----- Original Message ----- From: <Hantayo000 at cs.com> To: <marxist-leninist-list at lists.econ.utah.edu> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2003 8:50 PM Subject: [MLL] SUSAN BARCLAY - US POLITICAL PRISONER OF ISRAEL
> STATEMENT OF SUSAN BARCLAY, US POLITICAL PRISONER OF ISRAEL (english)
> International Solidarity Movement 2:00pm Sun Mar 9 '03
> ism-alerts at palsolidarity.org article#11416
>
>
> [Unable to display image]
>
>
> At 9 am on Monday, March 10th the Jerusalem District Court will conduct a
> hearing concerning the re-arrest of the American peace activist Susan
> Barclay. Here is Susan's statement in response.
>
> My name is Susan Barclay. I am a non-violent peace activist with the
> International Solidarity Movement and have been living primarily in Nablus
> for the past 8 months. I was arrested on February 20th, 2003 and released
> from Hadera prison on February 28th, 2003 after successfully resisting
> deportation. I have spent the past week largely in legal matters (filing a
> civil law suit against the State of Israel for unlawful arrest and
contesting
> my deportation order) during which I have been repeatedly called a
"security
> threat" by the State of Israel. Currently the state is using the pretext
of
> security to pre-empt a discussion of legality. I am appealing a decision
made
> by an Immigration judge in a hearing on March 4th to re-arrest me and will
> have a hearing as soon as the presiding judge reviews my appeal and sets a
> time (probably March 9th or 10th). At the hearing there is a very high
> possibility that I will be re-arrested. I am writing what may be my last
> statement before being imprisoned.
>
> This week the State of Israel in hearing and court proceedings regarding
my
> unlawful arrest, my deportation order, my civil suit and now my potential
> re-arrest has completely avoided the illegality of my arrest and the issue
of
> my visa, saying in every legal forum that I am a "security threat" as if
this
> justifies my unlawful treatment.
>
> The accusations from the State of Israel are based on information
collected
> by the Shabak (Israeli Secret Police)and include the following:
>
> 1. That I staying in the Occupied Territories with an expired visa;
> 2. That I was arrested while participating in a violent demonstration;
> 3. That I stayed "in the houses of suicide bombers as a sign of
solidarity";
> 4. That I have been involved in demonstrations against IDF soldiers and
> provocations;
> 5. That I have "ties with Palestinians suspected of terrorism";
> 6. That "It is also known that she has been collecting information about
an
> IDF officer".
>
> These allegations are from a memorandum from Attorney Daniel Solomon of
the
> Ministry of the Interior dated March 4th and from other official legal
> documents of which I have copies.
>
> The first accusation is regarding my "expired" visa. I had a three month
> tourist visa dated September 17th, 2002 which expired December 17th, 2002.
I
> went to the Ministry of the Interior on the 17th and discovered an
enormous
> bureaucracy that necessitated an early morning arrival in order to be seen
> before noon when the office closed. After spending 2 more days waiting in
> lines with numbers and Friday and Saturday while the Ministry was closed,
I
> finally completed the application for a visa extension on December 22,
2002
> and received a blue receipt for 135 shekels, proof that I had applied and
> begun the process. I provided the Ministry with an address and phone
number
> where I could be reached and I explicitly asked if I would have any
problems
> with police or soldiers. I was assured that I wouldn't and told to come
back
> in about a month.
>
> I returned on January 26th, 2003 at 6:30 am to the Ministry and was seen
and
> informed around 9:45 am that no decision had yet been made and to come
back
> in a few more weeks. The night I was detained there was a taxi from
Jerusalem
> waiting for me on the other side of Huwara checkpoint and I planned to
> enquire about my visa over the weekend.
>
> The Ministry of Interior never phoned or sent anything to the address I
> provided and I was informed during my interrogation by Avi (the
interrogating
> police officer) for the first time that my application had been denied to
> which I responded:
>
> "Isn't it normal process that I would be informed and given a period of
time
> to leave the country?"
>
> This question remains unanswered.
>
> The second accusation is that I was arrested during a violent
demonstration.
> I was detained at Huwara checkpoint with another international at
> approximately 6 pm on February 20th. I had done nothing more than say
"Hello.
> How are you?" to the soldier and turn over my ID, when I was informed that
I
> was going to have to wait. I was told that I had "interfered in something"
> and had to wait for someone, who I suspected and later learned to be the
> police. We (the other activist and I) did not object or resist in the
> slightest; in fact we completely cooperated, convinced that there was a
> misunderstanding. When the police arrived and claimed my visa was expired,
> the soldier who had detained us said: "Wow Susan, none of us in Nablus
knew
> about your visa!"
>
> Additionally, it should be reiterated that I am a non-violent peace
activist
> and have never participated in any violent demonstration. Moreover, there
> were absolutely no demonstrations, non-violent or otherwise, in Nablus on
the
> 20th and certainly not at Huwara checkpoint; it was the second day of an
> invasion of the Old City.
>
> I did a number of interview with press while I was detained at Huwara
> military base, including on with Denis Bernstein during which I explained
the
> situation in the Old City and how I was detained.
>
> The third accusation that I "stayed in the houses of suicide bombers who
> committed terrorist acts as a sign of solidarity" is cleverly worded to
> mislead judges and others about my activities and intentions and thus I
feel
> it is especially important to address it.
