The Israeli state still do not like the joint Friday demonstrations against the separation fence and occupation, (as was expressed by the patrolling armored car who found us waiting to the car to Bil'in and declared the area as closed military zone and ordered us to return to the Israeli territory.. which we ignored). However they adopted a less belligerent pattern. As usual there were Palestinians from the village, from neighboring villages, and from Ramallah, and as usual ISM international (including this day a two dozen strong delegation from Spain), and of course the Israeli activists of the anarchists against the wall that never missed any of the demos in Bil'in.
As usual we started at noon the march from center of village to the route of the separation fence. As usual we carried a banner and placards, chanting all the way. As usual we seen the border police gendarmes on the roof of the last house and around it as provocation inviting the youngsters of the village to start the usual battle of stones against shock and tear gas grenades and rubber coated bullets. As usual we marched the one kilometer road through the olive grooves. As usual we found the gate to the route of the separation route blocked, with few soldiers in front of it.
As usual, there was the verbal confrontation and and low intensity physical pushing to - mainly from the soldiers side. As usual (but not the previous Friday), there was also the "hero" youngster who throe few stones behind our backs and quickly run away... but not as usual, the soldiers did not respond with the usual barge of shock grenades... and the nonviolent demo continued without the expected disruption
after a while we started to walk along the rote of the fence and in many points comrades pulled the barbed wire spools protecting the fence of the rote the electronic one is in its middle. The less belligerent mode of the soldiers was expressed by their refraining from throwing on us shock or tear gas grenades or arresting the most daring - they just approached the ones who pulled the barbed wire and pushed them away....
As usual, we heard all along the grenades and the shooting from the fringe of the village - though it seemed to be in lower intensity than usual. We were able to pass the "war zone" and return to the village without the need for a long detour with only the remnants of tear gas bothering us.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Friday, December 15, 2006
Palestine-Israel, Bil'in, Another quite Friday demonstration against the separation fence and occupation 15 Dec 2006
It is probably the ninety ninth (99) Friday demonstration in a row (since February 2005) of the joint struggle of the Bil'in people and the Israeli anarchists against the wall initiative. Though the separation fence had already been built in the region, and in spite of the Israeli supreme court of "justice" approval of the robbery of most of the village lands on the west side of the separation fence, and even when lot of the village people do not support the Friday demonstrations any more - the struggle continue. There are still enough people of the village, of the Israelis anarchists against the wall, international activists, and Palestinians out of the village who persist. This Friday about 80 of us marched at noon from the village center on the road towards the route of the separation fence. Holding some flags and placards, and chanting all the way we arrived at the blocked gate to the other side of the fence. (When we exited the built area of the village we have seen on the two sides of it the Israeli state force waiting for the stone throwing youngsters who engage them with the stones against shock and tear gas grenades and rubber coated bullets each Friday - after the nonviolent demonstration is already out of the village.)
When we arrived at the blocked gate, we found that like the previous Friday, the spools of barbed wire were not "protecting" the gate and the "ritual" of pulling it with response of shock grenades - that characterized previous demonstrations, was not carried out. Thus after some verbal confrontation with the soldiers protecting the closed gate we started to march along the separation fence. As usual, Few officers and a platoon of soldiers accompanied us to prevent "assault" on the spool of the barbed wire that protect the fence that protect the route the electronic fence pass in its middle.
As in the previous demonstration some of us pooled a bit, but stopped when the soldiers insist... some of us succeeded to pass the barbed wire and stand along the fence bordering the route, before the soldiers blocked the points the passing was possible at.
And as usual, there was there the verbal confrontation with the state force personal - mostly privates serving the mandatory 3 year service of high school graduates and their officers.
After a while, we started to return to the village. However, it was not so simple, as the area around the entrance of the road to the village was the war zone the confrontation between the village youngsters and the state force was continuing. So we made a long detour around them and arrived back to the center of the village without casualties.
When we arrived at the blocked gate, we found that like the previous Friday, the spools of barbed wire were not "protecting" the gate and the "ritual" of pulling it with response of shock grenades - that characterized previous demonstrations, was not carried out. Thus after some verbal confrontation with the soldiers protecting the closed gate we started to march along the separation fence. As usual, Few officers and a platoon of soldiers accompanied us to prevent "assault" on the spool of the barbed wire that protect the fence that protect the route the electronic fence pass in its middle.
As in the previous demonstration some of us pooled a bit, but stopped when the soldiers insist... some of us succeeded to pass the barbed wire and stand along the fence bordering the route, before the soldiers blocked the points the passing was possible at.
And as usual, there was there the verbal confrontation with the state force personal - mostly privates serving the mandatory 3 year service of high school graduates and their officers.
After a while, we started to return to the village. However, it was not so simple, as the area around the entrance of the road to the village was the war zone the confrontation between the village youngsters and the state force was continuing. So we made a long detour around them and arrived back to the center of the village without casualties.
Friday, December 8, 2006
Palestine-Israel, Bil'in, The quietest Friday demonstration ... 08 Dec 2006
Comrade think this Friday demonstration was so (relatively) peaceful because we had as "visitors" the top activists of the international amnesty.
At noon, we started the march to the route of the fence as usual - Palestinians, internationals and Israelis of the anarchist against the wall initiative. Chanting and carrying placards and a big banner. On the way we have seen the Israeli state force personnel on the roof of the house at the end of the village and around it - waiting/provoking for village youth stone throwing confrontation. When we arrived at the route of the fence we found it blocked as usual with the heavy gate, an armored car, and few soldiers, but without the spools of barbed wire (we used to pull the previous Fridays and receiving in return shock grenade). Thus the confrontation was mostly verbal and a baton of a soldiers was snatched as a trophy - without the usual punishment of thrown grenades....
As the state forces refrained from throwing grenades, the few kids that usually come with the nonviolent demonstrators, respond to that with stones and put end to the nonviolent demonstration, had no excuse for their act. Thus, after a while they left us and returned to the village with out causing their usual havoc.
The rest of us started to walk along the fence looking for low intensity confrontation with a platoon of soldiers who "accompanied" us to prevent any assault of us against the fence of the route.
After a prolonged verbal confrontation mainly, we returned to the village, passing through the usual "war zone" between the stone throwers and the Israeli state force shock and tear gas grenades and rubber coated bullets.
At noon, we started the march to the route of the fence as usual - Palestinians, internationals and Israelis of the anarchist against the wall initiative. Chanting and carrying placards and a big banner. On the way we have seen the Israeli state force personnel on the roof of the house at the end of the village and around it - waiting/provoking for village youth stone throwing confrontation. When we arrived at the route of the fence we found it blocked as usual with the heavy gate, an armored car, and few soldiers, but without the spools of barbed wire (we used to pull the previous Fridays and receiving in return shock grenade). Thus the confrontation was mostly verbal and a baton of a soldiers was snatched as a trophy - without the usual punishment of thrown grenades....
As the state forces refrained from throwing grenades, the few kids that usually come with the nonviolent demonstrators, respond to that with stones and put end to the nonviolent demonstration, had no excuse for their act. Thus, after a while they left us and returned to the village with out causing their usual havoc.
The rest of us started to walk along the fence looking for low intensity confrontation with a platoon of soldiers who "accompanied" us to prevent any assault of us against the fence of the route.
After a prolonged verbal confrontation mainly, we returned to the village, passing through the usual "war zone" between the stone throwers and the Israeli state force shock and tear gas grenades and rubber coated bullets.
Saturday, December 2, 2006
Palestine-Israel, Bil'in Friday demonstration still going on even when no light is seen in the end of the tunnel 02 Dec 2006
Just like every other Friday of the last 21 months, we had today too, for a while, in Bil'in, the joint struggle of Israeli anarchists against the wall, international activists, and people of Bil;in. The electronic separation fence is already completed in west of Bil'in. The Israeli higher court of "justice" already demonstrated again what is the NaZionist meaning of "justice" and threw away the Bil'in protest about the theft of Bil'in lands for the building of another quarter in the settler colonialist town Modi'in Ilit. It will probably do the same to the protest about the route of the separation fence that grab more lands of Bil'in... But the struggle continue. Every day and every act of resistance is part of the "Tsumud" = "persistence" refusing to give in to the huge transfer started 1948, continued all the year and increased in momentum in 1967 occupation and more so in 2002 project of the separation fence.
At noon, we started as most of previous Friday demonstrations from the center of the village on the road to the west - now cut by the separation fence and gate to the West which is always closed for us at Friday noon.
We marched with placard, and a tractor with a plow, chanting all the way to the route of the fence. Just living the built area of the village we have seen Israeli state force on the roof of one of the building and around it - waiting for the usual Friday confrontation with the youngsters of the village so they will be able to report to the media there was violent confrontation in Bil'in - and not just a non violent demonstration.
On our way to the rout of the fence, two youngsters who prefer to throw stones behind the back of the nonviolent demonstration accompanied us - leaving behind the more authentic stone throwing youngsters to confront the state force.
When we arrived at the blocked gate to the route of the fence and to the West of it, we started verbal confrontation with the state force guarding the gate and pulling the spools of the barbed wire "protecting" the gate.
From time to time the soldiers threw on us shock grenades that did not deter us any more. At some stage they even threw on us a tear gas canister that was thrown back to them to enjoy their own "medicine".
At that minute the two "brave" youngsters threw few stones on the soldiers behind our backs and run away. Due to our persistence and the "lenience" of the soldiers who only threw of us few shock grenades, they failed to disrupt the nonviolent demonstration that continued till we decided to return to the village.
Not long afterwards two officers tried to arrest one of us for "bad behavior", but due to the resistance of the comrades around, the needed more and reinforcement. When they were already 20, they did succeed to take him prisoner, to be released 2 hours later from the not far away police station in the Settlement Givat Ze'ev, on condition he will refrain from demonstrate in Bil'in for 15 days.
It seems that only three of the demonstrators were injured a bit in the confrontation.
At noon, we started as most of previous Friday demonstrations from the center of the village on the road to the west - now cut by the separation fence and gate to the West which is always closed for us at Friday noon.
We marched with placard, and a tractor with a plow, chanting all the way to the route of the fence. Just living the built area of the village we have seen Israeli state force on the roof of one of the building and around it - waiting for the usual Friday confrontation with the youngsters of the village so they will be able to report to the media there was violent confrontation in Bil'in - and not just a non violent demonstration.
On our way to the rout of the fence, two youngsters who prefer to throw stones behind the back of the nonviolent demonstration accompanied us - leaving behind the more authentic stone throwing youngsters to confront the state force.
When we arrived at the blocked gate to the route of the fence and to the West of it, we started verbal confrontation with the state force guarding the gate and pulling the spools of the barbed wire "protecting" the gate.
From time to time the soldiers threw on us shock grenades that did not deter us any more. At some stage they even threw on us a tear gas canister that was thrown back to them to enjoy their own "medicine".
At that minute the two "brave" youngsters threw few stones on the soldiers behind our backs and run away. Due to our persistence and the "lenience" of the soldiers who only threw of us few shock grenades, they failed to disrupt the nonviolent demonstration that continued till we decided to return to the village.
Not long afterwards two officers tried to arrest one of us for "bad behavior", but due to the resistance of the comrades around, the needed more and reinforcement. When they were already 20, they did succeed to take him prisoner, to be released 2 hours later from the not far away police station in the Settlement Givat Ze'ev, on condition he will refrain from demonstrate in Bil'in for 15 days.
It seems that only three of the demonstrators were injured a bit in the confrontation.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Palestine-Israel, Bil'in, 21 months of Fridays demonstrations against occupation and separation fence] 25 Nov 2006
This Friday was just another sunny day of the late Autumn. A contingent of Israeli activists of the anarchists against the wall from the Tel Aviv region and Jerusalem arrived in Bil'in at the late morning. There we met some of the local activists we have shaking hands and hugged for so many times - in Fridays and in week days of joint struggle. With a warm comrade gesture we were given the Palestinian newspaper AlKuds from the beginning of the week - where a large photograph of our Saturday direct action (near Gaza) was on the front page. At noon, a moderate size demonstration of Palestinians (mostly from Bil'in), international activists and Israelis started the march towards the route of the separation fence. At the front was a tractor which was lately prevented from passing the fence to its West side and plow there lands of the village.
Chanting all the way we arrived at the blocked gate to route of the fence and to the other side of it. There started the usual verbal confrontation with the soldiers blocking our way - behind the gate fortified with spools of barbed wire. One of the village activists who tried to pass the block was detained. many of the others started to pull the spools of barbed wire with short breaks when the disapproving state forces threw shock grenades...
When the spools were nearly removed, an action was started by about 5 "brave" stone throwers who accompanied the demonstration instead of confronting like the other stone throwers with the soldiers positioned at the outskirts of the village. They wanted to start stone throwing just when the demo arrived at the fence but were talked out of it along some 30 minutes till they defy requests and past agreement not to disrupt the nonviolent demonstration.
As expected, the state force responded with barrage of shock grenades and fire of live ammunition in the air. However, the nonviolent demonstrators who got used to the sporadic explosions of shock grenades during the spools pulling did not run far away as in previous cases. And as the "brave" stone throwers who found that our backs are not protecting them any more fled fast and faraway, allowing the nonviolent demonstrators to continue the pulling of the barbed wire spools and the low intensity confrontation with the state force.
At a point where the spool were nearly untangled, 4 officers of the state force - including two lieutenants and a captain, came forward to "protect" the closed gate and a stand still was arrived at.
This way we continued another hour in which the international activists and the media workers of various local and international channels were debriefed.
Then the demonstration was declared as finished and we started to return to the village. As usual, we had to leave the road to detour the road at the entrance to the village as it was as usual the war zone where lot of village youngsters confronted with stones a contingent of Israel state force who responded with tear gas and shock grenades and shooting bullets coated with rubber.
Here two one of the "brave" stone throwers sneaked behind our backs trying to use us as a shield while trowing stones... but was shamed into going away.
When I returned home in the late afternoon I heard the afternoon news of the main public channel reporting about the Bil'in demonstration - as they do so often on Fridays. (It reported about 100 participants and 6 injured, with out discerning between the nonviolent demonstration at the route of the fence (more than kilometer from the village buildings), and the stone throwing confrontation at the courtyards in the outskirt of the village.
Ilan S.
See:
http://awalls.org
http://matzpen.org
http://shalif.com/anarchy
Chanting all the way we arrived at the blocked gate to route of the fence and to the other side of it. There started the usual verbal confrontation with the soldiers blocking our way - behind the gate fortified with spools of barbed wire. One of the village activists who tried to pass the block was detained. many of the others started to pull the spools of barbed wire with short breaks when the disapproving state forces threw shock grenades...
When the spools were nearly removed, an action was started by about 5 "brave" stone throwers who accompanied the demonstration instead of confronting like the other stone throwers with the soldiers positioned at the outskirts of the village. They wanted to start stone throwing just when the demo arrived at the fence but were talked out of it along some 30 minutes till they defy requests and past agreement not to disrupt the nonviolent demonstration.
As expected, the state force responded with barrage of shock grenades and fire of live ammunition in the air. However, the nonviolent demonstrators who got used to the sporadic explosions of shock grenades during the spools pulling did not run far away as in previous cases. And as the "brave" stone throwers who found that our backs are not protecting them any more fled fast and faraway, allowing the nonviolent demonstrators to continue the pulling of the barbed wire spools and the low intensity confrontation with the state force.
At a point where the spool were nearly untangled, 4 officers of the state force - including two lieutenants and a captain, came forward to "protect" the closed gate and a stand still was arrived at.
This way we continued another hour in which the international activists and the media workers of various local and international channels were debriefed.
Then the demonstration was declared as finished and we started to return to the village. As usual, we had to leave the road to detour the road at the entrance to the village as it was as usual the war zone where lot of village youngsters confronted with stones a contingent of Israel state force who responded with tear gas and shock grenades and shooting bullets coated with rubber.
Here two one of the "brave" stone throwers sneaked behind our backs trying to use us as a shield while trowing stones... but was shamed into going away.
When I returned home in the late afternoon I heard the afternoon news of the main public channel reporting about the Bil'in demonstration - as they do so often on Fridays. (It reported about 100 participants and 6 injured, with out discerning between the nonviolent demonstration at the route of the fence (more than kilometer from the village buildings), and the stone throwing confrontation at the courtyards in the outskirt of the village.
Ilan S.
See:
http://awalls.org
http://matzpen.org
http://shalif.com/anarchy
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Italy: "Resistance, disobedience, solidarity" - report of an evening with an Israeli refusnik [it] 21 Nov 2006
On Monday 20th November 2006 at the Istituto Tecnico-Commerciale Battisti in Fano, eastern Italy, with Lior Volinytz, a 19-year-old Israeli refusnik and activist in the Anarchists Against the Wall initiative. Attendance was quite good, with around 60 people present, mostly young secondary school students. Lior spoke about how he became an anti-militarist, about his decision to refuse military service and finally about his decision to join the Anarchists Against he Wall initiative, an Israeli movement that supports the non-violent struggle of Palestinian villagers against the Wall, in particular in Bil'in where fore the past 20 months, every Friday the village's Popular Committee organizes a non-violent demonstration against the Wall with the cooperation of international activists, Israelis from Anarchists Against the Wall and others.
There was strong reaction from the slides that Lior showed and the videos of the demonstrations against Israel's militarist policies in Tel Aviv and against the Separation Wall at Bil'in in Palestine, where the IDF does not hesitate to use violent methods against non-violent demonstrators. Answering questions from the audience, Lior clearly illustrated the strategy of the Wall to isolate the Palestinians and to steal their land far beyond the 1967 Green Line, all with the vital support they receive from the colonist lobby, mostly fascists and religious fundamentalists, many of whom are sent into Palestinian territory from the Israeli government itself.
The initiative was organized by the "FuoriTempo" association together with other local groups, with the cooperation of the FdCA's Fano/Pesaro branch, in particular with regard to Italian-language material on the activities of Anarchists Against The Wall and the libertarian left in Israel.
D.R. Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici - Fano/Pesaro Branch http://www.fdca.it/fdcaen
From: Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici
There was strong reaction from the slides that Lior showed and the videos of the demonstrations against Israel's militarist policies in Tel Aviv and against the Separation Wall at Bil'in in Palestine, where the IDF does not hesitate to use violent methods against non-violent demonstrators. Answering questions from the audience, Lior clearly illustrated the strategy of the Wall to isolate the Palestinians and to steal their land far beyond the 1967 Green Line, all with the vital support they receive from the colonist lobby, mostly fascists and religious fundamentalists, many of whom are sent into Palestinian territory from the Israeli government itself.
The initiative was organized by the "FuoriTempo" association together with other local groups, with the cooperation of the FdCA's Fano/Pesaro branch, in particular with regard to Italian-language material on the activities of Anarchists Against The Wall and the libertarian left in Israel.
D.R. Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici - Fano/Pesaro Branch http://www.fdca.it/fdcaen
From: Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici
Friday, November 17, 2006
Palestine-Israel, Bil'in, Just a regular act of joint struggle against the fence and occupation. 17 Nov 2006
For long we have already stopped to count the Friday demonstration and other direct actions we did together in Bil'in since February 2005 (more than hundred joint confrontations with the Israeli state forces, by the Bil'in villagers together with the Israeli activists of the anarchists against the wall and international activists. To day we started as usual at noon with the march on the road leading to the route of the separation fence. Chanting all the way to the blocked gate to the route and beyond. On the way we could see the Israeli soldiers standing near the last houses of the village, waiting in provocation for the stone thrower youth. Most of the youth dispersed on the two sides of the road waiting for the usual confrontation to start. About 5 of them "joined" the match towards the blocked gate to the route, to throw stones behind the backs of the non violent demonstration.
When we arrived at the blocked gate we seen that the state forces fortified it with lot of spools of barbed wire. The more daring demonstrators were not satisfied by merely verbal confrontation and started to pool the barbed wire so the gate will not be blocked.... From time to time, the state forces threw shock grenades, but the experienced demonstrators just moved a meter or so from grenades and continue pooling.
Standing on elevated ground near the gate I seen there the stone throwers contemplating when to start to throw the stone behind our backs. After a while, one of the started to count loudly and at three they threw a short shower of stones and run away - leaving the nonviolent demonstrators to receive the retaliation of the state forces to continue their throwing from a less dangerous distance.
The state forces used plenty of shock grenades, tear gas canisters and even shoot metal bullets covered by rubber.
On our way back we seen a group of soldiers who forced their way to the roof of a house in the outskirt of the village and was shooting and throwing grenades on the stone throwers and the returning demonstrators. Few Israelis and local comrades confronted them verbally and it took long time till they got down from the roof.
During the time of confrontation till we returned to Tel Aviv, one Palestinian was hit with a bullet to his head and was rushed to hospital. One Israeli comrade was hit a bit less seriously in her belly. Many had nasty experience with the tear gas.
When we arrived at the blocked gate we seen that the state forces fortified it with lot of spools of barbed wire. The more daring demonstrators were not satisfied by merely verbal confrontation and started to pool the barbed wire so the gate will not be blocked.... From time to time, the state forces threw shock grenades, but the experienced demonstrators just moved a meter or so from grenades and continue pooling.
Standing on elevated ground near the gate I seen there the stone throwers contemplating when to start to throw the stone behind our backs. After a while, one of the started to count loudly and at three they threw a short shower of stones and run away - leaving the nonviolent demonstrators to receive the retaliation of the state forces to continue their throwing from a less dangerous distance.
The state forces used plenty of shock grenades, tear gas canisters and even shoot metal bullets covered by rubber.
On our way back we seen a group of soldiers who forced their way to the roof of a house in the outskirt of the village and was shooting and throwing grenades on the stone throwers and the returning demonstrators. Few Israelis and local comrades confronted them verbally and it took long time till they got down from the roof.
During the time of confrontation till we returned to Tel Aviv, one Palestinian was hit with a bullet to his head and was rushed to hospital. One Israeli comrade was hit a bit less seriously in her belly. Many had nasty experience with the tear gas.
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