11 October 2010 | Stella, International Solidarity Movement
The international activists that were arrested at the demo on Saturday witnessed a 25 years old Palestinian, with mental problems, while he was extorted the confession that he was throwing stones. However he had been arrested at the very beginning of the demonstration when no one was throwing stones yet.
The other three Palestinians, all minors, were treated very violently: they had plastic restraints so tightly around their wrists that their hands were swollen. They were blindfolded and forced to kneel down and one of the younger ones was violently pushed with his head against the wall.
The international activists repeatedly asked for a doctor but the soldiers refused to call one and said the effect of the spray only would last 20 minutes. Since the effects only get worst with water, the four international activists asked to have some milk do clean themselves but the soldiers arrogantly answered that they had no cows there.
Then they were separated to be interrogated. One of the questions that the peace activists had to answer was “Why are you here?”.
One of them said that she was taking pictures of the occupation. The soldiers answered back that there is no occupation because all Palestine is part of Israel.
Three of the internationals came back late at night after ten hours in a prison. One of them, the Irish activist, was not released and had to face a trial on the 10th, in Jerusalem. The trial was quite fast as the judge just decided that the Irish activist would stay in jail till the 12th when he would have to go back to court. It seems that he had admitted that he had broken the condition they had given to him when they arrested him a couple of weeks ago at another demonstration in Beit Ummar. In fact he was supposed to stay at least 200 meters away from the settlements.
On the 12th he was moved to a detention center near Tel Aviv waiting to be deported the day after.
Lawyers for the family of Rachel Corrie filed an appeal with the Israeli Supreme Court on Sunday, challenging a decision to allow soldiers to testify behind a screen in the lawsuit filed against the State of Israel for the unlawful killing of the American peace activist in Rafah, Gaza.
State attorneys made the highly unusual request in court on Thursday, October 7 arguing that they were necessary to protect the soldiers’ safety and prevent their images from being circulated. Haifa District Court Judge Oded Gershon granted the request, ruling that all but two soldiers, who were both already known to the public, would be permitted to provide their testimony hidden from public view.
Corrie attorneys opposed the motion, arguing that allowing the soldiers to testify behind a screen infringes upon the fundamental right to an open, fair and transparent trial. They argued that the government request was based on an overbroad security certificate issued by Defense Minister Ehud Barak in 2008, was not supported by concrete evidence to substantiate their concerns for the soldiers’ safety or security. The lawyers will also ask the Supreme Court to review Judge Gershon’s decision not to allow the family to see the witnesses even if the public could not.
Attorney Hussein Abu Hussein, who represents the Corrie family, stated:
“An open and transparent judicial process is the only way to guarantee a fair trial. There is no reason why these soldiers should testify behind a screen. The government’s request is a shameless attempt to add a cloud of secrecy to civil trial and shield the soldiers from the discomfort of telling the truth in an open court.”
Attorneys for the family requested urgent review of the appeal and decision made, prior to October 17, when testimony of the next soldier in the case is anticipated to resume.
Subsequent hearings are scheduled for October 17,18 and 21 between the hours of 9:00-16:00 before Judge Oded Gershon at the Haifa, District Court, 12 Palyam St., Haifa, Israel.
On Friday afternoon, around 50 protesters, including many international and Israeli activists, gathered in the village of Al-Ma’sara, near Bethlehem, to demonstrate against the theft of village land by the Gush Etzion settlement block. Soldiers were waiting the demonstrators at the exit of the village, to prevent them from getting too close to settlement. After they showed a map indicating that it was a closed military zone, soldiers started to throw sound grenades.
Many Israeli activists talked to the soldiers, trying to explain the reasons on the Palestinians.
The soldiers left the area just after a herd of sheep passed by.
The village of Al Ma’asara has been holding weekly non-violent demonstrations since November 2006.
Bil`in
On the first Friday demonstration of the olive harvest, two journalists were injured and dozens suffered from tear gas and rubber bullets in Bil’in.
The Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements organized the weekly demonstration against the illegal apartheid wall under a banner saying “We stay here like the roots of the olive trees”. Their main focus was to assert the farmers’ right to reach their own lands and pick up their olives.
Many international solidarity groups, Israeli peace activists and Palestinians from other towns participated. The demonstration began after midday prayer and lasted two hours. Demonstrators held the Palestinian flag as well as posters demanding the release of Bil’in political prisoners. They chanted slogans against the wall and the settlements in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan.
Someone was carrying a ladder and a bucket hoping to use them once they would get to their land. Unfortunately the access to their legally owned lands was once again denied: as soon as the demonstrators reached the gate in the apartheid wall, the soldiers shot rubber coated steel bullets and tear gas.
The soldiers subsequently passed through the gate and unsuccessfully attempted to arrest the demonstrators. Two journalists were injured. Abas Al Momani was injured in the back by a tear gas canister. Haron Amaira suffered from extreme tear gas inhalation. Dozens of other demonstrators suffered from breathing tear gas poison.
