Palestinian flags adorned the bulldozers which have razed 400 dunums of land here in the last week as villagers took back their confiscated land. Two Palestinians were injured as the Occupation Forces spent several hours pushing and beating demonstrators back. Water shortages are becoming an increasingly dire problem in Hebron district as the Wall’s route has been planned to isolate many of the local natural water resources.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/948.shtml
This day, June 29th, Rateb Abu Rahma, “the Palestinian Ghandi,” – a non-violent peace activist from Bil’in remains in custody after the prosecution appealed against his release on bail yesterday.
Gaby Lasksi, Rateb’s lawyer, has filed an urgent appeal for his immediate release. The hearing will take place tomorrow at Ofer military base at 1:30pm.
Rateb, 40, married with children, was arrested whilst he lay on the ground holding a fake tombstone. The tombstone represents the death of Bil’in due to the illegal separation barrier being built close to the village.
Rateb was injured by a sound grenade thrown at him while he lay on the ground. He was then arrested, and refused medical treatment. Israeli peace demonstrators videoed everything and their tape proves Rateb is innocent. Since his arrest on June 17th, he has remained in custody charged throwing stones.
Protests Outside Bil’in Set to Continue
A non-violent protest against the building of the illegal separation barrier near Bil’in will be held at 1:00pm on Friday July 1st. Residents will be joined by Israeli and International peace activists in the latest of a series of protests against the building of the barrier that have occurred near Bal’in.
On the day that the verdict was given in Israel on the killer of Camden resident Tom Hurndall, ISM London held a small action pointing out that systematic Israeli government/military policy is responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians – not just some “bad apples”.
On a busy intersection near Camden High street, we set up a large Palestinian flag-coloured banner with the words “Free Palestine” on it, (borrowed from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign). We had also created a placard for the occasion, questioning the climate in the Israeli military that allows this to happen. Earlier that day, Tom’s father Anthony had told the BBC that there is a “policy which seems to be prevalent in Gaza that [Israeli soldiers] feel able to shoot civilians without any accountability”. (1)
Tom’s family had been out to Gaza themselves to perform their own investigation, after the military had refused to carry one out. It is only because of their relentless pressure that this “small justice” had been brought to bear on this “least link” in the chain of command of the Israeli military. (2)
We used the occasion to talk to the reporter and passers-by who engaged us in conversation.
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4625355.stm
2. Quotes from Tom’s mother Jocelyn, interviewed on ITV London Today, 13:10, 27 June 2005.
By Eric Silver in Jerusalem
Originally published in The Independent
A former Israeli soldier has been found guilty by a military court of shooting dead the British student Tom Hurndall while he acted as a human shield for Palestinian children amid gunfire in the Gaza Strip.
Anthony Hurndall, Tom’s father, welcomed the outcome, but said he was disappointed the Israeli judges had not investigated higher up the chain of command.
Tom, 22, a photography student, was shot in the head with a single round in April 2003. The three judges convicted former sergeant Wahid Taysir on all counts: manslaughter; obstructing justice; submitting and obtaining false testimony and unbecoming behaviour.
For the full story, see:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=e0184
The ISM acknowledges that though the Israeli military court has found Wahid Taysir guilty of manslaughter it has failed to question the policy and decision makers responsible for Tom’s murder and the murder of thousands of other innocent people.
Tom would want us to remember him. But we also know he’d want us to remember that thousands of innocent Palestinians have died under similar circumstances. These people’s deaths have not been investigated, and have often been lied about, claiming the victims to be combatants or explained away with empty phrases like “caught in the crossfire” or “tragic accident.”
We pay tribute to the courage and determination of the Hurndall family, who despite their grief, fought for justice, and overcame every obstacle the Israeli Government and Army put in front of them.
The ISM renews its demand for an independent investigation of the murder of American ISM volunteer Rachel Corrie in Rafah who was crushed to death by an Israel military bulldozer on March 16, 2003, a few weeks before Tom was shot.
Tom Hurndall is never far from our thoughts, and he continues to inspire our Palestinian, Israeli, and International volunteers as we begin our Freedom Summer 2005 campaign in the Occupied Territories.
For more information:
Phone: 972 2 2971824
Email: info@palsolidarity.org
Press coverage of the verdict:
Ha’aretz – IDF soldier convicted of manslaughter of British activist
Jerusalem Post – Soldier guilty in death of UK activist
BBC – Israeli guilty of shooting Briton
Daily Mail- Soldier guilty of Briton’s killing
The Sun Online – Brit death soldier guilty
The Express – Soldier guilty of Briton’s killing
USAToday – Israeli military court convicts soldier in killing of Briton
Sky News – Soldier Shot Activist
