Israel, Tel Aviv, Anarchists Demo in front of Belarus embassy 31/10/04

Tommarow 1/11 there is a protest infront of the bellarus embassy because of the curroption and lies of the dictator\president alexander luksanko.
were going to meet on dizingof square at 12:00 and go to the embassy leaflating and giving out free vegan food for the international vegan day! the demonstaration is organised by ex-bellarus anarchists now living in Israel
come to show solidarity with the bellarus people

Israel-Palestine, Tel-Aviv-Jaffa, 22th October day against police brutality and solidarity of anarchists with the struggle in the region 22/10/04

As part of the international day of anarchists solidarity with the struggle in Palestine-Israel, Anarchists Against The Wall initiative called for a demo - in the context of the international day against police brutality. About 70 people came to the starting point of the demo in the Jaffa - the Jewish-Palestinian mixed population section of greater Tel-Aviv. We started the march with banners and placards against police brutality and against the WALL and similar themes, in an "unauthorized" demo. Police officers promised not to harass us if we will not try to block the traffic.... while accompanying our march they only nagged us to keep to the pavement. After about an hour march and leafleting in the main streets we arrived at the local police station.

The leaflet in both Hebrew and Arabic we distributed was starts with short descriptions of police brutality against poor people, immigrant workers, youth, Palestinians... up to killing with out being punished.

It continues: The blue* terror run rampage every night in our streets. The immigration authority is running a daily men hunting after illegal work immigrants boasting it already expelled 100,000 of them during the last 3 years. Beating, humiliation, jail and expulsion is the fate of people who tried to earn living for their families.

On October actions [2000 demonstration of solidarity of Israeli Palestinian citizens at the beginning of Intifada] police snipers murdered in cold blood 13 Palestinians their only crime was that they tried to protest against the treatment of second rate citizens in a Jewish racist state. The police claimed they learned their lesson [following a political scandal] but since that they already killed another 15 Israeli citizens Palestinians. Murderers have license to kill as long as they wear uniform. Foreign workers, Arabs, Beduins, homosexuals, new legal immigrants and every one not in accord with the system is suppressed by the state agencies.

6000 complains submitted against police personal on 2003 - but only 58 of them were on trial and just few of them were punished. The police people investigation authority cover up their friends and the state cover both - backing the real criminals.

The police officers that rule us on the streets and the soldiers that police the 3.5 Palestinians without rights in the occupied territories, suppress protest with gas grenades, metal bullets covered with rubber, and live ammunition, are the true face of the state behind the government lies, and the propaganda in the TV and news paper of the capitalists... More and more people begin to understand that the "law and order" is not for us.

The laws and the police protect the rich from the poor. The army protect the the occupation, the settlers and the racist Zionism. We do not obey because we believe in them - we obey because we are afraid from what they will do to us if we will not.

No one want to end in administrative detention like Taly Fahima [A young jewish woman who befriended with a wanted Palestinian rebel] ore die in a demo like the 6 Palestinians participated [in non-violent] demonstrations against the fence. Or just being beaten in the street by some hooligans in blue*
=====================================
Do not let the police terror to win
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Anarchists Against Fences @
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* [Blue is the color of the police uniform.]

Israel-Palestine, international day against police violence and solidarity with palestine, demo in Jaffa 20/10/04

Oct 22 is international day against police violence. from rome to new york people will be demonstrating against police abuse and in solidarity with the people of palestine. join us for a demo in Jaffa, this friday oct 22 at 12:30 in front of the gesher theater (jerusalem blv, on the tel aviv side)

see also
https://israel.indymedia.org/feature/display/1018/index.php
======================
The call for the demo was initiated by the Anarchists Against The Wall in association with the call of the Cretan (Greece) anarchists for 22 October international day of anarchists solidarity with the struggle in our region. Anarchist collectives of about 15 countries announced their participation in this solidarity initiative.
========================
From the leaflet:
22 October an international day against police brutality

Demonstration against police brutality

Solidarity with Palestinians and against the wall
-------------------------------------------
"When I see blood and muscle worker struggle with his/her natural enemy - the policeman, I do not need to ask myself on whose side I am"
George Orwell
There already arrived the time to stop the brutality of the wearer of uniform, whether police, IDF (army), immigration police officers, or general security service.
There is not a day without harassment, humiliation, false incrimination, beating, and "lawful" murder.

WE HAVE NO SECURITY IN THEIR POLICE STATE

Meeting in front of the "Gesher Theater" at the Jerusalem Blv., Jaffa. Friday 22/10 12:30 @

SOLIDARITY With every one harmed by police terror: work immigrants, Palestinians both within and out of the green line border, Beduins, queers, youth, workers, refusnics, the poor strata, the prisoners in jails, the homeless, the punkists....

Israel/Palestine: Materials for the 22 October solidarity actions 19/10/04

The FdCA has produced a special English-language version of its monthly news-sheet on the occasion of the international day of anarchist solidarity with the struggle in Palestine and the Israeli anarchists. "Alternativa Libertaria" is a 2-page PDF file and can be freely downloaded, printed and distributed by anarchist groups and organizations. You can find it at:
http://www.fdca.it/AL/ottobre04EN.pdf
This month's issue includes:
* Israeli Anarchists
* Anarchists in the world
* Peacefully Confronting the Wall in Budrus (see below)
* How much is this occupation costing us?
* We will not be stopped!!

