Humanitarian Issues

[ninathedog]

Op-Ed Columnist
Divorced Before Puberty

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: March 3, 2010

It’s hard to imagine that there have been many younger divorcées — or braver ones — than a pint-size third grader named Nujood Ali.

At her school in Yemen, Nujood received a visit from her publisher, Michel Lafon.

Nujood is a Yemeni girl, and it’s no coincidence that Yemen abounds both in child brides and in terrorists (and now, thanks to Nujood, children who have been divorced). Societies that repress women tend to be prone to violence.

For Nujood, the nightmare began at age 10 when her family told her that she would be marrying a deliveryman in his 30s. Although Nujood’s mother was unhappy, she did not protest. “In our country it’s the men who give the orders, and the women who follow them,” Nujood writes in a powerful new autobiography just published in the United States this week, “I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced.”

Her new husband forced her to drop out of school (she was in the second grade) because a married woman shouldn’t be a student. At her wedding, Nujood sat in the corner, her face swollen from crying.

Nujood’s father asked the husband not to touch her until a year after she had had her first menstrual period. But as soon as they were married, she writes, her husband forced himself on her.

He soon began to beat her as well, the memoir says, and her new mother-in-law offered no sympathy. “Hit her even harder,” the mother-in-law would tell her son.

Nujood had heard that judges could grant divorces, so one day she sneaked away, jumped into a taxi and asked to go to the courthouse.

“I want to talk to the judge,” the book quotes Nujood as forlornly telling a woman in the courthouse.

“Which judge are you looking for?”

“I just want to speak to a judge, that’s all.”

“But there are lots of judges in this courthouse.”

“Take me to a judge — it doesn’t matter which one!”

When she finally encountered a judge, Nujood declared firmly: “I want a divorce!”

Yemeni journalists turned Nujood into a cause célèbre, and she eventually won her divorce. The publicity inspired others, including an 8-year-old Saudi girl married to a man in his 50s, to seek annulments and divorces.

As a pioneer, Nujood came to the United States and was honored in 2008 as one of Glamour magazine’s “Women of the Year.” Indeed, Nujood is probably the only third grader whom Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has described as “one of the greatest women I have ever seen.”

Nujood’s memoir spent five weeks as the No. 1 best-seller in France. It is being published in 18 other languages, including her own native language of Arabic.

I asked Nujood, now 12, what she thought of her life as a best-selling author. She said the foreign editions didn’t matter much to her, but she was looking forward to seeing it in Arabic. Since her divorce, she has returned to school and to her own family, which she is supporting with her book royalties.

At first, Nujood’s brothers criticized her for shaming the family. But now that Nujood is the main breadwinner, everybody sees things a bit differently. “They’re very nice to her now,” said Khadija al-Salami, a filmmaker who mentors Nujood and who translated for me. “They treat her like a queen.”

Yemen is one of my favorite countries, with glorious architecture and enormously hospitable people. Yet Yemen appears to be a time bomb. It is a hothouse for Al Qaeda and also faces an on-and-off war in the north and a secessionist movement in the south. It’s no coincidence that Yemen is also ranked dead last in the World Economic Forum’s global gender gap index.

There are a couple of reasons countries that marginalize women often end up unstable.

First, those countries usually have very high birth rates, and that means a youth bulge in the population. One of the factors that most correlates to social conflict is the proportion of young men ages 15 to 24.

Second, those countries also tend to practice polygamy and have higher death rates for girls. That means fewer marriageable women — and more frustrated bachelors to be recruited by extremists.

So educating Nujood and giving her a chance to become a lawyer — her dream — isn’t just a matter of fairness. It’s also a way to help tame the entire country.

Consider Bangladesh. After it split off from Pakistan, Bangladesh began to educate girls in a way that Pakistan has never done. The educated women staffed an emerging garment industry and civil society, and those educated women are one reason Bangladesh is today far more stable than Pakistan.

The United States last month announced $150 million in military assistance for Yemen to fight extremists. In contrast, it costs just $50 to send a girl to public school for a year — and little girls like Nujood may prove more effective than missiles at defeating terrorists.

www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/opinion/04kristof.html

[ninathedog]

Improving Awareness and Respect for
Human Rights

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights / pchrgaza.org
Monday, 01 March 2010 00:00

Ref: 24 / 2010

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights proudly announces the launch of a new project beginning of this year in the occupied Palestinian territory. The three-year project entitled "Improving Awareness and Respect for Human Rights" is funded by the European Union and Oxfam Novib. It aims to empower local and international actors to challenge violations of the freedoms of movement, expression, information, assembly and association in the OPT by improving access to information about violations, providing legal aid, training as well as by lobbying local and international targets.

The programme, which has a budget of 964,680 Euro (approximately 5,151,650 NIS or 1,314,230 US dollars), will aim to achieve the following results:

• Availability of reliable data and reports on human rights violations;

• Increased local awareness on human rights for 950 professionals and activists and 6000 community members in the Gaza Strip;

• Access to and provision of legal aid for 9000 victims of human rights violations;

• International pressure on the reinforcement of Human Rights and PNA governments changing practices.

These goals will be achieved by monitoring, documenting and reporting Israeli and Palestinian human rights violations in the OPT; training and awareness raising for professionals, young activists and the local community; legal counseling and representation; as well as lobbying and advocacy on the PNA and international levels.

The programme activities were kicked off in January with a series of 12 lectures on the Rights of the Child under international and local law, targeting four areas in the Gaza Strip.

www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6199:improving-awareness-and-respect-for-human-rights-&catid=37:pchrnews-&Itemid=30

[ninathedog]

First Session of
Russell Tribunal on Palestine
Concludes in Barcelona

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights / PCHRGaza.org
Thursday, 04 March 2010 00:00

Ref: 24/2010

The first session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine convened in Barcelona, Spain from 1 to 3 March 2010. This important initiative brought together a number of lawyers, academics, experts and witnesses in order to address the legal issues arising from Israel’s occupation of Palestine, and the role of the European Union.

Mr. Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), was due to address the tribunal as an expert and a witness. However, as a result of the illegal closure of the Gaza Strip - which has now been in place for over two and a half consecutive years – Mr. Sourani´s right to freedom of movement was violated and he could not attend the session.

Mr. Daragh Murray, Legal Advisor at PCHR, addressed the Tribunal on Mr. Sourani behalf. Mr. Murray first addressed the denial of Palestinian’s legitimate right to self-determination. His intervention focused on the fundamental importance attributed to self-determination under international law, and he provided examples of how Israel’s illegal occupation policy has consistently violated this right.

