Tag: Digests - Page 10 - International Solidarity Movement

“No-one is safe” – a doctor’s testimony from Gaza

1. “No-one is safe” – a doctor’s testimony from Gaza
2. Israeli military kills non-violent demonstrators in Gaza
3. Tales of the prophets: harvesting in the shadow of the settlements
4. More Settler Intimidation in Nablus Olive Harvest
5. Olive Harvest in Tel Rumeida Interrupted by Occupation Authorities
6. Two Hour Delay for Teachers at Tel Rumeida Checkpoint
7. International Accompaniment Makes a Difference in Zawarta
8. Israeli Army Allows Settlers to Steal Palestinian Olives in Hebron
9. Frenchman shot by Israeli forces in Bil’in
10. Israeli settlers chase families off their Nablus land while soldiers stand by
11. Checkpoint closed for eight hours after IOF soldier shoots Palestinian

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1. “No-one is safe” – a doctor’s testimony from Gaza

November 6th, Dr. Mona Elfaraa from Al Awda hospital, Jabalya, Gaza:

“No-one is safe. This morning little five and six-year old children, wounded in a missile attack, were brought to our hospital. They were shaking and crying with fear. Their teacher Najwa Kholeef had been wounded in the head. A sixteen-year old boy and twenty-year old man had been killed.

I have seen some of the shrapnel that was recovered from the previous day’s injuries , marked clearly with USA, the shrapnel and the kinds of wounds are unusual , surgeons have not come across them before , some of the bodies with totally burnt, limbs are missing and one of the bodies was covered with hundreds of pieces of small shrapnel. We do not have the time and facilities to investigate the causes.

Tanks and armored vehicles have been surrounding the Beit Hanoun hospital for the last six days and preventing medical volunteers and victims of violence from reaching it.

On Sunday our colleagues, 21 year old ambulance driver Ahmad Madhun and medical volunteer Mustafa Habib were murdered and Dannielle Abu Samra was wounded while trying to tend to the wounded. ”

English-speaking media contacts in Gaza :

Dr Mona Elfaraa, Doctor at Al Awda Hospital in Beit Hanoun.
Tel: +972 599 410 741 and +970 82846602
fromgaza.blogspot.com/
Dr Abu Ala’a, Professor at Gaza University.
Tel: + 972 599441766
Dr Asad A. Shark, Gaza Strip, + 972 599 322636
Dr Ayoub Othman, + 972 599 412 826
Yousef Alhelou, Journalist based in Beit Hanoun.
Tel: + 972599697254. Email:
ydamadan@hotmail.com

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2. Israeli military kills non-violent demonstrators in Gaza

November 3rd,
Israeli attacks on Gaza continue Friday with the murder of two unarmed female non-violent demonstrators in the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.

As one woman participating in the demonstration stated “We risked our lives to free our sons.” (source: BBC article, see below)

The BBC has published video of the non-violent demonstration at which the two women were killed. It can be seen by clicking the ‘watch’ link at the top right-hand side of the page on the BBC News site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6112386.stm

More video can be downloaded here: http://mediaserver.kataweb.it/tgrep/reuters/gazasparisudonne.wmv

It is a contravention of the Fourth Geneva convention for armies to fail to make a distinction between unarmed civilians and armed combatants. Israel is continually violating its obligations under the convention, to which it is a signatory.

Blogger, doctor and citizen-journalist Mona Elfarra has been covering the attacks from inside Beit Hanoun. See below for some of her recent reports.

Gaza: While the world is silent

by Mona Elfarra

This is happening in the north of the Gaza Strip while the world is silent. Break the silence and speak for the speechless.

Gaza, 5pm, Thursday, 2 November 2006

During its large scale military operation against Gaza, the Israeli occupying army today continued its attack on the village of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza strip. Twelve people were killed and at least 75 injured, many seriously. All casualities received at Al Awda hospital emergency room were seriously injured, with gunshot wounds to chests, abdomens and heads.

Movement of ambulances in and outside of the village is greatly restricted. Many different types of patients are confined to their homes, including patients whose life depends on renal dialysis. The only hospital inside Beit Hanoun is surrounded by dozens of army tanks and military vehicles. With continuous shelling and shooting, any moving body would be shot at once.

All men over 16 were asked to gather inside one of the village schools. As I write, the local radio station has just announced the death of one of the women trying to stop the army actions against her family.

As medical teams we are working under great pressure. The situation has been very bad and is deteriorating daily, with sanctions against the Palestinian Authority, long periods of border closure, military assualts and so on.

We were hoping that negotiations for the release of the captured Israeli soldier would bring some hope for improvement of our situation, but it seems that Israel is pressing ahead with its preplanned agenda against Gaza and the Palestinian people.

I call upon you to spread the word and to try to shake the silent world.

End the Assault Against the North of Gaza

Press Release: 2 November 2006

Yesterday the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) began their grotesquely named “Operation Autumn of Fury” in the Gaza Strip. Beit Hanoun, scene of repeated massacres by Israeli forces since June 25th, was re-occupied by Israeli tanks. Since yesterday 12 civilians have been shot dead and more than 65 women and children have been injured. On the first day of Eid El Fiter last week, 7 residents of the town were killed by the IOF.

The town of Beit Hanoun was bombed by Apache helicopters and F16 and V58 fighter planes. Beit Hanoun’s residents have no water or electricity today. These air-strikes which damage essential infrastructure and terrify the civilian population are a form of collective punishment against the Palestinian people and are war crimes which are forbidden under international humanitarian law. The Fourth Geneva Convention calls for any military to do its utmost to distinguish between civilians and combatants and forbids attacks on civilans or civilian infrastructure. Israel is a signatory of this convention.

We therefore call on the international community to exert pressure on the Israeli Occupation Forces to conduct themselves within the boundaries of international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of all Palestinian civilians.

We also demand the immediate halt of the Israeli Occupation Forces’ attacks on the Gaza Strip and an end to the closure and isolation of the Strip, both of which are exacerbating an already desperate humanitarian situation.

For comments contact:
Dr. Mona Al Farra +970 82 846 602 or +972 599 410 741.
Dr Abu Ala’a, Gaza Strip, + 972 599 441766
Dr Asaad Abu Sharkh, Gaza Strip, + 972 599 322636
Dr Ayyoub Othman, + 972 599 412 826

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3. Tales of the prophets: harvesting in the shadow of the settlements

by ISM Nablus, Monday 30th October
“He turned his walking-stick into a giant snake that swallowed up all the others’ tiny snakes. And so the Pharoah knew that Moses was a prophet and not just a simple magician.” Rada, 29 years old, is telling us stories while we kneel along the edges of the tarpaulins picking up stray olives from the ground. Her voice is soft and soothing, almost like song, even though her English is taken directly from North American sit-coms. She especially likes Seinfeld and Friends.

Rada’s family are spread out along a mountain ridge some 300 metres from the Israeli settlement of Itamar, just west of Rujeeb village outside of Nablus city. The village is effectively an expansion of Balata refugee camp, built by families wishing to escape the insecurity and cramped environment of their former home. Perched on branches and standing on the ground pulling the olives off of the boughs with nimble fingers, we are cheerful but guarded. Despite the pretty surroundings and the spring-like weather, it is difficult to forget that the settlement houses and the perimeter fence with its alarmed gate loom menacingly behind our backs.

A settler militia van comes driving along the road and an armed settler steps out, opens the gate and looks around. A military jeep hurries behind it, screeches to a halt and soldiers step out to converse with the, seemingly self-appointed, settler deputy. After five minutes, both vehicles drive off and we discover that we have been holding our breaths all the while.

The day proceeds quietly. We finish picking the trees closest to the settlement and move on to a second plot of land adjacent to the settler by-pass road. In the morning, soldiers tell the international pickers present to get out of the area as it is a so-called “red zone”, implying that only people officially residing in Rujeeb may be there. Their will to enforce this rule, however, seems halfhearted and we are not interrupted again.

As we walk back toward the village, with Rada singing a Sami Yusuf tune written in ode to his mother, we pass through a valley framed by the main settlements and outposts of Elon Moreh and Itamar. Rada’s husband tells us about how settlers planted a bomb under the car of the mayor of a nearby village, crippling him for life, after he had brought the settlement’s claims of land ownership to the Israeli Supreme Court and won.

We decide to meet tomorrow at the same time and wave goodbye to the children, wishing them a goodnight in the village accent that they have tried to teach us all day. It has been a good day, promising plenty of good days to come. Welcome to the olive harvest in Nablus, where harvesting is resisting.

For photos visit: https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/31/prophets-story/

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4. More Settler Intimidation in Nablus Olive Harvest

by ISM Nablus, 30th October
At 8am this morning two international Human Rights Workers (HRWs) accompanied a Palestinian family from the village of Azmut, just east of Nablus, to their olive groves. This land has found itself within close proximity to the illegal Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh, meaning that the family has been unable to harvest or cultivate this land for the past 8 years. Just 5 minutes after starting to harvest, a settler-operated “security” jeep pulled up a short distance further up the hill, and started screaming over a loudspeaker at the Palestinians, mainly in Hebrew with a little Arabic. One of the family told us he he had demanded that they “go back go back to [their] houses”. The villagers were visibly distressed, the village having long been subject to violence and intimidation from the settlers. With the settler in the jeep continuing to threaten us over the loudspeaker, the villagers left immediately. The two HRWs called the DCO (District Co-ordination Office, the civilian administration wing of the Israeli military in the West Bank) and asked for the Israeli police to intervene. Around 15 minutes later a border police jeep arrived and stopped next to the settler vehicle. However by this stage the villagers, accompanied by the 2 internationals, had retreated to a safe distance, and so it was not clear what the border police were going to do about the situation.

After the border police arrived the settler jeep remained where it was for about 10 minutes. There didnt seem to be much interaction between the police vehicle and the settler jeep; a police man appeared to say a few words to the settler(s) when they first arrived, but both vehicles remained next to each other on the top of the hill. The army certainly didn’t come to protect the villagers.

The villagers were unwilling to return without explicit assurances from the DCO that their protection from the Israeli settlers could be ensured.

The Palestinian family decided instead to harvest some olives out of sight of the settlement, and the rest of the day’s harvest went ahead without incident. This one family alone has 90 dunums of land which they are unable to cultivate due to the proximity of this notorious Israeli settlement, leaving them with just 60 dunums.

The settlement’s colonist residents have been known to shoot at Palestinians attempting to pick their olives, and the army is complicit in this intimidation, the family told us. They regularly refuse to allow Palestinians access to their land, in contravention to Israeli High Court rulings. We were also told of several previous incidents of the army entering the village and assaulting its residents.

The HRW’s were also shown a stream running into the village. Although it previously provided the village with much needed water, it is now heavily polluted by a factory in the Elon Moreh settlement, and its chemical stench spreads over a considerable area. Despite all the setbacks and intimidation, the villagers of Azmut refuse to leave, and will continue this year’s olive harvest as they have done for many generations.

Clarified and expanded: 6 November.

For photos see: https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/11/01/azmut-harvest/

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5. Olive Harvest in Tel Rumeida Interrupted by Occupation Authorities

by ISM Hebron, October 31st
At 8:00 a.m. six internationals gathered at the home of the Palestinian family that lives directly across the street from the Tel Rumeida settlement to help the family pick its olives. Settlers had stolen olives from a family tree the night before so it was imperative to harvest the olives before the settlers could make away with the remaining olives.

The internationals were joined by three members of CPT and by three observers from the EAPPI and everyone went to a parcel of family land that is adjacent to a military outpost and is in a closed military zone.

The group picked from 9 to 11 am, then the two internationals and several family members left for a meeting. Picking continued until 12:05 when four border police invaded a house near the olive grove where another family member resides. Two CPT people followed them into the house to record what was happening. The police told the CPTers to leave but CPT refused.

Then a small group of visitors on their way to the Sabeel conference was brought to the house by a CPT member in order to observe the olive picking. The army tried to prevent them visiting the house as the road leading to it has been closed by the Israeli military.

At this point, the police, who had come to the house for a purpose we don’t know, noticed the group picking olives right next to the military outpost. They challenged the olive pickers and most exited the field to enter into discussion with the police or watch what was going on. CPT gave the high court order to the police but this did not appear to affect their objections to the olive picking. Then the internationals and family members at the community meeting were called and returned. They began filming and discussing. Phone calls were made to the DCO and the captain. At 12:20 the police officer in charge said that the army captain would come and talk to the whole group but he never came. Then at 12:40 the police officer in charge left and four border police remained including two who spoke Arabic. They said they were there to protect us but in fact they were there to prevent anyone from picking the olives.

At 1 pm, a representative from B’Tselem came and he phoned the DCO. At this point two representatives of the High Commission of the Red Cross emerged into the yard through the grape vines. They were on a regular inspection patrol and heard the commotion. After them came a representative from ACRI (Association for Civil Rights in Israel). Finally a decision was conveyed to the police that only Palestinians could pick the olives. None of the internationals could work in the olive grove.

We then all went to the home of the Palestinian family whose olives were being picked as they had prepared lunch for us.

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6. Two Hour Delay for Teachers at Tel Rumeida Checkpoint

by ISM Hebron, November 1st
8:15 a.m., a human rights worker who happened to be walking through the Tel Rumeida checkpoint, discovered that 12 teachers and the headmistress from Qurtuba School were being refused entry at the checkpoint. At this time there were two observers from EAPPI present.

At 8:25, after a lot of argument, the soldiers at the checkpoint allowed the headmistress to go through in order to phone the DCO from the school. When the headmistress, Reem Sharif, returned she said that in September the teachers had also been held up every day for two hours so that the school session was almost over by the time they were allowed to pass the checkpoint. (Over the last year or so, there have been many incidents of soldiers arbitrarily preventing the teachers from reaching the school.)

Since then the teachers have been on strike. They had decided to return without salaries and were allowed through the checkpoint on Tuesday, October 31.

On the Tuesday, a settler came and spoke to the headmistress expressing anger that the school was open again. The settler asked whether the school would be open the following day and was told that it would be.

The headmistress suspects that the settler made a complaint and that is why the teachers were not allowed to pass the checkpoint.

Contacts made by the HRW:
8:45 Machsom Watch and the DCO. The DCO said he would take care of the problem. At 9:00 a.m. the police arrived and after a lot of discussion they didn’t handle the problem and drove away. AT 9:30 the DCO said the problem would be solved within a few minutes. At 9:50, Amir, an officer from the DCO, said that three of the teachers were not on the list of the teachers eligible to be allowed through. The teachers said, that no one had asked for their I.D. So then Amir and Headmistress Sharif worked on checking and amending the list.

At 10:05, the teachers had their I.Ds checked and were allowed through the checkpoint.

The original HRW program for the morning had been to meet at 9:00 a.m. at the home of a Palestinian family living near the Tel Rumeida settlement but the incident with the teacher pushed the time of meeting back to 10:15. The family members said they were ok with this. So, at 10:15 three HRWs met at the family home and spent the morning and part of the afternoon picking olives close to the military watchtower. Then they had lunch and an extended visit with the family. Two TIPH teams visited the olive picking site during the morning to make sure there was no trouble.

For photos see: https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/11/02/teachers-01-11/

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7. International Accompaniment Makes a Difference in Zawarta

by ISM Nablus, Wednesday 1st November

“What do you think of this place? Isn’t is beautiful?” The woman asking the question, a mother of four polished and polite children, looks at us expectantly. What can we say? Wadi Al-Khrazey on the outskirts of the 2,000 person village of Zawata, west of Nablus city, is not an immediately attractive place. The olive groves, made up of two long rows of trees rooted in red sand, are crammed in between a military road and a slope leading up to the notoriously violent Sabatash checkpoint (named after the Palestinian security force that used to man it) with its watchtower looming ominously on the highest hilltop.

Yet by the time the blue sky has been replaced by dark clouds weighted down by rain, and the donkey has tottered up and down the hillside on his spindly legs for the fourth time, the place seemed to transform. We can see gophers scurrying among the rocks, paths carefully trampled over by two hundred years worth of hooves and sandaled feet, and gnarled trunks of trees spiraling into branches lovingly trimmed to perfection. We know now that the military street used to be a railway track planned by the British colonial administration, and that it led from cities as exotic as Damascus and Baghdad to the ports of Haifa and Jaffa. We sit on the uppermost chair-like branches sprinkling olives on the people below while three young girls squeeze into a wheelbarrow singing the latest Arabic pop hits. This is truly a beautiful place that before long has a whole history of joys and sorrows ringing in our ears.

Last Wednesday, a few families tried to start picking olives from their trees along side the military road, with jeeps and hummers speeding past every 10 minutes. After only a couple of hours, the harvesters were chased off their land. Soldiers stepped out of their hummer, screamed at the people through megaphones to leave the area and fired several rounds into the air. Frightened for their own and their children’s lives, everyone left. Since then, people have been reluctant to return to their land without international accompaniment.

Today, three families and a group of internationals harvested every last olive from the area. It would, however, be wrong to say that the work proceeded without interruption. Every time a hummer passed by, one of the younger children’s knees would involuntarily buckle. As he ducked behind a bush, his father Maher Saleh smiled at us sadly. A father’s powers of consolation scorned. And again, we did not know what to say. Only last night, Israeli forces entered the village under the protection of darkness and abducted two young men from their homes. This is a regular occurrence that, apart from being horrific in itself, completely undermines parental authority and children’s general sense of security.

Come to Palestine! There is a great need for international accompaniment during the olive harvest – supporting the sense of civil resistance that has people out in their fields every single day reclaiming their rights to their land. Together, we can try to make sure that every last olive is picked and that the children are allowed to play among the olive trees in peace, if only for a day.

For photos visit: https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/11/02/zawata-diff/

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8. Israeli Army Allows Settlers to Steal Palestinian Olives in Hebron

by Mary, October 30th 2006

At 4.20pm, international Human Rights Workers (HRWs) at the Tel Rumeida crossing noticed that Israeli settlers from the Tel Rumeida settlement were picking olives by the Israeli army post nearby the settlement. These olive trees belong to the Abu Hekel family, who are due to start picking tomorrow. There has been an Israeli court order that Palestinians are to be provided with protection for their property by the Israeli army or police and allowed to pick their olives in safety.

A HRW approached the soldiers at the crossing and drew attention to the Israeli boys in an olive tree and women on the ground. The boys had a long stick and were beating the branches of the tree and the women and others were picking up the olives from the ground. A soldier, who spoke little English and no Arabic, seemed to understand the situation. He contacted the soldier, who was near the settlers. This soldier spoke to the settlers, who took no notice and continued stealing olives. After pressure from the HRWs, the soldier at the crossing continued telephoning. After about 15 minutes, more soldiers arrived. These were followed by an Israeli police jeep. The settler boys came out of the tree and a settler woman walked across the street to the settlement and brought back more women and children to the olive grove. Despite the presence of a soldier, the picking continued and at least one woman managed to take away some olives. Then an Israeli army officer and soldier arrived. These were followed by an Israeli police jeep, an army vehicle and a third police jeep. At least three cars driven by Jewish men came up the hill and parked. Eight orthodox Jewish men walked out of the settlement and down towards Beit Hadasa settlement. It was not clear if they had been involved in the theft of olives or not. In the end there were eight Israeli police, border police and soldiers. They were gradually able to get the Israeli settlers to return to the settlement. The settlers took the olives they collected with them. A clear case of theft.

Israeli settlers were chanting outside the settlement for about ten minutes. Then a number of settler children were driven away. Apparently they had been brought to Tel Rumeida settlement to take part in this illegal action. Israeli children under the age of twelve cannot be arrested here, no matter what they do. Their parents and adults who supervise them in such actions are not held responsible.

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9. Frenchman shot by Israeli forces in Bil’in

by ISM media team, November 3rd

For the second week in a row the Israeli military have shot a demonstrator with live ammunition at the Palestinian village of Bil’in. This week was the turn of 69-year old Frenchman José Jeandrot, a volunteer in the olive harvest as part of a delegation from a French solidarity group. He was shot in the wrist and received treatment in Sheikh Zaid hospital in Ramallah. José was shot by Israeli forces that were still in the village after the demonstration ended.

On their way back to the village the demonstrators encountered soldiers facing resistance from the village youth who threw stones at the invaders. As the soldiers were withdrawing they started firing rubber bullets and live ammunition at the youth. In addition to José’s injury, 8 other people were shot with rubber bullets and one woman broke her leg while running away from the soldiers.

As the village youth were trying to repel a military jeep that invaded the village with stones, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition at them and drove up a driveway where onlookers were gathered. The soldiers then got out of their jeep and fired at the youth. The onlookers were standing around a corner and José, who was filming the incursion, was standing at least 50m from the village youth when he was hit in the wrist.

Earlier on Bil’in villagers had been joined by international and Israeli supporters as they marched to the Israeli annexation barrier, which has ceased over 50% of the village land. The marchers managed to cross one of the fences and marched to the gate where they demanded to be let through to reach the olive groves. Many of the internationals present, including José, are accompanying farmers to their olive groves in areas where they face violence and intimidation from Israeli settlers and soldiers. The protest passed off peacefully despite the military’s use of tear gas and sound bombs against the protesters. When this violence failed to intimidate the marchers the soldiers started violently pushing and shoving them. Towards the end of the demonstration some border policemen violently pushed protesters returning to the village.

Injuries

Amjad Abu Rahme, 11 – shot with a rubber bullet in the shoulder
Amer Nasser, 22 – shot with a rubber bullet in the shoulder
Ibrahim Burnat, 25 – shot with a rubber bullet in the hand
Ashraf Khatib, 24 – shot with a rubber bullet in the leg
Bader Khatib, 35 – shot with a rubber bullet in the leg
Sharar Mansour, 22 – shot with a rubber bullet in the leg
Wael Nasser, 31 – shot with a rubber bullet in the neck
Leila Zoada, 32 – leg broken while running away from soldiers

For more information contact:
Abdullah Abu Rahme: 0547258210
ISM media office: 02 2971824, 0599943157
José – 0525169105

For photos visit: https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/11/03/bilin-03-11-06/

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10. Israeli settlers chase families off their Nablus land while soldiers stand by

by ISM Nablus, 4th of November 2006

Today, Palestinian farmers from Azmut village north of Nablus city were attacked on their land by a gang of Israeli settlers, who were accompanied by two soldiers. The settlers ran after the families, shouted and threw stones at them. At one point they kicked and hit international volunteers, who had come to help the farmers pick olives. The group of settlers, aged from around eight to twenty, came from the settlement of Elon Moreh two kilometres away from the village.

This year’s olive harvest has been difficult for the people of Azmut. This is the third time this week that farmers from the village were forced off their land. Five days ago an armed settler stopped nearby and used a megaphone to threaten families picking olives, intimidating them into leaving. Yesterday, a group of settlers chased the farmers off their land. The farmers, knowing the violence that has come from these settlers in the past and the extreme views of those in the Elon Moreh settlement, didn’t want to risk any injuries and subsequently left.

