2 April 2002
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 12:15:36 -0500 (EST)
From: s
Subject: shit goes down in bethlehem
the shit goes down in betlehem by ks
3:58am Tue Apr 2 '02
it has really begun now...
total chaos now ... everything totally locked down ... the hotel with the internationals in it is surrounded ... a journalist filming there shot by an israeli sniper last night ... the camps where there is a real war zone now ... lots of internationals in the camps, including all of the NY delegation. lots of dead and wounded reported to the ambulance corps, but they are not allowed to move.
jerusalem indymedia still functioning and other lines still open but hard to predict how long ... this is new for everyone here ... they have never seen this level of total war by the israelis in the past, and they don't know what will come next ...
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from jerusalem indymedia:
URGENT: Bethlehem Update 08.45
URGENT: Bethlehem Update 08.45 The whole Bethlehem area has been declared a closed military zone and no press are allowed admittance. There are fierce gunbattles raging and the Tanzim (Palestininan resistance fighters) are being pushed toward Manger Square. The Star Hotel, where some of our international delegation are staying, has 10 tanks stationed outside.
Journalists are also with the group. An Al Jazeera journalist has been shot whilst on the 5th floor of the hotel. A bulldozer has just been sighted driving past Azza refugee camp. There are troops in all the refugee camps, as well as tanks. We fear for what is about to happen.
These developments are extremely sinister. Please call your media and your politicians. Demand international action to stop a bloody slaughter.
Witnesses on the ground in Bethlehem: (for international dialing drop the 0 before the phone number)
English - Heather 00 972 (0) 67 270 398
English - Georgina 00 972 (0) 55 840 767/ 00 972 (0) 674 5459
English IMC Palestine 00 972 (0) 2 277 7558
Arabic/English - Bilal 00 972 (0) 52 814 992
Italian - Francesca 00 39 3389 77 3899
There are French speakers available as well.
http://nyc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=21876group=webcast
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Statement from American U.S. Nationals in Azza Refugee Camp
by sf-imc posting for u.s. nationals • Tuesday April 02, 2002 at 02:31 AM
Statement from American U.S. Nationals in Azza Refugee Camp
The U.S. citizens now in Beit Jalla refugee camp (Azza) have been informed of the U.S. consulate's offer to evacuate us during the early hours of the seige on this city. We have chosen to stay here but we feel it is important to explain the reasons for turning down this offer. We wish to demonstrate our solidarity with the Palestinian people who do not share the choice we have to go to safety. We are here to act as witnesses to the persecution of the Palestinians and to provide an accurate and reliable source of information for the rest of the world and to represent the support of the international community. It is important to realize that our presence is known and is a concern to our ambassadors. The U.S. consulate's offer is an indication to the danger we are in. We hope the United States' commitment to our safety extends to that of the Palestinian people. Our demands on the U.S. government are clear:
1) to increase pressure on the Israeli government to withdraw from the occupied territories, beginning with the immediate and unconditioinal withdrawal of military force from the west bank.
2) To initiate sanctions against Israel for its repeated violations of the 4th Geneva Convention, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its own national laws.
3) To stop blocking the implementation of the U.N Security council and general assembly resolutions
4) To cease U.S. financial support of the Israeli military
5) and to promote the accurate unbiased reporting that has yet to be seen from the U.S. press.
We are neither eager or prepared to die, however, we will not turn our backs on the complicity of the U.S. and Israeli governments in their attempts to destroy the Palestinaian people.
In Truth,
Jacob A. Mundy, Jordan Flaherty, Kristin Schurr, Maia Ramnath, Zaid Khalil, Josina Manu
http://nyc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=21877group=webcast
indymedia.org - where are you reporting from today?
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 17:52:23 -0500 (EST)
From: s
Subject: latest report 9:30 pm
http://nyc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=21895group=webcast
latest from west bank
by kev s
1:00pm Tue Apr 2 '02 (Modified on 2:12pm Tue Apr 2 '02)
it is 9:30 pm ... i have lost track of the day ... it is becoming kind of a mess here ... explosions, gunfire ... all that stuff. a real war it seems.
there is a "curfew" now everywhere in the bethlehem region ... that means it is a "free fire" zone now. Israeli snipers are locating all around ... one can never be sure where, and take pride in shooting anything that moves ... literally ... even people by the windows in their own homes everyone is inside, away from the windows etc ... when the shot goes off close by, you just move closer to the center of the house.
Many of the international delegation are leaving tommorow. a caravan is coming to pick up the americans and british tommorow. the french and italians are still making arrangements. many fear the reprecussions of forced deportation, including the inability to return to israel for 10 yrs ... many who solidarity work of course fear this.
it seems most of the NY crew is staying (in peoples homes in the camps) I am unfortunately kind of stuck in a difficult situation. I am in another camp altogether, and without any local support ... my shit (airplane ticket, passport etc) is at the hotel, and i have no way to get it ... and all phones there are disconnected or the batteries are dead ... they are trapped inside with a tank at the door there are over 40 of us now in the community center, but of course we did not stock up on food etc, and have no idea what we will do when the water and electricity is cut off ... the local residents were stocking up on everything last week ... it would have been good to try to follow their lead on this shit!
when you come to a fucking war zone try to be more prepared..
some interesting shit went down outside to night, a couple of kids threw some homemade bombs made out of propane tanks at the lead tank of a whole fucking convoy going by ... amazing ... of course all sorts of shit went off after that as the israelis opened up with everything (well a lot anyway).
(there is stuff going off right out side right this second ... small arms exchange ... everyone just hit the floor ... i am remaining typing some kind of imc hero or something! ... it sound like some more shit is driving up ... big stuff going off now ... the israelis have brought in their tanks ... fuck it is loud!)
anyway, i had more to say but will send this off in case the building gets hit or they cut the electricity.
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News reports on jerusalem.indymedia.org indicate that 2 days after Easter, the IDF has begun shelling the Mosque in Manger Square in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus christ. It is unclear from the report if this site, holy to both Christianity and Islam is the Church of the Nativity.