BLOGS

Blogs

HAMAS MUST RENOUNCE VIOLENCE!

April 10, 2006

In News

From: A. Abu-Srour
To: Alrowwad Theatre
Sent: Sunday, April 09, 2006 6:56 PM
Subject: news from Aida Camp – nouvelles de Camp Aida

Israeli occupation soldiers during this whole week continued their harassement to Aida camp inhabitants, with tear gas, rubber bullets, taking hostages and shooting 3 kids 11-13 years old (one of them is a deaf-mute child) with rubber bullets in the head and abdomen, and provocative actions throug the loud speakers of their armored jeeps.

On thursday, 2 workers on the popular committee went to a store to take out some of their equipment to start working in one of the job creation projects i the camp. It was an Israeli soldier who opened the door and the weapon pointed at them ordered them to come in. The director of the Camp, who is a UNRWA employee, with another employee went to check what happened (the building is just next to their office), they were also taken hostage… so another UNRWA employee called the UNRWA direction and 2 hours later, the UNRWA employees were released however, Mustafa jamil Abusrour, and Mustafa Shawkat Malash were kept hostages.

We went to see and ‘negotiate’ the liberation of the hostages, and took a glance where the soldiers hide, and they were painted black on their faces. We asked if they had any responsible to talk with, the answer was “go home”. around 2 hours later, a military jeep came in from the militray point occupyin the Mosque of Bilal Ibn Rabah (transformed into a synagogue after 1967 occupation and renamed Rachel Tomb) and passed back and forth, no body moved, and they didn’t say anything… then the jeeb went into the camp, and made several tours, and then on the other end of the camp we heard some shooting. It was tear gas and rubber bullets…

Anyway, about 6 hours later, the 2 hostages were released and the soldiers went out of the building… it seemed that they used it as a hiding place to surprise the kids and to watch on the building of the new illegal wall and new Synagogue to the east of Aida, south of the mosque Bilal ibn Rabah..

The most provocative today and tonight (april 8th) after they assasinated a “wanted” palestinian in Bethlehem, the jeep entered the camp, near the girls school (few meters from the illegal apratheid wall), and the another one near the intercontinental hotel. According to soemone living in that place, one of those arrogant soldiers starts shouting in a shameless tune:

“Come out to me inhabitants of Aida… Come out and take your dose”

The soldier next to him was telling the one who was shooting what to shoot… once tear gas, another time rubber bullets…
Some of the kids gathered a bit far, and threw stones at them, but they were not even close to the jeeb, but the shooting and tear gas continued.

At around 4:30 p.m, a mother of a twin girls who were in the theatre rehearsals called at the center, and asked me not to let the girls leave the center, because the army was just shooting tear gas near the school where their house also is located…. and life contines… and we continue to write… and you continue to read… how long would that continue…. how long before those who have some authority in this world excerce their authority to force such gangesters and bandits to stop their crimes against the humans that we are, and against the humanity itself? can one help us with an answer?

wishing you a better day and a better night, and a better week than the one had…

AbdelFattah Abu-Srour, PhD
Director of Al-Rowwad Cultural and Theatre Training Center