Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle against the separation fence, settlers terror occupation expand

mashriq / arabia / iraq | community struggles | news report Monday May 03, 2010 03:43 by Ilan S. - AAtW, ainfos, Matzpen Tel Aviv

Beit Ummar, Beit Jala, Bil'in, Hebron, Lod, Ma,asara, Nabi Salih, Ni'ilin, wallaje, Sheikh Jarrah

Beit Ummar, Beit Jala, Bil'in, Hebron, Ma,asara, Nabi Salih, Ni'ilin, wallaje, Sheikh Jarrah are only the regular weekend joint struggles in the occupied Palestinian territories the Anarchists Against the Wall initiative can participate in. Other locations with less persistent struggles we join from time to time. There are other places we are invited or hear about but cannot attend. Even within Israel: Jaffa, Lod, the Negev Bedouins, and other places of Israeli state harassment of Palestinian citizens, we cannot cover as much as we wish. [Italiano]

BEIT UMMAR

Saturday, Israeli soldiers attacked on Saturday evening a nonviolent protest against settlements and ongoing settler attacks against the residents of Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

Local sources reported that the army attacked the weekly protest and fired gas bombs and concussion grenades at dozens of protestors, including international peace activists, who were marching towards Palestinian lands located near the illegal Karmei Tzu illegal settlement.

Dozens of residents received treatment by field medics after inhaling gas fired by the army. Mohammad Ayyad, media spokesperson of the Palestine Solidarity Project has hit by a gas bomb in its face.

BEIT JALLA

Over 150 people: Palestinians, Internationals and Israelis, participated in the weekly anti-Apartheid Wall demonstration organized by the local Popular Committee in Beit Jala, Sunday. The protest march, which set out towards the Wall's construction site, was attacked with tear-gas and concussion grenades as soon as it reached a razor-wire barricade erected by soldiers on the road leading to village's lands.

As demonstrators were forced to retreat, soldiers continued to shoot tear-gas projectiles directly towards them. Local youth responded to the attack by throwing stones and clashes ensued. Two protesters were hit by rubber-coated bullets and Muammar Awad, an freelance cameraman, was hit in the head by an aluminum tear-gas projectile shot directly at him. According to eye witnesses, Awad was evacuated unconscious to the Sheari Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem, with blood gushing out of the back of his head.

According to a military confiscation order handed to the villagers, the path of the Wall will stretch over 4890 meters between Beit Jala and Al-Wallaja, affecting 35 families, whose homes may be slated for demolition.

Beit Jala is a predominantly Christian town located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem. Once completed, he Wall will Isolate 3,200 Dunams of the town's lands, including almost 3,000 Dunams of olive groves and the only recreational forest in the area, the Cremisan monastery and the Cremisan Cellars winery.

popularstruggle.org

BIL'IN

April 30, 2010

Today’s Friday noon started wit a whole hour of speeches in a 1st of May Assembly organized by the Union of Palestine Workers. It included speeches in honor of International Workers’ Day and the struggle in Bil'in. After that meeting a march towards the route of the separation fence started - including the usual chants and flags waving.

The few hundred marches included the out of the village participants of the Union of Palestine Workers "guests", about two dozen Israelis of the anarchists against the wall initiative, and some internationals.

Prior to the the arrival of the mass of the demonstration, two Israeli
activists approached the electronic fence and attempted to post on it WANTED flayers calling for the arrest of the soldier who shot Emad Rizka in the forehead at the
Friday’s demonstration of the previous week. When soldiers approached them, they moved away, and the soldiers arrested instead of them two Al-Jazeera TV cameramen who were sitting in a car by the fence.

When we arrived at the gate of the fence route, the soldiers were behind their concrete blocks mainly, and for about 10 minutes did nothing - not even replying to the calls to them or harassing the few who entered the route and hung flags on the electronic fence...

