BALATA SHOOTING UPDATE: NIGHT HOSPITAL INVASION, THREE PATIENTS
ARRESTED AND INTERNATIONALS TERRORISED

[Balata Refugee Camp and Rafidia Hospital, Nablus]
The ordeal for those shot last evening in Balata continues. Two
young Palestinian boys and two international peace activists were
injured when Israeli soldiers drove into the Balata Refugee Camp
last evening firing their weapons into the streets of the camp. One
of the Palestinian boys, treated in Rafidia hospital, was released
yesterday, the internationals were treated overnight, and
consequently subject to a military invasion of the hospital. Masked
and heavily armed Israeli soldiers entered the hospital at
approximately 3:00 this morning and arrested three Palestinian men.

Immobilised from gunshot injuries sustained yesterday, one of the
International Solidarity Movement volunteers Jeremy (Australia),
said "Lying there, I could feel the pain from the wound earlier in
the evening and it made the threat of the weapon they were pointing
at me much harder to ignore. Normally we assume that they are not
willing to shoot us, but earlier in the day they proved the exact
opposite. With the barrel of the gun aimed at my legs, I was more
terrified than I have ever been in my life".

Jeremy, Mark (Colorado, U.S.) and the other patients were held at
gunpoint and filmed by the soldiers in an ordeal lasting over an
hour. After subduing their fear, the ISM volunteers attempted to
use a video camera to record some of the troop invasion; it is not
yet known how much was captured. "Many of the patients are very
anxious that the troops will return overnight tonight." Jeremy
said "As terrified as I was, I eventually realised that it must be
so much worse for the Palestinians because there's nothing
protecting them or restraining the soldiers from shooting".

In the same unit as the injured internationals, a middle-aged father
of four is in a serious condition after being shot three times while
on his way to work. The builder was attacked by Israeli soldiers at
5 a.m. on his usual route from Burin to Till in Nablus.

For further information please call:
Mark +972-66 387 350
Jeremy +972-52 362 199

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END

The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led non-
violent initiative supported by international peace activists from
all over the world. ISM campaigns for the end of the Israeli
Occupation of Palestine using nonviolent means.

Tel: +97222774602 Fax: +97222772018
e-mail:  ism-alert@palsolidarity.org Web: www.palsolidarity.org
1) Jayyous Women's March Report
2) Gun to My Head, Saved on a Whim _ Radhika in Tulkarem
3) Day Off _ Ben J. in Jenin
4) Words Leave My Heart Dry _ Laura G in Rafah
==================================================
1) Jayyous Women's March Report
The Village Resistance
October 25, 2003

Um Ammar, whose home has been isolated from the village by the path of the wall; who lines up twice a day and waits for the soldiers to come an open the gate for her and her three school-age children so they can go to school; who is sometimes forced to wait for 1-3 hours for soldiers to come open the gate; who one week earlier was prevented from crossing back through the gate to her home said “I will be there at the gate every day; I am not leaving my home or my land.”
Read the full report at:  http://www.palsolidarity.org/reports/writings/25Oct03_01_22_22QalqiliaHuwaida.htm
============================================
2) Gun to My Head, Saved on a Whim
Tulkarem
Radhika S.

25 Oct 03 Today I felt a little more Palestinian. Although throughout my months in the West Bank I have witnessed Israeli soldiers harassing and brutalizing Palestinians in countless ways, today I came a little closer to understanding the power the Israeli Army has over the life and death of every Palestinian man, woman and child.

I got to Jbarra checkpoint, outside Tulkarem, and saw a tall soldier I had seen many times in the past screaming at Palestinians. After screaming at a couple of Palestinians to go away, it was my turn and he asked what I was doing in Jbarra village

“Visting friends,” I replied.

“I’m surprised you have friends.”

“I have lots of friends, because I’m nice to people and try to help them. You on the other are always in a bad mood, and shouting at people.”

“Do you think I like this? … Just, give me your passport”

As I reached to open my bag, a Palestinian friend of mine, an amazing woman, crossed the checkpoint and said, “Radhika!” We embraced, chatted for a few minutes and then parted ways. (Thus, proving, I do have friends.)

Since I was already halfway across the checkpoint, and the tall soldier seemed preoccupied, I crossed over. When I reached the other side I noticed 2 Russian soldiers I have seen repeatedly over the past week refusing passage to farmers through gates in the Wall. They screamed at me, which I ignored until one cocked his M-16...
Read the full journal report at:  http://www.palsolidarity.org/reports/writings/25Oct03_01_50_24TulkaremRadhikaS..htm
========================================================
3) DAY OFF
October 24, 2003
Ben J.
Jenin

Greetings from Jenin, this will be a poorly and rapidly written update as I
don't have much time to write. Here goes:

Yesterday me and the other longtermers tried to take it easy for once, while
the shorttermers went to pick olives. Those of us trying to chill went to a
meeting with the local rep of a very respected and prodigious Israeli human
rights group called B’tselem {well worth looking up online}. We talked
for about an hour, much of it him telling various horror stories about
soldier atrocities towards Palestinians, largely revolving around sex
crimes, obscene acts of humiliation and forced beastiality, Eating of
non-food items, humiliation etc. These things happen everyday here, sadly.
After that I was outside of this internet cafe chatting with cab-drivers
when another group member called, saying we had an "urgent situation", so I
returned home.
Read the full journal report at:  http://www.palsolidarity.org/reports/writings/24Oct03_01_34_50JeninBenJ.htm
================================================
4) WORDS LEAVE MY HEART DRY
Laura Gordon
Rafah

October 16, 2003
If God in his mercy would descend just long enough to explain exactly what part of his plan includes the slow strangling of the hearts of 17-year-old boys by slowly removing everything they have, I still wouldn't sleep through the terror of the night. The sky is filled with whitish haze and the mid-morning sun is too bright for eyes as Hani leaves the office, squinting between swollen eyelids and the sleeplessness of the hours, for lack of food, for phone calls every morning and every night that rob all sense of pride and leave him in shaking sobs falling on the cars parked on the side of the street, or staring blankly into the night.
Read the full journal at:  http://www.palsolidarity.org/reports/writings/16Oct03_01_43_23GazaLauraG..htm
Photos of Rafah:
The Municipality Fixes Water and Electricity at the Border of the Invaded Area
 http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c==bsocdwp.pvfbmlp&x==1&y==-prqwk6

The Camps Post Invasion
 http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c==bsocdwp.ihnm98d&x==0&y=[vccn

After the Brazil Invasion
 http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c==bsocdwp.e8krb5p&x==0&y==libben

The Lafis
 http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c==bsocdwp.a6si03p&x==1&y==-765471

Olive Harvest
 http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c==bsocdwp.f6nkb1t&x==0&y==-7kn1e3
____________________________________________________________

New Film And Photographs Now Online

Lisa Nessan's photographs of Jayyous and Palestine are now available
at ( http://www.nessanphotography.com)

"ISM Rafah - Solidarity Under Occupation" is a twenty-minute
documentary about ISM's work and life under occupation in Rafah, in
the Gaza Strip. View or download it at
( http://archive.org/movies/movies-details-db.php?
collection=opensource_movies&collectionid=ISM_Rafah_DSL)