An Israeli Protester Being Arrested in Silwan. 1 Sep 2010. Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org

Silwan is a neighborhood in East Jerusalem just outside of the old city walls. The streets of the neighborhood are narrow and steep as most of the houses lie on either side of a deep gorge. The people and the geography of Silwan are unforgiving. Various settler organizations have been taking over Silwan house by house for years with the full assistance and permission of the Israeli goverenment. The leading settler group, City of David, is using archeology as a means of disposing hundreds of Palestinian families their homes. The State of Israel has decided that archeology rubble is more important than Palestinian homes and has regularly demolished houses in the name of protecting archeology ruin. The ELAD group is a leading investor in the creation of archeology parks which function as cover for settlers to take over more land in Silwan.

On 1 September 2010, ELAD sponsored a conference about archeology in Silwan. The conference was a lavish affair with hundreds of invitees and what looked to be lovely food. The Shiekh Jarrah Solidarity committee joined by Ta’ayush and the Anarchists Against the Wall held a demonstration to protest the conference. Joined by Palestinian residents of Silwan, the protest begin in the late afternoon as hundreds attempted to approach the entrance to the conference. Border police and the special ‘yasam’ forces were deployed and allowed to use physical violence to prohibit the protesters from getting close to the entrance. The protest stayed completely non-violent as yasam forces repeatedly attacked protesters, threw them to the ground like rag dolls and arrested them. At one point, a settler literally drove his car through the protest, almost running over a number of people. This was all done under the watchful eye of the police chief on site, Avi Cohen, who did nothing to the driver. This incident can be seen at minute 03:25 of the following video.

Despite the intimidating show of force, the protest continued for hours. The protesters spread out through Silwan and small groups were able to confront the settler conference. As you can see in the following video, once protesters got close enough to speak with the settlers, police forces quickly moved in and begin arresting people. Incidentally, the film crew that is being told to stop in the below clip was from CBS’s 60 Minutes. It will be curious to see if this footage makes it into their segmant on Silwan.

While the videos show the events, they do not capture the atmosphere of the demonstration. Palestinians and Israelis were running through the streets of Silwan last night speaking truth to power. Despite Ramadan and the police violence, we continued for hours into the night and affected some of the participants in the conference. It was a successful demonstration.

Solidarity action with imprisoned Palestinian prisoners, Jerusalem 31.8.10

Based on the past months of popular struggle in the West Bank which have included countless demonstrations, arrests, house raids, injuries and trips to the military courts, I find myself asking whether Israelis would like things to be better. The question is simple enough: do people here want to create a change so that the political situation will become less tense and perhaps everyone will have a brighter future of coexistence and cohabitation? On the eve of another round of ‘mirage’ peace talks, it is hard to find elements in Israeli society that feel the pressing need to change the reality of relations vis a vie Palestinian neighbors. The left is small and effectively meaningless compared with the majority of centrist Israelis who have become accustomed to the status quo concerning the occupation and Israel’s position in the world.

The sad reality is that the occupation and its horrific maintenance exists far in the back of Israeli minds. The issues barely enter daily conversation in Israel. Real debate only gets going in Israel after events like last night or the flotilla. This is usually a defensive conversation surrounding on the fear complex which this country lives on. While Israelis have little or no debate, the rest of the world is moving forward with creative ways to attack Israeli militarism against the Palestinians. The growing popularity of BDS around the world is an example of the sea change currently underway. In fact, BDS is almost unheard of in mainstream Israeli society. The reason for this is simple, awareness brings responsibility. With change also comes responsibility and this requires the embrace of reality. The sad fact is that many in Israel prefer the status quo of continued occupation, occasional attacks on Israeli civilians and the repression of an entire people to the prospect of embracing reality. The following book by Israeli socialist Akiva Orr explores the historical foundations of the trends I am touching on here.

The current round of peace talks will have difficulty getting anywhere because Israelis do not want change. Part of the success of the Separation wall for Israeli society is that it has enabled the status quo to become entrenched. If Israel makes its own borders and builds a wall, the majority of people have little reason to embrace the reality of the occupation or the effects of the wall itself. In a way, it is the most profound manifestation of the Liberal Zionist call for a ethnically pure ‘Jewish and Democratic’ state. Israeli professor Gadi Taub in recent New York Times op-ed perfectly falls in line with this Liberal Zionist rationale as he argues to save Zionism. His simple refusal to understand the core ‘settler colonial’ component of political Zionism is yet another profound example of the unwillingness of Israelis to embrace reality and thus unwilling to make change. It is clear that Israelis do not want change because no one here is willing to take responsibility for our mistakes. Instead we prefer to hid behid our persecution complex and educate our children that the entire world hates us.

