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Thanks to you, we generated over 10,000 emails to US President Obama, and over 2,200 emails to the US Consulate in East Jerusalem complaining about the arbitrary detention of Mohammad Othman. You helped up flood the US State Department with phone calls as well. Let's keep the pressure up to free Abdallah Abu Rahmah as well. Archbishop Tutu has called for his release (1). So have almost 5,000 of you, who wrote to President Obama and to the US Consulate in East Jerusalem. Here is what Stop the Wall had to say today about Jamal's release (2). Their words obviously ring true regarding Mohammad Othman as well: Jamal Juma', the coordinator of the Stop the Wall Campaign has been released yesterday evening after a month long detention in Israeli jails. He had been called for interrogation and then arrested on December 16. Yesterday, the military court decided for Jamal's release. Like for the other Palestinian human rights defenders in Israeli jails, there was never a case in the courtroom. Not a single charge has been put forth. The reason for his arrest was purely political - an attempt to crush Stop the Wall and the popular committees against the Wall. Therefore, the reasons for his release are also outside the courtroom: The impressive support of international civil society has moved governments and used the media to an extent that made his imprisonment too uncomfortable. This international solidarity has given our popular struggle against the Wall further strength. We are deeply thankful for all the efforts. Yet, the latest arrests and continuous repression show that we have not yet defeated the Israeli policy as such, as Israel remains determined to silence Palestinian human rights defenders by all means. We therefore need to ensure that the campaign for the freedom of all anti-wall activists and Palestinian political prisoners continues to grow. We have to combine our energies to ensure that the root cause - the Wall - will be torn down and the occupation will be brought to an end. Thanks for your support.  Sydney Levy Jewish Voice for Peace P.S. We have learned in the meanwhile that the Chief English editor for the Bethlehem-based Ma'an News Agency, Jared Maslin, has been arbitrarily detained by Israel and is scheduled to have a deportation hearing today, Thursday. (3) (1) Desmond Tutu: '[Israel] must realize that they cannot break the spirit of those who fight for freedom and justice.' Mondoweiss, December 24, 2009 [http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/desmond-tutu-israel-must-realize-that-they-cannot-break-the-spirit-of-those-who-fight-for-freedom-and-justice.html] (2) Jamal Juma' has been released. Stop The Wall, January 13, 2010 [stopthewall.org/latestnews/2158.shtml] (3) U.S. editor barred from re-entering Israel. The Committee to Protect Journalists [http://cpj.org/blog/2010/01/us-editor-barred-from-re-entering-israel.php] |
