Ramadhan yang Penuh Keprihatinan di Palestina

Negara-negara Timur Tengah mengumumkan awal bulan Ramadhan jatuh pada hari Senin (1/8). Otorita keagamaan di Arab Saudi, Kuwait, Uni Emirat Arab, Yordania, Yaman, Maroko, Mesir, Qatar dan Sudan, termasuk Palestina adalah negara-negara yang akan memulai bulan suci Ramadhan pada hari Senin, dimana seluruh umat Islam akan menjalan ibadah puasa.

Presiden Palestina Mahmoud Abbas secara resmi mengucapkan selamat menyambut bulan suci Ramadhan pada seluruh rakyat Palestina. Ia menghimbau semua organisasi baik sektor swasta maupun organisasi kemasyarakatan untuk berkomitmen untuk memberikan dukungan dan melakukan kegiatan-kegiatan yang bisa membantu kaum duafa dan keluarga-keluarga di Palestina yang hidup di bawah garis kemiskinan.

Kenaikan Harga

Sementara itu di Jalur Gaza, warga mengeluhkan harga-harga pangan yang merangkak naik menjelang bulan Ramadhan.

Warga Gaza yang secara sosial ekonomi sudah terpuruk akibat blokade zionis Israel mengatakan, harga daging ayam, buah-buahan dan sayuran di pasar bertambah mahal menjelang Ramadhan. Mereka tidak bisa memenuhi kebutuhan pangan keluarga karena harga-harga yang makin tak terjangkau.

Warga meminta lembaga-lembaga pemerintah untuk mengendalikan harga-harga di pasar dan mencegah para penjual untuk mempersulit para pelanggan.

Ketua Kamar Dagang di wilayah Gaza, Mahmoud Al-Yaziji sudah menghimbau para penjual untuk tidak menaikkan harga terlalu tinggi, karena situasi Gaza yang masih diblokade Israel sehingga barang-barang kehidupan sehari-sehari sulit didapat.

Ini adalah tahun kelima warga Gaza menyambut bulan suci Ramadhan dibawah blokade rezim zionis. Blokade yang menyebababkan angka pengangguran di Gaza meningkat tajam dan masih banyak warga Gaza yang masih menghadapi kesulitan hidup akibat serangan militer Israel ke Gaza tahun 2008 lalu.

Al-Yaziji berharap dunia internasional memenuhi tanggung jawab etika dan hukum terhadap warga Gaza, dengan segera membebaskan warga Gaza dari blokade zionis.

Bebaskan Tahanan

Menjelang Ramadhan keluarga-keluarga Palestina yang berafiliasi dengan Hamas mendesak Otorita Palestina untuk membebaskan anggota Hamas yang ditahan Otorita Palestina. Para keluarga itu, Sabtu (30/7), melakukan aksi duduk di kota Nablus, Tepi Barat untuk menuntut pembebasan anggota keluarga mereka.

Keluarga-keluarga Hamas itu membawa spanduk-spanduk bertuliskan tuntutan pembebasan tahanan tanpa syarat untuk menyambut bulan suci Ramadhan. Mereka menyatakan, pembebasan tahanan merupakan masalah penting untuk terwujudnya rekonsiliasi antara Fatah-Hamas.

Anggota legislatif dari Hamas, Muna Mansur mengatakan, "Membebaskan para tahanan adalah hak dasar mereka dan satu-satunya cara bagi langkah maju rekonsiliasi rakyat Palesina."

"Para tahanan selayaknya dibebaskan agar mereka bisa menikmati bulan suci Ramadhan bersama keluarga dan kerabat mereka," tukas Mansur. (aisyah/mn)

Puisi Anak Palestina Untuk Orangtuanya

Puisi pilu seorang anak Palestina yang sedang berada di Camp pengungsian Hussein, 40 km Amman Yordania. Puisi ini dibacakan saat tim ACT membagikan paket kepada ratusan anak yatim pengungsi disana.

Puisi pilu seorang anak Palestina yang sedang berada di Camp pengungsian Hussein, 40 km Amman Yordania. Puisi ini dibacakan saat tim ACT membagikan paket kepada ratusan anak yatim pengungsi disana.
AYAH

ayat adib salim, seorang anak palestina-

Ayah…
kenapa mereka melarangku untuk bertemu denganmu
Mereka menahanmu tanpa memberikan kesempatan kepadaku untuk memelukmu
Tak memberikan kesempatan pula memeluk Ibuku dan menghapus air matanya

Ibu…
Aku melihat air mata menetes dari wajahmu setiap pagi
Tanpa ada yang menghapusnya
Aku hanya bisa mengadu sambil menatap matahari dengan pandangan kosong

Ibu…
Kapan aku bisa bertemu dengan Ayah
Adakah kepastian Aku bertemu dengan Ayah, wahai Ibu…

Ayah…
Dimana Kamu?
Mereka terus membangun pemukiman milik Yahudi
Aku bunga Palestina nomor ktp ku 70 ribu
Sejak pagi aku belum bertemu dengan Ayah…

Hari raya demi hari raya
Satu persatu anak Palestina lahir
Satu persatu syahid berguguran
Dan selama itu Ayahku dibalik jeruji penjara zionis israel
Dibalik tempat yang layak dihuni oleh seorang budak

Ayah…
Kapan datang hari dimana Ayahku bebas dari jeruji penjara?
Aku ingatkan kepada mereka yang setiap pagi bebas mencium pipi anaknya
Aib, jika Anda membiarkan Ayahku terus dibalik penjara
Tanpa memberikan kesempatan menciumku
Aku ingin Ayah…
Aku ingin Ayah kembali padaku….

Ayo para Ayah…dengarkan jeritan hati anak-anak ini…

-Republika, 19 Januari 2009-

Welcome To Palestine

Worldwide Protests Follow Israeli Terror on Aid Ship

Worldwide Protests Follow Israeli Terror on Aid Ship

Israel afraid of increasing boycott of its products in Europe

[ 30/08/2010 - 11:33 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)– Israeli businessmen expressed fears that the European campaign to boycott Israeli products could widen after a sharp decline in exports.

The Israeli Maariv newspaper on Sunday published a report on the dangers of growing economic boycott of Israeli products in Europe in which it affirmed that the recent months have seen a rise in the number of European companies which withdrew their investments in Israeli companies for political reasons.

Israeli businessman Daniel Bettini, an owner of glass factory in Ariel settlement, said the boycott campaign caused enormous harm to Israel’s factories which depend on exports to Europe.

The newspaper quoted Avi Ben-Zvi, who also owns a factory of glass in the same settlement, as saying that his factory stopped exporting its products to Europe because of this campaign.
Mayor of Ariel settlement Ron Nachman said that the factories in Israeli settlements sustained a major blow and thus they need the government to intervene to threaten the boycotting European countries that Israel would not participate in the political process in the region if they did not put an end to this campaign.

Maariv also listed examples of the European parties and companies that boycotted Israel economically after pro-Palestinian pressure groups active in Europe urged them to end their business ties with Israeli companies involved in serious human rights violations against Palestinians.

Islamic History of Palestine

* In the year 570 AD, Prophet Mohammed ibn Abdallah, peace be upon him, was born in Mecca. The revelation of the Holy Koran to Prophet Mohammed began in the year 610 AD, marking the beginning of the third monotheistic religion of Islam. Islam gave a distinct and special status to the city of Jerusalem, to which the Prophet Mohammed was taken and from which he ascended to heaven in the “night journey”. The Muslims directed their prayers towards Jerusalem before they did towards Mecca.

* During the reign of Caliph Abu Baker, several armies were dispatched north. The army that was sent to Palestine was under the command of Amr ibn Alas. He defeated the Byzantines in several battles, the most important of which was Ajnadiyn in 634 AD, and took control of the southern part of the country. In 636, after the decisive battle at Yarmuk under the command of Kahled ibn Al-Walid, the Arabs completed the conquest of Palestine and the rest of Greater Syria. With regard to Jerusalem, its patriarch, Sophronius, placed a condition on the surrender of the city, demanding that it only be surrendered to the Caliph in person. Thus, Caliph Omar ibn Al-Khattab came to Jerusalem and personally gave promise to the people of their safety and that of their religion and churches. (Al-Uhdah Al-Umarriya)

* During the Umayyad rule, Abdel Malek ibn Marwan built the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque beside it. Both, along with the surrounding area, became known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif (the Holy Sancturary). This site is the third holiest place in Islam after Mecca and Medina. The Umayyads began the process of Arabizing the city’s administration and developed new monetary coins – the dinar. It was during this period that the Arabic language and Islam spread rapidly.

* The end of the tenth century witnessed a general decline in the Abbassid Dynasty and a gradual takeover by the Seljuk Turkish state. During the same century, the Fatamids extended to Egypt and captured Palestine as well from the Seljuks. After that conquest, enmity between the two sides was severe.

* In 1090, the Roman Pope Urban II called for a rescue of Jerusalem from the Muslims and began preparations for the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns sent to Palestine and the Levant to capture as much territory as possible. In 1096, the armies marched by land, reaching and surrounding the city of Jerusalem by 1099. Within one month, a small Fatamid force surrendered and the Franks occupied the city, desecrating Al-Haram Al-Sharif and massacring the population. The Crusaders then established the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, as well as the three other Emirates in the rest of Greater Syria.

* In 1144, one of the three Emirates (Al-Raha) was recaptured by the Master of Mosul, Imad al-din Zanki. He, along with his son, continued the campaign and captured several cities, including Damascus, bringing them under the control of his state. The second Crusade took place from 1147 to 1149, although with little success.

* Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyoubi ruled Egypt, annexed Syria and took control of Tiberius and began to fight against the Crusaders. In 1187, the Battle of Hittin took place against King Ghe of Jerusalem and Reynald de Chatillon, the Prince of Kerak. Salah Al-Din achieved great victory in this battle, after which he regained control of the cities and finally surrounded Jerusalem, which surrendered in the autumn of that same year. He allowed the Christian Arabs of the city to maintain their properties and to buy the properties of the departing Franks. He also forced the defeated Franks to leave the city without their weapons, but only after also paying a ransom.

