A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| U.S. government: with or without the Americans? |
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| Ameeraana |
| 08/12/02 at 10:13:42 |
| Americans are attacked in Israel by Palestinian terrorists: In the news its a horrifying and unexcusable act the Palestinians have perpetuated against American citizens living over there. It will not be tolerated. Its all over in the news. Americans peace activists (along with other foreigners also)--a recent news story: Beit Jala – Palestine – Six internationals, including at least two from the US, were shot and injured by the Israeli military during a peaceful protest of over 100 internationals. According to Colorado eyewitness Gary Anderson, the 100 internationals were peacefully marching in Beit Jala (near Bethlehem) towards two Israeli armored personnel carriers and without warning the Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition at the crowd. Two journalists were directly hit in the chest. Six other internationals peaceful protestors were also hit. At least one international, an Australian, Kate Irving, remains in a Bethlehem hospital undergoing emergency surgery. also: (a report by one of the peace activists--after delivering food to those held up in the Church of Nativity month back--and being arrested by the Israeli soldiers) The 13 of us that were detained after the action have just been released for a few hours, I think. We were 8 guys and 5 ladies. After over 7 hours of being detained and questioned by the Israeli military, we were finally hand-cuffed and escorted out of Bethlehem. At the Bethlehem checkpoint, the guys and girls were divided. The five ladies were pushed into the floor of a police jeep and our legs were bound. The Israeli police officers drove around for a while then stopped and pulled one girl out - Ida Fasten, from Sweden, cut her loose and left her, in the middle of we don’t know where, by herself. We were horrified! They had taken all of our phones and identification, and it was 2am. When I protested leaving a foreign woman out in the middle of unfamiliar territory in the middle of the night, with no phone and no ID, I was physically assaulted -- slapped hard in the face by one of the officers. Both officers in the jeep refused to give us their names and badge numbers, despite repeated requests. When we realized that the officers were going to leave each one of us in a different place, the four of us left in the jeep agreed on a meeting place. Four of us are now safe in a hotel in Jerusalem, but we still don’t know where Ida is. We don’t know what happened to the guys. Again, none of us have our phones. We were told to report to a certain location, 24 Hillel, at 9am - in 4 hours. I pray Ida is there and that the guys are also safe. We don’t know whether we face arrest or deportation; what we do know is that the presence of the international civilians now inside the Church of the Nativity is probably a lifesaver. We brought in food and are offering international presence as protection for the civilians inside the church from the indiscriminate shooting of the Israeli Army. We are international civilians upholding international law. Please contact your governments and ask them to do the same. Nothing in the news. What do you think was told to the Organization upon asking the U.S. gov't for help for these Americans? "We have warned all Americans to not travel to this country". that was it. no news story, no help, no petition by the U.S. gov't sent to the Israeli gov't... nothing. |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |