Dear friends,
It has been a while since I have found the time to write. I hope this letter finds you well. My updates are now available at palestinejournales.blogspot.com, thanks to the kind efforts of a friend.
My arm is healing rather crookedly, which is somewhat distressing. I should know what the solution is by the end of the week, but in the interim I am cringing at the possibilities, which overwhelmingly do not sound enticing.
The leftist newspaper Ha'aretz this morning published the response of the Israeli state in the legal case of my friend and fellow activist Bridget Chappell. In the state's response, Shin Bet (secret Israeli intelligence), admitted to tracking her movements throughout Israel and the West Bank. A hearty dose of paranoia surrounds our daily lives, and revelations like this never help. On the other hand, perhaps it's reassuring that our work has attracted the attention of those we target.
Making the news
On Wednesday at around 2 pm, I officially became media coordinator for ISM. About three hours later, it was time to write a press release. Ahmad Dib, a 19 year old demonstrator, died of blood loss from being shot with live ammunition earlier that day at a demonstration in Gaza.
Three ISM Gaza activists were eyewitnesses; standing just meters from where Dib was shot, following the ambulance to the hospital and speaking directly with surgeons after Dib’s death. I spoke on the phone several times with the Gaza activists to gather information. The significance of the story means that it was covered by most major news outlets as well as ISM. It is remarkable, then, that the most reliable source of information was a voice on the other end of the phone: Rada, a British ISM activist who had spoken to the surgeon a few minutes before.
Two computers, two phones, one endless Skype conversation, 18 web browsing windows and 20 phone calls later, the press release was sent to both Palestinian and global news sources, providing an eyewitness account of the shooting and the opportunity for interviews with five different eye witnesses (two Palestinian, three ISM). As the primary author of the press release, the one who spoke to eyewitnesses standing outside of the hospital, and as an activist also facing Israeli fire, I am confident in the accuracy and significance of the story, here.
The New York Times article about Dib’s death paints a different picture. As Americans wanting to follow events in Palestine, it may be difficult to determine what news is reliable/ accurate, and why.
Breaking down the news
I thought we would break apart the NYT article here, to understand the power and significance of omission. The entire article can be found here.
Just five sentences are allotted to Dib’s death, which is combined with the unrelated murder of four Gaza tunnel workers.
The first sentence reads “A 20-year-old Palestinian demonstrator was shot dead in Gaza by Israeli security forces on Wednesday”.
The age differs from ISM’s report, which is not uncommon. Technically, Dib died from blood loss caused by the shooting. However, this is mostly correct.
The age differs from ISM’s report, which is not uncommon. Technically, Dib died from blood loss caused by the shooting. However, this is mostly correct.
Sentence two: “The slain protester, Ahmad Salem, was part of a 30-person demonstration against Israel’s policy of barring anyone in Gaza from coming within several hundred yards of the border barrier, in order to prevent hostile activity there.”
Ahmad Salem: Accuracy with names can be difficult, however first-person accounts report the man as “Ahmad Sliman Salem Dib”, making his surname Dib.
30-person: According to eyewitnesses, the demonstration was one of the largest in recent days, attended by over 200.
Israel’s policy…hostile activity: Israel’s decision to instate a 300-meter buffer zone is in violation of Oslo Accords, which had specified that the zone should extend no more than 50 meters. In reality, people are routinely shot as far away as two kilometers. The Oslo Accords also specify that fishing should be permitted up to 20 miles offshore. Since June 2007, the zone has been 3 miles. In reality, it is often reduced to 1 mile. Between January 20th 2009 (end of Israel’s war of aggression) and December 31st 2009, 166 Israeli attacks in the buffer zone killed 37 persons and injured 69.
The buffer zone affects over 30 per cent of Gaza’s farmland, as well as majorly damaging the fishing industry. These restrictions severely impact the Gazan economy, with more than 675,000 (45 per cent) now below the official poverty line and 325,000 (21 per cent) unable to meet basic food needs.