We remind you also of the special 70-page pamphlet we have produced for the occasion: "We Are All Anarchists Against The Wall". This too can be freely downloaded and used.
Cover: http://www.fdca.it/wall/media/anarwall_EN_cover.pdf
Text: http://www.fdca.it/wall/media/anarwall_EN.pdf
Cover & Text zipped: http://www.fdca.it/wall/media/wall_english.zip


Italian versions are also available on the FdCA website.

* * * * *

Peacefully Confronting the Wall in Budrus

I live in Budrus, a village of 1,200 people, west of Ramallah. The Wall will completely surround Budrus and eight other villages, separating us from the rest of the West Bank. There are no hospitals, universities, or civil institutions in these nine villages, and many of the people work in Ramallah. The Wall will prevent thousands of Palestinians from going to work, school, universities, and hospitals. We already live in a prison, surrounded by settlements and checkpoints. So with the Wall, it will become a prison within a prison. As a young Palestinian woman, I dream of becoming a doctor. However, the Wall may prevent me from studying in a university.

On Nov 23rd, 2003, Wall construction started in Budrus and we immediately began holding peaceful demonstrations opposing it. The Israeli authorities planned to take 250 acres of Budrus' land and bulldoze our olive groves. The day construction began, the soldiers formed a line to prevent us from reaching the bulldozers, but I was able to cut through the line and sit in front of the bulldozer. We stopped Wall construction that day.

We protested peacefully for three months until March 1, when the Israeli authorities said they would move the Wall to the Green Line, so Budrus would not lose land. Recently, they told us that they still want to take 44 acres of our land, and Budrus and eight other villages will also still be surrounded by the Wall. So we will continue to struggle against the theft of our land.

Though our demonstrations were peaceful, the Israeli soldiers wounded 102 persons. They used sound bombs, teargas, and rubber-coated steel bullets, and beat men and women with clubs. In Biddu and Beitunia, villages near Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers killed six people during protests against the Wall. The Israeli military tried to stop Budrus' peaceful protests by arresting participants. Thirteen men from Budrus, including my father, two uncles, two cousins, and a 15-year-old classmate were arrested. The soldiers' violence scares me, but to make my dreams a reality I have to take part in the peaceful struggle against that Wall. Nonviolent resistance against the Wall requires everyone. Our entire community participated in protests, men with women, elders with children, and Palestinians with Israelis and internationals.

I had never dealt with Israelis as friends before. Israelis were always occupiers and soldiers. During the first demonstration I met three women who became my first Israeli friends. They believe the Wall will not bring them security, and they wish more Israelis would see what is happening on the ground. I now have many Israeli friends. A friendly relationship between Palestinians and Israelis is important, because I look to the future when there will be a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders next to Israel. Security and understanding requires friendship. Please support us in ending this oppressive Israeli military occupation of our land.

[From an article by Iltezam Morrar, aged 15, in The Electronic Intifada, 16 July 2004.]

* * * * *

FEDERAZIONE DEI COMUNISTI ANARCHICI
http://www.fdca.it

Israel, Tel Aviv, [Including Media reports,] the anarchists' day in court 19/10/04

Monday morning, 45 people of the Anarchists Against The Wall initiative, sympathizers and media, converged in the Tel-Aviv "peace Court" of state - (the lower level court for the less serious "offenses"). See: http://www.ainfos.ca/04/oct/ainfos00191.html (en) Israel-Palestine, We will not be stopped! No to the apartheid fence! no to the state violence! As preventive measure courthouse guards prevented comrades from entering if they wore shirts with slogans (including part of the 11 defendants... needed intervention of the judge to let them in. As the prosecution of the 11 defendants for such minor disturbance of traffic seemed so out of proportion - even the main media channels - dailies, public main radio and TV, included reported in a sympathy way.

The most extreme reservation of media from the state clumsy act of persecution was the including in the main public TV news a lengthy item - including the small demo in the court house in front of the chambers, the court house guards forcing its end, the speeches of both sympathizers and defendants.....

Israeli public opinion still insist on maximum democratic rights to the Israeli Jews - even when we struggle in support of the rights of the Palestinians - the trampling-on the same main stream media accept.

".... the sedate Magistrate's Court in Tel-Aviv got a whiff of the Wild West Bank atmosphere when eleven of the Anarchists Against Walls showed up to answer a variety of charges, ranging from holding an illegal demonstration to obstructing policemen and assaulting policemen* and up to "defacing real property" (i.e., writing graffiti). The charges all referred to a single event, lasting less than ten minutes, on the afternoon of February 25 this year - the day when the International Court at the Hague started deliberating on the construction by the Sharon Government of the Separation Wall which cuts through Palestinian villages and towns.

