Internationals Place Themselves in the Line of Fire

[bryan at indymedia.org.il]

On Monday the 24th, a group of Internationals organized by the
International Solidarity Movement have placed themselves within the line
of fire between settler and Israeli forces and the residents of Beit Jalla.
Beit Jalla is located South of Jerusalem, near the settlement of Gilo and
the city of Bethlehem. The activists chose to focus on Beit Jalla due to
increased military activity in the area. 

A rotating group of about 20 Internationals from the U.S., Canada and
Europe have launched a week long campaign. They are staying at area
houses of families most likely to face retaliatory gunfire and shelling from
military bases stationed beneath Gilo. 

Their message is- if you fire at Beit Jalla, you fire at us. 

Activists from the International Solidarity Movement were invited to the
area by families who were concerned for their own well being in light of
recent attacks by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). 

Last week, the IDF launched an attack in the city of Bethlehem against
suspected Hamas members believed to be carrying out a bombing
attack against the Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem. Gunships fired
missiles at a car used by the suspects, and four people were killed,
including two bystanders. Hamas members then carried out an attack on
Gilo from a U.N. sponsored refugee camp just East of Beit Jalla. IDF
forces responded by firing into the refugee camp and occupying a family
house in the area to survey the area and launch attacks. 

Families of Beit Jalla and the International Solidarity Movement are
calling for a peacekeeping force to come in and separate the sides in the
conflict until a just resolution can be reached. 

The Israeli government under Ariel Sharon has consistently denied the
need for intervention, and rejected an offer by the Group of Eight during
their recent summit in Genoa, Italy, volunteering to send in an observer
team to assess the situation. Instead, the Sharon government agreed to
allow several more C.I.A. advisors into Israel. 

The International Solidarity Movement is a local organization that 
works with Palestinians to coordinate activities in the West Bank to raise
awareness about the Occupation. 

About 20 Internationals participate nightly by staying in homes most
likely to be targeted by the IDF. Since the beginning of the Intifada
(Sept. 29th, 2000), as many as 500 homes have been fired upon, some
in no apparent response to any thing, and the bombings can take place
for the better portion of a day. Families of the most damaged houses are
hosting the activists during their stay for the entire week. 5 people have
been killed in Beit Jalla, as well as over 100 injured, and over 200
families have been forced to evacuate their houses to avoid Israeli
attacks. 

Up to this point, the area around Beit Jalla has been unusually quiet, but
nightly residents closest to the area facing Gilo file out of their homes to a
safe distance before any shelling begins. 

To find out more about joint Israeli-Palestinian activities in the West
Bank: 
{HYPERLINK "http://www.tswj.org"}http://www.tswj.org 
{HYPERLINK "http://www.indymedia.org.il/calender"}http://www.indymedia.org.il/calender

Bryan Atinsky
IMC-Israel
Engish Editorial Coordinator
http://www.indymedia.org.il