Action in al Khas and al-Numan villages dazes Israeli forces by ISM Beit Ummar, 5 May 2007
Demonstrators reach the wall in al-Numan
Residents of Al-Nu’man and Al-Khas villages today took part in a non-violent demonstration at the Israeli Apartheid Wall, which divides families and relatives between the two villages. The two villages were practically one before the building of this fence. In fact, the municipal offices were centered only in Al-Khas, as was the mosque and the school.
Al-Nu’man is a small village situated southeast of Jerusalem and northeast of Bethlehem, a few hundred meters north of Beit Sahour. In 1967, Israel illegally de facto annexed East Jerusalem and surrounding areas, including the land of al-Nu’man village. However, the inhabitants of the village were recorded as West Bank residents and given West Bank IDs, rather than the Jerusalem IDs received by most Palestinians in the illegally annexed areas. As West Bank ID holders, these residents are considered by Israel to be illegally residing in Jerusalem simply by being in their homes.
A petition submitted by residents of Al-Nu’man village, supported by the Al-Haq and Defence for Children International- Palestine Section humanitarian agencies will be heard by Jerusalem High Court of Justice at 9:00am on Sunday 13 May 2007.
Today’s demonstration comes as part of the “Stop the Bleeding of Bethlehem” campaign, which aims to mobilize residents of the Bethlehem area to non-violently resist all forms of the Israeli occupation, including the wall, military checkpoints and land confiscation.
At around 11am, some 80 protestors, including Israeli and foreign peace and solidarity activists, converged on either side of the fence, which has besieged both villages. Activists from Tayyush came from the Israeli side with posters against the occupation, calling for peace. On the other side, people from the Christian Peacemakers’ Team, the International Solidarity Movement and the Alternative Information Center, held posters and banners about the occupation in Bethlehem, and both groups started their march to the Wall.
The Israeli group attempted to arrive at the checkpoint, walking along the main street from the village of An Numan, but were met by Israeli troops. The soldiers were prepared in advance and blocked the street, just a few meters from the outskirts of the village. At that point, the demonstrators started to run down the hill and managed to arrive at the fence, despite the presence of the Israeli military.
At the same time, on the other side of the fence, activists armed only with Palestinian flags started their march to the fence through the village’s agricultural lands. Upon arrival at the razor wire barrier, just five meters in front of the fence, they trampled the barbed spikes, crossing the temporary barricade to arrive exactly in the shadow of the fence.
From the Israeli side, demonstrators were met by three military vehicles and two jeeps of border police, full of Israeli soldiers and policemen. The Israeli forces shot tear gas and sound grenades at the unarmed protesters in an attempt to disperse them. Two unarmed demonstrators were injured when tear gas canisters were shot into their legs. Each suffered minor cuts and light burns.
After a few minutes of confusion, the situation calmed down and on both sides, demonstrators started throwing colored ribbons and strings from one side to the other, while relatives from each village shook hands through the fence and spoke of their lives since their enforced separation.
The demonstrators started singing in Hebrew and Arabic, but soldiers and police officers drowned out their songs by screaming at the peaceful activists “to go far from the fence”, threatening to shoot those who did not comply. The demonstrators managed to remain in place for half an hour, while arguing with soldiers and policeman, but no further clashes were reported.
The Israeli soldiers then started pushing people away from the fence from the An Numan side, while a military Hummer and a jeep entered Al Khas village to meet those demonstrators who were withdrawing. The troops argued with the protesters for almost twenty minutes, trying to prevent them from taking pictures, before giving up and leaving the scene.
Photo by Polly Bangoriad
Behind them, the fence was covered with colored ribbons, alongside posters calling for peace and the end of the occupation. From both sides, dazed soldiers struggled to understand how to remove the ribbons from the fence and were left looking at each other in confusion.
The demonstration ended peacefully, and no arrests were reported.
Settlers attack Palestinians with stones, assault four human rights workers by ISM Hebron, 5 May 2007
Tel Rumeida, HEBRON– At approximately 3PM this afternoon two Human Rights Workers HRWs were walking through the olive grove in the Tel Rumeida district of Hebron.
