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<font size=3><br><br>
</font><tt>Media Release: Israeli women refuse to leave Rafah until
soldiers <br>
do!<br><br>
Issued by the Palestine Solidarity Committee<br>
Date: 18 May 2004<br><br>
The Palestine Solidarity Committee salutes the group of Israeli women
<br>
activists that is currently in confrontation with Israeli soldiers in
Rafah, <br>
the Gazan refugee camp that is besieged and under attack by Israeli
<br>
Occupation Forces (IOF).<br><br>
A few women began mobilising other Israeli women yesterday to <br>
prevent a massacre in Gaza. Some 50 of them are now at the Rafah <br>
checkpoint. The IOF refuses to allow them into Rafah but the women <br>
refuse to leave unless they are allowed in. And they say they will not
<br>
leave Rafah until the soldiers do!<br><br>
In a statement they issued yesterday, the women said they would not
<br>
“sit still when thousands of Palestinians are turned into refugees once
<br>
again”. Referring to themselves simply as “women peace activists”, <br>
they said: “We will stay there until this crime is stopped!!!”<br><br>
This is the first such instance of Israeli citizen action against Israeli
<br>
soldiers that the PSC knows of. We salute their stand, we salute their
<br>
determination to stop the war crimes taking place in Rafah, we salute
<br>
their courage, we salute their humanity!<br><br>
The women are willing to supply pictures to the media from Rafah <br>
directly from their cellphones. If you want such pictures, please email
<br>
Dani on da-gri@barak-online.net.<br><br>
For more information or interviews, contact:<br>
The Women Peace Activists in Palestine:<br>
Hannah: +972 66-300144<br>
Lili: +972 53-966281<br><br>
In South Africa:<br>
Anna – 073 635 7860<br>
(Anna, a PSC member in South Africa, worked with some of the <br>
women in the group while she was in Palestine)<br>
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