These are the words of Ezra Nawi arrested during the demolition of a Bedouin house by the Israeli army.Every so often someone comes along who is so brave and so inspiring that you just can't sit by and remain silent when you learn they need your help. We are writing today to tell you about one of these special people.
His name is Ezra Nawi.
You've probably never heard of him, but because you may know our names, now you will know his nameEzra Nawi is one of Israel's most courageous human rights activists and without your help, he will likely go to jail in less than 30 days. His crime? He tried to stop a military bulldozer from destroying the homes of Palestinian Bedouins in the South Hebron region.
These homes and the families who live in them have been under Israeli occupation for 42 years. They still live without electricity, running water and other basic services. They are continuously harassed by Jewish settlers and the military
Nawi's friends have launched a campaign to generate tens of thousands of letters to Israeli embassies all over the world before he is due to be sentenced in July. They've asked for your help.
His name is Ezra Nawi.
We keep saying his name because we believe that the more people know him and know his name, the harder it will be for the Israeli military to send him quietly to jail.
And Ezra Nawi is anything but quiet.
He is a Jewish Israeli of Iraqi descent who speaks fluent Arabic.
He is a gay man in his fifties and a plumber by trade.
He has dedicated his life to helping those who are trampled on. He has stood by Jewish single mothers who pitched tents in front of the Knesset while struggling for a living wage, and by Palestinians threatened with expulsion from their homes.
He is loved by those with little power, to whom he dedicates his life, and hated by the Jewish settlers, military and police.
Now that you know Ezra you've got the chance to stand up for hime and for everthing that he represents. Especially now as Israel escalates its attacks on human rights and pro-democracy activists.
He needs you. His friends need you. The people that he helps every day need you. Please send letters to the consulate, to the media, to your friends and family. Just take a moment to write a letter. Do it now and them share is name with a friend. Do it for Ezra Nawi.
Noam Chomsky
Naomi Klein
Neve Gordon
Send this letter to the Israeli embassy in Rome and to the Italian consulate in Tel Aviv.
Click on the link and a mail window will open. Copy the following letter and send it.
Please do everything you can so that Ezra Nawi doesn't go to prison. His crime was to defend the human rights of the bedouins in South Hebron.
It's hard to understand how a person like Nawi, who represents the best of Israel, can be persecuted by the Israeli army because he tried to defend the rights of others.
I pledge myself to tell everyone I know about Ezra Nawi's couragious work and about the injustice of his arrest. I will invite my friends to watch the video, to write letters, and to talk about Ezra at every opportunity, and I will tell everyone about Israeli repression of human rights activists, be they Israeli, Arab or international.
We await his release.
