In Rare Move, Israeli Peace Activists’ Convictions are Cancelled

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Yesterday, when Israeli peace activists Neta Golan and Shelly Nativ appeared before Judge Nitsa Maymon-Saashua in the Kfar Saba court for sentencing, she instead canceled their convictions. The rare step was taken after the recommendation of a probationary officer who was impressed by the “humanitarian motivations” of the two activists.

In April 2001, the two were arrested when they chained themselves to olive trees in the West Bank village of Deir Istiya in an attempt to prevent the destruction of the trees by Israeli bulldozers. They had been found guilty of preventing a police officer from performing his duty and preventing a public worker from performing his duty. Neta Golan is one of the founders of the ISM and was one of the international and Israeli activists who were with Yasser Arafat in his Muqata’a compound during the Israeli military siege in 2002.

Neta Golan said: “although, personally this is a relief, it’s only because of the institutional racism of the Israeli state that we as Israeli Jews have been let off in this way. Palestinians are regularly given extremely harsh treatment by the apartheid Israeli legal systems.”

Since September 2000, the Israeli military has destroyed more than 500,000 olive and fruit trees. The International Solidarity Movement condemns the Israeli legal system for its defense of war crimes committed by the Israeli military and settlers and its criminalization of non-violent protest against the Occupation.

For more information call:
Attorney Gabi Laski, 054 4418988
Or the ISM Media office, 02-2971824

Human Rights Observers Face Deportation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The four human rights observers who were arrested yesterday, are today appearing before and Israeli judge in the “Peace Court”, Jerusalem. The Ministry of the Interior is seeking an extension to their detention, and are starting the process that will lead to their deportation. On the evening of Tuesday November the 8th at 21:15, the Israeli occupation forces stopped one of the human rights observers while he was trying to enter the international apartment in Tel Rumeida, in the old city of Hebron.

At that time he contacted his fellow observers who were inside the apartment. Four other observers went outside to assist him and were arrested at 21:30. They were all taken to the police station in Hebron where they were accused of obstructing the Israeli occupation forces from implementing their orders.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please call the following numbers and politely ask why the state of Israel is afraid of international observers recording and documenting their military and police operations in Hebron, as well as abuses by Israeli settlers:

Israeli Ministry of the Interior: +972 (0) 2 670 1400
Kyriat Arba Settlement Police Station: +972 (0) 2 996 9400

Their “crime” was to question the right of Israeli soldiers in Hebron to indefinitely confiscate their passports. The incident follows weeks of harassment of ISM and other international Human Rights Observers in Hebron, including an illegal attempt at eviction from the international apartment there by the Israeli military.

See the Hebron region category of the ISM website for more background:
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/category/hebron/

For more information on the Tel Rumeida Project see:
http://www.telrumeidaproject.org

For more information:

Gabi Laski (lawyer):+972 544418988
ISM Media office: +972 2 2971824

Eyewitness Account: Human Rights Observers Arrests in Hebron

On the 8th of November, an international Human Rights Observer (HRO) from Scotland accompanied by two European journalists was stopped by approximately eight Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) soldiers on Shaddah street, Tel Rumida in occupied Hebron. They were asked to show their passports for inspection, which they did but the soldiers tried to take them away. They were not told when and if the passports would be returned. They informed the soldiers that it was illegal for them to take their passports away indefinitely. While the passports were being displayed for the soldiers, they were snatched out of two people’s hands including from the HRO. The HRO again made the point that it was not allowed for his passport to be taken away from him. After several minutes of inspection, the passports were returned one by one. Soon after, in the same place, these passports were again snatched from the hands of the HRO and the journalists. Again, they were inspected and after a period of time were returned. It was not observed that the IOF made any radio contact with their identification registers. The passports were returned after several minutes. The volunteers contacted the local police station and requested their presence. The passports were snatched and returned a third time without any apparent reason. The HRO surrendered his passport again but continued to protest. He then had his arms placed behind his back and was bound by handcuffs. He was bundled into a military jeep with IOF soldiers and the doors were shut.

