Popular Struggle Leaders Jailed

JD
Just off of the 443 highway connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv sits the Ofer military prison. Israelis commuting between the two major cities or living in the bedroom community of Modiin take little notice of the prison. Whether they take note of it or not, within the concrete walls of Ofer the mechanisms of Israeli occupation grind everyday. In another crushing decision by the Israeli military court system, three members of the Nil’in popular struggle committee have been sentenced to 11 months and 15 days in jail, a 9,000 NIS fine with probation from joining protests. Today’s court sentence is the latest in a wave of Israeli repression of the popular unarmed resistance in the West Bank. The village of Nil’in has conducted a popular struggle over the past two years which has resulted in five killed protesters, hundreds injured, hundreds arrested and a giant concrete wall erected in the middle of their farmland. The most prominent defendant sentenced today was Ibrahim Amira, the coordinator of nilin popular committee who was arrested in a night raid on his home in January 2010. Amira is the sole provider of Eight children, the youngest of which is 5 years old. One of his sons, Saaed Amira, was arrested in December of 2008 on the charge of stone throwing during a protest in the village. Saaed believes that he was arrested to punish his father for his leadership position in the popular struggle committee. His arrest came just before his final exam period in high school. Unable to finish his exams, Saaed’s life has taken a dramatic shift. He was unable to realize his dream of engineering school and is now unemployed. Saaed was released from prison on 2 April 2009. In addition to Saaed’s ordeal in the military prison system, two of his brothers have been arrested by Israeli security forces under similar charges of stone throwing. His sister was also shot by live ammunition by Israeli forces during one of the many night raids in the village.
Video from a protest in Nilin in which a Palestinian Protester was killed by Israeli soldiers



Amira and the other two popular struggle committee members on trial today were accused of participation in an illegal demonstration, presence in a closed Israeli military zone, incitement of violence, harming the public good, and paying teenagers to throw stones at Israeli soldiers during demonstrations. Amira and the other defendants maintained their innocence, arguing that the occupation, annexation of their land, and the creation of a ten meter high concrete wall is the actual crime. Most of the testimony used to find Amira guilty was taken in coerced testimonies of minors including Saaed Amira. Due to the bureaucratic nature of occupation law, pleading not guilty would result in longer jail time as the trial process is designed to be slow, in some cases taking years to complete trials relating to unarmed protests in the West Bank. Thus, the defendants plead guilty.

Ibrahim Amira with one of his sons

The sentences were read haphazardly and aloud to a small room of family, military lawyers, civilian defense lawyers and a handful of Israeli supporters. Wives and children, who had been waiting at the military court since the early hours of the morning, listened tearfully, watched as their loved ones were shackled and gave a final salam before disappearing to the “tents” which compose the Ofer military prison. Amira, however, made a speech when asked by the court if he had anything to add to the record. “What can I possibly do on this day? I am stuck between the occupation and the occupation. I am a man of the earth, a farmer, and I suffer with my land and I suffer with the occupation.” His lawyer interrupted the speech by whispering that “it will not help anything Ibrahim. It is best to stay quiet.” Hands shackled, he looked over to his family and Israeli friends in the court room and simply said “Kibush” (occupation) with a shrug. Another military court decision that greatly impacts the peace process, prospects for a Palestinian Gandhi and the soul of a democratic Israel.