Palestinians appeal for release of Western activists kidnapped in Iraq

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
RAMALLAH

Palestinians, led by their top Muslim cleric, appealed to Iraqi insurgents on Wednesday to release four Western peace activists, saying three of them had spent time in the West Bank aiding the Palestinians.

The four workers for the group Christian Peacemaking Teams – an American, a Briton and two Canadians – were shown in a video released Tuesday by insurgents in Iraq.

While in the West Bank, American Tom Fox and the two Canadians demonstrated against the construction of Israel’s security fence, helped Palestinian children to get through Israeli army checkpoints and pitched in with the olive harvest, Palestinians across the West Bank said Wednesday.

“We demand that these aid workers be released immediately,” said Mufti Ikrema Sabri, the Palestinians’ top Muslim clergyman. “We tell them that these aid workers have stood beside Palestinian people and it’s our duty now to stand beside them.”

Sabri said Islam opposes taking civilians hostage and said such kidnappings are “inhumane.”

Palestinians in several towns said they had worked with the three activists and asked Sabri to issue the appeal. Hundreds of international activists have aided the Palestinians in largely nonviolent demonstrations during the more than five years of fighting with Israel.

“They subjected themselves to grave dangers when they stood in front of Israeli bulldozers,” said the mayor of the West Bank village of Jayyus, Shawkat Samha. “We knew them as people who were against occupation and supported freedom for occupied peoples, like the Palestinian and Iraqi peoples.”

Samha said he had met Fox and recognized him in the video that was shown on the Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera.

Fared Tomallah from the West Bank village of Salfit said he cried when he recognized captive Canadian Harmeet Sooden on television.

“I saw him many times suffering through tear gas with the Palestinians when demonstrating against the wall,” Tomallah said, referring to the separation barrier. “We appeal to Iraqi insurgents to release him and we assure them that these people have nothing to do with the occupation.”

The local branch of Christian Peacemaking Teams in the West Bank city of Hebron said that one of the captives, James Loney from Toronto, Canada, had helped Palestinian children get through Israeli army roadblocks in the divided city. Loney was slated to return to Hebron next week to continue his work, said Rich Meyer, an activist with the group.

“The kidnapping prevents him from coming here to work,” Meyer said.

The group’s Toronto branch released a picture of Fox sitting with children.

Widerstand bedeutet, in Hebron zu bleiben

UN-Solidaritätstag mit dem palästinensischen Volk: Internationale Präsenz in den besetzten Gebieten
Interview by Wladek Flakin
Ursprünglich innen veröffentlicht Junge Welt

Die Israelin Neta Golan ist Mitbegründerin der International Solidarity Movement (ISM) und lebt in Ramallah im Westjordanland.

F: Am Dienstag war der von den Vereinten Nationen proklamierte Tag der Solidarität mit dem palästinensischen Volk. Wie unterstützt Ihre Bewegung die Palästinenser?

Neta: Unsere internationale Solidaritätsbewegung wurde zu Beginn der zweiten Intifada im September 2000 gegründet. Wir unterstützen den gewaltfreien Widerstand in Palästina. Es ist eine gemeinsame Bewegung von Palästinensern und Aktivisten aus dem Ausland, den sogenannten Internationalen. ISM steht aber unter palästinensischer Führung.

Bei uns laufen mehrere Projekte parallel. Ein zentraler Bereich ist die Unterstützung des Widerstandes gegen die Annexionsbarriere, die Mauern und Zäune, die rund um die Westbank gebaut werden. Wir konzentrieren uns auf das Dorf Bilin bei Ramallah. Dort demonstrieren wir seit zehn Monaten Freitag für Freitag.

In Nablus unterstützen wir palästinensische Bauern. Zusammen mit israelischen Gruppen wie “Rabbiner für Menschenrechte” oder “Anarchisten gegen die Mauer” gehen wir auf die Felder und pflücken Oliven in Gebieten, die von den Siedlern bedroht werden.

F: ISM ist aber auch in Hebron in der südlichen Westbank präsent.

