Impunity Watch: Middle East

Saudi’s Engage Yemeni Rebels

2009-11-10T00:42:07-05:00

By Ahmad Shihadah

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SA’NA, Yemen – Saudi Arabian forces have seized a strategic mountain straddling the border with Yemen and cleared it of Shi’ite rebels after five days of fighting that have left three Saudi soldiers dead, a Saudi defense official said Sunday.

In a dramatic escalation of the five-year conflict, Saudi forces began shelling and bombing rebel positions last week. Saudi Arabia entered the conflict after fears that extremism and instability in Yemen could spill into its country. Assistant Saudi Minister Khaled Bin Sultan said Sunday’s advance was a step toward sealing the Saudi border against the rebels. Saudi officials say their military has fought only in its own territory, focusing on rebel infiltrators, but Yemeni rebels, military officials and Arab diplomats say Saudi airstrikes have hit deep inside northern Yemen.

Rebel spokesman Mohammad Abdel-Salam denied that rebels had crossed the Saudi border, saying those detained were Yemeni migrants hoping to work in the much richer country. He continued saying, that “lies” about rebel infiltrators “reveal the failure of Yemeni government in confronting our forces, and that has pushed Yemeni regime to seek help from the Saudis.” Abdel-Salam also said rebel fighters shot down a Yemeni fighter jet on Sunday, and Yemeni and Saudi jets have carried out continuous strikes in the region, “damaging many villages and killing civilians.”

Yemeni officials claim that the jet crashed due to a technical error. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, said that the military would not cease the offensive against the Huthis “until we bring this tyrannical, traitorous and mercenary group to an end.”

For more information, please see:

AP – Saudis Take Mountain from Yemen Rebels – 8 November 2009

BBC – Saudis ‘Push Back Yemen Rebels’ - 8 November 2009

Al-Jazeera – Saudis ‘Retake Captured Territory’ – 8 November 2009

Palestinians Breach Barrier on Anniversary of Fall of Berlin Wall

2009-11-09T17:47:59-05:00

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Masked activists used a lorry to tear down a cement block of the wall (Photo Courtesy: AFP).

QALANDIYA, West Bank – Palestinian and foreign activists broke through the wall separating Israel and the West Bank, harkening back to the fall of the Berlin Wall twenty years ago.

The group used a large truck to pull down a two-meter by six-meter section of the wall near the West Bank town of Qalandiya, near Ramallah. The crowd of fifty cheered as the section toppled, waived a Palestinian flag and burning tires on the Israeli side. Israeli police responded by firing tear gas into the crowd, and some Palestinians threw rocks at the police.

The separation barrier has been a hotly contested issue between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Israelis claim the wall is necessary for national security, arguing it has effectively halted suicide bombers from coming into Israel. Palestinians, however, view the wall as a land grab; claiming that Israeli is effectively undermining any future of a functioning Palestinian state.

Israel began construction of the wall in 2000. The wall’s path does not hold to pre-1967 borders, but rather cuts into areas traditionally within the West Bank. Throughout the newly-formed border, the wall cuts through Palestinian towns and carves through Palestinian farmland to bring vital water resources under Israeli control. In 2004, the International Court of Justice ruled that the wall was illegal, and that it should be taken down because it crossed into occupied territory.

Aside from the breach in Qalandiya, there were other protests throughout the West Bank leading up to the Berlin Wall anniversary. Protestors in Bethlehem marked four years of their weekly march against the wall, as six villages in the metropolitan area are cut off from reasonable access to the city. The West Bank city of Na’alin also hosts a weekly march, and on November 6, masked protestors used a hydraulic car-jack to hoist another section of the wall out of place. The wall is constructed in the same inverted T-shape as was the Berlin Wall.

“Today we commemorate twenty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall,” said Abdullah Abu Rahma, the leader of the People’s Campaign to Fight the Wall. “This is the first step in a series of activities we will be holding in the coming days to express our firm attachment to our land and our rejection of this wall.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Palestinians Break Israel’s Wall – 9 November 2009

Ha’aretz – Palestinians Breach Separation Fence for Second Time in a Week – 9 November 2009

Huffington Post – Mr. Netanyahu, Tear Down This Wall – 9 November 2009

VOA News – W. Bank Palestinians Tear Down Segment of Barrier Wall – 9 November 2009

Palestinian News Network – Four Years of Demonstrating Against the Wall in Southern Bethlehem – 24 October 2009

Israel Seizes Ship Carrying Weapons

2009-11-07T11:06:05-05:00

By Brandon Kaufman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

ASHDOD, Israel- More than 3,000 rockets were apparently being smuggled aboard the ship Francop, which was captured in the Mediterranean Sea by Israel Navy missile boats and naval commandos late this past Tuesday, November 3, in an operation dubbed Operation Four Species.

The navy, which tracks suspicious activity at sea along known smuggling routes in the Mediterranean and Red Seas, located the Francop vessel shortly after it left Damietta, Egypt on Tuesday on its way to Limassol, Cyprus, and then to Syria. As evening approached, an Israeli navy missile boat made contact with the Francop and asked to conduct a routine inspection of its cargo. Israeli naval commandos boarded the ship around midnight on Tuesday and were met with no resistance from the ship's crew of eleven.

The naval personnel checked the ship's manifest, which showed that the cargo was going to the Syrian port of Latakia, and began opening the containers. Upon inspection, they found sacks of polyethylene near the opening and along the walls of the containers, but behind the sacks, they discovered numerous crates of ammunition and artillery shells. Immediately, the naval personnel ordered the crew to sail to Ashdod, Israel.

The cargo included thousands of medium-range rockets, armor-piercing artillery, hand grenades and ammunition for rifles. The navy estimated that the haul included more than 3,000 rockets and a total of 300 tons of weaponry.

In response to the seizure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated "This was a ship carrying a massive amount of weapons that Iran tried to ship to Syria, and from there to Hezbollah. He further added that “The bulk of the shipment included rockets intended to hurt Israelis and kill as many civilians as possible. This constitutes a war crime. The UN General Assembly should have investigated and condemned this crime and the UN Security Council should have convened a special session to debate this incident."

For more information, please see:

Amsterdam News- Israeli Prime Minister Says Arms Shipment a War Crime- 7 November 2009

Ha'aretz- Israel Seizes Ship in Mediterranean Carrying More than 3,000 Rockets- 6 November 2009

The Washington Post- Israel Says Seized Ship Contained Iranian Arms- 5 November 2009

Clashes Between Police And Protesters Mark Iranian Anniversary

2009-11-05T23:04:19-05:00

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On November 4 violence broke out between Iranian police and protesters still angry about the June presidential election. The protests took over a day that was to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the taking of the United States embassy by Iranian students. Iranian police beat the protesters with batons. This action represented to the first show of force by the election protesters in Iran in two months.
In addition to beatings from police, protesters suffered tear gas attacks. Mir Hossein Mousavi, the challenger in June’s controversial election, mentioned on his website that a protest on Wednesday was likely. Several hundred protesters entered Haft-e-Ti square in Tehran in order to protest the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.
At the same time as the anti-Ahmedinejad protest, there were anti-United States protests taking place as well. Commemorating the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in 1979, demonstrators chanted “Death to America,” “Death to England” and “Death to Israel” outside the former embassy. This was in contrast to the anti-government protesters who chanted “Death to the dictator.” Many anti-government protesters wore green wristbands or scarves that have come to symbolize the campaign against Ahmedinjead by Mousavi.
In addition to the chants against Ahmedinejad, there were anti-Russian slogans used by protesters as well. Baqer Moon, an Iranian journalist and author, commented that there was a perception growing in Iran that what happened with the election and President Ahmedinejad was somehow helped by China and Russia. He explained that chants against Russia are used at rallies at which government officials are encouraging and taking part in anti-US chants.
Among those attacked at the protests was an opposition leader named Mahdi Karroubi. Karroubi fell to the ground because of the tear gas shot into the crowds. His supporters carried him to a vehicle, which was attacked by government supporters as it drove away. According to his son, Karroubi did not require medical attention.
The taking of the U.S. embassy on November 4, 1979 was an action by Iranian students taken in response to the U.S.’s refusal to handover Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah overthrown by the Islamic Revolution. Fifty two American hostages were held for four hundred forty four days before being released in 1981.
For more information, please see:
Al Jazeera – Unrest As Iran Marks Embassy Siege – 4 November 2009
Associated Press – Iran Police, Protesters Clash At US Embassy Rally – 4 November 2009
BBC – Iran Police Clash With Protesters – 4 November 2009
New York Times – Dissidents Mass In Tehran To Subvert An Anti-U.S. Rally – 4 November 2009

Palestinians Could Abandon Two-State Solution if Settlements Continue

2009-11-05T17:42:14-05:00

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RAMALLAH, West Bank – Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, has said that Israel’s continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank could force the Palestinians to reject any proposed two-state solution in future peace negotiations.

Erekat’s statement came during a press conference on November 4, in response to allegations that the United States was becoming lax in insisting that Israel halt all settlement construction or expansion, as required by international treaties.

Erekat added that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was simply encouraging more settlements when she praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s offer to temporarily limit settlement construction in the West Bank. Netanyahu’s plan would stop development of new settlements, though would not place any restrictions on any of the three thousand buildings already under construction in Israeli settlements. There was considerable international outcry in response to Clinton’s remarks on October 31, as Palestinians have stated that a complete freeze on settlement construction would be a precondition to any peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. On November 4, Clinton reiterated the U.S. support for a complete settlement freeze after she met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Even as political leaders continue to debate conditions for peace negotiations, confrontations between Palestinians and Jewish settlers continued in East Jerusalem. Several Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem have been issued evacuation orders, presumably to make room for incoming Jewish settlers. The Salah family, whose home is under one of the evacuation orders, has lived in the Beit Safafa neighborhood of East Jerusalem for several generations, and has remained in their home. The Salah family was attacked on October 30, reportedly by twelve settlers who were armed with weapons. Five members of the family were injured. The Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights has subsequently accused the Israeli police of not adequately responding to the assault.

Erekat said that the alternative for the Palestinians was to re-focus on the one-state solution, “where Muslims, Christians and Jews can live as equals…It is very serious. This is the moment of truth for us.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Settlements “End Two-State Hopes” – 5 November 2009

Ma’an News Agency – Erekat: Two-State Solution May Have to Be Abandoned – 5 November 2009

Ha’aretz – Clinton: Settlements Are Illegitimate, Should Be Halted Forever – 4 November 2009

New York Times – Clinton Backs Peace Talks Before Israeli Settlement Freeze – 4 November 2009

Palestinian News Network – Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights Condemns Attack on Beit Safafa Family – 31 October 2009

Iranian Vessel Seized by Yemen

2009-11-04T18:43:05-05:00

By Ahmad Shihadah

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SA’NA, Yemen – The Yemeni coast guard seized a boat they say illegally entered the country’s territorial waters, near the island of Midi under the suspicion that it was smuggling arms to Shi'ite rebels battling government troops in the Northern Yemen province of Sa’na.

The ship’s cargo, consisting mostly of anti-tank shells, was seized and her crew of five Iranians were detained under a suspicion that they were “instructors” planning the delivery of weapons and the evacuation of wounded Iranians.

Al-Alam TV, an Iranian state broadcaster, reported the incident as a mere “fabrication of the media.” While no comment has been issued by the Yemeni central government, they have long accused Iran of supporting Shiite rebels. Last week, Yemeni President, Ali Abdullah Saleh issued a statement alleging that Iranian dignitaries were the source of funding for previously captured rebel troops.

On Tuesday, a court in Sa’na sentenced four al-Huthi rebels to death. This is the third trial stemming from a series of rebel clashes with government forces – twelve others have been sentenced to death in earlier trials relating to the fighting.

Clashes between al-Huthi rebels and government forces have continued sporadically for the past five-years. The Rebels accuse authorities of neglecting their needs and of allying with hard-line Sunni fundamentalists. The fighting has intensified since August, killing hundreds in the region and displacing thousands more. A humanitarian crisis continues to loom due to the inability of aid workers to access the region.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Yemenis Intercept ‘Iranian Ship’ – October 27 2009

Associated Press – Yemen Seizes Boat off Coast, Arrests 5 Iranians – October 27 2009

Reuters – Yemen Seizes Weapons Vessel with Iranian Crew – October 26 2009

Iraqi Security Forces Held Over Baghdad Bombing

2009-11-04T13:22:22-05:00

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – On October 29 Iraq arrested over sixty security officials for their connection to a twin suicide bombing in central Baghdad. Among those arrested were Iraqi soldiers and members of the police force.
An Iraqi military spokesperson confirmed that eleven army officers along with fifty security officials were arrested for involvement. Among those individuals were thirteen senior officials. The bombing killed one hundred fifty five people and injured over five hundred. The attack was the worst in Iraq in over two years.
The men arrested will be investigated to see if they had any involvement in the attacks themselves or if they failed to do their jobs. Iraq frequently arrests security personnel after an attack of this magnitude, but the current situation marks the first time where it has been referred to as the official policy of the Iraqi government.
The bombings that struck two government buildings have lead to a wave of public anger aimed at Iraqi security officials. The BBC’s Gabriel Gatehouse explains that the investigation gives credence to the individuals who believe that security forces are susceptible to infiltration by insurgents or are simply unable to handle the job of protecting Iraq.
The arrests come at a time in Iraq where there are questions whether the government has the ability to protect its citizens. Increasing the concerns is January’s election and the coming removal of United States troops in 2011. The Iraqi government has blamed the attacks on al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein’s Baath party.
Iraq’s foreign minister, Hoshiyar Zebari, called for a United Nations investigation into the bombings. He urged the UN to investigate the bombings for external inference and accused Syria of providing a safe haven for the bombers. Syrian leaders in Damascus have denied this. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that he will be sending an envoy to Iraq to consult on the countries “security and sovereignty.”
Mr. Zebari also asserted that the security aims of the country must be met for the planned US withdrawal to proceed. He explained that "the Americans cannot just wash their hands to say 'we are no longer engaged or interested because we have our own timetable'."
For more information, please see:
AFP - Dozens of Security Force Members Held Over Baghdad Bombs – 29 October 2009
Al Jazeera - Officers Held Over Baghdad Blasts – 29 October 2009
AP - Iraq Arrests Security Officials Over Baghdad Blast – 29 October 2009
BBC - Police Arrested Over Iraq Bombing – 29 October 2009
Reuters - Iraq Arrests Senior Officers, Vows More Over Blasts – 29 October 2009

Hamas Seeks to Ban Elections in Gaza

2009-11-02T20:51:11-05:00

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – The Hamas Interior Ministry released a statement on October 28, saying that it would not open polling stations for the national elections announced by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The statement said that Abbas did not have the authority to call such elections without a national agreement, and characterized the move as “illegal and unconstitutional.”

President Abbas had announced that Palestinian elections would be held on January 24, 2010, after Hamas party leadership refused to sign an Egyptian-mediated reconciliation agreement between Hamas and its rival party, Fatah, which governs the West Bank. Ehab Al-Ghsain, the Hamas interior ministry spokesperson, said that Gazan officials have been instructed not to cooperate with any Fatah efforts to stage the election.

“Any preparations, any committees, any collecting of names will be regarded as an illegal action that we will pursue,” said Al-Ghsain.

Ghsain also said that the Palestinian Central Election Commission, which currently has five offices in Gaza, is no longer authorized to operate in the Gaza Strip, since Hamas and Fatah had agreed during the Egyptian negotiations that a new election oversight body should be formed.

The relationship between Hamas and Fatah erupted into a feud after Hamas took a large share of the Gaza parliamentary seats after the January 2006 elections. The two parties formed a tense power-sharing government for approximately a year, but after fighting between the two parties in June 2007, Hamas took over Fatah-run buildings and military posts in Gaza to prevent what it perceived as “a coup by some elements inside Fatah security forces.” Hamas subsequently banned Fatah from Gaza.

Despite the tumultuous history, Salih Rafat, a senior official with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) expressed hope that Hamas would eventually decide to participate in the elections.

“The leadership [of the PLO] is now making calls to all the Arab countries to assume their role with Hamas to facilitate the holding of these elections,” Rafat told the AFP news agency.

For more information, please see:

International Middle East Media Center – This Week in Palestine – 30 October 2009

Al Jazeera – Hamas “Bans” January Polls in Gaza – 28 October 2009

BBC News – Hamas in Gaza Elections Warning – 28 October 2009

Press TV – Hamas Rejects Elections in Gaza – 28 October 2009

Radio France Internationale – Hamas to Ban Elections in Gaza – 28 October 2009

Iran Delivers Response to UN Nuclear Draft Deal

2009-11-02T09:47:09-05:00

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On October 29 Iran responded to a draft deal proposed the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), the nuclear arm of the United Nations. Iran reportedly is insisting that significant changes be made to the original agreed upon document. However, reports indicate that Iranian leaders have agreed to the basic framework of the deal.

