During the week, the media continued daily to refer to the expanding non-armed Palestinian struggle, and the role of Anarchists Against the Wall and other Israeli radicals (nearly always referring to Bil'in fifth yearly anniversary). The state force efforts to prevent us from coming to the joint struggles was criticized - may be this was the reason they did not try it this Friday. Though some scheduled activities were canceled because of the heavy rains (Ma'asara, Beit Umar) other activities did not yield to the whether: Bil'in, Hebron, Nebi Salih, Ni'ilin, Tel Aviv. Some said the third Intifada - this time non-armed, already started... Some were only afraid it may start.
BILIN
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1151415.html editorial Duty to protest in Bilin
Friday
About 20 Israelis and 5 internationals joined the select bunch of Palestinians who risked the grim weather for Bil'in's weekly local demo against the wall and occupation. Today's themes were a call to protect the holy places (following Israel's designation of the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron as a national heritage site) and a wanted ad featuring the local military commander. The demonstrators reached the fence and were attacked with large quantities of tear gas. The army also made use of the heavy and lethal extended range gas canisters. After repeated attacks did not suffice to scatter the demonstration, a combination of an army invasion into the village.and a gush of rain led to the termination of the demo. Most of the Israelis continued to the Sheikh Jarrah demonstrations.
Haitham video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpvkujYGO0o
HEBRON
Amidst Military Aggression and Threats of Political Arrests, A Call to Open Shuhada St. to Palestinian Movement
Thursday, the 25th of February, marked the 16th year anniversary of closing Shuhada street in Hebron to Palestinian movement. That afternoon, about 300 Palestinian, Israeli, and International activists met at the Hebron municipality where they made posters, distributed t-shirts and hats, and spoke with media personnel before they began the march towards Shuhada Street in Hebron. The protesters marched in the rain waving flags, linking arms, and chanting slogans in Arabic, Hebrew, and English.
The protesters remained true to their commitment to nonviolence, yet they were met by a very heavy army presence which was quick to deploy harsh crowd dispersal techniques that included a heavy amount of tear gas and stunt grenades. The tear gas canisters were fired from all directions, often coming very close to hitting people. A few elderly protesters fainted and were evacuated by ambulance. Protesters scattered and ran to avoid the tear gas, but the army appeared to be surrounding the protest and shooting from all angles.
The army continually tried to push the protesters further back by creating a human wall and physically pushing the protesters who, in response, formed their own wall to withstand the pressure. Three Israelis were picked out the crowd at random, taken away by the police and detained temporarily. One international activist was arrested and then released several hours later. The clashes between the military, police, protesters, and a few notorious settlers continued for about an hour and 45 minutes until a final barrage of tear gas caused everyone to retreat.
Two reports from Thursday demos in Hebron
Al-KHalil (Hebron), Palestinians clash with Israeli Occupation Forces over Israeli decision to declare Tomb of the Patriarchs as a Jewish National site
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/02/27/18638949.php
Open Shuhada St. demo at AL-Khalil (Hebron), Palestine
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/02/27/18638961.php
On Thursday morning over 250 Palestinian protesters, joined by dozens of Israeli and international activists, braved foul weather conditions to demonstrate in Hebron against the closure of Ash’Shuhada, the street which, since Baruch Goldstein’s massacre of 29 worshipers in the Ibrahimi Mosque in 1994 has been progressively “sterilised” by closing it off to all forms of Palestinian movement.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1283
On the afternoon of February 25, 2010 about 300 Palestinian, Israeli, and International activists met at the Hebron municipality where they made posters, distributed t-shirts and hats, and spoke with media personnel before they began the march towards Shuhada Street in Hebron. The protesters marched in the rain waving flags, linking arms, and chanting slogans in Arabic, Hebrew, and English. The protesters remained true to their commitment to nonviolence, yet they were met by a very heavy army presence which was quick to deploy harsh crowd dispersal techniques that included a heavy amount of tear gas and stunt grenades. The tear gas canisters were fired from all directions, often coming very close to hitting people. A few elderly protesters fainted and were evacuated by ambulance. Protesters scattered and rain in all directions to avoid the tear gas, but the army appeared to be surrounding the protest and shooting from all sides. The army continually tried to push the protesters further back by creating a human wall and physically pushing the protesters who, in response, formed their own wall to withstand the pressure. Three Israelis were picked out the crowd at random, taken away by the police and detained temporarily. One international activist was arrested and then released several hours later. The clashes between the military, police, protesters, and a few notorious settlers continued for about an hour and 45 minutes until a final barrage of tear gas caused everyone to retreat.
Video at: http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9739258
MA'ASARA
In Ma'asara, soldiers invaded the village on the night previous to the planned demonstration. The officers forced popular committee member Mahamad Brijia from his home and held him outside as they violently searched his house. The soldiers threatened Mahamad that if either he or any other member of the committee were to organize and/or attend another demonstration they shall be arrested.
The following day, as village residents prepared to march towards the site of their confiscated land, the Israeli military blocked all the ways in and out of the village. As people gathered near the exits in an attempt to travel outside the village, the army, preventing from any residents going in or out, opened fire with tear gas, rubber coated metal bullets, and stun grenades. The soldiers followed the retreating residents into the village and chased them through the streets.