Residents of Nabi Saleh, supported by Palestinians from nearby villages, Israeli activists and international supporters – about 60 in number – participated in the weekly demonstration against the Occupation and annexation and destruction of a growing amounts of land and resources from the village by the adjacent Halamish settlement.
The march from the village’s center headed down towards the lands in a different path than the usual today, but was nevertheless impeded by the army minutes after. The soldiers, surprised by being forced to relocate from their regular positions, immediately began threatening the crowd with arrests.

Precluded from advancing any farther, some demonstrators climbed over a shut yellow military gate at a checkpoint at the entrance to the village, which was used to obstruct the march. After a while, protesters began marching back into the village, but were followed by the soldiers as a measure of provocation.

The army’s incursion successfully escalated the situation, with quickly developed into clashes with armed soldiers shooting tear-gas and rubber-coated bullets faced by youth hurling stones to stop the invasion. At some point, one Israeli protester was arrested as soldiers claimed she interrupted their work, but she was later released on restrictive conditions. The army kept its presence in the village until the evening, continuously driving in and out of the village’s built-up area, and literally taking over the streets for prolonged periods every time.

From the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee

Protest against the apartheid wall, Bilin, Palestine, 8/1/2010. Photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org

This week’s demonstration in Bil’in commemorated the 9th anniversary to the assassination of PFLP leader Abu Ali Mustafa by a missile shot into his home by Israel. A large PFLP delegation as well as some fifty Israeli and international activists joined the people of Bil’in.
Demonstrators also denounced the recent conviction of Abdallah Abu Rahmah on charges of incitement ond organizing illegal demonstrations. Some protesters wore masks of Abdallah’s face, delivering the message that in imprisoning Abu Rahmah, Israel only strengthen the spirit of resistance he represents.

Demonstrators got only numbered minutes to protest, before the unprovoked salvo of tear-gas began. The continuous firing of tear-gas forced most of the demonstrators to retreat, leaving only a small number of youth, photographers, and a few older protesters preferred risking arrest over running into the thick clouds of gas.

When the soldiers saw that these last few demonstrators couldn’t be scared away, they invaded the village, chasing after the youth. The demonstrators were pushed further back by the gas, way beyond the area designated as a closed military zone. Following the invasion, limited confrontations began as local youth attempted to hold back the army from entering the village.

The soldiers escalated the violence and added the use of rubber-coated bullets to their arsenal. Just before the soldiers finally retreated, one youth was hit with a rubber bullet that lodged itself inside his knee. He was evacuated to the Ramallah hospital suffering moderate wounds.

From the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee

Demonstration against the Wall in Al Ma'sara. 26.03.2010. Photo by:Anne Paq/Activestills.org

Yesterday, the village of al Ma’sara held a nonviolent protest against the Separation Wall and settlements. A group of Palestinian, Israeli and international protesters gathered in the afternoon and peacefully chanted ‘no to occupation’ and ‘no to settlements’.  After a short time, Israeli soldiers began using sound bombs and tear gas as a means of riot dispersal against the protesters. During a brief intermission from the gas, a number of Israeli protesters attempted to approach the site of the demonstration only to be arrested. The following video shot by Mazin Qumsiyeh PhD clearly shows one Israeli protester being arrested for no reason what so ever.

The reaction to this protest coupled with the protests in Ni’ilin and Bil’in show the repression of nonviolent and unarmed struggle in the West Bank by the Israeli armed forces. Arresting unarmed protesters and medical crews demonstrates the fear which these protests cause in the minds of Israeli military planners. Despite the repression and against all odds, the movements continue to grow.

Friday Protest in West Bank Village of Ni'ilin. 27 August 2010. Photo by Joseph Dana

As the events unfolded, I tweeted updates and photos from Ni’ilin. Perhaps in response to my tweet the IDF spokesman office began tweeting “riots in Judea and Samaria” and “7 rioters arrested in Ni’ilin”. How can a medical team and two photographers be considered ‘rioters’? After a couple of hours all of the detainees were released without charge. For the past couple of months, the IDF has declared that Ni’ilin and the neighboring village of Bil’in are ‘closed military zones’ on Fridays. This directive by the military governor of the West Bank is designed to intimidate the protest movement and can be used to arrest any protester simply for being in the said area on Friday. The order has recently expired, giving the IDF no grounds to hold the detainees from Ni’ilin today.However, the detainees were led by soldiers over the wall, and presented with a new closed military zone order, effective Friday, Aug 27th, from 10am to 10pm. The aerial photograph attached to the order encompassed a section of Ni’lin’s agricultural land adjacent to the wall, not as extensive as the area designated “closed military zone” in the six month military order that was imposed on Ni’lin and Bilin (and has since expired). The medics and camera people were in fact detained outside of the designated area.

