For Immediate Release

6pm 22nd December 2008 - Neta Golan, an Israeli citizen and co-founder
of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), has been arrested by
Israeli police while attempting to leave Gaza through the Erez border
crossing.

Neta Golan, 38, arrived Gaza on 20th December, along with 17 human
rights observers on the SS Dignity, the fifth boat to break the
Israeli blockade of Gaza, organised by the Free Gaza Movement.

She will be taken to court tomorrow (23rd December) in Kiryat Gat.

Neta Golan's lawyer, Adnan Aladdin, condemned the arrest;

"Ms Golan's actions in no way constitute a crime. Her actions in
entering Gaza were acts of necessity based on international law and a
rejection of the policies of collective punishment pursued by the
Israeli government"

"Humanitarian needs, such as those faced by the Palestinian people of
Gaza due to the Israeli siege, make non-violent acts that are clearly
a response to this act of collective punishment necessary. This is
common sense and has precedent."

"The Defense of Necessity protects those who peacefully seek to
prevent gross violations of human rights, grave breaches of
humanitarian law, and war crimes from occurring. Non-violent civil
disobedience in opposition to and aimed at preventing gross violations
of human rights, grave breaches of humanitarian law, and war crimes
has been recognized as justified by the necessity of self-defense and
the necessity of defense of others in several jurisdictions around the
world. (Source - The State of Israel vs.Ascherman, Arik; Omer, Ori;
Hamburger, Shai Eliezer, January 2004, Criminal Case # 003751/03)

Under the Geneva Conventions of 1949, collective punishment is deemed
a war crime. Article 33 of the the Fourth Geneva Convention states;
"No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not
personally committed," and that "collective penalties and likewise all
measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited." (http://
www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/92.htm).

After successfully breaking the blockade with the Free Gaza Movement,
Neta Golan spent three days in the Gaza Strip observing the effects of
the Israeli siege on Gaza. She visited schools, hospitals and farmers
who's lives have been devastated by Israel's policies of collective
punishment.

She stated;

"How can an act against the collective punishment of over 1.5 million
people be a crime? The policies of the Israeli State towards the
people of Gaza is the real crime".

"I feel it is my duty to come to Gaza and attempt to raise awareness
as to what the Israeli state is doing to the people here. We broke the
siege on Gaza, now it is time for more from the international
community to do the same in solidarity with the Palestinian people."

Neta Golan is one of the co-founders of the International Solicarity
Movement which was nominated twice for a Nobel Peace prize. She has
actively resisted the occupation, participating in hundreds of
demonstrations against the wall and the illegal settler roads. She is
married and lives in Ramallah with her Palestinian husband and two
children.


For More information:

Adnan Aladdin (Neta Golan's lawyer) - (+972) 0 546 664 571
Adam (ISM Media Office) - (+972) 0 598 503 948

-------------------

The collective punishment of the people of Gaza has, according to the
UN Relief and Works Agency, had a devastating effect on the local
population. The siege has seen Israel allow only the bare minimum of
essential materials allowed into the Strip. Last week even the UN food
and cash distribution that was to be transferred was suspended by
Israel (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/21/israel-gaza-strip-
middle-east).

Figures collected by the UN also show that 51.8% of the people of Gaza
are now living below the poverty line, a figure the UN described as
"unprecedentedly high" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/21/
israel-gaza-strip-middle-east). The UN also announced last week that
it had been forced to stop distributing food to the 750,000 people in
need and forced to suspend financial distributions to a further
94,000.

The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led
movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian
land using nonviolent, direct-action methods and principles. Founded
by a small group of activists in August, 2001, ISM aims to support and
strengthen the Palestinian popular resistance by providing the
Palestinian people with two resources, international protection and a
voice with which to nonviolently resist an overwhelming military
occupation force.

The International Solidarity Movement re-established its presence in
the Gaza Strip following the first voyage of the Free Gaza Movement on
the 23rd August 2008. ISM volunteers have been accompanying Gazan
fishermen as they fish with Palestinian waters, working with farmers
who have land situated along the Green Line and documenting aspects of
the siege and occupation of Gaza. On the 18th November, three ISM
volunteers were abducted from Palestinian waters by the Israeli navy
together with fifteen Palestinian fishermen. The internationals were
later deported from Israel, despite never having entered Israeli
territory until taken into Israeli waters by the Israeli navy.

Thank you for your continued interest and support for the International Solidarity Movement!

Please consider a financial donation to help continue the important work of the ISM. You may donate securely online at our website: http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/donations

For more information, visit the ISM website at http://www.palsolidarity.org
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