*Updated, with videos!* Demonstrators tell Bush their Freedom is not for Sale despite police repression

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Despite attempts by the Palestinian authority to silence any appearance of dissent, around a thousand people peacefully took to the streets all over Ramallah to protest the ongoing siege of Gaza, and to protest what they said was an attempt to strengthen Apartheid with U.S. President Bush’s visit. Dozens of people were arrested and assaulted by PA police. The demonstration began at the Manara, later moving towards the Orthodox Club.

People began by unfurling banners and lifting signs in the Manara, telling Bush their freedom is not for sale. Officers tore apart signs and pushed people off the street. After around an hour people moved towards the Orthodox Club where another demonstration was taking place. They were stopped by the police short of the other demonstration, and were not allowed to join. People stood with signs, singing and voicing their protest against Bush’s visit.

Mohammad Alatar, a spokesman from the Gaza On My Mind (Gaza 3ala Bali) campaign said, “This man is responsible for supporting the siege on Gaza, for starving 1.5 million people, for cutting fuel and electricity to the humanitarian infrastructure, for locking the doors and borders to the world’s largest and most populated prison.

The peace process which began at Annapolis and is being pushed forward by Bush in his visit, has from the beginning been a way to legitimize Apartheid. The Palestinian leadership is being pushed into agreeing to a state without territorial contiguity, an archipelago of Bantustans separated from each other and controlled in every way by the Israeli Army.”

For more information contact:
Ronald Wheeler 0548195210

Police and Soldiers stand by while Settlers Occupy Palestinian Land, Build Structures, and Harass Local Residents

This morning at 4am, January 9th, settlers from the occupied house Beit HaShalom and Kiryat Arba settlement began putting up structures on Palestinian land belonging to the Jabri family, in the valley between Kiryat Arba and Beit HaShalom.

At first the settlers erected a tent which they later dismantled. Later around 50 young male and female settlers used large stones to block the military road and to build pathways and structures on land belonging to the Jabri family. They also made a Star of David from stones and earth, measuring approximately 10m across, easily visible from the air.

Israeli Border Police arrived early in the morning but did not attempt to stop the illegal building or the blocking of the road, although they did prevent the mob from attacking Palestinians trying to pass along the road. The army was also in attendance but this did not prevent settlers from attempting to harass Palestinians and international Human Rights Workers (HRWs).

At around 1.30pm a group of young male settlers appeared to chase an elderly Palestinian man towards his home across the road from the land. Initially the police moved the mob from the property, but after pausing to pray for several minutes, the settlers entered the yard again and police and soldiers looked on as they verbally harassed HRWs and Israeli activists, and made attempts to break their cameras. The settlers remained on and around this property for around 3 hours, forcing the family to stay locked inside the house.

At around 2.30pm, HRWs observed soldiers turning away Palestinians who wanted to pass along the road.

At around 5.30pm, the owner of the land, accompanied by Palestinian and Israeli activists, showed the Police documents proving his ownership, but they refused to remove the remaining settlers. At 7.30pm some settlers remained on the land.

A similar event unfolded today on the other side of Kiryat Arba. However in that case, the owners and HRWs were successful in persuading the police to move the settlers by producing legal documentation.

These actions coincide with George Bush’s visit to Palestine and Israel.

Israeli Army Invades Qusin, Two Children Arrested and Tortured

On Monday night at 9pm, twelve Israeli jeeps stormed into the West Bank village of Qusin firing live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas and sound bombs. All men in the village between the ages of fifteen and forty were brought to the playground of the local school. The army took pictures of all the older men whilst interrogating the teenagers, looking for “wanted” children who had thrown stones at the armoured jeeps. At one point, a soldier held a knife to the throat of a twelve year old boy and threatened to kill him. After three hours the army arrested two sixteen year old boys, Hassan Fachri and Ali Nayef, releasing everybody else.

The two boys were handcuffed, blindfolded and taken to Keddemim police station, where they were tortured for seven hours before being released. They were held together in a small filthy cell, blindfolded and denied food and water. Hassan was denied access to the toilet facilities. Both were prevented from sleeping by soldiers who stood behind them cocking their guns, yelling death threats at them. The boys were badly beaten throughout the ordeal, receiving punches to the face and kicks from the soldiers. At 3am Hassan was thrown outside into the freezing rain for some time.

Ali signed legal papers under coercion. He believes that the papers are a contract not to throw stones, and that the penalty for breach is a five year jail term. However, Hassan signed similar papers in July 2007 after being arrested for attending a non-violent demonstration, and is now being penalised despite lack of breach. His father’s permission to work in Israel has now been confiscated and he has been fined 5,000 NIS.

During Hassan’s first arrest he also received severe treatment by the Israeli army. He was held for three days in Keddemim, and only given two meals throughout. His arms were tied behind his back while he was beaten to such a severe degree that he suffered head trauma and a dislocated elbow.

The boys were finally released at 7am Tuesday morning, warning Ali as he left that if he were to be caught throwing stones, the army would evict the 1,500 residents of Quisin from the village, closing the road from 9pm until the following morning. The army kept Hassan’s ID card and so far have not given it back. The army never returned his ID after his first arrest.

Settlers build structures in Hebron while Police standby and watch

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Today, January 9th, settlers are building structures in Hebron on Palestinian land while police standby and watch.

Early this morning at 4am, settlers from the occupied house Beit HaShalom and Kiryat Arba began putting up structures on Palestinian land beloging to the Jabri family, across the way from them.

Around 50 settlers have built stone roadblocks on the military road as well as stone structures on, and stone pathways through, the Jabri family’s land. Israeli police are not attempting to stop the illegal building or the blocking of the road, but are attempting to keep the mob from attacking Palestinian residents.

The Jabri family has been harassed on a daily basis for the last seven years, settlers have already built a pathway through other land of theirs’ as well as a tent structure which they call a synagogue. These are all ways to start the process of stealing Palestinian land.

For more information call:
Josie 0542536786
Issa 0599340549

Woman Gives Birth in Street at 3am As Soldiers Closed Checkpoint

Tel Rumeida

At 3am on Monday January 7th, Ahmad Sider was born in the street ten metres from an Israeli checkpoint in Hebron, after Israeli soldiers prevented his mother from passing for 25 minutes.

She went into labour during the night and shortly before 3am attempted to pass the checkpoint with her husband. They live in Tel Rumeida, in H2, the area of Hebron controlled by Israel under the Hebron protocols.

To reach the hospital they must pass the checkpoint on foot and meet an ambulance on the other side, as Palestinians are not permitted to drive in H2. The soldiers manning the checkpoint refused to let the couple pass, although his mother, Kifah (whose name means ‘struggle’), was screaming and pleading with the soldiers to open the checkpoint, telling them she was about to give birth.

They continued to refuse, saying they required permission from their commander, even though there was no curfew in place and this checkpoint is supposedly open 24 hours a day. Kifah and her husband were finally allowed to pass 25 minutes later. However, just ten metres beyond the checkpoint, she collapsed on the street in pain.

Residents of a nearby house brought out a mattress and Ahmad was born on the street in below-zero temperatures. His father wrapped him in his jacket and within a few minutes a Palestinian ambulance took mother and child to the hospital.

Thankfully Kifah and Ahmad are now both safe and well.