Appeal For Support of the ISM Legal Fund

Appeal For Support of the ISM Legal Fund

Dear Friends:

As our movement grows we continue to challenge the Israeli occupation on multiple fronts. One front is the Israeli legal system. It is not possible to expect justice from a system that serves as the legal stamp for Israeli occupation, but it is possible to use it as a stage from which to expose aspects of the Israel apartheid system.

We need funds for ongoing battles and in order to be prepared should any activist require legal assistance in the near future.

Some legal assistance has been offered on a pro-bono basis by attorneys, but the need is far greater than what we can expect to receive in donated legal work. Please consider making a donation to one of the addresses listed below to enable us to continue to defend activists in their legal confrontations with the State of Israel.

The following cases are only a sample of efforts that are currently being made to support ISM activists in their continuing work for Palestinian freedom:

ISM activist Susan Barclay was illegally arrested and imprisoned as the state attempted to deport her on claims of her being a security threat.

Unlike the cases of thousands of Palestinians that are being held in detention under the same allegations, in Susan's court case the state is forced to publicly state the grounds for its accusations.

Susan is currently working with Attorney Shamai Leibovitch to bring a law suit against the state of Israel.

The case of Omar A' Titi: a Palestinian ISM activist who is being held in administrative detention – a process whereby Palestinians are detained without charge or trial for a renewable period of time based on "secret information" presented to a military judge.

Omar has been held in a tent, in cold weather, behind barbed wire since December. Many ISM volunteers who have stayed in Balata Refugee Camp near Nablus have stayed in Omar's home and have come to know the depth of this man's compassion and optimism. ISM has hired an attorney to visit Omar twice in prison so far. Like all prisoners from the West Bank and Gaza, he has been denied family visits.

The case of activists Neta Golan and Shelly Nativ is ongoing. Their next hearing will take place on the 14th of April. The two were arrested and charged for preventing IOF bulldozers from cutting down olive trees in the West Bank village of Deir Istitya in April 2001. During this action the activists chained themselves to trees while the villagers conducted their Friday prayers in front of IOF bulldozers. Funds are needed for their legal representation.

Since these two activists are Israeli citizens they are not facing expulsion for their activities but rather imprisonment.

Neta Golan, who was last interrogated a month ago for being present during the siege of the Muqaata in Ramallah, is currently ending her ninth month of pregnancy.

ISM reiterates how extremely grateful we are to the attorneys who have repeatedly assisted us and provided their time and work on a pro bono basis.

Without their help ISM would not have been able to provide the assistance that we have to those volunteers who have risked so much.

Those attorneys and organizations are:

Gaby Lasky ,The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel,

Mahmoud Jabareen , LAW,

Leah Tsemel, Yossi Wolfson, Michael Safed , ADAMEER and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.

We remain extremely grateful to them for their help in difficult times.

We would be very grateful if you could join us in this part of our ongoing struggle.

Please consider sending a financial contribution via one of the ways mentioned below.

Please indicate clearly that you would like your donation applied to the legal fund.

Bank Account G&G&H&N (ISM) Bank Hapoalim Main Branch Tel Aviv 600 Account No. 360883 Swift HAPOALILIT

(please send email confirmation to mailto:info@ mailto:info@palsolidarity.org

OR-

The Jerusalem Fund c/o Huwaida Arraf 1734 19th Street, NW #2 Washington DC 20009

Many thanks for your continued support In solidarity & struggle,

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT http:// http://www.palsolidarity.org

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