Category: Press Releases

Qusin Demo Video and Report

Saturday, September 15th, at 12pm, international and Israeli activists joined Palestinian activists and villagers in the village of Qusin to protest the system of control imposed upon them by the Israeli army. The region has seen a rise in demonstrations of this sort recently, with roadblock removal demonstrations happening also in the nearby town of Sarra.

There is a road that connects both of these towns, and others, to Nablus, and to the Nablus-Tulkarem road. This road has been deemed usable only by Israelis, it turns what is normally a five minute journey to Nablus into at least one hour. This constitutes daily harassment for people going to work, going to school, or even just visiting family.

People gathered together in the village of Qusin and marched towards the roadblock that prevents them from accessing this road, in Qusin it takes the form of a yellow gate chained shut. Villagers with international and Israeli support rallied at the gate, singing, chanting, and opened it for general use.

After some celebrations at the newly opened gate this non-violent demonstration decided to return to the village, but soldiers from an army base nearby spotted them and ran down the hill, preventing them from going back peaceably to their homes. Soldiers began to push the people gathered there, threatening them all alike. The press were threatened and assaulted as much as the demonstrators, with one journalist saying the commander told him “stop filming or I will break your camera!”. The soldiers did not want any evidence of what was going to happen next.

Tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets began to shoot off into the crowd, the demonstrators scattered, unable to reach their home and faced with extreme army violence. People ran down a hill into a field, trying to find an alternative way of reaching their village. The army stood on the road, firing more tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets at moving targets below. Some of the soldiers chased people into the fields, and were seen beating Palestinians. They were also caught pointing their guns at people at point-blank range and threatening to fire.

One international was shot in the hand at a distance of 10 meters by a rubber-coated steel bullet and required medical attention, with blood shooting from her hand “like a geyser” as one witness reported. Under Israel’s own military law, it is illegal to fire rubber coated steel bullets from a distance closer than 40 meters. The soldiers were therefore in direct violation of their own military law when undertaking these actions today. Another international and five Palestinians were also shot but did not need to go to the hospital. While most people had scattered, many international and Israeli observers were on the road asking the military to calm down and use less violence.

After it was clear the demonstration was over, these people were all arrested. In the end six Israeli activists, five international activists, and two Palestinians were arrested. The Palestinians were handcuffed and blindfolded and no information about their status has been confirmed. Three of the international activists and one Israeli are being charged with the false allegation of assaulting an officer while being arrested. Although these claims are entirely baseless lies, journalists were kept away from the scene of the arrest to prevent demonstrators from having proof of their innocence and it will be a case of one person’s word against the other.

***UPDATE*** As of September 19th, all the demonstrators have been released. Those injured and hospitalized have returned to their homes and are recovering. We are still trying to raise money for the Palestinian demonstrators, 8,000 shekels (around 2,000 dollars) are urgently needed to pay for the bail costs for both men. It is extremely important to support the villagers of Qusin who have only begun to wage nonviolent struggle against an illegal and brutal Israeli occupation.

Checks of any amount may be made out to “ISM-USA” and sent to:
ISM-USA
PO Box 5073
Berkeley, CA 94705

If you wish to make a tax-deductible donation, please make your checks of $50 or more payable to ISM-USA’s fiscal sponsor: A.J. Muste Memorial Institute, (with “ISM-USA” on the memo line of the check), and send to the same address above.

You may also use your credit or debit card and use our PayPal account
through www.palsolidarity.org/main/donations/
Donations sent through PayPal are not tax-deductible.

Action Alert: Demonstration in Jayous 10am 8th September

Jaayus, Saturday Sept. 8th at 10:30

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Saturday, September 8th, a demonstration has been organized in the village of Jayous.

As the olive season soon begins, more than 30 work permits the local villagers need to access their lands have been denied “because of opposition on the part of security elements.” Many of the people denied permits are free to enter Israel for work or leave the country entirely yet are somehow denied access to their own property and land for “security” reasons. The system of denying villagers these permits prevents them from tending to land that has been in many of their families for hundreds of years and continuing their cultural tradition of harvesting their olives.

Out of the 4,000 residents in the town only 90 of them are today allowed to work on their land. This is not an isolated occurrence. These restrictions are repeated all along the route of the Apartheid Wall.

Even for the farmers who do have permits, they are restricted in their ability to work their lands by gates manned by the Israeli military. They must go through the gates only within certain times dictated by the Israeli military, and it is the military who decide how much time it takes to go through the gate itself.

The short term objective of the planners of Apartheid is to annex the territories west of the Apartheid Wall. The long term objective is to cause social and economic deprivation east of the Apartheid Wall.

Jayous has been the site of joint Palestinian – Israeli non-violent activism for years. People will gather at 10:15 at the gas station Alfei Menashe, on Road 551, 6 kilometers from Hapeirot junction (the old entrance to Kalkilia), the demonstration will begin soon after.

For more information about the demonstration or transportation contact:
ISM Media: 022971824
Amit: 0545450041

Some “dry” statistics:

Jaayus Village population: 3,500, agricultural land west of the wall: 2,200 acres (about 75% of the village total farm land)

The land in question grows citrus and avocado orchards, holds vegetable greenhouses, and the village’s water wells!!!

Number of people prohibited by Shabbak from tending their lands: 34

Fallame Village population: 750

Jammal Village – population: 2,500

We hope you can join us in acting in solidarity with the Palestinian people to help reclaim their stolen lands.

Tear Gas and Sound Grenades replaced with Music and Dancing: Bilin Celebrates…


To view the CNN report on the BIl’in victory celebration see: www.americanhummus.com

On Friday, September 7th, the villagers of Bil’in were joined by international and Israeli comrades. Normally they come together every Friday to express their outrage of the unacceptable Apartheid Wall. Normally the day is filled with military violence, tear gas, sound bombs, and billy clubs are common. Once the military begins to fire gas into the crowds, the non-violent protesters tend to back off eventually leaving only the Palestinian children throwing rocks in anger. A mild response in comparison to the rubber coated steel bullets used against them.

This day was different, one can say it was not a demonstration, but a celebration. There was still a reason to demonstrate, the Israeli Occupation Forces were still standing en masse behind the gate, guns ready and cameras recording. The wall was still there and though due to be moved, it will still be re-located onto Palestinian land, blocking the area to the illegal Matityahu East settlement, also on Palestinian land. There is also the knowledge that though this is a clear victory, it is also a rare victory. Around 120 cases have been brought to court about the Apartheid Wall and the its devastating effects on Palestinian land, water, economy, and culture, but only four have not been rejected.

But this was a victory, and a day to be victorious. Of the now four cases of success in Israeli courts, three of them have been fought with joint non-violent struggle. Activists, demonstrators and participants gathered at the International House in Bilin where baklava, a traditional Palestinian sweet, was served to the guests passing through. At the entrance was an arrangement created out of tear gas canisters collected over the many demonstrations laid out to acknowledge the brutality that has been faced by the village and the demonstrators over the three years it has been going on.

The villagers and their supporters marched towards the wall today, committed to non-violence, stopping people before the gate and telling them not to speak, provoke, or argue with the soldiers. This was not a day to run from tear gas, but to speak, listen, and dance freely.

During the celebrations speeches were given, songs sung and music and dancing ensued. In the midst of this, the appointed Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad made an appearance, undertaking a speech and further walking up to the gate where Israelis held their position on the other side.

The celebration lasted around two hours, at the end of which a couple of children threw a few stones. The organizers, keen to ensure the demonstration would not escalate into aggression and violence, quickly called off the celebrations and told everyone to return to the village. They stopped the children they could while the army gathered to pass through the gate once more into the village land. Only a few stones were thrown and the villagers put a stop to it as quickly as they could. Celebrations continued back at the village.

Bil’in Celebrates Victorious Court Decision

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Friday, September 7th, the villagers of Bil’in will be celebrating the victorious court decision made on September 5th concerning the Apartheid Wall on their land. Bil’in has been holding weekly demonstrations for the last two and a half years against the theft of over 50% of their land by the Apartheid Wall.

The Israeli Supreme Court recently decided the wall must be moved off the majority of village land in a reasonable amount of time, for now villagers are allowed access through a military-manned gate between the hours of 6am and 8pm.

The Israeli High Court decided on the same day that the Matityahu-East settlement, half built but recently squatted by settlers and illegal under the fourth Geneva Convention, should remain but that the state, the settlers, and the construction company must pay villager’s court costs.

Of the more than 120 cases brought to Israeli court about the Apartheid wall only four have been successful. Three of the four victorious cases (Budrus, Biddu, and Bil’in) have used joint non-violent struggle to help accomplish this.

The celebration on Friday will be held in full knowledge of the rarity of such a victory, and will keep in mind the villages who have had their cases rejected. The fact that the wall is still there, that it is still occupying Palestinian land, and that the illegal settlement will remain on Palestinian land also will not be forgotten. But this is still a victory for the village, and for the joint non-violent resistance to celebrate.

People will meet at the international house near the village mosque at 1pm.

For more information call:
ISM Media office 022971824
Iyad (Bil’in) 0547847942

Support Needed: Settler to face court for Assaulting HRWs: Septmeber 6th 1pm

On the 6th September 2007, 1:00pm, a court will convene at the Israeli Peace Courts to bring to trial a mature Israeli Settler who attacked two international human rights workers on the 27th July 2007.

The incident took place on a piece of Palestinian land located between the illegal settlements of Kiriat Arba and Givat Havot. On the 27th July 2007, a number of human rights activists had convened to accompany a Palestinian man and his family in accessing his land directly between Kiriat Arba and Givat Havot. The piece of land, although legally Palestinian is coveted by the settlers who have gone so far as to erect a tent upon the land and claim it to be a Synagogue.

As the two activists walked towards the land, a mature settler, believed to be a resident of Givat Havot, brandished a large spiked stick and proceeded to attack a German man and a British lady as they were walking towards the land. Both were left shaken and with severe cuts and bruises. Video footage clearly demonstrates that this was an unprovoked attack and that the activists had not undertaken anything to encourage the aggression.

Footage of the incident and greater detail relating to the incident can be found at the following link:
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/07/28/tel-rumeida-violent-settler-attacks-human-rights-workers/

This case is one of few out of the numerous attacks that take place against Palestinian and International activists who seek to defend the rights of Palestinians and are attacked in the process of doing so. The majority of attacks do not make it as far as the courts due to insubstantive evidence or difficulties encoutered with police investigations. We hope that we can achieve justice in the face of continued violence and oppression by Settlers who wish to denigrate the Palestinians and prevent Activists from acting in solidarity with them. We need to show that we will not walk away even when faced with harm and we hope that justice will prevail.

We hope that as many people as possible can attend the hearing and offer their support.

For additional information please contact Rose 054 224 9179