Apology issued by Israeli Embassy in Dublin

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Saturday September 08, 2007 16:39

by Mairead corrigan Maguire - Peace People

gassed and shot in Bi'lin

SUMMARY

Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Ann Patterson were invited to Dublin on Monday last, 3 September, by the Israeli Ambassador, Dr Zion Evrony. The Ambassador apologised on behalf of the Israeli Government for the assault and injury caused by Israeli soldiers to the two peace workers in Bil'in last April.

In accepting the apology, Ms Maguire asked that the human rights of Palestinians to non-violent protest be respected and upheld. She also asked that Israel engage in talks with Hamas.

FULL STORY

Mairead Corrigan Maguire (Nobel Peace Laureate) and co-worker Ann Patterson, today (Monday) met with His Excellency Dr. Zion Evrony, Ambassador of Israel to Ireland. The meeting took place in the Israeli Embassy in Dublin.

Dr. Evrony conveyed to both women an Apology on behalf of the Israeli Government for the Israeli Military’s assault upon them which took place on 20th April, 2007. During a peaceful demonstration in Bil’in both women were gassed and Ms. Maguire was shot in the leg with a rubber coated steel bullet by an Israeli soldier at a distance of 20 metres.

The women were taking part in a nonviolent peaceful vigil together with Palestinian villagers, international peace activists, and Palestinian and European parliamentarians. Bil’in is threatened by the proposed route of the Wall through the village, combined with potential expansion of the nearby settlement of Modi’in Illit. The impact of this Wall on the village will be severe, including loss of village land and restriction of freedom of movement for the villagers.

Every Friday villagers attempt to carry out a vigil near the Wall in order to protest the continuation of the building of this illegal wall and the annexation of their land (under International Law this wall is illegal) but they are constantly abused by Israeli military firing gas, metal bullets, and water canon at unarmed resisters.

Mrs. Maguire said ‘I accept the apology from the Israeli Government and thank Ambassador Evrony for meeting with myself and my colleague Ann Patterson. However, I would like to know further what kind of gas is being used. She also asked for an assurance that the human rights of the Palestinian people to nonviolent protest, against the building of this illegal wall on their land, be respected and upheld.’

HOLD PEACE TALKS WITH HAMAS

Mrs. Maguire expressed her hope and belief that peace between Israel/Palestine is possible and can be achieved through nonviolent conflict resolution. She said it was her hope that the Israeli Government would include Hamas in Peace talks, and that all parties, both state and nonstate, would put up their arms, and use the means of nonviolence and dialogue as the way to peace for the Israeli and Palestinian people. ‘

Mairead Corrigan Maguire
Nobel Peace Laureate
Peace People, 224 Lisburn Road, Belfast. BT9 (Tel: 90.663465)
www.peacepeople.com

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Comments (1 of 1)

Good news up to a point

by Justin Morahan

Sat Sep 08, 2007 19:43

An apology is always welcome and shows signs of civilization dwelling somewhere within an aggressor. Acceptance of an apology in a case of assault as serious as this one (See link: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/82119?&condense_comment...92681) is something so big as not to be expected of ordinary humans. Think Jesus, Gandhi, King.

Mairead and Ann, by accepting this apology you have become another example of satyagraha or truth force.

This apology was issued only days before a Supreme Court (Israel) ruling on the very issue that Ann and Mairead were protesting about - Bil'in. According to a Gush Shalom ad in Haaretz newspaper yesterday, the Supreme Court ordered the wall at Bil'in to be re-routed and land stolen from the Palestinians to be returned to them. The ruling came after 135 non-violent Friday demonstrations at the Bil'n wall. Though sometimes agents provocateurs tried to blemish the peaceful character of the protests, and although sometimes children threw stones contrary to the wishes of the organisors, they kept their non-violent character intact.

You, Mairead and Ann, along with your Jewish and international friends are partly responsible for this good news from Bil'in. Together you have stood by your Palestinian sisters and brothers and have helped them to earn a modicum of hope and relief in their struggle for justice and truth.

The news from Bil'in is not all good however. In the same ad by the (Jewish) Human Rights group, Gush Shalom, it records that the Supreme Court also gave legal confirmation to a settlement housing project that was built illegally on Bil'in land. The ad points out that the message to these illegal Israeli settlers is "Build quickly! Create facts!" - and the Court will approve retrospectively "all that you succeed in stealing!"

So, in spite of remedying one injustice, the Supreme Court encourages another one, almost identical in kind, to continue and rubber stamps it before it happens.

Which brings back the apology by the State of Israel to Ann and Mairead. If an apology is genuine, the wrongdoing will not be repeated. If the State of Israel is genuinely sorry that two non-violent peace protestors were savaged by soldiers of Israel's army while acting non-violently (as Mairead and Ann always have done on peaceful protest)s, surely the State of Israel will end this horrendous practice of gassing and shooting peaceful protestors in any part of Israel. A fortiori, they will stop shooting or killing defenceless Palestinian children in their homes. They have taken a welcome first step. Let us see the depth of their sincerity.

And another thing: peaceful protestors should not be violently attacked by the agents of any State. We have seen that Ireland is guilty of having allowed its law forces to abuse and batter peaceful demonstrators not once but on numerous occasions. No apology has been offered, as far as I know, for the May Day assaults or for the numerous assaults at Bellanaboy. This is an absolute disgrace and every Irish citizen should write to the Minister for Justice demanding that the scenes we have witnessed on TV and private videos will never be repeated. Israel has taken a first step, Ireland, stand up and own up to your crimes.

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Apology issued by Israeli Embassy in Dublin

Comments (1 of 1)