Orphans to be thrown out of orphanage in Hebron, Palestine, this week

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Thursday April 03, 2008 17:10 by Justin Morahan

Student asks for international help

A sixteen year old American in Israel, Rabiha Abusnineh, is asking for urgent international help, including help from Oprah Winfrey, to stop the closure of the Al Shar'iya school and orphanage in Hebron where she is a student.. The Israeli Defence Forces had named April 1st as closure date for the school where there are 500 orphans among the 650 girls. But, in the face of protests and sleep-ins, a High Court decision has extended the date by one week

The Israeli Defence Forces have ordered the closure of all schools and orphanages run by the Islamic Charity Movement in Hebron.. Already they have shut down bakeries, clothes shops, food and clothing warehouses, a beauty salon, a barber shop and library.

According to SABBAHBLOG on Tuesday, 26 February 2008, under order of the Hebron district Israeli military commander Yehuda Fuchs and General Gadi Shamni, they proceeded to illegally appropriate eight lorries containing food and clothes destined for the orphans under care of the centre. A large contingent of Israeli IDF troops raided the premises of the orphanage, ransacking all the sleeping rooms, offices, and other property belonging to the charities, and destroying everything belonging to the orphans under care of the charity. Colonel Fuchs ordered the Israeli military to steal the food and other property of the orphans, as well as those of Abed Al- Khader Al-Kaisy, a Hebron resident who lives with his two sons and their families over four shops in a building which belong to the charities which the Israeli military plans to appropriate. (SHABBAHBLOG is a pro-Palestinian blog)

In Haaretz newpaper, Israeli journalist Gideon Levy writes: "How pathetic is an occupation army that empties out warehouses of food and clothing earmarked for orphans; how absurd is GOC Central Command Major General Gadi Shamni, who signs closure orders for beauty salons and clothing shops; how outrageous is the confiscation of industrial refrigerators in which food for children is kept; how cruel is a military regime that closes libraries used by young people; how ridiculous are the excuses that closing bakeries contributes to the war against terror; how foolish is the battle against dairies whose products are earmarked for these children; and how difficult is the situation of the Israeli occupation in the territories if it must resort to such contemptible activities in order to establish its status".
( Haaretz is an Israeli newspaper, not considered to be as right wing as Yedioth Abronoth or Maariv )

Then they ordered that the schools and orphanages be closed by April 1st. On the night of March 31st, approximately 300 women, including teachers, mothers and students, slept in the school protesting the shut down of the several targeted schools and orphanages.They were joined by internationals, including Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and others committed to non-violence.

E-mails from the region indicate that the situation is serious. Rabiha Abusnineh has written to her role model, Oprah Winfrey, asking not for material help but for coverage, spreading awareness and, hopefully, a visit from Oprah (see below)