American peace activist Art Gish died on Wednesday in a tractor accident on his organic farm in Athens, Ohio, at the age of 70.
Gish and his wife Peggy – currently in Iraq – dedicated much of their lives to promoting peace in the Middle East through nonviolent action.
As a member of the Christian Peacemakers Team (CPT) based in Al Khalil (Hebron) in the West Bank, Gish lived up to the CPT’s slogan “Getting in the way” when he faced up to an Israeli tank in 2003 to try to prevent it from destroying a market in Hebron’s Old City.
Art Gish in Hebron in 2003 standing in front of an Israeli tank to try to stop it destroying a market in the Old City
The photo became famous when it was distributed by the Associated Press around the world.
“The soldiers tried their best to ignore me, but I am sure they heard me. I ignored their commands for me to leave. One soldier spit at me, so I walked right up to him and invited him to spit on me. He declined the offer.
Three soldiers aimed their guns at and moved toward a group of Palestinian bystanders. It looked to me like they were going to shoot. I quickly jumped in front of the soldiers, raised my hands in the air and shouted, “Shoot me, shoot me, go ahead and shoot me.” The soldiers immediately left.
A tank came roaring toward me, its big gun barrel aimed at me. I raised my hands in the air in prayer, and shouted, “Shoot, shoot, Baruch hashem adonai.” The tank stopped within inches of me.”
He added: “The Israeli military had put all of Hebron under total curfew today, saying they were looking for terrorists. Now I wonder if there really were terrorists hidden among the apples and oranges. Or, are the Israeli soldiers committing acts of terrorism against the civilian population of Hebron?”
Additional information about a settler attack in Boere last night has been added to the end of this post, along with new photos, one of which shows a bite mark inflicted on a female demonstrator by a soldier.
Soldiers threaten a demonstrator during a violently repressed protest
The recent escalation of settler violence in Al-Khalil (Hebron) was matched by unwarranted military violence and the arbitrary arrest of peaceful protestors at the latest protest against the closure of Shuhada Street and illegal presence of Israeli settlers on Saturday 24 July 2010.
Cynical military violence
Israeli soldiers were brutal with an overwhelmingly peaceful group of demonstrators and made six arrests, apparently at random. Soldiers used great violence to arrest three French men, an Israeli activist, a Swedish man – and later that day a Palestinian. Protestors were kicked, punched, stamped on, dragged by the hair and two even reported being bitten by soldiers whilst they held on to fellow activists to prevent their arrest.
A peaceful tone for the protest was set by the local popular committee who had arranged for a visiting dance troupe from Syria to perform a traditional ‘dabka’ dance. Spirited chanting ensued and protestors linked arms to walk towards the market. However soldiers with M-16 rifles blocked their path and physically shoved them back.
A peaceful Swedish demonstrator was violently arrested by soldiers and detained for several hours
At one point a single protestor used a plastic flag pole to poke a soldier, after extreme and unnecessary force had already been employd by soldiers. Following this the army set upon the demonstrators, and started to beat any and all of those present. Arrests were made in an extremely vicious way, with young men being grabbed by their necks and put in headlocks. Several people were successfully de-arrested by fellow activists but the large military contingent made five arrests, handcuffing innocent people on the spot and dragging them away.
The protest calmed down somewhat when demonstrators sat on the floor to continue chanting peacefully. However the soldiers refused to allow even this. They drove people away from the closed off entrance to Shuhada Street and as they slowly backed off one soldier hurled a sound grenade into the retreating crowd – a rare occurrence in Hebron and a sign of the harsh manner in which the protest was repressed this week.
Arrests and legal intimidation
At least 25 people went to Kiryat Arba police station in Hebron, to demand the release of those arrested. They chanted and sang songs for three hours demanding they be freed. Later that evening the Swedish man – photos show the bruises on his body from being violently arrested – and the Israeli man were released without even being questioned, suggesting that police were well aware they had committed no crime.
However, the three French people, who had also done nothing wrong and are understood to have been observing the demonstration and not even participating, have been banned from Hebron, Ni’lin and Bil’in – three of the most important sites of nonviolent Palestinian resistance. This may have been because they admitted to being part of a group, called Generation Palestine.
The commander of the unit raises his arm to hit a peaceful protester
Last week a Swedish man, Marcus Regnander, was banned from the entire West Bank for six months after a similar arbitrary arrest and with again no evidence presented against him. His lawyer plans to appeal the case.
A Palestinian man arrested later that day at a checkpoint but was released Monday afternoon. His release may have been because police knew that their was a lot of video evidence of soldiers attacking him – rather than the other way round – so their claim that he attacked soldiers would easily have been exposed as a lie – however he still faces a court case.
Daily settler violence
In the past two weeks, Hebron – where human rights violations occur every day – has been even more troubled than usual.
On July 17, Mohammed, a shopkeeper, was attacked by twelve Israeli settlers near his shop by the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Without provocation, two of the settlers grabbed Mohammed and a third punched him in the face. When the ambulance arrived to take Mohammed to the hospital, the military refused to let it through, though he eventually saw a doctor who warned him he might require surgery on his left eye.
On July 18th an eleven year old Palestinian boy was run over by a settler on a motorbike. A witness, who said the man was driving at 80kph and continued after hitting the boy, said it was clearly no accident and similar incidents have occurred in the past.
Windows of a Palestinian property smashed by Israeli settlers
On July 20th there were problems at the shops near the Tomb of the Patriarchs. A group of settlers had parked their cars in front of the shops preventing people from getting access to them, even preventing one of the shops from opening, since a car had parked just in front of the entrance to the shop. Internationals were able to help resolve the situation peacefully and the cars were moved.
In Boere village activists met with local women who told them that during the last two weeks the settlers have been setting fire to crops near the family house, destroyed the water system in one of the plantations, cut a large number of tomato plants, smashed windows and slashed the tyres of two cars in the village. Locals also suspect that settlers might plan to steal more land in the village, since they also have cleared trees from an area on a hillside opposite the village, owned by a Palestinian family.
UPDATE 27 July 2010:
The bite mark on an activist's arm - inflicted by an Israeli soldier
ISM activists in Hebron report that last night in the village of Boere, about 100 settlers marched the streets proclaiming the area their territory. They are also said to have attacked members of CPT (Christian Peacemakers Team) who were videoing the settlers’ activities.
This photo shows a bite mark on the arm of a female demonstrator. She was one of two women who reported being bitten by a soldier when holding on to a fellow activist in order to de-arrest them.
Correction, 27 July 2010: Marcus’s surname was originally wrongly spelled ‘Rednanver’ but has now been corrected.
A Swedish peace activist was arrested in Hebron last night and stood trial today in Jerusalem.
Nursing student Marcus Regnander was accused of assaulting a soldier at a peaceful demonstration in Hebron 10 days ago. Witnesses say the charge is baseless and that he has been targeted by police arbitrarily. The judge ordered that he be detained and questioned for a further two days.
At approximately 11PM last night (20 July 2010) Regnander and another Swedish man were passing a checkpoint near Tel Rumeida when soldiers forcefully detained him, confiscated his passport and called police.
Regnander was not told where he had been taken but believed it was a police station near Hebron.
Officials at the Court of Peace in the Russian Compound, Jerusalem, heard his case at 12.30 this afternoon. Following the judge’s ruling he was led wasy in handcuffs and shackled at the ankles. He told friends who attended the hearing that he had not been fed since he was arrested.
He will be released on Friday 23rd at 12 noon unless the police investigation can produce new evidence.
For more information contact:
ISM Media Office – 0545581494 or 0546180056 palreports@gmail.com
A Palestinian property in Tel Rumedia where windows have been smashed by Israeli settlers.
Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians have increased over the past few days in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood in Al Khalil.
On Sat. July 17, Mohammed, a shopkeeper, was approached by twelve Israeli settlers near his shop by the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Without provocation, two of the settlers grabbed Mohammed and a third punched him in the face, forcing him to the ground, according to Mohammed. When the ambulance arrived to take Mohammed to the hospital, the military refused. After some discussions between the soldiers and the border police, who witnessed the event, a military ambulance arrived, checked Mohammed’s medical status, and transported him to the waiting Palestinian ambulance. Although he was not in need for further hospitalization, Mohammed’s left chin and the area around his left eye were black and blue and swollen.
Two days after the attack, Mohammad visited the hospital for a second time. The doctor told him that there was bleeding in his left eye, which may need surgery, according to Mohammed.
The Israeli settler violence continued on the evening of Sun. July 18, when Abdullah, an 11-year-old Palestinian boy, was hit by an Israeli motorcyclist, driving “at full speed,” according to an eyewitness. Abdullah was riding his bike at the time of the incident, close to a school near the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Abdullah was taken to hospital for intensive care, and was treated for critical injuries throughout the night.
On Mon. morning, Abdullah’s condition was stabilized and he was removed from the Intensive Care Unit. He spent one more night at the hospital in order to receive further testing because the doctors feared that Abdullah may have internal bleedings.
The settler that hit Abdullah was taken to the Police station, but was soon released. He was seen riding his motorbike on Mon. afternoon in the same area.
In the same area, near the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a Palestinian family suffered a settler attack on Sun. night. Several windows were smashed with stones.
Christian Peacemakers Team has also reported escalating settler violence in the area around Hebron. Settlers have recently tried to burn Palestinian farmers’ crops and have smashed two car windows in the village of Boere.
Photos of Mohammed’s injuries and the broken windows to be published soon
Israeli Border Police and hired laborers first demolished a rainwater cistern. Border Police and the workers then moved to vegetable fields and removed all of the irrigation pipes. Israeli Border Police used sound grenades to disperse the Palestinian land owners and residents who were gathered around the site of the demolitions. Medical personnel came to give examinations to two women who were suffering adverse affects from the sound grenades, one woman was taken away by ambulance.
Israeli officials continue to dismantle Palestinian water infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley.
