Abdullah Abu-Rahme was released from the jail in Ofer Military Base on Monday, Aug.1, at 2.30 pm. Abdullah was arrested July 17 during a nonviolent demonstration against the wall in his home village of Bil’in.
In a previous hearing, a judge at the military base ordered that Abdullah should remain jailed until the end of court proceedings. This could have taken months. The decision was made on the acceptance of the prosecution’s claim that Abdullah was ‘highly dangerous,’ despite an earlier ruling from a military court that he should be released, as he posed no threat.
This time, the court released him on bail, with the conditions that he will stop demonstrating against the wall. He posted a bail of NIS 6,000 and an Israeli friend signed third-party bail for the sum of NIS 10,000. The latter sum will have to be paid if Abdullah breaks his conditions. All of this money paid, and these conditions, are absurd. Abdullah did nothing more than walk to his village’s land.
On July 31, when Abdullah’s hearing began, about 50 people demonstrated against the unfair military court and in solidarity with Abdullah. Now he is back home in Bil’in, celebrating amongst friends and family. His lawyer is going to appeal the conditions.
Kids are jumping around. Dancing. A perspiring, lanky gray haired guy is fiddling nonstop and Harry Borrey, fresh from a brief kidnapping experience in Gaza is singing things like “We Shall Overcome” and telling various Israeli soldiers that he loves them. And in Hebron, there are a lot of soldiers for Harry to love…
An ISM media coordinator blogs in the distance. Read the rest of this post at thismuchicansayistrue.
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.
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.
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.