This morning the farmers had to begin their work by picking up all the olives that settlers had thrown across the ground the previous night. They had only harvested for about forty minutes, when two soldiers approached and told them that “there is no coordination today, come back tomorrow”.

The international volunteers attempted to negotiate with the soldiers about the families’ legal right to access their land at any time, but after a couple of minutes a gang of around 25 settler children and young people suddenly descended down the hill towards the groves. The families had no time to collect their tools and olive sacks as they were forced to flee.

As the settlers approached the families and international volunteers, they stopped by the soldiers to pick up and throw stones. As they got closer one volunteer was kicked by a settler. Other volunteers were hit with rocks and one volunteer was attacked because he was recorded the attack with a video camera. All of this happened with soldiers standing by and making no attempt to stop the settlers or to protect the families and the international volunteers, in spite of their legal obligations under Israeli law to stop settler attacks.

Elon Moreh is one of the oldest settlements in the northern West Bank and has explicitly expressed their purpose: to block the creation of a Palestinian state. The 1200 or so inhabitants are infamous for their religious and violent extremism. They have been involved in a number of serious attacks on Palestinian villages, where they have burnt down trees, attacked Palestinians and in some cases killed them.

This settler attack is just another example of the harassment that Palestinians face. Check points, settler only roads and military harassment all serve to keep them away from their land and lively hoods. The villagers of Azmut are afraid, but are determined to go back to go back to their land, even in the face of such violence, to continue their harvest and to keep their land.

For more information on Elon Moreh, see this entry on the Peace Now website:
http://www.peacenow.org.il/site/en/peace.asp?pi=62&docid=1503

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11. Checkpoint closed for eight hours after IOF soldier shoots Palestinian

by ISM Nablus, 5th November

Yesterday, the checkpoint known to Nablusians as “Sabatash” was closed to everyone trying to pass it in both directions. Located at a narrow bend in the road, flanked by a steep mountainous slope and a watchtower overlooking an olive grove valley running beside a military road, this checkpoint is notorious for its violent and trigger-happy soldiers. Every day, this checkpoint denies people living north of Nablus city their freedom of movement, as well as preventing the transport of such diverse but equally essential goods as sewage pipes and olive oil to the villages of Asira Ash-Shamalia, An-Naqura and Sebastiya.

By midday, the line of buses, trucks and private cars was already several hundred meters long. The Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint were forcing the young men to get out of their vehicles and lift up their shirts so as to prove that they were not wearing explosive belts around their waists. According to eyewitness reports, 24-year old Haythem Yaseen refused to submit to this humiliating procedure and began to argue with one of the soldiers. In front of the line of waiting students, farmers and workers, the soldier then shot Haythem in the leg with live ammunition as punishment.

“He is a beautiful, gentle man”, said one of Haythem’s fellow students, 22-year old Yusef Hashaka. “He was only standing up for himself and for us. And then they shot him.” Shortly after sustaining his injury, Haythem was abducted by Israeli forces and taken to an Israeli hospital for treatment.

At half past eight, the line of stationary vehicles had grown even longer and most of the male passengers were standing on the verge of the road smoking or jumping up and down in an attempt to keep warm. The soldiers at the checkpoint were saying that their only job was to make sure that the checkpoint would close at eight o’clock and that any people who were still waiting on the Nablus side would have to return to the city, despite the fact that the checkpoint had in practice been closed since two o’clock in the afternoon.

The people, furious at the situation and without money for taxis or anywhere to sleep over in the city, refused to move and stood behind the razor-wire rolled over both car lanes, waiting for a second decision. By this time, most of them had been waiting for over six hours in the cold and rain. After some negotiation on the part of international human rights workers, women, elderly men and children were allowed to pass.

By ten o’clock in the evening, there were about 150 young men left on the Nablus side of the checkpoint. The soldiers were unusually nervous and jumpy throughout the evening, pointing their guns at and scanning their strobe light across the crowd. After further negotiation, they finally agreed to let the young men through in two buses. As the men finally, after eight hours of delay, got into the buses and waved goodbye, Palestinian sources reported that there were large numbers of Israeli special forces and soldiers in the city which would have made it impossible for the men to return to Nablus.

Denied passage through the checkpoint to Asira Ash-Shamalia, the group of human rights workers took refuge on the porch of a nearby mosque until able to return to the city safely. Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian resistance fighters took place throughout the Old City for several hours but no one was injured. Two Palestinian men were abducted and are currently being held in an unknown location.

For more information contact ISM Nablus: 059 907 6568

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Peaceful Bil’in Protestors Attacked by IOF

1. Peaceful Bil’in Protestors Attacked by IOF
2. Bil’in Cameraman release delayed
3. Bil’in Cameraman Finally to be Released Tomorrow
4. Donkey Forced To Go Through Tel Rumeida Checkpoint
5. Eid in Tel Rumeida
6. Settler Colonists Beat Palestinian Family – One Palestinian Arrested
7. Olive Harvest Faces Obstacles from Israeli Army: Three Nablus Region Reports from the 25th and 27th of October
8. Olive Harvest in Tel Rumeida under Threat from Settlers

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1. Peaceful Bil’in Protestors Attacked by IOF

by ISM media team, October 27th
for video and audio footage of the demo visit www.palestinewitness.net
for photos see: https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/27/bilin-27-10-06/

Twelve-year old Ibrahim Ghazi Beit-Ilo was hit in the neck by shrapnel from a live bullet following a peaceful protest march against the Apartheid Wall in Bil’in today. He underwent surgery at the Ramallah goverment hospital and the shrapnel was successfully removed. Another 16 people were injured by shrapnel from exploding tear gas and sound bomb cannisters or were beaten with military truncheons. Two Israeli protestors were arrested.

The, 600 protestors, comprising Palestinians, Israelis and internationals, Palestinian flags flying, marched behind political and religious leaders . Palestinian Legislative Council members Kayes Abu-Leila and Mohib Awad, Israeli MKs Mohammed Barakeh and Dov Hanin, Taysir Tamimi a Muslim religious leader and village leaders marched at the head of the protest from the Bil’in mosque to the massive razor wire fortifications that divide the village from its agricultural lands. When they arrived they were met by fully armed Israeli soldiers in battle dress and border police.

The focus of the protest was a symbolic breach of the wall created by placing two ladders across the first razor wire fence. Using the ladders as a bridge, a group of protestors moved into the next line of wall fortifications. As they crossed they were attacked by tear gas and sound bombs.

The army turned on the massed demonstrators who were chanting “No to the Wall.” Soldiers fired tear gas and sound bombs into the crowd, which began to retreat. As the marchers moved back toward the village, soliders penetrated into the village olive groves, gassing the retreating protestors. One gas cannister was fired at the ambulance parked on a hill distant from the wall and soldiers penetrated into the edge of the village where another tear gas cannister was shot into a house, injuring grandmother, Intisar Burnat.

The villagers of Bilin have lost more than 50% of their agricultural lands to the Apartheid Wall. The Israeli government illegally expropriated their lands without compensation. Although the seizure of the lands was done in the name of security, in fact, research has found that corrupt army planners eased the transfer of Bilin’s land to a billionaire Russian real estate mogul who belongs to the Lubavitcher Hassidim. Bilin lands are now the site of the illegal settlement of Modin Elit.

Adeeb Abu Rahma -beaten on the leg
Basem Ahmad Issa -rubber bullet in the back.
Zohdiya Ali Alkhatib -teargas
Mohammad Alkhatib -beaten and leg injury
Naser Abu Rahma -shrapnel from a sound bomb in the hand
Ahmad Mohammad Hassan -rubber bullet in the leg
Oz Marinov -hit in the ankle by a sound bomb
Amir Sidi -wounded in the forhead by shrapnel from a sound bomb
R. – foot cut by razor wire
G. and L. – beaten with truncheons

For more information:
Abdullah Abu Rahme – 054 725 8210
ISM media office – 02 297 18 24

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2. Bil’in Cameraman release delayed

For photo see: https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/22/release-delayed/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bil’in cameraman Emad Bornat will be spending Eid, the Muslim feast that marks the end of Ramadan (the holy month of fasting) separated from his wife and four children. The military prosecution has appealed his release which means that Emad remains in detention despite a military judge’s decision to release him on October 19th.

The judge had agreed to release Emad on 15,000 NIS ($3,500) bail to house arrest in a neighbouring village to Bil’in. The judge, however, also gave the Israeli military until today to appeal the decision.

Emad was seized after a demonstration on October 6th and has been charged with throwing stones and assaulting a police officer, although he was filming at the time. Whilst in the border police van Emad sustained severe head injuries needing hospital treatment and stitches. A judge ordered an investigation into the origin of these injuries, finding inadequate the border police’s explanation that communication equipment fell on him.

A hearing on his case was set for Tuesday the 24th of October.

For more information:
Mohammed Khatib, Bil’in Anti-wall Popular Committee: 054 557 3285
Attorney Gaby Laski: 054 441 8988
Israeli video-journalist Shai Polack: 054 533 3364
ISM Media office: 02 297 1824

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3. Bil’in Cameraman Finally to be Released Tomorrow

by ISM media team, October 25th

A judge at Ofer military court ordered Bil’in cameraman Emad Bornat to be released tomorrow after almost 3 weeks in detention. Emad was seized in the village after a demonstration against the annexation wall on October 6th as he was filming Israeli forces. Whilst in the border police van Emad sustained serious head injuries requiring hospital treatment. A military judge ordered an inquiry into his injuries, casting doubt on the explanation of the border police that communications equipment fell on him.

Whilst in detention at Ofer military prison the Israeli military refused Emad medical treatment in defiance of the instructions of the court. Today a judge ordered the head of the military police to give account to the President of the Appelate Court as to why Emad didn’t receive the required treatment.

Emad will be released on 15,000 NIS bail and into house arrest in a neighbouring village to Bil’in. Emad, whose footage featured in the award-winning “Bil’in habibti” is charged with throwing stones and assaulting a border policeman. No date has been set yet for his trial.

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4. Donkey Forced To Go Through Tel Rumeida Checkpoint

by ISM Hebron, 21st October

After a few hours of quiet and calm at the guard post on the top of the hill, one Human Rights Worker (HRW) worker went inside the HRW flat very briefly to retrieve a few things. Just a few minutes after she went upstairs, a group of 6-8 soldiers and a group of 4-6 young settler men (ages 17-22) walked down from the Tel Rumeida settlement and soldier station, walking about 20 yards apart. The settler men came towards the stoop where the HRW and two Palestinian men were sitting; some of them sat near the Palestinian man. The HRW soon noticed that the group of soldiers had stopped just up the hill, formed a line, and were all pointing their guns towards the top floor of a Palestinian home. There was no apparent reason for them to be doing so, so the HRW walked towards them to inquire, but was stopped by the settler men, who had formed a line across the road and would not let her pass. She walked towards the end of the line to get around them, but a settler stepped in front of her path, and pressed his shoulder towards hers to keep her from passing. She persisted, and eventually passed him as he put his tongue in her face and said rude-sounding comments in Hebrew. By the time she got through the line of settlers, the line of soldiers had dispersed. The HRW phoned the flat to request the return of the other HRW and to let another HRW know that there was a potential for problems to arise so she could film from the roof. As she filmed, the settlers continually yelled at her and gave her menacing looks. Soon, one settler walked to the door of the residential building and looked inside. At that point the HRW came down and asked the settler what he wanted, to which he replied, “Do you speak English? FUCK YOU!”, and laughed with his friends.

The HRW came down the stairs at about the same time that another HRW walked up from his post on Shuhada street. All three HRWs observed as the settlers stood around and then were joined by the soldiers. After 10 or 15 minutes, the settlers and the soldiers walked down the hill towards Shuhada street; the male HRW followed them down the hill. A group of five settlers in their mid-twenties loitered directly in front of the main checkpoint in to Tel Rumeida. As Palestinians entered through the checkpoint the settlers positioned themselves so as to obstruct the Palestinians, glaring at them and in one instance shouting at an elderly lady. When the threatening behavior of the settlers was pointed out to the soldier on duty he simply shrugged his shoulders. When a Palestinian was prevented from bringing his large crates of food through the gate that adjoins the checkpoint, the settlers shouted with glee and raised their middle fingers to the Palestinian. On complaining to the soldier on duty, the soldier replied that the settlers where allowed to be there. When it was pointed out that they were making obscene gestures he claimed that he had not seen them. After around 15-20 minutes the settlers departed.

Every afternoon a Palestinian man arrives at checkpoint 56 with a heavily loaded donkey and goes through into the Israeli-controlled H2 section of Hebron. In order to be allowed to take his donkey through the small gate at the side of the checkpoint, the man had to get an Israeli court order as otherwise the soldiers at the checkpoint might refuse to allow him to use the gate. On the afternoon of Saturday, 21 October, the four Israeli soldiers on duty at checkpoint 56 refused to open the side gate for the man and his donkey to pass through, and instead insisted that the donkey pass through the checkpoint itself, through the metal detectors. Once the man had managed to get his donkey through the checkpoint, three HRWs had to negotiate with the soldiers in order to be able to get the man’s many goods through the checkpoint too, in the end
each making two trips through the checkpoint in order to carry the goods through. The soldiers at the checkpoint made the HRWs go back through the metal detectors and empty their pockets of metallic objects, despite the fact that they were clearly heavily weighed down with boxes of bananas, large bags of flour, etc.

The HRWs first contacted the District Coordinating Office (DCO) about the soldiers, who were also only allowing Palestinians to pass through the checkpoint very slowly, but were told they must contact the police. They were told this despite border police and one policeman being present at the time, all standing around doing nothing to ease the congestion at the checkpoint. One of the border policemen overheard the telephone conversation with the DCO and the HRW’s criticism of the inaction of the border police and laughed and said, “Thank you”. The HRWs then contacted the Kiryat Arba police about the soldiers’ overly obstructive attitude but when the police arrived, they first of all stopped two HRWs further down Shuhada Street before even approaching the checkpoint. The policeman who was driving the jeep asked both HRWs their names and where they were from. After answering the questions, one HRW pointed towards the checkpoint, letting the police know that the HRWs at the checkpoint were the ones who made the call, assuming that the police had stopped because of the call, but the police merely acknowledged that they knew who called and proceeded to ask the HRWs questions. They asked how long the HRWs had been standing where they were standing and then said that they shouldn’t stand there because it could make the situation worse. The police more or less said that they want to keep everything calm and that they didn’t want the HRWs to stand there. The HRWs said that they were working for the same reason and that they are allowed to stand on the street. The police asked when the HRWs were leaving, the HRWs answered and once more reminded the police that the HRWs at the checkpoint had made a call and wanted to talk to them. A third HRW walked from the checkpoint to the police car and spoke with the police briefly before the police finally drove towards the checkpoint.

After eventually speaking to the soldiers at the checkpoint, one of the two policemen said that unless the soldiers did something “extreme, we are not allowed to interrupt their activities”. The policeman also said that the man with this donkey needed to carry the original of the court order with him in order for him to pass through the side gate of the checkpoint, although this man comes to the same checkpoint every afternoon with his donkey. After speaking to the soldiers again, the policeman said the soldiers claimed that the donkey having to go through the checkpoint was a “misunderstanding” as the Palestinian man had not understood that the donkey could go through the gate but that the goods had to go through the metal detector in the checkpoint. The policeman even maintained that the soldiers had been trying to help the man. This was not true and the HRW said this to the policeman. Another HRW was later threatened with arrest by the police for allegedly obstructing the soldiers – she had been trying to get them to ease the congestion at the checkpoint by letting the Palestinians pass through more quickly.

22nd October

In the afternoon two soldiers manning checkpoint 56 between Palestinian-controlled H1 and Israeli-controlled H2 continuously harassed Palestinians passing through the checkpoint by not opening the checkpoint doors for them to enter, half opening then closing the checkpoint doors in front of their faces, not opening the checkpoint doors once Palestinians were inside the checkpoint and making even very small children go back through the metal detector one at a time. When challenged by two HRWs as to why they were behaving in this manner, one of the soldiers answered, “because it is fun; it is the best fun”. Security was clearly not the reason for their behaviour as at approximately 5.10pm the checkpoint doors were left open and both soldiers stood outside the checkpoint while one took a photo of the other with his mobile phone as a couple of Palestinians passed through unchecked. At one point the HRWs called the police regarding the soldiers’ behaviour but they failed to arrive.

At 7.05pm a female HRW alone in the ISM/Tel Rumeida Project flat in Tel Rumeida heard voices outside the door and, on opening a window in the door, saw soldiers outside peering in. The HRW asked if she could help the soldiers, to which one soldier answered, “no”. The HRW closed the window again but heard one of the soldiers saying that they wanted money. The soldiers then moved to the staircase and then, after a few minutes, they left the building and moved up the street towards the Tel Rumeida settlement. There were 12 soldiers in total. The reason for the appearance of the soldiers at the flat is unknown, although the HRW did recognize one of the soldiers at the door as one of the ones from the checkpoint with whom she had argued that afternoon about the harassment of the Palestinians at checkpoint 56.

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5. Eid in Tel Rumeida

by ISM Hebron, 24th October

Today was the second day of Eid, the three-day holiday after Ramadan. During these three days, families visit each other, something made very hard by the soldiers stationed in Tel Rumeida.

Internationals walking up the hill saw a group of Palestinian residents at the top of the hill and learned that soldiers had yelled at a young Palestinian child who walked by with a toy gun. The boy ran away and was very scared.

The soldiers then detained a man who was walking by and said they were going to hold him until the child was brought back. Some residents went and brought the toy gun back and gave it to the soldiers, showing that it was a toy gun. They explained that the boy was scared and would not be coming back. The soldiers refused this and said they would hold the man until the boy came back.

Internationals repeatedly told the soldiers that their behavior was unreasonable, that it didn’t make sense to threaten a passerby because a child had a toy. The soldiers then started removing Palestinian residents from the street, screaming at everyone and going to the door of the shop, screaming for everyone to leave.

A car of settlers stopped in the street outside the store and started accusing one of the internationals, saying “You cause problems here. Your filming causes problems…”

At this point, the soldiers detained a second man who was in the store. They made him go to the soldier station and tried to take his phone, however an international was able to hold the phone and gave it back to the man. The soldiers again tried to take the phone and were successful.

The man was taken across the street next to the first man who was still being detained. He stood against a wall, but the soldier spent the next few minutes demanding that he sit on the ground, though he was wearing new clothes for the Eid holidays. Eventually he was forced to sit on the ground.

Internationals called Machsom Watch, the DCO (without answer) and the Israeli police.

The soldiers then began telling the internationals to turn their cameras off. Two soldiers went after two internationals, pushing the male international, trying to knee him in the groin, and hitting the camera multiple times. Another batted at the second international’s camera.

The Israeli police arrived and refused to talk to any of the internationals. Instead they initially spoke only to soldiers and then eventually a resident, the brother of the detained men. During this time, the first detained resident got his ID back, and then soldiers demanded the internationals’ passports. One international refused, saying she would give it to the police if they asked, but not to a soldier, who was not allowed to ask for it in the first place.

After the police left, two soldiers began yelling at an international watching from the roof with a Palestinian woman. They told the two repeatedly to go inside and though the international told them she was simply on the roof of her home, the soldiers then started saying in a monologue, “You are refusing to go in? You are refusing? Fine, you have refused,” Two soldiers then entered the building, while others outside blocked the door and prevented other internationals from entering. When one international told the soldiers that there were children in the home and the soldiers would obviously be scaring them, he also asked, “You think scaring the children is funny?” he said, “Yeah.”

After looking around on two levels of the roof (the international and Palestinian woman were in the apartment with the door bolted), the soldiers left and three of them went into the building across the street. Other soldiers stood in front of this door as well, preventing anyone from entering while they looked around on the roof.

When family members tried to leave the building, they refused to let them out, slamming the door in their faces. They were in the home for five minutes.

The police arrived at this moment and began shouting at the soldiers. The police then asked for the ID from the remaining detained resident and gave it back to him. The soldiers continued to remove the Palestinian children from the area.

Dave, an international, sitting in the middle of Shuhada Street watched as soldiers came down the hill and gathered at the checkpoint. They began pointing at Dave on Shuhada Street. Five minutes later, at 2:10pm, two soldiers walked over and stood in front of Dave, asking him to take their photo, which he did.

He was then called to the checkpoint and was told that the commander wanted to talk to him. The commander told him that they would close the checkpoint if he was in the area and not allow anyone to go through. At this point, the checkpoint was already closed, and a family was waiting to leave the neighborhood.

Dave then left the checkpoint and walked to the end of Shuhada Street. However, soldiers shortly forced a Palestinian child to walk down to him and tell him that the soldiers wanted him to come back to the checkpoint. The family was still there waiting, and the commander threatened Dave again, telling him the checkpoint would be closed until he left the area. At this point, after much argument, Dave left the area.

K then went down to the checkpoint and the commander came to the door and asked her what she was doing. He told her to leave and that she makes too much trouble. She explained that she just arrived, to which he replied, “Well, I don’t like the look of you and if you don’t go, I will keep the checkpoint closed until you leave.” After telling him that children such as himself shouldn’t have so much power, she also left.

Another international then went down and walked with two kids down Shuhada Street. She was at the end of Shuhada Street and could not even see the checkpoint, and was filming three small children who were playing for the camera when a soldier at the checkpoint shouted at her to come down and said the commander wanted to talk to her.

At this point, people were waiting on both sides of the checkpoint. The commander threatened her, saying, “You’ve crossed the line today. I have orders that the checkpoint will be closed until you leave.” At this point she also left.

Beth then went down to the checkpoint, taking her time. When she got close enough to see, she saw between 8-10 people, including women and children, being detained across the street from the checkpoint by border police and a policeman. Other residents who were walking towards the checkpoint at this time turned around and went back when they saw what was happening.

Another international came down and the two went closer together, though they were still some distance away. Soldiers saw them and called one international down, saying again that the commander wanted to speak to him. He said, “I told you before to go away. I’ve closed the checkpoint because you’re here. I’m not letting anyone go to your home until you leave.”

A few minutes later, those who were being detained were released, but then 8-10 men who had just come through the checkpoint were detained. A settler boy walking by at this time, simply kept repeating, “Fuck you, fuck fuck.”

Five internationals then went down to the checkpoint where some Palestinians said they had been detained since 3:45. At 4:30pm Machsom Watch was called, who called the DCO, and at 4:45 they were released.

An international asked the soldier, “So you’re punishing everyone because of us.” To which the soldier replied “everyone.” A family came and the soldier said he was stopping this family and wouldn’t let them through the checkpoint until the HRWs left. The soldier confirmed repeatedly that he was willing to punish the entire community if the HRWs didn’t leave. When the soldier began laughing at the situation he was asked if he thought it was funny. To which he replied “Do you think it’s funny my face being on the internet?” Seeing that an entire family was being detained the HRWs were left with no choice but to leave the checkpoint area.

K stayed above the checkpoint with border police, and the commander again told her to leave. He then forced a woman who was waiting at the checkpoint to go over and ask her to leave and said to K, “I can make the Arabs turn against you.”
Then she left.

Internationals came up the hill and saw three toddlers throwing rocks at a Palestinian house. An international yelled at them and they ran away.

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6. Settler Colonists Beat Palestinian Family – One Palestinian Arrested

For photos see: https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/27/burin-settler-attack/

by ISM Nablus, October 27th

Palestinian farmers were today harvesting olives on their land between the quarry at Huwarra checkpoint and Berakhya settlement. A Palestinian house stands uninhabited in the middle of this area, casting a desolate shadow over the settler bus stop on the road below. The man who used to live there is longing for the day when he can move back to his home but remains pessimistic. The entire land has remained untouched for over 6 years, as Israeli colonists always threaten any Palestinians who dare to even approach it.

Today, however, a family of farmers from Burin decided to brave the Berakhya settlers and set off early this morning to harvest their olive trees. At twelve o’clock, six Israeli colonist men trespassed onto the land and, wielding a knife, proceeded to threaten the Ghazzal family, shouting at them to leave the land immediately. In front of their children, the father and mother were pushed and pulled around by colonists and beaten on the arms and chest.

A volunteer from Rabbis for Human Rights, Zachariah Sadea, was contacted. Upon arrival at the scene at around half past one, he immediately contacted the DCO in Nablus. Frightened by this, the Israeli colonists finally left the land, only to go to the police station in Huwarra military base in order to file a complaint against the family’s 18-year old son, Fatih Ghazzal. Claiming that Fatih had beaten, or threatened to beat up the Israeli colonists, they demanded that he be arrested.

At three o’clock, two Israeli soldiers drove up to the land where the family were harvesting; still recovering from the shock of the colonist attack. The soldiers arrested Fatih, beating him severely over the head as they did so. Zachariah Sadea, explaining to the soldiers that Fatih had not beaten the colonists but in fact had been attacked by them, attempted to physically prevent the arrest and was then also beaten by the soldiers.

Devastated by the kidnapping of Fatih, the family carried the day’s harvest down to the checkpoint to wait for their beloved son and brother. As the rain poured down and friends of the family stopped to commiserate with them before passing through the checkpoint, Fatih was transported from Huwarra to the Ariel colony police station. Finally, the family left the checkpoint, hauling the sacks of olives onto their backs and piling into a taxi in teary-eyed silence.

The RHR volunteer will, as an eye-witness to the colonist attack, testify against their blatantly false accusations. The prospects of success are, however, bleak since a senior military commander is now claiming to have witnessed Fatih’s attack on the colonists, even though he was stationed on the other side of the hill at the time. Fatih is currently still being held at Ariel, awaiting legal assistance from Yesh Din.

For more details contact:
ISM Nablus 0599076568

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7. Olive Harvest Faces Obstacles from Israeli Army: Three Nablus Region Reports from the 25th and 27th of October

For photos see: https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/28/3-reports/

by ISM Nablus affinity groups and ISM Media team

Harvest Continues in Salim Despite Occupation

Wednesday 25th October: With Eid celebrations complete, the annual olive harvest continued today in villages across the West bank. In the village of Salim near to Nablus city, volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement were invited by local Palestinians to help with the harvesting of their olives in the groves close to the Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh.

On the approach to the olive groves, villagers were stopped by soldiers of the Israeli occupation forces. They were controlling the gate through which Palestinians must go to cross the settler-only roads, which stand between their village and their land agricultural land. After requiring the villagers to show their IDs, the Palestinian villagers continued their journey on to the olive groves.

Salim’s olive groves are situated in the beautiful valleys to the east of Nablus, commanding stunning views of the city and on a clear day, the hills of Jordan. However, this local environment has been marred by the sprawl of Israeli settlements, and colonial outposts on the hilltops surrounding the olive groves (all structures Israel builds in the occupied territories in order to house its civilian population are illegal under international law). In the course of the construction of these illegal settlements and settler-only apartheid roads, some 80 dunnums of land have been confiscated by the Israeli army from Salim.

One Palestinian family from the village told volunteers how they had had 350 olive trees, which had been destroyed last year by settlers. They also indicated the loss of large areas of fertile land which they were no longer able to access due to the continued construction of the illegal settlements and settler-only roads. The lands had been previously used for growing cereals and vegetables. This land now lies unused – a vexatious waste of natural resources and a serious blow to the economy of Salim.

Olive picking in Salim today progressed without serious incident, and in spite of the numerous obstacles put in the way of the villagers by the Israeli army and the continued colonisation of their land, villages were in good spirits. However, as volunteers were returning to the village, reports were coming in of a violent settler attack on Palestinians, also out picking olives on their land in a village west of Nablus. With several weeks of the olive harvest to go in the occupied west bank, it remains to be seen whether or not settlers and soldiers will continue the violence, intimidation and theft that have marred the olive harvest of 2006 so far.

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“This is not peace!” – Olive Harvesters in Awarta Face Obstacles from Settlers and Soldiers

Friday 27th October: Sitting in the shade of an olive tree, drinking tea out of a thermos, it is easy to forget where you are. Walking among a throng of chatty, giggly children in a stunningly beautiful valley framed by gently rolling mountains, you could be forgiven for letting your guard down for a moment. That is, until a military jeep comes careening down the road at 100km/h and an 8-year old Palestinian boy hangs out of the window of a car driving toward it – his face distorted and feigning terror, screaming at the top of his voice. Then you are reminded that this is Awarta, a village south of Nablus city and adjacent to the ever expanding and notoriously violent Israeli settlement of Itamar, and that the calm moments always precede a storm.

Awarta’s olive groves are located between the Palestinian village and the Israeli settlement, the latter’s caravan and watchtower outposts spread out on hilltops in every direction. A dirt path leading up to the gate in the outer perimeter settlement fence divides the land directly facing the settlement into east and west, while a tarmac road leads deeper into the groves in the south-west. All of the land is under direct threat from Israeli colonist attacks and Itamar has recently erected a second perimeter fence around its original border, thus confiscating even more fertile land and further decimating Awarta’s olive harvest.

The Palestinian villagers are now afraid of even approaching the fence to pick olives from the trees. “If we go within 50m of the fence, the settlers go mad. They will cut down more of our trees and pollute our water. This is what they always do”, says one anonymously speaking villager with land adjacent to, and on the far side of the barrier. In light of these obvious risks, the harvesters’ resolve to pick every last olive this year is especially impressive. Even if the Israeli army decide not to protect the Palestinians villagers in accordance to the Israeli High Court decision taken earlier this year, where it was stipulated that Palestinian farmers have a right to enter and work their land, with or without DCO* permission, and that the military commander in the area must defend this right. In the past, the Israeli army have often opted for declaring Palestinian land that deem likely to be target by Israeli colonists “closed military zones.” They have justified this by saying that the law is aimed to protect the Palestinian residents, but has in reality, saved them from any real confrontation with Israeli colonists, while at the same time often preventing Palestinians from farming their olives. The court ruling clearly says that this is no longer allowed and that territorial closure is subject to a number of strict preconditions.

This decision is important to many Palestinian farmers. It provides them with a legal weapon to use in fighting for their rights to their land. Apart from land in “red zones,” which are not subject to such rapid changes as “closed military zones,” and can be checked on military maps, all farmers should in theory be unhindered and protected in working their land and harvesting their olives this season. The result on the ground in Awarta has been that a large number of military vehicles carrying soldiers and police patrol the area during the day, driving back and forth and occasionally stopping in certain areas. This is truly a schizophrenic experience for many of the villagers. Accustomed to avoiding any contact with the Israeli military, they are now forced to rely on them for protection against Israeli colonists. Old habits die hard and the children still squeal “jeish” (“army” in Arabic) and move closer to their parents whenever a jeep speeds by.

As was clearly illustrated yesterday, scepticism as to the military’s motives is warranted. A family of olive pickers was chased away by Israeli soldiers while attempting to harvest on land near one of the outposts west of the dirt path. Colonists from Itamar claim that this land has been sold to them, while the Palestinian owners dismiss this as malicious lies and carry with them deeds to the 187 dunums concerned. Their work on the land having been brutally interrupted, the family has now contacted the DCO in Nablus, requesting that they act as arbitrator between the disputees and offer protection to the family during the harvest. “We are expecting a reply from them on Tuesday, but will go to harvest our olives regardless of their decision”, says one of the family’s adult sons.

It is also clear that the Israeli military has a very limited capacity and/or will to prevent colonists’ attacks on Palestinians. The day before yesterday, two armed colonists from Tel Hayim wandered down the mountain at around four o’clock in the afternoon to threaten olive pickers and force them to leave their land. The military were at that time not present in that particular area of the massive expanse of olive groves. It also seems that no measures will be taken to prevent this from happening again.

Apart from the impracticalities of military protection, it is clearly not a politically or morally viable solution. The pretense that the Israeli military forces are maintaining a presence on the land “on the people’s orders” as one police officer put it, is just that – a pretense. The situation is better summed up in the words of a hard-pressed Awarta farmer, eager to finish the work as soon as possible: “We are happy the soldiers are here because the settlers may not come then. But this is not a solution. We, the Palestinians, want peace. And peace is not having soldiers shoot at our children one day and then wishing us a good day’s olive harvest the next.”

Awarta will continue its struggle for a good harvest and international supporters are more than welcome to join in. For a practical and powerful act of solidarity, come to Palestine. Harvesting is resisting!

* DCO: District Co-ordination Office. Formerly joint Israeli Palestinian institutions for the administration of civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Palestinian Authority was kicked out at the start of the second intifada. DCOs are affectively the civil administration wing of the Israeli military.

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Beit Iba Overcomes Obstacles from the Israeli Army to Harvest Olives

Friday 27th October: Today, olive harvesting continued at Beit Iba. Villagers, including their 82-year-old grandmother and volunteers from the International Solidarity Movement and the International Women’s Peace Service, spent much of the day picking olives close to the Israeli army’s checkpoint at Beit Iba, to the Northwest of Nablus city. This site is also close to olive groves where villagers have been repeatedly driven off their land by the Israeli occupation forces in recent weeks. Today’s picking continued peacefully, and a large quantity of olives were harvested in between rain showers and lunch breaks (where international volunteers were invited to sample amazing homemade humous, cheese and bread brought by the villagers). However, harvesting could only begin once villagers had been given permission to enter their land by the Israeli occupation forces, and to do so, villagers had to climb over rolls of razor wire which were installed by the Israeli army a month ago. Children and a man with an amputated leg were among those who had to negotiate this obstacle. The Israeli occupation forces also told villagers that no vehicles could be brought close to the olive grove, thus making it difficult for the sacks of olives to be taken from the site. Despite these obstacles, and intermittent rain, villagers and volunteers persevered, and remain determined not to be denied access to their land.

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8. Olive Harvest in Tel Rumeida under Threat from Settlers

For photos see: https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/29/olive-picking-tr-settlement/

by ISM Hebron

Thursday 26th October

Our Palestinian neighbour, H, lives only 2 metres away from the Tel Rumeida settlement. On Wednesday night he came over to explain to the internationals living in Tel Rumeida the situation as they had offered to help him with an olive harvest. H has experienced continual harassment from the settlers who want to force him out and occupy his house and land. They have put razor wire across a path so that he cannot access a safer way to his home and have built their own steps down onto this land so that they can work it themselves. One of the main people responsible for this is a woman who recently moved to the Tel Rumeida settlement after having been evicted from the settlements in Gaza.

Under Israeli law, if a Palestinian does not work his land for 3 years it is forfeited to the state who are then free to dispose of it as they see fit, including giving it to settlers. This was why it was so very important that the land be accessed. Extra people from the International Solidarity Movement, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Tel Rumeida Project, Rabbis for Human Rights, International Women’s Peace Service and photographers from B’Tselem all agreed to come to Tel Rumeida to help with this potentially very dangerous operation to allow H to access this land. Picking the olives was not the main objective: the most important goal was to access the land and have proof that Palestinians have worked on it.

H has a High Court order saying that Palestinians must be allowed to access and work his land. It also says that the army and police must protect them while he does so. The army agreed to allow this to happen at 13.30.

Before this planned operation, in the late morning, one international went to the start of the track from the Palestinian man’s house which leads to his olive trees. This track has been blocked by razor wire put there by the Tel Rumeida settlers to stop him accessing his own land. After a few minutes, the international was spotted by a settler woman, who started to throw rocks down at her. The settler woman was later joined by two other settler women, who also threw rocks down at the international, some of them very large. A soldier went up to the settlers at one point but did not take action about their violence and at one point he was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with one of the settler women as she threw large rocks at the international. One of the settler women was also observed gathering rocks in a blue bucket, presumably to throw at the international later and also attacked the international with a large stick and insulted and shouted at her.

Another international then approached the track and the olive trees from the Tel Rumeida road and shouted loudly at the women to stop throwing stones at the international. A woman settler then came up to her very aggressively and told her to go away. When the international refused and told the settler that it wasn’t the settler’s land to be on, the settler demanded to see the international’s passport. The international refused to do this, and asked what the settler’s religion had to say about throwing stones at people and trying to steal their land. The settler shouted that it was the international and her religion who were responsible for the Holocaust. When challenged by the international to explain this, the settler started aggressively pushing the international down the hill away from the settlement. At one point another settler woman joined her, and both pushed and assaulted the international, at one point bending the international’s fingers back to make her let go of a wire fence she was holding onto. At this point the police arrived, but instead of attempting to restrain the attacking settler women, they removed the international down the hill, but not before a settler woman spat once in the international’s face and once in her hair. The police, and the two soldiers present, took no action about any of this.

Other internationals had filmed the stone throwing and assaults but although they showed this clear footage to the police, the police insisted that they could not take any immediate action but that the internationals would have to go to Kiryat Arba police station in order to make a complaint, a constant refrain, despite the fact that they are legally supposed to take complaints at the scene of a crime and make arrests immediately. One of the policemen said that he knew one of the settler women because she had assaulted many people in the past. However they took no action.

At 1pm the international’s gathered at H’s house. A large group from Belgium were there doing a tour of the West Bank and H was explaining to them his situation. At 1.40 H led the whole group onto the land around the razor wire. They began to pick olives and to dig the ground around the trees. One group worked at clearing the razor wire from the path and clearing away the vines so that the path was open again.

10 minutes after the Palestinians entered the land, settlers came down the staircase from the settlement. They sat or stood under the olive trees reading the Torah. Soldiers were at the top by the settlement. Three women came down, one with a baby on her hip. They began to shout, saying that this is their land. H has documents to prove Palestinian ownership of the land. When the woman was asked to produce her papers she said the Bible gave her ownership of this land. She very recently moved to Tel Rumeida having been evicted from Gaza. Soldiers came down onto the land and stood among the crowd instead of removing the settlers.

A settler then began shouting at Issa, a Palestinian man who joined the olive harvest, telling him not to work the land and the suddenly hit Issa very hard on the left cheek.

Instead of stopping the settlers’ attacks and removing them, the soldiers ordered all the internationals to leave the land. H asked the internationals to leave for a few minutes. As the internationals were leaving, a settler youth jumped from a wall to attack them. A soldier picked him up, using a Hebrew term of endearment, and moved him away.

Eventually, after a lot of arguing with the soldiers all the internationals left the land. The settlers went back up the stairs and the Palestinians returned to work on their own, the children climbing the trees and the adults picking the olives.

Ten minutes later the three settler women came back down to the land and began to shout at H and the Palestinians. They seemed very aggressive. A settler woman holding a baby attacked H’s 13 year old niece, kicking her. H then called for the internationals to come back which they did.

Again, the soldiers focused on removing the internationals, trying to get them to leave the land, but they refused unless the settlers were removed out of fear for the Palestinians’ safety. The soldiers refused to remove the settlers and the police did not get involved. The internationals all sat down in a group. The settler women were walking around and throwing water from bottles onto various people. One international woman with a video camera was drenched.

The same settler youth from the earlier attack, again jumped off the wall, this time directly onto an international cameraman who the settler began kicking and hitting profusely. After falling off the cameraman, the settler youth ran after him down the path, trying to attack him again. The settler youth was again picked up and removed by a soldier who shook the youth’s hand as he was carrying him away.

H asked all internationals to return to his house and he decided to stay off the land for a few minutes until the situation calmed down. He returned repeatedly to the land throughout the afternoon with his family and other Palestinians and they continued to work the land and pick the olives.

Although he was not able to do all the work he wanted to H was very happy at the end of the day. He has achieved his main objective of asserting his right to work the land and has video proof that this has happened. There is also video evidence of settlers trespassing and assaulting a Palestinian as he attempted to work the land. There will be a court case to charge the settler with assault and this will bring additional pressure about the ongoing theft of Palestinian land.

Friday 27th October

Nine HRWs (two from TRP, two from ISM, four from CPT, one from IWPS) – met a Palestinian at the Siyaj family’s home at 8am. By 9am the family members started to arrive with the materials to begin the olive harvest; the HRWs and a fluctuating number of Palestinians ranging from two to eight including children and young men, began harvesting olives from the two trees closest to the home but furthest from the settlement and military outpost. The first few hours were peaceful and productive: some people helped knock olives out of the tree with sticks and others gathered the olives from the catch-blankets below. The trees seemed to have an endless amount of olives which were piled in large woven plastic bags. At approximately 10am, just as soon as some Siyaj family members offered everyone tea and Eid cakes and people began to relax from their work, a stone was thrown by a young male settler (age 18-25). He lingered on the side of the house closest to the settlement until multiple HRWs turned on their video cameras and four or five soldiers arrived, at which point he retreated to the settlement. Paying no attention to the settler, the soldiers walked straight towards the Palestinian men near the olive trees; HRWs followed with cameras. A Palestinian presented “The Right to Access Agricultural Lands” document to the soldiers, who agreed to speak with a Palestinian once the HRWs turned off their video cameras. After reading the document they said we could continue harvesting as we were, as long as we did not film, so the harvesting proceeded. The soldiers stayed nearby and were soon joined by a few police who did not approach the harvesting group.

At approximately 11:30am another HRW arrived and was directed to help the Abu Heikel family with their harvest. Not long after the HRW left for the Au Heikel home, several soldiers left the area and moved towards the home; one HRW followed. At the house, the soldiers initially told the family they would have to stop harvesting as they were in a closed military zone. Soldiers were shown the order of the Israeli High Court guaranteeing Palestinians access to their land and requiring the army to protect this right, but still attempted to stop the harvesting. HRWs made phone called to the Israeli DCO (District Co-ordination Office), and some moments later further soldiers arrived and spoke to their colleagues, after which time the family were able to continue harvesting for the rest of the day, with HRWs, soldiers and at times Police and Border Police present. There were no incidents involving settlers.

At the Siyaj home, the harvesting continued smoothly until the group completed the harvesting of the first two trees and moved to the side of the house closer to the settlement to begin harvesting two more trees. Again, the harvesting began peacefully and productively – people were enjoying the work and there was much laughter. Sometime around 1:30pm another settler threw a stone: this time it was a boy (age 10-13) who threw the stone from the settlement yard and was captured on film (see attached photographs A and B). The HRW who photographed the boy was in the tree harvesting olives so he shouted to the special police as two other HRWs grabbed their video cameras. The special police and local police slowly came to where the HRW stood with two Palestinian men who were reviewing the photographs. The police recognized Baruch Marzel and the boy from the photograph and went to the settlement, presumably to speak to them, but the results of are unknown.

Two special police men stayed at the house and observed from the porch as the group continued to harvest olives. Abu Siyaj brought pita bread with cheese to all the people harvesting olives, which now consisted of four HRWs and six to eight Palestinians, mostly children and teenagers. The harvesting continued uninterrupted until just before 4pm, as we began to pack up the catch-blankets, when the HRWs in the trees noticed the settler children in their yard with a bucket which had been used the day before to hold stones for throwing. The HRWs drew this to the attention of the police on the porch, who then stepped off the porch onto the stairs where they were visible to the children who seemed to change their posture slightly once they saw them. A man joined the children and after standing around for five minutes or so, walked back towards the home with the children at hand. The children remained outside, waving and staring at the HRWs in the trees, and began climbing a tree. After 10 minutes are so, three settler boys came down the path and picked olives from a Siyaj family tree while the police stood nearby, doing nothing in response to their actions. The HRWs remained in the trees with cameras on and photographed as the family finished packing up to leave. Everyone departed without problems.

Saturday 28th October

Today was rainy and cold and perhaps less active because of it. When the two international arrived on Shuhada street the Police jeep was at checkpoint 56 and police were asking young Palestinian men for identification after they came through the checkpoint. They briefly stopped four men before driving away shortly after noon. At 3 pm a young male settler (age 14 – 18) walked by two HRWs and attempted to spit at them, but spit on himself instead. A few minutes later a young Palestinian boy (age 5-9) who we see often on Shuhada street walked by alone, holding a plastic bag. He was much less cheerful than usual, and did not stop when the HRW said hello. He walked on with a very serious look on his face, and the HRWs walked slowly behind as he walked towards the Qurtuba School steps. When he came close to the stairs, he picked up his pace and ran around the corner before the HRWs made it to the corner, and before they did, the boy ran back onto the street chased by five to seven settler boys. The HRWs went towards the settlers with a camera and the soldier walked from his post into the street. The settlers just lingered and made faces until walking back towards the settlement. The HRWs asked the boy if he wanted them to walk with him – he looked very frustrated and said no, even when asked by TIPH – he explained that he wanted to walk around the long way. Later, the HRWs saw him without the bag; hopefully he delivered it successfully.

At 3:30pm two young settler women (ages 14-18) had a verbal confrontation with an older Palestinian woman. The HRWs ran towards them shouting at the soldier and the soldier walked to them just as the settlers left the woman alone. At 4:45 two young settler men and a Palestinian man began a verbal confrontation that looked as though it could become physical but a soldier from checkpoint 56 walked to them and broke it up. The settlers and the Palestinian walked away, both still saying things loudly to each other. The same soldier then proceeded to make the checkpoint more pleasant by throwing stones into the puddle and then placing cardboard on top so the Palestinians would not have to walk in the mud. The HRWs said thank you as they left the street and headed home.

The Al Azzeh family suffered further deprivation today. Probably during the night, their water pipes were smashed where they pass, on the road, by the Tel Rumeida. This is the fifth time that the pipes have been cut, within the last 2 months. In this time no one has been arrested for this offence. This has occurred even though the Israeli command has cameras covering the area. Israeli soldiers constantly restrict Palestinian and International movement in the locality of the Tel Rumeida settlement. They justify this because of the proximity of the military base. In spite of this, the DCO claim that a cut water pipe, in a location to which Palestinians and Internationals do not have access, is not their responsibility. Cut razor wire on Palestinian land is however! As happened yesterday, the wire must be replaced by bare handed Palestinians under threat of arrest! Israeli settlers or soldiers, who destroy part of the water pipe, are allowed freedom do repeat their offense time and time again.

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Bil’in Cameraman Still in Detention

1. Support Palestinian Non-violent resistance – Help release Bil’in youth.
2. Bil’in Cameraman Still in Detention
3. Journalists Join with Villagers of Bil’in in Solidarity With Emad Bornat
4. Nablus Villagers Face Impediments to Olive Harvest from Israeli Soldiers
5. Thirty Days in the Nablus Region
6. “My Name is Rachel Corrie” Opens in New York
7. Tel Rumeida Diary: The Israeli Idea of “Quiet”
8. Israeli Colonists Steal Palestinian olives in Tel Rumeida
9. Two Reports From Qalandiya Checkpoint
10. Soldiers Disrupt Medical Work in Tubas

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1. Support Palestinian Non-violent resistance – Help release Bil’in youth.

October 21st: Leith Yassin (19), a university student, and Mohammed Barakat (17), still in high-school, were arrested two months ago for cutting the annexation barrier that separates their village from more than 50% of its farmland. Both of the boys’ family lands have been lost behind the barrier, their olive trees uprooted and their land earmarked for the expansion of the Israeli settlement of Modi’in Illit.

In 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ruled that the barrier built by Israel on occupied Palestinian land is illegal under international law and should be dismantled. While Palestinian land continues to be annexed and Palestinian freedom of movement and worship continues to be denied, the international community is unfortunately doing nothing to act in response to the ICJ ruling. As a result, Palestinian youth like Leith and Mohammed, all over the West Bank, have taken implementing justice and international law into their own hands.

On Thursday 19th October an Israeli military judge sentenced Leith and Mohammed to six months and five months, respectively, in Israeli prison in addition to the two months that they have already spent in detention. After their release, Mohammed and Leith will be subject to a three-year probationary period during which they could be incarcerated for another ten months for this offense. The military court offered the families of the two youth the option of paying 1,500 shekels (~$350) for every month that their sons have been sentenced, requiring a sum of 9,000 shekels (~$2,100) for Leith and 7,500 shekels (~$1,750) for Mohammed.

1,500 shekels is the equivalent of one month’s salary for the providers of these families. Leith’s father, a school teacher, and Mohammed’s father, a muezzin (who announces the prayers at the mosque) have not received a salary from the Palestinian Authority in the past eight months due to the economic siege on the Palestinian people since the Palestinian elections. As a result, the two families, impoverished like the majority of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories, have no way of releasing their sons, who clearly are not a security threat given the judge’s willingness to accept $4,000 for their release. The humiliation and helplessness of not being able to free their children is another tool of the Occupation to weaken the fiber that holds together Palestinian society and to force the Palestinians into submission.

This week Bil’in families will be celebrating the feast of Al-Adha, the most important Muslim Holiday and a time for families to be together.

Please help free Leith and Mohammed to spend the holiday with their loved ones and show Palestinians that they are not alone in their struggle for justice!

Please give generously to the ISM legal fund to:
Checks of any amount may be made out to “ISM-USA” and sent to:
ISM-USA
PO Box 5073
Berkeley, CA 94705
If you wish to make a tax-deductible donation, please make your checks of $50 or more payable to ISM-USA’s fiscal sponsor: A.J. Muste Memorial Institute, (with “ISM-USA” on the memo line of the check), and send to the same address above.

You may also use your credit or debit card to pay via our PayPal account at www.palsolidarity.org. Donations sent through PayPal are not tax-deductible.

For Israelis contact: Sara Assouline 0523-899386

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2. Bil’in Cameraman Still in Detention

See ISM website for photos:
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/19/emad-19-10-06/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 19th: Bil’in cameraman Emad Bornat remains in detention despite a military judge’s decision to release him today. The judge agreed to release Emad on 15,000 NIS ($3,500) bail and under house arrest to a neighbouring village to Bil’in. The judge, however, also gave the Israeli military until Sunday to appeal the decision. This is now the second time a military judge has decided to release the Reuters cameraman but given the army the chance to appeal. Emad was seized after a demonstration on October 6th and has been charged with throwing stones and assaulting a police officer, although he was filming at the time.

Whilst in the border police van Emad sustained severe head injuries needing hospital treatment and stitches. A judge ordered an investigation into the origin of these injuries, finding inadequate the border police’s explanation that communication equipment fell on him.

The villagers of Bil’in and supporters will be demonstrating in solidarity with Emad tomorrow. The demonstration will begin at the village mosque after prayers around 12 midday, and will march to the site of the wall, which has stolen over 50% of Bil’in’s agricultural land.

For more information:

Mohammed Khatib, Bil’in Anti-wall Popular Committee: 054 557 3285
Attorney Gaby Laski: 054 441 8988
Israeli video-journalist Shai Polack: 054 533 3364
ISM Media office: 02 297 1824

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3. Journalists Join with Villagers of Bil’in in Solidarity With Emad Bornat

See ISM website for photos:
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/13/bilin-emad/

by Ash, October 13th

Palestinians along with international and Israeli peace activists gathered this morning along with cameramen from different press agencies in solidarity with Emad Bornat.

Emad Mohammad Bornat of the village of Bil’in, video photographer for Reuters and documentary film maker, was arrested on Friday October 6th, 2006 by an Israeli Border Police unit that entered the village, firing rubber bullets and sound grenades.

Holding a banner “Soldiers, Stop Your Lies!”, demonstrators marched towards the gate in the apartheid fence built on the land of Bilin where border police and soldiers were standing in a line. A group of Israeli soldiers were noticed hiding in an olive grove on the outskirts of the village.

Cameramen were marching at the front of the crowd to show their solidarity with Emad. Demonstrators chanted slogans in Arabic, English and Hebrew. One Palestinian activist from the village was detained and dragged away by border police and beaten. The Israeli soldiers didn’t listen to protesters demanding his release. A few minutes later, he managed to escape and run away. One Israeli activist was arrested in the process of de-arresting another activist but was later released.

The army followed the demonstration to the village firing sound bombs and tear gas causing damage to some Palestinian properties. A villager and a 14 year-old boy were shot with rubber bullets.

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4. Nablus Villagers Face Impediments to Olive Harvest from Israeli Soldiers

See ISM website for photos:
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/18/qusin-soldiers/

by ISM Nablus, 18th October

Qusin is a small picturesque village located in the green rolling hills just west of Nablus city and adjacent to the Israeli colony of Qedumim. Since the height of the Al-Aqsa intifada, the village has been spared overtly violent military incursions, but there are many other problems that prevent the villagers from going about their daily lives as normal.

About three months ago, a several kilometer long coil of razor-wire was put up by the Israeli military in order to prevent university students and workers from the village from reaching Nablus without being forced to suffer an arduous wait at Beit Iba checkpoint. Many of these people, especially the young men, are subjected to daily internment in a special holding-pen at the checkpoint. Claiming to be “checking” their IDs, Israeli soldiers hold them prisoner there for hours every day, sometimes confiscating their mobile phones and refusing them access to water and bathroom facilities. The same people are made to wait day after day even though the soldiers manning the checkpoint know their names and faces very well by now. If they attempt to go around the checkpoint, their taxi drivers are invariably stopped and made to wait for at least two hours as a punishment. In some cases, the military even confiscate or vandalise the cars.

The village council has requested that international solidarity workers accompany farmers to their land during the olive harvest, due to harassment from Israeli military forces. Two days ago, a couple of families with land on the far side of an Israeli bypass road and about 200 meters from Qedumim colony started harvesting their olives. As the electronic school bell rang out from the Israeli colony and the usually unmistakably positive but now so unsettling sound of children playing subsided, landowner Abu Ramsi explained the problems facing the village: “We are not afraid of the settlers. They are good people. But the soldiers always come to chase us off and prevent us from picking our olives.” Soldiers also prevent Palestinians from crossing the Israeli bypass road with their tractors, essential for transporting equipment and the harvested fruit.

The past two days have passed without incident. Military vehicles circled the area and at times stopped to watch the work from afar but did not interfere. Today, Israeli border police were driving back and forth on the settler-military only road for a while, before deciding to stop and assess the situation. One of them swung the jeep door open and looked ready to step out, when he caught sight of international solidarity workers armed with cameras and legal papers. Accompanied by peals of laughter from women of the village, he thought better of it mid-step, closed the door and drove away.

Every last olive on the far side of the bypass road has now been picked and the families continue picking on the near side to the village, where the risks are not so great. Inspired by last weekend’s generous downpour of rain, the slopes of Qusin are dotted with harvesters in colourful dresses and kerchiefs. Olives, chubby and sleek, fall onto tarpaulins and into buckets and pockets – a bumper harvest representing the coming year’s livelihood for thousands of Palestinian farmers all over the West Bank.

This year’s harvest will be far larger than last year’s, in accordance with how olive growth normally fluctuates (every two years there is a large harvest). In dire times like these, with the European boycott strangling what was left of the Palestinian economy, a full harvest is especially important. The importance of the olive harvest this year explains why farmers are expecting unusually high levels of violence, theft and other forms of sabotage from Israeli settlers and soldiers. In light of these circumstances, it is vital that as many international solidarity workers as possible make their way to Palestine to accompany farmers to their land, bear witness to the oppression facing them and make sure that every last olive is picked.

Remember, harvesting is resisting!

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5. Thirty Days in the Nablus Region

by ISM Nablus, October 19, 2006

The Nablus region, with its three refugee camps, many villages, Old City and sprawling city center has been a scene of consistent Israeli violence. Such violence has accelerated since the beginning of the Palestinian Intifada in September 2000. Nablus has become synonymous with nightly invasions, targeted assassinations, home demolitions and other acts of violence by the occupation forces.

This report combines the reporting of eight Palestinian and Israeli news sources to document the violence perpetuated by the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) in the Nablus region. The various news sources were used to generate an accurate and complete report, and the factual differences in reporting were taken into account and investigated. Sometimes it was not possible to locate arrestees names, or places of birth, though this information was recorded whenever available.

The invasions of villages of the Nablus region were noted, though the invasions of the refugee camps and city were not because of the regularity. Nablus Old City, Balata Refugee Camp, Askar Refugee Camp and Ein Beit el Ma Refugee Camp (known simply as Ein) are invaded nearly every night. The Old City as well as Askar and Balata Refugee Camps have rarely gone 24 hours without the presence of IOF soldiers firing at citizens. Because of the regularity of these invasions, and the presumption that they are occurring each and every day, invasions are only noted when they involve significant property destruction, arrests, injuries or deaths.

In thirty days in the Nablus region:

* 6 Palestinians were killed by Israeli military personal.
* At least 18 Palestinians were injured by IOF attacks.
* At least 63 Palestinians were arrested.

Below you will find a day by day account of incidents of arrests, injuries, killings, village invasions and other such incidents of occupation violence. See also the previous ISM Nablus report “Three days in Nablus: Four Killed, Six Injured, Eight Arrested“:
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/12/3-days-nablus/

September

Tuesday 19th

IOF stormed Askar refugee camp, invaded houses in Nablus city, and invaded homes in Osarin village, southeast of Nablus city. In total, seven people were arrested:

* Rashad Yassein, 16, from Askar camp
* Fadi Abu Koshik, 18, from Askar camp
* Bara’a Abu Ja’far, 21, from Nablus city
* Amin Qdili, 20, from Osarin village
* Turki Adili, 20, from Osarin village
* Salim Azimah, 19, from Osarin village
* Haitham Adili, 20, from Osarin village

Wednesday 20th

IOF invaded Beit Furik village, east of Nablus city, and arrested Firas Mlitat, 26. Later that day, another unnamed Palestinian male was arrested at Jit checkpoint.

Thursday 21st

During an incursion into Nablus city nine Palestinians were arrested:

* Ferass Militat, 30
* Nafeth Ahmad Al Faqeeh, 23, from the Hebron region
* Mohammed Ahmad Al Faqeeh, 21, from the Hebron region
* Yousef Ahmad Ayed Al Faqeeh, 20, from the Hebron region
* Nassem Al Khzari, 32
* One unnamed woman from Balata Refugee Camp
* Two unnamed resistance fighters, from Nablus city

Sunday 24th

IOF fired at a Palestinians taxi approaching Nablus from Ramallah, injuring four people:

* Ali Mohammed Al-Aqra, from Qabalan village, suffered a head injury
* Maged Snuber, 33, from Qabalan village, was shot in the left hand
* Jamil Abdur-Rahman, from Qabalan village, was wounded in the hand and back
* Mohammed Al-Aqra, from Qabalan village, shot in the back and suffered hand injuries

Tuesday 26th

IOF invaded Nablus Old City and shot Amjad Anabtawi, 22, from Nablus Old City. Anabtawi was shot in the chest and critically injured.

Wednesday 27th

IOF invaded Balata Refugee Camp, and injured three unnamed Palestinian males. Soldiers attacked the Qattaui building, arresting three people:

* Ala’ Shary’ah, 21
* Jihad Yusef Shamah Dukan, 17
* Abdullah Khaled Mahmod Qatari, 17

Three unnamed Palestinian males from Nablus Old City were also arrested that night.

Thursday 28th

IOF invaded Rujeib village, south of Nablus, and Assira Al-Shamalila village, north of Nablus. Homes were invaded and searched and private property was destroyed.

IOF invaded Balata refugee camp, and destroyed a number of shops with an armored Caterpillar D9 bulldozer. Two Palestinians were arrested:

* Du’a Hussin, 20 (female)
* One unnamed Palestinian male.

Friday 29th

IOF invaded Ein and Balata Refugee Camps, as well as Nablus Old City, searching shops and destroying private property.
October

Sunday 1st

IOF closed the line for senior citizens at Huwwara checkpoint, south of Nablus city center. Palestinian demonstrators threw stones in protest, and were shot with tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets.

Wednesday 4th

Nablus city and Balata Refugee Camp were invaded in the night and two Palestinian males were arrested:

* Muhammad Abu Halimah, 17, from Nablus city
* Ammar Hassanain, 26, from Nablus city.
* Nasir Hasan Mansur, 40, from Kafr Qallil village, south of Nablus, was shot in his foot by IOF soldiers stationed at Beit Ur checkpoint, while he was sitting in front of his house.

Thursday 5th

One unnamed Palestinian male arrested in southern Nablus city.

Friday 6th

Six unnamed Palestinian males arrested in Nablus city.

Saturday 7th

IOF invaded Askar Refugee Camp. Two unnamed Palestinian males arrested:

* One unnamed man arrested south of Nablus city center.
* One unnamed man arrested in Salim village, east of Nablus.

IOF, stationed near the Apartheid wall, shot Farid Tu’amah in his abdomen, and left him bleeding for 20 minutes while the ambulance was banned from reaching the scene of the shooting.

Sunday 8th

IOF invaded Balata Refugee Camp and killed one Palestinian male:

* Usama Saleh, 23, known locally as “Skipper,” shot twice in the chest.
* Four additional unnamed Palestinian males were injured during the invasion.

Mohammed El-Haj Tirawi, 23, from Balata Camp shot dead while attempting to pass Huwwara checkpoint, south of Nablus city center, via a bypass road. The checkpoint was closed because of the Jewish holiday. During the attack by IOF soldiers, Ahmed Hazzaa Ramadan, 21, from Til village was shot in the shoulder and injured.

IOF arrested three unnamed Palestinian males from Nablus city.

Monday 9th

IOF invaded Nablus city, targeting a number of houses in Jabal Al- Shamali, and Wad Al-Toffah areas. Three unnamed Palestinian males were arrested.

Wednesday 11th

IOF raided Nablus Old City, as well as Ein, Balata and Askar Refugee Camps. Armored Caterpillar D9 bulldozers destroyed water pumps and pipes, and also causing damage to the central market in Askar Camp.

During the invasion into Ein Camp, one man was shot and killed: Abdullah Mansour, 29, from Jericho city, was shot and killed while looking out the window of a relative’s house.

Five Palestinian males were arrested in Nablus Old City and Balata Refugee Camp:

* Fadi Ziad Galiz, 18, from Nablus Old City
* Mohammad Ziad Galiz, 25, from Nablus Old City
* Azmi Tawfiq Al Serafi, 20, from Balata Refugee Camp
* Abu Rish, 20, from Balata Refugee Camp
* Hussam, 20, from Balata Refugee Camp

Two unnamed Palestinian males were arrested near Huwwara checkpoint, south of Nablus city center, during the night.

IOF established additional closure barriers at Yitzhar checkpoint, south of Nablus, forcing Palestinians to use bypass roads.

Thursday 12th

IOF at Huwwara checkpoint, south of Nablus city center, shot and killed Mohammed Waleed Mustafa Sa’ada, 20, from Til village, as he approached soldiers searching a taxi.

Two unnamed Palestinian males were arrested, one from Nablus city and one from Ein Refugee Camp.

Friday 13th

IOF raided Beit Furik village, east of Nablus. Military vehicles entered the village, imposing curfew.

All men under the age of 45 were denied passage through Huwwara checkpoint, south of Nablus city center. One unnamed Palestinian male was beaten and thereafter arrested.

Sunday 15th

A number of Palestinians were arrested under suspicion of possessing a pistol or knife in their car.

Mohamed Rabai’a, 28, from Nablus city was arrested under unclear circumstances, while his brother was detained for over one hour.

Monday 16th

IOF invaded Nablus city and Balata Refugee Camp and arrested three Palestinian males:

* Motaz Affouri, 23, from Nablus city
* Iyad Tirawi, 22, from Balata Refugee Camp.
* An unnamed Palestinian male from Nablus city.

Tuesday 17th

Two Palestinian brothers killed in Ein Refugee Camp, west of Nablus, by IOF Special Forces:

* Adel Abu Al-Rish, 24, shot with ten bullets in chest and head.
* Firas Al-Rish, 22

Several people were also injured. Soon after the assassination IOF reinforcements carried out a full invasion of the camp.

Wednesday 18th

IOF invaded Beit Iba village, north of Nablus, and Nablus Old City arresting five Palestinian males:

* Khalid Ismael Ramadan, from Beit Iba village (brother of Mohammed)
* Mohammed Ismael Ramadan, from Beit Iba village (brother of Khalid)
* Fuad Safwan, 25, from Nablus city
* Ihaab Mahmad As’ad Karhash, 22, from Taluza village
* Ahassan Ali Hussein Vah, 25, from Nablus city

Sources

* Ma’an News Agency (Palestinian news source, online)
* WAFA News Agency (Palestinian news source, online)
* Independent Middle East Media Center (Palestinian-Israeli news source, online)
* Al-Jazeera News (Arab news network, online)
* Ha’aretz (Israeli newspaper, online)
* Jerusalem Post (Israeli newspaper, online)
* Ynet News (Israeli newspaper, online)
* Israeli Defense Force (military press statements, online)

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6. “My Name is Rachel Corrie” Opens in New York

http://www.mynameisrachelcorrie.com/

October 20th: The play “My Name is Rachel Corrie” recently opened in New York. Below is transcript to an interview with Rachel’s father and sister about the play that was recently broadcast on Democracy Now!. There are also links that let you listen to or view the interview. After the transcript are links to several reviews of the play from various news sources (only a small selection of many). Finally, remember that Rachel’s Words recently came up with an excellent factsheet about her death that we republished on our site:
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/15/rachel-corrie-play/

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“My Name is Rachel Corrie” Opens in New York
Visit the DN! site to listen to the show:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/18/1437210

“My Name is Rachel Corrie” – a play based on the life of the late US peace activist who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer – was scheduled to open last March at the New York Theatre Workshop. But six weeks before opening night, the theater announced it was indefinitely postponing the production. The move that was widely criticized as an act of censorship. On Sunday, the play finally opened at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York. We play exclusive excerpts of the play, and speak with Rachel Corrie’s father, Craig; her sister, Sarah; and the play’s co-editor, Katharine Viner. [includes rush transcript] Rachel Corrie was killed in Gaza three years ago when she stood in front of an Israeli bulldozer set to demolish a Palestinian home. The play is based on Corrie”s writings before her death.

“My Name is Rachel Corrie” was scheduled to open last March at the New York Theatre Workshop. But six weeks before opening night, the theater announced it was indefinitely postponing production of the play. They cited the current political climate as the reason for the cancelation, pointing to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon”s coma and the election of Hamas.

The move was widely criticized by artists and activists all over the world. At the time, we had a debate on Democracy Now and I read a letter written by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter to the artistic director of the New York Theatre Workshop James Nicola and the theater”s managing director, Lynn Moffat. The co-editor of the play, Katherine Viner, joined us from London.

* Katharine Viner. Co-editor of the play My Name is Rachel Corrie. She is also an editor at the London newspaper The Guardian.

* Craig Corrie. Rachel Corrie’s father.

* Sarah Corrie. Rachel Corrie’s older sister.

* Excerpts from “My Name is Rachel Corrie.”

* Excerpt of the documentary, “Rachel Corrie: An American Conscience.” It was directed by Yahya Barakat.

TRANSCRIPT

AMY GOODMAN: This past Sunday, the play, My Name is Rachel Corrie, finally opened in the United States, here in New York at the Minetta Lane Theatre.

MEGAN DODDS, as RACHEL CORRIE: This realization that I will live my life in a world where I have privileges. I can’t cool boiling waters in Russia. I can’t be Picasso. I can’t be Jesus. I can’t save the planet single-handedly.

AMY GOODMAN: Rachel Corrie was killed in Gaza on March 16, 2003, nearly three years ago, when she stood in front of an Israeli bulldozer set to demolish a Palestinian home. The play is based on Rachel Corrie’s writings before her death. My Name is Rachel Corrie was scheduled to open last March at the New York Theatre Workshop, but six weeks before opening night the theater announced it was indefinitely postponing production of the play. They cited the current political climate as the reason for the cancellation, pointing to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s coma and the election of Hamas. The move was widely criticized by artists and activists around the world.

At the time, we had an exclusive debate on Democracy Now!, and I read a letter written by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter to the artistic director of the New York Theatre Workshop, James Nicola, and the theater’s managing director, Lynn Moffat. The co-editor of the play, Katharine Viner, joined us on the line from London.

AMY GOODMAN: There’s a letter today in The New York Times. It’s written by Harold Pinter, who is the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, Gillian Slovo, Stephen Fry, and it’s dated March 20. The letter was signed by 18 others, and it says, “We are Jewish writers who supported the Royal Court production of My Name Is Rachel Corrie. We are dismayed by the decision of the New York Theatre Workshop to cancel or postpone the play’s production. We believe that this is an important play, particularly, perhaps, for an American audience that too rarely has an opportunity to see and judge for itself the material it contends with.

“In London it played to sell-out houses. Critics praised it. Audiences found it intensely moving. So what is it about Rachel Corrie’s writings, her thoughts, her feelings, her confusions, her idealism, her courage, her search for meaning in life — what is it that New York audiences must be protected from?”

The letter goes on to say, “The various reasons given by the workshop — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s coma, the election of Hamas, the circumstances of Rachel Corrie’s death, the ‘symbolism’ of her tale — make no sense in the context of this play and the crucial issues it raises about Israeli military activity in the Occupied Territories.”

And the final line of the letter says, “Rachel Corrie gave her life standing up against injustice. A theater with such a fine history should have had the courage to give New York theatergoers the chance to experience her story for themselves.” Signed Gillian Slovo, Harold Pinter, Stephen Fry, London, March 20, 2006. Harold Pinter this year won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Our guests, Lynn Moffat is managing director of the New York Theatre Workshop, in our studio with Jim Nicola, artistic director; and in the London studio, Katharine Viner, co-editor and co-producer of My Name is Rachel Corrie. Lynn Moffat, your response to the letter?

LYNN MOFFAT: To the letter? It’s a beautiful letter. It actually addresses the issues that we were concerned about. We believe in Rachel’s voice, as they believe in Rachel’s voice. We want it heard by a New York audience, but we want the voice heard by the New York audience, not the ancillary events that can pollute that voice. So that is the purpose of the methodology that New York Theatre Workshop employs when it uses — when it develops context for a play. I know “context” has become a much maligned word in the last few weeks, but that is what we do, because ultimately the purpose of the workshop in producing art is to foster community dialogue, and to do that requires a lot of work just beyond the play that is seen on stage.

AMY GOODMAN: But now, you did agree to produce the play, and it was going to have its opening night tonight?

LYNN MOFFAT: And we still want to produce the play.

JAMES NICOLA: Yep.

LYNN MOFFAT: We still want to produce the play, and the word “indefinite,” we don’t know where that word came from. We really — and we never canceled the play. We were having a conversation with our colleagues at the Royal Court about the difficulties that we were having, not only just with the research that we were doing about the project and about the play, but also about, you know, contracts and budgets and fundraising, and all that sort of stuff.

JAMES NICOLA: Visas.

LYNN MOFFAT: Visas. We were having a conversation with them, and then Katharine’s letter appeared in the Guardian.

AMY GOODMAN: Katharine Viner, your response.

KATHARINE VINER: Yeah. I mean, I’m actually not a co-producer of the play. I was just the co-editor, so — but as I understand it, we had everything set. Our tickets — our flight tickets were booked. I was due to fly out yesterday to New York. The production schedule was finalized. Both sides of the Atlantic had agreed on a press release that was going to go out to the press, announcing the production of My Name is Rachel Corrie, and then the Royal Court, as I was told, received a telephone call saying that the play was to be postponed indefinitely. That’s where the phrase came from.

AMY GOODMAN: Katharine Viner, speaking on Democracy Now! in March. She joins us now in our firehouse studio. She is the co-editor of My Name is Rachel Corrie, also an editor at the London newspaper, The Guardian, also joined by Rachel’s father and sister, Craig and Sarah. We welcome you all to Democracy Now! As you watch that, Katharine Viner, you were speaking to us from London, had planned to be in New York at the time, and yet, here you are, and the play is being shown now at the Minetta Lane Theatre. What happened?

KATHARINE VINER: Well, we’re so delighted that it’s finally on — the play is finally on in New York. We always said that it’s an American play. Rachel was always just wholly American and should be heard here, and I think it just shows that the whole controversy was needless. The play has been very well received. Ticket sales are sort of through the roof. Word of mouth is fantastic, and it just shows that New York wanted to see this play all along.

AMY GOODMAN: Sarah, you’re a key part of this play. You are [Rachel]’s older sister, and you’re the person who started this process of collating your sister’s emails. Can you talk about that process?

SARAH CORRIE: Yes, actually we received an email from the Royal Court Theatre shortly after Rachel was killed, asking if they could do some sort of a work based off of Rachel’s emails. And at the time it was just too emotional for us to be going through Rachel’s writing. We knew there was a vast amount of material there, but it also felt very important to us. Rachel was a writer. She had always wanted to be published. I think it was one of the dreams that she had, and so I felt like it was something that I could give back to my sister in order to sort of allow that part of her life to still move forward.

So it was approximately a year after we first got the email from the Royal Court Theatre that I sat down and was able to sit down with Rachel’s journals. She was — in the play, she describes herself as a very messy girl, so these journals were in tubs, they were in closets, they were in places all over the house.

AMY GOODMAN: You live in and she grew up in Olympia, Washington?

SARAH CORRIE: In Olympia, Washington, and we actually both lived together. She had moved back into the house that we grew up in, with my husband and I, and lived together for the last four months before she went over to Rafah, so she was living in the home with my husband and I at that time. So I was able to sit down with those journals. I’d take an evening to just look at the journals, read them, gain sort of the emotional need that I had for myself to understand the context, and then the next day, I sat down with a glass of wine next to me and just typed them out without trying to edit anything, sort of like a secretary would, just to get the words down on paper, and that is what became the text that we then sent to the Royal Court for editing at that time.

AMY GOODMAN: I watched the play last night at the Minetta Lane Theatre, and afterwards you all spoke. You talked to the audience and answered questions. And one of the key parts of this play is the list that Rachel makes. Can you talk about the process of going through these and deciding whether on earth the Royal Court Theatre would be interested in Rachel’s lists, like when she’s going to do her laundry?

SARAH CORRIE: Yes. Rachel throughout all her writing had these sort of what most people would look at, say these are odd little lists, but interesting in a way, and I’d see this things within her writing and look at them and say, “Well, what possibly could somebody do with these?” But at the same time, they struck my interest. I don’t consider myself a writer. I don’t consider myself someone that would be good at creating a piece of theater, and I told myself, I don’t have the right to edit that out. They were interesting to me, and so I ended up just typing them up along with everything else, putting them in, and then that became sort of the piece that wove the different aspects of the play together.

AMY GOODMAN: Katharine Viner, you are careful to say you’re not the playwright here, but that you co-edited Rachel’s letters. What about these lists? Can you talk about them, and for people who don’t understand what we mean by lists? What’s on these lists?

KATHARINE VINER: Well, some of the lists are sort of “five people I wish I’d met who are dead,” or “five people to hang out with in eternity,” and that was very entertaining. Some lists are quite sort of functional, but actually convey something very revealing. So there may be a list about tasks to do in Gaza, which sort of showed you what life is like under occupation, just from a list. And it was interesting when we were editing the play, how they worked dramatically, these lists, because it became a kind of recurring motif for, somehow, something you knew about Rachel, that she loved making these lists, and you could chart her sort of psychological progress through these lists and how they developed while she was there. They also worked really well on stage, I think, and the audience gets very involved in them.

AMY GOODMAN: So, the people she wanted to see who are dead. Jesus?

KATHARINE VINER: Jesus, E.E. Cummings, Gertrude Stein, Martin Luther King, Josephine — a selection of those anyway, wasn’t it?

AMY GOODMAN: Well, this is an excerpt from My Name is Rachel Corrie. In this scene, Rachel sits down and reads an email from her father.

MEGAN DODDS, as RACHEL CORRIE: Rachel, I find writing to you hard, but not thinking about you impossible, so I don’t write, but I do bore my friends at lunch, giving vent to my fear. I am afraid for you, and I think I have reason to be, but I am also proud of you, very proud. But as Don Remfert says, I’d just as soon be proud of somebody else’s daughter.

AMY GOODMAN: An excerpt of the play, My Name is Rachel Corrie. Craig, as you listen to that, your daughter, Rachel, reading your letter. Do you remember writing that email?

CRAIG CORRIE: Oh, yes. Chills are going down me right now. I had such a hard time. That’s the only email I wrote to Rachel while she was in Rafah. I’m a Vietnam vet, and when I was in Vietnam, of course, Cindy and I, my wife and I, were corresponding by mail, and that was easy for me, but I think it was hard for her. And I was learning from Rachel being over there that it was hard, because I didn’t know how she was. We were talking by telephone, and so when she was on the telephone I knew that she was okay for that period of time, but I was so worried about Rachel after she got over there.

When she started reporting about what she saw, the bullet holes next to the windows and stuff, I became extremely frightened for her, because I recognized, this is a military that’s out of control, and I know how much effort I spent in Vietnam to keep the people around me in control and understanding that the other people there are human beings, and I didn’t see anything about what Rachel was reporting that indicated that, so I became frightened that somebody would just needlessly harm her or the people that she was with.

And so, I finally got the nerve to write this email to her, and so it always chokes me up, because I had not envisioned her reading this email until I saw Megan doing it on the play, and then it’s — her reply is the last thing that we ever heard from Rachel, and so her reply in an email back to me, that’s our last contact with Rachel.

AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to go now to another clip, to Rachel Corrie in her own words. This is actually not from the play. This is an excerpt of the documentary, Rachel Corrie: An American Conscience, which was directed by Yahya Barakat. It includes excerpts of Rachel speaking in Gaza about the plight of the Palestinian people.

RACHEL CORRIE: Sometimes it takes awhile for it to set in what is happening here, because I think many of the people here, they try to maintain what they can of their lives, and I think — I don’t know — maybe it has to do with protecting their children, that they try to be happy, joke with their children. So sometimes it takes time to — it’s hard to hold in your mind, you know, the complete reality of what’s happening here. Sometimes I’m sitting down to dinner with people, and I just realize that there is a massive military machine surrounding them and trying to kill these people that I’m having dinner with, these families that I’m sitting down to eat with and who are being very generous and kind to me, and their children here, who are incredibly threatened, living lives that no child ever should have to live. And so, I feel a lot of horror. Really, I feel a lot of horror about the situation.

AMY GOODMAN: Rachel Corrie being interviewed in Gaza. Craig, when was this?

CRAIG CORRIE: That was two days before Rachel was killed, and I’d just like to take people’s attention to the scene behind Rachel. That used to be a neighborhood. She was on Abu Jamil’s house. Abu Jamil no longer has a house, and, of course, Rachel is no longer alive. But that’s the destruction that’s going on and was going on in Gaza.

AMY GOODMAN: The Israeli military bulldozer that crushed her — you are suing a U.S. company, Caterpillar, that made that bulldozer. Where does that suit stand?

CRAIG CORRIE: Well, of course, in the first place, that suit is predicated on the fact that Caterpillar knew that the bulldozers that they were supplying to the Israeli military were used to aid and abet in human rights violations. But at this point, the case actually has been dismissed, and it was filed in Weston, Washington, in the U.S. Superior Court in Weston, Washington, and the judge dismissed that and, I think, relied — I am not a lawyer, but he relied on a misinterpretation of U.S. law, because essentially, under this judge’s interpretation, unless the corporation, Caterpillar, actually profited from the actual human rights violation, they can’t be held accountable.

So if, for instance, I was in McDonald’s and somebody comes in and starts shooting in McDonald’s, runs out of bullets, and I sell them more bullets, I still wouldn’t be responsible for that person’s actions after they start to shoot again. So, of course, we’ve appealed that to the Ninth Circuit. And the appeals have been filed, but oral arguments in front of the Ninth Circuit have not yet occurred.

AMY GOODMAN: Finally, Sarah, to see this play — I was watching you. I was watching your family watch the play last night at the Minetta Lane Theatre. Is it a little bit like your sister is brought back to life?

SARAH CORRIE: No. It can never be Rachel up there on the stage, and I think when we first saw the play, we realized that. We weren’t expecting it to be Rachel on the play, but it’s a very accurate and honest view, I think, of what Rachel was feeling at that time, I mean, the person that she is. So, yes, I mean, it’s difficult as a family to watch. I think every family member that’s been there to see that play says for exactly that reason it’s difficult to watch the play, because Rachel’s not with us and you’re seeing somebody up on the stage bringing her words back to life and bringing her — a little bit of her personality and her humor back to life. And those are the kinds of things that you miss so much on just a day-to-day basis. So it is. It’s very difficult, but it’s also very warming at the same time to just have those words, either reading them to ourselves or up there on the stage. It — you know, it keeps Rachel with us just a little bit longer.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, I want to thank you all for being with us. Again, the play, My Name is Rachel Corrie, is now being performed at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York. Sarah and Craig Corrie, thank you. Katharine Viner, thanks for joining us.

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List of reviews

The opinions expressed in these reviews do not necessarily reflect the opinion of ISM.

* The Jewish Week
http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=13120

* Indymedia New York
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2006/10/77336.shtml

* TheaterMania
http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/9236

* Variety
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931885.html?categoryid=33&cs=1

* NY Daily News
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/462053p-388751c.html

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7. Tel Rumeida Diary: The Israeli Idea of “Quiet”

by Mary, October 14th

A young soldier told me that he didn’t care what anyone thought of him. He did not want peace, just quiet. He wanted quiet! And quiet he has, I suppose. He has no need to arrest anyone or shoot anyone. And that is the best a young conscript can hope for! Unfortunately his quiet is not good for everyone.

What the Israeli army calls “quiet” here means pandering to Israeli settlers, mostly by ignoring attacks on Palestinians and internationals and Israeli human rights workers (HRWs) by Israeli settler boys, who are too young to be arrested. On the evening of Friday September 29th, Baruch Marzel’s son and two other boys were hanging about outside our house and one of them threw muck at me. It was all over the back of clothes and in my hair. Soldiers were there but did nothing. The police came and said I could make a complaint but they could do nothing. The boys were too young! If it had been Palestinian children, they would not be considered too young. There are more than 700 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons. Next day Baruch asked what I thought about the children. I replied that I didn’t know what he meant. Then he said “Shabbat Shalom”. It definitely wasn’t an apology but it was better than the usual “Nazi” or “Anti-semetic”. So I replied “Shabbat Shalom”.

There have been constant attacks on the families living near the Tel Rumeida settlement.
The El Azzeh families had rocks thrown at their house for three hours the other evening. This happens a lot. There is a new young family in a house that had been empty. They have two toddler children and the rock throwing is a great worry for them. So there are now four families alongside the settlement. All have children. In the last month, Tel Rumeida settler children have cut the water pipe to these houses three times. The work was supervised by a woman, who came from the Gaza colonies a year ago. She has been trespassing on and trying to steal El Azzeh land ever since.

In July 2005, there was an Israeli court order that the El Azzeh families were allowed to use part of their land as a pathway, parallel to the street so that they could lead their house (for three years previously, these families were not allowed out of their houses, 2 hrs every two weeks curfew). Which the settlers have taken over. In December 2005, the Israeli army put razor wire across the entrance to the path. Until June 2006, the children were allowed to pass that way. If they couldn’t open the wire, most soldiers would help them. The children were constantly harassed by the settler woman from the late Gaza colonies. She would tell the soldiers that the children were not allowed pass. And, if that was not effective, she would physically block their way – standing over them and abusing them. Human rights workers were always there to help the children when the children came from and went to school. However, during the summer, while I was in Australia, Tel Rumeida settlers and some soldiers put a lot of razor wire at the end of the track near the El Azzeh houses. Now the families cannot pass at all. The only other way, is a very rough track through other people’s back yards. The ground is rocky and there are many rough steps as well as a ladder to climb. Two weeks ago, 6 year old Ahmad fell on rocky ground and injured his head, which is still covered in sticking plaster. The track has been tidied at the road end near us. It looks quiet and even peaceful! But this is misleading.

The Abu Aeshah family live directly opposite the Tel Rumeida settlement. On September 30th at 5.00pm, Abu Samir, Samir, Rafa and Mohammad Abu Aeshah were returning to their house opposite the Tel Rumeida settlement. Two settler boys came out and threw rocks at them. An Israeli army officer had told me that his soldiers are positioned to help in case of a settler attack against this family. This does not appear to be the case. No soldiers came. It was less than a week since the Abu Aeshah family was attacked in this way. The officer’s assurance does not seem to be worth much. Earlier on the same day, two HRWs were at the crossroads looking towards the Tel Rumeida settlement. Three settler boys, aged about ten, were throwing rocks towards a Palestinian house nearby. The HRWs called to the soldiers at the crossroad to come. One of the soldiers yelled at the boys until they stopped. Later, the same boys came out of the settlement with other girls and boys. They moved down the road towards the crossroad. Three boys went into the entryway of the Palestinian house and threw rocks at the front door. Others threw rocks down the road towards the soldiers who were responding to the HRWs call. Both soldiers sent the settler children back to the settlement. This is quiet?

All Palestinian government workers have not been paid since the end of February. Finally, after 7 months of working without pay, they are on strike. The money exists to pay them. Israel is collecting tax for Palestine but will not hand it over. They say that this is because the Palestinians elected Hamas, which the USA and Israel say is terrorist organization. But it was a democratic election with over a thousand registered international observers, who found it to be exemplary. So much for the USA wanting democracy in the Middle East! The Palestinians were tired of corrupt government, which gave the people nothing and obtained not even basic humanitarian rights from Israel. If Israel wanted a different government, some concessions – such as releasing 700 children, many of whom have not been charged with an offense, from Israeli prisons – would have made enough difference to swing the election. So now, there is no school, no nurses, doctors or workers in hospitals (except for emergencies), no garbage collectors etc. Even though the government in Hebron is not controlled by Hamas, the restrictions are here too. Israel holds the tax money of these people and collective punishment is the order of the day. One of the most shocking things for me is that my Australian government says that this is somehow helping Israel protect itself. Probably the reverse is true. It is not healthy for any nation to behave so callously, while demanding that their youth (Israeli army conscripts) be the ones to defend their cruel stance.

October 7th-14th (Succot week)

It is the Jewish holiday of Succot. Settlers have strung banners on Palestinian houses and flags and banners in the street. No permission was asked of Palestinians, but all is quiet. But the lack of consideration by and arrogance of the settlers and the acquiescence of the Israeli army is sickening. There were no problems on Shabbat (Saturday). On Sunday, the checkpoint for those leaving Tel Rumeida (checkpoint 56) was closed at 1.30pm. No notice was given. Soldiers forced the closure of shops in H1 (which is supposed to be controlled by the Palestinian Authority, under the Hebron accords) and invaded further into the Palestinian controlled area. Then the checkpoint was intermittently opened and closed until 3.30pm. Israeli settlers arrived at about 3.10pm and purposefully blocked the way of Palestinians using the checkpoint. At 3.30pm the checkpoint was closed – until 7pm, we were told. The settlers escorted by soldiers and police were allowed through the checkpoint and taken into a Palestinian house in H1. The aim was to visit the “Cave of Otniel Ben-Knaz”. This constituted not only trespass in a Palestinian home but an invasion by Israeli settlers and soldiers into H1.

Palestinians were beginning to gather at the checkpoint. It is Ramadan, which means fasting in daylight hours for Muslims. Palestinians need to finish their shoping before about 4.30pm and break their fast at about 5.45pm. The police and army officers present at the checkpoint made telephone calls. The settlers and soldiers returned. Several stones were thrown at the H1 side of the checkpoint. Not so quiet! Soldiers went rushing back again with guns ready. There was some tear gas. Then all was quiet again. The checkpoint was open again by 4.15pm.

On Monday the 9th, we were inundated with over a thousand tourists – religious Israeli Jews. They were walking all over the area, but thankfully there were no problems. A Palestinian told me that they were from Tel Aviv and other places in Israel. They were not settlers. On Tuesday and Wednesday, there was many bus loads of tourists. The buses park right in front of Palestinian doorways even though Palestinians and internationals are sitting there. This seems extremely rude as there are other places to park. Soldiers order the Palestinians to go inside their houses to make room for tourists to get off the bus. This international refuses to move! Most of the tourists themselves are no trouble. There are a few groups of young men, dressed the garb of religious Jews (black hat or kippur and trousers with a white shirt) who often act unpleasantly. On Tuesday, a group of about 12 crowded round me as I sat on a wall outside a Palestinian house. Two of them trod on my feet several times and tried to say that I was tripping them.

This is the “quiet” of the Israeli army. The settlers, no matter how badly they behave or how unreasonable their demands, are always put first. The Palestinians, no matter how conciliatory they are, always come last.

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8. Israeli Colonists Steal Palestinian olives in Tel Rumeida

See ISM website for photos:
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/14/stealing-lives-telrum/

by ISM Hebron, October 13th

For the duration of the week the streets of Tel Rumeida, close to the illegal Jewish-only colonies of Tel Rumeida and Beit Hadassah have been adorned with Israeli flags, slogans and orange ribbons (signifying support for the settler movement).

On Monday over a thousand Israeli tourists descended on Tel Rumeida for the Succot holiday while Palestinian religious freedom was restricted at the Ibrahimi mosque. Soldiers escorted settlers in a march into Hebron’s Old City – an illegal invasion. Palestinian civilians were cleared out of the way with tear gas and sound grenades.

Twice this week, internationals have witnessed Israeli colonists from the Tel Rumeida settlement picking olives belonging to Palestinians located below the settlement caravans. The Palestinians are afraid to harvest the olives because of their proximity to the caravans of Tel Rumeida settlement, whose residents are carry out constant violence and harassment against Palestinian civilians. One family living below the settlement continues to have the path to the main road blocked by barbed wire despite an Israeli Supreme Court ruling.

On Wednesday, on two separate occasions, international human rights workers were attacked and abused by settler children close to Beit Hadassah settlement. Several Palestinian families have olive groves in Tel Rumeida and have in recent years had problems harvesting their olives. They have started picking already but the main harvest period is after Eid when they are anxious to be able to pick.

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9. Two Reports From Qalandiya Checkpoint

“Fifty People Detained at Qalandiya Checkpoint”, from brightonpalestine.org, 16th October

I passed through Qalandiya checkpoint today on the way back to Hebron.

As the bus reached the Ramallah side of the “terminal” the passengers got out and walked towards the pedestrian gates. When I had passed the turnstiles I saw that around fifty Palestinians were waiting at the checkpoint. To get to the Jerusalem side they had to walk through another turnstile, put their possessions through a metal detector and follow instructions shouted at them from Israeli soldiers sitting behind reinforced glass. The soldiers behind the screens control whether this area is open or closed. As I entered, the area was closed and an old man was isolated between the turnstiles with the soldiers.

The soldiers behind the glass barked instructions at him in Hebrew and in English through a crackly microphone. Either the old man was hard of hearing or could not understand either of these languages. The soldiers told him to put his wallet and ID card on top of the metal detector. The confused man tried to put his things through the metal detector and was met by a shout from the soldiers.

