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For Immediate Release: ISRAELI MILITARY RAIDS ORPHANAGES MPT ISSUES CALL TO ACTION AS ANOTHER HEBRON RAID FURTHER JEOPARDIZES ORPHANS
At 1:00 am this morning, April 30th, the Israeli
Military raided the Hebron Girls' Orphanage near the intersection of Salaam and
Al Adel (Peace and Justice) Streets.
Members of Michigan Peace Team, Christian Peacemaker Teams and other internationals from Belgium, Britain, Canada, Germany, Holland, Scotland and the US have been sleeping in the orphanage. Their concern is for the children who live in fear of the military forcing them out of the place they've come to call home. Their hope last night was that their presence would forestall the army's raid on the workshop. They hoped in vain. CPT's Art Arbour decried this latest effort by the Israeli military in its campaign to close the orphanages,"How can grown men do this to little children?"
Statements of support for the orphans have come
in from former President Jimmy Carter, from EU Vice President Luisa Morgentini
and from representatives of many international organizations worried about the
fate of the orphans in Hebron. As President Jimmy Carter wrote on April 24th,
“The Islamic Charitable Society has been serving the needs of the poor in Hebron
since 1962, and should be allowed to continue their good work.” Both President
Carter and Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of the European Union, have issued
statements condemning these operations that harm society’s most vulnerable
population.
CALL TO ACTION:
PLEASE JOIN US IN SUPPORTING THE ORPHANS President George W. Bush
INFORMATION FOR THIS PRESS RELEASE GATHERED BY MICHIGAN PEACE TEAM, CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKER TEAMS, THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS, AND OTHER ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS, and INTERNATIONALS CURRENTLY ON THE SCENE. Michigan Peace Team was founded in 1993. It provides trainings in active nonviolence designed for the specific needs of the participants, and deploys peace teams into places of conflict (both domestically and internationally) to reduce violence. MPT convenes, supports, and participates with local peace action groups and gatherings, and mentors individuals seeking experience with international tams in places of conflict. It also educates the public to the vision and practice of active nonviolence. MPT has deployed peace teams into areas of potential violence around the world.
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Acting
on orders issued by Major General Shemni, soldiers looted the workshop of all
its sewing and processing machines, office equipment, rolls of cloth, finished
clothing and supplies. This heavy-handed operation destroyed the means by which
these orphans are supported and eliminated much-needed jobs for local residents.
This invasion of security and livelihood is a continuation of recent operations
to commandeer all the assets of the Islamic Charitable Society, a group Israel
claims has connections with Hamas but has yet to offer proof. Still photos and
video document approximately 40 Israeli soldiers emptying the workshop contents
into two 40ft. trucks. The estimated value of the physical material taken is
$45,000 US. The cost in terms of the fear and terror instilled in the hearts of
the little girls living above the workshop is much higher.
