Art has the possibility to unite different cultures into harmony and to create new options for individuals, in order to live and work together for justice, equality and peace.
Three Cities Against the Wall is an exhibition protesting the Separation Wall under construction by Israel in the Occupied Territories of Palestine. This project involves groups of artists in Ramallah, Palestine; Tel Aviv, Israel; and New York City. The show will be held simultaneously in all three cities in November 2005. Through this collaborative exhibition, the organizers and participating artists will draw attention to the reality of the Wall and its disastrous impact on the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians by the separation of Palestinian communities from each other and from their fertile lands, water resources, schools, hospitals and work places; thereby "contributing to the departure of Palestinian populations," as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has warned.
Carmella Volk, Tel Aviv
The wall also robs and destroys the human spirit. Spiritual and cultural life cannot survive under these conditions, and we, as artists, find it necessary to fight this crime with the means which we posses.
This illegal Wall prevents the possibility of a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as based on the universal principles of equality and self-determination. It prolongs this conflict and the suffering that results from it. Therefore we Israeli, Palestinian and American artists resist this wall and its devastating impact, and aim to call attention to the urgency of dismantling the Wall which threatens any peaceful future in both Israel and Palestine for all.
The Separation Wall was found to be illegal by an advisory opinion given by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague on July 9, 2004. In its ruling, the ICJ stated: "The construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated regime, [is] contrary to international law."
Naama Yuriah, Tel Aviv
Who we are
Curatorial and organizing committees for Three Cities Against the Wall, comprised of local artists and activists, have been established in each of the three participating cities. These committees have each invited the participation of numerous artists, each of whom has been asked to provide three works to be exhibited in all three locations.
In Palestine, Tayseer Barakat, founder of the League of Palestinian Artists and curator of Gallery Barakat, and Sliman Mansour are organizing the exhibition. The organizations involved are the League of Palestinian Artists and the Palestinian Association of Contemporary Art (PACA).
Hushi Radwan, Ramallah
Asad Azi, Ramallah
In Israel the project is organized by a group of artists and activists that came together to resist the wall through art and culture. Members of the group are also associated with the Israeli Coalition Against the Wall; Taayush; and Anarchists Against the Wall. These groups are very active in protests and projects, both in Israel and Palestine, against the construction of the Wall and the occupation, including protests where there have been many victims, Palestinian, Israeli, and international.
In New York, Three Cities Against the Wall is organized through the arts center ABC No Rio by a committee of artists and activists, a number of them associated with the radical comic magazine World War 3 Illustrated. World War 3 Illustrated was founded in 1979 to oppose the right-wing policies of Ronald Reagan. It has been publishing art and articles in support of the rights of the Palestinian people since 1988, when it published an interview with Naji-Ali. ABC No Rio is a community center for the arts that grew out of the housing struggles on New York's Lower East Side. Many of the organizers in New York participate in the International Solidarity Movement, Women In Black, SUSTAIN (Stop U.S. Tax-funded Aid to Israel Now), International Women's Peace Service, Jewish Alliance Against the Occupation, and other groups opposed to Israel's unjust occupation.
Seth Tobocman, New York
Our Vision: A world without borders
In the process of creating Three Cities Against the Wall, the organizers and participating artists are building networks and creating relationships between their respective communities to oppose both Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people and the Wall as a symbol of that oppression.
Yet while American, Palestinian, and Israeli artists are showing their work together in this exhibition, we understand that the relationship amongst them is not one of equality. The relationship between Palestinians and Israelis has been compared to that between prisoners and guards, with U.S. cittizens as the patrons of this prison. Americans finance Israel through their tax dollars; some also finance Israel through contributions to Zionist organizations. The Wall is horrifying because it casts these relationships in concrete, making Palestinian imprisonment more thorough and more permanent.
Suzanne Klotz, New York
Ironically, there is also an opportunity created by the Wall: this physical barrier makes the oppression of Palestinians more visible. Artists can use the Wall as a metaphor to educate the public. We are working together because we understand that, by uniting our voices, we are more likely to be heard and will therefore be better able to inform the public of the true nature of this catastrophic situation. We also want to demonstrate that within the Israeli and the American public there is opposition to the Wall.
We are laying the foundation for building a community of artists across borders, and will demonstrate, through combined effort, our opposition to injustice and oppression on moral and ethical grounds, and because injustice and oppression engender a separation between peoples, preventing normal human communication between them.
We believe that the world of the future is a world without borders. We support the right of a Turk to work in Germany, of a Haitian to seek refuge in the United States, of a Croat to live peacefully in Serbia. Thus we also support the right of a Palestinian, a Jew, or anyone else to live in the city of their choice, to enjoy all the privileges of citizenship there, and to travel freely to and from their chosen place of residence. This is not a radical demand but a natural human expectation. The attempts of 20th century governments to control demographics through genocide, forced transfer and other coercive means have been a disaster and such policies must be discarded. It is tragic that at a time when governments in Europe are discussing the possibility of open borders, Israel is building a border of cement and steel. We oppose the Wall because it is a wall against the future.
A full-color catalog of Three Cities Against the Wall, including essays by writers, critics, and activists from all three communities, is to be be published by Vox Pop Press in November.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Palestine-Israel Bil'in, The struggle still continues - Friday demonstration 28 Oct
This Friday demo has as background the three army night invasion for arresting people who participate in the weekly Fridays demonstrations. At the first night invasion they arrested nine villagers for the bogus claim that they damaged the fence. On the second night invasion they arrested additional three. On the third invasion, people went out of their hoses to confront the army unit, and the three persons they came to arrest were not found. As response to that harassment, the theme of the demo was that all of us are potential candidates to be arrested. many participants handcuffed ourselves with plastic imitation of the real thing. Placard was wit the content that all the rest of the 1600 inhabitants - including children, are to be arrested next if the struggle is to be stooped.
We marched along the road leading to the separation fence chanting - about 150 people, including 20 internationals, 50 Israelis who defied the closure intended to block us from arriving to the joint struggle, and about 100 people from Bil'in (as the last Fridays demos were not repressed harshly some even brought their young kids).
The Israeli state forces blocked our way about 100 meters from the fence route - there we stood for a while chanting. after a while, a 20 persons contingent of Bir Zeit university joined us and short time later we tried to get of the blocked road and come through the olive orchard nearer to the fence route. The state forces objected to this act pushed us forcefully back to the road again and again, injured by that two Israelis whose injuries were dressed by the medics of the Palestinian ambulance which is present in each demo, and two israelis even where detained for a while.
In spite of the state force pushing and pulling many of demonstrators succeeded to arrive to about few meters from the fence. There, Mohamad Hatib gave a speech, with explanations to people who participated in the demo for the first time. Then, the nonviolent demonstration was declared finished and we returned to the village - and the internationals and Israelis said good by to the village activists and added see you next Friday in Bil'in.
In parallel to the passage of the nonviolent demonstrators effort to come nearer to the fence route, youth of the village started the usual attrition war of stones versus tear gas and rubber bullets shots of the army which continued for a while even after the main demo was ended.
In a place were no demonstrators or stone throwing youth were near, a group of soldiers were seen as throwing stones on an army car which was on the fence route - probably for video taking by the army for false accusation of the demonstrators.
We marched along the road leading to the separation fence chanting - about 150 people, including 20 internationals, 50 Israelis who defied the closure intended to block us from arriving to the joint struggle, and about 100 people from Bil'in (as the last Fridays demos were not repressed harshly some even brought their young kids).