Stating that the buffer zone exists to “prevent hostile activity” is grievously misleading. In fact, it is a major cause of food instability and poverty in Gaza.
I strongly recommend reading this November 2009 Oxfam report on the buffer zones.
Ahmad Salem: Accuracy with names can be difficult, however first-person accounts report the man as “Ahmad Sliman Salem Dib”, making his surname Dib.
30-person: According to eyewitnesses, the demonstration was one of the largest in recent days, attended by over 200.
Israel’s policy…hostile activity: Israel’s decision to instate a 300-meter buffer zone is in violation of Oslo Accords, which had specified that the zone should extend no more than 50 meters. In reality, people are routinely shot as far away as two kilometers. The Oslo Accords also specify that fishing should be permitted up to 20 miles offshore. Since June 2007, the zone has been 3 miles. In reality, it is often reduced to 1 mile. Between January 20th 2009 (end of Israel’s war of aggression) and December 31st 2009, 166 Israeli attacks in the buffer zone killed 37 persons and injured 69.
The buffer zone affects over 30 per cent of Gaza’s farmland, as well as majorly damaging the fishing industry. These restrictions severely impact the Gazan economy, with more than 675,000 (45 per cent) now below the official poverty line and 325,000 (21 per cent) unable to meet basic food needs.
Stating that the buffer zone exists to “prevent hostile activity” is grievously misleading. In fact, it is a major cause of food instability and poverty in Gaza.
I strongly recommend reading this November 2009 Oxfam report on the buffer zones.
Sentence three: “An Israeli military spokeswoman said that the demonstrators hurled stones over the barrier at Israeli troops and set fires that could have damaged the barrier.”
Israeli military spokeswoman: Using a military spokesperson as the only first-person account is a concession to fabrication. When I was shot, a “military spokesperson” said that I “was lightly wounded while participating in a violent and illegal riot.” In reality, I was shot with a rubber-coated chunk of steel from four meters away while standing on a roadside with my arms in the air. A severe compound fracture (not healing properly six weeks later) is not a light injury. For an account of what happened, why not ask any number of eyewitnesses, such as those in ISM? Hurled stones over the barrier: Adie Mormech’s eyewitness account states, “Although some of the men were throwing stones from the ground, we didn’t see any reach the fence, let alone go over it.” The politics of throwing stones at soldiers of the world’s fourth largest military, armed with bulletproof armor and M-16s, is a discussion worth having. Here I’ll simply say that live ammunition is not an acceptable response to stones that weren’t even reaching the fence. Set fires: Again, no justification for live ammunition aimed at people.
Israeli military spokeswoman: Using a military spokesperson as the only first-person account is a concession to fabrication. When I was shot, a “military spokesperson” said that I “was lightly wounded while participating in a violent and illegal riot.” In reality, I was shot with a rubber-coated chunk of steel from four meters away while standing on a roadside with my arms in the air. A severe compound fracture (not healing properly six weeks later) is not a light injury. For an account of what happened, why not ask any number of eyewitnesses, such as those in ISM? Hurled stones over the barrier: Adie Mormech’s eyewitness account states, “Although some of the men were throwing stones from the ground, we didn’t see any reach the fence, let alone go over it.” The politics of throwing stones at soldiers of the world’s fourth largest military, armed with bulletproof armor and M-16s, is a discussion worth having. Here I’ll simply say that live ammunition is not an acceptable response to stones that weren’t even reaching the fence. Set fires: Again, no justification for live ammunition aimed at people.
Sentence four: “An investigation had been ordered into the shooting, she said.”
Investigation: Israeli military investigations systematically disregard facts. For example, an investigation into Operation Cast Lead by the Israeli military concluded, "throughout the fighting in Gaza, the IDF operated in accordance with international law." Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other reputable organizations have documented uses of white phosphorus in densely populated civilian areas, which constitute war crimes.
