Speech by Sophie Hurndall
Made at Palestine Rally - Trafalgar Square - 17th May 2003


I have been asked to speak at this rally as the sister of Tom
Hurndall. As many of you may know Tom was shot while trying to save
children from Israeli army fire. While I would emphasise that my
family have no political affiliation, what Tom and we discovered
during our separate visits to Israel and Gaza has caused us deep
concern. I am here today to describe our experiences.
My brother Tom was a keen and talented photographer - he was also a
caring human being. He travelled to Gaza because he had heard about
human rights abuses taking place in the occupied territories and
wanted see for himself the way in which Palestinians were living, and
to photograph and document what he saw. Tom is now lying in hospital
in Israel in a deep coma. His brain has suffered severe damage and
the doctors have said he is unlikely to regain consciousness.

In the days before Tom was wounded he sent e-mails home detailing
several incidents he had observed in which civilians had been shot by
Israeli soldiers and also a helicopter attack in which 46 civilians
were wounded, some of whom later died. Tom had already sent us
photographs including one of a boy of about 7 or 8, who posed no
threat, being shot from an Israeli tank.

Tom was himself shot as he was trying to help a group of children.
Waiting at the end of a street in Rafa, he saw machine gun fire being
directed at a mound of earth on which about twenty children were
playing. Most of the children fled but three young children were too
scared to move, two girls and a boy aged between 5 and 8. Tom walked
forward and picked up the little boy, named Salem Baroum. Having
brought Salem back to safety he returned for the second child. Tom
was shot in the head by a single sniper bullet as he leant forward to
pick up the little girl.

The IDF released reports that Tom was armed, clothed in army
camouflage and firing at the soldiers. They have also released a
report saying he was involved in crossfire. These reports have been
reflected in media around the world, especially in Israel. These
reports are not true. Many of you will have seen photographs of Tom
in his fluorescent orange activist's vest. We have photographs of Tom
immediately before and after the shooting - from several independent
sources. There were over ten eye witness reports of Tom's shooting
including the accounts of journalists- all of which support the fact
that Tom was fired at with no justification. But what is
extraordinary is that to this day, not a single one of these
witnesses has been questioned by the IDF or the Israeli authorities.
How can any credible inquiry be conducted without questioning them?
Indeed some of these witnesses have since been arrested, detained and
unlawfully deported.

It was clear to all that Tom did not pose a threat to the Israeli
army or to anyone else. He was with a humanitarian organization which
was involved in peaceful protest and which was known by the army to
be present in the immediate area at the time. He acted in a way which
every decent human being should have seen as natural and necessary in
going to the aid of a young helpless and desperately vulnerable group
of children. Many of us would not have had the courage to do what Tom
did. In return for his courage and selfless commitment, he is likely
to have paid the ultimate price. Tom is the victim of a direct and
deliberate shot to the head. This will be proved by the upcoming
Dispatches documentary on Channel 4 tomorrow night at 9.

Our request for an explanation about the shooting is not
unreasonable. My parents, my two other brothers and myself, have
spent much of the last five weeks at Tom's bedside in Israel, and
also in Gaza trying to find answers. In spite of numerous repeated
requests during that time, through the British Embassy in Tel Aviv
and the media, we have been bluntly refused an explanation from, or
any communication with, the Israeli forces. My parents have even been
shot at while travelling with British embassy officials in Gaza. They
have now been refused entry unless they sign a waiver absolving the
Israeli army of any responsibility if the army shoots at them as
well.

Is that what freedom and democracy are in Israel?

My family is campaigning for an independent, public inquiry into
Tom's shooting. Not only for Tom, but because every day Palestinian
civilians are maimed and killed by the Israeli army. Tom showed us
this through the e-mails he sent home. Any act of violence - whether
by Palestinian or by Israeli - should be subject to prosecution and a
fair trial. Yet clearly this is not happening. It is absolutely
unacceptable that innocent people continue to be killed or wounded -
whether they are journalists, peace activists or other civilians. Yet
an Israeli soldier is very unlikely even to be reprimanded for such
outrageously heavy-handed tactics.

We cannot stand by silently and allow people like Tom and Rachel,
Brian Avery, Iain Hook and James Miller to become such tragic
victims. If we don't make a stand to make the Israeli government
accountable for its actions, then there will be no end to this
terrible loss of life in Palestine.

Help us to exert pressure for proper accountability and an end to
this indiscriminate loss of life. Please contact the foreign
secretary, Jack Straw, to reinforce our demand for an independent and
public inquiry. And please look at our website - www.TomHurndall.co.uk

Help us to make a difference. Thank you.

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 http://www.tomhurndall.co.uk/donate.asp

Donations:
Two funds have been established in Tom's name:


The Thomas Hurndall Fund.
Established to allow contributions from those wishing to assist with the costs associated with Tom's welfare in particular with repatriating Tom to London.

The cost of transporting Tom which includes the cost of an Air Ambulance complete with air medical crew is likely to exceed £20,000. There are also sizeable support & administration costs incurred by the family in Israel relating to Tom's stay at the Saroka Hospital in Beersheva Israel.

Tom's ongoing medical requirements and daily care costs are also expected to be high. In the event that donations made to the Thomas Hurndall Fund exceed the requirement for his care or should his care circumstances change, the fund balance will be transferred to 'The Tom Hurndall Trust Fund'.


The Tom Hurndall Trust Fund.
A charitable fund has been established known as 'The Tom Hurndall Trust Fund'. The charity has been established in recognition of the pressing need for a humanitarian programme within Israel, Palestine and the Middle East.

The inspiration behind the charity comes from Tom's passionate commitment to help those less fortunate than himself - in particular to help the children in areas like Rafah, where Tom was shot while helping children to safety.

The charity's aims are to relieve poverty & injustice focusing initially on the needs of the people of Gaza & The West Bank. To assist in the provision of educational resources initially focussing on the needs of the people of Gaza and The West Bank.





INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT
www.palsolidarity.org