From man at zzzen.com Mon Jun 3 04:22:29 2002 From: man at zzzen.com (Nimrod S. Kerrett) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:53 2004 Subject: New archive Message-ID: <3.0.32.20020603042227.027b94b8@mail.netvision.net.il> I hereby declare this archive operational :-) From info at gush-shalom.org Sat Jun 8 01:37:47 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:53 2004 Subject: Gush Shalom activists face eggs barrage Message-ID: <3D0151DB.15778.1D84F8B@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Tel-Aviv, June 7,2002 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Gush Shalom activists face eggs barrage, defying anti-Arafat hate campaign. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = On the front pages of today's newspapers: the results of yesterday night's army raid upon Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah; piles of ruins; gaping holes in structures - which some of us saw a month ago during a visit by a Gush Shalom delegation. (One of the papers even showed the sandbags which we had seen being laid along the windows by the industrious presidential bodyguards.) Ma'ariv's headline: "Sharon already decided to expel Arafat - only waiting for right timing". "Expel" is the euphemism; it is understood by everybody that sending Israeli troops into that scarred building with orders to seize Arafat could well end with the Palestinian leader's death. At noon today Gush Shalom activists gathered at the monument behind the Tel-Aviv town hall, the place where Prime Minister Rabin was shot to death seven years ago, one of the few places in Israel where the photo of Rabin's handshake with Arafat is still on public display. (Elsewhere in the country, copies of that photo had been quietly but thoroughly removed from official plaques.) As Uri Avnery commented: "It was here that Yitzchak Rabin was murdered, because of his role as a peacemaker. Nowadays, Rabin is murdered again and again: his lifework is being systematically destroyed." Spreading out from the monument to the nearby traffic light we stood in line, holding out the signs: "Arafat is the partner"; "An end to the occupation = an end to suicide bombings"; "Yes to the Saudi peace plan"; "Thirty-five years of occupation - enough!"; "5/6/1967 - 5/6/2002 - the victory which turned to disaster". The first half hour passed quietly, except for some fierce debates and... a barrage of eggs thrown from the roof of the opposite building. (All but one of them missed their mark and smashed on the sidewalk in front of us, and the invisible assailant disappeared long before the police showed up on the scene.) At 2.30, as planned, artist Yuval Kaspi unrolled a large sheet which was attached to a nearby wall, and made a life-size drawing of Rabin and Arafat shaking hands, while the demonstrators' picket line divided in two, to allow passers-by and motorists on the busy Ibn Gvirol Street a chance to see the artistic proceedings. It took another half hour to complete, with the colours of the Israeli and Palestinian flags drawn in around the two leaders. [Yuval Kaspi is one of the main organizers of "Imagine", an ehibition of 300 Jewish and Arab Artists for Coeixistence which is due to open - simultaneoulsy in Tel-Aviv and Umm-El-Fahm - on June 15. (Contact: yuval_caspi@hotmail.com, 053-904473; Kamila 053-370472).] Also today, and also as part of Gush Shalom's marking of 35 years of occupation, two advertisements in Ha'aretz: a small one entitled "the historical mistake" - with the weekly statement [text follows]. But on this occasion also a bigger one, with the full text of Uri Avnery' s article Operations Order appeared. To publication as an ad in Ha'aretz was decided after from very different sides this analysis of Sharon's real plans was acclaimed. You received it already ten days ago - and if you want you can re-read it at the Gush Shalom website in English: http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/article195.html or in Hebrew: http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/article195_heb.html THE HISTORIC MISTAKE Thirty five years ago this week, after the Six-Day War, the Government of National Unity (Eshkol – Begin) made the worst mistake in the history of Israel. It intentionally forfeited the historic opportunity to make peace by enabling the inhabitants of the occupied territories to establish the State of Palestine next to the State of Israel. Every day we all pay the price for that mistake: the vicious cycle of violence, the unending loss of life, disaster on the social front, economic ruin and moral debasement. We can do otherwise – even today! Today, Friday, at 2 pm, we shall demonstrate at the Rabin memorial in Tel-Aviv under the slogans: ARAFAT IS THE PARTNER! YES TO THE SAUDI PEACE PROPOSAL! NO END TO BLOOSHED WITHOUT END OF THE OCCUPATION --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Gush Shalom, Help us with donations to P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, Phone 972-3-5221732. http://www.gush-shalom.org requests for information about current actions: info@gush-shalom.org [Gush Shalom ad published in Ha'aretz, June 7, 2002.] ______________________________________________________ NB: Gush Shalom is in the process of changing listserver. + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + If you did not yet receive this from the new listserver it will happen soon By moving all addresses to the mailman listserver cooperative things should become easier AND better. - Since the Gush Shalom lists can now be unified there should be less problems of receiving things double. - You will be able to adjust the way you receive Gush Shalom mail via the web or by sending a specific email; it will also be easy to unsubscribe or untemporarily disable your subscription. - Last but not least: there will be no advertizing anymore, and a guarantee that the addresses on the list cannot be kidnapped for commercial spamming. + = + = + = + = + = + From info at gush-shalom.org Sat Jun 8 22:57:04 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:53 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] NB: NOON SUNDAY Court Hearing & more Message-ID: <3D027DB0.19127.1DCDA01@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [This billboard contains an alert - to attend or otherwise support the detained international observers in their legal struggle against deportation order. There is also an telephone interview witth Annie Higgins, member of another such group right now in Jenin. In the end some listserver news.] [1] NOON SUNDAY Court Hearing in Jerusalem -re deportation of internationals - [2] Annie Higgins and Caoimhe Butterley report from Jenin -recorded by Adam Keller- [3] Confirmation from the other side [4] Two Souls - Avnery's Ma'ariv article (PS) The Gush Shalom addressbook moved to another host [1] NOON SUNDAY Court Hearing in Jerusalem -re deportation of internationals - ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Sat, 08 Jun 2002 21:10:21 +0200 From: Elana Wesley There will be a hearing at 12 noon on Sunday June 9 in the District Court on Salah-a-din Street in East Jerusalem near (or just opposite?) the Ministry of Justice to decide the fate of the three internationals, Darlene Wallach, US citizen; Josie Sandercock, UK citizen; and Makoto Hibino, Japanese citizen. These three were part of the group of eight internationals arrested on Saturday evening May 31 in the Balata Refugee Camp where they were serving as observers and human shields and were accompanying Palestinians to the clinic and to the hospital. They were also entering Palestinian homes to try to moderate the behavior of Israeli troops who were moving from house to house by blasting holes in the walls. They offered to walk in front of the soldiers so that instead of going through the walls, they could go through the doors. Their presence served as an important moderating influence. They had been encountering Israeli soldiers and officers throughout the day of Saturday May 31 and had been told by one officer that they were in Balata on their own responsibility. No one said anything about their presence being illegal there let alone tried to make them leave or arrested them. However, at around 5:30pm they encountered a group of eight soldiers at the end of a narrow alleyway. The soldiers beckoned them to approach, which they did waving their passports on high to show the soldiers that they were internationals. After conversing with the soldiers for about half an hour, trying to convince the soldiers to allow the group to pass, the soldiers became more aggressive. Three soldiers came and closed them off from behind and began forcing them forward to the end of the alleyway where an army truck was waiting. The army is not allowed to arrest internationals - only the police are. Nevertheless, they were forced into the truck and taken to the Ariel police station where they were held overnight. Eventually, they were brought to the Nevei Tirza Women's Prison and the Ma'asiyahu Prison for Men, both in Ramle. There, pressure was applied on them to let themselves be deported. Those who agreed were or will be sent back home, supposedly without any limitations being put on their possibly returning at some later date to Israel and the territories. Three of the eight, those mentioned above, have chosen to fight their case in the District Court. Both Darlene and Josie have been on a hunger strike since being brought to the Ramleh prison one week ago. It should be noted that they have not been charged with any illegal actions so far. They had met and conversed with Israeli soldiers and officers throughout the day in Balata and had never been asked to leave the area. One of their meetings with an officer is recorded on a video, with someone prepared to testify as to its authenticity, in which an Israeli officer tells them that they are in Balata on their own responsibility. He too did not tell them they had to leave. A Palestinian attorney, Mahmoud Jabarin, who works for LAW (the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment) will be defending them along with Gaby Lasky, an Israeli attorney who works for the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel. YOUR PRESENCE IN THE COURTROOM WILL MEAN A LOT TO THOSE THREE INTERNATIONALS AND TO ALL WHO CARE ABOUT THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. IF YOU CAN POSSIBLY COME, THE COURTROOM WHERE THE HEARING WILL BE HELD IS ON THE THIRD FLOOR, THE FIRST COURTROOM YOU REACH. UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON'T HAVE THE NAME OF THE PRESIDING JUDGE, ONLY THE LOCATION OF THE COURTROOM. Again, the location is the Jerusalem District Court on Salah-a-Din Street next to (or opposite) the Ministry of Justice. The time of the hearing is 12 noon tomorrow on Sunday June 9. [2] Annie Higgins and Caoimhe Butterley report from Jenin -recorded by Adam Keller- [Last night we talked with two members of the International Solidarity group who managed to enter Jenin a few hours after the army invaded it last Wednesday - Annie Higgins, an American from Chicago, and Caoimhe Butterley of Ireland. You can call them at 972-(0)51-589761.] "(...) The main thing we can do is to help keep some basic medical services going. The army is halting ambulances for thorough searches even when we are present, but still it seems to make a difference when they encounter a person from a Western country. Just when the army got into the city center we were in the hospital and heard of a car being shot at by a tank, and the driver being wounded. I [Caoimhe] went with the ambulance. When we got near the scene, the ambulance itself came under fire. I got out, with my hands raised high in the air, and approached the soldiers, walking slowly. I tried neither to provoke them not to appear frightened or intimidated. I talked in a matter of fact manner and tried to reason with them. They said that the driver had not been wounded but had gotten away from the car. After some discussion they allowed me to come near the place. It seems they were telling the truth, the car was empty and there were no signs of blood. Later we found that the driver had found refuge in a nearby house. (...) Making contact with soldiers definitely helped later, when the ambulance went to pick up an elderly man from one of the villages, who had trouble with the pacemaker in his heart. Our presence and our urging the soldiers about the danger to the man's life helped to make searches shorter, and we got him to the hospital in time. But it does not always work. There were the four men who were shot at by a helicopter gunship and severely wounded while they were travelling in a car at Jaba village, a few kilometres utside Jenin. We are still not sure if they were specifically targeted or just had the worst of bad luck. Anyway in this case the soldiers were very suspicous and made long searches, with the result that one of the wounded died who might have been saved if we had got him to the hospital in time. The other three were afterwards arrested by the army and taken away(...) I had been spent some time in Jenin in March, and got to know some people quite well. I had not been here in April, when the big horrors happened. At that time I had been in Ramallah, besieged inside Arafat's compound. I am not sure it had been the right decision to concentrate all the internationals there. When I got back here in May I found that two of my friends had been killed, they both bled to death. I am haunted by the thought that if I had been here at the time, going with the ambulances as I am doing now, I might have saved them. (...) The behaviour of the army seems rather erratic. They go out of the city and in again, there does not seem to be any clear pattern. So far they did not carry out large-scale arrests, though the inhabitants are expecting it to happen soon and of course it makes the people very nervous and insecure. Sometimes the tanks are in one neighborhood, then in the next. Sometimes they enforce the curfew, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they shoot at people which they find in the street without announcing a curfew first. The people just never know what to expect. The people in the refugee camp observe the curfew less than those in Jenin proper, perhaps because they had been through so many terrible hardships already that they became totally fatalistic, perhaps just because despite the widespread destruction there are still in the refugee camp many narrow alleys which provide people some shelter from the tanks. (...) There is very much random shooting going on. The other day, I passed two tanks which were just shooting into the empty streets. Nobody was shooting at them and they did not seem to aim at anything in particular, just a few shots here and a few there completely at random. I managed to ask one of the soldiers why they were doing this. He said 'We are shooting at buildings, not at people'. When I remarked that there were people inside the buildings who could be hurt, he just said 'You can be sure that we know what we are doing', and refused to talk further." [3] Confirmation from the other side [Jenin again: the same situation described from another angle - in the commentary of Roni Shaked in yesterday's (June 7) Yediot Aharonot, which he attributes to unnamed "military sources".] "(...) Operation Defensive Shield in April has created a feeling of shock and paralysis among the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority's sovereignty was suspended and the army can now enter, at its commanders' sole discretion, into any area, town, village, neighborhood or refugee camp, without encountering significant resistance on the ground and without being restricted by international protests or pressures. On the other hand, the Palestinian suicide bombers are still able to move with intolerable ease from the West Bank into Israel. Such attacks as the one at Meggido Junction, in which 17 Israelis were killed, cannot pass without a proper retaliation. The army's present mission is to undertake a larger operation aimed at restoring the feeling of shock on the Palestinian side. Once that is achieved, smaller 'pinpoint operations' would be sufficiant, aimed at apprehending specific persons whose whereabouts become known to the security services. The problem is that the army does not have many many military options left. It has no means capable of really intimidating the Palestinian population. What can still be done miltarily in Jenin which was not yet tried in 18 months of fighting? F-16 fighters had been used already, as were helicopter gunships, tanks, howitzers, missiles, bulldozers, special units, whole infantry brigades - and terrorism had not been subdued. On the contrary, the motivation to go on fighting, to kill, to perpetrate suicide bombings only increased. A growing number of inhabitants posses the knowledge of how to make explosives out of simple materials available in any pharmacy or agriculatural warehouse. The border with Israel is still wide open for the passage of bombers. The most which the army can do is stay a bit longer inside the Palestinian cities and increase the pace of its pinpoint raids - and this can achieve no more than to buy some more time.(...) [4] Two Souls - Avnery's Ma'ariv article [Hebrew to appear soon on http://www.avnery-news.co.il/ ] One has to pity this man, Bush. When he was elected, almost by accident, he was a local politician without any international experience. He would have been hard put to locate half the world's states on the map. Since then he has been sleepwalking around the world, pushed hither and thither, sometimes listening to one of his handlers, sometimes to the other. He moves in circles, zigzags, forwards and backwards. He tells Sharon to withdraw immediately - "I repeat, immediately!" - and when Sharon laughs in his face he declares that Sharon is a Man of Peace. He calls for an international conference and kills it before it is born. He fantasizes about the "vision" of a Palestinian state and humiliates the leader of the Palestinians every day. He brings himself and his office into disrepute. What's happening here? Well, Bush is torn between two mighty forces that are pulling him in opposite directions. On the one side, there is the domestic political pressure. The Jewish lobby is, of course, one of the strongest in the United States. The Jewish community is highly organized on rigid, authoritarian lines. Its electoral and financial power casts a long shadow over both houses of the Congress. Hundreds of Senators and Congressmen were elected with the help of Jewish contributions. Resistance to the directives of the Jewish lobby is political suicide. If AIPAC were to table a resolution abolishing the Ten Commandments, 80 Senators and 300 Congressmen would sign it at once. This lobby frightens the media, too, and assures their adherence to Israel. But nowadays, even the power of this mighty lobby does not match the influence of the Christian fundamentalist lobby, dominated by the evangelist preachers. It puts the fear of God into the leaders of the Republican Party. George Bush Jr. remembers well that his father was forsaken by this lobby, when he failed to obey it. This fanatical religious lobby appears to be extremely pro-Zionist. "Appears", because there is a darker side to it. According to its theological beliefs, the Jews must congregate in Palestine and establish a Jewish state on all its territory, so as to make the Second Coming of Jesus Christ possible. The evangelists don't like to dwell openly on what's comes next: before the Coming, the Jews must convert to Christianity. Those who don't will perish in a gigantic holocaust in the battle of Armageddon. This is basically an anti-Semitic teaching, but who cares, as long as they support Israel. The combined might of the two lobbies is being brought to bear on Bush every time he tends in the direction of the Arabs. There other powerful factors are at work: the Arab governments and the Arab oil. The kings, presidents, Emirs and Sheikhs are subservient to the United States, but they are afraid that the suffering of the Palestinians will push their people into rebellion. They infect the Bush family with their fears. The Bushes, of course, are heavily involved with oil. In Washington, as in Jerusalem, all problems are translated into personal struggles. The pro-Sharon faction is headed by the extremist Secretary of Defense, Rumsfeld, and his even more extreme deputy, Wolfowitz. They have Vice President Cheney on their side, and also, so it seems, the National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, whose legs aroused the vocal admiration of Sharon. Opposing them, almost alone, is the Secretary of State, Powell, supported by the experts of his department. Every time Rumsfeld and Co. convince Bush that he has to satisfy the Jewish-Christian lobby in order to win elections, along comes Powell and convinces him at the last moment that the national interests of the United States demand the opposite. This week Bush received Mubarak. Sharon at once invited himself to the Oval Office, obviously believing that Bush is so weak-minded that he is always influenced by the last person he has listened to. That is the struggle that meets the eye. Underneath, perhaps, a more profound struggle lies hidden. My friend Afif Safieh, the PLO delegate in London, believes that two souls have dwelt in the American nation from birth. The one is that of the original settlers, the destroyers of the Native Americans, the slavers, a soul that adores brute force and cherishes the myth of the Wild West, that supports tyrants around the world. This soul identifies itself automatically with the Zionist settlers and the expulsion of the Arabs. Sharon is their man. The other one is the soul of Thomas Jefferson (in spite of the fact that he was a slave-owner, too, of course) and the framers of the constitution; of Lincoln, the emancipator of the slaves; of Wilson, whose 14 Points proclaimed the right of self- determination; of Roosevelt, who helped to save the world from Hitler; an idealist, liberal and freedom-loving soul. This one tends nowadays towards the Palestinians. The first soul occupies Bush's heart, the other one knocks on the doors of his mind. It will be interesting to see which one wins. (Uri Avnery, 8.6.02) (PS) The Gush Shalom addressbook moved to another host Apart from a small number of not yet registered new addresses which we do by hand, everyone receives this message via the new listserver. - We expect the problem of doubles to be reduced. If you still sometimes get things twice it should be easier than before to repair. The reason can be that you appear on the Israeli as well as the international list, or on a specific press list as well as on a list for general information. - You will be able to adjust the way you receive Gush Shalom mail via the web or by sending a specific email; it will also be easy to unsubscribe or untemporarily disable your subscription. - Last but not least: there will be no advertizing anymore, and a guarantee that the addresses on the list cannot be kidnapped for commercial spamming. NB: The campaign to free Marwan Barghouti is getting organized - go to http://www.freebarghouti.org/ ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew statements [WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + write subscribe in the subject line If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sat Jun 8 22:57:04 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:53 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] NB: NOON SUNDAY Court Hearing & more Message-ID: <3D027DB0.19127.1DCDA01@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [This billboard contains an alert - to attend or otherwise support the detained international observers in their legal struggle against deportation order. There is also an telephone interview witth Annie Higgins, member of another such group right now in Jenin. In the end some listserver news.] [1] NOON SUNDAY Court Hearing in Jerusalem -re deportation of internationals - [2] Annie Higgins and Caoimhe Butterley report from Jenin -recorded by Adam Keller- [3] Confirmation from the other side [4] Two Souls - Avnery's Ma'ariv article (PS) The Gush Shalom addressbook moved to another host [1] NOON SUNDAY Court Hearing in Jerusalem -re deportation of internationals - ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Sat, 08 Jun 2002 21:10:21 +0200 From: Elana Wesley There will be a hearing at 12 noon on Sunday June 9 in the District Court on Salah-a-din Street in East Jerusalem near (or just opposite?) the Ministry of Justice to decide the fate of the three internationals, Darlene Wallach, US citizen; Josie Sandercock, UK citizen; and Makoto Hibino, Japanese citizen. These three were part of the group of eight internationals arrested on Saturday evening May 31 in the Balata Refugee Camp where they were serving as observers and human shields and were accompanying Palestinians to the clinic and to the hospital. They were also entering Palestinian homes to try to moderate the behavior of Israeli troops who were moving from house to house by blasting holes in the walls. They offered to walk in front of the soldiers so that instead of going through the walls, they could go through the doors. Their presence served as an important moderating influence. They had been encountering Israeli soldiers and officers throughout the day of Saturday May 31 and had been told by one officer that they were in Balata on their own responsibility. No one said anything about their presence being illegal there let alone tried to make them leave or arrested them. However, at around 5:30pm they encountered a group of eight soldiers at the end of a narrow alleyway. The soldiers beckoned them to approach, which they did waving their passports on high to show the soldiers that they were internationals. After conversing with the soldiers for about half an hour, trying to convince the soldiers to allow the group to pass, the soldiers became more aggressive. Three soldiers came and closed them off from behind and began forcing them forward to the end of the alleyway where an army truck was waiting. The army is not allowed to arrest internationals - only the police are. Nevertheless, they were forced into the truck and taken to the Ariel police station where they were held overnight. Eventually, they were brought to the Nevei Tirza Women's Prison and the Ma'asiyahu Prison for Men, both in Ramle. There, pressure was applied on them to let themselves be deported. Those who agreed were or will be sent back home, supposedly without any limitations being put on their possibly returning at some later date to Israel and the territories. Three of the eight, those mentioned above, have chosen to fight their case in the District Court. Both Darlene and Josie have been on a hunger strike since being brought to the Ramleh prison one week ago. It should be noted that they have not been charged with any illegal actions so far. They had met and conversed with Israeli soldiers and officers throughout the day in Balata and had never been asked to leave the area. One of their meetings with an officer is recorded on a video, with someone prepared to testify as to its authenticity, in which an Israeli officer tells them that they are in Balata on their own responsibility. He too did not tell them they had to leave. A Palestinian attorney, Mahmoud Jabarin, who works for LAW (the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment) will be defending them along with Gaby Lasky, an Israeli attorney who works for the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel. YOUR PRESENCE IN THE COURTROOM WILL MEAN A LOT TO THOSE THREE INTERNATIONALS AND TO ALL WHO CARE ABOUT THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. IF YOU CAN POSSIBLY COME, THE COURTROOM WHERE THE HEARING WILL BE HELD IS ON THE THIRD FLOOR, THE FIRST COURTROOM YOU REACH. UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON'T HAVE THE NAME OF THE PRESIDING JUDGE, ONLY THE LOCATION OF THE COURTROOM. Again, the location is the Jerusalem District Court on Salah-a-Din Street next to (or opposite) the Ministry of Justice. The time of the hearing is 12 noon tomorrow on Sunday June 9. [2] Annie Higgins and Caoimhe Butterley report from Jenin -recorded by Adam Keller- [Last night we talked with two members of the International Solidarity group who managed to enter Jenin a few hours after the army invaded it last Wednesday - Annie Higgins, an American from Chicago, and Caoimhe Butterley of Ireland. You can call them at 972-(0)51-589761.] "(...) The main thing we can do is to help keep some basic medical services going. The army is halting ambulances for thorough searches even when we are present, but still it seems to make a difference when they encounter a person from a Western country. Just when the army got into the city center we were in the hospital and heard of a car being shot at by a tank, and the driver being wounded. I [Caoimhe] went with the ambulance. When we got near the scene, the ambulance itself came under fire. I got out, with my hands raised high in the air, and approached the soldiers, walking slowly. I tried neither to provoke them not to appear frightened or intimidated. I talked in a matter of fact manner and tried to reason with them. They said that the driver had not been wounded but had gotten away from the car. After some discussion they allowed me to come near the place. It seems they were telling the truth, the car was empty and there were no signs of blood. Later we found that the driver had found refuge in a nearby house. (...) Making contact with soldiers definitely helped later, when the ambulance went to pick up an elderly man from one of the villages, who had trouble with the pacemaker in his heart. Our presence and our urging the soldiers about the danger to the man's life helped to make searches shorter, and we got him to the hospital in time. But it does not always work. There were the four men who were shot at by a helicopter gunship and severely wounded while they were travelling in a car at Jaba village, a few kilometres utside Jenin. We are still not sure if they were specifically targeted or just had the worst of bad luck. Anyway in this case the soldiers were very suspicous and made long searches, with the result that one of the wounded died who might have been saved if we had got him to the hospital in time. The other three were afterwards arrested by the army and taken away(...) I had been spent some time in Jenin in March, and got to know some people quite well. I had not been here in April, when the big horrors happened. At that time I had been in Ramallah, besieged inside Arafat's compound. I am not sure it had been the right decision to concentrate all the internationals there. When I got back here in May I found that two of my friends had been killed, they both bled to death. I am haunted by the thought that if I had been here at the time, going with the ambulances as I am doing now, I might have saved them. (...) The behaviour of the army seems rather erratic. They go out of the city and in again, there does not seem to be any clear pattern. So far they did not carry out large-scale arrests, though the inhabitants are expecting it to happen soon and of course it makes the people very nervous and insecure. Sometimes the tanks are in one neighborhood, then in the next. Sometimes they enforce the curfew, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they shoot at people which they find in the street without announcing a curfew first. The people just never know what to expect. The people in the refugee camp observe the curfew less than those in Jenin proper, perhaps because they had been through so many terrible hardships already that they became totally fatalistic, perhaps just because despite the widespread destruction there are still in the refugee camp many narrow alleys which provide people some shelter from the tanks. (...) There is very much random shooting going on. The other day, I passed two tanks which were just shooting into the empty streets. Nobody was shooting at them and they did not seem to aim at anything in particular, just a few shots here and a few there completely at random. I managed to ask one of the soldiers why they were doing this. He said 'We are shooting at buildings, not at people'. When I remarked that there were people inside the buildings who could be hurt, he just said 'You can be sure that we know what we are doing', and refused to talk further." [3] Confirmation from the other side [Jenin again: the same situation described from another angle - in the commentary of Roni Shaked in yesterday's (June 7) Yediot Aharonot, which he attributes to unnamed "military sources".] "(...) Operation Defensive Shield in April has created a feeling of shock and paralysis among the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority's sovereignty was suspended and the army can now enter, at its commanders' sole discretion, into any area, town, village, neighborhood or refugee camp, without encountering significant resistance on the ground and without being restricted by international protests or pressures. On the other hand, the Palestinian suicide bombers are still able to move with intolerable ease from the West Bank into Israel. Such attacks as the one at Meggido Junction, in which 17 Israelis were killed, cannot pass without a proper retaliation. The army's present mission is to undertake a larger operation aimed at restoring the feeling of shock on the Palestinian side. Once that is achieved, smaller 'pinpoint operations' would be sufficiant, aimed at apprehending specific persons whose whereabouts become known to the security services. The problem is that the army does not have many many military options left. It has no means capable of really intimidating the Palestinian population. What can still be done miltarily in Jenin which was not yet tried in 18 months of fighting? F-16 fighters had been used already, as were helicopter gunships, tanks, howitzers, missiles, bulldozers, special units, whole infantry brigades - and terrorism had not been subdued. On the contrary, the motivation to go on fighting, to kill, to perpetrate suicide bombings only increased. A growing number of inhabitants posses the knowledge of how to make explosives out of simple materials available in any pharmacy or agriculatural warehouse. The border with Israel is still wide open for the passage of bombers. The most which the army can do is stay a bit longer inside the Palestinian cities and increase the pace of its pinpoint raids - and this can achieve no more than to buy some more time.(...) [4] Two Souls - Avnery's Ma'ariv article [Hebrew to appear soon on http://www.avnery-news.co.il/ ] One has to pity this man, Bush. When he was elected, almost by accident, he was a local politician without any international experience. He would have been hard put to locate half the world's states on the map. Since then he has been sleepwalking around the world, pushed hither and thither, sometimes listening to one of his handlers, sometimes to the other. He moves in circles, zigzags, forwards and backwards. He tells Sharon to withdraw immediately - "I repeat, immediately!" - and when Sharon laughs in his face he declares that Sharon is a Man of Peace. He calls for an international conference and kills it before it is born. He fantasizes about the "vision" of a Palestinian state and humiliates the leader of the Palestinians every day. He brings himself and his office into disrepute. What's happening here? Well, Bush is torn between two mighty forces that are pulling him in opposite directions. On the one side, there is the domestic political pressure. The Jewish lobby is, of course, one of the strongest in the United States. The Jewish community is highly organized on rigid, authoritarian lines. Its electoral and financial power casts a long shadow over both houses of the Congress. Hundreds of Senators and Congressmen were elected with the help of Jewish contributions. Resistance to the directives of the Jewish lobby is political suicide. If AIPAC were to table a resolution abolishing the Ten Commandments, 80 Senators and 300 Congressmen would sign it at once. This lobby frightens the media, too, and assures their adherence to Israel. But nowadays, even the power of this mighty lobby does not match the influence of the Christian fundamentalist lobby, dominated by the evangelist preachers. It puts the fear of God into the leaders of the Republican Party. George Bush Jr. remembers well that his father was forsaken by this lobby, when he failed to obey it. This fanatical religious lobby appears to be extremely pro-Zionist. "Appears", because there is a darker side to it. According to its theological beliefs, the Jews must congregate in Palestine and establish a Jewish state on all its territory, so as to make the Second Coming of Jesus Christ possible. The evangelists don't like to dwell openly on what's comes next: before the Coming, the Jews must convert to Christianity. Those who don't will perish in a gigantic holocaust in the battle of Armageddon. This is basically an anti-Semitic teaching, but who cares, as long as they support Israel. The combined might of the two lobbies is being brought to bear on Bush every time he tends in the direction of the Arabs. There other powerful factors are at work: the Arab governments and the Arab oil. The kings, presidents, Emirs and Sheikhs are subservient to the United States, but they are afraid that the suffering of the Palestinians will push their people into rebellion. They infect the Bush family with their fears. The Bushes, of course, are heavily involved with oil. In Washington, as in Jerusalem, all problems are translated into personal struggles. The pro-Sharon faction is headed by the extremist Secretary of Defense, Rumsfeld, and his even more extreme deputy, Wolfowitz. They have Vice President Cheney on their side, and also, so it seems, the National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, whose legs aroused the vocal admiration of Sharon. Opposing them, almost alone, is the Secretary of State, Powell, supported by the experts of his department. Every time Rumsfeld and Co. convince Bush that he has to satisfy the Jewish-Christian lobby in order to win elections, along comes Powell and convinces him at the last moment that the national interests of the United States demand the opposite. This week Bush received Mubarak. Sharon at once invited himself to the Oval Office, obviously believing that Bush is so weak-minded that he is always influenced by the last person he has listened to. That is the struggle that meets the eye. Underneath, perhaps, a more profound struggle lies hidden. My friend Afif Safieh, the PLO delegate in London, believes that two souls have dwelt in the American nation from birth. The one is that of the original settlers, the destroyers of the Native Americans, the slavers, a soul that adores brute force and cherishes the myth of the Wild West, that supports tyrants around the world. This soul identifies itself automatically with the Zionist settlers and the expulsion of the Arabs. Sharon is their man. The other one is the soul of Thomas Jefferson (in spite of the fact that he was a slave-owner, too, of course) and the framers of the constitution; of Lincoln, the emancipator of the slaves; of Wilson, whose 14 Points proclaimed the right of self- determination; of Roosevelt, who helped to save the world from Hitler; an idealist, liberal and freedom-loving soul. This one tends nowadays towards the Palestinians. The first soul occupies Bush's heart, the other one knocks on the doors of his mind. It will be interesting to see which one wins. (Uri Avnery, 8.6.02) (PS) The Gush Shalom addressbook moved to another host Apart from a small number of not yet registered new addresses which we do by hand, everyone receives this message via the new listserver. - We expect the problem of doubles to be reduced. If you still sometimes get things twice it should be easier than before to repair. The reason can be that you appear on the Israeli as well as the international list, or on a specific press list as well as on a list for general information. - You will be able to adjust the way you receive Gush Shalom mail via the web or by sending a specific email; it will also be easy to unsubscribe or untemporarily disable your subscription. - Last but not least: there will be no advertizing anymore, and a guarantee that the addresses on the list cannot be kidnapped for commercial spamming. NB: The campaign to free Marwan Barghouti is getting organized - go to http://www.freebarghouti.org/ ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew statements [WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + write subscribe in the subject line If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Tue Jun 11 04:41:25 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:53 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] Invasion of Ramallah - the arrogance of power Message-ID: <3D057165.27969.5C1ACE@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Press release = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Invasion of Ramallah - the arrogance of power = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = June 10, 2002. Thirty-five years ago on this date, a cease-fire was supposed to end a war of six days. In retrospect it merely set the stage for a prolonged and agonizing war that has already dragged on for three and a half decades. Again and again, Israeli decision makers resorted to the illusion that their overwhelming arsenal of tanks and helicopter gunships and fighter planes can ensure a definite victory - always again coming up against the limitations of power. "Operation Defensive Shield" of April this year, the latest effort in that direction, already proved a hollow victory - as evident from the very fact that Sharon found it necessary today to send his army yet again into Ramallah and subject that city to the umpteenth occupation in the past year. Once more the invasion is said to be aimed at "uprooting" a "terrorist infrastucture" which the generals admit has the tendency to re-grow amazingly fast. By launching the present invasion of Ramallah on the very eve of his meeting with President Bush, Sharon has demonstrated his confidence of having Washington's virtually unlimited backing. The PM did not anticipate any reprimand for the invasion nor a demand for withdrawal of the tanks from the streets of Ramallah - and from all reports of the Bush-Sharon meeting, there had been neither. The curfew imprisoning Ramallah's hundred thousand inhabitants in their homes, and the new siege of Arafat's headquarters, had been declared to be "an act of self-defence". The invasion of Ramallah also calls into doubt the issue of "reforms" in the Palestinian Authority, which so occupied international diplomacy in the past month and which still featured prominently on President Bush's pronouncements of this evening. What use to debate the division of powers, the democratic procedures and "transparency" of a Palestinian governmental structure which has been deprived of virtually any power to govern; an Authority whose citizens are forbidden by an occupying army to leave their towns and villages and travel even to the the nearest community, which can make no plans for the rest of the week, to say nothing of the longer range, whose premises may be seized by invading soldiers at a moment's notice and whose whose ministers may be imprisoned in their homes by curfew and unable to gather for a cabinet meeting? Talking of reforms in the structure of the Palestinian Authority could make sense only on the assumption that the disabilities would be eventually removed, that the PA's sovereign status will be restored and that the Authority would still serve as the nucleus of an independent Palestine. But this is exactly what the present Israeli government is determined to undermine by all means. And the Bush administration remains evidently unable or unwilling to do anything concrete to really implement the two-state vision which the President is repeating ad nauseam. ("Conditions do not yet exist for peace in the Middle East" the president said tonight - which may be true, but is that reason to allow Sharon to make them worse?) Obviously, Sharon is interested in one reform on the Palestinian side and one reform only: the removal of Arafat. The PM's preferred way of implementing this "reform" would be Israeli troops storming Arafat's headquarters. That is about the only military operation which Bush has not (yet?) authorized - apprehensive of a massive backlash in the Arab World destabilizing the pro-American regimes. For his part, Sharon is said to be biding his time and waiting for a "mega terrorist attack", with a death toll so massive that it would provide a suitable pretext for the final attack upon Arafat, upon the Palestinian people. Adam Keller, Gush Shalom spokesperson: +972-(0)3-5565804 / +972-(0)56-709603 [The following report from Ramallah which was written today, and which we received just now from our member Yehudit Har'el may serve as an illustration.] ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Mon, 10 Jun 2002 12:46:08 -0700 From: Yehudith Harel Enclosed by a message - just to give you another taste of what Life in Ramallah is like, while Sharon is received in Washington like "Man of Peace...and while the World tends to forget that the colonial War Israel is waging against the Palestinian people is on and in full scale. Yehudith (...) The Israeli army is in Ramallah. We are under curfew and don't know exactly what are they doing or why they are here. It was completely unexpected. My plans to go to the conference in Italy seem to have evaporated. It is not just that the Israelis feel they can come in and out, kill and destroy and arrest. It is also that they seem to want us to know that they even own our time and our schedules. Today children did not go to school. It is the last day of classes and my son was looking forward to getting his certificate and say bye to other kids. We could not take him to school obviously. My nephew has a graduation from high school tomorrow and that will perhaps be cancelled. I am not saying this is more tragic than killing, but it is another form of violence that we have to deal with as a community. Not to mention that I was supposed to spend my day working on the paper for the conference about violence in the Palestinian narrative... how ironic... Still I hope that I can make it to Italy somehow... best wishes From info at gush-shalom.org Tue Jun 11 17:23:10 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:53 2004 Subject: [Gush Shalom] 'Parade of wickedness' - by Chaim Hanegbi Message-ID: <3D0623EE.24391.10B936D@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ The cry from the heart of senior peace activist and columnist Chaim Hanegbi, which we on Sunday passed on to the Israeli list, was translated by Eldad Benary - who read it as a poem. Parade of wickedness The Right and the "Left", war mongers and "peace seekers", all discussing ways of annihilating Arafat. All of Israel members of the jury, authorized to decide the Palestinian leader's fate. Democracy of blood and fire: Some will him imprisoned, some deported, some executed. The drum beats silence the voice of reason, paralyze common sense, quiet all morals. Days of darkness Bankrupt national - military leadership, irresponsible politicians and adventurous officers. All promises of "security" and "peace" are exposed to all as lies. All they can do today and tomorrow, is what they did yesterday, and the day before, same, only more of the same. "Defensive shield" for ever and ever. Peace is dying, war celebrating. Ariel Sharon, pushed by Mufaz and Ayalon, supported by Ben Eliezer and Peres, now hurries to the White House. To postpone the Saudi plan, cancel the Egyptian plan, erase the Jordanian plan. Remove from the world's agenda any peace plans, all diplomatic initiatives. Insure Israel has a free hand in "the war to subdue the Palestinian Authority". A free hand to bring an entire people to it's knees, kill forever it's desire to be a free nation in it's own land. Annihilating Arafat will be a tragedy for generations. This devastating government is betting it all the two peoples of this land but dice in it's hand. Immense the army of reporters and commentators, paid and unpaid spokespeople, advisers and consultants, engaged as professional propagandists, at her service, to blind our eyes, brainwash us all. The journey to Arafat's annihilation a national celebration a Stately ritual. Black clad Satan's footsteps, sickle in his hand. We warn: We will all pay for this wickedness a very heavy and very bloody price Chaim Hanegbi. June 2002. From info at gush-shalom.org Wed Jun 12 16:52:30 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:53 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Jenin Bulldozer Driver Speaks - full translation Message-ID: <3D076E3E.23789.808DA5@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ This is the full translation of a unique document. It was published in Yediot Aharonot, Israel's most widely circulated tabloid paper, on May 31, 2002. It is the first absolutely sincere Israeli eye-witness testimony on what actually happened in Jenin, by one of those who did it and are proud of it. After publication - and in spite of it - the unit to which the man belongs received from the army command an official citation for outstanding service. [A transcript of the Hebrew original will soon be published on our website, and is available at request.] = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "I made them a stadium in the middle of the camp" = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = I entered Jenin, driven by madness, by desperation, in the worst condition possible. I told my wife: "If anything happens to me, at least someone will take care of you". The funny bit was, I didn't even know how to operate the D-9. Within two hours, they taught me to drive forwards, and make a flat surface. I tied the 'Beitar' football team flag to the back of the tractor and told them: "Move away, let me work.". For three days, I just erased and erased I kept drinking whisky to fight off fatigue I didn't see dead bodies under the blade of the D-9, but I don't care if there where any. By Tsadok Yeheskeli, Yediot Aharonot. Moshe Nissim, nicknamed "Kurdi Bear1", the D-9 operator who became the terror of the Jenin refugee camp inhabitants, speaks with no censorship about his time of glory. "I entered Jenin driven by madness, by desperation, I felt I have nothing to loose, That even if I 'get it', no big deal. I told my wife: "If anything happens to me, at least someone will take care of you!". I started my reserve service, in the worst conditions possible. Maybe this is why I didn't give a damn. Not about explosive charges, not about gun fire. "My life was in deep shit for the past one and a half years. For almost half a year I am suspended from work as a senior inspector in the Jerusalem municipality. I worked there for 17 years, till that cursed day, January the 20th, exactly my 40th birthday, when the police came and arrested me. They said that I and my colleagues in the inspection unit are suspected for being bribed by contractors and other business owners, that in fact, we are a corrupted bunch. "This is a terrible injustice. I am a very friendly guy, and in this job you mix with people you inspect. But bribery? Me? I am in debt for hundreds of thousands of Shekels long before all this story. Had I taken bribes, I would have money, but I couldn't even pay the lawyer. Since then I am suspended. My wife was fired as well, and I have four children to keep. "This was not the first blow. A few months earlier, I was injured badly in my back, my wife was fired, and my son got run over and had to be operated to save his leg. Today he is OK, but his big dream, and mine, that he will once be a player in the Beitar Jerusalem team, this dream is probably gone forever. Pity. He was really talented. I have already promised him to get him into the children's Beitar team. , "we are all being recruited to do reserve service, but you are not called." "Truth is, that I understood my commanders. Hey, I've been doing my reserves duty for 16 years now, and I was useless. I did nothing but make trouble. card table, open a bottle. If any officer would dare send me to guard duty, I would send him first. Kurdi always did his thing. If I felt like going to a Beitar football match, or going home, no one could stop me. I would just start the car and go. "Truth is, they didn't even know me. When I am given responsibility, I can act differently, In the "Versailles" disaster3 I was in charge of all the inspection team on location. When I was seen by one of the guys of my military unit, he was shocked. He said: "In the army you can't tie your shoelaces, and here you are a big chief!" omise to work", I pleaded with the battalion commander. Finally, he agreed to give me a chance. "I said to myself: "Kurdi, you can't let them down. No more running wild!". The speaker is Moshe Nissim, AKA "Moshe Nissim Beitar Jerusalem". In the Jenin refugee camp, he was called, over the military radio: "Kurdi Bear". Kurdi, because this is the name he insisted on. Bear, after the D-9 he was driving, demolishing house after house. There was not one soldier in Jenin that did not hear this name. Kurdi Bear was considered the most devoted, brave and probably the most destructive operator. A man, that the Jenin camp inquiry committee, would want very much to have a word with. For 75 hours, with no break, he sat on the huge bulldozer, charges exploding around him, and erased house after house. His story, which he tells openly and with no inhibitions, is far from being a regular war myth. Medals, so it seems, will not be awarded for it. (Actually, his company was later awarded a citation for outstanding service.) The experience "The funny bit is, I didn't even know how to operate the D-9. I have never been an operator. But I begged them to give me a chance to learn. Before we went into Shekhem (Nablus), I asked some of the guys to teach me. They sat with me for two hours. They taught me how to drive forwards and make a flat surface. "I took it on with no problem and told them: 'That's it. Move aside and let me work.'. This is what happened in Jenin as well. I have never demolished a house before, or even a wall. I got into the D-9 with a friend of mine, a Yemenite. I let him work for an hour, and then told him, 'OK. I got the idea.' "But the real thing started the day 13 of our soldiers were killed up that alley in the Jenin refugee camp. started going mad: 'Get back,' he shouted, 'we have no escort!', but I had to get to know the place better, to find an exit, just in case we needed one. I was not afraid to die. At least I was insured. This would have helped my family. The Flag y and the kids: 'you will see my tractor on television. When you see the Beitar flag, that will be me'. And this is exactly what happened. I am. I always go to the Beitar matches, in a Beitar colored Galabia (an Arab man's dress), and a big drum of the Kurds from the Castel. Once, after our first national championship, I took a ride on the roof of a car, carrying the drum, all the way to Jerusalem. better than to talk to me if Beitar lost a match. aeli army) officer I worked with to let me go up there and hang it, but he refused. He said I would be shot if I tried. Pity. here. Don't you worry.'. "On the radio, they wanted to call me 'Moshe-Bear', but I insisted on Kurdi. I told the Golanis, I am Kurdi, and I won't answer if you call me by any other name.' That is how 'Kurdi Bear' was born. This is my name, and I am stubborn. "In the reserves, they already got used to my signature: 'Moshe Nissim Beitar Jerusalem'.For a while they asked me to stop it, but finally they just gave up. Going in ere let into the camp earlier, with all our might, twenty-four soldiers would not have been killed in this camp. "The moment I went into the camp, for the first time, I just thought of how to help these soldiers. These fighters. Children the age of my son. I couldn't grasp how they worked there, were a charge blows up on you, with every step you take. "With the first mission I was given, to open a track inside the camp, I understood what kind of hell this was. ey would not have to take even one step outside their shelter. One step was enough in order to lose an arm or a leg. ds. They just planted charges everywhere. "For me, in the D-9, it was nothing. I didn't mind. You would just hear the explosions. y thing that mattered was that these soldiers must not risk themselves just to eat or drink something." "I fell in love with those children. I was willing to do with my tractor anything they would ask for. I begged for work: 'Let me finish another house, open another track.' They, in return, protected me. I would leave the tractor without weapons, nothing. Just walked in. They told me I am mad, but I said: 'Leave me alone. Anyhow, the armored vest will not save me.' This is how I worked. Even without a shirt. Half naked. whisky and something to munch on. me of them." The purity of our weapons soldiers. I worked where our soldiers were slaughtered. They didn't tell all the truth about what happened. they drilled holes in the walls, holes for gun barrels. Anyone who escaped the charges, was shot through these holes. idn't give a damn about demolishing all the houses I've demolished - and I have demolished plenty. By the end, I built the 'Teddy' football stadium there. emolish, waving white flags. We screwed just those who wanted to fight. , because if they had returned to their homes, they would blow up. ouses, would understand they were in a death trap. I thought about saving them. I didn't give a damn about the Palestinians, but I didn't just ruin with no reason. It was all under orders. enerations. If I am sorry for anything, it is for not tearing the whole camp down. Satisfaction r guys inside, and they forgot to tell me. rd, we would ask for a tank shell. ecause the army didn't want the cameras and press to see us working. I was really upset, because I had plans to knock down the big sign at the entrance of Jenin - three poles with a picture of Arafa t. But on Sunday, they pulled us away before I had time to do it. I got back there. The battalion-commander was in shock when he saw me. The other operators all crac ked up and needed rest, but I refused to leave. I wanted more. have buried all those Palestinians alive. ook care of them, of the children. The soldiers gave them candy. But I had no mercy for the parents of these children. I remembered the picture on television, of the mother who said she will bear children so that they will explode in Tel Aviv. I asked the Palestinian women I saw there: 'Aren't you ashamed?' vitation. 'Do you want the entire company to come over to your house?' I told him: 'As far as I am concerned, bring the whole battalion.' I phoned my mother, from the D-9, and told her that the whole battalion was coming. She said: 'no s weat'. I am waiting for them". Politics ad more fun. That is, If they would let me tear the whole camp down. I have no mercy. the camp. And yes, it was justified. They mowed our soldiers down. They had a chance to surrender. tball stadium, so they can play. This was our gift to the camp. Better than killing them. They will sit quietly. Jenin will not return to what it use to be." Epilog Two days after getting out of Jenin, 'Kurdi Bear' was admitted into hospital, suffering from pneumonia. As it turned out, the 75 straight hours in the D-9 took their toll. Some days after he had returned home, a phone call woke him up in the middle of the night. "I got home one night, and for some reason, I couldn't sleep. I was uncomfortable. Till 4 AM I just wandered about, suddenly the phone rings: 'Are you Nati's father?' I sked what happened. 'Get over here, to the hospital.' 'Tell me the truth' I told her. . led us back to the hospital. They were in shock: The kid just tore the respiration tubes off. He woke up." freezes for a second, and tries to get his son back into reality. "Nati", he says softly, "I've already told you, Beitar has lost." g ten years back or even more, but forgets within minutes who he is talking with. "Why am I here?" he asks his parents again and again, and bows his head with embarrassment when an acquaintance reminds him of a conversation they had just the day before. s for his battered Subaru that tries to make the journey from the Castel neighborhood to the hospital. Kurdi wants to build himself a tent in front of the hospital. For the time being, he sleeps in the car. "Jenin has strengthened me," he says. "It helped me forget my troubles. I had hoped it would be some turning point, until this hit me. But what happened to Nati taught me what really is important. I am living now for my son. The rest is really not important." The friends from his reserves unit are helping him. y him." Yeffet Damti, his tractor partner from Jenin, says that one thing is certain: "On the next mission, I am only going with Kurdi". Kurdi, for his part, thanks his commanders that gave him the chance. For the time being, they are wrapping him with attention and sympathy. They came here, to the hospital, just to be with him. Just so he won't be lonely. They are talking about raising funds to help him. When they meet him next to his son's bed, back come the memories from those 75 hours. The chats around the son's bed continue till the management of the hospital called and begged them to stop bragging about destroying Jenin. There are Arab therapists who might be hurt, and one of the Arab patients has already complained. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org NB: The campaign to free Marwan Barghouti is getting organized - go to http://www.freebarghouti.org/ In order to receive our Hebrew statements [WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + write subscribe in the subject line If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Fri Jun 14 04:56:14 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] * actions to come & must reads * Message-ID: <3D09695E.2768.41E20C3@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [Through billboard we forward about twice a week what is on the agenda, based upon our own material and on announcements received from others. We include articles and reports. For more information, approach the addresses appearing in each item.] **Action news** [1] Saturday morning, Gush Shalom visit to Bethlehem [2] Saturday afternoon, artists for co-existence [3] Saturday Night, Peace Now protests in 5 cities [4] "Womenrefuse" tent + program [5] Seruv (refusal) activities - Monday [6] More about refusers from Yesh Gvul [7] Campaign to Free Marwan Barghouti **Mustreads** [a] Petition to support KM Ahmed Tibi, Ha'aretz June 10. [b] 'Yahoud' (a personal report) [c] Amira Hass on "temporary measures" [d] Gush Friday ad in Ha'aretz [1] Saturday morning, Gush Shalom visit to Bethlehem ---forwarded message follows---- From: Gush Shalom GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Saturday, visit to Bethlehem area - call us if you want to join = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = The Gush Shalom visit to the Bethlehem area, planned for last Saturday will now definitely take place on next Saturday, June 15, in the morning hours. The Palestinians suffer both from the activities of the occupation troops and from the settlers. We are invited by the Palestinian leadership in the area to come to the area, ans see the fences and the destruction with our own eyes. Those who wish to take part should call the Gush Shalom office at phone 03- 5221732, give the number of people for whom places in the bus should be reserved, and (don't forget!) leave your own phone number. You will get a return call telling of transportation arrangements. See you! [2] Saturday afternoon, artists for co-existence -------------forwarded message follows------------------ From: Yuval Caspi IMAGINE 300 Artists for Coexistence Saturday, June – simultaneous opening of exhibitions In Tel-Aviv and Umm-El-Fahm 16:00 - Umm El Fahm , at the Old Football Field Rd. 21:00 Tel-Aviv, at Plonit Gallery, 3 Simta Plonit, Transportation to Umm-El-Fahm will be available at 14:00 from the Arlozorov St. Railway Terminal (contact Kamela 053-370472) [3] Saturday Night, Peace Now protests in 5 cities ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Didi Remez June 13, 2002 SATURDAY NIGHT: PROTESTS IN J'LEM, TA, BEERSHEVA AND KEFAR SABA; LARGE EVENT IN HAIFA This Saturday night, June 15th, protests will be held in Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Beersheva and Kefar Saba. In addition, a large artistic-political event, marking 35 years of occupation, will be held by the Peace Forum at the Haifa Theater. This weekend activists will man 28 intersections countrywide, hanging signs and distributing materials. "PM Sharon has demonstrated unequivocally that he is not interested in any form of political arrangement that will extricate Israelis and Palestinians from the current violent deadlock. Yet, on the political level, no one has found the courage to offer the Israeli public a tangible alternative. In this terrible vacuum, responsible citizens must speak out. We will continue to demand an Israeli initiative for a withdrawal from the Occupied Territories, the dismantling of settlements, the establishment of a border and the beginning of political negotiations based on the Saudi initiative. This is the only way to restore security and begin an economic recovery," say the organizers. PROTESTS * Jerusalem: PM's residence, 20:00. Among the speakers: Gila Svirksy and Nadim Shiban * Tel-Aviv: Tayelet (Seaside promenade), near McDonalds, 20:00. * Beersheva: "Big" shopping center, 20:00. * Kefar Saba: "Arim" shopping center, 20:00 (organized by the Sharon Area Peace Coalition.) HAIFA EVENT: "A SONG FOR PEACE" MARKING 35 YEARS OF OCCUPATION Haifa Theater, 20:00. Jewish and Palestinian performing artists will present a varied political program of monologues, music and satire. Dan Almagor and Salman Natour will host. Further Information: Press: Didi Remez, Peace Now Spokesman, 054-302796 or didi@peacenow.org.il [Concerning the Haifa event, contact Rami Goldstein 054-617180] Activists - to get involved in planning and organization of activities contact: [In Tel-Aviv] Ori Ginat, 054-405157 or ori@peacenow.org.il [In Jerusalem] Shiri Iram, 054-687539 or shiri@peacenow.org.il [In the Sharon area] Mary Shweitzer, 054-638399 or mary@peacenow.org.il [Everywhere else] Noa Millman, 054-556052 or noa@peacenow.org.il [4] "Womenrefuse" tent + program - úëðééú àåäì ðùéí îñøáåú ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "shuli hartman" Women Refuse We, Jewish and Palestinian women, citizens of Israel oppose the occupation of the Palestinian people and refuse to take part in any of its destructive aspects. We refuse to live as enemies We refuse to fulfil the roles that women are expected to fulfill during wartime We refuse to pay the economic and social price of the occupation We refuse to be ignorant and to succumb to terrorizing and silencing We refuse to raise children to war, poverty and oppression We refuse to remain silent A collective refusal of women can change reality. A feminine refusal means an alternative voice and a language opposed to the language of power. Join us at our refusal tent, June 16-21, 10.00 a.m to 22.00 p.m, at the Charles Chlor park in Tel Aviv, and let us shape together the forms of our refusal. Join your voice to that of Women Refuse. womenrefuse@yahoogroups.com [5] Seruv (refusal) activities - Monday ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: ori rotlevy The activities of OMEZ LESAREV (Courage to Refuse) David Zonsheine, one of the two initiators of the "refuseniks" letter, has been sentenced for 35 days in military prison. David asked his comanders to be trialed in a military court instead of the usual "disciplinary hearing" by his own comanders. The IDF refused, although this option opens the way to a sentence of up to 3 years. The OMEZ LESAREV group and David, represented by adv. Sfard, petitioned to the High Court of Justice in order to force the IDF to judge him as he requested. Thus, he will be able to be represented by an attorney and present his arguments against the legality of military service in the occupied territories. The pettion will be heard by the Supreme Court (in Jerusalem), Monday 17/6 at 1130. You are all invited to express your solidarity with david and his rights. A short press conference will be held after the hearing. On the same day, 17/6, the Zionist Congress will be opened in Jerusalem (Mt. Herzl). During a campaign held before this opening, they declared what Zionism is. We will demonstrate during the opening at 1900 infront of the main gate of Mt Herzl on Herzl av. declaring what we believe Zionisn is: Refusing to occupy and humiliate a civilian population. and What Zionism is not about: Settlements and transfer. You are invited to take part! www.seruv.org.il [6] More about refusers from Yesh Gvul ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "peretz kidron" YESH GVUL Dear friend, Three IDF reservists - including two brothers !- have been jailed for refusal to serve in the occupied territories. Lieut. (res.) David Zonesheine (26, from Tel Aviv, works in hi-tech, serves with an elite parachute unit) got 35 days; Sgt. Mjr. (res.) Gilad Svirsky (31, from Tel Aviv, married with two children) was sentenced to 28 days; Lieut. (res.) Itai Svirsky (of Tel Aviv) got 21 days. The number of refuseniks currently in jail rises to 7, with 130 overall jailed since the onset of the present intifada. David Zonesheine is one of the two "instigators" of January's Ometz Le'Sarev declaration which marked the advent on the refusal scene of a wave of new adherents, including numerous reservists who had hitherto served in the occupied territories. The "reinforcements" have helped boost the number of refuseniks to 1000 or more. Zonesheine's case could be notable because, as in previous instances, his demand to have his case tried by courtmartial, rather than the routine disciplinary action, was turned down by the army - arguably out of concern that the formal court procedure would allow the defence to invoke the "black flag" principle (Kafr Kassem trial verdict, 1957) which requires soldiers to refuse an order that is "flagrantly illegal". The army evidently doesn't want to be obliged to defend the dubious legality of its actions in the occupied territories ... The Ometz Le'Sarev group has petitioned Israel's Supreme Court against the army's refusal of a courtmartial, the hearing will be held within days. --------------------------------------------------------------- WE CALL ON ALL ADOPTION GROUPS TO GET IN TOUCH WITH US IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THESE COURAGEOUS MEN ------------------------- POLITICAL ART SECTION Israel Prize laureate David Tartakover, a longstanding supporter of Yesh Gvul, has graciously granted us the rights to the poster he designed to mark the 35th anniversary of the occupation. The poster is on view at our website www.yesh-gvul.org/35years.jpg. Copies are available for a donation of 50 NIS(or upwards!)towards having copies of the poster pasted up on municipal billboards throughout Israel. Peretz Kidron - Ram Rahat [7] Campaign to Free Marwan Barghouti ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Palestine Media Center" Subject: Campaign to Free Marwan Barghouti Marwan Barghouti, an elected Palestinian Legislative Council member & Fateh activist was illegally detained on 15 April 2002 by the Israeli occupation army in Ramallah. Marwan is one of the supporters of Oslo process believing that it will lead eventually to complete Israeli withdrawal to 1967 borders and establishment of independent Palestinian State. Marwan strongly believes in coexistence between Palestinians & Israelis within two separate, sovereign states, without settlements, without the injustice of the colonial master-slave relationship. To participate in the campaign to free Marwan Barghouti, please visit the link below: http://www.freebarghouti.org **Mustreads** [a] Petition to support KM Ahmed Tibi, Ha'aretz June 10. We warn The decision of the Knesset House Committee to remove the immunity and restrict the freedom of movement of Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi is yet another step in a campaign ultimattely aimed att "ethnically cleansing" Israeli parliamentary politics and "transfer" all the leaders of the Arab population in Israel and the elected representatives out of parliamentary politics. This is virtually a terrorist attack to destroy democracy. Those who today accept today an attack on Arab Knesset Members would not be able tomorrow to complain about an attack on Jewish Knesset Members. Prof. Adi Ophir, former Knesset Member Uri Avnery, former minister Shulamit Aloni, Dr. Ella Almagor, Dr. Dan Almagor, Prof. Anat Biletzky, Prof. Shimon Balas, Prof. Rachel Giora, Prof. Chaim Gordon, Prof. Chaim Dansk, Ruth Dayan, Chaim Hanegbi, Dr. Yitzchak Laor, Prof. Shimon Levy, Dr. Anat Matar, former Knesset Member Meir Pail, Dr. Moshe Zuckerman, Dan Kedar, Prof. Baruch Kimmerling, Adam Keller, Prof. Zvi Razi, Dr. Amnon Raz-Karkotzkin, Prof. Tova Rosen, Prof. Tanya Reinhart [b] 'Yahoud' (a personal report) http://www.starhawk.org/ The Boy Who Kissed the Soldier: Balata Camp By Starhawk "What source can you believe in order to create peace there?" a friend writes when I come back from Palestine. I have no answer, only this story: June 1, 2002: I am in Balata refugee camp in occupied Palestine, where the Israeli Defense Forces have rounded up four thousand men, leaving the camp to women and children. The men have offered no resistance, no battle. The camp is deathly quiet. All the shops are shuttered, all the windows closed. Women, children and a few old men hide in their homes. The quiet is shattered by sporadic bursts of gunfire, bangs and explosions. All day we have been encountering soldiers who all look like my brother or cousins or the sons I never had, so young they are barely more than boys armed with big guns. We've been standing with the terrified inhabitants as the soldiers search their houses, walking patients who are afraid to be alone on the streets to the U.N. Clinic. Earlier in the evening, eight of our friends were arrested, and we know that we could be caught at any moment. It is nearly dark, and Jessica and Melissa and I are looking for a place to spend the night. Jessica, with her pale, narrow face, dark eyes and curly hair, could be my sister or my daughter. Melissa is a bit more punk, androgynous in her dyed-blond ducktail. We are hurrying through the streets, worried. We need to be indoors before true dark, and curfew. "Go into any house," we've been told. "Anyone will be glad to take you in." But we feel a bit shy. >From a narrow, metal staircase, Samar, a young woman with a wide, beautiful smile beckons us up. "Welcome, welcome!" We are given refuge in the three small rooms that house her family: her mother, big bodied and sad, her small nieces and nephews, her brother's wife Hanin, round-faced and pale and six months pregnant. We sit down on big, overstuffed couches. The women serve us tea. I look around at the pine wood paneling that adds soft curves and warmth to the concrete, at the porcelain birds and artificial flowers that decorate a ledge. The ceilings are carefully painted in simple geometric designs. They have poured love and care into their home, and it feels like a sanctuary. Outside we can hear sporadic shooting, the deep 'boom' of houses being blown up by the soldiers. But here in these rooms, we are safe, in the tentative sense that word can be used in this place. "Inshallah', "God willing', follows every statement of good here or every commitment to a plan. "Yahoud!" the women say when we hear explosions. It is the Arabic word for Jew, the word used for the soldiers of the invading army. It is a word of warning and alarm: don't go down that alley, out into that street. "Yahoud!" But no one invades our refuge this night. We talk and laugh with the women. I have a pocket-sized packet of Tarot cards, and we read for what the next day will bring. Samar wants a reading, and then Hanin. I don't much like what I see in their cards: death, betrayal, sleepless nights of sorrow and regret. But I can't explain that in Arabic anyway, so I focus on what I see that is good. "Baby?" Hanin asks. "Babies, yes," "Boy? Son?" The card of the Sun comes up, with a small boy-child riding on a white house. "Yes, I think it is a boy," I say. She shows me the picture of her first baby, who died at a year and a half. Around us young men are prowling with guns, houses are exploding, lives are being shattered. And we are in an intimate world of women. Hanin brushes my hair, ties it back in a band to control its wildness. We try to talk about our lives. We can write down our ages on paper. I am fifty, Hanin is twenty-three. Jessica and Melissa are twenty-two: all of them older than most of the soldiers. Samar is seventeen, the children are eight and ten and the baby is four. I show them pictures of my family, my garden, my step-grandaughter. I think they understand that my husband has four daughters but I have none of my own, and that I am his third wife. I'm not sure they understand that those wives are sequential, not concurrent-but maybe they do. The women of this camp are educated, sophisticated-many we have met throughout the day are professionals, teachers, nurses, students when the Occupation allows them to go to school. "Are you Christian?" Hanin finally asks us at the end of the night. Melissa, Jessica and I look at each other. All of us are Jewish, and we're not sure what the reaction will be if we admit it. Jessica speaks for us. "Jewish," she says. The women don't understand the word. We try several variations, but finally are forced to the blunt and dreaded "Yahoud." "Yahoud!" Hanin says. She gives a little surprised laugh, looks at the other women. "Beautiful!" And that is all. Her welcome to us is undiminished. She shows me the shower, dresses me in her own flowered nightgown and robe, and puts me to bed in the empty side of the double bed she shares with her husband, who has been arrested by the Yahoud. Mats are brought out for the others. Two of the children sleep with us. Ahmed, the little four year old boy, snuggles next to me. He sleeps fiercely, kicking and thrashing in his dreams, and each time an explosion comes, hurls himself into my arms. I can't sleep at all. How have I come here, at an age when I should be home making plum jam and doll clothes for grandchildren, to be cradling a little Palestinian boy whose sleep is already shattered by gunshots and shells? I am thinking about the summer I spent in Israel when I was fifteen, learning Hebrew, working on a kibbutz, touring every memorial to the Holocaust and every site of a battle in what we called the War of Independence. I am thinking of one day when we were brought to the Israel/Lebanon border. The Israeli side was green, the other side barren and brown. "You see what we have made of this land," we were told. "And that- that's what they've done in two thousand years. Nothing." I am old enough now to question the world of assumptions behind that statement, to recognize one of the prime justifications the colonizers have always used against the colonized. "They weren't doing anything with the land: they weren't using it." They are not, somehow, as deserving as we are, as fully human. They are animals, they hate us. All of that is shattered by the sound of by Hanin's laugh, called into question by a small boy squirming and twisting in his sleep. I lie there in awe at the trust that has been given me, one of the people of the enemy, put to bed to sleep with the children. It seems to me, at that moment, that there are indeed powers greater than the guns I can hear all around me: the power of Hanin's trust, the power that creates sanctuary, the great surging compassionate power that overcomes prejudice and hate. One night later, we again go back to our family just as dark is falling, together with Linda and Neta, two other volunteers. We have narrowly escaped a party of soldiers, but no sooner do we arrive than a troop comes to the door. At least they have come to the door: we are grateful for that for all day they have been breaking through people's walls, knocking out the concrete with sledgehammers, bursting through into rooms of terrified people to search, or worse, use the house as a thoroughfare, a safe route that allows them to move through the camp without venturing into the streets. We have been in houses turned into surreal passageways, with directions spray painted on their walls, where there is no sanctuary because all night long soldiers are passing back and forth. We come forward to meet these soldiers, to talk with them and witness what they will do. One of the men, with owlish glasses, knows Jessica and Melissa: they have had a long conversation with him standing beside his tank. He is uncomfortable with his role. Ahmed, the little boy, is terrified of the soldiers. He cries and screams and points at them, and we try to comfort him, to carry him away into another room. But he won't go. He is terrified, but he can't bear to be out of their sight. He runs toward them crying. "Take off your helmet," Jessica tells the soldiers. "Shake hands with him, show him you're a human being. Help him to be not so afraid." The owlish soldier takes off his helmet, holds out his hand. Ahmed's sobs subside. The soldiers file out to search the upstairs. Samar and Ahmed follow them. Samar holds the little boy up to the owlish soldier's face, tells him to give the soldier a kiss. She doesn't want Ahmed to be afraid, to hate. The little boy kisses the soldier, and the soldier kisses him back, and hands him a small Palestinian flag. This is the moment to end this story, on a high note of hope, to let it be a story of how simple human warmth, a child's kiss, can for a moment overcome oppression and hate. But it is a characteristic of the relentless quality of this occupation that the story doesn't end here. The soldiers order us all into one room. They close the door, and begin to search the house. We can hear banging and crashing and loud thuds against the walls. I am trying to think of something to sing, to do to distract us, to keep the spirits of the children up. I cannot think of anything that makes sense. My voice won't work. But Neta teaches us a silly children's song in Arabic. To me, it sounds like: "Babouli raizh, raizh, babouli jai, Babouli ham melo sucar o shai," "The train comes, the train goes, the train is full of sugar and tea." The children are delighted, and begin to sing. Hanin and I drum on the tables. The soldiers are throwing things around in the other room and the children are singing and Ahmed begins to dance. We put him up on the table and he smiles and swings his hips and makes us all laugh. When the soldiers finally leave, we emerge to examine the damage. Every single object has been pulled off the walls, out of the closets, thrown in huge piles on the floor. The couches have been overturned and their bottoms ripped off. The wood paneling is full of holes knocked into every curve and corner. Bags of grain have been emptied into the sink. Broken glass and china covers the floor. We begin to clean up. Melissa sweeps: Jessica tries to corral the barefoot children until we can get the glass off the floor. I help Hanin clear a path in the bedroom, folding the clothes of her absent husband, hanging up her own things, finding the secret sexy underwear the soldiers have obviously examined. By the time it is done, I know every intimate object of her life. We are a houseful of women: we know how to clean and restore order. When the house is back together, Hanin and Samar and the sister cook. The grandmother is having a high blood pressure attack: we lay her down on the couch, I bring her a pillow. She rests. I sit down, utterly exhausted, as Hanin and the women serve us up a meal. A few china birds are back on the ledge. The artificial flowers have reappeared. Some of the loose boards of the paneling have been pushed back. Somehow once again the house feels like a sanctuary. "You are amazing," I tell Hanin. "I am completely exhausted: you're six months pregnant, it's your house that has just been trashed, and you're able to stand there cooking for all of us." Hanin shrugs. "For us, this is normal," she says. And this is where I would like to end this story, celebrating the resilience of these women, full of faith in their power to renew their lives again and again. But the story doesn't end here. The third night. Melissa and Jessica go back to stay with our family. I am staying with another family who has asked for support. The soldiers have searched their house three times, and have promised that they will continue to come back every night. We are sleeping in our clothes, boots ready. We get a call. The soldiers have come back to Hanin's house. Again, they lock everyone in one room. Again, they search. This time, the soldier who kissed the baby is not with them. They have some secret intelligence report that tells them there is something to find, although they have not found it. They rip the paneling off the walls. They knock holes in the tiles and the concrete beneath. They smash and destroy, and when they are done, they piss on the mess they have left. Nothing has been found, but something is lost. The sanctuary is destroyed, the house turned into a wrecking yard. No one kisses these soldiers: no one sings. When Hanin emerges and sees what they have done, she goes into shock. She is resilient and strong, but this assault has gone beyond 'normal', and she breaks. She is hyperventilating, her pulse is racing and thready. She could lose the baby, or even die. Jessica, who is trained as a Street Medic for actions, informs the soldiers that Hanin needs immediate medical care. The soldiers are reluctant, "We'll be done soon," they say. But one is a paramedic, and Melissa and Jessica are able to make him see the seriousness of the situation. They allow the two of them to violate curfew, to run through the dark streets to the clinic, come back with two nurses who somehow get Hanin and the family into an ambulance and taken to the hospital. This story could be worse. Because Jessica and Melissa were there, Hanin and the baby survive. That is, after all, why we've come: to make things not quite as bad as they would be otherwise. But there is no happy ending to this story, no cheerful resolution. When the soldiers pull out, I go back to say goodbye to Hanin, who has come back from the hospital. She is looking dull, depressed: something is broken. I don't know if it can be repaired, if she will ever be the same. Her resilience is gone; her eyes have lost their light. She writes her name and phone number for me, writes "Hnin love you." I don't know how the story will ultimately end for her. I still see in the cards destruction, sleepless nights of anguish, death. This is not a story of some grand atrocity. It is a story about 'normal', about what it's like to under an everyday, relentless assault on any sense of safety or sanctuary. "What was that song about the train?" I ask Neta after the soldiers are gone. "Didn't you hear?" she asks me. "The soldiers came and got the old woman, at one o'clock in the morning, and made her sing the song. I don't think I'll ever be able to sing it again." "What source can you believe in order to create peace there?" a friend writes. I have no answer. Every song is tainted; every story goes on too long and turns nasty. A boy whose baby dreams are disturbed by gunfire kisses a soldier. A soldier kisses a boy, and then destroys his home. Or maybe he simply stands by as others do the destruction, in silence, that same silence too many of us have kept for too long. And if there are forces that can nurture peace they must first create an uproar, a vast breaking of silence, a refusal to stand by as the boot stomps down. http://www.starhawk.org/ copyright © Starhawk 2002 (This story carries my copyright to protect my rights to future publication. You have permission to send it on, post it on the Internet, reprint it in relevant newsletters, etc. If possible, please distribute it with my website, not my personal email address. I can be contacted through the website above, Starhawk) [c] Amira Hass on "temporary measures" http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=175376&contrassID =2&subContrassID=4&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y Ha'aretz, June 12 Long-term sieges By Amira Hass The far-reaching significance of Israel's siege policy and the institutionalization of the pass system for travel through the West Bank is in direct contradiction to the minimal - if any - interest shown in Israel about the phenomenon. The siege policy is perceived as a legitimate means to prevent attacks on Israelis inside Israel, and on soldiers and settlers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since September 2000, the sieges on all the Palestinian cities and villages has been increasingly tightened and at the same time, motivation has risen among young Palestinians to kill themselves in suicide attacks on Israelis. The Palestinians understand that urge as a reaction to the concrete suffocation that the siege creates, as well as a metaphor for their utter lack of hope for a chance for free lives. On the Israeli side, the majority is convinced that there is no connection between the two and that if not for the sieges, the number of attacks would greatly increase. So, there's no point in wasting words on Israelis on the immorality of effectively locking up 3 million people in enclaves, between barbed wire and frightening army checkpoints. What the Palestinians perceive as ruthless collective punishment, the Israelis perceive as a necessary evil: It may cause "discomfort" to the innocent, but it is the system that puts limits on the use of lethal means in the hands of the army. For the same reason, explanations by the coordinator of government activity in the territories, that the pass system in the West Bank is meant to ease the situation for the Palestinians, sound logical. And the Israel Defense Forces has been doing what it can in the past few weeks to make it easier for the government coordinator to make his position clear. The closure of every city, town and village is more and more hermetic, and more and more violent. That's why when people are being sent to the Civil Administration offices to ask for permission to do the most basic things in daily life - go to work, to school, to the doctor, to friends, to family - it appears humane. Nonetheless, here's a scenario built into the siege policy. Most people considered the pass system as a "temporary measure." But, since it now covers all Palestinian movement inside the territories, it's impossible to distinguish between it and the settlements' existence. The internal sieges are meant to protect their security and safety and the safety of the soldiers protecting the settlements. As opposed to the illusions of those who support peace, Israel does not regard the settlements as "temporary" or as a "bargaining card." The statistics about the growth of the settlements in the "peace decade" of Madrid and Oslo are proof of this. Bureaucratic institutions have a tendency to perpetuate themselves and their methods. The IDF and the Civil Administration will do all they can in the coming years to convince whoever they must that it's still not time to give up the travel pass system, which means maximum supervision of all Palestinian movement. Their approach will influence the political negotiations in the coming years. Just as the travel pass between Gaza and the West Bank became a permanent feature, the travel passes for movement inside the West Bank will become permanent. People will wait days and weeks for permission to go from one town to the next, and that permission won't be granted - whether because of a lack of manpower, or because of efforts to draft recruits as informants. Every commercial and industrial activity will require the good graces of an Israeli official who will apply his own personal translation to the rules handed down by the Shin Bet and the army, and those rules will change daily. As the World Bank has warned, sieges and closures are in direct contradiction to every principle of development and advancement of the private sector. It will only take a few months for the division of the West Bank into disconnected enclaves to reduce most of the Palestinian population into welfare cases. The higher education system will totally collapse - of course, the security authorities in Israel always have regarded the students as a dangerous population that should not be allowed to travel. It will be impossible to rehabilitate industry because of the need for credit in other cities, the marketing costs (the back-to-back trucking system, which requires multiple transfers of goods from one truck to the next on the outskirts of each town, forbidding direct transport of merchandise from town to town), the difficult in finding labor and the lack of land reserves (most of the open land is outside the areas under siege). Already the sieges are causing severe sanitation and health problems. There are signs of malnutrition, it is difficult to move refuse to areas outside the boundaries of the siege, and water is in short supply, particularly in those villages that depend on regular delivery of water containers. This is in addition to delays in medical supplies and vaccinations for infants. As unemployment mounts, such problems and many others will only get worse. The long-term imprisonment in the enclaves is paralyzing the senses, the desire and the ability to initiate, blocking both individual and collective creativity. But it presumably is pushing more desperate young people to dream about their own destructive reaction to the Israeli policy, no matter how difficult it will be to accomplish. This is only an imaginary scenario for those who aren't ready to look at what's going on a kilometer from their homes and those who aren't ready to think about "security" in terms that are far from long-term. [d] Gush Friday ad in Ha'aretz THE EVIL FENCE They promise us that the fence will bring security and peace; that it will separate the two peoples, so that each of them can live alone. That is a big lie. The truth is that east of the fence the occupation will continue, the settlements will multiply and the oppression will get worse – causing more resistance, hatred and attacks. The fence will not bring peace; it will be an alternative to peace. Its advocates argue that there is no partner for peace, because they are not ready to pay its price. It will create a prison for the Palestinians, a ghetto for the Jews. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Tomorrow, Saturday, we shall inspect the Evil Fence. If you want to join, call at once the Gush office, 03-5221732, and leave your name and phone number. Gush Shalom, Help us with donations to P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, Phone 972-3-5221732. Gush Shalom ad published in Ha'aretz, June 14, 2002. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew statements [WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + write subscribe in the subject line If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Jun 17 00:26:22 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] The fence is not going to deliver + more Message-ID: <3D0D1E9E.2839.2B18CFB@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [This billboard begins with some thoughts about the fence, and about a torpedoed effort to view it from both sides, written down by Adam Keller. In the end: a stark warning by Professor Kimmerling.] [1] The fence is not going to deliver + report on a bus trip - by Adam Keller [2] Tuesday, trial of the three internationals [3] Politicide - article of Baruch Kimmerling *******NB: We were informed that the refusers' protest at Mount Herzl, is taking place tomorrow, June 17 [as we forwarded in the Friday billboard], and NOT today as wrongly suggested in the Ha'aretz ad. Contact: orotlevy@yahoo.com [1] The fence is not going to deliver + report on a bus trip - by Adam Keller The main news item in Israel today is the fence, the celebrated "security fence" which the army is about to start erecting somehwere around the site of the Green Line, Israel's pre-'67 border, and which was the subject of a stormy debate at this morning's session of the Israeli cabinet. The settlers and their allies on the extreme right are up in arms about it, regarding erection of the fence as harbinger of Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders and the creation of a Palestinian state - their worst nightmare. For the same reason, quite a few people who consider themselves supporters of peace and opponents of the occupation are supporting the fence - in fact, there had been activists intensively lobbying over the past year for such a fence to be erected, and quite a few politicians hope to make political capital out of it. For such people, today is a time of celebration. Looking dispassionately at what Defence Minister Ben-Eliezer is actually launching today, with the approval of Prime Minister Sharon, both the doves' euphoria and the settlers' alarm seem highly premature and misplaced. For one thing, the fence is not exactly following the line of the pre- '67 border. In many places it departs from it by "a few kilometres here and there" - changes which are airily taken by politicians and generals who draw lines on a map, but which on the ground mean that in dozens of villages barbed wires and minefields will suddenly appear to seperate Palestinian peasants from their ancestral lands, peasants already hard-pressed by the events of the past two years and for whom these lands are the last remaining source of subsistance. In the area of Jerusalem, the intended line of the fence has nothing whatsoever to do with where the 1967 border was. Rather, its aim is to entrench the annexation of 1967, with the barbed wire seperating the 200,000 Palestinian inhabitants of East Jerusalem from their brethern in Bethlehem to the south, Ramallah to the north, and a host of villages and suburbs all around. For a Muslim or Christian inhabitant of the West Bank, visiting a Jerusalem shrine of one's faith - at present a difficult and risky endeavor, but still possible - would become truly impossible, once the fence is complete on all sides. Moreover, erection of a fence does not in itself mean that the army is going any time soon to withdraw behind that fence, or even to cease its prolonged incursions and invasions into Palestinian cities. In fact, Sharon had said quite clearly, over and over again, that this is NOT going to happen, that the army is not about to withdraw from anywhere, nor is any settlement going to be dismantled by the present government. There is, in fact, an obvious precedent: the Gaza Strip is already for many years surrounded on all sides by a fence - which makes it a huge prison for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, but it does not prevent Israeli settlers from keeping control over a full third of the strip's meager land, with the concomitant result that large military forces go on killing and getting killed, day after day, in order to maintain these settlements in place. Last Thursday soldiers guarding the settlement of Netzarim, shot and killed a nine- year old Palestinian child, in an incident which found hardly any mention on the Israeli or international press; this morning, a Yediot Aharonot headline hailed as heroes two soldiers killed last night "in defence of Dugit" - Dugit being a place in the north Gaza Strip inhabited by disgruntled settlers, who have long since given up and asked the government, repeatedly and in vain, to evacuate them. The fate of Gaza seems to be what Sharon has in mind for the West Bank as well - with the added complication that in addition to the fence on its outside the West Bank is to be divided and sub-divided into smaller and smaller enclaves, a process which is already well-advanced. (In a chance conversation with a contact in Hebron, we today heard of Beit Anun villagers bombarded with tear gas when they tried to get to their fields and vineyards, and of dedicated teachers transporting matriculation exam forms to the cut-off villages, on the backs of donkeys moving through steep mountain paths.) An Israeli population which lives under the constant threat of suicide bombings finds little room for empathy with the plight of Palestinians under occupation. With a complete distrust of the other side and the hope for peace at its lowest, the concept of "separation" makes the idea of a "Separation Fence" popular among broad parts of the Israeli public. Yet without an end to the occupation, "separation" will not bring about security. And with a true end to occupation there will be no need for a 'Chinese Wall'. * Yesterday (Sat., June 15) Gush Shalom organized a trip to see the fence from two sides. A Gush Shalom ad in Ha'aretz on Friday denounced "The Bad Fence" and called upon people to join in a trip and "see for themselves the fence and its effects". And indeed, on the following day we did get a unique demonstration of what "separation" is all about - though, it must be admitted, not exactly as planned. Our idea was to visit Bethlehem, which had suffered an invasion and curfew more prolonged than any other Palestinian city during Sharon's "Operation Defensive Shield" in April, with the suffering and destruction compounded in a repeat, week-long invasion in May. To boot, erection of the "separation fence" had already begun there two months ago, with no public announcement. When the inhabitants were finally able to leave their homes after more than a month of curfew they found the northern portion of their city completely transformed. Metres long and many kilometres long, rolls of a barbed wire has been spread - barbed wire of a new type, not seen before in the Palestinian territories, "wire like dozens of razor blades, one on top of the other" as an awed inhabitant described it over the phone. The army had not paid much respect to property rights, cutting thorugh the long-held lands of old Bethlehem families. Seeking to start judicial proceedings against the arbitrary seizure of their lands, the Palestinians discovered that the relevant land deeds had been removed from the municipal archive, during the month in which Bethlehem's Town Hall served as an Israeli military position... In earlier contacts with the Palestinians, a program was worked out: arrival at the Church of the Nativity and meetings with clergy and Christian worshippers; visit to the Town Hall - still scarred with some crude racist graffity left by a different kind of Israeli "visitors" in April - and a formal meeting with Mayor Hana Nasser and other civic leaders as well as mayors from neighboring towns; surveying different public and private institutions which were damaged in the April and May invasions, and observing the feverish efforts made to repair the damage, despite the acute awareness that a new invasion may come at any time; and finally, of course, the visit to the site of the new fence, in company with the landowners whose lands had become inaccessible. In preparing for the action, we did not quite keep conspiratorial rules; that was not compatible with trying to mobilize the maximum number of Israelis ready to see for themselves what had been happening such a short distance - yet so far away. Indeed, it was not difficult to fill a bus and several smaller cars with people of good will - but in the process, our intentions became known to the police and military, who turned out to be highly attentive and interested. Already while gathering at the terminal in Tel-Aviv's Arlozorov Street Railway Station, traditional rendezvous of the peace movement, we had an unaccustomed visit from the police, who asked questions and demanded to see I.D.'s - especially that of the bus driver, who happened to be the only Arab on the spot. That was the prelude. It was powefully followed up when we tried to use "The Tunnel Road" which goes southward from Jerusalem, bypassing Bethlehem, being mainly reserved for settler traffic and with Palestinian traffic strickly excluded. A side road can take you into Bethlehem - most times in the year. But on this particular day, there was a police roadblock waiting. An exceptionally large roadblock, with many dozens of police and at least ten patrol cars and jeeps. They knew who we were, too, no use to pretend to being innocent hikers. "I have been instructed to tell you that Bethlehem and all approaches to Bethlehem have been declared closed military zones. We will permit absolutely no entry." "We are simply going to see the sights near Har Gilo, no further than that". "That's fine, but we will accompany you, just to make sure that you don't lose your way". And they did, too - a whole cavalcade of patrol cars in front and behind, for kilometres. An outside observer would have likely wondered who were the VIP's in that bus. We could have gone down on the road and started a vigil with our signs, in which case some of us would have probably ended up in police detention - which may have helped get publicity. But over the phone we heard that our friends in Bethlehem were still waiting and hoping for us to arrive. So, we decided to go back to Jerusalem and try a different route. In fact, we tried three different routes. They were all blocked. Even the very, very long and roundabout road, lasting an hour through the scenic mountains, had its own roadblock, and there too the police were expecting us. There was not even a real pretence of keeping up the "closed military zone" routine. When we pointed to a settler car being allowed through, they said openly "it is closed for you, not for them. Our instructions mention specifically the bus with these licence plates." (A single activist, travelling in a private car which was not recognized as belonging to us, did make it into Bethlehem and was enthusiastically received.) In a way, we should be flattered. The police thought us worth a major, carefully- planned and executed operation. Preventing a bunch of Israelis from meeting peaceably with Palestinians was considered high enough a priority to justify a significant expenditure of manpower - and that at a time when (according to the media) the police is mobilizing its forces "in an effort to intercept five dangerous suicide bombers". In the eyes of somebody, peace is the most explosive mixture of all. [2] Tuesday, trial of the three internationals ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Dorothy Naor Date sent: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 16:23:01 +0200 The trial of the three internationals, arrested at Balata Refugee Camp and facing deportation, has been moved up to this Tuesday, June 18, 14:00. Please come to support them at the Administrative Court in Jerusalem, on the third floor of the District Court building, Salah A'Din Street opposite the Ministry of Justice. [A vivid description of the earlier session and about what these internationals stand for in Tom Segev's "Three Volunteers in Limbo" of last Friday - appearing in today's Ha'aretz online among "features": http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=176264&contrassID=2& subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y ] [3] Politicide - article of Baruch Kimmerling ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "yitzhak laor" http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Articles/KimmerlingPoliticide.htm The Politicide of the Palestinian People by Baruch Kimmerling June 11, 2002 Because Ariel Sharon's latest, more moderate incarnation has been so warmly received by the Bush administration, the US media, and the American public, it is crucial to understand both the context of his transformation and the actual behavior of the Israeli government toward the Palestinian people. The general context is that the primary goal of the present government is the destruction of the Palestinian Authority and the dismantling of the Oslo Accords. This can only be defined as the politicide of the Palestinian people, a gradual but systematic attempt to cause their annihilation as an independent political and social entity. For this reason, Ariel Sharon has skillfully used the brutal and indiscriminant forms of Palestinian resistance - especially the suicide bombers - to create a chain of mutually escalating responses in order to induce both the Israeli and international community to accept his goal. Using the fight against terrorism as a pretext, he aims to divide the Gaza Strip and West Bank into tiny enclaves ruled by local strongmen while claiming he is supporting the "reformation" and "democratization" of the Palestinian authority. The final aim is to continue the Jewish colonization of the so-called "Greater Land of Israel" until Israel's exclusive and non-reversible control of the territories has been attained. Some analysts suspect or hope that one outcome of this project is to make daily life so miserable for Palestinians that large numbers will emigrate from the territories, something that has, in fact, occurred during the last few years. Sharon learned from the Lebanon fiasco that, while such policies must be implemented militarily, they must cause minimal casualties. Otherwise, both international agencies and public opinion could turn against them. To minimize Jewish casualties, it is necessary to deploy large, heavily armed forces and to use cruel techniques like razing whole neighborhoods. Resistance is met with heavy fire power, as was the case in Jenin. The immediate aim of "Operation Defensive Shield" was to disarm "bases of terrorism" by capturing weapons and explosives and to "liquidate" or capture those involved in Palestinian armed resistance. In other words, the goal was to dismantle any Palestinian security forces, not only to hamper their ability to fight Israel, but to dissolve the internal authority of Arafat's regime as well. For the same reason, Israel security forces also assaulted most of the national and public infrastructure and institutions and even destroyed databases like the one used by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistic. Additional goals of the incursions, sieges, and extra-judicial executions were to demonstrate Israeli military might and its willingness to use it and to prove to the Palestinians that there were defenseless against any wanton action. The Arab states barely paid lip service to the Palestinian cause, denouncing Israeli actions just enough to avoid internal unrest, apparently because they feared Israel was looking for a regional war. Such a war could distract the Israeli public from the severe economic and social crisis within Israel (such as a high unemployment rate and the beginnings of hyperinflation) and serve as a cover for uprooting large numbers of Palestinians from the land, as happened during the 1948 war. However, the international community, including the United States, will soon recognize that in an era during which every nation (including the Jewish and Palestinian nations) has the right to self- determination, politicide is a crime against humanity that is very close in its severity to genocide. Baruch Kimmerling is a professor of sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Among his recent books are The Invention and Decline of Israelieness (University of California Press) and with Joel S. Migdal Palestinians: The Making of a People (The Free Press and Harvard University Press). NB: The campaign to free Marwan Barghouti is getting organized - go to http://www.freebarghouti.org/ ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew statements [WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + write subscribe in the subject line If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Tue Jun 18 18:36:33 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] Only end to occupation will dry up suicide bombings Message-ID: <3D0F6FA1.11927.174A300@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Press release [translation from Hebrew version sent to Israeli press] = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Nineteen new victims fell on the altar of the occupation Only the end of the occupation will dry up suicide bombings = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ”Yet another nineteen innocent victims have today fallen on the vain altar of the ongoing occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip” says Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc. “The occupation regime, which has lasted thirty-five years – nearly two thirds of Israel’ total history – is the hothouse of despair and hatred, from which suicide bombers originate. The ongoing denial of basic rights to a population of three and a half million drives some of the occupied population to a despicable means of responding - the random killing of Israeli civilians - which deserves all condemnation and which plays directly into the hands of Sharon and the extreme right. Despicable as they are, there can be no military means of ending the suicide bombings, no way forward by main force: neither bombings from the air nor incursions and invasions on the ground. “Operation Defensive Shield” in April failed to put an end to the suicide bombings, and the same will prove true of the even more extensive and brutal operations envisioned in the IDF contingency plans and fervently advocated by the settlers and the extreme right. The “Separation Fence”, recently proposed as a cure-all by some circles, will prove no real solution. The retaliatory and punitive raids by the army, of which some more are expected tonight, do manage to intercept some potential suicide bombers – but the very same raids and incursions, by demonstrating the brutality of the occupation, also increase on the Palestinian side the motivation for reribution and help the recruitment of new suicide bombers. Only an end to the occupation by political means, allowing a fair expression of the basic Palestinian aspirations, can dry up the suicide bombing phenomenon at its source and provide new hope to the desperate young Palestinians from whose ranks the bombers are recruited. For further details: Adam Keller, Gush Shalom spokesperson, 03-5565804 or 056-709603 From info at gush-shalom.org Fri Jun 21 23:01:12 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] Without peace, death reigns supreme Message-ID: <3D13A228.21632.17F5C5C@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [Through billboard we forward about twice a week what is on the agenda, based upon our own material and on announcements received from others. We include articles and reports. For more information, approach the addresses appearing in each item.] [1] Seven children killed - Adam Keller [2] Without peace, death reigns supreme [Gush Shalom in weekly ad] [3] Stop Suicide Bombings (the appeal by Palestinian public figures) [4] Peace Now Tel-Aviv demo this Weekend, Saturday June 22 [5] Two more refuseniks jailed [6] Study day in Haifa about conscientious objection [7] Collecting books for library in unrecognized village [8] Internationals continue to report from within Jenin [9] PHR-Israel: Court Ruling Secures Care for Palestinian Patient but Avoids Question of Control vs. Responsibility [10] Two exhibitions at Givat Haviva [11] 90% [of the settlers] ready to leave - Akiva Eldar in Ha'aretz ---- [1] Seven children killed - Adam Keller Seven children, killed within twenty-four hours. Seven young victims of the occupation. Three Israeli settler children, who have never known any life but that of settlers at the religious-nationalist settlement of Itamar on the West Bank, killed by an armed Palestinian breaking in. Four Palestinian children, born into life under occupation at Jenin, killed by the shell of an occupying Israeli tank. Two societies locked in a terrible struggle: Israelis, living under the shadow of the sucide bombings, feeling little and no empathy for the Palestinian suffering; an Israeli cabinet launching once again a massive invasion of the Palestinian cities, with the very ministers who voted for the measure knowing it to be futile; desperate Palestinians regarding suicide bombings as the one way of getting back at their oppressors - despite the obvious way these bombings play into Sharon's hands, despite the increasingly vocal opposition to the bombings inside the Palestinian society itself. The present situation is eroding and destroying two societies. [2] Without peace, death reigns supreme [Gush Shalom in weekly ad] WITHOUT PEACE, DEATH REIGNS SUPREME Peace has a price. We all know it: ending the occupation, dismantling the settlements and establishing the Palestinian state. But the price of the occupation is far higher: blood and bereavement without end. A band of bankrupt politicians, generals and police commanders is trying to hide their failure by inventing new tricks every week: fences, obstacles, trenches, incursions, executions, closures, blockades, Jerusalem Envelope. After the failure of “Defensive Shield”, they now propose “Defensive Shield Plus”. Tricks will not help: without the hope of peace, death will continue to reign. Gush Shalom, Help us with donations to P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, Phone 972-3-5221732. Gush Shalom ad published in Ha'aretz, June 21, 2002 [3] Stop Suicide Bombings (the appeal by Palestinian public figures) ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 15:15:24 +0200 From: "MIFTAH" Urgent Appeal to Stop Suicide Bombings We the undersigned feel that it is our national responsibility to issue this appeal in light of the dangerous situation engulfing the Palestinian people. We call upon the parties behind military operations targeting civilians in Israel to reconsider their policies and stop driving our young men to carry out these operations. Suicide bombings deepen the hatred and widen the gap between the Palestinian and Israeli people. Also, they destroy the possibilities of peaceful co-existence between them in two neighboring states. We see that these bombings do not contribute towards achieving our national project that calls for freedom and independence. On the contrary, they strengthen the enemies of peace on the Israeli side and give Israel’s aggressive government under Sharon the excuse to continue its harsh war against our people. This war targets our children, elderly, villages, cities, and our national hopes and achievements. Military action is viewed are not assessed as positive or negative exclusively out of the general context and situation. They assessed based on whether they fulfill political ends. Therefore, there is a need to re- evaluate these acts considering that pushing the area towards an existential war between the two people living on the holy land will lead to destruction for the whole region. We do not find any logical, humane, or political justification for this end result. Signatories: Below are some of the Palestinian intellectuals and public figures who have signed the petition: Dr. Sari Nuseiba Dr. Hanan Ashrawi Saleh Ra’fat Salah Zuheika Mamdouh Nofal Hanna Sineora Dr. Mohammad Ishtiya Ibrahim Kandalaft Dr. Eyad El-Sarraj Dr. Moussa El-Budeiri Huda El-Imam Dr. Marwan Abu El-Zuluf Saman Khoury Dr. Said Zidani Dr. Omayya Khammash Dr. Jad Is’haq Dr. Manuel Hassasian Salah Abdel Shafi Shaher Sa’ad Dr. Mohammad Dajani Imad Awad Fadel Tahboub Majed Kaswani Taysir El-Zibri Dr. Ahmad Majdalani Dr. Taleb Awad Khader Sh’kirat Zahi Khouri Majed Abu Qubo’ Ehab Boulous Dr. Isam Nassar Dr. Salim Tamari Dr. Suad El-Ameri Dr. Adam Abu Sh’rar Dr. Riema Hamami Subhi El-Z’beidi Dr. Munther El-Dajani Osama Daher Simone Cupa Jeana Abu El-Zuluf Yousef Daher Jamal Zaqout Dr. Saleh Abdel Jawwad Dr. Nathmi El-Ju’ba Dr. Jamil Hilal Dr. Arafat El-Hadmi Dr. Leila Faydi Dr. Zakaria El-Qaq Amna Badran Dr. Ali Q’leibo Marwan Tarazi Dr. Raja’I El-Dajani Issa Q’seisiya Hani El-Masri Dr. Jumana Odeh Lucy Nuseiba Abdel Qader El-Husseini Zahra El-Khaldi [4] Peace Now Tel-Aviv demo this Weekend, Saturday June 22 [We didn't receive this week updated information about the simultaneous Peace Now events in other towns.] ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Ori Ginat" Date sent: Tue, 18 Jun 2002 18:25:37 +0200 We had a brilliant demo last week, more than expected. We will meet again this weekend, Saturday, June 22 20:00. Same place, in front of the MacDonald's and the American embassy. The expectation this week is higher, I'm asking each and everyone of you to pass on this e-mail to his friends and let everybody know the new details. For any sort of information, please feel free to call Ori: 03-5663291 054-405157 or mail to: ori@peacenow.org.il [5] Two more refuseniks jailed ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "peretz kidron" Date sent: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 23:02:35 +0200 YESH GVUL Dear friend, Two more refuseniks have been jailed: Infantry First Sgt. (res.) Guy Rozin, (Military ID 3777618) was sentenced on June 16 to 28 days. Guy Rozin (28), an independent caterer from Tel Aviv, is the brother of refusenik Eyal Rozin; he is married with 2 children. Guy was called to duty in the April emergency call-up. On reporting, he told his superiors he refused to serve in the territories, and was sent home. Some days later, his officers contacted him and tried to talk him into joining the unit at Psagot. Guy reiterated his refusal to serve in the territories, though adding that he'd consider an alternative posting. Last Thursday his unit made contact to notify him he was a deserter and would stand trial for that offence. At his trial on Sunday, Guy did not admit the desertion charge, but was found guilty and sent to jail. He has appealed his sentence but has received no reply to date. Also sentenced to 14 days in Military Prison 4 on June 17 was R.B.N. (at his request, his name and particulars are withheld). Guy's address: First Sgt. (res.) Guy Rozin, (Military ID 3777618) Military Prison 4 Military Postal No. 02507, IDF, Israel Guy can also be contacted via: daphna_r@zahav.net.il Currently serving prison sentences are 9 refuseniks of different categories. This is a significant number, though it marks a reduction from the record total of 69 jailed in April, when "Operation Defensive Shield" involved a massive emergency call-up of reservists. After a series of contradictory statements by IDF spokesmen, it now seems that the current offensive in the occupied territories does after all involve a renewed call-up of reserve units, and a further wave of refusals can be expected. PERETZ KIDRON - RAM RAHAT [6] Study day in Haifa about conscientious objection ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Sergeiy Sandler Date sent: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 16:18:23 +0200 Dear Friends,  We would like to invite you to participate in a study day that will take place in Haifathis Saturday. The study day is for objectors, avoiders of military service of all ages and creeds, their friends and parents and anyone who would like to exchange their experiences in this field.  The study day will take place the coming Saturday, 22 June, in Beit Ruttenberg, Sderot Ha-Nasi 77, Haifa. We will assemble at 11:30 and the event will probably end at around 17:00. Attached you will find an invitation in Hebrew.  Please circulate the invitation to people that you think will be interested. We also have versions of this invitation in Russian and in Arabic, which can be found on the New Profile website - www.newprofile.org. See you there, Ruti Hiller and Sergeiy Sandler - New Profile [7] Collecting books for library in unrecognized village ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Devorah Brous" Date sent: Tue, 18 Jun 2002 08:31:02 +0200 LIBRARY Collecting books--last call--for the library Bustan is creating at the unrecognized village, Kochli-Abu Rabiyya. PLEASE CALL IF YOU HAVE BOOKS TO CONTRIBUTE: 053 711 800 (Elementary and Intermediate levels in Hebrew, Arabic and English) To receive updates on Bustan actions promoting human rights and land rights, please send an email to: bustanlshalom-subscribe@yahoogroups.com [8] Internationals continue to report from within Jenin ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Huwaida Arraf Date sent: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 20:40:21 -0700 (PDT) Jenin, June 20 2002 Internationals in Jenin continue to report on the invasion of the camp launched at 1am on June 19. It began with aerial bombing from Apache helicopters followed by shelling from approximately 50 tanks that lasted until 7am June 19th. The Israeli army proceeded from house to house, making arrests, looting and vandalizing stores, and trashing and exploding houses. Caoimhe Butterly from Ireland saw injuries from severe beatings, including of children as young as 13. Men were bound hand and foot. Caoimhe herself was beaten twice, called a "Nazi Cow" and an "Arab fucker" for "helping Palestinian terrorists." Late on the 19th, the Army announced from the tanks that all men between 15-50 years of age were to report to a school in Jenin. Between 2000-2500 men went to the school where soldiers detained, strip searched, and left them under guard on the main street. Among those detained were:! a man in a wheelchair, a blind man, a man on crutches, a man with severe mental illness, and several children under 15 years of age. Many detainees were never given time to get their ID papers; they are in a very precarious situation as a result. Soldiers took these men to Salam military base and released some of them to Romnaneh and Burkeen, telling them not to return to Jenin until Saturday. The Army is still in Jenin destroying houses. They have exploded 12 houses after evacuating the families. Five bulldozers are at the outskirts of the city and have already damaged a school. The camp's population is now women, children, and elderly. Ambulances are being blocked. The Israeli Army has cut water, electricity, and telephone lines in the camp. The Army is beginning to repeat in Jenin city what it has doen in the camp, going house to house and rounding up the men as well as shelling sporadically. One so! ldier is walking the streets beating people with a baton. The Army also invaded Bethlehem this morning at 4am, imposed a curfew, and is starting to go house to house. In Jenin: Jim Davis 053-812874 Ireland Caoimhe Butterly. 055-975374 Ireland Juliana Friedman, US 067-373-467 Tubias Carlson, Sweden 067-362-344 Rick Rowley, US 067-456-158 Rebecca Murray, US 055-558-954 Hyung-mi Kim, Korea 067-373-467 [9] PHR-Israel: Court Ruling Secures Care for Palestinian Patient but Avoids Question of Control vs. Responsibility ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: PHR-Israel Date sent: Mon, 17 Jun 2002 22:32:20 +0200 PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS–ISRAEL UPDATE June .17th, 2002 THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE DECIDES; PALESTINIAN CHILD WITH A LIFE-THREATENING DISEASE WILL RECEIVE TREATMENT IN AN ISRAELI HOSPITAL. NO PRECEDENTIAL DECISION REGARDING ISRAEL'S RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS HEALTH CARE IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES WAS REACHED. On June 11th, 2002, the High Court ruled in the case of four and a half year old Shams A-Din Tabia from Jericho who is in dire need of medical treatment that cannot be obtained in the Occupied Territories. The Court decided that an Israeli hospital would accept the Palestinian Authority's commitment for payment for the boy's life-saving medical treatment in Israel. Once the commitment is received the boy can begin treatment for his disease at the Sha'are Zedek Medical Center in West Jerusalem. (Please see previous press release below for further details) Over the past few days arrangements for the provision of the commitment for payment by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah were impeded due to the curfew that has been imposed upon the city. The commitment did arrive today, June 17th, from the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza. We wish the best for Shams A-Din and hope for his speedy recovery. While this case has helped one little boy, it has not solved the larger issue at hand. The High Court of Justice refused to take this opportunity to make a precedential ruling that would determine the nature of Israel's responsibility for the well-being of Palestinians under its control. Israel's approach towards provision of healthcare to the Palestinian population has been inconsistent at best, and the crucial question remains: what are the moral ramifications when Israel maintains control over the Palestinian community in the Occupied Territories but at the same time shrugs off its responsibility to ensure provision of services to the occupied population? For further analysis of this case please see Gideon Levy's article in Ha'aretz, June 16th, 2002. www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=176667&contrassID=2&subC ontrassID=4&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y *** PHR–Israel in an Urgent Appeal to the High Court of Justice: The State of Israel is Obligated to Provide Medical Care for a Palestinian Child with a Life-Threatening Disease. PRESS RELEASE June .9th, 2002 Four and a half year old Shams A-Din Tabia from Jericho suffers from a life threatening disease for which he cannot receive medical treatment in the Occupied Territories. Suffering from x-linked limphoproliferative disorder, the same kind of cancer from which his brother died nine years ago at the age of three, Shams must receive chemotherapy treatment promptly. There exists no hospital in the Occupied Territories that can provide adequate treatment for a child with this rare and dangerous disease. Prof. Abrahamov from the Children's Oncology Department at the Sha'are Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem is willing and able, after having examined the child, to provide him with the necessary medical treatment. But who is to pay? PHR-Israel, having approached the Civil Administration on June 5th, 2002 and having received no satisfactory reply, has today, June 9th, 2002, filed a petition to the High Court of Justice to cover medical expenses that will be accrued during treatments, Shams will not receive treatment if his expenses are not covered. In its petition, PHR-Israel quotes section 16 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and High Court ruling 2936/02 which states: " However, the State emphasizes that the IDF sees itself as committed to fulfilling the rules of Humanitarian Law not only because these ensue from the rulings of International Law, but also for moral and utilitarian considerations" (transl. PHR-Israel) It is PHR-Israel's belief that Israel is responsible for the well-being of this child as an occupying power and that it has a moral and legal obligation to provide this child with the necessary medical treatment, particularly in a case such as this, where the treatment is a life-saving one . We await the Court's ruling. [10] Two exhibitions at Givat Haviva ----- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Mohammad Darawshe" Date sent: Tue, 18 Jun 2002 05:51:23 +0200 Exhibition -Conclusion of Two Projects  "The Language of the Land" & "Through Others' Eyes"  25 June 2002 at 17:00 at The Arts Center, Givat Haviva  Under the Auspices of:  Ms. Yvonne Silverman - Chair of the Board of Givat Haviva Educational Foundation - USA  Arab and Jewish Mayors and dignitaries  * "The Language of the Land" is a unique educational project which deals with encounters between Jewish and Arab youth through the arts. Art in all its forms is a direct means and tool for bridging gaps and cultures, and bringing people together through joint activity.  In this project, a meetinghouse based on a geodesic dome with walls of earth was built by the youth. The issue of "land" is a key issue, symbolizing disagreement in the Middle East conflict, but on the other hand, in this project, it comprises a good connection and means of fostering dialogue.  The meetinghouse will serve as a hut to host encounters between Arabs and Jews seeking dialogue and understanding, working to build a common future built on acceptance, justice, and cooperation.   * "Through Others' Eyes" exhibit reflects the cooperative work of Jewish and Arab youth, from Kafr Qare' and Mevo'ot Irron schools. They used cameras to learn photography while documenting the lives of the other. At the beginning the youth photographed each other, and then each other's homes and environment. This gave them anopportunity to get aquainted with the families and lives of what was previously considered a hostile community. The project helped the students to learn first hand how to perceive the other.  Mohammad Darawshe Director of Public Relations Givat Haviva, The Jewish-Arab Center for Peace Tel: +972-(0)4-6309266 Fax: +972-(0)4-6309305 Mobile: +972-(0)64-475437 [11] 90% [of the settlers] ready to leave - Akiva Eldar in Ha'aretz ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Ran HaCohen Date: Wed Jun 19, 2002 01:37:32 AM US/Pacific I'd like to turn your attention to a short important text by Akiva Eldar (hebrew Haaretz, 18.6), typically OMITTED from his text in Haaretz' English edition. The following provisory translation is therefore my own - rh. 90% Ready to leave (Akiva Eldar, Haaretz [hebrew only], 18.6.2002) Minister Affe Eitam accused the other day the initiators of the security fence of "forsaking the security of 200.000 Israelis" living on its eastern side. But a research conducted in the past year may actually imply that it is Eitam and a negligable minority of "ideological settlers" who forsake the security of most of the Israeli citizens living in the West Bank.      According to the research, which is due to be published in the coming weeks, less than 10% of the settlers in the territories, i.e. less than 5,000 families, replied negatively to the question whether they would be ready to return to Israel for a reasonable compensation. What is meant is a sum of money that will enable them to purchase a reasonable flat in central Israel. When this research is published, the Israeli public will understand that the government holds hostage more than 180.000 people.      At the end of 1993, short after the signing of the Oslo accord, Knesset Member Yossi Katz (Labour) initiated a compensation plan for settlers who expressed their wish to evacuate their homes. Katz says it was a reaction to the requests of many families who had moved to the territories for reasons of "quality of life". Thanks to Katz plan, several hundred familis who then returned to the Green Line received 800 NIS [$200] a month as rent aid.      In 1999, after a big Knesset majority had vetoed law proposals to compensate the settlers, KM Anat Maor [Meretz] decided to try once more. She got the idea from an approach of the settlers of Rimonim. KM Chaim Ramon, initiator of the idea of evacuating the settlers who live outside the "blocks" near the Green Line, as well as the rest of his colleagues of Labour, did not give a hand to Maor's proposal. Ramon says that private law proposals are not a suitable airstrip for this kind of initiatives. Nevertheless, he would bless his representatives in the cabinet if they initiate a plan to rehabilitate settlers that the only thing keeping them in the territories is the mortgage on a house that no one wants to buy from them.      A letter sent last month to research institutes that seek solutions for the problem of Palestinian refugees and Israeli settlers indicates that the issue bothers the American administration too. In her letter, Meredith Lobel [sp.?] of the research department of ASHOKA, specialising in social and communital initiatives world-wide, writes that "senior government officials who deal with the peace process" asked the head of the institute, William Driton [sp.?], to present helpful ideas. ASHOKA is now working on a sort of "rehabilitation package for the heroes of peace". Alongside with assistance in housing, education andemployment, the plan suggests turning the refugees and the settlers from the victims of peace to its flagbearers. NB: The campaign to free Marwan Barghouti is getting organized - go to http://www.freebarghouti.org/ ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew statements [WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + write subscribe in the subject line If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Jun 23 00:07:13 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: (Fwd) UPMRC - Urgent Appeal From Nablus Message-ID: <3D150321.29034.2C7477@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Here follows a message from Palestine Monitor which we know as a serious source of information and coming out of Nablus where the international media have now no access. Several other Palestinian cities on the West Bank - such as Bethlehem, Tulkarm, Kalkiliya and Jenin - are undergoing the same treatment. ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Palestine Monitor" To: Subject: UPMRC - Urgent Appeal From Nablus Date sent: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 20:21:58 +0200 Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC) Urgent Appeal From Nablus June 22, 2002 The Israeli army has launched a massive military operation against Nablus City, including its four refugee camps. For the fourth time in three months Israeli troops have reinvaded the city and suburbs under the pretext of fighting terrorism. However according to the Israelis, this time the invasion will be for a longer period of time. The one hundred and fifty thousand residents of Nablus are forced to remain inside their homes as a strict 24-hour military curfew has been imposed over the city. Already Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles have vandalized the streets of the city causing enormous physical damage to the infrastructure. Additionally they have taken permanent positions on top of high buildings, forcing the residents to remain in one apartment of the building. Mass arrests are taking place in most of the neighbourhoods of the city – thus far dozens of Palestinians have been seized and sent to detention centers. The whole social, educational and medical systems have come to a standstill; the end of year high school exam (tawjeehi) has been cancelled due to the fact that students are unable leave their homes to attend school. Medical teams are prevented from moving freely, ambulances are frequently stopped and medical personnel are harassed. One doctor and the driver of Medical from medical relief were detained for two hours while attempting to transport an ill two-year-old baby. Yet again the Israeli army is creating a situation of fear and terror among the civilian population, as well as endangering their lives. There is no justification for the attacks on civilians, and collective punishment Palestinians are subjected to. This latest Israeli aggression against Palestinians is another facet of the continuing aggression of the Israeli occupation. The international community should realize that the main cause of the current dangerous situation in the region is this occupation, and security and regional stability will not assured until this occupation is ended. We appeal to the international community to intervene immediately and force the Israeli government to comply with international law and to withdraw its forces immediately from the Palestinian areas. For more information contact Dr Mustafa Barghouthi – +972 (0)50 254 218, and Dr. Allam Jarar in Nablus, +972 (0)59 649133 ------- End of forwarded message ------- From info at gush-shalom.org Tue Jun 25 13:34:09 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] The speech: beautiful words bypassing ugly reality Message-ID: <3D186341.26954.341413@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Press release ==================================== The speech: beautiful words bypassing ugly reality ==================================== Democratic reforms, a practicing democracy based on liberty and tolerance, an effective legislature, an independent judiciary, separation of powers, a new constitution - so many rosy items did the President of the United States set out for the Palestinians, in his long-awaited speech on the Middle East. Somehow, throughout his speech George W. Bush managed to avoid any mention of the present situation in the same parcel of land where all these wonderful things are to materialize. No mention of the fact that all West Bank cities had been invaded by Israeli military forces; that hundreds of thousands of inhabitants are imprisoned in their homes by a strict curfew, and that civilians appearing on city streets risk having tanks shoot shells on them (while the speech was delivered in Washington, Israeli soldiers completed the takeover of Hebron, killing three Palestinian policemen in the process); that even before that conquest, the towns and villages where Bush would have a flourishing market economy set up are cut off from each other by checkpoints and closures and sieges, with inhaibitants replacing their cars with donkeys able to negotiate narrow mountain paths. How are Palestinians to implement any kind of reforms under such circumctances? How are they to reform a Palestinian Authority which is being systematically chocked out of existence? How could elections be held "before the end of the year" without a pullout of Israeli forces, and some assurance of their non- interference? And what would President Bush do if Palestinian voters, exercising their democractic right to choose, re-elect Yasser Arafat as their leader? Would that democratic choice be set aside in yet another military invasion? And even if "new Palestinian leaders" would get elected, pass Bush's careful scrutiny, and try to "fight terrorism" as the president so vocally demands, would they be assured of the basic conditions for doing so? Would their efforts not be continually thwarted by Sharon, as are those of the existing Palestinian leadership? In the Gaza Strip, the one parcel of land where the Palestinian Authority retains some measure of control and where it tried in the past few days to take some action against Hamas, Israeli forces yesterday committed the provocation of assassinating a major Hamas leader (together with five family members who happened to travel in a taxi with that leader, and who got killed by the same missile which killed him). The root cause of terrorism and suicide bombing (or "homicide bombing" as the president insisted upon calling it) was hardly addressed at all: the situation of young Palestinians under an increasingly tight occupation, who see themselves oppressed and dispossessed, deprived of all hope and expectation for the future, abandoned by the world, and who reach the point where they decide to blow themselves up in order to kill random Israelis. No end to terrorism can be expected without offering some tangible hope to such people, to dry up the phenomenon of suicide bombing at the source. President Bush's speech - making strident demands upon the weaker party to the conflict, and only vague polite requests upon the stronger side - contributes little to that cause. No wonder that Sharon expressed immense satisfaction with the speech - but the two peoples, locked in this terrible struggle, pay the price for the arrogance, short-sightedness and lack of resolve of the dweller in the White House. Adam Keller - Gush Shalom spokesperson From info at gush-shalom.org Tue Jun 25 20:23:22 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] Peres calls speech 'fatal mistake' + more Message-ID: <3D18C32A.20902.1AACB70@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [Through this billboard we share some of the less predictable Israeli comments to the speech of Bush. We also include two reports sent by internationals who were at the time of the speech observing what was going on on the ground, as well as a report of the Physicians for Human Rights. Israeli readers, please pay attention also to the request for contacts.] [1] FM Peres predicts a bloodbath [2] Yediot Aharonot: Bush can wait - we can't [3] Report from the beleaguered Muqata [4] Another human shield worker reports from Balata [5] Request of internationals for contacts in the Israeli peace movement [6] Recent Incursion into the West Bank Renews Attacks on Ambulances [1] FM Peres predicts a bloodbath Some of the most outspoken criticism of President Bush's speech on the Middle East came from none other than Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister in the Sharon Government. The veteran Yediot Aharonot journalist Shimon Shiffer had watched Peres watching the Bush speech on TV last night and today gave a vivid description: "Shimon Peres' face became more and more weary and angry, the longer Bush went on with his speech. "He is making a fatal mistake" remarked Peres. "Making the creation of a Palestinian state dependant upon a change in the Palestinian leadership is a fatal mistake" he repeated again and again. "Arafat has led the Palestinians for 35 years, kept their head above the water in the international arena. No, no, you can't just brush him aside with one speech." Peres did not watch the speech to the very end. He got up, turned off the TV and left the room, saying before he left: "The abyss into which the region will plunge will be as deep as the expectations from this speech were high. There will be a bloodbath." For once, the words of Peres correspond quite closely to what we in Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc, feel. Therefore, we today decided to once again address a public appeal to Peres, something which we gave up in despair some time ago. We called upon Peres to leave the government immediately, to help get out the Labor Party as a whole, and to consistently address the Israeli and American public opinion in the spirit of his recent remarks. "It is your unique chance to atone a bitt for all the harm you have done, serving as a fig-leaf in a government of war and bloodshed." [2] Yediot Aharonot: Bush can wait - we can't The following, today's editorial of Yediot Aharonot - Israel's biggest mass- circulation paper - may interest you. (June 25, 2002 - written by Offer Shelach) A big smile must have spread over Ariel Sharon's face at listening to the Middle East speech of his good friend George W. Bush. After all the hesitations and delays, the highly publicized power struggles between the State Department and the Pentagon, the tense waiting and the inaccurate advance leaks (which included the briefing by the White House spokesperson, an hour before the speech itself) - after all these, the leader of the Free World came out with one single meassage: anything but Yasser Arafat. The man with the beard must go - in a free democratic way, of course. How many other people will be gone by then, ours and theirs, the president did not say. It is common to say that following September 11 the Bush Adaminstration is in the habit of dividing the world into goodies and baddies. It is true, but not the whole truth: even before that terrible day in New York, the president has been consistently dividing the world into those who are like America and those who are not. Those who are like America have tranparancy and a free market, elections to change the government and independent judiciaries. Those who are not like America have nothing. Bush's message to the Palestinians is simple: if you become like us, we will help you improve your life; if you don't, we will just wait until you do. The fact that a free market and an independent judiciary are impossible for a people under occupation does not appear to disturb Bush, member of a nation which saw no foreign invader on its soil for the past two centuries. Nor does the fact that legitimate self-defence against terrorism drags Israel into activities which perpetuate and aggravate that occupation interest a person who can send the marines anywhere he chooses and pull them out again at his discretion. And he does not seem to lose sleep even over the fact that while these contradictions bump against each other, the blood of hundreds of civilians is shed over here every month. As far as the White House is concerned, either a new America will arise here, or we will just have to wait. The White House is not concerned with many of us and how many of them will not survive to see that day. So, Arafat is an obstacle - to his people, to us and to the region; a despicable fanatic. Still, peoples are not in the habit of changing their leaders at an order from Washington. Just 90 miles from the shores of Florida there is a country ruled, for more than forty years, by a man which the United States government despises and in whose overthrow successive administrations invested enormous efforts. The Americans impose a blockade on Cuba, starve its people to punish them for daring to adopt such a regime, and wait for Fidel Castro or his people to take the hint. They are waiting for a long time already. And what is true in Cuba is certainly true in the Middle East. Amercica can wait for the Israelis and Palestinians, and they can wait for America while shedding each other's blood. In the coming days, we will undoubtedly hear a lot from Sharon's aides about how this great diplomatic coup was achieved, due to Sharon's charm and Arafat's sins. We will hear how wondefull it is that the American president was convinced to sit on his hands a bit longer, to give some more time for suicide bombings and military operations to follow upon each other undisturbed. We will hear how we won some more time, time in which we can continue to live in fear, to become a bit more impoverished and bit more desperate with every passing day. "Anything but Arafat". The president said it. What a great victory. It was a speech of encouragement to the rejectionists on both sides. No action of any kind was announced. No declaration was made of involvement - by the US alone, or togehter with its allies - in any effort to stop the intolerable bloodletting in one of the globe's most sensitive regions. There was nothing but the narrow worldview of a person who is willing to help everybody become an imitation Amercian, and wants nothing to do with anybody else. Nothing but a promise that, while the roses continue to bloom in the White House garden, the red spots seen on Israeli and Palestinian streets will be no flowers. [3] Report from the beleaguered Muqata ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "claude.leostic" Adam, here's the text I told you about. The situation is the same, surprising calm and silence. We hold fast Warm wishes Claude Monday 24 June Morning at the Muqata’a, after the troops of occupation re-invaded Ramallah. We had been waiting for them for 3 days Palestinians and Internationals together at the Muqata’a again. The nights were short. Would they come and settle like in Nablus, Qalqilya or Bethlehem, would they strike the compound again? The waiting was wearing, a psychological weapon in Sharon’s dirty war. There are worse, as Jenin once more shows dramatically. At 3 o’clock last night just after I had gone to bed O woke me up: ”they are coming, wake up”. Already armed and ready, he joined his comrades, kalashnikov and gas masks on their shoulders, waiting for the occupier to strike once again, determined to fight to defend the place and their president. Up and ready the Internationals who were then in the room where the “40” used to work and meet in April, moved to a safer place, passing soldiers at the ready on the staircases and landings protected by sandbags. All silent and calm, the frustration of the waiting gone, the anger subdued, the shebab cut an impressive sight in the night, in the rubble still remaining from the previous attack when the occupiers had shelled and bombed the buildings heavily. The night was long for most, the president and his assistants were conferring, the officers organising, we were shown how to use gas masks, and we waited. They have come, rolling through the night streets, to the refugee camps and around the presidential compound. At the Muqata’a the bulldozers have piled up earth and rubble to close the ways onto the parking lot which had just been repaired and cleaned anew. Inside, the defences have been re-inforced yet, more sandbags and containers blocking the entrance. Right now, writing this on the computer, I’m listening to Vaya Con Dios with 2 soldiers, one of them S a friend who shared the 33 days of the April siege with me, and it is surreal to be sitting here with him in this small building guarding the back door, moving to the music, with the song of the birds all around but with the tanks at the door, prowling the city, bearers of death and destruction. The waiting is going on. Until when? [4] Another human shield worker reports from Balata ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Rapprochement Centre" Date sent: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 09:13:48 +0200 1-from Marissa in Balata refugee camp Note: This is from Marissa, a PSC Seattle member, who joined the International Solidarity Movement to end the occupation for its Freedom Summer. She writes from the West Bank town of Nablus, refugee camp of Balata. Linda Hi all, I've only got a couple of minutes so I wanted to send a quick update. I'm staying in Balata Refugee camp outside of Nablus in the home of a family that has reason to fear that the occupation forces will demolish their home. Nablus has been under curfew for 5 days but it was lifted for a few hours today. The camp itself has not been under curfew yet but it will be in about an hour. I have so much to write about but little time. Every night between midnight and 2:00 AM the tanks ride up and down the streets throwing the occasional percussion grenade and firing machine guns into the air. The only apparent reason for this is to intimidate the people by disrupting their sleep and making sure that they know who's the boss. They demolished a home around the corner because they said it was a 'bomb factory' but the locals swear it wasn't. In the process they also demolished 6 attached homes. There is another home behind this one that they demolished for no reason and with no explanation. Everyone in this family has been touched deeply by the occupation. There is the widowed mother with 10 children, 8 boys and 2 girls. All of the boys have been injured many times. Less than a month ago the oldest son and his 12 year old son were walking home from buying vegetables when the occupation forces fired on them from behind with a tank shell. The father is now permanently disabled and must be pushed around in a wheelchair. His son lost a finger and may lose his thumb. Everyone has lost friends and family. There is tragedy everywhere you look. I've grown very fond of this family. I was just told that curfew is ending early and I must get back into Balata and go indoors. The army shoots anything that moves after they declare their arbitrary curfews. Later folks, Marissa [5] Request of internationals for contacts in the Israeli peace movement In these difficult times some peace activists from abroad, who read the many calls for international solidarity want to be in contact with an individual Israeli peace activist. This can be very important in the close future. If you are willing to invest a little of your precious time - please send us ( info@gush-shalom.org ) the following details: Full Name: Address Hobbies: Profession: Age: Tel. Number E-Mail [6] Recent Incursion into the West Bank Renews Attacks on Ambulances ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 15:12:14 +0200 From: PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS–ISRAEL UPDATE June .24th, 2002 Targeting Medical Care; Israel's Recent Incursion into the West Bank Renews Attacks on Ambulances. On Friday, June 21st, 2002, Israel initiated its most recent incursion into the Occupied Territories in the West Bank. The current military operation includes the reoccupation of Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, and while Israel claims it will take responsibility for the Palestinian civilian population, which is to include the provision of food and other forms of humanitarian aid, evidence on the ground paints a different picture. The last four days have brought with them renewed attacks on ambulances and medical staff, and delays in the provision of medical services. While the ability to access medical care in the larger towns throughout the West Bank is poor, that of the villages, in which many Palestinians live, is grave. The situation to date has not yet reached the severity and intensity of operation "Defense Shield", yet PHR-Israel views with growing alarm the rising number of cases in which medical neutrality is violated and human life disrespected. These cases stand in contradiction to earlier commitments made by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and rulings by the High Court of Justice*, that Palestinian ambulances would be allowed to travel unhindered, and that soldiers would be instructed to respect the international law as it applies to freedom of movement of medical personnel in occupied zones. *High Court ruling 2936/02, from 8.4.2002 states: " However, the State emphasizes that the IDF sees itself as committed to fulfilling the rules of Humanitarian Law not only because these ensue from the rulings of International Law, but also for moral and utilitarian considerations." (transl. PHR- Israel). - An ambulance from Qalqilya is unable to reach a pregnant woman with life- endangering complications from the village of Thuluth. - Ambulance delayed for over an hour and a half on the way to the hospital with a sick baby in Nablus. - Medical crew faces gunfire when trying to evacuate wounded man in Jenin. - Patients from villages surrounding Nablus unable to reach Rafadiya hospital for operations; hospital in full capacity since patients cannot be released. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel is a non-partisan, non-profit organization founded in 1988, comprising some 650 members who combat Israeli health and human rights violations, and strive to ensure equal and adequate health services for all. Tel: 972 3 6873718 Fax: 972 3 6873029 e-mail: mail@phr.org.il www.phr.org.il NB: The campaign to free Marwan Barghouti is getting organized - go to http://www.freebarghouti.org/ ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew statements [WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Fri Jun 28 01:02:28 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: [GushhalomBillboard] *Three actions on Saturday, refusers update e.a. Message-ID: <3D1BA794.14259.31F5E8@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [Through billboard we forward about twice a week what is on the agenda, based upon our own material and on announcements received from others. We include articles and reports. For more information, approach the addresses appearing in each item.] [1] New jailed refusenik, Saturday Yesh Gvul vigil Athlit, + more [2] Saturday: Hadash demo outside American Embassy T-A 6.30 pm [3] Peace Now weekend protests [4] ACRI, B'Tselem, Hamoked and PHR-Israel: Law Denying Compensation - Black Mark on the Laws of Israel [5] Two million Palestinians under curfew [6] Fighting for his day in court, Moshe Gorali - Ha’aretz, June 26 [7] The Cantonization of the West Bank by Amira Has [8] Rebuilding Palestinian Homes Together [1] New jailed refusenik, Saturday Yesh Gvul vigil Athlit, + more ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "peretz kidron" YESH GVUL Dear friend, Sgt. First Class Amit Bar-Tzedeq, an Armoured Corps reservist, was sentenced on June 16 to a 21 day confinement (till July 11) at a tank base in eastern Galilee. Bar-Tzedeq (28) is single and lives in Tel Aviv, where he works as a director of community theatre. Amit is a Yesh Gvul activist, and was one of the original signatories of the Courage to Refuse letter in January 2001. This is his second sentence for refusal to serve in the Occupied Territories, after being jailed for 28 days in Feb.-March 2001. We don't yet have Amit's military address, so messages of support can be sent to: Amit Bar- Tzedeq PO Box 16238 Tel Aviv E-mail: amitbtz@zahav.net.il Letters of protest on behalf of Amit and the other refuseniks to: Mr. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Minister of Defence, Ministry of Defence, 37 Kaplan St., Tel-Aviv 61909, Israel. E-mail: mailto:sar@mod.gov.il or mailto:pniot@mod.gov.il Fax: ++972-3-696-27-57 / ++972-3-691-69-40 / ++972-3-691-79-15. *** Yesh Gvul will hold a solidarity vigil for Amit Bar-Tzedeq and the rest of the jailed refuseniks on Saturday June 29th on the hill above Prison No.6 (Athlit). Meeting: 12:30, Old Haifa-Hedera highway, Bet Oren junction Transportation: Jerusalem (Binyanei Haumma) 10:00 Tel Aviv (Rakevet Tzafon, Arlozorov-Namir) 11:00 *** Our programme for adoption of jailed refuseniks is beginning to take off: 1. Sefi Sendik has been adopted by the Tikkun group in the San Francisco area contact person Paola Taranta - ptaranta@california.com 2. Itai Swirsky has been adopted by a group in West Lafayette, Indiana: contact person Sheila Rosenthal rosefam6@earthlink.net 3. Guy Rosin is adopted by a group at U. of Chicago, contact person Yali Amit amit@marx.uchicago.edu 4. David Zonsheine (released from jail pending the outcome of his petition to the Supreme Court for a formal courtmartial) has been adopted by Bubbes and Zaydes for Peace in the Middle East (Susan Miller, point person suski@navpoint.com) *** Yesh Gvul's rally of solidarity with the refuseniks, with participation of performing artists and public figures, will take place on Friday July 12, in Tel Aviv. Preparations are in full swing, full details, location etc. to come. [2] Saturday: demo Tel-Aviv outside American Embassy 6.30 pm ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Communist Party of Israel Bush Says No to Peace We Say No to Bush The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (HADASH) calls for a demonstration against Bush's cynical support for Sharon's attack on peace and plans for the reoccupation of the Palestinian territories. The demonstration will take place this Saturday, June 29, 2002 at 6:30 in the evening outside the U.S. Embassy on Hayarkon St. Tel-Aviv! for more information: 03/6293944 [3] Peace Now weekend protests ------- Forwarded message follows ------- To: ddremez@netvision.net.il From: Didi Remez Date sent: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 18:39:13 +0200 SATURDAY NIGHT: PROTESTS IN J'LEM, TA, HAIFA, BEERSHEVA AND KEFAR SABA This Saturday night, June 29, protests will be held in Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa Beersheva and Kefar Saba. This weekend activists will man 28 intersections countrywide, hanging signs and distributing materials. "A solid majority of Israelis support a withdrawal from the Occupied Territories and the dismantling of the settlements. Yet Sharon and Ben-Eliezer, acting on behalf of a small minority of the public, continue to expand settlements, reoccupy Palestinian areas and reject any notion of political negotiations. Israel requires another kind of leadership," say the organizers. PROTESTS * Jerusalem: PM's residence, 20:00. Among the speakers: Yuli Tamir * Tel-Aviv: Tayelet (Seaside promenade), near McDonalds, 20:00. * Haifa: Merkaz Hacarmel, 19:00 (organized by the Haifa Peace Forum.) * Beersheva: "Big" shopping center, 20:00. * Kefar Saba: "Arim" shopping center, 20:00 (organized by the Sharon Area Peace Coalition.) Further Information: Press: Didi Remez, Peace Now Spokesman, 054-302796 or didi@peacenow.org.il Activists - to get involved in planning and organization of activities contact: [In Tel-Aviv] Ori Ginat, 054-405157 or ori@peacenow.org.il [In Jerusalem] Shiri Iram, 054-687539 or shiri@peacenow.org.il [In the Sharon area] Mary Shweitzer, 054-638399 or mary@peacenow.org.il [Everywhere else] Noa Millman, 054-556052 or noa@peacenow.org.il Peace Now Website: www.peacenow.org.il Snail mail address: PO Box 29828, Tel-Aviv Israel Phone: 972-3-5663291, 972-2-5660648 Fax: 972-3-5663286 [4] ACRI, B'Tselem, Hamoked and PHR-Israel: Law Denying Compensation - Black Mark on the Laws of Israel ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 14:07:33 +0200 From: "Lior Yavne - B'Tselem" 26 June 2002 Association for Civil Rights in Israel, B'Tselem, Hamoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, Physicians for Human Rights - Israel Joint Statement The Knesset’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee today approved the proposed law denying compensation to Palestinians injured by Israeli Forces BLACK MARK ON THE LAWS OF ISRAEL Today the Knesset’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee approved the proposed law denying compensation to persons injured by Israeli security forces in the Occupied Territories. The proposed law will soon be submitted to the Knesset for second and third readings, and thus pass into law. The proposed law severely infringes the basic right of persons injured by the negligent or intentional acts of IDF soldiers, by attempting to expand the definition of combat activities, for which the state is exempt from compensation. Human rights organizations repeat and emphasize that the purpose of the law is not to protect IDF soldiers against claims relating to their acts of combat. Rather, it is intended to save state treasury money regarding claims based on injury resulting from the intentional or negligent acts of IDF soldiers, such as firing in violation of army regulations. This purpose completely contravenes the fundamental values of the State of Israel. The human rights organizations add that the proposed law as a whole is an expression of lack of faith in the courts' ability to determine the truth, and denies the courts discretion in these matters. The proposed law severely infringes the right to bodily integrity, property, and equality, and contravenes the rule of law and the fundamental principles of Israeli and international law. Leading jurists at Israeli universities agree with this assessment. The attempt to enact a law whose objective is to deny existing rights, leaving the injured with no relief, is unprecedented. Human dignity, the sanctity of life, and the right to bodily integrity are among the basic values of Israeli law. If passed, the law would place an black mark on the laws of Israel. ------------- For details and a copy of the position paper, contact: Tally Gur, The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, 051-890714 Lior Yavneh, B’Tselem - 050-387230 or 03-6106666 (pager 31146) [5] Two million Palestinians under curfew ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Palestine Monitor Alquds" Date sent: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 19:44:00 +0200 The Palestine Monitor, A PNGO Information Clearinghouse Information Brief 2 million Palestinians under curfew June 26 2002 Currently all Palestinian cities in the West Bank, except Jericho, are under strict military imposed 24-hour curfew. In real terms this means that almost two million Palestinians in the West Bank are confined to their houses with heavy Israeli military presence on the streets enforcing the curfew. This situation seriously impinges on the safety of the civilian population: patients cannot get to hospital, people are prevented from going to work, families cannot buy necessary food and medical supplies, children cannot go to kindergarten or even out to play and students are prevented from sitting their final exams. Today a seven years old boy, Bassam Ghassan As-Saadi, was killed by Israeli soldiers in the Jenin refugee camp. He was out playing with other children when Israeli troops opened fire on them. Bassam was hit by live ammunition all over his body. Twelve year old Fida’ Nimr Abu Qandil was injured in the leg in the same incident. The curfew is enforced by tanks and military patrols in addition to snipers positioned to shoot at anyone violating the curfew. Only when the Israeli army lifts the curfew can people leave their houses, but even then without full assurance of their safety. Last Friday three children and one adult were killed and several others injured when Israeli troops opened fire at them after conflicting information regarding the lifting of the curfew. The same confusion and chaos occurred in Ramallah yesterday leaving people injured by tear gas and rubber bullets. Villages and rural areas are already isolated and disconnected from their surroundings due to the closure and siege. However the current curfew regime imposed on the main cities has severe effects on these villages as they rely on the cities for essential services such as medical care, education and employment. Currently even emergency services are inaccessible to villagers due to the curfews inside the cities. The lengthy duration and far-reaching scope of the curfews clearly demonstrates that these are collective punitive measures imposed by the Israeli army upon the Palestinian civilian population. Currently the whole population suffers from the effects of the curfew. The use of collective punishment by the occupying power, in this case the imposition of prolonged and wide-spanning curfews is prohibited and illegal according to article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi said today: “During the last days many people have called the Palestinian Medical Relief with desperate pleas for help. People need medical treatment, medicines and some people are also running out of food and milk supplies. I fear a humanitarian crisis. In Ramallah today the Israeli army detained and seriously harassed a 57 year old American volunteer while she was assisting the Medical Relief in distributing humanitarian assistance”. Palestinian cities currently under curfew: · Nablus: under curfew since 21st of June · Jenin: under curfew since 19th of June · Beitunia (near Ramallah): under curfew since 19th of June · Qalqiliya: under curfew since 22nd of June · Tulkarem: under curfew since 19th of June · Bethlehem: under curfew since 19th of June · Ramallah: under curfew since 24th of June · Hebron: under curfew since 25th of June · Tubas and Arrabe villages near Jenin: under curfew since 25th of June For more information contact The Palestine Monitor +972 (0) 52 396 196 and see www.palestinemonitor.org [6] Fighting for his day in court, Moshe Gorali - Ha’aretz, June 26 http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=180174&contras sID=2&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y By Moshe Gorali Ha’aretz, June 26 2002 In an unusual move, First Lieutenant (Res.) David Zonsheine was released from custody on Monday - at least temporarily. Zonsheine, a 29-year-old software engineer and reserve officer in an elite paratroopers unit, refused to serve in the territories during Operation Defensive Shield. His commanders decided to bring him before a superior officer in a disciplinary hearing, but Zonsheine asked to present his case in formal proceedings before a military court. The military prosecutor of the IDF Central Command, Lt. Col. Ro'i Ginot, denied Zonsheine's request. He was then tried before Brig. Gen. Tal Rousso, who sentenced him to 35 days in prison. Zonsheine did not give up. Attorney Michael Sfarad from Avigdor Feldman's law firm petitioned the High Court of Justice on behalf of Zonsheine to order the IDF to comply with his request to be tried in a military court. Zonsheine won a temporary injunction last week, and the court ordered a hearing date set as soon as possible. The hearing took place on Monday, after Zonsheine had already sat in prison for 13 days. A three-justice panel including Aharon Barak, Dorit Beinish and Ayala Procaccia decided that more time would be required to consider the case and proposed that the prisoner be released in the meantime. Attorney Yuval Roitman, representing the IDF, agreed to release Zonsheine. Zonsheine is taking a considerable risk: a military court is authorized to hand down a two-year sentence for the offense Zonsheine is charged with - "failure to carry out an order." On the other hand, an officer who tries a soldier in a disciplinary hearing can deliver a sentence of 35 days at most. Zonsheine received the maximum sentence in his disciplinary hearing, but he was not provided an opportunity to present his ideological defense. In addition, his attorney argued, he is entitled to a serious legal procedure and ruling that befit such a weighty matter. Not just guard duty The army has good reasons not to upgrade the refuseniks from disciplinary hearings to court proceedings. In particular, the IDF is not interested in providing them a platform for ideological debate. In addition, as attorney Roitman expressed the IDF policy: "The petitioner is asking to hide the disciplinary hue of the offense. The refusal to carry out a command is a simple and clear disciplinary matter." Attorney Sfarad heatedly objects: "This is not a matter of refusing to wear a beret or failing to do guard duty. Disciplinary hearings are meant to deal with minor violations or to respond quickly with serious breaches of discipline, and this does not apply to the case before us." Sfarad built his case on an article of military law that grants a soldier the right to ask to be tried in a military court. Roitman replied that "the law gave the IDF Judge Advocate General control over this process [that is, to decide whether to send a case to a disciplinary hearing or a military court - M. G.] and his decision was certainly reasonable." Since the start of Operation Defensive Shield, there have been about 80 cases of refusal and all of them have been handled in disciplinary hearings. Only Zonsheine is insisting on reaching a military court. "The arguments that I wish to present," he wrote in his request, "can be heard only in the framework of a trial in military court. Since the officer in a disciplinary hearing is not a jurist, and the army does not allow representation by attorneys before these officers, the legal questions that should determine whether I am indeed guilty of an offense or, as I claim, am innocent of any crime, cannot be heard in a disciplinary hearing." Zonsheine says the army should also have an interest in hearing the issues that he is raising in a military court. Otherwise, reserve soldiers will continue to be tried in disciplinary hearings for similar offenses without any real decisions being made. Ostensibly, the High Court is supposed to rule only on the question of whether the judge advocate general made a reasonable decision when determining that the case involves a disciplinary infraction and does not belong in military court. But Sfarad has already managed to put before the High Court justices some of the main arguments of his defense: "This involves a refusal to carry out a command that the petitioner regarded as blatantly illegal. He is entitled to a defense of necessity, both from the normal criminal perspective and the constitutional perspective, according to which necessity of conscience is part of human dignity. The danger to which the petitioner was exposed must also be taken into consideration, a danger that the honorable President Barak recently noted - the possibility of being brought to trial before an international criminal court that is soon to be established." The message is clear: can an officer presiding over a disciplinary hearing, who is not a jurist, cope with such heavy legal artillery? Does he fully understand the meaning of the necessity defense? Is he aware of the new system of balances that the constitutional revolution has imposed? Attorney Roitman slipped into this trap in his response, which aroused a stir among the crowd (sympathetic to Zonsheine) in the packed courtroom. `The petitioner was not sent to carry out an assassination," Roitman said, "but rather to reserve duty in Judea and Samaria. Perhaps this argument can be raised against a certain command, and then it might be handled differently." Sfarad definitely noted this argument. He'll be sure to use it when his petition against the legality of targeted killings is heard. The fact that the state's representative chose to use this example of assassinations to illustrate the possibility of legitimate refusal is liable to help in this petition. When the hearing ended on Monday and the justices left the room, Zonsheine's supporters shouted out in celebration, something that rarely occurs in the halls of the Supreme Court. They saw the justices' indecision as an encouraging sign, but the victory in getting the petition heard also means an escalation of the confrontation. This escalation will put the refuseniks to the test and demand a higher price than media and legal campaigns. The state has so far managed to generally defuse the pockets of refusal, which have yet to pull the Israeli public into a real debate. This is because, among other reasons, there are no prisoners of conscience withering away in prison for dozens of years, turning into symbols of identification, around whom the struggle is waged. The successful struggle in South Africa, for example, was symbolized by Nelson Mandela, who sat in prison for 35 years, not the maximum 35 days that Israel "agrees" to allot to its refuseniks. [7] The Cantonization of the West Bank by Amira Has ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 14:05:43 +0200 From: Yehudit Keshet [The following article by Amira Has is one of several which appeared in the Hebrew edition of Ha'aretz newspaper but not in the English edition. For more such articles, turn to Yehudit Keshet ] Diary of Closure: Besieging Ramallah or The Cantonization of the West Bank by Amira Has (Hebrew edition of Ha’aretz newspaper, 23 June 2002.). The group of women surrounded by clouds of dust, bombarded by the noise of car motors and exhaust fumes, and did not know what to do. “Looks like it’s final”, said one of them, “the soldiers won’t let us through”. The women are residents of Ramallah, teachers in Palestinian schools in the villages south- east of Ramallah. In the last week in April 2002, after three weeks of enforced vacation because of the Israeli army’s invasion of the West Bank (Operation Defensive Wall) and the curfew placed on Ramallah, they were returning to work. That is, they were trying to return to work. As they have been doing for the past five months, the soldiers at the Kalandia checkpoint, the southern exit from Ramallah, separated Palestinian bearers of blue ID passes (Jerusalem residents) and bearers of orange or green passes (West Bank residents). Jerusalemites can pass, others cannot. In summer the checkpoint opens at 6:00 a.m. and closes at 7:00 in the evening. Sometimes the soldiers don’t pay strict attention to women, and some of the teachers were able to assume the confident appearance of Jerusalemites, sure of their identity cards, and flow with the crowd of adults and students hurrying along the margins of the road - to work, to school, to the clinic, to visit family – to the other side of the checkpoint. Mostly they took the risk of crossing via the quarry and the field to the east of the checkpoint, together with hundreds of other West Bankers. There, especially during ‘rush hour’ soldiers would stand on a small hilltop and throw tear gas and stun grenades into the crowd to prevent them from reaching the main road. At all events, since the beginning of May 2002 even this exit has been closed: Israeli army (IDF) troops have erected a high barbed wire fence along the fields, the quarry and the hillock that stretch eastwards of the checkpoint. The fence reaches the village of Jaba in the east and blocks the exit to the road and the Palestinian neighbourhood of A-Ram to the south. An APC, and a military or Border police jeep are permanently stationed at the entrance to the road leading to the quarry and the soldiers or policemen check the ID’s of everyone who presumes to outsmart the rules of the checkpoint. If someone is caught and, for his sins, he is a West Bank resident, the ID is taken away and he is held in detention for hours at the checkpoint army post. If he is not arrested, he is sent home at dusk. At the checkpoint itself, people huddle behind strands of barbed wire and concrete blocks and wait until the soldier, behind his concrete barricade some several meters distant, calls them and checks their ID’s. Sometimes people are required to lift their shirts. In the background, an APC or two comes and goes, a military jeep honks and wails, a soldier aims his gun downwards from the look-out post above. Sometimes, traffic is stopped, as happened on the afternoon of May 5 2002. The soldiers told the many pedestrians, who had been detained for two hours and were standing nervously behind the concrete blocks and barbed wire, that a suspicious vehicle had been located. Later they said that a terrorist had been found with a belt of explosives. Suddenly they threw tear gas grenades into the crowd. Women clutching their children ran in panic from the fumes. Old people coughing and weeping wandered off leaning for support on someone. Youngsters giggled, they are used to tear gas. The army spokesman knew nothing of a suspicious car nor of a suicide bomber, but knew for sure that stones had been thrown at the soldiers. However, the writer, who was at Kalandia at the time, did not see a single stone thrown at the soldiers during the hour prior to the tear gas being thrown. Later, a soldier threw a stun grenade among the cars parked beyond the checkpoint area. Another soldier demanded that the drivers reverse, all the while aiming his gun at them, shouting and cursing. The taxi drivers waiting there for passengers started up in panic and fled. Because of the chaos a traffic jam ensued, which only increased the sense of panic because no one knew whether the soldiers would continue to throw their stun and gas grenades. Suddenly an APC appeared among the crowds and vehicles, who did not know where to put themselves. “The Humanitarian Officer” According to transitees at Kalandia, sights like these are regular occurrences, a claim supported by journalists, staff of international organizations who also pass there. They describe the lengthy and unexplained delays, edgy soldiers armed with stun grenades only 10 meters from the long and anxious line-up of people hurrying to work for which they are constantly late. They talk about the APC’s cruising along the margins of the road, scattering the peddlars and stall-holders. They see the old men on crutches, little pig-tailed girls, blind people led by a companion, smartly dressed clerks, everyone and everything covered with the dust churned up beneath the feet of hundreds of pedestrians. Perhaps this is why in mid-May an older, bespectacled soldier was to be seen at Kalandia. He introduced himself to the writer as the “Humanitarian Officer” and could be heard reproving soldiers who spoke roughly to transitees. However, he also required the transitees to line up nicely in two rows while waiting for their turn to walk up and present their ID’s to the soldier: one line for men, the other for women. During those same May days, with the road through the quarry blocked off, the teachers tried pleading and persuasion with the soldiers to allow them to pass. To their amazement they were now told: “Go to the Civil Administration offices and get a transit permit; right now, go back the way you came.” A permit to pass from one Palestinian village to the next ? To a village two kilometers from Ramallah ? The teachers sought advice from the Palestinian Ministry of Education in Ramallah and discovered that the Civil Administration clerks in each area had already taken the trouble to call up the Palestinian supervisors and coordinators, offering them assistance. After all, the critical situation in Palestinian schools is well known. The Civil Administration advised regional supervisors and school principals to present a list of teachers for each school and to issue them with transit permits. Meanwhile the Palestinian Authority has forbidden the issue of such permits which would mean Palestinian legitimization of the Israeli policy of dividing the West Bank into separate, detached cantons. The tightening of the closure is strongly felt in the Palestinian schools beyond the Kalandia checkpoint. Seventeen of the 31 teachers at Beth Lakiyeh, west of Ramallah, have not been able to reach the school there. In mid-May 2002, 14 out of 29 teachers were absent from Beth Ur as were 10 out of 24 teachers from Bir Naballah. At Jib, only 35 of the 90 teachers working at four local schools managed to get to work. Some of them are residents of the village, others live close by, some have blue, Jerusalem, ID’s while a very few managed to slip through the checkpoint. Some of them left their homes, a distance of 9 kilometers away, at 6:30 in the morning and arrived late at 9:30 a.m. after having changed taxis three times, climbed over mountain paths and scrambled through ditches. The ‘Pirate” Bypasses will be closed H’, an 11-year old girl, crosses the checkpoint alone each morning on her way to Ramallah. On the north side she is met by her father, A’ a West Bank resident. Her mother is a Jerusalemite and they live in the neighborhood of A-Ram, south of Kalandia. A’ has rented a room in Ramallah and each morning comes to the north side of the checkpoint. His wife brings H’ to the south side and the child passes along the pedestrian lane, behind the barbed wire fencing and the concrete blocks, underneath the gunsights of the duty guard. At the other side she meets her father who takes her to school. At weekends A’ returns home. He climbs hills, descends ditches, takes one taxi, then another, making a detour of 40 km instead of the seven that separate Ramallah from his home. Some West Bankers make this detour twice a day: to get to work in A-Ram and the neighboring villages and back again. They mount the taxis that wait for them beyond the crowded and chaotic Kalandia checkpoint. These are taxis with Israeli license plates and their drivers are Palestinian Jerusalemites who risk being fined for transporting “illegal” West Bank residents if they are caught on the roads designated for Israelis only. From time to time the IDF comes and digs a trench across some obscure pathway connecting two villages. The taxis seek out another obscure pathway, or else their passengers get out and scramble across the trench, not before making sure there are no IDF troops around. After a day or two someone makes sure to dismantle the earthworks or fill in the trench, and then the IDF comes and digs another one. On a Saturday in May, when A’ was travelling in one of those taxis over dirt tracks in order to get to work in Ramallah, he looked with mounting anguish at the barbed wire fence that blocks off the fields south of the Kalandia refugee camp. Someone said that a similar fence was being erected to the west of the Kalandia checkpoint as far as the Bethunia checkpoint. A’ guesses that the day is not far off when a fence of this sort will be stretched around Ramallah and El- Bireh. “All the “pirate” by-ways will be permanently closed. And then we will have no choice but to go to the Civil Administration and ask for permits to enable us to move around inside the West Bank.” A Swedish journalist who passed the Kalandia checkpoint in early May, 2002 could not disguise her fury at the humiliation and human suffering that she witnessed there. When she complained to one of the soldiers he replied: “Don’t worry, in another year this checkpoint will be just fine.” [8] Rebuilding Palestinian Homes Together ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 12:05:44 +0200 From: JeffandZiad@Rebuildinghomes.org Dear Friend, Given the tragic destruction and violence of the past few months, it is extremely important that we - Israelis, Palestinians, and global citizens who stand for justice - make loud and clear our determination to build rather than destroy, to defy policies that inspire hatred, and to support grassroots efforts that pave a path towards a just peace. What action can overcome the rule of tanks, house demolitions, and the suicide bomb? Is there any language besides the language of demonization and blame? Is there any vision besides the empty formulas of elected officials? We know there is! It is the vision of ordinary people leading ordinary lives. It is the language of compassion and mutual respect. It is the voice of justice challenging ideology and power. It begins by rebuilding homes. The Right to a Home and a Homeland, www.rebuildinghomes.org, is a coordinated global campaign to rebuild demolished Palestinian homes as a means of building trust among two groups of people typically sworn off as "enemies." It is a project of two groups, one Israeli and one Palestinian - The Israeli Committee Against Home Demolition (ICAHD) and The Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights (JCSER) - who have joined forces in a constructive act of resistance to the injustices of the Israeli Occupation. Together, we are rebuilding homes, building trust, and forging a just peace. House demolitions have become the hallmark of the Occupation, as the wanton destruction of the Jenin refugee camp shows. Since 1967 Israel has demolished almost 9000 Palestinian homes, leaving some 50,000 traumatized and homeless. We need to protect human rights and confront the injustice of the Occupation so that Palestinians, Israelis, and the world community will eventually enjoy the fruits of a just peace. We start by rebuilding 20-30 homes throughout the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, each new house representing another form of hope, solidarity, and peaceful protest. We cannot build enough houses to truly relieve the suffering of thousands of victims. But we can make our voices heard. In the words of Salim Shawamreh, whose home was demolished three times by the Israeli authorities: "Palestinians need to live like anyone else -- in a home!" We need your help. Only you, members of the international civil society, standing with like- minded Palestinians and Israelis, can provide the crucial support we need to make our voices heard. Please support our global campaign by hosting a House Party to Rebuild a Home. Our website has tips on how to invite 20 of your friends to a fundraising gathering at your home and we will help you every step of the way, giving advice by phone and email; providing a video and educational materials for your event. Your fundraiser will pay for building materials and enable Palestinians, Israelis, and international volunteers to work together to rebuild Palestinian homes. Visit our website www.rebuildinghomes.org to register to hold a House Party to Rebuild a Home. Join us in this constructive way to re-build homes, build trust, and forge peace. Please forward this email to your friends and colleagues - together we will make a difference. Thank you, Jeff Halper, Coordinator, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions Ziad Hamouri, Director, Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights  Right to a Home and a Homeland P.O. Box 610061, Redwood City, CA 94061 USA USA: 01 415 820-3204, Israel: 972-(0)56-875-893, Palestine: 972-2-627-5335 / 6 email: info@rebuildinghomes.org www.rebuildinghomes.org ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew statements [WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Fri Jun 28 01:31:58 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (info@gush-shalom.org) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: (Fwd) Update............breaking the fear... Message-ID: <3D1BAE7E.13156.4CF9FF@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// We received Sam Bahour's update just after sending out the billboard. Please consider it number [9] Update............breaking the fear... ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Sam Bahour [mailto:sbahour@palnet.com] Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002 9:52 PM We finally had a house visit of our cities uninvited guests. Sixteen fully armed Israeli soliders entered our home as part of the house to house searches that they have been carrying out for 4 days now in Ramallah, while we sit under 24-hr curfew. Our home compromises of 3 flats. My in-laws live on the ground level, we live on the 1st floor and my parents on the 2nd. My wife, Abeer, and oldest daughter, Areen, spent all day baking to fill the time while under house arrest (in international law they call that "collective punishment"). It was 7:30pm when Areen wrapped a tray of the sweet "Haresah" that had just come out of the oven and was excited to send it to her grandmother in the flat below. When we are under curfew, like now, we use a basket and rope from our front porch to send things below since we are not allowed out of the house. When the basket swings into the door my in-laws know that they should open to see what we have lowered. This time Areen was alone on the porch and started lowering the basket when she saw a soldier's helmet at her grandmother's doorstep after the basket was half way down. She hurried and pulled the basket up and in and left the window wide open. She came running saying the soldiers are in our house. She was scared, more than she has been since we became under curfew. I had just got off the phone with Corky, a New York Daily News reporter, and was at my computer. I went to the front window to see a lot of soldier's kneeling in front of the stone fence in front of our house. My dad happen to be with us at the time. As we sat to see what was going to happen our doorbell rang. When my wife answered via the intercom it was her mom saying that the soldiers are here and we should open the door. When we did no soldiers entered, only Fadwa, Abeer's mom. I met her in the stairway and she advised that they want one of us only to come downstairs. I proceeded to go see what was up. When I reached the doorsteps of my in-laws I looked in to see their porch packed tight with fully armed soldiers kneeling in a full alert position. One soldier was kneeling at the doorway and trained his rifle on me as I approached. I greeted them and asked what is needed. He asked me if I spoke Hebrew and I told him English or Arabic. He proceeded in perfect English and asked who was upstairs. I answered that my family and father were there. He demanded that everyone come outside in front of the house. I asked if the children should come too because the weather was a little cool. He snapped back and said "everyone". I yelled upstairs and asked my family to come down and bring their ID papers with them. As I waited the soldier asked my mother-in-law where was Marwan Barghouti, as if she should know. I told him that although my mother-in-law has the same last name they are not related. I told him each are from a different village. He said, sarcastically, "no this is Ramallah". I answered back and advised him that he was in Al-Bireh not Ramallah and that my in-laws are from Dir Ghasannah and Marwan was from a village called Kober. He seemed to be confused so I just answered his original question and told him Marwan was in "your jail". He smirked and seemed to accept the answer, which is true. My wife was now approaching with my daughters and father. Areen, my oldest daughter was shivering with fear. I held her and bought her in front of the soldiers who were absolutely crammed in the doorstep and porch all in the kneeling position, weapons pointed. I told her, "see they are just like us, they don't scare us." My father tried to comfort her too and told her the same. My father was itching to engage the soliders but we convinced him to pass this time so no one ended up sleeping in prison. Areen relaxed a bit, but did not say a word as the soldier in the doorstep demanded that my wife open the car garage. I told him the key was upstairs and she would need to get the key. He approved and as we sat waiting for Abeer I told the soldiers, " we have a long way to go yet." No one answered but 2 or 3 of the soldiers, young boys, shook their heads in agreement. We sat their looking at them, each looked as if they were fearing for there lives. They were in a foreign land in a stranger's house and had a whole Palestinian (that is terrorist) family in front of them. They just stared at us as we hugged our children trying to relax the shock and shed the fear. As Abeer came with the key to the garage two soldiers asked her to open the garage (in international law they call that being "a human shield"). As she opened our empty garage, the soldiers, full of fear, entered step by step guns ready to fire. I could not tell if they were disappointed that they fund only dust or if it was a relief to them. As the the two soldiers returned to the house, as we sat outside in the cool breeze, one soldier extended his hand with all of our ID's. My mother-in-law spoke to them in Arabic, she said, "maybe one day you will come back in time of peace and not be so scared". No one answered. The lead soldier called for the soldiers to exit the house. On his way past us he quickly said "bye", as if he knew had did something wrong by violating our life. They left, one by one, in full alert. It turns out they had searched and taken refuge in every home of the house not just the porch. As they exited gunfire could be heard a little way up our street. It was another Israeli unit for sure but they took no chances moving slowly and cautiously back to the street. As the walked past us, one by one, each with a heavy weapon or radio equipment or backpack, my daughter just hugged me tight. As the last soldier left the house my father-in-law emerged and stood at the top of the steps. Frustrated, he bid them farewell and told them in broken English, "Be sure to come back tomorrow." After they left we learned that they checked each room and closet of the first floor. We returned to our home and Areen was much more relaxed. She came to us and said, "you know I used to be scared of them but not anymore." She went on, "you know, some of them look like nice people. I feel sorry for them with all those jackets and gloves and helmets, they must be so hot, maybe that's why they did not talk to us." I assured her that I'm sure they are nice people but Sharon forced them to come. I am struggling to make sure she does not view every Israeli, even those that violate the security of our home, as the enemy. At last, the fear of those helmeted, armed soldiers running free in our streets has been broken. I was hoping for this day so my daughter will not live in fear of our future neighbors. Nadine my 2 year old daughter can hardly speak but she imitates the whole above episode in the most cutest accent and body language ever. As we settled down after our daily dose of occupation, we joked that they could have stayed since we had some of the best sweets in Al- Bireh to offer. More seriously, tonight we will give our girls an extra hug and kiss good night, because we know how today could of ended if one of the soldiers in the street saw Areen lower a basket above the head of the soldier entering the house. God help the next house they went to search. Still under military curfew, Sam From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Jun 30 19:23:50 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] protest, disscussion, aid + struggle by pen. Message-ID: <3D1F4CB6.30553.17922AA@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [Through billboard we forward about twice a week our selection of action alerts, reports and articles. For more information, approach the addresses appearing in each item.] [events] [1] Peace Now calling for Labor to leave government, Monday17:30 in Tel-Aviv [2] Israeli and Palestinian Women's Panel Discussion, Jerusalem Bat Shalom [3] Benefit concert for projects in unrecognized villages, Ta'ayush-North. [4] Saturday, July 6, Ta'ayush Convoy to Salfit Region [reports] [5] International civilians witness mass detention - ISM [6] 44 New Settlements - Peace Now Settlement Watch [7] Paramedics banned from entering Hebron compound - LAW [from today's Israeli papers] [8] A million people under curfew - Gideon Levy Ha'aretz [9] The Penal Colonies - Tanya Reinhart in Yediot Aharonot [10] Determined Path to Nowhere - Uzi Benziman Ha'aretz [1 Calling for Labor to leave government, Monday17:30 in Tel-Aviv ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Ori Ginat" Subject: Urgent Call for Tomorrow's Activity Date sent: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 09:59:16 +0200 Tomorrow, Monday, July 1, 17:30 The Labor Party will hold there annual meeting at "Heichal Hatarbut". We all must come and call the Labor Party to get out of the government, stop building new settlements, dismantle all those who is already exists and get back to the negotiation. Sorry for the short notice, looking forward to see you all tomorrow, Monday 17:30 at "Heichal Hatarbut" (Close to "Habima" National Theatre). Basically what we need is a few volunteers to help us carry out stuff from the office, if you can make it tomorrow, please call Ori: 03-5663291 or 054-405157, you can also mail to: ori@peacenow.org.il Best to you all, PeaceNow [2] Israeli and Palestinian Women's Panel Discussion, Jerusalem Bat Shalom ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: bat shalom The implementation of a unilateral separation and the strategy of transfer have entered the mainstream of Israeli public discourse.  The women of Bat Shalom invite you to a panel discussion focusing on these issues, their significance, and their effect on our future and the future of our region.  It is time for women to propose a different path and create an alternative language for the dialogue.  "Beyond the Fence": Israeli and Palestinan Women's Perspectives Wednesday, 3 July 2002, at 19:45 in the Notre Dame Hotel (3rd Floor) across from the New Gate, in Jerusalem.  Participating Speakers: MK Prof. Nomi Chazan Dr. Hanan Ashrawi- Palestinian Legislative Council (Dr. Ashrawi's participation is contingent on whether she is able to arrive from Ramallah to Jerusalem) Prof. Galia Golan- Bat Shalom Prof. Tania Reinhart- TA University Afnan Aghbariyah- Balad Party Dr. Rima Hamami- Institute of Women's Studies, Birzeit University  The panel will be conducted in English and a Hebrew translation will be provided. Free Admission. For more details, or to receive an announcement in Hebrew, please call Liora at 02-563- 1477.  [3] Benefit concert for projects in unrecognized villages, Ta'ayush-North. ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Haggai Katriel To: info@gush-shalom.org Ta'ayush invites: BENEFIT EVENING FOR PROJECTS IN UNRECOGNIZED VILLAGES Thursday, July 4th, 2002 At Kibutz Hazorea Performances by: Ehud Banai, George Sam'an, Dana Berger, Salem Darwish, Said Salame, Rawda Saliman, Tamer Nafar Tickets: 35 Shekels. For details: 04 8622932 [4] Saturday, July 6, Ta'ayush Convoy to Salfit Region ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Ta'ayush Arab-Jewish" Join Ta’ayush Convoy to Salfit Region. Ta’ayush – Arab-Jewish Partnership will be holding its next solidarity convoy on Saturday, 6/7/02 to the Salfit region, east of Kufr Kassem. The convoy’s immediate purpose is to bring essential medical equipment – ultrasound, photospectrometer, computers and auxiliary medical equipment – to a medical center in the area. Sharon is leading us all to another round of bloodshed. In these times too, we wish to strengthen an Israeli-Palestinian solidarity which crosses borders and to point, through our activity, to an alternative to the circle of oppression, killing and hate. For many months now, ill people in the Salfit region are unable to reach the hospitals of Nablus and Ramallah in order to receive adequate medical treatment. As in other places in the West Bank, pregnant women about to give birth are stopped at checkposts and the condition of chronically-ill patients deteriorates. The continuing policy of encircling towns has turned the Palestinians into prisoners in their own towns. This policy is an important part of the campaign led by Sharon to shake the Palestinian population’s hold on its land and to exhaust its staying power. This pressure is aimed especially at villages and towns near the Green Line (regions of Tul- Karem, Kalkilya, Salfit), some of which are in areas Sharon intends to annex. To serve the population of the Salfit region, around 60,000 people, residents of the region have founded a medical center, intended to ease the situation and to enable the provision of emergency medical treatment. The center has been created solely on the basis of funds provided by the community, with no outside assistance. Ta’ayush responded to the invitation of activists from the community and of persons involved in the medical center, and took upon itself to strengthen it by contributing some expensive medical equipment which is essential to its proper functioning – an ultrasound machine, a photospectrometer for the analysis of laboratory tests, and computers. We need your contributions to finance the purchase of this equipment. It is also possible to contribute computers and printers. Together we will bring the equipment, meet residents of the area and protest the policy of strangulation. We are intent on reaching our destination, as we have done in the past. The expansion of military activities in the West Bank may cause changes in the planned date of the convoy. Please keep following our announcements. Full details regarding our meeting places will be published later. Contributions can be made to Ta’ayush bank account no. 396608, Bank Hapoalim, Ramat Aviv branch (no. 606), or by sending a check made out to Ta’ayush to Ta’ayush, P.O.Box 59380 Tel Aviv 61593. Contributions from abroad can be made to Bank HaPoalim, Swift code POALILITA (Ramat Aviv branch), 12-606-396608. If you can contribute computers or printers, please write to Yaron at y.kaspi@weizmann.ac.il [5] International civilians witness mass detention - ISM ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "palsolidaritylist" Date sent: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 11:24:46 -0000 INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT Sunday, June 30, 2002 1330 INTERNATIONAL CIVILIANS WITNESS MASS DETENTION [RAMALLAH] 20 international civilians are in Amaari Refugee Camp near downtown Ramallah and 15 more are being detained by Occupation forces. They are witnessing Israeli soldiers take men, ages 15 to 50, from their homes. Soldiers are going house to house, marking those they have checked. The internationals are reporting that over 150 men are being held in a school field under the hot sun. Many of the Palestinian men have been held since the operation began at 0430. The men have been split into three major groups, with some smaller groups being held at gunpoint in other locations. Many of the men are tied and blindfolded. The entire camp has been sealed off by Israeli tanks and APC's. The soldiers are interfering with witnesses who are trying to insure that the Palestinian's human rights are not being violated. Occupation forces are refusing to give their names or numbers to the international witnesses and have fired warning shots over their heads. The soldiers are denying entry to one group of internationals and have threatened individuals with arrest. Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states "No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not committed", and "collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited". For more information in Amaari contact: Huwaida Arraf 067 473 308 Tamara Rettino 056 489 346 Megan McKenzie 056 367 148 Amy Laura Cahn 056 383 263 For more information on The International Solidarity Movement: Adam Shapiro 052 642 709 Huwaida Arraf 067 473 308 [6] 44 New Settlements - Peace Now Settlement Watch ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Didi Remez Date sent: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 23:14:16 +0200 Jun 29, 2002 44 NEW SETTLEMENT OUTPOSTS ESTABLISHED SINCE 2001 ELECTIONS Peace Now: "Ben Eliezer Responsible" A new survey conducted by Peace Now has revealed that since the elections of February 2001 and up to the present time some 44 new settlement sites have been established in the West Bank. Nine of these new outposts were erected in the period March - June 2002. The term "outpost" is misleading. For all intents and purposes these outposts are new settlements; they have independent infrastructures and are spread over new pieces of land. Tzali Reshef, Peace Now: "The government is systematically violating its commitment to the Israeli public as written in the coalition agreement that formed the basis for the National Unity Government. The creation of new settlements harms Israel's security and unnecessarily endangers still more IDF soldiers and citizens. It is shameful that the Defense Ministry continues to speak of taking down settlements when every day new ones crop up and IDF soldiers continue to endanger their lives for this irresponsible endeavor." In response to the criticism raised in the media regarding these outposts over the past few weeks, the Defense Minister issued a number of spurious claims with regard to the way in which he has dealt with the matter: * "I have already evacuated 15 sites." A thorough investigation by Peace Now has found that if indeed any outposts were dismantled, they have been built again. * "During my term of office only 13 sites were established. The rest were erected under the previous government." Since election night, at least 44 new settlement sites have been established. Under Netanyahu 42 were established. Under Barak no new outposts were e at all. * At a meeting between Ben Eliezer and Peace Now on 22 March 2002, Ben Eliezer admitted, after some evasiveness, that he knows about the creation of outposts but that this is a small price to pay for peace since he is blocking "with his body" large projects for building in the settlements. This claim, too, turned out to be false. On 20 June 2002 tenders (for which the approval of the Defense Minister is required) were announced for the construction of 957 new housing units in the settlements. Further information: Dror Etkes, Peace Now Settlement Watch coordinator, 972-54-899351 or dror@peacenow.org.il Detailed map: www.peace-now.org/NewSettlementSitesJun2002.jpg Detailed listing (incl. date of discovery, no. of structures and exact Position): www.peace-now.org/NewSettlementSitesJun2002.rtf Abbreviated listing incl. links to photos (# corresponds to map legend; name in parentheses is of new site, zi - zoom in photo, zo - zoom out photo) 1. Alon Shevut (Givat Hahish North) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/GivatHahish.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/GivatHahish.zo.jpg 2. Elazar (Derech Haavot) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Elazar.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Elazar.zo.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Elazar.jpg 3. Efrat (Givat Hatamar) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/GivatTamar.zo.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/GivatTamar1.zo.jpg 4. Beit El (Hill 857) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/BetEl.zo.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/BetEl1.zo.jpg 5.Beit El (Beit El East) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/BetEl.East.zo.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/BetEl.East1.zo.jpg 6. Beit Hagai (Givat Rehavam) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/BeitHagai.jpg 7.Bat Ayin (Old Beerot Yizhak) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/BatAyin.North.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/BatAyin.North1.zi.jpg 8. Bat Ayin (Hill 652) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/BatAyin.N.G652.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/BatAyin.N.G652.zo.jpg 9. Talmon North (Zayit Raanan) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/ZaitRanan.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/ZaitRanan.zo.jpg 10.Yakir (Havot Yair) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Yakir.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Yakir.zo.jpg 11. Kochav Hashachar (Mizpe Kormim) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/MitzpeKormim.zi.jpg 12. Kefar Eldad - Nokdim (Maale Zeevi) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Nokdim.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Nokdim-MaaleRehavam.zo. jpg 13. Karmei Tzur - (Tzur Shalem) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/KarmeiZur.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/KarmeiZur.zo.jpg 14. Mevo Dotan (Maoz Zvi) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/MevoDotan.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/MevoDotan.zo.jpg 15. Migdal Oz (Migdal Oz West) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/MigdalOz.West.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/MigdalOz.West.zo.jpg 16. Migron http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyJune2002/Migron.jpg 17. Mehola (Givat Salit) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Mehola.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Mehola.zo.jpg 18. Maale Michmash (Neve Erez) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/NeveErez.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/NeveErez.zo.jpg 19. Maon (Avigail) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Avigail.zo.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Avigail.zi.jpg 20. Maon (Hill 833) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Maon.833.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Maon.833.zo.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Maon.833.1.zo.jpg 21. Maon (Maon Farm) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/HavatMaon.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/HavatMaon.zo.jpg 22. Negohot (Mirsham) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Negohot.zi.jpg 23. Nahliel (Nahliel South) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Nahliel.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Nahliel.zo.jpg 24. Suseya (Suseya North) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Susia.North.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Susia.North.zo.jpg 25. Einav (Einav North-East) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Einav.East.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Einav.East&West.zo.jpg 26. Einav (Einav South-West) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Einav.West.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Einav.West.zo.jpg 27. Einav (Einav South-East) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyJune2002/Enav-SouthEast.jpg 28. Ofra (Ginot Arieh) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/GinotArieh.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/ GinotArieh.zo.jpg 29. Ofra (Mizpe Asaf) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyJune2002/Ofra-MizpeAsaf.jpg 30. Ofra (Tal Binyamin) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyJune2002/Ofra-TalBinyamin.jpg 31. Ofra (Ofra South - Hirbet Shbab a-Shimalia) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyJune2002/OfraSouth.jpg 32. Eli (Eli South) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyJune2002/Eli-Hill762.jpg 33. Otniel (Mizpe Eshtamoa) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyJune2002/MitzpeEshtamoa.jpg 34. Psagot (Psagot North East) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyJune2002/Psagot-NorthEast.jpg 35. Kedumim (Mahaz Gilad) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyJune2002/MaahazGilad.jpg 36. Kedumim (Havat Gilad) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyJune2002/HavatGilad.jpg 37. Karnei Shomron (Alonei Shilo) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/KarneiShomron.zo.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/KarneiShomron.zi.jpg 38. Karnei Shomron (Ramat Gilad) http://www.peace-now.org/SetllementSurveyJune2002/KarneyShomron-GivatDegel.jpg 39. Rachelim (Rachelim West) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Rechelim.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Rechelim.zo.jpg 40. Rachelim (Nofei Nehemya) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/NofeiNehemya.zo.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/NofeiNehemya.zi.jpg 41. Shevut Rachel (Esh Kodesh) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/EshKodesh.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/EshKodesh.zo.jpg 42. Shavei Shomron (Shavei Shomron West) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/ShaveiShomron.zo.jpg 43. Shani (Asahel) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Asael.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Asael.zo.jpg 44.Tekoa (Tekoa D) http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Tkoa.zi.jpg http://www.peace-now.org/SettlementSurveyFeb2002/Tkoa.zo.jpg [7] Paramedics banned from entering Hebron compound - LAW ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: law@lawsociety.org Israeli forces ban paramedics from entering Hebron Compound June 29, 2002 - LAW Israeli troops continue military operations in Hebron banning paramedics, local, and international rescue workers from entering the governor’s compound, which came under Israeli forces siege for four days that ended Saturday (June 29, 2002) when the forces blew up the building. The rescue workers and paramedics arrived to search for potential casualties in the rubble and to assist residents living near the compound whose homes were damaged in the blast. However, according to LAW’s information, Israeli forces turned down a request from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Palestinian District Coordination Office to allow paramedics and rescue workers to enter the compound to search for and rescue potential casualties. Israeli commandos detonated explosives in the northeastern wing of the compound on Friday evening, June 28, 2002. Israel F16 fighter jet and helicopter gunships shelled the building late Friday evening and early Saturday morning destroying the structure. The Israeli military operations in Hebron started five days ago. The Israeli destruction and bulldozing operations in the compound are underway at press time. The fate of people holed up in the compound is still unknown. _____________________________ LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organization dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is affiliate to the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT). LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, PO Box 20873, Jerusalem, tel. +972-2-5833530, fax. +972-2- 5833317, email: law@lawsociety.org, web: www.lawsociety.org [8] A million people under curfew - Gideon Levy Ha'aretz A million people under curfew By Gideon Levy, June 30 Few if any Israelis can understand what it means to be under full curfew for 10 days, incarcerated with the children in a crowded house, usually without an air conditioner or a computer or games to play, maybe a barely functioning television set. But the worst thing is the unnerving density of the close quarters. Even Israeli parents - who as of today have to figure out how to get through their children's endless summer vacation and are worried about having to keep them cooped up at home for fear of terrorist attacks - are also incapable of grasping how intolerable it is for the Palestinians to be imprisoned for days and weeks at a time with the children in their meagerly furnished homes, while threatening tanks continually rumble by and every sortie outside is liable to end in disaster. Very few Israelis have experienced curfew and it is very unlikely that many of them are spending their time thinking about the fact that within an hour's drive from their homes nearly a million people - some 800,000 in the cities of the West Bank along with the residents of some of the surrounding localities - have been locked into their homes for days under severe conditions. Not far from Tel Aviv, which on Friday hosted its annual Gay Pride parade, with all the color and merriment of past years, increasing numbers of Palestinian detainees, some of them innocent, were made to walk in a procession of humiliation. While the cafes in our cities were packed with people relaxing on the weekend, even if in the back of their minds they were afraid of terrorists, people in the West Bank can only dream of sitting in a coffee shop these days. The protracted curfew that has been imposed in the West Bank within the framework of Operation Determined Path, which is a more comprehensive curfew than any in the past, is not present in the Israeli consciousness. The media barely reports on it and no one is moved to speak out against the situation. Immersed in our justified concerns, we do no more than take note of the fact that since curfew was imposed there have been no terrorist attacks. However, this is ultra-short-term thinking that is also morally flawed. The test of the war against terrorism is not 10 days of quiet but the eradication of terrorism. It is difficult to believe that after the failure of Operation Defensive Shield, which failed to bring even a month of quiet, there is anyone who still seriously believes that these invasions of the cities in the West Bank provide a true answer to terrorism. The day after the Israeli forces leave the cities - and Israel maintains that it is not planning a permanent occupation - the terrorist attacks will be renewed in full force. The collective punishment that we are imposing on a million people is only postponing the next wave of attacks slightly, and may even have the effect of intensifying it. It is not hard to guess the plans that are being hatched in the curfew period by those who have been condemned to such a hard life: One thing we can be sure of is that no one there is planning to absorb a further 35 years of occupation without resistance. We have to remember that even without the curfew, these are people who in the past year and a half have been deprived of their basic freedom and are living in conditions of soaring unemployment and dire poverty. A.F., a resident of the Deheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem, related at the end of the week that for the majority of the camp's residents the hardest time is during the few hours when the curfew is lifted so they can buy food and other basic items, because then they discover that there is nothing to buy. (...) This curfew is also exacting a price in blood from the Palestinians, yet it is scarcely creating echoes in Israel. In Jenin, four children were killed in two separate incidents when they ventured outside. Most Palestinian children are by now cued to run when they hear the sound of a tank approaching in the terrible silence of the curfew and feel the earth tremble under the tank treads - but they don't always succeed in getting away. The mourning in Israel for the five victims of the terrorist attack at the settlement of Itamar, including, horrifically, three children from one family, need not diminish the scale of the tragedy that occurred in Jenin the next day: three small children, two of them brothers, were killed by a tank shell as they rode their bicycles, only because they were under the mistaken impression that the curfew had been lifted for a moment and they could go outside for a little while. [9] The Penal Colonies - Tanya Reinhart in Yediot Aharonot THE PENAL COLONIES Tanya Reinhart This is an expanded version of an article in Yediot Aharonot, June 30, 2002. The Gaza strip is a perfect realization of the Israeli vision of "separation". Surrounded with electric fences and army posts, completely sealed off the outside world, Gaza has become a huge prison. About onethird of its land was confiscated for the 7,000 Israeli settlers living there (and their defense array), while over a million Palestinians are crowded in the remaining areas of the prison. With no work or sources of income, about 80% of its residents depend, for their living, on UNRWA, or contributions from Arab states and charity organizations. Now Israel is considering the imprisonment there of families of suicide bombers from the West Bank (1). As a senior Israeli analyst stated, Gaza can now serve as "the penal colony" of Israel its "devils island, Alcatraz". (Nahum Barnea, Yediot Aharonot June 21, 2002). This is the future that Sharon and the Israeli army designate for the West Bank as well. While the external fence is presently being built, Israel's current military operation is set to be the final step in the implementation the IDF plans for reestablishing full military rule (which was abolished in large parts of the West Bank during the Oslo process). Though Israel describes everything it does as a spontaneous reaction to terror, the plan was fully spelled out in the Israeli media already back in March 2001, soon after Sharon entered office. Alex Fishman, military and strategic analyst of Yediot Aharonot, explained at the time that since Oslo, "the IDF regarded the occupied territories as if they were one territorial cell", and this placed some constraints on the IDF and enabled a certain amount of freedom for the PA and the Palestinian population. The new plan is a return to the concept of the military administration during the preOslo years: the occupied territories will be divided into tens of isolated "territorial cells", each of which will be assigned a special military force, "and the local commander will have freedom to use his discretion" as to when and who to shoot. (Yediot Ahronot weekend supplement, March 9.2001). The first stage of this plan the destruction of the institutions of the Palestinian Authority was completed in the previous 'Operation Defensive Shield' in April of this year. In practice, from that time on, the towns and villages of the West Bank have been completely sealed. Even exit by foot, which was possible up to that point, became blocked, and movement between the "territorial cells" now requires formal permits from the Israeli military authorities. Soldiers and snipers prevent any "unauthorized" walking to agricultural fields, to places of work and study, or for medical treatment. However, unlike the preOslo period of Israeli military rule, the army makes it clear that there is no intention to construct any civil administration that will take care of the basic daily needs of the two million Palestinians, such as food supplies, health services, garbage and sewage. For these tasks, some form of a Palestinian Authority will be maintained, though in practice it will not be allowed to function. As a 'military source' told Ha'aretz, "Internal conclusions of the security echelons, following operation 'Defensive Shield', assessed that the functioning of the civil branches of the Palestinian Authority had reached an unprecedented nadir, mainly due to the destruction the IDF operation left behind in Ramallah (including the systematic destruction of computers and databases)... Combined with the severe restrictions on movement, the Palestinian population is becoming, as the military source defined it, 'poor, dependent, unemployed, rather hungry, and extreme'... The financial reserves of the Palestinian authority are reaching the bottom... In a future not far off, the majority of Palestinians will only be able to maintain a reasonable life through the help of international aid." (Ha'aretz Hebrew edition, June 23, 2002, Amos Har'el). Thus, the West Bank is being driven to the level of poverty of the Gaza strip. Nevertheless, at the same time that Israel deprives the Palestinians of their means of income, it also makes a substantial effort to diminish or block international aid, under the pretext that the aid is used to support terrorists or their families. At the outset of its new 'operation', Israel "decided to stop the flow of foodaid and medicine from Iran and Iraq to Palestinians in the territories" (Ha'aretz, June 24, 2002, Amos Har'el). Iranian and Iraqi aid is an easy target for Israel, as these countries belong to the "Axis of Evil". However, Israel started launching a more ambitious campaign: The EU the largest PA donor is under constant pressure from Israel to cut its aid, which is used, inter alia to pay the salaries of teachers and health workers. The tactics are always the same: Israel provides some documents presumably linking the PA to terror. Any aid to the PA is, therefore, aid to terror (2). UNRWA's aid is the next target. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians in the Near East (UNRWA) has become a major source of food for Palestinians in the besieged territories. Its food supplies are now delivered not only to the refugee camps, but also in towns and villages. The amount of food UNRWA supplies has increased fourfold in two years (3). Recently, "Israel has begun a campaign in the United States and the United Nations to urge a reconsideration of the way the UN Relief and Works Agency, which runs the Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza, operates. Israel charges that UNRWA workers simply ignored the fact that Palestinian organizations were turning the camps into terrorist bases and it is demanding the agency start reporting all military or terrorist actions within the camps to the UN.... Meanwhile, Jewish and proIsraeli lobbyists in the U.S. are waging a parallel campaign ... American Jewish lobbyists are basing their efforts on the fact that the U.S. currently contributes some 30 percent of UNRWA's $400 million a year budget, and is therefore in a position to influence the agency: A congressional refusal to approve UNRWA's funding could seriously disrupt its operations. (Ha'aretz June 29, 2002, Nathan Guttman). The campaign is not yet demanding cutting UNRWA's aid and presence altogether, but raising the impossible demand that UNRWA should serve as an active force in "the war against terror" ("reporting military or terrorist actions") is the first step towards such a demand.(4) Since September 11, Sharon has been constructing an analogy between the occupied territories and Afghanistan (with the PA as Al Qaeda). He keeps declaring that the solution to Palestinian terror, and the required 'reforms', should be along the lines set in Afghanistan. The analogy is frighteningly revealing: As it established the 'reforms' in Afghanistan, the US forced starvation upon millions of people. This is how Noam Chomsky described it: "On Sept. 16, the New York Times reported that 'Washington has also demanded [from Pakistan] a cutoff of fuel supplies...and the elimination of truck convoys that provide much of the food and other supplies to Afghanistan's civilian population.' Astonishingly, that report elicited no detectable reaction in the West, a grim reminder of the nature of the Western civilization that leaders and elite commentators claim to uphold. In the following days, those demands were implemented... 'The country was on a lifeline,' one evacuated aid worker reports, 'and we just cut the line' (NY times Magazine, September 30). According to the world's leading newspaper, then, Washington demanded that Pakistan ensures the death of enormous numbers of Afghans, millions of them already on the brink of starvation, by cutting off the limited sustenance that was keeping them alive." (Interview with Michael Albert, reprinted in Noam Chomsky, 911, Seven Stories, 2002). Arundhati Roy, summarized this at the time: "Witness the infinite justice of the new century. Civilians starving to death while they're waiting to be killed" (Guardian, Sept. 29). The new stage of Israel's 'separation' can no longer be compared to the Apartheid of South Africa. As Ronnie Kasrils, South Africa's Minister of Water Affairs, said in an Interview with Al Ahram Weekly, "the South African apartheid regime never engaged in the sort of repression Israel is inflicting on the Palestinians" (Issue of March 28 April 3, 2002). We are witnessing the daily invisible killing of the sick and wounded being deprived of medical care, the weak who cannot survive in the new poverty conditions, and those who are bound to reach starvation. Nevertheless, the public debate in Israel revolves around questions of efficiency: Is it possible to stop terror in such methods. Let us suppose even that it is. Is it allowed? Is this what we (Israelis) want to be? One people stole the 'Lamb of its poor neighbor'(5): Gaza and the West Bank are 22% of the land of IsraelPalestine, where the Palestinians lived in the past. On this small piece of land, three million people live, with hopes, needs and dreams, just like ours. Since Oslo, they have been lured with promises that we are about to evacuate the settlements and give them back their land, at the very same time that we have been imprisoning them in Gaza, stealing more of their land in the West Bank, and leaving them no hope whatsoever. The Palestinian people are fighting for their freedom. The crimes of Palestinian terror do not remove our culpability for our own crimes. Before Oslo, as well, there was a wave of horrible terror attacks. But at that time, after each such attack, the call was heard get out of the territories! Then it was still understood that when you leave people no hope, there is no way to stop the madness of suicide bombing. It is not too late to get out of the territories. ======== (1) In its meeting on Friday, June 21, 2002, the Israeli cabinet "decided in principle in favor both of the expulsion of families of suicide strikers from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip... The implementation of this expulsion policy depends upon the outcome of a legal review." ('IDF set to expel bombers' families' By Aluf Benn, Amos Harel and Gideon Alon, Ha'aretz June 23, 2002). (2) Here is one example of the pressure on the EU: "The documents seized from PA offices in recent months, some of which were included in the document compiled by minister without portfolio Dan Naveh following Operation Defensive Shield, were presented last week to the EC delegation in Israel and representatives of the International Monetary Fund at a meeting with IDF intelligence officers. Naveh claims the documents prove European financial aid has been used to finance terrorism and incitement, and has also found its way into the pockets of senior PA officials. The head of the EC's delegation to Israel, Giancarlo Chevallard, told Ha'aretz that at the meeting, the delegation saw evidence that Arafat is financing terrorism, but added Israel had not provided evidence that European financial aid which is designated to pay the salaries of PA employees is being used to finance terrorist attacks. Another senior delegation official said he was extremely skeptical Israel had evidence to prove European aid is being used by the PA to finance terrorism... Meanwhile, in the shadow of the Israeli accusations, the European Parliament's budgetary committee last week delayed the transfer of 18.7 million euros in financial aid to the PA until the EC reports how the money is to be distributed..." (Ha'aretz, June 6, 2002, Yair Ettinger) This specific frozen amount was released in the meanwhile, however Israel's pressure continues. (3) Amos Har'el, 'The IDF neutralizes the Palestinian Authority, and humanitarian organizations try to replace it', Ha'aretz Hebrew edition, June 23, 2002. (Quoted before). (4). The campaign against UNRWA started earlier: "In letters written to Annan in May, Republican U.S. Senator Arlen Specter and Democratic U.S. Representative Tom Lantos accused the U.N. agency of allowing and promoting terrorist activity in the camps. Specter said UNRWA schools promoted antiIsraeli and anti Semitic sentiments and Lantos said the agency allowed terrorists to organize in the camps."(Inter Press Service, June 24, 2002) (5) Bible, Samuel II, 12:11: "12:1The LORD sent Natan to David. He came to him, and said to him, "There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. 12:2The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 12:3but the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and raised. It grew up together with him, and with his children. It ate of his own food, drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was to him like a daughter. 12:4A traveler came to the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man who had come to him, but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man who had come to him." (http://ebible.org/bible/hnv/2Sam.htm) [10] Determined Path to Nowhere - Uzi Benziman Ha'aretz ------- Ha'aretz Sunday, June 30, 2002 Determined Path to Defensive Shield By Uzi Benziman During the same week when IDF Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz acknowledged to members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Operation Defensive Shield failed, Israel Defense Forces troops moved into West Bank cities, undertaking Operation Determined Path. The circumstances and atmosphere were similar: After a wave of cruel Palestinian terror attacks, there was general agreement that Israel had no choice but to deploy unusual means of force to quell terror. The IDF submitted an operational plan, and the political leadership authorized it, virtually unanimously. Soldiers, including reservists conscripted under emergency orders, fully identified with their assignments.  And thus for the second time in three months, the State of Israel found itself with its army in control of Area A (designated in the Oslo Accords as being under full Palestinian control) lands, and undertaking a dangerous, taxing effort to locate and destroy Palestinian terror sites. But unlike the case of Defensive Shield, the current extreme move is being carried out in the absence of public debate about its meaning. The IDF is reoccupying the West Bank, with the apparent intention of remaining in these lands for a long, indefinite period - and the public views the situation apathetically.  Extrapolating from the precedent of Defensive Shield, the following events are liable to occur in coming days: More Palestinian civilians will die as a result of mistakes; international pressure will pick up steam, calling for an end to the siege on the Palestinian population; the government will, to some extent, be influenced by this pressure, and as a result the IDF will claim that it isn't being allowed to finish the job; developments within the Palestinian Authority, or in the international arena, will cause Israel to relinquish some of the objectives it set at the beginning of the operation; the terror attacks will resume, and sometime later Chief of Staff Mofaz (or his successor) will concede that the operation didn't meet expectations.  There is, of course, another possibility. Israel will not face genuine pressure calling on it to abort the operation; the lessons of Defensive Shield having been learned well, the IDF will not make any significant mistakes that disrupt the original plans and intentions of Determined Path; new international circumstances (such as the U.S. position regarding Yasser Arafat) will enable the Sharon government to carry out its plans fully; Palestinian suicide attacks will not resume, owing to the IDF's imposing presence in West Bank cities and the refugee camps around them.  Careful thought about its meaning and implications must be given to this optimistic scenario. One possibility is that it will become clear that the IDF doesn't have the wherewithal to eradicate the threat of lethal Palestinian terror. A second possibility is that it will become clear that a powerful show of military force (the regular army plus a limited call-up of reservists) can restore quiet to Israel - but the only way to maintain such quiet is to deploy troops massively on the West Bank for an unlimited length of time. In other words, it might be that only a reoccupation of Palestinian Authority lands, and the imposition of tough military rule (curfews and closures, violent, unending searches) can guarantee the welfare of citizens of Israel.  After one week of the current operation, it has been reported that more than 2,000 people have been detained and await questioning, and that the Shin Bet security service has stretched itself to the limit, trying to extract crucial information from these detainees. This is just the tip of the iceberg: The number of Palestinians who have been involved in violent activity against Israel, or who have pertinent information, is very, very large. Palestinian terrorists do not set out on strikes without widespread, popular support, from which they obtain shelter and logistical help.  Israel is caught in a trap, and military operations cannot free it from this bind. The choice being offered by its current government is reconciliation with abominable terror, or a corrupting conquest. Nobody in the political leadership is offering a different route - separating from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From otherisr at actcom.co.il Sun Jun 30 21:09:14 2002 From: otherisr at actcom.co.il (otherisr@actcom.co.il) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: (Fwd) INTERNATIONALS STOP TANK ADVANCEMENT WITH BODIES Message-ID: <3D1F656A.14165.1D9A4AF@localhost> ------- Forwarded message follows ------- To: palsolidarity@yahoogroups.com From: s s Date sent: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 10:34:05 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [palsolidarity] INTERNATIONALS STOP TANK ADVANCEMENT WITH BODIES [ Double-click this line for list subscription options ]  INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT http://www.palsolidarity.org June 30, 2002 1900 For immediate release  INTERNATIONALS STOP TANK ADVANCEMENT WITH BODIES Arrest of American peace activist and journalists   [NABLUS] Earlier today international peace activists investigated a home that local Palestinians believed was seized by the military. After determining that Israeli soldiers had indeed taken the top floor of the house they tried to speak with the family. The family is confined to the top floor and was not allowed to speak freely with the internationals.  In the street internationals made signs warning the local population of the military presence.  One armored personnel carrier (APC), one tank and a bulldozer rolled down the street towards the house. With local press from Reuters and other agencies as well as the internationals taping, four international civilians representing the USA, UK, Canada and Israel laid down in the street effectively stopping the advancement of the Israeli military. Israeli forces resorted to violence launching tear gas and sound grenades at them but the activists held fast.  The military backed away and approached from another direction and the same situation was replayed.  Israeli army jeeps arrived and arrested the press, forcing them into jeeps and taking them to an uknown location. The journalists are: Hassan Titti and Abed Qusini from Reuters. One American peace activist, Eric Levine, was forced into another jeep and hauled away.  At this point we are trying to determine Eric's condition and whereabouts. International civilians are still intent on protecting the family from the Israeli military and will remain in the area.  Video footage may be available.  For more information in Nablus contact: Rae Levine – 056-382-317 Neta Golan – 059-871-055 Marissa McLaughlin – 067-360-810  For more information on The International Solidarity Movement contact: Huwaida Arraf – 052-642-709 or 067-473-308  END  Do You Yahoo!? Sign-up for Video Highlights of 2002 FIFA World Cup To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:palsolidarity-unsubscribe@egroups.com    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. ------- End of forwarded message ------- From info at gush-shalom.org Tue Jul 2 17:49:40 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] Dangerous! Peaceseeker! - 18 turned back at airport Message-ID: <3D21D9A4.29177.120B9DF@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Press release ========================================================== Palestinian negotiator & 17 American peace activists refused entry at the Airport ========================================================== Today Michael Tarazi, member of the PLO Peace Negotiations team was refused entry at Ben Gurion Airport upon his return from a visit to the United States. We spoke with him on his mobile phone, while he was in the police station of the Ben-Gurion Airport - but it was interrupted in the middle, and afterwards the phone was disconnected. Tarazi, who has US citizenship, lives in Ramallah and works as the legal adviser for the PLO negotiating team. Many Israelis have heard him speak, in house meetings, but also in public halls where he gave his vision why the negotiations went wrong, inspiring Israeli peace activists with hope. Preventing this man from entering Israel is part of a war - not against terrorism, but against those peaceseeking Palestinians who can prove that "there is a partner" and thereby constitute a danger for the Israeli propaganda machine. For similar reasons also 17 members of Fellowship of Reconciliation from the US, were refused entry when they arrived at BG Airport. The FOR members were to meet with Knesset members (e.g., Yosi Sarid) as well as with activist groups. Already for a few months the Israeli army keeps the international press away from the Palestinian areas during its reconquest operations. Adam Keller Gush Shalom spokesperson ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From otherisr at actcom.co.il Wed Jul 3 20:06:06 2002 From: otherisr at actcom.co.il (otherisr@actcom.co.il) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:54 2004 Subject: Tomorrow court decision re deportation order against 2 of the internationals Message-ID: <3D234B1E.3458.B09907@localhost> URGENT: Only now was announced that tomorrow at 12 o'clock the Administrative Court in Jerusalem is going to give its final verdict in the question of the deportation order against Josie Sandercock (UK) and Darlene Wallach (US). The two were among a group of internationals arrested several weeks ago at Balata Refugee Camp in Nablus - while trying to provide humanitarian help to inhabitant whose house had been taken over. The two are represented by lawyers Mahmoud Jabbarin of LAW and Gaby Laski of PCATI. The court is in the Disstrict Court building on Salah a-Din Street, East Jerusalem. In an earlier session the presence of activists, journalists and diplomats may have had an impact - there followed release onm bail. The decision of tomorrow is not only important for the fate of these two women, but also as precedent. IF YOU FEEL THAT THE INTERNATIONALS DO AN IMPORTANT HUMANITARIAN JOB, THEN BE THERE. [Based upon the information we just now got from Josie.] A vivid description of the earlier session and about what these internationals stand for in Tom Segev's "Three Volunteers in Limbo" of Friday, June 14 http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=176264&contrassID=2& subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y The following is another ISM report out of the many we receive daily INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT http://www.palsolidarity.org July 3, 2002 1700 For immediate release Two Americans, one Brit held captive by Israeli Army Held in inhumane conditions, denied access to consulates [NABLUS] At 1600 Monday July 01, 2002 Israeli soldiers took Eric Levine, an American human rights worker, Brian Dominick, an American medical worker, and Peter Blacker, a British medical worker to an army occupied house near Nablus where they were made to stay under inhuman conditions, with no explanation, for over 45 hours. They were put in a small unfinished room, out in the open. They remained in the open day and night without adequate shelter from the heat or nighttime cold. They were given one meal a day consisting of canned food and not allowed to use toilet facilities. The men repeatedly asked why they were being held and requested to make phone calls to their family and consulates, but were denied. Soldiers yelled at them, pushed them and told them that if they tried to leave they would be shot. Today at approximately 1600 the men were released in a remote location near Nablus, whereby they made their way into Nablus on foot. The two medical workers are now with the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC) in Nablus, and Eric is due to be on a flight back to the United States tonight. The Israeli Army has thus far not given either the ISM or consular officials any explanation as to why these men were abducted, treated inhumanely and held incommunicado for two days. For more information contact: Eric Levine 972 (0) 56 382 317 Brian Dominick 972 (0) 56 621 928 Peter Blacker +44 79 74 236 541 For information on the International Solidarity Movement contact: Huwaida Arraf: 052-642-709 From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Jul 4 23:55:41 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] Told and untold struggle against occupation Message-ID: <3D24D26D.30506.1ABF13E@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [Through billboard we forward about twice a week what is on the agenda, based upon our own material and on announcements received from others. We include articles and reports. For more information, turn first to the addresses appearing per item.] *announcements* [1] Gush Shalom in huge ad: Democratic elections? Certainly - but not under occupation! [2] Peace Now Protest at Ben-Eliezer's residence, Sat night [3] Ta'ayush convoy to Salfit on Saturday - update and more details [4] Yesh Gvul: prison update [5] Students and professors call for the opening of Birzeit *reports* [6] Israeli court rules to deport international peace workers [7] What goes unnoticed in the many villages [8] How Abd a-Samed became the 116th child killed in Gaza - Amira Hass [9] Spreading the secret - a positive note from Gila Svirsky [1] Gush Shalom in huge ad: Democratic elections? Certainly - but not under occupation! [This special statement will be published tomorrow, Friday, as a full page ad in Haaretz. It is the start of a campaign.] A NEW BEGINNING Without hope for a solution, violence will go on. The two peoples will push each other into an abyss of destruction and bereavement. Life will be hell. A new beginning is needed, a new step towards a solution that will allow both sides to live a normal life in peace and security. President Bush's speech did not contribute much to the search for a solution, but it contained one positive component, on which all parties - the Palestinians themselves, Israel, the United States, Europe and the UN - now agree: the proposal to hold free elections for the Palestinian Authority as soon as possible. Although President Bush put this proposal at the forefront of his demands his speech was accepted enthusiastically by the Sharon government and the majority of the Israeli people. If all Palestinian parties are allowed to take part in the elections, all of them - even Hamas - will have a strong motive to halt attacks, so as not to sabotage the elections. This can be assured by direct negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and all the parties. Therefore, we call upon the Government of Israel to take all the necessary steps to enable the Palestinian people to hold free and fair elections, without coercion, pressure or threats. For this purpose, the following conditions must be met: Freedom of Movement: There can be no free elections if the candidates and voters cannot move freely inside the towns and between them. Freedom of Association: There can be no free elections if the public is not able to meet freely, to set up and maintain political parties and to move freely from place to place. Freedom of Expression: There can be no free elections if candidates and voters are not able to voice their opinions, hold debates and conduct publicity campaigns. Therefore, the Government of Israel must order the IDF to withdraw from all Palestinian territories and to remove the checkpoints, closures and sieges within the towns and villages and between them. Jerusalem: Under the Oslo agreements, the inhabitants of Jerusalem have the right to vote and to be elected to all institutions of the Palestinian Authority. This right was exercised at the last elections. The Israeli Government must make all necessary arrangements for this purpose, such as allowing candidates to move freely between Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories and inside East Jerusalem itself, to set up political groups and to conduct campaigns. Safe Passage: For election purposes, the Wrest Bank and the Gaza Strip constitute one unit. Therefore, the safe passages provided for in the Oslo agreements must be opened. The Chairman: In free, democratic elections, every citizen has the right to be a candidate for any post. This, of course, applies also to the citizen Yasser Arafat. If Arafat is again elected as chairman, he will be the sole legitimate address for any peace negotiation. We call upon the Government of Israel to declare publicly that it will respect the wish of the Palestinian people, as expressed in the elections, and negotiate with the elected leader - whoever he will be. International Monitors: In order to assure that the elections will be fair and free of any coercion, pressure and threats, there is a need for credible, neutral, international monitors, like those who oversaw the last election, headed at the time by former President Jimmy Carter. This time, too, it is appropriate that the monitors will be headed by a credible figure of internationally acknowledged stature, such as Nelson MANDELA, Bishop TUTU or Jimmy CARTER. International Force: In order to safeguard security, an international peace force should be deployed in the Palestinian territories after the withdrawal of the IDF. Such a force should be appointed by the United Nations and be composed of soldiers from countries that enjoy the trust of both sides, such as Sweden, Denmark and Holland, for example. We call upon the international community to take this task upon itself, in order to put an end to the vicious bloody cycle and restore hope to the Israeli and the Palestinian people. The bloodshed has destroyed the mutual trust between the two peoples. New elections within the Palestinian community can make an important contribution to the restoration of this trust and open a new page for negotiations, based upon the principle now accepted by President Bush: "Two States for Two Peoples". An Israeli decision to make possible free and democratic elections in the Palestinian territories, by withdrawing the IDF and removing the hallmarks of occupation, will also improve Israel's position, which has been severely damaged in the wake of the IDF incursions in world public opinion, Therefore, democratic elections are important, but - There can be no democracy under occupation! GUSH SHALOM Please send expressions of support and checks to Gush Shalom, P.O.Box 3322, Tel- Aviv 61033. Telephone 972-3-5221732. www.gush-shalom.org, info@gush-shalom.org [2] Peace Now Protest at Ben-Eliezer's residence, Sat night ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Didi Remez Date sent: Thu, 04 Jul 2002 13:01:12 +0200 July 4, 2002 SATURDAY NIGHT: PROTEST AT BEN-ELIEZER'S RESIDENCE "GET OUT OF THE SETTLER GOVERNMENT" On Saturday night, July 6 19:30, Peace Now and the Peace Coalition will hold a protest at Defense Minister Ben Eliezer's residence, 7 Tavor st., Mevaseret (a suburb of Jerusalem.) Activists will carry placards with the inscriptions "Get Out of the Settler Government" and "Ben-Eliezer is a Settlement Contractor". Among the speakers will be Nurit Fink whose mother, Rivka Fink, was murdered in the bombing at the Jerusalem Ben Yehuda promenade on April 14. She is expected to sharply criticize the DM for remaining in the government. Moria Shlomot, Director of Peace Now: "Ben-Eliezer and the Labor Ministers are a fig leaf for a settler government. Under their auspices 44 new settlement sites have been established, work has begun on a new neighborhood in Hebron and thousands of housing units have been constructed in existing settlements. Their partnership with the neo-fascist Effi Eitam is endangering Israel's future. We will hound them until they resign." Map locating Ben-Eliezer's residence: www.peace-now.org/FuadHouse.jpg TRANSPORT: Tel-Aviv, Rakevet Tzafon, 18:15 Jerusalem, Gan Hapaamon, 18:45 OTHER PROTESTS SATURDAY NIGHT: Haifa, Merkaz Hacarmel, 19:00 (Organized by the Peace Forum) Beersheva, Across from 'Big' shopping center, 20:00 Kefar Saba, Weizmann St. ('Arim' shopping center), 20:00 FURTHER INFORMATION: Press: Didi Remez, Peace Now Spokesman, 054-302796 or didi@peacenow.org.il Activists - to get involved in planning and organization of activities contact: [In Tel-Aviv] Ori Ginat, 054-405157 or ori@peacenow.org.il [In Jerusalem] Shiri Iram, 054-687539 or shiri@peacenow.org.il [Everywhere else] Noa Millman, 054-556052 or noa@peacenow.org.il [3] Ta'ayush convoy to Salfit on Saturday - update and more details ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Ta'ayush Arab-Jewish" Date sent: Wed, 03 Jul 2002 11:21:29 +0300 Solidarity convoy to Salfit region, July 7 update Early on Monday morning, July 1, the IDF invaded Salfit region, as it had done in other cities in the West Bank. Searches and arrests are being done in the town. The armed invasion to the Occupied Territories is carried out while the media is silent and the public is indifferent. Now is the time to express solidarity and maintain our protest. The invasion to Salfit creates new (though not unexpected) difficulties to our upcoming convoy on Saturday; nevertheless, we have no intention to concede and surrender. Though under such constraints our chances to form an open gathering with the community are slender, we are determined to convey the medical equipment to its destination. As you know, the convoy is set to bring an ultrasound, photo-spectrometer and other auxiliary equipment to the regional medical center. We are expected to have a more complicated acticity, but its success is important more then ever. The convoy is set to leave on Saturday, though its program may alter with the consequences. We need each and every one of you! Please follow the updates in the Ta'ayush voicemail (03-6914437) and on the e-mail. We'll meet on Saturday, July 6th in the gas station at the southern entrence to Kufr-Kassem at 10:00. Meeting places: Tel-Aviv: 9:20 EL-AL checkpoint in Rakevet Tzafon. Info: Dan, 054-908107 Jerusalem: 9:00 Binyanei Hauma. Info: Karen 054-405777 Haifa: 8:30 (further notice to be sent soon) Bring your IDs, cameras and cell-phones, and don't forget a hat, walking shoes, food and water. Background Ta'ayush - Arab-Jewish Partnership will be holding its next solidarity convoy on Saturday, 6/7/02 to the Salfit region, east of Kufr Kassem. The convoy's immediate purpose is to bring essential medical equipment - ultrasound, photospectrometer, computers and auxiliary medical equipment ? to a medical center in the area. Sharon is leading us all to another round of bloodshed. In these times too, we wish to strengthen the Israeli-Palestinian solidarity and to point out, through our activity, an alternative to the circle of oppression, killing and hate. For many months now, ill people in the Salfit region are unable to reach the hospitals of Nablus and Ramallah in order to receive adequate medical treatment. As in other places in the West Bank, pregnant women about to give birth are held at checkposts and the condition of chronically-ill patients is deteriorating. The continuing policy of encircling towns has turned the Palestinians into prisoners in their own towns. This policy is an important part in the campaign led by Sharon to undermine the Palestinian population's hold on its land and its determination to resist the occupation. This pressure is especially aimed at villages and towns near the Green Line (regions of Tul-Karem, Kalkilya, Salfit), some of which are in areas Sharon intends to annex. To serve the population of the Salfit region, around 60,000 people, residents of the region have founded a medical center, intended to relieve the distress situation and to enable the provision of emergency medical treatment. The center has been built solely on the basis of funds provided by the community itself, without any external assistance. Ta'ayush has responded to the invitation of activists from the community and of persons from medical center, and took upon itself to strengthen it by contributing some expensive medical equipment which are essential to its operation - an ultrasound machine, a photospectrometer for the analysis of laboratory tests, and computers. We need your contributions to finance the purchase of this equipment. It is also possible to contribute computers and printers. Together we will bring the equipment, meet the residents of the area and protest against the policy of strangulation. Contributions can be made to Ta'ayush bank account no. 396608, Bank Hapoalim, Ramat Aviv branch (no. 606), or by sending a check made out to Ta?ayush, P.O.Box 59380 Tel Aviv 61593. Contributions from abroad can be made to Bank HaPoalim, Swift code POALILITA (Ramat Aviv branch), 12-606-396608. If you can contribute computers or printers, please write to Yaron at y.caspi@weizmann.ac.il [4] Yesh Gvul: prison update ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "ram rahat" Date sent: Tue, 2 Jul 2002 18:56:48 +0200 Dear Friend, As the Israeli army continues to invoke “the war on terror” as guise for its Operation "Determined Path" in defence of the illegal outposts and settlements,resorting to emergency orders to call upever more reservists, there are still those who have chosen the determined path of refusal.Four more reservists have been imprisoned during the past week for refusing to take part in the Occupation. New in Prison v Lt. Udi Orr, (29) was sentenced on June 24th to 28 days at Prison 6. Udi, a student, is married and lives in Jerusalem. He serves in the infantry. v Corporal Plato Melinovski, (30) was sentenced on July 1st to 28 days. Plato is married and a student in Tel Aviv. He serves in the armoured corps. v Also sentenced were Gadi Sprukt and B. Any groups interested in adopting one of these refuseniks should get in touch with Ram at rahat@isdn.net.il Released In the past week several refuseniks were released from prison: Sefi Sendik; R.B.; Itai Swirsky; Gilad Swirsky and Daniel Weinbach Still in Prison (and adopted) Guy Rozin and Amit Bar-Tzedeq A quick quiz: Which of these leaders was democratically elected by a minority of the electorate: George W. Bush or Yaser Arafat? --------------------- peretz kidron - ram rahat-goodman  [5] Students and professors call for the opening of Birzeit Israeli academics have been collecting signatures on a protest petition (so far 327 signed) which is soon due to be published as an ad. For further details contact: Jacob Katriel Already several weeks before the present full-scale reoccupation of the whole West Bank, the army has effectively stopped academic activity at Bir-Zeit Univerity by blocking the only road leading to Birzeit village from Ramallah. As a result of the roadblock, all academic activities in Birzeit University have been completely paralyzed, and the University's authorities fear they will have to cancel the current semester. Birzeit is not only the most important research center in the occupied territories, but also a vital center of Palestinian civil society. [6] Israeli court rules to deport international peace workers ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Huwaida Arraf Date sent: Thu, 4 Jul 2002 03:59:27 -0700 (PDT) INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT Thursday, July 04, 2002 For Immediate Release ISRAELI COURT RULES TO DEPORT INTERNATIONAL PEACE WORKERS [JERUSALEM] The district court of Jerusalem today ruled against the three international peace activists and human rights workers: Josie Sandercock (UK), Darlene Wallach (US) and Mikoto (Japan) and confirmed their deportation by the Israeli Ministry of Interior. The judge in the case, who had appeared to be reasonable on the first day of the trial did not give the plaintiffs verbal reason for confirming their deportation and stated that it “was not [her] job to ascertain the facts.” Josie brought up the fact that the reason given by the soldiers for their deportation was the same lie used against another American and two Reuters journalists 3 days ago when they were detained by Israeli soldiers – that they were shown papers my the Israeli army, that they were in a closed military zone and they refused to leave (video footage clearly shows that the internationals were not denied entry into Nablus, from where they were detained/arrested. Josie and Darlene are working on having the papers given to them in Hebrew translated and will decide whether or they will appeal the decision to the Israeli Supreme Court. “It’s not about the decision or what’s being done to us, rather it’s about what the Israeli military is doing to the Palestinians and doesn’t want the world to see. They are shooting at seven-year old boys in the streets and think that if they prevent us (foreign civilians) from entering Palestinian areas, they can keep the world from knowing.” Thus far the Israeli Ministry of Interior has deported upwards of 50 foreign peace and human rights workers and has denied hundreds entry into the country. The only way you can get to Palestinian cities, towns and villages (all under Israeli occupation) is through Israel. And yet, we will not by deterred. We will keep resisting the brutal and inhumane Israeli occupation and the illegal policies of the occupation forces. We reaffirm our call to all good people around the world not to stay silent. Keep coming to Palestine – We need you. For more information on how to join us in Palestine – www.palsolidarity.org To contact Josie or Darlene: Josie: +972-67-490-566; Darlene: +972-55-971-842 [7] What goes unnoticed in the many villages ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "hearpalestine" Date sent: Wed, 03 Jul 2002 18:36:55 -0000 ***************** HEAR PALESTINE ***************** Wednesday, 3 July 2002 *Ongoing Israeli Attacks in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip *Israeli Army Invades More West Bank Villages and Carries Out Arrests *Hundreds of Fruitful Olive Trees Destroyed near Bethlehem ********************************************************************** *Ongoing Israeli Attacks in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip* Israeli soldiers based at al-Tuffah military roadblock attacked homes west of Khan Younis today with heavy machine gun fire. One residential building in the area was attacked with a missile. The Israeli army also attacked Khaza'a, east of Khan Younis, once again today, wounding a young boy moderately while he was playing with a group of children on Al-Najjar Street. On another front, Israeli bulldozers continued to demolish agricultural land today. Dozens of dunums (1dunum=1000m2) of land (northwest Khan Younis), cultivated with citrus and olive trees and vegetables were destroyed. The Israeli army early this morning invaded al-Rabwat area (within a distance of 200 meters), north of Khan Younis under intense fire. Israeli soldiers raided and searched homes in the invaded areas. Israeli soldiers at the same time continue to carry acts of destruction in other areas of the Gaza Strip. ****************************** *Israeli Army Invades More West Bank Villages and Carries Out Arrests* The Israeli army carried out arrests in Qibya, west of Ramallah during an invasion of the village and an imposed curfew on the residents. At least 12 civilians were arrested from the village. The Israeli army continues to impose a curfew on the village and the neighboring Shaqba village, which was invaded at an earlier stage of the day. Similar attacks were carried out in Shaqba where several of the residents were arrested. In Ramallah, Israeli soldiers invaded the civil service building for the fifth time and arrested four workers after causing destruction to the building. The Israeli army this morning invaded Sanirya village southwest Salfeet, imposed a curfew on the residents and carried out collective arrests. The Israeli army continues to occupy Salfeet and a number of its surrounding villages. The curfew was lifted in these areas today for a number of hours, however an intense Israeli military presence was reported in residential areas. ****************************** *Hundreds of Fruitful Olive Trees Destroyed near Bethlehem* The Israeli army devastated agricultural land near Wadi al-Nar route near Bethlehem. Over 500 fruitful olive trees, the source of living for several of the residents, were destroyed on the road, which links north and south West Bank. [8] How Abd a-Samed became the 116th child killed in Gaza - Amira Hass Some 26 percent of those killed by IDF fire in the Strip are children, compared to 15 percent in the West Bank Ha'aretz, July 2 By Amira Hass The June 21 funeral of Abd a-Samed Shamalekh, 10 : "What did he do that they shot him? He didn't even throw stones." (Photo: Reuters ) GAZA - He loved nothing more than to go down to the sea, swim, and fly his home-made kite - but on Friday morning, June 21, Abd a-Samed Shamalekh, aged 10, went instead to his family's plot of land to pick eggplants and cucumbers. This is how Abd a-Samed and his brother Mohammed, 12, spent their summer vacation - either by the sea, or working in the fields and selling vegetables. The family owns 4.5 dunams of land and the vegetables they grow on it support 15 people. The Shamalekh family lives in the Sheikh Ajlin neighborhood, in the southern part of Gaza City. It is a crowded place of two-story homes built in the past two decades by people whose main livelihood comes from tilling the soil. The neighborhood sprawls over the sandy hill that rises from the beach. Red Bougainvillea sprout from the sand and climb over the iron gates and up the concrete plaster of the houses. The narrow, bottleneck of a coastal road separates the family's home from the sea. They ride in a donkey cart to the field, about 1.5 kilometers to the south. As in most of Sheikh Ajlin, the land was once planted with vines but the Shamalekh family switched to vegetables. A vineyard produced grapes once a year, but vegetables provide work and income throughout the whole year. On June 21, there was shooting early in the morning. Perhaps at 5, or maybe at 6 A.M. It's hard to remember exactly, the family says. When they looked outside, they saw the southbound traffic had come to a halt and realized it would be still impossible to get the field. Around 8:00 or 8:30, the cars began to move again and the family understood that the situation had calmed. Shooting, a traffic halt, more shooting, and then quiet again - it's a regular routine in the neighborhood. Netzarim settlement is 2 km to the southeast, guarded by "half the Israeli army" as they say in Gaza. Most of the agricultural land in the sand dunes surrounding Netzarim has already been destroyed in the past 22 months. Fields and hothouses have been crushed, raked over, and flattened, with grape vines uprooted or cut down. Dry tomato plants and remnants of grapevines are scattered on the sides of the road. Nonetheless, some green patches have survived and they continue to be worked by their owners or by those who have leased the plots - on the eastern and western sides of the coastal road. The asphalt road leading to Netzarim to the east is barred to Palestinian traffic and used only for tanks and jeeps. A single dwelling, belonging to the Abu Husa family, stands alone in the scorched earth. The IDF has taken up positions in this house for over a year, keeping close watch on the farmers returning to their fields and on the vehicles and carts on the road. Lots of blood Abd a-Samed and Mohammed went to the field that Friday morning to see what was happening - the curiosity of children. Rumors had reached the city that an Israeli bulldozer had begun to destroy and clear out the farm plots in the area. They also wanted to pick several kilos of vegetables and bring them in the cart to their father, so he could sell them in the market. Then they'd be able to return to the sea and play with the kite, the wind and waves. Just after 9 o'clock in the morning, about half an hour after the children left the house, word reached the parents that Mohammed was wounded. Then they were told that it was Abd a-Samed and that he had been rushed to the hospital. The parents found his dead body at the hospital with a bullet in his head. On that Friday morning, Palestinians had fired an improvised anti-tank rocket against an IDF position adjacent to the Netzarim settlement. A Givati soldier was seriously injured. Army sources told Ha'aretz that this had occurred at six or seven in the morning and that IDF forces "identified the sources of shooting and returned fire." Later, the IDF destroyed a nearby position of the Palestinian naval police. According to the IDF Spokesman, the rocket had been fired from this naval base. Did Palestinians also fire at an IDF post at 9 A.M.? The IDF Spokesman told Ha'aretz that it is reasonable to assume that there was and that the IDF had fired in response. Journalists who visited the spot, a researcher for the Palestinian Center for Human Rights and residents of the area said that the scene had already become quiet by 8:30 and there were no exchanges of gunfire. The fact is traffic had begun to move again, farmers had begun to hurry to their fields to see what had happened to their plots of land, and photographers came to take pictures of the bulldozer moving back and forth over the ground, crushing additional vegetable plants. Heavy fire suddenly broke through the quiet. The reporters and residents said that the shooting came either from the positions in Netzarim or from a tank that had just crossed the road. Dozens of people, mostly women and children, clung to the ground in fear, their faces buried in the sand and soil. Mohammed and his brother Abd a-Samed had had almost reached their family's land already when the shooting began. Like everyone else, they lay flat on the ground - or at least Mohammed thought so. After several minutes, he said to his brother that the shooting was apparently over and they could continue on. Abd a-Samed didn't answer and when Mohammed turned to look, he saw lots of blood. He called for help, but there was no ambulance in the area. Someone dragged Abd a-Samed to a donkey cart that somebody else brought. They took the child in this cart, not knowing whether he was still alive, until they reached an ambulance. "He was already gone when they brought him from there," the father says. "What did he do that they shot at him? He didn't even throw stones. The soldiers have everything - cameras, binoculars - they always brag that they see everything. So they could know very well that this child didn't shoot at them. They could see very clearly that they were children and that they had no weapons. This was also in broad daylight, not in the dark." Later, the bulldozer also plowed up the Shamalekh family's vegetable plot. All of the cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes were crushed. All of their livelihood for the summer and fall months was ruined in a matter of minutes. Three motorized pumps that brought water from the well were also destroyed. Since the days of the Turks, we have been working this land," the father said. "Now we'll go and sell lupine beans in the street," his wife said with a bitter laugh. Their son Mohammed contributes a small pittance to the family - he helps his uncle in construction work, returning home with black and blistered hands. The family still has another half a dunam, where it grows tomatoes. But since it is now impossible to export vegetables from Gaza to the West Bank or Israel, there is a huge supply of tomatoes and their low price in the Gaza market does not cover the cost of cultivation. A carton of 17 kilos of tomatoes sells for only three shekels. Killing Gaza kids Abd a-Samed Shamalekh, who was supposed to start Grade 4 after the summer vacation, was the 116th Palestinian child the IDF has killed in the Gaza Strip since September 28, 2000. According to figures compiled by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, 450 Palestinians have been killed by the IDF during the intifada as of yesterday. These figures do not include those who mounted offensives against IDF positions or settlements and were killed during these attacks. The numbers do include armed Palestinian civilians or security personnel who responded to IDF attacks against residential neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip. According to these strict criteria, 1,398 people were killed by IDF fire in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the intifada as of June 18. (Since then, 8 more were killed in Gaza and at least 15 in the West Bank.) Of these 1,398 fatalities, 253 were children. This does not include Shamalekh, a 17-year old from Rafah, seven children killed by IDF fire during the past 10 days in the West Bank, and another child who died when his house collapsed after the IDF destroyed an adjacent home. Among the Palestinian dead are 77 women, including 18 in the Gaza Strip. Since this data was compiled on June 18, another woman was also killed by the IDF in Dir al-Balah. The proportion of children among those killed in Gaza is much higher than in the West Bank - 26 percent of the fatalities in Gaza were children, compared to 15 percent in the West Bank. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights attributes this to the higher population density in the Gaza Strip, to the fact that children make up over 50 percent of this crowded region, and to the close proximity of IDF bases to Palestinian communities. But the Center's analysts believe that the high number of child victims primarily indicates that IDF forces have often fired at civilians and residential areas without using the means at their disposal to confirm that their fire is indeed directed precisely "at the sources of [Palestinian] fire." According to the Center, this high number of children killed also reflects the fact the IDF has sometimes responded to shootings hours after an incident, not as part of an exchange of fire. This is how Abd a-Samed Shamalekh was killed. [9] Spreading the secret - a positive note from Gila Svirsky ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Thu, 04 Jul 2002 02:35:23 +0200 From: Gila Svirsky Spreading the Secret One of the best kept secrets in Israel is that most Israelis are fed up with the occupation, and just want to get out. According to June's findings by Mina Zemach, Israel's foremost pollster, 63% of Israelis are in favor of "unilateral withdrawal". In fact, 69% call for the evacuation of "all" or "most of" the settlements. Mina's numbers are corroborated by everybody else: The Peace Index of Tel-Aviv University's Tami Steinmitz Center found that 65% of Israelis "are prepared to evacuate the settlements under a unilateral separation program". A poll commissioned by Peace Now a month earlier revealed that 59% of Israelis support immediate evacuation of most settlements, followed by a unilateral withdrawal of the army from the occupied territories. Here's another "secret" revealed by Mina Zemach: 60% of Israelis believe that Israel should agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a peace agreement. Is this too much good news all at once? To temper it, here are a few more findings by Mina Zemach: 74% of Israelis say that Sharon is doing a good job and 60% believe that the Israeli army should be allowed to attack the refugee camps in Gaza. To quote Mina Zemach's closing remarks (at a lecture I heard her give in Tel Aviv yesterday, sponsored by the New Israel Fund), "Similar trends appear on the Palestinian side in surveys conducted by my Palestinian colleagues. Both sides want their leaders to be very aggressive, but most are willing to have a peaceful, two-state solution." Mis-perceptions and Manipulations The findings alone are impressively pro-peace, but there are two more amazing aspects, in my opinion. The first is that most Israelis are not aware that the majority want the occupation to go away. To illustrate, I report an informal experiment conducted by peace activist Ron HaCohen in his Tel-Aviv University class. When asked what opinion the students believed was most common among Israelis, they guessed "dismantle most" or "dismantle only a few" of the settlements. Little did they suspect that the category "dismantle ALL the settlements" was the one most commonly chosen. Ron's students guessed that the Israeli public was much more pro-settlement than it actually is. Most people, I believe, feel this way. The second amazing aspect relates to the fact that the government can get away with ignoring this information. To quote columnist Hannah Kim in yesterday's Ha'aretz, "This has been and still is one of the great mysteries: How is it that there is no political expression of the fact that most of the Israeli public is in favor of evacuating the settlements?" For months, I have been asking people their thoughts about this. The following answers seem to sum up the views I heard: (1) First, Mark Mellman, one of the top political consultants in Washington, was not surprised. He said that it's not unusual for policymakers to ignore majority views, and that it's our job to get them to sit up and notice. (2) Ron HaCohen said, "Our main source of information about what people think, feel or believe is the mass media. The media portray the Israeli people as much more pro-settlements than they really are." (3) Hanna Kim suggests that the power of the settlements is a combination of their integration into the Israeli economy [Boycott settler goods! - GS] and the effectiveness of their Knesset lobby. This fits into what is generally known about the power of small, but determined lobbies...on many issues and in many countries. To all the above, I would add the determination of the Sharon government to play deaf to this view. When asked about abandoning even remote, isolated settlements, Sharon sidesteps the question. When pressed, he recently responded that Netzarim - the Gaza settlement that everyone loves to hate - is as dear to his heart as Tel Aviv. In other words, not a single settlement is negotiable. I was privileged to hear a great panel discussion this evening, sponsored by Bat Shalom, on the subject of the "fence" that Israel has begun to erect between Israel and Palestine. All the panelists (five Israeli and Palestinian women professors who are also peace activists) felt that the fence would conceal the real issue - the Palestinian suffering on the other side as a result of the occupation - and would replace a negotiated peace agreement. Galia Golan also pointed out that the fence was being used to grab more land, as it was not being built on the Green Line, and that it ultimately would provide little protection, as mortars and rockets could go right over it. Other speakers were Rima Hamami, Inas Haj, Naomi Chazan, and Tanya Reinhart. The most impassioned plea of the evening came from Tanya, who begged the audience to listen to the polls and trust that people mean what they are saying. "Now is the time to call for leaving the territories immediately, unilaterally," said Tanya, "just as we did in Lebanon." I think she's right. Gila Svirsky Jerusalem ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sat Jul 6 17:30:14 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Report from Jenin; Avnery on polls + recommended ulrs Message-ID: <3D271B16.531.1450C7C@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [1] International activists report from besieged Jenin hospital [2] Avnery on Opinion Polls [3] Recommended in Ha'aretz online (a) Gideon Levy: Buried with chocolate in his hand (b) Ze'ev Schiff: The dangers of a political vacuum (c) Aluf Benn: Ariel Sharon agrees to his own ideas (d) Orly Halpern: Seminar 'dialogue on pain' opens path to understanding [1] International activists report from besieged Jenin hospital ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Huwaida Arraf July 6, 2002, 08:40 For immediate release JENIN HOSPITAL UNDER SIEGE BY ISRAELI FORCES International Activists at Hospital [JENIN] International peace activists with the International Solidarity Movement report that at 4 AM Israeli tanks entered Jenin, occupied houses, and shot throughout the city. At 6 AM the tanks and soldiers surrounded the Jenin hospital and positioned snipers around the hospital. Ten tanks, three APCs and a number of jeeps are involved in this operation at the hospital. The hospital is now effectively closed by the military and a tight curfew is in effect for Jenin. Seven internationals are trying to escort civilians and provide a presence in each of the wards of the hospital. At around 6:30 AM this morning Caiomhe Butterly escorted one pregnant woman whose water had already broken and was about to give birth. On the way into the hospital, one soldier held his rifle to the woman's stomach and threatened to shoot. Only with the intervention of Caiomhe did the soldiers finally allow the woman entrance to the hospital. The Israeli soldiers allege there are armed men inside the hospital and have told the director of the hospital that the Israeli forces will remain until the Palestinians turn themselves in. The director of the hospital denies that any armed men are inside the hospital and has appealed for intervention to lift the siege on the hospital. For more information in Jenin contact: Caiomhe Butterly – 055-975-374 Rebecca Murray – 055-558-954 Tobias Karlsson – 067-362-344 For more information on The International Solidarity Movement contact: Huwaida Arraf – 052-642-709 or 067-473-308 INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT http://www.palsolidarity.org [2] Avnery on Opinion Polls ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Uri Avnery" Hi, Hope this may shed some light on things. Salamaat, Shalom, uri A Maddened Cow Uri Avnery, 6.7.02 Israel is the only state in the world that has a population of 200%. And that's a fact. Public opinion polls show that it has two simultaneous majorities. One is peace- loving, the other supports extreme nationalism. At the present time, it looks like this: In every public opinion poll there is a large majority that supports the Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. Sharon wants, of course, to enlarge the settlements, intensify the war against the Palestinians, eliminate Yasser Arafat, postpone a permanent solution and refuse any peace negotiations until unattainable conditions are met. Anyone who supports him must be a radical right- winger. But the very same public opinion polls show also that a majority agrees to withdraw from (almost) all the occupied territories, dismantle (almost) all settlements and accept the establishment of a Palestinian state in return for peace. How is this possible? Can a state have a population of more than 100%? If so, Israel is a very special country. This curious situation did not come about yesterday. It started long ago. I remember public opinion polls of more than 20 tears ago, which also revealed two majorities. The first majority supported the idea of expelling all Arabs from the country west of the Jordan river. The second one supported a withdrawal from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Together with those who were against both proposals, this totaled 200%. Statisticians and sociologists examined, researched, shook their collective heads, shrugged their shoulders, raised both hands and thought: a crazy people. Doesn't know what it wants. Mixed up. Schizophrenic. Suffering from a split personality. But the people were not mad at all. The professors just did not know how to read the results of their polls. What the public tried to say was: If it were possible to drive out all the Arabs, that would be wonderful. If it's impossible, let's get the hell out of there. Why? For a simple reason: the one thing that unifies almost all Jewish Israelis is the wish to live in a state where there are only Jews. If we could achieve such a state in all the country between the Mediterranean and the Jordan river, O.K. If not, let's leave the occupied territories. Not "land for peace", but "withdrawal for the sake of safeguarding a homogeneous Jewish state". This is the majority opinion, and there is, indeed, only one majority. Some call this "racist". Some call it "nationalist". Some say that this is "apartheid". But this attitude is rooted in the fact that for thousands of years Jews have lived as a religious-ethnic community dispersed throughout the world and often suffered cruel persecution (especially in the Christian world). They have developed a ghetto mentality. They want to live among themselves, separate from others, surrounded by a high fence. Zionism wanted to achieve this by establishing a state where the Jews would live together, without Goyim (Gentiles). Even the presence of a considerable minority (the Arab citizens) in Israel creates severe mental stress. For most Israelis, the ideal situation would be a state without a single non-Jewish citizen. (The presence of foreign workers does not bother anybody; it is temporary, and they are devoid of any rights.) Lately this aspiration has found new expression in an idea which is becoming quite popular: to transfer the Israeli Arab villages adjoining the West Bank, together with their inhabitants, to the future Palestinian state, which means giving up territory so that Israel will have less non-Jewish citizens. This is quite unusual. The French, for example, have shed rivers of blood in order to keep Alsace, whose people are of German descent. India is ready to wage a nuclear war in order to keep Kashmir, which is populated by Muslims. For other nations, territory is more important than a homogeneous population, geography precedes demography. Israelis, too, like territory - but demography is by far more important to them. One example: after the 1956 war, during which Israel conquered the Sinai and the Gaza Strip, David Ben-Gurion was compelled to give up the Sinai. At the time there was a clamor from the right and the left to annex the Gaza Strip. Ben-Gurion adamantly refused, because he did not want to increase the number of Arab citizens by hundreds of thousands at any price. (The brilliant idea of an eternal military occupation, which allows the occupier to abstain from conferring citizenship on the occupied population, was not yet invented.) Today, too, there is only one majority in Israel. Most Israelis are ready to pay the price demanded for peace. So why do they support Sharon, who represents the opposite? For one simple reason: they have been brought to believe that "we have no partner". There is a complete unanimity, from Avigdor Liberman and Effy Eitam on the right to Haim Ramon and Yossi Sarid on the "left", that "there is no partner". And since there is no partner for peace, let's support Sharon, who knows (or so it seems) how to wage war. The aim of this brainwashing is precisely to make it possible to keep the occupied territories and, God willing, to drive the Palestinians out. The real criminal in this story is Ehud Barak. In order to hide his monumental failure as a peace-maker, he created the legend that "we offered them everything and they rejected everything." This historic lie is the connecting link between the two seemingly contradictory results of the polls: the majority is ready to pay the price of peace but does not believe that peace is possible. So let's support Sharon. There is no riddle here. Israel is not a mad cow. It is, at most, a maddened cow. [3] Recommended in Ha'aretz online (a) Gideon Levy: Buried with chocolate in his hand http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=182987&contrassID=2& subContrassID=14&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y (b) Ze'ev Schiff: The dangers of a political vacuum http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=183464&contrassID=2& subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y (c) Aluf Benn: Ariel Sharon agrees to his own ideas http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=183743&displayTypeCd =1&sideCd=1&contrassID=2 (d) Orly Halpern: Seminar 'dialogue on pain' opens path to understanding http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=183481&contrassID=2&subContrassID= 5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y&itemNo=183481 ======================================== Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations don't send a protection force Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ ========================== ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Wed Jul 10 04:04:32 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] PLEASE PROTEST raid on Al-Quds university offices Message-ID: <3D2BA440.6868.C63BB0@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ ====================================================== PROTEST STARTED AGAINST ATTACK ON SARI NUSSEIBEH, AND THE EAST JERUSALEM OFFICES OF AL-QUDS UNIVERSITY =========================== [The following contains a request for protest letters - with a special emphasis on Israeli and international universities.] This afternoon, several dozen Israeli peace activists, hastily mobilized by Peace Now and joined by members of Meretz and Gush Shalom, gathered for a protest vigil outside the offices of the Al-quds University in East Jerusalem. A few hours earlier, these offices were raided by the Israeli police, which evicted all university employees at gunpoint, and proceeded to confiscate the university's administrative records, which were placed in some forty carton boxes and taken away, as well as the university computers. Afterwards, heavy steel shutters were installed, making the entire three-storey building inaccesible. The raid was authorized by a closure order signed by Uzi Landau, Minister of Police. Landau cited the fact that Sari Nusseibeh, President of the Al-Quds University whose own office was located in the invaded building, is a member of the Palestinian Authority; this, in the minister's view, made the entire university into "an agency of the Palestinian Authoity", and the maintenance of such an "agency" in annexed East Jerusalem was "in contravention to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement". (How would the minister regard the presence of massive Israeli forces, occupying and imposing curfew over all the Palestinian cities which under the same agreement should have been under exclusive Palestinian control?). The protesters outside the invaded building carried signs reading "Landau - Minister of State Terrorism". What distinguishes this latest act of oppression from earlier ones is the entire lack of even a pretence at 'fighting terrorism'. The police came to disrupt a recognized academic institution, which had its beginnings in the 1950's, which carries out intensive teaching and research and maintaints contacts with numerous academic institutions throughout the world as well ass in Israel - the only such academic institution available to the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem and its suburbs. Also, the police raid targeted one person in particular - Dr. Sari Nusseibeh, the most outspoken of Palestinian moderates, who a few weeks ago initiated a petition of Palestinians condemning the suicide bombings. The raid, in short, laid bare the true aims of the Sharon government: not "reform" of the Palestinian Authority but breaking down all Palestinian leaders, moderate and extremist indiscriminatingly; not "fighting against terrorism", but destroying the infrastructure of Palestinian civil society. We ask you, this time, to write protests not only to government representatives but also to Israeli and international unverstities, and encourage them to protest this gross violation of academic freedom. You can use the following text or make your own. --------[sample text]------------- I strongly protest the raid by the Israeli police upon and closure of the offices of the Al-Quds University in East Jerusalem. This is a severe violation of academic freedom as well as yet another provocative action, further embittering the already tense relations between Israelis and Palestinians. I call upon academics worlwide, and upon Israeli academics in particular, to make their protest known. --------[end sample text]------------- email addresses: To: pm_eng@pmo.gov.il, dover@pmo.gov.il, pniot@pmo.gov.il, sar@mofa.gov.il, ssar@mfa.gov.il, dover@mfa.gov.il, pniot@mofa.gov.il, sar@mops.gov.il, dover@mops.gov.il, pniot@mops.gov.il Copies to: ecu@un.org, coi@un.org, inquiries@un.org, commond@un.org, , tauinfo@post.tau.ac.il, webmaster@bgumail.bgu.ac.il, webmaster@www.huji.ac.il, press@technion.ac.il, mzieashr@research.haifa.ac.il, + (if you are an international supporter) ADDRESSES OF UNIVERSITIES ETC. IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY Blind copies to: , info@gush-shalom.org -- The above addresses specified: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon: pm_eng@pmo.gov.il Spokesperson for the PM's Office Arnon Pearlman-Tzadok dover@pmo.gov.il Public relations for the PM's Office Ms. Rutti Bait pniot@pmo.gov.il Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres sar@mofa.gov.il Deputy Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior ssar@mfa.gov.il Spokesperson Ms. Yaffa Ben-Ari dover@mfa.gov.il Public Relations Ministry of Police (Public Safety) Minister: Uzi Landau: sar@mops.gov.il Spokesperson Ms Ifra Matityahu: dover@mops.gov.il Public relations Mr. Kobi Shiber: pniot@mops.gov.il Copies to: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan ecu@un.org, coi@un.org, inquiries@un.org, commond@un.org "Secretary of State, Colin Powell" , Tel Aviv University P.O. Box 39040 Tel Aviv 69978 ISRAEL ph: +972-(0)3-640-8111 tauinfo@post.tau.ac.il --- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev P.O. Box 653 Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel ph: 972-8-646-1111 webmaster@bgumail.bgu.ac.il -- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem webmaster@www.huji.ac.il Or: write to them on their feedback page: http://www.huji.ac.il/unew/feedback.html -- The Haifa Technion (Instittute of Technology) press@technion.ac.il -- Haifa University mzieashr@research.haifa.ac.il -- Universities in you own country bcc to: Dr. Khuloud Dajani of the Al-Quds University , Gush Shalom ***Why are the volunteer international observers important?*** Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb- request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Jul 14 00:22:33 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] A-Ram: Occupation according to garbage collection Message-ID: <3D30B639.29777.13C82FB@localhost> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = A-Ram: Occupation according to garbage collection = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Saturday, July 13, 2002 There we were, a Gush Shalom delegation joined with Palestinian inhabitants in holding a vigil under rather uncomfortable conditions: right at the edge of a pile of garbage, some of it very ripe after five days of the hottest month in the year, part of it having been set on fire some hours before and with acrid smoke still blowing. The slogan: "Occupation = living in the garbage". "Haim Ba'zevel" (living in the garbage) is Hebrew slang for particularly nasty or depressing situations - which certainly fits the present situation of the reimposed harsh occupation, but which also happens to be literally true at A- Ram, a large Palestinian town wedged in between annexed East Jerusalem and re- occupied Ramallah. After the few press photographers present took all the pics and footage they wanted and we moved with a sigh of relief away from the mess, it was possible to survey our surroundings. The houses around - far from being a slum - were nice middle-class homes and the street neat and orderly except for that stinking blemish at its side. In point of fact, A-Ram is not the worst off of Palestinian towns, and until last week it possessed an efficient system of garbage removal, industriously built up by Mayor Ra'ed Barghouti in the seven years of relative freedom which followed the Oslo agreement. For the people of A-Ram -spared, at least for the time being, from the curfews imposed on most other West Bank communities - the growing piles of garbage on their streets are a visible sign that that relative freedom is no more. Sitting down with the mayor and councillors, as well as with the two Members of the Palestinian Parliament representing this constituency - Hatem Abdel Khader and Ahmed El Baz - we heard how the mundane municipal business of garbage collection and sewers intersected with the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict, to produce unpleasant results for the town's 50,000 inhabitants. Until recently, the A-Ram Municipality used to send the 80 tons of garbage daily produced in the town to damp in Al-Bireh, a few kilometers to the north and in normal times just a few minutes' drive away. But the times are anything but normal, the army roadblocks multiplied and the minutes lengthened into many hours which the garbage trucks had to spend in the long lines in front ahead of the checkpoint. Finally, when Ramallah and Al-Bireh were re-occupied and placed under curfew, soldiers at the checkpoint altogether denied entry to the A-Ram trucks. The mayor found an emergency solution - to reactivate an old garbage damp, at the edge of its city limits, which had been used by the Jerusalem municipality until three years ago. They used it for some weeks, taking care to cover the damped garbage with earth and sprinkle chemicals to prevent it from becoming a breeding ground for insects. Still, the army seemed very displeased with the solution found by A-Ram. So displeased that even while complaining that its forces were spread too thin by the need of combating terrorism, the army found the manpower for conducting two large-scale raids on A-Ram, on June 30 and July 8 respectively, whose sole purpose was to confiscate the town's entire fleet of garbage-collecting trucks (which had been donated a few years ago by the Government of Japan) arrest municipal employees and impose high fines on them. The employees were then instructed to deliver a message: "everything" would be set right by a simple personal visit of the mayor to the offices of the Israeli military government's "civil administration" at the settlement of Beit El; but should the mayor fail to show up, retribution would come upon him, starting from his name being entered on the "black list" of individual Palestinians who are forbidden to go through any Israeli Army roadblock... This "modest" demand held far-reaching political implications: for a mayor and his council to submit to the demand and deal directly with the civil administration which was supposedly abolished seven years ago would be a formal recognition of the reimposed occupation... So for the time being the garbage continues piling up. "If sickness spreads from these piles of garbage, it will not stop on our side" said Khatem Abdul Khader of the Palestinian Legislative Council. "We are very near here to the Israeli neighborhood of Neve Ya'akov. It was built on our lands." ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org ***Why are the volunteer international observers important?*** Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ ****Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters**** at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- ] From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Jul 15 16:40:45 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] Verdict in deportation case + more Message-ID: <3D32ECFD.7323.D071DF@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [This billboard contains announcements and articles of ourselves and others.] announcements [1] Tomorrow, Tuesday, verdict in deportation case Request to come and/or send faxes [2] Friday - CWJP Seminar [3] Withdrawal of the racist bill - modest victory in a gloomy period including Gush Shalom's ad [4] Two pieces from Ha'aretz July 14, illustrating media bias (a) Gush Shalom not mentioned but our information about A-Ram DID make it into Ha'aretz (b) Yesh Gvul benefit concert visited by a thousand mostly young but Ha'aretz: "Poor turnout" comment and analysis [5] Camp David Revisited - Avnery reveals what Barak tries to conceal [6] Haim Baram: Labour’s "Final Flourish" [1] Tomorrow, Tuesday, verdict in deportation case Request to come and/or send faxes ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: " Shamai Leibowitz" Subject: deportation case In small courtrooms in Israel, using the facade of a "legal process", Israel has started the deportations of Palestinians from the West Bank. For those who are not aware of the case, here is a short summary: The Israeli government, supported by the Israeli judges, are going to forcibly deport two innocent Palestinians from the West Bank and into Jordan. The two Palestinians, who live in the West Bank, are Maher Diuk and Magdi Nagar. Mr. Diuk has lived in Abwein, a suburb of Ramallah. He is married to Aida Diuk, who is 7- months pregnant. Because he also holds Jordanian citizenship, the Israeli government wants to deport him to Jordan (Effi Eitam – you can take a vacation). Mr. Nagar is a Palestinian citizen living in the West Bank city of Beit Sahur (near Bethlehem). He has lived there for seven years. Because he also holds a Jordanian passport (as do many thousands of Palestinians) the Israeli authorities issued an order of deportation to Jordan. They both filed petitions to the Jerusalem District Court. They might as well have filed petitions to FIFA. The court, ofcourse, denied their petitions. Attorney Leibowitz appealed to the Supreme Court, but the Israeli Supreme Court did not intervene. In a hearing which lasted 5 minutes, during which the judges were writing other verdicts, they rejected the appeal and justified the State's actions. The judge who wrote the two-sentence decision was Shlomo Levin. Remember that name. How could Jewish judges do unto others what was done to their ancestors during the past two thousand years? The answer might be found in the fact that during both hearings, in the Jerusalem District Court and in the Supreme Court, the courtroom was empty. That gave the judges the freedom they needed to authorize such iniquitous acts. They knew there won't be a public outcry. Attoney Leibowitz filed another petition to the District Court in Tel Aviv. Judge Oded Modrik heard oral arguments on July 8. This time there was a small crowd of about 10 people. This time, Judge Modrik did not immediately reject the appeal but said he needs a few days to think about it. He will render his decision on July 16 at 08:30. These two men did not commit any crime. They are not our enemies. Let us not turn them into our enemies by committing an outrageous act of deportation, tearing them away from their families and property. Come and show solidarity with these two people on Tuesday July 16, at 8:30, in the District Court in Tel Aviv, 1 Weissman St., 3rd floor, Judge Modrik's Courtroom. Please mark your calendars and tell your friends about it. Anyone wishing to receive a transcript of the proceedings, can call Attorney Leibowitz 972-3-5327772. If you wish to let the Israeli authorities know your opinion about their actions, fax Judge Shlomo Levin in the Supreme Court: 972-2-6759744 re: appeal no. 4707/02 or Jerusalem District Attorney, Mr. Moshe Lador, fax no: 972-2-6258408 or Tel Aviv District Attorney, Mr. Yaakov Cohen, fax no: 972-3-6918541 Shamai Leibowitz, Esq Ben Gurion St 11A Givat Shmuel ISRAEL 54017 Tel: 972-3-5327772 --------------------------------------------- I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all" - martin luther king jr [2] Friday - CWJP Seminar -----Original Message----- From: Gila Svirsky [mailto:gsvirsky@netvision.net.il] Sent: Monday, July 15, 2002 9:19 AM The Coalition of Women for Peace is sponsoring... Between Despair and Hope: Analyses and Forecasts This Friday, 19 July 2002, at the Ramat Aviv Hotel [first of a series of events] 9:30 Arrival and coffee. 10:00 - 12:30 The Social and Economic Situation in Israel The impact of the conflict on social and economic issues; assessments, trends, and foreca sts for the coming two years.  Ilana Bakal, Ahoti: Advancement of Working Women in Israel Amin Fares, Mossawa: Advocacy Center for Palestinian Citizens of Israel Daphna Levit, Departmentof Business Administration, Ben- Gurion University Shlomo Swirski, Adva Center for Equality and Social Justice Moderator: Debby Lerman 12:30 - 14:00 Light lunch and Women in Black vigil 14:30 - 17:30 Palestinian Citizens of Israel The status and attitudes of Palestinian citizens of Israel in the face of intensifying disc rimination. Assessments and forecasts for the coming two years. Majid al-Atawna, School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University Azmi Bishara, Balad Party. Aida Touma-Sliman, Hadash Party. Moderator: Fatahia Zreyer Participants are asked to contribute NIS 20-50 to cover expenses (sliding scale). For more information: Gila (053) 334 986 or Dita (052) 439 009. [3] Withdrawal of the racist bill - modest victory in a gloomy period Yesterday, the Sharon Government backtacked on its earlier support for a bill which would have made it legal to establish offcially Jews-only communities on state lands. The bill aroused an enormous wave of protests in the Israeli media and political system, even from unexpected quarters such as Biyamin Begin, son of the late PM whose positions on most issues are extreme- right. This is a welcome break after months in which it seemed that in today's Israel any nationalist or xenophobic or anti-democratic measure can be assured of success - whether directed against the Palestinians, Israel's own Arab citizens, the migrant workers in the Tel-Aviv slums or the media. At the same time, it should be remembered that many of the critics of Jews-only bill were not objec ting to segregation and discrimination as such - indeed, the creation and maintenance of Jews-only communities is a fundamental fact of Israeli life since the state was established - but only to the practice being codified in explicit legislation. In quite a few infuriating articles and commentaries it was argued that the bill was "not needed" because the dicriminatory practices could be continued by less explicit bureacratic procedures, and that even the Supreme Court's verdict of 2000, declaring the practice illegal, could be (and had been, for the past two years) circumvented. Many of the critics were not so much worrie d about the immorality of the bill as such as about the propaganda damage to Israel from its passage, which would have amountted to a retroactive confirmation of the (later retracted) UN resolution dec laring Zionism to be racist. But whatever the motives, the fact is that as a result of a public campaign, a particularly obnoxio us piece of legislation will not enter the Israeli law books. In the highly gloomy general situation, it is important to know that this is still possible. Adam Keller - Gush Shalom spokesperson [follows the Gush Shalom ad of last Friday]: WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR STATE? The occupation does not stop at the Green Line. It flows into Israel proper. It corrupts the state and causes its institutions to rot. This week, the government has given its blessing to a draft-law, according to which 20 percent of t he citizens of Israel – the Arabs – have no right to live where they want to live and have no share of state- owned lands and new townships. All these are reserved for Jews only. Most ministers voted for this law. The Labor party ministers absented themselves with pitiful prete xts. This law will turn Israel officially into an apartheid state. Israel-haters all over the world will rejoice. Decent Israelis will be ashamed. ad published in Ha'aretz, July 12, 2002. Help us with donations to Gush Shalom P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, [4] Two pieces from Ha'aretz July 14, illustrating media bias (a) Gush Shalom not mentioned but our information about A-Ram DID make it into Ha'aretz (b) Yesh Gvul benefit concert visited by a thousand mostly young but Ha'aretz: "Poor turnout" It is difficult these days to get our kind of information into the Israeli media. and even if picke d up the editors tend to downplay. Two examples from today's Ha'aretz (the other papers are worse): (a) Gush Shalom not mentioned but our information about A-Ram DID make it into Ha'aretz In A-Ram, the garbage is piling up By Ha'aretz Staff While Israel's stated policy is non-intervention in the civilian aspects of life in the Palestinian Authority, things look somewhat different from the Palestinian perspective. In the A-Ram neighborhood north of Jerusalem, the Israel Defense Forces impounded three garbage trucks and two bulldozers, so that garbage has been mounting in the streets for a week now. Mayor Ra'ed Barghouti was informed by the Israeli Civil Administration that if he makes contact with a certain official in the administration, the matter would soon be resolved. Barghouti , however, is unwilling to cooperate with the administration, which is perceived as bypassing the Palestinian Authority. The administration should not talk to him but to the relevant Palestinian minister, he says. Most traffic to and from Ramallah has to pass through the Qalandiyah checkpoint north of Jerusalem. Because of the meticulous security checks, average waiting time is three hours. The IDF says all vehicles must be carefully inspected - but this does not explain why the number of inspectors could not be boosted to speed up the process. Palestinian businesses that buy their materials in the territories themselves are not much better off. The owner of a wood factory in Bethlehem told Ha'aretz yesterday that his plant has been closed for a long time now. "I have many orders waiting from the U.S., I have the machinery and I have workers eager to work. The problem is that I get my raw materials from Jenin, and now it's virtually impossible to get a truck with goods from Jenin to Bethlehem. I have laid off 30 workers and the plant is closed," he said. In Nablus the mayor circulated a petition signed by many residents, calling for international aid because of the long curfew that has completely paralyzed the economy of this city, the richest and most industrialized in the West Bank. According to Palestinian sources, Israel plans to implement the Karni model in the West Bank as well. At the Karni passage that connects between the Gaza Strip in Israel, trucks unload back-to- back; Israeli vehicles do not enter Palestinian territory and Palestinian trucks do not exit it. Th is method is already used in the Beitunya area, west of Ramallah. (b) Yesh Gvul benefit concert visited by a thousand mostly young but Ha'aretz: "Poor turnout" Poor turnout at Yesh Gvul rally  Only 1,000 people attended the happening organized on Friday evening in Tel Aviv by Yesh Gvul ("there is a limit"), a movement that supports soldiers who refuse assignments in the Territories.  "Granted, we were expecting a bigger turnout, but artists have canceled their performances because they were threatened. There were violent threats as well. In all, it was a fun event," spokesman Yishai Menuchin said. Yesh Gvul says that various organizations, like the national students' union, pressured some of the artists not to perform. It is not clear yet whether the revenues will even cover the costs. Whatever is left will be used to support soldiers who were imprisoned because they refused to serve in the territories, Menuchin said. (Yam Yehoshua)  [5] Camp David Revisited - Avnery reveals what Barak tries to conceal ["Uri Avnery examines the interview conducted in the New York Review of Books of Ehud Barak by form er "new historian" now turned pro-government zealot, Benny Morris. Avnery examines the implications of many of Barak's statements, as well as the points that the substance of Barak's words conceal" (M. Plitnick in Jewish Peace News). The original interview may be read in full, along with a more fully informed description of what h appened at Camp David in 2000 by Robert Malley and Hussein Agha at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JewishPeaceNews/message/1860 ] Uri Avnery: July 2002 Barak: A Villa in the Jungle A well-known Israeli theatre critic once left the opening performance of a new play after the first five minutes and then wrote a withering review about it. When his colleagues said that this was unfair, he answered: "I don't have to eat the whole egg in order to know that it is rotten." One does not have to read the whole long interview with Ehud Barak, published in The New York Review of Books (June 13, 2002), in order to know that he is - well, not exactly an enlightened statesman. It is enough to read the following words of his: "They (the Palestinians, and especially Arafat) are the products of a culture in which to tel l a lie...creates no dissonance. They don't suffer from the problem of telling lies that exists in Jude o- Christian culture. Truth is seen as an irrelevant category...The deputy director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation told me that there are societies in which lie detector tests don't work, societies in which lies do not create cognitive dissonance (on which the tests are based)." This passage speaks volumes. First of all, the Israeli security services do use lie detectors extensively in the interrogat ion of Palestinian militants. But it is useless to examine facts, because the statement itself is monstrou s. At one fell swoop, the Great Peace-Maker demonizes the culture of a billion living human beings as wel l as of 50 generations, a culture which in its heyday bequeathed humanity some of its greatest scientifi c and philosophical achievements. The stereotyping of a whole culture, people, society or race is despicable. It lies at the bas e of anti- Semitism. It is obnoxious coming from any politician, but when voiced by a politician trying to exp lain why he failed to make peace with these "products of a culture" it makes further study seem superflu ous. It's all there, the whole rotten egg. However, we shall persevere. By condemning Islam and identifying himself with Judeo-Christianity (a dubious concept in itse lf, since Judaism is closer to Islam than to Christianity), Barak is trying to ride the wave of Islamop hobia that is currently sweeping the US and the whole Western world. It reminds one of the words written some 108 years ago by Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism, in his book "Der Judenstaat", the fou nding document of Zionism: "For Europe we would constitute (in Palestine) a part of the wall against Asia , we would serve as an outpost of Culture against Barbarism." By asserting that all Arabs lie at all times, Barak also constructs a beautiful defense. Whate ver the Palestinians say to disprove his account can be dismissed in advance. They always lie, don't they? Obviously feeling himself that such a sweeping statement needs some corroboration, Barak provide s an anecdote: At some meeting, Arafat agreed to tell his police commanders to implement a truce... "I interjected: "But these are not the people organizing the violence. If you are serious, the n call Marwan Barghouri and Hussein al-Sheikh" (the West Bank Fatah leaders). Arafat looked at me, with an expression of blank innocence, as if I had mentioned the names of two polar bears, and said: "Who? Who?" I repeated the names...and Arafat again said "Who? Who?" At this, some of his aides couldn't stop themselves and burst out laughing. And Arafat, forced to drop the pretense, agreed to call the m later." Anybody who knows Arafat can reconstruct the scene easily. It is typical Arafat humor, designe d to evoke laughter, as indeed it did. It was also designed to make a political point - both persons men tioned are prominent leaders, known by everyone to be close to Arafat, who is also their party chief. In a way understandable to every Arab, Arafat was refusing to acknowledge their responsibility. By taking th e joke at face value, Barak - himself a humorless person - shows his complete ignorance of Arab discourse. This monumental ignorance, coupled with monumental arrogance, created the mixture that turned Barak into the most disastrous prime minister in Israel's history, surpassing even Golda Meir. x x x Before going into the details of the interview, one has to mention the interviewer. He is Benn y Morris, the former "new historian", who in one easy jump has turned from the idol of the left into the darl ing of the right, redeeming himself from the stigma of being a "post-Zionist". It was a clever choice on Barak's part. Morris conducts the interview as a sycophantic devotee , accepting unquestioningly Barak's most hair-raising statements (such as the above) and refraining f rom asking any embarrassing questions, obvious as they might appear. Morris has been accused in the past of being a "revisionist" of Zionist history, because of hi s book revealing how the Palestinian refugees were driven out in 1948. It is rather hilarious to perceive how, in this interview, he freely levels the accusation of "revisionism" at anyone who dares to doubt Barak 's assertions. Barak does not expose himself to the questioning of a real, investigative journalist, like Deb orah Sontag of The New York Times, nor does he confront an objective eye-witness, like Robert Malley, President Clinton's assistant at Camp David. These are two of the "revisionists" who evoked the ire of the Barak-Morris team, as well as that of Clinton, who - Barak recounts - called him in Sardinia to rav e at Sontag's excellent and well-researched article about Camp David. "What the hell is this?" Clinton demanded, according to Barak. x x x Let's turn now to the interview itself. According to Morris (who, of course, was not at Camp David and relies on what Barak told him), on July 18, in the middle of the conference, Clinton read to Arafat "a document, endorsed in advance b y Barak..." Let's stop right here. What does this mean? How come the President of the United States, the honest broker, reaches advance agreement with one side, before even presenting a proposal to the other? Does this not prove that the Palestinians were quite right when they asserted, at the time, that this was in fact Barak's proposal, wrapped by Clinton in the American flag? As may be remembered, Arafat did not want to go to Camp David at all. He was afraid that he would be faced there with Clinton and Barak acting like the two arms of a nutcracker. (At the time, I mys elf used this metaphor.) He had very little trust in Barak, since the Prime Minister had already broken Israel's commitment under the Oslo agreements to implement the third stage of its withdrawal from t he West Bank, freeing all the territory except "specified military locations". To reinforce his arguments against a summit conference, Arafat protested that there had been n o preparatory work on the issues, as usual before summit conferences. Since Barak insisted, Clinton overcame Arafat's objections by promising that, in the case of failure, neither of the parties woul d be blamed. After the conference, Clinton cynically broke his promise and blamed Arafat exclusively - in o rder, as he later explained, to help Barak get re-elected (and, one may add, to help his long-suffering wife to win votes in the biggest Jewish city in the world.) On this point Morris writes: "As to the charge raised by the Palestinians, and in their wake, by Deborah Sontag, and Malley and Agha, that the Palestinians had been dragooned into coming to Camp David 'unprepared' and prematurely, Barak is dismissive to the point of contempt. He observes that the Palestinians had ei ght years, since 1993' to prepare their positions..." This is Barak-style obfuscation at its best (or worst). The "charge", of course, is not that t he Palestinians had no time to prepare their positions. In an interview on Israeli television, Barak a sserted that he did not need to prepare himself, since he "knew every hill" on the West Bank. The "charge" is that there had been no preparatory work done by joint committees to reach agreement on as many issues as possible and to demarcate the lines of disagreement where this was not possible, so that the leaders could grapple with the remaining bones of contention. This is the usual procedure at summit meetings. The phrase "Barak is dismissive to the point of contempt" is highly indicative of the man. It' s all there: the overbearing arrogance, the conviction that the other side is vastly inferior, that their argume nts need not be answered but can be "dismissed". x x x So what was Barak's proposal, as read out "slowly" to Arafat by Clinton? According to Morris, it included: The establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state on 92% of the West Bank and 100% of the Gaza Strip; Some territorial compensation for the Palestinians from the pre-1967 Israeli territory; Annexation of 8% of the West Bank to Israel; Dismantling of most of the settlements and the concentration of the bulk of the settlers in th e 8% to be annexed; The establishment of the Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem, Some Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem to become sovereign Palestinian territories and other s to enjoy "functional autonomy"; Palestinian sovereignty over half of the Old City of Jerusalem (the Muslim and Christian quart ers, but not the Armenian and Jewish quarters); "Custodianship," though not sovereignty, over the Temple Mount; A return of the refugees to the prospective Palestinian state, with no "right of return" to Is rael proper; A massive aid program to facilitate the refugees' rehabilitation. It must be admitted that these proposals of Barak's, disguised as American, do indeed go furth er than any made by previous Israeli prime ministers. One cannot blame Barak, being quite ignorant of Palestinian affairs, for considering them extremely generous. However, in fact, they fall far short of the minimum Palestinian requirements. Morris' description does not give a full picture. Some salient facts are obscured. For example : The figure of 92 percent is highly debatable. It does not include the annexed territories of E ast Jerusalem, which had by then become Israeli neighborhoods, nor the Jordan valley, which Israel insi sted on keeping under its control for some considerable time, cutting Palestine off from neighboring Jor dan. Palestinians may be excused for doubting that Israel will in the future relinquish territories it k eeps "temporarily" under its control. Altogether, Palestinians believed that the real proposed annexatio n was closer to 20 percent. One has to remember, of course, that the whole West Bank and Gaza Strip amounts only to 22 percent of the land of Palestine, as it existed in 1947. (78 percent was conquer ed by the Israeli army in 1948 and became Israel.) It is not only a question of percentages, but also of location. The "settlement blocs" that B arak wanted to annex to Israel are like daggers tearing into the flesh of the future Palestinian state, cutting it up into what could easily be turned into disconnected enclaves. Territorial compensations were not to be on a 1-to-1 basis, as demanded by the Palestinians, b ut something like 1-to-9. The Arab parts of East Jerusalem which Barak agreed to transfer to Palestinian sovereignty wer e outlying suburbs (like Shuafat and Beith Hanina), while the central Arab neighborhoods (like Sheikh - Jarakh, Silwan and Ras-al-Amud) were accorded only "functional autonomy" under Israeli sovereignty. This was totally unacceptable. Worse, the Palestinians were granted only "guardianship" over the compound of the holy mosques (Haram ash-Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary, in Arabic and Har ha-Bayit, the Temple Mount, in Hebrew), which meant that Israel would retain sovereignty. No leader in the Arab world could have accepted t hat. Palestinians could possibly have agreed to the annexation of the Jewish quarter of the Old Cit y, including the Western Wall, to Israel. Annexation of the Armenian quarter, which is closely connect ed to the Christian quarter, is something else. Barak's insistence that "not one single refugee" could return to Israel proper is totally unac ceptable to the Palestinians, both symbolically and practically. Morris does not mention in this connection the most important part of the proposal: that the Palestinians formally agree that this would be "the end of the conflict". Barak's proposal might pe rhaps have been acceptable as another interim agreement - but it was quite impossible for the Palestinian s to accept it, and especially the parts concerning the Temple Mount and the refugees, as "the final settlement". As Morris, who was not there, described it graphically: "Arafat said 'No.' Clinton, enraged, banged on the table..." x x x If Barak had been compelled to face some real investigative journalist, instead of a devotee d isguised as a historian, he would have been cross-examined about his own frame of mind. What did he think of the Palestinians when he came to power? Did he have any preconceived ideas, any prejudices that mig ht have influenced his way of thinking? Barak himself, in domestic discussions, often used a telling metaphor: Israel is "a villa in t he middle of a jungle". Meaning: we are an island of civilization surrounded by savage animals. This is remar kably similar to old-established colonial attitudes, and, indeed, a variation of Herzl's metaphor of the "wall against barbarism". In his mind, Barak had a picture of the devious Arafat, forever plotting the overthrow of Isra el. This, by the way, is a standard Israeli concept which has deep psychological roots. It may stem, partly, fro m unconscious guilt: we have driven half the Palestinian people from their homes, how can they ever r eally accept us and make peace with us? According to Barak, quoted by Morris, Arafat was: "Secretly planning Israel's demise...What they [Arafat and his colleagues] want is a Palestin ian state in all of Palestine...They are willing to agree to a temporary truce...Arafat sees himself as a reb orn Saladin...(Arafat believes) that Israel has no right to exist, and he seeks it's demise..." Needless to say, there is not a shred of evidence for any of this. It says nothing about Araf at, but it says a lot about Barak. The famous general, the brilliant thinker (as he sees himself), is repeatin g the most hackneyed of stereotypes resorted to by the proverbial vendor of pickled cucumbers in an Israe li market. He even sets forth the way Arafat thinks Israel will disappear as a Jewish state: first Israel will turn into a "state of all its citizens" (a basic democratic concept, based on the American constitution, supported by quite a number of liberal Jewish Israelis), then there will be a "Muslim majority", th en the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state. As these are all domestic Israeli issues, it is not quite clear what they have to do with Arafat, Camp David and Israeli-Palestinian relations. An old Israeli myth, code-named "the plan of stages", alleges that the Palestinians believe in "Salami tactics" - accepting what they can get at any stage and then demanding more, until the Jewish state is destroyed. Barak repeats this. Morris: "Barak today portrays Arafat's behavior at Camp David as a "performance" geared to exacting fr om the Israelis as many concessions as possible without ever seriously intending to reach a peace settlement or sign an "end to the conflict". This is strange. If Arafat (like every Arab) is indeed a "serial liar", as Barak alleges, why for God's sake did he not accept the proposal? The logical thing for him to do would have been to agree to al l the wonderful concessions Barak was ready to make, sign everything demanded and then, after a few years , come back and demand more. Imprisoned by their own prejudices, Barak and Morris do not even see the contradiction. Indeed , Arafat's behavior at Camp David, his stubborn refusal to sign an agreement that did not meet his minimum demands, proves once and for all that "the plan of stages" is utter nonsense. * * * Barak and Morris say that Arafat "kept saying 'no' to every offer, never making any counterpro posals of his own." The record does not bear this out. While it is true that Arafat, coming to Camp David against his will, was in a defensive mood, ready to withstand the double onslaught of Barak and Clinton, he made concessions that were very far-reachin g from the Palestinian point of view. The fact that Israelis and Americans took these in their stride , hardly even noticing them, only shows the immense gap between the perceptions of the parties. Palestinian propaganda could not have bragged about these concessions either, since they were inimical to the wishes of many Palestinians. As a matter of fact, Arafat made the following explicit and implicit concessions at Camp David , and later at Taba: - He agreed to change the almost sacred Green Line by accepting the principle of land swaps; - He accepted the concept of settlement blocs, which is anathema to all Pale stinians; - He ceded the Jewish neighborhoods built on Arab land in East Jerusalem, breaking anothe r Palestinian taboo; - He was ready to give up the Wailing Wall and the Jewish quarter of the Jerusalem Old City, which were parts of Arab East Jerusalem before 1967. - He indicated his readiness to reach a compromise on the Right of Return, sacred to all Palestini ans, by accepting that the implementation should be subject to Israeli agreement. Barak ignores all these. According to Morris, he charged "Arafat with 'lacking the character or will' to make a historic compromise, as did the late Eg yptian President, Anwar Sadat in 1977-1979, when he made peace with Israel..." Barak would have been well advised to drop this comparison. Sadat got all his territory back, to the very last centimeter. Arafat would have easily agreed to the same terms - as would have Assad. * * * Barak, so it seems, is furious with Arafat because the Palestinian leader denies Zionist axiom s, indeed, because Arafat is not an orthodox Zionist like himself. "(Arafat) does not recognize the existence of a Jewish people or nation, only a Jewish religio n...This, Barak believes, underlay Arafat's insistence at Camp David (and since) that the Palestinians have sole sovereignty over the Temple Mount compound...Arafat refused to accept even the vague formulation proposed by Clinton (in December 2000) positing Israeli sovereignty over the earth beneath the Temp le Mount's surface area." Arafat could easily turn the tables and claim that Barak does not recognize Islam by denying Palestinian sovereignty over the holy Islamic shrines on the mount. As a matter of fact, Barak, obfuscating to the last, offered "guardianship" - but not sovereignty - over the mosques. His abysm al ignorance of Islamic affairs made it impossible for him to comprehend that no Muslim leader in the world could possibly agree to this. If Arafat had agreed, he would have turned himself into a mortal enem y of every devout Muslim. The quaint demand for Israeli sovereignty "beneath the surface" - a diplomatic curiosity, for sure - was the brainchild of Yossi Beilin and Shlomo Ben-Ami, two minions of Barak at the time. Far from evoki ng laughter from the Palestinians, it caused panic among many of them. Being by then convinced that th e Israelis had secret designs in everything they proposed, they believed that the Israelis intended t o dig beneath the mosques in order to bare the remnants of their ancient temple, thus causing the mosques to collapse. They may be excused for believing this, because some years ago an armed Israeli terrorist organization indeed planned to bomb the mosques. Arafat countered by claiming that "there is nothing there", enraging Barak and even Clinton, w ho responded that "not only the Jews but I, too, believe that under the surface there are remains of Solomon's temple." Clinton may not be aware of the fact that most contemporary (non-Jewish) experts believe that Solomon was not a historical figure and that the first Judean temple on the site was n othing more than an insignificant local structure. In any case, if there are remains, they would not be of "Solomon's temple", but of the building erected by King Herod nearly a millennium later. Be that as it may, this whole intermezzo shows the utter lack of seriousness of the Camp David discussions. * * * Morris, the ex-revisionist historian, asserts that "One senses that Barak feels on less firm ground when he responds to the 'revisionist' charge that it was the continued Israeli settlement in the Occupied Territories during the year before Camp David and under his premiership, that had so stirred Palestinian passions as to make the intifada inevitable. " This is an understatement. The fact is that furious settlement activity continued unabated all through the weeks Barak was talking about peace at Camp David. When asked to explain this, Barak says: "Immediately after I took office I promised Arafat: No new settlements - but I also told him that we would continue to honor the previous government's commitments and contracts in the pipeline, concerning the expansion of existing settlements..." This is vintage Barak. With his parliamentary majority, he could have easily passed a law ter minating all contracts, with fair compensations. There was talk of this at the time. "Existing commitments" served as a pretext for the ongoing activity all over the territories, which every Palestinian saw daily w ith his own eyes. It helped to convince the settlers that Barak did not intend to really give back any territor y - in fact, the settlers kept ominously quiet while news from Camp David seemed to foreshadow an agreement providing for the evacuation of dozens of settlements. It seems that they knew better. Understandably, the Palestinians were far more impressed by the action on the ground than by t he diplomatic double-talk. They saw the new settlements springing up and the new by-pass roads cutting through their land, and were not deceived by the fact that they were always disguised as "extension s" of existing ones. (I myself have taken part in a demonstration in front of Barak's private home in Koc hav Ya'ir, hard on the Green Line, protesting against a new settlement disguised this way going up just a few miles away.) Palestinians also noticed that the new settlements followed a plan cutting their territories to pieces. Barak denies this: "I ask myself why he [Arafat} is lying. To put it simply, any proposal that offers 92 percent of the West Bank cannot, almost by definition, break up the territory into noncontiguous cantons..." This is simply not true. And, indeed, Barak hastens to correct: "...except for a razor-thin Israeli wedge running from Jerusalem thorough Maaleh Adumim to the Jordan River. Here, Palestinian territorial continuity would have been assured by a tunnel or bridg e." All the "settlement blocs" were planned in advance - mostly by Ariel Sharon - precisely for th is purpose: to create several such wedges, secured by settlements, by-pass-roads and army installation s. Their effectiveness is being proved these days by the operations of the Israel Defense Forces. Base d on the settlements, the army cuts the Palestinian territories into ribbons, creating disconnected cant ons everywhere. An effective wedge does not have to go all the way from the Green Line to the Jordan river in order to create cantons or "Bantustans". Three-quarters, or even half the way is enough to allow the Israeli army to complete the wedge within minutes. Such a situation would leave all the Palestinian territory at the mercy of the Israeli army at all times. One salient fact overshadows this dispute: at no time at Camp David did Barak produce a map of his famous "92 percent". No such official map exists to this very day. Why? * * * Camp David was not the end. Both Clinton and Barak shifted their positions a lot during the fo llowing months. In December 2000, Clinton made another proposal that came much closer to the Palestinian position, and in January 2001, at Taba, Barak's emissaries, too, moved forward a great deal. However, a lot of things had changed in the meantime. The failure of Camp David created an ups urge of rage and frustration on the Palestinian side, leading to the almost unanimous popular conclusion that "the Israelis understand only the language of force". (This, by the way, is precisely what the Isra elis say about the Palestinians - "they only understand force".) Following Israel's unilateral withdrawal fr om Lebanon, seen by many in the Arab world as an Arab military victory, this mood led to the outbreak of the second Intifada. The immediate cause - the match thrown into the barrel of oil - was Sharon's visit to the comp ound of the mosques on the Temple Mount. This "visit" was approved by Barak. His police minister, Shlomo Be n- Ami (who at the time doubled as foreign minister), sent more than a thousand police officers to accompany him. His clear responsibility for the most calamitous act of the year induces Barak to deny the und eniable. According to Morris, Barak says that "We know, from hard intelligence, that Arafat intended to unleash a violent confrontation, ter rorism. [Sharon's visit and the riots that followed] fell into his hand like an excellent excuse, a pretext ." "Hard intelligence" is a convenient excuse for everything in Israel. It is secret, cannot be d isproved and needs no further proof. However, this does not relieve Barak and Ben-Ami of their responsibilit y. Quite the contrary. If such intelligence really existed, it should have prevented Barak from handin g Arafat such an excellent "pretext". Barak says that the visit was coordinated with the Palestinian security chief, Jibril Rajoub, who was recently dismissed, partly because some Palestinians believed that he had too close a relationship with people like Barak. Morris does not mention a far more important fact: On the eve of Sharon's visit, Arafat met Barak and personally warned him that the visit would lead to disaster. * * * Clinton's December 2000 proposals came much closer to a solution. On the eve of leaving office , his wife by now securely installed as junior Senator from New-York after winning a big majority of Jewi sh votes, Clinton could think of his last remaining ambition: to win the Nobel peace price. However, h is standing amongst the Palestinians had been severely eroded by his cynical breach of trust when, contrary to his solemn promise, he placed the sole responsibility for the Camp David failure on Ara fat. As Morris puts it, "Arafat dragged his feet for a fortnight and then responded to the Clinton proposals with a 'Y es, but...' that, with hundreds of objections, reservations and qualifications was tantamount to a resounding ' No". This is sheer demagoguery. Such a response is a normal negotiating stance. Morris calls on De nnis Ross, Clinton's special envoy, to corroborate his statement, but Ross, one of the many Jewish offic ials who constituted Clinton's team, has since turned out to be too staunch an advocate of Israeli polic ies to be a reliable witness. As a matter of fact, there was no perceptible difference between the answers of the two partie s. Israel also responded, as usual, with a "Yes, but..." Who is to judge where "Yes, but..." means Yes or No? Morris? Barak? After this new - and positive - Clinton proposal of December 2000, the Taba talks took place i n January 2001. Morris: "The 'revisionists', Barak implies, completely ignored the shift - under the prodding of the i ntifada - in the Israeli (and American) positions between July and the end of 2000. By December and January, Isr ael had agreed to Washington's proposal that it withdraw from 95 percent of the West Bank with substant ial territorial compensation for the Palestinians from Israel proper, and that the Arab neighborhoods o f Jerusalem would become sovereign Palestinian territory. The Israelis also agreed to an internationa l force at least temporarily controlling the Jordan river line between the West Bank and the Kingdom of Jor dan instead of the IDF." Remarkable. Why did Barak not make these "concessions" at Camp David, when the whole world was looking on and where they could have done the power of good? Why only "under the prodding of th e intifada"? Morris concedes grudgingly that "at Taba, the Palestinians seemed to soften a little." (A wond erful word, "seemed".) "For the first time they produced a map." (Since Barak never produced a map at all , this is sheer Chutzpah.) "Seemingly," (again this word) "conceding 2 percent of the West Bank. But on the refugees they, too, stuck to their guns, insisting on Israeli acceptance of 'the right of retur n'..." This is flatly contradicted by two of Barak's emissaries at Taba. Yossi Beilin, the chief of t he delegation, asserts unequivocally that at Taba the two sides were close on all issues - including t he refugees. The Palestinians indeed insisted on the recognition of the "right of return" in principle , and on Israel assuming responsibility for its part in creating the problem. But they also agreed that the practical implementation - the number of refugees to be allowed to return to Israel proper - would be subject to agreement by Israel. This was an historic breakthrough. For the first time, numbers were mentioned, and while the g ap remained large, the very fact that the terrible problem had boiled down to haggling over numbers is extremely important. Barak would have nothing of this: "We cannot allow even one refugee back on the basis of the 'right of return'...and we cannot accept historical responsibility for the creation of the problem." This is rather ironical, considering that it was precisely Morris, in his former incarnation a s a "revisionist" and "new historian", who, in his one important book, "The Birth of the Palestinian Re fugee Problem, 1947-1949", proves that a substantial number of refugees were driven out under a deliberat e policy of ethnic cleansing. A pragmatic compromise is possible, but only after Israel accepts responsibility for its part in creating the problem and recognizes the right of return "in principl e". Barak postpones any compromise until the year 2048. A typical passage - the style is the man - says: "(Barak) hesitatingly predicts that only 'eighty years' after 1948 will the Palestinians be hi storically ready for a compromise. By then, most of the generation that experienced the catastrophe of 1948 at first hand will have died; there will be 'very few 'salmons' around who still want to return to their bir thplaces to die.' Barak speaks of a 'salmon syndrome' among the Palestinians - and says that Israel, to a degre e, was willing to accommodate it, through the family reunion scheme, allowing elderly refugees to retu rn to be with their families before they die." The cynicism belongs to Barak, who, at the time, mentioned the absurdly low number of 4000 refugees who would be allowed to return every year in the framework of family reunions. But is has always been Zionist dogma that at some time in the future the Palestinians will be ready for a "compromise" (meaning accepting Israeli terms) while in the meantime Israel goes on dispossessing them by creating "facts on the ground". The Taba talks came to an end when Barak unilaterally ordered his delegation to break them off . The pretext, this time: elections were too near. One wonders if Barak could have avoided his monumental election defeat if he had come to the voters, even at the very last moment, with a draft agreement in his hands. * * * Beyond these issues lurks the mystery of Barak's peculiar behavior at Camp David. After insist ing on holding the summit conference without any preparations by sub-committees, he assiduously avoided an y real contact with Arafat, neither visiting him at his near-by cabin, nor inviting him to his own ca bin for informal conversations. His closest adviser, foreign minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, recounts that during a state dinner Bara k sat "like a pillar of salt", not exchanging a word with Arafat, who was seated next to him. At another, similar occasion, when Barak was seated between Arafat and young Chelsea Clinton, Barak demonstratively talked only with the teenager, ignoring the Palestinian leader. Says Morris: "Barak appears uncomfortable with the "revisionist" charge that his body language toward Arafa t had been unfriendly and that he had, almost consistently during Camp David, avoided meeting the Palesti nian leader...Barak says that they met 'almost every day' at Camp David at mealtimes...Did Nixon meet Ho Chi Minh...or did De Gaulle ever speak to Ben-Bellah? The right time for a meeting between us was w hen things were ready for a decision by the leaders..." Here, In a nutshell, is the whole argument against having the conference at all, exactly as pu t forward by Arafat when he refused to come. But in the circumstances, after the conference had started, this argument is specious. Everybo dy familiar with Arafat's style, and indeed with Arab culture in general, knows that personal contact and gestures play a big part. Avoiding any real contact with Arafat, even "at mealtimes", shows that ev en before the conference Barak could not abide Arafat and was convinced, as he tells Morris, that ther e could be no peace "so long as Arafat and like-minded leaders are at the helm on the Arab side." It seems that this is not his conclusion from the Camp David failure, but rather a reason for the fail ure. * * * Neither Morris nor Barak mention the most curious incident of the conference. As attested by al l his own people, Barak "freaked out" during the conference for two whole days, not shaving, not talking with anyone and refusing to see even his closest assistants. Why? I believe that this brings us close to the heart of the enigma called Barak. Even today many I sraelis are puzzled by the question: What did Barak really want? Did he really intend to achieve peace, fai ling only because of his ignorance and arrogance, or did he intend right from the outset to bring about the failure in order to put the blame on the Palestinians? Quite possibly, he had both aims in mind, in tending to discard one or the other as political expediency dictated. Barak himself has publicly boasted of both. Speaking to left-wingers, he asserted that he has offered the Palestinians the most generous terms, which were rejected. Speaking to right-wingers, he made t he point that he gave the Palestinians absolutely nothing, not one inch of territory, contrary to the Likud- leader Binyamin Netanyahu, who gave the Palestinians most of the town of Hebron and several bits of territory. Recently, Barak bragged in an interview on Israeli TVs that by making his generous offers to t he Palestinians and the Syrians he unmasked both Arafat and Assad, who rejected them. Together with hi s withdrawal from South Lebanon, these are - to his mind - the three major achievements of his short term in office. * * * So where does Barak stand now? Clearly, Barak shares the deep Jewish paranoia and existential angst. While he was prime minis ter, he saw himself in command of the Titanic, "headed for the Iceberg". He spoke in terms of terrible d angers approaching, Iran and/or Iraq obtaining nuclear weapons, Islamic fundamentalists taking over states bordering on Israel. This should have led Barak to make peace in time, and to call upon the nation even now to pay the necessary price. Instead, according to Morris, he supports Sharon's massive incursions into the Palestinian ter ritories, which have almost destroyed the last vestiges of the Oslo agreement and re-instituted the Israeli occupation in a much more brutal form. He supports Sharon's policy of assassinating Palestinian militants - called "targeted liquidations" - that had already started during his premiership. He do es not believe in peace as long as Arafat is around, a basic Sharon premise. He believes that Israel shoul d "begin" to "prepare" for a pullout from "some 75 percent" of the West Bank, while allowing a Palest inian state to emerge there and talk about the other 25 percent later. Meanwhile Israel should begin constructing a "solid, impermeable fence around the evacuated parts of the West Bank". In practice, all this is very close to Sharon, who has turned peace into some vague dream for the very remote future , and is already building the fence as a substitute to peace. At the beginning of the second intifada, after the failure of Camp David, Barak's police, unde r the control of Shlomo Ben-Ami, killed 13 Arab citizens of Israel during solidarity demonstrations with the Palestinians. Barak does not express any regrets, but, quite to the contrary, says that "Israeli Arabs will serve as [the Palestinians'] spear point...This may necessitate changes in the rules of the democratic game...in order to assure Israel's Jewish character." This approximates to an apartheid mentality, as does his obsession with "demographic sense" an d "demographic threats". One positive result of all this is that at least in retrospect he bemoans the fact the Israel did not give up the occupied territories for peace immediately after the 1967 war. Since, at the time, I was the only member of the Knesset who demanded that Israel should leave the territories and turn them over to t he Palestinians, I am glad to hear this - even if I have never heard it from Barak before. * * * In a recent biography of Barak, entitled "Hara-kiri", Raviv Drucker, a reporter for the army r adio station, gives a detailed, thoroughly researched account of Barak's reign. The overall picture is of a sever ely disturbed human being, whose mindset and emotional limitations have caused him to fail in so many o f his relationships and endeavors. According to this account, his failure to establish contact with A rafat was no different from his failure in his dealings with everybody else, including his closest assist ants. My own theory - which, of course, cannot be proved is that on assuming power, Barak believed t hat he had the right formula for ending the historic conflict. Knowing absolutely nothing about the Palestinians, indeed, never having had a serious discussion with Palestinians, he believed that if he offered them a state, they would accept all his conditions and gratefully kiss his hands. When this did not happen, he was furious and accused them of all possible crimes. The prejudices and stereotypes, born of 120 years of conflict and which exist in the conscious or unconscious mind of almost every Israeli, came to the fore and determined his reactions. At Camp David he got to the point were the real terms of the solution became apparent to him. These conflicted with all his traditional Zionist convictions, causing a severe case of cognitive dissona nce. Consequently, like a person looking into an abyss, he drew back in panic at the last moment. This i s the cause of his "freaking out" incident in Camp David. This is also the reason for his calling off the Taba talks unilaterally, on the eve of the final breakthrough. The same thing had already happened to him before, when he came very close to a final deal wit h Syria. At the eleventh hour, when he realized that he was about to sign an agreement under which he would have to evacuate the powerful settlers on the Golan heights and to return the territory that had already officially become a part of Israel, he drew back. The pretext was that he would not let the Syrians reach the waters of the Sea of Tiberias - a distance of a few hundred yards from the line he had ag reed to - in spite of the Syrians' undertaking not to use the water. Also, as he told Morris, "had we made the required concessions, we would have been seen as weak, inviting depredation." In order to hide his catastrophic character weaknesses, Barak invented the historic lie of Ara fat's rejectionism, now accepted by almost all Israelis and the world at large. By doing so, he paved the way to the premiership for Sharon and also caused most Israelis to despair of peace. A wise old Hebrew adage says: "He who finds fault (with others) finds his own fault." By brand ing the Arabs as habitual liars, this self-appointed paragon of Judeo-Christian culture is actually brandin g himself. [6] Haim Baram: Labour’s "Final Flourish" ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "H B" Labour’s Final Flourish Haim Baram The Great Leader scanned the huge gathering with his tired eyes, and got ready for the final flouri sh, the very climax of his speech. As usual on such occasions, he was over-emotional, very angry with his critics, and full of scorn towards his principal foe. Yet, he was experienced and wily enough, to c ling to the party’s tradition, and addressed his rival by his first name. “Haim”, said Binyamin Ben-Eliezer , trying to be heard in spite of the impossible din at the Mann Auditorium in Tel-Aviv, “you are creating an enemy state with arbitrarily-imposed boundaries, that will have no obligations to you. By evacuating sett lements now, you would cause a civil war in Israel, while granting Yaser Arafat and his fellow murderers th e ultimate prize for terror”. An even greater prize is due to any reader, who can find the slightest difference between this me ssage by the leader of the Israeli Labour party, and the ideology and policies of Ariel Sharon. Contrary to nonsensical comments in the international media, the alliance between Labour and Likud is no longer a marriage of convenience, or even a pragmatic necessity, caused by the intifada. This is an ideologi cal fusion, gradually structured and carefully explained but reluctantly admitted (for reasons of senti ment and political history). However, its irreversible nature can not be denied. Ben-Eliezer addressed the L abour Convention on 2 July, and used typical Likud style, terminology and reasoning with total impunity. The large majority of the 4,000 delegates sided with him, despite his obvious inferiority as a speaker. Ben-Eliezer’s Hebrew is notoriously flawed, his grammar non-existent, and the quaint combination of IDF slang, taxi-driver’s vocabulary and bureaucratic lingo, never fails to amuse and to amaze. The Chal lenger, Haim Ramon, is more articulate but pays heavily for his a justified reputation of a “professional w recker”. In 1994 Ramon destroyed almost single-handedly the ancient Histadtrut (General Federation of Labour ) machine, the most efficient vote-controlling instrument of the Labour Movement. Many Labour hacks owed their livlihood to the huge (and corrupt) Histadrut, and loath Ramon for obliterating it. Ramo n fancied himself as a great moderniser, but this flattering self-image is not shared by the convention deleg ates, with few notable exceptions. Both socialists and social-democrats tend to suspect him of selling-ou t to the neo-liberals, not without reason. Ramon’s style is typically right-wing social-democrat, Blairi te to the core, but his record is unambiguously anti-union, embellished by populist slogans. The Likud old mentor Zeev Jabotinsky (died 1940) had preached to his disciples to break up the Histadrut. Ramon was raised and cultivated by Labourites who used to abhore Jabotisky and to portra y him as “fascist”. But Ramon is the best executor of the Zionist Revisionist teachings. The irony is perhaps inescapable, but Ramon, like most Israeli leaders, lacks subtelty, let alone a real, self e ffacing sense of humour. Hence the enormous gap between Ramon’s superior oratory and his dwindling influence in the party. B en- Eliezer’s control over the party’s branches and activists could have been impressive, if the party itself was viable and functioning. But he leads an ailing body into total oblivion, and his electoral chan ces against Sharon or Binyamin Netanyahu are negligible. Ramon pins all his hopes on the future public opinion polls. He aspires to be elected as the only candidate who can compete with any Likud leader , despite his lack of popularity among the rank-and-file Labour activists. This is an unlikely scenar io, but still a remote possibility under some special circumstances. It would be very superficial to ascribe the Ben-Eliezer mounting influence within the party only to the clout of the faceless machine. He won a famous victory at the Convention, especially over the Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg who tabled a motion to leave Sharon’s government and was heavily defeated, ostensibly on procedure but actually on substance. The delegates, just like the party’s supporters, simply identify themselves with the Sharon-Peres-Ben-Eliezer government, and abandoned any real or imaginary pro Palestinian sympathies. The George W Bush speech has practically put paid to the moderate school of thought in the party, and even Shimon Peres urged the Convention to seek a new partner for peace. On 6 July he repeated his new conversion to the anti-Arafat camp in an interview to the French left-wing magazine, Liberation. Peres probably amazed his sophisticated socialist readers, b y admitting publically that his change of heart is solely due to the new guidelines from Washington. Thus Peres has lost his last claim to any relevancy as a statesman. To be Washington’s man in Jerusalem does not require any of Peres’ real or purported gifts. Even Ben-Eliezer can do it quite easily. Bu t now even the Liberation readership are fully aware of the fact, that Peres, the great European, has bec ome just an ordinary Bushman. Burg, just like Ramon and his fellow phoney doves, understand that Ben-Eliezer leads the party to a virtual merger with Likud, even if the process will last several years. Unless Likud decided to all y itself with the far-right (and takes a risk to fall-out with Bush), the 2002 Labour has no independent sub stance to justify a prolonged separate existence. Ramon does espouse the dismantaling of “remote settlements”, including the “illegal outposts”. Ben-Eliezer evacuated some empty outposts prior to the Convention, and was disappointed that the settlers failed to protest. This is fairly understanabl e: a big outcry against the Labour leader for evacuating the fake outposts would have portrayd him as a man of peace internationally and enhanced his popularity among Israeli moderates. But the settlers are le ss gullible than some of the foreign journalists, and they undersood that Ben-Eliezer is their princip al ally, just like his disasterous predecessor, Ehud Barak. So, the real moot point is the remote settlements, that the IDF can not possibly defend without a t errible loss of Israeli lives. But as Ben-Eliezer stated quite clearly, their evacuation can cause a civi l war in Israel. This is the real divide between real and phoney Israeli peaceniks. The hard left and Israel ’s Arab citizens have internalised, that peace will never be achieved without a showdown with the settlers and their political allies; the Zionist left (the majority of Meretz sadly included) shy away from such confrontation. Until recently, this very big and influential group (including most of Israel’s jour nalists) had hoped that the US would impose a solution, that would in turn force Sharon to evacuate settlers, ju st as he did in the wake of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. These hopes have been frustrated, and the cowardly leaders of the Zionist left are gradually retreating to the semi-hawkish position they hel d before 1993. Ramon has no viable peace platform, apart from a racist fence and the partial anti-settlers rhetori cs. Ideologically speaking, this is marginally better than Ben-Eliezer openly pro-settler stance, but R amon deliberately evades the very serious issue of the larger settlements, which constitute even more formidable obstacle for peace. >From the party politics point of view, Ramon is not as close to Sharon as Ben-Eliezer. This makes h im a likely candidate to join forces with Burg and Yossi Beilin in the formation of a dovish Zionist par ty. Such development is bound to expedite the merger between the centre-right majority of the Labour party w ith Sharon. The scope of this column could not do justice to Labour’s complete sell-out in the socio- economic sphere, the absolute betrayal of its past as a workers’ party. This will be dealt with in a separate article. Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Tue Jul 16 19:32:24 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Cycle of force and counterforce leading to disaster Message-ID: <3D3466B8.20100.1550E7C@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Today's lethal attack on a settler bus, as well as the daily toll in Palestinian lives, against the background of the ongoing 24 hour curfew on 2 million people witth no end in site.... We were on the brink of forwarding you the appeal of Dr Mustapha Barghouti. Now the translation of today's Gush Shalom press release will precede it. [1] No Solution By Force [2] Continuing Curfew Creates Humanitarian Disaster [1] No Solution By Force Press Release from Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc July 16, 2002 Brute force does not provide a solution. Even a month of total occupation in the Palestinian cities, ongoing curfew and suffocation which brong the population to the edge of stravation, provide no solution and bring us no security. On the contrary - the acts of the soldiers who enforce the daily curfew prevent some terrorist attacks - but only at the price of increasing the hatred from which ever-new attacks spring. Today's lethal attack on a bus near the settlment of Immanuel on the West Bank is a new and painful reminder. As long as the people of Israel go on blindly follwing the Sharon Government, this government will go on leading the two peoples on the road to mutual killing and destruction. It is not the escalation of oppression and the deepening of the occupation which will give Israel peace, security and prosperity. That can be achieved only by an end to the occupation and withdrawal of the army, both from the recently reoccupied Palestinian cities and from the Occupied Territories as a whole. For that, Israel must again talk to the Palestinians - to the representatives chosen by the Palestinians themselves, not to supposed "leaders" which the Sharon Government dreams of appointing. For further details: Adam Keller, Gush Shalom Spokesperson 972-3-5565804 or 972-56-709603 [2] Continuing Curfew Creates Humanitarian Disaster ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Palestine Monitor Alquds" Date sent: Tue, 16 Jul 2002 12:29:02 +0200 The Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees Urgent Appeal Continuing Curfew Creates Humanitarian Disaster July 16, 2002 For nearly a month, two million residents of the West Bank have been under almost constant curfew. This deliberate policy by the Israeli government has created a humanitarian disaster throughout the West Bank. Hospitals, schools, universities as well as civil and governmental institutions have been completely paralyzed. Furthermore, the Israeli-imposed curfew has decimated the economy leaving a considerable percentage of Palestinians under the poverty line and nearing levels of starvation. The Israeli government’s curfews are intended to, and have succeeded in destroying the socio-economic infrastructure of Palestine. Its collective punishment measures represent a severe violation of international law, and have no justification as security measures. As such, we are astounded and deeply concerned by the weak response of the international community in denouncing Israel’s creation of this ever-increasing humanitarian crisis. THIS IS AN URGENT CALL FOR ALL HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS WORLWIDE TO INTERVENE IMMEDIATELY For more information, please contact Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi at: Medical Relief - 00972-59-254-218 or consult our new website: www.upmrc.org Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto: gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Jul 18 20:18:49 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] upcoming actions, etc. Message-ID: <3D371499.10890.1EA44FA@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [In billboard we include announcements, articles and reports. For more information, approach the addresses appearing in each item - before turning to us.] announcements [1] Picnic against racism [2] David Zonsheine update & demo tomorrow, Friday [3] Nine refusers are right now in jail [4] Reminder of Saturday night's Haifa demo of Peace Now [5] Monday, Ta'ayush demonstration in Lod reports etc. [6] All the never-reported cruelty - Beate Zilversmidt [7] Huwaida Arraf - Ramallah update [8] A letter to the editor which made it + P.S. from 1947 [1] Picnic against racism -----Original Message----- From: Michal@phr.org.il Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2002 1:59 PM Dear Friends, In response and in protest to the attack on Dr. Bashara and his family and friends, Physicians for Human Rights 96 Israel will be conducting a picnic at the Givat Olga beach, the site of the assault, on Friday, July 19th, 2002 and 17:00 (5:00PM). Participating in the event will be both Jewish and Arab families, as well as Jewish and Arab performers and artists. We see this as an alternative to the prevailing winds of racism and injustice. People should bring some of their own food, if possible (phr will also bring some), and plenty of water. There will be some singers and performers, hopefully, as well as press coverage. Please join us. Directions: Take the turn towards the sea and Givat Olga at the Hadera intersection (on the road from TA to Haifa). Continue on this road, passing a roundabout, until a T intersection. Take a left; after roughly 500 meters enter the parking lot on your right. [2] David Zonsheine update & demo tomorrow, Friday -----Original Message----- From: Support@seruv.org.il [mailto:Support@seruv.org.il] Dear Courage to Refuse supporters, In this message you’ll find: 1. An update on the decision of BAGATZ in the case of David Zonsheine. 2. Reminder about demonstration at the Rakevet Junction this Friday. Justice Barak proposes that Zonsheine appeal to the IDF Attorney General. On Tuesday Morning the Israeli Higher Court of Justice (Supreme Court) reconvened to rule on Lieutenant (Res.) David Zonsheine’s earlier petition. The Chief Justice of the Court, Judge Aaron Barak, proposed that David Zonsheine petitions the IDF’s Attorney General, appealing his earlier sentencing in a court martial (disciplinary hearing) at the level of his unit commander, as well as his commander’s refusal to grant him a military trial. The Court further advised Zonsheine that he is entitled to return to the Supreme Court in the event that the Military Attorney General fails to adequately address the moral issues that inform his refusal to serve in the occupied territories. Should the IDF’s Military Attorney General concede to Zonsheine appeal, it will imply a recognition of the objector movement’s claim that service in the territories constitutes an illegal order. Zonsheine’s lawyer, Michael Sfard, welcomed Justice Barak’s proposal and suggests that “the moral and legal arguments made by the refusal movement will finally be heard considered by the highest court in Isreal. Today’s court ruling recognizes the importance of a civil debate on the refusal issue, one which the army and the country’s political leadership have sought to muzzle. Especially at a time when the IDF is enforcing a draconian a closure, well into its third week.” Additional signatories of the letter intend to follow Zonsheine’s path in the coming weeks. Demonstration this Friday This Friday, 19/7 11:00-13:00, we will hold a demonstration against the occupation and the settlements and for refusing to participate in the Isarel’s actions in the territories. Come and declare with us that refusing the occupation in every way is the only patriotic act in these horrific days. See you at the Rakevet Junction in Tel Aviv (Namir rd./Arlozorov st.), Courage to Refuse www.seruv.org.il For any questions or offers of support please write to support@seruv.org.il [3] Nine refusers are right now in jail Unfortunately we can't provide an update about who are the ones right now in prison; we tried to collect their names but could only reach Ishai Menuchin (Yesh Gvul). From him we understood that they all are busy right now countering the call for "death to the refusers" (sic!) by settler rabbi Shlomo Aviner. But Ishai knew by heart that right now nine are in prison. We hope soon to get their names, addresses and a bit background as part of the solidarity campaign. After all, the refusal and being actually imprisoned for it is something very political and highly personal - not an abstract thing such as being signatory to a petition among hundreds, or as others say close to a thousand names. [4] Reminder of Saturday night's Haifa demo of Peace Now FIGHTING RACISM DEMANDING EQUALITY Jewish-Arab Demonstration Herewith details regarding the transportation to the demo in Haifa, Saturday, July 20, 2002 - 19:30 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dear Friends, On Saturday night the Demo will be held opposite the Haifa Municipality building. This demo is against a chain of events that is leading us to from a State striving for democracy and equality to one of racism and discrimination. Such events include the 'Druckman Law" that suggested the selling of land to Jews only, the presence of the Prime Minister and the President of Israel at the conference of Moledet, under their new slogan "Transfer Now", and many more such events. We call upon each one of you NOT to sit at home quietly when the ugly head of Racism is raising itself. We call you all to JOIN us with the message: Equality between all citizens of Israel, regardless of religion, race or sex. We call upon you to make clear to the racist decision makers of this country, that a large part of the public are not afraid of Arab neighbours and want to live in peaceful coexistence. IT IS TIME TO ACT!! Transportation >From Tel Aviv: Saturday at 17:15 from Alozorov Train St (Next to El Al ) >From Jerusalem: Saturday at 17:00 from Gan Hapa'amon parking lot Those who can assist in the preparations are invited to contact ORI at 03 5663291 or 054 405157 or by Email: ori@peacenow.org.il Regarding transport from Jerusalem please contact the Jerusalem Peace Now Offices: 02 5660648 or call Shiri 054 687539 Everyone else should contact Noa: 054 556052 [5] Monday, Ta'ayush demonstration in Lod ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Thu, 18 Jul 2002 09:12:51 +0300 From: "Yaron Caspi" To: Hi, We would be very glad if you can put this message in your billboard Yaron Caspi Ta'ayush 08-9470152 Next Monday the 22.07.02 at 17:30 Ta'ayush together with Lod's citizens will hold a demonstration against the house demolishes policy of the Lod municipality. The demonstration will be held in front of the mayor's office, T'shal ave. 1 Lod. Since the importance of the demonstration is very high we urge you very much to come. Background: Lod, as one of the mixed cities, suffer from 'un-legal' house building problem among the Arab population, as result of discrimination and lack of official building policy. Three months ago the campaign for the municipality election was held under pure racist atmosphere. Is seem that, after the election of Maxim Levi, a policy of massive house demolishes was decided upon. This pronounced it self in the following event: On Monday 1.7.02 bulldozers accompanied by massive police force, came to the Sameh.Heit. neighborhood in order to destroy 7 houses. They were stopped at the last moment, by an order from the court that postponed the destruction until the 21.07.02, for another hearing. The Israel state claims that the houses were built on public land that was confiscated during 1995. The owner claims that it was their land even before 1948, and that they never heard about the confiscation. Moreover, the police in Lod tries to prevent every kind of public protest. At the 4/7 about 15 people Ta'ayush activists and Lod's citizens tried to hold a quit demonstration in front of the Mayor office. Before they even started, the police announced that they are gathering un-legally. Five minute afterward they arrested 10 people. The term of release for those who were not lod citizens was a prohibition to get inside Lod for 15 days. This is a brutal attempt to prevent the right of speech. It is a high probability that this policy will only get worth. Especially today where in the cabinet a law is offered which will prevent Arab to live in certain area, that we must raise our voice against the war that the authorities take against the Arab citizens. Directions from Tel Aviv: On the road to Jerusalem, drive past the exit to the airport and take the next right exit. When you see the sigh "Lod - Old City", turn right. At the circle, turn left, and go straight ahead till the next circle. The mayor's office is right there (this is NOT city hall) Details: Ta'ayush 03-6294437 Or Yaron Caspi 08-9470152 y.caspi@weizmann.ac.il Contact person during the demonstration: Anour 377251-050 [6] All the never-reported cruelty - Beate Zilversmidt Behind the computer on a hot day in Tel-Aviv I dream about leaving work early and before sunset taking a dive into the sea. But this is no time for innocence. The next thought is that the Palestinians in Rafah are prevented by the army to go to the sea. And then, there are the thousands of Palestinians taken to the Ansar Prison Camp, who sit in crowded tents unprotected from the cruel sun of the Negev. Yes, also the many thousands of soldiers suffer, sweating in their uniforms, shlepping their heavy weapons, going around inside tanks. While I am thinking how to get through this day, I also realize that two million Palestinians are under curfew in their mostly small and overcrowded houses. They cannot even dream of taking a shower; there is hardly enough water to drink; their frigidaires are empty and even in the few hours every now and then that the curfew is lifted, there is no money to buy anything. Yesterday two children in Ramallah who thought that they could play football away from the soldiers' eyes were killed by tank shrapnel. It wasn't even news. After all, these children broke the curfew and isn't the Israeli army allowed to defend itself? And also, it happened more or less at the same time of the suicide bombing in Tel-Aviv, an event which got worldwide headlines and the instant attention of President Bush. But this attention may not be much of a consolation for the victims - mostly migrant workers. At this very moment, on this same hot day there are also somewhere in the slums of south Tel-Aviv dozens of wounded who refused to be taken to hospital - out of fear for deportation... While I am writing down these sad musings, a friend from Hebron, phones. A real time report: Today the curfew in Hebron was lifted for unexpected long hours; students used it to get to the university. Then, suddenly, an army raid; they broke into the lecture rooms and arrested students and lecturers en masse. Through the phone we heard the rumbling of the tanks. [7] Huwaida Arraf - Ramallah update ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Huwaida Arraf Date sent: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 10:45:50 -0700 (PDT) July 17, 2002 The three internationals detained today by the Israeli military in Ramallah were released shortly thereafter. The activists suffered only minor bruises and scratches from their encounter with the soldiers. The breaking the curfew action today was a follow-up to yesterday's initiative when Palestinians and internationals marched together through the streets of Ramallah. Such actions break the psychological and physical imprisonment of the Palestinian civilian population, and we plan to continue. Though most of the local population is justifiably scared, due to the brutal force used by Israeli soldiers on unarmed civilians (many remember the incident three weeks ago when Israeli soldiersfired machine guns and tank shells into a crowded market in Jenin), the international presence serves as a morale boost and an element of protection for those who take to their streets in defiance of the arrogant assumption of control by Israeli forces. Tomy peoplein Palestine, I say, the struggle continues and we will continue taking to the streets and defying with our minds, our bodies and our souls. To our friends and justice-loving people all over the world, I say come join us in Palestine. Speak out where you are. Please don't stay silent. Huwaida [8] A letter to the editor which made it + P.S. from 1947 [The following letter to the editor appeared in Ha'aretz on July 17. Sir. Like the rest of my generation who had gone through the period of the British Mandate, I well remember the time of "The Big Curfew" when the British army imposed a week-long curfew of Tel-Aviv, after [Menachem Begin's] Irgun blew up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, causing the death of more than a hundred persons. I well remember the difficulties and frustration when the home became a prison, and what a relief it was when the curfew was removed after a week and life could go back to normal. "The Big Curfew" is how we called it. Nowadays, Palestinians living under Israeli rule would would called it "The small curfew" or "The Lightweight Curfew". Inhabitants of Ramallah or Nablus would have been well content to settle for a curfew of one week only. Did our leaders think of the implications of an endless curfew, of the frustrations accumulating among the population and the increasing hatred? Is it their intention that due to the curfew, the Palestinian economy will totally collapse, all businesses will go bankrupt? Is the intention to create a situation in which, even when the curfew is lifted for a few hours, the people will have no more money with which to buy food? Is this the solution to the suicide bombings, or are we simply creating a powder keg which will blow up in our faces? Hava Cohen, Tel-Aviv P.S.Accidentally or not, the Haaretz column devoted to "quotations from old issuess" of the paper published an item from Ha'aretz of July 16, 1947 - a description of the curfew imposed on that date by the British on the Jewsih toen of Netanyah: "House to house searches and improvised prison enclosures at Netanyah (by Haaretz correspondent Haviv Kromholz). Empty streets, closed shutters, soldiers lying on the streets with their rifles aimed at the houses, arrested young people sitting down dejectedly on the ground in the July heat - that is how the capital of the Sharon Region looks on the first day of the military siege. The usually-bustling city was completely silent. Netanhya today is a tangle of barbed wire fences, with the only traffic being convoys of military armoured cars and tanks, and concentrations of thousands of soldiers." Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sat Jul 20 14:17:25 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] Thou shallst not punish the father for the sins of the son Message-ID: <3D3962E5.9090.EEEBE5@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ We want to share with you the well-founded statement of the Al Haq Human Rights Organization in Ramallah. After it, in the end of this mail, we also give the translation of a Gush Shalom statement sent yesterday to the Israeli press, immediately after the news of the arrest and planned deportation. ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Al-Haq" Subject: Al-Haq Press Release # 132 Date sent: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 09:35:16 +0200 For Immediate Release Al-Haq Press Release # 132 19 July 2002 Al-Haq Condemns the Arrest and Threatened Deportation of Family Members of Wanted Men and the Demolitions of their Homes Israeli forces entered into the village of Tel and the Asker Refugee Camp, both near Nablus, and arrested family members of several wanted individuals. According to Israeli sources 21 men were arrested. However, at this time Al-Haq has only been able to confirm the identities of 17 of the men arrested. The army also destroyed the homes of two of the wanted men. According to Israeli sources a decision has been taken to deport the arrested men from the West Bank to Gaza. The implementation of this decision is awaiting final approval of Israeli Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein, but high-level government officials including Foreign Minister Shimon Peres have already raised their voices in support of the deportations. According to Al-Haq’s fieldworker in Nablus Israeli forces entered into the village of Tel during the early hours of this morning and carried out raids on a number of homes in the village. One of the first homes searched was that of Naser‘idin Mustafa Asida. Naser is a member of Hamas and is wanted by the Israeli authorities on suspicion that he was connected with the attack near the settlement of Emmanuel earlier this week. Although the soldiers were unable to find Naser they arrested his father, Mustafa (62) and his four brothers: Abdul Nasser (34), Nasserallah (31), Qazem (23) and Assem (21). The soldiers also blew up Naser’s home using dynamite without allowing his family to remove any of their possessions. The explosion damaged another 20 homes located nearby, several of them seriously. The homes of Sami Mohammad Samir Sht’ah and Assem Samieh Mohammad Assideh in Tel were also raided. Both men are wanted by the Israeli authorities on the suspicion that they are active in Hamas. Sami’s father, age 60, and his five brothers: Yacoub (35), Jihad (34), Osama (24) Abdul Allmo’ti (19), and Zeidan (16) were arrested, while Assem’s father, age 54, and brother Hazem (23) were arrested. Another raid into Asker Refugee Camp was carried out simultaneously. The home of Ali Mohammad Ahmed Ajouri was both raided and destroyed. Ali is wanted by the Israeli authorities under the suspicion that he is a member of Fateh, and under the suspicion that he was involved in organizing the bombings that occurred in Tel Aviv earlier this week. Ali lived in a three-story building that was home to 26 people including six women and twelve children. The Israeli forces that destroyed the building did not allow its residents to remove any of their possessions. The explosion damaged ten surrounding buildings, four of which are now too unstable to be lived in. As a result 62 people have been left homeless. Ali’s father, age 70, and two brothers Kifah (28) and Ahmed (30) were also arrested. Finally, Dr. Abdel Rahim Handali from Asker was arrested. His son Mohammad is on Israel’s wanted list. Most of the men arrested are married and many of them have children. None of the men are wanted and Israel has made no claim stating that any of the men have been involved in attacks upon Israel. Their arrests are clearly meant to serve as a form of collective punishment and Israeli leaders have stated that they hope that if the men are deported to Gaza other Palestinians will be dissuaded from participating in actions against Israel and the Occupation. It must further be noted that the wanted family members of the men to be deported have also not been afforded due process before a court of law. Accusations have been made, but no evidence against these men has been made publicly available, they have not been charged, and they have not been tried in court. These arrests follow the decision taken on June 21st by the Israeli political security cabinet to “in principle” allow the deportation of the families of individuals accused of having carried out suicide bombings and of Palestinian activists. This decision and Israel’s deportation policy were reported on by Al-Haq in an Urgent Action Alert from June 26th. The Israeli authorities have used transfer and deportation as forms of punishment since taking control of the West Bank and Gaza, with the first transfers carried out in September of 1967. Numerous UN resolutions have condemned the policy and it stands in direct contravention of International Humanitarian Law. Israel has argued in the past that transfers may be carried out in accordance with the second paragraph of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel has stated that the alleged security threat posed by the individuals it has transferred or plans to transfer poses a threat to their ability to maintain control over the Occupied Territories and that the transfers should therefore be regarded as a military necessity. However, in claiming its authority to transfer Palestinians inside the territories under Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention Israel has ignored the limitations placed on such transfers. According to Article 49 the Occupying Power may only evacuate protected persons for “imperative military reasons” or for their own safety. Article 49 also contains the requirement that persons subject to evacuation must be moved back to their homes as soon as possible. Regarding the transfers currently under consideration, no justification can be found. The men who are to be transferred are not wanted, have not committed any criminal acts, and have never stood trial before a court. No evidence has been given to show that these men are security threats. They are being forced from their homes and families and may never have a right to be reunited with their relatives. These transfers are being advocated as a form of collective punishment that targets individuals because of their association or relations to a wanted individual, not because of their own guilt. Such collective punishment is prohibited by the Fourth Geneva Convention in Article 33, and by the Hague Convention of 1907 in Article 50. The unlawful deportation or transfer of protected persons is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention under article 147 and therefore qualifies as a war crime, and under Article 8, Paragraph 7 of the Rome statute the deportation or illegal transfer of individuals qualifies as a war crime. Judicial procedures, run through the court system, allow for the trial and if necessary imprisonment of individuals considered a threat to the Occupying Power. The transfer or deportation of individuals accused of activities threatening to the Occupying power in effect ignores the judicial system and allows the political and military structures to impose punishments upon individuals who have not been provided with a right to defense or trial. The demolition of the homes of those accused of either carrying out or planning attacks on Israel are also violations of the above mentioned articles prohibiting collective punishment. The destruction of the property and possessions of wanted individuals, their families and their neighbors can not be justified under the rubric of security, but are punitive measures that punish not a guilty individual, but instead punish persons accused of having committed crimes and those around them. In light of these actions Al-Haq calls for the following: 1. The International Community should immediately call for the release of the men arrested today, should demand that Israel respects the rights of innocent individuals and should call upon Israel respect both local and international law. 2. The International Community must take immediate action by censuring Israel for these arrests and home demolitions and should censure Israel for its actions should Israel continue to blatantly disregard the rights of the Palestinian people. 3. The Security Council of the UN should meet to take concrete actions to force Israel to end its attacks upon the Palestinian people, and the UN General Assembly should convene in an Emergency Special Session to take action to ensure the immediate protection of the civilian Palestinian population. [end of Al-Haq press release] * * * [The following is the translation of yesterday's Gush Shalom press release.] GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Gush Shalom: Deportation of suicide bombers' family members is illegal, immoral and will increase the hatred July 19, 2002 The idea of deporting the family members of suicide bombers is in contradiction to the basic principle of all judicial systems - that a person may not be punished for the acts of somebody else. Among other sources, this basic principle was introduced into world culture by the Bible, where it is often and forcefully expressed. The state of Israel now seems ready to discard that principle, bending the Israeli legal code in order to violate International law. The inability, or unwillingness on the side of our politicians to see suicide bombings for what they are: a result of a too-long-dragged-on occupation leads to Israel being branded as a barbaric country which tramples upon basic norms of behaviour. Implementation of this measure can further fan the flames of hatred. * * * ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Tue Jul 23 05:00:09 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] Sharon answers cease-fire offer with carnage Message-ID: <3D3CD4C9.26519.D1289E@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Press release, Tuesday July 23 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Sharon answers cease-fire offer with carnage Rabin-Pelosof resigns from the government = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Less than twenty-four hours ago, the Hamas leader Sheikh Ahamad Yassin made an unprecedented public call for a cease-fire with Israel. That call was the culmination of long, patient negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas leadership, aimed at achieving a ceasefire between the Palestinians and Israel, putting an end to suicide bombings and paving the way to a resumption of some kind of political process Saudi Arabia, too, is known to have made direct approaches to the Hamas leaders in order to achieve the same result. A government of Israel caring even a little bit for the well-being of its own citizens would have welcomed the opening. Not so the Sharon Government, whose response was to send an F-16 fighter plane on a bombing spree in Gaza. The effect of attempting to assassinate a senior Hamas leader was a carnage whose victims included many women and children. Now, instead of offers of ceasefire the Hamas leadership is coming out with calls for revenge, which seems to suit Sharon much better. It is the PM, with his endless string of provocations, who bears the responsibility for this missed opportunity of ending the cycle of bloodshed. Deputy Defence Minister Dalia Rabin-Pelosof resigned this evening, charging the Sharon government with destroying the life work of the late Yitzchak Rabin, her father. For more information: Adam Keller, Gush Shalom spokesperson +972-3-5565804 / +972-56-709603 / +972-56-709604 [We just received the following from George Rishmawi who lives under curfew in Beit Sahour] ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "abunimir" Date sent: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 23:51:51 -0000 Subject: [pcraddressbook] Israeli terrorist airstrike kills 12 in Gaza [Gaza, on Tuesday July 23, 2002] Israeli F-16 fighters attacked a residential area to the east of the Al Yarmouk area in Gaza a couple of hours ago killing 12 Palestinian civilians and injuring more than 130, children, women, and old people among them. Israeli newspaper Haaretz says that Sheikh Salah Shehadeh (one of Hamas leaders) has been killed in the attack. Al Jazeera TV said that Shehadeh's wife and three of his children have also been killed in the same attack among the 12 dead. This terrorist attack comes hours after Hamas's leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin's declaration about the intention of Hamas to stop its military attacks in Israel if Israel withdraws from the Palestinian areas. (Some Palestinian sources say that Sheikh Salah Shehadeh is still alive.) Israeli and Palestinian officials met and there was a talk about withdrawing from two re-occupied cities if things will be quiet in the coming 24 hours or so. Now Israel assasinates a Hamas leader and Hamas is threatening to revenge. Thus, there will be no 24 hours of no attacks. This means that there will be no withdrawal from the cities. I think the message is clear by now. Israel wants to keep provoking the Palestinians so they keep their occupation alive in the midst of an American blessing for every Israeli crime against the Palestinians under the excuse of fighting terrorism. If what Palestinians are doing is terrorism, then Israel has to be blamed for creating it. The occupation is the maker of its and our suffering, therefore Occupation has to stop so that both peoples can live in peace. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From man at zzzen.com Tue Jul 23 22:45:36 2002 From: man at zzzen.com (Nimrod S. Kerrett) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] demonstration tomorrow Message-ID: <3.0.32.20020723224534.01673a28@mail.netvision.net.il> NOTE: This message is being reposted to the international list due to technical problems. We're truly sorry if you got this more than once, but since it's an important issue, we have to repost this for the sake of those who didn't get the original post. GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Tomorrow, July 24 at 6.00 pm Defence Ministry, Kaplan St. - protest against the policy of liquidation and provocation. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [English after Hebrew] ???? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ??? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ?????????? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ???? ???, ??? ????? 24 ????? 2002 ??? 6.00, ??? ???? ???????, ???? ???? ??-????, ????? ?? ?????????? ????, ?? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ???????? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?? ????? ??????, ???? ?????, ??? "????? ??????". ???????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?????: ??? = ??? ??????? ?????? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ???????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????? 03-5565804 ?? 056-709603 STOP THE CYCLE OF BLOODSHED We call upon you to join tomorrow our protest in front of the Defence Ministry in Tel- Aviv, Kaplan Street, at 6.00 pm. against the deliberate destruction of a chance for cease fire, and against the intolerable ease of killing civilians, most of them children, in the name of "self-defence." We will hold up the following slogans Killing = Killing Liquidations lead to suicide bombings Killing Palestinian children is also terrorism For more information: 03-5221732 / 03-5565804 -- Home: http://zzzen.com eParanoia made easy: http://magaf.org/ubik.html Dig the sig: http://www.echeque.com/Kong/Kong.htm "...we do not seek to be victims nor do we seek to be heroes. All that we want is to be ORDINARY." -- Mahmoud Darwish From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Jul 25 00:45:00 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] against the odds: a protest, an ad, an article, a survey Message-ID: <3D3F3BFC.9839.AAE1A2@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 -http://www.gush-shalom.org/ 1) Report on the Gush Shalom protest 2) Questions to the pilots of the F-16, by refusniks 3) 'Tanzim intended to stop terrorism' - Alex Fishman in Yediot Aharonot 4) Peace Now settler survey (urls for Hebrew and English) 1) Report on the Gush Shalom protest Once again, the drab parking opposite the Defence Ministry in Tel-Aviv, just across the fortified gate and the bored sentries guarding the entrance to the nerve center of the strongest army in the Middle East. Since the last time we were here, a fence had been erected at the edge of the sidewalk on our side of the road. The authorities apparently erected it following an eventful night in April when several hundred activists spontaneously surged onto the road and blocked it to protest the invasion of Ramallah (two invasions before the current one). Today, we were brought here by the bombing in Gaza which ended the lives of a senior Hamas leader as well as fifteen civilians, ten of them children - and which apparently nipped in the bud what was the best chance for a cease fire in quite a long while - the military operation which the often over-cautious Meretz Leader Yossi Sarid termed "state terrorism" on prime-time TV last night. A clump of activists are already there before the appointed hour. By 6.00 more and more are arriving, members of Gush Shalom which called the action reinforced by smaller contingents from other groups - altogether about 150 at the peak. Banners are unfurled and hand-made signs held aloft: "Killing follows killing, assassination causes terror"; "The killing of Palestinian children is terror, too"; "A targeted killing of peace"; "There is no military solution"; "Enough with war crimes"; "The economy is collapsoing under the burden of the occupation". A big, black-bordered banner read "We mourn the Israeli and Palestinian children". At its side were the combined flags of Israel and Palestine and the Gush Shalom motto: "Two peoples, two states, one future". There were no special incidents, except the usual fussing of the Defence Ministry security men, who were worried lest the TV crews present take footage of military restricted areas. While they were arguing with the Danish and German camera crews, the youngsters at the front burst out chanting: "Fuad, Fuad [nickname of the Minister of Defence] - how many kids did you kill today?" and "all the ministers are war criminals." The group of radical gays and lesbians known as "Kvisa Shroa" (alternatively translated as "Dirty Laundry" or "Black Sheep") raised some laughter on a rather somber occasion by shouting "We will not sleep with soldiers". While dispersing, more than one of us contemplated the likely future occasions when we would have to come here again in the coming months - the suicide bombings which are the likely result of the Gaza bombings, and the new acts of repression to which these bombings will provide a pretext, and the new Palestinian retaliations and... Then we passed the tall building at the corner of Ibn Gvirol St. where the South African Emabassy was located in the 1980's, and the pavement where "Israelis Against Apartheid" had held their vigils. That, too, had often seemed futile and interminable. [Adam Keller] Digital photos of the protest to be obtained from Rachel Avnery: +972-(0)50-306440 or email: avnery@gush-shalom.org 2) Questions to the pilots of the F-16, by refusniks [Translated from the ad in today's Ha'aretz] A FEW QUESTIONS TO THE PILOTS OF THE F-16 those who took part in the liquidation of Salah Shehadeh and 14 other human beings, among them 6 children, and 2 babies (and150 wounded). Do you know the concept "manifestly illegal order"? Is the order which you followed one of them? Is there a limit to what you would be willing to do? When you were briefed about your mission - did you to try to check that there wouldn't be innocent civilians in the house you were going to bombard? If you knew there were, didn't you hesitate, at least for a short moment, before you pulled the trigger? Do you justify the death of children, babies because of the sins of their father? Arent' you the elite of the soldiers? Aren't pilots considered the spearpoint of the armed forces as well as the Israeli society - also for their moral standards? Do you remember that there were times that we would have canceled an action when the susipicion rose that innocents may be hit? - because such were the values according to which we were brought up, and because these were the norms of the armed forces which we joined? And these were the norms we were proud of. Nearly unnoticed the State of Israel has turned into a state which doesn't scruple using whatever means in order to achieve its political aims. We hide the face of the soldiers for fear of the International Court of War Crimes, just like criminals hide their face for fear of the police. Combattants' letter Courage to Refuse www.seruv.org.il (Ha'aretz, July 24) [ See also the speech of Reserve Colonel Yigal Shochat in which he called upon Air Force pilots to refuse to bomb Palestinian cities, delivered at the January 9 Gush Shalom War Crime Panel - http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html ] 3) 'Tanzim intended to stop terrorism' - Alex Fishman in Yediot Aharonot Once again Yediot Aharonot's Alex Fishman publishes important information and commentary, apparently reflecting the views of dissident elements within the army. The following articles take up two full pages in today's issue of Yediot, Israel's largest mass-circulation paper. Tanzim intended to stop terrorism An hour and half after the heads of Tanzim agreed on publishing a declaration of a unilateral cease-fire, Israel liquidated Salim Shehade in Gaza. Thus was cut off a two-month old move aimed at achieving a cease-fire. Day before yesterday, at 22:30, the heads of Tanzim, convened at Jenin, approved the text of a communique calling unilaterally for an end to fighting by Tanzim, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. A few hours before, Muhammad Dahlan [influntial former head of Palestinian Security in the Gaza Strip] met with [Hamas Leader] Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, in which meeting Yassin accepted the principles of the cease-fire communique. In fact, already starting on the past weekend, Sheik Yassin and [senior Hamas member] Abd-El-Aziz Rantisi started making statements aimed at creating a public atmosphere among the public conducive to accepting the cease-fire communique. The Israeli military system ands the country's high political echelons were briefed officially on Monday by the European Union. In fact, that briefing was not needed, since Israel is already for weeks following the deliberations inside Tanzim on the idea of declaring a unilateral cease-fire without making any immediate demands upon Israel. The Tanzim initiative - backed by the European Community, Saudi Arabia and Egypt - is an ongoing move already deliberated for the past two months. Moreover, the organization's leader Marwan Barghouti, held in an Israeli prison, was informed of the initiative, and Palestinian sources say he was expected to give it his endorsement. One and a half hour after the Tanzim leadership approved the document at its Jenin gathering, Israel carried out the assassination of Salah Shehadeh, in the course of which dozens of civilians were killed and wounded as well. In this way, Israel apparently destroyed the chance to test the viability of a cease-fire. The initiative did not originate from the Palestinian Authority, but from the grassroots level. Arafat was aware of the initiative, but neither led nor impeded it. But for the Shehade liquidation, the Tanzim communique - calling for an end to suicide bombings, to the shooting of mortar shells and missiles and to any other activity against Israeli civilians - was due to be published already yesterday. Today, it was to be published as an article in the Washington Post and simultaneously in the Palestinian and Israeli press. The US Administration was also briefed on this initiative, though in essence it was internationally sponsored by the EU. In the course of their two months' dialogue with the Tanzim, the Europeans were initially sceptical of the Tanzim choosing for a unilateral move, and even more sceptical about the Hamas and Islamic Jihad joining it, but to their surprise it came to fruition at the beginning of this week. During their talks, the Europeans asked the Tanzim leader for their demands upon Israel. The text of the communique spoke of a unilateral cease-fire (see box). However, the Tanzim leaders told the Europeans that they were asking for an end to "targeted killings" by Israel, and to the demolition of houses, and for Israel to avoid deportations and withdraw its forces from the Palestinian cities. The Tanzim people were asked for their envisioned timeline of Israeli withdrawal from the cities. Their answer, transmitted also to the Israeli military, was that they would like to get to January 2003, when Palestinian Authority elections are due to take place, with the cities free of Israeli mitary presence. Israeli military elements who were aware of the Tanzim move being formulated took it seriously. They made, however, the reservation that the Tanzim was in fact seeking to delay by about a year the decision in the conflict with Israel. They said that the Tanzim communuqe made no reference to essential issues such as the Right of Return, and that it continues to back Arafat. In the defence establishment it was yesterday emphasized that they give no weight whatsoever to the Tanzim's projected communique, and that Hamas was not going to be a party to it. The Tanzim Communique - full text According to West European sources, the following is the text of the Tanzim communique which was due to be published today in the territories: We, representatives of the Tanzim and Fatah, in the name of our comrades and organizations in all the towns and villages of the West Bank and Gaza, declare that from this moment on we are stopping any and all attacks on innocent, non-combatant men, women and children. We call upon all Palestinian political organizations and movements to put an immediate end to such attacks, and to do so withoutt any hesitations or preconditions. For our part, we will halt all such attacks and work with other Palesatinian political organizations in order to achieve their support. We will monitor the activities of organizations in order to ensure that no such actions are being planned or carried out, and we will take part in a national dialogue aimed at convincing our people that this is the right course to take. We undertake a permanent committment to this policy, and our efforts in promoting it will be determined and tireless. Our revolution is stating out under a new principle. We will continue our struggle and defend our people. We will oppose any aggression aimed at our cities and our familes, against the confiscation of our land and the deportation of our people, against the slow, deliberate, pitiless destruction of our society and our aspirations, against the ongoing occupation of the West Bank by the Israeli army. All these we will go on opposing and rebelling against. [second article - published alongside the first one] A justified target, a strange timing By Alex Fishman Is it possible that somebody in Israel's high political and military echeleons wanted to deliberately sabotage the chances for a cease-fire? God forbid. Such a thing is unthinkable in our country. But then, how to explain that exactly an hour and half after the Tanzim heads agreed upon the text of their call for a unilateral ceasefire, Israel liquidated in such a clumsy way the head of the Hamas military wing in the Gaza Strip, thereby also liquidating a chance - faint as it may have been - to calm down the region? Is it just coincidence? Or are we locked upon the concept that any Palestinian move is always a lie or conspiracy? The target was more than justified: Shehadeh was an arch-terrorist who should have been liquidated years ago. But the timing of the liquidation is very strange, and the clumsy implemetation very untypical of Military Intelligence and the Air Force. As if somebody was in a very big hurry to carry it out right this moment, no matter what. Shehadeh was a target whose "targeted killing" was aproved many months ago. The collection of intelligence about him involved an enormous effort. Just two weeks ago it was found out that he had moved to a new house, the same where he was yesterday liquidated. Already last Friday the missile sights were turned upon him, but the attack was called off when it turmned out that a female relative of his was nearby. As far as the armed forces were concerned, there was no doubt - this was a legitimate target approved by the political echelon. But what would have happened had the political echelon decided to postpone the liqudation and wait to see what would come of the Tanzim/European initiative? Military Intelligence has no confidence in the Tanzim cease-fire initiative, still less in Tanzim's ability to get Hamas involved in that initiative. But Military Intelligence makes no more than recommendations. It was for the political echelon to consider and decide upon the importance of that declaration. After all, Tanzim declaring a unilateral cease-fire would amount to declaring the failure of the Intifada. It could have amounted to a victory of Ariel Sharon's policies. But somebody's finger seemed to itching on the trigger. It is reasonable to assume that a pinpoint liquidation of the man alone would not have aroused the would agner against us in such a way. But a plane with a bomb can go wrong. In this case, the pilot made no mistake - he landed the bomb exactly where he was instructed to land it. The mistake was in another place, in the basic considerations - and not only those of the armed forces. For almost two years, the Air Force is carrying out attacks in the Territories. Pilots involved in targeted killing speak proudly - and present action footage to prove their point - of enormous effort invested and the many safety precautions taken before the trigger is pressed, in order to avoid harming innocent civilians. So far, the Air Force and the IDF kept this ethical code in a most respectful way. And suddenly, exactly yesterday, Intelligence gave wrong information which led to wrong action. This is no small "intelligece discrepency". It is a very big hole in the intelligence-gathering process. Mistakes always happen, but the liquidation of Shehade was no tactical move of liquidating yet another local terrorist. It was a strategic move. Where was the Minister of Defence, who is supposed to be a balancing factor between the policial and miltary echelons and weigh carefully all the considerations before taking such a significant military move? So, instead of trying to measure the seriousness of the Tanzim's intentions to declare a cease-fire, we are prepaping ourselves to absorb a new wave of suicide bombings, which will require of us more painfiul and justified reactions. Did we already talk of the conquest of Gaza? 4) Settler Attitudes towards Withdrawal from the Territories Peace Now found that over two-thirds of Israeli settlers in the occupied territories would obey a democratic decision to withdraw from their communities, while an absolute majority would see financial compensation as the preferred solution to the question of their evacuation. Only a tiny minority of settlers would resist evacuation by all means, while a small minority would refuse any solution involving evacuation. Further, the new Peace Now study found that the vast majority of settlers chose to live in the occupied territories for 'quality of life' issues, not ideological or religious reasons. Summary results [English] http://www.peacenow.org.il/English.asp [Hebrew] http://www.peacenow.org.il/ ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our renewed website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sat Jul 27 14:31:47 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Tomorrow the deportation case reviewed + more Message-ID: <3D42A0C3.30785.6A19D9@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [1] Gush Shalom: "In a normal state the Chief-of-Staff would be dismissed" [2] Tomorrow, Sunday, 1.00 pm, the deportation case again at the TA District Court Please come! [3] Qalqilia: "How to get food for the next day" - report of the internationals [1] Gush Shalom: "In a normal state the Chief-of-Staff would be dismissed" ôøåáå÷öéä áòæä æàú ìà äéúä "èòåú". 17 ääøåâéí å150- äôöåòéí áòæä ìà ðôâòå "áîé÷øä". ëàùø ùøåï åéòìåï äçìéèå ìäèéì ôööä ùì èåï àçã òì áéú áùëåðåú-îâåøéí öôåôä, äéä áèåç îøàù ùòùøåú øáåú ééäøâå åééôöòå. îä äéúä äîèøä? 0 äîèøä äôåìéèéú äéúä ìôåöõ àú äçìèú äúðæéí ìäôñé÷ àú äàù, ùòîãä ìäúôøñí ìîçøú, åâéùåùé äçîàñ áàåúå äëéååï. äð÷îä äôìñèéðéú äöôåéä úîðò àú çéãåù úäìéê äùìåí, ùùøåï ìà øåöä áå. 0 äîèøä äöáàéú äéúä ìäèéì àéîä òì äàåëìåñééä äôìñèéðéú å"ìòæåø ìä ìäçìéè" ìçãåì îäîàá÷ ðâã äëéáåù. ôòåìåú-ð÷í áøöåòú-òæä éùîùå úéøåõ ìëéáåùä îçãù. ëê àå ëê, æäå ôùò ëìôé òí éùøàì, äðëñó ìùìåí åìáéèçåï. èìôåï 03-5221732. òæøå ìðå áîéîåï äôòåìåú åäîåãòåú, áö'÷éí ìâåù ùìåí, ú"ã 3322, úì-àáéá 61033. îåãòú âåù ùìåí, "äàøõ", 26 áéåìé 2002 The Gaza Provocation Everybody knows by now: This was not a “mistake”. The 17 people killed and 150 wounded were not hit “accidentally”. Once Sharon, Ben-Eliezer and Ya’alon decided to drop a one-ton bomb on a densely populated residential neighborhood, it was inevitable that scores of people would be hurt. What was the aim? * The political aim was to scupper both the Tanzim’s cease-fire resolution that was about to be published the next day and Hamas’ deliberations pointing in the same direction. The expected Palestinian revenge will prevent the renewal of the peace process, which is anathema to Sharon. * The military aim was to terrify the Palestinian population and “to help it decide” (as it was put by one paper) to stop resisting the occupation. Palestinian revenge actions in the Gaza Strip will provide the pretext for its re-occupation. Either way, it is also a crime against the people of Israel, who long for peace and security. This is the first major action under the command of the new Chief-of-Staff, Boogie Ya’alon. He is directly responsible. In a normal state, he would be dismissed at once. Gush Shalom, Help us with donations to P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, Phone 972-3-5221732. [translation of ad published in Ha'aretz, July 26, 2002] [2] Tomorrow, Sunday, 1.00 pm, the deportation case again at the TA District Court Please come! òåøê äãéï äáìúé-ðìàä ùîàé ìéáåáéõ äöìéç ìäùéâ ãéåï ðåñó åäôòí éù ñéëåé îîùé ìùçøåø áòøáåú äìéê îùôèé ðåñó áôøùä ùì ùðé äàæøçéí äéøãðéí äçééí áâãä äîòøáéú òí îùôçåúéäí åîãéðú éùøàì îðñä ìâøù àåúí ìéøãï (èøðñôø ÷èðö'é÷) éú÷ééí îçø (éåí øàùåï, 28.7 ) ááéú äîùôè äîçåæé áú"à (øçåá åééöîï) áùòä 1.00. äôòí àöì äùåôè âáøéàì ÷ìéðâ ÷åîä ùéùéú . îé ùéëåì ìäâéò - çùåá ìäøàåú ìùåôè ùéù òðéï öéáåøé áî÷øä äæä. ìôøèéíðåñôéí òå"ã ùîàé ìéáåáéõ 064-414505 The untiring advocate Shamai Leibovitz succeeded to get the seemingly hopeless case reviewed again, and this time there is a real chance for release on bail. Further proceedings in the case of the two Jordanian citizens who live with their families on the West Bank and the state of Israel tries to deport them to Jordan (a little transfer) will take place tomorrow, Sunday July 28 at 1.00 pm, this time the judge will be Gabriel Kling, 6th floor, at the Tel-Aviv District Court, Weitzman St. Anybody who can show up there is important - to show that there is some public interest in this case For more information: Adam Keller - 03-5565804 / 056-709603 Adv. Shamai Leibovitz 064-414505 [3] Qalqilia: "How to get food for the next day" - report of the internationals [What the following sober report makes very clear is how behind the big news of killings a silent tragedy is perpetuated in the Palestinian homes - turned into prisons but without meals being provided. That this is not only the case in Qalqilia Israelis know from the Friday Night Channel-One TV report on the children of Jenin who escape to Israel and won't go home before they collect some shekels for their hungry families.] ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Huwaida Arraf Date sent: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 12:15:49 -0700 (PDT) Qalqilia, West Bank, Palestine -- July 26, 2002 Report The Israeli army has been occupying this town of 40,000 for over four months continuously. During that time, there has been a closure of the city and a 24-hour curfew (imprisonment in the home). The closure means that there is only one entrance to the city, with a checkpoint that is controlled by the Israeli army. The curfew means that no one is allowed to leave their homes, under penalty of death. Every few days, this curfew is lifted and people are allowed to leave their homes for a few hours. This curfew has made it absolutely impossible for anyone to work in their jobs or farm their fields during these four months. The entire life of the city came to an abrupt halt when the army invaded in April and began to occupy the town. Since then, no one has been able to conduct their business, and the population's entire focus has become how to get food for the next day. For other reports from international activists in various Occupied Palestinian Territories, please see: http://www.palsolidarity.org/journals_reports.htm ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Jul 29 01:56:18 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] Funeral turns into pogrom Message-ID: <3D4492B2.10716.593B2E@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -- Report + Gush Shalom press release about pogrom in Hebron -- Internationals obstructed the army's efforts to demolish a house Report + Gush Shalom press release about pogrom in Hebron Today, settlers in the West Bank city of Hebron - always notorious for their fanatism and violent behaviour - made the funeral of one of their number, killed two days ago in a Palestinian ambush, into a pretext for a violent rampage and a wide-scale attack on the city's Palestinian inhabitants. Several houses were broken into and set on fire, fifteen Palestinians wounded, some of them severely, and a fourteen year old girl killed. Footage on the Israeli First Channel news showed exactly how it began: the funeral first proceeding quietly, then a bunch of settlers shouting: "Revenge! revenge! revenge!" whereupon the shooting started. Settler leader Moshe Ben-Zimra claimed that the settlers had acted "in self-defence" since the Palestinians had "intended to massacre them" - a bare-faced lie if ever there was one (some 4000 settlers armed to the teeth, protected by hundreds of soldiers in tanks and armoured cars, against Palestinians armed with stones only and held prisoners in their homes by a 24-hour curfew which was reintroduced for the occasion...). Neverthless, the settler version was broadcast for several minutes on the official Israeli TV , without the editors trying to give explicitly any other point of view. [The following is the translation of the Hebrew press release which we sent tonight.] "The IDF command and the cabinet minsters bear the full responsibility for the pogrom and murder perpetrated by the settlers in Hebron, under cover of the curfew. The killing of settlers elsewhere provides no justification, nor even a reasonable pretext, for a murderous random assault on Palestinians in Hebron, just as the killing of Palestinian children by the Israeli Army does not provide any kind of justification for suicide bombings aimed at random Israelis. It could have been easily predicted that the settler funeral will be followed by the assault of settlers upon the inhabitants of Hebron - but nothing was done, either by the army or the police and other - to stop it from taking place. The Government of Israel, which allowed the settlers to invade the heart of Hebron and allotted considerable military forces to the task of closely guarding the settlers, is directly responsible for the settlers' acts. A chief part in the responsibilityu rests upon Defence Minister Ben-Eliezer, the leader of the Labour Party." *** Internationals obstructed the army's efforts to demolish a house [The following amazing report was sent out by the ISM office. Actually, before we saw it, we heard on the Israeli radio at the 1.00 o'clock news that in the Jenin area internationals had obstructed the army's efforts to demolish a house. At about midnight, we made phone contact and it turns out that the stonethrowing was actually done not by soldiers, but by police (sic!) and that meanwhile calm had returned but they are staying also the night in Jenin.] --------------forwarded mesages ----------------- Date:        Sun, 28 Jul 2002 04:15:28 -0700 (PDT) From:       Huwaida Arraf     International Solidarity Movement - http://www.palsolidarity.org July 28, 2002 For immediate release INTERNATIONAL ACTIVISTS TRYING TO STOP ISRAELI WAR CRIMES;         PREPARING FOR IMMINENT ATTACK IN JENIN [JENIN] Over 40 international activists have placed themselves in life threatening situations to halt Israeli war crimes being carried out right now in Jenin. Currently there are three situations: 1.      Internationally acclaimed author Starhawk and over a dozen other activists are trying to stop the demolition of several homes near Wadi Birkin. The international peace activists have been tear gassed repeatedly and are gravely concerned about the two Apache helicopters flying overhead firing sporadically. Caiomhe Butterly, Irish, approached a nearby house where she could see approximately 25 men being held and stoned by Israeli soldiers. The area commander began to stone her as well causing injuries to her legs and arms. Soldiers dragged ! her away. The women and children from the homes have been taken by the Israeli forces to an unknown location. 2.      The Israeli military has contacted the mayor of Jenin informing him of their intentions to blow up the Nadi Youth and Cultural Center. Internationals with ISM and the French Civil Mission for the Protection of the Palestinian People are planning to enter the center as well as surround it in a human chain. 3.      Two tanks and a jeep entered the city center and began firing on Palestinian civilians this morning. Due to local resistance the Israeli army pulled out but are currently en route to the city center again with reinforcements. Activists are in the city center and plan to protect the Palestinian civilians by acting as human shields. Under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, collective punishments are a war crime. Article 33 of the Fourth Convention states: “No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed,” and “collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.” International activists and Palestinian civilians call on the members of the press to expose these vicious acts of violence and outrageous war crimes       Please contact internationals in Jenin immediately:       Caiomhe (Ireland) 972 (0) 55 975 374       Starhawk (USA) 972 (0) 56 435 018 Lisa (USA) Carol (UK), Nancy (UK), Fiona (Canadian) 972 (0) 67 387 892       For more information on the International Solidarity Movement contact:       Huwaida 972 (0) 67 473 308          ISM Office 972 (0) 2 626 4844 ---- Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Wed Jul 31 16:07:59 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] Somebody has to stop the cycle of revenge Message-ID: <3D47FD4F.20709.C86F6D@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Press release - Tel-Aviv, July 31 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Gush Shalom: A Preordained Bombing = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Today's horror at the campus of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem was a preordained bombing. From the moment when PM Sharon ordered the lethal Air Force bombing of Gaza, cutting off a promising effort to achieve a cease-fire and arousing a Palestinian demand for revenge, it was clear that this moment was coming and that even the Israeli Army 's control over all West Bank cities cannot prevent it. There is no justification for the indiscriminate murder of random Israeli civilians, as there was no justification for the killing of Palestinian children which today's act was supposed to avenge. Somebody has to stop the cycle of revenge and counter-revenge. Further retaliations contemplated by the government of Israel, and in particular collective punishment of family members of suicide bombers by deportations, house demolitions and the like, can only further fan the flames. The only way to break the cycle of bloodshed is to renew and intensify the efforts to achieve a cease-fire, so as to prevent further attacks on civilians. A cease-fire is now a practical possibility - though no cease-fire can long endure without a clear, visible prospect for an end to the occupation. For further details: Adam Keller, Gush Shalom Spokesperson, 972-(0)3-5565804 or 972-(0)56-709603 From info at gush-shalom.org Sat Aug 3 16:02:59 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] Hell in Nablus // CNN // Avnery article //demo J'lem Message-ID: <3D4BF0A3.1276.A1FA43@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [1] Hell in Nablus: Internationals at the spot and Israeli HR organization try to stop collective punishment [2] Israeli cables to ban CNN - sign the website petition [3] Indict the Murderers of Oslo!! - Uri Avnery [4] Peace Now tonight in Jerusalem: Occupation=economic crisis [Through billboard we forward our own material and announcements received from others. We include articles and reports. For more information, approach the addresses appearing in each item.] [1] Hell in Nablus: Internationals at the spot and Israeli HR organization try to stop collective punishment [The following is based on information received from the International Solidarity Movement, and on Israeli media reports.] ISRAELI ARMY CARRYING OUT COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT IN NABLUS International activists are currently stationed in Nablus homes due to be demolished as part of the policy of collective punishment - in which families are punished for the act of an already dead family member, sometimes an act committed long ago. . The Shakhshir family home, in the Al-Aryone neighborhood, is one of those under threat. Seven international activists (6 Americans and 1 Irish) are now stationed there. In flagrant violation of international law banning collective punishment, ten members of two families residing in the home, are to be made homeless as revenge for the act of Ammar Shakhshir, on March 17, 2002. Among the famliy members are 5 children. The head of the family is disabled due to a stroke. As of Friday evening, 4 homes had already been destroyed, with families thrown out of their residences by Israeli soldiers rampaging through the city. International activists witnessed Israeli tanks deployed on every corner of the Old City, while troops conducted house-to-house searches and used Palestinian civilians as human shields. (Footage available). Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states “No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited. Pillage is prohibited. Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.” Over two dozen international activists are currently stationed throughout Nablus, including in the Old City and in Palestinian Medical Relief Centers bearing witness and trying to stop human rights violations. Meanwhile, the army is proceeding with its intention to deport to the Gaza Strip two Nablus inhabitants. They have been accused of unspecified terrorist connections, but it is an open secret that they have been singled out as "the brothers of". The Jerusalem-based Hamoked (Center for individual rights) has taken up their legal defence. Adv. Yossi Wolfsohn was interviewed Friday night on First-Channel Israeli TV: "My clients are not guilty of any offense themselves; they have been arrested and face deportation because of acts atttributed to their brothers." The case is now before the military appeals committee which is little more than a rubber stamp. Next would come an appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court... For more information contact: Jonathan ISM 972 (0) 58 781 646 Susan ISM 972 (0) 59 877 091 Dr. Ghassan Hamdam UPMRC 972 (0) 52 844 608 Hamoked: 972(0)2-6283555/2249/ or 972(0)2-6264438 [2] Israeli cables to ban CNN - sign the website petition On our website - http://www.gush-shalom.org - (Hebrew) a petition against the decision to ban CNN from the Israeli cable television can be signed. The ban which brings our society still closer to the regimes it doesn't like to be compared with, is the culmination of a government-sponsored right-wing campaign against the so-called pro- Palestinian bias of CNN. Fact is that also from the Palestinian side there is a lot of criticism on CNN for being too pro-Israel. We consider the combination a sign that CNN is an important forum and that it is intolerable that the Israeli cable subscribers would be deprived of it altogether. [3] Indict the Murderers of Oslo!! - Uri Avnery Indict the Murderers of Oslo!! Uri Avnery- 3.8.02 When I hear right-wing Israelis shout "Indict the Oslo Criminals!" I shudder. Not because of the inherent falsification, but because of the sound of the words. This slogan is a virtual (and perhaps conscious) copy of the slogan used by the Nazis in their successful campaign to undermine the Weimar republic. Their throats were hoarse from shouting "Indict the November Criminals!" The "November Criminals" were the German statesmen who, in November 1918, signed the armistice that ended World War I. After four years of valiant fighting, the German army was exhausted. The Kaiser had fled. The vaunted General Staff was in despair. The generals begged the statesmen to sign the capitulation, in order to save what could be saved. But according to Nazi legend, the very opposite had happened. The statesmen who had signed the armistice were traitors. They had stuck a knife into the back of the victorious army. The Nazi propaganda wizard, Joseph Goebbels, taught his pupils that by constant repetition one can turn a lie into truth, and the bigger the lie, the easier it is to get it accepted. The incitement against the "Novemberverbrecher" (November criminals) succeeded. They were murdered, and the Nazis became a democratically elected government. The campaign against the "Oslo Criminals" was successful, too. Rabin was murdered and the incitement assumes ever-growing dimensions. By this means, the extreme rightwing and the settlers hope to take over the state. According to the well- known recipe, they repeat the historic lie endlessly, so that by now it is widely accepted as gospel truth. The media repeat it as a self-evident fact. The "left", or what is left of the "left", looks on as if hypnotized, unable to respond. The historic truth is, of course, that it's not the creators of the Oslo agreement who have caused a historic disaster, but its murderers. If there are "Oslo criminals"' they are the people who have undermined the agreement from its inception, prevented its implementation and, by a stubborn sabotage campaign, succeeded in derailing it. As a basis for peace, the Oslo agreement was not a good agreement. It could not be good, because the objective circumstances were bad. The balance of power between Israel and the Palestinians was something like 1000:1. According to all criteria - political, military, economic, technological and what not - Israel enjoyed an immense superiority. The success of the first intifada did somewhat redress the imbalance and make a compromise easier, but the situation was still far from a reasonable balance. Arafat was not so wrong when he told his people that this was "the best agreement possible in the worst circumstances." Considering this, the Oslo agreement was better than it might have been. It enabled an enormous achievement: the recognition of the State of Israel by the Palestinian people, and the recognition of the Palestinian people and its liberation organization by the State of Israel. Until then, each side had denied the very existence of the other. This mutual recognition is an irreversible historical fact. There is no need to enumerate the faults of the agreement, headed by the default to define its final aim. It outlined a set of interim stages without stipulating where they would lead. It set a time-table that was much too long. The commitments of the two sides were formulated vaguely. These faults were not the result of carelessness, as many (especially Palestinians) believe, but were put into the agreement quite intentionally, especially by the Israeli army officers who, by request of Rabin, changed many paragraphs at the last moment. In the Israeli peace camp, many saw the faults clearly, but after a heated internal debate, most of us decided to support the agreement in spite of them. Our main argument was that after the historic mutual recognition, an irreversible peace dynamic would drive the process forward. I am convinced even today that if things had been pushed forward rapidly, the Oslo agreement would have led to peace. At the time, we asked Rabin to heed the warning of former British Prime Minister David Lloyd-George who had said (about the Irish problem) that one cannot cross an abyss in two jumps. Rabin, a decent but hesitant person, was afraid to rush things. He himself drove the first nail into the coffin of Oslo by declaring that "there are no sacred dates". By doing so he justified the first violations of the agreement and allowed the antagonistic forces in Israel time to regroup for the counter-attack. Among the Palestinians, the agreement caused immense euphoria. I was an eyewitness to the explosion of joy on the day of signing. Attacks in Israel stopped for a long time. The Palestinians were convinced that in return for their major concessions (in Oslo, the Palestinians officially gave up 78% of mandatory Palestine) the Palestinian state would soon come into being in all the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem. It did not happen. One after another, successive Israeli governments refused to carry out their obligations, arguing that the other side, too, had violated the agreement. Israel has still not implemented the third withdrawal, which should have liberated almost all the West Bank (Area C) three years ago. Until today, the four promised "safe passages" between Gaza and the West Bank have not been opened. Settlement activity has continued on an ever-increasing scale. The economic and human situation in the territories has got worse daily. (For example: before Oslo, every Palestinian could travel freely in Israel proper and between Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem. Oslo put an end to that.) On the Palestinian side, disappointment has created a dangerous situation. On the Israeli side, opposition turned aggressive and violent. The murder of Rabin, the deed of an individual expressing the will of a large camp, was the beginning of the murder of Oslo. The enemies of Oslo have come to power in Israel, and they are still running our state. All the Oslo processes have been turned on their head, and no other solution has taken their place. The bloody cycle of attack-retaliation- suicide-assassination has started again. When the logic of peace gave way to the logic of war, all the achievements of Oslo assumed an opposite character. For example: the 40 thousand armed Palestinians, who were allowed to enter the Palestinian territories in order to serve as a solid foundation for the Palestinian state and safeguard peace and security, turned into an arm of the uprising against the continuing occupation. The Palestinian Authority, which was meant to be the nucleus of the state-in-the-making, became the center of the intifada. All this would have been avoided, and peace between the two states would have become a reality long ago, had we moved forward quickly and resolutely on the Oslo road. The murderers of Oslo have prevented this - and they are mostly on the Israeli side, because we are the stronger party. The slogan "Indict the Oslo Criminals" should be turned against them. [4] Peace Now tonight in Jerusalem: Occupation=economic crisis -----Original Message----- From: Shiri Iram [mailto:shiri@peacenow.org.il] Sharon-Fuad Government is perpetuating the occupation Occupation=economic crisis We just heard about the last economic commands that mean only one thing: more unemployed, more bankruptcies, more poor people and more hungry children. No money for education, no money for the health system, no money for the benefit of creation new places to work, no money for handicapped people, No money for investments. And on the same spot the government spends tons of money, for the routine life of the settlers. The war of settlements cost us  50 billion shekels already! Sharon’s government is leading us to the lowest place morality and to a social- economy crisis Argentina style Join us this upcoming Saturday night, 3.8.02,  to a massive demonstration in front of the Prim Minister’s residence in Jerusalem at 20:00hrs Bring your friends with you- attached is a flier calling to the demonstration- spread it among your friends (you can e-mail it, or print it and distribute). Bring a few pots and spoons with you to wake up the PM before it’s getting too late! For any further information please call  Shiri 054-687539  Office 02-5660648 ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sat Aug 3 17:52:57 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:55 2004 Subject: (GushShalomPress) "killed while trying to flee" Message-ID: <3D4C0A69.6379.106AD59@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Press release - Aug. 3, 2002 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "KILLED WHILE TRYING TO FLEE" = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = The following letter was sent by us right now to Ha'aretz Dear editor In an internet update of Haaretz English of today is written: "Another Palestinian, a wanted Hamas militant, was killed in the village of Salem, east of Nablus, while trying to flee IDF troops." It appears in the Amos Harel article*. We would like to draw your attention to the version of Al-Haq. "At approximately 2:00 am on August 2nd Israeli soldiers shot and killed Amjad Abdel Hadi Jebour in front of his family after detaining him in the village of Salem, which is located east of Nablus." The old and respectable Palestinian Human Rights organization Al-Haq sent out the following press release: For Immediate Release Al-Haq Statement Sender: owner-alhaq@kiwi.shabaka.net For Immediate Release Al-Haq Press Release # 133 3 August 2002 Al-Haq Condemns the Execution by Israeli Soldiers of Amjad Jebour At approximately 2:00 am on August 2nd Israeli soldiers shot and killed Amjad Abdel Hadi Jebour in front of his family after detaining him in the village of Salem, which is located east of Nablus. Amjad was 31 years old, married and the father of five children. Al-Haq’s fieldworker in Nablus gathered the following information from witnesses to the killing. According to Al-Haq’s information, Israeli forces entered into the village of Salem during the early morning hours of August 2nd with the aim of arresting Palestinians Israel accuses of being involved in “militant activities”. Around 2:00 am soldiers knocked on the door of Mohammad , a neighbor of Amjad Jebour. When Mohammad answered his door he found his house surrounded by Israeli soldiers. He was called out of the house, physically searched, and then questioned by an Israeli officer. The officer told Mohammad that his name was Captain Guy, that he was an officer with Shabak, the Israeli security services, who had previously been responsible for the area around Salem, and that he was returning to once again take control of the area. He then asked Mohammad questions about the people who live in the area around his home. When Mohammad mentioned Amjad Jebour’s name, Captain Guy commented that this was the first night in a year that Amjad had been in his home. He then forced Mohammad to come with him to Amjad’s home. When they arrived at Amjad’s home, Mohammad reported that soldiers were already surrounding the home. Mohammad was made to knock on Amjad’s door to tell him to come outside to the soldiers. Amjad came into the doorway of his house at which point a bright light was shone upon him and he was forced to take off his clothes to prove that he was not carrying a weapon or explosives. After this examination was finished he was allowed to put his clothes back on and was ordered to reenter the house to gather his ID card. When he returned outside with his ID he was ordered to also retrieve his mobile phone and wallet. He called inside to his wife for these items, and she brought them to him. After he had turned over his wallet, ID and phone to the soldiers both Mohammad and Amjad’s wife reported that Amjad’s hands were bound behind his back and he was then brought to stand next to an army jeep located approximately ten meters from the home. The military spotlight and streetlights in the area made it possible to see clearly what happened next. According to Mohammad, a soldier standing approximately four meters to the left of Amjad fired a single shot into Amjad’s neck as he stood next to the jeep. After the shot was fired several of the soldiers began to shout at each other in Hebrew. Mohammad, who speaks Hebrew, reported that one of the soldiers yelled, “I told you to injure him, not to kill him.” After Amjad was shot, he took several steps and then collapsed, after which several soldiers dragged his body approximately 30 meters down the road. The soldiers stayed around Amjad’s body for another 15 minutes until it was confirmed that he was dead. They then left the village. Mohammad’s testimony regarding the killing of Amjad Jebour was corroborated by Antar Hamdan, Amjad’s next door neighbor, who watched the killing from the window of his home. Yesterday’s killing of Amjad Jebour qualifies as an extra judicial execution, and thereby as a willful killing, which is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and a war crime. Any killing of a civilian that is intentional or is not justified by military necessity qualifies both as a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention under Article 147 and as a war crime. The definition of the term “willful” found in the official Commentary to article 85 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions states that, “the accused must have acted consciously and with intent, i.e., with his mind on the act and its consequences and willing them…” The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia examined the issue of willful killing in depth in the Celebici Case. The court held that willful killing is equivalent to murder. However, there is a distinction between a “willful killing” and any other killing, which is found in the intent or mens rea of the person or persons who carried out the killing. The judges in the Celebici case ruled that for a killing to be deemed “willful” intent to kill must be proven. The court went on to rule that intent is present where there is demonstrated an intention on the part of the accused to kill, or inflict serious injury in reckless disregard of human life. A death that can be deemed the accidental consequence of another action cannot be deemed “willful”. In the Celebici Case the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia also found that, “the offence of willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health constitutes an act or omission that is intentional, being an act which, judged objectively, is deliberate and not accidental, which causes serious mental or physical suffering or injury.” Willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health is also a Grave Breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention under Article 147 and qualifies as a war crime. The statements made by Israeli soldiers and heard by the witnesses interviewed by Al-Haq indicate that the decision to shoot Amjad was premeditated. According to these statements there was intent to at least injure Amjad. The soldier who shot Amjad and those responsible for ordering Amjad shot clearly violated the prohibitions against willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health. In shooting Amjad the soldiers also showed a reckless disregard for his safety and, according to witnesses, had a stated intent to cause him grave injury. Because Amjad died as a result of the wounds willfully inflicted upon him, the shooting therefore also meets the threshold needed to qualify this case as a willful killing as defined in the Celebici Case. As such Israel must take action to hold those responsible for this crime accountable. If Israel fails to act, the international community should intervene to hold Israel accountable for its continued violations of Palestinians’ human rights. In this light Al-Haq calls for the following. 1. Israel must investigate yesterday’s attack in Salem and must take action upon any findings of the said investigation to hold those responsible for violating international law accountable. 2. Dr. Asma Jahangir Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions should visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories to fully investigate all cases of assassination that have occurred since the outbreak of the Intifada and to report on his findings to the relevant international bodies. 3. States Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention must act immediately under their obligations as outlined in Articles 1, 146, and 147 of the convention to provide the Palestinian people with protection from continued Israeli grave breaches of the Convention. 4. The United Nations must fully implement all resolutions related to the Occupied Territories passed during meetings of the Human Rights Commission during the last two years, and should press the Security Council to authorize action to end Israel’s systematic violation of international humanitarian law. 5. The international community must send a clear signal to Israel that its continued use of military force against a civilian population will not be accepted, and that the continued use of such force would lead States Parties to take action in an attempt to bring Israel into compliance with international law. * For the full text of the Amos Harel article: http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=193670&contrassID=1& subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0  From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Aug 4 14:58:28 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Gush Shalom's warning letters to officers in the focus Message-ID: <3D4D3304.28077.E5CA15@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ International Press Release Aug. 4, 2002 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Gush Shalom's warning letters to officers in the focus = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = The following article about Gush Shalom warning soldiers and officers who violate international law appears today on Ha'aretz frontpage - in both the Hebrew and the English edition. The reactions are abundant, especially after an outright hostile interview with Gush Shalom spokesperson Adam Keller on the Kol Yisrael radio. We receive an abundance of negative but also a lot of positive telephones and emails. It was very supportive to hear that collegial peace groups consider to place a supportive ad in the paper. On the radio appeared that the cabinet ministers this morning spent a lot of time to the subject, with PM Sharon reported to be "very angry." (Another interview with Adam will be on Israeli TV Channel-10, after 9.00 this evening.) For more information: +972-3-5565804 / +972-56-709603 / +972-56-709604 -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- [Follows the Ha'aretz article.] http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=193786&contrassID=2& subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0 Peace group warns IDF officers: We have evidence of war crimes By Amos Harel Gush Shalom, an Israeli peace organization, has in past months sent threatening letters to Israel Defense Forces officers who are on duty in the territories. The letters claim that the officers are guilty of offenses tantamount to war crimes. The officers have been warned in these letters that the movement is monitoring their actions, and that Gush Shalom intends to compile information against them which will be submitted to the International Criminal Court.   These letters have been signed by "Gush Shalom's team for the collection of evidence against war criminals."   The letters were sent to 15 IDF officers with ranks between lieutenant colonel and brigadier general. Gush Shalom identified the officers on the basis of interviews which they gave on local media during IDF operations in the territories. As a result of these operations, Palestinian residents in the territories lodged complaints about IDF behavior; the peace movement based its letters on these complaints.   One such letter, which reached Ha'aretz, was sent a few months ago to a brigadier general who is serving in the territories. The letter refers to a round-up of suspects carried out by the IDF in several villages. In coordination with the Shin Bet security service, family members of leading terror suspects were detained in this round-up - the goal of such arrests was to obtain information about the whereabouts of the terror suspects, and perhaps also to pressure them to turn themselves in.   The Gush Shalom letter warns the officer that "taking hostages is a grave violation of the fourth Geneva Convention." The letter writers declare: "As citizens concerned about the status and image of the state of Israel and the IDF ... we cannot quietly condone such acts. We warn you that evidence about these acts has been compiled, and put in a file that we are preparing."   The file, the letter adds, "is likely to be submitted as evidence in an Israeli court, or to an international war crimes tribunal." The letter ends with a veiled threat: "We hope that from this time forth you will be careful, and refrain from carrying out or taking operational responsibility for more acts that represent violations of international law."   Gush Shalom spokesman Adam Keller confirms that his group is behind the letters. He says that Gush Shalom has established a monitoring group that compiles evidence on the basis of media reports, and work done by human rights groups.   This monitoring group is now comprised of volunteers, but the spokesman indicated that Gush Shalom wants to employ salaried, full-time officials for the work. Keller said that Gush Shalom is now investigating ways to relay information that has been compiled to the International Criminal Court in the Hague. He said that procedures for this new tribunal have yet to be formalized, and so "it isn't clear whether a voluntary group [like Gush Shalom] can submit evidence."   