Category: Reports

Peaceful Prayer in Ramadin

The army declared the area a closed military zone in the morning, warning the villagers not to get close to the path, and put up a checkpoint on the main road to the village, not letting any cars in.

About 200 Palestinians took part in the demonstration, including many children and some women. There were 5 Israelis and one international present.

Ramadin had some land stolen from the village in ’48 where Kibutz Lahav now sits, and a very close by settlement, Eshkolot, is also sitting on their land. The path of the wall is going to surround the south of Ramadin and take more of their land now.

The demonstration started towards the path, with at least 70 soldiers present. The villagers held a prayer on the land for about an hour, and then started to get closer to the path, beyond a line of stones the army decided was their non-crossing point. The soldiers then approached and after “negotiation” with the head of the village, the village decided to end the demonstration without a confrontation with the army and return to the village.

Salfit has been announced a closed military zone

Curfew was imposed on the village of Marda at 5:30 AM, and the entire area of Marda, Iskaka, and Salfit was declared a closed military zone. The Civil Administration informed Israeli activist Laiser Peles from Tel Aviv, who protested the curfew, that the village was being punished because some residents had thrown stones. Soldiers and border police repeatedly entered the village from 5.30 AM onward, throwing sound bombs and firing tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition into the air and into a home, breaking its window. Approximately 20 Palestinians were treated for tear gas inhalation, among them a Red Crescent ambulance worker who was injured when a tear gas canister was fired at an ambulance. In addition, a 25-year-old Palestinian was arrested.

Two days ago the military dispatched hundreds of soldiers in the area and fired approximately 200 canisters of tear gas in two hours to prevent protestors from coming near the site of their uprooted trees. One farmer was taken to Rafidiya hospital and two Red Crescent ambulances treated 20 Palestinians.

Today Thursday June 9 a hundred people began to march in the direction of the construction site of the Annexation Barrier Wall in Salfit. They were still at the outskirts of the village when the Israeli military fired large amounts of tear gas and sound bombs at them. Soldiers arrived and announced the area a “Closed Military Zone.” When Israeli activist Jonathan Pollak responded that the area was “An Open Palestinian Zone,” he was arrested. Five Palestinians required medical treatment for tear gas inhalation and three Palestinians were beaten until they lost consciousness. They were taken to the hospital by Red Crescent ambulances. In addition, one international and one elderly Israeli activist have been arrested. If the Wall is completed as planned, the town of Salfit will lose 6,500 dunums (1625 acres), more than 25% of its land.

Tomorrow, Friday June 10th, villagers and supporters will meet at 10:30 am in the center of Marda to walk to the land where their olive trees are being uprooted. The farmers of Marda will attempt to hold prayer service on their land. Marda has seen at least 1000 trees cut and an unknown number uprooted in the past week to make way for the Ariel loop of the Annexation Wall, 20 kilometers (12.2 miles) east of the Green Line.

Israeli army attacks disabled demonstrators

Bil’in Village
Ramallah District

The Israeli army’s conduct reached an unprecedented low when Israeli soldiers attacked a demonstration of Palestinians who had been disabled by past Israeli army attacks. The procession included ten people in wheelchairs, several people on crutches, and a number of blind people. As soon as they came into view, the disabled demonstrators were attacked by the Israeli army with tear gas. A few fainted, and when other demonstrators tried to help them they were arrested. In total, four Palestinians, including Mohammed Al Khatib and other leaders of the Popular Committee Against the Wall, and one disabled demonstrator were detained. Three Israelis, including journalist Shai Pollakk, were arrested. After attacking the demonstration, the army proceeded to invade the village and provoke an hour-long confrontation that resulted in many more Palestinian injuries.

Continuing their non-violent resistance of the last four months, this Friday the people of Bil’in will again demonstrate against the construction of the wall on their land. They will be joined by international and Israeli supporters. It is hoped that the presence of international and Israeli activists will reduce the level of violence used by the army. If there was any doubt about the army’s violent tactics, the matter was clarified in court recently by a border police officer and a soldier who testified that in joint demonstrations (where both Palestinian and Israeli civilians are present) the military aims to remove the Israeli civilians from the line of fire so that they can shoot rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinians.

The past week has seen an escalation of the Israeli army’s tactics of abuse, intimidation, and violence against the village of Bil’in. On Sunday June 5th, a member of Bil’in’s Popular Committee was stopped at a checkpoint, held for several hours and then beaten by a group of soldiers. On the night of Tuesday June 7 the army invaded the village at night and entered the homes of other Committee members. Their only crime is their insistence on their right to resist the crimes committed against them by the army.

Those who think that such tactics will break the spirit of the people of Bil’in should come and see for themselves on Friday.

  • What: A demonstration against the Israeli Annexation Wall and settlement expansion

    • When: 1 PM, Friday June 10

  • Where: Bil’in, Ramallah district, Palestine

Stink bombs and the Scream: Bil’in

Palestinians from Bil’in taped their hands together to express their intention to hold a non-violent demonstration. As they marched out of the village soldiers laid barbed wire along the path. A van with a load speaker on it then appeared behind the barb wire and let out a loud high pitch that caused the crowd to disperse. Palestinian youth threw stones at the van and soldiers entered the village throwing tear gas and shooting rubber coated metal bullets. Some of the Palestinians wearing pink plastic gloves threw plastic balloons filled with water and chicken feces.

Villagers mounted bulldozer in AL Ramadin

The people of the village of Al Ramadin in South Hebron staged a protest two days ago against the Israeli annexation wall. The wall is being built on land stolen from the village and will cut the population off from all except 12% of the West Bank.

On Wednesday around 200 villagers assembled and marched along the main road that leads to the wall construction site. When confronted by a large group of Israeli soldiers, the villagers veered off the road and headed over the hills to the work site. Israeli occupation forces fired live ammunition in the air, but, undeterred, the villagers got over the hill and reached the bulldozer which was plowing destruction for the path of the wall.

The villagers mounted the bulldozer, chanting and waving flags. After being dispersed by a combination of sound bombs and rubber bullets, the villagers prayed beside the bulldozer before dispersing. One journalist and one Palestinian were injured. Two Palestinians were detained and later released.

On Friday at 11:00 AM the village will again attempt to stop the construction of the Wall on their land.