INDEPENDENT NEWS

Hearing Date For Ism 8 Postponed Again Bail Denied

Published: Wed 16 Jul 2003 08:47 AM
Hearing Date For Ism 8 Postponed Again Bail Still Denied
The hearing for the ISM 8, 4 of which have been held since Wednesday July 9, and 4 since Thursday July 10, has again been postponed, with no actual court date yet made known.
The Ministry of the Interior has cancelled the visas of the eight activists and the State continues to deny them bail. Below is the position of the State of Israel based on paperwork they submitted to the court (thank you to Gila Svirsky for the translation):
-----------------------start of quoted transcript
The position of the respondent is that the deportation of the Plaintiffs from Israel should not be delayed and they should not be released from custody, not even within the Tel-Aviv district and with a commitment by the Plaintiffs not to leave that area.
The position of the Respondent is based on the recommendation of security personnel, according to which the organization I.S.M. and its activists are perceived to be a security risk.
The Respondent has information that links all the Plaintiffs to the organization I.S.M. This information will be provided to the court in the presence of one side, if required.
The goal of the I.S.M. organization (hereinafter "the organization") is to thwart the activity of the security forces in the territories and impede their work of preventing terrorism by confrontations with I.D.F. soldiers, barricading themselves in the homes of suicide terrorists to prevent their demolition, transport of Palestinians between various areas during periods of closure, and the like.
The activities of members of the organization, as described above, hamper the security activities of the I.D.F. and sometimes even endanger the safety of I.D.F. soldiers.
----------------- end of quoted transcript
The Israeli government is engaged in efforts to try to deligitimize the ISM and label the upholding of international law a crime. Seeking to deport the ISM activists is a tactic used to try to break the phenomena of international solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle and an attack on the nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation.
The four arrested in the Jenin area at the peace camp in Arrabony Tobias Karlsson (SWEDEN), Tarek Loubani (CANADA), Fredrick Lind (DENMARK) and Bill Capowski (USA) were engaged in peaceful protest with Palestinian villagers against the illegal confiscation of Palestinian land and the erection of a despicable Apartheid Wall. The four arrested in Nablus, Daniel Knutsson (SWEDEN), Alex Perry (UK), Saul Reid (UK) and Thomas Pellas (FRANCE) were nonviolently removing roadblocks that prevent Palestinians from traveling freely in and out of their own villages. The eight ISMers on trial and slated for deportation have broken no laws other than the laws of an occupation force that does not respect the human rights of the occupied Palestinians.
Furthermore, the 8 ISMers are seeking to continue to be and work with Palestinians in Palestinian cities, towns and villages and were snatched from Palestinian areas by Israeli soldiers.
Please help us protest their arrest, continued detention and planned deportation by contacting the Israeli Ministry of Interior and the Consulates / Embassies of the peace activists to inquire what they are doing to protest this kind of treatment of their foreign nationals. Write to your elected officials. Protest in front of Israeli Embassies in your home countries! The Israeli government is engaged in abusing the human rights and denying freedom to the Palestinian people and wants to make sure the world doesn't see by silencing protest and nonviolent resistance to their occupation policies.
Mr. Abraham Poraz Minister of Interior
Tel: 972-2-6701402 Facsimile: 972-2-5666376
Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein Tel: 972-2-6466521
Fax 972-2-6274481
Minister Mr. Avraham Poraz sar@moin.gov.il Director Mr. Mordechay Mordechay mankal@moin.gov.il Spokeswoman Ms. Tova Ellinson dover@moin.gov.il Public Relations Ms. Nechama Pluga-Zecharia pniot@moin.gov.il
CANADA:
Consulate - +972-2-295-8604; Fax - +972-2-295-8606; email: rmlah@fait-maeci.gc.ca Embassy - +972-3-636-3300; Fax - +972-3-636-3381
DENMARK
Consulate - +972-2- 240-2330; Fax - +972-2-240-0331; email: repkon@ramdk.org Embassy - +972-3-544-2144; Fax - +972-3-546-5502; email: tlvamb@um.dk
FRANCE
Consulate - +972-2-625-9481; Fax - +972-2-625-9178; email: diplomat@p-ol.com Embassy - +972-3-520-8300; Fax - +972-3-520-8340
SWEDEN
Consulate - +972-2- 582-8212/3; Fax - +972-2-582-8801 Embassy - +972-3-695-8111; Fax - +972-3-695-8116; email: swembtlv@trendline.co.il
UNITED KINGDOM
British Consulate - +972-2- 541-4100/112; Fax - +972-2-532-2368 / 5629; email: britain@palnet.com Embassy - +972-3-725-1222; Fax - +972-3-527-8574; email: webmaster.telaviv@fco.gov.uk
UNITED STATES Consulate - +972-2- 627-7230 / 625-3288; Fax - +972-2-624-9462;
Embassy - +972-3-519-7575; Fax - +972-3-510-8093

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