Sunday, July 4, 2010

Palestine-Israel, July 2nd, 3rd and 4th - 10 joint weekly demonstrations

From Friday to Sunday, ten locations of persistent joint struggles and demonstrations in Palestinian villages and cities. The Israeli radical left that was mainly involved with "humanistic" help to Palestinians adopt more and more the stile of the anarchists against the wall direct actions and nonviolent confrontations with the Israeli state forces - both in the occupied west bank and within Israel. After negative publicity, state forces that tried again - for a while, to block Israeli activists on the way to joint actions (mainly on the way to Bil'in), diminished their efforts and just issue warnings and threats. The Israeli activists that are detained - do not need to stay the night at jail before being released with restrictions.

BEIT OMMAR

Hi Everyone,
The Friday demo in Beit Ommar this weekend will again be 10:30 am. We will be having the demonstration as planned for last week that was canceled because of the presence of Palestinian police last week (for an unrelated issue).

Bring noise-making things (ones will also be provided). Note that for people with conditions, the demonstration will not be taking place in an area of ongoing construction or military activity (there is no such place in Beit Ommar right now).

B.

BEIT JALLAH

Sunday:

Tear Gas & Sound Bombs in the Streets of Beit Jala during Demonstration against the Apartheid Wall

This Sunday, July 4th, in Beit Jala some 30 protesters marched through a street that leads to the apartheid wall's construction site. To the sound of the working bulldozers near by, the march was stopped by a group of soldiers and a barbed wire they installed earlier. The protesters demanded to go through to the Palestinian land being annexed and destroyed by the wall construction and some touched the barb wire to show their contempt to the occupying army. The soldiers soon launched an assault with sound bombs and then tear gas canisters, which were shot at the populated street far beyond the protesters. One person was treated for heavy tear gas inhalation. At a different spot the army incursion was met with stone throwers. The army then began terrorizing a main street in Beit Jala, hurting the passing by and the entire population of the area.

Please come next Sunday, July 11th to the big demo that is expected to take place in Beit Jala against the apartheid wall and for a free Palestine.

Israel Puterman video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_743eiCwszU

As usual, public media radio report on belligerent Israeli, internationals, and Palestinians, and on poor state force who had to use means for dispersing them and declare the are closed military zone.

BIL'IN

Harassment of arrested Bil'iners and especially those on trial continued. Army harassment including night intrusion in search of additional candidates for arrest continued as well.

Friday:

Abut dozen Israelis with the anarchists against the wall initiative, joined about three dozen international activists and 50 villagers in the Friday demo. When demonstrators reached the gate to the route of the separation fence, efforts were concentrated on breaking its lock. When the lock was forced open people opened the gate and the state forces responded with lot of tear gas canisters.

The demonstrators retreated, and the olive groves in the area started catching on fire. Some demonstrators tried to put out the fire, especially those fires that got into the trunks of old olive trees. It was a while before the fire fighters came to finish the job.

This Friday, participants were careful and state force less diligent, so no one was arrested.

As usual most Israelis of the anarchists against the wall initiative continued to the demo in Sheikh Jarrah

David Reeb 2.7.10 Bil'in video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v==ZgcTv4E_M0E

HEBRON (AL-HALIL)

About 150 Palestinians and their international and Israeli supporters gathered next to the closed gates of the Israeli army blockade on Shuhada street in the July 3rd Saturday demonstration in Hebron. After much chanting and some speeches, and while one road was blocked by dozens of soldiers, the protesters started marching through the old city allies. They were soon blocked by the Israeli soldiers, which pushed back the non-violent protesters. Since the soldiers blocked all the ways that are close to settlers residents, and due to the army violence, protesters sat on the floor in front of the soldiers and kept chanting “occupation no more!” and for freedom of movement in Hebron and throughout Palestine. The march then went through another road that led away from the segregated area and soon afterward the demonstration ended.

MA'ASARA

NABI SALEH

Friday, in a meeting before the demo of Israeli activists with comrades from Karwat Bani Zaid and Nabi Saleh, the wish to struggle together with other villages of the region in relation to the scarcity of water imposed by the Israeli occupation system. A mid week wider meeting with people of other villages of the region was decided on.

In an Nabi Saleh July 2nd Friday demonstration against the occupation and settlements protesters marched down the village towards its main junction, which was blocked by the Israeli army with several jeeps and about a dozen soldiers. After the army commander threatened to kidnap some guys into the cruel apartheid legal system, many guys kept a distance from the soldiers. The village's women then organized some chanting and tried to break through the army blockade and keep the non-violent demo alive.

