Ayed Morrar (Abu Ahmed) from Budrus and Jonathan Pollack from Tel Aviv will be guests on Democracy Now! tomorrow; Wednesday, November 11. Ayed is an organizer with the Popular Committee to Resist the Wall, and Jonathan is a member of the Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall. They have just completed a month-long national speaking tour, discussing the current situation on the ground in Palestine and the grassroots resistance to the "Separation Wall." For more information, see http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/speaking-tour.
In New York: Radio: WBAI, 9 -10am TV: CUNY-TV at 6:30pm, ch. 75 (rebroadcast at 1am) Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) 8 - 9am, ch. 34, 107 National and International show times listed at the Democracy Now! web site: http://www.democracynow.org/stations.shtml
The show will also be archived on the Democracy Now! web site.
The speaking tour has been organized by ISM-USA.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Friday, November 11, 2005
Palestine-Israel, Bil'in, Friday 11-11-05, The joint struggle intensify
This Friday, like in the previous ones of the last nine months we had our joint demonstration against the separation fence that robe more than half of the village lands (olive orchards) and against the Israeli occupation. The demonstrations are organized jointly by the village comity against the fence and the Israeli Anarchists Against The Wall initiative. Participated in it about 100 villagers (about 25% of the males in the appropriate age range), about 45 Israelis of the coalition against the fence, and about 30 international activists from various organizations.
Like usual the Israelis had to evade the Israeli forces road blocks intended to put end to the joint struggle. Like usual we came early in order to prepare the materials.
The theme of this demonstration was activists figures inspiriting the struggle in Bil'in: Gandhi, Rosa Farks, and Martin Luther king - for the mass nonviolence aspect of struggle, Arafat for the Bil'in people (in a year to his death), Rosa Luxemburg (as one of the most prominent female revolutionaries), Nelson Mandela symbolizing the struggle against apartheid.... Masks with their photographs and placards with their photographs or names were prepared and were carried all along the demonstration.
Like the previous Friday we started at noon in a march on the road from the center of the village to the route the separation fence is built on. Like usual people chanted/sang and some times danced along the road till we were near the route where the Israeli state forces were ready to block our way 30 meters from the route.
Like in some of the previous demos, just before arriving there we veered to the side of the road and in a swift move succeeded to out maneuver the sate forces and arrived to the fence route, and some of us had even crossed to an olive grove in the lands to be confiscated and annexed to Israel.
Not like the other Fridays when work is not done on the fence rote near Bil'in to minimize the confrontation with the demo, there were working there two big tractors. When we tried to stop them from working the state forced who arrived after us acted swiftly with high intensity - including brutal pushes and shock grenades, and force us to move a bit so the work could continue. Three Israelis who were not fast enough to comply were detained on the spot, but were released to join the demo half an hour later.
Not like the the last few Fridays since we won the right to do the nonviolent Friday demonstration, the state forces had a new policy, expressed in full later.
The demo continued for nearly two hours with chanting, singing, and dancing, with verbal challenge to individual soldiers and border policemen, when we heard a command passed along the line of the state forces: "in five minutes time". And five minutes later the force stormed us very brutally and with no warning. They used pushing, batons, trough shock and tear gas grenades - both on people beyond the route and those who were on the route. I stayed on the route together with others who were protecting and helping the village head who fainted because of a tear gas damage. It took only minutes to see the reason/pretext for the abrupt brutal assault - the two heavy tractors finished their work and needed the clearing of the route so they can travel to another place.
During the assault on us, Abdallah - the head of the village comity against the separation fence was brutally assaulted and held by the soldiers, but during a treatment of his injuries he got freed from them and returned to the village.
Such a brutal behavior by the state forces who even run after the demonstrators who dispersed to the near by olive orchard could not pass unpunished. Tens of village youth who are ambivalent regarding the nonviolent nature of the main demo, who did not throw stones till that moment, start to do their thing. The state forces responded with increase of violence. More shock and tear gas grenades, and later, authorized from higher echelons switched to shouting rubber coated bullets, including snipers who succeeded to injure in the head a 14 year old kid as retaliation for two soldiers injured by stones.
In parallel to the attrition war between the stone throwers and the state forces, the nonviolent demonstrators reorganized and marched on the road to the fence rout we veered from two hours before.
