Category: Reports

Palestinians Give the Israeli military a ‘Gift House’

They Receive Rubber Bullets and Tear Gas in Return in Bilin

by Ninna and Palle

Today’s demonstration in Bil’in sent a message to world. “Even though settlers are being removed from Gaza, many new settlements are being built in the West Bank.” The 27-foot Apartheid wall eats up more land for existing settlements and tears down Palestinian farms for new settlements. So, the people of Bil’in built a “settler house” out of styrene plastic and gave it as a “gift” to the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) who protects the wall’s construction site outside the village.

The demonstrators also demanded the release of Abdullah Abu-Rahme, a prominent leader in the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, the group that organizes regular non-violent demonstrations. He was arrested two weeks ago at another demonstration in Bil’in and was charged with assaulting a police officer, even though video evidence shows that he was completely non-violent during the arrest.

To show their solidarity with him, many people today wore signs saying: “I’m Abdullah Abu-Rahme”. As the 1:00 pm demonstration moved towards the wall, it was, as usual, stopped by the IOF just outside the village. Many people sat down in front of the soldiers, who soon began shooting sound bombs and teargas at the demonstrators and into the village. Many people moved back, while some young boys threw stones at the soldiers that were inside the village. After a while the soldier’s aggression stopped, and people were able to go back to the frontline again.

Organizers then decided that people should move back to show that they had no intention of violent confrontation, and that the violence only comes from the soldiers. Right after the demonstrators had started to slowly move back, soldiers attacked again with teargas and rubber bullets.

As the soldiers moved into the village, young boys threw stones, trying to protect the village. The soldiers arrested three Israelis, and one international who tried to de-arrest an Israeli. They had all stayed up front in order to protect the rest of the demonstrators.

After two hours, the soldiers pulled out, and released the four people who had been detained. Five Palestinians were injured, four by rubber bullets, while one was hit by a teargas canister.

Israeli soldiers bolster camera confiscation tactic

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.

Israeli Army surrounds Asira demonstrators. shoots one villager

On the road to Asira

by Sarita Ahooja

Over 250 villagers of Asira, Nablus district, gathered at 10AM this morning to begin the demonstration for free movement and against the military closures that have effected their community since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada.

Israeli Armed Personnel Vehicles, deployed since dawn, surrounded the villagers before they could take Sabaatash road, which leads to Nablus, and reach the roadblock. The army confiscated the accompanying village cars, ambulance and keys, cameras and film, and immediately blocked the entry to several local Arab and International journalists. An officer told Khannan Aljamen, a community leader, that the demonstration was illegal and that he would shoot straight to the head if anyone tried to continue on.

Without warning, a soldier shot a young man in the hip to prove his point. Medical volunteers have reported that the injury is not critical.

Khannan, with some knowledge of Hebrew, also overheard a soldier point out 2 other young men on top of a car. He said ” Make sure you hit them.”

Khannan placed himslef in front of the guns and yelled that they stop the shooting. The soldiers spat on him.

A high ranking officer reiterated, “I promise you, if anyone moves, we will put a bullet through his head!”

During this time, the Israeli army detained and arrested the 10 Israeli peace activists before they could reach the demonstrators. Nine internationals from Canada (including myself), Sweden, USA, and one Palestinian resident of Balata
refugee camp, were detained by soldiers at the Sabaatash roadblock as we headed towards Asira from Nablus to join the demonstration. They claimed that we were playing games with them and demanded to see our passports. They refused to allow us to pass under the pretext that it was a closed military zone.

The villagers were left alone to deal with the violent repression of their protest against the roadblock.

When Khannan asked the officer “why do you allow the settlers to freely move on these lands, and not the Palestinians? What about those sheep over there…are they allowed to move?” They officer replied, “I would like to keep it closed forever, you have no right to move. The sheep can move, they are animals.”

After an hour and half, the army left the village and returned to their military base. The Joursem military base is considered the second largest after the Syrian-Jordanian border military base.

When the internationals finally arrived 2 hours later from another route, soldiers were still roaming among the trees in the surrounding hills. The Israeli acrtivists were released one hour after there detention and returned to Isreal.

