Category: Reports - Page 389 - International Solidarity Movement

Two children shot in the village of Bil’in

28 April 2011 | Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements

Today around noon Jamal Atef Al Khateeb (age 15) was shot with rubber bullets in his stomach and mouth, and Nashmi Mohamad Abu Rahma (age 16) was shot with a rubber bullet in his leg. They were transferred to a Ramallah hospital for treatment.

This happened as the Israeli military broke through the village while students were going home from school. The Israeli soldiers started to shoot rubber bullets and tear gas towards the students, causing the two children to be shot.

The soldiers prevented Rani Burnat, a local cameraman, from taking pictures of their actions by threatening to break his camera if he did so.

Izbat Al Tabib set to lose land with creation of wall

27 April 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

Village land between highway 55 and Izbat Al Tabib

The village of Izbat Al Tabib outside Qalqilya is currently being threatened by the creation of a wall, which will annex 1000 square meters of their agricultural land. The village is situated right next to highway 55, and under the pretext of preventing stones being thrown onto the highway, the Israeli Civil Administration plans to build two walls, between which will be a buffer zone of Palestinian land. This will separate Izbat Al Tabib from the highway annexing vital agricultural land.

The army is planning to begin constructing the wall on 1st May. Villagers received the notice on 3rd April and were given two weeks to file a complaint. Their complaint was rejected on 23rd and they plan to take it to the Supreme Court on 28th. The army has also recently began entering the village and making arrests.

The village, which contains 45 houses and is home to 247 inhabitants, was built in the 1920’s and is located in area C. The village is not recognized by Israel and 32 out of 45 houses, and a school, have been served with demolition orders. Due to its location, Izbat Al Tabib is extremely isolated: it is the fifth poorest village in the West Bank and villagers have already lost 45% of their land to the illegal annexation wall. Farmers are forced to apply for permits to access areas of their land which are located near to the highway, however these are rarely given and when they are it is only to one farmer at a time.

In 1997 Israel attempted to make the east of the village into an industrial zone, however the village resisted this with demonstrations and after six months plans were dropped.

Mourners gather in Palestine and Italy for Vittorio’s funeral

25 April 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

Yesterday evening mourners gathered in Ramallah and Gaza in memorial events for ISM activist Vittorio Arrigoni. The events were planned to coincide with Vittorio’s funeral in Bulciago, Italy, which was attended by hundreds of people.

In Ramallah, crowds gathered outside the municipality to hear speeches made by friends, politicians and fellow solidarity activists. Those who had known and worked with Vittorio, including friends from Gaza, recounted their memories of him whilst others spoke of his dedication to Palestine and the importance of the work he had been doing in the West Bank and Gaza. From the Palestinian speakers the message was clear, this was not an act representative of the Palestinian people, and Vittorio’s death was a great loss to all who will continue the struggle for a free Palestine. Mourners also sang some of Vittorio’s favourite Italian songs in his memory.

In Gaza hundreds joined together in a commemorative ceremony held in The Gallery, a cafe and social centre which Vittorio used to frequent. Here mourners shared memories of Vittorio, danced dabka and performed rap songs written about him.

Yesterday President Mahmoud Abbas also posthumously honored Vittorio and Juliano Mer-Khamis with the ‘Medal of Jerusalem’ award, saying that “crediting both martyrs the honoring ‘Medal of Jerusalem’, is the least expression of gratitude for their efforts in serving the Palestinian cause.” He too made clear that “the assassination of the two activists does not reflect the traditions, habits and morals of the Palestinian people and all humans.”

Unprovoked settler attack and military house invasion in Shuhada Street, Hebron

25 April 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

Army gathers outside house in Shuhada Street

At approximately 11pm on Sunday 24, two Palestinians were physically beaten, one also attacked with pepper spray, by Israeli settlers in Hebron. Shortly afterwards, a reported 20 Israeli soldiers forcibly entered a house in Shuhada Street and ordered all under 16s out into the street.

According to a man interviewed by the ISM who lived in the house, two Palestinians, a middle-aged woman and a young man, were hit and the young man pepper-sprayed by Israeli settlers in the unprovoked attack. They fled to Checkpoint 56 located at the end of Shuhada Street.

Around 20 Israeli soldiers forcibly entered the Shuhada Street house containing three families which included young children. The soldiers then demanded that all children under 16 leave the house. The families refused this demand. The man interviewed by the ISM was then forcibly removed from his house, pushed up against a wall and searched by the military.

Whilst the two attacked Palestinians were giving their statements to the police at Checkpoint 56, two Israeli settlers, one heavily armed, watched close by. Witnesses from the Shuhada Street house were taken to the police station to give their statements. The ISM is not aware of any Israeli settlers having been questioned by the police.

International convoy to Gaza

English – Italian

Let’s go to Gaza!

On the 21st April, a meeting regarding the discussions and reflections on the murder of Vittorio Arrigoni was held in Rome amongst different activists. From the gathering, the need to organize a convoy to Gaza through Egypt was decided.

Let’s start this process by sharing those points:

– We want to go to Gaza through Rafah Border Crossing with all in the world that need to say aloud what Vittorio used to say: Stay human! We want to do it from Egypt because, in the post Mubarak era, that border must be opened to break the siege imposed for too long on the people in Gaza.
– We want to be in Gaza on the 15th May which is the 1 month anniversary of Vittorio’s death. It will be also Nakba day, when thousands of young Palestinians, as already announced, will go back to the street all over the world to ask for the end of the occupation and also, a new unity and the end of the internal division within the Palestinian authorities.

We want to go to Gaza for different reasons:

– Although Vittorio was killed, it has to be clear that they can not stop the international support for the Palestinian people. Also thanks to him now the international support is much stronger and united against the occupation both of Gaza and of the West Bank.
– We want to give voice and continuity to the work that Vittorio, together with palestinian men and wemen was bringing forward. Partucularly the independent information that he managed to pass to the world from the besieged gaza strip. For this reason, we will bring materials, tools and all we need to give life to a Media Center dedicated to Vittorio.
– The Freedom Flotilla will soon sail towards Gaza. Even though the two initiatives are organised separately, the two journeys, both via land and via sea, could reinforce each other to break the siege of Gaza.

Further info:
– The convoy will last six/seven days in order to give the possibility to participate for as many people as possible.
– It will take place between the 11th and 19th May.The exact dates will be agreed in few days with the people in Gaza that will host us.

So, lets start to get ready!
– It will cost around 450/500 Euros all included. And depending on the number of participants, it might be cheaper.
– For any question and to join the caravan please contact us using this e-mail vik2gaza@autistici.org or this phone number
+39-3333666713.These contacts will be running from monday 25th of April.
– We are opening a website called ‘vik2gaza’ to publicise information.
– We will activate a bank account where we will start to collect feas for accommodation and transport costs and the visas from Egypt.
– We will need some personal preparation to engage in this trip.

CO.R.UM.- Convoglio Restiamo Umani – Stay Human Convoy

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ANDIAMO A GAZA!

A Roma il 21 Aprile si è svolta una assemblea cittadina frutto delle discussioni e delle riflessioni scaturite dopo l’assassinio di Vittorio Arrigoni. Dall’assemblea è uscito un largo consenso e una ferma convinzione della necessità di andare a Gaza adesso, passando dall’Egitto.

Iniziamo questo processo condividendo i seguenti punti:

– Vogliamo andare a Gaza passando dal valico di Rafah con tutti e tutte coloro che nel mondo condividono l’urgenza di gridare forte e chiaro quello che la voce di Vittorio ci ha detto tante volte: Restiamo Umani! Lo vogliamo fare dal confine egiziano perché reputiamo nell’era post Mubarak che quel valico deve aprirsi per rompere un assedio a cui la Striscia di Gaza è ormai da troppo tempo costretta.

– Vogliamo stare a Gaza il 15 maggio, ad un mese dall’uccisione di Vittorio, il giorno della nakba, quando migliaia di giovani palestinesi hanno annunciato che torneranno in piazza in tutto il mondo per chiedere la fine dell’occupazione ma anche una nuova unità e la fine delle divisioni interne all’Autorità Palestinese.

Vogliamo entrare per diversi motivi:
– Perchè anche se hanno ucciso Vittorio deve essere chiaro che non possono fermare la solidarietà internazionale verso la popolazione palestinese e che grazie a lui è ancora più forte e unita control’ occupazione di Gaza e della West Bank.

– Perchè vogliamo continuare a dare voce ai percorsi che Vittorio, insieme agli uomini e alle donne palestinesi, stava portando avanti, soprattutto quel lavoro di informazione indipendente che Vittorio aveva saputo trasmettere da una Gaza continuamente assediata. Per questo porteremo giù le nostre attrezzature per dar vita ad un Media Center dedicato proprio a lui.

– A breve partirà anche una Flottilla internazionale alla volta di Gaza e le due iniziative via terra e via mare, anche se diverse e organizzate separatamente, si possono rafforzare a vicenda per rompere l’assedio.

Alcune informazioni pratiche per iniziare:

– la durata del convoglio sarà di circa 6/7 giorni per poter dare modo a tante persone di organizzarsi con cosi poco anticipo.
-il periodo sarà incluso tra l’11 e il 19 maggio, le date saranno definite in maniera più dettagliata entro pochi giorni. Intanto
cominciate a tenervi liberi e libere!
– il costo di tutto il periodo sarà di circa 450/500 euro, sperando di abbassare la cifra con il crescere delle persone.
– stiamo aprendo un sito internet per raccogliere tutte le informazioni necessarie si chiamerà vik2gaza
– abbiamo attivato una e-mail (vik2gaza@autistici.org) e un numero di telefono (+39-3333666713) per raccogliere le adesioni.
– stiamo attivando un conto presso il quale sarà possibile versare una quota di partecipazione per organizzare gli spostamenti e i
pernottamenti.
– saranno necessari dei momenti di preparazione per poter affrontare nel migliore dei modi questo viaggio.