The "traditional" Friday demonstration in Bil'in (for the last three months) started as usual from the center of the village (near the Mosque) after the Friday noon ceremony, on the road to the route of the fence. Many of us were holding plastic imitations of tombstones on which were written in English, Arabic, and Hebrew "inhabitants of the village Bil'in - cause of death: the separation fence". We were about 200 people - Palestinians, Israelis*, and internationals from Europe and US. At the outskirt of the village, when the road pass between the last buildings and an olive plantation, a big force was waiting for us, including Border police and army as usual, and not as usual a unit of the police elite task force.
They insisted as usual to block our march far away from the fence route, as they moved lately the imaginary line of confrontation from 200 meters from the fence route to 500 hundreds... in spite the fact that no work is done there on Fridays, and no heavy equipment or any destructible objects are at the building site.
Thus, the forces do not protect any other than the "honer and prestige" of the state of Israel that want to prevent any option for nonviolent protest against the fence and the occupation.
At the point of the road leading to the route of the fence, they put a provisional barbed wire fence and put on it a sign: which announce that all the Bil'in village and the villages around it are a closed military zone (enabling the forces to forbid presence of Israelis and to arrest offenders. (Like they do lately, they resigned to the limitation forced on the harassment of Palestinians when Israelis are amongst them, and arrest only when there is close range confrontation.)
About two minutes or less from the moment we arrived at the demarcation barbed wire, while people at the front are lying on the ground, the army started the experimentation of the new weapons. First they used the Noise macine - a big lowdspeaker that create unberable noise... if you do not use any kind of ear-plugs. As we all were prepared to it, the noise machine failed to disperce us and the forces started to use the other arsenal. A new kind of a bullet the size of a ping-pong ball made from foamed rubber or plastic, which cause a very strong pain when it hits. And of course the usual shock grenades, tear gas, and even rubber coated bullet.
When member of the comitee of the village mass movement against the fence, among other people at the front of the demonstration who did not retreat at the beginning of the harasement confronted the soldiers with words - calling them to go home, and the like, they tried to bruttaly arrest him. People around him who tried to de-arrest him - among them a women of the AATW* were arrested too. (A total of three Palestinans and three Israelis arrested at that demo - including one deep in the village when the special forces intruded into the village.)
As usual, the peacefull nonviolent demo turn violent after the state force assoult the non violent demonstratin. As usual, in responce to the violence of the state forces, many of the youngsters of the village start a protracted war of attrition with the state fources. They through stones on the state forces who try to deter them with tear gas, rubber coated bullet, and even some live ammunition.
Good photographs:
https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/3303/index.php
====================================
* About 40 Israelis of the anarchists against the wall initiative and the coalition against the wall.
-------------------------
Not as the usual procedures, the army did not try this Friday to block the Israelis from arriving at Bil'in. It was like a month ago, when the army alowed 200 Israelis to arrive for the Friday demo - as it wanted to try on us new weapons and tactics...
As we encounterd on the way to Bil'in soldiers who did not even try to bother us, it was expected that they will try on us that day new weapons... and they did.
-------------------------------------
Media reported widely on Friday demo, including short item in the main TV news program of the day.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Palestine-Israel-US, November 2005: Ramallah, Tel Aviv, New York: Three Cities Against the Wall Collaborative Art Show... 18 Jun
Art has the possibility to unite different cultures into harmony and to create new options for individuals, in order to live and work together for justice, equality and peace.
Three Cities Against the Wall is an exhibition protesting the Separation Wall under construction by Israel in the Occupied Territories of Palestine. This project involves groups of artists in Ramallah, Palestine; Tel Aviv, Israel; and New York City. The show will be held simultaneously in all three cities in November 2005.
Through this collaborative exhibition, the organizers and participating artists will draw attention to the reality of the Wall and its disastrous impact on the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians by the separation of Palestinian communities from each other and from their fertile lands, water resources, schools, hospitals and work places; thereby "contributing to the departure of Palestinian populations," as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has warned. The wall also robs and destroys the human spirit. Spiritual and cultural life cannot survive under these conditions, and we, as artists, find it necessary to fight this crime with the means which we posses.
This illegal Wall prevents the possibility of a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as based on the universal principles of equality and self-determination. It prolongs this conflict and the suffering that results from it. Therefore we Israeli, Palestinian and American artists resist this wall and its devastating impact, and aim to call attention to the urgency of dismantling the Wall which threatens any peaceful future in both Israel and Palestine for all. The Separation Wall was found to be illegal by an advisory opinion given by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague on July 9, 2004. In its ruling, the ICJ stated: "The construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated regime, [is] contrary to international law."
WHO WE ARE
Curatorial and organizing committees for Three Cities Against the Wall, comprised of local artists and activists, have been established in each of the three participating cities. These committees have each invited the participation of numerous artists, each of whom has been asked to provide three works to be exhibited in all three locations.
In Palestine, Tayseer Barakat, founder of the League of Palestinian Artists and curator of Gallery Barakat, and Sliman Mansour are organizing the exhibition. The organizations involved are the League of Palestinian Artists and the Palestinian Association of Contemporary Art (PACA).
In Israel the project is organized by a group of artists and activists that came together to resist the wall through art and culture. Members of the group are also associated with the Israeli Coalition Against the Wall; Taayush; and Anarchists Against the Wall. These groups are very active in protests and projects, both in Israel and Palestine, against the construction of the Wall and the occupation, including protests where there have been many victims, Palestinian, Israeli, and international.
In New York, Three Cities Against the Wall is organized through the arts center ABC No Rio by a committee of artists and activists, a number of them associated with the radical comic magazine World War 3 Illustrated. World War 3 Illustrated was founded in 1979 to oppose the right-wing policies of Ronald Reagan. It has been publishing art and articles in support of the rights of the Palestinian people since 1988, when it published an interview with Naji-Ali. ABC No Rio is a community center for the arts that grew out of the housing struggles on New York's Lower East Side. Many of the organizers in New York participate in the International Solidarity Movement, Women In Black, SUSTAIN (Stop U.S. Tax-funded Aid to Israel Now), International Women's Peace Service, Jewish Alliance Against the Occupation, and other groups opposed to Israel's unjust occupation.
OUR VISION: A WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS
In the process of creating Three Cities Against the Wall, the organizers and participating artists are building networks and creating relationships between their respective communities to oppose both Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people and the Wall as a symbol of that oppression.
Yet while American, Palestinian, and Israeli artists are showing their work together in this exhibition, we understand that the relationship amongst them is not one of equality. The relationship between Palestinians and Israelis has been compared to that between prisoners and guards, with U.S. cittizens as the patrons of this prison. Americans finance Israel through their tax dollars; some also finance Israel through contributions to Zionist organizations. The Wall is horrifying because it casts these relationships in concrete, making Palestinian imprisonment more thorough and more permanent.
Ironically, there is also an opportunity created by the Wall: this physical barrier makes the oppression of Palestinians more visible. Artists can use the Wall as a metaphor to educate the public. We are working together because we understand that, by uniting our voices, we are more likely to be heard and will therefore be better able to inform the public of the true nature of this catastrophic situation. We also want to demonstrate that within the Israeli and the American public there is opposition to the Wall.
We are laying the foundation for building a community of artists across borders, and will demonstrate, through combined effort, our opposition to injustice and oppression on moral and ethical grounds, and because injustice and oppression engender a separation between peoples, preventing normal human communication between them.
We believe that the world of the future is a world without borders. We support the right of a Turk to work in Germany, of a Haitian to seek refuge in the United States, of a Croat to live peacefully in Serbia. Thus we also support the right of a Palestinian, a Jew, or anyone else to live in the city of their choice, to enjoy all the privileges of citizenship there, and to travel freely to and from their chosen place of residence. This is not a radical demand but a natural human expectation. The attempts of 20th century governments to control demographics through genocide, forced transfer and other coercive means have been a disaster and such policies must be discarded. It is tragic that at a time when governments in Europe are discussing the possibility of open borders, Israel is building a border of cement and steel. We oppose the Wall because it is a wall against the future.
Information and Resources About the Wall:
Direct Action Palestine
DAP is a New York-based group that works in solidarity with Palestinian non-violent resistance to end the Israeli occupation. We mobilize, train, support and fund activists to travel to Israel/Palestine and to bring their stories home.
http://www.dapnyc.org/
International Solidarity Movement
International Solidarity Movement, (ISM), a Palestinian-led movement of Palestinian and International activists working to raise awareness of the struggle for Palestinian freedom and an end to Israeli occupation. ISM utilizes nonviolent, direct-action methods of resistance to confront and challenge the Israeli occupation.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/
International Women's Peace Service
IWPS Palestine is an international team of 16 women based in Hares, a village in the Salfit Governorate of Occupied Palestine's West Bank. IWPS joins Palestinians in acts of non-violent direct action to oppose human rights abuses and the confiscation and destruction of land and property of Palestinian people.
http://www.womenspeacepalestine.org/wall_campaign.htm
Jews Against the Occupation
JATO is an organization of progressive, secular and religious Jews of all ages throughout the New York City area advocating peace through justice for Palestine and Israel.
