URGENT CALL for JAYYOUS

Call to all of the organizations in the hope to
> mobilize people, particularly prominents, politicians and the media to
> come to Jayyous, in the hope to bring the situation to the attention of
> the world, and most of all in order to pressure our politicians into
> pressuring the Israeli government to halt this action.
>
> Meanwhile about 400 olives trees have been uprooted. The farmers of
> Jayyous are now involved in a very complicated legal process in order to
> retain the right to their land.
>
> Since a week I have been in Jayyous and after a number of meetings with
> the local population an action plan has been decided upon. The people of
> Jayyous, together with Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, are
> calling for support from the European organizations.
> Among the coordinators of the plan is Sharif Omar, coordinator of the
> popular committees of the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign in the district of
> Qalqiliya and representative of the association of farmers affected by the
> Wall. Many of you may know him from his participation at the Paris ESF and
> our pre-meeting in 2003. He also participated in our activities during the
> ICJ hearings and was a speaker during the Netherlands Social Forum last
> November. There is also close collaboration with Tawffiq, the farmer whose
> olives trees have been uprooted.
>
> We hope to urgently bring the situation of Jayyous to the attention of the
> European governments in order that they pressure Israel to stop the land
> confiscation. The media is a key element in making the situation publicly
> known, which would facilitate pressuring our governments. As the media
> would not take a major interest in uprooted trees alone, we are hoping to
> bring prominent people to the site in the hope to attract media interest
> through their presence.
> The situation does not affect Jayyous alone. Jayyous is also of utmost
> strategic importance for the future of the entire region.
>
> Considering that there is very little time to loose, and considering that
> in the coming period many prominent people, delegations and the media will
> be in Palestine as observers to the elections, we have chosen JANUARY 4
> as the date for the action.
>
> The action will be coordinated between the organizers on the ground and
> the Campaign head office in Jerusalem/Ramallah to ensure success on
> national and international level.
>
> A press release to guide your political initiative will be following
> within a days time.
>
>
> The plan consists of the following elements :
>
> 1) The essence of the plan is to invite politicians, prominent persons and
> nationals from as many countries as possible to come to Jayyous on January
> 4th in order to adopt a seedling olive tree and plant it in the place
> where the trees have been uprooted.
>
> WE ASK ALL ORGANIZATIONS TO PLEASE URGE SUPPOPRTIVE POLITICIANS AS WELL AS
> OTHER PROMINENT PERSONS AND DELEGATIONS WHO WILL BE IN PALESTINE DURING
> THAT PERIOD TO JOIN OUR EFFORTS IN JAYYOUS ON JANUARY 4.
>
> WE ALSO ASK YOU TO INFORM THE MEDIA AS BROADLY AS POSSIBLE OF THE ACTION,
> MENTIONING ANY IMPORTANT NAMES WHO CONFIRM TO YOU THAT THEY WILL BE
> PRESENT.
>
> ASIDE FROM GENERAL INFORMATION TO THE MEDIA, IT MAY BE A GOOD IDEA TO
> FOCUS PARTICULARLLY ON JOURNALISTS WITH WHOM THERE IS PERSONAL CONTACT, OR
> WHO ARE KNOWN TO BE SYMPATHETIC TO THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE.
>
> POSSIBLY YOU CAN FIND OUT WHICH JOURNALISTS WILL BE IN PALESTINE THEN FOR
> THE ELECTIONS AND TRY TO CONTACT THEM DIRECTLY.
>
> 2) 12 European Ambassadors to Israel have visited the land in November.
>
> PLEASE INFORM YOUR AMBASSADORS AND OFFICIAL REPRESENTATION IN PALESTINE AS
> TO THE URGENT SITUATION IN JAYYOUS AND REQUEST THAT THEY PROTEST TO THE
> ISRAELI AUTHORITIES.
> THOSE OFFICIALS WHO HAVE NOT VISITED THE LAND COULD BE REQUESTED TO DO SO.
>
> 3) A number of the Palestinian presidential candidates will also be asked
> to be present that day and support the action of Jayyous.
>
> 4) The people of Jayyous are working on further details of the day’s
> program and the reception of the guests. We will inform you as soon as
> further details become clear.
>
> 5) There will also be delegations of Israeli’s and internationals present.
> Possibly there will be a tent on the land where internationals and
> Israeli’s will camp for a longer period and ’keep watch’ together with a
> rotating number of Jayyous farmers who have permits to reach their land.
> (The Wall has been built between the village and the land, whereby the
> farmers need a permit to pass through the gate in order to reach their
> farms.)
>
> We would like to ask you to please inform us of persons and media who
> confirm their presence this day, in order that we can be more efficient in
> our planning and the publicity which will be dispersed from Jayyous.
>
> The e-mail of the popular committee in the region will be available for
> this purpose :
> jayyous@stopthewall.org