Meanwhile the army was not satisfied with the guys looking at the scene from afar and started shooting tear gas canisters directly at them, in a life-threatening manner that violates even the army's own regulations. The women kept protesting, and after a while small girls and boys took the lead and surrounded the soldiers. 2 Israeli activists who were near by talking to the soldiers, got arrested. They were released a few hours later with a 15 days restraint order.

After a while, the army violence was responded by some stone throwing. Army jeeps and on-foot soldiers went up and through the village in pursue of stone throwers, though their endeavors were pretty much limited to blocking roads and civilian cars from going through the village.

Media reported on the two comrade arrested for attacking a soldiers. [As the two are of big size, if they were really attacking together some one he would surely need hospital treatment...].

Sunday
Today, at dawn the Israeli army disguised as civilians (in civil cars) has invaded Nabi Saleh. They have arrested Eyas Tamimi, one of the young activists in the village. Later, after the majority of the people were awaken by the shouting and the noise, the army force headed to other house attempting to arrest another activist. But, alerted by the noise the activist was aware that they might be willing to make more arrests, he took off and was not found at home.

This is obviously part of the new aggressive steps Taken by the army to break the struggle in Nabi Saleh After they have failed by doing so through a massive use Of Rubber coated gummy bullets, gas bombs and threats to demolish 10 houses in the village.

Last Friday, the soldiers came with an “album” full with pictures of demonstrators. moreover, they used the album in a very demonstrative way, so that the activists see the album and eventually get intimidated by this fact.

Momentarily, there are more than 11 arrestees from Nabi-Saleh, (a village of hardly 500 inhabitants!). There are even more than that figure from the surrounding villages who come to join the demonstrations of Nabi-Saleh.

NI'ILIN

The Friday demonstration in Ni'lin was short. The protesters marched to the route of the wall, carrying signs protesting the arrest of the village's popular struggle leaders. When the group of protesters reached the wall M, a leader of the village's popular committee, gave a speech in Hebrew, calling the soldiers on the other side to take off their uniforms and go back to their homes, in order to join the Israeli march in support of the release of Gilad Shalit and Palestinian prisoners. M pointed out to the soldiers that while Gilad Shalit is in jail, and they are defending land theft in the hot sun, Israeli prime minister Netanyahu is enjoying the finer things in life. A handful of protesters threw a few symbolic stones over the wall. No gas was fired, and no injuries recorded.

SHEIKH JARRAH

During the week, various activities of solidarity of Israelis went on in the neighborhood.

Friday

In Jerusalem, at around 15:00, about 30-40 people went from Bab El Amud to Sheikh Jarrah where a few hundreds have already started a peaceful demo at 16:00 as usual. after an hour or so three tours went out of the demo to three locations in the SJ - to learn more about the intended house eviction of Palestinians to be replaced by Jewish settlers in the neighborhood and to demonstrate against them. (The drummers with few others stayed to keep the presence in the main square.) At the end we all met up back in park where the demo is held, and went on with the chanting and singing till 17:45.

SILWAN

Sunday (27-6-10) late evening: 20 injuries in an eviction of a Palestinian house in Silwan. This is the house which according to the settlers used to be a synagogue.
Some activists from Jerusalem are already there and there might be a call for more. Details will be posted later.

Video of Police in Silwan East Jerusalem, 27/6/10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPtoYaUCCnA&feature=autofb

During the week the pressure of the settler colonialist project in the neighborhood continued, and so solidarity activities.

"Hi, Residents of Silwan ask our presence there for few hours tomorrow [Saturday] evening, with an option to stay the night, depending on the situation. For more details call K.

A demo was planned on Tuesday evening in front of the mayor Bareket house [the other end of a small Founders road in the west of Jerusalem I was born in 73 years ago and grew up there before they established the state of Israel in 1948]

WADI RAHAL

Friday, a few dozens of Palestinians Israelis and Internationals walked today at noon from the inside of Wadi Rahal to the place where Israel wants to build the illegal apartheid wall. there was a lot of energy, chanting and drumming (both yasamba and local drummers). the army did not want to let us pass at some point, and tried to push us backwards. after a long non-violent (from our side) struggle they started shooting tear gas and stand grenades, the first landing on a little boy's leg. they arrested 2 Israelis (O. and A.) and would not let us know where they took them. the demo went on in a schoolyard near by, still with lots of energy. Later the two were released as usual after criminal files were opened.

Few participants continued to Ma'asara demo and then to Sheikh Jarrah, other stayed for a while in the village and came directly to the demo in Sheikh Jarrah.

WALLAGE
-----
See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com

No comments: