commentary from Israel & the West Bank
Posts tagged West Bank
Under cover of darkness, Ta’ayush activists expose the stealing of Palestinian land (UPDATE)
Aug 25th
Ta’ayush activists have uncovered information that the Southern West Bank settlement of Susya is illegal stealing Palestinian land to increase the production of their Carmel Wine. Last week, under cover of darkness, a group of Jerusalem activists went to explore the vineyards. What they found was that many settlers are in fact stealing land in order to produce wine. This is nothing new however it is important to keep pressure on the settler groups through the dissemination of video and press about their illegal actions. Below is a video of their journey from Jerusalem. While the video is not full of the same type of action as the Friday demonstration videos, it is amazing to see how much work Israel in the middle of the night. Most of the illegal settlement construction, the stealing of land and the creation of the Separation Wall happens in the darkness. What does this country have to hid?
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
Documentary Film Maker Arrested in Bil’in for Filming the Demonstration
Aug 21st
David Reeb, a long time documentary film maker who joins various weekly protests through the West Bank was arrested yesterday in Bil’in as he was filming the non violent protest.
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.
Israeli Conveyor Belt Justice at the Ofer Military Court
Aug 19th
Early this week, in the middle of a extreme heat wave, I found myself sitting in the open air pen which is known as the waiting area of the Ofer military court in the West Bank. The Ofer military court is one of the main court facilities in the West Bank run by the Israeli military. It acts as a legal arm of the occupation dealing with many cases in connection with the Palestinian unarmed Resistance. Israeli citizens have the opportunity to witness trials there but few outside of a dedicated group of activists visit the facility. The court system does not operate efficiently or even on time. It operates as a symbol of the occupation complete with the soul crushing attitudes of prison guards and army officers that work there and the endless waiting which is a part of every visit. If one wanted a series of Eden Abergil photos, the Ofer military court would be the first place that I would send them.
On Tuesday morning, Adeeb abu Ramha had his appeal before the military court at Ofer. Usually, appeal trials begin two to three hours late but on this day it began only after a ten minute delay. Perhaps this was due to do with the fact that the British Council, Spanish government and European Union all sent representatives to oversee the Israeli ‘conveyor belt justice system’ at work in Ofer.
Adeeb abu Rahma is a taxi driver and father of nine from the village of Bi’ilin. On 9 July 2010 he was found guilty of incitement of violence against Israeli security forces due to his participation with the Popular Struggle committee against the wall in Bi’ilin . On the day of his sentence, abu Rahma had been in jail for exactly one year. Adeeb was sentenced to one year by the court. If the military court system worked according to legal precedent , Adeeb would have been released the same day as his verdict. However, the army appealed the decision in an attempt to keep him in jail for as well as possible.
The appeal hearing began with legal adv. Gabi Lasky attacking the court for using a bizarre understanding of the law which in reality had nothing to do with the legal system but was rather an instrument of occupation. During the course of four hours, Lasky systematicaly showed how the court allowed impermissible evidence in the conviction of abu Ramha (such as testimony gleaned from children held in horrible conditions in Israeli jails. See Amira Hess’s excellent report from yesterday’s Haaretz) and ignored previous court percents as well as soldier testimonies. The judge was dismissive of most claims brought up by Lasky and acted unsurprised when the military persecutors were unable to respond directly to claims of misconduct in the proceedings.
After the five hour hearing, the feeling among the defense lawyers was the abu Ramha would be charged with a sentence of fourteen months and released so that the army would maintain a semblance of fairness to the law. Nothing will be read about this trial in the mainstream media. Outside a few ‘activist’ websites, little will be discussed about how the Israeli occupation legal system just crushed another possible Palestinian Gandhi.
Palestinian Children in West Bank Summer Camp: “Break the Silence, Break the Siege”
Jul 24th
This afternoon, I visited a Palestinian summer camp in the southern West Bank city of Beit Umar. The camp is named “The Freedom Flotilla Camp” and contains roughly one hundred youth aged 12 to 17 years old from the city. In addition to normal summer camp activities like swimming, playing football and general running around with friends, the children staged a festival titled “Break the Silence, Break the Siege.” The festival, which was organized by various popular struggle committees in the west Bank, included poetry about the occupation, plays about Palestinian interaction with settlers/soldiers and traditional ‘debka’ dances. The aim was to send a message to the international community that Palestine is unified and Gaza is not separate from the West Bank. The children wanted to express their concern about the silence of the international community over Israeli blockade of Gaza and the ongoing occupation of the West Bank.
