Category: Press Releases

Statement by the Palestinian National and Islamic Forces on the CPT Hostages in Iraq

The National and Islamic Forces are alarmed and much disturbed to learn about the kidnapping of four members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in Iraq. Most disturbing are allegations of espionage against those people who in fact are acting against the American and British occupation of Iraq and in favour of Iraqi prisoners.

We have a firm and long-standing knowledge of the positions and attitudes that CPT has always taken against violence and occupation, and of their active support of the rights of the Palestinian people who suffer under occupation, injustice and the aggression of the Jewish settlers.

We have witnessed their courage and their daily challenging of Israeli bulldozers that destroy Palestinian homes, as well as of Jewish settlers who terrorize innocent Palestinian children. Members of CPT have physically – with their own bodies – stood against the Israeli destruction and war-machine. They have frequently been exposed to foul language, humiliation, beatings, detention and expulsion. Many of them have been denied entry into the country because of their stand in support of our just cause.

Based on our profound knowledge of their principles and attitudes, we bear witness that CPT members translate their faith in God into action in support of oppressed and persecuted people. This they undertake with utmost dedication and sacrifice as well as maintaining a frugal and simple way of life. Right from the beginning, members of CPT have stood against the policies of their own governments towards Palestine and the invasion of Iraq.

Based on the above-mentioned, we call upon all the people of Iraq, on all people of faith and honor, on all people of conscience to act for the release of those activists who struggle on our behalf against occupation and injustice. We raise our voice alongside all National and Islamic factions in the district of Hebron who issued a statement on this most serious matter, on November 29th, 2005, which reflects the feelings of all Palestinians from all factions and persuasions.

Freedom to those who struggle and victory to the righteous

The National and Islamic Forces
December 2, 2005

Solidarity Demonstrations For the Four CPT Hostages Taking Place All Over Palestine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 7th, two solidarity demonstrations will take place to call for the immediate release of the four Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) hostages unharmed.

In Nablus, a demonstration will take place at 11am in front of the Red Cross building. Participating will be several Palestinian NGOs and the friends of Harmeet Sooden who met him in January 2005. The Nablus region was the main focus of Harmeet’s work with ISM, and he made many friends there.

On Wednesday the 7th, a candle-lit demonstration calling for the release of the four will be held in Ramallah, meeting at al-Manara at 4:30pm.

A demonstration calling for the release of the four was held at 12:30 today in Hebron in front of the Red Cross building, on Ein-Sara street.

A more detailed report of the various Palestinian calls for the release of the prisoners over the last week will be available on palsolitarity.org by the end of the day.

For more information:

For Nablus demonstration call:
Mohammed Ayyesh: 054 621 8759 or 052 222 3374

For Ramallah demonstration call:
Mansour: 054 580 4830

General:
ISM Media office: 02 297 1824 or 057 572 0754
CPT Hebron: 02 222 8485

Press Conference of Palestinians Calls for Release of All Civilian Hostages in Iraq; More Solidarity Demonstrations Planned

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Today in Ramallah, Ikram al-Sabri, the head Mufti of Palestine, along with several other notable Palestinians called for the immediate release of all civilian hostages in Iraq, with particular reference to the four Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) hostages.

Ikram al-Sabri said that “there is a duty for all Palestinian people, institutions and factions to commit to sending a call to release these people who have been kidnapped. They are very important for us to help continue our struggle, whether here in Palestine or in Iraq, to gain our country’s freedom. We repeat our call to release all the civilian people who have been kidnapped all over the world, not only these four.”

Dr. Wasif Abu-Yousef, a representative of the National and Islamic Forces in Palestine (an umbrella group representing all Palestinian political parties) described the four activists and CPT in general as: “soldiers for peace” and “real heros” and talked about the role of international activists like the CPT: “they were chaining themselves to homes that were threatened with demolition. Some of them were even martyrs, like our friends Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall. Some were injured or denied entry, some of them have been deported. They have suffered side by side with us … they have challenged the Israeli occupation in Palestine and the settlers in Hebron”. He strongly condemned the kidnappings saying: “from the heart of Palestine, we condemn and are completely against the process of kidnapping these four people in Iraq. This state of chaos, killings, and criminal acts that have been happening in Iraq will not help the Iraqi people. On the contrary, there are people who will make use of this. The occupation will use this as an excuse to continue.”

Ferial Abu-Hakil, the Headmistress of Qurtuba school, Hebron talked about the role of CPT in Hebron in providing accompaniment for their children on their way to school and of the unique role of CPT under Israeli curfews during the intifada: “We still remember the nice moments while we were under curfew with the CPT members who we have known since 1995. They came and gave food to people under curfew and showed their love and solidarity with our schools and our children. We will never forget these moments, because the CPT were the only people standing with us at that time… As a women who works with them, I send my call for the Iraqi resistance to release these people because CPT are very important people for us.” She also criticised the US occupation of Iraq as the root cause of the violence there: “To Bush I say that democracy is not imposed – democracy is given by people, not given by armies. We are sending our call for the faction that kidnapped these people in Iraq to release them immediately because we need them here.”

Christan Anderson of CPT Hebron thanked the “hundreds of Palestinians who have issued statements and supported us during this past week”. She described CPT’s work in Palestine and Iraq and appealed for the release of the four, while at the same time putting these kidnappings of westerners in the broader perspective of the huge suffering of Iraqis and Palestinians: “We miss our friends and desire them to return to us… So while remembering them, let us remember the thousands of peaceful people being detained by occupying forces throughout the world, and while we ask for a release of our friends, we will continue to work to end the occupations in Palestine and Iraq.”

A demonstration calling for the release of the four will be held at 12:30 tomorrow in Hebron in front of the Red Cross building, on Ein-Sara street.

On Wednesday the 7th, a candle-lit demonstration calling for the release of the four will be held in Ramallah meeting at al-Manara at 4:30pm.

For more information:

For tomorrow’s demonstration call:
CPT Hebron: 02 222 8485

For Wednesday’s demonstration call:
ISM Media office: 02 297 1824 or 057 572 0754

AP photos:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/051205/481/jrl12112051314
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/051205/481/jrl12212051325
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/051205/ids_photos_wl/r3564300070.jpg
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/051205/ids_photos_wl/r3034176822.jpg

Kiriat Arba Police arrest one Human Rights Worker; IDF assault Human Rights Workers and steal cameras and passport in Tel Rumeida, Hebron

UPDATE: This morning (6th December), the Tel Rumeida Project HRW was released from Kiriat Arba police station without conditions. He was never brought to Jerusalem as the police had threatened.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

One Human Rights Worker from The Tel Rumeida Project was arrested in Tel Rumeida, Hebron, at 17:10 earlier today. He had been asking soldiers from the Israeli military why they had blocked a Palestinian pathway with barbed wire – a pathway that has been opened by an Israeli court order 4 months ago.

The soldier responded by physically assaulting the HRWs, taking their passports, and confiscating two video cameras that were legally being used by the HRWs to document Israeli military’s violation of the previous court order. Soldiers were holding one of the HRWs in a headlock as they ripped the camera away from him. The HRWs called the Hebron Police, who immediately arrested one of the HRWs and took him to the Kiriat Arba Police Station. They did not inform him of any accusations against him.

After having deleted the contents of the tape, the soldiers later returned one of the cameras and two of the passports, but kept one video camera and one passport. The HRW without a passport was informed by the police to come and collect her passport and the camera at the Kiriat Arba Police Station. When she got to the police station, the police would not let her in, telling her that the Israeli soldiers had her passport.

At 19:40, soldiers returned the passport and the second video camera to the HRWs in Tel Rumeida, after having deleted that tape as well. The Israeli military specifically deleted the evidence that incriminated the soldiers, the documentation of the assault and the theft. Other recordings were left intact.

The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and the Tel Rumeida Project provides an international presence to support the daily Palestinian non-violent struggle against attacks from Hebron’s violent settler community. During the last 3 months, The Israeli military and the Police in the area have repeatedly been trying to get the Human Rights Workers out of Tel Rumeida, by arresting them without reason, issuing false Closed Military Zone Orders and trying to break in to their apartment without a warrant.

Another one of the HRWs who was arrested a few weeks ago, and later released without charge, was threatened with deportation by a Police Officer. He said: “We were there last week when you were arrested. That was strike one. This would be strike two. Strike three and you’re going back to your home country.” Threats with deportation are a common part of the daily harassment that HRWs have to endure in Tel Rumeida from the Hebron Police and the IDF.

ISM Media Office +972 2 297 1824 www.palsolidarity.org
Tel Rumeida Project +972 54 557 3154 www.telrumeidaproject.org

Human Rights Worker Refuses Deportation, Put in Solitary Confinement in Tzohar Detention Center, Israel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Andrew Macdonald, a Human Rights Worker from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), is still being held in solitary confinement at the Tzohar Detention Center in Israel. Even though he has been threatened by the Prison Commander, he maintains that “deporting people from Palestine is a matter for Palestinians to decide, not for Israelis.”

“You are making me nervous – I have not been nervous for 3 years. But I can make you nervous too. You are playing games with me, but I can play games with you to.” These were the words of the Prison Commander Yuvral just before he threatened to take Andrews cell phone away from him. This is not the first time Andrew has been threatened; the Israeli Authorities have repeatedly used intimidation to try to pressure him to leave the country. Previously, a police officer from the Special Operations Unit threatened to drug him if he did not comply.

Before his arrest, Andrew worked in Tel Rumeida, Hebron, where ISM and the Tel Rumeida Project provides an international presence to support the daily Palestinian non-violent struggle against attacks from Hebron’s violent settler community. During the last 3 months, The IDF and the Police in the area have repeatedly been trying to get the Human Rights Workers out of Tel Rumeida, by arresting them without reason, issuing false Closed Military Zone Orders and trying to break in to their apartment without a warrant.

Andrew Macdonald has been in custody for 10 days since his arrest on 24th of November 2005, and in solitary confinement for 3 days since his arrival to Tzohar Detention Center this Thursday at 21:30. He is kept in a 2×2 meter cell and is not allowed to see other prisoners. Last night the prison staff kept the light in his cell on until 2 AM, depriving him of his sleep.

ISM Media Office +972 2 297 1824 www.palsolidarity.org
Tel Rumeida Project +972 54 557 3154 www.telrumeidaproject.org