25 wounded at anti-fence protest

25 wounded at anti-fence protest

[After we sent you five articles reflecting on the assassination of Sheikh Yassin we owe you this short and sharp piece by Professor Tanya Reinhart which appeared in Yediot Aharonot, yesterday. She makes the connection between the methods of the suicide bombers and the heavy toll which is paid by Palestinians & peace activists for the daily non-violent resistance against the wall. We add a report on today's struggle.]

# As in Tiennamen square - Tanya Reinhart - Yediot Aharonot # 25 wounded at anti-fence protest south of Ramallah

# As in Tiennamen square - Tanya Reinhart - Yediot Aharonot ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 03:09:44 +0200 From: Tanya Reinhart

òáøéú ìôé á÷ùä / hebrew at request

As in Tiennamen square

Tanya Reinhart

Yediot Aharonot, March 30, 2004. Translated from Hebrew by Netta Van Vliet
An extensive discussion has already taken place in Israel regarding the cost-benefit ratio of Yassin's assassination. But the question of justice has hardly been raised.

According to international law, the execution of any person in an occupied territory is not allowed. The Geneva convention, born out of the horrifying experience of the second World War, sets limitations on the use of force even in times of war. The convention distinguishes between war and a state of occupation. Its fundamentals are, first, that occupied people are "protected", and that the occupier is responsible for their safety. Second, it determines that the occupied people have the right to fight for their liberation. International conventions are one of the means people have developed for self-preservation. Without them, there is a danger that the human race would annihilate itself - first the strong would wipe out the weak, and then each other.

During its 37 years of occupation, Israel has already violated every article of the Geneva convention. But what it did now is unprecedented. As Robert Fisk stated it in the British Independent, "for years, there has been an unwritten rule in the cruel war of government-versus- guerrilla. You can kill the men on the street, the bomb makers and gunmen. But the leadership on both sides - government ministers, spiritual leaders were allowed to survive." Even when the leader advocates violence and terror, the norm has been that he may be imprisoned, but not killed.

Ahmed Yassin viewed himself as struggling against the occupation. As reported in Yediot Aharonot, his demand was a full withdrawal of the Israeli army from the occupied territories, back to the borders of 1967. In 1993, Hamas agreed to the principles of the Oslo accords, but did not believe that Rabin would translate these principles into action, and urged the Palestinian people t o remember that the occupation was not yet over. During the iron-fist period of Barak and Sharon, Yassin proposed a long term 'hudna' (cease fire), but he also believed that Israel would never end the occupation of its own will. "The enemy understands only the language of war, bombs and explosives" - he preached to his followers, and declared that "every Israeli is a target for us".

The Geneva convention recognizes the right of the occupied people to carry out armed struggle against the occupying army, but not to use terror against civilians. Terror has no moral justifica tion, and is not defended by international law. But it is necessary that we Israelis examine ourselves i n this regard as well. What other way do we leave open for the Palestinian people to struggle for their liberation? Along the route of the wall in the West Bank, a new form of popular resistance h as been formed in the last few months. Palestinian farmers whose land is being robbed sit on the ground in front of the bulldozers, accompanied by the Israeli opponents of the wall - the veterans of the Mas'ha camp. What could be more non-violent than this? But the Israeli army shoots at sitting demonstrators, like in Tiennamen square.

The Israeli army blocks all options of non-violent resistance from the Palestinians. With the arrogant elimination of a leader and a symbol, as he was leaving a mosque, the army knowingly created a new wave of violence and terror. It is hard not to get the impression that terror is convenient for Sharon and the army. It enables them to convince the world that the Geneva protections do not apply to the Palestiians, because they have terrorists in their midst, and that, therefore, it is permitted to do anything to them.

Since September 11th, as part of its “war against terror,” the U.S. has
Been pushing to destroy all defences provided by International law. But even the U.S. has not yet dared to publicly execute a spiritual-religious leader (of, for example, the Taliban in Afghanistan ). Now Israel has determined, with the U.S. blessing, that even this is permitted. Under the military rule, Israel has become a leading force in the destruction of the very protections that humankind h as established, out of World War Two, for its own preservation, protections that we too may need one day, as history has already shown us.

http://www.tau.ac.il/~reinhart

# 25 wounded at anti-fence protest south of Ramallah By Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service

Wed., March 31, 2004 http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/410980.html

Hebrew: http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/410975.html

Twenty-five demonstrators protesting the construction of the separation fence were wounded on Wednesday in clashes with Israeli security forces near the West Bank village of Kata'ana.

Hundreds of Palestinian residents and Israeli and foreign left-wing activists were protesting next to the construction site in the village located south of Ramallah.

The demonstrators attempted to reach construction bulldozers, which had caused damage to Palestinian property when they inadvertently caused boulders and slabs of bedrock to slide down a slope.

The demonstrators began throwing stones at Israel Defense Force soldiers who fired tear gas and rubber bullets in response.

More than 30 Palestinian and Israeli demonstrators were wounded March 21 in clashes with IDF soldiers and Border Policemen during a protest against the separation fence near Harbata village, north of Modi'in. Israeli security forces fired rubber-coated bullets at demonstrators and also used tear gas in attempts to disperse the crowd.

Etai Levinsky, 20, a left-wing activist was injured when a rubber bullet struck him near the eye. He was taken for treatment to Sheeba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, and medics said his sight could be endangered. The demonstrators were several hundred Palestinians and left-wing Israeli and overseas activists.

IDF sources claimed that the soldiers were under orders not to allow the demonstration to disturb fence construction work. The rubber bullets, the sources added, were aimed at the demonstrators' legs, not their heads.

--- Sending you a tin can of olive oil from Jayyous to your door step anywhere in the United States or Europe takes less than 4 weeks. By buying from the farmers of Jayyous, the first to suffer from the wall, you help them at a crucia l moment. Hundreds of Palestinian families will benefit from your choice of using their quality oil .

To buy just click on the link below

http://pcwf.org/artifacts/oliveoil/oliveoil.htm

and please tell in the message that you want the oil to come from Jayyous. To learn more about Jayyous please click and read and learn and support the struggle of the people of Jayyous.

http://www.jayyousonline.org/english.HTM (among other things full text of Avnery speech "The Wall Will Fall")

--- NB: links and contact information re ongoing struggle Against the Wall / Refusniks / Vanunu

-- ðåëçåú éåîéåîéú áëôøéí îàéîéí ò"é äçåîä ìúàí òí àééáé 064-604172 isichel@netvision.net.il àøé÷ 050-607034 info@rhr.israel.net

Day to day presence at villages threatened by route of wall. Contact: Ivy Sichel 064-604172 isichel@netvision.net.il who set's up a list for people who can com e at short notice, or: Arik Asherman 050-607034 info@rhr.israel.net

-- Refuser news:

Constantly-updated list of all presently jailed refusniks:

English - http://www.yesh-gvul.org/english/prison/ Hebrew / òáøéú - http://www.yesh-gvul.org/prison/

For the latest news about the five:

http://www.refuz.org.il/News.html

NB: Letters of support to Noam Bahat / Haggai Mattar / Matan Kaminer AGAF BET Ma’asiyaho Prison P.O.B 13 Ramla Israel

Adam Maor / Shimri Tzameret: Hermon Prison P.O.B 4011 KFAR M’RAR Israel

-- List of international vigils on day of Vanunu release (April 21): http://www.nonviolence.org/vanunu/ http://www.vanunu.freeserve.co.uk/

Instead of sending flowers - an online option (paypal) for your welcome gesture: > http://www.vanunu.org/>

Online petition for the unconditional release of Vanunu http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/freemordechaivanunu/

-- http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (òáøéú/Hebrew) http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html (English) http://www.gush-shalom.org/arabic/index.html (selected articles in Arabic)

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