Ilan Against the Wall

Palestine-Israel, The ongoing joint struggles against the separation fence and occupation

2009-11-15T05:44:00.000-08:00

The struggle continue against transfer/evictions in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem. The struggle of the new wave of refusnics continue with lower level of state repression than of the previous year - shorter arrest terms... Though only the on going Friday demonstrations of Bil'in, Ni'ilin, and Ma'asara, persist, we get more and more invitations - even if non joined lately the heroic three. (This week the Anarchists Against the Wall were invited to Al Gussoun north of Tul Karem and to Karyut. We were also invited to: "On Monday 9 November a hundred Palestinians waving Palestinian flags and wearing fluorescent jackets saying "WE ARE GOING TO JERUSALEM" took down a piece of the concrete wall near Kalandia's airport.) The number of people who join us increase.

DEIR AL-GUSSOUN

Anouncement during the week:

There will be a demonstration in Deir alGussoun north of Tul Karem this Saturday at 10:30.
The village is north of Tul Karem, and years ago, there have been a few demonstrations there, but nothing recently.
The wall in the area, which was built in 2003, creeps into the village's lands leaving about 2500 dunams of the village's 13,000 west of the wall (on the "Israeli" side).
Please let me know if you'd like to go.

Press release 14 November 2009 - 18 Demonstrators arrested after a Gate in the Wall was Breached in Deir alGhussoun

The protesters were arrested as the demonstration was coming to an end, by soldiers who invaded the village and flanked them from the back.

Eighteen demonstrators were arrested today in the West Bank village of Deir alGhussoun, north of Tul Karem, after Israel's Separation Wall was breached by Palestinian, Israeli and international protesters. The protesters intended to march to village's lands that were left isolated behind the Wall, and managed to break open one of the barrier's gates.

The demonstrators managed to break the lock on the gate by rocking it back and forth, despite the presence of soldiers, but could not reach their lands, as they were being shot at with rubber-coated bullets and teargas . One demonstrator was lightly injured after being struck with a rubber-coated bullet in the leg.

As the demonstration was coming to an end, a large group of soldiers surprised a group of the protesters by closing in on them from the direction of the village, and arrested eighteen of the village's youth.

Today's demonstration was the opening salvo for a public campaign by the Deir elGhussoun municipality and the affected farmers, which will accompany an appeal the Israeli High Court of Justice to remove the already-built wall from the village's land. The said appeal is expected to be filed in the near future.

The wall in the area of the village cuts deep into West Bank land, leaving about 2,500 dunams (620 acres) of the village's land west of the wall (on the "Israeli" side), effecting 120 land owners, dozens of which do not receive permits from the Israeli army to even minimally tend to their lands.

In an advisory opinion issued in July 2004, the International Court of Justice in the Hague has declared the path of Israel's wall in the West Bank illegal in its entirety, and ordered its removal. To date, Israel continues to disregard international law, and continues to build the wall and expand settlements.

For more details: Jonathan Pollak (Hebrew and English):

MEDIA with picture http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3805014,00.html
IDF says demonstrators arrested after damaging gate; protestors say 18 held for questioning. Six protestors were detained Saturday during a demonstration against the West Bank security fence in a village near Tulkarem.

Dozens of Palestinians, Israelis, and foreign activists protested against what they claim is land confiscation in favor of the security fence. They also lamented the absence of permits for farmers seeking to work their land.

ALT. MEDIA with pictures: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=239847

.... The protesters said they intended to march to lands that were left isolated behind the wall in Deir Al-Ghusun, northeast of Tulkarem, and managed to break open one of the barrier's gates before Israeli soldiers invaded the village.

One demonstrator was lightly injured after being struck with a rubber-coated bullet in the leg, onlookers said.

"Today's demonstration was the opening salvo for a public campaign by the Deir Al-Ghusun municipality and the affected farmers," said Anarchists Against the Wall, an Israeli group, in a statement. "As the demonstration was coming to an end, a large group of soldiers surprised a group of the protesters by closing in on them from the direction of the village, and arrested 18 of the village's youth."
--- snip ---
Jonathan Pollak, one of the group's founders, told Ma'an that 18 demonstrators were originally detained, but added he was looking into the possibility that some were later released.

BIL'IN

"This Friday in Bil'in - This week the Bil'in demonstration usual suspects were joined by the Palestinian People's party and the Israeli-mostly-Palestinian Democratic Front (Hadash), including three of its Knesset members.

While waiting for the Democratic Front buses crossing from the Israeli side, the local organizers, Palestinian and Israeli politicians and Israeli and international activists made assertive speeches mentioning Arafat's 5th memorial, Barake's recent indictment for allegedly assaulting a policeman in a Bil'in demo a few years back, and the boycott.

Speeches were held by members of the Popular Committee, members of Knesset, activists from Israeli group Shministim (Refusniks) and members of Irak Veterans against the War from the United States.

The large number of demonstrators - some 300 - must have stressed the soldiers, who used large amounts of gas. In one of the stampedes away from the gas an American demonstrator tripped and hurt his head, requiring medical attention and a few stitches. As often happens, the army fired the multi gas canister cannon after the demonstration had been declared over, and the protesters were on their way back to the village. All participants won free Berlin-Bil'in T-shirts".

Friday 13.11.09 Bil'in video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FbfMDrVIMM

JERUSALEM

Sheikh Jarrah - Another expression of solidarity on Friday 13/11 in Sheikh Jarrah

We will gather at Zion square at 15:30 and will walk together to Sheikh Jarrah to express our support for the residents of the neighborhood.
Another meeting point: the Museum on the Seam at 16:00.

The settlers who are living in the homes of the evicted families have begun to harass Palestinian families in the neighborhood that are now living in the street. They have begun to gather near the Palestinian families on Friday evenings, making noise and scaring the families. Our presence there last week was important to the families and because of it the police prevented the settlers from coming near the houses.
For more information- M

KALANDIA

Kalandia wall taken down on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLI-SE3nEio

MA'ASARA

Few dozen Palestinians, internationals and Israelis joined the weekly demonstration against the wall and occupation in Al-Ma'sara. The demo was held as usual in front of some Israeli military soldiers who blocked it from continuing towards the Palestinian lands beyond the wall's route. The Israeli soldiers kept children from pulling a barbed wire that was put there by the soldiers. During the demo protestors chanted slogans against the Israeli apartheid wall, occupation and land theft. Speeches were carried in Arabic and English, and in them were mentioned the 5 anniversary to Arafaat's death and the Israeli continued reluctance to end the occupation and achieve peace. One Palestinian woman has managed to cross between the soldiers and pass through carrying a Palestinian flag. The demo ended with a promise to continue the struggle and weekly demos.

NI'ILIN

In Ni'ilin, some 150 demonstrators gathered after the prayer and marched to the fence. The demonstration opened with 20 minutes of slogan chanting near the gate. Peculiarly enough, the army did not retaliate. Soon after, some of the village youth began throwing stones at the fortifications hiding the soldiers. For long minutes, the army chose again not to retaliate. As more stone throwers joined the field, little by little the soldiers started using tear gas. But still, much less than usual. Knowing that this relative calmness from the soldiers is usually but a preparation to some fierce surprise, the experienced youth were not tempted to take heavy risks. As the demonstration continued, the military violence gradually increased and rising amounts of tear gas flooded the fields. All of the sudden, the gas was joined by live ammunition shot at the demonstrators. Ever since June 5, 2009 – when Akil Sadek Srur was murdered by this gun in a Ni'ilin demonstration, the soldiers have hesitantly used this weapon – and the following demonstrations "only" counted few wounded from these bullets. Today, the careful approach proved itself, and despite the military's thirst for blood only two light injuries were listed. The demonstration did not die, and many soldiers invaded the fields forcing it closer to the village. Luckily enough, although the soldiers attempted to carry out arrests and shot dozens of live bullets, neither injuries nor arrests were made. After re-gathering on a hilltop, the demonstrators decided to end the weekly protest. In a media release – the army announced that due to the severe damage inflicted to the wall in the prior demonstration, the shortly illegal firing of live ammunition at unarmed demonstrators is now "legal" again.

REFUSNICS

friends and anti-military activists demonstrate in support of Or Ben-David, a conscious objector in Israel http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/11/11/18628349.php

Palestine-Israel, Joint struggle in the period of the nearing storm

2009-11-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

The political storm collect momentum. It is expressed in processes initiated by Goldston report, by the escalation of international boycott and with threats of war crime courts for Israeli top officers... The activists of the Anarchists Against the Wall initiative are involved mainly in the local struggles both in Israel and the occupied Palestinian areas. The focus is still in the Friday demonstrations in Bil'in and the international aspects of it - visitors and media, and in Ni'ilin, and so is the struggle against eviction/transfer in the occupied East Jerusalem Sheikh Jarah neighborhood. Less attention got the struggles against road blocks, involving the high school graduates refusnics, the threats of expulsion of refugees and guest workers children, and the eviction of Bedouins.

BIL'IN

Some 40 internationals and 30 Israelis joined the weekly demo of several dozen Palestinians against the wall in Bil'in, this time commemorating 20 years to the collapse of the Berlin wall. While marching, the demonstrators carried posters demanding the release of Adeeb, the member of the village's popular committee still in the Israeli jail. Also was carried a large Styrofoam model of the wall, to the gate to the route of the separation fence, when we passed near the route located parallel to the road we encountered Shabab who were busily cutting through the fence. Covered by the smoke of a burning tire, two of them made impressive progress for quite a few minutes before the army noticed them.

When we arrived at the gate, the carriers of the model succeeded to enter it into the space between the main gate and the electronic fence. It took the soldiers a while before succeeding to removed it. A Belgian choir gave the demo a wonderfully surreal character, as they sang in harmony songs of resistance and struggle in various languages, while the army was throwing gas and shock grenades, and the shabab, enjoying the support of a very favorable wind, was returning to the soldiers many unexploded canisters of tear gas accompanied by stones forcing them to run away again and again.

Israel - Bil'in 6-1-09 - video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOjcUR2cqUw

JERUSALEM

Urgent Support Vigil This Evening Tuesday 3-11-09 at Sheikh Jarrah. This morning, following a court dismissal, the Al-Kurd family of Sheikh Jarrah was forced out to the streets. 30 settlers accompanied by large numbers of police and border-police forcefully evicted the 30-people family out of their home. This is the 3rd eviction taking place in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood during the past 4 months.

Mote:

"With all the happening in Jerusalem: demolition of houses [of Palestinians], continuation of transfer from occupied Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, the expansion of colonial settlements and building of new ones... we are organizing a meeting to plan for future actions."

KARYUT

On Friday, November the 6, hundreds of members of the village of Karyut came together to protest the Israelis occupation and settlements and to move a roadblock put up by the Israeli Occupation Forces. Defying the Israeli military (who declared illegally the area a “close military zone”) and the local PA municipality and mayor (who did not support in any way this action) the protesters represented a new wave of resistance in Karyut that does not obey the Palestinian or the Israeli bureaucracy.
The road block is located on the only way to get to freeway 60. Palestinians from the Karyut area have to use side roads are forced to drive for hours longer to get to work or to visit family. This is one way that the Israeli military creates Jewish only roads and a system of apartheid.

Although the exact location and details of the this demo were only discussed on privet phones, the Israeli military is waiting for us. They present to us a closed military zone order. They are so used to copying and issuing that order every day that they forget to attach a map that shows the area that suppose to be closed. We notice that and inform them that their order is illegal. The military at first does not allow the residence of the village walk to the roadblock. Demonstrators yell at the soldiers and tell them that its their right to dismantle that roadblock. The military moves back eventually, and dismantling the roadblock begins - takes us a couple of hours.

Picture:
http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2009/11/06/640_karyut_331.jpg
the roadblock is dismantled and the first car of an Israeli activists drives through.

Pictures and links to video at:

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/11/06/18628013.php
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/11/06/18628023.php

MA'ASARAH

About 20 Israelis and internationals joined about 30 Palestinians in this Friday action.

The army prevented the demonstrators from protesting at the path of the wall.
The demonstrators marched from the center of the village chanting against the separation fence and occupation accompanied by a drummers troupe. As usual, in was blocked by a road block of spool of barbed wire and held back by soldiers. Demonstrators gave speeches in English and Arabic about the illegality of the Wall and Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories. The children of the village succeeded in temporarily removing the barbwire and attempted to walk forward, the soldiers threatened the demonstrators with arrests and violently pushed the children back across the fence. As the demonstrators began marching back to the village, they were blocked by a military jeep that entered the village from the back and parked on the main road. Trapped between the soldiers by the barbwire on one side and the jeep on another, the demonstrators crowded around the military vehicle with singing, clapping, accompanied by an Israeli group of percussionists. The soldiers in the jeep made threats of arrests and eventually left the village, the protesters headed back to the village and the percussions group gave a drumming workshop to the children and youths of the village.

NA'ALIN

In Ni'ilin, demonstrators brought down a section of the eight meters tall concrete wall that cuts through the village's land. The soldiers, positioned at the other side of the wall, fired scores of live rounds at the demonstrators as well as tear gas, and sprayed them with the "skunk-bomb" (a foul-smelling liquid). This is the first time since Israel began the construction of the wall in 2002 that demonstrators succeeded in toppling down a part of the wall. One of the demonstrators, Moheeb Khawaja, said during the protest: "Twenty years ago no one had thought the monster that divided Berlin into two could be brought down, but in only two days in November, it did. Today we have proven that this can also be done here and now. It is our land beyond this wall, and we will not give up on it. We will win for a simple reason - justice is on our side."

MEDIA: Protesters breach West Bank separation barrier - Na'alin protest

The weekly demonstrations against the West Bank separation barrier in the towns of Bil'in and Na'alin, which take place every Friday, reached new heights this week when activists, seeking to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall, knocked a part of the barrier over.

Masked Palestinian youths breached the 8-meter high section of Israel's security wall that runs through Na'alin, while Israeli border guards fired tear gas and a foul-smelling spray from behind the high concrete barrier.

Protesters levered open a space under one the pre-cast panels and used a hydraulic car-jack to topple it out of position.

"No matter how tall, all walls fall," read one banner pasted onto the structure by Palestinian youths assisted by Israeli activists, who say the wall on Palestinian land and through Palestinian communities is simply a land grab by Israel.

The panel, cast in the same inverted T-shape as those erected by communist East German through Berlin in 1961, was tilted back close to tipping point onto the Israeli side, but did not fall completely.

The youths scattered when the Israeli guards behind the wall rushed to close the breach.

Thick black smoke from a stack of tires set alight by the youths mingled with white trails of tear gas against the blue sky. Clouds of Israeli "skunk" spray - smelling of corpses and feces - drenched the protesters' side of the skirmish.

Israel began building its barrier of fences and walls at the height of the Palestinian uprising that began in 2000, and it now runs along most of the West Bank border, encroaching at many points onto West Bank territory.

In a non-binding decision in 2004, the International Court of Justice said the barrier was illegal and should be taken down because it crossed occupied territory.

Active Stills - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xh4ouc8Lac
David - Friday 6.11.09 Ni'ilin video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syDriOhplOo

REFUSNICS

Demonstration in support of conscientious objector Or Ben David. On Saturday (7/11), at 15:00 we will meet in front of military prison No. 400 and protest against the imprisonment of CO Or Ben David, and in support of her actions.

Palestine-Israel, Small successes along the continuous struggle

2009-11-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

This week, the state forces stopped the night rides harassing and arresting activists of the Bilin village. On the refugees and "guest workers" front, the expulsion of children born and raised in Israel and their parents deferred to the end of school next year. A n activists film "Refugees" was screened in the main TV channel. The struggle continued against transfer in Sheikh Jarrah (occupied Jerusalem) and with the Bedouins in the Israel south. The involvement with the olive picking continued, and with the new wave of high school seniors refusnics too. Friday on-going joint demonstrations of the Anarchists against the wall and the Palestinian villagers of Bil'in, Ni'ilin, Ma'asarah.

BIL'IN

In spite of stormy whether, bout 30 Israelis, Internationals, and people of Bil'in participated in the weekly Friday demonstration against the separation fence, the settlements, and occupation. This the demonstration was devoted to calling for the release of Abu Rahmah, as well as to protesting the ongoing attempts to eliminate the village’s resistance. Protesters marched on Friday wearing masks of Adeeb, declaring “We are all Adeeb Abu Rahmah”.

Adeeb Abu Rahmah, who has been detained for over three months, is not suspected of committing any violence, but was indicted with a blanket charge of "incitement to violence", which was very liberally interpreted in this case to include the organizing of grassroots demonstrations. A judge had initially ruled that Abu Rahmah is released with restrictive conditions, but an appeal filed by the military prosecution had the decision overturned, and he was remanded until the end of legal proceedings. Since the arrest, the defense has appealed this decision four times. Trials often last up to a year and Abu Rahmah is the sole provider for a family of eleven.

Abu Rahmah's arrest came amidst an Israeli arrest and intimidation campaign that began concurrently with preliminary hearings of a Bil’in lawsuit against two Canadian companies responsible for the construction in the settlement of Modiin Illit (built on lands robbed from Bil'in and neighboring Palestinian villages). In almost five years of protest, 75 Bil'in residents were arrested in connection to demonstrations against the Wall. Of them, 27 have been arrested in the recent, ongoing arrest campaign. Israeli forces have been regularly invading homes and forcefully searching for demonstration participants, targeting the leaders of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, as well as teenage boys accused of stone throwing. Sixteen currently remain in detention, nine of which are minors.

During the demonstration youngsters succeeded to enter the route of the separation fence through a breach in the external fence of the route - in spite of heavy shower of tear gas. The main body of the demonstration arrived as usual at the main gate to the other side of the fence and confronted there the state forces for nearly an hour - in spite of sporadic showers of tear gas grenades. Few of the grenades that were not activated the first time thrown, were returned to the soldiers to taste their own medicine.

MA'ASARA

Some 40 Palestinian demonstrators from the village of Ma'asara, joined by twenty internationals and four Israelis, marched from the village center towards the route of the Apartheid Wall. Demonstrators carried flags of many different nations which show solidarity with Palestine in order to remind Israel that the entire world demands the end of the occupation.

As usual, the march was stopped by occupation soldiers with barbed wire at the entrance to the village. While many of the demonstrators found cover from the rain under a huge Palestinian flag, a few daring activists stood in front of the soldiers in their T-shirts, waving the different flags. Speeches were then carried in Arabic, Hebrew and English, noting the insistence of the struggle to go on in all sorts of weather, and calling upon the soldiers to refuse and switch sides. In an attempt to help the soldiers do just that, some of the village kids stepped on the wire or tried to remove it all together. The soldiers, however, choose to maintain the separation between themselves and the demonstration, and pushed the children away.

After another half hour of slogan chanting in the pouring rain led to the end of the demonstration. Though none were arrested or wounded, some cases of a potential cold were noted amongst the soaking demonstrators.

NI'ILIN

Ni'lin's first winter protest was held under heavy rainfall. Consequently, the number of protesters was smaller thanusual, and consisted of a few dozen Ni'liners, ten israelis and a similar number of internationals. Some of the demonstraters set fire to a large pile of tires placed near the wall's concrete slabs. The combination of heat and humidity seemed to have cracked parts of the concrete. A number of protesters clashed with the soldiers guarding the fence, who fired volleys of tear gas and squirted the "Skunk" which was particularly potent in stench. No injuries were recorded aside from gas inhalation, and the protest ended earlier than usual.

