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URGENT APPEAL TO FOREIGN EMBASSIES IN ISRAEL ON BEHALF OF PALESTINIAN CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS INSIDE ISRAEL
Tuesday, April 2, 2002 - Palestinian-Arab NGOs inside Israel


Betreff:  [AL-AWDA-News] URGENT APPEAL
Datum: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 02:38:03 +0200
Von: "NADEM NASHEF" <nadem1@netvision.net.il>
An: Al-Awda-News@yahoogroups.com

From: Diaa [diaa@ittijah.org]
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2002 6:22 AM

URGENT APPEAL

TO FOREIGN EMBASSIES IN ISRAEL ON BEHALF OF PALESTINIAN CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS INSIDE ISRAEL

  Tuesday, April 2, 2002

  We, boards, directors, staff, volunteers and activists within Palestinian-Arab NGOs inside Israel, the target groups and diverse communities we represent, urgently appeal to Ambassadors of foreign Embassies based in this country to immediately take a stance against the bloody actions and war crimes of Ariel Sharon's government inside the Occupied Palestinian Territories of 1967 (OPT).
      As you must be aware, for the past four days Israeli Occupying Troops have strengthened their illegal presence en masse in the OPT, forcing a complete curfew and cutting off electricity and water, indiscriminately shooting (and killing) those daring to leave their homes. Ramallah and the surrounding areas are suffering from a severe shortage of food, water and medicines. The sick and wounded cannot obtain treatment or medical relief, as Israeli Occupying Troops are not allowing medical relief organizations to rescue the wounded, injured or sick, nor are emergency food and water conveys given passage into the OPT. The Israeli army is demolishing Churches and Mosques. Some are being used as military positions. A priest has been killed and several nuns injured.
      Several humanitarian relief convoys of food, clothing and medical equipment have been blocked by the Israeli army, their passage into Ramallah and other besieged Palestinian cities forbidden. Activists from Palestinian civil society organizations have been arrested.
      It is clear that the same pattern will be repeated in other areas of the OPT, including Gaza, where the situation shall be even more dire.
      Israeli Occupying Troops have encircled and trapped the elected President of the Palestinian Authority and symbol of the Palestinian people, President Yasser Arafat in his house. His life is in danger through lack of access to water, food and medicines. The Israeli government is threatening to exile or assassinate President Yasser Arafat.
      Foreign press and internationals currently in Ramallah and Bethlehem cannot accurately report this situation. They too, are targets of the Israel's Occupying Troops indiscriminate fire, which pays no heed to the fourth Geneva Convention or any standards of morality or decency. We express our gratitude and respect to international civil society groups who have come to Palestine to challenge the occupation and prevent additional Israeli war crimes. However, this is not enough.
      In short, it cannot have missed your notice that the Israeli government has declared war. This is a new Palestinian Nakbeh, and it threatens to ignite the whole region.
      These actions took place immediately after the Arab Summits peace proposal. The Israeli Government, fully supported by the USA administration has clearly extended its hand out in war in response to the Arab Summit's peace proposal. Ariel Sharon's latest bloody actions are more in line with colonizing the Occupied Palestinian Territories for Jewish settlers rather than attaining peace.
      Moreover, there is a correlation between attacks on Israeli citizens and the increasing brutality of the Occupation in the 1967 Palestinian Territories. More people have been killed under Ariel Sharon's leadership than any other. This is not without rhyme or reason.
      We, as human rights activists and participants in building a democratic civil society cannot stand silent as Israel is given full reign in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
      Our collective historical memory tells us that whenever Israeli Occupying troops, combined with an international media blackout, tacit international encouragement and American strategic support, there is a real possibility of massacres taking place. Killing and widespread destruction of public infrastructure have already taken place. Our collective historical memory reminds us of Beirut, 1982 and the massacre of untold thousands in Sabra and Chatila, overseen by the then Israeli Defense Minister, Ariel Sharon. The bloody hands of Ariel Sharon have only been encouraged into more deadly actions through America's shameful, partisan stance in this conflict, which heeds neither fact, reason or conscience.
      Our collective sense of justice informs us that the International community must take action, particularly considering America's shameful, criminal stance. Our sense of reason tells us that war does not bring peace; that the only just, secure resolution to this conflict is to give Palestinians what is justly theirs: an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, the right of return for every refugee. Our consciences shall not stay quiet as the Israeli government targets an entire civilian population and perpetuates the Occupation.
      We hold the International Community responsible for the fate of the Palestinian people, being active in this region, historically and in the present. Meanwhile, many countries we address today were (and are) complicit our tragedy - the Nakbeh - of the Palestinian people.
      In this context, we call upon Ambassadors, representing foreign Embassies and countries in Israel, to do the following:

  1.    Call (and ensure the implementation of) an immediate halt to belligerent Israeli actions in the Occupied 1967 Palestinian territories in contradiction to the basic Human Rights afforded to each human being, International Law (specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention) and UN resolutions pertaining to the Middle East conflict. Much of Israel's actions within the 1967 Palestinian territories is clearly illegal and are considered war crimes;

  2.    Demand (and ensure the implementation of) an immediate Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Palestinian Territories of 1967;

  3.    Building on the small unofficial European presence within the OPT, immediately send to the region international monitors and observers to prevent more war crimes and to record those which have taken place;

  4.    Immediately withdraw financial support for Israel, including aid and preferential trade access, pending a complete and permanent withdrawal from the Occupied Palestinian Territories



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