[GushShalom] Army against human shielders + joint anti-wall demo

Wed Apr 23 17:00:31 IDT 2003

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

[] Army decided to remove internationals
  1) General Moshe Ya’alon's pronouncement on the radio 
  2) Implementation started 
  3) Who can help bail them out?
  4) Where to protest

[] 26/4 - Demo Against the Separation Wall - Tul Karm
  1) Together Against the Walls of Annexation and Expropriation
  2) A map of the separation wall at gush site + info about the protest tent at Mash'a

                                \\//\\//\\//\\//           

[] Army decided to remove internationals

  1) General Moshe Ya’alon's pronouncement on the radio 

[Lt.-General Moshe Ya’alon, in the program “Open Line with the Chief of  Staff” during which he spoke with 
soldiers and commanders about current events. The program’s presenter, Dalik Vilenitz, had asked him  
about the activists from human rights organization in the territories. The program was broadcast on the 
Ga’al
ey Tzahal ,  April 
16, 2003 at 08:00]

”First of all [nternational human rights activists] create the negative image we have, because it c
ertainly 
strengthens the Palestinian story, which according to my understanding is fabricated in this  conte
xt. And as a 
result of this, they also impede the operations of our forces. (...) 
“I have just given an order to remove the organization’s activists from the area,  firstly for thei
r own benefit -  they 
are endangering their own lives in a superfluous way - but are also  creating provocations that inj
ure our freedom 
of action on the ground. And so it’s advisable that they get out of the area.”

  2) Implementation started
------- Forwarded message follows -------
From:           	Huwaida Arraf <huwaidaa at yahoo.com>
Date sent:      	Wed, 23 Apr 2003 03:33:03 -0700 (PDT)
Subject:        	[palsolidarity] ISM Action Alert - ISM Coordinator and Journalist Arrested

ISM ACTION ALERT
Arrest of another ISM coordinator and an Italian Journalist

Nur Shams Refugee Camp
Tulkarem

ISM coordinator Osama Qashoo and an Italian journalist, Thomaso Besavi, were snatched yesterday, 
Tuesday April 22 at approximately 7:00pm, by Israeli soldiers while in the Palestinian refugee camp
 of Nur 
Shams, where the Israeli Army had surrounded the camp and were reportedly detaining a group of 
Palestinian women and beating a 15-year-old boy.

Osama and Thomaso both had cameras and were attempting to document Israeli military abuse of 
Palestinian civilians when they were threatened with arrest and then thrown into a military jeep. C
ameras 
are a danger to the Israeli military image and various efforts have been made to restrict journalis
t access 
to Palestinian areas and to keep out international peace and human rights workers. Recently, physic
al 
and psychological harassment of internationals and journalists by the Israeli military has been 
dramatically increased. In the last month, American ISM volunteer Rachel Corrie was killed when she
 was 
run over by an Israeli military bulldozer, American ISM volunteer Brian Avery was shot in the face 
and will 
need to undergo a series of facial reconstructive surgeries, British ISM volunteer Tom Hurndall was
 shot in 
the head and is currently on life support, and Palestinian journalist Nazih Darawzeh was shot in th
e head 
and killed, all while clearly identified as non-threatening, nonviolent, unarmed civilians.

Both Thomaso and Osama are currently being held at the police station of the illegal settlement of 
Ariel.
Thomaso is threatened with deportation, while Osama, a Palestinian is in danger of abuse, long-term

arrest and maybe even torture.

Please help us put pressure on the Israeli authorities to release both Thomaso and Osama . Call the
 Ariel
police station to protest this abuse of human rights observers and journalists and to demand their

unconditional release. (Osama Qashoo - ID# 906848627)

+972-3-906-5530 (Prisoner information)
+972-3-903-5444 (General information)
+972-50-374-237 (Ariel police spokesman)

Please let us know that you called, by dropping as an email at info at palsolidarity.org and inform us
 of any
information that you receive. For any additional information, please call Huwaida at +972-67-473-30
8.

  3) Who can help bail them out?

Dorothy Naor just spoke to George Rishmawi regarding the arrest of the two men described by Huwaida

below.  The release of the two men will probably require a bond.  Anyone willing to sign one, pleas
e inform 
(immediately, if possible) Huwaida (phone number below) or George: 052 299 310; 054 351 399 
george at rapprochement.org

  4) Where to protest

Please convey your protest per phone, fax and/or email:
The IDF's turning against the non-violent internationals shows its intentions: to be able to act un
impeded 
and push Palestinians to ever more violence which will "justify" the aggression against the whole 
Palestinian population.

by phone: 
IDF spokesperson Ruti Yaron  03-6080202/3/4
>From abroad  +972-2-5694558/9, +972-2-6245789/5268 

by fax:
>From Israel anaf tikshoret 03-6080312           
>From abroad: anaf tikshoret benleumit  +972-2-5694256

