Two committee members arrested in Al-Maasara/Um Salamuna
July 4th, 2008
On Friday, July 4th, activists gathered in Al-Ma’asara, Bethlehem District, the Palestinians brought a huge flag with them, but unfortunately this was not an independence day celebration, but the weekly demonstration against the Annexation Barrier and continuing theft of Palestinian land.
As last week there were about 40 Palestinian activists and roughly 20 Israelis and internationals. Today there was a different group of Soldiers and a lot of border police but as last week they had put the same razor wire fence across the road and the gap between the edge of the fence and the nearest permanent structure was blocked with pallets of stone tiles.
The enormous flag was held aloft in the wind and the young Palestinian children started pulling on the razor wire while the adults were demanding access to their land, a new soldier rightfully suggested that the Palestinians should indeed be allowed to access their land. He was quickly silenced by an older soldier, however a Palestinian activist, understandably excited that for once a little bit of justice might be offered, rushed to climb over the stone tiles and go to his land.
At this point the soldiers rushed towards him, they viciously pulled him down from the tiles and took him to their vehicles, activists from Anarchists Against The Wall (AATW) and PSP managed to make it over the tiles, but could not get to him in time to stop him from being arrested. At this point an activist was also captured, another had his trousers/pants ripped open by the violent soldiers and was eventually left by soldiers to try and dress himself near the IDF vehicles.
Funeral of 17 Year Old Student Attacked by Same Israeli Soldiers Who Killed Him
June 28th, 2008
The Israeli military has been slowly escalating its intimidation tactics in Beit Ommar in the last three days, often patrolling the streets at sundown, provoking youth by parking outside of the mosque and waiting for young boys to come and throw stones before shooting tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. The increasing terrorization of the village culminated last night at approximately 9:30 pm when a 17 year old boy, Mohammed Anwar Al-Alami, was shot in the heart and killed.
Soldiers first entered Beit Ommar yesterday at 4pm and began slowly circling the village, often stopping in the center of town, shooting a few tear gas canisters, but otherwise staying in their jeeps. They were not searching houses nor made any other indication that they were engaging in any authorized operation. Shortly after sundown, at approximately 9pm, they began arresting residents. Blindfolding and handcuffing 9 men in total and bringing them to the entrance of the village. Four were later released, five remain in Israeli custody. Several more jeeps and Armored Personnel Carriers (APC’s) entered the village. Young boys began throwing stones and empty bottles which bounced off the armored military vehicles harmlessly. Still, for the Israeli military a rock against reinforced metal is reason enough to end the life of a young man, about to finish his final exams and graduate from high school.
Mohammed was quickly rushed to the hospital, but he had been shot in the chest and the bullet entered his heart, killing him almost instantly.
Israeli Activist Viciously Attacked in Anti-Barrier Demonstration
June 27th, 2008
On Friday, June 27th, activists gathered in Al-Ma’asara, Betlehem District, for the weekly demonstration against the Annexation Barrier. This week, about 40 Palestinian activists were joined by about 20 Israelis and internationals.
At recent Al-Ma’asara demonstrations, activists have succeeded in partially opening the razor wire barrier. This week, a gap between the edge of the fence and the nearest permanent structure was blocked with pallets of stone tiles. The activists decided to attempt to go around the fence by climbing over the tiles.
After about 20 minutes, Israeli, international, and Palestinian protesters dashed toward the pallets and began climbing over the tiles. About a dozen soldiers and 2 police officers surrounded the group and attempted to arrest an Israeli activist. Three internationals held onto the Israeli, preventing the soldiers from dragging him away.
A few minutes later, more participants climbed over and onto the pallets shouting at the soldiers in English and Hebrew asking “where is the democracy?” Again, soldiers isolated one Israeli activist who was simply standing in the “wrong” place, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him violently to the ground. Other activists immediately piled on top of him and tried to prevent the police officers and soldiers who were viciously beating him. They then began hitting, pinching, and kicking the other activists in an attempt to pull them apart. After putting handcuffs on the Israeli activist, the soldiers managed to drag him away from the group. They then increased their ferociousness, kicking him and eventually hitting him in the back with a rifle, making him scream out in agony. He was then thrown into the side of the police jeep and eventually into the back.
