Eyewitness Ramallah, Palestine: A whole people imprisoned – Report from Wednesday, May 22, 2002
A fact-finding delegation dispatched to the West Bank and Gaza that includes legal and public health experts and human rights activists is investigating the conditions of the Palestinian people living under harsh Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. The delegation was organized by the International A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition - - Act Now to Stop War & End Racism. The delegation will prepare a report describing its findings in the coming weeks. Below is their initial dispatch from Ramallah.
REPORT FROM RAMALLAH, WEST BANK
Still Under Siege
Contrary to U.S. media reports that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have withdrawn from the main cities in the West Bank, the IDF have merely stepped back to the city perimeters and have blockaded West Bank cities and villages, leaving Palestinians in a continued state of siege.
The mainstream media, however, has largely withdrawn from the area despite the escalating harsh conditions of existence and human rights violations imposed by the Israeli military on Palestinian civilians through the continued occupation. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has reinforced its encirclement of the eight major cities of the West Bank - - Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Jericho and Hebron - - which now exist as isolated ghettos. Tanks rest poised on the perimeter of Ramallah, apparently ready to attack on a moment's notice.
Today, the A.N.S.W.E.R. delegation observed new evidence of siege and blockade in Ramallah. New barbed wire and cement block barriers have been erected around the perimeter of the city, preventing the movement of residents and the shipment of goods. The blockading perimeter is broken by a very few number of watch towers and guard posts, at which passage is arbitrarily allowed or denied by the Israelis. It requires hours, or even days, simply to traverse a few miles. When the delegation arrived in the early morning at the Kalandia checkpoint, the only entry into Ramallah from East Jerusalem, there were already hundreds of Palestinians stopped in the queue.
Access through and about the area for Jewish Israelis is facilitated by a system of separate roads. Vehicles with Israeli plates - - even large trucks - - speed through checkpoints without delay or inspection.
The delegation received information and recorded testimony attesting to the devastating personal and financial impact that these virtual lock down conditions and Israeli imposed restrictions on movement have on the Palestinian people. Residents are barred from leaving their town without a permit. Adult children are unable to check on and assist their parents living only a few miles away.
The complete information and testimony will be presented in the delegation's final report.
Thousands of Innocent Detainees Held in Unconscionable Conditions
The A.N.S.W.E.R. delegation met with attorneys who had minutes before just completed the first inspection of conditions at Camp Ofer, the makeshift Israeli detention center which holds approximately 900 Palestinian men rounded up during the mass arrests conducted as part of the Israeli invasion of the West Bank. This inspection visit on May 22nd was the first allowed since the arrests, dating back to March 29th, took place. Detention Camp Ofer is located outside of Ramallah in a closed military area.
The attorneys, who work with Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association, report that conditions in the camp fail to meet minimum standards for health, hygiene and comfort. The tents in which prisoners are housed are severely overcrowded. During the first weeks, the overcrowding was so severe that prisoners had to take turns standing so that others had space in which to sleep. The toilet facilities are insufficient in quantity, with only 1 toilet for 100 prisoners. There is virtually no medical care available, and those providing the available limited care are overwhelmed by the demand for their services and consequently have insufficient time with each patient to conduct proper examinations. Prisoners are kept in isolation, denied access to books, TV, news or radios. During the evening, movement is forbidden.
Food quality is poor and in insufficient quantity for nutrition, but the attorneys report that there are now limited cooking facilities. Previously, prisoners were given frozen meat cutlets which they had to place in the sun to defrost. Prisoners are literally kept in the dark - - where electricity is available, the light bulbs are a dim 20 watts.
Jailed for Being Palestinian
Over 5,000 men were rounded up in mass and individual arrests as part of and since the March 29th invasion. Attorneys report that many were arrested under a newly-issued military order (#1500) which authorizes ranking soldiers to arrest any Palestinian without charge or probable cause. Under Israeli administrative detention laws, Palestinians can be jailed for years without having committed a criminal offense merely based on speculation that they might commit a crime in the future. The Israeli government presents its allegations of future misconduct through secret evidence, which the detainee and his counsel are not allowed to review or rebut.
Between 1,500 and 2,000 Palestinian men remain jailed from the recent mass raids. The Israelis have re-opened and are also now housing detainees at Ketziot Desert Prison, the notorious prison in the Negev desert, at which conditions are also reported to be substandard.
Addameer has issued a report, based on attorneys contact with detainees, describing prison conditions and reporting that Palestinian men have been physically abused during their arrests and transfers, including being beat with fists and clubs, kicked, verbally abused and threatened. The report is available online at http://www.addameer.org/press/index.html .
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The delegation includes Richard Becker, West Coast Coordinator of the International Action Center and member of the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition steering committee; Carl Messineo, attorney and co-founder of the Partnership for Civil Justice and member of the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition steering committee; Sara Flounders, Co-Director of the International Action Center; Dr. Hillel Cohen, doctor of public health and epidemiologist and delegate of 1199 National Health and Human Services Employees Union.
The A.N.S.W.E.R. fact-finding delegation will give direct testimony on the findings of its trip at the June 1 Emergency National Anti-War Conference. For more details about this conference, go to http://www.internationalanswer.org/news/update/050102juneconf.html . This will include the presentation of photographs, video, written documents and a report.
To read the May 20 report of the A.N.S.W.E.R. delegation from Gaza, go to http://www.internationalanswer.org/news/update/052002gazarept.html .
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RICHARD BECKER AVAILABLE FOR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Richard Becker, West Coast Coordinator of the International Action Center and Steering Comm. Member of International ANSWER has just returned from a fact-finding delegation to Palestine where he visited Gaza, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Haifa, Jenin, and more. His third trip to Palestine, he has also traveled throughout the Middle East including Iraq and Sudan.
Becker's eyewitness reports and unique analysis are available to you and your organization, class or church. If you would like to host an event featuring Becker, video, and photos from the delegation, please contact the International Action Center at iac@actionsf.org or phone (415) 821-6545. Travel expenses and honoraria are appreciated.
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