SCN: WIB -- Recent Events

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Below is a letter from Gila Svirsky, an Israeli
long-time peace activist and member of Jerusalem Woman
in Black. Her writing is always compelling and clear
about what needs to be done. This week, she is one of
the many prophetic voices calling us to act in
whatever ways we can. Below her letter is the text of
our flyer for this week. Following that are 2 other
messages about local events to protest racial
profiling of immigrants.

With hope for a just peace,
Elise DeGooyer
****************

Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2002 18:58:02 +0200 
From: Gila Svirsky 
Subject: After the Outrage and Tears 

Friends, 
I just returned to Israel from 2 weeks abroad, and
took 2 more days to get a perspective on what I see
and hear, which I would now like to share with you: 

First, the overwhelming picture before us is of death
and destruction wrought by the Israeli army in the
Palestinian cities, Jenin above all. In addition to
the hundreds killed and thousands wounded, we have
irrefutable evidence that the Israeli army has barred
ambulances from evacuating the dead and wounded, has
bulldozed homes in large numbers (sometimes with the
families still inside), and has withheld access to
water, electricity, and phone communication for
periods of a week and more. Can you imagine life with
no water, while men, women, and children are bleeding
to death around you? And finally having to bury the
corpses in an empty lot nearby, after days of keeping
them at home? 

These go well beyond the ongoing acts of brutality,
mass arrests, vandalism, theft, and humiliations,
which are also rampant. A senior officer was quoted in
Ha'aretz today as saying, "When the world sees
pictures of what we have done there, it will cause
enormous damage to us." It's no wonder that the media
are not given access. Listening to the report from the
field at the emergency board meeting of B'Tselem last
night, I was not the only one with tears in my eyes. 

This is no time for analysis, although I have much to
say: About the complicity of Peres, about the
appalling anti-Semitism unleashed internationally by
legitimate anger at Israeli, and about how horrifying
terrorism in Israel and the so-called "war against
terrorism" in the US have given license to what is
happening. Introduce Bush-Cheney-Rice-Sharon-Mofaz,
and the recipe for Violence-Begets-More Violence is
complete. Today's killing of 13 Israeli soldiers in
Jenin only drives home the tragic futility of Israel's
military might. 

Rather than analyze, this is a time to act. Here in
Israel, the peace and human rights movement is working
tirelessly on every imaginable front. Soldiers who
refuse to serve the occupation are going to jail;
convoys of food and medical supplies hastily collected
have been distributed and more are being collected;
human rights workers are risking their lives to
monitor action; peace activists have braved hailstorms
of teargas and stun grenades in facing army
checkpoints; foreign activists have served as human
shields throughout the territories. In my history of
activism, I recall no parallel sense of urgency, in
which lives and daily bread are being set aside to
pursue a cause. But I also recall no parallel feeling
that a calamity of our own making is unfolding before
our eyes. 

I implore you to take action of your own. Contact
relevant officials (some addresses are given below).
If you're Jewish, make a point of saying that. Tell
them: 
1) International monitors must be dispatched to the
region at once to end the terrible violence. 
2) The root cause of the conflict is the Israeli
occupation of the territories. This must come to an
end. 
Other things you can do, even if you have limited
time: 
 If you have just 1 minute to give, forward
this letter to others on your list. 
  If you have 10 minutes to spare, write a
check to the organization of your choice (see the
links at www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org for a few
suggestions). 
  If you have 20 minutes, call, fax or write
(make it brief!) any of the officials below. 
  If you have an hour, write a letter to the
editor of your local newspaper (brief and from the
heart). 
  If you have more time, get involved. See
"Get Involved - Find an Organization Near You" at
www.junity.org for some suggestions. 
  If you're an American Jew, join the Tikkun
Community (www.tikkun.org) or the newly formed Brit
Tzedek v'Shalom - Jewish Alliance for Justice & Peace
(www.jppi.org). 

Whatever you can do is valuable. 

Finally, I can't help but note that Israel marked
Holocaust Memorial Day today. When will we finally
extricate ourselves from this trauma and apply
ourselves to instilling its true lesson, that of
tolerance? 
Shalom / Salaam from Jerusalem, Gila Svirsky
___________________________ 

OFFICIALS TO CONTACT: Note: If you have time, print
out and fax a letter (or make a phone call), as those
are more effective than e-mail. 
President George W. Bush Phone: (202) 456-1414 Fax:
(202) 456-2461 E-mail: president at whitehouse.gov
Secretary of State Colin Powell Phone: (202) 647-4000
(202-647-5150) Bureau of Near East Affairs Fax: (202)
261-8577 E-mail: secretary at state.gov 
Ms. Mary Robinson United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights webadmin.hchr at unog.ch 
Mr. Kofi Annan Secretary General of the UN Phone:
(212) 963-5012 Fax: (212) 963-4879 
Mr.Terje Rod Larsen Representative of the UN in
Palestine Tel: + 972 8 282 2914 Fax: + 972 8 282 0966
unsco at palnet.com 
Council of the European Union
public.info at consilium.eu.int
karin.roxman at consilium.eu.int 
Javier Solana - EU special envoy:
javier.sancho-velazquez at consilium.eu.int 

see Coalition of Women for a Just Peace:
http://www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org 

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