Doug wrote <<I find this disturbing. Ilana, can you give us the Israeli side of the story? I can find very little on the web other than this article reprinted elsewhere.>>
Let's see Article: <<Dr Barghouti was arrested as he left the conference -- where he had spoken about the disastrous impact on medical treatment and care of the Israeli closures of towns and villages in the Occupied Territories -- on the grounds that he had no Israeli pass to enter Jerusalem, where he was born.>> Ilana Dr Barghouti was arrested because he was in the place where he has no permit to be. The same way as any Israeli citizen would be arrested if he tried to ignore court restriction order. The reason of this specific restriction order is Dr. Baghouti (and some others) trying to present Jerusalem as Palestinian capital de-facto and Israel is trying to prevent this. I am not sure if this is related - Israel provides helicopters to rush Palestinian medical emergencies to Israeli hospitals. Israeli soldiers are searching Palestinian ambulances and more than once there were weapons and/or fire was opened on Israeli soldiers out of ambulance. Article << He was released at al-Ram checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah after four hours' detention at the Moscobiyeh Detention Centre in Jerusalem.>> Ilana True Article <<The beating by Israeli border police took place later that day at the al-Ram checkpoint as international delegates protested at attempts to rearrest Dr Barghouti. Dr Barghouti was released after an hour, with a fractured kneecap and various lacerations and bruises on his face and body. Some international delegates, including Italian MEP Luisa Morgantini, suffered bruises and other injuries.>> Ilana International delegates *and* Dr. Barghouti attacked border police on at the checkpoint. Soldiers used force. May be excessive, but not according to the tape I saw on Russian TV6 channel. There are several wounded soldiers. (Stones make nasty wounds, they can also kill). Soldiers (border police is army branch) did not fire their weapons. Article << "Dr Mustafa Barghouti, who has a world-wide reputation, has been released. However, he is not the first human rights activist to be ill-treated and arrested -- others remain under administrative detention orders which allow indefinite detention without charge or trial," added the organization. These include >Abed al-Rahman al-Ahmar, a fieldworker for the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group, who was arrested in Jerusalem in May 2001 because he had no pass, and Daoud al-Dar'awi, a staff member of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens' Rights, arrested in September 2001, who was placed under administrative detention in October immediately after a judge ordered his release on bail. >> Ilana "administrative detention in *this* context meaning they are restricted to their home cities. Article <<Abed al-Rahman al-Ahmar said he was beaten after arrest and both were reportedly subjected to prolonged sleep deprivation in painful positions under interrogation.>> Ilana False. Our High Court of Justice prohibited such treatment of prisoners, even when there are reasons to suspect that it can prevent terrorist act and there are people who are checking it. (People who are not in army chain of command) Article <<"The Israeli army responsible for the beating of Dr Barghouti and international delegates is also responsible for repeatedly shooting and killing Palestinians at checkpoints and during demonstrations when the lives of others were not in danger," Amnesty International said.>> Ilana False. There is enough footage of those "peaceful demonstrations". Article <<re than 700 Palestinians -- including more than 160 children -- have been killed by Israeli security forces since October 2000. Most of these were unlawful killings, yet only the killings of 13 Palestinians with Israeli citizenship in September and October 2000 are being properly investigated.>> Ilana *All* killings, every bullet are investigated. The difference is while one investigation is in the army - the other is crucifying police against public eyes. Several times soldiers were found guilty and punished. Several times they were found deserving praise. And about those 13? There are two that were killed in Nazaret - when no Israeli weapon was fired. Article <<The failure to hold proper investigations into every killing has created an atmosphere where nervous or reckless members of the security forces kill or injure Palestinians with impunity," Amnesty International added.>> Ilana As I said before - false. Article << "A new mindset which fully respects human rights will not come into being unless all killings, injuries, instances of ill-treatment and other human rights violations are considered important and adequately investigated," the organization warned.>> Ilana I agree. Israel requested Minister Rahavam Zeevi murderers. Also those responsible for stoning two 13 year old kids near Jerusalem. And there are several others. I don't remember who, exactly, of Palestinian Authority referred to Israeli government - "idiots who deal with idiotic things" in connection to this request. Ilana from Israel
