Canaan: Palestijnse Fairtrade-producten voor een betere toekomst

De Nieuwe Band kiest voor de Fairtrade producten van Canaan omdat:

• de olijfolie van Canaan van hoge kwaliteit is en een bijzonder volle smaak heeft;
• Canaan meer dan 1700 Palestijnse boeren ondersteunt bij de olijventeelt, de verwerking ervan en de verkoop over de hele wereld;
• Canaan de boeren en hun families een betere toekomst biedt en voor contacten zorgt tussen boeren en mensen uit de hele wereld.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eOyugGLHhOM

In het najaar van 2009 ging Allard ten Dam, één van de directieleden en mede-oprichter van De Nieuwe Band, met een groep Nederlanders naar Palestina om kennis te maken met het land en met de boeren die de olijven leveren aan de fabriek van Canaan Fairtrade in Burquin. Hieronder een persoonlijk verslag van Allard (op de foto in het groene shirt).

“Persoonlijk voel ik me ruim 30 jaar verbonden met het Palestijnse volk en De Nieuwe Band heeft sinds 2008 de Fairtrade biologische olijfolie van Canaan in het assortiment. In november 2009 ben ik daarom met een groep Nederlanders naar Palestina gegaan om kennis te maken met het land en vooral met de boeren die de olijven leveren aan de fabriek van Canaan. Waar ik ook kijk zie ik olijfbomen en ik word stil van het besef dat hier al duizenden jaren olijfbomen staan. Palestina is de bakermat van de olijfboom. De boeren bij wie we logeren vertellen me dat elk gezin zo’n 200 liter per jaar gebruikt. Ik verbaas hun net zo als ik vertel dat ik misschien op zo’n 6-7 liter uit kom. Zij doen er dan ook bijna alles mee. Veel mensen maken bijvoorbeeld zelf zeep thuis.”

Goede en slechte oogsten

“Palestijnse boeren zijn eraan gewend dat goede (messy) en slechte (shelton) oogsten elkaar afwisselen. Maar dit jaar was wel heel extreem “shelton”. De boeren die we bezoeken in Beit Jalla, Sebastia, Kufr Rai en Burquin, vertellen ons dat er maar 5 tot 10% van de opbrengst van een goed jaar gehaald wordt en dat veel boeren zelfs helemaal niets kunnen oogsten. De kleine hoeveelheid olijven die we tijdens het plukken van de bomen halen, spreekt boekdelen. Olijven vormen zo’n 70% van het inkomen van Palestijnse boeren. 2009 is dus een regelrechte ramp voor de boeren die in veel gevallen geen enkele financiële reserve of andere inkomsten hebben. In mei was er een zware storm waardoor veel olijfbloesem kapot gewaaid is. Het steeds nijpender tekort aan water doet geen goed aan de olijven die de storm overleefd hebben.”

“Olijfbomen kunnen goed tegen droogte, maar water is wel essentieel voor een goede opbrengst. Alternatieven hebben de Palestijnse boeren nauwelijks, want het daarvoor benodigde water onder de Westbank en van de Jordaan wordt door Israël en de vele settlements (Israëlische nederzettingen met soms wel 20-30.000 woningen) onttrokken. Mamoun Sbaih, één van de olijfboeren, vertelt dat één keer in de 10 tot 14 dagen de waterkraan in hun dorp 2 uur lang opengaat. Het is dan zaak om de waterput te vullen. De bewoners in de settlements en in Israël krijgen daarentegen 24 uur per dag water. Als ik een boerenvrouw vraag wat haar droom is, vertelt zij dat ze droomt dat kinderen veilig naar de universiteit kunnen en dat de boeren weer water krijgen zodat ze zelf de gewassen kunnen telen die ze nu moeten kopen uit Israël.”

Samenwerken en feestvieren ondanks de omstandigheden

“Ik was op de hoogte van wat ik op de Westbank zou aantreffen. Na een paar dagen echter wordt ook ik neerslachtig bij het zien van de vele checkpoints, wachttorens, controles, zwaarbewapende soldaten, nederzettingen en door het Israëlische leger omgehakte olijfbomen. Het is vreselijk om te zien dat olijfboomgaarden afgesneden worden van de dorpen waar de boeren wonen. Dit gebeurd op allerlei manieren: by-passwegen, patrol roads en de lange muur. Het meehelpen met olijven plukken in de boomgaard ervaar ik daarom als een feest. De hele dag buiten in de heuvels. Stilte rondom die verbroken wordt door het met de hand afritsen van de olijven, gesprekken tijdens de picknick. We zitten te smullen van de hummus, falaffel, pitabroodjes en natuurlijk olijven. Allemaal heel erg “zaki, zaki” (lekker). Zo nu en dan heft iemand een lied aan en ik draag daar graag een vrolijke noot aan bij. Olijven plukken is een gezamenlijk gebeuren. Met soms wel acht mensen tegelijk zijn we bezig om de olijven van één boom te strippen. Er worden bewust geen stokken gebruikt omdat die de olijven kunnen beschadigen.”

Canaan Olijfolie Festival

“Aan het eind van de week vind het echte feest plaats: het jaarlijkse Canaan Olijfolie Festival. Beduidend minder boeren dan voorgaande jaren, want ja, zonder oogst valt er niet zoveel te vieren. Toch nog wel honderden feestvierders. We krijgen van Nassar Abufarha, oprichter van de boerencoöperatie een rondleiding door de moderne fabriek. In de fabriekshal een prachtige mozaïek op de muren met woorden afgebeeld die staan voor de woorden die voor Canaan belangrijk zijn zoals waardigheid, samen, Fairtrade, boeren en, jawel, olijven, Daarna picknicken we in de olijfboomgaarden rondom de fabriek. Er wordt veel muziek gemaakt, gezongen en gedanst. Het plezier en trots op hun fabriek spat ook af van de gezichten van de veelal jonge medewerkers van Canaan. En natuurlijk krijgen we versgeperste “raw” ongefilterde groene olijfolie die heerlijk zacht is. Als toetje hoor ik het onmiskenbare getrompetter van kraanvogels en als ik omhoog kijk zie ik daar zo’n 100 kraanvogels boven de fabriek die in grote cirkels rondcirkelen, gedragen door de thermiek.”

Toekomst voor een nieuwe generatie

“Ik ben blij dat ik ben gegaan. Blij vanwege het plezier wat ik met de Palestijnse boeren beleefd heb. De warmte, gastvrijheid, belangstelling en de humor. En het samen olijfplukken, eten, zingen en dansen en onze gesprekken. Te zien en te ervaren dat de mensen die we hebben ontmoet, niet blijven hangen in frustratie, maar werken voor de toekomst. Niet zozeer dat ze zelf geloven dat ze het nog zullen beleven dat er een oplossing komt die recht doet aan hun volk, maar dan in ieder geval wel voor de toekomst van hun kinderen.”

Allard

(www.nieuweband.nl / 04.06.2012)

DCI-Palestine submits report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

[4 June 2012] – Today, DCI-Palestine submitted a report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in advance of its review of Israel’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2013. All states that have ratified the Convention are periodically reviewed by this independent UN Committee.

DCI’s report to the Committee covers the period from 2002 to 2012 (reporting period), and includes information on the following issues:

