> I have written to the President Peter Green
> <[log in to unmask]>, and the Past President Denise Lievesley
> <[log in to unmask]> and asked them to make a response on
> behalf of the RSS.
There was an immediate reply from Denise Lievesley. Denise had already
written
to Dennis Trewin, the current President of the ISI, who has said that he
will be writing
a letter of protest. Denise also said that she has spoken to Len Cook the
Head of UK Statistics who is expecting to write to Foreign Office asking
them to make a protest.
As reported by Janet Shapiro, the main way to get further information is
from the website at www.pcbs.org. There is now a fourth press release that
includes a statement by the Israeli Defence Forces that claims that the raid
obtained documents that indicated support of terrorist activity. The
website also includes reports of Israeli shelling of the PCBS earlier in the
year.
This raid makes me feel just as sick as others that involve larger scale
violence and destruction. A crucial point is that statistics offices are a
vital component of stable societies. Statistics support stable and
peaceful societies, and only stable and peaceful societies can produce
reliable statistics. An attack on a statistical office is an undermining
of the institutional structure that are part of stable societies.
It is ironic that the IDF is claiming that they are taking action against
terrorism. The attack on a statistical office is likely to contribute to
the creation of anarchy that will breed terrorism. People who have no
institutional means of expressing their political frustrations will resort
to the kinds of suicide attacks that Israel is already suffering from.
Where should responses be sent? The glib answer is to say they should be
sent to Ariel Sharon and copied to Mary Robinson.
If you do a websearch for "ariel sharon" you will find plenty of historic
evidence to suggest that this raid was sanctioned, if not initiated, by the
Israeli Prime Minster. You will also find a number of petitions for
indictment of Ariel Sharon for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Most
of the petitions cite the massacre in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in
Lebanon in 1982. Ariel Sharon was found responsible for the massacre by an
Israeli Parliamentary Commission and had to resign his governmental post.
But it seems that there is no Israeli law
against the murder of non-Israelis.
One of petitions is addressed to Mrs. Mary
Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
What might responses say? They could well just ask Sharon whether he
sanctioned this raid and whether he can produce any evidence that the PCBS
is supporting terrorism. Any answer, or even a failure to answer such a
question could be evidence of value.
The wider irony is that this kind of raid is in effect supported by
President Bush's declared war on terrorism. The US is now supporting a
state that is headed by a man who established himself on the basis of
terrorist acts, and is continuing such acts in ways that encourage anarchy.
Ray Thomas, Social Sciences, Open University
Tel: 01908 679081 Fax 01908 550401
Email: [log in to unmask]
35 Passmore, Milton Keynes MK6 3DY
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