Tag: ezra

I forlængelse af dette indlæg fik jeg i dag et svar på min protest fra det israelske justitsministerium.

Den pågældende bureaukrat skriver blandt andet, at

1. Mr. Nawi arrives every week to southern mount Hebron area and recently also to
Etzion area and joins Palestinian residents there. Together with these Palestinian
residents he knowingly enters areas in close vicinity of Israeli settlements that are
closed military areas.
2. During these weekly occurrences, Mr. Nawi provokes the local residents.
Subsequently, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and the Israeli Police arrive, and are
confronted by Mr. Nawi who has often uses insults and sometimes even force
against members of the security forces.
3. Mr. Nawi was detained, arrested and investigated several times for his behavior and on March 19, 2009 was convicted of participating in a riot and assaulting two Police officers (Cr.C. (Jerusalem) 3246/07 The State of Israel v. Ezra Nawi). His case is scheduled for sentencing on July 1, 2009.

Problemet med flere af disse oplysninger er, ud over den simple omstændighed, at hverken  bosætterne eller den israelske hær har noget som helst at gøre i Hebron-området, at de ganske enkelt ikke passer. Jeg har derfor sendt justitsministeriet dette svar, som også er sendt til Support Ezra-kampagnen og den israelske ambassade i Danmark:

Thanks for your response.

I note that Ezra Nawi has been arrested and behaving the way you describe while protesting the illegal harassment of Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the Hebron area.

I also note that the settlers´ presence in the area is illegal according to international law, as installing part of your own civilian population in an area that you occupy is a war crime.

I also note that we are talking about settlements in the West Bank of Jordan, an area that Israel is currently illegally occupying and in which the Israeli military has no business whatsoever.

I also note that the events which led to Ezra Nawi´s conviction are described thus on Wikipedia, citing a considerable number of reliable sources:

“During the incident for which Nawi was charged, which was filmed and broadcast on Israel´s Channel 1, he can be seen non-violently resisting the demolition of the home before being taken into custody by members of the border police. Despite the video, which does not show Nawi violently resisting the police, he was found guilty on March 19, 2009 by an Israeli court of assaulting a police officer and participating in a riot, which scheduled sentencing for July 1.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_Nawi)

I hereby conclude that Mr. Nawi´s conviction seems to be unfair, and if so he deserves a complete exoneration.

And the Palestinian population on the West Bank deserve that the Israeli army once and for all withdraws from an area where the have no business at all, and whose continued occupation is a crime against international law for which I hope all responsible Israeli leaders will one day stand
trial.

In the meantime, Mr. Ezra Nawi should be set free and, as I said, exonerated.

best regards,
…

For slet ikke at tale om, at de burde give ham en medalje for at påtale, hvad alt for mange af hans medborgere tier stille med.

Link: Free Ezra!

Jeg har modtaget denne kampagnemail fra Jewish Voice for Peace:

Every so often someone comes along who is so brave and so inspiring that you just can’t sit by and remain silent when you learn they need your help. We’re writing to you today about one of these rare people. His name is Ezra Nawi. You’ve probably never heard of him, but because you may know our names, now you will know his name. Ezra Nawi is one of Israel’s most courageous human rights activists and without your help, he will likely go to jail in less than 30 days. His crime? He tried to stop a military bulldozer from destroying the homes of Palestinian Bedouins in the South Hebron region. These homes and the families who live in them have been under Israeli occupation for 42 years. They still live without electricity, running water and other basic services. They are continuously harassed by Jewish settlers and the military. Nawi’s friends have launched a campaign to generate tens of thousands of letters to Israeli embassies all over the world before he is due to be sentenced in July. They’ve asked for your help.

His name is Ezra Nawi

His name is Ezra Nawi. We keep saying his name because we believe that the more people know him and know his name, the harder it will be for the Israeli military to send him quietly to jail. And Ezra Nawi is anything but quiet. He is a Jewish Israeli of Iraqi descent who speaks fluent Arabic. He is a gay man in his fifties and a plumber by trade. He has dedicated his life to helping those who are trampled on. He has stood by Jewish single mothers who pitched tents in front of the Knesset while struggling for a living wage, and by Palestinians threatened with expulsion from their homes. He is loved by those with little power, to whom he dedicates his life, and hated by the Jewish settlers, military and police. Now that you know Ezra, you have a chance to stand up for him, and for everything that he represents. Especially now, as Israel escalates its crackdown on human rights and pro-democracy activists. He needs you. His friends need you. Those he helps every day need you. So please send a letter to the Consulate, to the media, to your family and friends. Take just a moment to write your letter. Do it now. And then share his name with a friend. Do it for Ezra Nawi. Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, and Neve Gordon