Category: Press Releases

AL-HAQ: UK High Court to hear legal challenge to UK arms sales to Israel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UK High Court of Justice to Hear Legal Challenge on UK Sale of Arms-Related Equipment to Israel

19 September 2007

A full public hearing will be held before the UK High Court of Justice in London on 10 -11 October 2007 in the case of R (Saleh Hasan) v Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. Following the blanket refusal by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to respond to the claimant’s request for a justification of UK policy on arms-related sales to Israel, the High Court will hear arguments in a claim filed on 15 November 2006 by UK Solicitor Phil Shiner of Public Interest Lawyers (PIL), in cooperation with Al-Haq.

PIL will argue that the UK’s sale of arms-related equipment to Israel is in breach of UK obligations under international law as well as UK statutory law, specifically, the UK Export Control Act of 2002, which incorporates the “consolidated criteria” governing the export of military equipment. According to these criteria, the UK government may not issue export licenses to countries where there is a clear risk that the export might be used for “[i]nternal repression…in violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms as set out in relevant international human rights instruments” or where export would be “inconsistent with…the UK’s international obligations”. The “consolidated criteria” also makes clear that “special caution and vigilance” should be exercised in the case of prospective arms-related sales to countries where serious human rights violations have been established by competent bodies.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest judicial authority in the United Nations, in its 2004 advisory opinion on the legality of the Israeli Annexation Wall definitively established that Israel’s human rights record is severely compromised. The Court declared the illegality of the construction of the Wall and its associated regime in the West Bank under both international human rights and humanitarian law. The ICJ called for its dismantling and found that all States have a legal obligation to neither recognise the illegal situation resulting from the construction of the Wall nor render any aid or assistance in maintaining the situation.

The claimant, Saleh Hasan, a 60-year old resident of Bethlehem, is one of tens of thousands of Palestinians who until now have found no effective remedy for Israel’s unlawful acts. In 2005, Israel used military equipment to bulldoze agricultural assets and permanently confiscate his land in order to make way for the Wall. That same year, one year after the ICJ advisory opinion on the Wall, the UK’s arms-related exports to Israel saw a two-fold increase.

PIL will argue that the UK government had and continues to have clear evidence from authoritative international bodies that Israel might use equipment imported from the UK for purposes prohibited under the “consolidated criteria.” As such PIL will seek a declaration from the High Court that in future the UK Government must be transparent about how it has satisfied itself that there is no risk of a breach of these criteria and to make publicly available information that establishes there is no risk of any arms related products from the UK being used for repressive purposes. In the absence of any legal justification for continuing its current policy, Al-Haq, PIL and Palestinians like Saleh Hasan call on the UK government to suspend all arms-related exports to Israel until such time as Israel complies in full with its obligations under international law.

This hearing is of great significance, and any support you can offer is most welcome. Aside from actually attending the hearing, it would be greatly appreciated if you could forward this letter to any other parties you think may be interested. Al-Haq is in the process of organising various public meetings prior to the hearing. Please do not hesitate to contact haq@alhaq.org if you have any questions, comments or require further information pertaining to the case.

Action Alert! Non-Violent Demonstration in Qusin on Friday despite previous Army repression

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2007

The villages around Nablus have recently seen a rise in demonstrations against roadblocks. In Sarra, and now in Qusin, people are standing up to the bars and cages the Israeli army has erected around the villages. It has not been easy: people have been arrested, gassed, and shot.

Despite this, the villagers of Qusin refuse to give in to this assault on non-violent protest. Villagers from Qusin along with Israeli and international activists will meet at the village mosque, in Qusin, before 12 noon. They will leave after the noon prayer and demonstrate at the site of the roadblock. Also, following a recent victory in their own battle in the Israeli High Court, the Popular Committe Against the Wall in Bil’in and other Palestinian activists from that village will join the Qusin struggle this week.

The roadblock in Qusin turns a simple five minute trip to Nablus into nearly an hour’s journey. This situation is mirrored in the villages around.

Following demonstrations in the nearby village of Sarra the military has invaded, shooting at water tanks and shop fronts, entering houses and harassing the people inside, including stealing their possessions.

The Israeli army has also responded to the non-violent demonstrations with extreme levels of violence and repression. Last Saturday, the 15th of September, five Israelis, six internationals, and two Palestinians were taken prisoner after a non-violent demonstration against the roadblock in the village. Five Palestinians and two internationals were injured from the soldier’s brutality. One of the internationals had the end of her finger shattered from a rubber bullet.

For more information on the Sept. 15 demo., including video see here:
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/09/15/urgent-media-alert-demonstrators-shot-and-arrested-in-qusin/

Or contact the ISM Media Office at:
02 2971824 or 0599943157

Peace Activist Wounded by IOF Fire Returns to Sue

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On the night of April 5th, 2003, in the west bank city of Jenin, Brian Avery from North Carolina was shot in the face by machine-gun fire from an approaching Israeli Army APC. He did not die, the bullet penetrated his nose, broke the bones in his nose, hit his eye and exited from the other cheek. He has since needed to go through six operations and there are still more to go.

Brian Avery has now come back to the country, alongside friends and witnesses, and is suing the State of Israel. The trial, under Judge Kanafi Steinmetz, will open in East Jerusalem, at the District Court on Salah al-Din Street (opposite the Ministry of Justice) on Thursday, September 20th, 2007, at 9 am. Brian Avery will be legally represented by attorney Shlomo Lecker.

For further information:

Attorney Shlomo Lecker: 02 – 623 3695
Bilha Golan: 050 – 763 8568

Archive articles:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/792477.html

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jpost/access/1131529421.html?dids=1131529421:1131529421&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+21%2C+2006&author=DAN+IZENBERG&pub=Jerusalem+Post&edition=&startpage=03&desc=Court+agrees+to+hear+petition+demanding+Military+Police+probe+shootin

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/1,7340,3052141,00.html

http://www.freepalestinecampaig n.org/brian_avery.htm

Qusin Demo Video and Report

Saturday, September 15th, at 12pm, international and Israeli activists joined Palestinian activists and villagers in the village of Qusin to protest the system of control imposed upon them by the Israeli army. The region has seen a rise in demonstrations of this sort recently, with roadblock removal demonstrations happening also in the nearby town of Sarra.

There is a road that connects both of these towns, and others, to Nablus, and to the Nablus-Tulkarem road. This road has been deemed usable only by Israelis, it turns what is normally a five minute journey to Nablus into at least one hour. This constitutes daily harassment for people going to work, going to school, or even just visiting family.

People gathered together in the village of Qusin and marched towards the roadblock that prevents them from accessing this road, in Qusin it takes the form of a yellow gate chained shut. Villagers with international and Israeli support rallied at the gate, singing, chanting, and opened it for general use.

After some celebrations at the newly opened gate this non-violent demonstration decided to return to the village, but soldiers from an army base nearby spotted them and ran down the hill, preventing them from going back peaceably to their homes. Soldiers began to push the people gathered there, threatening them all alike. The press were threatened and assaulted as much as the demonstrators, with one journalist saying the commander told him “stop filming or I will break your camera!”. The soldiers did not want any evidence of what was going to happen next.

Tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets began to shoot off into the crowd, the demonstrators scattered, unable to reach their home and faced with extreme army violence. People ran down a hill into a field, trying to find an alternative way of reaching their village. The army stood on the road, firing more tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets at moving targets below. Some of the soldiers chased people into the fields, and were seen beating Palestinians. They were also caught pointing their guns at people at point-blank range and threatening to fire.

One international was shot in the hand at a distance of 10 meters by a rubber-coated steel bullet and required medical attention, with blood shooting from her hand “like a geyser” as one witness reported. Under Israel’s own military law, it is illegal to fire rubber coated steel bullets from a distance closer than 40 meters. The soldiers were therefore in direct violation of their own military law when undertaking these actions today. Another international and five Palestinians were also shot but did not need to go to the hospital. While most people had scattered, many international and Israeli observers were on the road asking the military to calm down and use less violence.

After it was clear the demonstration was over, these people were all arrested. In the end six Israeli activists, five international activists, and two Palestinians were arrested. The Palestinians were handcuffed and blindfolded and no information about their status has been confirmed. Three of the international activists and one Israeli are being charged with the false allegation of assaulting an officer while being arrested. Although these claims are entirely baseless lies, journalists were kept away from the scene of the arrest to prevent demonstrators from having proof of their innocence and it will be a case of one person’s word against the other.

***UPDATE*** As of September 19th, all the demonstrators have been released. Those injured and hospitalized have returned to their homes and are recovering. We are still trying to raise money for the Palestinian demonstrators, 8,000 shekels (around 2,000 dollars) are urgently needed to pay for the bail costs for both men. It is extremely important to support the villagers of Qusin who have only begun to wage nonviolent struggle against an illegal and brutal Israeli occupation.

Checks of any amount may be made out to “ISM-USA” and sent to:
ISM-USA
PO Box 5073
Berkeley, CA 94705

If you wish to make a tax-deductible donation, please make your checks of $50 or more payable to ISM-USA’s fiscal sponsor: A.J. Muste Memorial Institute, (with “ISM-USA” on the memo line of the check), and send to the same address above.

You may also use your credit or debit card and use our PayPal account
through www.palsolidarity.org/main/donations/
Donations sent through PayPal are not tax-deductible.

Action Alert: Demonstration in Jayous 10am 8th September

Jaayus, Saturday Sept. 8th at 10:30

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Saturday, September 8th, a demonstration has been organized in the village of Jayous.

As the olive season soon begins, more than 30 work permits the local villagers need to access their lands have been denied “because of opposition on the part of security elements.” Many of the people denied permits are free to enter Israel for work or leave the country entirely yet are somehow denied access to their own property and land for “security” reasons. The system of denying villagers these permits prevents them from tending to land that has been in many of their families for hundreds of years and continuing their cultural tradition of harvesting their olives.

Out of the 4,000 residents in the town only 90 of them are today allowed to work on their land. This is not an isolated occurrence. These restrictions are repeated all along the route of the Apartheid Wall.

Even for the farmers who do have permits, they are restricted in their ability to work their lands by gates manned by the Israeli military. They must go through the gates only within certain times dictated by the Israeli military, and it is the military who decide how much time it takes to go through the gate itself.

The short term objective of the planners of Apartheid is to annex the territories west of the Apartheid Wall. The long term objective is to cause social and economic deprivation east of the Apartheid Wall.

Jayous has been the site of joint Palestinian – Israeli non-violent activism for years. People will gather at 10:15 at the gas station Alfei Menashe, on Road 551, 6 kilometers from Hapeirot junction (the old entrance to Kalkilia), the demonstration will begin soon after.

For more information about the demonstration or transportation contact:
ISM Media: 022971824
Amit: 0545450041

Some “dry” statistics:

Jaayus Village population: 3,500, agricultural land west of the wall: 2,200 acres (about 75% of the village total farm land)

The land in question grows citrus and avocado orchards, holds vegetable greenhouses, and the village’s water wells!!!

Number of people prohibited by Shabbak from tending their lands: 34

Fallame Village population: 750

Jammal Village – population: 2,500

We hope you can join us in acting in solidarity with the Palestinian people to help reclaim their stolen lands.