At this point other HROs arrived and asked the superior officer why the first Observer was being detained. They were told that they would be told “in a few minutes”. An HRO from Scandanavia who was filming the events was dragged to the rear of the military vehicle and held there.

The Police then arrived and despite being requested to intervene on behalf of the detained HROs, began to ask for passports from the two volunteers who where being held by the IOF. The police informed the HROs that they had now taken charge of the operation: “this is a police operation, we are in charge”.

These HROs, from Scandinavia and from Canada both showed their passports but informed the police officer that it was not permitted for them to be taken away. The police man said they “could be taken here” or the two HROs could be taken to the station and inspected there. The police then snatched the passports from the hands of both HROs. Tthe observers refused either of these options and were then informed that they were being placed under arrest and both were forcibly dragged to the Police vehicle, the HRO from Canada being dragged along the ground. They were both locked inside this vehicle. They were both informed that they were being arrested for interrupting a military operation (not a police one).

The Police were asked to address the issue of the first HRO from Scotland who was still being detained in the military vehicle. They were asked on what grounds he was being detained. A Police officer walked over to this vehicle and opened the door and shouted in, ‘you are arrested.’ When asked again on what grounds, he said for refusing to give his passport. It was pointed out that the IOF had his passport and had previously inspected it three times. The police officer appeared not to have been aware of this and explained that he had been told that the HRO had refused to hand over his passport and still held it. The police officer then said he would take the HRO to the police station ‘for a chat’. It was pointed out to him that this was against his will and he was handcuffed; and furthermore, that this was not grounds for arrest. A discussion took place between the superior officer and the police man. The police man then said he was to remain under arrest. He would not explain why.

A female HRO from the US who was filming the proceedings, and had already been manhandled by an IOF soldier, prevented from filming and had her handbag torn from her shoulder, was informed that she too was under arrest. She had been informing the police that it was illegal to transport a person arrested by the police in an IOF vehicle and that she would be concerned for his safety in an IOF vehicle.

She was charged with obstructing a military operation and was instructed to enter the military vehicle. A police officer said he would ride in the IOF military vehicle and this “would make it” a police vehicle. She refused and was physically forced into the vehicle. This was the fourth and final arrest. Other HROs were intimidated, pushed, had arms twisted and on several occasions had attempts at their cameras being snatched and pulled by the IOF.

Speakers bring struggle against the wall to Detroit

By Ali Moossavi
Originally published in The Arab American News

If a Palestinian and an Israeli walked into an Orthodox church, most people would expect a punch line.

On the evening of Nov. 7th at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Berkley, Michigan, that’s precisely what happened, in front of 60 participants wanting to listen and learn. What the Palestinian and the Israeli had to say, however, was no joke.

As the audience gathered to listen, the odd couple – the Palestinian farmer Ayed Morrar and the 23-year old Israeli punk rock scenester/anarchist activist Jonathan Pollack – brought to life the struggle against the separation wall Israel has constructed allegedly to prevent suicide bombings.

Many critics in Israel and throughout the world counter that it’s an apartheid wall, to control and stifle Palestinian society, while illegally annexing land inside the “Green Line,” the internationally recognized border between the Jewish state and the Occupied Territories.

It was when the non-violent struggle against the wall erupted in the village of Jayyous in 2002 that protests spread to other West Bank villages. The protests garnered international support, from activist organizations like the International Solidarity Movement as well as organs of international law, most notably the 2004 ruling by the International Court of Justice, which ruled the wall illegal.

In response to the protests, which have been non-violent, the Israeli Defense Forces and Border Police have used tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, live ammunition and batons in efforts to suppress the actions. Pollack himself was hit in the head by a tear gas canister in the village of Bi’lin from approximately 20-30 meters at the end of a demonstration.

“I heard a shot and I turned around,” he said, in the stairwell after the event, “and I saw the canister flying towards me and I had the time just to turn my head and it hit here, above the temple.”

In addition to the tear gas canister, Pollack was also shot four times with the rubber bullets at various times.