Neta: Ja. Wir haben eine Basis in Tel Rumeida, einem Viertel in der Altstadt von Hebron, wo Palästinenser neben Siedlern unter Apartheidbedingungen leben. So können die Palästinenser zentrale Straßen nicht nutzen, weil diese für die Siedler reserviert sind. Palästinensische Kinder werden auf dem Weg zur Schule von jungen Siedlern mit Steinen beworfen. ISM-Aktivisten begleiten diese Kinder jeden Tag zur Schule. Für die Palästinenser bedeutet dort Widerstand, in der Gegend zu bleiben.

F: Wie kommen die ISM und andere Gruppen gegen die Besatzung in der israelischen Gesellschaft an?

Neta: Es gibt eine andauernde Diffamierungskampagne gegen uns – vom Außenamt, das wir nicht wegen Beleidigung verklagen dürfen, sowie von rechtsextremen Siedlergruppen. Sie verbreiten die unglaublichsten Lügen. Über mich wurden wahnsinnige Sachen geschrieben, zum Beispiel, daß ich mein ganzes Leben in einer Psychoklinik verbracht hätte.

F: ISM wird seitens Israels vorgeworfen, terroristische Gruppen oder Aktionen zu unterstützen.

Neta: Alles, was hier passiert, wird von der israelischen Armee als Terrorismus bezeichnet. Als der britische Fotograf Tom Hurndall von Soldaten in Gaza erschossen wurde, hieß es in der ersten Erklärung der Armee, er hätte eine Tarnuniform und eine Waffe getragen. Später wurde behauptet, er hätte neben einem palästinensischen Kämpfer gestanden. Die Wahrheit ist, eine Gruppe israelischer Soldaten hat auf drei Kinder an einer Straßensperre geschossen, und Tom wollte sie aus der Schußlinie holen.

F: Wie können die Palästinenser und die ISM unterstützt werden?

Neta: Ich weiß, es ist verwirrend, wenn jede einzelne Geschichte in zwei völlig unterschiedlichen Versionen erscheint. Deshalb lade ich alle ein, bitte ich, flehe ich, hierher zu kommen und sich selbst die Realität der besetzten palästinensischen Gebiete anzuschauen.

Resistance means to stay in Hebron

Solidarity Day with the Palestinian People: International Presence in the occupied Territories
Interview by Wladek Flakin
Originally published in Junge Welt

An Interview with Neta Golan – Neta Golan is Israeli and a founding member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). She lives in Ramallah in the West Bank.

Q: The UN called for the solidarity day with the Palestinian People on Tuesday. How does your movement support the Palestinians ?

Neta: Our international Solidarity Movement was founded at the beginning of the second Intifada in September 2000. We support the non-violent resistance in Palestine. It’s a joint movement of Palestinians and foreign activists, so called internationals. The leadership of ISM is Palestinian.

There are several projects we work on it in parallel. A focal point is the support for the resistance against the annexing barriers, the walls and the fences who are build around the west bank. We focus on the village of Billin, near Ramallah. For ten months now, there is a demonstration every Friday.

In Nablus we support Palestinian farmers. Together with Israeli groups like “Rabbis for Human Rights” or “Anarchists against the Fence” we go to the fields to pick olives in areas under treat from the settlers.

Q: ISM is also present in Hebron.

Neta: Yes. We have a basis in Tel Rumeida, a quarter of the old city in Hebron where Palestinians live side by side with Settlers under apartheid circumstances. For example Palestinians are not allowed to use main roads, since they are reserved for the settlers. Young settlers throw rocks at Palestinian kids on their way to school. ISM activists accompany these kids to school every day. For Palestinians there, resistance means to stay in the area.

Q: How is the acceptance of ISM and other opponents against the occupation in the Israeli society ?

Neta: There are many defamation campaigns against us. From the foreign ministry, which we are not allowed to sue because of insult or from right-wing extremist settler groups. They publish incredible lies. They wrote about me, that I spent my entire life in a clinic for mentally ill persons.

Q: Israeli officials accuse ISM to support terrorist groups or terrorist acts.

