9 February 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus, Occupied Palestine
Today was the International Day of Action for the Boycott of Israeli Agricultural Products, with corresponding actions all around the world. ISM-Nablus decided to show support for the people of the village of Madama by planting olive trees together with activists from the Yamen Culture and Social Center and farmers from the village.
Madama is a village of about 644 hectares and a population of 2500 people. Madama is located next to Yizhar, has been the frequent target of attacks by the settlement, including cutting down hundreds of trees and beating farmers. Settlers have fired upon villagers and, since 2011, three people have been killed. As is common throughout the West Bank, the settlement has seized lands from nearby villages, up to 100 hectares, and continues to do so. One of the most horrific stories coming out of Madama recently is that of the Nasser family who are being forced off their land near Yizhar.
Today a group of seven international activists joined the villagers of Madama to plant trees. The action was a success! In just a few hours the team planted the whole area they intended too. Of course, this triggered a visit by the Israeli Occupation Force, although today they chose not to interveen.
Update: Issa Amro was arrested yesterday afternoon and accused of assaulting Baruch Marzel. Issa was released yesterday night on bail.
by Team Khalil
9 February 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Hebron, Occupied Palestine
A non-violent activist group was attacked last night by a gang of settlers including the ultra right-wing Israeli politician Baruch Marzel.
Members of the Hebron based non-violent Youth Against Settlements group say that Marzel’s son and friends came to their centre, located on the edge of the illegal Tel Rumeida settlement, and began throwing stones at the activists.
Baruch then arrived, entered their property without permission and attempted to strike Issa Amro, the group’s coordinator. This event was captured on film.
The group also told how Marzel attempted to kick Jawad Abu Eysheh. Soldiers soon arrived and separated the crowds. Amro and Abu Eysheh were detained and the settlers were allowed to return home, despite video evidence of their violence.
Marzel, who recently stood for election in the Knesset, is no stranger to violence. He has an extensive criminal record that includes assaulting Palestinians and vandalism. He used to be a member of the Kach party, considered to be a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and the European Union.
Update on 9 Feb by ISM: At 6.30 am a protest tent was built nearby the road to the Karmel settlement near Yatta, South Hebron Hills. Two other tents were ready to be built when army destroyed the standing tent and confiscated the two other. Activists made a circle of stones as a symbol of the new village, two banners displayed “This is our land” and “Settlements are not welcome”. Finished at 8 am and activists moved to another place, south of Yatta to the newly built village of Canaan. Army used a lot of skunk water and violently arrested many people. Follow tweets on #Canaan; @ismpalestine.
8 February 2013 | South West Bank Committee Against Settlements and Apartheid Wall
Call for participation in a direct action
We the sons and daughters of Canaanites will establish Canaan Village (Canaan) on endangered Canaanite Palestinian land. We declare that it is our natural right to develop, reclaim, improve, use, and live on all our lands free and without threats from occupiers/colonizers. Beginning Saturday 9 February, we will have several days of direct work to help farmers in the South West Bank reclaim and improve their agricultural lands.
We call on people of conscience and media to join us as we work our lands and thus defend it against attempts by foreign colonizers to usurp it.
If interested to help, meet us at Bab Zqaq in Bethlehem at 7 am on Saturday when we will move to the location/s of the work. Alternatively meet us at the village of Khallet Al-Mayyah on Saturday at the same time.
Gaza City Action: Meet 11 am in Zeitoun Neighbourhood, next to the Car Market “Souq Sayarat” and Al Handasya Company. The march will then begin from Malaka Cross towards the farmland near the Israeli frontier.
West Bank Action: Meet 10 am in Madama village, next to the mosque the farmers will then walk to the village land near Izthar settlement.
40 people held a rally at Gaza Port on Wednesday 6 February. Photo: Desde Palestina
On Saturday 9th of February at 11 am in the Buffer zone of Zeitoun neighbourhood Gaza City, Gaza farmers, fishermen, the Union of Agricultural Workers Committees and International activists from International Action for Palestine will join the International Day of Action for Palestinian farmers and fishermen. They will demonstrate at the Gaza Buffer Zone near the Eastern Israeli frontier, planting olive trees in previously bulldozed farmland and affirm the call by Palestinian agricultural organisations and the Palestinian BDS National Committee for worldwide boycott campaigns of Israeli agricultural products and Israeli agricultural export corporations. These companies are deeply complicit in Israel’s ongoing violations of international law and Palestinian human rights.
On this day at 10 am in the West Bank the villagers of Madama, the centre for the Martyr Billal Najar from Burin and International Solidarity Movement activists will plant Olive trees on the land of Madama village where illegal settlers cut down hundreds of olive trees. The village of Madama faces frequent collaborated attacks between Israeli settlers and soldiers. Settlers from Yitzhar are notoriously violent, regularly attacking Palestinian farmers and shepherds from Madama and surrounding villages whose land they want to take. When Palestinians try to defend themselves from these attacks Israeli occupation forces take over, attack the Palestinians and kill, injure or arrest them to keep them off their land.
Mustapha Arafat farmer from Zeitoun, Gaza City:
“The daily aggression suffered by us the Palestinian farmers every day must be highlighted to the world, so people can understand the reality of the attacks and the suffering that has continued throughout the recent ‘ceasefire’. The boycotts of Israeli companies in agriculture are so important as the Israeli occupation has destroyed our farming production and denied us the possibility of exporting our own products. International pressure on Israel is the only way our own economy will be allowed to develop and for us to live normal lives.”
Zakaria Bakr, a fisherman from Gaza City who took part in a rally at Gaza Port on Wednesday:
“As some of the remaining Palestinian fishermen still able to fish, we urge all those around the world to launch campaigns to boycott Israeli Agricultural products and companies. Negotiations have for years only been a cover for making our lives worse. Boycotts are a peaceful activity and something that everyone can participate in. We have called for the boycotts because while our fishing industry, our communities and livelihoods have been destroyed by Israeli aggression, all of their industries have benefited from destroying and confiscating our land and violently denying our access to the sea.”
Mamun Nassar, Farmer from Madama:
“I have been attacked injured and beaten by settlers many times while tending my flock. I was just imprisoned for six weeks because I was attacked by settlers on our land. The Settlers hit my face so hard they broke most of my teeth. My brother was shot and then arrested for trying to help me. All we want is to tend to our sheep.”
We ask the thousands demonstrating in over 30 countries and other people of conscience to grow the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction campaigns against the Israeli apartheid regime.
7 January 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Hebron, Occupied Palestine
A 17 year old youth was arrested and 2 others, including a 13 year old boy, were detained at checkpoint 56 in Tel Rumeida, Hebron.
At around 8 pm on 7th February Israeli occupation forces soldiers detained three men, accusing them of throwing stones at the checkpoint. After an hour Munir Zehdeh, 17, was arrested and taken in an army jeep to the police station at Givat Havot, near Kiyrat Arba in Hebron.
The other two Palestinians detained, one 25 year old from the Sharabati family and the other 13 year old from the Atrash family, were released without any charges after being held for an hour.
This is the second such incident at this checkpoint in consecutive days. People at the scene claimed that no one had thrown stones at the checkpoint. In the incident that happened the day before a 14 year old boy was detained for throwing stones when he was on a family visit with his mother. Bystanders said that the soldiers lie about youths throwing stones at them to arbitrarily detain Palestinians for no other reason than to harass them.
Checkpoint 56 is located on the boundary between the H1 Palestinian controlled area, and the H2 Israeli controlled area of Hebron, at the end of Shuhada Street. This checkpoint is the main entrance for Palestinians to access Tel Rumeida and is often closed on the whim of the soldiers stationed there. The soldiers regularly abuse Palestinians’ rights to freedom of movement and routinely harass people passing through the checkpoint, making men take off their belts to pass through the metal detector and searching peoples’ bags at gunpoint. This customary harassment increases tensions in this volatile location, close to where there are illegal Israeli settlements in the centre of a Palestinian city. Checkpoint 56 was the focus of Palestinians anger during the clashes between the shebab and Israeli occupation forces during the November 2012 Israeli assault on Gaza, and after Mohammad Ziad Awwad Salayme was murdered by the Israeli occupation forces on his 17th birthday near the other end of Shuhada street from Checkpoint 56.
The arrest of a 17 year old youth in Tel Rumeida, Hebron
Team Khalil is a group of volunteers of International Solidarity Movement based in Hebron (al Khalil)
ISM-Nablus decided to show support for the people of the village of Madama by planting olive trees together with activists from the Yamen Culture and Social Center and farmers from the village.
