A-Infos (en) Palestine-Israel, the joint struggle against the separation fence and occupation intensify

Villages popular comities against the separation fence cooperation with Israeli 
anarchists against the wall expanded from Bil'in to the south of Bethlehem.
For about 4 years since the camp for join Israeli-Palestinian struggle against 
the separation fence at Masha, there were many joint actions between the 
Israeli AATW and village comities. Since the joint direct action against the 
fence at Zabuba three and a half year ago, many joint demonstrations and direct 
actions occurred at villages along the route of separation fences. The longest 
and most famous one is the struggle in Bil'in, the newest (for the last few 
months is in the region south of Bethlehem in which few villages are involved 
together (Um Salmuna, Artas, Beit Umar, and others).

In Bil'in, this Friday, the belligerence of the Israeli forces intensify. The 
new policy of not allowing the nonviolent demonstration to approach the route 
of the fence intensified. They returned to the policy they had the first half 
year or so of demonstrations where the Friday demonstrations were blocked from 
coming near the route.

(The first time we overcome it was in the big demonstration at the day the 
state forces tried to force curfew on the village, brought lot of forces to 
occupy the village, and tried to enforce the claim of the regional commander 
that there will not be any more demonstrations in Bil'in. After a about eleven 
hours of attrition struggle in the roads leading to the village and its 
streets, the state forces yielded, retreated from the village and the near by 
route of the separation fence... and we marched to the route... and we walked 
along it with out interference of the few state forces present.)

To day, when the demonstration of Palestinians, internationals, and Israelis of 
the AATW initiative just came near the foot of the hill the route is on its 
top, the barrage of tear gas canister was started.

Only very few of us who were in the front succeeded to come nearer to the 
soldiers who blocked the road and two of them (one Israeli and one of the 
village comity) were detained and released only hours later. The rest of us 
dispersed among the olive trees on the two sides of the road, trying to evade 
the tear gas grenades and approach the fence where it was possible - even for a 
short period.

The state forces tried to make the demonstration shorter so they showered us 
with plenty of gas grenades and added some shooting of metal bullets covered 
with rubber. One of them hit the ambulance while I was for a short time behind 
it...

Frustrated as they could not disperse us completely and confronted with stone 
throwing kids, teams of the state forces advanced to the fringe of the built 
area of the village and showered us with huge amount of tear gas. In non of the 
110 demonstrations in Bil'in I participated the quantity of the tear gas was so 
high.

A house near the road - few of us were guests in, got a special treatment and 
after the attackers went away it was like a fortress an army tried to conquer 
with grenades...

For some twisted logic and demagogic purposes, the army spoke person issued a 
fabricated announcement that "the demonstration in Bil'in was very calm due to 
the absence of the Israeli activists who usually incite the Palestinians..." 
The fact is we were the usual number of Israeli activists, lately, as we divide 
between Bil'in and other Friday demonstrations against the fence.

A comrade responded in a post to our mailing list to that announcement:

"Funny, cause after most of the Israelis left...
Two shabab got lightly injured, the last houses of the village were
surrounded by tear gas for close to an hour, including children suffering
from gas, and a bit of contamination of farming plots that were otherwise
organic.

One of the houses was especially hard hit by gas, with visible
burn marks from the canisters on the door (that also lost it's handle),
and a visit from the soldiers that reportedly included denying the
residents (and an Israeli activist that got a gas canister thrown at her
feet during negotiations) to get them to stop shooting so one of the
injured could be transported outside for treatment.

From next door it seemed like a bad rock concert. And just like that,
after the show, the band of soldiers magically retreated backstage into
the valley then out the back door.

'Cause it's Friday, and there's nothing else to do.' ".
R.

South of Bethlehem - the new focus of the joint struggle against the separation 
fence and occupation.

First, the text of the invitation to participate distributed in the radical 
activists mailing lists:

"This coming Friday, May 25th the residents of the south of Bethlehem area will 
hold a large demonstration against the wall which separates them from Bethlehem 
and steals their lands.

