French Abortion Law 'Poses Danger to Freedom of Speech'

                                               

       After the French National Assembly approved a bill to outlaw websites spreading misinformation about abortion, the country's right-wing MPs and rights activists voiced protest against what they describe as an infringement on their freedom of speech, according to Sputnik France.

Saturday saw the French National Assembly passing a law to ban anti-abortion websites which claim to provide neutral information but in fact pressure women not to terminate pregnancies, Sputnik France reported.

The proposal, which is yet to be backed by the Senate on December 7, would criminalize websites that deliberately mislead, intimidate or "exert psychological or moral pressure" on a woman seeking information about terminating a pregnancy, according to the Guardian. The punishment is up to two years in prison and a 30,000-euro fine. Commenting on the matter, Laurence Rossignol, France's Minister for Families, Children and Women's Rights, was quoted by Sputnik France as saying that that "everyone is free to express his opposition to abortion providing that they do so absolutely fairly because freedom of speech must not be confused with the mind manipulation."

Palestinians reject deal offered by Israeli prosecution

                             

Hunger strikers Anas Shadid and Ahmad Abu Farah rejected a deal offered by the Israeli prosecution that guaranteed the imprisoned Palestinians would be released after a renewed four months on their administrative detention -- an Israeli policy of internment without charge or trial based on undisclosed evidence, according to a statement released Saturday by the Palestinian Committee of Prisoners’ Affairs.

The committee said that Shadid, 20 and Abu Farah, 29, who have been on hunger strike for 70 and 71 days, respectively, rejected the deal that would see their administrative detention renewed for another four months, but with a guarantee of release at its conclusion.

The hunger strikers reiterated their commitment to continue their hungers strikes until they are completely released from administrative detention, according to the committee.

Shadid and Abu Farah declared a hunger strike on Sept. 24 and 23, respectively in protest of being placed in administrative detention after being detained by Israeli forces.

The Palestinian Committee of Prisoners’ Affairs stated last month that both had slipped into a coma and have partially or completely lost their ability to breath, speak, drink, and hear. The committee also warned that Israeli authorities had threatened to force feed both hunger strikers.

Meanwhile, the head of the Israeli medical center where they have been treated warned of the increasing risk of “sudden death.”

An Israeli court temporarily suspended the prisoners’ detention orders on Nov. 18 due to the deteriorating health of the hunger strikers, according to Palestinian prisoner solidarity network Samidoun. However, the hunger strikers have continued to refuse food until they are completely released from detention and transferred to a Palestinian hospital.

Scores of Palestinian prisoners have launched hunger strikes in the past year to protest various issues, most notably administrative detention. The most prominent hunger strikers included Muhammad al-Qiq, Bilal Kayid, and brothers Muhammad and Mahmoud Balboul.

Although Israeli authorities claim the withholding of evidence during administrative detention, which allows detention for three to six-month renewable intervals based on undisclosed evidence, is essential for state security concerns, rights groups have instead claimed the policy allows Israeli authorities to hold Palestinians for an indefinite period of time without showing any evidence that could justify their detentions.

Rights groups have claimed that Israel's administrative detention policy has been used as an attempt to disrupt Palestinian political and social processes, notably targeting Palestinian politicians, activists, and journalists.

According to Addameer, 7,000 Palestinians were being held in Israeli prisons as of October, 720 of whom were being held in administrative detention.

UN Passes Resolution Calling on Israel to Withdraw from Syria’s Golan Heights

                                     

The United Nations General Assembly has once again passed a resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from Syria’s Golan Heights, territory that the Tel Aviv regime has occupied since 1967.

The assembly adopted the resolution, which had been proposed by 37 countries, by an overwhelming majority on November 30, presstv reported.

The resolution also condemned Israel’s non-compliance to the Security Council Resolution 497 since 1981 until now, describing as null and void Tel Aviv’s decision issued on December 14, 1981 to impose its control over the occupied Golan Heights.

The UNGA also reemphasized the basic principle of inadmissibility of the acquisition of territories by force based on the international law and the UN Charter.

The resolution stressed that the Geneva Conventions on the protection of civilian individuals in time of war apply in the occupied Golan Heights.

Many of the states participating in the session also denounced the Israeli practices in the occupied region.

Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria after the 1967 Six-Day War and later occupied it in a move that has never been recognized by the international community. The regime has built tens of illegal settlements in the area ever since and has used the region to carry out a number of military operations against the Syrian government.

Syria says Israel and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri militant groups operating inside the Arab country. The Israeli regime has even set up field hospitals there to treat wounded Syrian militants.

The Syrian army has repeatedly seized huge quantities of Israeli-made weapons and advanced military equipment from the foreign-backed militants inside Syria.