By this time the number of people waiting to go through was increasing rapidly. The people waiting tried to shout to the man and explain to him what to do. The man became increasingly confused and tried to come closer to us so that we could explain. He was called back by the soldiers.

Eventually the man was able to do what the soldiers wanted and proceeded through the metal detector to the second set of turnstiles and to the Jerusalem side of the terminal.

The number of people waiting was still increasing but the soldiers took their time until there was a huge frustrated, angry crowd on the Ramallah side. It included a frail man, recovering from an eye operation, who got caught in the metal turnstiles as the soldiers operated them from behind the glass.

This kind of humiliation is an everyday, banal occurence at Qalandiya checkpoint for those with permits to pass through. For others, Qalandiya, flanked on either side by the apartheid wall and other checkpoints, separates them from their family and friends whilst keeping them confined in ghettos.

The Wall Must Fall

——

“Inside Qalandiya Checkpoint on the 3rd Friday of Ramadan”, from the Machsom Watch mailing list. by Roni H, 13th October 2006

When we arrived at 9:20 at Qalandiya and heard the shooting of tear gas and stun grenades, I called the Civil Administration’s hot line and received the succinct answer: “when Arabs run riot, the army has to shoot “.

Inside the checking area hell was breaking loose. About 600-700 densely packed Palestinians (maybe even more) and dozens of soldiers. It was difficult to breathe in the crowd that pushed against the turnstiles. The soldiers waited on the other side of the turnstiles and caught every man who looked younger than 45, checked his ID and pushed him back to the north. The impression was of a gigantic wrestling match, with the soldiers carrying clubs in addition to their usual arms. Some of the men tried six times to pass and six times they were sent back. Even to those who were already 44 no “discount” was given.

The uproar was enormous when the loudspeakers announced at 9:30 that “only women and man above 45 can pass. Permits are not valid because of the closure”. Several men turned to me, shouting excitedly: “Yesterday they announced in the media that men over 40 and holders of entry permits to Israel will be able to get through and now, when we have come all the way from Nablus and have passed 6 checkpoints they change the rules!”, “Is this the way you respect freedom of religion?”, “What do I have an entry permit for, when they do not respect it when there is closure. More that half of the year there is closure!”, “Only once a year we want to pray at the Al Aqsa mosque and also this is forbidden! Why is a man of thirty excluded from the prayer?”, “Is this the way you want to make peace?”, “We’ll never forgive you for not letting us pray at the holy mosque in Ramadan”. I could ! sense a wave of hatred rolling through the crowd.

When I heard the midday [Israeli] news later that day, I could not believe my ears: “Men over 40 and holders of entry permits were allowed into Jerusalem.”

The “waiting room” was crowded with hundreds of people, when at 10:00 about 20 border policemen entered, positioned themselves along the back side of the room and tried to push the younger men out of the checkpoint area. Some of them pretended to be on their way out, but made instead a fast U-turn and returned behind the soldiers.

A man with an eight year old child told me that his 10 year old has been lost and that he might be already on the other side waiting for him. I tried to call somebody from the police (although it was useless under this circumstances and it was impossible to hear one’s own voice) but realized that now I have lost this man in the crowd and could not find him again.

Because of the jostle, women could not get to the turnstiles and gathered at the left side of the fence separating the waiting from the checking area. We tried all together to call the attention of the soldiers so that they will give them an alternative way to pass through. Women in wheelchairs and women with small babies were afraid to be crushed by the crowd. At last, at 10:10 a passage on the left hand side was opened for the women and quite a number of them could get through. Their teenage sons though, if they looked over 15, were sent back. Several men tried to join the women but the soldiers screamed at them and pushed them back brutally. In order to frighten the people with a terrible piercing sound the soldiers were beating the metal walls of the passage with their clubs. Nothing helped. Everyone wanted to go through. At 10:30 this passage was closed.

In the meantime, some border policemen had positioned themselves at the entrance to the waiting area and did not let anybody in who appeared to be less than 45. Time was running out. The prayers were to start at 12:00 and the way to the old city is long and rife with additional checkpoints. Even men with Jerusalem IDs could not make their way to the turnstiles where hundreds of people were still crowded. They did not give up hope that at the last moment the gates to Jerusalem will be opened. To express their protest against the holdup they broke out into the chant “God is the greatest”.

Twenty border policemen came menacingly from one man to the other and checked their IDs. When they came across a male younger than 45 they tried to push them out of the checkpoint area – without much success. The men were adamant. Outside, a cordon of soldiers alongside the parking lot prevented the entry of additional Palestinians. Nevertheless there were men who got through the cordon and then through the entrance check and then even through the first turnstile only in order to be sent back at the last station! The anger was growing. “Israel understands only force and violence!”, “Just imagine that only one of all these thousands of people will loose his nerves and become violent!”. At 11:15 three shots were heard from outside. Because of the late hour some people were left frustrated and sad. At 11:30 a group of about 30 soldiers started again to beat against the metal walls of the waiting room, making a frightening noise and to swing their clubs over the heads of the people. Followed by the threatening soldiers they ran out in fear from the blows. All of a sudden the checkpoint was empty.

Next Friday, the last one in Ramadan, the unequal battle between civilians whose only desire is to pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Israeli army who want to control the religious life of the Palestinians, will be even more vehement.

—–

10. Soldiers Disrupt Medical Work in Tubas
See ISM website for photos:

https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/10/tubas-red-cres/

by Tom Hayes

We had gone to meet Red Crescent workers in the hope of establishing links between the branch and grassroots groups in Brighton. The paramedics at the branch told us of how Israeli checkpoints and closures made it impossible to give their patients proper care. The road from Tubas to Nablus has recently been closed once again by the Israeli army, lenghtening the 20 minute journey to up to an hour and a half.

The paramedics also work shifts in the Jordan Valley. Israeli closures mean that the Jordan Valley has very little medical care because of the limits on numbers of Palestinians with permits to enter the valley.

In the picture below the detained man has been moved out of the shade into the direct sun by Israeli soldiers.

The first three photos in this report show a man blindfolded and held in the hot sun at Al Tayasir checkpoint in the northern Jordan valley. Tayasir is notorious for delay on Palestinans travelling through. Only Palestinians who have a house in the Jordan valley can travel through the checkpoint. The number of Palestinians residing in the valley is decreasing as there has been a ban on the building of new structures in all but two areas since 1967, the majority of Palestinians in the valley live in tents or clay structures.

This deliberate depopulation of the valley serves the Israelis well as a majority of the produce from Israeli settlements in the West Bank comes from the valley (60% of one company’s exports reach the UK). Al Tayasir is choking Palestinian agricultire in the valley as farmers have to reload their produce onto new vehicles at either side of the checkpoint. In contrast illegal Israeli settlers can export produce to Europe within 24 hours.

The second set of pictures show the IOF setting up a checkpoint outside the Red Crescent primary health centre in Tubas. The soldiers checked the IDs of patients attending the centre and delayed them receiving medical care. When the health workers complained the soldiers retorted that they were ‘lucky’ that they were standing outside the centre grounds.

e-mail: thewallmustfall@riseup.net
Homepage: www.brightonpalestine.org

The photos in this report came from a doctor at the Tubas branch of the Red Crescent.

—–

For more reports, journals and action alerts visit the ISM website at www.palsolidarity.org

Please consider supporting the International Solidarity Movement’s work with a financial contribution. You may donate securely through our website at www.palsolidarity.org/main/donations/

Israel steps up repression in Bil’in

1. Israeli Army Rounds-up Non-violent Activists in Bil’in
2. Bil’in Defiant in Midday Sun
3. Israel Arrests Bil’in Journalist
4. Two Roadblock Removal Actions in Three Hours
5. March of Grapes Brutally Attacked-6 Arrested, Many Injured
6. Settlers steal fruit in Kufr Qallil during olive harvest
7. Stones and fire in Kufr Qallil – yet the olive harvest continues
8. Palestinian Resident of Hebron Detained for Sitting on the Street
9. Armed Israeli Colonists Move Freely While Army Restricts Palestinian
Movement

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1. Israeli Army Rounds-up Non-violent Activists in Bil’in

UPDATE, 2pm: As this release was in the process of being published, the
Israeli army entered the village again. It is currently unknown if they
will capture more villagers or not. More details to follow.

UPDATE, 2.10pm: The remaining three captives have now been released. It
is sitll unknow why they were captured.

Last night in Bil’in, the Palestinian village near Ramallah that has
become a symbol of non-violent resistance to the apartheid wall, the
Israeli army invaded the village at around 2am and kidnapped eight
villagers. Five of the villagers were later released, but three remain
in captivity in the Ofer military prison, west of Ramallah. The
kidnappings were carried out on the western side of the village near
Wajee’s house.

The names and ages of those kidnapped are:

* Ferhan Burnat (24)
* Th’er Burnat (19)
* Mohammed Wajee Burnart (17)

Mohammed was released two weeks ago from a previous four month
captivity by the Israelis. The Israeli army gave no reasons for last
night’s kidnappings and it is currently unknown why they are being
held.

For more information:

Bil’in Popular Committee Members:
Abdullah Abu-Rahme: 054 725 8210
Mohammed Katib: 054 5573285
Iyad Burnat: 054 784 7942

ISM Media office: 02 297 1824 or 0599 943 157

****************************************************************************

2. Bil’in Defiant in Midday Sun

UPDATE, Saturday 7th – A few hours after the demonstration yesterday
Israeli soldiers eventually managed to invade the village shooting
rubber bullets and firing sound bombs at Palestinian children who threw
stones at them to defend their village. Three houses were damaged.
Reuters cameraman Emad Bornat (who is also a resident of the village),
who was the only person present filming this, was arrested and beaten.
He was taken to hospital in Jerusalem and then taken back to the police
station where he was questioned until 1am. He is currently being held
at Ofer detention center near Ramallah. Emad was originally charged
with assaulting a border policeman and throwing stones but the assault
accusation was later dropped. Emad has been documenting the non-violent
resistance to the Wall in Bil’in and his video footage has often
refuted the false allegations of the Israeli military and helped to get
those detained or arrested released. He has made a film called “One
Year of Peaceful Resistance to the Wall”, made up of the hundred of
hours of footage of the demonstrations he has taken.

* * *

As on every Friday for the last 20 months, the villagers of Bil’in,
supported by international and Israeli activists, marched from the
village mosque after prayers to the apartheid wall, which has stolen
around half of the village’s agricultural land.

Following the pattern of last week’s demo Israeli forces didn’t
hinder the marchers on their way to the gate in the Wall. The IOF
declared the area a Closed Military Zone and banned the villagers
accessing their land on the other side of the Wall. At the gate the
villagers chanted resistance slogans, reminding the occupiers that
their spirit of defiance and demand for justice won’t be suppressed.

As some villagers attempted to climb onto the gate, soldiers hauled
them off onto the other side. Two villagers, Ayad and Iyad Burnat, were
detained in this way.

Not deterred by the intense midday heat and their empty stomachs, many
villagers decided to continue the protest by marching down the slope
along the wall and were immediately attacked by Israeli forces firing
multiple rounds of tear gas. Around 20 protesters suffered from the
effects of the gas and were forced to disperse into the olive groves
where they watched as the IOF turned their attention to children in the
olive groves on the opposite side of the road. Snipers took up
positions and started firing rubber bullets at children in the groves
who responded by throwing stones.

As the IOF prepared to invade, villagers blocked the road with rocks
and the village youth once again successfully managed to prevent the
world’s fourth largest army from invading, armed only with what they
could find on the ground.

For photos see
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/06/bilin-06-10-06/

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3. Israel Arrests Bil’in Journalist

UPDATE, October 10th: At a hearing today at Ofer military court the
judge ordered Emad to be released, but the Israeli military appealed
this decision and said he should be held for a further 72 hours. The
judge gave the army 24 hours to mount an appeal, which will be held
tomorrow.

Emad Mohammad Bornat of the village of Bil’in, video photographer for
Reuters and documentary film maker, was arrested on Friday October 6th,
2006 by a Israeli Border Police unit that entered the village, firing
rubber bullets and sound grenades. Emad is being held in Israeli
military custody and will be brought in front of a judge at Ofer
military base tomorrow Tuesday the 10th of October.

Emad, who was filming at the time, was arrested by an Israeli Border
policeman. When Emad arrived at the police station in Givat Zeev, he
was wounded. The Border Police soldiers claimed a radio “fell” on
him in the jeep, on the way to the station. He was taken to the
Hadassah – Har Hatzofim hospital and was then taken back to the
police station in Givat Zeev. After he was interrogated, the police
refused to view the tapes that Emad filmed. Emad is accused of
“assault on an officer” and of stone throwing and was sent to the
Etzion prison. Israeli Border Police have in the past been rebuked by
military judges on false testimonies towards arrested Palestinian
demonstrators and their Israeli supporters.

Emad has tirelessly documented the struggle of his village against the
wall and settlements, and is known by many other professionals with
whom he works and cooperates, giving them video material for their
films and reports. He is a man of peace and a dedicated and responsible
video-photo-journalist. His video footage has been broadcast throughout
the world, showing the demonstrations against the wall Israel is
constructing on his village’s land. It shows the routine, and often
brutal, violence of the Israeli military in general and the Border
Police in particular on the demonstrations, especially as used against
Palestinians.

For more information:

Attorney Gaby Laski: 054 449 18988
Mohammed Khatib: 054 557 3285
Shai Polack: 054 533 3364

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4. Two Roadblock Removal Actions in Three Hours

by PSP, October 6th
This afternoon, Palestinian, international and Israeli activists
carried out two non-violent demonstrations focused on two illegal
roadblocks in the al-Khalil (Hebron) region. Roadblocks in al-Jab’a
and Beit Ommar were chosen, and while the demonstrators were unable to
open the first roadblock, the barrier in Beit Ommar was successfully
opened. Large forces of occupation soldiers amassed at both
demonstrations, and brutally beat many present.

Following Friday prayers in the village of al-Jaba, thirty five
internationals and Israelis, and more than forty Palestinians, marched
from the village mosque to the earth mound roadblock. The
internationals represented the Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP), the
International Women’s Peace Service (IWPS), the Christian Peace
Makers Team (CPT), while the Israelis were from Ta’ayush, and
Anarchists Against the Wall. This demonstration marks the third time in
three weeks that demonstrators met at the al-Jaba’a roadblock to
dismantle it. Last week, the demonstrators were successful in their
efforts and were able to open the roadblock. This week however,
soldiers and police with the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) preempted
the action and attacked demonstrators.

When the non-violent demonstrators reached the roadblock separating the
village of al-Jab’a from the village of Surif, they were met with
numerous IOF army jeeps, police jeeps and one car carrying officers
with the Shin Bet, the occupation’s secret intelligence service. The
military interfered in the demonstration, but the activists were able
to work for approximately forty-five minutes, before IOF soldiers began
to attempt to make arrests. At their peak, over thirty soldiers, eight
police, and two Shin Bet agents were present. Along with the soldiers,
two police jeeps, six army jeeps, and one Hummer were present. The
soldiers took various attack positions, including placing three
soldiers on the roof of a Palestinian house, armed with machineguns and
tear gas launchers.

With the IOF present, the activists used shovels, pick axes, and hoes
to remove rubble, dirt, and heavy boulders forming the roadblock.
Following forty-five minutes of roadblock removal, the IOF accelerated
their violence. Because of the IOF’s massive presence, and their high
quantity of ‘less-than-lethal’ weapons at the ready, the
demonstrators decided to disperse rather than begin a confrontation
with heavily armed soldiers. As they started up the hill to al-Jab’a,
the IOF attempted to arrest one Palestinian man but he was successfully
de-arrested by international and Israeli activists.

After leaving the al-Jab’a roadblock only partially removed, and not
wanting to waste the remainder of the day, some of the Palestinians,
along with the entire international and Israeli group traveled to the
village of Beit Ommar to remove a second roadblock, consisting of four
concrete blocks weighing two tons a piece. This time the activists were
able to arrive undetected, and work for a short while before IOF
soldiers and police responded. The demonstrators used thick ropes and
metal carabineers to harness the blocks, and utilizing the strength of
more than forty people, moved three of the blocks, opening the road. In
order to move each block, ropes were attached to hooks implanted in the
blocks, and while approximately thirty people pulled on the two ropes,
others pushed from behind. Through this method, the demonstrators were
able to move three of the four blocks, creating a path for cars and
tractors to enter the village. By opening this road, residents of Beit
Ommar are able to enter their village without passing through the
checkpoint which includes an observation tower and a metal gate.

After moving two of the concrete blocks, soldiers with the IOF arrived.
More than forty IOF soldiers and police assembled, along with six army
jeeps, one Hummer, two police jeeps and one army transport. Quickly the
soldiers began to attack the non-violent demonstrators. During these
attacks, the following injuries were sustained:

– Palestinian man, struck in the abdomen with a rifle butt, piercing
the skin.
– Swedish woman, deliberately pinned between a concrete block and an
army jeep. She jumped away and narrowly escaped being crushed. She was
later assaulted, and thrown against a concrete wall.
– Swedish man, punched in the head and thrown to the ground via his
head, injuring his neck.
– English man, struck several times on the forearm with a rifle butt,
causing severe swelling.
– Danish woman, struck in the head with a rifle butt and stomped in the
feet, causing immediate bruising and swelling.
– Swedish woman, bitten on the forearm by a soldier, causing localized
swelling.

Besides these specific and remarkable injuries, many demonstrators
present were punched, choked, pushed, thrown to the ground and
otherwise assaulted by occupation forces. International activists
witnessed at least three Palestinian men being beaten, though the
details of their injuries are unknown. During these encounters, IOF
soldiers attempted to arrest three Palestinians but were unsuccessful
thanks to the efforts of international and Israeli activists who were
able to successfully de-arrest the Palestinians through non-violent
intervention.

After these initial attacks, IOF soldiers focused on a Palestinian home
bordering the roadblock. IOF soldiers threw at least one concussion
grenade, and fired what appeared to be a rubber-coated metal bullet
through the window of the Palestinian home. When the shot was fired,
several women and children were peering out of the windows at the
soldiers, but were luckily not hit by the bullet or glass.

The roadblock in Beit Ommar was removed and the road opened, though it
was soon blocked by four army jeeps who attempted unsuccessfully to
replace the concrete blocks. The IOF soon learned how heavy the blocks
were, as their armored jeeps were unable to budge the barriers. Though
the roadblock is still open at the time of writing, it is likely only a
matter of hours before the IOF replaces the illegal barrier,
bottlenecking Beit Ommar, and forcing residents to travel through the
militarized checkpoint. Just as the earth mound in al-Jab’a will also
be replaced soon after its dismantlement, its partial removal is yet
another act of resistance in a long chain of actions opposing the
occupation. Palestinian, international and Israeli activists will
continue to remove such manifestations of oppression which create
closures, and restrict the free movement of the Palestinian people.

For information on the previous actions in al-Jab’a please visit:

www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/09/21/jaba-roadblock-action/
www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/09/30/jaba-roadblock2/

For more information on the Palestine Solidarity Project, please visit:
palestinesolidarityproject.wordpress.com

For photos see
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/07/jaba-roadblock-3/

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5. March of Grapes Brutally Attacked-6 Arrested, Many Injured

by PSP,
October 8, 2006-Today, Palestinian, international and Israeli activists
joined together to demonstrate against land theft, road closures and
economic isolation by bringing two tons of the surplus Palestinian
grape harvest to an occupation checkpoint along Route 60. In a display
of civil disobedience akin to the North American Boston Tea Party, the
demonstrators hoped to dump the surplus harvest onto the road, but were
viciously attacked before they were able to reach the checkpoint.

Al-Khadr is a center for vineyards, as is the Bethlehem area in
general. Every year its fertile lands yield 11,000 tons of grapes. Not
long ago, these grapes were marketed to the entire West Bank, as well
as Jordan, Gaza and Israel. Nowadays, with some roads blocked and
others closed, and with new decrees restricting the delivery of grapes,
the local produce has no market. The prices have dropped so low that
the farmers can no longer earn their living. Many are forced to just
leave the fruit to rot on the vines. Soon the Apartheid Wall will reach
the site of the demonstration, and the Ghettoization of the area will
be complete. Where grapes are the prime source of income and
unemployment rates soar, this maneuver will effectively strangulate the
already fragile local economy.

The wall in the Al-Khadr region will annex 20,000 dunums of Palestinian
agricultural land, while the expansion of Betar Illit, Neve Daniel and
Elazar colonial settlements will similarly steal additional lands. The
Wall in the Al-Khadr and Bethlehem area will also imprison 19,000
Palestinians in between the concrete barrier and the 1967 West Bank
border line, known as the “green line.”

For these reasons, local Palestinians, Israeli activists with
Anarchists Against the Wall and Tay’ush, as well as international
activists with the Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP), joined for a
morning of civil disobedience with the intention of dumping a portion
of the ample, though unmarketable, grape harvest onto Route 60 in
protest. Approximately fifty demonstrators marched on Route 60,
blocking northbound traffic, en route to Al-Khadr checkpoint, but were
preemptively attacked by Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) police and
soldiers. At the scene were numerous armored police jeeps, police
transport vans and armored military jeeps. Also on hand was at least
one agent with Shabak (Shin Bet), the occupation’s covert
intelligence agency, seen filming the IOF’s brutality with a handheld
video camera.

Despite the presence of Reuters cameramen and other international
media, around thirty IOF soldiers and police quickly attacked the
non-violent demonstrators who carried cardboard crates of grapes. With
their hands unable to be used as shields, many were beaten causing the
grapes to prematurely spill onto the road. As the demonstrators
attempted to continue their march, IOF police and soldiers choked,
kicked and punched the demonstrators. Some police used military-style
‘pain compliance’ maneuvers, such as applying immense pressure to
wrists and other sensitive joints, as well as wrenching back fingers
and hands. Activists were thrown, and dragged by their ears, noses,
necks and hair, while other police and soldiers forced demonstrators to
the ground by leaning their weighted knees onto demonstrators’ heads
and necks. Many activists were roughly thrown to the ground and dragged
across the asphalt road, ripping their clothes. While attempting to
stand up, many were pushed and kicked by the booted IOF police and
soldiers.

During the assault, six people were arrested: two Palestinian males,
one international female, and two Israeli males. The two Palestinian
males, Mohammad Salah, 25, and Ahmed Salah, 30 were detained for
carrying boxes of grapes, and while Ahmed was released at the end of
the demonstration, Mohammad was not so lucky. Following the
demonstration, Mohammad was taken by IOF soldiers to a wooded area near
Betar Illit colonial settlement. When the soldiers reached this
isolated area, they kicked and beat Mohammad in the head and shoulders.
He is currently under care at a Bethlehem-area hospital. The
international, an American woman, and the two Israeli men are currently
still being held in Israeli custody at Gush Etzion police compound,
housed within the colonial settlement of the same name.

