Author: ISM Media Group

Police Target Tel Aviv Anti-Occupation Rally

by aspiringnomad, December 4th

In Tel Aviv on Saturday, a peaceful rally of several hundred people demonstrating at the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine and the recent Beit Hanoun massacre was marred by the arrest of a 20-year old Israeli peace activist.

The rally began peacefully with the predominantly Israeli contingent creating a convivial atmosphere with drums and whistles as they marched to Rabin Square. Apart from a few missiles thrown by occupants of overlooking apartments and the odd heckle from angry passers-by, the rally demonstrated none of the hostility common to similar such rallies in the occupied territories due to the absence of a confrontational Israeli military presence.

The arrest occurred when a demonstrator attempted to attach an anti-war bumper sticker to the window of a McDonald’s restaurant. The police reacted to this by flinging the female demonstrator to the ground. Another demonstrator who came to her aid was subsequently beaten and apprehended by upwards of a dozen police.

Police at the scene alleged the protester had tried to break a glass window of the MacDonald’s branch and had assaulted an officer with a flag pole he was holding.

However, eye witnesses refute these grounds for arrest, backed up by video footage disproving the police’s version of events and furthermore showing excessive police violence during the protester’s arrest.

The arrested activist from Nahariya, sustained a black eye and head injuries in the course of his arrest. Onlookers and marchers alike were shocked at this display of police force, unused as they are to the daily violence meted out by the IOF in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

From the inside looking out: The Passion of Mordechai Vanunu

by Jerry Levin, December 3rd

A friend responding to my latest report on the trials of Mordechai Vanunu (See From The Inside Looking Out report-73, December 2, 2006: Mordechai Vanunu and the Perils of Speaking English) described his travails as a “pathetic little Kafka tale.” Down home in Alabama we have another way of describing those ordeals, You can’t win for losing.”

Take for instance his civil suit against the Israeli newspaper, Yediot Aharanot. It was launched while he was still in prison for revealing Israel’s secret atomic and hydrogen bomb making program through an article in the London Times. “The newspaper published stories about me saying I was sending information out how to build bombs to the Hamas,”said a still incredulous Mordechai. “When I came out of prison the trial started.”

“We bring to testify the head of the Shabak [Ed: aka Shin Bet, the Secret Service, equivalent to the FBI in the United States]. He said that he received the information from his people and that he didn’t check it. And we proved that I don’t know any information about how to make bombs. But a year ago they win in the court.”

“How? Why?”

“The judge decided that the newspaper has the right to publish the story because it received it from the Shabak. Shabak is like the voice of god.”

“So you lost.”

“Big.”

“What do you mean, “big?”

“Well, if newspapers publish lies about me, you would think I have the right to receive compensation from the newspapers and they would be denied to publish more lies. But the judge decided, no, I should pay Yediot Aharanot $10,000.00. How can a newspaper be damaged by publishing such stories about me? So we are appealing this decision. The hearing could be soon.”

Turning to the criminal charges against him for speaking to foreign journalists, I asked if his defense intends to call any more witnesses beyond the army general who signed the orders restricting his freedom of movement and speech.

“Yes, Peter Hounam, the reporter who in 1986 wrote the story I give the London Times about Israel’s nuclear bomb program. They have charged me that when I was released from prison in 2005, he was involved in a big interview which I gave to the BBC. But the allegation is not true because the interview was done by an Israeli journalist. But they deported him anyway. So we are negotiating about this,”

“About what?”

“Well, he has accepted to come, but the government wants to complicate the case by insisting to decide that they can refuse to let him come back. So they are saying he must have the same restrictions on him that they put on me. But he says that if they confine him to a hotel he will not come.”

“So what is being negotiated?”

“We accept not to bring him, if the government cancels this charge about the BBC interview. If they don’t take it out, we will bring him.”

“Do you see an element of persecution in all this governmental pressure?”

Unhesitatingly, Mordechai answered. “There is. It is my Christianity that they cannot accept. That is the source of my problems with my case.”

