"MOHAMMED OMER; ONE YEAR AND COUNTING"

Palestine, June 26, (Agance Global) - June 26, 2008 is a day I will never forget. For the events of that day irrevocably changed my life. That day I was detained, interrogated, strip searched, and tortured while attempting to return home from a European speaking tour, which culminated in independent American journalist Dahr Jamil and I sharing the Martha Gellhorn Journalism Prize in London - an award given to journalists who expose propaganda which often masks egregious human rights abuses.

I want to address the denials from Israel and the inaccurate reporting by a few journalists in addition to requesting state of Israel to acknowledge what it did to me, prosecute the members of the Shin Bet responsible for it and put in place procedures that protect other journalists from such treatment. Since 2003, I've been the voice to the voiceless in the besieged Gaza Strip for a number of publications and news programs ranging from The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs to the BBC and, Morgenbladet in Norway as well as Democracy Now! These stories exposed a carefully-crafted fiction continuing control and exploitation of five-million people. Their impact, coupled with the reporting of others served to change public opinion in the United States and Europe concerning the dynamics of Israel and its occupation of Palestine .

After receiving the Martha Gellhorn prize I returned home through the Allenby Bridge Crossing in the Occupied West Bank between Jordan and Israel. It was here I was detained, interrogated, and tortured for several hours by Shin Bet and border officers. When it appeared I may be close to death an ambulance was called to transport me to a hospital. From that day my life has been a year of continued medical treatments, pain - and a search for justice.

Lisa Dvir from the Israeli Airport Authority (IAA), the agency responsible for controlling Israel's borders in an June 29th article by Mel Frykberg for the Inter Press Service stated, "the IAA was neither aware of Omer's journalist credentials nor of his coordination."

The statement is wholly inaccurate and impossible on two counts. First, because I'm Palestinian, I am unable to enter Israel or leave Gaza , even through the Rafah border with Egypt , without Israeli permission, something quite difficult to get. Each time I've left Gaza for speaking tours required substantial lobbying and political maneuvering by several governments. In 2006, it was the American governments who ultimately won my visa. In 2007 the Dutch Parliament invited me back to speak to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and in 2008 when it was announced I won the Martha Gellhorn Prize, several European countries requested Israel grant me a visa but it was MP Hans Van Baalen of the Netherlands who, with great efforts, secured and guaranteed my passage out of Gaza and Israel, as well as the return for both the 2007 and 2008 trips on the condition I travel and be escorted by members of the Dutch Embassy in Tel Aviv while within Israel or the occupied West Bank. Therefore I was under diplomatic escort with the full knowledge of the Israeli government when I arrived at Allenby on June 26th. In fact Israeli security had blocked my re-entry for four days, causing me to miss a family wedding and wait in Jordan .

Secondly Dvir's claim that the IAA didn't know I was a journalist is proved false by the actions of the Shin Bet and border police. During the interrogation an Israeli security personnel searching my belongings repeatedly asked ‘Where's the money from the prize, Mohammed?' The prize is only given to journalists. Not only were they fully aware I am a journalist. They knew exactly how much I received, for what and where.

Dvir further perjured herself when she claimed, "We would like to know who Omer spoke to in regard to receiving coordination to pass through Allenby. We offer journalists a special service when passing through our border crossings, and had we known about his arrival this would not have happened." Her denial shocked a Dutch diplomat in Tel Aviv who had confirmed with the state permission for me to cross on June 26. Again, I was traveling under diplomatic escort and when I asked to phone the escort - waiting on the other side of the terminal - Shin Bet's response was they knew and didn't care.

While not admitting that the interrogation and torture took place, Divr then dismissed any actions by the Shin Bet as out of her department's control: "I'm not aware of the events that followed his detention, and we are not responsible for the behavior of the Shin Bet." But the Israeli Airport Authority, Divr's department, like most port authorities, is responsible for border security and those who enforce that security in Israel are members of the army and the Shin Bet.

Unfortunately Dvir's diversions were just the beginning. In the days following my detention and torture, the Israeli Government Press Office acknowledged that despite traveling under diplomatic escort I was searched "due to suspicion that he had been in contact with hostile elements and had been asked by them to deliver items to Judea and Samaria (Occupied West Bank)." This has been mentioned and quoted in different papers. Like everyone else entering, my bags were x-rayed and cleared multiple times excluding the possibility I was carrying some type of contraband. And I was traveling in the Dutch Embassy's car directly to Erez crossing with Gaza , as communicated to the Israeli authorities. There was zero possibility of me delivering ‘items' to anyone.

Confronted with the medical reports and injuries including bruised ribs Israeli officials told the BBC on July 1, 2008 that, "He lost balance and fell, for reasons unknown to us," other officers suggest, "Mr. Omer had a nervous breakdown due to the high temperature."

Despite the attempts at denials, the emergency medical technician who sat in the back of the ambulance with me reported, "We noted fingerprints on his neck and chest," the type bruising caused by excessive force often used in forensics to identify an attacker.

When Associated Press reporter Karin Laub called me on my cell phone for an interview after my ordeal, I detailed how I was stripped and held at gunpoint. Her reply? "Go on," she stated. "This is normal about what we hear happening at Ben Gurion Airport . It's nothing new."

