Author: ISM Media Group

FFJ: Weekly Friday Demonstrations

Three injured in Bil’in weekly anti-Wall protest

Friday December 14, 2007

Palestinians from the village of Bil’in, near Ramallah in the central West Bank, along with their international and Israeli supporters conducted their weekly protest against the Israeli Annexation Wall on Friday midday.
Shortly after the midday Friday prayers, villagers and their Israeli and international supporters marched towards the location of the illegal wall built on the village’s land.

The Israeli army installed a barbed-wire roadblock to try and prevent the protesters reaching the construction site.

As soon as the demonstration reached the roadblock troops showered the protesters with tear gas and metal rubber coated bullets. Three protesters were injured by the rubber-coated bullets.

Among the internationals who participated in this week’s Bil’in anti wall protest were representative of the Norwegian Socialist Youth, a youth movement from the Socialist party in Norway. Most of the Norwegians were from the city of Turnham, which was the first city in the world that boycotted the South African Apartheid regime in the 1980s.

Last year the city of Turnham started a campaign against what they call Israeli apartheid agains the Palestinians.

Five wounded in peaceful march near Ramallah

At least five Palestinian nonviolent protestors have been injured when Israeli troops attacked a peaceful protest opposing the Israeli military order to prevent Palestinians to drive on a road built on their lands.
The residents were deprived from using the road since seven years.

Yousef Karaja, coordinator of the Popular resistance committee in Ramallah was wounded in the demonstration.

He stated that Israeli troops violently assaulted the protestors who came from the village of Kharabtha al-Misbah southwest of Ramallah.

Karaja identified the wounded as, Muntasser Al-Habal, Wajeeh Hilal, Adeeb Darraj and a young boy who was shot by a rubber coated metal bullet.

He added that the villagers will continue to struggle against what he described as a racist decision to prevent the Palestinians for the seventh year from driving on a road built on their property, and allow Israeli settlers only to use it.

For more information:
The Bilin Friends of freedom and Justice -society
Email: majdarmajdar@yahoo.com
Tel: 972 547 847 942
http://www. Ffj-bilin.org
ffj.bilin@yahoo.com

No News is Good News

Dec 14th, 2007, Hebron

Today roughly 15 internationals and Palestinians joined the Jabri family of Hebron (AKA al-Khalil) for a mid-morning action on the Jabri family land. The Jabri land is uncomfortably nestled between two particularly notorious Jewish settlements, Kiryat Arba and Givat Ha’avot. The expansion of these settlements onto the Jabri property–meaning the theft and colonization of Palestinian land–is currently a work in progress. The Jabri family, with support from Israeli and international solidarity activists, continue to nonviolently resist this process of expropriation..

Trespass is the first step in the annexation/colonization of land. Settlers first assert a claim to Palestinian land by illegally occupying it; in this case, settlers from Kiryat Arba and Givat Ha’avot have constructed a brick walkway through the middle of the Jabri land, connecting the two settlements. They have also built a 12- by 14-foot tent-like structure which they use as a synagogue on the land. Under Israeli law, if the structure remains on the land for 10 years, ownership of the land will be transferred to the settlers. It has been there for seven.

As of today, the Jabri family still has possession of their land. To stop the process of expropriation, the Jabri family went to court and, surprisingly, won a decision allowing them continued access to their own land, even though settlers had already asserted a claim to it. Now every Friday for several months, internationals and Palestinian human rights activists support the Jabri family by helping to work the land. This regular presence of the Jabri family and supporters working the lands is often met with violence and harassment by Kirtyat Arba and Givat Ha’avot settlers.

Today was much like other Fridays–we dug up some brush, cleared away some weeds, tilled the soil a bit — except for one thing: no trouble. Twice during our midmorning efforts a lone settler walked either down or up the path which cuts the Jabri land in half, but not once did a stone get thrown our way, and not once did any settlers attack or attempt to disrupt today’s work. In fact, the settlers, for the most part, were nowhere to be seen. We had our friends, our tea, and all the sunshine and fresh air you could want.

For once, it really was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Watch two videos of other actions on the Jabri family land:

PNGO: Palestinian Delegation Withdraws from Madrid Just Peace Forum

For immediate release

13 December 2007

Protesting Serious Violations

The Palestinian civil society delegation to the Forum for a Just Peace in the Middle East, planned for December 14 to 16 in Madrid, has decided not to participate in the Forum due to serious last-minute violations. Coordinators of the delegation, which was to be led by the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), learned last night that due to unprecedented pressure from the Israeli establishment, a substantial Israeli delegation (different from the progressive civil society Israeli delegation led by the Alternative Information Center, AIC, scheduled to participate in the Forum) was undemocratically and underhandedly “invited” to participate in the Forum without endorsing the Forum’s Reference Document [1]. This is not only a significant breach of the key rule of participation; it is a contravention of the express will of the overwhelming majority of the International Committee, the decision-making steering committee of the conference.

The International Committee, which includes representatives of PNGO, AIC, and other key Arab and international civil society networks, decided as far back as July that any group that wishes to take part in the Forum must first endorse the Reference Document as a necessary condition of participation. This Reference Document articulates the consensus principles agreed upon by the diverse international groups organizing the Forum, and projects an alternative vision for justice and peace based on international law and universal human rights. We, and virtually all of our partners, view the violation of this basic criterion as an undemocratic, unprofessional and utterly unacceptable attempt by some to impose governmental will on a distinguished civil society initiative. Protesting this infringement of democratic principles and recognizing that it effectively opens the door to the possibility of imposing an agenda at odds with the Forum’s vision, several of our local and international partners have also decided to withdraw. These include the Israeli delegation led by AIC, the Occupied Syrian Golan-Heights delegation, as well as many Arab and international figures and institutions.

We are deeply disappointed, saddened and surprised by this not-so-innocently-timed turn of events. We sincerely regret that an otherwise truly inspiring and democratically-organized initiative advocating peace based on justice and solidarity between nations has been hijacked by outside groups that, after failing to influence the progressive and visionary political platform of the Forum, resorted to an undemocratic coup to impose their will. Their political agenda essentially contradicts the basic principle that only peace built on justice, international law and human rights, as outlined in the Forum’s Reference Document, can be viable, equitable and sustainable.

We deeply appreciate the Spanish civil society organizations’ noble and untiring efforts in organizing this Forum in the most professional, progressive and inclusive way. They are our partners for the long haul in the struggle against the forces of occupation, racism and imperial hegemony. We share with them our aspirations for a just peace.

[1] http://www.foroporlapaz.org/upload/documentos/D0005-07_Reference_doc_FINAL_EN.pdf

Why don’t the residents of Sderot ask this question to their government?

By Nick

Can you please stop the collective punishment of 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza?

BBC news reported the resignation today of the Mayor of Sderot, Eli Moyal. Eli Moyal is fed up with the situation and says the Israeli government is not doing enough to stop the missiles coming from Gaza nor is it re-enforcing houses in Sderot to protect local residents from rocket attacks on their homes.

The Israeli government controls all aspects of life in the Gaza strip. Israel has recently reduced electricity and fuel supplies to Gaza and threatens to reduce them further. Food and basic supplies are monitored and prevented from entering and people in need of treatment are prevented from getting to hospital. The people of Gaza live in a large prison.

When Israel does send its army into the Gaza strip to search for Hama’s militants it often results in civilian deaths. Israel collectively punishes the citizens of Gaza for the rocket attacks on towns such as Sderot, but also kills innocent men, women and children, who already live in a prison, in search of those responsible for firing the rockets.

The rocket attacks are a response to Israel’s brutal treatment of Gaza residents. If the citizens of Israel were to be treated as the Palestinians are currently being treated in Gaza they would also be fighting back as best they could.

However, the general public in Israel seem happy to allow the collective punishment of Gaza, unwilling to challenge the right-wing members of their government who care not for how many Palestinians die as long as they can get their Jewish state.

Local residents in Sderot are not happy. Unlike their fellow Israeli’s living in Tel Aviv they must endure the results of Israel’s constant oppression of the Palestinian’s.

And rightly the Ex-Mayor of Sderot blames the Israeli government. Eli Moyal has every right to be upset that rockets are falling down on his township. But what Eli Moyal has requested, that the government make an incursion to get those who shoot the rockets and to re-enforce houses to make them more resistant to rocket attacks, is not going to stop the rockets being fired upon Sderot.

The collective punishment of Gaza will stop the rockets falling on Sderot.

The killing of innocent civilians will stop the rockets. Talking to Hama’s, who represent over half of the Palestinian people, will stop the rockets. And no, requesting Gaza militants to stop firing the rockets before allowing Gazan residents to live like human beings will not work because Hama’s know that if they stop first, Israel will just keep destroying the lives of 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza less any consequences. Israel’s treatment of Gaza is wrong, many members of the international community who don’t have vested interests in the suffering of the Palestinians have said it is wrong. It must stop.

Eli Moyal should be asking the Israeli government, pleading in fact, to stop the collective punishment of Gaza. Why do the residents of Sderot not see the root of the problem and accept that the government they voted in collectively punishes 1.5 million people and that this may have consequences, which are in the form of home made rockets.

The next Mayor of Sderot can do something for his township and the people of Gaza. He can ask the Israeli government to stop practicing numerous human rights abuses in the Gaza strip. He can ask the Israeli government to allow Gazans to live as human beings free of fear, which is created by military incursions, threats to cut electricity, limited staple goods, not knowing when food is next available, army incursions and rockets from fighter planes, just as rocket attacks on Sderot bring fear to its local residents.

The next Mayor of Sderot needs to ask Israel to respect the rights of 1.5 million people in Gaza so 22,000 residents in Sderot can be free of rocket attacks, which mind you, is something the people of Gaza also put up, along with so much else.

Teen jailed earlier is now released

Muhammad, aged 16, was released the 6th of December after 14 days in prison. He was arrested together with eight other young men from Azzoun as a result of an early morning raid by the IOF the 22d of November. Still, Muhammad does not know why he was arrested.

At 3:00 AM Mohammad and his father were forced out from their home in Azzoun by approcimately 15 Israeli soldiers. They were both searched and Mohammad was handcuffed, blindfolded and brought to an army jeep which took him and eight other arrested Palestinian youths to the illegal settlement Qarne Shamron. At the settlement Mohammad was forced to the ground, still with his hands cuffed behind his back, and was beaten by the soldiers.

Mohammad and four of the other arrested youths were later taken to the prison in Huwwara military camp. After six days he was brought to Salem where he was interrogated for the first time. The interrogator beat Mohammad repeatedly during the questioning, trying to force him to admit stone throwing. Despite beatings and threats he did not admit anything.

Back at Huwwara prison Mohammad and five other prisoners had to spend two days in the zinzanah, which is a small empty cell where they have to live under very bad conditions. They did not get enough food and there were only very thin blankets to use during the cold winter nights.

After a total of 14 days in prison Mohammad is free again, but his eight friends are still in jail and no one knows for how long. Detention without formal charge is common to Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Similarly, those detained are usually not given any indication when they will be released.

For a report regarding Mohammad’s arrest, click here.