Online Petition to Defend Jonathan Rapoport, 24 August 01

IMC Journalist Johnathan Rapoport Needs Your Help, 24 August 01

Jonathan Rapoport remains stranded in \"Area A\" Palestine. He has been granted temporary asylum by the Palestinian National Authority, but he is unable to travel onward to a third country because of the boarder closures by the IDF. Ultimately, he fears that the IDF will enter \"Area A\" in an attempt to arrest him. We believe, based on our own expert knowledge of the region, that if he is captured by the Israel authorities, he will be imprisoned, beaten, tortured and possibly killed by the police. In addition to the threat presented by the police, the settler movement in Israel will most certainly kill him either on the street or in jail. Since Palestine doesn\'t have normal political relations, there are no embassies that he can go to in order to claim asylum. For instance, he would have to go to Tel Aviv to seek refuge in the Embassy Denmark. We believe that this is far too dangerous. In all likelihood, the reactionaries will attempt to lure him out of \"Area A\" so he can be arrested by Shabak [Israel Internal Security]. It will therefore be necessary to induce diplomatic efforts on his behalf to take place inside \"Area A\".

As contributing journalists to the IMC, we all have some obligation to defend Jonathan Rapoport\'s life and to seek the conflict through to a just and correct conclusion. I, therefore, have published the following online petition and hope that contributing IMC journalists will copy it and mail it to the following organizations. Cick on the URL below and then paste the letter at the bottom into the email window.

Click Here:

To contact the folowing organizations:

Cut and Paste the Following Message in to the pop-up mail window:

Petition to Defend IMC Journalist Jonathan Rapoport

It has recently come to my attention that Jonathan Rapoport, an Israeli citizen, and a contributing journalist to the Indymedia [IMC-Israel], was recently attacked, beaten and tortured by Israel Defence Forces personel after he attempted to board a flight departing Israel to Frankfurt Germany. He was later arrested and forcibly inducted into the IDF. Mr. Rapoport was granted a 24 hour leave to obtain a heart medication that he needed, whereupon, he disguised himself as a Palestinian house cleaner and fled to \"Area A\" under Palestinian National Authority control.

Mr. Rapoport is a conscientious objector to war and wishes to take no part in the recent repression of al-Aqsa Intifada by the Israel Defence Forces. Instead, he wishes to seek political asylum in a third country, preferably Denmark.

Mr. Rapoport has been granted temporary asylum by the Palestinian National Authority, but remains stranded in \"Area A\". He fears that he may be murdered by IDF personnel. He certainly faces long term imprisonment and torture in an Israel prison. We agree that his life would be in grave danger if he were to be returned to Israel.

As contributing journalists to the Indymedia Collective, we urge you and your organization to do all you can to aid Mr. Rapoport in seeking asylum in a third country and to defend him against possible murder, torture and wrongful imprisonment by Israel authorities.

Yours truly,

Majdur, Marxist-Leninist Newswire