Info night and fundraiser for the AATW Event - Friday, Sep 7 2007 Anarchists Against the Wall (AATW) was formed in 2003 as the highly controversial apartheid wall meant to separate Israelis and Palestinians began construction, and is made up of both Israelis and Palestinians" They have already seen some significant victories. The AATW have been involved in the struggle of the village of Budrus, whose land was to be almost completely confiscated by the Israelis. Through local mobilisation, struggle and popular resistance, Budrus managed to push the path of the wall almost completely off its land instead of vainly appealing to the Israeli courts.
Victories like these have seen local resistance grow immensely in popularity and the AATW is present at any local struggle where its presence is requested.
The army and the Israeli government are however trying to prevent Israeli activists from joining the resistance in any way they can, stopping short of pointing the business end of a rifle at them. Under current law, it's possible to indict people for simply taking part in a demonstration.
Over the years, AATW activists have been arrested hundreds of times and have had over a hundred indictments filed against them. Legal bills now come to over €25,000.
One immediate act of solidarity open to us is to help them with these costs. So we hope you can come along...
FRIDAY, September 7th Seomra Spraoi, 4 Mary's Abbey (off Capel Street/opposite Rhodes restaurant) 8.30pm Film 9.30pm Music Admission €5 (€4 for the unwaged) http://www.awalls.org
Also check out italian fdca site for other english language updates http://www.fdca.it/wall/media/wall_english.zip
http://www.wsm.ie
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Palestine-Israel, Celebration, Israeli Supreme Court verdict of today: the Route of the separation fence in Bil'in is Illegal 04 Sep 2007
This morning at 09:00 was expected the verdict of the Israeli Supreme court on the petition of the Bil'in village about the war crime of the building of the separation fence used to rob most of the lands of the village. The Supreme court that is used to give a "justice" rubber stamp to the occupation and the settler colonialist project can do it only if it is following some kind of logic. Using that kind of logic forced the supreme court to restrict the war crimes of Israel in the occupied territories. The joint struggle in Bil'in of the village popular comity together with the Israeli anarchists against the wall initiative, forced the highest court to intervene. After two and a half years of refusing to give a prompt verdict, it had to follow its own principles of justifying the separation fence, and ordered the settler colonialist establishment to retreat a bit.
In a verdict released today (Sept 4, 2007) in the petition of the village Bil'in against the separation barrier (HCJ 8414/05), by Judges Beinish, Prokachya and Rivlin, the Supreme Court ruled against the current route of the barrier and ordered the State to prepare within reasonable time a proposal for an alternative route, which will leave the agricultural lands of Bil'in on the "Palestinian" side of the barrier. The Court said that the current route was designed to allow the construction of the two stages of the Matityahu East neighborhood in the settlement Modi'in Illit - both the Western stage (where building took place) and the Eastern part (not yet built). The Judges ruled that the Eastern part is not a consideration to be taken while deciding about the route of the barrier. Exceptionally, the Judges also wondered about the security considerations guiding the planners of the wall - saying that the route of the barrier in Bil'in stretches in topographically inferior areas, in order to allow the construction of the full area of the Matityahu East neighborhood.
The Court decided that until the barrier is completed in the new route, the gate in the barrier is to remain open daily between 6:00 am and 20:00 pm.
The preparation which were done in order to face a negative verdict of the highest court were easily adapted to the positive verdict. The celebrations started with the party given late morning to the international and local media. Activists of the village and of the region involved with the struggle in Bil'in continued the celebration in the streets and in the municipality building. On the afternoon the main contingent of the anarchists against the wall arrived from the near by Israeli Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and the celebration collected momentum. With music and dancing we converged first in the center of the village and then the hundreds of us Palestinian women, men, teenagers and kids, Israelis of the AATW continued the procession all along the road leading to the route of the separation fence. At the gate to the other side of the route, instead of the belligerent soldiers and border guards who attack us each Friday demonstration, there were few soldiers just guarding the gate.
After few sweet minutes of celebration there, we changed direction and did the dancing and singing all the way back to the center of the village.
After the evening prayer, few of the long time activists traveled to have a party at the near by city Ramalla.
All the TV channels reported in the evening main news program about the verdict and the celebration of the long struggle.
In a verdict released today (Sept 4, 2007) in the petition of the village Bil'in against the separation barrier (HCJ 8414/05), by Judges Beinish, Prokachya and Rivlin, the Supreme Court ruled against the current route of the barrier and ordered the State to prepare within reasonable time a proposal for an alternative route, which will leave the agricultural lands of Bil'in on the "Palestinian" side of the barrier. The Court said that the current route was designed to allow the construction of the two stages of the Matityahu East neighborhood in the settlement Modi'in Illit - both the Western stage (where building took place) and the Eastern part (not yet built). The Judges ruled that the Eastern part is not a consideration to be taken while deciding about the route of the barrier. Exceptionally, the Judges also wondered about the security considerations guiding the planners of the wall - saying that the route of the barrier in Bil'in stretches in topographically inferior areas, in order to allow the construction of the full area of the Matityahu East neighborhood.
The Court decided that until the barrier is completed in the new route, the gate in the barrier is to remain open daily between 6:00 am and 20:00 pm.
The preparation which were done in order to face a negative verdict of the highest court were easily adapted to the positive verdict. The celebrations started with the party given late morning to the international and local media. Activists of the village and of the region involved with the struggle in Bil'in continued the celebration in the streets and in the municipality building. On the afternoon the main contingent of the anarchists against the wall arrived from the near by Israeli Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and the celebration collected momentum. With music and dancing we converged first in the center of the village and then the hundreds of us Palestinian women, men, teenagers and kids, Israelis of the AATW continued the procession all along the road leading to the route of the separation fence. At the gate to the other side of the route, instead of the belligerent soldiers and border guards who attack us each Friday demonstration, there were few soldiers just guarding the gate.
After few sweet minutes of celebration there, we changed direction and did the dancing and singing all the way back to the center of the village.
After the evening prayer, few of the long time activists traveled to have a party at the near by city Ramalla.
All the TV channels reported in the evening main news program about the verdict and the celebration of the long struggle.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Palestine-Israel, The entrance to Karmei Tzur settlement blocked with razor wire, 02/09/2007
A group of 15 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists have blocked the entrance to Karmei Zur Settlement today. The entrance to the Karmei Tzur settlement, which is built on the lands of the Palestinian villages Halhul and Beit Umar, was blocked by a group of about 15 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists. To block the road activists chose to symbolically use razor wire that was taken from the fence that circles the settlement, and prevents Palestinians from accessing their land. A sign reading "Mortal Danger-Military Zone. Any person who passes or damages the fence endangers his life", which was taken from the wall in the area, was hung on the razor wire.
Flyers that were left on the road, reminded settlers that while their freedom of movement is being shortly and symbolically interrupted, the daily Palestinian reality, greatly to settlers convenience, is such of checkpoints, roadblocks, fences, apartheid roads and military occupation.
==================================
Copied from the http://awalls.org - the web site of the Anarchists Against The Wall
Flyers that were left on the road, reminded settlers that while their freedom of movement is being shortly and symbolically interrupted, the daily Palestinian reality, greatly to settlers convenience, is such of checkpoints, roadblocks, fences, apartheid roads and military occupation.
==================================
Copied from the http://awalls.org - the web site of the Anarchists Against The Wall
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle in Bil'in, Wadi Nis and Wallage (south Bethlehem), and Sarra (south Nablus) 01 Sep 2007
In Bil'in - the most persistent location of struggle against the occupation and the separation fence, it was the 134th Friday demonstration. As usual, it consisted of Palestinians from the village and the region, Israelis of the anarchists against the wall initiative, and internationals. As usual, after the noon march from the village towards the route of the separation fence we arrived at the foot of the hill the gate to the other half of the village lands is located on. As usual the commander of the state force declared from a distance that the barbed wire spool crossing the road at the foot of the hill mark the forbidden military zone - threatening with punishment who ever cross it. As usual, after converging there we started to cross the line. But, as it happened in the past with the shock grenades, we learned to evade the tear gas ones and after a short confrontation many of us crossed the forbidden line and were too near to the state force for them to use tear gas on us.
After they detained two Israelis and one international activists they took their time. For a while we had there a verbal conflict only, and later the state force started to push us physically back - adding batons work that injured me and two other comrades of the village activists. The refusal of the comrades to yield to the pressure of the state force till the injured ones will be taken care of made the state force stop their offensive. After we were treated by the medics team of the ambulance, we returned to the village - leaving the space to the usual confrontation between the state force and the stones throwing kids.
The comrades detained were taken to the regional police station and were released 5 hours later with two weeks restriction from participation in the Friday demonstrations at the separation fence of Bil'in.
Links to video clips from previous Friday demonstration:
http://mishtara.org/blog/?p=235
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo9PnuyGaYU&mode=user&search
Link to video clip from this Friday demonstration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6s7D7GTKRo
===== Sarra =====
The second joint struggle Friday demonstration was at the village Sarra in the region south of Nablus. Following is a text describing the situation there and a call for this Friday demonstration:
"On the 25th August, Israeli Occupation Forces entered the village of Sarra to close a roadblock that had been previously opened. The Monday before, (20th August) international activists joined Palestinian villagers in removing a road block that turned a 5 minute journey to Nablus into half an hour. There was to be another demonstration the Friday after, but it was canceled because the local mayor said the DCO had told him they would open the roadblock permanently on Saturday.
The activists that were ready to join the demonstration were dubious over the generosity of the military and saw it as a potential tactic to avert the demonstration, and it turned out it was. The soldiers came on Saturday, forcing a Palestinian villager to use his tractor to close the roadblock. After the soldiers left, the man re-opened the roadblock. Then the soldiers came again, however this time at night. From one in the morning to 2:30am they entered homes and interrogated the inhabitants, occupied houses and kicked out the families inside, confiscated knives and CDs from houses, pushed people around and shot live ammunition into the doorways of shops and homes, as well as into the water tanks above the homes.
International Human Rights Workers went the day after to take pictures of the damage and speak to the people living there. The people spoken to were convinced that trusting the Israelis was no longer an option. They had shown their goodwill by canceling a demonstration at the suggestion the roadblocks would be opened and had been penalized for their good faith. They Israelis had shown that they were interested in only one thing, the continued harassment of Palestinians in the open air prisons their towns are becoming.
Many people now are ready to demonstrate non-violently this Friday, August 31, at 1:00pm, after the prayer. They are calling on all people who are interested in joining their struggle against injustice to join them on this day. People are talking about bringing signs and Palestinian flags, and as we are organizing people from all around the area we are limited only by our creativity."
The Israeli anarchists against the wall initiative was invited weeks ago to join the struggle at Sarra as partners. A contingent of our comrades participated there in this Friday demonstration.
It was a big demonstration with few hundred participants. The peak of the demonstration was the removal again of the blocks of the road blocks. The state forces used a "small dose" of tear gas and detained three Israeli activists who were taken to Ariel police station and released at the late evening.
======= South of Bethlehem 31.8.07 =====
A comrade reported:
"We started the day in Wadi Nis - about 40 internationals, 30 Palestinians and 5 Israelis of the AATW. in the opening speech of the demonstration it was said that it marks the sixth yearly commemoration of Mustafa Abu-Ali by Israel, and as the occasion fit give respect to the memory of all the other Palestinian martyrs murdered in the extermination actions of Israel.
We marched from the village towards the road marking the route of the separation fence, on its sides week after week other components of the advancing fence appear.
The Israeli state force positioned near by did not approach us and we crossed the route where the fence will be built along it, to the confiscated Palestinian lands on the North-West side of it. We passed between grapes carrying vines and the peasants invited us to eat from them.
After a short time border police and army approached us and blocked our way. The villagers explained that we are going to peace of land located near the settler colony Efrat, the Israeli court recognized the ownership of it by one of them. The army and police insisted that we cannot pass there as the area is declared a closed military zone and the demonstration must disperse during the following minutes. (During the short confrontation settlers from the Efrat colony congregated behind the soldiers.)
We responded to the demand by siting down and continued eating grapes. After an exchange of give and take, the organizers decided that the demonstration already delivered the message, and agreed that we return to the village following statement of the state force that the owner of the land will be allowed to go by himself to check the condition of the land near the settlement.
When we returned to the village we heard that a demonstration in the near by Wallage is about to start.... so many of the participants - Palestinians, Internationals, and Israelis took cars and try to go there but only part of us arrived as the others were blocked in the roadblocks.
The demonstration in Wallage started by prayer on the main road of the village. During the prayer, a team of border police entered the village and confiscated tires they found under a tree. After the prayer we marched - few dozens of the village people with Israelis, internationals and Palestinians from the other demonstration - up the hill on which were parked machines used for building the fence. The state force which previously intervened in Wadi Nis stopped us on our way declaring again that the area is a closed military zone. Here again the villagers informed the state force that an Israeli court recognized the ownership of the land by a local Palestinian. We also set down on the ground holding hands in preparation for non violent resistance and chanting slogans against the separation fence and the occupation.
