International Solidarity Movement Report & Action

International Solidarity Movement Report and Action Alert

1. Residents of Beit Awwa, Internationals and Israelis injured by Israeli Army response to Non-Violent Protest

2. Death and destruction in Gaza continues as world leaders remain silent in face of devastating Israeli army attacks

3. The International Solidarity Movement Condemns the Attack on CPT Activists _________________________________________________

1. Residents of Beit Awwa, Internationals and Israelis injured by Israeli Army response to Non-Violent Protest

Israeli Army uses tear gas, rubber bullets and a piercing siren to disperse protestors

Today, October 3, approxinmately 300 residents of Beit Awwa marched with 30 internationals and Israelis this morning. They left the center of the village around 10:00am and marched toward the site where three bulldozers are being used to construct the Israeli Annexation Wall.

Once they were near the bulldozers, two of the bulldozers stopped working while the third continued to tear-up the land. Immediately the Israeli army began throwing concussion grenades and shooting tear gas canisters vertically into the crowd.

After 30-45 minutes, the Israeli army began shooting rubber bullets at close range. One Israeli activist, Jonathon Polack, was shot twice in the leg with rubber bullets when he attempted to help a young Palestinian who was injured.

An ISM activist, Maya from Denmark, was also hit by a rubber bullet that penetrated her back and was transferred to a hospital in Hebron where she will under go surgery.

By 12:30pm, another six injured arrived to the same hospital in Hebron and two more are going into surgery as a result of their injuries. It is still not known the number of injuries in Beit Awwa.

The Israeli army pursued the protestors, shooting rubber bullets and tear gas as the men, women and children tried to return to their village. ISM activists reported that about 30 Israeli soldiers were seen tear gassing children at the edge of town and then entered and tear gassed the medical center.

At around 1:00pm, eye-witness reports communicated the Israeli army is using a large speaker, mounted on a truck, that transmits an ear- piercing siren. The high-pitch sound is deafening and painful and is being used to disperse the villagers and their supporters.

The exact number of additional injuries and arrests is unknown at the time of this report.

For more information please contact:

Eva: 972-47-619-275 Tariq: 972-59-6760-87 ISM Media Office: 972-2-277-4602 or 547-358-579 ________________________________________________________

2. Death and Destruction in Gaza Continues as World leaders remain silent in face of devastating Israeli army attacks

Dozens of Palestinian men, women and children are being killed and hundreds wounded in the massive Israeli army attack in the northern area of the Gaza Strip.

More than 50 Palestinians, including civilians, have died since Israel began the operation three days ago.

What is the response of world leaders who claim to condemn violence and uphold international law?

The Middle East peace quartet of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia remain SILENT in face of this brutal Israeli attack on densely populated areas of Gaza!

The Israeli army continues to commit war crimes against a civilian population.

On one day, Thursday, Israeli soldiers kill 32 Palestinians and wounded more than 102 during their incursion into northern Gaza. Three Israelis were also killed. The military attacks are being aimed at refugee camps in northern Gaza, where the army said rockets were fired.

Whatever the reason the Israeli army is using to justify the attacks, men, women and children are paying a heavy price. Israeli is violating international law by attacking areas that result in civilian deaths and injuries.

Urgent Appeal From UHWC

For the last 48 hours, the Union of Health Work Committees (UHWC), medical facilities are in state of top emergency in the northern governorate of Gaza Strip. The medical teams are working continuously to cope with the increasing number of causalities, due to massive Israelis forces incursion into the northern governorate, especially Jabaliya.

Israeli tanks, helicopters and various military forces are attacking the area through four main sectors. The Israeli forces are demolishing homes, destroying infrastructure and bulldozing trees at the same time they shoot any moving target, including children, women, old men or youths.

On Saturday, October 2, Al –Awda Hospital received 42 injured people, 17 of are under 15 years old, 8 women, in addition to 8 martyrs (most of the injuries are due to explosive Bullets). Another governmental hospital in the same area has also received tens of causalities.

Two reports:

UHWC, Al-Quds Medical Center in Beit - Hanoun has been working 24 hours a day to cover the expected increasing number of injuries and to offer other emergency medical aid. Beit - Hanoun has been isolated from the rest of Gaza Strip.

Al-Assria (Al-Luhiedan) Medical Center - Jabalia refugee camp is now in the middle of battle. The Israeli tanks and snipers are just 50 meters from the center, and all the other health and community activities of Al-Luhiedan Community Health Center have been replaced with first aid services.

The first aid medical teams and the ambulance service of the UHWC (138 men and women volunteers) are working day and night to rescue and evacuate the injured people. At the same time they provide needed medical and food supplies.

UHWC teams call all International and human rights organization, Red Cross, United Nations, and all those who are seeking just peace in the area to urgently interfere to stop this massacre against our Palestinian people. At the same time to pressure on the Israeli government to stop its harassments against the medical teams and civilians.

United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees Condemnation (UNRWA) The UN agency for Palestinian refugees yesterday accused the Israeli army of taking over schools in the Gaza Strip, while children were still in class, and using them as firing positions for tanks.

"They have now taken positions in these three schools and are using them as a military camp for their ongoing campaign, using them also as firing positions," UN Refugee Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesman Matthias Burchard said in Geneva. He said Israeli tanks broke down the walls of three schools in the Jabaliya refugee camp on Thursday while children were in class.

The Israeli army killed 10 Palestinians in Gaza yesterday, October 1, as it poured tanks and soldiers into the coastal strip, expanding a ground offensive allegedly intended to root out militants firing rockets into Israeli towns.

Palestinian officials said dozens of tanks pushed into north Gaza while more forces massed on the border. Army bulldozers destroyed homes as they carved paths for army forces.

What you can do:

1. Contact your local media and demand they report on the Israeli army attack in a fair and accurate way, (especially in the context of the rights of civilians under occupation). 2. Write letters to the editor condemning the attacks (if you are from the United States include that fact that your government provides billions in aid-of your tax dollars-annually to Israel) 3. Contact your government officials and demand they put pressure on Israel to stop the assault. Israel must allow international observers into Gaza. 4. Contact via phone, fax or e-mail officials of the Israeli Government and demand the army withdraws from Northern Gaza. 5. Organize an action to protest the continued killing and wounding of Palestinians in Gaza.

Israeli Government Contacts:

Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon Office of the Prime Minister Fax: 972-2-670-5475 e-mail: pm_eng@pmo.gov.il

Minister of Defense, Shaul Mofaz Tel-Aviv 61909 Tel: 972-3-5692010 Fax: 972-3-6916940 e-mail: sar@mod.gov.il or pnoit@mod.gov.il ____________________________________________________________

3. The International Solidarity Movement Condemns the Attack on CPT Activists

The International Solidarity Movement sends a message of solidarity to Chris and Kim and condemns the brutal attack by settlers that left them both hospitalized. We hope that they recover soon and continue with their work for justice and human decency. Chris Brown, 40, of San Francisco, and Kim Lamberty, 44, of Washington, were escorting Palestinian children to their school in a West Bank village near Hebron, when they were attacked.

On the morning of Wednesday, September 29, 2004, settlers attacked Christian Peacemaker Team members Chris Brown and Kim Lamberty as they accompanied children to school. The children, from the village of Tuba, have experienced harassment from settlers in the past as they to school in the village of al-Tuwani.

Chris and Kim are members of the Christian Peacemakers Team, a group that has been active in and around the West Bank city of Hebron for several years. According to their mission statement, Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) offers an organized, nonviolent alternative to war and other forms of lethal inter-group conflict. CPT provides organizational support to persons committed to faith-based nonviolent alternatives in situations where lethal conflict is an immediate reality or is supported by public policy.

For information on CPT and updates on Chris and Kim see: www.cpt.org

For news reports on the attack; http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi? file=/news/archive/2004/09/30/international1257EDT0606.DTL http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82~1865~2439017,00.html

Report from BBC: Please respond to this report, released today, October 3, 2004; it is distorted and manipulative http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3701036.stm

For information on media bias in Great Britain: www.arabmediawatch.com

Contact you local media and insist they report accurately on this attack.

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