We new it will not be nice, but we could not guess how brutal and mindless it will be. We planed and prepared during the weeks and when the time was known - we prepared for a reciprocal actions. The surprise and the shock we experienced when got the news on the piracy on the high sea of Israel - in international water - about 150 kilometer from the shore of Gaza. Israel did its "best" to prevent a day time confrontation with the solidarity flotilla at the sea gates of Gaza that will get lot of media attention. However, the middle of the night horrendous military fiasco was for all to see in both the international and Israeli media. During the night, we got the sad news about the murdered and injured comrades and the radical left was mobilized according to that.
About 200 activists - mainly of coalition for solidarity with Gaza - the AAtW are part of converged at Ashdod - on the shore near the entrance of ships to the harbor.
The state forces harassed on the roads part of the comrades on the way to the demonstration, but all succeeded to arrive.
We held placards and banners, and chanted for hours... and saw few of the kidnapped vessels brought to the port.
At the evening, there were three mass demonstrations in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Tel Aviv.
In Tel Aviv, a surprisingly big mass demonstration of about two thousands participants converged in front of the war ministry compound, including some of the Zionist left.
For about two hours we expressed our indignation and anger towards the Israeli state.
After a while, we converged with our redNblack flags and drums circles at the edge of the crowd and chanted our non diluted slogans.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Palestine-Israel, Joint struggle get more and more attention of both the Israeli and the world media in spite of the competition of flotilla to Gaza
During the week the planing and preparation to the parallel action to the flotilla to Gaza took lot of our attention, in addition to the usual struggles. This Friday we had the usual joint demonstrations in Bil'in, Ma'asara, Ni'ilin, Nebi Saleh, Sheik Jarrah.
BEIT JALLA
Beit Jala protest 23-05-2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkqImIicAko
BIL'IN
Just one sample of the efforts of Israeli forces to quench the on going joint struggle in Bil'in: http://www.bilin-ffj.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=275&Itemid=1
This morning, as is their wont, Israeli Occupation Forces intruded into the village of Bilin, this time there were only three to the forefront with backup behind them, when challenged they beat a retreat. This afternoon, villagers rushed to quench a fire in an olive tree sited close to the Apartheid-Annexation Wall which was deliberately set on fire by the retreating IOF, but which was unable to be saved due to the fire being set in a crevice in the trunk which smoldered throughout the day and it was only in the latter stages that the tell-tale smoke was detected. This pernicious act of economic warfare has deeply angered the villagers as many are dependent on the sale of the olive oil 700 to 800 shekels per tree annually for their livelihoods."
Friday
Demonstration started as usual after the noon prier. About 30 Israelis, 40 internationals, and 50 Palestinians - mainly from Bil'in, started the usual march towards the gate to the route of the separation fence. Along the march people chanted and carried flags pictures of prisoner Abdullah Abu Rahma, coordinator of the People's Committee, and the prisoner Adib Abu Rahma, an activist of the Popular Resistance,and and placard. Part of the march a line of four young kids held these pictures too. Along the march a troop of shabab had a mini celebration.
When we arrived at the gate few bold youth entered the route of the separation fence with flags to hung there. The state force did not wait for the first stones to be thrown and started to shoot on us tear gas grenades, later joined with rubber coated bullets and sound grenades - two needed medical treatment.
Soon afterward, without bothering to declare the demonstration illegal and the area military closed, they crossed to our side and started to arrest demonstrators. They grabbed 5 Israelis (one of them succeeded to escape) and as bonus also held for a while the village photographer for Betselem... but released him after few minutes.
The 4 Israelis were taken to the Yad Biniamin police station... The trip was long as the soldiers did not know the way to the police station.
After a long trip, they arrived at the police station and the accusation was violating a closed military zone... However, as they could not provide the needed proof that the Israelis were informed - as needed that they are entering a closed military zone, they were released without any conditions towards 20:00.
Haitem Alkateeb video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3amBQFf6BDo&feature=player_embedded
GAZA
"Tomorrow, Wednesday (26-5-10), at 19:00 o'clock, we will meet at the center of Coalition of Women for Peace (CWP the Koala) to prepare a creative action in solidarity with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla that will arrive at the Gaza shore in the coming weekend. Bring a creative spirit!"
Original Plan:
"Demonstration in Support of the Break the Siege Flotilla. Tomorrow, Sunday, 29.5.10
Leaving from Tel Aviv, Lewinsky Park, at 17:00.
Tomorrow, Saturday, hundreds of international activists will try to arrive at the Gaza Port, as part of an effort to break the siege and convey humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. Israel has already declared that it would use its navy to stop the boats from arriving to Gaza and detain the activists.
Come support the international campaign against the siege, protest Israeli policy and show solidarity with the detainees."
HEBRON (Al Halil)
"Hebron demonstration tomorrow, Saturday 3pm 29 May 2010
Join together to resist settlements and to open Shuhada Street!
Youth Against Settlements invite you to participate in our weekly
demonstration, demanding the reopening of Shuhada Street and freedom of
movement for Palestinians in the Old City of Hebron. The Israeli military
has forced the closure of more than 1800 shops and has sealed the
entrances to Palestinian houses, forcing people to lose their homes and
their livelihoods. We must come together to demand an end to this.
The demonstration takes place at 3pm every Saturday. We will meet before
at the Hebron municipality at 2.30pm.
The demonstration will start in "Freedom & Independence Square," near
Osama bin Monqeth school.
"To light a candle is a thousand times better than to curse the darkness"
Join us and show your support for the freedom of movement for all
Palestinians, and your rejection of the Israeli occupation.
For more details, contact our media co-coordinator or e-mail
info-A-youthagainstsettlements.org.
MA'ASARA
Video: Al Ma'asara demonstration 21.5.10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJvQM7VRbvk
"For this Friday we call all international and Israeli activists to come to the village Friday to participate in the demo because we expect that the solders will do some things specially after the last demo when they start shooting tear gas directly to the people.
It is appreciated from all of you to come to participate in this demo. People also needed for sleeping in the village Thursday night."
Friday
Today at the demonstration in Maa'sara there were about 70 demonstrators - Palestinians, Israelis, some Italians and many French people.
We marched towards the entrance of the village which was blocked by solders and surrounded by scooters that were staring at us from the village roofs. About 30 solders prevented us from continuing marching on the villages land.
Same as every week, there were speeches in Arabic and in English that today also mention the siege on Gaza. Today there were also songs - Bela chao, bela chao, bela chao chao chao! With the sounds of drums that added a lot of action. In French there was a partisan song. Very dramatic.
The solders didn't really like the fact that we are so close to their Jeeps and decided to push us towards the village. They held hands, put there weapon on there elbows, pushed us toward the village until they stand. A few more speeches and some more drumming and slogans until the closing speech:
"We are going home to eat and sleep and they, the solders, will go and continue knocking on Palestinian doors and kill them. They will continue occupying - so who is the occupier, us or them? The demonstration was a success because the solders were stressful and that's why so many of them came. Next week they will be even stressed because of us. So YALLA, let's go eat and sleep".
Israel Puterman video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyUnEEEVS2g
NABI SALIH
In Nebi Salah, soldiers entered the village before the demonstration started. following this, confrontations ensued between the village youth and soldiers and border police officers that lasted till eight in the evening. the border police flooded the village streets with tear gas fired by a jeep-top launcher. two youths were injured, one was hit by a tear gas canister. both were evacuated to hospital.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWxBm3UDJu4
NI'ILIN
The weekly demonstration in Ni'lin marked two years to the start of the village's struggle against the theft of its land by the wall. the protesters marched carrying banners commemorating the five protesters killed by the army in the last two years, and the village's prisoners who are incarcerated by israel for their participation in the demonstrations. the protest march reached the wall, and protested for a few minutes by the closed steel gate. Tear gas fired by the army forced the protesters to move along the route of the wall, where some of them threw stones at the soldiers. The protest ended within a couple of hours with no injuries recorded.
SHEIKH JARRAH (Jerusalem-Al-Kuds)
Date: Wednesday, 26 May 2010 Time: 16:00 - 18:00 - march of students and academians From the near by Hebrew University to Sheikh Jarrah.
Israel Puterman video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo6XcPiI_fs
WAD RACHAL (near Ma'asara)
"there will be an agricultural work day in Wad Rachal this Wednesday. The organizers are new orders confiscating more land for the wall construction."
WALLAGE
Israel Puterman video of Walaje and Beit Jala - 23-5-2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mMRxBwC7KQ
------------------------
See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
BEIT JALLA
Beit Jala protest 23-05-2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkqImIicAko
BIL'IN
Just one sample of the efforts of Israeli forces to quench the on going joint struggle in Bil'in: http://www.bilin-ffj.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=275&Itemid=1
This morning, as is their wont, Israeli Occupation Forces intruded into the village of Bilin, this time there were only three to the forefront with backup behind them, when challenged they beat a retreat. This afternoon, villagers rushed to quench a fire in an olive tree sited close to the Apartheid-Annexation Wall which was deliberately set on fire by the retreating IOF, but which was unable to be saved due to the fire being set in a crevice in the trunk which smoldered throughout the day and it was only in the latter stages that the tell-tale smoke was detected. This pernicious act of economic warfare has deeply angered the villagers as many are dependent on the sale of the olive oil 700 to 800 shekels per tree annually for their livelihoods."
Friday
Demonstration started as usual after the noon prier. About 30 Israelis, 40 internationals, and 50 Palestinians - mainly from Bil'in, started the usual march towards the gate to the route of the separation fence. Along the march people chanted and carried flags pictures of prisoner Abdullah Abu Rahma, coordinator of the People's Committee, and the prisoner Adib Abu Rahma, an activist of the Popular Resistance,and and placard. Part of the march a line of four young kids held these pictures too. Along the march a troop of shabab had a mini celebration.
When we arrived at the gate few bold youth entered the route of the separation fence with flags to hung there. The state force did not wait for the first stones to be thrown and started to shoot on us tear gas grenades, later joined with rubber coated bullets and sound grenades - two needed medical treatment.
Soon afterward, without bothering to declare the demonstration illegal and the area military closed, they crossed to our side and started to arrest demonstrators. They grabbed 5 Israelis (one of them succeeded to escape) and as bonus also held for a while the village photographer for Betselem... but released him after few minutes.
The 4 Israelis were taken to the Yad Biniamin police station... The trip was long as the soldiers did not know the way to the police station.
After a long trip, they arrived at the police station and the accusation was violating a closed military zone... However, as they could not provide the needed proof that the Israelis were informed - as needed that they are entering a closed military zone, they were released without any conditions towards 20:00.
Haitem Alkateeb video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3amBQFf6BDo&feature=player_embedded
GAZA
"Tomorrow, Wednesday (26-5-10), at 19:00 o'clock, we will meet at the center of Coalition of Women for Peace (CWP the Koala) to prepare a creative action in solidarity with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla that will arrive at the Gaza shore in the coming weekend. Bring a creative spirit!"
Original Plan:
"Demonstration in Support of the Break the Siege Flotilla. Tomorrow, Sunday, 29.5.10
Leaving from Tel Aviv, Lewinsky Park, at 17:00.
Tomorrow, Saturday, hundreds of international activists will try to arrive at the Gaza Port, as part of an effort to break the siege and convey humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. Israel has already declared that it would use its navy to stop the boats from arriving to Gaza and detain the activists.
Come support the international campaign against the siege, protest Israeli policy and show solidarity with the detainees."
HEBRON (Al Halil)
"Hebron demonstration tomorrow, Saturday 3pm 29 May 2010
Join together to resist settlements and to open Shuhada Street!
Youth Against Settlements invite you to participate in our weekly
demonstration, demanding the reopening of Shuhada Street and freedom of
movement for Palestinians in the Old City of Hebron. The Israeli military
has forced the closure of more than 1800 shops and has sealed the
entrances to Palestinian houses, forcing people to lose their homes and
their livelihoods. We must come together to demand an end to this.
The demonstration takes place at 3pm every Saturday. We will meet before
at the Hebron municipality at 2.30pm.
The demonstration will start in "Freedom & Independence Square," near
Osama bin Monqeth school.
"To light a candle is a thousand times better than to curse the darkness"
Join us and show your support for the freedom of movement for all
Palestinians, and your rejection of the Israeli occupation.
For more details, contact our media co-coordinator or e-mail
info-A-youthagainstsettlements.org.
MA'ASARA
Video: Al Ma'asara demonstration 21.5.10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJvQM7VRbvk
"For this Friday we call all international and Israeli activists to come to the village Friday to participate in the demo because we expect that the solders will do some things specially after the last demo when they start shooting tear gas directly to the people.
It is appreciated from all of you to come to participate in this demo. People also needed for sleeping in the village Thursday night."
Friday
Today at the demonstration in Maa'sara there were about 70 demonstrators - Palestinians, Israelis, some Italians and many French people.
We marched towards the entrance of the village which was blocked by solders and surrounded by scooters that were staring at us from the village roofs. About 30 solders prevented us from continuing marching on the villages land.
Same as every week, there were speeches in Arabic and in English that today also mention the siege on Gaza. Today there were also songs - Bela chao, bela chao, bela chao chao chao! With the sounds of drums that added a lot of action. In French there was a partisan song. Very dramatic.
The solders didn't really like the fact that we are so close to their Jeeps and decided to push us towards the village. They held hands, put there weapon on there elbows, pushed us toward the village until they stand. A few more speeches and some more drumming and slogans until the closing speech:
"We are going home to eat and sleep and they, the solders, will go and continue knocking on Palestinian doors and kill them. They will continue occupying - so who is the occupier, us or them? The demonstration was a success because the solders were stressful and that's why so many of them came. Next week they will be even stressed because of us. So YALLA, let's go eat and sleep".
Israel Puterman video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyUnEEEVS2g
NABI SALIH
In Nebi Salah, soldiers entered the village before the demonstration started. following this, confrontations ensued between the village youth and soldiers and border police officers that lasted till eight in the evening. the border police flooded the village streets with tear gas fired by a jeep-top launcher. two youths were injured, one was hit by a tear gas canister. both were evacuated to hospital.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWxBm3UDJu4
NI'ILIN
The weekly demonstration in Ni'lin marked two years to the start of the village's struggle against the theft of its land by the wall. the protesters marched carrying banners commemorating the five protesters killed by the army in the last two years, and the village's prisoners who are incarcerated by israel for their participation in the demonstrations. the protest march reached the wall, and protested for a few minutes by the closed steel gate. Tear gas fired by the army forced the protesters to move along the route of the wall, where some of them threw stones at the soldiers. The protest ended within a couple of hours with no injuries recorded.
SHEIKH JARRAH (Jerusalem-Al-Kuds)
Date: Wednesday, 26 May 2010 Time: 16:00 - 18:00 - march of students and academians From the near by Hebrew University to Sheikh Jarrah.