Pictures at: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/10/31/18627278.php

Vudeo demo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLfLZH8gHHQ

OLIVE PICKING

Vigil for olive trees cut by settlers in the Hebron area http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/10/31/18627264.php

Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle and the celebration of the new wave of High school seniors refusniks

2009-10-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

This week joint struggle was focused on the new wave of the High school seniors refusniks. Both in Tel Aviv demo, the various activities connected with the arrests of the first two - Efi and Or, and in the Friday joint demonstrations at Bil'in, Ni'ilin, and Ma'asara. During the week the focus was on joining the olive picking struggles of the Saffa villagers, and the staying at nights in Bil'in - to help in the confrontation with Israel state forces persecuting the village activists who participate in the struggle against the separation fence. This week, the spectrum of struggles included also usual the activities against the transfer in East Jerusalem and the Israeli Bedouins of the south, and the struggles supporting the Guest workers and resisting the transfer of their children.

BILL'IN

Every day 17-21.10.09 there was a notice in our list: please sign up for Bil'in tonight.

There is a car leaving Haifa Thursday (21.10.09) late evening/night to Bil'in. We have 2-3 places available in the car, and we are more than willing to pick someone(s) up from Tel Aviv.

Friday

"About 40 Israelis and a similar number of internationals joined the weekly Palestinian demonstration against the wall and occupation in Bil'in. Prominent among the participants were the "shministim" (Israeli refuseniks, who had two of their members put in jail today), and retired PA workers, who led the demonstration with their original slogans and chanting. Demonstrators carried broken cardboard guns as a sign of the nonviolent struggle, while the shabab kept apart along the fence parallel to the route, throwing stones as a sign that their lives under occupation suck big time. One demonstrator brought a tennis racket to return the army's gas grenades. The racket proved less than useful, but some unexploded grenades were manually thrown back to the soldiers, who could share in the suffering of the Hashmonaim settlers, and smell some whiffs of gas. Some demonstrators made a special effort to cross the fence gate and place a Palestinian flag on the soldiers' side of the fence, and then an even more special effort to retrieve the flag in a cloud of gas - a success that marked the end of the demo. As usual, there was enough gas to bring some demonstrators down, panting and crying for a few minutes. Sound bombs also featured after a long pause in their use. When the demonstrators were on their way back, a French woman was hit directly by a gas grenade, and evacuated to a hospital for treatment."

This Friday 23-10-09 in Bil'in - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI9bZLeLoc0

MA'ASARA

In the village of Ma'asara some 70 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals demonstrated this Friday against the Apartheid Wall, commemorating three years of struggle in the village and 40 days since the death of Popular Committee member Qaher Ala-Din.

Demonstrators marched from the village towards their lands, and as usual were stopped by occupation forces, which placed barbed wire on the village's main road. Speeches were carried in Arabic, English, French and Hebrew, amongst other things reminding the soldiers the acceptance of the Goldstone report by the UNHRC and of the option they have to refuse their commanding officers, like the young Shministim who were sent to prison the day before.

After the speeches, and while most demonstrators were chanting slogans or beating drums, several village children tried to pull away the fence, but were stopped by the angry soldiers. Eventually the demonstration ended, with no injuries or arrests.

NI'ILIN

Ni'lin's weekly protest against the wall was held in solidarity with the Israeli youths who have signed the "Seniors Letter". This week the military has begun to draft them into imprisonment for their refusal to serve in an occupation force. The protesters, Palestinian and Israeli, with a larger than usual group of internationals, marched to the wall, chanting slogans against the occupation and for refusal. Some of the village youths threw stones and paint bottles at the soldiers and jeeps patrolling the fence. Soldiers fired tear gas grenades and plastic-coated steel bullets at protesters. 10 were injured, one moderately, who was evacuated to Hospital in Ramalla. 8 of them were hit by bullets, and 2 were struck with aluminum tear gas canisters that were fired directly at them.

The plastic-coated bullets that are increasingly used in Ni'lin are round and consist of a metal core the size and shape of a marble, surrounded by a thin (less than 1mm) layer of plastic. They are fired 16 at a time, from a launching cup attached to the barrel. The bullets fly and spread out in a sort of cone shape, thus rendering this weapon extremely inaccurate, and therefore even more dangerous. During one of their incursions over the wall, a soldier fired two live rounds, apparently in the air. The soldiers also used stun grenades and the smelly water canon.

The protest ended at around 5 pm, and demonstrators dispersed home. Some of those present spent a few moments contemplating the terrible suffering experienced by the settlers of Hashmonaim. As reported in this week's Haaretz, for those poor souls who built their enormous villas on Ni'lin's land, every Friday is an ordeal, as tear gas fired by soldiers drifts over the valley, into their homes, and the sound of army weapons disrupts their precious Friday afternoon naps.

Friday 23.10.09 Ni'ilin video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOS84cD5a4k

REFUSNICS

Efi Brenner and Or Ben-David from "The senior letter 2009-2010" is going to be
jailed in Thursday because they are refusing to enlist the army.

A march will come out from Dizingof square, this Wednesday (21.10) at 5:30PM.
The March will end at Magen David square.
Come to show your support with the conscience objectors and your resistance

People look like flowers at last youth demonstrate 21.10.09 in support of the high school seniors refusnics http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/10/22/18626365.php

Efi Brenner*, first Objector from New Refusal Letter in Prison

- Please distribute widely -

First prison term for Efi Brenner, the first among the signatories of the 2009-2010 Shministim (high school seniors) refusal letter to be sent to military prison. Full information and recommended action follow.

A new collective declaration of refusal by Israeli youths, the 2009-2010 high school seniors letter, went public last week. Today (22 Oct.), two of its signatories, Efi Brenner and Or Ben-David, came to the military induction base in Tel-Hashomer and there refused to enlist. Efi was indeed sent to prison, while Or has not yet been sentenced (she was told that the military prison for women was full), and will have to return to the induction base tomorrow, probably spend the weekend there and be sent to prison on Sunday. We will run a separate update on her case once she is in prison.

Efi Brenner, 18, from Rishon Le Zion (a suburb of Tel-Aviv), is a familiar figure among young anti-Occupation and animal rights activists in Israel. He was sentenced today to his first prison term of ten days (more terms in prison are likely to follow), which he serves in Military Prison no. 6 near Atlit. Following the media exposure that the Seniors’ Letter has received after it was made public, Efi was kicked out of home by his father, and spent the last days before imprisonment at a friend’s house. In prison he has already been transferred to the isolation ward for refusing to obey the military dressing code. In addition, the prison authorities decided (against all known regulations) not to allow him to take books with him into prison.

Efi has prepared the following statement upon entering prison:

I object to oppression, whether it is committed by a hierarchical organization, such as the military is, or whether it is committed by the human species against animals. The Israeli government and military conduct a policy of occupation and oppression against the Palestinian people since 1948. It began with the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in 1948, which continues to this day, and continued with the imposition of an oppressive military rule on Palestinians, with the restriction of the freedom of movement of all people, with roads for Israelis only, with administrative detentions, house demolitions, land thefts, etc. We must act in peaceful ways and refuse to take part in the crimes committed by the military. That is our true duty. All the things mentioned above stand against the basic values of freedom and justice in which I believe and for which I struggle. I therefore refuse to enlist to the Israeli military and indeed to any military force of any kind.

Efi Brenner is due to be released from prison on 30 October, but is likely to be imprisoned again soon afterwards. His address in prison is:
================================
* Antiauthoritarian Anticapitalist involved with the AAtW

SAFA

18.10.09 A car load from Tel Aviv joined some farmers from Saffa and several PSP activists in the lands of Saffa today. We picked olives without trouble with the army patrolling up near the settlement. After about two hours of that the army showed up and pushed us out. They said that they would allow the palestinians to remain but they chose to return with the rest of us.

More work in planned for later in the week if you can come on Tuesday please let me know.

Olive Harvesting at Saffa, Palestine, Usual Military Harassment
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/10/20/18626131.php

there are still more olives to be picked and army and settlers to deal with in Saffa. if you can come on Thursday please get in touch with me.

The olive picking today 22.10.09 went a little better but people are still needed for more olive picking next week.

After Harassment on Tuesday, Farmers, Activists Successfully Harvest in Saffa
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2009/10/23/after-harassment-on-tuesday-farmers-activists-successfully-harvest-in-saffa/
Posted on October 23rd, 2009.

"...The Abu Jabber and Hamad Soleiby families have not been allowed to work freely on their land without either Israeli settler attacks and/or Israeli military intervention, since March of this year. PSP, along with Israeli activists, have had an on-going campaign that has lasted over 5 months, accompanying the farmers to their land which lies in a valley in the Saffa area of Beit Ommar, just below the extreme right-wing Israeli settlement, Bat ‘Ayn. With the beginning of the national olive harvest, the Soleiby brothers have asked for support from solidarity activists in accessing their land freely and without fear of settler attack.

On Tuesday, after the group had managed to pick olives for about half an hour, Israeli civilian police stationed in the nearby settlement Kfar Etzion, arrived and told the group that the Israelis and internationals would have to leave. They also attempted to intimidate the group by demanding to see all of the participants’ ID cards (including the farmers and Palestinian activists), copying down their identification information. After a short deliberation, the entire group decided to leave; the Palestinian farmers fearing that, like other times in the recent past, once the solidarity activists were out of sight the police would leave and settlers would be allowed to attack them.

On Thursday, October 22, a larger group of approximately 25 international and Israeli solidarity activists, including volunteers from the YMCA, and a large representation of local media, accompanied the farmers again to their land. Though Israeli soldiers confronted the group early in the day, they were allowed to pick for over 2 hours without incident, demonstrating the effectiveness of the accompaniment program, when combined with pressure from local farmers to access their land freely as they choose. The organizations involved, particularly PSP, will continue the program in Saffa throughout the fall and winter, when they will replant the hundreds of trees destroyed by settlers over the last 6 months.

TEL AVIV

Few actions of anti expulsion of children of Guest workers born in Israel were carried during the month with divergent participants.

Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle of the direct actions of the AAtW and Palestinians escalate.

2009-10-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

In Spite of the "competition" of other joint activities of wider circles (our comrades participate in), our initiative expand in scope and number of participants. Our activists involved this week with the African refugees in the struggle against deportation; With the Israeli Bedouins in the south who struggle against internal transfer from their lands;With the occupied Jerusalem Palestinians facing transfer steps; With Palestinian farmers suffering from harassment of settlers trying to rob their lands bordering the settlements; And of course the weekly demonstration against the separation fence in Bil'in, Ni'ilin, and Muasara (south of Bethlehem). Media reported on activists of the AAtW involved with world wide propaganda. (And we were invited to more actions than we were able to attend.)

BIL'IN

During the week nights AAtW comrades stayed in the village in order to confront Israeli
forces harassment of the popular comity members and others.

Some 30 Israelis and 40 internationals (including a large French delegation) joined local
Palestinians for the weekly demonstration against land theft and the violent oppression of
Bil'in's people. The procession was accompanied by an inspiring march-poem read by one of
the popular committee members and echoed by the marchers. When they arrived at the gate in
the fence, the demonstrators asked the soldiers to let people through to clear the land
behind the wall to prepare for the olive harvest. The soldiers responded with gas.

(However, due to the changing winds, an evident they had, and the returning of a tear gas
grenade, the soldiers had to taste "their own medicine...".)

Instead of olive picking, the demonstrators went on to harvest another kind of local
produce: the fallen gas and shock grenades littering the entire fence area. The soldiers
responded with gas. A couple of kids through a few stones at the soldiers. The soldiers
responded with gas. The demonstrators went on to harvest grenades somewhere else. The
soldiers responded with gas. Finally, with bags full of tear gas and sound grenades, the
demonstrators returned to the village. The soldiers responded with gas.

On the way back from Bil'in we could see in the West the "fire works" of the multi rockets
barrage of 32 tear gas grenades fired on the demonstrators against the separation fence and occupation in Ni'ilin.

Bil'in - 9-10-09 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoK-lu9wJJ4

NI'ILIN

Ni'lin's weekly protest against the wall began as usual with a prayer and a march through the olive groves, to the route of the wall. This time, the 100 or so group of protesters chose to march to an area that has not seen demonstrations for a while, enabling them to utilize the absence of soldiers to cut the razor wire and a section of the actual fence. a few minutes later several military jeeps arrived at the scene, and soldiers began to fire various types of tear gas grenades at the demonstration, in some cases directly at protesters, in violation of the army's own regulations. Notably, the army has renewed the use of an aluminum tear gas canister, the front end of which is shaped like a cone. dozens of these were fired at protesters, and those who were hit by this type of canister in the past said that they are not as dangerous as the extended range canisters ("Saruch" in Arabic) but that a person hit by them might still be injured.

The protesters then moved to a western section of the wall, some of them throwing stones at the jeeps patrolling the route, while soldiers fired tear gas. In the afternoon, a group of soldiers and border police crossed the barrier, triggering a temporary withdrawal of protesters back to the village. When the soldiers returned to their station over the fence, so did a small group of demonstrators, who exhausted their remaining energy by throwing a few more stones at the soldiers. All protesters then returned to the village. No injuries were recorded, aside from some tear gas inhalation and red, sore eyes.

MUASARA

The demo in the village of Ma'asara a smaller than usual demonstration made its way after
the Friday prayer from the center of the village towards the agricultural lands on which
the Apartheid Wall is being built. Attended by some thirty Palestinians, including many
children, twenty internationals and eight Israelis, the procession was stopped by
occupation soldiers, who placed a razor wire fence on the road near the entrance to the
village.
Slogans were chanted and speeches carried in Arabic, English and Hebrew, explaining to the
soldiers the vital importance of the stolen lands to the Palestinian people, especially
now as the olive harvest season is coming up. After several non-violent attempts to go
around the fence failed, the demonstration ended with the promise to return next week, as
always.
This week's demonstration was painted in green, as the children of the village wore their
new T-shirts with the slogan "Beat drums, not people" (in English and Arabic). The
children wearing the shirts have recently been taking drumming lessons from the Israeli
Qassamba group of protest drummers.
===========================

Media:

Stop calling us haters of Israel by Yuval Ofir-Oron - one of the three Israeli refusnics
on tour in South-Africa

The Israeli army, which we were required to serve, controls the lives of 3.5 million
people in the occupied territories.Already many decades that Israel, with all arms,
sending Israeli youth to control the civilian population in the territories.We refused
to do so.

In recent years we have seen the sights of the Israeli occupation in the West Bank.We
saw the faces of children, women and men whom we are asked today to suppress.We can not
serve in the army that violates the values that we believe in, and without them we can not
survive as moral community.We refuse to take part in building a wall that takes land
from farmers, a wall that its whole purpose is to annex more land to the Jewish state and
expand illegal settlements.We refuse to build dirt conceit blocks roadblocks on
Palestinian villages roads and refuse to run checkpoints on land taken by force.We
refuse to uproot olive trees in Bidu.Refuse to invade the houses of families in Azoun.
Refuse to be guards of a one and a half million people in Gaza.Refuse to destroy houses
in East Jerusalem.Refuse to kill those who are fighting for freedom.Against these
crimes we can not close my eyes, we can not sit still.

We were invited to South Africa to tell our story.People want to hear about
conscientious objection in Israel, they want to know what is really happening in the
occupied territories.During our tour we met with high school pupils, students, workers,
pensioners, Jews, Muslims, other white and black people....We are here to bring the
voices of our partner - the Palestinians who are living under foreign occupation, and our
voices, Israeli Jews who will not take part in the Israeli occupation.

Israelis do not want to end the occupation

We're all young Israelis, part of Israeli society.We fight for the future where we
live, the future of our society.This struggle is for us, for our families and friends
and for those who live with us.Today we look around with aching hearts and fear of where
we arrived and more so - were we are going.

We believe that Israeli society has proved unable or not interested, to end the
occupation by its own initiative.Forces of nationalism, militarism, and racism just
strengthening in it. Most Israelis think that the crimes conducted by Israeli governments
are only subjects for in internal political controversy in Israeli society itself, but we
believe that these crimes relate all of human society, so we call upon world community to
demand publicly and firmly that the Israeli occupation will end.

State of Israel should pay a price for the occupation, war crimes, the harm to
innocents.Withdrawal of investments from Israel, severing business ties with wealthy
Israelis, and stopping economic cooperation with Israeli companies, with an emphasis on
companies that maintain relations with the Israeli army or who earns from the existence of
the settlements, all these are legitimate acts of nonviolence and pressure on the powerful
decision makers of Israel, with the goal to put end to the occupation.We join the
Palestinian call for a boycott of Israel, alongside millions of workers unions, and tens
of thousands of individuals around the world.It's time to stop calling Goldstone Anti
Semitic and us Israel-haters.The time already arrived to look directly at the reality we
have created, and to act to change it for our neighbors and for us.

South-Africa, Media, Israeli refusnics* tour in Capetown - a call for BSD

2009-10-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

The refusnics in Capetown - "There is a price for the occupation!!!!"

Quotations from speeches of the three Israeli refusnics who arrived last week in South Africa for a campaign against Israel and its army. On Tuesday they held a special meeting of a few hundred students (including local Jews) in Cape Town university (UCT). In their speech - which included a harsh attack on Israel - they called on South African students to join the struggle against the occupation and to help the boycott of Israel in the world. The three, Yuval O. (20), Omer G. (20) and Sahar V. (19), summarized the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1948, pointing out parallels between the decisions of Israeli governments and those of the South African racial apartheid ones.

"From Soweto to Ramallah, bullets flew and tear gas filled the streets in the efforts to strangle the resistance", said Omer in her description of the first Intifada.

The refusnics told the students about their political opinions and about the roots of their decisions to refuse to be recruited to the army.

Yuval told them about the first time he participated in a demonstration against the building of the separation fence in the Palestinian village of Ni'ilin, in which the Israeli soldiers "sprayed" unarmed demonstrators with rubber-coated bullets and tear gas:

"This experience, repeated afterwards many times, made me understand that this army I used to regard as a protector, is in fact attacking me, my friends, and all that I believe in. Yuval told them about an adult Palestinian friend [Bassem] killed by Israeli soldiers during a demonstration while calling at them to stop firing: "This unarmed struggle is a threat for the occupation forces".

"Old friends grow cold when you refuse to enlist"

Omer told them that when she had toured Cyprus during the second Lebanon war she was exposed for the first time to uncensored pictures of the war, and these caused her to understand how little she really knew about what is happening in Israel. "When it was clear that the Lebanon war was in vain, and no one in the Israeli government was admitting it, I not only lost my belief in the 'humanity' of the Israeli army, but started to doubt in the ability of this army - sent by this government, to defend me. I remember that after a demonstration in Tel Aviv against the government I told a friend: 'I am not going to take part in it... This government doesn't represent me any more. There must be another way".

Omer added: "The problem is that young Israelis are not exposed to the true reality. 99% of them have never been to the occupied territories or met Palestinians, and their first encounter with them is when they are in uniform and armed. As we (the refusnics) visited the occupied territories before enlisting, our eyes were opened to the reality. Once you saw it, there was no other way to take."

