Demonstrators gathered today in Al Masara, near Bethlehem, in commemoration of Land Day, marking the anniversary of mass confiscation of Palestinian land in 1976.
Palestinians, Israelis and internationals marched peacefully towards the village’s land. However, Israeli military, police and border police blocked the road with barbed wire, at which point the demonstrators stopped and began chanting resistance anthems. Speeches were given by representatives of the non-violent popular struggle committee. The soldiers then announced that the area had been declared a Closed Military Zone (CMZ), removed the barbed wire and moved on foot and in jeeps towards the protesters, throwing percussion grenades and tear gas canisters directly at them.
Two protesters were arrested after asking to see a copy of the CMZ order. One was released in Al Masara. The other is being held at Gush Etzion Prison.
Last Sunday, a number of men from the village were arrested in Bethlehem when attempting to retrace Jesus’ Palm Sunday route into Jerusalem. The Israeli and International activists arrested with them were released on the same day, but, in a clear act of racial discrimination, the Palestinians were held in prison until Thursday, when they were released on bail to reappear in court on the 18th April. The judge rebuked the police and prosecution, agreeing that it had been an entirely non-violent demonstration.
Al Masara has held a weekly demonstration since November 2006. The villagers are restricted from accessing their land, as it is the area in which the Israeli authorities are continuing to build the illegal separation barrier. When completed, it will run for a total of over 700 km, the large majority of which runs through and annexes Palestinian land.
Soldiers, armed to the teeth, meet non-violent protesters in Beit Jala.
Two months ago there was one weekly demonstration in the Bethlehem area, this weekend alone there were four. With Al-Ma’sara on Friday, Beit Ummar and Jubbet adh Dhib on Saturday and Beit Jala on Sunday, the third -unarmed- intifada is knocking on our door. The Israeli government knows this and is terrified. They can outgun an armed insurgence but their weapons will only erode global support when used against unarmed, non-violent resistance.
New demonstrations seem to be popping up each week with new villages joining the popular struggle against apartheid. ISM activists showed strong support for the popular demonstrations, new and old by joining Palestinians standing in roads, planting trees, and staring down lines of soldiers armed to the teeth. Below is an account of each action.
Soldiers, armed to the teeth, meet non-violent protesters in Beit Jala.
Demonstration against the Wall in Al Ma’sara, 12.03.2010
Palestinians build a wall near Jubbet Adh Dhib to prevent further land confiscation from an illegal settlement outpost.
Demonstration in Al-Ma’sara.
Israeli Occupation Force soldier daydreams about quitting time in Al-Ma’sara.
Looking down the barrel of a gun in Beit Jala where protesters sat down in front of a line of Occupation Forces.
Al-Ma’sara:
Friday 12 March 2010-A group of 50 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals challenged and trampled the barbed-wire blockade erected by Israeli Occupation Force soldiers as the weekly demonstration attempted to reach the future site of the Apartheid Wall which will confiscate 70% of the land from the Al-Ma’sara region. The drum-led demonstration marched through the streets of Al-Ma’sara chanting solidarity slogans, holding signs waving Palestinians flags. Internationals from America, Belgium and Scotland held solidarity signs with the slogans “Americans, Belgians and Scots against the occupation!”
At the IOF erected blockade, speeches, drumming and chanting continued as the barbed-wire was pulled back by demonstrators. This tugging allowed the crowd to pass under the wire, directly confronting the soldiers and getting a few steps closer to the village land. When the Closed Military Zone papers were produced and the an announcement over the loud speakers gave the demonstrators eight minutes to disperse before arrest, the nonviolent group sat down in protest on both sides of the barbed-wire.
After 15 minutes of sitting, the demonstration was called to a close by the Popular Committee and the group left chanting “Shame on you!” to the soldiers supporting the illegal occupation of Palestine.
Jubbet adh Dhib:
The sun was shining in full force as a small group of Palestinians, internationals and Israelis walked up a steep hill near the base of Mt. Herodan and towards the isolated Palestinian village of Jubbet adh Dhib. The residents of Jubbet adh Dhib are under constant threat and frequent attack from a cowboy settler outpost just a few hundred meters from their homes. Complete with horses, trucks and off-road vehicles, the settlers create an unsafe living environment for the residents and are a dangerous daily reminder of the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.
In a gesture of support and solidarity, the group began a small act of resistance that would create a big statement. One by one, rocks were piled up on the village boarder creating the only barrier between the village and the Zionist cowboy settlers. This is the second time that the small wall, only half a meter tall, was erected. The wall built last weekend was totally destroyed by the settlers, creating fear in the residents and frustration for those carrying huge, heavy stones under the midday sun.
This wall, unlike the Israeli Apartheid Wall, must not fall. Jubbet adh Dhib residents need a physical barrier not just to protect themselves, but also their land from further confiscation by the settlements. Land confiscation and settler attacks are on the rise across the West Bank and the story of Jubbet adh Dhib is unfortunately not unique. So until the settlements are evacuated and Palestine gains its sovereignty, it is small acts such as these that both provide safety and a display of resistance.
Beit Ummar:
Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists sought to repeat last week’s successful demonstration in Beit Ummar, Hebron District by blocking Road 60 leading from Bethlehem to Hebron. On Friday morning, demonstrators made their way from the center of the village to Road 60 where they attempted to block traffic to protest the continued theft of land from Beit Ummar and surrounding villages for the purpose of settlement expansion. Within minutes they were met by Israeli forces throwing sound grenades and tear gas in attempt to disperse the peaceful protest.
Soldiers began using excessive physical force towards both activists and journalists, breaking several cameras. As the activists began to return to the village, the army followed them, continuing to fire tear gas canisters at demonstrators. Of those who remained near Road 60, four were arrested, including Beit Ummar’s National Committee coordinator, Yousef Abu Maria, two Israelis, and an AP journalist. They were released later in the day.
After last week’s demonstration, a curfew was threatened for all of Beit Ummar if protests continued. Later in the week, the same commander led a raid of the home of Palestine Solidarity Project’s coordinators, Mousa Abu Maria and Bekah Wolfe, along with raiding the offices of their newest project, The Center for Freedom and Justice, where office equipment, including a computer and printer, were taken.
Beit Jala:
The second weekly demonstration against the recent construction of the Apartheid Wall was held Sunday afternoon in the village of Beit Jala. A crowd of 50 gathered at the top of the road leading to the recently bulldozed and leveled playgrounds and olive groves below. The demonstration, led by village residents holding signs of nonviolence, anti-Occupation and peace marched 200 meters before being met by Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) soldiers.
Despite the nonviolent nature of the demonstrators, the IOF responded with heavy force, throwing dozens of sound bombs onto the narrow, heavily populated road. The crowd was quickly dispersed but reassembled with greater determination. Protesters sat on the road, inching the soldiers backwards with their songs, chants and dialogue. Village leaders gave tri-lingual speeches, telling the story of the land, the history of the occupation and their hopes for the future.
After nearly one hour, the Popular Committee called the demonstration to a close. IOF made the provocative choice to drive their vehicles through the crowd, drawing strong emotions and a few rocks. This gave the IOF reason to respond with more violence, shooting tear gas and more sound bombs at demonstrators and village residents.
The fight against the Apartheid Wall in Beit Jala continues with demonstrations and legal battles. Currently, the validity of the land confiscation permit is being challenged in the courts, delaying further construction for a few weeks more.
Mahmoud Zwahre, a prominent member of the alMaasara Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, was brutally assaulted at the Israeli Container Checkpoint near Bethlehem this morning. Zwahre was on his way to a Ramallah meeting when his car was stopped. He was held for nearly two hours, during which he was kicked, punched and beaten using a rifle butt.
Mahmoud Zwahre of the alMa’sara Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements was detained at the Container Checkpoint near Bethlehem this morning on his way to a meeting in Ramallah. Zwahre was detained after a Border Police officer positioned at the checkpoint recognized him from the weekly demonstrations held in alMa’sara for the past 3.5 years. He was held for almost two hours, during which he was subjected to an aggressive search through his possessions and his car, and then detained in an interrogation room for no apparent reason.
In the interrogation room, with no witnesses around, Zwahre was punched, kicked and beaten with a rifle butt by the officer for over 10 minutes. During the rampage, the officer explained that the beating was intended to “teach Mahmoud a lesson”, because he recognized him from the demonstrations. He also threatened to order his arrest. Zwahre was eventually released, suffering minor injuries and bruises, and intends to file a complaint against the officer.
Zwahre’s abuse at the checkpoint today is part of a larger campaign Israel is waging in an attempt to suppress the Palestinian popular struggle. Recent months have seen the arrest of dozens of individuals connected to anti-Wall and settlement protest, often on questionable grounds or without any charge at all.
In the village of alMaasara alone, where Zwahre is from, the Army and Shin Bet have made clear threats against members of the popular committee on five different occasions between December 29th, 2009, and January 15th, 2010. The threats, mostly conveyed during night-time raids on the village, included warnings that popular committee members would be beaten and arrested should they continue to mobilize people and organize demonstrations.
During a January 15th night-time raid into the houses of both Mahmoud and Mohammad Breija, soldiers warned the two that repercussions would follow if they did not stop organizing protests in the village. Zwahre was even threatened that a child may end up dead as a result, implying that the responsibility for the repression and its cost will lie with the Popular Committee
Last Friday, the army conducted a pre-dawn raid on Brejia’s house once more, in a prelude to a siege soldiers held on the village the entire day in order to prevent the weekly demonstration from taking place. As the demonstration set out from the village’s mosque towards the walled off lands, it was attacked by soldiers who took over rooftops at the entrance to the village.
Weekly demonstrations have been held in the village of alMaasara since November 2006, in protest of the ongoing land theft of farmland belonging to alMa’sara and the eight surrounding villages in the South of Bethlehem district. Demonstrations began when Israel started constructing the Wall in the area, and a way that will allow the expansion of the Gush Etzion settlement block.
Palestinians, Israelis and internationals walk on Road 60 during the demonstration.
Activists in Ma’asara village near Bethlehem changed their demonstration route today and marched to the “settler only” road outside the village. Once they reached Highway 60 the demonstration was surrounded by Israeli soldiers and the area was declared a closed military zone. Demonstrators were then besieged by tear gas as they made their way back to the village. Soldiers began following people into the village once the activists crossed the razor wire fence that the military uses to block the progress of weekly demonstrations. Many people suffered from tear gas inhalation at today’s demonstration, and many children were terrified once the military invaded the village.
Demonstration against the Wall in Al Ma\’sara
At the beginning of 2010 the Israeli military began intensifying the level of violence used in their methods to repress non-violent demonstrations in villages opposing the apartheid wall and settlements. Compared to Bil’in and Nil’in villages, which have dealt with military violence for their involvement in campaigns to halt the building of the apartheid wall and illegal Israeli settlement for the last five years, this is a relatively new occurrence in Ma’asara. International activists have been intermittently staying in Ma’asara to document and hopefully diminish soldier violence since the beginning of the year. The army has been targeting activists and popular committee members involved in organizing non-violent demonstrations in a series of night raids. People from the village expressed concern that the military would return tonight and continue targeting activists.
This week’s Friday demonstration in al-Ma’asara celebrated the Palestinian Day of the Tree. Some 70 demonstrators, Palestinian, Israeli and international, marched from the centre of the village towards the route of the Apartheid fence, carrying young olive trees to be planted in the lands near the fence. Amongst the demonstrators were Palestinian Minister of Agriculture Ismail Du’eik and other officials from the Bethlehem area.
Shortly before reaching the soldiers who awaited the protest, demonstrators stopped to watch the minister plant two olive trees at the end of the built area in the village. The march then proceeded to meet with the larger than usual number of border policemen and soldiers, some of whom had taken over the rooftops of nearby houses, aiming guns at the demonstration. The minister and other demonstrators gave speeches in Arabic and Hebrew, and left two plants near the fence. The demonstration ended peacefully.
About an hour later, soldiers arrested one of the Palestinian demonstrators inside the village. The grounds for the arrest are still unclear, and the activist was released later that evening. Army jeeps patrolled the village for several hours following the arrest.
