Jerusalem police detained several activists and confiscated public relations materials Wednesday night. Police: "Booklet is 'seditious material.'"
by Hana Levi Julian
(IsraelNN.com) Three people were taken into custody and their literature confiscated as they were handing it out to foreign journalists outside the Dan Panorama Hotel in Jerusalem Wednesday night. The Dan Panorama is where most of the journalists who are covering the Bush visit are lodging.
The literature in question is a booklet authored by Arlene Kushner entitled, "Fatah as 'Moderate': A Hard Look Post-Annapolis, published by the Center for Near East Policy Research at the Beit Agron International Press Center in Jerusalem.
The booklet may be viewed in its entirety by clicking here.
Israeli and foreign journalists at Bush welcoming ceremony
Flash 90
Plans to distribute the material to foreign journalists were put into place last week as a joint project of the Center and the National Council of Young Israel, a Jewish American organization with chapters in every state. "A number of activists with several organizations were working on assisting the Center to distribute this crucial information to the foreign media," said activist Suzy Dym.
"One policeman said we can't stand in front of the hotel, that we should go to the corner, so that's what I did," related Jeff Daube, another volunteer at the site. "I was standing around, waiting to see if any reporters would come around, when a police officer tapped me on the shoulder, said 'Come with me,' and took my material and Israeli identity card.
Daube said that he and his two companions were bundled into a police car and taken to the Russian Compound. Dym was arrested after pointing out that she could not be detained unless she gave her consent – which she would not do. Daube and the third volunteer were detained because they didn't realize the law was on their side. "If you don't consent, then they arrest you, or let you go," explained Dym.
"I told them that I cannot agree to be detained because I need to talk to these foreign reporters, that that's what I came to Jerusalem for," she added.
"Then you are arrested," responded the police officer, "for distributing seditious (treasonous) material."
Dym said Police Superintendent Chaim Moshe told her if she didn't "come along quietly to be arrested" that they would use "considerable violence" against her.
In less than two hours, however, all three were released, their personal belongings were returned -- minus the booklets -- and the charge against Dym was dropped. "They haven't really charged us yet, but they still could," she emphasized. "We like to hope that in a democracy that doesn't happen, but we know it does."
The real concern, said Dym, is the lack of information reaching public figures in American Jewish organizations about Fatah's continued involvement with terrorism against Israel.
"Our real hope is that public figures and organizations will take this very seriously," she said. "We pray we won't be abandoned by the American Jewish community on this issue."
