“Every week we bear witness to yet another violent attack by the security forces at the village of Bil’in,”

by, Yoav Stern
Haaretz Correspondent
See the story online at: www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/603111.html

Five people were lightly hurt and five others were detained for questioning during a a demonstration against the West Bank security fence in the village of Bil’in, adjacent to Ramallah, on Friday.

Hundreds of Israeli, Palestinian and foreign protestors took part in the demonstration. According to the demonstrators, Israel Defense Forces troops and Border Policemen sprayed tear gas and fired rubber bullets at them.

Protests have been held in Bil’in for several months to protest the construction of the separation fence on village land. Once completed, the fence will cut village residents off from their fields.

Every Friday, village residents protest, along with left-wing Israeli activists, Arab MKs and members of the Palestinian parliament. Hamas militants, headed by Hassan Yousef, have taken part in the demonstrations, alongside Israelis.

MK Barakeh receives summons over alleged protest violence

MK Mohammed Barakeh (Hadash-Ta’al) received a summons on Thursday requesting him to show up at the Binyamin police department’s offices to face allegations that he assault a border police officer.

The alleged attack took place at an anti-fence protest outside Bil’in in April.

Sources close to Barakeh said that they have video footage clearly showing it was Barakeh was assaulted by the border police officer, and not vice versa.

Barakeh said that he would not abide by the summons that was handed to him by the Knesset Speaker’s office because the Binyamin police department is situated in the occupied territories.

“If anyone wants to question me they are invited to do so in my office in Nazareth,” said Barakeh defiantly. When summoned to be questioned by police, lawmakers are usually allowed to ask police to question them at their chambers.

“Every week we bear witness to yet another violent attack by the security forces at the village of Bil’in,” said Barakeh. “The victims are not just Palestinians but also the peace activists who are non-violently demonstrating against the racist separation fence. We’ve all seen this week just how differently security forces treated the violent protests of the right (at Kfar Maimon).”

Protests Outside Bil’in to Continue on Friday

West Bank villagers to show the faces of Bush

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT — A nonviolent protest against the building of the illegal separation barrier near Bil’in is set for Friday, July 22 at 1 p.m.

Residents of Bil’in will be joined by Israeli and International peace activists in the latest of a series of creative protests against the building of the illegal barrier that has occurred near Bil’in.

The protests are famous for their nonviolence and dramatic themes. Tomorrow, a group of villagers plan to dress as U.S. President George W. Bush, with his eyes covered by orange ribbons, as they head the demonstration and carry a cardboard version of the illegal wall. Orange ribbons are the symbol brandished by Israelis opposed to Gaza disengagement. The imagery is to illustrate how U.S. foreign policy has been blinded by plans in Gaza and ignores the ever expanding wall built on seized Palestinian land.

Update on Bil’in Arrestees

A military appeals judge ruled today to extend the detention of non-violent community organizer Abdullah Abu Rahme of Bil’in until Sunday at 11:00 AM when the military prosecution’s appeal against Abdullah’s release on bail will be heard.

Earlier today a different military judge ruled to release Abdullah and Akram Al Khatib on bail. The two were arrested during a nonviolent protest in Bil’in last Friday. Akram was released onthe condition that he remain 500 meters away from the Annexation Fence in Bil’in except in areas that are built up areas within the village. But the prosecution appealed Abdullah’s release.

Abdullah has yet to be charged with anything, but the prosecution claimed that he assaulted a soldier during his arrest and tried to grab his weapon. Witnesses’ statements, pictures and video of the event that were presented to the judge tell a different story of a peaceful protest violently attacked by the Israeli military forces.

Another resident of Bil’in, Tamer al Khatib, is being detained at Ofer Military Base. Tamer was arrested yesterday along with six other non-violent activists who had locked themselves into a metal cylinder on the route of the annexation Barrier. The activists were initially charged with attacking Israeli soldiers. But upon viewing video of the event, an Israeli judged said that, on the contrary, the peaceful activists were attacked by Israeli soldiers.

Despite having been arrested at the same event and accused of the same charge, the Israeli and international activists were offered immediate release on the condition that they stay away from the wall’s route in Bil’in for 15 days. But Tamer was transferred to a military detention center and will probably spend six days there before he sees a judge.

