Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle expands faster than the number of Israeli AAtW activists...

The joint non-violent struggle against the separation fence, transfer, and other occupation atrocities is expanding. It now includes the struggles of the Bedouins of the south of Israel's 1948 borders. It occurs also in the central regions of Israel in Dahamash (near Ramla-Lod) and in Jaffa (annexed to Tel Aviv) and the more popular location of Sheikh Jarrah, where activists involved in the struggle against the settler project and progressive evictions/transfer of Palestinians during the week, and hundreds of the Israeli radical leftists converge each Friday. And of course the regular weekend demos in Beit Ummar, Beit Jala, Bil'in, Hebron, Ma'sara, Nabi Salih, Ni'ilin, Sheikh Jarrah, Wad Rahal, Walaja... [Italiano]

Beit Ummar

There will be a demonstration again this Saturday in Beit Ummar against the Karmei Tsur settlement. In recent weeks more than 30 youth living in the area near the settlement have been arrested, most are still in prison. The National Committee and PSP would like to invite folks to come, meeting in the village at 10 am and proceeding together to the location of the demonstration. Every demonstration for the last 5 weeks has ended with at least one Israeli or international arrest so we are requesting a larger than usual presence this week.

Saturday Demonstration. Israeli soldiers arrested one journalist and injured two others at Beit Ummar’s Saturday protest calling for access to village land and the dismantling of nearby settlements. Beit Ummar is a Palestinian town located 11 kilometers northwest of Hebron. In the last years, the local Popular Commitee has organized weekly protests against the Israeli occupation and the theft of the agricultural land.

Pictures at: http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1487

Bil'in

Close to 50 international and 16 Israelis joined the weekly Palestinian demonstration against the wall and the settlements in Bil'in. This week's demonstration included a strong presence of DFLP supporters, and commemorated one of the DFLP and popular struggle leaders, Khalid Al Azza, who died last month. The army attacked the demonstration almost immediately after it reached the gate. It used a large amount of gas and invaded the village with an exceptional number of soldiers (possibly expecting the mass arrest discussed in the AAtW activists list?). Maybe because of policy, they failed to arrest any one. After the invasion, the shabab and soldiers had a long gas/stones standoff, which ended when the demonstration was declared over. When all demonstrators headed back, the soldiers shot another round of gas on their path, just to show that they could.

Dahamash

14 July 2010 - against all expectations, the court today decided to freeze the demolition orders until October, and to reopen discussion about the building plans. This means that the chances for full recognition have risen dramatically.

All in the village attribute this to the huge success of last night's demo and last week's camp.
Thank you so much to all of you who helped, in so many different ways!

Hebron (Al Khalil) Saturday July 17

March Blocked; One Solidarity Protester Violently Arrested, after being Wrongfully Identified, during an "Open Shuhada Street" Weekly Demo in Hebron.

About 100 Palestinians and their international and Israeli supporters gathered next to the closed gates of the Israeli army blockade on Shuhada street in the Saturday demonstration of the “Open Shuhada Street” campaign in Hebron. After some chanting and speeches, several Israeli soldiers attacked the demonstration and violently grabbed into arrest one Israeli protester. It was later found out that the protester was arrested after being identified by one of the soldiers in regard to last week's demo, a demo he didn't even attend. He was taken to interrogation in the Kiryat Arba settlement police station.

The demonstration continued with the usual march through the old city alleys, but without any more clashes with the army, which blocked all the alleys that are close to settlers homes, so the "distinguished" settlers won't be disturbed by the protesters' chantings. In previous demos settlers threw water, and sometimes other objects, including stones, at the march. Nevertheless, the apartheid army chose to punish and silence the Palestinian protesters and their allies by further restricting their movement in a city already cut in half by segregation.

Jaffa (Annexed to Tel Aviv)

The struggle against Jewish gentrification of the Palestinian neighborhood continued with a Sunday demo.

Al Ma'sara

An-Nabi Salih - Friday July 16

The militant Friday demonstration ended in a strange way. After the demonstration and the confrontations one of the Israeli cars failed to ignite. The soldiers who were anxious to finish their assignment and return to base, helped the AAtW activists to repair the car so the soldiers can end their mission of harassing the Israeli activists in Nabi Salih.

Ni'ilin - Friday July 16

In the weekly demonstration in Ni'ilin dozens of demonstrators arrived at the huge concrete wall cutting the farmers from their lands. Some of the village youth threw stones over the wall and the soldiers used large amounts of tear gas against the demonstrators. As the demonstration didn't decline the soldiers invaded the village fields chasing the demonstrators, and managed to arrest two.

As usual a team of the AAtW activists participated in the village Friday demo. After it they continued to Nabi Salih... and later to Sheikh Jarrah.

Sheikh Jarrah

More than 500 participated in the Friday demonstrations in Sheikh Jarrah including an Italian delegation and other internationals.

One contingent marched with flags, posters and drummers circle from the gates of the old city to the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, but the State forces prevented them from passing through the street that the main settlers' project is expanding in.

After an hour of convergence in the main street, the demonstrators marched to a nearby settlers' project, where speeches were made.

As usual, in addition of the hundred or so Tel Aviv activists who came together to the demo, many activists who participated in Friday noon demonstrations in other places came for a second round in Sheikh Jarrah.

Israel Puterman's video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4OLRsA_Zyc

Wad Rahal Friday July 16

About 50 Palestinians, ten internationals and five Israelis marched towards the fence line and were greeted by a large arrest vehicle blocking the protesters’ way. A force of soldiers and border petrol police blocked the protesters and declared that further advance will be met with violence. Arabic and English speeches were made, as well as a promise to strengthen the resistance next week. A settler who stood by the force commander voicing his disapproval with the “soft hand” practiced by the force towards the protesters and stated on site until the end of the demonstration. After about an hour, the protesters dispersed quietly, at the discontent of the soldiers.

Al Walaja - Friday July 16

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