[Peace-discuss] Fwd: [Gush Shalom] Sharon orders probe against Gush Shalom
Alfred Kagan
akagan at uiuc.edu
Mon Aug 5 13:30:46 CDT 2002
FYI and possible action.
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>Date: Mon, 05 Aug 2002 10:46:13 -0500
>To: akagan at alexia.lis.uiuc.edu
>From: Belden Fields <a-fields at uiuc.edu>
>Subject: Fwd: [Gush Shalom] Sharon orders probe against Gush Shalom
>Cc: wfeinber at ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
>Status:
>
>
>>From: "Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)" <info at gush-shalom.org>
>>Subject: [Gush Shalom] Sharon orders probe against Gush Shalom
>>Reply-to: info at gush-shalom.org
>>Priority: normal
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>>Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 14:57:34 +0200
>>
>>GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 - http://www.gush-shalom.org/
>>
>>====================================================
>>This time we have to ask you to support us - Gush Shalom - by sending
>>protest letters.
>>==========
>>
>>A storm of mostly negative public attention continues to surround the letters
>>sent by Gush Shalom to individual officers in the Israeli army -
>>with copies to
>>the Chief-of Staff and Defence Ministry [see today's Ha'aretz article in the
>>end of this mail].
>>
>>What is all the fuss about?
>>The content of the letters was a warning that specific actions which the
>>addressee had been boasting about in the media may constitute violations of
>>international law.
>>Why the army and the government chose this particular moment for giving
>>enormous publicity to these letters we can only guess.
>>Actually, the letters have been sent months ago. Since then military
>>personnel who give interviews to the media no longer give their names -
>>according to new instructions which were explicitly motivated as a
>>precauttion against officers being charged at the new international war
>>crimes court...
>>
>>Maybe we achieved that at least there is a beginning awareness now that
>>one has to be careful; that even when one gets an order, one has to think for
>>oneself whether this order could be considered illegal.
>>
>>We got an enormous lot of mails and telephone calls - a nice number of
>>supportive ones, some decent but critical, and also a huge number of the
>>most disgusting sort.
>>
>>If you want to support us, please make clear as follows or in your own words
>>that:
>>
>>"Gush Shalom, by sending warning letters to officers who have been actually
>>boasting about acts which are violating the Geneva Conventions, has made
>>use of its democratic rights, and fulfilled in a way a civilian
>>duty: guarding
>>moral and legal principles.
>>A government which starts legal procedures against a peace group for
>>alerting them, does create the suspicion that it has something to hide - an
>>impression which already rose by its keeping the press away."
>>
>>and send it by email AND, if possible, also to the fax or snail
>>mail addresses:
>>
>>To:
>>Prime Minister Ariel Sharon <pm_eng at pmo.gov.il>
>>Spokesperson of the Prime Minister <dover at pmo.gov.il>
>>Defence Minister Benjamin Beneliezer <sar at mod.gov.il>
>>Spokesperson Defence Ministry <info at mail.idf.il>
>>Foreign Minister Shimon Peres <sar at mofa.gov.il>,
>>
>>Copy to:
>>info at gush-shalom.org
>>
>>
>>Prime Minister Ariel Sharon:
>>The Office of the Prime Minister, Kiryat
>>Ben-Gurion, Jerusalem, Israel; Office
>>ph 972-2-6705555/10
>>fx: 972-2-566-4838/6705415;
>>
>>Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres:
>>HaKirya Romema Jerusalem 91950
>>ph: 972 2 5303531/3631/530
>>fx (+972-2) 5303506 /5303896 5303367
>>
>>Israeli Defense Minister, Benyamin Ben Eliezer:
>>HaKirya Kaplan Street, Tel-Aviv 64734
>>ph: 6955476 // 6975220
>>fx: +972-3-6916940, 6976990
>> ***
>>[Here follows the Ha'aretz article of today:]
>>
>>Monday, August 05, 2002 Av 27, 5762 Israel Time: 11:56 (GMT+3)
>>
>> Ha'aretz INTERNET EDITION
>>
>>Sharon tells AG to weigh court proceedings against Gush Shalom
>>
>>By Amos Harel and Gideon Alon
>>
>>Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday ordered Attorney-General Elyakim
>>Rubinstein to look into reports that activists from the Gush Shalom peace
>>organization are monitoring IDF officers in order to report them to the
>>International Criminal Court in the Hague.