“All?”

“Yes, because even if they understand they need to make justice with me and let me go and let me speak, they have a problem with their people. What to do about a Christian man who was born a Jewish man who became a Christian and who received respect from all over the world. They don’t want this man to be receiving a good image especially with the young Israeli generation. So that is the first point.

“The second point is, because Israel is a Jewish State, the government believes they have the right to have the bomb. But I am coming and saying they don’t need to have the bomb. They need to make peace. And that is another source of the problem for them. But even with that I don’t understand why they are persecuting me. What are they afraid from?”

“But they say they know what they are afraid from. They say you have more secrets.”

“But they know that this is blah, blah, blah, because my secrets are twenty years old. All this nuclear weapons has continued to develop and all what I had was published twenty years ago. There is nothing new from me. And now North Korea has built the bomb. Iran is going to build the bomb. So what information can I contribute when it is twenty years old? Israel should let me go. They have had their revenge. Even killers murders in Israel are released after fifteen years, seventeen years. They let them go. Run away do what ever they want.”

“Are you hopeful?”

“I have my scenario that includes the hope that Israelis are also human beings and that one day they will wake up because they must wake up and become normal society. Because there still is danger that what they saw in the past one hundred fifty years, all those extreme nationalists, dictators, right wings that brought tyranny to Italy, Spain, Germany, South Africa, Russia all of them collapsed because they were not normal society. Their people woke up because they wanted normal society. But here we don’t have normal society. Here is Jewish religion society and even liberals here are speaking like they are dictators.

“Israel is not like the United States. People came from Europe to build new society in the name of freedom, liberty for all the human beings. But they didn’t respect the Indians in the beginning and the blacks. But then one day they woke up and start giving them rights. That is what normal society does. But here it is not normal society. It is about religion. So my scenario is when the Israel people who want normal society wake up it will be a total disaster for the Jewish
state.”

“Supposing five years from now when I’m eighty and you are fifty-five, we are still here talking about your situation; we are talking about how every year the government renews the restrictions and the courts agree; and we are talking about your scenario that has stayed just a
dream?”

“I hope when you are eighty I will meet you in Washington DC. But for that to be we need to do some extraordinary acts to get out from here.

“What kind of extraordinary acts?”

“I can tell you this way. Israel kidnapped me from Rome in 1986 and put me in prison. So I’m calling to the CIA and to all the world to kidnap me from Israel.”

“Kidnap you?”

“Yes, if some one, or any organization will help me to try to get out from here. I will do it. And the Israelis know it very well. I am ready to leave the country in any way.”

“Even being spirited out?”

“Yes, because I am not allowed to go to foreign embassies where I can ask for asylum. That’s why they watch me, because they don’t want me to get out from here.”

“You want the CIA, special forces, whatever to do a reverse Entebbe?”

“Yes,” he said with a big grin, “the Marines. But I don’t think your military your defense establishment like me. Otherwise they would have helped me long ago. But the real government of the United States is the Pentagon. That is the power behind Israel. They give Israel two billion dollars and military power in support. And so those military maybe don’t like me because I am speaking against nuclear weapons and I am speaking for peace. So they are worried.”

“What you want to do is dangerous.”

“Yes. But you have done it. So I will be happy for anyone to take me out from this prison.”

To receive CPT Hebron’s weekly reports, news alerts and other messages concerning its violence reduction activities, send your request to be added to its E-mail list to cptheb@palnet.com. And to discover more about Christian Peacemaker Teams, please visit the website at: www.cpt.org.

PCHR and anti-apartheid wall campaign: stop support for Israel’s war crimes!

The PCHR and the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign urge you to act immediately

Stop support for Israel’s war crimes!

Former Israel Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon was spared arrest or any proper prosecution process in New Zealand this past Tuesday, despite a decision the day before, by His Honour Judge Avinash Deobhakta in the District Court at Auckland to issue warrants for his arrest on suspicion of committing a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949.

