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PMWATCH
-- April 29, 2002 -- As the confrontation between Israel and the
United Nations comes to a head, it is becoming clearer by the
day that Israel's position is becoming more and more isolated
and untenable. The only remaining supporters at the international
scene Israel seems to have standing on its side are the right
wing flank of the Bush administration and its right wing consitituency,
along of course with the usual 'Israel-is-always right' supporters
of Israel.
Indeed, a
wave of protests, unprecedented in its scope and in its sustained
energy, has swept and continues to sweep across the world.
See: http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/cast/internationalsupport.asp
Equally significant
is the growing list of Israeli reservisits who have refused to
serve under the IDF and have preferred the stokade to reporting
for "military duty". The list continues to grow in spite of the
rank-closing mood in Israel since the invasions began one month
ago today.
See: http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/117/editorials/430_heroes_in_Israel+.shtml
and: http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/cast/reservegenerals.asp
But the most
telling sign of how isolated and morally untenable Israel's position
has become is the presence of the brave members of the International
Solidarity Movement (ISM) at the very heart of Israel's field
of operations. These courageous young people have not only saved
lives and dicidedly headed off what otherwise would have been
an unmitigated blood bath far greater in scope than what the Israelis
have managed to bring about, but have proved that they were right
in the premise of their movement: that the IDF, while callous
and brutal in its reaction to Palestinian resistance and defiance,
takes much more care not to use deadly force when confronting
non-Palestinian resistance. The US and Israel can wax indignant
all they can about the anti-Semitism of equating Zionism with
racism, but they can't deny that the people of the ISM are right.
Please impress
upon the media to cover the International Solidarity Movement
and other dissenting voices. The note below contains contact information
of members of the movement. Add your own text to the information
and click send.
Your letter
will be sent to:
48hours@cbsnews.com
60@cbsnews.com
am@cnn.com
andyr@nytimes.com
bdold@tribune.com
cable@msnbc.com
cdavis@phillynews.com
Christiane.Amanpour2@cnn.com
cmcmahon@tribune.com
community@cnn.com
community@cnn.com
csatullo@phillynews.com
dan.fisher@msnbc.com
diehlj@washpost.com
eason.jordan@turner.com
editor@reuters.com
editor@usatoday.com
evening@cbsnews.com
foreign@phillynews.com
foreign@washpost.com
friends@foxnews.com
hraines@nytimes.com
inquirer.letters@phillynews.com
jacoby@globe.com
kingc@washpost.com
letter.editor@edit.wsj.com
letter@globe.com
letters@iht.com
letters@latimes.com
letters@nytimes.com
letters@time.com
letters@washpost.com
letters@washtimes.com
mcooke@suntimes.com
michael.moran@msnbc.com
mmatza@phillynews.com
nightline@abcnews.com
Nightly@NBC.com
nwarwick@phillynews.com
nytnews@nyt.com
ombudsman@npr.org
oreilly@foxnews.com
oregion@msnbc.com
rick.davis@turner.com
Speakout@foxnews.com
srowley@tribune.com
tauth@phillynews.com
tom.johnson@turner.com
trubin@phillynews.com
Viewerservices@foxnews.com
World@MSNBC.com
Palestine
Media Watch
http://www.pmwatch.org
(610) 993 - 0608
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UPDATE : Bethlehem
April 28 2002 : At 17:00 A group of 20 internationals from the
(International Solidarity Movement) ISM forced their way through
barbed wire and fencing to gain access to Manger Square and proceeded
to the Church of the Nativity. Their aim was to deliver food, water and
medicine to those trapped inside the church. As they walked in to the
square a smoke bomb was let of by the entrance in an attempt to block
the view of journalists.
As the group marched across the square some with hands in the air,
others displaying banners proclaiming support for the Palestinian
people and demanding an end to occupation, a tank was mobilized and
tropps rushed at them. They managed to get to the door of the church
and sat in front of it, hoping that they could pass the aid through.
The soldiers rushed them, kicked away the foodstuffs and
pulled,dragged and marched the peaceful protesters away.
They were then held, told to remain together and wait for a military
escort.. As the ISM refuses to obey demands made by the
Israeli occupation forces they continued to walk, in group formation,
away from the area, circumnavigating soldiers who tried to prevent
them. None of the group were arrested.
For more information on the activities of the International
Solidarity Movement, please contact:
Huwaida - 052-481-261 or 055-975-374
Jeff - 056-529-966
Audrey - 056-691-487
Jordan - 056-622-017 or 067-341-268 or 067-345-972
=====================================================================
April 15, 2002
International Solidarity Movement Update
International Solidarity Movement Enters Jenin Refugee Camp
Tonight, 5 members of the International Solidarity Movement are
sleeping at a school in Jenin with 800 refugees from the Jenin
Refugee Camp. Earlier in the day, nine internationals from the
United States, Sweden and Italy entered the refugee camp and started
to deliver food to the remaining residents of the camp - women,
children and elderly men. After 10 minutes of walking one team came
across an injured elderly woman trapped in the rubble of her half-
demolished home. She had been stuck there for days. The
internationals helped her escape and carried the woman out and
towards the city and the hospital. Soldiers attempted to prevent the
removal of the woman, threw dishes and glasses from one house out the
window and at the group, and also tried to prevent a stretcher from
being brought in to carry the woman, but internationals managed to
walk past the soldiers and get the woman to safety.
While at the hospital, 7 bodies were brought in to the morgue, each
body charred beyond recognition. One team of internationals reported
seeing bodies lying amid the ruins of destroyed homes, noting the
smell of the rotting and decomposing flesh, creating a major health
risk for those still living in the camp. One international counted
14 bodies she saw in her movement around one area of the camp.
Internationals walked through areas of the camp that had
been "massively bulldozed" - homes destroyed with a wide swath of
road cut through homes. Dozens of homes lie flat in ruin, while many
others are partially destroyed, leaving the remainder of the homes
exposed to the elements. Many people inside the camp remain without
food and water, as aid agencies are still prohibited from entering
the camp.
In Jenin city tonight, internationals report that two tanks are
moving up and down one of the main streets, firing tank shells in
opposite directions indiscriminately into the city. Additionally,
heavy machine gun fire is reported coming from the gun turrets on the
tanks.
For more information, please contact:
Jeff - 056-529-966
Audrey - 056-691-487
Internationals in Nablus
Internationals have maintained and increased their presence in
Nablus. They continue to ride on ambulances to provide a safety net
for the ambulances to operate and to help with the delivery of food
and medicine.
Tomorrow (Tuesday, April 16) 30 internationals will march from Nablus
to Balata Refugee Camp, along with Palestinian volunteer medics to
bring food and medicine to the camp and to try to remove the wounded
who need hospital care.
For more information, please contact:
Jordan - 056-622-017 or 067-341-268 or 067-345-972
For more information on the activities of the International
Solidarity Movement, please contact:
Huwaida - 052-481-261 or 055-975-374
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