On Tuesday, April 13th, 2010, the village of Bil'in was raided by the Israeli army once again. At approximately 1 am, Israeli armed forces entered the village in order to arrest 16 year old Khalil Ibrahim Yaseen, who was not at his place at the time. The Israeli armed forces presented his family with a document ordering Khalil to go to the Shabak's office for questioning. They also stated that Khalil would be arrested if he does not show up to the Shabak's office. Only two months ago, Khalil was released from prison after serving one month for his efforts in the nonviolent protests.
This is the most recent night raid in Bil'in. It is an attempt to stop the village's peaceful protest against the occupation and the annexation of its lands. The Israeli forces have arrested children and leaders of the village's popular committee in the recent weeks as well.
http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2010/04/night-raids-in-bilin-again-and-again.html
2-How the Shabak use the children of Palestine
My name is Yasser Awad Yasin. I am 27 years old and I'm from the village of Bil'in. I'm married and I have two sons and one daughter.
Before the army invaded my house the Shabak (Israeli security service) called me on the phone and told me to go to their office. I didn't go so the army raided my house. I was sleeping with my wife and children when they woke us all up. I asked them what they were doing because I didn't do anything. They asked me for my ID and they told me to go to the Shabak offices tomorrow. I asked them why they don't arrest me now and then the soldiers gave me papers to order me to go for questioning. When I went there, first they strip-searched me and asked if I have any weapons. I told them I have a packet of food and they took it off me. Then they took me to head of the Shabak who told me many things about myself and my family to make me scared and to make me believe that they know everything. They told me they know I have a son who has kidney problems so" we wanted you to come here to help you. You can send him to hospital in Israel and we can make sure he gets all the help he needs. I understand your situation because I also have children and I love them." When I heard this I told him I have two sons who are sick, not one. So he asked me what the problem is with the second child and I told him he has heart problems. So he asked me which hospital he goes to and I told him in Ramallah. "Why don't you send him to an Israeli hospital where he can get better treatment? We can help you to arrange that." Then I understood that he would want something in return for this offer .and he said we can do any thing for you if you help us and work with us in shabak and I told him that the treatment was OK there and he doesn't need to go to an Israeli hospital. So he replied that my son may die if he doesn't get the best treatment in order to make me scared. But I told him, "If he dies it will be because of your weapons and your gas every Friday. I live near the Wall and we have to leave our home every Friday to protect the children from these things, otherwise they may die." Then he started in a different way. He asked me if I have a house and maybe I need money. I told him I have a house and a job and I don't need help from anybody.
After that he returned to the problem of my son who needs treatment in Israel because he knew that I have a real problem there and this was the best way to get my cooperation to be an informer against my own people. He asked what I would do if they refused to give him permission to go through the checkpoint to take my son to hospital and I said that his mother could accompany him. "And what if we refuse to give her a permit?" I replied that his grandmother would go. "And what if we refuse his grandmother?" I said I will take him to Jordan. "And what if we stop him at the border?" I replied "I will take him to Ramallah – and may God help us"
http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2010/04/how-shabak-use-children-of-palestine.html
3-Weekly Popular Struggle Demonstration Reports
http://videopalestine.blogspot.com/2010/04/bilin.html
Today when Palestinians, Israeli, and International activists marched to the wall in Bil’in Village, they were met with excessive force from the Israeli army. As demonstrators reached the barrier soldiers began firing tear gas at the crowd. At one point soldiers used a cannon that shoots 30 canisters of gas at once to disperse the crowd. Soldiers also used live ammunition and rubber coated bullets against non-violent demonstrators today. Soldiers entered the village thru the gate in the barrier and attempted to arrest many of the demonstrators.
Palestinian Journalist and videographer Haitham Al Khatib from Bil’in was arrested while documenting the demonstration and army incursion. Haitham works with the Israeli human rights information center B’tselem as well as with the local Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements. Haitham returned to the village yesterday from a three-week tour in Europe where he was showing his latest film “Life on Wheels”. The film looks at occupation in Bil’in through the experience of Jody McIntire an activist and journalist from the EU. Haitham was released later Friday night after being held for approximately 7 hours. After his release he reported having been hit in the face while being held at the military base, and suffered from lose of blood circulation to his hands because of the extreme tightness of the zip-tie handcuffs.
From the lawyers:
Haitham was arrested under suspicion of violating the new military order declaring the area of the wall in Bil'in on Fridays as a closed military zone. The order was issued in February and will be in force until August. A similar order was issued for the wall in Ni'ilin. After many hours of detention Haitham was released without bail conditions. This was due to our claim - supported by a document issued by the military legal advisor - that declarations of closed military zones do not apply to residents of that territory. The police officer did not know how to dismiss our claim, but said that he would request clarification from the military legal advisor on Sunday.
