Letters

[Clive_]

Dear friends,

I am forwarding letters from Mike Barnes and link.

Clive

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

2008-03-21
Have a Nice Holiday
To explain that you are going to Gaza can meet with a blank look. With
a husband who has dedicated his later life to do all he can for the
plight of Palestinians I feel, like him, that the Israel/Palestine
'conflict' is at the heart of world peace and everyone should know
about it, says Susan Halpin.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A journey through occupied Jerusalem and Gaza

When you say you are going to be away for a couple of weeks, "have a
nice holiday" is often the response. To explain that you are going to
Gaza can meet with a blank look and even when you say Palestine this
is confused with Pakistan. Maybe I am being hard but with a husband
who has dedicated his later life to do all he can for the plight of
Palestinians I feel, like him, that the Israel/Palestine "conflict" is
at the heart of world peace and everyone should know about it.

I have just returned from our joint visit - the first for me but the
eighth for David. Little did we know when we booked our tickets that
Israel was to invade Gaza and kill over 130 people, including many
children and mothers, on the very weekend we were due to arrive. Our
timing was set well in advance to coincide with a medical symposium in
Gaza at which David was to give two talks to his colleagues on the
'education of doctors in Palestine' and 'water'. Needless to say, the
conference had to be postponed. The second object of our visit was to
meet Nihad, who represents our charity, Dove and Dolphin, in Gaza. We
needed to sort out several "office issues", plan for future projects
and meet or visit as many youngsters as possible who are sponsored by
our donors in the UK.

On the invitation of a young lady barrister (Mary) who David got to
know in London when dealing with legal actions in Palestine, we flew
to Amman in Jordan. Her father owns the Radisson Hotel in which she
and her husband have a part in its management. On hearing of the
invasion of Gaza by Israel, we were forced to stay three nights in
Amman where we enjoyed the luxury of a five star establishment! Mary
made us so welcome and organized a day's sightseeing for us to Jerash
(beautiful and extensive Roman ruins) and then the Dead Sea. Finally,
we thought we were on our way to Gaza but, on reaching Jerusalem,
where we met Prof Tony Davies, we learned that the Eretz checkpoint
was still closed and another two nights were spent waiting for the
border to open, which left us feeling frustrated. David has made
several acquaintances in Jerusalem - a trader in the Old City and
Ibrahim, who sells olive wood carvings, are two that we visited. We
also caught a bus to the outskirts of Bethlehem to visit the Aida
refugee camp where we support the Lajee Youth centre. Nidal, the key
worker along with Khaloud, a 20-year-old student, showed us round. The
children have done a huge amount of photographic pieces with the aid
of Rich Wiles, a photographic artist. He is currently exhibiting in
Europe in order to raise funds to bring a group of children to the UK
in the summer. There are 4000 people living in the camp and 40 per
cent of them are under 18. The total area is about two and a half
acres and Nidal said his ultimate dream would be to buy a piece of
ground where the children could play in relative safety. While we were
at the camp we could hear gunfire nearby. We learnt that young people
were demonstrating in protest against the 130 killed in Gaza. The
Israeli army had opened fire on the demonstrators and in the short
time we were there four children had been shot. Before leaving
Bethlehem we made a quick visit to Bethlehem Arab Society for
Rehabilitation so Tony could collect a set of microsurgical
instruments for Sonia Robbins who was already in Gaza.

Finally four and a half days late we headed for Gaza along with Tony
who was also planning to teach students. I was not looking forward to
the Erez checkpoint where one expects delay and a grilling. Our
crossing from Jordan into the West bank had taken nearly three hours
with tedious bureaucracy plus a good deal of b-----ing about. Erez is
a vast hanger like building bristling with cameras and a series of
metal turnstile type gates which you struggle through with your
luggage. No other travellers were there so our 'processing' was
relatively quick but there is about half a mile of walking from one
end of the exercise to the other, much on open rough ground. Overhead
you hear the drones whose cameras are keeping a close eye on you. Now
we are in Gaza and all you can see is rubble which is the remains of
many flattened factories.

Dr Khamis had sent a car from the El Wafa Hospital to meet us and we
were soon whisked away passing dereliction like you can't imagine.
Whilst we sat eating hospital lunch we could hear shells landing not
so far away and see puffs of smoke. We overlooked fields which could
have people or animals in them (you can't bear to imagine). Our
welcome was so warm and Khamis is such good fun I immediately felt at
home. We were reassured that Gaza was calm and we were quite safe and
I believed him (am I naïve?). The Islamic University had arranged
accommodation for us in an extremely spacious first floor apartment
with balconies on all sides. The view from our bedroom looked down to
a harbour full of small fishing boats. You could imagine an evening
stroll by the sea but we did not go alone though it was safe. Roads in
Gaza have been damaged by Israeli tanks and some are impassable with a
vehicle. Amongst luxurious looking buildings are those completely
shattered or others bearing the scars of gunfire. As Israel is not
allowing any materials into Gaza no repairs can be made at present. No
petrol is being allowed in so the roads were much quieter than on
David's previous visits. Some diesel is coming in so there is a mad
rush to fill up when the tankers arrive even though the price per
litre has gone sky high.

First thing on the next day we were collected by Nihad and taken to
the D & D office. Several Mums or youngsters were arriving to collect
their monthly donation of $30 from sponsors in the UK. The optician
was also seeing patients in the adjoining Optics Centre. David had his
eyes tested to get an idea of Hamed's proficiency. He was fine and the
patients are pleased with his spectacles. We discussed future plans
before being taken to the Assalama Rehab Centre where we are supplying
10 computers for disabled folk to learn IT. The stops had been pulled
out and our tour was grander than we wished, seeing every department
in detail but interesting all the same. Wherever you go in Gaza tea,
coffee or juice is the first priority - I have never drunk so much in
my life. On that Wednesday evening we dined with Khamis and his family
- what a feast and what a large family with brothers, sister-in-laws,
uncles, aunts and many many children all appearing to shake hands. I
kissed the children and they kissed David's hand in the Arab fashion,
putting the back of their little hands to their foreheads. Women and
children stay in a family room which I was invited into but the men
and bigger boys stayed outside.

