[Peace-discuss] Fwd: The News In Brief

[Al Kagan]

FYI, note especially all the international protests.

>Delivered-To: akagan at alexia.lis.uiuc.edu
>From: "PMC" <pmc at p-i-s.com>
>To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu>
>Subject: The News In Brief
>Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2002 03:58:32 +0200
>X-Priority: 3
>Status:  
>
>The News In Brief
>
>22 April 2002
>Palestine Media Center - PMC
><http://www.palestine-pmc.com/>http://www.palestine-pmc.com
>
>Find in today's briefs:
>
>- Israel Threatens to declare UN Middle East envoy persona non grata
>- Sharon: Discussions on Settlements Not Allowed
>- Israel Faces Increasing Jewish Anger Over Crimes Committed in Palestine
>- Israeli Officer Confiscates Press Cards in Bethlehem
>- Israeli Soldiers Attack Scottish Parliamentarian, Tears up Flag
>- Powell: I'm not Completely Satisfied with Israeli Performance
>- Niger Cut off Ties with Israel in Protest:
>
>
>The United Nations and Israel: Tensions Rise
>
>Annan names three-member team for Jenin fact-finding mission
>
>UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed a three-member 
>fact-finding team, led by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, 
>to determine what happened during Israel's military assault on the 
>Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. The team is due to arrive later 
>this week.
>
>The other two members are Cornelio Sommaruga, former President of 
>the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and Sadako 
>Ogata, the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, who is also 
>Japan's special envoy on Afghan reconstruction.
>
>The Security Council Resolution had unanimously adopted Resolution 
>1405, which calls for the creation and deployment of a fact-finding 
>mission, following immense international pressure for an 
>international investigation into the Jenin refugee camp massacre as 
>well as repeated calls for the deployment of international 
>peacekeepers in Occupied Palestine.
>
>Despite clear American and Israeli opposition, UN Secretary-General 
>Kofi Annan had appealed to the Security Council on Thursday for 
>authorization of a "robust" international force in the Occupied 
>Palestinian Territory. This was the first time that Mr. Annan called 
>for the use of the UN Charter's Chapter VII, which allows for the 
>use of force, to intervene in the current war on Palestine.
>
>Aaron Jacob, Israel's deputy UN ambassador, immediately replied with 
>a "NO". Appeasing the Israeli government, White House spokesman Ari 
>Fleischer said, "The president thinks the purpose of America's 
>military is to fight and win wars". Using diplomatic niceties to 
>reiterate their opposition, Fleischer and Negroponte, the American 
>Ambassador to the UN, said again that any intervention needed the 
>consent of both parties. So far, Israel has only agreed to U.S. 
>civilians for the monitoring of a cease-fire in the form of 20 
>unarmed CIA agents, who would perform their "monitoring" from an 
>office away from the Occupied Territory.
>
>Elaborating on a concept he voiced in Geneva last week, Annan had 
>insisted that an armed force would be in Israel's interest. He also 
>stated that the proposed force would be a "coalition of the 
>willing". Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia are among the 
>countries that have expressed willingness to participate in such a 
>force.
>
>Annan also reiterated that a multinational force could only succeed 
>if it were part of a peace process leading to a viable Palestinian 
>state, the dismantlement of Israeli settlements from the West Bank 
>and the Gaza Strip, as well as long-term security for Israel.
>
>UNRWA to launch a campaign to warn Jenin residents about unexploded devices
>
>The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), 
>told Reuters on Sunday that it would launch a campaign to warn 
>residents about unexploded devices in the Jenin refugee camp 
>following the Israeli offensive.
>
>Ms. Jessica Barry, spokeswoman for the International Committee of 
>the Red Cross (ICRC), said several people had already been wounded 
>by explosives strewn around the camp. These included an Israeli-Arab 
>doctor, Dr. Wa'el Al-Omari, who was wounded in the leg on Saturday 
>after stepping on an explosive device. Another woman was injured on 
>Friday as she picked up an explosive object while sweeping her 
>floor. On Wednesday, two children aged 13 and 16 were wounded, one 
>in the eye and the other in the hand, when an explosive device was 
>detonated while they were playing.
>
>UNRWA spokesperson, Mr. Sami Mushasha, said a team of 15 experts and 
>40 local volunteers would spread their message through the camp by 
>word-of-mouth and posters as it is not possible to use mosque 
>loudspeakers or local radio, since there is still no electricity in 
>the camp.
>
>Israel Threatens to declare UN Middle East envoy persona non grata:
>
>The Israeli government yesterday considered declaring United Nations 
>Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen persona non grata. "Nobody in 
>any government office should speak with him," stated Sharon at his 
>weekly cabinet meeting.
>
>During a press conference on Thursday following his visit to Jenin 
>refugee camp, Larsen had said: "Let me be very clear I have not and 
>I am not accusing anyone of massacres. We do not have the full facts 
>from Jenin. But what I saw yesterday was truly appalling".
>
>While the UN envoy denied Israeli accusations that he had actually 
>accused Israel of committing a massacre, he reiterated that the 
>scenes in the camp were "horrifying beyond belief", demanding 
>"immediate access" to the camp.
>
>Israeli Attorney-General Elyakim Rubinstein said Larsen's comments 
>were a "libelous" accusation against the Israeli occupation army. He 
>then threatened that the Israeli government could request the United 
>Nations to replace him, or cut off all contact with him. Meanwhile, 
>Israel's Minister of "Justice", Meir Shitreet declared his regret 
>that Israelioccupation forces did not kill more "of the terrorists" 
>in the Jenin refugee camp. He added, "If Rod-Larsen is so concerned 
>with the Palestinian refugees, he has no option but to convince his 
>country, Norway, to open its doors and receive them". Israeli 
>"Defense" Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer also instructed his ministry 
>to cut off contacts with Mr. Larsen, but also expressed reservations 
>about the calls to oust Larsen from Israel.
>
>Israel Snubs International Community
>
>Sharon: Discussions on Settlements Not Allowed
>
>Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared yesterday that the 
>illegal Israeli settlements will not be evacuated if he is reelected.
>
>In his weekly cabinet meeting, Sharon emphatically rejected any 
>discussion on the removal of settlements in the Israeli government. 
>He pointed out that he would only hear of such talks following the 
>Knesset in October 2003. Sharon also declared that if he were 
>reelected, there would be no such discussion in the future either.
>
>Israel's Channel Two news program had quoted unidentified senior 
>Israeli army officers as saying isolated settlements should be 
>evacuated, especially in the illegal "Gush Katif" settlement in the 
>Gaza Strip.
>
>Meanwhile, Israeli Deputy "Defense" Minister Dalia Rabin-Pelessof of 
>the Labor Party said last night that she wanted to get clarification 
>of Sharon's remarks before making any decision. She also added that 
>if Sharon was indeed serious about his statement on the illegal 
>Israeli settlements, she could not see any reason to remain in the 
>government.
>
>According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, an Occupying Power can 
>not confiscate land for the purpose of populating it with its own 
>citizens. Consequently, the international community regards the 
>Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including 
>Jerusalem, as illegal.
>
>Israel has declared its acceptance of the Mitchell plan, which calls 
>for an immediate freeze of all settlement activities in preparation 
>for the dismantlement as part of a final solution. Sharon's 
>rightwing government, composed of staunch supporters of these 
>illegal settlements, have yet to formally adopt the Mitchell plan or 
>Tenet ceasefire understandings.
>
>Israeli Officer Confiscates Press Cards in Bethlehem
>
>An Israeli army officer confiscated the press cards of 23 
>journalists from Reuters, the Associated Press, CNN and other 
>international media organizations on Monday in Bethlehem City, which 
>has been reoccupied since 2 April.
>
>Journalists had been operating in the West Bank city, except in the 
>area around the Church of the Nativity compound where Israeli 
>occupation forces have besieged around 200 Palestinian resistance 
>fighters, civilians, and Christian clerigymen.
>
>The journalists were intercepted by the Israeli occupation soldiers 
>while approaching Bethlehem's besieged Manger Square. They were 
>ordered to hand over their Israeli government-issued press cards, 
>saying they would be shown to the army's press office.
>
>Upon returning to the hotel in which they are staying, the 
>journalists were given back their press cards, although they were 
>confined to the hotel by the occupying troops.
>
>Israeli Authorities Bars International Delegation of Forensic 
>Experts from Entering
>
>Israeli airport authorities prohibited an international team of 
>forensic experts and doctors from entering the country through Tell 
>Aviv on Friday. The authorities also ordered the team to return to 
>Frankfurt, their point of departure on the first flight out of Tel 
>Aviv.
>
>In a press release issued on Friday from the office of the Arab 
>Israeli Knesset Member, Azmi Bishara, the parliamentarian stated, 
>"Israel prohibited these internationally renowned experts from 
>entering for fear of what they might find after investigating 
>Israeli crimes in Jenin, Nablus, and other cities". The experts had 
>been invited by a number of Palestinian human rights organizations, 
>including LAW.
>
>Among the experts were:
>
>
>1.
>Dr. Maria Kali: President of the International Center for the 
>Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (Greece).
>2.
>Dr. Yanes Modovic: Secretary General of the International Center for 
>the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (Denmark).
>3.
>Dr. Kerstin Emriss (Denmark).
>4.
>Susan Monroe (Australia).
>5.
>Christine Papadoblo (Greece).
>
>Israel Faces Jewish Anger Over Crimes Committed in Palestine
>
>Since its latest assault against Palestinian cities and towns in the 
>West Bank, Israel has been confronted with overwhelming condemnation 
>from the international community on the official and public levels. 
>However, what Israeli public relations officers did not count on 
>encountering was passionate Jewish opposition to its aggression.
>
>Most recently, the Jewish Minister Ronnie Kasrils on Sunday declared 
>that he did not support the "barbarism" of Israel's military assault 
>on Palestine. Approximately 10,000 South African Moslems, 
>Christians, and Jews cheered as he stated, "When we see this 
>barbarism, this criminality that Israel perpetrates... I am forced 
>to say: Not in my name", The Water Affairs Minister and former ANC 
>leader stated while addressing a Free Palestine rally. He is part of 
>a group of prominent Jewish South Africans who have signed a 
>declaration condemning Israel's brutal aggression.
>
>In Britain, veteran Labor Member of Parliament and prominent Jewish 
>parliamentarian, Gerald Kaufman, blasted Israel on 16 April for its 
>current aggression. The parliamentarian also denounced Ariel Sharon 
>as a "war criminal", who was staining the Star of David.
>
>Speaking in a Commons debate on the Middle East, where 
>parliamentarians from across the house condemned Israel's 
>reoccupation of Palestinian towns, Mr. Kaufman drew parallels 
>between Sharon's tactics and those employed by Zionist terrorists in 
>Palestine during the 1940's.
>
>Delivering a clearly emotional speech, Mr. Kaufman, described in the 
>British press as the "former shadow foreign secretary" described 
>himself as a lifelong friend of Israel, stated, "Sharon has ordered 
>his troops to use methods of barbarism against the Palestinians ... 
>It is time to remind Sharon that the Star of David belongs to all 
>Jews and not to his repulsive government. His actions are staining 
>the Star of David with blood. The Jewish people, whose gifts to 
>civilized discourse include Einstein and Epstein, are now symbolized 
>throughout the world by the blustering bully Ariel Sharon, a war 
>criminal implicated in the murder of Palestinians in the 
>Sabra-Shatila camp and now involved in killing Palestinians once 
>again".
>
>While condemning suicide bombings against Israeli civilian targets, 
>the Labor MP also stated, "We need to ask how we would feel if we 
>had been occupied for 35 years by a foreign power which denied us 
>the most elementary human rights and decent living conditions".