Ya’alon’s escape from justice was facilitated by the intervention by the New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Attorney General, Michael Cullen.

Moshe Ya’alon was Chief of Staff of the Israeli Occupation Forces from 9 July 2002 to 1 June 2005. Under his command the Israeli Occupation Forces were responsible for a countless variety of extensive human rights violations and war crimes inside the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank.

However, the arrest warrant was extinguished by the Attorney General directing the District Court to stay the prosecution permanently. The Attorney General has given no reasons for crushing the warrant in time for the lawyers to appeal, despite the ruling of the judge that there were ‘good and sufficient reasons’ to justify the arrest of Moshe Ya’alon. Only after Ya’alon had been permitted to leave the country, he gave untenable motivations such as “unreliable materials” brought as evidence by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Hickman & Rose and the local lawyers.

Michael Cullen is not a lawyer. Instead he has accumulated an enormous amount of power being Deputy Prime Minister, Attorney-General, Justice Minister, the Finance Minister and Leader of the House at the same time. A highly politicized but not legally competent figure that has put all his influence against the legal prosecution of war crimes committed by Israel.

Raji Sourani, head of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) stated:

We will not forget nor forgive, instead we will continue to do our best to bring the Israeli perpetrators of crimes against our people to justice – with all our professionalism and the support of a global network of lawyers. If international law is to serve, then it needs to be implemented.

This has been an authentic act of impeding legal prosecution of war crimes!

Apartheid Israel needs to be held accountable!

The PCHR and the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign urge you to act immediately:

Please support this urgent call and alert the media and the responsible authorities in NZ about your outrage!

(See sample letters and contact info below. Please cc pchr@pghr.org and global@stopthewall.org in your letters.)

Michael Cullen must give a detailed account to the victims and his own public as to why the judge’s orders for Ya’alon to be arrested were not complied with. He needs to answer on what basis and powers did he instruct the police NOT to act on a legitimately issued warrant for arrest.

Justice for Palestine is needed NOW!

ENDS

***

For further information on the case see: http://www.pchrgaza.ps/files/PressR/English/2006/127-2006.htm

Or contact:
In New Zealand:
Lawyer for the complainant, Davey Salmon, Partner, LeeSalmonLong
Phone: + 64 9 912 7102;
Mobile : + 64 21 974 873
Website: http://www.leesalmonlong.com/

OR

Tuma Hazou, spokesperson for the Palestine Human Rights Campaign (PHRC):
+ 64 9 427 6527

OR

Don Carson, +64 274 530 565

In Palestine:
Raji Sourani, Lawyer and Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (GMT + 2 hours).
Phone: 00 972 (0)599608811
E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org
Website: http://www.pchrgaza.org

In London, UK:
Daniel Machover, Partner
Mobile: 00 +44 (0)7773 341096
OR
Kate Maynard, solicitor
Mobile: 00 +44 (0)7899 982977

Hickman & Rose solicitors
Website: http://www.hickmanandrose.co.uk

———-

Sample Letters

Media contacts:
TV New Zealand: for the feedback form, go to: http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/816462/869443
Tel: +64 9 916 7000

Radio New Zealand
news@radionz.co.nz – Telephone: +64 9 367 9300 – Facsimile +64 9 367 9330

NewsTalk Radio
for the feedback form, go to: http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/# – Talkback 0800 80 10 80, Overseas +64 9 307 1080

Dear editor,
I am addressing you to express my outrage about the latest scandal of obstruction in the implementation of international law and the prosecution of war crimes committed by Israel. The reason for the escape of Moshe Ya’alon from justice was the undue interference of Mr. Michel Cullen in his function as Attorney – General.

We urge you to give this grave incident due coverage and to ensure transparent and fair enquiries in the issue will happen.

You will be aware that Moshe Ya’alon was spared arrest or any proper prosecution process in New Zealand on 28 November, despite a decision on 27 November 2006 by His Honour Judge Avinash Deobhakta in the District Court at Auckland to issue warrants for his arrest on suspicion of committing a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949.

Moshe Ya’alon was Chief of Staff of the Israeli military from 9 July 2002 to 1 June 2005. Under his command the Israeli Occupation Forces were responsible for a countless variety of extensive human rights violations and war crimes inside the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank.

However, the arrest warrant was extinguished by the Attorney General directing the District Court to stay the prosecution permanently. The Attorney General has given no formal reasons for crushing the warrant in time for the lawyers to appeal, despite the ruling of the judge that there were ‘good and sufficient reasons’ to justify the arrest of Moshe Ya’alon. Only after Ya’alon had been permitted to leave the country, he gave untenable motivations such as “unreliable materials” brought as evidence.

The Attorney – General (Mr. Michael Cullen) is not lawyer, instead he has accumulated an enormous amount of power being the Deputy Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and Leader of the House at the same time. A highly politicized but not legally competent figure that has put all his influence against the legal prosecution of war crimes committed by Israel.

Michael Cullen must give a detailed account to the victims and his own public as to why the judge’s orders for Ya’alon to be arrested were not complied with. He needs to answer on what basis and powers did he instruct the police NOT to act on a legitimately issued warrant for arrest.

This has been a blatant impeding of proper legal prosecution of war crimes. Apartheid Israel needs to be held accountable to bring justice to Palestine.

This grave case of obstructionism and bad governance in New Zealand resounds widely across the globe among all those interested in justice as such work jeopardizes the mere relevance of international law towards the right of the might. We urge you thus to play a part in uncovering the facts and ensuring justice is upheld in New Zealand.

Sincerely,

Email: mcullen@ministers.govt.nz
Phone: +64 (0)4 470 6551
Fax: +64 (0)4 495 8442

Dear Mr. Michael Cullen,
I am addressing you in your function as Attorney General and Minister of Justice of New Zealand to express my outrage about the way you have obstructed the implementation of international law and the prosecution of war crimes committed by Israel.

I am aware that it was your action to ensure Moshe Ya’alon was spared arrest or any proper prosecution process in New Zealand on 28 November, despite a decision on 27 November 2006 by His Honour Judge Avinash Deobhakta in the District Court at Auckland to issue warrants for his arrest on suspicion of committing a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949.

Moshe Ya’alon was Chief of Staff of the Israeli military from 9 July 2002 to 1 June 2005. Under his command the Israeli Occupation Forces were responsible for a countless variety of extensive human rights violations and war crimes inside the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank.

After the Judge had decided that there were ‘good and sufficient reasons’ to justify the arrest of Moshe Ya’alon you have ensured the arrest warrant was to be extinguished by the Attorney-General. You have given no reasons for crushing the warrant in time for the lawyers to appeal. Only after Ya’alon had been permitted to leave the country, you gave untenable motivations such as “unreliable materials” brought as evidence.

I am urging you to give a detailed account to the victims and your own public as to why the judge’s orders for Ya’alon to be arrested were not complied with. On what basis did you – not having the legal expertise to do so – advise the police NOT to arrest in the face of the warrants?

This has been an authentic act of impeding legal prosecution of war crimes. Apartheid Israel needs to be held accountable to bring justice to Palestine.

This grave case of obstructionism and bad governance in New Zealand resounds widely across the globe among all those interested in justice as such work jeopardizes the mere relevance of international law towards the right of the might.

I urge you to publicly and fully apologize to the people of Palestine and Lebanon for making this grave error of judgment and to likewise publicly inform the government of the state of Israel that the government of New Zealand will in future strictly uphold the full force of its legislation on international human rights and humanitarian law and that this intention covers Israelis for whom prima facie evidence exists that that they have committed war crimes.

Sincerely,

To find the contacts for the New Zealand embassy in your country, go to: http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Embassies/NZ-Embassies/index.php

Dear Ambassador,
I am addressing you to express my outrage about the latest scandal of obstruction in the implementation of international law and the prosecution of war crimes committed by Israel. Reason for this was the unduly interference of Mr. Michel Cullen in his function as Attorney General.

We urge you to give to ensure transparent and fair enquiries in the issue will happen.

You will be aware that Moshe Ya’alon was spared arrest or any proper prosecution process in New Zealand on 28 November, despite a decision on 27 November 2006 by His Honour Judge Avinash Deobhakta in the District Court at Auckland to issue warrants for his arrest on suspicion of committing a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949.

Moshe Ya’alon was Chief of Staff of the Israeli military from 9 July 2002 to 1 June 2005. Under his command the Israeli Occupation Forces were responsible for a countless variety of extensive human rights violations and war crimes inside the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank.

However, the arrest warrant was extinguished by the Attorney General directing the District Court to stay the prosecution permanently. The Attorney General has given no reasons for crushing the warrant in time for the lawyers to appeal, despite the ruling of the judge that there were ‘good and sufficient reasons’ to justify the arrest of Moshe Ya’alon. Only after Ya’alon had been permitted to leave the country, he gave untenable motivations such as “unreliable materials” brought as evidence.

The Attorney – General (Mr. Michael Cullen) is no lawyer, instead he has accumulated an enormous amount of power being the deputy prime minister of New Zealand, the Finance Minister and Leader of the House at the same time. A highly politicized but not legally competent figure that has put all his influence against the legal prosecution of war crimes committed by Israel.

Michael Cullen must give a detailed account to the victims and his own public as to why the judge’s orders for Ya’alon to be arrested were not complied with. He needs to answer to what basis did the AG advise the police NOT to arrest in the face of the warrants?

This has been an authentic act of impeding legal prosecution of war crimes. Apartheid Israel needs to be held accountable to bring Justice to Palestine.

This grave case of obstructionism and bad governance in New Zealand resounds widely across the globe among all those interested in Justice as such work jeopardizes the mere relevance of international law towards the right of the might. We urge you thus to play a part in uncovering the facts and ensuring Justice is upheld in New Zealand.

Sincerely,

Nablus village schoolchildren terrorized by IOF

by aspiringnomad, December 3rd

On Tuesday a group of six human rights activists travelled to the small vallage of Sarra, west of Nablus, in response to a plea from a local school headmaster about Israeli army harassment of schoolchildren. According to countless eyewitness reports, during the last week an Israeli military Humvee would arrive in front of the school as the children were coming out, and proceed to let off sound bombs, tear gas and fire rubber bullets. However, the previous day the Humvee had arrived earlier and stayed for 4 hours between 10am and 2pm.

During the documentation of these harrowing witness statements a message arrived that the Humvee had just appeared at the gates of the girls school across the street. The six activists immediately went to the scene in order to ascertain the Israeli army’s motives and also to document any further harassment.

On seeing the approaching activists the soldiers quickly jumped into their Humvee and sped towards the centre of town at high speed. Three activists pursued the vehicle whilst the others stayed back at the entrance to the school.

As the activists caught up with the Humvee it proceeded to double back towards the school. It then stopped beside two activists and an Israeli soldier asked the reason for our presence. When the same question was asked of the soldier it was met with a cynical smile before he slammed the door, and the humvee drove into town, stopping only to throw a tear gas canister at some schoolchildren and fire a volley of bullets into the air before driving away.

After the Humvee’s departure, a call was made to the DCO (District Coordination Office – the civil administration wing of the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank) making them aware of what was happening, after which the activists remained for a further two hours.

Sarra is a typical small village that relies on agriculture for its income. Therefore the Israeli army’s military presence, and their subsequent behaviour can only be seen as a means to harass, humiliate and terrorize the residents.

The following day the activists returned to Sarra, but fortunately the Humvee didn’t return. More data was collected on Israeli army harassment that had occurred over the previous month, which included several late night visits by the army, who raided homes.

Almost a week after the initial presence of the activists at the scene, the military has yet to return to sarra.

