Tag: Video

One arrested during demonstration against settlement expansion

Palestine Solidarity Project

21 August 2009

Construction of a road has begun on Palestinian land right outside the settlement Karmei Tsur, between Beit Omar and Halhoul, about two weeks ago. The construction has happened between the edge of the settlement and a “security fence” that the military built three years ago. This agricultural land still belongs to the Palestinian families of Abu Maria, Soleiby, Awwad, Abu Ayyesh, and Sabarna. However, entry to their land since the building of the fence has required a permit from Israel, which most Palestinian families refuse to apply for, maintaining that the land is rightfully theirs.

Friday, August 21, a group of Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals held a demonstration outside the fence. Palestine Solidarity Project organized the demonstration, in which about 35 people participated. Participants stepped over barbed wire which was lining the fence, and inserted papers with the slogans “we will never leave our land,” “stop illegal building on Palestinian land,” and “expansion of settlements makes peace impossible” into the fence. Some of the owners of the land stolen from them joined the group, displaying their papers of ownership from the Ottoman Empire and shouting, “where is the peace?”

arrest karmei tsurThe group walked along the fence surveying the land that was restricted to the Palestinians and now being built on by the settlement. Elderly farmers spoke about the land that was taken and the documents handed down from their grandparents from the Ottoman Empire, proving ownership, until several Israeli military jeeps arrived and soldiers shouted at the group to leave. The group, standing on Palestinian land, insisted on their right to be there and in fact to enter the fence if they wished to their privately-owned land. There was discussion between the soldiers and the activists, until Settlement security arrived and, after shouting at the activists to “go back to Germany“ and “f**k your mother“ to an activist who identified himself as a Jew, opened the gate in the fence, insisting that the army disperse the activists. The military did just that, chasing the group into the Palestinian fruit groves. On their way back to the village, one international activist from the United States was arrested and accused of destroying security property for taking a piece of wire off of the fence. He was released later the same day.

The aim of the demonstration was to show resistance to illegal building on stolen Palestinian land in addition to bringing attention to the quiet expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank in the midst of strong international pressure to stop exactly that.

Bil’in’s children demonstrate against ongoing Israeli night raids

19 August 2009

Today, the first nonviolent demonstration for the children of Bil’in took place to protest against the night raids and the many arrests of young boys in the village. They carried banners and chanted slogans like “We want to sleep,” “No more night raids,” “Let us live,” “We want Peace,” and so on. The children lead the demonstration toward the Apartheid Wall with villagers and Palestinian and international activists following them. At the Wall they were met by two soldiers who were on regular duty at the Wall.

Once they arrived at the Wall, the children continued their chanting as the soldiers watched. Two Jeeps arrived with reinforcement. Noticing that the gate, which gives access to the Wall, was open, five soldiers came through the door of the Wall to close it shut while the children chanted into their faces and activists challenged them about arresting children. They asked them whether they were ever thinking about what they were doing. Once the gate was shut, the occupation forces retreated.

The children and the protesters gathered at the Wall for a while placing their posters and flags at the gate. Seeing all the children, the occupation forces refrained from firing any tear gas or ammunition. They simply told everyone to go back. Eventually, everyone returned to the village.

Protests against Sheikh Jarrah evictions continue

15 August 2009

About 70 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists gathered at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem on Saturday, 15th August to demonstrate against the recent evictions in Sheikh Jarrah and Israel’s ongoing policy of ethnically cleansing East Jerusalem of its Palestinian population.

Protesters were carrying balloons in the colours of the Palestinian flag and banners with messages from the children of Sheikh Jarrah. The children from the evicted families and their friends created the signs to tell the world about their experience with the recent evictions and the reality of living in occupied East Jerusalem. Most of them were talking about their lost childhood and that all they want is to stay in their homes, expressing their fear of being thrown out on the street and living in tents.

One of the local children, Rania (11) wrote: When I look out of my window I see my friends sleeping on the street and settlers throwing stones at them. I feel so sad for them. The settlers are in the house where we used to play.

From Damascus Gate, the demonstration proceeded onto marching towards Sheikh Jarrah. Just before reaching the neighbourhood, the march was stopped by police and border police, who held the crowd for about ten minutes while checking IDs. After a short while, the police allowed the march to continue. The demonstrators visited both evicted families and continued shouting slogans calling for Israel to stop demolishing Palestinian houses and evicting families from their homes.