>
>Last week, the renowned Jewish American Director Steven Spielberg 
>announced that his latest project documents the current Palestinian 
>uprising against Israeli occupation.
>
>In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter on 11 April, Spielberg 
>said, "As an American Director who also happens to be Jewish, I can 
>no longer stay silent about what the Israelis and the Zionist 
>movement have done in the name of Judaism and with our tax money". 
>The Hollywood Director added, "For years, the Hollywood community 
>known to embrace progressive issues has been reluctant to tackle the 
>issue of Palestine for fear of reprisal by what is perceived as a 
>blind Jewish support to Israel in Hollywood. This needs to change; 
>the sad history of the holocaust is being repeated again in 
>Palestine at the hands of those who claim to do it in the name of 
>Judaism. We should not remain silent".
>
>Speilberg, who has previously documented the Holocaust in 
>"Schindler's List" and World War II in the HBO series "Band of 
>Brothers", is bound to create a huge controversy in Hollywood. He 
>announced his hopes that the latest project would break the silence 
>on a subject that until now has been considered a taboo in the 
>industry, which is known to shun any pro-Palestinian activity.
>
>Similarly, Rabbis for Human Rights - Israel as well as Rabbis for 
>Human Rights - North America had issued a press release denouncing 
>the current Israeli aggression last week. In their statement, the 
>human rights organizations stated,
>"Standing with Israel requires concern for her moral, as well as her 
>physical well being. We cannot let our moral humanity be 
>compromised, no matter how threatened we are. The need to defend 
>ourselves is both real and necessary.
>
>However, we in Israel must never use the lowest common denominator 
>as a yardstick to measure our behavior or justify our actions. In 
>order to maintain our self-respect as Jews, we must preserve our 
>moral dignity, without which our fight for protection from terror 
>would be diminished".
>
>The United States and Israel: Timid Remarks, Littler pressure
>
>Powell: I'm not Completely Satisfied with Israeli Performance
>
>Following Israel's alleged withdrawal from some Palestinian cities, 
>U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell stressed that the Middle East 
>crisis will not end until Israel completes a full withdrawal and 
>normal life resumes in Palestinian cities. He also urged Israel to 
>ease its confinement of President Yasser Arafat, arguing that it 
>would enable him to take measures to stop the supposed "violence".
>"I'm not completely satisfied. I would like to see the withdrawal 
>continue until there is no question about it", Powell told CBS 
>chanell's "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
>
>He suggested that the restrictions on President Arafat's movements 
>have prevented him from providing guidance to subordinates. "I think 
>sooner or later, he has to be given access to the means of control, 
>to the means of communicating with others, and so I think we'll have 
>to work through that problem", Powell said.
>
>After visiting the devastated Jenin refugee camp, international 
>officials react:
>
>Peter Hansen: Disaster in Jenin 'worse than I feared'
>
>Following a visit to the devastated Jenin refugee camp on Thursday, 
>Peter Hansen, commissioner general of UNRWA (the UN Relief and Works 
>Agency for Palestine Refugees) said, "It was worse than I feared. I 
>saw a family digging for their father who they had found in 
>decomposed bits, and the remnants of a child under the rubble. It 
>was a gruesome sight". A clearly distraught Hansen added, "We saw 
>hundreds and hundreds of people waling around in a daze, looking for 
>what used to be their dear ones".
>
>Hansen also rejected Israeli claims that the camp was heavily 
>booby-trapped, a claim used by the Israeli occupation forces to deny 
>the international red cross and UNRWA ambulances access to the camp.
>
>Terje Rod-Larsen: Jenin, Disgraceful Chapter in Israeli History
>
>During his visit to the devastated camp on Wednesday, the UN 
>official has stated, "Just seeing this area, it looks like there's 
>been an earthquake here, and the stench of death is over many places 
>where we are standing". During the visit, Mr. Larsen had also 
>stated, "This is a sad and disgraceful chapter in the history of the 
>state of Israel. It's not only what you see, it's what you smell. 
>You smell decaying corpses".