Omer described the hardship of life as a refusnic: "When you refuse to serve the society you live in or enlist, you involve your friends and family members in your decision, so there are a lot of outcomes to the choice of opposing that immoral act [of enlisting in the army of occupation]. Old friends grow colder, and sometimes the family does not show any support."

At the end of the assembly, the three called on the South African students to participate in the struggle against the occupation and to boycott Israel: "The international community must understand that the only way to save the Israelis and the Palestinians is to show the Israeli authorities that there is a price to pay for their unjust policy. There is a price for the occupation and for harming innocent people."

Yuval added that as in the time of apartheid, there is a need to boycott the Israeli academic establishment and companies, and more so those involved in military innovations and building in the colonial settlements. Omer added: "The occupation is corrupting Israel from within. It creates aggressive people and extreme chauvinism and makes people forget values such as solidarity and equality. The mandatory conscription to the IDF army is only the tip of the iceberg of that militarist state. Reservist service transforms Israel into a state in which each parent, teacher and employer continues to function as soldiers".

=================================

* The three refusnic activists were involved in the previous wave of high-school refusnics. All served a few months' time in prison, and participate in the Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall initiative.

Palestine-Israel, It is still a long way for the joint struggle against the separation fence and occupation

2009-10-05T03:15:00.000-07:00

The Israeli increased harassment of the members of Bil'in popular comity for nonviolent joint struggle against the separation fence show us how damaging is the joint struggle to the Israeli settler colonialist project. Activists of the Anarchists Against the Wall initiative continued involvement in the struggle against transfer in Jerusalem and the struggles against water restrictions - an indirect means for forcing a "voluntary transfer". We participated in the three persistent Friday demonstrations against the separation fence in Bil'in, Ni'ilin, And in the Al-Muasara region. Comrades also joined the direct action in Qarut where rocks blocking the road were removed.

BIL'IN

To remind us that the demonstrations in Bil'in are not just a routine ceremony, the Israeli state forces arrested Thursday - just a day before the Friday demonstration another member of the popular committee Basel Mansour 32 years old. In their desperate efforts increased lately to put end to the Friday demonstrations against the separation fence in Bil'in.

International activists and Israelis of the Anarchists Against the Wall, keep coming along the week, for nights presence and confrontation with the Israeli state forces harassing and try arresting Bil'in activist at nights.

On Friday noon, we marched as usual from the village center to the gate in the fence of the route of the separation fence. We were a few dozens Palestinian people of Bil'in and their supporters: about 15 Israelis, two dozen internationals (including a France delegation from Kaysersberg headed by its mayor), a delegation of the Union of Palestinian farmers, and few leaders of the Palestinian People's Party. Demonstrators chanted on the way against the fence that annexes the lands of Bil'in, against the night raids that the army commits in an attempt to oppress the village protest and terrorize its people and against the Israeli occupation at large.

When the demonstrators reached the fence, one of them declared in front of the soldiers there that this is a non-violent demonstration; that the night raids only strengthen Bil'in people in their struggle for freedom and livelihood; on the demonstrators' intention to harvest the olive trees that reside on Bil'in's land beyond the fence; and that the demonstrators do not need permits from the occupation to do so. Other demonstrators told the soldiers in Arabic, English and Hebrew that they are occupiers and should go away, and that the fence in its current route should fall even according to an Israeli court decision.

As it happen often, efforts to open the gate were successful. From time to time comrades succeeded to enter the route and hung a Palestinian flags on the electronic fence.

Few times the state force responded with showers of teargas grenades. Twice few soldiers opened the fence door and ran towards the demonstrators in an attempt to commit arrests and\or scare the demonstrators, but they retreated after a few stones were thrown at them. As the retreat of the activists was fast enough - the soldiers grabbed only the flags.

After the third flag was removed from the fence but not confiscated by the soldiers, it was rescued and was carried at the head of the march back to the village. At that stage - when the demonstrators already started moving towards the village, the frustrated soldiers showered us with the last round of teargas grenades.

Al-MUASARA

Friday 3.10.09 After the noon prayer, about 70 Palestinians and about 20 Israeli and international activists marched from the center of the village toward the robbed lands confiscated for the building of the separation fence. As usual, the Israeli army blocked the entrance of the village with a spool of barbed wire and prevented the crossing to the lands. Speech were carried there in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, which also mentioned Haider Abed Al Shafi and Eduard Said who died a year ago.

There was a significant presence of females with Um Hasan at their head who lead the the march with chants and gave a speech about the Palestinian "Tsumud" = persistence of the resistance to the Israeli transfer pressures.

NI'ILIN

The weekly protest against the wall in Ni'lin was the first one held during the olive harvest season. This is also the first harvest season since the completion of the wall on Ni'lin land, and the village is waiting to see whether the occupation forces will fulfill their stated commitment to allow the villagers access to their land over the wall.
Families who still have remaining olive trees that haven't been stolen by the wall have begun the work of picking the olives (this year is the bad year for the olive crop). Ni'lin families with olive trees beyond the wall haven't been allowed to cross over to harvest them yet, as the army has requested a list of names from the municipality.

The protesters marched towards the route of the concrete wall placed alongside the fence, carrying pictures of the 6 Ni'lin youths who are currently detained by the Israeli army. some of the protesters pelted soldiers with stones, while others called on them to refuse to participate in the theft of Palestinian land. Soldiers fired tear gas at protesters, in some cases directly, and used for the first time in some months aluminum canisters, that are much more dangerous if fired directly at people. Additionally, they sprayed the stinking green substance at the most daring of protesters who got within the range of the jets of fluid. After a couple of hours soldiers crossed the wall, and the protesters backed off. no serious injuries were recorded, aside from some gas inhalation.

Ni'ilin Fri. 2.10.09 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHx-VeA7yrg
----------------

On the previous Friday demo see:

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/09/27/18623470.php
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/09/27/18623459.php

SAFFA

Saffa this Saturday
As said before this Saturday we are going to go to Saffa to work with local farmers, If anyone wants to join please call me as soon as possible

WATER CONVOY

Water convoy Saturday 26.9.09 video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k2wpCZYZTE
-------------------------------------------

QARUT

Palestinian protesters remove rocks blocking the road that leads to the West Bank village of Qarut, near Nablus, on October 2, 2009. A group of Palestinian protesters, Israeli and foreign peace activists demonstrated against the Israeli blockade of the main road that leads to the village of Qarut and against the nearby Jewish settlement of Shelo.

Palestne-Israel, Another week of diverse struggles of the Abarchists Against the Wall initiative

2009-09-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

AAtW activists continued involvement in the occupied Jerusalem and with the refugees in Tel Aviv. This week comrades increased presence at nights in Bil'in to confront Israeli state forces invasions and efforts to arrest Bil'iners. We participated in the Friday joint demonstrations against occupation and the separation fence together with Palestinian partners and international volunteers in Bil'in, Ma'asara, and Ni'ilin. Saturday we participated in the water coalition act in the South Hebron region to frustrate Israeli state efforts to transfer Palestinians from "choice locations". One of activists enter prison for 20 days for refusing to pay fine for joint action against demolition of houses in the village Harbatha.

BIL'IN

During the week, AAtW activists and internationals stayed at night in the village and confronted the invading Israeli state forces.

Following is an excerpt of report on such a night invasion:

"Israeli forces invaded Bil'in once again just before 1am. Six jeeps entered the village via the gate in the occupation wall. Two jeeps stopped at the house of Mohammed Ahmed Yasseen (age 21) and searched for him in the ground floor apartment belonging to his mother. Four jeeps stopped at Abdullah Mahmoud Aburahma's (age 37) house and searched for him there. Two of these jeeps left quickly to search for Yasseen Mohammed Yasseen (age 21) at his home. None of the men were at home and no-one was arrested.

International and Israeli activists accompanied local Palestinians at all three locations to protest against the invasions and to document events. The house searches were relatively short-lived, compared to the numerous previous invasions. The soldiers delivered letters to all three families demanding that the three men go to Ofer prison to meet 'Captain Fo'ad' of the shabak. This was the first time such a demand was written in Arabic."

On Friday:

Over 35 Israelis and 10 internationals joined local Palestinians for the weekly Friday demonstration against Israeli land theft and ongoing oppression in Bil'in. The demonstration was relatively small and quiet, with the few kids who fight Occupation with stones keeping away from the non violent demonstrators and getting gassed. The fence gate was pulled open quite quickly by protesters, who entered the area between the fences as a symbolic assertion of Palestinian ownership of the land stolen by means of the fence. A couple rounds of gas pushed most demonstrators away. During the last round soldiers crossed over and arrested two Israeli demonstrators as well as Haithem Khatib, the courageous video journalist responsible for the documentation of the recent nightly military raids on the village. After an hour or so the commanding officer crossed over, and told the few demonstrators waiting for the release of their friends that the detainees were handed over to the Police and security services for investigation. He explained that demonstrators can demonstrate as long as they wish, but they cannot cross the fence line. We were all impressed by his enlightened attitude.

Bil'in 25-9-09 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XevFskx9HM

NI'ILIN

On Friday, around 200 demonstrators, Palestinian, Israeli & International activists, participated in the weekly demonstration against the wall in Ni'ilin. The march went from the village to the newly laid concrete wall - to meet the soldiers threatening the demonstrators from its other side on a new high rampart. Alas, the new position proved to be a double bladed sword, as it enabled some of the demonstrators to easily stone the soldiers on it. The confrontations near the concrete wall went on for nearly an hour, and the demonstrators focus moved to the wire part of it. In a manner that seems to become the "regular", the soldiers used large amounts of tear gas, answered with stones. Again, the persistent demonstrators confronted the soldiers for hours. And again, in the same "routine" manner - after these few hours the soldiers gathered in front of the gate and eventually invaded the village fields. But this time the attackers had a different than "normal" plan - they rushed over the demonstrators and managed to arrest three of them - two international activists, and an Israeli photographer. The soldiers violently convinced the arrested to accompany them to the jeeps, thus gaining a human shield against the stones. As the soldiers and the arrested went out of sight, the demonstration was declared over. Fortunately enough, the arrested were released the same night.

Arrestees of Bil'in and Ni'ilin

All of yesterday's arrestees [of Friday demonstrations - 3 in Bil'in (Haitham Khatib, Ben, Assaf) and 3 in Ni'ilin (David Reeb+2 internationals)] have been released late Friday night. They were all transfered after the demonstrations ended to the Binyamin police station and interrogated on disorderly conduct ("Hafarat Seder"). The Israelis and internationals were forced to sign an undertaking to stay away from the Bil'in-Ni'lin area for 15 days. Our Palestinian comrade - Haithem Khatib, the video journalist,who was already charged with violating a closed military zone order, forced to sign an undertaking to stay away from the fence in his own home, bil'in, and ordered to show up to a court hearing in six months.

Ma'asara

Yesterday (Friday) some 40 Palestinians, 30 internationals and ten Israelis marched from Ma'asara village towards the planned route of the Apartheid Wall, planned to be built on the village's lands. The demonstration commemorated the recent death of popular committee member Qaher Ala-Din, who was killed in a car accident while driving with a Palestinian friend and a French journalist, who was at the time working on a film on the village's struggle.
Like every Friday, the demonstration was stopped by soldiers who put barbed wire on the road leading from the village to its lands. Soldiers forbade the procession from marching forward, but gave no legal or other justification for their acts. Demonstrators gave speeches in Arabic, Hebrew and English, calling upon the soldiers to refuse, join the demonstration, and avoid facing charges in international criminal courts in the future. After the speeches the village's new and young Samba band came on, following a month of drumming lessons with Israeli drummers of the Qassamba group.
The demonstration ended with no arrests or wounded, but with the promise to carry on with Qaher's way of non-violent and popular resistance.

KOBI

Kobi of the AAtW refused to pay the fine equivalent of US$500.- and got 20 days in jail.

"[Palestinian] PSP Supports Kobi Snitz, an Israeli Activist Beginning Short Prison
Term for Anti-Occupation Activity - posted on September 21st, 2009.

Kobi Snitz, a long-time activist with the Israeli group Anarchists Against the Wall, and a personal friend of PSP, begins a 20 day prison term for an arrest in 2004 in which he tried to prevent a home demolition in the Palestinian village of Kharbatha, in the Ramallah District. He is [one of] the first Israeli activist[s] to serve time for a demonstration in the Occupied Territories. His statement (from yesterday) is below:

'Tomorrow I will start a 20 day prison term. It is a result of an attempt to prevent a house demolition in kharbatha [neighboring Bil'in]. As you probably know 20 days is nothing compared to the time many Palestinian teenagers have to do. Unlike them, I did not have to do this. I refused to pay a fine [equivalent of US$530.-] and was therefore sent to jail.

throughout the long trial I had other opportunities to avoid prison but could not bring myself to admit guilt in any way or accept the sentence given me. I and the others who were arrested with me are guilty of nothing except not doing more to oppose the truly criminal policies of the state. To be forced to say otherwise is as demeaning as it is untrue. Compared to it 20 days in jail are a small price to pay'."

WATER CONVOY

Saturday

As part of the joint struggle against the occupation and the Israeli state efforts to transfer Palestinians from "choice locations" using the restriction of supply of water, there are "water convoys" of Israeli activists together with Palestinian partners.

This Saturday convoy is one of them. It was organized and participated by a wide coalition of Israelis and Palestinians - the Anarchists Against the Wall participated in.

Some 100 Israeli activists left Tel Aviv and Jerusalem today to bring water to several isolated villages in the South Hebron Mount. These villages suffer more than anywhere else from Israel's racist water policy, as they lack connection to water pipes, and suffer from army attacks on what few water wells and deposits they have. Busses where harassed several times on the way, and stopped completely near the Carmel illegal settlement, where soldiers claimed the area was a closed military zone, though no warrant was shown. Activists got off the busses and started marching, passing the bewildered soldiers and policemen and moving on towards their destination. Attempts to stop the spontaneous march failed, and the hostile forces left the area.

Meeting with Palestinian partners, activists mounted water trucks and tractors and traveled the dessert until they reached a physical block on the road, put there by the army to make Palestinians' lives harder. A mass direct action, backed by a bulldozer hired for the cause, broke the road open and allowed water trucks to pass. At this point four soldiers appeared and tried to arrest the driver for the bulldozer, or at least stop it from moving. And so the activists split, leaving a small group to safe guard the bulldozer and allowing the majority to move on to the final destination.

It took the small group that stayed back two hours to convince the soldiers to leave and to secure the safe return of the bulldozer and its owner to their home. Meanwhile, the main group reached the destined villages and transferred eight trucks full of water to local residents. Four army vehicles showed up too late to stop the action, and though declaring the area a closed military zone (this time with a warrant) - could not really do anything to the activists.

With the road open, the water at its rightful place and with no arrests or wounded - the action was declared a success.

Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle will not end in spite of increased repression

2009-09-20T05:09:00.000-07:00

The focus last weeks of the struggle against the separation fence was in Bil'in. The repression by the army and the Israeli secret service - lately involved, the arrests of organizers and participants in the weekly demonstrations, and the nightly invasions of the village will not put end to the continuous struggle of the last 55 months. AAtW activists regained the nightly presence in the village to take part with internationals and local activists in confronting the Israeli state forces invaders in their nightly efforts to harass and arrest activists.

BIL'IN

Here are two updates on Bil'in raids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqy7uyVKYMA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy1qOMJXk5A

Friday demonstration:

Over 25 Israelis from Haifa, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv, and 15 Internationals joined a smaller than usual group of Palestinians for the last Ramadan Friday demonstration against the annexation wall, nightly arrests and military brutality in Bil'in. The procession carried only few flags, as most of the flags and banners were stolen by the army in its raid on Abdullah's house on Wednesday before dawn. The procession reached the fence gate, and speeches were made in Arabic and Hebrew. The shabby stayed behind along the fence parallel to the road and tried to disperse with stones the gas grenade throwing soldiers. The non violent demonstrators converged at the gate for a while, and few participate shout at them - but failed to convince any of them. Later, the chants "allowed the army three minutes to disperse". As the army failed to comply, few daring demonstrators entered the space between the fences to which the state force responded with tear gas grenades thrown by hand and with the multi-barrel gas grenade launcher that shoot a 32 gas canisters in one salvo. Few minutes later the demonstration was declared over.

http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2009/09/19/640_m_041.jpg [me with white hat on the right]

Bilin Friday 18.9.2009 video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjRzWJ7I6w

NI'ILIN

Palestinians Israelis and Internationals Succeed in Causing Substantial Damage to The Wall
opening a Gap in the Apartheid Wall http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2009/09/20/640_1.jpg

On Friday, September 18, about 300 protestors: Israeli, Palestinian and international attended the weekly demo against the apartheid wall in Ni‘lin. In an impressive joint collective action the protestors have succeeded in moving one of the wall blocks (weighing a few tons!), causing substantial damage to the wall, and opening a gap in which a person can pass.

In the past month the army had constructed the aforementioned cement wall (similar to the one in Kalkilia area) that separates between the villages‘ agricultural lands, in which the demos take place, and the electronic wall that is situated in the heart of these lands. Earlier, the protestors have placed rubber tires in the Palestinian side of the wall and put them on fire. The impressive fumes have reached the Israeli side (and probably the ozone layer as well). Soldiers have fired gas grenades on the protestors, also using the multi-barrel gas grenade launcher, capable of firing 32 gas grenades simultaneously. One Palestinian protester was lightly injured from the gas grenades. The protestors have thrown stones at the soldiers.

BIDU 12-09-09 action

demonstration in support of Palestinian farmers, Biddu, Palestine- part 1+2

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/09/13/18621790.php
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/09/13/18621799.php
Bidu demo from Har adar settlement side - link to video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCcZDSTxsFg

Palestine-Israel, The struggle continue -both in Israel and the occupied territories

2009-09-13T00:00:00.001-07:00

During the week, activists of the AAtW were involved mainly with the struggle against transfer in east Jerusalem, in the efforts to block the expulsion of guest worker families with children, in solidarity with the arrested Bil'in activists in Ofer concentration camp. Involvement with the struggle in the southern region of the occupied territories continued. On Friday we participated in the weekly demonstrations in Bil'in and Ni'ilin. we also participated in a parallel demonstration in the village of Ein Ayub (located between them). There, the focus of the demonstration was a concrete road block that force the villagers to travel in a round about roads of about 20 kilometers. The villagers succeeded to move the blocks, but the state forces moved them back and kept guard.

BIDU

During the week coalition the AAtW is part of issued a call:

No to the Apartheid Wall! No to Land Annexation!

Protest against the permit policy that prevents farmers from reaching their lands

Saturday at Bet-Surik-Bidu

This Saturday, 12th of September, at noon, there will be a large demonstration in the villages of Bet Surik and Bidu in protest of the permit policy that prevents Palestinian farmers from reaching their lands across the separation wall. The demonstration will take place opposite the agricultural gate located opposite the settlement Har Adar, which is built on the lands of Bet Surik and Bidu. We, the Israelis intend to demonstrate on both sides of the wall: from the settlement side and the Palestinian side.

On Saturday noon, about 45 of us arrived there on the two sides.

On the "Israeli" side - on the settler colonialist Har Adar about 35 of us protested the the permit policy and its aggravation lately, which prevent Palestinian farmer from accessing and working their lands.

State forces tried to block the way of our comrades but they succeeded to approach the gates of the route of the separation fence - about 100 meters from the demonstration on the Palestinian side.

During the demonstration we called - on both sides, for the end of occupation, against the separation fence and robbing the lands by Israel and its colonialist settlers. Police officers and a settler which arrived on the Israeli side threatened with retaliation and firing of workers of the village Bidu hired by the settlers.

Mobile phones and loud speakers enabled to communicate between the two parts of the demonstration and to unite them into one.

BIL'IN

The procession in Bil’in started after the noon prayer. Palestinian, Israeli and international activists joined together on the path to the fence, chanting the slogans “no to the wall”, “no to the occupation” and “we want peace”, in Arabic, English and Hebrew. On the other side of the fence, behind their concrete blocks, 8 army jeeps were looking on. Tear gas grenades were fire in the direction of the procession, from the army forces situated north of the path and a warning issued from the army: “This is an illegal demonstration, anyone nearing the fence may get hurt”. The group wasn’t deterred and continued walking up the path, chanting.

Upon reaching the fence the procession continued chanting slogans, and big banners of “we want peace”, in English, Hebrew and Arabic were held up. Shortly after we reached the fence, several soldiers were deployed to the fence and greeted us with tear-gas grenades, both fired from the cannon and manually flung at us, by the soldiers with riot gear. This would repeat several times. Fortunately, the wind was in our favor. The activists shortly disperse to the sides of the path and come together again, adding the chant “shame on you” and opening the inner gate in a symbolic gesture.

Near the end of the demonstration the soldiers opened the outer gate, firing more gas grenades and smoke bombs, running into the demonstration area, in order to make an arrest. This prompted the activists (heads of the popular committee especially, due to the recent barrage of arrests) to run in the direction of the village. Signifying the end of the demonstration. As we walked back up the path, to the village, tear gas was again being fired from the northern force.

T.

Bil'in Friday 11.9.09 video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPA-L0GSWwM

EIN AYUB

During the week AAtW issued a call: There will be a demo in Ein Ayub (near Harbata in the Bil'in area) this Friday.

Friday,
Some 150 residents of Dir Qadis and Kharbata, joined by 15 Israeli activists, demonstrated against the concrete blocks that have been placed on one of their two main roads. The blocks have been in place since 2000, but protests are only starting now.

After a short march demonstrators reached the blocks and decorated them with Palestinians flags. A part of the demonstration went on to the near by settler road, where the residents' ongoing discomfort caused by the Apartheid road system was made clear as demonstrators banged stones on railings in a steady rhythm, and took down road signs with the names of settlements. Several passing settler cars were met with shouting, and fewer with sporadic stone throwing.

After 15 minutes the army came, and the demonstrators reunited around the road block. Village representatives made their demands known to the army officers in place, who only seemed to be interested in ordering their soldiers to surround the demonstration and aim their guns at it. Some twenty minutes later the demonstration ended, with no physical confrontations.

NI'ILIN

Friday, Around 150 demonstrators gathered in Ni'ilin for the weekly demonstration against the combined wall & fence infrastructure built upon the village lands. At start, the group reached the concrete part of the land-stealing barrier. The demonstrators hanged a Palestinian flag on the top of the huge slabs, reminding the world - and the near by settlers and soldiers - that their spirit will not be crushed by the wall. Jeeps patrolling behind the wall were welcomed with stones, and shot back tear gas arbitrarily . The demonstration then moved to confront the soldiers in the open field adjacent to the wire-fence part of the racist project. In spite of the immense heat and the thirst due to the Ramadan fast, the demonstrators stood for hours confronting the soldiers, cutting the fence, some throwing stones, all while coping with big amounts of tear-gas flooding the fields. As the soldiers realized they will not break the demonstration from their secured posts behind the fence, a group of them crossed the gate and entered the Palestinian side by foot chasing the demonstrators closer to the village. After relatively short confrontations the soldiers backed. This time, the demonstrators decided not to follow them back to the wall, and the demonstration ended quietly.

http://awalls.org/files/images/n.preview.jpg
http://awalls.org/files/images/n2.preview.jpg
Ni'ilin 11-9-09 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBe6VqTGzZ8

TEL AVIV

Link to a video of the demonstration against the expulsion of of guest worker families with children: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Iu7HFXygCY

Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle in Bil'in and Ni'ilin against the separation and occupation is still in the focus.

2009-09-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

Bil'in,

Over 25 Israelis and 20 internationals joined local Palestinians and a contingent from the village Karyat Bani Zeid - the focus of struggle for watter. The weekly demonstration against the Israeli annexation continued in spite of nightly terror campaign in the village of Bil'in and persecution of the members of the village popular comity. The demonstration, slightly smaller than usual due to the Ramadan, marched from the village center to the separation wall with Palestinian flags and signs supporting the struggle of the village Karyat Bani Zeid for access to the water denied them by the Israeli civil administration. The shabab concentrated between the fence and the road leading to the gate, getting gassed and throwing stones, while the main demo congregated peacefully at the gate. The soldiers refused the organizers' orders to disperse, so they sent a small unarmed team of demonstrators into the area between the fences to explain to the soldiers that they must stop violating the law and evacuate the premises immediately.

Unfortunately, the soldiers responded with tear gas. The demonstrators continued suffering sporadic gas attacks, as did the Al Jezeera van parked next to the house adjacent to the gate in the wall. Abdullah invited us all to join the Ramadan dinner later that evening, and the demonstration slowly dwindled away with occasional relatively moderate showers of gas.

Bil'in demo 4-9-09 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlRnMdRdvQc

Ni'ilin,

The weekly demonstration started with a march towards the route of the separation fence. tens of Palestinians, internationals and Israelis of the AAtW went around to the west of the location where the Israeli state forces put a high concrete wall. They expressed there their protest where 20 soldiers and gendarmes responded with tear gas grenades and spray of the stinking water used lately for dispersing the demonstrators.

Towards the evening, few jeeps and two groups of soldiers crossed the separation fence and chased the demonstrators towards the village.

At a certain point, about 20 youngsters were up the hill and stoned the soldiers below. Those responded with the addition of 20 rounds of live ammunition.

On another location demonstrators confronted the soldiers in the jeeps who added too few rounds of live ammunition. As a result, two photographers including one of the AAtW activists were injured from ricochets of these rounds.

Media, Haaretz on Bil'in http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1112501.html

IDF filmed aiming tear gas at Al-Jazeera reporter in West Bank

Jacky Rowland was reporting Friday from the West Bank village of Bil'in, explaining to viewers about the separation fence and the weekly protests that take place there, when Israeli troops began firing tear gas at the protesters and then directly at her.
Video footage that aired Friday shows an Al-Jazeera reporter covering an anti-separation fence rally in the West Bank dodging a tear gas grenade fired by Israel Defense Forces troops. http://www.youtube.com/v/34jPNN0qdF8&hl=en&fs=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34jPNN0qdF8
The footage shows Rowland, wearing a helmet, exclaiming "We're under attack!" as a tear gas grenade flies past her.
She continues reporting, telling viewers that the Israeli soldiers are "obviously trying to take us off the air."

Ni'ilin

Media, Haaretz printed edition of Sunday in English report on Ni'ilin
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1112567.html

Two photographers hurt in Na'alin protests By Anshel Pfeffer

Two photographers were lightly injured during a demonstration on Friday against the separation fence near the West Bank village of Na'alin. One of the injured was noted Israeli artist David Reeb. The other was Palestinian photographer Muhammad Amira.

About 250 Israelis and Palestinians attended the Na'alin demonstration. A smaller protest was held in the nearby village of Bilin.

Protesters began throwing rocks at Israel Defense Forces soldiers and Border Police forces, who responded by firing rubber-tipped bullets and teargas grenades. Protesters said yesterday the IDF used live munitions as well.

Reeb, who has attended the protests since they began, four years ago, had surgery to remove shrapnel from his leg and was set to be discharged from hospital today. He said yesterday he did not believe the soldiers were targeting him.

"I think I was hit by a bullet that ricocheted off the ground," he said. "They shot much more than usual this Friday, and sometimes aimed directly at people."

Reeb has been hurt in the protests twice before but this was the first time his injuries were serious enough to require hospitalization and surgery.

Reeb said he will return to the village next Friday. "These villages' land is being robbed, and it's important to keep reporting this and supporting them," he said.

Also yesterday, al-Jazeera aired footage of its reporter at the scene coming under tear gas fire from a Border Police unit.

Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle get international ripples

2009-08-30T06:19:00.000-07:00

This week the joint struggle against the occupation and the separation fence got lot of media space. Especially the bank-rot of a building company in Modi'in Ilit where the success to get a verdict to move the route to the west put it out of business. The BDS our comrades involved in got huge exposer as an Israeli academian published an article on it in US media, and the rightists attached him out of proportion. In addition to the Friday demonstrations against the separation fence and occupation in Bil'in and Ni'ilin, we were involved also in the demonstration in Bidu & Beit Surik, that may become weekly too. A new site of joint struggle? "A meeting in Qarawat is scheduled for this Thursday (27.8) at 17:00. There aren't yet too many concrete ideas for action in the area..."

Bidu & Beit Surik

The village Bidu who was involved in an intense struggle against the separation fence six and five years ago regain the struggle again. This time the focus is the restriction of the passage of villagers to cultivate their land on the "Israeli" side of the electronic fence.

This Sunday (30.08.09), 10 activists of the Anarchists Against the Wall (AAtW) joined few international activists an few dozens of villagers of Bidu & Beit.

After we converged, the gate to the route and the gate of the electronic fence were forced open. When the Israeli state forces rushed to the place people set down in the middle of the route. After a while and negotiations, the demonstrators moved back to the side of the village and a long and hot "discussion" started between the Israeli authority personnel and the village activists.

This week, in spite of threats by the commander of the state force, no one was detained and we returned safely home.

Bil'in

"Thursday, 27 August 2009: The Bil’in popular committee and their friends - including Israeli activists [of the AAtW], welcomed the delegation of the “Elders”, including Jimmy Carter and Archbishop Desmond Tutu who visited the Apartheid wall in Bil’in. The “Elders” placed symbolic stones on the monument commemorating Bassem Abu Rahme, a non-violent activist who was shot dead on 17th April 2009 while attempting to speak with Israeli soldiers during a Friday non-violent demonstration. (A video can be seen on http://palsolidarity.org/2009/04/6185)"

Friday 28.8

The demonstration started at the center of the village directly after the Friday prayers, with participation of hundreds of Palestinians of the PFLP (including two groups from Lebanon and Syria), and from Bil'in, 20 international and 30 Israeli activists of the AAtW initiative. Demonstrators walked chanting in the village streets and in the road leading to the gate to the west of the fence.

Like in previous Friday, while marching on the road - long before we reached the gate of the route of the separation fence, a unit of the Israeli state force located beyond the fence threw tear gas grenades which did not deter us.

As the protesters reached the Apartheid Wall, Israeli activists dressed up as construction workers with yellow helmets holding up road signs such as "Illegal Wall ahead," "Wall Removal in Progress," and "Construction work ahead" cordoned off the barbed-wire fence and gate inside the Wall. One of the activists hit the steel fence with a huge hammer in a symbolic action of dismantling of the fence. It was a way to call the attention to the need to remove the separation fence and to not yet implemented verdict/resolution issued by the Israeli Supreme Court to move the route of the fence eastward.

The Israeli state force at the gate area were nearly out of site beyond their fortification and passive for nearly half and hour. When the demonstration started to march back to the village, the state forces got active and showered us with a cloud of tear gas and spray of stinking water. Three protesters were lightly wounded - including the wheel chaired Rani Burnat who nearly never miss his place at the head of the Friday demonstration. (He was shot at his neck in a demonstration in 2000 by Israeli sharpshooter of the state forces 2000 and only one of his hands is in good condition). He was scorched by a tear gas grenade thrown to his lap. Dozens others were suffocated with tear gas.

Friday 28.8.2009 Bil'in demonstration at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPwWMYU-ex0

Ni'ilin

This week's demonstration in Ni'ilin was longer than usual, anticipating the coming Ramadan month, with its daily fast.
The 100 demonstrators marched to the route of the fence to view the concrete wall under construction parallel to the existing fence. Israel has built the wall farthest it could from the settlement Chashmonaim trying to satisfy its appetite for Palestinian land, thus locating the fence in a topographically low area – allowing the village youth to through heavy stones on it, and so inflicting it with heavy damages. The military now erects the concrete 8 meter high wall to defend the wire fence...
The demonstrators faced various weapons used by the soldiers, including tear-gas grenades shooting, rubber bullets, the smelly "skunk" and live ammunition to the air. After having an eating & drinking intermission, and after the Israeli demonstrators had already left the village, the youth once again took to the fields, succeeding in crossing the gate to the route of the fence. The soldiers shot rubber bullets, and apparently some extended range tear gas canisters.

Ni'ilin Friday 21.8.2008 video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di7VL4DyVic
Ni'ilin 28-8-09 - link to video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUVJP-JfKcI
http://www.youtube.com/v/Di7VL4DyVic

OFER (concentration camp)

Video of the August the 24th demo outside Israeli military prison Ofer calling for release of political prisoners http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/08/25/18619243.php

Palestine-Israel, Efforts of the secret services to suppression of resistance in Bil'in continue

2009-08-25T11:19:00.001-07:00

During the week the AAtW activists were involved in the resistance to the Israeli secret services persecution of the members of the Bil'in popular comity for the struggle against the separation fence. Comrades continue the involvement in the struggle Against the
transfer in Jerusalem, and the struggle against the persecution of African refugees, and Guest workers families with children. On Friday we mobilized to the three regular demonstrations against the separation fence and occupation: In Bil'in, Ni'ilin, and Um Salmuna (Muasara).

BEIT UMAR

Beit Umar is village in the south of the occupied west bank, we joined its struggle frequently the last few years...

Note from the AAtW mailing list: "We are were invited to go to a meeting in beit ummar this coming Sunday regarding future activities . If you want to go, please call me.
B"

Beit Umar - 20-8-09 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0CLrNJGT88

BIL'IN

Bil'in Friday demo 21.08.09 About 20 activists with the AAtW, and international activists accompanied people of the village:

"Today's demo did not evoke the usual aggressive response from the occupation forces. As the demonstrators arrived at the Apartheid Wall, the only visible two soldiers behind the Apartheid Wall remained in their shelter. One Jeep was parked far to the left of the door in the Wall and one to the right. It was eerily quiet for quite some time. There was no reaction to the Palestinian chanting until suddenly a multiple of tear gas was fired into the crowd from an additional Jeep that had just arrived. This caused the usual discomfort to the protesters, but most of them remained in the front lines.

A few single tear gas canisters were being fired here and there while the protesters remained gathered for awhile. Some activists tried to open the gate which had been firmly locked by the occupation forces. Then, earlier than in previous weeks, the demonstration was called to an end and everyone returned to the village without incident."

Monday Demo

Announcement:
"This coming Monday, August the 24th, at 9:30am, a protest will be held outside Ofer prison in the West Bank, in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Ofer is where many Palestinian prisoners are detained, interrogated and tried.
For details and to arrange transportation: A"

The demo

About 20 of the Bil'in people arrested when the Israeli state forces invaded the village at night the last few weeks are still in the concentration camp. Others were released on bail charged with absurd "crimes". In addition the help in the arranges of bail and court solidarity, activists of the AAtW Joined Monday 24-8-09 morning, people of Bil'in demonstration in front of the Ofer concentration camp and military "court" while one of the Bil'iners was on "trail".

BIDU & BEIT SURIK

Years ago these villages - in the extended Jerusalem region, were involved in a fierce struggle against the separation fence. From time to time we joined their sporadic demonstrations.

A post in the AAtW list:

Coming Sunday [23.08.09] a joint demonstration of the two villages (which have a place of honer in the struggle against the separation fence), in protest of the new policy of permits [to access their lands on the other side of the fence]. According to this policy the villagers cannot access their lands on the "Israeli" side of the fence if they do not hold special permits. These permits are given in restricted number, prevent needed cultivation and even endanger the ownership right of these lands.

The demonstration will be at half past eight in the morning - traveling from Tel Aviv at 07:00. We like comrades from Jerusalem to join.

For details A.

The demo

Sunday 09:00 about 40 villagers of Bidu, Beit-Doku, and Beit-Suric converged for a demo against the restricting passing permits policy that prevent their free access to their lands located on the other side of the separation fence. Most of them were farmers above the age of 50. About 15 Israelis of the AAtW and few internationals joined them, together with sizable number of kids from the Neighboring Israeli (not colonial settlement) Mevaseret Zion.

Few soldiers and border gendarmes approached the demo and people talk with them about the injustice of preventing the access of farmers to their lands.

After about half an hour, the state forces put end to the dialog and crossed to the "Israeli" side of the fence.

The demonstrators responded with forcing the gate and entered between the fences of the route. The state forces started to photograph the "offenders" and tried to force them back - surprisingly with nearly no physical violence.

When all demonstrators were forced back, the demo ended.

In discussion after the demo it was decided to demonstrate again the next Sunday with a parallel one in the settlement Har Adar located on the other side of the fence.

"After the very quite demo today in Biddu/ Beit Surik, when 3 Jerusalemites who stayed in the village for another hour after the demo, went out of the village, they were arrested by the border police in the check point on the fence on the way to Jerusalem, and accused with sabotaging the fence. they are still in custody in the Atarot Border Police Station, and are being interrogated right now (16:00).... Y."

They were accused with damage to the fence, and not obeying "order of regional general" [that the area is temporarily a restricted military zone].... They were released on bail 18:00 but with no restrictions attached.

NI'ILIN

This week, the demonstration was longer than usual - in order to do as much as possible before the beginning of the Ramadan and the low energy which will result from the day hours fasting.

About 100 participated in the march towards the route of the separation fence, and observed there the 8 meter high concrete wall which is built to protect the electronic fence. The route of the fence was built as far as ("justice" high court allowed) possible from the near by colonialist settlement Hashmonaim to enable its expansion on more of Ni'ilin lands. The route is thus in inferior topographic position and enable the village youth to throw on it big stones from above and inflict on it serious damages.

Failing to deter the youth with other means, the state forces started the building of the high wall.

On the first wave, the village youth confronted with tear gas grenades, rubber coated steel bullets, the spray of skunk smelling water, and live ammunition shot in the air.

At the evening, after the Israelis returned to Tel Aviv, a good resting and the feast breaking meal came the second wave. In it, the youth succeeded to pass the gate to the route of the electronic fence. This time, the soldiers added to their shooting the high velocity tear gas canisters of the kind murdered Bassem in Bil'in and near fatal injured Tristan Anderson in Ni'ilin.

Ni'ilin Friday 21.8.2008 video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di7VL4DyVic

UM SALMUNA - Muasara

The regular Friday demonstration in Um-Salmuna - the Muasara region was the last for a while.

A message from the popular commity of Ma'asara was that the demonstrations will be postponed for the time being due to the holy month of Ramadan.

The struggle will continue once the month is over.

