[Nettime-bold] Fw: DENIED ENTRY TO CIVIL MISSION BY ISRAELI GOVERN.

[Gita Hashemi <gita@yorku.ca>]

Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2002 9:41 PM
Subject: DENIED ENTRY TO CIVIL MISSION BY ISRAELI GOVERN.


>                        PRESS RELEASE
>
>                      Luisa Morgantini,
>  President of the delegation of the European Parliament for relations with
the Palestinian Legislative Council, strongly protests against the behaviour
of the Israeli authorities, for the  denied entry to international civil
mission.
>  The denial is showing once more the repressive policy of the israeli
government and undermining Israeli democracy as well as regular relations
with EU citizens.
>  The human chain in Jerusalem had to be postponed.
>
>  The human chain, an international event that should have taken place on
June 28 and 29 in the West Bank and in Jerusalem, has been suspended due to
the expulsion of civilians who wanted to enter Israel in order to attend the
event, and to subsequent internal problems. The human chain was an event
organised by the Israeli-Palestinian Peoples' Peace Campaign, which
represents both Palestinian and Israeli peace movements, among them
personalities like Sari  Nusseibeh, Yaser Abed Rabbo, Hanan Hashrawi, Yossi
Beilin, Yossi Sarid, Yael Dayan and the two  Sakharov Prize, Nurit Peled and
Izzat El Ghazzawi. The goal of the demonstration was to show that in both
peoples there are majorities that believe in the possibility for peace based
on ending the occupation, on two states for two peoples, on Jerusalem as two
capitals for two states a just solution for the refugees.
>  Groups of international civilians who arrived at Ben Gurion airport have
been denied entrance by the Israeli border police despite the fact that the
initiative had been previously officially permitted by the authorities.
>  The reason given to explain why entrance was not allowed is that
"participating in the human chain is a non sufficient reason for entering
Israel".
>  Many European citizens were expected to arrive in Israel. Among them, some
members of the European parliament and around 350 Italians, organised by
Action for Peace and Peace Roundtable Coalitions, by the Regional Government
of Campania, Toscana and Umbria, and by many associations, trade unions,
local authorities and political parties. Lots of them were obliged to take a
flight back to Italy immediately, while 15 of them had to spend a night in a
locked room, where they received food and water only after twelve hours and
only thanks to the repeated requests of the Italian Embassy in Israel.
>  Diplomatic sources say the Interior Ministry of Israel took the decision
to prevent any international citizens from taking part in the human chain as
well as in any other initiative. Knesset members and the leaders of Peace
Now - which are among the promoters of the human chain - have been informed
and have sought a commitment to change this decision. However, despite this,
the Israeli government has refused to change its position.
>  The Israeli authorities bear a very heavy responsibility, by preventing
international support to the forces which are trying to stop the occupation
which kills all, to break the circle of violence and terror and to reopen
the way to dialogue and negotiation.
>  Luisa Morgantini states that "It is time for a just peace, peace is
necessary to both Palestinians and Israelis, it is time for the Israeli army
to stop their crimes, to withdraw and end the occupation, it is time for the
palestinian groups who make terror to stop it, it is time for Palestinian
People to choose in freedom their leadership and to build a democratic
state. It is time for European Union, Arab Countries, Onu, Russia to make
pressure on Israel and the US to implement the international legality, it is
time to send international forces, as requested by palestinians and israelis
for peace,  to prevent violence and defend the civilian population".
>
>  info: 0032-2-2847151 - 0039-348-3921465
>  email   lmorgantini@europarl.eu.int
>
>
>
>
>
>

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