>
>"I think this is absolutely, totally unacceptable and unheard of, 
>that an occupying power keeps a curfew and keeps a huge proportion 
>of the civilian population suffering day by day. This has to stop", 
>he said.
>
>Burns: What happened in Jenin is a 'Terrible Human tragedy'
>
>After visiting the devastated Jenin refugee camp on Saturday, Mr. 
>William Burns, the American Assistant Secretary of State for the 
>middle East, described what he saw in Jenin's devastated refugee 
>camp as "a terrible human tragedy".
>
>The American official added, "It's obvious that what happened here 
>in the Jenin camp has caused enormous human suffering for thousands 
>of Palestinian civilians". Mr. Burns called for aid agencies to be 
>granted free access to the devastated camp, something which Israeli 
>is still trying to prevent.
>
>"I think it's vitally important, obvious to anyone who can see, to 
>provide full and complete access to relief agencies so that they can 
>do their work, so that they can get equipment and supplies here", 
>Burns declared. "It's important that the United Nations is going to 
>launch a fact-finding mission to try to find exactly what happened 
>here with the cooperation of Palestinians and Israelis both", the 
>American official added, declining to comment on whether he saw 
>evidence of a massacre like numerous international experts had.
>
>British Parliament Outraged By Israeli Actions:
>
>On Wednesday, British parliamentarians, irrespective of party 
>affiliations, blasted the Israeli government for its aggression 
>against West Bank cities and towns, particularly against the Jenin 
>refugee camp.
>
>John Gummer, former Conservative Cabinet Minister, stressed that 
>there was a fundamental distinction between the actions taken by the 
>Israeli government and those taken by Palestinian resistance 
>fighter. "Israel is a state, with the trappings of a state which 
>claims the legitimacy of a state and the more that it rightly claims 
>that legitimacy, the more it has to be judged by the standards of a 
>state and the standards of democracy", he said.
>
>Ann Clwyd, the Labor backbencher who had just returned from a visit 
>to the destroyed Jenin refugee camp with the United Nations said the 
>European Union should consider economic sanctions against Israel., 
>adding that it was not enough to "simply bleat condemnation".
>"They need to withdraw European ambassadors from Israel. They need 
>to impose an arms embargo as Germany has already done, and they 
>should consider what economic sanctions can be put in place", Ms. 
>Clwyd stated.
>
>Straw condemns Israel's action in Jenin
>
>Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw took a hard position on 
>Thursday regarding the Israeli atrocities in the Jenin refugee camp. 
>Speaking in Geneva to the UN Human Rights Commission, Mr. Straw 
>pushed for an international investigation into the massacre, also 
>accusing Israel of using "disproportionate and excessive force".
>
>The Secretary's conclusions were based in part on the reports filed 
>by the British military attaché in Tel Aviv, who visited the camp 
>last week and was astounded by what he found. "There is a strong 
>case for Israel to answer. It might be best if it were done by an 
>international organization, like the International Committee for the 
>Red Cross".
>
>Reflecting this British stance was a draft resolution proposed by 
>the British Ambassador to the UN Security Council, calling for such 
>an investigation. Following extended debate on Friday, the council 
>opted to adopt an American resolution calling for a "fact-finding" 
>committee.
>
>Annan: Destruction is Massive
>
>Speaking to a closed session of the Security Council, Mr. Annan 
>accused Israel of preventing a humanitarian rescue operation from 
>starting in Jenin. "The destruction is massive and the impact on the 
>civilian population is devastating", Mr. Annan said. "I believe that 
>the deployment of a multinational force deserves serious 
>consideration. The situation is so dangerous that the international 
>community has an obligation to provide this assistance", he added.
>
>The World Continues to Protest Israeli Impunity
>
>Niger Cuts off Ties with Israel in Protest:
>
>Niger has announced that it has broken its diplomatic ties with 
>Israel, as its latest gesture of protest and condemnation over the 
>continued Israeli military assault on Palestine.
