Category: Press Releases

NYC Activists Take Message Against Caterpillar to “Business and Sustainability” Conference at Waldorf

One Arrested Later at CAT Presentation

For photos, visit
http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/152583/index.php

NEW YORK – NYC activists on behalf of Palestinian rights brought their message to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel this morning, where an executive from Caterpillar was scheduled to appear on a panel about social responsibility and sustainability. The spirited rally excited police attention but no arrests. Later, while the CAT executive’s talk was underway, an activist was arrested attempting to make a presentation to the same audience on CAT’s role in Israel’s ongoing campaign to destroy Palestinian homes, while another activist leafleted the conference attendees.

In Israel/Palestine, CAT has clearly overwhelmingly chosen business value over social responsibility. The D9 and D10 bulldozers that CAT sells to the Israeli government are designed specifically to destroy Palestinian land, roads, water supplies, and sewer systems and to uproot hundreds of thousands of fruit and olive trees – the main livelihood for many Palestinians.

In recent weeks the Israeli government has announced plans to demolish 88 more Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem using Caterpillar bulldozers, as Israel continues to bulldoze Palestinian homes throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories. According to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (www.icahd.org), “Since 1967 Israel has demolished almost 12,000 Palestinian homes, leaving some 70,000 without shelter and traumatized.” CAT bulldozers have helped to facilitate Israel’s policy of sustained destruction of the Palestinian economy and communities.

Latest information is that the arrested activist was taken to Manhattan North precinct, to be charged by the hotel with trespass. The protest earlier this morning was endorsed by the International Solidarity Movement – NYC, NYU Students for Justice in Palestine, Queer Resistance for Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Women of a Certain Age, Jews Against the Occupation NYC, and the BootCAT Campaign. The conference itself was organized by the New York-based Conference Board, whose senior vice president, Gail Fosler, also serves on CAT’s Board of Directors.

Children of Bil’in to Protest at Supreme court Tuesday

Tomorrow, Tuesday, a request will be submitted to the Israeli Supreme Court that Bil’in lands will be included in the appeal by the neighboring village of Harbata against the confiscation of the villages’ lands for the separation wall.

As Bil’in residents above the age of 14 are not allowed to enter Israel, even in order to attend a court session so crucial for them, the children of Bil’in will go to Jerusalem alone – to demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court when the request is being made. Internationals and Israelis will attend the court session in support of Bil’in’s children. The deliberation will start at 9:00 am and the demonstration will start at 8:30 in front of the court.

Following this Friday’s morning prayer, residents of Bil’in, internationals, and Israelis will once again protest the building of the annexation barrier.

Despite indications of reviving the `road map’ which requires a freeze on Israeli settlement growth, the route of the Wall near Bil’in hasbeen specifically designed to incorporate future expansion of Modiin elit.

In 1991, 1,300 dunam of agricultural land used for regional crops were confiscated by the state of Israel for the construction of Kiryat Sefer settlement, but 200 dunam of olive trees remained in Palestinian hands. The basis for the confiscation of Bil’in’s agricultural land was based on an Ottoman-era land law, still being used in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which states that land unused for over a certain period of time can be confiscated by the state. Bil’in residents claim the photos of the land which were presented to the court when the confiscation was approved were taken in the summer.

In 2003, the state claimed that the 200 unconfiscated dunam had been sold to the settlers by Bil’in resident Sami Bornat. The Bornat ownership papers were forged, a fact well known by the Israeli authorities because they had previously recognized the owners of the land in the court case for the confiscation. Despite this, the land was approved for building the settlement.

Now Bil’in will lose an additional 1000 Dunams behind the Wall. The planned route of the Wall comes four meters from the last house in the village.

Update on Yonatan Pollak

Yonatan Pollak, an activist from “Anarchists Against Walls”, was brought in front of a judge Saturday 11 of June night after being in detention since Thursday. The judge confirmed Yonatan’s 3 months ban from the West Bank. Under the advice of his attorney Yonatan signed, and is now filing an appeal to the district court in Tel Aviv. A date for the hearing is still unknown.

Yonatan was arrested while participating in a demonstration against the construction of the Separation Fence on the lands of the town of Salfit. The Barrier, at this place, will penetrate 23km east of the Green Line.

Unlike other protesters, who were released after committing themselves to stay out of the Samaria region” for 14 days, Yonatan was not offered such a deal, but was held over night at Ariel Police Station. He was brought in front of a judge the next day (Friday 10th), and charged with illegal assembly and using the 1945 British Emergency Regulations charged with being in a closed military zone. Judge Nava Bechor ordered for him to stay out of the entire Occupied Palestinian Territories for a period of 3 months. Yonatan refused to agree and sign his disproportionately hard ruling, and was taken back to prison, only to have another judge confirms Bachor’s verdict.

Marda Under Curfew

Video footage of the Israeli army incursion into the West Bank village of Marda on 9th June 2005. An area of about 10 square kilometers was declared a Closed Military Zone for three days by the Israeli military, in an attempt to prevent demonstrations against the Apartheid Wall taking place in the area, which is right in the centre of the West Bank. Residents of Marda were unable to leave their houses without risking being shot at with tear gas, sound bombs and live ammunition.

Available at The Internet Archive

Israeli army shoots live bullets at children in Marda

From IWPS

Four bulldozers that had been uprooting Marda’s trees to make way for the “Ariel loop” of the Annexation Wall stopped working as soon as the villagers began their march, a major victory for the day. Mere minutes into the ascent upwards and only a few hundred meters up the slope, the group, consisting mainly of children, was fired on by Israeli soldiers with tear gas and sound bombs.

While a number of soldiers fired from the hill, other military vehicles made their way into the village. With soldiers in the village and on the hilltops surrounding it, Tear gas and sound bombs turned into rubber bullets, and the rubber bullets into live ammunition, reportedly fired in children’s direction. Soldiers shot tear gas towards the mosque and into a sewing factory where dozens of women were working. Four were taken to the hospital for gas inhalation.

Three Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets, one in the stomach, one in the leg, and one in the arm. One Palestinian’s thumb was broken when a tear gas canister hit his hand. One international was detained for several hours and taken to Ariel police station, but was later released.

The DCO later claimed that the Israeli army fired only one rubber bullet and no live ammunition, and that a Palestinian had been shooting a Kalachnikov rifle. Villagers and Israelis collected the bullets and casings, however, and they were clearly from M16s, the rifles that the military uses.

Israeli soldiers threatened to return later tonight.