Secretary of State Colin Powell Fax: +1-202-261-8577
Prime Minister Tony Blair, Fax +44-207-925-0918
European Union, Jerusalem, Fax: + 972- (0)2-532 6249 
UN Special Coordinator, Gaza, Fax: +972-(0)8- 282-0966 

per email:
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz <sar at mod.gov.il>
Spokesperson Defense Ministry <info at mail.idf.il>
cc to:
"Secretary of State,  Colin Powell" <secretary at state.gov>,
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin <premier-ministre at premier-ministre.gouv.fr>
"Mr. Terje Rod Larsen Personal Representative of the Secretary General to the United Nations in 
Palestine" unsco at palnet.com, lemore at un.org
European Union, Jerusalem, Email mailto at delwbg.cec.eu.int
UN Special Coordinator, Gaza, Email unsco at palnet.com
Sérgio Vieira de Mello UN High Commissioner for Human Rights <webadmin.hchr at unog.ch>
European Parliament Belgian Office <epbrussels at europarl.eu.int>
Huwaida Arraf <huwaidaa at yahoo.com>
info at gush-shalom.org

For other e-mail addresses see internet sites:

Israeli embassies
http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/israel1.htm 

Contact information for European Governments
http://europa.eu.int/abc/governments/index_en.htm

[] 26/4 - Demo Against the Separation Wall - Tulkarem

  1) Together Against the Walls of Annexation and Expropriation
-----Original Message-----
From: Ta'ayush Arab-Jewish [mailto:arab_jewish at hotmail.com]

Quickly and invisibly, a system of fences is being erected:
"The Wall of Separation", which has risen far and deep east of the 
Green Line. The outline of this wall/fence was decided according to 
the demands of the settlers. It constitutes an organized land robbery 
on a grand scale, effectively annexing thousands of dunams of land 
from the West Bank into Israel.
Around and inside Jerusalem  a system of walls and fences are rising, 
turning thousands of Palestinians to prisoners in their own homeland.
The region of Kalkilya is already walled in from all sides, and has 
turned into an enclosed enclave. Around Tul-Karm an additional fence 
is rising, caging thousands of Palestinians into inhabitants of a 
giant enclosures, subject to the mercy of the occupation authirities.
These days work has started to mark the outline of a new fence, which 
will annex to Israel the settlements of Ariel and Immanuel, and which 
will turn thousands of Palestinians in the region of Salfit into 
inhabitants of fenced enclaves.
While exploiting the anxieties and promissing false promises of 
security, the program of annexation and expropriation is moving ahead.
Should we accept it now, it will bring an end to the possibility of 
the foundation of an independant Palestinian State alongside the 
State of Israel. If we do not oppose it now, the West Bank will 
become a series of isolated Palestinian enclaves, ruled by settlers 
and under military control. 
This is the future that Sharon is preparing for us: Apartheid.
True security should not be based upon expropriation and annexation, 
upon starvation and imprisonment; rather, it should be based on peace 
between equals. For there is no peace without justice. The barbed 
wires are a death trap to us all, to the Palestinians and the 
Israelis. Let's do something about it:
Join us to a joint Palestinian-Israeli demonstration in Tul Karm 
area.    Against the walls of annexation and expropriation
For a life of peace and justice in this country!
The demonstration will take place on Saturday, April 26.
Further details (place, hour, trasportation) will follow. You can 
also check at www.taayush.org or our voice-mail 03-6914437.
It is crucial that we bring this message to the public. We need 
volunteers for distribution of leaflets. Those willing to join, 
contact Tali 053-367102.
Happy holidays to all those who celebrate

  2) A map of the separation wall at gush site + info about the protest tent at Mash'a

http://www.gush-shalom.org/thewall/hebrew.html
http://www.gush-shalom.org/thewall/index.html (English)

--
Did you know (y)our protest was succesful? 
BBC was brought back to the Israeli screens. 
--
Our site:
http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (òáøéú)
http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English)

with
\\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 an archive full of interesting documents

N.B.: 
On the Gush Shalom website links for:
Articles and documents in German
Articles and documents in French
Articles and documents in Spanish

In order to receive our Hebrew-language 
press releases [mostly WORD documents - 
not always same as English] mail to:
gush-shalom-heb-request at mailman.gush-shalom.org 
+ NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line.

To get forwarded reports and announcements which we receive + a selection of English-language artic
les, 
send one blank mail to: TOI_Billboard-subscribe at topica.com

If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or cash, wrapped well in an e
xtra 
piece of paper to: 

Gush Shalom
pob 3322
Tel-Aviv 61033
Israel

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.