>
>While Israel does not have an embassy in Niger, the announcement 
>signals increased international condemnation of Israel's brutal 
>actions. The two states had broken diplomatic ties in 1973 but 
>restored them in 1996, after Israel had agreed to talk peace with 
>the Palestinian leadership.
>
>Israeli Soldiers Attack Scottish Parliamentarian:
>
>As part of a peace delegations to the occupied Palestinian 
>Territory, Lloyd Quinan, a Parliamentarian for the Scottish 
>Nationalist Party, was shocked at the way Israeli occupation forces 
>attacked him and his delegation on Sunday near the President's 
>compound.
>
>MSP Lloyd Quinan had tried to make their way into President Arafat's 
>compound on Sunday in an expression of solidarity. However, they 
>were confronted with Israeli soldiers who physically attacked them, 
>shot at them, and bombarded them with stun grenades without a prior 
>warning. To make matters worse, an Israeli soldiers ripped up their 
>Saltire flag, which according to Mr. Quinan they were carrying to 
>show their neutrality. "One soldier just came up, ripped the Saltire 
>off me and tore it to shreds and threw it in the rubbish heap", the 
>parliamentarian described.
>
>"It was very, very frightening. When we got to the compound, there 
>was a solitary tank on guard. We thought they were expecting us. But 
>as when we walked into the compound to go to Arafat's offices at the 
>far end, the tank gun was trained on us and then suddenly there were 
>soldiers everywhere. They were firing M16 automatic rifles and must 
>have fired about 10 or 20 shots over our heads. They threw three or 
>four stun grenades at us - and one German woman was injured when she 
>got hit on the ankle", the MSP stated.
>
>For more information, visit:
><http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/page.cfm?objectid=11806994&method=full&siteid=89488>http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/page.cfm?objectid=11806994&method=full&siteid=89488
>
>Tens of Thousands March on Capitol Hill in Protest:
>
>At least 40 thousand protesters marched on Capitol Hill on Sunday to 
>protest the American policy towards the Palestinian People. At least 
>300 organizations, representing various religious, ethnic, and 
>ideological affiliations organized the march, said to have been the 
>largest of its kind.
>
>The demonstrators attacked the American Administration's clear bias 
>towards Israel and negligence of Palestinian aspirations and lives. 
>The large rally came less than a week after a considerably large 
>pro-Israel rally was held in Washington, which attended by a number 
>of Republican Congressmen, who raced to the podium to show their 
>support for Israel and utter disdain of the Palestinian leadership 
>and its plight. The rally, organized by Benjamin Netanyahu, comes as 
>congressional election races begin to heat up in the United States.
>
>Vienna Takes to The Street in Solidarity with Palestine:
>
>Thousands of Arabs, Palestinians, and Austrians took to the street 
>on Friday to express solidarity with the besieged Palestinian 
>People. During the march, protesters condemned the current Israeli 
>aggression and called for the immediate deployment of an 
>international protection force in Palestine.
>
>Marseilles Demonstrators: Israel Must Withdraw, Accept Peace
>
>Hundreds protesters marched in Marseilles on Saturday in protest of 
>the Israeli occupation army's assault on Palestine. The march, which 
>has been regularly held every Saturday since the beginning of the 
>latest Israeli offensive, called for the immediate withdrawal of 
>Israeli troops from the reoccupied Palestinian cities, towns, and 
>villages. It also called on the Israeli right, which currently 
>governs Israel, to accept peace and "abandon the idea of a greater 
>Israel". A number of organizations had organized the rally including 
>"The Jewish Union for Peace" and "The Anti-Discrimination and 
>Anti-Semitism Movement".
>
>Sweden:
>
>Thousands of people also took to the street in Sweden in support of 
>the Palestinian People's resistance of the Israeli military 
>aggression. The demonstration, which took place in Gotenburg, the 
>country's second largest city, also protested the American position, 
>which is wholly supportive of the Israeli position and inconsiderate 
>of the Palestinian concerns. Another demonstration also took place 
>in Sweden's southern city of Lund as well as Yinshubing in the 
>middle.
>

-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu
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