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Just last night I heard on the BBC that Sharon has
decided to accept the Roadmap to Peace and he will
present it to his cabinet today. He accepted the
roadmap because the US has decided to take into
consideration two of his main "concerns" about the
roadmap: (1) that the Israeli army should withdraw
from the Occupied Territories (OT) and (2) that there
should be a freeze on settlement activities. In other
words Israel will accept the roadmap to peace if they
do not need to withdraw their troops from the occupied
territories (OT) and settlements can continue to grow
and spread throughout Palestinian lands.
What we are experiencing here in the West Bank hardly
seems like a peace process. At present, as
international peace observers;
- we have had one of our members arrested and
threatened with deportation, with no charges having
been laid against him
- we have had our offices and living quarters raided
twice by the Israeli army
- we have been told that we may not observe
Palestinian children as they go to school
- we have been told that we may not enter any
"Palestinian" area
- once we leave the old city of Hebron, we will not be
allowed to return
- we have had our movements restricted by a multitude
of curfews, just like the Palestinians
With all of these restrictions, we are feeling like
rats in a cage. Clearly there is an attempt to shut
down our activities here.
What is happening to us is part of a widespread
campaign against all international peace groups in the
occupied territories. Recently an Israeli organization
"Rabbis for Human Rights", has been interrogated by
the Israeli Intelligence Services. They fear that
after the internationals are expelled
from the occupied teritories, then Israeli human
rights groups will be targeted and restricted. In
their words, the Israeli government does not want any
"seeing eye" to behold what they are doing in the OT.
Clearly there is a violent cycle of action and
reaction occurring here. From information that we have
received, it is now common for Palestinian schools
and health clinics to be raided. In reaction, there
have been Palestinain suicide bombings. Which is cause
and which is effect is a hotly debated subject. The
answer seems to depend from where you are standing. In
any case, the situation in the OT only continues to
worsen. One asks - where is it all going? One thinks
of a dreaded 'final solution'. With all the
conflicting claims and counterclaims, two things are
certain - The Israeli army continues to occupy
Palestinian land and settlement expansion continues
unabated. It is these two activities that Sharon does
not want disrupted by any "peace process".
Shalom, Salama, Peace, - May it come to this land,
Warm greetings to you all, Eric
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