Urgent action: refugees begin hunger strike as Israel violates international law

["kowalski" <kowalski at informationguerrilla.org>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "aicmail" <aicmail at alt-info.org>
To: <alternativenews at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2002 5:34 PM
Subject: [alternativenews] Urgent action: refugees begin hunger strike as
Israel violates international law


> A group of 20 recognized refugees started a hunger-strike yesterday
> (12 August) in Jerusalem, demanding that Israel grant them rights
> according to the 1951 U.N Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating
> the Status of Refugees ("the Convention"). Women with young babies
> and elderly people are standing in the punishing Jerusalem heat
> demanding to be heard. This morning, one of the strikers, an elderly
> man with heart problems, was rushed to the hospital.
>
> All the members of this group were recognized as refugees under the
> Convention during 2001 by the United Nations High Commissioner for
> Refugees in Geneva ("UNHCR"). The determination process took
> approximately 2 years (per case) during which the asylum seekers
> received no legal status or any other form of assistance from the
> State of Israel. After being recognized as refugees, they submitted
> to the Ministry of the Interior, at the beginning of 2002,
> applications for temporary residency. Although 8 months passed, those
> applications were not answered.
>
> We ask that you urgently write to demand that Israel uphold its
> international and moral obligations and immediately grant the
> refugees the legal status that will guarantee their fundamental
> needs. Below is a sample letter which can be used; the letter was
> drafted by Physicians for Human Rights - Israel, which also stands in
> solidarity with the refugees and their hunger strike.
>
> The letters should be sent to:
>
> Mr. Shimon Peres
> Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
> Fax: +972 (0)2 5303506
> Email: sar at mofa.gov.il
>
> Mr. Meir Shetreet
> Minister of Justice
> Fax: +972 (0)2 6285438
> Email: sar at justice.gov.il
>
> Mr. Eliyahu Yishai
> Minister of Interior
> Fax: +972 (0)2 5670616
> Email: sar at moin.gov.il
>
> Dear Sir,
>
> Re: Israel's Violation of the 1951 UN Convention relating to the
> Status of  Refugees - A Refugees Hunger Strike in Jerusalem
>
> A group of 20 recognized refugees started a hunger-strike yesterday
> in Jerusalem, demanding that Israel grant them rights according to
> the 1951 U.N Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating the Status of
> Refugees ("the Convention"). Women with young babies and elderly
> people are standing in the punishing Jerusalem heat demanding to be
> heard. This morning, one of the strikers, an elderly man with heart
> problems, was rushed to the hospital.
>
> All the members of this group were recognized as refugees under the
> Convention during 2001 by the United Nations High Commissioner for
> Refugees in Geneva ("UNHCR"). The determination process took
> approximately 2 years (per case) during which the asylum seekers
> received no legal status or any other form of assistance from the
> State of Israel. After being recognized as refugees, they submitted
> to the Ministry of the Interior, at the beginning of 2002,
> applications for temporary residency. Although 8 months passed, those
> applications were not answered.
>
> Apparently the Ministry of the Interior demands that the new National
> Status Granting Body ("NSGB"), established at the beginning of 2002,
> will re-examine all the cases, already decided by the UNHCR. In the
> meantime, the Ministry decided to give work permits for a period of
> three months to the refugees. As you know, work permits do not
> entitle their holders to free medical treatment, nor any other social
> benefits. Therefore, this decision does not alleviate the distress of
> the refugees nor their need for safe haven.
>
> Leaving the refugees for a whole year without minimal security and
> basic social services violates Israel's commitment under the
> Convention. Forcing them now to wait again for a new determination
> procedure, infringes upon their rights and demonstrates indifference
> to their most basic needs.
>
> We turn to you, as the head of the Ministry of the Interior to ensure
> that the refugees are granted the legal status that will answer their
> basic needs for protection. Due to the hunger strike, we cannot
> stress enough the urgency of your intervention.
>
> Respectfully yours,
>
>
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