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http://www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.shield.0402w Plea for peace by Bay activists By Alex Brown Of The Examiner Staff The decision was made Sunday while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, and by next week, will culminate in a trip to war-torn Palestine, an assignment as an unarmed human shield, and the prospect of staring down an Israeli gun barrel. Call Alison Weir impulsive. Don't call her apathetic. As a member of the newly formed Grassroots Protection Program, Weir, a San Rafael-based 54-year-old former newspaper editor, will stand between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians, relying on the notion that foreigners will not be fired upon. She will do so without U.S. support, without financial aid, without any assurance of safety. And she is not alone. In the 24 hours since the program was formed, two other Bay Area residents signed up for the human shield mission to Palestine, Weir said, with at least 20 expected to volunteer by next week. "There are no guarantees," she said. "I'm going there as an American citizen, and since we paid for those Israeli bullets, I hope that will afford me some protection." Not according to reports Monday emanating from the West Bank township of Beit Jala. There, two Americans, two Britons, an Australian, a Frenchman, a Japanese person and a Palestinian Associated Press cameraman were injured when Israeli troops opened fire on a protest group, described as peaceful by Newsweek journalist Samir Zedan. Weir, though, remains defiant. Having formed the GPP with Palestinian-born San Francisco activist Iman Farajallah, who heads anti-hate crime group Imannetwork.org, the former editor of the 3,000-circulation Sausalito Weekly plans to depart SFO for Palestine within 10 days. Once there, Weir said she will stand with civilian families in the West Bank, although there was a chance she could join the human shield currently surrounding Yasser Arafat at his Ramallah complex. And all this from a phone call she received while riding a bus across the Golden Gate Bridge on Sunday. "After (Farajallah) called, I knew things were so desperate and urgent that I had to go over there," she said. "I was in the West Bank last year, and I felt like I was standing in one of those horrific old photos from World War II -- the difference being that in this case, only one side has an army. I'm committed to doing my utmost to end the killing. And I'll try not to get shot." For her trouble, Weir will pay for her airfare, but will receive extensive support once on the ground in Palestine, Farajallah said. "When you think about the scenarios some of the volunteers might face, we would encourage physicians to get involved and anyone who could donate medical supplies," Farajallah said, adding that Grassroots Protection may work alongside organizations such as Solidarity International and Grassroots International, which already are well-established in Palestine. "We need people who know what they are getting themselves into. There are no baby sitters where they are going." Back in Marin, however, Weir may be in need of one. During her stint in Palestine, she will leave behind her three children -- one a Berkeley graduate, the other two currently completing their studies there. All have heard Weir's stories from her last trip to the West Bank. And all support her in her latest endeavor. "When I was in the West Bank last time, I saw the devastation that was being done with my tax money," Weir said. "And those families suffering because of that welcomed me the whole time. I only wish I could leave immediately to help them." __________________________________________ E-mail Alex Brown at [EMAIL PROTECTED] ===== Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace. Weekly peace walks around Lake Merritt in Oakland. Starts & ends at the colonnade between Grand & Lakeshore Avenues, 3 P.M., every Sunday. Info: (510)763-8712, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or http://www.webwm.com/LMNOP __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
