PRESS RELEASE: "This Week in Palestine" offices thrashed by IDF

PRESS RELEASE

On Sunday, 22 June, at around 4:00 AM, Israeli Occupation Forces broke into the

company premises of Turbo Computers and Software Co. Ltd., a graphic design firm

established in 1985 and publisher of This Week in Palestine magazine, and into the

premises of its sister company, Jeel Publishing Co. Ltd., publisher of the Arabic youth

magazine Filistin Ashabab. Seven computers including the servers were confiscated,

severely hampering the companies' operating capacity.

As private-sector companies, we deplore such an action which not only clearly violates

our personal rights, including freedom of expression, but also jeopardizes the livelihood of

our employees. During our 28-year history, we have had no affiliation with any political

faction. Our work includes graphic design and print-management services offered to a

large number of institutions, both local and international, including the Office of the

President. This Week in Palestine is a 15-year-old nonpolitical cultural publication that

promotes and documents Palestine, and Filistin Ashabab is a platform for Palestinian

youth to express and develop their writing skills as well as their photography and artistic

skills.

We call upon the international community, particularly the US and the EU authorities that

have been trying to encourage the development of the Palestinian private sector, to voice

its opinion on these barbaric actions and recognize the obstacles that we face as a people

under military occupation. Our full economic potential will never be realized if actions like

this continue – actions that threaten our investments and, more importantly, the livelihood

of our people.

The attack on This Week in Palestine and Filistin Ashabab is a message to our readers

that they might be deprived of access to these two independent Palestinian publications.

But we want to assure them that we will continue to publish both magazines, despite the

hardships, in order to continue to play our part in building the independent, secular, and

pluralistic society that we all dream of.

We question the uncivilized manner in which we were violated and our computers

confiscated. With today's technology anyone with adequate resources can easily tap into

any system and have total access to its files. As totally transparent companies, we have

nothing to hide and we pose no security threat to anyone.

We demand the immediate restoration of our computers, and we hold the Israeli

authorities responsible for the integrity of the data that we have collected and worked on

for over two decades. Finally, we reserve the right to claim reparation for damages

incurred, and to consider legal action, both locally and internationally.

Sani Paul Meo

General Manager

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Letter from Sani Meo   30 June 2014         Ramallah, Palestine

“WHAT? Have they gone mad?” Was practically the unanimous reaction to the raid of the Israeli army into our offices on the 22^nd of June at 4:00 AM and confiscating practically all the computers in the company. Incidentally, it was my reaction too when I found our through a phone call from the office building doorman last Sunday morning; our day off. Please read the attached press release that we distributed a few days after the incident.

I was a fool to think that sitting in downtown Ramallah, having lead a non-violent life-style approach, both personally and in my business, being liberal and secular, would make me beyond the reach of direct contact, much less a confrontation, with the Israeli army. What happened on the 22^nd of June was a clear reminder that the occupation of Palestine is real and the open prison we are living in is exactly that; a prison.

The fact that you are reading this message which announces a new edition of This Week in Palestine, the July 2014 edition, is a message in itself. A good friend of mine just posted something wise Robert Frost had said about summing up everything he had learned from life in three words; it goes on.

The current (threatening) July 2014 issue, the “Where to Go” issue, takes our readers on trips to various Palestinian destinations to explore their beauty and charm. We’ve included lots of images to make the edition more attractive. I do hope you will enjoy reading it.

To remind you, “Social Media in Palestine” is our theme for the upcoming August 2014 issue, and that of September 2014 issue is “An Eye on Science.. As always, if you feel you can contribute to any of the mentioned issues, by all means, do contact us. Finally, the theme of our upcoming October 2014 issue is “Habitat in Palestine.”

Before ending I would like to pay tribute to our exiting content editor, Dr. Riyam Kafri-AbuLaban who truly did a marvelous job throughout being part of the editorial team, and has added tremendous value to each edition she has worked on. Actually, Riyam will not leave us totally; she will still be responsible for our new permanent section TWIP’s Kitchen since cooking is something she loves to do apart from teaching Organic Chemistry! Equally, I would like to welcome Ahmad Damen, a bright young director of the two documentaries Forbidden Pilgrimageand The Red Stone, a musician, and now the new TWIP’s content editor.

With the scorching heat, today is the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. I wish all a merciful, and a peaceful month. Ramadan is a reminder to us all to search our souls to become better human beings in being kind, and thoughtful to others whom we have done them wrong by being unjust.

Thank you all again for your continued support.

 Warmly,

Sani P. Meo / GM

www.thisweekinpalestine.com

www.filistinashabab.com

The Last Word – July 2014; Gentlemanly Manners

http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=4309&ed=232&edid=232