After a long wait, the shabab got bored and restless and started to through stones giving the state force excuse to start showering us with tear gas grenades. Soldiers fired the first rounds of tear gas into the crowd, and continued to launch tear gas
deep into the protestors’ route. After most demonstrators retreated, the soldiers aggressively entered the village in waves in an effort to make arrests.

Four people were arrested today, including a female journalist and an
international activist.

Injuries this week consisted of a girl who was struck from behind with
a tear gas canister. Cameraman Haitham al-Khatib was also hit in his
stomach by a canister. The international activist who was arrested was
treated roughly by the soldiers, who ripped off his gas mask and threw
him to the ground, resulting in a 3-inch gash on his leg and a wound to
his ear.

Today’s demonstration was hailed IPSC in solidarity - for the actions of
the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign - which is organizing major
demonstrations this week against the Irish multinational company CRH.
CRH acquired a 25% shareholding in the Israeli group Mashav Initiating
and Development Ltd, which is the holding company for Nesher Cement.
Nesher is the sole Israeli cement company, meaning it supplies cement
and building materials for the ongoing construction of the illegal
Separation Wall, the Jerusalem Light Railway project, the illegal
colonial settlements and the network of apartheid settler-only roads,
underpasses, bridges and tunnels in occupied Palestine.

Demonstrators in today’s procession carried signs calling for CRH
divestment from Israel, to coincide with the CRH annual general meeting
that will take place on Wednesday, May 5.

HEBRON

[Palestinian nonviolent] Youth Against Settlements (http://www.youthagainstsettlements.org) invites you to the weekly demonstration in Hebron on Saturday 1st May.

Last Saturday 60 Palestinian, Israeli and International demonstrators managed to severely disrupt the weekly settler tour in Hebron, holding them off for two hours and limiting their visit to the Old City to a mere 15 minutes. We need your support to continue this important and inspirational action. This week we want it to be bigger and better. Join us!

Where: Hebron; meet at the car-park to the right of Hebron Municipality.

When: Every Saturday. Meet at the carpark to the right of Hebron Municipality at 3:00pm. Demonstration brief will be given at 3:30pm. Demonstration will start at 4pm and is expected to last approximately 2-3 hours. Please be on time as we have to walk to the protest location.

Theme: The closure of Shuhada Street to Palestinians and the continued presence of illegal settlements in Hebron and the rest of the West Bank. We are hoping to block one of the regular "settler tours" that take place on Saturdays.

Bring: The more banners the better in Arabic, English and Hebrew. Bring things to make noise - we would particularly love to have drummers - please call us if you can attend!

Contact: by email at info-A-youthagainstsettlements.org.

Please share this invitation with anyone who may be interested!

Hope to see you Saturday for this important and exciting action!

Israel Puterman video of Hebron action: 1-5-10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFyG6P_KlJU

LOD (Israel)

"Finally, there are 13 immediate demolition orders against houses in Lod and we have been invited by the popular committee there to the protest tent. Lets try to go together on Wednesday afternoon. please let me know if you can make it."

"We met with the folks at the protest tent and they seemed very well organized and happy to receive any kind of support. As you can see they do something every day and anyone is welcome. If you need help getting there you can talk to me.

Also, there might be an important court hearing in their case on Sunday in tel aviv district court. If it happens there might be a vigil outside or just presence in the courtroom. Will send more details when I get them."

MA'ASARA

25 Palestinians, 15 Israelis and some internationals demonstrated this Friday in Ma'asara. Facing some thirty soldiers, protestors gave speeches in Arabic, English and Hebrew, ridiculing the so-called threat the soldiers seemed to find in the unarmed small demonstration.

Cars that tried to leave the village during the demonstration were stopped by the soldiers with their barbed wire. This includes one car carrying a sick woman to the regional clinic. Attempts to reason with the soldiers so they'd allow the cars through fell on deaf ears.

