Israeli occupation forces have once again shown complete disregard towards principals of medical neutrality when they forced a PMRS Doctor and member of the PMRS Administrative Council, to strip in a public street near Al Nohmaan village in Bethlehem.

On the evening of Friday the 5th of November, Dr Mohamed Odeh was stopped whilst driving back to his home in Beit Jala. Dr Odeh, who was accompanied by his wife and six children aged between two and thirteen years, was returning from a village outside of Bethlehem where they had broken the Ramadan fast with his wife's family.

An Israeli military jeep stopped the car and shined a bright light at the Doctor and his family. They forced him to show his ID, whilst snubbing the Medical ID he also presented. Whilst pointing their guns at the family they began to shout at them terrifying the children who were by this time crying hysterically. The soldiers then forced the Doctor to vacate his car and ordered him to take his clothes off down to his underwear. They then forced Dr Odeh to remain standing in the public street near his car and in front of his family.

Dr Odeh later confirmed that this is not the first time incidents of this nature have occurred in the area, with numerous reports coming from the Bethlehem's residents of psychological torture and humiliation.

Yesterday's events were particularly offensive because of the religious significance of this current month, the humiliation that this man had to endure in front of his family, and because Dr Odeh made it very clear that he was a Doctor. Dr Odeh clearly presented no risk he was merely traveling home with family after what had been an enjoyable evening, yet this did not deter the soldiers from humiliating him and terrifying his young children.

PMRS asks all humanitarian, human rights and health organizations to protest this recent incident, to pressurize the Israeli occupation forces to allow the free movement of medical teams, and to respect principals of medical neutrality.

Give Sight to the Blind and Freedom to the Captives

We, as members of the Anglican Peace and Justice Network, representing 23 Provinces of the worldwide 75,000,000 member Anglican Communion, have visited the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem over these last 8 days, and during that time have been inspired by the faith of the people in the diocese, while also being exposed to the draconian conditions of the continuing Occupation under which so many Palestinians live. We have heard from Israeli Jewish voices, and from Palestinians, both those who reside in Israel and those who live under Occupation. We note the continuing policies of illegal home demolitions, detentions, checkpoints, identity card systems and the presence of the Israeli military that make any kind of normal life impossible. We have seen and heard the effects of the overwhelming presence of settlements or colonies in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in Gaza, and the bypass roads and highways that connect them while disconnecting Palestinian villages, one from another. We have seen the destruction of precious arable lands and restrictions on precious water resources. Finally, and shockingly, we have been exposed to the separation wall that violates international boundaries, causing mayhem in Palestinian daily life and further defines Israeli intentions to appropriate land from the Palestinians.

We conclude from our experience that there is little will on behalf of the Israeli government to recognize the rights of the Palestinians to a sovereign state to be created in the West Bank – which includes East Jerusalem – and Gaza. Israel, with the complicity of the United States, seems determined to flout international laws, whether they are the Geneva Conventions, United Nations resolutions or the most recent decision of the International Court of Justice in declaring the separation wall illegal. In fact, we note that this latter decision is based on building the wall on Palestinian territory, which once again demonstrates the illegality of the Occupation itself.

We deeply respect and honor those Israelis who are prepared to end this miserable Occupation and recognize a Palestinian State, people courageously committed to justice and who work against home demolitions, who promote human rights and oppose settlements, bypass roads and the separation wall. And we pay tribute to the courage, endurance and hope of the Palestinian people who suffer the dreadful injustice of the Occupation.

We deplore the unwillingness of the Israeli government to implement United Nations resolutions 242 and 338. At the same time, we want to assure the Israeli Jewish community of our concern for their security and safety, to be able live without fear. We deplore the unbroken cycle of violence, which has claimed too many innocent lives on both sides. We condemn violence whatever the source. We reach out to Palestinians and Israelis of good will, assuring both of them of our love and support in ending this long and troubled conflict. We embrace all those who have lost loved ones in the violence and extend our deepest sympathies.

We offer not only our solidarity for a just peace, but also our observation that it is the Occupation in its many facets that foments the violence and fuels the conflict. Collective punishment of the Palestinian people must be brought to an end.

