<(Jerusalem Post - December 19) - Minister of Interior Dr. Yusuf Abu-Safieh has confirmed that the occupation authorities have started using radioactive uranium ammunition to suppress the intifada and destroy Palestinian society.>

Sad synchronicity that concern by Nato governments about effects of past use of DU in the Balkans may be distracting world attention from the significant probability that the Israeli Defence Force has been using DU munitions in recent weeks. As tension escalates so does the likelihood of it being used again.

My understanding of DU hazards from the Gulf war through the Balkans conflicts in Bosnia and Kosova is that hazard potential to civilians increases where DU is used intensively in close proxity to civilian communities.

A desert war is very different from straffing into a camp with 4000 civilians in 1 square kilometre. The hazard of permanently polluting scarce groundwater supplies is even more serious in arid environments than the Balkans.

The risk of ongoing exposure to civilians who are not permitted to leave their one square kilometre environment is also higher than any previous DU target zone - if IDF helicopters have been or still are using DU munitions in straffing attacks.

I strongly support Roger Trilling's questions. I respect Felice Cohen-Joppa's concern not to add to the anxiety of highly stressed communities on both sides. But the long term effects are potentially lethal to all communities involved, including settlers who have hopes of setting up long term communities and agriculture in DU contaimated zones. From all the information on DU-list and related sources the effects are permanent.

Sadly, as we saw in the Balkans conflict politicians and military strategists lose strategic (long term) perspective under the extreme stress levels for all concerned in combat situations.  [refer psychological factors described in "Fear and violence in stressed populations", April 99, on my website at: http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/gturmap.htm ]

In view of these tensions most of the Israeli Government and military are unlikely to give a moment's thought to the long term human and environmental consequences of using DU munitions. The military (and their suppliers) are likely to use the chaos of combat as an ideal opportunity to test out every weapon they possess, with complete disregard (or a more sinister interest in studying) long term consequences.

It should be easy to identify DU penetrators in target areas. DU list readers must be familiar with their characteristics - 70 rounds a second, pyrophoric when impacting armoured targets, but likely to leave dozens of uncumbusted penetrators in the vicinity otherwise. Doug Rokke described these to me in 99 as like large pencils, plus heavier than any other metal they have ever touched.

Metal of Dishonour probably has far better descriptions. If not perhaps other DU-list readers can offer your advice to civilians, aid workers and peaceworkers, about the clues to look for.

I was curious that the IAC team reported having fragments and shell cases confiscated, but did not describe them.  Surely DU penetrators are not like any other "spent bullets"?  Did they offer identification advice to the communities they visited?

I appreciate that media interest in the Balkans "DU aftermath" offers the DU campaign its best opportunity to confront all governments who are using DU munitions and to seek the world wide ban. I look for that too given all I have learned about DU in the last 2 years.

But if there is ANY evidence that the IDF are using, or contemplating using, DU munitions in the current conflict then world governments and media must denounce DU use as a war crime NOW.  This is another DU disaster waiting to happen.

But it might just be stopped if there is an international warning to the Israel and Palestinian governments that the world is watching for such atrocities.

Sadly the US and UK governments are likely to be be the last to exert such influence. They still believe their own propaganda that DU is as safe in its oxide form, ingested into human tissue, as in its metallic form when a pair of gloves is probably sufficient to protect ammunition handlers against its alpha radiation.  This is still repeated in Nato statements this week. So in view of the Balkans debate they are unlikely to give Israel a lecture about not using DU.

Perhaps the best hope is that the international media, aid and peace organisations will realise the potential danger of DU contamination to their OWN field workers in Israel / Palestine, as well as to local populations. In some countries like UK they have a statutory responsibility for the safety of their staff, to assess all POTENTIAL risks and .

At the least they should ensure their field staff are briefed to look for clues to DU munition use in any area that has received attack by helicopter straffing, missiles or heavy shelling. And to report ANY suspicious fragments - with photographs or descriptions.  Several reports from peaceworkers in recent weeks on other newsgroups have indicated that the IDF are briefed to confiscate any spent munitions from foreign observers.  But descriptions should be sufficient if forwarded to DU list.

This vigilance applies to troops and civilians on all sides of the Middle East conflict.  It is reported that some Palestinian groups are using weapons and ammunition stolen from the IDF, that that governments like Egypt also have DU munitions in stock. If they have any wish to remain in their local areas they must be warned agaiinst using DU munitions, just as Israeli civilians should demand their government absolutely guarentee not to use them. Open desert was bad enough in the Gulf war. But these are local communities in small areas. How ironic if BOTH sides have to abandon DU contaminated areas for hundreds of years into the future, rather than seek to share them.

The same practical identification and precautions should be notified to aid and peaceworkers workers, and media teams as well as military personnel working in all arenas where the US, UK and others have used DU munitions.

The media contacts I rely on to promote the DU campaign would appreciate reliable reports from any source on the latest assessment of DU use in the current Middle East conflict.  But just the risk, knowing that the IDF have DU munitions, is sufficient to call for an immediate guarantee from both sides that they will not be used.

Our campaign in spring 99 got an assurance from the UK Government that they would not use DU in the Balkans.  Sadly the US Government wanted to play with their toys despite multiple warnings from members of this list. At last they face independent assessment of that arrogance by the UN.

Please give the new DU risk in Israel a high priority in your research or campaigns now. This is a humanitarian, not political issue.  It is vitally important to civilan communities and troops, plus all international agencies and their personnel on all sides of the conflict.

Yours in concern for peace

Dai Williams
Woking, Surrey UK
eosuk@btinternet.com