The HRWs noticed Israeli settlers trespassing inside the house of Issa Amro, the Palestinian property owner. Israeli forces have deemed Amro’s house a “closed military zone,” which means it is “illegal” for Amro to access his own house. This also means that Israeli settlers are forbidden to enter the area.
The First Attack
The HRWs sat approx. 20 meters away from the property, under an olive tree, to document the illegal trespassing. Three settler boys, aged around 10, approached the HRWs. The settlers began to yell at them, saying ‘turn off your camera’ (which was off), ‘go home’, ‘get out of here!” Settler then began shouting ‘Nazi’ and threatened physical violence. The Israeli soldier that was posted inside Amro’s house came down into the grove and intervened. The settler told the HRWs “they are just children, I’m sorry”, and “you can video here if you want, you can do whatever you want”. The settlers returned to the far side Amro’s house (away from the HRWs) and the HRWs moved back a further 20m to avoid provoking further attacks, but maintained a presence in the grove.
Five minutes later, the same three settler boys, accompanied by a further 2 two pre-teen boys and two adults (aged early twenties) advanced towards the HRWs. The boy in the front was carrying a length of thick plastic pipe, approx 1.5metres. These settlers continued the same verbal threats whilst surrounding the HRWs – and lifting the pipe into a ‘strike position’. Some of the other settlers picked up sticks and prodded the HRWs as the boy with the pipe hit and pushed at one HRW. The other HRW shouted for the soldier to intervene.
The verbal threats and physical violence was increasing when the soldier arrived and the soldier attempted to deescalate the settler attack. At this point, the women of the Abu Talal family moved onto their stairway overlooking the grove to film the attack. When the settler boys noticed the Palestinians filming, the settlers became instantly hostile. One of the settler boys ran at them, throwing stones, causing them to take shelter. The rest of the settlers yelled taunts and made obscene gestures.
During the entire attack, the adult settlers had stood aside laughing – it was only at this point, when the HRWs requested the presence of police to the soldier, that the adult settlers ushered the younger settlers away.
Some footage of the latter part of the attack was captured, primarily the stone throwing towards the Palestinian woman filming.
The Second Attack
At approximately 5pm, 3 HRWs went to aid 2 other Internationals who were being attacked by settlers on the stairway and path overlooking the Beit Hadassah settlement. The HRWs were alerted to the incident taking place by shouting and yelling and the sudden movement of Israeli soldiers and police running up the stairs.
As the HRWs approached, they saw from the bottom of the stairs a group of 20 young settler boys ranging in age from 8-15, surrounding the 2 HRWs, and soldiers and border police attempting to intervene as the settler boys physically and verbally attacked them.
The 3 HRWs filmed from the bottom in an attempt to capture evidence of the settlers assault on the HRWs.
A large group of adult settlers then rushed at the 3 HRWs, pushing and grabbing at their cameras and shoving them up the street away from the incident. As they shoved the HRWs away, the settlers shouted, “go home,” “this is your fault,” “we’re not the terrorists,” “you’re ugly from the inside and out.” The settler adults were joined by a group of young teen boys (from the earlier attack on HRWs in the olive grove) who used a large sheet of cardboard to block the video cameras recording the assault, and joined in yelling abuse and threats at the three female HRWs.
During the entire attack, the adult settlers had stood aside laughing – it was only at this point, when the HRWs requested the presence of police to the soldier, that the adult settlers ushered the younger settlers away.
More on the Second Attack
(from another point of view)
At approximately 5pm, two human rights workers (HRWs) were prevented by Israeli settler children and armed Israeli men from walking on a path beside Abraham’s Well. As the HRWs returned on the path back toward Shuhadda Street, they noticed Israeli settler children attemtping to block the stairs leading to the Cortuba School, a Palestinian girls’ school, and Palestinian houses. The HRWs decided to stay on the path in order to help protect any Palestinian who might come to use the path to get to their homes.
Due to the presence of other internationals, the settlers could not block the stairs. A settler teacher with seven students sat and blocked the junction of the two paths leading to the school and homes. A Palestinian woman tried to walk the path and past the children. She was, however, prevented by the settler children.
One of the HRWs went to accompany the Palestinian while the other filmed. Once the Palestinian woman passed, the International shut off the camera in order not to provoke the settlers. However, the settler children who were sitting with the teacher and other children coming from the stairs surrounded the two Internationals and began to beat them with their hands and feet. The teacher was not responding to the calls from the HRWs to stop the children. All this happened in front of the eyes of soldiers that were standing on the roof of the occupied house just behind the paths.
Finally, after a few minutes, a soldier ran to help the Internationals, however, even he could not stop the settlers. A policeman came up from the stairs and led the HRWs down the stairs away from the settlers. No further action was taken by the policeman to detain any of the settlers involved in the attack. One of the HRWs showed a policeman the footprint of a settler child’s foot on his stomach.
Previous press release: by the ISM Media Crew
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today, Saturday May 5, Palestinians and four international human rights workers (HRWs) were attacked by Israeli settlers in the Tel Rumeida district of Hebron.
At approx. 15:00, three Israeli settlers, around the ages of 10-12, approached two female HRWs. According to Astrid, an HRW from New Zealand, the settlers were screaming, “Get out of here!” and “Stop filming!” Astrid claimed that she was not filming when the settlers attacked. The HRWs backed away from the scene “so that the settlers wouldn’t see us as provoking them,” said Astrid.
The settlers returned accompanied by two male settlers in their 20’s and at least 2 additional settler youth joined the three other settlers. Together, the settlers started to hit, push and poke the HRWs with a long pipe. HRWs yelled for help from the Israeli soldier that was stationed nearby. The soldier intervened to stop the settler violence against the HRWs.
The American HRW asked the soldier if he witnessed what had happened. The soldier, according to the HRW, confirmed that he saw the incident, stating, “I know you were not filming. But you are allowed to anyways. You can do whatever you want.”
Palestinian women from the Hadad family’s house were viewing the scene from their yard. When they started to film the incident, the settlers then turned their attention to the Palestinians and began to attack them with rocks. Though, according to the HRWs, the soldier was trying to prevent the stone throwing, settlers managed to throw a few stoned before the Palestinians that were filming retreated inside the house.
The Palestinians then handed the tape over to the HRWs in order to transfer, and should be available soon.
Aprrox. 2 hours later, a group of 8-9 settlers, settlers attacked two more human rights workers– one from Greece and one from Germany.
Describing this recent incident, Astrid, who was attacked earlier, said that she heard screaming coming from up the hill. There were 8-9 settlers, including children and adults. “They were all screaming.”
Ortrud, from Greece, described the incident: “Israeli settlers were blocking the pathway from the Palestinians. When a Palestinian woman wanted to cross, we joined her while walking past the violent settlers. When the woman was to safety, Israeli settlers attacked us. They kicked me on my feet and all over. They kicked George in the stomach too.”
George, from Greece, described the incident: “I was walking a Palestinian woman past the settlers. She was afraid of being attacked. When the Palestinian crossed to safety, settlers attacked me from behind. There is a shoe print on the back of my shirt from the settler that kicked me.”
In Tel Rumeida, Palestinians are not allowed to drive any type of cars, including buses, taxis, ambulances, and fire trucks. Israeli settler civilians are allowed to carry guns, while Palestinians are not allowed to have weapons of any kind. Palestinians are subjected to random detentions and ID checks (Israeli settlers are not). Israeli soldiers frequently invade Palestinian homes or use their roofs as outposts the security forces in the neighborhood are Israeli only and ignore complaints by Palestinians. Last month, Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian resident’s car. Israeli soldiers refused to allow Palestinian fire trucks to enter Tel Rumeida to extinguish the fire.
For more info, contact:
ISM Media Office, 0599-943-157, 02-297-1824
Anti-Wall protest in Bethlehem by Palestinian workers in honor of Labor Day by Geroge Rishmawi, 4 May 2007
Photo, George Rishmawi
Some two hundred peaceful demonstrators in Bethlehem protested on Friday against the construction of the annexation wall in the village of Wadi Al-Neiss. The demonstration included mostly Palestinian workers in addition to international peace activists and observers to commemorate Labor day on May 1.
A large number of Israeli soldiers stopped the demonstrators who carried signs demanding an end to the construction of the wall which is annexing a very wide agricultural area to Israel. Troops prevented the demonstrators from reaching the construction site and attempted to arrest one of the protesters, however, other demonstrators managed to release him, before he was taken by the soldiers.
The protest started with the Friday prayers being held in the village close to the confiscated land. Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Minister of Information and a number of Parliament Members in addition to the governor of Bethlehem Mr. Salah Al-Taamari joined the action. Dr. Barghouthi spoke to the crowed quoting the Minister of Interior of South Africa who was visiting Bethlehem before the action, that “the apartheid system Israel is making will fall as it fell in South Africa”.
Several other local leaders spoke, including Shaher Sa’ed, head of the Union of Palestinian Workers, who emphasized that the construction of the wall is not for security, but to increase poverty in Palestine, by separating Palestinians from their main source of income.
Samer Jaber, one of the organizers of the event, said this nonviolent action in Wadi Al-Neiss is part of the Stop the Bleeding of Bethlehem campaign which was launched two weeks ago with the goal of mobilizing the people of Bethlehem to resist the various forms of the Israeli occupation, including the wall, settlements, military checkpoints and roadblocks.
Israeli settlers attack Palestinian farmers and Israeli policemen by the ISM Media Crew, 4 May 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4th, 2007
Two weeks ago, villagers from al Khader tore down razor wire surrounding an abandoned Palestinian-owned building near their village. The building which has been standing since before 1948 is for use by the residents of al Khader.
On May 2nd, settlers from the Hanael settlement came into al Khader and beat up villagers as retaliation for the cutting of the razor wire the previous week. The settlers have been trying to gain control of the abandoned Palestinian building.
Today approximately 200 settlers trespassed on the village farmland and beat up two Palestinian farmers from al Khader who were demonstrating against the recent violence and lack of access to their land. Two Palestinians were detained and later released by the army. Soldiers were also assaulted by the settlers. The army did not respond to settler violence against the Palestinians, citing the fact that they were on a holiday as the reason they were unable intervene.
The settlement Hanael gets its name from Hanan, a settler who was given permission to serve 2 years out of an 8 year prison sentence for armed robbery of a bank in Israel on the actual settlement itself. The settlement has been ruled illegal by the Israeli court.
Farmers from al Khader are planning an upcoming tree planting event on the village farmland and will be seeking volunteers.
For more information, contact
Samer, 0522531172
ISM Media Office, 0599943157
Outsmarting the Occupation in Bil’in by Martinez, 4 May 2007
For 27 months, villagers from the West Bank village of Bil’in have been non-violently resisting Israel’s Apartheid Wall and land theft. Palestinians have been joined by Israeli and international solidarity activists at Bil’in’s regular Friday demonstrations against the Wall.
Today, activists met outside of the mosque in Bil’in and started their usual march to the Wall. Chants, songs, and slogans were sung as the demonstrators marched through the heat to reach the Apartheid structure.
There were even two members of the Tel Rumedia Circus for Detained Palestinians who showed up to lighten up the atmosphere and try to squeeze some smiles from the otherwise grumpy soldiers.
The demonstrators made their way three quarters of the way to the Wall without incident. Then, up ahead in the distance, one could make out a hurdle of barbed wire, splitting the path into two sides: one path symbolized non-violent resistance, Ghandi-style; the other path symbolized violence and occupation, police state-style.
Israeli Occupation Forces on the police state side of the barbed wire aimed their guns towards the protesters, whose weapons came in the form of video cameras and peace signs and circus equipment.
In Arabic, Hebrew, and English, demonstrators yelled, “No to the Wall!” and “Don’t shoot!”
As one Palestinian demonstrator began to pull away the barbed wire which was preventing the crowd of reaching the bigger Wall behind it, Israeli forces began to fire tear gas.