• Fatalities – During the reporting period, DCI documented 1,020 cases of children killed as a result of the conflict. In 85 percent of cases, the children were killed in the Gaza Strip.
• Injuries – The report focuses on 30 cases documented by DCI since 2010, in which children were shot whilst working close to the border between Gaza and Israel. Most of the children were shot in their legs while working outside the 300 metre buffer zone unilaterally imposed by the Israeli army.
• Detention – During the reporting period, an estimated 7,000 children, some as young as 12, have been prosecuted in Israeli military courts and held in military detention. The report highlights credible and persistent allegations of treatment that violates the absolute prohibition against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The report also documents the continued practice of imprisoning Palestinian children in detention facilities inside Israel, in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
• Human shields – During the reporting period, DCI documented 19 cases in which children were used as human shields by the Israeli army. In 18 out of the 19 cases (95 percent), the event occurred after the Israeli Supreme Court ruled the practice to be illegal, suggesting that the army is unwilling to comply with the court’s order.
• Informants – During the reporting period, DCI documented 20 cases in which attempts were made to recruit children as informants. These attempts include the use of both threats and inducements. Attempts to recruit children as informants violate international and Israeli law.
• Settler violence – Since Israel first submitted a report to the Committee, the number of illegal settlers in the West Bank has increased by approximately 50 percent, resulting in friction and violence. Since 2008, DCI has documented 106 cases in which children have been attacked by settlers. In four of these cases the children died from their injuries.

The report also includes a section on accountability and notes that out of 645 complaints filed against Israeli Security Agency interrogators alleging mistreatment since 2001, there has not been a single criminal investigation.

DCI’s full report is available on line.

Related links:

•    UN Human Rights Committee – Concluding Observations (Israel) (2010)
•    UN Committee on the Rights of the Child – Concluding Observations (Israel) (OPAC) (2010)
•    UN Committee against Torture – Concluding Observations (Israel) (2009)
•    UN Committee on the Rights of the Child – Concluding Observations (Israel) (2002)

(www.dci-palestine.org /04.06.2012)

Syrian Opposition Group Announces ‘New Military Structure’

 

A Syrian opposition group announced Monday that they are creating a new military structure consisting of 12,000 fighters to topple the regime of the Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“We announce today the unification of all fronts in a single center to bring about the collapse of the oppressing regime,” Khaled al-Okla from the Syrian Revolutionaries Front (SRF) read from a statement at a press conference.

The SRF is active across Syria and has 12,000 men under command, uniting more than 100 “battalions,” according to a video presentation broadcast during the conference.

Asked about the relationship between the SRF and the Free Syrian Army, the main opposition force made up of deserting Syrian army officers, Okla said the two forces had frequent “discussions” and were working in “cooperation.”

The SRF also claims support from some members of the Syrian National Council (SNC), recognized by world leaders as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

“We, the SNC, bless the founding of the Syrian Revolutionaries Front and affirm that we will provide full support,” said a member of the SNC executive committee, Ahmad Ramadan.

“We say the fight for the freedom of Syria has begun,” he added.

Haitham al-Maleh, a prominent human rights activist, also said he supported the new structure, in a video message sent to the SRF.

The new military structure has a more integrated structure to combat Damascus than the Free Syrian Army, which offers a wide platform without strong organic links, said Mahmut Osman, another member of the SNC.

“The SNC supports this unification of groups acting on the ground,” he added.

(www.naharnet.com / 04.06.2012) 

“What Israel destroys, we rebuild”: villagers determined to remain in South Hebron Hills

A local campaign to rebuild homes demolished by Israel began in al-Mufaqarah on 19 May.

Al-Mufaqarah is a Palestinian community located in the South Hebron Hills. Fifteen families live in this community, a total of 150 persons. They farm the land and graze sheep, just as their ancestors have been doing for more than 200 years.

Al-Mufaqarah is one of a dozen communities situated in the South Hebron Hills region, within a 7.5-acre Israeli military firing zone adjacent to the 1967 green line, the internationally-recognized armistice line between Israel and the occupied West Bank. Attempts to force the community out began at the end of the 1990s, even though the firing zone was established during the 1970s. The isolation and eviction of communities here indicate Israel’s plans to annex this region. Four Israeli settlements and “outposts” surround the village; all are illegal under international law. The villagers experience frequent settler violence.

Families of ten or more persons live in caves or in small mobile homes. Those that live in the mobile homes had their houses demolished last November by the Israeli military along with a cattle shed, a generator building and the village mosque. Despite official documents proving that residents own the land, many structures have pending demolition orders on them and the mobile homes have been subject to “stop work” orders which expired on 29 May.

Determination

Two women were arrested on 24 November 2011, when they attempted to save belongings from their homes as they were being demolished. The next day, a number of men from other communities in the area began rebuilding the mosque. The same solidarity and determination was seen on 19 May at the launch of a campaign by Palestine’s Popular Struggle Coordination Committee to support the community of al-Mufaqarah in its struggle to keep living on its land.

The residents of al-Mufaqarah have expressed their wish to live above ground rather below it. Therefore, the first of 15 houses, one for each family, was built last month, on 19 May. The campaign will continue and people will meet every week until all of the homes are completed.

“What if the military comes to destroy these houses?” I asked Hafez Huraini, coordinator of the popular committee in the South Hebron Hills.

“We are on our land, we will never give up,” he replied. “We believe that the soldiers will come and demolish these buildings but we will challenge that, we will build them again and again and again.”

If it wasn’t for the Israeli occupation, the few anthropologists who have come to this area say that the transition from caves to houses would have probably happened a decade ago. The occupation has stalled and even reversed the natural progression and modernization of many rural communities in Area C of the West Bank by forbidding inhabitants from building homes and by demolishing existing structures.

Al-Mufaqarah, like many villages in the South Hebron Hills, is in Area C, which was placed under full Israeli control by the Oslo accords (though supposedly on a temporary basis). Area C covers more than 60 percent of the West Bank; in this area, Palestinians have to request permits from Israeli authorities to build any structure, even tents and wells — and permits are almost never granted.

Many communities that in the last few years have benefited from solar panels and wind turbines have had these and other structures demolished. Havat Maon — a settlement “outpost” that is illegal even under Israeli law — by contrast enjoys easy access toelectricity and water.

By defying pending demolition orders and a de facto prohibition on building Palestinian homes, the residents of al-Mufaqarah emphasize their right to remain on their land and to oppose Israeli policies of displacement.

Access to water reduced

Children walk the few kilometers to the village of al-Tuwani every day to go to school. Due to climate change and the demolition of water tanks, wells and cisterns, the amount of rain falling and being collected in al-Mufaqarah is declining. So Palestinians here are forced to buy water from Yatta, the only town in the South Hebron Hills. Making the 40-kilometer round trip on tractor several times a week is expensive and time-consuming. As well as life becoming harder for these communities, it is also becoming more costly.

Supporting people to remain on their land is therefore crucial. On 19 May, around a group of 100 — a mix of locals, Palestinians from popular committees around the West Bank, and international and Israeli activists — all worked together to build the first house in the village. The mood was one of celebration, cooperation and hope, not dented by a visit from Israeli soldiers and their constant background presence.

The purposes of this campaign are to repeat the success of al-Tuwani, a nearby village of 300 residents who, after nine years of campaigning, were connected to the Palestinian electrical grid in 2010, and to encourage other communities to start their own campaigns to stay on their land.

The campaign is “the initiative of the local people,” Mahmoud Zwahre, coordinator of the popular committee in the village al-Masara, announced in his 19 May speech. It is a grassroots effort supported by popular committees in Palestine and international volunteers. There is a strong call from popular committees for charities and volunteers to shift their focus from Area A — cities such as Bethlehem and Ramallah, which are nominally administered by the Palestinian Authority — to Area C, to live alongside Palestinians who face severe oppression yet receive little support to continue resisting.

In al-Mufaqarah, the community is isolated geographically and technologically: after its generator building was demolished last November, an attempt to connect al-Mufaqarah to the grid was thwarted by Israel. When I asked a resident for her email address so as to pass on photos, she replied that she doesn’t have one because she is unable to access a computer. Isolation is another tool used by the Israeli authorities to try and prevent communities from telling others about their lives and their situation.

