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Twenty demonstrators injured in Nabbi Saleh

Popular Struggle Coordination Committee

8 January 2010

For immediate release:

As part of a recent surge in popular protest in the West Bank, about 300 demonstrators occupied and blocked the main road in near the Halamish settlement for over two hours. The demonstrators, twenty of which were injured by rubber-coated bullets, protested recent land grabs.

About 300 people took to the street today in the West Bank village of Nabbi Saleh, north-west of Ramallah, in protest of recent land grab by the adjacent Jewish-only settlement of Halamish. The protesters occupied and blocked the main street leading to the settlement, and amidst clouds of tear gas and whizzing rubber-coated bullets, managed to hold it for over two hours. A group of demonstrators also managed to reach the area that was recently taken over by settlers.

Settlers who came down from Halamish threw stones and shot live rounds of demonstrators. Soldiers who were present took no actions to stop them. Following the demonstration the army invaded Nabbi Salleh, where clashes ensued.

Twenty of Nabbi Saleh’s residents were struck by rubber-coated bullets, and dozens suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Bassem Tamimi, one organizers of the demonstration said that “For three weeks we have been prevented from reaching our land for because of the settlers who occupied it. In any reasonable place, we would be allowed to just drive them out by force, but they have the army on their side even though the law is on our side. Under the occupation we are not even allowed to merely protest”.

Demonstrations were also held today in N’ilin, Bil’in – where a journalist and a demonstrator were lightly injured, and in alMaasara where the army invaded the village.

New Year in al-Ma’asara marked with another weekly demonstration against the Apartheid Wall

Al-Ma’asara Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements

1 January 2010

Over 150 local activists protested today in al-Ma’asara and the neighboring villages against the construction of the illegal Apartheid Wall and settlements on the lands of the nine intertwined villages to the South of Bethlehem. Protestors walked through the villages towards the construction site of the wall, but as every Friday for the past few years, they were intercepted by dozens of soldiers who had again cut off the main road with a barb wire fence.

Protestors waved flags and chanted slogans through a mobile sound system, while some accompanied the demonstration on horses in an expression of pride of the ongoing popular resistance in the face of increasing crack downs.

Women from the villages held posters of their imprisoned sons and detained activist from the Bethlehem district and lead in chants demanding the release of all political prisoners. Senior Palestinian officials, including Minister Maher Ghneim, gave speeches expressing their support for the Popular Committees commitment to resisting Israels colonial policies and its success in mobilizing continuous support from local, international, and Israeli activists.

Todays demonstration, which commemorated the foundation of the Fatah movement, comes following threats issued two days ago to the Popular Committee warning that its members would be blacklisted and arrested if the protests in al-Ma’asara continued in 2010. Therefore, the soldiers, who had taken position behind the barb wire, appeared more tense than usual. One soldier repeatedly aimed his weapon at the protestors from a hill overlooking the street. At one point, soldiers pushed into the crowd, when children attempted to remove the barb wire.

As the aggression increased, the Israeli army fired tear gas and sound bombs at the crowd and five military vehicles entered deep into the village of al-Ma’asara. Soldiers continued to shoot teargas for an hour and remained at the entrance of the village until 15pm.

One child was hit by a sound bomb and had to be carried away while soldiers were still shooting. Several protestors suffered gas inhalation, and other injuries were reported.

Bil’in demonstrators call for the end of the Siege of Gaza

1 January 2010

Residents of Bil’in gathered today after the noon prayers to demonstrate against the Israeli occupation and the Apartheid Wall on to commemorate the first anniversary of the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza. In addition, they celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, Fatah.

The demonstration, organized by the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, was joined by dozens of international and Israeli activists as well as members of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah, the Palestinian National Liberation Movement Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Front.

Commemorating the first anniversary of the Israeli assault on Gaza, demonstrators marched through the village towards the site of the Apartheid Wall and chanted slogans expressing their solidarity with Palestinian residents of Gaza and demanding the end of the crippling siege imposed by Israel. Protesters raised Palestinian flags and banners condemning the Israeli policy of settlement expansion and ethnic cleansing, namely the recent settler takeovers and plans to build new settlements in Jerusalem. They also called for the release of all Palestinian political prisoners.

A photographer is seen inside a tear gas cloud, shot by Israeli soldiers, during a march against the apartheid wall in the West Bank village of Bil'in, on January 1, 2010.

An activist speaks to Israeli soldiers (not seen) during a march against the apartheid wall in the West Bank village of Bil'in, on January 1, 2010.

A Palestinian man kicks a tear gas grenade, shot by Israeli soldiers, during a march against the apartheid wall in the West Bank village of Bi'lin, on January 1, 2010. — A Palestinian man kicks a tear gas grenade, shot by Israeli soldiers, during a march against the apartheid wall in the West Bank village of Bil'in, on January 1, 2010.

When the march reached the gate of the Apartheid Wall the Israeli military stationed on the other side of the wall immediately responded by throwing tear-gas at the demonstrators and shooting sound grenades. Despite the violence from the army, the demonstrators managed to open the gate in the wall in an attempt to reach their land, stolen by Israel for the construction of the Wall and settlement blocks behind it. Dozens suffered tear-gas inhalation.

The residents of the village also called for the release of all Bil’in prisoners today, including Abdallah Abu Rahmah, coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements. After his court was postponed this Tuesday, 29 December, the military prosecution requested to extend Abdallah’s detention by a further 101 days. This decision was taken in the absence of Abdallah’s lawyer, Gabi Lasky, who said she was planning to appeal to the military court. The Israeli occupation forces arrested Abdallah in the middle of the night on 10 December after raiding his house in al-Tira neighbourhood of Ramallah. His charges include incitement, stone throwing and arms possession, which has been brought against him merely for collecting and displaying spent tear-gas canisters, used against the Bil’in demonstrators by the Israeli army.

Christmas in Bil’in: Santa Claus suffers tear-gas inhalation at weekly demonstration against the Wall

On Friday, 25 December 2009, residents of Bil’in attempted to march to their land stolen by the Apartheid Wall, joined by representatives of the the Fatah party, including central committee member Abass Zaki. Demonstrators dressed as Santa Claus carried a Christmas tree decorated with tear-gas canisters and percussion grenades that were used by the military against the demonstrations.

The weapon-garnished tree was carried in support of Abdallah Abu Rahmah the coordinator of the Bil’in Committee Against the Wall and Settlements. Rahmah is currently held in a military prison and is being charged with holding lethal and dangerous weapons for keeping and creatively exhibiting discharged tear-gas canisters and sound grenades that the military used in Bil’in.

Dozen of demonstrators including Fatah central committee member Abass Zaki suffered from teargas inhalation.

The Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements called for the release of leaders and activists including Abdallah Abu Rahmah, Jamal Juma’, Adeeb Abu Rahmah and Mohammad Othman.

On Tuesday, 29 December 2009 at 10am, a demonstration in solidarity with Abdallah Abu Rahmah will be held outside of Ofer military base. Demonstrators will demand the release of all political prisoners.

War on protest

Editorial | Haaretz

25 December 2009

The war the police and the Israel Defense Forces are openly waging against protests by left-wing and human rights activists has heated up in recent weeks. As a result, concern is growing over Israel’s image as a free and democratic country, one that accords equal and tolerant treatment to all its citizens and residents.

Nonviolent protests in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah against the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes by extreme right-wingers have met with a violent and disproportionate police response. The IDF has responded with insufferable harshness to protests against the separation fence in the Palestinian villages of Bil’in and Na’alin.

In Sheikh Jarrah, police are fielding unnecessarily large forces armed with tear gas and pepper spray. Over the past two weeks, no less than 50 demonstrators have been arrested at these protests.

In Bil’in and Na’alin, IDF soldiers are firing live rounds at unarmed protesters who do not endanger the soldiers’ lives, in violation of the military advocate general’s orders. Major arrest sweeps are also taking place in these two villages, of protest organizers and members of the popular committees. Some of those arrested have been brought before a military court, charged with incitement and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

In terms of violence, this represents an escalation. In terms of tolerance, it represents a deterioration – of attitudes toward legitimate protest. Two Israeli lecturers, Prof. Galit Hasan-Rokem and Prof. Daphna Golan, recently described the harsh police response in Sheikh Jarrah in Haaretz. Protests were also dealt with harshly during Operation Cast Lead a year ago: About 800 Israeli citizens, most of them Arab, were arrested, and criminal proceedings were begun against 685 of them. This was an evil omen regarding the state’s attitude toward protesters.

And all this is happening at a time when the same law enforcement agencies are showing much more leniency and consideration to right-wingers protesting against the construction freeze in the settlements. There, no massive arrests have been made, and there has been less police violence.

Citizens, whether from the right or the left, have both the right and the duty to protest, within the bounds of the law, against things that upset them. Tolerance toward such protests is the breath of life for any democratic regime.

Photographs of soldiers shooting live fire at demonstrators, in contrast, are familiar from the darkest regimes. If drummers are arrested in Sheikh Jarrah, and Palestinians are arrested in Bil’in for collecting and displaying ammunition shot by the IDF – this is a regime that is not acting with the required tolerance toward legitimate protest.

The pictures from Sheikh Jarrah and the scenes from Bil’in and Na’alin, which repeat themselves weekly, will remain hidden in the darkness of public disinterest and lack of media coverage. But what the police are doing in Sheikh Jarrah and what the IDF is doing in Bil’in and Na’alin should disturb every Israeli, whether right-wing or left-wing – because this is about the very nature of the regime of the country in which we live.