Mr. Murray’s second intervention focused on the crimes committed during the course of last year’s offensive on the Gaza Strip. He stressed the humanitarian principles underpinning international human rights and humanitarian law and the essential importance of enforcing the rule of law if future violations are to be prevented.

In its final conclusions the Tribunal, having taken note of the experts’ reports and having heard the witnesses, found that Israel has committed and continues to commit grave breaches of international law against the Palestinian people.

As the Tribunal outlined, in particular Israel acts illegally:

1. by violating the right of Palestinian people to self-determination:

2. by occupying Palestinian territories since 1967 and refusing to leave them in violation of SC resolutions;

3. by pursuing a policy of systematic discrimination against Palestinians on Israeli and occupied Palestinian territory that can amount to apartheid;

4. by annexing Jerusalem in July 1980 and by systematically building settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank;

5. by constructing the Wall in the West Bank on Palestinian territory that it occupies, denying the Palestinians access to their own land, which illegitimacy has been confirmed by the ICJ in its advisory opinion of 9 July 2004;

6. by pursuing a policy of targeted killings against alleged Palestinian terrorist, without first attempting to arrest them;

7. And, moreover:

8. by maintaining the blockade on the Gaza Strip as a form of collective punishment;

9. by inflicting serious and extensive damage to civilian population of the Gaza Strip during operation Cast Lead of December 2008-January 2009.

The Tribunal also found that “while the EU and its member states are not the direct perpetrators of these acts, they nevertheless violate international law and the international legal order of the EU as set down in the EU Treaty either by failing to take the measures that Israel’s conduct requires them to take or by contributing directly or indirectly to such conduct”.

Therefore the Tribunal called the EU and its member states to fulfill their obligations forthwith by responding to the violations of international law committed by Israel and by refraining from contributing to them through passive or active forms of assistance.

The findings of the jury following the first session of the Russell Tribunal are available at www.russelltribunalonpalestine.net/ext/http://tribunalrussell.blog.pangea.org/

Further sessions of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine will be held in London at the end of 2010, in South Africa in mid-2011 and in the United States in late 2011.

www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6211:first-session-of-russell-tribunal-on-palestine-concludes-in-barcelona-&catid=37:pchrnews-&Itemid=30

[ninathedog]

The Rabbi, the Priest, the Imam and
Egypt’s Steel Wall

By Mohammed Omer
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs / 2010 March
Gaza on the Ground, Pages 11, 17



THE STEEL WALL Egypt is building along its nearly nine-mile border with the Gaza Strip extends almost 60 feet underground. Its purpose is to prevent Palestinians from digging the tunnels that have become Gaza’s only lifeline.

“The steel wall is a serious threat that will make life impossible for us here in Gaza,” said Abu Ayman, one of thousands of workers at the smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. The 41-year-old man, who declined to give his full name, explained that this is the only job that allows him to feed his four children, wife and two elderly parents. “What do you expect us to do,” he asked, “when there is a high rate of unemployment, and no other means of survival?”

Normally, Abu Ayman said, he would prefer to take on border-crossing and luggage-handling work, but “since the world does not allow it on the ground, we have to survive under the ground. It’s not easy—and it’s a very risky job—but it pays well, despite digging 20 meters underground and crawling a few hundred meters while digging, which causes pain and injuries to my knees.”

In July 2008, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was consulting with Egypt on the wall project. Despite an international outcry—with human rights groups charging that this latest wall “contributes to the cruel plan to further isolate Gaza’s population and violates their rights as an occupied people under the Fourth Geneva Convention”—the project has proceeded. According to media reports, the steel wall was designed and manufactured in the U.S. and will take 18 months to complete. Assembled like a jigsaw, it has been tested to ensure it is bomb-proof. An Egyptian security official denied these reports, but refused to comment further.

It is well known that, since all Gaza’s crossing points into Egypt and Israel have been closed since Hamas won the January 2006 parliamentary election, Palestinians have had to dig hundreds of underground tunnels to counter Israel’s ongoing siege by importing their basic necessities from Egypt (see Jan./Feb. 2009 Washington Report, p. 19). Issa Al Nasshar, Rafah’s mayor in the Hamas-led government, has estimated that 400 tunnels run under Gaza’s border with Egypt, employing 15,000 people and bringing in $1 million in desperately needed goods every day.

“The siege on the people of Gaza will be further exacerbated by the new wall of steel,” said Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, a participant in the Gaza Freedom March, after having spent some days on the Gaza border and denied entry. “The wall of steel and the brutal occupation of the Palestinian people supported by Egypt and the United States while the international community remains silent, violates human decency, international law and any hope for peace.”

“I wonder how the unarmed people of Gaza can pose a threat to the security of Egypt,” mused renowned Islamic scholar Dr. Yousef Al Qaradawi in a Friday sermon broadcast from Qatar’s Omar bin Khatab mosque. Calling on Egypt to halt construction of the controversial steel wall, he added, “We have been criticizing Israel for constructing a wall around Israeli settlements. Now we are doing the very same thing. We are in fact competing with Israel by deciding to construct a steel wall.”

Qaradawi expressed the hope that wisdom would return to the rulers of Egypt and that they would abstain from this move which, he said, amounts to a “premeditated criminal act.”

“I pray that Allah will show the right path to the Egyptian authorities. I hope they will correct their stance and do what every sensible Arab or Muslim would do,” he added. Furthermore, Imam Qaradawi said, “It is a pity that millions of pounds have been pumped into constructing this wall while unemployment remains so high in Egypt and many Egyptian people are struggling hard to find their daily meals.”

The issue of the wall has caused heated debate and disagreement among various Muslim scholars. In response to a statement made by the imams of Al Azhar University, Egypt’s most prestigious Islamic theological institution, who did not condemn the wall, Hamas marshaled Muslim scholars who decreed that the steel wall is haram, or forbidden.

Father Manuel Musallam, the senior Roman Catholic priest in Palestine, agrees with Imam Qaradawi. “We should remind the world that this siege is not only affecting the lives of 10 or 20 people,” he said. “It is 1.5 million Palestinians who are suffering every single day. Any obstacle put in our face,” he added, “is an obstacle in the face of our liberation.”

Given the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to bring together Arab states and broker a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, it was ironic to hear Egypt’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mahmoud Ouf, speaking at the unveiling of the new Egyptian Cultural Center in Riyadh, publicly dismiss charges that the wall being built by his country is aimed at starving the people of Gaza. The Arab News quoted him as saying, “Forced starvation is not possible because 95 percent of Gaza’s food, medicine and electricity do not come through these tunnels, but via crossing points along the border with Israel.”

The Egyptian diplomat failed to note, however, that Israel continues to prohibit most food items (except for flour and butter and other basic necessities), medicine and building materials from entering Gaza, and also controls electricity, which remains intermittent. Ambassador Ouf further maintained that the wall was not intended to force Hamas to resume peace talks with Israel.

Once completed, the steel wall would cut off besieged Gaza’s last lifeline. If that happens, said Father Musallam, “We will all die. But we will never die as slaves to others, nor in fear of American and Israeli hegemony. We will dig deeper in the ground, or go by sea. This steel wall will never stop our freedom,” he vowed.

Recognizing the role Egypt has played in the past, however, Father Musallam still doubts that Egyptians oppose freedom for the Palestinians, now or in the future, and has consistantly refused to accuse Egyptians of being traitors, as others have. ”We have shared a mouthful of food in the past, and we will share it again,” he said. “Egypt has always been there in the tough times.

“No Palestinian child has died yet due to shortages of food, and we will never allow it to happen,” vowed Father Musallam, who added that it is Israel alone which stands in the face of freedom for Palestinians.

According to Rabbi Gottlieb, such separation walls “are an abomination to every religious principle held sacred by Jewish tradition. Those of us concerned with human rights and human decency,” she added, “must continue to speak out and join our efforts at halting yet another layer of oppression piled upon a long-suffering people so that a just political solution can emerge, and all the children of the region can grow up with hope instead of fear.”

The New York-based rabbi and co-founder of Shomer Shalom Institute Network for Jewish Nonviolence has called on all Jews to resist the occupation “with every fiber of our being.”

During the night of Jan. 7, 13-year-old Mohammed Abu Hashish was killed while sleeping in the tent-door of a tunnel. Abu Ayman wondered sadly about this boy, who happened to be in the same class as his own children. He knew the boy’s hope was simply to work to help feed his family—just like Abu Ayman. “I just want to do my best,” the father said. “Advanced countries have reached the moon,” he observed bitterly, “and we are still made to dig under the ground.”

Award-winning journalist Mohammed Omer reports on the Gaza Strip and maintains the Web site <www.rafahtoday.org>. He can be reached at < [e-mail] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >.

wrmea.org/component/content/article/347-2010-march/8290-the-rabbi-the-priest-the-imam-and-egypts-steel-wall.html

[ninathedog]

Secret report: U.S. is
cozying up to Palestinians

By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Last update - 04:11 07/03/2010
Haaretz.com

The U.S. administration will not put a lot of effort into the upcoming indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, opting instead to focus on the November Congressional elections, according to an internal Foreign Ministry report that was distributed to Israeli diplomatic missions abroad.

The classified report claims that in the preparatory discussions for the Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks the Obama administration adopted positions that are closer to Palestinian demands.

"The recent American statements point to the adoption of wording in line, even if partially and cautiously, with Palestinian demands in regard to the framework and structure of negotiations," the report stated. "Still, the [U.S.] administration is making sure to avoid commenting on its position on core issues."

U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell arrived in Israel last night for what is expected to be a final series of talks before the official announcement of the resumption of talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, in an indirect format.

The proximity talks are to continue for four months. They will involve Mitchell going between Jerusalem and Ramallah, relaying messages and responses, or, alternatively, talks in either Washington or Europe.

Mitchell met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak last night and is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Mitchel is slated to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Monday in hopes of announcing the resumption of talks immediately afterward, Monday night.

The Central Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization is expected to meet in Ramallah Sunday to confirm the Palestinians' return to negotiations.

A senior American official told Haaretz Saturday that the talks are expected to resume within days.

"We told the parties that our goal is to achieve two states for two peoples through negotiations," the U.S. official said. "If there are obstacles we will try to help to overcome them and to propose our own ideas, and if we think one of the parties is not meeting its obligations we will say so."

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is due to arrive in Israel Monday afternoon. The Obama administration hopes to be in a position to announce the resumption of talks before his arrival so that his visit can concentrate on U.S. relations with Israel and with the PA rather than on bridging the gap between Israel and the Palestinians.

Biden is expected to present the administration's broad vision of the peace process and to avoid focusing on the details of the conflict.

The report released recently by the Foreign Ministry's center for political research, which focuses on strategic foreign policy, is less optimistic about the chances for progress in the next round of peace talks. The document was delivered to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and to Israeli diplomatic missions abroad several days ago.

According to the report Washington is aware of the domestic political problems faced separately by both Netanyahu and Abbas and has decided to concentrate on achieving the limited goal of restarting the negotiations. The peace talks will not be at the top of the Obama administration's agenda, the report claims.

"In our assessment the administration will focus in the coming year on domestic issues that are expected to determine the results of the Congressional elections," [/color]the report's authors wrote. "As such, and due to the difficulties to date in achieving significant gains in the peace process we can assume that the administration's focus on this issue will be limited and will predominantly remain in the hands of Mitchell's teams."

According to the report, Washington can be expected to portray the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian talks as a domestic and international achievement, in the hope of creating an atmosphere that is conducive to direct negotiations between the parties on the core issues.

The authors of the report also predict that the administration will avoid taking any position that suggests disagreement with Israel, because of the support that Israel enjoys among both parties in Congress.

www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1154530.html

[ninathedog]

In memory of Rachel Corrie
1979–2003

Rachel's Mom Remembers
No Answers From Israel

By Cindy Corrie (Rachel's mom) --

7 YEARS AGO this week, my daughter Rachel Corrie was killed in Gaza -- run over by Israeli soldiers on a bulldozer. Complete exoneration of the soldiers was granted by the Israel government, the case was closed and they refuse to release the report to the US government about my daughter's killing.

Only the "conclusions" of the report have been released. In them, the soldiers are identified by their initials: Sergeant Y.F. and Sergeant E.V. Their initials are nearly all we know of them. I wonder about Y.F. and E.V. I wonder whether they will pause this week and remember.

Rachel was an unarmed peace activist trying to prevent the demolition of the home of a Palestinian pharmacist, his wife, and three children. She believed that nonviolent direct action against the Israeli occupation would make Palestinians, and also Israelis and Americans, more secure. Rachel stood there to protect a home and family in Gaza because the United States and Israel rejected a UN proposal to send international human rights monitors there. International activists went instead. Rachel stood there protesting illegal home demolitions that the United States opposes on the record yet fails to stop -- destruction that we support with billions in annual military aid to Israel for bulldozers, Apache helicopters, F-16s, and more.

