(Fwd) As in Tiennamen square // 25 wounded at anti-fence protest

Wed Mar 31 21:32:54 IST 2004

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

[After we sent you five articles reflecting on the assassination of 
Sheikh Yassin we owe you this short and sharp piece by Professor Tanya 
Reinhart which appeared in Yediot Aharonot, yesterday.
She makes the connection between the methods of the suicide bombers and 
the heavy toll which is paid by Palestinians & peace activists for the 
daily non-violent resistance against the wall. We add a report on today's 
struggle.]

# As in Tiennamen square - Tanya Reinhart-Yediot Aharonot
# 25 wounded at anti-fence protest south of Ramallah

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

# As in Tiennamen square - Tanya Reinhart-Yediot Aharonot
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Wed, 31 Mar 2004 03:09:44 +0200
From:           	Tanya Reinhart <reinhart at post.tau.ac.il>

òáøéú ìôé á÷ùä / hebrew at request

                         As in Tiennamen square

                             Tanya Reinhart
			Yediot Aharonot, March 30, 2004. 
			Translated from Hebrew by Netta Van Vliet

An extensive discussion has already taken place in Israel regarding the 
cost-benefit ratio of Yassin's assassination. But the question of 
justice has hardly been raised. 

According to international law, the execution of any person in an 
occupied territory is not allowed. The Geneva convention, born out of 
the horrifying experience of the second World War, sets limitations on 
the use of force even in times of war. The convention distinguishes 
between war and a state of occupation. Its fundamentals are, first, that 
occupied people are "protected", and that the occupier is responsible for 
their safety. Second, it determines that the occupied people have the 
right to fight for their liberation. International conventions are one of 
the means people have developed for self-preservation. Without them, 
there is a danger that the human race would annihilate itself - first the 
strong would wipe out the weak, and then each other.

During its 37 years of occupation, Israel has already violated every 
article of the Geneva convention. But what it did now is unprecedented. 
As Robert Fisk stated it in the British Independent, "for years, there 
has been an unwritten rule in the cruel war of government-versus-
guerrilla. You can kill the men on the street, the bomb makers and 
gunmen. But the leadership on both sides - government ministers, 
spiritual leaders were allowed to survive." Even when the leader 
advocates violence and terror, the norm has been that he may be 
imprisoned, but not killed.

Ahmed Yassin viewed himself as struggling against the occupation. As 
reported in Yediot Aharonot, his demand was a full withdrawal of the 
Israeli army from the occupied territories, back to the borders of 1967. 
In 1993, Hamas agreed to the principles of the Oslo accords, but did not 
believe that Rabin would translate these principles into action, and 
urged the Palestinian people to remember that the occupation was not yet 
over. During the iron-fist period of Barak and Sharon, Yassin proposed a 
long term 'hudna' (cease fire), but he also believed that Israel would 
never end the occupation of its own will. "The enemy understands only 
the language of war, bombs and 
explosives" - he preached to his followers, and declared that "every Israeli is a target for us".

The Geneva convention recognizes the right of the occupied people to carry out armed struggle 
against the occupying army, but not to use terror against civilians. Terror has no moral justifica
tion, 
and is not defended by international law. But it is necessary that we Israelis examine ourselves i
n 
this regard as well. What other way do we leave open for the Palestinian people to struggle for 
their liberation? Along the route of the wall in the West Bank, a new form of popular resistance h
as 
been formed in the last few months. Palestinian farmers whose land is being robbed sit on the 
ground in front of the bulldozers, accompanied by the Israeli opponents of the wall - the veterans 
of 
the Mas'ha camp. What could be more non-violent than this? But the Israeli army shoots at sitting

demonstrators, like in Tiennamen square.

The Israeli army blocks all options of non-violent resistance from the Palestinians. With the 
arrogant elimination of a leader and a symbol, as he was leaving a mosque, the army knowingly 
created a new wave of violence and terror. It is hard not to get the impression that terror is 
convenient for Sharon and the army. It enables them to convince the world that the Geneva 
protections do not apply to the Palestiians, because they have terrorists in their midst, and that,

therefore, it is permitted to do anything to them. 