Ni’ilin has been protesting the separation wall and confiscation of their agricultural land for the past two years. The International Court of Justice considers “the construction of the (separtion) wall, and its associated régime, contrary to international law”. Five Palestinians have been killed due to excessive Israeli repression measures and hundreds have been injured in the course of the unarmed protests. Many of the leaders of the popular struggle movement have been imprisoned for long sentenced in Israeli Kafkaesque military legal prison system in an effort to crush the unarmed struggle. The protest has continued weekly despite the repression. This is the second time in the recent months in which the IDF has arrested Red Crescent medics during the protest in Ni’ilin.

Friday Protest in West Bank Village of Ni'ilin. 27 August 2010. Photo by Joseph Dana

Throughout the West Bank demonstrations against the separation wall and settlements took place today. In Bil’in, a Palestinian protester was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet as hundreds of Palestinian, Israeli and international protesters attempted to approach the separation fence in the village. The injured Palestinian was evacuated to a Ramallah hospital for treatment. In the village of al-Masara, the army used tear gas and sound bombs to break up a non violent demonstration. One Israeli was arrested and taken to a local police station in the West Bank. In Nabi Salih, the largely non violent demonstration ended early with one Israeli arrested.

Bil’in has become an internationally recognized symbol of Palestinian unarmed and largely nonviolent resistance to Israel’s controversial separation wall and continued settlement expansion. Thousands of Israelis, Palestinians and international supporters including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, Desmond Tutu and Naomi Klein have joined in Bilin’s weekly demonstrations since they began. The village’s struggle is the subject of a riveting documentary, “Bil’in, Habibti,” by Israeli filmmaker/activist Shai Pollak.

Israel has responded to the international attention on Bil’in with a campaign of repression which has included waves of arrests, daily night raids, repeated use of high velocity tear gas projectiles against protesters (resulting in the death of Bassam Abu Rahmah in 2009 and countless injuries) and the use of military courts to persecute the leaders of the popular committee against the wall. According to Adv. Gaby Lasky, Abu Rahmah’s lawyer, “Soldiers have killed and injured dozens and hundreds of protesters in the attempt to stop the Palestinian popular struggle, but have failed. They are now trying to illegitimately use the courts and the legal system in the same way. The international community must take a tough stand on this issue.”

Abdallah Abu Rahmah, along with another popular committee member Adeed Abu Ramha, is the latest nonviolent grassroots Palestinian leader to stand before Israel’s military court. Abu Ramha has represented the village of Bil’in around the world. On December 10th 2008, Abu Rahmah received the Carl Von Ossietzky Medal for Outstanding Service in the Realization of Basic Human Rights, awarded by the International League for Human Rights in Berlin.

Since his arrest, Abdallah Abu Rahmah has not been able to see his wife or children. Israel considers the Ofer military prison, where he is being held, to be part of Israeli sovereign territory despite its location in the heart of the West Bank. In order to visit her husband, Abu Ramha’s wife is required to get an entry permit to Israel. She has been routinely denied this permit because her husband is considered a ‘security risk’. Abu Rahmah is not even permitted to make phone calls because of his security status.

To understand the absurdity of the charges brought against Abu Rahmah, consider that he was initially indicted for making an art exhibit out of used tear-gas projectiles and bullets. Who knew that a peace sign constructed out of instruments of repression could threaten Israeli security? This absurd arms possession charge is a clear example of how eager the military prosecution is to use legal procedures as a tool to silence and smear unarmed dissent.

Under Israel military law, incitement is defined as “The attempt, verbally or otherwise, to influence public opinion in the ‘area’ in a way that may disturb the public peace or public order” (section 7(a) of the Order Concerning Prohibition of Activities of Incitement and Hostile Propaganda (no.101), 1967), and carries a 10 year maximal sentence. The use of this law reflects Israel’s last ditch effort to crush Palestinian grassroots nonviolent mobilization.

Israeli Military law defines illegal assembly as any assembly of more than 10 people without receiving a permit from the military commander. Abu Rahmah’s case is first time the military prosecution had used the organizing and participating in illegal demonstrations since the first Intifada. This verdict could set a precedent for Israeli military court in their ongoing repression of unarmed and largely non violent Palestinian demonstrations which take place weekly throughout the West Bank.

