Tag: Demonstration - Page 14 - International Solidarity Movement

Remembering Ziad Abu Ein

13th December 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Huarra team | occupied Palestine

Ziad Abu Ein- 22-11-1959/10-12-2014

On December 9^th,2016, hundreds of people gathered in the small village of Turmas Ayya, north of Ramallah, to commemorate the death of Ziad Abu Ein, a high profile Palestinian politician, Minister and Fatah leader, who died after inhaling tear gas and being violently beaten by Israeli Forces on Dec 10^th, 2014. This event also marked the third year of demonstrations against the uprooting of hundreds of trees by Israeli settlers and the confiscation of land by Israel in Turmas Ayya. The Commission Against the Wall and the Settlements organized this event together with the Abu Ein family. Representatives of political parties as well as dozens of internationals also participated in the tree planting, and reclaiming the land, which followed the midday prayer.

Men praying in the land nearby the village of Turmas Ayya. Olive trees waiting to be planted.

Not long after the prayer, while people were planting trees, Israeli Forces arrived and started shooting tear gas from up on the hill. The peaceful and non-violent event was once again interrupted by the excessive and brutal use of force by Israeli soldiers. Once again, tree planting turned into tear gas. Tear gas thrown to the crowd

The land of Turmus Ayya is divided by Area B and Area C. The tree planting took part on Area B land, and just above the event in Area C, dozens of “shabab” (teenagers and young Palestinian men) were making small fires while carrying Palestinian flags and protesting against the Israeli occupation force. Within minutes, two jeeps and several armed soldiers appeared. Thus began a stand off where stones were thrown, and tear gas followed beginning with one canister at a time.

Stand off. Israeli Occupation Forces observing the crowd and the shabab movement.

As the clash continued to stir, more and fast rounds of the gas erupted into the air. The “shabab” starter running downhill and soldiers began to race down chasing the group.

Palestinian Youths and Israeli soldiers

Israeli Occupation Forces chasing down the hill the Palestinian “shabab”.

Two soldiers managed to catch a fourteen-year-old boy. They pinned him to the ground, punched him while holding down his body, and then picked him up and dragged him back up the hill towards the jeep.

A fourteen-year-old boy being pinned down by Israeli Forces.

The teenager being arrested and dragged up the hill.

At that point, there were about twenty-five soldiers spread out along the hillside, and a still tension awaiting the next move. Some of the young boys came close to the soldiers and a few more tear gas canisters were thrown up. Eventually negotiations began with leaders of the demonstrations and members of the Turmus Ayya village. They told the Israeli Forces that they will not leave until they release the boy. Hours later, he was indeed released; a positive moment in the constant battle for the Palestinian’s basic rights.

This day of remembering Ziad Abu Ein, whose life was taken for the resistance struggle, is the reality that people are still fighting, still standing up for the rights to their land and to a free Palestine.

People disperse after the confrontation and leave behind newly planted olive trees.

There is Only One Struggle

28th November 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | occupied Palestine and Standing Rock

Sometime after 9-11 U.S. police departments (State, local, & Sheriff’s Departments) along with many U.S. governmental law enforcement agencies such as Homeland Security, the FBI, and Border & Customs Police began to send their officers to Israel for training with the Israeli Police and the Israeli occupation forces. Training has included counter-terrorism measures, crowd control, and protests. Much of the training takes place not in Israel proper but in the illegal settler colonized West Bank .
There’s many similarities between what is happening in Palestine and what is currently happening in Standing Rock in North Dakota to the Water Protectors. Many of the law enforcement officers at Standing Rock have been trained in Israel. The weapons and tactics are identical. The use of high pressure water cannons, rubber bullets, rubber coated steel bullets, the use of attack dogs, and sound grenades are the same in both places.

Palestinians in solidarity with first nation water protectors Photo credit: Fosna

The killing (read-murder) of so many unarmed people of color in the U.S. by the police with no accountability to speak of and police officers given paid time off with their superiors and the courts stating they acted properly. Hundreds of Palestinians have been murdered by the Israeli occupation forces stating the individual had a knife or was suspected of having a knife or other weapon, with complete impunity.
A medic at Standing Rock recently noted that the law enforcement personnel are intentionally targeting the legs and heads of the Water Protectors. This is a tactic that is commonly used on Palestinians.

Palestinian activist attacked by Israeli occupation forces security dog

A bridge leading to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) that has been closed for over a week has had large cement barriers and razor wire place on the bridge. Road blocks like this are a common occurrence all over the West Bank, severely limiting freedom of movement, stopping emergency vehicles from getting through and often having to drive miles out of their way to get someone to a hospital. The one road blocked bridge is causing ambulances to drive an extra thirty minutes to get an injured person to the hospital.
There are many internationals working with Palestinians here in the West Bank and Gaza. At the same time there are a number of Palestinians who have traveled to Standing Rock in solidarity with the Water Protectors. One who recently arrived at Standing Rock stated that on his way there he thought a great deal about the similarities and conditions between Palestine and Standing Rock. Upon arrival he “no longer thought about the similarities. I felt them in my bones.”

Palestinians in solidarity with Standing Rock water protectors. Photo credit: mondoweiss

Our struggles are one. The Palestinians the Water Protectors and other activists in the U.S. are all working for the same freedoms against the same oppressors. A quote on our apartment wall reads: “Solidarity: if you come here to help, you are wasting your time…but if you have come because your freedom is bound up with mine then let us work together.”

