Category: Press Releases - Page 333 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli military targeting Palestinian leaders of nonviolent resistance: update

I. Abdullah Abu-Rahme:
Arrested in a nonviolent protest on July 15, 2005. A Judge at Ofer military base on Tuesday, July 26, ruled that Abu-Rhame was “too dangerous” to be released on bail and that he will be held until the end of the proceeding against him.

Abdullah is a prominent leader in the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements which organizes regular nonviolent demonstrations. When he was arrested, he was inside a large prop constructed to look like a bridge along with Israeli and foreign peace activists that carried a banner which read “peace needs bridges not walls.” According to the evidence provided by the prosecution, he was arrested shortly after making the statement “I’m not leaving, this is my home. You go back to Tel Aviv.” He has been charged with assaulting a police officer, incitement, and disrupting public order.

In his initial statement, arresting Officer Yitzchaki claimed Abu-Rhame, hit him in the throat with his elbow and tried to grab his weapon. However, during his third questioning when asked if he was sure that Abu-Rhame tried to take his gun “on purpose.” He replied that he was not. The charge of trying to grab the weapon was subsequently dropped but surprisingly the rest of the testimony by Officer Yitzchaki was not brought into question. The other two charges remain vague.

Video footage clearly illustrating Abdullaha’s innocence had no effect on the judge. What becomes obvious is that Abu-Rhame was actually arrested for organizing non violent resistance to Israel’s annexation barrier in a peaceful manner that clearly illustrated the structure’s illegality. His Attorney Tamar Peleg will appeal the decision.

II. Tamer Al-Khatib:
Arrested in a nonviolent action against the wall on July 20, 2005. Al-Khatib was released on 2,000 shekels bail July 26. He was also ordered to stay at least 300 meters from the wall’s route for the next 30 days by a military judge at Ofer military base.

Tamer was arrested after being beaten out of a metal cylinder that he locked himself into on the route of the wall in the West Bank village of Bil’in along with a group of foreign activists including Israelis. They were all charged with attacking Israeli soldiers.

Video footage taken at the protest absolved Israeli and international activists. Although given a chance to be released the same day, they declined. They chose to stay in jail in solidarity with Tamer who was transferred to a military detention center. He was not expected to see a judge for eight days.

Upon viewing the video footage, the civil judge who dealt with the three foreign peace activists said “it was apparent that it was the soldiers who had beaten the demonstrators and not the other way around”.

III. Rateb Abu-Rahme:
40 year old Abu-Rahme was arrested with his younger brother, Abdullah Abu-Rahme, also at a nonviolent demonstaration. Charges of throwing stones at soldiers were subsequently dropped for “lack of public interest”. A military judge this week dropped the case against Rateb without acknowledging the fact that the military police officer who accused Rateb of throwing stones had confessed to giving false testimony.

After viewing video footage of the Bil’in demonstration, the military judge Captain Daniel Zamir, stated: “there was no reason for the defendants arrest; there was no reason for the shooting that wounded him or the blows he received from the soldier”, adding that “the reality was strangely different, to put it mildly, from the testimony of the prosecution witnesses”.

Trees for peace along a settler-only road

ISM PRESS RELEASE ON UPCOMING ACTION — A week of nonviolent resistance in the besieged West Bank city of Nablus and surrounding areas will continue Sunday, July 24 when ISM volunteers and Israeli peace activists travel to the village of Salem to assist locals in planting trees on the land separated from the village by a road only settlers are allowed to use.

Salem is a farming village, population 5,000, to the east of Nablus. Since the start of this Intifada, Salem and its neighboring villages Asmut and Deir Al Hatab have been closed from Nablus town to the west and Beit Furik to the southeast by ditches several kilometers in length, at points 3 meters deep and 5 meters wide. At times sewage from the settlement floods part of the land and prevents people crossing the fields. The road across is controlled by a part time checkpoint. On 18th July ISMers were present when soldiers at the part time checkpoint shot a man crossing the field.