Israel Puterman video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo6XcPiI_fs
WAD RACHAL (near Ma'asara)
"there will be an agricultural work day in Wad Rachal this Wednesday. The organizers are new orders confiscating more land for the wall construction."
WALLAGE
Israel Puterman video of Walaje and Beit Jala - 23-5-2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mMRxBwC7KQ
------------------------
See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle change every week with lot of surprises to both sides
Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle change every week with lot of surprises to both sides
Beit Jala, Bil'in, Court solidarity, Hebron, Ma'asara, Nabi Salih, Ni'ilin, Wallaje, Sheikh Jarrah, Tel Aviv. In spite of the expanding of the joint struggle of the Israeli radical left and the Palestinian people, the anarchists against the wall, still have the leading role on the ground and in the media of the Israeli side.
BEIT JALLA
Media: (including public radio channel) - Soldiers clash with Palestinian protestors in Beit Jala
Some 40 Palestinians and left-wing protestors gathered near the separation fence in the West Bank town of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem. Israel Defense Forces soldiers stationed in the area said the protestors hurled stones at them, and that the force responded with tear gas.
The IDF declared the area a closed military zone and arrested six of the rioters. The Palestinians reported that three protestors were injured and eight others were arrested. They said the troops used shock grenades against them and attacked them with clubs.
BIL'IN
Two children injured, three Israelis who refused to run away when the soldiers came to intimidate the retreating demonstrators were arrested (released on conditional bail 7 hours later), and dozens suffer tear gas inhalation in Bil’in’s demonstration against the Wall http://www.bilin-ffj.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=272&Itemid=1
Friday-21-5-2010
(And I had to run fast till breathless to evade the arresting spree.)
Today’s weekly demonstration in Bil’in was conducted in solidarity with the Palestinian initiative to boycott Israeli settlement. Palestinians, Israelis and internationals gathered to protest not only the Wall, but also to promote the boycott of goods produced in West Bank Israeli settlements. Participants were given literature detailing the dozens of products that are produced on Palestinian land and billed as Israeli products for global markets.
Demonstrators marched to the Wall and attached boycott posters on the fence before Israeli soldiers entered the gate and aggressively fired tear gas into the crowd. Two children, including a mentally disabled boy, were injured as a result.
Available: A Galway activist protests against the Israeli "Apartheid" wall built on occupied Palestinian Land. This short documentary explains his relationship with the village of Bil'in in the West Bank where the wall cuts off large areas of land from the villagers. Look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABwswgLAUJo&feature=player_embedded
Video of Israel Puterman (long long time activist age 73), who was arrested at the end of the demonstration for refusing to run away, and falsely accused of trying to bite a soldier that arrested him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-4Cj_y0Ffk
Haethm Al-Kateeb video clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9gytcSHr88
COURT SOLIDARITY
Monday 10 17-5-10 in front of Ptah Tikwa court another demo in protest of the continuation of arrest of two Israeli Palestinian activists: Amir Machul and Omar Said.
Ofer military court this Thursday 20-5-10 In support to Abdallah Abu Rahme (Bil'in) and others who are on trial there that day.
HEBRON (Al Halil)
Hebron Demonstration and March report of previous Saturday 15.05.2010
Approximately 150 Palestinians and 50 Israelis/Internationals held the weekly Friday demonstration for the opening of the Shuhada st., this time also commemorating Al-Nakba day. Protesters held signs, flags and balloons, spoke, sang and chanted slogans. Two soldiers aimed their rifles directly at the crowd throughout the demonstration, despite the fact that there was no violence at all on behalf of the protesters. The army did storm and beat a protester who spray painted an "Open Shuhada Street" sign on an ugly cement army post. Afterwards soldiers crossed again to our side numerous times, only creating conflict. At some point these "brave" men tried to catch a young boy. http://media.nj.com/star-ledger/photo/-8917bd2a50d35ad0_custom_665xauto.jpg A Palestinian who attempted rescuing him was arrested. Protesters proceeded with marching in the old city, this time to the busier side, which attracted more attention from local Hebronites. Again the march was attacked by settlers throwing water, a few stones and a wooden stick from rooftops, all under the army's supervision.
About previous Saturday's demonstrations in Hebron and the tour of settlers:
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1398
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqXK5Vi_NXE
Invitation we got for this Saturday:
"Join together to resist settlements and to open Shuhada Street!
Youth Against Settlements invite you to participate in our weekly
demonstration, demanding the reopening of Shuhada Street and freedom of
movement for Palestinians in the Old City of Hebron. The Israeli military
has forced the closure of more than 1800 shops and has sealed the
entrances to Palestinian houses, forcing people to lose their homes and
their livelihoods. We must come together to demand an end to this.
An additional focus of this week's demonstration will be the boycott of
Israeli products.
The demonstration takes place at 3pm every Saturday. We will meet before
at the Hebron municipality at 2.30pm.
We will march from the municipality to the Old City, and the demonstration
will take place in "Freedom & Independence Square," near Osama bin Monqeth
school.
"To light a candle is a thousand times better than to curse the darkness"
Join us and show your support for the freedom of movement for all
Palestinians, and your rejection of the Israeli occupation.
For more details, contact our media co-coordinator or e-mail
info-A-youthagainstsettlements.org.
MA'ASARA
"The people of Al Ma'sara participated in the weekly demonstration today. Last week we had a very successful cultural event in the presence of occupation soldiers. That week villagers and internationals were even allowed to reach their lands. Instead, this week, on the way to the land they were ambushed and were met with a hail of tear gas, stun grenades and high velocity projectiles.
Almost 120 persons including Palestinians, internationals and Israelis participated this morning in a pacifist march in Al-Masara village, close to Bethlehem . The objective, as every Friday, was to protest the construction of the apartheid wall which upon completion will annex 350 hectares of the Palestinian land of this area.
Participants sang songs, panels and cameras were carried by many of the participants who nearly arrived at the main road where they sat down in front of the Israeli soldiers in a peaceful way of responding to the show of guns and tanks.
According to Mohammad Breijieh reporting from the hospital, his brother Hassan Breijieh has a critical head injury. Another injured was Jawad Zawahra, hit in his leg. There were also reports of two arrests: Mahmoud Abdel Karim Zawahra and Iyad Mohamed Ali, both 23 years old. For more information on this situation please call Mahmoud Zawahra (English) and Mohammed Braijieh (Arabic).
NABI SALIH
Protester hit in his head by tear gas projectile; Israeli army launched multiple incursions into Nabi Saleh May 21, 2010
Around 80 Nabi Saleh residents, other Palestinians and international and Israeli supporters participated in this week's demonstration against the strangulating occupation and the Halamish settlement. This time the peaceful march was not attacked at first by the Israeli army. The soldiers though did take control of the main village's junction, shutting traffic and threatening to use violence if approached. Chanting and dancing all the way, protesters did approach slowly towards the nervous army position, breaking any distance the soldiers wished to maintain. A few young people peacefully observing the scene from above was apparently too much for the army to bear, and their pursue after the youngsters signaled the end of the peaceful demonstration. Soon enough tear gas and stun grenades were thrown at the retreating protesters, while stones were thrown back at the army position.
During the long hours of the demo, army soldiers often fired tear gas projectiles aiming directly at body height, instead of firing them arched as their own regulations require. One Palestinian protester was injured by a tear gas projectile shot directly below his eye, and was evacuated to a nearby hospital. About a dozen others suffered from less serious injuries caused by the army aggression.
At a certain point the army launched coordinated multiple incursions into the village from various directions, chasing after protesters to make arrests. Two internationals who were taking pictures were arrested. They were held for 6 hours in a military facility, handcuffed, with their eyes covered. One Palestinian youth who was during the whole demo inside his home was randomly chosen by the army to be arrested for “throwing stones”. After much negotiations, while tens of children and women are filling the street under the eyes of helpless armed-to-the-top soldiers – the youth was released in celebration that marked the end of the demo with the army retreat.
NI'ILIN
Friday, the usual joint demonstration against the separation fence, theft of village lands, and occupation.
David Reeb video: Friday 21.5.2010 Ni'ilin at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0M_ahA18Zs
SHEIKH JARRAH (Jerusalem-Al-Kuds)
Nissim Mossek: Police brutality at SJ may 14th http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYgKrWdjVTk
marching in support of 12 SJ detainees http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cYDdjPIYqk
"On Jerusalem Day hundreds of settlers entered Sheikh Jarrah. They sang hateful songs and danced on the street and in the yards of the houses. Though in court hearings the police claim that political activity in the site of the evicted houses is a provocation, the police forces allowed them to continue. They also declared the Sheikh Jarrah struggle protests to be illegal gatherings, so as to ease the settlers’ celebrations. During the Friday demonstration tens of protesters crossed Nablus road and demanded to protest exactly where the police allowed hundreds of settlers to protest two days before. In an act of non-violent civil disobedience, they sat on the road in protest until they were violently dispersed by the police. Ten demonstrators were arrested and spent the weekend under arrest.
Let us continue to protest against enforcement of the law that grants only Jews the right of return and only settlers the right to protest in the neighborhood.
The demonstration will take place on Friday at 16:00 in the neighborhood
We meet on Nablus Road, near the American Colony Hotel"
During the week Israeli activists were involved with local Palestinian and their persistent struggle against the transfer.
This Friday too some 300 demonstrators gathered in Sheikh Rarrah to protest the banishing of Palestinian families from their homes and their replacement by Jewish settlers. Many demonstrators came to fill the places of those activists who were badly beaten or barred from returning to the demonstration following last week's demonstration.
This week the protest stayed in the park opposite the neighborhood, where the police usually allows it to take place, and no confrontations took place. Several activists who crossed the road and handed out leaflets to the police, explaining why it was wrong to support the Apartheid policies in the neighborhood and to beat and arrest demonstrators, were frowned upon and sent back to join the rest of the demonstration.
This week too a group of few dozen Israeli activists marched from old city Nablus gate to Sheikh Jarakh demo with drums, flags, and chants and were warmly greeted by the big crowd already there.
TEL AVIV
"This Friday we will also hold a protest vigil about Sheikh Jarrah in Tel Aviv at 16:00 on the corner of King George and Ben Zion The vigil will be joined those who are restrained from the neighborhood, the Tel Aviv drummers and supporters. We will stand at the same hour in Tel Aviv and Sheikh Jarrah and cry “You cannot kill popular resistance”. For further information: D.
21.05.2010 - Report from Tel Aviv - Protest in solidarity with Sheikh Jarach
Approximately 100 Israeli protestors gathered in the corner of Ben-Zion Boulevard and King George street, among them about 10 of the regular Sheikh Jarach protesters who are under restriction from last week. With a small speaker and loud chants we reminded Tel Avivians that just a 45 minutes drive away, elders, men, women and children are thrown out from their homes to the street, while those who speak out for them are thrown into prison. Those of us who stood closer to the road got the pleasure of being cursed occasionally by drivers. A bit later some teenagers started singing "Jerusalem of Gold" from a bus towards the demonstration, and were silenced by the protestors chanting "You have no shame? an occupied city is not holy" (in Hebrew it rhymes). I was lightly attacked by a motorcyclist who tried to tear my sign which read "Sheikh Jarach is Palestine". After about an hour the demonstration was over, and a march idea came up, but was turned down in favor of a short meeting to make plans for following weeks. An angry policeman didn't care and continued to threaten us not to hold a march. Following his excitement, we will seriously consider marching next time.
Videos:
http://www.tv.social.org.il/medini/stv-sheich-jarach-tlv-21-5-2010.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p9AYJnbTxQ
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1437252860561&ref=mf Friday Tel Aviv demo at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwXsusMLkZ8
WAD RACHAL (near Ma'asara)
"We have been invited to a meeting in Wad Rachal (near Maasara) on Thursday 20-5-10. They got new confiscation orders for their lands and have had a few demonstrations".
WALLAGE
"This Friday 21-5-10 we will go to al wallaje for a tour by the local committee followed by the weekly demo. We will leave from the bell park in Jerusalem at 10:00 and return after the demo to sheikh jarrah at about 15:00. To join for either/both tour and demo contact....
This Friday, about 20 Israelis and internationals joined a few dozen Palestinians for a demonstration in Walaje against the wall that is going to enclose the village and turn it into an enclave/open air prison. After a brief march speeches were held in Hebrew, English and Arabic. The army didn't approach the demo. Then we went to the protest tent set up on the village's lands that are to be confiscated for constructing the wall, where the local elders gave the visitors a first hand account of the history of the village since the 1948 war. The organizers reported that the legal case against the local section of the wall is to be reopened on July 25, but the authorities are not freezing the construction. The local organizers are therefore trying to bring the legal proceedings forward, and invite activists to join the villagers on Sunday 9:00 to resist the bulldozers.
------------------------
See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
Beit Jala, Bil'in, Court solidarity, Hebron, Ma'asara, Nabi Salih, Ni'ilin, Wallaje, Sheikh Jarrah, Tel Aviv. In spite of the expanding of the joint struggle of the Israeli radical left and the Palestinian people, the anarchists against the wall, still have the leading role on the ground and in the media of the Israeli side.
BEIT JALLA
Media: (including public radio channel) - Soldiers clash with Palestinian protestors in Beit Jala
Some 40 Palestinians and left-wing protestors gathered near the separation fence in the West Bank town of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem. Israel Defense Forces soldiers stationed in the area said the protestors hurled stones at them, and that the force responded with tear gas.
The IDF declared the area a closed military zone and arrested six of the rioters. The Palestinians reported that three protestors were injured and eight others were arrested. They said the troops used shock grenades against them and attacked them with clubs.
BIL'IN
Two children injured, three Israelis who refused to run away when the soldiers came to intimidate the retreating demonstrators were arrested (released on conditional bail 7 hours later), and dozens suffer tear gas inhalation in Bil’in’s demonstration against the Wall http://www.bilin-ffj.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=272&Itemid=1
Friday-21-5-2010
(And I had to run fast till breathless to evade the arresting spree.)
Today’s weekly demonstration in Bil’in was conducted in solidarity with the Palestinian initiative to boycott Israeli settlement. Palestinians, Israelis and internationals gathered to protest not only the Wall, but also to promote the boycott of goods produced in West Bank Israeli settlements. Participants were given literature detailing the dozens of products that are produced on Palestinian land and billed as Israeli products for global markets.
Demonstrators marched to the Wall and attached boycott posters on the fence before Israeli soldiers entered the gate and aggressively fired tear gas into the crowd. Two children, including a mentally disabled boy, were injured as a result.
Available: A Galway activist protests against the Israeli "Apartheid" wall built on occupied Palestinian Land. This short documentary explains his relationship with the village of Bil'in in the West Bank where the wall cuts off large areas of land from the villagers. Look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABwswgLAUJo&feature=player_embedded
Video of Israel Puterman (long long time activist age 73), who was arrested at the end of the demonstration for refusing to run away, and falsely accused of trying to bite a soldier that arrested him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-4Cj_y0Ffk
Haethm Al-Kateeb video clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9gytcSHr88
COURT SOLIDARITY
Monday 10 17-5-10 in front of Ptah Tikwa court another demo in protest of the continuation of arrest of two Israeli Palestinian activists: Amir Machul and Omar Said.
Ofer military court this Thursday 20-5-10 In support to Abdallah Abu Rahme (Bil'in) and others who are on trial there that day.
HEBRON (Al Halil)
Hebron Demonstration and March report of previous Saturday 15.05.2010
Approximately 150 Palestinians and 50 Israelis/Internationals held the weekly Friday demonstration for the opening of the Shuhada st., this time also commemorating Al-Nakba day. Protesters held signs, flags and balloons, spoke, sang and chanted slogans. Two soldiers aimed their rifles directly at the crowd throughout the demonstration, despite the fact that there was no violence at all on behalf of the protesters. The army did storm and beat a protester who spray painted an "Open Shuhada Street" sign on an ugly cement army post. Afterwards soldiers crossed again to our side numerous times, only creating conflict. At some point these "brave" men tried to catch a young boy. http://media.nj.com/star-ledger/photo/-8917bd2a50d35ad0_custom_665xauto.jpg A Palestinian who attempted rescuing him was arrested. Protesters proceeded with marching in the old city, this time to the busier side, which attracted more attention from local Hebronites. Again the march was attacked by settlers throwing water, a few stones and a wooden stick from rooftops, all under the army's supervision.
About previous Saturday's demonstrations in Hebron and the tour of settlers:
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1398
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqXK5Vi_NXE
Invitation we got for this Saturday:
"Join together to resist settlements and to open Shuhada Street!
Youth Against Settlements invite you to participate in our weekly
demonstration, demanding the reopening of Shuhada Street and freedom of
movement for Palestinians in the Old City of Hebron. The Israeli military
has forced the closure of more than 1800 shops and has sealed the
entrances to Palestinian houses, forcing people to lose their homes and
their livelihoods. We must come together to demand an end to this.
An additional focus of this week's demonstration will be the boycott of
Israeli products.
The demonstration takes place at 3pm every Saturday. We will meet before
at the Hebron municipality at 2.30pm.
We will march from the municipality to the Old City, and the demonstration
will take place in "Freedom & Independence Square," near Osama bin Monqeth
school.
"To light a candle is a thousand times better than to curse the darkness"
Join us and show your support for the freedom of movement for all
Palestinians, and your rejection of the Israeli occupation.
For more details, contact our media co-coordinator or e-mail
info-A-youthagainstsettlements.org.
MA'ASARA
"The people of Al Ma'sara participated in the weekly demonstration today. Last week we had a very successful cultural event in the presence of occupation soldiers. That week villagers and internationals were even allowed to reach their lands. Instead, this week, on the way to the land they were ambushed and were met with a hail of tear gas, stun grenades and high velocity projectiles.
Almost 120 persons including Palestinians, internationals and Israelis participated this morning in a pacifist march in Al-Masara village, close to Bethlehem . The objective, as every Friday, was to protest the construction of the apartheid wall which upon completion will annex 350 hectares of the Palestinian land of this area.
Participants sang songs, panels and cameras were carried by many of the participants who nearly arrived at the main road where they sat down in front of the Israeli soldiers in a peaceful way of responding to the show of guns and tanks.
According to Mohammad Breijieh reporting from the hospital, his brother Hassan Breijieh has a critical head injury. Another injured was Jawad Zawahra, hit in his leg. There were also reports of two arrests: Mahmoud Abdel Karim Zawahra and Iyad Mohamed Ali, both 23 years old. For more information on this situation please call Mahmoud Zawahra (English) and Mohammed Braijieh (Arabic).
NABI SALIH
Protester hit in his head by tear gas projectile; Israeli army launched multiple incursions into Nabi Saleh May 21, 2010
Around 80 Nabi Saleh residents, other Palestinians and international and Israeli supporters participated in this week's demonstration against the strangulating occupation and the Halamish settlement. This time the peaceful march was not attacked at first by the Israeli army. The soldiers though did take control of the main village's junction, shutting traffic and threatening to use violence if approached. Chanting and dancing all the way, protesters did approach slowly towards the nervous army position, breaking any distance the soldiers wished to maintain. A few young people peacefully observing the scene from above was apparently too much for the army to bear, and their pursue after the youngsters signaled the end of the peaceful demonstration. Soon enough tear gas and stun grenades were thrown at the retreating protesters, while stones were thrown back at the army position.
During the long hours of the demo, army soldiers often fired tear gas projectiles aiming directly at body height, instead of firing them arched as their own regulations require. One Palestinian protester was injured by a tear gas projectile shot directly below his eye, and was evacuated to a nearby hospital. About a dozen others suffered from less serious injuries caused by the army aggression.
At a certain point the army launched coordinated multiple incursions into the village from various directions, chasing after protesters to make arrests. Two internationals who were taking pictures were arrested. They were held for 6 hours in a military facility, handcuffed, with their eyes covered. One Palestinian youth who was during the whole demo inside his home was randomly chosen by the army to be arrested for “throwing stones”. After much negotiations, while tens of children and women are filling the street under the eyes of helpless armed-to-the-top soldiers – the youth was released in celebration that marked the end of the demo with the army retreat.
NI'ILIN
Friday, the usual joint demonstration against the separation fence, theft of village lands, and occupation.
David Reeb video: Friday 21.5.2010 Ni'ilin at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0M_ahA18Zs
SHEIKH JARRAH (Jerusalem-Al-Kuds)
Nissim Mossek: Police brutality at SJ may 14th http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYgKrWdjVTk
marching in support of 12 SJ detainees http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cYDdjPIYqk
"On Jerusalem Day hundreds of settlers entered Sheikh Jarrah. They sang hateful songs and danced on the street and in the yards of the houses. Though in court hearings the police claim that political activity in the site of the evicted houses is a provocation, the police forces allowed them to continue. They also declared the Sheikh Jarrah struggle protests to be illegal gatherings, so as to ease the settlers’ celebrations. During the Friday demonstration tens of protesters crossed Nablus road and demanded to protest exactly where the police allowed hundreds of settlers to protest two days before. In an act of non-violent civil disobedience, they sat on the road in protest until they were violently dispersed by the police. Ten demonstrators were arrested and spent the weekend under arrest.
Let us continue to protest against enforcement of the law that grants only Jews the right of return and only settlers the right to protest in the neighborhood.
The demonstration will take place on Friday at 16:00 in the neighborhood
We meet on Nablus Road, near the American Colony Hotel"
During the week Israeli activists were involved with local Palestinian and their persistent struggle against the transfer.
This Friday too some 300 demonstrators gathered in Sheikh Rarrah to protest the banishing of Palestinian families from their homes and their replacement by Jewish settlers. Many demonstrators came to fill the places of those activists who were badly beaten or barred from returning to the demonstration following last week's demonstration.
This week the protest stayed in the park opposite the neighborhood, where the police usually allows it to take place, and no confrontations took place. Several activists who crossed the road and handed out leaflets to the police, explaining why it was wrong to support the Apartheid policies in the neighborhood and to beat and arrest demonstrators, were frowned upon and sent back to join the rest of the demonstration.
This week too a group of few dozen Israeli activists marched from old city Nablus gate to Sheikh Jarakh demo with drums, flags, and chants and were warmly greeted by the big crowd already there.
TEL AVIV
"This Friday we will also hold a protest vigil about Sheikh Jarrah in Tel Aviv at 16:00 on the corner of King George and Ben Zion The vigil will be joined those who are restrained from the neighborhood, the Tel Aviv drummers and supporters. We will stand at the same hour in Tel Aviv and Sheikh Jarrah and cry “You cannot kill popular resistance”. For further information: D.
21.05.2010 - Report from Tel Aviv - Protest in solidarity with Sheikh Jarach
Approximately 100 Israeli protestors gathered in the corner of Ben-Zion Boulevard and King George street, among them about 10 of the regular Sheikh Jarach protesters who are under restriction from last week. With a small speaker and loud chants we reminded Tel Avivians that just a 45 minutes drive away, elders, men, women and children are thrown out from their homes to the street, while those who speak out for them are thrown into prison. Those of us who stood closer to the road got the pleasure of being cursed occasionally by drivers. A bit later some teenagers started singing "Jerusalem of Gold" from a bus towards the demonstration, and were silenced by the protestors chanting "You have no shame? an occupied city is not holy" (in Hebrew it rhymes). I was lightly attacked by a motorcyclist who tried to tear my sign which read "Sheikh Jarach is Palestine". After about an hour the demonstration was over, and a march idea came up, but was turned down in favor of a short meeting to make plans for following weeks. An angry policeman didn't care and continued to threaten us not to hold a march. Following his excitement, we will seriously consider marching next time.
Videos:
http://www.tv.social.org.il/medini/stv-sheich-jarach-tlv-21-5-2010.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p9AYJnbTxQ
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1437252860561&ref=mf Friday Tel Aviv demo at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwXsusMLkZ8
WAD RACHAL (near Ma'asara)
"We have been invited to a meeting in Wad Rachal (near Maasara) on Thursday 20-5-10. They got new confiscation orders for their lands and have had a few demonstrations".
WALLAGE
"This Friday 21-5-10 we will go to al wallaje for a tour by the local committee followed by the weekly demo. We will leave from the bell park in Jerusalem at 10:00 and return after the demo to sheikh jarrah at about 15:00. To join for either/both tour and demo contact....
This Friday, about 20 Israelis and internationals joined a few dozen Palestinians for a demonstration in Walaje against the wall that is going to enclose the village and turn it into an enclave/open air prison. After a brief march speeches were held in Hebrew, English and Arabic. The army didn't approach the demo. Then we went to the protest tent set up on the village's lands that are to be confiscated for constructing the wall, where the local elders gave the visitors a first hand account of the history of the village since the 1948 war. The organizers reported that the legal case against the local section of the wall is to be reopened on July 25, but the authorities are not freezing the construction. The local organizers are therefore trying to bring the legal proceedings forward, and invite activists to join the villagers on Sunday 9:00 to resist the bulldozers.
------------------------
See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle continue with additional locations every week
The 62nd 15th of May 1948 Nakhba day was commemorated this weekend. On the week end, in addition to the regular joint actions in Beit Jala, Beit Umar, Bil'in, Court solidarity, Hebron, Ma'asara, Nabi Salih, Ni'ilin, Wallaje, Sheikh Jarrah, we were also in Bidu, and Wad Rachal.... Wednesday: "About hundred Israelis: of the radical left including the activists of the anarchists against the wall initiative, and hundreds of Bedouins of the Israeli arid south (Negev), participated on Wednesday in Tel Aviv, protesting the continuous robbery of lands and transfer of the Palestinians that never ended even within the 1948 borders of Israel".
BEIT JALLA
In an action this Sunday morning 16-5-10 the bulldozers were stopped in Beit Jala. 4 Israelis and 4 internationals were arrested.
Media: A young Palestinian protester climbs on an excavator during a demonstration by Palestinian, Israeli and foreign activists against Israel's controversial separation barrier in the West Bank town of Beit Jala near Bethlehem on May 16, 2010. Israel says the network of steel and concrete walls, fences and barbed wire is needed for security while the Palestinians view it as a land grab that undermines their promised state.
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0cSn0efeeAgjP/x250.jpg
BIDU
Some 10 Israelis joined about 100 Palestinians in Biddu/Beit Ijza for a demonstration against the land annexation wall. Since the wall was set up the farmers were allowed to enter and work their lands across the fence on Mondays-Thursdays. But in the last three months they were not allowed to cross and take care of their fruit trees and vegetables. The demonstrators started the gathering with their midday prayers while the soldiers were watching from a distance. Then speeches were made in Hebrew and Arabic, and at some point the demonstrators' enthusiasm led to breaking the lock on the outer gate and taking it off its hinges. The demonstrators sat tensely and quietly between the the fence's gates until the soldiers decided to take action, came through their gate and abducted two demonstrators. At this point some out of control youth threw stones, and an out of control soldier responded with gas. But the quiet was restored, and negotiations began, allowing the locals to explain their plight to the soldiers. In return to putting the gate back on its hinges the hostages were released, and the demonstration disbanded.
BIL'IN
About 30 Israeli activists and a bunch of internationals joined one hundred Palestinian residents of Bil'in and delegation of the PFLP for a special demonstration in commemoration of the Nakba. Demonstrators carried a large "Key of Return", and three of them were dressed as Handalle, the symbol of Palestinian exile and resistance.
Once at the fence demonstrators were soon met by flying tear gas canisters (the soldiers had not waited for the stone throwing of the shabbab as pretext) which had little to no effect as the wind was blowing in the soldiers' direction. The soldiers thus decided to cross the fence and scare demonstrators away. As the we were running, one photographer was caught and arrested.
At this point the demonstration moved to its second phase, that of cordial exchanging of stones and tear gas between local youth and soldiers. Due to the heavy heat, several bush fires erupted around the army's grenades, and efforts to put them out were answered by more tear gas. One of the fires spread drastically, caused severe damage to olive trees, and was only put out with the help of the local fire fighters, who took their time in coming about.
After the fires, the demonstration was more or less over and half of the Israelis traveled to the Sheikh Jarrah demonstration.
David Reeb video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-aIKYnJjek
Picture: http://awalls.org/files/images/bilin14-5-10.jpg
COURT SOLIDARITY
Comrades converged Monday at the Jerusalem court for solidarity. It was the first hearing of the first 8 comrades arrested in the Sheikh Jarrah demonstrations.
Tuesday and Wednesdays there were two court dates for Abdallah Abu Rahme of Bil'in in the Ofer military court.
Wednesday comrades converged in Ameer Makhoul, an Israeli citizen Palestinian human rights defender at Petah Tikva court hearing.
Saturday night there was a big solidarity demonstration while the 14 arrested in the Friday demonstration in Sheikh Jarrah were processed after spending 28 hours in jail.
HEBRON (Al Halil)
Media: A left-wing Israeli peace activist (L) tries to stop an Israeli soldier from detaining a Palestinian boy during a peacefull demonstration near an Israeli army checkpoint in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on May 15, 2010 on the occasion of what Palestinians and Arab Israelis call the Nakba, or the "catastrophe" of Israel's creation in 1948, to demand the right of return of refugees. More than 760,000 Palestinians -- estimated today to number 4.7 million with their descendants -- were pushed into exile or driven out of their homes in the conflict that followed Israel's creation 62 years ago.
http://media.nj.com/star-ledger/photo/-8917bd2a50d35ad0_custom_665xauto.jpg
MA'ASARA
On Friday there was an arts festival in the village in the memory of the 1948 Nakhba day. The march started with not too many participants, but during the happening the number of participants raised to about 200. Members of the of the village popular comity carried speeches in Arabic, English, and Hebrew to commemorate the Nakhba and the lost villages were carried. At some point, Shai who was supposed to serve as reservist at the state force guarding the demo - but refused to enlist and came to the demo instead, was put on the stage and got lot of warmth and respect.
