Palestine: Updates on Internationalist Prisoners Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit News Roundup: STATUS OF INTERNATIONALISTS IMPRISONED BY ISRAEL; SOME EXPELLED BY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA source - "Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory" sent by Caterina Strambio de Castillia Dear Friends / Cari Amici there has been more than some confusion about the status of the International Prisoners held in Israel since their action at the Bethlehem Church of the Nativity. The following information released by the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement between People clarifies that five internationals are indeed still in prison in Israel. They are all US citizens. The US consulate has done nothing on their behalf. Contact your representative and the White house to protest their illegal detention. In addition you can contact the following Israeli officials to voice your protest and to demand that they release the prisoners immediately: Foreign Minister Shimon Peres Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres: HaKirya Romema Jerusalem 91950 Tel. 972 2 5303531/3631/530 fax (+972-2) 5303506 / 5303896 5303367 Ministry of Interior 2, Kaplan Street, Jerusalem fax: 02-5666376 / 02-6701585 Minister Mr. Eli Yishai sar@moin.gov.il Director Mr. Mordechay Mordechay mankal@moin.gov.il Spokesman Ms. Tova Ellinson dover@moin.gov.il Public Relations Ms. Nechama Pluga-Zecharia pniot@moin.gov.il Archive/Mailroom doar@moin.gov.il In solidarity Caterina PS there is some good news though: one of the activists Trevor Baumgartner made it home yesterday and is now safe in Seattle. ***** Press Release - Tuesday 21 May, 2002 Earlier today, Nauman Zaidi and Robert O'Neill, illegally detained American nationals held in Masiyahu prison (Ramle, Israel), were called in to the warden's office. They were presented with a fax from their American university, the University of California, which informed them they had been expelled due to their humanitarian efforts in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories. Both young men had been part of the group who took food and medical assistance to the beleaguered Palestinians and clergy in the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem. The two men are studying under an 'Education Abroad' programme, and have been in Cairo for the past year. This action against them means that all their study have been in vain as they will not be able to transfer the work undertaken back to the States. In addition, their expected graduation this summer has been denied them. They have been given 48 hours to oppose this expulsion and protest the abuse of their right to an education. However, as they are incarcerated in an Israeli prison they are unable to take the necessary action to prevent this travesty of justice occurring. The warden then attempted to coerce them in to signing the document. O'Neill expressed his anger at the blatant effort to 'make an example' of him and Nauman for performing what can only be described as actions of humanity. ***** DIRECT ACTION FOR A FREE PALESTINE INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT Contact: Kate Crane, cell: 917.374.7087; Eric Laursen, cell: 212.620.7615; Georgina Reeves (Jerusalem), phone: 011.972.55.840.767 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 21, 2002 ILLEGALLY DETAINED PEACE WORKERS EXPELLED BY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RAMLE, ISRAEL - Nauman Zaidi and Robert O'Neill, U.S. nationals illegally held in Masiyahu prison, were notified today by the prison warden that they had been expelled from the University of California for their humanitarian efforts in Palestine. Both students were part of a group who took food and medical assistance to the beleaguered Palestinians and clergy in the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem earlier this month. The two activists were studying under an "Education Abroad" program, and have been in Cairo for the past year. The university's action against them means that all their study have been in vain, as they will not be able to transfer their work back to the U.S. Both would have graduated this summer. Today they were given 48 hours to oppose the expulsion order and to protest the abuse of their right to an education; as they are in prison, they are unable to take any action. The expulsion of Zaidi and O'Neill continues a disturbing pattern of ill-treatment of American activists in Israel and Palestine by U.S. institutions. In an attempt to remove all witnesses of its violent strikes against Palestinian communities, the Israeli government has deported nearly all of the peace workers who attempted to deliver or succeeded in delivering humanitarian aid to the Church of the Nativity during the 39-day standoff that ended May 10. While the embassies of other countries' peace workers intervened immediately to have their citizens released, several U.S. nationals continue to be held in Ramle prison, which is notorious for human rights abuses - especially against women and children. Activists with the International Solidarity Movement, a Palestinian-led network of individual activists and grassroots community organizations dedicated to the nonviolent struggle for Palestinian freedom, have participated in a number of nonviolent direct actions in the occupied territories since May 2001. ***** Law Society at http://www.lawsociety.org/Press/Preleases/2002/May/may20.html A call from LAW to release the five Americans in Israeli Prison: LAW's lawyer, Mahmud Jabareen, visited Ramle prison where he spoke with five internationals, Thomas Koutsoukos, Nathan Musselman Nathan Maugar, Nauman Zaidi and Robert O'Neill, who were arrested after delivering food to Palestinians in the Church of Nativity on May 2, 2002. The five are kept separately and with criminal prisoners. Since May 6, 2002, the foreign detainees were on hunger strike. The prison administration promised them to be allowed being held together if they would stop their hungerstrike. However, after they broke the hungerstrike, the prison administration refused to let them stay together and kept them separated. Before being transferred to Ramle prison, Nathan Maugar was detained for five days in Kiryat Arba, located in an illegal settlement near Hebron. In Ramle prison he is detained with illegal Chinese workers who are awaiting deportation. Nathan Musselman is kept with criminal prisoners. Both were arrested outside the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. They are separated from the other foreign detainees, Nauman Zaidi and Robert O'Neill, who were arrested inside the Church of Nativity, and Thomas Koutsoukos, who was arrested outside the church. Nathan Maugar and Thomas Koutsoukos have tickets to Jordan but the Israeli authorities refused to let them leave except to the United States. Thomas Koutsoukos, Nauman Zaidi and Robert O'Neill stated to LAW that since they were in Area A, the Palestinian police should deal with them, not the Israeli authorities. Moreover, they believed that according to the Fourth Geneva Convention they are allowed to provide humanitarian aid and supply food to civilians. LAW demands the immediate release of these internationals. They are illegally detained by Israeli forces from Bethlehem, which is located in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in area A, which is under Palestinian control. They are kept in detention without due process or charge. The detainees were on a humanitarian mission and brought food supplies to the Church of Nativity. LAW requests the United States Consulate to provide immediate assistance to these American citizens and demand their immediate release. The Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People 64 Star Street, P.O.Box 24 Beit Sahour - Palestine www.rapprochement.org The center is a non-profit making NGO, started in 1988 during the first Intifada. PCR runs community service programs, youth empowerment and training programs. PCR is also very much involved in the non-violent resistance against the Israeli Occupation to Palestine. ********************************************************************* "The first duty of a revolutionary is to be educated." José Martí ********************************************************************* The Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory http://www.toplab.org ********************************************************************* ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytmid-05.23.02-16:00:46-6601