The Anarchists had planned to mark this day by a joint demonstration with the inhabitants of a village which lost most of its land because of the Wall/Fence. But the army and police got wind of these plans, and the group was intercepted at the West Bank border and forced to turn back - whereupon they drove directly to the Defense Ministry in Tel-Aviv, sat down on the street in front of its gates, and were immediately pounced upon by the police. One of beaten to the point of losing consciousness, another one needed to be hospitalized, and thirteen in all spent the night in detention.

On the following morning, the police asked the duty judge to keep them under house arrest "until the Hague Court ends its deliberations" but the Duty Judge rejected this idea and granted them bail.

It was then that the police and public prosecutor decided to prefer charges against them - leading to today's rather grotesque affair.

With a variety of tattoos and unconventional hair styles and accompanied by several sympathizing, well-known artists and actors, the accused young men and women stood in the court house lobby - displaying to the many media representatives their T-shirts with the text "We will not be silenced" and covering their mouths with strips of black sticky tape.

That was enough for the court house guards to snap into action, shout "No demonstrating on court premises" and push the offending activists into an empty courtroom, where they were made to take off the offending shirts (of which the TV cameras already got their fill, anyway). It took quite a bit before they finally made it to Judge Muki Landman's hall and sat down in the overcrowded dock, with the spectator benches equally crowded with their supporters.

Defence Lawyer Gabi Lasky began by asking the court to dismiss the charges out of hand, on the basis of Natural Law (or "estoppel" in lawyers' jargon). She began with a long exposition on the Wall and the way it disrupts the daily life of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, quoting extensively from the reports of various human rights organizations which she also presented to the court as evidence. Many judges would have rejected all this as irrelevant - Landman did not.

Adv. Laski made special reference to the inhabitants of the so-called "Seam Area", where the accused originally intended to demonstrate on February 25. "The Seam Area has been declared a closed military zone, where entry is forbidden. Even if you were born there and your parents before you, and even if you lived there all your life, you must apply for a special permit from the army in order to stay in your own home and work your own field.

But by the same military order, citizens of Israel are exempt and may enter the Seam Area without needing any permit. And not only Israeli citizens, also 'those who have the right to Israeli citizenship under the law of return', that is - Jews. Yes, a Jew from Brooklyn or from Timbuktu could land at Ben Gurion Airport, go to the Seam Area and stay there as long as he wants, without needing any permit - but a Palestinian who was born there needs a permit from the army to live in his own home!

It was against this kind of blatant injustice that the accused tried to protest, first in the Seam Area itself, then when this was denied at the Ministry of Defence where this infamous military order originated. They acted according to the Categorical Imperative of the great philosopher Immanuel Kant, according to which every person must act as if his and her life is setting the moral example for the whole world. They acted according to the Talmud, which states that a man would not be considered truly righteous, even if he followed all of God's commandmnents, if he had failed to cry out against an injustice of which he was aware. On the basis of Natural Law, the case against them should be dismissed".

"I will reserve my response to counsel's argument until later" responded Judge Landman. "But first I must draw the prosecution's attention to some obvious concrete defects in the charge sheet. For example, accused no.7 is accused of assaulting policemen, but there is no concrete act attributed to her which would substantiate that charge.* The same with accused no. 1 being charged with hindering a policeman in the execution of his duties. Exactly what did she do, Mr. Prosecutor? Sitting on the road for all of three minutes and refusing to get up when ordered by the policeman, that's hindering him in the execution of his duties? Hmmm.

And about the rest of them, in what did the assault on the police consist? "Kicking the police while being carried to the patrol car? Well, I suppose if you prove that they did do that, yes, it would technically count as assault. Still, I seem to recall that during the evacuation of Yamit and other Sinai settlements [in 1982] the settlers did quite a bit more than that, and none of them was prosecuted. A good thing, too. There should be toleration built into the prosecution policy, some leeway.

We are now entering a period of debate and controversy. We will have many demonstrations by many people and groups who have something very urgent to say, and I don't care if they are from the left-wing or right-wing, protesting the erection of the fence or the dismantling of settlements. From the policy of the prosecution in this case, I suppose we will see all of them marching into this court-room by the dozen. We may have to set up a special court for demonstrators, like there is already a special court for the deportation of migrantworkers. If that's what you want, fine!

Anyway, I am giving the prosecution 6 weeks to reconsider, do they really want to proceed with this case. If they still do, I will then state my ruling on the defence's request with regard to Natural Law. Until then, every body is dismissed."

==============
* Surprise surprise.... among the 11 defendants, all the ones who submitted complains to the police investigating bureau were accused also with assault while these not complaining got only the minor items.

Israel/Palesine: Booklet on the struggle against the Wall for 22 October day of international anarchist solidarity 17/10/04

On the occasion of the international day of anarchist solidarity on 22nd October 2004, the FdCA has prepared a 70-page booklet on the struggle against the Wall in Palestine. We invite anarchist groups, organizations and individuals to download the zipped PDF file of the pamphlet. It can then be printed and distributed during actions on 22nd October. The booklet is entirely in English, though an Italian version will be available from the FdCA in Italy. To download the pamphlet, please visit our web special http://www.fdca.it/wall and click on the link "scaricabili" at the top left.

Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici
International Relations

Israel-Palestine, We will not be stopped! No to the apartheid fence! no to the state violence! 13/10/04

Posted by Anarchists Against the Wall 12 Oct 2004 on https://israel.indymedia.org/feature/index.php Monday, October the 18th will start the court hearing of 11 activists who demonstrated against the apartheid wall at the war ministry compound in Tel Aviv - 23d Februar 2004 - the day the international court in Hage started deliberation on the apartheid wall. That day tens of activists demonstrated in front of the War ministry compound and blocked the Kaplan street, in protest against the building of the separation fence by the Israeli government, after they were blocked from reaching the demo with Palestinian people in Tul karem area the fence seperate them from their fields, declared by authority as a "closed military zone".

Just few minutes it took the riot plolice to arrest 13 of the activist using excessive vilence documented by 4 video cameras. The video taype refute the police claim that a "police man was attaced while on duty", which is what the demonstrators are accused with.. after they submited formal complain to the "departmen investigating policemen" on the violence against them. One of the 13 arrested was even taken to hospital for treatment of seriously damaged nouse, another activist lost consciousness, a female activist was sexually harased while in castudy. The 13 demonstraters - one of them under-age, were detained for the night at the Abu-Kabir detention facility. Next day they were brought to court where the judge refused to follow the police demand to release them with conditions that will limit their right of demonstration in the future.

This was the first time of such bringing to court was taken agains "Anarchists Against The Fence" since the sooting at the Mas'ha village gate on 26.12.2003 when Gil Naamaty leggs were hit. Next month, starting the court hearing of other under age activists accused too with blocking streets in Tel Aviv. It seems this is the beginning of a chain of harasments and political presecution culminating in a urgent and substantial danger to the freedom of expression and demonstration in Israel.

Befor this demonstration and even after it were many tens of political and social demonstrations in which roads were blocked, but no court indaitments were done. Never before bothered the security service to send a representative to a police station - like with our people, to interogate and warn the dataynees.

We intend to transform the trial to a trail against the fence. With the help of supporters we will stand in the court processes and insist to convey the message for which we blocked the road: The apartheid fence will only lead to despair and haterad.

For details: Jonathan Polak
Lawyer Gaby Lasky:
The hearing begins in the morning of Mondey 18.10 9:00 in the "peace courthous" in Tel Aviv the hall of judge Landsman corner of Shderot Shaul Hamelekh and Witsman street.

Palestine-Israel, The daily struggle continue* - a different aspect. 13/10/04

The first sign that something has in Beit-Awwa changed, were the flags decorating the Baladia. Some familiar faces were also missing from the crowd preparing for the demonstration. One reason is that the demonstration today was organized by official village administration, as opposed to previous demonstrations which were organized by popular committees. Later, we would also learn that the army raided the village the day before and picked up people suspected of demonstrating. The reason for the decoration was an appearance by Abas Zaki, a member of the central committee of the Fatah and the Palestinian legislative council. He arrive at 10:25 and spoke for about 20 minutes along with other dignitaries. From there we marched to the Bulldozers who were working just north of the school. The crowd was about 150 people and the bulldozers stopped at the first sight of us. There was only one army jeep and about 5 private security for the three bulldozers.

Wishing to avoid injuries, the leaders of the demonstration worked out an agreement with the commanding officer that we would retreat after a while and not be attacked by the soldiers. Then, while watching them build a giant cage for the people of Beit-Awwa, Zaki made a speech which began with the words "IDF soldiers, good morning...". The soldiers took the opportunity to photograph the people listening to the speech with a digital camera. After the arrests of the previous day, taking someone's picture become a real threat. The private security also threatened the crowed in their own way. They pointed their uzis from close range and told people they would kill them.
=============================
* see also:
Palestine-Israel, Report of Anarchists Against the Wall (AATW) about the days of resistance
http://ainfos.ca/04/sep/ainfos00429.html
See pictures at:
https://israel.indymedia.org/media/all/display/190/index.php to
https://israel.indymedia.org/media/all/display/199/index.php See also the call for international solidarity day of anarchists all over the world on October 22
(en) Greece, Crete, Proposal for an international day of solidarity to the Palestinian struggle
http://www.ainfos.ca/04/aug/ainfos00059.html (en) Israel-Palestine, Media:...................
http://ainfos.ca/04/sep/ainfos00359.html
http://ainfos.ca/04/sep/ainfos00366.html

Israel, Tel Aviv, Just another demo called by anarchists to protest the atrocities of the IDF in Gaza strip 08/10/04

Few days ago Tel Aviv anarchists issued a call for a noisy demo. We gathered at the location of the Friday vigil of women in black and joined them with black coffins and placards. When we started to march, we were joined by other radicals of the left from the Friday vigil and from the refusnics movement. The police tried to block us from marching as we were too many and have not asked for permit.
They even detained 6 people, but failed to stop us. Instead marching as one contingent of 70 we were divided by the police efforts to block us into three main groups - each marching on the pavements with placards, a coffin and shouting slogans, along the streets towards the war ministry compound.