In the same mood of the previous Friday demo, the state forces kept a low profile till 10 minutes after the stage and chairs were taken away. Then a short exchanges of shabbab's stone throwing and army tear gas developed.
http://awalls.org/files/images/maasara14-5-10.jpg
NABI SALIH
Army Detained Two Israeli Protesters and Beats One While in Custody, Introduces Assault Dogs in Nabi Saleh Demo on May 14, 2010
Around 80 Nabi Saleh residents, other Palestinians and international and Israeli supporters participated in this week's demonstration against the strangulating occupation and the Halamish settlement. This time the peaceful march was not attacked at first by the Israeli army. Protesters scattered around the main road that crosses Nabi Saleh, while the army was waiting on the road close to the settlement and the village's hill top that leads to the spring nearby. Soon enough clashes erupted, and the army's tear gas grenades set fire throughout the area. Tear gas and sound grenades were also thrown on and around houses that are located on the village's hill top.
Around 15:00 the army entered the main road and fired tear gas to more populated village's areas. During that time, 2 Israeli protesters were apprehended and detained by soldiers, one of them dragged on the road. The army retreated then. It turned out the protester who was dragged was also beaten in the car while in custody, and had her head bleeding. The protesters were released around 19:00 while clashes were still taking place.
A bit earlier soldiers came out of one of the army's jeeps with tied assault dogs, storming on the retreating protesters. None were apprehended, and the army went back to his traditional and mostly human-repugnant weapons of tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets.
Israel Puterman video clip of 14-5-2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETDt178TXVE
NI'ILIN
In Ni'ilin, the demonstration was also dedicated to commemorating the Nakba day. The demonstrators gathered at the village fields, holding the Friday prayer there. The march then proceeded to the route of the wall, led by a demonstrator carrying a huge model of a key – symbolizing the 62 years old Palestinian passion of return. As the demonstration reached the huge concrete slabs dissecting the village from its agricultural land, clashes erupted between some of the village youth throwing stones at the soldiers, the last firing tear gas at every demonstrator.
SHEIKH JARRAH (Jerusalem-Al-Kuds)
During the week activists distributed fliers and joined the Palestinian families in the eviction street - including a vigil at the neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon in the "Jerusalem Day.
This Friday the main demonstration was preceded with a march of few dozens strong from the Old Jerusalem location towards Sheikh Jarrah.
Few hundreds (Media say 350) - Mainly locals and a bus load of Tel Vivians came to the main demonstration location. At a certain point more than a 100 activists crossed the main street and started to march to towards the evicted an in danger of future eviction houses. When blocked by the state forces we seat on the road. State forces started to harass a arrest people in the front of us. After arresting 14, they changed to just roughly lift people from the road and moved the to the pavement of the near by main road. About 6 comrades needed medical treatment for injuries.
Two were released after they accepted a plea with restriction from Sheikh Jarrah for two weeks. The others refused and served the night at prison till Saturday night hearing.
Video clips at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwEubxCsnGc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY5-HdQKqok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0-th3P1rpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHEmt75Zp8c
Media report: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3889588,00.html
Saturday late night/early morning, the 12 arrested were released with restriction from the neighborhood till the next hearing on next Sunday - 23-5-10.
TEL AVIV
Call the public to DEMONSTRATE In Tel Aviv, on Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 at 5:30.
With hundreds of Bedouins from the Negev:
TO PUT A STOP TO THE THEFT OF BEDOUIN LAND IN THE NEGEV !
STOP KKL’S FORESTATION WORKS ON AL ARAKIB LAND – RIGHT NOW!
HALT STATE POLICY OF HOME DEMOLITIONS, EVICTION AND CROP DESTRUCTION!!!
In the past year, the authorities have exacerbated their harassment of Bedouin residents of the unrecognized villages in the Negev , in order to dispossess them of their lands and dwelling places.
The State implements this abominable and dangerous policy by making the Bedouins’ lives impossible in the unrecognized villages, by demolishing their homes, issuing eviction orders, destroying crops and carrying out forestation projects in Bedouin-owned lands by leasing them to the KKL.
Such policy will not bear any positive fruit for anyone living in the Negev, neither Jews nor Arabs – it will only increase alienation and hatred and prevent the development of the Negev for the good of all its communities. Only the recognition of equal civil rights for Bedouins and their rights to their claimed lands will make the Negev bloom.
The State’s dispossession of the Bedouins, and the discriminatory practices and violation of the fundamental rights of the Arab minority in Israel are dangerous acts: if they are not stopped, they will put an end to the values of equality, liberty and democracy that are already deteriorating in Israel . The struggle for the rights of the Bedouins is common to all those concerned about the democratic and egalitarian image of the State – Arabs and Jews alike.
WE DEMAND OF THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL
TO RECOGNIZE THE UNRECOGNIZED VILLAGES AND PROVIDE THEM WITH MUNICIPAL SERVICES!
TO RECOGNIZE AND REGULATE DE-FACTO ALL OWNERSHIP CLAIMS OF THE BEDOUINS TO THEIR NEGEV LANDS!!
TO RECOGNIZE THE RIGHT OF EVERY BEDOUIN, AS THAT OF ANY OTHER CITIZEN, TO CHOOSE HIS/HER WAY OF LIFE AND PLACE OF DWELLING!!!
WE DEMAND OF THE KKL TO CEASE FORESTATION WORKS ON AL ARAKIB LAND IMMEDIATELY!
OUR NEXT ANNOUNCEMENT WILL CONTAIN INFORMATION ON THE PLACE, TIME AND SPEAKERS AT THE DEMONSTRATION
The demonstration:
On Wednesday late afternoon the hundreds of Bedouins - citizens of Israel from the arid south came to the demonstration in Tel Aviv center. About hundred Israelis: of the radical left including the activists of the anarchists against the wall initiative participated in the protest of the advanced of robbery of lands and transfer of the Palestinians that never ended even within the 1948 borders of Israel.
WAD RACHAL (near Ma'asara)
The first joint Friday demonstration against the separation fence and occupation in another village in the south of Bethlehem region.
Wad Rachal is a village which is located northern to Al Maasara, and is a house to around 1500 residents. the land stealing process is clearly obvious as concrete foundations, which will be used for the future separation fence, is placed beside the houses and separate between them and their land in order to fulfill the
expansion of the settlement Efrat. today at noon around 40 Palestinians, 5
internationals, and 4 Israelis gathered to protest against the occupation. a short march along with flags and singing led us over the concrete foundations in front of police and military jeeps. the demonstration stopped in front of the soldiers, and after short speeches in Arabic and English we made our way back to the village, and only luckily the situation didn't escalated to tear gas and rubber bullets.
WALLAGE
The struggle in the village intensified. Demonstrations and direct actions were during the whole week:
"There will be a demo in wallaje on Tuesday"
"In the last month the people of al-wallaje have started weekly Friday demos against the wall that will surround the village and the settlement planned on its land.
On 22.4 bulldozers started leveling the ground for the wall the village, since then the people of the village and other palestinians have acted directly together with Israelis and internationals opposing the working bulldozers, in addition every Friday the people of al-walaje march to the work site and demonstrate."
------------------------
See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
BEIT JALLA
In an action this Sunday morning 16-5-10 the bulldozers were stopped in Beit Jala. 4 Israelis and 4 internationals were arrested.
Media: A young Palestinian protester climbs on an excavator during a demonstration by Palestinian, Israeli and foreign activists against Israel's controversial separation barrier in the West Bank town of Beit Jala near Bethlehem on May 16, 2010. Israel says the network of steel and concrete walls, fences and barbed wire is needed for security while the Palestinians view it as a land grab that undermines their promised state.
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0cSn0efeeAgjP/x250.jpg
BIDU
Some 10 Israelis joined about 100 Palestinians in Biddu/Beit Ijza for a demonstration against the land annexation wall. Since the wall was set up the farmers were allowed to enter and work their lands across the fence on Mondays-Thursdays. But in the last three months they were not allowed to cross and take care of their fruit trees and vegetables. The demonstrators started the gathering with their midday prayers while the soldiers were watching from a distance. Then speeches were made in Hebrew and Arabic, and at some point the demonstrators' enthusiasm led to breaking the lock on the outer gate and taking it off its hinges. The demonstrators sat tensely and quietly between the the fence's gates until the soldiers decided to take action, came through their gate and abducted two demonstrators. At this point some out of control youth threw stones, and an out of control soldier responded with gas. But the quiet was restored, and negotiations began, allowing the locals to explain their plight to the soldiers. In return to putting the gate back on its hinges the hostages were released, and the demonstration disbanded.
BIL'IN
About 30 Israeli activists and a bunch of internationals joined one hundred Palestinian residents of Bil'in and delegation of the PFLP for a special demonstration in commemoration of the Nakba. Demonstrators carried a large "Key of Return", and three of them were dressed as Handalle, the symbol of Palestinian exile and resistance.
Once at the fence demonstrators were soon met by flying tear gas canisters (the soldiers had not waited for the stone throwing of the shabbab as pretext) which had little to no effect as the wind was blowing in the soldiers' direction. The soldiers thus decided to cross the fence and scare demonstrators away. As the we were running, one photographer was caught and arrested.
At this point the demonstration moved to its second phase, that of cordial exchanging of stones and tear gas between local youth and soldiers. Due to the heavy heat, several bush fires erupted around the army's grenades, and efforts to put them out were answered by more tear gas. One of the fires spread drastically, caused severe damage to olive trees, and was only put out with the help of the local fire fighters, who took their time in coming about.
After the fires, the demonstration was more or less over and half of the Israelis traveled to the Sheikh Jarrah demonstration.
David Reeb video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-aIKYnJjek
Picture: http://awalls.org/files/images/bilin14-5-10.jpg
COURT SOLIDARITY
Comrades converged Monday at the Jerusalem court for solidarity. It was the first hearing of the first 8 comrades arrested in the Sheikh Jarrah demonstrations.
Tuesday and Wednesdays there were two court dates for Abdallah Abu Rahme of Bil'in in the Ofer military court.
Wednesday comrades converged in Ameer Makhoul, an Israeli citizen Palestinian human rights defender at Petah Tikva court hearing.
Saturday night there was a big solidarity demonstration while the 14 arrested in the Friday demonstration in Sheikh Jarrah were processed after spending 28 hours in jail.
HEBRON (Al Halil)
Media: A left-wing Israeli peace activist (L) tries to stop an Israeli soldier from detaining a Palestinian boy during a peacefull demonstration near an Israeli army checkpoint in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on May 15, 2010 on the occasion of what Palestinians and Arab Israelis call the Nakba, or the "catastrophe" of Israel's creation in 1948, to demand the right of return of refugees. More than 760,000 Palestinians -- estimated today to number 4.7 million with their descendants -- were pushed into exile or driven out of their homes in the conflict that followed Israel's creation 62 years ago.
http://media.nj.com/star-ledger/photo/-8917bd2a50d35ad0_custom_665xauto.jpg
MA'ASARA
On Friday there was an arts festival in the village in the memory of the 1948 Nakhba day. The march started with not too many participants, but during the happening the number of participants raised to about 200. Members of the of the village popular comity carried speeches in Arabic, English, and Hebrew to commemorate the Nakhba and the lost villages were carried. At some point, Shai who was supposed to serve as reservist at the state force guarding the demo - but refused to enlist and came to the demo instead, was put on the stage and got lot of warmth and respect.
In the same mood of the previous Friday demo, the state forces kept a low profile till 10 minutes after the stage and chairs were taken away. Then a short exchanges of shabbab's stone throwing and army tear gas developed.
http://awalls.org/files/images/maasara14-5-10.jpg
NABI SALIH
Army Detained Two Israeli Protesters and Beats One While in Custody, Introduces Assault Dogs in Nabi Saleh Demo on May 14, 2010
Around 80 Nabi Saleh residents, other Palestinians and international and Israeli supporters participated in this week's demonstration against the strangulating occupation and the Halamish settlement. This time the peaceful march was not attacked at first by the Israeli army. Protesters scattered around the main road that crosses Nabi Saleh, while the army was waiting on the road close to the settlement and the village's hill top that leads to the spring nearby. Soon enough clashes erupted, and the army's tear gas grenades set fire throughout the area. Tear gas and sound grenades were also thrown on and around houses that are located on the village's hill top.
Around 15:00 the army entered the main road and fired tear gas to more populated village's areas. During that time, 2 Israeli protesters were apprehended and detained by soldiers, one of them dragged on the road. The army retreated then. It turned out the protester who was dragged was also beaten in the car while in custody, and had her head bleeding. The protesters were released around 19:00 while clashes were still taking place.
A bit earlier soldiers came out of one of the army's jeeps with tied assault dogs, storming on the retreating protesters. None were apprehended, and the army went back to his traditional and mostly human-repugnant weapons of tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets.
Israel Puterman video clip of 14-5-2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETDt178TXVE
NI'ILIN
In Ni'ilin, the demonstration was also dedicated to commemorating the Nakba day. The demonstrators gathered at the village fields, holding the Friday prayer there. The march then proceeded to the route of the wall, led by a demonstrator carrying a huge model of a key – symbolizing the 62 years old Palestinian passion of return. As the demonstration reached the huge concrete slabs dissecting the village from its agricultural land, clashes erupted between some of the village youth throwing stones at the soldiers, the last firing tear gas at every demonstrator.
SHEIKH JARRAH (Jerusalem-Al-Kuds)
During the week activists distributed fliers and joined the Palestinian families in the eviction street - including a vigil at the neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon in the "Jerusalem Day.
This Friday the main demonstration was preceded with a march of few dozens strong from the Old Jerusalem location towards Sheikh Jarrah.
Few hundreds (Media say 350) - Mainly locals and a bus load of Tel Vivians came to the main demonstration location. At a certain point more than a 100 activists crossed the main street and started to march to towards the evicted an in danger of future eviction houses. When blocked by the state forces we seat on the road. State forces started to harass a arrest people in the front of us. After arresting 14, they changed to just roughly lift people from the road and moved the to the pavement of the near by main road. About 6 comrades needed medical treatment for injuries.
Two were released after they accepted a plea with restriction from Sheikh Jarrah for two weeks. The others refused and served the night at prison till Saturday night hearing.
Video clips at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwEubxCsnGc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY5-HdQKqok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0-th3P1rpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHEmt75Zp8c
Media report: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3889588,00.html
Saturday late night/early morning, the 12 arrested were released with restriction from the neighborhood till the next hearing on next Sunday - 23-5-10.
TEL AVIV
Call the public to DEMONSTRATE In Tel Aviv, on Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 at 5:30.
With hundreds of Bedouins from the Negev:
TO PUT A STOP TO THE THEFT OF BEDOUIN LAND IN THE NEGEV !
STOP KKL’S FORESTATION WORKS ON AL ARAKIB LAND – RIGHT NOW!
HALT STATE POLICY OF HOME DEMOLITIONS, EVICTION AND CROP DESTRUCTION!!!
In the past year, the authorities have exacerbated their harassment of Bedouin residents of the unrecognized villages in the Negev , in order to dispossess them of their lands and dwelling places.
The State implements this abominable and dangerous policy by making the Bedouins’ lives impossible in the unrecognized villages, by demolishing their homes, issuing eviction orders, destroying crops and carrying out forestation projects in Bedouin-owned lands by leasing them to the KKL.
Such policy will not bear any positive fruit for anyone living in the Negev, neither Jews nor Arabs – it will only increase alienation and hatred and prevent the development of the Negev for the good of all its communities. Only the recognition of equal civil rights for Bedouins and their rights to their claimed lands will make the Negev bloom.
The State’s dispossession of the Bedouins, and the discriminatory practices and violation of the fundamental rights of the Arab minority in Israel are dangerous acts: if they are not stopped, they will put an end to the values of equality, liberty and democracy that are already deteriorating in Israel . The struggle for the rights of the Bedouins is common to all those concerned about the democratic and egalitarian image of the State – Arabs and Jews alike.
WE DEMAND OF THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL
TO RECOGNIZE THE UNRECOGNIZED VILLAGES AND PROVIDE THEM WITH MUNICIPAL SERVICES!
TO RECOGNIZE AND REGULATE DE-FACTO ALL OWNERSHIP CLAIMS OF THE BEDOUINS TO THEIR NEGEV LANDS!!
TO RECOGNIZE THE RIGHT OF EVERY BEDOUIN, AS THAT OF ANY OTHER CITIZEN, TO CHOOSE HIS/HER WAY OF LIFE AND PLACE OF DWELLING!!!
WE DEMAND OF THE KKL TO CEASE FORESTATION WORKS ON AL ARAKIB LAND IMMEDIATELY!
OUR NEXT ANNOUNCEMENT WILL CONTAIN INFORMATION ON THE PLACE, TIME AND SPEAKERS AT THE DEMONSTRATION
The demonstration:
On Wednesday late afternoon the hundreds of Bedouins - citizens of Israel from the arid south came to the demonstration in Tel Aviv center. About hundred Israelis: of the radical left including the activists of the anarchists against the wall initiative participated in the protest of the advanced of robbery of lands and transfer of the Palestinians that never ended even within the 1948 borders of Israel.
WAD RACHAL (near Ma'asara)
The first joint Friday demonstration against the separation fence and occupation in another village in the south of Bethlehem region.
Wad Rachal is a village which is located northern to Al Maasara, and is a house to around 1500 residents. the land stealing process is clearly obvious as concrete foundations, which will be used for the future separation fence, is placed beside the houses and separate between them and their land in order to fulfill the
expansion of the settlement Efrat. today at noon around 40 Palestinians, 5
internationals, and 4 Israelis gathered to protest against the occupation. a short march along with flags and singing led us over the concrete foundations in front of police and military jeeps. the demonstration stopped in front of the soldiers, and after short speeches in Arabic and English we made our way back to the village, and only luckily the situation didn't escalated to tear gas and rubber bullets.
WALLAGE
The struggle in the village intensified. Demonstrations and direct actions were during the whole week:
"There will be a demo in wallaje on Tuesday"
"In the last month the people of al-wallaje have started weekly Friday demos against the wall that will surround the village and the settlement planned on its land.
On 22.4 bulldozers started leveling the ground for the wall the village, since then the people of the village and other palestinians have acted directly together with Israelis and internationals opposing the working bulldozers, in addition every Friday the people of al-walaje march to the work site and demonstrate."
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See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle continue in spite of inconsistent means of repression.
Beit Ummar, Beit Jala, Bil'in, Court solidarity, Hebron, Ma'asara, Nabi Salih, Ni'ilin, wallaje, Sheikh Jarrah - the number of locations of persistent popular unarmed joint struggle against the separation fence and other aspects of occupation increase. State forces are inconsistent in their means of repression. They state lot of threats that are seldom applied even symbolically. Some time they use harsher means and sometimes leniency. This Friday it was expressed in relative leniency in the Friday demos in Ma'asara and the beginning of that of Bil'in. The harsher means were expressed in the "hunt" and arrest of 6 demonstrators in Bil'in at the end of the demo when most participants were nearly back in the village, and the about 10 detainees in Nabi Salih or on the way to the demo.
BEIT JALLA
In Beit Jala on Sunday a minister visit shortened the demo into 10 minutes of speeches and some burning of Israeli products' empty packages on a barbed wire in front of the soldiers that guarded the way to the wall's construction. The burning of the packages was done in honor of the Palestinian campaign for a boycott of Israeli goods. Some minor clashes between the army and stone throwers followed the demo, but the stone throwers were soon pushed away by Palestinian police.
BIL'IN
Over 20 Israelis and a similar number of internationals joined the Palestinian residents of Bil'in for the weekly demonstration against the fence, land theft, and apartheid. The demonstration was opened with an enactment of a burial procession to remind us of the situation of Palestinian refugees. When demonstrators reached the fence the heat had already taken its toll, and the demonstration wasn't very energetic. But then the shabab tried to disperse the soldiers with stones, and the gas came a-pouring. Since the demonstration was smaller than those of the last couple of weeks (May Day and the Bil'in conference), a larger number of soldiers invaded the village trying to arrest demonstrators, and reached deeper into the village. As usual, those arrested were the ones who didn't run fast enough: a couple of photographers, a medic, a non violent demonstrator with special needs who was brutally knocked down, a farmer living near the site of the arrests who tried to persuade the soldiers to leave alone the one brutally knocked down, an Israeli who tried to intervene, and a guy who tried to help put to extinguish a bush fire caused by the army's grenades. Three of detainees (two Israelis and an international) were released Friday tonight. The three Palestinians, as befitting an apartheid regime, were transferred to Ofer concentration camp without as much as a Police interrogation.
COURT SOLIDARITY
"There will be several court dates at the Ofer military court (and concentration camp) this Wednesday. Including another "hearing" of the case of Abdallah Abu Rahme and other people many of you might know. If you can come to court to support them please send me your name and ID numbers by tomorrow."
HEBRON
Report of previous Saturday demo
Report from 2st Weekly Saturday Protest in Hebron - May 1st, 2010
A group of approximately 50 Palestinian, Israeli, and International activists gathered in Hebron next to the checkpoint gate separating Shuhada Street in H2 from the Casbah in H1. This time the settlers tricked us and started their tour 4 hours earlier, so we missed them. But this didn't stop us, and the demonstration proceeded according to the plan. The protestors stood in front of the gate, holding signs and chanting slogans in Arabic, Hebrew, and English. Soldiers and Israeli police looked onto and videotaped the protest from pillboxes and rooftops nearby. After about an hour of protesting at the gate, a march began, through the old city streets to the other side. On the way, settlers attacked the protestors, spraying water on them from rooftops. Luckily, this was anticipated and by walking near the walls nobody got wet. A bold protester used a loud speaker to tell the settlers what we think of them. All in good taste, of course, as much as the circumstances permit. The protest ended shortly afterwards, with a promise to return next week. At the ending point we encountered a group of men preparing to celebrate a wedding. One of the elders gave a spontaneous speech in support of peace but in opposition of protest. He was bit unclear, but we invited him to join us next week and judge it up close. This is the second week in a series of protests that will continue until racism and separation will be abolished in Hebron and all of Palestine.
For more information, enter the website of the local organization: http://www.youthagainstsettlements.org/
This Friday
In Hebron on Saturday a 40 people demo included some chanting of slogans in front of the closed gates of a settlers controlled street closed to movement of Palestinians, to the eyes of settlers and soldiers. It followed by a march through the old city, and at a certain points settlers through water buckets from above at the chanting protesters who told them in their place what they think of their choice of residence. The demo ended quietly after an hour.
MA'ASARA
A rare achievement for the popular struggle in Ma'asara: for the first time in two years demonstrators have succeeded reaching the agricultural lands on the route of the wall.
The weekly demonstration, numbering but 35 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals, proceeded from the heart of the village, arriving at the regular location where soldiers and barbed wire stopped the march. Stating, as usual, that they want to reach the village lands, demonstrators were surprised to see officers actually considering the notion, then allowing the march and asking activists to avoid blocking the road.
And so the march proceeded, going round the wire and on to the lands. Once there, demonstrators carried speeches and sang the International, and after another half hour returned peacefully to the village.
NABI SALIH
Friday May 7, 2010
Around 50 Nabi Saleh residents, other Palestinians and international and Israeli supporters participated in this week's demonstration against the strangulating occupation and the Halamish settlement. As usual, the demonstration just began and was peaceful as the Israeli army launched much of its aggression on the village's built area, using tear gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets. Israeli soldiers were also based on a hill that leads to a spring of the village, next to the settlement, but they were warded off by some kids, in a symbolic victory that cheered everyone in the hot sunny day. Some 8 military vehicles were involved in this week's aggression, and for long hours they were all on the village's main junction, soldiers spreading throughout the area, while one jeep had to be towed.
A child and 3 more were arrested, beaten by undercover Israeli soldiers during this Friday Nabi Saleh demonstration; 5 more were arrested on the way
Around 18:00 when the demonstration in Nabi Saleh were in its last clashes with Israeli soldiers, undercover soldiers, backed by an army invasion, came from behind the demonstrators, and grabbed a Palestinian 11 year old child. Two Israeli protesters who witnessed the misdeed were arrested too after pointing out to the soldiers that he is just a small kid. Another Palestinian 19 year old was arrested and beaten by the undercover soldiers, who fired a live ammunition rifle to the air and used stun grenades to keep other protesters at bay. The child, who was beaten by an undercover soldier in the Halamish police station, was released after family intervention and appeal to the army. 4 more Israelis and an International were detained and taken to a police station when riding a car on a road that leads to Nabi Saleh.
Another take:
In Nebi Salah, the youth clashed with border police officers and soldiers, but by the evening the clashes subsided, that is until an army jeep returned to the village, repeatedly driving up the access road and drawing the village youths toward it. suddenly the shout that soldiers have entered the village was heard, and the protesters began to run away. seconds later it transpired that around seven undercover police were present, and discovered by the villagers. the undercovers proceeded to shoot their hand guns in the air, throw stun grenades and gas grenades, and charged into the crowd, arresting whoever they could get their hands on. their catch included a petrified Palestinian boy aged 11, one youth of 19, and two Israeli activists. all were led away by the undercovers with the backup of around twenty soldiers from a special force. Women from the village, upon hearing that a boy was arrested, ran over to where the soldiers were loading the arrestees on to a jeep, and pleaded to see the arrested boy. border police officers threw tear gas and the women and threatened them with violence. following urgent intervention by protesters, the 11 year old boy was released soon after being taken with the others to the Halamish settlement. he testified that one of the undercover police beat him at the settlement, and was experiencing pain in his arm.
The other arrestees were taken, bound and blindfolded, to the Benyamin police station, where the two Israelis were interrogated for allegedly being in a closed military zone before they were releced. The Palestinian was transferred to Ofer.
The Israelis detained on the way to Nebi Salah were released with out any conditiones.
David Reeb Friday 7.5.2010 video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFnaTMLrXSU
NI'ILIN
The weekly protest against the wall in Ni'lin left after lunchtime prayers and reached the route of the barrier, with Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals voicing their objection to this land grab. some of the village youth waved a huge Palestinian flag and chanted slogans, while a small number threw stones at the soldiers on the other side of the wall. The soldiers fired tear gas at the demonstration, but brisk winds blew most of it away. After a couple of hours the protesters returned to the village. No injuries were recorded and the only unusual event was the sight of the soldiers accidentally setting fire to a section of land near their firing position.
The Israelis then set off to join the end of the protest in Nebi Salah. On their way, some activists were detained by a military jeep with the flimsy excuse that they were in area A, which Israelis are barred from. They were taken to a military base located inside the Halamish settlement and held unlawfully for more than six hours until the police had to release them with no charge.
Israel Puterman video of Ni'ilin demo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcti-0y5fZg
SHEIKH JARRAH
As usual, few hundreds people converged to the joint Friday demonstration against the transfer of Palestinian from Sheikh Jarrah. A few score vigil - including the drummers circle, which was staged nearer to the confiscated houses was forced to regroup to the allowed square at the main street.
Among the demonstrators (mostly from west Jerusalem) were also Palestinians from the neighborhood, activists from Tel Aviv, and few dozens who already participated in the Friday noon demos in Ma'asara, and Bil'in.
WALLAGE
"There will be a demo in wallage tomorrow (Thursday). If you can make it please let me know."
And there was such a demo on Thursday in the intensive struggle of the village against the separation fence. "4 were arrested in wallaje this morning and are on their way to court now. If you can make it there by about 3 pm (Thursday) please drop by. Some support would be important. You can contact m. who is on his way there."
Al Walaje Protest Report, Thursday, 06.05.10
About 25 activists, Palestinian, Israeli and International, came to protest against the construction of a huge prison, the Israeli separation wall, around the village of Al-Walaje. Protesters sat in front of the bulldozer and were violently removed by police (Magav soldiers) forces. Three Palestinian protestors were injured from beatings and pepper spray, one of them bleeding seriously following blows on his head from police clubs. The path of the fence which is built at the moment is for pure real-estate considerations, nothing about security - the construction of Giv'at Yael settlement near Gilo. Everybody know this, and EVERYBODY object to this path. The Palestinians, the International Community, the environmentalists, the settlers (!), and even the colonel who drew the maps (!). EVERYBODY. One of the protestors explained to the commander in the area why what he is doing is a war crime. Also he mentioned how all through history many people had the chance to do something different - and only a few chose to do so. Why can't he be on of those few good people? The response at best was "this is what the government tells us to do" or "these are my orders". Police repeatedly tried to prevent the media and photographers from documenting events, but the latter stood on their right to do so, sometimes with help from protestors. TV crews from channel 10 (Ohad Hemo), Palestinian TV as well as foreign, were present.
