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<h1><font size=4><b>Coordinator Of Stop The Wall Campaign Imprisoned By
Israel</b></font></h1>
<img src="http://www.imemc.org/graphics/date.gif" width=12 height=10 alt="author">
</b></h1><font size=3> Tuesday December 22, 2009
05:00<img src="http://www.imemc.org/graphics/person.gif" width=14 height=12 alt="author">
by The Palestine Solidarity Campaign <br>
<a href="http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57443" eudora="autourl">
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57443<br><br>
<br>
</a></font>Jamal Juma’, coordinator of the Stop the Wall Campaign, is in
an Israeli jail – the latest in Israel’s attempt to silence Palestinian
non violent resistance.<br>
Israeli security first summoned Juma’ for interrogation at midnight of
December 15. <a name="attachment33457"></a><br>
<br>
Hours later, they brought him back to his home. Juma’ was handcuffed
while soldiers searched his house for two hours as his wife and three
young children looked on helplessly.<br><br>
The parting words of the soldiers were directed at his wife: she would
only see her husband again through a prisoner exchange. Since then, Juma’
has been detained and barred from speaking to a lawyer or his family. No
explanation has been given for his arrest. <br><br>
Jamal, 47 years old, was born in Jerusalem and has dedicated his life to
the defense of Palestinian human rights. The main focus of his work is on
empowering local communities to defend their human rights in the face of
violations brought about by the occupation. He is a founding member of a
number of Palestinian NGOS and civil society networks. <br><br>
Juma' has been the coordinator of the Palestinian Grassroots
Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign since 2002. He is widely respected for his
work and has been invited to address numerous civil society and UN
conferences. His articles and interviews are widely published and his
work has been translated into several languages. As a highly visible
figure, Juma’ has never attempted to hide or disguise his
activities.<br><br>
Jamal Juma’ is the highest profile arrest within an intensifying campaign
of repression of grassroots mobilizing against the Wall and settlements.
Initially arresting local activists from the villages affected by the
Wall, the Israeli authorities have moved towards the detention of
internationally known human rights defenders such as Mohammad Othman and
Abdallah Abu Rahmah.<br><br>
Mohammad, another member of the Stop the Wall Campaign, was arrested
nearly three months ago when returning from a speaking tour in Norway.
After two months of interrogation, Israeli authorities still could not
press any charges against him and therefore passed an administrative
detention order against him.<br><br>
Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a leading figure in the nonviolent struggle against
the Wall in Bil’in, was taken from his home in the middle of the night a
week before Jamal was jailed. <br><br>
With these arrests, Israel aims to weaken Palestinian civil society and
its influence on political decision making at the national and
international level. This process clearly criminalizes the work of
Palestinian human rights defenders and Palestinian civil disobedience.
<br><br>
It is crucial that the international community combat Israeli attempts to
criminalize human rights defenders struggling against the Wall. The
Israeli policy of targeting organizers calling for Israeli accountability
is a direct challenge to the decisions of governments and global bodies
such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to hold Israel to
account for its violations of international law. This challenge shall not
go unmet.<br>
For more information contact: global[at]stopthewall.org Tel:
+972-2-2971505 <br><br>
<br><br>
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