http://www.jatonyc.org/
Middle East Children's Alliance
MECA is a non-governmental organization, working for peace and justice in the Middle East; focusing on Palestine, Israel, Lebanon and Iraq. Its programs emphasize the need to educate North Americans about the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy, and to support projects that aid and empower communities.
http://www.mecaforpeace.org/
The Palestine Children's Welfare Fund
PCWF was established by individuals whose goals are to improve the living standards of the children of Palestine in the refugee camps inside Palestine. The group aims to provide the children of the refugee camps with better educational opportunities, health facilities and a bright future without violence, hatred and discrimination.
http://www.pcwf.org/index.html
Al-Awda - The Palestine Right to Return Coalition Fact sheets on the Wall
http://www.al-awda.org/apartheidwall/
Electronic Intifada: News and views on the Wall
http://electronicintifada.net/bytopic/apartheidwall.shtml
Gush Shalom - The Israeli Peace Bloc Maps and other materials on the "Separation Wall" http://www.gush-shalom.org/thewall/index.html
Indymedia Israel https://israel.indymedia.org/
Palestine News Network http://www.palestinenet.org/english/
The Palestinian Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PENGON)
http://www.pengon.org/wall/wall.html
Stop the Wall: The Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign http://www.stopthewall.org/
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs http://www.wrmea.com/
W: http://www.abcnorio.org/againstthewall/
Three Cities Against the Wall is an exhibition protesting the Separation Wall under construction by Israel in the Occupied Territories of Palestine. This project involves groups of artists in Ramallah, Palestine; Tel Aviv, Israel; and New York City. The show will be held simultaneously in all three cities in November 2005.
Through this collaborative exhibition, the organizers and participating artists will draw attention to the reality of the Wall and its disastrous impact on the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians by the separation of Palestinian communities from each other and from their fertile lands, water resources, schools, hospitals and work places; thereby "contributing to the departure of Palestinian populations," as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has warned. The wall also robs and destroys the human spirit. Spiritual and cultural life cannot survive under these conditions, and we, as artists, find it necessary to fight this crime with the means which we posses.
This illegal Wall prevents the possibility of a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as based on the universal principles of equality and self-determination. It prolongs this conflict and the suffering that results from it. Therefore we Israeli, Palestinian and American artists resist this wall and its devastating impact, and aim to call attention to the urgency of dismantling the Wall which threatens any peaceful future in both Israel and Palestine for all. The Separation Wall was found to be illegal by an advisory opinion given by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague on July 9, 2004. In its ruling, the ICJ stated: "The construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated regime, [is] contrary to international law."
WHO WE ARE
Curatorial and organizing committees for Three Cities Against the Wall, comprised of local artists and activists, have been established in each of the three participating cities. These committees have each invited the participation of numerous artists, each of whom has been asked to provide three works to be exhibited in all three locations.
In Palestine, Tayseer Barakat, founder of the League of Palestinian Artists and curator of Gallery Barakat, and Sliman Mansour are organizing the exhibition. The organizations involved are the League of Palestinian Artists and the Palestinian Association of Contemporary Art (PACA).
In Israel the project is organized by a group of artists and activists that came together to resist the wall through art and culture. Members of the group are also associated with the Israeli Coalition Against the Wall; Taayush; and Anarchists Against the Wall. These groups are very active in protests and projects, both in Israel and Palestine, against the construction of the Wall and the occupation, including protests where there have been many victims, Palestinian, Israeli, and international.
In New York, Three Cities Against the Wall is organized through the arts center ABC No Rio by a committee of artists and activists, a number of them associated with the radical comic magazine World War 3 Illustrated. World War 3 Illustrated was founded in 1979 to oppose the right-wing policies of Ronald Reagan. It has been publishing art and articles in support of the rights of the Palestinian people since 1988, when it published an interview with Naji-Ali. ABC No Rio is a community center for the arts that grew out of the housing struggles on New York's Lower East Side. Many of the organizers in New York participate in the International Solidarity Movement, Women In Black, SUSTAIN (Stop U.S. Tax-funded Aid to Israel Now), International Women's Peace Service, Jewish Alliance Against the Occupation, and other groups opposed to Israel's unjust occupation.
OUR VISION: A WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS
In the process of creating Three Cities Against the Wall, the organizers and participating artists are building networks and creating relationships between their respective communities to oppose both Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people and the Wall as a symbol of that oppression.
Yet while American, Palestinian, and Israeli artists are showing their work together in this exhibition, we understand that the relationship amongst them is not one of equality. The relationship between Palestinians and Israelis has been compared to that between prisoners and guards, with U.S. cittizens as the patrons of this prison. Americans finance Israel through their tax dollars; some also finance Israel through contributions to Zionist organizations. The Wall is horrifying because it casts these relationships in concrete, making Palestinian imprisonment more thorough and more permanent.
Ironically, there is also an opportunity created by the Wall: this physical barrier makes the oppression of Palestinians more visible. Artists can use the Wall as a metaphor to educate the public. We are working together because we understand that, by uniting our voices, we are more likely to be heard and will therefore be better able to inform the public of the true nature of this catastrophic situation. We also want to demonstrate that within the Israeli and the American public there is opposition to the Wall.
We are laying the foundation for building a community of artists across borders, and will demonstrate, through combined effort, our opposition to injustice and oppression on moral and ethical grounds, and because injustice and oppression engender a separation between peoples, preventing normal human communication between them.
We believe that the world of the future is a world without borders. We support the right of a Turk to work in Germany, of a Haitian to seek refuge in the United States, of a Croat to live peacefully in Serbia. Thus we also support the right of a Palestinian, a Jew, or anyone else to live in the city of their choice, to enjoy all the privileges of citizenship there, and to travel freely to and from their chosen place of residence. This is not a radical demand but a natural human expectation. The attempts of 20th century governments to control demographics through genocide, forced transfer and other coercive means have been a disaster and such policies must be discarded. It is tragic that at a time when governments in Europe are discussing the possibility of open borders, Israel is building a border of cement and steel. We oppose the Wall because it is a wall against the future.
Information and Resources About the Wall:
Direct Action Palestine
DAP is a New York-based group that works in solidarity with Palestinian non-violent resistance to end the Israeli occupation. We mobilize, train, support and fund activists to travel to Israel/Palestine and to bring their stories home.
http://www.dapnyc.org/
International Solidarity Movement
International Solidarity Movement, (ISM), a Palestinian-led movement of Palestinian and International activists working to raise awareness of the struggle for Palestinian freedom and an end to Israeli occupation. ISM utilizes nonviolent, direct-action methods of resistance to confront and challenge the Israeli occupation.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/
International Women's Peace Service
IWPS Palestine is an international team of 16 women based in Hares, a village in the Salfit Governorate of Occupied Palestine's West Bank. IWPS joins Palestinians in acts of non-violent direct action to oppose human rights abuses and the confiscation and destruction of land and property of Palestinian people.
http://www.womenspeacepalestine.org/wall_campaign.htm
Jews Against the Occupation
JATO is an organization of progressive, secular and religious Jews of all ages throughout the New York City area advocating peace through justice for Palestine and Israel.
http://www.jatonyc.org/
Middle East Children's Alliance
MECA is a non-governmental organization, working for peace and justice in the Middle East; focusing on Palestine, Israel, Lebanon and Iraq. Its programs emphasize the need to educate North Americans about the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy, and to support projects that aid and empower communities.
http://www.mecaforpeace.org/
The Palestine Children's Welfare Fund
PCWF was established by individuals whose goals are to improve the living standards of the children of Palestine in the refugee camps inside Palestine. The group aims to provide the children of the refugee camps with better educational opportunities, health facilities and a bright future without violence, hatred and discrimination.
http://www.pcwf.org/index.html
Al-Awda - The Palestine Right to Return Coalition Fact sheets on the Wall
http://www.al-awda.org/apartheidwall/
Electronic Intifada: News and views on the Wall
http://electronicintifada.net/bytopic/apartheidwall.shtml
Gush Shalom - The Israeli Peace Bloc Maps and other materials on the "Separation Wall" http://www.gush-shalom.org/thewall/index.html
Indymedia Israel https://israel.indymedia.org/
Palestine News Network http://www.palestinenet.org/english/
The Palestinian Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PENGON)
http://www.pengon.org/wall/wall.html
Stop the Wall: The Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign http://www.stopthewall.org/
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs http://www.wrmea.com/
W: http://www.abcnorio.org/againstthewall/
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Israel-Palestine, Jerusalem, The kids of Bil'in village demonstrated in front of the Israeli supreme court 15 Jun
Tuesday 14.6.05 morning, a bit after 09:00, a bus parked in front of the building of the Israeli supreme court in Jerusalem. From the buss came out about 50 girls and boys from the village Bil'in, who came to demonstrate against the robbery of the lands of the village for the building of the apartheid wall/fence. The kinds (who do not need a military permit to entered the 1948 borders of israel - the pre 1967 ones) were escorted by two adults from the village, part of the very few who have a permit to pass through the plethora of road blocks within the palestinian areas and between them and Israel. The kids demo was while the judges were dealing with the village people contest of the building of the wall/fence on their lands. They were joined by anarchists and international activists, that sang, placards... and functioned also as baby-sitters for the youngest.
After two hours of peaceful presence at the location, with no problems, a bunch of policemen arrived with the demand to put away the Palestinian flags held by the kids. Their "original" excuse to that insolent demand was: to protect the security of the demonstrators....
The adults escort who came with the kids from the village, were afraid from development of confrontation between the kids and the policemen and preferred to bow their heads and to try the flags from the kids, who were not quick to yield. An internationalist activist who was present there and was wrapped with a Palestinian flag, refused the order to take it off, was arrested and taken to the police station. Only few hours later he was released with out conditions.
The demonstration was ended peacefully after about 3 hours. The village kids used the opportunity of a visit in Jerusalem - Al Kuds, to a quick visit at the Al Aksa mosque (At the mount temple).
After two hours of peaceful presence at the location, with no problems, a bunch of policemen arrived with the demand to put away the Palestinian flags held by the kids. Their "original" excuse to that insolent demand was: to protect the security of the demonstrators....
The adults escort who came with the kids from the village, were afraid from development of confrontation between the kids and the policemen and preferred to bow their heads and to try the flags from the kids, who were not quick to yield. An internationalist activist who was present there and was wrapped with a Palestinian flag, refused the order to take it off, was arrested and taken to the police station. Only few hours later he was released with out conditions.
The demonstration was ended peacefully after about 3 hours. The village kids used the opportunity of a visit in Jerusalem - Al Kuds, to a quick visit at the Al Aksa mosque (At the mount temple).
Israel-Palestine, Jerusalem-Bil'in, Media, Palestinian children protest against the fence 15 Jun
Demonstration held in front of Supreme Court in Jerusalem to protest land expropriation in framework of security fence construction work. Dozens of Palestinian children were brought Tuesday to stage a protest against the West Bank security fence in front of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem. They were accompanied by few adults from the village and 30 Israelis from Gush Shalom [Peace Block] and Anarchists Against The Wall. Demonstrators held signs with the slogans in Hebrew, Arabic, and English: "Enough with the fence", "Enough with the robbery of the lands of Bil'in", "Supreme court of Justice protect war crimes".
The protest came after the IDF prohibited the adult residents of the Palestinian village Bil'in to enter Israel for a demonstration.
The court is set to decide on the residents' petition against the building of the separation fence between Palestinian territories and Israel over their land.
"These children are the first ones to be directly hurt by this fence", said Akram Khatib, one of the adults that were allowed to accompany the kids. "We were hoping the children will awaken the compassion of the Israeli judicial system, but I am afraid the decision has already been made."
An argument later ensued between police and Israeli and international activists that accompanied the young protesters when the kids waved Palestinian flags. One international activist was arrested.
‘They're taking our land to build settlements'
In their petition, Bil'in residents claimed that if the separation fence is built they would lose over half of their land. The residents depend on the crops that they grow on this land, they said, and the loss will undermine their livelihood and honor. It therefore violates their personal liberties and their freedom to work, they claimed.
According to Khatib, the fence creates an additional problem.
"They are not taking our land just to build the fence. They are building settlements behind it. They are building five or six-floor buildings to use for settlements."
Bil'in, like other villages in the area, has been characterized lately by repeated clashes between protesters and security forces. The residents said they want to draw attention to their suffering and recruit as many Israeli and international peace activists as possible.
Over the weekend the children demonstrators in Bil'in used a new weapon to protest against the fence. They threw balloons full of chicken excrement in the direction of security forces.
The protest came after the IDF prohibited the adult residents of the Palestinian village Bil'in to enter Israel for a demonstration.
The court is set to decide on the residents' petition against the building of the separation fence between Palestinian territories and Israel over their land.
"These children are the first ones to be directly hurt by this fence", said Akram Khatib, one of the adults that were allowed to accompany the kids. "We were hoping the children will awaken the compassion of the Israeli judicial system, but I am afraid the decision has already been made."
An argument later ensued between police and Israeli and international activists that accompanied the young protesters when the kids waved Palestinian flags. One international activist was arrested.
‘They're taking our land to build settlements'
In their petition, Bil'in residents claimed that if the separation fence is built they would lose over half of their land. The residents depend on the crops that they grow on this land, they said, and the loss will undermine their livelihood and honor. It therefore violates their personal liberties and their freedom to work, they claimed.
According to Khatib, the fence creates an additional problem.
"They are not taking our land just to build the fence. They are building settlements behind it. They are building five or six-floor buildings to use for settlements."
Bil'in, like other villages in the area, has been characterized lately by repeated clashes between protesters and security forces. The residents said they want to draw attention to their suffering and recruit as many Israeli and international peace activists as possible.
Over the weekend the children demonstrators in Bil'in used a new weapon to protest against the fence. They threw balloons full of chicken excrement in the direction of security forces.
Israel-Palestine, Jerusalem-Bil'in, Media, Palestinian children protest against the fence 15 Jun
Demonstration held in front of Supreme Court in Jerusalem to protest land expropriation in framework of security fence construction work. Dozens of Palestinian children were brought Tuesday to stage a protest against the West Bank security fence in front of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem. They were accompanied by few adults from the village and 30 Israelis from Gush Shalom [Peace Block] and Anarchists Against The Wall. Demonstrators held signs with the slogans in Hebrew, Arabic, and English: "Enough with the fence", "Enough with the robbery of the lands of Bil'in", "Supreme court of Justice protect war crimes".
The protest came after the IDF prohibited the adult residents of the Palestinian village Bil'in to enter Israel for a demonstration.
The court is set to decide on the residents' petition against the building of the separation fence between Palestinian territories and Israel over their land.
"These children are the first ones to be directly hurt by this fence", said Akram Khatib, one of the adults that were allowed to accompany the kids. "We were hoping the children will awaken the compassion of the Israeli judicial system, but I am afraid the decision has already been made."
An argument later ensued between police and Israeli and international activists that accompanied the young protesters when the kids waved Palestinian flags. One international activist was arrested.
‘They're taking our land to build settlements'
In their petition, Bil'in residents claimed that if the separation fence is built they would lose over half of their land. The residents depend on the crops that they grow on this land, they said, and the loss will undermine their livelihood and honor. It therefore violates their personal liberties and their freedom to work, they claimed.
According to Khatib, the fence creates an additional problem.
"They are not taking our land just to build the fence. They are building settlements behind it. They are building five or six-floor buildings to use for settlements."
Bil'in, like other villages in the area, has been characterized lately by repeated clashes between protesters and security forces. The residents said they want to draw attention to their suffering and recruit as many Israeli and international peace activists as possible.
Over the weekend the children demonstrators in Bil'in used a new weapon to protest against the fence. They threw balloons full of chicken excrement in the direction of security forces.
The protest came after the IDF prohibited the adult residents of the Palestinian village Bil'in to enter Israel for a demonstration.
The court is set to decide on the residents' petition against the building of the separation fence between Palestinian territories and Israel over their land.
"These children are the first ones to be directly hurt by this fence", said Akram Khatib, one of the adults that were allowed to accompany the kids. "We were hoping the children will awaken the compassion of the Israeli judicial system, but I am afraid the decision has already been made."
An argument later ensued between police and Israeli and international activists that accompanied the young protesters when the kids waved Palestinian flags. One international activist was arrested.
‘They're taking our land to build settlements'
In their petition, Bil'in residents claimed that if the separation fence is built they would lose over half of their land. The residents depend on the crops that they grow on this land, they said, and the loss will undermine their livelihood and honor. It therefore violates their personal liberties and their freedom to work, they claimed.
According to Khatib, the fence creates an additional problem.
"They are not taking our land just to build the fence. They are building settlements behind it. They are building five or six-floor buildings to use for settlements."
Bil'in, like other villages in the area, has been characterized lately by repeated clashes between protesters and security forces. The residents said they want to draw attention to their suffering and recruit as many Israeli and international peace activists as possible.
Over the weekend the children demonstrators in Bil'in used a new weapon to protest against the fence. They threw balloons full of chicken excrement in the direction of security forces.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
US, Oakland, CA. Report of benefit for Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall (AATW) 11 Jun
Hello I. and K. ---- Hope you are both well.
Since you two were the contacts that put me in touch with D. and gave the go-ahead for the AATW benefit in Oakland, I just wanted to give you a brief report back on the event.
There were between 30-40 people in attendence. A few local bands played music, and D. gave an excellent presentation with films and slides and a good Q and A session at the end. The venue took a percentage of the proceeds from the door for its costs (as agreed) so after that, the total combined money raised from the door, merchandise (from t-shirts, buttons, patches) and donations came to $200usd. Not great but not bad either.
I was very honored to be able to help in some small way.
Maybe we can do another similar (and hopefully better) event sometime in the future.
Thank you and please keep up the good work.
In Solidarity,
D. H.
Since you two were the contacts that put me in touch with D. and gave the go-ahead for the AATW benefit in Oakland, I just wanted to give you a brief report back on the event.
