[EMAIL PROTECTED] a écrit : > International Action Center Palestine Journal > Monday, October 30 > > ISRAELIS SHELL PALESTINIAN NEIGHBORHOODS > ‘I want to send this missile back to Clinton’ > > [The following is the third report from a four-person delegation from the > International Action Center from their humanitarian and fact-finding > mission to Palestine during what is being called the Al Aqsa Intifada, > or uprising. The delegation aims to bring back a first-hand report > documenting the repression inflicted by the Israeli army and to bring > medical supplies for Palestinian hospitals, which have been declared a > state of medical emergency. The Emergency is caused by the dual > problem of the heavy casualties inflicted by the Israeli repression and > the inability of sick and wounded people to pass through Israeli > checkpoints on their way to the hospital. The IAC delegation includes > Richard Becker, Sara Flounders, Randa Jamal and Preston Wood.] > > ************************** > > Shelling from Israeli tanks and helicopter gun ships into Palestinian > towns escalated Oct. 30 as the death toll from the repression rose to > 151 Palestinians by official count, plus eight Israelis. Scores of > Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank were wounded. > > Near midnight an announcement came over the television that everyone > in the entire Palestinian nations was to go to the center of the town > they lived in to demonstrate against the shelling by the Israeli army. It > was a call for a massive national demonstration, taking place past > midnight. > > The four-person International Action Center delegation was in > Ramallah, where they hoped to make their second delivery of > medicines and dressings to the hospital the next morning. In the > meantime Ramallah joined the list of towns targeted by the Israeli army. > > >From the rooftop near the family’s home where they was staying, IAC > delegation members could see and hear the step up in shelling from > tanks. This is how IAC Western Regional Coordinator Richard Becker > described it: > > “At about 10:30 local time we saw a rocket attack from what we believe > was an Apache helicopter some distance from the house that we’re > staying in. A plane that was flying over, we could see that, we saw a > flare and then a large explosion took place possibly within a mile, mile > and a half. > > “We went immediately to the site and it turned out that a very small > building from the Fatah organization had been rocketed in a residential > neighborhood in Ramallah’s twin city, El-Bireh. > > “When we arrived on the scene there were many people on the streets. > There’s no other commercial or offices in this neighborhood, all the rest > of the neighborhood was residential. The rocket hit the Fatah office, > which is something like I would say six feet by 12 feet, a really a tiny > office. > > “Then we went immediately across the street to see the widespread > damage to the residential apartments. We went inside to talk with the > people inside the apartments, which all had the glass blown off in the > front of buildings. There were pieces of the rocket inside the apartment, > on the floor. > > “By very great fortune none of the people were injured. We interviewed > a 7-year-old boy who was very scared and a 13 year old and a 16-year- > old girl who were terrified. Fortunately, their mother, a U.S. citizen who > lives most of the time in Birmingham, Alabama, had heard the planes > and the helicopters outside the house had brought the children into the > center of the house in the hallway and had them on a mattress. > > “Then the rocket hit across the street and destroyed the office and > blew up the whole front of the square unit apartment building. There > was massive debris everywhere, including pieces of the missile inside. > There was another house where according to the neighbors the people > had just left five minutes before the rocket hit. This house suffered > structural damage, large pieces of stone from the house lying in front of > it, the windows were all blown out. > > “We were not able to go into the house next door that was rocketed. > Inside the apartment building there were pieces of missile that burned > the rug. It was also very fortunate that the apartment building wasn’t > destroyed by fire. > > Becker remarked that the people were well aware that the weapons for > the shelling were coming from the United States. “One man who had > lived for many years in an apartment upstairs picked up a piece of a > wall that was blown into his apartment, through his window from the > house that was blown up across the street. He held it up and said, ‘I > want to send a message to President Clinton, I want to send this back > to him.’” > > WHOLE NATION ON LOCKDOWN > > “The family I’m staying with,” said IAC Co-Director Sara Flounders, > “has a brother in Nablus. He called to say that there were four > bombings there too. They hit another Fatah office at Nablus University. > We also heard that there were bombings at Rafia Gaza, a divided city > on the southernmost point of Gaza.” > > There were military roadblocks everywhere from Bethlehem to > Ramallah and apparently throughout the West Bank, Gaza and most of > Israel. The IAC members, with their U.S. passports could get through > the checkpoints. Palestinians who had been living there all their lives, > however, were unable to get through. They were on lockdown, > imprisoned in their own land, Flounders explained. > > The day before, even with the U.S. passports, it took the delegation > two hours to get from East Jerusalem to Beit Lahour near Bethlehem, > a trip that normally is less than 30 minutes. There they could drop off > the first delivery of medicine. > > “Delivering medical supplies was important,” Flounders said. “Nothing > has been getting through the roadblocks that could help the doctors > take care of those wounded during the Intifada and the Israeli > repression. Small clinics needed to be stocked with anti-biotics, burn > and wound dressings, for example.” > > For the Palestinians, everyday life had become horribly complicated > even when it wasn’t deadly. > > “The father of the family we’re staying with went to a job in Jenin and > couldn’t get back home for eight days,” said Flounders. > > “Last week,” she continued, “the school the children go to was blasted > by bombs—the kids were traumatized. But amazingly, everyone is so > strong. > > The IAC members had similar experiences the day before in > Bethlehem, Beit Sahur and Beit Jala, and at the refugee camp. Even > though these areas had come under bombing attack again and again, > the people still said they were determined not to let the Israelis drive > them out. > > VIOLENCE FROM SETTLER MOBS > > It was not just the Israeli Defense Force—the military—carrying out > attacks on the Palestinians. Violent mobs of settlers and the most > reactionary segments of Israeli society regularly beat and burned, even > mutilated those Palestinians who wandered near the edges of their own > areas. > > People returning from work or from the olive groves—it’s now the > season to harvest olives—were subject to attack. > > In Jerusalem the day before the IAC delegation met with Palestinian > and Jewish anti-Zionist activists who had set up mobile units to try to > stop mob violence against the Palestinians. > > “But we could see how dangerous it was for the Palestinians,” said > Flounders, “even in their own villages. Groups of settlers armed to the > teeth with automatic weapons walk through crowded market places > with their weapons cocked, ready to fire, at people who are not allowed > to have weapons.” > > The settlers live in armed villages on the highest land, atop hills that > overlook the farm lands and the villages of the Palestinians. “If you > haven’t been here,” said Flounders, “it’s hard to imagine how close the > settlements are to the Palestinian villages. These are armed hilltops > around Jerusalem and Ramallah, with roads connecting them that only > cars with Israeli license plates can drive on. > > “They look down on the Palestinian villages. And from them, settlers > can and do take aim and fire into the villages,” she said. > > “It’s now almost one in the morning,” Flounders said, “and we’re about > to join the protest march here in Ramallah.” > > International Action Center > 39 West 14th Street, Room 206 > New York, NY 10011 > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > web: http://www.iacenter.org > CHECK OUT SITE http://www.mumia2000.org > phone: 212 633-6646 > fax: 212 633-2889 > *To make a tax-deductible donation, > go to http://www.peoplesrightsfund.org -- Les "Editions Democrite" publient un mensuel en francais : > "Les dossiers du BIP" avec des traductions d'articles provenant de la > presse communiste(grecque, allemande, anglaise, turque, russe, espagnole, > portugaise...)sur des evenements qui interessent des lecteurs communistes. > Editions Democrite, 52, bld Roger Salengro, 93190 LIVRY-GARGAN, FRANCE > e-mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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