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Nabi Saleh Land Day Protest met with extreme violence and M16 live ammunition

30th March 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

On the 28th of March 2015, close to 200 protesters from all over the West Bank gathered in Nabi Saleh to protest the occupation in commemoration of Land Day. The protest was met with extreme violence as the Army and Border Police fired large amounts of tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets as well as several rounds of M16 live ammunition at the protesters.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv7OnrZNnEw&feature=youtu.be

Video by Anarchists Against the Wall

On March 30th 1976 a general strike and marches were arranged all over Palestinian cities within present-day Israel from the Naqab to the Galilee. The actions were a response to the Israeli Government’s expropriation of thousands of dunums of Palestinian land. During the actions six unarmed Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed, 100 wounded and hundreds more arrested. It was the first time since 1948 that the Palestinians within the borders Israel declared 1948 organised as a Palestinian national collective and the date is commemorated yearly with a series of protest all over Palestine. This year the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh marked Land Day on Saturday, the 28th of March.

Around 12 pm on Saturday, protesters from all over the West Bank, from Hebron to Kafr Qaddum, gathered in the village of Nabi Saleh. The demonstration was a local protest in commemoration of Land Day and of the two villagers Mustafa Tamimi and Rushdi Tamimi, who were murdered by the Israeli occupation soldiers.

unnamed-2 — Poster displayed at the rally before the march, showing the two residents of Nabi Saleh who have been killed by Israeli forces since protests in the village began – photo by Tamimi Press https://www.facebook.com/Tamimipresspage

After midday prayer protesters made their way down a main road of Nabi Saleh chanting and singing. On the outskirts of the village nine army and border police jeeps was gathered and as the demonstrators approached the road the about 60 soldiers and police rained tear gas on the unarmed protesters. Several people suffered from severe tear gas inhalation as the military pushed them back into the village.

unnamed-4 — Protesters chanting slogans against the occupation and marching down the road in Nabi Saleh, before the Israeli military opened fire with tear gas – photo by Tamimi Press

Undeterred by the initial choking barrage of tear gas, protesters marched towards the military once again, this time cutting across the farmland and fields outside the village. Many youths remaining on the hillside and threw stones and tear gas back towards the military.

Nabi Saleh2 — Palestinian youth standing behind a wall of tear gas in Nabi Saleh. The illegal Israeli settlement of Hallamish is visible beyond the tear gas – photo by ISM

Israeli forces overpowered and arrested one unarmed Palestinian activist, as they continued to shoot tear gas up the into the hills. Israeli forces also threw stun grenades at unarmed Palestinians, international and Israeli activists. “They attacked me twice with stun grenades for no reason,” recalled one Palestinian photographer at the scene.

As the protest continued in the hills around Nabi Saleh protesters gathered again and threw back a large number of the tear gas canisters still being rained down on them by the army and border police. By resisting the tear gas and throwing the canisters back towards the military themselves the protesters managed to push the soldiers and police back down the hills towards the village gate. Here they took cover behind their jeeps, unable to disperse the demonstration.

As the protest continued the soldiers began firing rubber coated metal bullets at the protesters who took cover behind stones and trees as the bullets jumped off the road between them. The bullets came repeatedly and several protesters were hit and carried from the scene.

As demonstrators ducked from the rubber coated steel bullets the sound of M16’s began to fill the air as soldiers fired towards Palestinian protesters, children, internationals and journalists on the hill with live ammunition. However, the protest continued for about half an our longer until the military got back in their jeeps and moved back towards the checkpoint at the outskirts of the village.

After most of the demonstrators had returned to the village, some gathered and continued the protest on a hillside in Nabi Saleh, above the valley where several soldiers had stood watching the protest. The Israeli forces once again opened fire with live ammunition. Fifteen M16 bullets ricocheted of the stones on the ground very close to the protesters, landing near children, women and a photographer but fortunately not hitting anyone.

The Land Day protests continue all over the West Bank throughout the week.

VIDEO: Children assaulted and 3 women arrested at Nabi Saleh demonstration

21st March 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

Israeli forces arrested three women in Nabi Saleh and injured several protesters, one with live ammunition, during the village’s weekly Friday protest on March 13.