Rachel wrote to me from Rafah: "This has to stop. I think it is a good idea for us all to drop everything and devote our lives to making this stop. I don't think it's an extremist thing to do anymore. I still really want to dance around to Pat Benatar and have boyfriends and make comics for my coworkers. But I also want this to stop."

On March 17, 2003, President Bush spoke with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon about Rachel's killing. Sharon assured Bush that the Israeli government would undertake a "thorough, credible, and transparent investigation" and would report the results to the United States.

On March 19, 2003, Richard Boucher, spokesman for the State Department, noted in reference to Rachel: "When we have the death of an American citizen, we want to see it fully investigated. That is one of our key responsibilities overseas, to look after the welfare of American citizens and to find out what happened in situations like these."

In Congress, Representative Brian Baird of Washington state introduced a bill calling on the US government to "undertake a full, fair, and expeditious investigation into the death of Rachel Corrie." Others warned that passage was unlikely because of strong sentiment in Congress to avoid any legislation that appears critical of Israel. Nevertheless, 56 House members have signed the bill.

Despite promises of a transparent investigation, only two American Embassy staff members in Tel Aviv and my husband and I were allowed to "view" the full document. While it refers to evidence gathered by the Israeli military police, no primary evidence is included. Commenting on the report on July 1, 2003, Richard LeBaron, US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission in Tel Aviv, stated, "there are several inconsistencies worthy of note."

For our family, the report raises questions and fails to reconcile differences between Israeli soldiers who say they could not see Rachel and seven international eyewitnesses who say she was clearly visible. Despite lingering concerns, there has been no move by the White House, the State Department, or the Justice Department to initiate a US investigation. Some ask if a precedent exists for investigating in another country without being "invited." The Israeli government has apparently not extended such an invitation.

The London Metropolitan Police, however, are now conducting inquests into the deaths in Rafah of British nationals Tom Hurndall and James Miller. In a seven-week period in 2003, Tom, James, and Rachel were all struck down in the same area, where the Israel Defense Forces are building a high steel wall and demolishing Palestinian homes. Remarkably, the London police recently transferred the Hurndall and Miller cases to one coroner, reasoning that a series of similar deaths in a short time could indicate "a more complex systematic problem" within the Israeli military.

Our family continues to call for a US investigation into Rachel's death. As we wait, I still wonder about Y.F. and E.V. I wonder whether they, too, see images of Rachel lying before the bulldozer. I wonder whether they, too, are suffering, or whether March 16, 2003, was for them just another day on the job.

I wonder.

Cindy Corrie, a former educator and music teacher, lives in Olympia, Wash.

islamnewsroom.com/news-we-need/1173-rachels-mom-remembers

www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7x2IEd-VN8


www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugOiF4araMg

[ninathedog]

Today, do something for Rachel

From: Cindy Corrie <[e-mail]>
Tue, March 16, 2010 11:36:39 AM

Dear Jennifer,

This month, a civil lawsuit in Israel in the case of our daughter Rachel Corrie will converge with the seven-year anniversary of her killing in Gaza. A human rights observer and activist, Rachel, 23, was crushed to death by an Israel Defense Force (IDF) Caterpillar D9R bulldozer as she tried nonviolently to offer protection for a Palestinian family whose home was threatened with demolition. This lawsuit is one piece of our family's seven-year effort to pursue accountability for Rachel while, also, challenging the Occupation that claimed her life.

On this day, when Rachel's presence is powerful for many of us, we're asking all of our friends to support Rachel's vision of freedom for Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip by participating in what we are calling the International Day of Conscience. Please join her struggle by calling the White House today - this link has all the information you need:

salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/signUp.jsp?key=4966

Seven years later, Rachel's memory is still vibrant. I'm writing to you from Israel where we are plaintiffs in a civil case against the state of Israel for its responsibility in her death. In addition to seeking accountability through the Israeli court system, we're asking all of our friends to support Rachel's vision of freedom for Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip by participating in a national call-in day to the White House.

I hope I can count on you to:

* Call the White House at 202-456-1111

* Urge Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell to visit Gaza and demand that the United States break the blockade of Gaza by providing immediate humanitarian aid and building materials.

* Tell us about your call. Tracking your calls makes a difference.
salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/signUp.jsp?key=4966

You can also make the call tomorrow.
Please forward this email to help spread the word.

Thank you,

Cindy Corrie

P.S. Click here to view the trial updates page on the Rachel Corrie Foundation website.
rachelcorriefoundation.org/trial

Please continue calling throughout the week.


Jewish Voice for Peace
* Subscribe to our blog Muzzlewatch through Feedburner or Twitter.
* Inspired by what we're doing? Please donate now. Every donation makes a difference.
* Contact us directly at Jewish Voice for Peace.
1611 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 550. Oakland, CA 94612
510-465-1777 [e-mail]

[ninathedog]

Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
Trial Updates Page

(March 16, 2010)

Next Court Date: Wednesday March 17th, 9AM–1:30PM
Haifa District Court, Room 615, Palyam Street, Haifa, Israel

Home » Trial Updates
Trial Updates

We will be updating this page now through the end of the upcoming trial in Israel over the death of Rachel Corrie.

You can also follow our Trial Updates blog for news stories and updates from the group in Israel/Palestine.

If you would like to receive email updates as they are released, please click here to sign up for our mailing list.

Page has LINKS. Please visit here:
rachelcorriefoundation.org/trial

Documents

* March 15: Eye Witness Testifies: Israeli Military Investigator Tried to Influence My Statement (Read it online here.)
o English (pdf, 166.24 KB)
* March 14: Autopsy doctor admits to violating court order in Rachel Corrie autopsy (Read it online here.)
o English (pdf, 146.02 KB)
* Israeli Court Begins Hearing Testimonies in the Unlawful Killing of 23 year old American Activist Rachel Corrie (pdf, 134.99 KB) (Read it online here.)
* Press Release: Family Seeks Accountability Seven Years After An Israeli Military Bulldozer Crushed Their 23 Year Old Daughter To Death (Read it online here.)
o Arabic (pdf, 148.02 KB)
o English (pdf, 155.51 KB)
o Español (pdf, 122.01 KB)
o Hebrew (pdf, 58.6 KB)
* Case Synopsis: Corrie v. The State of Israel (pdf, 110.38 KB)
* Joe Biden questions James Cunningham on issues related to Rachel Corrie (pdf, 67.37 KB)

Photos for Press Use

* Rachel Corrie photo for print (jpg, 674.64 KB)
Attribution: “Rachel Corrie / Courtesy Rachel Corrie Foundation”

