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There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. Abu Holi Checkpoint, Mas'Ha, Rafah
From: "ISM Media Alerts"


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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 22:28:24 +0200
From: "ISM Media Alerts"
Subject: Abu Holi Checkpoint, Mas'Ha, Rafah

1. ISM Activists open Abu Holi checkpoint
2. Mas'ha Peace Camp
3. ISMers in Rafah visit children shot by IOF

ISM Activists open Abu Holi checkpoint

Rafah
April 19,2003
Three ISM members based in Rafah - Alison from Scotland, Francesco from
Italy and Raph from London -- arrived at Abu Holi checkpoint, the main
ingress
to Khan Yunis and Rafah from the north, at 3:30 this afternoon. We were
greeted by a queue of 25 vehicles and a crowd of people. Those at the
head
of the queue told us they had been waiting since 7:00 AM in the
morning.
The
atmosphere was one of patient frustration, nobody knowing whether there
might be a brief opening to allow them through.

The Gaza strip is currently enduring its fourth day of closure as
ordered by
the Israeli occupation to mark the Jewish holiday of freedom, Passover.
The
effects of closure are to even further isolate the Gaza strip from the
outside and to divide it into three sectors between which movement is
not
permitted. Israel has justified its action as a response to a
resistance

attack on the edge of the Gaza strip at the main crossing point for
goods
between Israel and Gaza. The draconian, disproportionate and arbitrary
nature of this response clearly makes it an act of collective
punishment
in
contravention of the Geneva Convention.


Palestinians present became aware of us and moved forward with us to
the

head of the line of vehicles. This small crowd at the front clearly
made
the
hidden soldiers nervous and a voice came over the loudspeaker of the
tower
warning us all to move backwards or that we would be shot. We took this
threat seriously and stepped back a few yards to call the British
Embassy
and consider what to do. The embassy advised us to leave.

As we could not be sure that our shouting into the wind was audible, we
decided that Alison and Raph would slowly and deliberately approach the
tower and attempt to communicate the desire of the Palestinians to pass
through the checkpoint. Francesco was to wait behind and observe. We
intended to make a case for those with particular needs, be they
medical
or social.

Alison and Raph linked arms and walked in as unthreatening a manner as
possible about 10m up the road. We then stopped to shout that we were
internationals from the UK who wished to talk to them. As we got no
response
we walked forward another 10m and shouted again. The loudspeaker told
us
to
go back (in Arabic). We were then asked to show our papers and we waved
our
passports in the air. We continued to shout that we were peaceful
internationals who wished to talk and then were told in English to
wait.
We
sat down in the road for about 10 minutes.

A jeep then pulled out from the tower area and parked behind the drums.
The
tower told us to approach. Alison and I got up, linked arms again and
went
towards the jeep. Once we were next to it, four soldiers got out and we
were
called over. Two soldiers took up a firing stance behind blocks on
either
side of the road and we talked with the other two.

The soldiers asked in English where we were from and we showed our
passports. We made our request that the checkpoint be opened for a
short

period for all to pass, or that if they were not willing to allow this,
the
sick, old and young be allowed through. The officer said that the
checkpoint
was closed and no one could go through, these were his orders. One of
the
two snipers, probably a Russian, said (in Hebrew to his colleague) that
he
wanted to go home and wanted peace. This was relayed to us in English
by
his
co-sniper who said he wanted peace but the Palestinians did not. We
said
the
Palestinians too wanted peace. The second sniper warned us that we were
in
danger from the Palestinians. In the interests of our objective I did
not
comment. The officer then suggested the checkpoint would open at 3am.
In

response to our concern for the humanitarian cases present he indicated
that
the Israeli military liaison officer would come to the scene. They
instructed us to go back.

The Palestinians were eager to hear our report on what was said and we
decided to wait for the DCO. The white jeep finally appeared after
about
20 minutes and Alison and I again linked arms, walked to the checkpoint
itself and engaged the two soldiers. The main speaker was eager to see
our passports, he asked if we were just tourists as per our visas (we
said yes) and explained that all humanitarian cases required
coordination
with the Palestinian liaison. We explained our concerns and the soldier
indicated the possibility of a 30 minute opening after a man and sick
child
had been brought through from the Gaza side of the checkpoint. He made
no promises but said he would check with his senior officer. We
returned and the news seemed well received by the Palestinians.

The white jeep drove off. After some 20 minutes, the original four
soldiers
came out and removed the barbed wire across the opposite lane and moved
the
barrels from our lane. This caused much cheering and hooting of horns
from
the Palestinians with us. People rushed to their cars, only to see the
soldiers return the barrels. Finally, the other side did open.
Everybody
rushed to their vehicles in great excitement.
Once the traffic had gone through, the white jeep came back and our
convoy was ordered forward. The first vehicle edged towards the
checkpoint, a young man jumped out of
the back to move the barrels and we watched as everybody sped past,
smiling,
clapping and waving.

Our sense of exhilaration lasted only until the taxi ride home when we
heard
the news from Nablus of the killing of a journalist.