“I couldn’t walk for two weeks because of internal hemorrhaging,” he said during the presentation.

The presentation began with Tel Aviv-born Pollack explaining the foundations of the present conflict with a PowerPoint display, from the origins of Zionism and the 1948 war to the beginning of the settlement project and the current intifada. He described the three levels of citizenship: full citizenship, permanent residency for East Jerusalemites and orange IDs for Palestinian residents of the Occupied Territories.

After that introduction, he proceeded to break down the official propaganda surrounding what he called the marketing of the wall.

According to him, only 5 percent of the wall is a 25 foot high concrete structure, about twice as high as the Berlin Wall, while the overall length is “double the length of the Green Line,” he said. The rest of the “wall” is a series of barbed wire fences and other obstacles. Additionally, 80 percent of the barrier is built on Palestinian land, making the seam line a permanent military zone.

“That means, if you want to enter the West Bank, then you must have permission from the military authorities,” Pollack noted.

He went on to describe the effect the wall had on Palestinian life. Qalqilya, once the richest city in the area, is now caged from four sides. Unemployment has risen from 13 percent to a staggering 80 percent since the wall was built. As a result, after one year of the wall’s construction, one-third of Qalqilya’s residents have left, according to official statistics; Pollack feels the number is higher.

“The wall is not a means of security, but as a means of ethnic cleansing,” he said.

The impact that Pollack described on the Palestinians was further elaborated by Palestinian farmer and Budrus resident Ayed Morrar.

Morrar made clear that the Palestinians want peace, but on the condition that peace cannot occur in the absence of freedom. The occupation, he said, is a catastrophe not only for Palestinians, but for any nation and the catastrophe can be felt in the destruction of Palestinian culture, economy and in their lives overall.

To give an example, Morrar described his daily routine – to go to his job in Ramallah, he has to go through two different checkpoints. Another routine is suffering the treatment meted out by Israeli soldiers.

“One time they arrested me in 1989, and they put us in the military bus. I saw Hebrew writings by Israeli soldiers,” he said, writings that said the best Arab is a dead one.

He went on to describe the impact the olive tree has on the Palestinian economy and life, especially when the Israelis uproot them. The olive tree is mentioned in the Qu’ran and the Bible, grandparents pass on proverbs about the tree’s wonder and that a 5,000 year old tree stands in Jenin, the sight of an Israeli assault in April, 2002.

“We really cry when we see them uprooted,” Morrar said.

Afterwards, the speakers showed a video of non-violent protests from the past two years, where unarmed demonstrators were beaten and concussion grenades were used, sometimes exploding right beside what appeared to be children. In one shot, Palestinian protestors were viciously beaten, only to have their ambulance windshield shattered by a tear gas canister and explode inside the vehicle after they had been placed inside.

Despite having endured violence and attending hundreds of protests, both Pollack and Morrar were in good spirits. Their tour had already lasted three weeks and they have two more weeks to look forward to. Morrar summed up their optimism this way:

“This is our slogan: ‘We can do it.'”

Celebrating Resistance

1. Bil’in Lock-on and Demonstration Report
2. Palestinian Non-Violent Organiser Mohammed Mansour’s Court Case Continues
3. Two sides, one goal – Palestinian, Israeli tour Bay Area to support non-violent resistance to military occupation
4. “Demolish all the illegally built homes in the West Bank” – Israeli Chief of Staff General Dan Halutz
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1. Bil’in Lock-on and Demonstration Report

November 4th, 2005

by Johan

On Friday morning at 7:55am, 3 Palestinians, 7 Israelis and 5 internationals chained themselves to the posts of the apartheid wall that is currently under construction near Bil’in, a small village in the West Bank. This act of non-violent resistance was aimed at illustrating the devastating effect the wall has on this and other villages in the West Bank. The idea was to force the Israeli soldiers to destroy the posts in order to remove the activists from the scene – this, however, did not work out as planned. At 8:10am the soldiers had managed to untie all the activists, and dragged them away from the posts. Three Israelis were brought to the police station, but were released later in the morning.

