J’burg: Palestinian woman sues former Israeli PM

A Palestinian woman living in Johannesburg, South Africa, today filed a lawsuit against former Israeli Prime Minister and current Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres.

The plaintiff, Sasha Evans, called on the former Israeli PM to furnish security for the sum of 135 million rand (12.5 million dollar) plus costs of the action on grounds that she was severely traumatised as a direct result of ‘witnessing the uncivilised, illegal, violent, brutal, forceful and inhuman actions of the Israeli occupation army’.

During her residency in Ramallah between September 1997 and December 2001, Evans witnessed and was terrorised by repeated shelling and bombardment of civilian areas. She commuted daily between Ramallah and Jerusalem where she witnessed assaults by Israeli soldiers, including indiscriminate shootings at unarmed civilians, including herself, teargas, stun grenades and live ammunition.

Evans said: ‘The witnessing by myself of the brutality and violence perpetrated by the agents and servants of Mr Shimon Peres, the State of Israel and the government of Israel caused and still causes me severe anguish, trauma and stress, which represent the basis of my action’.

She added that she did not instituted the action on her own behalf but ‘in order to empower hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Palestinians and others, who are being continually subjected to such and very much worse brutality and trauma at the hands of the Israeli occupation army, directed by Mr Shimon Peres, the State of Israel and the government of Israel to follow my initiative with a view to taking similar actions in this country and worldwide’.

The plaintiff regards herself to be privileged to bring this action against Peres in South Africa, the country of her current residence. ‘Peres represents an apartheid state’, she said.

‘South Africa is a country where the legal and other structures of the particularly brutal and cruel apartheid regime was successfully dismantled and replaced with a democratic constitution to protect the rights of all inhabitants on equal footing, with the hope that my people, the people of Palestine, will be similarly liberated’.

Evans pointed out that if and when she succeeds with her action, she would donate all payments due to her to appropriate Palestinian
charities.

The action is filed at the High Court of South Africa, Witwatersrand Local Division. If the former Israeli PM fails to pay the compensation claim, he could be warranted for arrest and detention for pending him furnishing security.