Monday, May 26, 2008

Palestine-Israel, More joint direct actions the AAtW* activists participated in this weekend

Saturday, activists of the AAtW were invited and joined "fighters for peace" - an Israeli organization focused on relations with the Palestinians. They are in the process of radicalization. For their previous direct action in Shufa they coordinated with us (the AAtW) and so for this demonstration. following is report (Haggai) and link of video (Israel) of our people who joined them:
So today we went on the Combatants for Peace bus. And we stayed on the bus. And drove around. And then drove around some more. And then after six and a half hours on the bus we came back to Tel Aviv. ---- That's the short version. ---- The longer version is that the TA+JM bus was stopped at the Minharot checkpoint by police, who said they had intelligence that we were about to commit a life-threatening offense (dismantelling road blocks) - and are therefore forbidden from driving on.

After long group deliberations it was decided that the JM people would go back to Jerusalem and act as if they were leaving, but would re-meet in ten minutes and take a van. Which is what they did, and left towards the Liberman road.
We stayed on the bus, followed by an undercover police car, and took some time in circling Beit Shemesh and getting to the Gush Junction. By then we have already heard that the action was over (the dirt was brushed aside, but police and army attacked once people tried to touch the concrete) and that people were going to the police station to release those arrested. Still we drove on, until a Yasam car stopped us quite close to Hebron. We all got of the bus, and two of us were arrested (one for assaulting a policeman, the other... donno). The police forced us to return to JM, holding the driver's licenses. (the JM people, BTW, did get through, and I don't know what they did once they got to the action-area once it was all over with).

We then drove back to JM, and from there to TA.

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The other contingent of activists with AAtW activists from Jerusalem had a better logistics... following the report of Yoav:

"So the following is a short report on Saturday's action with Combatants for Peace in village of Samua (South Hebron area).
About 100 Palestinians and 20 Israelis did get to Samoa on Saturday and started moving the road block (on the road that leads from Samua to Road 60).
After about an hour of work, police (yasam, border police) and army forces prevented us from continuing. Following that, 4 people were arrested for different reasons - three of them were released at about 1Am and one was released only the day after (Sunday) morning after spending the night in Hebron police station.
The two people that were arrested on the bus from Tel Aviv (as you can see in Israel's movie below) were also released Saturday night - one of them with a broken elbow and a very big glove (she seems to feel OK now...). Anyone that was a witness for her arrest please let me know.
Yom Tov
Yoav

Israel's video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rv89BE3Lbw

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Ni'ilin 3rd demonstration in 5 days by kobi snitz


The village is mounting a courages and determined fight.

The Israeli government has started to implement a plan which if completed will enclose the village of Ni'ilin and its neighboring villages in an enclave. On one side of the enclave will be the currently approved route of the wall and on the other side, an addition to the wall which follows road 446 about 8 km in order to include two additional settlements on the “Israeli” side of the wall. The proposed addition to the wall will surround an Israeli-only highway while the Palestinians on whose land the wall is being built will be relegated to secondary roads.

Starting last Tuesday, the people of Ni'ilin have began a new phase in their resistance to the wall. They have demonstrated on Tuesday Friday and now Sunday. Each time large numbers of people turn out from the village and are joined by internationals and Israelis. On the two days when the bulldozers were working during the demonstration the protesters stopped the work by placing themselves in front of the machines.

At today's demonstration, two bulldozers were stopped for at least half an hour by the people of the village and their supporters. They included young and old, men and women students and village officials. Five of them were injured by sound bombs and two were arrested (and later released). At the end of the day, the feeling seemed to be of satisfaction with the demonstration and a determination to continue struggling.

Israel's video

* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oiVZgp1WUc

Photos and text on:
https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/9089/index.php
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* The Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall

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