In protest of this racist treatment three of the activists, Alison Brim of North Carolina, Nina Olsen of Denmark, and ISM cofounder Huwaida Arraf, a Palestinian American from Michigan, refused to be released and spent the night in detention only to return before a judge the next day. The activists’ lawyer, Yael Berda, added a statement to their conditions of release document that explained that the women regard their being offered conditional release while Tamer remains in detention as racist and unjust. Huwaida Arraf informed the judge that they refuse to stop protesting the Illegal annnexation Wall. All three were released on conditions.

The Israeli government continues its policy of attacking, arresting and fabricating charges against non-violent Palestinian, Israeli and international activists who are protesting against the construction of the Annexation Wall on Palestinian land. The Wall has been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice, the world’s highest legal institution.

What Every American Should Know about Israel/Palestine

A heart-rending talk giving by Cindy and Craig Corrie, parents of Rachel Corrie.

www.traprockpeace.org/corrie_chicago_03july05.html

Rachel was crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer when she attempted to block the path to a Palestinian home that they were trying to destroy.

The Corries spoke at Socialism 2005. This annual conference was held in Chicago from July 1-4, 2005 and attracted over 1000 antiwar activists from throughout the US in addition to many international guests. It was sponsored by the Center for Economic Research and Social Change, publisher of the International Socialist Review and Haymarket Books. It was co-sponsored by the International Socialist Organization, publisher of Socialist Worker. Links to the organizations and speakers can be found at the conference website, www.socialismconference.org

Cindy Corrie also spoke at the conference Rally Against War and Empire. On both occasions, she read aloud a poem written by her daughter about Palestine and the suffering of this occupied people.

Shoot First, Laugh After

Israeli violence up-close

It started out as an ordinary afternoon: Mohommed and I were going to a meeting with some of the people of the village of Salem to talk about ISM and other internationals planting trees with them one day next week. Villagers have reported a lot of harassment from the soldiers and settlers in the area. Half-way to our meeting place, a taxi coming from the other direction told us there was a flying checkpoint further along the road, so to expect a bit of a wait. Sure enough, we came to the back of a line of about 20 vehicles, including tractors, lorries and many taxis (shared taxi is the normal mode of transport around here). After waiting for about 15 minutes, we decided to let the taxi go and continue on foot.

We could see the squat ugly shape of the Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) as we walked. It was parked at the crossroads, at the bottom of the settlement and military base roads, so that the traffic was backed up on the other three roads. As we walked down towards the APC there was a load bang: Mohammed said, “There’re shooting the people.” In the confusion of the moment I heard a woman begin to wail, and a man, obviously injured, being carried towards us and quickly bundled into a taxi, along with a number of women (one of whom was holding a tiny baby). The taxi did as quick of a U-turn as it could, then raced up the road in a cloud of dust. I stood staring at a pool of blood not quite comprehending what I had seen. The man who had just been shot was Ahmed Baeri (excuse spelling) from the village of Salem, father of four, the youngest of whom had been born in a Nablus Hospital just the day before. He was bringing his wife and child home that day. He had come to the front of the line and called across the wide space to the soldiers asking them if he could pass with his wife as she was exhausted after the birth. They responded by shooting him in the leg.

The Israeli soldiers behind the open door of their APC then beckoned the next person in line forward. A man climbed down from his tractor and slowly crossed the open space towards them. He had just witnessed a man being shot by these same soldiers, but he had to face them, as did all the others in line: their lives would grind to a halt otherwise. This is a routine day for them, but for me what I had seen was just beginning to sink in: An unarmed man had just been shot, from a distance of over a hundred yards by heavily armed soldiers from behind the doors of their APC. I had heard the shot, I had seen the blood, and I had seen him prostrate in the back of the taxi.

Then it was my turn to walk across and show my ID; I won’t pretend my heart wasn’t pounding. When I got there I found that none of these soldiers looked to be older than 20, maybe 22. Their were grins all over there faces. I asked why they had just shot a man, and they told me “You are lying, we shot nobody, you are a liar!” “Come with me and see the blood,” I said. More laughter. “You should be so ashamed of yourselves, and your Mothers would be so ashamed of you too.” “No, you are wrong, she would be so proud.”

They agreed to let me through but not Mohommed, so I turned back. As I walked away their laughter was ringing in my ears. Even as I write this, I still don’t know the fate of Ahmed.