NEBI SALEH
About 80 demonstrators people of An-Nabi Saleh and Palestinian, Israeli and internationals marched while chanting from the village towards the lands adjacent to the settlement Halamish, in itself built on the village's land. As the demonstrators were quite a few meters from the main road, IOF soldiers began shooting tear gas canisters at them. Instead of proceeding towards the soldiers, the demonstrators turned to climb the near-by hill. This had made it difficult for the soldiers to reach the demonstrators with their gas canisters (although they kept trying). The march on the hill continued, as IOF soldiers proceed by foot towards the protesters, and after a while, shooting tear gas at the village houses, while some of the demonstrators try to hold the soldiers back by stone throwing. Following this, the army invaded the village and used the infamous tear-gas cannon to shot dozens of canisters on the entire village. This criminal attempt to pressure the community is known to harm the most children, infants and people who are at their houses and do not participate in the demo. Heavy rain and hail only served as a light break. The army attacks continued, an so is the determination of the demonstrators to get back to the field. Even after people had returned home and the demo ended, with a promise to return next week - the army invaded the village once a gain and shot tear gas canisters on the village houses. Several demonstrators were injured lightly.
NI'ILIN
While some of the weekly Friday demonstrations were compromised due to severe weather conditions, a larger than usual march was held in Nilin. In spite of many committee members and dozens of youths being in jail the village had a solid turn out for the demonstration. The march was joined by representative from at least one other neighboring village and about 20 Israelis and International. Starting from one of the mosques, the demonstrators marched through the village and towards the check point at the entrance to the village. There they were attacked by border police soldiers using tear gas and rubber coated metal bullets.
The confrontation lasted for about 2 hours before the village youths who were leading the charge decide to call it a day and come back next week
SHEIKH JARRAH
The settlers’ beloved Nir Barkat does not miss an opportunity to abuse the residents of East Jerusalem, expel them from their lands, and demolish their homes. Last week it was revealed that the municipality plans to expropriate private land owned by a Palestinian in Sheikh Jarrah. This is in order to build a parking lot for the settlers’ use, as part of their ongoing attempt to take over the neighborhood. As always, this week we will stand by the residents of Sheikh Jarrah and protest the covenant that the municipality has forged with radical settlers at the expense of east Jerusalem residents.
The march will start Friday at 14:00
from the Mashbir plaza, on the corner of King George and Ben Yehudah
To a demonstration in Sheikh Jarrah that will begin at 15:30
Friday
Some 80 Jerusalem demonstrators marched through their city Friday, all dressed up in costumes and celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim, meeting up with 100 more demonstrators in the entrance to Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood for the weekly protest against house evictions. Activists sang, beat drums, jumped about and danced for nearly one and a half hours, fighting off the Jerusalem cold and whipping rain and hail. This week's demonstration was also joined by a mission of some of Britain's biggest Unions, who concluded a week long tour of the West Bank, concluding that their support for the international BDS campaign is vital.
Opposite the demonstration the regular police forces blocked the main road of the neighborhood, but other than that seemed quite uninterested in the demonstration.
At the end of the protest all went to their separate homes with no clashes or arrests of any kind.
------------------------------------
WE WILL NOT BE STOPPED!
On Saturday March 6th please join us in our protest to stop the Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem.
At 7:00 PM we will be holding a mass rally in Sheikh Jarrah against:
· The forced eviction of the Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah
· The Jewish settlement of East Jerusalem
· The undemocratic attack on political protest
50 Palestinians have already been evicted from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah. Another 500 are threatened. If the settlers and their government allies succeed, all Palestinians in East Jerusalem are threatened. If we stop them in Sheikh Jarrah, we can stop them elsewhere.
We call on all groups who support the struggle for Palestinian rights and for a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinian, to hold solidarity protest vigils on March 6 near Israeli consulates and embassies abroad.
The Sheikh Jarrah Neighborhood Committee
Just Jerusalem – the Israeli Coalition for a just solution in Jerusalem
For more information on the struggle see our blog:
http://www.en.justjlm.org/
What's the Deal in Sheikh Jarrah
To make contact please write to:
justjerusalem@gmail.com
TEL AVIV
Activists blocked a street in Tel Aviv on the 25/2/2010 as part of the "International day of action - Open Shuhada Street"
This date marks 16 years since the Baruch Goldstein massacre in the West Bank city of Hebron and the first time that Shuhada Street was closed to Palestinians. The campaign is focusing on Shuhada Street in Hebron as a symbol of the issue of Israeli settlements, the policy of separation in Hebron and the entire West Bank, the lack of freedom of movement for Palestinians, and the occupation at large. For video see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAz-ppWfwNQ
The residence of Tel Aviv have nothing to fear, armed soldiers will not prevent their movement, and their "Shohada St" will not be closed for years. this is not so for the Palestinian residence of Hebron. This date (24 Feb. 2010) marks 16 years since the Baruch Goldstein massacre in the West Bank city of Hebron and the first time that Shuhada Street was closed to Palestinians. The campaign is focusing on Shuhada Street in Hebron as a symbol of the issue of Israeli settlements, the policy of separation in Hebron and the entire West Bank, the lack of freedom of movement for Palestinians, and the occupation at large.
Like this permanent blocked, there are hundreds of checkpoints that exists in the West Bank, sometimes for years. These checkpoints, are just another part of the Israeli apartheid system. Israelis, who are going to be delayed for a short while because of this roadblock, can use that time to reflect on the Israeli policy that they are part of.
Open Shohada Street!
Free Palestine!
The Mark Edelman Brigade
The movie web page:
http://www.indybay.org/js/flowplayer/FlowPlayer.swf http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2010/02/24/shuhada_in_tel_aviv__1_.wmv_preview_.flv
'http://www.indybay.org/im/play-button-328x240.jpg
video of the action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAz-ppWfwNQ
For more details about the campaign:
pictures and link to video
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/02/24/18638713.php
www.openshuhadastreet.org
Media:
Confrontations between demonstrators and the Israeli army.
26th of February 2010, in spite of the heavy rain, about 250 Palestinians, foreigners and Israelis converged at three locations of the west bank and confronted the army. Demonstrators threw stones and the army responded with means for dispersing demonstrations.
Hebrew: http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/1/1647323&m=1&mid=85480
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1283
See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
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