The Israeli state forces blocked our way about 100 meters from the fence route - there we stood for a while chanting. after a while, a 20 persons contingent of Bir Zeit university joined us and short time later we tried to get of the blocked road and come through the olive orchard nearer to the fence route. The state forces objected to this act pushed us forcefully back to the road again and again, injured by that two Israelis whose injuries were dressed by the medics of the Palestinian ambulance which is present in each demo, and two israelis even where detained for a while.
In spite of the state force pushing and pulling many of demonstrators succeeded to arrive to about few meters from the fence. There, Mohamad Hatib gave a speech, with explanations to people who participated in the demo for the first time. Then, the nonviolent demonstration was declared finished and we returned to the village - and the internationals and Israelis said good by to the village activists and added see you next Friday in Bil'in.
In parallel to the passage of the nonviolent demonstrators effort to come nearer to the fence route, youth of the village started the usual attrition war of stones versus tear gas and rubber bullets shots of the army which continued for a while even after the main demo was ended.
In a place were no demonstrators or stone throwing youth were near, a group of soldiers were seen as throwing stones on an army car which was on the fence route - probably for video taking by the army for false accusation of the demonstrators.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Palestine-Israel, Bbil'in, Friday 21-10-05, The joint struggle against occupation and separation wall continues 21 Oct
In spite the intense harassment against the arrival of Israeli Anarchists Against The Wall and the people of the coalition against the fence, about 50 of us succeeded to participate together with 15 international volunteers and hundred Palestinians - mostly inhabitants of Bil'in in the Friday demonstration. An eight months of Fridays demonstrations in Bil'in in additions to less frequent demonstrations and direct actions against the separation fence that robe more than half the lands of the village - annexing them to the Jewish orthodox city settlement. At noon, we started the usual Friday march towards the route of building of the separation fence. At the head was the creative art structure of the week. Along the road we marched and chanted slogans in both Arabic, English and Hebrew.
It took 7 months of persistent joint struggle to carry the nonviolent demonstrations again the separation fence in Bil'in, till we made the suppression so politically costly the state forces, so they decided to allow the nonviolent demonstrations in Bil'in. It took lot of physical confrontations, arrests, injuries, tear gas, non lethal bullets of various kinds. At the pick of the struggle the regional commander announced that no demonstration will be allowed in Bil'in.
At the last effort to suppress it the village was on curfew from early morning Friday. The lot of Israelis and Palestinians who did not yield and battled for long hours till we succeeded to lead a march to the route and the bad PR and media cover for the state force, forced them to change policy.
They replaced the commanders involved. The stated the change of policy. They agreed not to punish the participants of the nonviolent demonstration for the stone throwing youngsters who confront the soldiers in near by olive orchards...
And we arrived at about 100 meters of the route of the fence before they blocked our way to the fence route. After a while there people started to get down from the road to the orchard of olive trees in order to reach the route of the fence itself. True to the new policy the soldiers used only pushing force to prevent this acts and too violent soldiers were restrained by their commanders. After nearly an hour of failed efforts to do it on the south side of the road, and as the orchards there became a battle grounds of the stones of the stone thrower youth and the tear gas and non lethal bullets of the soldiers, we tried the northern side of the road.
Taken by surprise, the available soldiers and border police failed to block our way using bare hands only and we succeeded to get to the route of the building of the fence - a situation that could not happen till a month ago.
After celebrating for a while our small victory we returned to the village leaving the soldiers to continue their attrition war with the stone throwers.
It is hard to get used to it but non of the demonstrators was detained. Except excessive tear gas inhalation and one harmed by "non lethal" means the only unpleasant experiences were being pushed by the soldiers. ---------------------------
The media seems to regard the regular joint Friday demonstrations in Bil'in more seriously than some of the participants who lost the excitement derived from the Friday demonstrations. The following article of the Israeli daily haaretz is just one example of that.
---------------------------
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/636630.html
soldiers scuffle with demonstrators during a joint protest by Israeli, Palestinian and international peace activists against the separation fence in the West Bank village of Bil'in,
October 21, 2005. REUTERS Last update - 17:13 21/10/2005
Bil'in protesters say bean bags are latest riot-control weapon
A previously unknown weapon is being used to combat protesters against the separation fence, according to a report last week by Palestinian, Israeli and foreign demonstrators at Bil'in, where demonstrations take place regularly.
According to the report, a protester, Haysam Hatib, was taken to the hospital in Ramallah last Friday with a large bruise on his leg. Activists from the human rights organization B'Tselem said they were unable to identify the weapon, but a Haaretz investigation revealed it to be a small bean bag that can be shot from a hunting rifle or from a rifle used to fire 37-milimeter shells or tear gas canisters.
The village of Bil'in, which has become the arena for ongoing protests against the separation fence in recent months, is said to be a site where new methods of crowd control are tested. In addition to the Israel Defense Forces, primarily responsible for dispersing the demonstrations, Border Police and Prisons Service personnel are also on the scene.
The elite Prisons Service unit known as Masada, consisting of veterans of special military and police forces, is deployed in emergencies such as prison riots. According to its commanders, the unit has become one of the world's leaders in riot control.
The IDF and the police have not been forthcoming on their relationship with the Prisons Service unit.
About two months ago a Haaretz investigative report revealed two new types of ammunition used for the first time at Bil'in: a pepper ball that splits into several smaller projectiles on contact and causes burning and dizziness, and blue sponges.
Bil'in protest leader Abdallah Abu Rahma said that after Haysam Hatib was shot, other demonstrators searching the area found a bullet that could be fired from a hunting rifle with the word "super sock" on it. According to the demonstrators, Hatib was hit by a small sack filled with tiny balls.
Combined Tactile Systems, an American company, confirmed to Haaretz on Thursday that they manufacture several types of bean-bag ammunition. A number of other companies also manufacture this type of ammunition. It is believed to be efficient in crowd dispersal because it delivers a blow without causing serious injury, since it does not penetrate. It can be fired from distances of one meter to 50 meters and is considered relatively accurate.
However, users are warned that the impact of the bean bag can be fatal if it hits a sensitive area of the body like the head or neck.
Research by the Canadian police in 1999 showed that if a person is hit by a bean bag, of the type used in Bil'in, fired from under three meters the blow can cause death.
After questioning the IDF, the police and the Prisons Service, Haaretz was unable to determine which of the bodies was responsible for firing the bean bag last Friday. The police responded that they were not familiar with the weapon and that the Border Police had not used it. The Prisons Service refused to comment on the types of weaponry used by its Masada unit, but said the weapons used at Bil'in are supplied by the army.
"I know the people who fired the bean bags were from the Masada unit," Hatib said. "I saw them shooting with a hunting rifle."
It took 7 months of persistent joint struggle to carry the nonviolent demonstrations again the separation fence in Bil'in, till we made the suppression so politically costly the state forces, so they decided to allow the nonviolent demonstrations in Bil'in. It took lot of physical confrontations, arrests, injuries, tear gas, non lethal bullets of various kinds. At the pick of the struggle the regional commander announced that no demonstration will be allowed in Bil'in.
At the last effort to suppress it the village was on curfew from early morning Friday. The lot of Israelis and Palestinians who did not yield and battled for long hours till we succeeded to lead a march to the route and the bad PR and media cover for the state force, forced them to change policy.
They replaced the commanders involved. The stated the change of policy. They agreed not to punish the participants of the nonviolent demonstration for the stone throwing youngsters who confront the soldiers in near by olive orchards...
And we arrived at about 100 meters of the route of the fence before they blocked our way to the fence route. After a while there people started to get down from the road to the orchard of olive trees in order to reach the route of the fence itself. True to the new policy the soldiers used only pushing force to prevent this acts and too violent soldiers were restrained by their commanders. After nearly an hour of failed efforts to do it on the south side of the road, and as the orchards there became a battle grounds of the stones of the stone thrower youth and the tear gas and non lethal bullets of the soldiers, we tried the northern side of the road.
Taken by surprise, the available soldiers and border police failed to block our way using bare hands only and we succeeded to get to the route of the building of the fence - a situation that could not happen till a month ago.
After celebrating for a while our small victory we returned to the village leaving the soldiers to continue their attrition war with the stone throwers.
It is hard to get used to it but non of the demonstrators was detained. Except excessive tear gas inhalation and one harmed by "non lethal" means the only unpleasant experiences were being pushed by the soldiers. ---------------------------
The media seems to regard the regular joint Friday demonstrations in Bil'in more seriously than some of the participants who lost the excitement derived from the Friday demonstrations. The following article of the Israeli daily haaretz is just one example of that.
---------------------------
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/636630.html
soldiers scuffle with demonstrators during a joint protest by Israeli, Palestinian and international peace activists against the separation fence in the West Bank village of Bil'in,
October 21, 2005. REUTERS Last update - 17:13 21/10/2005
Bil'in protesters say bean bags are latest riot-control weapon
A previously unknown weapon is being used to combat protesters against the separation fence, according to a report last week by Palestinian, Israeli and foreign demonstrators at Bil'in, where demonstrations take place regularly.
According to the report, a protester, Haysam Hatib, was taken to the hospital in Ramallah last Friday with a large bruise on his leg. Activists from the human rights organization B'Tselem said they were unable to identify the weapon, but a Haaretz investigation revealed it to be a small bean bag that can be shot from a hunting rifle or from a rifle used to fire 37-milimeter shells or tear gas canisters.
The village of Bil'in, which has become the arena for ongoing protests against the separation fence in recent months, is said to be a site where new methods of crowd control are tested. In addition to the Israel Defense Forces, primarily responsible for dispersing the demonstrations, Border Police and Prisons Service personnel are also on the scene.
The elite Prisons Service unit known as Masada, consisting of veterans of special military and police forces, is deployed in emergencies such as prison riots. According to its commanders, the unit has become one of the world's leaders in riot control.
The IDF and the police have not been forthcoming on their relationship with the Prisons Service unit.
About two months ago a Haaretz investigative report revealed two new types of ammunition used for the first time at Bil'in: a pepper ball that splits into several smaller projectiles on contact and causes burning and dizziness, and blue sponges.
Bil'in protest leader Abdallah Abu Rahma said that after Haysam Hatib was shot, other demonstrators searching the area found a bullet that could be fired from a hunting rifle with the word "super sock" on it. According to the demonstrators, Hatib was hit by a small sack filled with tiny balls.
Combined Tactile Systems, an American company, confirmed to Haaretz on Thursday that they manufacture several types of bean-bag ammunition. A number of other companies also manufacture this type of ammunition. It is believed to be efficient in crowd dispersal because it delivers a blow without causing serious injury, since it does not penetrate. It can be fired from distances of one meter to 50 meters and is considered relatively accurate.
However, users are warned that the impact of the bean bag can be fatal if it hits a sensitive area of the body like the head or neck.
Research by the Canadian police in 1999 showed that if a person is hit by a bean bag, of the type used in Bil'in, fired from under three meters the blow can cause death.
After questioning the IDF, the police and the Prisons Service, Haaretz was unable to determine which of the bodies was responsible for firing the bean bag last Friday. The police responded that they were not familiar with the weapon and that the Border Police had not used it. The Prisons Service refused to comment on the types of weaponry used by its Masada unit, but said the weapons used at Bil'in are supplied by the army.
"I know the people who fired the bean bags were from the Masada unit," Hatib said. "I saw them shooting with a hunting rifle."
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
France: Anarchists Against the Wall in Marseille 25/10/05 Oct 19
There will be a meeting with Matan Cohen, an Israeli militant of the Anarchists Against the Wall on: Tuesday 25th October 2005 at 7.00pm at Mille Bâbords, 61 rue consolat, 13001 Marseille Tél. & Fax 04 91 50 76 04 http://www.millebabords.org
Women in Black
In advance of the week of solidarity against the Wall
The Anarchists Against the Wall are part of the coalition against the Wall which includes popular committees against the wall, Gush Shalom, Ta'ayush, Women for peace coalition, and ICAHD. They are a group of young activists who work closely with the Palestinians. They go wherever the building of the wall divides villages and towns and divides them from their land, cutting children off from their schools, adults from their workplaces, separating families and threatening the integrity of Palestinian territory.
Matan has been touring Europe for some months now.
On 25th October, he will be talking to us about the mobilizations against the occupation and on the specific role of the Anarchists Against the Wall in the non-violent (though violently-repressed) struggle against the construction of the Wall.
Info from the website: http://www.millebabords.org
Translation by A-Infos
Women in Black
In advance of the week of solidarity against the Wall
The Anarchists Against the Wall are part of the coalition against the Wall which includes popular committees against the wall, Gush Shalom, Ta'ayush, Women for peace coalition, and ICAHD. They are a group of young activists who work closely with the Palestinians. They go wherever the building of the wall divides villages and towns and divides them from their land, cutting children off from their schools, adults from their workplaces, separating families and threatening the integrity of Palestinian territory.
Matan has been touring Europe for some months now.
On 25th October, he will be talking to us about the mobilizations against the occupation and on the specific role of the Anarchists Against the Wall in the non-violent (though violently-repressed) struggle against the construction of the Wall.
Info from the website: http://www.millebabords.org
Translation by A-Infos
Monday, October 17, 2005
US, Oct 14 - Nov 15: ISM USA Speaking Tour on the Palestinian/Israeli struggle against the separation fence* 17 Oct
From October 14 - November 15, 2005, Palestinian Ayed Morrar from Budrus and Israeli Jonathan Pollak of the Anarchists Against The Wall initiative will be touring the United States speaking about Nonviolent Resistance in Palestine. The tour will visit New York, North Carolina, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Olympia Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida and Philadelphia. Click here for a complete tour schedule. Ayed and Jonathan are friends and among the major figures in the Palestinian led nonviolent struggle against Israel's military occupation. Ayed, a community leader from the West Bank village of Budrus, and Jonathan, an activist from Tel Aviv, stand for a new vision of Palestinian/Israeli partnership based in human rights for all, regardless of race or religion.
While world leaders praise Israel's withdrawal from Gaza as a step toward peace, and demand that the Palestinian Authority harshly suppress armed resistance to Israel's military occupation, activists on the ground like Ayed and Jonathan report that Israel has stepped up its brutal repression of Palestinian and Israeli activists who are struggling nonviolently against the escalating occupation in the West Bank.
Largely unreported by the media, thousands of Palestinians and hundreds of Israelis are waging a major grassroots nonviolent campaign of resistance to the construction of Israel's Wall. Palestinian farmers, workers, mothers, and students, together with Israeli and international volunteers, are braving teargas, beatings, bullets, arrest, and even death to block the construction of the Wall with their bodies. In 2004 the International Court of Justice ruled that the Wall is a violation of international law because it cuts through the West Bank appropriating Palestinan land and destroying Palestinian villages to make way for further Israeli settlement.
Ayed led his village of Budrus in a victory for nonviolence over the Israeli military in 2003-2004. Through a campaign of 50 protests, the village of Budrus pushed the Wall's path off village land and to the Green Line. Day after day, Budrus' men, women and children blocked the destruction of their land and construction of the Wall by marching to the land, despite soldiers' attempts to stop them, and placing their bodies in front of the bulldozers.
Hundreds of residents were injured during the campaign by clubs, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Ayed was jailed for eight days by Israeli authorities, but was eventually released due to international outcry and because his only offense was organizing nonviolent protests. Two of Ayed's brothers were also arrested for organizing protests, but eventually released.
Budrus' resistance was supported by activists from ISM and from Israeli groups like the Anarchists Against the Wall. Budrus' strategy and achievements have served as a model for other Palestinian communities attempting to nonviolently resist Israel's military occupation and the confiscation of Palestinian land. Ayed continues to work with other communities and organizations to support the development of a broader strategy for Palestinian nonviolent resistance.
Jonathan was one of the first Israelis to begin protesting regularly in the West Bank with Palestinians and internationals against the construction of the Wall in 2002. He is one of the founders of the Israeli group Anarchists Against the Wall which has played a vital role in supporting Palestinians in nonviolent protest over the last two years.
Since 2002 Jonathan has participated in over 200 West Bank protests, and mobilized hundreds of Israelis to join Palestinians in resisting the Wall and the Occupation. As a result, Jonathan has been jailed repeatedly by Israeli authorities. In April 2005 during a quiet protest in the village of Bil'in he was shot in the head from 40 meters by an Israeli soldier with a tear gas canister fired from an M16 rifle. He had internal hemorrhaging and wounds requiring 23 stitches. Jonathan appears frequently in the Israeli media commenting on West Bank protests and nonviolent resistance.
Despite Israeli government efforts to stop them, Ayed, Jonathan and their Palestinian, Israeli and international colleagues remain determined to continue their joint, nonviolent campaign against Israeli occupation and the denial of rights of the Palestinian people.
The national Nonviolent Resistance Speaking Tour is organized by ISM-USA, the US network of support groups of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in Palestine. ISM is a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using nonviolent direct action.
TOUR SCHEDULE
NEW YORK CITY AREA, OCT 14TH-16TH
Friday October 14th Unitarian Church of All Souls 1157 Lexington Ave at 80th Street, Manhattan 7:00 PM
Saturday October 15th Community Unitarian Church 468 Rosedale Ave, White Plains, NY 2:30 PM
Activist Ramadan Break-the-Fast Event Alwan for the Arts 16 Beaver Street, 4th Floor, Manhattan 6:00 PM
Sunday October 16th Salam Arabic Lutheran Church 345 Ovington Ave (between 3rd and 4th Ave), Bay Ridge, Brooklyn 2:00 PM
Catholic Center 58 Washington Square Park South, Manhattan 7:15 PM
Contact Email: ism_nyc@hotmail.com
--------------------------
NORTH CAROLINA, OCT. 17TH & 18TH
Monday October 17th Duke University Campus Social Sciences Building, Room 136 8:00 PM
Tuesday October 18th UNC Chapel Hill The speakers will be meeting with classes at the Unversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Contact Email: palestinesolidarity@gmail.com
----------------------------
WASHINGTON D.C., OCT 20TH & 21ST
Thursday October 20th Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies 12:00 Noon
George Washington University 8:00 PM
Ramadan Break-the-Fast event at American University Location & time TBA
Contact
Huwaida Arraf Email: huwaida@palsolidarity.org Phone: (202) 494-0112
----------------------------
CHICAGO, OCT 22ND & 23RD
Saturday October 22nd Presentation to Chicago Anarchist Network and DePaul students Site to be determined. 1:00 PM
North Park Covenant Church 5250 N. Christiana, Chicago, IL 7:00 PM
Sunday October 23rd Water Tower Park (Michigan & Pearson) Join Ayed and Jonathan at the at the weekly vigil against the occupation sponsored by Not In My Name 12:00 Noon
Potluck Dinner Fundraiser Cornerstone United Methodist Church 171 N. Cuyler Avenue, Oak Park 5:30 PM
Contact Email: ISMinChicago@aol.com
-------------------------------
LOS ANGELES, OCT 24TH - 26TH
Monday October 24th Cal State University-LA King Hall D-138 5154 State University Drive, Los Angeles 90032 7:30 PM
Tuesday October 25th Peace Center at United University Church - USC 817 34th Street, Los Angeles 90007 (Corner of Hoover and Jefferson) 7:30 PM
Wednesday October 26th Cal State University - Fullerton Langsdorf Hall 321 2555 E. Nutwood Ave, Fullerton, CA 92831 7:30 PM
Contact Email: info@iwitnesspalestine.org
-----------------------------
THE BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA, OCT 27TH - NOV 1ST
Thursday, October 27th Unitarian Church Palo Alto (time TBA)
Friday, October 28th Skyline High School (tentative) 12250 Skyline Blvd, Oakland 2:00 PM
AK Press 674-A 23rd St, Oakland 7:00 PM
Saturday, October 29th Calvery Presbyterian 2515 Fillmore Street, San Fransisco 7:00 PM
Sunday, October 30th U.S. Labor Against War SEIU Local 790, 100 Oak Street, Oakland 7:00 PM
Monday, October 31st St Ignatius School 2001 37th Ave, San Fransisco 12:35 PM
San Fransisco State University Location TBA 4:00 PM
Tuesday, November 1st Law Students for Justice in Palestine UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall 12:45 PM
St John's Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave., Berkeley 7:00 PM
Contact Email: info@norcalism.org Phone: (510)236-4250
--------------------------
SEATTLE, NOV 3RD & 4TH
Thursday, November 3rd University of Washington Gowen Hall, Room 301 7:00 PM
Friday November 4th Event TBA
Contact Email: pl52ip@hotmail.com Phone: (206) 285 2154
------------------------------
MICHIGAN, NOV 5TH - 7TH
Saturday, November 5th Event TBA
Sunday, November 6th Event TBA
Monday, November 7th Event TBA
Contact Email: duggan@umich.edu Phone: (313) 945-9661
---------------------------
MINNEAPOLIS AREA, NOV 8TH - NOV 11TH
Tuesday, November 8th St Cloud State University St Cloud, Minnesota 2:00 PM
Thursday November 10th De LaSalle Highschool St Paul, Minnesota 7:15 AM
Human Geography Lecture University of Minnesota 11:15 AM
St Joan of Arc Church 4537 3rd Ave S, Minneapolis 7:00 PM
Friday November 11th Political Science Lecture University of Minnesota 1:00 PM
Macalester College 1600 Grand Ave, St Paul (time TBA)
Dinner Party 8:00 PM
----------------------------
FLORIDA, NOV 12TH & 13TH
Saturday, November 12th Miami event TBA
Sunday, November 13th Gainsville event TBA
--------------------------
PHILADELPHIA, NOV 14TH
Monday, November 14th Event TBA
-------------------------
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY, NOV 15TH
Tuesday, November 15th Vassar College Rocky, Room 300 7:30 PM
Contact Email: mashmookler@vassar.edu Phone: (h) (845) 452-5126 Phone: (c) (610) 217-4766 ======================================= * You can find lot of references to the present struggles by doing google.com search on "Bil'in + anarchists" (17,300) and search on "Bil'in" alone (about 300,000).
While world leaders praise Israel's withdrawal from Gaza as a step toward peace, and demand that the Palestinian Authority harshly suppress armed resistance to Israel's military occupation, activists on the ground like Ayed and Jonathan report that Israel has stepped up its brutal repression of Palestinian and Israeli activists who are struggling nonviolently against the escalating occupation in the West Bank.
Largely unreported by the media, thousands of Palestinians and hundreds of Israelis are waging a major grassroots nonviolent campaign of resistance to the construction of Israel's Wall. Palestinian farmers, workers, mothers, and students, together with Israeli and international volunteers, are braving teargas, beatings, bullets, arrest, and even death to block the construction of the Wall with their bodies. In 2004 the International Court of Justice ruled that the Wall is a violation of international law because it cuts through the West Bank appropriating Palestinan land and destroying Palestinian villages to make way for further Israeli settlement.
