INDEPENDENT NEWS

Human Right Report + Demo in Az Zawiya

Published: Mon 21 Jun 2004 10:37 AM
Human Right Report_IWPS/Demo in Az Zawiya/SF Examiner Story on Brooke
International Solidarity Movement Saturday, June 19, 2004
1/ Human Rights Report from IWPS 2/ Join the people of Az-Zawiya in Nonviolent Resistance on Sunday 3/ San Francisco Examiner Story about Brooke
1/Human Rights Report No. 130, By IWPS
Human Rights Summary: A woman who was nine months pregnant lost her baby 5 days after being tear-gassed.
Date of incident: 10 June 04 (tear-gassing), 15 June 04 (baby born dead) Time: daytime; approx. 2hr00 Place: Az Zawiya Witnesses: villagers, internationals, Israelis; doctor in Nablus and family members
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those involved – we will do our best to furnish you with all the relevant information you might need to begin action. The family is available for interviews. Contact IWPS for further information.
Description of Incident On Thursday, 10 June 2004, the Israeli army threw tear gas at hundreds of non-violent demonstrators in the village of Az Zawiya in the Salfit region. The villagers were protesting the wall that will take 90% of their land if completed as planned. One woman who was nine months pregnant was badly tear gassed, and sustained bruises on her arms. She was together with other women of Az Zawiya. Four days later, on Monday, 14 June 2004, she entered Rafidiya Hospital in Nablus. The baby had apparently died in utero and was born on Tuesday, 15 June at approximately 2hr00. The baby was born blackened and his blood was black as well. The woman returned home on Wednesday morning. The baby was buried later that day, at approximately 13hr40.
Report written by: Sue Date report written on: 17 June 04
Follow up required: Keep in touch with family. Follow up with press that has been contacted to help arrange interviews.
The International Women's Peace Service, Haris, Salfit, Palestine. Tel:- (09)-2516-644. Email:- iwps@palnet.com Website:- www.womenspeacepalestine.org
Operating out of Haris, near Salfit, the International Women's Peace Service monitors and responds to Human Rights Abuses in the area. Part of our mission is to contact the relevant authorities in the case of any arrests that take place in the Haris area.
2/ Join the people of Az-Zawiya in Nonviolent Resistance on Sunday _ media advisory
[Az-Zawiya, Salfit] Bulldozers continue to destroy the land and livelihood of the village of Az Zawiya. Over 200 villagers have been injured in two weeks of ongoing protest. Az Zawiya community urged all Israeli and international activists to come tomorrow and join them in their nonviolent struggle against the construction of the wall.
The residents of Az-Zawiya stand to lose access to around 24,000 dunums where they grew olive trees, almond trees, and carried out intensive cultivation of vegetables in greenhouses. The village has already lost land to road expropriations for settler highway no. 5, settlement building, military facilities and training grounds.
The villagers have vowed to continue their protests until the wall is stopped and to remain steadfast in their nonviolent struggle for the survival of their community.
DATE: Sunday, June 20, 2004 TIME: 10:00 a.m. PLACE: Az Zawiya Village, Salfit, meet by the central (old) mosque.
For more information, please contact: IWPS Office: 09-251-6644 or 052-360-241
Internationals and Israelis are welcome to spend the night in the village.
Driving directions to Az Zawiya:
>From Jerusalem: Take Hwy 60 to Tapuach Junction (Zatara) Turn left onto 505W Past Ariel, merge onto Hwy 5 Take 5 to Kesem Interchange Go around circle, follow signs to Ariel Take turnoff to Beit Arye End of road that goes to Beit Arye is Deir Ballut checkpoint After checkpoint, go right, Az Zawiya is the second village you come to (turn left into the village)
>From Israel: There is a road from Israel towards Ari'el, Pdu'el and Alei Zahav that goes right by the Deir Ballut checkpoint.
If you get stopped at Deir Ballut, please try an alternate route.
Alternate route from Tel Aviv taking Palestinian roads from Haris junction:
On Hwy. 5 towards Ari'el, turn left where the road narrows (couple of kilometers before Ari'el). There is a sign for Kedumim. Half way up this hill, there are two small stores and a garage on your left. Behind the stores is a large frame structure with a blue canopy. It's ok to park by the garage. Then walk up the hill till you come to the junction—straight ahead is Barqan, to the right is the road to Kedumim. Go straight ahead direction Barqan and cross the road to the Palestinian bus stop where you can pick up a service to the roadblock at Qarawat Bani Hassan. (2 shekels per person in a service, 10 shekels for a car). Go through the roadblock and take a service to Az Zawiya (20 shekels for a car/service).
Ahmad is a taxi driver fromn Az Zawiya. Call him at 052 267 545 ahead of time and he'll come to the roadblock to meet you. Otherwise, just take any available driver. Ask for the one whose turn it is. They have a kind of system where the drivers from Az Zawiya who have been waiting longest take the next customers.
There are sometimes flying checkpoints but ordinarily they let Israeli cars through for the settlers. Tell them you're going to Kedumim.
3/ San Francisco Examiner Story about Brooke
Israel deports S.F. activist Woman engaged in 'liberation struggle.'
By J.K. Dineen | Staff Writer Published on Friday, June 18, 2004 URL: http://www.examiner.com/article/index.cfm/i/061804n_israel
A Mission District political activist who had traveled to Israel to enroll in a Bethlehem-based Arabic school was deported from Israel after the government there learned of her involvement in several pro- Palestinian organizations.
On Thursday, after several days of trying to appeal her deportation, Brooke Atherton, 26, was put on an Alitalia flight from the Israeli Ben-Gurion Airport.
A native of Austin, Texas and a graduate of Stanford University, Atherton made no apologies about her sympathy for what she called "the Palestinian liberation struggle."
Atherton was active in the International Solidarity Movement, a pro- Palestinian activist group, several members of which have been killed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip while acting as "human shields" in trying to protect Palestinians from Israeli troops.
Omer Caspi, a deputy consul for Israel's San Francisco consulate, said he did not know the facts of the case.
"We're not going to prevent someone from entering [Israel] based on membership with [those] groups," said consulate spokesman Jered Bernstein.
Atherton's brother Peter Atherton said the deportation was a big disappointment for his sister, who had left her grant-writing job with the city of South San Francisco in order to spend several months in the West Bank. "She was looking forward to learning Arabic," he said. "She was really interested in that culture."
Peter Atherton, who described himself as "somewhat conservative," said he nonetheless respected his sister's idealism and intelligence.
"She is against any kind of injustice," he said. "She sees it as looking out for the little guy, the downtrodden, the people without a voice."
In 2002, Atherton had lived for several months with a Palestinian family, the son of which became a suicide bomber after his best friend was killed by Israeli snipers. The Israeli government ultimately bulldozed the home she had stayed in, Peter Atherton said.
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT Join the Palestinian struggle for freedom and human rights Freedom Summer Palestine June 25 - August 19, 2004 We need you to help make this campaign a success! Please join. For more information, see: http://www.palsolidarity.org

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