URGENT APPEAL FROM GAZA & Our Concern over EU role

Dear friends,

Here is:

(1) an urgent appeal by Sawfat Diab, an UNRWA & GCMHP mental health specialist

(2) copy of a letter we sent to the current EU FM, mr. Erkki Tuomioja of Finland. (an ardent left-wing Soc-Dem).

Please forward to friends and colleages and spread the message: NO TO HARMING CIVILIANS!

Please aknowlede receipt to Gideon Gitai email: gig@welho.com mobile +358-40-549039

Prof. Raija-Leena Punamäki

Dept of Psychology Univ of Tampere, Finland raija-leena.punamaki@uta.fi mobile:+358-40-7722559

Subject: Appeal by Swafat Diab, Gaza, Palestine e-mail: sawfat.diab@hotmail.com

Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2006 22:42:13 +0200

To those who believe in peace, I am appealing to you to hold contact with Human Rights Organizations and activists, United Nations and politicians in your countries to put pressure on the Israeli government to stop its military operations and invasion and reoccupation of the Gaza Strip.

I am living in Al Twam Area which is between the Bat Lahea area and Jabalia Camp. The Israeli troops entered the Gaza Strep from Bat Lahea area and they are moving towards the area where I lived which is 2 k.m. far.

During the last two days the shooting and shelling was like a real war in the neighborhood area. About 35 persons where killed and 120 were injured in the last two days. Among whom over than 20% are children and over than 50% are civilians.

The Israeli troops are shooting and shelling randomly to the houses of the civilians. The life of the civilians in the invaded areas is under real and very serious danger. Many people were injured and not able to receive medical help because health teams are not able to reach them because they themselves were targeted while trying to save other people. Many people in the invaded areas are imprisoned in there homes lacking basic needs for living, especially water. The situation is very serious that I feel unable to describe it.

Now while writing this email at 10 p.m the shooting and shelling from the tanks and the Helicopters towards the houses is going on and so loud. The tanks are about just 500 meters from my home. In the coming few hours or may be minutes my home will be under the invaded and reoccupied areas. I do not know what might happen later. I become more concerned about the life of my family, especially my children who are hearing the very loud shoot and explosions. They see that it is not secured and not safe for them. They understand that they are exposing to a real life threatening situation that no one can protect them even their parents. I know that this is true because I can do nothing to protect them. The only thing I thought I can do is sending this appeal hopping it helps.

The electricity is off almost all the day time after the main electricity station has been destroyed. It is good that I have a laptop computer that is charged with electricity and a candle that I can write this email and a telephone line to connect to internet and send it. This is if I managed to connect to internet though I tried many times earlier.

The situation is more serious to be described. Now while I am writing this e.mail and hearing the radio, the news say that a 12 years old child has died in the hospital affected by his injury that he has earlier today. Another thing to mention her is that a physically disabled person has been killed today by the shelling.

Hope my appeal reach you Safwat Diab Tel. work:+972 8 2865949 Tel. home: +972 8 2476744 mobile: +970 59 9708045 e-mail: safwatdiab@hotmail.com

Date: 06th July 2006 10:46:27

Dear minister Tuomioja, Dear Mr. Sundman and Tulonen

On July 3rd I sent to you the attached main. but had no response. I hope that you got it.

In the meantime the situation in Palestine has further worsened due to the Israeli attacks ; it seems that the EU has taken a one sided approach, when it decided to cut the aid directed to the people via the PA. Again it did little to pressure Israel to free Palestinian children and women, or stop the killing of “wanted” Palestinians, instead of bringing them to justice. Your intervention on behalf of a kidnapped israeli soldier would have been well taken, had it been coupled with an equally strong call to Israel to liberate children and women.

We are concerned about the on going human tragedy, due to further destruction of infra structure. It is immoral for Europe to side with the stronger power. We should take an active role advancing negotiations, as you can see from the attached appeal by GUSH SHALOM’S document signed by Uri Avnery.