An-Nabi Saleh
An-Nabi Saleh got creative last Friday for their weekly demonstration; the children of the village were armed with paint in squirt guns and water balloons before the protesters marched down the main road to meet the army. The soldiers blocked the group from walking down the road that runs through the village, and were then met with chanting and paint on both the soldiers themselves and their jeep windshields. Around 70 demonstrators attended, accompanied by nearly 20 Israeli and international activists.
The demonstration was then driven back up the road into the village with tear gas and sound bombs, after which, the Israeli forces left the area. Once the young people of an-Nabi Saleh had built roadblocks to keep army jeeps from passing, the protest continued over the hills toward the village’s well, stolen by the neighboring settlement, Halamish. The theft of this spring and much of the agricultural land of an-Nabi Saleh is the main reason for the weekly demonstrations there.
After a while of soldiers firing tear gas directly at protestors on the exposed hill, Israeli forces drove the group back into the village again, amidst a volley of rubber-coated bullets and several rounds of live ammunition. The youth regrouped and began throwing stones at the soldiers on the main road in a symbolic act of resistance to the occupation, and the army responded with more shooting. The firing of rubber-coated bullets and tear gas continued throughout the village for some time, ending as the sun was setting.
None were arrested this week, but around ten were shot with rubber-coated bullets, including one young teen who was shot in the ear. No less than two of those shot were immediately hospitalized, with the ambulances delayed by their struggle to pass the army roadblocks. At least one older man was hit with a tear gas canister, and many suffered from extreme and debilitating tear gas inhalation.
Saturday demonstrations
Hebron
The weekly protest in Hebron against the illegal settlements and the closure of Shuhada street began at 3 p.m. not too far from the military gate in the Old City.
While the demonstrators were gathering, a military jeep and many soldiers arrived, scaring the kids that were playing football in the street. Palestinians together with Israeli and international peace activists, marched around the small streets of the Old City chanting slogans against the illegal occupation.
Not only the locals witnessed the march, but also a group of international tourists that for a while had to face the hard reality of a city where Palestinians live under occupation.
Before that the demonstrators left, the soldiers took pictures of as many people as they could. When they were asked for what reason they answered they would put them on Facebook!
People from the village of Burin were attacked by 20 settlers, 5 of which had guns. They wanted to make a road leading up to the house of one of the villagers, Bilal Eid. that is on the top of a hill inside the small village of 3500 inhabitants. Just as the bulldozer started working, about 20 settlers went down from the illegal settlement of Givat Arozi, shouting and throwing stones at the bulldozer. Five of them were carrying guns.
The villagers called the Israeli DCO (District Coordination Office) to ask them to prevent the violence. Shortly after, one car with representatives from the DCO arrived on the spot together with soldiers.
When they saw the DCO and the soldiers, the settlers went quickly back towards the settlement. While retreating they were throwing stones to a house and destroyed about 12 olive trees by cutting them. When they cut the trees the villagers took photos to show to the DCO representatives, who did not show any interest. However nearby solders could easily have prevented this violence, but did nothing to stop the settlers.
The village of Burin is surrounded by four illegal settlements. The settlers intend to settle in what is left of Burins land, to connect the already existing settlements. The villagers have been suffering from regular settler attacks for many years. The mentioned house that the new road is leading up to had to be emptied five years ago, when settlers attacked it. While the family was still living there, one day about 100 settlers broke into the house, forced them out and stole everything – including the door and windows. The owner of the house now lives with his wife and four children in a small house inside the village, since they live in constant fear of a new attack. The action today was the first step to reclaim their house, by rebuilding and constructing a road leading to their house.
Israeli repression of peaceful dissent continued this week, as a nonviolent demonstration in Beit Ummar was crushed in an explosion of violence and arrests.
Beit Ummar, a city near Hebron, hosts weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the Israeli occupation. The nearby settlement, Karmei Tzur, has confiscated much of the city’s land.
Palestinians and international activists gathered Saturday with the intention of walking towards the illegal settlement. The marchers were met by Israeli soldiers, who blocked off the demonstration route. Shortly after the marchers were obstructed, soldiers began throwing sound bombs. A 25-year-old Palestinian was arrested as the crowd began to disperse.
Soldiers then pointed to and began to arrest an Irish activist. A second international attempted to prevent his arrest, and both were pushed violently to the ground. An additional two international activists came to their side, and all four were pepper-sprayed. The debilitating effects of direct contact with pepper spray facilitated their arrests.
Shortly thereafter, three Palestinian youth (15, 16 and 17) were arrested by undercover Israeli police who had posed as Palestinian youth. Soldiers then dispersed the remaining crowd by firing barrages of tear gas. Journalists documenting this attack were threatened by the soldiers.
The arrested Palestinian youth were taken to the nearby police station, blindfolded, and forced to kneel. One teen’s head was pushed violently into a wall.
The four arrested internationals were also taken to the police station. One suffered extreme pain from the pepper spray and repeatedly requested for medical care, which was denied.
The internationals were then separated and interrogated. They are charged with violating a “Closed Military Zone” order, although soldiers didn’t produce any such order before the activists were arrested.
After ten hours, three of the international activists were released. The activists continue to suffer from the effects of direct contact with pepper spray, and one is covered in bruises.
The fourth international activist remains in prison and will face trial on October 10th.
