Author: ISM Media

Gazans return to the “buffer zone”

26 November 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza Strip

Women hand-harvesting wheat in the Gaza ‘buffer zone’

After years of being barred from their land, Gazan farmers celebrate their ability to return. Once the terms of ceasefire were announced thousands flocked back to their property that has been vacant for eleven years, though many are still understandably wary.

Jaber Abu Regaleh, who is a farmer from Farahin (which is near the border of Gaza and close to the former buffer zone) said: 

“We are celebrating. Everyone, young men, young women, old people, we are all outside walking on our land along the border. I am near the fence now.
There is ten meters between me and the Israeli jeep. We have a lot of work to do to repair the destruction caused by the occupation, but we will till the land and plant it. We will renew the agricultural land so it is as it used to be. This is better than a holiday for us.”

The killing of twenty one year old Abdelhadi Qdeih and wounding of nineteen others by the Israeli military a day after the ceasefire has left other residents scared of returning.

Naser Abu Said lived in Jaher al deek near the border of Gaza with his wife, Naama and five children. Naama was killed and the children injured by Israeli artillery on the 13th of july, 2010. “We were living a good life before they shelled our house. Our two year old son was outside as his mother ran to get him. She was shot with a shell that scatters pieces of metal. The army didn’t allow an ambulance to approach her for four and a half hours while she died.” Nasser’s house was demolished and children and relatives injured when the house was shelled again on the 28th of April, 2011. “ We are still afraid, we cannot believe what has happened. We have not gone back to the land yet. If the israeli soldiers shoot and kill you there’s no one held accountable. We are waiting to see what happens.” Said Nasser.

The Buffer Zone was a no-go zone imposed by Israel, starting at the border fence and extending into Gazan territory to which Palestinian access was denied. Israel treated this border area which contains much of Gaza‘s most arable land as a free-fire zone. Any Gazan resident entering the zone risked death or injury. Israeli troops invaded regularly, including armoured columns and kept the lands razed of any built-up structures or agricultural activity. Israeli Occupation Force aircraft dropped leaflets warning residents not to move within 300 metres of the border fence. In reality however, Palestinians have been shot up to two kilometres from the border fence.

 

For more background information on the buffer zone see:
http://farmingunderfire.blogspot.com
https://palsolidarity.org/tag/buffer-zone

Update: Voices of Resistance

For Media: We have English (as well as other languages) speaking people in Gaza wishing for their voices to be heard. To arrange for interviews please contact: palreports@gmail.com

Haidar Eid, professor (Tel Al Hawa, Gaza)

”On November 19th, while death and destruction was still pouring down on Gaza I  wrote: “Gaza 2009 was the Sharpeville and Guernica of Palestine. Gaza 2012 is Palestine’s Soweto 1976, that will lead inexorably to implementation of the Right of Return and the end of ALL racist solutions; the beginning of the end of occupation, colonization and Apartheid in Palestine! ” This is what has happened. History has repeat itself, but not as a tragedy this time: 1976 witnessed the beginning of the end of Apartheid in South Africa; 2012 will be the turning point that will lead to the end of Apartheid in Palestine!

Ola Anan (West of Gaza City)

‘’Life is beginning to go back into normal life, student are back to school today, I can’t imagine how hard it feels to go back to the school and find out your friends was killed during the war. People begin to go out of the street to see the destroyed places. Land marks of the city are destroyed, they compare how the things are seems different, seems that we needs a lot of time to realize what really happened, how much we have lost.’’

Muhsen Abu Ramadan (the chairman of the steering committee of PNGO in Gaza)

“One of the factors that helped Palestinians achieve their victory are the solidarity groups and activists who demonstrated all over the world and helped spread a message  reflecting the international humanitarian values based on human rights and peoples rights to self determination.”

Maram Humaid (student in Gaza Strip)

”It’s the third day after the attack of Israel on Gaza. Normal life is not easier. You can see activists publishing photos on twitter. We, students, activists, boys and girls practice our life normally, there is no wounding, no fire, it is getting normal. Many people are thinking to have fun, but we passed too difficult period and it is hard to do that. We meet and talk about this war, our memories, what is going on and how we are. I have a list of people I want to ask how they are, to see who is secure.”

Rushdi Sarraj (photographer in Gaza strip)

‘’8-days of the aggression on Gaza Strip passed like ages. We never slept or found a way to rest. The sound of bombing and the smell of death lingered everywhere. But we continued our media work without fear  and showed the world the hidden face of the Israeli crimes. Targeting the media was  the highest priority of the occupation, I lost more than one of my colleagues among the dead and wounded.’’

Jaber Abu Regaleh (farmer from Farahin near the border of Gaza in the former buffer zone)

“We are celebrating. Every one, young men, young women, old people, we are all outside walking on our land along the border. I am near the fence now. There is ten meters between me and the Israeli jeep. We have a lot of work to do to repair the destruction caused by the occupation but we will till the land and plant it and renew it to be the agricultural land that it used to be. This is better than a holiday for us.”