The deal was agreed upon on October 21 in Vienna, Austria at a meeting organized by the United Nations. It was agreed to by representatives of the Untied States, Russia, France. The Iranian negotiators did not have the ultimate authority to agree to the deal at the time.

The draft deal was forwarded to the Iranian leaders in order to get an official response. The initial deadline for Iran to respond to the deal was October 23. The deadline passed without response allegedly because of conflicting views from senior Iranian officials.

The goal is that the deal would reduce the amount of nuclear material that Iran would have to make a nuclear weapon. The United States has long feared that Iran’s goal with its nuclear program is a bomb, but Iranian leaders deny this. The original draft deal would have Iran sending its low enriched uranium abroad. It would then be sent back to Iran as material for use in medical research and treatment at a reactor located in Tehran.

Sources close to Iranian officials suggest that the country is looking to have two changes made to the draft deal. They first want to give up their stock of low enriched uranium gradually in several batches as opposed to seventy five percent at once. Iran currently has fifteen hundred kilograms of low enriched uranium, developed in defiance of three UN resolutions.

Secondly, Iran wants to receive highly enriched uranium fuel at the same time as they give up low enriched uranium. The amount would be determined by a formula calculated by the IAEA based on the needs of their reactor. A senior European official characterized the Iranian response as “basically a refusal.”

Despite the requested changes, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad insists that Iran is ready for nuclear cooperation. Ahmedinejad reiterated that Iran welcomes “the exchange of fuel, technical cooperation and construction of power plants and reactors and we are prepared to cooperate (in those areas)."

For more information, please see:

AFP - Iran to Propose Two Amendments to IAEA Deal: Report - 29 October 2009

Al Jazeera - Iran 'Seeks Change to Nuclear Deal' - 29 October 2009

BBC - UN Hopes For Iran Nuclear Accord - 29 October 2009

CNN - Iran Responds to Nuclear Proposal - 29 October 2009

New York Times - Iran Said to Reject Key Element of Nuclear Deal - 29 October 2009

Israelis Restrict Palestinian Water Supply

2009-10-30T11:42:57-04:00

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JIFTLIK, Israel/West Bank – Amnesty International released a report on October 27, alleging that Israel unreasonably restricts Palestinians’ access to water in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Under the Oslo Accords, Israel and the Palestinian Authority are supposed to maintain shared control over water resources.

The report said that Israelis, particularly those in settlements in the West Bank, use up to 80% of the water from the Mountain Aquifer, which lies underneath the West Bank. The Mountain Aquifer is the only water source for most Palestinians in the West Bank, while only one of several for Israeli settlements. It also states that Israel takes all available water from the Jordan River, which runs down the eastern edge of the West Bank. The report estimated that Israelis use approximately 400 liters of water per person per day, while Palestinians are allowed 70 liters of water per person per day.

“The core issue is control over water resources and how Israel exercises that control to restrict access water for Palestinians,” said Donatella Rovera, the researcher who authored the Amnesty report. “There isn’t a lot of water, but there is water, and it should be divided in a more equitable manner. It is a shared resource that belongs to both Israelis and Palestinians.”

In the Palestinian village of Hebron, one of the seventeen wells has dried up, as has the nearby spring, Ein Shibley.

“There is very little water,” said Hussein Aidi, a farmer from Hebron. To secure more water, Mr. Aidi and his neighbors would have to dig deeper wells, requiring permits from the Israelis.

“The Israelis control the water,” said Mr. Aidi. “Their farmers can use as much water as they like. But they won’t allow us to dig deeper wells, and any water they give us is restricted.”

Closer to Jerusalem, Bedouin water holes have gone dry, forcing a halt on regular showers, laundry, and running toilets. Meanwhile, the Israeli Carmel settlement on the hill above features green, lush gardens.

Israel’s Water Authority protested the report, saying Amnesty International’s researchers had not consulted with the Israelis before publishing it. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Israel has “extensively surpassed the obligatory quantity” of water under the Oslo Accords, while Palestinians have “significantly violated” their own commitments under the treaty.

For more information, please see:

The National – Israelis Cut Water Supply to a Trickle – 28 October 2009

Al Jazeera – Israel “Cutting Palestinian Water” – 27 October 2009

Amnesty International – Israel Rations Palestinians to Trickle of Water – 27 October 2009

Jerusalem Post – Water Authority Blasts Amnesty On Report – 27 October 2009

Ma’an News Agency – Dry Water Holes Versus Green Gardens – 27 October 2009