In response to the verdict, European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton released a statement condemning the verdict against Abu Rahmah calling him a human rights defender. “The EU considers Abdallah Abu Rahmah to be a Human Rights Defender committed to non violent protest against the route of the Israeli separation barrier through his West Bank village of Bil’in. The High Representative is deeply concerned that the possible imprisonment of Mr. Abu Rahmah is intended to prevent him and other Palestinians from exercising their legitimate right to protest against the existence of the separation barriers in a non violent manner. ”

Abu Rahmah’s sentencing will take place next month, and the prosecution is expected to ask for a sentence exceeding two years. The Popular Struggle Coordination Committee has organized an awareness campaign for Abu Rahmah in order to apply pressure on the Israeli government to allow peaceful Palestinian protest take root in the West Bank. Abudallah Abu Rahmah is the latest target in Israel’s campaign to repress nonviolent protest and ensure that a Palestinian Gandhi will not be able to rise in the West Bank.

Cross posted on the Huffington Post

Carmel Wines has responded in an email to Ta’ayush activists:
Thank you for seeking clarification.

1. It is and was our policy that no grapes from over the green line/ West Bank, are used in Yatir or Carmel wines.
2. No grapes from over the green line will appear in Yatir or Carmel wines, now or in the future.
3. There is an internal investigation concerning this particular issue, but even before any conclusions, I can confirm the above two points still apply, now more than ever.

On a point of correction: Harvesting of grapes for wine often takes place at night. Also, Carmel produces 15 million bottles a year and does not seek to increase production.

Regards,

Adam Montefiore

אדם ס. מונטיפיורי

מנהל המחלקה המקצועית ליין

Adam S. Montefiore

Wine Development Director

Tel +972 3–9488806 טל

Mobile +972 54–6458851 נייד

Fax +972 3–9663129 פקס

adam@carmelwines.co.i

The West Bank village of al-Tuwani, after nine years of actively fighting and lobbying, has been connected to the Palestinian electrical grid. The al-Tuwani Village Council originally petitioned the Israeli District Coordinating Office (DCO), responsible for the coordination of civilian affairs in the occupied territories, for access to electricity in 2001. After facing nearly a decade of non-responses, delays, requests for additional paperwork, confiscations and demolitions, the village of al-Tuwani has successfully obtained electricity.

The State of Israel has categorically denied the Palestinians of the South Hebron Hills where al-Tuwani is located all of the amenities which are automatically granted to Jewish settlements and outposts. The nearby settlement, Maon, and outpost, Havat Maon, have had an array of services since their inception. Havat Maon is home to convicted murderers affiliated with the Kach party, including Yehoshafat Tor, who was involved in a plot to blow up an Arab girls school in Jerusalem in 2002. In an interview with the American Public Broadcasting Service, Tor had this to say about the place of Arabs according to his understanding of the Torah and the Jewish tradition: “We are following our hearts. What we should be doing is all written in the Bible. We just read it in our weekly Torah portion: expel the Arabs. Kick them out!” (“Israel’s Next War,” Frontline, Public Broadcasting Service, 5 April 2005).

Yehoshafat Tor and his kin have access to these amenities while Palestinian communities in the South Hebron Hills are forced to truck in water, heat water with donated solar panels, burn their trash, dig cesspools, and rely on rainwater to nourish their crops. Remarkably, Israeli policies in Palestinian communities in Area C, including those communities in the South Hebron Hills, appear to have a similar motivation as the aforementioned Zionist settlers — that is, to expel the Arabs.

How long the electricity will be allowed to stay on is a big question. But it seems as though the small village of at Tuwani, without internationally watched protests, has won a major battle against the mechanisms of Israeli occupation.

Despite the intense heat and high temperature, on the second Friday in Ramadan, a sizable march organized by the Popular Committee commenced from the center of the village right after the Friday prayers.
The protesters, consisting of many Palestinians and dozens of International and Israeli activists, called for the prosecution of the Israeli soldiers behind the recent Facebook scandal. Not only did one of the soldiers pose with bound and gagged prisoners, Eden Abergil, stated that she would “gladly kill Arabs – even slaughter them.”

As the protesters neared the separation wall and approached the soldiers with pictures of other Israeli soldiers posing and torturing prisoners, teargas was fired heavily at the protesters and journalists. Clashes continued for hours when the Israeli military attempted to advance into the village.

Journalist, Haitham Al-Khatib suffered minor injuries when the military attempted to arrest him.International activist, Evie, and David, were arrested while Evie  was peacefully demonstrating against the occupation and David filming.