[GushShalomBillboard] Why Sharon wants the Iraq War / trial news / etc.

Sat Aug 24 00:45:49 IDT 2002

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[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" <pcr at p-ol.com>

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" <shamai at leibowitz.co.il>

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 at 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 at btselem.org.

[5] Monday 11.30 Supreme Court decides about deportation of family members 
-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Yakir <dan at acri.org.il>

[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:
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    the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English 
    the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English	
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