The Freedom Flotilla Camp in Beit Umar
The event took place after the weekly demo in Beit Umar against the occupation. I attended the increasing violent demo this morning with fellow activist Kobi Snitz. After the army violently injured one Palestinian photojournalist and rained sound grenades/tear gas on the non violent demonstrators, Kobi and I were invited to attend the children’s festival to address them about Israeli activists supporting of the popular struggle. Below video provided by Fil Kaler.
As soon as we arrived to the camp complex, a customary mob of kids surrounded us asking “what is your name?” and “where are you from?” in broken English. When I explained that I was Israeli from Jerusalem, most took a puzzled looked which only lasted for a couple of seconds and quickly dissolved as they would grab me by the hand and introduce me to all their friends.
Israeli Activist Addressing Palestinian Children in Beit Umar
During the festival, one by one a kid or groups of kids would get on stage to perform a poem or song about Palestine or the occupation. Most of the poems were about the unity of Palestine and expressed solidarity with the people of Gaza. After a slew of performances, it was Kobi’s turn to address the crowd. As he explained that we come from Israel and support the popular struggle movements in the West Bank in his Hebrew accented Arabic, I wondered what it would take for an Israeli summer camp to invite a Palestinian to address their participants. I tried to picture a Palestinian from Beit Umar addressing rowdy youngsters in Herzilya. To be honest, the picture was hard to convince.
Fighting for the Olive Trees
Mar 4th
Below is a reportage from a Ta’ayush activist about Beit Jala. An action took place there yesterday in an attempt to save an olive grove from destruction in order to make space for the annexation wall that Israel is building through the West Bank.
Beit Jala 3/3/2010
Already when driving on route 60, we saw the intimidating bulldozers riding on the side of the road on their way to another day of “putting facts on the ground” as chiefs of the Israeli government call it. As we arrived in Beit Jalla, a heart-breaking scene came into view – a huge pile of sawed trees and olive and lemon branches spread all across the yard of the house next to the wall’s path. A yard it cannot really be called anymore – the grass is turned over, two children’s swings were uprooted and put aside, and the only thing left standing is a brick oven, with mounds of dirt and mud all around it. 10 olive trees were cut down here already yesterday. A red X on the front floor of the house marks the path of the wall to pass here, which will seize the whole yard area and cut the only access driveway to it. It’s hard to imagine how life would look like in this place in a week or two.
We were 45 protesters – 25 Palestinians, 15 international activists and 4 Israelis. We descended to the works path trying to stop the bulldozers. A group of twenty soldiers prevented us from doing so, and began pushing us up the hill without showing a closed military area order as they are required. While the bulldozer’s claws were uprooting trees one after the other, we explained to the officers that their actions violate numerous international laws, as well as the fact that they may not tell us to move without the order. We were pushed up the hill a few more meters to where we sat on the ground demanding to see a printed order before we move any further. At 08:53 they brought the papers and the officers declared the area will become a “closed military zone” within 7 minutes. One of them held two stun grenades with a nasty grin on his face. We reminded them again that constructing the wall on West Bank lands is a crime according to international law, as well as the settlers-only road which it “protects” and that they still may put down their guns/ and join us. A bearded IDF captain told us that the only law he follows is the biblical law. Rabbai Arik Ascherman referred him to to read the chapter in the book of Deuteronomy which refers to uprooting of fruit trees.
At 09:00 precisely they started pushing and dragging us up the hill again. 2 Israelis and one international activist were detained for a few minutes and were released shortly thereafter. Two Arab TV network reporters stationed on the upper road to report the events. Two young women from Beit Jalla were prominent among the protesters. As one of the officers told on of them them “Min fadlak, ruch min hon” (Please go away from here), she replied wisely “Min fadlak, ruch leIsrail” (Please, go back to Israel), with her finger pointing north-west.
When we left, the bulldozers were still working with all their might.
A Busy Weekend
Dec 19th
A busy weekend in Israel for Ta’ayush and the Israeli direct action left. Above is clear video from last Friday’s Sheikh Jarrah protest. Quoted in the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot, Meretz Chairman Chaim Oron said “It’s unthinkable that every week left-wing protestors are prevented from expressing legitimate protest, while right-wing protestors, who violently and blatantly violate the government’s decisions, are being treated forgivingly.”
While the police and border patrol were working out their feelings of masculine insecurity on the non violent leftists in Sheikh Jarrah, Ultra Orthodox residents of Jerusalem actually got violent in their protest of the Intel Corporation opening its Jerusalem branch on Shabbat. They threw stones at police and burned garbage throughout their neighborhoods. No one was arrested, confirming the double standards that exist as a fact of everyday life in Israel Full text on Yediot Ahronot’s website.
Finally, Ta’ayush activists and Palestinians encountered some good ole settler violence near the extremist illegal outpost of Ashel. Report here form Ynet and video of one of the fine citizens of Asahel below.
Another Day, Another Attack, Another Disgrace
Sep 9th
The following is an email I have received from a Ta’ayush member about a recent attack in Susya by settlers on the native population. A translation to follow in the comming days…
פעילי תעאיוש שליוו הבוקר חקלאים בצפא, קיבלו הודעה על מתנחלים המתרכזים באזור סוסיא לקראת פינוי הצפוי להיום של מאחז “גבעת הדגל” שבסמוך. בשל החשש לפעולות נקם של המתנחלים כלפי הפלסטינים באזור, יצאו שני פעילים למקום. כבר בדרך הסתבר שחששותינו היו מוצדקים וקבוצה של כשנים-עשר מתנחלים הגיעו אל מאהלי משפחות הרני ונוואג’עה, זרקו אבנים, היכו נשים וגברים, ניתצו אחד מקולטי השמש ושברו את מצלמת הווידאו של פעיל פלסטיני. ארבעה חיילים הגיעו למקום התקיפה מעט לאחר שהחלה, אך לא הצליחו, או אולי לא ניסו במיוחד, למנוע אותה. רק הגעת כוחות רבים נוספים בהמשך גרמה למתנחלים לעזוב את המקום. איש מהם כמובן לא עוכב או נעצר. כאשר הגענו הסיפור כבר נגמר וכל שהיה בידינו לעשות הוא להרגיע את המשפחות, לרשום דיווח, לוודא הגשת תלונה למשטרה והחלפת מצלמת הווידאו שבמקום, ולארגן משמרות שהייה במקום למשך היום והלילה לפחות. אלא שדווקא את זה היה הצבא נחוש למנוע. החיילים שאך זה נמנעו מלהתערב בתקיפת המשפחות הפלסטיניות בידי מתנחלים, הודיעו לנו שהשטח סגור ועלינו לעזוב את המקום. כשסרבנו נעצר אחד הפעילים והואשם ב”העלבת עובד ציבור”!!! הוא שוחרר לאחר חקירה קצרה במשטרת חברון וחזר לסוסיא.
כרגע הכל שקט שם, ובמקום שוהים לעת עתה פעילים בינלאומיים וישראלים. הפלסטינים הגישו תלונה במשטרה, אך למרבה הצער החיילים שהיו במקום דיווחו למשטרה שלא היתה תקיפה. כנראה שלא רק כל הפלסטינים והפעילים הבינלאומיים שהיו איתם שקרנים, אלא שהבל פיהם של החיילים יכול להתעלם גם מהחבלות, הנזקים לרכוש וצילומי הווידאו.
Combatants for Peace in the West Bank
Jul 25th
Ta’ayush joined Combatants for Peace near Tul Karem to build a protest structure next to an illegal outpost. They are working on getting television coverage of the event which means the main footage will not go out until tomorrow. Below is a sneak peak of my footage of the day.
IDF arrests Red Crescent medical team during a demonstration in Ni’ilin
Aug 27th
Posted by Joseph Dana in Unarmed Resistance
2 comments
The IDF arrested a Red Crescent medical team this afternoon in the West Bank city of Ni’ilin. The medical team was a part of the weekly protest against the separation wall and continued Israeli settlement expansion. Roughly thirty Palestinians accompanied by Israeli and international supporters approached the separation wall around one in the afternoon. Palestinians burned tires on one portion of the wall and the IDF responded with a volley of tear gas. Soldiers then entered the village farmlands with weapons drawn. The majority of the protesters were able to retreat into the village leaving only the Red Crescent medical team, one Israeli camerawoman from the human rights organization Btsleem and one Palestinian photographer. They were surrounded and detained.
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.