The nine foreign peace activists (5 French, 3 American and 1 Irish) that were arrested in the village of Huwwara today are being held at the prison in the illegal settlement of Ariel. They have all been issued deportation orders and to the best of our knowledge will be transferred to the Ramle prison tomorrow to await their deportation.

Today’s march in Huwwara was a peaceful civilian protest against siege, curfew, occupation and terror. Signs held by Palestinian children read, “Occupation is the worst kind of terror” and “Give us Freedom, We will bring the food and medicine.” Unarmed civilians, old and young were gassed, shot at, beaten and arrested by Israeli soldiers and police for protesting collective punishment and other grave violations of international law being committed by the Israeli military and government.

Unfortunately, Palestinians, who often try to protest alone and otherwise attempt to make their voices heard, are met with brutal, sometimes lethal violence, and international silence. The Israelis are not held accountable to anyone for the life and well-being of the Palestinian people – a people living under Israeli military and civilian occupation. Today, dozens of foreign civilians joined hands and voices with Palestinians to call for a lifting of siege and curfew and an end to the occupation. The Israeli military and police viciously attacked the peaceful demonstrators and the Israeli government is now deporting these international voices of freedom and conscience. Why?

This is nothing less than an attempt by the Israeli government to hide what they are doing to the Palestinian people and to silence all witnesses and protests to their illegal policies. The foreign civilians that are slated for deportation, are being deported for speaking out --exercising freedom of speech in a country that considers itself “democratic”.

Please contact the following numbers on behalf of the foreign peace activists in Israeli custody. Don’t forget to remind these representatives that we must all stand together against occupation and injustice:

- Internationals are frequently taken by force out of Palestinians cities, towns and villages and forced to leave the country – are deported. Since Israel controls all borders and access to the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the Palestinian people, this policy is meant to suffocate the Palestinian people and deny them access to the outside world.

- Internationals are treated violently, arrested and deported for marching nonviolently against oppression and for freedom, in a country that receives so much money from our various governments and sells itself as a democracy.

- Foreign civilians are in the Occupied Palestinian Territories trying to do what the United Nations and signatories to the Fourth Geneva Convention should be doing to uphold Palestinian rights under international law. What are our governments doing in this regard and what are they doing to protect the well-being of their citizens that are working for freedom, justice and human rights in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories?

For more information, please call:
Huwaida Arraf - +972-67-473-308
ISM office - +972-2-626-4844