Update May 25, 2003

Fax Campaign and Update on the Nassar Farm Land Case (from the Nassar Family)

Dear friends,

The final date for a high court decision on the ownership of the Nassar Land is scheduled for one week from today, Sunday 1 June 2003 at 9am. One week from now, the Nassar family will either maintain its hold on the land in the face of overwhelming obstacles, or it will lose the land to Israel's relentless land theft campaign. If the court upholds the military judge's decision to reject the family's ownership claim, it will be supporting a government of apartheid in which the rights of one group (Israeli Jews) are systematically favored at the expense of the rights of another group (Palestinians). If the court rules in favor of the family, it will be casting a vote not just for genuine democracy, but also for the possibility for genuine peace in the region. It is time to bring an end to Occupation.

Following three previous postponements (all requested by the Israeli military representatives), legal representatives for the Nassar family anticipate no further delays. Therefore in this crucial final week, it is imperative that everyone interested in the outcome of this case demonstrate support for the family through insistence on a just resolution. We ask you to join a fax campaign to be implemented this coming week and starting tomorrow, Monday 26 May 2003. With this campaign we hope to deluge government representatives with reminders that we continue to be vigilant and that we intend to hold them accountable for their policies. The United States, in particular, has, in the wake of military actions in Iraq, renewed its pledge to pursue a just solution for both Palestinians and Israelis based on implementation of the "Road Map." Whatever its weaknesses and flaws, the "Road Map" clearly demands unambiguous Israeli compromises on the issues of land confiscation and settlement construction. It is important to connect progress on the "Road Map" with the outcome of this case! If the Israeli administration and its strongest supporter, the United States of America, are serious about rebuilding trust between the two parties in order to bring about a lasting peace agreement, then this is the case in which to demonstrate their commitment.

A template letter will follow this update. We strenuously encourage you to take action this week which could significantly influence the outcome of this case. Although you may feel pessimistic that the actions of one individual could ever make a meaningful difference, we can confirm that previous fax campaigns have had an impact. Israeli representatives in a number of countries have been pressured to make formal statements regarding this case which have made it clear that a legal foundation for confiscation is nonexistent. Continued pressure is crucial! Your participation in this fax campaign could result in a very important victory, not just for this family, but also for true and lasting peace in the Middle East. Know that your effort and expense will be rewarded.

Feel free to compose and send your own letters. Alternatively, feel free to use the template provided. We will appreciate receiving e-mail copies of all letters, sent to either immmathilda@yahoo.com or tnations@p-ol.com.

Thank you for standing with and praying for the family during this crisis. You will be informed of the outcome following 1 June 2003.

Sincerely,
The Nassar Family Bethlehem

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To: The US Consul General in Jerusalem
Fax: 627-2233
From: Alison Jones-Nassar
Fax: 274-3278

26 May 2003

ATTN: The US Consul General in Jerusalem

My name is Alison Jones-Nassar and I am an American citizen born and raised, from the state of Virginia. My father served his country for more than twenty years in the United States air force. I am married to George Nassar, a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem, and we own 100 acres of land south of Bethlehem purchased by my husband's grandfather in 1924 and 1925.

In 1991, the Israeli military initiated a dispute with my husband's family regarding the ownership of his farm. The family hired legal representation, submitted all the required private ownership documentation, and provided dozens of witnesses to testify on its behalf. After eleven years, the military appeals committee rejected our claim, disregarding eleven years of legal arguments, in favor of the State of Israel.

In 2002, the case was resubmitted to the Israeli Supreme Court and the final decision is scheduled to be handed down on Sunday 1 June 2003 at 9am at the Jerusalem high court building adjacent to the Knesset.

Over the past eleven years, settlers from the nearby settlement of Neve Daniel have repeatedly harassed and intimidated members of my husband's family including myself. They have threatened us with guns, prevented us from cultivating and developing our land, and vandalized the property. During the month of February 2003 in particular, they tried to bulldoze a road onto the property and threatened to install five caravans inhabited by Israel families.

A total of seven American citizens are directly affected by this crisis. Will the American government stand passively by and allow this family to be the victims of unjust Israeli settlement practices, despite the renewed US pledge to push forward with the "Road Map, " a document which clearly demands unambiguous Israeli compromises on the issues of land confiscation and settlement construction?

I can be reached at:
Home: 277-4874
Work: 274-1190

Thank you for assisting us in this matter.

Sincerely,
Alison Jones-Nassar Bethlehem

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To: The US Consul General in Jerusalem
Fax: 972-2-627-2233

Monday 26 May 2003

ATTN: The US Consul General in Jerusalem:

The United States has, in the wake of military actions in Iraq, renewed its pledge to pursue a just solution for both Palestinians and Israelis based on implementation of the "Road Map." Whatever its weaknesses and flaws, the "Road Map" clearly demands unambiguous Israeli compromises on the issues of land confiscation and settlement construction. If the United States of America, Israel's strongest supporter, is truly serious about rebuilding trust between the two parties in order to bring about a lasting peace agreement, then the Nassar land confiscation case is the perfect case in which to demonstrate its commitment.

The Nassar land case will be decided by the Israeli Supreme Court at 9am on 1 June 2003 in the high court building in Jerusalem, adjacent to the Knesset. On that date, the Nassar family ownership of the family farm will either be legally confirmed in the face of overwhelming obstacles, or the family, in its lonely struggle against the world's 4th most powerful army, will lose the land to Israel's relentless land theft campaign. If the court upholds the military judge's decision to reject the family's ownership claim, it will be supporting a government of apartheid in which the rights of one group (Israeli Jews) are systematically favored at the expense of the rights of another group (Palestinians). If the court rules in favor of the family, it will be casting a vote not just for genuine democracy, but also for the possibility for genuine peace in the region. It is time to bring an end to Occupation of Palestinian lands.

The government of the United States of America has recently taken bold risks in order to promote the values of freedom, democracy, and the human rights of ordinary citizens in Iraq. We now ask that the United States display consistency in its pursuit of these values throughout the Middle East. Ordinary Palestinians have, for the last several decades, been seeking a just resolution to a conflict which has consistently compromised their human rights, repeatedly blocked the implementation of democratic reforms, and stolen even their most basic freedoms of movement, work, education, medical treatment, and personal human dignity.

Gen. Colin Powell recently asserted that "the Israeli settlements are a major obstacle to any peace agreement." The Nassar land case provides the US government with a valuable opportunity to start reestablishing trust between Israelis and Palestinians, trust which is vital to any lasting agreement. If the United States of America is to maintain its credibility in the Middle East, it MUST insist that Israelis suspend all further land acquisition and settlement construction activity. It MUST uphold the rights of ordinary Palestinians such as the Nassar family. It MUST act to promote democracy, peace, and human rights, not apartheid, land theft, and occupation.

Please help the Nassar family before it is too late.

Sincerely,
Alison Jones-Nassar, an American citizen Bethlehem