Palestine-Israel, weekly report on some of the AAtW* involvement in the struggle against the fence

against the occupation

The struggles are not only against the occupation and the separation fence on the West Bank. The last wave of high school refusniks are collecting momentum with a fifth female joining the jail population. The struggle against the separation fence in Bil'in, Umm Salamuna and Ni'ilin continues, with expansion to the Hebron region and other places in connection with the olive picking season and the terror of settler colonialists against Palestinian neighbors. In Bil'in, it was the 194th Friday demonstration since February 2005. With Rani Burnet in his wheel chair again in front. In Ni'ilin on Friday it was full confrontation again after the end of olive picking "truce". In Umm Salamuna this Friday had a lower confrontation level than usual. [italiano]

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Weekly report on some of the AAtW involvement in the struggle against the fence against the occupation

The struggles are not only against the occupation and the separation fence on the West Bank. The last wave of high school refusniks are collecting momentum with a fifth female joining the jail population. The struggle against the separation fence in Bil'in, Umm Salamuna and Ni'ilin continues, with expansion to the Hebron region and other places in connection with the olive picking season and the terror of settler colonialists against Palestinian neighbors. In Bil'in [West of Ramallah], it was the 194th Friday demonstration since February 2005. With Rani** Burnet in his wheel chair again in front. In Ni'ilin on Friday it was full confrontation again after the end of olive picking "truce". In Umm Salamuna [south of Bethlehem] this Friday had a lower confrontation level than usual.

BIL'IN: link to video Friday 7-11-08 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KokxMq_WiAE

HIGH SCHOOL REFUSNIKS

This Monday, as we do with other high school refusniks in contact with the last wave of the refusnik initiative, we escorted our comrade Raz with our usual lively demonstration at the entrance of the central recruiting base of the Israeli army. (And also escorting Sahar - coming for another term of prison for insisting on her refusal.)

We were about 70 participants (most of them take part time and again in the Friday joint demonstrations against the separation fence in Bil'in), with a small rhythm band, banners and placards. Leaflets were distributed to the in and out base passers by people. Refusniks of previous waves were seen in the crowd.

Following are excerpts from a distribution.

Raz Bar-David Varon, a signatory of the 2008 high school seniors refusal letter, Reported yesterday (3 Nov.) at the Induction Base, declared her refusal to serve in the Israeli military and was sentenced to 21 days in military prison. CO Sahar Vardi, who reported at the induction base together with her, was sentenced to a third prison term, also of 21 days.

In a brief statement made on the day of her arrest, Raz said:

Today I am about to refuse serving in the Israeli army. I have witnessed this army demolishing, shooting and humiliating people whom I did not know, but have learnt to respect for their ability to go on dealing with these horrors on a daily basis. Reality is complex, of course. There's history, politics, politicians, boarders, flags. There's supposed to be a good reason for all of this. This reason is supposed to be my defense. I feel like screaming: 'This does not defend me! It hurts me!' It hurts me when people, Palestinians, are being so brutally assaulted, and it hurts me when they later turn their hatred towards me because of it. I wasn't born to serve as a soldier who occupies another, and the struggle against the occupation is mine too. It is a struggle for hope, for a reality that sometimes feels so far away. I have a responsibility for this society. My responsibility is to refuse.

The two COs were escorted to the Induction Base some 70 protesters, carrying signs and chanting in support.

We Refuse to Be Occupiers - at the demonstration The two objectors' prison addresses are:

Sahar Vardi
Military ID 6055780
Military Prison No. 400
Military Postal Code 02447, IDF
Israel
Fax: ++972-3-9579389

Raz Bar-David Varon
Military ID 6000383
Military Prison No. 400
Military Postal Code 02447, IDF
Israel
Fax: ++972-3-9579389

Since the prison authorities often block mail from reaching imprisoned objectors, we also recommend you to send your letters of support and encouragement to the imprisoned objectors via e-mail to shministim@gmail dot com, and they will be printed out and delivered to them during visits.

In addition, you may want to follow some of our recommendations for action below.

Raz is the fifth woman CO of the signatories of the 2008 high school seniors letter to be imprisoned over the recent three months. Omer Goldman, Tamar Katz and Mia Tamarin have finished their second prison terms and await the army's decision in their case.

Raz and Sahar are due to be released on 21 Nov. 2008, but are likely to be imprisoned again soon afterwards.

MEDIA HAARETZ.com on Shin Bet [secret service] and the AAtW*

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1035176.html

IDF asks police, Shin Bet for info on left-wing figures active in W. Bank

The Israel Defense Forces has asked the Shin Bet security service and the police to provide it with information on left-wing figures active in the West Bank so it will be easier to issue restraining orders against them, Haaretz has learned.

Since the IDF does not gather intelligence on Israeli citizens, the GOC Central Command depends on evaluations by the Shin Bet prior to signing restraining orders.

So far, such orders have only been issued against extreme right-wing activists suspected of subversive activities. This time, the army has focused on a number of activists protesting the security fence, those who help Palestinians harvest their olives, and others.

This is apparently the first time left-wing activists have been the possible target of such orders.

A document formulated by the IDF Central Command, entitled "Means of Operation Against Leftist Activists in the Area of Judea and Samaria" states, among other things, that the goal was to issue restraining orders against Israelis and foreigners "who disturb the peace" and "lead violent activity."

To obtain the intelligence information it needs to back up the request for a restraining order, the Central Command approached the Shin Bet and the Judea and Samaria police districts requesting material that had been gathered on the activists.

The police were also asked to present all information they had on these individuals, including cases that had been closed.

The army further asked the police and the Shin Bet to keep their work on the matter secret.

Among the activists the intelligence services were asked to provide information about is Yonatan Pollack of Anarchists Against the Fence.

Pollack said he was not surprised the army was seeking a restraining order against him. "On Sunday two weeks ago the Shin Bet called and summoned me to the police station on Dizengoff Street. They said they had had enough of my activities and if I kept it up they would take steps, either criminal or administrative ones. I told them that all my activities were open and if there was anything illegal, they were a matter for the police."

Pollack also said he presumed that "since there's a lot of talk now about restraining orders against right-wingers, they would use that against us to show balance, although there has almost never been a case of a left-wing activists suspected of violence and certainly not of violence like that of the right-wing activists."

The IDF spokesman's office said it works with the police to enforce law and order in the West Bank and that "the law is enforced without reference to this or that political affiliation." The police spokesman for the West Bank district, Danny Poleg, said the police were "cooperating fully with the Central Command to enforce the law in Judea and Samaria."

The Shin Bet said it does not release information on its operations.

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* Anarchists Against the Wall initiative

** Rani is a Bi'lin villager in his late 20s. He was shot at by a live ammunition in a demonstration against the occupation at 2000 in Ramallah. He is nearly always at the head of the demonstrations in Bil'in.