Since September 11th, as part of its “war against terror,” the U.S. has 
Been pushing to destroy all defences provided by International law. But even the U.S. has not yet 
dared to publicly execute a spiritual-religious leader (of, for example, the Taliban in Afghanistan
). 
Now Israel has determined, with the U.S. blessing, that even this is permitted. Under the military

rule, Israel has become a leading force in the destruction of the very protections that humankind h
as 
established, out of World War Two, for its own preservation, protections that we too may need one 
day, as history has already shown us. 

http://www.tau.ac.il/~reinhart

# 25 wounded at anti-fence protest south of Ramallah
By Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service 

 Wed., March 31, 2004 
 http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/410980.html

 Hebrew:
 http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/410975.html

Twenty-five demonstrators protesting the construction of the separation 
fence were wounded on Wednesday in clashes with Israeli security forces 
near the West Bank village of Kata'ana. 

Hundreds of Palestinian residents and Israeli and foreign left-wing 
activists were protesting next to the construction site in the village 
located south of Ramallah.

The demonstrators attempted to reach construction bulldozers, which had 
caused damage to Palestinian property when they inadvertently caused 
boulders and slabs of bedrock to slide down a slope. 

The demonstrators began throwing stones at Israel Defense Force soldiers 
who fired tear gas and rubber bullets in response.

More than 30 Palestinian and Israeli demonstrators were wounded March 21 
in clashes with IDF soldiers and Border Policemen during a protest 
against the separation fence near Harbata village, north of Modi'in. 
Israeli security forces fired rubber-coated bullets at demonstrators and 
also used tear gas in attempts to disperse the crowd. 

Etai Levinsky, 20, a left-wing activist was injured when a rubber bullet 
struck him near the eye. He was taken for treatment to Sheeba Medical 
Center, Tel Hashomer, and medics said his sight could be endangered. The 
demonstrators were several hundred Palestinians and left-wing Israeli and 
overseas activists.

IDF sources claimed that the soldiers were under orders not to allow the 
demonstration to disturb fence construction work. The rubber bullets, the 
sources added, were aimed at the demonstrators' legs, not their heads.  

---
Sending you a tin can of olive oil from Jayyous to your door step anywhere in the United States or 
Europe takes less than 4 weeks.   
By buying from the farmers of Jayyous, the first to suffer from the wall, you help them at a crucia
l 
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.

To buy just click on the link below

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and please tell in the message that you want the oil to come from Jayyous. To learn more about 
Jayyous please click and read and learn and support the struggle of the people of Jayyous.

http://www.jayyousonline.org/english.HTM
(among other things full text of Avnery speech "The Wall Will Fall")

---
NB: links and contact information re ongoing struggle
    Against the Wall / Refusniks / Vanunu 

--
ðåëçåú éåîéåîéú áëôøéí îàéîéí ò"é äçåîä ìúàí òí 
àééáé 064-604172 isichel at netvision.net.il
àøé÷ 050-607034  info at rhr.israel.net

Day to day presence at villages threatened by route of wall.
Contact:  Ivy Sichel 064-604172 isichel at netvision.net.il who set's up a list for people who can com
e 
at short notice, or: Arik Asherman 050-607034  info at rhr.israel.net 

--
Refuser news:

Constantly-updated list of all presently jailed refusniks:

English - http://www.yesh-gvul.org/english/prison/
Hebrew / òáøéú - http://www.yesh-gvul.org/prison/

For the latest news about the five:   

http://www.refuz.org.il/News.html

	NB:
	Letters of support to 
	Noam Bahat / Haggai Mattar / Matan Kaminer
	AGAF BET
	Ma’asiyaho Prison
	P.O.B 13
	Ramla
	Israel

	Adam Maor / Shimri Tzameret:
	Hermon Prison
	P.O.B 4011 
	KFAR M’RAR
	Israel

--
List of international vigils on day of Vanunu release (April 21): 
http://www.nonviolence.org/vanunu/
http://www.vanunu.freeserve.co.uk/ 

Instead of sending flowers - an online option (paypal) for your welcome gesture:
<http://www.vanunu.org/>

Online petition for the unconditional release of Vanunu 
http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/freemordechaivanunu/

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http://www.gush-shalom.org/arabic/index.html (selected articles in Arabic)

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