Despite the unprovoked and extreme violence from the IOF, the
demonstration was a great success. The primarily settler-used roadway
of Route 60 was colored green and purple with the crushed remains of
grapes and cardboard cartons. Passing settlers were able to witness the
violence that their presence “necessitates,” and many reacted by
honking their horns, photographing the demonstration, and one man was
even seen proudly waving a peace sign. Though the grapes never reached
the mouths of consumers, they were purchased from the farmers and given
a political purpose on the road-a stretch of route 60 bordering
Al-Khadr checkpoint, as well as a currently under-construction terminal
checkpoint, and a small length of the Apartheid Wall already built and
waiting to be connected to the Bethlehem portion.

For more information on the Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP), please
visit:
www.palestinesolidarityproject.wordpress.com

For photos see https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/08/khadrgrape/

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6. Settlers steal fruit in Kufr Qallil during olive harvest

by ISM Nablus, October 1st

While harvesting with the Palestinians of Kufr Qallil, colonial
settlers from Berakhya settlement were observed entering a Palestinian
fruit grove and stealing fruit. The area in question is located
south-east of Nablus city center, and surrounded by At Tur and Huwarra
checkpoints, a settler-only road, and a military observation tower.

On a road cutting through the Palestinian fruit grove is a fountain
used by colonial settlers to bathe. Today this fountain was especially
busy as the local men ceremonially cleansed for the Jewish holiday of
Yom Kippur, which was to begin that night. From their vantage point in
the Kufr Qallil olive grove, international activists observed seven men
drive into the area in three cars, take two bags from the trunk, and
enter the grove. They then watched as the settler men stole figs and
pomegranates, filling two large bags. This crime was caught on video,
and while one activist filmed, two others hiked down the hill to
intervene, after calling the DCO (District Coordination Office) to
report the crime in progress.

The DCO was seemingly not interested in listening to the crime report,
and appeared more concerned with why the activists were in the area.
While waiting for the DCO, the activists approached three of the
settlers and inquired as to why they were stealing fruit. The settlers
responded by saying that the “law” allowed them to be in the
Palestinian farmland, and that, “The law says [that] all Arabs are
killers.” Pointing to the Palestinian grove, the settler continued,
“All of this land is ours, we live in that village up there.” The
“village” he pointed to is the militarized hilltop colonial
settlement of Berakhya where the settlers reside.

After approximately twenty minutes, the DCO arrived, though at this
point the settlers had left with their stolen fruit. The activists
reported the crime for the third time, and showed the DCO more than
fifty pictures documenting the incident. These pictures included the
license plates of all of the vehicles, the vehicles themselves, and the
faces of the settler thieves. The soldiers initially refused to record
any of the information offered, but after repeated requests they looked
at the pictures and wrote scant notes on a scrap of paper.

While reporting the crime of the seven settlers to the DCO and
soldiers, another settler man with a child in his arms entered the
grove and began to steal more fruit. The activists alerted the soldiers
to this obvious crime going on in front of their eyes. One soldier
entered the grove and spoke to the settler, though the settler
proceeded to steal, and within a few minutes the DCO and soldiers left
without stopping the evident crime. Before leaving, the soldiers told
the activists to wait on site in order to report the incident to
additional soldiers en route. No additional soldiers ever responded.

The three cars involved in the fruit theft are:
1.) silver Ford, Mondeo, license plate, 64-017-56
2.) white Chevrolet Aved LT, license plate, 45-193-59
3.) black Volkswagen Polo Classic, license plate, 53-784-18

For photos see
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/07/settlers-steal-fruit/

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7. Stones and fire in Kufr Qallil – yet the olive harvest continues

by ISM Nablus, report filed October 5th
Omar Suleiman from Kufr Qallil walked through his 10 dunums of olive
trees on Saturday the 30th of September, occasionally grabbing hold of
a tree trunk and nimbly climbing up to inspect the higher clusters of
fruit. He shook his head and gestured toward the empty branches here
and there. Nestled on a slope between Berakhya colony and Huwarra
checkpoint and military base, his olive grove is frequently invaded by
Israeli colonists. They beat the trees to make the ripest olives fall
to the ground in order to steal them, and also sabotage the harvest in
other ways. About two months ago, they set fire to a 16 dunum large
plot of land below the olive grove. Haj Suleiman’s family now have to
trudge up a slope of desolate scorched earth in order to reach their
land – an ugly reminder of the threat that the Israeli colonists of
Berakhya present to their Palestinian neighbours.

Two years ago, the family was attacked by a group of Israeli colonists
armed with machineguns. Haj Suleiman bears scars on his chin and scalp
from big rocks thrown at him in unprovoked outbursts of colonist
violence. When he attempted to defend himself by physically restraining
his attackers, the Israeli military retaliated by forcing him and his
family out of their house at two o’clock in the morning for five
nights in a row – threatening the family members with violence and
randomly breaking parts of their furniture. The family is now afraid to
go to harvest their olives from the land closest to the colony. After
having kept silent and submissive for a few years, the family have now
had enough, and therefore decided to request international and Israeli
accompaniment this year.

The first three days of harvesting in Kufr Qallil were relatively
quiet, apart from an incident of theft from land on the south side of
the road leading up to Berakhya colony. Israeli colonists were spending
the eve of Yom Kippur bathing at a holy mountain spring adjacent to the
road, some of them also having brought bags to fill with Palestinian
figs and pomegranates.

On the fourth day of harvesting (Tuesday October the 3rd), an armored
jeep full of soldiers arrived at the scene, shouting and motioning at
the olive pickers to cease their work. They told the group – Haj
Suleiman, his family and volunteers from IWPS and ISM – to pack up
and leave as they had not obtained permission from the DCO (District
Coordination Office) and were therefore not allowed to work the land on
that particular day. Although the group argued that this order was
unlawful and requested that the soldiers consult their higher
commanders and the DCO before chasing them off the land, the soldiers
insisted and threateningly escorted everyone back to the village.
Afraid of retaliation, the family did not wish to directly resist the
order but after hours of phone calls to the International Committee of
the Red Cross and various levels of command at the DCO, it was
ascertained that the order given by the soldiers was actually contrary
to Israeli law and military policy, in light of recent judicial
developments.

On 26 June 2006, the Israeli High Court of Justice issued a ruling in
response to a petition regarding the right of Palestinian farmers, who
are residents of the West Bank, to gain access to their land (H.C.J.
9593/04 Rashad Morar v. The IDF Commander for Judea and Samaria). In
short, the court decision means that Palestinian farmers have a right
to enter and work their land, with or without DCO permission, and that
the military commander in the area must defend this right. In the past,
Israeli military have often opted for attempting to stifle any violence
on the part of Israeli colonists by declaring land a “closed military
zone.” They have justified this by saying that the law is aimed to
protect the Palestinian residents, but has in reality saved them from
any real confrontation with Israeli colonists. The court ruling
stipulates that this is no longer allowed and that territorial closure
is subject to a number of strict preconditions.

This decision is crucial to many Palestinian farmers in providing them
with a legal weapon to use in fighting for their rights to their land.
Apart from land in “red zones,” which are not subject to such rapid
status changes as “closed military zones,” and can be checked on
military maps, all farmers should in theory be unhindered and protected
in working their land and harvesting their olives this season.
Tuesday’s events, however, clearly illustrate how this new policy,
whether due to misinformation or malice, is not being implemented by
soldiers on the ground.

It seems that the more senior and legally conscious echelons of the
Israeli military are reluctant to inform foot-soldiers about the
changes unless faced with farmers or volunteers who know the law and
can argue their case. This was made apparent yesterday, as the DCO
tried to dissuade Haj Suleiman from harvesting his olives on the day he
wanted, instead suggesting a later date more suitable to them. Despite
this, the family continued harvesting, their numbers boosted by
international and Israeli volunteers, the latter from Rabbis for Human
Rights and other anti-occupation organizations. The Israeli military
were also present, although this time as protection from Israeli
colonists.

Despite manipulation and lies from the Israeli military and the DCO,
the olive harvest continues. We urge all internationals to do their
utmost to come to Palestine in solidarity with farmers who have been
denied safe and unconditional access to their land. Harvesting is
resisting.

Footnote: Wednesday night, more violence befell the village of Kufr
Qallil, when 40 year old Nasir Hasan Mansur was shot by Israeli
military. Mansur was sitting in front of his home when the soldiers
fired north from Beit Ur checkpoint, hitting him in the left foot.

For another account of the fourth day of the picking (October 3rd), see
this report on the IWPS site.

A reporter from The Times in London joined ISM, IWPS and Rabbis for
Human Rights volunteers for one of these picking days. His report,
focusing on the Rabbis, is published on the Times website at
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-2394974,00.html.

For photos see
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/07/kufr-qallil-510/

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8. Palestinian Resident of Hebron Detained for Sitting on the Street

by ISM Hebron
On Saturday the 7th of October at 2pm about ten Israeli settlers, aged
15 to 20, harassed Palestinians on the hill above Beit Hadassah
settlement in Tel Rumeida, Hebron. Palestinians were afraid to go home
and international human right workers observing were attacked by
settlers who tried to push the video camera out of the hands of one
activist. An Israeli human right worker who came for the weekend
translated their conversation. Settlers were talking about the
inconvenience of human rights workers having a video camera, and their
faces on tape, if they wanted to beat them up. The settlers were
standing on the hill, harassing Palestinians, for about forty minutes
and then left only to come back on Shuhada street twenty minutes later,
causing problems for human rights workers sitting on the side of the
street. The settlers were screaming that human rights workers are Nazis
generally and behaved very aggressively. A settler family passed by and
the son, aged five, tried to spit at the internationals which was
cheerfully encouraged by his mother.

At 3.45pm a Palestinian resident named Issa Amro and three
international human right workers were sitting together on Shuhada
street. An Israeli police Jeep pulled up and an officer named Nabeeh
Hosin demanded that Issa show him his ID. Issa complied and Nabeeh
asked Issa where he lived and what he was doing sitting on Shuhada
Street with the human rights workers. Issa replied he lived in the area
but Nabeeh ordered him to leave. At this point, Issa got a telephone
call and began speaking on the phone. Nabeeh ordered him to hang up the
phone and pay attention to him and when Issa did not immediately
comply, he ordered him into the back of the police Jeep. Nabeeh and his
colleague got out of the jeep and grabbed Issa, violently pushing him
into the back of the jeep. Seeing Issa being arrested for no good
reason was totally unacceptable to the human rights workers who
informed the two police officers that if they were taking Issa with
them, they would also be taking them. They did not want him to be alone
at the police station at the mercy of the Israeli police.

The three of them were taken to the Kiryat Arba police station where
they were interrogated and suspected of “interfering with police
work”. They were otherwise treated acceptably. This probably had
something to do with an Israeli lawyer calling the police on their
behalf and a representative from the Danish embassy arriving on the
behalf of the two internationals from Denmark and Sweden. Issa was
detained for four hours. The international human rights workers were
detained for five and a half hours. Issa was also forced to sign a
paper to ensure he’d come to an eventual trial. If he refused to sign
the paper, he would have been brought to prison at once without any
trial the interrogator at Kiryat Arba police station said. He confirmed
during interrogations with the human rights workers that Palestinians
are not allowed to sit on the street but merely permitted to walk to
their homes as they are considered to be a security threat.

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9. Armed Israeli Colonists Move Freely While Army Restricts Palestinian
Movement

For video evidence from this day: click here to view or click here to
download. A description of each part of the video is at the end of this
report.

At 1.30pm on Sunday 8th October 2006, soldiers closed the main
checkpoint into Tel Rumeida, Hebron (checkpoint 56) to all people
wanting to enter H1 (the part of Hebron under Palestinian Authority
control). Pedestrian traffic in the opposite direction was not
restricted. International Human Rights Workers (HRWs) approached the
soldiers who would not give a reason for the closure other than “it
is Succot” (a Jewish holiday). Palestinians wishing to pass through
the checkpoint were told to climb the steep hill of Tel Rumeida and
enter H1 via another checkpoint instead, regardless of the lengthy
detour that this would involve. Soldiers also informed Palestinians
that the checkpoint would remain closed until 7pm.

Twenty-four soldiers then passed through the checkpoint into H1 where
they ordered the closure of shops, diverted traffic (causing gridlock
in Hebron for much of the afternoon) and took a sniffer dog around
parts of the city centre. Soldiers roamed around in H1 for no apparent
reason and would not make any comments about why they were in parts of
the city that had not been ordered closed.

At 3.30pm a large group of settlers and pro-settler tourists came to
the H2 (the area of Hebron formally controlled by the Israeli army and
police) side of the checkpoint and deliberately obstructed the path of
Palestinians entering H2 for several minutes, refusing to stand aside
when asked. This group were then allowed to pass through the checkpoint
without being searched, while throughout the day Palestinians had been
subject to unusually rigorous bag checks. Despite having their own
private armed guards, the settlers and tourists were accompanied by
over 30 soldiers and police officers. Soldiers later informed HRWs that
the tourists had come to Hebron to visit the Cave of Otniel Ben-Knaz,
which is located within the ground floor of a private Palestinian house
in H1. Meanwhile in H1, HRWs witnessed the tourists making
“victory” signs to the Palestinians they passed.

At 4pm the tourists and soldiers returned to checkpoint 56 and most
continued along Al Shuhada Street to the Beit Hadassah settlement.
Shortly afterwards, soldiers fired tear gas at Palestinians on the H1
side of the checkpoint after a small crowd had begun throwing stones
and letting off fireworks. The checkpoint was then reopened and
remained open for the rest of the afternoon. A small group of tourists
later came to the checkpoint to take photographs of the HRWs and to
tell them to “get the fuck out of Israel”.

For photo see
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/10/closing-cp56/

* The video shows the following: First section: Palestinians are denied
access through a checkpoint because Israeli settlers are present.
Second section: border policeman drops a tear gas canister. Third
section: soldiers emerge from a street they have closed off and invade
the rest of the city. Fourth section: soldiers give no reason for what
they are doing in the city center.

Olive Harvest Campaign 2006 Gets Underway!

1. Beit Furik Demonstrate Against Closures
2. Israeli Settlers Harrass Palestinians, Soldiers Detain Human Rights Worker
3. Farmer Picks Grapes While Harrassed by Armed Israeli Colonist Militia
4. Non-violent Resistance in Bil’in Works
5. Illegal Barriers in Hebron Region Destroyed
6. Palestinian and International Activists Remove Roadblock
7. Harry Potter and the Spell of Transportation
8. Bil’in Announces Plans to Build Hotel on Israeli Occupied Village Land
9. Olive Harvest Campaign 2006 Gets Underway!
10. Roadblock Removed in Al-Jab’a, Demonstrators Attacked

1. Beit Furik Demonstrate Against Closures

by ISM Nablus, September 9th

This morning a group of university students and other residents of Beit Furik joined in a non-violent demonstration against the early closure of the checkpoint separating them from Nablus city center. About 50 Palestinian and international protestors marched across a settler road toward the checkpoint holding placards, demanding an end to the Palestinian people’s misery and asking to speak to the highest commanding officer at the site.

A couple of students tried to explain to the soldiers that it is impossible for them to seriously pursue their studies when they are constantly having to fit their schedule around the random regulations of the checkpoint. Beit Furik checkpoint currently closes at 6:30 in the evening, and the protestors’ primary demand was therefore that the checkpoint should be kept open until later in the evening, providing time for students and workers to return home from Nablus.

The soldiers would not listen to the demands and kept ordering the demonstration to back away from the checkpoint. The protestors then hung their placards from the tin roof of the pen where men and women are usually made to wait for their turn to have their IDs and persons inspected before being allowed to go about their day. These messages were ripped down, torn and crumpled up by the annoyed soldiers as the demonstration dispersed.

The village of Beit Furik is strangled by checkpoints, settler-only roads and settlements. In order for the villagers to cross into Salem village, the neighboring town, they have to cross through a checkpoint. When this checkpoint is closed, and the local roads blocked, the residents of Beit Furik are forced to travel in a wide arch in the opposite direction to their destination. Travelling through nine villages on a rocky dirt-track that is nearly impossible to navigate by car in the winter months, it might take up to five hours for villagers to reach Nablus. There is also a high risk of being stopped by soldiers and arrested or turned back.

These restrictions of movement are devastating for Beit Furik’s social, economical and political situation. Yet the residents of Beit Furik are defiant and view today’s demonstration as the first of many similar acts of protest. They welcome all expressions of support and solidarity for their struggle for freedom of movement.

For photos see https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/09/09/beit-furik-demo/

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2. Israeli Settlers Harrass Palestinians, Soldiers Detain Human Rights Worker

by Tel Rumeida Project and ISM Hebron, September 9th

Around 2pm today, while sitting on the top of the hill in Tel Rumeida, Hebron, soldiers ordered Palestinian children and Human Rights Workers (HRWs) to stop playing football in the street. The HRW asked the soldier what the problem was, and he replied, “You’re bothering me. Stop playing football here.” The HRW asked the soldier if it was illegal to play football in the street, and the soldier said, “No, it’s not illegal, but you’re bothering me. Stop playing football here. Thank you.” The Palestinian children and HRWs continued to play football for about two more minutes, then sat back down. Approximately ten minutes later, HRWs noticed two Israeli settler children looking over the fence and into the yard of a Palestinian home. Israeli settlers have been tearing down and breaking grape vines from this house over the past week, as well as stealing the grapes. One HRW walked towards the direction of the children, and they left. The HRW then stepped inside the Palestinian shoe shop nearby to say hello and see how things were going.

At this point, six settler boys around the age of 16 came down the hill. The international stood in the doorway, continuing her conversation. One settler boy, who approached this HRW the day before and called her a ‘bitch’ in Hebrew, aggressively approached the door of the shop and tried to enter. The HRW blocked his way with her body and told him, “You are not welcome in this shop. This is a private business.” The settler began yelling at the HRW in Hebrew. The HRW continued to block the door. The remaining settler boys surrounded the other HRW and began yelling at him in Hebrew. They then started to lightly whip the HRW with their tzitzit (the tassles that religious Jews wear). Two soldiers posted nearby approached and told the HRW to leave and quit making problems. The settler boys then proceeded to stand in a circle in the middle of the road and jump up and down, holding hands, singing a song in Hebrew very loudly. The soldier who had told the Palestinians and HRWs not to play football then told the HRWs that it would be better if we weren’t sitting outside causing problems and bothering the settlers on Shabbat. The soldier asked us what we were doing there and asked why we couldn’t go somewhere else. The HRWs ended the conversation at this point.

Approximately ten minutes later, eight soldiers came running down the hill. The last soldier in the contingent stopped at the gate of a house and kicked a small child who appeared to be about eight years old. The HRWs yelled at the soldier, but he ignored the HRWs and continued down the hill. He was wearing a red kippa and holding his helmet in his hand. One HRW approached a commander and told him about the soldier. She was able to point out the soldier; the commander called the soldier over to him. As the commander walked back past the HRWs, he told them, “You should file a report. What he did was bad.”

HRWs then received a phone call from HRWs on Shuhada Street saying they had just been attacked by the settlers. These were the same settlers in the incident on the top of the hill. A separate report will follow with the details of this incident.

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At approximately 3:30pm, three HRWs were sitting on Shuhada Street. Settler children were milling about the soldier’s post next to Beit Hadassa Settlement. The HRWs noticed three settler boys walking down Shuhada Street towards the settlement, seemingly prepared for violence. As the boys walked past the HRWs, they focused their attention on the two women in the group. The settler boys spit on the HRWs and cursed them in Hebrew. The HRWs then stood up and told the settler boys to leave. One boy had a short stick twice as thick as a broom handle. He threatened one HRW with the stick, but did not hit her. The HRWs yelled at the settler boys to leave and called for the soldier. The soldier eventually came out of his post and smiled gently at the boys. They eventually left, but not without threatening one HRW with the stick again and throwing a few rocks.

About ten minutes later, a Palestinian woman coming from the Qurtuba girls school stairs said that settler boys had thrown rocks at her. One HRW went towards the stairs and saw about 15 kids about the age of 8-10 sitting on the path to the school, destroying it. The HRW asked the soldier to help stop the kids, but he said that it wasn’t his job; he then went back into his post. The Palestinian woman who had come from the path ten minutes before came back; HRWs immediately offered to accompany her back on the path. She was extremely relieved that we said we would go with her. HRWs walked her past the settlers without incident and then went back to Shuhada Street. This went on with three more Palestinians, all without major incident. HRWs had called the police in the meantime to report the damage to the path. The police came and began yelling at the children. HRWs continued to accompany Palestinians on the path. Each time, the settler kids were more aggressive towards the Palestinians and HRWs, spitting on them and blocking their path. The last time HRWs walked a Palestinian on the path, settler girls about the age of 12 forcefully blocked the path and stopped the HRWs from passing. HRWs non-violently pushed their way through the group of settler kids. Anat Cohen, a settler woman well-known for being aggressive towards Palestinians and HRWs, blocked the second HRW. Anat Cohen said over and over again, “Go to Aushwitz! Go to Aushwitz you Nazi!” The HRW did not reply.

Fifteen minutes later, the border police and regular police approached the HRWs sitting on Shuhada Street. They filmed one female HRW, then surrounded her and demanded that she hand over her passport. The HRW had been travelling earlier in the day and had left her passport in the house. The police officer ordered another HRW to get the passport from the house. The police arrested the first HRW in the meantime. The HRW was held at Kiryat Arba Police Station for four hours then released without charges.

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3. Farmer Picks Grapes While Harrassed by Armed Israeli Colonist Militia

by the Palestine Solidarity Project, September 10th

Abu Ayash and his family have owned and tended their land for around 100 years but are now facing increasing violence from the inhabitants of the nearby and ever expanding Israeli settlement Karme Zur. On Sunday, September 10, activists with the Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP) joined the farmer to defy the Israeli DCO (District Co-ordination Office – essential the Israeli army’s administrative wing in the West Bank), and make the harvest under the watchful eye of armed settler ’security’ and Israeli army.

The family owns 3 dunums of land right next to Karme Zur, some of the grapevines reaching out onto the settler road separating the Palestinian land from the green lawns of the settlement. When the family tries to pick the grapes there, armed settlers harass and scare them away, threatening to shoot them if they return. The settlers demand that the family contact the DCO to gain permission to harvest, something that the family refuses to do since it is their land to visit as they please.

Since the family is largely unable to access this land, it is left unguarded for long periods of time. The settlers take advantage of this by picking the grapes for themselves or destroying the trees. In the past, they have used tractors to mow down trees, radically decreasing the harvest and the family’s income. For the past year and a half, the Abu Ayash family has been accompanied by international human rights workers when tending their land. This has substantially lessened the degree of harassment, even though settlers still try to interfere with their work, threatening family members and international activists alike.

On Sunday the 10th of September, volunteers from Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP) accompanied members of the Abu Ayash family to the 3 dunums bordering the settlement. Together, they picked about 1 ton, or 100 boxes, full of grapes which, in financial terms, means a significant income of 800-900 shekles for the family. Armed settler militia approached the harvesters with a jeering “Oh, there you are! We have been waiting for you!” and immediately took their positions along the road separating the land from the settler houses. Protesting whenever someone would climb onto the stone wall to reach for the bunches of grapes growing on the verge of the road, the settlers patrolled the area throughout the four hours the family were on the land. At one point, a military jeep pulled up and seemingly relieved the settler guards of their watch. As we were about to leave, a group of settler children approached to make fun of and spit at the activists.

In the debate concerning the Israeli occupation of Palestine, there is always a lot of talk about the security fears of colonist settlers and Israelis in general. It was, therefore, interesting to see how a young unarmed colonist mother with an infant strapped to her chest and a toddler hanging onto her left hand, calmly walked by the land where we were picking grapes, even stopping to get a closer look at us. This was before the armed settler militia had even arrived. Having seen this, and countless other examples of feigned security concerns, it is difficult to take seriously the proclaimed fear of attack from Palestinians – continuously used to justify the most barbarous policies and a continuation of the occupation.

Seventy dunums of farm land have already been completely confiscated by Karmi Zur colony, and the papers proving ownership have proven worthless in contesting the theft. In addition to the 70 dunums now within the settlement, the family owns an additional 5 dunums of land wedged in between the two settlements of Gush Etzion and Efrat. There are two ways of getting to this land – one a 10 minute drive on a settler-only road, and one a 60 minute journey by dirt-track over the hills. If Israeli police stop Palestinians traveling on the settler-only road they are charged a fine of 1,000 NIS. Both the fine and the time it takes to get to the land on the dirt-track are prohibitive factors that mean that the family is unable to tend their land as needed.

This year’s grape-harvest is now over. In a couple of months, the family will need to cut the vines and plow the earth. In the face of settler violence and military complicity, they will have to continue coordinating their plans with PSP in order to work on their own land. This is PSP’s second direct action in 10 days. PSP is a non-violent Palestinian-led movement based in Beit Ommar welcoming international participation and support. While the website is under construction, PSP can be reached at palestine_project@yahoo.com

For photos visit https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/09/13/beit-ommar-10-09/

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4. Non-violent Resistance in Bil’in Works

by ISM media volunteers, September 15th

Today, as every in Friday for the last year and 7 months, the villagers of Bil’in marched from the mosque to the Wall. Joined by international and Israeli activists, the marchers were confronted on the edge of the village with baton and shield wielding Occupation forces who turned these weapons against the peaceful protesters. An Israeli activist was hit in the face with a riot shield and suffered severe bleeding. Despite the beatings being meted out the villagers sang and chanted resistance slogans.

As the protesters were being forced back into the village they sat down on the road to non-violently resist the Occupation invading the village. In contrast to previous anti-Wall demonstrations when soldiers brutally dispersed any groups of protesters, this time the soldiers allowed them to sit on the road. The rhythmic beating of a Buddhist monk’s drum rang out over the act of silent resistance and shamed the Occupation forces into contemplating their unwelcome and provocative presence in the village.

For photos see https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/09/15/bilin-15-09/

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5. Illegal Barriers in Hebron Region Destroyed

by Palestine Solidarity Project, September 15th

On September 15, 2006, Palestinian and international activists removed large sections of a razor wire barrier erected on Palestinian land in the Al-Khalil (Hebron) region, and designed to isolate and bisect a village.

The fence was repeatedly cut, metal stakes removed, and the razor wire ripped to be rendered unusable. The activists worked in teams, sabotaging the fence in many strategic areas. By the end of the action, the activists had destroyed large tracts of the barrier, and created more than six entry and exit points in the fence. Each entry/exit point created spanned more than seven meters. Having accomplished their goal of opening the crossings, the activists returned safely without being observed by Occupation forces.

On September 17, 2006, for the third time in approximately two weeks, Palestinian and international activists carried out a successful direct action to remove illegal fence and razor wire barriers in the Al-Khalil region. The activists were able to open at least six entry and exit points in the razor wire barrier. The section of the barrier that was targeted was very near to an Occupation checkpoint, and the activists were able to complete their work prior to spotting soldiers en route on foot.

These particular barriers, both located in the Al-Khalil region, were chosen because of frequent requests made to PSP by members of the communities affected. The existence of these illegal structures restricts the movement of the Palestinian people and redraws the West Bank borders in the name of Israeli ’security.’ The military claims that the barrier is necessary to prevent attackers from crossing into Israel. This fence is the preliminary installation of what will soon become part of the Apartheid Wall.

The route of the barrier has annexed some families by placing them on the ‘Israeli’ side of the barrier, isolating their homes from their villages. Many farmers in the villages have similarly had their land annexed; the barrier makes their land inaccessible. Now, with the fences disabled, the Palestinians are able to reach their homes, and farm land more easily. By destroying the fence in several locations, PSP was able to create access points for farmers and other travelers to enter and exit the area. This action was also designed to slow the progress of the Apartheid Wall by delaying the process and making it slower.

This is the third direct action undertaken by PSP in two weeks. PSP is a newly developed, Palestinian-led, non-violent movement to resist the Israeli occupation.

For more information on the Palestine Solidarity Project, please contact palestine_project@yahoo.com or visit the website at:
palestinesolidarityproject.wordpress.com

For photo see https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/09/21/barriers-hebron/

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6. Palestinian and International Activists Remove Roadblock

by Palestine Solidarity Project, September 21st

On September 21, 2006, in the village of Al-Jab’a, Palestinian and international activists partially removed an earth mound roadblock that separates the Palestinian village of Al-Jab’a from the Palestinian village of Surif.

In 2002, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) created the illegal roadblock to prevent the villagers of Surif and the villagers of Al’Jab’a from commuting back and forth by car. The roadblock consists of dirt, large stones, at least five massive boulders, and more than nine 2-5 ton concrete slabs and blocks. Presently, Palestinians seeking to reach their village from the neighboring village are forced to approach the barrier by car, unload their goods and crops over the roadblock, and repack them into a car located on the other side of the barrier. While this restriction is extremely difficult to navigate, there are multiple other problems. The barrier is built at the junction of a Palestinian road and a settler-only road leading towards the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh, and in the opposite direction towards Bethlehem, Hebron or Jerusalem. This road leads towards many colonial settlements, and it is partially for this reason that Palestinians are prevented from crossing it via car.

Not only does the earth mound roadblock prevent Palestinians from traveling within the occupied West Bank, and farmers from transporting their crops from field to market, it also prevents local students from attending secondary school. Daily, students from the village of Jab’a must travel to Surif to study. They must make this long journey by foot because the roadblock prevents buses and service taxis from crossing the settler road to the adjacent village. In Jab’a, the school serves students until around age 11. When the students reach twelve years of age, they must go to the older children’s’ school in Surif. With the road block in place, this simple journey is grueling and slow.

Because of these crimes committed by the Occupation, the villagers of Jab’a and Surif, joined with international activists to demonstrate in front of the road block, on the shoulder of the settler-only road. The demonstrators marched from the village of Al-Jab’a holding signs reading, “I Dream of Freedom for My Children,” “Settlers Create Apartheid,” and “You Steal Freedom.” Upon reaching the roadblock, demonstrators held the signs for the view of passing settler cars, and, others began to remove the roadblock with shovels and their hands. The demonstrators used the shovels to carry away the dirt and used their hands to move the rocks. Using a metal pipe as a lever, the demonstrators were able to remove one concrete slab prior to the arrival of IOF soldiers and border police.

After approximately 45 minutes, IOF border police and soldiers arrived. Within minutes of the arrival of the first armored police jeep, it was joined by two armored military jeeps. In total, two border police and more than eight soldiers took positions to monitor the action. After a few minutes they approached the demonstrators with a statement written in Hebrew and two maps marked in pen, also in Hebrew. They explained that the road, the roadblock and the adjacent villages were “closed military zones,” and that internationals were not allowed to be present. After some questioning, this answer changed, and the activists were told that both Palestinians and internationals were not permitted to be present near the roadblock or the road. The soldiers informed the peaceful crowd that if they did not leave immediately, they would be arrested. After listening to the IOF’s threats, the demonstrators returned to work removing the roadblock. During this exchange with the IOF, several cars carrying colonist settlers stopped to shout insults or to inquire about the situation. Throughout the action, many settlers slowed to read the signs, and to occasionally shout profanities at the non-violent demonstrators.

After partially removing the roadblock, the Palestinian village committee decided to disperse and return to the village and the Palestinians and internationals marched back up to Al-Jab’a. This is the first direct action to be undertaken jointly by the Surif and Al-Jab’a local committees and PSP. In the future, the demonstrators hope to return to the roadblock and further open the road, allowing for the free passage of Palestinians from village to village.

For more information on the Palestine Solidarity Project, please contact palestine_project@yahoo.com or visit the website at: palestinesolidarityproject.wordpress.com

For photos see https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/09/21/jaba-roadblock-action/

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7. Harry Potter and the Spell of Transportation

by Alizarin Crimson and Harry Potter, September 22nd

At 6:45 PM on September 22nd, human rights workers (HRWs) in Hebron paid a visit to their neighbors, the Abu Haikals where they were shocked, SHOCKED to find that soldiers had yet again, invaded the home.

HRWs rang the bell of the house and politely asked the soldiers to be let in. After receiving no response, HRWs realized that the soldiers, fearful of HRWs entering, had barricaded themselves in the house using a desk to secure the door from the inside.

What the soldiers did not know was that Harry Potter had paid a visit to Hebron that day and had followed the HRWs to the Abu Haikal house. Using his Spell of Transportation, Harry magically transported* three of the HRWs inside the house where soldiers were shocked, SHOCKED to turn around and find NONE OTHER than Harry Potter and his non-violent army of HRWs filming the soldier’s shenanigans.

HRWs noticed that the IOF soldiers were messing with the families’ computer. When asked what they were searching for, soldiers replied they were looking for weapons or “evidence.”

You may click here to listen to the audio of the following conversation Harry Potter had with the soldiers or read it below:

Harry Potter: I think you should search the settler homes, you will find lots of weapons there…What do you think personally, if you’re getting in this house once a week or three times a month, you know, harassing these people here, giving them a hard time and the settlers instead are walking around with their huge guns, throwing stones at school kids and all that stuff. You feel fine protecting them ? Honestly, I mean.

Soldier 1: No comment…. I’m not protecting them, I’m protecting my country.

HRW 1: From whom are you protecting your country ?

Soldier 2: I’m protecting my country and my conscience is clean”

Harry Potter: Why are you protecting your country HERE?

Soldier 2: Because this is also my country.

Harry Potter: This is the West Bank.

Soldier 2: So what ?

Harry Potter: You think the West Bank is Israel ?

Soldier 2: Who, who are you to tell me what is Israel and what is not ?

Harry Potter: I’m just curious what you think.

Soldier 2: Yes, this is Israel. You can open the Bible, the holy…

The remaining three HRWs stayed outside the home and were able to force the door open just enough to lodge a brick between the door and the frame, creating a hole just big enough to film the soldiers searching through the families’ computer.

After approximately half an hour of searching the computer and not finding any “evidence,” the soldiers got bored and asked the HRWs who had been continually banging on the door to please move so they could leave. Six Israeli soldiers emerged from the home, empty handed and somewhat irritated.

Upon examining their computer, the Abu Haikals discovered that the soldiers had left some graffiti in Hebrew and had deleted some software.

The graffiti reads “the one who dares, wins. Unit Palchod 96″

Feryal Abu Haikal commented, “They haven’t been here in about a month, it was time for them to come again.”

* Everything in this report is completely true except for the way in which HRWs entered the home which will remain classified for “security” reasons.

For photos see https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/09/23/harry-potter/

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8. Bil’in Announces Plans to Build Hotel on Israeli Occupied Village Land

September 27th

UPDATE, 27th of September: By now the sign has been practically destroyed by Israeli colonist settlers. The plan to build the hotel is going ahead.

UPDATE, 12.30 am: The villagers of Bil’in have successfully inaugurated their project to build a hotel on their land in the illegal settlement. A sign detailing their plans was erected and the foundation stone laid. No-one was detained or arrested. As of this writing, the sign is still standing.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

This morning at 10 am, residents of Bil’in, the Palestinian village that has become the very symbol of non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation announced their intention to build a hotel on land belonging to the village, but occupied by Israel. Villagers erected a 5×3 meter sign-post advertising the forthcoming hotel called ‘Falastin’, and intend to submit a planning application to the Israeli Civil Administration which is responsible for civilian matters on occupied Palestinian land.

The village land is behind the illegal apartheid barrier that the Israeli military has enforced on the village. The sign has been erected in the illegal settlement of Matityahu East near to the apartments Bil’in villagers tried to move into in July, and the project was inaugurated with the laying of a foundation stone.

In a similar way to Bil’in villagers’ attempt back in July to legally move into an apartment building in the Israeli settlement, this measure is both symbolic and practical. The intention is genuinely to build a hotel on the land. At the same time, the action is being undertaken to highlight the apartheid nature of the Israeli legal system. The Israeli Supreme Court issued an injunction forbidding the occupation of apartments in the Matityahu East settlement as this land was stolen from Bil’in through fraudulent land purchases – the affidavit affirming the transfer of ownership was signed by an attorney representing the settlers, instead of by the head of Bil’in, as is required. However, Jewish settlers have been moving into apartments in Matityahu East in defiance of the Supreme Court and with the complicity of the police and military.

In stark contrast to this treatment of settlers, during the attempted move-in in July, after the Bil’in arrvived in the empty apartments in Matityahu East, the military declared the area a closed military zone and Border Police forcibly evicted the families and removed them to the other side of the apartheid wall.

In July the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the construction company responsible for the expansion of the illegal settlement to demolish two partial structures, restore some of the land to its previous pre-colonial agricultural state and build an access road for Bil’in villagers. The company demolished the structures last month in order to boost their chances of gaining retrospective permission for the other apartments built illegally, but no attempt has yet been made to fulfill the other parts of the court’s decision.

for photos see https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/09/25/bilin-hotel/

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9. Olive Harvest Campaign 2006 Gets Underway!

by ISM Nablus, September 29th

The olive harvest of 2006 in Nablus has officially begun! Although not an ideal starting-date, an olive farmer from the Palestinian village of Azmut and his family who own 150 dunums of land partitioned by an Apartheid settler-only road, decided to start harvesting a few days ago. They fear that the Israeli colonists of nearby Elon Moreh will otherwise steal the olives from the trees closest to them.

This is an annual occurrence that further decreases the family’s harvest, already decimated by the limited amount of harvest-time permitted by the DCO (District Coordination Office – the civil administration wing of the Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank). The colonists generally send one or two young girls to pick the olives, making it extremely difficult for the landowner to protest as anything he might say or do to the girls would be blown out of proportion and used against him by the colonists and their allies in the Israeli military and police forces. Thus, he has remained silent so far.

Previous olive harvests in the Nablus region have also been characterised by a substantial degree of violence on the part of both Israeli colonists and soldiers. In this village in 2004, two Palestinian olive pickers were shot by colonists, killing one. Israeli gunmen have without fail turned up to chase the family off their land and the Israeli army’s sole contribution has been to advise the farmer not to return as “the settlers are crazy and they will kill you”. Apart from physical violence, Israeli colonists also cut down about 300 trees belonging to this family in 2000, and burnt an additional area of land in 2004.

This year the family decided to brave the hot sun in the middle of Ramadan to tend to their fields, without DCO permission and armed only with the deed to their land. On Tuesday 26th September 2006, the elderly farmer, his wife, five of his daughters and nieces, and four international observers picked olives from trees adjacent to the Apartheid settler bypass road. These trees had not been picked by their rightful Palestinian owners for more than 10 years due to colonist theft and constant threats.

The first day progressed smoothly, with no interruptions from colonists or military. The mood was cheerful, almost festive, as branch after branch was picked clean. Certain trees grow only 5 metres away from the settler-only road and each vehicle that passed by momentarily caused conversations to cease and breathing to quicken. Yet the work was soothing and spirits were high despite the heat. When the internationals commented on how meditative picking olives could be, a couple of the women joked about organising working holidays for rich westerners looking for an exclusive getaway. We imagined the brochure – “experience the thrill of a lifetime! Come pick olives in beautiful landscapes. Adrenaline rush guaranteed!”

The promised adrenaline rush was delivered the day after. As we proceeded to pick olives on the other side of the Apartheid road, only 100 meters away from Elon Moreh settlement, two colonist gunmen in a jeep pulled up and got out, carrying their machine guns. They did not approach or shout to us but stood at the top of the hill looking down with binoculars as we worked, talking into their radios and driving back and forth at times. There are cameras set up along the entire breadth of the hillside and so they probably saw us coming on their screens, or were told by someone passing by on the road below us. After about half an hour, five soldiers arrived and told us to stop picking.

After some negotiation, we continued picking and the soldiers retreated further down the hill. After another half hour, a DCO representative drove up and spoke to the farmer. Despite not having gained DCO permission prior to going to his field, the farmer successfully talked the DCO officer into leaving us alone. Before leaving, the officer ordered the soldiers to guard us as we worked, once again emphasising that the colonists of Elon Moreh are violent and not to be trusted. We continued working as the soldiers sat in the shade playing with their mobile phones and muttering something about “Palestinians planting bombs in the groves.” We continued picking until the time of day that we had decided at the outset, packed our harvest onto the donkey and left, light-headed and filthy, yet triumphant. The soldiers followed, slipping and sliding among the rocks with their heavy armour.

The family still has many dunums left to pick but have decided to postpone this until after the end of Ramadan due to the extreme heat. They urge internationals to come with them as they continue harvesting after Eid ul-Fitr (the Muslim festival that marks the end of Ramadan), because “if you were not here today, there would be no talk, only guns and threats. We thank you for coming and hope we will meet again someday under happier circumstances.”

This experience shows the importance of international accompaniment for the Palestinian olive harvest. We urge all internationals seeking to build links of solidarity with the Palestinian people fighting occupation to come to Palestine, come to the fields and help ensure that every last olive is harvested.

For photos see https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/09/29/olive-start/

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10. Roadblock Removed in Al-Jab’a, Demonstrators Attacked

by Palestine Solidarity Project, September 29th

Today, in the village of Al-Jab’a, Palestinian villagers, supported by Israeli and international activists successfully removed a large section of an illegal roadblock that had been installed by the Israeli army. The Palestinians were able to achieve their objective: creating a passage wide enough to allow for a service taxi (a mini-bus sized shared taxi: they at as the mainstay of public transport in the West Bank). While work was still going on, Israeli army arrived and assaulted Palestinian, international and Israeli activists.

A group of Palestinians, along with their Israeli and international supporters joined together at the junction between the villages of Al-Jab’a and Surif to remove the earth mound roadblock that prevents cars from passing between the villages – nearly 100 people altogether. The roadblock prevents school children in Al-Jab’a from reaching Surif. It also prevents farmers in Surif and Al’Jab’a from reaching their land via tractor, while similarly preventing the transport of crops from the fields to the market. The roadblock effectively closes the road in two directions, and service taxis are prevented from waiting to pick up travellers. Fed up of these restrictions aimed against the Palestinians, for the second time in eight days, the people assembled to dismantle the obstruction. On September 21, the villagers carried out a similar action and began the work to remove the roadblock.

The demonstrators marched from the village of Al-Jab’a, following Friday prayers, and assembled at the blockade. The Palestinians carried signs reading “I Dream of Freedom for My Children,” “Settlers Create Apartheid” and “You Steal Freedom,” while others carried Palestinian flags. When the demonstrators reached the roadblock, they began removing it with shovels, hoes, picks and their hands. Rocks were passed hand to hand, the rubble that formed the base of the mound was moved by shovel, and others began to dig underneath the two ton concrete block that was to be moved. After the stones and dirt had been partially removed, and the base of the block exposed, ropes and straps were attached to the block, and a large lever was angled underneath to help lift. Using the strength of over thirty people, the block was moved inch by inch. Some demonstrators pushed the block from behind, and others pulled on the ropes. In minutes, the demonstrators were able to roll the block five times, clearing a path for cars, trucks, pedestrians and donkeys. With the block removed, and the rubble cleared, the hole created was nearly 9 feet (3 meters) wide.

By the time the block was moved and the road opened, large contingents of Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) soldiers had assembled. Three military jeeps, one Hummer and one police jeep had been dispatched, as well as more than twenty soldiers and police. They ordered the people to leave, claiming that the entire area was a “closed military zone.” Soon after, the IOF soldiers and police attacked the demonstrators. First the IOF attempted to seize the shovels and picks, but the demonstrators were able to prevent these tools from being taken by passing them from person to person. After this, the IOF soldiers attempted to arrest a Palestinian man. During this attempted arrest, the demonstrators were able to peacefully block the soldiers, and prevent the man from being seized. After two unsuccessful attempts to arrest demonstrators and steal tools, the IOF soldiers attempted to arrest two Israeli solidarity activists. Once again, the demonstrators were able to successfully prevent the arrest of the activist by blocking the IOF soldiers with their bodies.

Following the four unsuccessful attempts to seize demonstrators and equipment, the soldiers entered the clearing leading to Surif and chased an Israeli activist who was returning the tools to their owners. The IOF soldiers assaulted the activist, and quickly international activists with the Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP) intervened. During this encounter, the IOF soldiers repeatedly assaulted international and Israeli activists by choking them, punching them, striking them with the shovels and knocking them onto the ground. While the four soldiers attacked the demonstrators, one shouted in English, “I am going to beat her…I am crazy.” During this attack, four activists were injured. While seemingly departing, one soldier, in his rage destroyed a protest sign held by a Palestinian child.

Having successfully opened the roadblock, and remaining in possession of their tools, the Palestinians, Israelis and internationals decided to return to the village. Though they were totally non-violent throughout the demonstration, and were peacefully dispersing, IOF soldiers attempted to follow the Palestinians into the village, presumably to make arrests. In order to prevent this, international and Israeli activists sat down in front of the Hummer that was leading the caravan of soldiers into the village. This tactic prevented the IOF from entering the village, and the Palestinians returned home.

Less than one hour following the demonstration, an military bulldozer, made by US company Caterpillar was dispatched to rebuild the roadblock. This reaction by Occupation forces was expected. The demonstrators knew that their action would not open the road permanently – it was an act of resistance against the Occupation’s policy of closure and restriction of movement. While the roadblock was open for only one hour, during that time, the demonstrators witnessed several families, individuals and farmers riding donkeys, pass through the opened roadblock.

For photos see https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/09/30/jaba-roadblock2/

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