Category: Press Releases - Page 109 - International Solidarity Movement

Journalist arrested at peaceful tree-planting action

23 January 2010

Village residents come together to plant olive trees

On 23 January, Israeli soldiers declared Palestinian land south of the Israeli settlement outpost Havot Ma’on (Hill 833) a closed military zone, then arrested a Palestinian journalist from Pal Media. The journalist was reporting on a demonstration organized by Palestinians from the village of At-Tuwani after the recent destruction of an olive grove. Despite the Israeli military interventions, the Palestinians successfully planted 20 olive trees during their demonstration.

While Palestinian farmers, accompanied by internationals, were planting olive trees, fifteen settlers approached the area, some carrying slingshots. Israeli soldiers and police also entered the area. The soldiers informed the Palestinians that the area was a closed military zone, showing them a map that encompassed a large area south of Havat Ma’on outpost. Police arrested the journalist, saying he had violated the closed military zone order.

At-Tuwani residents organized the demonstration in response to recent property damage. On the afternoon of 14 January, Palestinians discovered that a family-owned olive grove in Khoruba valley had been destroyed. Twenty mature olive trees were broken at their trunks. The family believes that Israeli settlers from the Ma’on settlement and Havot Ma’on outpost are responsible for the vandalism. This is the fifth time since 1997 that settlers have destroyed the olive trees in this grove. This most recent attack on Palestinian agriculture follows a month of Israeli settler violence and harassment aimed at preventing Palestinian farmers from plowing their fields and thus earning their livelihoods. In addition, in recent months, Israeli military have consistently used closed military zone orders to prevent Palestinians from working their lands.

CJPME: Canada to withdraw its funding to UNRWA

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

21 January 2009

Last week, the government of Canada quietly announced it would discontinue its long-standing financial contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and redirect the monies to strengthen the judicial system of the Palestinian Authority and other food assistance programs. The news came out as UNRWA launched a special fundraising campaign to collect millions of dollars needed to support programs in the occupied Palestinian territories.

UNRWA provides assistance to 4.67 million Palestinian refugees scattered throughout the Middle East and administers programs in the areas of education, health and other social services in 59 Palestinian refugee camps. The agency operates solely through donations from various organizations and governments. It is currently under severe financial duress due to the increasing number of Palestinian refugees, the deterioration of their socio-economic level, unemployment and food insecurity.

“Canada’s decision to cut funds to UNRWA and its essential programs is very worrying and could have important consequences for Palestinian refugees,” stated Thomas Woodley, President of CJPME. “Reducing the capacity of UNRWA will terribly undermine the quality of life for these people. Canadians must respond to this announcement and protest against this radical break from traditional Canadian values of compassion and humanitarian concerns,” added Woodley.

Canada is the seventh largest donor to UNRWA and contributes on average 15 million dollars annually via the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), which is currently overseen by the Minister of International Cooperation Beverley Oda. Several groups believe that the decision of the Canadian authorities to stop its support for UNRWA is more than just a desire to reallocate the money more effectively. It could reflect an intention to have the UN agency completely disappear. “There are groups who seem to think that if UNRWA were de-funded and disappeared, the refugees would disappear too. This is a deluded fiction,” said UNRWA spokesman, Chris Gunness.

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is a non-profit and secular organization bringing together men and women of all backgrounds who labour to see justice and peace take root again in the Middle East. Its mission is to empower decision-makers to view all sides with fairness and to promote the equitable and sustainable development of the region.

Six Injured and Six Arrested During a Nabbi Saleh Demonstration

22 January 2010

Six demonstrators, including three Israeli activists, were injured today in the West Bank village of Nabbi Saleh after the army invaded the village earlier today. The soldiers launched an unprovoked attack at the center of the village, even before a scheduled demonstration began. Three women and three men from the village were arrested.

Slightly after 12:30 a large military force invaded the North Ramallah village of Nabbi Saleh and began shooting tear-gas and rubber-coated bullets at people who were gathering to demonstrate against the theft of their lands by the nearby Jewish-only settlement of Halamish. One demonstrator was evacuated to the hospital unconscious, after being hit in the back with a rubber-coated bullet. Five more, including three Israeli activists, suffered less serious injuries.

During the demonstration three women and three man were arrested by the soldiers. An Israeli activist who was detained together with them was released a short time after, despite the fact that they were all arrested at the same time and place, and under similar circumstances.

Approximately six weeks ago, a group of Halamish settlers took over a natural spring located in privately owned Palestinian land in between the village and the settlement. Since then, and despite the fact that ownership of the land undisputed, the army began preventing Palestinians from accessing the area.

Two weeks ago, when villagers amassed hoping to manage and access their lands as a group, the army brutally prevented them from doing so using tear-gas and rubber-coated bullets. In response the villagers – men, women and children – blocked the settlement’s access road for over two hours.

A few days after, a DCO officer approached the village’s municipality, recognizing the villagers’ ownership of the land and promised that they will no longer be barred from accessing it. Despite this promise, the army continued violently assaulting residents of Nabbi Saleh in the past two Fridays when they tried accessing their lands.

Demonstrations also took place today in the villages of alMaasara south of Bethlehem – where a demonstrator was arrested and the Palestinian minister of agriculture was among the participants, Bil’in and Ni’ilin – where in the past month the army has been conducting an unprecedented arrest campaign against anti-Wall activists.

Bradford Palestine Solidarity Group hosts Palestine Awareness Week

Bradford Palestine Solidarity Group

21 January 2010

As Palestinians continue to suffer in occupied Palestine, actions and events are being held in the UK and Europe. The University of Bradford Union (UBU), Palestine Return Centre and Let Palestinians Study are organizing Palestine Awareness Week (PAW) and remembrance in Bradford city. The week of actions coincides with the 1st Anniversary of Gaza War which has been commemorated worldwide. Events will run from 1st February to 5th February.

Palestine Awareness Week starts Monday 1st February with a live graffiti about Palestine. At 5pm there will be a film screening of Occupation 101 open to students and members of public.

The second day will be a day of cultural festivities where Palestinian food, traditional items, and free literature will be provided for people to take away. There will also be presentations of Palestinian cultural history and if possible a performance during lunch. A number of information stalls will be available featuring Interpal, PRC, PSC, United 4 Palestine, Viva Palestina Bradford, Friends of Al-Aqsa, FOSIS – Palestine, Ceasefire, NUS Black Students Campaign, CND, Amnesty International, UBU Peace Society and My Deen Today.

In the evening, we will be setting up a video link with Gaza and Viva Palestina members to talk about their experience while visiting Gaza. They are expected to provide a detailed description of the disastrous humanitarian conditions there.

On Wednesday, the event will start with a video link with IUG students from Gaza to celebrate and announce the twinning with Bradford University. This will be followed by speakers including Professor Paul Rogers and Dr. Mandy Turner from the Bradford Peace Studies department, Anas Altikriti, and other speakers. Their talks will be broken into different topics focusing on the history of the conflict and how it is affecting Palestinians lives and communities. It will end with a question and answer session.

In the evening of Thursday 4th February, an speak-out will be held where participants will be able to share poems and songs about Palestine.

On the last day of PAW we will be hosting a Friday prayer at the University Great hall followed by a fundraiser for Palestine.

Three more arrested in Ni’ilin night raid

21 January 2010

Three residents of Ni’ilin were arrested in a pre-dawn imilitary incursion into the village of Ni’ilin today. This is the 15th time such a raid was conducted in the past month in order to apprehend Palestinian anti-Wall activists. Today’s arrests are a continuation of a concerted assault on the popular struggle movement and its leadership.

Shortly after 3 am tonight, dozens of Israeli soldiers participated in a night-time incursion on the Wes Bank village of Ni’ilin as part of a prolonged arrest campaign against the village held by the army in the past month. Among those arrested was also Mustafa Amirah, a man in his 50s, who was only arrested because his son was not at home when the soldiers arrived to arrest him, and in an illegitimate and illegal attempt to apply pressure on him. During the raid soldiers broke into five additional houses, but carried no arrests in them.

Tonight’s raid is the 15th one to be held in Ni’ilin alone since 16 December. During this period the army had arrested twenty of the village’s residents in connection to anti-Wall protest. The past month’s arrestees include Ibrahim Amirah, Hassan Mousa and Zaydoun Srour, members of the village’s popular committees (the body that organizes the demonstrations), who were arrested last week. Since demonstrations began in Ni’ilin, in May of 2008, 109 of the villages residents were arrested for their involvement in anti-Wall protests.

For more details: Jonathan Pollak 0546327736

The arrests tonight are an escalation of an ongoing and extensive Israeli attempt to suppress the Palestinian popular resistance. Similar raids to the ones conducted in Ni’ilin have also been conducted in the village of alMaasara, south of Bethlehem and in the village of Bil’in – where 34 residents have been arrested in the past six months, as well as in the cities of Nablus, Ramallah and East Jerusalem.

The recent wave of arrests is also an assault on the members of the Popular Committees – the leadership of the popular struggle – who are charged with incitement when arrested. The charge of incitement, defined in military law as “an attempt, whether verbally or otherwise, to influence public opinion in the Area in a way that may disturb the public peace or public order”, is a cynic attempt to equate grassroots organizing with a hefty charge and lengthy imprisonments. Such indictments are part of the army’s strategy to use legal measures as a means of quashing the popular movement.

Among those arrested in the recent campaign are also five members of the Bil’in Popular Committee, all suspected of incitement, and include Adeeb Abu Rahmah – who is already held in detention for over six months, and Abdallah Abu Rahmah – the Bil’in Popular Committee coordinator.

Prominent grassroots activists Jamal Jum’a (East Jerusalem) and Mohammed Othman (Jayyous) of the Stop the Wall NGO, involved in anti-Wall and boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigning, have recently been released from detention after being incarcerated for long periods based on secret evidence and with no charges brought against them.