Ayed led his village of Budrus in a victory for nonviolence over the Israeli military in 2003-2004. Through a campaign of 50 protests, the village of Budrus pushed the Wall's path off village land and to the Green Line. Day after day, Budrus' men, women and children blocked the destruction of their land and construction of the Wall by marching to the land, despite soldiers' attempts to stop them, and placing their bodies in front of the bulldozers.
Hundreds of residents were injured during the campaign by clubs, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Ayed was jailed for eight days by Israeli authorities, but was eventually released due to international outcry and because his only offense was organizing nonviolent protests. Two of Ayed's brothers were also arrested for organizing protests, but eventually released.
Budrus' resistance was supported by activists from ISM and from Israeli groups like the Anarchists Against the Wall. Budrus' strategy and achievements have served as a model for other Palestinian communities attempting to nonviolently resist Israel's military occupation and the confiscation of Palestinian land. Ayed continues to work with other communities and organizations to support the development of a broader strategy for Palestinian nonviolent resistance.
Jonathan was one of the first Israelis to begin protesting regularly in the West Bank with Palestinians and internationals against the construction of the Wall in 2002. He is one of the founders of the Israeli group Anarchists Against the Wall which has played a vital role in supporting Palestinians in nonviolent protest over the last two years.
Since 2002 Jonathan has participated in over 200 West Bank protests, and mobilized hundreds of Israelis to join Palestinians in resisting the Wall and the Occupation. As a result, Jonathan has been jailed repeatedly by Israeli authorities. In April 2005 during a quiet protest in the village of Bil'in he was shot in the head from 40 meters by an Israeli soldier with a tear gas canister fired from an M16 rifle. He had internal hemorrhaging and wounds requiring 23 stitches. Jonathan appears frequently in the Israeli media commenting on West Bank protests and nonviolent resistance.
Despite Israeli government efforts to stop them, Ayed, Jonathan and their Palestinian, Israeli and international colleagues remain determined to continue their joint, nonviolent campaign against Israeli occupation and the denial of rights of the Palestinian people.
The national Nonviolent Resistance Speaking Tour is organized by ISM-USA, the US network of support groups of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in Palestine. ISM is a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using nonviolent direct action.
TOUR SCHEDULE
NEW YORK CITY AREA, OCT 14TH-16TH
Friday October 14th Unitarian Church of All Souls 1157 Lexington Ave at 80th Street, Manhattan 7:00 PM
Saturday October 15th Community Unitarian Church 468 Rosedale Ave, White Plains, NY 2:30 PM
Activist Ramadan Break-the-Fast Event Alwan for the Arts 16 Beaver Street, 4th Floor, Manhattan 6:00 PM
Sunday October 16th Salam Arabic Lutheran Church 345 Ovington Ave (between 3rd and 4th Ave), Bay Ridge, Brooklyn 2:00 PM
Catholic Center 58 Washington Square Park South, Manhattan 7:15 PM
Contact Email: ism_nyc@hotmail.com
--------------------------
NORTH CAROLINA, OCT. 17TH & 18TH
Monday October 17th Duke University Campus Social Sciences Building, Room 136 8:00 PM
Tuesday October 18th UNC Chapel Hill The speakers will be meeting with classes at the Unversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Contact Email: palestinesolidarity@gmail.com
----------------------------
WASHINGTON D.C., OCT 20TH & 21ST
Thursday October 20th Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies 12:00 Noon
George Washington University 8:00 PM
Ramadan Break-the-Fast event at American University Location & time TBA
Contact
Huwaida Arraf Email: huwaida@palsolidarity.org Phone: (202) 494-0112
----------------------------
CHICAGO, OCT 22ND & 23RD
Saturday October 22nd Presentation to Chicago Anarchist Network and DePaul students Site to be determined. 1:00 PM
North Park Covenant Church 5250 N. Christiana, Chicago, IL 7:00 PM
Sunday October 23rd Water Tower Park (Michigan & Pearson) Join Ayed and Jonathan at the at the weekly vigil against the occupation sponsored by Not In My Name 12:00 Noon
Potluck Dinner Fundraiser Cornerstone United Methodist Church 171 N. Cuyler Avenue, Oak Park 5:30 PM
Contact Email: ISMinChicago@aol.com
-------------------------------
LOS ANGELES, OCT 24TH - 26TH
Monday October 24th Cal State University-LA King Hall D-138 5154 State University Drive, Los Angeles 90032 7:30 PM
Tuesday October 25th Peace Center at United University Church - USC 817 34th Street, Los Angeles 90007 (Corner of Hoover and Jefferson) 7:30 PM
Wednesday October 26th Cal State University - Fullerton Langsdorf Hall 321 2555 E. Nutwood Ave, Fullerton, CA 92831 7:30 PM
Contact Email: info@iwitnesspalestine.org
-----------------------------
THE BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA, OCT 27TH - NOV 1ST
Thursday, October 27th Unitarian Church Palo Alto (time TBA)
Friday, October 28th Skyline High School (tentative) 12250 Skyline Blvd, Oakland 2:00 PM
AK Press 674-A 23rd St, Oakland 7:00 PM
Saturday, October 29th Calvery Presbyterian 2515 Fillmore Street, San Fransisco 7:00 PM
Sunday, October 30th U.S. Labor Against War SEIU Local 790, 100 Oak Street, Oakland 7:00 PM
Monday, October 31st St Ignatius School 2001 37th Ave, San Fransisco 12:35 PM
San Fransisco State University Location TBA 4:00 PM
Tuesday, November 1st Law Students for Justice in Palestine UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall 12:45 PM
St John's Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave., Berkeley 7:00 PM
Contact Email: info@norcalism.org Phone: (510)236-4250
--------------------------
SEATTLE, NOV 3RD & 4TH
Thursday, November 3rd University of Washington Gowen Hall, Room 301 7:00 PM
Friday November 4th Event TBA
Contact Email: pl52ip@hotmail.com Phone: (206) 285 2154
------------------------------
MICHIGAN, NOV 5TH - 7TH
Saturday, November 5th Event TBA
Sunday, November 6th Event TBA
Monday, November 7th Event TBA
Contact Email: duggan@umich.edu Phone: (313) 945-9661
---------------------------
MINNEAPOLIS AREA, NOV 8TH - NOV 11TH
Tuesday, November 8th St Cloud State University St Cloud, Minnesota 2:00 PM
Thursday November 10th De LaSalle Highschool St Paul, Minnesota 7:15 AM
Human Geography Lecture University of Minnesota 11:15 AM
St Joan of Arc Church 4537 3rd Ave S, Minneapolis 7:00 PM
Friday November 11th Political Science Lecture University of Minnesota 1:00 PM
Macalester College 1600 Grand Ave, St Paul (time TBA)
Dinner Party 8:00 PM
----------------------------
FLORIDA, NOV 12TH & 13TH
Saturday, November 12th Miami event TBA
Sunday, November 13th Gainsville event TBA
--------------------------
PHILADELPHIA, NOV 14TH
Monday, November 14th Event TBA
-------------------------
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY, NOV 15TH
Tuesday, November 15th Vassar College Rocky, Room 300 7:30 PM
Contact Email: mashmookler@vassar.edu Phone: (h) (845) 452-5126 Phone: (c) (610) 217-4766 ======================================= * You can find lot of references to the present struggles by doing google.com search on "Bil'in + anarchists" (17,300) and search on "Bil'in" alone (about 300,000).