Khannan informed us that army jeeps had entered the village the night before and shot gunfire in the air to intimidate the villgers – routine.

We stayed to speak to some villagers that were not attending the Friday prayer before returning to Nablus. The plans for the Thursday July 28th demonstration to open Nablus are now being worked out to ensure international and media presence.

Israel denies access to a caravan for justice in Palestine

by George Rishmawi
International Middle East Media Center

Israel denied access to a group of 130 international human rights and peace activists of the Caravan for Justice in Palestine, who tried to access the country, coming from Jordan, Palestinian sources reported on Friday.

The activists were interrogated for nine hours, according to the source, before they were forced to return to Jordan.

The Israeli embassy to Amman claimed the activists want “to go to Israel to hold provocative activities,” and that “every Israel denied access to a group of 130 international human rights and peace activists of the Caravan for Justice in Palestine, who tried to access the country, coming from Jordan, Palestinian sources reported on Friday.

The activists were interrogated for nine hours, according to the source, before they were forced to return to Jordan.

The Israeli embassy to Amman claimed the activists want “to go to Israel to hold provocative activities,” and that “every country has the right to decide who enters its territories.”

The delegation included members from 18 countries including France, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Mexico and Germany. Three of the 130 strong delgation were children.

According to Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, the soldiers prevented the activists from entering Israel, stamped their passports with a mark that will prohibit them from entering Israel or the Palestinian Territories for the rest of their lives and forcefully dragged them onto busses, which then sent them back to Jordan. Soldiers beat, dragged, and pushed many of the Caravaners and confiscated one of their cameras while they were forcing them onto the buses. Israel brought extra security forces onto the scene to carry out the forced evacuation.

The Caravaners have been on the road for over two weeks on the way from Strasbourg, France, to their destination in Jerusalem to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and to demand that Israel comply with international law, UN resolutions and the International Court of Justice decision last summer that declared the Apartheid Wall unlawful and ruled that all states party to the Fourth Geneva Convention do everything in their power to see that Israel complies with the ruling, tears down the Wall and compensates all victims. According to the organizers, the Caravan for Justice in Palestine is a group of over 150 activists who have made a caravan trip from France through Geneva, Bologna, Trieste, Patras, Athens, Istanbul, Ankara, Damascus, Amman, and many other big cities to reach Palestine.

Along its way, the delegation met with UN and government representatives to plead the case for international law in solving the Israel/Palestine conflicts.

The Caravan members, according to organizers, believe that the application of international law is the key to resolving the conflict, and have decided to produce a strong and united civil society showing in support of it.

Israel has become more active in preventing peace activists from entering the country because of mounting nonviolent anti-occupation activities organized by the International Solidarity Movement and other peace groups that function in the area.

Protesters blocked the path of the Annexation Barrier

For photos of the action see:
freckle.blogs.com/photos/strength_in_unity

Bil’in- 6:00 AM Today
Protestors blocked the path of the Israeli bulldozers working to build the Apartheid Wall in Bil’in. They were chained together in a cylinder six meters long which allowed only their heads and legs to be visible.

The seven protestors include Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals. They were cut out of the cylinder by Israeli soldiers who hit them with batons, prodded them with wire cutters and then arrested them.

The seven include, Bili’in resident Tamer Al Khatib, Co- founder of the ISM Huwaida Arraf, Alison from the US, Nina and Pel’e from Denmark and Israelis Avi Mugrabhi and Moshe Berger. They are currently being held at Givaat Zeev police station.

Muhhamed Al Khatib, one of the leaders of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, a group that is committed to non-violent resistance of the Annexation Barrier was singled out from the group of non-violent protesters and detained, but was later released.

Abdallah Abu Rahme and Akram Al Khatib, also members of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall have been in detention at Ofer Military Base since their arrest during a non-violent demonstration Friday, July 15, 2005.

The cylinder was decorated with symbols of the Palestinian political factions and a Palestinian flag in the center, and carried the message our unity is our strength.

For more information contact: 054-5892681 or ISM Media Office 02-2971824