Tag: Bethlehem

Prayer and March on Bulldozed Land in Bethlehem Village

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

This Friday, at noon, villagers in the South Bethlehem region will gather for a prayer and march on the bulldozed land of Umm Salamuna. The action is part of the nonviolence resistance to the annexation and confiscation of their land for the Apartheid Wall and the nearby Israeli colony of Efrat.

Israeli authorities plan to annex 700 and raze 270 dunums of agricultural land with olive trees and grape vines from Umm Salamuna. Confiscation orders have also been issued against neighbouring villages, which have already lost much of their land to the Efrat settlement, part of the ever expanding Etzion block.

In recent weeks IOF bulldozers have met with resistance from villagers as they intensify their destruction of village land. About one month ago villagers from Umm Salamuna threw themselves in front of bulldozers and suffered beatings from the IOF but managed to stop work. When the bulldozers and IOF returned to Umm Salamuna two weeks later, villagers again resisted this military might with their bodies and two suffered broken bones from rifle butt beatings.

The villagers have vowed to defend their land with all the strength they have and appeal for international solidarity. According to Village Council President Mahmoud Rashid, “it constitutes their only source of livelihood, and no one will accept that the Wall is on their land isolating hundreds of dunams from each farmer and outright destroying at least a 200-meter wide strip of land”.

The resistance will continue the following Friday afternoon, with cultural activities including theater, poetry and Palestinian folklore.

Contacts:
Mahmoud Zawahira, Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements, Umm Salamuna –
0599586004, 0522591386

Bethlehem Villagers Celebrate Wedding on Land Razed for Wall

by the ISM media team, January 26th

Villagers from neighbouring villages gathered this afternoon on the bulldozed land of Umm Salamuna to celebrate the wedding of Mohammed Brejiah, 28, and Sunai Abu Raiyeh, 25. The local men and children sang and danced Dabka while soldiers and settlers looked on from afar.

The villagers have vowed to resist the annexation and confiscation of their land for the wall and the nearby Israeli colony of Efrat, part of the ever expanding Etzion block.

Bethlehem villagers pray on bulldozed land and appeal for international solidarity

by the ISM media team, January 19th

Today in Um Salamuna, Palestinian, international and Israeli activists gathered together on the recently bulldozed land of the village to hold prayers and protest against the confiscation of the land. In other words, it’s business as usual in the West Bank, nothing new here, really. It’s the same story in village after village since construction began on the wall 5 years ago, only the names of villages and families affected change.

On January 2nd, the village of Um Salamuna was greeted by IOF bulldozers which began bulldozing their grape vines to clear the way for the apartheid wall but were met with resistance from villagers. The villagers have filed a petition in the Israeli court to challenge the route of the wall.

Last Monday the bulldozers arrived in the neighbouring village of Wadi Annis and again villagers tried to protect their agricultural land with their bodies and were beaten by the IOF.

Today was a beautiful, clear, warm day and fortunately the army only graced us with their presence from afar, we could only see them peeping out from behind the trees on an overlooking hill.

Residents from 10 villages around the Bethlehem region came to participate; the wall is affecting all of these villages. These 10 villages will lose 70,000 grape trees and 1000 olive trees.

The villagers are requesting help from Israeli and international activists in order to help them retain their source of income. Many families depend 100% on agriculture to exist.

These are people who have depended on agriculture as their only income for generations. Taking their land will cause them to be dependent on international aid.

Prayer against Wall in Bethlehem village

by the ISM media team, January 17th


AP photo from Monday 15th

This Friday at 11, villagers in the South Bethlehem region will gather on the land of Umm Salamuna village to pray. After prayers they will tend to their olive trees and grape vines which are threatened with destruction for the Apartheid Wall and a settler-only road. Israeli authorities plan to annex 2800 and raze 270 dunums of agricultural land, which belong to many of the village’s 1,000 residents. Demolition orders have also been issued against neighbouring villages. Residents of 10 villages in the South Bethlehem region will attend this Friday’s activities.These villages have already lost much of their land to Efrat settlement to the west.

In recent weeks IOF bulldozers have met with resistance from villagers as they intensify their destruction of village land. Two weeks ago villagers from Umm Salamuna threw themselves in front of bulldozers and suffered beatings from the IOF but managed to stop work. When the bulldozers and IOF returned to Umm Salamuna this Monday, villagers again resisted this military might with their bodies and two suffered broken bones from rifle butt beatings.

Village Council President Mahmoud Rashid says this military violence won’t deter the villagers from their resistance: “The people will defend their lands with all the strength they have. It constitutes their only source of livelihood, and no one will accept that the Wall is on their land isolating hundreds of dunams from each farmer and outright destroying at least 200 meters.”


AP photo from Monday 15th

For more information contact:
Mahmoud Zawahira, Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, Umm Salamuna – 0599586004
ISM media office – 02 2971824, 0599943157

Bethlehem Villagers Resist Occupation Bulldozers

by ISM Hebron, January 15th

Around 9 this morning IOF bulldozers and dozens of soldiers invaded the land of Umm Salumuna and Wadi Annis villages south of Bethlehem to raze land for the Apartheid Wall. The wall is being constructed east of the illegal Efrat colony and will annex 700 acres of village land containing olive and almond trees, and grape vines.

As happened several weeks ago when the IOF arrived, villages decided to resist the bulldozers from the outset and tried to blockade them with their bodies. This time the IOF arrived with a warrant from an Israeli court authorising the theft of the land. The confiscated land belongs to the family of Ali Khader Issa Taqatqa.

Some of the 75 villagers resisting the destruction of the land were badly mistreated by the IOF who beat them with rifle butts and fired tear gas at them. Ali Mosa Wahre (28) was violently thrown to the ground by IOF soldiers and suffered a broken hand. Mostafa Yosaf Taqata (25) was badly hurt by a rifle butt blow to his chest by IOF forces and was taken away by an ambulance for treatment.

After the bulldozers had managed to flatten village land, creating a lenghty visible footprint for the Wall from the horizon, villagers prayed on the land. The IOF left soon after.

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