Live Ammunition Fired at Nonviolent Demonstrators in Ni’lin - Palsolidarity.org
http://videopalestine.blogspot.com/2010/04/live-ammunition-fired-at-nonviolent.html
Facing tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition, roughly sixty Palestinians gathered outside of Ni’lin today. Joined by 15 Israeli and International activists, the demonstrators protested the Israeli occupation which has claimed over 40% of the village’s land.
After congregating in nearby olive groves for midday prayers, demonstrators marched towards the illegal annexation wall with flags and chants led by village youth. Upon reaching the wall, demonstrators were met with a violent military response. Claiming nearly 30% of remaining village land, the wall annexes Ni’lin farmland for use by the nearby illegal settlement Modi’in Ilit. Soldiers fired tear gas and percussion grenades over the wall at nonviolent demonstrators, who were not deterred and continued a spirited protest.
Soldiers then invaded the village’s olive groves, firing live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas. The use of live ammunition has claimed the lives of five Ni’lin residents since May 2008. No injuries were reported today.
Againstwall
http://videopalestine.blogspot.com/2010/04/against-wall.html
Around 80 Nabi Saleh residents, other Palestinians and international and Israeli supporters participated in this week's demonstration against the crippling occupation and the Halamish settlement's annexation and destruction of a growing amount of land and resources from the village.
This Friday saw yet another escalation in the Israeli army's collective punishment criminal strategy against the entire village. The demo began, as always, with an unprovoked Israeli invasion and attack on a peaceful march, while protesters were even starting to sit down on the ground, to signify their will to protest non-violently. This time the Israeli army has also chosen to use its "skunk" stink-liquid cannon directly and deliberately on the village's houses, yards and main street. The track spraying the liquid even went back for a refill and then continued with its awful abuse. As one of the inhabitants of the houses targeted said: "It is not resistance, it's our living they were targeting". The stink-liquid is expected to stay and spread stink in the area sprayed for days afterwards.
The Israeli army also used a few times its jeep-installed cannon to shot barrages of tear gas canisters, as well as single high-velocity and regular canisters, on the entire village, and kept pushing the protesters back into the village's built area.
At a certain point a few protesters climbed the hill overlooking one of the village's springs, attended by provocative settlers, and as a result the Israeli army sent some of its forces to expel the settlers from the area.
For a few hours protesters refused to disperse and re-gathered again and again in protest, some of them throwing stones to ward off the army incursion, others just standing peacefully against the armed-to-the-top soldiers, documenting, or taking care of the injured from the army's aggression.
Sheikh Jarrah, International Indymedia
http://videopalestine.blogspot.com/2010/04/sheikh-jarrah-international-indymedia.html
On Friday a group of 30 people including respected authors, dignitaries and ex-Israeli MPs came to show solidarity with Palestinian families inside the community in Sheik Jarra. They entered the neighborhood before the weekly demonstration to avoid being stopped at the police checkpoint that is erected just for Friday demonstrations. They held a demonstration inside the neighborhood and as they came towards the police barricade they were told to disperse. At this point four of their organizers where arrested. Demonstrators from outside the neighborhood attempted to join the demonstration inside the neighborhood by going in pairs up to the barricade in order to enter. They were denied entry. The arrested demonstrators were released after a few hours.
See http://palsolidarity.org/tag/sheikh-jarrah for this week’s reports from events in the Sheikh Jarrah.
Beit Ummar (Khirbat Saffa)
11 Arrested, Including 2 Palestinians from PSP, in Saffa Protest palestinesolidarityproject.org
This afternoon a group of around 50 farmers and residents of Saffa attempted to remove a stone and concrete structure erected on their land by settlers from Bat Ayn. The farmers were accompanied by members of PSP, the National Committee of Beit Ommar, Israeli activists and members of the international press.
On arrival at the structure, which was being guarded by 3 jeeps of soldiers of Israeli army, the Palestinians began to take the structure down. The soldiers forced the farmers away from the site into nearby trees where a number of the group sat down and refused to move from their land. A group of 6 soldiers arrested Mousa Abu Maria, coordinator and co-founder of PSP and member of the National Committee of Beit Ommar, and dragged him 40 metres to a jeep and threw him inside. Younes Arrar, another member of the National Committee of Beit Ommar, was the next Palestinian to be arrested by the Israeli soldiers. Further arrests were made of Israeli activists and local farmers. Mohammed Awwad, the spokesperson for Palestine Solidarity Project who was filming the aggressive behaviour of the soldiers, was dragged to the ground by the neck where he lay motionless and was dragged to another jeep. In total 5 Palestinians and 6 Israelis were arrested during the non-violent action – the only violence was shown by the Israeli forces who used disproportionate force against the farmers.
The soldiers cleared journalists and press from the scene, shoving them forcibly away and stopping them recording the arrests. Stun grenades were thrown directly at the press and several dozen tear gas grenades were fired at the farmers and press as they retreated to Saffa.
Update: As of Sunday night all of the Palestinian demonstrators have been released. Israeli activists who were arrested Saturday were released the same day.
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