The army drove away the media workers (mainly photographers) in preparation for a violent eviction. At that stage there started a dispute among the municipality comity members about the continuation of the demonstration, and at the end it was decided to refrain from confrontation with the state force and to yield to their demand to return to the village".
After they detained two Israelis and one international activists they took their time. For a while we had there a verbal conflict only, and later the state force started to push us physically back - adding batons work that injured me and two other comrades of the village activists. The refusal of the comrades to yield to the pressure of the state force till the injured ones will be taken care of made the state force stop their offensive. After we were treated by the medics team of the ambulance, we returned to the village - leaving the space to the usual confrontation between the state force and the stones throwing kids.
The comrades detained were taken to the regional police station and were released 5 hours later with two weeks restriction from participation in the Friday demonstrations at the separation fence of Bil'in.
Links to video clips from previous Friday demonstration:
http://mishtara.org/blog/?p=235
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo9PnuyGaYU&mode=user&search
Link to video clip from this Friday demonstration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6s7D7GTKRo
===== Sarra =====
The second joint struggle Friday demonstration was at the village Sarra in the region south of Nablus. Following is a text describing the situation there and a call for this Friday demonstration:
"On the 25th August, Israeli Occupation Forces entered the village of Sarra to close a roadblock that had been previously opened. The Monday before, (20th August) international activists joined Palestinian villagers in removing a road block that turned a 5 minute journey to Nablus into half an hour. There was to be another demonstration the Friday after, but it was canceled because the local mayor said the DCO had told him they would open the roadblock permanently on Saturday.
The activists that were ready to join the demonstration were dubious over the generosity of the military and saw it as a potential tactic to avert the demonstration, and it turned out it was. The soldiers came on Saturday, forcing a Palestinian villager to use his tractor to close the roadblock. After the soldiers left, the man re-opened the roadblock. Then the soldiers came again, however this time at night. From one in the morning to 2:30am they entered homes and interrogated the inhabitants, occupied houses and kicked out the families inside, confiscated knives and CDs from houses, pushed people around and shot live ammunition into the doorways of shops and homes, as well as into the water tanks above the homes.
International Human Rights Workers went the day after to take pictures of the damage and speak to the people living there. The people spoken to were convinced that trusting the Israelis was no longer an option. They had shown their goodwill by canceling a demonstration at the suggestion the roadblocks would be opened and had been penalized for their good faith. They Israelis had shown that they were interested in only one thing, the continued harassment of Palestinians in the open air prisons their towns are becoming.
Many people now are ready to demonstrate non-violently this Friday, August 31, at 1:00pm, after the prayer. They are calling on all people who are interested in joining their struggle against injustice to join them on this day. People are talking about bringing signs and Palestinian flags, and as we are organizing people from all around the area we are limited only by our creativity."
The Israeli anarchists against the wall initiative was invited weeks ago to join the struggle at Sarra as partners. A contingent of our comrades participated there in this Friday demonstration.
It was a big demonstration with few hundred participants. The peak of the demonstration was the removal again of the blocks of the road blocks. The state forces used a "small dose" of tear gas and detained three Israeli activists who were taken to Ariel police station and released at the late evening.
======= South of Bethlehem 31.8.07 =====
A comrade reported:
"We started the day in Wadi Nis - about 40 internationals, 30 Palestinians and 5 Israelis of the AATW. in the opening speech of the demonstration it was said that it marks the sixth yearly commemoration of Mustafa Abu-Ali by Israel, and as the occasion fit give respect to the memory of all the other Palestinian martyrs murdered in the extermination actions of Israel.
We marched from the village towards the road marking the route of the separation fence, on its sides week after week other components of the advancing fence appear.
The Israeli state force positioned near by did not approach us and we crossed the route where the fence will be built along it, to the confiscated Palestinian lands on the North-West side of it. We passed between grapes carrying vines and the peasants invited us to eat from them.
After a short time border police and army approached us and blocked our way. The villagers explained that we are going to peace of land located near the settler colony Efrat, the Israeli court recognized the ownership of it by one of them. The army and police insisted that we cannot pass there as the area is declared a closed military zone and the demonstration must disperse during the following minutes. (During the short confrontation settlers from the Efrat colony congregated behind the soldiers.)
We responded to the demand by siting down and continued eating grapes. After an exchange of give and take, the organizers decided that the demonstration already delivered the message, and agreed that we return to the village following statement of the state force that the owner of the land will be allowed to go by himself to check the condition of the land near the settlement.
When we returned to the village we heard that a demonstration in the near by Wallage is about to start.... so many of the participants - Palestinians, Internationals, and Israelis took cars and try to go there but only part of us arrived as the others were blocked in the roadblocks.
The demonstration in Wallage started by prayer on the main road of the village. During the prayer, a team of border police entered the village and confiscated tires they found under a tree. After the prayer we marched - few dozens of the village people with Israelis, internationals and Palestinians from the other demonstration - up the hill on which were parked machines used for building the fence. The state force which previously intervened in Wadi Nis stopped us on our way declaring again that the area is a closed military zone. Here again the villagers informed the state force that an Israeli court recognized the ownership of the land by a local Palestinian. We also set down on the ground holding hands in preparation for non violent resistance and chanting slogans against the separation fence and the occupation.
The army drove away the media workers (mainly photographers) in preparation for a violent eviction. At that stage there started a dispute among the municipality comity members about the continuation of the demonstration, and at the end it was decided to refrain from confrontation with the state force and to yield to their demand to return to the village".
Friday, August 24, 2007
Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle against occupation and the separation fence - Bil'in and Wallage. 24 Aug 2007
It was at noon of the hottest Friday in the pick of the summer. It was also after a direct action in the region in which a new vineyard planted by a settler colonialist outpost, on field of a village near Bir Zeit was uprooted by Palestinians, internationals, and few Israelis. This may be the reason the 133th Friday demonstration in Bil'in was smaller than the usual. In spit of the heat, all along the march from the center of the village towards the route of the fence, people had a lively chain of slogans chanted. When we arrived at the foot of the hill the gate in the separation fence robing more than half of the village lands, the commander of the Israeli state force declared the region beyond a spool of razor wire stretched across the road as forbidden militarized zone. As usual he warned us not to cross it. As usual after the more daring participants converged there for a while we started to go beyond this obstacle.
Few of us went through the olive trees wood, and reached the route of the separation fence, but after a while had to retreat because of tear gas grenades thrown on us. Others defied the tear gas grenades at the wire spool obstacles and even dismantled the spool and dragged it towards the village. Others, just stayed there challenging the soldiers verbally and even advanced few meters beyond the forbidden line. May be because they were exhausted by the hot whether, or some change in policy, the state force was much less belligerent than usual. They threatened the people not to advance any more but let them stay where they advanced. After the first wave of grenades of tear gas shower they used them only sporadicly. They even refrained from sending teams of soldiers to engage the few stone thrower kids....
After the hour and a half we ended the demonstration with 5 lightly injured and 3 detained (two of the Israeli anarchists against the wall and a reporter of Shin Hua - the Chinese official news agency).
Not long later, the detainees were released and we returned to Tel Aviv.
==== South of Bethlehem - Wallage ===
The Friday demonstration at the South of Bethlehem region, against the separation fence in building was at the village Wallage. In a kind of escalation, the state forces blocked the road and prevented the Israeli anarchists against the wall initiative activists from driving to the village. As usual in such cases, the activists parked the cars near by and found a walking path to the demonstration. Though the missed the main part of the demo, the still was in time to "enjoy" the noise of two shock grenades the Israeli state forces used to mark the end of the demonstration.
------------------------------------
Ilan S.
http://ilan.shalif.com/anarchy/glimpses/glimpses.html
See also http://awalls.org
Few of us went through the olive trees wood, and reached the route of the separation fence, but after a while had to retreat because of tear gas grenades thrown on us. Others defied the tear gas grenades at the wire spool obstacles and even dismantled the spool and dragged it towards the village. Others, just stayed there challenging the soldiers verbally and even advanced few meters beyond the forbidden line. May be because they were exhausted by the hot whether, or some change in policy, the state force was much less belligerent than usual. They threatened the people not to advance any more but let them stay where they advanced. After the first wave of grenades of tear gas shower they used them only sporadicly. They even refrained from sending teams of soldiers to engage the few stone thrower kids....
After the hour and a half we ended the demonstration with 5 lightly injured and 3 detained (two of the Israeli anarchists against the wall and a reporter of Shin Hua - the Chinese official news agency).
Not long later, the detainees were released and we returned to Tel Aviv.
==== South of Bethlehem - Wallage ===
The Friday demonstration at the South of Bethlehem region, against the separation fence in building was at the village Wallage. In a kind of escalation, the state forces blocked the road and prevented the Israeli anarchists against the wall initiative activists from driving to the village. As usual in such cases, the activists parked the cars near by and found a walking path to the demonstration. Though the missed the main part of the demo, the still was in time to "enjoy" the noise of two shock grenades the Israeli state forces used to mark the end of the demonstration.
------------------------------------
Ilan S.
http://ilan.shalif.com/anarchy/glimpses/glimpses.html
See also http://awalls.org
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Palestine-Israel, The Friday joint struggle against the occupation and the separation fence in Bil'in and Wallage 18 Aug 2007
It was a usual Friday in the village Bil'in - west of Ramallah. Like in nearly all Friday noons of the last 30 months, we marched towards the route of the separation fence: Palestinians of the village and the region, international activists, Israelis of the anarchists against the wall initiative, and media professionals. Like in the last three months, when we arrived at the foot of the hill at the top of which located the gate in the fence to the half of the lands of the Bil'in village robbed for the settler town Modi'in Ilit, the Israeli state force commander declare the region as forbidden military zone. As usual he threatened to attack us if we cross a razor wire spool that was stretched across the the road. As it happened lately often, we were "allowed" to come up to the spool and converge there. Even many of the people with cameras were "allowed" to stand beyond the wire spool...
However, after some people without cameras crossed the line, the shower of tear gas started. Most people dispersed among the olive trees and retreated out of the tear gas range. Some were bolder and stayed around the forbidden line dodging tear gas canisters thrown towards them.
Gradually, kids who threw stones engaged the state force who added shooting of bullets coated with rubber. One of our comrades with a video camera recorded a command of the state force ordering soldiers to shoot tear gas canisters on the ambulance with medics that was on duty.
It seems that this Friday no one was arrested or seriously wounded till the end of the demonstration.
Videos of this Friday demo: http://mishtara.org/blog/?p=231 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwRu9YOBe28
Video of previous Friday demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp91tZVNAtk
======== Wallage - South of Bethlehem =========
The Friday demonstration in the village Wallage was the third consecutive weekly there. This week the activists of neighboring villages in the area united for a larger demonstration in one location and the plan is to continue in this way with the location rotating between the villages. About 150 Palestinians Internationals and Israelis marched a short distance to a site where trees have been uprooted on land belonging to a near by monastery. One of the speakers told the crowd that the monastery has sold the land to the Israelis after protecting it against even the slightest damage by the people of the village.
At the end of the speeches the demonstrators marched up the hill and were blocked by what looked like a mixture of reserve units and Border Police. Some of the demonstrators were attacked by the soldiers and in the scuffle some soldiers were also beaten.
Following the demonstration an Italian activist was arrested walking down the street on charges that he attacked the soldiers but was released after several hours when the police realized he did not.
See also:
http://awalls.org
http://matzpen.org
http://ilan.shalif.com/anarchy/glimpses/glimpses.html
However, after some people without cameras crossed the line, the shower of tear gas started. Most people dispersed among the olive trees and retreated out of the tear gas range. Some were bolder and stayed around the forbidden line dodging tear gas canisters thrown towards them.
Gradually, kids who threw stones engaged the state force who added shooting of bullets coated with rubber. One of our comrades with a video camera recorded a command of the state force ordering soldiers to shoot tear gas canisters on the ambulance with medics that was on duty.
It seems that this Friday no one was arrested or seriously wounded till the end of the demonstration.
Videos of this Friday demo: http://mishtara.org/blog/?p=231 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwRu9YOBe28
Video of previous Friday demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp91tZVNAtk
======== Wallage - South of Bethlehem =========
The Friday demonstration in the village Wallage was the third consecutive weekly there. This week the activists of neighboring villages in the area united for a larger demonstration in one location and the plan is to continue in this way with the location rotating between the villages. About 150 Palestinians Internationals and Israelis marched a short distance to a site where trees have been uprooted on land belonging to a near by monastery. One of the speakers told the crowd that the monastery has sold the land to the Israelis after protecting it against even the slightest damage by the people of the village.
At the end of the speeches the demonstrators marched up the hill and were blocked by what looked like a mixture of reserve units and Border Police. Some of the demonstrators were attacked by the soldiers and in the scuffle some soldiers were also beaten.
Following the demonstration an Italian activist was arrested walking down the street on charges that he attacked the soldiers but was released after several hours when the police realized he did not.
See also:
http://awalls.org
http://matzpen.org
http://ilan.shalif.com/anarchy/glimpses/glimpses.html
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle continue in Bil'in, Um Salmuna, Walage, and Mirsim 12 Aug 2007
In Bil'in it was the 131th Friday demonstration against the separation fence and occupation. In late morning we marched as usual - Palestinians of the village and the region, many internationals as it is summer vacation now, and Israelis of the anarchists against the wall initiative. On the road to the gate of the separation fence we chanted as usual. When we arrived at the foot of the hill the gate is on its top, we set down not to give the Israeli state forces the the excuse to start fire on us. After few minutes, individuals of the group of young adults who join the demo but resent the nonviolent mode of it "succeeded to provoke" the Israeli state force who started to shower us with tear gas.
The majority of the people dispersed among the olive trees slowly retreating towards the village. However, tens of us were not deterred and stayed near the separation fence and the soldiers who failed to get rid of them as they could not use the tear gas in too short range. So, the commander ordered the arrest of few Palestinian and international activists. (When the demonstrators are about a meter or so near the state forces among the trees, it is very hard for them to drive the demonstrators away by gas or by physical violence.)
After the soldiers at the front wasted most of their stock of tear gas, the demonstrators returned again and again till the soldiers replenished their stock.
Teams of state forces that advanced up to the building area of the village and used sooting with bullets covered with rubber (mainly against stone throwing kids) failed to put end to the demonstration.
After about two hours the village popular comity for the struggle announced the end of the demo - resuming it in a second wave at noon after the Friday prayer.
After the second wave ended too, the activists who were detained during the first wave of demonstration were released.
-----------------------------------------
At the south, the relatively new front there were two demonstrations. The participants as usually in the joint actions of the last few years: local Palestinians from the village(s) involved and the region, international activists - mostly of the ISM, and Israelis - mostly of the AATW initiative.
South Bethlehem - Palestinians, internationals, and Israeli activists (mostly of the AATW) in the persistent joint struggle against the separation fence.
The first demonstration was in Um Salmuna.
The participants marched toward the construction site of the separation fence undisturbed. However, when they damaged the fence around the construction site of the separation fence, the Israeli state force arrested one Israeli activist charging him for the damage.
The second demonstration was at noon at the Walage village.
In that Friday demonstration there was no confrontation with the Israeli state forces.
--------------------------------------------
The week end joint struggle in the south continued in Saturday too...
http://awalls.org Saturday evening, report with pictures:
30 Meters of the wall dismantled in Beit Mirsim 11/08/2007
Today, Palestinian, Israeli, and International activists dismantled a section of the Israeli separation barrier at the village of Beit Mirsim.
This action is the second of such actions in the past two weeks, following a similar action in Surif
Beit Mirsim is a tiny Palestinian village in the Southern West Bank. It has been known as an archaeological site and as a site of a war crime committed in 1967 by the army.
Today, the criminals who destroyed the original village of Beit Mirsim walk free. So do the bureaucrats at the Civil Administration’ who prevent its reconstruction and order new homes destroyed, along with many others who embody the persistent Israeli urge to clear Palestinians away (Amira Hass crimes of war, destruction of civilian property). In contrast, those who tear down the criminal wall are in jeopardy from both Israeli courts and military.
No one knows that jeopardy better than the people of Beit Mirsim: the regularity with which collective punishment is meted out in the West Bank and the crimes the IDF is capable of. Still, they persist living on their lands after seeing their village destroyed and despite decades of hardship courtesy of the army.
Today they took initiative in their struggle for survival.
Together with Israeli and International supporters they physically dismantled the cage which constructed for them by the Israeli Ministry Of Defense has constructed for them.. In that, they follow the countless examples of Palestinians living near the wall.
Whenever and wherever there is an opportunity Palestinians will simply dismantle the cage they are in.
Media report: Leftists, Palestinians damage separation fence Anarchists Against the Wall activists, local residents of Hebron vicinity village cut 30 meters of barbed wire, electric fence
Thirty Palestinian and Anarchists Against the Wall activists damaged the separation fence near Hebron Saturday afternoon.
The activists managed to cut 30 meters of the barbed wire and electric fence before security forces arrived at the scene. The activists ceased their activity, and no arrests were carried out.
Activists cut separation fence
A source in the left-wing organization said that similar incidents have occurred many times over the years. "We will continue to do this, and join the Palestinian resistance to the occupation", he said.
"The fence is a political tool designed to steal as much land from the Palestinians as possible, and to ensure the Israel has strategic control over the Palestinians. We oppose the fence wherever it stands, and we intend to continue damaging it."
Alternative media:
http://mishtara.org/blog/?p=228
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihb_XIFc518&eurl=http://awalls.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihb_XIFc518&eurl=http://awalls.org/#
Palestinian, Israeli and International activists dismantled a section of the Israeli separation barrier at the village of Beit Mirsim.
This action is the second such action in two weeks.
The majority of the people dispersed among the olive trees slowly retreating towards the village. However, tens of us were not deterred and stayed near the separation fence and the soldiers who failed to get rid of them as they could not use the tear gas in too short range. So, the commander ordered the arrest of few Palestinian and international activists. (When the demonstrators are about a meter or so near the state forces among the trees, it is very hard for them to drive the demonstrators away by gas or by physical violence.)
After the soldiers at the front wasted most of their stock of tear gas, the demonstrators returned again and again till the soldiers replenished their stock.
Teams of state forces that advanced up to the building area of the village and used sooting with bullets covered with rubber (mainly against stone throwing kids) failed to put end to the demonstration.
After about two hours the village popular comity for the struggle announced the end of the demo - resuming it in a second wave at noon after the Friday prayer.
After the second wave ended too, the activists who were detained during the first wave of demonstration were released.
-----------------------------------------
At the south, the relatively new front there were two demonstrations. The participants as usually in the joint actions of the last few years: local Palestinians from the village(s) involved and the region, international activists - mostly of the ISM, and Israelis - mostly of the AATW initiative.
South Bethlehem - Palestinians, internationals, and Israeli activists (mostly of the AATW) in the persistent joint struggle against the separation fence.
The first demonstration was in Um Salmuna.
The participants marched toward the construction site of the separation fence undisturbed. However, when they damaged the fence around the construction site of the separation fence, the Israeli state force arrested one Israeli activist charging him for the damage.
The second demonstration was at noon at the Walage village.
In that Friday demonstration there was no confrontation with the Israeli state forces.
--------------------------------------------
The week end joint struggle in the south continued in Saturday too...
http://awalls.org Saturday evening, report with pictures:
30 Meters of the wall dismantled in Beit Mirsim 11/08/2007
Today, Palestinian, Israeli, and International activists dismantled a section of the Israeli separation barrier at the village of Beit Mirsim.
This action is the second of such actions in the past two weeks, following a similar action in Surif
Beit Mirsim is a tiny Palestinian village in the Southern West Bank. It has been known as an archaeological site and as a site of a war crime committed in 1967 by the army.
Today, the criminals who destroyed the original village of Beit Mirsim walk free. So do the bureaucrats at the Civil Administration’ who prevent its reconstruction and order new homes destroyed, along with many others who embody the persistent Israeli urge to clear Palestinians away (Amira Hass crimes of war, destruction of civilian property). In contrast, those who tear down the criminal wall are in jeopardy from both Israeli courts and military.
No one knows that jeopardy better than the people of Beit Mirsim: the regularity with which collective punishment is meted out in the West Bank and the crimes the IDF is capable of. Still, they persist living on their lands after seeing their village destroyed and despite decades of hardship courtesy of the army.
Today they took initiative in their struggle for survival.
Together with Israeli and International supporters they physically dismantled the cage which constructed for them by the Israeli Ministry Of Defense has constructed for them.. In that, they follow the countless examples of Palestinians living near the wall.
Whenever and wherever there is an opportunity Palestinians will simply dismantle the cage they are in.
Media report: Leftists, Palestinians damage separation fence Anarchists Against the Wall activists, local residents of Hebron vicinity village cut 30 meters of barbed wire, electric fence
Thirty Palestinian and Anarchists Against the Wall activists damaged the separation fence near Hebron Saturday afternoon.
The activists managed to cut 30 meters of the barbed wire and electric fence before security forces arrived at the scene. The activists ceased their activity, and no arrests were carried out.
Activists cut separation fence
A source in the left-wing organization said that similar incidents have occurred many times over the years. "We will continue to do this, and join the Palestinian resistance to the occupation", he said.
"The fence is a political tool designed to steal as much land from the Palestinians as possible, and to ensure the Israel has strategic control over the Palestinians. We oppose the fence wherever it stands, and we intend to continue damaging it."
Alternative media:
http://mishtara.org/blog/?p=228
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihb_XIFc518&eurl=http://awalls.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihb_XIFc518&eurl=http://awalls.org/#
Palestinian, Israeli and International activists dismantled a section of the Israeli separation barrier at the village of Beit Mirsim.
This action is the second such action in two weeks.
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