PA Youth Movement Verdict in 'Field Trial': President Bush Guilty of War Crimes

On March 6, 2003, the Palestinian Authority daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida[1] reported that dozens of children from Rafah, who are members of the Young Palestinian Parliament (YPP) which was established by the Fatah movement,[2] held a 'field trial' of U.S. President George W. Bush on charges of murdering Arab children. The verdict reached was "guilty of war crimes."

Abd Al-Raouf Barnakh, leader of the YPP, said that the decision to try Bush came "after a number of legal suits were submitted to the YPP by Palestinian children regarding his intentions for the region." He said, "The court decided to hold a quick trial for President Bush after the court received power of attorney from the children of Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt to try him in the name of all the Arab children."

According to the report, throughout the "hearings" a child wearing a George W. Bush mask stood behind bars, surrounded by YPP members in police uniforms who were posing as guards. The court heard the witnesses, most of them YPP members, who tried to prove the charges against Bush, among them bombing of Afghan citizens, killing Iraqi children, leading the world towards more wars, attempting to take over the world's natural resources and oil, and unreservedly supporting the Sharon government that wages all-out war on the Palestinians.

Wearing typical Afghan attire, Walid Muhammad Siyam, 12, testified on behalf of the Afghan people: "The President and the American administration turned the country [Afghanistan] into an arena of war. The bombs from their planes were aimed at [harming] the lives of defenseless citizens. They destroyed the land, and are still occupying Afghanistan."

Ahmad Al-Zamili, 11, represented the Iraqi people. He spoke of the suffering of the Iraqi children due to the decade-long U.S. sanctions. He said that during this time, more than a million Iraqis were killed, most of them children; he also expressed his fear of the anticipated war on his country, i.e. Iraq.

Hadil Nasser Abu Al-Ruus, 10, demanded that Bush receive a harsh sentence for his complete bias towards Israel and his support of its government so that it would continue to kill the Palestinian people and prevent the Palestinian children from playing freely, turning them into lifeless corpses destined for burial.

"American citizen" Rachel Corrie testified that "The American public is against the war. It has taken to the streets [to protest against the war], but the President is not listening to [them], and is acting towards a war that serves his economic interests." She said that Bush was directly responsible for what is happening to the Palestinian people and to the entire Middle East in his capacity as leader of the American armed forces.

After hearing the testimony, the verdict was handed down. It read: "It has been proven to the court that the accused, George Bush, president of the United States, is directly responsible for the murder of many children in Iraq, Palestine, and the Arab countries, because of the sanctions. [Similarly], he has deliberately violated the honor of many other countries, and decided to kill many of the world's children."

"Based on the principles of international and human law, the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), and the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, and because of the charges against him, George Bush is considered a war criminal. [Therefore], the documents regarding him will be passed on to the War Crimes Court at The Hague. The world must stand alongside Iraq and the Iraqi children, and attempt to prevent the American president from implementing his plans."After the verdict was delivered, the dozens of children in the courtroom shouted, "Viva Justice! Viva Justice!"