[Gush Shalom] Sharon orders probe against Gush Shalom
Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)
info at gush-shalom.org
Mon Aug 5 15:57:34 IDT 2002
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 <pm_eng at pmo.gov.il>
Spokesperson of the Prime Minister <dover at pmo.gov.il>
Defence Minister Benjamin Beneliezer <sar at mod.gov.il>
Spokesperson Defence Ministry <info at mail.idf.il>
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres <sar at mofa.gov.il>,
Copy to:
info at 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 at 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/
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