From: Hank Roth <odin@halcyon.halcyon.com>
Subject: Nobel Prize Appeal
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: The 23:00 News and Mail Service
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 20:49:49 GMT

  Nobel Prize Appeal
 
An international appeal is being prepared to nominate Abie Nathan 
for the Nobel Peace Prize. You are urged to write letters to 
members of parliament and Congress supporting Nathan's 
nomination. 
 
At the end of September, last year, public attention in Israel 
centered upon a short but sensational trial of Abie Nathan, the 
63 year old popular owner of "The Voice of Peace" pirate radio 
ship. Abie was charged with twelve counts of meeting with the 
PLO in contravention of the "Anti-Terrorism Act".. 
 
Just a year earlier there was worldwide press coverage of 
Nathan's public appearance at the European Strassbourg 
Parliament, side by side with Yasser Arafat, as Arafat wished all 
Jews  Shana Tova (which means Happy New Year in Hebrew).
 
The judge rejected Nathan's plea that he had conducted a 
peaceful dialogue with Arafat, in the presence of the 
international press, and ruled that `the publicity given to the 
accused's acts only makes the offence worse, since it may 
encourage others to folow him." (In 1990 Nathan had already 
served a 6 month prison term for a similar crime.)
 
Abie declared a willingness to plead guilty to all charges, 
provided the prosecturion change the wording `the accused met 
with members of terrorist organizations' to `the accused met with 
members of organizations declared by the government to be 
terroist'. Rather than wage a long battle on the issue of "who is 
a terrorist',the prosecutor agreed to the change.    
 
Nathan was born in India, served as a combat pilot in the War of 
Liberation in 1948, which he has professed included the bomving 
of civilian targets; and subsequently he decided to devote the 
rest of his life to peace. In 1966 on a  `peace mission' to 
Egyupt, he was nearly shot down by the Egyptians and was 
imprisoned first in Egypt and in Israel. Afterwards he started a 
dialogue with the PLO. 
 
Nathan said on Israeli TV, about these latest charges, that he 
was "willing to pay the the price. When I get out of prison, I 
will go on with my work for peace. When I see citizens, or 
soldiers, or Arabs die, prison does not deter me anymore." 
 
The day before entering prison, Nathan donated forty wheelchairs 
to a hospital. He has also been trying to find new sponsors for 
his radio station, since several advertisers have been boycotting 
the station for political reasons. When he began his sentence on 
October 10th, 6 Knesset Members and thousands of supporters 
accompanied him to the prison gate. 
 
Abie Nathan was given 18 months in Ramle Prison. Thousand of 
Israelis Jews and Arabs signed petitions calling on President 
Herzog to pardon Abie Nathan. In April, 1992, after 6 months 
his sentence was commuted by President Herzog. 
 
RESOURCES:
 
1. The Abie Nathan Nobel Prize Campaign can be reached at: 
   P.O. Box 956, Tel-Aviv Israel 61008
 
2. Additional information about Israeli/Palestianian Peace 
   efforts: Committee to Save the Peace Dialogue, 
   P.O. Box 20395, Tel-Aviv Israel 61204 
 
3. In the U.S. and Canada another resource for information is: AICIPP
   America-Israel Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, 4816 
   Cornell Ave., Downers Grove, Il 60515   
 
 
 

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