ISM: Eyewitness to Execution

1) Investigating the Truth About the Death of Mohamed Oufi

2) KPFA Interview with Anne Gwynne, eyewitness to execution in Nablus

3) Confronting Israel's Apartheid Wall

1) Investigating the Truth About the Death of Mohamed Oufi 22 February, 2003 Tulkarm, Palestine

Internationals from International Solidarity Movement last night interviewed neighbors and friends of the family of 23 year old Mohamed Araf Oufi, resident of Tulkarm Camp, to gather further information to clarify conflicting news reports regarding his death there early morning February 20.

According to 20 February 03 Ha’aretz this young man was part of a group of armed men who had opened fire on Israeli soldiers on a special operation in Tulkarm Camp. The Israeli military media is very active and, as with military institutions worldwide, interested in promoting a positive image for itself. Knowing this it is difficult to accept as factual what is reported in the news re Israeli military operations in the Occupied Territories.

After last night's interview, during which time another young man was also killed in Tulkarm Camp, I find this image confirmed. Contrary to the Haretz news article, the young man, Mohammed, murdered on the 20th was not part of a group of armed men shooting at the Israeli army. He was leaving his house at 5:00 in the morning to go to the mosque to pray. He was not a member of a militant group, just a religious young man. Mohamed Oufi was warned by neighbors trying to go to work that Israeli soldiers were about in the camp and that he should not go down the street leading toward the mosque. The young man replied, "I am just going to pray," and stepped out and around the corner from his house onto the street where he was killed.

As soon as Mohamed Oufi stepped several paces into street, he was able to confirm the presence of an Israeli jeep at the foot of the street, about 150 meters. As he was turning back, he was shot in the right posterior neck and also received other bullet wounds to the upper body. Mohammed’s mother and brother were not able to collect his body until the soldiers had left the area for fear of getting shot themselves, so his body lay alone in the street for about 45 minutes after the soldiers had confirmed that he was dead.

The jeep referred to was parked in front of a three story house that eight Israeli soldiers had occupied since 2 AM. They first confined the family of six, two grandparents, three children and their mother, to the bottom floor , forcing them to remain silent, not allowing them to use the toilet or cover even the youngest child with a blanket.

Two soldiers kept the frightened family at gunpoint until 6 AM,and the remaining six soldiers, one of them armed with a gun capable of shooting a 25mm shell, were positioned on the roof. At 5 PM when Mohamed stepped out into the street, he was shot. We saw from the roof in similar light conditions what a person at 150 meters would have looked like.

If the assailant had no weapon with infrared vision, the person would present as a black form with no apparent detail. If this was the case, it could be said that the Israeli special operation soldier shot an unidentified man. If an infrared scope was used, then it could be said, according to our witnesses, that an unarmed man was deliberately killed. Very deadly either way one calls it. Many Israeli soldiers are armed with M-16 guns. Mohammed Oufi’s upper body showed evidence of 25mm weaponry.

After Mohammed was assassinated, an armed man on the "wanted" list started firing at the special operations soldiers, and he was shot and critically wounded in the chest.

I am submitting this account in the hopes that you will print it in entirety to balance the inaccurate story from the Israeli military printed in the Israeli daily, Ha'aretz. and distributed as per usual to international news services.

Susan Van Dongen, International Solidarity Movement Tulkarm, Palestine 054-257-075

2) Audio interview with Anne Gwynne, eyewitness to execution

http://flashpoints.net text summary with audio link

direct audio http://www.flashpoints.net/realaudio/fpAnneGwynn-Feb-21-03.ram

3) CKUT Radio: Confronting Israel's Apartheid Wall

This piece focuses on the construction of and Palestinian resistance to Israel¹s Apartheid Wall.

On 23 June 2002 the Israeli government authorized a plan to build a Œsecurity wall¹ running the full length of the West Bank, expected to be complete by June 2003. The apartheid wall will have three parts: a northern section, a section for Jerusalem and a southern section. Israel¹s apartheid wall is projected to run the whole 360-km length of the West Bank, near Salem, a village west of Jenin to the Hebron area in the South. The wall shall include electric fences, trenches and security patrols. Importantly, Israel¹s apartheid wall will not be built within its de-facto international borders (approximating to the 1949 ³Green Line²). It shall be built within the West Bank, upon seized Palestinian lands.

The wall (and surrounding closed military areas) shall annex approximately 10% of the West Bank to Israel. For many people throughout the world Israel¹s Apartheid Wall is a clear face of the brutality of Israel¹s occupation and continuing efforts to displace Palestinians from their land. As the Apartheid Wall construction is under way people throughout the world are standing up against to oppose its construction.

This piece features interviews with Jamal Juma' of the Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network & Drew Penland of International Solidarity Movement of Vancouver both activists who are actively fighting the construction of the Apartheid Wall.

To listen to the interview visit: http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=6400

To get more information about the International Solidarity Movement visit: http://www.palsolidarity.org

To get more information about the Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network visit: http://www.pengon.org

Huwaida Arraf INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT www.palsolidarity.org

"If the people lead, the leaders will follow"

© Scoop Media