GUSH SHALOM pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 www.gush-shalom.org

[Here follow an action report and two articles. They have in common that each touches upon one of the nightmares of the Israeli government: the growing refusal to serve the occupation; the possibility that talking peace may be unavoidable; the chance that Vanunu will open his mouth.]*

Among the crowd were parents and grandparents and siblings and some girlfriends of the prisoners. Dr. Gadi Elgazi was there, who was sentenced to a year back in 1981 and got pardoned after half a year of intensive campaigning. And quite a few refusnik prisoners from more recent years. Yoni Ben Artzi had come - set free just a few days ago after a year and half behind bars, with the military authorities apparently about to grant him the long-denied CO status. If the army intended to create a split in the refusers' ranks by making this gesture at the same time that the Five were dealt with so harshly, it failed - Ben Artzi was warmly greeted and congratulated.

There were also quite a few potential prisoners, on whom the next steps in the struggle may depend. Many signatories of the Shministim (high school seniors) letter of refusal were there. Some of them, scheduled for conscription within a few months, were especially indignant and defiant: "The judges wanted to frighten us by imposing such a long term on the Five. Well, we are not frightened of prison, they will soon see we're not!". This was followed by the familiar strains of "No thank you, Mr. Sharon/Go yourself to Hebron/damn your schemes all to Hell/off we go to prison cell".

"Stop - Apartheid Ahead" was the big banner of Yesh Gvul, and Courage to Refuse had "Refusal to the Occupation is Zionism". And there were smaller, hand-painted signs: "Long live the refusers", "We are all refusers", "Release the refusers - imprison the ministers!". A big rainbow flag fluttered above, with the big word "Pace" - Italian for "Peace". "These flags were all over Europe during the Iraq War and later, we should have some here too" said the activist who brought it.

An excited shout on the megaphone: "Look at the guard tower on the right, and the white shack near it! There are people waving over there, four or five!" Were they our five? And then, waving from another part of the prison complex, identified by a former prisoner as the officers' enclosure. That might have been reserve Captain Dan Tamir, imprisoned for refusal to go to the West Bank. (Except for the famous Five, there are six reservists in the military prison, on terms of 28 or 35 days each).

"I know how it feels to be in there and see a demonstration up here on the mountain. I know what a wonderful warm feeling of support it gives" said Yigal Rosenberg, who spent several months at prison 6 in 2002."The military court imposed a whole year's imprisonment on the five who refused to take part in occupation and oppression. Soldiers who shot unarmed Palestinians to death got a suspended sentence - if they were prosecuted at all. Those who killed a five-year old child at Nablus last week were not even investigated, much less punished" said Yishai Menuchin of Yesh Gvul.

"The army hopes that after the immediate media upsurge, these five young people will be forgotten behind the prison wall. We will not let them be forgotten, we will maintain an ongoing campaign in the country and all over the world, we will not give the military and civil authorities a moment of rest" said Alex Ma'or, father of the imprisoned Adam Ma'or; he also called upon those present to keep up to date on the struggle by regularly visiting the new website - http://www.refuz.org.il - of the Refusers' Parents Forum.

*The above report of the protest is one of three items in the Gush Shalom e-mail. More complete information is on the website http://www.gush-shalom.org. Perhaps the easiest way to be regularly informed by them is to join their mailing list by writing and asking to be signed on -- G.S.

Sincerely,
George