Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Palestine-Israel, Another week the same joint struggles with ripples all over the region

The sixth year of joint struggle of Bil'in that inspired the Palest5inian Ni'ilin, Ma'asara, Beit Ommar, and Nabi Saleh, and some say also the idea of the third Intifada. And in Israel it facilitated the joining of radical Zionist to direct actions against the occupation and transfer both in occupied East Jerusalem (Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan mainly) and within the 1948 borders in the Lod region, In Taibe and with the Bedouins of the south. The yearly international conference in Bil'in enabled integration of struggles and drawing political profits by leaders of the west bank (whose support of the ongoing struggle is mainly verbal only). The Israeli state forces express their disapproval in many ways but their inconsistency and frequent change in suppression tactics show they are still with out a clue.

Beit Ommar

Activists Demonstrated and worked the land despite Israeli military harrasment

On Saturday, April 23, eight Israeli activists and 24 international volunteers joined residents of Beit Ommar for an action near Karmei Tsur organized by the Beit Ommar National Committee Against the Wall and Settlements. The international contingent included volunteers from the Palestine Solidarity Project and International Solidarity Movement, as well as the Belgian group Checkpoint Singers. The demonstrators gathered in the lands near Karmei Tsur, and marched towards the settlement carrying flags and signs and chanting against the occupation.

As the protest neared the settlement, soldiers from the Israeli Defense Forces lined the path. The protest continued beside the military for several hundred feet, before the soldiers stepped out and blocked the road. The IDF refused to let the demonstration pass.

The Checkpoint Singers began to sing as protesters argued with the soldiers, asking to continue their peaceful demonstration on their land. The lieutenant in command showed papers labeling the area a closed military zone and told the assembled protesters that anyone still in the area in three minutes would be arrested. The demonstrators refused to go.

Three minutes passed, and the soldiers prepared to move in. Then, Ahmed Abu Hashem gestured to his land, a field next to the road. “We are here to work my land,” he said.

“Then where is your tractor? Come back with a tractor, and you can work on your land,” the lieutenant replied.

Abu Hashem explained that a tractor was not needed, as stones needed to be cleared from the field by hand first. The lieutenant said that such an action needed to be coordinated through them first.

“Coordination my ass,” shouted a Beit Ommar resident.

Abu Hashem turned away from the soldiers, looping around the military line and walking onto his land. The rest of the protesters followed, and the soldiers formed a perimeter to attempt to contain the movement. As the choir sang anti-opression songs, Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals began to pull stones from the earth and add them to the rock walls bordering the field. Whenever a they approached the soldiers, the military would retreat, and soon a handful of the faster workers had pushed the IDF three-quarters of the way across the field.

While the demonstrators cleared the field, soldiers called out to them and asked them to stop. Despite the closed military zone and threats of arrest, work went on and on one was detained. The action dispersed on its own terms, and only after a substantial number of stones had been removed.


Bil’in

The fifth Bil’in Conference in Non violent popular resistance took place on the 20-23 of April 2011

Dear Friends,

You are all invited to a large meeting of activists from throughout 48 and the territories of 67.

On the occasion of the Bil'in conference on the Palestinian popular struggle, we would like to organize a meeting dedicated to seriously thinking together of ways in which the different local struggles can be joined into something bigger and more effective - encompassing the whole of historic Palestine.

All are invited to attend - everyone involved in the Palestinian struggle, those inside 48 and those in the West Bank and East Jerusalem - let us meet and decide on better ways of uniting the struggle. Especially important are our dear friends in the besieged Gaza Strip, who will hopefully be able to join us via live video feed, but who in any case will be on our minds and in our hearts.

Where: Bil'in conference, occupied Palestine
When: Thursday, April 21st, at 14:00

Conference on Popular Resistance Ends with dance of a veteran activist of the PLO who came very often from Ramalla to confront physically with the Israeli state forces.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=218876534796447
Mass Demonstration

The 6th annual Bil’in conference on Palestinian popular resistance ended this afternoon with a mass demonstration against the wall and occupation. Over three hundred people from all over the West Bank, Israel and the international community. The demonstration was held in memory of Bil’in’s Bassem Abu Rahmah, who was killed by an Israeli tear gas canister two years ago during an unarmed demonstration. Many injuries were reported including the beating of Popular Struggle Coordination Committee director Mohammad Khatib.

Palestinian Flag Atop an Israeli Military Jeep Picture

Hundreds gathered to honour the memories of those who have fallen in the last eight years of unarmed struggle against the separation wall and the occupation in Bil’in on Friday. The weekly demonstration also ended a three day conference in the village on Palestinian popular resistance which was attended by high level diplomats and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

After leaving the village square, demonstrators were attacked with tear gas as the army tried to quickly to end the demonstration through violent force. Five people were wounded during the course of clashes including Popular Struggle Coordination Committee leader Mohammad Khatib, who was beat by Israeli troops.

Despite the violent measures taken by the army, demonstrators were able to breach a section of the wall and place Palestinian flags on top of an Israeli military jeep. After the wall was breached, small clashes continued inside the village as soldiers invaded in order to quell the unarmed demonstration.
Haitham Al Khatib

Another take:

"This Friday demo in Bil'in

Some 30 Israelis and a large number of internationals joined the Palestinian demonstration concluding the sixth Bil'in conference and commemorating to years since the killing of Bassem Abu Rahme by the occupiers in Bil'in. The army was apparently so intimidated by the large number of demonstrators, that they gassed the demonstrators long before they reached the fence. An unfavorable wind from the west forced the demonstrators to turn back. Shortly after, however, the demonstrators regrouped and marched forward to face the skunk, gas, and sound bombs. Some demonstrators crossed the gap in the northern part of the fence, demanded that the soldiers leave their lands, and mounted an army jeep. After a long skirmish, rubber bullet injuries, direct hits from gas canisters, a hand injury to an eighty year old Swiss photographer who was pushed by the soldiers into barbed wire and several and a few rounds of live bullets, the demonstrators went back to the main route. There too they were attacked with direct shots of gas canisters and lots of gas and skunk water, until they decided to conclude the demonstration."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1vNrgbYJeA

Haitham Al Khatib Conference Cori
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCr_H6kebVo

Bilin-20.04.2011Sixth Annual Conference on the Palestinian Popular Resistance


Lod

Every Tuesday a demo

The comming Tuesday, April 26, 19:00, Demo in Lod
at the Abu-Id Family Protest Tent

Solidarity's activity in the Lod-Ramle area continues to grow. Due to the recent success and the local residents wish to strengthen the partnership. We are in the process of creating a local activist group which will work in the area. We are calling out to our supporters in the area of Ramle and Lod to contact us, join the group and make a change in the political reality in the area.

Jerusalem-Al-Kuds

Tomorrow an artistic action against the settlement in silwan everybody is welcomed to take part
we meet at 11 at silwan's info center
(warned you it will be short...)

Blindfolded in Silwan (Kfutim) 22/4/2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo-AMxM20Q4
Tear gas on educating tent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s4jMxa6auo

Sheikh Jarrah

This Friday, April 22nd
Demo at 4:00 PM

Just before Passover, settlers' organizations issued eviction-claims to five families of the Um Haroon compound in Sheikh Jarrah.
Join us on Friday, April 22, to stand together with the residents of Um Harron and all of Sheikh Jarrah in their struggle against the settler take-over of their homes.

We will continue to struggle against this systematic dispossession

Join us this Friday, April 22nd, at 4:00 PM For the weekly demonstration in Sheikh Jarrah garden next to Nablus Road

We gathered there (some after the Bili'in demo too). We marched in the neighborhood visiting houses already confiscated for settlers and some to be confiscated in the near future.


Al Ma'asara


NABI SALEH

22-4-2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7oudXvqujY


Ni'lin

The weekly demo began as usual with prayers in the Olive groves, where olives are beginning to bus on branches. The demonstration then approached the wall route, where some 30 protesters chanted and demanded the immediate return of the land to its owners. A small number of youths threw stones at the soldiers, who responded with tear gas. No injuries were recorded. The protesters then returned to the village.


South Hebron Hills

The attacks on the Palestinian residents of South Hebron Hills continue. On Sunday settlers assaulted Yosuf Mur in front of the soldiers. Mur was taken to the hospital in Hebron.

Amidst the continuing settlers violence, we will go on Saturday to South Hebron Hills, where we will accompany Palestinian farmers and shepherds to their lands, and will continue cleaning water cisterns demolished by the army.

Saturday April 23

Cleaning water cistern and accompanying farmers and shepherds in

South Hebron Hills
Settlers attack Palestinian Shepherd Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZliHco4mWao

Tel Aviv

Anarchisty and antifascist block will join the coming Friday 1st of May general demonstration

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See http://awalls.org
See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com

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