Mas'ha Peace Camp

Rafah
April 19, 2003
Mas'ha Peace Camp was set up three weeks ago by local Palestinian
farmers, activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM),
International Women's Peace Service (IWPS), and activists from various
Israeli peace groups. The Palestinian farmers are land owners whose
land
is being expropriated by Israel through the erection of an apartheid
wall. The Mas'ha locals made a call to internationals and two weeks
later, internationals from the ISM and IWPS and Israeli peace activists
arrived.

The Israeli government claims that this wall is for security but when
you look closer, you realize that this couldn't be further from the
truth. Mas'ha village is isolated and located close to the 1967 'Green
Line'. Relations between Israelis and Palestinians were traditionally
good, with Israelis and Palestinians shopping together in the
well-known
local market. During both the first and second intifada there was no
resistance to the occupation from Mas'ha. Clearly, there was no
security threat from the people of Mas'ha.

However, the Israeli's want to build the new apartheid wall through the
middle of Mas'ha, separating the villagers from their farm land, which
would fall on the 'Israeli' side of the wall. When looking at maps of
the area where the wall will be built, between illegal Israeli
settlements and Palestinian villages, it is clear that the wall is
planned to wind round the settlements, thus annexing this land to
Israel
and expropriating an additional 10% of the West Bank from the
Palestinians and contravening UN Resolution 242. It is easy to
conclude
therefore, that in the case of Mas'ha, the wall is not for security
reasons, but rather, it will further Israel's land interests.

The implications of this wall are enormous. The people of Mas'ha rely
on the sale of their olives and other crops for their income. Without
the land upon which thousands of olive trees are being either destroyed
or taken, the villagers of Mas'ha rely on work within Israel -
something
that is considered an embarrassment to the resourcefulness of the
Mas'ha
people. However, since the start of the second intifada, it has been
deemed illegal for Palestinians to work in Israel, cutting off this
source of income too, although some Palestinians risk short term work
in
Israel. Presently, the villagers rely on charity from Israeli
organizations and again, this is humiliating for the Palestinian people
and not a permanent solution.

In order to protect the Palestinian locals from Israeli army
aggression,
the peace camp is no longer actively trying to stop the bulldozers from
continuing with their work. Instead, the camp acts as an information
point to locals, internationals and Israeli peace activists. The
locals
are not really aware about what Israeli army is doing to Mas'ha, so
locals visit the camp to get more information about the land being
annexed and to drink tea with the internationals and Israeli peace
activists. In fact, the camp is a place of relationship building,
where
all nationalities, including Israeli's and Palestinians live together
under the stars, while trying to stop the wall.

Last Sunday there was a demonstration and an information centre with
maps and pictures set up in the camp, which the media visited. Clearly
the most frerquent visitors are the Israeli soldiers. They come to the
camp an average of three times per day, sometimes asking the people at
the camp if they need anything, other times, trying to push them about.
During the night, people staying at the camp work in shifts. They keep
watch for soldiers, and for the violent nationalistic Israeli settlers,
who often carry Uzi's with them, even whilst conducting normal daily
activities.

At the moment, the land has been cleared and the wall is ready to be
erected using stone quarried from the land at the site where the wall
will be constructed. When looking over the mountain from the peace
camp, you can see the Israeli settlements encircling Mas'ha and its'
olive farmland.

We hope that the peace camp will continue to flourish, and that the
people who pass through will tell the story of Mas'ha's plight to the
world.

We further hope that the world will do something about it!

Raph Cohen
Rafah


ISMers in Rafah visit children shot by IOF.

Rafah
April 18,
On Friday 18/4 several activists with the International Solidarity
Movement in Rafah went to the Al-Najjar hospital in Rafah, Gaza Strip to
visit children. They had been injured the previous evening on Thursday by
unprovoked Israeli fire from a tank in the Yibna area at approx 6pm. We
had heard very loud rounds of fire at the time from several hundred
meters away. The details follows:

1) Ahmed Ismail Radwaan, 17, shot with a 250mm bullet in the side,
close
to
his heart. Fragments still in his body and he is expected to be
transferred
to the Europe hospital in Khan Yunis for further scans and an
operation.

Ahmed, whom I recognised, was playing football in the street. He was in
good
spirits in the hospital. He did not wish his face be photographed.
(photo
attached).

2) Alaa Mohammed Omar, 8, shot with an M16 bullet in the shoulder,
narrowly
missing the spine. Alaa was flying akite in the street at the time. He
seemed in comfortable condition. (2 photos attached).

3) Jasmeen Jamal Yousef, 8. She was hit by a fragment of bullet
shrapnel
in
the forehead while playing outside her house. Her father was shot in
the

knee six months ago and complained that he could not run to his
daughter.
Her brother was also shot earlier in the intifada.
Her condition is good.

Once again the IOF is directing unprovoked and extreme violence at the
children and civilians of Yibna. This is a near daily occurrence.
British
ISMer Tom Hurndall was shot within meters of these shootings.

For more information contact
Raph Cohen 059 755 649
054 389 466



Tom
ISM Media Coordinator
Beit Sahour, Occupied Palestine
 ism-alert@palsolidarity.org
02 277 4602
052 360 241
067 862 439