About one week ago i tried to enter the Israeli controlled Allenby/king Hussein bridge through Jordan.

Upon entering i found myself being asked to move away from all of the other tourists, standing outside a small room a man took away my shoes and another security thug gave me one of the most unpleasent looks that i have ever recieved, one of hatred and contempt.

Following this i waited 10 hours whilst my belongings were searched at least twice and i had an interview with the head of security.

After providing no evidence, other than second hand information, that i worked for the Human rights group, International Solidarity Movement, i was refused entry and sent packing back to Jordan.

Well this isnt right, i have no convictions or links to armed resistance groups, just links to a group which has Respect for all life (even violent Israeli soldiers and settlers) as one of its main messages.

Another sad little knock against human rights and Justice, from the racist state of Israel.

Subject: Filmmaker faces Israeli prison for Christmas
Bcc: Press Desks, media guardian, community media


Press release-Undercurrents productions. 07973 298359
FILM MAKER FACES ISRAELI PRISON FOR CHRISTMAS
December 22 2004
A film maker from Swansea, Kelly Minio-Paluello (23) faces spending Christmas in an Israeli prison since her arrest eght days ago. The young woman was arrested by Israeli Border Policemen while filming a peaceful demonstration near Ramallah in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Kelly and her husband spent this year raising funds in Britain to supply Palestinian refugees with a video camera enabling them to tell their own stories.

Speaking today from Tsochar prison, 10 km from the Gaza Strip, Kelly said
"During this week I have been moved 3 times. I have been interrogated by the Ministry of the Interior, Police, Shabak and finally a judge, employed full-time at the deportation prison. Repeatedly I asked for my charges, my rights, and access to a lawyer but each time I was met with a blank stare."

Kellys husband Mika remains in Palestine. Both Kelly and Mika spent this summer being trained by and working with the Undercurrents video production charity. On December 14th, eyewitness accounts say that while filming a peaceful demonstration over confiscated land, Israeli troops fired plastic-coated bullets, tear gas,sound bombs and used batons against the demonstrators. Five Palestinians were wounded, and three Internationals and four Israeli campaigners were beaten and arrested.

Speaking from her cell, Kelly added
"The kindness and strength of the women I have met in this prison system continues to amaze me. In a situation of dehumanization where we are called 'Mongolia', 'China', 'USA', 'English' instead of our names, where there are only a female prison is run only by male guards, where those same guards burst into our cells at any hour of day without knocking, where are cells have no doors to the shower or the rooms where we change, each the woman goes out of her way to help the others cope and survive."

Paul O'Connor, from award winning production company Undercurrents said
"It is imperitive that we learn of the situation from all sides in the Middle East. By arresting independent film makers, Israel is ensuring that only their side of the story is told. Minio-Paluellos arrest is illegal and the people of Britain should condemn this blatent form of censourship."
END

Notes to Editors
To talk with Kelly call ++972 [0]54 6346923 (Kelly in prison)
 mika@balatacamp.net (Kelly's husband Mika)

Undecurrents Paul O'Connor 07973 298359

Knock Israel all you like but it has never used chemical or biological weapons like Iraq did. It has never tortured people like Iraq did. It has never imprisoned people without trial like Iraq did. It has never assasinated people like Iraq did. It has never rigged elections like Iraq did. It is also a democracy unlike Iraq was before the war to oust Saddam. You people seem to have very warped logic. You march and demonstrate to defend a rogue state with appalling an human rights record and a brutal dictatorship - Iraq under Saddam Hussein. Yet you condemn a freedom loving democracy, with free speach, which respects international law and human rights - Israel. It seems you prefer tyranny to democracy.

“i worked for the Human rights group, International Solidarity Movement”

Actually, an organization that tries to prevent the IDF from carrying out counter-terrorist activities has met with known members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and stands against the very notion of a Jewish state.

Come on Jaya, what did you expect? The five star treatment?

Micheal claims that criticism of Israel is unfounded and claims also that they respect international law. Can he explain the shooting to kill of young palestinians throwing stones ? Can he/she (don't know if Micheal is male or female) the massacre in the Sabre/Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon ? Can he/she explain why the United Nations wasn't allowed to go into Jenin after their incursions ? I think that he/she must be wearing rose-coloured glasses if these acts are considered abiding by international law. There are other incidents such as destroying the Palestinian broadcasting station. There are the examples of preventing workers from the Gaza Strip going to work whenever they feel like it. Lastly (although the list is incomplete) the targeting of journalists who wish to show the world what goes on in the Palestinian areas. There have been several French television crews that have been killed whilst filming in the territories. Micheal had better start questioning the Propoganda that eminates from Israel. For that matter, all Jews in Europe and the USA should start to question the announcements of Israeli government officials. Any country that doesn't allow UN inspectors has to be suspect. Hopefully, in the next 20 years there will be a visible improvement in the lot of the Palestinians. The road map appears to have gone astray already. Building is taking place (3000 houses) on the West Bank near Jerusalem and it would appear that the only action being taken at the present time is to vacate the Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. Will those occupants be leaving their homes for the Palestinians or will they be bulldozed ? I think that this act alone will indicate the future intentions of the Israeli Government.

anyone seen this site:
www.bbcwatch.com - about the bbc's anti-israel bias from a lawyer who wants to take them to court?
also www.moriel.org/articles/israel/anti-israel_bias_at_bbc.htm
and www.honestreporting.com - i guess you'd say they're all pro israel..
im not saying everything israel does is right, its not, but ultimately this conflict isn't about the west bank/"occupied territories" etc. its about and going to be about control of jerusalem and the temple mount and the islamic/jewish faiths..

> but ultimately this conflict isn't about the west bank/"occupied territories" etc. its
> about...
etc blah - that's your opinion - it's nonsense

Try filming a Saudi beheading or Iranian stoning.

You would be executed for it.

Israel on the other hand plays silly games with you silly people who take for granted rights that you would not have anywhere in the Middle East except the country you so condemn.

You would last about 10 minutes in Egypt, Syria or Jordan.

Meanwhile, here's what happens to Palestinian dissidents. Think about it when considering how much trouble you get from Israel:
 http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1105759232601

Two young Palestinian men suspected of "collaboration" with Israel were murdered in the Nablus area over the weekend.

The first murder took place on Friday in a public square in Balata refugee camp, south of Nablus.

Eyewitnesses said Mahmoud Mansour, 23, was brought to the center of the camp by gunmen from Fatah's armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, and shot to death in the presence of dozens of residents after noon prayers.

They said the man died instantly after being hit in the head with at least 25 bullets. The assailants and camp residents refused to allow an ambulance to take the body to a hospital. Instead, they threw it into a nearby dumpster.

It was the third killing of its kind in the Nablus area in the past two weeks. Earlier this month, Fatah gunmen in the Old City of Nablus kidnapped and murdered a 44-year old man whom they also accused of collaborating with Israel. That killing took place only hours before Fatah candidate and PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) arrived in the city on an election tour.

'Nazihunter' (it pains me to use your name as you take in vain what happened in the holocaust just to make an emotional but obscuring political point),

Sigh - how we repeat ourselves to no purpose. Can't we all leave it at that?

We are not going to convince each other that 'our' version of history is the one and only truth. Until we start trying to understand (& that involves listening rather than arguing) and can accept that we each have our own truth, and however contradictory, they have to be accepted before we can move towards peace and security for all, until that point, we are all fucked.

Please think about how you feel right now, reacting to what's been written, getting ready to write more yourselves.
Then think about a place you have felt safe, at peace, at some point in your life or dreams.
Then notice the difference.

Enough.