Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 23:39:21 -0500 (EST)
Subject: URGENT APPEAL FROM BIRZEIT UNIVERSITY, PALESTINE (fwd)


Subject: URGENT APPEAL FROM BIRZEIT UNIVERSITY, PALESTINE



         Sent: Saturday, March 10, 2001 6:30 PM
Subject: Forwarding URGENT APPEAL FROM BIRZEIT UNIVERSITY, PALESTINE


LET OUR PEOPLE LIVE

We, faculty and staff at Birzeit University, appeal to our colleagues and friends
around the world to help us in delivering our simple but urgent message -- let
our people live! We will be delivering this message in peaceful marches of protest
to the Israeli soldiers and tanks that currently prevent us from reaching our
University by the only road that allows accessibility and that has been recently
blocked. The suffering of Palestinians in surrounding villages who are cut off
from their livelihoods, health care, schools and markets is s also acute. So
far protests have only been met with bullets and tear gas. We need your help
to bring our message to the world.


The wave of violence against the Palestinian population has reached unprecedented
proportions. The Israeli army's policy of siege through blocking roads and digging
trenches around towns and villages has been escalating, making it practically
impossible to meet people's very basic needs.


This policy has now reached Birzeit University, preventing us and our students
from reaching campus to continue our classes, labs and academic life.

On 7 March 2001 in the dead of night, the Israeli army destroyed portions of
the only road linking the University to Ramallah, gouging out trenches and destroying
about 400 meters of asphalt. This damage to the only road linking Ramallah City
to Birzeit village and 33 other villages with a population of about 65000 has
resulted in the total disruption of daily life. To date, cars, ambulances and
provisions are not able to cross to and from Birzeit and surrounding villages.
Most Palestinian populated areas have already been hermetically sealed, disregarding
all standards of dealing with civilians and contravening international law, particularly
the Fourth Geneva Convention. These measures are, in the full sense of the term,
war crimes.


With these actions, it becomes clear that such policies are part of a long-term
strategy that Israel is pursuing in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. This
strategy has been adopted by successive Israeli Governments, both of Barak and
Sharon, in order to subjugate the entire population, and will them to accept
the unacceptable.

We call on you to ACT NOW:
1.Call for an immediate end to the closure policies.
2. Call for the international protection of the Palestinian population.
3. Demand that Israel abide by international law.

Call the nearest Israeli Embassy in your area, or send your protests to the Israeli
Government on these email addresses.
Benjamin Beneliazer, Israeli Minister of Defense at sar-AT-mod.gov.il
and Shimon Peres, Israeli Foreign Minister at sar-AT-mofa.gov.il

For further follow up, please visit the Birzeit Website at www.birzeit.edu



http://rezeq.com
http://pages.infinit.net/far
rezeqfaraj-AT-videotron.ca


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