Daily incidents reveal
Israeli state terrorism writ large. Praying to the wrong God is called
terrorism. So is wanting out from under Israel's repressive boot.
Occupation harshness knows no limits. Torture is official policy. So
are virtually all other crimes against humanity. Palestinian civilians
suffer most. Children are treated like adults. Going to and from school
is hazardous.
Dedicated human rights advocates are targeted. Ayman Ameed Ahmad Nasser
is one of many. He's a researcher and member of Addameer's Prisoner
Support Association.
Established in 1992, Addameer provides legal services for Israeli political
prisoners. It supports them nationally and internationally. It works
to end torture and other abuses. It conducts solidarity human rights
campaigns.
"Addameer believes in the importance of building a free and democratic
Palestinian society based on justice, equality, rule of law and respect
for human rights within the larger framework of the right to self-determination."
"Addameer's work is based on a belief in the universality of human rights
as enshrined in international law."
Last August, Israel called Addameer co-founder Abdullatif Ghaith a "threat
to state security." No evidence, of course, suggests it. He was told
to appear for questioning. On arrival, he was ordered to sign a statement.
It bans him from traveling abroad.
He was targeted earlier. Supporting human rights in Israel or Occupied
Palestine is hazardous. Since becoming Addameer's chairman, Ghaith was
administratively detained uncharged three times.
Each incarceration lasted six months. He endured brutal treatment. So
do all Palestinian prisoners under gulag conditions. Most recently,
Ghaith was held from June 2004 - January 2005.
At the time, a joint statement signed by 11 Palestinian and Israeli
human rights organizations strongly condemned Israel's action.
They said incarcerating Ghaith "cannot be viewed in isolation but must
be viewed within a much broader context of a systematic attempt by Israel
to suppress Palestinian civil society and stifle Palestinian development…."
It's also about strengthening Israel's occupation, they added. Civil
society organizations are especially vulnerable. Supporting human rights
can land advocates in prison. Israel also terrorizes them other ways.
At the time, Ghaith said:
"Israel considers every activity that tackles Israeli violations of
human rights as a threat to state security. Israel wants its occupation
to proceed without any accountability. This is not an issue of an individual.
It involves all Palestinians."
On October 15 at 1:00AM, Israeli soldiers raided Nasser's home. They
terrorized his wife and children. They were held at gunpoint for over
90 minutes.
Every room was ransacked. His computer and cell phone were confiscated.
Other belongings were taken. Some belonged to his children. Nasser was
arrested.
He's currently held in Jerusalem's Moskobiyyeh detention center. Incarcerated
Muslims face gulag harshness. Physical and emotional scars remain.
Nasser's undergone grueling interrogations. They last up to 10 hours
daily. Lengthy sessions caused him great pain. He has chronic back problems.
He also suffers from colon inflammation. Israel inflicted more pain
and suffering by shackling his hands tightly behind his back. It lasted
throughout his ordeal.
At times he was blindfolded. He was also shown photos and asked to identify
various individuals. He knows none of them. He was told confess or stay
in prison. He's uncharged. He committed no crime.
Being Palestinian is enough to warrant long incarcerations. That's how
police states work. Israel is one of the worst.
On October 18, Nasser appeared in Jerusalem court. Prosecutors recommended
he be held for 15 more days of interrogation. Addameer lawyer Mahmoud
Hassan said he's been denied proper care. He's getting only two of five
vital medications needed.
He also said interrogation focused on Nasser's Handala Center involvement.
It's a Saffa village-based educational/artistic initiative. Nasser serves
as chairperson.
Handala is registered with the Palestinian Authority. Its activities
are completely open. No laws are violated. Nasser said he believes "every
human being has opinions and positions and if it’s not violating the
law he can freely think and speak these opinions."
"I am a human rights defender who supports the Palestinian prisoners,
and I represent my opinions in the public media. My thoughts are not
secret. They are public, and everyone knows them."
Based on alleged "secret evidence" (meaning none at all), the judge
said Nasser would be held another seven days. He sidestepped his medical
needs.
He referred them to Moskobiyyeh detention center's doctor. Doing so
assures continued mistreatment. Israel does it maliciously. It's to
pressure prisoners to admit crimes they didn't commit and implicate
others.
Nasser knows Israeli brutality firsthand. He spent six years unjustly
in prison. Israel arrested him in 1992. He was held until October 1997.
Since 2008, he's been an Addameer researcher. He works in its documentation
unit. He represents the group in other human rights coalitions. They
include the Coalition against Torture and Coalition against the Death
Penalty.
He's also Addameer's High Committee for Palestinian Political Prisoners'
representative. Other human rights organizations are members. They advocate
for unjustly incarcerated Palestinian prisoners. Israel holds thousands
of them.
Nasser also lectures part-time at Al Quds Open University. He teaches
undergraduates social work. In addition, he's active politically. He
represents "United Saffa" in October 20 local elections.
They're rigged. Israel wants continued Fatah rule. Mahmoud Abbas and
Salam Fayyad are convenient stooges. So are other Fatah officials. They're
quislings.
They represent Israel, not Palestine. They want no independent challengers.
The process is structured to assure continuity. Nasser's arrest perhaps
prevents him from serving if elected. It's not the first time Israel
pulled this stunt. Around two dozen Hamas legislators are imprisoned.
Addammer calls Nasser a dedicated well educated man. He's married with
four children. His wife Haleema said they look "forward to see(ing)
their father, a father who taught them the meaning of freedom and loving
life."
Addameer calls Nasser's imprisonment "a deliberate violation of his
fundamental freedoms and special protections provided under the international
law for human rights defenders, particularly freedoms of movement, expression,
association and peaceful assembly."
Israel never respected international law and doesn't now. It's one of
the world's most ruthless rogue states. It lacks legitimacy. Its leaders
should be prosecuted and imprisoned.
They've gotten away with crimes against humanity far too long. Hopefully,
accountability one day awaits them. It can't happen a moment too soon.
A Final Comment
Palestine is slowly disappearing. Israel steals it dunum by dunum. On
October 19, Netanyahu's government approved 800 new Gilo settlement
units.
They'll be built on stolen Palestinian land south of Occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel situates settlements in highly valued areas. They're on hilltops,
the Jordan Valley, and all resource rich locations. Water is most highly
valued.
Peace Now representative Hagit Ofran said construction could begin in
a few months.
"The government could stop the process before building begins but is
taking advantage of the upcoming elections in order to set facts on
the ground and will make the possibility of peace with the Palestinians
even harder to achieve," she added.
Netanyahu spurns it. He calls it a waste of time. His disdain for Palestinian
rights shows it.
Note: On October 15, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said
Illegal Israeli policies violate international law.
Topics covered apartheid wall construction, stealing Palestinian resources,
denying them proper amounts of water, harming Palestine’s economy, violating
international law and security council resolutions, as well as building
lawless settlements.
From September 2011 - September 2012, 11,096 units were approved, built,
or remain in different stages of construction in or around Occupied
East Jerusalem alone.
Around 44,000 settlers live there or will when completed. Over half
a million settlers occupy Palestinian land. More arrive regularly. Palestine
is slowly disappearing. Perhaps little will be left once Israel steals
all it wants.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized
Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge
discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News
Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time
and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy
listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
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