Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Neta Golan Arrested at Erez Crossing


"On Monday, Israeli police arrested Neta Golan, an Israeli citizen and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), while she was attempting to leave the Gaza Strip through the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing, Waffa news agency reported.

Neta Golan was one of the 17 activists that sailed into Gaza on December 20th on the S.S. Liberty, the fifth international solidarity boat, representing the Free Gaza Movement, to break Israel’s unjust siege of the Gaza Strip.

Golan has a court hearing slated for Tuesday, December 23 in Kryat. Her lawyer, Adnan Alladin condemned the arrest, stating that, “Ms Golan's actions in no way constitute a crime. Her actions in entering Gaza were acts of necessity based on the international law and a rejection of the policies of collective punishment pursued by the Israeli Government.”

International humanitarian law, as defined in Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, unequivocally states that, “no protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed," and that "collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.”......

Golan spent three days in the Gaza strip so that she could see with her own eyes the catastrophe that has been allowed, by the international community, to unfold over the past 18 months. In a statement, she said that, “I feel it is my duty to come to Gaza and attempt to raise awareness as to what the Israeli state is doing to the people here. We broke the siege on Gaza, now it is time for more from the international community to do the same in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

Neta Golan is a co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, which has received two nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. She has actively resisted the Israeli occupation of Palestine by participating in hundreds of demonstrations against the annexation wall and illegal settlement roads. Golan lives in Ramallah with her Palestinian husband and two children."

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