Does Israel create peace and security for their country with the regime of continued assassinations of political activists, jailing youths, building apartheid walls, increasing the number and brutality of IDF checkpoints, confiscations of lands, murdering children, destroying Palestinian houses and closing the charities by the IDF, or is this regime just yet another one in their long series of criminal actions against humanity which bring shame and scandal to Jews everywhere?

The Israeli military Commander of Hebron Colonel Yehuda Fuchs said that "under our Laws, the military can do whatever they want. And that none of the peace agreements hinder the IDF activities in the occupied cities".

On Tuesday, 26 February 2008, Major General Gadi Shamni, GOC of the Central Command, issued several criminal "military orders" to seize the infrastructure and all property of the orphanage and daycare center for children of the poor families in Hebron, which is financed by charitable organization and is run by the Palestinian Authority in Hebron. The immoral, illegal and criminal orders issued by GOC Shamni was directed against the Houses for Orphan Girls and Boys, the House for Care of Babies (a daycare center), the "Cake Bakeries", against shops which distribute clothing to the orphans and to poor families, Trade center in the city, food and flower stores, the stocks of food which are also distributed to poor families, the physical therapy institute, the barbershop, the library, Salons, a supermarket, the Islamic schools for boys and girls, and the Islamic chartable organization for youth.
According to the illegal military order, 13500 orphans, 1000 poor families, 9000 school children, 2500 children receiving care, and 800 workers should be cut off of their social and educational security, their jobs destroyed, and the properties of these charitable organizations must be transferred to the property of GOC Gadi Shamni by 1st April 2008.

On Tuesday, 26 February 2008, the thugs under order of the Hebron district Israeli military commander Yehuda Fuchs and General Gadi Shamni, proceeded to illegally appropriate eight lorries containing food and clothes destined to the orphans under care of the center. 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 defenseless 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.

The criminal commander Fuchs told Mr. Al-Kaisy: they knew that he is not a member of Hamas but they had orders to confiscate the shops. Fuchs added that under emergency law the military can do whatever they want, and that none of the peace agreements hinder the IDF activities in the occupied cities.

Which emergency does Fuchs mean ? Is it necessary to loot the food from the orphans, is it necessary to provoke the inhabitants of a quite city ? What emergency does this miserable and bloodthirsty thug mean, exactly, which would justify stealing food from the poorest of the poor ?

To add insult to injury. the food stolen from the Palestinian orphans went to the kitchen of the well-fed soldiers of the IDF at Colonel Yehuda Fuchs’ quarters.

Sheikh Dr. Taisir Rajab Al-Tamimi, the Chief of Judges of the Palestinian Authority and the Chairman of High Council of Islamic Law, commented on the illegal order of Shamni and the behavior of the troops under orders of Fuchs. He said that the soldiers and commanders committed uncounted crimes against humanity in Hebron and other Palestinian cities and towns every day, that they are destroying the social, the economic, industrial, and educational life in our homeland. He described the closure of the orphans houses, schools, and charities organizations as a clear violation to the fourth Geneva Convention. According to this convention, the GOC command and the Israeli occupation authorities can not close, steal or otherwise appropriate the public or the private property of others and transfer them into their property.

Dr. Al-Tamimi clarified that the IDF order to close the schools, the charities and the orphanage houses and the theft of food, clothes, and the closure of the bakery shops is a criminal action committed by unwise commanders who are intent in seeding violence and terror actions in Palestine and causing famine among the people in the city of Hebron. Dr. Al-Tamimi described Shamni and Fuchs as "an octopus who wants to swallow the Palestinian land and property after jailing the owners". Yes, the Octopus Fuch stole the old city under his control and then started closing the organizations under the the PA in other parts of the city. This is Colonel Fuch, he is a real Octopus.

Mr. Abed Al-Kareem Farrah, the attorney of the Islamic charitable organization said "I would like to emphasize that our organization and our property is under control and observation of the PA, and that there is no official connection between us and Hamas. Perhaps some of our workers belong to Hamas, just as in other institutions such as the municipalities, but there is no formal connection. And our financial reports are open and transparent. We are in no way the infrastructure of Hamas".

Mr. Farrah said that he would have been happy if the IDF explained the steps it took, and what is permitted or forbidden in terms of his organization. The movement has already hired the services of Israeli attorney Jawad Bulus, who will appeal before the attorney general on behalf of their organizations and try to overturn the evil decree and the irresponsible and criminal decision of the IDF.

On Tuesday, 11 March 2008, over 8000 angry students and Palestinian citizens representing Fatah, Hamas, Jihad, Popular Committee, National Committee, Democratic Committee, as well as PA officials demonstrated in Hebron against the Israeli Illegal decision of closing the charitable organizations which helps orphans, poor families and youths. The demonstrators affirmed their legal right to present criminal complaints against the Israeli decision at the International Criminal Court.

The direct perpetrators of this immoral crime, namely Fuchs, Shamni, the Shin Bet, the Israeli Office of the Prime Minister, the Israeli War Ministry, the Americans, should not count on the strict limitations of jurisdiction for the prosecution of genocide and crimes against humanity set by most national jurisdictions and by the ICC (for example) - there are signs that these apparently so strict limitations of jurisdiction do not hold in the special case of Israel, and there are sound legal reasons for this. The orders issued by Shamni are proof admissible in court against him and others of grave crimes against humanity, war crimes. His orders have no basis in any law whatsoever - the so-called "British mandate" (colonial occupation) never had any legitimacy whatsoever, and their immoral "laws" expired together with the end of their occupation, in 1948. By issuing these orders, Shamni has exposed himself and others to prosecution for imposing condition conducive to genocide on the Palestinian population of Hebron, and he should not count on the assurances of impunity by people like Beinisch, who is herself a candidate for the slammer.

The extremists and terrorists in the so-called "Civil Administration", Shamni, Olmert, Fuchs, Barak, Dichter, Sheetrit, Livni, Diskin and the other planners, financers and perpetrators of genocide against Palestinians should judiciously study the life and demise of criminals like Ceaucescu, Eichmann, Goebbels, Goering, Pinochet, Marcos, and many others. Whatever they do to cover up their crimes, everything is coming to light, and there will be no powerful friends able or willing to provide protection.

Gadi Shamni must immediately rescind his criminal orders and restore the orphanage and all its property to the statu quo ante, the state it was in before his soldiers rampaged through the premises. He must return all stolen property, all food, clothes, and other resources, he must repair all damages done to buildings, private property, equipment of the orphanage and all the other premises ransacked by his soldiers.

Appeal to readers: Please contact the Israeli Embassy in your country and ask them to return the stolen food and clothes to the orphans of Hebron.

-About the author: Kawther Salam is a Palestinian journalist who I was forced by the Israeli occupation forces to leave her home in Palestine, She fled to Vienna, Austria, where she currently live as a refugee.

She started her online diary in October 2001 while still living in Palestine, where she worked as a journalist.

You may write to Kawther Salam at: kawther_salam@yahoo.com