Good morning. Here's another press release from Palestinian leaders in the West Bank.
It amazes me how these folks have so much more empathy for foreigners, more self-awareness, more love of real freedom and democracy than my own government! Dear God preserve these kidnapped peace warriors. Change the hearts of their captors and reveal to them their true needs.
It amazes me how these folks have so much more empathy for foreigners, more self-awareness, more love of real freedom and democracy than my own government! Dear God preserve these kidnapped peace warriors. Change the hearts of their captors and reveal to them their true needs.
Subject: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK: Palestinian leaders call for immediate release of four CPTers missing in Iraq
Date: December 6, 2005 2:57:15 PM CST
CPTnet
6 December 2005
RAMALLAH, WEST BANK: Palestinian leaders call for immediate release of four
CPTers missing in Iraq
Today in Ramallah, Ikram al-Sabri, the head Mufti of Palestine, along with
several other notable Palestinians called for the immediate release of all
civilian hostages in Iraq, mentioning in particular the four Christian
Peacemaker Teams (CPT) who went missing on 26 November 2005.
Ikram al-Sabri said that "there is a duty for all Palestinian people,
institutions and factions to commit to sending a call to release these
people who have been kidnaped. They are very important for us to help
continue our struggle, whether here in Palestine or in Iraq, to gain our
country's freedom. We repeat our call to release all the civilian people who
have been kidnapped all over the world, not only these four."
Dr. Wasif Abu-Yousef, a representative of the National and Islamic Forces in
Palestine (an umbrella group representing all Palestinian political parties)
described the four activists and other CPTers as "soldiers for peace" and
"real heros" and talked about the role of international activists: "--Some
of them were even martyrs, like our friends Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall.
Some were injured or denied entry, some of them have been deported. They
have suffered side by side with us. They have challenged the Israeli
occupation in Palestine and the settlers in Hebron-- From the heart of
Palestine, we condemn and are completely against the process of kidnapping
these four people in Iraq. This state of chaos, killings, and criminal acts
that have been happening in Iraq will not help the Iraqi people. On the
contrary, there are people who will make use of this. The occupation will
use this as an excuse to continue."
Fariel Abu-Heikel, the headmistress of Qurtuba school in Hebron talked about
the role of CPT in providing accompaniment for their children on their way
to school and helping Palestinians under curfew. "We still remember the
nice moments while we were under curfew with the CPT members who we have
known since 1995. They came and gave food to people under curfew and showed
their love and solidarity with our schools and our children. We will never
forget these moments, because the CPT were the only people standing with us
at that time. As a women who works with them, I send my call for the Iraqi
resistance to release these people because CPT are very important people for
us."
"To Bush I say that democracy is not imposed--democracy is given by people,
not given by armies," Abu-Heikel continued. "We are sending our call for
the faction that kidnapped these people in Iraq to release them immediately
because we need them here."
Kristin Anderson of CPT Hebron thanked the "hundreds of Palestinians who
have issued statements and supported us during this past week. " She
described CPT's work in Palestine and Iraq and appealed for the release of
the four. "We miss our friends and desire them to return to us . . . While
remembering them, let us remember the thousands of peaceful people being
detained by occupying forces throughout the world, and while we ask for a
release of our friends, we will continue to work to end the occupations in
Palestine and Iraq."
Previously, on the afternoon of 1 December, a group of some hundred
Palestinians, with a sprinkling of internationals, gathered in the center of
Ramallah to seek the release of the four CPTers. Mustafa Barghouti, of the
Palestine National Initiative, said that the people of Palestine know the
CPTers to be true workers for peace, who have stood against the Israeli
occupation of Palestine. He urged those holding them to return them to
their families who love them. Mansour Mansour, who coordinated the event,
called on the group holding the four to let them return. "The Palestinian
people need them for their struggle against occupation, and the Iraqi people
need them for their struggle against occupation," he said.
A local man told Maureen Jack and Cathy McLean that he had never before
known such intensity of feeling among Palestinian people about the situation
of those held by Iraqi groups. "I spoke to a man from Hebron, and he was
crying. And I spoke to a man from Jayyous and he was crying," he said.
AP photos:
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