May 2002
May 3, 2002 Please Contact Dick Armey
May 6, 2002 Letter to PM Ariel Sharon
May 6, 2002 Who is Occupying the Holy Land?
May 10, 2002 What Is the Left Cooking Up for Us This Time?
May 12, 2002 Listen to the Will of the People!
May 21, 2002 The Middle East Fantasyland
May 28, 2002 Sponsor a Walker
May 28, 2002 Contact the UJC
May 30, 2002 Etty Dvir's Testimony
*******************************************************
Jerusalem, May 3, 2002
Please contact Dick Armey congratulating him on his stand.
Nadia and Ruth Matar
Tonight [Thursday] on MSNBC "Hardball " Chris Matthews hosted the Majority
Leader
Dick Armey. Mr. Armey stated that the land of Israel belonged to the Jewish
people,
and if the Palestinians could not live side by side with the Jewish people
they need to leave. He said outright the land of Israel was a Jewish State,
and
there is plenty of Arab land to house the Palestinians.
He also stated there will be a bill going to the "House" tomorrow on this
issue. Mr. Armey will be under intense pressure for this bold statement.
Please,
if you have never faxed or called before please make this call now. Call as
many of your friends, forward this to as many that will take this time to do
the same. We need to be bombarding the White House tomorrow. Tell Mr. Armey
how much you appreciate his bold statement, and how God will bless him for
this.
Fax-202-224-3121
Washington
Congressman Dick Armey
301 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-4326
(202) 225-7772 Room 301
District
Congressman Dick Armey
9901 East Valley Ranch Parkway, Suite 3050
Irving, TX 75063
(972) 556-2500
*******************************************************
Jerusalem, May 6, 2002
Letter to PM Ariel Sharon
To our Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon-
This Sunday you are going to the States.
We still do not understand why you are going. It seems that you
are voluntarily leading yourself and all of us here in Israel into a
deadly trap.
Yes, to be honest, many of us are very worried that your trip to the
States will be one that will lead to yet another capitulation by
Israel. I say "yet another capitulation" because all we have seen till now,
over the past weeks and days, are capitulations by the Israeli side.
The military victories of operation "Defensive Shield" have
completely lost their initial effect: Arafat is unfortunately still around,
and
has been turned into a victim and a hero. Israel, which over the
past year and a half has been burying hundreds of victims of
Arab terror, has been portrayed by the antisemitic world as the
oppressor and the devil, because it finally began to defend its
citizens.
Yes, the Israeli military victories of operation "Defensive Shield"
have basically turned into political defeats, and Israel, the victim, is
once again being asked to make more and more concessions to
the Arab terrorists.
With this in mind, I was thinking what message to give you on the
eve of your trip. I was thinking about this question while teaching
my son to ride his bike. All I kept telling my son was: "If you want
to be able to ride your bike on your own, you have to lift your head
and look straight ahead without loosing your balance. Be sure of
yourself, don't be scared, and ride".
Prime Minister Sharon, you are at the steering wheel of the
country. You can make the Jewish bike fall and break or you can
make it ride on its own. When in the States, lift up your head; be a
proud Jew who knows that this Land belongs to the Jewish people-
don't be scared, don't look down; don't lose your Jewish balance-
look straight ahead .
To make your task easier, I suggest you bring along a picture of
little Danielle Shefi HYD.
Danielle; 5 years old; was murdered by an Arab terrorist monster,
last Shabbat in Adura while playing in her bedroom with her mother
and her 2 little brothers.
A delegation of Women in Green went this morning to pay a shiva
call to the Shefi family. Over the past year and half Women in
Green has been going to most shivas of victims of Arab terror to pay
our condolences. The sights are always heartbreaking; but today it was simply
unbearable. I am still crying when I recall what Shiri, the mother
told us:
It was Shabbat morning. Shiri and her 3 children were in the small
children's bedroom. Little Danielle was excited to go to shul. She
was all dressed up. Her mother had just made her hair.
All she needed was to put on her Shabbat shoes.
Shiri bends down to put the shoes on her gorgeous little girl.
To her shock and horror she suddenly sees a man, dressed as an
IDF soldier, running into the house towards the bedroom with a big
machinegun. He stands at the door of the room and starts spraying
the room with bullets.
Shiri sees that Danielle is wounded. She is still alive. She's bleeding
from the head. So is her second son, 4 years old. Shiri jumps up; pushes
the Arab terrorist out of the room and closes the door. She orders the
children to be quiet and to hide under the bed: "Quickly, go under
the bed and be quiet. We have to make the Arab terrorist think we are dead."
Shiri relates how, miraculously, all 3 children were completely quiet;
even the one and a half year old baby.
For some reason the terrorist did not come back to the room- he
stayed out of the house, spraying his bullets all around.
Shiri realized she had to make a phone call to alert the IDF.
She crawled to her own bedroom, fearing the terrorist would see her,
took her cellphone and came back to the children's bedroom.
Danielle was breathing very slowly, obviously badly wounded. Her 4
year old son seemed to be in bad shape too, constantly closing his
eyes.
Shiri reached the forces on the phone and urged them to come as
soon as possible. At the end of the phone call Shiri saw little
Danielle take her last two breaths. She was dead. Her 4 year old
brother had closed his eyes too. Shiri thought her son was dead
too.
Meanwhile outside, the men were running from shul to see what
was going on. Yaakov Shefi, father of Danielle, understood
something was going on in his house. He ran and saw a soldier at
the entrance of his house. He asked him: "What is going on?" The
soldier started spraying bullets in Yaakov's direction.
Yaakov immediately understood that this was the terrorist, dressed
like an IDF soldier. Miraculously he wasn't hurt. Yaakov ran to get
help.
After a while- Shiri says it seemed like hours- the paramedics entered
her house and told her it was safe to go out. They told her that her
4 year old son was still breathing and was out of danger. The baby was
fine too. Danielle- little 5 year old Danielle was dead. Her brain had
completely fallen out of her head, but her face was calm and
peaceful.
Shiri recounts how only then she realized that 3 other neighbors
had been murdered too, in their bedroom or in the street.
Thousands participated in Danielle's funeral. All were crying when
Yaakov, the father, standing in front of the little grave, trembling,
shouted:
"Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad!
You were only 5 years old but you were an entire world. Today is a
day of mourning not only for us, the family, but for all of Am Yisrael-
because Danielle was murdered only because she was a Jew"
Prime Minister Sharon-
In Washington you are going to be asked to make concessions to
those vicious murderers who murdered Danielle HYD.
You are going to be asked to reward the murderers of Danielle, 5
years old; and of Yaakov Ishran and Koby Mandell, 14 years old
and the Schyveshuurders children, Ra'aya 14 years old, Avraham
Yitzhak 4 years old, Chemda 2 years old, and baby Shalhevet
Pass and baby Yehuda Shoham 5 months old and all other
hundreds of victims of Arab terror. Hundreds of men, women,
children and babies who were murdered and thousands who were
wounded by an enemy who wants to destroy our country
completely, and annihilate any Jewish presence in the Middle East.
When they ask you to make concessions-
pull out little Danielle's picture,
look at it intensely;
raise your head proudly and say
"Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad"
The Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel
as it is written in the Torah of Israel.
No- I will not make any concessions.
I will not reward Danielle's murderers.
Never again."
Nadia Matar
Co-chair Women in Green
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*******************************************************
Jerusalem, May 6, 2002
Who is Occupying the Holy Land?
Ruth Matar's interview with Joseph Farah on IsraelNationalNews.com, April
24, 2002.
RM: Just about two weeks ago, the UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION in Geneva
endorsed a 1982 UN Resolution affirming the legitimacy of using "all
available means, including armed struggle" against Israel's "occupation of
Arab lands". Forty of the fifty-three nations on the commission approved it,
including six European members: Austria, Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain
and Sweden. And how did the United States vote? You might be surprised to
learn that the United States is not a member of the UN Human Rights
Commission, having been kicked off by a coalition of European and Arab
countries.
The key words here are "occupation of Arab lands". The UN Human Rights
Commission says it is okay to use armed struggle-that is terrorism-against
Israel's "occupation of Arab lands". Unfortunately, not only the Arab
states, and the European Union, and pretty much the rest of the countries of
the world use these terms, but our own country-I am an American citizen-uses
these terms as well.
On November 19, 2001, in Louisville, Kentucky, the United States Secretary
of State, Colin Powell, called for "an end of Israeli occupation" and a
"Palestinian state". And President George W. Bush on October 6, 2001, made a
shocking statement. On behalf of the United States, he officially endorsed
the creation of a Palestinian state. He said, and these are his exact words:
"A Palestinian state has always been part of the United States "vision".
This statement prompted me to do a radio program on Yasser Arafat
vis-a-vis the United States. In this program, I posed a very pertinent
question: Has a Palestinian state really always been a part of the United
States vision?
Was a Palestinian state part of the vision of the United States when Yasser
Arafat supplied the weapons used by the terrorists who killed two hundred
forty-one American Marines in Beirut in 1983?
Was a Palestinian state part of the vision of the United States when Yasser
Arafat was involved in the planning of the first World Trade Center bombing
in New York in February 1993, which killed six people and injured thousands?
These are just a few examples of terror perpetrated against the United
States and her citizens in which Arafat played a major role.
However, what really inspired me to delve into this question of Yasser
Arafat vis-a-vis the United States was an op-ed article in the Jerusalem
Post, about how US Ambassador Cleo Noel and his assistant G. Curtis Moore,
were machined gunned in Khartoum, Sudan in February of 1973, on the direct
orders of Yasser Arafat; and how an audio tape of Arafat's voice ordering
this murder has mysteriously disappeared, and has been hidden by the US
State Department and others for twenty-nine years!
The author of this article was Joseph Farah. And since reading Mr. Farah's
article, I am an unabashed admirer of his. I read every article of Mr. Farah
that I can get my hands on. The Women for Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green)
are honored to have Mr. Farah as our guest on tonight's program.
Who is Mr. Farah? Professionally, Mr. Farah is the Editor and Chief
Executive Officer of WorldNetDaily.com, which is the leading independent
news site on the worldwide web. He writes a daily column in
WorldNetDaily.com called "Between the Lines", as well as commentary for the
Jerusalem Post.
He is a journalist who is not afraid to go against the current; he is not
afraid to be deemed politically incorrect. As I am a Jewish-American, with
very little admiration of the media's treatment of Israel, I find the
writings of Mr. Farah refreshing and courageous, especially since Mr. Farah
is an Arab-American.
RM: Mr. Farah, a few minutes before this show I received a phone call from
Susie Dym, the spokesperson for Cities for Israel, a Zionist non-government
association. She informed me that former President George Bush Senior gave a
letter of guarantee to then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, which
included the following sentence: "In accordance with US traditional policy,
we do not support the creation of an independent Palestinian state." Susie
Dym checked with Mr. Yossi Ben Aharon, who was Yitzhak Shamir's Bureau
Chief. He was and still is Yitzhak Shamir's closest confidant. Mr. Ben
Aharon confirmed that there was such a letter of guarantee given by George
Bush Senior to then Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and that the above
sentence was part of this letter.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry, when questioned, said that this letter was
secret, and they could not divulge its contents. However, a copy of this
letter has been obtained from the archives of the French newspaper Le Monde.
FARAH: I would very much like to see that letter. If I can get my hands on
it, I will give it as much publicity as I can here in the states. I believe
most Americans simply don't understand this history at all. This is a very
recent phenomenon-the whole notion of a Palestinian state. Even in the eyes
of Arabs, it is a very recent phenomenon, and certainly there has been a
reversal of US policy, which is inexplicable and incomprehensible. I have
been lecturing all over North America on the subject of the Middle East. The
number one question is "how do we resolve these problems?"-"how do we
achieve peace?" My answer for these questions is that it begins with the
de-legitimization of Yasser Arafat as the soul representative and spokesman
for the Palestinian people. We will not make any progress in the solution
until Arafat is no longer in the equation. If you look at the last thirty
years of conflict between Arabs and Israelis, the one common denominator,
the one constant is Yasser Arafat. How many different Prime Ministers have
there been? How many governments in Israel have there been? All the Arab
leaders have changed in that period; a bunch of American Presidents have
come and gone; but the one constant is Yasser Arafat. And its time for
people to realize that HE is the one central obstacle to peace.
RM: There is another constant that I think is very harmful, and that is
everybody seems to have bought the big line that the Jews are occupying Arab
land. Do you think we are occupying Arab land? How can we occupy our own
country?