Press Clippings

* Rachel Corrie’s parents: ‘She didn’t expect to die that day’ – The National
* Thoughts on Early Coverage of the Rachel Corrie Civil Trial in Israel – Philip Munger
* Rachel Corrie case stirs fresh pain and hope – Global Post
* State accused of whitewash as Rachel Corrie suit begins – Haaretz
* Israeli military on trial in Rachel Corrie case – IMEMC
* 7 Years After Killing, Family of Slain US Peace Activist Rachel Corrie Heads to Israel for Wrongful Death Suit Against Israeli Government – Democracy Now!
* Corrie’s sister to Haaretz: U.S. encouraged family to sue Israel – Haaretz
* ‘I saw Israeli bulldozer kill Rachel Corrie’ – The Independent
* British activist saw Rachel Corrie die under Israeli bulldozer, court hears – The Guardian
* Rachel Corrie civil action to open in Israel – BBC
* Parents of US Activist Seek Israeli Compensation – Voice of America
* Corrie family finally puts Israel in dock over daughter’s death – The National
* Trial begins over death of US activist in Gaza – Ynet
* Family of slain U.S. activist sues Israel – Reuters
* Israeli Defense Ministry goes on trial for Corrie death – Ma’an News Agency
* Israel grants visas to witnesses in suit over Rachel Corrie death – Ha’aretz
* US activist’s family to sue Israel – AFP
* Rachel Corrie Gets Her Day in Court – Robert Naiman, Huffington Post
* Seven Years Later, Rachel Corrie’s Parents Are Putting the Israeli Military on Trial – Nina Shapiro, Seattle Weekly
* (French) Rachel Corrie: un procès intenté à Israël – Le Figaro
* Corrie family sues Israel – JTA
* Rachel Corrie’s family bring civil suit over human shield’s death in Gaza – Rory McCarthy, The Guardian

[ninathedog]

On 7th anniversary of Rachel Corrie's murder,
Palestinian street named in her honor

by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News
Wednesday March 17, 2010 08:25



Rachel Corrie St. in Ramallah
(photo from ISM)

Commemorations were held in several places in the Palestinian Territories Tuesday, including a ceremony in Ramallah with Corrie's parents to name a street in the slain activist's honor, marking the seventh anniversary of her death at the hands of an Israeli soldier.

The street-naming ceremony took place while Corrie's parents were in Israel for the hearing of their lawsuit against the Israeli government for killing their daughter in 2003. Rachel Corrie was one of a group of activists with the International Solidarity Movement who were standing in front of a Palestinian home to prevent it from being demolished, when she was run over repeatedly by a US-made Israeli armored bulldozer and killed.

According to the International Solidarity Movement, “Approximately fifty Palestinians, Internationals and media then joined Craig and Cindy Corrie, Rachel’s parents, for the inauguration ceremony of Rachel Corrie Street in Ramallah. Speeches were delivered by both the Mayor and Governor of Ramallah, the Minister of State, National Parties’ Coordinator, an ISM activist and Rachel’s parents.”

In another of Tuesday's commemorations of the killing of Rachel Corrie, in Tulkarem, students of Kafr Sur Secondary School, who have been working on a research project about Rachel’s life and death, today marked the anniversary with a march to a memorial stone at the entrance to the village. The students were joined by children from the nearby primary school, as the stone was unveiled and speeches were delivered by the headmaster, one of the students, and an ISM activist.

The International Solidarity Movement reported that at both events, speakers talked of the lasting impact left by Rachel, as an inspiration to those involved with the non-violent resistance in Palestine and across the world. Rachel’s mother spoke about how her daughter has become a symbol for the anti-Occupation movement, and of how grateful she and her family are to the Palestinians they have come to know and love over the past seven years. Cindy Corrie, Rachel's mother, said the Palestinian people have continued to provide her family with unfailing support, despite the suffering they themselves continue to experience.

www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=58225

[emeraldsun]

Rape in Haiti, Women, Girls detail violent acts in the aftermath of earthquake

Girls as young as 2 face rape in Haitian tent cities


PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — When the young woman needed to use the toilet, she went out into the darkened tent camp and was attacked by three men.

"They grabbed me, put their hands over my mouth and then the three of them took turns," the slender 21-year-old said, wriggling with discomfort as she nursed her baby girl, born three days before Haiti's devastating quake.

"I am so ashamed. We're scared people will find out and shun us," said the woman, who suffers from abdominal pain and itching, likely from an infection contracted during the attack.

Women and children as young as 2, already traumatized by the loss of homes and loved ones in the Jan. 12 catastrophe, are now falling victim to rapists in the sprawling tent cities that have become home to hundreds of thousands of people.

With no lighting and no security, they are menacing places after sunset. Sexual assaults are daily occurrences in the biggest camps, aid workers say – and most attacks go unreported because of the shame, social stigma and fear of reprisals from attackers.

link here: www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/16/rape-in-haiti-women-girls_n_501588.html

[ninathedog]

I liked the quote I'm posting here and I didn't intend to go into depth about the trial in the killing of Rachel Corrie, but this post kind of snowballed due to the content of the article from which the quote it taken. Please bear with me...

The following quote is picked up from the Media Lens Bulletin Board
members5.boardhost.com/medialens/msg/1268686468.html

Original article is here:
www.redress.cc/palestine/jcook20090905

Title of article:
Prof Yehuda Hiss: the missing link in Palestinian organ theft?
The autopsy surgeon Aftonbladet forgot

By Jonathan Cook in Nazareth
5 September 2009

Jonathan Cook considers the role of Professor Yehuda Hiss, the chief Israeli state pathologist at the only institute in Israel that conducts autopsies, in the scandal over the theft of Palestinian body parts. He notes that Prof Hiss has never been jailed despite admitting to organ theft in the 1990s...article continues for many paragraphs...

