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* |
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01/02/1998 |
An EU report holds Israel fully
responsible for the collapse of the Palestinian economy. |
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*
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08/02/2004 |
Israeli
Wall claims its first victim: |
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Two-year old Mohammad Hersham Maraba became the first
victim of the Israeli wall’s obstruction of Palestinian access to
medical services. Mohammad died after desperate attempts by his father to
take him to hospital were thwarted by the Israeli Apartheid Wall. A
medicine only administered in hospital may have saved the toddler from the
fever he suffered.
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Read more in English at www.palestinemonitor.org
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*
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| 24/02/2000 |
The Israeli PM office announces that settlement
activities in the Golan Heights will continue.
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*
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| 25/02/1994 |
American Jew, Baruch Goldstein, massacres 29
Palestinian worshippers at Al Haram al-Ibrahimi in Al-Khalil (Hebron),
during the holy month of Ramadan.
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Israeli soldiers were reported to have been looking on
and allowing the gunman to reload his automatic machine gun and continue
killing innocent civilians.
|
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UN Security Council adopts resolution 904 condemning the massacre and
calling upon the Israeli government to take measures to rein in its
illegal, well-armed and violent settlers. Instead, the Israeli government
reinforces its illegal settlements and gives more power and land to the
settlers around and in Al-Khalil and severely restricts Palestinian access
to the holy site.
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It must be pointed out that his house was not
demolished after the outrage as it is the fate of Palestinian suicide
bombers' family homes.
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We
do not ignore that many Israeli civilians have fallen victims to Palestinian
attacks. However there is a substantial difference between the motives of
some Palestinians who have always lived in a past and climate of violence
and oppression and those of an American physician freshly arrived from the
USA and moved by fanatism only.
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Read more in English at www.theunjustmedia.com
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*
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| 27/02/1928 |
Ariel Sharon was born. He joined the Haganah as young as
14. He became a platoon commander when this
militia was merged into the new regular Israeli army.
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Promoted to major in 1951 he was assigned in 1953 to lead
the commando 101 Unit on orders from Prime Minister Ben Gurion. The purpose
was to suppress the growing clashes with Palestinian civilians and
irregulars. The most notorious involvement of Unit 101 was Qibya massacre on
Oct 10th, 1953.
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His military career proceeded during the successive wars
- 1956 Suez, 1967 Six Days' and 1973 Yom Kippur - although his reported
disregard for human life slowed down the promotion he ought to have expected
thanks to his daring and efficient military stature.
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He joined right-wing Likud party in 1973 and was elected
to Knesset Israeli parliament. He was Defense Minister in 1982 when Israel
invaded Lebanon to suppress Palestinian presence in this country. His name
was sullied in the eyes of the world after the Phalange militia allied and
supported by Israel perpetrated the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp massacres.
The outcry was such that Prime Minister Begin was forced to dismiss him.
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He served again as a minister several times in the '80ies
and '90ies and became the Likud party leader. His controversial visit to the Mosque Compound which
triggered the second Intifadah.
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General Sharon was then elected Prime Minister by Israeli
voters disappointed and worried by the so-called peace process and trustful
that the old warrior would smash the Palestinian unrest.
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His term was marked by harsh measures to quell the
Intifadah and speed up the colonisation process in the West Bank and start
building the Apartheid wall.
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As we write these lines Ariel Sharon is slowly recovering
from a mass brain damage that will have him removed from public life at
least.
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The Israeli opinion is divided between those who reproved
his bullyish style and excesses that have brought Israel in disrepute and
others who have admired his committment and contribution to the
strenghthening and expansion of the state.
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It seems that the western establishments are willing to
overlook the darker aspects of his past and focus on his more moderate moves
in his later years, much like they have done with Yitzhak Rabin, such as his
verbal insistence that Israel would have to do "painful concessions"
and his implementation of the Gaza disengagement and his breakaway from
hardline Likud to form the more moderate Kadima party.
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Meanwhile
he will be remembered by all Palestinians as a ruthless
and deadly enemy and as such he is a particular focus of hatred. However it
would be wrong to believe that the present radical policies were introduced
by General Sharon:
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 |
the
West Bank Apartheid Wall was actually engineered in Labour Party
circles; |
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all
Israeli governments have fostered and funded the colonisation of the
Golan Heights, the West Bank and formerly the Gaza Strip; |
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the
1st Intifadah under Labour Yitzhak Rabin was no less ruthlessly
repressed than the 2nd one under Likud Ariel Sharon; |
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assassinations
of Palestinian political leaders or prominent figures have been a
common occurence for decades; |
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the
Labour Party whether in opposition or in national unity governments
has been frequently associated to Likud-led governments' top decisions
such as continued destruction of infrastructures, blockade of
Palestinian areas, house demolitions and military raids into PNA
territory. |
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We suggest that this man's life and legacy be
considered in a broad historical perspective as it is achieved in Dr Ghada
Karmi's article "It
is the Nature of the Zionist ideology: Sharon is not the problem".
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*
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| 28/02/2000 |
In Al-Mughayyir village, near Ramallah, Israeli settlers
protected by Israeli troops destroy over 700 olive trees.
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