Video of 6.5.10 demo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bknk8DEjO0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfglnJeNUUk - low quality
http://www.youtube.com/user/klamathmedia#p/a/u/0/O6J4h4_icKY - high quality
And photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/activestills
Former Yale professor among 4 detained in Walaja:
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=282201
Better and shorter videos of arrests in Al-Walaja
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEFwlD4ToF8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfglnJeNUUk
And below is a detailed description of what happened that day by Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh
Our ten hour ordeal with the occupation forces started at 8:30 AM as we gathered in the small village of Al-Wallaja. A tiny store with an elderly women who insisted on making me coffee and not charging me. Idyllic setting except for the heavy bulldozers now carving the hills to separate the remaining people from their lands via an apartheid wall that is planned to completely ring the village. This village that already lost much of its lands is in the unfortunate position of being near the Green line sitting on rich agricultural lands and the Israelis want the land but do not want the people that come with the land. Israeli military has already demolished homes in the village (most were rebuilt) and fined others for building without permits (which are not issued in this village). The heroic villagers inspired so many including Internationals and Israelis to join them in their popular resistance. Earlier, I shared with you many videos of the actions. Today’s even started as we came through the woods and sat in front of the bulldozer.
As the soldiers gathered their forces around us, you could feel the soldiers preparing themselves for attack. We remained calm and peaceful. They dragged us one by one forcefully from the bulldozed lands. They picked the four of us for arrest for no obvious reason. George from Canada, me from Beit Sahour, and two brothers from Al-Walaja (Dia’ and Nafez). They were particularly brutal with the two brothers using pepper spray repeatedly, hits with clubs (twice), and once with the rifle butt especially on Dia’. Dia’ could not see for a long time. They took us down the hill with full military escort and demanded our ID cards on the way (I and Nafez had them, Dia’ and George did not carry them). At the bottom of the hill sits a checkpoint for cars (mostly settlers) crossing into Jerusalem (from the illegal settlements of Har Gilo, Gilo, and Gush Etzion complex of settlements). There we were told to sit and wait as two private security guards were brought to supplement the four soldiers guarding us. Half an hour, an hour, two hours passed by. We spend time talking to soldiers explaining why they are wrong to punish people trying to defend their lands. I finally asked to go to the bathroom. They refused. I insisted and finally they escorted me to an outhouse (portable type). Other followed. Time passed. Officers came and said for us to sign a paper claiming all it said was that in our detention we were not beaten or mistreated. We refuse to sign. Finally, they receive the green light to arrest us officially so we are driven through Jerusalem and on to the investigation offices near Qubbit Raheel (Rachel’s tomb). Along the way, Dia’a nd Nafez comment that this is unusual for them to enter Jerusalem (forbidden to them since the Oslo accords). Al-Walaja is in the area of the area that they consider Israeli territory (the Gush Etzion complex of colonial settlements). Al-Walaja sits even partially on land annexed to Jerusalem, yet its residents are given Greed ID cards like me meaning West Bank Palestinians not allowed into Jerusalem.
We arrive at our destination and are locked up in a metal container. Two more hours pass by. Only some time soldiers come in and we talk to them. In all three we talk to three Arab soldiers including Marzouq and Madi (I nicknamed them M&M of the Israeli occupation army), three Ashkenazis, one Sephardic women who never smiled and seemed out of place, and one Ethiopian. Some are cold and distant, others argumentative but not knowing much, and yet others slightly more open and listen to what we had to tell them. I was proud of the Al-Walaja brothers using calm logic to explain: what would you do if some came and uprooted trees that your grandparents planted for you? How would you react if your source of life and livelihood is taken? But most of the nearly 40 soldiers and police officers we encountered along the way only uttered few words of orders and refused to engage with us. To them it seemed like a routine job. As they hauled us from one place to another, they would be chatting or texting on their mobile phones or joking with each other about things (I really have to take Hebrew classes).
The “investigator” finally arrives. We are finally allowed to make the call to a lawyer. The lawyer advises and we follow his advise. Each individually is taken to see the investigator. We are asked to sign other papers and again we refuse (in Hebrew). They force us to put our thumb on a separate form that merely has our names, ID numbers etc on it. Handcuffs are added and mobile phones are taken from us. As each one is returned to the container, we brief each other. We wait. The handcuffs are hurting. I notice it says on mine ‘Hiatt-Made in England’. I think to myself this whole mess was made in England (Balfour declaration and all that). An hour later, we are told they will take us to court and that each of us is to call a relative or friend to bring NIS 2500 (about $750) to the court in Jerusalem to use as bail. The phones are returned to us to make the calls. We are then ordered to get on the van to go (we presume to court). But then they change their minds. We don’t know what is going on. We are told not to use the mobile phones but we do when we are alone. My family manages to gather the money and as my wife is on the way nearly an hour later, the lawyer sends a message that we need to wait as they are negotiating with the judge. Yet another hour. We are then ordered on the van. They take us to Talpiot police station where they fingerprint and photograph us. Dragged like criminals with handcuffs in this now rich neighborhood. Old Jewish woman stares at me on the way out and I wish I am allowed to speak to her to tell her our stories. On the way in the back of the van, I tell the fellow inmates that this was an Arab neighborhood before the ethnic cleansing of 1948. Many Arab houses still stand taken over and converted into everything from residential villas to bars. We go back to the container holding pen. The handcuffs still hurting.
It was now nearly 5:30 and we were starving (no food and many of us have left home without breakfast and held since about 9 AM). We had asked for food on occasions. Finally they bring us some bread, each a slice of cheese and a small packets of jam (I guess because we have been in handcuffs for four hours at least and that is formal arrest). We devour it quickly and wonder whether this is a sign of us staying longer or that we would be released soon. Another half an hour and we are dragged (this time together) in front of a new investigator who asked us to sign a release form that says that we are told to stay away from the wall (yes it says the wall on official Israeli documents) for 15 days and if we don’t we will be have to pay each NIS5000 (about $1200). A friend from Al-Walaja was kind enough to come and cosign to ensure that we will follow the stated orders.
George’s situation was not clear. They insisted on seeing his passport. A friend finally brought it after George was threatened with immediate deportation if he did not get the passport. The lawyer andus tried to persuade them to let him go. They asked me to translate for him at first that he must reappear at the same place Sunday and we thought they were releasing him with us. But alas, it was not to be. I hope he will not be deported anyway (their words are always not to be trusted).
The three of us were released but the soldiers did not give us our ID cards. In our jubilation at being released, we also had forgotten to ask about them (they had them for the 10 hour ordeal). So I came back with my wife and she was allowed into the checkpoint and an hour later, I had the ID cards. We had visitors from Jenin staying overnight with us and I was supposed to work with my technologist at the University today. But here I am way past midnight still writing this note and uploading a video. Tomorrow (Friday) there will be a demonstration in Al-Masara and the lettuce festival in Artas and other work to do. Life goes on in the land of Apartheid. La luta continua. Stay tuned.
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See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
BEIT JALLA
In Beit Jala on Sunday a minister visit shortened the demo into 10 minutes of speeches and some burning of Israeli products' empty packages on a barbed wire in front of the soldiers that guarded the way to the wall's construction. The burning of the packages was done in honor of the Palestinian campaign for a boycott of Israeli goods. Some minor clashes between the army and stone throwers followed the demo, but the stone throwers were soon pushed away by Palestinian police.
BIL'IN
Over 20 Israelis and a similar number of internationals joined the Palestinian residents of Bil'in for the weekly demonstration against the fence, land theft, and apartheid. The demonstration was opened with an enactment of a burial procession to remind us of the situation of Palestinian refugees. When demonstrators reached the fence the heat had already taken its toll, and the demonstration wasn't very energetic. But then the shabab tried to disperse the soldiers with stones, and the gas came a-pouring. Since the demonstration was smaller than those of the last couple of weeks (May Day and the Bil'in conference), a larger number of soldiers invaded the village trying to arrest demonstrators, and reached deeper into the village. As usual, those arrested were the ones who didn't run fast enough: a couple of photographers, a medic, a non violent demonstrator with special needs who was brutally knocked down, a farmer living near the site of the arrests who tried to persuade the soldiers to leave alone the one brutally knocked down, an Israeli who tried to intervene, and a guy who tried to help put to extinguish a bush fire caused by the army's grenades. Three of detainees (two Israelis and an international) were released Friday tonight. The three Palestinians, as befitting an apartheid regime, were transferred to Ofer concentration camp without as much as a Police interrogation.
COURT SOLIDARITY
"There will be several court dates at the Ofer military court (and concentration camp) this Wednesday. Including another "hearing" of the case of Abdallah Abu Rahme and other people many of you might know. If you can come to court to support them please send me your name and ID numbers by tomorrow."
HEBRON
Report of previous Saturday demo
Report from 2st Weekly Saturday Protest in Hebron - May 1st, 2010
A group of approximately 50 Palestinian, Israeli, and International activists gathered in Hebron next to the checkpoint gate separating Shuhada Street in H2 from the Casbah in H1. This time the settlers tricked us and started their tour 4 hours earlier, so we missed them. But this didn't stop us, and the demonstration proceeded according to the plan. The protestors stood in front of the gate, holding signs and chanting slogans in Arabic, Hebrew, and English. Soldiers and Israeli police looked onto and videotaped the protest from pillboxes and rooftops nearby. After about an hour of protesting at the gate, a march began, through the old city streets to the other side. On the way, settlers attacked the protestors, spraying water on them from rooftops. Luckily, this was anticipated and by walking near the walls nobody got wet. A bold protester used a loud speaker to tell the settlers what we think of them. All in good taste, of course, as much as the circumstances permit. The protest ended shortly afterwards, with a promise to return next week. At the ending point we encountered a group of men preparing to celebrate a wedding. One of the elders gave a spontaneous speech in support of peace but in opposition of protest. He was bit unclear, but we invited him to join us next week and judge it up close. This is the second week in a series of protests that will continue until racism and separation will be abolished in Hebron and all of Palestine.
For more information, enter the website of the local organization: http://www.youthagainstsettlements.org/
This Friday
In Hebron on Saturday a 40 people demo included some chanting of slogans in front of the closed gates of a settlers controlled street closed to movement of Palestinians, to the eyes of settlers and soldiers. It followed by a march through the old city, and at a certain points settlers through water buckets from above at the chanting protesters who told them in their place what they think of their choice of residence. The demo ended quietly after an hour.
MA'ASARA
A rare achievement for the popular struggle in Ma'asara: for the first time in two years demonstrators have succeeded reaching the agricultural lands on the route of the wall.
The weekly demonstration, numbering but 35 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals, proceeded from the heart of the village, arriving at the regular location where soldiers and barbed wire stopped the march. Stating, as usual, that they want to reach the village lands, demonstrators were surprised to see officers actually considering the notion, then allowing the march and asking activists to avoid blocking the road.
And so the march proceeded, going round the wire and on to the lands. Once there, demonstrators carried speeches and sang the International, and after another half hour returned peacefully to the village.
NABI SALIH
Friday May 7, 2010
Around 50 Nabi Saleh residents, other Palestinians and international and Israeli supporters participated in this week's demonstration against the strangulating occupation and the Halamish settlement. As usual, the demonstration just began and was peaceful as the Israeli army launched much of its aggression on the village's built area, using tear gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets. Israeli soldiers were also based on a hill that leads to a spring of the village, next to the settlement, but they were warded off by some kids, in a symbolic victory that cheered everyone in the hot sunny day. Some 8 military vehicles were involved in this week's aggression, and for long hours they were all on the village's main junction, soldiers spreading throughout the area, while one jeep had to be towed.
A child and 3 more were arrested, beaten by undercover Israeli soldiers during this Friday Nabi Saleh demonstration; 5 more were arrested on the way
Around 18:00 when the demonstration in Nabi Saleh were in its last clashes with Israeli soldiers, undercover soldiers, backed by an army invasion, came from behind the demonstrators, and grabbed a Palestinian 11 year old child. Two Israeli protesters who witnessed the misdeed were arrested too after pointing out to the soldiers that he is just a small kid. Another Palestinian 19 year old was arrested and beaten by the undercover soldiers, who fired a live ammunition rifle to the air and used stun grenades to keep other protesters at bay. The child, who was beaten by an undercover soldier in the Halamish police station, was released after family intervention and appeal to the army. 4 more Israelis and an International were detained and taken to a police station when riding a car on a road that leads to Nabi Saleh.
Another take:
In Nebi Salah, the youth clashed with border police officers and soldiers, but by the evening the clashes subsided, that is until an army jeep returned to the village, repeatedly driving up the access road and drawing the village youths toward it. suddenly the shout that soldiers have entered the village was heard, and the protesters began to run away. seconds later it transpired that around seven undercover police were present, and discovered by the villagers. the undercovers proceeded to shoot their hand guns in the air, throw stun grenades and gas grenades, and charged into the crowd, arresting whoever they could get their hands on. their catch included a petrified Palestinian boy aged 11, one youth of 19, and two Israeli activists. all were led away by the undercovers with the backup of around twenty soldiers from a special force. Women from the village, upon hearing that a boy was arrested, ran over to where the soldiers were loading the arrestees on to a jeep, and pleaded to see the arrested boy. border police officers threw tear gas and the women and threatened them with violence. following urgent intervention by protesters, the 11 year old boy was released soon after being taken with the others to the Halamish settlement. he testified that one of the undercover police beat him at the settlement, and was experiencing pain in his arm.
The other arrestees were taken, bound and blindfolded, to the Benyamin police station, where the two Israelis were interrogated for allegedly being in a closed military zone before they were releced. The Palestinian was transferred to Ofer.
The Israelis detained on the way to Nebi Salah were released with out any conditiones.
David Reeb Friday 7.5.2010 video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFnaTMLrXSU
NI'ILIN
The weekly protest against the wall in Ni'lin left after lunchtime prayers and reached the route of the barrier, with Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals voicing their objection to this land grab. some of the village youth waved a huge Palestinian flag and chanted slogans, while a small number threw stones at the soldiers on the other side of the wall. The soldiers fired tear gas at the demonstration, but brisk winds blew most of it away. After a couple of hours the protesters returned to the village. No injuries were recorded and the only unusual event was the sight of the soldiers accidentally setting fire to a section of land near their firing position.
The Israelis then set off to join the end of the protest in Nebi Salah. On their way, some activists were detained by a military jeep with the flimsy excuse that they were in area A, which Israelis are barred from. They were taken to a military base located inside the Halamish settlement and held unlawfully for more than six hours until the police had to release them with no charge.
Israel Puterman video of Ni'ilin demo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcti-0y5fZg
SHEIKH JARRAH
As usual, few hundreds people converged to the joint Friday demonstration against the transfer of Palestinian from Sheikh Jarrah. A few score vigil - including the drummers circle, which was staged nearer to the confiscated houses was forced to regroup to the allowed square at the main street.
Among the demonstrators (mostly from west Jerusalem) were also Palestinians from the neighborhood, activists from Tel Aviv, and few dozens who already participated in the Friday noon demos in Ma'asara, and Bil'in.
WALLAGE
"There will be a demo in wallage tomorrow (Thursday). If you can make it please let me know."
And there was such a demo on Thursday in the intensive struggle of the village against the separation fence. "4 were arrested in wallaje this morning and are on their way to court now. If you can make it there by about 3 pm (Thursday) please drop by. Some support would be important. You can contact m. who is on his way there."
Al Walaje Protest Report, Thursday, 06.05.10
About 25 activists, Palestinian, Israeli and International, came to protest against the construction of a huge prison, the Israeli separation wall, around the village of Al-Walaje. Protesters sat in front of the bulldozer and were violently removed by police (Magav soldiers) forces. Three Palestinian protestors were injured from beatings and pepper spray, one of them bleeding seriously following blows on his head from police clubs. The path of the fence which is built at the moment is for pure real-estate considerations, nothing about security - the construction of Giv'at Yael settlement near Gilo. Everybody know this, and EVERYBODY object to this path. The Palestinians, the International Community, the environmentalists, the settlers (!), and even the colonel who drew the maps (!). EVERYBODY. One of the protestors explained to the commander in the area why what he is doing is a war crime. Also he mentioned how all through history many people had the chance to do something different - and only a few chose to do so. Why can't he be on of those few good people? The response at best was "this is what the government tells us to do" or "these are my orders". Police repeatedly tried to prevent the media and photographers from documenting events, but the latter stood on their right to do so, sometimes with help from protestors. TV crews from channel 10 (Ohad Hemo), Palestinian TV as well as foreign, were present.
Video of 6.5.10 demo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bknk8DEjO0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfglnJeNUUk - low quality
http://www.youtube.com/user/klamathmedia#p/a/u/0/O6J4h4_icKY - high quality
And photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/activestills
Former Yale professor among 4 detained in Walaja:
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=282201
Better and shorter videos of arrests in Al-Walaja
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEFwlD4ToF8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfglnJeNUUk
And below is a detailed description of what happened that day by Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh
Our ten hour ordeal with the occupation forces started at 8:30 AM as we gathered in the small village of Al-Wallaja. A tiny store with an elderly women who insisted on making me coffee and not charging me. Idyllic setting except for the heavy bulldozers now carving the hills to separate the remaining people from their lands via an apartheid wall that is planned to completely ring the village. This village that already lost much of its lands is in the unfortunate position of being near the Green line sitting on rich agricultural lands and the Israelis want the land but do not want the people that come with the land. Israeli military has already demolished homes in the village (most were rebuilt) and fined others for building without permits (which are not issued in this village). The heroic villagers inspired so many including Internationals and Israelis to join them in their popular resistance. Earlier, I shared with you many videos of the actions. Today’s even started as we came through the woods and sat in front of the bulldozer.
As the soldiers gathered their forces around us, you could feel the soldiers preparing themselves for attack. We remained calm and peaceful. They dragged us one by one forcefully from the bulldozed lands. They picked the four of us for arrest for no obvious reason. George from Canada, me from Beit Sahour, and two brothers from Al-Walaja (Dia’ and Nafez). They were particularly brutal with the two brothers using pepper spray repeatedly, hits with clubs (twice), and once with the rifle butt especially on Dia’. Dia’ could not see for a long time. They took us down the hill with full military escort and demanded our ID cards on the way (I and Nafez had them, Dia’ and George did not carry them). At the bottom of the hill sits a checkpoint for cars (mostly settlers) crossing into Jerusalem (from the illegal settlements of Har Gilo, Gilo, and Gush Etzion complex of settlements). There we were told to sit and wait as two private security guards were brought to supplement the four soldiers guarding us. Half an hour, an hour, two hours passed by. We spend time talking to soldiers explaining why they are wrong to punish people trying to defend their lands. I finally asked to go to the bathroom. They refused. I insisted and finally they escorted me to an outhouse (portable type). Other followed. Time passed. Officers came and said for us to sign a paper claiming all it said was that in our detention we were not beaten or mistreated. We refuse to sign. Finally, they receive the green light to arrest us officially so we are driven through Jerusalem and on to the investigation offices near Qubbit Raheel (Rachel’s tomb). Along the way, Dia’a nd Nafez comment that this is unusual for them to enter Jerusalem (forbidden to them since the Oslo accords). Al-Walaja is in the area of the area that they consider Israeli territory (the Gush Etzion complex of colonial settlements). Al-Walaja sits even partially on land annexed to Jerusalem, yet its residents are given Greed ID cards like me meaning West Bank Palestinians not allowed into Jerusalem.
We arrive at our destination and are locked up in a metal container. Two more hours pass by. Only some time soldiers come in and we talk to them. In all three we talk to three Arab soldiers including Marzouq and Madi (I nicknamed them M&M of the Israeli occupation army), three Ashkenazis, one Sephardic women who never smiled and seemed out of place, and one Ethiopian. Some are cold and distant, others argumentative but not knowing much, and yet others slightly more open and listen to what we had to tell them. I was proud of the Al-Walaja brothers using calm logic to explain: what would you do if some came and uprooted trees that your grandparents planted for you? How would you react if your source of life and livelihood is taken? But most of the nearly 40 soldiers and police officers we encountered along the way only uttered few words of orders and refused to engage with us. To them it seemed like a routine job. As they hauled us from one place to another, they would be chatting or texting on their mobile phones or joking with each other about things (I really have to take Hebrew classes).
The “investigator” finally arrives. We are finally allowed to make the call to a lawyer. The lawyer advises and we follow his advise. Each individually is taken to see the investigator. We are asked to sign other papers and again we refuse (in Hebrew). They force us to put our thumb on a separate form that merely has our names, ID numbers etc on it. Handcuffs are added and mobile phones are taken from us. As each one is returned to the container, we brief each other. We wait. The handcuffs are hurting. I notice it says on mine ‘Hiatt-Made in England’. I think to myself this whole mess was made in England (Balfour declaration and all that). An hour later, we are told they will take us to court and that each of us is to call a relative or friend to bring NIS 2500 (about $750) to the court in Jerusalem to use as bail. The phones are returned to us to make the calls. We are then ordered to get on the van to go (we presume to court). But then they change their minds. We don’t know what is going on. We are told not to use the mobile phones but we do when we are alone. My family manages to gather the money and as my wife is on the way nearly an hour later, the lawyer sends a message that we need to wait as they are negotiating with the judge. Yet another hour. We are then ordered on the van. They take us to Talpiot police station where they fingerprint and photograph us. Dragged like criminals with handcuffs in this now rich neighborhood. Old Jewish woman stares at me on the way out and I wish I am allowed to speak to her to tell her our stories. On the way in the back of the van, I tell the fellow inmates that this was an Arab neighborhood before the ethnic cleansing of 1948. Many Arab houses still stand taken over and converted into everything from residential villas to bars. We go back to the container holding pen. The handcuffs still hurting.
It was now nearly 5:30 and we were starving (no food and many of us have left home without breakfast and held since about 9 AM). We had asked for food on occasions. Finally they bring us some bread, each a slice of cheese and a small packets of jam (I guess because we have been in handcuffs for four hours at least and that is formal arrest). We devour it quickly and wonder whether this is a sign of us staying longer or that we would be released soon. Another half an hour and we are dragged (this time together) in front of a new investigator who asked us to sign a release form that says that we are told to stay away from the wall (yes it says the wall on official Israeli documents) for 15 days and if we don’t we will be have to pay each NIS5000 (about $1200). A friend from Al-Walaja was kind enough to come and cosign to ensure that we will follow the stated orders.
George’s situation was not clear. They insisted on seeing his passport. A friend finally brought it after George was threatened with immediate deportation if he did not get the passport. The lawyer andus tried to persuade them to let him go. They asked me to translate for him at first that he must reappear at the same place Sunday and we thought they were releasing him with us. But alas, it was not to be. I hope he will not be deported anyway (their words are always not to be trusted).
The three of us were released but the soldiers did not give us our ID cards. In our jubilation at being released, we also had forgotten to ask about them (they had them for the 10 hour ordeal). So I came back with my wife and she was allowed into the checkpoint and an hour later, I had the ID cards. We had visitors from Jenin staying overnight with us and I was supposed to work with my technologist at the University today. But here I am way past midnight still writing this note and uploading a video. Tomorrow (Friday) there will be a demonstration in Al-Masara and the lettuce festival in Artas and other work to do. Life goes on in the land of Apartheid. La luta continua. Stay tuned.
------------------------
See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle against the separation fence, settlers terror, and occupation expand
Beit Ummar, Beit Jala, Bil'in, Hebron, Ma,asara, Nabi Salih, Ni'ilin, wallaje, Sheikh Jarrah are only the regular weekend joint struggles in the occupied Palestinian territories the Anarchists Against the Wall initiative can participate in. Other locations with less persistent struggles we join from time to time. There are other places we are invited or hear about but cannot attend. Even within Israel: Jaffa, Lod, the Negev Bedouins, and other places of Israeli state harassment of Palestinian citizens, we cannot cover as much as we wish.
BEIT UMMAR
Saturday, Israeli soldiers attacked on Saturday evening a nonviolent protest against settlements and ongoing settler attacks against the residents of Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Local sources reported that the army attacked the weekly protest and fired gas bombs and concussion grenades at dozens of protestors, including international peace activists, who were marching towards Palestinian lands located near the illegal Karmei Tzu illegal settlement.
Dozens of residents received treatment by field medics after inhaling gas fired by the army. Mohammad Ayyad, media spokesperson of the Palestine Solidarity Project has hit by a gas bomb in its face.
BEIT JALLA
Over 150 people: Palestinians, Internationals and Israelis, participated in the weekly anti-Apartheid Wall demonstration organized by the local Popular Committee in Beit Jala, Sunday. The protest march, which set out towards the Wall's construction site, was attacked with tear-gas and concussion grenades as soon as it reached a razor-wire barricade erected by soldiers on the road leading to village's lands.
As demonstrators were forced to retreat, soldiers continued to shoot tear-gas projectiles directly towards them. Local youth responded to the attack by throwing stones and clashes ensued. Two protesters were hit by rubber-coated bullets and Muammar Awad, an freelance cameraman, was hit in the head by an aluminum tear-gas projectile shot directly at him. According to eye witnesses, Awad was evacuated unconscious to the Sheari Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem, with blood gushing out of the back of his head.
According to a military confiscation order handed to the villagers, the path of the Wall will stretch over 4890 meters between Beit Jala and Al-Wallaja, affecting 35 families, whose homes may be slated for demolition.
Beit Jala is a predominantly Christian town located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem. Once completed, he Wall will Isolate 3,200 Dunams of the town's lands, including almost 3,000 Dunams of olive groves and the only recreational forest in the area, the Cremisan monastery and the Cremisan Cellars winery.
popularstruggle.org
BIL'IN
April 30, 2010
Today’s Friday noon started wit a whole hour of speeches in a 1st of May Assembly organized by the Union of Palestine Workers. It included speeches in honor of International Workers’ Day and the struggle in Bil'in. After that meeting a march towards the route of the separation fence started - including the usual chants and flags waving.
The few hundred marches included the out of the village participants of the Union of Palestine Workers "guests", about two dozen Israelis of the anarchists against the wall initiative, and some internationals.
Prior to the the arrival of the mass of the demonstration, two Israeli
activists approached the electronic fence and attempted to post on it WANTED flayers calling for the arrest of the soldier who shot Emad Rizka in the forehead at the
Friday’s demonstration of the previous week. When soldiers approached them, they moved away, and the soldiers arrested instead of them two Al-Jazeera TV cameramen who were sitting in a car by the fence.
When we arrived at the gate of the fence route, the soldiers were behind their concrete blocks mainly, and for about 10 minutes did nothing - not even replying to the calls to them or harassing the few who entered the route and hung flags on the electronic fence...
After a long wait, the shabab got bored and restless and started to through stones giving the state force excuse to start showering us with tear gas grenades. Soldiers fired the first rounds of tear gas into the crowd, and continued to launch tear gas
deep into the protestors’ route. After most demonstrators retreated, the soldiers aggressively entered the village in waves in an effort to make arrests.
Four people were arrested today, including a female journalist and an
international activist.
Injuries this week consisted of a girl who was struck from behind with
a tear gas canister. Cameraman Haitham al-Khatib was also hit in his
stomach by a canister. The international activist who was arrested was
treated roughly by the soldiers, who ripped off his gas mask and threw
him to the ground, resulting in a 3-inch gash on his leg and a wound to
his ear.
Today’s demonstration was hailed IPSC in solidarity - for the actions of
the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign - which is organizing major
demonstrations this week against the Irish multinational company CRH.
CRH acquired a 25% shareholding in the Israeli group Mashav Initiating
and Development Ltd, which is the holding company for Nesher Cement.
Nesher is the sole Israeli cement company, meaning it supplies cement
and building materials for the ongoing construction of the illegal
Separation Wall, the Jerusalem Light Railway project, the illegal
colonial settlements and the network of apartheid settler-only roads,
underpasses, bridges and tunnels in occupied Palestine.
Demonstrators in today’s procession carried signs calling for CRH
divestment from Israel, to coincide with the CRH annual general meeting
that will take place on Wednesday, May 5.
HEBRON
[Palestinian nonviolent] Youth Against Settlements (http://www.youthagainstsettlements.org) invites you to the weekly demonstration in Hebron on Saturday 1st May.
Last Saturday 60 Palestinian, Israeli and International demonstrators managed to severely disrupt the weekly settler tour in Hebron, holding them off for two hours and limiting their visit to the Old City to a mere 15 minutes. We need your support to continue this important and inspirational action. This week we want it to be bigger and better. Join us!
Where: Hebron; meet at the car-park to the right of Hebron Municipality.
When: Every Saturday. Meet at the carpark to the right of Hebron Municipality at 3:00pm. Demonstration brief will be given at 3:30pm. Demonstration will start at 4pm and is expected to last approximately 2-3 hours. Please be on time as we have to walk to the protest location.
Theme: The closure of Shuhada Street to Palestinians and the continued presence of illegal settlements in Hebron and the rest of the West Bank. We are hoping to block one of the regular "settler tours" that take place on Saturdays.
Bring: The more banners the better in Arabic, English and Hebrew. Bring things to make noise - we would particularly love to have drummers - please call us if you can attend!
Contact: by email at info-A-youthagainstsettlements.org.
Please share this invitation with anyone who may be interested!
Hope to see you Saturday for this important and exciting action!
Israel Puterman video of Hebron action: 1-5-10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFyG6P_KlJU
LOD (Israel)
"Finally, there are 13 immediate demolition orders against houses in Lod and we have been invited by the popular committee there to the protest tent. Lets try to go together on Wednesday afternoon. please let me know if you can make it."
"We met with the folks at the protest tent and they seemed very well organized and happy to receive any kind of support. As you can see they do something every day and anyone is welcome. If you need help getting there you can talk to me.
Also, there might be an important court hearing in their case on Sunday in tel aviv district court. If it happens there might be a vigil outside or just presence in the courtroom. Will send more details when I get them."
MA'ASARA
25 Palestinians, 15 Israelis and some internationals demonstrated this Friday in Ma'asara. Facing some thirty soldiers, protestors gave speeches in Arabic, English and Hebrew, ridiculing the so-called threat the soldiers seemed to find in the unarmed small demonstration.
Cars that tried to leave the village during the demonstration were stopped by the soldiers with their barbed wire. This includes one car carrying a sick woman to the regional clinic. Attempts to reason with the soldiers so they'd allow the cars through fell on deaf ears.
After about one hour of protest the demonstration ended. Next week's demonstration is expected to be bigger, as it will mark the 1st of May
NABI SALIH
Around 150 Israeli, international and local Palestinian residents from the village of Nabi Salih demonstrated today near the settlement of Halamish (Neve Zuf) protesting the on going expropriation of their land by Israel and used by the Jewish settlements around. The Israeli army entered the village in the early hours of the afternoon and surrounded the area attacking from the mountain top and the road in a long confrontation that lasted several hours while using tear gas, stunt grenades and rubber coated bullets in a violent attempt to break and disperse the demonstration. 5 protesters were arrested.
One Israeli was arrested and was released by judge Saturday night with 30 days restriction from Nebi Saleh
Israel Puterman video of Nebi Saleh 30-4-10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtXf69yGUwQ
NI'ILIN
The joint Friday demonstration persisted.
WALAGE
"There will probably be a meeting in wallaje tomorrow night (Tuesday 25-4-10) to plan the resistance for the next future. We are invited. If you can make it please let me know.
there might also be an attempt to go out to the work site tomorrow morning (Tuesday) if you can make that please also let me know"
Demo in Walaje tomorrow 26-4-10
Demonstrators managed to disrupt the construction of the Wall in al Walaja for the second time in a week . A 15 year old demonstrator was beaten, pepper-sprayed and arrested.
Palestinian, Israeli and international demonstrators managed to stop the construction of the Wall in the village of al-Walaja, south of Jerusalem for the second time this week. If completed, the path of the Wall in the area will surround the village completely, isolating it from all its lands, the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem and essentially the rest of the world.
Demonstrators managed to block the bulldozers in the early morning, and even climb and take over one of the machines. A Border Police force at the scene arrested on of the demonstrators 15 year old Nabil Hajajla who was beaten and pepper-sprayed. Following Hajajla's arrest, Border Police officers managed to drag the demonstrators away from the bulldozers and construction was resumed.
Al-Walaja is an agrarian village of about 2,000 people, located south of Jerusalem and West of Bethlehem. Following the 1967 Occupation of the West Bank and the redrawing of the Jerusalem municipal boundaries, roughly half the village was annexed by Israel and included in the Jerusalem municipal area. The village's residents, however did not receive Israeli residency or citizenship, and are considered illegal in their own homes.
Once completed, the path of the Wall is designed to encircle the village's built-up area entirely, separating the residents from both Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and almost all their lands - roughly 5,000 dunams. Previously, Israeli authorities have already confiscated approximately half of the village's lands for the building of the Har Gilo and Gilo settlements, and closed off areas to the south and west of it. The town's inhabitants have also experienced the cutting down of fruit orchards and house demolition due to the absence of building permits in Area C.
According to a military confiscation order handed to the villagers, the path of the Wall will stretch over 4890 meters between Beit Jala and alWallaja, affecting 35 families, whose homes may be slated for demolition.
From International Indymedia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOfSeEjbJ8Y&feature=player_embedded
On Friday, the 30th of May, at around 13:00, approx. 60 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals gathered in the village of al-Walaje for the demo against the apartheid wall, which is being built there these days while confiscating much of the village's lands, surrounding and excluding it from its connection with Jerusalem. The demo began with a march along the bulldozered roads of the village. While walking, some of the demonstrators took direct action and rolled big rocks back on the road where the wall is planned to be built. After the walk speeches were made, both by locals and supporters from the village of al-Ma'asara. Police was only overseeing the protest from afar.
http://awalls.org/files/images/4565952113_100ef9abeb.preview.jpg
SHEIKH JARRAH
During the week activists (mainly of west Jerusalem) gave support to the families terrorized by settler colonialists.
On Friday, few hundreds Israelis among them some of us already participated earlier in Bil'in and Ma'asara demos had our Friday late afternoon demonstration.
As usual, a vigil converged nearer to the homes under threat was forcibly pushed to the allowed location of the weekly demonstrations.
------------------------
See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
BEIT UMMAR
Saturday, Israeli soldiers attacked on Saturday evening a nonviolent protest against settlements and ongoing settler attacks against the residents of Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Local sources reported that the army attacked the weekly protest and fired gas bombs and concussion grenades at dozens of protestors, including international peace activists, who were marching towards Palestinian lands located near the illegal Karmei Tzu illegal settlement.
Dozens of residents received treatment by field medics after inhaling gas fired by the army. Mohammad Ayyad, media spokesperson of the Palestine Solidarity Project has hit by a gas bomb in its face.
BEIT JALLA
Over 150 people: Palestinians, Internationals and Israelis, participated in the weekly anti-Apartheid Wall demonstration organized by the local Popular Committee in Beit Jala, Sunday. The protest march, which set out towards the Wall's construction site, was attacked with tear-gas and concussion grenades as soon as it reached a razor-wire barricade erected by soldiers on the road leading to village's lands.
As demonstrators were forced to retreat, soldiers continued to shoot tear-gas projectiles directly towards them. Local youth responded to the attack by throwing stones and clashes ensued. Two protesters were hit by rubber-coated bullets and Muammar Awad, an freelance cameraman, was hit in the head by an aluminum tear-gas projectile shot directly at him. According to eye witnesses, Awad was evacuated unconscious to the Sheari Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem, with blood gushing out of the back of his head.
According to a military confiscation order handed to the villagers, the path of the Wall will stretch over 4890 meters between Beit Jala and Al-Wallaja, affecting 35 families, whose homes may be slated for demolition.
Beit Jala is a predominantly Christian town located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem. Once completed, he Wall will Isolate 3,200 Dunams of the town's lands, including almost 3,000 Dunams of olive groves and the only recreational forest in the area, the Cremisan monastery and the Cremisan Cellars winery.
popularstruggle.org
BIL'IN
April 30, 2010
Today’s Friday noon started wit a whole hour of speeches in a 1st of May Assembly organized by the Union of Palestine Workers. It included speeches in honor of International Workers’ Day and the struggle in Bil'in. After that meeting a march towards the route of the separation fence started - including the usual chants and flags waving.
The few hundred marches included the out of the village participants of the Union of Palestine Workers "guests", about two dozen Israelis of the anarchists against the wall initiative, and some internationals.
Prior to the the arrival of the mass of the demonstration, two Israeli
activists approached the electronic fence and attempted to post on it WANTED flayers calling for the arrest of the soldier who shot Emad Rizka in the forehead at the
Friday’s demonstration of the previous week. When soldiers approached them, they moved away, and the soldiers arrested instead of them two Al-Jazeera TV cameramen who were sitting in a car by the fence.
When we arrived at the gate of the fence route, the soldiers were behind their concrete blocks mainly, and for about 10 minutes did nothing - not even replying to the calls to them or harassing the few who entered the route and hung flags on the electronic fence...
After a long wait, the shabab got bored and restless and started to through stones giving the state force excuse to start showering us with tear gas grenades. Soldiers fired the first rounds of tear gas into the crowd, and continued to launch tear gas
deep into the protestors’ route. After most demonstrators retreated, the soldiers aggressively entered the village in waves in an effort to make arrests.
Four people were arrested today, including a female journalist and an
international activist.
Injuries this week consisted of a girl who was struck from behind with
a tear gas canister. Cameraman Haitham al-Khatib was also hit in his
stomach by a canister. The international activist who was arrested was
treated roughly by the soldiers, who ripped off his gas mask and threw
him to the ground, resulting in a 3-inch gash on his leg and a wound to
his ear.
Today’s demonstration was hailed IPSC in solidarity - for the actions of
the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign - which is organizing major
demonstrations this week against the Irish multinational company CRH.
CRH acquired a 25% shareholding in the Israeli group Mashav Initiating
and Development Ltd, which is the holding company for Nesher Cement.
Nesher is the sole Israeli cement company, meaning it supplies cement
and building materials for the ongoing construction of the illegal
Separation Wall, the Jerusalem Light Railway project, the illegal
colonial settlements and the network of apartheid settler-only roads,
underpasses, bridges and tunnels in occupied Palestine.
Demonstrators in today’s procession carried signs calling for CRH
divestment from Israel, to coincide with the CRH annual general meeting
that will take place on Wednesday, May 5.
HEBRON
[Palestinian nonviolent] Youth Against Settlements (http://www.youthagainstsettlements.org) invites you to the weekly demonstration in Hebron on Saturday 1st May.
Last Saturday 60 Palestinian, Israeli and International demonstrators managed to severely disrupt the weekly settler tour in Hebron, holding them off for two hours and limiting their visit to the Old City to a mere 15 minutes. We need your support to continue this important and inspirational action. This week we want it to be bigger and better. Join us!
Where: Hebron; meet at the car-park to the right of Hebron Municipality.
When: Every Saturday. Meet at the carpark to the right of Hebron Municipality at 3:00pm. Demonstration brief will be given at 3:30pm. Demonstration will start at 4pm and is expected to last approximately 2-3 hours. Please be on time as we have to walk to the protest location.
Theme: The closure of Shuhada Street to Palestinians and the continued presence of illegal settlements in Hebron and the rest of the West Bank. We are hoping to block one of the regular "settler tours" that take place on Saturdays.
Bring: The more banners the better in Arabic, English and Hebrew. Bring things to make noise - we would particularly love to have drummers - please call us if you can attend!
Contact: by email at info-A-youthagainstsettlements.org.
Please share this invitation with anyone who may be interested!
Hope to see you Saturday for this important and exciting action!
Israel Puterman video of Hebron action: 1-5-10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFyG6P_KlJU
LOD (Israel)
"Finally, there are 13 immediate demolition orders against houses in Lod and we have been invited by the popular committee there to the protest tent. Lets try to go together on Wednesday afternoon. please let me know if you can make it."
"We met with the folks at the protest tent and they seemed very well organized and happy to receive any kind of support. As you can see they do something every day and anyone is welcome. If you need help getting there you can talk to me.
Also, there might be an important court hearing in their case on Sunday in tel aviv district court. If it happens there might be a vigil outside or just presence in the courtroom. Will send more details when I get them."
MA'ASARA
25 Palestinians, 15 Israelis and some internationals demonstrated this Friday in Ma'asara. Facing some thirty soldiers, protestors gave speeches in Arabic, English and Hebrew, ridiculing the so-called threat the soldiers seemed to find in the unarmed small demonstration.
Cars that tried to leave the village during the demonstration were stopped by the soldiers with their barbed wire. This includes one car carrying a sick woman to the regional clinic. Attempts to reason with the soldiers so they'd allow the cars through fell on deaf ears.
After about one hour of protest the demonstration ended. Next week's demonstration is expected to be bigger, as it will mark the 1st of May
NABI SALIH
Around 150 Israeli, international and local Palestinian residents from the village of Nabi Salih demonstrated today near the settlement of Halamish (Neve Zuf) protesting the on going expropriation of their land by Israel and used by the Jewish settlements around. The Israeli army entered the village in the early hours of the afternoon and surrounded the area attacking from the mountain top and the road in a long confrontation that lasted several hours while using tear gas, stunt grenades and rubber coated bullets in a violent attempt to break and disperse the demonstration. 5 protesters were arrested.
One Israeli was arrested and was released by judge Saturday night with 30 days restriction from Nebi Saleh
Israel Puterman video of Nebi Saleh 30-4-10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtXf69yGUwQ
NI'ILIN
The joint Friday demonstration persisted.
WALAGE
"There will probably be a meeting in wallaje tomorrow night (Tuesday 25-4-10) to plan the resistance for the next future. We are invited. If you can make it please let me know.
there might also be an attempt to go out to the work site tomorrow morning (Tuesday) if you can make that please also let me know"
Demo in Walaje tomorrow 26-4-10
Demonstrators managed to disrupt the construction of the Wall in al Walaja for the second time in a week . A 15 year old demonstrator was beaten, pepper-sprayed and arrested.
Palestinian, Israeli and international demonstrators managed to stop the construction of the Wall in the village of al-Walaja, south of Jerusalem for the second time this week. If completed, the path of the Wall in the area will surround the village completely, isolating it from all its lands, the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem and essentially the rest of the world.
Demonstrators managed to block the bulldozers in the early morning, and even climb and take over one of the machines. A Border Police force at the scene arrested on of the demonstrators 15 year old Nabil Hajajla who was beaten and pepper-sprayed. Following Hajajla's arrest, Border Police officers managed to drag the demonstrators away from the bulldozers and construction was resumed.
Al-Walaja is an agrarian village of about 2,000 people, located south of Jerusalem and West of Bethlehem. Following the 1967 Occupation of the West Bank and the redrawing of the Jerusalem municipal boundaries, roughly half the village was annexed by Israel and included in the Jerusalem municipal area. The village's residents, however did not receive Israeli residency or citizenship, and are considered illegal in their own homes.
Once completed, the path of the Wall is designed to encircle the village's built-up area entirely, separating the residents from both Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and almost all their lands - roughly 5,000 dunams. Previously, Israeli authorities have already confiscated approximately half of the village's lands for the building of the Har Gilo and Gilo settlements, and closed off areas to the south and west of it. The town's inhabitants have also experienced the cutting down of fruit orchards and house demolition due to the absence of building permits in Area C.
According to a military confiscation order handed to the villagers, the path of the Wall will stretch over 4890 meters between Beit Jala and alWallaja, affecting 35 families, whose homes may be slated for demolition.
From International Indymedia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOfSeEjbJ8Y&feature=player_embedded
On Friday, the 30th of May, at around 13:00, approx. 60 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals gathered in the village of al-Walaje for the demo against the apartheid wall, which is being built there these days while confiscating much of the village's lands, surrounding and excluding it from its connection with Jerusalem. The demo began with a march along the bulldozered roads of the village. While walking, some of the demonstrators took direct action and rolled big rocks back on the road where the wall is planned to be built. After the walk speeches were made, both by locals and supporters from the village of al-Ma'asara. Police was only overseeing the protest from afar.
http://awalls.org/files/images/4565952113_100ef9abeb.preview.jpg
SHEIKH JARRAH
During the week activists (mainly of west Jerusalem) gave support to the families terrorized by settler colonialists.
On Friday, few hundreds Israelis among them some of us already participated earlier in Bil'in and Ma'asara demos had our Friday late afternoon demonstration.
As usual, a vigil converged nearer to the homes under threat was forcibly pushed to the allowed location of the weekly demonstrations.
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See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
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