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Israel blocks US peace activists
Alie Waarheid - 11.08.2002 11:15
Israel blocks US peace activists from West Bank.
10 August 2002. Israeli police and soldiers kick and push peace activists at an Israeli checkpoint on the road leading from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
10 August 2002 - 'Freedom for both peoples'
AP. 10 August 2002. Israel prevents U.S. peace activists from entering West Bank.
AMMAN -- Israel blocked American peace activists traveling with U.S. congressional staff members from entering the West Bank Saturday on a fact-finding mission to the Palestinian territories and Israel, according to the activists, the State Department and an Israeli official.
The activists were three representatives of the American Muslims for Jerusalem organization and Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel organization, said Josh Ruebner, head of the latter group.
He said they planned to meet with American and international humanitarian organizations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"Since Israel has the sovereign right to decide who can enter Israel and who can't, we have the right to prevent groups who we know ahead of time are coming to demonstrate and cause provocation in places where Israeli soldiers are fighting terrorism," said Yaffa Ben-Ari, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
In Washington, the State Department said two of the three "coordinators" with the congressional staff members were denied entry into Israel when they arrived at the Allenby Bridge border crossing from Jordan.
The congressional staff members then decided not to seek entry, the State Department said.
It wasn't immediately clear for which U.S. representatives the congressional staff members worked. The delegation could not be reached for comment, and Khalid Turanni, executive director of the American Muslims for Jerusalem, refused to provide their names.
Ruebner said he was allowed to enter Israel but refused because two other activists were denied permission.
In a statement faxed to The Associated Press, Ruebner criticized Israel for blocking the entry of the activists and the congressional staff members. Both Israel and the State Department said that the U.S. team never attempted to cross the border.
"This unprecedented slap in the face to members of Congress is Israel's way of repaying the institution which gives it three billion dollars of taxpayers' money every year," he said.
"What does Israel not want Congress to see?"
Turaani said he and the other American Muslim activist were denied entry because they were Muslims.
"We still maintain that the Israeli discrimination against the American Muslims in the delegation is disturbing and the State Department's acquiescence is shameful." Turaani is Jordanian-American of Palestinian origin.
The State Department said the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem and the embassy in Tel Aviv had been involved in trying to arrange entry for the entire group.
Before they left the United States, a State Department officer discussed the trip with the coordinators and urged that they contact Israeli officials in advance to facilitate their entry. When they arrived at the bridge, the Tel Aviv embassy urged Israeli Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry officials to give every consideration to their entry, the State Department said.
 Website: http://www.utopia2000.org/sbot.html
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| supplements | | | Yaffa Ben-Ari ziet westbank als Israel | John Veldhuis - 12.08.2002 09:54
"Since Israel has the sovereign right to decide who can enter Israel and who can't, we have the right to prevent groups who we know ahead of time are coming to demonstrate and cause provocation in places where Israeli soldiers are fighting terrorism," said Yaffa Ben-Ari, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Ze kwamen volgens mij vanuit Jordanië over de Allenbybrug rechtstreeks naar de Westoever van de Jordaan. Daar is geen vierkante millimeter Israel bij.
En Israelische soldaten bevechten daar niet het terrorisme, ze bevorderen het, en zijn uitvoerders ervan.
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