Palestine-Israel, The suppression of resistance increase - and so is the joint struggles of resistance

2009-08-16T23:55:00.000-07:00

During the week the Anarchists Against the Wall (AAtW) activists were involved in various struggles: Against the transfer in Jerusalem - mainly the Sheikh Jarakh location; In the struggle against the persecution of African refugees, and the expulsion of Guest workers families with children born in Israel - mainly in Tel Aviv; And in the struggle against the harassments and arrests of the Bil'in village activists in various places. On Friday we mobilized to the demonstrations against the separation fence and occupation: In Bil'in a special mobilization of about 200 Israelis focused on the arrests of Bil'in activists. We had also the weekly activities in Ni'ilin and Um Salmuna. There was also a beginning of may be prolonged struggle in Azure tame.

AZURE TAME

"There will be a demo at Azure tame tomorrow. If you can make it please let me know.
K."

Around 30 Palestinians, two international and three Israeli activists gathered in front of the Azun-Atme checkpoint and demonstrated against the apartheid wall. During the hour long demonstration, the participants called out slogans against the occupation, and hanged red and Palestinian flags on the checkpoint fence.

August 14, 2009 http://awalls.org/files/images/azun-atme-14-8-09%281%29.preview.JPG

As the demonstrators stood near the entrance road to the checkpoint, the soldiers maintained their checking, delaying and harassing the coming and going traffic from the village. When the demonstrators slightly neared the checkpoint, a military jeep headed them, and five soldiers lined up in front of them. One of the soldiers demanded from a Palestinian demonstrator that the demo will not exceed the sidewalk. The soldier's commander cut the short discussion by stating "leave them alone, they're bothering themselves". The soldier backed, and so did the demonstration a few minutes later.
http://awalls.org/files/images/azun-atme-14-8-09%282%29.preview.JPG

BIL'IN

"Only six of us were approved to attend the hearing tomorrow (Thursday) at Oder prison, regarding the arrests of Mohammed Hatib and others from Bil'in. 19 of the village residents have been arrested so far.

we are therefore organizing a support vigil outside of Oder prison."

The Call for Friday demo:

The army arrests Bil'iners under cover of darkness, We protest in broad day light.

Mass demonstration against the political repression of Bilin, This Friday, August 14

Dozens of residents of Bilin, including prominent activists from the popular committee against the wall, were recently arrested by the occupation forces. They were arrested in the middle of the night, under cover of darkness: Our friends and partners in the struggle for over four years, are pulled out of bed by masked soldiers. Most of them have now been in jail for weeks. They are accused of outrageous accusation and their release is not in sight.

The night invasions, accompanied by shooting in the village streets, and the political arrests are yet another attempt to suppress the internationally known popular struggle in Bilin. Almost two years after the high court ruled that the wall in Bilin must be moved, the wall remains untouched. The struggle against it will persist until it falls.

On Friday 14.8 we will set out, Israelis Palestinians and internationals, on a mass demonstration against the political repression of the courageous village of Bilin. We will demand that the army release the prisoners now or arrest us as well for we too incite against the occupation.

Transportation:

Tel Aviv: Meet at Lewinsky Garden on Hagdud Haivri St. at 11 am. To register or to lend your car please call Ilan.

Jerusalem: Meet at Bell Garden at 11:30. For more details and to register contact Assaf, preferably by email or else by phone .

Please make an effort to be on time. Thanks in advance.

The Demonstration:

"Almost 200 Israelis joined several dozens of internationals and Palestinians for a special demonstration against the annexation wall and the nightly political arrests of Bil'in protesters. Israeli member of Parliament Dov Hanin was present at the village, but did not join the procession. The demonstrators marched from the village center chanting slogans in Arabic, Hebrew, English and Spanish, followed by vibrant speeches when the procession reached the fence. There were relatively minor exchanges of stones for gas grenades between shabab and soldiers in the flanks away from the demonstration. When a small number of protesters attempted to cross the wall, they were gassed and later also sprayed with the "shit" water, whose stench is permanently present in the fence area due to previous weeks' spraying. When the demonstration was declared over the soldiers decided to get rid of excess ammunition and continued to pointlessly gas and spray the area, culminating in the surreal scene of a single bare faced protester throwing stones at dozens of soldiers, who sprayed the area with their multi-gas-canister cannon. When the procession was on its way to the village we heard what sounded like a single live shot at the shabab who were busy trying to disperse the soldiers with stones."
http://awalls.org/files/images/bilin-14-8-09.jpg
Bil'in Friday 14.8.09 video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT8oVi2ZO7I
Bil'in 14-8-09 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7f4tbw2YJo

JERUSALEM

"Monday, 10th August, at 8 pm: protest vigil in Sheikh Jerach with the evicted families and representatives of the international community.
Please bring candles."

NI'ILIN

Around 150 demonstrators gathered for the weekly demonstration against the wall in Ni'ilin. After the Friday prayer, the group marched on towards the route of the wall. A military jeep standing still as bate for stone throwers, left its position and the tear gas started flooding the fields. As soldiers accompanied by jeeps entered the village fields and kept attacking the demonstration from various directions, it moved from one location to the other.

Niilin - 14/8/09 http://awalls.org/files/images/niilin-14-8-09.jpg

The soldiers kept escalating the clashes, using tear gas in its various firing methods and rubber-coated bullets, trying again & again to surprise the demonstrators invading from different directions. Fortunately enough, no injuries were listed & no arrests done, and after a few hours the demonstration ended.

TEL AVIV

In protest of the nightly invading of Bil'in village by the Israeli army last few weeks, activists demonstrated tonight in front of the house of the commanding officer of the army forces of the occupied west bank.

"August 11 2009 - Late Night demo in front of Noam Tibon's house in Tel-Aviv

Some 20 demonstrators gathered late Tuesday night in front of Noam Tibon's house in north Tel-Aviv. Noam Tibon is the commanding officer of the entire Israeli military forces in the west bank. Among his various occupation activities, Tibon is in charge of the violent oppression of demonstrations against the wall in the west bank, not excluding the weekly Friday demonstrations. Furthermore, he is in charge of the arrests policy – and the recent weeks' ongoing night raids campaign in Bilin, yielding arrests of non violent demonstrators and terrorizing while depriving sleep of the entire village.
The demonstrators protested in front of his house calling "TIBON, wake up! The village of Bilin will not give up!" giving the quiet wealthy neighborhood a minimal idea of the actions their neighbor carries out almost daily – in order to suppress the ongoing non violent struggle of the people of Bilin in resistance to the wall.

http://www.youtube.com/v/5m2XaLzGX-I
http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/1/1536532 - Here is a link to the English version of the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m2XaLzGX-I

UM SALMUNA - Muasara
Eight Israelis and about 30 international activists joined about 100 Palestinians for the weekly demonstration against the separation fence at Al-Muasara/Um Salmuna. The demonstration started with a march from the village towards the spool of barbed wire blocking the way to the route of the separation fence. On the way, they were joined by a group of youth who were drumming together with the Samba band of Tel Aviv activists.

At the blocking point speeches were given in Arabic and English derogating the fence and occupation.

WATER

Thursday afternoon was scheduled a meeting in the Karawat Bani-Zaid for thinking about the continuation of the struggle for water.

Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle expand to confront new harassments

2009-08-09T05:52:00.000-07:00

During the week activists of the Anarchists Against the Wall initiative were involved in the struggle against transfer of Palestinians of the Sheikh Jarrah - neighborhood of Jerusalem; with the struggle in Tel Aviv mainly against harassments and expulsion of African refugees and families of "guest workers" whose children were born in Israel. We also were involved in actions in connection with struggle against the scandalous water restrictions for the Palestinians in the occupied west bank (while the colonial settlers neighbor get unrestricted amounts of water from the common sources). Friday we participated in the regular demonstrations against the separation fence and occupation in Bil'in, Ni'ilin, Um Salmuna-Muasara... and in the water convoy to Bani Zayid as well.

BIL'IN

Some 20 Israelis and 50 internationals joined a smaller than usual number of Palestinian men and women for the weekly demonstration against the separation wall. The demonstration marched chanting slogans against the annexation wall, the occupation and the arrest of Bil'in's youth and popular struggle leaders, accompanied by a marching poem written by one of the local leaders. When the demonstration reached the fence, short speeches were made in Arabic, English and French. An African-American speaker particularly engaged the crowd with his political-evangelical-panther-like speech. When a handful of protesters tried to cross the fence, they and the demonstrators behind them suffered a rain of tear gas. A Palestinian journalist who was gassed into the path between the fences was arrested by the soldiers. The demonstration then managed to regroup and chant more slogans next to the fence. A clear order given to the military by protesters to withdraw and release the prisoner was disobeyed. Just as the protesters announced the demonstration over, the shit-water cannon got in from Ni'lin, and started spraying the already putrid area with the stench of occupation. After a short round of gas, shitty water and a small number of stones thrown to disperse the demonstration dispersal weapons, the demonstrators returned to the village.

Bil'in 7-8-09 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWKydieyOis

JERUSALEM - Al Quds

Lately, the main struggle about the progress of transfer of Palestinians in the occupied parts of 1967 in the extended Jerusalem is in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood:

"After the evictions and tent demolition in Sheikh Jarrah, Al Quds, a few days ago, there will be an action to re-build the tent starting at 4pm today. All are invited to help and support". AAtW activists of Jerusalem have been involved in this struggle with the local people, internationals, and other Israeli activists.

NI'ILIN

The weekly demonstration in Nil'in started in the village's small olive grove, what is left to the village after tens of years of Israeli land grabs. Protectors marched towards the newly built fence. They dispersed there along the route of the separation fence and expressed lowdly their protest - each hir own preferred way.

The route in Ni'ilin clearly expose the sham claim of "security" reasons for the fence as in order to confiscate as much land as possible, part of the route is on a lower side of the hill. This enable the youngsters to flood the army patrol that came to harasse the demo with stones.

After a short while some demonstrators started throwing stones at the fence and at the outnumbered and strategically inferior Border Policemen who came to the scene. The latter's attempts at disbursing the demonstration with tear gas which often backfired on them, as wind carried the gas in their direction in stead of that of the demonstration.

http://awalls.org/files/images/N.preview.jpg

Eventually, when a special Border Police unit crossed the fence, demonstrators decided to call it a day and retreated to the village. No injuries or arrests were noted.

Ni'ilin Friday 7.8.2009 demo at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BmTf-gddBI

UM SALMUNA - Al-Mas'ara

The previous Friday the army regiment commander of the region threatened that a cearfeu will be imposed on the village this Friday - to put end to the regular demonstrations against the separation fence and occupation. Thus, following request of the local activists a call was issued for our activists to come Thursday night to the village to enable the next day joint demonstration if the threat wil be implemented.

"The night before the demonstration military vehicles blocked the entrance of the village, while others were roaming through it. This act came after an IOF officer threatened to put the village under siege if it would continued the weekly protests.

In Al-Mas'ara today (Friday) dozens of Palestinian protestors against the apartheid Wall and the settlements were joined by groups of around 80 internationals from all over the world and some Israeli activists.

Protectors marched towards the Apartheid Wall carrying Palestinian and Fatah flags as a message to the members of Fateh from the popular resistance movement to adopt the popular resistance as strategy for the future and also as a message that unity is priority for the Palestinians. protestors marched toward their land chanting for the immediate end to the Israeli Occupation and Colonization of Palestine.

As usual, the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) put a razor wire on the road at the exit of the village and stopped the march, denying people the right to access their land. Protesters stood against the soldiers, holding speeches in Arabic, Hebrew and English. Some protesters stayed longer trying to encourage the young soldiers from serving in an occupying army."

TEL AVIV

During the week, the struggle against the deportation of refugees and families of foreign workers with children born in Israel continued. It succeeded to draw lot of supporters - including funs of the local Hapoel (the worker) soccer club. A huge banner saying: "who is not a refugee here". At first the police tried to prevent the bringing of the banner to the Stadium. The intervention of members of the directory of the club forced the retreat of the police ban. http://www.zix.co.il/images/z-1315409316.jpg

WATER convoy against thirst

Activists were arrested Wednesday night by the police which accused them that they hanged flayers declaring water stoppage in Tel Aviv in the context of water restrictions imposed in the occupied west bank. They were accused for "destruction of property" and at first even with "incitement". (http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3758179,00.html - In Hebrew).

After 5 hours they were released on bail. A post was distributed in our mailing list:

"... and many thanks to all who supported, some of which even sleeping(?) at the doors of the police station. :)"

Thursday demo was called in front of the water authority offices located in Tel Aviv.

Friday:

One hundred Israelis left Tel Aviv and Jerusalem this last Friday on a solidarity convoy to the Palestinian village of Qarawat Bani Zeid in the Ramallah district, bringing with them tens of tons of water – as the village is being slowly dehydrated by Israeli authorities.

In the village itself Israeli met with local Palestinian leadership, and together brought the water to houses throughout the village. In his speech to the crowd Fuad Arar, the village mayor, said: "Here under out feet is an enormous reservoir of water, but we are not allowed to dig wells. For the Israeli government, that would be worse than throwing bombs. Our spring, from which this village drank for many generations, is under Israeli control, and we get less than half what the village needs. In many houses there is no water in the taps since March this year. We want peace – but how can you make peace when Netanyahu decides how much water we are allowed to drink?"

http://awalls.org/files/images/W.preview.jpg

The convoy was just one part of a new campaign, which AATW share with a coalition of many other Israeli, Palestinian and International groups, NGOs and parties, in an attempt to break the water siege on Palestine. For a longer report of the convoy and a list of the Israeli partners press here http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/events/1249741341 An Israeli media report and video of the convoy can be found here: VIDEO FROM QARAWAT BANI ZAYID http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/9/1534180

Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle with the Palestinians in the west Bank and occupied Jerusalem, as well as with the refugees and guest workers

2009-08-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

In occupied East Jerusalem - the Sheikh Jarakh neighborhood, in Bil'in during the week, in Tel Aviv in protecting the refugees and "illegal guest workers", and in the Friday demonstrations against the separation fence and occupation: Bil'in, Ni'ilin, Um Salmuna... and Azun.

AZUN

A new wave of Friday demonstration may have started in the Azun region with participation of the villagers, internationals, AAtW initiative and activists from the near by town of Qualquilia.

BIL'IN

In addition to staying nights to help in the confronting of the invading Israeli state forces we held this week too a Wednesday night demonstration along the separation fence, in protest of the continuous night harassments.

"The popular comity of Bil'in invited us again to the night demo on the 29.7. Lately the wave of night invasions into Bil'in and arrests increase. The aim of the occupation forces is obvious - suppression of the popular struggle using collective punishment and scaring the whole village. Wednesday midnight we will support by our participation the popular struggle against the fence, the colonial settlements, and the suppression."

"Bil’in Demonstrates Against the IDF’s Nightly Raids – At Night! – Again

On Wednesday night, July 29, one hundred villagers of Bil’in along with their International and Israeli supporters conducted a Protest March against the IDF’s nightly raids and detaining of Palestinian villagers.

The protest march began in the village of Bil’in, buoyed by peace songs, chants, and flashlight-lit containers with peace messages written on them in over a dozen languages. The enthusiastic marchers walked down to the Separation Fence - where a 15-minute rally was held.

The lights and chanting attracted several Israeli military vehicles who launched several night flares (inducing exuberant cheering and vigorous waving of the Palestinian flags carried by several members) as the landscape brightened. It was reported that one tear gas canister was fired in the vicinity of the demonstrators, but no one was injured, fortunately.....

For more information, please contact:

Abdullah Abu Rahama- the popular committee against the wall coordinator\ Bil’in

0547258210 e-mail – lumalayan@yahoo.com www.bilin-village.org

Friday:

"Bad smell" water is back at Bil'in demo 31.07.09
Today's weekly demonstration proceeded non-violently toward the Apartheid Wall. About 50 meters from the Wall everyone gathered and several people — Palestinians, Israeli activists, and an international activist -- addressed the Army condemning the military occupation and demanding peace. Then, the protesters proceeded toward the Wall, opening the barbed-wire inner gate a short distance from the Wall as a symbolic live ammunition was used today, and no further arrests were made.

After throwing tear gas into the crowd, about a dozen soldiers came through the door of the Wall. They arrested an international activist with his camera in hand, who had his face covered with a kaffiya and was standing closest to the Wall. The occupation forces then fired a smoke bomb followed by a first round of "bad smell' water which dispersed the demonstrators somewhat. Tear gas followed but demonstrators kept returning to the front lines chanting peace slogans.

In response, the Army came through the gate a second time and threw tear gas and sound bombs at the Press people who had remained in the front lines while filming. "Bad smell" water was fired again drenching everyone in its range. No rubber coated steel bullets or
live ammunition was used this Friday."

Friday 31.7.09 Bil'in video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qILAgovhHI

Latest news: Monday 06:30

Army invaded Bilin at 04:00
they arrested at least 8 people including Muhammad Khatib of the popular comity
As of now they still haven't left the village

Major night invasion in Bil'in 03.08.2009
At 3am, the occupation forces invaded the village of Bil'in. A total of some 200* soldiers with combat paint in their faces and masks entered the village on foot at several points of entry. 5 homes were raided and a total of 8 people were arrested, 7 Palestinians and one international activist from the United States.

.......

The occupation forces threw sound bombs to disperse the villagers who were coming into the streets at day-break throwing rocks at the arriving Jeeps and the soldiers that were still partly disguised from the night. The Jeeps then parked at various locations with their engines running until the end of the operation at 6:45am.

=======================================================
* The Israeli state forces use the Bil'in village for testing experimental weapons and tactics to disperse demonstrations as well as for training special units. Th use of 200 soldiers for a ride on a village with less than two thousand inhabitants was just such training.

JERUSALEM

"This afternoon, there was a high police presence in Sheikh Jarrah. There were 2 Palestinians, 7 internationals, and 1 Israeli arrested. 4 of the internationals and the 1 Israeli were released with conditions. We are not certain about the others as of right now. The press release explaining the situation is below. If you can come to support the families in Sheikh Jarrah tonight, please call Sharon. Due to the high police presence in the area, the families are worried that evictions may happen tonight."

"For Immediate Release:

3:30pm, 26 July 2009: Israeli forces arrest 3 solidarity activists in Sheikh Jarrah.

Israeli police arrested 2 American nationals and 1 British national in
Sheikh Jarrah as they were trying to enter the Darwish Hijazi home
that settlers had occupied.

Police had also earlier arrested 3 international activists and 1
Israeli as they were trying to prevent settlers from occupying the
Darwish Hijazi home in Sheikh Jarrah.

Around 12 border policemen violently arrested the 3 internationals,
breaking one of their glasses. The internationals had tried to enter
the home from the backyard to prevent settlers from destroying the
Palestinian home.

All of the arrested were taken to the police station on Salah al-Din
street in occupied East Jerusalem.

At the moment, parts of the house are being demolished from the
outside by a digger truck. Around ten settlers are still inside of the
house and several police, border police and soldiers are present in
the area."

"... hey, looks like all of the 7 internationals and 1 Israeli that were arrested yesterday in Sheikh Jarrah will be released with a condition of not being in East Jerusalem for 3 weeks.

Since those activists cannot stay in Sheikh Jarrah, more people are needed to come to the homes under threat of eviction. the families feel that the high presence of police in the area might mean that evictions will happen soon.

