Silvia Cattori is an independent journalist. she lives in Switzerland

Gaza , the land of the sad oranges.

Silvia CATTORI

April 2003 Occupied Palestine

Translated by V.I.

To those who went martyred for the land of the sad oranges…

And those who have not been martyred yet…



Mothers , Fathers , brothers , sisters , friends. To you all who can still find in yourself some kind of indignation; where are you?

The damned of Palestine are searching for some sense of humanity and they put their hopes in you.

In you ,the international volunteers members of our movement ,find their strength to go on when the faces, all covered with blood , of Rachel , Brian and Thomas break our hearts.

With your support , we would so much like to break the silence of the media and expose the misery , the terror that Israel inflict on the Palestinians..

We count on your genuine help for people as generous and politically aware as Rachel , Brian and Thomas , to join the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).



I will never let anyone say that these people; images of great beauty , who gave so much of themselves in Palestine, died because of their lack of consciousness.

These ambassadors of Peace only died because the State of Israel ,that refuses any kind of dialogue toward peace , do not like them.

It is true : the ISM members are always there when the Palestinians are particularly threatened. Consequently, they are the first and very disturbing witnesses of the Israeli army ‘s deeds. They dare say out loud what no journalist has the courage or the will to say: The truth about Human Rights violations occurring in Occupied Palestine.

Israel succeeded until now ,in hiding to rest of the world the horrors its occupying army, only driven by its desire to expand , inflicts on the Palestinians daily. The massacres can go on as long as they are kept secret.. That is the reason why , even if the context is one of the most frightening , we can not abandon the Palestinians. Our duty is to stand by the victims and unveil the oppression they live under.

As long as Israel violates the UN charter demanding that each side finds peaceful means to reach an agreement; we should still have the right to help the Palestinians.

What is Switzerland , my country , doing to stop Israel murderous madness? What is Europe doing to prevent this racist state from persecuting the Palestinians with a massive arsenal?

If this so called international community did fulfill its duty to protect the Palestinian population from Israel ; the international volunteers would certainly not be today , paying off with their life.

Thomas, Brian , Rachel are examples of righteousness and virtue that we have to go on following and be inspired by. Among others , Tobias, Swedish , in his 30’s , based in Jenin 5 months ago; Tom , British,18, based in Raffah 6 months ago; are too , great examples for us all.

The Palestinians in agony , still find the strength to look at the situation in Iraq with compassion and say “ Here is now better than in Bagdag.”

We feel so tiny in front of the huge disaster. We do not have enough to give candies to the children whose distress break our heart.

We are so powerless in front of the world ‘s lack of courage and the media ‘s lies!

Nevertheless , in this place outstanding hell , our presence give them the strength to hope that all is not lost. Khaled , an energetic and active man confided in me this morning:” In Bagdad , we lost our last chance to be part of the human society.”

All this , is not right, and Israel does not want us to witness it. So its heavy artillery targets our international volunteers; That way , they will not tell about the violations.



My mind is bawling with distressing stories. I am overwhelmed. They do not let me sleep. I wanted to free myself by writing them down to you. I tried. I did not know which end to take to begin with the right word. Which word can describe what is indescribable?

I did not tell you yet about my pain in Hebron when teenagers came to me in a hurry to tell me about their sad experiences, as if my knowing was an urgent matter. I did not talk to you about the sadness I felt when , stuck with Palestinians from Gaza to Raffah ,the bus zigzagged between the craters the Israeli bombs left on the road we were using. I did not write about what the Palestinians feel when they are forced to stand ,threatened by the Israeli soldiers in their miradors to be shot down at any moment.

I promised myself I would tell what , along the roads of Palestine ,afflicted me; but today, I can not bring myself to say a word about it. I feel crushed. I understand why the Palestinians are discouraged and I now understand their silence.

Nevertheless, I would so much like that these untold stories , talking about terribly oppressed men and women , be heard by your souls with fairness: to be taken further…

...hours before the start of peace talks between Abbas and Sharon, more "palestinians" feel the need to explode themselves and kill more Jews.

Hmmmm. Makes you wonder if the "noble palestinian" really wants peace.