The demonstration then turned into a playground when children’s toys were handed out and a slide was raised close to the line of the soldiers. Children were playing and chanting together with the activists in front of the surprised soldiers and members of the Border Police.

Around 11:00 three Israeli activists once again chained themselves to a fence. After fruitless attempts of getting them loose, Border Police changed their tactics and waited close by in order to arrest the activists when they decided to loosen themselves. When they did, however, they managed to escape arrest by running through the olive groves towards the village, tailed for a while by Border Police that didn’t quite reach the same running speed and eventually gave up.

After the noon prayer that was conducted at the scene of the demonstration, the rain came and people started to drop off. At 12:30 the demonstration was over. Apart from some pushing from the soldiers and Border Police, it was a peaceful demonstration without violence – no tear gas, rubber bullets or other experimental “less lethal weapons” were used. Apart from the three Israelis in the morning no other arrests were made.

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2. Palestinian Non-Violent Organiser Mohammed Mansour’s Court Case Continues

On Wednesday the 2nd of November 2005 Palestinian non violent organiser Muhammed Mansour from Biddu appeared before an Israeli judge in Occupied east Jerusalem. Mohamed is being charged with assaulting a police officer and throwing stones following his arrest by under cover police during a non violent demonstration against the annexation wall in Al Ram on June 26th 2004. During the hearing the prosecution offered Mohammed’s lawyer a deal. Mohammed would have to accept a 3500 shekel fine and the condition that he not participate in any demonstrations for the next two years. Mohammed rejected the deal. The case was deferred until 22nd February 2006.

When Mohammed was initially arrested in June 2004 he was severely beaten, hospitalised and then held for a week before his release on bail together with another three Palestinians, including two minors, who were arrested at the Al-Ram demonstration. Five Israeli peace activists, also arrested at the demonstration, were released a few hours following their arrest.

A Palestinian photographer working for the Israeli news paper Yediot Ahreonot was also assaulted and severely beaten by undercover police during the demonstration.

Mohammed’s trail is taking place while 17 non violent activists from the village of Bil’in are currently in jail in an attempt to crush the non-violent resistance in the village.

The International Solidarity Movement condemns the Israeli legal system’s defense of war crimes committed by the Israeli military and settlers, as well as its criminalization of non-violent protest against the Occupation.

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3. “Two sides, one goal” – Palestinian, Israeli tour Bay Area to support non-violent resistance to military occupation

November 1st, 2005

By Katherine Corcoran

Originally published in the Mercury News

Ayed Morrar, 43, a Palestinian, puts his arm on the back of Jonathan Pollak, 23, an Israeli, and says, “He’s like my son.”

The two are touring the Bay Area through Wednesday, when they will address a Stanford University class on the Israeli-Arab conflict, as part of a national speaking campaign on what they call the little-known, non-violent resistance movement in the Palestinian territories.

Pollak is fasting in solidarity with Morrar, who is observing Ramadan. They are staying in homes and attending fundraisers sponsored by Arab-American and Jewish families. Still, their integrated, peaceful resistance against Israel’s military occupation and the barrier it is erecting in the West Bank gets scant attention in the United States and the rest of the world, they say.

“We have to show people the real situation there to win the occupation, because the propaganda shows us as criminals,” Morrar said last week, sitting in the Los Altos living room of Lisa Nessan, who is Jewish. “We are against violence from any side, against killing by Israelis and Palestinians.”

Their tour, which started in New York and goes to Seattle, Minneapolis, Detroit and other major cities from here, is sponsored by the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian group that recruits and trains international observers and activists to protest in the Palestinian territories. The group gained world headlines when American protester Rachel Corrie was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003, and British student Tom Hurndall was shot in 2004 by an Israeli soldier, who was later convicted of manslaughter.

But like anything having to do with the Middle East conflict, claims to non-violence or peace get drowned out in a din of competing voices and events. Last week marked another bloody string of violence, with Israeli troops targeting Islamic Jihad militants, who killed five Israelis in a revenge suicide attack.

