BHA: <fwd> (No big news...)

[Jan Straathof <janstr@xxxxxxx>]

(No big news...) Attack on Children's Arts Centre in Bethlehem

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Date sent:      	Wed, 29 May 2002 02:21:36 +0100
From:           	TYNESIDE PSC <Einion@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To:             	<info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Message from Abdel Fatah Abu Srour
Director of the Al Rowwad cultural and theatre Training Centre
Aida Camp, Bethlehem
Tuesday 28th May


Al Rowwad Centre has been vandalised today at around 14.15 pm.
The occupation army of "democratic" Israel entered Aida Camp, penetrated
and searched many houses and arrived at Al Rowwad Centre. Two young men were
inside.  A student looking for a quiet place to prepare his final exams and the
house keeper, Maazen, a temporary employee on the emergency program of the
UNRWA. The soldiers asked the two young men for their ID cards, took the ID and
asked them to wait at the door outside.

The respectable soldiers of the respectable army of the respectable State of
Israel began a full operation of vandalism.  They emptied the drawers and
shelves, threw all the files and books on the ground, broke to pieces the JVC
video cameras we use for animations (rented cameras) and the cameras children
use to take photos.  They emptied the oil, acrylic and gouache paint tubes on
the computers' screens, keyboards and all over the place, even on the glasses,
cups and spoons.  I don't know what else they have done.  My mother, who tried
to talk to them, who tried to tell them that this is a centre for children and
was pushed back into her house and asked to remain inside, told me what
happened.

The army arrested Maazen and took him I don't know where.

I feel deep sorrow and anger.  This centre is a bit of me.  We paid for
almost everything in it from our own money.  Some friends have also donated for
the furniture and the books, some let us equipment to work with.  How are we
supposed to reequip, rebuild and give back what we borrowed?  How are we
supposed to continue working as if nothing had happened?  To begin from scratch
all over again after each Israeli reoccupation?  This is no longer the promised
land, This is the permitted land.  Whenever this army of terror, this
government
of barbaric mercenaries wishes to reinfest our land, we should kneel and
welcome
the new gods of the century.

Nobody is protesting anymore against their entrance and vandalism of our
places.  Nobody is shouting against what is going on.  These ghettos that
are encircled by barb wires and check points, these checkpoints like the
gates of prisons where the Palestinians must have permits from the Israeli
wise government to pass from one Palestinian city to an other.  These
checkpoints that can close according to the mood of the soldiers in guard.
These humiliations and murders that prevent people from getting to work, to
school, to hospital or simply to visit family members.

How many women, children and sick people will have to die on these death
checkpoints before Israelis realise it is a crime and before the whole world
realises it's complicity with these crimes?  How many time will it take the
world to realise that suicide bombers are the symptom of this injustice and
your
silence and complicity with the government  of terror in Israel will make their
number proliferate?  What will it take to make you realise what you are doing
with the people of the world? What will it take to wake you up and make you
think that your silence doesn't help anyone?  Not the Palestinians, of course,
but also not the Israelis and not your own people.

A cultural and theatre training centre for children was completely
vandalised.  Pure sadism.  It wasn't the first time.  It will not be the
last, I fear.  But what are you going to do about it?

Message dictated on the phone to Claire Theret, Palestine Solidarity
Campaign in Newcastle, UK.
Abdel Fattah is currently in Jerusalem under constant curfew, with no access to
e-mail.




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