These photos were taken from a bus window in Beit Hanina/Jerusalem on Saturday. the eyewitness who took these photoes spoke with Neve Yaakov Police Station. They said it was an undercover operation against “suspects” and thus nothing could be done.
Tag: Jerusalem
High School Students Attacked by Jerusalem Police
On Friday (the Muslim Sabbath) Israeli police refused to allow Palestinians under the age of about 45 or so to enter the old city. Hisham Jamjoum ISM coordinator and manager of the Faisal Hostel next to the old city commented “that there were 300-400 Muslims peacefully praying outside the Old City, because they couldn’t get in. There were police everywhere due to fears that there might be a demonstration against the slander towards the prophet Mohammed.
Whilst police expected demonstrations on Friday what they didn’t expect was a quickly organised demonstration of 300 High School students the following day that took up the issue of slander. Jamjoum commented that the police built up there presence gradually without provocation the police threw sound bombs as the demonstration and fired rubber bullets into the crowed. Increasingly more students joined those at Damascus gate. The rally ended after an hour and a half, 7 people were injured including one person that was hit with a rubber bullet to the leg and 20 people who were arrested. “They attacked everyone, I saw a 60 year old man who was just trying to pass being struck by police. Not even street vendors were safe.”
J.A.G. II- Manifest Destiny
On January 19th we, a group of concerned Jews, spray painted the infamous Nazi slogan “Arbeit Macht Frie” (“Work Makes You Free”) on a sign placed by the Israeli occupation authorities at the Kalandia checkpoint that read “The Hope of Us All”.
The Sign “the hope of us all” and the New Ramallah Terminal were inaugurated on the 20th of Dec 2005. The new terminal is set up so that there is no physical contact between the soldiers and the Palestinians. The soldiers scream commands to the Palestinians over loud speakers as they are made to go through a series of electronic gates and turnstiles. The new Terminal embodies the occupation in its alienated, bureaucratically cruel form. it is situated between one Palestinian area and another and flanked on both sides by the annexation barrier effectively turning Ramallah into a ghetto.
“Arbeit Meicht Frie” was written at the entrance of Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps. In spray painting on that sign we did not mean to say that Ramallah is Auschwitz. We did, however, wish to point out that there are many disturbing parallels between the tactics used by the occupation and those used by the Nazis. For example, the attempt to beautify dehumanizing institutions through empty phrases like “The Hope of Us All” and “Arbeit Macht Frie”. We believe that it is important to heed these disturbing parallels as warning signals in order for another Holocaust never to happen again, to any people. We wrote a paragraph explaining our action in Arabic and English and distributed it to people as we were painting the sign, and we posted that paragraph next to the slogan.
Unfortunately the Israeli authorities have decided to use our action for their own purposes and are accusing the Israeli human rights group Machsom Watch of “defacing the checkpoint”. (See Kalandia terminal crossing compared to Auschwitz By MARGOT DUDKEVITCH Jan. 24.) These accusations are baseless. None of the people involved in writing the slogan have anything to do with Machsom Watch. The Israeli Military is attempting to find excuses to deny witnesses access to the checkpoints where human rights are systematically violated.
Signed,
J.A.G.
Jews Against Genocide
Mohammed Mansour’s trial update
Mohammed Mansour being tortured during his arrest in June, 2004 in Al Ram
On the 22nd of November during the most recent Hearing of Palestinian nonviolent organiser Mohammed Mansour from Biddu, court case the prosecution finally gave up on getting Mohammed Mansour to agree to stop participating in demonstrations for the next two years and pay a 3,500 shekel fine of his own free will.
“I would prefer to go to jail than pay one shekel to the Occupation. It is not I, but those that build the wall that are the criminals” said Mohammed.
In the next session, set for the 10th of January the Judge will begin hearing witnesses. Mohammed was initially arrested in June 2004 at a nonviolent demonstration in Al Ram. Undercover Israeli agents stormed the crowd and many, including Mohammed and a Palestinian photographer for “Yediot Ahronot,” a large Israeli newspaper, were severely beaten. Mohammed was hospitalised and then held for a week before his release on bail together with another three Palestinians, including two minors, who were arrested at the Al Ram demonstration. Five Israeli peace activists, also arrested at the demonstration, were released a few hours following their arrest.
Mohammed is being charged with assaulting a police officer, throwing stones and presiding illegally in an “Israeli area.”
Mohammed’s trail is taking place while sixteen nonviolent activists from the village of Bil’in are currently in jail in an attempt to crush the nonviolent resistance in the village.
The International Solidarity Movement condemns the Israeli legal system defense of war crimes committed by the Israeli military and settlers and its criminalization of nonviolent protest against the Occupation and Apartheid wall.
Mohammed Mansour’s Court Case to Restart Tuesday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Palestinian non-violent organiser Mohammed Mansour from Biddu will appear in court again on Tuesday. He is scheduled to appear before an Israeli judge at the “Peace Court” in occupied east Jerusalem at 9:30 am. Mohammed is being charged with assaulting a police officer and throwing stones following his arrest by undercover police during a non-violent demonstration against the apartheid wall in Al Ram on June 26th 2004.
At Mohammed’s last hearing, the prosecution offered Mohammed’s lawyer a deal. Mohammed would have to had accepted a 3500 shekel fine and the condition that he not participate in any demonstrations for the next two years. Mohammed rejected the deal.
When Mohammed was initially arrested in June 2004 he was severely beaten, hospitalised and then held for a week before his release on bail together with another three Palestinians, including two minors, who were arrested at the Al Ram demonstration. Five Israeli peace activists, also arrested at the demonstration, were released a few hours following their arrest.
A Palestinian photographer working for the Israeli news paper Yediot Ahreonot was also assaulted and severely beaten by undercover police during the demonstration.
Mohammed’s trail is taking place while 16 non violent activists from the village of Bil’in are still in jail in an attempt to crush the non-violent resistance in the village.
The International Solidarity Movement condemns the Israeli legal system’s defense of war crimes committed by the Israeli military and settlers, as well as its criminalization of non-violent protest against the Occupation.