The Middle East

Turkey Urges Israel to End Humanitarian Tragedy in Gaza

By Brandon Kaufman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

ANKARA, Turkey– On Friday, Turkey urged Israel to end the “humanitarian tragedy” taking place in Gaza, saying ties between the two allies cannot recover if Palestinians continue to suffer and peace talks continue to stall in the Middle East.

Turkey’s Foreign Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, told reporters that “Ending the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza; reviving peace efforts both on the Palestinian and Syrian track; and most importantly reinstating a prevailing spirit of peace in the region… this is what he want.”  He further added that “when there is a return to the track of peace, these relations of trust with Israel will be established on the same level as before.”

Davutoglu said that Israel’s war in Gaza at the turn of the year “killed the peace perspective” in the Middle East.  He further commented that the ongoing turmoil in the Palestinian territories is at the heart of the bilateral complications between Turkey and Israel.

In his comments to reporters, Davutoglu made it clear that Ankara was still bitter that the war in Gaza disrupted indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria; talks which Turkey had mediated “with so much effort.”

Davutoglu also flatly rejected assertions that the government in Ankara is becoming anti-Israeli.  “The humanitarian situation in Gaza should be improved in the shortest possible time.  How can wanting this amount to being anti-Israeli?  This is a humanitarian attitude,” he said.  Davutoglu further added that “although no single rocket has been fired on Gaza from Israel over the past eight months, children in Gaza have no schools to go to, and people have no homes to take shelter in.”

Earlier in the week, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister said that “Relations between Turkey and Israel have always been strong.  We have full confidence that they will always remain strong.”  Israel’s Prime Minister echoed similar statements this week saying that he hopes Turkish policy will be towards “strengthening peace.”

The Palestinian struggle for statehood enjoys broad ranging support in Turkey and so many wonder whether Turkey’s stance is a political one or whether it is grounded in the humanitarian objectives they outlined above.

For more information, please see:

Daily Star Lebanon- Turkey Tells Israel to End Gaza “Humanitarian Tragedy”- 17 October 2009

Tehran Times- Turkey Tells Israel to End “Tragedy”- 17 October 2009

Saudi Gazette- End Gaza Tragedy Turkey Tells Israel– 16 October 2009

Report Suggests Hezbollah Being Supplied with Rockets from Syria

By Brandon Kaufman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel– Israel’s Channel 10 news agency reported that Syria has given Hezbollah more than a quarter of its rocket arsenal, including missiles capable of hitting anywhere in Israel.  Israel cites the Kuwaiti al Jaridanewspaper as the source of its report.

A senior Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) source said on Tuesday that Syria has made a strategic decision to make available to Hezbollah every type of military weaponry it has at its disposal.  The Israeli report surfaced after an explosion took place in a Hezbollah operative village in which five persons were killed.  Following the blast, President Shimon Peres said that Hezbollah was turning Lebanon into a “powder keg,” and the IDF released footage showing apparent arms transfer activity at the home.  The IDF photos show persons, possibly Hezbollah operatives, removing something resembling a four meter long missile from the depot, loading it onto a truck and moving it to what is believed to be a hiding place.

Citing this example as Syrian involvement with Hezbollah, the senior IDF source said that weapons are now being smuggled from Syria into Lebanon on a regular basis.  As the source explained, “Iran pays, Syria smuggles and Hezbollah receives.”

Israeli security officials believe that Hezbollah has an arsenal of more than 40,000 rockets, many of which are stored at 300 storage facilities spread throughout Shi’ite villages in southern Lebanon.  Israeli military sources have said that “Syria feels quite comfortable.  There is no international pressure on Damascus to break off its ties with Iran or the ‘axis of evil.’  It pays no price for its role in the smuggling.”  The perception in Israel is that Syria is showing a total disregard for the international community by engaging in an escalation of continued military aid to Hezbollah.

The Israeli report also noted that Iranian and Syrian military officers are not only training Hezbollah operatives to use the new missiles, but are also assisting them to set up early warning stations in the Lebanese mountains to alert them when Israeli air force jets enter Lebanese airspace.

Despite the Israeli report however, it is worthwhile to note that the UN Security Council renewed the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon’s (UNIFL) mandate in southern Lebanon a month ago and has not altered the agreement, suggesting that the Security Council considers the peacekeepers efforts there sufficient.

For more information, please see:

Jerusalem Post- Syrian Long Range Missiles in Lebanon– 15 October 2009

United Press International- Report Says Syria Gave Hezbollah Rockets– 15 October 2009

Ha’aretz- Iran Pays, Syria Smuggles, and Hezbollah Receives Weapons– 14 October 2009

Associated Press- Exploding Shell Caused Blast at Hezbollah Home– 13 October 2009

Palestinians Must Now Obtain Harvest Permits for own Olive Trees

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

BETHLEHEM, West Bank – On October 14, Israeli forces prevented Palestinians in Wadi Ahmed near Beit Jala from reaching their olive trees for the annual olive harvest. The harvesters told Ma’an News Agency that they went to their lands early in the morning, only to find large gates and barbed wire across the entrance to the groves.

 

When asked why they were barred, Israeli soldiers told the farmers they did not have the proper permits to harvest. Olive harvest season is central in Palestinian culture—many people take time off from work or university to help their families with the harvest. Olive harvest season is also traditionally a time of increased hostility between Israeli settlers and Palestinian farmers. With the construction of the Israeli barrier through the West Bank, many Palestinians have found themselves separated from their olive trees, some of which are thousands of years old and have been in Palestinian families for generations.

 

The farmers in Wadi Ahmed were accompanied by local and international activists, who said they believed their presence would prevent attacks by Israeli soldiers. When the farmers and the activists refused to leave the area, they reported that the soldiers screamed at them and told them “there were no crops on the trees anyway.”

 

Awad Abu Soury, a Bethlehem resident who was with the farmers, said the soldiers “invented false stories about permits needed to access lands,” and speculated that the soldiers did “it on purpose to spoil the harvest and keep owners away from their lands.”

 

Elsewhere in the West Bank, farmers near Nablus reported that Israeli soldiers warned them that if farmers bring international activists to their trees, farmers could be charged with a fine of $1700 (U.S.).

 

Palestinian police forces have promised extra protection for farmers this fall, particularly where clashes between farmers and settlers have broken out in the past. The harvest this fall is expected to be particularly low, and many farmers are concerned about harvesting all the fruit from their trees.

 

For more information, please see:

 

International Middle East Media Center – The Military Fines Local Farmers 1,700 USD if They Bring International Activists to Their Lands – 15 October 2009

 

Ma’an News Agency – Olive Harvesters Must Now Apply for Permits Before Accessing Lands – 15 October 2009

 

Ma’an News Agency – Olive Harvesters Get Security Details This Year – 14 October 2009

 

Palestinian News Network – Concerns Over Olive Harvest Increase for Families Under Threat of Settlers – 7 October 2009

 

Anbar Province Struck By Triple Bombing

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RAMADI, Iraq – On October 11, a triple car bombing in Iraq killed between nineteen and twenty-six individuals, and injured over eighty. The bombings took place in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s western Anbar province. The attacks took place near the provincial government of Anbar. It is believed that the bombings were targeting a reconciliation meeting between Shi’ite-led government officials and the Sunni groups known as Awakening Councils.

The first bomb targeted individuals who were waiting outside of a municipal building waiting to claim money. Meanwhile, the second bomb went off after police and other emergency workers arrived on the scene. The third bomb went off close a security checkpoint on a road that led to the local hospital. Officials have reported that eighty percent of the individuals hurt by the attack were police.

The violence in Anbar province had been among the lowest in Iraq in the last two years. This was reportedly because many tribal leaders dropped their allegiance to al Qaeda in Mesopotamia (AQM). Those who dropped their allegiance to AQM joined forces with Awakening Councils that linked with the American military and the Iraqi government. The level in violence has, however, increased since American forces have ceded control of the province to Iraqi military forces.

The triple bombing allegedly targeted the reconciliation meeting between the Shi’ite and Sunni factions. The bombings failed to hit any of the individuals involved of the meeting. The goal of the gathering was create new election law. The rise in attacks and the inability of the two groups to come together on new laws increases concerns that the national elections currently scheduled for January will have to be postponed.

The concern for the election date coincides with a fear that insurgency in Anbar has regained its footing. Despite the previous lull in violence that the province had experienced, October has seen a number of attacks hit Anbar.  This attack is the latest in a string of recent attacks focused on tribal leaders and members of Iraqi security forces. Overall, however, violence in the country has gone down as September experienced the lowest death toll for the country as a whole since May.

For more information, please see:

Los Angeles Times – Iraq Bombings Target Reconciliation Meeting, Killing 26 – 12 October 2009

AFP – Triple Attacks Kill 19 In Western Iraqi City – 11 October 2009

Al Jazeera – Iraq Hit By Triple Car Bombing – 11 October 2009

New York Times – Bombings Outside Iraq Reconciliation Meeting Kill 23 – 11 October 2009

Iran Sentences Three Election Protesters to Death

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – Fallout from Iran’s June election continues as the Islamic Republic sentenced three election protesters to death. The Iranian Students News Agency quoted a member of Tehran’s prosecutor’s office saying that the three protesters are to be hanged and are considered to be part of terrorist organizations according to the Iranian government. The Iranian Students News Agency reported on October 10 that the judgments against the unnamed detainees must be confirmed by a higher court.

Justice Ministry official Zahed Bashiri Rad is quoted as saying that the three protesters were convicted for maintaining ties to the banned monarchist group Kingdom Assembly of Iran and to the People’s Mujahedeen. Both of these groups advocate for the overthrowing of the Islamic Republic. The prosecutors claim that the accused admitted to spying, but human rights groups allege that these confessions came after torture was used.

While the names of the three condemned Iranians have not been confirmed, Rad agreed to give the initials of the convicts. Rad explained that “MZ and AP were convicted for ties with the Kingdom Assembly of Iran and NA for ties with the Monafeghin (People’s Mujahedeen).” A reformist website claimed that one of individuals to be put to death is an opposition activist named Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani.

Amnesty International released a statement urging Iran to rescind Zamani’s death sentence, which was imposed on October 8. The charges against Zamani include “enmity against God” and conspiring against national security. Zamani was also accused of illegally traveling to Iraq for an alleged meeting with a member of the U.S. military. Amnesty International USA Executive Director, Larry Cox, explained that “Zamani’s trial was a mockery of justice,” and encouraged Iran to withdraw the death sentence.

This marks the first time that an announcement was given that any of the hundreds of individuals arrested for protesting following the June 12 presidential election received death sentences. The June election was followed by mass street protests over alleged vote-rigging. Iranian authorities alleged that the protesters were sponsored by hostile nations. The opposition claims that sixty nine people died and thousands were arrested. Over one hundred prominent opposition leaders remain on trial for their role in the protests.

For more information, please see:

Guardian – Iran Sentences 3 Election Protesters To Death – 11 October 2009

Al Jazeera – Death Sentences For Iran Protesters – 10 October 2009

New York Times – Tehran Plans To Execute 3 Protesters Of Election – 10 October 2009

UPI – 3 Iran Protesters Given Death Sentences – 10 October 2009