Israel to decide on kicking US citizen out for peaceful support of Palestinians

The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) said Paul Larudee, the 60 year-old piano tuner and ISM peace activist will get tomorrow morning a court hearing to decide whether or not Israel will succeed in its efforts to deny his entry to Palestine.

ISM said, in the Tel Aviv district court, Judge Pilpel will hear the arguments from both sides and decide whether or not to deport him back to California. Paul has been held in detention since the June 4. Paul's reading and writing materials were confiscated by the Israeli authorities, but the latter were returned after consular and legal intervention.

ISM said: Only the representatives of the American consulate and his attorney are being allowed to speak with him. Unlike most other detainees in the same prison, he has not been allowed to use his cellular phone.

Paul Larudee, PhD, is one of those gifted people who can make a piano sing, and he was on his way to the occupied West Bank to tune pianos and to support Palestinian non-violent resistance to the Israeli Occupation.

Israeli attorney Gabi Lasky stated "The policy of blacklisting a nonviolent peace activist as persona-non-grata, then denying them access to the Occupied Territories because of their nonviolent activities raises questions regarding Israel's intentions to resolve the conflict through dialogue and nonviolent means."