We therefore urge the following steps in order to achieve a sovereign and independent Palestine living alongside a secure Israel recognized by and at peace with her neighbors:

• The withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from all occupied areas in accordance with 1967 borders and a complete halt to settlement building, both new or expanded, to be followed by a process of phasing out settlements altogether
• The immediate dismantling of the separation wall in compliance with the ruling of the International Court of Justice wherever the wall violates West Bank land
• The introduction of an international peacekeeping force under the auspices of the United Nations into the Occupied Territories charged with maintaining security so that both sides may be free from further attacks
• A humanitarian effort led by the United Nations to provide relief to the suffering Palestinian people
• The immediate resumption of negotiations involving Israel and the Palestinian Authority under the umbrella of the United Nations, European Union, Russia, the United States and the Arab League (while we support a total withdrawal from Gaza, we urge it to be part of an overall resolution of the conflict).
• That negotiations be based on United Nations resolutions 242 and 338 that results in a viable and sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital as well as the capital of Israel, and assures the right of return for Palestinian refugees
• The unconditional recognition of the state of Palestine must be implemented if peace is to prevail in the Middle East.

As an aside, we are deeply troubled by the use of United States made weapons and aircraft provided to Israel and being used for attacks on civilian targets, which occur with increasing frequency. We urge a moratorium on the use of such weapons, which violate U.S. law.

And we address a word to the wider conflict in the Middle East. The war in Iraq further fuels anger and hatred during these already volatile times. We urge the withdrawal of U.S. forces to be replaced with an international presence led by the United Nations. Further, we believe that a much more constructive course would be for President Bush and Prime Minister Blair to intervene and resuscitate the peace process as a direct action of healing and reconciliation for the global community.

Finally, we call upon the faith communities, and especially the Anglican Communion, to a time of focused and intentional prayer and advocacy for peace in the Holy Land. We call on the leadership of the Abrahamic Faiths from around the world to exercise their authority and influence on the political leadership among the several nations who carry the responsibility for making a just peace.

We have heard that the Senate may rush the vote on a resolution introduced by Sen. Gordon Smith last July and now sponsored by 43 senators which condemns the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for advising the United Nations that the Israeli-built "Separation Wall" was illegal and should be torn down.

Please call your senators TODAY OR NO LATER THAN MONDAY (their telephone numbers are available on (www.congress.org) to express your views on Senate Resolution 408. Tell them that the ICJ advisory opinion does NOT prevent Israel from defending itself as long as it builds a wall on its own land, but DOES strike an important blow for human rights and international law. Moreover, the Israeli High Court has recently ruled that the wall is violating Palestinian human rights and must be redirected. Urge your senators to withdraw their sponsorship of the resolution or vote against it. It is important for you to place these calls because tallies are always kept and our collective must must be heard.

If you belong to a local activist organization that wishes to endorse the US Campaign's general petition (see below), contact them at http://www.endtheoccupation.org/petition.php?pid=5  and sign on.

Here's the background:

On July 9 the ICJ ruled that the wall Israel is building in the Palestinian West Bank is "contrary to international law" and that Israel must cease its construction, dismantle it, and pay reparations to those damaged by it.

Members of Congress who support Israel's military occupation responded by introducing legislation condemning the ICJ ruling and backing Israel's illegal wall. The House quickly passed a resolution to this effect in July but a sizable number of Members voted against it or abstained, partly as a result of your efforts. In August, CNI and other members of the Washington Wednesday group called on the offices of those congress members to thank them for their vote.

A similar resolution -- Senate Res. 408 -- was introduced in the Senate July 20 but until now has not been voted upon.

On September 9, the US Campaign to End the Occupation (of which CNI is a member) delivered a petition to each senator signed by 135 organizations urging senators not to support Senate Resolution 408.

On November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall - which truly epitomized the Cold War in Europe and, therefore, became the symbol of shame of the politics of division of the 20th century - was torn down.

Now, a new wall must fall!

Let's make the coming 9th of November a worldwide Protest Day against the new 'Berlin' Wall currently being erected by Israel across the West Bank. Such construction, now commonly known as Separation Wall or Apartheid Wall has become Israel's new stranglehold of Palestine and the latest assault by the Occupation: land confiscation, water confiscation, destruction of lives and livelihoods of Palestinians, all in a new drive to expand truly colonialist measures under the usual pretenses in order to achieve long-standing goals in a frightening fashion similar of 1948's events.

Join those who share a belief that the absurdity of this medieval concept must soon succumb. The Palestine Monitor and the GIPP - Grass Roots International protection for Palestinian People movement - urge you to participate in this effort by organizing pickets, demonstrations, lectures, and related activities to raise awareness in your community about the impact and meaning of this new wall.

We are urging people to come up with anything they think they can do in their own communities.

It could be: pickets, demonstrations, vigils, lectures/conferences/debates, artistic events/fairs/festivals/theatric performances, convoys or marches, and/or any related activities to raise awareness in your community about the impact and meaning of this new wall.

Some people who live in administrative capitals are choosing to demonstrate in front of Israeli Embassies, other are choosing to stage demos on public squares, others in community centers, churches, etc. It all depends on the expertise of those who are sponsoring the events (some events will be very loosely organized, some more formally thought through). Some are thinking about media advanced work. Some plan to erect a paper or plastic walls across roads or parks and then make the wall fall. Some are printing leaflets. Some are organizing boots and stands with info about the humanitarian impact of the wall (which can be easily downloaded from many websites). So, whatever you might propose must come out of your perceived capabilities.

The ones who know better a community are the ones who live in it, so what works for a place may not be as productive for other setting or environment. So people at various places can come up with the best solution about what could mobilize their peers, their communities, their media outlets, etc. Any good idea or effort are welcomed, so we invite you to invite others to debate, share ideas and think of what would work for your community.

After you had sorted out what you want to carry on, we would appreciate if you could let us know about more specific details: description of planned activities, meeting points, schedules, people to contact and their contact details, etc. This is because we want to post a list of everything that will be going on everywhere at our website, so people can look for what will be going on in their own places and then join the activities!!!

Provisional list of activities on the initiative for a global demonstration on November 9th against the Israeli Apartheid Wall:

IN ITALY :

. Action for Peace Coalition in ITALY already started the campaign against the wall and are planning activities for the 9th of November. They are now trying to enlarge the group of organizers.

Contact: Alessandra Mecozzi
internazionale@fiom.cgil.it

. Youth organizations who are already active organizing meetings and having direct experience in Israel and Palestine are also planning activities to be held across the country.

Contact: Alda Radaelli
mixarazz@mixa-razzismo.it

IN THE UK:

. Middle East Children's Alliance along with Voices in the Wilderness, Al-Awda and Affiliates of ISM have launched a national bus tour calling for the end to the Occupation of Palestine and Iraq. Part of the travelling infomation will be a replica of the Wall that our office built, as well as facts and info from PENGON . Wherever the Bus is on November 9, it will have an action specifically oriented to the Wall and its implications.

Soon to follow more info on the Wheels of Justice Tour and the Wall actions.

Contact: Uda Walker
Education and Action Coordinator
Middle East Children's Alliance
901 Parker Street, Berkeley 94710
Tel:510-548-0542
Fax:510-548-0542
uda@mecaforpeace.org

. London: A possible action/demonstration in front of the Israeli Embassy Details to follow.

. Other activities also under consideration.

Contact: The Palestinian Solidarity campaign
info@palestinecampaign.org

IN THE USA:

Los Angeles - WOMEN IN BLACK , together with Palestine AID SOCIETY, are organizing a huge demonstration for November 9th. They are hoping to erect a large wall at Venice or Santa Monica Beach, with lots of publicity and many other groups and individuals joining.

Contact: Mary

Iowa City - Events are being planned for Iowa City , and they hope on a much broader basis across the country.

Contact: Margaret Kiekhaefer
gerernst@avalon.net

IN GERMANY:

Under discussion, an international conference to be held in Berlin. Also, organizations from neighboring countries started considering a trip towards Berlin, raising awareness along the way.

IN NORWAY:

The Nablus Society, an NGO from the city of Stavanger in Norway (which has twinned with the city of Nablus), is currently planning for activities on November 9th. They want to have a demonstration with music, theater and information.

Contact: Turid طygard
turid@hesbynett.no

IN the NETHERLANDS

Activities are in the process of being organized.

Contact: Hajo G. Meyer
til.mey@inter.nl.net

Following some requests from Jewish groups that another anniversary should also be brought to the fore (Kristallnatch, the "Night of Broken Glass" 09 Nov 1938), Mr. Hajo Meyer declared: "I speak as one of the few people still living and active, who, -as a fourteen year old lived through the 9th november pogrome in Germany, and who also -survived 10 months of Auschwitz and who also -survived for full 12 years the worst antisemitim ever, and I feel justified to comment : There cannot be a better day to demonstrate under the devise 'let the wall fall' than precisely the 9th of November.

Only this date and Jewish participation at the demonstrations can make clear to the world that we are matured, wise and ethically- sane enough to realise that we, the Jews are not the only and eternal victim. That also we have become perpetrators of terrible crimes against humanity. Only if we show this to the world, all those who did not survive, have not died in vain. Only then their death can be given a positive meaning.

That is what the German Jewish philosopher Theodor Lessing, who was already murdered by the Nazis in the early thirties, meant when he coined the phrase: 'Sinngebung des Sinnlosen' i.e. attributing sense and meaning to events which do not have any intrinsic sense."

IN SWITZERLAND:

An Association working for Palestinian Rights in the Lausanee area is discussing a series of activities.

Contact: Tatiana Honegger , near Lausanne, Switzerland
tatiana.honegger@hispeed.ch

. Zurich:

Contact: Shraga Elam
elams@dplanet.ch

ACROSS EUROPE:

European Jews for a Just Peace - EJJP, have manifested interest in organizing activities.

Contact: Sveva Haertter
shaertter@yahoo.com

IN BAHRAIN:

A new Bahraini society called Women for Jerusalem is working to organize a lot of activities on Nov 9th in Bahrain.

Contact: Naela Al Waary
naelafayez2@msn.com

. So far, we also have received manifestations of interest (but no clear programs ) from Prague, Czech Republic , from Vienna, Austria, and from Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Please, let us know about any planned activity:

Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi- +972 (0)59 254 218
The Palestine Monitor Team: or +972 (0)59 387 087
giullianna@hdip.org
www.palestinemonitor.org

This morning, having invaded and imposed a curfew on the Palestinian village of Al-Walaja, Israeli armed forces proceeded to the northern side of the village where they demolished six Palestinian homes they claimed had been built without permission.

Situated 6.5km north west of Bethlehem the village of Al-walaja comes under the municipality of Bethlehem. Infrastructure and all health and social services to the community are provided by the Palestinian Authority, - who in the last few months have built new roads in the village. Despite the fact that there are no services provided by Israel, Israeli opinion is that the area should be considered part of a "greater" Jerusalem.

Mustafa Abu al-Tin, the head of Al-Walaja's town council, said that the forces invaded and imposed a curfew before going directly to the area where they intended to demolish the houses. In his opinion the aim of such demolitions in this area is to free up more land that can be added to the "greater" Jerusalem district.

Journalists attempting to monitor and bear witness to the demolitions were prevented from doing so by threats from the Israeli forces to confiscate IDs and equipment.

Also today 50 Palestinian inmates of the Israeli Ber Sheva prison were found to have been poisoned as a result of eating rotten food given to them by prison officers. According to Issa Qaraqie, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, five of these 50 prisoners remain in a serious condition yet the Israeli Prison authorities have refused to transfer them to hospital. Issa Qaraqie also made clear that this is not the first time that Palestinian prisoners have become ill, in some cases fatally, due to carelessness in Israeli prisons.

Israel seems to be using a system of "creeping curfew" to escalate its control over Palestinians in the West Bank without drawing the attention of the international media and community, civil society organizations based in the West Bank and Gaza Strip said today.

Today marks the fifth day of 24-hour curfew in Hebron; the fourth day of curfew in Yabad, near Jenin; and the third day of curfew in Qalqilya. Fears are that the curfews will gradually expand to cover the entire West Bank, while international attention is diverted to the US war against Iraq.

Furthermore, repressive Israeli operations are continuing in Nablus, including Balata refugee camp, without much attention from the international media. According to sources, twenty Palestinians have been arbitrarily arrested in the area in the last few hours.

As part of the World Social Forum (WSF) in Palestine calendar of activities, three busloads of international non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives from all over the world yesterday attended a WSF morning session in Gaza City, hosted by 40 Palestinian NGOs operating in Gaza. One of the main speakers was Dr. Haidar Abdel-Shafi, a leader of the Palestinian National Initiative and head of the Red Crescent Society in Gaza. After the session the international delegates, along with local Palestinians, demonstrated peacefully in front of the venue before participating in a field trip around the Gaza Strip.

The Gaza visit was the closing event of the World Social Forum in Palestine. The Forum consisted of a meeting of NGOs and individuals from all around the world to discuss how they can respond to the needs of Palestinians in their current situation of poverty and occupation, and how support may be needed in different scenarios in the future. The underlying assumption for the discussion was that of a two-state solution, with self-determination for the Palestinian people as the framework for a just and lasting peace.

During their visit to Gaza, international delegates had the opportunity to witness:

·The unprecedented grabbing of land and resources in the Gaza Strip (42% of the total area has been seized for settlements, "buffer zones", "security" zones or border zones);
·The imposition of a specific Gazan curfew (the "sea curfew" by which fishermen are prevented from fishing, which began with the shrinkage of fishing rights from 20 miles [under Oslo Agreements] to 10 miles, and then down to 5 miles and now includes the bombing of Palestinian fishing boats by Israeli patrols);
·The plight of refugees in the camps (75% of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip live in 12 refugee camps);
·The overall destruction of the Strip (the remains of the Gaza International Sea Port, the remains of Gaza International Airport, the widespread remains of unremitting house demolitions);
·The rapidly increasing levels of poverty and dispossession;
·The daily impact of the illegal Israeli settlements on local Palestinians residents, including untreated raw sewage of the Netzarim settlement (where approximately 15 Jewish families live, served by numerous Chinese and Thai workers) running into the Gaza Sea with its related negative environmental and health impacts;
·The unrelenting arbitrary closures by Israeli soldiers of roads and intersections (in particular around the Abu Gholi Checkpoint) for hours, in order for settlers to have exclusive access and free passage.

Besides these more visible scars of the Israeli occupation, delegates were also briefed on facts and figures, including the fact that 45% of school-aged children have been diagnosed as suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorders), while their mothers are unable to provide proper care for them as 39% of mothers living in the Gaza Strip have also been diagnosed with PTSD symptoms.

After visiting the Khan Yunis refugee camp, home to more than 80,000 Palestinians, the delegates stopped at the Mawassi area, which is surrounded by the Gush Katif settlement complex (Naved Galin and Ganital settlements). Despite the fact that it used to produce the best agricultural produce in the Gaza Strip and holds the best aquifiers, the Mawassi area (both Mawassi Khan Yunis and Mawassi Rafah) now suffers greatly due to draconian Israeli military measures (a military check point has cut off the area from the rest of the world; international agencies are prevented from entering the area; agricultural goods cannot be transported).

The international delegates then staged a demonstration at the Mawassi checkpoint, where they attempted to intervene with the soldiers manning the barrier to allow women, children and the elderly to cross. Holding banners and singing, "All we are saying, please, give peace a chance," the internationals were joined by locals from Mawassi and the nearby camp. After some time, soldiers in an armored jeep approached to hear the requests of international delegates, who were holding white flags and asking for negotiations. After some unfruitful dialogue with a team of representatives from several different countries, the jeep suddenly careered at a high speed towards the crowd of internationals mingled with Palestinians. After further talks, the soldiers declared they would be willing to let one vehicle pass (not the women and children, as was first demanded by the demonstrators), under the condition that all demonstrators retreat to a spot behind the metal barrier of the checkpoint. After the delegates retreated, the soldiers still refused to allow the car to pass (later, they opened the crossing for few minutes only and closed it again after the delegates had left to visit other areas of the Strip).

The next stop was Block J of Rafah refugee camp, where delegates organized a demonstration near the Egyptian border, on the site of homes recently demolished by Israeli troops. Sewage runs freely around the borders of the camp, due to constant pipe breakage and leaking caused by Israeli tanks and APCs. Some minutes after the start of the demonstration, a tank started to roll into areas of the camp again.

On their way back to Gaza City, due to a new unexpected closure of the Abu Gholi checkpoint, the three buses transporting the delegations, along with scores of other vehicles were backed up for several kilometers and were delayed for hours.

The delegates then witnessed a house being demolished by two tanks and a giant Caterpillar bulldozer at a "buffer zone" around a settlement. More than 200 homes were destroyed in Gaza alone during 2002.

Delegates also met Mohammad, a 12-year-old who attends school in the mornings but who has also created a new job for himself: he distributes his mobile phone number to cars queuing to cross so that next time the customer will, in a bid to try avoid ending up delayed in traffic, call him in advance to ask whether the check point is open or closed. In exchange for the courtesy of the information, the customer will give one or two shekels to Mohammed when crossing the checkpoint. Mohammad is not the only child with a job -- international delegates realized the appalling extent of child labor in Gaza during the evening, when the sight of children selling all sorts of refreshments near the checkpoint is too common a feature.

A PRESS CONFERENCE will be held at 12.00 on January 2nd at the Palestine Media Center in Ramallah. Journalists will receive an update on international solidarity activities and will also have an opportunity to question international delegates and members of Palestinian civil society organizations.

For more information contact: The Palestine Monitor
+972 (0)2 298 5372 or +972 (0)59 254 218
www.palestinemonitor.org