If you can come and stay the night, please call Sharon

There will also be a demonstration outside of the demolished home in Sheikh Jarrah today at 4pm

Please call Eva if you are interested in going.
-------------

For Immediate Release:

2 August 2009: Israeli forces have evicted the Hanoun and al-Ghawe
families from their Sheikh Jarrah homes.

At around 5:30 in the morning, Israeli police arrived at the Hannoun
family home and broke into the house through the windows. They
forcefully removed Maher Hanoun, his wife Nadia and their 3 children.
The police violently separated the family from the international and
Israeli solidarity activists that were staying in the home. Police
then arrested the international and Israeli solidarity activists that
were staying with the family. Similarly, Israeli police came into the
al-Ghawe family home at 5:30am and removed the family and
internationals staying in the home.

Settlers arrived with a truck and began to move the al-Gwahe Hannoun
family possessions out of their home. Everyone outside of the house
was forced across the street, away from the house.

According to eyewitnesses, Israeli forces beat a Palestinian male who
was trying to intervene when police were yelling at an elderly
Palestinian woman. Additionally, media personnel were pushed around by
police when they were trying to get close to the evicted Sheikh Jarrah
homes.

Amongst those arrested are at least 7 international activists and 1
Israeli activist. They are scheduled to be brought to court in
Jerusalem at 11am.

NI'ILIN

In Ni'ilin, the deescalation of the confrontation during the demonstrations against the separation fence continues. Here too there was a wedding this week end and thus the Friday demonstration was shorter and calmer than usual. The demonstration consisted with a march in which participants chanted slogans derogating the occupation and the Roberto of lands. Afterwards there were some confrontation between border police gendarmes and soldiers who threw tear gas grenades and demonstrators who used means to defy the ban on demonstrations. No one was injured or arrested.

Ni'ilin 31-7-09 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAewqG8fZ8I

TEL AVIV

Invitation was issued for AAtW activists to participate in a training session for prevention of arrests and expulsion of African refugees and work-immigrants... and afterwards to a happening in the anarchist vegan pub Rogatka, which was in the focus of the media and attacks for ban on entry of soldiers wearing uniform.

During the week there was lot of activity in response to increase harassment of the refugees and intended expulsion from Israel of children born here for illegal work immigrants.

The campaign during the week included hanging of posters against detentions and expulsion immigrant workers and refugees sicking asylum. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOiXi4qxsJ8

Wider circle of people joined the protests this week and the new measures were frozen.

http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/1/1527840

UM SALMUNA

"Thursday evening there will be a big celebration in the village. The wedding of a cousin of two members of the village popular comity incarcerated in jail. We received a warm invitation to the beginning of the wedding party Thursday and the continuation of it in the Friday demonstration."

"Some 100 Palestinians, 50 internationals and ten Israelis gathered this Friday in the village of Um Salmuna - the Ma'asara region, for a wedding march, which was combined with the weekly anti-wall demonstration in order to highlight the severe personal and social implications of the occupation, the oppression and the wall. Demonstrators accompanied a couple that got married just the night before and two other couples disguised as newlyweds all the way across the village, with marriage songs and protest slogans interchanging and completing each other. Coming close to the end of the built area of the village the couples left to prepare themselves for the next part of the wedding-protest.

The rest of the demonstration proceeded, and was met with soldiers and barbed wire, stopping the demonstration from reaching the village's agricultural lands. They then gave speeches in Arabic, English and Hebrew, at the end of which the newlyweds appeared right behind the soldiers' line – marching from the lands towards the village.

The soldiers, now trapped between the marriage procession and the couples, stormed and attacked the demonstrators, hitting them with rifles. Three Israeli activists were arrested, and one of them was beaten badly. All three were charged with assault of the Major who was commanding the soldiers, and with violation of a closed military zone. All three were later released, but are now banned to return to the area for two weeks. The activist who was beaten required medical attention and was taken to a hospital.

Meanwhile the demonstration concluded with no further arrests or wounded. However, the so-called "assaulted" Major pronounced that next week a curfew will be enforced in the village on Friday at 5AM, to prevent any more demonstrations. We will, of course, be there."

During the week, the state settled with the equivalent of 900,000 US dollars the demand for compensation of Limor Goldstein whose head was illegally shot at during a joint demonstration of AAtW and the village comity in Bil'in at the end of the Lebanon war.

Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle draw more and more Israelis to come with the Anarchists Against the Wall initiatives.

2009-07-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Last week we participated in the ongoing struggle of the villagers of Saffa to cultivate their lands in spite of colonial settlers harassments, In the Jerusalem region against transfer (Sheikh Jarakh mainly), With the Darfur, Arithrea and south Sudan refugees and other "foreign illegal workers" - against the new immigration police harassments. We participated during the week in the confronting of the Israeli state forces invading Bil'in at nights and in the planning and the doing of the Wednesday midnight demonstration against it. We also participated on Wednesday in the week day demonstration against the separation fence and occupation in Ni'ilin. Friday as usual we mobilize to Bil'in, Ni'ilin, and Um Salmuna demonstrations against the separation fence and occupation.

BIL'IN

Friday 17.7.2009 video at http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit?ns=1&video_id=lPxXL8ZAcik
Previous Friday demonstration, as a response to advertisement by the Cellcom mobile phone company, few footballs were kicked towards the separation fence and beyond. Following link
to the response video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et8VGyCDt10
During the week TV media showed this action (together with the clip of the original).

Monday, AAtW activists participated with the village popular comity in a meeting for discussion joint actions in response to the nights invading of the the village by Israeli state forces for harassments and arrests of participants in the Friday demonstrations.

"In response to the wave of nightly arrest and especially to the arrest of Adib Abu Rahma
without bail, the popular committee in Bilin is calling for a night demonstration tomorrow Wednesday July 22. For details call Kobi: For registration call Ayala:"

Bil'in reclaims... http://awalls.org/bilin_reclaims_the_night_nilin_reclaims_the_day

"On the night between the 22nd and the 23rd of July several dozens of Palestinians, Israelis and internationals gathered in the center of the village of Bil'in, for a protest march against the Israeli army's invasions of the village in recent weeks (and against the Apartheid Wall and the settlements). These nightly invasions have included arrests of activists and spreading of terror throughout the village. Prior to the demonstration activists hung posters on village houses, explaining to the soldiers in Hebrew and Arabic what's wrong about the invasion, and calling upon them to stop attacking the village as it will not give up on its just cause and struggle.

At around midnight demonstrators started marching towards the illegal fence built on village lands, carrying colorful flash-lights and safety light-reflectors and calling the soldiers to go home. Upon nearing the fence the march turned, proceeding parallel to the fence, and back towards the village. Army jeeps which were gathering on the other side of the fence were met by loud whistles, slogans and the igniting of small bonfires. These were answered by the soldiers, who fired several light bombs into the night sky. These in turn were answered by a blast of fireworks from within the village.

The demonstration ended peacefully. More actions of the sort are yet to come."

Video of the night demo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHdVfRGpELM

-----------------

Bil'in thick with gas on Friday July 24, 2009

Today, some 200 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists participated in the weekly non-violent demonstration against the Apartheid Wall in Bil'in. The protesters proceeded toward the Wall chanting slogans and waving the Palestinian flag.
After a few minutes, the protesters were met with tear gas, but they stood their ground. They shouted their claims to their rights, and the end of military occupation to the Army standing on the other side of the Wall. Repeated gas bombs dispersed them only temporarily. At one point, one soldier threw a gas bomb forward, which detonated prematurely, gassing his own colleagues. This, of course, was met with massive cheering and whistling on the Palestinian side!
Some demonstrators suffered minor injuries such as superficial burns from gas bombs that hit them after bouncing off the ground. Others suffered from severe respiratory problems after having been exposed to dense tear gas.
One hour into the demonstration, the protesters slowly returned back to the village. No arrests were made today.

Bil'in 24-7-09 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mKvvDpiEug

NI'ILIN

Wednesday 22.7.09 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5bPcq2t45c&feature=channel

Ni'lin's weekly protest against the wall took place as always, after Friday lunchtime prayers. about a hundred protesters, Palestinian, Israeli and International managed to reach the fence route, and were eventually forced back from it through the combined use of tear gas and "the skunk" sprayed from a tanker. No protester was actually sprayed with the foul substance, but it left its mark on the ground, on a strip around 20 meters from the wall. A team of border policemen crossed the fence for a short time, and fired a few rubber bullets at protesters, some of whom responded with stones. the protest ended relatively early, and no injuries were recorded, aside from some tear-gas inhalation cases."

Friday Ni'ilin 24.7.2009 video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkjr_UYytuA

TEL AVIV

"This Saturday afternoon we will go out to hang posters calling the Israeli public to resist the racist policy of arrests and deportations of migrant workers and refugees from Israel. We wish to make these pictures from the last two weeks noticeable in different parts of the city, pictures in which the Immigration Administration is hunting people in the streets of Tel Aviv. To spread this information widely in the city, there is a need for many volunteers.

For those who wish to take a part in the action, we will meet at 16:00 in Lewinsky Garden."

UM SALMUNA (Mua'shara region)

"On Friday 24.7 at noon some 70 Palestinians, including quiet a few little girls, 60 Internationals and 15 Israelis participated in the weekly demonstration of the Ma'asara region at the Umm Salamuna village against the building of the apartheid fence and against the illegal settlements on Palestinian lands. The demonstrators marched through the village with a huge Palestinian flag and chanted slogans in Arabic and English against the occupation and the colonization of Palestine. They were stopped by a few dozens IOF soldiers and a barbed wired they placed in front of them. The soldiers prevented the demonstrators from proceeding towards the Palestinian lands and the annexation fence route. During the demonstration the IOF soldiers tried using threats to prevent from one of the Palestinian speakers to give a speech in Arabic and English from over an earth mound. But, after a few minutes they backed off, as the speaker only moved one step forward on the same mound. Due to the lack of "professional" speaker, the Hebrew speech was given by a few Hebrew speaking demonstrators, each one contributing one or two sentences, nevertheless preserving coherence. The speech of Umm Hasan, whose son is still in Israeli prison for participating in a previous demonstration - was prominent and received simultaneous translation into French by one of the demonstrators. The speakers called the soldiers to be brave and to stop implementing the occupation as long as it is possible for them instead of regretting it later when they are older. The demonstration was peaceful and ended without confrontations and with a promise to return next week.

Palestine-Israel, In spite of the increase of repression of our Palestinian partners the joint struggle continue.

2009-07-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

This week Anarchists Against the Wall were busier than ever: During the week activists were involved in Tel Aviv with the struggle against the harassment of the African refugees from Darfur, South Sudan, and Eritrea. Activists were busier in the struggle against the transfer of Palestinians in Jerusalem. During the weeks comrades slept in Bil'in going out to the streets when Israeli state forces invaded the village to arrest people and intimidate the involved in the on-going struggle against the separation fence and occupation. The involvement in Saffa was on lower intensity this week. On Friday we participated in the demonstrations against the fence - together with the local Palestinian villagers and guests, and internationals, in Bil'in, Ni'ilin, and Um Salmuna.

BIL'IN

During the week, Anarchists Against the Wall activists were involved in the struggle against the continuous nightly invading of the village by the Israeli state forces, the arrests of people, and their military "courts" proceedings. Comrades slept in the village at nights, and helped in the release of Bil'iners from incarceration in the concentration camp.

The late night and early morning raids in Bil'in are linked to a recent lawsuit filed by the village in the Quebec Superior Court last month. The lawsuit is against two Montreal-based companies, Green Park International and Green Mount International, which play a role in the building of Modi'in Ilit orthodox Jews settlements on Palestinian villages lands in Bil'in region. Their activity is illegal under international law and under Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, established in 2000.

"Israel's military raids began exactly at the same time that we started court hearings in Canada," says Mohammed Khatib of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Bil'in. "Israel's army raids are aiming to stop our struggle, and our court case in Quebec. Israel is collectively punishing us for our efforts to resist [the] Israeli colonization of our lands."

"An initial ruling on the Bil'in lawsuit in the Quebec Superior Court is still pending. Justice Louis-Paul Cullen is expected to rule within the next six months. Palestinians in the village are bracing for further Israeli raids."

Another night Invasion - Imad burnat arrested http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YApgyJtuaKQ

Due to the ongoing night raids and arrests in Bilin, we wish to strengthen the presence of Israeli activists during nights there.

If you are free to join our friends in Bilin any night this week, please e-mail ASAP to yxxxx@gmail.com & s.xxxx@yahoo.com.

Also, a meeting in the village will be held tomorrow, Monday, please follow up for details.

On Friday:

"Some 30 Israelis, over 40 internationals and the boys and girls of the Jericho Palestinian Struggle Youth Union marching band joined several dozen Palestinians, who conducted an exceptionally big demonstrated against the annexation wall and the night and day arrests of residents of Bil'in (on the night before a 13th villager was snatched by the army for investigation, while the army's lawyers prepare to appeal a decision to release one of the local organizers). The marching band led the procession drumming and chanting toward the demonstration site, but stayed behind due to its members' young age. Upon arrival the demonstrators kicked footballs to the soldiers, who failed to follow the script of the current Israeli TV commercial and engage in a peaceful football match, possibly because in this real life situation their Palestinian opponents were clearly visible from across the barbed wire. Instead, the soldiers threw gas canisters at the demonstrators, and had to persist quite intensely until they managed to incite a handful of stones from the kids across the fence. Then the "skunk" was brought forth, spraying putrid water, locally nick-named "the shit". Only a handful of organizers, covered from head to toe in plastic suits and hospital gloves and masks, stayed at the fence keeping their post under the sickening rain. After a few rounds of gas and "the shit" the demonstration was declared over, which encouraged the soldiers to shoot even more gas at the receding demonstrators, extending the stand-off and causing some small fires in the fields."

As is frequent along the years of Friday demonstrations in Bil'in (and Ni'ilin too), the Israeli state forces use them as testing ground and demonstration arena for various weapons and tactics for dispersing demonstrations. The stinking skunk odor spray was tested last two weeks with a new version of the spray.

"The Israeli soldiers started to spray the dirty water by hoses, where the water mixed with chemical and biological materials, which make it smells very bad, furthermore demonstrators started to throw up because of using this stinky water. The Israeli has used this dirty water before one year, then they stopped using it after the intervention of international human rights organizations. Before that, the Israeli have used colored water mixed with gas. In addition to new weapons such as different kinds of the tear gas, live bullets, scream, sponge, salt balls, and green beans bags, which all-new names for dangerous weapons."

JERUSALEM

Activists of the AAtW participated in the ongoing struggle against the houses demolition and robbery in the occupied East Jerusalem.

"On Sunday, 19th, at 12:00 expires the time given to the Sheikh Jarrah families to surrender the keys to their houses to the hands of settlers. Failing to do this, they are at risk of immediate eviction and arrest.
On Sunday, at 1 pm we shall be there with them, to support, protest and launch another period of constant presence of activists in the houses to prevent their eviction and protect their rights.
Volunteers are also needed to stay in the houses for some hours, day or night, during the period from this Sunday until the 27th July."

NI'ILIN

Like every Friday, the Ni'lin demonstration proceeded to the route of the wall after lunchtime prayers. unlike in previous weeks, the protesters couldn't reach the route, as a volley of tear gas canisters was fired at them from a jeep-top launcher, forcing them to disperse, and increasing the distance needed for some of them to direct stones at the forces of occupation and land-theft. Another reason to keep one's distance from the fence was the sight of the police tanker, used to spray the "skunk" at demonstrators. Border police officers fired tear gas and rubber coater metal bullets at the protesters. Rubber coated bullets haven't been used in Ni'lin for a long while, and it was assumed that the suspension of the use of 0.22 caliber live bullets was behind this). Some police crossed the fence, but they did not enter the village and no injuries were recorded.

Ni'ilin 17-7-09 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vstLiEmtruE

SAFFA

Though on lower intensity as villager got partial access to their land, the joint struggle in the region continues.

Hostile media:

"Police arrest pro-Arab anarchists near Bat Ayin July 16, 9:31 AM
The Jews are harassed almost daily by the increasingly present foreign anarchists, Israeli leftists, and Arabs. Seven anarchists were arrested for trying to provoke a fight with resident Jews"

TEL AVIV

The involvement of the AAtW activists in the struggle against the harassment of the new immigrants police of the African refugees continue in various ways. The intensive efforts of the new police intend to expel as much as possible African refugees from Israel and especially from Tel Aviv continue - and so is the resistance.

UM SALMUNA

Yesterday (Friday) at noon some 30 Palestinians, 15 Israelis and 20 international marched in the Um Salmuna and Ma'asara area, protesting against the building of the Apartheid Wall and the illegal settlements on Palestinian lands. The demonstration, which marked the 220th anniversary to the French Revolution, was stopped by the Israeli Occupation Forces, who declared a closed military zone, and prevented demonstrators from reaching the appropriated lands.

In their tri-lingual speeches, demonstrators called upon the soldiers to lay down their arms, and acknowledge the fact that now - more than ever before - Israel is facing the risk of international sanctions, and must give up the occupation before it is forced to do so.

When the demonstrations was nearly at its end soldiers started shoving some of the youths who were chanting slogans, and officers threatened to arrest all demonstrators.

The demonstration ended with no arrests and none wounded, and with the promise of returning time and time again in weeks to come.

http://awalls.org/files/images/M%2017-7-09.preview.JPG

WATER

"The coming Monday evening, we'll hold a meeting to consider activities in Israel re the ongoing and increasing water shortage in the territories.

Please contact S. if you wish to join."

Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle against the separation fence, transfer and occupation till the victory

2009-07-13T01:04:00.000-07:00

During the week AAtW activists participated in the ongoing struggle against transfer in the Jerusalem region; with the villagers of Saffa efforts to work their land near the colonial settlement Bat Ain; In Bil'in efforts to confront the state forces intrusion to the village at nights (probably as a training activity to special forces) in order to harass the people and arrest youth. We also participated (and smell tear gas) in a mid week demonstration against the separation fence in Ni'ilin. AAtW activist also participated during the week in the efforts to thwart the new immigration police harassments of the African refugees who stay in Tel Aviv.

BIL'IN

For few weeks already the Israeli state forces invade the village at night - few times a week, terrorizing the sleeping village and arrest village youth suspected as stone throwers in the Friday demonstrations. AAtW activists were staying nights in the village and participated in the confronting the invading state forces to restrict their harassment.

"A large force of more than 80 soldiers, border policemen and policemen invaded Bilin around 4 am tonight. They had entered four houses and eventually arrested only 2 people: an American activist and a 17 year old youth from the village. Israeli and international presence had been proven very effective in reducing violence and arrests. Since further invasions are expected, help is needed tonight (and probably in the following days). If you can come tonight, please call Y."

On another night:

"Explosions Pierce the Quiet of Bi'lin

On July 7th at 3:30, soldiers disrupted the tranquility of Bi'lin by forcing their way into several houses. Israeli soldiers came with a list of 10 names for arrest. When Palestinian, international, and Israeli activists arrived at the scene they were subjected to violence and intimidation by the Israeli occupation forces. One activist with the International Solidarity Movement had non-violently blocked the entrance to one of the doors when he was attacked by soldiers, forced to the ground, and subjected to pain compliance. He was then arrested and carried by a group of soldiers into a military jeep. When activists and community members responded, they were beaten back with batons and forced to dodge a large number of percussion grenades.

