NPK-info 16-06-2001

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NPK-info 16-06-2001- Nederlands Palestina Komitee / www.palestina-komitee.nl
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BBC1 behandelt morgen om 23.15 u. in het programma Panorama de vraag of
Sharon een oorlogsmisdadiger is gezien o.a. zijn optreden in 1982 in Beiroet
waar onder zijn verantwoordelijkheid in de vluchtelingenkampen van Sabra en
Shatila een grote slachting werd aangericht door de Phalangisten.
De Israelische regering probeert de uitzending tegen te houden [zie
http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,507151,00.html],
mail de BBC dat zij niet voor deze Israelische poging tot censuur moet
buigen:
panorama@bbc.co.uk

EU-druk op Israel
* Stuur het Europees parlement een brief, tekstvoorbeeld hieronder.

Israelische wapens in de verkoop
* Zie hierna: Israeli arms exports reached $2.5 billion last year, Amnon
Barzilai, Ha'aretz
* Stuur Nederlandse Kamerleden een brief [twee voorbeelden hieronder] tegen
wapenaankopen in Israel.

Overig
* Challenging Myths with Facts on the Ground
* Zie www.lifeonline.org [Gaza]
* http://al-awda.org
* http://al-awda.org/terminate_israel_aid.htm

NPK/WL, 16-6-2001
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Dringend verzoek onderstaande tekst [of een eigen variant] aan het Europese
parlement te sturen.
Het email adres is: public.info@consilium.eu.int
Mail ook Romano Prodi romano.prodi@cec.eu.int
Vraag ook anderen hetzelfde te doen!
Stuur een BCC aan Codip@skynet.be [Vlaanderen] en npk@xs4all.nl

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To the European Parliamentarians

Dear Sir/Madam,

May I ask you to take due notice of the following:
Thank you,

sincerely,

==> je naam & adres

Europe has to take up it's responsibility for a just solution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The European countries have an undeniable historical responsibility in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They have mainly supported Israel and to a
much lesser extent the PNA, but this attitude has not prevented the present
war-development. Today the European Union can contribute to a just solution
by
promoting the International Law or it can fail to do so and let injustice
and human suffering persist.

Leaving the initiative to the United States is unfair, because, in the facts
on the ground, the US has always unambiguously favored the Israeli policy of
occupation and colonization of the entire historical Palestine at the
expense of the unalienable rights of the Palestinian population. It is high
time therefore that the EU finally promotes the implementation of the UN
resolutions
- 242 and 338 (withdrawal of the Israeli army from the occupied
territories),
- 446 and 452 (the illegal character of the Jewish colonization in
the occupied territories)
- 252 and 478 (the illegal character of the annexation of Jerusalem by
Israel)
- 194 (right on return and compensation for all Palestinian refugees)
as well as
- 4th Geneva Convention (human rights and protection of civilians in
occupied territories).

Instead of finally putting pressure on Israel, the Western countries, US
and EU alike, are pressuring the PNA and the Palestinian population, which
has suffered so much from decades of illegal Israeli occupation,
colonization and humiliation and from the killings, the destruction and the
collective punishments of specially the last eight months. The West seems
to demand that
the Palestinians stop their resistance against the occupier, despite the
fact that they are fighting for their "inalienable rights", while the
Israeli army would be allowed to stay in the occupied territories and
continue to terrorize and kill Palestinian men, women an children. The
security
of Israel [definition?] and the political survival of Sharon, a war
criminal, is all that
seems to matter for Europe.

I fail to understand this unjustifiable attitude of the European top
politicians and I feel ashamed to be a European citizen under those
circumstances.
Therefore, I urge you that the EU finally puts pressure on Israel to comply
with the International Law including the Fourth Convention of Geneva.
Clearly, you have to demand the immediate withdrawal of all Israeli and
Jewish colonists from the entire occupied Palestinian land, including
East-Jerusalem. This is the only way to bring peace and security to both
Israel and Palestine. It will create an atmosphere of confidence to reach a
just and lasting agreement on all other matters, including the refugees.

I sincerely hope that your sense of justice will finally prevail.