I felt extremely humbled by the warm reception we received everywhere.
We had meetings with the Water & Sewage authority, the priest in
charge of the Roman Catholic School -Father Manuel Musallam, a
minister in the Hamas government and the head of the Free Gaza
Campaign - Jamal Al-Khoudary. I was a bit overwhelmed but can
understand how pleased they all are to see someone from the 'outside
world'. Apart from journalists virtually no one goes into Gaza. The
Israelis and the British consulate combine to ensure that. We met up
with Adli Hammad and family. Adli was the key man when David sailed in
MV Barbara with food, clothes, medical supplies and carpet wool in
2003. He is married to Andrea who comes from East Budleigh and they
have eight children. Two are now in England but the four youngest are
still at school in Gaza. We had a jolly evening with them but it is
tricky perhaps for teenagers who have had a taste of the West.

We did not expect to see anyone on the Friday (Jumaa) morning but we
had a journalist from Khan Younis join us for breakfast. Mohammed Omer
only just escaped losing his life in the recent invasion and showed
David the most terrible scenes and injuries on his laptop. David has a
good idea what 'modern' weapons had caused such mutilation and
burning; he wrote about them in November 2006. Nihad had invited us
for lunch and again we were royally entertained with a never ending
stream of relatives coming to join us. Nihad's three year old tried to
lock the door during lunch so we could not leave he was so keen to be
with us! Nihad's wife had had a baby daughter three days before our
visit so Mum had prepared the super lunch. We spent the afternoon
visiting sponsored youngsters in their homes. They were all in refugee
camps and extremely poor but again at each one a tray of tea or juice
came out. One home more than the rest sticks in my mind - we walked
down a narrow ally and then up two flights of rough blackened
breezeblock steps in to a dark two roomed 'hovel'. Maisa'a whom we had
come to visit is 15 years old is tall and thin and does not look very
well. David noticed her legs were very bowed but we did not go into
that. We had a card and photos to give her from Jenny Dainton and she
managed to write a few words of thanks in return. Her ambition is to
be a journalist. We gave her and all the other children we visited a
little extra cash. Many of the children who are receiving sponsorship
will be eighteen this year so they will come to the end of their
secondary school education but if we can we would like to find
replacements. One in particular is Mohammad who had done very well and
who wants to be a teacher. There are many children in his family and
his mother actually asked if another of her sons could have help. The
30 dollars a month they receive from us is a huge help.

Our last whole day in Gaza was spent at the Islamic University - this
was the only place I had to cover my head. While David was talking to
staff in the medical school, I was given a tour of the school of
nursing and the IT centre for blind students. The university buildings
are superb but marred by the very extensive damage done by a Fatteh
faction in February 2007. When David and his six doctor companions
visited a few weeks later he recalls the President, Dr Kamalain
Sha'ath, saying 'all this is in the past'. Such forgiveness is rare in
our world is it not? I joined David to go to the auditorium where he
gave his paper on education of young doctors to a large audience.

Our exit from Gaza was straightforward. In summing up I would say the
people are resilient, very warm and resourceful and they are not
giving up despite the pitiless attacks from their neighbours and the
gross deprivation.


Susan Halpin has played a key role in the running and plans of the
charity Dove and Dolphin, which her husband Dr. David Halpin had set
up. This article appeared at Redressnewsblog.

>>>>
http://www.btselem.org/english/Press_Releases/20080327.asp

27 March 2008: Grave suspicion of extra-judicial execution in
Bethlehem
killings

B'Tselem wrote to Israel's Attorney General and the military's Judge
Advocate General demanding that they order criminal investigations
into the
killing of four Palestinians, Muhammad Shehadeh, Ahmad Bilbul, 'Imad
a-Kamal, and Issa Marzuq Zawahreh in Bethlehem on March 12, 2008. The
four
were defined "wanted persons" by Israel's security forces. The media
reported that the senior command echelon took part in planning the
action
and authorizing it. Accordingly, B'Tselem's demand includes an
investigation

into the personal command responsibility of the Judea and Samaria
Division
commander, the OC Central Command and the chief of staff.

Israel's High Court of Justice has ruled that the state is prohibited
to
intentionally kill Palestinians taking part in hostilities if less
harmful
means can be employed, such as arresting and trying them. B'Tselem's
investigation of the incident raises the suspicion that in violation
of the
High Court's ruling, no attempt was made to arrest the suspects, and
that
the security forces operated as though on an assassination mission,
shooting

the suspects from behind with massive automatic gunfire although the
latter
did not try to escape or use their weapons.

The investigation also raises a grave suspicion that the forces
"confirmed
the killing" of the suspects. Testimonies indicate that after three
suspects, who were sitting in a parked car, were shot, a member of
the
security forces went over to the car and fired a single shot at each
of
them, from extremely close range. The same person also shot 'Imad al-
Kamal,
the driver, who was lying wounded and unarmed on the road beside the
car.

In its letter, B'Tselem also notes that testimonies given by the wife
and
children of Muhammad Shehadeh indicate that several days before his
death,
security forces demolished his house under circumstances that
strongly
suggest the motive was punitive, and severely abused members of the
family.
B'Tselem demanded that this incident also be investigated





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