Israel, Jerusalem, 2nd Street performance against the annexation wall* 17 Oct
The 2nd street performance on Saturday night, the 8th of October was a success, a group of activists gathered in Emek Refaim St. in Jerusalem, protesting the construction of the separation wall which is being currently being built on seized land in occupied Palestinian territory. Our preparations included an aged West bank resident walking along the track of the wall, ‘stop signs' which read “wall in front of you” and a poem pointing out many of the serious problems with the new security wall including the elderly man who was barred from his home. “ The elderly man approaches the wall, his back bent over, the hour is six, the solider at Azon gate finishes his shift and closes the gate, what does he care where the elderly man sleeps?” Our mission was to inform the general public to the realities of the “security” wall, and the negative consequences it will have on both the Israeli and Palestinian people. We also worked to recruit people to the joint Israeli-Palestinian struggle against the wall. Anyone with some artistic skills who can coordinate the preparation of materials (the reconstruction of the wall model, preparation of banners etc.) is invited to be in contact with Mor at 050-5784081. We also need volunteers for the following: - actors and actresses (Palestinians) in the performance - a Greek chorus, which will accompany the performance and will give more information on the wall - this doesn't necessarily involve singing! - People to explain the issues to people in the area - people to move the wall model -photography, so that we can publicize the performance on the internet later. The next performance is set to take place on Thursday the 27th of October. Any one interested in joining or learning more is welcome to be in contact with us. Mor Dolev Ariella
picture: Activists reciting the text to the public.
----------------------------
Pictures at: https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/3809/index.php
Related http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ActQuds/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/againstwall/
==========================
* By people of the Anarchists Against The Wall initiative
picture: Activists reciting the text to the public.
----------------------------
Pictures at: https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/3809/index.php
Related http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ActQuds/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/againstwall/
==========================
* By people of the Anarchists Against The Wall initiative
Friday, October 14, 2005
Palestine-Israel, Bil'in, The joint Friday demonstration of 14-10-05 - a military experimental site again 14 Oct
The Friday demons of today started earlier than usual as the noon prayer the joint demonstration start after ended at noon because of the Ramadan day time fasting. Because of that and because of the stricter blockade of the army which hinder the travel of Israelis to Bil'in, only 10 of the Israeli Anarchists Against The Wall initiative were at the beginning of the Demo. About 100 of us - including about 20 internationals, started the march towards the separation fence building route with the creative presentation of the week at the front. Like their new habit the army did not prevent us from reaching a point few meters from the fence route. There, like all along the march, people continued the sounds, the calls and the slogans that were the "music" along the march. We added to them the derogatory calls towards the soldiers and the border policemen about their presence in the occupied territories on the robed lands of Bil'in villagers.
We stayed there about an hour, but near the beginning when the youngsters found there is not going to be there any confrontation, they left the main body of the demo and spread in the olive orchards on the two sides of the road - ready for confrontation with the soldiers if the will invade the ground of the village that were not already confiscated.
However, the army commanders had different plans. The higher level commanders had not come to observe a low intensity demonstration as it was the last few weeks. This Friday demo was intended to show their new tactics and to test the new bullets for dispersing crowds.
Fearing that the village youngsters will not "cooperate" if the army will not attack first the non violent demo or invade the village lands, a group of 7 plain clothes soldiers masquerading as Israeli demonstrators infiltrated among the dispersing village youth. At the proper moment they tried to incite the village youth to start throwing stones on the far away soldiers... and when they failed - they started to throw stones themselves giving the soldiers "justification" to attack and to "arrest" two of the plain clothes soldiers.
And thus, the expected two hour battle of attrition between the stone throwing youth started. This enabled the army to test the new bullets and the new tactic of showering big areas with shots of tear gas canisters. As part of the experiment, and in contradiction with their now defunct strategy of the past, the did not use the start of the stone throwing as a pretext to attack the nonviolent demonstrators.
Thus, the road itself remained a "safe zone" and surprisingly, the soldiers fighting the youngsters did nothing to us (who were watching the on going fight) even when passing one meter near us.
The long nonviolent demonstration and the two hours fight between the soldiers and the village youth enabled the 40 Israelis delayed by the road blocks to arrive in time to have at least part of the activity.
After about two hours of the fight of stones against tear gas and the new bullets, the direction of the wind changed. The huge amount of tear gas showered that was before with no real effect started to move towards us the observers and towards the stone throwers. In addition, after a massive attack of the soldiers on the stone throwers pursuing them up to the building area of the village, they just stopped and went away... so the fun of action was over and we regrouped to the village.
After additional hour during which the it was cleared that the 4 arrested on the way to Bil'in were freed, and that the condition of the two Palestinians and an Israeli injured was found not serious, it really ended.
Part of the Israelis returned to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, while the other part continue to the next mission - protecting the next day(s) Palestinians doing olive picking from harassment by soldiers and settlers.
We stayed there about an hour, but near the beginning when the youngsters found there is not going to be there any confrontation, they left the main body of the demo and spread in the olive orchards on the two sides of the road - ready for confrontation with the soldiers if the will invade the ground of the village that were not already confiscated.
However, the army commanders had different plans. The higher level commanders had not come to observe a low intensity demonstration as it was the last few weeks. This Friday demo was intended to show their new tactics and to test the new bullets for dispersing crowds.
Fearing that the village youngsters will not "cooperate" if the army will not attack first the non violent demo or invade the village lands, a group of 7 plain clothes soldiers masquerading as Israeli demonstrators infiltrated among the dispersing village youth. At the proper moment they tried to incite the village youth to start throwing stones on the far away soldiers... and when they failed - they started to throw stones themselves giving the soldiers "justification" to attack and to "arrest" two of the plain clothes soldiers.
And thus, the expected two hour battle of attrition between the stone throwing youth started. This enabled the army to test the new bullets and the new tactic of showering big areas with shots of tear gas canisters. As part of the experiment, and in contradiction with their now defunct strategy of the past, the did not use the start of the stone throwing as a pretext to attack the nonviolent demonstrators.
Thus, the road itself remained a "safe zone" and surprisingly, the soldiers fighting the youngsters did nothing to us (who were watching the on going fight) even when passing one meter near us.
The long nonviolent demonstration and the two hours fight between the soldiers and the village youth enabled the 40 Israelis delayed by the road blocks to arrive in time to have at least part of the activity.
After about two hours of the fight of stones against tear gas and the new bullets, the direction of the wind changed. The huge amount of tear gas showered that was before with no real effect started to move towards us the observers and towards the stone throwers. In addition, after a massive attack of the soldiers on the stone throwers pursuing them up to the building area of the village, they just stopped and went away... so the fun of action was over and we regrouped to the village.
After additional hour during which the it was cleared that the 4 arrested on the way to Bil'in were freed, and that the condition of the two Palestinians and an Israeli injured was found not serious, it really ended.
Part of the Israelis returned to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, while the other part continue to the next mission - protecting the next day(s) Palestinians doing olive picking from harassment by soldiers and settlers.
Monday, October 10, 2005
US, NYC, Invited for Dinner with a Palestian & Israeli Anarchist - This Saturday 10 Oct
[!!!Please Forward!!!] Don't Miss this Chance!
Come Eat Dinner with Palestinian activist and Israeli anarchist!!
Where: Alwan Center for the Arts 16 Beaver Street, 4th floor. Manhattan
When: Saturday, October 15 6:00pm --- Cost: Free!!
Come hear inspiring stories of resistance and watch footage of actions against the Israeli military shown for the first time in New York City. Ayed Morrar, an activist from the West Bank town of Budrus and Jonathan Pollack, an anarchist from Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall, are going to be in New York to talk about the on-going resistance in Palestine against Israeli occupation.
This is your chance to share in a Ramadan break-the-fast feast with activists who put their lives on the line everyday.
Ayed was active during the 1988 intifada, and was later imprisoned for 6 years for his participation. In 2003, he, along with the other residents of the small village of Budrus, became the first Palestinian town to stop the construction of The Wall and move its path using direct action.
Jonathan and other Israeli anarchists have participated in over 200 anti-Wall actions, putting their lives on the line time and again in one of the only areas in the world where anarchists are consistently (some months, daily) in direct confrontation with the state and have been for over 2 years.
Because Ayed will be fasting for Ramadan, dinner will start as soon as they arrive, so don't be late!!
**Food brought to you by Tamales for the Revolution
Directions to the space:
Take the 4/5 train to Bowling Green.
Walk North on Broadway, and right onto Beaver St. The space is between Broadway and Broad St. at 16 Beaver St. 4th Floor. You can also take the J/M to Broad St. and walk south to Beaver St.
For more information contact ism_nyc@hotmail.com
International Solidarity Movement-NYC
Come Eat Dinner with Palestinian activist and Israeli anarchist!!
Where: Alwan Center for the Arts 16 Beaver Street, 4th floor. Manhattan
When: Saturday, October 15 6:00pm --- Cost: Free!!
Come hear inspiring stories of resistance and watch footage of actions against the Israeli military shown for the first time in New York City. Ayed Morrar, an activist from the West Bank town of Budrus and Jonathan Pollack, an anarchist from Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall, are going to be in New York to talk about the on-going resistance in Palestine against Israeli occupation.
This is your chance to share in a Ramadan break-the-fast feast with activists who put their lives on the line everyday.
Ayed was active during the 1988 intifada, and was later imprisoned for 6 years for his participation. In 2003, he, along with the other residents of the small village of Budrus, became the first Palestinian town to stop the construction of The Wall and move its path using direct action.
Jonathan and other Israeli anarchists have participated in over 200 anti-Wall actions, putting their lives on the line time and again in one of the only areas in the world where anarchists are consistently (some months, daily) in direct confrontation with the state and have been for over 2 years.
Because Ayed will be fasting for Ramadan, dinner will start as soon as they arrive, so don't be late!!
**Food brought to you by Tamales for the Revolution
Directions to the space:
Take the 4/5 train to Bowling Green.
Walk North on Broadway, and right onto Beaver St. The space is between Broadway and Broad St. at 16 Beaver St. 4th Floor. You can also take the J/M to Broad St. and walk south to Beaver St.
For more information contact ism_nyc@hotmail.com
International Solidarity Movement-NYC
Saturday, October 8, 2005
Palestine-Israel, Bil'in, The joint Friday demonstration continue 08 Oct
In spite of the stricter blocking of the roads to Bil'in, the Israelis of the Anarchists Against The Wall initiative, and the increased numbers of the wider coalition against the fence and others who join us, succeed to arrive at Bil'in. This Friday, from about 70 Israelis, only 3 were blocked at the road blocks and detained so they could not make it to the demo. Most of the rest, succeeded to enter the region through "unauthorized" entrance and march of about hour or so through the hills.
After a short rest at the house that host us when we are in Bil'in, the early afternoon demonstration was started. With few placards demanding the freedom for the Israeli refusnics, and lot of Palestinian flags intended to be tied to the new metal structure bordering the route of the separation fence, about 200 villagers and Israelis marched to the less visited part of the fence route.
Either because they were caught in surprise, or because the change in policy, they let us reach the metal structure along the route of separation fence. First, the had a line of about 100 soldiers and border police preventing us from touching the massive structure. Later they retreated behind it, with a tacit not declare "agreement" that as long as we do not tie the flags to the structure and only bang on it with not too big stones, the "happening" can continue.
And for nearly an hour, about hundred people - the more "musically" oriented, bunged the long metal structure rising a hell of a noise.
Some time kids and even adults will pick up a real big stones to bung on the structure and were immediately threatened by state force people to stop it or being grabbed. Some times, a verbal confrontation and other "mischievous acts" resulted with detaining of people. A bigger group of about 10 people was detained when one of us was suspected of damaged lightly a part of the structure and the rest tried to prevent his arrest.
Afterwards we started to move slowly along the route - changing the bunging points. This and a verbal communication resulted in the detaining of Mohammed Hatib of the village comity for nonviolence struggle against the fence.
After another hour the demonstration was declared finished and we started to return to the village.... But persistent habits are hard to change... A small group of the state forces entered one of the olive grove of the village as a provocation against the stone throwing youngsters who till that moment have not thrown even one stone. And still, though verbally confronting the force, they did not through any stone. So, a tear gas canister was shot in their direction to remind them their role in the ritual... And it did. So, a short confrontation did started, with lot of tear gas used and even rubber bullets were shot - injuring lightly two youngsters.
Using it as excuse, the army shot a huge volley of tear gas canisters on the main body of the departing people of the demonstration who were watching the some what far confrontation with the youngsters... but we were too far from them and the wind refused to carry the tear gas to our direction.
When the short confrontation ended, we returned to the host house and after 17 of the 18 detainees were released we started the voyage home - Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and some other smaller cities.
One of the Israeli detainees was arrested and was taken to the regional police station at Givat Zeev.
-------------------------------------
A follow up from the againstwall mailing list of late Friday evening:
Hi everybody,
Eli that was arrested today in Bil'in is spending the night in Beit El. They are accusing him of disrupting an investigation and misleading a policeman. The officer in the police station told me they will take care of his vegan needs, quote: "you anarchists - you don't eat anything, from where do you get all this energy to demonstrate?"
He will be brought in front of a judge tomorrow night in the peace court in Jerusalem, in the russian compound (migrash harusim yaani)
Moral support will be most needed. Yossi promises that everyone who comes will be aloud to enter the hall, and will not suffer from the jerusalemite cold. For details about the court hearing call Yossi 052-........ Layla tov or good morning, depends... & forgive my english, I blame the occupation...
A.
After a short rest at the house that host us when we are in Bil'in, the early afternoon demonstration was started. With few placards demanding the freedom for the Israeli refusnics, and lot of Palestinian flags intended to be tied to the new metal structure bordering the route of the separation fence, about 200 villagers and Israelis marched to the less visited part of the fence route.
Either because they were caught in surprise, or because the change in policy, they let us reach the metal structure along the route of separation fence. First, the had a line of about 100 soldiers and border police preventing us from touching the massive structure. Later they retreated behind it, with a tacit not declare "agreement" that as long as we do not tie the flags to the structure and only bang on it with not too big stones, the "happening" can continue.
And for nearly an hour, about hundred people - the more "musically" oriented, bunged the long metal structure rising a hell of a noise.
Some time kids and even adults will pick up a real big stones to bung on the structure and were immediately threatened by state force people to stop it or being grabbed. Some times, a verbal confrontation and other "mischievous acts" resulted with detaining of people. A bigger group of about 10 people was detained when one of us was suspected of damaged lightly a part of the structure and the rest tried to prevent his arrest.
Afterwards we started to move slowly along the route - changing the bunging points. This and a verbal communication resulted in the detaining of Mohammed Hatib of the village comity for nonviolence struggle against the fence.
After another hour the demonstration was declared finished and we started to return to the village.... But persistent habits are hard to change... A small group of the state forces entered one of the olive grove of the village as a provocation against the stone throwing youngsters who till that moment have not thrown even one stone. And still, though verbally confronting the force, they did not through any stone. So, a tear gas canister was shot in their direction to remind them their role in the ritual... And it did. So, a short confrontation did started, with lot of tear gas used and even rubber bullets were shot - injuring lightly two youngsters.