For the Palestinian perspective on this comparison see this article by Issra Suliman.

Israeli forces cause fires at Ni’lin weekly protest

25th November 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwarra team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

The non-violent demonstrations against the illegal occupation of Palestine and the Apartheid Wall in in the West Bank village of Ni’lin have been going on weekly since 2008, as an attempt to get back the land and the fields, that was stolen from the villagers.

This past week, before the demonstration began, as Palestinians gathered for the Friday prayer in the olive grove just outside the village, Israeli forces aggressively intervened, detonating a sound grenade close to the Palestinians. The Palestinians still managed to finish their prayer and the protesters, including Palestinians, Israeli and international activists, began walking down the road running through the olive trees and down towards the Apartheid Wall. After walking about 50 meters, the protesters were blocked by more than ten Israeli soldiers and border police, commanding that the Palestinians return to the village, and telling them they were not allowed to be on their land.

A longer stand off followed. Protesters would argue with the Israeli forces that they have the right to peacefully protest the illegal occupation and theft of their land. As a response, the occupation forces started pushing the protesters further back towards the village. The protesters left the road and walked through the olive plantations in order to get past the soldiers and exercise their right to walk through their lands to reach the Wall. Again, even before the wall was in sight of the participants in the peaceful march, the Israeli forces intervened, and this time opened fire with teargas bringing the demonstration to a halt.

When the protesters still didn’t disperse and return to the village, the Israeli forces increased the use of teargas, firing it both from their guns and from an attachment from an armed military jeep, which is able to fire multiple canisters at once. They also used robber coated steel bullets and one Israeli solidarity activist got hit on her hand, leaving it very swollen.

At a time when fires rage across Israel, and Palestinians are being accused of starting these fires, the very hot teargas canisters from this protest caused multiple fires across the village olive fields. One olive tree got burned, and as the demonstration came to an end, the villagers were awaiting fire trucks to put out the fires.

Call to action to #FreeSalah!

21st November 2016 | International Soldiarity Movement, Ramallah team | occupied Palestine

On the morning of October 26^th, Israeli forces raided the home of and arrested Salah Khawaja, a Palestinian human rights defender and Secretary of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee. ISM joins Stop the Wall and other human rights organizations asking Internationals from around the world to contact their governments to take action and put pressure on Israel to #FreeSalah.

Almost a month since his arrest, Salah is still waiting for the Israeli courts to give him a charge of any kind. Since he has been imprisoned, he has undergone 40 interrogation sessions, each lasting from eight to sixteen hours. According to Stop the Wall, he has reported physical aggression such as being beaten, interrogators spitting in his face, screaming in his ears, kicking his genitals. Psychological pressure and ill-treatment has been used against Salah, including threats against his family members. In his most recent court hearing this past Wednesday, the Israeli state decided to extend the interrogation period for another eight days.

At weekly demonstrations across the West Bank on Friday, Palestinians, Israelis and internationals held signs demanding Israel #FreeSalah, and called for an end to the systematic targeting by Israel of human rights activists.

Protestors hold Khawaja-poster at last week's demonstration in Ni'lin — Protestors hold Khawaja-poster at last week’s demonstration in Ni’lin

Support this call for justice by contacting your own government to take action to put pressure on Israel to #FreeSalah. Follow this link to support this effort.

Village invasion at Ni’lin weekly demonstration

11th November 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

On 11th November, international activists joined Palestinian villagers in Ni’lin for their weekly demonstration against the apartheid wall that runs through their land. One week ago at the demonstration, a Palestinian youth was shot in the head with a rubber coated metal bullet by the Israeli military. The subsequent clashes with the Israeli military resulted in the latter invading part of the village and targeting peoples houses with tear gas and rubber coated metal bullets.

15058536_731608533654866_1139227757_n — Israeli forces jeeps with tear-gas mounted on top of the jeeps

Today, Palestinian protesters and international activists, started off to walk towards the apartheid wall. Before reaching the wall, heavily armed Israeli forces formed a block, stopping the demonstration from reaching it. During discussion with the protesters the Israeli military starting firing stun grenades.

After this clashes began with Israeli forces firing tear gas from both guns and armed jeeps. Many of the tear gas cannisters were fired at head hight, a very dangerous tactic which has resulted in serious injury and death in the past. The Palestinians responded against this force by throwing stones.

As the demonstration got pushed closer to the village, the Israeli forces changed ammunition to high velocity rubber bullets alongside tear gas. One bullet passed just a few centimetres above the heads of one of the internationals and a Red Crescent First Responder, impacting the branch of an olive-tree.

High velocity tear gas canister shot at civilians by the Israeli forces

The Israeli military invaded the village, firing rubber coated metal bullets, a large amount of tear gas, and throwing sound bombs into the residential area. This type of invasion places many lives at risk and is collective punishment against the villagers. Whilst documenting the army’s invasion, another international activist had a rubber coated metal bullet closely passing them on a street inside the village.

Although there were no injuries in this demonstration, multiple people suffered from tear gas inhalation.

The non-violent demonstrations against the apartheid wall and the occupation in Ni’lin have been going on weekly since 2008, as attempt to get back the farm land which was stolen from the villagers.