Masafer Yatta, Basels Heimatregion im besetzten Westjordanland, wo israelische Streitkräfte und Siedler daran arbeiten, palästinensische Gemeinschaften gewaltsam aus ihren Häusern zu vertreiben.

In ihren Dankesreden nutzten Basel und Yuval ihre Plattformen, um auf die Strukturen der Unterdrückung in Israel und Palästina hinzuweisen und auf die Notwendigkeit, diese in Frage zu stellen. Basel betonte die Verantwortung Deutschlands, seine Mitschuld an Israels brutalem Krieg gegen den Gazastreifen zu beenden, während Yuval die Mechanismen der Apartheid beschrieb, die das Leben der Co-Direktoren trennen.

Die Kampagne gegen unsere Kollegen ist bezeichnend für mehrere alarmierende Trends. Sie veranschaulicht die Verkommenheit des deutschen Diskurses über Antisemitismus, der sich so weit verdreht hat, dass er Äusserungen gegen die israelische Besatzung - sogar von Juden selbst - als antijüdischen Rassismus interpretiert. Es spiegelt die wachsende Intoleranz wider, harte Wahrheiten über die israelische Apartheid zu hören, nicht nur in Orten wie Masafer Yatta, sondern auch in Gaza, das weiterhin belagert und bombardiert wird. Und es zeigt sich, dass viele eine Partnerschaft zwischen palästinensischen und israelischen Aktivistinnen und Aktivisten nicht verstehen können, eine Partnerschaft, die die herrschenden Machtdynamiken - die sie nach israelischem Recht ungleich machen – anerkennt und sie sich deshalb aktiv und gemeinsam gegen die Systeme der Enteignung und Herrschaft wehren.

Palestinains in Masafer Yatta are being forced to leave their homelands Photo Mosab Shawer/AFP/Getty/The New Arab

Page 4

Survey in Israel: A majority of Jewish respondents (68%) oppose the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza

The Israel Democracy Institute

Most Israelis think Palestinian terrorism will remain the same or increase if a Palestinian state were declared. A vast majority (81%) of Israelis think the likelihood of reform in the Palestinian Authority is low, while a majority of Israelis think absolute victory in Gaza is unlikely. Prof. Tamar Hermann, Yaron Kaplan, February 20, 2024

An "Absolute Victory" in Gaza?

Recently, the prime minister has said that Israel is aiming to achieve “absolute victory” in the war in Gaza. We therefore asked our respondents what they think the likelihood is that the war will indeed conclude with such a victory for Israel. Overall, the majority rated this likelihood as low. This view is shared by the majority of both the Jewish and the Arab respondents, though the size of this majority is extremely small in the Jewish sample (51%, versus 42%) and very large in the Arab sample (77.5% versus 18%).

Transfer of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza Residents

We asked respondents for their opinion regarding the idea that Israel should allow the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza residents at this time, via international bodies that are not linked to Hamas or to UNRWA. A majority of Jewish respondents (68%) oppose the transfer of humanitarian aid even under these conditions, while a large majority of Arab respondents support it (85%).

An Israeli tank in Gaza. Credit Jack Guez / AFP

Should Israel agree in principle to the establishment of a Palestinian state?

Following media reports of a forthcoming international “blitz” to advance the establishment of an independent and demilitarized Palestinian state, we asked: “Do you support or oppose the idea that Israel should agree in principle to the establishment of an independent and demilitarized Palestinian state?” Around two-thirds of

Palestinians crowd together as they wait for food distribution in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Nov. 8, 2023.Credit: Hatem Ali / AP

«Absoluter Sieg" in Gaza?

Der israelische Premierminister hat kürzlich erklärt, dass Israel im Gaza-Krieg einen "absoluten Sieg" anstrebt. Wir haben daher gefragt, wie hoch die Befragten die Wahrscheinlichkeit einschätzen, dass der Krieg tatsächlich mit einem solchen Sieg für Israel endet. Insgesamt schätzt die Mehrheit der Befragten diese Wahrscheinlichkeit als gering ein. Diese Ansicht wird sowohl von der Mehrheit der jüdischen als auch von der Mehrheit der arabischen Befragten geteilt, obwohl die Größe dieser Mehrheit in der jüdischen Stichprobe extrem klein ist (51% gegenüber 42%) und in der arabischen Stichprobe sehr groß (77,5% gegenüber 18%).

Humanitäre Hilfe für die Bewohner des Gazastreifens?

Die Befragten wurden um ihre Meinung gebeten, ob Israel den Bewohnern des Gazastreifens zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt humanitäre Hilfe durch internationale Organisationen zukommen lassen sollte, die nicht mit der Hamas oder der UNRWA verbunden sind. Eine Mehrheit der jüdischen Befragten (68%) lehnt den Transfer humanitärer Hilfe selbst unter diesen Bedingungen ab, während eine große Mehrheit der arabischen Befragten (85%) ihn unterstützt.

Sollte Israel grundsätzlich der Gründung eines palästinensischen Staates zustimmen?

Nach Medienberichten über eine bevorstehende internationale "Blitzaktion", um die Gründung eines unabhängigen und entmilitarisierten palästinensischen Staates voranzutreiben, fragten wir: "Unterstützen Sie die Idee, dass Israel grundsätzlich der Gründung eines unabhängigen und entmilitarisierten palästinensischen Staates zustimmen

Page 5

Jewish respondents (63%) oppose this proposal, while a l An Israeli tank in Gaza. Credit: Jack Guez / AFP arge majority of Arabs (73%) support it.

sollte, oder lehnen Sie sie ab? Etwa zwei Drittel der jüdischen Befragten (63%) lehnen diesen Vorschlag ab, während eine große Mehrheit der arabischen Befragten (73%) ihn unterstützt.

This eleventh flash survey on the war in Gaza was conducted by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute. Data collection was carried out between February 12–15, 2024, with 510 men and women interviewed via the internet and by telephone in Hebrew and 102 in Arabic. The maximum sampling error was ±4.04% at a confidence level of 95%. Field work was carried out by the Lazar Research Institute.

Meta systematically censors Palestinian voices

accessnow

It’s not a glitch: how Meta systematically censors Palestinian voices; Marwa Fatafta: 19 February, 2024

Soon after Israel began bombarding Gaza last October, Palestinians and people sharing pro-Palestinian messages began to report that their content was being censored and suppressed on social media platforms, including on Facebook and Instagram. Platforms suspended or restricted the accounts of Palestinian journalists and activists both in and outside of Gaza, and arbitrarily deleted a considerable amount of content, including documentation of atrocities and human rights abuses.

Examples of this online censorship show that it is rampant, systematic, and global. For instance, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has documented 1.049 cases of peaceful content expressing support for Palestine, originating from more than 60 countries around the world, being removed between October and November 2023. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Observatory for Digital Rights Violations (7or) has documented around 1,043 instances of censorship between October 7, 2023 and February 9, 2023, including on Facebook and Instagram. From content removals to opaque restrictions, the examples below illustrate the main patterns of censorship on Meta’s platforms documented since October 7, 2023. Some of the cases we mention were reported directly to us, while others were shared publicly by impacted individuals.

Beispiele für diese Online-Zensur zeigen, dass sie weit verbreitet, systematisch und global ist. So hat die Menschenrechtsorganisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) 1’049 Fälle dokumentiert, in denen friedliche Inhalte, die Unterstützung für Palästina zum Ausdruck bringen, aus mehr als 60 Ländern weltweit zwischen Oktober und November 2023 entfernt wurden. Die Palästinensische Beobachtungsstelle für digitale Rechtsverletzungen (7or) hat zwischen dem 7. Oktober 2023 und dem 9. Februar 2023 rund 1’043 Fälle von Zensur dokumentiert, auch auf Facebook und Instagram. Von der Entfernung von Inhalten bis hin zu undurchsichtigen Einschränkungen veranschaulichen die folgenden Beispiele die wichtigsten Zensurmuster auf den Plattformen von Meta, die seit dem 7. Oktober 2023 dokumentiert wurden. Einige der von uns erwähnten Fälle wurden uns direkt gemeldet, während andere von betroffenen Personen öffentlich geteilt wurden.

Page 6

Two Palestinians on the shortlist of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF)

About: The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world. Its aim is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing and to encourage the readership of high quality Arabic literature internationally through the translation and publication of winning and shortlisted novels in other major languages.

Osama al-Eissa, Palestine is a Palestinian writer and journalist, born in the Dheisha refugee camp, Bethlehem, in 1963.

The Seventh Heaven of Jerusalem takes us to 1970s Jerusalem, when the city is suffering a famine in the wake of a second war in twenty years, and is struggling to come to terms with its trauma under occupation. The novel celebrates place and characters living in the city of holy texts and destiny; yet it also questions unchallenged assumptions, popular slogans and even the sacrifices of the early freedom fighters who - despite the enormity of those sacrifices - failed to liberate the city. The Jerusalem portrayed in heroic songs and official pronouncements is not the Jerusalem of the people, who always end up paying the price. Nor do those versions represent the city trapped in roughly a square kilometre of walls for centuries, enduring incurable wounds enduring incurable wounds, and the rule of one occupier after another, each more violent than the last. This novel does not show Jerusalem as written by the victors. It is, rather, the intractable Jerusalem which is described here, with its inhabitants from many different races and backgrounds; the other Jerusalem of ordinary, defeated people. Publisher Al-Mutawassit

Der siebte Himmel von Jerusalem führt uns in das Jerusalem der 1970er Jahre, als die Stadt nach dem zweiten Krieg innerhalb von zwanzig Jahren unter einer Hungersnot leidet und mit ihrem Trauma unter der Besatzung zurechtkommen muss. Der Roman feiert den Ort und die Personen, die in der Stadt der heiligen Texte und des Schicksals leben, stellt aber auch unbestrittene Annahmen, populäre Slogans und sogar die Opfer der frühen Freiheitskämpfer in Frage, denen es trotz der enormen Opfer nicht gelang, die Stadt zu befreien. Das Jerusalem, das in Heldenliedern und offiziellen Verlautbarungen dargestellt wird, ist nicht das Jerusalem des Volkes, das am Ende immer den Preis dafür zahlt. Auch stellen diese Versionen nicht die Stadt dar, die jahrhundertelang in einer etwa einen Quadratkilometer grossen Mauer gefangen war, die unheilbare Wunden und die Herrschaft eines Besatzers nach dem anderen ertrug, einer gewalttätiger als der andere. Dieser Roman zeigt Jerusalem nicht, wie es von den Siegern beschrieben wurde. Vielmehr wird hier das widerspenstige Jerusalem mit seinen Bewohnern und Bewohnerinnen unterschiedlichster Rassen und Hintergründe beschrieben, das andere Jerusalem der einfachen, besiegten Menschen. Verlag Al-Mutawassit

Basim Khandaqji, Palestine is a Palestinian novelist, born in Nablus, Palestine in 1983. He studied Journalism and Media at the Al-Najah National University in Nablus. He wrote short stories until his imprisonment in Israel when he was 21 years old, in 2004. Inside prison, he registered with Al-Quds University and completed university studies in Political Science with a thesis on Israeli Studies. He also continued writing, including articles about literature, politics, female Palestinian activists and prisoners inside Israeli prisons.

Basim Khandaqji, Palästina, ist ein palästinensischer Romanautor, der 1983 in Nablus, Palästina, geboren wurde. Er studierte Journalismus und Medien an der Al-Najah National University in Nablus. Er schrieb Kurzgeschichten bis zu seiner Inhaftierung in Israel im Jahr 2004, als er 21 Jahre alt war. Im Gefängnis schrieb er sich an der Al-Quds-Universität ein und schloss sein Studium der Politikwissenschaften mit einer Arbeit über israelische Studien ab. Ausserdem schrieb er weiter, unter anderem Artikel über Literatur, Politik, palästinensische Aktivistinnen und Gefangene in israelischen Gefängnissen.

Page 7

A Mask, the Colour of the Sky: Nur, an archaeologist living in a refugee camp in Ramallah, finds a blue identity card belonging to an Israeli in the pocket of an old coat. He adopts the mask of the occupier in an attempt to understand the Zionist mentality. As “Nur” becomes “Ur”, he joins an archaeological dig on a settlement, and historical Palestine is revealed. In the chasm between Nur and Ur – between the blue Israeli identity card, and the pass required by Palestinians for travel within Israel; and between the character’s suppressed original narrative, and the new dominant one – will Nur succeed in throwing off his mask, triumphing over Ur and reaching the light?

Publisher: Dar al-Adab

Eine Maske, die Farbe des Himmels: Nur, ein Archäologe, der in einem Flüchtlingslager in Ramallah lebt, findet in der Tasche eines alten Mantels einen blauen Personalausweis, der einem Israeli gehört. Er nimmt die Maske des Besatzers an und versucht, die zionistische Mentalität zu verstehen. Als "Nur" zu "Ur" wird, nimmt er an einer archäologischen Ausgrabung in einer Siedlung teil, und das historische Palästina wird sichtbar. In der Kluft zwischen Nur und Ur - zwischen dem blauen israelischen Personalausweis und dem Pass, der ein Palästinenser für Reisen innerhalb Israels benötigt, und zwischen der unterdrückten ursprünglichen Geschichte der Figur und dem neuen, dominanten Narrativ - wird es Nur gelingen, seine Maske abzulegen, über Ur zu triumphieren und das Licht zu erreichen?

Verlag: Dar al-Adab

Lives Ended in Gaza

New York Times

Since the war started, more than 30,000 people have been killed during Israel’s bombardment and invasion. Here are some of the stories of the people who have been killed in Gaza, as recalled by friends and relatives and documented in social media posts, news articles and other sources.. Ben Hubbard, Lauren Leatherby, Hiba Yazbek, Abu Bakr Bashir, Raja Abdulrahim and Emma Bubola; March 4, 2024

Page 8

She and her twin sister had names that rhymed. She loved to adorn her outfits with colorful accessories and relished the attention she and her sister received from neighbors. She was killed in a strike on her family’s building. Her sister, Marah, survived, as did their father and mother, who gave birth to a third daughter a few weeks later. They named her Farah

Farah Alkhatib, 12

He studied engineering in Gaza and Spain before trying unsuc-cessfully to settle in Norway, where he worked in an Italian restaurant. Back in Gaza, with engineering jobs scarce, he opened an eatery, Italiano, that served pizza, calzones, salads and shawarma. It was so successful that in 2021 it moved into a shiny new location, with dozens of employees, three floors and rooms for private events. He was killed with his parents and two brothers in a strike on the buil-ding. His wife and two children, 3 and 6, survived.

Abdulrahman Abuamara, 39

The older sister loved Kinder chocolate, Pringles and strawberry juice. The younger loved to play with a plastic jeep embellished with a duck.

Siwar and Selena al-Raiss, 3 years and 21 months

Page 9

He did translation for a human rights group and worked for a think tank focused on improving Palestinians’ lives. Shortly before the war, he received a scholarship for a master’s degree in international relations in Australia. He hoped to become a diplomat. He was killed alongside 20 family members in a strike that destroyed his family’s home.

Mahmoud Alnaouq, 25

In the two years before the war, she earned a university degree in software engineering, got married and became pregnant with her first child. She was killed alongside her husband before the baby was born.

Ghadeer Mohammed Mansour, 24

She broke barriers in Gaza’s socially conservative society as an actor, playwright and artist. She performed in plays in Gaza and elsewhere and starred in films, including “Sara” in 2014, which addressed the taboo topic of femicide. She taught theater and arts in Gaza and at the ASHTAR theater in Jerusalem. She moved to Egypt after the 2014 Gaza war but returned a few months before the current war. She was killed in her home with three of her five children.

Photos, memories, documents, photos and information about the dead were provided in interviews with relatives, friends and other associates. Those sources include: Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib (relative of Farah Alkhatib, nephew of Riyad Alkhatib and nephew of Dr. Abdallah Shehada); Mohamed Shamiya (friend of Abdulrahman Abuamara), Mo-hammad al-Raiss (father of Siwar and Selena al-Raiss); Ahmed Alnaouq (brother of Mahmoud Alnaouq); Farah Sedo (daughter of Inas Al-Saqqa); Ola Salama (friend of Ghadeer Mohammed Mansour and niece of Youssef Salama).

Inas Al-Saqqa, 53

References

Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (the PIPD is an independent NGO advocating for the liberation of Palestine from all forms of settler colonialism and advancing Palestinian people’s diplomacy and a Palestinian-led movement): accountability for Palestine initiative

+972 Magazine (independent journalism from Israel-Palestine, NGO, u,a, von der Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung gefördert): Berliniale 2024

The Israel Democracy Institute (The IDI is an independent center of research and action dedicated to strengthening the foundations of Israeli a Jewish and democratic state): War in Gaza Survey

accessnow (Access Now defends and extends the digital rights of people and communities at risk, NGO): META censorship

The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF is the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world): Arabic Fiction

The New York Times (the NYT is privately owned American daily newspaper based in New York City): Lives Ended in Gaza