Author: ISM Media

Attempts to tend to farmland result in arrests

13 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On the 12th of July 2011, 4 ISM members with a group of international activists, including Israeli, French, Belgian, Portuguese and a 5 Palestinians attempted to enter the illegally, occupied farmland of a Palestinian landowner in Beit Ommar. The initial plan was to try to farm and clean the land of litter near the military placed fence, which separates the remaining Palestinian land because of an illegal settlement. We attempted to enter the area through the road path leading to the farmland but we were blocked by 20 military men from the Israeli army. The following actions involved heavy discussions between an Israeli activist and what seemed to be the official of the military Israeli unit. We tried to attempt another route but we were blocked again by the same military Israeli unit. The group was then shown a document in Hebrew from the commander of the unit that this was a closed military zone and that we had 10 minutes to leave the area before they arrested any of us. The collective decision was then to back-off and set up a plan to start cleaning the nearest farmland.

The ISM team decided to accompany the civil disobedience action remaining between other activists. When the 10 minutes were over, the Israeli army pushed us backwards physically, and as we moved backwards, I saw one Belgian activist getting grabbed from the back and getting arrested. There were other activists who were arrested at this time but which I couldn’t see since the Israeli army began to throw sound bombs at us. After the first wave of arrests, the Israeli army began throwing more sound bombs at the activists that still remained on the farmland. At this time I managed to observe one Israeli activist getting arrested in the front area. We moved backwards slowly while a number of soldiers commanded us to leave the area. I didn’t witness any further arrests.

Later at a debriefing at the Palestine Solidarity Project center/ Friends for Freedom and Justice Center we were told that 2 international activists and an Israeli activist had been arrested.

Background information:

In 2006 two fences were built in Beit Ommar confiscating Palestinian land. The Palestinian landowners had to either pass through entrances controlled by the Israeli army or were either prevented at all from entering their farmland. Demonstrations started in 2006 against the fence. Farmers succeeded to work on the land legally but were not allowed to enter or farm by the illegally occupied military zone. 2006-2008 2 Palestinian farmers made it through and in 2008 heavy military occupation began around the zone. A curfew was imposed, mass arrests and hence demonstrations began again. ThevillageofBeit Ommaris surrounded by three settlements, one of them being Karmei Tsur. The way settlements expand is done through the creation of buffer military zones, stating that the Israeli government has the right to “protect” the illegal settlements around the area. With the expansion of areas around settlements many Palestinian farmers and residents have been shot and arrested.


	


	
	






	
	

		
JVS: Fasayel VS Al Awja: a goal for the Palestinian Jordan Valley
	


	

		
11 July 2011 | Jordan Valley Solidarity


Yesterday, July 10th, was launched the third edition of the Jordan Valley football tournament in Al Awja.


Yousef Lafi, from the Palestinian Football Federation, along with Al Awja club manager, Fathy Khderat and Ibrahim Sawafta, from the JVS campaign, opened the football tournament.


Every speaker emphasized the importance of this tournament as a way of putting light on the Jordan Valley and its specific situation.


They also complimented this initiative as a way of gathering people from the Jordan Valley that should be repeated.


Fathy Khderat, the coordinator of the Jordan Valley Solidarity campaign, restated that JVS will focus its work in Fasayel Wasta and Foqa in the coming months.


The result of the game Fasayel VS Al Awja  was 3-1.


Next game will be Zbedat VS Anata, today at 7pm at Al Awja playground.

	


	
	






	
	

		
Hole in the wall at Qalandia checkpoint
	


	

		
10 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank


On 9th July, a group of twenty Palestinians accompanied by twenty internationals, managed to cut through some fence near the checkpoint at Qalandia.


The direct action was organised by Welcome to Palestine as part of the Week of Action in the West Bank. The action was in defiance against the Apartheid Wall, which divides the West Bank and is central to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.


Activists were able to cut through the barbed wire fence and plant Palestinian flags on the other side.

	


	
	






	
	

		
Access denied to Nabi Saleh
	


	

		
10 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank


On Saturday 9th July, seventy people – including thirty internationals from Sweden, France, Britain, Australia, Mexico, the United States and Denmark – demonstrated at a military checkpoint outside Nabi Saleh, after the army denied them entry into the village where Palestinians lead peaceful demonstrations weekly.


The demonstration was planned six months in advance by Welcome to Palestine, in order to kick off a week of action. The buses carrying demonstrators were attempting to enter the village of Nabi Saleh, but when people dismounted the buses and began walking towards the military checkpoint, Israeli soldiers responded with volleys of tear gas and sound bombs.


Thirty people managed to reach the checkpoint, with others being pushed back by clouds of tear gas and smoke from fires started by canisters. Soldiers pointed their weapons at the demonstrators and fired tear gas directly at individuals, as the unarmed protestors formed lines to chant ‘We are peaceful, what are you?’


Three Israeli activists were arrested, while one Palestinian boy was shot in the leg with a canister. Other demonstrators severely beaten by the soldiers.


The army only allowed the buses carrying demonstrators to leave with a military escort, which took them to Ramallah.


There are demonstrations every Friday in Nabi Saleh, where the Israeli military has a history of responding extremely violently and often invading the village.



	


	
	






	
	

		
Israeli military targets al Khalayla in demolitions
	


	

		
11 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank


On Monday, July 11th, the Israeli military demolished 5 buildings of local Palestinian businesses in the closed neighborhood of al -Khalayla near al-Jib village outside of Jerusalem. At 6:30am the owner of a window shop received a call  from the Israeli military that part of his business’s building structure would be demolished. Not long after the phone call, he arrived to the shop to find that they had already finished demolishing part of the structure.


At around 8am, the Israeli military destroyed a lumber factory owned by the al-Asmar family for 8 years.  In the process they also took 4 lumber machines, in addition to demolishing part of the al-Asmar’s home that was attached to the factory. One of the sons

explained that the military had come one month prior to issue the demolition. He then mentioned that twenty people were occupying the residences before they were demolished. The police also accompanied the military in 3 Hummers.


Later that morning at 10am, the Israeli military demolished Ismail Abu Rabah’s supermarket. Four months prior they had come to the village to issue the demolition. Ismail explained that he had hired a lawyer to work on the case in Israeli court, but was not successful in suspending the demolition for a longer period of time. Ismail had only short notice before his supermarket was demolished. While he was able to move refrigerators, shelves and products from the store into his home before the Israeli military arrived, the destruction of his business has cost him his livelihood.

In the late morning and early afternoon, the Israeli military demolished buildings of a mechanic garage and a truck and storage company. The owner of the garage explained that the military had arrived only one week before to issue the demolition. At approximately 1pm, structures of the Nasr storage and truck facilities were demolished. One of the sons, Tilal, explained that their equipment and storage structures were damaged, including a tractor owned by the family.


Al-Khalayla is located in Area C on the Jerusalem side of the Apartheid Wall. It is inhabited by about 700 Palestinians, 250 of whom hold West Bank Palestinian ID cards. Approximately half of Palestinians holding West Bank IDs are registered as refugees with the UNRWA.