* This conquest of Jerusalem led to the third Crusade, led by King Richard (the Lionhearted) of England, King Philip Augustus of France and Frederick, the Emperor of Germany. The Crusaders occupied Acre in 1192, after which the peace treaty of Al-Ramleh was reached between Salah Al-Din and King Richard. The agreement left Jerusalem under control of the Muslims while allowing the Christians to make pilgrimages to the city. The coastal strip between Jaffa and Acre remained under Frank control and the rest of the coast from Askelon south stayed under Salah Al-Din’s control.

* Salah Al-Din left Palestine and went to Damascus, where he died in 1193. Following his death, in 1197, disputes took place among his successors, enabling a new Crusade campaign to regain control of certain areas. Frederick II, Emperor of Germany, recaptured Jerusalem. Following negotiations between him and Al-Kamel Al-Ayyoubi, an agreement was reached in 1229. Under the agreement, Frederick took control of Jerusalem, under the condition that the Muslims control the Islamic holy sites. Bethlehem and Nazareth were among several cities that came under Frederick’s control, while the rest of Palestine stayed under Muslim control. Fifteen years later, Al-Saleh Ayyoubi of Egypt regained control of Jerusalem.

* In 1250, the Mamluk Dynasty was established in Egypt and its rule also extended to Palestine and Greater Syria. In 1258, the Mongols (Tartars) occupied Baghdad and destroyed the Abbasid Caliphate. They also occupied Damascus and tried to move south. However, they were defeated in the south by the Sultan of Egypt, Qutz, at the battle of Ein Jalut, near Beisan in Palestine in 1259. The Mamluks continued thereafter to recapture the areas under Frank control, but total eviction of the Crusaders was not achieved until 1291 by Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil ibn Qalawoon when he occupied Acre in 1291.

* In 1516, the Ottoman Sultan Salim II defeated the Mamluks, capturing Greater Syria and Egypt in 1517. Palestine then became part of the Ottoman Empire for the next 400 years.

* During Ottoman rule, several important developments took place, such as the establishment of the rule of Sheikh Zaher Al-Omar in the north of Palestine (1749-75). He aimed to control Palestine before he was killed near Acre.

* In 1799, Napoleon occupied southern Palestine and entered Jaffa, but his siege of Acre failed. One of the most important event in the history of Palestine in the 19th century was the campaign of Ibrahim Pasha to gain Greater Syria and Palestine in 1831. These areas remained under the control of Mohammed Ali Pasha of Egypt until 1840, when the Ottomans recaptured them.

* In the last decades of Ottoman rule, Palestine was administratively divided into provinces. Jerusalem was directly linked with the Ministry of Interior in Istanbul. Nablus and Acre were incorporated into the province of Beirut. The remainder of the country was under two governing provinces.

* Palestine dispatched deputies to the first Ottoman parliament in 1876, and during this period many Arabs called for political and administrative reforms and self-autonomy. They called for Arabic to be considered the official language. After the reinstatement of the constitution in 1908 and the policies of Turkization pursued by the government, many Arab leaders, including the leaders of Palestine, began to seek independence.

Early History of Palestine

* With the beginning of the Middle Stone Age (Mesolithic period) circa 12,000 BC, humans in Palestine began to raise animals, to farm and produce handcrafts. For example, the skull of a dog, a picture of a bull carved into a bone and a sculpted piece of human skull, all dating back to that period, were found in the caves of Carmel.

* Around 7000 BC, Jericho became the first place in Palestine where humans built dwellings for themselves and they also built a ten-meter high wall surround the city. Thus Jericho is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth. Farming and animal breeding began there and stability characterized the area for more than a thousand years before they Mesopotamia-Somer (Iraq). The craft of pottery began in Jericho around 5000 BC, spreading from there to the rest of Palestine and Syria.

* In several Palestinian cities, numerous artifacts from the Metallic Stone Age (c.4000 BC) were found, including in the city of Megiddo, where the oldest types of decorated pottery were discovered. In Beisan, excavations in 1921 and 1922 at “Tel Al-Hesn” led to the discovery of an accumulated series of ruins of ancient cities, mounting to 18 layers, with the lower layers dating back to 4000 BC and the upper layers to the Middle Ages.

* Around 5000 BC, the first wave of Semitic migrations began and by the end of the fourth millennium BC and the beginning of the third millennium, the Semites had left the desert towards Iraq. The Akkadians settled in the south and the Assyrians in the north. The Semites are one of the three lineages of which the white race in today’s world is traced back to, and the Arabian Peninsula is considered the original homeland of the Semitic race.

* While already inhabited by people before recorded history, Palestine was subjected to a large influx of Semites from the Arabian Peninsula in the beginning of the 3rd millennium. This was known as the “Amorite Canaanite”, which increased around 2500 BC when the Amorites migrated to Greater Syria, to its southeastern parts (Transjordan), and the Canaanites to the coast, southwestern parts (Palestine). As such, the country was named after them – the land of Canaan – which is the oldest name given to our country, Palestine. The Canaanites ruled for nearly 1500 years.

* The Jebusites, one of the Canaanite tribes, built the city of Jebus around 2000 BC, which is the Canaanite Arab name for Jerusalem. The city was built on the southwestern mountain of today’s Jerusalem and is known today as Al-Nabi Daoud Mountain (Al-Nabi David). (Very recent excavations showed that the city was built even earlier, around 3,000 BC, which is more than two thousand years before the building of the Temple.)

* The Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, who was probably an Amorit living in Ur in Babylon (Iraq), emigrated around 1805 BC and settled in Haran (Syria) and later in the Beersheba area in the land of Canaan. Throughout that time, he called for unification and the oneness of God. He married his second wife Hajar (Egyptian) and around 1794 had Ismail, peace be upon him, in the southwest of Asluge. Ismail is the grandfather of the Adnanian Arabs – Adnan was one of his grandsons, from whom the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, is descended. About 14 years after the birth of Ismail, around the year 1780 BC, Abraham had his second child Isaac, from his wife Sara in Jarar. When Abraham died, his sons buried him next to his wife Sara in Makfeela cave.

* Isaac lived in the extreme southern part of the land of Canaan where his son Jacob was born and given the name Israel. Years later he went to Haran and married Rebekah and Rachel, who gave birth to 12 male children, all born in Syria except Benjamin who was born on the road of Bethlehem on their way back from Haran to the land of Canaan. Jacob later went to Egypt around 1656 BC.

* Around 1675 BC, the Hyksos invaded Egypt. They were most probably Semites who include the Canaanites and the Amorites as well as others who lived in Syria and Palestine. The Hyksos introduced horses, military chariots and other armaments to the area and governed Egypt for nearly for nearly 100 years. Ahmose (1580-1557 BC) was able to expel the Hyksos from Egypt and chased them to Palestine and then to Syria.

* The Egyptians again marched towards Palestine during the reign of Thutmose III (15011-1447 BC) and the land of Canaan became an Egyptian province for approximately four centuries. During that period, the rule of the Pharaohs was unstable and they were forced to dispatch a number of campaigns in order to put an end to the rebellions that were occurring. They also fought, for example, the Hittites, who succeeded in bringing most of northern Syria under their control, and Al-Khabiro, who had maintained control of most of Palestine during part of this period. In the year 1269 BC, the Egyptians and Hittites concluded a treaty that brought what had been to the north of Qadesh and Byblos under the control of the Hittites and what was to the south of them under the control of the Egyptians. Around 1100 BC, several wars broke out between the Canaanite Kings and the Egyptian Kingdom reached its greatest weakness.

* The Aegean Philistines who came from Greece (Crete Island) began to settle in the coastal areas of Syria and Egypt. The Egyptian Pharaoh Marinfitah was able to quell them around 1225 BC, as was also done years later by Ramses III in the year 1191 BC. Then the Aegeans succeeded in occupying the coast of Palestine and Ramses III allowed them to remain there permanently. Their occupation extended from the area north of Gaza to the coast of Carmel as well as the mountain ranges in the East. The Philistines gained strength and power and had great influence on Canaanite civilization and the making of military weapons.

* The family of Jacob (Israel) increased and grew after their migration to Egypt. Around 1227 BC Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, migrated with his people and crossed the sea according to the Biblical story. After forty years in dispersion, Moses tried unsuccessfully to enter Palestine from the south and was forced to go to Transjordan. Moses died after he had seen Palestine from the high mountains of Transjordan, but he had never entered Palestine.

* Joshua became the leader of the Hebrews after the death of Moses around 1086 BC. He crossed the River Jordan and surrounded Jericho. He then entered the city, burning it and killing its inhabitants. Joshua and his people continued to annihilate the Canaanites and he was able to bring a great portion of the Canaanite cities under his authority. When Joshua died, the elders took charge of the Hebrews and this era was known as the period of the “Judges”, which lasted for 150 years. Saul was later elected their King and consequently a Jewish Kingdom was established around the year 1020 BC.

* After the death of Saul, the Hebrews were divided, and after wars between the two sides, David became a King in about 1016 BC. He was able to establish a strong army and to consolidate the foundation of his reign. At the beginning, David made Hebron his capital. When he entered Jebus (Jerusalem), he moved to it and made Mount Zion his headquarters. The Kingdom of David extended almost from the area of Mount Carmel to Mount Hermon in the north to the Egyptian borders in the south and to the desert in the east. As for the Palestinian coast, it was under the control of the Philistines and remained under the rule of Egypt. The Jews often clashed with the Philistines and fought each other in several battles until the balance tilted in favor of the Jews. (One of these battles is the story of David and Goliath.) After David, his son Solomon became the third King and built the Temple that bears his name as well as a palace and expanded the walls of Jerusalem.

* After the death of Solomon, the Jewish Kingdom, which survived for 97 years, was divided into two small kingdoms: the Kingdom of Israel in the north (923-722 BC) and the Kingdom of Judah in the south (923-586 BC). There were fierce battles between the two kingdoms and both called for help from neighboring kingdoms. The area of the Kingdom of Israel was twice the size of that of the Kingdom of Judah and its population was triple. Many of them were pagans. Ten of their nineteen kings died at the hands of their own people. In 722 BC, the Assyrians were able to destroy the Kingdom of Israel and its capital Samaria. The Chaldeans, led by Nebuchadnasar, twice attacked the Kingdom of Judah in the last days of its rule. The second time was in the year 586 BC. When he entered Jerusalem, Nebuchadnasar burned the Temple and destroyed the city and took 50,000 captives to Babylon. Palestine then came under the control of the Chaldeans.

* After 70 years, the Persians seized Babylon and their King Cyrus ordered that the Jews be returned to Jerusalem. Those who returned were able to restore the Temple around 516 BC. Their leaders collected and explained a group of religious laws, many from old times, in the Hebrew language, which is today’s printed Torah.

* Persian rule in Palestine continued for almost two hundred years until the year 322 BC. The organization of the Kingdom and the administrative and economic reforms benefited the country and stability and prosperity prevailed until decadence and decline struck the empire. One of the leading causes of this was its failure in its wars with the Greeks.

* Around 332 BC, Jerusalem opened its doors to Alexander the Macedonian and his armies. From there he went to Gaza and besieged it. After fierce resistance, he entered it and suppressed its people. During this battle, Alexander was injured. With the fall of Gaza, Alexander completed the conquest of all of Greater Syria. Later he went to Egypt, conquering it without effort. After the death of Alexander in 323 BC in Babylon, his generals disputed with regard to the fate of his empire and wars and conflicts broke out among them. As a result, Palestine was subject to more wars. In 323 BC, Palestine was given to Laomedon and later became part of the Kingdom of Ptolemies with Alexandria as its capital. They prudently governed the country from 301 to 198 BC.

* In the year 213 BC, the Seleucids, the rulers of Syria led by Antiochus, attacked the Ptolemies to expel them from the areas they controlled in Syria and Palestine. Thus a war began and lasted for more than twenty years between the two Greek dynasties in which the Ptolemies gained victory in the beginning until Antiochus III was able to defeat them completely and expel them from the southern part of Greater Syria in 198 BC. During the reign of the Seleucids, they pressured the Jews to abide by Greek traditions and customs, which led to a revolt by the Maccabean dynasty, which clashed with the Seleucids and established a kingdom in 141 BC. The Maccabeans forced the Arab inhabitants of Galilea to judaize and committed horrifying massacres until the Romans established their control of Palestine.

* The conquests of Alexander generally led to the spread of Hellenistic (Greek) civilization. The Greeks, Ptolemies, and Seleucids worked hard to spread their languages, ideas, traditions, sciences, and religions throughout the east (Levant) by building cities and schools. It was said that Palestine absorbed Greek character, including the spoken language despite the fact that this was confined to the major cities. The inhabitants of the villages, however, chose to preserve their traditions and use their own language.

* The Romans seized the countries that were governed by the successors of Alexander the Macedonian. They conquered Macedonia and Greece and controlled a large portion of Asia Minor also. They marched onto Syria and Palestine and wrested control over them in 62 BC. The first Roman Governor of Syria rebuilt a number of cities that were destroyed by the Maccabeans such as Samaria, Beisan, and Gaza. This Governor stripped Hyrcanus II, King of the Jews, of his title as King, but he allowed the Jews as well as the others to retain some internal autonomy. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, war broke out between the Roman generals, which led to a struggle between them resulting in the sharing of the rule of the empire between Anthony and Octavius. Syria was under Anthony after he reclaimed it from the Persians who controlled it for a short period of time after the death of Julius Caesar. In 27 BC, Anthony entered the city of Jerusalem, executed the last of the Maccabean leaders and appointed Herod bin Antepas as King.

* Rule was then transferred to the Herodosian Idumeans (37 BC-100 AD) in deference to Herod, who helped in consolidating Roman rule in the country and built many cities such as Caesarea and built several palaces and fortresses, including Massada.

* Herod converted to Judaism and renovated the Temple in Jerusalem. Before his death in 4 BC, Herod requested that his properties be divided among his three sons, who the Roman Emperor Augustus appointed as governors. (One of them, Antepas, married his niece Herodia, whose daughter Salome asked Antepas for the head of Yehya ibn Zakaria (John the Baptist).)

* Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, was born in Bethlehem in about 4 BC, sixty years after the Romans entered Palestine. He lived and grew up in Nazareth, and when he became thirty years old he began to travel throughout Palestine preaching the unification of God and his mercy and love for mankind, the immortality of the soul and reward and punishment. The Jews and Palestinians, who were pagan worshippers, and the Romans resisted the new religion being preached and reacted by oppressing the Christians. Jesus chose twelve men (Apostles0 to be his students, almost half of whom were Palestinians. One of those students was Judas Iscariot, who at the end betrayed Jesus and sold him for thirty pieces of silver. In brief, Palestine is considered the heart of Christianity, where Jesus was born and lived all his life, and it was from Jerusalem that he was resurrected and it was there that he preached and called people to the faith.

* During the period of Roman rule, the Jews clashed with the Romans several times beginning in 66 AD. The Roman leader Titus besieged Jerusalem and entered it in 70 AD. He burned the Temple that was built by Herod. During the reign of Trajan (98-117 AD), the Jews in five of the Roman kingdoms (Mesopotamia, Cyprus, Egypt, Cyrenica, and Palestine) revolted. Trajan set out to destroy them in the first four kingdoms. After Trajan died, he was succeeded by Hadrian (117-138 AD), who suppressed the Jews in Palestine, killing a large number of them. They were in a state of disobedience under the leadership of Samaan or Bar Kawkab. Hadrian named Jerusalem Aelia Kapitlina and built a statue for Jupiter upon the ruins of the Temple of Herod. It was at this time that Jewish ties to Palestine were brought to an end.

* Roman rule in Palestine endured from 62 BC to 395 AD, during which most of the country enjoyed an era of stability, peace and security. However, the number of people who emigrated to it was low. The main goal of the Romans with regard to Greater Syria and Palestine was to use them as a ground base to launch attacks against their enemies and to utilize their resources, including taxes. At the time, the official language was Latin and in the fields of literature and commerce Greek was the dominant language. However, Aramaic was the language used in the markets and by the people in their homes. The population of Palestine at that time was estimated to be about one million.

* The armies of Palmyra under the leadership of Zenobia (267-272 AD) controlled Palestine for almost five years until the Roman emperor Aurelius defeated the Kingdom in 272 AD. The people of Palmyra were Arabs similar to the Nabateans, but their capital, Palmyra, never flourished except when Petra started to decline.

* Constantine, the Roman Emperor, became a Christian and in 326 AD his mother, Queen Helena, visited Palestine and built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Resurrection) in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. In 380 AD, Constantine built a new capital for the Empire, which was named after him: Constantinople (now Istanbul).

* In 395 AD, the Roman Empire was divided into two empires: the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) with Constantinople as its capital, and the Western Roman Empire with Rome as its capital. Greater Syria, including Palestine, was under the Eastern Roman Empire. The economic situation in the region continued as it had been in the past and the empire enjoyed a lengthy period of stability. In Palestine, the cities of Caesara, Askelon and Gaza continued the cultural path in the Byzantine era and Greek was the language used for teaching in the schools.

* During the reign of Justinian (527-565 AD), several earthquakes struck, destroying many cities and villages. The earthquake of 551 was the fiercest of all. In 610 AD, Heraclius took charge of the empire and during his reign the armies of Chosroes, the Persian King, attacked Syria and advanced to Palestine, occupying Caesarea. From there he went on to Jerusalem, entering the city in 614 AD. He burned the Church of the Nativity to the ground and 90,000 Christians were killed. Heraclius returned and attacked the Persians and defeated them in 627 AD. Consequently, Syria was returned to the Byzantine Empire.

* During the reign of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Ghassani state came into being. The Ghassanis, Yemeni tribes, adhered to Christianity and during the fourth century they entered the Byzantine political sphere of influence. The Romans used them to quell one of the rebellions in Palestine in 529 AD.

A Weekly Walk To The Border

* by Eva Bartlett (beit hanoun, gaza strip)
* Friday, July 08, 2011
* Inter Press Service

It is another sweltering morning in Gaza. Despite the heat, a tenacious group of women, men and children gathers near the bombed Agricultural College in Beit Hanoun for the weekly march to the 'buffer zone', the 300 metres flanking the Gaza-Israel Green Line border which Israeli authorities have declared off-limits to Palestinians.

Around a decade ago, Palestinian farmers could still access land up to 50 metres from the border. The Israeli-deemed 'no-go zone' expanded over the years to 150 metres, then 300 metres, cutting Palestinian farmers from their orchards, crops and grazing land.

A decade later, those orchards bulldozed by Israeli bulldozers, farmers now struggle to access land in some areas up to two kilometres along the 300 metre buffer zone violently rendered off-limits by the Israeli soldiers.

Over 30 percent of Gaza's agricultural land is not worked on because of the buffer zone. This is Gaza's more fertile land, where olive, fruit, citrus and nut trees once flourished, along with wheat, barley, rye and other crops, providing much of Gaza's needs.

Gaza's north has been particularly hard-hit over the years. And in the last three years, it is people from Gaza's north which have led the non-violent demonstrations against the buffer zone.

As we march the dusty kilometre to our destination 300 metres from the border - a weathered pair of Palestinian flags placed at an earlier demonstration - Khalil Nassir, 46, explains that it is the third anniversary of the weekly marches in Gaza's north.

The popular Palestinian resistance song, Unadikum (I call to you), blares from Saber Zaneen's cell phone through the megaphone from which in a few minutes Zaneen, 45, will broadcast the message against the buffer zone. Zaneen and Nassir are two of the founders of Local Initiative, the community group which leads these demonstrations.

'We are a people's resistance. We march for the farmers and the families living in the buffer zone,' Nassir says.

'Many families have had their homes destroyed, their trees and crops bulldozed, and are prevented from working their land. This includes many families beyond 300 metres from the border,' he says.

'This is the third year that we've marched on a weekly basis in different areas of the north,' says Nassir.

The group of approximately two dozen marches towards Erez, flanking the road roughly half a kilometre to the west along which travel those fortunate few allowed to pass through the Israeli- controlled border crossing. Straight ahead is one of the many solid concrete military towers that dot the border, from the northwest to Gaza's southeast. It is from this tower that Israeli soldiers' shooting usually begins.

'When we first began, we only ventured up to 300 metres from the border. But slowly we started getting closer to the border. On Palestinian land,' Nassir points out. 'In some areas we have walked right up to the border.'

On May 15, when non-violent popular demonstrations marking Nakba Day (remembering the 1948 forced expulsion of over 750,000 Palestinians from their land to make way for the Jewish state of Israel) took place in Lebanon, Syria's Golan Heights and Gaza, this same small group of Beit Hanoun demonstrators were joined by what participants estimated to be 1,000 protestors. Over 100 protesters were injured, and one teenager killed by Israeli shooting and shelling from military towers and tanks on the unarmed protesters in Gaza.

On Jun. 7, at the same small mound of earth with its two flags where we've paused for speeches and chants, Mohammed Kafarna, 19, was injured by Israeli-fired bullet shrapnel to his neck, thigh and abdomen.

'They opened fire without warning,' says Nassir. 'Mohammed was injured right away.'

Aside from farmers and demonstrators, some of Gaza's most desperately poor have been the victims of Israeli soldiers' shootings and shellings, what Israeli authorities say are security measures.

The many ruined houses near the border provide both rubble and metal, valuable in Gaza under siege which has let virtually no construction materials enter for the past five years. It is in these plots of destruction that Gaza's collectors sift, risking unexploded ordinances or attacks from Israeli soldiers.

Since 2010 alone, at least 11 Palestinian civilians have been killed in the northern Gaza border region, including: a 91-year-old farmer hit by Israeli shelling 600 metres from the border, a 64-year-old farmer shot several times in the heart while on his land 550 metres from the border, and an 18-year- old scrap collector on land 600 metres from the border.

Well over 30 more civilians have been injured, the majority impoverished scrap collectors shot in the foot or leg by Israeli soldiers along the border. A number of these were as young as 14 and 15.

In most of the demonstrations, international activists march alongside unarmed Palestinians, documenting the Israeli attacks. 'We march whether or not we have internationals or journalists with us. Every week,' says Nassir.

'We liaise with popular demonstrations in the occupied West Bank, like in Ni'lin and Bil'in,' he adds.

The village of Bil'in has, after six years of non-violent demonstrators, achieved the minor victory of having the Israeli separation wall moved slightly back, returning roughly 150 acres of land to the village, which still waits for the return of a further 330 acres.

The megaphone cuts and Saber Zaneen urges us to move back, away from the buffer zone. Israeli soldiers and military jeeps have appeared and the demonstration leaders want to avoid further victims of Israeli firing.

'We are aware there is great danger in this area,' says Abu Issa. 'And they do regularly shoot at us. We don't want casualties, but we will march on Palestinian land, for the families and farmers who can't access their land.'

UNESCO PBB Dikecam karena Sebut Yerusalem sebagai Ibukota Israel

Organisasi Pendidikan, Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Kebudayaan (UNESCO) PBB menerima kecaman keras setelah organisasi tersebut menyebut Yerusalem sebagai ibukota Israel.

Dalam pernyataan penutup, para peserta dari konferensi Palestina di Kairo mengecam keras pernyataan UNESCO yang menyebut Yerusalem sebagai ibukota Israel di situs resmi mereka, sembari menyatakan hal tersebut sebagai pelanggaran hukum internasional dan keputusan Majelis Umum PBB yang mendeklarasikan kota itu bagian dari wilayah Palestina yang diduduki.

Konferensi, yang berlangsung selama empat hari, merekomendasikan sekjen Liga Arab mengikuti situasi ini dan mencoba untuk membalikkan pernyataan UNESCO tersebut. Konferensi juga menyarankan untuk mengirim surat ke sekretariat umum PBB dan UNESCO untuk membahas secara serius kasus ini.

Selain itu, konferensi juga menyerukan kepada Liga Arab untuk melanjutkan diskusi mengenai kemungkinan untuk menuntut Israel di pengadilan nasional dan internasional atas pelanggaran terhadap Yerusalem dan rakyatnya. Konferensi ini juga memfokuskan diri dalam urusan pengungsi Palestina.

Ratusan Orang Hadiri Pemakaman Pemuda Palestina yang Ditembak Israel

Ratusan orang menghadiri upacara pemakaman seorang pria Palestina yang ditembak mati oleh pasukan Israel di Tepi Barat yang diduduki pada Rabu kemarin (13/7).
Tentara Israel menewaskan Ibrahim Sarhan dalam sebuah serangan di kamp pengungsi El Fara dekat kota utara Nablus pada Rabu kemarin.

Saksi mata mengatakan pria berusia 21 tahun itu dalam perjalanan ke masjid ketika ia ditembak dan tentara Israel sengaja menunda kedatangan ambulans ke tempat kejadian, sehingga menyebabkan kematian Sarhan.

Petugas Bulan Sabit Merah Adnan al-Ghunaimi mengatakan bahwa butuh waktu sampai petugas medis diperbolehkan masuk ke lokasi kejadian, kantor berita Ma'an melaporkan.

Ibu Sarhan, Umm Muhammad terkejut ketika ia mendengar berita dari tetangganya bahwa putranya telah sdinyatakan meninggal.
"Ya Allah, anakku bukan buronan Israel, ia tidak pernah ditangkap sekali pun," katanya sambil menangis.

Sementara itu, pesawat tempur Israel sekali lagi mengarahkan sasaran ke daerah terowongan di Rafah di bagian selatan Jalur Gaza Rabu malam.(fq/prtv)

Palestina Merdeka!

Gemuruh demonstrasi terus semarak di setiap sudut di negeri ini. Demonstrasi yang bukan sebatas lokal-nasional, namun berskala global. Sebuah demonstrasi untuk menyuarakan adanya penindasan di wilayah Jalur Gaza yang sejatinya juga penindasan di tanah Palestina. Demonstrasi untuk menentang kezaliman sebuah entitas yang mendirikan negara di atas tangis pilu dan kematian beratus-ratus nyawa. Di negeri jauh itu telah nyata adanya penjajahan. Di negeri ini, demonstrasi ingin membebaskan negeri jauh itu untuk akhirnya menggenggam kemerdekaan.

Demonstrasi di negeri ini adalah kesatuan dari jiwa seluruh penghuni bumi. Hampir mayoritas di negeri manapun, demonstrasi menggelegar dan bersuara: Palestina merdeka sesaat lagi. Jika kini pesawat tempur dan tank Israel membombardir wilayah Jalur Gaza, itu hanyalah detik-detik kekalahan negeri Zionis yang telah menindas rakyat Palestina bertahun-tahun. Israel pastilah akan remuk redam di tengah keberadaban zaman. Jika mau dikata, perilaku Israel adalah perilaku primitif yang memalukan dalam panggung sejarah. Negeri yang membanggakan kekuatan senjata militer untuk dipertontonkan di tanah Palestina itu sepertinya perlu belajar menghargai manusia lainnya.

Kini tak ada lagi yang tersembunyi. Yang benar telah tampak di permukaan, yang salah akan tenggelam. Dunia bukanlah hegemoni satu negara, tapi sebuah tatanan yang berkeadilan untuk menjamin hidup setiap bangsa. Ketika kemerdekaan Palestina dinantikan, sejatinya tak perlu memakan waktu lama. Keadilan dan kebenaran harus berani tampil di muka berhadapan dengan kezaliman dalam beragam bentuk entitasnya. Berani melawan Israel dan juga AS jika memang kedua negara itu memperlihatkan kezaliman. Palestina tentu saja berhak merdeka dan alangkah naifnya jika kita tak selekas mungkin mewujudkannya.

Namun, tak ada lagi harapan ketika fakta sejarah justru menampakkan ketidakberdayaan. Kini kita memang menentang penindasan Israel atas Palestina, tapi esok hari telah lupa dari ingatan. Ketika Israel melakukan penyerangan lagi di tanah Palestina, kita pun disadarkan kembali. Sungguh penderitaan rakyat Palestina adalah penderitaan yang panjang, tapi dunia masih mendiamkan ketidakmerdekaan Palestina bertahun-tahun lamanya. Apakah tragedi di Jalur Gaza akan terlupa? Di negeri jauh itu ada penjajahan dan penindasan bertahun-tahun lamanya. Dunia tentu saja tak layak membiarkannya. Saatnya menjemput takdir kemerdekaan tanah yang ditaklukkan Zionis Israel: Palestina!

HENDRA SUGIANTORO

Pekerja media di Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY)

SURAT SANG MUJAHIDAH DARI BUMI PALESTINA KEPADA PARA AKHAWAT DI INDONESIA

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Saudari-saudariku para muslimah di Indonesia…
Aku sampaikan salam penghormatanku untuk kalian, salam penghormatan Islam yang agung:
Assalamu ‘alaikum warahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
Amma ba’du…

Kami adalah saudari-saudari muslimah kalian di Palestina. Kami tumbuh di medan ribath dan jihad. Dan kami selalu berusaha untuk berpegang teguh pada agama kami yang agung, serta mendidik anak-anak kami untuk itu. Karena berpegang teguh pada agama Islam adalah (satu-satunya) tali keselamatan, berdasarkan Firman Allah Ta’ala dalam Surah Ali Imran:

“Dan barang siapa yang menginginkan selain Islam sebagai agama, maka itu tidak akan diterima darinya, dan kelak di akhirat ia termasuk orang-orang yang merugi.”

Karena itu, kami selalu berusaha untuk komitmen dengan al-Qur’an dan keislaman kami. Dan seperti itu pula komitmen pemerintahan Islam kami untuk menumbuhkan sebuah generasi yang selalu menjaga al-Qur’an, serta melahirkan ribuan penghafal Kitabullah di setiap tahunnya.

Dari bumi Palestina,medan ribath ini, kami mengirimkan surat persaudaraan dari lubuk hati yang dipenuhi cinta kepada saudari-saudari kami di Indonesia. Melalui surat ini, kami haturkan rasa terima kasih kepada semuanya atas sikap dan dukungan mereka untuk anak-anak bangsa Palestina kami.

Melalui surat ini juga, kami mendorong mereka untuk selalu mentarbiyah anak-anak mereka dengan tarbiyah Islamiyah dan komitmen dengan Syariat Allah; karena dalam itu semua terdapat pembinaan terhadap ruh dan jiwa, serta keteladanan terhadap akhlak Rasul kita yang mulia Shallallahu ‘ALaihi wa Sallam dan para sahabatnya yang mulia. Perhatikanlah sahabat mulia, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas radhiyallahu ‘anhu ketika mengatakan:

“Janganlah seorang dari kalian meminta dari dirinya selain al-Qur’an. Sebab jika ia mencintai al-Qur’an dan mengaguminya, niscaya ia akan mencintai Allah Ta’ala dan Rasul-Nya Shallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam. Namun jika membenci al-Qur’an, maka ia akan membenci Allah Ta’ala dan Rasul-Nya Shallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam.”

Karena itu, siapakah di antara kita yang dapat menerima dirinya atau anak-anaknya menjadi orang yang benci kepada Allah dan Rasul-Nya yang kelak akan memberi syafaat kepada kita di hari kiamat?
Itulah sebabnya, saya membisikkan ke telinga saudara-saudara kami tercinta, kaum muslimin di manapun berada: “Kalian harus terus mempelajari dan menghafalkan al-Qur’an, serta berpegang teguh dengan ajaran-ajaran Islam. Sebab sesungguhnya siapapun yang menginginkan kemuliaan dengan Islam, niscaya Allah akan memuliakannya. Namun siapa yang mencari kemuliaan dengan selain Islam, niscaya Allah akan menghinakannya.”

Semoga Allah selalu memberikan taufiq-Nya untuk kalian untuk mengikuti apa saja yang dicintai dan diridhai-Nya.

Saudari-saudarimu, para muslimah yang sedang berjihad di bumi Palestina

Dari Indonesia untuk (anak) Palestina

Ditulis oleh N. Imam Akbari
Sejak awal, program SOS (Sympathy of Solidarity for Palestine) diinisiasi ACT adalah memberikan fokus utama pada sasaran penerima manfaat anak - anak. Program ini bertujuan memberikan dukungan pada anak - anak Palestina untuk tetap tegar dan bersemangat menatap masa depan mereka meski harus kehilangan orang tua, sanak saudara maupun harta benda sekalipun. Bantuan yang diberikan terutama berupa paket pangan dengan tajuk Food for Palestine. Program SOS bersifat regular, tak hanya disalurkan pada saat genting seperti saat ada bombardir Palestina dan Lebanon pada 2006 dan bombardemen Gaza 2009 tapi juga pada saat Ramadhan, Lebaran dan waktu lainnya secara berkala. Di antara anak - anak tersebut adalah anak yatim (dan piatu). Tak hanya anak - anak Palestina yang berada di wilayah Palestina tetapi juga mereka yang berada di kamp pengungsi di Lebanon dan Jordan. Di Jordan ada 13 titik kamp yang menjadi tempat tinggal para keluarga Palestina yang terusir dari tanahnya sejak tahun 1948. Tak hanya itu, para korban yang dirawat di RS di Jordan dan Mesir juga menjadi penerima manfaat bantuan amanah dari seluruh masyarakat Indonesia.


Sesungguhnya Palestina merupakan permasalahan multidimensional yang membutuhkan solusi yang bersifat holistik dan komprehensif serta membutuhkan dukungan dari segenap elemen masyarakat dunia, termasuk lembaga swadaya masyarakat. Di ranah sosial dan kemanusiaan inilah ACT sebagai Lembaga kemanusiaan yang independen mengambil peranan. ACT memandang permasalahan ini dari kacamata kemanusiaan di mana ada nilai-nilai humanis dan norma-norma sosial yang tercabut dari akarnya di tanah Palestina. Dalam konteks bencana kemanusiaan, terdapat fakta bahwa rakyat sipil Palestina terutama anak - anak menjadi korban paling menderita dan harus mendapat bantuan dari berbagai pihak untuk dapat bangkit dan menjalankan kehidupannya secara layak seperti anak - anak di belahan dunia lainnya.


Pemborbardiran Gaza di akhir 2008 hingga memasuki 2009 menjadi perhatian khusus buat kami. Tak hanya berhenti dengan bantuan pangan untuk anak dan keluarga Palestina, ACT pun turut ambil bagian dalam recovery Gaza. Selain telah menandatangani MoU denga JEA (Jordan Engineers Association) ACT pun bergabung dalam konsorsium The Arab & International Commission to Build Gaza yang memiliki tajuk TOGETHER TO BUILD GAZA. ACT berencana membangun fasilitas pemulihan anak Gaza bersama dengan para mitra ACT dari berbagai belahan dunia.



Kehadiran ACT memenuhi undangan di berbagai event internasional bertema Palestina setidaknya memiliki 3 tujuan besar. Pertama adalah sebagai bentuk dukungan ACT pada anak-anak Palestina untuk mendapatkan hak-haknya sebagaimana anak pada umumnya. Kedua, sebagai bentuk implentasi visi lembaga ACT berkeinginan kuat untuk bisa berkontribusi lebih optimal sebagai jembatan kepedulian bertaraf internasional. Ketiga adalah memperkuat jejaring kemitraan lembaga di tingkat global baik untuk kepentingan penguatan basis dukungan masyarakat dunia maupun untuk kerjasama implementasi program di berbagai belahan dunia.


Dalam hal ini, ACT secara informal telah mentasbihkan diri sebagai salah satu duta bangsa untuk kemanusiaan di kancah global. Merupakan sebuah kehormatan bagi ACT dan segenap stakeholdernya bahwa ACT dapat berkontribusi dalam permasalahan Palestina. Sungguh hal ini tak akan menyurutkan perhatian kami terhadap permasalahan kemanusiaan di dalam negeri. Tetapi sebaliknya justru menyemangati dan menginspirasi kami untuk senantiasa terus dapat memberikan yang terbaik untuk sesama di manapun mereka berada. Dan karena kepedulian tak pernah mengenal sekat geografis dan tabir nasionalis, maka dengan sepenuh hati kami pancangkan tekad setingginya : dari Indonesia untuk (Anak) Palestina! (*)

KISAH ANAK ANAK PALESTINA

'Oh, Tuhan! Saya tidak pernah melihat pemandangan mengerikan seperti ini,'' kata Abu Aukal, sambil menangis tersedu.

Abu Aukal adalah seorang dokter. Bertugas di bagian gawat darurat, dia telah terbiasa menangani korban terluka maupun tewas akibat agresi Israel di Jalur Gaza, dalam berbagai kondisi. Tapi, tidak untuk yang satu ini. Dia hampir tak memercayai apa yang dilihatnya.

Beberapa hari lalu, di kamp pengungsi Jabaliya, yang terletak di bagian utara Gaza City, tak jauh dari pintu perbatasan Erez, seorang bocah perempuan, Shahd (4 tahun), sedang bermain di halaman belakang rumahnya. Tiba-tiba, tentara Zionis Israel menyerang dan menembak membabi-buta. Bocah gemuk yang lucu itu bersimbah darah.

Melihat anaknya tergeletak di lantai dengan kondisi mengenaskan, kedua orang tuanya buru-buru mengulurkan tangan hendak meraihnya. Tapi, serdadu Israel mengusirnya dengan hujan peluru. Kedua orang tua itu pun meninggalkan tempat itu, sementara anaknya masih tertidur di sana: entah sedang sekarat, entah sudah tewas.

Rupanya tentara Israel yang selalu membawa anjing pelacak saat melakukan serangan darat ke Jalur Gaza, memang punya maksud tertentu dengan tindakannya itu. Jenazah Shahd sengaja dibiarkan tergeletak di halaman terbuka itu untuk (maaf) dijadikan santapan anjing.

''Anjing-anjing itu meninggalkan satu bagian utuh tubuh bayi malang itu,'' kata Abu Aukal, dengan air mata berderai, saat menuturkan cerita tragis itu, seperti dikutip islamonline, kemarin.

''Kami melihat pemandangan memilukan selama 18 hari terakhir (agresi Israel). Kami mengangkat mayat anak-anak yang tercabik atau terbakar. Tapi, tak ada yang seperti ini,'' kata Abu Aukal.

Berhari-hari saudara Shahd, Matar, dan sepupunya, Muhammad, mencoba meraih tubuh gadis itu, tapi sia-sia. Lagi-lagi, tentara pendudukan Israel menggunakan bahasa tembakan untuk mengusir kedua bocah itu.

Tapi, melihat tubuh Shahd yang terus dicabik anjing dari hari ke hari, Matar dan Muhammad tak tahan. Pada hari kelima, keduanya nekat mendekati tubuh Shahd yang masih tersisa untuk membawanya pulang. Belum lagi keduanya meraih tubuh Shahd, tentara Israel menghujani dengan tembakan. Keduanya tewas.

Omran Zayda, tetangga Shahd, menilai tentara Israel sangat mengetahui apa yang mereka lakukan. ''Mereka (tentara Israel--Red) menghalau dan mencegah keluarga yang ingin mengambil mayat (Shahd), karena mengetahui anjing-anjing mereka akan memakannya,'' katanya.

Apa yang terjadi pada Shahd, kata Zayda, tak bisa digambarkan dengan kata-kata, tidak pula rekayasa kamera. ''Anda tidak akan pernah membayangkan apa yang telah dilakukan anjing-anjing itu kepada tubuh anak tak berdosa itu,'' kata pria ini sambil menahan air matanya.

Zayda menambahkan, ''Mereka bukan hanya membunuh anak-anak kami. Mereka juga melakukan tindakan yang sangat keji dan tak berperikemanusiaan.'' Sejumlah orang Palestina meyakini apa yang terjadi pada Shahd bukanlah satu-satunya kasus mengerikan yang dilakukan tentara Israel kepada warga Palestina di Gaza.

Sebelumnya, menimpa keluarga Abu Rabu yang sedang mencoba menguburkan tiga anggota keluarganya yang tewas, ketika tentara Israel secara tiba-tiba mencegah acara penguburan itu dengan berondongan peluru. Saat keluarga yang sedang berduka itu menjauh, tentara Israel melepaskan anjing-anjing pelacaknya ke arah tubuh-tubuh itu. Peristiwa ini juga terjadi di Jabaliya.

''Apa yang terjadi ini sangat mengerikan dan tak terbayangkan,'' kata Saad Abu Rabu, salah satu anggota keluarga itu. ''Anak-anak kami tewas di depan mata kami, tapi kami bahkan dicegah untuk menguburkan mereka. Orang-orang Israel melepaskan anjing-anjing ke arah tubuh-tubuh mereka, seakan yang mereka lakukan belum cukup,'' katanya sambil menangis.

Masih di Jabaliya, harian terkemuka Israel, Haaretz, melaporkan seorang dokter Palestina, dr Issa Salah (28), dibunuh tentara Israel, Senin (12/1), ketika sedang menolong korban serangan Israel. Menurut Mizan--sebuah organisasi kemanusiaan di Gaza--saat itu Issa dan timnya memasuki gedung yang diserang misil Israel.

Issa dan timnya masuk ke gedung itu sambil meminta yang selamat untuk meninggalkan gedung, sementara tim medis itu mencari mereka yang menjadi korban. Tapi, beberapa menit kemudian, sebuah helikopter kembali menembakkan misilnya ke gedung itu. Issa pun tewas. Serangan itu juga menewaskan sejumlah wanita dan anak-anak.

Tewasnya dr Issa membuat jumlah petugas medis yang dibunuh selama agresi Israel di Jalur Gaza menjadi tujuh orang. Selain itu, tiga rumah sakit dan empat klinik kesehatan juga dihancurkan oleh mesin-mesin perang Zionis.

Peristiwa kelam yang terjadi di Gaza memang memilukan. Tak ada lagi sejengkal pun tempat yang aman untuk berlindung dari kebuasan mesin-mesin perang Israel. Bahkan, Israel pun seolah tak lagi mempunyai hati untuk sekadar memberi perlakuan yang baik kepada orang-orang yang telah dibunuhnya.

Apa yang terjadi di Gaza, menurut pejabat senior United Nation Relief and Work Agency, John Ging, merupakan ''tes bagi kemanusiaan kita.''

When did Islam come to Palestine?

Arabs began a series of conquests in the 7th century AD under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad during the rise of Islam. Muhammad was born in Makkah (Mecca) in the western part of the Arabian Peninsula, a city on the trade routes connecting Yemen to the south, the Mediterranean to the north, the Persian Gulf to the east, and Africa through the Red Sea port of Jeddah to the west. Muhammad delivered a spiritual and social message based on the unity and oneness of God, derived from Jewish and Christian concepts already well established in Arabia. In 622, Muhammad founded the first Muslim community in Medina. His immensely popular message confronted the weakness of the Byzantine and Sasanian empires and led to the success of a series of dramatic conquests. Within 20 years of Muhammad’s death in 632, Muslim Arabs ruled a territory extending from Egypt deep into Iran.

Palestine was invaded by Muslim Arab armies during this period, capped by the capture of Jerusalem in 638 AD. The invasion was bloody for the long-established Christian and Jewish inhabitants and the countryside was devastated. This was the start of 1300 years of Muslim presence in what the Arabs called Filastin, an Arabic rendition of the name Palaestina assigned by the Romans. Mohammed originally designated that his followers must face Jerusalem when praying, a gesture designed to win support from Arabian Jews. Later, Muslims switched to praying toward Mecca, and the Koran does not mention Jerusalem. In 715 AD, the site from which the prophet was believed to have ascended to Heaven on a night journey was arbitrarily associated with Jerusalem where the Dome of the Rock had been built in 687 AD by Caliph Abd al-Malik. Based on this association, the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built at the same site and the city became, after Makkah and Medina, the third holiest city of Islam. See the topic on Jerusalem for more information.

The Muslim Arabs ruled Palestine under the system of dhimmitude, the rules that apply to non-Muslim populations conquered by jihad. There is a myth that the time of Islamic rule was a “golden age” for Jews and that they were better treated by the Muslims than by the Christians. This myth has been shattered by scholarship that shows continuous persecution of Jews and Christians under Islamic rule.

What is the Arab history in Palestine?

Arabs are not a singular people. Origins are complex and intermingled with many peoples and lines.
According to tradition, true Arabs are descendants of Abraham and his son Ishmael and prior to the 20th century, “Arab” designated the Bedouin, tribal-based society of the Arabian desert, which is the birthplace of Arabic. Other Arabs are ethnic groups that have been extant in their lands of origin for millennia. Modern Arab nationalism is a product of 19th- and 20th-century developments and has no prior historical basis. Before the rise of nationalism, most Arabic-speakers identified themselves as members of a particular family or tribe; as residents of a village, town, or region; as Muslims, Christians, or Jews; or as subjects of large political entities such as the Ottoman empire.

Historians generally agree that the ancient Semitic peoples (Assyrians, Aramaeans, Canaanites (including the Phoenicians and Hebrews) and, later, the Arabs themselves) migrated into the area of the Fertile Crescent. Arab invasions came after successive crises of overpopulation in the Arabian Peninsula beginning in the third millennium BC and ending with the Muslim conquests of the 7th century AD. These peoples spoke languages based on similar linguistic structures, and the modern Semitic languages of Arabic, Hebrew, and Amharic (the language of Ethiopia) maintain important similarities.

In approx. 1200 BC, the Petra area (in modern Jordan, about 80 kilometers south of the Dead Sea) was populated by Edomites, descended from Esau according to the Bible, and was known as Edom (“red”). Before the Israelites arrived in Canaan and repeatedly battled with them, the Edomites controlled the fertile valleys from the Red Sea at Elath to the Dead Sea, and hence the trade routes from Arabia in the south to Damascus in the north.

Subsequently, the Nabataeans, one of many Arab tribes, migrated into Edom, forcing the Edomites to move into southern Palestine. By 312 BC the Nabataeans occupied Petra and made it the capital of their kingdom. The Edomites were later forcibly converted into Judaism by John Hyrcanus (died 105 BC), and then became an active part of the Jewish people. Petra prospered as the principal city of the Nabataean empire from 400 BC to AD 106 when it was absorbed by the Romans. The Nabataeans flourished in the spice trade and engineered an impressive hydraulic engineering system of pipes, tunnels, and channels that carried drinking water into the city and reduced the chance of flash floods.

After the Roman conquest of Judea, the Nabataeans and others, “Palastina” became a province of the pagan Roman Empire and then of the Christian Byzantine Empire, and very briefly of the Zoroastrian Persian Empire. In 638 AD, an Arab-Muslim Caliph took Palastina away from the Byzantine Empire and made it part of an Arab-Muslim Empire. The Arabs, who had no name of their own for this region, adopted the Greco-Roman name Palastina, that they pronounced “Falastin”.

In 1099, Christian Crusaders from Europe conquered Palestine and took Jerusalem. After 1099, it was never again under Arab rule. The Christian Crusader kingdom lasted less than 100 years. Thereafter, Palestine was joined to Syria as a subject province first of the Egyptian Mameluks, and then of the Ottoman Turks, whose capital was in Istanbul.

Little Hope in Gaza Aftermath

By Jeremy Bowen – Gaza City

I can't imagine what Gaza would be like if it didn't have the sea. The other morning its tiny piece of the Mediterranean was coming in lazy and calm, and a light breeze was blowing down the beach.

If you are Gazan and your soul is troubled, or if you just want some space, the beach must be one of the better places to go.

Most of Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians are impoverished and are not allowed to leave by their Israeli and Egyptian neighbours.

It is hard to think of another place in the world that can be as oppressive.

But considering that Gazans have so much experience of war, loss and bloodshed, it is remarkable that the human spirit here is so resilient.

But it has been severely tested by everything that has happened this year.

Life was hard enough anyway before the January conflict, mainly because of the blockade imposed by Israel and supported by its allies.

Eighty per cent of Gaza's population lives in poverty, defined here as an income of less than $2 daily.

But since the Israeli offensive things have got much worse. The UN says that 35,000 people don't have running water. More than 20,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged.

In the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh in early March international donors promised US $4.48 bn to rebuild Gaza.

The money, which comes in through procedures designed to keep it away from Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, has funded some of the immediate needs of the population.

But it hasn't yet made a difference to the way that people live.

Israel still will allow in virtually no building materials - such as steel, cement and piping - which it says Hamas would use for military purposes.

Living in Tents

So the people who have been living in tents, or in the ruins of their homes, still do.

Next to the village of Izbet Abed Rabbo, now mainly rubble, in the northern Gaza Strip close to the border with Israel, lines of frame tents are pitched in orderly rows.

They are nice ones, the sort you will see this summer if you go to one of the camping sites on more peaceful stretches of the Mediterranean coast.

They were not cheery bright holiday colours but khaki, which suggests they came from someone's army.

Life in Gaza can be intense. Pain and suffering runs very deep, and pleasure when it comes is something to grab and hold hard.

Near the tents in Izbet Abed Rabbo they were having a children's party.