After an hour of vigil people went to the scheduled meeting of the refusnics initiative in the down town park.

In the public radio news, they "reported" the police lies - as if they detained 6 of us because we quarreled with passers by and caused disturbances... and falsely claimed they dispersed us...

Palestine-Israel, [againstwall*] October 22 in Malta 08/10/04

Hey - Just wanted to let you guys know we're planning a solidarity demo with the group Movement Graffiti here in Malta. We'll set up a mock checkpoint at a fake wall at the university and distribute information highlighting access to education issues around the wall, but also touching on other ones - as well as the occupation in general. I'll send more info when we've got it.
R.
======================
* [Graffiti is an antiauthoritarian anticapitalist group]
* [againstwall@yahoogroups.com is a mailing list of the Anarchist Against The Wall initiative]

Israel-Palestine, Anarchists call for a demo tomorrow, Friday, in Tel-Aviv 1pm at "Maxim Cinema", corner King George, Sderot ben-Tzion 07/10/04

IDF murdered 13 year old girl with 20 bullets. They suspected she carried a bomb. Only books were found on her body. She just strayed from the road because of heavy morning mist. at the last awful days of the Israeli attack 86 palestinians have already been murdered. At least 15 of them are kids. 300 people injured. People with cancer cannot get their medical treatment - still the numbers are not clear. And Sharon, the Prime Minister/Murderer announced that the action will continue. The people murdered are converted to numbers. Every one who just had a glimpse of the occupied territories can imagine the children running away from armed IDF soldiers; the bombed and demolished hoses; the suffocating dust; the awful helplessness sensation arousing in the throat; the paralyzing fear; the noise of shock grenades; the tear gas; the shooting; the pain.... all the people arrested and taken from their homes.

And Sharon keep playing God; keep saying he is detaching... but the attack will continue. Keep pretend that these murdered by the Kasam rockets in the Israeli Shderot are not his fount.

And Bus pretend he is angry... and profit each minute, from each bullet. And the silence is deafening. In Tel Aviv they are preparing for the love march. And there is no marginal location without one kind of festival or another.

Just few kilometers away. no more than that. Just few kilometers is enough for people to become meaningless numbers. So it is possible to try not to see. not hearing. not to feel.

Friday meeting at 13:00 in front of Maxim movie house (Ben Zion avenue and king George intersection) for a protest march that will scream against the awful murder. Bring every thing that make noise and scream. every thing that can help to scream louder... so some one may hear, so it will not be possible to forget.

Israel-Palestine, Tel-Aviv, Alt. Media, "Talk - don't bomb!" - hundreds protest in front of the War ministry compound 06/10/04

Once again, the drairy parking lot opposite the Defence Ministry in Tel- Aviv, the place where we find ourselves when horrors fill the TV screens. Some three hundred people, representing a variety of groups, came there today to once more express shock, anger and disgust.

"We have come here because civilians are being killed by the dozen every day, houses demolished in multitude, trees and whole orchards made into desert, in a feat of primitive vengefulness which is immoral, dangerous and achieves the opposite of the declared government aims" said Uri Avnery to the Associated Press camera. On the opposite side, police and security operatives were massing as to defend the ministry gate from a rush of furious demonstrators.

It was Gush Shalom which took the initiative to organize a protest, in spite of a feeling of futility "but, still this is the least we can do, and we have to do it", and gradually the others came to join. Courage to Refuse was conspicuous with their "It won't end, if we don't refuse" banners. The Anarchists arrived directly from their confrontation with the wall-builders at Beit-Awa where they had been subjected to police clubs and teargas.

From Jaffa came a large group of Arabs, many of them with relatives at Jabaliya Refugee camp, the focus of the army rampage. Among all this, the Gush Shalom two-flag emblems were held aloft together with the text: "Sderot and Jabaliya - both victims of the occupation." - A pregnant woman with a sign "Mom, what is your boy doing in Gaza?" Alex Maor, father of the recently released CO Adam Maor asked "Dad" the same question. At his side, a big cartoon of Sharon riding a tank, with the caption "Death and destruction in the service of the occupation."

The veteran Latif Dori held a sign in Hebrew and Arabic "Sharon, you have murdered the peace dove!" At his side, youths were waving the European Rainbow peace flag. Meanwhile, the Gush spokesperson Adam Keller, just back from a coast-to-coast US tour and hardly recovered from jet-lag, ran around between journalists dragging with him the sign "Tayas Amitz Lo Maftzitz!" (a daring pilot doesn't bomb).

Upon the arrival of a whole bunch of youngsters the chanting started. "Peace - Yes! Occupation - No!", "Stop Killing - Start Talking!", "Soldier Listen - You Can Refuse!", "All the Ministers, War Criminals!", "Soldier Stop! War Crime!", "Pilot Stop! War Crime!" ("A pilot can't stop in mid-air" shouted somebody, whereupon the slogan was amended to "Pilot, Turn Back!"). Meanwhile, organizers from different groups discussed the idea of a follow-up action for the coming Saturday (October 9).

On the way to the bus, a blaring TV news broadcast from a nearby cafe: "Army forces at Rafah mistakenly shot to death a 13-year old girl on the way from school." The poor girl had been thought to have explosives in her schoolbag. "It's the first time this week, that they didn't say they killed one more terrorist" remarked an activist.

[photos soon at http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html]

Israel/Palestine: Update on the International Day of Anarchist Solidarity against the Wall 4/10/04

Dear comrades,
At the request of the comrades in Crete, Greece, we are sending an update on the day of international anarchist solidarity which they are promoting for 22nd October 2004 in support of the non-violent struggle of the Palestinians against the Apartheid Wall being constructed in Palestine and in support of the Israeli conscientious objectors.

In Greece, the promoters of the day of solidarity will be organizing a series of events throughout the country, featuring a speaking tour with 2 members of the "Anarchists Against the Wall" initiative, from 21st October until 7th November. They will be visiting 10 Greek cities, speaking about anarchist resistance to the Apartheid Wall. On 22nd October, the Greek comrades will be out on the streets publicizing the struggle against the Wall, handing out texts and leaflets, showing videos etc., something which will be happening also in many other countries on the same day. The Greek comrades appeal to anarchist and libertarian individuals and organizations all over the world to show their solidarity by doing what they can to publicize the struggle in Israel and Palestine on October 22.

The groups which have declared their participation so far are:
* An anarchist group from Ottawa, Canada
* Another anarchist group from San Francisco, U.S.A.
* The "Musas Libres" group, Monterrey, Mexico
* The group round the zine "Zinecallar", Costa Rica
* Juventude Organizada com Ideal Anarquista (JOIA), Sao Paolo, Brazil
* COB/AIT and the "Colectivo Libertario", Sao Paolo, Brazil
* Anarchist Black Cross, Cordoba, Argentina
* The group round the zine "Tacanazine", Lima, Peru
* Various locals of the CNT, Madrid, Spain
* An anarchist group from Lugo, Spain
* Another anarchist group from Valencia, Spain
* Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici, Italy
* An anarchist group from Cecina (Livorno), Italy
* Anarchist Federation Warsaw, Poland
* Anarchists Against the Wall, Israel
* An anarchist group in Melbourne, Australia
and of course most anarchist groups in Greece!


The Greek comrades have prepared a common poster which can be used freely by any groups wishing to participate in events on October 22. The poster is available in English and Castillian versions (and shortly also in Italian) on our web pages dedicated to the struggle against the Apartheid Wall (http://www.fdca.it/wall - click on the "scaricabili" link in the top left-hand corner).

The poster can be downloaded and local information inserted into the spaces provided.

The promoters also ask any groups who plan on organizing an event for October 22, even if it will consist in handing out information leaflets, to let them know by sending an e-mail to nikosfindelmundo@yahoo.com

Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici
International Relations


http://www.fdca.it

Palestine-Israel, Detailed report by AATW* people on Beit Awwa demonstration 03-10-04

We, a group of israelis joined the people of beit awwa, in palestine, in their almost daily struggle against the wall which is being built on their lands. photo https://israel.indymedia.org/usermedia/image/7/833_beit-awwa-10-3-04-reuters.jpg we arrived in beit awwa at around 10:20 and immediately went with about 250 other demonstrators to the work site. By 10:35 the crowd grew to about about 500 people and we managed to reach the bulldozers very quickly. As we did, one of the two bulldozers stopped working and left the area. the driver of the remaining bulldozer continued to work even as the demonstrators were meters from it, endangering the demonstrators as well as the security guards and soldiers.

for about 45 minutes we stood at the work site, near the remaining bulldozer and the soldiers who seemed by their age to be reserve troops. We chanted and women help up olive branches, not a stone was thrown and virtually all the people from beit awwa as well as israelis and internationals repeated to the soldiers that this is a non violent demonstration and we want no trouble. we simply want to sit on the lands of the people of Beit Awwa. Our reassurance did not seem to calm the soldiers down, they kept pushing people, hitting them, using shock grenades and tear gas. One soldier shot three rounds of tear gas canisters at a crowd of people point blank. in addition to being very dangerous - this use of tear gas canisters violates standing orders which require a distance of 50 meters for their use.

at 11:15 the soldiers managed to disperse the crowd using batons, shock grenades, tear gas and rubber coated metal bullets from close range. The attack resulted in a total of about 30 injuries. amongst them at least 5 from rubber coated metal bullets: three palestinians, one israeli and a danish woman. An israeli woman also suffered a possible fracture to her hand when she fell as she was running away from the soldiers.

After the main demonstration dispersed, a jeep arrived with what seems like a new experimental sound weapon. It consisted of a set of giant speakers mounted on a jeep which can emit painfully loud noise and direct it in a particular direction.

photo https://israel.indymedia.org/usermedia/image/10/833_beit-awwa-10-3-04-ap.jpg

photo https://israel.indymedia.org/usermedia/image/8/833_beit-awwa-10-3-04-ap2.jpg

photo https://israel.indymedia.org/usermedia/image/5/833_beit-awwa-10-3-04-reuters2.jpg

photo https://israel.indymedia.org/usermedia/image/6/833_beit-awwa-10-3-04-reuters3.jpg the danish woman being carried away after being hit by a rubber coated metal bullet in her back

By Ivy & Kobi
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* [Ed. Note: AATW = Anarchists Against The Wall]

Israel-Palestine: Interview with 2 Anarchists Against the Wall* 01/10/04

D: We just want people to know what is going on inside the occupied territories and also inside Israel about the situation. Cause actually the media in and outside of Israel is really based on lies and denying what's happening. No-one really knows about the the situation and the conditions of the Palestinians. People are certain that the wall is going to be built on the green line, which is supposed to be the border of Palestine. Which is decided in 1967 by the UN, but actually, the way that the Wall is built, it's not on the Green Line. In some places it's 22, 24 kilometres far from the Green Line inside Palestine. It's not about security but landgrab, because the Wall annexes about 40% of Palestinian land, good agricultural land and their water reserves. It's really important that people know what is going on there.
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* How does this effect the daily lives of people living in the occupied territories?

R: The way the wall is affecting the Palestinians is, well, first we can talk about the Palestinians that live near the villages where the wall is being constructed cause on one level, for a lot of villages it cuts them of from their land, from where they usually make their living from. Then, some villages are completely isolated from other villages and then... they have problems of movement. If families are cut off from hospitals and schools. Then there is the situation where villages have tried to grow, to build more houses, but they can’t because they're completely surrounded by a fence and the wall. It depends, like, for the first phase of the wall - 145km has been built already- there are like 50 villages which are caught between the wall and the Green Line, I mean the green line which is supposed to be the original border between Israel and Palestine). So even though they [the villages in the area between the Green Line and the Wall -ed.] are left out of the wall, they are not Israeli citizens so they have problems of labour, having any rights whatsoever even getting inside Palestine because you have to have a special permit, even if you want to go to Israel you have to have a special permit. Usually you get screwed from both sides, so they basically, maybe, will have to move inside the wall so they can have a normal livelihood and build schools, hospitals etc.

Then you have the fact of all of the water resources and the agricultural land that is being taken away from them, so they have a problem of sustaining livelihoods in the bigger cities. Also the fact that you have migration from villages into the bigger cities. Let's say big markets or towns where you had a lot of commercial activity with the transfer of goods with Israelis who were friendly with them or even with Palestinians around the area are being shut down because they have no way in or out. And the fact that, the way it is progressing.....(?) ... to completely isolate Palestine from both sides by Israel so they won't have contact with any other country.

But a positive aspect is that it is actually creating a situation where Palestinians are actually organizing for themselves.. because the Palestinian Authority (P.N.A.) and political organisations like Hamas and Fatah showed little concern whatsoever for these villages, they decided to organisize their resistance by themselves and also using new methods where it enables them to have a higher level of democracy. It is not some political official, it is the village deciding together and inviting who they want, whether an Israeli or Palestinian, to work together against the wall. This partly enables them to have a more direct political process happening, where they feel more empowered. And the fact that they are getting some results, even though they might be minor and small, they are getting more results then they got with with the Palestinian Authority or Hamas or political organisations that showed little concern for the villages. In that aspect it is actually changing the way things are dealt with. Also the fact that they do non-violent resistance and actually achieving something with it is giving them more force to do these kind of actions than actually using guns.

* So we get the picture of villages that are cut off from the rest of the world. So in the future things will get worse, you think?

Yes, things are getting worse. But even sometimes the effects in some of the places take time. When the wall is built you don't really feel sometimes the impact immediately. You feel it, let's say, when you're waiting for the harvest of olive trees which is next year, and then you see that you cannot always go and harvest them, it is really important to have a certain time to harvest them before it rots down or it starts raining too much and it's hard to harvest.

So on that aspect they're not even sure how it's going to be sometimes, and in some places it slowly has created a situation where villages slowly get more and more frustated. Actually in that area it's created a new hostility in places that before were not even political. Sometimes the occupation in the foreign news always seems as if it's happening everywhere and everybody is aware of it. And to a certain agree everybody is aware of it, but to different degrees. In the cities they're much more aware of it, you have tanks... In the Palestinian cities there are curfews, closures... So for a lot of villages which are more or less left to themselves they couldn't get out of the city easily, but they did not feel the whole impact of the occupation.

Then there's also the difference between the village and city: village people say this about the city people, city people talk about that about the village people. But here it's actually creating ... the big impact of the occupation is here in the villages. So it's also creating a whole new association between the city and the village, where cities are also getting more involved what's happening in villages and are trying to create demonstrations in support of the villages which are uprising. I mean, like at Nablus and Ramallah where they're getting more active about it.

* Is this something that is initiated from the Palestinian side or is this a cooperation beween the left in Israel and the Palestinian action groups that want to use non-violent measures against this wall?