And so continued the second part of the demo with a less brutal behavior of the state force - only pushes from time to time, and the arbitrary arrest of a Palestinian accusing him for assault on a soldier because he blew smoke from a cigarette towards him....
Following this was verbal confrontation between the state commanders and people of the demo and female relatives including his mother. At the end, they agreed to release him if we end the demonstration, and as the time was late afternoon we got him back - injured from state brutality but free, and returned to the village.
As a team of the main public TV station was with us - producing an item for the next week Friday TV journal, the inputted to this Friday TV main night program a clip showing the unprovoked state force brutality who justified themselves by our "obstructing the fence building".
In parallel to our demo, there was a small demo near the dismantled Berlin wall, to be repeated on the following Fridays.
Like usual the Israelis had to evade the Israeli forces road blocks intended to put end to the joint struggle. Like usual we came early in order to prepare the materials.
The theme of this demonstration was activists figures inspiriting the struggle in Bil'in: Gandhi, Rosa Farks, and Martin Luther king - for the mass nonviolence aspect of struggle, Arafat for the Bil'in people (in a year to his death), Rosa Luxemburg (as one of the most prominent female revolutionaries), Nelson Mandela symbolizing the struggle against apartheid.... Masks with their photographs and placards with their photographs or names were prepared and were carried all along the demonstration.
Like the previous Friday we started at noon in a march on the road from the center of the village to the route the separation fence is built on. Like usual people chanted/sang and some times danced along the road till we were near the route where the Israeli state forces were ready to block our way 30 meters from the route.
Like in some of the previous demos, just before arriving there we veered to the side of the road and in a swift move succeeded to out maneuver the sate forces and arrived to the fence route, and some of us had even crossed to an olive grove in the lands to be confiscated and annexed to Israel.
Not like the other Fridays when work is not done on the fence rote near Bil'in to minimize the confrontation with the demo, there were working there two big tractors. When we tried to stop them from working the state forced who arrived after us acted swiftly with high intensity - including brutal pushes and shock grenades, and force us to move a bit so the work could continue. Three Israelis who were not fast enough to comply were detained on the spot, but were released to join the demo half an hour later.
Not like the the last few Fridays since we won the right to do the nonviolent Friday demonstration, the state forces had a new policy, expressed in full later.
The demo continued for nearly two hours with chanting, singing, and dancing, with verbal challenge to individual soldiers and border policemen, when we heard a command passed along the line of the state forces: "in five minutes time". And five minutes later the force stormed us very brutally and with no warning. They used pushing, batons, trough shock and tear gas grenades - both on people beyond the route and those who were on the route. I stayed on the route together with others who were protecting and helping the village head who fainted because of a tear gas damage. It took only minutes to see the reason/pretext for the abrupt brutal assault - the two heavy tractors finished their work and needed the clearing of the route so they can travel to another place.
During the assault on us, Abdallah - the head of the village comity against the separation fence was brutally assaulted and held by the soldiers, but during a treatment of his injuries he got freed from them and returned to the village.
Such a brutal behavior by the state forces who even run after the demonstrators who dispersed to the near by olive orchard could not pass unpunished. Tens of village youth who are ambivalent regarding the nonviolent nature of the main demo, who did not throw stones till that moment, start to do their thing. The state forces responded with increase of violence. More shock and tear gas grenades, and later, authorized from higher echelons switched to shouting rubber coated bullets, including snipers who succeeded to injure in the head a 14 year old kid as retaliation for two soldiers injured by stones.
In parallel to the attrition war between the stone throwers and the state forces, the nonviolent demonstrators reorganized and marched on the road to the fence rout we veered from two hours before.
And so continued the second part of the demo with a less brutal behavior of the state force - only pushes from time to time, and the arbitrary arrest of a Palestinian accusing him for assault on a soldier because he blew smoke from a cigarette towards him....
Following this was verbal confrontation between the state commanders and people of the demo and female relatives including his mother. At the end, they agreed to release him if we end the demonstration, and as the time was late afternoon we got him back - injured from state brutality but free, and returned to the village.
As a team of the main public TV station was with us - producing an item for the next week Friday TV journal, the inputted to this Friday TV main night program a clip showing the unprovoked state force brutality who justified themselves by our "obstructing the fence building".
