Mohammed Khatib during a visit to Montreal. Photo: Valerian Mazataud
A report from the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee.
In the highest profile arrest of the recent wave of repression against West Bank popular struggle, Israeli soldiers arrested Mohammed Khatib on January 28 before dawn. Khatib is a member of Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlement in the West Bank village of Bil’in and the coordinator of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee.
At a quarter to two AM tonight, Mohammed Khatib, his wife Lamia and their four young children were woken up by Israeli soldiers storming their home, which was surrounded by a large military force. Once inside the house, the soldiers arrested Khatib, conducted a quick search and left the house.
Roughly half an hour after leaving the house, five military jeeps surrounded the house again, and six soldiers forced their way into the house again, where Khatib’s children sat in terror, and conducted another, very thorough search of the premises, without showing a search warrant. During the search, Khatib’s phone and many documents were seized, including papers from Bil’in’s legal procedures in the Israel High Court.
The soldiers exited an hour and a half later, leaving a note saying that documents suspected as “incitement materials” were seized. International activists who tried to enter the house to be with the family during the search were aggressively denied entry.
Mohammed Khatib was previously arrested during the ongoing wave of arrests and repression on August 3rd, 2009 with charges of incitement and stone throwing. After two weeks of detention, a military judge ruled that evidence against him was falsified and ordered his release, after it was proven that Khatib was abroad at the time the army alleged he was photographed throwing stones during a demonstration.
Khatib’s arrest today is the most severe escalation in a recent wave of repression again the Palestinian popular struggle and its leadership. Khatib is the 35th resident of Bil’in to be arrested on suspicions related to anti-Wall protest since June 23rd, 2009.
The recent wave of arrests is largely an assault on the members of the Popular Committees – the leadership of the popular struggle – who are then charged with incitement when arrested. The charge of incitement, defined under Israeli military law as “an attempt, whether verbally or otherwise, to influence public opinion in the Area in a way that may disturb the public peace or public order,” is a cynical attempt to punish grassroots organizing with a hefty charge and lengthy imprisonments. Such indictments are part of the army’s strategy of using legal persecution as a means to quash the popular movement.
Similar raids have also been conducted in the village of alMaasara, south of Bethlehem, and in the village of Ni’ilin – where 110 residents have been arrested over the last year and half, as well as in the cities of Nablus, Ramallah and East Jerusalem.
Among those arrested in the recent campaign are three members of the Ni’ilin Popular Committee, Sa’id Yakin of the Palestinian National Committee Against the Wall, and five members of the Bil’in Popular Committee – all suspected of incitement.
Prominent grassroots activists Jamal Jum’a (East Jerusalem) and Mohammed Othman (Jayyous) of the Stop the Wall NGO, involved in anti-Wall and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaigning, have recently been released from detention after being incarcerated for long periods based on secret evidence and with no charges brought against them.
Posted by psnedmonton 
Who Determines Canada’s Israel Policy?
February 4, 2010A rabble.ca blog on Canada’s Israel policy by Murray Dobbin.
It has been said by many American commentators critical of Israeli policy in the occupied territories that Israel in effect writes U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. It is hard to dispute the claim even though on occasion the U.S. does balk at the most outrageous Israeli plans such as its eagerness to bomb Iranian nuclear sites (the U.S. knows it wouldn’t stop there and a wider war would almost certainly ensue). If any proof were needed one only has to look at the policies of Barack Obama who, it could be argued, is even more sycophantic towards Israel than George Bush was.
Before he was inaugurated as president, Obama made it clear that the enormous military and civilian aid provided by the U.S. — some $2.5 billion a year — was not on the table. In other words, before even developing a policy towards Israel, Obama gave up literally the only leverage he had. And just in case the Israelis were too slow to get the message he followed by allowing Israel to continue building more settlements in the West Bank — literally the only deal breaker as far as the Palestinians are concerned. It was an unmistakable message: the U.S. has no intention of pressing for a peace deal and the two-state solution, the focus of bargaining for 20 years, is dead.
It is difficult to imagine a country more accepting than the U.S. of any Israeli policy or bad faith but Stephen Harper and his Israel file manager, Jason Kenney, have shown they can outdo the U.S. The Harper government appears to develop its policy vis a vis Israel and the Palestinians not from any consideration of Canadian interests in the Middle East or by any reference to the considerable expertise in DFAIT — the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. These normal inputs into foreign policy are simply by-passed and the government seems to simply seek the direction of Frank Dimant, executive vice president of Jewish advocacy group B’Nai Brith. Every time Canada announces another policy plank — that is, an attack on any agency or civil society group that ever criticizes Israel — Dimant is there to congratulate them.
The latest chapter was revealed recently (following closely on the heels of the attack on Kairos and the elimination of its $7 million development budget) — the decision by Ottawa to cancel its $15 million (we were the seventh largest donor) in general fund contributions to UNRWA — the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, alleging strong ties between it and terrorist groups. Like the claim used to justify the cancellation of funding to Kairos (that it was a strong advocate of the boycott of Israel) this claim is vehemently denied by literally everyone close to the situation except, of course, Israel, B’nai Brith and other Israeli lobby groups in Canada. The government’s own foreign affairs officials have never made such a claim.
CIDA Minister Bev Oda and (then) Treasury Board president Vic Toews two weeks ago quietly confirmed that Canada’s would be directing its $15 million specifically to “food security” instead of supplementing core funding and the general budget of UNRWA.
According to Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME): “UNRWA provides assistance to 4.67 million Palestinian refugees scattered throughout the Middle East and administers programs in the areas of education, health and other social services in 59 Palestinian refugee camps. The agency operates solely through donations from various organizations and governments. It is currently under severe financial duress due to the increasing number of Palestinian refugees, the deterioration of their socio-economic level, unemployment and food insecurity.”
The alleged terrorist group that the UN is “tied” to is Hamas — the duly elected government in the Gaza Strip. As with the Kairos example, the government presented no evidence of any kind to support its claim.
This put Canada far to the right of even the US which continues to be the second largest funder of UNRWA and flies in the face of the request by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas — the last real Western hope for a moderate Palestinian leader — told Canadian parliamentarians in Ottawa last year to continue its funding of UNRWA. According to NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar:
“When we met with Abbas here, he was very straightforward with us. When we asked the classic question, ‘What can Canada do to help?’ he said ‘Stick with your commitments, the commitments that you have made, including UNRWA.’ He was very specific.”
None of this matters to the Harper government. It listens to Frank Dimant who said of the move: “This is certainly a step in the right direction. I believe it’s beginning to break out of the mold and the pattern and so I believe it’s a very progressive step forward.” His organization and other Jewish groups have long lobbied for Canada to end funding to UNWRA. Ironically, people on the ground say that this move will actually have the effect of making Palestinians even more dependent on Hamas which offers similar services to those of UNWRA.