Unreported Violence In Tulkarem

Rebecca

August 13^th, 2002

Dear Friends --

I have spent one week in Tulkarem (city in the West Bank on the

border with  (1948 Israel) -- nothing, not even Jenin, had

prepared me for the extreme level of violence here.  And there

are no foreign journalists to see it...

Everyday apache helicopters are shooting... tanks are shooting...

soldiers on foot, some in plain clothes.   People are locked away

in their houses for fear of being shot, as the military jeeps

threaten everyone on the street every time they come around.

On my second day the Israelis brutally executed 3 men -- only

one was on their "wanted list", the others just bystanders -- a

mechanic in his shop and a student happy about the news that

he passed his exams.  The Israeli military stated all were

wanted, which was not the truth. 

The US press took up the army version of events.  And left out the

fact that the one militant on the "wanted" list, Ziad D'ayas, was

shot first in the leg -- and captured alive.  The soldiers then

executed him in cold blood -- 9 dum dum bullets to the head.

The soldiers then set their dogs on him, which tore most of the

flesh off him on his stomach and legs.  I viewed his and the

other bodies and took photos -- half his head was gone, his skin

was gone in most areas, his limbs broken.

For five hours the ambulances were prevented from collecting

the bodies, which lay in a field.  One tried, and got shot at.

I'm coming back to America in a week and can't wait to see you

all -- Rebecca