Sincerely, Raija-Leena Punamäki, professor Dept. of Psychology University of Tampere member of the advisory board of Gaza Community Mental Health Programme and co-founder Finnish Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PSV) Gideon Gitai

Subject: BEFORE Israel’s FM LIVNI ARRIVES – by Gideon Gitai

Author: “Gideon Gitai” gideon.gitai@gmail.com

Date: 03rd July 2006 8:3:49

Dear Minister, dear friends,

Tomorrow you will meet Tzipi Livni, Israel’s FM. I wanted to bring to your knowledge some statements and events which escaped the major media, and ask you to see to it that European traditional norms of respect for human rights and international law are maintained. We cannot continue to pay for the NAZI GENOCIDE OF JEWS by ABANDONING THE PALESTINIANS TO ISRAELI FATE. This will simply be another crime.

(1) EHUD OLMERT INSTRUCTED THE ARMY, E X P L I C I T L Y NOT TO LET PALESTINIANS IN GAZA TO SLEEP AT NIGHT, and MAKE THEIR LIVES ‘INCONVENIENT’. That is what Israel’s Minister of Interior Roni Bar-On told reporter Esti Perez on Israel Radio yesterday. It didn’t reach any Finnish readers.

(Hebrew Source bet.iba.org.il/?entity_code=135008 ). Scott Wilson, of The Washington Post, was in Gaza yesterday. Scott responded to my question as to why he did not report this as follows: On 7/3/06, Scott Wilson wilsons@washpost.com wrote:

Mr. Gitai,

I agree with you 100 percent and didn’t cite the full quote you mentioned only because I didn’t know about it. I’m in Gaza and so it is sometimes hard to know everything I need to know about what is happening in Jerusalem. So thank you for the tip and I will pursue it.

Believe me, as someone who is enduring long nights of the sonic booms, it would be nice to mention this is Olmert’s policy in the paper. Best regards, Scott

(2) ISRAEL DOES NOT LET THE PALESTINIANS IN GAZA SLEEP AT NIGHT, and HAS BEEN DOING THAT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, INTERMITTENTLY. ISRAEL’S SONIC BOOMS was the subject of a letter, which HBL published (and HS did not) in November 2005. Since then the SONIC BOOMS have only WORSENED. We, who have done little to stop it, must share the blame.

(I attach the Finnish and Swedish text. Many professors of mental health, psychology and psychiatry signed the letter.) Olmert (and LIVNI) want to look good on foreign media, but the events of the days and weeks that preceded the Kerem Shalom attack shows that his government cares little for civilian lives of Palestinians. MOD Amir Peretz had, indeed to beg forgiveness for the killing of children and women; and the next day more children and women were killed in much the same way.

(3) ISRAEL IS STUCK TO ITS “NO PARTNER” POLICY. ANY UNILATERAL ‘CONVERGENCE PLAN’ or whatever name they give it ACTIVELY DERAILS PEACE

Israel refuses systematically to negotiate on any matter except technicalities and demands total surrender from the Palestinians. The failures of the PA, under President Mahmoud Abbas, to reach any agreement with Israel, and the deterioration of the economical and political conditions in the OPT (together with ripe corruption), brought victory to Hamas.

As AP Jerusalem bureau chief Gutkin wrote before the Palestinian elections “Israel has a plan for any eventuality”. It does — more violence

The “NO PARTNER” -Abu Mazen- is issued a credit card, but no financial or other credit… The HAMAS victory was expected. It is another Israeli ‘ACHIEVEMENT’.

Rejecting the “Prisoners’ Document” is another “NO PARTNER”-measure. And as far as Israel is concerned “SUMMER RAINS” is the only plan.

Europe must demand that Israel returns quickly to PEACE NEGOTIATIONS; and should offer its assistance to bring those to maturity. We must equally reject any unilateral measure as unacceptable. The sour fruits of Sharon’s unilateral ‘Disengagement’ From Gaza have hit some of us by surprise. We can’t afford to be ‘surprised’ again.

(3) ISRAEL SENDS VIOLENT MESSAGES INSTEAD OF APPROVING THE PALESTINIAN PARTNER

That Olmert daily bla-bla “We don’t harm civilians”, has become a joke long ago; Sending violent messages is all that Israel does under its new leaders, who succumbed to the demands of “VIBRATING F-16 TAIL”, C.O.S Dan Halutz.

(4) According to many Israelis, including Haaretz commentators, and editorial writers, ISRAEL NO LONGER BEHAVES, AS A DEMOCRACY SHOULD.

