Call for Action Against House Demolitions in Al Farisiya and Fasayil

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On 19th July 2010 the Israeli army demolished 26 homes in Al Farisiya in the Jordan Valley making 107 more Palestinians homeless. They also destroyed the shelters for over 1000 sheep that members of this bedouin community owned, and have 'confiscated' the sheep and demanded payment from the farmers for their food! Not content with this, they destroyed trees in the area to make sure there was not shade in the blistering summer heat.

On 18th July demolitions a house near Fasayil Community School was demolished.

These are not isolated incidents, but part of the brutal repression of Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley that has escalated over the last few months. Just the day before on 18th July demolition orders were issued against farmers in Bardala village. There have been checkpoints outside Jericho, demolitions in Ras ar Ahmar and children killed by an army jeep in Ein El Beida.

Fathe Kdirat of Jordan Valley Solidarity described the demolitions as an "Israeli policy of collective displacement, aimed at expanding settlement outposts in the northern Jordan Valley."

It is clearly part of Israel's ongoing attempts to ethnically cleanse the Jordan Valley of Palestinians to make way for the expansion of their illegal settlements.

Al Farisiya is close to the illegal settlement of Maskiot, the newest Jordan Valley settlement. Maskiot is expanding and earlier this year settlers set up a tent close to the village of Al Maleh in order to harrass the residents. The demolitions in Al Farisiya are to make way for the expansion of settlements like Maskiot.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Brighton Jordan Valley Solidarity are appealing to all internationals to take action immediately to protest against the demolitions. We have held an emergency demonstration calling for a boycott of Israel (see http://www.brightonpalestine.org/node/642) and ask others to do the same.

Volunteers from Jordan Valley Solidarity plan to rebuild the demolished houses using locally made mus bricks. This means they can build the houses very cheaply, but they still deperately need funds to do this. You can donate at http://www.brightonpalestine.org/donate

The ethnic cleansing of the Jordan Valley is done for the benefit of Israeli and international corporations. Veolia (www.veolia.co.uk), a global company, run a waste dump in the Jordan valley processing Israeli and settler waste on Palestinian land, Carmel-Agrexco operate a network of settler farms on stolen Palestinian land (www.agrexco.co.il), Valley Grown Salads (www.v-g-s.co.uk) own the Israeli company, Edom UK, who have exported settler produce from the valley, MTex (www.mtex.co.il), who supply Tesco, export goods from farms close to Al Farisiya and have a base in Hertfordshire. Waitrose and Tesco export a high volume of goods from the valley despite repeated calls from campaigners. Brighton-Jordan Valley Solidarity is calling for global action against all these companies.

You can also write in protest to the above companies. If you do please cc brightontubas@gmail.com

The growth of the illegal settlement of Maskiot is being supported by international zionist organisations (see http://corporateoccupation.wordpress.com/2010/05/07/international zionist-organisation-supporting-maskiots-plans-for-ethnic-cleansing/). These organisations are complicit in the ethnic cleansing of the valley. The Christian Friends of Israeli Communities have sponsored the planting of settler trees on Palestinian land. CFOIC have offices in Israel, the US, Germany, Holland and the UK (www.cfoic.com/pages.jsp?pageID=31). The One Israel Fund (www.oneisraelfund.org) pays for caravans in Maskiot.The Jewish National Fund (www.jnf.co.uk) and the Zionist Federation (zionist.org.uk) provide ideological and material support to
settlements like Maskiot. We are calling for action against these groups, and Israeli embassies, in response to the demolitions.

If you hold actions please post reports on www.indymedia.org.uk and email www.brightonpalestine.org

We are also calling on Palestinian Solidarity groups around the world to hold their own actions, and for internationals in Palestine to go to Al Farisiya and Fasayil to support the rebuilding work and provide an international presence. There is a long term need for activists to provide a presence in the Jordan Valley. Those interested should contact brightontubas@gmail.com.

Those wanting to make a formal protest against the demolitions and repression of the Palestinian community in the Jordan Valley can write to their Embassy or Consulate in the West Bank and ask them to take immediate action.

You can also write to:

Minister of Defence
Ehud Barak
37 Kaplan Street, Hakirya
Tel Aviv 61909, Israel
Fax: +972 3 691 6940/696 2757
Email: minister@mod.gov.il
Salutation: Dear Minister

Military Judge Advocate General
Brigadier General Avihai Mandelblit
6 David Elazar Street
Hakirya, Tel Aviv, Israel
Fax: +972 3 569 4526/608 0366
Email: avimn@idf.gov.il
Salutation: Judge Advocate General

You can also target the PM

Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
3 Kaplan Street
Hakirya,
Jerusalem 91950
Israel Tel Telex: 25279 MPRES IL Fax +972 2 566 4838, +972 2 649 6659
Email bnetanyahu@knesset.gov.il Salutation Dear Prime Minister

and there's always the Foreign Minister...

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
9 Yitzhak Rabin Boulevard
Kiryat Ben-Gurion
Jerusalem 91035, Israel Tel Fax : +972 2 530 3367, +972 2 640 8921
Email aliberman@knesset.gov.il Salutation Dear Minister

Legal Advisor
Address IDF Civil Administration in the West Bank
Tel
Fax +972 2 9977 326
Email
Salutation Dear Sir

Commander
Address IDF District Coordination Office (DCO)
Jericho, West Bank, via Israel
Tel
Fax +972 2 9943305
Email
Salutation Dear Sir

Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi
Address IDF Chief of General Staff
c/o Ministry of Defence
7 A' Street
Hakirya
Tel Aviv, Israel
Tel
Fax +972 3 691 6940, +972 3 697 6218
Email
Salutation Dear Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi