The first action is Stop the Wallâs photo initiative. If you are at a protest, on a bike, or even having dinner at home, simply take a picture of you and/or your friends with a sign with a short message such as âFree Jamal Jumaâ! â Free the Anti-Wall prisoners!â
Or stage a public photo session to gather photos, raise awareness and protest the repression of the anti-Wall movement.
Then e-mail us a copy at global@stopthewall.org.
Weâll put your pictures up on our Flickr photo album and use them at the upcoming rally at Jamalâs hearing on January 4th and in future actions in support of the prisoners.
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With your solidarity and voices â and now images! â weâll free the Anti-wall prisoners!
In addition to the photos, you can continue your letter writing campaigns, which are critical in insuring that elected officials continue to take action on the issue. Below you can find a pro forma letter to the Baroness Catherine Ashton, the current High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Vice President of the European Commission.
Send letters to Baroness Ashton’s spokesperson Lutz Guellner at: lutz.guellner@ec.europa.eu
Letter to Baroness Ashton on Jamal, Mohammed and Abdallah
The Honorable Baroness Catherine Ashton
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Vice President of the European Commission
Dear Baroness Ashton:
On December 16th, Jamal Jumaâ, was arrested by Israeli Authorities. Mr. Jumaâ, an internationally known and respected Palestinian human rights defender, is known to many EU officials and diplomatic missions because of his advocacy work and has participated in many European Union and United Nations conferences on Palestine. Mr. Jumaâ â coordinator of the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign â is subjected to a military court system that does not comply with international standards of fair trial and due process.
Jamalâs arrest comes at the height of the current wave of Israeli repression against human rights defenders and anti-Wall activists. In September, Mohammad Othman, an organizer with the Stop the Wall Campaign, was arrested and in December, Abdallah Abu Rahma of the Bilâin Popular Committee was likewise detained. A policy of arrest, intimidation, threats and killings and, at times, collective punishment has been applied to the residents of the villages affected by the Wall.
The European Union has clearly defined regulations demanding the respect of international law and human rights in third countries and the EU to promote this respect. Indeed, Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement states: âRelations between the Parties, as well as all the provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this Agreement.â The arrest and subsequent treatment of Palestinian human rights defenders further highlights Israelâs complete failure to comply with article 2 of the Association Agreement and the goals of the Action Plan. It shows the discriminatory and arbitrary nature of the Israeli judicial system.
In line with these commitments, I ask you:
⢠to raise your concern about the cases of Jamal Jumaâ, Mohammad Othman and Abdallah Abu Rahma and other human rights defenders in public statements and in your talks with Israeli officials.
⢠not to enter into negotiations on a new action plan with Israel and instead to cancel the EU-Israel Association Agreement until it respects international law and human rights.
⢠to stop all negotiations on a cooperation agreement between EUROPOL and Israel in light of a lack of international standards of safeguards within the Israeli judicial system.
⢠to ensure the EU effectively complies with its obligations stemming from the ICJ’s decision to dismantle the wall.
Sincerely,