BY ELISABETH KEAN
In a 24-hour period, the Israeli military placed 10 International Solidarity Movement (ISM) peace volunteers in "administrative detention" at the Ariel settlement police station in the West Bank. Administrative detention is routinely used when Israel wants to imprison Palestinians or peace volunteers who have not broken any law.
ISM is a Palestinian-led movement of local and international activists working to raise awareness of the struggle for Palestinian freedom and end Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It utilises non-violent, direct-action methods of resistance to confront and challenge the illegal Israeli occupation forces and the policies of the Israeli government.
On July 9, four activists were "arrested" in Arrabony, a small village outside Jenin. The activists were supporting villagers in a peaceful protest against the theft of 200 acres of land by the Israeli military for the construction of a section of the notorious "apartheid wall", which is being built by Israel to seal off the Occupied Territories.
The villagers had set up a peace camp on the confiscated Palestinian land. Their threatening behaviour included playing games, music and holding sports events. This peace camp is one of four such camps in the West Bank.
Prior to the detentions, villagers and activists had been harassed and threatened with violence by armed Israeli settlers, armed security guards working for the Israeli company building the wall and the Israeli occupation army. The military had taken photographs of all those participating in the protest and threatened to destroy the peace camp.
On the first night of their detention, the international volunteers were held in a tiny cell, which measured 1 metre x 2 metres wide. The lawyer representing the activists was not permitted to visit them until the next day. Prior to being allowed see them, the lawyer was told that they would be deported. This compounded an already illegal process, as the deportation hearing date had not yet been confirmed.
On July 10, six peace activists were detained in Til village, near Nablus. They had been supporting villagers in their attempt to remove illegal Israeli military roadblocks placed around the village. When they began to remove a roadblock, the military attempted to seize the mayor of Til and the village bulldozer.
After negotiations, it was agreed that the military would take no action if the villagers and activists rebuilt the roadblock. Just before completing this task, the military arrested the six activists.
The activists were held until 1am the next day, when they appeared before a representative of Israel's ministry of the interior. They were denied legal or consular representation at the hearing. Four of those detained were internationals and were returned to jail to await a deportation hearing. The two other activists were Israeli citizens and were released later that day without charge.
On the evening of July 15, the group began a hunger strike in protest at their conditions. This resulted in the group being strip-searched three times in an hour. Tarek Loubani, a Canadian, was badly beaten. The next morning, all the group's personal possessions were confiscated.
At the deportation hearing on July 17, Tel Aviv district court judge Nissim Yeshaya stated that he did not have the power to revoke deportation orders issued by the ministry of the interior and went on to say that the ministry has unlimited power to deport and revoke visas for international citizens.
The judge also refused permission for a one-week delay to enable the activists to appeal the decision; six of the activists were subsequently deported that day.
Loubani and Tobias Karlsson (from Sweden) remain in jail. They filed an appeal to the Supreme Court, and were granted a stay on their deportations but were refused bail at the request of the interior ministry.
The Israeli government's hostility towards the ISM was clearly stated in a document tendered to the court by the interior ministry. It declared that ISM activists, who peacefully attempt to reduce the impact of Israel's illegal occupation, "are perceived to be a security risk" as they "hamper the security activities of the [Israel Defence Force] and sometimes even endanger the safety of IDF soldiers". "The goal of the ISM organisation ... is to thwart the activity of the security forces in the territories and impede their work of preventing terrorism", the ministry stated.
How waving banners, clearing roadblocks or sitting in the houses of Palestinian families in an attempt to prevent them being demolished by Israeli military bulldozers is a threat to the safety of heavily armed soldiers in tanks, or how that thwarts efforts to "prevent terrorism", is not explained.
On July 22, Israel's Supreme Court scheduled deportation hearings for the remaining activists for October 22.
As of July 17, the legal bill for those detained was US$4635. ISM is a non-profit organisation that does not routinely raise funds. After the ISM's office in Beit Sahour was raided by Israeli soldiers on May 9, resulting in the destruction or confiscation of all its property, it no longer has cash reserves.
To contribute to the ISM legal fund, or offer any other help, please visit <http://www.palsolidarity.org>. For more information, visit <http://www.btselem.org>.
[Elisabeth Kean is an Australian solidarity activist who has participated in ISM activities in Palestine.]
From Green Left Weekly, July 30, 2003.
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