Barghouti - Israelis protest against Rafah outrage
GUSH SHALOM - ob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - www.gush-shalom.org/
International release
[1] The long road of Marwan Barghouti
[2] 700 Demonstrators Confront Soldiers At Checkpoint To Rafah
[3] How to send donations to newly-homeless families at Rafah
[1] The long road of Marwan Barghouti
In this week of Rafah - another act in the judicial process against senior Fatah leader and member of the Palestinian
Parliament Marwan Barghouti. At the end of a very predetermined trial, in which Barghouti refused to take part and be
represented by a lawyer, he was found guilty of "responsibility for terrorist activity", with the foregone conclusion
that on the final session at the 6th of June he will be condemned to numerous "consecutive life imprisonments".
By not recognizing Barghouti as a legitimate leader of a people fighting for its independence the present Israeli
establishment closes one more door through which it might have been ppssible to get to peace. Barghouti - now, more than
ever, a highly influential Palestinian leader - was on several occasions involved from his prison cell in promoting and
facilitating a cease-fire with Israel. Taking all this into consideration, the Barghouti trial made clear how far we are
away from the situation which in the end prevailed in South Africa - with war criminals brought before Truth
Commissions, and with a long-time defamed prisoner being freed and respected as leader of his oppressed people.
[2] 700 Demonstrators Confront Soldiers At Checkpoint To Rafah + ongoing vigils
Before going into this report, we should note that from now (Sat. May 22) until Israeli forces are definitely and
completely withdrawn from Rafah, there will every day be a protest vigil at 6.30 am in the three main cities; Tel-Aviv
(Defence Ministry, Kaplan St.), Jerusalem (Tzion Square) and Haifa (corner of Hatzionut and Hagefen streets).
***************
AT THIS MOMENT THE ISRAELI ARMY IS COMMITTING WAR CRIMES IN RAFAH. YOU CAN’T JUST STAY AT HOME AND COMPLAIN!!!
This was the essence of the call for today's protest at the entrance to Gaza Strip.
12 busloads of demonstrators - came to the united call of Gush Shalom - Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions -
HaKampus Lo Shotek - Yesh Gvul - The Refusnik pilots - The Refusnik's parents forum - Women Coalition for Just Peace -
Ta'ayush Arab Jewish Partnership (the logistics were taken care of excellently by Ta'ayush).
In the following Ha'aretz description you find more about today's protest - placed against the background of this
terrible week, in which many of us have been running around between protests, police stations, and solidarity visits to
the Bat Shalom women, who had set up a permanent presence at the "Gate to Rafah" (Sufa Checkpoint).
Peace activists march on Kissufim crossing By Nir Hasson. Lili Galili, Yuval Yoaz and Tsahar Rotem, Haaretz
Correspondents, and Itim Hundreds of people marched on the Kissufim crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel on Friday
to protest the Israel Defense Forces operation in Rafah, in which 40 Palestinians have been killed as the army works to
flush out militants and drug smugglers in the south Gaza refugee camp. The demonstration was supposed to take place at
the Sufa crossing, which is closer to Rafah, but the protesters decided on Kissufim instead after being threatened by
police at the Sufa crossing, protest organizers said.
The peace bloc issued a statement Friday saying, "None of us can sit at home at a time like this. None of us can say,
'We didn't know!'"
Six people were held for questioning during the march, three of whom were released a short time later. Protesters
blocked the road, and vowed to remain there until the three remaining detainees were also released.
On Thursday, about 500 people demonstrated for the second consecutive day in front of the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.
The demonstration was organized by Peace Now and attended by members of refusnik organizations, the Yahad Knesset
faction, the Yahad youth movement, and leftist student groups.
Yahad chairman Yossi Beilin called for an immediate evacuation of the Gaza Strip, saying Prime Minister Sharon's plan to
evacuate the Strip in stages would mean getting stuck there. An unusually large police contingent was present but unlike
the previous day's demonstration, it passed without disruption.
At a hearing on a police request to release with limitations two minors arrested during Wednesday's demonstration, Youth
Court judge Ruth Ben- Hanoch said: "The court must warn against using court procedures to silence protesters or limit
their rights to express their opinions." Judge Ben-Hanoch had harsh words for the behavior of the police in holding the
minors overnight at Abu Kabir lockup.
Attorney Gabi Laski will submit a complaint to the police investigations unit in the Justice Ministry with regard to one
minor who needed medical care after an injury by police during the demonstration. In an unusual move, all attorneys for
the eight people arrested during Wednesday's demonstration were denied access to their clients at the Yarkon region
police station, although ambulances had to be summoned for three who were injured.
Among the six adults arrested in Wednesday's demonstration were David Zonshein of Courage to Refuse, and Yonatan Pollack
of the anarchists' movement, who were released yesterday. The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court refused a police request to
limit their approach to within a one- kilometer radius of the demonstration area, and all six returned to demonstrate
yesterday.
Yonatan Shapira, among the signatories to the pilots' refusnik letter, and his brother Zohar, who signed the Sayeret
Matkal refusniks' letter, said that police officers threatened to kill them if they did not let go of the
four-meter-long black flag they held during the demonstration.
Zami Ben-Horin, of Kibbutz Ga'ash on the coastal plain, started a protest march Thursday from Rabin Square in Tel Aviv
to Jerusalem. Ben-Horin, who is calling for an Israeli evacuation from the Gaza Strip, is accompanied by his wife Sigal,
his son Gal, age 14, and his daughter Orian, age 12. Ben-Horin, who described himself as "not one who demonstrates in
the squares" said the deaths of the 12 soldiers in the Gaza Strip last week brought him out of his apathy.
[3] How to send donations to newly-homeless families at Rafah
At the Kisufim Checkpoint rally, Dr. Anat Matar of Tel-Aviv Univesity appealed to those gathered - and to symapthizers
elsewhere - to give donations helping the newly homeless familes at Rafah to rebuild their homes and their lives. The
project - now more necessary than ever - had been going on since 2001, when the army started the policy of destroying
houses at Rafah. Donations are sent to Khalil Shahin, a human rights activist in Rafah, who happens to live at the Tel
Sultan Neighborhood which was directly hit by the latest Israeli military incursion. Matar tells that in the last few
months she passed over to Shahin three sums:
At the end of 2003, 20,000 NIS that were distributed to 30 families, numbering 245 persons; in February 2004 – 40,000
NIS to 54 families (473 people); and on May 9 (right before the IDF invasion) 40,000 NIS whose distribution was greatly
disrupted by the invasion and will continue in the coming weeks. Immediately upon hearing the news of massive new house
demolitions, a new effort was launched by Ta'ayush, whose activists already collected 4,000 NIS just during the two
hours of the giant May 15 rally held on Tel-Aviv's Rabin Square by the mainstream peace groups. The money is distributed
by a team of volunteers headed by Khalil, whose members include members of the Demolished Homes' Families Committee and
social wokers. Khalil himself works in the Palestinian Human Rights Centre in Gaza and distributes the money
voluntarily, not as part of his job. After each distribution he sends a detailed report with the names of the families
who got the donation, how many people in each family and how much was donated.
Donations can be sent by cheque, made out to Anat Matar, to: Dr. Anat Matar, 33 Bernstein-Cohen Street, Ramat Hasharon
47213, Israel
or the money can be deposited to Ta'ayush' bank account: Bank Hapoalim, account no. 396608, Ramat Aviv Branch (606).
Please inform Anat Matar about your donation.
For further details:
Anat Matar, ++972-3-5408977 ; e-mail:Matar@post.tau.ac.il
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