Tag: Apartheid Wall - Page 4 - International Solidarity Movement

Nabi Salih marches in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike

22nd April 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Nabi Salih, occupied Palestine

Demonstrators walk through Nabi Salih, waving flags depicting prisoner Marwan Barghouti.

On Friday 21^st April, a demonstration held in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike was violently supressed by Israeli forces at Nabi Salih, occupied West Bank. Teargas, rubber-coated steel bullets, and live rounds were fired at demonstrators by Israeli forces who later surrounded and blockaded the village for several hours.

Following Friday prayers, Palestinians marched from the town centre towards the Israeli checkpoint at the entrance to Nabi Salih. Joined by Israeli and international comrades, demonstrators carried images of imprisoned hunger-striker Marwan Barghouti.

As the demonstration marched towards the checkpoint, stones were laid along the road to prevent an incursion by Israeli military vehicles. 100 yards before the checkpoint, Israeli forces began firing volleys of teargas grenades at the demonstrators. With the wind against them, demonstrators had nowhere to shelter, with small children worst affected by the gas.

Protesters build rock wall barrier to prevent Israeli forces from driving into the town.

Whilst some demonstrators remained near the checkpoint, others moved to the nearby hills to prevent Israeli forces entering the village from the main road. As clashes continued, Israeli forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets and live rounds at demonstrators. A 13 year old Palestinian boy was injured when he was shot in the chest with a rubber-coated steel bullet.

After the demonstration Israeli forces gathered at the surrounding checkpoints, controlling movement in and out of the village. Activists had to wait several hours before they could leave the village.

The demonstration at Nabi Salih was held on the 5th day of hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons, and is just one of many actions of solidarity held across Palestine and throughout the world.

Over 1500 Palestinian political prisoners have been on hunger strike since Palestinian Prisoners day, April 17th. Lead by Marwan Barghouti, this mass hunger strike raises an international awareness of the numerous human rights violations by Israel and their widespread practice of arbitrarily arresting Palestinian people.

Protesters forced to retreat at peaceful demonstration in Ni’lin

22nd April 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

*Young Palestinian protester carrying a tyre with the Apartheid wall in the background*

On April 21st a crowd of Palestinian protesters, joined by international and Israeli activists, gathered for the weekly demonstration in Ni’lin. The peaceful demonstration began after Friday prayer, with the protesters marching to the Apartheid Wall built at the expense of hundreds of dunums of what once was the town’s farmland.

Local demonstrators set fire to tyres along the wall and waved Palestinians flags, while one was dressed as a Palestinian prisoner, a clear nod to the Palestinian Prisoners’ week of action and a show of solidarity with the hunger-striking prisoners.

Israeli forces stationed close to the wall did not respond but, similarly to what had happened the previous week, some soldiers were already hiding among the olive groves and in the mountains next to the village, surrounding the protesters and forcing them to run back into the village, not long after the demonstration started.

*Israeli soldiers made their way into the olive groves close to the village in order to surround the protesters and force their retreat*

This week’s protest was the first one after Muhammad Amira, also known as Abu Nasser, was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet on his head and then arrested under the claim that he was throwing stones. Soldiers prevented Palestinians, and even the paramedics stationed at the local from approaching him. Amira is a prominent activist from Ni’lin and has been the one leading the popular protests there since 2007. He’s currently under detention, Israel has yet to press charges against him.

*Muhammad Amira during weekly demonstration in Ni’lin, 7th April 2017*

Peaceful demonstration in Ni’lin met with tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets

8th April 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

*Palestinian protester initiates the weekly protest in Ni’lin*

On April 7th Israeli forces repressed a demonstration in Ni’lin, during which soldiers fired tear gas and a rubber-coated steel bullet into the crowd of Palestinian protesters as well as Israeli and international activists.

The demonstration began Friday afternoon after the prayer, where Palestinian protesters, joined by Israeli and international activists, went to the Apartheid wall outside of the town of Ni’lin. Around 20 minutes after the protest erupted, Israeli forces began firing several tear gas canisters across the wall from an army vehicle. Two more army vehicles eventually came to join the first, all of them firing teargas canisters simultaneously.

*IOF started shooting tear gas at protesters*

Protesters backed away from the wall when an Israeli soldier fired rubber-coated steel bullets directly into the crowd.

The firing of teargas went on for approximately half an hour, with protesters responding by throwing rocks towards the wall.

The demonstration was then repressed and protesters forced to flee when the IOF opened a gate in the wall, allowing an army vehicle to chase the protesters away from the scene.
None were reported injured during the protest.

Jayyous lands again under threat

5th April 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Residents from the West Bank village of Jayyous, east of Qalqilya, endured nightly raids by Israeli forces for a week straight in early April. Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas at resident’s homes, causing some villagers to be taken for treatment to Darwish Nazzal hospital for tear gas inhalation.

Frustration has been rising among Palestinian farmers in the area as the Israeli military has arbitrarily denied farmers work permits during the loquat season. For over a decade, Palestinian farmers have been given agricultural permits to cross the apartheid wall to access their farm land.

Abu Azzam making his way to agricultural gate military check in Jayyous. (Photo Credit: www.rightsni.org)

Years ago, Jayyous villagers won this concession as well as a re-routing of the wall through popular resistance. These victories are threatened, however, as just last month a military order came to further attempt annexation of Palestinian lands both in Jayyous as well as the village Falamya.

During the past week, numerous Palestinian family homes, including that of Jayyous’ mayor, have been raided in the night following the provocation by Israeli forces of firing tear gas into the village. Village youth responded with impromptu demonstrations.

One week ahead of a meeting of the villagers, the Mayor, and the Minister of Agriculture with the Israeli occupation’s District Coordination Office, Jayyous villagers, joined by Palestinian police, held a large planting of lemon and other fruit trees. The fruit trees are being planted on reclaimed lands. Israeli forces, years ago, bulldozed the area to prepare for new construction on the apartheid wall. Palestinians successfully reclaimed the land on Wednesday, April 5th without incident.

Prominent Palestinian activist and Jayyous resident Abu Azem

Jayyous villagers are cautiously optimistic about next week’s meeting. Prominent Palestinian activist Abu Azem, in a statement to the ISM, noted that the meeting was to seek solutions to the permit denials so Palestinian farmers can be granted permits to cross the apartheid wall in order to access their ancestral lands. “We are optimistic that next week, we will have good answers,” Abu Azem says, “I expect if there are no solutions, there will be small battles.”

Ni’lin remembers Rachel Corrie and Tristan Anderson

17th March 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

Today on 17/03/2017 the residents of Ni’lin alongside internationals and Israeli activists held a demonstration in memory of Rachel Corrie and Tristan Anderson, against the apartheid wall and against the occupation of Palestine.

A parade of around fifty demonstrators, including Israeli and ISM activists, marched from the olive groves outside the town towards the apartheid wall. Palestinian demonstrators carried flags and placards depicting ISM activists Tristan Anderson, critically injured after being shot in the head with a long range tear gas missile by Israeli forces at the same demonstration eight years ago; and Rachel Corrie, who was murdered by the Israeli forces fourteen years ago yesterday.

Local demonstrators set fire to tyres along the wall, waving flags and chanting at the illegal Israeli settlement located on their lands beyond, whilst Israeli activists called across using a megaphone. The Israeli Forces arrived shortly after, firing teargas over the apartheid wall and setting off sound grenades. Obscured by the smoke from the burning tyres, soldiers took photographs and fired some rubber-coated metal bullets at the protesters whilst the volleys of teargas continued. Young local men sent stones and teargas canisters back over the apartheid wall with their slingshots. The demonstrators ended by moving up the hill and back towards the town, having suffered no injuries.

The non-violent demonstrations against the apartheid wall and the occupation in Ni’lin have been going on weekly since 2008, as attempt to get back the farm land which was stolen from the villagers. Despite deaths, critical injuries and much repression the resistance continues.