Well, it's a combination of a bit of all. I mean it starts from Palestinians - they're the ones who are the most concerned and they're the ones who invite Israelis, that's the shift in the policy - where we can do demonstrations together and reach a broader audience and a bigger spectrum and maintain a more civil demonstration style.

It always comes from the Palestinian villages: you never have a situation where internationals and Israelis will come to the village and say: "OK, we want to do a demonstration here because there's a wall". So it's the Palestinian village, because they'll have to suffer the consequences. If it's having their land confiscated, having more problems with the army or with the police, maybe in the future having permits to cross the wall or go into other areas - they're the ones who are going to suffer for it, and they're theones who are deciding it.

And it is also creating a stronger point for non-violent resistance, which has always existed in Palestine but in the last few years, especially from the beginning of the 2nd Intifada, was very minor because of all these political organisations who were saying the only way to confront the occupation is through violent means, militias, suicide-bombers etc. Now we've said, no, you can do it differently.

* Can you tell us for how long this is going on, these non-violent protests against the wall?

I think it's about for just over a year. It started very small, and then through different actions just grew and grew. And now it's a situation where almost every village decides to do its demonstration and to do it on their own agreement and sometimes a neighbouring village will come in support. Each village tries to be non-violent and usually it's the new kind of way of dealing with it so... different results, usually.

* The support in Israel for these kind of actions, how is this, for instance, how is this portrayed in the national media?

D: Actually, it was not so long time ago in the Israeli national newspaper they said that about 65% of the Israeli population support non-violent, direct... ah, sorry, 75% of the Israeli people support actions against the wall but in legal ways and not violent. It means that people who are getting more aware of the situation, won't do anything on their side, but they support us as long we're not doing it in illegal ways.

* Are there are also many people that want to join?

This is complicated because there are a lot of left-wing groups in Israel which are against the occupation but won't join those kind of actions. They support us, like, in passive ways (and sometimes it's not so passive) but it's out of Palestine - in Israel, in Tel Aviv, the big cities - Peace Now demos, they're just holding signs and singing and talking about it. But most of the people won't take part in this kind of action in Palestine, against the wall. Yes, you know it's scary and dangerous.

* What sort of actions are there now in Israel against the occupation?

R: Oh, actions inside the territories? But, it always attracts small groups of people because it's usually 24 hours' notice in advance, and it's complicated to get in (the occupied terroties) and it's always hard to telephone around everybody and ask... But then you have big organisations that create a demonstration and plan it one month in advance or so with a certain village and do some peaceful demonstration, graffiti against the wall. Then you have organisations that spread lists about what products to boycott which are built in Jewish settlements inside Palestine. There's the Comittee Against House Demolitions, which is an organisation which is in Jerusalem which helps fight the demolition of houses because it's hard for Palestinians to get permits to build their houses for absurd laws, so everytime they try to built let's say another room, because they cannot have another house because of the legal administration won't let them have one, you know for the plans? So they build a room onto their house and then the army comes in and destroys the house. And also trying to work with people inside the villages inside the wall which are certain to have houses demolished or schools. You have demonstrations inside major cities like Tel Aviv, who do like peaceful noise demos. And doing petitions, trying to bring the message across and doing small alternative demonstrations and even bigger demonstrations and making their own noise demonstrations inside Israel. And also doing info evenings inside of Israel and showing movies. And then there are also organizations that work on a bigger level in sustaining solidarity with the Palestinians.

* So a lot of things going on. We also saw on your video that there are a lot of people from outside Israel and Palestine joining in. Does this help and in what way?

Well, it works on a few aspects. First of all it shows that we're not isolated, that there are also other people who are also concerned about what's happening. On a moral level this is very important. On a practical level internationals can go to places where Israelis cannot go. There are areas in Palestine which is it forbidden for Israelis to go to and internationals can, basically the bigger cities in Palestine, which is considered Area A for Israelis, but internationals can go. Then, in some villages it's still hard for them or difficult for them to work with Israelis, so the internationals can prepare the ground for working with other groups. They can even have their base network inside Palestine, which is hard for Israelis to maintain. And also, like, spreading out the message, coming over, documenting, trying to help, going back to their countries and trying to create support overseas and create pressure from outside which is also very positive.

D: It's really important for Israelis to be there, first of all for the Palestinians. It's really important that Israelis support them because the Israelis are the ones who put them in this situation, they are the ones who conquered them. It's really important for the Palestinians to see that also Israelis support them, and really care for them and really want to help them. I mean, it changed the whole image for them, because now it shows them that not all the Israelis are the enemy and, yeah, we can still work together and try to learn to do postive things together. So it's really important that there are Israelis there. When Israelis are there it changes the situation with the soldiers a bit: now they cannot do what they want do and shoot the Palestinians, because when Israelis are involved it also means that the media gets involved more easily. Now they cannot just shoot live ammunition; they have to be a little bit more calm.

[* ed. note: this is a transcript of a radio interview made earlier this year with some members of the Anarchists Against the Wall initiative. The interview was broadcast by Free Radio Tonka in the Netherlands. Link to audio version at http://www.ainfos.ca/04/sep/ainfos00540.html]