Demonstrators rushed into the olive grove, hands and handkerchiefs covering eyes and mouths to prevent the suffocating gas from reaching their corneas and lungs. I myself heard rubber-coated steel bullets whizzing through olive branches. Everywhere you looked projectile tear gas cannisters were either dropping like heavy flies from the sky or screeching through the trees.
The peaceful protesters retreated after 20 minutes but regrouped further up the path. Some quick decision making was made on behalf of the Palestinian organizers and their solidarity colleagues. And soon the crowd bolted down some rugged terrain.
The goal was to reach another side of the Apartheid Wall- to possibly dismantle some parts of it, but at least to reach the Wall and cross it.
On the other side of the Wall, of course, the Israeli settlements of Mod’in Ilit and Mattityahu East are illegally constructed. These colonies, and the Apartheid Wall in this story, have been built on nearly 60% of land that has been confiscated by Israel from the Palestinian village of Bil’in. This is Apartheid at its finest.
So, through the mountain side, about 30 demonstrators, a blend of Palestinian, Israeli, and internationals, quietly hustled on over to another portion of the extensive Wall of Apartheid.
Luckily, most people had their boots and tennis shoes on because it was a rocky road. The military camera was facing the road on which the demonstrators had marched. It was not facing this covert action against a different portion of the Wall.
Once the hikers regrouped, they placed tires and branches on the barbed wire and were able to make their way across the first wall. At this point, the demonstrators were between Walls. One a wall of barbed wire and the other electrical fencing and barbed wire.
Further in the distance, Israeli forces were firing into the remaining demonstrators who stayed behind in the olive grove. Signs in Hebrew at this part of the wall read in Hebrew something like this: “If you come any closer, there is a threat of death.” So, demonstrators cut the wires and flung the posts down the rocky slope.
This small march made its way between walls towards the Occupation forces. Soldiers did not even notice the crowd until they were just meters away. When they were spotted, however, soldiers turned their fire from the olive grove and onto the pack of 30.
“Don’t shoot!” was screamed in a handful of languages. Soldiers were caught off guard. Their unsynchronized reactions proved this. Soldiers were coming right up to the fence and pointing their guns at the non-violent demonstrators.
Soldiers could not throw the tear gas over the first wall because it would have tumbled down the mountain so they threw it on the road near the jeeps.
It dissipated quickly. Mohammad Khatib from the Popular Committee walked further up the path. A soldier confronted him at a gate in the Wall. Mohammad recounted:
“The soldier was pointing his gun right at me. He was just centimeters from shooting me. I told him we were non-violent and not to shoot. You can arrest us if you want but don’t shoot. I then heard the commanding officer tell the soldier in Hebrew to stand down.”
After some negotiating with the soldiers, the Palestinians were able to get the army to agree to let the thirty demonstrators exit through the main part of the wall, without shooting them. This is the location in the Wall where, every week, demonstrators have been trying to reach.
Over the past few weeks, Occupation forces have not allowed the demonstration to reach this gate in the Wall, and have prevented the marchers from doing so by using tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets, just like they were using today.
Two weeks ago, Israeli forces shot Irish Nobel Peace Prize winner Mariad Macguire in this same way– she was part of the demonstration that was trying to reach the gate in the Apartheid Wall. About 25 peaceful protesters were injured by demonstrators that day.
Two weeks ago, Nobel Peace prize winner shot by Israeli forces, Photo by Jonas
So, it was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The demonstrators outsmarted the army and crossed the wall. They walked past Israeli soldiers on the right side of the wall, firing into the mountainside. And they walked past soldiers on the left, who were still firing tear gas at the Palestinians in the olive grove.
When asked to make an official statement about TRCDP’s role at the demonstration, she said “If we can make one soldier smile at us, it’s a success because that means he is not shooting a Palestinian during that second.”
* * * * *
Bil’in is a Palestinian village that is struggling to exist. It is fighting to safeguard its land, its olive trees, its resources… its liberty.
While annexing close to 60% of Bil’in land for Israeli settlements and the construction of Israel’s separation wall, the state of Israel is strangling the village. Every day it destroys a bit more creating in an open air prison for Bil’in’s inhabitants.
