The Tel Aviv District Court has upheld the expulsion order of International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist Anne Robinson Petter. Petter was detained at Ben-Gurion Airport by Israeli security officials when she attempted to enter Israel two weeks ago. ISM is "an organization of volunteers whose purpose is to obstruct Israeli defense forces attempting to protect the civilian population from terrorist acts," according to a man who attended an ISM training session. The District Court upheld the ruling that Petter's presence in Israel is a threat to national security, and ordered her returned to the United States.
The Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center announced that it applauds the decision, and calls upon Israel's Foreign Minister to outlaw the extremist organization. Shurat HaDin is representing the family of an Israeli soldier currently on trial for the alleged shooting of British ISM militant Tom Hurndall in April 2003.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported in April 2003 that the Palestinian-funded militant group works closely with the terrorist organizations: "ISM members take an active part in illegal and violent actions against IDF soldiers. At times, their activity in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip is under the auspices of Palestinian terrorist organizations." ISM members have been arrested for vandalizing and destroying Israeli security fences and equipment, and on March 27, 2003, fugitive Islamic Jihad terrorist Shadi Sukiya was arrested in a house in Jenin rented by the ISM. In the most serious incident, on April 30, 2003, two British Muslims tried to blow themselves up at a popular Tel Aviv nightspot, Mike's Place; one of them succeeded, killing three and wounding 50, and at least one of the terrorists had spent the weeks before the attack living with the ISM in Gaza.
In recent days, the Israel Law Center reports, Israel's General Security Service reported that foreign ISM militants were assisting the PLO and Hamas in smuggling weapons and explosives into Israel.
"ISM agitators have been permitted to repeatedly enter Israel and cross into Gaza without anyone challenging their activities or intentions," stated Shurat HaDin Director Nitsana Darshan-Leitner. "After the connection between the terrorist bombing of Mike's Place in April 2003 and the ISM was uncovered, we demanded that the Foreign Ministry ban their entry. Hopefully, today's ruling will establish a long overdue legal precedent."
Lee Kaplan, in an article in FrontPageMagazine.com (July 2, 2004), wrote,
"This June I attended a 'training session' of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), an organization of volunteers whose purpose is to obstruct Israeli defense forces attempting to protect the civilian population from terrorist acts. The ISM was set up by the Palestinians after Arafat broke off the Oslo peace talks and launched the second intifada..."
Kaplan wrote that one of the trainees said that the UN's idea of a two-state solution is "pretty much dead," and that, "There can only be one state [in the Land of Israel, and it should be] called Palestine." Kaplan asked him, "if we see kids throwing stones at tanks or putting themselves in danger - shouldn't we tell them not to and urge them to stay away?" Brian Malovany, the trainee, responded: "We can't tell kids not to throw stones! It's not our place to tell them what to do." Obviously, continued Kaplan, "the same rule applied to suicide bombers, as we were advised that we might be used as human shields inside houses slated for demolition by the Israeli army because they were used as bomb making factories."
Kaplan also wrote his impression that "everything we were instructed to do in the course of our training while we were in Israel would involve some form of breaking Israeli law."
The Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center announced that it applauds the decision, and calls upon Israel's Foreign Minister to outlaw the extremist organization. Shurat HaDin is representing the family of an Israeli soldier currently on trial for the alleged shooting of British ISM militant Tom Hurndall in April 2003.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported in April 2003 that the Palestinian-funded militant group works closely with the terrorist organizations: "ISM members take an active part in illegal and violent actions against IDF soldiers. At times, their activity in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip is under the auspices of Palestinian terrorist organizations." ISM members have been arrested for vandalizing and destroying Israeli security fences and equipment, and on March 27, 2003, fugitive Islamic Jihad terrorist Shadi Sukiya was arrested in a house in Jenin rented by the ISM. In the most serious incident, on April 30, 2003, two British Muslims tried to blow themselves up at a popular Tel Aviv nightspot, Mike's Place; one of them succeeded, killing three and wounding 50, and at least one of the terrorists had spent the weeks before the attack living with the ISM in Gaza.
In recent days, the Israel Law Center reports, Israel's General Security Service reported that foreign ISM militants were assisting the PLO and Hamas in smuggling weapons and explosives into Israel.
"ISM agitators have been permitted to repeatedly enter Israel and cross into Gaza without anyone challenging their activities or intentions," stated Shurat HaDin Director Nitsana Darshan-Leitner. "After the connection between the terrorist bombing of Mike's Place in April 2003 and the ISM was uncovered, we demanded that the Foreign Ministry ban their entry. Hopefully, today's ruling will establish a long overdue legal precedent."
Lee Kaplan, in an article in FrontPageMagazine.com (July 2, 2004), wrote,
"This June I attended a 'training session' of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), an organization of volunteers whose purpose is to obstruct Israeli defense forces attempting to protect the civilian population from terrorist acts. The ISM was set up by the Palestinians after Arafat broke off the Oslo peace talks and launched the second intifada..."
Kaplan wrote that one of the trainees said that the UN's idea of a two-state solution is "pretty much dead," and that, "There can only be one state [in the Land of Israel, and it should be] called Palestine." Kaplan asked him, "if we see kids throwing stones at tanks or putting themselves in danger - shouldn't we tell them not to and urge them to stay away?" Brian Malovany, the trainee, responded: "We can't tell kids not to throw stones! It's not our place to tell them what to do." Obviously, continued Kaplan, "the same rule applied to suicide bombers, as we were advised that we might be used as human shields inside houses slated for demolition by the Israeli army because they were used as bomb making factories."
Kaplan also wrote his impression that "everything we were instructed to do in the course of our training while we were in Israel would involve some form of breaking Israeli law."