In parallel to our demo, there was a small demo near the dismantled Berlin wall, to be repeated on the following Fridays.
Friday, November 4, 2005
Palestine-Israel, Bil'in, The joint Friday action theme was direct action and Id Al Fiter holyday 04 Nov
The Friday joint demonstration turned tradition for the last nine months, was characterized this Friday by a direct action against the fence followed by mixed families and activist celebration of the Id Al Fiter holiday in front of the soldiers "protecting" the separation fence in building. The activity started early in the morning, and when the preparations were finished we traveled to the route in which the separation fence is built that pass thorough uprooted groves of olive trees robed from the village people. At the beginning, participated in it about 25 Israelis (from the Anarchists Against The Wall initiative and the coalition against the fence), 10 international activists of the ISM, and 15 activists from the village.
When we arrived within few meters of the route of the fence, there were already present a dozen or two of soldiers, but they were not too focused... Before they could organize, about 20 activist (from the three components of the demo) chained themselves to the metal structure of the fence using metal sleeves to prevent forced unlocking them. How pity, because of a technical problem, the soldiers succeeded to pull the chained people out after few minutes, though not before the media people photographed that. Three of the unchained Israelis were arrested.
Few minutes later, the soldiers pushed all the activists present to a virtual line 50 meters from the route of the fence - were they block the last few weeks the Friday demos since they were forced to legalize them.
The second part of the Friday action started when lot of children (including toddlers) and young teens accompanied with 20 mothers or late sleeper fathers arrived. According to the mood of the holiday, the children and kids received lot of toys with which they started to play in front of the line of the soldiers. To make the children happier, a portable slide was brought for their fun - put just few meters from the line of the soldiers. The adults had to be satisfied with the holiday cookies distributed to all....
(Such playing in front of the soldiers may counter the fear aroused in them during the last few nights invasions of the army into the village and their homes to arrest so called Fridays stone throwers youngsters - nearly 20 of them were taken to the Ofer concentration camp).
During the morning, we were joined by late sleeper villagers and Israeli activists who did not know the start of the demo was changed from noon to early morning. When the people present reached its pick we were about 150 of whom about 40 Israelis, 15 international activists of the ISM and 100 Bil'in villagers.
Because of the specialty of the day activity - direct action and holiday celebration which was leaked to the media, many of its reporters were present - including a mobile TV transmitter for live morning program of the Aljazeera ... The Israeli public radio channel reported on the demo along the day and in the afternoon. They also said the activists chained themselves and that a reporter of Aljazeera TV was hit by soldiers and detained for a while.
Like in the previous legalized Friday demos, after a long while, part of the participants got restless, and started getting out of the road to the olive orchards on its sides through them people can (and often did) go around the soldiers block towards the fence route again. The detention of few people - who were released after a while did not deter us and we did arrived to the fence route, and three comrades who improved the chaining equipment succeeded to chain themselves again. This time in spite of painful pulling of arms of the chained ones, two of them stayed chained after the soldiers stopped their failed efforts.
The soldiers succeeded to force all but the two chained ones back to the road with the main body of the demo... and the two chained remained with six reporters taking pictures of them from every possible angel. The frustrated commander was herd appointing two of his force to keep guarding the two chained and to arrest them the minute they unchained themselves.
In spite the efforts of the small unit to isolate the two chained, few of us succeeded to visit them from time to time to give them moral support, while the demo-celebration continued.
And so it continued till noon when it started raining. we persisted another half an hour and than the demonstration start to disperse. In order to save the chained comrades from the whether and the army, a small group of people went "visiting" them, and while confronting with their guards, enabled them to unchain themselves and escape being arrested. While leaving the place the comrades heard the commander threatening the failed guards with a punishment.
In contradiction to the long chain of Fridays, today, the Israeli state forces failed to make problems to the Israelis arriving to the Friday demo in Bil'in.
When we arrived within few meters of the route of the fence, there were already present a dozen or two of soldiers, but they were not too focused... Before they could organize, about 20 activist (from the three components of the demo) chained themselves to the metal structure of the fence using metal sleeves to prevent forced unlocking them. How pity, because of a technical problem, the soldiers succeeded to pull the chained people out after few minutes, though not before the media people photographed that. Three of the unchained Israelis were arrested.
Few minutes later, the soldiers pushed all the activists present to a virtual line 50 meters from the route of the fence - were they block the last few weeks the Friday demos since they were forced to legalize them.
The second part of the Friday action started when lot of children (including toddlers) and young teens accompanied with 20 mothers or late sleeper fathers arrived. According to the mood of the holiday, the children and kids received lot of toys with which they started to play in front of the line of the soldiers. To make the children happier, a portable slide was brought for their fun - put just few meters from the line of the soldiers. The adults had to be satisfied with the holiday cookies distributed to all....
(Such playing in front of the soldiers may counter the fear aroused in them during the last few nights invasions of the army into the village and their homes to arrest so called Fridays stone throwers youngsters - nearly 20 of them were taken to the Ofer concentration camp).
During the morning, we were joined by late sleeper villagers and Israeli activists who did not know the start of the demo was changed from noon to early morning. When the people present reached its pick we were about 150 of whom about 40 Israelis, 15 international activists of the ISM and 100 Bil'in villagers.
Because of the specialty of the day activity - direct action and holiday celebration which was leaked to the media, many of its reporters were present - including a mobile TV transmitter for live morning program of the Aljazeera ... The Israeli public radio channel reported on the demo along the day and in the afternoon. They also said the activists chained themselves and that a reporter of Aljazeera TV was hit by soldiers and detained for a while.
Like in the previous legalized Friday demos, after a long while, part of the participants got restless, and started getting out of the road to the olive orchards on its sides through them people can (and often did) go around the soldiers block towards the fence route again. The detention of few people - who were released after a while did not deter us and we did arrived to the fence route, and three comrades who improved the chaining equipment succeeded to chain themselves again. This time in spite of painful pulling of arms of the chained ones, two of them stayed chained after the soldiers stopped their failed efforts.
The soldiers succeeded to force all but the two chained ones back to the road with the main body of the demo... and the two chained remained with six reporters taking pictures of them from every possible angel. The frustrated commander was herd appointing two of his force to keep guarding the two chained and to arrest them the minute they unchained themselves.
In spite the efforts of the small unit to isolate the two chained, few of us succeeded to visit them from time to time to give them moral support, while the demo-celebration continued.
And so it continued till noon when it started raining. we persisted another half an hour and than the demonstration start to disperse. In order to save the chained comrades from the whether and the army, a small group of people went "visiting" them, and while confronting with their guards, enabled them to unchain themselves and escape being arrested. While leaving the place the comrades heard the commander threatening the failed guards with a punishment.
In contradiction to the long chain of Fridays, today, the Israeli state forces failed to make problems to the Israelis arriving to the Friday demo in Bil'in.
Thursday, November 3, 2005
US, New York, "3 Cities" against the wall Public Events 03 Nov
"THREE CITIES" ANNOUNCES PUBLIC EVENTS
Art exhibition to showcase work of Palestinian, Israeli, and American artists opposed to Israel's "Separation Wall" NEW YORK - Organizers of Three Cities Against the Wall will present a series of public events through the month-long run of the exhibition, the first of its kind in which Palestinian, Israeli, and American artists will be appearing together. The show, featuring 64 artists, many of them internationally known, will open on Nov. 9 in Ramallah, Palestine; Tel Aviv, Israel; and New York City. It will run for four weeks in all three cities.
Scheduled events are as follows:
Press Preview: Wednesday November 9 at 3:00pm ABC No Rio 156 Rivington Street (between Clinton & Suffolk)
Exhibition Opening: Wednesday November 9 at 7:00pm ABC No Rio, 156 Rivington Street and the Sixth Street Community Center 638 East Sixth Street (between Avenues B & C)
Artists Respond to the Wall: Thursday November 10 at 7:30pm ABC No Rio, 156 Rivington Street and Tuesday November 15 at 7:30pm VoxPop 1022 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn
Reportback: Tuesday November 22 at 7:30pm ABC No Rio, 156 Rivington Street "Three Cities" artists Sara Danielle Frank and Tom Lewis will discuss the exhibition following their return from Ramallah and Tel Aviv.