Sincerely yours,

==> je naam & adres

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June 10, 200121:17 (Israel time)
Israeli arms exports reached $2.5 billion last year
By Amnon Barzilai, Ha'aretz Correspondent
Israel is ranked fifth or sixth among the world's largest arms exporters,
the director-general of the Defense Ministry, Major General (Res.) Amos
Yaron, said Sunday at a press conference in Tel Aviv prior to the opening
of the Paris Airshow this weekend.
Israeli defense industries signed contracts totaling $2.49 billion last
year, an increase of 15 percent compared to 1999, Yaron said. Major General
(Ret.) Yossi Ben Hanan, who heads the ministry's efforts to promote
military exports, added that about $80 million in surplus military
equipment was sold last year, double the total unloaded in 1999. The
surplus arms sold last year included five Skyhawk aircraft, Kfir planes,
the entire fleet of MD-500 Defender attack helicopters and 27,000 rifles of
various kinds.
Seventeen Israeli companies are planning to participate in the Paris
Airshow this year. Israeli Aircraft Industries will display its Arrow
missile and Green Pine radar system designed to counter missile attacks.
Elbit Systems will show its upgraded version of the Russian Sukhoi-25
tactical fighter jets and Rafael will unveil its Derby air-to-air missile,
designed for medium range of about 50 kilometers.
Other Israeli companies slated to participate in the airshow include Israel
Military Industries, the Elisra Group, Beit Shemesh Engines, Controp
Precision Technologies, and Plasan Sasa.
Yaron noted that talks are continuing with the Chinese despite cancellation
of the contract to supply Phalcon spy planes to the Chinese Air Force . He
said that Israel does not expect compensation from the United States, which
pressured Israel to cancel the deal. The request for $800 million of
special assistance from the American government was submitted about a year
ago, and is intended to help Israel prepare for potential threats from Iraq
and Iran, especially in light of their efforts to produce weapons of mass
destruction, he said.
Yaron also mentioned that Israel was trying to interest the U.S. in jointly
developing an unmanned aircraft that would intercept missile launchers.
Yaron expressed confidence that the Netherlands would purchase Rafael's Gil
anti-tank missile. Rafael is competing against Lockheed Martin for the
Dutch Army contract.

_______________________________________________________________________

----- Oorspronkelijk bericht -----
Van: "Vanessa T.T. Lambrecht" <pml@friendsofpalestine.org>
Aan: "A. vanArdenne (E-mail)" <A.vanArdenne@tk.parlement.nl>; "B. Dittrich
(E-mail)" <B.Dittrich@tk.parlement.nl>; "B. J. vanderVlies (E-mail)"
<B.J.vanderVlies@tk.parlement.nl>; "E. van. Middelkoop (E-mail)"
<E.van.Middelkoop@tk.parlement.nl>; "F. Weisglas (E-mail)"
<F.Weisglas@tk.parlement.nl>; "Hvbommel (E-mail)" <hvbommel@sp.nl>; "J.
Hoekema (E-mail)" <J.Hoekema@tk.parlement.nl>; "Koenders"
<Koenders@tk.parlement.nl>; "M. Augusteijn (E-mail)"
<M.Augusteijn@tk.parlement.nl>; "M. deBoer (E-mail)"
<M.deBoer@tk.parlement.nl>; "M. Verhagen (E-mail)"
<M.Verhagen@tk.parlement.nl>; "M. Vos (E-mail)" <M.Vos@tk.parlement.nl>;
"Mohamed Rabbae (E-mail)" <M.Rabbae@tk.parlement.nl>; "N. Albayrak (E-mail)"
<N.Albayrak@tk.parlement.nl>; "O. Cherribi (E-mail)"
<O.Cherribi@tk.parlement.nl>; "Poppe R. (E-mail)" <R.Poppe@tk.parlement.nl>
Verzonden: zondag 10 juni 2001 23:06
Onderwerp: Aankoop Israelische Wapens