Call for simultaneous solidarity action: 28 November to 1 December 2012

24th November 2012 | World Social Forum Free Palestine

See: www.wsfpalestine.net

From 28 November through 1 December, thousands of activists, organizers, youth, faith-based groups, trade unions, musicians, academics, and more will converge on Porto Alegre, Brazil for the first ever World Social Forum dedicated exclusively to Palestine.

For those who are unable to join us in Brazil, the World Social Forum Free Palestine WSF-FP calls for simultaneous protests, creative actions and media efforts worldwide to call attention to the goals and strategies that will be discussed and promoted during this Forum.

The World Social Forum Free Palestine is an expression of the human instinct to unite for justice and freedom and an echo of the World Social Forum’s opposition to neo-liberal hegemony, colonialism, and racism through struggles for social, political and economic alternatives to promote justice, equality, and the sovereignty of peoples.

The WSF-FP will be a global encounter of broad-based popular and civil society mobilizations from around the world. It aims to:

1. Show the strength of solidarity with the calls of the Palestinian people and the diversity of initiatives and actions aimed at promoting justice and peace in the region.

2. Create effective actions to ensure Palestinian self-determination, the creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the fulfillment of human rights and international law, by:

a. Ending Israeli occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;

b. Ensuring the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and

c. Implementing, protecting, and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.

3. Be a space for discussion, exchange of ideas, strategizing, and planning in order to improve the structure of solidarity.

How to be part of the WSF Free Palestine Extended?

The World Social Forum Free Palestine is calling for extended global activities in solidarity with the historic occurrence in Brazil. In order to be part of the WSF Free Palestine effort, we ask you to:

– Use the WSF-FP logo during the event and in the promotional material

– Ensure your activity is consistent with the WSF-FP Reference Document

– Inform us of your activity at extended@wsfpalestine.net and prensa@wsfpalestine.net ahead of time to help promote it globally

– Send us photos, videos of your activity to display them in Porto Alegre.

During the WSF Free Palestine, let’s all use the Twitter hashtag #wsfpalestine to promote our actions and don’t forget to follow @WSFPalestine to follow the action as it unfolds!

Some ideas for actions are:

1. Organize a visible and creative protest, flash mob or action that calls attention to the goals of the WSF Free Palestine and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. Such actions can coincide with ongoing, pre-existing campaigns in your area;

2. Prepare outreach meetings, events or media initiatives that bring attention to the WSF-FP;

3. Use the momentum of the WSF-FP as a launching pad for new campaigns and to bring the message of Palestinian self-determination, freedom and justice to new audiences;

4. Call on governments to pay attention to the WSF-FP and respect the demands of Palestinian civil society.

5. Publish statements by well-known personalities in support of the WSF Free Palestine and the demands of Palestinian civil society summarized in the Reference Document.

Be a part of the WSF Free Palestine wherever you are: 28 November to 1 December 2012!

Photo Essay: The funeral and burial of Rushdi Tamimi

20th November 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Policemen take Rushdi Tamimi´s body out of the morgue

Palestinian policemen waiting for the arrival of Rushdi Tamimi´s remains.

Rushdi Tamimi´s body is taken for a funeral procession through the streets of Ramallah.

Hundreds of people join the funeral procession in Nabi Saleh.

Rushdi Tamimi being lowered into his grave in Nabi Saleh.

Israeli and U.S. forces displace villagers from homes for military training in the Jordan Valley

By Brandi Jackson

13th November 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On November 11th Palestinians from the Jordan Valley villages of AelRaesAhemer, AelMaleh, and Ael Meta, were awoken by Israeli occupation forces at 6:00 AM and forced to leave their homes and villages because the military was to use the area for military training.

The villages are part of Area C in the West Bank, and therefore are under full Israeli civil and security control. Palestinians in Area C, which covers over 60% of the West Bank, are practically forbidden to build on their own property; while neighboring illegal settlements continue to expand. The villages undergo constant attacks and threats from either the army or settlers, including home demolitions, physical beatings, destruction of property, etc.

U.S. Forces have recently arrived in Israel and the West Bank to conduct a joint military exercise simulating a war in the Middle East that would require the U.S. to intervene. The drill is considered to be the largest joint military exercise carried out by the two countries, and is severely affecting the lives of Palestinian villagers throughout the West Bank. It also violates Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which states that “Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of their motive.”

After Israeli occupation forces displaced the villagers out of their homes, they then began to practice shooting tanks, missiles, and artillery into the areas of the villages throughout the day.

According to the information we received from several people, the villagers will be able to return to their homes at 6:00 PM. Some may have to go through this process every day for up to two months, until the Israeli and U.S. Forces are finished with their joint military exercise. “The Military told us that we are not allowed to return to our homes at all. We don´t know what to expect,” explained a Palestinian.

Brandi Jackson is a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed)