Author: ISM Media

Israeli and International Activists Join Gazan Protestors in the Great Return March

October 10 2018 | Wafa Aludini, International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, occupied Palestine

On the morning of October 10, 2018, ten activists from around the world delivered messages of support to the Great March of Return in the Eastern Gaza Strip via Skype, as a part of a ‘virtual rally’ entitled “Words Over Walls.”

The speakers hailed from countries as diverse as the US, UK, Brazil, South Africa and Norway. They included authors Mike Peled, Denny Cormier, Robert Martin, Mike Farah, and Peter Cohen and International Solidarity Movement volunteer Kristin Foss. Participants expressed their solidarity with the Marchers, their tactics and their goals. Musician and composer Mike Farah then sang an original song about the Palestinian’s Right of Return.

“All people of conscience, all people who have a heart, regardless of nationality or religion, must stand with the brave people of Gaza and support their demand to be free and to return to their land and homes in Palestine. The siege on Gaza must be broken and the prison walls that surround Gaza must come down. Palestine must be free,” said author Mike Peled.

“[I’m] just an Australian man who wanted to see the truth, so I went to Palestine and was struck by the blatant abuse of Palestinians by Israel and the loving and welcoming by the Palestinian people,” said activist Robert Martin: “Everything I had read was wrong, the media had lied and I was embarrassed that I had believed [it].”

Additionally, group of anti-Zionist Israelis went near the fence to show solidarity with the Great Return March. They met and spoke with Palestinians activists but were separated by the Israeli siege fence and the Israeli Occupation Forces, who forced them to leave.

The Palestinian Media Youth Group, also known as the “16th October Group,” wishes to thank all of the speakers and hopes to see them soon in a free Palestine. 16th October is a youth Group from Gaza that works with internationals to reveal what is happening in Occupied Palestine, and to expose the brutality of the occupation.

Video: Israeli soldiers, police harass olive pickers in As-Sawiya village

October 7, 2018 | International Solidarity Movement | As-Sawiya, Occupied Palestine

 

 

A group of Israeli soldiers, one Israeli policeman, and one Israeli settler harassed a group of Palestinian and international olive pickers in As-Sawiya village yesterday, demanding identification and threatening to expel the harvesters from the area.

Soon after the group began work, they noticed security vehicles from the nearby settlement of Alia arrive and park along the settler road above them.  The occupants of the vehicle got out of the car and stood along the road for some time, taking photographs of the olive pickers.  Soon thereafter, a team of Israeli soldiers arrived, along with an Israeli police officer in an Israeli police vehicle.  The soldiers and police officer immediately approached the olive pickers and asked for IDs. One Israeli soldier filmed the entire interaction with his mobile phone, while the police officer photographed the passports of all the international harvesters.  He returned the passports immediately, but held onto the Palestinians’ IDs for a much longer period of time, walking away from the group to make a phone call and visibly sorting through the IDs.  After the phone call, he appeared to photograph one or more of the Palestinian IDs before returning them.  The officer then tried to tell the group that they needed to leave.  The team refused, with the Palestinians insisting that this was their land and they were there for the olive harvest.

 

 

During the confrontation, a settler came and sat nearby, watching.  After the confrontation, the settler, along with two Israeli soldiers, remained on the scene for an additional 20-30 minutes, trailing the olive pickers.  Eventually all Zionists left and the rest of the day’s harvest proceeded without incident.

As-Sawiya is slowly being surrounded by Alia as it expands along three sides of the village and encroaches on its land.  The particular area being harvested yesterday was among the closest to the Alia settlement.

Israeli Forces Storm Khan Al-Ahmar: Erect Road Blocks, Suppress Peaceful Demonstration

Around 11.30 am a bulldozer escorted by a police and military vehicles approached the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar and began to move rocks and earth in order to block access to the village via dirt roads on the outskirts to prevent resident and activists from reaching the area.

Soon after, locals and activists approached the bulldozer and started a passive, peaceful resistance by sitting in front of the machine, in order to prevent the aggressors from completing their “mission”.

After a few minutes, a large number of Border Police and regular Police officers reached the area and began to force people away from the machine; the police gave the activists 5 minutes to leave the area.

A short time after they issued the warning to leave the area, the military and police began to use forceful violence. The Israelis aggressor began pushing and dragging the peaceful demonstrators blocking their illegal operation away from the area. During this use of force, the police also used violence towards the medical teams and press who were present at the site. 

An elderly man, very well known in the community as Abu Tiger, was violently attacked during his peaceful demonstration against the actions being carried out by the Israeli forces. After being pushed to the ground he was dragged by multiple policemen, arrested and detained in a police vehicle, during this attack he was bleeding from the head and knocked unconscious.

Multiple other people were arrested during this assault: including Palestinian activist and a French-American professor and activist (Frank Romano).

During this incursion, many people attempted to remove the earth barrier erected by the bulldozer although this was hampered by the Israeli forces.

After the erection of this earth barrier, those present at Khan Al-Ahmar staged a peaceful demonstration on the edge of the highway. This was protest was against both the decision made by the Israeli Supreme Court and the erection of the earth barrier on the day (15/09/2018). The police and military presence during this demonstration was both unnecessary and disproportionate with the border police and Yasam (riot and crowd control unit) being drafted in, to suppress those protesting against the Israeli Occupation.

 

This was yet another arrogant act of violence by the Israeli forces with the intention to intimidate the residents of Khan al-Ahmar and the activists who were there in solidarity with the Palestinian Bedouin community. This attack is further raising the stress and upset for the people of the village, who are anxiously waiting for the demolition of their village and the school. Despite this, the community of Khan Al-Ahmar is not willing to give up in their peaceful fight against this oppressive attack on the place they call home. 

 

Join ISM: Training in London—October 6, 2018

ISM London is offering a day of pre-training for prospective volunteers who are interested in joining the International Solidarity Movement on the ground in Palestine.

Any volunteer is required to participate in training before joining activities in Palestine. Attending the training session in London will give you a chance to get a first impression of ISM and the kind of work you would be doing, receive training, connect with former volunteers and have your questions answered.

The training will take place on October 6, 2018:

Time: 10:30-16
Venue: LARC (London Action Resource Center)
62 Fieldgate St
Whitechapel
London
E1 1ES

To sign up for the training, please contact training.ismlondon@riseup.net

Activists stand in solidarity with the residents of Khan al-Ahmar

7 September 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Khan al-Ahmar, occupied Palestine

After an Israeli court ruling on September 5 2018 confirmed the eviction and demolition of the Palestinian Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, residents of the village, Palestinians from across the West Bank and international activists have gathered each day in solidarity at the village, awaiting the arrival of the Israeli forces.

On the morning of September 7, 2018, around 09:40, as approximately 40 Palestinians and internationals were peacefully enjoying morning tea and coffee, a busload of an estimated 40-50 people from the Israeli zionist hate-group “Im Tirtzu” pulled off the highway by the village and approached. The Palestinians and internationals who were gathered at Khan al-Ahmar met the Israeli hate group at the entrance of the village before they entered it. The Palestinians questioned the purpose of the group’s presence were met with verbal insults and accusations of anti-semitism.

The non-violent presence of the Palestinians and international solidarity activists put pressure on “Im Tirtzu” to retreat back to the highway. Israeli forces; police, military, and border police, met the groups by the highway and proceeded to don their full riot gear. As “I’m Tirtzu” awaited their bus for pick up, the police demanded that the Palestinians and internationals return to Khan Al-Ahmar, even physically pushing several individuals. Police also forcefully grabbed the Palestinian flags in a show of unnecessary aggression as people were retreating.

By September 7 at 13:00, between 400-500 Palestinian solidarity activists, official Palestinian activist groups, government officials, media personnel, and international activists gathered under the tent at Khan Al-Ahmar for a prayer service. Following the prayer service, the group migrated to the highway, referred to as Route 1, to occupy the street in a peaceful demonstration of their resistance to the threatened eviction. Dozens of Palestinian flags waved in the breeze as demonstrators blocked highway traffic, chanting songs of resistance in Arabic. Fully armed police and military officers forced demonstrators off the street under threat of physical violence. The demonstrators moved but continued the protest for another 45 minutes by the side of the highway.

Palestinian and international solidarity activists will maintain a presence over the coming week in the village of Khan Al-Ahman alongside the village’s residents, who are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Israeli army set to carry out their eviction plans.