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This is from a an Israeli in South Africa. > (cpmayson@mweb.co.za) From: Gush Shalom [mailto:adam@gush-shalom.org] Sent: 31 March 2002 14:01 To: List Subject: [Fwd] Appeal from Siege of Ramallah & LAW report The following two messages coming from Ramallah speak for themselves. The issue of execution of prisoners mentioned fits alarmlingly well with the repeated expressions from the highest level that 'this war has no territorial or other boundaries' -among others it was said by the Defence Minister during the March 29 press conference declaring the present war of re-occupation. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: ghaith alomari <galomari@hotmail.com> > To: <galomari@hotmail.com> > Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2002 4:05 PM > Subject: Fwd: Appeal from Siege of Ramallah > > > >APPEAL FOR HELP FROM THE SIEGE OF RAMALLAH >>30 March 2002, Easter Weekend > > > >We are members of the international and Palestinian community trapped > >in the Siege of Ramallah. > > > >On early Friday morning, 29 March 2002, Israeli forces re-invaded the > >city of Ramallah. The Israeli forces have occupied Ramallah > >completely and have established tank positions throughout the city, > >in all civilian areas. We can hear explosions, tank shelling and > >heavy caliber gunfire throughout the night and day. Israeli > >snipers are shooting regularly in civilian > >neighborhoods at times when they are not under any > >form of fire. As we write this, there are US-made > >Apache attack helicopters overhead firing on the city. > >Israeli bulldozers are creating permanent positions > >for the tanks in and around private houses. There is > >the constant sound of tank movements throughout > >residential areas. > > > >Israeli forces have attacked the Presidential > >compound, and are now holding Palestinian President > >Yasser Arafat hostage with no electricity, water or > >phone lines. Members of President Arafat's bodyguards > >have been killed, and others are still injured and > >being denied medical care. Conditions in the city are > >now deteriorating rapidly. > > > >Some of us have had experience in other sieges, in > >Sarajevo, Dili, and elsewhere. There is a familiar > >pattern of emergency rapidly developing. This is the beginning of a > >humanitarian crisis. Immediate intervention is required to prevent a > >disaster. > > > >No Movement Possible: Inhabitants of the city are > >under complete curfew. There is absolutely no freedom > >of movement, even for ambulances, doctors or > >international agencies, such as the International > >Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). There is no medical access. > >Palestine Red Crescent medical relief workers have not been permitted > >to provide medical services to the local population. Israeli forces > >are firing on anyone walking out on the streets. > > > >On Thursday, based on fears of an Israeli re-invasion, > >more than 500 inhabitants, including foreign > >nationals, lined up in the mud and rain at the > >Qalandiya checkpoint-the only exit point from the city allowed by > >Israel-begging Israeli soldiers to allow them to escape. In response, > > >Israeli soldiers fired over their heads, exacerbating the panic and > >causing most to simply return to Ramallah. > > > >Israeli Forces Using Human Shields: Israeli soldiers > >are occupying an increasing number of private > >residences and detaining the residents collectively in single rooms, > >with little or no access to telephone lines, news coverage or even > >food and water. In some cases, tens of civilians (including entire > >families) are being held in one room. Meanwhile, Israeli > >occupation soldiers have taken up armed positions in > >the houses or apartments of these residents. Civilian > >detainees include foreign nationals. > > > >No Access to the City: The ICRC, the UN and other humanitarian > >agencies are unable to access the city or to access the civilian > >detainees and other prisoners. > > > >Food Resources Limited: There is no food entering > >Ramallah and no one is allowed to restock. There will shortly be a > >food and drinking water crislis. Some parts of Ramallah are already > >without water altogether. Israeli soldiers are also eating the food > >of residents while taking up positions in their > >houses. > > > >Electricity Being Cut: Large parts of Ramallah are > >without electricity and heat. The weather has been > >raining and unseasonably cold - residents have been struggling to > >keep warm. The lack of electricity also means that residents are > >without television and any news reporting of the situation outside > >their homes. Many residents of the city rely on cellular phones for > >communication and without electricity they are unable > >to recharge their phones. Therefore, the population is > >being held in isolation and there is increasing fear > >and confusion. Also, some telephone landlines have > >been cut. > > > >Prisoners Being Taken: Israeli forces are taking Palestinians > >prisoner, in the streets and in house-to-house searches. Israeli > >troops are calling upon all male residents between the ages of 16 and > > >40 in some neighborhoods to "surrender". The wounded are > >being treated roughly and being denied medical access. > >Now, their fate is unknown. There are reports of > >summary execution of some prisoners. The ICRC does not > >have access to them to ensure adherence to > >international law, and specifically the Geneva > >Conventions. > > > >Gratuitous Vandalism and Destruction: There are > >on-going spiteful acts of destruction. Most commonly, Israeli tanks > >are driving over and flattening