Egyptians, Americans and people worldwide have been outraged in the last days by the photos, twitter messages and news articles showing that the tear gas canisters fired by Egyptian police at peaceful, pro-democracy protesters in Egypt are “Made in USA.” While we are seeing these pictures now from Egypt, we have seen similar ones in recent months from Tunisia and Palestine. All three places have had in common repressive governments, armed by US companies with tear gas and other weapons. All three have used extreme violence against unarmed protesters who were demanding basic human rights, maiming and even killing protesters with impunity.
In all three places, Combined Systems Inc., a US company based in Jamestown, Pennsylvania, is providing the tear gas – often under its brand-name CTS, an acronym for Combined Tactical Systems – that these governments are employing to crush protest, deny human rights and cling to power.
Israel, Egypt and Tunisia’s CSI tear gas may have been supplied under the US’s massive military aid to these governments, despite those governments’ clear records of severe human rights abuses. Israel receives $3 billion in US military aid annually, including $1.85 million of “tear gasses and riot control agent” from 2007-2008. Egypt receives $1.3 billion in military aid annually, and Tunisia has received an average of around $15 million annually. At a minimum the US State Department has reviewed and approved the sale of US-made tear gas to those governments.
WRITE NOW to the US State Department and tell them to stop using US tax dollars to provide tear gas and other weapons, and to stop approving military sales to repressive governments like Egypt, Israel and Tunisia that use US equipment and weapons to deny basic human rights.
WRITE NOW to executives from CSI and from their major investors Point Lookout Capital Partners and the Carlyle Group, demanding that CSI stop providing tear gas that is used by repressive governments like Egypt, Tunisia and Israel to deny the right to protest.
Egypt: As one example, Agence France Press reported on January 28th that, “Dozens of the canisters made by Combined Tactical Systems in Jamestown, Pennsylvania, were fired at crowds on one Cairo street on Friday, littering the road surface along with rubble and spent shotgun cartridges. Many protesters have been injured through tear gas inhalation and by being hit by the canisters themselves, with the security forces sometimes firing them straight at demonstrators.” Human Rights Watch staff reportedseeing dead protesters in Alexandria with “massive head wounds from tear gas canisters we [HRW staff] were told had been fired directly at their heads at close range.”
Tunisia: According to CNN, “The photograph posted in Tunisia was of a 40 mm riot CS smoke projectile, made by a company called Combined Systems Inc., which describes itself as a ‘tactical weapons company’ and is based in Jamestown, Pennsylvania…. Its warning label reads: ‘Danger: Do not fire directly at person(s). Severe injury or death may result.’ That warning is apparently not always followed. Lucas Mebrouk Dolega died in Tunisia on January 17, three days after being hit by a tear gas grenade at close range. The 32-year-old was a photographer for the European PressPhoto Agency.
Palestine: In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in 2009 Israeli soldiers fired extended range CSI canisters directly at Bassem Abu Rahmah from the West Bank village of Bil’in, killing him, and directly at US citizen Tristan Anderson in the village of Ni’ilin, seriously inuring him. Bassem’s sister Jawaher Abu Rahmah died on January 1, 2011 after she was overcome by tear gas at a protest in Bil’in the day before. CSI tear gas canisters littered the ground in the village of Bil’in after the protest. In May, 2010, US citizen Emily Henochowicz was shot directly in the face by an Israeli soldier with a tear gas canister, causing the loss of her eye. For more detailed information on CSI and Israel’s use of tear gas against Palestinians, Click Here.
30 December 2010 | International Solidarity Movement
When I locked arms in front of the idling bulldozer, I wanted finances to be the farthest from my mind. As M16- and tear gas-armed soldiers approached us and the Palestinian woman to my right embraced me tighter and my fellow ISM volunteer to my left reached for her medic kit, I did not want to think of money.
That day, we stopped the construction of the Apartheid Wall and the ethnic cleansing of the Al-Walaja village near Bethlehem. When the construction was cancelled and the soldiers returned home, ISM volunteers continued their work inside the village to plan for the next day. Despite our focus on planning, the fear of mounting legal fees and medical funds depleting our desperately stretched funds are too strong a reality to ignore.
The strength that volunteers draw upon daily to complete the demanding and draining tasks of fighting the occupation comes from you. Our work relies on the network of compassionate human beings who believe that justice is both a necessity and a right.
As 2010 comes to an end, the struggle for the liberation of the Palestinian people continues. Consider yourself a pillar of strength for the volunteers of the International Solidarity Movement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Donate today and the impact will be felt immediately by Palestine solidarity activists, from around the globe, residing in Palestine and resisting the occupation.
Despite the real threat of physical harm, deportation, night raids and arrest, activists continue to join ISM and employ nonviolent direct action tactics in the struggle for justice. ISM is one of the few organizations working directly with Palestinians in the popular struggle against the occupation. As the resistance grows, so does the demand for ISM volunteers. We cannot answer the call without you.
Al tiempo que amanece un nuevo año de Resistencia, ayudad al ISM a apoyar la resistencia popular en Palestina.
Cuando cerré mis brazos en frente de la excavadora al ralentí, yo quería que el tema económico estuviera lo más alejado de mi mente. Mientras los soldados armados con M-16 y gases lacrimógenos se acercaban a nosotros y la mujer Palestina a mi derecha me abrazaba más y más fuerte y mis compañeros voluntarios del ISM a mi izquierda le acercaban el kit médico, no quería pensar en dinero.
Aquel día habíamos parado la construcción del Muro del Apartheid y la limpieza étnica del pueblo de Al-Walaja cerca de Belén. Cuando la construcción se canceló y los soldados volvieron a sus casas, los y las voluntarixs del ISM continuaron su trabajo dentro del pueblo para planificar el siguiente día. A pesar de que nos centramos en la planificación, el miedo de incrementar los honorarios de abogados y los gastos médicos que agotan nuestros fondos que estiramos desesperadamente, son una realidad demasiado fuerte para ser ignorada.
La fuerza que los voluntarios sacan diariamente para llevar a cabo la exigente y necesaria tarea de luchar contra la ocupación viene de ti. Nuestro trabajo confía en la red de seres humanos compasivos que creen que la justicia es tanto una necesidad como un derecho.
Al terminar este 2010 la lucha por la liberación del pueblo Palestino continua. Considérate un pilar de fuerza para los voluntarios del Movimiento Internacional de Solidaridad en Cisjordania y en la Franja de Gaza. Dona hoy y el impacto se sentirá inmediatamente por los activistas de solidaridad con Palestina de todo el mundo, que residen en Palestina y resisten contra la ocupación.
A pesar del peligro real de daño físico, deportación, redadas nocturnas y arresto, los activistas continúan uniéndose al ISM y emplean las tácticas de la acción directa noviolenta en la lucha por la justicia. El ISM es una de las únicas organizaciones que trabajan directamente con los Palestinos en la lucha popular contra la ocupación. A medida que crece la resistencia, así también la demanda de voluntarios/as del ISM. No podemos responder los llamamientos sin tí.
A l’aube d’une nouvelle année de résistance, aidez ISM à soutenir la résistance populaire en Palestine
Lorsque je me suis mis, les bras croisés, face au bulldozer qui avançait lentement, j’aurais aimé que les questions d’argent soit le plus loin possible de mes préoccupations. Tandis que les soldats armés de M16 et de grenades lacrymogènes s’approchaient de nous, que la Palestinienne à ma droite me serrait plus fort et que mon collègue d’ISM à ma gauche attrapait sa trousse médicale, j’aurais aimé ne pas avoir à penser à l’argent.
Ce jour-là, nous avons interrompu la construction du mur d’apartheid et le nettoyage ethnique du village d’Al-Walaja, près de Bethléem. Lorsque la journée de construction a été annulée et que les soldats sont rentrés à leurs casernes, les bénévoles d’ISM ont repris leur travail dans le village pour préparer l’action du lendemain. Bien que concentrés sur les préparatifs, la crainte des frais juridiques et médicaux en augmentation qui appauvrissent nos fonds désespérément tendus était une réalité trop forte pour que nous l’ignorions.
C’est de vous que les bénévoles puisent quotidiennement leur force pour accomplir les tâches exigeantes du combat contre l’occupation. Notre travail s’appuie sur un réseau d’êtres humains empathiques qui croient que la justice est à la fois une nécessité et un droit.
Tandis que 2010 se termine, la lutte pour la libération du peuple palestinien continue. Considérez-vous comme une force pour les militants du Mouvement International de Solidarité en Cisjordanie et dans la Bande de Gaza. Ce que vous donnerez aujourd’hui aura un impact qui se fera sentir immédiatement parmi les militants de la solidarité qui sont en Palestine et qui résistent à l’occupation.
Malgré les menaces réelles d’atteinte physique, d’expulsion, de raids nocturnes et d’arrestations, des activistes continuent de rejoindre ISM et de mettre en pratique des tactiques d’actions directes non violentes dans la lutte pour la justice.
ISM est l’une des seules organisations qui travaillent directement avec les Palestiniens dans la lutte populaire contre l’occupation. La résistance grandit, et le besoin de militants bénévoles ISM aussi. Nous ne pouvons répondre à cet appel sans vous.
Mit dem Beginn eines neuen Jahres braucht die ISM Deine Hilfe für die fortgesetzte Unterstützung des zivilen Widerstandes in Palästina
Als ich Schulter an Schulter vor dem wartenden Bulldozer stand, wollte ich zu allerletzt an Finanzielles denken. Als mit M16 und Tränengas bewaffnete Soldaten sich uns näherten und die Palästinenserin an meiner rechten Seite mich fester hielt und meine Kollegin von der Internationalen Solidaritätsbwegung (ISM/International Solidarity Movement) zu meiner linken nach ihrem Verbandszeug griff, wollte ich nicht an Geld denken.
An diesem Tag hielten wir die Konstruktion der Apartheidmauer und die ethnische Säuberung des Dorfes Al-Walaja bei Betlehem auf. Als die Bauarbeiten abgesagt und die Soldaten nach Hause gegangen waren, setzten die Freiwilligen der ISM ihre Arbeit im Dorf fort und planten den nächsten Tag. Obwohl wir uns ganz auf die Planung konzentrieren wollen, sind unsere finanziellen Sorgen angesichts steigender medizinischer und gerichtlicher Kosten, die unser Budget bis an die Grenzen belasten, eine Realität, die wir nicht länger ignorieren können.
Die Stärke, die die Freiwilligen täglich benötigen, um die anspruchsvollen und Kräfte zehrenden Aktionen im Widerstand gegen die Besatzung auszuführen, kommt von Dir. Unsere Arbeit stützt sich auf ein Netz von Mitmenschen, die davon überzeugt sind, dass Gerechtigkeit eine Notwendigkeit und ein Recht ist.
Das Jahr 2010 geht zu Ende und der Kampf für die Befreiung des palästinensischen Volkes geht weiter. Dein Beitrag ist unverzichtbar für die Unterstützung der Freiwilligen der Internationalen Solidaritätsbewegung in der Westbank und in Gaza. Mach Deine Spende heute und Du wirst sofort und unmittelbar die Bedingungen für palästinensische Solidaritätsaktivisten aus der ganzen Welt verbessern, die in Palästina leben und gegen die Besatzung Widerstand leisten.
Obwohl Mitglieder der ISM unter der konkreten Androhung von Verletzungen, Deportationen, nächtliche Razzien und Festnahmen stehen, sind Aktivisten immer neu bereit, zur Internationalen Solidaritätsbewegung zu kommen, um sich an den gewaltlosen Aktionen im Kampf für Gerechtigkeit zu beteiligen. Die ISM ist eine der wenigen Organisationen, die in unmittelbarer Zusammenarbeit mit Palästinensern am weitverbreiteten friedlichen Widerstand gegen die Besatzung teilnehmen. Je mehr sich die Widerstandsbewegung verbreitet, desto mehr ISM – Freiwillge benötigen wir. Unsere Beteiligung ist ohne Dich nicht möglich.
Al termine di un altro anno di resistenza, aiuta l´ISM a sostenere la resistenza popolare in Palestina
Nel momento in cui ho incrociato le braccia di fronte a quel bulldozer immobile avrei voluto che l´aspetto finanziario fosse lontano dalla mia mente. Mentre soldati armati di M16 e gas lacrimogeno ci avvicinavano e la donna Palestinese alla mia destra cominciava a stringermi piu forte e il mio compagno dell´ISM alla mia sinistra afferrava il suo kit medico, io non avrei voluto dover pensare al denaro.
Quel giorno, riuscimmo a fermare la costruzione del muro dell´apartheid e la pulizia etnica del villaggio di Al-Walaja vicino a Betlemme. Dopo che la costruzione del muro fu abbandonata e i soldati fecero ritorno a casa, i volontari dell´ISM continuarono il loro lavoro nel villaggio facendo il piano per il giorno successivo. Malgrado i nostri progetti sull´aspetto della pianificazione delle attività, la paura rispetto alle sempre crescenti spese legali e alle sempre piu esigue risorse mediche cominciarono a diventare un fatto troppo importante per essere ignorato.
La forza da cui i volontari attingono quotidianamente per portare avanti il compito estenuante di combattere contro l’occupazione viene da voi. Il nostro lavoro si basa su un network di persone che credono che la giustizia sia una necessità e, nello stesso tempo, un diritto.
Anche col finire dell’anno 2010, la lotta per la liberazione del popolo palestinese continua. Considerati un pilastro della forza cui attingono i volontari dell’International Solidarity Movement nella Cisgiordania\West Bank e nella striscia di Gaza. Se fai una donazione oggi stesso i volontari internazionali residenti in Palestina resistendo all’occupazione ne sentiranno immediatamente i benefici.
Nonostante la minaccia reale del poter essere feriti, della deportazione, delle retate e degli arresti notturni, altri attivisti si aggiungono all’ISM adottando tattiche di nonviolenza attiva e diretta nella lotta per la giustizia. L’ISM è una delle poche organizzazioni che lavorano
direttamente con i Palestinesi nella battaglia popolare contro l’occupazione. Al crescere della resistenza, cresce la domanda e il bisogno di attivisti MA non possiamo rispondere a questa chiamata senza il tuo aiuto.
Direniş yeni bir yılına girerken Uluslararası Dayanışma Hareketine desteğinizle halkın yanında olun!
Önümdeki buldozere elimle dayanırken parapul işlerinin aklımı kurcalamasını istemezdim.
M16 lı gas silahlı asker bize yaklaşırken, Filistinli kadın ve ISM’li arkadaş yardım çantasıyla bana yaklaşırken gene parapulu dert etmek istemem.
O gün için Ayrım Duvarının inşaatını durdurmuştuk, Beytüllahim kenarındaki El Vilaye köyündeki etnik arındırmaya karşı durmuştuk. İnşaat ara verince askerler geri dönünce ISM gönüllüleri olarak köyün içinde faaliyete devam ettik, müteakip günleri düşünmeye başlamıştık. Planlara odaklandık ama tıbbi yardımlar ve gündelik faaliyet masrafları da korkutuyordu: Kaçınılmaz gerçekler.
Gönüllülerin işgale karşı verebilecekleri mücadele gösterebilecekleri direniş sizlere bakıyor. Bizim yapageldiklerimiz bir çevreye dayanıyor. Adaletin hem bir ihtiyaç hem de bir hak olduğuna inanan insanların çevresine.
2010 yılı geçti ve Filistin halkının kurtuluş mücadelesi devam etmekte. Kendinizi ISM’nin Batı Şeria ve Gazze Şeridindeki gönüllülerinin dayanağı addediniz.Bugün desteğinizi gönderin yarın bunun Filistin için dünyanın her yerinden gelip işgale karşı direnen insanlar neznindeki etkisini göreceksiniz.
Fiziken hedef almalara, sınırdışılara, gece sorgularına rağmen gönüllüler ISM’de bulunmaya ve şiddet-dışı doğrudan eylemlerle adalet arayışına devam ediyorlar.
ISM, Filistinlilerle birlikte doğrudan halkın içinde işgale karşı direniş veren yegane kuruluştur. Direniş büyürse ISM gönüllüleri de artacaktır.
Yesterday, the Foreign Secretary William Hague reiterated the government’s commitment to urgently resolve the “unacceptable situation” with regard to universal jurisdiction during his visit to Israel.
The coalition government want to change the current legislation to give the Director of Public Prosecutions power over issuing arrest warrants against alleged international criminals who visit the UK
The change will make it easier for war criminals to escape justice – please take two minutes to email your MP and ask them to sign EDM 108 and make public their opposition to any change in the law. (If your MP has a ministerial position, please write to them anyway, asking them to write to the Foreign Office).
Currently, for a magistrate to issue an arrest warrants, serious evidence must be presented against the person concerned. The proposed change adds a political dimension to a legal decision and introduces a source of delay when urgent action may be required to stop a suspect escaping justice.
Britain has a duty to seek out and prosecute those responsible for war crimes.
Now more than ever, we need you to join the Palestine lobby of Parliament in three weeks and lobby your MP on the illegal siege of Gaza and universal jurisdiction. Email your MP and arrange a meeting for November 24th (2-6pm at the House of Commons).
Let’s make sure Britain doesn’t become a safe-haven for war criminals.
In solidarity,
Sarah Colborne
Director of Campaigns and Operations
p.s. Join us for the rally after the Palestine lobby on November 24th at 6.30pm with speakers including Gerald Kaufman MP, Andy Slaughter MP, David Ward MP and Baroness Jenny Tonge.
Seized in the night. Tortured. Held without trial, then tried in a military court where you have no rights; convicted on the coerced confessions of minors, you are facing a sentence of years in prison. All for organizing peaceful protests against the theft of your land and asserting your democratic rights.
Most of us who believe in human rights and democracy can never imagine being treated in such a way. Yet that is exactly what befell Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a democracy advocate from Bil’in in the Occupied West Bank. His town is known around the world for the determination of its residents – joined by Israelis and internationals in solidarity – to protest weekly against the theft of their land by Israeli authorities.
In Abdallah’s case, the charges were as bogus as the consequences were grave. He had collected spent tear gas canisters (see picture) to represent the harshness of the Israeli soldiers’ continuing violent response to unarmed demonstrators, and which had caused the death of Bassem Abu Rahme, Mr. Abu Rahmah’s cousin.
Israel charged, that Abdallah intended to use the no longer viable canisters as weapons. They arrested him, charging him as a security risk! This illustrates that the Israeli Defense Forces are far more afraid of unarmed protest than of armed resistance, and showing that they view Palestinians asserting their democratic rights as a crime. He was convicted on the ridiculous charges of “organizing illegal marches” and “incitement” after a unfair trial, and is now facing years in prison.
We who draw inspiration from his actions cannot let this happen. Now is the time to raise our voices and ensure Abdallah Abu Rahmah is free to organize and advocate for the rights of his community. We stand with Abdallah.
Israel needs to realize that leaders like Abdallah offer the best hope for a just peace for Israelis and Palestinains alike. We need to tell our governments to use their influence with Israel to free Abdallah Abu Rahmah.
The ongoing suppression of the Palestinian grassroots resistance has included targeting international solidarity activists. Numerous volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement have been arrested or deported in past months.
A tactic of challenging the occupation and the Israeli authorities is via legal measures.
As Israel’s crackdown on popular resistance escalates, International Solidarity Movement activists are working on the ground to fight the authorities’ attempts to arrest, imprison and deport us – all strategies employed by Israel in their attempts at disconnecting us from our role in the struggle against apartheid. Legal challenges are an important battle field in non-violent resistance because often the occupation is forced to change their policies when these are held up to scrutiny.
The past six months have seen a surge in Israel’s crackdown on Palestinian and international activists involved in the popular resistance, marked by a wave of arrests targeting grassroots organizers from the popular committees of Bil’in, Ni’lin, Al Masara and Nablus and international activists involved in these regions’ struggles. Several ISM activists have been illegally abducted by Israeli forces and continue to fight lengthy legal battles against the Israeli state for these cases, in addition to the frequent arrests of activists at the growing number of West Bank demonstrations that the military has struggled in vain to crush.
American ISM activist Ryan Olander was arrested on December 18 in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem. He was then illegally re-arrested by “Oz” immigration unit the following day, just moments after his release. He spent 29 days in Ramle Givon detention center resisting deportation before he was released. On June 3 the Israeli District Court ruled in Olander’s favor, the precedent-setting ruling articulating that the police and “Oz” immigration unit practices were illegal. This victory paves the way for a legal grounding for future activists (see: https://palsolidarity.org/2010/02/11278/).
Czech activist and ISM media co-ordinator Eva Novakova was kidnapped by Oz forces in a night raid operation on her Ramallah apartment on January 11. Australian activist and ISM international co-ordinator Bridget Chappell and Spanish activist Araidna Jove Marti were abducted by Israeli military forces in a similar night raid on the ISM media office in Ramallah on February 7 (see: https://palsolidarity.org/2010/02/11224/). All three activists pursued the issue in the Israeli Supreme Court, bringing Israel’s repreated violation of the Oslo accords in to focus. In the case of Chappell and Marti, the State Prosecutor was forced to admit the their arrests had been outside the legal framework, with the judge declaring their detention illegal.
These legal battles, taking the Israeli power structures on at their own game, constitutes a form of “resistance” that has the potential to set decisive precedents and alter Israeli policy, while at the same time exposing the level of corroboration between various Israeli departments in the occupation’s implementation.
This kind of legal work comes at a high price tag, we currently owe around 18,000 NIS to our lawyers. The ISM is asking its supporters to donate now to support the work of the ISM’s solidarity with the Palestinian movement against apartheid. Activist groups may consider throwing fund-raising events to raise money, and continue raising awareness for the cause. You can donate online via Paypal (not through AJ Muste), please see https://palsolidarity.org/donate for details.