Administrative Detention and Its Effects on Palestinian Families
June 26th, 2008The Israeli Military has used Administrative detention in the past 10 years as a tool to dispel political dissent and break up Palestinian resistance, both armed and non-violent. It is also used as a way to disrupt the fabric of Palestinian communities. According to B’tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, between 1999 and 2001 the average number of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons under administrative detention, that is, without charge or trial, was less than 20. This number significantly rose during the second intifada and was over 500 by 2003. Yet the use of administrative detention, which is ostensibly used to imprison immediate threats to Israeli security, has increased since the end of the second intifada, and it continues to rise even in this time of a so-called peace process. in 2008 an average of over 900 Palestinians were being held in Israeli military prisons, including Mousa Abu Maria, PSP co-founder and non-violence activist; his nephew, Omar Abu Maria, age 17; and several others from Beit Ommar. This has prompted PSP to begin working with Palestinian, Israeli and international groups to bring more attention to the use of administrative detention and pressure on the Israeli government to release all Palestinian political prisoners.
PSP traveled to the village of Taffuah, Hebron District, to interview the families of Shaher Sadiq Irziqat, 35, who has been in administrative detention for 10 months and his cousin, Ramadan Mohammed Irziqat, 23, who was detained at the same time.
Palestinians Require Hospitalization After Settler Attack in South Hebron
June 25th, 2008From Christian Peacemaker Teams-Tuwani
On 24 June 2008, around 6:30, two Israeli settlers beat two unarmed Palestinian shepherds from Mantiquat Shi’bal Butum. The settlers came down from the nearby Israeli settlement outpost of Mitzpe Yair to an area where the shepherds, aged fifty-five and twenty, routinely graze their sheep. Armed with stones from the hillside, the settlers injured the ribs of the older shepherd and the eye of the younger. A Palestinian in the area called the Israeli police and ambulance, both of which arrived fifteen minutes after the beating.
The police spoke with the two settlers identified by the Palestinians as the attackers. They took the settlers’ ID numbers and issued police reports to the Palestinians present. However, the police took neither settler into custody.
At 7:30 p.m., the ambulance took both shepherds to the hospital in the nearby town of Yatta. Both have since returned home.
This incident marks the second violent attack on Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills in the last month. On 8 June, four masked Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian family of four in Susiya, beating the sixty-year-old matriarch of the family unconscious. The family videotaped the beating. Currently, there is a court case pending against the two settlers from Susiya in that case.
Demonstrators Attacked As They Open Razor Wire Fence in Al-Ma’asara
June 22nd, 2008
On Friday, June 20th, about 50 Palestinian activists and 15 Israelis and internationals gathered in Al-Ma’asara for the weekly demonstration against the Annexation Barrier. The group marched up the road to the temporary razor wire fence, erected to prevent activists from approaching the construction site. Several young boys led the march, carrying Palestinian flags.
When the group reached the barrier, a few of the young Palestinians began to pull on the razor wire. About a dozen soldiers stationed on the opposite side of the fence pulled the fence back, threatening the young activists. After about 15 minutes of arguing with the soldiers and chanting slogans, the protesters decided to attempt to open the fence.
Israeli activists and internationals with PSP sprinted to the edge of the fence and pulled it open. They managed to pull the fence about halfway across the road before being tackled by soldiers. Three more Israelis and internationals grabbed onto the activists, preventing the soldiers from dragging them away. The group sat down in the middle of the road and linked arms and legs. The activists were quickly surrounded by soldiers. One Israeli activist who had been filming the skirmish ran into the fray to help.
The soldiers struggled to disentangle the activists by violently pulling on their limbs and hair. They threw a sound grenade, but the activists were unfazed. Approximately 10 more soldiers arrived on the scene. However, the 2 police officers present hung back and did not call for support.
Israeli Soldiers Trash Red Crescent Society Building in Beit Ommar
June 21st, 2008
At about midnight on Thursday, June 19th, Israeli soldiers invaded a Red Crescent Society building in Beit Ommar. The building is used as a temporary clinic and ambulance dispatch center on the main road between Hebron and Betlehem. When community members and PSP volunteers arrived at the site the following afternoon, they found the building had been trashed.
The Soldiers had broken the front door handle and shot bullets through the front door window. The metal grate was torn off the back window, the windows were ripped from their frames, and the glass panes were shattered. Inside, shards of glass were strewn across the floor of the back room. In another room, a wardrobe was opened and papers were scattered everywhere. In the waiting area, pieces of furniture were overturned and waste baskets had been kicked over.
As community members and PSP volunteers were leaving the site, soldiers stopped by the group and ordered the people to leave the area. When one community member did not move quickly enough for the soldiers, he was summoned over to the jeep, but was soon let go.
Support Mousa Abu Maria in Prison!
June 15th, 2008On April 11 Mousa Abu Maria, a dedicated peace with justice activist and co-founder of the Palestine Solidarity Project, an organization committed to challenging the Occupation using non-violent direct action and promoting Palestinian self-sufficiency, was arrested by Israeli forces. Like nearly 1000 other Palestinians in Administrative Detention, Mousa is being held without charge or trial in Israeli prison. His case has garnered support from around the world including hundreds of letters written on his behalf, generous donations to his legal defense fund and solidarity actions.
On May 29th Mousa’s lawyer Adv. Gaby Lasky appealed for his release to the military court but the appeal was rejected. In his decision the military judge did not address any of the points raised in Mousa’s appeal and he intends to appeal his case to the High Court of justice. However, it would be naïve to expect much from the same system which imprisoned Mousa without a trial in the first place.
MORE SUPPORT IS NEEDED!
Mousa’s has requested specifically:
1. That supporters internationally contact their governmental representatives and demand that they inquire into Mousa’s unjust detention with the Israeli foreign ministry in their respective country.
2. That THE WORK OF PSP CONTINUES.
You can help by DONATING to PSP and to Mousa’s legal fund via the website:
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/donate/
or by writing a check made out to PSP-NY and mailing it to:
PSP-NYC
P.O. Box 721234
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
Invasion in Dheisheh Refugee Camp Leaves Home in Ruins
June 15th, 2008A Journal Entry from Nora, Friend of PSP, Yesterday, June 14
On the table next to me as I write this are two steel bullets, one encased in hard black rubber, and the other a naked, dull silver. They were picked up from the street in Dheisheh this afternoon, fired from US-made and financed Israeli weapons.
At about 2pm, over two dozen Israeli armored jeeps and APCs and bulldozers and secret service rolled into the main street right outside of Ibdaa center, cut traffic off, and began firing sound grenades, tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition. Israeli snipers kicked people out of their homes on the other side of the street and used the top floors as sniper posts.
My friend H. and i were up north in Nablus, catching up with old friends and planning/researching a few stories for later next week, and my friend M. called my phone with the news. We immediately headed back to Bethlehem, and were receiving updates throughout the whole two-hour, three-taxi, five-checkpoint ride. Two people shot. then three. half an hour later, five people shot and injured, one of them a woman. the count is now at 15 people injured. i felt horrible that i wasn’t there as the invasion began.
Another Noisy Night in Ni’lin!
June 15th, 2008At 6 p.m. on Friday, June 13th, a crowd of over 100 Palestinian, Israeli,
and international activists gathered in Ni’lin to demonstrate against the
construction of the Annexation Barrier. The Wall is slated to be built
through a narrow valley that separates the Ni’lin community from
Hashmonaim, an illegal Israeli settlement. If the Wall is built according to plan, Ni’lin residents will be separated from their olive groves, which will be effectively annexed by Israel.
In keeping with recent Ni’lin protests, the demonstrators marched to the edge of a hill overlooking the valley, armed with whistles, drums, and buckets. The demonstrators chanted and banged on drums, while a group of adolescent boys moved down into the valley and symbolically threw stones near the stream of raw sewage created by the Hashmonaim settlement.
A small group of Israeli soldiers were stationed on the opposite hilltop. After about half an hour of noisy, festive resistance, the soldiers fired a couple of tear gas canisters and rubber bullets into the valley. These landed near the sewage in the bottom of the valley, and no demonstrators were harmed. At about 7:30, Palestinian committee members asked the demonstrators to disperse. The crowd marched back into town, glad that no demonstrators were harmed.