Aan: de voorzitter en de leden van de vaste kamercommissie voor
Buitenlandse Zaken.
Datum: 10 juni 2001
Onderwerp: Aankoop Israëlische wapens
Geachte vertegenwoordigers,
Middels deze e-mail wil ik u dringend verzoeken de voorgenomen aankoop
van het Israëlische wapensysteem Gill door Nederland niet door te laten
gaan. Een dergelijke aankoop is in deze tijd van zeer hevige onrust zeer
ongepast. Ik wil u er aan herinneren dat er nog dagelijk doden vallen
aan Palestijnse zijde door buitensporig militair geweld van het
Israelische leger. Mensenrechtenorganisaties zijn het er unaniem over
eens dat Israël bij het bestrijden van de opstanden en demonstraties
buitensporig veel gebruik maakt van dodelijk geweld. Bij ordehandhaving
moeten volgens internationale regels en ook volgens het Israëlische
wetboek de mensenrechten van alle mensen beschermd en gerespecteerd
worden. Voor het gebruik van geweld, zoals het gebruik van vuurwapens,
zijn strenge regels die internationaal zijn vastgelegd en die Israël
heeft ondertekend. Volgens een onderzoeker die meeging op de missie van
Amnesty International was het geweld dat de IDF gebruikte goed om een
vijand uit te roeien, niet om demonstraties in toom te houden. Israël
gebruikt oorlogsmaterieel voor het bedwingen van demonstraties. Wij, als
vredenlievende natie, zouden dit niet moeten toestaan en zouden Israël
hierin niet moeten steunen door wapens van haar te kopen.

De meerderheid van de Palestijnen die in de loop van de Intifada werden
neergeschoten, hadden slechts stenen als wapen tegen de zwaar getrainde,
goed beschermde en zwaar bewapende Israëlische veiligheidstroepen. In de
meeste gevallen waren de soldaten absoluut niet in gevaar. Pas als hun
leven of dat van derden serieus in gevaar is, en alle andere middelen
zijn uitgeput, dan mogen veiligheidstroepen schieten. Daarbij moeten ze
richten op benen of armen en niet op hoofd en borst en moeten ze het
schieten op kinderen vermijden.
Europa en met name Nederland, zou een veel grotere rol in de oplossing
van het conflict moeten spelen. En zo'n rol is niet meer op ons te nemen
als wij een anti-tankraketten systeem kopen van een land dat het gebied
dat het bezet regelmatig met anti-tankraketten bestookt.
Ik verzoek u dan ook dringend deze transactie af te blazen en u in te
zetten voor vrede in het Midden Oosten.
Met vriendelijke groet,
drs. Vanessa T.T. Lambrecht

----- Oorspronkelijk bericht -----
Van: Amin Ghazal
Aan: hvbommel@sp.nl ; Koenders@tk.parlement.nl ;
B.J.vanderVlies@tk.parlement.nl ; E.van.Middelkoop@tk.parlement.nl ;
M.Vos@tk.parlement.nl ; J.Hoekema@tk.parlement.nl ;
M.Verhagen@tk.parlement.nl ; M.deBoer@tk.parlement.nl ;
F.Weisglas@tk.parlement.nl
CC: Apostolou@tk.parlement.nl ; N.Albayrak@tk.parlement.nl ;
B.Dittrich@tk.parlement.nl ; A.vanArdenne@tk.parlement.nl ;
M.Augusteijn@tk.parlement.nl ; O.Cherribi@tk.parlement.nl ; Mohamed Rabbae ;
Poppe R.
Verzonden: zondag 10 juni 2001 18:37
Onderwerp: T.K.brief - aankoop Israëlische wapens

Aan: de voorzitter en de leden van de vaste kamercommissie
voor Buitenlandse Zaken.

Datum: 10 juni 2001

Onderwerp: Aankoop Israëlische wapens

Geachte volksvertegenwoordigers,

Ik doe u een dringend verzoek om de voorgenomen aankoop van het Israëlische
wapensysteem Gill door Nederland, met onmiddellijke ingang af te keuren.

Reden van dit verzoek is:
· de voortdurende onderdrukking van de Palestijnse burgerbevolking
levend onder Israëlische militaire bezetting
· het almaar verder bouwen en uitbreiden van Israëlische
nederzettingen op geconfisceerd Palestijns land
· het negeren van alle VN-resoluties m.b.t. het
Israelisch-Palestijns conflict
· de handhaving en intensivering van de apartheidspolitiek
/discriminatie door Israël.