One high-ranking IDF officer, under whose command a number of the officers "warned" by Gush Shalom serve, told Ha'aretz last night that the letters are "an attempt to harm the morale" of soldiers. "This is an exercise in incitement and sedition...and they're trying to foster a sense of personal threat" among officers," he said. The IDF officer added "I'm happy to say that the letters haven't harmed these officers' performance." w w w . h a a r e t z d a i l y . c o m ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Aug 5 15:57:34 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: [Gush Shalom] Sharon orders probe against Gush Shalom Message-ID: <3D4E925E.29271.1026E50@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ ==================================================== This time we have to ask you to support us - Gush Shalom - by sending protest letters. ========== A storm of mostly negative public attention continues to surround the letters sent by Gush Shalom to individual officers in the Israeli army - with copies to the Chief-of Staff and Defence Ministry [see today's Ha'aretz article in the end of this mail]. What is all the fuss about? The content of the letters was a warning that specific actions which the addressee had been boasting about in the media may constitute violations of international law. Why the army and the government chose this particular moment for giving enormous publicity to these letters we can only guess. Actually, the letters have been sent months ago. Since then military personnel who give interviews to the media no longer give their names - according to new instructions which were explicitly motivated as a precauttion against officers being charged at the new international war crimes court... Maybe we achieved that at least there is a beginning awareness now that one has to be careful; that even when one gets an order, one has to think for oneself whether this order could be considered illegal. We got an enormous lot of mails and telephone calls - a nice number of supportive ones, some decent but critical, and also a huge number of the most disgusting sort. If you want to support us, please make clear as follows or in your own words that: "Gush Shalom, by sending warning letters to officers who have been actually boasting about acts which are violating the Geneva Conventions, has made use of its democratic rights, and fulfilled in a way a civilian duty: guarding moral and legal principles. A government which starts legal procedures against a peace group for alerting them, does create the suspicion that it has something to hide - an impression which already rose by its keeping the press away." and send it by email AND, if possible, also to the fax or snail mail addresses: To: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Spokesperson of the Prime Minister Defence Minister Benjamin Beneliezer Spokesperson Defence Ministry Foreign Minister Shimon Peres , Copy to: info@gush-shalom.org Prime Minister Ariel Sharon: The Office of the Prime Minister, Kiryat Ben-Gurion, Jerusalem, Israel; Office ph 972-2-6705555/10 fx: 972-2-566-4838/6705415; Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres: HaKirya Romema Jerusalem 91950 ph: 972 2 5303531/3631/530 fx (+972-2) 5303506 /5303896 5303367 Israeli Defense Minister, Benyamin Ben Eliezer: HaKirya Kaplan Street, Tel-Aviv 64734 ph: 6955476 // 6975220 fx: +972-3-6916940, 6976990 *** [Here follows the Ha'aretz article of today:] Monday, August 05, 2002 Av 27, 5762 Israel Time: 11:56 (GMT+3) Ha'aretz INTERNET EDITION Sharon tells AG to weigh court proceedings against Gush Shalom By Amos Harel and Gideon Alon Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday ordered Attorney-General Elyakim Rubinstein to look into reports that activists from the Gush Shalom peace organization are monitoring IDF officers in order to report them to the International Criminal Court in the Hague. At yesterday's cabinet meeting, Sharon said it was "inconceivable" that a political organization could try to deter reservists from carrying out their orders in the territories by threatening them with legal action in an international court. Ministers Limor Livnat and Dan Naveh (Likud) joined Sharon in calling on the attorney-general to look into taking legal steps against the Gush Shalom activists. Naveh said it was extremely grave that Israeli citizens were undermining the IDF in times of war. In response, Rubinstein said the State Prosecutor's Office had been looking into the case for several months, but had yet to decide whether legal steps could be taken. In a statement issued later yesterday, Gush Shalom said it would "not be detered by Sharon's threats. By collating information on violations of international law by IDF troops in the occupied territories, we have committed no crime." In the last few months Gush Shalom has sent letters to IDF officers on duty in the territories. The letters claim the officers are guilty of offenses tantamount to war crimes. The officers have been warned that the movement is monitoring their actions, and that Gush Shalom intends to compile information against them which will be submitted to the International Criminal Court. These letters have been signed by "Gush Shalom's team for the collection of evidence against war criminals." The letters were sent to 15 IDF officers with ranks between lieutenant colonel and brigadier general. Gush Shalom identified the officers on the basis of interviews which they gave to local media during IDF operations in the territories. As a result of these operations, Palestinian residents in the territories lodged complaints about IDF behavior; the peace movement based its letters on these complaints. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Wed Aug 7 00:42:31 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Witch hunt against Gush Shalom continues Message-ID: <3D505EE7.4914.2990AB4@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Gush Shalom's "heinous act" of sending a warning to specific officers continues to be the overriding issue on radio talk-shows. After the government ministers opened the witch hunt we got a lot of filth in our direction. But... sometimes a good surprise: in the nightly phone-in program of Jojo Abutbul there were appeared suddenly several left- wingers, all of them women, who defended the democratic right of Gush Shalom to act as it did. Meanwhile our email box is flooded with the copies of protest letters to the authorities, from within Israel and also a lot from abroad. The support of ICAHD, the Women's Coalition and Yesh Gvul should be mentioned especially. We would like to emphasize - especially to Israelis whereever they are - how important their protest letter sent by fax - and in Hebrew! - could be. At the request of some of you here are some more adresses, in addition to the ones sent yesterday. Office of the Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein: fax 02-6708727 // 02--6288065 // 02- 6466731 (we found no email ) Minister of Justice Meir Shetreet Fax : + 972 2 6285 438 The following is the editorial of today's Ha'aretz - and our answer which was sent out. It is disappointing to see that a liberal paper has no word of criticism of governmental incitement against peace activists - several ministers calling us names, and Justice Minister Shetreet using the word "traitors" on the radio. The blindness of political purity Activists from Gush Shalom, the leftist peace group, have sent letters to 15 Israel Defense Forces officers, warning that the movement is collecting evidence about actions that took place under their command in the territories for submission to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, on suspicion that the officers committed war crimes.   This week, the prime minister asked the attorney general to investigate the Gush Shalom leaders. Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein said that the state prosector had yet to form an opinion on whether legal steps could be taken against the Gush Shalom activists. But irrespective of the legal questions, it is difficult not to regard Gush Shalom's action as injudicious and wrong, and its damage is certainly going to overs hadow the pure intentions of the activists.   Gush Shalom is a political movement that promotes the campaign against the occupation in various wa ys. These include organizing rallies and demonstrations, as well as monitoring IDF activity in the terr itories and publishing the results of this monitoring through various media channels.   This is all acceptable in any democracy. Collecting seemingly incriminating material against office rs in an army that operates under the law in a sovereign state, according to the instructions of an elected government, can also be considered worthy civic action, on one condition - that the gathered inform ation is published or presented to the law enforcement agencies in the country.   A Gush Shalom spokesman told Ha'aretz that the movement was considering passing on the information it collected to The Hague "only if our appeals to the courts in Israel are to no avail." But even with this reservation, the decision to warn IDF officers is problematic. The inherent working assumption of t he activists and the implicit threat in the letters to the officers is that those state institutions m eant to implement the principles of democracy and protect the rule of law - including the courts, the parli ament and the press - are insufficient, in Gush Shalom's eyes, as legal institutions. The movement is in effe ct stating that if it is not satisfied (presumably with convictions), it will seek out international forums to get what it believes would be true justice.   With this political purity, Gush Shalom is causing great damage to public life in Israel - and harm to its own cause. Of all people, leftist peace activists are the ones who are needed to strengthen the press a nd to find ways to convince the public and encourage the state prosecutor and the legal system to investigate every problematic incident in the army. Putting the International Criminal Court - with all the problemat ics of its structure - above the state's legal system is a blunt vote of no confidence in the institutions and public opinion in Israel.   The decision to send evidence to the international court in The Hague shows contempt for those who have not given up the continuing campaign for an end the occupation and for peace - people who also work under difficult conditions in the bitter conflict that has given birth to profound disappointment a nd a crisis in the left, but are interested in doing so in an open and legitimate political debate.   Handing over evidence to the international court will not inspire Israeli public opinion to turn ag ainst blatantly illegal orders given or executed in the territories. On the contrary, it could even achie ve the opposite result. [If you want to react, you can do it by writing a letter to the editor: letters@haaretz.co.il - or by addressing the editors at: editor@haaretz.co.il What follows is our own reaction:] Dear Sir The editorial of Ha'aretz, Tuesday Aug. 6, was devoted to an attack upon Gush Shalom, which in fact joins the campaign launched against our movement by Prime Minister Sharon. It is rather disappointing that the editorial uses factually untrue arguments. In it you take the position that "collecting seemingly incriminating material against officers in an army that operates under the law in a sovereign state, according to the instructions of an elected government, can also be considered worthy civic action, on one condition - that the gathered information is published or presented to the law enforcement agencies in the country." The editorial writer(s) seem unaware that Gush Shalom did precisely that. Each one of the letters sent to various military officers was simultaneously sent to all the papers, including Ha'aretz, and as a matter of fact we made considerable efforts at the time to get your reporters interested - to no avail. Also, from each of these letters there were copies sent to the military prosecution, to the army chief-of-staff and to the Minister of Defence, so that the competent authorities had a full chance to take judicial action had they wanted to. We were not surprised that they didn't, since the actions about which we wrote to various officers mostly constituted part of the official policies of the state of Israel and its armed forces. Such acts as the demolition of houses, collective punishments and the arrests of family members of suspected terrorists for the sole reason of their being family members are common and approved parts of official policies - and neverthless, they constitute serious violations of international law and specifically of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We had no difficulty in finding evidence connecting a particular officer to such acts. In most cases, the evidence was provided in press interviews in which the officers addmitted - often boasted of - the particular act. In such cases, we felt duty bound to write such an officer and warn him that his acts, or those which he had ordered his subordinates to do, constitute violations of international law. It is difficulat for us to believe that the existing Israeli judicial system, military or civilian, could deal with offences of this kind - though we will be extremely happy to be proven wrong. Possilbly, at some time there will be created in Israel an institute similar to the "Truth Commission" of post- Apartheid South Africa, which could take up this burden. Otherwise, the issue is likely to arrive, sooner or later, at a internationa judicial forum of one kind or another. It is surprising that Ha'aretz did not see fit to refer to the aritcle published yesterday (August 5) by your correspondent Amir Oren, in which he refered to plans being prepared at the Israeli Army's general staff for "a new operation, more harsh than 'Defensive Shield' and 'Detemined Path', whose implementation may result in "The death of thousands of Palestinians"(!). Without knowing the details, which your correspondent did not enumerate, this horrifying news item arouses a terrible suspicion of mass war crimes being prepared. If these crimes ever come to perpetrated, the International tribunal in the Hague is likely to initiate action on its own, without waiting for "Gush Shalom". Adam Keller, spokesperson of Gush Shalom, Tel-Aviv ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Wed Aug 7 12:16:53 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (info@gush-shalom.org) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: (Fwd) Non-violent breaking of the curfew met with army violence Message-ID: <3D5101A5.22921.B8EB64@localhost> Non-violent breaking of the curfew met with army violence American-Jewish activist Adam Shapiro arrested together with Palestinians [Read until the end: Video footage of the protest is available.] ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: palsolidarity Date sent: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 01:16:49 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [palsolidarity] UPDATE: NON-VIOLENT DEMONSTRATION MET WITH ISRAELI ARMY BRUTALITY UPDATE: The Israeli army has taken Adam Shapiro and an unnamed Palestinian civilian man in a jeep. Over 10 international activists are blocking the army jeep and settler traffic and are now being pulled away. We are deperate to secure the release of the two men who have committed no crime. International Solidarity Movement August 7, 2002 For immediate release NON-VIOLENT PALESTINIAN AND INTERNATIONAL DEMONSTRATION MET WITH ISRAELI ARMY BRUTALITY > [NABLUS] Several hundred Palestinian and international civilians are coming under brutal attack by the Israeli army as they non-violently march in the streets of Huwara. The soldiers have responded with live fire, tear gas, and sound grenades. Witnesses report the Israeli soldiers are beating Palestinians and international civilians with fists and rifles. The civilians are courageously breaking the Israeli imposed curfew and defying the policies that are destroying their lives in a peaceful fashion. The International Solidarity Movement is a Palestinian-led movement of Palestinian and International activists working for Palestinian freedom and an end to Israeli occupation. We utilize nonviolent, direct-action methods of resistance to confront and challenge illegal Israeli occupation forces and policies. We oppose the collective punishment and will continue to be a resource for the people of Palestine to aid in their struggle against the vicious policies of the Israeli army and government. Video footage of the protest is available. For more information in Huwara: Huwaida or Adam 052 642 709 067 473 308 From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Aug 15 15:07:12 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] "See you in jail" - announcements, reports Message-ID: <3D5BB590.16622.1188698@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// announcements [1] Yesh Gvul: Four reservists in jail + details Saturday vigil [2] New Profile: enlistment day for objector Uri Ya'acoby & solidarity vigils [3] News about another jailed objector: Jonathan Ben-Artzi [4] Also Saturday: Water convoy to Bedouin unrecognized village [5] The new The Other Israel newsletter is out - one sample issue is free reports [6] Gush Shalom's: release Barghouti (ad in Ha'aretz) [7] From Jerusalem to Bethlehem - report by Gila Svirsky on Ta'aysh action [8] Appeal from Nablus Under Siege [Through billboard we forward what is on the agenda, based upon our own material and on announcements received from others. We include articles and reports. For more information, approach the addresses appearing in each item.] [1] Yesh Gvul: Four reservists in jail + details Saturday vigil ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "peretz kidron" Date sent: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 18:07:29 +0200 Dear Friend, As if the weather isn’t bad enough, the Israeli authorities have turned up the heat: Thearmy continues to oppress the Palestinians with closures, curfews, house destructions and expulsions (partial list). Thepolice stop protests (with the Palestinians) in support of peace Thelegal system threatens to investigate peace activists who oppose war crimes and,of course, the army has decided to come down hard on refuseniks again. Now in jail:  Reservists in Prison 6: Lt Ori Toker-Meimon (21/7 – 14/8) Ï 1st Sgt. Shuki Sadeh (23/7 – 16/8) Ï Lt. Udi Elifantz (30/7 – 23/8) Ï Staff Sgt. Ran Ron (31/7 – 23/8) Ï Major Rami Kaplan (6/8-30/8) Ï 1st Sgt. Shacham Remach (6/8-30/8) Ï 1st Sgt. Uri Fein (6/8-30/8) Ï Maor Parsai (6/8-30/8) Ï Ron Smilanski (13/8 – 5/9) Ï Sgt. Shachar Samucha (14/8-5/9)  Conscripts in Prison 4  The army has started its August draft, so many conscripts who refuse to be drafted are going to prison. This includes: Jonathan Ben-Artzi (8/8 – 3/9) Ï Yoni Yechezkel (8/8 – 20/8) Ï Victor Sabranski, jailed for the 5th time (11/8 – 4/9) Ï Dror Boimel (13/8 – 5/9)  So what can you do to help? If you're in Israel , come to the solidarity vigil at Prison 6 this Saturday at 12pm (at the Bet Oren junction on the old Tel Aviv- Haifa highway). Transportation: Jerusalem – Binyanei Ha’uma - 9:30       Tel Aviv – Northern Train station – 10:45 If you're abroad, send a letter of support to a prisoner: PO Box 16238 Tel Aviv e-mail: dash@seruv.org.il or join an adoption group and adopt a refusenik  for more information contact: peretz@yesh-gvul.org  A final request: Ometz L’sarev needs help with their appeal to the Supreme Court. They need statements from soldiers who have taken part in the Occupation and reliable statistics on the Occupation. Anyone who can help should write to: webmaster@seruv.org.il  peretz kidron – ram rahat-goodman  quick quiz: How many petitions to the Israeli Supreme Court, that oppose Israeli Security Forces actions in the Occupation have been upheld this month? [2] New Profile: enlistment day for objector Uri Ya'acoby & solidarity vigils [since this only gets to you now, we wrote "today" instead of the original "tomorrow'] ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Sergeiy Sandler Date sent: Wed, 14 Aug 2002 10:17:36 +0200 Hi, all. Three vigils and demonstrations in support of objectors will be held in the coming days: 1. Today, Thursday, 15 Aug., is the enlistment day set for objector Uri Ya'acoby, a signatory of the Letter of the Seniors. It is likely that later on this day he will go to military prison. His fellow objectors will hold a vigil in support of Uri and of objection in general, that will escort him all the way to the bus. When: Thursday, 15 Aug. 2002, 07:20 am. Where: "Beit HaKhayyal" in Jerusalem. For further details please contact: Eilat Maoz: 067-447033 mailto:eilat@asia.com Shani Werner: 055-865422 mailto:lifegirl@hotmail.com Neta Rotem: 052-830494 mailto:neta_rotem@yahoo.com 2. This Saturday, 17 Aug., Yesh-Gvul and Courage to Refuse are holding a joint demonstration in support of objectors on the hill overlooking Military Prison No. 6. When: Saturday, 17 Aug. 2002, 12:00 Where: Beit Oren Junction on the old Tel-Aviv - Haifa road Transportation: Jerusalem - Near Binyanei HaUma (The International Congress Centre) - 09:30 Tel-Aviv - Near the Tel-Aviv Central railway station (Arlozorov st.) - 10:45 For further details please contact Peretz Kidron at mailto:peretz@yesh-gvul.org 3. Next Thursday, 22 Aug., the signatories of the Letter of the Seniors will be holding a demonstration in support of imprisoned objectors and of the refusal to cooperate with the occupation. The demonstration will be held opposite the Ministry of Defence in Tel-Aviv. The organisers asked people to bring their own signs and slogans. They are also looking for an electric power generator and audio equipment for the demonstration. Transportation will be available if there is sufficient demand. If you would are coming from afar, or if you are coming by car and can give a ride to other people, please contact the organisers (details below). When: Thursday, 22 Aug. 2002, 18:00 Where: Near the Ministry of Defence, Kaplan st., HaQirya, Tel-Aviv Transportation: Would be organised according to demand For further details please contact: Eilat Maoz: 067-447033 mailto:eilat@asia.com Shani Werner: 055-865422 mailto:lifegirl@hotmail.com Neta Rotem: 052-830494 mailto:neta_rotem@yahoo.com Please come to all three vigils! All the best, Sergeiy. New Profile – Movement for the Civil-ization of Israeli Society POB 48005, Tel-Aviv 61480, Israel E-mail: mailto:newprofile@speedy.co.il Voice box: ++972-(0)3-516-01-19 Website: http://www.newprofile.org/ [3] News about another jailed objector: Jonathan Ben-Artzi ---------------forwarded message follows-------------- Date sent: Wed, 14 Aug 2002 14:00:26 -0700 (PDT) From: Matania Ben-Artzi Dear Friends, We just came back from a first visit to Jonathan (we're allowed only two visits for a full month term...). His conditions are depressing, and it's clear to us that the Israeli government is trying its best to break the spirit of conscientious objectors. We were left outside, in forty degree (celsius) heat, to wait for more than three hours (we were told to come at 15:00 and were allowed in at 18:15 for a thirty minute meeting). We were the last (of hundreds of visitors) to be admitted. It's clear that people like Jonathan are considered (by our own government...) to be more dangerous than all sorts of criminals. He was made to wait for us from 13:00 (over FIVE hours),in the heat, and you can imagine the psychological stress on him (he wasn't told we were waiting outside...). We save you further details about their attempts to break his spirit. We were, though, comforted by his strong standing. We therefore need your action! International pressure on the Israeli government and Embassies is our best hope. Please see also the Amnesty International website concerning Jonathan: ******************************************************************* http://web.amnesty.org/web/web.nsf/pages/IOT_Conscientious_Objectors ****************************************************************** With deep gratitude Ofra and Matania Ben-Artzi. [4] Also Saturday: Water convoy to Bedouin unrecognized village ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "amos gvirtz" Date sent: Sat, 10 Aug 2002 11:07:31 +0300 Dear Friends Pleasedistribut this invitation. Thank you and see you! Amos Gvirtz  THIRST IN THE BEDUIN VILLAGES  YOU ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WATER CONVOY TO THE UNRECOGNIZED VILLAGES IN THE NEGEV ON SATURDAY AUGUST 17, 2002  The convoy will include – water tanks, buses and private cars The convoy will leave from the Reading parking lot in Tel-Avivat 09:30 >From Jerusalem, Bel parking lott at 10:00 It will stop at the Castina Junction (Tzomet Achim - near Kiryat Mal’achi fork) at 11:00 We’ll get together at the Paz gas station at the Shoket Junction at 12:00 Assembly/rally at the unrecognized village Swiwin at 13:00 Finishat 15:00  The plan is: to take the water tanks from Tel-Aviv, Rally, share the water and meet with the Beduin villagers.  Background information:  Following the war of 1948, the majority of the Negev Beduins were uprooted and expelled. Those who remained, were squeezed by the state into a small area of 1,500 square kilometers in the Eastern Negev named the Sayag region. . Today, the Beduin population in the Negev is about 140,000 people. 70,000 live in Rahat and six other towns, most of which are run-down and neglected. The rest, about 70,000, of them 35,000 children, live in villages officially unrecognized by the state. None of Israel’s governments recognized these villages. As a result, they were also not considered entitled for services such as: infra-structure, housing, education, health and water and electricity supply, the rest of Israel’s citizens are entitled to. As part of this policy, efforts have also been made to remove this population from it’s sources of livelihood and to concentrate it in ghetto like towns. Unlike their Jewish neighbors, they are not permitted to make choices concerning their life style. As means of pressuring the villages population to abandon their villages, the state is maintaining a campaign of home demolitions, land confiscation and destruction of agricultural crops.  At the midst of the hot summer, tens of thousands of Negev’s inhabitants have no access to a water system supply thus presenting a serious health hazard to the entire unrecognized Beduin villages population.  People have to travel long distances to bring water to their homes. The water is stored in plastic or metal containers who often contaminate the water and cause infectious diseases in both humans and cattle. Jewish population is, in comparison, is provided by the state with all of the services the Beduin unrecognized population is deprived of , including an abundant supply of drinking water and water for agricultural purposes. To illustrate the discrepancy: During the year of 1994, the average water consumption per person at the Jewish settlements was 130 cubic meters per year and only 24 cubic meter at the non-Jewish settlements. During the year of 1988, the total consumption of water for drinking and farming was 1.3 milliard cubic meters for the Jewish population versus 26 million cubic meters for the non-Jewish.  This water convoy is a protest against the serious condition the Negev Beduins in general, and of the inhabitants of the unrecognized villages in particular. It is aimed at drawing Israeli public, as well as world attention to the fact that hundreds of thousands of people in Israel live without flowing water in their homes and communities.  For this, and for future activities we would like to carry on, a considerable amount of financing is necessary. We need your contribution. Contributions may be passed on to “Mate Hacoalitsia”. Checks to - P.O. Box 1335, Kfar-Saba, area code 44113. Bank transfers to – Account no.119442, Bank Hapoalim, branch no. 679, Tchernichovski St. Kfar-Saba.  Participating organizations:  The Association of Civil Rights in Israel, The Women’s Coalition for Peace. The Recognition Forum – The association of Fourty, The united Councils of the Unrecognized Villages, Bustan Leshalom, The Israeli Committee Against Houses Demolition, Unrecognized villages Committees, New Profile, Shomrey Mishpat – Rabbies for Humans Rights (supporters, however, not participators due to observance of the Sabbath), Ta’ayush – Arab Israeli partnership.green organizations - Friends of the Earth in the Middle East, Link for the Quality of the Environment, Green Action. For more information contact: Ya’acov Manor 09-767-0801, 050-733-276  Atiya Elasem050-702064 Michal Porat 058-292250  Connie Hackbarth 02-6241159  [5] The new The Other Israel newsletter is out - one sample issue is free -----Forwarded message follows----- From: otherisr@actcom.co.il Date sent: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 18:07:29 +0200 Issue 103/104 bears the title "Inside the Maelstrom". A comprehensive description enravels how after a flare-up of criticism in the beginning of the yearSharon succeeded to drag the society behind him in an unprecedented policy of reconquest, ruthlessness and humiliation towards a whole population. Also: an analysis of the difficulties and internal contradictions into which Sharon's policy is beginning to run. Furthermore, you find descriptions of the many actions which you knew would take place, but nobody sent you a report:big rallies in the streets of Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem. Humanitarian convoys which sometimes encounter extreme poce brutality, and actions of the few: penetrating into the cities under curfew. If you never saw The Other Israel, order your free sample by mailing to NB: please, write "free sample" in the subject line and include your postal address.For subscription details, same addres but write in the subject line: subscription details. [6] Gush Shalom's: release Barghouti (ad in Ha'aretz) RELEASE BARGHOUTI! After the signing of the Oslo agreement, we got acquainted with a large group of young Palestinian leaders. They were all activists of the first intifada, they had all been in Israeli prisons, they all spoke Hebrew, they were all dedicated with heart and soul to the cause of peace. We held many joint demonstrations and many long and frank discussions about peace, its terms and problems. We dreamed together about the future Israeli- Palestinian alliance. Marwan Barghouti was one of the outstanding members of this group. Conducting a show-trial for Barghouti is intended to deligitimize the Oslo partners and to bury the hopes of peace of both our peoples. Gush Shalom, Help us with donations to P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, www.gush-shalom.org [ad published in Ha'aretz, August 16, 2002.] [7]From Jerusalem to Bethlehem - report by Gila Svirsky on Ta'aysh action ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 00:32:08 +0200 From: Gila Svirsky 10 August 2002 Friends, Most of us who marched toward Bethlehem today came back home in wet clothes and disappointed at not having entered this Palestinian city. And yet, to quote Tamar Gozansky - the only Knesset Member at the event - as we were starting out, "Events like this make you feel good about getting up in the morning." Activists came in chartered buses from all over Israel, but mostly from Jerusalem, as our cities are separated by only a few open fields...and a built-up checkpoint [=border crossing] manned by Israeli soldiers. We were about 700 activists from Israel, Jewish and Palestinian, and a handful of internationals. The organizers from Ta'ayush (Arab-Jewish Partnership) carefully briefed everyone about the importance of maintaining non-violence, even in the face of provocations. The briefing was necessary: At a previous checkpoint event, army resistance to our presence was brutal, landing over 20 activists in hospital afterwards. The army knew we were coming, and had prepared themselves in large numbers. A water-truck was also waiting, its turret directed right at us. As we approached the line of border police who were blocking our advance with their bodies, they began to get very rough. Several used excessive force, hurling activists back even though we used no force to get past them. Suddenly the water truck opened fire and drenched most of the demonstrators. I ducked behind a police car and avoided the dousing, though the car got well washed. When the water did not dampen our spirits or forward drive, a much more lethal weapon emerged. Suddenly horses with helmeted riders charged in from behind us and plunged directly into the crowd, the riders flailing at demonstrators with their whips, and driving the horses directly onto us. It was terrifying to be charged by horses, and this did stop our further progress. Several demonstrators were hurt, but none seriously, I believe. One woman was taken to the emergency room and others sat down to tend their wounds. It was infuriating to see this violent police response to our peaceful action (never used at right-wing demonstrations, by the way). Finally, when the melee died down, we all sat down on the road and blocked the entry of more army vehicles to the site. The next hour was one of waiting while appointed activists tried to negotiate our passage. Meanwhile, one local and several international TV stations interviewed participants. One "activist" grabbed the camera's attention and shouted crazily that we were the beginning of a left-wing underground and that our next step was to assassinate the political leadership of this country. The organizers quickly announced that these are not the views of Ta'ayush, which believes in democratic action and nonviolent methods. The police hauled the guy off soon after. I did a small investigation, and no one there knew who he was. Which strongly suggests that he was a provocateur, planted by someone (the right? the Shin Bet?) to discredit this peace group. Or simply deranged. After about an hour of sitting on the hot asphalt in the August sun, we regrouped and began to walk arm in arm toward the main checkpoint into Bethlehem, where the border patrol and soldiers now awaited us in full force, plus water truck, and now four horses. With the checkpoint in full view, we still could not get there, despite our steady chanting of "Peace - yes! Occupation - no!" and other slogans. We were stopped right there, and chanted endlessly while our negotiators talked to the army and police. One of those chants was a rhymed version (in Hebrew) of "Our partners for peace are on the other side of that checkpoint". Did I mention that a crowd of Palestinians was waiting for us for hours on the other side, in the plaza of the Church of the Nativity? This was meant to be a joint Israeli-Palestinian event, held with several Palestinian peace and political organizations. The intent was to meet in Bethlehem and declare our joint commitment to a just peace between our peoples. We could not get in and, needless to say, there had never been any hope of their getting to us. Too much closure. But the mobile phones did get through, and soon we had speeches directly into the mike by two senior Palestinian officials on the other side. I didn't get their names, but one was the governor of Bethlehem and the other, a Fatah-Tanzim official. What they said was pretty similar: "Waiting for you here in Bethlehem are hundreds of Palestinians, some of whom have had their homes destroyed and their relatives killed. And yet all of us have gathered to express our appreciation for your efforts to reach us, and our desire to end the bloodshed and reach a peaceful agreement between our two nations." And on their side, a speech prepared by the Ta'ayush group was read out loud in Arabic. Probably with similar sentiments. It was a very encouraging day. Yet we had to close it with a moment of silence for Dafna Shpruch, veteran peace activist and Jerusalem Woman in Black, who had been seriously injured in the Hebrew University bombing two weeks ago, and died as we were on the way to the action today. Said the moderator from Ta'ayush, quietly, before we dispersed, "This call for peace - it will not be stopped." >From Jerusalem, Gila Svirsky Coalition of Women for a Just Peace ******************************* Coalition of Women for a Just Peace: http://www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org [8] Appeal from Nablus Under Siege ----- Original Message ----- From: "Amer Hadi"  Sent: Monday, August 12, 2002 7:05 PM  Dear Friends Greetings from Nablus which has been languishing under a continuous curfew imposed by the Israeli military since June 20th with only sporadic lifting for a few hours every two weeks or so. Every single dimension of social, economic, cultural, and human life has been disrupted. And now, we have been struck by the latest Israeli aggression against the old city of Nablus, more specifically the Kasabah neighborhood, in which at least 3 Palestinians were killed, scores injured, homes demolished and the history of our ancient and beloved town erased from existence. This attack against our past, present and future can only be withstood with the support of freedom, peace, and justice loving people around the world. It is from our specific location under siege--with food and medicine running out, water cut off and electric generators destroyed, children terrorized, and social, economic, and political developments stunted-- that we issue an appeal to all of you for you are our last and only hope. We ask you to intervene and use the resources at your disposal to pressure Israel to lift the curfew off Nablus and the other Palestinian communities that are held hostage to the whims of Sharon and his ruthless government. We are trying desperately to carry out our journalist mission and inform our public in Nablus of the developments on the ground. However, as you may already know, our job is dangerous and complicated. Not long ago, a colleague of ours, Nasser Ishtaia, of Reuters, lost his 4-day-old daughter, as they were stopped endlessly at Israeli checkpoints; other colleagues of ours were killed, injured or arrested by the Israeli military for no reason. In April, Israel decided to reoccupy all towns and villages in the West Bank. During that time, our station was shelled almost killing two of our reporters who refused to leave the station and insisted on giving the Nablus population news of what was going on. Unfortunately, heavy bullets and rockets shuttered our studios completely destroying two transmitters and other equipments valued at over $50,000.00 dollars (the sum may seem small to people in the US and Europe but it is a huge investment to us here). Things are getting worse as days pass by. Unlike journalists elsewhere, our mission is not only to øeport the news. We do not exaggerate when we say that we are the lifeline of this community. Before April and the direct Israeli re-occupation of Nablus, we used to give out a bulletin on the "road situation" every 15 minutes to inform our public of what back-roads people could take to get the injured and the ill to hospitals or to get some important documents processed (sometimes people outside of Palestine do not realize that no one would make a trip and pass Israeli checkpoint unless their trip were absolutely necessary. It is not just the danger involved in taking such a trip, but the hardship of walking long distances at the risk of being turned back and most importantly at an exuberant cost when people have no money for food, medicine, or water and electricity bills). These bulletins were heard by the population of Nablus and the surrounding villages and refugee camps, such as Balata, Askar, and Ein. We would issue an emergency bulletin every time someone spotted an Israeli patrol near the open roads and called on by Jawwal (local Palestinian mobile phones) to notify us. Now that the roads are completely blocked and no one comes in or leaves Nablus, we serve as the only source of information as we sadly announce the names of the martyrs to allow people to attend funerals and offer condolences--the only form of social support people can give to each other in the face of a continuous 24-hour curfew. Life style has changed for everyone in Palestine: The high school general matriculation exams usually end by mid June. In Nablus, the Tawjeehi exams were delayed until the end of July. The delay in the taking, grading and posting the results of the exams (August 6th) has already deprived Palestinian high school students from much needed time to apply for and seek acceptance at Palestinian and other Arab universities. Most of the spots have already filled up and the road blocks and border closures, combined with the high cost of travel when 75% of Palestinians live below the poverty line (at $2.00 per day for a family of four) will surely make it impossible for Palestinian students to enroll in colleges in September thus losing a year and maybe more of their future. Under normal circumstances, newspapers and school post the results of the high school exams. But since we are under curfew, no newspapers have reached Nablus for quite a while. Schools are the other place at which students find out their results. But most schools in Nablus have now been occupied by the Israeli military and turned into armed posts. As a result of these obstacles, we decided to keep operating our radio station in order to announce the name of each student and the average she or he received in the exams on the air. Although this decision has cost us funds we do not have, not to mention the risk we took to get to the station to make the announcements, we were more than happy to bring some good news to our public that has had nothing but bad and worse news day after day. Students called to thank us and parents were celebrating their children's success; this made it all worth the risk. Our services have also included receiving calls from ill people requesting medicine or medical advices. When we receive such a call, we contact doctors, neighbors and paramedics to provide medical aid to those who cannot otherwise obtain it. We have also called and have been called by families who were held hostage by the Israeli military. For example, on August 4th, we called Mr. Nidal Shafiee, who was locked up along with 97 other relatives and neighbors who live in the Freitekh building in the old city of Nablus. Mr. Shafiee explained on the air that the 98 people had no electricity, no water, and no baby milk. We contacted the relief committees who were able to get in through the Israeli military siege to provide help. All of our services are free of charge. We are listed as a commercial radio station. We started out as a medium to promote social justice and human rights. We used to offer cultural and social analysis and cover all local and national news. We would get sponsors for various shows, especially from merchants who wanted to promote their business. Since the outbreak of the Aksa Intifada, however, we have not been able to raise funds to pay the salaries of our staff nor cover the phone, fax, mobile, or internet bills. We used to have a link to the internet to broadcast live but we had to suspend it for lack of funds. Even before the recent Intifada, the Israeli military has seized our transmitters from the top of the Jerzim mountain under the pretext of stopping pirated Israeli radio stations. And although the Palestinian Authority has made it clear to its Israeli counterpart that we are a legitimate and fully licensed radio station, our transmitters were never returned to us nor were we compensated for their loss. As a result, we could no longer have broadcast coverage all over Palestine; we had to limit ourselves to Nablus and the northern parts of the West Bank. Now, even this is threatened by the Israeli occupation on one hand and the lack of funds on the other. We therefore call on all of you to please help us in our mission. Continue and escalate your efforts to end the occupation of our land so that we could live freely and peacefully like all people on the face of the earth; we deserve no less than other human beings. And we also ask you to help us raise funds to support this station that is truly the only lifeline to the people of Nablus. We promise you that we will continue to resist all attempts to uproot us from our land and erase our identity. We hope that you can offer the support to allow us to maintain our sacrifices. For Justice, Peace, and a free Palestine, Amer Abdelhadi General Manager Tariq Al-Mahabbeh 97.7 FM´ Nablus Under Siege ---- NB: Did it occur to you to write a letter to the editor about the witch hunt against Gush Shalom - suggesting for example that the attorney general investigates violations of international law - and not those monitoring them? NB: Don't forget to include your address and phone number. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Wed Aug 14 14:53:22 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Avnery on War Crime Scandal Message-ID: <3D5A60D2.6302.35EA18@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [This is an update about the War Crime Scandal. With all the pressures of the past week we didn't send out the billboard as usual. We intend to take it up again before the weekend.] The act of unknown persons who wrote the words "war criminal" on the cars of three combat pilots is attributed by the media to Gush Shalom without of course a shread of proof. Meanwhile, Sharon was again today reported to be insisting on legal action against Gush Shalom by the Attorney General. This while persistent rumors from within the Ministry of Justice have it that "under the present law there is nothing illegal in the warning letters sent to officers by Gush Shalom." (The Justice Minister therefore has suggested to change the law!) Uri Avnery's "article of the week" deals with the matter. Uri Avnery 10.8.02 A Phone Call froeam Hell There is a direct telephone connection between heaven and hell. I can prove it. The idea crossed my mind last Sunday, when I was climbing to a snow-covered peak in the alpine region of Italy, where I was the guest at a political conference. The sun was shining, the temperature hovered around zero centigrade, around me was a breathtaking landscape of white peaks. Far away below, calm cowherds led their animals to their green pasture. Heaven on earth. And then the cellular phone rang. The call came from Tel-Aviv, where the barometer was climbing to 32 degrees and above. The radio news from Israel, which I managed to receive from time to time, told of people killed and wounded, attacks and retaliation, bombs and bombardments, demolition of homes and deportations, and, on top of that, factory closures, mass dismissals, economic disaster. A real hell. My colleagues at home called to tell me about an exciting development: that morning, öHaaretz¯ had published on its front-page a hair-raising sensation: öGush Shalom has threatened officers: We collect material against you for The Hague¯. (This is the original headline in Hebrew. In the English edition of Haaretz, it was slightly toned down.) Following the news item, I was told, the Prime Minister has ordered his obedient servant, the Attorney General, to start criminal proceedings against us. The Minister of Justice, Me1ir Shitreet, a third-rate politician, declared that we were a öfifth column¯. The Minister for Communication, Rubi Rivlin, considered by many to be a clown, solemnly asserted that öThis is Treason!¯ Any number of politicians and commentators started a lynch campaign. Expressions like "traitors", öinformers¯, öCapo¯ (the Jewish öcamp police¯, which served the Nazis in the concentration camps), öJudenrat¯ (the Jewish committees appointed by the Nazis in the ghettos) were freely bandied about. There was, indeed, good reason for all this commotion. At the beginning of the year, the Gush Shalom peace movement, like many people in Israel and abroad, decided that it could no longer ignore the fact that in the course of the IDF operations in the occupied territories terrible acts, violating both Israeli and international law, were being committed. Some of these appeared to be war crimes. We in the Gush decided that it was our duty, as Israeli citizens who bear responsibility for the acts of our government and our army, to raise our voice and deliver a stringent warning. On January 9 we convened a conference on war crimes in a big hall in Tel-Aviv. Several professors of international law and two senior (retired) army officers were on the panel. One of the speakers was a war hero, air force Colonel Yig1al Shohat, who had been shot down over Egypt and lost a leg. In a voice trembling with emotion, he called upon his comrades, the combat pilots, to refuse to obey illegal orders, such as bombarding civilian neighborhoods. All the TV and radio stations and the two major newspapers ignored the conference, to which they were invited. It was clear that all of the enlisted media had decided to suppress the issue of war crimes. That became quite clear when we submitted to Kol Israel, the state-run radio network, a paid ad, informing soldiers about their duty to refuse ömanifestly illegal orders¯ « literally repeating the wording of the judgment of the military court following the Kafr Kassem massacre of 1956. Kol Israel refused to broadcast it. We asked the Supreme Court to order the Broadcasting Authority to air the ad, but the court decided that it was unable to do so. So we decided to take direct action. We distributed among the soldiers a pocket manual, setting out the prohibitions of the Geneva Convention, which was signed by Israel. Among them: Executions without trial (called öliquidations¯), shooting of unarmed civilians, torture, prevention of medical treatment, killing the wounded (called överification of death¯), starvation, deportation. öProtect yourself against indictment abroad!¯ the manual said, öAs a soldier in an occupation army, you are particularly exposed to indictment for war crimes. Strict adherence to this manual will protect you from arrest and indictment abroad!¯ The manual concluded: öSoldier, remember! During your military service, whether on regular or reserve duty, you must refuse manifestly illegal orders. If you have witnessed a war crime, you are duty-bound to report it!¯ At the same time we sent individual letters to certain commanders and warned them that their actions might lead in future to their indictment in an Israeli or international court. (There is no statute of limitation on war crimes.) In the letters, we relied solely on material published in the media, especially on boasts made by the officers themselves, who practically incriminated themselves. Copies were sent to the media, all of whom suppressed the information, as well as to the chief legal officer of the army, who did not take any action. We warned these senior officers that the material collected by us would be put at the disposal of an Israeli court, if, at any time in the future, the courts start to fulfill their duty, or « as a last resort « to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. One may assume that it was one of these officers who gave the sensational news to the military correspondent of Haaretz. The liberal newspaper, which, until that day, had ignored all the information about our action (as, indeed, about almost all the activities of the peace movements) did publish this story as the main sensation on its front page. The result was a deluge of defamation. The telephone lines of Gush Shalom activists were inundated with curses and death threats. The radio talk shows competed with each other over who would bring the most fanatical extremists to the microphone, with the hosts egging them on and openly supporting them. Gush activists were suddenly invited to TV and radio interviews, where they were faced with interviewers who behaved like interrogators of prisoners in some Shin-Beth cellar. Of all the curses thrown at us, the most instructive was öinformers¯. It belongs to the ghetto vocabulary. When Jews were a defenseless community, helplessly exposed to the cruelty of Gentile authorities, a Jew who denounced another Jew to the Goyim was considered the vilest of the vile. The fact that this word is used today, after 54 years of having our state, when we have one of the most powerful armies in the world, shows that many in our country still live in the world of the ghetto. Verily, it seems that it is easier to get the Jews out of the ghetto than to get the ghetto out of some Jews. The judges of the International Criminal Court look to them like a mob of drunken Cossacks intent on carrying out a pogrom. Our aim is, of course, prevention. We wanted to raise awareness of this subject among the officers and soldiers. We hoped they and their colleagues would take the war crimes issue into consideration while making their plans, supplying perhaps the feather that would turn the scales at the moment of decision. We were resolved to turn this subject into a public issue, so as to put pressure on the political and military leadership. Actually, the campaign of incitement unleashed against us did serve this very purpose. For a week now, war crimes have become a central subject of the public discourse in Israel. No officer or soldier could avoid giving serious consideration to his deeds or defaults in the occupied territories. Many of them for the first time became aware of what war crimes are and how they might affect their own lives. From now on, this subject will not disappear from the agenda. PS: Did it occur to you to write a letter to the editor about the witch hunt against Gush Shalom - suggesting for example that the attorney general investigates violations of international law - and not those monitoring them? NB: Don't forget to include your address and phone number. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Aug 18 00:52:02 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] Attack on Gush Shalom continues + action news Message-ID: <3D5EE1A2.12943.2ECA1EA@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [1] The concerned pilots (attack on Gush Shalom continues). [2] The court to decide in deportation case of two Palestinian workers [3] Thursday, Aug. 22, solidarity vigil re jailed COs, Defence Ministry, TA, 6 pm [4] Appeal: Outbreak of Hepatitis A in Palestine [Through billboard we forward what is on the agenda, based upon our own material and on announcements received from others.] [1] The concerned pilots (attack on Gush Shalpom continues). The following appeared in Ben Kaspit's column of political commentary in the weekend supplement of Ma'ariv. Our commentt appears between square brackets. (...) What truly infuriated Prime Minister Sharon this week was the news of graffiti reading "War Criminal" sprayed on the private cars of Air Force pilots, and the threats of the members of Gush Shalom to collect incriminating evidence against soldiers and officers involved in IDF operations in the Territories, and pass it on to international tribunals. On Tuesday [Aug.13], Sharon visited the Tel-Nof Air Force base and was surprised at how frustrated and apprehensive the senior officers are about this issue. First to raise it was the Air Force's Chief Psychologist who told of being approached by many pilots. She said the pilot were concerned, some of them "very concerned". Then the Air Force commander, General Dan Halutz, spoke out about a widespread "feeling of insult, concern and apprehension" among his officers. According to one of the participants, the pilots who spoke to Sharon were especially concerned at the possiblity that some years hence, after retiring from active service and going on a family holiday to, say, Green Ireland, they would find policemen waiting at the airport with war crimes warrants. The presence of Sharon, who had already undergone a set of judicial proceedings in Belgium (and seems about to be confronted with new ones soon) made the pilots' apprensions all the more sharp. At the cabinet meeting on the following day [Wed., Aug 14], Sharon seemed shaken when he recounted this experience to the ministers. "It is inconceivable" he murmured. "These people want to hand our soldiers over to the enemy" [sic - Sharon concept of "the enemy clearly seems to include European polic forces and international courts]. Defence Minister Ben Eliezer vehemently concurred with the Prime Minister. He also gets similar feedback from army officers, and he too is furious. This is the first time in the past weeks that the PM and his Defence Minister have found common ground on any specific issue. In both of their bureaus, withering criticism is heard about the Attorney General and his staff, who are described as "dragging their feet" in pressing charges against the "informers". [So far, the Attorney General seems unable to find an article of Israel law according to which it is illegal to warn army offciers that their acts might be in violation of international law. However, given sufficiant pressure the AG might bend some law or another, or a brand-new law might be enacted as was suggested in a radio interview earlier this week by Justice Minister Sheetrit - who apparently is more worried about those who seek justice than about its violations. Meanwhile there was also made a threat this week against Adallah, the human and civil rights association active on behalf of Israel's Arab citizens. Amram Bogatch, the govenmental Registrar of Associations made a public threat to "open an investigation against Adallah", on the charges that it "exeeded its mandate" by offering free legal counceling; that it is linked to a political party, namely KM Azmi Bishara's Balad Party; and that there are "irregularities" in the running of its finances. Bogatch made all these charges only in the media, making no direct approach to Adallah itself and of course giving the association no chance to answer his charges. By attacking Gush Shalom and Adallah a signal is given aimed at intimidating Israeli peace and human rights groups in general.] [2] The court to decide in deportation case of two Palestinian workers ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Shelly Nativ" Deportation: please come and show solidarity >Mr. Magdi Nagar lives in the West Bank city of Beit Sahur (near Bethlehem). He has lived there for seven years, and holds a Paletinian ID. He has committed no crime. He was peacefully working in Israel when the police brutally arrested him, and threw him in prison. He has been in Maasiyahu Detention Center for four months - without trial. But because he is in prison for 130 days, he cannot get his ID to show the Israeli authorities that he is a citizen of the Palestinian Authority. Therefore, the Israeli courts have ordered his deportation to Jordan, saying that he has not proven his Palestinian citizenship (hard to believe the absurdity of the situation). His first petition to the courts was denied by Judge Moshe Gal in Jerusalem. The appeal to the Supreme Court was also denied by Judge Shlomo Levin. But Attorney Leibowitz filed a second petition, and this petition will be heard on Aug 19, 2002 at 9:30 AM in the Jerusalem District Court . This time it will be Judge Moshe Drori - and if there will be enough people, public pressure might succeed in preventing this illegal and immoral deportation. Please come and show solidarity. It is very important to fill up the courtroom. This is the only effective way to save this man from a cruel deportation and prevent him and his family from becoming our enemies. Remember the details: Date: Monday, Aug 19 2002 Hour: 9:30 Place: Jerusalem District Court, 40 Zalah ADin St. Jerusalem Judge: Moshe Drori Shamai Leibowitz, Attorney-At-Law ---------------------------------------------- Shamai Leibowitz, Esq Ben Gurion St 11A Givat Shmuel ISRAEL 54017 Tel: 972-3-5327772 [3] Thursday, Aug. 22, solidarity vigil re jailed COs, Defence Ministry, TA, 6 pm With four of the Shiministim (Highschool pupils/ Seniors) at the moment in prison (Kele-4) (apart from the four jailed reservist refusers in Kele-6) there is going to be a solidarity demonstration at the Defence Ministry in Tel-Aviv, Thursday, Aug. 22, at 6 pm. More background on the motivation of the refusers will follow. Contact: Neta 052-830494 [4] Appeal: Outbreak of Hepatitis A in Palestine ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Huwaida Arraf Date sent: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 21:27:21 -0700 (PDT) August 15, 2002 To Whom It May Concern: I am writing in appeal for international assistance in what could be a dire humanitarian crisis. The residents of Salem, a village near Nablus in the West Bank, are facing a severe outbreak of Hepatitis A. According to Dr. Ghassan Hamdan of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees in Nablus, there have been 95 confirmed cases in this village since the outbreak first began two weeks ago. Additionally, there are 9 confirmed cases in Iraq Bureen, a nearby community, and other unconfirmed reports of further infections in neighboring villages. Thus far, all 104 confirmed infections have been children. Dr. Hamdan asserts that recent damage to the village’s infrastructure is the most likely cause of the problem. Israeli military forces, while using bulldozers to place a roadblock on the main access road to Salem, have broken open sewage lines, possibly contaminating the area’s water supply. Another example of infrastructure damage is the dumping of garbage from nearby Israeli settlements in areas where villagers grow their food. Additionally, 58 consecutive days of curfew in the Nablus area have led to poor overall sanitary conditions, malnutrition, and lack of access to medical care, greatly exacerbating the situation. Due to lack of funding, the Medical Relief in Palestine is unable to provide the necessary vaccinations for the village’s residents. Dr. Hamdan warns that, while the prognosis for Hepatitis infections among children is generally positive, if the epidemic continues it may spread to infants and to the elderly, with potentially devastating effects. Therefore, the need for help in this situation is urgent. The major needs in this crisis are funding for the vaccine and assistance with transporting the medication to the Nablus area. The Israeli siege which restricts Palestinian movement, both within and between Palestinian towns, makes it almost impossible for local Palestinians to transport medical supplies and move in other emergency cases. We believe that the direct intervention of international aid organizations is crucial in addressing humanitarian crises in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our teams of international volunteers and activists, along with our Palestinian partners, will continue to work around the siege to provide aid to those in need. Please consider helping us. Any organization or individual wishing to help with this crisis should contact the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Organizations in Nablus at +972-9-238-7174. You can also contact Susan Barclay in Nablus at +972-59-877-091 or +972-55-829-680. Thank you very much for your attention in this matter. Sincerely, Adam Stumacher Volunteer International Solidarity Movement ---- NB: Did it occur to you to write a letter to the editor (or if you are living abroad: to the Israeli Embassy) about the witchhunt against Gush Shalom - suggesting for example that the attorney general investigate violations of international law - and not those monitoring them? NB: Don't forget to include your address and phone number. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Tue Aug 20 18:25:57 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] Don't let them stand alone! -- action update Message-ID: <3D627BA5.15128.1330A74@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [1] Don't let them stand alone: Thursday, jailed COs solidarity vigil reminder + text open letter Uri Ya'acobi [2] Urgent Aid and protest convoy to Nablus, Saturday 24/8 [3] Rebuilding Palestinian Homes, also Saturday [4] Sulha event in the Galilee - tomorrow [Through billboard we forward what is on the agenda, based upon our own material and on announcements received from others. For more information, approach the addresses appearing in each item.] [1] Don't let them stand alone: Thursday, jailed COs solidarity vigil reminder + text open letter Uri Ya'acobi ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 03:57:42 -0700 (PDT) From: Neta Rotem [N.B.: Gush Shalom decided to give full support to these young people who come of age in such terrible times, and who show courage and determination to go against the current. One should realize that these youngsters face many months of the more tough prison conditions for conscripts.] With four of the Shiministim (Highschool pupils/ Seniors) at the moment imprisoned (apart from a huge number of jailed reservist) there is going to be a solidarity demonstration at the Defence Ministry in Tel-Aviv, Thursday, Aug. 22, at 6 pm. More background on the motivation of the refusers will follow. Contact: Neta 052-830494 [Here follows the text of one of the jailed COs. A shortened version appeared in Ha'aretz, Sunday, August 18 and (full text) in Ma'ariv, Aug. 22] I AM NO OCCUPIER, FULL STOP. Uri Ya'acobi In another two days I am not going to enlist. I will go the Soldiers House, and will board the bus together with all other conscription candidates and after we get off the bus at the Induction Center in Tel Hashomer, I will, unlike the others, refuse to enlist, and I will almost certainly be sent to prison. In the prison I will meet two of the fellow signatories of "the letter of the highschool pupils" – Yoni Yechezkel and Dror Boimel . Those two were imprisoned during the last week – because of their own refusal to enlist. They, just like me, and as it turns out: like a lot of other Israelis, understand that this war which the state of Israel is conducting, in the territories that it occupied in '67, is not a war of the sons of the light against the sons of darkness (exactly like many more of the wars which took place in the course of history). When one hears via foreign media of Israeli tanks rampaging in the streets of Palestinian cities (for some reason it's hardly ever on the news of the Israeli media), then we don't hear the whole truth. The sad truth is that what the Israeli army does in the territories is not limited to tanks rampaging in the streets and the destruction of the civilian infrastructure. The military actions are also not limited to delaying ambulances and pregnant women at roadblocks or just insensitivity towards Palestinian citizens. Our soldiers find themselves in difficult situations, and part of them do it by mistake, but they do kill children and old people who certainly are in no way connected to any act of terrorism. They destroy houses of whole families - and perpetrate other acts for which "terrorism" is the most fitting definition. All these are unforgivable acts in which I and my friends refuse to participate. These things are against justice. And no reason in the world, certainly not the wish to colonise another piece of land, turns them into justified acts from the moral point of view, just as terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians are not right, nor morally justified. I don't know whether the Palestinian leadership wants peace, I don't know whether the Palestinians want to remain for ever poor and discriminated against (although it is difficult to believe that they would). I do know one thing: that the Palestinians don't want us to be their occupiers. I know that they don't want to live in a war situation and to see the continuous bloodshed. I know it is not them who force us to occupy them; it's not them who turn us into occupiers. We do that quite nicely all by ourselves, without their help. I am not proud of my people. I am not proud of my country, I am not proud of the acts being done in the name of my security. I am also not proud that I will go to prison because of my refusal to serve in the occupation army (and I am also not at all happy about the opportunity given me to suffer for my principles). Proud I am that I listen to the voice of my conscience, and I will be glad when there will be more people listening to theirs, and not to what says the commander. [2] Urgent Aid and protest convoy to Nablus, Saturday 24/8 ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Ta'ayush Arab-Jewish" Urgent Aid and protest convoy to Nablus, Saturday 24/8 JOIN A PROTEST AGAINST THE CURFEW IN NABLUS Saturday, August 24 This week we received an urgent call from our Palestinian partners in the Nablus region. We were told about a shortage of baby food andbasic food-stuffs. The shortage is so severe, that for lack of milk, babies are being fed water sweetened with sugar. The shortage is just another of the accumulating effects of the curfew which has been imposedfor almost 2 months. Due to the urgency, we decided to act as soon as possible – Saturday, 24 of August. Based on requests from Nablus, we decided to bring with us baby-food, flour and medicine, and hold a demonstration protesting the curfew – collective punishment for which a whole civil population is paying the price.  Join us this Saturday, August 24, on an aid convoy to Nablus and a joint demonstration with our Palestinian partners.  We will meet at the gas station at the entry to Kufr Kassem around 10:00 More details regarding transportation and meeting places around the country will be forthcoming.  Our strength is in our numbers. We will need each and everyone of you. [3] Rebuilding Palestinian Homes, also Saturday -------------forwarded message follows---------------- Date sent: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 12:00:14 +0300 From: Fred Schlomka "THE RIGHT TO A HOME AND A HOMELAND" A Joint Israeli-Palestinian Campaign of Rebuilding Demolished Homes http://www.rebuildinghomes.org JOIN US FOR A REBUILDING WORK DAY WHEN: Saturday, August 24th WHERE: Anata, East Jerusalem ACTION: On Saturday we will once again join Salim Shawamreh to continue rebuilding his home in Anata, which has been demolished 3 times. Come and demonstrate your solidarity through Constructive Resistance to the Occupation. Work alongside our Palestinian partners and colleagues.  This is part of our Israeli-Palestinian campaign -- "The Right to a Home -- and a Homeland" -- in which we plan to rebuild at least 20 houses.  TRANSPORTATION: * Transportation from JERUSALEM will leave from the parking lot of Gan HaPa'amon (Liberty Bell Park), next to the gas station, at 9:00 AM.  * Transportation from TEL AVIV will leave at 9:00 AM from the Northern Train Station.  For more information, contact Jeff Halper (050-651425), Rabbi Arik Ascherman (050-607034) Michal Wiener ((03-605-2650. Fred Schlomka - 056-875-893  [4] Sulha event in the Galilee - tomorrow [We received a request to forward the announcement of an interreligious Sulha / Reconciliation event. Henrew information only available to fax numbers] "Our goal is to rebuild trust, neighbour to neighbour and village to village, in order to create a safe space for reconciliation and creative encounters in the Middle East. Our Plan 2002 and 2003: One- and two-day local "Sulha Gatherings" for peace in the Middle East. The next will be 21 August 2002, in the Galilee. 2003/2004: Sulha Peace Caravan More on http://www.metasulha.org Contact: Sitra, 052-425050 --- PS: Did it occur to you to write a letter to the editor (or if you are living abroad: to the Israeli Embassy) about the ongoing witchhunt against Gush Shalom - suggesting for example that the Attorney General investigate violations of international law - and not those monitoring them? NB: Don't forget to include your address and phone number. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Wed Aug 21 15:16:13 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] TREASON TRIALS FOR GUSH SHALOM ACTIVISTS, SAYS IAF CHIEF Message-ID: <3D63A0AD.24170.6E8034@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ For immediate release = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = -- IAF chief Major General Dan Halutz urges treason trials for Gush Shalom activists -- Gush Shalom calls for international support and assistance by international lawyers = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = The following headline appears on the frontpage in Ha'aretz Hebrew, as well as on the English internet edition (not in the English printed edition): IAF CHIEF URGES TREASON TRIALS FOR LEFTIST GUSH SHALOM ACTIVISTS In a preview to a big interview Ha'aretz Correspondent Vered Levy-Barzilai writes: Attacking leftist Gush Shalom activists for threatening to extradite Israeli air force pilots to the international court at the Hague for alleged war crimes, IAF Commander Major General Dan Halutz has urged brining the activists to trial.   "What I have to say about those people is this: we live in a democratic country, and expressing an opinion is always allowed, but betrayal is not allowed," Halutz told Ha'aretz in an interview. When asked if he suggests placing the Gush Shalom activists on trial on charges of treason, he replied, "The proper offense as defined by law should be found, and they should be tried in Israel."   In his first interview since the controversial July 23 air strike on a crowded Gaza neighborhood that kill Hamas military leader Salah Shehadeh, as well as 15 civilians including nine children, Halutz said "The decision making process was correct, balanced, and careful. The problem was with the information, the information changed. I reject all the criticism about this operation, before, during and after."   Halutz referred to the operation as "militarily and morally" proper.   He said that it is legitimate to strike at a terrorist even if innocent bystanders will be hurt. "I have no doubt about it," he said. "Against a man who committed or is positively known to have the planning in hand for 'mega-terror,' my answer is categorically yes. How many people? I don't know." [So far the preview of the interview with the Air Force commander - to appear in the weekend supplement.] We sent you earlier the comments of the Prime Minister after he visited the Air Force base. It's clear that there is a concerted effort to silence Gush Shalom and put its activists behind bars. And with Major General Dan Halutz suggesting to try us for treason - be aware that treason is the only offense in Israel for which there exists capital punishment, though it has not been applied since 1948. In the media expressions of the Israeli governmental and military leadership Gush Shalom is becoming more and more of a giant. For the simple action of having sent warning letters to a number of officers, with copies to the ministry and to the press (by the way: none was sent to pilots!) we are now already depicted as "threatening to extradite Israeli air force pilots". The IAF chief actually tries to defend the act of throwing a one ton bomb, in the night of July 22/23, on an appartment building in Gaza, killing 15 civilians, among them nine children, together with Hamas leader Shehadeh [an hour after Palestians agreed on a cease-fire). Opposition leader Yossi Sarid defined it as an act of state terrorism, and not him alone. In these circumstances it seems we are now made into the scapegoat for all the national and international criticism which was expressed, and which reportedly is greatly worrying the involved pilots. Halutz' attitude of "no regret, on the contrary" was reason for us to apply today to the IDF Judge Advocate General asking him to prosecute the general and the subordiantes directly involved. We wrote that general Halutz' continuing assertion that there was nothing wrong with the bombing and that it would be also in the future justified, is making an investigation of the matter all the more urgent. With the fury of all those who know they don't have a clean record directed against us we have called upon our international contacts to form an international support group, and for a committee of international lawyers to assist us. For more information: Uri Avnery Adam Keller ph: +972-3-5565804 / +972-56-709603 / +972-56-709604 From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Aug 22 00:35:36 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: Gush Shalom: Investigate Air Force chief Halutz over Shehadeh bombing Message-ID: <3D6423C8.26128.DD80DC@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ FYI the continuation of our earlier message. The following appears in Ha'aretz online versions (Hebrew & English) == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == Gush Shalom: Investigate Air Force chief Halutz over Shehadeh bombing == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == By Moshe Reinfeld, Ha'aretz Correspondent http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo= 200133 The "Gush Shalom" peace movement on Wednesday called on Israel Defense Forces Judge Advocate General Menahem Finkelstein to authorize an investigation of Air Force Commander in Chief Dan Halutz, along with the commander of the flight squadron and the pilot who dropped a one ton bomb on a residential building in the Gaza Strip on July 23. In addition to killing Hamas military commander Salah Shehadeh, the bombing killed 16 civilians, including nine children, and injured more than 100 people.   Gush Shalom claims that the unit's commander and the pilot must have known that the bomb to be used to kill Shehadeh - without a trial - would also be sure to kill a large number of innocent people in the area. These officers had a duty to refuse to carry out what was manifestly an illegal order, the peace movement argues.   Gush Shalom's petition comes as a result of comments which Halutz made to Ha'aretz, in which he justified the Shehadeh attack without any reservations.   Gush Shalom claims that these remarks suggest that Halutz could give orders for a similar attack in the future - and so the July 23 incident must be investigated immediately. --- PS: Did it occur to you to write a letter to the editor (or if you are living abroad: to the Israeli Embassy) about the ongoing witchhunt against Gush Shalom - suggesting for example that the Attorney General investigate violations of international law - and not those monitoring them? NB: Don't forget to include your address and phone number. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sat Aug 24 00:45:49 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] Why Sharon wants the Iraq War / trial news / etc. Message-ID: <3D66C92D.21679.2E22121@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [1] Why Sharon wants the Iraq War & reaction to Chalutz - Gush Shalom special ad [2] In Nablus: humanitarian workers arrested [3] Report on deportation trial of the workers + call to fill the courtroom Sunday 14.00 [4] B'Tselem Newspaper - August 22, 2002 [5] Monday 11.30 Supreme Court decides about deportation of family members [Through billboard we forward what is on the agenda, based upon our own material and announcements from others. We include articles and reports. For more information, approach the addresses appearing in each item.] [1] Why Sharon wants the Iraq War & reaction to Chalutz - Gush Shalom special ad August 23, 2002 An Emergency call! THEY PLAY WITH OUR LIVES! Sharon and Peres are urging the United States to attack Iraq. Israel is the only country in the whole world that supports this war. All European and Arab states oppose it. In the American political elite and Bush’s own party, too, there are voices warning against this adventure – even while unanimously opposing Sadam Hussein’s regime. Almost certainly, with the outbreak of war, Sadam Hussein will throw at us everything he has got: poison gas, fatal diseases, even nuclear radiation. Israel is as defenseless as last time. We have nothing but the “sealed rooms”, adhesive paper and masks. Now there are also tablets against nuclear radiation! Thousands and tens of thousands of Israeli citizens may be hurt. If this is madness – there is method in it. Sharon intends to exploit the ensuing chaos in the Middle East in order to realize his real plan: to drive out the Palestinian from all of the country (“Transfer”). To this end, he is ready to bring disaster on all of us. A shocking fact: Until now, hardly any voice has been raised in Israel against this disastrous policy. Not a single politician, either in the coalition or the opposition, not a single officer in the army has spoken out.. The silence of the lambs. ________________________________________________________________________ WHO BETRAYS WHAT? Major-General Dan Halutz, the commander of the Air Force, justified this week the dropping of a one-ton bomb on a residential area in Gaza, in order to execute a Hamas activist. The fact that the bomb killed 16 neighbors, including 11 children, did not prevent him from saying that this was a moral and just act. The general declared that the Gush Shalom activists, who warn against such actions, are “traitors”, and demanded to put them on trial. This is, of course, a manifestly groundless accusation. But it is also an act of treason against the principles of democracy: for the first time, a general on active service allows himself to demand that the judicial system put on trial a civilian public body. Such behavior of a general is usual in a military dictatorship. Gush Shalom, Help us with donations to P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, Phone 972-3-5221732. [2] In Nablus: humanitarian workers arrested ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Sender: "Rapprochement Centre" International Solidarity Movement For immediate release Two Internationals and Two Palestinians arrested by the Israeli army in Nablus. Nablus, August 23, The Israeli Army, with no known reason arrested Ciona Baker (a Canadian citizen), Suha Arraf ( A Palestinian with an Israeli citizenship), and Seif ( A Palestinian from Nablus, while walking in the street in Askar Refugee camp. At the same time, Erica Weitzman, an American Jew from NY was arrested from inside an occupied house. Seif is in army custody in an occupied house in Nablus. Ciona, Erica, and Suha were moved to the Police station at the Israeli Settlement Ariel. Suha, who work as a report is threatened to be send to jail. Erica and Ciona are facing deportation outside the country. For more information from Nablus call: Steve: +972 (0) 67308192 Jermi: +972 (0) 56711054 Rayan: +972 (0) 56375202 Neta: +972 (0) 59871055  [3] Report on deportation trial of the workers + call to fill the courtroom Sunday 14.00 ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: " Shamai Leibowitz" Mr. Magdi Nagar is a Palestinian who lives in the West Bank city of Beit Sahur (near Bethlehem). He was born in Gaza, and for the past seven years has been living in Beit Sahur. He holds a Palestinian ID. On March 20 he was arrested by Israeli police for working in Israel without a permit. The police did not indict him, but turned him over to the Ministry of Interior for the purpose of deporting him to Jordan. There is no palpable reason for deporting him other than confiscating his property and land. On his behalf, Attorney Shamai Leibowitz filed a petition to the Jerusalem District Court. The State Attorney Rivka Elkobi denied that he is a Palestinian. She withheld from the court the fact that he was born in Gaza, and holds a Palestinian ID. When Mr. Nagar wanted to testify in court concerning these facts, the judge, the Honorable Moshe Gal, silenced him. He then proceeded to rule that the State should deport Mr. Nagar to Jordan. Attorney Leibowitz then filed an appeal to the Supreme Court. But the same thing happened again. The State Attorney Chani Ofek claimed that he is not a Palestinian. It turns out she did not disclose to the court the information which was known to her. When attorney Leibowitz asked Mr. Nagar to rise and testify under oath, the 3 justices silenced him. They did not want to hear. They ruled that the deportation to Jordan is legal. The court kept asking attorney Leibowitz why he doesn't have documents. The answer is simple: during this time, the Palestinian Authority was under heavy attack from the Israelis, and all their governmental offices were either shut down or destroyed. That is why Attorney Leibowitz could not get documents to prove that Mr. Nagar holds a Palestinian ID. But in late July, Attorney Leibowitz finally got the documents and immediately field another petition to the Jerusalem District Court. This time the petition was to be heard by the Honorable Moshe Drori. Again, the State Attorney Ms. Elkobi claimed that she is not aware of any Palestinian by the name of Magdi Nagar. But after long and intensive questioning by Judge Drori, she finally admitted to the truth: that she knows Mr. Nagar is a Palestinian, that he was born in Gaza, that he holds a Palestinian ID. Judge Drori was furious. He could not believe the State Attorney withheld essential information from the court for months, misleading the courts and trying to illegally deport a Palestinian to Jordan. Moreover, due to her unethical conduct, Mr. Nagar spent 150 days in detention without trial, awaiting his deportation. The new hearing is set for August 25 at 14:00. The State Attorney will have to come up with very good answers why she withheld information from the courts. And then Judge Drori will give a ruling. Your help is needed. Please come and show support. Public pressure might help in preventing this illegal deportation from being carried out. Your presence can advance the cause of justice and will put pressure on the State Attorney. A packed courtroom will teach the State Attorney's Office never to commit such things again. Otherwise, this kind of behavior will go unnoticed. DATE AND TIME: August 25, 14:00 PLACE: Jerusalem District Court, 40 Zalah ADin St. Jerusalem JUDGE: Moshe Drori [4] B'Tselem Newspaper - August 22, 2002 ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 15:26:48 +0200 From: intern@btselem.org Dear Friends, B'Tselem has just released the sixth issue of its weekly, one-page newspaper, which presents individual stories and human rights analysis of recent events in the Occupied Territories. Included in this issue: 1) "Neighbor Procedure" Temporarily Banned 2) Soldier Shoots Detainee Dead The English version of the newspaper is available at: http://www.btselem.org/English/Newspaper/Latest.pdf The Hebrew version is available at: http://www.btselem.org/Hebrew/Newspaper/Latest.pdf The newspaper can be read with Acrobat Reader which is available free of charge at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html Comments and suggestions on the newspaper are welcome at mail@btselem.org. [5] Monday 11.30 Supreme Court decides about deportation of family members -----Original Message----- From: Dan Yakir  [the message was only in Hebrew - for dettails, ask Dan Yakir] --- PS: Did it occur to you to write a letter to the editor (or if you are living abroad: to the Israeli Embassy) about the ongoing witchhunt against Gush Shalom - suggesting for example that the Attorney General investigate violations of international law - and not those monitoring them? NB: Don't forget to include your address and phone number. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Aug 25 15:37:40 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: (Fwd) Letter to a Pilot - Avnery answers the Air Force Commander Message-ID: <3D68EBB4.6321.6D2B59@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Uri Avnery" Hi, I hope the attached will interest you. Latest developments: Gush Shalom has submitted an official complaint to the army Chief Advocate against the commander of the Air Force and others concerning this action. The government Attorney General is still looking for grounds to indict us. Salamaat, Shalom, uri Letter to a Pilot Uri Avnery - 24.8.02 I have read the interview given by your commander, Major General Dan Halutz, and, like many others in Israel and abroad, I was shocked. On July 23, one of your comrades (or perhaps you yourself?) dropped a one-ton bomb on a house in a dense residential neighborhood in Gaza. The aim was to execute, without trial, Salah Shehadeh, a Hamas activist. Apart from him, 16 neighbors, including 11 children, were killed. Tens of other men, women and children were wounded. In school you certainly learned the words of the famous poem by Bialik, the national poet, "Even Satan has not invented the revenge of a little child." I assumed that you are torn by doubt after this act, that you look at your children and tell yourself: "Children are children. How are their children responsible for the situation?" And here comes your commander and says that you have no pangs of conscience, none whatsoever. I don't know whether he is telling the truth or slandering you. The general says that he told you: "Your execution was perfect...You did exactly what you were told to do...You did not deviate one inch left or right...You have no problem." Those who do have problems with this action and protest against it (like myself) are called by the general "bleeding hearts...a insignificant and vociferous minority..." He accuses us of "daring to use methods of mafia-style blackmail against fighters...treason is forbidden...a paragraph must be found in the law in order to put them to trial in Israel...(this) reminds me of dark time of the Jewish people, when a minority amongst us informed against other Jews." He also condemns "the obsession of some journalists...they are bored...so they jump..." These extreme utterances do not testify to the mental tranquility of the general, who says that he has "a deep feeling of justice and morality." I would say that on the head of the general, the blue cap is burning.* Each word betrays hysteria. But the style must cause deep anxiety. The words would have sounded natural if uttered by a general in Argentina or Chile during the military dictatorship, or by a Turkish officer about to topple the civilian government. When an Israeli general uses such words against the media and civil society, a red light is turned on. The more so since he was not summarily dismissed but, on the contrary, publicly lauded. Israeli democracy is losing height. But I do not want to speak with you about Dan Halutz, but about yourself. Who are you? What are you? One of the pilots explained to the interviewer, Vered Levy- Barzilai: "(That) is the uniqueness and the beauty of the world of the pilot. You sit up above, quietly, with your wide space. There are no noises, no booms, no shouts of people. You are totally focused on the target, you don't have the dirt and the horror of the battlefield. You do your thing and head home." Dan Halutz, too, describes his feelings thus: "If you really want to know what I feel when I release a bomb, I will tell you: I feel a slight bump to the plane as a result of the bomb's release. A second later it's gone, and that's all. That's what I feel." "That's all." Down below horrible things happen, mutilated bodies fly in the air, wounded human beings writhe in pain, people buried under the debris utter their last groan, women scream over the bodies of their children, a scene of hell, not different from the scene of a suicide bombing - and "that's all". A slight bump to the plane, and then home, to a warm shower and bed. I must confess that it is hard for me to imagine this experience. I did my combat service in the infantry, I saw who I was shooting at and who was shooting at me; I could at any moment have been wounded (as I was) and killed. It is difficult for me to imagine the experience of a person up in the sky, sowing death and destruction without being in any danger himself. Is this pilot - you! - afflicted by doubt? Does he sometimes torment himself? Does he ask himself if a certain action is permitted, moral, right? Or does he - you! - become a robot, a "professional" who is proud of his perfect control over the awesome machine-of-death entrusted to him and of the "exact" execution of his orders? I know that not all pilots are robots. I still see before my eyes Colonel Yig'al Shohat reading from his paper, with a voice trembling with emotion, his historic appeal to his fellow-pilots and pupils in the Air Force to refuse manifestly illegal orders, such as precisely this action in Gaza. Shohat, a war-hero who was shot down over Egypt and whose leg was amputated by an Egyptian surgeon, is the exact opposite of Halutz. You must decide - to be a human being like Shohat, sensitive to the suffering of others, or a robot like Halutz, who feels a slight bump while he kills dozens of human beings. The Rules of War were born after the Thirty Years War, one of the most horrible in the annals of Europe, a holocaust in which a third of the German nation was wiped out and two thirds of Germany laid waste. The international conventions are based on the conviction that even in a hard war, when each side is fighting for existence, the commandments of human morality must be kept. Don't make it easy for yourself by adopting the primitive slogans of Halutz, who justifies everything by saying that Shehadeh was "evil incarnate", words which betray his ultra- rightist world-view. Shehadeh was not put on trial. None of his alleged acts were proven. He certainly believed that he was serving his people, as you believe that you are serving yours. But even if it were proven that he was a dangerous enemy, this does not justify in any way the killing of his neighbors. The argument that this wholesale killing prevented the killing of Jews is not valid. When the pilot released his bomb he knew for certain that he was killing many people, while Shehadeh's ability to kill us was only an assumption. On the other hand, it was certain that this killing would lead to acts of revenge, and that much Jewish flood would flow because of it. Furthermore, there is a hell of a difference between a guerilla group and a mighty army acting on behalf of a state. Under these circumstances, would you have told your commander: "I refuse to fulfill this order, because it is manifestly illegal?" Israeli law and human morality oblige you to do so. But Dan Halutz says: "Refusal to perform a sortie is not part of the rules of my game." What about the rules of y o u r game? *An allusion to the Jewish adage: "On the head of the thief, the hat is burning," meaning that his behavior discloses his guilt. From otherisr at actcom.co.il Tue Aug 27 00:24:36 2002 From: otherisr at actcom.co.il (The Other Israel) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: [The Other Israel] new issue now on the internet Message-ID: <3D6AB8B4.21691.247C0BE@localhost> http://members.tripod.com/~other_Israel/ "Inside the Maelstrom", the leading article & other selected articles of the latest The Other Israel are now available on the internet. Dr. David Hirsh wrote: "Its great to read a thoughtful narrative of the last couple of months... rather than just the crazy news every day... it puts things into perspective." http://members.tripod.com/~other_Israel/ed.html From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Aug 29 00:18:35 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:56 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] vigils, an auction, prisoners for peace + more In-Reply-To: <3D6D4F23.18174.180D3C5@localhost> Message-ID: <3D6D5A4B.17915.1AC66A7@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [alerts] [1] Special appeal to join this Friday Women in Black - Jerusalem [2] Saturday Peace Now Demo J'lem with Shulamit Aloni [3] Jewish-Arab exhibition sale on behalf of work of PHR-Israel [4] Please show once more that you didn't forget the cave dwellers [5] Wat's new in prison - Yesh Gvul update + addresses for support letters [6] CO Uri Ya'akobi between prison terms [7] Please help fill the school bag of a Palestinian child - Tandi [reports & articles] [8] While the army was caught sleeping joint Israeli-Palestinian demonstration in Hawara [9] Day 67: Nablus Still Under Siege – prisoners at our own expense [10] High Court Forbids Holding of Detainees without Beds [11] 'Deterrents that haven't deterred' - Amira Hass [Through billboard we forward what is on the agenda, based upon our own material and on announcements received from others. We include articles and reports. For more information, approach the addresses appearing in each item.] [1] Special appeal to join this Friday Women in Black - Jerusalem ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Gila Svirsky Haverot/Haverim, Please come to Women in Black on Friday! This morning, the radio (Reshet Bet) twice broadcast the story about Jerusalem's Women in Black and the police (6:45 and 7:45). I made the point that the police should be protecting our right to demonstrate & Itamar Ben Gvir made the point that we "kiss terrorists" and therefore should be removed from the plaza (kikar). The police response was that Women in Black, like the right wing, are also provocative -- which is an outright lie, of course. Now the police are saying they want us to alternate weeks -- that we can demonstrate in that location only every other week. This is unacceptable. We need lots of Women and Men in Black this Friday in Jerusalem. Please tell your friends to come, and please come dressed in black. Masses of us dressed in black will make a very powerful point. [2] Saturday Peace Now Demo J'lem with Shulamit Aloni ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Ori Ginat"  Hi All, An update regarding the large Peace Now Demonstration on Saturday, August 31, 2002 at 20:00hrs. This time we will be going to demonstrate inJersualem. Speeches will be made by Shula Aloni, Gershon Baskin. The transportation will leave Tel Aviv Railwayst' (by El Al offices) at 18:30 hrs. We call upon each and every one of you to join us. For more details please contact Ori on 03 5663291 or 054 405 157 or by email:ori@peacenow.org.il Those who wish to join the arranged transportation please reserve your place by Thursday evening.  See you there!! [3] Jewish-Arab exhibition sale on behalf of work of PHR-Israel ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: [No English version] [4] Please show once more that you didn't forget the cave dwellers -----------forwarded message follows------------------ From: amos gvirtz [English only] Dear Friends September 10 we suppose to have the Supreme Court about the Cave Dwellers from the South Hebron. As part of the campaign against the intention of the Israeli government to throw them from their homes and their lands we ask for this letter campaign. Please help us to spread it as much as posible. Thank you! Amos Gvirtz  Urgent International Letter Campaign - Prevent a Crime Against Humanity - Stop the Expulsion of the Palestinian Cave Dwellers from the South Hebron Hills. It's time again again for a letter campaign to stop the expulsion of the cave dwellers south of Hebron. Your and our efforts resulted in the government's request to postpone deliberations in the High Court of Justice.Their intention was to hold the deliberations when public attention was diverted. We believe that this terrible act of expulsion can only be achieved when there is no public attention. Therefore we appeal to you again to write to Israel's ministers, to Israeli Embassies in your countries, and to your own Foreign Ministries demanding that no expulsion of Palestinians from the South Hebron Hills be allowed. Your assistance is very important to the struggle.  PLEASE WRITE TO ISRAEL'S PRIME MINISTER, DEFENSE MINSTER  AND FOREIGN MINISTER, TO THE ISRAELI AMBASSADOR IN YOUR COUNTRY, AND TO YOUR OWN FOREIGN MINISTRY - DEMANDING A STOP TO THE HARRASSMENT AND EXPULSION OF THE PALESTINIANS FROM THE SOUTH HEBRON HILLS, AND WARNING THAT SUCH CRIMES WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN THE 21ST CENTURY.   A sample letter: Dear Minister.... I am saddened by the ongoing strife between the Israelis and the Palestinians and by the many victims it has created.  I find it difficult to understand Israel's intention to expell the Palestinian population - many of whom live in caves - from the South Hebron hills. I was amazed to learn that the Barak government expelled 750 residents from this area at the same time that it was promoting the Peace Process. This puts a question mark on the true intentions of the Israeli government. Other expulsions committed by your government between July and October of 2001, as well as the construction of new and expansion of old settlements throughout the period do not lend credibility to Israel's desire for a cease fire and for peace. I consider the expulsion of Palestinian residents a military act of war against  defenceless civillians.This is an act defined as a war crime and it violates the Fourth Geneva Convention. I appeal to you to prevent this terrible action and to abide by the the Fourth Geneva Convention in all the territories occupied by Israel in 1967. For more information you can visit the website: www.southebron.com.  Israeli organizations active in defense of the South Hebron Hills Palestinians include: Alternative Information Center (AIC), Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Bat Shalom, B'tselem, Gush Shalom, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), Peace Now, Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Rabbis for Human Rights, and Ta'ayush - Arab-Jewish Partnership. We do it in cooperation with the Palestinian Lend Defence Committee.   Addresses of protest letters (it is preferable to send faxes):  Israeli Defense Minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer Ministry of Defense 37 Kaplan st. Tel-Aviv 61909, Israel e-mail: mailto:sar@mod.gov.il Fax: ++972-3-696 2757 / ++972-3-691 6940 / ++972-3-691 7915  CC to: Israeli Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres Fax:+972-2-5303704 sar@mofa.gov.il  Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon fax:(+972-2) 566-4838 or 651-3955 or 651-2631  webmaster@pmo.gov.il, pm_eng@pmo.gov.il  US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Fax: +1-202-261-8577; "Secretary od State, Colin Powell"  US President George W. Bush Fax:(202) 456-2461 president@whitehouse.gov  [5] Wat's new in prison - Yesh Gvul update + addresses for support letters ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "ram rahat" What’s New in Prison? Here’s a list of the lucky guys whom the IDF sent to the Prison 6 Bed and Breakfast Facility in the past two weeks: --First Sergeant (res.) Aviad Reutgrund, sentenced to 28 days for refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories (12/8). -- First Sergeant (res.) L.Y. , sentenced to 14 days for refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories (25/8). -- Lt. (res.) Yaniv Itskovitz, sentenced to 28 days for refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories (14/8). Yaniv is one of the initiators of the Combatants’ Letter (Courage to Refuse) -- First Sergeant (res.) Yuval Ron, sentenced to 28 days for refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories (14/8). -- Staff Sergeant (res.) Ophir Bedusa, sentenced to 28 days for refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories (22/8). -- Uri Ya’kobi (18) was sentenced to 14 days for refusing to be drafted into the IDF because of his opposition to the Occupation -- Sergeant Ro’i Berlin was sentenced to 28 days for refusing to go with his unit to the Palestinian town of Kalkaliya. Ro’i (20) is a conscript and says he would love to get mail . so you can make these guys happy by: sending a letter: PO Box 16238 Tel Aviv Israel sending an e-mail:dash@seruv.org.il joining or starting an adoption group recently released from prison: Ori Toker- Meimon, Udi Elifantz, Shuki Sadeh, Ran Ron and Yoni Yehezkel. [For an updated detailed prison list, write to Yesh Gvul aat rahat@isdn.net.il] .  Yesh Gvul will be holding a solidarity vigil for the prisoners next to Prison 6, on Friday 6, September (The eve of Rosh Hashanah) at 2 PM. With the help of some Israeli musicians we will try and give them a Happy New Year.  and now, the quiz! According to Maj. General Dan Halutz, the Commander of the Israeli Air Force, which of the following is a serious crime? a) Dropping a 1 Ton bomb on 15 innocent Palestinians (including 11 children) b) Imposing a total curfew for over 60 days on the population of Nablus (over 120,000 inhabitants). c) The killing of a 19 year-old Palestinian by using him as a human shield d) Spraying of slogans on the cars of IAF pilots by peace activists.  Those that answer correctly will have their names entered in a lottery. The winner will receive a free flight along with General Halutz to the Hague. [6] CO Uri Ya'akobi between prison terms ------------forwarded message follows----------- From: Prison_Hamster@hotmail.com Uri Ya'akobi, the 18-year old Conscientious Objector whose letter entitled "I am no occupier, period" was passed on earlier, was yesterday (Tuesday) released from a term at Military Prison 4 in Tzrifin. He was, however, required to report back to the army's Induction Center (Bakum), where he is due to receive a new order to enlist, which he again will refuse, upon which he would immediately get his new prison term - to be reunited again with the other imprisoned youngsters, Dror Boimel, and Yoni Ben-Artzi. All the three are members of the "Shiministim" (Highschool Seniors) group, whose declaration to refuse army service was signed by more than 200 youngsters, among them those who refuse to serve in the Occupied Territories as well as others who refuse to enlist altogether. Pending his reimprisonment, Ya'akobi is available for comment at phone 972-(0)55-498315. Other Shiministim contacts: Hagai Matar 923-5408977 Shani Werner 09-7652452 [7] Please help fill the school bag of a Palestinian child - Tandi The Jewish-Arab movement Tandi (Democratic Women) is initiating a School Bag Campaign, aimed at donating school bags and their contents to children in the Occupied Territories whose parents, in the present severe situation, are unable to provide it by themselves. Tandi already obtained thousands of school bags bearing the slogan "Give us a childhood, give us peace". We need, however, the contents: copybooks, pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, and anything else required by a schoolchild. Either the school materials themselves or money with which to buy them can be donated (about 50 Shekels per child are needed). The school bags will be distributed directly among children in the Occupied Territories. For further information: Hagar 03-5231682. [8] While the army was caught sleeping joint Israeli-Palestinian demonstration in Hawara [report by Adam Keller] Saturday morning, August 24. Once again, the Israeli Arab town of Kafr Quasem, on the West Bank border, is the rendezvous for a relief convoy organized by the Ta'ayush (Arab-Jewish Partnership) movement. Some four hundred people, Jewish and Arab, have arrived from different parts of the country. We have all been drawn here by the plight of the city of Nablus, which has been singled out for a particularly harsh curfew since the city was re-occupied in late June. Unlike in other West Bank cities, the Nablus curfew has been virtually continuous over the past 64 days, disrupting the city's social and economic structures to the point of collapse. The backyard of a sympathizer's house provides enough space for everybody to gather and hear the organizers' briefing: "We have organised this convoy at the invitation of the Palestinian leadership in Nablus. There is a very serious shortage of food, particularly of milk; many families are forced to give sugared water to babies instead. We have with us three trucks, loaded mainly with flour, milk powder and baby formula. But our purpose is not just to get the food through. We intend to hold a joint demonstration with the Palestinians, to protest together against the curfew and the occupation. People in Nablus and in the towns along the way like in Hawarah, expect us and are preparing to demonstrate together with us. Whether or not we can actually get there is another matter. If the army tries to stop us, remember that this is strictly a non-violent demonstration. Don't respond to provocations by soldiers, nor by settlers if they show up." Eight buses set out together with the trucks, crossing into the West Bank and setting out eastwards along the "Trans-Samaria Road", a broad highway reserved for the use of the settlers, and forbidden to the Palestinian villagers on whose confiscated lands it was built. At the moment it is almost completely empty - religious settlers do not travel on the Sabbath. Many kilometres are crossed without hindrance. But the army is waiting at the Tapuach junction, where our route crosses Route 60 leading northwards to Nablus. The buses and trucks stop at the dreary roadside, near a small green hut daubed with crude racist graffiti - the handiwork of settlers from nearby Tapuach. The Ta'ayush negotiating team sets out to meet the officers in charge, and the rest of us settle for a long wait. News filters through the column from the junction ahead. It seems that a compromise was suggested, namely to let several hundred Palestinians through the barriers and checkpoints and join up with us here. The officers present said that such a far-reaching decision can only be made by the colonel in person. The colonel is rumoured to be on his way. An hour later, he has still not arrived, and the Ta'ayush negotiators conclude that the army is just trying to stall. Suddenly, the convoy marshals call out: "This is it - we are setting out on foot. Hurry up!". We pick up tins of milk powder and the prepared signs - "Security for both peoples, independence for both peoples, peace between the two peoples" and "60 days' curfew - 60 days without food and medicines". We set out over the brambles of the nearby fields, go up the gentle slope of a hill and down a sharper incline - and we find ourselves on the Nablus road, with the army road-block far behind us. Pursuit is expected, and organizers distribute slices of onion - an antidote to tear gas common among Palestinians since the first intifada. But there is no pursuit, the army seems disoriented by our sudden move. There is nothing to stop us marching northwards along a second empty highway. Fortunately the sun, though hot enough, is not as blazing as it was a few days ago. After some five kilometres' march, houses start appearing at the roadside. We are entering the town of Hawarah, a few kilometres south of Nablus, which shares the city's plight under the ongoing curfew. At the city limits the army has set up a road-block, apparently in a big hurry. The organizers call a halt, to let the entire column catch up. Then we link arms and walk forward, with the chanting ringing out: "Peace Yes - Occupation No!" and "Our peace partners/are behind the road-block". Suddenly, in twinkling, the road-block had been passed and we are within Hawarah, continuing along the highway which is here the town's main street. They did not shoot. When we arrive, the street is almost completely empty, under the strictly enforced curfew. The sign of a souvenir shop in Hebrew and English gives mute evidence to better times before the outbreak of violence. As we march along, Palestinian inhabitants start coming out and join the march, first timidly, then in growing numbers. Suddenly, there is shouting ahead and a huddle of struggling bodies. On coming closer it turns out that soldiers suddenly broke into the midst of the march and grabbed one of the Palestinian curfew-breakers, trying to drag him off to detention. Israelis cling to their newly-found companion, shouting "Leave him alone" at the soldiers. After a few minutes the soldiers give up - but the scene is repeated again and again up the street, with different groups of soldiers and demonstrators and with the same result. Suddenly a changed tactic. One of the Israelis, is grabbed in turn, and before his fellows adjust he is pushed directly into a waiting police car. Immediately, hundreds of demonstrators sit down on the asphalt all around the police, blocking its way. After some ten minutes of a stand-off, the police car opens and the detainee - a bearded, long-haired youngster from Tel-Aviv - steps out to the sound of cheering. And then from the south, back the way we have come, there is a growing sound of chanting. "Yaskut Al-Ikhtilal! Yaskut, Yaskut, Yaskut" (Down with the occupation, down, down, down! - battle cry of the Palestinian demonstrators since 1967 is interspersed with "Free, free Palestine". Approaching is a solid block of hundreds of the Hawarah townspeople, mostly youths but with older men mingled in between, and with the towns' mayor and notables marching at the front. The Israeli demonstration changes direction, the last rows linking arms to form a rear guard and shield the approaching Palestinians from the army and police. The two demonstrations joyfully join and merge amidst broad smiles, with hands shaking or lifted aloft in the v-for-victory sign. Among the Palestinians we find also several of the international volunteers of ISM, undeterred after two of the numbers were arrested in Nabus on the previous day, awaiting deportation for the crime of delivering humanitarian relief. The steps at the entrance of a grocery store becomes the podium of an improvised rally, with Israeli and Palestinian speakers addressing the crowd through a megaphone. Suddenly, a rumbling. A whole column of Israeli army Armoured Personnel Carriers is arriving. In normal days of the curfew, even one or two of these grey armoured monsters with the threatening machine-gun snouts would have been enough to clear the street. On this time, the APC's pass in their dozens, and the driver of each is greeted with the crowd's shout (in Hebrew) "Soldier, go home" - uttered in unison by Israelis and Palestinians alike. The APC drivers look aside, pretending not to notice. For a moment, an alternative reality has been created on the dusty street of a Palestinian town - an island where the daily oppression of the curfew was held back. [Maybe you could send a very short message to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Spokesperson of the Prime Minister Defence Minister Benjamin Beneliezer Spokesperson Defence Ministry Just one line: STOP THE CURFEW OF NABLUS]  [9] Day 67: Nablus Still Under Siege – prisoners at our own expense ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Amer Abdelhadi" Date sent: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 05:05:07 +0200 [Amer Abdelhabadi writes an ongoing diary from Nablus under curfew] Monday, August 26th, 2002. Day 67 in this outrageous strict curfew where over 200,000 people are ordered to stay home, not look out of their windows and not let their children playing in the streets and, of course, no work. The taxi driver, Awni, said, "We are prisoners at our expense, had we been in prison, we would have been fed and provided for, by law, at least". Awni, a taxi driver, risks his life and his vehicle –his source of income– carrying people in need, to their destination during the curfew. "We may be spotted anywhere during the route, without notice" He warned "they may hold us 4-8 hours, let us free or give us a fine or they may arrest us". Awni makes many phone calls to his friends and fellow drivers to check ahead destinations his passengers are heading to. He checks even before he starts his daily dangerous trip. In his car, He listens carefully to the Radio for news updates from Nablus. He takes people from anywhere to everywhere. Risks as well as costs are higher. Even diesel is sometimes nowhere to be found and have to be brought from out of the city, at a higher price too. Taxi drivers or anyone who is caught red handed breaking the curfew, in a vehicle or on foot is heading for trouble. "The area you are heading to is clear, at least for the past 10 minutes, but with hope and Gods, will we will be unspotted" He tried to reassure ". With the Intifada nearly closing its second year, many people are out of work -all the ones that earn their income on a daily base-. They are affected by the slightest turbulence in normal daily life. The past two years have been tough on them all, but the past five months had nearly broken their backs. They have worked less than 50 days out of 148 days since the first incursion beginning April this year including the short incursions that ranged between 8 hours to 6 days. When spotted, they are under the mercy of the patrol commander. They are usually ordered to stay in their cars for over 8 hours, -until enough cars are caught in that area-. They are then driven in a convoy with armored vehicle escort to a secluded area the where; they may be let to go home after some harsh and dirty words, or get arrested or beaten up, before they leave without their vehicles and on foot, in the darkness and under the mercy of another patrol who could shoot them while walking from the that area to their homes. The vehicles are not to be returned until the next break in the curfew and a fine of US $1200 plus bonded fees for the vehicle space. They could be fired at before being checked or asked questions.(as quoted by taxi drivers) Since the curfew, people have had to go many places and couldn’t. Women have delivered their babies in vehicles en route to hospital or at home with no prior experience to anyone there in that field. Sick people have died while waiting for the ambulance that’s probably been held by some lazy soldier who would keep it waiting for hours before even checking how urgent the case is. People that fell and broken an arm or a leg have had to be treated at home using ways going back to more than 200 years and of course all those that have arrived back home from abroad are left at the city limits' army check points to wait. Husam, another taxi driver that I interviewed few weeks ago replied when I asked if it was worth his while to risk his life like that, said, "I have a family to feed. We have been out of work over two continuous months and have been broke even before that. I cannot sell the car; no one buys anything these days. My wife already sold her jewelry and spent the money on food and medicine. My children do not comprehend the curfew. They know I provide for the house and they take no excuses for anything missing, they are only little" He continued "Plus, these people – the passengers – need the transport. I am being careful, I try to find out where the soldiers are and try to avoid them" "But isn’t it too dangerous? Your children may loose their father" he replied, "My life is in Gods hands, my friend was fired at one time and nearly lost his life but, thank God, got away with an injury. I hope for the sake of my children that I live to support them, but I am not doing that sitting at home. Yes, it is dangerous and it is a stressful job but some of those passengers are in real need and I need the income. It is a two way street". "My cousin was killed while with his children at home from a snipers bullet". Mazen said, "He was not on any wanted list and still got it. You should see the shock in his children's faces." He said sadly, "They had to sit, for days, with his dead body until it started stinking before they finally got him buried. The Israelis want to break us and push us until we starve but we won't give them the pleasure?" For the world to see, hear and read. These are some stories about only one tiny sector in the city of Nablus, which is sitting under strict curfew for the past SIXTY SEVEN days. The world is watching, yet has done little. Amer Abdelhadi General Manager Radio Tariq Al Mahabbeh (TMFM 97.7) Nablus Under Siege [10] High Court Forbids Holding of Detainees without Beds ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: August 26th 2002 PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS-ISRAEL  Following apetitionsubmitted by PHR-Israel, High CourtordersPolice to stop holding detainees without beds in the Negev and Kishon detention facilities  Following a petition submitted by Physicians for Human Rights–Israel to the High Court of Justice, an interim order was issued, stating that no detainees held in the Negev and Kishon detention facilities be left without a bed within 45 days. Furthermore, the court ordered the state to explain within 45 days why the police regularly has detainees sleeping on the floor in detention facilities throughout the country, in clear violation of Israeli law.  Background: The petition followed the publishing of the report "The Price of Overcrowding" and is based on an ongoing inspection project PHR-Israel has been conducting over the past five years in which most major police facilities have been investigated.  Last November PHR-Israel conducted an inspection of the Negev Detention centre. The findings showed severe overcrowding, including the holding of detainees in telephone booths and rooms meant attorney-client meetings. Following the inspection and the ensuing report, PHR-Israel submitted a petition to the High Court of Justice. In February this year, an interim order was handed down, ordering the state not to hold any detainees on the floor at the Negev centre. As a result of an assertion by the state that this is the case, and after a follow- up inspection by PHR-Israel affirming that no detainees were on the floor, the petition was withdrawn. However, from later testimonies that have now been submitted to the court, it was discovered that as soon as the petition was withdrawn and the matter was taken off the court's agenda, the police immediately reverted to old behavior patterns and dozens off detainees were on the floor off the Negev detention.  On June 10th this year, PHR-Israel conducted an inspection of the Kishon detention facility, the second largest of its kind in Israel, located in the Haifa region. The inspection team included a psychiatrist and family doctor, a social worker, PHR-Israel's project director and a volunteer. On the day of our inspection 448 detainees were being held, while the facility had only 340 beds to offer, leaving over 100 detainees on the floor during waking and sleeping hours. In one cell the inspection team came across 19 detainees held in a cell with only 12 beds. The cells were dark and stifling, with tiny windows that let in almost no light or fresh air.  The conditions in the Kishon facility are in no way unique or temporary. As of August 11th there are over 350 detainees all over the country who are forced to sleep on the floor. The violation of domestic and international law regarding detention conditions has become an ongoing and systematic phenomenon, while the basic rights, health and human dignity of prisoners and detainees are regularly abused in broad daylight with not even an attempt to disguise the wrongdoing. This shameful practice is intolerable and must come to an end.  The petition submitted in June calls for the law to be respected in all police facilities. The interim order issued today deals with two of the largest facilities, and the state has 45 days to explain the situation in all facilities throughout the country.  For questions, comments and more, please contact Noam Lubell, Prisoners and Detainees Project Director at 9723-6873718, 97267-322007  [11] 'Deterrents that haven't deterred' - Amira Hass Ha’aretz, Wednesday, August 28, 2002 Elul 20, 5762 Deterrents that haven't deterred By Amira Hass The IDF and Shin Bet claim that demolishing the homes of terror suspects and expelling their families to Gaza is a deterrence that has already yielded results. Such an opinion relies on the ignorance or willful amnesia of the Israeli public. Senior IDF and Shin Bet officers depend on Israelis not taking note of the fact that for the last two years most of Israel's military activity in the territories has been about deterrence. The punishments meted out were collective and harmed the entire Palestinian population. But the terrorist attacks not only proliferated and became bloodier, but were aimed at ever larger numbers of people, and Palestinian public opinion polls show support for the attackers has not declined. Here are some of the collective deterrent measures tried in the last two years: 1. In the first weeks of the intifada, characterized mostly by mass demonstrations, stone-throwing and later by Palestinian gunfire in the air, the IDF responded with live fire or with "rubber" bullets that killed scores - including children - and wounded hundreds. The presence of armed Palestinians among the demonstrators and rock-throwers made it easy to loosen the rules of engagement and use lethal fire. The Israel Defense Forces can say they were only responding to fire directed at troops, but have never explained the deaths of civilians - including women and children - far from the scenes of clashes. Nor can they explain snipers killing and wounding people not involved in shootings or even stone- throwing, although they were at the scenes of clashes. Just because the IDF have never examined or investigated these many cases of shootings and have never drawn any conclusions from it, and just because Israelis paid little attention to Palestinian reports of such killings does not alter the Palestinian experience of mass bereavement - meant to be a deterrent - since the start of the intifada. 2. IDF bulldozers have demolished hundreds of homes of people not involved in shootings or bombings - at first, mostly in the refugee camps of Rafah and Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip. The army said armed Palestinians used the houses to shoot from, or built tunnels under the houses for arms smuggling. Thousands of buildings have been seriously damaged by IDF fire. The explanation - they were being used as firing positions against the army. Dozens of other buildings were damaged when the IDF blew up neighboring houses alleged to be the homes of relatives of terrorists, or when it bombed Palestinian Authority facilities. In other words, thousands of Palestinians have already been through the experience of "the deterrence" of demolished homes. 3. For "security reasons" bulldozers and tanks have plowed under thousands of dunams of farm land, uprooted tens of thousands of trees, and demolished greenhouses and wells. The collective emotional anguish over this mass destruction is even more deeply felt than the financial damage. 4. IDF assassinations, starting with the first on November 1, 2001, have accidentally killed civilians, including women and children unlucky enough to be in the area when the wanted men happened to pass. The climax came on July 22 in Gaza in the Air Force bombing to kill Salah Shehadeh, the Hamas military leader. In other words, dozens of families and hundreds of people with nothing to do with terrorism, have been "deterred" by the most costly loss of all - their loved ones. 5. Expulsion to Gaza is portrayed as a deterrent because it will cut people off from their families - exactly what closures and curfews have been doing anyway. The limits on freedom of movement that Israel imposes on the Palestinians gets tighter and tighter, completely disrupting the family lives of three million people. Thousands of elderly parents have not seen their children or grandchildren for a year or more. Family events are held with many members of the family missing. The fact that Israelis don't know and don't care about this doesn't mean the so-called "deterrent" effect isn't felt as a collective punishment by the entire Palestinian population. The military logic that now holds sway in the government and army says whatever has been tried and didn't deter enough, should be tried more forcefully. In the army and the government are people with imaginations that are feverishly working overtime to devise the most deterring deterrents. Just how long can their mistaken conclusions continue to mislead the Israeli public and the judges of the High Court of Justice? = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = "Inside the Maelstrom", leading article of the latest The Other Israel now available on the internet. Dr. David Hirsh: "Its great to read a thoughtful narrative of the last couple of months... rather than just the crazy news every day... it puts things into perspective." Gila Svirsky: "(...) a thoughtfully written and impressive survey of events. Thanks for being the historians of the peace movement!" http://members.tripod.com/~other_Israel/ed.html = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = PS: Did it occur to you to write a letter to the editor (or if you are living abroad: to the Israeli Embassy) about the ongoing witchhunt against Gush Shalom - suggesting for example that the Attorney General investigate violations of international law - and not those monitoring them? NB: Don't forget to include your address and phone number. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Aug 29 19:03:13 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] Escalation in Nablus right now - on 69th day of curfew Message-ID: <3D6E61E1.26447.B054C0@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = == == == == == == == = Something is going very wrong in Nablus right now - on the 69th day of curfew. = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = == == == == == == == = [In the P.S.you find our repeated request for your protest against continuation of the curfew in Nablus] Ha'aretz flash news wrote: 16:37 IDF soldiers search a municipal building in Nablus where the governor keeps his offices and here is a more elaborate description which we received from a Palestinian source. ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Muzna Shihabi" To: Subject: Israeli troops occupy medical centers and open fire on ambulance in Nablus Date sent: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 18:26:58 +0200 Update Israeli troops occupy medical centers and open fire on ambulance in Nablus August 29, 2002 16:45 The situation in Nablus is currently very critical. The Israeli army has occupied the Palestinian governorate headquarters and the Red Crescent center in the city. The Palestinian Medical Relief building is surrounded and Israeli troops are preventing ambulances from moving freely. At about 16:00 Israeli troops opened fire at a Medical Relief ambulance that was transporting a patient to hospital. Neither the medical staff nor the patient inside the ambulance was injured, but only luck prevented a tragedy. Another ambulance transporting Ahmad Abdul Karim, a nine-year-old leukemia-patient, to life saving treatment at the Rafidia hospital in Nablus, was held at an Israeli military checkpoint for two and a half hours. The ambulance has just been released and given permission to continue to bring the boy to hospital. So far 70 Palestinians have died because they were prevented from receiving medical treatment. Nablus has been kept under curfew for 68 consecutive days. This morning it was announced on Israeli radio that the curfew would be lifted in the city. When people took to the streets Israeli troops opened fire on them and people were forced to go back to their homes. P.S. Maybe you could send a message to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Spokesperson of the Prime Minister Defense Minister Benjamin Beneliezer Spokesperson Defense Ministry Just one line: STOP THE CURFEW OF NABLUS or, a longer letter which you compose yourself] = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = "Inside the Maelstrom", leading article of the latest The Other Israel now available on the internet. Dr. David Hirsh: "Its great to read a thoughtful narrative of the last couple of months... rather than just the crazy news every day... it puts things into perspective." Gila Svirsky: "(...) a thoughtfully written and impressive survey of events. Thanks for being the historians of the peace movement!" http://members.tripod.com/~other_Israel/ed.html = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = PS: Did it occur to you to write a letter to the editor (or if you are living abroad: to the Israeli Embassy) about the ongoing witchhunt against Gush Shalom - suggesting for example that the Attorney General investigate violations of international law - and not those monitoring them? NB: Don't forget to include your address and phone number. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Sep 1 21:38:10 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] Continued policy of provocation - continued protest Message-ID: <3D727AB2.10112.4F12E9@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// The accumulation of the IDF's "mistaken killings" of the last days is an all too transparant policy to liquidate the relative calm as a result of intense efforts on the Palestinian side to achieve a cease-fire. Those who want to read the Gush Shalom Hebrew press release about it - and in general - are invited to subscribe to the press release list. Instructions about how to do that in the end of this mail. announcements [1] Monday morning Peace Now Tour to new settlements [2] Wednesday, the case against the settler who attacked Angie Zelter last year [3] Family members of reservists invited to daily protest of government policy [4] Uri Ya'akobi back to military prison reports, articles etc. [5] "The Return of the Dinosaurs" - Avnery reads the Yaalon interview [6] PCATI on 9 new innocent victims of the continued liquidation policy [7] Fighting Racism in Kfar Saba - a report [Through billboard we forward what is on the agenda, based upon our own material and on announcements received from others. We include articles and reports. For more information, approach the addresses appearing in each item.] [1] Monday morning Peace Now Tour to new settlements ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Ori Ginat" Date sent: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 15:06:27 +0200 Back to the Settlements......But Just For a Tour Tomorrow, Monday, 2/9 Peace Now will be setting out on a tour of the two new settlments in the Eli and Ariel area. Dror Etkes, Settlement Watch Coordinator, will conduct the tour, which will continue until 14:00hrs Please note the tour will be conducted in a armoured bus. The tour departs Tel Aviv at 10:00hrs from the Train Station, next to the El-Al offices. For further details call Ori: 03 5663291/ 054405157 or ori@peacenow.org.il See you tommorrow [2] Wednesday, the case against the settler who attacked Angie Zelter last year ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "angie" [this message was shortened; for the full version ask angie] Dear Friends, can you support the case against the settler who attacked me last year by being at the court case with placards (against settler violence, the neccesity for the rule of law, for an impartial judicial system, no peace without justice for all and a rule of law or more appropriate slogans) and leaflets/briefings about settler violence......... my lawyer from the PHRMG has said that having people in the court listening to the case would be useful. This first hearing has been put off several times and I think it is only with the support of the UK Consulate that it has gone so far..... The first court hearing will take place at the Court of the First Instance, Russian Compound, Jerusalem on Wednesday 4 September at 11.00 am. The name of the judge is Judge DOTAN and the case file number is 2623/2002. Angie Zelter, IWPS-Hares, Salfit, Palestine.  Tel:- +972-(0)9-2516-644. Mob:-+972- (0)55-376-204 [3] Family members of reservists invited to daily protest of government policy ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "naomi" Date sent: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 15:41:43 +0200 {text received in Hebrew only] [4] Uri Ya'akobi back to military prison We just got the telephone call that Uri Ya'akobi got another 28 days; this means that he will spend Rosh Hashana and all the other "holy days" in the military prison. You are invited to send him some encouraging words to: Uri Ya'acobi Military ID: 7342725 Prison-4, Military postal code 02507 Israel Other possibility: to send him an email via It will be reported to him that you did so, though he will only be able to see the mail after his release. [5] "The Return of the Dinosaurs" - Avnery reads the Yaalon interview The Return of the Dinosaurs Uri Avnery - 31.8.02 How did the dinosaurs die out? There are many theories about this. For example, that a meteor hit earth and the ensuing dust cloud obliterated the sun. I have a theory of my own: the dinosaurs suffered from a lack of proportion between body and brain. The tyrannosaurus, for example, had monstrous physical dimensions but his brain was the size of a pea. Then our ancestors, the little mammals, arrived and displaced them everywhere. Now we are witnessing the return of the dinosaurs. Human dinosaurs. People who control immense power structures and who have the brains of a bird. Take the American tyrannosaurus. He has power that no empire in the history of the world could even have dreamed of. The US military machine can take over the whole world, wage war anywhere, destroy any country, eliminate any people. Over this immense body reigns the brain of George W. Bush, and around him a small group of people whose moral standard and intellectual capacity are like those of the caveman. But why should we look down on others? After all, the Israeli tyrannosaurus is no different from his big brother. Compared to all his neighbors, he has immense military capacity, and over this huge power reigns the brain of a child. This week the Chief-of-Staff of the Israeli army, General Moshe Ya'alon, gave an interview to Ha'aretz. Not two months have passed since he assumed office, but the country is full of his philosophical output. We have learned about his mental world, his intellectual capacity and his leadership pretensions. From these three viewpoints, his outpourings are rather frightening - especially since every word of them has been approved, at least post factum, by Ariel Sharon. The mental world of Moshe Ya'alon is composed of a heap of hackneyed myths that are taught in Israeli elementary schools instead of history. He repeats them like a not-very-intellectual pupil. But his pretensions are those of a super-leader, who stands above the government, the Knesset and the people. His predecessor, Shaul Mofaz, was a man of the extreme right. Yaalon goes further. He reminds one of the words of King Solomon's son, Rehoboam, who told his people: "My father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions."* (1 Kings 12, 11) * The Hebrew word for "whips" means also "fools". These are the main teachings of Ya'alon: * The Palestinian danger is a cancer. * This is an existential threat. * We are David, they are Goliath. * They have the backing of a quarter of a billion Arabs. * We have no intention of annihilating them, while they are not ready to recognize our right to exist here as a Jewish state. * The State of Israel has put on the table (at Camp David) a proposal that would have solved the problem, but they rejected everything. * It is not a question of occupation. The aim of the Palestinian people is to bring down the State of Israel. * The Oslo agreement was a Trojan horse. * The aim of Arafat is to eliminate the State of Israel by stages, using terror and demography. We learn several things from these teachings. First: Ya'alon is quite devoid of any new, original or creative thought. Any schoolchild in Israel could say exactly the same things. Second: speaking politely, the validity of each of these arguments, which seems to him self-evident, is doubtful. Speaking bluntly, they are a heap of rubbish. Very briefly: * It is not the Palestinian danger that is a cancer, but the occupation that breeds terrorism. * There is no existential danger. * We are Goliath, very big, very well-armored, very unwise. * Almost all of the quarter of a billion Arabs are ruled by regimes dependent on the USA, which don't give a damn for the Palestinians. * A large groups of ministers in the Israeli government indeed aim to destroy the Palestinian national entity by driving the Palestinians out of their country ("transfer"). * At Oslo, the Palestinians recognized the existence of the State of Israel, and that is all that is demanded of them. The character of our state ("Jewish" or otherwise) is not their business. * At Camp David, Ehud Barak put forward proposals that were very far from "solving the problem". * If it were Arafat's aim to destroy Israel "by stages", he would have accepted Barak's proposals and moved to the next stage. * If Rabin's successors - Prime Ministers and Chiefs-of-Staff - had not sabotaged the Oslo agreement, it would by now have brought peace and security. * Demography is not within the purview of Ya'alon (three children) or Arafat (one daughter). Anyone worried by this aspect of the conflict should move out of the Palestinian territories at once. There is a psychological condition called paranoia vera, whose victims take a fallacious assumption ("the earth is a cube") and build a whole logical structure on it. The more complete the structure, the more serious the condition. Ya'alon builds his conclusions on his fallacious assumptions: the present war (the one he, accidentally, is commanding) is the most important in the annals of Israel since 1948. No withdrawal from any place is permissible, because it would encourage the Palestinians. Therefore, not even one single settlement can be dismantled, isolated as it may be. The building of the "security fence" (between Israel proper and the occupied territories) is a mistake ("I would invest the money somewhere else".) Concessions under fire will cause an existential danger. This is an endless war. Generations will pass before certain elements in the region will resign themselves to the existence of Israel. (Ya'alon quotes a 1969 speech by Moshe Dayan, in which he prophesied a war of many generations.) There is no alternative. But the most severe danger, according to Yaalon, is the internal one. Israeli peace- lovers and human rights activists are undermining the existence of the state and the army and preventing victory. Victory means that "the Palestinian side internalize very deeply that by terrorism and violence they will not vanquish us." Therefore, absolutely no concession is allowed. The withdrawal from the South of Lebanon was a mistake, and so was the withdrawal from Josef's tomb (an isolated site in the middle of Nablus). This means: there is no place for any offer of compromise and idea of a settlement. What is needed is a more and more repressive occupation. For example: Israel must decree that no one would be allowed to be a candidate in the Palestinian elections if he is "touched by terrorism", much as the American military government in occupied Germany did not allow ex-members of the Nazi party to be candidates in German elections. Ergo: only candidates appointed by Israel will be allowed to be elected and lead the Palestinian people. (Under such a rule, Ben-Gurion, Begin and Shamir would not have been elected in Israel.) And who is the man who built this beautiful structure? Ya'alon modestly introduced himself: "Personally, I see myself as a Jew, Israeli, humanist, liberal, democrat, peace and security lover." No more, no less. He forgot to add another attribute: brazenness. An phenomenal Chutzpah is needed for a general on active duty to dismiss with contempt the decisions of the elected governments, past and present, from the Oslo agreement to the security fence. All this, of course, given as "professional expertise". The question is, what, exactly, is Ya'alon's profession? Talleyrand said that "War is much too serious a matter to be left to military men." He knew what he was talking about, since his boss (Napoleon) was a professional soldier, who put his generals in charge of much of Europe. A military officer has an important profession. He learns to move forces, use weapon systems, command troops, plan battles. But nothing - nothing at all! - in his professional career prepares him for analyzing intricate political moves, understand international relations or delve into the depths of history. From these points of view, his "professional expertise" is as valid as that of a plumber, an engineer of an ear, nose and throat specialist. It certainly is less than that of a historian, an Arabist or a professor of international relations. Not to mention that it would be unthinkable for an American, British, French or German Chief-of-Staff to make a fraction of such a statement while still wearing a uniform. In Israel, in the 36th year of the occupation, it sounds quite natural. The dinosaurs are back. [6] PCATI on 9 new innocent victims of the continued liquidation policy ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Sun, 01 Sep 2002 15:13:33 +0200 From: Public Committee Against Torture in Israel [sorry: only in Hebrew - you may write to PCATI for English version] [7] Fighting Racism in Kfar Saba - a report ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Fred Schlomka A house was purchased in the Jewish neighborhood of Schunat Alia in Kfar Saba by Dr. Sultan, a Palestinian, Israeli citizen living in nearby Tira. In July 2002 the property was badly damaged by a fire set by arsonists. After working for the last twelve years at a rental location in the same neighborhood, Dr. Sultan intended to relocate his dental clinic there . This was the second time the building was damaged by vandalism, and it is widely assumed that the reasons behind the attacks were due to racism.  Last Friday, as a protest against racism and in solidarity with Dr. Sultan, a group of volunteers spent most of the day cleaning up the mess and doing repairs and painting. The group was organized by The Sharon Forum, a new coalition of concerned citizens from Arab and Jewish towns of the Sharon-Muthalath area, belonging to various organizations, including youth from the scouts, HaShomer HaTzair, Noar Meretz. Also represented were members of Peace Now, Ta¹ayush and The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions which provided funds for cleaning and painting materials. The funds were collected by the Global Campaign to Rebuild Palestinian Homes, an international coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to rebuilding demolished Palestinian homes in Israel and the occupied Territories  Ms. Paz, deputy mayor of Kfar Saba and Benny Kabra of the city council visited the house and expressed support and appreciation for the effort. Dr. Sultan intends to let the building or sell it, as he is now afraid to maintain a clinic in the neighborhood. He has rented alternate premises for his dental clinic in the Kfar Saba industrial zone.  For more information about the Sharon Forum contact Yaakov Manor at odsh7@zahav.net.il  Fred Schlomka Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = "Inside the Maelstrom", leading article of the latest The Other Israel now available on the internet. Dr. David Hirsh: "Its great to read a thoughtful narrative of the last couple of months... rather than just the crazy news every day... it puts things into perspective." Gila Svirsky: "(...) a thoughtfully written and impressive survey of events. Thanks for being the historians of the peace movement!" http://members.tripod.com/~other_Israel/ed.html = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = PS: Did it occur to you to write a letter to the editor (or if you are living abroad: to the Israeli Embassy) about the ongoing witchhunt against Gush Shalom - suggesting for example that the Attorney General investigate violations of international law - and not those monitoring them? NB: Don't forget to include your address and phone number. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [send as WORD documents] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Sep 2 20:46:08 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] A special "Gush Shalom law"? Message-ID: <3D73C000.10014.11C55B9@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Press release September 2, 2002 [In this version which is sent to Israeli and international activists, not to the press, you find as P.S. in the end details for a protest letter, with sample (Hebrew and English).] = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == -- The Attorney General: No basis to prosecute Gush Shalom -- The Minister of Justice: We will consider legislation to put the Gush Shalom activists on trial -- At the same time: a beginning of a more critical general public -- Well-known legal expert Moshe Hanegbi: special legislation could overturn the rule of law. = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == -- Today, Attorney General, Elyakim Rubinstein - after having been repeatedly pressured by the government to start procedures against Gush Shalom - was quoted as saying that he doesn't see any legal basis for such a step. We are happy but not surprised at hearing this news. We never had a doubt that warning officers about violations of international law was a completely legal act, and that the true offenders were those responsible for the bombings and shootings which ended in the killing of civilians. -- Matters do not, however, rest with the AG's decision. Meir Sheetrit, Minister of Justice, seems determined to put Gush Shalom activists on trial, and if existing legislation will not serve his purpose he intends to introduce some brand-new bills. The minister's intention has been announced at noon via Y-Net* (the website of Israel's mass distribution daily Yediot Aharonot) and continues to fill the electronic media programs - also giving our people the opportunity to answer. The minister did not go into details, so we are left in doubt as to his exact intent: A law forbidding Israeli citizens to collect evidence of violations of International Law? A prohibition on warning officers against the possible consequences of such violations? It would certainly be a preposterous and unprecedented law - but then, quite a few preposterous and unprecedented things already happened here... -- We have the impression that the effort of the Minister of Justice to extend his campaign against us beyond the Attorney Generals' conclusion has much to do with the general situation. In the past weeks the public atmosphere in Israel is gradually changing. After many months of giving uncritical support to whatever the army and the government chose to do, the mainstream media is starting to ask sharp questions, especially regarding the series of incidents ("regrettable accidents" as the army put it) which claimed the lives of fifteen innocent Palestinian civilians, including four children, over just a few days. Defence Minster Ben Eliezer, facing the challenge of the dovish Amram Mitzna for the Labour Party leadership, felt obliged to appoint a special investigator and demand an account from the army command. Also, Army Chief-of-Staff Yaalon came under strong fire in the press for his lashing out at "the enemy within" (Ha'aretz August 31) - attempting to deligitimise all wartime dissent and criticism of the army. Moreover, there has been a stream of revelations about widespread looting in the Palestinian towns occupied by the army in April and again since June - no surprise to hardcore peace and human rights activists, but virtually the first which the general Israeli public heard of such things, and also the first time that the reports are bolstered by first-hand testimonies of some of the soldiers themselves. The change in public atmosphere has to be seen also against the background of the halt in suicide bombings inside Israel. It is now precisely a month since the last such bombing, which happened on August 4. The halt in suicide bombings is the official policy of the Palestinian Authority, and so far also the radical factions such as Hamas observe it in practice. It is however doubtful whether the Palestinian factions will be able to continue with the wise restraint policy in the face of the bloody provocations of the past days - and with no end in sight of the curfews, the closures, the occupation. -- Today, on Israeli radio (Reshet Bet), the well-known legal commentator Moshe Negbi praised the Attorney General for his decision not to start proceedingas against Gush Shalom. He sharply condemned the intended special legislation of the Justice Minister, saying that such legislation might completely overturn the rule of law in Israel. "The perception of reporting violations of law as 'informing' is fitting for a persecuted community in a ghetto which regards police as the enemy, or to an underground. It is completely unfitting for a sovereign democratic state." * http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/1,7340,L-2096653,00.html PS: If you feel that you want to write your opinion to our Justice Minister, here follow his address details. Use the sample letter or make your own text (more impressive). It doesn't have to be long. Meir Shetreet Minister of Justice Fax : + 972 (0)2 6285438 [sample letter Hebrew] ìëáåã îø îàéø ùéèøéú, ùø äîùôèéí à.ð. úô÷éãê ëùø îùôèéí áîãéðä ãîå÷øèéú äåà ìùîåø òì ùìèåï äçå÷, åìà ìò÷í àú äîòøëú äîùôèéú áëãé "ìçñì çùáåðåú" òí éøéáéí ôåìéèééí. àí çùåáéí ìê çééìé öä"ì, úåëì ìòæåø ìäí áöåøä äèåáä áéåúø áëê ùúééãò àåúí òì äëììéí äáéðìàåîééí äîçééáéí ìâáé äúðäâåú áú÷åôú îìçîä åáùèç ëáåù, áî÷åí ìäùúìç áôòéìé ùìåí ùåîøé çå÷ äîðñéí ìçæ÷ àú äúåãòä äàæøçéú ùì áðé òîí. [sample letter English] Dear Minister Shetreet Your task as Minister of Justice in a democratic state is to preserve the rule of law, and not to bend the legal system in order to settle accounts. You seem to care much for the soldiers. You would serve their interest better by making sure they are informed about the international rules which govern wars and behavior in occupied territory, instead of lashing out against law abiding peace seekers who try to raise the awareness of their fellow-citizens. In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Sep 5 02:53:41 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] Latest: Gush Shalom CAN be prosecuted + a lot more Message-ID: <3D76B925.17386.1FEB9A2@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [This may be the last message which we send out before Rosh Hashana, New Year. >From the depth of our heart we hope it will become better and not worse.] announcements [1] Friday, Yesh Gvul Rosh Hashanah vigil for the refuseniks [2] Jerusalem Women in Black change hour in battle for the Kikar [3] Ta'ayush: Convoy to threatened cave dwellers of South Hebron this Saturday 7/9 (Gush Shalom is among the co-sponsors of this action) [4] Protest The Suppression Of Arab Students at Haifa University [5] Buy Palestinian grapes from Rabbis for Human Rights [6] Soldiers speak out - Tzavta 12.9.02 reports & articles [7] AG changes his mind: Gush Shalom can be prosecuted without change of law [8] Gush Shalom lodges complaint against chief-of-staff - co-signed by twenty academic figures and keypersons of other peace groups [9] Zonshine and other refusnik officers: Petition Against The Legality Of The Occupation [10] Radio station director Amer Abdelhadi, writer of the Nablus curfew diary, punished [11] Haaretz editorial Sept. 3: A message for the IDF (and for the Prime Minister) [12] Account by a father of the first schoolday in Al-Bireh/Ramallah [Through billboard we forward what is on the agenda, based upon our own material and on announcements received from others. We include articles and reports. For more information, approach the addresses appearing in each item.] [1] Friday, Yesh Gvul Rosh Hashanah vigil for the refuseniks ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "ram rahat" Date sent: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 09:18:51 +0200 To the release from a cursed year and to the start of a blessed year of peace Rosh Hashanah vigil for the refuseniks at prison 6, Athlit  Once again, at Rosh Hashanah this year, some brave people will be imprisoned in military jails, for listening to their conscience, and saying NO.  The long years of the occupation have led Israel to take part in many war crimes, and have brought us to a moral, social and economic abyss. Today, more and more conscripts and reservists are refusing to take part in the oppression of civilians, in the internment of hundreds of thousands in their homes, of the bombing of crowded neighborhoods, and the protection of a gang of settlers that carried out a pogrom in Hebron. In the past year hundreds of soldiers refused to take part in the occupation, in the oppression and war crimes in the Occupied Territories. Whoever chose to refuse, did it by themselves. But when they did, they found us at their side – extending a hand, counseling and supporting. On Friday, September 6th, the eve of Rosh Hashanah at 12:30 pm, we will celebrate the New Year with the imprisoned refuseniks: -- Ophir Bedusa (sentenced on August 22 to 28 days at Prison 6) -- Uri Ya’akobi (sentenced on September 1 to 28 days at Prison 4) -- David Raban (sentenced on September 2 to 7 days at Prison 4) -- Ro’i Berlin (sentenced on August 19 to 28 days at Prison 6) Come and join us in a show of support for those imprisoned, and for our hope for a year without blood, for leaving the Occupied Territories and to peace and living together with our Palestinian neighbors. We will also be joined by: the musicians Sharon Ben-Ezer and Ze’ev Tene and the speakers: Dafna Golan-Agmon , Yitzchak Laor and members of the refuseniks families. Meeting point: Bet Oren Junction, on the old Haifa-Hadera road Transportation: Jerusalem – Binyanei Ha’uma – 10:00 Tel Aviv - The corner of Namir and Arlozorov – 11:15 Estimated end of the vigil – 16:00 Please come with good spirits and cake www.yesh-gvul.org [2] Jerusalem Women in Black change hour in battle for the Kikar ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Tue, 03 Sep 2002 23:22:56 +0200 From: Gila Svirsky Haverot and Haverim: In a meeting this evening open to all Jerusalem Women in Black, the following decisions were made: 1. Jerusalem Women in Black will continue to hold our vigil at Kikar Hagar every Friday. 2. Starting this Friday (erev hag), the Jerusalem vigil will be held at 12:00-13:00 -- one hour earlier than usual. Following the vigil, the women will disburse, leaving the right wing without a reason for demonstrating. We will continue the vigil at 12:00-13:00 every Friday until further notice. 3. If the right-wing changes its vigil hour to conflict with ours, the women will demand that the police prevent them from entering the Kikar. If the police refuse to prevent their entry, Women in Black will go to court on the grounds that we changed our vigil to avoid conflict, but the police are still not protecting our right to demonstrate. 3. Representatives of Women in Black will meet with the Jerusalem Police for the following purposes: a. To inform the police of our decision. b. To demand that the police arrest any right wing demonstrators who seek to interfere with the Women in Black demonstration or chant slogans declared illegal by the courts. 4. This Friday, again, it is important that additional women and men join us at Kikar Hagar at 12:00 because: (a) Erev Rosh Hashana we expect a smaller turnout of women; and (b) we need a larger turnout to stake our claim to the Kikar at 12:00. Many, many thanks for the solidarity of all who came last week. Women in Black Jerusalem [3] Ta'ayush: Convoy to threatened cave dwellers of South Hebron this Saturday 7/9 (Gush Shalom is among the co-sponsors of this action) From: "Ta'ayush Arab-Jewish" Date sent: Mon, 02 Sep 2002 10:08:47 +0200  The convoy to South Hebron Mount will take place earlier than expected on Saturday the 7th of September (instead of Sunday).  Yes, we know it falls on Rosh Hashanna, but the decisive Supreme Court hearings(BAGGATS) are starting on Tuesday the 10th of September, and this time it will not be postponed further. The fate of the inhabitants in South of Mount Hebron will be decided there. It might be  the culmination of our more than a year long efforts to support our friends there in their struggle against the Israeli government attempts to coomit a population transfer in the region.  Massive participation is crucial  both at  the convoy and at the supreme court hearing.  Convoy - meeting place: Ksatinna junction/Kiryat Mlaakhi junction (the next junction after Masmia/Raem junction), in front of the restaurant at 10:00 AM.  We will travel in a convoy of private cars and in buses.   Bring with you: hat,  lots of water, sunscreen and I.D  More details will follow about transportation from different cities in Israel - check your e- mail.  [4] Protest The Suppression Of Arab Students at Haifa University ----- Original Message ----- From: "Khulood Badawi" From: "nur" From: "Haggai Katriel" [compiled from different messages] National Arab Student Union PROTEST THE SUPRESSION OF POLITICAL ACTIVITIES OF ARAB STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA As part of an orchestrated campaign of suppression aimed at silencing the voice of Arab students at the University of Haifa, the university authorities have recently decided to suspend two students - Alaa Halaila and Raja Zaatra, chairman of the Arab student committee - from their studies for one semester. Three other student-activists - Fadi Abu-Yunes, Samer Sueid, and Sami Zuabi - were put on probation and threatened with a one-semester suspension. These decisions punish the students for their participation in an allegedly "illegal" demonstration, and they mark the climax of a school year in which the Arab students' right of expression was repeatedly denied. - At the beginning of the school year, the Arab students' committee held a protest vigil on the discrimination against Arab students in acceptance to the student dormitories, based on the criterion of "military service" (to which Arabs in Israel cannot comply). Following this protest, five students were suspended from their studies for three weeks without trial. - From the beginning of the second semester, the University systematically prevented Arab students from expressing their protest against the Israeli re-invasion of the towns and refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza. We Need Your Support The policy of the University of Haifa seeks to end Palestinian student political activism on campus. This policy will continue unless massive protest persuades the University that it is unacceptable for an institution of Higher Learning. We therefore call on members of the academic community - students and professors - as well as others, to protest the suppression of political activities of Arab students at the University of Haifa and demand that the University revoke the suspensions imposed on the student activists and respect students' basic democratic right to express their political views. More information about events at the University of Haifa can be obtained from "Khulood Badawi" , or "nur" Please email your protest letters the university officials listed below: Prof. Yehuda Hayuth President Prof. Aharon Ben Zeev Rector Fax no. 8342101 Prof. Aharon Kellerman Vice President Fax no. 8343441 Ms. Yael Metser Vice President for Public Relations and Resource Development Prof. Ron Robin Dean of Students Fax no. 8240319 If you can, please send a copy of your letter to the National Arab Student Union and to the Committee of Arab Students at the University of Haifa . [5] Buy Palestinian grapes from Rabbis for Human Rights ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Rabbis for Human Rights" To: Date sent: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 17:55:56 +0200 Dear Friends, BUY PALESTINIAN GRAPES As you know, Palestinian farmers who manage to harvest their fields/vineyards/orchards face additional difficulties marketing their produce. As I wrote a few weeks ago, we are trying to connect farmers with the department in the Israeli Agriculture Ministry supposedly working to help out in this area. Just as we have marketed olive oil (And continue to do so), we are exploring the possibility of marketing a ton of grapes - 1/4 ton a week for four weeks, starting this Thursday. We must decide by Wednesday whether or not this is possible. Please let us know whether you would be interested in a weekly purchase of grapes, and how much. Could you pick up the grapes from a Jerusalem location or would we need to deliver them? This will take some person power. Would you be willing to volunteer to help out? In North America many of recall the grape boycotts organized by the United Farm Workers. Now we are asking you to BUY GRAPES. B'Vrakha, Arik Rabbis For Human Rights Tel. 972 2 563-7731 Fax. 972 2 566-2815 Mobile 972 50607034 [6] Soldiers speak out - Tzavta 12.9.02 ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: David Zonsheine Date sent: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 18:26:51 +0200 [We didn't receive an English version] [7] AG changes his mind: Gush Shalom CAN be prosecuted without change of law = == == == == == = == == == == == == == == == = == == == = == == = Contrary to what was published Sept. 2, the Attorney General was later reported to have said that there IS a law that could be used against Gush Shalom for "collecting information about IDF officers and sending that information to the international court." The following appeared in Ha'aretz Sept.3: News in Brief AG says Gush Shalom can be prosecuted  Attorney General Eliyakim Rubinstein has told Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit there is a law that could be used to prosecute Gush Shalom - for collecting information about IDF officers and sending that information to the international court - Sheetrit informed a Likud political gathering in Tel Aviv last night. Rubinstein had been reported as saying there was no legal ground to prosecute Gush Shalom for sending letters to IDF officers, warning their actions in the territories could lead to prosecutions in the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague. (Baruch Kra) [8] Gush Shalom lodges complaint against chief-of-staff - co-signed by academic figures and keypersons of other peace groups Gush Shalom calls upon Attorney General to take steps against Chief-of-Staff Ya'aalon. The Gush Shalom movement today officially called upon Attorney General Rubinstein to look into the possibility of taking leg al action against rmy Chief-of-Staff General Moshe Ya'aalon because of the political statements made by Ya'alon in press interviews (Ha'aretz August 30) and in various public forums such as The Rabbis Forum. According to Gush Shalom, Ya'alon is expressing clear politicl opinions on controversial issues and is openly disputing government policies and Knesset resolutions, for example his disquaaalifiction of the Oslo Agreement and his opposition to the building of a border fence. Ta'alon's claim of "giving a professionaal opinion is no more than a thin disguise. Gush Shalom specifically mentions Ya'alon's crude attack on the Israeli peace and human rghts orgaanizations which he accused of "subversion against the state and army." Gush Shalom adds that "Public expression of a politicaal opinion by an officer on active service is grave damge to democracy. Such politicaal expression from the army's highest officer, who is supposed to serve as aan exmple to all other officers is all the more grave. According to Uri Avnery: "It is highly regrettble that the political echelon did not protest this phenomenon and did not take any counter measures. On the contrary, the Prime Minister has expressed public support for the Chief-of-Staff's statements. Therefore, it is up to the Attorney General to fulfill his duty and take the necessary steps to end this. The call of Gush Shalom has been co-signed by academic figures and keypersons of other peace groups: Sergio Yahni, Alternative Information Center; Professor Jacob Katriel, Haifa; Dr. Lev Grinberg, Be'er-Sheva University; Dr Hannah Safran, Women in Black; Dr Neve Gordon, Be'er-Sheva University; Tamar Yaron, Kibbutz Hazorea; Yehudith Keshet, Jerusalem, Machsom-Watch; Gil Svirsky; Nora Bendersky; David Nir; Diana Dolev; Engineer Dror Tamari; Shlomit Tamari, Dept. of Education, Be'er- Sheva University; Suzy Mordechai; Rela Mazali, writer; Rabbi Arik Asherman. [9] Zonshine and other refusnik officers: Petition Against The Legality Of The Occupation ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Tue, 03 Sep 2002 11:38:27 +0200 From: Didi Remez September 3, 2002 GROUND BREAKING PETITION AGAINST THE LEGALITY OF THE OCCUPATION Lieutenant (Res.) David Zonsheine and seven other reserve duty soldiers argue that "refusal is legal because the occupation of the last two years is illegal." On Wednesday, 4 September, at 09:00 a.m. Lieutenant David Zonsheine and seven IDF combat reserve soldiers, four of whom are also officers, will submit an unprecedented petition to the Israeli High Court of Justice (Supreme Court). The petitioners, all members of "Ometz Lesarev" and signatories of the "officers letter" have all been sentenced to prison terms, and claim that their refusal to serve in the occupied territories is legal and imperative, because the entire occupation has become illegal over the past two years. A landmark petition: . For the first time the Supreme Court is called upon to rule on the legality of the occupation. . The first petition on conscientious objection in twenty years. . The petition represents the first detailed presentation of the Israeli occupation and its full implications on the lives of ordinary Palestinians to the Supreme Court. A comprehensive petition: . The petition includes 26 reports from 14 different organizations that have monitored the occupation over the last two years. . The petition includes 20 affidavits submitted by officers and soldiers that have served in the Occupied Territories during the current intidfada. Their vivid testimonies describe the routine of the occupation and the extensive violations of human rights that result from the occupation. Advocate Michael Sfard, of Advocate Avigdor Feldman's office, who is representing the petitioners: "For two years now the State of Israel has systematically violated the human rights of the Palestinian residents of the occupied territories and failed to fulfill its duties, as required by Israeli and international law. If the IDF wants to continue to punish soldiers who refuse to take part in the occupation and these violations it needs to prove the legality of the occupation." Lieutenant David Zonsheine, recently sentenced to 35 days in jail for refusing to serve in the Beit El region, and released after two weeks by order of the Supreme Court: "As someone who has dutifully served the IDF in my compulsory and reserve service, both in Lebanon and the Occupied Territories, I know that the duties imposed on IDF soldiers in the Occupied Territories are immoral and illegal. Moreover, they do not serve the security interests of my country. As a Jew, an Israeli and an IDF officer I refuse to take part in these activities." An extract from the petition: "The Israeli occupation has over the past two years become a mechanism of collective punishment of the civilian population. The State of Israel abrogates its duties - as demanded by international and Israeli law - to take care of the Palestinian population living under occupation. The IDF's activities, notwithstanding the important goal of fighting terror, have a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. For this reason, the occupation is illegal, and as such it is no longer possible to distinguish between legal and illegal order." For additional comment: Amit Mashiach - Ometz Lesarev spokesperson: 054 578822; Adv. Michael Sfard, 054-713930. [10] Radio station director Amer Abdelhadi, writer of the Nablus curfew diary, punished ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Amer Abdelhadi" [The following is a press release of a radio station director who struggles to keep a radio in the air which has become during the curfew practically the only link holding together the population of Nablus.] TMFM - Breaking News: Israeli Army storms into Radio Tariq Al Mahabbeh Link taking everything away Last night, around midnight, the Israeli army has stormed into Radio Tariq Al Mahabbeh (TMFM 97.7) re-broadcasting link breaking the doors along the way. Sometime later, they were seen carrying our equipment away.  This marks the second time the army steels TMFM equipment after storming the previous location July 1999 and forth attacks after shelling our main studios and vandalizing the re-broadcasting link April 2002. Unfortunately, more details are not available at present time due to the curfew continuation on Nablus for the fifth consecutive day. 75 days since it first started June 20th.  Full report will be issued soon. Amer Abdelhadi General Manager Radio Tariq Al Mahabbeh (TMFM 97.7) Nablus Under Siege [11] Haaretz editorial Sept. 3: A message for the IDF (and for the Prime Minister) A message for the IDF Even if the incidents that have resulted in the deaths of 15 Palestinians in the last few days - most of whom had no connection to terrorism - were no more than an unfortunate chain of innocent mishaps, their political and psychological significance is impossible to ignore. They happened while Israel's leadership was divided over the value or validity of the "Gaza and Bethlehem First" plan, and when the IDF Chief of Staff had publicly declared his complete lack of faith in the current Palestinian leadership, or in its willingness to accept Israel's existence as a Jewish state.   This is not to suggest a deliberate policy behind the series of tragic failures that killed innocent people. But it does indicate that the prime minister and defense minister are not sending a consistent message about the function of the preliminary agreement that has been reached, and the heads of the Israel Defense Forces react suspiciously to any arrangement meant to calm the violence. They see it mainly as a trick by the Palestinians that allows them to gather their forces for more attacks. When the message being sent by the heads of the government and the army is so confused, it becomes more likely that IDF soldiers and commanders in the field will continue to view the Gaza and Bethlehem First experiment as a hopeless process, and to believe the enemy should be treated just as it was before the process began.   It goes without saying that it is necessary to prevent terrorists and those who send them from carrying out their plans. But not every Palestinian is an enemy, not every movement in the night is an attempted attack, and not every car in which a wanted man is traveling should be attacked with missiles. That is true even in a time of war and terror, and it is doubly true when both sides have declared they will make an effort to dampen the flames of the conflict and start rebuilding a relationship of mutual trust. The unavoidable fact is that the deaths of these Palestinian civilians - including women and children - were not caused by mere errors of judgment. In some cases they came from a deliberate IDF policy of continuing to pursue wanted men and attempting to kill them.   The prime minister must give his full and explicit backing to the Gaza and Bethlehem First plan that the defense minister is trying to implement. The defense minister must impose his authority on the IDF General Staff, and take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that his policy - aimed at achieving a cease-fire - is implemented. The Chief of Staff, who just a few days ago ordered the General Staff to obey the decisions of their political masters without question, must ensure that his orders filter down to every level of command.   It is fine that the IDF has apologized for the mistakes that caused the Palestinian deaths of the last few days, and it is good that a major general has been appointed to investigate the circumstances of these distressing accidents, but this is not enough. There must be a basic change in the prime minister's approach to efforts to engage the Palestinians, so that the necessary message will penetrate down to every level of command and every last soldier. That message is - the state of Israel is trying, with the utmost sincerity, to achieve a cease-fire with the Palestinians, and to bring renewed hope to Palestinians and Israelis alike. [12] Account by a father of the first schoolday in Al-Bireh/Ramallah Perfecting the Violence of Curfew By Sam Bahour* The sophistication in the methods used by Israel in its systematic destruction of Palestinian society today struck a raw cord with every Palestinian parent and child. Only four days has passed since the beginning of the Palestinian school year, where over one million Palestinian students returned to their classrooms after a summer of living under the direct physical, emotional and mental distress of Israeli military rule. For the last four days the world community closely watched to see whether Israel would lift the 24-hour curfew/lockdown that has become routine across the West Bank. Israel did lift the total curfew from 6am-6pm to allow the school season to start and in order to avoid international criticism. But the world’s eye has barely blinked and Israel is already escalating its violent practice of curfew. Today Palestinian children and parents were exposed to the latest cruelty of the Israel military occupation. For the last four days parents prepared their children for school, my wife Abeer and I included. Our eight-year-old daughter Areen anxiously put on her school uniform and had breakfast. For her, today was an important day because the textbooks that were delayed the first day of school (because of military closures and travel restrictions) were supposed to arrive and be distributed to the students. Areen couldn’t wait for her English reading book. At 7:30am we headed to school. At 7:45am and with a big kiss, I dropped Areen off at the Friends School and headed to an 8:00am business meeting I had outside of my office. As I usually do in business meetings I turned off my mobile phone in order not to be disturbed. I will not turn it off again. At 9:15am one of the persons in our meeting interrupted to advise us that he received word that Israeli tanks and jeeps had entered the city center and were announcing that the cities of Ramallah and Al-Bireh were under total military curfew. Israeli jeeps roamed the streets announcing that anyone caught in public would be arrested. By the time I turned on my phone to call my wife three other persons in my meeting were already on their mobile phones accessing the situation. Abeer, who was at home with our two-year-old daughter, was frantic. She had been trying to call me after seeing and hearing an Israeli armored personnel carrier on our street announcing the closure. Was Areen in danger? Who should go pick her up from school? How could we go out, given the curfew and military vehicles in the streets? Has the school administration advised the students of the situation? How is Areen, who is very emotionally sensitive, reacting? Is school still in session? These and a hundred other questions rush to the mind in such predicaments. Abeer turned on Israeli radio and heard the Israeli plan. The radio newscast announced that the Israeli military had put Ramallah under full curfew starting from 9:00am and would only lift the curfew from 1:00pm-3:00pm in order for parents to leave their workplaces and take their children home. As if the recent months of varying degrees of Israeli military curfews were not enough violence to terrorize the Palestinian society as a whole, the Israeli government created a new and improved curfew – one that would ensure that the violence of occupation would come between every child and parent. After getting through to the Friends School’s hotline we were assured that the gates of the school had been secured and that the school day was going to continue as scheduled. Although still a little nervous, we trusted the school administration and knew that if they felt the children were in any immediate danger they would advise us. I agreed with Abeer that I would pick up Areen at 2:15pm and the meeting I was in was called back into session, albeit slightly less focused. After the meeting I headed to the office for an hour of work. I had two other engagements planned for today, a training session for the Commercial Arbitration Center being established and a seminar titled, From Re-occupation to Reform. Both were cancelled. At 1:45pm we closed our office and everyone headed out to pick up their children. I headed home instead to pick up Nadine, Areen’s little sister. When we left the house this morning Nadine asked if I would promise to pick her up to go get Areen from school and both Areen and I agreed with her that I would. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let an illegal foreign military occupation make me break a promise to my daughters. Nadine was waiting for me at the front porch window. She rushed downstairs wearing her new pink tennis shoes, a pick hat and had a pick purse strapped across her chest. She was ready to hit the town. Nadine and I arrived at Areen’s school a little early and I had the opportunity to chat with some of the other parents that were also waiting. In twenty minutes we all vented our anger and frustration, discussed the political situation, and we even joked that all the Israelis had left to do now was to publish a daily ad in the newspaper with names of specific people that the curfew would be applied to on any specific day. As the end of day bell rang the students rushed, as always, to the main gate. The older students knew what was going on, the younger ones did not. Areen came out of her building with a smile from ear to ear and her bright pink Jansport backpack on her back. She waved a big bulky book in the air. It was her new English reading book. Nadine gave her sister a big hug and kiss and we were on our way. While walking to the car I asked Areen if she heard what was happening with the curfew. She had not. She told me that they probably did not tell them so they would not be scared. She asked if she could buy an ice cream cone for her and her sister before going home. After quickly stopping for three ice cream cones we headed straight home. We pulled in the driveway at 2:40pm and as we got out of the car an Israeli jeep passed on the main Jerusalem Street next to our home yelling through a loud speaker, “To the people of Ramallah, the curfew is applied. Anyone in the streets will be arrested”. So as the world causally watches the entire Palestinian people be terrorized by the most sophisticated form of violence possible – Israeli occupation – life goes on. And as the Israeli military generals dream up new ways to batter Palestinians into submission and strip away every sense of public and personal security, I will be reading with my daughter the first three pages her new English reading book wondering about tomorrow’s curfew schedule. Al-Bireh/Ramallah September 3, 2002 Note: This essay is a follow-up to “The Violence of Curfew” which may be found at http://www.amin.org/eng/sam_bahour/2002/aug28.html * Sam Bahour is a Palestinian-American businessman living in the besieged Palestinian City of Al-Bireh in the West Bank and can be reached at sbahour@palnet.com. He is co-author of HOMELAND: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians (1994). To be added to his mailing list, send an email with the word ‘subscribe’ in the subject. = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = "Inside the Maelstrom", leading article of the latest The Other Israel now available on the internet. Dr. David Hirsh: "Its great to read a thoughtful narrative of the last couple of months... rather than just the crazy news every day... it puts things into perspective." Gila Svirsky: "(...) a thoughtfully written and impressive survey of events. Thanks for being the historians of the peace movement!" http://members.tripod.com/~other_Israel/ed.html = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = PS: Did it occur to you to write a letter to the editor (or if you are living abroad: to the Israeli Embassy) about the ongoing witchhunt against Gush Shalom - suggesting for example that the Attorney General investigate violations of international law - and not those monitoring them? NB: Don't forget to include your address and phone number. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Sep 8 02:10:25 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] Sharon lashes out again against Gush Shalom Message-ID: <3D7AA381.21230.F32299@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Press release = == == = == = == = == == = == = == == == = == = == == = == == == = == = Sharon attacks Gush Shalom in Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) radio address = == == = == = == = == == = == = == == == = == = == == = == == == = == = In his New Year interview on the radio, Sharon once more lashed out against Gush Shalom. Seemingly as a spontaneous answer to a spontaneous question the PM came up with a long quote of the ancient historian Josephus Flavius about how the Romans nearly 2000 years ago defeated the Jews "who were fighting among themselves". All this was intended to show the Israeli public how evil and abject is Gush Shalom for having sent warning letters to officers of the Israeli army, officers who had openly boasted about acts which constitute violations of the Geneva Conventions. By telling the officers that what they themselves had told the media might be used as evidence in court - an Israeli court or an international court - the Gush Shalom activists earned already twice in the past months a furious outburst of the PM, who demanded of the Attorney General to probe Gush Shalom for it - not to mention a widely publicized attack by Israeli Air Force commander Dan Halutz and sundry broadsides by various ministers, Knesset Members and columnists. This week, the Attorney General came however to the conclusion that there was no reason to prosecute Gush Shalom. Thereupon, the Minister of Justice announced that he would take legislative measures to bring the Gush Shalom activists to trial anyway. On the following day the Attorney General told him that there was no need: Gush Shalom members could after all be put on trial within the present legislation. The newest chapter in this war of nerves: PM Ariel Sharon decided to carry on his personal hate campaign against Gush Shalom. Former Knesset member and Gush Shalom leder Uri avnery commented: "Israelis remember very well what was the result of that earlier hate campaign - against Rabin - in which Sharon played quite a central role." In the same radio interview, Sharon also said that he did not feel a sense of failure as a result o f the increasing terror, the economic crisis and the diminished prospects for peace during his tenure. "It was indeed a difficult year, but I think that we must also look back on the achievements," he said. "First, we established a national unity government, which is no small feat. On the terror front, we waged war against terror and the Palestinian Authority, which tried to break us. We didn't break, but stood fast. The battle is not yet over." The question rises: Is the PM planning a further escalation, involving measures which might get him and his military officers in trouble with the new Hague War Crimes Court? Could that be why he wants Gush Shalom out of his way? For more information: Adam Keller, spokesperson +972-3-5565804 / +972-56-709603 / +972-56-709604   From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Sep 9 20:45:00 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Help the children of Gaza & read Avnery's War Now Message-ID: <3D7CFA3C.19588.187AB56@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [NO GUSH SHALOM BILLBOARD UNTIL END OF THE MONTH Because of a leave of the billboard team, there will be until after the holidays only messages of Gush Shalom and only exceptionally forwarded messages of other groups.] 1) Gush Shalom participates in 'Help the Children of Gaza go to school' project - and calls on you to do the same 2) Uri Avnery's article 'War Now' is on the Gush Shalom site 1) Gush Shalom participates in 'Help the Children of Gaza go to school' project - and calls on you to do the same September 1st marked the beginning of the school year 2002. Thousands of Palestinian children begn this school year without the basic items they needed. Many brought their old patched and mended school bags without any notebooks or writing material in them. Increasing rates of unemployment in the Gaza strip together with the escalating levels of poverty (today more than 80% of people in the Gaza strip are living below the poverty line), have meant that parents are unable to supply their children with the basic equipment needed in order to participate in school. Each child needs: A pen pencils coloured pens A pencil case A school bag A pair of school uniform some notebooks and a toy... Each such package costs 15 US Dollars. Any contribution to these packages would be most gratefully received, and will enable Gaza's children to begin this school year with the items they need. Contributions can be sent to: "Emergency Fund for Palestine" Account number 200092 Palestine International Bank 87 Gaza Branch 492 Omar El Moukhtar Street, Gaza Swift Code: PAITPS 22 Correspondent Bank: CITI Bank, New York Swift: CITIUS 33 or via a check to Gush Shalom earmarked for the Gaza School project Gush Shalom, together with other organizations, will also attempt to take part in the distribution of the packages to the children of Gaza. As you may know, the Israeli government prevents Israeli citizens from entering the occupied territories (unless they are settlers...) If you feel you would like to take part in the distribution, on top of sending money, please write to Oren Medicks (oren@gush-shalom.org) or to the PCHR (Palestinian Centre for Human Rights) pchr@pchrgaza.org We will inform you of the distribution event and details, as soon as they are decided upon. NB: This message appears on the internet, with some pictures, at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/school 2) Uri Avnery's article 'War Now' is on the Gush Shalom site ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ Full text in Hebrew - http://gush-shalom.org/archives/article210_heb.html Full text in English - http://gush-shalom.org/archives/article210.html ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ PS: Did it occur to you to write a letter to the editor (or if you are living abroad: to the Israeli Embassy) about the ongoing governmentl witchhunt against Gush Shalom also after the Attorney General decided not to prosecute? NB: Don't forget to include your address and phone number. = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = "Inside the Maelstrom", leading article of the latest The Other Israel now available on the internet. Dr. David Hirsh: "Its great to read a thoughtful narrative of the last couple of months... rather than just the crazy news every day... it puts things into perspective." Gila Svirsky: "(...) a thoughtfully written and impressive survey of events. Thanks for being the historians of the peace movement!" http://members.tripod.com/~other_Israel/ed.html = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From keller_adam at yahoo.com Thu Sep 19 02:12:29 2002 From: keller_adam at yahoo.com (TheOtherIsrael) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: Haaretz: "AG scotches inquiry in Gush Shalom's 'extortion' of soldiers" Message-ID: <20020918231229.19253.qmail@web10412.mail.yahoo.com> = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = This message was sent to you from the holiday address of members of the Gush Shalom email team. = == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == = A few days after a full-page advertisement appeared in Haaretz of international supporters of Gush Shalom - among them a lot of Jewish organizations and personalities -Gush Shalom was directly addressed (for the first time!) in the case of the governmental campaign against Gush Shalom because of the warning letters to soldiers about war crimes. Here follows the Haaretz report from the English-language internet version Thursday, September 19, 2002 Tishrei 13, 5763 Israel Time: 01:41 (GMT+3) Last update - 00:27 19/09/2002 AG scotches inquiry in Gush Shalom's 'extortion' of soldiers By Baruch Kra, Ha'aretz Correspondent Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein has notified peace movement Gush Shalom that for the moment he will not order an inquiry against it, after the movement sent letters to IDF officers warning that it is collecting evidence about actions that took place under their command in the territories. The letters warned that the evidence was intended for submission to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, on suspicion that the officers committed war crimes. Rubinstein said however that the letters could be a violation of extortion laws. Rubinstein's assistant, attorney Ran Nizri, recently sent a letter to Gush Shalom stating that letters of the sort sent by the movement "could be in violation of extortion laws as their aim is to coerce IDF officers into refraining from legal acts... within the framework of their military roles." "However," Nizri continued, "after examining the legal and public aspects of the issue, the prosecution has decided not to initiate legal procedures against [the movement] for the moment and to warn that if further such letters are sent to IDF officers they will be reviewed by the attorney general." Gush Shalom replied: "As Mr. Rubinstein hopes to be appointed in the near future to the Supreme Court he did not dare disappoint [Prime Minister] Sharon and [Justice Minister] Sheetrit. Therefore, after finding that there was no legal basis to prosecute the Gush Shalom activists, he added an empty warning that suggests that Gush Shalom is engaged in intimidation." http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=209679&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0 ===== NB: If you don't want to receive anymore our briefings simply send us a "no more" reply. The Other Israel on site - http://members.tripod.com/~other_Israel/ __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! News - Today's headlines http://news.yahoo.com From keller_adam at yahoo.com Mon Sep 23 00:15:07 2002 From: keller_adam at yahoo.com (keller_adam@yahoo.com) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] 200 demonstrated in Tel-Aviv against plan to "eliminate" Yasser Arafat. Message-ID: <20020922211507.387.qmail@web10408.mail.yahoo.com> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// Two Hundred Demonstrate In Tel-Aviv Against Plan To "Eliminate" Yasser Arafat. //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// For photos http://www.gush-shalom.org/actions/arafat0902_eng.html [This was sent from the holiday address of the Gush Shalom email team. Please send address changes and/or (un)subscribe requests to info@gush-shalom.org] Gush Shalom Demonstration against the "Elimination" of Yasser Arafat 22/09/02 Two hundred peace activists demonstrated today opposite the Ministry of Defense in Tel-Aviv against Sharon's plan to "eliminate" Yasser Arafat. The action was called by Gush Shalom, the radical Israeli Peace Bloc. This was the first Israeli demonstration against the renewed action against Arafat's compound in Ramallah. Activists of several peace organizations took part. Veteran peace activist Uri Avnery said: "We know that the real aim of Sharon is to kill Arafat. We believe that this would be a disaster for Israel. Arafat is the only Palestinian leader who is capable of making peace and convince his people to accept it. Killing Arafat means killing peace." A big banner said: "The Murder of Peace: Rabin (1995), Arafat 2002". Demonstrators shouted: "Get Out of Ramallah!" and "Fuad, Fuad, (Ben-Eliezer), Minister if Defense, How Many Children Have You Killed until Now?" __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! http://sbc.yahoo.com From keller_adam at yahoo.com Mon Sep 23 23:22:46 2002 From: keller_adam at yahoo.com (keller_adam@yahoo.com) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: Fwd: Hadash calls for demo in Nazareth 24.9.02 at 18.00 supporting Palestinian protest Message-ID: <20020923202246.57488.qmail@web10404.mail.yahoo.com> [This was forwarded from the holiday address of the Gush Shalom email team. Please send address changes and/or (un)subscribe requests to info@gush-shalom.org] HADASH calls for demo in Nazareth 24.9.02 at 18.00 supporting Palestinian protest Hadash invites all left organizations to join their demonstration in support of the Palestinian popular protest against the attack on Yasser Arafat, Palestinian elected leader. The demonstration will take place Tuesday, Sept. 24th at 18:00. Transport info: Tel Aviv - a bus will leave from El-Al terminal, Central Train Station at 14:45 (The bus leaves early as there will be several pickup points on the way. Please be there on time) Contact from Tel Aviv: Muhammad 050 631449 Haifa: a bus will leave from Solel Boneh at 17:00 Contact from Haifa: Ayman 055 530555 __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! http://sbc.yahoo.com From keller_adam at yahoo.com Tue Sep 24 15:59:25 2002 From: keller_adam at yahoo.com (keller_adam@yahoo.com) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: Fwd: Haaretz: Waging war on Iraq is not justified - By Aharon Levran Message-ID: <20020924125925.24774.qmail@web10410.mail.yahoo.com> Tuesday, September 24, 2002 Tishrei 18, 5763 Israel Time: 12:56 (GMT+3) Last update - 01:50 24/09/2002 Waging war on Iraq is not justified By Aharon Levran [This was sent from the holiday address of the Gush Shalom email team. Please send address changes and/or (un)subscribe requests to info@gush-shalom.org] What are we fighting for? That is a crucial question when going off to a war - and certainly before initiating one. The Bush administration has no solid grounds for waging war on Saddam Hussein and the arguments about the variety of risks Saddam poses are exaggerated. The interpretation of the threat Saddam poses, and the way it is being presented are deficient, because the U.S. administration is attributing the same megalomaniac ideas and ambitions to the Iraqi leader as he had before the Gulf War. Despite his bombastic lying declarations, Saddam is well aware he was defeated. It is clear to him that he cannot take on the might of America, and it is no accident that he he has folded now on the issue of the nuclear weapons inspectors. Before the war he had built up hopes of gaining hegemony in the Gulf vis-a-vis Iran and his Arab "sisters," and he was ready even to challenge the United States. This does not seem to be the situation now. His ambitions since the war are curtailed. His limited aims are to protect Iraq and deter others from harming it and - of course - to survive. Specifically he is striving to remove the burdensome economic sanctions and the humiliating inspection regime. It is doubtful if he has concrete desires to expand in the region or beyond it, if only because it is clear to him what its immediate cost would be. However, to achieve his limited purposes he needs power to back them, especially its non-conventional components, for they are the only things which give his power an added value. A brutal and crafty despot, Saddam has proved to be careful and sane in his moves. He might wish to return to his megalomaniac desires, but his capability is restricted. Iraq today has no nuclear power, mainly because it has no fissile material like plutonium or enriched uranium, although it has a general potential to manufacture an atomic bomb. Before the war Iraq was, indeed, about six months away from manufacturing a bomb, but this is because it had the use of the fissile material in the reactors transferred to it by the Soviet Union and France and which were "under the inspection" of the International Atomic Energy Agency. This material was taken away from Iraq, and today it does not have the capability to enrich uranium with centrifuges (which have been destroyed) or in other ways. Attempts to buy fissile material in the quality and quantity required for a bomb have failed in the past and it is doubtful whether the could succeed in the future. It is also doubtful that post-war Saddam is striving wholeheartedly to build a nuclear bomb, because the moment he approaches it, this will not go unnoticed in United States and he would be sentencing himself to an immediate liquidation attempt. This would also be the case if he transferred nuclear arms of any kind to terrorists. On the other hand, Saddam probably has chemical and biological weapons which are easy to manufacture and conceal. But even when he used chemical weapons in the Iraq-Iran war, he restricted himself, and even when his army was defeated and driven out of Kuwait, he did not dare to use those weapons. The risks of non conventional weapons depend on having the means to launch them - mainly airplanes, pilotless drones and missiles. And here the Iraqi Air Force, even before the war in 1991, did not demonstrate any considerable attacking power - never mind after the war when it was very much weakened. However, even a single plane can carry out an infiltration and attack. Iraq has had drones for years, intended among other things to spray chemical and biological agents from the air. But their range and the abilities of the control systems are unclear - controlling drones across hundreds of kilometers or a thousand kilometers is not an easy matter to be taken for granted. The ballistic missile issue also has two sides - there is no evidence that Iraq, (even since getting rid of the inspectors in December 1998) has many launchers and missiles, especially in the middle range. Their operational condition, and that of the war heads - especially the presumably hidden non-conventional heads - is not at all clear. Judging by the condition of chemical weapons the inspectors found in the past, such doubts are well placed. There is also the question of whether they could be operated freely in western Iraq as they were in 1991 to hit Israel and Saudi Arabia. It seems one may establish that the risks from Saddam Hussein are not so bad as they are made to appear. Moreover, certain threats - and much more acute ones - are presented by others in the region, like Iran and Hezbollah. But these are not high on the U.S. list of priorities. It is not desirable that the United States, so important to the free world, should pitch its power against a danger that is not first rate. Brigadier General (res.) Levran is the author of "Israeli Strategy after Desert Storm," published by Frank Cass. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! http://sbc.yahoo.com From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Sep 26 23:36:13 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalomBillboard] at least we can say NO - on a lot of occasions Message-ID: <3D938BDD.17649.20DD54D@localhost> //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// [1] Gush Shalom Reminder Friday Machsom Kalandia Demo [2] Saturday - demonstrate at Atlit Prison, in Kafar Munda, or both [3] Two years of the Al-aksa Intifada- weekend protests of Peace Now [4] Gush Shalom ad on World Order [This billboard may be incomplete; it is the best what the Gush Shalom email team could produce on the day of its coming back from abroad.] [1] Gush Shalom Reminder Friday Machsom Kalandia Demo ----- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Oren Medicks" Date sent: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 22:22:29 +0200 ìòáøéú: http://gush-shalom.org/ On Friday, September 27, Gush Shalom will take part in a demonstration in front of the Kalandia Check point The Demonstration will be held under the titles: "Stop the attack on the Palestinian people and their legitimate leadership" "put an immediate end to the closure and curfew" "withdraw from Palestinian territories"  The demonstration will be held at 1.30 by many peace movements Jewish and Arab  Transportation will leave the Arlozorov train station at 11:30 please ensure your place on the bus by phoning on Thursday to Gush Shalom: 5221732-03  [2] Saturday - demonstrate at Atlit Prison, in Kafar Munda, or both ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "ram rahat" Date sent: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 10:02:42 +0200 Dear Friend,  This is a final update on the solidarity vigil that the Shminstim are organizing on Saturday. The vigil will take place across from Military Prison 6 (at the Bet Oren junction on theHaifa-Hadera road)at 11am.  Transportation: Jerusalem - Binyanei Ha'uma - 8:30  Tel Aviv - El Al terminal next to the central train station - 9:30  For those interested in continuing to the demonstration that is being organized by the Arab Monitoring committee and Ta'ayush at Kafar Munda at 12:30 pm, transportation will be provided from the prison and back to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The demonstration marks two years since the killing of 13 Israeli Arabs.  ram rahat-goodman yesh gvul [3] Two years of the Al-aksa Intifada- weekend protests of Peace Now ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Yariv Openheimer" Date sent: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 12:22:50 +0200 26/09/02 Two years of the Al-aksa Intifada. SATURDAY NIGHT: PEACE NOW PROTESTS IN J'LEM, TA, HAIFA, BEERSHEVA AND KFAR SABA This Saturday night,28/09/02, protests will be held in Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheva and Kfar Saba. The main protest will be held in Jerusalem, where demonstrators will bring trash cans symbolizing the situation after these two years of violence: the economy is in the garbage, the peace process is in the garbage, and our security too is in the garbage! This weekend PEACE NOW activists will cover twenty intersections countrywide, hanging signs and distributing materials calling for the Government of Israel to Get Out of the Territories – Stop the Violence—Return to Negotiations – for the sake of all of us. Moria Shlomot, Director of Peace Now: “After two years of war, every Israeli and every Palestinian, himself and herself, is paying the price of war. The loss of life, the destruction of the economy, and the devastation of hope can only be ended by one solution – peace.” PROTESTS * Jerusalem: PM's residence, 20:00. : * Tel-Aviv: Tayelet (Seaside promenade, corner Frishman St.), 19:00. * Haifa: Merkaz Hacarmel, 19:00 (organized by the Haifa Peace Forum.) * Beersheva: "Big" shopping center, 20:00. * Kfar Saba: "Arim" shopping center, 20:00 (organized by the Sharon Area Peace Coalition.) [4] Gush Shalom ad on World Order ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Uri Avnery" Date sent: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 12:19:07 +0200 [Gush Shalom ad published in Ha'aretz, September 27, 2002.] WORLD ORDER The evil Sadam Violates UN resolutions. To hell with him! The hero Sharon Violates UN resolutions. How brave! The wise Bush Decides who may violate And who must be hit. Hail the Chief! Today, Friday, we shall demonstrate at Kalandia checkpoint, together with dozens of Jewish and Arab peace organizations, to demand immediate withdrawal from Ramallah and lifting the siege of Arafat. Help us with donations to P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, Phone 972-3-5221732. www.gush-shalom.org Requests for information about current actions: info@gush-shalom.org ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From otherisr at actcom.co.il Tue Oct 1 01:16:46 2002 From: otherisr at actcom.co.il (otherisr@actcom.co.il) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [fwd] Bargouti trial resumes Thursday Message-ID: <3D98E96E.187.250B4C@localhost> FYI ---------forwarded text follows------------- = == = == = == === = == = === == = == = == = == = == = The Bargouti Trial resumes Thursday - we should be there! = == = == = == === = == = === == = == = == = == = == = On Thursday this week, the trial resumes in Tel-Aviv of Marwan Barghouti, head of the Fatah Movement on the West Bank. At the earlier session, a month ago, members of the extreme right showed up and used the occasion for rampaging and wild racist incitement - without any presence of the peace movement. We have to make sure this does not happen again. Activists of several organizations (and/or from no particular organization) certainly intend to be there, this time. It is important to emphasize that Marwan Barghouti is a Palestinian leader unequivocally committed to the two states solution, to a state of Palestine side by side with the state of Israel. According to the charge sheet presented against him by the state of Israel, Barghouti tried to prevent suicide bombings inside Israeli territory and to limit the conflict to the Occupied Territories only. In the past few months Barghouti , out of his prison cell, has taken an active part in the efforts to achieve a cease-fire - efforts which the Sharon Government is doing all it can to foil by constant provocations. The place of Marwan Barghouti is not in the dock or in prison, but at the negotiating table. Those who put Barghouti on trial, like those who besieged Arafat, do not want to make peace with any Palestinian. Marwan Barghouti's trial resumes on Thursday this week (October 3), at the hall of Judge Gurfinkel of the Tel-Aviv District Court (corner of Weizman St. and Sderot Saul Hamelech). The trial is supposed to resume at 12.00 noon, but in order to get a place inside the hall, it is necessary to arrive already at 11.00 AM or even 10.30 AM). And even if you don't get a place inside the hall, it would still be important to be present outside the hall, among the crowd which is expected to be there and which would include representatives of the media. In short: see you there! From info at gush-shalom.org Wed Oct 2 14:42:06 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: Gush Shalom Billboard becomes TOI Billboard - SUBSCRIBE! Message-ID: <3D9AF7AE.8743.A67086@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// //=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // becomes // TOI Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// //=//=//=//=//=// >From now on this list will only be used to send you the Gush Shalom statements and announcements. The "billboard", including selected announcements and commentaries of others, will be continued by the editors of The Other Israel on a separate list. Subscribe yourself by sending one mail to TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com and (!) don't forget to reply afterwards to the confirmation request. Adam Keller Beate Zilversmidt Gush Shalom Email Infoteam Editors The Other Israel Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request At request, a selection of documents is also available in Spanish Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Fri Oct 4 01:08:59 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: (GushShalom] Israel has no right to try Barghouti Message-ID: <3D9CDC1B.7859.144757C@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ It was just a bit over two years ago - September 12, 2000. The Peace Tent was erected in the plaza outside the Tel-Aviv Cinemateque, under the slogan "Israel and Palestine - Two States Now!". In the list of featured speakers it was no surprise to see the name of Marwan Barghouti, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, together with such speakers as Dalia Rabin, Uri Avnery and Tamar Gozanski... A speaker of fluent Hebrew - picked up in prison during the first Intifada - and the personal friend of many Israelis from all over the political spectrum, Barghouti attended innumerable such events during the seven years of the Oslo process - always emphasizing his firm support for the two-state solution. Just two weeks later, Ariel Sharon staged his Temple Mount provocation, embroiling the peoples in a cycle of bloodshed which is still far from ended. And today Marwan Barghouti had another public appearance in Tel-Aviv, just a few streets away from the Cinemateque: a handcuffed prisoner, he was brought to the Tel-Aviv District Court, there to be charged by the state of Israel with heinous acts of terrorism. A number of Gush Shalom activists arrived at the court - among them Uri and Rachel Avnery - together with representatives of Machsom-Watch, New Profile, and Women for Peace. We had come two hours in advance to be sure of a place in the courtroom. After a prolonged wait in front of a locked door, a band of security men emerged to push us far back and announce that admittance would be restricted to those on a list prepared long in advance. The only journalists allowed were those on a specific "pool" - just when and by whom it was defined was not clear, but quite a few well-known Israeli and foreign journalists found themselves out. As for the general public, it turned out that "Families of the vicitims of terrorism" were to be given precedence - such precedence that once they went in there was no place left for anybody else. ("Sorry, the courtroom is full, no more places inside"). The suicide bombings of the past two years, indiscriminate as they were, have hit at all parts of the Israeli population (the same could be said for the Palestinians killed and wounded in the scarcely less indiscriminate bombings and bombardments by Israeli tanks and aircraft). In the sad ranks of the bereaved families, all political opinions could be represented. But the families selected for the privilege of being present in the courtroom during the Barghouti trial were all of the extreme right. Thus was produced the scene which we could see on our TV screens tonight: Barghouti, on his entry to the courtroom, meeting a uniformly hostile audience, which throughout the proceedings continued to shout abuse at the accused in the dock and his lawyers. Any hint that some parts of the Israeli society had a different attitude was carefully excluded from that courtroom, but not - as it turned out - from the media coverage. We were left outside the locked doors - among the chaotic medley of Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Arabs, right-wingers and left-wingers, activists, police and security men, all mixed up in an increasingly heated atmosphere. The stickers which we wore on our clothing, improvised on the previous evening for exaactly the case that we wouldn't be allowed in, bore the slogan "Barghouti to negotiations - not to trial". It drew considerable attention, some of it adverse. Debates often degenerated into shouting matches and bitter recriminations. We were faced with bereaved family members with genuine grief. But does even grief for a daughter killed in a suicide bombing - incidentally, one which happened when Barghouti was already behind bars - justify a woman in rudely shouting at any Palestinian she could see "You are aliens here, foreigners! This is our land and ours only!")? On the TV news the outdoors events got considerable attention, probably to th e chagrin of those who wanted it to be a neat show trial. The biggest surprise however was given by the youngest member of Barghouti's legal team, Advocate Shammai Leibowitz - like his grandfather the late Professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz an Orthodox Jew adept at giving unorthodox interpretations. "The struggle of the Palestinians to be free of the occuption is reminiscent of the Exodus of our forfathers from Egypt. Moses had killed an Egyptian foreman which he saw beating a Hebrew slave, and had to flee from Egypt. The Egyptian aurhorities had no right to try Moses like Israel now has no right to try Barghouti." [Reported by Adam Keller] --- --- This Gush Shalom list will from now on only be sending Gush Shalom messages. The "Billboard" (including forwarded announcements and commentaries of a variety of groups and individuals) will be sent by The Other Israel on a separate list. You can subscribe to the Billboard list by sending one blank mail to TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com and reply afterwards to the confirmation request. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Oct 6 16:04:42 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [Gush Shalom] Avnery: What a show! / "Ze'evi's heritage" call for letters Message-ID: <3DA0510A.22645.98C6D1@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [1] Uri Avnery comments on the Barghouti trial [2] "Ze'evi's heritage" taught in all schools + call for protest letters [3] Reminder about the Billboard's new home Uri Avnery 5.9.02 What a Show! Who doesn’t remember the picture: a Jew is put on trial in Moscow as a Zionist spy. Family members and friends come to observe the trial but are turned away. No place left, they are told, all the seats have already been taken. And indeed, KGB agents have filled the hall early, and with the entrance of the accused start to shout: “Traitor!” “Spy!” “Kill him!” The day before yesterday I witnessed something frighteningly similar in Tel-Aviv. The prosecution’s request to keep Marwan Barghouti in prison till the end of his trial was due to be heard in the District Court. Barghouti, a prominent political personality, has been known for years as the leader of Arafat’s Fatah movement on the West Bank. After Oslo, he participated in many peace demonstrations. He was kidnapped by the IDF and put on trial as a terrorist. Gush Shalom activists and others decided to attend and observe the proceedings. I arrived two hours early, but was not allowed into the courtroom, in spite of my press card. All the members of the public had been evicted, because inside a briefing of security personnel was taken place. I had a peek at dozens of security people and others inside the room. They obviously were planning what was about to happen. In the meantime, a crowd had assembled in front of the door. The security people ordered everyone to descend one floor and erected a barrier at the foot of the steps. Behind it, security people and officials of the Prime Minister’s office took up positions. They had lists in their hands. “Only people who appear on the lists will be allowed in!” they announced. Who did enter? A number of journalists and TV teams, according to a list prepared by the Government Press Office (a branch of the Prime Minister’s office). A few diplomats and a Knesset member. Apart from those, only people appearing on the list provided by the “Organization of Terror Victims”. This is an innocent name for a well-known group: a radical right-wing body, well organized and trained, that specializes in extremely vociferous Arab-bashing demonstrations. Often, the “victims” appear side by side with the rowdies of Kach – an outlawed Jewish terrorist group. The “victim’s organization” represents, of course, only a tiny part of the tens of thousands of families hurt by the violence, who belong to all segments of society. Suicide bombers do not differentiate between leftists and rightists, Jewish and Arab citizens. Apart from the members of this organization, no one – not one single person!!! – was allowed into the courtroom. I am a journalist. For some fifty years a have held a press card issued by the Government Press Office. I am also a former Knesset member. No matter, for two and a half hours I stood in front of the barrier, crowed in on all sides, unable to move, hardly breathing in the stifling heat, while the members of the “Victim’s Organization” passed by me, holding folded posters and large photos. Around me there were lawyers, peace activists, foreign journalists and ordinary spectators. In Israel and around the word people saw what happened in the courtroom: When Barghouti was brought in, the public inside started a riot, waving placards and pictures and shouting “Murderer!” “Terrorist!” “Kill him!” It looked like the circus in ancient Rome or a lynch mob. People seeing this on TV had no way of knowing that this was a show planned and organized well in advance by the Sharon government. The aim was clear. One of the participants, a man called Swiri, confessed to it candidly when interviewed on TV: “I wanted the world to see the victims of this murderer, Barghouti!” Meaning: the participants in the riot had not come to see and listen. They have convicted the accused even before the start of the trial. The principle, that every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a proper trial, is not recognized by them. It certainly does not apply to Palestinians. The very decision to stuff the hall with “terror victims”, to the exclusion of everybody else, amounts to a conviction in advance. The victims versus the perpetrator. This means that the whole “trial” is nothing but a propaganda exhibition, a show-trial of the sort that used to be associated with Fascist and Communist regimes. The pre-planned riot took place in a court. The Court Guard, which includes many Security Service agents, took part in the organization of the show, which was orchestrated by the Prime Minister’s office. It is hard to believe that all this happened without the knowledge – and, indeed, the cooperation - of the court. This puts the whole justice system, once the pride of Israel, to shame. But probably this debasement was inevitable. After the decisions of the Supreme Court approving torture (”moderate physical pressure”), exiling and demolishing the homes of relatives of suicide bombers, holding kidnapped people as “bargaining chips” (Sheikh Obeid and Dirani), this is another inevitable stage. It adds to the price of the occupation and the intifada: in this field, too, we are descending into the Third World. Israeli TV channels gave much prominence to the riot in the courtroom, without reporting how it was planned and orchestrated. And no wonder: what is happening now to the courts has already happened to TV. Since Ariel Sharon recently took direct control over the electronic media, everybody can see the result with his or her own eyes. Like the late Stalin, Sharon now appears on TV almost every day, speaking at length to the nation. Each such “event” is meticulously planned and directed by his spin doctors. He appears among soldiers, against a background of tanks, in the company of children, at meetings of bereaved parents, at memorial ceremonies. Never with the jobless in Yerucham or the hungry families in Dimona, who pay the price of the intifada. Every day one minister is invited, in his turn, to a long TV interview, explaining the government’s and his own immense achievements. For the sake of balance, a right-wing politician is often confronted with an extreme-right-wing colleague. Sometimes, but on fewer and fewer occasions, a “leftist” is called in for alibi purposes, and is allowed to utter a few sentences about peace, before he is interrupted by angry shouts. What a show! This is how the “only democracy in the Middle East” looks now. Once this was called a “people’s democracy”. [2] "Ze'evi's heritage" taught in all schools + call for protest letters At the personal initiative of Education Minister Limor Livnat, all Israeli schools are to give today October 6 special lessons on the "heritage" of the late Tourism Minister Rahav'am Ze'evi, assaasinated a year ago. Ze'evi, a general turned politician, was a leading proponent of "Transfer" of the Palestinian population of the Occupied Territories, which he saw as "the only solution". The call for such a "transfer" was the main plank in the program of the "Moleldet" ("Fatherland") party which Ze'evi founded and headed up to his death, and which still continues to vocally advocate the same idea. An Education Ministry spokesperson told Ma'ariv that the lessons given to Israeli pupils about Ze'evi's "heritage" will not touch upon "politically controversial issues" but will concentrate upon the character of Ze'evi as "a devoted patriot and long-serving military man, whose love for his country and dedication to her service make him a model of Zionist ideals". Gush Shalom long-standing member Hava Keller, herself a retired teacher, was this morning interviewed on Israeli Second Channel TV, representing a new initiative of "Teachers Against Racism" which strongly denounced the Education Minstry's step. We call upon you to send messages of protest to Education Minister Limor Livnat, using the model text or composing your own. To Education Minister Limor Livnat Ministry of Education Jerusalem Dear Madam I am surprised an shocked at your decision to have the heritage of Rehav'am Ze'evi taught in Israeli schools. The fact that he was assassinated is no excuse to make of him a martyr role model. Ze'evi is known in the first place for his propagating ethnic cleansing (transfer). None other than your former fellow Likud member Benny Begin, son of the late Menachem Begin, refused to be with Ze'evi in one government. The fact that Ze'evi was one of several thousands people killed in the cycle of violence and bloodshed of the past two years is no reason to single him out and make of him a hero which Israeli schoolchildren are taught to emulate. [3] Reminder about the Billboard's new home //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// //=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // became // TOI Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// //=//=//=//=//=// The Gush Shalom list will from now on only be sending Gush Shalom messages. The "Billboard" (including forwarded announcements and commentaries of a variety of groups and individuals) will be sent by The Other Israel on a separate list. You can subscribe to the Billboard list by sending one blank mail to TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com and reply afterwards to the confirmation request. If you only now subscribe you can still ask for the Billboard of Oct. 4 by sending a message to otherisr@aactcom.co.il with "please, send me the latest Billboard" ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Oct 7 16:09:13 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Immediate protests about the Khan Yuneis killings Message-ID: <3DA1B1A9.32575.9ACE3E@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [1] About the Gaza bloody provocation: Gush Shalom sent letters to the Attorney General and the IDF Judge Advocate General [2] protest at six TODAY, Ministry of Defense [1] About the Gaza bloody provocation: Gush Shalom sent letters to the Attorney General and the IDF Judge Advocate General Gush Shalom has sent a letter to the Attorney General, asking him to start investigations against Prime Minister Sharon and Defence Minister Eliezer on suspicion of having initiated the bloody act out of internal party politics - Sharon's struggle against Netayahu in the Likud internal elections today, and Ben Eliezer's interest in a tense military situation to justify Labor's remaining in the government, saving his Defence Portfolio. >From the IDF Judge Advocate General Gush Shalom asks an investigation of the military officers involved: Chief of Staff Ya'alon; Air Force Commander Dan Halutz, and Brigadier General Israel Ziv, Commander of the Gaza Strip Division. In the past two weeks the generals have repeatedly made public caalls for an aggressive policy aimed at bringing the Palestinians to their knees and encouraged military men in general and the pilots of helicopters and combat planes in particular to have a light finger on the trigger. The bloody results of today are a direct result. [2] protest at six TODAY, Ministry of Defense We got a call from Peace Now to stand protest about the Khan Yuneis bloody provocation already claiming 13 Palestinian dead and hundred wounded. The protest is at 6.00 PM, Defence Ministry. Peace Now asked us NOT to bring our War Crime signs... We decided not to bring there any Gush Shalom signs, but you will recognize us from the T-shirts. See you there. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// //=//=//=//=//=// // Gush Shalom Billboard // became // TOI Billboard // //=//=//=//=//=//=//=//=// //=//=//=//=//=// This Gush Shalom list will from now on only be sending Gush Shalom messages. The "Billboard" (including forwarded announcements and commentaries of a variety of groups and individuals) will be sent by The Other Israel on a separate list. You can subscribe to the Billboard list by sending one blank mail to TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com and reply afterwards to the confirmation request. --- Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Oct 10 00:10:08 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: DON'T open attachments which seem to be coming from Gush Shalom Message-ID: <3DA4C560.21534.EDDE4F@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ This is to tell you: DON'T open attachments which seem to be coming from us. There are some forces who like to send viruses as if they were sent by a Gush Shalom member. All kind of strange names followed by @gush-shalom.org.or by @mailman.gush-shalom - when there is an attachment you can be sure it's not from us. We hardly ever send attachments to a list, but will for the time being avoid it altogether. We update out antivirus program daily, and our computer is certified viryusfree. Let's hope that in this way we re stronger than the forces who want to harm us. The Gush Shalom Email Team --- Here follows the index of TOI-billboard, October 9, 2002 re Gaza, Oct. 8 [] Same place as always - report of an immediate protest [] Worse than a conspiracy - Yediot Aharonot [] Akiva Eldar in Ha'aretz - Winner takes out the garbage + Reminder: Akiva Eldar's lecture [] Not only Gush Shalom calls for investigation. [] Report " Israeli troops killed thirteen, including four children and a woman" [] Day 108 of Amer Abdelhadi's Nablus curfew diary other reports + upcoming action [] Friends stand together - report by Rabbi Arik Asherman [] Bat Shalom: Tour of the Fence, this Thursday at 10:00 [] Protest at Abu-Dis Sturday, October 12, 2002 - Ta'ayush invites other groups [] Yesh Gvul's refuser update + forum debate "Who's Afraid of Freedom of Speech" [] Israeli Embassy's answer re jailed CO Jonathan Ben-Artzi [] Request for volunteer Israeli drivers from Hares Reminder * Gush Shalom Billboard * became * TOI Billboard * The Gush Shalom list will be used for Gush Shalom's own messages and for actions which Gush Shalom actively supports. The "Billboard" (including forwarded announcements and commentaries of a more wide variety of groups and individuals) will from now on be sent by The Other Israel on a separate list. You can subscribe to the Billboard list by sending one blank mail to TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com and reply afterwards to the confirmation request. ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly sent as WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Oct 10 13:43:09 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [Gush Shalom] Avnery on demography + weekend action updates Message-ID: <3DA583ED.23545.73B3F4@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [After the article follow some anti-occupation updates.] Uri Avnery 12.10.02 A Jewish Demographic State It sounds like a bad joke, but it really happened: A rabbi went from Israel to Peru, converted a group of Native Americans to Judaism, brought them to this country and put them in a settlement, on land taken away from its Palestinian owners. There they receive, as all settlers do, generous government subsidies, paid for with money taken away from thousands of Israelis living below the poverty line. There they can live happily ever after (unless they leave the settlement in an unarmored car, in which case they may be ambushed by the original Palestinian owners.) What causes a state to bring total strangers from another hemisphere in order to displace the native people, who gave lived there for many centuries, at the price of an eternal bloody conflict? The answer touches the foundations of Israel. Since the founding of the state, its emissaries have been searching for "Jews". In the former Soviet Union, Jews were discovered either by finding Christians with remote Jewish family connections (the "Jewish grandmother") or by simply forging documents. Nobody knows how many non-Jews were thus brought to Israel by the Jewish Agency and other organizations - at least 200 thousand, perhaps 400 thousand. According to the laws of Israel, they were automatically accorded citizenship. A few days ago, the "National Demographic Council" was revived, after being condemned to inactivity for some years. This is an institution that is supposed to deal with what many Israelis consider the state's most important problem - more important than the war with the Palestinians, Saddam's weapons of annihilation, growing unemployment and the economic crisis. The "demographic problem" is being pondered in universities, talked about in the media, expounded by politicians and commentators. "Experts" with computers are calculating what will be the percentage of Jews in Israel in 10, 25, 50 or a hundred years time. Will they be less than 78%? Or - God forbid! - only 75%? Will the womb of the orthodox Jewish woman, in addition to expected immigration, balance the production of the Arab uterus? And if not, what can be done? Some propose encouraging Jewish births while resolutely discouraging Arab natural increase. Some suggest preventing Jewish immigrants from Russia from bringing with them Christian family members (allowed by the Law of Return in its present form.) Some demand the immediate expulsion of all foreign workers, before they settle down and establish families. Some pray for a wave of anti-Semitism in France or Argentina (but definitely not in the United States), that will push multitudes of Jews towards Israel. Many, including members of Sharon's government, support the simplest solution: driving all Arabs out of the country. The "new historian", Benny Morris, recently hinted that Ben-Gurion should have done this in 1948. The attitude of the state to it Arab citizens, who now number 19% of the population, reminds one of Pharaoh, who - according to the Bible - told his people how to deal with another national minority: "Come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply." And of the method employed: "They made their lives bitter." (Exodus, 1) According to the official definition, Israel is a "Jewish Democratic State". This was enshrined in law and endorsed by the Supreme Court. In theory, there is no contradiction between the two adjectives: The state is Jewish, but democracy safeguards equality for non-Jews, too. Or, alternatively, the state is democratic, but safeguards its Jewish character. In reality, this is not a "Jewish democratic state" but a "Jewish demographic state". Demography overcomes democracy in all fields of action. An Arab citizen feels at every turn, since childhood, that he has no part in the state, that he is, at most, a tolerated resident. In every government office, police station or place of work, even in the Knesset, he is treated differently from a Jew, even in times of quiet. True, apart from the Law of Return, which gives a "Jew" and his family (but not to Arab refugees) the absolute right to come to Israel, no law discriminates between a "Jew" and a non- Jew. But this is only make-believe: numerous laws accord special privileges to persons "to whom the Law of Return applies", without mentioning "Jews" specifically. This is so self evident, that all state officials act accordingly without even being aware of it. The "Israel Land Authority" distributes land to Jews, not to Arabs. All state development projects include Jews only. Among the hundreds of new towns and villages set up since the founding of Israel, not a single one was established for Arabs. There is no Arab minister in the Government, no Arab judge on the Supreme Court bench. Usually, all these omissions are explained away by the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After all, Israel's Arab citizens are Palestinians, too. But the question is what causes what: does the conflict create the anti-Arab attitude or does the anti-Arab attitude prolong the conflict? Critics of Israel accuse it of practicing "Apartheid", the South African racist doctrine. This analogy may be partly misleading. Unlike Apartheid, Zionism is not based on race, but on a mixture of ghetto mentality and 19th century European nationalism. Ghetto mentality is the spirit of a persecuted, isolated community, which saw the whole world as divided between Jews and Goyim (gentiles). European nationalism strove for a homogeneous national-ethnic state. The Jewish demographic state has absorbed both these elements: a homogeneous Jewish national-ethnic state, with as few non-Jews as possible. In Europe, where classical nationalism was born, it is giving way to the modern American outlook, which considers that every holder of a US passport belongs to the American nation, irrespective of race and ethnic origin. This has helped it becoming the most powerful state in the world, culturally, economically, and militarily. European nation-states are gradually ceding sovereignty to the European Union, and their citizenship is accorded to foreign immigrants, too, who contribute to their economy and safeguard their social welfare system. In Germany, children of immigrants born in the country receive citizenship, Britain and France are even more liberal. Israel is faced with a historical choice: to go back to being a Jewish ghetto, with demographic anxieties and state trappings, or to go forwards towards a new national outlook, on the American-European model. Zionism was the last European national movement. Israeli colonialism, too, has come 200 years too late. So it is perhaps natural that the challenge of adopting a new national outlook comes rather late. But in the end, I hope, the Jewish Demographic State will be replaced by the Israeli Democratic Republic, for the welfare and security of its citizens. P.S. Anti-occupation updates. [for more full forwarded messages, subscribe to the billboard - mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com] - Ta'ayush this Saturday October 12 in Abu Dis. Demo together with Palestinians against the fence which cuts through Abu Dis Transportation: Tel Aviv 8:00 Rakevet Zaphon : Ronen 067-579509 Haifa: 7:00 Solel Boneh : Yoav 054-790989 Jerusalem : 9:15 The Supermarket at Hagivaa Hazrfatit: Ive 055-226436 N.B.: Bring with you: Water, Something to Eat, I.D and comfortable shoes. - Saturday night Peace Now Tel-Aviv (demanding immediate end to policy of assassinations) returns to the Defence Ministry, 7 pm Index of billboard, October 9, 2002 re Gaza, Oct. 8 [] Same place as always - report of an immediate protest [] Worse than a conspiracy - Yediot Aharonot [] Akiva Eldar in Ha'aretz - Winner takes out the garbage + Reminder: Akiva Eldar's lecture [] Not only Gush Shalom calls for investigation. [] Report " Israeli troops killed thirteen, including four children and a woman" [] Day 108 of Amer Abdelhadi's Nablus curfew diary other reports + upcoming action [] Friends stand together - report by Rabbi Arik Asherman [] Bat Shalom: Tour of the Fence, this Thursday at 10:00 [] Protest at Abu-Dis Sturday, October 12, 2002 - Ta'ayush invites other groups [] Yesh Gvul's refuser update + forum debate "Who's Afraid of Freedom of Speech" [] Israeli Embassy's answer re jailed CO Jonathan Ben-Artzi [] Request for volunteer Israeli drivers from Hares ---- Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org * * and reply afterwards to the confirmation request. --- Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html Why are the volunteer international observers important? Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force. Information about the International Solidarity Movement - and how to support it in different ways - at http://www.palsolidarity.org/ * * In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Tue Oct 15 20:58:43 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Olive harvest and occupation & the EU draws the Green Line Message-ID: <3DAC8183.13382.18DA236@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Tel-Aviv, October 15 2002 [] Olive harvesting and the routine of occupation - a Gush Shalom assessment [] EU no longer to confer free-trade benefits to settlement products announcements -- Saturday, 19 October, Harvesting Olives for Peace: An Invitation -- a P.S.: ongoing harvesting on the coming weekdays -- Buy Olive Oil - Break The Siege --- [] Olive harvesting and the routine of occupation - a Gush Shalom assessment More and more Israeli peace-seekers are these days in the business of harvesting Palestinian olives - which are nowadays threatened with daylight robbery by settlers - or with trying to market Palestinian grapes and Palestinian olive oil among sympathetic Israelis. That is at least visibly and immediately useful. Meanwhile, there are a lot of terrible things going on about which we don't do much. The ongoing closure, the frequently re-appearing curfews, the nightly rounding up of men who are overfilling the prison camps, the steady encroachment of settlers on the land of their Palestinian neighbours, the ongoing building of the "border fence" between Israel and the West Bank which is being used as an excuse to grab even more parcels of Palestinian land... Even against the daily killings of Palestinians there is very little one can do. We continue to say what we have already said so often: the army / the Sharon government has no interest in Palestinian efforts to reach an end to violence. They want to do the "ending of violence" alone, and create during its course new facts in the occupied territories. So, when there has been a terrorist attack the army takes revenge, and when there has been no terrorist attack, the army also takes revenge - they have a never-ending list of whoever was once upon a time directly or indirectly involved in militant acts - all of them are of course "wanted terrorists". "Chisulim" (liquidations) the targeted assassinations are called in the Israeli media; sometimes they get retrocactively the name "mistaken liquidation". Furthermore, there are the innocent civilians shot dead because they happened to be in the same bed/house/car/ as a "wanted terrorist"; they are always "regretted". In some cases somebody is killed for nothing, just like that (for example when the security services set off a booby-trapped telephone booth in Beit Sahour, when the wrong person was in - they wanted to kill his cousin, today's papers write shamelessly). Some cases are "under investigation"; of other cases the army denies altogether to have anything to do with it. And, indeed, the possibility that some of the killings were done by a settler reservist who took his rifle and put on his uniform, cannot be rejected out of hand... With the looming American Iraq war and a mega-explosion in Indonesia, all this does not create much of a stir in the media - neither in Israel nor anywhere else. Meanwhile, Sharon has been summoned to the White House. From media reports and commentaries, his expected role during the coming cataclysm is to keep quiet and "not to rock the boat". In Bush-talk, this means not to do anything so bog and blatant as to get into the international media. Besieging Arafat, or killing 14 Palestinians at once were so conspicious that the US had to take official notice. So long as he avoids such things, the daily routine of occupation can go on... [BZ] [] EU no longer to confer free-trade benefits to settlement products [The following news reports the European recognition that the products of settlements aren't products 'made in Israel' - and acting accordingly. For information on the Gush Shalom boycott of settlement products see under boycott documents http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives.html ] EU duties on Green Line goods days away Ha'aretz - Tuesday, October 15, 2002 By Ora Coren and Amiram Cohen The European Union is finally beginning to implement a decision to impose customs duties on Israeli goods produced over the Green Line, a senior EU official in Brussels told Israeli sources recently. The process of imposing the duties "is now on automatic pilot, and it will be very hard to stop it," the Israelis quoted the official as saying. The duties are slated to be imposed on all goods made or grown in the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. When the EU originally decided to impose the duties last year, it gave Israel a ten- month grace period to clarify the status of various goods that the Europeans suspected of being produced in the territories. Once this period expires in the coming days, European countries are expected to begin imposing the duties, the EU official said. Another sign of the impending change was the recent demand by French customs officials that Israeli farmers label dates grown in the Jordan Valley as "Produce of Palestine" if they wish to avoid being charged customs duties. This demand was transmitted to officials of Agrexco, Israel's agricultural marketing company. Israeli sources predicted that France's customs agency would soon begin making similar demands on other products grown or made over the Green Line, and that the practice also would soon spread from France to other EU countries. However, the sources noted, the EU has granted each member state discretion with regard to the new customs policy, so some states could theoretically choose not to impose the duties. Israel and the EU have been negotiating the issue for months, but have yet to reach an agreement. The EU claims that the free-trade benefits conferred by Israel's Association Agreement with the group of states do not extend to goods made in the territories; Israel argues that such goods should be covered by the agreement, since Israel and the Palestinians have formed a customs union that includes both Israel and all the territories, except the Golan Heights. The next meeting on the subject is due to take place Monday in Brussels where Israel's delegation will be headed by Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. In a letter sent two weeks ago to Chris Patten, the EU's commissioner for external affairs, Peres proposed that the issue be shelved until 2005, since that is the date when, according to the diplomatic proposal recently unveiled by the Quartet, Israel and the Palestinians are supposed to conclude an agreement on permanent borders. But the consensus in Jerusalem is that the EU is unlikely to accept this proposal. -- Saturday, 19 October, Harvesting Olives for Peace: An Invitation Since early October, the olive harvest has been underway in the West Bank. Work is progressing very slowly, however, due to the closures and siege, while in some places, soldiers are keeping Palestinian farmers away from their own orchards. To add to this, groups of Israeli settlers have been attacking the villagers as they attempt to harvest. Numerous shooting incidents were reported, with many injured and one dead, in addition to beatings with rifle butts and rocks. Tens of thousands of olive-planted dunam are in jeopardy, as they lie near Israeli settlements. If the harvest is not complete by mid-November, thousands of families will have lost their meager livelihood, and a critical food commodity for all West Bank residents will perish. Several groups of Israelis have joined the olive harvest in recent days, serving as human shields against attacks by settlers and soldiers. These effective actions enabled some farmers to harvest their produce. We invite you to join a large group of peace activists this Saturday, October 19th, to help harvest olives in several villages in the West Bank. We want to make it possible for Palestinians to harvest their olives in safety, and also to stir public opinion to push the government and army into allowing this harvest to take place unimpeded. This action is the initiative of Israelis from many peace movements in cooperation with Palestinian friends. We have been endorsed by several peace organizations, and we expect the blessing of the entire movement. This is a non-violent action. Participation is from age 18. Bring with you: ID card, work clothes, hat, comfortable shoes, food and drink, camera, cell phone. To confirm participation: Hava (03) 522-7124; Yaakov (09) 767-0801 or (050) 733-276; Amos (09) 952-3261; or write to odsh7@zahav.net.il Transportation: 08:00 Jerusalem: Gan HaPa'amon. 09:00 Tel-Aviv: El-Al Terminal at the Arlozoroff Train Station. >From the Sharon Region: 08:30 Egged in Herzliya 08:45 Ra'anana, Ahuza, Yad Labanim 08:45 Tzomet Ra'ayana, near the stations 09:00 Kfar Saba, Egged, Weizmann St. >From the north and south - to be announced, pending sufficient participation. Meet (for those not coming by bus): 09:30, Sonol gas station at the entrance to Kfar Kassim. You can drive directly to this meeting point. Parking lot adjacent. Donations to cover expenses: Checks to "Mateh HaKo-alitzia", P.O. Box 1335, Kfar Saba 44113 or deposit directly into Account #119442, Bank HaPoalim, Branch 679, Tschernichovsky, Kfar Saba. -- P.S. Ongoing harvesting on the coming weekdays are coordinated by Rabbi Arik Asherman, Tel. 972 2 563-7731 - info@rhr.israel.net -- Buy Olive Oil - Break The Siege It is now the season of olive picking in the West Bank. Thousands of villagers all over Palestine make their living from selling olive oil. The continuing siege and curfew prevent them from picking the oilves, selling the oil, earn their living and live with dignity. This violation of basic rights, as well as the settlers sabotaging the trees of the villagers and the trees uprooting by the army, has nothing to do with security- just with brutality and humiliation, that create bitterness and hatred for generations. We invite you to take an action against the occupation and buy olive oil from villagers in Deer-Istia, Ya+IBk-abed and Beta in the West Bank. Jerican (about 17 liters) - 350 Nis. Liter- 25 Nis. For details contact Keren Assaf - 03-6911748 , 064-465650 mali_assaf@usa.net Transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request At request, a selection of documents is also available in Spanish Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sat Oct 19 12:29:12 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Joint olive harvesting - too late for Hirbat Yanun Message-ID: <3DB15018.6560.470567@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Immediate Release October 19, 2002 = == == == == == == == == == = == == == == == == == == == == = -Two hundred peace activists join Palestinian farmers in olive harvesting -Too late for Hirbat Yanun: the last inhabitants flee for settlers = == == == == == == == == == = == == == == == == == == == == = This morning 200 peace activists - from Gush Shalom, Peace Now, Ta'ayush and the Women's Coalition for Peace - went to several West Bank locations to protect by their presence Palestinians from settler harassment during the olive harvest. That it is about a lot more than this years' olives may become clear from the following which appears today on the Ha'aretz website: Ha'aretz Internet Edition Saturday, October 19, 2002. Last update - 10:06 19/10/2002 Palestinians abandon W. Bank village, citing attacks by settlers By The Associated Press The Sobih family vacating their village of Hirbat Yanun on Friday. (Photo: AP) Six Palestinian families set out Friday from the village of the West Bank village of Hirbat Yanun, leaving it completely abandoned. Once home to 25 families, members of the Sobih clan said they were fleeing after four years of worsening attacks by Jewish settlers who have set up illegal outposts on nearby hilltops. The attacks have become increasingly frequent in recent months, they said. Groups of masked Jewish settlers have charged into the village, coming at night with dogs and horses, stealing sheep, hurling stones through windows and beating the men with fists and rifle butts, Palestinian residents told the Associated Press. An electricity generator has been scorched by fire, knocking out power to the village. Three large water tanks were tipped over and emptied, the residents said. Palestinians complain bitterly of land lost over the past decades of Mideast conflict. Yanun is believed to the first time in recent years that Palestinians have abandoned an entire village due to the conflict. Confrontations between Jewish settlers and Palestinians often fall into a murky legal area, with the IDF, the police and the military's civil administration in the territories all being involved to varying degrees. An IDF spokesman, who did not want his name used, said soldiers try to prevent conflict between settlers and Palestinians, but that forces are primarily in the area to protect Israelis from attacks by Palestinian militants. Spokesmen for the police and the civil administration could not be reached on Friday evening, the beginning of the Jewish sabbath. Phone calls to the Yesha Settler's Council, an umbrella group for the settlers, also went unanswered Friday. The nearby Jewish settlement of Itamar, about 10 kilometers (six miles) to the west, was attacked by a Palestinian gunman on June 20. Five Israelis were killed and eight were injured before the gunman was shot dead. The residents of Yanun have not been linked to that attack or other violence. Yanun is an isolated valley hamlet flanked by two illegal outposts on nearby hilltops. The nearest settlement approved by the Israeli government is Itamar. In Yanun, the men cried as they got into two cars to leave for the larger nearby village of Aqraba, where they believe there will be safety in numbers. They'll live with relatives there or move into rented apartments. "Death would be easier than leaving," Kamal Sobih said, describing his attachment to the land where generations of his family have lived. "But there is no choice." He said he often spent nights keeping watch for attackers from his windows. Ahmed Sobih, an elderly man, sat in the back seat of the one of the cars, an Arab head scarf covering his right eye. He said he lost sight in the eye after a beating from an Israeli settler. He had been tending sheep on the hillside when a stranger approached. Sobih,mistaking the man for someone from a neighboring Arab village, went to shake hands with the man and offer him a cigarette but was beaten with his own walking stick, he said. The village chief, Abdelatif Sobih, was the last to go. He said he's been attacked seven times and that his wife Raideh threatened to leave him if they didn't abandon the place. "I kept urging the people not to leave, but they did, one by one," he said, crying. "They left me without a choice. I'm blaming my people as well (as the settlers) because they left me alone." For more information: +972-56-709603 / +972-3-5565804 --- Transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request At request, a selection of documents is also available in Spanish Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - more frequent than English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Oct 20 02:36:38 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Settlers fire guns to disrupt Israeli-Palestinian olive harvest Message-ID: <3DB216B6.9108.11C3C40@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [Uri Avnery's article deals with the violence of the past week in the Gaza Strip. The second item gives the Jerusalem Post report of Saturday's joint Israeli-Palestinian olive harvest - in which Avnery (79) took part.] [] The Chain of Command - Uri Avnery's analysis of the Gaza killings [] Settlers fire guns to disrupt Israeli-Palestinian olive harvest Uri Avnery 19.10.02 The Chain of Command There is little controversy about the facts: last Thursday, in an IDF action in Rafah, at least eight Palestinians were killed (the number will probably climb, since some of the wounded were severely hurt). Five of those killed were woman and children. Almost fifty people were wounded - many of them children who had just left their school after lessons. The event took place on the "Philadelphi" axis, a narrow strip of land designed to separate the Gaza area from neighboring Egypt. The Palestinians dig tunnels under the strip in order to move people, weapons and goods. The IDF endeavors to prevent it. Thursday, the IDF sent a bulldozer, guarded by tanks and armored troop-carriers, to block the tunnels. According to the army version, fire was opened on the bulldozer and the force. The brigade commander gave a tank commander permission to fire shells at the "sources of fire". All in all, five shells were fired at the densely populated refugee camp, including "flanchette" shells which spread thousands of deadly steel arrows, an especially inhuman weapon the use of which is forbidden by international law. The IDF suffered no casualties. The army alleges that among the Palestinians killed were three "armed men" who had shot at the bulldozer. The Palestinians contend that none of them was a known member of a fighting organization. (This is not necessarily a contradiction: nowadays any Palestinian is liable to open fire on the occupation forces.) The Palestinians speak about a "massacre". Israeli spokespersons say they regret the deaths of the children. The Americans asked Israel to exercise restraint. "The world" was silently reproachful. This was not an exceptional occurrence. It has become almost routine. Who is to blame? Let's try to compose a list. First: the occupation. The occupation creates resistance. In order to overcome the resistance, the occupation is forced to use more and more brutal methods. The occupied people, too, become more and more brutal. Human life becomes cheap, the borderline between fighters and non-fighters becomes blurred and disappears. Second: The axis itself. When the Gaza Strip was turned over to the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli generals demanded that there be no border between the Palestinian area and Egypt. The Rafah border crossing remained under Israeli control. The "Philadelphi" axis (I have no idea why it was so named) was designed to create the separation all along the border. In order to guard the axis, a strip six kilometers long and one hundred meters wide, soldiers must pass only dozens of meters away from the Palestinian neighborhoods, which are among the most densely populated in the world. In times of peace, that is a problematical situation. In times of conflict, this becomes a pressure cooker liable to explode at any moment. Third: the Sharon-Ben-Eliezer government. The "political leadership" consists of two generals, whose sole language is the language of force - the one is the leader of the Likud, the other is the leader of the Labor party. The policy of this government is to break by force the resistance of the Palestinian people to the occupation. It acts according to the typically Israeli maxim: "If force doesn't work, use more force." It may be that by now the Israeli occupation has become the most brutal of the modern era: millions of people are imprisoned in their homes for weeks and months on end, two thirds of the population have been pushed under the internationally-accepted poverty line, hundreds of thousands suffer from malnutrition, on the border of starvation - all this in addition to almost 2000 killed, among them some 400 children. There is no sign that the Palestinian resistance is about to break. Quite to the contrary. By orders and hints, the "political leadership" tells the army to use even more brutal methods, gradually abolishing all limits. To appease international opinion, some tiny restrictions are lifted, while at the same time much more severe ones are put into place. In this game, Shimon Peres, the Nobel hypocrisy prize laureate, plays an central role. Fourth: the Chief-of-Staff. Under the military hierarchical system, the Chief-of-Staff is the person solely responsible for all the acts and omissions of the IDF. General Moshe Ya'alon has already made public his extreme right-wing orientation. He has announced that any concession to the Palestinians constitutes a "reward for terrorism". He has defined the Palestinian resistance as a "cancerous growth". The Chief-of-Staff controls the actions of even the last man in the army. If he resolutely objects to certain actions, it will travel with lightning speed through the chain of command reaching every soldier, and if he encourages certain actions, or closes his eyes, this, too, will be felt instantly. There is no need for written orders. Every commander senses what his superior wants, every soldier senses was his commander desires. That's how the army works. Fifth: the Area Command chief. The Commanding Officer of the Southern area and his staff are well familiar with the topographical realities. They know that if you put tanks into the "Philadelphi" axis, there will be Palestinians who will open fire. There exists, therefore, a high probability that a fire-fight will develop near a densely populated area, and men, women and children will be killed. That's what happened this time, too. (The same thing has happened in other incidents in the Gaza Strip, such as the one a week before at neighboring Khan Younis, when 17 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed. A different topography, similar circumstances, same command.) Sixth: the brigade commander. After the fire fight started, the brigade commander ordered the firing of the shells. He knew that under the circumstances there was no possibility of separating the armed men from bystanders. He acted according to a principle, which seems to have been adopted by the IDF: in order to "liquidate" one armed man, it is worthwhile killing ten unarmed people. He should not have ordered the firing of even one shell, much less five. He acted with the approval of the division commander, who appeared again on television and boasted about the action. Like the commander of the air force, he seems to sleep very well at night. He has no qualms, no second thoughts, nothing. Seventh: the tank commander. A tank commander is supposed to be able to act under pressure and to make decisions under fire. He must have known that under the circumstances, one shell would cause havoc, and much more so several, including the murderous "flachette" variety. The light finger on the trigger is another symptom of the deterioration of the situation and places a heavy burden of guilt on the whole chain of command, from the Prime Minister down to the last soldier. Shooting shells at curfew-breakers, and especially at children throwing stones at heavy tanks, has already become the bane of the West Bank. The order to shoot shells may have been a "manifestly illegal order", over which flies "the black flag of illegality", which a soldier is obliged to disobey under Israeli law. No soldier can argue that he "only followed orders". I cannot judge if the lives of the soldiers were in danger. Fortunately, no soldier even suffered a scratch. IDF soldiers are better protected than any soldier in the world. But if they were indeed in mortal danger - the responsibility lies with the commanders, who deliberately put them into this situation. [] Settlers fire guns to disrupt Israeli-Palestinian olive harvest By THE JERUSALEM POST INTERNET STAFF Oct. 19, 2002 Dozens of settlers prevented residents of the West Bank villages of Akrabeh and Inabus near Nablus, as well as Jewish and Arab Israeli left-wing activists, from picking olives Saturday. The activists said settlers fired shots in the air in an attempt to stop the olive picking. Several dozens of left-wing activists of Peace Now, Gush Shalom, Ta'ayush (Jewish- Arabic partnership), the Women's Peace Coalition, as well as other organizations, arrived in Inabus on Saturday afternoon to help the Palestinian pick olives. The olive picking season, which starts at around the beginning of October, has been severely hampered by prolonged curfews imposed by the IDF in the West Bank, Gush Shalom said in a statement. The IDF, the statement said, frequently bars the Palestinian population from picking olives, the main source of livelihood for many. Also, the Jerusalem Post has previously reported police were investigating a West Bank settler on suspicions he was implicated in the killing of a 24-year-old Palestinian, Hani Yusuf of Akraba, and the wounding of another man on October 6, while they were harvesting olives near Hirbat Yanun and Itamar, in Samaria. Villagers from Inabus, just south of Yitzhar, filed complaints with police, according to which they were attacked on October 5 by a group of 20 to 30 settlers. 'They almost killed my wife,' Hisham Salomon said. 'They shot in the air, at the ground, and beat us with sticks and rocks. They might as well ship us off to Jordan or Iraq as they plan, maybe there we will at least have some peace.' The activists said several settlers from Yitzhar fired several shots in the air as well as at the group of Palestinians and activists engaged in olive-picking in Inabus Saturday afternoon, from a distance of some 300 meters. One activist said they shots were aimed at a group that included women and children. There was no immediate response from the settlers. In a conversation with the Jerusalem post internet staff, one of the Israeli activists, who would only give her first name, Liora, said her group had arrived at an olive grove near Yitzhar, at around 1 p.m. local time. "They (the settlers) started shooting at us when we were there for only about ten minutes," she said. Even though they were most of the fire was shot in the air, she said they could not know that at the time." We just ran away." She says the fire lasted for some 10 minutes. Later, she said, the activists resumed their work, but were moved by the IDF to a grove some 300 meters away, in what she termed "an attempt by the IDF to minimize 'friction' with the settlers." The olive-picking work, once resumed, lasted three hours. In one case, Liora told The Jerusalem Post, settlers continued to shoot rounds in the air even after all the Palestinians had left the grove, and only an Israeli activist stayed. "They kept shooting even though he was calling out to them that he was an Israeli," she said, "and shouted obscenities at him." Alleged illegal activity by West Bank settlers has come into the public eye during the weekend, when clashes residents of the Havat Gilad illegal outpost and their supporters clashed with the IDF over the dismantlement of the outpost. Settlers who were evacuated from the outpost earlier in the week arrived at the site Thursday night, apparently after having learned that the IDF and police were planning to tear down several prefabricated buildings still left there. In another case allegedly connected to settler brutality, six Palestinian families on Friday set out from the tiny village of Hirbat Yanun, near the settlement of Itamar, leaving it completely abandoned. Sobbing as they filled a truck with furniture and piled themselves into dusty cars, members of the Sobih clan said they were fleeing the village -- once home to 25 families -- after four years of worsening attacks by settlers, who have set up illegal outposts on nearby hilltops. The attacks have become increasingly frequent in recent months, they said. "Our life here is more bitter than hell," Kamal Sobih, a thin, bearded man of 40, said Friday. Groups of masked Jewish settlers have charged into the village, coming at night with dogs and horses, stealing sheep, hurling stones through windows and beating the men with fists and rifle butts, Palestinian residents said. An electricity generator has been scorched by fire, knocking out power to the village. Three large water tanks were tipped over and emptied. An IDF spokesman, who insisted his name not be used, said soldiers try to prevent conflict between settlers and Palestinians, but that forces are primarily in the area to protect Israelis from attacks by Palestinian militants. Police and the civil administration, as well as the Yesha Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, could not be reached for a statement Friday evening, because of the Shabbat The nearby settlement of Itamar, about six miles west, was attacked by a Palestinian gunman June 20. Five Israelis were killed and eight were injured before the gunman was shot dead The residents of Yanun have not been linked to that attack or other violence. More than 200,000 Jews live in about 150 settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- lands that are home to 3 million Palestinians, who hope to establish a state on the territory Israel conquered in 1967. "Death would be easier than leaving," Kamal Sobih said, describing his attachment to the land where generations of his family have lived. "But there is no choice". He said he often spent nights keeping watch for attackers from his windows. --- Transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request At request, a selection of documents is also available in Spanish Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From otherisr at actcom.co.il Thu Oct 24 14:21:31 2002 From: otherisr at actcom.co.il (otherisr@actcom.co.il) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Saturday: Israeli-Palestinian protest against the "Seperation Wall" Message-ID: <3DB801EB.25247.1239ABA@localhost> From: "Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)" To: Date sent: Subject: [GushShalom] Saturday: Israeli-Palestinian protest against the "Separation Wall" Send reply to: info@gush-shalom.org Priority: normal GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [1] Israeli-Palestinian demo against the "Separation Wall" [2] What's bad about the wall? [3] Report from the ground - the wall destroys daily life [4] Another tragic week - an assesment of the situation [1] Israeli-Palestinian demo against the "Separation Wall" This Saturday, October 26, we shall demonstrate, together with Palestinian inhabitants and a large group of international peace activists, against the wall of separation and hatred which is being erected to "separate" Israel from the West Bank – The Bad Wall – a Prison for Palestinians, a Ghetto for Israelis Meeting places 10.45: Arlozorov St. Railway Station, Tel-Aviv 11.30: Egedd Station, Kfar Sava Please phone as soon as possible to the Gush office, 03-5221732, to ensure seats, and state name, phone and number of participants. Not later than Friday noon. Two-Flag T-shirts are appropriate. [2] What's bad about the wall? "The Separation Wall" which is being erected, far from the media spotlight, is good only for the building contractors who line their pockets to the tune of millions and billions. For everybody else, Israelis and Palestinians alike, this wall is bad - very bad. It is locking the Palestinians in a prison - a ghetto, some would say, or a series of ghettos. And, in fact, it making Israel, too, into a ghetto from which the hope of ever achieving peace will recede further and further. Under the cover of "security" and "separation", the regality of Aapartheid is being institutionalized. An enormous robbery of Palestinians lands is taking place, by erecting a wall between villagers and their fields and olive groves. Thousands of Palestinians lose their last remaining lands. Hundreds of demolition orders for Palestinians homes were already issued. Whole villages will be cut off from the rest of the West Bank. A whole city - Kalkilia with its tens of thousands of inhabitants - will become an enclave completely surrounded by fences, walls and checkpoints, a virtual prison camp. Palestinian daily life will become hell, even more than they already are - and that will have a direct impact on Israeli daily life as well. When the wall is completed, the whole West Bank will become pressure cooker in which masses of desperate and angry Palestinians will be imprisoned, together with violent and aggressive settlers and a trigger-happy army. Possibly, in the short range the wall will prevent a few suicide bombings (even that is not certain). In the longer (and not so long) range, the explosion will be enormous and terrible. By its very nature, this wall is a "solution" by brute force,. It is a continuation of the dangerous illusion that tanks and bulldozers enable Israel to unilaterally impose twisted solutions upon its neighbors. There can be no alternative to negotiations, to a peace agreement, to to an agreed border, to a reconciliation between the two peoples. Only this can give a new hope to the desperate Palestinian youths, remove their temptation to put on explosive belts and set out for Israeli cities. There can be no replacement to the Green Line as the peaceful border between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine. In a border of peace there will be no need of fence. In an ongoing occupation, without peace and without a border, a wall will do no good - on the contrary, it will cause untold human suffering and a grave damage to the chances of peace and reconciliation. [3] Report from the ground - the wall destroys daily life We have decided to initiate this action, though knowing that several other worthy peace actions are scheduled for the same day, in response to an urgent call from the ground. The following is taken from a press release sent out a few days ago by the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) whose members maintain a constant presence in the villages directly affected by the construction of the "Separation Wall". (...) The villagers have been protesting the illegal confiscation of the destruction of their precious farmland full of beautiful olive groves. The Israeli contractors have gone on working despite the villagers' appeal to the High Court. Villagers were accompanied by the ISM team to protest the illegal work activity. ISM members defied orders to make way for the bulldozers that were on their way to uproot the olive trees and farmland. ISM members and Palestinians stood their ground even when the army lobbed twelve tear gas canisters directly at the crowd and 3 sound bombs. The crowd only dispersed when soldiers started shooting live ammunition in the air and then aimed their guns directly at the crowd. One ISM member, Tom Winston from the Seatte area, was arrested and kept in detention for several hours, after standing in the way of the private security guards employed by the contractors. Later, two Palestinian brothers have been arrested for refusing to clear the site and let the bulldozers complete the destruction of olive trees on their land - Ehab Khaled (21 years old), and Fadi Khaled (17). At the time of writing [Sunday afternoon] bulldozers have now begun the destruction of the olive groves, belonging to the Khaled brothers. Palestinians and the ISM team are surrounding many other olive trees, so far untouched, to keep them from being uprooted.(...) Similar reports keep coming in from village after village along the site of the intended "Separation Wall". [4] Another tragic week - an assesment of the situation It has taken forty-eight hours to identify the charred bodies left in the wake of Monday's suicide bombing at Karkur Junction in northern Israel - young and old, soldiers and civilians, Jews and Arabs, fourteen random victims who happened to travel on an Israeli bus. Just as random as the lists of victims resulting from the wild shooting sprees by Israeli tanks and helicopter gunships at Palestinian population centers. (The excuse that civilians are not deliberately targeted, and the perfunctory apologies offered by government officials, are fraying thin when such killings of civilians have come to be an almost daily occurrence). This time, the Sharon Government - under strong pressure from President Bush, anxious with the faltering support for his Iraqi war plans - refrained from a conspicuous retaliation for the bombing, such as last month's siege of Arafat headquarters. Instead, the army opted for further tightening the already heavy burden of occupation, curtailing the meager "humanitarian measures" of the past month, and for petty acts of tyranny not big enough to get the attention of the international media. (The house of a bomber dead for half a year was blown up, as well as that of one already long in Israeli custody on charges of terrorism, on the doubtful theory that throwing their families into the street would "deter future bombers".) The cycle of occupation and oppression, hatred and bloodshed continues to roll, and the only possible solution - the end of the occupation - remains a distant dream. By now, it is obvious even to the most otiose that, however long Ariel Sharon remains Prime Minister of Israel, he will continue to talk in the abstract of "willingness to make painful concessions" while having no intention whatever of ever making these concessions or even specifying what they may be. Increasingly, the general Israeli public is becoming aware that the Sharon Government has driven the country into an impasse in all spheres - the never-ending war with the Palestinian as well s the fast-deteriorating -economic situation. The atmosphere of "national unity" which sustained Sharon in the past year and half seems in the process of breaking up. True, the highly-visible campaign to remove illegal settlement outposts, undertaken by Defence Minister and Labor Party Leader Ben Eliezer, lacks credibility. It is generally regarded as a transparent ploy in Ben-Eliezer's struggle with dovish claimants to the Labor leadership. Yet that very ploy is proof to existence of a dovish constituency in the Israeli society, a constituency which even cynical politicians must recognize and attempt to mollify... Yesterday morning, dozens of high school pupils refusing to serve the occupation came to the Tel Hashomer Induction Center to accompany their fellow Haggai Matar, whose call-up date came due. Walking with him up to the very gate, they sang to the strains of a guitar which one of the youths brought along: "No, thank you, Mr. Sharon/ Go yourself to Hebron/ Damn your schemes all to hell/ We're off to cozy prison cell". Haggai got an initial term of 14 days, to be followed by further orders to enlist and further terms of imprisonment upon refusal. Later that day, family members visited Uri Ya'akobi, who had already gone four times through this cycle, and found him in good spirits and as determined as ever, though complaining of hard work at the prison kitchen. He was obviously on good terms with the non-political prisoners who comprise the majority of the prison population. It is with fine young people like these that Israel's hope for a better future rests. --- Transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request At request, a selection of documents is also available in Spanish Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From otherisr at actcom.co.il Fri Oct 25 16:21:35 2002 From: otherisr at actcom.co.il (otherisr@actcom.co.il) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:57 2004 Subject: Reminder: Tomorrow (Sat. 26/10) Israeli-Palestinian demo against the "seperation wall" wall Message-ID: <3DB96F8F.5326.3A4AB19@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [1] Testimony: the violence with which the "Seperation Wall" is being built [2] Reminder: tomorrow (Sat., Oct. 26) Israeli-Palestinian-international demo [3] What's bad about the wall? [1] Testimony: the violence with which the "Seperation Wall" is being built Following is a further piece of evidence of what is going on in the Palestinian villages whose land is being taken up for building the "Seperation fence". (In fact, the term "fence" common in the Israeli media, is misleading - what is being built is a monstrous wall, 8 metres high. The situation described in the following press release of ISM (International Solidarity Movement) makes aall the more necessary and urgent the Gush Shalom protest planned for tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 26). (...) At 2:30 pm today,[Oct. 23] the 17-year old Maher Arref went to his family's vegetable fields to gather some food for his home. Arref was ambushed by six Israeli military police, without warning and without dialogue. They beat him with their boots and rifle butts, stripped him and threw him into the nearby cactus plants, and detained him until 5pm. Activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) arrived shortly after Arref was released. Private Israeli security personnel, employed by the building contractors erecting the "Seperation fence", did not disclose any information about the incident and threatened to shoot the ISM activists when they persisted in inquiring about what had happened. Arref said the soldiers claimed to have recognized him from demonstrations in the village earlier in the week and threatened to kill him and his family if they were to see him again. In the past week, residents of the village have stood in non-violent protest against the destruction of their land and olive trees, perpetrated in order to make way for the building of the so-called "security fence" which will isolate over 8,600 dunams of the village's agricultural land. The village was under curfew yesterday as a result of these acts of resistance. Today's event happened on the very time that the army declared that Palestinian farmers are free to tend to their fields and continue the olive harvest, rescinding yesterday's military order prohibiting Palestinian farmers from doing so. All of the Arref family's agricultural land will be isolated on the western side of the security fence. ISM activists will accompany the family to their fields tomorrow morning. ISM Contact information: Michael McGrath 972 (0)52 694 380 [2] Reminder: tomorrow (Sat., Oct. 26) Israeli-Palestinian-international demo Tomorrow, Saturday October 26, we shall demonstrate, together with Palestinian inhabitants and a large group of international peace activists, against the wall of separation and hatred which is being erected to "separate" Israel from the West Bank – The Bad Wall – a Prison for Palestinians, a Ghetto for Israelis Meeting places 10.45: Arlozorov St. Railway Station, Tel-Aviv 11.30: Egedd Station, Kfar Sava Please phone as soon as possible to the Gush office, 03-5221732, to ensure seats, and state name, phone and number of participants. Not later than Friday noon. Two-Flag T-shirts are appropriate. [3] What's bad about the wall? "The Separation Wall" which is being erected, far from the media spotlight, is good only for the building contractors who line their pockets to the tune of millions and billions. For everybody else, Israelis and Palestinians alike, this wall is bad - very bad. It is locking the Palestinians in a prison - a ghetto, some would say, or a series of ghettos. And, in fact, it making Israel, too, into a ghetto from which the hope of ever achieving peace will recede further and further. Under the cover of "security" and "separation", the regality of Aapartheid is being institutionalized. An enormous robbery of Palestinians lands is taking place, by erecting a wall between villagers and their fields and olive groves. Thousands of Palestinians lose their last remaining lands. Hundreds of demolition orders for Palestinians homes were already issued. Whole villages will be cut off from the rest of the West Bank. A whole city - Kalkilia with its tens of thousands of inhabitants - will become an enclave completely surrounded by fences, walls and checkpoints, a virtual prison camp. Palestinian daily life will become hell, even more than they already are - and that will have a direct impact on Israeli daily life as well. When the wall is completed, the whole West Bank will become pressure cooker in which masses of desperate and angry Palestinians will be imprisoned, together with violent and aggressive settlers and a trigger-happy army. Possibly, in the short range the wall will prevent a few suicide bombings (even that is not certain). In the longer (and not so long) range, the explosion will be enormous and terrible. By its very nature, this wall is a "solution" by brute force,. It is a continuation of the dangerous illusion that tanks and bulldozers enable Israel to unilaterally impose twisted solutions upon its neighbors. There can be no alternative to negotiations, to a peace agreement, to to an agreed border, to a reconciliation between the two peoples. Only this can give a new hope to the desperate Palestinian youths, remove their temptation to put on explosive belts and set out for Israeli cities. There can be no replacement to the Green Line as the peaceful border between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine. In a border of peace there will be no need of fence. In an ongoing occupation, without peace and without a border, a wall will do no good - on the contrary, it will cause untold human suffering and a grave damage to the chances of peace and reconciliation. [3] Report from the ground - the wall destroys daily life We have decided to initiate this action, though knowing that several other worthy peace actions are scheduled for the same day, in response to an urgent call from the ground. The following is taken from a press release sent out a few days ago by the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) whose members maintain a constant presence in the villages directly affected by the construction of the "Separation Wall". (...) The villagers have been protesting the illegal confiscation of the destruction of their precious farmland full of beautiful olive groves. The Israeli contractors have gone on working despite the villagers' appeal to the High Court. Villagers were accompanied by the ISM team to protest the illegal work activity. ISM members defied orders to make way for the bulldozers that were on their way to uproot the olive trees and farmland. ISM members and Palestinians stood their ground even when the army lobbed twelve tear gas canisters directly at the crowd and 3 sound bombs. The crowd only dispersed when soldiers started shooting live ammunition in the air and then aimed their guns directly at the crowd. One ISM member, Tom Winston from the Seatte area, was arrested and kept in detention for several hours, after standing in the way of the private security guards employed by the contractors. Later, two Palestinian brothers have been arrested for refusing to clear the site and let the bulldozers complete the destruction of olive trees on their land - Ehab Khaled (21 years old), and Fadi Khaled (17). At the time of writing [Sunday afternoon] bulldozers have now begun the destruction of the olive groves, belonging to the Khaled brothers. Palestinians and the ISM team are surrounding many other olive trees, so far untouched, to keep them from being uprooted.(...) Similar reports keep coming in from village after village along the site of the intended "Separation Wall". [4] Another tragic week - an assesment of the situation It has taken forty-eight hours to identify the charred bodies left in the wake of Monday's suicide bombing at Karkur Junction in northern Israel - young and old, soldiers and civilians, Jews and Arabs, fourteen random victims who happened to travel on an Israeli bus. Just as random as the lists of victims resulting from the wild shooting sprees by Israeli tanks and helicopter gunships at Palestinian population centers. (The excuse that civilians are not deliberately targeted, and the perfunctory apologies offered by government officials, are fraying thin when such killings of civilians have come to be an almost daily occurrence). This time, the Sharon Government - under strong pressure from President Bush, anxious with the faltering support for his Iraqi war plans - refrained from a conspicuous retaliation for the bombing, such as last month's siege of Arafat headquarters. Instead, the army opted for further tightening the already heavy burden of occupation, curtailing the meager "humanitarian measures" of the past month, and for petty acts of tyranny not big enough to get the attention of the international media. (The house of a bomber dead for half a year was blown up, as well as that of one already long in Israeli custody on charges of terrorism, on the doubtful theory that throwing their families into the street would "deter future bombers".) The cycle of occupation and oppression, hatred and bloodshed continues to roll, and the only possible solution - the end of the occupation - remains a distant dream. By now, it is obvious even to the most otiose that, however long Ariel Sharon remains Prime Minister of Israel, he will continue to talk in the abstract of "willingness to make painful concessions" while having no intention whatever of ever making these concessions or even specifying what they may be. Increasingly, the general Israeli public is becoming aware that the Sharon Government has driven the country into an impasse in all spheres - the never-ending war with the Palestinian as well s the fast-deteriorating -economic situation. The atmosphere of "national unity" which sustained Sharon in the past year and half seems in the process of breaking up. True, the highly-visible campaign to remove illegal settlement outposts, undertaken by Defence Minister and Labor Party Leader Ben Eliezer, lacks credibility. It is generally regarded as a transparent ploy in Ben-Eliezer's struggle with dovish claimants to the Labor leadership. Yet that very ploy is proof to existence of a dovish constituency in the Israeli society, a constituency which even cynical politicians must recognize and attempt to mollify... Yesterday morning, dozens of high school pupils refusing to serve the occupation came to the Tel Hashomer Induction Center to accompany their fellow Haggai Matar, whose call-up date came due. Walking with him up to the very gate, they sang to the strains of a guitar which one of the youths brought along: "No, thank you, Mr. Sharon/ Go yourself to Hebron/ Damn your schemes all to hell/ We're off to cozy prison cell". Haggai got an initial term of 14 days, to be followed by further orders to enlist and further terms of imprisonment upon refusal. Later that day, family members visited Uri Ya'akobi, who had already gone four times through this cycle, and found him in good spirits and as determined as ever, though complaining of hard work at the prison kitchen. He was obviously on good terms with the non-political prisoners who comprise the majority of the prison population. It is with fine young people like these that Israel's hope for a better future rests. --- Transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request At request, a selection of documents is also available in Spanish Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Oct 28 19:32:29 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Avnery on the harvest struggle + forwarded report Message-ID: <3DBD90CD.32071.15FEEFE@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [1] Avnery on the harvest struggle [2] Report of Israeli Settler Attack on Foreign Volunteers [Uri Avnery reflects on the harvest struggle - including his own experiences; after that an alarming report about settler violence against international volunteer olive pickers which we forward.] [1] Avnery on the harvest struggle Naboth had a Vineyard Uri Avnery, 26.10.02 Had they been there last Saturday at sunset, most Israelis would not have believed their eyes. In the middle of Havarah, a small village south of Nablus, 63 Israelis, men and women, young and old, were standing together with dozens of Palestinian villagers. Jews and Arabs talked together, drank juice offered by the hosts, exchanged addresses and phone numbers. The local children were wearing stickers brought by the guests, showing the flags of Israel and Palestine. Nobody bore arms. All of them looked happy, and with reason: they had just finished a hard day’s work at olive picking. They had been together under the trees. They were together when the settlers opened fire. All this happened deep inside Palestinian territory, after two years of violent confrontation. A feast of Israeli-Palestinian fraternization in the middle of the bloody attacks. A human experience. A political act. A symbolic event. Since biblical times the olive tree has been the symbol of this country. It has sustained the peasants for many generations – Canaanites, Israelites, Arabs. Throughout the year, the peasant works in the grove that has been handed down from father to son, treats the trees, cleans the ground. During the few weeks of harvest, the whole family picks the olives – men and women, old people and children. The olives must be picked in time and brought to the olive press, where the golden liquid is extracted – olive oil. These are days of rejoicing. A whole family can live now on ten olive trees. Without them, they cannot exist. The harsher the occupation becomes, the more it prevents movement and denies livelihood, the more the villagers become dependent on the olive trees. Therefore the actions of the settlers are so dastardly. They try to prevent the harvesting, to steal the fruit or to burn the groves. Their actions remind one of one of the wickedest deeds described in the Bible, for eternal shame: the story of Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21.): “Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house, and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it, or, if it seems good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee…” The rest of the story is well known: Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, produced false witnesses, Naboth was stoned to death, Ahab got the vineyard. In the end, the dogs licked the blood of both Ahab and Jezebel. But compared to today’s settlers, the wicked Jezebel was a model of righteousness. The settlers take possession of the villagers’ olive groves without even offering payment or alternatives. They just shoot. One Palestinian boy was shot and killed by them while picking olives, hundreds of others were driven out. Almost every Palestinian village has olive groves that border on some settlement or “outpost”, and that is now controlled by the settlers. When the owners approach to clean the ground or pick the olives, the settlers shoot at them “in coordination with the army”. The simple pretext: when the villagers pick olives near a settlement, they can see what happens there and threaten it. A monstrous perversion, indeed: putting a settlement in the middle of a dense population of Palestinians and forbidding them to work their land, because it is close to the settlement. In some cases the settlers were not satisfied with shooting, but invaded the groves physically, drove away the villagers and stole the olives they had picked. The prophets of Israel would have been shocked. Daylight robbery. And the army keeps silent. The intentions of the settlers are more evil than those of Ahab and Jezebel. They want to turn the life of the villagers into hell, in order to force them to leave. That is what’s called “voluntary transfer”, or, in simple language, ethnic cleansing. For decent Israelis, the conclusion is clear: they get up to help the villagers to pick the olives, before they rot on the trees or are stolen. They form a “human shield” against the settlers. During the last few weeks, hundreds of Israelis have done just that. Last Saturday, 260 Israelis answered the calls of the various peace organizations (Gush Shalom, Ta’ayush, The Women’s Coalition, a sector of Peace Now and others.) They were divided between the villages that were in the greatest danger. My lot was to come to Havarah, a village lying in a valley between two high mountains. Its olive groves are dispersed on the steep slopes of the mountains, which are covered with rocks and stinging bushes. It was quite an effort just to get there. Here and there somebody fell down and was scratched. But all arrived. Around dozens of trees, groups of pickers, Israelis and Palestinians, started to work. The owners of the trees took advantage of the presence of the Israelis and worked quickly. Going against accepted practice, they hit the branches with sticks in order to get the fruit to fall on the green plastic sheets that were spread on the ground. Bad for the tree, but much quicker. Time was short. Everybody was working feverishly, holding the fruit-laden branches and filling buckets and sacks or gathering from the ground. Each olive was precious. Sportsmen and sportswomen climbed into the trees, filling hats and bags. The groups that reached the top of the mountain found themselves opposite the settlers of Yitzhar, a well-known nest of fanatics, dressed in their Sabbath clothes – black trousers, white shirts – and holding their guns. They threatened the pickers, shot into the air and at the ground (one of the Israeli pickers was hit by a clump of earth). The shots echoed between the mountains. Forty minutes later the soldiers appeared, and, after hugging the settlers, demanded that the pickers leave the area. They explained that the settlers were right when they opened fire, because the pickers were endangering the settlement. The pickers continued their work obstinately, defended by the Israeli “human shield”. But gradually they were pushed down the slope, closely followed by the settlers, with the soldiers in between. In the other groves, the work continued without interruption. While it was going on, cigarettes were exchanged, conversations started, first haltingly, than more vividly, in spite of language difficulties. Some of the villagers spoke Hebrew and told about the places in Tel-Aviv where they had worked. Before darkness fell, the sheets were gathered and folded, people put the heavy, full sacks on their shoulders or on donkeys, and started the descent from the steep slopes, from terrace to terrace. The local boys leapt easily, the elderly and the guests moved more cautiously, holding on to bushes and supporting each other. Many happy people were there. Those who had faced down the hooligans were happy because they had not fled. The Israeli pickers were happy because they had combined a political demonstration with a useful act. The Palestinians were happy because they had saved at least part of their harvest. They were carrying the heavy bags on their shoulders. At the foot of the mountain, the sacks were put on donkeys and ancient cars that looked as if they were about to fall apart at any moment. In the end, an emotional farewell: hundreds of Palestinians, men, women and children, waved enthusiastically at the departing Israelis, in the village square, the alleys and from the windows - a whole village. The happy earnings of a day’s work. [2] Report of Israeli Settler Attack on Foreign Volunteers ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Huwaida Arraf Date sent: Sun, 27 Oct 2002 04:42:57 -0800 (PST) INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT (ISM) Grassroots International Protection for Palestinians (GIPP) Sunday, October 27, 2002 For Immediate Release MASSIVE ISRAELI SETTLER ATTACK ON FOREIGN VOLUNTEERS IN PALESTINE Number of Internationals Injured and Hospitalized  [Yanoun, Nablus] Militant Israeli settlers attacked a group of international volunteers working with Palestinians to harvest olives in the olive groves near the Palestinian village of Yanoun. Immediately after a Palestinian operation in the Israeli settlement of Ariel in the Israeli- occupied Palestinian Territories that killed two Israeli settlers and soldiers, a group of about a dozen armed Israeli settlers spotted the workers from their settlement (which is illegal under the Fourth Geneva Conventions), and descended upon the international volunteers, kicking, punching and beating them with stones and rifles butts. The internationals were out in front of the Palestinian workers, trying to protect them from the settlers. The injuries are as follows:  James Deleplain – US citizen, 74 years of age – repeatedly hit in the face, wound under his left eye and massive swelling, kicked in the back and both the right and left rib cage, with a possible broken rib. James had pneumonia two weeks ago and has been coughing since, therefore the beating, especially in the rib cage has left him in a very weak state.  Mary Hughes-Thompson – US and British citizen, 68 years of age - repeatedly hit in both arms.Possible broken arms. Speaking to Mary while she was on her way to the hospital, she stated "I am convinced they were trying to kill me."  Robbie Kelly – Irish citizen, 33 years of age- beaten in the face and body with rifle butts. Swollen mouth, bruised ribs and 7 stitches in his left ear.  Omer Allon– Israeli citizen, 24 - cuts and gashes in both legs and bruises all over his body.  Also the internationals' money and passports were stolen by the attackers, all of whom were of teenage years according to the volunteers. Palestinians in the area may have also been attacked but we don't have concrete information yet.  Over 100 international volunteers are in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as part of the International Solidarity Movement's (ISM and GIPP) Olive Harvest Campaign. For more information about this, please see www.palsolidarity.org . Internationals and Israelis have been providing a continual presence in the village of Injuries are being treated at Lijnat il-Zakaat Hospital/Clinic in Aqraba: +972-(0)9-259-8550.  For more information: Sami Hayek: +972-(0)67-758-947 Robbie Kelly: +972-(0) 628-476 ISM office: +972-2-277-4602  --- Transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request At request, a selection of documents is also available in Spanish Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Tue Oct 29 20:33:40 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] A further threat to Gush Shalom and to what democracy there is Message-ID: <3DBEF0A4.3002.84B99@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Press Release, 29/10/2002 A further threat to Gush Shalom And to what democracy there is... = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = Assistance to International War Crimes Tribunal to be punishable Israeli Government Coalition Chair proposes new bill. Gush Shalom activists would face 10 years in prison = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = While the Sharon government struggles for survival, another effort to hit Israeli democracy and in particular Gush Shalom: A bill tabled today at the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) would criminalize any assistance rendered by an Israeli citizen to the International War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague. It was presented by MK Zeev Boim, a senior member of the ruling Likud party and chair of the government coalition. Under the bill, any assistance by an Israeli citizen to the Hague Court would be punishable by up to ten years' imprisonment. The bill includes a detailed list of proscribed acts, all liable to such a punishment: "The provision of any information such as writings, photographs, documents, opinions and reports" as well as "The collection, keeping and preparation and transfer of information" and "The holding of investigations and the writing down of their results". Additionally, any association engaged in any such activities would be liable to be disbanded. Evidently, the proposed law is primarily directed against Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc, which recently cautioned 15 senior IDF officers that certain actions may lead to their indictment in the International Court. At the time, Prime Minister Sharon has demanded that Gush activists be indicted. The Attorney General, Elyakim Rubinstein, started an investigation but - after a wave of international protests, among them leading Jewish voices - the AG found that the Gush Shalom action did not violate any existing law. Thereupon the Minister of Justice, Me’ir Sheetrit, threatened to initiate a new law. The Boim Bill is evidently designed to fulfil this promise. Once enacted, however, the new law could find a much wider application. In fact, any act of by human rights organization collecting and disseminating testimonies of human rights violations might be eventually construed as violation of the new law, on the pretext that the reports might find their way to the Hague Court and used by it as evidence. The same may hold for the Settlement Watch reports periodically issued which contain information about a clear violation of international law, and which are widely disseminated throughout the world. “This bill betrays the memory of six million Holocaust victims,” declared former Knesset Member and Gush Shalom activist Uri Avnery. “After the Holocaust, the Jewish people fought with all its strength for the creation of an International War Crimes Court, and now the Sharon Government tries to destroy it. This is tantamount to an admission that they have something to hide.” “Even the USA, which wants to exclude its soldiers from the jurisdiction of the Hague Court, has not dared to enact such a despicable law,” commented Adam Keller, the Gush Shalom spokesperson. “It would turn Israel into an international outcast - a country which first signed the Rome Treaty, and would now forbid its own citizens on pain of dire punishment from helping the same court. It would place the best of Israel's citizens, the sensitive and conscientious persons who care about human rights and international law, in an impossible dilemma: either be an accomplice to war crimes or face prosecution and imprisonment". Keller called upon the Labor Party, now at last starting to make its way out of the Sharon Government, to struggle against its enactment. Under Knesset procedures, a private member's bill needs 45 days between being tabled and being presented to a vote, which gives some time for organizing an protest campaign. Sometimes during these 45 days, the Boim Bill should come up on the agenda of the Cabinet Legislative Committee, which should decide whether or not the government would back it. For more information: Adam Keller +972-3-5565804 / +972-56-709603 N.B. Protests should be addressed to Justice Minister Sheetrit and/or to the fax number: + 972 (0)2 6285438; and to The Foreign Minister and/or to the fax number (+972-2) 5303506 / 5303896 / 5303367 (As things look now, within a few days the Foreign Affairs portfolio might be held by somebody else than Mr. Shimon Peres; but whoever the minister, Foreign Ministry officials can be expected to be concerned for Israel's image in the world and therefore vulnerable to protests from abroad.) You can use the following text, or of course make your own. Dear Minister I am deeply concerned about the bill presented at the Knesset by KM Ze'ev Boim, which would make for Israeli citizens the collection of evidence of war crimes punishable as "assistance to the International War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague", nd which could lead to up to ten years of imprisonment. The enactment of such a law would violate both democratic norms inside Israel and Israel's adherence to the international community and the institutions established by the community to maintain International Law. I call upon you to take all measures in your power to prevent such a bill from being enacted and becoming a shameful blot on Israel's law books. --- Transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request At request, a selection of documents is also available in Spanish Also on the site: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English (and a lot more) http://www.gush-shalom.org In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Wed Oct 30 22:39:38 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] seeing Jenin, Jenin & commemorating - our way Message-ID: <3DC05FAA.20319.56EB5C@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [The copies of protest letters against the "anti-evidence bill" start streaming in - yes, we need your support again as explained on our website (see also yesterday's message). Labour left at last the government - at least so it seems. But for the rest - as usual.] invitations [] Thursday: Join us to the Cinemateque! [] Saturday night at the Rabin Square - Separation Wall in the focus [] Ongoing presence at Hirbat Yanoun report & articles [] The army must stop the olive thieves - Ze'ev Schiff in today's Ha'aretz [] This newsreport of today in the Gaza Strip didn't make it to the big channels --- [] Thursday: Join us to the Cinemateque! Tomorrow, Thursday Oct. 31, at 9.30 PM, the Tel-Aviv Cinemateque (2 Sprinzak St.) will screen Muhammad Bakri's controversial film "Jenin, Jenin". The film was made on location at the city of Jenin in April this year, shortly after its conquest by the Israeli army during "Operation Defensive Shield", which left behind widespread destruction and many casualties among the inhabitants. It immediately won the first prize at the Carthage Film Festival in Tunis, last year. The showing of this footage to an Israeli audience is not to the liking of some groups, which in the past weeks conduct an ongoing campaign to prevent the screening. Inflammatory statements were made in the media, making a cynical use of bereaved families' pain; pressures are applied behind the scenes to get the screening cancelled, and also to get Cinemateque Director Alon Garbuz fired; and it is quite possible that tomorrow evening, some of the extreme-right people will turn up at the Cinemateque itself to disrupt the screening. . Needless to say, all these people did not see the film itself, and everything written against it is based on biased hearsay. "It is a film about feelings: hopes, love and aspirations for peace, liberty and independence. A film about people who were left spiritually wounded because of the collective destruction which resulted from the Israeli government's decision to launch the operation called Defensive Shield. I made this film so that there will be no more Jenins, no more bloodshed on either side" says Muhammad Bakri, whose film it is. Gush Shalom joins the call by the Documentary Filmmakers' Forum, for all who care about freedom of expression to go and see the film so as to express solidarity with the filmmaker and the Cinemateque director. It is advisable to arrive at the Cinemateque Plaza already at 9.00, half an hour before the movie starts, in order to be there well before right-wing attempts to disrupt the whole thing. [] Saturday night at the Rabin Square - Separation Wall in the focus On Saturday night, Nov. 2, at 7.30 PM - the annual Yitchak Rabin Memorial Rally in Tel-Aviv's Rabin Square. During this rally, Gush Shalom intends - in cooperation with other groups, such as Bat Shalom, Kvisa Sh'hora and the Women's Peace Coaltion - to express its protest against the "Separation Fence" (Separation Wall is a more appropriate name) which is being currently built around the West Bank, involving the widespread confiscation of Palestinian fields and olive groves, the demolition of houses, turning what remains of the villages and towns into isolated enclaves. It is our intention to raise during the rally conspicuous signs reading: "The Evil Fence - A Ghetto for Palestinians, a Disaster for Israelis". Also, we intend to distribute stickers showing the historic handshake between Rabin and Arafat - to remind those who tend to forget why Rabin was murdered. We know that some activists are not overly enthusiastic about the Rabin Rally as such. Still, we ask you to come and help us in this activity, and remember that - whatever the intention of the organizers - the rally being the largest gathering of peace camp supporters during the year can catch a momentum of its own, especially in the present political situation. And anyway: here we can get to the people which we want to reach and among whom we can hope to have an impact. We meet on Saturday night, Nov. 2, at 6.30 - an hour before the rally opens - near the stairs on the western side of the Rabin Square (the side facing the Ben Gurion Boulevard). [] Ongoing presence at Hirbat Yanoun At the tiny village of Hirbat Yanoun, where continuing settler violence nearly caused the escape of all Palestinian inhabitants ands the achievement of ethnic cleansing, there is an ongoing presence of Israeli peace activists, day by day (and even more important, night by night), so as to offer support and solidarity to the villagers and encourage them to stay on in their homes. Anyone able and willing to take part in this important action, initiated by "Ta'ayush" and supported by Gush Shalom, is asked to call Ruthi 03-5739853 or 055-390402, Esti 03-5254525 or Isadora 03-5274071. [] The army must stop the olive thieves - Ze'ev Schiff in today's Ha'aretz Ha'aretz, October 30, 2002 The army must stop the olive thieves By Ze'ev Schiff It would be a mistake to regard the settlers' robberies of Palestinian villagers' olive harvests as merely another serious crime. This collective theft signifies a change in the current military conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and is a revolution in the history of the settlements in general. For the first time in the current conflict, Israelis are stealing and confiscating Palestinian food. Even if they won't admit it, it can be seen as laying the groundwork for Transfer, not by the state but by a group of settlers. In Yanun, south of Nablus, most of the residents have already been forced to leave their homes. In one of the rounds of the conflict in the distant past, during the Arab revolt of 1936, it was the Palestinians who tried hurting the Jewish yishuv by burning fields and crops. Now citizens are doing such things after their country promised Washington and President George W. Bush that it would take into consideration the humanitarian problems of the Palestinian population. Israel understands that is the other side of the war on terror; to fight the terrorists and their controllers, and not at the expense of the innocent population. The settlers are mocking those promises, including the ones made by the prime minister. With their deeds, the thieves are sending the message that it's not a war on terror in the territories but a campaign to deepen the poverty and hunger of the Palestinian population. They are burning the olive harvests, damaging the olive trees and preventing farmers from reaching privately owned groves. This is a classic formula for creating more terrorists. And why is it happening this year? Because this year the olive harvest is excellent, compared to last year, when it was very weak and there was no point robbing the slender crop. According to one assessment, by the end of the season in late December, the farmers could earn as much as NIS 200 million. That's what the harvest robbers want to prevent. Those knowledgeable about Palestinian agriculture say that some 600,000 Palestinians earn their livelihood in one way or another from live harvests. To prepare the groundwork for their plot, the robbers enlisted the former chief rabbi Mordechai Eliahu, who explained that the fruit from the trees planted by Gentiles on land inherited by the people of Israel, does not belong to the Gentiles. At most, they can get a tithe from it. This is rape of the Jewish religion, the handiwork of idol worshippers, and a disgrace for the people of Israel, whether from the right or left, secular or religious. A few days ago, Denmark, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, managed to postpone for three years the decision whether the EU should boycott goods produced by Israelis in the settlements. If the olive robberies are not ceased immediately, and the victims of the theft are not compensated, Israel will have no moral right to ask the EU to prevent boycotts of settlement products. The harvest robbers show that Israelis are also contributing to the destruction of the rule of law in the territories. If they were blocked immediately, things would appear differently. But the depth of the change these deeds are creating is apparent in the weakness the IDF is displaying. Many officers are ashamed of it. But statements by the chief of staff during internal discussions that he condemns the phenomenon are meaningless, if the army does not take determined action to prevent it. The settlers' private army - and it's not only the hilltop gangs - has taken the law into its own hands, and is spitting in the face of the army. If the harvest robberies are not immediately stopped there will be, for the first time, justification for international military involvement in the territories - and not merely inspectors, but a full-fledged military intervention. We'll all lose. We can already learn from the harvest robberies about the future developments we're promised, if the settlers and their supporters are allowed to lead Israeli policy. The change the harvest robbers have wrought proves how important it is that Washington sticks to its demand to freeze the settlements. [] This newsreport of today in the Gaza Strip didn't make it to the big channels ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: 30 Oct 2002 17:16:45 -0000 From: IAP NEWS Israeli Army Wages Military Attacks, Wide-Scale Demolition Activities in Gaza Strip October 30, 2002 - Hear Palestine News Service Beit Hanoun ---------------- The Israeli occupation army arrested over 15 people, during an invasion of Beit Hanoun city at dawn today. Three groups of Israeli Special Forces, each made up of 50 soldiers on foot supported by tanks and armored vehicles terrorized the whole city during an invasion and bulldozing of vast areas of its agricultural land. Israeli soldiers invaded the home of resident Ibrahim al-Zuweidi, arrested him and his two sons Rami and Ahmad and then blew up their home using armored machinery. The invading soldiers then moved to the home of resident Maher al- Basyouni, forced the inhabitants out and destroyed the house's belonging. Israeli soldiers then shot Maher in the legs, arrested him and his brother Akram, before blowing up their house. Israeli Special Forces also invaded the home of Muhammad Idwan, attacked the inhabitants physically and verbally abused them as well as searched the house closely and destroyed its furniture, before arresting 7 bothers: Ali, Usama, Akram, Mahmoud, Anwar, Muhammad and Amin Idwan. Israeli soldiers also invaded the home of Zakariya al-Kafarna, destroyed his belongings, and arrested him and his three brothers, Zayed, Zaher and Zeid. Rafah -------- The Israeli occupation army at dawn today demolished the home of Khalil al-Satri and parts of al-Nour mosque in al-Barazil refugee camp along the border strip separating Palestine and Egypt. Dozens of Israeli armored vehicles and a bulldozer invaded the refugee camp under heavy random fire and demolished the home, which covers and area of 70 square meters near the border strip to the east of Salah al-Din Gate. Bulldozing activities continued throughout the morning, during which al-Nour mosque was partially demolished. The only mosque in the area is subject to continuous Israeli military attacks (tank missiles and heavy machine gun fire). Dozens of homes were demolished by the occupation army in the area and 50 others severely damaged since the beginning of the Intifada. Gaza City ------------ The Israeli occupation army based near Salah al-Din Street fired tank missiles late last night at a Palestinian security location south Gaza City. The occupation army based in `Dogit' settlement this morning shelled homes in Beit Lahya town, north Gaza City. Israeli observation planes reportedly fly above continuously. Last night, the Israeli army based in `Netsarim' fired tank shells towards al-Zahraa City residential area, south Gaza City. Khan Younis ---------------- The Israeli army last night waged an attack on homes west Khan Younis. One youth from the western refugee camp was wounded in the random attack, which came from al-Tuffah military roadblock. Israeli soldiers also attacked homes in al-Namsawi residential quarter, causing damage to several homes. _______________________________________ --- Transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request At request, a selection of documents is also available in Spanish Also on the site http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (Hebrew) or: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English with a special link for German: www.uri-avnery.de (and a lot more) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Fri Nov 1 19:19:27 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] The Beginning Of Change? + action news Message-ID: <3DC2D3BF.14492.DF87EE@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [] The Beginning Of Change? - Gush ad this Friday in Haa'aretz [] REMINDER Saturday night, Rabin Square - Anti-Fence coalition meets at 6.30 [] Say NO to the policy of expulsion, Monday [] Ongoing solidarity activities [] The Beginning Of Change? - Gush ad this Friday in Haa'aretz Gush Shalom ad published in Ha'aretz, November 1, 2002. The Beginning Of Change? == == = == = == = == == The Sharon-Fuad-Peres government has fallen apart, after leading us to political, military and economic disaster. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a partner in all its misdeeds, has abandoned it. He did this in order to win his party’s primaries and remain at its helm. This means he feels that the general public loathes this government, which loots the money of the poor in order to enlarge the settlements and willfully blocks every road to peace; a government that has nothing to offer but permanent war, economic decline and social degeneration. That is why Ben-Eliezer has adopted, belatedly, a dovish agenda. One cannot believe him, but one can believe his calculation: that the public is fed up with the war and is longing for a leader with a message of peace. The struggle of the peace forces has helped to create this situation. Let’s redouble our efforts, in order to achieve a real change. Gush Shalom, Help us with donations to P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, Phone 972-3-5221732. www.gush-shalom.org Requests for information about current actions: info@gush-shalom.org [The following two are actions in which Gush Shalom takes part.] [] REMINDER Saturday night, Rabin Square - Anti-Fence coalition meets at 6.30 On Saturday night, Nov. 2, at 7.30 PM - the annual Yitchak Rabin Memorial Rally in Tel-Aviv's Rabin Square. During this rally, we are going to distribute stickers showing the historic handshake between Rabin and Arafat - to remind those who tend to forget why Rabin was actually murdered. Also, Gush Shalom together with Bat Shalom, Kvisa Sh'hora and the Women's Peace Coalition, will recreate on the square the "Separation Fence" (Separation Wall is a more appropriate name) which is being currently built around the West Bank, involving the widespread confiscation of Palestinian fields and olive groves, demolition of houses, etc. Conspicuous signs will themselves form a wall with the text: "The Evil Fence - A Ghetto for Palestinians, a Disaster for Israelis". N.B.: We meet on Saturday night, Nov. 2, at 6.30 - an hour before the rally opens - near the stairs on the western side of the Rabin Square (the side facing the Ben Gurion Boulevard). (May strengthened opposition to the government start tomorrow at the square!!) [] Say NO to the policy of expulsion, Monday Invitation to an evening Stop the transfer!! Say NO to the policy of expulsion Of Palestinians in the South Hebron hills! Repeated expulsions, demolition of homes, caves and tents, destruction of water sources, uprooting of fruit trees, prevention of farming and grazing, expropriation of land and the construction of new settlers’ outposts, and various restriction orders – all of these are the fate of the Palestinian cave-dwellers who have lived for many generations in the South Hebron hills. Settlers also harass Palestinians working their fields and children on their way to school, while the security forces do nothing to stop them. You are invited to an evening on the subject, to be held on Monday, November 4th, 2002, at 8 p.m., at the Arab-Hebrew Theater in Jaffa, 10 Mifratz Shlomo St. (next to the Hamam) in the Old City, Jaffa. Among the participants: Dror Etkes, Gabi Eldor, Yossi Banai, Aviv Gefen, David Grossman, Tal Haran, DAM – Lod Rappers, Attorney Manal Hazan, Attorney Shlomo Lecker, Ruba Murkus, The Jaffa Arab-Hebrew Theater MC – Roni Ninio Bat Shalom, Gush Shalom, Israel Committee Against House Demolitions, The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Alternative Information Center, “Yesh Gvul”, Adalah, Coalition of Women for Just Peace, Rabbis for Human Rights, Peace Now, Ta’ayush. [The following gives some contact information about ongoing activities in which Gush Shalom is not permanently involved. If you are interested that we forward you in full all sorts of messages relevant for the struggle against the occupation, subscribe to Billboard by sending a mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com ] [] About ongoing solidarity activities for olive-picking during the coming week contact: Yakov Manor - 09-7670801/7678457 / 050-733276 Rabbi Arik Asherman 02-566281 / 050-607034 / for staying over the night in Hirbat Yanoun Call: Ruthi 03-5739853 / 055-390402, Esti 03-5254525 / Isadora 03-5274071. --- Visit the site http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (Hebrew) or: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English with a special link for German: www.uri-avnery.de (and a lot more) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard- subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Nov 3 23:58:46 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Olive Picking - Last Chance Message-ID: <3DC5B836.29659.9E0B1@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE! Action: Picking Olives. Date: this coming Saturday, November 9. Details: On the Gush answering machine, 03-5221732, from Tuesday on. The olive picking season is coming to an end. Next Saturday is the last day. On that day, Gush Shalom and other peace organizations are planning a big effort to mobilize as many people as possible for aiding the villages that have suffered the most from settlers’ harassment. We shall help the villagers to pick the olives that have remained on the trees and can still saved! We shall defend them by our very presence from the settlers! We shall celebrate the end of the harvest, in the course of which Israeli and international peace activists have done their best to help saving the fruit! It is a great experience – an action that is at the same time a practical help, a political demonstration and a symbolic act of Israeli-Palestinian friendship. Those who have already taken part, please make another effort! Those who have not - you have an experience waiting for you! COME AND TAKE PART! Call 03-5221732 in order to get the details – and also to leave a message, telling how many you are and your phone number. From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Nov 4 16:52:58 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Activists halted cutting of olive trees +PLEASE come tomorrow Message-ID: <3DC6A5EA.31678.147452E@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Press release November 4, 2002 = == = == = == = == = == = = == = === = == = == = == = = == = == = = Today at Falami village, activists succeeded to halt the cutting of olive trees. Stand-off to continue tomorrow = = == = == = == = == = == = Today at Falami village in the West Bank an international group of activists, among them Israelis, halted for the time being the cutting of olive trees for building the fence far beyond the Green Line and (of course) at the expense of Palestinian farmers. Gush Shalom spokesperson Adam Keller got into close encounter with a chainsaw (details below in the ISM report). The authorities were persuaded to wait until tomorrow morning Tuesday, Nov. 5, to allow the French Consul to come and try to save the threatened well, which is essential for the farmers and which came into being some years ago as a French development aid project. Another visitor who may come to help the farmers in the land struggle is Yonathan Rimon, Mayor of Kochav Yair (the nearby town within the Green Line). This Rimon announced at a meeting today with the Falami villagers, and the Israeli and international activists, where he expressed opposition to the fence cutting through farmland. For more details Sami - 055-712738 (Falami representative) Adam Keller, Gush Shalom Spokesperson +972-3-5565804 / +972-56-709603 / +972-56-709604 For your information we forward the following ------- Forwarded message follows ------- To: palmediaalert@yahoogroups.com From: "pcrbs" Date sent: Mon, 04 Nov 2002 11:00:50 -0000 Subject: [palmediaalert] PROTESTORS INJURED TRYING TO PROTECT PALESTINIAN OLIVE TREES! Send reply to: palmediaalert-owner@yahoogroups.com [ Double-click this line for list subscription options ] INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT (ISM) Grassroots International Protection for Palestinians (GIPP) Monday November 4, 2002 For Immediate Release PROTESTORS INJURED TRYING TO PROTECT PALESTINIAN OLIVE TREES! PARTIAL SUCCESS IN DELAYING MASSIVE DESTRUCTION [Falami, Qalqilia District] This morning at 8:00 am Palestinian Falami farmers along with a group of approximately 20 International civilians were attacked by hired Israeli Security Personnel as they tried to peacefully protest the destruction of the Palestinian agricultural land. Israeli government contractors along with Israeli private security overlooked by the Israeli military continued to chop down trees and even managed to destroy 10-15 trees. As the group of internationals peacefully came between the contractors and trees ready to be chopped down the hired security personnel (hired security personnel are usually Israeli soldiers or Israeli police) began to aggressively push volunteers away from the trees. Volunteers who wouldn't step away from the trees began "hugging" the trees as their bodies were being pulled away by the security personnel. Many volunteers had been attacked by the Israeli security and three had sustained minor injuries. • Adam Keller, late 40's Israeli citizen, a volunteer from the Gush Shalom Organization was attacked and kicked by the security personnel and was almost cut in half by a chainsaw as he hugged the tree while the contractor was chopping the tree. • Tom Dale, 18 year old British citizen was also attacked by the security personnel as he stood chatting with a group of volunteers. Tom was also beaten and kicked as the Israeli military stood by and watched and sustained bruises on his body. • Emily Winkelstein, 27 years old and a U.S citizen sustained scratches on her body as she was being dragged away • Heidi Niggeman, 29 years old a German citizen was beaten and punched in the stomach as she tried to stop a contractor/worker from Chopping down a tree with a chainsaw. • Dan O' Reilly-Rowe, 25 years old Australian/ American was kicked in the stomach and attacked repeatedly by the security personnel as he held on to save the tree from being destroyed. Dan was nailed to the ground 5-6 times by the security men and is suffering from a twisted ankle. Yesterday and today Palestinian farmers and internationals have been partially successful in delaying any more destruction of their land. Tomorrow morning November 5, 2002 from 8:00 AM Palestinian farmers and International volunteers will again sit on the land. The French Consul along with members of the Israeli Parliament will accompany the Palestinian farmers in a joint attempt to stop the Israeli destruction of Palestinian land. Photos and video footage of todays attacks available by calling below. For more information contact: Heidi Niggeman: tel. 067-365-669 Huwaidaa Shapiro: tel. 067-473-308 Osama Qashoo':tel. 052-225-703 ISM OFFICE: tel. 02-277-4602 --- Transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html French available at request At request, a selection of documents is also available in Spanish Also on the site http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (Hebrew) or: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English with a special link for German: www.uri-avnery.de (and a lot more) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Wed Nov 6 15:44:27 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Where we were when the government fell + Sat.olive harvest Message-ID: <3DC938DB.20899.3AAB39@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ in this mail: [] FROM THE SQUARE TO THE ORCHARD or: where we were when the government fell report by Adam Keller of three hectic days [] About the olive picking, Saturday NB: Only when you register!! reminder and update *** [] FROM THE SQUARE TO THE ORCHARD or: where we were when the government fell report by Adam Keller of three hectic days On Saturday night the Rabin Memorial Rally at Tel- Aviv's Rabin Square - also this year a major gathering of peace-minded Israelis, in which all self-respecting peace groups feel bound to make a presence but as before, it was an ambigious event, in which your participation is hedged with reservations about the program. At least, attending this year's rally - unlike those of the past two years - did not involve the emotional wrench of having to listen to a keynote speaker directly involved in the war against the Palestinians - PM Ehud Barak in the rally of November 2000; Dalia Rabin-Pelosof, Deputy Defence Minister in 2001. In retrospect she herself, the daughter of Yitzchak Rabin, may have felt uncomfortable with it; she resigned from the government a few months later, a step which marked a beginning of internal pressures and grassroots resurgence in the Labor Party, and which finally led to the party ministers' long-overdue resignation from the Sharon Government. So, this year's Rabin Rally, seven years after the murder, however officially touted as "non-partisan", was in a way the first manifestation of a new political reality. In other times, the enormous sign "We Believe in Peace" over the podium may have been only a cliche or pious wish; in the Israel of November 2002 it was just a bit more: a crowd of about 100,000 mostly young people defying the trend of 'peace is dead'. The organizers, meanwhile, had gone to considerable trouble to obscure the identity of Israel's partner for peace - featuring filmed addresses from King Abdullah of Jordan, President Mubarak of Egypt and Former US President Clinton, while pointedly neglecting to let any Palestinian speak; and the historic handshake between Rabin and Arafat featured only in the stickers distributed in big quantity by Gush Shalom, not in any of the organizers' posters and ballers. But there were quite a few moments of dissidence - some on the podium, some in the crowd, quite a few in the interaction between the two: the explicit anti- occupation signs conspicious among the medley of banners and placards visible in the square, "Hashomer Hatzair Youth Movement fights the occupation" and "Get out of the Territories!" and "Refusal to serve the occupation is the true Zionism"; and the upswelling applause to actress Anat Gov's words "The right- wingers try to criminalize us, to put all blame for the country's woes on the 'criminals of Oslo'; well, better to be a peace criminal than a war criminal"; Singer Aviv Gefen calling upon "everybody who has had enough of the occupation" to raise their arms and getting a resounding response. Several peace groups - Bat Shalom, Gush Shalom, Kvisa Sh'hora, Women's Peace Coalition - took up a specific issue which has gotten far less than its fair share of public attention: "The Separation Fence" - "fence" being an euphemism for what is in fact being erected as a monstrous 8-metre high concrete wall. This project is often welcomed as both a panacea preventing the entry of suicide bombers into Israel and the beginning of a "separation process" which will supposedly lead to the eventual creation of a Palestinian state - with little attention given to such details as that the monster wall is being laid along a line cutting through the agricultural lands of dozens of Palestinian villages, effectively annexing enormous swaths of territory to Israel. Also, while being enclosed within an enormous wall would make the West Bank even more of a prison camp than it already is, it does not at all automatically lead to Israeli withdrawal. It didn't in the Gaza Strip which is already for years enclosed by a similar construction. So, throughout the rally there were activists circulating among the crowd - the largest gathering of peace camp grassroots supporters anywhere in the year - distributing leaflets on the iniquities and dangers of the Separation Wall. Dozens of others held aloft large banners on which the bricks of a wall were painted with the slogan "The Evil Fence - Ghetto for Palestinians, Disaster for Israelis". With more than twenty of them held side by side, a quite realistic image of a wall was created in the center of the Square. Defending the olive trees As it happened, on the very next day we became involved in one of the concrete cases. An urgent phone call and request for help came from Falami, a place which few of of us heard of before. One of the building contractors for The Wall had without prior announcement started to lay a swath of destruction across its fields and olive orchards. So it was that early Monday morning representatives of Bat Shalom and Gush Shalom, altogether four, found themselves in a small van, en route to a completely different world lying just half an hour's drive from Tel-Aviv. First crossing the unmarked, but somehow very obvious Green Line; a drive along a main West Bank highway, nowadays reserved for settler use and lined with signs promising "The House of your dreams" at various settlements; then stopping at the entrance to a side-road, closed off from the highway by huge concrete blocks, to prevent Palestinian cars from using it; then a drive in a Palestinian taxi along a winding hilly track from one village to another; then Falami, our destination, a neat village of some 600 inhabitants. A man with a traditional headdress, who turns out to be the mayor, insists on letting us have breakfast in his home. On a cursory glance, Falami seems a bit better off than many other places in the West Bank. That is because up to now they had enough land - and an irrigation project to make good use of these lands - to live mainly from agriculture. All that is now under immediate threat. We go into a car, and travel through a pastoral landscape. Suddenly, we could here shouts ahead. Further on the unpaved road, a crowd of villagers, with some 25 internationals scattered among them, are shouting about something happening on the firther side of the road, vehemently remonstrating with somebody there. When we come closer we can see: on the other side, an olive grove is being systematically destroyed. The man with the chainsaw was deft and efficient. First the side- brances were lopped off one by one, then the central bole, and then off to the next tree. It did not take him more than two of three minutes to destroy a tree. He was guarded by eight armed men - four "Border Guards" in khaki; four private security guards in dark blue. With each tree he tackled they speard all around, their rifles pointing outwards. Gradually, we started getting off the road and coming closer. Verbal admonitions were clearly utterly useless towards this crew. They either ignored them or answered with obscenities. Some of us started running ahead of them, getting to still undamaged trees and holding on to them. The man with the chain-saw was quite angry: "Get off, fucking bastard leftists! I am going to cut off the tree. If you get in the way, that's your lookout!" He did lop off the outer brances. Then he hesitated and started cursing his private and state guardians: "Go on, go on, get rid of these interfering bastards! I ain't got all day!". The guards tried (and succeeded with some of us). They were beating, dragging, kicking, using rifle butts - the private security guards (who legally have no right to use force) being the most violent. Still, the bole of an olive tree is exactly the right size to be hugged and held on to with all one's might... There were some moments of a dialogue of some kind. If he is to be believed, the man with the saw was especially angry because he felt we were trying to deprive him of the first job he got after a long time of unemployment. "And anyway, if I don't do it, somebody else will". (An old argument, as was the Border Guards' "I am just obeying orders".) After a time, they just seemed to decide to leave us where we were and go on to other trees - which seemed an effective tactic, since there were more trees than activists. But still, better hold on to the one tree you were hugging, holding on and on and not relaxing. For a very long half hour, the universe seemed to shrink to the scope of a single olive tree with half its branches already lopped off. Gradually, one became aware that the sickening sound of the saw had ceased, and that something was going on on the road above. As we learned via the cellphone, an official of the special governmental agency charged with creating the wall had arrived, and negotiations were going on. It turned out that the contractor was supposed to cease work pending the arrival of the French Consul on the following day, to discuss the fate of the irrigation project which the French government had built in this village. Anyway, the result of the negotiations was an all-clear. It was possible to come out of the trees. We had saved them, at least for one or two days. On the following morning, the village looked quite different. When we arrived (seven Israelis this time) the Falami school children were strung out on parade along the street, having