From civil community trapped in Ramallah

On Friday , the29th of March 2002, in the morning Israeli army have invaded the city of Ramallah. IDF have completely occupied Ramallah and positioned tanks all over the city, in every area inhabitated by civilians. We can hear explosions, tanks and heavy artillery shots during all the day and all the night. Israeli snipers are regularly shooting inside civilian zones. While we are writing we see Apache helicopters, made in USA, bursting fire over the city.
Israeli bulldozers are building permanent posts for the tanks inside and around private houses. We continuously hear tanks movements in residential areas. Israeli army have attacked the Head Quarter of President Arafat who is hostage without water, electricity and phone lines. President body guards have been killed ad other are wounded and in difficult conditions without medical assistance. The city conditions are rapidly deterioraing; some of us have already experienced a state of siege: Sarajevo, Dili and other places.
Moving is impossible, citizens are under heavy curfew. Nothing is allowed: even ambulances and doctors from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are forbidden to circulate. There are no medical services.
Workers of the Palestine Red Crescent medical relief have been forbidden to provide medical assitance to the population. Israeli army are shooting to everything in movement. On Thursday, fearing an israeli re-invasion, more than 500 inhabitants, including foreigners, formed a queue in the mud under the rain at Qalandiya check point, the only place to exit the city allowed by israeli troops. As a response, israeli soldiers shooted them in the head, causing panic and making them run back to Ramallah. Israeli army is using human shields; they are occuping an ever increasing number of private houses detaining inhabitants in rooms, forbidding access to phone, news and even food and water. In some cases, tenths of civilians (whole families included) are held as hostages all in the same room.
At the same time soldiers have taken armed posts in houses and flats. Foreigners are treated as locals.
ICRC, ONU and other humanitarian agencies are not allowed to enter the city or to visit civilians and prisoners detained.
Food is lacking, no food enters Ramallah, no one can buy it. A water and food crisis is expected soon. Some areas of Ramallah are already without water. Soldiers are eating locals food while taking position in their houses. Electricity has been cut, huge parts of the city are without heating. The weather has been rainy and very cold.
Without electricity locals are also excluded from tv news. Many try to get informations via cell phones but they can't recharge them. The population is held isolated, fear and confusion are rising. Also some land lines have been cut.
Prisoners have been captured: israeli army is arresting people and searches are going on in streets and houses.
They are asking to all males from 16 to 40 to surrender. Wounded are misused and are denied medical assistance. Now their future is dubious, there are reports of executions. ICRC has no possibility to assist injuried and ill and can't assure international laws will be respected (specifically the Geneva Agreement)
Vandalisms and useless destructions are occurring. Tanks are crashing cars in the streets and in parkings in font of houses. We, the people under siege in Ramallah, appeal to all the people of the world to act up immediatly.
We appeal for help especially to the israeli people, in the name of whom these action are executed, to mantain peace options alive, we appeal to you to ask Governments the end of the siege. We appeal for the security of individuals. We appeal for the freedom of movement and access to the city. We appeal to have food, medicines and access to medical assistance, electricity, water, phone lines and other basic needs. We appeal for the access of humanitarian agencies, ICRC included, to all the detainees, prisoners, hostages to be allowed, President Arafat included, to verify his health.

arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)