Meanwhile, activists tried blocking the jeeps from leaving by erecting makeshift barricades in the street. The Israeli occupation forces responded with a number of percussion grenades and then rammed their jeeps through. They forced their way up the street and to several other houses. While there, they arrested a young man and issued nine summons to families of youths who were not present. This was done without explanation or warning. In the process of storming other houses, the soldiers were again confronted by activists and community members who refused to be dispersed even after repeated percussion and flash bang grenade attacks by soldiers. The jeeps had to make an escape through a second set of erected barricades and they exited into the night with their victims inside."

Links to video:

http://www.bilin-ffj.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=162&Itemid=1"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko9uoacB3YE&feature=player_embedded

"We are having a legal workshop in Bil'in tomorrow Tuesday at 19:00
If you can help with a ride please call me L."

"Tonight, Israeli & international activists were present in Bilin, following a series of army mass night raids. Tonight (Tuesday-Wednesday), the army did not invade the village. Today too, we shall join our friends in Bilin. Please contact Y. – 054-xxxxx, if you wish to join."

"International and Israeli supporters joined the villagers of Bil'in and marched from the village center after the Friday midday prayers. The protesters demanded the halt of Israeli illegal settlements and construction of the wall."

The army seemed to be too mild to be true. Only few tear gas grenades were thrown on us while we congregated at the gate to the route of the separation fence. After many weeks we could not do it - they even tolerated the entrance of few scores of us to the route of the separation fence and touch the electronic fence... Then came the surprise they prepared for us: a water cannon posited in advance where we could not see it, suddenly approached us and started to spray us with the skunk odor water - tested on us about a year ago. The smell adhere to the body and clothes and can take weeks to get rid of its remnants. This time they put less amount of it in the water - in an experimental test of its being effective in smaller doses.

Two of the comrades - one of the village activists and one of the Anarchists Against the Wall initiative - who were not deterred by the skunk smelling stinking water and stayed at the route of the separation fence, were arrested and taken to a far away police station.

The Israeli was released on Sunday down with five thousands bail and ban on visiting the occupied areas of 1967 for a whole month. The Palestinian comrade was taken to the Ofer concentration camp and will have a hearing Monday noon.

MEDIA: A Bil'in feature on FOX News. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BsoDJBPq6Q

NI'ILIN

More than 200 people marched in the village of Nilin against the Israeli apartheid wall.
The Israeli army almost did nothing and responded very little. Even when parts of the razor wire bordering the route of the electronic separation fence were cut and damage was made to the fence itself. Few armed force disguised as Palestinians snatched two of the demonstrator and arrested them.

Video clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci57m5gTzIw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfN4N6IOisI

UM SALMUNA + Nahalin

Due to the persecuting of the main activists (one still in jail and others are on bail with restrictions preventing them from participating in the Friday demonstrations) participation was smaller than usual.

"Today some 60 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals gathered for a morning demonstration in Ma'asara / Um Salmuna. Due to the early hour there were no soldiers present at the entrance to the village, and so demonstrators marched on the main road towards the agricultural lands where the Apartheid Wall is being built. The protest march was, however, brutally stopped by Israeli Occupation soldiers and police. Demonstrators were pushed of the road, and ordered to return to the village. After speeches were made in Arabic, English and Hebrew were made activists turned around in order to continue the demonstration in the regular location, at the entrance to the village. However, once there the army officer declared the entire area a close military zone, and while pushing people around made threats of arrest. The demonstration was shortly ended, with zero arrests made.

Following this, activists from the village and their supporters traveled to the near by village of Nahalin, were a first popular demonstration was to take place against the laying down of a new power line for surrounding settlements on village lands. The village's popular committee says that the work that has already started is illegal, as well as harmful to the village due to the vast number of trees to be uprooted, and legal measures are being taken to stop it. However, a demonstration did not take place as someone in the village has died the previous night. We believe demonstrations in the area will begin in weeks to come."

UM AL FAHEM (Israel)

Women from Umm el Fahem's popular committee against house demolitions are inviting us to join them in a women's demonstration this Saturday, following recent house demolitions and racist statements on annexation of more lands for Jewish settlements in Wadi Ara. The demo will start at around five or six, so please mark your agendas. There will also be another meeting to organize this action on Wednesday, 12:00, there. Let me know if you want to come. More info to come.

E

Palestine-Israel, The Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall are still in the front of the joint struggle against the occupation.

2009-07-06T02:26:00.000-07:00

For more than a year Bil'in is not the only persisting popular struggle. The activists of the Anarchists Against the Wall initiative joined this week the expanding popular struggle of the Palestinians in Bil'in, Ni'ilin, Um-Salmuna, Saffa, the Jordan valley, Izbet Tabib, Bnei Zid, and the Jerusalem region. In addition to rising the moral, some successes were achieved. The joint struggle get lot of publicity in the Israeli and the international media. (Just do an internet search of the phrase "Anarchists Against the Wall" and see the tens of thousands of links found.)

BIL'IN

Some 20 Israelis and 50 internationals joined several dozens of Palestinians for the weekly demo in Bil'in. The demonstrators marched toward the wall singing and chanting against the Israeli occupation and the wall. Some of the internationals, due to pressure from the people who had organized their visit, did not march with the demonstrators, but only watched them from the side and stayed behind. As in the last two weeks, the military was not as aggressive as in previous months, and shot relatively small amounts of gas, which increased as the demo went on. When some demonstrators managed to open the gate and get between the fences, the soldiers threw shock grenades at them, but did not shoot rubber bullets. The army did, however, shoot gas grenades directly at the ambulance that cam to evict victims of gas inhalation, and used the multiple gas canister cannon when the ambulance was still turning around to head back. Three people suffered direct hits of gas grenades and few needed treatment for gas inhalation.

Naomi Klein in Bil'in 26-6-09 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC8TX0TXcds
Link for video: Bil'in 26-6-09, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCKwzJQS6Wk
Bil'in 3.7.2009 video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0BjohYpfWE

NI'ILIN

Dozens of demonstrators gathered this Friday in Ni'ilin. For the third week in a row, the demonstrators managed to arrive at the fence. As in the previous two weeks, some of the demonstrators even managed to cut some of the barb wire surrounding the fence.

The military and border police forces shot tear gas canisters & grenades at the demonstration. Several demonstrators and a journalist suffered direct tear gas canisters hits. Snipers were spotted aiming at some of the demonstrators, though haven't fired eventually.

Ni'ilin 3-7-09 - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEWqOsPLqnA

UM SALMUNA

Some 100 Palestinian, Israeli and international demonstrators marched in protest of the building of the Apartheid Wall on the lands of Um-Salmuna and Ma'asara. The demonstration, which commemorated the anniversary of the foundation of the "Palestinian National Initiative" party, was met (as always) with about 30 soldiers who put barbed wire on the road leading from the village to the agricultural land where the wall is to be built.

In their speeches, several demonstrators addressed the soldiers in Arabic, English and Hebrew, explaining to them that they are supporting illegal acts of settlement, water theft and land appropriation, and paying tribute to all the children of the village who have been imprisoned by the army, including one popular committee member, Hassan Bargia. During the speeches in English and Hebrew, high ranking officers who were at the scene switched on the sirens of all army and border police jeeps, so that soldiers will not be able to hear or be influenced by the demonstrators' calls towards them – to refuse, and join the peaceful movement for the end of the occupation.
Also present and the demonstration was an Israeli Samba band, teaching some of the village children how to drum, and played together.

JORDAN VALLEY

During the week:
This Afternoon army and civil governance people arrived at Al-Malikh in the Jordan valley and announced that all of them (30 families, over 200 people including children. sick, old and babies) must leave.

Army claimed that it is for a military drill and will be allowed to return 24 hours later, but it is like that it will use it to ruin their houses and/or evicted.

The people there has asked the assistance of Israelis - if you can come tonight or tomorrow, please call

Media: "See what a miracle: early evening the harsh decree was canceled. The intervention of the activists of Betselem, Road Blocks Watch, Active Stills, Anarchists Against the Wall*, and the United Nation coordination office for humanitarian issues (OCHA), caused the canceling of the calamity."

IZBET TABIB

AAtW was invited for a meeting: "Is there anyone who can make it to a meeting in Izbet Tabib tomorrow afternoon ? If so please let me know."

BNEI ZID

Meeting concerning water supply

In too many places across the West Bank there's an substantial water supply problem. Bnei Zid and six neighboring Palestinian villages in the Ramallah area have suffered insufficient water supply over the years due to Israeli controls of water distribution.

This year the problem has become unbearable. Since the beginning of April, over the last three months, water supply is almost completely cut off to these Palestinian villages, which include some 20,000 inhabitants. The villages share the water of a single source (located next to settlement Bet Arye) with three settlements. According to locals the three settlements get 90% of the water, while the other 10% is shared by the seven Palestinian villages. As a result villagers must buy their own water. Some people can afford it, while others have to beg.

The meeting concluded with an acknowledgement of the urgent need to act together with all relevant organizations. The village wants to have a demo, and asked for aid to purchase water for 50 families. We also discussed media action and advocacy to embassies and international organizations.

We start acting today through an action team coordinated by Y. A. If you're interested, please contact Yuval.

JERUSALEM REGION

Lately. One of the focuses of struggle against the pressure for transfer of Palestinians in the Jerusalem region is in Seikh Jarrah neighborhood.
Israeli and international activists joined the families threatened with eviction.

SAFFA

Yanay Israeli blog about Saffa:
http://www.notes.co.il/yanay/index.asp

Due do the recurring disturbances by the military to the farmers of Saffa, we will again head there the coming Saturday [4th of July]. There's also an option of arriving earlier.

The protracted struggle of the Palestinian farmers to cultivate their lands near the colonialist settlement Bat Ain continued. State forces had to yield a bit and the farmers were allowed some hours of work in their orchards.

The AAtW continued joining them including this Saturday, in spite of the efforts of state forces to block us from joining the farmers in order to repel the assaults of the settlers.

Saffa 27-6-09 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PUpmUMG_pA

Palestine-Israel, The Joint struggle against the separation fence and beyond, expand

2009-06-28T02:12:00.000-07:00

Though not yet a regular weekly actions, the Anarchists against the Wall activists were invited by grass roots Palestinian activists to actions and meetings for organizing at Nahalin, Beit Jala, and Bidu. We also participated in the regular weekend actions. Friday we were in Bil'in (where a press conference with Naomi Klein "No Logo" preceded the demo. We were also in Ni'ilin, and Um Salmuna. On Saturday AAtW activists participated in the weekly action to facilitate the efforts of the Saffa villagers to cultivate their lands that are near the Bat Ain settlement. The need for that aid is because the Bat Ain settler colonialists, with the aid of state forces, try to prevent the cultivation of the land in preparation to robing the land adjacent to the settlement.

BIL'IN

Last Monday June 22, 2009 the trail of the court in Canada had been started in Quebec against the two Canadian companies (Green Park and Green Mount) the first session of the trail took place till last Thursday. Representatives of Bilin Popular committee and Bilin village are attending these trails.

Thursday morning. 25-6-2009 . Broke into a large force of military occupation the village of Bil'in.Where they searched more than a dozen houses. They also kidnapped two.

This did not prevent the preparation for the Friday press conference and the demonstration against the separation fence and occupation.

On Friday, "some 150 Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals demonstrated today in the West Bank village of Bil'in against the Apartheid Wall and the settlements built on Palestinian land.

Prior to the demonstration a press conference took place, where a representative of the village's popular committee, a member of the Palestinian Boycott National Committee and world renowned Canadian journalist and author Naomi Klein spoke of the local struggle, of the village's new court case in Canada against Canadian companies building the new neighborhoods on Bil'in land, on the boycott, and of the inability to detach art and politics.

Following the press conference and the Friday prayer demonstrators marched towards the illegal fences build on the village's agricultural lands, and were met with an unprovoked tear-gas attack by the Israeli Occupation Forces. The demonstration went on for about an hour, facing levels of violence that were lower than the usual, perhaps due to Klein's visit, or to Israeli attempts to impress US President Obama to "prove" Israeli interest in peace. The demonstration ended as the IOF used [again] its new tear gas canon, shooting 25 gas canisters in a second.

No serious injuries were noted.

UM SALMUNA / MAASARA

"Some 10 Israelis and 30 internationals joined a few dozen Palestinians for the weekly demo in Maasara/Um Salmona. The demo marched towards the barbed wire set by the army (which advances Salami-style into the village from time to time) carrying a huge Palestinian flag. The demonstrators stood at the barbed wire, and chanted and made speeches in Arabic, English and Hebrew, led in part by Um Hassan, who took the place of her arrested and court-order-restrained sons.

When the soldiers started harassing a couple of photographers standing at the vine plot next to the barbed wire some protesters went to sit there in protest. A few minutes later the army declared a closed military zone and threatened arrests. The army then detained the most outspoken international activist, and after the demonstration was declared over, also an Israeli demonstrator, who demanded the release of the detained international, and who had gotten on the officer's bad side by making a highly impressive speech to the soldiers linking the oppression of Israeli workers and Palestinian villagers. The soldiers pushed the demonstrators who remained in the area into the village, and then backed off, released the detainees, and left the village.

NI'ILIN

Ni’lin demonstrates against the Apartheid Wall 26 June 2009

Approximately one hundred and fifty Palestinian, Israeli and international protesters gathered in the hot sun for the weekly demonstration in Nilin. They marched together towards the separation barrier, chanting and waving Palestinian flags.

As the demonstrators reached the wall and started cutting the razor wire on the walls edge, Israeli armed forces opened fire with teargas. Their jeeps fired multiple rounds of teargas in an effort to blanket the whole area and they continued firing until the demonstration dispersed. Several of the protesters suffered from the effects of teargas, but no one was badly injured. The protest lasted for about one hour and a half and protesters succeeded in removing parts of the razor wire and damaging the fence.

Ni'ilin Friday 26.6.2009 video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c95L_IYlYXY

SAFFA

"This coming Saturday (early in the morning), as in every Saturday in the last couple of months, we will go to the village Khirbet Saffa to join local farmers at work. For those who don't know, during the last couple of months there have been repeated attempts by farmers to work their lands. These attempts were repeatedly confronted with closed military zone warrants accompanied with arrests and army violence as well as, in the last couple of weeks, violence from the settlers of the adjacent Bat Ayin.

The situation turned worse this week when, during the night between Sunday and Monday, some 130 trees (mostly vines and plums) were set on fire, uprooted and cut down in the plot of our friend Ahmed Slaivi. Tomorrow (Thursday) evening a meeting is scheduled with Saffa farmers, but they have already told us they intend to return to work their lands on Saturday, and invite everyone to join. People who would like more information are welcome to call B."

Links to documentation about Saffa struggle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIuMC5vkHUU&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0PWVkpv29g&feature=channel

Saturday:
"27 June 2009: Israeli forces arrest 24 solidarity activists and 2 hired Palestinian Israeli drivers in the West Bank village of Saffa.

At 7.30am, 35 Israeli and 10 international solidarity activists joined 3 Palestinian families from Beit Ummar to harvest their land. As the group tried to go down to their lands, 50 soldiers and border policemen stopped them.

Before reaching the land, Israeli forces arrested 10 Israeli and international activists, under the premise that Saffa was under a Closed Military Zone*. The army was aggressive towards the group and used violence against them.

After pushing the group, border policemen arrested another 9 activists.

Yousef Abu Maria from the Palestine Solidarity Project [who ave just lately released from a long שdministrative imprisonment], had his leg broken from the use of excessive force. Israeli soldiers tried to arrest him, but the solidarity activists negotiated for the soldiers to release him and allow him to be taken by an ambulance from the Palestinian Red Crescent. He is currently being treated at a Hebron hospital.

A female Israeli activist from Tayyoush was also injured and is currently at an Israeli hospital seeking treatment for a potentially broken hand.

As 2 cars with hired drivers were leaving the area with other activists, Israeli forces stopped them and arrested 5 more activists and the 2 Palestinian Israeli drivers.

The arrested were taken to the Israeli prison in the illegal settlement of Gush Etzion.

The arrested activists are members from Palestine Solidarity Project, Tayyoush, Anarchists Against the Wall, and the International Solidarity Movement. They have been accompanying Palestinian farmers to document and deter violence from Israeli forces as the farmers harvest their land.
----------------------------------------
*Israeli forces have declared the area in Saffa a Closed Military Zone (CMZ), in direct violation of an Israeli Supreme Court decision. The Israeli Supreme Court determined that Closed Military Zones cannot be issued on Palestinian agricultural land, cutting off Palestinian farmers, for prolonged periods of time. However, Israeli forces have been regularly declaring a Closed Military Zone on farm land in Saffa since 2 April 2009.

Saffa today - Media reports
http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/1/1510076
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3737627,00.html
http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/1095955.html

Palestine-Israel, Another week of intensive joint struggle against the separation fence and occupation - FOR THE LIBERATION OF THE PALESTINIANS

2009-06-21T03:32:00.000-07:00

Gaza, East Jerusalem, Bil'in, Ni'ilin, Um Salmuna, Azun, Saffa - these are not just points on the map but fields of struggle. It seems that after military activities and the armed struggle calmed a bit, the the political arena is approaching a crisis... and the nonviolent popular struggle collect momentum. Bil'in which was for the first two years of struggle nearly the only persistent arena of nonviolent popular struggle against the occupation and the separation fence - is not alone. However, it is still in the center of local and international attention. It inspire other regions and villages to adopt the style - some after joining the demonstrations in Bil'lin and meetings with the local and AAtW activists.

GAZA

The "coalition of women" which organized the 10 days of actions against the siege and blockade of Gaza, sent to the various mailing lists of the left (including our list) a warm thank you - naming the people that were involved in the project (half of whom are of the Anarchists Against the Wall AAtW initiative).

gaza.coalitionofwomen.org

BIL'IN

Physicians for Human rights are organizing a first-aid workshop for protesters. it will be held in Bil'in, on Saturday, the 11th of July, between 10:30 and 14:30.
the workshop will be held by several prominent Israeli doctors, board members of PHR, together with doctors and medics from the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committes (UPMRC), and will be held in Hebrew and Arabic. This is meant to be a joint workshop, and we are encouraged to participate. PHR will be in touch with Ni'lin to see if they are into coming as well.

This Friday demonstration was different from these of the last months.
We had nearly two car loads of Israelis of the AAtW from Jerusalem, who joined a bit smaller than usual Tel Aviv and Neve Shalom contingent of 15 only... who joined a dozen international and dozens of Bil'in villagers.

We marched as usual with chanting and a bit of dancing from the center of the village up to the gate in the separation fence.

There, we had the first surprise. The state force swarming the big concrete blocks on the elevation behind the gate were not seen in their position. When we reached the gate, there was not the usual shower of tear gas.

When few activists opened the external gate fortified with barbed wire, still nothing. Not even when some approached the electronic fence and put there on fire a used car tier... In response to an intensive stone throwing barrage the soldiers came with shields and stood along the electronic fence - no shock grenades on the activists who stood there, and no shower of tear gas on the stone throwers.

