Press release : B’Tselem, The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Yesh Din
1 July 2009

The Israeli High Court ruled today in favor of changing the indictments filed against the soldier and commander who were involved in the shooting of a handcuffed detainee in Ni’lin, so as to reflect the gravity of the offenses. The human rights organizations who had filed the petition to change the indictments expressed satisfaction with the decision, saying that it conveys a crucial message that protection of human rights must be a primary consideration for law-enforcement agencies. The organizations said they hope that in the future, High Court intervention will not be necessary for military law-enforcement agencies to convey to soldiers and commanders an unequivocal message to safeguard human life and dignity.

June 3rd, 2009

Siriel-Média comment : This is high quality journalism: very recommended. / Ceci est du journalisme de haute qualité: très recommandé.

Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories
Israeli authorities must authorize access to the Gaza Strip !

The International Federation for Human Rights denounces the Israeli decision to deny its representatives access to Gaza.

May 22, a delegation from Quebec was blocked when they attempted to enter Gaza from the Israeli border; though they were invited by a UN agency. May 26, delegations of 66 people —mosty from Canada, but also from New York and Cairo— were able to enter Gaza from the Egyptian border! Here is their messagd… – Michael Lessard (Quebec City Collective for peace)

Report from Cairo, Tuesday, May 26 :

We have some great news to report!!! The day started out with a 3am call from one of our delegations in Al Arish saying that secret police had contacted them at 2pm to intimidate them and say they would not get into Gaza. We, in Cairo, told them to go on to the border and see what happens. [...]

LA DÉLÉGATION QUÉBÉCOISE EN PALESTINE SE REND À BIL’IN (village palestinien – territoires occupés)

Montréal, le 22 mai / L’accès à Gaza a été refusé aux 17 membres de la délégation québécoise, en tournée en Israël et dans les territoires palestiniens occupés depuis dimanche le 17 mai. Les autorités israéliennes au passage d’Erez ont refusé l’accès à Gaza aux 17 Québécois et Québécoises jeudi 21 mai.

Source: AFP, posted on Yahoo News

GENEVA (AFP) – The World Health Organisation on Friday called on Israel to immediately lift an aid and fuel blockade of the Gaza Strip saying it was causing a “serious shortage of medicines and medical supplies.”

The WHO’s annual World Health Assembly taking place in Geneva this week passed a resolution demanding that Israel “facilitate the transit and entry of medicine and medical equipment to the occupied Palestinian territory.”

And it said it wanted Israel to reverse policies that had “led to the prevailing dire health conditions and severe food and fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip.”

Earlier this month, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel to end the blockade on aid and fuel to the 1.5 million inhabitants of the impoverished Gaza Strip.

Life in the enclave, he said, remains “extremely difficult” three months after the end of an Israeli offensive targeted at Gaza’s rulers, Islamic movement Hamas.

Incroyable, mais vrai. Sur le Conseil des droits de l’Homme des Nations unies (anc. Commission…), le Canada a été le SEUL sur 33 États à voter Contre…

la résolution sur « les graves violations des droits de l’homme dans le territoire palestinien occupé, y compris la récente agression dans la bande de Gaza occupée », par laquelle il décide de dépêcher une mission internationale indépendante d’établissement des faits afin d’enquêter sur toutes les violations du droit international relatif aux droits de l’homme et du droit international humanitaire commises par Israël contre le peuple palestinien dans l’ensemble du territoire palestinien occupé, en particulier dans la bande de Gaza occupée, du fait de l’agression actuelle. [voir aussi le média de la CDH]

Incredible, but true. On the United Nations’ Human Rights Council (formerly “Commission”), Canada is the only one of 33 States to vote against resolution concerning…

grave violations of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the recent aggression of the occupied Gaza Strip, and adopted a resolution in which it strongly condemned the ongoing Israeli military operation in Gaza, which had resulted in massive violations of human rights of the Palestinian people, and demanded the occupying power, Israel, to immediately withdraw its military forces from Gaza. The Council also decided to dispatch an urgent independent international fact-finding mission to investigate all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by the occupying power against the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory. [see also the HRC media website]

By Haider Rizvi, IPS-Inter Press Service.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 5 (IPS) – Disappointed with the Security Council’s inaction regarding the worsening situation in Gaza, diplomats from numerous nations of the global South are close to taking the case of Israeli aggression to the U.N. General Assembly.

August 6, 2008
The Guardian (UK): From inside Burma plans for new uprising against military

Saviez-vous qu’Omar Khadr avait à peine 10 ans quand ses parents l’ont placé dans Al Qaida?
Apportons-le à la justice, apportons-le dans une cour canadienne hors du trou infernal sans droit créé par Bush.

Did you know Omar Khadr was barely 10 years old when his parents placed him in Al Qaeda?
Bring him to justice, bring him to a Canadian court out of Bush’s lawless hell hole.

Pétition en ligne / On line petition
Avocats canadiens à l’étranger / Canadian Lawyers Abroad

RightOnCanada.ca SEND LETTER ON LINE ! / ENVOYER UNE LETTRE EN LIGNE !
Automatically to Harper, your local MP and opposition parties.
Automatiquement à Harper, à votre député-e et aux parties d’opposition.

Amnesty International Canada – SIGN ON LINE LETTER
Bring Omar Khadr to Justice. Bring him to Canada

Amnistie internationale section canadienne francophone – SIGNER UNE LETTRE EN LIGNE
Omar Khad: Écrivez au premier ministre Harper afin qu’il soit rapatrié et qu’il ait droit à un procès juste