Gush Shalom monitors army // Shulamit Aloni speaks out + more

[Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)]

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     Gush Shalom
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International release
March 8, 2003

[] "Negligence at the very least"
   Gush Shalom wrote to General Finkelstein
[] 'Two Crimes' ad in Ha'aretz weekend March 7
[] Shulamit Aloni: Murder of a population under cover of righteousness
[] Sunday, WOFPP protests conditions of women political prisoners
[] Court martial of a civilian: CO Yoni Ben Artzi Tuesday at Yaffo Court
[] Public invited for the Defense of Teddy Katz, Thursday
[] Petition against Iraq War 
 
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[] "Negligence at the very least"
   Gush Shalom wrote to General Finkelstein

Once again this week soldiers and officers involved in the occupied 
territories were a bit incautious during TV interviews.

Gush Shalom put the implications of such utterances on record in open 
letters to the IDF Judge Advocate General, Dr Menachem Finkelstein.

"(...) On the night between March 2 and 3, the army held a massive 
invasion of the el-Bureij Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip in the course of 
which five houses were blown up and eight, leaving 8 inhabitants dead, 
mong them 2 boys aged 13 and 16, and the pregnant Noha el-Makadme 
(33) buried under the ruins of her home.
  On the following day Brigadier Gadi Shamni, commander of army 
forces in the Gaza Strip gave a long series of interviews to the printed 
and electronic media in which he took fool personal responsibility for the 
el-Bureij raid, even boasting of it as an "important and successful 
operation." When asked about the destruction of the el-Makadme family 
home and the death of the family mother, he said: "I know nothing about 
that." If that was true then the very ignorance of a commander about 
such a grave aspect of the operation carried out under his responsibility 
is a sign, at the very least, of  severe negligence. In any event, under the 
basic principles of both Israeli and international law such ignorance does 
not remove Brigadier Shamni's responsibility, at most it would constitute 
an extenuating circumstance. 

(...) On the evening news of Channel-10 television of Tuesday, March 4, 
there was an extensive report about the army operation in the Old City 
of Nablus, a soldier was seen - speaking directly to the camera, but not 
identified by name, rank or function: "Our task here is to find the wanted 
terrorists and kill them." Standing near that soldier was visible an officer 
who later was identified as "Lieutenant Colonel Amir, Commander of the 
Reconnaissance Battalion of the Nachal Brigade". His family name ws 
not given. That officer heard the soldier's words and in his own lenghty 
interview made no comment or reference to them, as far as could be 
seen from the TV item.
  The above-mentioned facts give a clear impression that the soldiers 
operating in the Old City of Nablus perceived their mission as the 
carrying out of extra-judicial executions - which is not only contravenes 
the basic norms of a civilized society  but constitutes a grave violation of 
both Israeli and international law.
  Whether Lieutenant Colonel Amir gave explicit orders which caused 
the soldiers to perceive their mission that way, or that he knows of the 
soldiers having such a perception and doing nothing to change it - in 
either case he bears a personal responsibility for any illegal act 
committed by the soldiers under his command.
  Moreover, the gravity of this case is increased by the fact that it was 
broadcast on the TV news to which soldiers of other units may have 
been exposed. The circumstances of a news item clearly proved by the 
military censorship, with the reporter invited to join the soldiers on their 
mission in Nablus and photographing them at night with special 
equipment, a reasonable soldier of another unit is likely to come to the 
conclusion that extra-judicial executions are an official IDF policy, and 
act upon that conclusion on his own unit's missions.

[] 'Two Crimes' ad in Ha'aretz weekend March 7

THIS PROVES AGAIN:
THERE IS NO
MILITARY SOLUTION

The massacre in Haifa,
The Massacre in Jebalia –
Two Crimes.

Gush Shalom,
Help us with donations to
P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033,
Phone 972-3-5221732.
www.gush-shalom.org
Requests for information about current actions:
info at gush-shalom.org

[] Shulamit Aloni: Murder of a population under cover of righteousness

------- Forwarded message follows -------
From:           	Yehudith Harel <ye_harel at netvision.net.il>

Please find enclosed a translation of Shulamit Aloni's article in Ha'Aretz of 6 
March 2003. It seems to have been omitted from the English electronic edition of 
the paper.

