Category: Features - Page 169 - International Solidarity Movement

24 year old man from Iraq Burin shot by teargas canister at close range

8 May 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

Abdalah Aadus shot with tear gas canister

Yesterday afternoon, 24 year old Abdalah Aadus from the village of Iraq Burin was taken to hospital after being shot in the side by a teargas canister which was fired from close range. Abdalah had been participating in a demonstration against the theft of his village’s agricultural land by settlers.

At 15.00, approximately 40 villagers from Iraq Burin gathered and started walking from the village towards their land which is situated close to the illegal Bracha settlement. The demonstrators carried Palestinian flags which they planted on their agricultural land. After 30 minutes 20 Israeli soldiers and 1 security guard from the illegal settlement showed up and responded by shooting rubber-coated steel bullets, teargas canisters and sound bombs directly at the demonstrators from a close range. One of the soldiers also threatened the demonstrators by saying that the army would return to the village that night and arrest them all. During the demonstration Abdalah was shot in his side and taken to the hospital. Fortunately he was not severely injured and was able to leave the hospital later the same day.

Last year the villagers of Iraq Burin held weekly demonstrations against the theft of their land by the settlers. The Israeli military responded to the protests with great violence, firing tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets directly at the protesters. In March 2010 Mohammed Qadous 16, and Asaud Qadous, 19, were killed by Israeli forces during one of the non-violent demonstration. After the tragic incident the villagers decided to stop the demonstrations, as the price was just too high.

Iraq Burin is a village with 700 inhabitants located outside of Nablus, in the West Bank. The village is surrounded by the two illegal settlements of Bracha and Yizhar and their outposts. The settlers have so far stolen 4000 dunams of land from the village.

American woman hospitalized with head injury and three international activists arrested in West Bank protest

1 May 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

Injuries suffered by a 60 year old female American activist.

Sandra Quintano, An American 60 year-old women working with the Michigan Peace Team, was evacuated to an Israeli hospital this afternoon, after Israeli soldiers caused her a serious head injury as they demolished a protest tent in the West Bank village of Izbet al-Tabib near Qalqilya. A Swede and two British activists were arrested during the protest. To download a video of the incident, click here.

Israeli soldiers, accompanied by bulldozers and other heavy machinery entered the village of Izbet al-Tabib south of Qalqilya earlier today, to demolish a protest tent set up only yesterday by the villagers and begin the construction of a fence that would cut the villagers off from Highway 55 and of their agricultural land.

During the eviction of the tent, the soldiers violently arrested two British activists and a Swedish activist. They also caused a bleeding head injury to a 60 year-old American woman. She also suffered blows to her wrist, which is suspected to be broken. She was evacuated to an Israeli hospital.

Nonviolent protester after being injured by Israeli soldiers.

The violent arrests were made solely under the pretext of declaring the area a “closed military zone”. However, the soldiers and Border Police officers carried out the arrests without having shown any document declaring the area as such, as the law requires them to do. The three are still in custody and are currently held at the Ariel police station.

During today’s protest, Bayan Tabib, the head of the village council, has received a promise from an Israeli Civil Administration officer, that the fence will only be erected on the far end of Highway 55, thus not cutting off the village’s access to the road or their land. Tabib attributed the promise to today’s protest, saying the “The protest today is the only reason that they agreed to move the fence.”

The village of Izbet al-Tabib, which consists of 45 structures and is home to 247 residents, was built in the 1920’s and is located entirely in area C according to the 1995 Interim Agreement (Oslo II). Israeli authorities do not recognize the village and 32 out of its 45 houses, as well as its school, have been served demolition orders in recent years. Izbet al-Tabib is the fifth poorest village in the West Bank and villagers have already lost 45% of their land due to the construction of Israel’s Separation Barrier.

International Solidarity Movement Committed to Staying in Gaza

18 April 2011 | ISM GAZA

Arabic follows English — البيان مترجم للغة العربية

Following the murder of our comrade and friend Viktor, we, activists of the International Solidarity Movement, would like to reiterate our commitment to remaining in Gaza. We will continue to work with and live among the Palestinian population as we continue the work which Vik was so committed too.

In these days of mourning, Palestinians have organized numerous memorials for Vik; they constantly remind us how sorry they are to have lost him, of how they loved him, his closeness, his affection, and his indignation at what is happening here in Gaza. We know that the group that perpetrated this horrible crime does not in any way represent the Palestinian society. The Palestinians of Gaza are our friends, our colleagues, and our reason for being here; we will continue to stand by their side.

As we had done when Vittorio was with us, we will continue to stand alongside the Palestinian people, we will continue to struggle against the occupation, we will continue to accompany farmers to their lands along the border, we will continue to participate in demonstrations, and we will continue to tell the world what happens here in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. We think that Victor would agree with Che Guevara when he said, “Don’t cry for me if I die, do what I was doing and I will live on in you.” The best way to honor Vik is to continue the work that he was doing. In particular we will soon begin crewing a boat whose mission is to monitor the violation of human rights in Palestinian waters. This boat will have its maiden voyage on April 20: Vik had strongly backed this project and he had enthusiastically participated in its realization. Vik has been an inspiration to all of us, we all hope to live up to his example. In a documentary about him, Vik said he would have liked to be remembered by Nelson Mandela’s quote; “A victor is merely a dreamer who never stops dreaming.” Your dreams are our dreams; we will never forget you, Vik.

بيان صحفي صادر عن حركة التضامن الدولية

أننا في حركة التضامن الدولية ملتزمون البقاء في قطاع غزة

حركة التضامن الدولية غزة:

تباعا لمقتل صديقنا ورفيقنا فكتور, نحن نشطاء حركة التضامن الدولية, نعيد ونكرر أننا عازمون علي البقاء في غزة. وسنكمل مشوارنا في العمل والعيش مع الشعب الفلسطيني كما أننا سنكمل العمل الذي أوصانا به صديقنا فكتور .

في هذه الأيام المحزنة, فقد نظم الفلسطينيون العديد من احتفالات التأبين حزنا علي فكتور, فإنهم بوقوفهم إلي جانبنا أشعرونا عمق أسفهم وخسارتهم ومدى حبهم له وقربه لهم وتأثيره فيهم, ناهيك عن مدى استيائه لما يحدث هنا في قطاع غزة, ونحن نعلم إن المجموعة التي أقدمت علي هذه الجريمة البشعة لا تمثل بأي شكل من الأشكال الشعب الفلسطيني. إن الفلسطينيين في غزة هم أصدقائنا و رفاق دربنا وهم السبب وراء تواجدنا هنا, وسنكمل مشوارنا بالوقوف إلي جانبهم.

وكما عهدتمونا وفكتوريو بيننا, فسنظل واقفون جنبا إلي جنب مع الشعب الفلسطيني نناضل ضد الاحتلال, وسنشارك المزارعين عملهم في أراضيهم قرب المناطق الحدودية, ونشارك ايضا في المسيرات, ولن نتوقف عن نشرنا للعالم حقيقة ما يجري في قطاع غزة فلسطين, ونعتقد أن فكتور يؤيد قول “تشي جيفارا” : ” لا تبكى علي إن مت, سر علي دربي فأنا حي فيك “, إن أفضل طريقة لتكريم فكتور هي مواصلة السير علي دربة, وعلي وجه الخصوص فإننا قريبا سنكون علي متن القارب الذي مهمته مراقبة إنتهاكات حقوق الإنسان في المياه الفلسطينية, وستكون رحلتنا الاولي علي متن القارب في العشرين من الشهر الجاري, فقد دعم صديقنا فكتور بقوة في هذا المشروع وشارك بحماس و إدراك, فقد كان فكتور ملهمنا جميعا ونتمنى جميعا أن يكون مثال لنا, وتخليدا لذكراه فقد اختار فكتور أن نتذكره بمقولة مشهورة لنلسون منديلا ” المنتصر فقط هو من يحلم ولا يتوقف عن الحلم “. أحلامك أحلامنا وذكراك فينا ما حيينا فكتور.

Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank unite in mourning of slain activist Vittorio Arrigoni

International Solidarity Movement Gaza

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Palestinians across the Gaza strip and the West Bank will join today in mourning slain activist Vittorio Arrigoni. People will gather both in the Al Manara square in Ramallah and at Al Jundi al Majhull, the unknown soldier park, in Gaza City. Mourners will be received by the ISM, local popular committees, and BDS and civil society activists.

Gaza
16.00, Al Jundi AL Majhoul – demonstration will move towards al Jundi al Majhoul, the unknown soldier park. A mourning tent will open at the fisherman’s port Al Mina al Sayadeen

Ramallah
16.00, Al Manara square – gathering to commemorate Vittorio
The crowd will then march to Al Bireh where mourners can pay their respect at an event held at the Al Bireh Municipality hall.

Further events will take place across the West Bank and the Gaza strip. Protest demonstrations have taken place following the Friday prayer across from the UN headquarters in Gaza. The villages of Bil’in and Al Masara have dedicated their weekly demonstrations to Vittorio today. Tomorrow in Nablus the Popular Committee called for a commemoration with political parties in the center of the city condemning Vittorio’s killing and celebrating his work.

Vittorio was active in the Palestine cause for almost 10 years. For the past two and a half years, he was in Gaza with the International Solidarity Movement, monitoring human rights violations by Israel, supporting the Palestinian popular resistance against the Israeli occupation and disseminating information about the situation in Gaza to his home country of Italy and around the world.

He was aboard the siege-breaking voyage in 2008 with the Free Gaza Movement. During Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza know as Operation Cast Lead Vittorio assisted medics and reported to the world what Israel was doing to the Palestinian people. He was arrested numerous times by Israeli forces for his participation in Palestinian non-violent resistance in the West Bank and Gaza. His last arrest and deportation from the area came as a result of the Israeli confiscation of Palestinian fishing vessels in Gazan territorial waters.

Vittorio frequently wrote on the issue of Palestine for the Italian newspaper, IL Manifesto and Peacereporter and was vocal in the issue of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel.

Khaleel Shaheen, of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights and a friend of Vittorio’s in Gaza says:

What has happened today is a black day in Palestinian history. The horrific murder of our friend Vittorio is totally condemned. We ask the local authorities to bring the criminals to justice as soon as possible. He is in our minds always. He is a hero of Palestine.

For more information please contact:
Huwaida Arraf – 00972 598 336 215
Joe Catrone (Gaza) – 00972 59 530 8666
Inge Neefs (Gaza) – 00972 597 738 436
Khaleel Shaheen (Gaza) – 00972 599 691 134
Nathan Stuckey (Gaza) – 00972 597 650 864
Silvia Todescini – Italian (Gaza) – 00972 595 447 660

ISM confirms the death of Vittorio Arrigoni

April 15: Updated with news reports below.

The International Solidarity Movement is shocked and deeply saddened by the killing of our friend and colleague Vittorio Arrigoni. Vik was an inspiring activist and generous soul. Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts.

We will post more information here as it becomes available.