C.O.S. Halutz is “SUPREME AUTHORITY”. He and his high officers decide.

Peretz/Olmert mostly approve… and sometimes ask for delay. Halutz assures and secures that hate will prevail, here and there, and that revenge will rule —and that negotiations will be RULED OUT— they bomb civilian facilities, bridges, power stations, sewers, water installations and even schools. (We paid many of these installations in the EU).

(5) ALSO BUILDING IN OCCUPIED TERRITORY IS A CRIME, as defined by the Geneva Convention. Israeli construction of the SEPARATION WALL on the territory of Occupied Palestinian West Bank is illegal, as is the building of settlements.

A special case is that of “Social Democrat” MOD Amir Peretz scheme, to ‘increase the demographic Jewish presence in Jerusalem, by ridding illegally annexed East Jerusalem of 200.000 Palestinians’. We should not tolerate Israeli ETHNIC CLEANSING any longer. We must expel the Nationalists of Israel’s Labour from the forum of Soc. Dem. Parties.

(6) THE KIDNAPPED SOLDIER MUST BE RELEASED. BUT ALSO MOST PALESTINIAN  PRISONERS, SIMULTANUOSLY.

Europe should not issue unilateral demands for release of an Israeli prisoner!

We must avoid unbalanced acts and statements, since these lead nowhere, except for sowing the seeds of the next confrontation.  We must agree to the demand to set child prisoners and women free.  Europe must play a balanced role, and demand that Israel respects our position de facto.  Our interests are not those of Bush!  We don’t need Israel as our ‘stretched military hand’.  We need peace, and soon!

(7) THE INTERNAL SITUATION IN ISRAEL IS DETERIORATING AND DEGRADING. Street violence is ripe.  The legal system has become much more racist, poverty is on a steep increase.  Israeli (Jewish) Society has become openly anti-Arab. The effects of Neo-Liberalism are felt.  Europe must act to correct the Jewish vs.  Arab imbalance.

(8) I summed up some of my points in responses sent to Haaretz (English website) under the title WHEN THE PEACE OF THE BRAVE IS BANNED PEOPLE SUFFER People suffer.  Israelis suffer less than their Palestinian neighbours, who have been Israel’s victims for ages.  They have been made to suffer for NAZI GENOCIDE against the Jews for no evil that they have done.  We Europeans cannot allow the victimization of any group.  The Hebrew title of Haaretz editorial title speaks of “A SYNDROME OF LOSS OF CONTROL”.  Another facet of this syndrome is VICTIMIZING THE VICTIM of Israel’s violence; i.e. making our victim into the scapegoat for our crimes. “Hitting them so hard that they’ll never forget”. 

FORGET WHAT? This is the SYNDROME OF THE VICTIM WHO BECAME OCCUPIER. Israel should not be permitted to get away with punishing the entire region for NAZI crimes. It must cease to support nonsensical GREATER ISRAEL ideologies’.  Israel is not Chile ‘SHAKING TAIL’ Halutz didn’t have to resort to the dirty tricks, which Henri Kissinger and the CIA prescribed for Chile.  Unlike Pinochet, Halutz didn’t have to launch an air-attack against the Moneda and kill democracy and President Salvador Allende.  (on September 9, 1973).  In Chile the people supported Allende, who tried to install Moderate Democratic Socialism; improve socialized education, health, and welfare, using resources from nationalized copper mines.  In Israel none of that exists.  The U.S. funds Israel’s wars; a class of higher officers is privileged, while the middle class has become poorer.  Almost 2 million Israeli live under the official PDL; and pay more for education and health. —AND YET, most Jews support the “NO TO A PALESTINIAN PARTNER” government, and the generals’ aspirations for a military solution to the conflict.  For that purpose Israel’s generals highjacked the cause of the kidnapped soldier to serve their unholy war.

We Europeans cannot resign ourselves to that state of affairs.

As the Kerem Shalom incident proves: A fence is only a fence.  A FENCE, or a SEPARATION WALL, be it EIGHT METERS TALL, DOESNOT STOP HUNGER, NOR THE HUNGER FOR FREEDOM. CONSTANT HUMILIATION AND OPPRESION, AND A LIFE, WHICH IS UNLIVABLE BRINGS REVOLT. Best summer wishes, Gideon Gitai.