This week the struggle reached the village of Artas, near Al Hader. It happened 
when the construction crews reached the fertile lands of the village. The 
reason for the planned route of the wall is the planned construction of two new 
neighborhoods in the settlement stretching from it's current border to the 
route of the wall.

Early Sunday morning the bulldozers destroyed an entire orchard of apricot 
trees in spite of attempts by villagers and other activists who slept on the 
land. IDF soldiers continued their work as farmers wept at the site of their 
ancestral land being torn up.

Naturally, the next day, the villagers responded by holding a demonstration on 
the land where the trees stood. Just as naturally, in the context of the 
Israeli occupation, the private security guards employed at the site by the 
Ministry of defense shot live ammunition at demonstrators and journalists. 
Likewise, it was just as natural for the soldiers who arrived later to befriend 
the shooters and arrest 3 Palestinians including the owner of the land on 
trumped up charges of assault.

The popular committee against the wall and the settlement of the south 
Bethlehem area invites you to join the protest march against the wall of racist 
separation and of theft. The demonstration will begin at Um Salamuna, with a 
soccer game on the path of the wall, and will conclude at the village of Artas.

Please register in advance for the demonstration

From Jerusalem: S. 054-XXXXXXX

From Tel Aviv: I. 052-XXXXXXX"

Following is a report of an activist of the ISM:

"Greek human rights worker arrested at demonstration against land destruction 
in Artas, Bethlehem

Today, May 25th, the residents of the south of Bethlehem area held a large 
demonstration against Israel’s Apartheid Wall which separates them from 
Bethlehem and steals their lands. The demonstration started in the village of 
Umm Salamuna, where Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals held a soccer 
game on the path of the Wall.

From there, at least 150 Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists 
made their way to the village of Artas to protest Israel’s land destruction. 
This was a non-violent demonstration, aimed at reaching the land of the Abu 
Swai family, which soldiers claimed today was a “closed military zone.” After 
Friday prayers on the land, the non-violent demonstrators attempted to cross 
the barricade of Israeli soldiers. The army responded with force. George, an 
activist from Greece, was arrested and is currently being held in an Israeli 
jail in Hebron.

Martinez described the incident: “The demonstrators were completely 
non-violent. Not a single stone was thrown. But the soldiers started to beat 
and kick people. I saw at least two people being choked by soldiers. Then they 
went after George. He wasn’t doing anything but they arrested him anyways.”

An Israeli activist heard one of the detaining officers say that George was 
being arrested for “assault.”

After half an hour, the demonstrators sat on the ground affront the soldiers, 
refusing to leave the area. The demonstrators all then began shouting, “We want 
George! We want George!”


The army, however, placed  George in a police jeep and escorted him to the 
police station in Hebron.

According to Gaby Lasky, George’s lawyer, George will be taken to court 
tomorrow afternoon or evening in Jerusalem. The judge will hear the charges 
brought against George, including assaulting soldiers and disrupting soldiers’ 
work. Video footage disproving the charges has been obtained and will soon be 
in the hands of George's lawyer and also the Greek consulate, to be used in 
George's favor at the trial tomorrow.

Earlier this week, the struggle reached the village of Artas, near Al Hader. It 
 happened when Israeli construction crews reached the fertile lands of the 
village. The reason for the planned route of the wall is for the construction 
of two new neighborhoods in the illegal settlement of Efrata, stretching from 
it's current border to the route of the wall.

Early Sunday morning, an Israeli bulldozer destroyed an entire orchard of 
apricot trees in spite of attempts by villagers and other activists who slept 
on the land to stop it. Occupation soldiers continued their work and ate 
sandwiches as farmers wept at the site of their ancestral land being ripped 
apart. Three Palestinians were arrested the following day for continuing to 
protest the land destruction. They have all recently been released.

(Video and photos of land destruction here:

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/05/21/in-the-belly-of-the-wailing-democracy-called-israel/)

Video of today’s action available upon request.

For more information, contact:
ISM Media Office, 0599-943-157, 0542-103-657"


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