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FOTO 1 A peace activist passes an Israeli tank in the main square of the West Bank City of Ramallah, April 1, 2002. Photo by Stringer/Israel/Reuters
FOTO 2 The bodies of three of five Palestinian policemen lie in a bank in Ramallah March 30, 2002. Palestinians said that Israeli soldiers had shot dead five Palestinian policemen 'in cold blood' in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Photo by Reuters Tv/Reuters (article 2)
- The Israeli military is holding international civilians and three Palestinian medics on the grounds of the Presidential compound. They have been held there for over two hours. The military has requested that the international observers leave without the Palestinian medics. Fearing for the safety of the medical personnel the international civilians are not leaving.
- For more information contact:
Witnesses on the ground in Ramallah:
(for international dialing drop the 0 before the phone number)
Arabic / English - Huwaida +972 (0) 52 642 709
English- Jim Davies +972 (0) 55 975 374
French - Claude +972 (0) 55 559 145
There are German and Italian speakers available as well.
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Update: Ramallah
- Volunteer medic Netta Golan is riding with ambulances in the Ramallah Tahta (lower) area. She helped retrieve the two bodies that international civilians saw brought into Ramallah hospital earlier. She says that there are two more bodies that they cannot get to.
- She observed soldiers conducting house to house searches and for people who did not open their doors they were broken down and she saw soldiers entering firing upon Palestinian civilians.
- Soldiers are holding Palestinian men on their knees and an Arab source (who must remain unidentified) says that the men are being divided into two groups: one group to be arrested and one group that is being summarily executed.
Update: Bethleham
Our mayor has just announced that we expect invasion within the next hour.
12 to 15 APC's and tanks are now at the Bethlehem checkpoint and one busload of soldiers. The soldiers are not allowing press to enter at gunpoint.
check http://jerusalem.indymedia.org for updates and details
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Ten international civilians and three Palestinian medics have just been arrested and taken to the Beit El Israeli Military compound. Among the arrested is Jose Bove.
Please call Peter Lunar the Israeli Defense Spokespersons and request that the civilians and medics be released immediatly and Israeli agression against Palestinian civilians and medics cease.
phone: 00972 2 997 7017
mobile: 00972 (0) 56 234 090
fax: 00972 2 997 7339
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NTERNATIONALS IN WITH ARAFAT CALL FOR THEIR AMBASSADORS
[RAMALLAH] 50 International civilians entered Yasser Arafat's Presidential Compound today, which is under continuous siege by the Israeli Forces. The group of Internationals is comprised of civilian volunteers from France, Brazil, Canada, Belgium, Britain, Ireland, Germany, and Israel who are here on a humanitarian mission. Thirty-four (34) international civilians remain inside. The group has stated that they will remain inside of the Presidential Compound until the siege is lifted; they remain in solidarity with all Palestinian people who are now under occupation and extend their demands to include the end of Israel's occupation of the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Israeli's have cut power, phone lines and water supply to the compound. Food is also in short supply.
The 34 foreign civilians are asking for their respective ambassadors to urgently come to President Arafat's compound.
The city of Ramallah, where the group of internationals is currently based, is under closure and violent occupation by Israeli Forces. Power has been cut in most neighborhoods of Ramallah and water and food is in short supply in many homes, hospitals have had to resort to back-up generators and the transport of medicine and medical supplies has been disrupted. International witnesses have reported Israeli forces breaking in doors of homes and conducting mass arrests, where Palestinian's have been bound and placed in torturous positions for extended periods, there have also been at least 14 extra-judicial executions performed by the Israeli Forces in the last 2 days. Medical personnel have been arrested by the Israeli's and several ambulances have been confiscated, Israeli Forces also attempted to enter Ramallah Hospital earlier today but were kept out by a human blockade of conducted by the Internationals.
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Statement from Israeli civilian in Palestinian Presidential Compound
"State terrorism and terrorism are two sides of the same coin of occupation.
One cannot exist without the other and neither would exist without their foundation, which is occupation.
I call on all Israelis to raise their voices and act out against occupation – to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to live free."
- Neta Golan, Israeli citizen
Statement from Irish Citizen, Caoimhe Butterly
"I urge all Irish citizens, government officials and diplomats to show courage in standing up against the brutal aggression used by the Israeli military against the Palestinian people and the war policies of the Israeli government. The Palestinian people desperately need our help and protection – I have witnessed the execution-style killings and the house to house searches and destruction the military has carried out in refugee camps and in cities. Only international action and the voices of people working for peace and justice can overcome these criminal Israeli actions."
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Britons join 200 in human shield
Peter Beaumont in Ramallah and Martin Wainwright
Monday April 1, 2002
The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,677118,00.html
More than 200 international volunteers, including some 50 Britons, deployed themselves in Ramallah and two refugee camps at Bethlehem last night in an attempt to form "human shields" for Palestinian families.
The British contingent, ranging from a retired nurse from Kent to a group of students from Manchester, joined Americans and Europeans dispersed among houses close to Yasser Arafat's headquarters and Israeli army tank formations near Bethlehem's Azar and Aida refugee camps.
Israel ordered all foreign volunteers and journalists to leave Ramallah yesterday, as another media worker was shot and wounded while covering the fighting in the city.
The warning came as Anthony Shadeed, an American reporter for the Boston Globe, was wounded in the back and shoulder after being shot near the city's main square. He said he was walking along one of the main streets with his
Palestinian "fixer" when he was hit from behind by a single sniper shot.
Israeli soldiers denied that he had been shot by their forces.
Israel warned that any foreigners who chose to remain in Ramallah did so at the risk of being mistaken for Palestinian gunmen and shot.
But speaking above gunshots and the clatter of a surveillance helicopter, Rory Macmillan, an international business lawyer from Scotland, said he was at the Aida camp in Bethlehem to offer non-violent resistance to any attempt by the Israelis to arrest Palestinians or threaten families.
"I decided to use my Easter holidays to come out with a group to dig up roadblocks and block tanks in the occupied territories," he said. "There are 15 or more tanks close by and there's a general expectation that they'll move in.
"The soldiers don't use the streets - they move from house to house, blasting holes in the wall to get through. We're here in the hope they'll hold back if there's a foreign national."
In Ramallah, Osama Mutawa from Brighton said his group of human shields asked the British consulate yesterday to evacuate them but had been told there were no plans to do so. He said: "The British public has no idea what is going on here. We decided we should come and try and stay with families to protect them."
Sarah Irving, 26, a Manchester University MA student in political economy, who is also staying at Azar, said: "You can't go anywhere at the moment, it's too dangerous, but we are each staying with a family. There are 38 tanks at the nearest checkpoint and we can hear an Israeli Cobra helicopter overhead."
Dr Mortaza Sahibzada, another British volunteer, said that despite the deteriorating situation, he planned to stay on at Aida until the second week in April, when he had to get back to his work as a research fellow in engineering at Imperial College, London.
Most of the British volunteers travelled to the Middle East with the International Solidarity Movement, a coalition of groups concerned about the plight of the Palestinians.
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Bethlehem Update
Israeli troops moved into the Village of Alkhader and the neighborhood Aldoha inside Bethlehem. With the horror seen reported from Ramallah, people are extremely worried that a Bethlehem massacre is in its way.
The international solidarity groups spent their second night inside refugee camps. Living with families they are determined to become a human shield for the innocent Palestinian refugees.
The International solidarity groups in Bethlehem are ready to play an active role to confront Israeli aggression hand in hand with Palestinians. Some are ready to accompany Medics and Ambulances when needed. Others are ready to shield hospitals in the town in case the Israeli troops attempts to invade as they did in Ramallah.
We are ready and will do our best to stop this unprecedented aggression and brutality.
For more information:
Ghassan 052595319
PCR 2772018
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The Alternative Information Center is forced to close its office in Bethlehem due to the unprecedented Israeli military aggression and propaganda against the Palestinian people and Palestinian Authority.
The office, centrally located in the Bab-el-Zqaq area of Bethlehem,is no longer a safe place for AIC staff and visitors.
Staff members from our Bethlehem office will continue to work from their homes while colleagues from the Jerusalem office, although hampered by the imprisonment of Co-Director Sergio Yahni for refusing to serve in the Israeli military, continue to work extended hours due to the current war Israel is waging against Palestine. Frequent contact amongst all staff members will ensure the best possible functioning of the AIC in this difficult time.
All contact with the AIC should be done via the Jerusalem office:
Telephones: +972 (0)2 6241159, +972 (0)2 6241424
Email: rtic@alt-info.org
The AIC staff remains as committed as ever to its joint actions on behalf of social justice, solidarity, community involvement and a just peace for the Palestinian people.
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From: oznik-news [mailto:news@oznik.com]
Sent: lunedì 1 aprile 2002 18.09
To: readers@oznik.com
Subject: Internationals Attacked with Live Gunfire
April 01, 2002 1645: Internationals Attacked with Live Gunfire
Moments ago international civilians and two members of the Palestinian press were wounded by live fire in Beit Jalla.The internationals were attempting to visit the people in homes that have been taken over by the Occupation Forces.
Among the wounded are:
- British citizen: Aisa Kiysue, Kunle Ibidun, Chris Dunham
- Australian citizen: Kate Irving (currently being examined to see if surgery will be required)
- American citizen: Said Khulil
Wounded have been taken to Al Huissen Hospital in Bethlehem.
Word from the hospital staff is people were hit in the back of the head, face and one was hit in the upper thigh and knees. The Palestinians were hit in the chest
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Up to the minute news is reported on the Palestine Independent Media Center,
http://jerusalem.indymedia.org
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Refusenik Watch - an autoupdate counter of Israeli officers and soldiers who pledge to refuse military service in the Occupied Territories.
This morning's count is on 384.
16 thrown in military prisons for refusal.
To add Refusenik Watch to your site see http://oznik.com/web_masters.html
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www.rapprochement.org www.palsolidarity...
Palestine Info | PGA
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