Israel als Schurkenstaat 12

Redactie

Mevrouw Verbeet brengt vanaf 5 maart een bezoek aan Israël en de Westbank.
Bijgaand de verzoeken van 4 organisaties aan Mevrouw Verbeet. Wij sturen u
de info toe zodat u op de hoogte bent en er aandacht aan kan schenken
Vriendelijke groeten


Geachte mevrouw Verbeet,

Begin maart brengt U als voorzitter van het Nederlandse parlement een
officieel bezoek aan Israël en de bezette Palestijnse gebieden. In Israël
hebt u de vrijheid te spreken met diverse Knessetleden. Helaas is het niet
mogelijk op dezelfde voet gesprekken te voeren met de leden van het
Palestijnse parlement. Dat kan onder de huidige omstandigheden niet in één
vergadering bijeen komen, en bovendien wordt een aantal
parlementariërs door Israël gevangen gehouden.

Wij verzoeken U echter met klem om wel een gesprek te voeren met Uw
collega, de voorzitter van het Palestijnse parlement Aziz Dweik. Na drie
jaar verblijf in een Israëlische gevangenis werd hij in juni vorig jaar op
de Westelijke Jordaanoever vrijgelaten. Indertijd protesteerde de huidige
voorzitter van de Eerste Kamer, René van der Linden (CDA) fel tegen de
Israëlische arrestatie van Dweik omdat deze "als democratisch gekozen
parlementslid immuniteit geniet".

De heer Dweik, gepromoveerd aan de prestigieuze universiteit van
Pennsylvania, behoort tot de gematigde vleugel van de partij die de
laatste parlementsverkiezingen won, Hamas. Hij verklaarde onlangs over de
oproep in het Handvest van Hamas om een Palestijnse staat te vestigen in
heel oorspronkelijke Palestina: "Niets dan een droom en onrealistisch".
Parlementsvoorzitter Dweik is nooit beschuldigd van terroristische
activiteiten. In een bijlage I vindt U voor uw oriëntatie op een gesprek
uitgebreide documentatie over hem.

Israël beroept zich er op ‘de enige democratie in het Midden-Oosten’ te
zijn. Noblesse oblige. Wij vragen U daarom, om in uw contacten met leden
van de Knesset er op aan te dringen dat Israël zijn bijdrage levert aan
het herstel van de parlementaire democratie in de bezette Palestijnse
gebieden. Dit betekent dat:

1. u aandacht vraagt voor de vrijlating door Israël van alle nu nog
gevangen zittende parlementariërs van Hamas (in 2007 heeft Israël 44
gekozen parlementariërs en drie ministers gearresteerd; velen zijn na
jaren gevangenschap geleidelijk aan vrijgelaten, maar niet allen; volgens
de laatste ons bekende gegevens worden nog 14 parlementsleden gevangen
gehouden)
2. u er op aandringt dat in de toekomst niet zoals in het verleden door
Israël aan Palestijnse parlementariërs reisbeperkingen en andere
belemmeringen worden opgelegd die het samenkomen in één vergadering
beletten; voorheen kon het Palestijnse parlement om die reden slechts
vergaderen middels een videoconferentie tussen Gaza en Ramallah..
3. u uw afkeuring formuleert over de verwoesting door Israël van het
parlementsgebouw en van ministeries in Gazastad tijdens de laatste oorlog
tegen Gaza, daden die niet te rijmen zijn met het democratisch statuur dat
Israël nastreeft.
4. u er op wijst dat ook de vrijlating van Marwan Barghouti een
belangrijke impuls kan geven aan een opleving van de
democratisch-politieke processen
5. u wijst op het recht op politieke expressie van verzet tegen de bezetting.
6. u er bij de Knesset krachtig op aandringt dat de Palestijnen als
individu hun wettige politieke en burgerrechten kunnen uitoefenen,
ongehinderd door de vele obstakels van allerlei aard, fysiek zowel als
bureaucratisch, die de bezetting van de Palestijnse gebieden door Israël
opwerpt.

Genoemde thema’s behelzen het recht van de Palestijnse natie zich
politiek te uiten. Tevens is er op langere termijn een groot belang mee
gemoeid voor de vrede, veiligheid en het democratisch aanzien van Israël.




Dat brengt ons er toe uw aandacht voor een laatste punt te vragen. Er ligt
van staatswege veel druk op kritische stemmen in Israel zelf (bijlage II).
Wij zijn daar zeer bezorgd over. Wilt u daarom mede namens ons de
boodschap overbrengen

7. dat de vitaliteit van het democratisch proces gebaat is bij een sterke
positie van groeperingen en bij waardering voor individuen die het
handelen van de eigen staat en samenleving ter discussie stellen, en dat
hierin de garantie besloten ligt, dat een natie het contact met de
omgeving behoudt.

