Dear friends at IMC,

Since the begininning of clashes -- as of Saturday 7 October 2000, 12:32 am
Palestinian time (GMT+2) -- Palestinian human rights organisation Addameer
(www.addameer.org) notes that a total of 64 deaths in the West Bank and Gaza
have been reported, and a total of 12 in 1948 areas, bringing the total to
76.

Addameer also notes that 2,394 injuries have been reported in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip, with 1,000 injuries to Palestinians from 1948 areas.

The sheer scale of the current situation would seem to me to be something
that should not be left up to these 700 foriegn journalists to report from
the frontlines of the American Colony Hotel Bar.

Reports from inside Palestine have cited three very disturbing events that I
have yet to see reported in the Western media. Rest assured that no foreign
journalists based there are going to spend much time hunting down the full
stories in the current climate:

1) The shooting execution of an arrested and handcuffed Palestinian child in
Jerusalem, 14-year-old Majdi Samir Maslamani, by an Israeli policeman.
Eyewitness reports of this have appeared in the local Arabic press and are
currently being translated into English by Addameer.

2) The use of silencer-equipped sniper rifles by Israeli forces to kill
demonstrators. One Palestinian journalist in Jerusalem reported that people
around him just started falling with bullet wounds, but there was no audible
shots.

3) The targetting of children by Israeli forces, comprising about half of
those killed and a clear shoot-to-kill policy of all ages. Dr. Mousa Abu
Hamid, General Director of The General Administration of Palestinian
hospitals circulated a report compiled from hospital wards and morgues for
1st October that found:

1. Injuries to the upper body: 78%.
2. Injuries to individuals under the age of 20: 50.2%
3. Injuries to individuals under the age of 30: 92.8%.
4. Injuries from live ammunition: 20.8%
5. Injuries from rubber-coated steel bullets: 71%.
6. Injured admitted to hospital: 30.3%.

The one thing that gives us hope in the current situation is that
information like this *is* available, for those that want it, regardless of
what the media does or does not report.

Palestinian human rights organisation Addameer has provided this information
in a new website titled the "September 2000 Clashes Information Center" at
www.addameer.org/september2000/

You wwebsite has a link to the "September 2000 Clashes Information Center" linked at its frontpage.

This website, ironically enough, is being put together by the same people
who put together the websites relating to the September 1996 Clashes.

The site has updates several times daily. It includes news of the latest
developments, photographs and information about the martyrs who have been
killed, eyewitness stories, a list of protest actions taking place
worldwide, and other information. Key sections have just been translated
into French.

The people making this site, just like for the September 1996 site, are
doing so voluntarily.

In its first week, including before CNN began linking to it from every story
about the clashes, the Palestinian server of the "September 2000 Clashes
Information Center" has seen 14,259 vistors (an average of 2,031 a day).
These 14,259 visitors have looked at a total of 49,242 pages on the site.

This number is increasing, as more people hear about the site.

Here's my request:

The people building this site have access to one computer. They stand in
line for it. They work until 2:00 a.m. each day to compile, HTML, upload,
and send out update notices, so that we can know what is going on. The
computer crashes often. It is very frustrating.

They are tired and stressed out. Like all the people around them, they are
very disturbed by the events going on and they are reacting in one of the
most constructive ways in which you can react in that kind of situation.

They need one, preferably two laptops (US $2,500 each), a printer (US $300),
and a scanner (US$ 200), which will be used by Addameer for reporting on
these and any similar events in the future. This will cost US$ 5,500 in
total.

There is no time for fundraising. If you can help these people do what they
do to let you know what is going on in Palestine, please get in touch with
me at help-addameer (at) nigelparry.com and I will send you both my contact
details (if you have any further questions), and the details for how to wire
money to Addameer staff in Palestine via Western Union. All donations will
be acknowledged on the Addameer website, which is a registered NGO.

Please help out with this request if you have the power to do so.

Yours Sincerely,

Hanthala Palestine
hanthala (at) usa.net