There were between 30-40 people in attendence. A few local bands played music, and D. gave an excellent presentation with films and slides and a good Q and A session at the end. The venue took a percentage of the proceeds from the door for its costs (as agreed) so after that, the total combined money raised from the door, merchandise (from t-shirts, buttons, patches) and donations came to $200usd. Not great but not bad either.
I was very honored to be able to help in some small way.
Maybe we can do another similar (and hopefully better) event sometime in the future.
Thank you and please keep up the good work.
In Solidarity,
D. H.
Palestine-Israel, Joint struggle in the new fronts of Marda and Ramadin and the older one of Bi'in, 11 Jun
Marda: Today, Friday, a demonstration of about 100 people - among them a few Israelis and internationalists - ended basically two minutes after it started, when the soldiers - standing hight above us near the settlement Ariel - shot massive amounts of tear gas on the demonstrators. About ten minutes later, police (Magav) cars entered the heart of the village, and continued to shoot gas, and apparently also rubber bullets and even live ammunition. For about three hours, a small group of youngsters confronted the soldiers above, throwing stones at them, and being attacked again and again with gas, until they came down. But when the demo started, there was absolutely no provocation from the demonstrators - we just started climbing towards the route of the wall when the gas was shot at us. For some time, the whole center of the village was under a mist of gas. One internationalist arrested was later released after she signed a committment not to enter the area for 15 days.
Nir
------------------------------------------
Israeli army shoots live bullets at children in Marda. As villagers in Marda tried to make their way to their fields to do the political prayers ceremony of Friday midday on their land - accompanied by media, internationals, and Israeli peace* activists, tear gas clouded the skies. Four bulldozers that had been uprooting Marda's trees to make way for the "Ariel loop" of the Annexation Wall stopped working as soon as the villagers began their march, a major victory for the day.
Mere minutes into the ascent upwards and only a few hundred meters up the slope, the group, consisting mainly of children. The Israeli soldiers began firing tear gas and sound bombs at the villagers. While a number of soldiers fired from the hill, other military vehicles made their way into the village.
With soldiers in the village and on the hilltops surrounding it, Marda became a village of fear. Tear gas and sound bombs turned into rubber bullets, and the rubber bullets into live ammunition, reportedly fired directly at children. Soldiers shot tear gas towards the mosque and into a sewing factory where dozens of women were working. Four were taken to the hospital for gas inhalation.
Three Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets, one in the stomach, one in the leg, and one in the arm. One Palestinian's thumb was broken when a tear gas canister hit his hand. Others were treated for tear gas inhalation. One international was detained for several hours and taken to Ariel police station, but was later released.
The DCO later claimed that the Israeli army fired only one rubber bullet and no live ammunition, and that a Palestinian had been shooting a Kalachnikov rifle. Villagers and Israelis collected the bullets and casings, however, and they were clearly from M16s, the rifles that the military uses.
Israeli soldiers threatened to return later tonight.
* Slightly edited report of International Women's Peace Service (IWPS) whe nearly never give credit in their reports to the Anarchists Against The Wall who are described by the IWPS as "Israeli peace activists".
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 demonstrations - more violence today Author
three demos took place today in Bil'in, Ramadin, and Marda with very little israeli presence. the army is becoming more violent - international, israeli, and palestinian arrests, live bullets and tear gas.
A detailed report on Ramadin, but only facts that were given on Marda and Bil'in
Marda:
The demo managed to get quite close to the path of the wall. much tear gas was shot, and the use of live bullets as well. the army threw tear gas into houses, to the mosque while people were praying and at one point locked 40 people in an office and threw 2 tear gas canisters in there. at least 2 people fainted from tear gas.
The demo went on for a few hours, one palestinian arrested, and one international woman, who was released later.
BIL'IN
About 50 villagers, 10 of the Israeli Anarchists Against The wall initiative, and few internationals started early afternoon a march towards the building site of the separation fence.
The demo didnt manage to leave the village. Just near the last house of the village on the road to the route of the fence, the Israeli army blocked the road with a barbed wire. Two or three minutes after we arrived there, without a warning or demand to disperce, or warning the Israelis we are in a closed zone, the soldiers started shooting at us tear gass canisters.
Just few minutes later the army added the use of a deafning siren as means of dispersal. One israeli who was with the photographers at the front was arrested and later realeased.
As usual, after the army dispersed the nonviolent demonstration, the demonstrators kept advancing and retreating according to the intensity of the tear gass shooting. As usually, the "shabab" youngsters started a protracted battle of attrition with the soldiers along the western fringe of the village. The soldiers used mainly teargas but also rubber coated bullets.
At least one person was injured from a rubber bullet.
Ramadin: the army declared the area a closed military zone that morning, warning the villagers not to get close to the path, and put up a checkpoint on the main road to the village, not letting any cars in.
about 200 palestinians took part in the demo, including many children and some women, there were 5 israelis and one international. the village had some land stolen from them in '48 where Kibutz Lahav now sits, and has a very close by settlement "eshkolot" also sitting on their land. the path of the wall is going to surround the south of Ramadin and take more of their land now.
the demo started towards the path, with at least 70 soldiers present. the villagers held a prayer on the land for about an hour, and then started to get closer to the path, beyond a line of stones the army decided was their non-crossing point. the soldiers then approached and after "negotiation" with the head of the village, the village decided to end the demonstration peacefully and return to the village.
Nir
------------------------------------------
Israeli army shoots live bullets at children in Marda. As villagers in Marda tried to make their way to their fields to do the political prayers ceremony of Friday midday on their land - accompanied by media, internationals, and Israeli peace* activists, tear gas clouded the skies. Four bulldozers that had been uprooting Marda's trees to make way for the "Ariel loop" of the Annexation Wall stopped working as soon as the villagers began their march, a major victory for the day.
Mere minutes into the ascent upwards and only a few hundred meters up the slope, the group, consisting mainly of children. The Israeli soldiers began firing tear gas and sound bombs at the villagers. While a number of soldiers fired from the hill, other military vehicles made their way into the village.
With soldiers in the village and on the hilltops surrounding it, Marda became a village of fear. Tear gas and sound bombs turned into rubber bullets, and the rubber bullets into live ammunition, reportedly fired directly at children. Soldiers shot tear gas towards the mosque and into a sewing factory where dozens of women were working. Four were taken to the hospital for gas inhalation.
Three Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets, one in the stomach, one in the leg, and one in the arm. One Palestinian's thumb was broken when a tear gas canister hit his hand. Others were treated for tear gas inhalation. One international was detained for several hours and taken to Ariel police station, but was later released.
The DCO later claimed that the Israeli army fired only one rubber bullet and no live ammunition, and that a Palestinian had been shooting a Kalachnikov rifle. Villagers and Israelis collected the bullets and casings, however, and they were clearly from M16s, the rifles that the military uses.
Israeli soldiers threatened to return later tonight.
* Slightly edited report of International Women's Peace Service (IWPS) whe nearly never give credit in their reports to the Anarchists Against The Wall who are described by the IWPS as "Israeli peace activists".
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 demonstrations - more violence today Author
three demos took place today in Bil'in, Ramadin, and Marda with very little israeli presence. the army is becoming more violent - international, israeli, and palestinian arrests, live bullets and tear gas.
A detailed report on Ramadin, but only facts that were given on Marda and Bil'in
Marda:
The demo managed to get quite close to the path of the wall. much tear gas was shot, and the use of live bullets as well. the army threw tear gas into houses, to the mosque while people were praying and at one point locked 40 people in an office and threw 2 tear gas canisters in there. at least 2 people fainted from tear gas.
The demo went on for a few hours, one palestinian arrested, and one international woman, who was released later.
BIL'IN
About 50 villagers, 10 of the Israeli Anarchists Against The wall initiative, and few internationals started early afternoon a march towards the building site of the separation fence.
The demo didnt manage to leave the village. Just near the last house of the village on the road to the route of the fence, the Israeli army blocked the road with a barbed wire. Two or three minutes after we arrived there, without a warning or demand to disperce, or warning the Israelis we are in a closed zone, the soldiers started shooting at us tear gass canisters.
Just few minutes later the army added the use of a deafning siren as means of dispersal. One israeli who was with the photographers at the front was arrested and later realeased.
As usual, after the army dispersed the nonviolent demonstration, the demonstrators kept advancing and retreating according to the intensity of the tear gass shooting. As usually, the "shabab" youngsters started a protracted battle of attrition with the soldiers along the western fringe of the village. The soldiers used mainly teargas but also rubber coated bullets.
At least one person was injured from a rubber bullet.
Ramadin: the army declared the area a closed military zone that morning, warning the villagers not to get close to the path, and put up a checkpoint on the main road to the village, not letting any cars in.
about 200 palestinians took part in the demo, including many children and some women, there were 5 israelis and one international. the village had some land stolen from them in '48 where Kibutz Lahav now sits, and has a very close by settlement "eshkolot" also sitting on their land. the path of the wall is going to surround the south of Ramadin and take more of their land now.
the demo started towards the path, with at least 70 soldiers present. the villagers held a prayer on the land for about an hour, and then started to get closer to the path, beyond a line of stones the army decided was their non-crossing point. the soldiers then approached and after "negotiation" with the head of the village, the village decided to end the demonstration peacefully and return to the village.
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