>>
>>At yesterday's cabinet meeting, Sharon said it was "inconceivable" that a
>>political organization could try to deter reservists from carrying out their
>>orders in the territories by threatening them with legal action in an
>>international court.
>>
>>Ministers Limor Livnat and Dan Naveh (Likud) joined Sharon in calling on the
>>attorney-general to look into taking legal steps against the Gush Shalom
>>activists. Naveh said it was extremely grave that Israeli citizens were
>>undermining the IDF in times of war.
>>
>>In response, Rubinstein said the State Prosecutor's Office had been looking
>>into the case for several months, but had yet to decide whether legal steps
>>could be taken.
>>
>>In a statement issued later yesterday, Gush Shalom said it would "not be
>>detered by Sharon's threats. By collating information on violations of
>>international law by IDF troops in the occupied territories, we
>>have committed
>>no crime."
>>
>>In the last few months Gush Shalom has sent letters to IDF officers on duty
>>in the territories. The letters claim the officers are guilty of offenses
>>tantamount to war crimes. The officers have been warned that the movement
>>is monitoring their actions, and that Gush Shalom intends to compile
>>information against them which will be submitted to the
>>International Criminal
>>Court.
>>
>>These letters have been signed by "Gush Shalom's team for the collection of
>>evidence against war criminals."
>>
>>The letters were sent to 15 IDF officers with ranks between
>>lieutenant colonel
>>and brigadier general. Gush Shalom identified the officers on the basis of
>>interviews which they gave to local media during IDF operations in the
>>territories. As a result of these operations, Palestinian residents in the
>>territories lodged complaints about IDF behavior; the peace movement based
>>its letters on these complaints.
>>
>> ----
>> Full transcript of the war crimes panel available on the Gush site
>> For Hebrew http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum.html
>> For English http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/forum_eng.html
>> French available at request
>>
>>Also on the site:
>> photo's - of action or otherwise informative
>> the weekly Gush Shalom ad - in Hebrew and English
>> the columns of Uri Avnery - in Hebrew, Arab and English
>> (and a lot more)
>> http://www.gush-shalom.org
>>
>> * *
>>
>> Palestinian life under occupation, reports and letters
>> at: http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html
>>
>> Why are the volunteer international observers important?
>> Because the United Nations didn't send its protection force.
>> Information about the International Solidarity Movement
>> - and how to support it in different ways -
>> at http://www.palsolidarity.org/
>>
>>
>>* *
>>
>>In order to receive our Hebrew press releases [mostly WORD documents -
>>not always same as English]
>>mailto:gush-shalom-heb-request at mailman.gush-shalom.org
>>+ NB: write the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
>>
>>If you want to support Gush Shalom's activities you can send a cheque or
>>cash, wrapped well in an extra piece of paper, to:
>>
>> Gush Shalom pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033
>>
>>or ask us for charities in your country which receive donations on behalf of
>>Gush Shalom
>>
>>(Please, add your email address where to send our confirmation of receipt.
>> More official receipts at request only.)
>>
>>For more about Gush Shalom you are invited to visit our website:
>> http://www.gush-shalom.org/
>> -\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>If you got this forwarded and you want to subscribe, send mail to
>>
>>gush-shalom-intl-request at mailman.gush-shalom.org
>>
>>and write "subscribe" in the subject line.
>>
>>--
>>
>>To unsubscribe, send mail to
>>
>>gush-shalom-intl-request at mailman.gush-shalom.org
>>
>>and write "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
>>
>>In some programs it is enough to use the following link:
>>
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>>--
>>
>>
>>For assistance: info at gush-shalom.org
--
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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