Few times, the border police unit came running and throw some tear gas canisters that did not deter the stone throwers.

As if in demonstration of indifference the police and army cars left their position behind the fence and went away.

Just to adhere to the protocol the border police near the big concrete blocks fired some tear gas grenade from their positions.

After a long while, when people and photographers started to return to the village the tear gas machine gun shoot a barrage of tear gas and most participants went away leaving some stone throwers kids behind.

The riddle was solved when it was even more extremely out of the usual in Ni'ilin, and the mild style was found to be staged for a big media recording.

Video clip of Friday 19.6.09 demonstration at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udmVhEbMdTQ

NI'ILIN

As per the Friday tradition, following lunchtime prayers a group of approximately 150 protesters set out to the route of the fence. Ni’lin residents were joined by 10 Israelis and about 20 internationals. The protesters reached the southern section of the fence, that cuts the village off from its olive groves, for the benefit of the Hashmona’im settlement, and were held up at the barbed-wire fence which prevents access to the route. With the help of bolt-cutters, the Shabab, (local youth) proceeded to take direct action (however symbolic) against the fence that was erected against their will in order to plunder their land. About 70 meters of barbed wire were thus dismantled, and the easy access to the electronic fence (rendered defenseless by the topographically-inferior route in this area, clearly exposing the state’s lies to the high court) enabled those members of the shabab with good aim to destroy some of the poles that contain the electronic equipment.

All through this, a group of soldiers and border police looked idly on, and did not intervene, as they usually do, by attacking the protesters. This raised some eyebrows, and the question was solved when a group of journalists and photographers showed up on the soldiers’ side. It seems that the army had staged a media event in order to demonstrate the leniency it employs during these protests, which begged the question of why has such a kind and lenient approach to policing led to the deaths of 5 protesters in Ni’lin in the last year. Some military jeeps then drove along the fence route, to serve as a convenient target for the stones of the Shabab, and the lenses of the media. After a couple of volleys of teargas fired from the jeep-top launchers, and a few gas grenades launched feebly, but by the book, by some soldiers (presumably to make the show a little less obvious), the demonstration dispersed, and most protesters went back to the village to participate at a wedding that to be held that evening.

Another Friday 12.6.2009 Ni'ilin video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqTtPiAqGMY

MA'ASARA (Um Salmuna etc.)

Monday, AAtW activists participated in the celebration in Beit Umar of the freedom of Mussa Abumaria - a central activist of the struggle against the separation fence in the region who was many months in Israeli administrative detention. At the evening there was a n organizational meeting:

1. media: we are trying to coordinate with the media (getting contacts with Palestinian media, and outside - of course each of us is recommended to translate the report and spread it in his own country) in order our report to be spread asap and to be reliable.
For the idea of a website al-Ma´sara will coordinate with Stop the Wall C.

2.involvement of more people: we focused mainly on women and university students. For the women, the idea is to have a demo of women in al-Ma´sara, that will be organized by Palestinian and Israeli women (Women Coalition for Peace). When and how are to be discussed. For uni students, a meeting will be organized the 25th, time and location to be decided yet.
We discussed also alternative and creative ways to hold future demonstrations, and activities to be done during the coming al-Ma´sara summer camp (mid July till august), with children.

Fryday´s demo:
This Friday there will be planting of olive trees in Artas, in the land that will be confiscated for the construction of the Apartheid Wall. After the activities transportation for al-Ma´sara demo will be provided.

A meeting is going to happen on coming Sunday, 16:00 at Beit Jalla regarding activities in the near future. They would like to have our cooperation on this.

AZUN

Hey, here the details: demo at Azoun Atma Gate to open the gate for non-Azoun residents. Start of demo this Friday at 1pm.

What was presented as an initiative of the local villages popular comities was found to be an initiative of a political party....

"Three cars left Tel Aviv to join a demonstration against the wall that surrounds Azun-Atme. We first met with members of the Qalqilia branch of the Palestinian communist party (PPP). We joined several internationals and were briefed by the locals.
Azun-Atme is entirely surrounded by the separation wall. Entry is permitted only to registered residents of the village. This restriction prevents any economic activity, and severs work and family ties with Qalqilia and the surrounding villages. The fence is a means to "dry out" the village and encourage a population transfer that would allow Israel to take over its land".

Sham politics: The usual authoritarian from up to down

The party members explained that this was a "pilot" demonstration and was therefore to be small in scale, without shabab, without local villagers and avoiding friction with the army. The stated purpose of the organizers was to turn the demo into a weekly protest with the participation of local villagers.

"After being offered coffee, party shirts and hats we left for the demonstration. About 11 Israelis, 8 internationals and 20 Palestinians gathered at the Azun-Atme gate. The army was suspiciously peaceful, the liaison office smiled throughout, no police or border patrol were called and the checkpoint operated smoothly throughout the demonstration. For over half an hour slogans were chanted and speeches made against the separation wall and in favor of Palestinian freedom. After absorbing a dangerous overdose of Palestinian sun the demonstration dispersed without conflicts.

Even stranger than the Bil'in and Ni'ilin state forces behavior this Friday.

SAFFA 20-6-09

Like in recent weeks, this Saturday we will went to Saffa in order
to join the local farmers in their agricultural work.

"Another 'joyful' Saturday withe the settler colonialists of Bat Ain...
It was the sixth consecutive Saturday that Israelis and international activists accompanied the Palestinian farmers in their disparate efforts to pick grapevine leafs at their vineyards. As usual, the settlers harassed them and the state forces expressed their objections to the Palestinians in unpleasant ways.

The day action ended with 7 people detained. They were taken to the Tunnels roadblock, but unexpectedly released there.

The first shock grenade was thrown by the border police gendarmes. Activists were dragged on the ground and were hit.

We succeeded to pick grapevine leaf for the whole 30 minutes..."

Pictures at: http://dada.israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/10900/index.php
Link to video clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIuMC5vkHUU

Palestine-Israel, The joint struggle continue and so is the international aspect of it.

2009-06-14T03:32:00.000-07:00

Just do Google/yahoo Bil'in + village; and on "Anarchists Against the Wall". The numbers doubled the last year. This week the AAtW activists joined others - including the American feminist organization "Code Pink Women for Peace" in the continuous struggle in Jerusalem, West bank, Tel Aviv and Gaza. Friday we were in the weekly demons in Bil'in, Ni'ilin, and Um Salmuna. On Saturday, Saffa again, to help the villagers to cultivate land near the colonialist settlement of Bat Ain and not to let these to grab more of their land. Saturday evening we held another meeting of the activists of AAtW initiative, to discuss 1. Money (debts and ways to cover them) 2. Legal (as state escalate repression lately) 3. Media 4. Future collaboration with organizations 5. Updates from meetings and from work groups.

BIL'IN

Yesterday, once again, demonstrators gathered in the village of Bil'in for the weekly protest against the wall and the settlements. Some 80 Palestinians were joined by roughly the same number of Israelis [of the Anarchists Against the Wall initiative] and internationals, including the Code Pink delegation from the USA, who have completed a week of activity in Israel-Palestine against the occupation and against the siege on Gaza. The delegation reached the villages earlier that day and met with the leaders of the popular committee, who told the delegation of the history of the struggle, and briefed them on how to deal with the foreseen army violence in the demonstration.
A little after noon, once the Friday prayer was over, demonstrators left the village center towards the illegal fence built on village lands, chanting slogans against the occupation and inviting US president Obama to come and see Israel's actions on the ground. The procession carried on in a steady and organized fashion until it reached the gate in the fence, where demonstrators held up their hands, calling upon the soldiers not to shoot upon the unarmed action against an illegal fence, branded such even by the Israeli High Court. In response the soldiers fired countless tear gas canisters, forcing most of the demonstrators to fall back.
The demonstration, however, went on for another hour, as some people tried to reason with the soldiers but were met with no more than tear gas and rubber-coated bullets. In one location a group of Israelis managed to make its way to the fence itself, and turned to the soldiers face-to-face. These, however, refused to talk to demonstrators.

Two protesters were injured and, as usual, me and dozens others suffered from gas inhalation. [More so this week due to unfriendly wind that caused me too to suffocated for few minutes].

NI'ILIN

Last week in Ni'ilin, Akel Srur was murdered by a sniper during the Friday demo. Saturday, we were invited and participated in Aqel's funeral. Link to video of the funeral: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDPoKD6aPL4

As it was important to show our support especially this week - even more than usual. About 20 of our experienced activists mobilized for to this Friday demo.

This Friday, state force were less belligerent as media focus was on Ni'ilin and the general political situation is sensitive. Thus, after a long while the demonstration was relatively peaceful and no one was injured.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyY8sJKaCP8&feature=channel

UM SALMUNA

About 80 villagers with few Israelis and many international activists participants, but without the members of the popular comity who are released on bail - restricting them from participation. As state forces commander changed latitude, there was not serious confrontation this Friday demonstration.
See also:
http://dada.israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/10869/index.php

SAFFA

The persistent (Tsumud) struggle to cultivate the fields near the colonialist settlement Bat Ain continue. In spite of the harassment of settlers (who yearn to take the land) and state forces that helps them, comrades traveled there from Tel Aviv, this Saturday too.

Today [Saturday], 3 international activists have been arrested near Chirbet Saffa (In Hebron area), while escorting farmers who have no access to their lands near the violent settlement Bat Ayin. (see article below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0PWVkpv29g
Another video from Saffa today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgviVqzdVrE

Saturday 13th, around 9 PM they will be brought to the Peace court in Jerusalem in the Russian compound in order to extend their arrest or releasing on bail and other restrictions.

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Hundreds come to commemorate 42 years of the occupation of Gaza- Tel Aviv, June 6
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/07/18600891.php part 2:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/07/18600908.php

The demonstration in Tel Aviv - link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0McApros4Y

graffiti on the apartheid wall-Palestine+ex soldier t-shirt proud of killing in Gaza
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/07/18600914.php

Palestine-Israel, The AAtW join the intensified struggle and the 42th "anniversary" of the 1967 war of occupation

2009-06-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

During the week we have been invited to two meetings, one in Biddu and in one in the Kalkilia area (Izbet Tabib). On Thursday we went to Bi'lin for the a demonstration of the 42nd "anniversary" of the 1967 war of occupation. On Friday, we participated in regular demos against the separation fence and occupation in Bil'in, Um Salmuna and Ni'ilin. In Ni'ilin the Israeli state force murdered Yousef Akil Srour (36) - the fifth martyr of this village. On Saturday AAtW comrades tried as usual to join the Saffa villagers trying to cultivate their land in spite of the attacks of the neighboring settler colonialists of Bat Ain. That day, 15 of us came to Ni'ilin for the funeral of Yousef Akil Srour. In Tel Aviv we had a 100 strong block in the demo of 42nd "anniversary" for the 1967 war.

NI'ILIN

Israeli forces kill Palestinian demonstrators in Ni’lin

Friday, 5 June 2009 Israeli forces have killed a demonstrator in the West Bank village of Ni’lin. Israeli army shot Yousef Akil Srour, aged 36 years in the chest with 0.22 caliber live ammunition. He was dead upon arrival to Ramallah Hospital.

Yousef Akil Srour is the 5th Palestinian to be killed by the Israeli army in Ni’lin during a demonstration against the theft of his land for the construction of the Annexation Wall.

Israeli forces also shot Mohammad Mouslah Mousa, aged 15 years, in the lower chest shortly after shooting Srour. He was taken to Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Ramallah. Another 3 demonstrators were shot too with live ammunition: one in the leg, one in the side and one in the shoulder. Yousef Akil Srour (36), was shot with 0.22 caliber live ammunition in the chest on 5 June 2009 and pronounced dead upon arrival at Ramallah hospital.

In spite of the participation of the Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall in all demonstrations a total of 35 people have already been shot there by Israeli forces with live ammunition (killing three of the five Martyrs). Numerous others were injured by tear gas canisters and rubber coated metal bullets (which penetrate the body when shot from short range). AAtW activists (one of whom had to be operated on in hospital) were not immune from being shot at.

Ni'ilin Friday 5-6-09 - Yusuf Aqel Srur was killed by sniper - link to video

Detailed report and picture of Yousef Akil Srour on:
http://awalls.org/akal_srur_murdered_by_israeli_border_police_sniper_during_the_friday_demonstration_in_nilin

Media article at:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1244035008060&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

BIL'IN

Thursday, 4 June 2009 at 11am: The Popular Committees, along with the Ministry of Agriculture, call for a demonstration against the construction of Settlements and the Apartheid Wall.

International activists and few of the AAtW participated in it too.

On Friday we participated as usual in the 224th demo:

R. W reported: "Approximately 20 Israelis and 10 internationals joined several dozens of Palestinians for the weekly demonstration in Bil'in. The demonstration followed yesterday's big demonstration commemorating 42 years since the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. The demonstrators marched with huge Fatah and Arafat yellow flags, and were escorted by a pick-up truck with sound gear playing national songs and orchestrating the slogans against the occupation and in praise of Allah. While most demonstrators were still on their way to the fence, the army used their multi-canister cannon to flood the area with gas, immediately turning the demonstration into a clash between the few stone throwing shabab at the front and the army's gas canisters, shock grenades and rubber bullets. The army's ammunition caused several small fires in areas adjacent to the separation fence. The demonstrators tried to change their position according to the wind and army deployment in order to maintain the demonstration. I know of one person injured from a rubber coated metal bullet, one from a direct hit of a gas canister, and several who needed treatment for gas inhalation. When we were about to leave the village, we heard of the murder of the demonstrator Aqel Srur in Ni'lin"

Bil'in Friday 5.6.09 demo video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqR2YKjnQg4

UM SALMUNA (Ma'asara region - south of Bethlehem)

As the belligerent Israeli state force commander was replaced, the demonstration was very peaceful - no beating no tear gas, no shooting and no arrests.

SAFFA

Like every Saturday in the past few weeks, we were going to Saffa
this Saturday to join the local farmer in their work. This Friday the state forces succeeded to block the way of our comrades and arrested few of them.

Detailed report and pictures at:
http://awalls.org/farmers_and_activists_attacked_by_settlers_and_the_army

TEL AVIV

Friday, activists participated in the protest against the Jewish gentrification of Palestinian remnants of Jaffa (annexed to Tel Aviv municipality long ago). On Saturday evening, June 6, 2009, at 6.00 pm, a protest demonstration was planned by a wide anti-occupation coalition - to mark the 42nd anniversary of the occupation and say a loud and clear NO to the plans and policies of the Netanyahu-Lieberman-Barak government.

In the demo, about 100 strong anarchists and oldie antiauthoritarians of the left marched as a block with headed with our banners, our samba drumming band and the clown troop. We We chanted all the way about occupation and the murder in Ni'ilin the day before.

Palestine-Israel, Six years of joint struggle against the separation fence and still going strong

2009-06-01T03:26:00.000-07:00

Since spring 2003 Masha joint camp against the separation fence the anarchists against the fence is thriving. In addition to the regular Friday demonstrations against the separation fence in Bil'in, Ni'ilin, and Um Salmuna, we join other initiatives in the Israeli south (Bedouin), West Bank south (Saffa), and the Jerusalem region. Last Fridays around 60 activists were mobilized with the AAtW initiative to the various joint demonstrations.
The focus of the activity was this week too in Bil'in which mourn the murder of Bassem six weeks ago. The popular committee of Bil'in invited us to take part in a commemoration event marking 40 days for the death of Bassem (el Pheel). We also participated in the Thursday planing meeting to mobilize for the big demo in his memory this Friday.

BIL,IN

About 40 Israelis and similar number of internationals converged in Bil'in. After the Friday prayers, the people began the weekly demonstration, which commemorated the martyr Bassem Abu Rahma. Many put on the mask of Bassem on their faces. Some carrying metal shields, with his pictures, in order to protect themselves and others from Israeli fire.

Just when we came near the gate of the separation fence the state force started as usual to shower us with tear gas. As response, few of the youngsters threw back tear gas grenades that failed to explode when first thrown on us. This and the fact that the wind was mostly from the North-East, the state force got lot of tear gas and failed in their efforts to make us stop the demonstration before the village comity anounced the end of it.

Bil'in 29-5-09 link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp34ge6uZNI

Bil'in: http://dada.israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/10829/index.php

NI,ILIN

In the village of Nilin around 150 demonstrators gathered after the Friday praying and start marching toward the fence, when the demonstrators arrived at the fence they were attacked by the army with tear gas and rubber coated bullets. As a result of the army violence clashes between the army and stone throwers started. After couple of hours of clashes from both sides of the fence the demonstration ended.

UM SALMUNA (Ma’asara)

Today, once again, the peaceful protest in this village near Bethlehem was met by Israeli soldiers with guns and a razor wire blocking the road. The razor wire at the exit road of Al Ma'sara set up by the Israeli army denies the people their right to access their land.
This week around 80 people marched to show their support for Al Ma'sara and to defend basic human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Locals were joined by Israelis and internationals as well as two members of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) and a French group of elected members of town councils in Normandy.
The organizers of the protest, the Al-Ma'sara Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, held speeches calling for the urgent need for Israel to oblige to international law and decisions on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Other speeches were held in Arabic, Hebrew and English, in addition to a powerful speech held in French by a member of a mission from Normandy visiting Palestine. The mission aims to promote cooperation between local town councils in France and their Palestinian counterparts.
Men and women, young and old, both villagers and people coming from different parts of the world joined the cheering and chanting for a free Palestine. During the protest, two Palestinian women managed to cross the razor wire military obstacle while others were holding it down. Waving the Palestinian flag they walked down the road that for which they should have the inevitable right to do so. Others were prevented by the Israeli soldiers to cross the razor wire.

SAFFA

2 Palestinians, 5 Israelis Arrested During Farmer Action in Saffa

Saturday, May 30, Palestinian farmers from the Soleiby family were joined by activists from Palestine Solidarity Project, Anarchists Against the Wall, and Ta’ayush to work land near the Bat ‘Ain settlement, in Gush Etzion. Activists have been accompanying farmers in the area recently since an attack on the settlement on April 2 led to settler riots and attacks on farmers. The settlers attacked the Palestinians and the Israelis and the state forces arrested 5 Palestinians and two Israeli activists:
3 Israelis who agree to conditions of two weeks restriction from the demos were released in the police station. The Palestinian teenagers were released too at Saturday night.

"Two of the Israeli activists Amiel V. and Shai G. who refused to accept the restriction conditions remain in jail. They will be taken to the Jerusalem court tomorrow morning. If you can come to the court and show your support it would be very appreciated".

here some link of what happened in saffa today

http://dada.israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/10827/index.php
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2009/05/31/2-palestinians-5-israelis-arrested-during-farmer-action-in-saffa/
http://ibnezra.wordpress.com/
http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/1/1493815&m=1

Sunday: After refusing twice to accept the police conditions, the two Israelis Amiel and Shai were released this morning without any conditions.

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Israeli soldiers attack activists and Palestinians in Safa, West Bank-three parts. + weekly demonstration against the wall

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/30/18599416.php

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/30/18599401.php

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/31/18599528.php

weekly demonstration against the wall, Friday May 29, Bil'in

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/30/18599429.php