Wednesday of this weird week the electronic intifada reports on a demonstration organized by the Palestine Solidarity Group-Chicago. More than two dozen activists converged on downtown Millennium Park to call on city leaders to sever ties with Israel and drop Petach Tikva, Israel from the Chicago Sister Cities program. One activist was arrested and released later that day. "Petach Tikva is an officially segregated city, the first Jewish-only settlement in historic Palestine and the site of the primary detention center where Israeli forces abuse and torture Palestinian political prisoners -- has been dubbed by rights group Amnesty International as 'Israel's Guantanamo,'" PSG stated in a press release.
Non-violence is the ‘New Terrorism’
This from the IMEMC (www.imemc.org) An Israeli military court convicted Palestinian peace activist Abdullah Abu Rahmah of incitement and cleared him of stone-throwing charges on Tuesday. Activists called the sentence a direct assault against the non-violent movement in Palestine. Abu Rahmah, coordinator of the popular committee against the wall and settlement in the village of Bil'in, near Ramallah in the central West Bank, was detained nine months ago while the investigation was ongoing. He was convicted of incitement and organising nonviolent protest against the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
A number of European diplomats and many of Abu Rahmah's friends were in attendance to observe the trial. The sentence is expected to be pronounced next month, and some local sources said they expect a two-year imprisonment.
Abu Rahmah's verdict was read in a packed military court room, concluding an eight months long politically motivated show-trial. Diplomats from France, Malta , Germany , Spain and the UK , as well as a representative of the European Union were in attendance to observe the trial.
As a member of the Popular Committee and its coordinator since it was formed in 2004, Abdallah Abu Rahmah has represented the village of Bil'in around the world.
Want more? It’s all over the Electronic Intifada, indymedia at large and of course the International Middle East Media Center.
- KBOO