Torture, strip searches and holding award winning journalists or any other human beings at gun point is normal at Israel 's largest airport? Ms. Laub's apathy continued. In her article for the Associated Press on June 29th she wrote that she interviewed "Dr. Husseini who claims there were no signs of physical trauma."

There's only one problem with this. This Dr. Husseini never treated me. The Minister of Health in Ramallah confirmed that Husseini never made any such statement to the AP reporter. For reasons known only to her, Ms. Laub appears to have fabricated this comment and purposely ignored the medical reports and the statements by the attending paramedics - counter to journalistic ethics and standards upheld by the Associated Press. Despite this, no independent investigation toke place.

Meanwhile the Jerusalem correspondent for the Los Angles Times, Ashraf Khalil, conducted an investigation into my case and noted in his article on November 3, 2008, that my medical records describe: "Tenderness on the anterior part of the neck and upper back mainly along the right ribs moderate to severe pain," and "by examination the scrotum due to pain varicocele (varicose veins in the spermatic cord) at left side detected and surgery was decided later." Fevers and falls do not cause such distinctive marks. Kicks, punches and beatings do. Continuing Khalil explains that, "Paramedic Mahmoud Tararya arrived in a Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulance and said he found Omer semiconscious with bruises on his neck and chest. Tararya said Israeli security officers were asking Omer to sign "some sort of form written in Hebrew. The paramedic said he intervened, separated Omer from the soldiers and loaded him into the ambulance, where he remained semiconscious for most of the trip to a hospital."

Khalil notes in his article that Richard Falk, the U.N. human rights official wrote to Verhagen, the Minster of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands and stated: "I have checked out Mr. Omer's credibility and narrative of events, and I find them fully credible and accurate."

Recovering mentally and physically from torture and interrogation is far from easy. This should not happen to anyone. My objective is for my case to focus attention on universal human rights, the right of freedom of expression and freedom of movement. There are places in this world where these freedoms do not exist. Israel insists it is not one of those places, but both the government and the complicity of individual journalists in covering up what they did to me prove otherwise. Ironically, the day the Shin Bet chose to detain, interrogate and torture me - June 26 - is the date set aside by human rights groups as the International Day Against Torture.

Mohammed Omer has reported for numerous media outlets, including the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Pacifica Radio, Electronic Intifada, The Nation, and Inter Press Service; he also founded the Rafah Today blog. He was awarded the 2007 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism.

Copyright © 2009 Mohammed Omer Distributed BY

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A CALL FOR ACTION...... From DesertPeace

Today,the 26th of June marks the one year anniversary of the near beating to death and torture of Mohammed Omer. He was returning to his home in the Rafa Refugee Camp in Gaza from a trip to Europe where he was the recipient of a prestigious award for journalism. A complete recap of the events that took place upon his entry to Israel on his return trip can be read HERE. Mohammed was escorted on his return trip by Dutch diplomats of Her Majesty's embassy in Tel Aviv. After his torture and beatings, those same diplomats returned with him to the Erez Crossing where he continued on to a hospital in Gaza. Kennith Ring had the following to add to the situation in a brilliant report that he wrote about the situation. He interviewed Mohammed while he was in the hospital in Gaza.... By clicking HERE, you can read the full report.
The investigation referred to still has not been launched after a complete year. Mohammed is presently in the Netherlands where he is still receiving medical treatment as a result of his injuries. He is scheduled to undergo surgery one more time in the very near future.

It is now up to YOU to do something about the situation. We ask that you write to the local representative of the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, DEMANDING that they put pressure on the Israeli government to bring the criminals involved in this case to justice. It was Dutch Government representatives that were witness to this horrendous act, it is their responsibility as human beings to help bring justice in this case and to help guarantee that this never happens again to anyone.

It is extremely urgent that residents of Israel and Palestine take part in this letter writing campaign. All contact information is available below.... worldwide.

Thank you for your efforts and watch this site for updates on the situation.

*********************************************
Contact info for Royal Netherlands Embassies WORLDWIDE (alpabetical)

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Edificio Porteno II
Olga Cossenttini 831, piso 3
(C1107BVA) Buenos Aires
Argentina
City: Buenos Aires
Phone: (54-11) 4338-0050
Fax: (54-11) 4338-0060
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/bue-es/
Email: bue@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Canberra, Australia
120 Empire Circuit
Yarralumla ACT 2600
Canberra, Australia
City: Canberra
Phone: +61 (0)2 6220 9400
Fax: +61 (0)2 6273 3206
Web Site: http://www.netherlands.org.au
Email: can@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Vienna, Austria
Opernring 5/7
A-1010 Vienna
Austria
City: Vienna
Phone: +43 (1) 589 39
Fax: +43 (1) 589 39 - 265
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/wen
Email: nlgovwen@eunet.atThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Road nr. 90, House 49
Gulshan II
Dhaka, Bangladesh
City: Dhaka
Phone: +880-2-8822715-18
Fax: +880-2-8823326
Web Site: http://www.netherlandsembassydhaka.org
Email: dha@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Brussels, Belgium
Avenue Herrmann-Debrouxlaan 48
1160 Brussel
City: Brussels
Phone: (+32) 02 679 17 11
Fax: (+32) 02 679 17 75
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/bru-fr
Email: bru@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of Netherlands in Cotonou, Benin
Avenue Pape Jean Paul II
Cotonou
Benin
City: Cotonou
Phone: 00-229-21- 30 04 39 / 30 21 39
Fax: 00-229-21- 30 41 50
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/cot/ambassade
Email: cot@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of Netherlands in La Paz, Bolivia
Avenida 6 de Agosto 2455
Edificio Hilda, piso 7
La Paz, Bolivia
City: La Paz
Phone: +591 2 2444040
Fax: +591 2 2443804
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/lap-es
Email: lap@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia
Grbavicka 4
71000 Sarajevo
Bosnia-Herzegovina
City: Sarajevo
Phone: (+387) (0)33 562 600
Fax: (+387) (0)33-223 413
Email: sar@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , sar-ca@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of Netherlands in Brasilia, Brazil
SES - Qd. 801, Lote 05
CEP 70405-900
Brasilia - DF - Brasil
City: Brasilia
Phone: +55 (0)61-3961.3200
Fax: +55 (0)61-3961.3234
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/bra
Email: bra@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Bulgaria
Oborishte Street 15
1504 Sofia
Bulgaria
City: Sofia
Phone: (+359) 02-8160300
Fax: (+359) 02-8160301
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/sof-en/
Email: sof@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Ottawa, Canada
Constitution Square
Building 350 Albert Street,
suite 2020
Ottawa, ON K1R 1A4
Canada
City: Ottawa
Phone: +1 613 237 5030
Fax: +1 613 237 6471
Web Site: http://www.netherlandsembassy.ca/
Email: nlgovott@netherlandsembassy.caThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Santiago, Chile
Apoquindo 3500 Piso 13
Las Condes, Santiago
P.O. Box:
Casilla 56-D
Santiago, Chile
City: Santiago
Phone: (+56) 2-7569200
Fax: (+56) 2-7569226
Web Site: http://www.holanda-paisesbajos.cl/
Email: stg@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of Holland, Netherlands in Bogota, Colombia
Carrera 13 No. 93-40 Floor 5
Apartado Aereo 4385
Bogota
Colombia
City: Bogota
Phone: (+57) 1-638 4200
Fax: (+57) 1-623 3020
Email: bog@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of Netherlands in San Jose, Costa Rica
Oficentro Ejecutivo La Sabana
(detras de la Contraloria)
Tercer Edificio, Tercer Piso
Apartado 10,285
1000 San Jose, Costa Rica
City: San Jose
Phone: +506 296 1490
Fax: +506 296 2933
Web Site: http://www.nethemb.or.cr
Email: nethemb@racsa.co.crThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Zagreb, Croatia
Medvescak 56
10000 Zagreb
Croatia
City: Zagreb
Phone: + (385) 1 4642 200
Fax: + (385) 1 4642 211
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/zag-en/
Email: zag@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus
34 Demosthenis
Severis Avenue
P.O. Box 23835
1686 Nicosia,
Cyprus
City: Nicosia
Phone: +357-22-873666
Fax: +357-22-872399
Web Site: http://cyprus.nlembassy.org/
Email: nic@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Prague
Gotthardska 6/27
160 00 Praha 6, Bubenec
Czech Republic
City: Prague
Phone: (+420) 233 015 200
Fax: (+420) 233 015 254
Web Site: http://www.netherlandsembassy.cz/
Email: nlgovpra@ti.czThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark
Toldbodgade 33
1253 Copenhagen K
Denmark
City: Copenhagen
Phone: (+45) 33 70 72 00
Fax: (+45) 33 14 03 50
Web Site: http://www.nlembassy.dk/
Email: kop@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Max Henriquez Urena #50
(tussen Av. Lincoln en Av. Churchill)
P.O. Box 855
Ens. Piantini
Santo Domingo
City: Santo Domingo
Phone: (+1 809) 262-0320 (Ambassade)
Fax: (+1 809) 565-4685
Web Site: http://www.holanda.org.do/
Email: STD@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Cairo, Egypt
18, Hassan Sabri
11211 Zamalek
Cairo, Egypt
City: Cairo
Phone: +20-2-7395500
Fax: +20-2-7365249
Web Site: http://www.hollandemb.org.eg/
Email: az-cz@hollandemb.org.egThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , kai-ca@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Netherlands Embassy in Helsinki
Erottajankatu 19 B
00130 Helsinki
Finland
P.O. Box 886
00101 Helsinki, Finland
City: Helsinki
Phone: +358 9 228 920
Fax: +358 9 228 92 228
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/hel/
Email: nlgovhel@kolumbus.fiThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Paris, France
7-9 rue EBLE
75007 Paris
France
City: Paris
Phone: 01.40.62.33.00
Fax: 01.40.62.34.56
Web Site: http://www.amb-pays-bas.fr/
Email: ambassade@amb-pays-bas.frThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Berlin, Germany
Monastery route 50
10179 Berlin
Germany
City: Berlin
Phone: +49 30 20956-0
Fax: +49 30 20956-441
Web Site: http://www.niederlandeweb.de/
Email: nlgovbln@blnnlambde

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Athens, Greece
Leof. Vass. Konstantinou 5-7
106 74 Athens
Greece
City: Athens
Phone: +30 210 7254900
Fax: +30 210 7254907
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/ath
Email: ath@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Guatemala
16 Calle 0-55, Zona 10
Edificio Torre Internacional
Nivel 13, Guatemala
City: Guatemala
Phone: (502)- 2381 4300
Fax: (502)- 2381 4350
Web Site: http://www.embajadadeholanda-gua.org/
Email: nlgovgua@intelnet.net.gtThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Budapest, Hungary
Budapest
Fuge utca 5-7
1022
Hungary
City: Budabest
Phone: 336-6300
Fax: 3265978
Web Site: http://www.netherlandsembassy.hu/en/
Email: bdp@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi, India
6/50 F, Shanti Path
Chanakyapuri
New Delhi 110021
City: New Delhi
Phone: +91-11-24197600
Fax: +91-11-24197710
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/nde-en/
Email: nde@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia
Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav.
S-3, Kuningan Jakarta 12950
Indonesia
City: Jakarta
Phone: +62-21-524 8200
Fax: +62-21-570 0734
Web Site: http://indonesia.nlembassy.org/
Email: jak@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Royal Netherlands Embassy, Tehran
Sonbol Street #7 Farmanieh
City: Tehran
Phone: 0935 2111299
Email: teh@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of Netherlands in Repubic of Iraq
Park Al-Sadoun
Hay Al-Nidhal 103
Street No. 38, House No.10
Baghdad, Iraq
City: Baghdad
Phone: 00-964-1-7782571 / 00-873-762953520
Email: bad@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Dublin, Ireland
160 Merrion Road
Dublin 4
Ireland
City: Dublin,
Phone: 00-353-1-2693444
Fax: 00-353-1-2839690
Email: dub-info@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel
Beit Oz 14, Abba Hillel St
Ramat Gan 52506
City: Tel Aviv
Phone: 03-7540777
Fax: 03-7540748
Web Site: http://www.netherlands-embassy.co.il
Email: nlgovtel@012.net.ilThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Netherlands Embassy in Rome, Italy
Via Michele Mercati, 8
00197 Rome
Italy
City: Rome
Phone: +39 06 32286.001
Fax: +39 06 32286.256
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/rom-nl
Email: rom@minbuza.nlwww.olanda.itThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Amman, Jordan
22 Ibrahim Ayoub Street (former name: Embassy Street)
4th Circle
(opposite the offices of the prime minister in the Alico building)
Amman, Jordan
City: Amman
Phone: 00962 - 6 - 5902222
Fax: 00962 - 6 - 5930214
Web Site: http://www.netherlandsembassy.com.jo/
Email: amm-info@minbuza.

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Kuwait
Jabriyah, Area 9, Street 1, House 76
P.O. Box 21822
Safat 13079
State of Kuwait
City: Safat
Phone: 00.965.531.2650 / 1 / 2 / 3
Fax: 00.965.532.6334
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/kwe/
Email: KWE@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Beirut, Lebanon
Netherlands Tower
Charles Malek Avenue,
Opposite Centre Sofil
2073-0802 Achrafieh
1100-2190
City: Beirut
Phone: 00-961-1-204663
Fax: 00-961-1-204664/00-961-1-339393
Web Site: http://www.netherlandsembassy.org.lb/
Email: nlgovbei@sodetel.net.lbThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Luxembourg
6, rue Sainte Zithe
L-2763 Luxembourg
City: Luxembourg
Phone: +352 22 75 70
Fax: +352 40 30 16
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/lux
Email: lux@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of the Netherlands in Skopje, Macedonia
Leninova 69-71
1000 Skopje
Macedonia
City: Skopje
Phone: +389 91 129-319/+389 2 3109-250
Fax: +389 2 3129-309
Web Site: http://www.nlembassy.org.mk/
Email: nethemb@mt.net.mkThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , SKO@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Netherlands Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
7th Floor, South Block. The Ampwalk
218, Jalan Ampang
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
City: Kuala Lumpur
Phone: 00-60-3-21686200
Fax: 00-60-3-21686240
Web Site: http://malaysia.nlembassy.org/
Email: kll@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of Netherland in Mexico
Avenida Vasco de Quiroga 3000
Edificio Calakmul, piso 7
Colonia Santa Fe
01210 Mexico D.F.
City: Mexico City
Phone: (+52) 5552589921
Fax: (+52) 5552588138
Web Site: http://www.paisesbajos.com.mx
Email: nlgovmex@nlgovmex.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of Netherlands in Rabat, Morocco
40 Rue de Tunis,
Quartier Tour Hassan,
Rabat, Maroc
Potal Address:
B.P. 329, Rabat, Maroc
City: Rabat
Phone: +212 37 219600
Fax: +212 37 219665
Web Site: http://www.ambassadepaysbasrabat.org/
Email: nlgovrab@mtds.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy of Wellington, New Zealand
P.O.Box 840
Cnr. Ballance & Featherston Street
Wellington
City: Wellington
Phone: +64 04 471 6390
Fax: +64 04 471 2923
Web Site: http://www.netherlandsembassy.co.nz/
Email: WEL@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Oslo, Norway
Oscarsgate 29
0244 Oslo
Norway
City: Oslo
Phone: +47 23 33 36 00
Fax: +47 23 33 36 01
Web Site: http://www.netherlands-embassy.no/
Email: nlgovosl@online.noThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Warsaw, Poland
Ul. Kawalerii 10
00-468 Warsaw
Poland
City: Warsaw
Phone: 00-48-22-5591200
Fax: 00-48-22-8402638
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/war-en/
Email: war@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy o Netherlands in Moscow, Russian Federation
Kalashny pereulok 6
131000 Moscow
Russia
City: Moscow
Phone: +7 495 7972900
Fax: +7 495 7972904
Web Site: http://www.netherlands.ru
Email: mos@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of Netherlands in Madrid, Spain
Avenida Comandante Franco, 32
28016 Madrid
Spain
City: Madrid
Phone: 91 353 75 00
Fax: 91 353 75 65
Web Site: http://www.embajadapaisesbajos.es/
Email: mad-info@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden
Gotgatan 16A
Stockholm
P.O. Box 15048
104 65 Stockholm
Sweden
City: Stockholm
Phone: (+46) (0)8 556 933 00
Fax: (+46) (0)8 556 933 11 (general)
Email: sto@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Bern, Switzerland
Seftigenstrasse 7
3007 Bern, Switzerland
City: Bern
Phone: +41-(0)31-350 87 00
Fax: + 41-(0)31-350 87 10
Web Site: http://www.nlembassy.ch/
Email: ben@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of Netherlands in Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic
Abou Roumaneh
Al-Jalaa Street
Imm Tello
Damascus
Syria
City: Damascus
Phone: 00-963-11-3336871
Fax: 00-963-11-3339369
Email: dmc@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of Netherlands in Vatican
Piazza Della Citta Leonina 9/ II
00193 Rome
City: Vatican City
Phone: 00-39-06-6868044
Fax: 00-39-06-6879593
Email: vat@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Ankara, Turkey
Hollanda Caddesi 3
06550 Yildiz
Ankara, Turkey
City: Ankara
Phone: (0312) 409 18 00 visa: (0312) 409 18 20
Fax: (0312) 409 18 98
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/ank-en
Email: ank@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kyiv, Ukraine
Kontraktova Ploshcha 7
01901 Kyiv, Ukraine
City: Kyiv
Phone: +38 044 4908 200
Fax: +38 044 4908 209/267
Web Site: http://www.netherlands-embassy.com.ua/
Email: kie@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Embassy of Netherlands in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Hamdan Street
Al Masaood Tower
6th floor, Suite 602
P.O. box 46560
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
City: Abu Dhabi
Phone: (+971) 2- 6321920
Fax: (+971) 2- 6313158
Web Site: http://www.netherlands.ae/index.htm
Email: abu@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Netherlands Embassy in London, England (UK)
38 Hyde Park Gate
London SW7 5DP
England, UK
City: London
Phone: 0044-(0)20-75903200
Fax: 0044-(0)20-72250947
Web Site: http://www.netherlands-embassy.org.uk/

Embassy of Netherlands in Washington DC, U.S.A.
4200 Linnean Avenue, NW,
Washington DC 20008 - USA
City: Washington DC
Phone: (202) 244-5300
Fax: 202-362-3430
Web Site: http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/homepage.asp

Embassy of Netherlands in Montevideo, Uruguay
Leyenda Patria 2880 2o. piso
11300 Montevideo
Uruguay
City: Montevideo
Phone: +598 - 2 - 711 2956
Fax: +598 - 2 - 711 3301
Web Site: http://www.holanda.org.uy/index.html
Email: mtv@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Embassy of Netherlands in Caracas, Venezuela
Edificio San Juan, Piso 9
Avenida San Juan Bosco
con 2a Transversal
Altamira, Caracas
Venezuela
City: Caracas
Phone: +58-(0)-212-276-9300
Fax: +58-(0)-212-276-9311
Web Site: http://www.mfa.nl/car/homepage
Email: car@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
**********************************
Contact info for the United States http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/location.asp

Contact info for Great Britain http://www.netherlands-embassy.org.uk/passports/index.php?l=1&i=46&d=

Contact info Internationally http://www.dutchgovernment.com

/index.htm Contact info for the Internet challenged (easy links) Selected areas in the United States..... all others can be found HERE
California (North)
Netherlands Consulate
San Mateo, CA
650-403-0073 (phone)
650-403-0075 (fax)
sanfrancisco@ncla.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (email)
Please call or e-mail us for an appointment.Jurisdiction: Consulate-General Los Angeles
Honorary Consulate: YES
Consul: Mr. Douglas J. Engmann
Vice Consul: Mr. Johan P. Snapper
California (South)
Consulate-General
Los Angeles, CA
310-268-1598 (phone)
310-312-0989 (fax)
los@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (email)
Please call or e-mail us for an appointment.Jurisdiction: Consulate-General Los Angeles
Honorary Consulate: NO

District of Columbia Netherlands Embassy
Washington, DC
202-244-5300 (phone)
202-362-3430 (fax)
was@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (email)

Jurisdiction: Embassy Washington
Honorary Consulate: NO Illinois Consulate-General Chicago
Chicago, IL
312-856-0110 (phone)
312-856-9218 (fax)
chi@minbuza.nlThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (email)
Please call or e-mail us for an appointment.

Jurisdiction: Consulate-General Chicago
Honorary Consulate: NO Massachusetts Netherlands Consulate
Boston, MA
617-542-8452 (phone)
617-542-3304 (fax)
nl.govbos@verizon.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (email)
Office hours are Monday - Friday from 10.00 am until 1.00 pm.

Jurisdiction: Consulate-General New York
Honorary Consulate: YES
Consul: Mr. Hans Gieskes New York Consulate-General
New York, NY
212-246-1429 (phone)
212-333-3603 (fax)
netherlandsnyc@cgnewyork.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (email)
Please call or e-mail us for an appointment.

Jurisdiction: Consulate-General New York
Honorary Consulate: NO

Selected areas in Great Britain .... all others can be found HERE Address:
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
38 Hyde Park Gate
London SW7 5DP
United Kingdom
tel.: 0044 (0)20 7590 3200
fax: 0044 (0)20 7225 0947.
london@netherlands-embassy.org.ukThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Netherlands Consulate Manchester
Apex House
266 Moseley Road
Levenshulme
Manchester M19 2LH
Tel: 0161 - 248 2390
Fax: 0161 - 248 2401
E-mail: mieke.slater@harvesthousing.org.ukThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Israel and Palestine
Address
Beit Oz, 13th floor
14 Abba Hillel Street
Ramat Gan 52506
Tel: +972 3 75 40 777
Fax: +972 3 75 40 748
E-mail : nlgovtel@012.net.ilThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The Representative Office in Palestine
Visiting Address:
12, Holanda Street
(off Nablus Road)
El-Bireh, Ramallah
Click here for a map of the location
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1899 Ramallah
P.O. Box 54706 Jerusalem
Tel.: 02-2406639 / 2409797
Fax: 02-2409638

The article first appeared on: AG http://www.agenceglobal.com/Article.asp?Id=2042

"Life after death in Gaza"

Gaza, June 12, (Pal Telegraph) - There were several reasons why Moeen Deeb left his satisfying $800-a-month job as a telephone engineer at PalTel not long after the end of Operation Cast Lead in January. But one was an inability to cope with the daily, pitying, looks of his workmates. "I did go back to work but I couldn't continue," he says. "People saw me as someone who had lost all his family. I had a big feeling they were thinking of me as someone who would always need support."

Though Mr Deeb, 40, is not the self-pitying type, the reaction of his colleagues was understandable. For among the many thousands of Gazans bereaved by the war, few lives can have been as shattered as his.

Alerted by phone, he had rushed back from work on the afternoon of 6 January to find the family home in Jabalya hit by two Israeli 120mm mortar shells in the same series of attacks that killed up to another 30 civilians outside the UN Al Fakhoura school a mere 100 metres away. The 11 dead included five of his six children, aged between four and 22, his wife, his mother, one of his brothers, two of his nephews, and a niece.

Five months later, Mr Deeb, is struggling to adapt to his unfathomable loss. He says he has lost 40lbs since 6 January. "I don't eat normally and I don't sleep at night." But he adds that life has to go on. "We have to deal with what is on the ground," he says. He was one of the survivors interviewed last week by South African judge Richard Goldstone, currently conducting an investigation ordered by the UN Human Rights Council into possible war crimes by Israel and Hamas during the Gaza operation. An earlier inquiry ordered by the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon and led by the respected former British head of Amnesty International Ian Martin – with which Israel co-operated but then rejected as "patently biased" – found that the "undisputed" cause of the deaths of civilians in the vicinity was the Israeli mortars which landed outside the school and in the Deeb compound. Mortars, rarely if ever used in Gaza by the Israeli military before, are widely regarded as less accurate than artillery fire.

Mr Deeb also left work because of the responsibility he felt for his now fatherless 23-year-old nephew, confined to a wheelchair after losing both his legs in the attack. "I am responsible for everyone," he says. Adjustment has also been painfully slow for Mr Deeb's surviving son, Bakr, 18. Having left school in the tenth grade, Bakr hasn't got a job - though he has recently got his driving licence and the possibility of being a taxi driver. "And he has a fiancée now, which has given him something to be busy about. It could compensate in some way." The fiancée is only 16 and Mr Deeb had wanted the couple to wait, but has allowed them to marry next year now that, "everything has been turned upside down".

Money is less of a problem for Mr Deeb than it is for most other Gazans. Along with a friend, he invested his early retirement pay-off in a small plastics venture in Egypt. He says it brings in a better return than his salary and allows him to stay at home to help look after the family of his dead brother Samir – though not yet enough to afford the scarce cement needed to repair the gaping hole in the wall left by one of the shells.

Like others in his position, he says he has received €1,000 for each dead person from the Hamas de facto government along with $2,500 a head from the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. Mr Deeb, who is still seeking to sue Israel through an Israeli-Arab lawyer in Nazareth, explains: "I accepted but none of it compensates for even a fingernail of my children," adding that he has not spent a penny of the money. "There is a future to think of," he says. One about which Mr Deeb is anything but optimistic.

Back in February when he first spoke to The Independent Mr Deeb explained that he used to be a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine – the very first faction to endorse a two-state solution back in the seventies. Then he said taht all he wanted was, "for the Israelis to get out of all Palestine". Now he is calmer he says: "I would accept two neighbouring states." Although he believes America has the power to pressure Israel – which he calls the "51st American state" – he doubts it will happen and he equally complains that the Hamas government lacks a "political horizon".

Yet there is something remarkable about the capacity of some bereaved Gazans to cope with their losses. Maysa Samouni, 20, was one of those who say they were ordered the previous day by Israeli troops to take shelter in the warehouse in which 29 civilians – mainly Samounis – were killed by Israeli shelling early on the morning of 5 January, when three of her husband's male relatives ventured out of the door to bring an uncle to what they thought was safety.

Mrs Samouni, whose husband Tawfiq was killed and whose one-year-old daughter Jumana lost three fingers, gave precise – and often inevitably gruesome – testimony by telephone to the Israeli human rights organisation Btselem the next day: testimony which has held up in every subsequent inquiry by reporters and human rights organisations.

One shell killed the three men, and as Tawfiq, a former bulldozer driver who was trying to make ends meet by running a grocery business from his home, ran to help, another missile hit the roof, killing another 26 people. Even today she swiftly corrects a reporter's reference to 30 being killed in one of the worst events of the war. "It was 29," she says, adding of her testimony, "details are important."

She says the worst moment afterwards was going back to see the destroyed houses of the family she married int. "I didn't recognise it," she says. Matter of factly, she says of the first shell: "I am sure the Israelis had orders to shoot and kill anything that moved. The men [who stepped outside the building] were wearing sweaters. Maybe they thought they were resistance." Mrs Samouni, now living with her parents, adds, "It took me a month to cope with the new situation. But then I had no other option but to continue with the rest of my life. You have to look to the future. Nothing will come back. The dead are not going to come back to life." So Mrs Samouni will now go to Al Aqsa university to study English full-time in September.

Equally resilient in his own way is Khalil al Jadili 16, whose two legs were amputated after what the family insist was a "random" shelling attack which at 3.10pm on 16 January killed his younger bother Mohanad, 8, and destroyed with shrapnel the left eye of another brother Abdel Hadi, 15, as they all sat in their grandmother's house across from their own home in the crowded Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. Before leaving through Egypt for the Czech Republic where he hopes to have artificial legs fitted, Khalil, who had been a keen footballer and basketball player before the attack which changed his life, said: "I hope to come back walking." Although his mother Nabila, 39, says Khalil, has been "very angry" a lot of the time since then, all the family, including Khalil, smile cheerfully in the presence of visitors and joke about Khalil's recent decision to take a photograph of himself having cardboard "legs" fixed to his stumps and clothed them in jeans. "I wanted to see what I would look like with artificial legs," he explains." Nabila shows a mobile phone picture of Mohanad's dead body, and says "He was just a baby." But even then she remains calm.

The family, who long to move to a bigger house where the now wheelchair-bound Khalil can have his own room, are desperately poor and his father Amr says he no longer pushes the cart around the local streets – by hand and not even with a donkey – from which he used to sell brushes and cleaning fluid. Because of the two-year- old blockade, he says, "I have no products to sell." But though exhausted by the endless struggle to secure passports and treatment abroad for his two injured sons, he admits it has at least kept him busy. "I seem to be running all the time," he says. Meanwhile Mrs Samouni will continue to take her daughter Jumana to see her in-laws every week. "After all, she belongs to them too," she says. It is perhaps the only moment she shows her sadness. "I was happy with the Samounis," she says. "I had good relations with them."

Independent

Speaking Gaza> Sameh goes Dutch

Holland, June 4, (Pal Telegraph)- Christine de Vos brought journalist Sameh Habeeb to the Netherlands. Habeeb is one of those young Palestinians who, despite formidable hindrances, tries to give meaning to his life. He has become a journalist and photographer, and is the founder of the English-language Palestine Telegraph, one of the best and most comprehensive Palestinian news sources at the moment. He has made it his life’s work to tell the world how the situation is in Palestine, but especially in Gaza, where he is from.

During the war, he did a lot of work for foreign television channels, because their correspondents were unable to enter Gaza. He did it willingly. But he also saw how some Western media did their work, such as EenVandaag (a Dutch news and current affairs program). It put in an order for images of Palestinians who used civilians as human shields. He had to disappoint them by telling them that these images do not exist. He is often confronted with requests for stereotypical images that conform to the image we have here. Frightening screaming and masked Hamas fighters are easy to sell, but no one wants the images of mutilated bodies. It is not easy to maintain your integrity when you want to work and you need the money. That is one of the reasons he has started his own media outlet.

To begin with, he visited Rotterdam, a city that does a lot for Gaza. With a presentation, facts, photos and a film. It was “heavy” for even the more experienced people, of whom there were many in the audience. Even when you think you know everything, the photos of people shot to pieces, with their legs gone, and the film, of dead and wounded children, are shocking. Behind me a woman sat sobbing quietly.

Habeeb is not inclined to let us get away with the weak notion that it is very unpleasant, but what can we do? And no wonder, as he was not only in Gaza during the siege preceding the war – when civilian deaths and attacks were already taking place – but also during the war itself. In Shifa Hospital, he witnessed the wounded and the dead being carried in, the screaming of the people, the blood in the corridors, and the moans of the dying. He will not forget this for the rest of his life. But the worst is: the world knew, and did nothing. And still does very little.

The following Monday, I accompanied Sameh. He had several meetings in Amsterdam; with the people of United Civilians for Peace; and with his old friend from Gaza, Mohammed Omer, who is receiving treatment here for his injuries sustained as a result of the abuse he received from the Israeli border police when he wanted to return to Gaza.

This is also typical for their existence; just trying to leave Gaza is a terrible trial. Habeeb succeeded after several attempts and is now in England on a visitor’s visa. He has an invitation to do his Masters at a university there, but to obtain an extended visa he would first have to return to Gaza to apply for it again. He laughs cynically. This is how much cooperation you receive in Europe. Apparently no one wants to take into account that Gaza is occupied and besieged, and that you cannot enter it or leave it. Even the trip to the Netherlands was a risk because he was warned that he might not be able to enter England again. And then? He shrugs his shoulders. No idea. Perhaps stay in the Netherlands illegally, perhaps be extradited to Israel; as a Palestinian you seem to be fair game.

I have not heard from him since; I assume that he is in England again.

In the evening he gave a presentation for a group of medical students of the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. Here too, people were speechless after the presentation – although Habeeb had left out the most gruesome photos this time. Some of the students will be going to the West Bank soon. Loes Kleijn, who is accompanying them, was worried it would give them the impression that they would be encountering dead babies on a daily basis. That is Gaza. Not the West Bank. Although even there, it is terrible enough.

http://anjameulenbelt.sp.nl/weblog/2009/06/02/sameh-goes-dutch/#more-13842

By Anja Meulenbelt, a Dutch feminist, writer and senator for the Socialist Party.

"Obama's speech in cairo in text"

Cairo, June 4, (Pal Telegraph) - I am honoured to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. For over a thousand years, al-Azhar has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning, and for over a century, Cairo University has been a source of Egypt's advancement.

Together, you represent the harmony between tradition and progress. I am grateful for your hospitality, and the hospitality of the people of Egypt. I am also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: assalaamu alaykum.

We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world - tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the west includes centuries of co-existence and co-operation, but also conflict and religious wars. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a cold war in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalisation led many Muslims to view the west as hostile to the traditions of Islam.

More/http://www.paltelegraph.com/middle-east/77-middle-east/1020-obamas-speech-in-cairo-in-text

"6 Palestinian fishermen abducted in Gaza"

Gaza, June 4, (Pal Telegraph) - Gazan territorial waters - At around 9 am, six Palestinian fishermen were abducted by the Israeli Navy whilst fishing in Palestinian territorial waters. The fishermen are reported as being;

Adham Al - Habil 21, Mohammed Al - Habil 21, Ahmed Al - Habil, Maher Abu Sultan 25, Mohammed Al - Arayshi, and Sadam Bakar.
The fishermen embarked from Gaza port at 8 am, in a trawling vessel owned by Abu Adham. At around 9 am when they were 3 miles from shore, and 0.5 km south of the "K" area (a designated no-fishing area in the Oslo Accords), they reported that an Israeli gun boat had approached, fired at them, and demanded that they turn of the boats engine. Communication with the fishermen was then lost.

It is believed that all of the fishermen have been abducted, and that their boat has been seized. Several fishermen that were recently abducted in similar circumstances, but have now been released, had reported that at the time of their abduction, the Israeli Navy threatened that "If we see Abu Adham's boat in the sea again, we'll seize it and arrest all the fishermen."

In the last few months, the Israeli Navy have escalated their campaign of persecution against the Palestinian fishermen. Of particular note is the recent spate of abductions. Since the declaration of a cease-fire in January of this year, and prior to today, 40 abductions of fishermen have been reported, and 17 fishing boats have been seized or stolen. About 10 of these boats have been returned but with damages and equipment missing.

Abu Adham's trawling boat was one of three boats seized by the Israeli Navy in November 2008. 15 of the fishermen aboard along with three members of the International Solidarity Movement were also abducted. Following a court case filed by PCHR, Al Mezan, and the ISM the 3 vessels were returned - although damaged and with equipment missing. On the 7th May 2009, one of these boats (belonging to Abu Rami) was again seized by the Israeli Navy and its crew abducted. Israel is refusing to return this boat.

Along with Abu Adham's vessel, it now appears that two of the trawlers stolen by the Israeli Navy in November 2008, are again in Israeli hands.

ISM - Gaza Strip