friend, Dr Mazin B. Qumsiyeh, whom we know as a tireless advocate for human
rights and justice.
Mazin is a Palestinian American citizen who
lived in the US for 29 years before returning to Palestine nearly two years ago.
He received his higher education in the US and served as a faculty member in
schools of medicine at the Universities of Tennessee, Duke and Yale. He has also
written several books, the most recent of which is Hope and Empowerment: A
History of Popular Resistance in Palestine.
While working in the US as an
academic, clinician and researcher, Mazin gave hundreds of talks, participated
in many vigils and protests, and spoke out for human rights, justice and
equality in Israel/Palestine. Moving to Palestine, he continued the same
activities (though under the more difficult conditions of military occupation)
while teaching at two universities (Bethlehem and Birzeit) and helping to
establish a masters program in biotechnology.
His home town, Beit Sahour
(the Sheperds Field) is in the district of Bethelhem and is well known for its
history of nonviolent resistance. The 70% Christian and 30% Muslim town
has a highly educated middle class (over 300 PhD holders in a population of
12,000) and very limited resources.
The Bethlehem district is surrounded
by Israeli settlements and military installations on three sides. The 130,000
Bethlehem residents now have access to only 20% of the original land of the
district. And more than half those residents are refugees (from 1948) or
displaced people (from post-1967 settlement activities).
Now the
settlers, protected by the Israeli military, want to build a settlement in the
only remaining area of Bethlehem (to the east) and the people of Beit Sahour are
increasing their nonviolent resistance. Their first prayer vigil was
attacked while the Lutheran priest was leading them in prayer (see video at
Being a member of the committee that organized
that vigil and another peaceful event a week later, Mazin was targeted. An
Israeli officer warned him not to participate and threatened him saying he knew
Mazin was leaving to the US for a lecture tour.
On March 2nd, the day
after Mazin left for the US, the Israeli military invaded his neighborhood
at 1:30 AM and demanded to see him, terrorizing his mother, sister and wife.
They told the military he was already out of the country but would be happy to
go talk to them when he returned, if need be. But the military left a paper that
demanding he appear at their offices on Monday, March 8th.
His
travel plans and commitments are such that it is impossible to change this
schedule and return earlier than March 11. He fears he will be
arrested on trumped up charges or held in “administrative detention” for up
to 6 months without charge, especially since the crackdown on peaceful protests
in Palestine has recently escalated.
money, and carries out its targeting of nonviolent peace
activists, like Mazin, with the tacit complicity of the US
government. Please join us in writing to Israelis officials
(that we are aware of Mazin’s situation and concerned for his safety) and
US officials (asking that they use their influence on Mazin’s behalf).
Below are the addresses, and thanks for any attention
you can bring to his case.
Israeli
Embassy in US:
Ambassador
Michael Oren
Embassy
of Israel
3514
International Drive, NW, Washington DC 20008
Telephone:
(202) 364-5500 Fax:
(202) 364-5423
E-mail:
info@israelemb.org
Consulate
General of Israel
to the
Pacific Northwest
456
Montgomery St, Suite 2100
San
Francisco, CA 94104
Telephone:
415-844-7500 Fax:
415-844-7555
E-mail:
sf@israelconsulate.org
Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton
http://contact-us.state.gov/cgi-bin/state.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php
or Secretary@state.gov
· U.S. Department of State
2201 C
Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
· Main Switchboard: 202-647-4000 /
Comment Line:
202-647-6575 or 202-647-5291
US Embassy in
Israel:
Ambassador James B.
Cunningham
U.S. Embassy,
Israel
71 Hayarkon Street, Tel
Aviv
ISRAEL
Israeli minister of
justice:
Min. of Justice Yaakov
NEEMAN
Salah -a – Din
29
P.O.Box 49029
Jerusalem
91490
ISRAEL