Dit is geheel en al in lijn met hetgeen u hebt opgemerkt in uw toespraak
op 14 mei 2008 in het World Forum Convention Center te Den Haag tijdens de
viering van het 60 jarig bestaan van de staat Israel.

Weet u gesteund door de gedachte dat de vier organisaties die U deze brief
sturen, met grote belangstelling en actief Uw verrichtingen in Israël en
Palestina zullen volgen.

Met verschuldigde hoogachting,





Jaap Hamburger, voorzitter van Een Ander Joods Geluid (EAJG)
Galit Saporta, voorzitter van Gate48, Platform voor Kritische Israëli's in
Nederland
Sietse Bosgra, secretaris van het Nederlands Instituut
Palestina-Israël(NIPI)
Jan Slomp, voorzitter van het Steuncomité Israëlische Vredes- en
Mensenrechten Organisaties (SIVMO)


BIJLAGE 1


Levensloop
Dr. Aziz Salem Murtada Dweik "Abu Hashem" was born on December 1, 1948. He
earned a bachelor's degree in geography in Jordan and a master's in
education from Bethlehem University. Studying on a U.S.-backed
scholarship, Dweik earned a master's in urban planning at State University
of New York in Binghamton. From 1985 to 1988, once again on a U.S. grant,
he earned a master's and doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in
Philadelphia in the US. He praised Philadelphia as his favorite U.S.
city.
Dweik held several positions, mainly: Head of the Geography Department at
al-Najah University in Nablus, Head of the Higher Education Committee of
several charitable institutions, member in Scientific Research Committee
at al-Najah University. is the founder of Geography Department at al-Najah
University. He acted as Public Relations Official at the Patients Friend
Society and he had a leading role in supervising several Masters theses
and PhD dissertations. Dweik has several publications including the
"Palestinian Society" book.
Dweik is married and father of seven children. He was arrested in the
Israeli occupation prisons five times in a row
Verkiezing als lid parlement en daarna als voorzitter parlement
Dweik was elected as a Hamas MP representing Hebron in the southern West
Bank during the second-ever Palestinian legislative polls on January 25,
2006. Hamas has 74 MPs in the 132-parliament and Fatah 45, with the rest
of the deputies belonging to smaller factions.
The EU paid for the Palestinian elections. The U.S., too, pushed for
democratic elections knowing the political platform of Hamas.he P
Aziz Duweik, a Hamas MP, was named PLC Speaker at the first session of the
newly elected parliament with 70 votes. The ballot came after President
Mahmoud Abbas delivered a speech before the 132-seat parliament, a
majority of them Hamas members. Hamas has been asked by Abbas to form the
next cabinet. Dweik was the only nominee for the important portfolio.

Visie van Dweik
In verkiezingscampagne: Dweik was careful to dissociate himself from the
military actions carried out by Hamas.
NRC 29/6/06: Ministers als de in Amerika gepromoveerde Omar Tareq en
parlementsvoorzitter Dweik worden beschouwd als gematigde Hamasleden,
omdat zij voor de oprichting van een Palestijnse staat naast Israël zijn
en bereid zijn Israël te erkennen.
Dweik was sworn in as Speaker of the House on 29 March 2006. During the
proceedings he said: "A hungry man is an angry man [...] We hope the world
will not allow the Palestinian people to suffer, because this will only
make people more radical." He also said: "My message to Israel is to put
an end to the occupation, and then there will be no fighting."
Al Ahram: Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Aziz Dweik, just
released from an Israeli detention centre, has called for "immediate
reconciliation" between Fatah and Hamas, saying the rift between the two
factions was inflicting incalculable damage on the Palestinian national
cause.
Na zijn vrijlating: Dweik has told journalists that he views the Hamas
charter's call for the creation of a Palestinian state in all of
Palestine, including Israel, to be "nothing but a dream, and unrealistic,"
and he believes that Hamas is aiming for the establishment of a
Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. He has never been accused of
involvement in terrorism. His primary focus since his release from prison
has been reconciling the Hamas and Fatah factions who have been engaged in
acivil conflict, the result of which has been a split in the ruling PNA
government, with Hamas ruling in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank. 30 juni
2009: Dweik, who is thought to be a member of Hamas’ moderate wing, has
stressed a message of unity since he gained his freedom. He told reporters
on Sunday that he “stands between” Hamas and Abbas’ Fatah movement.

Arrestatie
Aziz Dweik, also a key member of Hamas, which controls the government, was
held after 20 Israeli vehicles surrounded his home in Ramallah.
Dweik was arrested by Israel on 29 June 2006 as part of Israel's Operation
Summer Rains. He was later released and then rearrested 6 August 2006.
Dweik says he was severely beaten while in custody, and his lawyers say
that he was held in unsanitary conditions. Dweik (along with a number of
other Palestinian ministers and parliament members) was imprisoned in
spite of his parliamentary immunity. Israel currently holds some 9,260
Palestinian prisoners, according to Palestinian figures. (June 2009)


Echtgenote Dweik: “Detaining Aziz Dweik was illegal. The Palestinian
people chose him in elections to be the speaker of the Palestinian
parliament. In every other country Parliamentarians are VIPs, they have
diplomatic immunity. He shouldn’t have been in prison."
"The Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly president, René van der
Linden, slammed yesterday Israel's arrest of the speaker of the
Palestinian legislative council, Aziz Dweik, and called for his immediate
release. 'All legitimately elected parliamentarians enjoy parliamentary
immunity unless and until they are divested of it by their own
parliaments,' Van den Linden said."
In de Globe and Mail verslag van een gesprek met Dweik in de winter
1991-92: "While the Hamas charter specifically calls for a Palestinian
state to be created in all the land of Palestine, including Israël, Dr.
Dweik said he considered that nothing but a dream, and unrealistic. He
also carefully dissociated himself from the military actions that had been
carried out in Hamas's name. No one ever accused Dr. Dweik of any
involvement in such acts of terror."
He was released last Tuesday and agreed to see me after midday prayers on
Friday. Since Mahmoud Abbas's term officially expired in January, Dr.
Dweik should now be the acting president, the reasoning goes. Elections
are now set for next January 2009 and Dr. Dweik is quite content to let
Mr. Abbas remain in office until then. He had nothing but praise for the
Fatah leader, a good start on his way to reconciling the warring factions.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/mideast-notebook/fancy-that-a-moderate-in-hamas/article1200923/

Zwakke gezondheid
On account of this poor health Dweik was sentenced to 36 months
imprisonement
Augustus 2006: De voorzitter van het Palestijnse parlement, die in Israël
wordt gevangen gehouden, is maandagavond in Jeruzalem gehospitaliseerd
nadat hij hartklachten had. Dat meldt het Israëlische leger.
De Interparlementaire Unie eiste in mei 2007 in een resolutie de
vrijlating van Dweik In de resolutie wordt er op gewezen dat Dweik "is
held in solidary confinement in a small prison cell measuring 1,8 by 4
metres, full of creeping insects".
18-7-08 Dans un communiqué de presse, le CLP a déclaré que M. Dweik avait
subi jeudi une intervention chirurgicale dans l’hôpital de la prison d'Al
Ramla et que sont état de santé est toujours mauvais. Son état de santé a
commencé à se détériorer il y a trois mois. Depuis plus de 2 mois, il est
resté dans l'hôpital de la prison qui ne possède pas le matériel
nécessaire puisque les autorités israéliennes refusent de l’autoriser à
être hospitalisé dans un hôpital spécialisé.



The attorney visited Dr Dweik on Wednesday in Ramla's prison hospital,
where he was told by doctors that Dr Dweik has lost 10 kilogrammes in
weight since last month and is suffering from anemia due to the diabetes
he developed whilst in jail. Ramla's prison doctors have attributed the
spread of anemia amongst prisoners to their poor prison diet.
Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The imprisoned speaker of the Palestinian Legislative
Council (PLC) underwent surgery on Friday despite Israeli delays and
"medical negligence," according to the de facto speaker in the Gaza Strip.
Dr. Aziz Duweik has been imprisoned for the past 28 months in an Israeli
jail even though he has been "long suffering due to medical negligence by
the Israeli prison authorities," the de facto PLC office in Gaza said on
Friday. According to a statement sent to Ma’an, Duweik underwent surgery
inside the Ramla detention facility to remove kidney stones on Friday.
Ahmad Bahar, the deputy PLC speaker in Gaza, denounced the continued
imprisonment of Duweik and the "harsh treatment by Israeli soldiers
there," holding them "fully responsible if something happens to him. Dweik
was operated 25 December 2008 to remove kidney stones. As operation was
unsuccessful he had to be operated again, high blood pressure, diabetes.
Beschuldiging
Ruling issued by the Israeli Military Court of Aufer on Tuesday, December
16 2008, sentencing Dr. Aziz El-Duweik, Head of the Palestinian
Legislative Council, to prison for three years on charges of affiliation
with the "Change and Reform" Bloc representing Hamas in the Palestinian
Legislative Council.
As many as 35 Hamas lawmakers are still in Israeli custody as Israeli
military courts gave them jail sentences ranging between three and four
years for taking part in "illegal elections" not okayed by the occupying
power.
The main “crime” committed by these elected Palestinian officials, people
like Professor Aziz Duweik, the Speaker of the Palestinian parliament, is
that they took part in an “illegal election”! Well, this is really a big
lie since the 2006-Palestinian elections were okayed by both Israel, under
the premiership of Ariel Sharon, and the Bush Administration.
Israël accepted the participation of Hamas in the elections.





Vrijlating
Dweik was released in early July 2009 to a huge public show of support,
including from Fatah.
Dweik, 60, arrived at a military checkpoint outside the city of Tulkarem
in the north of the occupied West Bank after his release from Hadarim
prison near Tel Aviv, greeted by a horde of reporters. His release comes
after a military tribunal at the Ofer military base near Ramallah rejected
an application by prosecutors to keep Dweik behind bars after his
three-year sentence ran out.
At the At-Tayba military checkpoint Dweik was received by a large
delegation of political supporters from both Fatah and Hamas including
Palestinian lawmaker and Minister of Prisoners Affairs in the caretaker
government Issa Qaraqi’a and the governor of Tulkarem Talal Dweikat.
Notably president Mahmoud Abbas telephoned Dweik as he arrived at the
checkpoint to congratulate him on his release. The call was followed by a
second congratulatory call from Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Dweik is a
celebrated political figure in all party ranks, and is seen as a unifying
force within Palestinian politics.
Hours after his arrival in the West Bank, Dweik addressed the public on
the steps of the PLC, and promised to work for unity. “I hold a message
from all Palestinian detainees to all the free Palestinians,” Dweik said
during the first moments of the interview, “which is to unite and work as
one hand to avoid all internal clashes.”
http://aziz-dweik-news.newslib.com/story/9145-4/
PLC Speaker Abdel-Aziz Dweik announced that he would resume his duties as
speaker on 26 July. Mr. Dweik had sent invitations to Palestinian, Arab,
and European political figures as well as PLC members of all political
parties to participate in the ceremony of reopening the PLC chambers in
Ramallah, which had been mainly closed for three years. “We want to
reactivate the PLC because we intend to unite the Palestinian people and
heal the rift between rivals," Mr. Dweik said. The announcement came a day
after former PLC Secretary-General Ibrahim Khreisha said that the term of
the PLC speaker was one year and Mr. Dweik’s term had expired while he was
imprisoned in Israel. (Ma’an News Agency)
But the Palestinian parliament speaker and senior Hamas member, Aziz
Dweik, rejected the expiration of the PLC mandate. Dr. Dweik told a news
conference held in Ramallah that article 47 of the Palestinian basic law
stipulates that the mandate of the PLC ends when new elected members swear
in. “The constitution is clear …it says the present PLC membership
continues until there will be new elections,”



Internationale actie
Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly: The detention by Israel of Mr
Aziz Dweik, Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), arrested
on 6 August 2006, as well as of approximately 40 Palestinian
parliamentarians and ministers is equally a matter of serious concern. The
Assembly stresses that these people have been legitimately elected. Text
adopted by the Assembly on 5 October 2006 (29th Sitting)
Januari 2007: Lawyer of the Mandela Institute, Bothaina Douqmaq, visited
the Dr. Aziz Dweik, the jailed head of the Palestinian Legislative Council
. Dr. Dweik said that Israel’s imprisonment of the elected legislators and
officials is a direct violation to the international law, and an attack
against the Palestinian democracy.
17 March 2007: Recommendation adopted by the Euro-Meditaranean
Parliamentarian Assembly: Condemns and expresses its utmost condemnation
at the arrest of the president of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Mr.
Aziz Dweik, of the members of the Palestinian government and of members of
the Palestinian Legislative Council, and demands their immediate release.
31 October to 3 November 2008: An 8-strong delegation of Members of the
European Parliament from 5 different groups travelled to Palestine. The
main purpose of this visit was to follow-up on the EP resolution of 4
September 2008 which welcomed the decision by the Israeli Government to
free a number of Palestinian prisoners. MEP's wanted to meet with PLC
members detained in Israeli jails in particular the Speaker of the PCL,
Dr. Aziz Dweik. Israeli authorities denied permission despite the formal
request made in due time by the President of the EP.
The EP delegation decided to go to Heradim prison and renewed its request
to meet the prisoners, a request denied by the prison authorities. The
delegation held formal interpaliamentary meetings with PLC members in
Ramallah and Gaza, from all political parties.
The speaker of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, assured his support
to the International Campaign for releasing the abducted MPs who are in
the Israeli jails for three years. He considered the abduction serious
violation to the principles of democracy. Buzek had attached the content
of the resolution of the European Parliament at 4th of December, 2008
which called for “ the immediate release of the member of the Palestine
Legislative Council”
29 augustus 2009: A delegation of "The Elders", a group formed by Nelson
Mandela, led by former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso
inclding Mrs Ela Bhatt, Dr. Gro Brundtlandt, President Jimmy Carter. Mrs.
Mary Robinson, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mrs. Mabel van Oranje had a
meeting with the President of the PLC Dr. Abdul Aziz Dweik.


7-9 December 2009: 9th Interparliamentary meeting European Paliament and
The Palestinian Legislative Council. Monday 7 December meeting with the
Speaker of the PLC, Mr. Aziz Dweik, Hebron. Dr. Aziz Dweik urged the
delegation of European lawmakers to organize an international campaign
aimed to end the blockade on the Palestinian people, their leaders and
lawmakers. The speaker highlighted to the delegation the major problems
faced by Palestinian lawmakers in the West Bank such as political arrests
and harassment in addition to other issues in the Palestinian arena. The
delegation called for strengthening the Euro-Palestinian relations in
order to end the European state of ignorance about the suffering of the
Palestinian people.

Verstandhouding met Abbas
2008: According to PA sources, Abbas asked Olmert to release more
Palestinian prisoners including , surprisingly, Aziz Duweik, the
Hamas-affiliated speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
The moment he is released he will not hesitate to open serious talks for
rapprochement with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who also trusts
Duweik.
6/28/2009 - Ramallah – Ma'an – The recently released speaker of the
Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Aziz Dweik said on Sunday that he is
close to both of the rival factions Hamas and Fatah, and hopes that they
reach reconciliation.... With regard to an expected meeting between him
and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Dweik said, "It is natural that I
will meet with the beloved Abu Mazen since the relationship between the
PLC and the Palestinian president should be complementary rather than
competitive, and those who think it is a competitive
relationship are mistaken."
1-7-09 President Mahmoud Abbas met with the Legislative Council speaker
Aziz Dweik in Ramallah at noon on Tuesday (yesterday), making him the
highest-ranking Hamas official he publicly met with since the 2007 coup in
Gaza. According to the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA,
Abbas congratulated Dweik on his release, inquired about his health, and
stressed that the 11,000 Palestinians remaining in Israel’s jails are a
top priority. Abbas’ office released no other details about the talks,
which took place in the presidential compound.



Dweik als opvolger van Abbas
As speaker, Dweik would be in line to take over from Palestinian
Authority president Mahmud Abbas in the event of Abbas's incapacitation.
Since 2006, Dweik served as chairman of the Palestinian parliament, a
position which made him in effect Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud
Abbas's stand-in. When Abbas's term was extended several months ago
without holding elections, some Hamas seniors threatened to unilaterally
declare Dweik president.
Dweik was supposed to step into Abbas's shoes on January 9, 2009, when the
latter's term in office was scheduled to expire. The Palestinian Basic Law
stipulates that the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council would
replace the PA president when his term expired, or if he stepped down for
any other reason. PA officials had been worried that the early release of
Dweik from prison would lead to a further escalation in tensions between
Hamas and Fatah.
Why at this time in particular Israel intends to free Duweik?! Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas term of office ends in January 9. According to the
Palestinian constitution, a new president should be chosen or Abbas term
is renewed, a step strongly opposed by Hamas leaders. According to some
Palestinian experts releasing Duweik by Israeli authorities and presenting
him as a new president means a declaration of the death of the Palestinian
National Authority.
The Christian Science Monitor , November 27, 2009 :
If Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of the mainstream Fatah
party makes good on his threat to resign, the man constitutionally assured
his post is from the rival Hamas faction. His name is Aziz Dweik, a
leading member of Hamas who was released from Israeli prison this summer
after being held for three years....Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian
negotiator under Abbas, has said repeatedly in recent weeks that if his
boss goes, Dweik is next in line. Some Palestinians go even further,
pointing out that Abbas's term actually expired in January 2009, and that
legally, Dweik should replace him...Dweik says he's not agitating for the
top seat, however. He is focused instead on trying to bring about a
reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas... Mohammed Asad Awaiwi, a
political science professor at Al-Quds University in East Jerusalem, says
that Dweik is known to be balanced, well-liked, and even a critic of some
of Hamas's irresponsible moves – and would stand a good chance of winning
a government post in future elections.