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Gush Shalom: Some Court Successes
Some successes in the court - comments, reports & action
alerts
# Gaza - words and deeds (an introduction) [] Three cheers for the Judges! (Gush Shalom special ad in several Israeli poapers, July 16) [] Documentary on the Separation Wall screened on the Wall itself [] After The Hague, the popular struggle must step forward activist meeting Tuesday [] The terms of five imprisoned refusniks reduced by a third [] Saturday, solidarity vigil with refusniks [] Peace Now Jerusalem calls for balcony campaign & Friday demo Qalqilya / Kfar Saba [] KM Bronfman supports struggle of international activists against deportation; new court session Sunday [] Why did I come to Israel - by Ann Petter
# Gaza - words and deeds (an introduction)
Yesterday, PM Sharon called upon Labor Party leader Shimon Peres to join the government so as to facilitate "disengagement from Gaza". At the same time - and in that same Gaza Strip - Sharon is engaging in the razing of fields and orange groves and the massive destruction of houses - in one case, crushing a seventy-year old man in a wheel chair who was unable to get out of his house before the bulldozers started. Also, the town of Beit Khanoun is under tight siege for the second consecutive week, and the army shot on the UN convoy bringing supplies to its inhabitants. Still, the decision of the international court invigorated the anti- occupation forces. And exactly this week the five occupation refusers who spent nearly two years behind bars were surprisingly vindicated at the parole board.
[] Three cheers for the Judges! (Gush Shalom special ad in several Israeli poapers, July 16)
Both the Israeli and the international judges have completely rejected the present path of the wall.
The International Court of Justice has decided that if Israel wants to build a wall at all, it can build one on the pre-1967 Green Line.
The Supreme Court of Israel has decided to reject most of the present path and to bring the wall much closer to the Green Line.
Both courts have ruled that the present path violates international law and imposes immense and unnecessary suffering on the Palestinian population.
The path fixed by the Sharon government undermines the basic security of Israel because it engenders hatred, prevents peace, separates us from the world and prolongs the war forever.
Our thanks to the judges in Jerusalem! Our thanks to the judges in The Hague!
GUSH SHALOM P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 69133 www.gush-shalom.org, info@gush-shalom.org ~~~
[] Documentary on the Separation Wall screened on the Wall itself
From: Dalia Hatuqa The film shows that
the wall is in fact crossable, and thus the aim behind it
is to humiliate and break people’s spirits and livelihoods,
rather than to achieve security goals. It is a film of
images not of ideas, there is no narration or voice over,
it shows the daily life of the people around the Wall,
Palestinian inhabitants, Israeli settlers, the Arab migrant
workers building it, passers by, and an Israeli general who
tells the camera that “we view both sides as ours". []
After The Hague, the popular struggle must step forward
activist meeting Tuesday ------- Forwarded message follows
------- From: "Ivy Sichel"
In light of the recent Supreme court ruling
and the decision in the Hague this is the time to increase
our involvement in non violent demonstrations against the
building of the wall. Aa’ed Murrar, a Palestinian activist
from Budrus sait it best: "The popular struggle is only in
its early stages. The decisions of the Israeli Supreme Court
and of the International Court of Justice in The Hague are
milestones – which undoubtedly help promoting the struggle –
but in no way do they announce its end. The popular struggle
must step forward more forcefully. We must not count on the
fact that the courts’ decisions will bring about the change
on the ground. A continuous popular struggle is the only
guarantee that the judicial decisions will be actually
implicated". Starting next Tuesday, regular planning and
preparation meetings for Israelis wishing to support the
Palestinian struggle will begin in Tel Aviv. Those
interested in joining the popular struggle are invited. The
idea is to not deal with ideology but to concentrate on
activity. meetings will be dedicated to coordination and
preparation of demonstrations that take place along the
route of the fence with a concentration on actions that
carry low physical and legal risks. Tuesday July 20 8 pm
salon mazal, simta almonit 3 tel aviv more details from Kobi
03-528-3767 noa 064-659-706 neta 054-598-1248 [] The
terms of five imprisoned refusniks reduced by a third By
Lily Galili, Haaretz Corrspondent, Ha'aretz July 14 A
military appeals committee Wednesday decided to reduce the
sentences of five men who refused to s erve in the Israel
Defense Forces by one-third, defying the military
prosecution's recommendation. The military prosecution
had demanded that the five express regret as a condition for
commuting the ir one-year sentences. The five - Hagai
Matar, Adam Ma'or, Matan Kaminer, Noam Bahat and Shimri
Tzameret - are serving the ir sentences in civilian prisons.
Following the committee's decision, they will be released on
Sept ember 15. The committee also recommended that they be
allowed to appear before a board that determines (un)su
itability for serving in the army, thus providing them with
the possibility of being released from service
altogether. The committee had received letters from the
prison authorities and from other inmates expressing ad
miration for the young men's behavior in prison. Members of
the committee also noted that the five had made attempts to
se rve the community before their imprisonment, and
expressed confidence in their statements that they planned
to continue to do so. "The committee has recognized that
the refuseniks' loyalty to their consciences is an
expression of their strong desire to contribute to Israeli
society," said their lawyer, Dov Khenin. [] Saturday,
solidarity vigil with refusniks ------- Forwarded message
follows ------- From: "ram & michaela rahat"
[] Peace Now Jerusalem calls
for balcony campaign & Friday demo Qalqilya / Kfar Saba
------- Forwarded message follows ------- From:
"Daniel Ofir" Balcony campaign in Jerusalem
continues The settlers are fighting against any
possibility of settlement evacuation. Let us show them that
t he majority thinks otherwise, also in Jerusalem! Peace
Now is getting many calls for joining the Balcony Campaign.
Thanks a lot to all the volunteer s. Your balcony can
also have an impact! If you live in a central street (King
George, Gaza, Sderot Be n Zvi, etc) Peace Now team will be
happy to hang on your balcony a banner with the slogan
Removing Settlements –Choosing Life It is a small
effort that carries a big reward! Please call Daniel 054 –
4556052; daniel@peacenow.org.il Shalom Aleinu, Daniel
Ofir [In the same message was given a comment on the
ruling in The Hague] It is sad to see and hear how
Israel is regarded (again) as a State breaking International
Law an d Human Rights of the residents in the occupied
territories. All this would have been avoided if Israel
had built the separation fence on the place it must be – on
the Green Line. ICJ ruling abstained from condemning any
part of the fence that was built on or inside the Green Lin
e. A fence on the Green Line could have also prevented the
attack in Tel Aviv. If the Sharon government would not
have taken advantage of the public demand for a security
fence in order to build an annexation wall, Israel could
have had a security fence as well as preserving its ethical
strength. -- Friday 16.7.04 at 15:00, a demonstration in
favor of the Mifkad Haleumi (better known as "The Ayalo
n-Nusseibeh Innitiative") will take place simultaneously in
Qalqilya and Kfar Saba, at the first an niversary of its
launch ing and after 340,000 Israelis and Palestinians
signed the declaration of principles, including 5,0 00 from
the Sharon Area and 3,000 from Qalqilya and its
surroundings. For details 03 – 7538888. [] KM Bronfman
supports struggle of international activists
against deportation; n ew court session Sunday The
govenment policy to deport or deny entry to international
activists, especially members of the International
Solidarity Movement (ISM), has come under close scrutiny in
the past weeks. Ann Robinson-Petter, 44, a graphic artist
from New York, arrived in Israel on June 23, among a grou p
of 12 American women, led by the 79-year old Holocaust
survivor Hedy Epstein. Petter had a video camera,with which
seh i ntended to document the group's tour and in general
the work of Palestinian, Israeli and internatio nal peace
activists opposing the "Separation Wall". But upon arriving
at Ben Gurion, she was seprat ed from the orthers, in
terrogated and refused entry on charges of being a "security
threat". Since then she is held at the airport detantion
cell, in comapny with "illegal migrant workers" cau ght in
the raids of Israel's notorious "Immigration Police", and
conducting a persistant legal and public campaign. Last
week she was joined at the cells by two more activists who
are likewise denied entry to Israel : Christina Grafer, 46,
a Dutch computer specialist, and 32-year-old Jamie Spector,
an educational counselor from San Francisco. Spector's case
is espeically emabassing to the authorities, as being Jewish
and indeed active in the San Francisco Jewish community.A
ccoridng to the sacred tenets of Zionist ide ology,
enshrined in Isr ael's Law of Return, this should have
confered not only the right to hold a short visit to Israel
( and to Israeli-held territories) but also an eligibility
for Israeli citizenship... Earlier this week, Judge Oded
Mudrik of the Tel-Aviv Disctict Court rejected Ann Petter's
appeal an d upheld the deportation order, largely on the
basis of "secret evidence"presented by the security
services and whihc Pet ter and her lawyers were not allowed
to see. During the proceedings, Adv.Yael Barda contended
that the Interior Minister who issued the deportat ion order
was in fact acting as a ruberstampfor the security sevice.
Surprosingly, the state confir med that contention: "O n
security issues we follow the advice of the security
services". Adv. Barda and her colleague Sham i Leibovitz
presented an appeal to the Supreme Court, contending that
the minister is legally bound to exercise an indepen dent
judgement and his failing todoso makes the deportation order
invalid. Menawhile, the three detainess were visited by
Knesset Member Roman Bronfman (Meretz-Yahad), after which
he stated: ."I got the clear impression of the three's
willingness to contribute their time and qualifications to
e nd the bloody occupation. As far as I know, their actions
and plans strickly follow the principle o f non-violence. I
am troubled by the fact that the Ministry of Interior
refuses entry to them, as w ell as to other humanit arian
activists, due solely to their contact with the ISM. I
believe that the presence of activists who report on severe
human rights abuses in the Occupied Territories contributes
to the morality a nd security of Israeli society, and
counteracts the mutual demonization of both sides to the
conflict. Not only should the y not be deported - they
should be commended." This morning (Thursday.) the
Supreme Court ordered Ann Petter's case be returned for a
further hear ing to the TA District Court. However, the
judges ruled legitimate the method of the state showing the
judge privately in his chambers "secret material" about
Petter, which of course weighs the scales against her.
All fair-minded people are invited to come to the new
hearing, due on Sunday, July 18, at 08:30am, in the
District Court of Tel Aviv, (1 Weitzman St., 3rd floor,
Judge Oded Mudrik's Courtroom). For more information:
Adv. Yael Berda 050 8743083 Adv. Shamai Leibowitz
052-4414505 Huwaida Arraf [] Why did I come to
fight Israel's Wall - by Ann Petter by ANN PETTER The
Nation [posted online on July 14, 2004] The International
Court of Justice has ruled Israel's "Separation Wall"
illegal and has called on Israel to dismantle the wall.
Nineteen days ago I came to Israel to protest that wall and
to bear witness to its devastating effects on the Palesti
nian population. Instead I was detained by Israel police
upon arrival at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airp ort and have
since been held in immigration detention awaiting
deportation. I have been labeled a threat to "security," an
d the judge has called my camera a weapon. It seems to me
the only threat I pose to Israel is a pub lic relations
one. I have been asked, Why did I come from outside Israel
to participate in political activity here? The first and
simplest answer is because it is the right thing to do. The
international community needs to insist on justice for all,
for the sake of all. Secondly, I came from outside Israel
to engage in political activity here because my count ry,
the United States, bears the greatest responsibility for
perpetuating the violence here. The United States gives
more foreign aid to Israel than to all African countries
combined and crucial political support for nearly all of its
policies concerning Palestinians, even those that violate
international law, as does construction of the wall. I came
to Israel because my tax money pays for Apache helico pters
and tank shells like the ones recently shot at a peaceful
protest in Gaza, and because the la bels on the tear-gas co
ntainers we pick up in demonstrations say "Made in
Pennsylvania." My taxes are sent to Israel in vi olation of
US laws. The US Foreign Military Assistance Act prohibits
military assistance to any cou ntry that has a pattern of
consistently violating human rights. During a visit to the
West Bank a year ago I saw that the wall is being built
primarily inside the West Bank on Palestinian land, cutting
off thousands of Palestinians fro m their farmland, trapping
many in enclaves and devastating the Palestinian economy.
With that know ledge, I returned here to say the exact same
thing that the ICJ has now declared. I intended to join a
march organized by the International Solidarity Movement, a
Palestinian-led movement working for Palestinian self-
determination and to end the Israeli occupation. Through
nonviolent actions, the ISM volunteers bear witness to the
effects of military occupation. We act where our
governments fail to act. We report what the international
media fail to report. For daring to witness and report the
brutal effects the wall is taking on the Palestinian
population, I have been deemed a "security threat" by the
State of Israel, denied entry to both Israel and the
occupied Palestinian territories, and threaten ed with
expulsion. My first appeal to challenge my deportation was
denied yesterday. However, because I know that my efforts
to stand against human rights violations like the
construction of the wall are supported by international law,
I am appealing this decision to the Israeli Supreme Co urt
and will remain in prison until my case is reviewed
there. >From Ben Gurion's detention center I have
experienced first-hand a scaled-down version of the syste m
of injustice experienced daily by alestinians, who call on
us to pay attention to the prison walls being built around
them. In light of the decision made by the International
Court of Justice, and in light of America' s ongoing support
of Israel's defiance of international law, I urge people to
answer the call and p articipate in bringing to the world
the Palestinian voices calling for freedom and justice.
Copyright © 2004 The Nation
# Truth against Truth - opposite views on the history of the
conflict in 101 steps Hebrew / òáøéú
http://www.gush-shalom.org/Docs/Truth_Heb.pdf English
http://www.gush-shalom.org/Docs/Truth_Eng.pdf #
Palestinians draw the map for understanding the
Disengagement Plan
http://www.nad-plo.org/images/maps/pdf/gaza.pdf #
Boycott List of Settlement Products (newly updated)
Hebrew / òáøéú
http://gush-shalom.org/Boycott/boycheb.htm English
http://gush-shalom.org/Boycott/boyceng.htm #
Eye-witness reports from the Occupied Territories: http://www.machsomwatch.org
(Israeli women monitoring the checkpoints)
http://www.palsolidarity.org/pressreleases/pressreleases.php
(internationals throughout OT) - films,
expositions, refusnik links # The "Breaking the Silence"
sold iers' exhibition photo gallery at:
http://www.shovrimshtika.org/hebrew/modules.php?name=coppermine
stories (Hebrew only)
http://www.shovrimshtika.org/hebrew/modules.php?name=News
article in English:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/440348.html
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