All roads lead to the Final Destination

Here's what the Palestinians did (from http://www.zoa.org/pressrel/20030505a.htm):

I. "Cease All Violence"

What They Must Do During May 2003: The Road Map states: "In Phase 1 [May 2003], the Palestinians immediately undertake an unconditional cessation of violence."

What They Did During Week #1: During week #1, April 29 - May 5, 2003, there were at least 22 terrorist attacks or attempted attacks, in which 3 people were murdered and 64 were wounded:

April 29: Shots fired at Israeli soldiers near Bethlehem ... Bomb planted west of Jenin.

April 30: Suicide bombing outside a cafe in Tel Aviv; three murdered, 55 wounded. Hamas and Abu Mazen's Fatah movement both claimed responsibility for the attack ... Terrorists intercepted trying to attack Elon Moreh ... Shooting attack on an Israeli motorist between Ofra and Shilo ... Attack on an Israeli policeman north of Jerusalem; one wounded ... Two mortar rockets fired at Gush Katif ... Terrorist intercepted on his way to carry out an attack near Jenin.

May 1: Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in the Sajaiya camp in Gaza; eight wounded ... Car-bomb discovered in the Samaria region ... Three terrorists intercepted trying to attack Gush Katif ... Attacking on Israeli motorists between Jerusalem and Gush Katif.

May 2: Bomb planted at the Atarot airport in northern Jerusalem.

May 3: Mortar rockets fired into Gush Katif.

May 4: Mortar rockets fired into Gush Katif ... Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers near Kadim ... Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza ... Three shooting attacks on Israeli soldiers in the Jenin district ... Bomb attack on Israeli soldiers near the Israel-Egypt border.

May 5: Five mortar rockets fired into Gush Katif.



II. "Call for Recognizing Israel and Ending Violence"

What They Must Do During May 2003: The Road Map obligates the Palestinian Arabs to "issue an unequivocal statement reiterating Israel's right to exist in peace and security and calling for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire to end armed activity and all acts of violence against Israelis anywhere."

What They Did During Week #1: No such statement was issued by any Palestinian Arab leader. In his first speech as prime minister, delivered before the Palestinian Legislative Council on April 29, 2003, Abu Mazen made reference to "the need to end the Arab-Israeli conflict peacefully" but did not issue an unequivocal statement about Israel's right to exist in peace and security. Nearly all references to Israel in his speech referred to "Israeli aggression" and the like. Nor did Abu Mazen's speech call for an end to violence against Israelis anywhere; he said: "We denounce terrorism by any party and in all its shapes and forms both because of our religious and moral traditions and because we are convinced that such methods do not lend support to a just cause like ours, but rather destroy it." However, since Abu Mazen and other PA officials have never regarded the murder of Israelis as terrorism but rather as "legitimate resistance," his statement cannot be considered a call to Palestinian Arabs to stop murdering Israelis.

Moreover, as recently as March 3, 2003, Mazen told the newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat that the murder of Jews beyond the pre-1967 border is legitimate because it constitutes an act of opposition to "the occupation."



III. "Arrest, Disrupt, and Restrain Terrorists"

What They Must Do During May 2003: The Road Map obligates the Palestinian Arabs to "undertake visible efforts on the ground to arrest, disrupt and restrain individuals and groups conducting and planning violent attacks on Israelis anywhere."

What They Did During Week #1: There were no reports of any arrests of terrorists by the Palestinian Authority.



IV. "Confiscate Terrorists' Weapons"

What They Must Do During May 2003: The Road Map obligates the Palestinian Arabs to "commence confiscation of illegal weapons."

What They Did During Week #1: There were no reports of the PA seizing any terrorists' weapons. In his first speech as prime minister, delivered before the Palestinian Legislative Council on April 29, 2003, Abu Mazen said "the unauthorized possession of weapons, with its direct threat to the security of the population, is a major concern that will be relentlessly addressed." He did not say the weapons would be confiscated; he did not even call on Hamas and Islamic Jihad to surrender their weapons. Moreover, the phrase "unauthorized" provides a potential loophole, since the PA could "authorize" Hamas and Islamic Jihad to possess weapons.



V. "Dismantle the Terrorist Infrastructure"

What They Must Do During May 2003: The Road Map obligates the Palestinian Arabs to carry out the "dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure."

What They Did During Week #1: The PA did not outlaw Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah, or any other terrorist groups; there were no reports of the PA shutting down any bomb factories or terrorists' training camps; the PA continued to ignore Israel's 45 requests for the extradition of terrorists; there were no reports of the PLO leadership punishing PLO factions that are engaged in terrorism, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).



VI. "End All Incitement"

What They Must Do During May 2003: The Road Map requires that "all official Palestinian institutions end incitement against Israel."

What They Did During Week #1: The PA's official newspapers, television, and radio continued to broadcast a steady stream of anti-Israel, anti-American, and pro-violence incitement, and PA officials continued to make inciting statements.

For example, Palestinian Media Watch reported that on April 30, 2003, PA Television began broadcasting a new music video "calling for the murder of Jews in the disputed areas, even showing scenes of Jewish teenage girls and a Jewish couple, who are among those targeted for death by PA TV. The music video shows scenes of masked gunman firing automatic rifles, aerial views of Jewish towns, and as mentioned, Jews who are targeted for murder: a man walking his wife, a group of teenage girls, and a soldier. The words that repeat throughout the music video:

"From the mountain of fire [Nablus] came the rebels...

Everywhere there are settlements.

Oh brave Nablus, keep the cauldron ablaze

Pour over the settlements great flames

Foreigners have no place on this land

Foreigners have no place where Shahids [Died for Allah] were killed."

In addition, there was no change in the PA's policy of inciting support for terror by publicly praising terrorists, naming streets after them, and paying salaries to imprisoned terrorists and their families. Moreover, in his first speech as prime minister, delivered before the Palestinian Legislative Council on April 29, 2003, Abu Mazen called the terrorists imprisoned in Israel "heroes" and demanded that they be set free.



VII. "End Arab States' Support for Terror"

What They Must Do During May 2003: The Road Map states that during May 2003, "Arab states cut off public and private funding and all other forms of support for groups supporting and engaging in violence and terror."

What They Did During Week #1: There were no reports of any Arab states cutting off their support for Palestinian Arab terrorist groups.



VIII. "Consolidate Security Forces"

What They Must Do During May 2003: The Road Map obligates the Palestinian Arabs to undertake "consolidation of security authority, free of association with terror and corruption"; and "all Palestinian security organizations are consolidated into three services reporting to an empowered interior minister."

What They Did During Week #1: The Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported on May 5, 2003, that "five different PA security organizations, including Force 17 and the General Intelligence, remain under the direct command of Chairman Yasir Arafat" and have not been consolidated under the control of the Interior Minister. Military Intelligence, the National Security Forces, and the naval forces are also under Arafat's control. Only the remaining two security agencies are under the Interior Minister. Arafat's five are under the control of a newly-created agency, the National Security Council, chaired by Arafat and his close aide Hanni al-Hassan.



IX. "Institute Democratic Reforms"

What They Must Do During May 2003: The Road Map requires the Palestinian Arabs to undertake a number of steps to transform their brutal, corrupt dictatorial regime into a full-fledged democracy, including "action on a credible process to draft constitution for Palestinian statehood"; the holding of "free, open, and fair elections"; and "steps to achieve genuine separation of powers, including any necessary Palestinian legal reforms for this purpose."

What They Did During Week #1: No such steps have yet been taken.

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Well, gosh darn...they just don't act like they're interested in peace, do they?

We love you! Would you like an IDF rifle signed by Ariel Sharon?

Of course, no one wants peace more than the palestinians right. I mean they've made every effort to work towards it.

Shit. Terrorism to these people is like football to Americans.

And yet, there are those heartless subhumans around here who will continue to apologize for them.

We love you! Would you like some IDF menstrual pads signed by Ariel Sharon?

I recommend we start shipping as much of our fine botanical products as possible to the MIddle East.

Way to go! Whenever you liberals don't have a legitimate argument, you can always pretend to be a media outlet! Great job!

Way to go! Whenever we conservatives don't have a legitimate argument, we can always point our finger at Indymedia! Great job!

Look out! The "faker" is outside your window!! You need professional help.