[GushShalomBillboard] Told and untold struggle against occupation
Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)
info at gush-shalom.org
Thu Jul 4 23:55:41 IDT 2002
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// Gush Shalom Billboard //
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[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 at gush-shalom.org
[2] Peace Now Protest at Ben-Eliezer's residence, Sat night
------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: Didi Remez <ddremez at netvision.net.il>
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 at peacenow.org.il
Activists - to get involved in planning and organization of activities
contact:
[In Tel-Aviv] Ori Ginat, 054-405157 or ori at peacenow.org.il
[In Jerusalem] Shiri Iram, 054-687539 or shiri at peacenow.org.il
[Everywhere else] Noa Millman, 054-556052 or noa at peacenow.org.il
[3] Ta'ayush convoy to Salfit on Saturday - update and more details
------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: "Ta'ayush Arab-Jewish" <arab_jewish at hotmail.com>
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 at weizmann.ac.il
[4] Yesh Gvul: prison update
------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: "ram rahat" <rahat at isdn.net.il>
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 at 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 <jkatriel at techunix.technion.ac.il>
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 <huwaidaa at yahoo.com>
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" <briefing at hearpalestine.org>
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 <gsvirsky at netvision.net.il>
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
----
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