>
> ISM activists sleep in the homes of innocent people that the State of
Israel
> punishes for crimes they did not commit. We stay in homes of mourning
> families, that have lost a son or brother, and that are threatened with
house
> demolition. These families go to sleep each and every night in fear that
> soldiers will come in the night to destroy their home.
>
> The Israeli Army's official policy of demolishing the homes of families of
> suicide bombers is a form of collective punishment that is strictly
> prohibited according to the 4th Geneva Convention.
>
> I am completely opposed to the killing of innocent civilians, which is
also
> illegal according to the 4th Geneva Convention, regardless of where it
takes
> place (Gaza of Tel Aviv) and do not in any way condone any kind of bombing
> that targets innocent people.
>
> The fourth accusation is that I "was involved in demonstrations against
IDF
> soldiers and also provocations". This is very vague but I have a few
> comments.
>
> Foremost, I am not in anyway against IDF soldiers, nor would I demonstrate
> against them. My actions are guided by a desire to better humanity. I have
> been part of non-violent demonstrations calling for real justice, lasting
> peace, an end to collective punishment, closures and "curfews" (24 hour
house
> imprisonment) and for the right to education. I am not against people,
> soldiers or otherwise; I am for fundamental human rights for all of us and
an
> end to oppressive systems of power.
>
> In terms of provocations, I have been involved in humanitarian work during
> invasions, operations and sieges, working largely with medical volunteers,
> attempting to protect innocent civilians, evacuate people from dangerous
> areas and homes, provide food and medicine to people imprisoned in their
> homes and have talked and negotiated with many soldiers to do this. I
don't
> think helping innocent civilians get necessary food and medicine is
> provocative. I think it is basic.
>
> The 5th accusation is that I have "ties with Palestinians suspected of
> terrorism". This is a very vague accusation but I nevertheless have an
> initial response.
>
> I have worked with and know many Palestinians in Nablus and have
participated
> exclusively in non-violent resistance to the Israeli Occupation.
>
> I have also witnessed the arrests of hundreds of men in the past months
that
> the State of Israel justifies by claiming that they were "security
threats".
>
> A Palestinian can be arrested without charge or trial and imprisoned for
up
> to 6 months. At the end to this period his or her term of imprisonment can
be
> renewed, again without charge or trial. The Shabak present a secret file
to a
> judge in private about the defendant, claiming he or she is a "security
> threat" and the judge makes a decision about imprisonment after hearing
from
> a lawyer who represents a client without charge and without access to the
> evidence against him.
>
> The State of Israel never explains or presents evidence openly as to what
> exactly a "security threat" is.
>
> My case is unique in that the State is actually presenting allegations
about
> why I constitute a "security threat".
>
> If non-violent peace activists who opposed war crime, collective
punishment,
> the killing of innocent civilians, excessive use of force and human rights
> abuses, who attempt to de-escalate situations and weave humanity into a
land
> numbed by 36 years of military occupation can be called a "security
threat",
> then of course the State of Israel can claim that I have ties with
> Palestinians suspected of terrorism. Almost every single Palestinian man
> between the ages of 15-50 is suspected of "terrorism". What this
"terrorism"
> is remains unexplained, secret and therefore irrefutable.
>
> I would really like to see the State of Israel present specific evidence
> about the "terrorism" Palestinians I have ties to are involved in. If a
> non-violent American peace activist is a threat to Israel's security, then
> who isn't?
>
> Ultimately, I have ties to many innocent civilians who attempt to live
normal
> lives under military occupation, who are suffering from gross human rights
> violations, and who wholeheartedly want real peace.
>
> The sixth and final accusation as to why I constitute a security threat is
> that I have been collecting information about an IDF officer. This is
true.
> The officer's name is Ariel Ze'ev. He was in the Nablus area, living in a
> civilian home that the Israeli Army has occupied in Msakken Shabiya (a
> neighborhood) and spending his days at a checkpoint near three villages
south
> east of Nablus called Az'mut, Deir Hatib and Salem.
>
> Internationals filed an official complaint about Ariel Ze'ev after
countless
> interactions in which he was violent, ruthless, admitted and even boasted
> about his inhumanity ("I am not human") and his pleasure in making people
> suffer. I personally witnessed him physically assault international
> non-violent activists, threaten my and other activists lives, put his M-16
> assault rifle to a number of our heads and fire live ammunition very close
to
> our feet and legs. Ariel Ze'ev uses physical and verbal violence to
terrorize
> everyone who crosses his path and is obviously disturbed. Many concerned
> citizens around the world have enquired about this soldier and many more
> (including Israelis) made complaints.
>
> Ariel Ze'ev is one soldier who has certainly been witnessed callously
abusing
> human rights and internationals have been observing his actions and
> attempting to inform the Israeli Army and the world about his unstable
mental
> health and irresponsible, dangerous behavior.
>
> My name is one of many on an official complaint sent to the IDF
documenting
> Ariel Ze'ev's behavior and this is certainly nothing the state of Israel
> should consider secret of suspect.
>
> Having written all this and responded to each allegation against me, I
would
> like to add one comment.
>
> I am not on trial. I am the plaintiff in a civil law suit against the
State
> of Israel because I was unlawfully arrested and imprisoned and I want to
> testify in a court of law.
>
>
>
>
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