Israël brengt niet alleen schade toe en terroriseert niet alleen drie
miljoen mensen onder haar voortdurende bezetting, maar toont hiermee
bovendien een diepe minachting voor VN-resoluties en het Internationale
Recht. Israël lapt sinds jaar en dag VN-resoluties 242, 338 en 194 die
o.a. Israël oproepen zich onmiddellijk terug te trekken uit alle bezette
Arabische gebieden van 1967 en de terugkeer van Palestijnse vluchtelingen
naar hun land.

Zoals u zonder twijfel weet, heeft Israël haar belegerings- en
isolatiebeleid in de Palestijnse gebieden geïntensiveerd. Ondanks haar
toezegging de belegering van de Palestijnse burgerbevolking te versoepelen,
duurt het isoleren van Palestijnse dorpen en steden voort.

Volgens Artikel 2 van het Euro-Israëlische Associatieakkoord (dat oproept
tot het eerbiedigen van de mensenrechten) , heeft de Europese Unie het recht
om sancties op te leggen om Palestijnen tegen misbruik te beschermen. Ik
vraag u een beroep te doen op dit akkoord en handelsbeperkingen op te leggen
aan Israël. Als begin kan een embargo op militaire transacties worden
opgelegd, net zolang tot Israël haar verantwoordelijkheden met betrekking
tot Palestijnse mensenrechten nakomt.

Wil Nederland haar gezicht en geloofwaardigheid niet verliezen, dan is het
bovenstaande reden genoeg om de voorgenomen aanschaf van Israëlische wapens
te stoppen.

Met vriendelijke groet,

Dhr. A.Ghazal

Vlaardingen

E-mail: a.ghazal@planet.nl

p.s. : Ik verzoek deze brief door te geleiden naar de minister van
Buitenlandse Zaken Van Aartsen en de staatssecretaris Van Hoof van Defensie
voor een reactie van de regering op mijn brief.
_______________________________________________________________________

For The Record
Number 76
14 June 2001

The Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine / 2425-35 Virginia Ave., NW /
Washington, DC 20037 / Tel: 202.338.1290 / Fax: 202.333.7742 /
<<<http://www.palestinecenter.org>>>

Challenging Myths with Facts on the Ground

The "brutality of the occupation is getting worse and worse," said
Dr. Jumana Odeh, director of the Palestinian Happy Child Center, at an 11
June 2001 Center briefing. She addressed the psychological dimensions of
Israel's occupation and the intifada, followed by Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi,
director of the Health, Development, Information, and Policy Institute, who
challenged the common myths about the origin and nature of the uprising.

Odeh mainly focused on how the occupation affects children and,
similarly, why they are involved in the uprising. Fifty-three percent of the
population in Palestine is under the age of 18, 100 percent of whom were
born under occupation. The majority of these children were "attacked by tear
gas" or in other ways during the first intifada. Many have witnessed their
parents being beaten or arrested; some suffered such abuses themselves. In
fact, 33 percent of those killed by Israel during the current intifada were
under the age of 18. "Those kids were born to live . . . in peace and
dignity in their land," Odeh said, but these goals are restrained by the
occupation.

According to Barghouthi, during the last eight months the "level of
aggression" against Palestinians and the "amount of myth" generated about
the crisis have been "unprecedented." First, Barghouthi explained the myth
of the so-called "generous offer" made by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Barak at Camp David. In reality, Barak's "final solution" offer would have
resulted in three bantustans in the West Bank and one in Gaza, separated by
settlements annexed to Israel. Israel would have kept the Jordan Valley for
12 years, and there would have been "no real [Palestinian] sovereignty" in
Jerusalem. Finally, all the borders would have been controlled by Israel. In
return, the Palestinians would have had to "give up completely on the
refugee issue" and agree that the conflict was resolved. The supposed 95
percent of the West Bank that would have been returned to the Palestinians
under Barak's offer did not include the Dead Sea, any of the settlement
areas, or the Jerusalem area-which alone comprises 25 percent of the West
Bank.