Neta: Everything that happens here, is branded as terrorism by the army. When the British photographer Tom Hurndal was killed by soldiers in Gaza, the first press release from the army claimed that he was wearing camouflage and a weapon. Later they said that he stood side by side with a Palestinian fighter. The truth is, that a group of soldiers shoot at three children on a roadblock and Tom wanted to get them out of the fire line.

Q: How can we support the Palestinians and ISM ?

Neta: I know that it’s confusing, as every story appears in two different versions. Therefore I invite, I ask and I beg everybody to come to this place, in order to witness the reality in the occupied Palestinian territories by yourself.

Palestinian Solidarity Activists Amongst Four Peace Activist Hostages in Iraq


Harmeet Sooden working with the ISM in the Jenin region of the West Bank

CORRECTION: Three of the group of four have previously been in Palestine, not only two as previously stated. James Loney was in Palestine five years ago as an activist with CPT Hebron.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Two of the four Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) hostages in Iraq of whom a video was released today have been in Palestine working as Palestinian Solidarity activists. Tom Fox (54) worked with CPT Hebron and participated in demonstrations against the apartheid Wall in Jayyous. Harmeet Sooden (32) a Canadian citizen who had been living in New Zealand, came to Palestine to join the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in December 2004 and stayed until January 2005. He worked in solidarity with local Palestinian people, mostly in Nablus and Jenin. While in Jenin, he worked with a group of ISM activists who planted Olive trees on the ‘Swithart’ farm outside Jenin, He was committed to come to Palestine for three months to join the ISM again at the beginning of December 2005 as a long term activist for the liberation of Palestine from Israeli occupation, but first decided to join a two week CPT delegation to Iraq.

Palestinians in Ramallah will hold a demonstration tomorrow at 3pm in solidarity with all four kidnapped peace activists and to appeal for their release. The demonstration will be attended by notable Palestinian religious and resistance figures.

Mustafa Jayyousi a local Palestinian activist in Jayyous who knew Tom said: “When he worked in Jayyous, Tom was part of a group who went down to the gates everyday with local farmers to help them access their lands made inaccessible by the wall. He also participated in demonstrations with the people of Jayyous against the apartheid Wall in Jayyous”.

Mohammed Ayyesh a local Palestinian activist in Balata camp, Nablus said of Harmeet: “I was touch with Harmeet and was looking forward to him coming here to work next week. We must do everything we can to secure his release.”

Basem Abu-Bakar a local Palestinian activist in Jenin said: “Harmeet came as a volunteer in solidarity with the people of Jenin. He supported the Palestinian people and the people of Jenin with his presence here, and with his work in New Zealand.”

In an email to his friends Harmeet described the purpose of the four-person team’s work in Iraq as: “providing humanitarian aid in the form of training and documentation of non-violent responses to lethal inter-group conflict. We will also record the current conditions in Iraq, meeting with representatives of NGOs, Christian and Muslim clerics, Iraqi human rights groups and others”. He also recounted a story from Iraq: “A little 3-year old girl, Alaa, ran up to me and gave me a big hug me yesterday. She reminds me of my niece. She, however, does not see as my niece sees. She sustained severe shrapnel injuries to her abdomen and micro-fragments peppered her eyes, face and body during a US military attack in May on al Qaim, Iraq. Her mother lost an eye. She lost two brothers and several other relatives”.

Some of his friends who worked with Harmeet in the ISM appealed to the kidnappers for his release:

Donna: “Since he was back in New Zealand, Harmeet formed a new Palestinian Solidarity Group on Auckland University campus and organised speakers and forums about Palestine. He is a very shy, quiet guy, but very committed and hoped to return to Palestine next month.”

Asa: “Harmeet is a great person – we worked in solidarity with the Palestinian people together. He cares deeply about the plight of all oppressed people and is unequivocally against the occupation of Iraq and Palestine. He has also been involved in work around the conflict over Kashmir and in favour of the right of the people there for self determination. He would never act as a spy for any government. He is a sound peace activist.”

Patrick Connors: “I know Harmeet from when he volunteered with ISM in Palestine last winter. Harmeet is a very good, serious, committed person. CPT is a solid organization, with serious training and procedures, that does great things.”

For more information:
ISM Media office: 02 297 1824