Using it as excuse, the army shot a huge volley of tear gas canisters on the main body of the departing people of the demonstration who were watching the some what far confrontation with the youngsters... but we were too far from them and the wind refused to carry the tear gas to our direction.
When the short confrontation ended, we returned to the host house and after 17 of the 18 detainees were released we started the voyage home - Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and some other smaller cities.
One of the Israeli detainees was arrested and was taken to the regional police station at Givat Zeev.
-------------------------------------
A follow up from the againstwall mailing list of late Friday evening:
Hi everybody,
Eli that was arrested today in Bil'in is spending the night in Beit El. They are accusing him of disrupting an investigation and misleading a policeman. The officer in the police station told me they will take care of his vegan needs, quote: "you anarchists - you don't eat anything, from where do you get all this energy to demonstrate?"
He will be brought in front of a judge tomorrow night in the peace court in Jerusalem, in the russian compound (migrash harusim yaani)
Moral support will be most needed. Yossi promises that everyone who comes will be aloud to enter the hall, and will not suffer from the jerusalemite cold. For details about the court hearing call Yossi 052-........ Layla tov or good morning, depends... & forgive my english, I blame the occupation...
A.
Saturday, October 1, 2005
Palestine-Israel, Bil'in - 30/9/05 - a successful Friday joint demonstration 01 Oct
The continuos and persistent joint struggle of Israelis and Palestinians, its persistence, and wide Israeli and international exposure brought fruits - at least in the behavior of the Israeli state forces. "Rumors" say that the replacement of the battalion and regiment commanders contributed to that change. (Reminder, about a month ago the chief Israeli commander of the region declared that there will not be any more joint Israeli and Palestinians demonstrations in Bil'in. For two weeks the confrontation was intense - including one Friday of curfew and one of "only" lot of suppression efforts - meaning tear gas, shock grenades and arrests.. But instead of preventing the demos it drew lot of Israelis to Bil'in and lot of media cover not friendly to the state forces. Then the demonstrations resumed with much less repression than before.)
Though the intensive efforts to prevent Israelis from arriving to Bil'in Friday demos continue, the behavior of the state forces seems to be milder.
Some of the "outsiders" - Israelis and spanish guests, came already Thursday night to be sure that at least few of us will be in the joint demo and to not need to march through rough terrain around state forces road blocks.
At Friday, most of the Israelis were blocked on entering to the region but long marches enabled most of us to arrive at Bil'in in time before the demo started. Even the less lucky rest arrived in time to participate in the prolonged demonstration.
The demonstration started as usual from the center of the village just after the noon prayer at the mosque - a march through the village main road towards the route of the fence building.
As usual, in the front lead the creative design structure of the week - to make the week after week demos more lively and catch the interest of the media. After it - about 200 people, the usual people - Palestinians from the Bil'in village (more than 10% of the adult males of the 1700 inhabitants), few people from neighboring villages, internationals of the ISM, Israelis of the Anarchists Against The Wall initiative together with others of the broader coalition against the fence - from both the Jerusalem and the greater Tel Aviv regions.
When we arrived to the fringes of the village built are, we had a big surprise. The road block and the Israeli state forces that used to block us there every Friday for many weeks, was not there. So we continued our march along the road leading to the fence building site - where the state forces were waiting for us.... but half way there we gave them a big surprise - we spread widely and continue to march through the olive orchards towards the building fence rout, but a bit to the North.
The half hearted efforts to block the demonstration failed, and many of us continued with the momentum to a hill on the other side of the route. After a long stand still, the demonstrators regrouped on their own initiative to the shade of the olive trees adjacent to the fence route on the Bil'in side.
And thus, the demonstration continued for long with light hearts so even the late comers could participate in it.
As the demonstration was not blocked at the margin of the village built area, and as there was not any act of state forces to suppress the demonstration, the attrition fight between the village youth (stones) and the state forces (tear gas and shock grenades, and rubber bullets) did not happened.
It was a bit strange to the persistent participants of the Friday demos in Bil'in to have a demo that got nearly free access to the route of the fence in building, with the whole of it without any grenade or a shot... and without any one arrested or even detained.
The anxious few new comers Israelis experienced the lack of tear gas and shock grenades as bordering on disappointment ('=)
In the early Friday evening radio news they reported - probably from the "proud" army spoke person, that the demonstration in Bil'in passed peacefully as the "demonstrators behaved peacefully".
(Of course a big lie as all the 70 or so Israelis were trespassing on a declared military zone forbidden for us - mostly out foxing heavy patrols preventing our access, and the demonstration participants disregard the state force protests and pushing and "tramped" on the forbidden building route of the fence... But it was a way to satisfy the broad media and people who object to the previous high handed suppression of demonstrations.)
As no one was detained or arrested, we even got home an hour earlier.
Though the intensive efforts to prevent Israelis from arriving to Bil'in Friday demos continue, the behavior of the state forces seems to be milder.
Some of the "outsiders" - Israelis and spanish guests, came already Thursday night to be sure that at least few of us will be in the joint demo and to not need to march through rough terrain around state forces road blocks.
At Friday, most of the Israelis were blocked on entering to the region but long marches enabled most of us to arrive at Bil'in in time before the demo started. Even the less lucky rest arrived in time to participate in the prolonged demonstration.
The demonstration started as usual from the center of the village just after the noon prayer at the mosque - a march through the village main road towards the route of the fence building.
As usual, in the front lead the creative design structure of the week - to make the week after week demos more lively and catch the interest of the media. After it - about 200 people, the usual people - Palestinians from the Bil'in village (more than 10% of the adult males of the 1700 inhabitants), few people from neighboring villages, internationals of the ISM, Israelis of the Anarchists Against The Wall initiative together with others of the broader coalition against the fence - from both the Jerusalem and the greater Tel Aviv regions.
When we arrived to the fringes of the village built are, we had a big surprise. The road block and the Israeli state forces that used to block us there every Friday for many weeks, was not there. So we continued our march along the road leading to the fence building site - where the state forces were waiting for us.... but half way there we gave them a big surprise - we spread widely and continue to march through the olive orchards towards the building fence rout, but a bit to the North.
The half hearted efforts to block the demonstration failed, and many of us continued with the momentum to a hill on the other side of the route. After a long stand still, the demonstrators regrouped on their own initiative to the shade of the olive trees adjacent to the fence route on the Bil'in side.
And thus, the demonstration continued for long with light hearts so even the late comers could participate in it.
As the demonstration was not blocked at the margin of the village built area, and as there was not any act of state forces to suppress the demonstration, the attrition fight between the village youth (stones) and the state forces (tear gas and shock grenades, and rubber bullets) did not happened.
It was a bit strange to the persistent participants of the Friday demos in Bil'in to have a demo that got nearly free access to the route of the fence in building, with the whole of it without any grenade or a shot... and without any one arrested or even detained.
The anxious few new comers Israelis experienced the lack of tear gas and shock grenades as bordering on disappointment ('=)
In the early Friday evening radio news they reported - probably from the "proud" army spoke person, that the demonstration in Bil'in passed peacefully as the "demonstrators behaved peacefully".
(Of course a big lie as all the 70 or so Israelis were trespassing on a declared military zone forbidden for us - mostly out foxing heavy patrols preventing our access, and the demonstration participants disregard the state force protests and pushing and "tramped" on the forbidden building route of the fence... But it was a way to satisfy the broad media and people who object to the previous high handed suppression of demonstrations.)
As no one was detained or arrested, we even got home an hour earlier.
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