The second myth is the idea that Israel is "just defending itself."
In the last eight months, "not a single Israeli house was demolished," and
no trees or homes belonging to Israelis were destroyed. On the Palestinian
side, 27,000 trees were destroyed and 12,000 dunums of land in Gaza were
leveled (one dunum is 1,000 square meters). Moreover, "3,200 buildings
[were] completely destroyed, of which 1,200 [were] houses," resulting in
1,500 families being left homeless. While Barghouthi regretted that 106
Israelis were killed and 760 injured, the Palestinian figures are far
higher, with 532 Palestinians killed and 23,000 injured (2,000 "permanently
disabled").

When one combines the number of Palestinian dead and injured, it
equals 0.7 percent of the population of the Occupied Territories. Applying
this percentage to the U.S. population would result in 45,000 Americans
killed and 2,100,000 injured. Barghouthi said that in comparison, during the
10 years of the Vietnam War, 52,000 Americans were killed. So, concluded
Barghouthi, who is really under siege-Israel or the Palestinians?

The third myth relates to the idea of security. Israel's leaders try
to convince Israelis that "they can have peace" and occupation
simultaneously. However, if there were a Palestinian state in the West Bank
and Gaza, Israel would have just 200 kilometers of borders to protect. Under
Sharon's plan, there are 3,000 kilometers of borders, considering Israel
views every "Palestinian cluster . . . [as] a threat" to be guarded against.

Another aspect of this myth is the idea that "security only concerns
the Israeli side." There are now 91 Israeli checkpoints in the Occupied
Territories and 120 "clusters of prisons." Seventy percent of the rural
Palestinian population has no access to hospital care, and 10 people have
died at checkpoints. In addition, there is now a 60 to 70 percent
unemployment rate in the Occupied Territories. The per capita income in
Palestine is $800, compared to $18,000 in Israel. Given these statistics,
and the level to which Palestinian lives and property have been attacked,
Palestinians have considerable security needs.

There is a "very dangerous situation" in Israel and the Occupied
Territories. "What Sharon is aiming at" is to destroy "any potential" for
peace. Yet Sharon enjoys a 60 to 70 percent approval rating in Israel, with
71 percent of Israelis supporting the closure of the Occupied Territories.
Of even more concern is that of the 29 percent that do not support the
closure, only 5 percent take this position for humanitarian reasons-the rest
oppose it because it is not effective enough.

Barghouthi believes that "the majority of Palestinians still are
opting for a resolution of the conflict," but they want a solution "that can
provide them with dignity, with integrity, and that can provide them with a
true[ly] sovereign, viable Palestinian state." "Without that minimum, there
can be no solution." Barghouthi urged that the "causes" rather than "only
the symptoms of the disease" be addressed. Israel's military
occupation-along with the resulting oppression and the existence of
settlements-is the cause. If it lasts another year, it will become the
"longest military occupation in history."

Barghouthi believes that the "best approach" with the "most
potential" for achieving the Palestinians' goals is a "popular mass
uprising." "But believe me, it's not easy" considering the climate. "I have
a very strong suspicion that [Israel is] using depleted uranium" shells,
said Barghouthi. Israel has admitted to using anti-personnel tank shells
that spray nails upon explosion. Both of these weapons are illegal under
international law. Israel also uses high velocity M-16 bullets, which
explode in the victim's body and cause significant tissue damage. Barghouthi
cited one case where he treated a patient with shrapnel covering his chest.
Upon further examination, they discovered that the victim's "shrapnel" was
in actuality the shattered bones from another Palestinian who had been hit
by an Israeli bullet.

Given this level of abuse, Barghouthi said he and his co-workers are
disappointed that Israelis who defend Palestinian rights are in the
minority. Still, "they give us a lot of hope" that "extremism [and] racism"
can be overcome.

The above text is based on remarks delivered on 11 June 2001 by Dr. Mustafa
Barghouthi, Director of the Health, Development, Information, and Policy
Institute, and Dr. Jumana Odeh, Director of the Palestinian Happy Child
Center . Their views do not necessarily reflect those of CPAP or The
Jerusalem Fund. This "For the Record" was written by CPAP Publications
Manager Wendy Lehman; it may be used without permission but with proper
attribution to the Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine. To contact
Barghouthi, write to hdip@hdip.org; to reach Odeh, write to
phcc99@palnet.com.

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