[1599] in peace2
PROTEST ISRAELI MILITARY VIOLENCE: TODAY
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Anton F Van Der Ven)
Mon Apr 1 01:22:49 2002
Message-Id: <200204010622.BAA479131@lattice.mit.edu>
To: peace-announce@MIT.EDU, mitai-announce@MIT.EDU, greens-announce@MIT.EDU
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Date: Mon, 01 Apr 2002 01:22:25 -0500
From: Anton F Van Der Ven <avdv@MIT.EDU>
PROTEST ISRAELI MILITARY VIOLENCE
Today at 5:30 (Monday, April 1)
EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION AT
ISRAELI CONSULATE
20 Park Plaza
This demo, which will also include a press conference,
is a picket line to build attention for a Saturday march
from the Federal Bldg at Govt Center to the Consulate.
(Organized by A.N.S.W.E.R. - act now to stop war and end racism)
I plan to head over around 5:00 pm, if anyone is interested
in coming along, meet me in lobby 10 slightly before 5:00 pm.
Anton
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2002 16:16:21 +0200
From: Yosef Grodzinsky <yosef1@post.tau.ac.il>
Subject: Fw: Appeal from Siege of Ramallah & LAW report
Please read and circulate. The situation on both sides is deteriorating. Yet
there should be no mistakes: The suicide bombings here, which are becoming a
matter of daily routine as you can all see on TV, are not accidental.
Horrible and deadly as they are indeed, they are also a consequence of
Israel's policies. Israel's current military initiative has a very clear
goal: To dismantle the Palestinian Authority and institute a reign of terror
instead.
International protest can help stop this madness.
Yosef Grodzinsky
> >APPEAL FOR HELP FROM THE SIEGE OF RAMALLAH
> >30 March 2002, Easter Weekend
> >
> >We are members of the international and Palestinian
> >community trapped in the Siege of Ramallah.
> >
> >On early Friday morning, 29 March 2002, Israeli forces
> >re-invaded the city of Ramallah. The Israeli forces
> >have occupied Ramallah completely and have established
> >tank positions throughout the city, in all civilian
> >areas. We can hear explosions, tank shelling and heavy
> >caliber gunfire throughout the night and day. Israeli
> >snipers are shooting regularly in civilian
> >neighborhoods at times when they are not under any
> >form of fire. As we write this, there are US-made
> >Apache attack helicopters overhead firing on the city.
> >Israeli bulldozers are creating permanent positions
> >for the tanks in and around private houses. There is
> >the constant sound of tank movements throughout
> >residential areas.
> >
> >Israeli forces have attacked the Presidential
> >compound, and are now holding Palestinian President
> >Yasser Arafat hostage with no electricity, water or
> >phone lines. Members of President Arafat's bodyguards
> >have been killed, and others are still injured and
> >being denied medical care. Conditions in the city are
> >now deteriorating rapidly.
> >
> >Some of us have had experience in other sieges, in
> >Sarajevo, Dili, and elsewhere. There is a familiar
> >pattern of emergency rapidly developing. This is the
> >beginning of a humanitarian crisis. Immediate
> >intervention is required to prevent a disaster.
> >
> >No Movement Possible: Inhabitants of the city are
> >under complete curfew. There is absolutely no freedom
> >of movement, even for ambulances, doctors or
> >international agencies, such as the International
> >Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). There is no medical
> >access. Palestine Red Crescent medical relief workers
> >have not been permitted to provide medical services to
> >the local population. Israeli forces are firing on
> >anyone walking out on the streets.
> >
> >On Thursday, based on fears of an Israeli re-invasion,
> >more than 500 inhabitants, including foreign
> >nationals, lined up in the mud and rain at the
> >Qalandiya checkpoint-the only exit point from the city
> >allowed by Israel-begging Israeli soldiers to allow
> >them to escape. In response, Israeli soldiers fired
> >over their heads, exacerbating the panic and causing
> >most to simply return to Ramallah.
> >
> >Israeli Forces Using Human Shields: Israeli soldiers
> >are occupying an increasing number of private
> >residences and detaining the residents collectively in
> >single rooms, with little or no access to telephone
> >lines, news coverage or even food and water. In some
> >cases, tens of civilians (including entire families)
> >are being held in one room. Meanwhile, Israeli
> >occupation soldiers have taken up armed positions in
> >the houses or apartments of these residents. Civilian
> >detainees include foreign nationals.
> >
> >No Access to the City: The ICRC, the UN and other
> >humanitarian agencies are unable to access the city or
> >to access the civilian detainees and other prisoners.
> >
> >Food Resources Limited: There is no food entering
> >Ramallah and no one is allowed to restock. There will
> >shortly be a food and drinking water crislis. Some
> >parts of Ramallah are already without water
> >altogether. Israeli soldiers are also eating the food
> >of residents while taking up positions in their
> >houses.
> >
> >Electricity Being Cut: Large parts of Ramallah are
> >without electricity and heat. The weather has been
> >raining and unseasonably cold - residents have been
> >struggling to keep warm. The lack of electricity also
> >means that residents are without television and any
> >news reporting of the situation outside their homes.