(article is quite extensive, please follow link to read in its entirety)

Quote pulled from the end:

" When Palestinian demands for justice
: are not backed by investigations from
: journalists or the protests of the
: international community, Israel can safely
: ignore them.
:
: It is worth remembering in this context the
: constant refrain from Israel’s peace camp
: that the brutal, four-decade occupation of
: the Palestinians has profoundly corrupted
: Israeli society.
:
: When the army enjoys power without
: accountability, how do Palestinians, or we,
: know what soldiers are allowed to get away
: with under cover of occupation? What
: restraints are in place to prevent abuses?
: And who takes them to task if they do commit
: crimes?
:
: Similarly, when Israeli politicians are able
: to cry “blood libel” or “anti-Semitism” when
: they are criticized, damaging the
: reputations of those they accuse, what
: incentive do they have to initiate inquiries
: that may harm them or the institutions they
: oversee? What reason do they have to be
: honest when they can bludgeon a critic into
: silence, at no cost to themselves?
:
: This is the meaning of the phrase “Power
: corrupts”, and Israeli politicians and
: soldiers, as well as at least one
: pathologist, demonstrably have far too much
: power – most especially over Palestinians
: under occupation."
:


The above article is relevant to the Rachel Corrie autopsy:
Dr. Yehuda Hiss was the pathologist who performed the Israeli autopsy of Miss Corrie --

Autopsy doctor admits to violating court order in Rachel Corrie autopsy

Posted on: March 15, 2010
Rachel Corrie Foundation
14 March 2010

For Immediate Release:

Today 14 March 2010 the Haifa District Court saw the second full day of testimony in the civil lawsuit filed by Rachel Corrie’s family against the State of Israel for her unlawful killing in Rafah, Gaza. Rachel Corrie, an American human rights defender from Olympia, Washington, was crushed to death on March 16, 2003 by a Caterpillar D9R bulldozer. She had been nonviolently demonstrating against Palestinian home demolitions with fellow members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using nonviolent, direct action methods and principles.

In today’s hearing:

- Dr. Yehuda Hiss, the former head of the Israel Forensic Institute who conducted the autopsy of Rachel Corrie at the request of the Israeli military, admitted that he violated an Israeli court order requiring that an official from the U.S. Embassy be present during Rachel’s autopsy. Hiss also stated that his policy was not to allow entrance to the autopsy to anyone who is not a physician or biologist. Dr. Hiss stated that he spoke by phone with the US Embassy after receiving the court order and was told they would not be sending a representative, and that the Corrie family had agreed to the autopsy. Dr. Hiss admitted there was no documentation in his file of this conversation with the Embassy. The U.S. Embassy has repeatedly told the family that this was not the conversation that occurred.

- Dr. Hiss also disclosed that he had kept samples from Rachel’s body for histological testing without informing her family. Dr. Hiss admitted that he did not inform the family about their right to bury the samples and that the samples were likely to have been buried with other body samples from the Institute, but he was uncertain. This was the first time that the family of Rachel Corrie received confirmation that the Israeli Forensic Institute had indeed kept samples of her body, despite prior attempts to receive this information. Dr. Hiss has been the subject of a prior lawsuit in Israel brought by families for whom he did not return body parts and samples.

- The judge granted the Corries’ request to expand their punitive damages request, to include the failure to ensure that a U.S. Embassy official was present during the autopsy. In response to the State’s demand, the judge requested that the Corries specify the amount of claimed punitive damages. The Corries set the punitive damages at the symbolic amount of $1, stating that the court’s pronouncement of accountability and preventing future harm to others was more important to them than money.

- The judge granted the Corries’ motion to allow into evidence the medical report of Dr. Ahmed Abu Nikera the Palestinian physician who pronounced Rachel’s death in Rafah, Gaza. The State agreed to the admission of this report only after the judge granted the Corries’ earlier motion to allow Abu Nikera to testify via video conference from Gaza. In Professor Hiss’s testimony, he stated that Abu Nikera’s medical report was consistent with his findings, including the statement that Rachel had arrived dead at the hospital.

Today’s hearing also included the conclusion of Tom Dale’s testimony, a fellow ISM activist and eyewitness to Rachel’s killing.

Today’s hearing was attended by several observers, including Andrew Parker, the U.S. Embassy Consul General and human rights representatives, including Lawyers without Borders, and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).

Testimony will continue on March 15 from 9am-1pm, and on March 17 from 9am-4pm.

[Download this press release: rachelcorriefoundation.org/download/14]

In the Media

Associated Press, ‘Trial begins over death of US activist in Gaza’
CNN, ‘Parents demand answers from Israel in bulldozer death’
Democracy Now, ‘Civil Trial Begins over Israeli Army Killing of Rachel Corrie’
Guardian, ‘British activist saw Rachel Corrie die under Israeli bulldozer, court hears’
Ha’aretz, ‘State accused of whitewash as Rachel Corrie suit begins’
Ha’aretz, ‘State: IDF not to blame for activist Rachel Corrie’s death’
Ha’aretz, ‘Corrie’s sister to Haaretz: U.S. encouraged family to sue Israel’
Huffington Post, ‘Rachel Corrie’s (Posthumous) Day in Court’
Independent, ‘I saw Israeli bulldozer kill Rachel Corrie’
Ma’an News, ‘Israeli Defense Ministry goes on trial for Corrie death’
Reuters, ‘Family of slain U.S. activist sues Israel’
The National, ‘Corrie family finally puts Israel in dock over daughter’s death’
YNet News, ‘Dozens protest near Haifa Court in memory of Rachel Corrie’

Updated on March 15, 2010
Posted under: Press Releases
Tags: Cindy and Craig Corrie, demolitions, Gaza, Rachel Corrie

palsolidarity.org/2010/03/11752

[ninathedog]

Mar 18, 2010 20:00:33 GMT 4 @emeraldsun said:

Rape in Haiti, Women, Girls detail violent acts in the aftermath of earthquake

Girls as young as 2 face rape in Haitian tent cities


PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — When the young woman needed to use the toilet, she went out into the darkened tent camp and was attacked by three men.

"They grabbed me, put their hands over my mouth and then the three of them took turns," the slender 21-year-old said, wriggling with discomfort as she nursed her baby girl, born three days before Haiti's devastating quake.

"I am so ashamed. We're scared people will find out and shun us," said the woman, who suffers from abdominal pain and itching, likely from an infection contracted during the attack.

Women and children as young as 2, already traumatized by the loss of homes and loved ones in the Jan. 12 catastrophe, are now falling victim to rapists in the sprawling tent cities that have become home to hundreds of thousands of people.

With no lighting and no security, they are menacing places after sunset. Sexual assaults are daily occurrences in the biggest camps, aid workers say – and most attacks go unreported because of the shame, social stigma and fear of reprisals from attackers.

link here: www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/16/rape-in-haiti-women-girls_n_501588.html

[ninathedog]

Wavering between posting this in the "Ideas" thread and posting it here and deciding: here.

Don't let AIPAC speak for you

From: "Cecilie Surasky, Jewish Voice for Peace" <[e-mail]>
Fri, March 19, 2010 9:05:26 AM

AIPAC's annual Washington DC policy conference takes place next week, and thousands of AIPAC members will tell Congress that the Obama administration is being too hard on Israel. Why? Because Obama, Biden and Clinton dared to insist that Israel abide by international law and freeze settlement construction.

We need to let Obama and Congress know that AIPAC doesn't speak for us, and that the time is over for unconditional aid to support settlement expansion and human rights violations. It's the only way we'll ever achieve a lasting peace.

Please click here to submit a letter to Congress: salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2643

The stand-off over settlements started last week in Israel. Just hours after Vice President Joe Biden reiterated the unassailable bond between the US and Israel on a visit meant to help launch 3rd party "proximity" peace talks, Israel's Interior Ministry announced approval for the construction of 1,600 Jewish only housing units (which later turned into 50,000) in East Jerusalem.

This is land which the United States and the rest of the international community considers occupied and an essential part of any future Palestinian state. Netanyahu called the timing a bureaucratic slip-up, yet announced that settlement expansion in Jerusalem, "and in all other places", will continue as it has "over the last 42 years."
Link: www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1156570.html

This was a slap in the face of the Obama administration heard around the world. And it came on the heels of a groundbreaking US military briefing at the Pentagon which made it clear that Israeli intransigence is endangering the lives of American troops in the Middle East.
Link: mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/03/14/the_petraeus_briefing_biden_s_embarrassment_is_not_the_whole_story (this article follows this post)

JVP has long been critical of the US's special relationship with Israel. We believe that unconditional economic and financial support has harmed both Israelis and Palestinians by enabling the massive growth in illegal settlements, a major obstacle to peace in the region. Unconditional US aid to Israel also gives defacto support to other violations like the devastating multi-year blockade of Gaza.

That is why we were pleased to see the Obama Administration finally making some strong demands that Israel abide by international law — Hillary Rodham Clinton upbraided Prime Minister Netanyahu and told Israel to reverse approval of the new housing units in E. Jerusalem and look at easing the siege of the Gaza Strip.

But it remains to be seen if the U.S. will impose any consequences if Israel doesn't meet them.

Next week, AIPAC's thousands of members will tell Congress to make no demands on Israel while Congress keeps billions of dollars coming. Make no mistake — what they'll really be doing is protecting illegal settlements and Israel's right to continue taking Palestinian land.

That's why we want you to email Congress now to let them know that you back the Obama administration's reaction, you support an end to settlements, and most importantly, you want the US to do whatever is necessary to make sure Israel abides by international law, including withholding aid until it does. We'll send a copy of your note to the White House so they know they have the support of tens of thousands of Americans for a more robust response to Israeli defiance of the law and President Obama.

IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES, please go here to send a message to President Obama.
Link: salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2652

Thank you,

Cecilie, Sydney, Rebecca, Stefanie and the rest of the team at Jewish Voice for Peace

P.S. Obama and team can also look in their backyard to see another source of support for illegal settlement expansion that can be stopped: the network of tax-exempt US-based charities which send millions of dollars to fund illegal settlements in places like Hebron and East Jerusalem.

JVP has just released a new policy paper on settlement funding. Click here to read it now.
Link: www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_1275.shtml


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Contact us directly at Jewish Voice for Peace.
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tel. [phone]
[e-mail]

[ninathedog]

The Petraeus briefing:
Biden’s embarrassment is not the whole story

By Mark Perry
Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 11:05 PM

On Jan. 16, two days after a killer earthquake hit Haiti, a team of senior military officers from the U.S. Central Command (responsible for overseeing American security interests in the Middle East), arrived at the Pentagon to brief Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The team had been dispatched by CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus to underline his growing worries at the lack of progress in resolving the issue. The 33-slide, 45-minute PowerPoint briefing stunned Mullen. The briefers reported that there was a growing perception among Arab leaders that the U.S. was incapable of standing up to Israel, that CENTCOM's mostly Arab constituency was losing faith in American promises, that Israeli intransigence on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was jeopardizing U.S. standing in the region, and that Mitchell himself was (as a senior Pentagon officer later bluntly described it) "too old, too slow ... and too late."

The January Mullen briefing was unprecedented. No previous CENTCOM commander had ever expressed himself on what is essentially a political issue; which is why the briefers were careful to tell Mullen that their conclusions followed from a December 2009 tour of the region where, on Petraeus's instructions, they spoke to senior Arab leaders. "Everywhere they went, the message was pretty humbling," a Pentagon officer familiar with the briefing says. "America was not only viewed as weak, but its military posture in the region was eroding." But Petraeus wasn't finished: two days after the Mullen briefing, Petraeus sent a paper to the White House (correction below) requesting that the West Bank and Gaza (which, with Israel, is a part of the European Command -- or EUCOM), be made a part of his area of operations. Petraeus's reason was straightforward: with U.S. troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military had to be perceived by Arab leaders as engaged in the region's most troublesome conflict.

[UPDATE: A senior military officer denied Sunday that Petraeus sent a paper to the White House.

"CENTCOM did have a team brief the CJCS on concerns revolving around the Palestinian issue, and CENTCOM did propose a UCP change, but to CJCS, not to the WH," the officer said via email. "GEN Petraeus was not certain what might have been conveyed to the WH (if anything) from that brief to CJCS."

(UCP means "unified combatant command," like CENTCOM; CJCS refers to Mullen; and WH is the White House.)]

The Mullen briefing and Petraeus's request hit the White House like a bombshell. While Petraeus's request that CENTCOM be expanded to include the Palestinians was denied ("it was dead on arrival," a Pentagon officer confirms), the Obama administration decided it would redouble its efforts -- pressing Israel once again on the settlements issue, sending Mitchell on a visit to a number of Arab capitals and dispatching Mullen for a carefully arranged meeting with the chief of the Israeli General Staff, Lt. General Gabi Ashkenazi. While the American press speculated that Mullen's trip focused on Iran, the JCS Chairman actually carried a blunt, and tough, message on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: that Israel had to see its conflict with the Palestinians "in a larger, regional, context" -- as having a direct impact on America's status in the region. Certainly, it was thought, Israel would get the message.

Israel didn't. When Vice President Joe Biden was embarrassed by an Israeli announcement that the Netanyahu government was building 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem, the administration reacted. But no one was more outraged than Biden who, according to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, engaged in a private, and angry, exchange with the Israeli Prime Minister. Not surprisingly, what Biden told Netanyahu reflected the importance the administration attached to Petraeus's Mullen briefing: "This is starting to get dangerous for us," Biden reportedly told Netanyahu. "What you're doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. That endangers us and it endangers regional peace." Yedioth Ahronoth went on to report: "The vice president told his Israeli hosts that since many people in the Muslim world perceived a connection between Israel's actions and US policy, any decision about construction that undermines Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem could have an impact on the personal safety of American troops fighting against Islamic terrorism." The message couldn't be plainer: Israel's intransigence could cost American lives.