After about one hour of protest the demonstration ended. Next week's demonstration is expected to be bigger, as it will mark the 1st of May

NABI SALIH

Around 150 Israeli, international and local Palestinian residents from the village of Nabi Salih demonstrated today near the settlement of Halamish (Neve Zuf) protesting the on going expropriation of their land by Israel and used by the Jewish settlements around. The Israeli army entered the village in the early hours of the afternoon and surrounded the area attacking from the mountain top and the road in a long confrontation that lasted several hours while using tear gas, stunt grenades and rubber coated bullets in a violent attempt to break and disperse the demonstration. 5 protesters were arrested.

One Israeli was arrested and was released by judge Saturday night with 30 days restriction from Nebi Saleh

Israel Puterman video of Nebi Saleh 30-4-10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtXf69yGUwQ

NI'ILIN

The joint Friday demonstration persisted.

WALAGE

"There will probably be a meeting in wallaje tomorrow night (Tuesday 25-4-10) to plan the resistance for the next future. We are invited. If you can make it please let me know.

there might also be an attempt to go out to the work site tomorrow morning (Tuesday) if you can make that please also let me know"

Demo in Walaje tomorrow 26-4-10

Demonstrators managed to disrupt the construction of the Wall in al Walaja for the second time in a week . A 15 year old demonstrator was beaten, pepper-sprayed and arrested.

Palestinian, Israeli and international demonstrators managed to stop the construction of the Wall in the village of al-Walaja, south of Jerusalem for the second time this week. If completed, the path of the Wall in the area will surround the village completely, isolating it from all its lands, the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem and essentially the rest of the world.

Demonstrators managed to block the bulldozers in the early morning, and even climb and take over one of the machines. A Border Police force at the scene arrested on of the demonstrators 15 year old Nabil Hajajla who was beaten and pepper-sprayed. Following Hajajla's arrest, Border Police officers managed to drag the demonstrators away from the bulldozers and construction was resumed.

Al-Walaja is an agrarian village of about 2,000 people, located south of Jerusalem and West of Bethlehem. Following the 1967 Occupation of the West Bank and the redrawing of the Jerusalem municipal boundaries, roughly half the village was annexed by Israel and included in the Jerusalem municipal area. The village's residents, however did not receive Israeli residency or citizenship, and are considered illegal in their own homes.

Once completed, the path of the Wall is designed to encircle the village's built-up area entirely, separating the residents from both Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and almost all their lands - roughly 5,000 dunams. Previously, Israeli authorities have already confiscated approximately half of the village's lands for the building of the Har Gilo and Gilo settlements, and closed off areas to the south and west of it. The town's inhabitants have also experienced the cutting down of fruit orchards and house demolition due to the absence of building permits in Area C.

According to a military confiscation order handed to the villagers, the path of the Wall will stretch over 4890 meters between Beit Jala and alWallaja, affecting 35 families, whose homes may be slated for demolition.

From International Indymedia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOfSeEjbJ8Y&feature=play...edded

On Friday, the 30th of May, at around 13:00, approx. 60 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals gathered in the village of al-Walaje for the demo against the apartheid wall, which is being built there these days while confiscating much of the village's lands, surrounding and excluding it from its connection with Jerusalem. The demo began with a march along the bulldozered roads of the village. While walking, some of the demonstrators took direct action and rolled big rocks back on the road where the wall is planned to be built. After the walk speeches were made, both by locals and supporters from the village of al-Ma'asara. Police was only overseeing the protest from afar.
http://awalls.org/files/images/4565952113_100ef9abeb.pr...w.jpg

SHEIKH JARRAH

During the week activists (mainly of west Jerusalem) gave support to the families terrorized by settler colonialists.

On Friday, few hundreds Israelis among them some of us already participated earlier in Bil'in and Ma'asara demos had our Friday late afternoon demonstration.

As usual, a vigil converged nearer to the homes under threat was forcibly pushed to the allowed location of the weekly demonstrations.
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See Previous reports at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com