[GushShalom] Gush Shalom's warning letters to officers in the focus

[Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)]

GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/

International Press Release
Aug. 4, 2002

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Gush Shalom's warning letters to officers in the focus
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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 
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[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

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