Israeli forces shoot live ammunition during Ni’lin demonstration, injuring 2

4 September 2009

Once again the residents of Ni’lin went out to protest against the Wall Israel has build on there land. The protesters were met by tear gas, stinky water, rubber coated steal bullets and live ammunition. Two people were hit with live ammunition and another two with rubber coated steal bullets. Many suffered from tear gas inhalation

Ni'lin resident climbs atop the concrete Wall to place a Palestinian flag
Ni'lin resident climbs atop the concrete Wall to place a Palestinian flag

At one o’clock, after the weekly Friday prayer, residents of Ni’lin joined by Israeli and international activists went out to protest against the illegal Apartheid Wall Israel has build on their land. The people went chanting and carrying Palestinian flags out in their olive groves, expressing their rights to their land. They managed to reach the 8 meter high concrete wall and on spot tires were put on fire and a Palestinian flag put on top the wall. With long poles, the demonstrators manages tried to push the wall. The protesters were spread out along the Wall and attacked from the Israeli armed forces with tear gas and the “stinky water”. Some of the attending young men responded with throwing stones towards the soldiers.

After four o’clock about 7 jeeps quickly entered through the wall and started to chase the protesters away from the wall toward the village, close to the new school. The Israeli armed forces shot a lot of live towards the demonstrators. Around 5 o’clock, in the fields close to the village two persons were simultaneously hit from a very short range, 20 m. David Reeb, a well known Israeli artist and filmmaker, was shot in his thigh and taken to an Israeli hospital. Also one Palestinian man, Hammod Sa’eed Amereeh, a local filmmaker, was shot in his foot.

On ground, receiving help from the paramedics the soldiers continued to attack the injured people and the medics who tried to give them first aid and made it harder for them to quickly move David and Hammoud to the ambulance.

The army continued to shot more live ammunition and rubber coated steal bullets and in the end two more people where shot, this time with rubber coated steal bullet.

The demonstration ended around six o’clock.

East Jerusalem: the indignity and illegality of eviction

Mary Robinson | The Elders

2 September 2009

As our visit to the Middle East was ending, one of the most poignant encounters we had was with Maher Hanoun and his family in East Jerusalem. For several nights three generations of Hanouns have been sleeping in the street – the women and children in cars and the men encamped on the pavement. They were evicted from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem on 2 August 2009 following an Israeli court ruling.

We brought the family food and drink for Iftar, a special time for Muslims during the month of Ramadan as it is the evening meal at which their daily fast is broken. The moment was rendered even more moving as we heard of the difficulties that the Hanouns have experienced since their eviction.

The family are refugees who have lived in their home in Sheik Jarrah since 1948. Now they have not only been evicted, but have watched Jewish families being shown the property and encouraged to move into a home that for generations they called their own.

These houses are situated in occupied East Jerusalem. The Palestinian families that lived in these buildings did so legally, and their presence is supported by international law. This is encapsulated in UN Security Council resolutions 446 and 478 which call upon Israel not to transfer members of its civilian population into occupied Arab territories or to change the character and status of Jerusalem.

To its discredit, the Israeli legal system – to which Palestinians have limited and unequal access – has been used by some settler groups to claim ownership of property purportedly belonging to Jews prior to 1948. The decisions taken by the Israeli courts have sustained the claims of settlers and offer Palestinians no recourse to reclaim their rights to lost land or property.

My fellow Elder Jimmy Carter was unambiguous in his statement that the eviction of Palestinians such as the Hanouns from East Jerusalem “is a political issue… It’s an attempt by Israel to take over East Jerusalem, which is part of Palestine”. I wholeheartedly agree, and was encouraged to know that several Israeli human rights groups and advocates also agree.

Such enforced evictions are utterly unacceptable; it is no exaggeration to state that this kind of action could be a serious obstacle to a successful negotiation of a two-state solution. The Hanoun family do not have fair and equal access to the Israeli legal system – nor are they the only ones to have been treated this way. The international community and all those in Israel and Palestine who believe in the importance of the rule of law should support their cause and speak out against this infringement of Palestinians’ fundamental human rights.

Israeli forces raid Bil’in in the night

5 September 2009

Israeli forces frequently raid Bil'in during the night
Israeli forces frequently raid Bil'in during the night

Around 2:30am, the Israeli occupation forces invaded Bil’in again. They raided two houses but no arrests were made.

They raided the house where Khamse Yaseen (age 16) lives and attempted to arrest him, but he was not at home at the time. They also raided the house where Yaseen Mohammed Ali Yaseen (age 21) lives but could not find him either.

During the raid at both houses, Palestinian and international activists challenged the soldiers standing guard outside. They were told that they were in a “closed military area,” were not allowed to film, and that they had to go home. Since the photographer, Hamde Abu Rahma, who showed his Press ID, continued to take photos, the soldiers pointed the guns at him and chased after him at some point.

After intense arguing on both sides, the soldiers eventually retreated having not succeeded in arresting the wanted men. As the leaving Jeeps were surrounded by Palestinian and international activists, the soldiers threw several sound bombs to disperse them. The Jeeps then exited the village, driving towards the Apartheid Wall without any victims.

Israeli forces incinerate Gazan fishing boat

ISM Gaza

3 September 2009

In November 2008 Abu Adham’s fishing boat was seized by the Israeli Navy and all the fishermen were abducted and transferred to Israel. The fishermen and boat were subsequently released without charge.

In June 2009 the Israeli Navy attacked the boat, riddling it with machine gun fire, causing extensive damage, and nearly killing the crew. The boat was then seized and the fishermen were abducted and transferred to Israel. On route to the port of Ashdod, Adham the captain of the fishing boat was beaten up by the Israeli sailors. The fishermen and the boat were subsequently released without charge.

On 31st August 2009 the Israeli Navy attacked several fishing boats as they were at work in Palestinian territorial waters. Abu Adham’s boat was riddled with bullets, and bombarded with shells. Flames engulfed the boat. Despite managing to tow it back to the port in Gaza City as it was burning, the fishermen were unable to prevent the boat’s destruction.

Two days before this attack, the Israeli Navy killed a Palestinian fishermen in the same area. It’s reported that he was but four metres from shore when an Israeli gun boat fired a shell at him. He was decapitated.

Two injured and dozens suffered teargas inhalation during the Bil’in weekly protest

Bil’in Popular Committee

4 September 2009

Despite the hot summer and the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, a protest joined by internationals and Israeli peace activists marched from Bili’n after the Friday prayer. The protesters chanted and called for the end of the occupation, settlement building and the release of Palestinian detainees.

Today is the second anniversary of the decision from the so-called “Israeli Supreme Court of Justice” to move the path of the wall in Bili’n. On the 4th of Sept 2007, the Israeli court ruled that the wall in Bilin should be moved back to a distance of 500 meters from the Israeli settlement, which is built on Bili’n’s land. This decision returns about 1000 dunums of land to the farmers and stops future settlement building. The Bili’n Committee Against the Wall announced that the village will continue their non-violent resistance until the wall is removed and the court decision is implemented.

The protesters chanted slogans and called for national unity among the Palestinians until they reached the wall where they army had set up a razor wire to block the protest. When the protesters tried to go behind it, the army fired tear gas and sound grenades. Two injured: Ahmad Abu Rahmah (16), and Rani Burnat (29), and dozens suffered from inhalation of tear gas.

The Popular Committee against the wall in Bil’in wants to thank the Norwegian Govt., in their decision to refuse further investments in Israeli companies that support illegal settlements and the wall in the Palestinian territories, included the village of Bil’in.