On August 2, 2009, two Palestinian families, 53 people in total, were thrown out of their homes. Armed Israeli policemen smashed the windows, broke in and evicted the residents. After just one hour, Jewish settlers seized the homes and moved in. They are still there now. As for the Palestinian families, they are now sleeping on mattresses on the sidewalk across from their houses.

The families are refugees from 1948 and were given the houses in Sheikh Jarrah by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the government of Jordan which controlled East Jerusalem then. They have been fighting for their right to stay in their houses for 37 years, since the Jewish settlers produced falsified Ottoman-era deeds showing the land the houses were built on belonged to Jews. After endless court hearings, in which the Hannouns tried to present new documents and evidence, their appeal was rejected and they were issued an eviction order in February. They had been waiting for the eviction since 15th March, continuing their non-violent fight, which drew significant attention of the whole world.

These house evictions amount to a systematic elimination and cleansing of a Palestinian presence in the city, particularly in the occupied areas of East Jerusalem by the State of Israel, through legal and regulatory means. The creation of Jewish enclaves and settlements in these areas and removal of the local Palestinian population which have been living here for generations is against international law.

This “judaization” of occupied East Jerusalem is a process that if allowed to continue, will harm all prospects of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, for whom a return to negotiations hinge largely on the sovereignty of the city and of East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Bil’in demonstrates against the ongoing Israeli arrest and intimidation campaign

14 August 2009

Hundreds of Palestinians, Israeli, Spanish, French and other international supporters, responded today to the Popular Committee’s call to resist the Wall and to show solidarity with the Bil’in prisoners.

As is the case each week, demonstrators left the village after the midday prayers and marched towards the gate of the Wall separating Bil’in from its lands. Israeli soldiers used large amounts of tear gas, including the “Cannon” which shoots 30 canisters at a time. They also attempted to use the “Skunk”, a gun shooting a foul smelling liquid that sticks to skin and clothing for days, but the Skunk Machine malfunctioned.

Five years after Bil’in began its’ resistance against the Wall and Settlements, the Israeli army is still trying to break the popular non-violent resistance. Amongst injuring over 1300 people at demonstrations, Israeli forces killed Bil’in resident Basem Abu Rahmah on 17 April 2009 by shooting him directly with a high velocity tear gas projectile from around 30 meters.

Update on Bil’in prisoners

The latest wave of arrests and night raids on the West Bank village of Bil’in began on 23 June 2009, To date, Israeli forces have arrested 25 people (most under 18). Eighteen of the 25 remain in detention. Through Israel’s interrogation and intimidation tactics, two of the arrested youth have ‘confessed’ that the Bil’in Popular Committee urges the demonstrators to throw stones. With such ‘confessions’, Israeli forces then proceed to arrest leaders in the community, including Adeeb Abu Rahme and Mohammad Khatib. Adeeb has been in detention since his arrest during a non-violent demonstration on July 10th. Both are being charged with “incitement to damage the security of the area.”

In a military court hearing for Mohammad Khatib on Thursday August 13th, the military prosecution requested to hold Mohammed until the end of legal proceedings against him, a process that can last over a year. The evidence presented against him was a picture the prosecution claimed was of Mohammad throwing stones during a demonstration. The prosecution backed this assertion with a “confession” from one of the Bil’in youth that is currently in their custody, claiming that the person in the picture was Mohammad Khatib, whom the boy knows well. When Khatib’s attorney, Gabi Laski questioned the prosecution about the photograh, she was told the picture was taken in October of 2009. Laski then presented the judge with Mohammad’s passport, showing that Mohammad was in New Caladonia during that time.

Many Israeli supporters of the struggle in Bil’in and the Palestinian Occupied Territories made a showing at this hearing. In attendance of the hearing were Dove Haneen, the Israeli Knesset member from the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, Uri Avnery, the head of Gush Shalom (Peace Group), and Arc Asher, head of Rapanem; the Movement for Human Rights. Other Israelis and internationals supporters held a vigil outside the prison gates.

A decision for Mohammad Khatib’s case as well as Abdullah Yassin and Mustafa Khatib, will be given on Sunday, August 16th. On the other hand, the court ordered Issa Abu Rahma, and the two brothers Khalid and Muhammad Shaukat Khatibhas to be kept in custody without bail until the completion of legal proceedings against them.