Elon More settlement has confiscated much of the land belonging to these farming villages. The land still nominally belonging to the Palestinians is subject to severe restrictions by the Israeli army, who only allow the people to work their land on a few specified days.

Earlier this year a further 85 dunums of land was taken from Deir Al Hatab, which has now lost all of its land up to 30m from the last house. Officially Israel says the land is taken for “security of the military base” rather than settlement expansion but the base is only there for the expanding settlement.

Elon More settlers have a history of making violent attacks on Palestinians. In April this year a group of 40 Elon More settlers were rounded up by soldiers in Al Bidan Valley. Another group set light to a large area of olive grove.

Bil’in villages show the many faces of George and Condi

ISM PRESS RELEASE — Residents of the West Bank village of Bil’in – along with Israelis and foreign peace activists – were chased by Israeli soldiers Friday afternoon during the protest against construction of the illegal barrier being built in the village. As the village was filled with tear gas from canisters shot into various points around the community, at least two Israeli activists were kicked by soldiers as they lay on the ground.

Bil’in protesters, known for adding costumes during their demonstrations against the wall, wore masks Friday depicting the faces of U.S. President Bush and National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice as they marched toward the wall route along with about 200 other people including several Israelis and other activists from abroad.

Before the action, as people in Bil’in donned white caps and T-shirts – reading in multiple languages, “We oppose the wall” – several Israelis traveling from Tel Aviv to join the protest were stopped by soldiers and detained en route. Another 20 Israelis managed to arrive in the village and participate.

Starting just after 1 p.m., men, women and children from the village donned masks of either Bush or Rice and covered their eyes with orange ribbons, the symbol used by supporters of the settlements in Gaza. Several carried a large sign reading “Gaza Disengagement =West Bank expansion.” The orange blindfolds were meant to symbolize U.S. leader’s being blinded from the addition to settlements in the West Bank by the removal of settlers in Gaza.

The protest ended with about 15 people being temporarily detained by soldiers. Six people were arrested in all. They were: Jawad Asi, a Palestinian from the village of Beit liqya; Noga Alui and Uri Ayalon, Israelis from Tel Aviv; Marcy Newman and Ted Auerbach of the United States; and Natalia Nueez of Sweden. Asi was kept apart from the others at a police station at the Givat Ze’ev settlement. The arrestees were charged with being in a “closed military area” and of assaulting soldiers. Video footage taken by activists led to the immediate drop of assault charges against all of those arrested. The Israelis and internationals were issued 15-day bans from entering Bil’in.

“It’s ridiculous, because they only call it a ‘closed military area’ after we’re already there. It’s not declared one before that,” Newman said. “The other irony is that we were accused of assaulting soldiers. We were the ones being assaulted.” While two Israelis were kicked, Nueez reported that one of the soldiers began spanking her once the tear gas had been fired and solders began running at the activists.

Meanwhile, as Palestinians, Israelis and internationals in villages across the occupied territories protested the wall, planned settlement expansion and the closure of much needed roads, Prime Minister Arial Sharon visited the West Bank settlement of Ariel – just after a chat with Condoleezza Rice at his ranch in the Negev Desert about the upcoming Gaza disengagement – making promises to “expand” and “strengthen” the settlement in the near future.

Six arrested in Bil’in

ISM photo: Israeli and internationals join Palestinians
in the West Bank village of Bil’in on June 22 in a
march to protest Israel’s illegal barrier which cuts
through a gigantic swath of the village.

Residents of the West Bank village of Bil’in — along with Israelis and foreign peace activists — were chased by Israeli soldiers Friday afternoon during the protest against construction of the illegal barrier being built in the village. As the village was filled with tear gas from canisters shot into various points around the community, at least two israeli activists were kicked by soldiers as they lay on the ground.

ISM photo: ISM and local Bil’in activists construct
masks of U.S. President Bush and National Security
Advisor Condoleeza Rice for a June 22 protest of the
illegal wall construction in Bil’in. Rice was currently
in the region, visiting Sharon at his ranch in the Negev
on Friday and in Ramallah on Saturday.

