Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: MIDEAST:  Israel Could Make Orphans Homeless Again

E' un brutto segno quando la durezza diventa crudeltà e arbitrio, è 
segno sicuro del disfacimento di un ordine morale.
Di questo:
<< Rabbi Arik Ascherman, executive director of Rabbis for Human Rights, 
said Jewish tradition requires witnesses and evidence be brought forward 
before the court. Since no proof has yet been submitted, the military 
order is "incompatible with the Jewish concept of justice," he said.
"Our Jewish tradition also teaches us that you cannot have collective 
punishment and you cannot harm innocent people," Ascherman added. 
"Therefore, from a Jewish point of view, it's simply wrong to create a 
situation where so many people are going to suffer." >>
La domanda fondamentale è: quale altro ordine morale ha preso il suo 
posto nei responsabili di IDF?
------------------------------------
MIDEAST:  Israel Could Make Orphans Homeless Again
By Zack Baddorf
HEBRON, The West Bank, Apr 28 (IPS) - Nibaal Shriteh may soon be 
homeless. The 17-year-old Palestinian lives in a Hebron orphanage but, 
if the Israeli military has its way, she and 240 fellow orphans like her 
will be out on the streets.
"I am talking to you today from this place, from my home, from my 
school, from my class," Shriteh told a handful of independent media and 
assembled local and international supporters at a press conference Apr. 
7 inside the Al-Shar'iya Girls Orphanage. "But tomorrow I'll be talking 
to you as a lonely, lost person from the street."
The Israel Defence Forces issued orders Feb. 25 for the closure and 
confiscation by Apr. 7 of orphanages, schools and other facilities owned 
by the Islamic Charitable Society (ICS), claiming the foundation 
"masquerades as a charity organisation in order to cover its activities 
of increasing support of the Hamas terror network."
"The foundation in Hebron not only raises money for terrorism, it also 
recruits new terror operatives and disseminates the creed of 
anti-Zionism and jihad among the population," an IDF spokesman told IPS.
The Israeli army told IPS that "all of the foundation's resources are 
devoted to funding Hamas and Hamas's grip on the region...and to 
strengthening the terrorist network in order to target Israel." One of 
the oldest non-governmental organisations in the occupied territories, 
the charitable association is also accused of training youths in jihad 
and Hamas principles.
The Feb. 25 military decree, signed by the Israeli military commander of 
the West Bank Gen. Gadi Shamni, states that the buildings must be closed 
to maintain "security of the area" and "general order" in the southern 
West Bank city.
"The allegations being levelled against us are totally and completely 
and absolutely baseless," said Abd al-Kareem Farah, the ICS legal 
representative, through an interpreter. "We challenge the Israeli 
government and the Israeli army to produce a single tangible evidence to 
corroborate their concocted allegations. So far they haven't done that."
The 46-year-old charity filed an appeal with the Israeli High Court of 
Justice, which temporarily froze the order indefinitely Apr. 1 and 
required the Israeli army to present evidence proving ICS's link with 
the militant organisation Hamas, which holds power in the Gaza Strip 
following elections two years ago.
Rabbi Arik Ascherman, executive director of Rabbis for Human Rights, 
said Jewish tradition requires witnesses and evidence be brought forward 
before the court. Since no proof has yet been submitted, the military 
order is "incompatible with the Jewish concept of justice," he said.
"Our Jewish tradition also teaches us that you cannot have collective 
punishment and you cannot harm innocent people," Ascherman added. 
"Therefore, from a Jewish point of view, it's simply wrong to create a 
situation where so many people are going to suffer."
Israeli soldiers returned to charity facilities Apr. 11 and told 
teachers they had until Apr. 13 to evacuate the buildings. But no move 
has yet been made by the IDF to force a closure.
"For right now, no news is good news," Joanne Lingle, spokesperson for 
the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) told IPS, describing the situation 
as a state of "limbo."
CPT works to "support violence reduction efforts around the world." 
Members of Lingle's team in Hebron sleep in the orphanage once every few 
days to document and report any potential actions by the Israeli armed 
forces. The military order states anyone entering or using the buildings 
may be imprisoned for five years and have his property confiscated or 
demolished.
Rasheed Rasheed, an English teacher at the charity's school for boys, 
told IPS he has not seen "any action" by Hamas in ICS facilities in the 
12 years he's worked there.
"I am not Hamas. I am not Fatah. I smoke. I am not a fanatic. I am a 
normal person! I have no hatred for Israel or for anybody else. I am 
just a teacher," 37-year-old Rasheed told IPS. "I have never been told 
to tell my students to hate Israelis or Jews or to kill or to teach them 
violence. Never ever."
Rasheed admits that about 20-25 of the total 550 employees working for 
the ICS do have ties with the Hamas political party, but maintains the 
organisation has no formal connection with the militant group.
"The Israeli government has some fanatic members," said Rasheed. "Can I 
say that the Israeli government is all a terrorist government? I cannot 
say this!"
The Israeli military claims the ICS has "delivered money to Hamas 
terrorist operatives" and "supported the families of suicide bombers and 
incarcerated terrorists." But Farah said the association has its 
financial records and accounts "meticulously" scrutinised by Israeli and 
Palestinian authorities.
"Every penny that comes in and every penny that is spent, we have 
records," said the ICS lawyer. "It's completely transparent...We are 
functioning in broad daylight. We have nothing to conceal. We have 
nothing to hide. All our papers are available for anyone who wishes to 
know the truth."
About 15-20 percent of the charity's funding is raised from local 
sources, Farah noted, while the rest comes from abroad, mostly from 
North America, Europe and the Middle East.
The Israeli armed forces raided the organisation's warehouse, bakeries 
and storefronts Mar. 6, and confiscated food, clothing, school supplies, 
refrigerators and two buses.
Farah says the Israeli authorities have no right to confiscate the 
property. The charity's location in Hebron puts it under Palestinian 
authority, and this means the Israeli authorities cannot confiscate 
property there, according to the Oslo Accords, an agreement signed in 
1993 by Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.
It's not just a legal fight anymore.
Mohammad Jamal Salhab, deputy head of the Islamic Student Association, 
said Israeli troops have "terrorised" the youths with fear and 
uncertainty. Some children have been having nightmares and are showing 
signs of stress, he said, while their academic performance has been 
"undermined".
"Right now there is an overwhelming state of tension and stress among 
the kids and, frankly, we don't know what to do," Salhab told IPS. "The 
harm to the children cannot be underestimated."
Orphan Shriteh said she is worried what will happen if the court rules 
against ICS, which the IDF terms an illegal organisation.
"Who will put the happiness in our hearts? Who will protect us from 
being lost? Who will be our shelter in the days of winter?" asked 
Shriteh at the Apr. 7 press conference, representing the orphans. "We 
hope the echo of our voice will reach your hearts to show you our grief 
and misery."
The Israeli military told IPS it "reserves the right for future action" 
against the ICS schools and orphanages. Rasheed is still unsure why the 
IDF wants the orphanage closed.
"The Israelis should give me an answer," Rasheed told IPS. "These are 
orphans. They have no hand in this issue between Hamas and the Israeli 
government. If the order takes place, they will end up on the street. 
They have no place to go."
The ICS, which was founded 26 years before Hamas, educates more than 
1,700 students, aids 4,000 additional students and 5,000 poor families, 
and shelters 240 orphans. (END/2008)

 La domanda fondamentale č: ....
... quanto e' *PIRLA* il povero Persio? :)
-Stefano