Tag: Ramallah

“The soldiers occupy our house every day there is a demonstration at the checkpoint of the village”

6th January 2009, Ni’lin village

The Ameera family suffers the occupation of their house every time there are demonstrations at the main road of Ni’lin. Soldiers usually come in the morning and do not allow the family to go out from their house until they leave. There are normally four or five soldiers that stay constantly at the back of the house in the Ameera’s garden. Another group is at the main entrance and the rest, normally around ten soldiers, stay on the roof. The soldiers use the Ameera’s roof to shoot tear gas, sound bombs and rubber coated-steel bullets against the villagers that are protesting in the street. The location is strategic because they can easily aim the people in the street. “When they leave we have to clean all the empty boxes and the rubbish from the food and also army stuff that they leave on our roof”.

There are three families living in the building and all of them are told to be inside until the soldiers decide to leave. The mother, who suffers from anxiety and stress since the soldiers have started coming and occupying her house, says:

“Some times they take the chairs from the hall and put them outside to sit and rest in our garden while we are not allow to go outside” the mother said. “The soldiers speak Arabic with us, they are Druze. One day one of them spat on my face”.

“At the beginning I was afraid of them, now I’ve got used to it but my youngest daughter hides in the bathroom every time she sees them coming”.

Once again, the consequences of the occupation are affecting all inhabitants of this small village of no more than 4,500 people. The Ameera family are facing more occupations of their house. They are also losing their land because of the Apartheid wall Israel is building.

Ni’lin hold childrens demonstration in solidarity with Gaza

At 10am on 6th January 2009, children from Ni’lin village went out to the streets to demonstrate against the Apartheid regime of the State of Israel and showing their support to the one and half million of Palestinians in Gaza suffering because of the Israeli massive attacks during 11 days, that have already killed over 500 people and injured over 2500.

Around 300 children between the ages of 3 and 12 arrived from both girls and boys schools in Ni’lin to the town’s center. The youngest ones were driven first from the kindergarten to the municipality square.

They were holding banners and pictures, showing the world what the state of Israel is doing to Gaza people and children and carrying martyrs’ photographs of those army had been killed last week. The girls gathered at the town’s centre shouting messages in support for Gaza and asking for unity against occupation and massacre of the Palestinians. They gave an example of strength and courage. Once all the children met, they started the march through the village. Five children were in the front wearing white t-shirts painted with red colors as a symbol of the victims in Gaza and Ni’lin. Ni’lin’s martyrs’ younger brothers were there, carrying their brothers’ pictures.

The children marched along the main street keeping their voices loud. They continued the demonstration towards the graveyard where the last four Ni’lin martyrs rest. They first visited Ahmed Moussa, 10 years old, and Yousef Ameera, 17 years old, killed both on 29th and 30th July. They prayed and made some speeches there.

After, they walked behind the clinic, where the graves of Arafat Khawaja, 22, and Mohammed Khawaja, 19, both killed on 28th December while demonstrating in solidarity with Gaza people, are. Arafat’s youngest brother, Basil Khawaja, gave a speech about the suffering of the population in Gaza and the Israeli abuses on the Palestinian people.

A lot of media covered the demonstration. The children could express themselves telling the world, in Arabic and English, what they think, how they suffer and asking for stopping the massacre of Palestine. They finished the demonstration shouting “STOP THE CRIMES IN GAZA”.

Ramallah sees in the new year with candles for Gaza

Candle-lit demonstration in solidarity with Gaza – Ramallah, New Year 2009

Around 2000 people gathered in Al-Manara to see in the new year in solidarity with the besieged Palestinians under Israeli attack in Gaza.

Over 400 people in Gaza have now been killed in the Israeli massacre, one fifth of whom are women and children. Over 2000 have been injured with the rest of the 1.5 million people imprisoned in the Strip as Israel bombards them from the air and sea.

New Years Eve in Ramallah was a quiet time, with people’s thoughts with Gaza. There was some singing while large numbers held candles and Palestinian Flags in solidarity with Gaza.

The Palestinian people showed their unity by not raising any party flags – only black and Palestinian flags were held in the air over the masses.

Palestinians all over the West Bank continue to demonstrate in solidarity with Gaza. Daily demonstrations have been going on in Ramallah and will continue as Israel continues the attacks on Gaza.

Road block removed outside Deir Izbi’

On Friday November 14th at 10:30am, Palestinian, Israeli and international activists joined together in an action to remove a roadblock outside the village of Deir Izbi’ in Ramallah area. The roadblock is preventing 14 villages direct use of Road 463 and thereby making the transportation time to Ramallah much longer and more difficult.

The action was organised by Ras Karka village council and the National Committees and was supported by the National Popular Committees.

When the activists arrived, they immediately opened a metal gate that also denies villagers access to the road. After that they went about a 100 meters further up the road and started moving the big concrete blocks.

Soon after the Israeli army arrived. Some activists had stayed by the metal gate in an attempt to block the way for the Israeli jeeps, leaving the other activist would had the time to move the concrete blocks, but the Israeli soldiers used sound bombs and teargas to get through. They also shot teargas close to the concrete blocks, making it impossible for the activists to continue their work. At that point they had moved one of the concrete blocks several meters. The army then drove their jeeps up, shot more teargas and attempted to arrest some of the activists, but they did not succeed.

The road-block prevents 14 villages, with around 30,000 people, from traveling directly to Ramallah. The road leading from Ni’lin and Bil’in to Ramallah is unable to be accessed directly by 14 villages including Ras Karkar, Al Janiya, Deir Ammar, Deir Ammar camp, Jammala, Ni’lin, Al Midiya, Budrus ans Shuqba. Instead these villages either have to travel on an agricultural road that links Ras Karkar with Kafr Ni’ma or travel a much longer route to Beir Zeit or through Ni’lin.

Nine injured in N’ilin demonstration

On November 14th, nine people were injured in a demonstration against the construction of the apartheid wall in Ni’lin.

The demonstration started from the centre of the village at 11.30am and made it all the way to the construction site. The Israeli army, situated right outside the village, did not attack the non-violent action immediately as it has in the last few demonstrations. Instead the soldiers waited until the demonstration had reached the construction site before firing rubber-coated steel bullets straight at the protesters. After that the protesters went back and forth in the fields between the construction site and the village, while trying not to avoid the teargas cannisters and rubber-coated steel bullets that were being shot by the soldiers.

The demonstration ended up in the main street of Ni’lin where the Israeli soldiers that were guarding a flying checkpoint attacked them again. The soldiers stopped all traffic from entering or exiting the village and several times they took cover behind civilian cars with people inside. From this position they shot rubber-coated steel bullets and teargas, not only at the protesters but also into peoples’ homes.

Nine people were injured by the Israeli forces, seven suffering from teargas inhalation, while one was hit in his head with a teargas canister and one was hit in his head with a rubber bullet. They were all treated immediately at the local health clinic.

When the apartheid wall is completed, it will annex 40% of Ni’lin’s land accumulating a loss of around 85% of its land since 1948. It will also completely encircle the village together with two roads that can only be used by Israelis and Ni’lin will then be depended on that one check point will be open to reach their neighbor villages and the rest of the West Bank.