Oaxaca, Tuesday, October 28, 2003

Friends:

      I was reminded again today that,

      A very short time ago I learned from Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc) that a good friend, aged American journalist and author John Ross, was viciously attacked yesterday by young Israeli settlers. The account I received, and my response, follow:

Dear Rabbi Ascherman,

      This morning I got the following message, forwarded to me by Gush Shalom.

------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: "Rabbis for Human Rights" <info@rhr.israel.net>
Date sent: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 15:47:00 +0200

Pictures available!!

This morning RHR [Rabbis for Human Rights] delegation was attacked by settlers while documenting cut trees [emphasis added - G.S.]. Well known journalist John Ross age 66 is on his way to Beilinson hospital. RHR executive director Rabbi Arik Ascherman was also bitten, along with activist David Nir. Dalya Bones was threatened. The delegation arrived at Ein Abus after receiving word that hundreds of trees have been cut down there and in the village of Isawiya. Five young settlers, some of them with their faces covered, descended with clubs. Rabbi Ascherman and David Nir were kicked with clubs and stones. They took Rabbi Ascherman's Kipa (head cover) and said that this was their land. After leaving Ascherman and Nir, they saw a Palestinian family. The family ran away but they saw John Ross and started biting him. They turned back to Ascherman when he came to save Ross. Ascherman held him at his stand off until they retreated because the police were arriving. Ross is on his way to Beilinson while Ascherman and Nir are on their way to make a complaint in the Ariel Police office.

For further details:
Rabbi Ascherman: 050-607034
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      More terrible news! John Ross is a personal friend, a well-known author as well as a journalist, who wrote to me only two days ago. I won't repeat here the terrifying information he sent. You of course know it, even better than he does. I was just about to write back when the above message arrived. Please tell John that Nancy and I are thinking about him, and hoping he wasn't badly injured.

      He is a really courageous man (as are all of you), a man no longer in good physical health, who went to Baghdad to be a human shield, remained there throughout the worst of the bombardment, and is now again taking a serious personal risk, this time confronting young Israeli fascist settlers, some of them hidden behind face covers, with clubs and boots and stones.

      I am going to do everything within my power to inform American public opinion, and especially that of those many American Jews who mistakenly consider themselves "supporters of Israel", on what the Israeli government is really doing, a government which, if it could get away with it, would readily buy -- with American "aid" or "loans" of course -- the now-unused ovens of the Third Reich to implement its own "final solution." A total tragedy not only for the immediate victims, the Palestinian Arab population in the occupied territories, but for all the world's Jewish people, who will inevitably be the subjects of a bloody harvest.

      Thank you very much for all your efforts to bring a human face and human compassion to this enormous tragedy. Please send me further details about John Ross's encounter and about his condition.

Sincerely yours,
George