cars whether on the streets or parked > >on pavements in front of residences. Personal property inside houses > >is being destroyed in house-to-house searches. > > > > > >We, the besieged people of Ramallah, appeal to all > >people of good conscience around the world to mobilize immediately. > > > >We particularly appeal to the people of Israel, in > >whose name these actions are being taken, for help. To > >keep the option of peace alive, we appeal to you to > >ask your Government to immediately lift the siege. > > > >We appeal for the safety of all individuals. > > > >We appeal for freedom of movement within the city and outside access > >to the city. > > > >We appeal for food, medical supplies and access to > >medical treatment, electricity, water, phone lines and > >other necessary facilities. > > > >We appeal for access of humanitarian agencies, > >including the ICRC, to all detainees, prisoners and hostages, > >including Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, to ensure their > >well-being. > > > > > >WE APPEAL FOR THE SIEGE TO BE LIFTED. > > > >This appeal has been made to you by Palestinians, as > >well as nationals of the United States, the United > >Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jordan and other > >nationalities. > > > > > > > >For More Information: > > > >Due to fear of retribution, the names and contact information of > >those authoring this appeal have not been included. For their contact > >information, please contact Michael (972-52-266-208). > > > >International Committee of the Red Cross: Jer. (972-2) 582-8845, Tel > >Aviv (972-3) 524-5286 > > > >UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees > >(UNRWA): (972-2) 589-0401 > > > > > ------- Forwarded message follows ------- > Date sent: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 19:04:03 +0200 > From: "Lawsociety" <law@lawsociety.org> > > Five Palestinians executed in Ramallah > 30 March 2002 > > This morning, five Palestinians have been found dead in Taiboun building > > in Ramallah. The bodies were found by Maher Shalabi, correspondent for > Dubai TV. This morning at 10.30 he entered the building and discovered > the bodies of Khaled Fathi Mahmoud Awad (33), Ismail Ibrahim Zaid (56), > Said Hamam Abdelrahman (60), Abdelrahman Tawfiq Abdallah (58), and Omar > Muhammad Musa (54). > > Last night, Israeli forces had surrounded the building and prevented > anyone from entering. The building includes offices of several media > agencies, including MBC, Dubai TV, internet provider Palestine Online, > and Cairo Amman Bank. > > All five have been identified as officers in the Palestinian security > forces. They were found in one room. All five bodies were lying next to > eachother. They were injured in their faces and killed by gunshots in > the > head. Furthermore, eyewitnesses have told LAW that it seemed that the > bodies were spraid by bullets. On the ground lay many shells of bullets. > > Blood was found on the walls. > > LAW's assessment suggests that these five officers have been executed. > > LAW emphasizes that extra-judicial executions constitute willful > killings, which are a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and > as > such constitute war crimes subject to universal jurisdiction. Under > Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, these > > grave breaches constitute war crimes. Whatever policy the Israeli > government chooses to implement, it must by within the limits imposed by > > international humanitarian and human rights law. > > Extra-judicial killings cannot be reconciled with the Fourth Geneva > Convention, which seek to protect the lives of protected persons, and > violate human rights norms that affirm the right to life and the > prohibition on execution of civilians. > > Israel's ongoing human rights violations further illustrates the need > for > the immediate deployment of an international protection presence to > prevent violations of the Fourth Geneve Convention and to protect > Palestinian protected persons within the Occupied Palestinian > Territories. > > LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the > > Environment calls for a thorough, independent, and effective > international investigation into violations of the Fourth Geneva > Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including war > crimes, > and calls for those found responsible for such actions to be tried > before > an international court. > ____________________________ > > LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the > > Environment is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to preserving > human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is affiliate to the > International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Federation Internationale > > des Ligues de Droits de l'Homme (FIDH) and the World Organisation > Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). > > LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the > > Environment, PO Box 20873, Jerusalem, tel. +972-2-5833530, fax. +972-2- > 5833317, email: law@lawsociety.org, web: http://www.lawsociety.org > > ==^================================================================ > This email was sent to: sallygro@netactive.co.za > > EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84AlJ.a961wq > Or send an email to: Gush-Shalom-unsubscribe@topica.com > > T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! > http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register > ==^================================================================ > _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. 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