Before the action, as people in Bil’in donned white caps and T-shirts — reading in multiple languages, “We oppose the wall” — several Israelis traveling from Tel Aviv to join the protest were stopped by soldiers and detained en route. Another 20 Israelis managed to arrive in the village and participate.

Starting just after 1 p.m., men, women and children from the village donned masks of either Bush or Rice and covered their eyes with orange ribbons, the symbol used by supporters of the settlements in Gaza. Several carried a large sign reading “Gaza Disengagement = West Bank expansion.” The orange blindfolds were meant to symbolize U.S. leader’s being blinded from the addition to settlements in the West Bank by the removal of settlers in Gaza.

ISM photo: The march was halted earlier than usual.
Bil’in villagers protest the wall construction twice a week
even though it often ends in being beaten or arrested by
Israeli soldiers. On June 22, the soldiers set up a roadblock
far earlier than before. When the protesters refused to
disperse and remained in place, chanting slogans, soldiers
crossed their own barricade and attacked.

Reuters photo: Soldiers hold down and
detain Palestinian and international peace
activists during a protest of the wall
construction in Bil’in. the wall seizes land
from the village, cuts through farms, and
will cut the village off from surrounding areas.

The arrestees were charged with being in a “closed military area” and of assaulting soldiers. Video footage taken by activists led to the immediate drop of assault charges against all of those arrested. The Israelis and internationals were issued 15-day bans from entering Bil’in.

Reuters photo: Israeli troops detain Palestinian and international
demonstrators during a protest against Israel’s illegal barrier at the
West Bank village of Bilin, Friday, July 22.

Meanwhile, as Palestinians, Israelis and internationals in villages across the occupied territories protested the wall, planned settlement expansion and the closure of much needed roads, Prime Minister Arial Sharon visited the West Bank settlement of Ariel — just after a chat with Condoleezza Rice at his ranch in the Negev Desert about the upcoming Gaza disengagement — making promises to “expand” and “strengthen” the settlement in the near future.

CAMERA CONFISCATION
At least one person in Bil’in on Friday reported soldiers had tried to take his camera while he recorded footage of Israeli activists being kicked. In Nablus, several cameras and film were seized. Being that no physical harm can come to a person by having a lens pointed at them, it’s a logical assumption that the goal is to limit publicity about the harsh treatment soldiers inflict on Palestinian civilians and peace activists. Video footage proved Friday that the charges of assault lodged by soldiers were false. Video footage of a Wednesday protest in Bil’in also showed that it was soldiers who had attacked activists when they tried to accuse a group of internationals of assault. It’s interesting that those who allegedly work to protect a democratic state are so eager to limit free speech by confiscating the tools of free speech.

Reuters photo: About 15 people were
detained and four arrested in Bil’in on
July 22. Six were arrested on charges of
being in a closed military area and
assaulting soldiers. Video footage cleared
all six activists form the charges. Soldiers
are getting more aggresive about trying to
confiscatate video and still photography
cameras.

NOTE: Natalia Nueez has a tilde over the first ‘e’ in her last name. It sometimes gets dropped, depending on the browser.

Protests Outside Bil’in to Continue on Friday

West Bank villagers to show the faces of Bush

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT — A nonviolent protest against the building of the illegal separation barrier near Bil’in is set for Friday, July 22 at 1 p.m.

Residents of Bil’in will be joined by Israeli and International peace activists in the latest of a series of creative protests against the building of the illegal barrier that has occurred near Bil’in.

The protests are famous for their nonviolence and dramatic themes. Tomorrow, a group of villagers plan to dress as U.S. President George W. Bush, with his eyes covered by orange ribbons, as they head the demonstration and carry a cardboard version of the illegal wall. Orange ribbons are the symbol brandished by Israelis opposed to Gaza disengagement. The imagery is to illustrate how U.S. foreign policy has been blinded by plans in Gaza and ignores the ever expanding wall built on seized Palestinian land.