Investigation: Israeli military investigations systematically disregard facts. For example, an investigation into Operation Cast Lead by the Israeli military concluded, "throughout the fighting in Gaza, the IDF operated in accordance with international law." Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other reputable organizations have documented uses of white phosphorus in densely populated civilian areas, which constitute war crimes.
Sentence five: “Demonstrations against the Israeli buffer policy in Gaza have grown in recent weeks but Hamas, which rules Gaza, has not sent its supporters because it does not wish to increase tensions with Israel.”
Demonstrations…Israel: Popular demonstrations in the Gaza Buffer Zone have been nearly daily. Live ammunition, used routinely as a form of crowd dispersal, injured two Fridays ago (April 24th). Bianca Zammitt, an ISM activist, was shot in the thigh while filming the demonstration.
Demonstrations…Israel: Popular demonstrations in the Gaza Buffer Zone have been nearly daily. Live ammunition, used routinely as a form of crowd dispersal, injured two Fridays ago (April 24th). Bianca Zammitt, an ISM activist, was shot in the thigh while filming the demonstration.
The protests are lead by local Popular Coordination Committees, which are democratic organizing bodies. As in West Bank demonstrations, political parties may be officially or unofficially involved, but their participation is auxiliary. Demonstrations are popular uprisings of people, not the strategizing of institutions or political entities. The story isn't about Hamas-Israel relations; it's about human rights. Gazans are demonstrating because the situation leaves no choice. The statistics speak for themselves: The blockade of Gaza since June 2007, now extending over 1,000 days, has destroyed the economy and reduced aid to a trickle. Trucks of humanitarian supplies are now at less than 41 per cent of their pre-blockade level, despite sharply increased need. Oxfam estimates that 8 out of 10 Gazans are dependent on outside aid, which is unreliable at best.
When the New York Times chooses to tell such an anemic sliver of the story surrounding Ahmad Dib's shooting, it doesn't just miss the point. It perpetuates American ignorance about Palestine and helps the Israeli military continue its use of extreme violence. Ahmad Dib died in an organic and non-violent uprising of trapped and impoverished people. An ISM activist not unlike myself (although infinitely more courageous) was shot last week for simply filming these demonstrations. Human rights activists such as those with ISM are prevented from entering Gaza, making extra-legal routes necessary simply to enter the territory. Israel doesn't want word getting out about the humanitarian crisis caused by the blockade; it wants to remain in the political science stratosphere and obscure the absurd imbalance of power by emphasizing relations with Hamas. Articles such as this do nothing but further that effort.
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Did you know? According to Oxfam International Executive Director Jeremy Hobbs, “Over US$4 billion was pledged to assist reconstruction and development following last year’s military operation by Israel, but little of this money has been spent due to Israel’s closure policy."
Food for thought.
Thanks,
Ellen
In memory of; Ahmad Sliman Salem Dib, 19
When the New York Times chooses to tell such an anemic sliver of the story surrounding Ahmad Dib's shooting, it doesn't just miss the point. It perpetuates American ignorance about Palestine and helps the Israeli military continue its use of extreme violence. Ahmad Dib died in an organic and non-violent uprising of trapped and impoverished people. An ISM activist not unlike myself (although infinitely more courageous) was shot last week for simply filming these demonstrations. Human rights activists such as those with ISM are prevented from entering Gaza, making extra-legal routes necessary simply to enter the territory. Israel doesn't want word getting out about the humanitarian crisis caused by the blockade; it wants to remain in the political science stratosphere and obscure the absurd imbalance of power by emphasizing relations with Hamas. Articles such as this do nothing but further that effort.
---
Did you know? According to Oxfam International Executive Director Jeremy Hobbs, “Over US$4 billion was pledged to assist reconstruction and development following last year’s military operation by Israel, but little of this money has been spent due to Israel’s closure policy."
Food for thought.
Thanks,
Ellen
In memory of; Ahmad Sliman Salem Dib, 19
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