A man dressed as a clown was supervising some boisterous games. In one of them blindfolded children were racing to feed another one, unblindfolded, a whole pot of runny-looking chocolate pudding.

The girl who ate fastest looked like she was going to drown as her big sister advanced on her with the spoon.

The prize was a small bunch of carnations, beautiful fresh flowers that used to go for export.

They have no commercial value anymore, but the children who were given them, whose families have lost everything, looked as if they liked them very much.

A solemn man in a tweed jacket walked out of the chaos and explained that the games (including orange peeling contests and races to blow flour off a plate) were designed to help the children recover from everything they have been through.

He was proud that the volunteers who had organized it, all local people, had paid for the party too.

It seemed as important for their mental health as it was for the children's.

In this part of the Middle East one of the most damaging consequences of the last years of bloodshed has been the loss of hope.

I met Raad al-Athamna, a taxi driver and father of seven children, who stood on a low pile of rubble that was his house until Israeli forces destroyed it.

He thumbed through photos of a decent home surrounded by mature trees, children playing in Gaza's dusty sunshine and doing their school studies.

Raad worked hard to create that life for his family, which has now gone.

Now his 12-year-old boy wets the bed every night, another child sleepwalks and his eldest girl, once a star pupil, has nowhere to study and cries when she thinks about the future.

Across the Border

It is not just Palestinians who worry about what happens next.

Over the border in the Israeli town of Sderot, which has borne the brunt of Palestinian rocket fire over the last eight years, I met Avi Mamam.

He is a fireman whose house was badly damaged by a rocket fired out of Gaza.

The experiences of Israelis and Palestinians either side of the Gaza border in December and January were not equivalent.

One hundred times more Palestinians than Israelis died. The level of destruction in Gaza is massively more extensive than in Israel.

But Avi, who was looking after his elderly, wheelchair bound mother as he showed me round what is left of his house, still seems to be at a crossroads, looking ahead at a future that should be much more certain.

He is a family man, with sons in the army, wondering whether it is worth rebuilding within rocket range of Gaza, assuming his compensation comes through.

Avi, like the overwhelming majority of Israelis, believes the war was justified.

But in the end, he says, there will have to be some sort of agreement with Hamas, because they are part of real life in this part of the world and people, on both sides, need to live in peace.

Reflections of a Palestinian-American

By Susan Muaddi

I am a Palestinian-American. My parents came to the United States in 1967. I have visited my family and friends in the West Bank on numerous occasions. I have family in Ramallah, one of the centers of the current conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians (what is being referred to in the Arab world as intifadaht al-Aqsa, or “the intifadah of al-Aqsa”), and they have suffered more in the last three weeks that I expect to in my lifetime.

Because there is nothing else that I can do, I have become a television and telephone addict. I watch the news for several hours a day. I call friends and family to hear the latest updates on the clashes: which city has been blockaded, whose neighbor has been shot, whose window was blown out. I study the photographs taken by news journalists, because I often recognize certain buildings or even people. One summer, about three years ago, I rented a room in a dormitory that stands exactly one block away from the police station that was bombed in Ramallah. I was remembering how I used to walk past it every day on my way to the grocery store or to the taxi stand: this is what was going through my mind when I saw the building explode in a rain of missiles on television.

Perhaps it is because I have been so steeped in the media language lately, but I am tired of hearing phrases such as the “Palestinian attack on” and the “Palestinian violence against” Israel. I have a difficult time understanding how a largely unarmed civilian population could lead an “attack” of such magnitude on the professionally trained Israeli Defense Force that the IDF would have no choice but to respond with live ammunition and missile attacks. Indeed, the number of casualties should offer ample proof that this is not a fair battle; of over 100 deaths to date, only seven of these have been Israelis.

Furthermore, the Israelis have insisted on a “blame the victim” rhetorical tactic that Yasir Arafat is the one responsible for the deaths of young Palestinian stone throwers. Such remarks understandably upset Arab and Palestinian-Americans such as myself, because we know that this is untrue. This latest Intifadah is, like its predecessor, one born of frustration. These youths are fiercely independent and do not obey such commands as “go open your chests to the Israeli bullets” (this is what one Israeli source quoted Arafat as saying to young Palestinians). As Hanan Ashrawi said, “We (the Palestinians) cry every night because these are our children who are dying.”

For Palestinians who grew up under occupation, patience is a virtue that goes largely unrewarded. The kind of inhumane response their protests have received have only fueled the fire. Unless the Israelis understand that people can only be pushed so far until they explode, and until Israel's government decides that Palestinians have the right to protest their occupation, the rage will continue and it will know no end.

Last Friday, I returned home from a pro-Palestinian rally in Philadelphia. I felt spiritually buoyed by the sight and sound of over 1,000 people chanting slogans such as “Stop Using Bullets Against Stones” and “Demand Protection of Palestinian Human Rights.” I was also refreshed and encouraged by the presence and participation of many non-Arabs in the rally, including members of the Black Muslim community, Jewish-Americans and members of the Religious Society of Friends.

Eager to catch the evening news coverage of the rally, I boiled water for a cup of tea and settled down on my couch.

“Demonstrators today burned the Israeli flag,” said one anchorwoman. Another said, “Muslims gathered in downtown Philadelphia today to denounce Israel.” I continued to flip through the channels: “Men carrying flags and waving their fists walked alongside women who wore veils and pushed baby carriages.”

I was terribly upset by the lopsided coverage of the rally. Yes, someone did burn the Israeli flag, but the demonstration was largely peaceful. Yes, many Muslims were in attendance, but so were Christians and Jews. In fact, one of the speakers at the rally was the Reverend Paul Washington, a long-time civil rights activist. And yes, some women were veiled and some mothers were pushing their children in baby strollers as they marched, but as far as I could tell, that information was relevant only insofar as it exaggerated and maintained the age-old stereotype of Arab Muslim women as oppressed and silenced creatures.

As I sat on my couch that evening, hoping to hear a semi-accurate account of the day's event, I realized something: I was tired.

I turned off the television on Friday night and went to bed earlier than usual. I was not anticipating any positive coverage of the rally in the morning's paper either, so I wanted to be well rested for the disappointment. It is difficult enough to know that one's homeland — one's family and friends — is under siege. It is even worse to know that one's current homeland often distorts the truth of the tragedy.

A Palestinian's Journey

By Sabi Atteyih

The radio was blaring with news that the British army, which occupied Palestine at the time, turned over the country to a handful of European Jews; they decided to call the land Israel. News stories recounted atrocities and massacres committed against the Palestinian people. The year was 1948. For Sabi Atteyih, the news started his life story fifteen years before he was born.
I

Like many other Palestinians, Sabi's grandfather, Mohammad Atteyih, decided to retreat temporarily to neighboring countries such as Syria, Jordan and Lebanon with his wife, six sons (one was Sabi's father) and two daughters awaiting the promise that the Arabic army would restore peace and give the lands, homes, businesses and olive groves back to their rightful owners.

In Syria, away from the destruction of innocent lives, the Palestinians suffered a similar fate as the Palestinians in other neighboring countries; unemployment, crowded schools, unbelievable living conditions and discrimination top the list. In a few years life was unbearable for Ismail, Sabi's father, who was only 19 at the time. Faced with the responsibility of helping his father (Mohammad), unable to tolerate dreadful living conditions and seeking an education, he traveled to Yemen southeast of Saudi Arabia.

Once in Yemen, Ismail had a bit of luck balancing school and work, in addition to being able to send some money to help the rest of the family in Syria. After ten years, Ismail armed with a degree in pharmaceuticals, moved north to Kuwait and found a job in his field. While traveling back and forth to Syria to visit a his family, Ismail met a young woman named Khayreia who was a Palestinian. After a year, Ismail and Khayreia married and she moved to Kuwait with her husband. There, three children, two girls and one boy, were born. They were also Palestinians.

In 1966, just when things started looking good for the whole Atteyih family in Syria and Kuwait, the Kuwaiti government accused Ismail of conspiracy to overthrow the king of Kuwait. Ismail was seen in a group of Palestinians that may have met to demand better living conditions. With only 48 hours to leave Kuwait, the family of five was deported, never to be allowed back. Once again Syria seemed to draw Ismail back, but this time with a bigger load. Syria continued to absorb many Palestinians from the 1948 immigration which contributed to the housing shortages. Ismail, his wife and three children lived at his parents' house until able to find a place to call home. (One can imagine what it must have been like at “Grampa's house.”)

Living in Syria and working in the same city with his brothers, Ismail's life was once again stable. Ismail and Khayreia were the proud parents of another boy, bringing the family to two boys and two girls.

In the summer of 1973, Ismail received an invitation from his brother-in-law. Khayreia's brother had moved to Syria in 1948, then on to the United States in 1959. At his request, Ismail, Khayreia and two of the children packed their suitcases and visited him in the United States. While the visit in New Jersey was brief, the United States “bug” bit Ismail: He was fascinated with the American way of life, the open market economy, five-day work weeks, innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and — baseball.

Ismail returned to his home in Syria dreaming the impossible dream: “I need to help provide a better future for my kids. I want them to experience peace, happiness, good education and, most of all, success.” Years went by, yet the dream was still running. In 1978, Ismail applied for immigration to the United States of America. At that time, Sabi was fourteen years old and he again spent the summer in the States while his father, Ismail and Uncle Saleh were working on moving the entire family to the States. The application took three years to process. In 1980, a heart attack ended Ismail Atteyih's life, but not his dream. A visa arrived several months after his death which enabled Khayreia to carry on the dream with her four children. In August of 1981 they moved to the United States. At the time, the oldest of the children was 18.

Sabi was only sixteen when his father died, but the years spent with his father, traveling around Europe and the Middle East, taught him so much. The most important lesson was that he is always a Palestinian. No matter where or how they traveled, they would always be treated suspiciously—like criminals. While living in Syria, the passport issued was a Palestinian passport. The Arab countries, to preserve Palestinian nationality, issued Palestinian passports. With the Palestinian passport, they were often denied entry into certain countries.

Sabi was born in Kuwait but has never been considered a Kuwaiti. While this policy helped keep the Palestinian issue alive, it also enabled the whole world to discriminate against more than 10 million Palestinians scattered around the planet.

In 1986, Sabi received his American citizenship. For the first time, Sabi realized his father's dream: to roam the planet free without interrogation and to be simply treated like a human being.

Eleven years of isolation from aunts, uncles and cousins ended in December 1992 when Sabi was finally allowed to enter Syria for a period of thirty days. Because of a new Syrian law, Sabi returned for a short time without being forced to serve in the Syrian army. This law went into effect in 1992. Free to roam, Sabi felt as if he were in Europe once again with Ismail, but these feelings came with tears. They were Sabi’s tears as he walked the streets of Milan, Italy remembering a sweet past, when his father was showing him the landmarks; and remembering the bitter past when he had a label that frightened the world around him— Palestinian. No one can better describe the trip to Syria than Sabi Atteyih: “It was like a dream. I still cannot get over it. I can see the picture of the plane touching down in Damascus (Syria); the highway lights lead my eyes to the city, twinkling at night like a faraway galaxy. I can still smell the fresh winter air with a slight hint of a pine scent. I felt the earth shake, but it was I that was shaking, trembling as chills raced down my spine. What will they say? Will they remember my face? What are they thinking? These were the questions that echoed in my head the entire distance from the plane through the terminal and into the lobby. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the crowd that came to greet me. Had the entire city come out? It was impossible to recognize all the faces. It seems that some of the people had features I have seen but on a child's face twelve years before in 1981. It was as if I expected that nobody would change but myself. I felt like a stranger among my family. Yet I was in a place I called home for fifteen years. It was like asking a sailor to navigate in the Sahara Desert. I felt out of place.”

In Syria I visited the cemetery that holds my father's grave. For most of an hour, I sat like a messenger telling the stone that represented my father all the events that shaped our lives in the last twelve years. Oh, how I wished I could see Ismail's response when I described how successful his wife, sons and daughters are and how handsome his grandchild is. Somehow, I felt that he had been with us during our long and painful journey.

As the days went by, my relationship with my extended family grew stronger and before leaving I was loaded with memories, hugs, kisses, stories, photographs and gifts to connect us all. I headed back to Wisconsin (my new home), fueled by anger but directed by love. As I walk through life, I look forward to my next visit, hating the distance that has torn us apart. I find security in the thought of reuniting our big family (now scattered over seven countries) in a place called Palestine.

(Sabi Atteyih branched off from the family restaurant— “Lulu's” in Madison and now owns Casbah, also in Madison. His feelings and sense of isolation from his homeland are a common thread among millions of Palestinians in this world.)

ISRAEL-OPT: Israeli communities traumatized by Gaza rockets

April 20, 2011
NAHAL OZ (ISRAEL), 20 April 2011 (IRIN) - Israeli civilians living near the Gaza Strip are feeling the strain as a result of the recent escalation of violence between militants in Gaza and the Israeli army, and are calling for increased protection - though not another Gaza offensive.

Measures being taken by the Israeli government to protect civilians in the area (known as the southern district and covering nearly a third of the country) have increased, and include Israel's newly implemented missile defence system, Iron Dome, to intercept rocket attacks.

"Today one million Israelis live within range of rocket-fire from Gaza - around 60km from the Gaza border and growing," Israeli army spokesperson Lt-Col Avital Leibovitz told IRIN.

"Iron Dome is a technical solution, but it's still under operational adjustment," she said.

Two Iron Dome batteries have been deployed in Beersheba and Ashkelon as part of the operational trial. Four additional batteries are expected to be operational within two years.

Meanwhile, Israeli communities living in the southern district are increasingly anxious in the wake of the recent violence.

During the last two weeks the 6,500 residents covered by the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, including 10 kibbutzim (collective Israeli communities, often sharing common social or religious values), have been under constant threat of rocket attacks, said Council spokesperson Michal Shaban-Kotzer. Many communities have been forced into protected shelters daily, sometimes for hours, multiple times per day, she said.

The Council's territory lies midway between Beersheba and Ashkelon, bordered on the west by Gaza.

Municipalities are providing trauma counselling for mothers and children.

Nightmares, bed-wetting

Hannah Tal, therapist and social worker from the three-year-old Resilience Centre that has treated some 400 members of the Sha'ar HaNegev community, said children suffer from bed-wetting, nightmares, and fear of being alone.

"Very few have been killed or injured by the attacks," said Tal. "The trauma results from the apprehension of not knowing where or when there will be an attack."

For the past few weeks movement on the street and children's playtime outside has been restricted, she said.

Tal and her own family, living in Karmia, between Ashkelon and Gaza, were forced to take shelter in the "safe-room" of their home 45 times last weekend, warned by loudspeakers announcing "code red".

Militants in Gaza fired at least 140 rockets (mostly crude, home-made Qassams) and mortars at Israel during four days of fighting on 7-10 April, reported the Israeli army, during which hundreds of thousands of Israelis took shelter in secure areas. Protective shelters are also located in public places, like bus stops and playgrounds. Two Israeli civilians were injured.

Most of the rockets fell in open areas, but several homes in the Eshkol region were hit.

During the same period the Israeli army launched a series of air strikes, tank-shelling and live ammunition fire at numerous targets throughout Gaza, killing 23 Palestinians, including 10 civilians, and injuring 65 Palestinians, including 46 civilians, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In the past UN officials have denounced israel's disproportionate use of force against occupied Palestinian territory.

Ronit, a 40-year-old mother of two from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, part of Sha'ar HaNegev, who preferred only to give her first name, is visibly shaken by the recent wave of rocket-fire. She and her family, like many from the area, are spending the Jewish holiday, Passover, away from home.

"Safe rooms"

"We stayed in the secure room of our house for hours at a time during the attacks. We read stories and I told my three-year-old daughter we can't leave until we receive a text message from Uncle Yossi," said Ronit. Municipal authorities coordinate with the Israeli army to instruct civilians via text messages to their cell phones.

All homes in the area have "safe rooms" by Israeli law. Sha'ar HaNegev's new primary school is bomb-safe, and a new, safer high-school will be completed this September.

"My parents live in Ashkelon and I feel secure to go there because of Iron Dome," said Ronit.

Ronit and her husband, Dan, a high-school teacher, were part of an influx of new residents that came to the kibbutz during the two-year period of calm since Israel's Operation Caste Lead which ended in January 2009. Many young couples found the community's cheap real estate and good schools attractive.

Violence between Gaza militants and the Israeli army reignited in mid-March.

School bus hit

"I do not feel safe here after the school bus was attacked last week," said Ronit.

The school bus in the southern district was hit by an anti-tank rocket on 7 April, badly wounding the driver and a 16-year-old boy. It had dropped off children from the kibbutz just minutes before the attack.

Ronit and Dan are considering moving.

Hamas took credit for the attack that hit the school bus, but did not intend to target children, Hamas deputy foreign minister Ghazi Hamad in Gaza told IRIN.

The attack was a reprisal for the Israeli air force's killing of three figures in Hamas's military wing on 1 April.

"Hamas is against targeting civilians," said Hamad, adding: "Israel purposefully targets civilians in Gaza, and they have the military capabilities to be sure of their targets."

Hamad says outside forces, like Iran and Syria, are not influencing attacks against Israel emanating from Gaza.

Historically, Hamas has characterized its rocket attacks against Israel as part of its "resistance" to Israeli military occupation of Palestinian land.

Egyptian and UN mediators achieved an informal truce on 10 April, according to officials from the Gaza foreign ministry, ending weeks of cross-border violence, though the truce appeared to be unravelling on 15 April as tit-for-tat violence between the two sides started up again.

Israeli President Shimon Peres visited Nahal Oz on 14 April to show solidarity with residents, many of whom feel the government is not doing enough to protect them.

Few residents support another Gaza operation, knowing they will bear the brunt of attacks emanating from Gaza during a ground offensive.

Also, the success of Iron Dome has taken the pressure off Israeli leaders to launch such an offensive. The Israeli-developed system, funded in large part by the USA, uses cameras and radar to track incoming rockets and is designed to shoot them down within seconds of their launch.

Egypt's instability could be another reason why Israel might prefer to desist from launching further ground offensives, particularly near the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza.

Nahal Oz resident Dan Solomon, aged 73, said: "One of the worst effects of this situation is that our children and grandchildren are too afraid to visit."

"Israel should target Hamas leaders," said Dan. "The people of Gaza bear the brunt of this conflict, not the leaders."

Four Israeli civilians died and 45 were injured due to incidents related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2010, says OCHA. During the same period, 35 Palestinian civilians died, and 1,500 were injured due to incidents related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Israeli national police and emergency service, Magen David Adom, were unable to confirm these figures upon IRIN's request.

Israel: AS Akan Memveto Setiap Upaya Deklarasi Negara Palestina di DK PBB

Pejabat Israel dengan sesumbar mengatakan bahwa Amerika Serikat akan menggunakan hak veto mereka apabila Dewan Keamanan PBB memutuskan untuk memilih menyetujui adanya sebuah negara Palestina yang merdeka.

Radio Israel melaporkan bahwa AS mendukung adanya negosiasi daripada langkah sepihak seperti mendeklarasikan kemerdekaan Palestina.

Menteri Israel Uzi Landau mengatakan, Israel harus mengumumkan langkah aneksasi dari beberapa pos-pos pemukiman besar dan lembah Yordan jika kenegaraan resmi Palestina diumumkan di PBB.

He also said that Israel must put an end to Hamas' "war of attrition" that he said was being waged against Israel.

Ia juga mengatakan bahwa Israel harus mengakhiri "perang gesekan" Hamas yang katanya sedang dilancarkan terhadap Israel. Ia juga mengatakan bahwa harus ada serangan besar-besaran yang lebih banyak daripada eskalasi serangan ke Gaza yang saat ini dilakukan oleh militer Israel.(fq/mna)