A-Infos (en) Israeli Forces Attack Activists After They Open Roadblock in Palestine near Daharya Israeli Media raged.

Today for the second time this week internationals from Palestine Solidarity 
Project and Israeli activists of the anarchists against the wall initiative 
joined the people of Dhahariya to open the roadblock that prohibits them from 
accessing the main road to Hebron and the rest of Palestine. The same people 
first opened the roadblock on May 3rd, but after two days it was closed by the 
Israeli Occupation Forces. Today, the people were determined to open it again. 
Nearly 100 Palestinians and 10 Israeli and international activists pushed, 
pulled, and rolled 4 large cement blocks out of the path of the road, which has 
been blocked since the early 1990's.

Activists cheered as the first taxi drove through walked down the road with it 
towards the highway where one Israeli military jeep was waiting. Though the 
taxi was forced at that time to turn around, the people stayed in the street, 
chanting 'la, la, ichtilal' ('no, no, occupation').

When two more jeeps arrived the demonstrators all sat on the ground, 
illustrating that the action was completely non-violent. As they stood up to 
leave, still chanting, the Israeli soldiers attacked.

Today, a army car with 5 reservists soldiers with a captain commander arrived 
where the people dismantled the road block. They attacked brutally the 
activists who have not retreated. The officer in charge brutally attacked one 
Israeli activist, B, ramming the muzzle of his gun into the activist's chest, 
knocking him to the ground and immediately causing a large bruise on his chest. 
Soldiers then shot in the air with live ammunition and chased the Palestinians, 
beating them from behind as they moved back behind the newly opened roadblock. 
The Israeli and international activists attempted to make a buffer between the 
soldiers and the Palestinians and were successful; the soldiers then turned on 
them.

The soldiers never gave any particular orders, they simply went on a rampage. 
One Israeli activist, M, was repeatedly kicked and chased around the area by a 
soldier. An international activist was choked, by the same commanding officer 
who attacked B, as she was filming and another Israeli activist was thrown 
against a car and also choked.

After kicking, punching and beating the Israeli and international activists 
with their guns, they focused on M. Once again, the commanding officer grabbed 
him and threw him to the ground where he was viciously kicked and beaten. As 
other Israeli and international activists attempted to protect him, they, too, 
were punched and pushed to the ground. The soldiers then grabbed M by his 
throat, twisted his arm behind his back, slammed him into the side of the jeep 
and then threw him into the back of the jeep, kidnapping him. Israeli soldiers 
have no jurisdiction over other Israeli citizens, it was completely illegal for 
them to take the Israeli activist. Afraid of what the soldiers intended to do 
with M, some Israeli activists followed the jeep in their car. M was taken to 
the nearby settlement Bet Haggai. The soldiers told the guards not to let the 
trailing Israeli car in, and drove M into the settlement. He was then let go 
and the soldiers sped away.

Meanwhile, the soldiers prevented a Red Crescent Ambulance from approaching the 
activists who had been injured. Basem 'Teed, 23, and Nidal Fasfoos, 15, were 
injured by being rammed in the chest and kidneys with the soldiers' rifles. 
People present were forced to carry them to the medics. The newly opened 
roadblock was immediately put to good use when another ambulance was able to 
approach the injured people from the other side. Both men were taken to the 
hospital in Hebron. The Israeli activist, B, was also treated and potentially 
has cracked ribs and internal bleeding. He went to the hospital in Tel Aviv. In 
all, 5 Palestinians, were injured and 2 Israeli activists were injured. Though 
the soldiers were excessively violent, the people left with high spirits, 
having successfully re-opened the roadblock.

Palestine Solidarity Project is a non-hierarchical Palestinian project with 
international volunteers that is dedicated to confronting the Israeli 
Occupation. Join us this summer!

http://Palestinesolidarityproject.org

The opening of the road block today differed from the previously three opened 
last week or so, where no physical confrontation with state force occurred. It 
was also in parallel to the demand of the US to dismantle most of the road 
blocks (Israel already promised to do along the last months.... It was also 
when the brutality of police against students on strike demonstrated was 
infuriating the media... and the brutality of the officer and soldiers against 
Israeli activists was without precedent. Thus, all the main media channels 
including the TV ones included it in their news programs.

This forced the authorities to promise that there will be investigation.
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