Tag: Tear-Gas Canister - Page 69 - International Solidarity Movement

Dozens of activists from around the world join Bili’n’s weekly protest on the International Day for Solidarity with the Palestinian People

27 November 2009

Under the slogan, “Towards a Palestine free from settlements, the Wall, Apartheid roads, checkpoints and roadblocks, and for one united Palestine with no islands and cantons”, the residents of Bil’in, joined by international and Israeli activists, gathered in a protest after the Friday prayer. The protesters raised Palestinian flags and banners calling to hold on to Palestinian rights including Jerusalem, right of return, borders, access to water, the release of all detainees and removing the Wall and settlements.

A representative leader of Fatah, Mohammed al-Madaniy, and Leila Ghanam, the Governor of Ramallah and al-Bireh, joined the Bil’in residents in today’s demonstration.

A Greek group participated with the people in Bil’in to give their support. The international activists carried banners showing their solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian right to resist the occupation and live in peace on their land. A British activist, Jody McIntyre, said: “We came to be in solidarity with the Palestinians, we believe in their right to live in peace. We are here today in Bil’in because we see the Wall as an obstacle to the building of a Palestinian state”. Sasha Solanas, from the United States, said: “I’m here today to show my solidarity with the Palestinians in Bil’in on the International Day for the Solidarity with the Palestinian people. I have heard a lot about this village and the weekly protests against the Wall and settlements. I admire the struggle in Bil’in, and I’m happy to be here with you today.”

The protesters marched towards the Wall built on the land of Bil’in chanting and singing slogans to resist the occupation, hold on to the Palestinian rights, and a national unity among the Palestinians. When the demonstration reached the razor wire placed by Israeli soldiers to block the protesters, the Israeli army announced a closed military zone, but the protest kept moving towards the gate. The Israeli soldiers fired teargas canisters and stun grenades, dozens suffered teargas inhalation.

Demonstrators call for the end of settlement expansion and arrest campaign on Bil’in residents

20 November 2009

Residents of Bil’in gathered in a demonstration today, commemorating the 21st anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and condemning the ongoing expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.

After the Friday midday prayers, about 150 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists raised dozens of Palestinian flags and posters with the picture of the late Yasser Arafat and chanted slogans calling for the national leadership to keep fighting for the national principles. In a reaction to recent announcements from the Israeli government regarding plans to continue with the construction of 900 new housing units in the settlement of Gilo, they protested against the expansion of illegal settlements in East Jerusalem and the threat this expansion poses for the future Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The demonstrators marched to the Wall built on Bil’in’s land, where the Israeli army, based on the other side of the fence, responded to their presence by throwing tear gas bombs and shooting tear gas canisters. Dozens suffered from the effects of tear gas inhalation.

In addition, residents of Bil’in were calling today for the end of the ongoing arrest campaign, which escalated the day before, when a group of undercover Israeli soldiers invaded the village and arrested a local youth, Mohammad Yassin (19), who was targeted for his participation in the weekly demonstrations. They entered the village in a civilian Isuzu pick-up, dressed like Palestinians, and went directly to the workshop where Mohammad works. Before he was arrested, he was beaten by the soldiers, as were his brother and mother. In addition to Yassin, another 27 Bil’in residents were arrested for their involvement in the demonstrations since the 23 June 2009. Among them is Adeeb Abu Rahma, who has been held in detention for more than four months under a charge of ‘incitement’ – organizing demonstrations.

Israeli army use live ammunition during invasion of Iraq Burin

7 November 2009

On Saturday 7 November the residents of Iraq Burin, a small village outside Nablus, once again had their weekend disrupted by settlers and the Israeli army. During the day settlers from the nearby illegal settlement came down close to the village in a provocative act. The scenario that followed was the same as the previous two Saturdays – settler attack followed by an army invasion. During the invasion that lasted about one hour, the army shot teargas and live ammunition inside the village.

Because of similar events of settler and army violence in the last two weekends, the Palestinians have called for international activists to be present in the village on Saturday morning. At around 2.30pm, five settlers from the illegal settlement Bracha appeared close to the village, scaring and provoking the villagers. Three young men from the village approached the settlers in an attempt to make them leave the land. After the settlers refused to leave, the two groups started throwing stones at each other. At this point, nine Israeli soldiers who were posted nearby intervened. While the Palestinians returned to the village as soon as the army appeared, instead of making the settlers leave or just keeping watch from a distance, which would have lead to less violence, the army chose to invade the village. Young men from the village responded with stones, after which the army started shooting teargas canisters and live ammunition, moving further and further inside the village.

At one point some of the soldiers went up to a house inside the village and violently smashed a window when the owners did not open the door. The frightened family, including three young children, then opened and were forced to evacuate from the house and stand on the street while the soldiers stayed in the house.

Ni’lin demonstrates in solidarity with Palestine’s political prisoners

16 October 2009

More than 150 Palestinian, Israeli and international peace activists gathered today in the village of Ni’lin to protest against the occupation and Apartheid Wall. The demonstration was dedicated to the 11,000 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails. Demonstrators brought signs with the names of the Ni’lin anti-Wall protesters who are currently in jail and called for the release of all prisoners. A number of youth had their hands locked with tie wraps to mimick what the Israeli military does to captured and arrested Palestinians. Demonstrators carried signs and slogans questioning world concern for the lone Israeli soldier in Palestinian custody while 11,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli prisons.

The demonstration started after the weekly Friday prayer with protesters marching towards the Wall. They were met with dozens of tear gas canisters, illegally aimed directly at the demonstrators.

The demonstrators remained, but moved westward where the Wall has not yet been constructed of concrete and remains a fence with barbed wire. They army followed from behind the Wall and continued to shoot tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets from a short distance. Boys from the village responded to the violence from the army with stone throwing.

Around one o’clock the army once again entered through the gate forcing the protesters to escape behind a hill to avoid arrest and injuries. After half an hour the soldiers pulled back behind the Wall and the protesters once again marched towards the Wall to continue their demonstration. A jeep entered the gate uphill in the fields west of the illegal Hashmon’im settlement and three soldiers got out and walked down hill shooting tear gas. While reaching the valley another group of soldiers entered from the gate that connects the concrete wall with the fence. The protesters were again forced to pull back but resumed their demonstration a half an hour later, reaching the Wall.

The military attacked demonstrators with rubber-coated steel bullets, ‘skunk’ water and an alarming amount of tear gas from a special adapter which simultaneously shoots 30 canisters. There were no serious injuries; several suffered from severe tear gas inhalation and a few reported being directly hit by canisters.

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

16 October 2009

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.