Never Get Used to the Unspeakable Violence-a Report from Sheikh Jarrah (16/1/2010)

Below is a report about the events in Sheikh Jarrah last Friday. It is written by an activist and captures some of the intense emotion that binds the Israeli direct action left. In such a long battle, I love the moments when the left energizes and rekindles the passion necessary to keep fighting. Over the past two months, Sheikh Jarrah has provided the backdrop for this spark of renewed passion. While the battle of Sheikh Jarrah might be lost in reality, the spark of passion is important to sustain us for the other battles throughout Israel and Palestine:

To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget.
- Arundhati Roy

On Friday, January 16, members of Anarchists Against the Wall were part of organizing a vigil at the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah commemorating the continued theft of Palestinian houses by settlers. The gathering was not approved by the Jerusalem police, arguing that they approved already in the same week a live music performance, and that there is no need for a demonstration also.

Understanding the obvious stupidity of that logic, activists gathered outside of the street where settlers stole Palestinian houses with the approval of the Israeli courts. The entrance to the street itself was blocked by the Israeli military and police under the pretext that leftist activists walking into the street will be dangerous for the public safety. Those who met at an earlier point were surrounded by police and soldiers, who demand to see their ID’s and ordering some to appear for an investigation in the following week. They were not allowed to walk in a group, only in pairs, and were followed until the very point of arriving to the neighborhood.

Realizing that they will not be allowed to join their Palestinian friends who have been sleeping in the street since being evicted from their houses, activists gathered at a distant location, holding signs and chanting.

After standing there for about twenty minutes, a police captain approach the some 100 people and declared the gathering an illegal demonstration and gave people five minutes to leave the area. Many people started leaving when the soldiers and the police charged the place, violently pushing and attacking some activists. Some protesters, although standing afar were still arrested, bringing many to suspect that those arrested were marked by the police before hand for being active in the solidarity movement in Sheikh Jarrah. One person was arrested while standing aside filming, another for asking one of the police officers a question, others were arrested who were simply standing or sitting on the side street. All of the arrestees (17 people) were charged with “disturbing the work of a police officer”, “rioting”, and being part of an illegal protest. Upon their arrival at the central police station in Jerusalem, the cops realized that among their arrestees was Hagai El-Ad, the executive director of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel.

After being contacted by the media, the police offered El-Ad to be leave, saying that his arrest was a “misunderstanding”. El-Ad refused to leave, stating the obvious that ever yone else were arrested under the same circumstances, and that he will not leave until all of the arrestees are free. In a statement to media, the police described the whole event as a illegal demonstration of Anarchists, and that El-Ad should take the blame for participating in an illegal activity.
Upon arriving at the Jerusalem court the following day (they all were arrested for more then 36 hours) the activists were offered a plea bargain, to agree to not enter Sheikh Jarrah for 60 days, and to be released without seeing a judge. They all flatly refused. After denying that offer, the police persecutor added a felony to all arrestees- attacking a police officer.

While in confinement, one person who needed medical attention was not allowed to see a doctor, another who was on a hunger strike was ignored by medical personal, and one activists was dehydrated. They were all denied food for the last 10 hours of their arrest. Only after rioting, medicine and water was prov ided. From outside of the court the chants and singing of hundreds who gathered to show solidarity were heard. At 2AM the judge was ready to make a decision, she cleared all the activists from any wrong doing, and criticized the police for illegally arresting the protesters.

In their behavior, the police exposed once again the naked and ugly face of the state. An institution with a monopoly over violence, designed to serve and protect one (Jewish) class. The false arrests and repression in Sheikh Jarrah should be connected to the overall suppression of the popular struggle in Palestine. Again, this tactic of violence failed. The cells in the jails were transformed to classes of struggle, and the debates and talking on how to further and continued the poplar struggle in Sheikh Jarrah were heard all through the empty and dark corridors of the prison. All of the arrestees committed themselves to come back to the weekly protest and to become more actiev in the persue for jus tice in Sheikh Jarrah.
Next week at Sheikh Jarrah!