The translation is by Zvi Havkin.

=========================

6 March 2003

Murder of a population under cover of righteousness

By Shulamit Aloni

We do not have gas chambers and crematoria, but there is no one fixed
method for genocide.

Dr. Ya'akov Lazovik writes ("Academic Genocide", "Ha'Aretz", 4 March)
that in the State of Israel it is impossible that the regime and the
nation will plan and commit a genocide. It is difficult to determine
if this is naivety or self-righteousness. As we know, there is no
single fixed method for murder and not even for genocide. The author
Y. L. Peretz wrote about "the righteous cat" who does not spill blood,
but only suffocates.

The government of Israel, using the military and its instruments of
destruction, is not only spilling blood, but it is also suffocating.
What other name can be given to the dropping of a one-ton bomb over a
dense urban area, when the justification uttered is that we wanted to
murder a dangerous terrorist and his wife? The rest of the citizens
who were killed and injured, among whom are children and women, do not
count, of course.

How is it possible to explain the expulsion of citizens from their
homes at three o'clock in the morning on a rainy night, then
depositing bombs in the house and then departing without warning?
When those expelled returned to their home, the bombs were exploded
and a brutal murder and destruction of property was thus committed.
And what is the justification for what happened in Jenin? We did not
destroy the whole neighbourhood, just 85 houses; it was not
slaughter, we killed only 50-some citizens. How many does one need to
murder and destroy for it to be a crime? - A crime against humanity,
as determined by the Laws of the State of Israel, not only the laws of
Belgium.

And more: A curfew and closure of an entire city so that a few
celebrants from the racist bunch in Hebron could walk to the Cave of
the Fathers, and tanks destroying fruit and vegetable stands, and
bulldozers that destroy houses, and Generals who, in their arrogant
hubris, are willing to destroy a whole neighbourhood for the
convenience of a group of settler hooligans. Curfew, closure,
brutality, murder, destruction of homes of suspects, while we keep
parroting the incantation that a person is innocent until proven
otherwise (as in the case of our Prime Minister and his sons).

The order that Ariel Sharon gave to the soldiers who went to wreak
revenge in Qibiah: "Maximize losses in life and property", has not
been forgotten. Today Sharon, Mofaz and Yaalon, the three Generals
who manage the policy of this government, behave like that
self-righteous cat - suffocating all the time. Curfew and another
curfew, arrests and more arrests, destruction of roads, brutality to
the residents at road stops. Benny Alon, (a minister in the present
government), already said: "make their life so bitter that they will
transfer themselves willingly".

This is done on a daily basis, in addition to the destruction. The
Chief of Staff, Yaalon, already announced that he is "destroying for
re-building". One can understand from his moves that the "building"
is building of more and more settlements. So that they will not be
obliged, as military rulers, to take care of the residents'
well-being, the army uses sorties, followed by retreats. They enter a
village, they kill, they destroy and they arrest, and then they
retreat. Those who remain on the ashes and the ruins will take care
of themselves.

Many of our children are being indoctrinated, in religious schools,
that the Arabs are Amalek, and the bible teaches us that Amalek must
be destroyed. There was already a rabbi (Israel Hess) who wrote in
the newspaper of Bar Ilan University that we all must commit genocide,
and that is because his research showed that the Palestinians are
Amalek.

The nation is not planning to commit genocide; the nation really does
not want to know what's happening in the territories. The nation is
following orders given by the legitimate representatives of the
regime. After the legitimate Prime Minister who wanted to bring peace
was murdered, the hand is loose on the trigger, greed is paramount,
and there is always some reason to brutalise all of the residents of a
city that number tens, if not hundreds of thousands, because there are
always people there who are on the "wanted" list. It is sufficient
that one person is wanted to bomb and kill, by mistake, of course,
also women, children, workers and other humans - if indeed we still
count them as humans.

Of course with our self-righteousness, with our self-adoration in our
"Jewish ethics" we make sure to advertise how beautifully the doctors
take care of Palestinian victims in the hospitals. We do not
advertise how many of those are executed in cold blood in their own
homes.

So it's not yet genocide of the terrible and unique style of which we
were past victims. And as one of the smart Generals told me, we do
not have crematoria and gas chambers. Is anything less than that
consistent with Jewish ethics? Did he ever hear how an entire people
said that it did not know what was done in its name?

(The author was an MK and a minister, member of Meretz)

[] Sunday, WOFPP protests conditions of women political prisoners
------- Forwarded message follows -------
 From:            	"Susanne Moses" <susannemoses at hotmail.com>
Subject:        	demonstration Sunday
Date sent:      	Fri, 7 Mar 2003 19:50:25 +0200

The WOFPP (Women's Organisation for Female Political Prisoners) invites 
you to a demonstration on Sunday, 9 March 03 at 10.30 am in front of Neve 
Tirza Prison, Ramle. The demonstration takes place to celebrate Woman's 
Day ( 8 March) and in order to protest the horrible conditions and especially 
the lack of medical care in Neve Tirza Prison. 
We shall meet at the new Central Bus Station at 09.45 h near Sherut 
Ramle-Lod (near Sherut Nr. 4 and 5).

[] Court martial of a civilian: CO Yoni Ben Artzi Tuesday at Yaffo Court
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Thu, 6 Mar 2003 02:38:05 -0800 (PST)
From:           	Matania Ben-Artzi <mbartzi at yahoo.com>

   Dear Friends,

 The Court Martial hearing of Yoni Ben-Artzi is set for

   TUESDAY, March 11, 2003 at the Jaffa MILITARY COURT (HABAIT 
HAYAROK) at 9 a.m.

Please note:
It is THE FIRST COURT MARTIAL EVER OF A CIVILIAN  in the 55-year 
history of the Israeli legal system. It is to be followed soon by other 
young members of the group of draft resisters (Haggai Matar and Matan 
Kaminer).

   The military's accusation: Refusal to enlist.

   Yoni will reply that the Military Court has no moral (and legal) right to 
judge him.
   THE STRONG PRESENCE OF ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN 
PEACE AND NON-VIOLENCE IS OF PRIME IMPORTANCE. 
                       Ofra and Matania Ben-Artzi.

[] Public invited for the Defense of Teddy Katz, Thursday

The Campus Lo Shotek and the Committee for the Defense of Teddy Katz 
Invite the public to a meeting on 
                        Tantura: Its Implications.  

Thursday, March 13, 2003, at 18.00
Tel Aviv University, Gilman, Rm. 281 

Participating Speakers:
Dr. Ilan Pappe, who will also moderate the discussion
Professor Shlomo Sand
Dr. Moshe Zukermann
Dr. Dan Yahav

  A Request from the Committee for the Defense of Teddy Katz 

Teddy Katz, a historian whose MA thesis includes findings on Tantura, 
which were challenged by the military unit that operated in Tantura in the 
1940s, the Alexandroni Unit, which subsequently started a libel suit.
Teddy, under duress, in a moment of weakness, agreed to sign a letter
acknowledging that he had not been accurate in detailing his findings.  
Within a few hours, he regretted his decision, and endeavored to convince 
the court to ignore the letter he had signed. 
But the court refused, and Teddy was ordered to publish a Notice in the 
newspapers disclaiming his findings.  He did not immediately do so.  The 
Alexandroni Unit then, without his knowledge, published the notice in his 
name, and demanded that he pay the cost of publishing the notice. 
Teddy refused, and the case went to court.  The court decided against 
Teddy regarding payment of this notice, and ordered him to pay 78,000.00 
shekels to cover trial expenses and the cost of publishing the Alexandroni 
Notice.  

The Committee for the Defense of  Teddy Katz is endeavoring to raise funds 
to help him.  Your contributions will be greatly appreciated.  

Please send contributions to the Committee for the Defense of Teddy Katz, 
Bank Hapoalim, Czernichovsky Branch, Kfar Sabba, branch no. 769, 
account 107525.  

Thank you.  
Sincerely, Amos Gvirtz
<amosg at shefayim.org.il>

[] Petition against Iraq War 

Sign the biggest petition against Iraq War at
http://www.moveon.org/emergency/
...as to make it big enough

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