Year: 2011

Choir bus hit by settlers on way back from Nablus

17 December 2011 | Notes from Bethlehem

I was hoping to write about something more pleasant regarding our Christmas ministry in Nablus. I was hoping to write about the usual; singing and rejoicing with the believers there. As always, Nablus concert was special. The Anglican church where we usually go was full. There was joy. The choir really did well. It was a real blessing!

On our way there I remembered the first time the choir went to Nablus in 2007. Back then it was really difficult to enter Nablus as it was under Israeli military siege. We had to change buses and go through many checkpoints. It took us about three hours. This time is was much easier to get into Nablus. The way back was a different story.

The road to  Nablus goes through many “shared” roads. These are roads inside the occupied West Bank that Israeli settlers use. The best and high land is occupied of course by settlers. Recently, the settlers have become increasingly violent, even attacking their own military – that military that is there to protect them. As we were passing by the illegal settlement of Ofra, we were attacked by a small group of settlers who were standing by the street. One big rock hit the front shield of the bus causing a big hole and cracks and miraculously the shield did not go down. I was in the front seat with Rudaina and we were hit by many small pieces of glass but thankfully we were not hurt – just terrorized! We were all shocked when it happened. We all thanked God for his protection and for the bravery of the driver who simply kept driving in very high speed. God protected us. But what if …

 


Settlers violence is becoming the norm. We became yesterday one more victim of the “price tag policy.” The question is for how long will it go unpunished? Had it been the oposite, I mean if Palestinian young people threw rocks at an Israeli bus and then hid in a Palestinian village, the Israeli military would have turned the village upside down until it finds the “terrorists”.

How long will settlers activities go unpunished? How many more mosques will be burnt? Cars hit? People killed? What if the driver yesterday lost control of the bus? What if the rock went through the bus? When will Israel treat these settlers equally as they treat Palestinians who do violence (or nonviolence)? Will Mr. Natanyahu – who just last week refused to call these settlers terrorists – taken action?

Tomorrow we will go to the village of Zababdeh to sing and will we take the same road. We want to go. We must go. Life in Palestine is not easy or safe, but God never promised us safety.We will continue to sing and praise. We will continue to pray for peace and justice. We will continue to celebrate the Son of God who came to Bethlehem to reconcile us to God and to one another. We continue to hope. It is Friday … but Sunday is coming.

Your help needed: Donating olive trees this holiday season

19 December 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

As we creep up to Christmas and are seeing more and more trees appear in houses and high street windows, while we debate when to put up our own, if at all this year, I ask you all to give consideration to a much more special tree (in my opinion): the Palestinian olive trees.

International volunteers assisted in planting the olive trees
International volunteers assisted in planting the olive trees

This year has been a rough one for farmers in Palestine. In one village alone, Burin (Nablus) over 4000 olive trees have been destroyed by Israeli settlers. Qusra bid its martyr farewell, Essam Aoudhi who was murdered by Israeli soldiers while trying to defend his olive trees and land. Attacks leading up to the olive harvest were coming thick and fast, with the Israeli settlers ensuring the most amount of damage before the harvest, causing unbelievable loss to farmers’ revenue.

In January volunteers in Palestine will join the farmers to show solidarity in projects such as land repair, ploughing for the new season and replanting olive trees. It is the latter project that we ask for help with.

Olive trees are the Palestinian Christmas tree. We ask from the most sincere of places for you to make a donation of whatever you may be able to afford. We are looking to raise as much as possible to buy olive trees and donate them to the villages.

Olive trees cost about $3 at the moment plus inexpensive transport.  Buy an olive tree along with your Christmas tree this year, or if your Jewish why not buy eight for the eight evenings of Hanukkah.

Please feel free to donate through our PayPal account using the email zatoun.nablus@gmail.com, where you can also contact us if you have anu additional questions. For more information please visit our Facebook Event.
Thank you so much!

Much love and Merry Christmas,

International Solidarity Movement

Prisoner release: The number game of Israel

19 December 2011 | The Raging Palestinian

Yesterday marked the so called completion of the prisoner swap agreement, which commenced on October 18, 2011, when Gilad Shalit was released for a total of 1,027 Palestinians to be released from Israeli prisons in two separate waves. Yet it must be noted that the numbers do not change any of the ideology or tactics employed by the occupying Israeli entity that continues to suffocate Palestinian security and livelihood.

On October 18, 2011 Palestinians eagerly awaited for the release of their loved ones from Israeli prisons, some of whom spent decades behind the cold walls of Israeli occupation facilities. Many were “exiled” from the West Bank, where their families reside, and others were let “free” in the open air prison of Gaza.

477 Palestinians were released from prison on October 18 after Israel had shot tear gas canisters at the families who waited for their loved ones to come home. Yesterday Israeli troops began to shoot tear gas canisters in Ofer at those waiting for their loved ones to be released during the second and final phase of the prisoner swap deal. This was not about fairness if chemicals were shot to force rejoicing people to cry and choke.

On December 13, 2011 Palestine from my Eyes reported that

A savage group of armed Israeli jailers broke into section 10 of Eichel prison and attacked prisoners aggressively.  They sprayed tear gas and pepper powder into the detainees, which resulted in several injuries and cases of suffocation.  They summoned additional military units to break into all 13 rooms of the section. Adding more savagery, they confiscated all the detainees’ possessions, dragging away TV, fans, banning them from the cafeteria, and cutting off electricity and water, leaving Eichel Prison isolated from the outer world.

In a publication released by Addameer, the Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, it notes that following the first phase of the prisoner swap deal until December 12, an additional 470 Palestinians were arrested by Israel.

477 prisoners were released by Israel, 470 other Palestinians arrested–Israel did a mere substitution.

Yesterday 550 were released by Israel, and one can only expect that Israel will again substitute these for others. It is an industry.

Through the application of simple subtraction, Israel afforded Palestinians 7 released prisoners during the first phase, and time will tell how many Palestinians will be arrested following the conclusion of the prisoner swap deal.  While the application of mathematics onto the strategy of a colonial enterprise seems like an irresponsible stretch, a study of its occupation tactics may quickly conclude that Israel is obviously targeting Palestinians, yet draws fancy numbers ahead of its Zionist policies.

In utilizing a number game, Israel overlooks the individual narratives and cases of each Palestinian individual  arrested or released from detainment. Israel overlooks the diversity of Palestinians, their situations as individuals, and the surrounding details regarding each individual. This does not matter to Israel; if it did, it would not sweep up Palestinians at random or during peaceful demonstrations. The number game reduces Palestinians to just that, numbers, smudging the humanization of each Palestinian individual as Israel struggles to address the equation of Palestinian existence.

The Palestine Monitor notes that since 1967, over 700,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel, equaling 20% of the total population of Palestinians still within the occupied territories.

The numerically marked Military Orders that Israel instills are used to justify the arrest of anyone, whether they are holding a Palestinian flag or coming home from school. And most of the time, the Military Order is unknown to Palestinians until after they have been arrested. Sometimes there is no need for a reason to be arrested, as Palestinians can be detained without a charge for months on end. Numbers are put ahead of these racist orders. Yet they still remain racist.

Numbers are put ahead of the innocent prisoner, whether it is Ashraf Abu Rahmeh counting his days in a kangaroo court or the Tamimis counting the amount of times they had to be dragged off. Numbers count the amount of trees ripped from the soil by price tag fanatics, numbers count refugees, numbers count what international aid amounts to, numbers tell the world how many years Palestinians have been illegally occupied and expelled from their indigenous homeland.

Numbers mark the days of a hunger strike within Israeli prisons by Palestinians starving for justice- numbers are the days it takes for the world to notice.

Numbers can be distracting. But they have no meaning when everyone can be a target of Zionist policy if they stand in its way. When simplifying it and reducing the variables, the common denominator is Illegal Occupation.

As Israel concluded the release of 1,027 prisoners, it announced that it will construct 1,028 housing units to spread its colonial settlements. Israel is outdoing itself again to cause more tension.

Numbers, “`Ala hsabna,” as we say, “For which we take the toll.”

Shu’fat: Forced to pay taxes from behind a checkpoint and wall

by Jenna Bereld and Samar

19 December 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On December 18, 2011 residents of Shu’fat and activists protested against the separation wall in front of the new checkpoint. A certain loss of demonstrators was noted, since thirty-five organizers were arrested yesterday by Israeli policemen in their homes in the Shu’fat refugee camp in the middle of the night.

Forced to pay taxes from behind a wall – Click here for more images

The residents of Shu’fat are Israeli citizens. However, they cannot enjoy the privileges a citizenship normally includes. While the streets in the illegal settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev on the other side of the wall are clean and the municipal services are working, the Shu’fat streets are dirty and waste collection does not exist. Houses taller than two stories are illegal in East Jerusalem, so most houses here have demolition orders.

“All people in Shu’fat must pay taxes to Israel, and still the streets look like a third world country,” one of the demonstrators says.

“They are taking from the poor and give it to the wealthy,” another demonstrator says.

Shu’fat is a neighborhood in the north-east of Jerusalem, though separated from the rest of the city by the eight meters high concrete separation wall. The Palestinian population of 50,000 live more or less imprisoned in the neighborhood, forced to pass through a military checkpoint to reach the rest of Jerusalem. The checkpoint, comprising an observation tower, five stations for armed soldiers to search the cars, and the most recent surveillance technology, was inaugurated last week.

Starting on December 23, there will be weekly demonstrations in Shu’fat after the Friday prayer.

“We will come here to protest every week until this wall has fallen,” promises Jeff Halper from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

Jenna Bereld and Samar are volunteers with International Solidarity Movement (names have been changed).

2 Palestinians arrested in Nabi Saleh still in jail for resisting occupation

17 December 2011 | Chroniques de Palestine

In a blatant demonstration of the discriminatory policies used by the Israeli authorities when it comes to deal with protesters; out of the 21 persons who were arrested during the demonstration in Nabi Saleh on 16.12.2011, all the Israeli and internationals were released while two Palestinians are still in custody and are accused with ludicrous charges such as assaulting Israeli settler or throwing stones. This is so outrageous when you see how much the Israeli army kept assaulting the unarmed protesters yesterday, showering them with tear gas canisters and sound bombs directly at heads levels. In response the protesters just kept walking, chanting and shouting slogans, waving Palestinian flags and posters with the portraits of Mustafa Tamimi; killed the week before. Stones were thrown towards the “invaders” after they attack the crowd which was marching towards the entrance of the village.

Mohammad Katib from Bi’lin, one of the leaders of the Palestinian popular resistance, arrested when a group of protesters walked towards the entrace of the Halamish settlement during the weekly demonstration in the West Bank village of Nabi Salih, 16.12.2011. Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org/
Mohammad Tamimi, a photographer of the village of Nabi Salih, is seen getting arrested by Israeli soldiers when a group of protesters walked towards the village’s confiscated spring during the weekly demonstration in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, 16.12.2011. Photo by: Keren Manor/Activestills.org

Both Palestinians who were arrested were unarmed; they were protesting against the occupation and colonization of their lands. Arrests of human rights defenders and Palestinians involved in the popular resistance is no exceptional this is routine practice from the Israeli Occupying forces which this way attempt to curtail any dissent.

This is not an coincidence that they are trying to charge Mohammad Katib, one the main leaders of popular resistance in Palestine. The fact that he is from Bi’lin and was in Nabi Saleh was also significant, it shows that the struggles of these villages are not disconnected. And this is exactly what Israel fears- that the struggles in those villages grow and take the popular resistance to another level.

Mohammad Tamimi from Nabi Saleh was also arrested when he walked towards the Israeli soldiers who were preventing the protesters to reach the village spring which was confiscated two years ago by the settlers. Mohammad is known to be the photographer of the village.

Both were arrested in doing exactly the same thing as the others 19 who were arrested in the same circumstances. Actually the Israeli army should have arrested all of us- the hundreds of protesters who joined this Friday the villagers of Nabi Saleh to raise our voice against the continuing oppression in Palestinians and to honour Mustafa Tamimi, killed in cold blood the week before by an Israeli soldier courageously half hidden in a military jeep. He shot directly at Mustafa’s face from a distance less than 10 meters.

The details about the charges and proceedings against Mohammad Katib and Mohammad Tamimi will be clearer in the next hours and a campaign is now starting to demand their immediate release. If they are arrested and jailed for what they did yesterday, then we should all be.