----------
ABC No Rio* 156 Rivington Street New York, NY 10002 (212) 254-3697
ABC No Rio: http://www.abcnorio.org
InterActivist Network: http://www.interactivist.net
InterActivist INFO EXCHANGE: http://slash.interactivist.net
SUPPORT ABC No Rio: http://www.abcnorio.org/support/support.html
----------
THREE CITIES AGAINST THE WALL http://www.abcnorio.org/againstthewall/
Contact: Steven Englander, (212) 254-3697 x.13, steven@abcnorio.org
==========================================
* antiauthoritarian anticapitalist place
Art exhibition to showcase work of Palestinian, Israeli, and American artists opposed to Israel's "Separation Wall" NEW YORK - Organizers of Three Cities Against the Wall will present a series of public events through the month-long run of the exhibition, the first of its kind in which Palestinian, Israeli, and American artists will be appearing together. The show, featuring 64 artists, many of them internationally known, will open on Nov. 9 in Ramallah, Palestine; Tel Aviv, Israel; and New York City. It will run for four weeks in all three cities.
Scheduled events are as follows:
Press Preview: Wednesday November 9 at 3:00pm ABC No Rio 156 Rivington Street (between Clinton & Suffolk)
Exhibition Opening: Wednesday November 9 at 7:00pm ABC No Rio, 156 Rivington Street and the Sixth Street Community Center 638 East Sixth Street (between Avenues B & C)
Artists Respond to the Wall: Thursday November 10 at 7:30pm ABC No Rio, 156 Rivington Street and Tuesday November 15 at 7:30pm VoxPop 1022 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn
Reportback: Tuesday November 22 at 7:30pm ABC No Rio, 156 Rivington Street "Three Cities" artists Sara Danielle Frank and Tom Lewis will discuss the exhibition following their return from Ramallah and Tel Aviv.
----------
ABC No Rio* 156 Rivington Street New York, NY 10002 (212) 254-3697
ABC No Rio: http://www.abcnorio.org
InterActivist Network: http://www.interactivist.net
InterActivist INFO EXCHANGE: http://slash.interactivist.net
SUPPORT ABC No Rio: http://www.abcnorio.org/support/support.html
----------
THREE CITIES AGAINST THE WALL http://www.abcnorio.org/againstthewall/
Contact: Steven Englander, (212) 254-3697 x.13, steven@abcnorio.org
==========================================
* antiauthoritarian anticapitalist place
Friday, October 28, 2005
Ramallah, Tel Aviv, New York - Three Cities Against the Wall, Press Release, 28 October 2005
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.
Carmella Volk, Tel Aviv
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."
Naama Yuriah, Tel Aviv
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).
Hushi Radwan, Ramallah
Asad Azi, Ramallah
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.
Seth Tobocman, New York
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.
Suzanne Klotz, New York
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.
A full-color catalog of Three Cities Against the Wall, including essays by writers, critics, and activists from all three communities, is to be be published by Vox Pop Press in November.
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.
Carmella Volk, Tel Aviv
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."
Naama Yuriah, Tel Aviv
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).
Hushi Radwan, Ramallah
Asad Azi, Ramallah
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.
Seth Tobocman, New York
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.
Suzanne Klotz, New York
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.
A full-color catalog of Three Cities Against the Wall, including essays by writers, critics, and activists from all three communities, is to be be published by Vox Pop Press in November.
Palestine-Israel Bil'in, The struggle still continues - Friday demonstration 28 Oct
This Friday demo has as background the three army night invasion for arresting people who participate in the weekly Fridays demonstrations. At the first night invasion they arrested nine villagers for the bogus claim that they damaged the fence. On the second night invasion they arrested additional three. On the third invasion, people went out of their hoses to confront the army unit, and the three persons they came to arrest were not found. As response to that harassment, the theme of the demo was that all of us are potential candidates to be arrested. many participants handcuffed ourselves with plastic imitation of the real thing. Placard was wit the content that all the rest of the 1600 inhabitants - including children, are to be arrested next if the struggle is to be stooped.
We marched along the road leading to the separation fence chanting - about 150 people, including 20 internationals, 50 Israelis who defied the closure intended to block us from arriving to the joint struggle, and about 100 people from Bil'in (as the last Fridays demos were not repressed harshly some even brought their young kids).
The Israeli state forces blocked our way about 100 meters from the fence route - there we stood for a while chanting. after a while, a 20 persons contingent of Bir Zeit university joined us and short time later we tried to get of the blocked road and come through the olive orchard nearer to the fence route. The state forces objected to this act pushed us forcefully back to the road again and again, injured by that two Israelis whose injuries were dressed by the medics of the Palestinian ambulance which is present in each demo, and two israelis even where detained for a while.
In spite of the state force pushing and pulling many of demonstrators succeeded to arrive to about few meters from the fence. There, Mohamad Hatib gave a speech, with explanations to people who participated in the demo for the first time. Then, the nonviolent demonstration was declared finished and we returned to the village - and the internationals and Israelis said good by to the village activists and added see you next Friday in Bil'in.
In parallel to the passage of the nonviolent demonstrators effort to come nearer to the fence route, youth of the village started the usual attrition war of stones versus tear gas and rubber bullets shots of the army which continued for a while even after the main demo was ended.
In a place were no demonstrators or stone throwing youth were near, a group of soldiers were seen as throwing stones on an army car which was on the fence route - probably for video taking by the army for false accusation of the demonstrators.
We marched along the road leading to the separation fence chanting - about 150 people, including 20 internationals, 50 Israelis who defied the closure intended to block us from arriving to the joint struggle, and about 100 people from Bil'in (as the last Fridays demos were not repressed harshly some even brought their young kids).
The Israeli state forces blocked our way about 100 meters from the fence route - there we stood for a while chanting. after a while, a 20 persons contingent of Bir Zeit university joined us and short time later we tried to get of the blocked road and come through the olive orchard nearer to the fence route. The state forces objected to this act pushed us forcefully back to the road again and again, injured by that two Israelis whose injuries were dressed by the medics of the Palestinian ambulance which is present in each demo, and two israelis even where detained for a while.
In spite of the state force pushing and pulling many of demonstrators succeeded to arrive to about few meters from the fence. There, Mohamad Hatib gave a speech, with explanations to people who participated in the demo for the first time. Then, the nonviolent demonstration was declared finished and we returned to the village - and the internationals and Israelis said good by to the village activists and added see you next Friday in Bil'in.
In parallel to the passage of the nonviolent demonstrators effort to come nearer to the fence route, youth of the village started the usual attrition war of stones versus tear gas and rubber bullets shots of the army which continued for a while even after the main demo was ended.
In a place were no demonstrators or stone throwing youth were near, a group of soldiers were seen as throwing stones on an army car which was on the fence route - probably for video taking by the army for false accusation of the demonstrators.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Palestine-Israel, Bbil'in, Friday 21-10-05, The joint struggle against occupation and separation wall continues 21 Oct
In spite the intense harassment against the arrival of Israeli Anarchists Against The Wall and the people of the coalition against the fence, about 50 of us succeeded to participate together with 15 international volunteers and hundred Palestinians - mostly inhabitants of Bil'in in the Friday demonstration. An eight months of Fridays demonstrations in Bil'in in additions to less frequent demonstrations and direct actions against the separation fence that robe more than half the lands of the village - annexing them to the Jewish orthodox city settlement. At noon, we started the usual Friday march towards the route of building of the separation fence. At the head was the creative art structure of the week. Along the road we marched and chanted slogans in both Arabic, English and Hebrew.
It took 7 months of persistent joint struggle to carry the nonviolent demonstrations again the separation fence in Bil'in, till we made the suppression so politically costly the state forces, so they decided to allow the nonviolent demonstrations in Bil'in. It took lot of physical confrontations, arrests, injuries, tear gas, non lethal bullets of various kinds. At the pick of the struggle the regional commander announced that no demonstration will be allowed in Bil'in.
At the last effort to suppress it the village was on curfew from early morning Friday. The lot of Israelis and Palestinians who did not yield and battled for long hours till we succeeded to lead a march to the route and the bad PR and media cover for the state force, forced them to change policy.
They replaced the commanders involved. The stated the change of policy. They agreed not to punish the participants of the nonviolent demonstration for the stone throwing youngsters who confront the soldiers in near by olive orchards...
And we arrived at about 100 meters of the route of the fence before they blocked our way to the fence route. After a while there people started to get down from the road to the orchard of olive trees in order to reach the route of the fence itself. True to the new policy the soldiers used only pushing force to prevent this acts and too violent soldiers were restrained by their commanders. After nearly an hour of failed efforts to do it on the south side of the road, and as the orchards there became a battle grounds of the stones of the stone thrower youth and the tear gas and non lethal bullets of the soldiers, we tried the northern side of the road.
Taken by surprise, the available soldiers and border police failed to block our way using bare hands only and we succeeded to get to the route of the building of the fence - a situation that could not happen till a month ago.
After celebrating for a while our small victory we returned to the village leaving the soldiers to continue their attrition war with the stone throwers.
It is hard to get used to it but non of the demonstrators was detained. Except excessive tear gas inhalation and one harmed by "non lethal" means the only unpleasant experiences were being pushed by the soldiers. ---------------------------
The media seems to regard the regular joint Friday demonstrations in Bil'in more seriously than some of the participants who lost the excitement derived from the Friday demonstrations. The following article of the Israeli daily haaretz is just one example of that.
---------------------------
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/636630.html
soldiers scuffle with demonstrators during a joint protest by Israeli, Palestinian and international peace activists against the separation fence in the West Bank village of Bil'in,
October 21, 2005. REUTERS Last update - 17:13 21/10/2005
Bil'in protesters say bean bags are latest riot-control weapon
A previously unknown weapon is being used to combat protesters against the separation fence, according to a report last week by Palestinian, Israeli and foreign demonstrators at Bil'in, where demonstrations take place regularly.
According to the report, a protester, Haysam Hatib, was taken to the hospital in Ramallah last Friday with a large bruise on his leg. Activists from the human rights organization B'Tselem said they were unable to identify the weapon, but a Haaretz investigation revealed it to be a small bean bag that can be shot from a hunting rifle or from a rifle used to fire 37-milimeter shells or tear gas canisters.
The village of Bil'in, which has become the arena for ongoing protests against the separation fence in recent months, is said to be a site where new methods of crowd control are tested. In addition to the Israel Defense Forces, primarily responsible for dispersing the demonstrations, Border Police and Prisons Service personnel are also on the scene.
The elite Prisons Service unit known as Masada, consisting of veterans of special military and police forces, is deployed in emergencies such as prison riots. According to its commanders, the unit has become one of the world's leaders in riot control.
The IDF and the police have not been forthcoming on their relationship with the Prisons Service unit.
About two months ago a Haaretz investigative report revealed two new types of ammunition used for the first time at Bil'in: a pepper ball that splits into several smaller projectiles on contact and causes burning and dizziness, and blue sponges.
Bil'in protest leader Abdallah Abu Rahma said that after Haysam Hatib was shot, other demonstrators searching the area found a bullet that could be fired from a hunting rifle with the word "super sock" on it. According to the demonstrators, Hatib was hit by a small sack filled with tiny balls.
Combined Tactile Systems, an American company, confirmed to Haaretz on Thursday that they manufacture several types of bean-bag ammunition. A number of other companies also manufacture this type of ammunition. It is believed to be efficient in crowd dispersal because it delivers a blow without causing serious injury, since it does not penetrate. It can be fired from distances of one meter to 50 meters and is considered relatively accurate.
However, users are warned that the impact of the bean bag can be fatal if it hits a sensitive area of the body like the head or neck.
Research by the Canadian police in 1999 showed that if a person is hit by a bean bag, of the type used in Bil'in, fired from under three meters the blow can cause death.
After questioning the IDF, the police and the Prisons Service, Haaretz was unable to determine which of the bodies was responsible for firing the bean bag last Friday. The police responded that they were not familiar with the weapon and that the Border Police had not used it. The Prisons Service refused to comment on the types of weaponry used by its Masada unit, but said the weapons used at Bil'in are supplied by the army.
"I know the people who fired the bean bags were from the Masada unit," Hatib said. "I saw them shooting with a hunting rifle."
It took 7 months of persistent joint struggle to carry the nonviolent demonstrations again the separation fence in Bil'in, till we made the suppression so politically costly the state forces, so they decided to allow the nonviolent demonstrations in Bil'in. It took lot of physical confrontations, arrests, injuries, tear gas, non lethal bullets of various kinds. At the pick of the struggle the regional commander announced that no demonstration will be allowed in Bil'in.
At the last effort to suppress it the village was on curfew from early morning Friday. The lot of Israelis and Palestinians who did not yield and battled for long hours till we succeeded to lead a march to the route and the bad PR and media cover for the state force, forced them to change policy.
They replaced the commanders involved. The stated the change of policy. They agreed not to punish the participants of the nonviolent demonstration for the stone throwing youngsters who confront the soldiers in near by olive orchards...
And we arrived at about 100 meters of the route of the fence before they blocked our way to the fence route. After a while there people started to get down from the road to the orchard of olive trees in order to reach the route of the fence itself. True to the new policy the soldiers used only pushing force to prevent this acts and too violent soldiers were restrained by their commanders. After nearly an hour of failed efforts to do it on the south side of the road, and as the orchards there became a battle grounds of the stones of the stone thrower youth and the tear gas and non lethal bullets of the soldiers, we tried the northern side of the road.
Taken by surprise, the available soldiers and border police failed to block our way using bare hands only and we succeeded to get to the route of the building of the fence - a situation that could not happen till a month ago.
After celebrating for a while our small victory we returned to the village leaving the soldiers to continue their attrition war with the stone throwers.
It is hard to get used to it but non of the demonstrators was detained. Except excessive tear gas inhalation and one harmed by "non lethal" means the only unpleasant experiences were being pushed by the soldiers. ---------------------------
The media seems to regard the regular joint Friday demonstrations in Bil'in more seriously than some of the participants who lost the excitement derived from the Friday demonstrations. The following article of the Israeli daily haaretz is just one example of that.
---------------------------
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/636630.html
soldiers scuffle with demonstrators during a joint protest by Israeli, Palestinian and international peace activists against the separation fence in the West Bank village of Bil'in,
October 21, 2005. REUTERS Last update - 17:13 21/10/2005
Bil'in protesters say bean bags are latest riot-control weapon
A previously unknown weapon is being used to combat protesters against the separation fence, according to a report last week by Palestinian, Israeli and foreign demonstrators at Bil'in, where demonstrations take place regularly.
According to the report, a protester, Haysam Hatib, was taken to the hospital in Ramallah last Friday with a large bruise on his leg. Activists from the human rights organization B'Tselem said they were unable to identify the weapon, but a Haaretz investigation revealed it to be a small bean bag that can be shot from a hunting rifle or from a rifle used to fire 37-milimeter shells or tear gas canisters.
The village of Bil'in, which has become the arena for ongoing protests against the separation fence in recent months, is said to be a site where new methods of crowd control are tested. In addition to the Israel Defense Forces, primarily responsible for dispersing the demonstrations, Border Police and Prisons Service personnel are also on the scene.
The elite Prisons Service unit known as Masada, consisting of veterans of special military and police forces, is deployed in emergencies such as prison riots. According to its commanders, the unit has become one of the world's leaders in riot control.
The IDF and the police have not been forthcoming on their relationship with the Prisons Service unit.
About two months ago a Haaretz investigative report revealed two new types of ammunition used for the first time at Bil'in: a pepper ball that splits into several smaller projectiles on contact and causes burning and dizziness, and blue sponges.
Bil'in protest leader Abdallah Abu Rahma said that after Haysam Hatib was shot, other demonstrators searching the area found a bullet that could be fired from a hunting rifle with the word "super sock" on it. According to the demonstrators, Hatib was hit by a small sack filled with tiny balls.
Combined Tactile Systems, an American company, confirmed to Haaretz on Thursday that they manufacture several types of bean-bag ammunition. A number of other companies also manufacture this type of ammunition. It is believed to be efficient in crowd dispersal because it delivers a blow without causing serious injury, since it does not penetrate. It can be fired from distances of one meter to 50 meters and is considered relatively accurate.
However, users are warned that the impact of the bean bag can be fatal if it hits a sensitive area of the body like the head or neck.
Research by the Canadian police in 1999 showed that if a person is hit by a bean bag, of the type used in Bil'in, fired from under three meters the blow can cause death.
After questioning the IDF, the police and the Prisons Service, Haaretz was unable to determine which of the bodies was responsible for firing the bean bag last Friday. The police responded that they were not familiar with the weapon and that the Border Police had not used it. The Prisons Service refused to comment on the types of weaponry used by its Masada unit, but said the weapons used at Bil'in are supplied by the army.
"I know the people who fired the bean bags were from the Masada unit," Hatib said. "I saw them shooting with a hunting rifle."
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