Jerusalem Post: “Non-residents in territories threaten to sue Israeli gov’t”

by Dan Izenberg, December 3rd

Foreign passport holders married to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and those of Palestinian descent who want to visit their extended families in the territories are considering filing a class action suit against the Israeli government for refusing to grant them visitors’ visas, a Palestinian spokesman has told The Jerusalem Post.

The spokesman, Basil Ayish, is the media committee coordinator of the Campaign for the Right of Entry/Re-Entry to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Meanwhile, Shlomo Dror, spokesman for the Coordinator of Activities in the Territories, told the Post that in accordance with instructions from the Interior Ministry, the Military Government was no longer extending the three-month tourist visas for more than one year.

According to Ayish, there are some 120,000 families in the West Bank and Gaza in which one of the spouses is a foreign passport holder who is not registered in the Palestinian population registrar.

After Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza in 1967, it held a census and registered all Palestinians in the territories at the time as residents in the Palestinian population registrar. Since then, only the children of Palestinian parents who are both residents of the West Bank and Gaza are automatically eligible to be registered as residents of the territories.

The only way for those who do not meet the above conditions to become residents of the territories is through the process of family reunification. However, since the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000, Israel has stopped processing such requests.

Since then, according to Ayish, the only way for a family consisting of one resident of the territories and one non-resident to live together in the West Bank and Gaza has been for the non-resident to obtain a visitor’s visa, good for three months at a time.

Until three months ago, these visas were more or less automatically renewed. However, until the Palestinian Authority was established, applicants had to leave the territories and ask the Israeli authorities to extend the visa for another three months from outside the country.

Ayish said last week that since the establishment of the PA, many Palestinian non-residents sent their applications to renew their visas to the PA, which served as a go-between between the applicant, who no longer had to leave the West Bank, and the Israeli authorities.

These arrangements were never entirely satisfactory. Over the past few years, Israel often rejected applications by non-residents to extend their visas and the applicant, often a parent to children living in the West Bank, was preventing from returning to his family.

According to Ayish, however, Israel’s new policy has intensified of late. During the past two weeks, he said, 250 foreign passports submitted by the PA to Israel for visa extensions had been returned with a stamp declaring that this was the last time non-residents would be able to apply via the PA. From now on, all applicants would again have to leave the territories and apply from outside the country. Ayish said these people were afraid that once they left their families, they would not be allowed to return.

Not all of the applicants are married to residents of the territories. Some are citizens of other countries, mainly the US, and of Palestinian descent who have routinely spent the summers in the West Bank or Gaza to be with their extended families and immerse themselves in Palestinian culture. Israel has begun systematically denying these requests as well, according to Ayish and the human rights organizations.

There are other categories of foreigners who are currently being prevented from entering the territories, including university students, humanitarian workers and tourists.

On Tuesday, Ayish’s organization held a meeting in El-Bireh to consider legal action against Israel. Speakers, including attorney Muhammad Dahleh, charged that Israel’s policy was in violation of international humanitarian and human rights law. They called on the foreign nationals to urge their home countries to put pressure on Israel to change its policy.

According to B’Tselem and Moked, Israel is denying the Palestinians the basic right to family life by restricting their choice of partners.

“Israel is targeting the most vulnerable segment of Palestinian society in order to force a demographic change [in the territories],” Ayish told the Post. “It is forcing families to separate and ultimately leave.”

According to Dror, the Military Government will send an official to Ben-Gurion Airport to examine each visa application on its merits and determine whether or not to renew it. Only in humanitarian and other special cases, will the official allow applicants to return to the territories if they have already spent one uninterrupted year there.

Dror added that the PA was to blame for the fact that so many West Bank non-residents were still without resident status. Israel, he said, had told the PA in 1996 that it was prepared to register 20,000 foreign passport holders in the West Bank and Gaza Population Registry. “The PA did not forward any names to us,” he said.

By late 2000, with the onset of the second intifada, the window of opportunity closed, Dror said. Today, with Hamas in charge of the PA, there was no cooperation between it and the military government, he added.