The call to action to support communities such as al-Mufaqarah in their struggle and to expose the land grabs, violence and oppression perpetrated by the Israeli military and settlers towards them, is urgent and must not be ignored.

To join in with the house building that will take place every Saturday in al-Mufaqarah until all 15 houses are completed contact Fadi Arouri at al.mufaqarah [AT] gmail [DOT] com. For more information about the campaign see http://almufaqarah.wordpress.com.

Lydia James has spent most of the past year working as a volunteer in the West Bank. She currently lives in Beit Sahour, beside Bethlehem.

(electronicintifada.net / 04.06.2012)

Aanslag op migranten in Jeruzalem

Politici wakkeren vreemdelingenhaat aan met opgefokte taal … Parlementslid roept op illegalen aan de grens dood te schieten

http://youtu.be/qtiGBH4BqLQ

In de vroege ochtenduren is maandag in Jerzualem een huis waar tien Eritreërs wonen met een brandbom aangevallen. Vier mensen moesten zich met brandwonden en ademhalingsproblemen in het ziekenhuis laten behandelen. Het incident komt in een tijd dat politici zich steeds grover uitlaten over migranten.

Bij de brand werd een verdieping van de woning verwoest. Op de muur van het huis was de tekst ‘Ga weg uit de buurt’ geklad.

De aanslag vond plaats enkele uren nadat premier Netanyahu zijn ministers had aangespoord om burgers uit Afrikaanse landen te deporteren, meldt de Israelische krant Haaretz. Omdat het vanwege de mensenrechtenschendingen niet mogelijk is de vluchtelingen naar Eritrea en Soedan uit te zetten, laat Netanyahu kampementen bouwen in de Negev-woestijn waar de migranten worden opgesloten.

Netanyahu en de minister van Binnenlandse Zaken Eli Yishai van de ultra-othodoxe Shas partij hebben de afgelopen tijd rabiate taal uitgeslagen over migranten. Er werd onder meer gesproken over een ‘vloed van illegale indringers’ die verantwoordelijk zijn voor misdaad en dat ze allemaal opgesloten of gedeporteerd moeten worden. Een lid van het Israëlische parlement stelde zondag dat iedere buitenlander die illegaal probeert de grens over te steken moet worden doodgeschoten, schrijft The Guardian.

Vorige week zijn bij een demonstratie tegen buitenlanders in Tel Aviv migranten aangevallen en ruiten van buitenlandse winkels ingeslagen. Een parlementslid dat aan de demonstratie deelnam noemde migranten ‘een kanker in ons lichaam’.

Vorige maand bekritiseerde de Verenigde Staten de hardvochtige houding van de Israëlische regering tegenover vluchtelingen. Van de 4603 asielaanvragen in 2011 werd er slechts één erkend. Er zijn in Israël officieel 62.000 migranten. Vorig jaar staken 2000 migranten vanuit Egypte de grens over, meer dan een verdubbeling ten opzichte van vorig jaar. Israël telt bijna 8 miljoen inwoners.

(www.joop.nl / 04.06.2012)

First Mavi Marmara court hearing scheduled for Nov. 6

A Turkish court will convene on Nov. 6 of this year to hear a trial in which four top Israeli commanders are charged for their role in a 2010 Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that left nine Turks dead.

An indictment prepared by an İstanbul prosecutor seeks 10 aggravated life imprisonment sentences for each of the four Israeli commanders, including the country’s former Chief of General Staff Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. Eight Turkish nationals and one Turkish-American were killed when the Israeli Navy attacked an international aid flotilla trying to break an Israeli blockade of Gaza in May 2010.

A court proceedings report accepted by the İstanbul 7th High Criminal Court says one copy of the indictment will be sent to the Israeli authorities after being translated into English. The report also added that the court will also instruct the İstanbul Bar Directorate to appoint lawyers for the suspects.