> >Many residents of the city rely on cellular phones for
> >communication and without electricity they are unable
> >to recharge their phones. Therefore, the population is
> >being held in isolation and there is increasing fear
> >and confusion. Also, some telephone landlines have
> >been cut.
> >
> >Prisoners Being Taken: Israeli forces are taking
> >Palestinians prisoner, in the streets and in
> >house-to-house searches. Israeli troops are calling
> >upon all male residents between the ages of 16 and 40
> >in some neighborhoods to "surrender". The wounded are
> >being treated roughly and being denied medical access.
> >Now, their fate is unknown. There are reports of
> >summary execution of some prisoners. The ICRC does not
> >have access to them to ensure adherence to
> >international law, and specifically the Geneva
> >Conventions.
> >
> >Gratuitous Vandalism and Destruction: There are
> >on-going spiteful acts of destruction. Most commonly,
> >Israeli tanks are driving over and flattening cars
> >whether on the streets or parked on pavements in front
> >of residences. Personal property inside houses is
> >being destroyed in house-to-house searches.
> >
> >
> >We, the besieged people of Ramallah, appeal to all
> >people of good conscience around the world to mobilize
> >immediately.
> >
> >We particularly appeal to the people of Israel, in
> >whose name these actions are being taken, for help. To
> >keep the option of peace alive, we appeal to you to
> >ask your Government to immediately lift the siege.
> >
> >We appeal for the safety of all individuals.
> >
> >We appeal for freedom of movement within the city and
> >outside access to the city.
> >
> >We appeal for food, medical supplies and access to
> >medical treatment, electricity, water, phone lines and
> >other necessary facilities.
> >
> >We appeal for access of humanitarian agencies,
> >including the ICRC, to all detainees, prisoners and
> >hostages, including Palestinian President Yasser
> >Arafat, to ensure their well-being.
> >
> >
> >WE APPEAL FOR THE SIEGE TO BE LIFTED.
> >
> >This appeal has been made to you by Palestinians, as
> >well as nationals of the United States, the United
> >Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jordan and other
> >nationalities.
> >
> >
> >
> >For More Information:
> >
> >Due to fear of retribution, the names and contact
> >information of those authoring this appeal have not
> >been included. For their contact information, please
> >contact Michael (972-52-266-208).
> >
> >International Committee of the Red Cross: Jer. (972-2)
> >582-8845, Tel Aviv (972-3) 524-5286
> >
> >UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
> >(UNRWA): (972-2) 589-0401
> >
> >
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 19:04:03 +0200
From: "Lawsociety" <law@lawsociety.org>
Five Palestinians executed in Ramallah
30 March 2002
This morning, five Palestinians have been found dead in Taiboun building
in Ramallah. The bodies were found by Maher Shalabi, correspondent for
Dubai TV. This morning at 10.30 he entered the building and discovered
the bodies of Khaled Fathi Mahmoud Awad (33), Ismail Ibrahim Zaid (56),
Said Hamam Abdelrahman (60), Abdelrahman Tawfiq Abdallah (58), and Omar
Muhammad Musa (54).
Last night, Israeli forces had surrounded the building and prevented
anyone from entering. The building includes offices of several media
agencies, including MBC, Dubai TV, internet provider Palestine Online,
and Cairo Amman Bank.
All five have been identified as officers in the Palestinian security
forces. They were found in one room. All five bodies were lying next to
eachother. They were injured in their faces and killed by gunshots in the
head. Furthermore, eyewitnesses have told LAW that it seemed that the
bodies were spraid by bullets. On the ground lay many shells of bullets.
Blood was found on the walls.
LAW's assessment suggests that these five officers have been executed.
LAW emphasizes that extra-judicial executions constitute willful
killings, which are a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and as
such constitute war crimes subject to universal jurisdiction. Under
Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, these
grave breaches constitute war crimes. Whatever policy the Israeli
government chooses to implement, it must by within the limits imposed by
international humanitarian and human rights law.
Extra-judicial killings cannot be reconciled with the Fourth Geneva
Convention, which seek to protect the lives of protected persons, and
violate human rights norms that affirm the right to life and the
prohibition on execution of civilians.
Israel's ongoing human rights violations further illustrates the need for
the immediate deployment of an international protection presence to
prevent violations of the Fourth Geneve Convention and to protect
Palestinian protected persons within the Occupied Palestinian
Territories.
LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the
Environment calls for a thorough, independent, and effective
international investigation into violations of the Fourth Geneva
Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including war crimes,
and calls for those found responsible for such actions to be tried before
an international court.
____________________________
LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the
Environment is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to preserving
human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is affiliate to the
International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Federation Internationale
des Ligues de Droits de l'Homme (FIDH) and the World Organisation
Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).
LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the
Environment, PO Box 20873, Jerusalem, tel. +972-2-5833530, fax. +972-2-
5833317, email: law@lawsociety.org, web: http://www.lawsociety.org
