HRW: "If Israel has nothing to hide, why is it refusing to allow us in?"

"Israel is preventing independent human rights monitors from entering Gaza, Human Rights Watch and B’Tselem said Sunday.

"Israel continues to obstruct independent investigations into allegations of laws of war violations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas military forces in Gaza," the groups said in a joint statement to Ma'an.

After submitting applications for permission to enter via the Erez crossing in January 2009, the groups faced continued delays from the military unit reviewing the applications. In February, the army told Human Rights Watch that it had rejected its application. The Israeli military denied B’Tselem's first request to enter Gaza and has failed to respond to a second.

“Israel’s refusal to allow human rights groups access to Gaza raises a strong suspicion that there are things it doesn’t want us to see or the world to know about its military operation there,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “If Israel has nothing to hide, why is it refusing to allow us in?”"

Full story at Maan News Agency, News links; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31. Also, Amnesty International demands an arms embargo against Israel; 1, 2, 3, Uttalande från Amnesty on krav på utredning av övergrepp i Gaza

Egyptian blogger detained and beaten

On Monday the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information stated that the Egyptian blogger Diaa Eddin Gad has been detained and beaten by police. According to a Reuters article published the same day, Gad's whereabouts were still unknown. Gad runs the blog Sout Gadeb, which has voiced solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza and criticized the complicity of the Egyptian regime in the Gaza massacre.

The arrest of Diaa Eddin Gad shows that the shame of the Egyptian regime has no boundaries. The Egyptian regime is well willing to cooperate with the Israeli occupation. Amongst other things, oil and natural gas is supplied through Egypt. At the same time the full might of the repressive state machinery is unleashed on the critics of the regime, on those who speak out for their brethen in Gaza.

News links: 1, 2

Uproar over death of Hamas activist in PA prison

Several Palestinian organizations have protested the death of Hamas activist Abd aj-Jamil al-Haj in a PA prison on the West Bank. According to some claims, his death was result of torture. His family claims that he had been arrested for political reasons, and that no charges had been made against him.

The National and Islamic Forces (a broad coalition including both Hamas and PLO factions) has issued a call for forming an independent committee to investigate the circumstances of al-Haj's death. The PFLP has urged, supporting the call of the NIF, both the Hamas and Fatah movements to uphold the National Accord and Cairo Declaration. Secretaries of the Fatah movement in the West Bank has also called upon the PA to open an investigation into the matter.