Dear Friends,
Arab kassams are raining on Sderot and the Negev, citizens are wounded, a youngster who came all the way from Ecuador to volunteer in Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha was murdered by an Arab sniper from Gaza, shots were fired at Beit Hadassa in Hevron…. and yet, the Olmert government continues its path to national suicide, pushing ahead their plans to uproot outposts and communities in Judea and Samaria. Several of the outposts we settled on Hanukka, have been destroyed by the security forces only to be rebuilt a couple hours later by the wonderful youth who never give up. On the list of possible expulsions is the Bet Hashalom house in Hevron. (see below item 2). Nine Jewish girls age 14 are still in jail for over 3 weeks for the “crime’ of settling the Land of Israel. (see item 1).
In one word friends…we have lots of work ahead! We learned from our mistakes in Gush Katif: we do not wait for the decree to happen to start reacting. The time has come to initiate activities that will actually even deter the authorities.
Below please find a list of information & activities Women in Green are involved in. Please be part of it. We apologize if some announcements are very last minute.
1) PUBLIC FAST TO RELEASE THE 9 GIRLS AND LETTER OF THE MOTHER OF ONE OF THE GIRLS
Thursday, January 17 there will be a public fast to release 9 girls, most of whom are 14 years old, incarcerated in Neve Tirtza and Ayalon prisons. They have been in jail for over three weeks. Their crime: The police caught them trying to settle at Givat Ha’Or, an empty outpost in a field in the Shomron. For more information, see: http://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/170658
* A prayer vigil will be held at the Neve Tirza prison at 4:00pm.
Letter of one of the mothers of the girls, (names of mother & daughter are not being published for obvious reasons):
January 16, 2008
The American Consulate
American Citizens Services Section
Special Consular Services
Attn: Nili Weinfeld
Dear Ms. Weinfeld,
My name is Y. and I am an American citizen. My daughter X, who is 14 years old, is also an American citizen.
On December 25, 2007, she was detained with some other girls and boys her age for being in an old abandoned building not far from her home. Since then she has been incarcerated in a women’s prison for serious criminal offenders and I have not been allowed to see her. I have been allowed to speak with her by telephone only three times for one or two minutes each. At the time of her detention and arrest she was seriously abused, and has been denied her civil and legal rights during her time in prison.
The facts are as follows: She, along with 6 other girls and 8 other boys were pulled by the army and police out of an old and long abandoned building. They were taken to the police station in Sha’ar Binyamin and told to give their names and then they could go home. The boys did so and went home, and the girls refused, saying that they didn’t do anything wrong. At this point they were formally arrested and also underwent serious physical and emotional abuse. I don’t want to go into details about what they were subjected to in this letter, but it is profoundly outrageous and shocking.
Having spent the night at the police station, they were taken the next morning before a judge. Because they still refused to identify themselves they were sent back to prison on the pretext that the police couldn’t conclude their investigation until the girls identified themselves. This, of course, is nonsense since the police have known perfectly well who the girls are from the very first night.
Every few days, X and the other girls are brought before a judge and then sent back to prison not a detention center for minors but to Neve Tirza, a prison for hardened and violent criminals. Neither I nor any of the other parents have been allowed to be present at these hearing and to get a glimpse of our daughters on the pretext that since the girls wouldn’t identify themselves, the authorities couldn’t confirm that we were indeed the parents. The cruelty with which these children have been treated defies belief.
After two weeks of this they were finally charged: with trespassing (an offense that requires prior knowledge and intent, although no one in the area is aware of this old abandoned building belonging to anyone).
Although convicted murderers are allowed daily hour-long phone calls and weekly visits with families, until recently and only then due to massive public pressure, the girls weren’t allowed to speak to their parents at all much less see them. In the past week and a half, X’s been allowed to phone me three times, but even then, she’s only allowed to speak for a minute or two, with the guards yelling in the background to just say hello and then hang up the phone.
My X is a little girl, a good and idealistic and very innocent girl who has never done anything wrong, and who is being bullied and intimidated and abused by a legal system that affords more rights and consideration to adults convicted of murder than it has to her.
I am naturally very concerned for her welfare and very afraid about the emotional and psychic damage that has been inflicted on her. However, X also has health issues that make the conditions of her incarceration worrisome. She was seriously burned as a baby and since then has had to undergo multiple yearly skin operations. Good hygiene and staying out of the sun without her special creams are crucial for her health.
I would deeply appreciate it if the consulate could advocate for X and demand that the abuse of her civil and human rights stop and that this ugly persecution of an innocent child come to an end immediately.
I will eagerly await your reply. If you need any further information, please don’t hesitate to call.
Sincerely,
Y.
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WOMEN IN GREEN CALL UPON ALL TO BOMBARD WITH PHONES AND FAXES of protest the following people:
* send letters of protest to Public Security Minister Avi Dichter adichter@knesset.gov.il and to Knesset Child Welfare Committee Chairperson MK Shelly Yechimovitch syechimovich@knesset.gov.il
HOLD MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY DICHTER AND HIS ADVISORS PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR VIOLATING TEENAGE GIRLS FROM OUR COMMUNITIES
CALL HIS ADVISORS AND ASK THEM IF THOSE RESPONSIBLE WILL BE DISCIPLINED
EXPRESS YOUR OUTRAGE
RUTI KOREN 050 627 2148
PERAH LERNER 050 627 2149
MATTI GIL 050-627 2034
AVRAHAM LIRON 052 266 6910
to call from abroad add 972 and omit the first zero
* Call Minister Eli Yishai Fax 02-666.2909, Phone 02-666.2255. Such long arrests are extremely unusual and almost unheard of for minors for whom arrest of any length is almost always avoided completely. If the office asks for the girls’ names say you read on Internet that one of the names is Tzvia Sariel from Elon Moreh.
*THESE NUMBER ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE AND PROVIDED BY THE KNESSET SPOKESMAN’S OFFICE BY REQUEST,
S I L E N C E IS A G R E E M E N T!!
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2) TU B’SHVAT IN BET HASHALOM -HEVRON WITH WOMEN IN GREEN
TUESDAY JANUARY 22nd, 2008
Tu B’shvat is the holiday of Eretz Yisrael. After a cold winter, when all the trees are cold and look as if they are broken down, on Tu B’shvat the buds start to appear-reminding us never to give up the struggle!
The Loyalists of Eretz Yisrael and the Youth for Eretz Yisrael have put out a beautiful Haggada of Tu B’shvat and will hold Tu B’shvat seders on all the hilltops that were settled in the last few weeks.
Now that the Bet Hashalom is being threatened by the Olmert government, Women in Green calls upon all to come to Beth Hashalom on TUESDAY JANUARY 22nd,2008 at 4:00pm. On the program: a short Tu B’shvat Seder, explanations about the struggle to keep Bet Hashalom, screening of the movie “We will continue to build Eretz Israel”.
A bus will leave the Inbal (Laromme) Hotel at 3:00pm. Please reserve your seats by calling
Anita 050-5777254 or Nadia 050-5500834
3) WOMEN IN GREEN CHIZUK TRIP TO EASTERN GUSH ETZION
Save the date and reserve your seats already now!
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 30th we will go for a day trip to eastern Gush Etzion, driving on the new Tekoa bypass road, visiting yishuvim and outposts. Details will be posted soon. Please reserve already by calling Anita 050-5777254 or Nadia 050-5500834.
With Love of Israel,
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Women For Israel’s Tomorrow (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:wfit2@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org
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