FARAH: Not by any conventional definition of the word "occupation" at all,
because how did Israel obtain those lands? They obtained those lands because
they fought a war of survival, a war of aggression by the Arabs in 1967, and
they captured those lands. They didn't capture them from Yasser Arafat; they
didn't capture them from the Palestinians; they captured them from Egypt and
Jordan. Those are the lands we are now talking about turning into a
Palestinian state. If indeed they're worth talking about being turned into a
Palestinian state today, why is it that prior to 1967 the Arabs didn't turn
them into a Palestinian state.
RM: That is the question! Golda Meir once said: "There's no such thing as a
Palestinian people." Do you agree with that?
FARAH: I do agree with it. There is no Palestinian culture. There is no
Palestinian language. There's nothing unique about Palestinian Arabs that
would distinguish them in any way from the residents of Jordan, Egypt, Iraq,
or any other country. They speak the same language. Even the term
"Palestinian", prior to 1948-- what does it mean? When you mentioned the
word "Palestinians" or "Palestine" to people at that time, the image that
was brought to people's mind then were "Jews".
RM: An elderly Jewish lady, Charlotte Wahl, gave me a copy of her passport
from that time, and it says "Palestine".
FARAH: Most of the people we think of today, or refer to, as Palestinians,
actually came from other Arab lands, including Yasser Arafat. He was born in
Egypt.
RM: When you talk about Jews who settle here in their biblical heartland,
Judea and Samaria, those settlements are called "an obstacle to peace", but
when the Egyptian Arafat settles here, he's not considered and obstacle to
peace.
FARAH: Jews are always referred to as "invaders" by the Arabs, but most of
the Arabs today that we call Palestinians came from some other place, and
most of the people that we refer to as "Palestinian refugees" have never
even lived in the land that is referred to as Palestine. They were born
elsewhere.
RM: I understand that the real figures of Arabs that left because their
leaders told them to go for a short time, then they could come back and get
all the Jews possessions after they were conquered-were about 400-600
thousand, and now we have millions who claim they are refugees.
FARAH: The other crazy thing about it is, look at the increasing number of
Arabs in Israel over the recent years. If the conditions are so horrible for
Arabs in Israel, whether you're talking about the Palestinian Authority
territories or you're talking about Israel proper, why is it that the Arab
population is increasing-and I'm not talking about population birthrate, I'm
talking about immigration from Arab lands. Just in recent years, you're
talking about half a million more Arabs who have come from Egypt, Jordan,
Lebanon, from all the surrounding Arab countries. They come to Israel for
good reasons. They come there because it's a freer place to live, even for
Arabs. There are more opportunities for them in Israel than there are
elsewhere; better medical care-you name it. This is what I discovered as an
Arab-American journalist covering the Middle East-Israel was the only
country in the Middle East where I was free to do my job without fear of
censorship, without fear of death; or, for that matter, just reporting the
truth. So, the conventional wisdom about the Middle East is practically one
hundred percent erroneous. And that's the problem. You talk about the big
lies. It's very difficult to counter the big lies. The bigger the lie, the
tougher it is to counter it, because it always sounds like you're
exaggerating when you tell the truth. And usually when there's a debate, the
truth may lay somewhere in the middle. It's not true in the Middle East
debate. The truth doesn't lie in the middle, and if you try to pretend that
it lies in the middle, you come to the wrong conclusions about what to do.
RM: One thing I think is a terrible thing, and I think it's our fault-maybe
it's because we still have the ghetto mentality. We adopt the semantics of
this big lie "occupied territory". We don't object and ask: "What do you
mean "occupied territories"? Its ours!" But we say we want security, that's
what we want. I think this is a great part of the problem.
FARAH: My number one argument against the Palestinian state is NOT Israel's
security, even though I think that's a very legitimate argument to make. But
my number one argument against it as an Arab American is that it's the wrong
thing to do for Arabs. There are opponents of Arafat living in Israel who
have tried desperately to avoid coming under his control. I'm trying to
think of the man's name who was circulating a petition in East Jerusalem
several months ago and gathered about ten thousand signatures of the
Arabs---
RM: I want to tell you something interesting. This was years ago during the
Rabin days. We had a demonstration in the middle of Jerusalem at Zion
Square. Two Arabs came up to us, and they said: "We want to join your
organization." And we thought they were just putting us on. That sounded
fishy to us. But, they persisted and explained they were Jerusalem Arabs and
that if Arafat took over then their lifestyle would change completely and
they would be totally at his mercy (we did not let them join). In any case,
that was very interesting to us.
FARAH: That's why the problem really begins with Arafat. As long as he is
recognized, not only as a leader of Palestinians, but the soul legitimate
leader-which in effect what the US and Israel has done over the years with
the OSLO accords-we're never going to get anywhere. Because Arafat's
ultimate goal is the destruction of Israel. The interim goal is the
establishment of yet another totalitarian Arab police state in the Middle
East.
Why would anyone want to do that? I had a debate with Pat Buchanan on the
radio last week, and I said: "Pat, I just don't understand why you are
promoting this idea of a Palestinian state. There never has been the idea of
a Palestinian state in the history of the world. Why would we want to create
one now? And he said: "There never was an Iraq either, until the colonial
powers established one." And I said: "Precisely my point! Why would we want
to make that mistake again?" There's lots of us who are wishing there was no
Iraq right now, and why would we want to create another one?
RM: Before we leave that whole question of the settlements being an obstacle
to peace, I was very interested to see in one of your articles that the
Arabs have built many more settlements in Judea and Samaria since 1967 than
the Jews have.
FARAH: That's right and we never hear about those settlements. We constantly
hear about Israeli settlements, which I think is another term that is
misguiding in adopting that term which is obviously chosen by the Arafat
crowd-these are not settlements, they are communities. I visited dozens of
them. In American terms, we would call them suburbs. They're not exactly
militarized zones. They're just places where ordinary people live and want
to live in peace.
RM: You heard that Colin Powell thinks that the UN fact-finders are going to
give Israel a fair deal. I doubt that very much.
FARAH: The UN has tremendous biases against the US and Israel, and they
demonstrate those biases every chance they get. I can certainly understand
Ariel Sharon's reluctance to give the UN carte blanche to come in there. Who
knows who they will have to investigate this? So many of the UN members are
human rights violators themselves. They have axes to grind. Terry Larsen is
an example.
RM: There was an article on the front page of the Jerusalem Post newspaper
recently. Shimon Peres runs an organization called the Peres Center for
Peace. The article reported that the Peres Center for Peace gave Terry
Larsen one hundred thousand dollars.
