Ann Petter Update after Court Date

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT
July 15, 2004
For Immediate Release

Supreme Court Returns Case of Detained American Peace Activist to District Court
Judge to View Secret Evidence and Make Further Judgment on Case

Contact: Nirit at +972 54 792 3082 or Ady at +972 54 643 1972

[Jerusalem] In a hearing today in Israeli Supreme Court, Judges Barak,
Naor, and Adiel returned the case of American peace activist, Ann Petter,
who was denied entry to Israel and has been in detention for twenty-two
days, to the Tel Aviv District Court. The Judges ruled that the State of
Israel must submit secret evidence for District Court Judge Mudrik to view
and develop his decision in this matter. The State requested that Petter
be held responsible for paying the State's legal expenses. Petter will
remain in detention until her next hearing date, to be announced.

While the State has the right to determine who is allowed into the
country, it is yet to be determined whether the State has right to bar
entry to people who intend to participate in protests. Moreover, Petter's
case raises questions regarding Israel's right to bar international peace
workers from protesting in Palestinian territories.

Petter participated in a peace march last year organized by the
International Solidarity Movement (ISM), which is a Palestinian-led
movement working for Palestinian freedom and an end to the Israeli
occupation.

In Petter's case and others, the State has attempted to delegitimize the
ISM by routinely arresting volunteers engaged in non-violent protest and
by deporting anyone who the State suspects of being affiliated with the
organization. This week, two other peace activists were refused entry and
are in State detention in Ben Gurion airport - Christine Grefer, a
46-year-old social studies teacher from Holland and Jamie Spector, 32, a
Jewish-American social worker from San Francisco. It is rare for the
Jewish state to ban a Jew from entering.

Israeli Member of Knesset, Roman Bronfman, visited the three peace
activists to inform them of his efforts to protest the policy of denying
ISM volunteers and other peace activists entry into the country. Bronfman
has asked for a meeting with the Director of Israel's Security Services,
Avi Dichter.