just greeted the village's important guest on his arrival. The Consul was already inside - one of the East Jerusalem consuls, who are de-facto ambassadors to Palestine. When we got in, the mayor was extolling the French-installed irrigation system: "Our land has become a paradise. We grow everything: apricots and cucumbers and cytrus, anything you want. We have good land and the water. Now our people see them taking it all away". After the meeting, the consul was taken to see for himself. A procession was formed. The Consul, a good-looking tall man in a neat blue suit asking attentive questions in fluent Arabic, was accompanied by village notables and represantives of Palestinian NGO's arrived from Nablus and Ramallah, and followed through the main street by a crowd of villagers mixed with internationals and Israelis. Two young men brought up the rear, one holding aloft the French Tricolor and the other - the Palestinian Black- White-Red-and- Green. From the top of a blockhouse, the Palestinians pointed out the details of the impending destruction: "The wall will pass through that green field, cutting it in half. All the further fields will be lost to us. The hothouses, over there, will be destroyed. The well will remain on the other side. We will have no control over what comes through the pipes." The government claims that Palestinian farmers will be allowed to work their fields on the other side. From experience (as when Palestinian farmland was enclosed within a settlement's perimeter fence, and a similar promise given) the Palestinians are highly sceptical. A representative of the Agricultural Relief Committees spreads a map of the Separation Wall's entire planned course: "Everywhere, they try to grab the ground water. That is the main consideration, not security. It is an old plan, but now they are actually implementing it". >From there the procession moves to another sector: the scene of yesterday's clash at the olive grove, which is inspected by the visiting diplomat. Everything is as it was left on the previous day, the destroyed trees and the undamaged ones - even the strewn pieces of our placards, torn to pieces by the security guards. Then he got into his car and drove off. There was some confusion as to what comes next. The consul was going to have a crucial meeting with the government officials in charge of building the Wall, and take up the issue of the Falami lands. The officials had refused to meet him in the village itself, judging the place "too dangerous" and the meeting was to be held somewhere in the open fields. While still standing there a movement became visible among the trees of the ravaged olive grove. Soldiers appeared, moving purposefully in a skirmish line, their guns at the ready. We linked arms, preparing to offer passive resistance to an eviction order - but the soldiers moved past, studiously ignoring our presence. We continued standing and waiting - when suddenly the elements intervened, a cloud moved across what had been a scorching sun, and the first thunderstorm and heavy rain of the year found us standing in the open field. Fortunately, the Palestinians pointed out nearby a low-ceilinged cave - apparently being used as a sheepfold. For an hour Palestinians, Israelis and internationals sat huddled together, some dozing, a few turning on squeeking radios. It was there that we heard of the Sharon Government's fall and the scheduling of new elections. The Italians, who seemed to predominate among the international contingent, started singing an old partisan song; soon the others joined the catchy tune and the clapping. Gradually, people started drifting out, though the rain had by no means fully abated. The news filtered around: the meeting for which we had waited was taking place a few hundred metres up the track. We moved in that direction, determined to make our presence felt - and encountered the soldiers. "No, no, forbidden. It is security, the French Parliament is here. Security!" shouted a young sergeant. There we were, blocked in the drenching rain. A bit ahead of us we could make out a square, heavy car, light gray in colour, with a winking yellow strobe light on top. Not far from it, another grey car with the initials T.V. marked largely with white tape. (The reporter of a French network has shown a remarkable devotion to duty, going on to take his footage in the heaviest of rain.) An army jeep pulled up - and got promptly stuck in the mud. All further efforts merely stuck it deeper and deeper. And suddenly everybody - peace protesters, villagers and blocking soldiers alike - burst out laughing, there in the drenching rain. Epilogue: The consul's meeting with the officials, on which the Falami vilagers pinned so much hope, ended in failure. The officials' mandate was limited - or so they said - to discussing "The laying of irrigation pipes under the fence, once it is completed". For any deviation from the track defined for "the Fence" itself, they refered him to the political echelon, to Sharon personally or the newly-appointed acting Defence Minister Mofaz - and meanwhile, the army declared the respite over and allowed the contractors to move back in. So, by the time you read this, the olive grove over which we struggled may have been already completely devastated, and the bulldozers may be cutting a swathe of destruction through the beautiful green fields where we walked yesterday. [We don't suggest this time to write letters about Falami to Sharon, Mofaz - but maybe you can help spread this story to newspapers.] [] About the olive picking, Saturday NB: Only when you register!! reminder and update Action: Picking Olives. Date: this coming Saturday, November 9. Details: On the Gush answering machine, 03-5221732. The olive picking season is coming to an end. Next Saturday is the last day. On that day, Gush Shalom and representatives of other peace organizations are planning the mobilization of more than a handfull of volunteers for aiding the villages that have suffered the most from settlers’ harassment and who have explicitly asked for our help. We shall help the villagers to pick the olives that have remained on the trees and can still be saved! We shall defend them by our very presence from the settlers! We shall celebrate the end of the harvest, in the course of which Israeli and international peace activists have done their best to help saving the fruit! It is a great experience – an action that is at the same time a practical help, a political demonstration and a symbolic act of Israeli-Palestinian friendship. Those who have already taken part, please make another effort! Those who have not - you have an experience waiting for you! COME AND TAKE PART! Call 03-5221732 in order to get the details (in Hebrew as well as English) [N.B.: You can only participate when you register by phone!) and leave a message, telling how many you are and your phone number, or whether we should inform you how to proceed from different locations with your own (or combined) means of transportation. So far we can tell you that there will be a bus from Tel-Aviv leaving at 9 am]. --- Look into our documents on the site http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (Hebrew) or: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) + selected documents via links in French and German; some Spanish texts available at request Also: photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English with a special link for German: www.uri-avnery.de (and a lot more) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Nov 7 18:10:01 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] "this government could not have existed for even one day" Message-ID: <3DCAAC79.22473.124DE52@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [] Gush Shalom ad in Ha'aretz, Nov. 8, on role of Labor Party [] Announcement of billboard + subscription details [] Update about the olive picking, Saturday [] Gush Shalom ad in Ha'aretz, Nov. 8, on role of Labor Party TERRIBLE GUILT The National Unity Government broke down the moment the Labor Party left it. This means that this government could not have existed for even one day without the partnership of the Labor Party. This means that Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Shimon Peres bear the guilt for all the disasters of the last 20 months: the bloodshed, the waste of lives, the economic distress, the social destruction, the poisoning of the minds. Gush Shalom, Help us with donations to P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, Phone 972-3-5221732. www.gush-shalom.org Requests for information about current actions: info@gush-shalom.org [] Announcement of billboard + subscription details Later today the "billboard" - including forwarded messages and selected articles will be sent to the specil billboard list. Today's billboard will include, apart from action news, "The Intifada Syndrome" (translated from Ma'ariv), Yehudit Har'el's tormented retrospect on a visit to Ramallah and Amira Hass' "Will you just stand on the sidelines?" Subscribe to TOI-Billboard by sending one blank mail to TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com [] Update about the olive picking, Saturday Action: Picking Olives. Date: this coming Saturday, November 9. Details: On the Gush answering machine, 03-5221732. The olive picking season is coming to an end. Next Saturday is the last day. On that day, Gush Shalom and representatives of other peace organizations are planning the mobilization of more than a handfull of volunteers for aiding the villages that have suffered the most from settlers’ harassment and who have explicitly asked for our help. We shall help the villagers to pick the olives that have remained on the trees and can still be saved! We shall defend them by our very presence from the settlers! We shall celebrate the end of the harvest, in the course of which Israeli and international peace activists have done their best to help saving the fruit! Call 03-5221732 in order to register and to get details (in Hebrew as well as English) N.B.: You can only be sure of a place in a bus when you register by phone!) and leave a message, telling how many you are and your phone number, + whether we should inform you how to proceed from different locations with private cars. Buses will go from: Jerusalem, leaving 8.30 Tel-Aviv at 9 am. Meeting point for private cars: Kafr Qasem at 9.30 --- Transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html Also on the site http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (Hebrew) or: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English with a special link for German: www.uri-avnery.de (and a lot more) N.B.: There are now on the site links for French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Nov 10 02:16:02 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] How the sacks with olives could only pass after a sit-in strike Message-ID: <3DCDC162.20204.DA336B@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ [] How the sacks with olives could only pass after a sit-in strike [] Dear Amram Mitzna - by Uri Avnery [] How the sacks with olives could only pass after a sit-in strike We got many sacks filled, and we even succeeded to let the Palestinians drive them home with their tractor. But let's start from the beginning: It took us many hours to arrive at Salem village, the place of today's olive harvesting. After all publicity about brutal settler interference with Palestinian olive harvest the army apparently had instructions not to refuse us access. So, very different from past experiences there was not declared a closed military zone, and the three Gush Shalom buses with volunteers mostly from Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem were let through. But the army could not so quick change its nature, so they let us pass reluctantly several times letting us wait and wait at roadblocks, and insisting on twice investigating the place before we were allowed to go there. The activists had time to read the instructions; how to leave negotiations to the specific team, aand remain non- violent even under army or settler provocation, and a special instruction for today: no eating or drinking; it is Ramadan. There were all the time new obstacles: the Palestinian farmers who had asked for our help had until today not be allowed at all to get to their lands close to which settlers had built a new "outpost for the Alon Moreh settlement". And today, the army which granted the Gush Shalom group access, initially again wanted to exclude the Palestinians. After negotiations, they agreed to let six of them accompany us. The Palestinians created a fait accomplis: together with the six men came a whole group of wives and daughters, bringing with them a horse, donkey's, sacks, buckets and big pieces of nylon - to spread out under the trees. It was a long, long cavlcade which climbed the half-hour way to the hilltop where the olive grove was. At some point Uri Avnery was invited to climb the horse's "backseat" - a surrealistic duo guiding us towards our goal. Two hundred impatient olive pickers started immediately to spread to the trees. Immediately nervous shouts: the army doesn't allow us in this direction, please go only in that direction. It haad been agreed in advance not to confront the army: our purpose was to get the olives from the trees into the village; anything else was secundary. Many of the Israelis were already experienced: "you should especially pick the green ones, and you can beat the tree with sticks to get the olives which hang high to fall to the ground." And gradually the buckets and sacks started to be filled. Again and again the soldiers showed how upsetting the situation was for them: don't go here, go there - and not always consistent. Some people started discussions, and the atmosphere became nearly relaxed. "We should make it closed military zone. You have cheated us: there are more than six Palestinians." "When you dont want the Palestinians to pick their own olives, why does Gush Shalom have to do it. Why not soldiers?" When the sky started to darken the soldiers decided it was enough - it was difficult to leave behind so many ripe and fat olives, but we didn't want to spoil it t the last moment - the Palestinins would pay the price for that - and we embrked on the way down. Then, upon arriving to the buses, it turned out that the Palestinian tractor, which was to transport the olives to the 3 kilometers away Salem village ws not allowed by the soldiers to use the only road (the same road over which it had rrived there) and they took the keys. That was the moment for a spontaneous sit in strike of a whole crowd blocking the road for all traffic. Our negotiators made clear that we hadn't wasted our day for letting the olives rot there, and that we wouldn't go away unless the tractor with the olive sacks was allowed to return to the village. It was agreed that one of us, Teddy Katz, would join the tractor - for the soldiers to be able to shrug off responsibility, but at the same time for us - to make sure thaat the tractor wouldn't be harassed at a further point. When the tractor started moving the Palestinians were cheering and thanking us as they didn't during the hours of harvesting before. It was as if the confrontation in the end with the army had turned us from goodhearted, naive people into respectable fellow strugglers - all this thanks to our "enlightened" occupation forces. For photos: Rachel For more information: Adam Keller, Gush Shalom spokesperson info@gush-shalom.org ph: 03-5565804 / 056-709603 [If you decide to forward this message then, please, copy it and send it as a new mail - to avoid broken sentences.] [] Dear Amram Mitzna - by Uri Avnery Uri Avnery 9.11.02 Dear Amram Mitzna I don’t know you personally. We have never talked to each other. But I have been following your activities from afar - ever since, during the Lebanon war, you did something that impressed me deeply: you resigned your army post as a protest against Ariel Sharon’s mad adventure. Senior officers, who sacrifice their careers on a point of conscience, are rare in any army, and in the IDF even more so. That needs moral courage, which, to my mind, is more important than physical courage on the battlefield. After Menahem Begin (a man who respected integrity and decency) brought you back to high command, I was frequently angry with you when you tried, as Officer Commanding Central Command, to appease the settlers. In spite of that, I hoped against hope that you would become Chief-of-Staff, knowing that in the new army formed during the years of occupation and oppression, there is no chance for a man of principle to be appointed to the highest army post. That is reserved for the Mofazes and Ya’alons. Now you are a candidate for another high office: chairman of the Labor Party and chief of its election campaign. I hope you will win. If you do, I shall not envy you. You will inherit a party that has come to the brink of the abyss. During 20 terrible months, it was Sharon’s despised kept woman, the same Sharon you protested against when he caused havoc in Lebanon. Now the Labor Party has helped him to cause even worse havoc in the Palestinian territories. Shimon Peres has convinced the world that the Bad Sharon, the man of Sabra and Shatila, has become the Good Sharon, a real peacenik. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer has done the dirty work, giving a Labor Party alibi to a policy of executions, destruction of the Palestinian infrastructure, demolition of homes, uprooting of trees, expropriation of land and setting up settlements at a crazy pace. Such a party will lose the elections by a knock-out. Who needs a second Likud? Certainly not the pensioners and unemployed, invalids and one-parent families, whom the Labor Party is wooing now, after not giving a damn for them for years. Neither do the Arab citizens, whom the Party is trying to seduce by a lot of chatter about “a political horizon”, while not even bothering to wash the blood off its hands. The Labor Party is courting disaster, and that would be a disaster for the nation at large. The extreme right will wield unbridled power. It will destroy any chance for peace for tens of years, perhaps for generations, perhaps forever. The Labor party will not even play the role of an opposition. It will leave a black hole behind it. It you win the nomination, you will have to change this situation dramatically and rapidly, and in the middle of an election campaign to boot. That will be an immense challenge. No party creates new political assets during elections; it can only realize assets accumulated throughout the years. The voters have learned that election promises are worthless. And now you are called upon to do something without precedent: to change the substance and the image of your party in the middle of an election campaign. That is unprecedented, but not impossible - on one condition: that your message be unequivocal, straightforward and sharp, without stuttering, without hesitation, without demagogy, without tricks, without gimmicks. Election experts and all kind of “strategists” will tell you that you must first use left- wing language, so as to gain the leadership of the party, and later right-wing language, in order to win the voters of the center. If you do that, you will fail. Time is much too short. And that is not your way, anyhow. Your only chance of passing the test is to be you, express you own truth and state it clearly and honestly. The message must be simple and forceful: - Israel has no future without peace. - Peace is possible, if we are ready to pay the price. - There is a partner to peace. The great majority of the Palestinian people want peace. Yasser Arafat wants peace. (If you run away from that name, like the cowards do, your message will lose its credibility.) - Peace means a Palestinian state, the Green Line border with mutually agreed changes, Jerusalem the capital of the two states, evacuation of all the settlers from the Palestinian territory. - All settlement activity must stop at once. The money must be used for economic growth and social services. - Obligations and resources must be shared equitably. - An immediate cease-fire must be achieved, the IDF must be withdrawn from the Palestinian towns and villages. - The peace negotiations must be resumed from the point at which they stopped at Taba; final agreement to be achieved within a year. This is a clear alternative. It will present the voters with a real choice. You must promise that if the right wins, the Labor Party will not join a “National Unity” government. Will this assure you of victory at the polls? Of course not. But you will have a reasonable chance, while the present way will surely lead to inevitable, shameful defeat. Even if the right wins this time, this clear program will allow the Labor Party to become a fighting opposition, whose banner will attract all those who will be disappointed by the right. It will be poised to re-conquer power. The opportunity will come when the public is finally fed up with the methods of brute power and oppression, which lead only to endless bloodshed and economic and social devastation. Many people, more than one would believe, are waiting for that day. Much courage is needed for going this way. In the past, you have proved that you have this kind of courage. Let’s hope that you have it now. --- On the site http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (Hebrew) or: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English with a special link for German: www.uri-avnery.de (and a lot more) N.B.: There are now on the site links for French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Nov 10 23:24:10 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [fwd] Another Politcal Extrajudicial Execution - Eyad Sawalha,Jenin Message-ID: <3DCEEA9A.31100.16C8F8D@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ The following which one of the Gush Shalom members passed on to her private list expresses all what there is to say about the latest assassination. ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Sun, 10 Nov 2002 22:51:15 +0200 From: Yehudith Harel Subject: Another Politcal Extrajudicial Execution - Eyad Sawalha,Jenin 9.11.2002 Another Politcal Extrajudicial Execution Dear All, Eyad Sawalha, a senior leader in thePalestinian Jihad, who was suspected by Israel to be responsible for the suicide bombings of at least twoIsraeli civilan busses at the Megido and Karkur junctions, killing many innocent Israelis - was cold bloodedly murdered by an Israeli Execution squads. ( see detailed report bellow). This was another illegal extrajudicial execution - one in a long series - committed by the Israeli Army, an act which constitutesa major War Crime and is in starkcontravention of the Iternational Law and ofbasic human values. Being a suspect of whatever hineous crimes, does not give the right to executeone without a trial, moreover, when fortunately capital punishment does not exist in Israel. Beyond the moral outrage - this execution came as many before it, at a verycarefully calculated timing, when Palestinian leaders from various factions including the Hammas are convening in Cairo in an attempt to sign an agreement to put an end to the suicide bombings and maybe even to the armed struggle as the majorvenue for the Palestinian Resistance. It is clear that the Sharon - Mofaz - Eitam government are doing their best to undermine another important Palestinian effort to put an end to the indiscriminate killing of civilians and channel the Palestinian Resistance to the Israeli occupation into non violent venues. They simply cannot and won't allow this to happen as they have no answer to aCivil Palestinian Resistance. They cannot tolerate a non vilolent Palestinian Resistance movementthat can re-envigorate not onlythe world wide solidarity and support of the Palestinian people, but it can alsowake up the Israeli people and free them from the fascist Sharonian propaganda and brainwashing.Sharon needs more bloodshed of innocent Israelis and Palestinians to be the scapegoats for his coming election campaign. He needsthe escalation in orderto allow him to continue to oppress the Palestinian people, destroy whatever is left of their infrastructure and carry out his more dangerous schemes, including a possible large scale transfer of Palestinians under the "Umbrella" ofthe American war against Iraq. In these difficult times We - Israelis and Palestinians who belive that we have one common future in this country, need to reach out to each other and defy the Sharonian power politics and the philosophyand practice bloodshed. We need to find ways to cooperate to stand up against all the above mentioned evil schemes and in orderto convince both our peoples that we have an alternative and that we can live together in this country in Full Equality and Peace. Yehudith Harel  [If you decide to forward this message then, please, copy it and send it as a new mail - in order to avoid broken lines.] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lawsociety" Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 1:26 PM Subject: Extra-judicial killing in Jenin  Extra-judicial killing in Jenin November 10, 2002  Yesterday, Saturday November 9, Israeli forces extra-judicially  assassinated Iyad Sawalha (27) by using heavy fire upon his home while he  hid within.   According to information gathered by LAW, a large number of  Israeli "Special Forces" surrounded a house in the al-Casaba area of  Jenin's old city. They forcibly took Khalid Kamil (29) from a neighboring  home as a human shield. He was forced to stand at the entrance of the  surrounded home and use a megaphone to call Iyad Sawalha and his wife to  leave the home. Sawalha's wife left the house with her hands raised.   Following her exist, Israeli troops opened heavy fire from all directions  upon the house, targeting windows and doors. Sawalha, was hit with more  than 15 bullets all over his body and died immediately, according to  sources at Jenin local hospital, where he was taken. His right hand was  completely shot off, and the house was destroyed.  During the extra-judicial killing, Khalid Kamil (29) was seriously  injured with a gunshot to the head, while he was forced to stand at the  door's entrance as the Special Forces opened fire.   Earlier, Israeli forces arrested on Friday November 8, Iyad Sawalha's  mother, Najih (55) and her daughter, Arsline (26) from their house in  Kufr Ra'i south of Jenin city. They were released on Saturday at around  7pm after being forced to tell Israeli troops where Iyad and his wife  were hiding.  At least 173 Palestinians have so far been killed in extra-judicial  executions committed by Israel, including 63 Palestinian bystanders. This  is the third extra-judicial killing to take place over forty-eight hours.   LAW emphasizes that extra-judicial executions constitute willful  killings, which are a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and as  such constitute war crimes subject to universal jurisdiction.   Extra-judicial killings cannot be reconciled with the Fourth Geneva  Convention, which seek to protect the lives of protected persons, and  violate human rights norms that affirm the right to life and the  prohibition on execution of civilians.   LAW strongly condemns Israel's assassination policy. Israel is legally  responsible for the acts of its agents, and is under corresponding  obligations to ensure that its agents adhere to the Convention and to  prosecute those agents who commit grave breaches.   All state signatories to the Fourth Geneva Convention have also the right  and are under a positive obligation to seek out and prosecute individuals  responsible for committing or commissioning grave breaches, wherever the  perpetrators are. Article 148 of the Fourth Geneva states that 'no High  Contracting Party shall be allowed to absolve itself or any other High  Contracting Party of any liability incurred by itself or by any other  High Contracting Party...'   Israel's ongoing human rights violations further illustrates the need for  the immediate deployment of an international protection presence to  prevent violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention and to protect  Palestinian protected persons within the Occupied Palestinian  Territories.  --- Transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html Also on the site http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (Hebrew) or: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English with a special link for German: www.uri-avnery.de (and a lot more) N.B.: There are now on the site links for French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org. NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Nov 11 20:02:18 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Afflicted kibbutz insists on Palestinian neighbors' fair treatment Message-ID: <3DD00CCA.25220.1B4480A@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Tel-Aviv, 11/11/2002 Once again a tragic and painful day. The attack in which five random civilians were killed, two of them children, terrible. The Israaeli media emphasize as an additional dimension of horror the fact that it happened in Kibbutz Metzer, a place known for its inhabitants' committment to peace. Indeed, we use to see Metzer kibbutz members in peace demonstrations. Moreover, the Kibbutz maintains in everyday life good relations with the neighboring Arab villages: a particularly close partnership with the village of Meiser, near which the Kibbutz was founded in the early 1950's; and since 1967 also with the West Bank village Kapan just across the Green Line. It scarcely matters whether Metzer was a randomly chosen target; whether the attack was a deliberate attempt to sabotage the talks held in Cairo between Palestinian factions, aimed at putting an end to such attacks. In either case it is a heavy blow to any however hesitant effort to get out of the hellish situation. The "dire retaliation", was already announced by the newly-appointed Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz, will doubtlessly add still another blow, and the cycle of revenge upon revenge upon revenge seems never-ending. The one ray of light in this dark moment is the continuing committment of Kibbutz Metzer to the cause of peace and coexistence - a commitment which the inhabitants of Metzer are reiterating again and again whenever the issue is touched upon by the avid representatives of the media who descended upon the stricken kiubbutz. * The attack upon Metzer, a community located very near the pre-'67 border, would probably bring once again to the fore the issue of the "Separation Wall" being erected in that neighborhood. The simple-minded logic - "the border must be sealed against terrorists" - will now have an even greater apeal. It will be even more difficult than before to say, as we do, that ending the occupation and establishing a peaceful border between two states would make a high Separation Wall superfluous - and that if the occupation army and settlers stay on inside the West Bank, erection of a wall solves nothing. Still, even if the principle of "a Separation Wall" is granted, one must take issue with the wide- spread confiscation of Palestinian land which is carried out with the ewxcuse of building The Wall. The members of Kibbutz Metzer spoke out, already several months ago, against the wall being used as an excuse to confiscate and destroy the olive groves of their Palestinian neighbors of Kapin Village, and demanded that the fence be erected at the only logical place - the exact line of the pre-'67 border. Moreover, if some land would be needed for a patrol road and the like, they offer to give up some of the Kibbutz's own land for that purpose; and this position, too, was reiterated today on Metzer's dark hour. A bit further south, this kind of problem is right now examplified: at the Palestinian village of Falami trees of all kinds - olive, cirtus, guava - are being uprooted in their hundreds "to make place for the wall" and the village stands to lose most of its agricultural lands and water sources. Yesterday morning, a delegation of Gush Sahlom were trudging together with Falami villagers through the devaastated fields, following three enormous yellow Caterpillar machines which were systematically uprooting tree after tree. After last week's protests, at which villagers and peace activists tried to block the destruction and were dispersed with the massive use of tear gas, the army threatened that any further obstruction would entail the imposition of indefinite curfew over the whole village. So we did not obstruct the big bulldpzers, just pointed at their crews (and at the surrounding Border Guards and private security men) our signs reading "Uprooting trees is sowing hatred" and "For man is the tree of field" (part of the Biblical prohibition on cutting down trees, which is so often ignored by modern Israeli practicioners of Orthodox Judaism"). Later, when BBC and Al-Jazeera arrived with their cameras, we posed with the signs on the background of the ongoing destruction. "Why are you doing this? What do you hope to achieve?" asked one of the bulldozer drivers when he climbed down to take a break. "We have to protest injustice to the best of our ability, even if we can't change it. Are you not feeling uncomfortable at uprooting trees?" "Sure I feel uncomfortable. I am a religious man, I know that verse. The contarctor cheated me, he told only that I was going to shift rocks. But what can I do, it is my job, and if I had not done it somebody else would". And he climbed back into the cockpit. The Palestinian landowners who came with us were mainly concerned to salvage what they could of their olives. The huge machines which take out the whole tree by the roots - rather than the chainsaws which were last week used to cut trees to pieces - left open the possiblity of replanting the tree elsewhere. The operationaal change was not necessarily done for the villagers' benefit - so the farmers said: it is rumored that contractors often sell olive trees in Israel for a lucrative side- profit. That may well have happened in Falami, too, except that our presence enabled the villagers to get into what was officially "a closed military zone" and recover some of the uprooted trees. And then we saw our friendly bulldozer driver suddenly veer over and actively help them dig holes for replanting the trees in a new location - which probably was not part of his official job description. On our way out of Falami, we passed still-intact green fields and orange groves at the heart of Falami's farmlands. "They will arrive here before the end of the week, and we can do nothing, absolutely nothing" said S., a Falami-born engineer who came back from a Gulf emirate to help his fellow villagers in this crisis and who conducted us about the Falami lands. "The wall will go up, and we will need a miltary permit any time we want to get to the oranges and to the tomatoes and cucmbers in our hothouses. The army says that there will be gates in the wall and that we will be allowed to get through to our land. If you believe that, you will believe anything" [If you decide to forward this message then, please, copy it and send it as a new mail - in order to avoid broken lines.] For more information: Adam Keller, Gush Shalom spokesperson info@gush-shalom.org ph: 03-5565804 / 056-709603 --- Visit also our site http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (Hebrew) http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English with a special link for German: www.uri-avnery.de (and a lot more) N.B.: There are now on the site links for French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Fri Nov 15 20:56:34 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] 'Revenge of a Child', Uri Avnery (+ action update) Message-ID: <3DD55F82.3031.9C529C@localhost> ///////////////// Gush Shalom ///////////////////////// [] Olive harvest update + bus details re tomorrow. [] 'Revenge of a Child' - Uri Avnery on Metzer killing [If you decide to forward parts of this message, please copy it and send it as a new mail - in order to avoid broken lines.] [] Olive harvest update + bus details re tomorrow. - Another day of "very last" olive picking at Enabous village, where yesterday Israeli activist Or Gerlitz was wounded at his head by settler violence. Coming back today to the same place with increased numbers (some 60 people from the Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem area - on a busy Friday morning), was initiated by Ta'ayush, with the help of Gush Shalom and RHR. The Gush Shalom email staff was part of a group which was made to wait one and a half hour by the army. All the time we could see settlers near the trees, protected by soldiers. Only after a lot of phone calls with higher ups, press etc. came the order that we were allowed in. And indeed, suddenly no settlers to be seen. Then we found out that there wasn't much to be done anymore. Most of the olives had already been stolen by the settlers in the past weeks. We could only pick what olives had been left on the trees - which involved climbing to the high branches, which were neglected by the lazy settlers, and engaging in acrobatics and contortions to get bunches of olives from the ends of swaying branches. Our arrival enabled the owner of the grove to get into his land for the first time in two years; on all earlier occasions that he tried, he found armed settlers threatening or ctually shooting at him. - Coming home we found on the answering machine the call from individual harvest specialist Yakov Manor (09-7670801/7678457/050-733276) for tomorrow's olive harvest: bus from Jerusalem, at 7.30 from Gan Hapa'amon bus from Tel-Aviv, at 8.30 from Arlosorov Railway station. A harvest is also planned for Monday. For details call Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom 02-6710892 [] 'Revenge of a Child' - Uri Avnery on Metzer killing Uri Avnery 16.11.02 Revenge of a Child Since last Sunday, a question has been running around in my head and troubling my sleep: What induced the young Palestinian, who broke into Kibbutz Metzer, to aim his weapon at a mother and her two little children and kill them? In war one does not kill children. That is a fundamental human instinct, common to all peoples and all cultures. Even a Palestinian who wants to take revenge for the hundreds of children killed by the Israeli army should not take revenge on children. No moral commandment says "a child for a child". The persons who do these things are not known as crazy killers, blood-thirsty from birth. In almost all interviews with relatives and neighbors they are described as quite ordinary, non-violent individuals. Many of them are not religious fanatics. Indeed, Sirkhan Sirkhan, the man who committed the deed in Metzer, belonged to Fatah, a secular movement. These persons belong to all social classes; some come from poor families who have reached the threshold of hunger, but others come from middle class families, university students, educated people. Their genes are not different from ours. So what makes them do these things? What makes other Palestinians justify them? In order to cope, one has to understand, and that does not mean to justify. Nothing in the world can justify a Palestinian who shoots at a child in his mother's embrace, just as nothing can justify an Israeli who drops a bomb on a house in which a child is sleeping in his bed. As the Hebrew poet Bialik wrote a hundred years ago, after the Kishinev pogrom: "Even Satan has not yet invented the revenge for the blood of a little child." But without understanding, it is impossible to cope. The chiefs of the IDF have a simple solution: hit, hit, hit. Kill the attackers. Kill their commanders. Kill the leaders of their organizations. Demolish the homes of their families and exile their relatives. But, wonder of wonders, these methods achieve the opposite. After the huge IDF bulldozer flattens the "terrorist infrastructure", destroying-killing-uprooting everything on its way, within days a new "infrastructure" comes into being. According to the announcements of the IDF itself, since operation "Protective Shield" there have been some fifty warnings of imminent attacks every day. The reason for this can be summed up in one word: rage. Terrible rage, that fills the soul of a human being, leaving no space for anything else. Rage that dominates the person's whole life, making life itself unimportant. Rage that wipes out all limitations, eclipses all values, breaks the chains of family and responsibility. Rage that a person wakes up with in the morning, goes to sleep with in the evening, dreams about at night. Rage that tells a person: get up, take a weapon or an explosive belt, go to their homes and kill, kill, kill, no matter what the consequences. An ordinary Israeli, who has never been in the Palestinian territories, cannot even imagine the reasons for this rage. Our media totally ignore the events there, or describe them in small, sweetened doses. The average Israeli knows somehow that the Palestinians suffer (it's their own fault, of course), but he has no idea what's really happening there. It doesn't concern him, anyhow. Homes are demolished. A merchant, lawyer, ordinary craftsman, respected in his community, turns overnight into a "homeless", he and his children and grandchildren. Each one of them a potential suicide bomber. Fruit-trees are being uprooted in their thousands. For the officer, it's just a tree, an obstacle. For the owners, it's the blood of his heart, the heritage of his forefathers, years of toil, the livelihood of his family. Each one of them a potential suicide bomber. On a hill between the villages a gang of thugs has put up an "outpost". The army arrives to defend them. When the villagers come to till their fields, they are shot at. They are forbidden to work in all fields and groves within a one or two kilometers range, so that the security of the outpost will not be endangered. The peasants see from afar, with longing eyes, how their fruit is rotting on the trees, how their fields are being covered by thorns and thistles waist high, while their children have nothing to eat. Each one of them a potential suicide bomber. People are killed. Their torn bodies lie in the streets, for everyone to see. Some of them are "martyrs" who chose their lot. But many others - men, women, children - are killed "by mistake", "accidentally", "trying to escape", "were close to the source of fire" - and all the hundred and one pretexts of professional spokesmen. The IDF does not apologize, officers and soldiers are never convicted, because "that's how things are in war". But each of the people killed has parents, brothers, sons, cousins. Each one of them a potential suicide bomber. Beyond these are the families living on the fringes of hunger, suffering from severe malnutrition. Fathers who cannot bring food to their children feel despair. Each one of them a potential suicide bomber. Hundred of thousands are kept under curfew for weeks and months on end, eight persons cooped up in two or three rooms, a living hell difficult to imagine, while outside the settlers have a ball, protected by the soldiers. A vicious circle: yesterday's bombers caused the curfew, the curfew creates the bombers of tomorrow. And beyond all these, the total humiliation which every Palestinian, without distinction of age, gender or social standing, experiences every moment of his life. Not an abstract humiliation, but an altogether concrete one. To be dependent for life and death on the whim of an 18-year old boy in the street and at one of the innumerable checkpoints that a Palestinian has to pass wherever he goes, while gangs of settlers pass freely and "visit" their villages, damage property, pick the olives in their groves, set fire to the trees. An Israeli who has not seen it cannot imagine such a life, a situation of "every bastard a king" and "the slave who has becomes master", a situation of curses and pushes at best, threats with weapons in many cases, actual shooting in some. Not to mention the sick on the way to dialysis, the pregnant women on the way to hospital, students who don't get to their classes, children who can't reach their schools. The youngsters who see their venerable grandfather publicly humiliated by some boy in uniform with a runny nose. Each one of them a potential suicide bomber. A normal Israeli cannot imagine all this. After all, the soldiers are nice boys, the sons of all of us, only yesterday they were schoolboys. But when one takes these nice boys and puts them in uniforms, pushes them through the military machine and puts them into a situation of occupation, something happens to them. Many try to keep their human face in impossible circumstances, many others become order- fulfilling robots. And always, in every company, there are some disturbed people who flourish in this situation and do repulsive things, knowing that their officers will turn a blind eye or wink approvingly. All this does not justify the killing of children in the arms of their mother. But it helps to grasp why this is happening, and why this will go on happening as long as the occupation lasts. Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 info@gush-shalom.org telefax: 03-5565804 mobile phone: 056-709603 --- Transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html Also on the site http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (Hebrew) or: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English with a special link for German: www.uri-avnery.de (and a lot more) N.B.: There are now on the site links for French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Nov 18 01:05:20 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] Promenade of death Message-ID: <3DD83CD0.21105.4D8241@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ =============== Promenade Of Death =============== by Adam Keller Nov. 18, 2002, Tel-Aviv Last week an apprehension - now a sad reality. A bit more than a week ago, the Israeli army in Jenin assassinated Eyad Sawalha, a major leader of the Islamic Jihad. As usual, "the successful liquidiation of an arch- terrorist" was celebrated by the Israeli press in banner headlines. As usual, the assassinated leader's followers vowed "a dire revenge". There was no need to have great expertise, or access to classified information in order to take that threat seriously. One just needed to remember the history of the past decade, particularly of the past two years, and the devastating effects which assassinations of this kind had again and again. And knowing Ariel Sharon's penchant for ordering assassinations exactly at times when the backlash would serve his political and miltary purposes, one cannot but wonder at Sharon's motive for conspicuously striking at the Islamic Jihad - a small, close-knit, ultra-radical organization - at precisely the time when Fatah and Hamas, the two major forces on the Palestinian political scene are holding talks at Cairo under Egyptian and European auspices, with the declared aim of agreeing on terms for a cease fire with Israel. The above is conjecture, which cannot be proven. But the undoubted fact is that Islamic Jihad did launch its revenge attack last Friday - an ambush of Israeli military forces at Hebron, on the opposite side of the West Bank to where Sawalha was killed. This revenge left twelve Israeli soldiers, officers and settler militiamen dead, and many others wounded. Today's papers show another fact: whether or not anybody intended that result, after the Hebron attack the mainstream Israeli public opinion is even more sceptical about the Cairo talks, or any other Palestinian move towards a cease fire, than it already was. And so, the cycle of revenge upon revenge upon revenge moves further on. Once again, after a short and very partial respite, the ancient city of Hebron is under full Israeli occupation. Once again, curfew keeps its 150,000 Palestinian inhabitants imprisoned in their homes, while religious-nationalist settlers are free to roam the streets and destroy Palestinian cars and property. Prime Minister Sharon and the newly-installed Defense Minster Mofaz instructed the army to exact "heavy retaliations" for the Friday killings. Already, military bulldozers are at work destroying fields and olive grove around the scene of the deadly ambush, and three houses were blown up in the same area - apparently without any inquiry as to whether or not their inhabitants had been in any way implicated in the attack. Elsewhere in the city, six more houses were destroyed - some on the charge that they had been the homes of the now-dead Islamic Jihad fighters who ambushed the soldiers; other houses - because allegedly, other members of the same organization, now dead or in hiding, used to live there. Is the rendering homeless of at least a hundred persons, many of them children, truly an effective measure against the recurrence of such attacks upon Israel's occupation forces? And what of the aarmy's decision to shut down Hebron's District Coordinating Office, where since Oslo Israeli and Palestinians officers used to meet and try to solve currently recurring problems? The DCO's Palestinian officers were rudely turned out and their computers and papers confiscated.. They were told never to come back - the group of Palestinian officials who, more than anyone else, tried over the past seven years to make the Oslo framework work, who under often impossible conditions tried to sort out complicated problems by way of dialogue with their Israeli colleagues. Such efforts on the Palestinian side are, obviously, no longer appreciated or wanted by those who now hold power in Israel. Meanwhile, the media in this country finds it extremely difficult to give a clear definition to what happened on Friday night. The terms "massacre", "terrorist attack", "ambush" and "battle" are all heard, sometimes within the same news broadcast or article. By all objective criteria, "massacre" it was not-unless one was to accept the consistent pacifist argument that all wars and all battles are murder and massacre. Still, it is deeply disturbing for the people of Israel - especially after being repeatedly told that the Palestinians are "near collapse" - to come to terms with what happened on Friday: three Palestinian fighters withstood for hours a far superior Israeli force, and before being finally overwhelmed and killed they managed to kill twelve Israeli soldiers and officers, including a colonel. In part, this bloody outcome resulted from the brave but foolhardy behaviour of the Israeli troops. Repeatedly they charged head-on, in the open, against the fire of hidden opponents - a conduct which the world's armed forces learned at a terrible price to avoid, at least since the First World War. But it is not entirely surprising that an army which got used to lording over helpless civilians and breaking any resistance by the massive use of tanks, helicopter gunships and hightech electronic gadgets would get a bit rusty on elementary tactics… Meanwhile, the settlers seem unperturbed by such issues. Their main aim is to use this latest incident - as they used all violent incidents in the past twenty years - as a pretext to further extend their armed enclaves in the heart of Hebron at the expense of the land and homes of their reluctant Palestinian neighbors. Already last night, more than a thousand vengeful settlers held a turbulent rally on the site where three Palestinian homes had been bulldozed and Palestinian olive trees uprooted, declaring their intention to establish a new settlement "neighborhood" on this spot so as to achieve "territorial continuity" between the settlement enclaves inside Hebron and the larger settlement of Kiryat Arba just outside. Prime Minister Sharon, who visited the site today, warmly endorsed the idea, frankly speaking of the Friday attack as "an opportunity which must not be missed" to "create accomplished facts". Yitchak Levy of the National Religious Party, Minister of Tourism in a country to which virtually no tourists come in the past two years, already announced that his ministry will finance the construction of a "Kiryat Arba - Hebron Promenade"… This evening, we joined a Peace Now vigil outside the Defence Ministry, to protest that mad idea, that abuse of bloodshed as a pretext for an act which can only lead to further bloodshed. To call fro withdrawal and the dismantling of settlements at Hebron in particular and in the Occupied territories in general. The idea is to continue with these vigils every day at 6.00 PM, for the rest of this week. Not that anybody can entertain any illusion: Sharon, if re-elected in January - as the opinion polls at present give him a good chance to be - will for sure construct the settlers' promenade of death and other costly follies. Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 info@gush-shalom.org telefax: 03-5565804 mobile phone: 056-709603 [If you decide to forward this message then, please, copy it and send it as a new mail - in order to avoid broken lines.] --- Visit our site: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (Hebrew) or: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) photo's - of action or otherwise informative the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English with a special link for German: www.uri-avnery.de (and a lot more) N.B.: There are now on the site links for French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to: Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/- From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Nov 21 21:32:54 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalomPress] Mitzna's victory a sign of hope but tone still set by violence In-Reply-To: <3DDB7160.25946.3FBA16@localhost> Message-ID: <3DDD5106.27475.28C6B5F@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Press Release November 21, 2002 = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = Gush Shalom: Mitzna's victory a sign of hope but the tone still set by violence = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = In what could be called a silent mass demonstration for peace, tens of thousands of Labor party members decided this week to give the newcomer a chance. The not so cautious Haifa Mayor Amram Mitzna had challenged the hawkish Ben-Eliezer as well as the balancing Chaim Ramon with a more outspoken peace agenda than we remember ever anybody having succeeded with - in the race for the Labor Party leadership. Amram Mitzna is, as so many before him, a former general but after his army career ten years ago he became the mayor of Haifa. And he displayed exceptional courage and wisdom in this binational Jewish-Arab town during the ethnic strive in the beginning of this Intifada. All in all we wish him success and hope that with the same daring and opennes he displayed so far, he will succeed to open up more Israelis - all those who show themselves to be rather dovish in theory - as appears from the polls - but who never heard the truth from a politician whom they were willing to trust. However, the fact of Mitzna's success inside the Labot Party is the first and so far also the last good news. In spite of the many non-violence events - such as the near-daily joint olive harvest of Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals, or - on other occasions - the joint non-violent resistance to the bulldozers - by barring their way with not more than one's body, it is still those who use violence who set the tone. Today's busblast took the lives of eleven old and young, men, women and of children on the way to school. It was the work of a 23-year old from Bethlehem - this means revenge on the town of Bethlehem and is it now looks also on the Gaza Strip - as it was claimed by Hamas which have there their stronghold. Before, during and after each Palestinian suicide attack there is the routine brutality of the occupation: no day without some renewed 24-hour curfew, no day without announced or implemented house demolitions; actually there passes no day without killings which don't make headlines and whose victims are mostly Palestinians. The Israeli and the Palestinian people are stuck in a murderous vicious circle: On the one hand, the Palestinians will not be intimidated into submission and the terrorism will not end without the occupation be lifted. (Sharon personally this week warned the soldiers in Nablus that "Palestinians are willing to give their lives in order not to be defeated.") On the other hand, those in power in Israel use terrorism as an excuse not to end the occupation. Until now they got the support of those who ultimately want a two-state solution but for the time being don't want to "reward terrorism." Let's hope that before we all drown in this quagmire enough people of the latter group will again remember that wars are not decided by who has the best weapons, nor by who uses the more"legitimate" way of killing, but by the one who is fighting for a just cause. --- On our site: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (òáøéú) http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) \\photo's - of action or otherwise informative \\the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English \\columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English \\and an archive full of interesting documents N.B.: There are now on the site links for: French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper to: Gush Shalom pob 3322 Tel-Aviv 61033 Israel or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Nov 24 03:14:06 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Action alert & Avnery article: The Aim: Victory Message-ID: <3DE043FE.29565.287E49@localhost> ///////////////// Gush Shalom ///////////////////////// Nov. 24, 2002 [] Stop The House Demolition - This Is Not Doing Justice request to send protest letter [] Avnery: The Aim: Victory [] Stop The House Demolition - This Is Not Doing Justice request to send protest letter Started as "reaction" after Thursday's terrorist attack in Jerusalem, the IDF actions against Bethlehem and in the Gaza Strip are continuing. The Israeli media give some glimpses; there are press releases from Palestinian organizations; whaat we got from Huwaida Arraf, International Solidarity Movement describes something which did NOT YET happen - so you may try to write a short sharp letter (sample follows) to: Acting Foreign Minister Benyamin Netanyahu (or even better:) fax (+972-2) 5303506 / 5303896 5303367 and: Spokesperson Defense Ministry +copies to: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan ecu@un.org, coi@un.org, commond@un.org US President George W. Bush president@whitehouse.gov "Secretary of State, Colin Powell" , Vladimir Putin, President, Russia Jacques Chirac, President, France Jiang Zemin, President, China Tony Blair, Prime Minister, Britain (Fax +44-207-925-0918) "Mr. Terje Rod Larsen Personal Representative of the Secretary General to the United Nations in Palestine" unsco@palnet.com, lemore@un.org Ms. Mary Robinson UN High Commissioner for Human Rights European Parliament Belgian Office Jean Chretien Prime Minister of Canada +BCC to info@gush-shalom.org [following is what you can use at it is - or as inspiration] The senseless ongoing brutality of the IDF against unprotected civilians under its custody (as the occupying force) are not unnoticed. How are you going to explain to the world this ongoing collective punishment, especilly the convenient house demolitions (convenient for settler expansionism) making whole families homeless, because of what not they have done? This form of collective punishment is in contraavention of the rules of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, and it will not bring back the dead, or prevent future acts of hatred. On the contrary. STOP THE HOUSE DEMOLITION - THIS IS NOT DOING JUSTICE >From Huwaida Arraf Date sent: Sat, 23 Nov 2002 13:27:34 -0800 (PST) INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT November 23, 2002  BOMBING THE INNOCENT The 4-story home of Mohammad Al-Ikhress, in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, is refuge for 20 people, 8 of whom are children aged 2-weeks to 13 years. The Israeli authorities want to demolish this home to leave these 20 already-refugees, homeless. Why? Because Mohammad is the father of Aayat Al-Ikhress, an 18-year old girl, who back on March 29, 2002, decided to turn herself into a human bomb and detonate in Jerusalem. No one knew of Aayat plans to become a “suicide bomber” and her family and friends still grieve for her, but no one is surprised or asks why. “The Israeli government sows the seeds of hatred in our people. They invade, bomb, demolish, strip, humiliate, shoot, and kill our people, and then call us terrorists when we respond” said Aayat’s older brother. Last night at 3am, Israeli soldiers invaded the Al-Ikhress home, took all of Aayat’s pictures that her family had around the house, then left, promising to return to demolish the home. “They took away Aayat’s photos, but they can’t take away the memory of her” said Aayat’s mother,Khadra. The Israeli military has already demolished 6 Palestinian homes in the Bethlehem area in the past two days and whereas this practice is in direct violation of international law, the mainstream media neglects to mention this, and foreign governments signatory to the Fourth Geneva Convention, fail to condemn this. International humanitarian law states that collective punishment is illegal: "No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed." (Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention). This afternoon, 7 international volunteers from the International Solidarity Movement arrived at the Al-Ikhress home and will stay with the family through the night. The volunteers, equipped with video and still cameras will record the actions of the Israeli military. We urge the international community to live up to its responsibilities to the Palestinian people. Left with no other way to defend themselves and knowing that international laws are null when it comes to Israel, it is reasonable to expect that the Palestinian people will resort to any means necessary in their struggle for freedom. Failure on the part of the international community to take quick and decisive actions to force Israel to comply with UN Resolutions and international law is allowing the cycle of violence to continue. Huwaida Arraf  INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT  www.palsolidarity.org [] Avnery: The Aim: Victory The Aim: Victory By Uri Avnery Nov. 23 It seems that a new wind is blowing in the country. This week I flew to Europe. On the way to the Airport, the taxi-driver told me: That's it, there is no hope left. We shall never have peace with the Palestinians. There is no one to talk with. No compromise is possible. The war will go on and on. Therefore he will vote for Sharon. I remarked that if this is so, his grandchildren would certainly leave the country. "What grandchildren," he replied with sorrow, mingled with pride, "My son is an architect in Los Angeles!" I returned after five days. The taxi driver who took me home from the airport surprised me. "All my life I have voted Likud," he said, "But the Likud has failed. There is no difference between Sharon and Netanyahu. They have not brought security but look how the economy has gone to pieces. This time I shall vote for Mitzna." What has happened during these five days? One thing: Amram Mitzna has won the primary election in the Labor Party. This, by itself, is a stunning feat in every respect. An introvert "Yekke" (as German Jews are condescendingly called) without charisma has defeated an "authentic", back- slapping Iraqi. A dove has beaten a hawk. A political newcomer, who has announced that he is ready to talk with Arafat, has routed the Defense Minister, who has tried to destroy the Palestinian Authority. That is a shining victory of Mitzna's. But it is much more. It is a symptom of mysterious happenings in the depths of the national consciousness. During the last two years, while the cycle of atrocities got wider and wider, I was often asked how I managed to remain optimistic, while everybody around lost all hope. I answered that one day, in a week or in five years, the public will wake up in the morning and exclaim: "Enough! This can't go on! A solution must be found!" "What good will that do?" the doom-sayers would say, "There is no politician around who could lead the country towards peace." "The demand will create the offer," I answered, "When there is a demand for such a leader, he will appear from somewhere." I think that this forecast is beginning to be realized. The currents beneath the surface of public consciousness are changing. The IDF conquers, occupies, kills, "destroys the terror infrastructure", and the Palestinian attacks do not stop for a moment. The regular declarations of Sharon and Mofaz start to sound like self-parody. For the first time, "simple" people realize that there is a close relationship between the intifada, the economic crisis and the social emergency. That does not cause the public to love the Palestinians or to get enamored with peace. Not at all. But it causes it to look for a leader with vision, who will try sincerely to break out of the bloody cycle and find a solution. The settlers are "out", compromise is "in". Amram Mitzna has appeared at the right place, at the right time, with the right message. Now the slogan must be: Full Steam Ahead! Some cautious peace activists say that we should not ask for too much. One has to look at the public opinion polls. Mitzna cannot beat Sharon. But he can overhaul the Labor Party in opposition, and that is also important. This is a mistake. The polls photograph the situation on the ground. They do not see what's happening underneath. There, new currents are flowing. Therefore, the aim must be: victory. True, a victory of Mitzna over the Sharonyahu looks like a miracle. But that's how a victory of Mitzna over Ben-Eliezer looked a month ago. It will be difficult, very difficult. But it is possible. All efforts must be made to achieve it. According to all the polls, the gap between the two big blocs, the right and the left, is quite small even now, before the public has grasped the full impact of what happened in the Labor Party. Something like 65 against 55. Which means that it is enough to capture five-six seats in the Knesset in order to achieve an enormous change. There is no alternative to victory. For the future of Israel, the saving of human lives and the reconstruction of the state, the difference between Mitzna and Sharon is colossal. If the hour has not yet struck, and the Likud wins after all, the struggle must not be stopped for a moment. If Sharon or Netanyahu win, they will head a narrow, divided and fragile coalition, unable to solve any problems. It will be torn between the need to please Bush and the need to appease the extreme right wing of Lieberman-Eytam. Since things under their leadership will go on deteriorating, it can be brought down within a year and then the big reversal must be effected. Therefore, any thought about an effort to set up a "national unity" government after the election is dangerous. No doubt Sharon will offer Labor seductive terms for joining. In the language of the Mafia: "An offer they can't refuse." But Sharon is Sharon and will never change. In order to remain true to himself, Mitzna will have to refuse. Even if his job-hungry and unprincipled colleagues urge him to accept. The aim must be: a total reversal, all along the front and in every area. Nothing less will suffice. True, Amram Mitzna may disappoint us. Let's not forget the enthusiasm with which we welcomed Ehud Barak, who led to disaster. He may break on the way. That can also happen, and we must be ready for it. But it is reasonable to expect the opposite. A person can grow in the job and fulfill the mission history has placed on him. At this moment, ecce homo. --- --- On our site: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (òáøéú) http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) \\photo's - of action or otherwise informative \\the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English \\the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English \\and an archive full of interesting documents N.B.: There are now on the site links for: French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. In order to receive weekly a selection of English-language articles, reports and announcements collected by Adam Keller and Beate Zilversmidt send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper to: Gush Shalom pob 3322 Tel-Aviv 61033 Israel or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' From info at gush-shalom.org Thu Nov 28 19:32:24 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Gush Shalom ad Message-ID: <3DE66F48.10551.176A08D@localhost> ///////////////// Gush Shalom ///////////////////////// Nov. 28, 2002 [This message is being sent in between the terrible news from attacks on Israelis in Mombassa, Kenya, and Beit She'an in northern Israel costing the lives not only of Israelis (among them children) but also of Kenyan civilians. As we were informed earlier this week, a majority of Palestinians have expressed their opposition to such acts - but as long as nothing changes that will probably not save them from having to pay the price in this ongoing cycle of revenge upon revenge upon revenge which takes so many lives on both sides. We call for an end to the lethal Israeli-Palestinians embrace, for a cease-fire, for immediate negotiations, for an end to the occupation.] Gush Shalom ad: NON-INTERVENTION = == = == = It is not proper for a foreign body to interfere in the election process. Therefore, we propose that the Government of Israel and the Government of the Palestinian Authority make the following agreement: 1. The Palestinian Authority will not interfere in the Israeli elections. 2. The government of Israel will not interfere in the elections of the Palestinian authority. 3. The Palestinian Authority will neither appoint nor disqualify candidates for the Knesset. 4. The Government of Israel will neither appoint nor disqualify candidates for the Palestinian leadership. 5. The Palestinian Authority will not occupy Israeli territories in order to sabotage Israeli elections. 6. The Government of Israel will not occupy Palestinian territories in order to sabotage Palestinian elections. 7 Both sides will abstain from all forms of military, economic and political pressure designed to sabotage the elections of the other side. Gush Shalom, Help us with donations to P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, Phone 972-3-5221732. www.gush-shalom.org Requests for information about current actions: info@gush-shalom.org Gush Shalom ad in Ha'aretz, November 29, 2002 --- In today's Billboard you can aalso read about: [] Solidarity vigil Saturday & Petition on behalf of imprisoned conscientious draft resisters [] Saturday night, Hanukka/End of Tunnel candle lightning [] Another devastating search of an emergency clinic - in Hebron [] Barak's confused legacy - an article by two Jewish Voice For Peace leaders In order to be among the recipients: Subscribe to TOI-Billboard by sending one blank mail to TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com and in order to get today's edition, also a copy to otherisr@actcom.co.il. --- On our site: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (òáøéú) http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) \\photo's - of action or otherwise informative \\the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English \\the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English \\and an archive full of interesting documents N.B.: There are now on the site links for: French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper to: Gush Shalom pob 3322 Tel-Aviv 61033 Israel or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' From info at gush-shalom.org Sun Dec 1 02:35:41 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Why Does the Leopard Hide his Spots - Uri Avnery Message-ID: <3DE9757D.22210.4BC1AA@localhost> ///////////////// Gush Shalom ///////////////////////// [Uri Avnery, in his comment of the week, philosophies about what was real and what façade in the presentations of the Likud leadership contenders, and whether the voters chose the man or the make-belief. From the outcome of several remarkable party primaries, combined with the averge opinion polls he comes to a cautiously optimistic conclusion: the potential for a shift is there, now or in a year or so.] Uri Avnery 30.11.02 Why Does the Leopard Hide his Spots? I loath Binyamin Netanyahu, and therefore I hoped that he would be elected leader of the Likud. I am sorry that Sharon won the primary election instead. How's that? After all, Netanyahu presented himself as a man of the extreme right and demanded to "expel" (the code-word for "kill") Yasser Arafat. He is ready to fight to the last drop of (our) blood against the creation of a Palestinian state. Unlike Sharon, who says that he is ready to accept a Palestinian state and does not talk anymore about expelling Arafat. So why did I prefer Netanyahu? Because Netanyahu is an unprincipled politician, ready to change his positions any time. He reminds me of Groucho Marx, who once declared: "These are my views. If you don't like them, I have others, too." He could easily exchange his rightist slogan for leftist ones. Sharon is very different: he has a rigid outlook, which he has not changed for decades. He resembles an IDF bulldozer in Jenin, destroying walls on his way and demolishing houses on top of their inhabitants. His aim in life is to destroy the Palestinian entity and imprison the Palestinians in isolated enclaves, until the time is ripe for their expulsion from the country altogether. Nowadays he hides his unwavering attachment to this plan behind the mask of a benevolent, moderate grandfather, who has settled down and wants nothing more than to crown his career by making peace. I prefer at the head of the Likud an unprincipled politician to a disguised true believer. He would have been easier for Mitzna to defeat. In the competition for the Likud leadership, Netanyahu was a sheep in wolf's clothing, while Sharon was a wolf in sheep's clothing. The Likud members preferred the clothing of the sheep to that of the wolf. And that is significant. Netanyahu did not understand that the mood of the Likud members has changed. He made a big mistake - one of many - when he decided, in the middle of the campaign, to adopt ultra- right positions, demanding Arafat's expulsion and coming out against a Palestinian state. It appears that most of the Likud members do not believe anymore that that is practical - a conclusion confirmed the next day by a public opinion poll that showed that half of the Likud members accept a Palestinian state and agree to evacuate settlements. Sharon, on the other hand, knows how to read maps. He pretends to accept a Palestinian state and to make "concessions that hurt". This, of course, is a mere make-believe. He made his acceptance of the Palestinian state dependent on so many impossible "ifs" that it has been emptied of any content. Sharon remains the same Sharon and will never be anything but the same Sharon. The leopard will not change his spots*, but he understands that he has to hide them. To the trusting public he presented himself as a moderate, as against the extreme Netanyahu. And, wonder of wonders, the Likud, the party of the extreme right, preferred the candidate posing as a moderate to the candidate posing as an extremist. This is not the only miracle: a few days before, something very similar happened in the Labor party, when Binjamin Ben-Eliezer was trounced by Amram Mitzna. There is some similarity between the two Binyamins: Ben-Eliezer, like Netanyahu, is a man without principles, who is ready to change his views like socks. Mitzna, on the other side, is a man of clear principles. Mitzna is a declared dove. As against the right-wing line of Ben-Eliezer, he presents to the voters a clear, left-wing alternative: negotiations with Arafat, evacuation of most settlements, immediate withdrawal from the whole Gaza strip, compromise over Jerusalem, a Palestinian state. Yet by an overwhelming majority, the Labor party voters chose him over Ben-Eliezer. Let there be no mistake: Mitzna is not a Gush Shalom member. Some of his slogans are anathema to me. But he is firmly located on the left of the political arena. If one does not grasp the significance of his election as Labor leader, one does not understand what's happening under the surface of Israeli society. One miracle can be accidental. Two testify to a tendency. If in both the big parties - Likud and Labor - the candidates with the more "leftist" program defeats the candidates with a more "rightist" one, it proves that new public currents are at work. One may add the happenings in the National Religious party. Once upon a time, this was a very moderate party. In the 50s, when the moderate Moshe Sharett was struggling against the extremist line of David Ben-Gurion, it generally supported Sharett. Since then it has - like almost the whole religious camp - moved steadily to the extreme right. A year ago it crowned as its leader Effi Eytam, compared to whom Haider and Le Pen look like bleeding-heart liberals. Yet lo and behold: this week, when choosing its candidates for the Knesset elections, it turned against its new leader and filled the most coveted spots on the list with people who are (comparatively) more moderate. If one puts all these facts together, what do they say? They say that the whole system is slowly moving to the left. The public is fed up with the war, the unceasing bloodshed, the economic crisis and the social breakdown. People want a solution. They are looking for compromise. They are ready to pay for it. This gives Mitzna a chance. It will be very difficult for him to win, but it is definitely possible. And even if he does not succeed this time, he can do it the next time, which may be in a year or so. Provided, of course, he does not fall into the trap of a National Unity government. Something is changing in the country. People are speaking again about things which had seemingly died: the Green Line, evacuation of (most) settlements, exchange of territory, speaking with Arafat, the Taba and Clinton plans, international monitors. Ahead of us the tunnel is still dark. But after two years of anguish and despair, it seems that at least a small light has appeared at the end of the tunnel. To quote Winston Churchill once more: "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." * Jeremia, 13, 23. --- On our site: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (òáøéú) http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) \\photo's - of action or otherwise informative \\the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English \\the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English \\and an archive full of interesting documents N.B.: There are now on the site links for: French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. To get forwarded reports and announcements which we receive + a selection of English-language articles, send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper to: Gush Shalom pob 3322 Tel-Aviv 61033 Israel or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) = == = == = == = == = == = == = From info at gush-shalom.org Sat Dec 7 18:10:01 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: Gush Shalom to Attorney General: Prevent war crime in Hebron Message-ID: <3DF23979.10668.BAE8A9@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ = == = == = == = == = == = Gush Shalom to Attorney General: Prevent war crime in Hebron = == = == = == = == = == = [] Letter to the Attorney General [] Ad in Ha'aretz: Serving the settlers [] Letter to the Attorney General Uri Avnery, on behalf of the Gush Shalom movement, sent a sharp warning to the Attorney General, concerning the destruction of dozens of homes in Hebron. Following the text: December 5, 2002. Mr. Elyakim Rubinstein, Legal Advisor to the Government, Jerusalem. Sir, We are in possession of decree 61/02/T, signed by General Moshe Kaplinsky, commander of the IDF in the 'Judea and Samaria' area. This decree orders the expropriation of 61 (sixty one) parcels, as follows: 'I declare that these lands will be taken over for military needs. I hereby order the demolition of the buildings for military needs.' To the best of our knowledge and understanding, there are no 'military needs' for this act, which entails the destruction of a whole neighborhood. The purpose of the decree is to create a 'territorial contiguity' between the settlers in Kiryat-Arba and those in the center of Hebron. In the absence of an urgent military need, this act may be considered a war crime under international law. There is no need to add that the very existence of an Israeli settlement in Hebron is illegal under international law. As an Israeli peace movement, we are deeply concerned with the moral fabric and the international standing of our state. Therefore we request you to - (1)Inform the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense that the above action is manifestly illegal and must be cancelled at once. (2)Warn General Moshe Kaplinsky that the above act may be considered a war crime and entail severe personal consequences for him at any time. We are convinced that by doing so you will act for the good of the state and the army. We believe that it is the duty of every citizen in a democratic state to warn against actions that may constitute war crimes, and take all legal steps necessary for their prevention. This we are doing. Yours truly, Uri Avnery, Former member of the Knesset, Gush Shalom. Copy: General Moshe Kaplinsky. [] Ad in Ha'aretz: Serving the settlers SERVING THE SETTLERS [ad published in Ha'aretz, Dec. 6] Twenty years ago, Moshe Dayan stated that the aim of the settlers in Hebron is the expulsion of all the inhabitants of the town, as a first stage of the expulsion of the Palestinians from the rest of the country. Since the beginning of the Jewish settlement there, in 1968, the town has not known a single day of quiet. Lewinger, Goldstein and their followers have caused an unending series of provocations, in order to realize that aim. Following the ambush, in which 11 soldiers and security personnel were killed, the Sharon-Mofaz-Ya’alon trio has decided to destroy a whole Palestinian neighborhood, expel its inhabitants and build on its ruins a new settlement that will connect Kiryat-Arba with the settlers’ colony in the center of the town. For the first time, the government and the army high command are implementing in cold blood a clear policy of ethnic cleansing. By any standard, this is an international crime. Gush Shalom, Help us with donations to P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, www.gush-shalom.org Requests for information about current actions: info@gush-shalom.org --- On our site: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (Hebrew) http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) \\photo's - of action or otherwise informative \\the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English \\the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English \\and an archive full of interesting documents N.B.: There are now on the site links for: French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. To get forwarded reports and announcements which we receive + a selection of English-language articles, send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper to: Gush Shalom pob 3322 Tel-Aviv 61033 Israel or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " President Bush has agreed that war should be the very last resort. Let's hold him and his administration to those words, by signing: http://www.moveon.org/winwithoutwar/ " ~ " ~ " ~ " " ~ " ~ " From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Dec 9 00:25:18 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [Gush Shalom] Yoni Ben Artzi and Uri Ya'acobi made into scapegoats Message-ID: <3DF3E2EE.24150.106A84F@localhost> ///////////////// Gush Shalom ///////////////////////// Yoni Ben Artzi and Uri Ya'acobi made into scapegoats Yoni Ben Artzi and Uri Ya'acobi, who both already served five consecutive prison terms for refusing to serve in the army, were today imprisoned for the sixth time and received respectively 35 and 28 days in Military Prison-4. Ben Artzi will at the end of this period come close to half a year in prison. No community service for these conscientious objectors, but military prison with its short nights and its long days of forced labor. The struggle for the release of these two - officially adopted by Amnesty International (http:web.amnesty.org/web/web.nsf/pages/IOT_Conscientious_Objectors) - is not so much a struggle on behalf of refusal to serve in the army but in the first place a struggle for fair behavior towards principled youngsters. In this country the religious succeeded to get exemption from army service for every "Yeshiva Student" - without in the least objecting to the use of violence, only to themselves having to do the dirty work. It is inacceptable that at the same time non- religious students are again and again imprisoned for the fact that they happen to have a conscience which forbids them to take part in an army which all their life (and much longer) has been an occupation army. The two re-jailed today have both been behind bars for more than 100 days already (Ben-Artzi 126, and Ya'acobi 106). The fact that there is no sign of allowing them to see the army's "Incompatibility Commission" (the only way out of the vicious circle) is proof that a policy of years has been changed. There was for years an unwritten rule that such repeated imprisonments of COs would never exceed 90 to 100 days. There can be no more doubt: the army embarked on a new policy of harsh treatment of refusers. The new policy of "breaking the conscientious objectors" is meant to crash also another phenomenon: the increasing and widespread unwillingness to serve in the army. The steep rise in the number of pacifist and political refusers is only the tip of the iceberg. According to military correspondents the number of soldiers who "vote with their feet" by just not coming when they are called up seems to have risen even more dramatically. Yoni Ben Artzi en Uri Ya'acobi are the first to suffer from this new policy; several other young COs are right now in prison for not yet as many days (Yoni Yechezkel, Dror Boimel, Haggai Matar - to mention some) and at least four others are due to enter this week (among them Matan Kaminer, whose letter circulates these days on the net) and these four will be accompanied by a crowd of future refusers - tomorrow at 7.30 up to the gates of the Tel- Hashomer recruitment center. But right now we advise to focus the struggle on the two who entered their sixth term. Ben Artzi en Ya'acobi now need all the support they can get. Letters of support (which will be passed on by their family) to: Yoni: Matania.Ben-artzi@huji.ac.il Uri: Prison_Hamster@hotmail.com Letters of protest to: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Spokesperson of the Prime Minister Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz Spokesperson Defense Ministry Foreign Minister Benyamin Netanyahu + COPIES to: Amnesty International , amnesty1 We very much urge you also to send your protest by fax or regular post to: Minister of Defence Mr. Sha'ul Mofaz, Ministry of Defence, 37 Kaplan st., Tel-Aviv 61909, Israel. Fax:+972-(0)3-696-27-57 / +972-(0)3-691-69-40 / +972-(0)3-691-79-15 Commander of Military Prison No. 4, Military Postal Code 02507 IDF, Israel Fax: +972-(0)3-957-52-76 And, last but not least: speak to the commander (or his helper) of Military Prison-4: +972-(0)3-9577555 / +972-(0)3-9577559 / +972-(0)3-9577560 --- On our site: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (òáøéú) http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) \\photo's - of action or otherwise informative \\the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English \\the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English \\and an archive full of interesting documents N.B.: There are now on the site links for: French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. To get forwarded reports and announcements which we receive + a selection of English-language articles, send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper to: Gush Shalom pob 3322 Tel-Aviv 61033 Israel or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " President Bush has agreed that war should be the very last resort. Let's hold him and his administration to those words, by signing: http://www.moveon.org/winwithoutwar/ " ~ " ~ " ~ " " ~ " ~ " From info at gush-shalom.org Sat Dec 14 01:27:07 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Gush ad + No dispute with the General at Van Leer Institute Message-ID: <3DFA88EB.12652.2C73228@localhost> ///////////////// Gush Shalom ///////////////////////// Dec. 14 [1] Gush Shalom ad: No to endless punishment for those with a conscience [2] Banned Jenin, Jenin film to be shown to Gush Shalom audiences [3] No dispute with the General's view at Van Leer Institute The violent removal of Professor Ben Artzi from a Human Rights Meeting. \\// //\\ [1] Gush Shalom: No to endless punishment for those with a conscience [The Gush Shalom ad of this week (Dec. 13) is about the refusniks. There are at this very moment 15 of them in prison, conscripts and reservists, selective refusers and pacifists. The conscripts are the ones who are re-imprisoned all the time without end in sight.] WHEN THE ARMY IS AFRAID Lately, the army command has decided on a new policy on soldiers who refuse to serve in the occupied territories. Until now, refusers were sent to prison for no more than 90 days. Now, they are sentenced again and again. After serving one sentence, they are sentenced to another one. In practice, this is an endless prison term. It is unwarranted cruelty. The refusers deserve respect. Even those who oppose their principles must respect their courage and moral integrity. Every nation should be proud of such sons. In a democratic society, no person should be compelled to act against his conscience. He should be offered the alternative of a civilian service. Is the army command afraid of an impending wave of refusal? Gush Shalom NB: If you like to see such views in the paper, please help us with donations to publish ads. P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, Phone 972-3-5221732. www.gush-shalom.org [2] Banned Jenin, Jenin film to be shown to Gush Shalom audiences At the decision to ban the film Jenin, Jenin in which well-known actor Muhammad Bakri speaks with Jenin inabitants after the devastation of "Operation Defensive Wall" Gush Shalom decided to organize special showings for invited audiences. (The censorship can only forbid commercial showings.) More details will follow. [3] No dispute with the General's view at Van Leer Institute The violent removal of Professor Ben Artzi from a Human Rights Meeting. [Based upon an eyewitness report.] The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and the Israeli Ministry of Justice sponsored "a public dialogue" entitled "SECURITY and HUMAN RIGHTS". It was held Thursday, December 12, 2002, at the prestigious Van Leer Institute, in the framework of the International Week of Human Rights. The featured invited speakers were: 1) Mr. Aharon Barak, President of the Israeli Supreme Court. 2) General Menahem Finkelstein, the Chief Military Prosecutor. 3) Prof. Assa Kasher, of Tel Aviv University. 4) Prof. Nahum Rakover of Moreshet Mishpat College (Tel Aviv). Dr. Michael Vigode, Director of the Department of Jewish Law at the Israeli Ministry of Justicewas to be the moderator. The public was explicitly invited, in newspapers ads, to participate. Some 200 people showed up for the dialogue. Among them were Ofra and Matania Ben-Artzi, the parents of the 19-year old pacifist refuser Jonathan Ben-Artzi who is in military jail since August, with no end in sight. As the discussion was about to start, the Ben-Artzis distributed a flyer to the participants [full text below)]. The Director of the Van Leer Institute , Mr. Shimon Alon, seemed not to appreciate this form of "public participation" and demanded that they leave, but they insisted on their right to take part in an open, public event. The Supreme Court President Mr. Barak excused himself at the last minute, thus the first speaker was Gen. Finkelstein. He repeated the IDF claim that it is holding the highest moral ground in what he described as "an armed conflict against terror". He claimed that civilian casualties on the Palestinian side (to which he constantly referred as the "other side") result from "legitimate acts of war by the IDF" and are therefore "non-prosecutable" even though they are investigated for "operational reasons". When Gen. Finkelstein finished this totally unbalanced presentation, Prof. M. Ben- Artzi stood up and demanded the right of speech. The Van Leer Director, Mr. Alon, and his deputies didn't have to think long: with the aid of Security Guards, they jumped on Prof. Ben-Artzi, tore the papers from his hands and began dragging him forcefully off the stage. Ofra Ben-Artzi and Gideon Spiro, who approached the scene, were rudely shoved away. The whole event took place in front of the panelists and the audience, who remained (except for a handful of people) totally passive. Prof. Ben-Artzi's eyeglasses were broken as he was finally thrown out of the Lecture Hall. In a matter of minutes, there arrived a big police force - as well as some agents in civilian clothes who made no secret of being operatives of the Shabak (Secret Service). The Van Leer Director pressed charges of trespassing against Ben-Artzi, whereas the latter announced that he would file complaints of physical injury against the Van Leer Management. The Police ordered Prof. Ben-Artzi, at the request of Mr. Alon, to stay away from the Lecture Hall and, in fact, to leave the building. Here is the full text of the flyer distributed by Ofra and Matania Ben-Artzi at the gathering: ************************************************ Aharon Barak and Menachem Finkelstein, You are celebrating here today the "International Week of Human Rights"--a hypocritical and sanctimonious festival. This same week: Millions of people are subjected to a cruel and brutal occupation. **YOU PUT ON IT A FACADE OF JUSTICE AND ENLIGHTENMENT.** This same week: More than seven thousand people are locked up in detention camps, deprived of minimal humane conditions. They have never been brought to court. ** YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT** This same week: And since many years, the ewe-lamb of the poor is robbed by an evil, war seeking hand. Across the fields of Samaria, the dogs lick up the blood of Naboth. ** YOU NEVER STOPPED THEM** This same week: YOU threw in jail clear-eyed and pure-hearted boys. Their only sin was that they followed their conscience. YOU know that you will not silence their voice. YOU know they will win. The Chronicles of Mankind will tell you that. When the prophet Isaia said: "He eagerly looked for justice , but see, bloodshed! For righteousness, and lo, a cry of distress", HE WAS REFERRING TO YOU. YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE THE DAY OF REQUITAL. "ALL THAT IS REQUIRED FOR EVIL TO TRIUMPH IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING" (Edmund Burke). " The world stands on three pillars: The truth, the justice and the peace.. And these three are indeed one. When justice is served, truth is served, peace is served" (Rabbi Shimon Ben-Gamliel, Talmudic sage). Contact: Matania Ben-Artzi --- To receive Billboard (forwarded reports and announcements which we receive + a selection of English-language articles) send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com In the Dec. 13 Billboard (you can still ask for it) among other things: --Sat.14: Rebuilding the Shawamreh family home --Thurs. Dec.19, Yesh Gvul support evening refuseniks --Jewish-Arab peace walk in the Shfaram area 19-21 Dec. On our site: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (òáøéú) http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) \\photo's - of action or otherwise informative \\the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English \\the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English \\and an archive full of interesting documents N.B.: There are now on the site links for: French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper to: Gush Shalom pob 3322 Tel-Aviv 61033 Israel or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " President Bush has agreed that war should be the very last resort. Let's hold him and his administration to those words, by signing: http://www.moveon.org/winwithoutwar/ " ~ " ~ " ~ " " ~ " ~ " From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Dec 16 17:18:59 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (info@gush-shalom.org) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: U R G E N T: APPEALTONIGHT, Tel-Aviv re Jaggi Singh refused entry Message-ID: <3DFE0B03.4057.10F556C@localhost> GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/ Yesterday we got a message from Huwaida Arraf about a Canadian writer and social justice activist Jaggi Singh refused entry into Israel (see below). Today the case is appealed in the Tel-Aviv District Court [corner Weitzman/Shaul Hamelech] which will hear it THIS EVENING at 8.30 pm. The judge is Uzi Fogelman, and it will be on the 4th floor) SORRY FOR INFORMING YOU ONLY NOW But, please - who reads this in time, and can make it - come. And if that is impossible -for reasons of time or place - you can write what you think about it to the Canadian Embassy in Israel and/or to the Israeli Embassy in your environment. Look at: http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH010m0 for the E-mail Addresses of Israeli Embassies and Consulates Abroad provided on the Israeli government site. For more details: Adv. Shammai Leibovitz 064-414505 ------- Forwarded message follows ------- To: palsolidarity@yahoogroups.com From: Huwaida Arraf Date sent: Sun, 15 Dec 2002 04:55:49 -0800 (PST) Subject: [palsolidarity] Action Alert - Canadian Jaggi Singh refused entry into Israel, bei ng held in detention [ Double-click this line for list subscription options ] Friends, please do write and call regarding this case below for although the embassies take the lin e that "Israel is a sovereign country that has a right to deny entry to whomever it wants", Israel has a r ecord of doing this to innocent people and especially writers and human rights workers. If our respective countries continue to maintain that they are unable to do anything to help their citizens travel to Israel, then we must demand that diplomatic relations between our countries and Israel must suffer. Our governments need to be pressured to threaten Israel withdenial ofentry to our countries ofIsrael i citizens! And in the case of governments thathand over a large amountof its citizens' tax dollar s to Israel, we must demand a stop to this.Think about raising some of the above points as you write/callconcerning Canadian citizen, Jaggi, currently beingheld / denied entry. Information be low.  Please do not let this < JAGGI SINGH REFUSED ENTRY INTO ISRAEL  Montreal. December 14, 2002 -- Jaggi Singh, a Montreal-based writer and social justice activist, ha s been denied entry into Tel Aviv. He flew out of Montreal last night and arrived in Tel Aviv today a t around 6:30 PM local time (11:30 AM EST). He was stopped at customs and questioned for several hours before being refused by Israeli officials. Jaggi is refusing to leave Tel Aviv voluntarily. He was able to contact the Canadian consulate, who then informed his contact-people in Montreal that Israeli authorities had refused him entry for "security reasons." Jaggi is now in detention, and lawyers in Tel Aviv have been contacted on his behalf.  Jaggi was travelling to the occupied territories to write about the realities of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Jaggi is well known in Canada and abroad for speaking out against injustice in the many forms it takes.  You can pressure the Canadian embassy in Tel Aviv From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Dec 30 00:28:20 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: [GushShalom] Avnery article about election intrigues; TOI-105/106 is out Message-ID: <3E0F9324.9385.1D2AB58@localhost> ////////////////////////// Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 www.gush-shalom.org //////////////////////////////// [] Avnery article about election intrigues [] The Other Israel is out \\// //\\ [] Avnery article about election intrigues Uri Avnery 28.12.02 òáøéú á÷øåá áàúø www.gush-shalom.org "Nadav's" Putsch The coming elections will be decided - and perhaps have already been decided - by an anonymous person, whose nom-de-guerre is "Nadav". "Nadav" calls himself an "expert" in the service of the General Security Service (known by its Hebrew acronym Shabak or Shin-Beth). According to him, his official title is "chief of the research department in the field of Israeli Arabs". If "Nadav" were the commander of an armored brigade and instigated a military coup-d'etat, like a South-American general of old, the results of his action would not be much different. Of course, his bosses did not send their tanks to the Knesset, neither did they arrest leftist leaders and drop them from helicopters into the sea. Of course not. They are much more humane. They only use paper. The "Nadav's" paper is an "expert opinion" submitted to the Central Election Committee by the Attorney General. In it, the man in quotation marks - the quotation marks appear in the document itself - states that the Balad party aims to destroy the State of Israel, to aid and abet the enemies of the state, to incite the Arab citizens to rebellion, and more of the same. On the basis of this expert opinion, the committee intends to disqualify Balad and its leader, Azmi Bishara, together with some other Arab MKs, from taking part in the elections. The Election Committee is composed of the representatives of the parties in the outgoing Knesset, on a proportional basis. Therefore, the representatives of the right-wing parties, including the Shinui party, have a majority. They are united in their hatred of Arabs, and they also have a common interest in their expulsion from the Knesset. They will follow the orders of the "security establishment", as the Knesset majority has always done. In the past, this was done discreetly, but lately it is happening quite openly. "Nadav's" bosses can count on them. When a senior officer speaks, the Knesset stands at attention. In most cases, this applies also to the Supreme Court judges, one of whom is the chairman of the Election Committee. The intervention of the Security Service in the election campaign is much more than a cosmetic defect. It is also much more than an act against the Arab citizens. It concerns every person in Israel, and most of all the Jewish public. Because this is a putsch that changes the very fabric of the state. In order to understand why this is so, one has to analyze the Israeli electorate. It is composed of five large blocs, as follows: 1. The middle-class Ashkenzi (European-Jewish) sector, which votes mostly for Labor and Meretz. 2. The Oriental-Jewish (also called Sephardi) sector, which votes mostly for the Likud party. 3. The religious and orthodox sector, which votes mostly for the two orthodox parties (Agudat-Israel and Shas) and the Mafdal (National Religious) party. 4. The sector of the new immigrants from the former Soviet Union, who vote mostly for the two Russian parties (led by Natan Sharansky and Avigdor Liberman). 5. The Arab sector, which votes mostly for the three or four Arab parties. Sectors 2-3-4 constitute the right-wing camp. Sectors 1 and 5 constitute the Left. The two camps are almost equal in size, and elections are generally decided by the "floating votes" that swim with the current. (In the forthcoming elections, the picture is blurred by the unexpected growth of a comparatively new party, Shinui [Change], which is almost entirely composed of well-to-do Ashkenazis, united mainly in their fervent hatred of the religious people. Seemingly, this party has no clear stand on the crucial problems of war and peace. But its unquestioned leader, Tommy Lapid, a journalist and television personality, is basically a rabid chauvinist. He has already declared that under no circumstances will he join a coalition that includes Arabs.) One glance at this political map shows that without the Arab votes, no left-wing coalition has any chance of forming a government - not today, nor in the foreseeable future. Worse, without the Arab votes there can be no "preventive bloc", such as those which have played a crucial role in the last ten years. In order to prevent the setting up of a right-wing coalition, s uch a bloc needs 60 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. This means that without the Arabs, the Left cannot even dictate terms for its participation in a coalition dominated by the Right. It could joi n such a coalition only with raised hands, like prisoners of war. Against this background, the full implications of the putsch of "Nadav" and his bosses can be grasped. If the Balad party or its chief is disqualified, all or most of the Arab citizens will boycott the elections. The Arab sector, constituting almost 20% of the Israeli population, will disappear from the political map. Without it, there is no chance for the Left ever to return to power, or even to play a meaningful role in a "Unity Government". If the leftist parties, headed by Labor, do not put up a determined fight against this conspiracy, it will be tantamount to suicide. When a coup d'etat of this sort is carried out by the General Security Service, it means that Israel is leaving the community of democratic countries and joining the Third World. This does not concern the Arab citizens only. It concerns every Jewish citizen, too. [] The Other Israel is out The new The Other Israel - a 28-pages double-issue - is out, and on its way to the subscribers. It contains an in-depth editorial overview, concentrating on what changed and what didn't change in the Israeli Labor Party. Also much about the wave of Conscientious Objection - especially the young prisoners now imprisoned for indefinite periods. (A pre-printed protest postcard addressed to Colonel Dvora Chassid of the IDF Induction Center is enclosed.) Furthermore reports on activities of a variety of peace groups, about olive harvesting, about the struggle against the land devouring Separation Wall, including also the fight against ethnic cleansing in Yanoun, and an impressive and quite amusing report on the busy life of an "Activist behind the scenes" (Rayna Moss). If you didn't see it yet, you can ask for a free sample (include your postal address) by writing to: otherisr@actcom.co.il with in the subject line "free sample request". --- The film 'Jenin Jenin' with Hebrew subtitles can be purchased from Yael Lerer. To get a copy, send a check for NIS 100. and mail it to: Andalus P.O. Box 53036 Tel Aviv 61530 --- On our site: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (òáøéú) http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) \\photo's - of action or otherwise informative \\the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English \\the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English \\and an archive full of interesting documents N.B.: There are now on the site links for: French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. To get forwarded reports and announcements which we receive + a selection of English-language articles, send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper to: Gush Shalom pob 3322 Tel-Aviv 61033 Israel or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " President Bush has agreed that war should be the very last resort. Let's hold him and his administration to those words, by signing: http://www.moveon.org/winwithoutwar/ " ~ " ~ " ~ " " ~ " ~ " From info at gush-shalom.org Mon Dec 30 23:41:28 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:58 2004 Subject: (Fwd) deportation hearing of Angie Zeltzer Message-ID: <3E10D9A8.29319.1F78747@localhost> N.B.Senior UK peace and human rights activist Angie Zelter not allowed to testify against settler; due to be deported ...at least if the judge upholds the government's decision TOMORROW Tuesday, December 31, at 11:30 AM at the District Court in Tel Aviv, corner Weitzman/Shaul Hamelech.. The judge hearing the case will be Judge Ruth Eliaz. ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "shamai" To: Subject: deportation hearing of Angie Zeltzer Date sent: Mon, 30 Dec 2002 02:12:41 -0000 52-year-old English humanitarian worker Angie Zeltzer arrived Sunday evening at Ben Gurion Airport, and was denied entrance to Israel. She came in order to testify in a criminal trial against a settler from Kiryat Arba who assaulted her, cursed her and spat at her face, when she photographed him throwing stones at Palestinians in Hebron and injuring a young boy badly.  She decided to fight the deportation order. Her lawyer, attorney Shamai Leibowitz, filed a petition in the Tel Aviv district court. The authorities realized that soon a judge might issue an interim injuction, sobeforethe judge on duty could be found - the Ministry of Interior officials tried to force her onto an airplane.  She was assaulted by the Head of the Immigration Police in the airport, wrapped up in a blanket, and forcefully dragged to an Austrian Airlines airplane. She screamed for help, and tried to resist but they violently threw her onto the airplane. She continued shoutingfor help, and the pilot refused to take off. The pilot ordered the government officials to take her off the airplane.  Weeping and crying she was brought back to the cell at the airport. Meanwhile, at 20:00, the judge on duty finally issued a stay of the deportation, and scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, December 31, at 11:30 AM at the District Court in Tel Aviv. The judge hearing the case will be Judge Ruth Eliaz. From info at gush-shalom.org Tue Dec 31 18:59:45 2002 From: info at gush-shalom.org (Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)) Date: Mon Nov 22 03:52:59 2004 Subject: Angie Zelter "persona non grata" - activists removed from courtroom Message-ID: <3E11E921.14717.1138D62@localhost> Dec. 31, 2002 International alert = == = == = == = == = == = == = International human rights activist Angie Zelter "persona non grata" in Israel. Rabbi and peace activists surrounding Zelter removed from courtroom Adv. Leibowitz trying to get injunction of deportation - pending an appeal = == = == = == = == = == = == = After the verdict in the Tel-Aviv District Court in which judge Ruth Eliaz upheld the deportation order, a large group of peace activists - among them Rabbi Arik Asherman - surrounded internationally recognized UK human rights activist Angie Zelter in an effort to prevent police from taking her and were themselves forcibly removed from the courtroom by security personnel. (Most of them know Angie personally from having picked olives together.) Yesterday, Zelter was already forcibly put on a plane, only to be returned because the pilot of Austrian Airlines refused to take her against her wish. She had come to Israel to testify in the trial of Frank Carmel, a Kiryat Arba settler who had assaulted her last year. Zelter's lawyer, Adv. Shammai Leibowitz started proceedings to get an injunction from the Supreme Court to stop the the deportation pending an appeal. More details from: Adv. Shammai Leibowitz ph: 03-5327772 mob: 064-414505 Rabbi Arik Asherman 050-607034 --- The film 'Jenin Jenin' with Hebrew subtitles can be purchased from Yael Lerer. To get a copy, send a check for NIS 100. and mail it to: Andalus P.O. Box 53036 Tel Aviv 61530 andalus@andalus.co.il --- On our site: http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (òáøéú) http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) \\photo's - of action or otherwise informative \\the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English \\the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English \\and an archive full of interesting documents N.B.: There are now on the site links for: French and German translations (selected documents in Spanish at request, but not yet in a linkable format) In order to receive our Hebrew-language press releases [mostly WORD documents - not always same as English] mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request@mailman.gush-shalom.org + NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line. To get forwarded reports and announcements which we receive + a selection of English-language articles, send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe@topica.com If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper to: Gush Shalom pob 3322 Tel-Aviv 61033 Israel or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of Gush Shalom (Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt. More official receipts at request only.) " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " ~ " President Bush has agreed that war should be the very last resort. Let's hold him and his administration to those words, by signing: http://www.moveon.org/winwithoutwar/ " ~ " ~ " ~ " " ~ " ~ "