Jan 25, 2010 1
Take Action
Your voice and actions make a difference. Take a moment and be a part of the growing movement to Stop the Wall and support the Palestinian human rights defenders who are leading the charge.
The international campaign led by Addameer and Stop the Wall to free Palestinian human rights defenders involved in the-anti-Wall movement has already led to the release without charges of Jamal Juma’, Coordinator of Stop the Wall, and Mohammad Othman, Stop the Wall’s youth coordinator.
Now we need to free all other human rights activists!
Since 1967, the Israeli military court system in the occupied Palestinian territory has operated with frightening impunity, rarely if ever, upholding fair trial standards. The military courts are neither independent nor impartial, fall far short of acceptable international standards, and act in all cases in the interests of the occupying power and the military security apparatus. Addameer and Stop the Wall therefore believe that Mohammad and Jamal owe their release entirely to diplomatic pressure, interventions by the United Nations, grassroots solidarity campaigns and numerous statements and urgent appeals issued by international, Palestinian and Israeli human rights NGO’s, and not as a result of this terminally flawed military justice system.
Both diplomatic and popular pressure are powerful tools for challenging the unlawful actions of the Israeli authorities, and for reminding the international community at large that Palestinians will neither stand for the continued and illegal construction of the Annexation Wall, nor for the discriminatory targeting and arrests of Palestinian human rights defenders.
This international solidarity has given Palestinian human rights defenders further strength. We are deeply thankful for all your efforts. We now need to ensure that the campaign for the freedom of all Palestinian human rights defenders struggling against the Wall continues to grow.
Please continue writing letters. .
A few simple ways to join in:
* Demand accountability and action! Write to your elected representatives, consulates, and to Israeli authorities:
- Contact your elected representatives. Israel maintains legitimacy within the international community of states only when states remain silent. Remind your government that they must hold Israel accountable to international human rights standards. See sample letter below.
- Contact your consulate in Israel and demand that your country hold Israel accountable for its actions against Palestinian human rights defenders, and for their continued aggression against the Palestinian people through the construction of the Wall. (For contact details: http://www.embassiesabroad.com/embassies-in/Israel)
- Contact the nearest Israeli Consulate in your country. (For contact details: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Sherut/IsraeliAbroad/Continents/)
- Write to Baroness Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, and demand she implements EU guidelines on human rights defenders and suspends the EU Israel Association Agreement as long as Israel violates the human rights clause of the agreement through human rights violations and the repression of those that defend those rights. See sample letter below. You can reach her at: catherine.ashton@ec.europa.eu
- Send an email to President Obama asking that he honor his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech and demand the immediate release of Abdallah Abu Rahma at: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/t/9047/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1882
You can write to one of the Palestinian human rights defenders currently in prison because of their activities against the Wall. Letters don’t have to be long or detailed. All types of letters are valuable. If you wish to write letter to a detainee – please contact Addameer at info@addameer.ps or click here for a list of postal addresses.
* Follow us on twitter
Get the latest news and updates on our international campaign to free Palestinian human rights defenders by following us on twitter at: wallprisoners
* Contact your local media
Write letters to the editor, proposing that your media run stories and features on the Wall and the targeting of Palestinian Human Rights defenders. Addameer and Stop the Wall can provide you with press releases, background and other material.
* Photo initiative
If you’re at a protest, on a bike, or even having dinner at home, simply take a picture of you and/or your friends with a sign with a short message such as “Right to Stop the Wall – Free the Palestinian human rights defenders!” Or, stage a public photo session to gather photos, raise awareness and protest the repression of the anti-Wall movement.
Then, e-mail us a copy at global@stopthewall.org, and we’ll add your pictures to our Flickr photo album. With your solidarity and voices – and now images! – we’ll free the Palestinian human rights defenders!
* Check out past support initiatives:
Activists worldwide join BDS Marathon: People across the globe have rallied under the call, “If you want to arrest the BDS movement, you have to catch us all!” on October 16/17 2009. Actions were organized among others in Canada, the USA, South Africa, Norway, Italy, France, the USA and Japan. http://www.flickr.com/photos/stopthewall/sets/72157622620026150/show/
* Sign up to our mailing list
Sign up on the homepage and receive monthly newsletters with news, reports, and ways to get involved in the campaign for the Right to Stop the Wall.
(1) Sample letter for elected representatives, consulates, the EU High representative of Foreign Affairs:
Dear [___],
I am writing to express my concern with the treatment by the Israeli army of Palestinian human rights defenders active against the Wall built by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly the widespread and systematic policy of arrest and detention. Palestinian human rights defenders have adopted a number of strategies in their opposition efforts since Wall construction began in 2002, including legal action, grassroots-led weekly (and even daily) demonstrations and, international advocacy efforts. However, Israeli intimidation efforts in response to each of these strategies are pervasive: Israeli military orders ban all political activity and demonstrations in the OPT; Palestinians who exercise their fundamental human rights to expression and assembly are harassed, threatened, arrested, detained, and prevented from traveling abroad to speak about their resistance efforts, or are harassed upon their return; those who are charged with offenses in the Israeli military courts face almost certain conviction and imprisonment by a military justice system that is heavily biased against them; those who are not charged are nonetheless often imprisoned under administrative detention orders and levied with large fines, and are frequently subjected to increased threats and harassment by Israeli forces, both individually and with their community.
Moreover, in the past year, Israel has escalated its assault on human rights defenders active against the Wall. A renewed campaign of arrests, accompanied by increasingly violent tactics used by the Israeli army against protestors, began during demonstrations taking place during last winter’s conflict in Gaza, and continues at present. In January 2010 alone, 16 people were arrested in Ni’lin village (Ramallah district), and 35 people have been arrested in neighboring Bil’in village since June 2009. At the end of December 2009, the Bethlehem Area Commander of the Israeli army issued a strong warning to members of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in the village of Al-Ma’sara, threatening that demonstrations against the Wall would be harshly repressed if they continued in 2010, and that those involved in organizing or attending demonstrations would be arrested and “blacklisted”. Since then, the village has been experiencing night incursions on a regular basis.
In addition, leaders of Palestinian popular movements against the Wall have been particularly targeted in retaliation for their outspoken advocacy of human rights in both local and international forums:
- Abdallah Abu Rahma, a high school teacher and the head of the Bil’in Popular Committee against the Wall, was arrested by Israeli authorities in his home on 10 December 2010 and remains in detention at present, charged with a number of offenses stemming from his non-violent activities relating to Wall demonstrations. Among the charges are “possession of arms”, levied in relation to Abu Rahma’s displaying spent M16 bullets and empty sound and gas grenades that were used by the Israeli forces against civilians in the village museum.
- Mohammad Khatib, one of the leaders of the Bil’in Popular Committee, was first arrested on 3 August 2009, soon after his return from testifying before a Canadian court in a case the village brought against companies involved in constructing illegal West Bank settlements. Khatib was released after his defense counsel proved that the prosecution falsified a photo entered as evidence of his involvement in stone throwing at a demonstration. On 28 January 2010, Khatib was re-arrested; Israeli military sources claim this is because Khatib failed to sign in every Friday at a nearby police station.
- Mohammad Othman, the Youth Coordinator for Stop the Wall campaign, a Palestinian grassroots human rights organization, was arrested while returning from an advocacy trip to Norway, and held in Israeli military detention without charge or trial for 113 days before his release on 13 January 2010. His release was made conditional on the payment of bail, an indefinite travel ban outside the West Bank and an obligation to report to Israeli authorities immediately whenever summoned for subsequent interrogation.
While I welcome Mohammad Othman’s release, I remain very concerned with the conditions attached to his release, which appear designed to prevent him from campaigning against the Wall. I am also concerned with the arrest of other activists in relation to their legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
I urge to you intervene in this matter without delay.
For elected representatives:
- to raise your concern about the pattern of arrests of human rights defenders active against the Wall in public statements and in your talks with Israeli officials.
- to demand the immediate release of Mr. Abu Rahma [shall we mention other names?] and other Palestinian human rights defenders similarly detained, and pressure Israel to put an end to its policy of arbitrary detention.
- To develop effective mechanisms of pressure, including the review existing cooperation agreements and refusal to enter into cooperation or trade agreements with Israel until it respects international law and human rights.
- to ensure government effectively complies with its obligations stemming from the decision of the International Court of Justice to dismantle the wall.
For consulates:
- Regularly attending trials of Palestinian HRD who are held in detention. Exert pressure on the Israeli Military Court of Administrative Detainees to attend closed hearings of HRD held in administrative detention. Additionally, establish rotation routines for trial observation on behalf of the local Presidency;
- Regularly visit HRD in custody prior to trial;
- Ensure a permanent and institutionalized presence of EU monitors in areas where human rights are violated on a regular basis to prevent the arbitrary arrest of Palestinian HRD. These areas include: villages affected by the Wall; parts of East Jerusalem, where houses are at risk of demolition and families are at risk of eviction; and, Palestinian villages located near settlements. Additionally, ensure EU presence at all house demolitions or evictions in East Jerusalem.
- Issue public statements condemning the arbitrary arrest and detention of HRD.
For Baroness Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission:
- to raise your concern about the pattern of arrests of Palestinian human rights defenders, including the case of Abdallah Abu Rahma, in public statements and in your talks with Israeli officials.
- to provide “visible recognition for human rights defenders and their work, through appropriate use of the media”, as recommended in the EU guidelines on the protection of human rights defenders.
- to review existing agreements, including the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and condition any future negotiations and action plans with Israel on its upholding of international law and respect for human rights, including its cessation of the harassment and detention of human rights defenders and respect for the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the illegality of the Wall. The adoption of this opinion through UN General Assembly resolution ES-10/15 has been fully supported by the European Union.
(2) Sample letter to the Israeli government, military and legal authorities demanding the immediate release of Palestinian human rights activists and end to Israel’s policy of arbitrary detention.
Dear [_______]
I am writing to express my concern with the treatment by the Israeli army of Palestinian human rights defenders active against the Wall built by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly the widespread and systematic policy of arrest and detention. Palestinian human rights defenders have adopted a number of strategies in their opposition efforts since Wall construction began in 2002, including legal action, grassroots-led weekly (and even daily) demonstrations and, international advocacy efforts. However, Israeli intimidation efforts in response to each of these strategies are pervasive: Israeli military orders ban all political activity and demonstrations in the OPT; Palestinians who exercise their fundamental human rights to expression and assembly are harassed, threatened, arrested, detained, and prevented from traveling abroad to speak about their resistance efforts, or are harassed upon their return; those who are charged with offenses in the Israeli military courts face almost certain conviction and imprisonment by a military justice system that is heavily biased against them; those who are not charged are nonetheless often imprisoned under administrative detention orders and levied with large fines, and are frequently subjected to increased threats and harassment by Israeli forces, both individually and with their community.
Moreover, in the past year, Israel has escalated its assault on human rights defenders active against the Wall. A renewed campaign of arrests, accompanied by increasingly violent tactics used by the Israeli army against protestors, began during demonstrations taking place during last winter’s conflict in Gaza, and continues at present. In January 2010 alone, 16 people were arrested in Ni’lin village (Ramallah district), and 35 people have been arrested in neighboring Bil’in village since June 2009. At the end of December 2009, the Bethlehem Area Commander of the Israeli army issued a strong warning to members of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in the village of Al-Ma’sara, threatening that demonstrations against the Wall would be harshly repressed if they continued in 2010, and that those involved in organizing or attending demonstrations would be arrested and “blacklisted”. Since then, the village has been experiencing night incursions on a regular basis.
In addition, leaders of Palestinian popular movements against the Wall have been particularly targeted in retaliation for their outspoken advocacy of human rights in both local and international forums:
- Abdallah Abu Rahma, a high school teacher and the head of the Bil’in Popular Committee against the Wall, was arrested by Israeli authorities in his home on 10 December 2010 and remains in detention at present, charged with a number of offenses stemming from his non-violent activities relating to Wall demonstrations. Among the charges are “possession of arms”, levied in relation to Abu Rahma’s displaying spent M16 bullets and empty sound and gas grenades that were used by the Israeli forces against civilians in the village museum.
- Mohammad Khatib, one of the leaders of the Bil’in Popular Committee, was first arrested on 3 August 2009, soon after his return from testifying before a Canadian court in a case the village brought against companies involved in constructing illegal West Bank settlements. Khatib was released after his defense counsel proved that the prosecution falsified a photo entered as evidence of his involvement in stone throwing at a demonstration. On 28 January 2010, Khatib was re-arrested; Israeli military sources claim this is because Khatib failed to sign in every Friday at a nearby police station.
- Mohammad Othman, the Youth Coordinator for Stop the Wall campaign, a Palestinian grassroots human rights organization, was arrested while returning from an advocacy trip to Norway, and held in Israeli military detention without charge or trial for 113 days before his release on 13 January 2010. His release was made conditional on the payment of bail, an indefinite travel ban outside the West Bank and an obligation to report to Israeli authorities immediately whenever summoned for subsequent interrogation.
While I welcome Mohammad Othman’s release, I remain very concerned with the conditions attached to his release, which appear designed to prevent him from campaigning against the Wall. I am also concerned with the arrest of other activists in relation to their legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Israel has both signed and ratified, unequivocally states in Article 9 (1) that “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention”; and (3) “Anyone who is deprived of his liberty by arrest or detention shall be entitled to take proceedings before a court, in order that the court may decide without delay on the lawfulness of his detention and order his release if the detention is not lawful”.
Israel has a duty to abide by human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as its own Basic Law for the Protection of Human Dignity and Liberty, which Section 5 states that ‘There shall be no deprivation or restriction of the liberty of a person by imprisonment, arrest, extradition or otherwise’. By arbitrarily arresting Palestinians and holding them in detention without charges for up to 90 days, subject to renewal, and prohibiting lawyers from visiting their clients, Israel is not only violating international norms surrounding the basic treatment of prisoners, but also its own.
I urge you to intervene in this matter without delay and:
- immediately release all Palestinian human rights defenders held in Israeli prisons
- end the Israeli government’s policy of repression of Palestinian human rights peacefully protesting the construction of the Wall by conducting legitimate advocacy efforts
- put an end to Israel’s military courts system which does not meet international standards of fair trial and process.
Contacts:
- Menachem Mazuz
Attorney General
Fax: + 972 2 627 4481
+ 972 2 628 5438; +972 2 530 3367
- Brigadier General Avihai Mandelblit
Military Judge Advocate General
6 David Elazar Street
Hakirya, Tel Aviv, Israel
Fax: +972 3 608 0366, +972 3 569 4526
Email: arbel@mail.idf.il, avimn@.idf.gov.il
Salutation: Dear Judge Advocate General
- Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
3, Kaplan Street, PO Box 187
Kiryat Ben-Gurion, Jerusalem, Israel
Fax: +972- 2-651 2631
Email: pm_eng@pmo.gov.il
- Write to Israeli Embassies and Consulates in your own country. A directory of Israeli embassies can be found on the website of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the following link:
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Sherut/IsraeliAbroad/Continents/