FARAH: Since 1948, the UN has not done anything in Israel's best interest.
Since the creation of the State of Israel, the UN has been biased against
it. I would be very cautious about accepting whoever the UN would assign to
this kind of investigation in Jenin. I think Israel would be more open to
US investigators, but the US is not on that committee.
RM: I was shocked to learn that the US is not on the UN Human Rights
Commission. They were kicked off. We have people like Iran, Syria, etc, but
not the US. Those are the judges of human rights violations. I wonder when
the fact-finding committee comes here, if they will investigate the fact
that the Arabs used a ten-year old boy as a suicide bomber. I think that is
the ugliest, the most immoral thing that I can think of -to use a child for
such a thing.
FARAH: Exactly, and its one of the least understood stories about how some
of those Israeli soldiers were killed. Israeli soldiers, much like US
soldiers, would be very reluctant, even in the most trying circumstances, to
shoot a ten-year old boy. We don't know that he was ten, but he looked about
ten as we understand it. Strapped with bombs-its and unconscionable kind of
activity that's going on, and its not very well understood here.
Benyamin Netanyahu made the point on a television program-I repeated in a
column I wrote, and I've been questioned about the sources ever since. Yet,
I guess it is widely known in Israel.
RM: It is definitely widely known. On the day after the thirteen soldiers
were killed in that ambush, I spoke to David Parsens at the Christian
Embassy in Jerusalem, and he told me about this. He said that it was a
child--unfortunately that the remains after being blown up, how do they know
that it was ten. Now it has been confirmed from several quarters, not just
Netanyahu.
FARAH: This is what Israel has to put up with. They have to put up with
suicide bombers who are children. They have to put up with the booby traps
in the homes in Jenin. I believe that Israel went out of its way in the
Jenin campaign to assure that there were minimal civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, the United States is bombing in Afghanistan from 30,000 feet.
There are certainly going to be civilian casualties in that kind of a
campaign. And the US has certainly done all it can do under trying
circumstances to avoid civilian casualties. But, they happen in wars, and
they happen in particular when terrorists hide behind civilians as they did
in Jenin.
RM: And this little boy is not the only child suicide bomber. In fact, they
were interviewing on Channel Two a boy about fourteen who said he doesn't
want to die. He wants to go home. And there was a little girl who said that
her uncle insisted that she be a suicide bomber, and he also wanted her to
recruit her friends in her class. It breaks your heart.
FARAH: Something like this breaks your heart as a serious American. And this
is why I believe the establishment of a Palestinian state is in the worst
interest of the Arabs. That's the case that I'm trying to make here in the
US to people. And I have to tell you that it's beginning to resonate among
other Arab Americans. I'm not alone any more. I'm not the only one saying
this. There's a rising chorus of opinion on the subject that supports what
I'm saying from Arabs and Arab Americans.
RM: It's difficult to understand how Arafat, who has done such cruel immoral
murders, like ordering the execution of the US diplomats, and hijacking and
killing American citizens-
FARAH: That's right-innocent civilians. Not only Israelis. That's another
point I'm trying to bring home here in the States. A few weeks ago I put
together a list of American civilians who have been killed at the hands of
Arafat, and it numbered close to a hundred. That doesn't include the Marine
barracks bombing and some of the things you mentioned earlier. But, just
innocent civilians, including the two diplomats that you mentioned. How on
earth the United States can just wipe that slate clean and forget about it,
and literally that's what they're trying to get the American people to do is
to forget about it. There's a great reluctance to let Americans know the
horrors that this man has perpetrated on Americans because despite all of
that-despite all the misinformation the government has been
spreading-Americans still broadly support Israel, I'm happy to say, and have
a better understanding of it than our own State Department seems to do.
RM: Yes, and they are hanging onto their own prejudices. I don't expect
anything better from them. But you know, nonetheless, it's amazing how
Arafat is successful and that he survives. He's even promoted by the US and
the international community.
FARAH: He survives because the same kind of terrorism that he perpetrates
against Israelis and Americans, he perpetrates against his own people. Look
at the so-called collaborators who are summarily lynched publicly now. This
is how he maintains power. When you have absolute power at your disposal,
and you have no inhibitions about using it, you can last a long time.
RM: Okay, that's with his own people, right? He terrorizes them, and they
are afraid to stand up to him. So, I think by this time they are effectively
brainwashed. But, 80% of the Arabs on the West Bank support suicide
bombings. That ought to tell you something. But, I'm asking something more,
Mr. Farah. Why is he still promoted by the United States and the
international elite as the head of state of a new nation.
FARAH: I think there are a couple of reasons. One reason is, clearly the
United States made a mistake a long time ago. Obviously, as far back as
1973, when they covered up the murders of the diplomats, in a systematic
campaign that has gone on from administration to administration. They made a
mistake. Governments never like to admit it made mistakes. That's number
one. Why did they make the mistake in the first place, and why did they
continue to cover it up? I think the easiest answer-it may not be the only
one-but the simplest answer, and I think the one that is becoming
increasingly apparent is Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the primary sponsor
of Yasser Arafat financially, and the Saudis have a great influence in the
United States because of their vast oil wealth, and they use their clout
very very effectively.
RUTH: Isn't that sad! Somebody called Saudi Arabia and "oil company with a
flag".
FARAH: But, it's worse than that. When President Bush was conducting his
campaign a couple of months ago in Afghanistan, he talked about the horrors
of the Taliban. How this was one of the worst regimes in the history of the
world which is certainly true. It was modeled after Saudi Arabia. The Saudis
sponsored the Taliban. The kind of government that we saw from the Taliban
is EXACTLY the same kind of government that is in place in Saudi Arabia
today.
RM: Then, why is our government still coddling them?
FARAH: Because of the oil wealth. Sadly, I think if the Taliban had that
kind of oil wealth, they might have been dealt with differently. It's a very
immoral decision. It's wrong.
RM: Mr. Farah: A final question, and a very personal one. I am asking this
question as a Jewish-American of an Arab-American. Ever since today's
program with you as my guest was advertised in Friday's Jerusalem Post, I
have had several emails, including from the United States as well, asking:
what makes this guy, Joseph Farah, tick? Isn't he afraid to be targeted by
Arab extremists?
FARAH: Well, I have been threatened. There's certainly been a lot of
intimidation. What makes me tick, Ruth, is very simple. Two things about me
that you have to know-one is that I'm a Christian; I'm a man of faith. I
believe very strongly in the Bible and in G-d. That's the central motivating
force in my life.
RM: I really think that believing Christians are going to be part of the
salvation of Israel. I really believe that.
FARAH: Well, as Christians we're taught to seek the truth, and that the
truth will set us free. How can we do anything other than that?
The other thing about me is that I'm a journalist. I've always been a
journalist. 25 years I've spent in daily news gathering, and that is part of
my profession-the seeking of truth. I went to the Middle East as a
correspondent and had many of the same misconceptions about the conflict
that other journalists had. But when you look, and you actively seek out the
truth, and you find it, you've got to report what you see.
RM: One final request: Please tell our listeners how they can access your
writings on the net, for fair coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict!
FARAH: Our news site is called WorldNetDaily.com, or a simpler way is
wnd.com. I write a daily column for World Net Daily, as well as the weekly
Jerusalem Post column, and it's becoming increasingly popular in Israel.
RM: It certainly is. Everybody knows right away who you are.
RM: This is exactly what Israel needs: an ambassador of truth like Mr.
Farah. Too bad that not everyone is willing to give Joseph Farah a platform.
For instance, in today's Jerusalem Post, there is an article about Rabbi
Eric Yoffie, President of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, and
Rabbi Stander of Temple Rodef Shalom in Waco, Texas. They have invited Crown
Prince Abdullah Abdul Bin Azziz to stop by for a tete-a-tete with Jewish
leaders after his meeting with President Bush at his ranch.
In a letter sent to the Crown Prince last week, Rabbi Yoffie and Rabbi
Stander wrote that the meeting "would be an opportunity for us to learn more
about your people and your religious faith, and for you, in turn, to gain a
better understanding of the American Jewish community, its religious faith,
its devotion to dialogue among the major religious traditions, and its deep
commitment to peace."
I despair when I read about some of my co-religionists being so utterly
divorced from reality. Here is the dictator of Saudi Arabia, who supports
the most radical form of Islam, Wahibism. Fifteen of the nineteen suicide
bombers on September 11 were Saudi nationals. The state controlled Saudi
newspaper writes articles about Jews using human blood for the baking of
pastries during the Jewish festival of Purim. Saudi Arabia supports
worldwide terror financially, including stipends for the families of suicide
bombers. And the head of the Union of American Hebrew Reform Congregations,
and a Texas Rabbi wants Crown Prince Abdullah to speak in the Waco, Texas
synagogue. Have these rabbis lost it completely?
On the other hand, Representative Tom DeLay, a Republican of Texas, who is
the House Majority Whip, suggested yesterday, as reported in USA Today, that
Israel should not withdraw from territory captured in the 1967 War, and he
equated Israel's struggle against the Palestinians with the US war on
terrorism. In his speech yesterday, DeLay called Israel "the lone fountain
of liberty" in the Middle East, and said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's
administration is "nothing more than a holding company for terrorist
subsidiaries".
He pointedly changed the phrase "West Bank" in the text of his speech to
"Judea and Samaria", terms used by those who claim these Biblical Jewish
territories should remain part of the modern Jewish state. He said: "I have
toured Judea and Samaria, and stood on the Golan Heights. I didn't see
occupied territory. I saw Israel."
And US Senator, Jim Inhofe, Republican from Oklahoma, made a speech on the
Senate floor, where he gave seven reasons that Israel has the right to its
land:
1. The first reason is that Israel has the right to the land because of all
of the archaeological evidence.
2. The second proof of Israel's right to the land is the historic right.
3. The third reason that the land belongs to Israel is the practical value
of the Israelis being there.
4. The fourth reason I believe Israel has the right to the land is on the
grounds of humanitarian concern.
5. The fifth reason Israel ought to have their land is that she is a
strategic ally of the United States.
6. The sixth reason is that Israel is a roadblock to terrorism.
7. The seventh reason: I believe very strongly that the US ought to support
Israel; that it has a right to the land. This is the most important reason:
Because G-d said so!
What we desperately need at this time is for each of us to become an
ambassador of truth like Joseph Farah, Tom DeLay and Senator Inhofe.
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Jerusalem, May 10, 2002
Iyyar 28, 5762
Yom Yerushalayim
What Is the Left Cooking Up for Us This Time?
I have a bad gut feeling that the left is once again cooking up
for us some rotten dish.
In recent weeks, the weeks in which we fought in Operation
Defensive Shield, we saw the wonderful side of the people of Israel:
patriotism ran high, and still runs high - the decisive majority of the
people supported the military operation in the cities of Judea and
Samaria, and awaits "Operation Defensive Shield 2"; the reservists
reported for duty at a rate of 100 percent; sympathy for the nationalcamp
as a whole, and especially for the public in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza,
reached unprecedented heights.
This national-Zionist mood is the nightmare of the extremist left
in the country. They are panicking. They are in such a plight that they
have no chance of convincing the Israeli public of the seeming need to
evacuate settlements.
The question that arises is, therefore, what is the left cooking
up for us this time, to try and stop this elevated spirit among the public?
What trap are they setting for us, in order to sabotage the unity that
reigns among the people? What is being planned for us by the extreme
left, that holds all the key positions in the axis of evil: the media, the
police, the General Security Services, and the State Attorney's Office?
In order to answer these questions, we must recall that this
period of the nation coming to its senses and the left hitting bottom is
very similar to the time of the terrorist attacks in 1995. Every time that a
suicide terrorist exploded himself in an Egged or Dan bus, the dream of
"peace" exploded in the faces of the architects of Oslo, and the prestige
of the left dropped and faded in the eyes of the public. Then, too, there
was the beginning of a national sobering up that was expressed, among
other ways, in affinity for the Jews of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.
Until the appearance of the episode of the GSS agent Avishai
Reviv, an episode that reached a climax with the Rabin assassination.
I have no doubts that the Rabin assassination was not meant to
be a murder, but a failed assassination attempt on the life of the late
Yitzhak Rabin, in order to delegitimize the national camp, and restore
sympathy for the left. Something went wrong, and other elements in the
left apparently preferred Yitzhak Rabin to be really murdered. This is not
the place to once again stir up the affair of the murder and the dozens of
questions that were raised after the investigation. The people still awaits
a new Commission of Inquiry that will examine the matter objectively and
attempt to answer all the puzzling questions.
My goal in raising this subject is to indicate a recurring
phenomenon:
* a situation of public sympathy for the national camp as a whole, and
especially for the Jews of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza;
* a nadir for the left;
* panic in the left that causes them to invent a dirty maneuver for
besmirching the national camp - hoping that the public will be deceived
by the false stories, thus enabling the left to once again become the
darling of the public.
Other false GSS fabrications include: (1) the episode of Oren
Edri, who was accused of heading a "new underground," and then it
became clear after some time that everything was a lie; (2) the
announcement, several years ago, that Judea, Samaria, and Gaza Jews
had murdered Arabs from Halhul, when it was later discovered that these
Arabs had been killed by other Arabs, on the background of a clash
between rival clans. This story led to a vigorous smear campaign
directed especially against the Jews of Hebron. No governmental body
apologized for the "mistake."
The delegitimation and besmirchment campaign after the Rabin
assassination was very successful. The leaders of the national-religious
public fell into the trap that the left had set for them. Instead of
condemning the attempt by the left to lay the blame for the Rabin
assassination on the entire national camp, and to declare that, just as we
did not kill Jesus, so, too, we had no part in the murder of Rabin, the
naive leaders of the national camp set out on a degrading campaign of
"heshbon nefesh [spiritual stocktaking]." This was a tragic mistake that
only strengthened the spurious claims by the left of the guilt of the entire
national camp in the assassination. It is to be hoped that this error will
not be repeated.
Just as I write this, the leaders of the national camp will be faced
with another test. Two weeks ago, three men from Bat Ayin, all married,
with families, were arrested. There is a heavy smoke screen covering the
entire affair. The public knows only that these Jews will apparently be
charged with an attempt to attack Arabs.
But it can't be helped - my gut feeling tells me that there's
something stinking here. I don't know the families. I don't know the
details of the affair. But I know what we all know, and these details
suffice to light a warning light for us all: as of the time these lines were
written, these Jews have been denied legal representation. Additionally,
there is a reasonable suspicion that they have been tortured. One of the
most common tortures is sleep deprivation. Someone who has been
deprived of sleep for days temporarily looses his sanity and is willing, in
order to get some sleep, to confess to anything, even to things that he
never committed. This constitutes a severe violation of the elementary
rights of every prisoner, that should outrage us all. Even the murderer
Barghouti (if any comparison can be made) met his lawyer after two days.
The national camp, and its leaders, cannot continue being
naive. The past teaches us that there are leftist elements in the GSS and
in the State Attorney's Office who take advantage of the legal system to
relentlessly, cruelly, and wickedly persecute all those whom they put in
their sights - first and foremost, naturally, the inhabitants of Judea,
Samaria, and Gaza.
We must remember that every person is innocent until proven
otherwise. In the case of those from Bat Ayin under arrest, there is room
to suspect that the investigative activities are of a political nature, with
the goal of imposing political terror.
Therefore, we must all join the call by the rabbis who issued a
flyer that states:
"Judge your neighbor fairly" [Leviticus 19:15]. A number of
young men are under arrest by the GSS for about a week, and
they apparently are to be charged with committing attacks
against Arabs. Those under arrest are being held in solitary
confinement, and they are prevented from meeting a lawyer,
but we were told by an authoritative source that, judging by
their appearance, it is feared that they were beaten and
tortured. To our sorrow, we have experience from previous
instances (such as: the episode of Lieutenant Oren Edri, the
"children's underground," and more) in which libels were
raised against such prisoners, and were later proven to be
unsubstantial.
We therefore hereby call upon the public - and
certainly its leaders and spokesmen - to refrain from any
speech that constitutes the casting of aspersions, direct or
indirect censure, or any passing of judgment without trial.
(Signed) Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Rabbi
Shlomo Ben-Hammo, Rabbi Hayim Druckman, Rabbi
Zephaniah Drori, Rabbi David Hai Hakohen, Rabbi Eliakim
Levanon, Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Zalman Melamed, Rabbi
Gideon Perl, Rabbi Daniel Shilo.
Let us hope that the fact that the public is alert to the possibility
that the episode of those arrested from Bat Ayin is an additional attempt
to delegitimize and besmirch the Jews of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, will
lead, with God's help, to this affair speedily ending, in nothing.
Nadia Matar,
Co-Chairperson, Women in Green
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Jerusalem, May 12, 2002
Listen to the Will of the People!
Vote Against a Palestinian State!
Today Sunday, May 12, 2002, is an historic day.
The Central Committee of Likud, Prime Minister Sharon's Party, will be
meeting today at Heichal HaTarbut in Tel Aviv to vote on the vital question
of "Should there be a Palestinian State?"
Women In Green in their "Truth Mobile" traveling throughout the Land of
Israel have already gathered over 100,000 signatures to date in opposition
to the creation of another Arab State in our midst. In our travels, we have
become convinced that the great majority of the Jewish People in Israel are
opposed to such a State, particularly in view of the widespread and
unceasing Arab terroristic activity that has been taking place throughout
our Land over a sustained period of time.
The overwhelming response to our Petition in this regard, made it incumbent
on us to present these facts to the Central Committee of Likud, who must
take into consideration the Will of the People in Israel's Democratic
society.
Therefore, on Sunday, May 12, at 2:30 P.M., at the entrance to Heichal
HaTarbut in Tel Aviv,
Women In Green shall present to Minister Tsachi HaNegbi, Head of the Central
Committee of Likud, the signatures in question in opposition to such a
Palestinian State.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
*******************************************************
Jerusalem, May 21, 2002
The Middle East Fantasyland
By Cal Thomas
Syndicated Columnist
Crosswalk.com News Channel - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is right
to declare his country "at war" with terrorists and to strike relentlessly
at Palestinian militants. It's about time.
What the Palestinians lack in military might they more than make up for in
resolve. No matter the number of United Nations resolutions, or statements
by Western leaders, or how many military reversals, Yasser Arafat and his
PLO-Hamas-Islamic Jihad-Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine axis
of evil continue on with religious and fanatical zeal to achieve their
self-anointed objective of eliminating every Jew they can get their
murderous hands (and bombs) on. Sharon was right to call Arafat "the enemy
of Israel and the free world in general."
The misguided belief that Israel's enemies can be dissuaded from their goal
has helped create the current predicament. Given the evidence of
noncompliance by Arafat and his co-murderers with every and all previous
agreements, treaties, cease-fires and "confidence building" measures, what
evidence is there that would lead any rational person to accept the fiction
that these annihilators would honor new pledges?
How do I know this? Israel's enemies prove by their actions that they mean
what they say. Unless words mean only what one says they mean at a given
moment, what Palestinians say and do should be taken seriously.
In the Palestinian Covenant of 1968, which embodies the philosophical
principles of the PLO, Article 9 states: "Armed struggle is the only way to
liberate Palestine and is therefore a strategy and not tactics...."
Article 15 is more precise: "The liberation of Palestine, from the Arab
viewpoint, is a national duty to repulse the Zionist, Imperialist invasion
from the great Arab homeland and to purge the Zionist presence from
Palestine."
In the view of the Palestinians, no co-existence with Jews, much less an
Israeli state, is possible. Article 19 of the Palestinian Covenant states:
"The partition of Palestine in 1947 and the establishment of Israel is
fundamentally null and void, whatever time has elapsed, because it is
contrary to the wish of the people of Palestine and its natural right to
its homeland...." Other sections of the covenant (Articles 20 and 22)
reject even the historical and religious ties of Jews to the land and call
Zionism "a political movement organically related to world Imperialism and
hostile to all movements of liberation and progress in the world."
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Jerusalem, May 28, 2002
Sponsor a Walker
Special Invitation from Women In Green: Sponsor a Walker and thereby
Participate in Walking Around The Walls of Jerusalem!
Women for Israel's Tomorrow, (Women In Green ) in the observance of an
ancient custom, will again arrange for the annual Walk around the Walls of
the Old City of Jerusalem on Tisha B'Av evening. This year the Event will
take place on Wednesday, July 17, 2002.
The Walk commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples which
occurred on the same day, 2588 and 1,932 years ago, respectively. Those
participating, at the same time, will be praying for the rebuilding of the
Third Temple in Jerusalem on the sacred Temple Mount.
Despite the existing Arab terrorist activities, more than 80,000 persons
participated in the Walk last year; two years ago, more than 100,000 people
took part.
We hope that you are able to come to Jerusalem to personally participate in
the Walk. However, even if you are not able to be in Jerusalem for this
special Memorial Day on the 9th day of the Hebrew Month of Av, you can
participate in this Walk by sponsoring a person to Walk in your behalf.
The minimum amount for sponsoring such a person is $25, but you are urged to
contribute beyond that sum at this critical hour for Jerusalem. It is also
your personal statement in support of the City of G-d.
Each contributor sponsoring a participant in the Walk, in his or her behalf,
will be sent a card that specifies your personal participation or
sponsorship in this historical event.
Wherever you are located, you will have the spiritual experience of having
walked around the Old City Walls in Holy Jerusalem on Tisha B'Av evening.
Now more than ever we need people who will identify with the Prophet Isaiah
who said: "For Jerusalem's Sake, I Will Not Be Silent."
*******************************************************
Jerusalem, May 28, 2002
Contact the UJC
Dear friends,
Below is a story we just received from Arutz 7 news about the UJC.
We urge you to read it and act upon it as soon as possible.
The UJC of North America (United Jewish Communities Israel Emergency
campaign) is currently embarking on a massive campaign aimed at helping
Israel (their goal is to raise 300 million dollars) - BUT..... not one
penny is slated for Yesha (Judea, Samaria and Gaza).
It is ironic that while the Arab terrorists do not differentiate between
Jews from Yesha and Jews from Tel Aviv, Haifa, Petach Tikva, Jewish
organizations from America do so!
We understand that the UJC is currently debating whether or not to change
that policy. Women in Green urge you all to let them know; that they should
not think twice, but rather change their policy immediately in order to
help Jews no matter where they live.
Below is the story from Arutz 7 on the issue as well as contact info for
the UJC.
Please forward this message to as many friends and lists as possible.
Nadia Matar
-----------------------------------------------------
From Arutz 7:
Leaders of four streams of North American Jewry gathered for a press
conference in New York earlier this week to announce their endorsement and
support for the United Jewish Communities (UJC) Israel Emergency Campaign.
The UJC represents 189 Jewish Federations and 400 independent communities
across North America. Arutz-7's Josh Hasten notes that although individual
Federations in the U.S. have raised funds for interests in Yesha (Judea,
Samaria, and Gaza), UJC policy currently does not permit funding for
humanitarian projects in Yesha.
That policy may soon change, however. A Yesha Council spokesman told
Arutz-7 today that the UJC is planning to earmark funds in its 2002-03
budget to help Yesha victims of terror and their families. The spokesman
said that final negotiations between the Council and the Jewish Agency in
Israel, representing the UJC, are currently taking place to push the policy
changes through.
The UJC established its Israel Emergency Campaign - entitled "We Stand
with Israel Now and Forever" - last month in response to the humanitarian
and financial needs of Israelis living under the constant threat of Arab
terror. North American Jewry has so far pledged over $120 million to the
campaign, the goal of which is to raise over $300 million. Earlier this
month, the UJC announced that funds would be directed to areas of critical
need in Israel, including providing assistance to hundreds of terror
victims and their families and other emergency services including providing
ambulances providing hospitals with ambulances. Despite this wording,
current UJC policy, as mentioned above, does not include Yesha projects in
the funding efforts.
--------------------------------------------------
Below is contact information for the UJC offices in America and Israel. We
would encourage everyone to contact the following UJC leaders and let them
know that you believe that the UJC should start funding Jews in need, no
matter where they live. There is no need to be rude, just simply tell
whomever you speak with, that all Jews bleed red and deserve the full
support of North American Jewry.
James S. Tisch, Chairman of the Board
United Jewish Communities
111 8th Ave
New York, New York 10011
phone: 212-284-6500
fax: 212-284-6835
www.ujc.org
In Israel:
Mr. Nachman Shai, Director
United Jewish Communities
1 Ibn Gvirol Street
P.O. Box 7171
Jerusalem 91071, Israel
phone (011-972) 2-620-2003
fax: 02-625-4674
*******************************************************
Jerusalem, May 30, 2002
Etty Dvir's Testimony
The following is the translation into English of Etty Dvir's testimony.
Etty, around 26 years old, mother of 3 little children, resident of Bat Ayin,
wife of Shlomi, one of the 4 Bat Ayin men arrested a month ago, accused of
wanting to hurt Arabs.
We do not know what the story is with the Bat Ayin guys.
Last week we forwarded an article ("What is the Left up to now?")
expressing my view saying that something certainly smells fishy; and
stressing the point that we should wait before passing judgment and we
should not blindly trust whatever is said in the media about this story, nor
accept what the police is trying to leak.
Past experience has taught us that sometimes the (anti-)Jewish
Department in the Shabak cooks up all kind of stories in order to besmirch
and delegitimize the national camp and later those stories turn out to be
complete falsehoods.
One can or cannot agree with the position I express.
But one thing is certain - we ALL agree that no matter what the story is,
Etty's treatment last Thursday was an abomination that has to be
condemned by all those who believe in human rights.
As you will read in her testimony, Etty was beaten, her baby was pulled
away from her, all in order to pressure her husband, who up until now has
not talked. Had the Shabak dared to treat an Arab woman like that, the
entire world would be up in arms. Is the life of a Jewish woman so much
less valuable?
Women in Green call upon all to phone and fax Minister of Police Uzi
Landau demanding that he investigate Etty's testimony of her ordeal during
the Shabak violent interrogation.
Uzi Landau tel: 972-2-5308-500
fax: 972-2-5811-832
Nadia Matar
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Written testimony by Ettie Dvir concerning her arrest and interrogation by
the GSS on Thursday, May 23, 2002.
On Thursday, 12 Sivan 5762 [May 23, 2002] in the afternoon, dozens of
policemen burst into my house and snatched me away, violently and
aggressively, into a police car, before the eyes of my small children. Two of
my children - three and a half years old and two years old - remained in the
house, without Father and without Mother, and the neighbors collected
them. I took my eight-month-old baby daughter with me, since she only
nurses.
They took me to be interrogated by the GSS in the Interrogations
Department in the Russian Compound, where I said that I did not break the
law, and that I choose to exercise the right to remain silent. The
interrogator Erika held my face forcefully, she really crushed me, and said
that I could choose: either to sit and talk, or that I would suffer and sit in jail
for a long time. I opened a book of Tehillim ( Psalms) and recited Psalms.
Erika grabbed the book out of my hands and threw it on the floor. I recited
by heart chapters of Psalms that I remembered. This enheartened me and
gave me strength. But it seems that this greatly angered Erika, and she
slapped me very forcefully, over and over.
The interrogator Shmulik Piamenta also shoved and struck me. I told
him that - as a man - it is forbidden to touch me, and if they want to hit me,
then they should go ahead, but it should be done by a woman and, indeed,
Erika "volunteered" and slapped me again.
Shmulik, Erika, and a third interrogator (whose name I do not
know)threatened me, that if I would not talk they would take the baby away
from me. I did not agree, and then they began to forcibly take her from me.
They tried to open my hands, hit me in the face, and forcibly pulled the
baby. I could not continue to resist - they simply tore the baby away from
me and took her out of the room.
What happened in the next hour and a half was simply a nightmare for
me. They held Tamah (my baby) beyond the door, so that I would hear her
crying and screaming. And she cried and screamed the entire time. They
told me: "If you want to nurse the baby - talk, and if not, we will send her to
a social worker." This continued for an hour and a half.
After they took my baby from me, they also handcuffed me to the chair,
and cursed me. They tried to apply psychological pressure on me, and they
told me, Your husband has framed you, he told everything about you, you'll
spend a year and more in prison for this, and so on.
After an hour and a half they brought the baby to me. I asked that the
men leave so that I could nurse [her], but they did not agree. They chain-
smoked cigarettes and closed the windows, the room was suffocating from
the smoke.
Some time later my attorney, Naphtali Wirtzburger, came in. They had
told him, as well, that if I would not talk in my interrogation, they would
transfer me to the Neveh Tirzah prison. And they also continued to threaten
me. I understood from the attorney that he was filing an appeal to the court
against my continued arrest, and also because of the threats that they
made to him and to me that run counter to the right to remain silent. After
the attorney left, the pressure abated, they returned to me the Psalms and
my handbag (that they had taken previously). From time to time
interrogators entered and tried to get me to talk.
I want to make it clear that during the entire interrogation they asked me
nothing, except for: "Do you know Yosef Ben-Baruch? Do you know Noam
Federman?" And so on, the names of all those under arrest, these were the
only questions that I was asked during the six and a half hours that I spent
in questioning (from 2:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.). I also want to state that it was
very difficult for me during those hours, I had tears in my eyes a number of
times and I made great efforts not to cry - because I was certain that
whatever happened in the interrogation room would be told to my husband
and would be used by them in order to break him.
Towards 9:00 p.m. they told me to collect my things, because they were
taking me in a police car to Neveh Tirzah (prison for women). They led me
by my hands to the door of the building, and then, when we were outside,
they left me and went. Suddenly, I understood that I had been released, and
that the "trip to Neveh Tirzah," too, was nothing more than an additional
attempt to break me. I had no wallet and no money; fortunately, friends
were waiting for me there and they took me home.
The next day, Friday, it was learned by the attorney Naphtali
Wirtzburger, who met with my husband, that my husband Shlomi had been
harshly interrogated the entire night, during which they showed him the
photographs of their beating me, that I was handcuffed to the chair, and
that the baby Tamah was bursting into tears.
If these are the violent and harsh methods that the GSS interrogators
used against me for a number of hours, I can hardly describe the suffering
of my husband and the others under arrest who were interrogated with
methods such as these for a number of weeks. It therefore should not be
surprising that they confessed to all kinds of actions, even if they did not
actually commit them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anybody who wishes to contribute to the defense of the Bat Ayin young
men, please read the following plea we received from the families:
We are not being asked to judge. Whatever the case may be, they are
entitled to a fair trial:
Young men from the yishuv Bat Ayin have been arrested by the Shabak
and their civil rights were denied. They were physically beaten and
psychologically tortured. One of the wives was arrested with her 8 month
old nursing baby and was denied access to her crying baby for two hours,
being told that if she would not talk, she would not be permitted to nurse
her. She was photographed tied to a chair and being beaten. The pictures
were shown to her husband in order to get him to confess. The credibility
of the police is highly questionable as has been evidenced in numerous
cases where innocent people have been arrested, accused, beaten and
forced to confess to crimes against Arabs which they did not commit and
were subsequently released.
Only with your generous financial help can they have competent legal
representation.
Contributions can be sent to
Keren L'Maan Mishpachot Haatzurim
Bank Hamizrachi
Alon Shvut #454 Israel
Account number 115701
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