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HOLLYWOOD AND THE CIA — Film historian Ed Rampell details Hollywood’s entangled relationship with the CIA and the Pentagon; HOUSES OF THE DEAD: Nancy Kurshan exposes the cruel human rights offenses taking place inside America’s vast gulag of Control Unit Prisons; BROTHERHOOD OF SUMMER: David Macaray charts the history of the most powerful union in the US: the Baseball Players Association; TAR SANDS COME TO AMERICA: Steve Horn explains how the Keystone Pipeline debates have diverted attention from Big Oil’s other plans to transport Alberta’s oil into the US. PLUS: Jeffrey St. Clair on CONSTITUTIONAL ENTROPY; Mike Whitney on HOW THE BANKS TARGETED BLACKS; Chris Floyd on THE RISE OF BRITAIN’S TEA PARTY; Kristin Kolb on THE NEEDLE AND THE DAMAGE DONE; Kim Nicolini on the FILMS OF WILLIAM FRIEDKIN; and Lee Ballinger on POETS VS. THE ONE PERCENT.

October 31, 2002

Yigal Bronner’s Rights Violated by IDF

by NEVE GORDON

Since his imprisonment on October 28, Tel-Aviv University lecturer, Dr. Yigal Bronner’s rights have been violated by the Israeli military.

In a clear act of vendetta, Yigal’s regiment commander, Shlomo Yerushalmi, decided not to send him to a military jail, like all the other 150 reserve soldiers who have been sentenced in the past two years. Rather, Yigal has been sent to a detention camp for conscripted soldiers.

This is illegal according to the Israeli military regulations, which stipulate very clearly that reserve soldiers must be held separately from conscripted soldiers.

In this detention camp Yigal is made to work from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm scrubbing dishes in a kitchen.

The regulations he is subjected to include:

He cannot speak to any of his fellow prisoners during the whole day.

He is not allowed to wear a watch.

He is forced to wear a hat the entire day, even when he is indoors.

The conditions he is subjected to are illegal according to the Israeli military, yet appeals to the Chief Military Attorney, Brigade General Menachem Finklestein have not born any fruits.

Galila, his wife, and I urge you to send faxes and emails protesting Yigal’s imprisonment and the abusive conditions he has been subjected to.

Please send a copy of your letter to yigalbronner@yahoo.com

The protest letters should be sent to the following two people as well as to your representatives.

Mr. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Minister of Defense, 37 Kaplan St., Tel-Aviv 61909, Israel. E-mail: sar@mod.gov.il or pniot@mod.gov.il

Fax: ++972-3-696-27-57 / ++972-3-691-69-40 / ++972-3-691-79-15

Another useful address for sending copies would be the Military Attorney General:

Brig. Gen. Menachem Finklestein Chief Military Attorney Military postal code 9605 IDF Israel Fax: ++972-3-569-43-70