Please keep calling re: Trevor and others

Last night we went to bed thinking that Trevor, Nathan, Nathan, and Tom had all been put on planes back to the US (deported by the Israeli State). This morning, we found out that that is not the case- possibly because Israel wants the Americans to pay for their own deportation. Keep calling to ask about where they are being held, why Nathan, Nathan, and Tom’s families are being told they have to pay for their tickets to the US (the agreement that they would not be deported.

Tuesday Update -

Trevor just called - 10:15 am EST.
He has not been deported. He was told by the Embassy he would be deported
two days ago. The Embassy demanded the four men's parents pay their tickets
home. The parents refused. The four are still in prison.
Trevor has his original return ticket home to Seattle for Friday, May 17.
The officials have known this the entire time, and done nothing to change
his flight.

They have continuously taken back every agreement that has been made.

They have split up the four American men. Trevor is now in a cell only with
Tom K.
All four continue their hunger strike.
The other 7 internationals who were in the church are being treated
separately. They are supposedly all on their way home.
Two days ago when the four were told by the Embassy that they were fed up
and that they were being deported, the four men agreed.
They are not "free to go" as the Embassy continues to tell us.
Because the Embassy continues to lie, Trevor has asked them not to tell
people the status of his case. If you have to know something, he suggested
asking about the case of fellow American prisoner, Nathan Musselman.

Trevor asked that we berate the Embassy with calls, demanding that they
arrange the four men's flights home.
The parents should not be forced to pay for an illegal deportation. AND,
Trevor has already paid a ticket home.

Here are the numbers, once again:

Ed McKean - US Embassy - 011 972 3519 7551
Nica Cleaverly US Embassy - American Citizens Services
011 972 3519 7479
These are the direct lines that we have been flooding. Please continue to
call until we see Trevor in the US

Congressman Jim McDermott 206-553-7170
Senator Patty Murray 206-553-5545
Senator Maria Cantwell 202-224-3441

Contiune pressuring them to call the state dept and the embassy to bring
trevor home.

trevor sounded okay on the phone.

in strength,
sonja

Hello everybody,

I just got off the phone with the ISM's Georgina. She
is worried and so is Tom's mother because they feel
the Embassy is not being forthright with them. The
men have now been taken to isolated cells which
Georgina says they were told would not happen.

Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke out over the weekend about
the detention of Dr. Riad Abdelkarim (see
ocregister.com) and I alerted the Chicago office
Monday to the situation of the ISM people, stressing
the fact that Tom is from the Chicago area (Lake
Forest). Georgina missed a call from them in the
middle of the night but we do know they're trying to
get in touch. I left another message with Jackson's
secretary just a moment ago.

I think it's important for people calling on Nathan's
behalf to stress that Nathan was in Area A which is
Palestinian territory. He had every right to be there
on a humanitarian mission. Israel is not sovereign
there and so the Embassy and State should be pushing
for his return to Area A. I spoke to the political
officer at the Israeli desk at State yesterday and he
said this concern had not been raised...and I got the
distinct impression that it would not be. He also
contested the humanitarian nature of the mission
saying, Maybe they got in a Snickers bar or two. Our
tax money at work... Please raise this with your
elected officials. Members of Congress can be reached
by calling the Congressional switchboard at
202-225-3121 and 224-3121. Then simply ask for your
Representative or Senator.

Best regards,

Michael Brown
Partners for Peace


just spoke with ed mkeon at us embassy, 7:20 pm israel time, 9:20 am pacific

he said trevor had waived [i think he meant invoked] his privacy act rights
and therefore he, ed, could not discuss trevor's case with me.

it was all very poliite and cordial and full of rhetoric. ug.

i said fine, i just am calling to know what you will be doing to make sure
that trevor and the other americans will be brought home *today*, since
they were told by the embassy and the prison that they would be brought
home at 1:30 am last night.

he said he didn't think that they would be brought home today, he
backpedaled on the privacy thing, and he said that they were being held
because the embassy was still arranging tickets.

so i i asked again, saying that no, i didn't want specifics of his CASE but
rather what they would be doing etc (see above), and i added especially
since trevor has a pre-paid ticket already.

he said that "that wasn't his information."

again i urged him, etc, and said we'd be calling him back. he said fine.

so, i suggest we call him on that now, saying ok, fine, we don't need to
discuss their case. we want to know why the families are being told they
have to pay for the tickets. what exactly changed? why? stress trevor's
ticket, and as per the last message, ask about the other men.

-EH