Ni’lin demonstrates against the Apartheid Wall

7 August 2009

Weekly demonstration against the Wall in Nilin, Palestine, 07/08/09
Weekly demonstration against the Wall in Nilin, Palestine, 07/08/09

Palestinians, Israelis and international solidarity activists gathered in the fields of Ni’lin for the midday prayer before once again setting off to protest the illegal Apartheid Wall that continues to severe Ni’lin residents from their land.

The demonstrators, numbering approximately 60, took a different route than usual across the fields but were soon met with tear gas and chemical sewage water. The protest was quickly scattered with people running along a large section of the fence shouting and waving flags. The tear gas continued being launched by soldiers under the cover of their armoured vehicles and also by multiple canister launchers atop the same jeeps.

Army action intensified when a Palestinian flag was erected and could not be retrieved by the army. They used more tear gas, sound bombs and rubber coated steal bullets to try, unsuccesfully, to push the protesters away from the wall. It wasn’t until the Israeli army entered onto Palestinian land that the crowd had no choice but to run away, whilst being fired at and pursued by the army. The main group was chased almost all the way back into the village before the army left and the demonstration ended.

Israeli forces commonly use tear-gas canisters, rubber coated steel bullets and live ammunition against demonstrators.

To date, Israeli occupation forces have murdered 5 Palestinian residents and critically injured 1 international solidarity activist during unarmed demonstrations in Ni’lin. In total, 19 people have been killed during demonstrations against the Wall.

  • 5 June 2009: Yousef Akil Srour (36) was shot in the chest with 0.22 caliber live ammunition and pronounced dead upon arrival at a Ramallah hospital.
  • 13 March 2009: Tristan Anderson (37), an American citizen, was shot in the head with a high velocity tear gas projectile. He is currently at Tel Hashomer hospital near Tel Aviv with uncertain prospects for his recovery.
  • 28 December 2008: Mohammed Khawaje (20) was shot in the head with 5.56mm caliber live ammunition. He died in a Ramallah hospital 3 days later on 31 December 2008.
  • 28 December 2008: Arafat Rateb Khawaje (22) was shot in the back with 5.56mm caliber live ammunition and pronounced dead upon arrival at a Ramallah hospital.
  • 30 July 2008: Yousef Amira (17) was shot in the head with two rubber coated steel bullets. He died in a Ramallah hospital 5 days later on 4 August 2008.
  • 29 July 2008: Ahmed Mousa (10) was shot in the forehead with 5.56mm caliber live ammunition and pronounced dead upon arrival at a Ramallah hospital.

In total, 38 people have been shot by Israeli forces with live ammunition in Ni’lin: 9 were shot with 5.56mm caliber live ammunition and 29 were shot with 0.22 caliber live ammunition.

Additionally, Israeli arrest and intimidation campaigns on West Bank villages that demonstrate against the Wall, have led to the arrests of over 76 Palestinians in Ni’lin alone as of June 2009.

Since May 2008, residents of Ni’lin have been organizing and participating in unarmed demonstrations against construction of the Apartheid Wall. Despite being deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2004, the Occupation continues to build the Wall, further annexing Palestinian land.

Ni’lin will lose approximately 2,500 dunums of agricultural land when construction of the Wall is completed. Israel annexed 40,000 of Ni’lin’s 58,000 dunums in 1948. After the occupation of the West Bank in 1967, the illegal settlements and infrastructure of Kiryat Sefer, Mattityahu and Maccabim were built on village lands and Ni’lin lost another 8,000 dunums. Of the remaining 10,000 dunums, the Occupation will confiscate 2,500 for the Wall and 200 for a tunnel to be built under the segregated settler-only road 446. Ni’lin will be left with 7,300 dunums.

The current entrance to the village will be closed and replaced by a tunnel to be built under Road 446. This tunnel will allow for the closure of the road to Palestinian vehicles, turning road 446 into a segregated settler-only road . Ni’lin will be effectively split into 2 parts (upper Ni’lin and lower Ni’lin), as road 446 runs between the village. The tunnel is designed to give Israeli occupation forces control of movement over Ni’lin residents, as it can be blocked with a single military vehicle.