This week even more than previous ones Ni'ilin was in the front center and in the media focus as well. Daily confrontation with the Israeli state forces and the construction works of the separation fence. The other focus was Wednesday - in which many Palestinian localities including Ni'ilin and Um Salmuna invite us to "celebrate" the international court verdict stating that the building of the separation fence is against the international law of war. During the week, the AAtW declined invitation to visit session of the Israeli parliament sub-comity of security and foreign relation about our bad conduct as we refused to come without our Palestinian partners. And of course Friday demo in Bil'in the 177th.
Links to video clips of some of the demonstrations:
Bil'in Friday 4-7-08 link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orrlVTZCusg
Ni'ilin curfew 6.7.08 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHs0ESbHRbA
Ni'lin 9.7.08 link to walla-ynet http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/22/1310584
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3566049,00.html
Ni'lin demo 9-7-08 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjAvZNu_sJ4
Ni'ilin 10-7-08 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSLoVbmVTW8
Anuther Ni'ilin video of 10.7.08 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKZEcDkiKdY
Following some texts about Ni'ilin struggle this week:
07/08/2008 05:37 PM ---- At around 6 PM about 100 Palestinians, Israelies and internationals left Budrus towards Ni'lin in order to break the curfew and bring food to the people of Ni'lin. Army forces were waiting near the first houses of Nilin backed up with a road block which prevented the movement of vehicles in and out of the village. the soldiers open fire using tear gas and rubber coated bullets.
Villagers from Ni'lin took advantage of the fact that most Israeli forces went to the village's outskirts and went out for a spotaneous demonstration at the town's center, while breaking the curfew.
3 were hurt by the army's shooting, but were evicted to Ramalla hospital in 2 hours delay, as ambulances could not get into the village due to the road blocks and the curfew.
notwithstanding the brutal oppression, today's action was successful - most of the villagers in Ni'lin witnessed the demonstrations and the solidarity action.
Budrus to Ni'lin 7-7-08 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8R9vcH8yAQ
Invitation
The Popular Committees of West Ramallah invite you to participate in a demonstration to break the siege of Nilin to take place this Wednesday July 9, 2008. This demonstration is also being held to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the decision of the International Court of Justice on the Israeli Apartheid Wall.
We will gather at the same time - 11:00 am - at two different locations: Budrus Village and Deir Qadis Village.
Together we will break the siege of Nilin.
A mass demonstration in Ni'ilin
An especially big demonstration will be held in the village of Ni'ilin on the morning of the coming Thursday, commemorating the anniversary of The Hague ruling which defined the Apartheid Wall a crime.
----------------AAtW--------------
A contingent of 60 Israelis came with the AAtW to that demonstration.
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The village of Ni'ilin, which is located in the Ramallah district, has for more than a month now been leading an intense struggle against the de-facto appropriation of 2,500 of its 7,000 dunams of land by the "separation fence". The route of the fence in this area, much like the famous case of Bil'in, has been planned in such a way that would allow the near by illegal settlement of Hashmonaim to expand on lands that will be "left behind" the fence.
The villagers, who refuse to accept this, hold three-four demonstrations a week, marching towards the construction site and the settlement, in many cases successfully forcing a halt of construction.
The army, however, is responding with growing ferocity. According to the army spokesperson, an entire regiment was relocated to guard the construction, and these soldiers use brutal force against the unarmed demonstrators. On Friday the village was put under a ten-day siege, and residents were informed it was a punishment for the demonstrations. During the weekend an attempt was made to enforce a curfew on the village, but the villagers' active resistance changed the army's plans. Today, Sunday, a curfew is declared again.
Yet the villagers' do not intend to give up, and have struggling against the curfew and siege. The Thursday demonstration will be held in spite of the siege and as a challenge towards it, as the villagers are still interested to cooperate with the Israelis and internationals, who are coming to the village in support of the struggle.
We feel that it is worth mentioning the popular struggles against the fence/wall have been going on throughout the West Bank for more than four years now. The fact that a new village chooses to enter the cycle of resistance in spite of the harsh oppression used against these struggles is yet another important reason to come and support Ni'ilin this week.
We will leave for the Thursday demonstration together from Tel Aviv in the morning. We assume that the army will try to prevent us from getting there, but will try and break the siege so as to join our partners. This attempt might include a long walk on difficult terrain, but those who would want to avoid such a walk and hold a demonstration outside the checkpoints surrounding the village will be able to do so.
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The army did not try to prevent us from getting there... but instead used intensively batons and injured lot of demonstrators - targeting on the AAtW activists.
The public TV channel evening news included an item showing the clash and AAtW injured people carried from there - bringing the claim of ours side that the route of the fence is used to robe big stretch of Ni'ilin land for use as a cometary of the near by settler colonialist town Modi'in Ilit.
(During the week both radio channels and TV reported on the intense struggle in Ni'ilin.
Media:
A border policeman was lightly wounded Thursday by a rock thrown by anti-security fence demonstrators in the West Bank town of Ni'ilin, north of Modi'in.
Hundreds of Palestinians and Israeli protesters clashed with the policemen and several of the demonstrators were also reportedly hurt.
The army said that the protesters were demonstrating in a closed military zone and that security forces were trying to disperse them using crowd control measures.
Approved: Manuelen
The Ni’lin Popular Committee would like to draw attention to the following facts regarding the disproportionate use of force by the Israeli army and Border Police since the beginning of the construction of the Wall (May 2008):
* 160 people were injured by rubber coated steel bullets during the protests, including children
* Hundreds of non-violent protesters were brutally beaten by the Israeli army during the protests
* 26 people were arrested
* A Palestinian Medical Relief Society ambulance was shot at. The driver counted 18 bullet marks on the outside of the van and two of the ambulance windows were shattered, with several bullets found inside the van
* Many people in the protests suffered severe respiratory problems due to the heavy use of tear gas
* Tear gas canisters were shot directly into the crowds, aiming at people and injuring dozens
* The Israeli army started using a new tear gas machine, shooting 30 tear gas canisters at the same time
* The Israeli army used live ammunition on several occasions
* There were numerous incidents where the Israeli army invaded the village in the middle of the night after a protest, shooting tear gas and rubber coated steal bullets at and into homes where families were sleeping, and also arresting several people during these military incursions into the village
------------------------- AAtW ----------------
This Friday the inured comrades of Thursday splat between those who needed a day of rest and these who insisted to come to both the Ni'ilin and Bil'in demonstrations (some limping and one with crutches).
At Bil'in demonstration we had today a small satisfaction. When we arrived at the separation fence, the state forces started to shower us with tear gas canisters. After the unseasoned participants dispersed the old timers stayed. We evaded most of the tear gas clouds... and one of us returned a gas canister to its owners. These, who were in a convoy of three armored cars "enjoyed" the tear gas and decided to escape from the location.
See also http://awalls.org/
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