Israeli Plundering Incursion On PA Headquarters - Ramallah
Israel is the only “state” of occupation that has a culture of piracy, plunder, robbery, theft, murder, assassinations … and a deep lack of respect for neighboring nations and countries. Whatever the israelis do, the world defends their crimes and make up excuses and justifications to defend even their most disgusting base crimes.
Today Wednesday, February 29 2012 at 2 AM, with frost and temperatures under zero, the israeli military forces carried out an incursion into Ramallah, the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority and its leadership and proceeded to carry away, to loot and plunder the property of a number of Palestinian TV stations, among them Watan, private TV channel and al-Quds educational TV in Ramallah and Al Bireh, they detained and terrorised employee Abdul Rahman Thaher, correspondent Hamza Salaymeh, graphics expert Ibrahim Milhim and broadcaster Ahmad Zaki.
The IDF criminals emptied the offices of Watan and al-Quds educational TV, plundered all computers, financial files, all the transmitter equipments and then proceeded to close the canals. This was not the first raid on the same stations. In 2002 the IDF raided these same stations and stole the transmitters. On Wednesday, 20 August 2008, the IDF soldiers, israeli police, personnel from the so-called Civil Administration and employees of the Israeli Ministry of Communications, wilfully destroyed and ransacked the premises and of Wan FM Radio, BBC Radio, Freedom Radio Al-Huriyyah and Al-Majed TV in Hebron, which are commercial media enterprises in Hebron owned by private persons.
IDF plundering staff from left to right: Ehud Barak, Avi Mizrahi, Motti Almoz, Saar Zur, Moshe Kahlon
The IDF plundering incursion was approved by minister of war Ehud Barak, (אהוד ברק) Brigadier General Avi Mizrahi, (אבי מזרחי) the so-called “central command” (meaning that he is the responsible commander for the war crimes of the occupation in the West Bank and Jerusalem region), General Motti Almoz (תא”ל מוטי אלמוז) head of the so-called “civil administration” in Beit El (the colonial branch of the IDF) and current minister of communication, Sa’ar Zur, (כשאל”מ סער) commander of occupation forces in Ramallah, Moshe Kahlon (משה כחלון) of Likud.
Abdel Nasser Al-Najjar, President of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) in Ramallah denounced the raid on the two stations as an “Israeli crime against the Palestinian media.” He said that Israel’s goal was “to prevent the truth from reaching the world through the Palestinian media”. Al-Najjar and other journalists were joined by Palestinian Prime minister when they held a demonstration before the looted offices of Watan TV today morning.
On Wednesday Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas strongly condemned the pre-dawn IDF raid on the two TV stations in Ramallah calling it “a flagrant assault on freedom of expression and media.” It must be noted that the Palestinian Authority police and military forces did not interrupt the plundering mission of the IDF. They were all absent from Ramallah, nowhere to be found. This shows the real power of the PA, its police and troops in Ramallah, and where the true loyalties of the PA are.
Dr. Mustafa Barghouti condemned the raids in a statement. He said: “This act is not only a violation of human rights and humanitarian law but also a breach of the agreements that forbid the Israeli military forces from entering or carrying out operations in Area A”. He added “we will campaign worldwide to repel the Israeli aggression”.
According to Palestinian sources, the IDF troops had informed the Palestinian authority, the so-called “DCO and DCL coordination offices” before they perpetrated their plundering operation. According to sources, the PA military commander in Ramallah gave an order to his troops to clear the way for the IDF to not interfere in any way with this plundering raid!
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| PCHR Condemns IOF’s Raids on Watan TV and Al-Quds TV and Confiscation of Their Equipment |
| Thursday, 01 March 2012 10:00 |
| Ref: 25/2012 The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns storming Watan TV and Al-Quds Educational TV in Ramallah and al-Bireh by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and the confiscation of their transmitters, computers, filed and recording taps. The two television stations have stopped broadcasting. PCHR expresses utmost concern over this attack which aims at silencing the press that reports on Israeli crimes and grave breaches of international law. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 02:00 on Wednesday, 29 February 2012, IOF stormed the fourth and fifth floors of the building of the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees in Qaddoura refugee camp in the central of Ramallah, where officers of Watan TV are located. At the time of this raid, 4 staff members were in their office: Abdul Rahman As’ad Dhaher, Production Manager; Ahmed Zaki, Transmission Supervisor; Hamza Salaima, Reporte; and Ibrahim Melhem. Dhaher and Melhem were on the fourth floor of the building about to leave it, when they were surprised by the presence of 7 Israeli soldiers at the entrance of the floor. The Israeli soldiers stopped them and ordered them to sit down and not move. The soldiers, lead by a fluently-Arabic-speaking officer, broke into the place without presenting any search warrant or giving any explanation. On the fifth floor, Zaki and Salaima heard sounds of shooting in the area, and they thought that IOF had moved into the refugee camp so decided to get out of the building to report on such incursion. As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the floor, they found a number of Israeli soldiers. Salaima filmed the soldiers, but the Israeli officer ordered him to turn off the camera and give him the video tape. During this raid, Israeli soldiers searched each office and confiscated the major transmitter of the station, computers, filed and recording tapes. At approximately 03:30 on the same day, Israeli soldiers stormed offices of Al-Quds Educational TV in al-Quds Streets in al-Bireh. A number of soldiers climbed the fence surrounding the building and jumped into the yard. They used some tools in an attempt to break the lock of the main entrance of the building. When the guard heard violent knocking on the door, he showed up to ensure that the soldiers would not break the door. Nevertheless, he was surprised to find that Israeli soldiers had broken the door of the internet room. They confiscated the major transmitter and left the building. It should be noted that the building of Al-Quds Educational TV is comprised of 3 floors, and belongs to al-Quds University. PCHR reiterates condemnation of the raids on Watan TV and Al-Quds TV, and: 1. Emphasizes that these systematic attacks are aimed to prevent the mass media from reporting on crimes committed by IOF against Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory; 2. Calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to immediately intervene and provide protection to the Palestinian people and their property; and 3. Calls upon all international press associations and bodies to continue to follow up attacks against journalists in the occupied Palestinian Territory, and make all possible efforts to ensure pressuring the Israeli government to stop crimes against Palestinian civilians and their property, especially those committed against journalists. |
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