Back to PLO Bulletin 1 November 1978

NEW ACTS OF DESECRATION IN HAIFA

The Zionist enemy is going ahead with its acts of desecration against Christian and Muslim holy sites in occupied Palestine, with the tacit cooperation of the agent Suheil Shukri, who was appointed by the Israeli authorities as responsible for Islamic sties in Haifa.

The most recent act of vandalism was against the Shaykh Ezzedine al Qassam cemetery in the village of al Shaykh near Haifa.

In this context, the Zionist enemy is reported to have recently carried out acts of desecration against the small Mosque in Haifa, the Muslim eastern cemeteries in al Raml station in Haifa, as well as in al Tireh, the Islamic sites in the Nabi Sannan region, and the Muslim cemeteries in the Majd al Lujun, all of which were transformed int rubbish dumps by Israeli settlers.

PEOPLE OF HEBRON PROTEST ZIONIST DESECRATION OF MOSQUE

A state of bitter anger has spread through the occupied West Bank city of Hebron and the neighbouring villages due to an assault by a group of Zionist settlers on Palestinians insie the Ibrahimi Mosque. The desecration of the mosque continued till the early hours of 19 October 1978.

The people of Hebron have strongly condemned this act of violence and closed their shops in protest. Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation authorities have contacted notables of the city in an attempt to calm the situation down.

NEWSPAPER BANNED

The occupation authorities gave orders on 22/10 to halt publication of the Jerusalem newspaper Al-Shaab for two days, for opposing Zionist policies, for considering the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and for rejecting the "self-rule" plan.

TWO GAZA COLLABORATORS EXECUTED

According to reports from occupied Palestine, two prominent collaborators with the Israeli military occupation were recently executed by Palestinian revolutionaries. The first, Mohammad Suleiman al-Azaiza, Mayor of Deir al-Balah, died in hospital from gunshot wounds after a recent assassination attempt.

The other collaborator, Mahmoud al-Sha'ar, was executed in Rafah, where the occupation authorities had supported him extensively in his efforts to justify, legitimize and strengthen their military rule. He was a member of the Rafah Municipal Council.

Another leading Gaza collaborator with the enemy, Shaykh Hashem al-Khazendar, Mufti of Gaza, was recently attacked in an assassination attempt.

These three attacks on known quislings mark the first time since the Camp David accords that collaborators with the enemy have been executed. The deaths of al-Azaiza and Shaer, and the attempt on the life of Khazendar, are an unmistakable warning against individuals in occupied Palestine who have or may have contemplated standing against the unanimous position of the Palestinian people, both in exile and under occupation, as regards the US/Israeli/Sadat plan for "self-rule" and permanent Zionist occupation.

PALESTINIAN DETAINEES BEGIN HUNGER STRIKES

In late October, Palestinian detainees have started a hunger strike in protest against their cruel and inhuman treatment by the Israeli authorities in Asqalan prison.

The detainees called on the UN Secretary General, the Human Rights Commission and the International Red Cross to put an end to the fascist treatment of around 1,540 detainees.

Meanwhile, the detainees' relatives recently staged a demonstration in front of the Israeli military governor's office and called on the Red Cross to save their sons, who are being subjected to the worst forms of torture in Israeli jails.

In Jerusalem, a delegation representing Women's Organizations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and mothers of Palestinian prisoners sent a memorandum on 11 October 1978 to foreign consulates, Red Cross representatives, International Human Rights Committee, and the Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr. Kurt Waldheim, on the deteriorating medical situation of Palestinian detainees in the Israeli prisons.

MORE ARRESTS

The Zionist authorities have continued their repressive acts against our pepole and militants inside the occupied territories. Thus, a military court in Ramallah sentenced Sha'er Asaad to two months' imprisonment, and a suspended sentence of three years, on charges of selling a prohibited book on the Palestinian cause.

The same court also sentenced Ata Saleh Ali Tomine to nine years' imprisonment and Saleh Arrah Shukairan to seven years' imprisonment. Both of them were charged with collaborating with the Palestinian Revolution.

In Gaza, an Israeli military court sentenced Fuad Salah on charges of resisting the Israeli occupation.

In Nablus, a military court sentenced Faraj Ibrahim Faraj to two years' imprisonment, and Anwar Yusuf Abu Isa and Akram Ahmad Abu Khalaf.

SAMI ESMAIL RELEASED AND DEPORTED

Sami Esmail, a US citizen of Palestinian descent, was released from an Israeli jail and deported to the United States after serving 11 months of a 15-months sentence in Israeli jails. Sami Esmail, 24, had been convicted in Israel because of having allegedly worked for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in his home state of Michigan, USA. He was arrested last December, when he came to Israel to visit his dying father.

Sami Esmail's release follows widespread protests against his conviction.