Tag: Bil’in - Page 2 - International Solidarity Movement

Human Rights Defender Abdullah Abu Rahma arrested and detained

15^th May 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | Bil’in, occupied Palestine

UPDATE 23d of May 2016: Abdullah was released from military prison on the evening of the 22nd. He must return to military court on the first of June for a hearing of the appeal of the military prosecution against the decision to release him.

UPDATE 19th of May 2016: Abdullah Abu Rahma remains in Detention. A military judge ruled that Abdullah can be released on 15,000 Shekel bail but postponed this until Sunday the 21st of May at four PM to give the military prosecution a chance to appeal the decision.

UPDATE 17th May 2016:

Abdullah Abu Rahma remains in Detention. The military prosecution has appealed yesterday’s decision by the court judge at Ofer to release Abdullah, a decision which was made after a video was presented which shows that Abdullah was arrested and beaten while protesting non-violently. The military prosecution were granted an extension to Abdullah’s detainment until tomorrow when there will be another hearing. This will be confirmed by the court tomorrow by 5pm.

On Friday the 13^th of May 2016, the internationally recognized human rights defender and coordinator of the Bil’in popular committee against the wall and settlements, Abdullah Abu Rahma, was arrested during the Alwada Cycling Marathon, which took place in the West Bank Friday. Abdullah Abu Rahma is currently still being held under detention by the Israeli military and his case will be brought to the military court in Ofer Military Base tomorrow.

Abu Rahma, who is from the West Bank village Bil’in, was arrested, after the Alwada Cycling Marathon had reached Bil’in. After reaching Bil’in the attending cyclists where met by approximately 150 heavily armed soldiers, who immediately started showering the cyclists with tear gas and blocked the road, where their route was going. Doing this attack of the peaceful demonstrating cyclists, Abu Rahma was arrest along with an international activist from Israel. The Israeli activist was released shortly after her arrest.

The Alwada Cycling Marathon’s intention was to demonstrate against the illegal Israeli occupation and the apartheid system, that Israel is enforcing on the Palestinians through a healthy and peaceful cycling route from Ramallah to Bil’in. By Israeli Forces attacking the peaceful demonstration and arresting Abu Rahma, they once again show the world, that they do not accept the right to protest peacefully and that they do not apply to the international law, that does not allow Israeli Forces to be on Palestinian controlled areas, which the area of Bil’in is.

Abu Rahma is an important activist for the village of Bil’in and a symbol of peaceful resistance all over the West Bank. For now, he is left waiting for his next sentence, after he has already been imprisoned for his non violent resistance multiple times, and has in the past been charged with both “incitement” and “organizing and participating in an illegal demonstration”. Till now, there has not been declared a charge against him in the current case, but the military court will determine his faith , after having hold him in detention for 4 days, even though he did not commit any crime what so ever.

Please spread this message as wide as possible and put pressure on the Israeli Justice system for his release through media attention or presence in the military court.

To hear more about the case, and get further information and updates, please contact us by email.

For more information about fridays Alwada Cycling Marathon:

https://www.facebook.com/haytham.alkhateeb/posts/10208232017891106?pnref=story

https://www.facebook.com/haytham.alkhateeb/videos/vb.1022320161/10208230395770554/?type=2&theater

For more information on Abdullah Abu Rahma:

Amnesty USA:

https://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/uaa32014_1.pdf

Human Rights Watch:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2010/09/08/israel-activist-convicted-after-unfair-trial

International Solidarity Movement:

https://palsolidarity.org/2015/03/a-decade-of-civil-disobedience-in-my-west-bank-village/

https://palsolidarity.org/2010/02/letter-from-prison-abdallah-abu-rahmah/

Bi’lin Protest on the anniversary of the death of Bassam Abu Rahma

17th April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Bi’lin, occupied Palestine

This Friday 15^th April, the village of Bi’lin held their long-running protest against the illegal Israeli occupation and Apartheid wall. However, the protest on this day was tinged with further sadness, falling as it did on the seven-year anniversary of the death of Bassem Abu Rahma, who was hit directly in the chest by a long-range tear gas canister in April, 2009.

Abu Rahma’s death was immortalised in Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi’s film Five Broken Cameras. Footage used in the film proved that Abu Rahma was standing east of the fence, not engaging in violent demonstration (stone-throwing) and not endangering soldiers’ lives. Analysis of the documentation by imaging experts found that the gas canister that killed him was aimed directly at him, contrary to the rules of engagement as laid out by the Geneva Convention. It also clearly contradicts the instructions for the use of tear gas as a ‘less lethal’ weapon, which clearly states that it always has to be shot in an arch above protestors and never straight at them.

Seven years after his death, Subhiya Abu Rahma, Bassam’s mother, still does not have justice for her son’s murder. At this Friday’s demonstration, Palestinian, Israeli and international activists marched peacefully towards the Apartheid Wall holding pictures of Bassem, waving Palestinian flags and chanting songs. They were met and pushed back with a large volley of tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades. Dozens of people suffered the effects of the gas, with two children – who were in their house and not attending the protest, and thus uninvolved civilians, treated for serious inhalation. Once again the Israeli occupying forces used the deadly long range tear gas canisters in their attempt to end the demonstration. These canisters come with a potential range of 500 metres, are capable of piercing the walls of houses and are being aimed directly at protestors.

Sabiha, Bassem's mother, weeps over a photograph of her son — Sabiha, Bassem’s mother, weeps over a photograph of her son Photo credit: activestills

Bassem Abu Rahma posed no threat to the Israeli army the day he died and was a part of a peaceful protest against the illegal occupation of his land, much like the protest that still takes place every Friday in Bi’lin. If the army continue to respond with disproportionate and excessive violence, denying the Palestinian people (and those expressing solidarity) the right to peaceful protest, then it is only a matter of time before another life is lost in such tragic circumstances.

Bil’in protesters keep fighting after more than a decade of friday demoes

9th April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil Team | Bil’in, occupied Palestine

The weekly protest took place in Bil’in on Friday April 8th, as it has done every Friday for over a decade. Around 35 protesters, a mix of multi nationals and Palestinians, took part. Very soon after the peaceful march started, the protesters were met with a hail of teargas delivered by approximately 10 Israeli Occupation Force soldiers and border guards who had arrived in five jeeps and were parked about 500 meters away. They continued to shoot teargas for about 20 minutes. One protester was overcome by teargas and had to be treated in an ambulance by medics.

Teargas being shot by Israeli Forces towards peaceful protesters

Bil’in is a village with a population of 1,800 residents and is situated 12 km west of Ramallah in the central West Bank of Palestine. It is internationally renowned for its weekly demonstration against the occupation and the building of the annexation wall. Frequent injuries, and even deaths, have occurred at this protest, and the Oscar nominated movie 5 Broken Cameras has documented the violence that the protesters continuously face.

Peaceful protesters being attacked by Israeli Forces. One person needed medical treatment.

Despite the death and destruction wrought upon the beleaguered villagers, they remain unbowed and continue to march every single week in an attempt to make their voices heard, and to bring international attention to their plight.

Bil’in Land Day demonstration met with violence, long-range tear gas

2nd April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Bi’lin, occupied Palestine

On 1st April 2016, the village of Bi’lin marked the 40th anniversary of Palestine’s Land Day during their weekly nonviolent Friday demonstration. Israeli forces attacked the peaceful demonstrators with a wide range of weaponry.

The protesters marched towards the illegal apartheid wall separating the village from over a thousand dunams of its agricultural land, where now one of the many illegal Israeli settlements, Modi’in Illit, is located. In their weekly nonviolent demonstrations, the villagers, together with international activists, protest against the illegal Israeli land theft and occupation.

373615C — April 1 demonstration in Bil’in

Israeli forces attacked the peaceful protestors with rubber-coated steel bullets, different tear gas canisters and stun grenades. Many trees in the village’s fields caught fire due to the falling tear gas. Recently, Israeli forces have returned to the use of dangerous, hard-tipped, potentially deadly long-range tear gas canisters against demonstrators throughout the occupied West Bank. It was one of this type of tear gas canisters that in April 2009 caused the death of Bassam Abu Rahme in Bi’lin, when Israeli forces shot him directly in the chest from close range.

934133_1682392575364446_138838265318482530_n — New weapons being used by occupation forces against nonviolent demonstrators in the West Bank

Children and residents in houses inside the village suffered the effects of excessive tear gas inhalation due the use of these long-range tear gas canisters, which automatically target innocent civilians not even participating in the protest.

A new ISM’ers personal experience on Bil’in and tear gas

15th March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Miguel and Kolla came this morning from the al-Khalil team (several years ago it feels) and we went to Bil’in as planned for my first demonstration. The easiest thing to do is simply to describe it:

We waited a while for people to gather around lunch time in the village and then we all walked quietly down a road out of the village towards the wall. We couldn’t see the wall as it was behind a small rise in the land, but it was there and it was what had been being protested every Friday for eleven years. We were a couple of dozen Palestinians, eight or so internationals including the three of us from ISM and maybe ten Israelis. There were also a couple of press, wearing PRESS flak jackets and interviewing people, probably all local press rather than international. Some of us carried gas masks, including me.

In front of us the road wound around through fields and in the distance you could see the Israeli tank and soldiers. The shooting of tear gas began immediately. There is a very distinctive noise and the canister is visible flying through the sky. You have to look and see where it lands and then you have a second or two to move out of the way, watching which way the wind is blowing the smoke. There is a lot of shouting then as more experienced demonstrators point to the canisters flying and we all run in an undignified fashion away from the place where they have fallen. We put scarves over mouths and noses or we put on gas masks, which look ridiculous. Some people don’t get far enough away and get gassed, but nobody gets gassed badly, just streaming eyes and uncomfortable skin. Those who have alcohol wipes give them to the worst affected. I can feel and smell the gas but I’m OK.

Soon the fields in front of us are full of flares of smoke and we are all in disarray pushed back and wondering what to do. This is the shortest demonstration for a while, I’m told. Last week was a lot longer and some go on for hours. What stopped this one was the amount of tear gas fired and how quickly it was fired. It was immediate. They can fire three, five or seven canisters in one shot from their guns and 210 canisters in one shot from the back of a tank. Apparently today that is what they did. It depends I am told on the local commander. A new commander can get ambitious to be the one finally to stop the venerable and rather famous Bil’in demonstrations.

It was very companionable and friendly and not at all frightening. I didn’t see anyone who seemed frightened. Clearly a lot of people come often. The Israelis looked like old hands, and it is particularly brave of them to support the demonstrations as it is so condemned in Israel (and it is illegal to enter the West Bank, or at least, according to the signage ‘forbidden and dangerous to your lives’).

Used tear gas collected by locals after demonstrations

This is a demonstration. They raise so many questions and I will try to think and write about them, but not now.

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