Ni’lin holds demonstration to honor the Nakba

15 May 2009

Palestinians, accompanied by international and Israeli solidarity activists, gathered to demonstrate against construction of the Apartheid Wall in Ni’lin. During the demonstration, a home of an elderly couple was occupied by soldiers, who used their roof to shoot at protesters. Several people were injured with tear-gas inhalation, tear gas canisters and a 12 year old girl was shot in her home with live ammunition in the arm.

To prepare for a demonstration meant to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the Nakba, several members of the Ni’lin Popular Committee against the Wall went to hang posters on their land. The Israeli army, already present in the olive fields, forced the members back into the village with the use of sound and tear-gas grenades.

“In the morning before the prayer, we were out in the fields to put up posters about the Al Nakba. Then the army came and started to shoot teargas and sound bombs at us” Mohammed Amira, member of the popular committee against the wall.

Later that day, Ni’lin residents marched towards their olive groves to hold the weekly prayer on their land. Israeli soldiers prevented them from reaching their land with the use of tear-gas and sound grenades. The prayer was then held in the centre of the village, near the municipality building.

Around 100 Palestinian protesters, along with Israeli and international solidarity activists, marched from the centre of town towards the construction site of the Apartheid Wall. Before reaching their olive fields near the clinic, Israeli border police fired upon the demonstrators with tear-gas and sound grenades until they dispersed. Demonstrators were pushed back into the village and several young men threw stones in response to the Israeli army’s violence.

For the second time in May, Israeli soldiers occupied homes in order to shoot at demonstrators. The home of an elderly couple, Miriam and Azmi Khawaja, was occupied with only Miriam inside. Only after 30 minutes were 2 activists able to enter her home to accompany to her son’s house while soldiers remained in her home.

Around 4:30, Israeli soldiers shot Summer Amira, 12, as she stood on the roof of her home.

The demonstration ended at 5:30pm.

Palestinian farmers and internationals prevented from working their land by Israeli army

15th May 2009

On the morning of the 15th, a group of international and Israelis helped the al-Jabari family to clear their lands in readiness for planting a new crop.  The al-Jabari family’s land is located between the two illegal Israeli settlements of Kiryat Arba and Giv’at HaAvot in the Hebron district of the southern West Bank.  After just half an hour the Israeli army, police and border police arrived in large numbers and used force to remove the farmers and solidarity activists from the land.

At 9:45am on the 15th, 20 Palestinians went to the fields accompanied by six Israelis, and four international human rights observers to clear terraces of farmland belonging to the al-Jabari family.  The Israeli police were already guarding the “synagogue” when the farmers arrived.  After working the land for half an hour the army, the police and the border police moved up to the farmers and showed a “closed military zone” order and ordered everyone but the Palestinians to leave or be arrested. The owner of the land was initially allowed to stay.  Later, however, he was forcibly dragged off by the soldiers.

Between the two illegal settlements is an area of Palestinian owned farm land where vines and olives have been grown for generations.  The land has been falling into disuse because the families who own it are in fear of the increasingly violent intimidation by the police and settlers.  Recently the settlers, under the protection of the police, erected a large tent on the Palestinian farm land between the settlements.  The settlers provoked local Palestinian residents by calling the illegal tent a “synagogue” thereby engineering claims of anti-semitism against any attempt to remove it from the farm land.

New York Activists to Singer Leonard Cohen: “Don’t Play Apartheid; Don’t Play Israel!”

Adalah-NY

17 May 2009

Activists urge Cohen to cancel Israel concert
Activists urge Cohen to cancel Israel concert

New York activists gathered in front of Radio City Music Hall Sunday night during a Leonard Cohen concert to call upon the singer/songwriter to cancel his scheduled September concert in Israel. The protesters sang songs, chanted, handed out leaflets to concert attendees and produced sidewalk art. The call comes in support of earlier calls by Jews, Palestinians, Israeli citizens and residents of the UK, and coincides with the publication of an open letter by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) calling for protests throughout the cities Cohen is touring.

“With the construction of the Apartheid Wall and Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands, and on the heels of the brutal Israeli attack on Gaza that killed over 1,400 Palestinians and injured 5,000 more, the Palestinian Catastrophe continues and we demand that artists start taking a courageous and principled stand by refusing to entertain occupiers and oppressors,” said Riham Barghouti, Palestinian-American activist with Adalah-NY. This week Palestinians around the world commemorate the 61st Anniversary of the Nakba of 1948, when Israeli forces expelled 800,000 Palestinians and destroyed 531 villages.

Protesters chanted “Leonard, Leonard Have A Heart, Don’t Help Apartheid With Your Art” and sang “Ain’t Gonna Let Occupation Turn Me Round, Gonna Keep On Walkin’, Keep Boycottin'” to the tune of “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round”. A particular crowd favorite was, to the tune of Frere Jacques,

Are you sleeping, Are you sleeping,
Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen
While your songs are so fine
Israel’s taking Palestine
Don’t go there, Don’t go there

Activists passed out fliers to ticket-holders on the back of which was written “Don’t Play Israel”. Concert-goers were asked to hold them up during the concert so that Cohen could see a visual call to join the growing cultural and academic boycott of Israel by canceling his upcoming concert in Tel Aviv on September 24, 2009. Since over 170 Palestinian civil society organizations issued their call for boycott in July 2005, Palestinian groups have focused on cultural events as a key tool in the Israel government’s campaign to legitimize its ongoing occupation and oppression of Palestinian people.

Before the show, protesters chalked “Leonard: Don’t Play Israel” on the sidewalk in front of the stage entrance. Radio City Music Hall staff quickly mopped the sidewalk. “They can wash away these words, but they can’t wash away the growing boycott movement,” said Hannah Mermelstein, an activist with NYCBI, the New York Campaign to Boycott Israel. NYCBI recently launched its own campaign against Motorola for its development and production of bomb fuses and communications equipment for the Israeli military. “We are proud to be a part of the growing boycott and divestment movement called for by Palestinians. Concerted effort to isolate Israel is the only means to end the ongoing dispossession and oppression of Palestinians by Israel.”

Campaign to release the Palestinian activist arrested in al-Ma’sara

15 May 2009

The Al-Ma’sara Committee against the Wall and Settlements has been organizing and participating in demonstrations against the confiscation of their land for the past two and a half years. Participants and committee members are known for their strict adherence to non-violent tactics in demonstrations. While the protesters maintained their usual tactics on 1 May 2009, Israeli forces escalated their attempt to suppress the non-violent resistance by arresting several demonstrators. A new military commander, stationed in the area two months prior, had announced his intentions to end the resistance and implemented tactics such as night invasions of organizer’s homes, destruction of property and threats.

During the demonstration on 1 May 2009, the Israeli army arrested three members of the Al-Ma’sara Committee against the Wall and Settlements; Hasan Bergia, Mohammad Bergia and Mahmoud Sawahre. Additionally, Israeli forces arrested Mustafa Fuara; a resident of Al-Ma’sara, Azmi Ash-Shyukhi; a resident of Hebron, Haggai Matar; an Israeli solidarity activist and Tom Stocker, a British national volunteering with the Holy Land Trust.

The army alleged that the arrested demonstrators were involved in rioting, interfering with police work, assault of soldiers and policemen, and the destruction of military property.

The Israeli activist Matar and British volunteer Stocker, were released the same day on 1,500 NIS bail with conditions of not entering the West Bank for two weeks. Azmi Ash-Shyukhi; Mustafa Fuara; and Mahmoud Sawahre, were released on bail (50,000 NIS all together) after being held in military prison for almost two weeks on 13 May 2009.

Hassan Bergia and Mohammad Bergia, members of the Al-Ma’sara Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, are still being held.

Mohammad Bergia’s lawyer will appeal for his release and letters of support can help shed light on the injustice of his arrest. Show support for Mohammad Bergia and help apply pressure for his release by signing and sending the sample letter below to haggai@hotmail.com.

SAMPLE LETTER

To Whom It May Concern,

I was disturbed to learn that Mr. Muhamad Bergia, a member of the Popular Committee of the village of Al-Maasara in the West Bank, was arrested for peacefully demonstrating against Israel’s separation fence on May 1st, 2009 and is still being held in prison. Over the past two and a half years Mr. Bergia and his associates have displayed an unshakable commitment to non-violence and to dignified action.

Mr. Bergia in particular is well known for his commitment to the struggle for peace through non-violent means and for his willingness to work in partnership with Israelis. He is a respected member of the community; Bergia is the secretary of the local council village and a teacher in the village. I am impressed with his honesty and commitment to non-violence. My understanding of Israeli law is that the right to demonstrate peacefully is protected. Mr. Bergia should be commended and not punished for his efforts.

I hope and trust that Mr. Bergia will be allowed to return to his family, including his young daughter, and community without further delay and that his name be cleared of all accusations.

Sincerely,