CPTnet
11 May 2005
HEBRON URGENT ACTION: Oppose proposed settler road to Tel Rumeida
An Israeli military order threatens to confiscate more Palestinian land,
further restrict Palestinian families' lives, and pave a road through a
Muslim cemetery to Tel Rumeida, the oldest part of the city of Hebron.
The small Israeli settlement in Tel Rumeida consists of a few houses, close
to Palestinian neighbors who suffer constant harassment from Israeli
settlers and soldiers.
The military order, number t/17/05 of 11 February 2005, proposes a new road
connecting the Tel Rumeida settlement with the settlements of Beit Romano
and Avraham Avinu, in the Old City Hebron. Implementing this decree
violates the Hebron Protocol, which was signed between Palestinians and
Israelis in 1997. Additionally, creating this road will expand Israeli
settlement holdings in Tel Rumeida--a direct violation of the "Road Map" for
peace and 4th Geneva Convention of 1949, to which Israel is a signatory.
Building the road will involved demolishing parts of historic buildings,
disturbing Muslims' graves, uprooting old olive trees, and destroying
ancient monuments in the area. Additional security fences along the route
will exacerbate the prison-like conditions under which the Palestinians of
Tel Rumeida are already living.
The road will also increase Israeli military and settler control of the
area, abetting settler violence and harassment of the Palestinian families,
including schoolchildren, living in Tel Rumeida that has reached a crisis
stage in recent days. (See accompanying release, "Israeli settlers escalate
violence against Palestinians at Tel Rumeida.")
Palestinian residents of Old City Hebron have expressed fears to CPT that
the settler road will put more pressure on Tel Rumeida Palestinians to move
out, thus providing unoccupied homes and lands for settlers the Israeli
government is planning to evacuate from Gaza this summer.
The Hebron Rehabilitation Committee (HRC) has raised an objection to
implementing t/17/05 decree to the Israeli Supreme Court through an Israeli
lawyer. The court refused to give a cease work order immediately, contrary
to its usual policy of postponing their decision for ten days. This time,
however, the court informed HRC verbally that no decision would occur before
1 May 1005. At that time, the HRC obtained a ceasework order from the court
until the court is scheduled to discuss it on 15 May.
CPT asks its constituents to express opposition promptly to the proposed
settler road and the damage it will cause to Palestinians homes, lands and
lives.
ACTION
Please fax, e-mail or send postcards ASAP to your Ministry of Foreign
Affairs or State Department and/or Prime Minister or President. Copy your
Members of Parliament or Representatives and Senators. Urge them to send a
clear message to the Israeli High Court that implementing the Israeli
military decree, number t/17/05 of 11 February 2005 violates the Hebron
Protocol, signed by Palestinians and Israelis in 1997, and expands the
illegal Israeli settlement area in Tel Rumeida in direct violation of the
Road Map for Peace. U.S. citizens, please express your affirmation of the
stance President Bush has taken against settlement expansion.
Please send copies of letters to Hebron Project support person, Rich Meyer:
Richm@cpt.org. Fax: 574-642-3920.
SAMPLE TEXT FOR MESSAGE
Please challenge the Israeli military decree, number t/17/05 of 11 February
2005, that takes the land of Palestinian families to add a new settler road
in Tel Rumeida, at the heart of Old City Hebron. These Palestinian families
have already suffered enormous loss and constant assaults ever since the
establishment of the illegal Israeli settlement in Tel Rumeida. This new
Israeli military order expands the settlement in violation of the Hebron
Protocol of 1997 and the "Road Map" for peace. The road will destroy
historic houses, disturb Muslim graves, uproot long-lived olive trees, and
damage ancient monuments in the area.
If not stopped, a consequence of this decree will be to put more pressure on
Tel Rumeida Palestinians to move out, thus providing unoccupied homes and
lands for takeover by settlers.
We urge you to send a clear message to the Israeli government that
implementation of military decree t/17/05 of 11 February 2005 is
unacceptable in view of commitments agreed by Israel in both the Hebron
Protocol of 1997 and the "Road Map" for Peace; it will increase Israeli
military and settler control of the area, escalating settler violence and
increasing tension in Hebron city.
For further information on attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers on
Palestinian families living near the Tel Rumeida settlement, please refer to
the following press release, "Hebron Palestinian Families in Crisis,"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cpthebron/
Yours sincerely, for peace,
[Your name and full address.]
ADDRESSES
CANADA:
Prime Minister Paul Martin, House of Commons, Ottawa ON K1A 0A6. Fax
613-941-6900
Minister of Foreign Affairs Pierre Pettigrew, House of Commons, Ottawa ON
K1A 0A6 Fax 613-996-3443
You can mail you MP at the House of Commons address, or find their fax
number by looking them up at:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/senmemb/house/members/MemberList
USA:
President George W. Bush, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20500
Fax 202-456-2461
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520
Fax (202)261-8577
Senator_____________, US Senate, Washington, DC 20510
Representative_________________, US House of Representatives, Washington DC
20515
For fax numbers, go to: http://congress.org and enter your zip code.
UNITED KINGDOM:
Prime Minister Tony Blair, 10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA Fax
020-7925-0918
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Downing
Street West, London SW1A 2AL Fax 020-7839-2417
Find contact information for your MP at
http://www.parliament.uk/directories/directories.cfm.
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