The winter cold did not freeze the joint struggle against the occupation, settler colonialist encroachment and occupation. The struggle in Beit Ummar, Bil'in, East Jerusalem, Kfar Al-Dik, Ma'asara, Nabi Saleh, Ni'ilin, Qadum, South Hebron hills, Walaje... The world Spring upraising did not perish coming the winter cold, not even hibernating... just went into a lower gear. After getting over the cold shock of mid winter, the spring buds are starting to develop and the swallows start to fly. In our region there are some signs in the occupied Palestine regions and more so in Israel. The destruction of the last main tent camp of Tel Aviv Hatikva ignited the social struggle movement pre-spring wave of struggle.
Bil'in
This Friday we did not march towards the separation wall in Bil'in ... We just traveled the about three kilometers distance from the village center to the wall. The rain was a good excuse for the half of the the demonstrators who usually make the journey on foot. Twenty Israelis, few international, and few dozens of Bil'iners arrived at the route of the separation wall. The armed forces of the State of Israel conducted several experiments by rubber bullets, stinker fluids and tear gas grenades before they could fire effectively and convinced us to return to the village.
The hot tea and the variety of delicacies at Veggie were above expectancy and warmed our frozen bones.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.347529525257358.92301.136633479680298
Jerusalem-Al-Kuds
This week we recorded the first success of this campaign when we managed to stop the illegal work that the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) began to perform on the private lands of residents of Issawiya as part of the development of the new national park scheduled to be built on their land. The planned national park, located adjacent to the E1 area, would constitute another obstacle to any future agreement regarding Jerusalem and would "choke off" a number of Palestinian neighborhoods.
In the coming days, together with residents of A-Tur and Issawiya, organizing a series of protests against the approval of this national park:
1. The INPA destroyed it, we will fix it:
This Friday, January 13, join the residents of Issawiya in repairing the damage caused by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority through the work it started on the park infrastructure this week. Meet at 11:15 next to the Aroma Cafe on Mount Scopus (by Hebrew University). Contact: D.
2. A large demonstration in Safra square:
On Tuesday, January 17, we will demonstrate together with hundreds of residents of East Jerusalem in front of City Hall to protest the city's support of the National Park plan. Meet at Safra Square at 4:00 PM. Details about transportation will be published shortly. For the Facebook event, click here.
Nabi Saleh
13.1.2012 Raids and Arrests Precede Weekly Demo in Nabi Saleh. See http://t.co/ogyfenXs
By Abir Kopty:
This Friday, the weekly rally in the village of Nabi Saleh had a different smell for some of us.
We arrived early morning and learned that the Israeli army just left the village, after a raid that started at 2am. They raided more than ten houses using dogs, terrorized the families and children and detained three residents, Anan (15), Mahdi (20) and Khaled (27).
Army raid to Nabi Saleh 13.1.2012 Photo by Zeinab Tamimi at http://abirkopty.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/occupation-stinks/
Despite the heavy rain and freezing cold there was a good turn out. The demonstration started as usual after the Friday’s noon prayer. Minutes before the demo started, heavy rain began. However we all walked, chanted and sang while shivering and freezing.
Usually we walk towards the entrance of the village in an attempt to walk towards the spring through the main road, at the entrance the army wait for us, the moment we are 200m away, they start shooting tear gas directly towards us. Today, for the first time ever, they did not shoot tear gas at all, and we managed to get closer than usual. But they were ‘kind enough’ to spray us with the skunk water, which never reached us due to the strong wind and rain. Even when the rain stopped, the wind was moving the water away from us.
At the front, we were about 20 people, mostly women, 20-30m from the soldiers and the skunk water’s truck, still no tear gas. “How come?”, “What’s is wrong with them?” we asked ourselves. In fact, many of us, became addicted to tear gas, we need to inhale it every week. http://abirkopty.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/nabi2_b.jpg
Even when the Shabab-youth of the village started throwing stones from far away, the army did not respond. All of the sudden, the stones no longer “endanger” life . Soldiers could survive it without using arms.
There were two debated reasons for why we are not going to get our weekly dose of tear gas. One, That there was an American delegation of lawyers and scholars who were visiting Nabi Saleh and present at the rally. The other reason, also possible, that the tear gas will not work in this windy and rainy weather.
So, completely wet, shivering and freezing, we dared to come closer, to the closest point were the skunk water can’t reach us. It was very close. And this, it turned out, was the trap. The skunk pulled full gas, moved towards us and started spraying, everyone started running, but it was too late, we all got showered all over. The hair, body, clothes. Shitty and stinky smell was all over. If you ask me, I would rather inhale tear gas all day, even get rubber bullet than getting one drop of skunk water.
When the skunk stopped, it was one of the craziest scenes we viewed. We started all laughing, joking and hugging each other. We even started hugging those who did not get sprayed so we pass for them some of the ‘grace’. And that’s how the demonstration ended. No one could bear his\her or others’ smell and just wanted to rush back home.
Before saying good bye, people of Nabi Saleh advised us to scrub our hair with tomato and our skin with water and salt.
On our way back, we were four stinky people in the car and could not open the window since it was raining & freezing. We made fun of ourselves for the rest of the day. One decided to call us his “skunk comrades”, another created the hashtag #SmelllikeAThawri” (Thawri for revolutionary), one said her mother threw her shoes outside the house, another, who got the skunk via a hug, demanded a new jacket. One expected a long week with lots of tomatoes, and another wanted to give stinky hugs to everyone.
I think this picture with a quote of one of us says it all: “We Palestinians are crazy & Israeli army is right in hating us, we are skunked but still laughing & hugging”
In one month we experienced deep sorrow and grief after Mustafa Tamimi was murdered by Israeli army, and we experienced deep sarcasm and craziness after we got sprayed with skunk water. It is the greatness of becoming part of the Nabi Saleh family.
It will take at least one week until the smell get away of our bodies, and perhaps we will continue to joke about it for sometime, I guess because we understand that this is not our biggest problem. What really stinks is the occupation, and that’s the smell we want to get rid of.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.347531478590496.92302.136633479680298
Reports that demonstration has ended for the day. No reported arrests during the demonstration or injuries. Some protestors were bathed with skunk but nothing serious.
Qadum
13/01/12, 200 Palestinians, joined by Israeli and international activists, marched in Qaddum this week. During the demonstration the army took over a village house to shoot tear-gas canisters at local youth.
yisraelpnm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuzpz2wW9go
abooood711 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMSBKLbui50
South Hebron hills
Friday, 13 January 2012 - Non-violent Action on the road from At-Tuwani to Yatta
What: The South Hebron Hills Popular Committee organizes a protest action on the road connecting At-Tuwani and nearby villages to the city of Yatta
Where: Beginning in At-Tuwani, South Hebron Hills
When: Friday 13 January 2012, 9.30 am
Why: to allow the work improving the road who connects this area with others Palestinian communities; to highlight the difficulties that Palestinian communities living in the South Hebron Hills villages face in their attempt to reach the nearest city of Yatta.
Additional Info: Villagers from the South Hebron Hills area, after the usual Friday prayer, will start working to improve the road leading to Yatta.
The purpose of the action is:
- to allow the Palestinians to work to improve their living conditions and their ability to me moving, the Israeli Military considers illegal the work on improving the road;
- to protest against the permanent difficulties that Palestinians from this area face when trying to travel along the only road connecting their villages to Yatta.
Please come to participate and to support the Palestinian communities of the South Hebron Hills in their attempt to secure the right of movement.
Al-Walajeh
Israel Puterman video Al-Walajeh, 08.01.2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVnpIUDnAfM
Tel Aviv
Demonstration against the draconian law against "infiltrators" - refugees and work seekers, Tuesday late evening in city square.
Israel putermam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s76-nnlX1fc
Wednesday: All those arrested last night in Tel-Aviv, protesting the recent amendment to the 1954 Infiltration Law, are due to be released shortly
Haim Schwarczenberg http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3086256154687.2157796.1212414101
Sunday morning 15-1-12 a huge number of state and city forces attacked the Hatikva tent camp and demolished it - arresting 4 activists.
Emergency demo in front of city offices entrances at 16:00 was declared. Hundreds participated. About 14 activists were detained - two were taken to hospital for treatment.
Israel putermam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfLqsmVtRcs
18:00 at the interior and other state offices building a demo against the scandalous law of 3 years jail with no court hearing for refugees and worker immigrant crossing illegally the border.
Evening and night: activists of the Occupy movement return to the Rothschild boulevards/Habima location.
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Don't say we did not know
Dear Friends
I prepared a story about attack of Settlers in Palestinian village Burin.. The Israeli TV channel 1 made a report about it. So I don't send my report and instead of it I send an article I wrote few weeks ago.
All the best to you!
Amos
I.D.F. and THE PRICE TAG HOOLIGANS
The scam was a success. The political storm which followed the actions of the "price tag hooligans" has reached countries outside of Israel , presenting the government as fighting extremists who strike against Palestinians and even against the I.D.F. Only Lieberman's Foreign Ministry has managed, again, to jeopardize Israel 's relations with European countries, when describing them as "irrelevant", for not buying the scam.
A comparison between the I.D.F. and the "price tag hooligans" confirms that the I.D.F., which is subordinate to the Israeli government, inflicts much more severe damage and on a regular basis: Land robbery (over 50% of the land in the West Bank are in the hands of the Israelis), destruction of houses (over 26,000 since 1967), deportation, establishment of settlements on confiscated lands, water rights violations, uprooting of orchards and destruction of cultivated fields, prevention of the return of Palestinians who resided overseas for long periods of time and the prevention of family reunification of Palestinians with their spouses – this are only a partial list of the everyday occurrences and damages inflicted on the Palestinians in the occupied territories.
All these acts and occurrences have nothing to do with the safety of the Israeli people! These actions are done within the framework of the expansion frame work of Israeli governments since the Occupation in 1967. Even if only a small percentage of traumatized Palestinians, which trauma is a result of I.D.F. actions in the occupied territories, will decide to avenge their comrades, a small army of terrorists will arise to strike at the Israeli population.
Here begins the roll of the I.D.F.: Palestinian riots must be subdued and the Israeli population protected. In the name of national security land is confiscated and fruit trees are uprooted, the separation fence is built inside Palestinian territory and not on the Green Line border. Soldiers conduct night searches in villages causing destruction and traumatizing children and their families (until they take revenge). On these night searches not only terrorists are hunted but also non violent popular activists. Those activists adopt a struggle which poses no threat to the security of Israel 's population. It does, however, pose a threat to the continuing Occupation and its crimes.
What is the difference between the I.D.F. and the "price tag hooligans"? The I.D.F. has been active throughout the years to transfer the occupied territories to Israel so they will become part of it. These actions actually remove Palestinians from the remaining land that is still theirs. These actions are slow and calculated in order not to anger our overseas supporters. after all, our existence depends on their good will. Contrary to this practice, the "price tag hooligans" would like it to happen immediately, not understanding that Israel cannot allow itself to lose the support of the West, since those countries have policies against occupation, racism and the violation of human rights. The debate is not about removing or transferring the Palestinians from their lands but the pace of process.
It can be observed that all the effort of peace making has not slowed down the removal of Palestinians from their lands. Abu Mazen has understood that and today demands a true peace process which will prevent it. To this demand, the Israeli government does not agree. And so, as the Arab League suggests a peace treaty , including an end of Occupation and a reasonable solution to the refugee issue, Israel refuses; the Occupation is more important than securing our existence.
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See http://awalls.org
See Previous reports about the joint struggles of the Anarchists Against the Wall at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
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