[GushShalom] TREASON TRIALS FOR GUSH SHALOM ACTIVISTS, SAYS IAF CHIEF

[Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)]

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

For immediate release

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-- IAF chief Major General Dan Halutz urges treason trials for Gush Shalom activists
-- Gush Shalom calls for international support and assistance by international lawyers 
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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