Four ISMers, including American, detained
09 July 2003
Four ISMers, including American, detained
Partners for Peace received the following press release earlier in the day from the International Solidarity Movement. We recommend calls to the State Department at 202-647-5226. Express your concern about the detention of American Bill Capowski and ask that the U.S. embassy take action to see to it that he is released without delay or restriction on his movement.
Since receiving this press release we have learned that the four internationals were moved to the settlement of Ariel. They have sent out another text message saying that they are now doing okay. Please bear in mind that there are not further details on the original message saying they were “at salem abused and beaten.” It would be best, for now, to make a general expression of concern for their physical well-being.
Also, Mr. Capowski apparently has ties to both New York and Pennsylvania. We are not asking for calls to Congress until we can confirm with certainty who represents him.
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT
July 9, 2003
For Immediate Release
FOUR INTERNATIONALS ARRESTED AT PEACE CAMP
[ARRABONY, Jenin Region] Four international volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement were arrested today while maintaining a presence at the peace camp set up by Arrabony villagers and the ISM to protest the confiscation of Palestinian land for the Apartheid Wall. The four arrested are:
- Tobias Karlsson from Sweden
- Tariq Loubani from Canada
- Bill Capowski from New York, USA
- Fredrick Lind from Denmark
Full details are not yet known and none of the peace activists are answering their phones, however we just received the following text message: “at Salem abused and beaten”. This seems to indicate that the four are being held at the Salem Military Base, north of Jenin.
Since the peace camp was set up on Monday, July 7, 2003, activists have faced threats and harassment from the Israeli Military, from heavily armed security guards working for the Israeli company building that section of the Wall, and from Israeli settlers. Activists have been threatened with violence, removal, and arrest. The response of international activists was that they were there at the request of the people of the village, and didn’t recognize Israeli military authority over the area. On Monday, soldiers came to the area of the camp to photograph international activists and local villagers and yesterday armed guards threatened to destroy the camp.
Despite the harassment there has been steady and enthusiastic support from the people of the village of Arrabony. Men, women, and children have been a twenty-four-hour presence at the camp, and are coming every day in greater numbers. Activities at the camp have included games and sports, music, and more.
For the past year the Israeli government has been building a massive wall that it claims is for purposes of “security”. The wall, however, is being built inside of the West Bank, destroying and confiscating from Palestinians their most fertile agricultural grounds and de facto annexing into Israeli illegal settlements and valuable underground water aquifers. Tens of thousands of Palestinian fruit and olive trees have already been destroyed and farmers are being prevented from working on land that they’ve lived off of for decades. The Palestinian people have been marching and protesting this land confiscation and destruction of livelihood but have been met with violence from the Israeli authorities and silence from the international community. The Arrabony peace camp is one of 4 similar protest camps in the West Bank.
www.palsolidarity.org
