CPTnet
9 August 2006
HEBRON: CPT delegation holds public witness demanding freedom for political
prisoners and freedom of movement for all Palestinians
by Michael Del Ponte
On Friday 8 August, Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) delegates from Sweden,
Canada and the United States engaged in a public witness at the Beit Romano
checkpoint in Hebron, to call for the opening of all gates that confine
Palestinians under military occupation.
Joined by members of CPT-Hebron and local Palestinians, the delegation held
a prayer service and sang "Open the Gates" while armed soldiers observed
from their watch tower.
The group chose to hold the witness at the Israeli military base in the Old
City of Hebron because its military gates represent the obstacles to
Palestinian freedom, such as prison fences, the separation wall and
checkpoints. The delegation noted these obstacles also obstruct unbiased
international media coverage of the occupation.
The delegation connected the restrictions on movement for Palestinians to
the incarceration of 9,000 political prisoners in Israeli jails where they
are often deprived of legal rights and subjected to abuse.
James Thomas, a delegate from the United States said during the witness, "No
prisoner's life is more valuable than another's. We are demanding the
freedom of the women, men and children being held without due process and
denouncing the hypocrisy of Israel for valuing the lives of three kidnapped
soldiers over the thousands of Palestinian prisoners and all casualties of
the war in Lebanon. By publicly demanding that these gates be opened, we are
reaffirming our commitment to work in Palestine and our home countries for a
just end to the Israeli occupation."
Photos of the action can be found at
http://www.cpt.org/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album178.
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