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Wednesday, 18 August 2010

The Only Democracy in the Middle East

P U L S E

13.8.10

Most of the reports and information taken from the websites Friends of Freedom and Justice- Bilin, Anarchists Against the Wall and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).

Two Palestinians violently arrested- one of them from his house- in a nonviolent demo in al-walaje that was met with stun and tear gas grenades and direct violence from the Israeli Army including rock throwing.




Fifty international supporters along with Israeli activists joined non-violent Palestinian demonstrators in Bil’in to protest the Israeli occupation. Together, they marched with Palestinian flags and posters of political prisoners from the village, many arrested through night raids. These prisoners have mostly been arrested for the sole “crime” of being active organizers in the non-violent popular struggle (many are under the age of 18).



Due to intense heat and the beginning of the Muslim month of Ramadan, this week’s Ma’asara demonstration was attended by no more than 13 Palestinians and two Israelis. These were, however, joined by more than sixty international activists. Demonstrators marched from the center of the village towards the lands stolen by the fence, until encountering soldiers who blocked the road. The soldiers declared the area a closed military zone, and the villagers declared it was a freed Palestinian zone. After some twenty minutes of speeches and slogans, soldiers attacked with stun grenades, and the demonstrators retreated a bit. The soldiers then took to their jeeps and stormed away, allowing the demonstrators to march forward and celebrate a small victory. The demonstration then ended, and all returned to the village.

In Nebi Salleh, the weekly march was quickly met with 5 military jeeps, ordered not to proceed. The march proceeded anyway, but upon escalation of the army’s violence, the organizers called it a day, only to find that 2 jeeps are already inside the village and firing gas and shock grenades inside the village. The Nebi Salleh youth attempted to disperse the army using several methods; stones, singing, dancing and olive branches. Once the organizers finally were able to explain to the army the simple concept of “don’t invade my village and the dissent will disperse”, Palestinians, Israelis and internationals all gathered at one of tnhe houses, only to be followed by the invading army and smoked out to the front yard.



On August 10, 2010 the Israeli army forcibly evicted the owners of three shops in front of Bab Al-Baladiyah in Hebron, welding the doors of the shops closed so that the owners would no longer be able to use them. The only conceivable reason for these closures is retaliation for the 100% non-violent protests that Youth Against Settlements has been holding weekly in front of Bab Al-Balidiyah protesting the apartheid conditions imposed on Hebron by the Israeli army. Several activists were detained for refusing to move from the shops, and two of them, Badia Dwaik and Tamer Al-Atrash, have been held for 3 days in military prison. Youth Against Settlements calls for donations and support:



Two Israelis and three internationals were arrested in the following weekly Hebron demonstration, on the grounds of illegal assembly, disrupting a policeman in his work, and the Israelis also for supposedly entering Area A. Protesters say every week the army worsens the measures against demonstrators, restricting their movement and using physical violence. Four of the arrested were released with 15 days expulsion from Hebron. One of the international activists was detained further and charged with attacking a soldier.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

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