Category: Reports

Carrying a 20-foot long mock snake with a dove baring the colors of the Palestinian flag in its mouth, about 100 Palestinian peace activists in the West Bank village of Bil’in on Friday were joined by 50 Israelis and 30 internationals in a march toward the construction site of Israel’s illegal annexation wall. The display represented how is snaking through Palestinian land, killing the possibilities for peace.

While Israeli soldiers attempted to turn the situation into chaos with tear gas and sound grenades, peace activists were able to maintain two lines, with their arms locked, and walk toward the soldiers until they retreated back as television cameras from Aljzaeera and other news agencies recorded footage. Soldiers injured some protesters with shrapnel from sound grenades. Others were kicked or punched by soldiers. 13 Israeli activists were detained. Four people were arrested, two Israelis and two foreign peace activists.

Friday demonstrations in Bil’in’ begin at 1 p.m. on the dot. The Aug. 5 wall protest was no exception. As the demonstration neared the last house in the village, Israeli soldiers were prepared, standing with shields and riot gear behind razor wire. They immediately declared the area a closed military zone. Palestinians shouted back “This is Palestinian territory!” and continued chanting, singing and dancing for about half an hour.

As some of the protestors continued chanting, the Israeli military started to move toward the demonstrators, firing tear gas and throwing sound grenades into the crowd. Israeli soldiers then pushed the demonstration back toward the village.

A peace activist from India was knocked down and kicked in the head. He said later that the soldiers had talked to him as though they thought he was a Palestinian. Another man — an actual Palestinian — was injured in his leg by shrapnel from one of the sound grenades tossed into the crowd by soldiers. Of the four arrested, the two internationals, one from Germany and the other from Denmark were released hours later. Two Israelis are still under arrest and accused of assault. One soldier has claimed that one of the Israeli peace activists “bit” him.

The demonstrators reformed into clear lines and linked arms and were beaten with shields by the Israeli military. Palestinians were specifically targeted with brutal force. Despite the large number of Israeli soldiers, the demonstration was able to eacefully stand its ground and move the soldiers back to the original stand-off point.

For more photos, check out IndyMedia Israel.

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.

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.