International Solidarity Movement Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.
Bulldozers waiting to uproot Palestinian trees in the morning in Artas village
by the ISM Media Crew, 15 May 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
15 May 2007
Artas Village, BETHLEHEM– At 10am tomorrow, Wednesday May 16, Israeli Occupation Forces will demolish a field of olive trees in the Palestinian village of Artas, according to residents of the village.
Hussam, from Artas, says, “The bulldozers are already waiting in the field in Artas to destroy our precious trees. It is a huge field of tress that the army will demolish. All of this in order to clear the way for a new sewage system for the illegal Israeli settlement of Efrat. Soldiers came today and said they will destroy the trees tomorrow morning.”
Uprooting of trees in Bethlehem near the illegal Israeli settlement of Efrat, March 2007, Photo from Bethlehem Bloggers
The Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements has called on international and Israeli solidarity activists to support them and join in non-violent, direct action to stop the bulldozers from uprooting their trees.
The Israeli government has uprooted hundreds of thousands of trees. Many of these trees have been destroyed because they happened to fall in the path of Israel’s Apartheid Wall, or because they were “too close” to Israeli settlements, as is the case in Artas village.
Palestinians are expecting illegal Israeli settlers from Efrat and Israeli soldiers to intervene and halt the Popular Committee’s projected action.
For activists and press, there will be two meeting points for tomorrow’s action:
1. Palestinians will be joined by solidarity activists at 9:30am at the Palestinian Medical Relief Services offices in Bethlehem near the Deheishe Refugee Camp.
2. Those interested in joining the action may also meet at 9:15am at Bab Alzqaq in Bethlehem, (the last servees stop if coming from Ramallah).
For more information, please contact:
Samer, 0522-531-172
Hussam, 0599-674-996
ISM Media Office, 0599-943-157, 0542-103-657
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