Blurbs

Blurbs
By Mark Schneider*
In Gaza City, Palestine
January 2, 2002

Photos of Palestinian Teenagers Killed and Mutilated by Israeli Military

(Warning: These pictures are not for the faint at heart).

Often when I pick up the Denver Post or Rocky Mountain News, the latest news of an Israeli military murder of a Palestinian is relegated to a 100-word-or-less blurb in the "World News" or "World in Brief" section. By all accounts such a rendering is pathetic.

* NEW BOOK AVAILABLE *

"Live from Palestine: International and Palestinian Direct Action Against the Israeli Occupation"

with contributions by CCMEP members and co-edited by CCMEP member Nancy Stohlman.

Buy this book from Colorado's alternative bookstores:

Denver: Breakdown Book Collective & Community Space at 1409 Ogden Street

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Live from Palestine: An Interview with Nancy Stohlman -- Mark Schneider, Palestine Chronicle, Arabia.com

Read Excerpts:

Bearing Witness in the Promised Land by Rob Lipton

International Direct Action: The Spanish Revolution to the Palestinian Intifada by Mark Schneider (CCMEP member)

Here in Palestine, with every chance I've gotten, I spend a bit of time in an internet café checking various news sources. Reuters and AP often have stories and they usually come in the "all-or-nothing" variety that have a headline ("Siege of Bethlehem Lifted") and then will proceed to cover six or eight distinct stories, all deserving of their own 500 words.

Four days ago I'm at the internet café in Beit Sahour. Fellow Coloradan Eric Blair is at a computer next to me and when I come across one of these all-or-nothing stories I laugh contemptuously and roll my eyes. Eric asks me, "what's up?"

Here's what I told him. Out of 800 words and six distinct stories, the most important story, destined to be a blurb back home in Denver, is a 100 word paragraph about the deaths of three Palestinian young men. The matter-of-fact AP story said that the Israeli military shot three Palestinian militants as they approached an Israeli military post in Gaza. Knives were found among the three men, said Israeli officials. The story ended with, "The Palestinian Authority had no comment."

As in Denver, when I read one of these blurbs I wondered what the real story was, at least more detail! Here is that story. All my sources are various leaders of Palestinian human rights groups and NGOs.

THREE PALESTINIAN TEENAGERS MURDERED BY ISRAELI OCCUPYING MILITARY
By Mark Schneider
AP (Accurate Press)
December 30, 2001
Beit Hanoun, Gaza, Palestine

"Feeling the daily horrible effects of the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine, three Palestinian teenagers were murdered by the Israeli military. At approximately 5:40am today, Mohammed Al-Madoun (15 years old), Ahmed Banat (15 years old) and Mohamed Loubed (17 years old) were attempting to cross the border between Palestine and Israel and were killed by a tank missile courtesy of the Israeli military.

15 months ago, before Israel closed the border between Gaza, Palestine and Israel, 120,000 Palestinians traveled daily from Gaza to Israel for work. Now Israel allows just 2,000 Palestinians from Gaza to Israel each day. Hundreds of Palestinians "illegally" cross the borders attempting to find work to help feed their families.

Reached for comment the Israeli military claimed the three teenagers had knives on them, thus they were armed and extremely dangerous. 15 hours after the murders, Israeli officials refuse to hand over the bodies for traditional Muslim burial ceremonies."

PALESTINIAN TEENAGER'S BODIES RETURNED, ORGANS STOLEN
By Mark Schneider
AP (Accurate Press)
January 2, 2002
Beit Hanoun, Gaza, Palestine

Israeli officials returned the bodies of three Palestinian teenagers murdered by the Israeli military four days ago. Horrifically, the three bodies had been seriously mutilated: all their organs were removed, including their eyes. In place of the boys' organs were wads of cotton, and then their bodies stitched up.

Various Palestinian human rights officials expressed disbelief at this bizarre and horrific twist on the original alarming story of three murdered Palestinian youths. Since the Intifada began 15 months ago over 900 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military or settlers. Over 20,000 Palestinians have sustained serious injuries.

Also, in another totally unreported incident, Mustaffa Barghouti, long-time Palestinian human-rights leader was incredulously publicly beaten by Israeli police and then arrested. Middle-East analysts worth their salt commented that it's clear that, on the eve of the visit of US envoy Gen. Anthony Zinni, Israeli officials were attempting to incite a violent Palestinian response. No such response occurred.

Israeli officials gave no comment.

* Mark Schneider is an organizer experienced with the struggles of the environment, poor people of color discriminated against by banks, homeless people asserting their rights, anti-war movements, and the two solidarity movements with the Palestinian and Iraqi people. As a member of the Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace he joined the Winter 2001 ISM campaign in Palestine, and spent two weeks in Iraq in 2000. You can write Mark at dogbuckeye@yahoo.com.

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