The report also noted that the court will invite an expert who speaks Hebrew, adding that the first court hearing will be on Nov.6 and will continue on Nov. 7 and 9. The İstanbul court will also invite 490 complainants to the court hearings.

The 144-page Mavi Marmara was accepted last month by a court and mentions 10 “slain Turks,” including Süleyman Söylemez, who was among those injured in the raid and who is still in a vegetative state. The document also mentions 490 victims and complainants, including 189 people who were injured in the attacks.

The indictment reportedly seeks 10 aggravated life imprisonment sentences for former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of General Staff Gen. Ashkenazi, former Naval Forces commander Vice Adm. Eliezer Marom, former Israeli military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin and former Air Forces Intelligence head Brig. Gen. Avishai Levi.

The prosecutor reportedly heard the testimonies of nearly 600 witnesses, which included passengers aboard the ship and the relatives of victims as part of the investigation.

Following the Mavi Marmara attack, Israel’s government set up the Turkel Commission, a commission of inquiry headed by Israeli Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel, to investigate

the attack. Turkish leaders dismissed the Israeli investigation, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon repeated the demand for an independent investigation, stating that the Israeli investigation would not have international credibility.

Turkey also established an inquiry, which concluded, in contrast to the Israeli inquiry, that the Gaza blockade and the Israeli raid are illegal. After the Turkish inquiry, Turkey described the raid as a violation of international law “tantamount to banditry and piracy” and described the killings of activists as “state-sponsored terrorism.” Concerning the Israeli inquiry, Turkey said its own commission was “surprised, appalled and dismayed that the national inquiry process in Israel has resulted in the exoneration of the Israeli armed forces.”

Ankara wants an official apology from Israel for the raid and calls for the lifting of the Gaza blockade but both demands have been rejected by the Israeli government so far. With tensions increased, Turkey has expelled the Israeli ambassador and suspended all military agreements it had with the country.

(www.todayszaman.com / 04.06.2012)

Official: Settlers torch agricultural field near Hebron

Palestinians extinguish a fire caused by settlers in Nablus, 2010.

HEBRON (Ma’an) — A group of settlers set fire to wheat fields on Monday in the Hebron town of Yatta, a local official said.

Ratib al-Jubrour, the coordinator of a local committee against settlements and the wall, said Israeli soldiers looked on as the settlers torched the field belonging to Khalid Mousa Najjar.

Najjar was shot by settlers in 2002, al-Jubrour added.

On Sunday morning, Palestinians from nearby village Susiya found seven piles of harvested grain had been torched in a field near an Israeli settlement.

Settlers also destroyed dozens of olive trees in Yatta on Sunday, al-Jubrour said.

In the West Bank, over 90 percent of villages which have experienced multiple attacks by settlers are under Israeli security control, The Palestine Center says, meaning local Palestinians only have the official protection of an army which they claim ignores settler violence.

(www.maannews.net / 04.06.2012)

Israeli forces ‘detain Al-Aqsa official’

Israeli police pictured in Jerusalem.

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained an Al-Aqsa Mosque official early Monday from his East Jerusalem home, locals said.

Najeh Bkeirat, the head of the manuscripts and heritage department at Al-Aqsa, was detained in Sur Bahir, they told Ma’an.

Official PA news agency Wafa reported that Bkeirat was charged with disobeying a gag order which banned him from talking to the press about the situation in Jerusalem.

Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said he was looking into the report.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it detained seven Palestinians across the West Bank overnight Sunday.

Three people were arrested in Salfit, two in Qalqiliya, and one in both Nablus and Hebron, an Israeli army spokeswoman said.

Rocks and firebombs were thrown at soldiers in Nablus, the spokeswoman added.

Palestinian police said that Saba Nidal Shahada, 20, and Yousef Abdul Jabbar, 20, were detained by Israeli forces in Qalqiliya.

Muhamad Osama Swelem, 22, was named as one of the men arrested in Salfit, a police statement said.

(www.maannews.net / 04.06.2012)