Tent of Nations is a farm near Bethlehem, owned by the Nassar family, members of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. Surrounded by Israeli settlements, their road blocked by Israeli soldiers, they operate the farm as a peace center, under their motto: "We refuse to be enemies." Please read details of Monday's attack and destruction of their orchards by Israeli soldiers and take action. Details below.

FOTONNA Emergency Response Plans
(Friends of Tent of Nations North America)
Petition Letter Included
May 20, 2014          http://www.fotonna.org/newsletters/red-alert.html

The Tent of Nations Peace Project came under an unwarranted, illegal and unannounced attack on May 19, 2014 by the Israeli Military. They brought in bulldozers and destroyed between 1,500 and 2,000 mature, fruit-bearing apricot and apple trees and grape vines in the lower valley on the farm.  In addition, they reduced the terraced land to rubble in order to prevent any future planting from taking place any time soon.  We would like to have you sign the petition letter, and if you are inclined, add your own personal note of protest and request for action/inquiry on behalf of the Nassar family.  We encourage you to forward this letter far and wide.  There is a time when you have to say, “Enough is Enough!”

Sign The Petition

Thanks for taking the time to help the Nassars at this time; we will forward your responses to the following:

President Barack Obama
White House
First Lady Michelle Obama
Vice-President Joe Biden
Dr. Jill Biden

Secretary of State - John Kerry
Main address:
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Main Switchboard:
202-647-4000
TTY: 1-800-877-8339

Israel Foreign Service Desk - 202-647-3672
The Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC
3514 International Drive, NW
Washington, DC  20008
202-364-5500
Ron Dermer - Israeli Ambassador to the U.S.
The Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC
3514 International Drive, NW
Washington, DC  20008
202-364-5500
Ambassador of the U.S. to Israel – Tel Aviv
Daniel B. Shapiro
Facebook Page
U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem
Michael Ratney -This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Petition Letter: Download Printable Version - Word Doc | PDF

This petition letter is being written in protest of the actions by the Israeli Military Courts against the Nassar family and their Tent of Nations Peace Project.  This family has documentation of ownership for their 100-acre farm, located just six miles southwest of Bethlehem in the West Bank, dating back to the Ottoman Empire.  They have been working through the Israeli Military/Civil Courts and the Israeli Supreme court since 1991, defending their ownership rights to this land called Daher’s Vineyard.  So far, they have been able to hold back serious threats with legal challenges/appeals through the courts.  In December 2012, new demolition orders were issued for 10 structures on the farm (including animal pens, compost toilets, temporary tent structures, cisterns, etc.) and three more structures were added in January 2013.  None of these structures poses a security threat to neighboring Israeli settlements.

The family protested these actions through their lawyer; they applied for new building permits for all 13 structures.  In addition, they submitted the following information by February 24, 2013:
Additional land survey maps:  one topographical map which shows the farm location in the region; two technical maps, one at 1/250 scale and the other 1/50,000 scale, which show the new structures and their locations and dimensions;
Plans for sources of providing electricity and water to the land from the village and for provisions for gray water and filtration systems;
Approval/signature of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, certifying that the land is agricultural land.

As of mid-April 2014, there had been no word from the Military Court as to their decisions regarding these matters; the family never knows what to expect or when to expect it.  In late April/early May 2014, however, the Military Authorities placed a warning on the land declaring that the trees were planted on “State Land” and, therefore, constituted a trespass and should be “evacuated”!  On May 5, the Nassar family filed an appeal with the Military Court against this order and clarified that the land was not “State Land” and that the trees were planted on the family land.  Furthermore, they clarified that the Supreme Court had declared that the Nassar family should continue with the “re-registration” process of their land.

According to the law, no demolition or evacuation is allowed once an appeal is filed and until a final verdict has been delivered.  In spite of this fact, however, they rushed to destroy the land and uproot the trees.  On May 19, 2014, the Israeli Military brought in bulldozers and, unannounced, illegally destroyed between 1,500 and 2,000 mature, fruit-bearing apricot and apple trees and grape vines in the lower valley on the land as well as reducing the terraced land to rubble.  We would like you to look into this situation as soon as possible and help us prevent any additional destructive action on the part of the Israeli Military from taking place.  This family lives by the motto “We Refuse to be Enemies” and is committed to solving issues in a non-violent manner.  This 22-year struggle must come to an end in a just and legal manner and we urge you to use your influence to ensure that justice does prevail in this case.

Sincerely,
Friends of Tent of Nations North America - Steering Committee:
Bill Plitt, Executive Director
Daoud Nassar, Operations Director
Bill Mims, Secretary
Nadia Itraish, Outreach/Advisory Council Liaison
Michael Phillips, Fundraising/Business Advisor
Beth Moore, Tour Planning
Kay Plitt, Finance/Communications
Mark Braverman, Senior Consultant
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For additional information and advocacy resources on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict:
Friends of Sabeel-Colorado: www.sabeelcolorado.org
Friends of Sabeel North America: www.fosna.org
http://www.endtheoccupation.org/
"Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land" Watch it online: http://pppl.org/
 
Sign up to receive weekly reports of your representatives' votes in Congress: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/mlm/signup/
 

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