Critics say the International Solidarity Movement is not really about peace. They cite writings by its leaders that acknowledge a place for armed resistance in liberation movements.

“They don’t pick up guns or throw bombs. But they don’t oppose those who do, either,” said Yitzhak Santis, director of the Middle East Project at the Jewish Community Relations Council in San Francisco. “It’s propaganda. They want well-intentioned, good-meaning people to support them. But what goes on on the ground is something quite different.”

Complicated story

Still, Morrar, a government worker who must clear two checkpoints to get to work in Ramallah, and Pollak, a graphic artist from Tel Aviv and an activist since his teens, are part of a growing number of opponents to the Israeli occupation. They want to tell their side of a complicated story in the United States, a steadfast supporter of Israel in foreign policy, and a place where many charge the news accounts are biased toward Israel.

“It’s time we voice opposition to policies that are being carried out in our name,” said Pollak, referring to Israelis who are against the occupation.

Their current focus is the wall Israel is building in the West Bank, which in parts veers from the agreed-upon border and cuts into Palestinian territories, separating villagers from their jobs and farmland. Supporters of the wall say it has cut violence against Israelis by 90 percent.

The wall, which has been ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice in the Hague, has sparked a peace movement that had difficulty finding a place amid the almost ever-present bullets and bombings.

Condemning violence

“We need everyone, children, women, old people to join the struggle. With all the violence, they couldn’t get out there,” said Morrar, adding that his and Pollak’s group in the Palestinian territories, Popular Committees to Resist the Wall, condemns all violence, including armed resistance. “The military struggle has no role for the people.”

In talks in Bay Area churches, universities and labor halls, Morrar and Pollak show footage of women in abayas at the wall, shouting peace slogans through bullhorns, and international protesters spraying peace signs on military vehicles — all being hit by Israeli soldiers with tear-gas canisters and rubber bullets.

Morrar doesn’t deny that non-violent demonstrations draw members of Hamas and Fatah, political parties with militant arms. But he says his group doesn’t refuse any protesters, as long as they follow the rules of peaceful resistance.

“If we refuse them, they will go to the violent way,” said Morrar, who has been jailed five times, once for six years in the 1990s, and bears a long, deep scar from a gunshot wound on his upper arm. “To struggle does not mean to kill. To kill is to lose your humanity.”

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4. “Demolish all the illegally built homes in the West Bank” – Israeli Chief of Staff General Dan Halutz

Recent Statement by Chief of Staff General Dan Halutz

PRESS RELEASE
by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)

28 Oct 2005

ICAHD notices with concern the statement by Chief of Staff, Gen. Dan Halutz, as reported in Ma’ariv (October 26, 2005), in which he is quoted as saying that in response to the recent suicide attack in Hadera Market he would implement various responses. Amongst responses he proposes is “to demolish all the illegally built homes in the West Bank, as those houses are used as shelter by terrorists.”

In the West Bank there are thousands of illegally built homes, as a result of the deliberate policies of the Israeli government’s “Civil Administration” (the Army), which prevents Palestinians from receiving building permits, and even demolishes in Area B.

Chief of Staff Dan Halutz is well known as a man without conscience, an extremist hardliner, whom we remember as having given an order to use a one-ton bomb on a house in a densely populated area, to kill a militant leader. His remarks after the operation even shocked judges in Israel’s Supreme Court: that he “sleeps well at night” even though 14 civilians were killed during that notorious operation, including many innocent women and children.

Even though we understand that the Chief of Staff will be unable to demolish literally “thousands of homes,” we are certain that he will make sure to demolish many homes in revenge for attacks, whether now or in future.

We call on the international community to demand that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stop these diabolical projects and that Israel be forced to abide by international law which forbids an occupying power to demolish the homes of innocent civilians.

For further details:

Meir Margalit, Co-ordinator: 0544-345 503

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For more reports, journals and action alerts visit the ISM website at www.palsolidarity.org
Please consider supporting the International Solidarity Movement’s work with a financial contribution. You may donate securely through our website at www.palsolidarity.org