A gay Palestinian man, Ahmad Abu Marhia, only 25, was found beheaded in the West Bank, Palestinian Authority on October 5. He had been living in Israel on asylum, fearful he would be killed if his Palestinian community found him close to home.

The Palestinian Authority police said they have a suspect and it is unclear how Ahmad Abu Marhia found himself in Hebron, West Bank –– this is the same city that calls for the mass-slaughtering of dogs, $20 a truck-full that we reported on a year ago.

Being gay is illegal in the Middle East, except for in Israel. But even in Israel being associated with “gayness” in conservative Arab towns and cities may be unwelcome. Remember the gay tahina in Nazareth that was boycotted? About 10 years ago Kuwait played around with the idea of creating a GayDar test for visitors to the country. You will lose your job or your life for being gay in Iran or Cairo. An acquaintance of mine was put in prison in Cairo during the Arab Spring for being gay and Bahai. He was beat up almost to the point of death, he told me.

A video of the murder of Abu Marhia was circulating on social media and the motive for the murder is not known. But what is gleaned from the LGBTIQA+ community in Israel is that Abu Marhia had spent two years in Israel waiting on an asylum claim. He had death threats against him and was waiting to get the go-ahead to move to Canada. He was supposed to be moving there next month.

In the Israeli media it is reported that he was kidnapped from Israel to the West Bank where he wasn’t protected. His family, disagreed, said he came to Hebron to work. 

The Associated Press reported his decapitated head and body were left near his family’s home late at night October 5. The video and photos of the incident went viral on social media late October 6: “I was shocked because of the way they killed him, and the way they decided to post and share it online,” says Tomer Aldubi, 29, a gay Israeli Jewish activist and artist who has worked with LGBTQ Palestinians for many years and knew Marakhia who spoke with the Bay Area Reporter in the US.

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Few things are as deadly as a hospital without power, but a new wind turbine is about to blow away one hospital’s fear of losing theirs. The largest of its kind in the Palestinian territories, Al Ahli Hospital provides care to 600,000 Palestinians living in the Hebron district. With 365 regular beds and a capacity for 500 patients in emergency situations, they can’t afford to lose the energy needed to keep people well.

So in 2009, a project was officially inaugurated to incorporate wind energy into the hospital’s generating mix, and the European Union agreed to fund 80 percent of it; now, following years of planning and mapping, a 700 kilowatt wind turbine is about to be installed. It is expected to start generating 40% of the hospital’s power by the end of 2012.

No more diesel for the West Bank hospital

What kind of energy does Al Ahli Hospital currently use?

“In exact figures, the hospital annual consumption of diesel is about 200,000 liters and when the project runs, half of this will be saved through renewable energy,” according to the EU Neighborhood Info Center (ENPI).

“The capacity will be implemented at the premises of the Al-Ahli Hospital to help meeting [sic] its energy needs and serve as a capacity building exercise to encourage and assist similar projects to be implemented in other similar health organizations in Palestine,” according to the Ahli Hospital Wind Energy Project (AWEP) literature.

In addition to the turbine, which will provide 330MW annually, the hospital is installing a solar thermal system that will bridge the gap in energy generation so that eventually there’s a chance that this hospital will be completely free of the growing insecurity of fossil fuel dependence.

Not only is this a humanitarian feat worthy of great applause, but it is also the most responsible step the facility could take towards slashing its heinous carbon footprint.

But installing the wind turbine is just the first step in a wider plan to help build resilience in the Palestinian territories.

“This action will further include a series of awareness-raising workshops for the community, local and international study visits and tours, training sessions, field and feasibility studies of potential sites for wind generation in Palestine, with a special focus on Hebron city and medical and health centres in general,” wrote AWEP.

The hospital and its contractors are working with Hebron Electric Power Co., the Renewable Energy Research Unit (REERU), the Palestine Polytechnic University (PPU) and the Palestinian Energy Authority to reach their goals. And what good green goals they are.

:: ENPI

Image of a wind turbine, Shutterstock

The post Largest Palestinian Hospital to Get Wind Power from Europe appeared first on Green Prophet.

Building Sumud’s local partner has worked to reinvigorate residential and sacred spaces, but now they propose to renovate a traditional Mamluk building in the old city into a three-level civic and social center. It will be solar-powered and built with local, renewable materials, although great care will be taken to protect the vernacular architecture. And it will include a modular rooftop hub draped in patterned Hebronite fabric.

Within the framework of Sumud, which is Arabic for non-violent resistance, PLUG-In Hebron hopes to use architecture “as a vehicle to protect and literally build resilience” in order to restore human and social rights in Hebron.

“This will be the first of a series of hubs,” according to the project’s design brief, “beginning at points of intense interaction between military intervention and civilian life in the Old City. From these points, the hubs will catalyse site specific change and incrementally over time reclaim space for the civilian.”

The idea isn’t to create more conflict. The idea is to create a space that makes peaceful resolutions possible, while also establishing a central spot from where Palestinians can learn about recycling, waste management, urban agriculture and other important issues relevant to both the West Bank and beyond.

An 1800s Mamluk building that requires light renovation and conservation work will accommodate the first hub. The lower level will contain most of the civic activity, where people, regardless of their income, will be able to gather for workshops and urban planning events.

The second level will be an incubator for learning. Interns and other researchers, including architects, will be invited to spend their time occupying their minds with useful new information that will help to restore Hebron’s social fabric.

And perhaps the most exciting aspect of the project is a lightweight rooftop hub that will be built out of locally-sourced timber and draped in a patterned Hebronite fabric created by Palestinian artisans. This space will be used as an amphitheater that overlooks both the city and surrounding hills.

The whole solar-powered building will pivot on a strong culture of reuse and sensible waste management, which is crucial to any kind of urban regeneration anywhere in the Middle East, and positive social reconstruction.

PLUG-In Hebron is a creative, open-source and progressive architecture project with a strong but peaceful human rights ethos, which is exactly the kind of intervention this contentious area demands.

For more details and design drawings, visit the good people at Dezzzme. Also visit Architecture for Humanity if you want to get involved.

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I speak to Elad Orian of Comet-ME, who is campaigning to prevent the demolition of solar panels providing electricity to remote Palestinian communities

Elad Orian is clearly a man on mission. It’s just gone 8pm and he is busy telling me about his work with Comet-ME, which provides renewable energy to Palestinian villagers living in the south Hebron Hills. His mission, however, is to save 6 of these projects from demolition. “The Palestinians were hoping it wouldn’t come to this as the solar panels had been there for a while,” tells me Orian over the phone. “But in the same way, this isn’t exactly a big surprise. In Area C there are around 10,000 outstanding demolition orders…”

No Permits for Palestinians in Area C

The argument goes that that these solar projects were installed without permits in Area C of the West Bank which is under Israeli control. As such the Israeli authorities have every right to demolish these solar panels and wind turbines, even if they are the sole source of electricity for some villagers. So why didn’t Comet-ME and the German aid group Medico which helped fund these projects apply for permits?

“The reason that we didn’t apply for permits is that we know we wouldn’t have got them,” replies Orian. “We would be applying for places in Area C and Israel never grants permits there for Palestinians…” In fact, according to figures from the pressure group Peace Now, in total, just 91 permits were granted for Palestinian construction in Area C between 2001 and 2007. In the same period, more than 10,000 Israeli settlement units were built. And more than 1,500 Palestinian structures were demolished.

International Pressure to Stop Demolition

“Why they have decided to get demolition orders now I really don’t know,” continues Orian. “One of the solar panels was built quite near to an Israeli checkpoint with soldiers working there and so it’s not like they didn’t know that it was there. They did.” Orian also explains that as an occupying power, Israel has a duty under the Geneva Convention to provide basic facilities such as energy to Palestinians living in Area C and yet many of them don’t have access to electricity.

Comet-ME and the German government are currently working hard to put pressure on Israel to leave the solar panels in tact. “I do think there is still a chance that the solar panels won’t be demolished as there is lots of international pressure to stop this,” says Orian. “The German foreign office has been involved and also many others see the importance of protecting the Palestinian communities in Area C.”

Whilst the demolitions may deemed justifiable to some, Orian insists Israel has nothing to gain from demolishing these renewable energy projects which are providing a lifeline to isolated Palestinians.

:: You can help support the campaign to protect the solar projects here.

:: Image via Tomer Appelbaum.

For more on

Interview with Elad Orian: Building Wind and Solar Energy for Palestinians with Comet-ME

Palestinians Attempt to Build Secret Renewable Energy Plants

Comet-ME Continues to Bring Power To Villages In South Hebron Hills

The post Battle To Save Solar In Remote Palestinian Villages appeared first on Green Prophet.

Mneizel is a Palestinian village located in Hebron in the West Bank. In 2009, the 400 residents living there were lucky enough to be the recipients of a project funded by the Spanish government to install a solar energy plant. The solar energy project cost 300,000 Euros and is now their sole source of electricity- without it the village; its school and clinic would be plunged into darkness. On the 11^th of October, the Israeli authorities issued a demolition order for the solar plant stating that it doesn’t have a permit.

Hebron has been experimenting with the use of solar power for a while now. They launched their own solar car in the summer of 2010 and have been working in Israeli partnerships with Comet-ME to link up to solar power. Indeed, the use of solar power makes huge sense for the sunny city and is a great alternative source of electricity for  villages in remote locations. With this in mind, you can see why Al Najah University working with the Spanish government decided to set up a solar plant for the villagers of Mneizel.

“Solar Provides Essential Support”

“The plant provides essential support to the entire village. Families are starting businesses, children can study at night, and for the first time in the village’s history, there is a clinic which can conduct ultrasound examinations twice a week,” Ignacio, a Spanish aid worker operating the solar planet told The Palestine Monitor.

However, Mneizel is located in Area C of the West Bank which is under the control of Israel. As such, every building requires a permit from the Israeli Civil Authority, which it almost never grants and so lots of buildings (like this solar plant) end up in a legal limbo.

Demolition Should Be Last Resort Not ‘Option A’

Demolition orders were due to be carried out on the 18th of October and were only avoided as lawyers from Rabbis for Human Rights presented a complaint to the Israeli courts. Last Thursday was the final deadline for Rabbis for Human Rights to collect all relevant claims and so now the villagers must await a decision from the Israeli Civil Administration.

Personally, I can’t see why the Israeli authorities resort to demolition- if the lack of permit is the real and only issue then surely, the two sides could sit together to sort it out and a fine paid if necessary. Going straight to demolition is such a wasteful, unfair and unproductive solution. Especially when the solar plant is a public building providing energy to the village and not some private enterprise.

: Image via Kyle Taylor/flickr.

For more on Hebron and Sustainability see:

Palestinian Engineers Get Sustainable Energy Course In Hebron

Comet-ME Continue To Bring Power To Villagers In South Hebron

Solar Power Electric Car Takes To The Streets Of Hebron

The post Solar Plant In Hebron To Be Demolished appeared first on Green Prophet.

Despite the relative luxury of Tel Aviv and parts of Jerusalem, many people throughout Israel and the Palestinian territories continue to eek out a meager living with no access to basic amenities such as water, gas, or electricity. In Susya, South Hebron, the Nawaje family have to fork out $15 for a tanker of water and up $20 for cooking gas which doesn’t last long. To help ease their struggles, talented alumni of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies installed a bio-gas system that not only provides cooking fuel but also fertilizes agricultural projects and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHt041xqQ1k[/youtube]

The Arava team installed a system that filters grey water – from the shower, kitchen, or bath – which is mixed with sheep manure. That ferments for a while.

Then, Yair Teller explains, it is necessary to empty the mixture into a sack, where anaerobic fermentation takes place. This produces methane, which is combustible.

When bacteria breaks down the organic matter, the remaining liquid compost is used to irrigate vegetables and olives trees. Meanwhile the gas is diverted to a pressurized storage mechanism, which powers the stove. 25 kg of sheep manure provides 2.5-3 hours of cooking.

Before this ecological system was installed, the family cooked on wood fires that produce a lot of smoke, and which releases significant greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. By using the manure for cooking, less methane is released.

Yair claims that these systems were installed out of necessity. The project has received significant assistance from various donors, including The Irmgard Baum Estate, The Beverly Foundation, the Marin/SF Jewish Community Teen Foundation and several others.

More on the Arava Institute:

Israel Signs Landmark Solar Energy Agreement With Arava Power

Arava Institute Joins Forces With American Arabs

Arava Institute Teaches Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians

The post Cooking With Sheep Manure In South Hebron appeared first on Green Prophet.

Just when we all thought Shai Agassi’s Better Place electric car company had the electric car technology field sewed up in this part of the world,  some university students in the Palestinian West Bank city of Hebron have come up with someelectric car innovation of their own, reports Maan News.

Although not as sophisticated as Agassi’s technology, which involves developing not only a full size electric car, the Renault Fluence, and an exchangeable lithium- ion batter pack to power it; these unknown Palestinians have developed a home-made version of an electric powered vehicles whose batteries are charged by solar energy.

Developed as a school project by engineering students at the Palestine Polytechnic University in Hebron, the golf cart-like vehicle uses 12 batteries, totaling 24 volts, which can power the car for 3 to 5 hours.

Running at its maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour, the batteries can last for only 100 minutes, but given the short distances around town, that would probably be enough for errands.

Dr Zuhdi Salhab, who supervised the project, told Maan News that sourcing the material to create the alternative energy presented an obstacle, but he praised the students’ creativity. Given the chance, Salhab said, Palestinian students could come up with more “great projects that stimulate global development.”

The batteries are rechargeable, so alternative electricity from a home plug can be used in the winter. The technology is very basic compared to that of “rival” Better Place, and the vehicle the students designed resembles something more out of a “how to” magazine like Popular Mechanics like what we  featured in a Green Prophet article back in December 2009.

The main difference here is that the Hebron Polytechnic students have managed to integrate the use of solar energy to provide power for the batteries – as long as the sun shines. And in the Middle East it can shine bright 300 days of the year.

But, unless these students are able to acquire funding to further develop their “project car,” the home made solar power invention will most likely remain a curiosity item in a location where people get around either by gasoline power or more primitive means like donkeys.

It’s doubtful that a UN aid organization or some international entity like the World Bank will take much of an interest in this school project.

But again, when Israel’s Shai Agassi started out a number of years back, he probably had no idea if his concepts would reach the stage where his company was able to acquire funding of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Up to now, the cars being designed by Better Place do not have solar energy panels incorporated into their cars, as the batteries have to be either recharged by standard electrical current or exchanged when they reach the 160 km cruising limit.

The designers of the Palestinian vehicle – the TMT –  have to decide whether they want to continue innovating their design, and eventually try to market it; or let it be relegated to being just a glorified self powered donkey cart.

Maybe countries in the United Arab Emirates or other wealthy oil producing states might lend the students a hand – unless they are afraid this new invention might hurt their sources of wealth; that being the stuff that comes from the ground and is now the source of all the problems in the Gulf of Mexico.

::Maan News

More articles on electric cars:

Build Your Own Electric Car

Maurice Test Drives the Better Place Electric Car

GM’s Volt Vs Renault Better Place Electric Cars

The post Palestine’s First Solar Power Electric Car Takes to the Streets of Hebron appeared first on Green Prophet.