Tag: Settlers

Olive harvest in Burin continues with more harassment from army and settlers

16 October 2009

International activists accompanied farmers today to their lands on the edge of the village of Burin, close to an outpost of the illegal settlement of Mar-Bracha, south of Nablus. Farmers enjoyed a quiet two hours of harvesting before eight settlers, one of them armed, appeared on the hill above and began approaching the farmers.

The farmers alerted the Palestinian DCO who in turn called the Israeli military. Army jeeps began to arrive and three soldiers came down to meet with the farmers, paying little attention to the four settlers still moving further down the hillside. The soldiers ordered all internationals to leave the area, declaring it a closed military zone, despite having no official proof of the claim. This has become almost a daily problem for farmers and activists working in the Burin area, as the Israeli military tightens its grip on the role international groups play in assisting farmers with the olive harvest – in the most extreme case, military officials attempted to issue a 6,000 shekel fine to Burin farmers for inviting international activists to accompany them to their land.

Settlers continued to move freely through the land, well beyond the confines of the settlement (and its outpost). The military didn’t interfere, claiming the settlers were simply walking their own land and the activists had no right (or relevance) being there. Meanwhile Border Police arrived, attempting to move both farmers and activists off the land. Eventually the military agreed to permit the farmers to continue the harvest and the activists remained too. It didn’t take long for the military to retreat and, thankfully, the settlers followed in turn. The remainder of the day continued without incident.

Four injured and dozens suffered teargas inhalation during the Bil’in weekly protest

16 October 2009

Bil'in demonstrates in support of universal jurisdiction
Bil'in demonstrates in support of universal jurisdiction

After the Friday prayer, the residents of Bil’in gathered in a protest along with Israeli and international solidarity activists. A group from France came to support the Palestinian people and another group from Norway joined the demonstration in solidarity with the village in their struggle against the Wall and settlement building. The protesters raised Palestinian flags and banners to allow Palestinian farmers to pick olives from their land. The protest called for Israel to remove the illegal Wall and settlements, dismantle checkpoints and road blocks, to stop land confiscations and attacks on Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, and to release all Palestinian political prisoners and detainees.

In a symbolic action, the protesters carried a big model of scales. Scales are used in courts around the whole world as a symbol of justice, however in today’s protest they were slightly different from the usual ones – they had Israel on one side and the world on the other. Israel was heavier than the rest of the world, to emphasize Israel’s policy of not abiding with international resolutions. The protesters in Bil’in wanted to demonstrate, in a creative way, their struggle for justice, especially following the publication of the Goldstone report and the rejection of their case against the Canadian companies involved in the construction of the settlements on their lands by the Canadian courts.

The demonstrators walked through the streets of Bil’in, chanting slogans condemning the occupation, and calling for national unity, as well as stressing the need for popular resistance. Demonstrators carried ladders and other tools they would use to harvest olives. Once they arrived at the gate of the Wall located in the Athaher area, they tried to cross to the land annexed by the Wall to harvest their fruits and olives. At that point, the Israeli soldiers showered them with tear gas grenades, causing injuries to four protesters: one journalist, a French national Marten Bogho and two Palestinians – Abdullah Alrwashda and Jaber Abu Rahmah, while dozens of people suffered teargas inhalation.

The Popular Committee Against the Wall in Bil’in also condemned the Israeli army’s threat to the Palestinian farmers around Nablus to impose a fine of up to 6,000 Israeli shekels ($1,700) for seeking help from foreign volunteers to reach their lands close to the Israeli settlements. The committee considers this as an oppressive measure that allows settlers to exercise their terror over the Palestinian farmers, as when the international volunteers are not present, nobody can reveal the terror attacks committed by the settlers to the world.

Settlers and army disrupted olive harvest in Jamma’in village

15 October 2009

For a week between 9 and 15 October, ISM activists have accompanied a group of families from the village of Jamma’in, picking in olive fields located just south of highway 505 and close to a large outpost of the Kfar Tappuah illegal settlement. The Palestinian farmers here have had problems with settlers annually for the last seven years and this one was no exception.

This year the harvest began on Friday, 9 October, and already on the first day the local settlers showed up on the farmers’ land. At about 1pm a settler came very close to the trees where the farmers were picking. The man was carrying an iron chain and had two unleashed dogs with him, a German shepherd and a border collie. He didn’t react to the ISM activists and the Palestinians telling him to leave, and instead he continued walking through the olive grove, trying to confront some of the Palestinian men, at one point attempting to punch one of them. He left the area eventually.

At about 9am on Saturday morning three settlers showed up in the olive grove. They tried to start a conflict, telling the Palestinian families to leave their land. After about 15 minutes, they were joined by five more settlers, all armed with M-16 riffles, along with another armed man, supposedly a settlement security guard. After a short attempt to escalate the situation, they left when a group of Israeli soldiers arrived.

The rest of the week passed without any more problems with settlers, but while the Palestinians were picking olives on Tuesday, the Israeli army cut off the road to the village. The road was already a bypass road as the main road from highway 505 to Jamma’in was blocked during the Second Intifada. The new bypass road adds about 20 minutes to the already prolonged journey between the village and the villagers’ land.

Bedouin community declared ‘closed military area’ while residents attempted to build new poultry-house

13 October 2009

On Tuesday, 13 October 2009, Israeli soldiers and police prevented the residents of Umm al-Kheir, located in the South Hebron Hills, from finishing the construction of a new chicken house. The families are not allowed by the army to build houses and are therefore living in tents that are located just outside the gate to the illegal settlement of Carmel.

Umm al-Kheir

During the day one of the families started to build a small house, approximately 2,5 x 3m, using stones and cement, to house their chickens. When international and Israeli activists arrived at the scene, at around 5pm, one military jeep and one settlement security car was stationed in the middle of the Bedouin community, on the road outside the settlement gate. During the two following hours more and more soldiers and police arrived and different police men repeatedly inspected the chicken house and filmed both the house and the locals and activists that were observing the situation. At 6pm the local residents and one Israeli activist continued with the construction, while being filmed and closely watched by the police, army and settler security. At around 7pm the army brought documents showing that they had declared the whole community a ‘closed military area’, forbidding all internationals there. In the document they also included one Palestinian working for B’Tselem.

The following day the area was opened again, and the ground to the chicken house was still standing.

The residents of Umm al-Kheir, approximately 80 people in six extended families, are originally from Tel Arad inside Israel, but were forced to leave in 1948 and instead settled down east of the town of Yatta in the West Bank. In 1981 the Carmel illegal settlement was established on top of the same hill and since then the residents of Umm al-Kheir have suffered from numerous attacks and harassments from the settlers. During the last five years, the settlement has expanded significantly, steeling further land from Umm al-Kheir.

Activists occupy British supermarket in opposition to the sale of settlement produce

ISM London

11 October 2009

On 11th October 2009, a swarm of activists descended upon Sainsbury’s on Cromwell Street, West London to highlight the sale of Israeli and illegal Settlement produce by both Sainsbury’s and other major supermarket chains. Coming from a diverse range of campaign organisations, around 40 activists stood in solidarity with the Palestinian call for a global boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign.

Enterring the store, protestors held up an array of settlement and Israeli produce demanding that the supermarkets put a halt to their sale and reminding consumers of their capacity to effect change by not buying these goods.

Popping up a tent and claiming it to be an “Israeli Settlement”, the actions demonstrated the ridiculous ease at which Israeli Settlements pop up around the West Bank, protected by the military and evicting Palestinians from their land and homes.

They proceded to chant against the occupation and the sale of Israeli goods, following this they went on a tour of the store so that all staff and customers were made aware of Sainsbury’s role in supporting illegal settlements. Handing out leaflets and engaging with customers, many of which were supportive, the actions communicated the need for greater citizen action.

Management and security were keen to encourage the protestors to leave but with no success. After twenty minutes within the store, demonstrators left of their own accord, clapping hands and chanting “Free Free Palestine”, feeling that their efforts had been succesful in communicating to the store and the general public.

Police arrived soon after and despite a brief interaction with protestors there were no arrests and no signs of aggression.

Activists then left the scene and were followed for some time afterwards, however no further action by the police was taken.

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This non-violent initiative seeks to challenge the economic and political infrastructure that supports the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Similar to the efforts against Apartheid South Africa, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign hopes to undermine the apartheid in the West Bank and Gaza whereby checkpoints, Israel only roads and the Apartheid all segregate and impoverish Palestinians. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, over 60% of Palestinians live below the poverty line, and in Gaza the figure sits at 70%.

Illegal Israeli Settlement produce is on sale in most of the high street supermarket chains, including Tesco’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, Marks and Spencers, and Asda as well as Sainsbury’s. According to the 2004 judgement by the International Court of Justice, Settlements are illegal and in violation of the Fourth Geneva Conventions. Sale of produce from these Settlements reinforce their existence and financially contribute to Israel’s theft of Palestinian land and violent oppression of Palestinians themselves.

This mass action follows a number of smaller protests that have taken place across in London and across the UK which make explicit public opposition to the sale of Settlement goods in British stores. It also follows the September 2009 decision by the Trade Union Congress to commit to building a mass boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign.