15 February 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Ofer Prison, Occupied Palestine
A demonstration was held outside Ofer prison in Ramallah as part of a week of action in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners, and in particular to protest the continued detention of Samer Assawi who is on his 207th day of hunger strike whilst being held without charge.
Several hundred attended traditional Friday prayers which were held outside the prison gates in an act of nonviolent resistance.
Prayers outside Ofer prison
Clashes ensued between protesters, including stone-throwing youth, and the Israeli army which responded by firing tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and, later on, live ammunition. During the clashes, which continued for around three hours, two Palestinians from Ramallah were hit by live ammunition in the shoulder and the leg. Dozens of Palestinians, including journalists, were taken away in ambulances to be treated for injuries caused by rubber-coated steel bullets as well as teargas inhalation. There are also reports of ambulances being deliberately targeted with rubber-coated steel bullets as injured protesters were being carried inside. This demonstration coincided with dozens of others across the West Bank.
Person being taken away in a stretcher after being shot with live ammunitionPerson being carried away in stretcher after tear gas inhalation
9th November 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
Palestinians rallying for the weekly demonstration against the Israeli occupation and the confiscation of land and water resources by Zionist settlers. More than 100 Palestinians and solidarity activists from around the world turned out in support.Palestinian children at the rally holding photos of a Palestinian political prisoner.Marching against Israeli occupation and settler encroachment.Palestinian children participating in the march.Israeli military forces respond to the march by spraying demonstrators with “skunk water,” a synthetic liquid which gives off a putrid smell that can remain in a victim’s clothing for up to five years.Israeli military forces used massive amounts of tear gas against Palestinians and solidarity activists throughout the entirety of the demonstration. In addition to tear gas and “skunk water,” the Israeli military fired rubber-coated steel bullets and sound grenades at demonstrators, and at several points used live ammunition.Demonstrators attempt to construct a barrier to protect them from the repression of the Israeli military forces.Demonstrators try to evade tear gas as the standoff with the Israeli military drags on.Backpack of demonstrator protesting Israeli apartheid policies in occupied Hebron (al-Khalil).
9th November 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
Today, during the weekly demonstration against the separation wall in Bil’in, 2 international activists were struck by tear gas canisters shot by the Israeli army. One Italian activist was struck by a canister in the leg and an American activist was struck by a canister in the foot.
The demonstration started as usual and marched through the olive groves towards the separation wall. There, lies a path running parallel to the wall with razor wire on either side of it. The peaceful demonstration marched up the path next to the wall to a gate at the top, where the army was waiting on the other side and used tear gas and sound bombs to disperse the protest. The protest then moved away from the wall towards the olive groves when the army started firing excessive amounts of tear gas at the protesters, it was at this point that an Italian solidarity activist was struck in the leg with a tear gas canister. Many people also suffered from inhalation of the gas.
Around an hour after the start of the demonstration, people started to leave and head back to the village. It was at this point, when it was clear that people were leaving the demonstration to return home, that the army fired many more rounds of tear gas at the few remaining people in the field. It was then that the American solidarity activist was struck in the foot with a tear gas canister (luckily the footwear of the protester prevented any significant injury).
The weekly demonstration starts in Bil’inThe demonstration arrives at the wall in Bil’inPalestinian activists managed to reach the wall-gate in Bil’in before the army attempted to disperse the crowd using tear gas and sound bombsSoldiers behind the wallSoldiers observe the protest from behind the wallClouds of tear gas shot at the protestors in Bil’inA protestor attempts to scale the wallA protestor sits near to the wall in Bil’in“The occupation will not remove us from our land” – Bil’inThe Italian activists injury from being stuck by a tear gas canisterA mark showing where an American activist was struck on his shoe by a tear gas canister
Vicky Blackwell is a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).
2nd November 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
One Palestinian Youth was arrested and four others: two Israelis and two internationals were detained during the Friday non-violent weekly demonstration in Nabi Saleh.
People from the village met in the main square of the village from 11:30am onwards. At 12pm the demonstration began and everyone walked down the main street of the village singing songs and clapping along. Children were in the procession waving flags and chanting into the megaphone.
The demonstrators turned a corner and headed towards their objective: the natural spring to which the people of Nabi Saleh have been denied access to because of the illegal settlement of Halamish. This is the point at which the day turned ugly. In front of the demonstrators was a line of Israeli soldiers. At 12.30pm without any threat to the soldiers and without any warning, the Israeli military fired tear gas canisters directly into the demonstration while they were still inside the village. People carried on walking up the hill undaunted. The soldiers then fired tear gas canisters at head height, missing one person by mere inches. The demonstrators walked up as close as they could to the soldiers, waving flags and putting their hands in front of the guns as the soldiers aimed to prevent them from firing more tear gas into the village. Once more the children of Nabi Saleh came courageously to the forefront of the demonstration, waving their hands in victory signs and holding kaffiyas in front of the soldiers faces to prevent them firing their guns, singing songs and chanting as they did so. The Israeli military were forced back over the hill and down towards the spring, followed all the way by the men, women and children of Nabi Saleh.
At 1.05pm a cry came from behind the demonstrators that the Israeli military were arresting someone in the village. People went back to the village to find that Waed Bassim Tamimi aged 14 had been arrested. Waed’s mother raced to her sons aid. Two Israeli activists, a French journalist and an international activist were detained by the Israeli army while they were trying to support Waid’s mother’s remonstrations with the soldiers. After this seven or eight live rounds were fired at demonstrators in the village.
Only a few weeks ago Waed was injured when struck in the side by a tear gas grenade fired at him during the Friday demonstration. On Wednesday 24th of October Bassim Tamimi, Waed’s father was arrested by Israeli police officers suffering three broken ribs. Nabi Saleh encourages the involvement of the village’s children in their peaceful activities. The Israeli military can imprison the organizers of protests but the culture of non violent resistance lives strongly in the next generation of Nabi Saleh.
Naseem Roberts is a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).
16 October 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
A group of Palestinians shut down an Israeli-only highway to Tel Aviv today in the West Bank. International activists supported the Palestinians at today’s peaceable action, which blocked Route 443 for approximately thirty minutes.
Israeli border police puts his hands on a man at the action to shut down Route 443.
Fifty Palestinian and roughly ten international activists blocked the highway near Beit Ur, west of Ramallah during the demonstration, which was organized by the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee. The non-violent protesters held aloft Palestinian flags and placards in Hebrew and Arabic denouncing “settler terrorism”.
Also known as Modi’in Road, highway 443 is open to Palestinians only for a short section of its length. The vast majority of it is controlled by checkpoints to ensure that only those with Israeli citizenship are able to travel using it.
Demonstrators at Tuesday’s protest carry a banner saying “Stop Settler Terrorism.” Protesters successfully closed highway 443 to Tel Aviv for thirty minutes.
Responding to the roadblock, Israeli soldiers violently and forcefully broke up the protest. Soldiers injured five activists through the use of pepper-spray and a number of others through brute force. The soldiers also threw dozens of sound grenades directly at the feet of protestors, causing one to lose consciousness briefly.
The demonstration comes at a time of increased attacks by extremist settlers on Palestinian agricultural workers, particularly against those that have been taking part in the olive harvest. The last three weeks have seen violent attacks against Palestinian farmers and their land, including the burning of olive trees, the theft of harvested olives and group-invasion of villages in the agricultural areas around Hebron, Nablus, Bethlehem and Ramallah.
A photojournalist wearing clearly identifying clothing was sprayed at close-quarters with capsicum-based pepper gas and a Palestinian protestor was kicked in the back of the neck by soldiers. He was detained for an hour and then released.
The demonstration ended when soldiers forced protesters away from the road. Protesters at the demonstration said that the violence shown by the Israeli military forces was a testament to the effectiveness of today’s action.
Jacob Singh and Leila James are volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).
