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Created: February 12, 2002
Latest Update: February 12, 2002
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

Finding a Place to Start

Copyright: Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata and Individaul Authors, February 2002.
"Fair use" encouraged.

This essay is based on a post to PSN:

On Tuesday, February 12, 2002, Tommaso Vitale posted to PSN:

Subject: Palestine Bureau of Statistics

Dear Colleagues:

here is a petition concerning the sacking of the Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics in December 2001. It has been sent on Feb 12 to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. If you agree with it, and wish to sign it, please send a message to the Prime Minister's address and a copy of your message to the PCBS (hal@pcbs.pna.org)

Yours,
J P Roos

The Petition:

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,
The Office of the Prime Minister, Kiryat
Ben-Gurion, Jerusalem, Israel

Defense Minister, Benyamin Ben Eliezer

As professional social scientists, aware of the crucial role of information (data) in social and economic development, scientific analysis and not least in university teaching, we deplore the attack by the Israeli Defense Force on the Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on December 5, 2001 and the destruction of equipment and data held by this institution.

We call on colleagues in the international community of social scientists around the world to add their names to ours, and to call upon the Israeli government and military authorities to apologize, immediately return all census- related documents and computer files, and to provide some form of restitution.

As a positive measure, we also call upon the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics to embark on a development of a collegiate relationship and cooperation with the Palestine Bureau of Statistics

February 12, 2002

(signed)

Benoit de l'Estoile
Departement de sciences sociales
Ecole normale superieure
Paris, France

Baruch Kimmerling
George S. Wise Professor of Sociology
Department of Sociology
The Hebrew University
Jerusalem, Israel

J.P.Roos
Professor
Department of Social Policy
University of Helsinki, Finland

J.D.Seddon
Professor of Sociology and Politics
School of Development Studies
University of East Anglia
Norwich, UK

Salim Tamari
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Bir Zeit University
Palestine

Ray Thomas,
Social Sciences, Open University
Milton Keynes UK

Tom Wengraf
Centre for Biography in Social Policy
University of East London, UK

On Tuesday, February 12, 2002, jeanne added her voice:

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,
The Office of the Prime Minister, Kiryat
Ben-Gurion, Jerusalem, Israel

Defense Minister, Benyamin Ben Eliezer

I implore you to recognize the destruction and confiscation of data from the Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics as an act you can peacefully mitigate. No such opportunity to limit aggression and promote cooperation should be lost in these critical times.

As professional social scientists, aware of the crucial role of information (data) in social and economic development, scientific analysis and not least in university teaching, we deplore the attack by the Israeli Defense Force on the Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on December 5, 2001 and the destruction of equipment and data held by this institution.

We call on colleagues in the international community of social scientists around the world to add their names to ours, and to call upon the Israeli government and military authorities to apologize, immediately return all census- related documents and computer files, and to provide some form of restitution.

As a positive measure, we also call upon the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics to embark on a development of a collegiate relationship and cooperation with the Palestine Bureau of Statistics

February 12, 2002

Jeanne Curran, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Carson, California

I didn't get this out. School deadlines converged and moot court consumed my time. But it's a start. And I need to forgive myself for failing. I failed on another attempt to start. You'll find that at