ISM Announcements and Updates

International Solidarity Movement Announcements and Updates

1. International Solidarity Movement, (ISM), Activists Join
Palestinian Political Prisoners and Stage Hunger Strike; Women and
Children, Joined by ISM, March in Tulkarem to Support Prisoner
Demands

2. Interview with Fadwa Barghouti, Wife of Imprisoned Marwan
Barghouti

3. Update on British Journalist Detained 21 Days as of September 1,
2004

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1. ISM Activists Join Palestinian Political Prisoners and Stage
Hunger Strike

Monday, August 30, International Solidarity Movement activists will
go on hunger strike in a show of solidarity with Palestinian
political prisoners.

ISM activists will be in the Solidarity Tents tomorrow in Tulkarem
and Nablus.

Nationalities represented on hunger strike in Tulkarem include:
Italian United Kingdom
Ireland New Zealand
United States Swedish

Nationalities represented on hunger strike in Nablus include:
United States United Kingdom
Italy New Zealand
Canada Germany

For information contact:
ISM Media Office: 972-2-277-4602 or 547-358-579
Tulkarem-Abdel Karim: 972-59-836-783 or 972-55-474-066
Nablus-Koli: 972-59-737-118 or 972-65-864-284

In Tulkarem, Palestinian women and children, accompanied by
international activists will march from Tulkarem to Jabara
checkpoint.

For information contact:
Donald: 972-546-807-651
Michael: 972-546-829-538

Since August 15, more than 3,500 Palestinian prisoners have joined
the strike protesting conditions that are contrary to both
international as well as Israeli law and prison regulations.
Another 4,000 prisoners are expected to join the strike in the
upcoming days, including women, children and prisoners. For the past
two weeks, the Palestinian, Israelis and Internationals have been
involved in nonviolent activities to support the prisoners'
demands. See: http://www.palsolidarity.org/prisoners

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2. Interview with Fadwa Barghouti; Wife of Imprisoned Marwan
Barghouti

Sawiya 28 August 2004

"I WAIT WITH YOU"

Today Fadwa Barghouti, wife of imprisoned Marwan
Barghouti , spoke to the people of Sawiya and the
surrounding district in the prisoners hunger strike
solidarity tent. ISM activists present had the opportunity
to interview Mrs. Barghouti. She told them that her husband
was sentenced to 5 life terms plus 40 years. He has been
in solitary confinement from the time of his sentencing in
a cell measuring 2 meters by 3 meters. No member of his
family has been permitted to visit him in this time. Fadwa
Barghouti is a lawyer and has not been permitted access
even in this capacity. When asked about the reasons for
Marwans imprisonment Fadwa said its motivation is purely
political.

`He was elected to the Fatwa Council in the West Bank in
1994 and elected to the Palestinian legislative council in
1996. Based exclusively on his membership to Fatwa the
Israeli state prosecutors deemed Marwan a terrorist by
association. The truth is my husband is a political threat
to Israel. He demands an end to the occupation, and
Independence for the Palestinian people. His solitary
confinement is a bid to isolate him politically. Initially
the Israelis offered Marwan the option of exile but he
refused to be separated from the Palestinian people'.
Previously imprisoned by Israel in 1978 for four years
Marwan Barghouti knew what he faced.

Fadwa Barghouti suffered another personal blow when her
eldest son was taken into custody by the Israeli
authorities as he crossed the Allenby bridge from Jordan
to join the rest of the family at Christmas. `He remains
in custody and the Israelis have yet to charge him. But
this is a story many Palestinian mothers could tell you.
And it is why I am here today to demonstrate solidarity
with all Prisoners families.

When she took the podium at the solidarity tent she told
those assembled:

`I share your suffering. I wait with you'.

----------------------------------------------------

3. Update on British Journalist Detained and Barred Entry:
Appeal to Supreme Court: 21 days in Detention as of September 1st

Denied Access to Journalists by Minister of Interior

Over one week ago, Judge Kobo of the Tel Aviv District Court
declared that UK Journalist, Ewa Jasiewicz, "is not a threat to
Israeli security" and that should be released from detention where
she has been held for two weeks. This decision was then appealed by
the State Attorney.

On Wednesday, August 24, Judge Pilpel denied the British
journalist entry into Israel and Occupied Palestine.

Judge Pilpel admitted that Ewa Jasiewicz was not a security risk.
However, she stated, "I think the possibility for others to use her
naiveté and her position as a journalist, as well as her ideological
beliefs to stop what she calls `fascism and racism', is reasonable,
and therefore, I decide that the explanation of the security
services is reasonable and to the point."

Yael Barda, Ewa's attorney, in response to the decision stated, "two
judges in Israel have decided that Eva Jasiewicz is not a security
threat, yet they have denied her entry into Israel because of her
ideological beliefs."

Attorneys Yael Barda and Lea Tsemel have appealed the decision to
the Supreme Court and a hearing date has been set for September 1.

In spite of the fact that the Brtish journalist was ordered released
two weeks ago and that two judges have not found her to be "a threat
to national security" the Israeli Minister of Interior has forbidden
Ms. Jasiewicz any form of communication with journalists.


In addition, Israeli MK's from the Yahad Party visited Ms Jasiewicz
last week.

The British National Union of Journalists, (NJU), has strongly
condemned the decision and the detention of Ewa Jasiewicz. The NJU
has declared that Ewa's detention is "state interference in the work
of a journalist that should be anathema to a democratic society."

Ewa Jasiewicz is a journalist from the United Kingdom who was
detained at Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport two weeks ago and denied
entry to Israel and Occupied Palestine. Ewa is a journalist and
writer who has also worked as a human rights activist in Palestine
and Iraq.

Last week her statement was printed in the British Newspaper, The
Guardian. For the entire article see:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,10551,1290901,00.html



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