TITLE: Urge Powell to Intervene to End Israeli Siege of Palestinian Civilians

AUTHOR:

PUB: American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

DATE: March 9, 2001

ADC asks all its members and supporters to urgently contact the State Department and demand that Secretary of State Colin Powell use the influence of the United States to end the ever-tightening siege the Israeli government is inflicting on the Palestinian people in the occupied territories. He can be reached by email at <secretary@state.gov>. Or write to: The Hon. Colin Powell Secretary of State Department of State 2201 C St., NW Washington, DC 20520 Or fax: (202) 647-2238. Please use ADC's press release below as a model. ADC Press Release: ADC Condemns New Israeli Measures Tightening Siege of Palestinian Civilians Washington, D.C., March 7, 2001 Under the leadership of new Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the Israeli government is increasing collective punishments against the Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Israeli army has escalated its building of trenches and barricades around major Palestinian cites including Jericho and Ramallah, cutting them off from surrounding villages and the rest of the West Bank. The trench around Ramallah also threatens to seriously disrupt the functioning of Bir Zeit University, which has continued academic work during the uprising. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the nation's largest Arab-American membership organization, today expressed deep concern at these dangerous and appalling actions by Israeli in the occupied territories. ADC President Hala Maksoud said that ?These collective punishments are a gross violation of the Geneva Convention, international law and the human rights of the Palestinian people. They should be condemned by all people of conscience, and certainly by our own State Department. During his visit to the region, Secretary Powell called on Israel to "lift the siege" against Palestinian towns in the occupied territories. These trenches and other such measures only tighten the siege and constitute a stranglehold on hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians. Even the Israeli military officers who are carrying out the orders build a giant trench around Ramallah are raising serious concerns. The officers told the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz that by digging the trench, "we are taking on a major risk here. In contrast to manned checkpoints at which a reasoned decision by an officer enables Palestinians to pass for humanitarian reasons, this trench cannot be crossed. The practical significance is that thousands of people are cut off from hospitals and health clinics, not to mention places of work, and markets. It's doubtful that the collective punishment of tens of thousands of people, in retaliation for the acts of a few isolated terror cells, can be justified. ADC urges the Bush Administration to use its influence to stop this inhumane policy, which cannot but exacerbate the situation and lead to further bloodshed. American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Organizing Department 4201 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20008, U.S.A. Tel: (202) 244-2990, Fax: (202) 244-3196 E-mail: nmohamad@adc.org END top