There are important and powerful lobbies in America: the NRA, the American Medical Association, the lawyers -- and the Israeli lobby. But no lobby is as important, or as powerful, as the U.S. military. While commentators and pundits might reflect that Joe Biden's trip to Israel has forever shifted America's relationship with its erstwhile ally in the region, the real break came in January, when David Petraeus sent a briefing team to the Pentagon with a stark warning: America's relationship with Israel is important, but not as important as the lives of America's soldiers. Maybe Israel gets the message now.

Mark Perry's newest book is Talking To Terrorists

[UPDATE 2--from Mark Perry: A senior military officer told Foreign Policy by email that one minor detail in my report, "The Petraeus Briefing" was incorrect: a request from General Petraeus for the Palestinian occupied territories (but, as I made clear, not Israel itself), be brought within CENTCOM's region of operation was sent to JCS Chairman Mullen - and not directly to the White House. My information was based on conversations with CENTCOM officials, who believed they were giving me correct information. It is significant that the correction was made, not because it is an important detail, but because it is was inconsequential to the overall narrative. In effect, the U.S. military has clearly said there was nothing in this report that could be denied.]

mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/03/14/the_petraeus_briefing_biden_s_embarrassment_is_not_the_whole_story

[ninathedog]

U.S Consulate Blocks Award-Winning Journalist
from Coming to Chicago

By Matthew Rothschild
March 19, 2010

Mohammed Omer was one of two winners of the 2007 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. That prize goes “to a journalist whose work has penetrated the established version of events and told an unpalatable truth, validated by powerful facts, that exposes establishment propaganda.”

The unpalatable truth Omer told was about life in Gaza. “He is a profoundly humane witness to one of the great injustices of our time,” his citation read. “He is the voice of the voiceless.”

Now he himself is voiceless in the United States, since “the U.S. consulate in the Netherlands has put an extended hold” on his visa application, says Sarah Macaraeg of Haymarket Books. Omer, a Palestinian, now lives in the Netherlands.

Omer was to speak on April 5th at the Newberry Library in Chicago at an event sponsored by Haymarket Books and funded by the Lannan Foundation. The topic: “Reflections on Life and War in Gaza.”

“I'm not surprised that Mohamed Omer would have difficulty getting a visa to enter the U.S.,” says Jennifer Loewenstein, who teaches in the Middle East Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “When he was here in Madison a few years ago the audiences he spoke to were spellbound. He showed pictures of Gaza and told stories of his life that are impossible to forget.”

Omer’s Gellhorn Award cost him. When he tried to return from England to Gaza, agents of the Israeli security forces detained him, interrogated him, hurt him, and humiliated him, Gideon Levy reported for Haaretz.

“I’m emotionally destroyed,” Omer told Levy.

“This is the side of Israel that people living in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem that people see every day,” says Loewenstein. “A brutal, racist, bullying regime that gets away with impunity because of its backing by the US and a pro-Israel lobby of both the established Jewish community, the 70-million strong Christian Zionists, and others who still believe it is in our interests to protect and support this rogue regime.”

More than a dozen religious and nonprofit groups cooperated in the planning of Omer’s Chicago visit, including the American Friends Service Committee, the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago--Peace and Justice Committee, the Islamic Medical Association of Northwestern, Jewish Voice for Peace, and the Middle East Task Force of Chicago Presbytery.

While in the United States, Omer was also planning on visiting Houston and Santa Fe.

Haymarket Books is asking supporters to contact the U.S. consulate in the Netherlands and demand the approval of Omer’s visa. The consulate can be reached at [e-mail].

www.progressive.org/mc031910.html



Mohammed's letter to the U.S. Ambassador in the Netherlands:

Mohammed Omer Al Moghayer
xxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx
The Hague
The Netherlands
E-mail: [e-mail]
Cellphone: xxxxxxxxx

The Honorable Fay Hartog Levin
U.S. Embassy, The Hague
Lange Voorhout 102
2514 EJ

March 9, 2010

Dear Madam Ambassador:

My purpose for writing you is an appeal. On March 5, 2010 I was not given a visa to enter the United States for a speaking tour on the subjects of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the Middle East.

My name is Mohammed Omer, and I am a Palestinian journalist with a number of international journalism awards to my credit including The 2005 Best Youth Voice Award from New America Media and The 2008 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism.

After being detained, assaulted and injured by Israeli security at the Allenby Crossing while under Dutch diplomatic escort in June of 2008, I’ve been residing in The Netherlands undergoing medical treatment for my wounds and working as a researcher for The International Institute of Social Studies ISS. I am not allowed to return to my homeland, Gaza.

The reason for my suspended visa was related to me by your consulate as being “suspended under 221(g) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)”

I assure you, I am not immigrating to the United States and I’ve toured your country several times, most recently in November 2009 when I spoke at Harvard, Columbia and Rutgers Universities in addition to meetings with several members of your congress and senate. The visa I am attempting to receive is for a multi-state speaking tour with the purpose of increasing understanding among American people interested in learning more about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and hearing of it from a Palestinian perspective. Non-profit peace and justice groups, including the Rothko Chapel of Houston, Haymarket Books of Chicago, and the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, are among the sponsors of my lecture series in April.

Madam Ambassador, your entire career has been about law, education, bridging relationships and cultural understanding. This too is the mission of my tour. You and I both know there are those who would prefer people not understand the issues regarding Israel and Palestine, who work to prevent any discussion of this issue and who continue to profit from the continued strife. It is in their interest to prevent an open dialogue, but it is not in the best interest of the United States or the Israeli and Palestinian people. Peace is in the best interest of all not profiting from war. Moving toward this peace through education is my objective as well as the objective of the sponsors of my tour.

I appeal to you for your assistance in granting me the necessary visa. Permit me to tour your nation, engage in honest and needed dialogue, and help those of all faiths and nations work toward a resolution.

Sincerely,

Mohammed Omer
Independent Journalist

(source: Mohammed Omer)


www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWuRQJeIRyQ
Palestinian journalist, Mohammed Omer, age 22 (in this video from 2006), shares his experiences reporting from Israeli Occupied Gaza. He talks about how his brother was shot to death with seven bullets by the IOF, and the killing of activist Rachel Corrie, via an Israeli bulldozer. Omer spoke at the Palestine Center in Washington, D.C. His lecture tour is sponsored by the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs magazine-a highly respected news journal.

..........

edit>>
Mohammed's website is rafahtoday.org
He has written extensively for Washington Report on Middle East Affairs -- wrmea.org
as well as reporting for numerous other media sources.