The demonstration was met with the usual military violence as Israeli forces threw stun grenades and fired live ammunition at unarmed and peaceful protesters. After Friday prayers about forty Palestinian protesters together with international and Israeli activists marched down the main road towards the military tower and checkpoint at the entrance to the village, which Israeli forces had closed before the protest. Within less than five minutes the Israeli military fired the first of many rounds of tear gas canisters. The protesters continued regardless and were meet by a line of Israeli soldiers whose use of unnecessary physical violence and many stun grenades resulted in multiple injuries.

stun grenades protesters Nabi — Israeli forces threw stun grenades at nonviolent demonstrators gathered in the street

girl faces soldier Nabi — This young girl from Nabi Saleh faced an Israeli border policeman after being hit in the head in a confrontation with Israeli forces. Behind her illegal an illegal Israeli settlement occupied the hill beside Nabi Saleh.

Israeli forces threatened Nabi Saleh children, who walked down the road nearer to the closed gate. One young girl was hit with a rifle in the stomach and the head; she went to the hospital for treatment. Two Palestinian women – Bushra Tamimi and Shireen al-Araj – and Israeli activist Tali Shapiro were arrested and dragged away by Israeli forces.

kids face down soldiers Nabi — Girls from Nabi Saleh confronted heavily armed Israeli soldiers

Chasing Nabi kids — Israeli forces pursuing the children in Nabi Saleh

arrests in Nabi Saleh — Israeli forces arrested protesters after they sat down across the street

The violence escalated near the end of the protest; Israeli forces used live .22 caliber ammunition and shot a young Palestinian in the lower leg. The bullet missed the bone, and he will likely recover soon.

bloody leg live JPG — Israeli forces shot a young protester in Nabi Saleh in the leg with live ammunition.

The village of Nabi Saleh has been demonstrating against the theft of its natural spring by the occupation since 2009. Israeli authorities have violently suppressed the weekly Friday protests since their inception – in the last few months alone, several villagers have been shot in the leg with live ammunition. Since the actions began, two people have been killed in the village – Mustafa Tamimi and Rushdi Tamimi; many others have been seriously injured. Despite the Israeli forces’ severe repression, the people of Nabi Saleh continue to fight against the brutal military occupation.

Israeli forces released Tali Shapiro on the night of March 13, and Shireen al-Araj the following day. Bushra Tamimi was released on the evening of March 15 after paying 2000 NIS bail.

Updated: Nabi Saleh three are free! Free the Nabi Saleh three: Donate now!

11th March 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

*Read in other languages: Bulgarian/ French/ German/ Italian

Updated 16th March: The Nabi Saleh three have now been freed from Ofer prison. Thank you for all your support, Jihad, Mahmud, and Rami Tamimi are now at home with their families. However, Israeli forces yesterday arrested Baha and Oday Tamimi also from Nabi Saleh, we hope you can continue your support for those now imprisoned. More information about these new arrests will be posted as soon as it is available.

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Updated 13th March: $1500 are still needed to cover the bail for the release of Jihad, Mahmud and Rami Tamimi from Israel’s Ofer prison.

Please write to Bassem Tamimi at ba.tamimi@hotmail.com specifying the amount, so we can allocate it directly for the release of the Nabi Saleh three. Please follow the link to make your donation!

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Jihad, Mahmud and Rami, residents of Nabi Saleh, have been imprisoned for three weeks now and need your support to be released.

An Israeli military judge ruled that six demonstrators who were kidnapped from their homes three weeks ago, could be released on bail of 2500 shekels each. With the help of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee and the villagers, three of the prisoners, Fadel Tamimi (54) Mohammed Tamimi (24) Basel Tamimi (16) have already been released. We need your help to raise the remaining 7000 shekels to release Jihad Tamimi (25) Mahmud Tamimi (21) Rami Tamimi (36). Any amount will help.

The six have been accused of throwing stones at the Israeli military. The “evidence” presented against them is edited pictures of them participating in a demonstration- not throwing stones- and a testimony of a solider who says “the people who we took pictures of threw stones.” They were arrested the 18th of February when the villagers of Nabi Saleh were awakened once again by about a hundred soldiers invading their village.

Since residents of Nabi Saleh began demonstrating against the confiscation of their land and spring by the illegal Israel settlement of Halamish, five years ago, such night raids have become a regular occurrence.

Since the protests started, 155 people have been arrested for demonstrating, including fifty children and fifteen women. 500 people were also injured, 45 per cent of them children. Two of the demonstrators Rushdie and Mustafa Tamimi were murdered by the Israeli military in Nabi Saleh and Muaataz Washaha who participated in the demonstrations in Nabi Saleh and was executed in Beir zeit last month.

Please, donate for the Nabi Saleh three to be released. You can do it through PayPal or by bank transfer to: Basem Tamimi bank of Jordan Al Bireh branch Iban number PS13BJOR005010023012014133000.

Free the Nabi Saleh three!

Three people detained and several people injured during demonstration in Nabi Saleh

8th December 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

Yesterday, the village of Nabi Saleh held an event to commemorate the deaths of Mostafa and Rushdi Tamimi. It is the second year anniversary of the death of Mostafa who was killed during a demonstration. The 7th of December also marks 26 years since the beginning of the first intifada.

In addition to the weekly Friday demonstrations that are held throughout the West Bank, the popular committees also started having events on Saturdays, which will be followed by a demonstration in one village once a month. Yesterday in Nabi Saleh was the first of these events.Hundreds of people came together in the village square, where speeches and performances were held.The event ended with a dance performed by the youth. After that several hundred people marched to the army tower at the entrance of Nabi Saleh. Before even reaching the tower the army shot lots of tear gas canisters at the approaching protesters. Even though many people suffered from heavy tear gas inhalation, it did not prevent them from trying to get to the tower again. Demonstrators successfully reached the yellow gate which blocks access to the village from one side; several people went in front of it. The soldiers initially detained three people; one Palestinian, one Israeli and one international. They were all released after a short while. The soldiers made several further attempts to arrest Palestinians and internationals, all of which were prevented by the protesters.

Demonstration in Nabi Saleh, 7th December 2013
Photo by Thomas Severe

Israeli army is trying to arrest demonstrators, which was successfully prevented.
Photo by Thomas Severe

Meanwhile, Palestinian youth were throwing stones at soldiers and jeeps in the field, who responded with tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets. Mustafa Tamimi’s brother was shot in face, resulting in the breaking of his jaw.

Youth are throwing stones at the soldiers and the police.
Photo by Thomas Severe

The group in front of the yellow gate moved on together, blocking the army jeeps which were exiting the village.After protesters were forcefully removed they tried to reach the spring, which has been stolen by the settlers from the nearby illegal Settlement of Halamish.The army prevented this by attacking the protesters with more tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets. Soldiers were pushing them back into the village where the demonstration ended. The whole event lasted for about five hours, with one person being hospitalized and many others injured.

A women is being treated after suffering from tear gas inhalation.
Photo by Thomas Severe

UPDATED: Four arrested at Nabi Saleh’s weekly protest

3rd August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

Update 3th August: The fourth Israeli activist was released this morning at 5am.

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On Friday August 2, Israeli Border Police aggressively attacked protesters marching in Nabi Saleh’s weekly demonstration, shooting rubber-coated steel bullets and sound bombs at very short distances while arresting protesters and covering them in skunk water. The attack was initiated without any previous action from the demonstrators and resulted in the arrest of four Israeli activist.

Protesters marching down the road towards the spring (Photo By Tamimi Press)

After midday prayer, around forty people, Palestinians together with Israeli and international activists, gathered in the village’s square, marched through Nabi Saleh’s streets and down the hill towards the stolen water spring. Israeli occupation forces were heavily present from the beginning and quickly charged at the demonstrators.

Invading the village, Israeli Border Police surrounded the protesters and without warning began firing rubber-coated steel bullets, sound bombs and skunk water at them. Though illegal by Israeli law, the rubber and plastic coated steel bullets were shot from distances down to 10meters, barely missing the heads of fleeing international activists.

Despite the peaceful vibe of the protest, Israeli Border Police officers arrested four Israeli demonstrators and took them to the settlement nearby. One activist was humiliatingly handcuffed and blindfolded as he was taken away, in spite of him offering no resistance to the arrest. Three of the four activists were later released.

The village of Nabi Saleh has demonstrated against the theft of their natural spring by the nearby Halamish settlement and the occupation in general since December 2009. Israeli forces violently suppress the weekly Friday protests by shooting tear gas canisters, skunk water, sound bombs, rubber-coated steel bullets and even live ammunition at protesters. Two people have been killed, Mustafa and Rushdi Tamimi, and many others severely injured.