- For pictures see: http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/05/12/israeli-soldiers-shoots-
two-foreigners-in-the-head-at-bilin/
-
- "I saw blood gushing out of his
head, and helped bandage it. As we were getting him into the ambulance
an Israeli soldier grabbed his long hair and they all tried to stop him
from leaving in the ambulance even though they knew he was injured",
said American eyewitness Zadie Susser who saw Phil sitting in shock immediately
after he was hit.
-
- At today's Bil'in demonstration, Israeli
soldiers shot seven Palestinians with rubber coated metal bullets. One
Australian and one Danish demonstrator were hospitalised after being shot
in the head with rubber-coated steel bullets at close range.
-
- AFP Cameraman Jamal Al Aruri was shot
in the hand with a rubber coated bullet while he was filming two of his
fingers were broken. Adeba Yasin (65) was hit by a rubber coated bullet
under her eye while she was sitting on the balcony of her home.
-
- Phil Reess from Australia was shot as
he was running away - he had been filming the demonstration. BJ Lund from
Denmark was also shot as he was standing near army jeeps.
-
- Both Phil and BJ are currently in Tel
Hashomer hospital in Tel-Aviv. The bullet caused a hemorrhage to Phil's
brain, though he is now conscious. BJ required stitches to the head.
-
- Abed Al Karim Khatib(60) was hit by a
rubber coated bullet in his private parts, Abed Albased Abu Rahme (15)
was hit on his thigh by a rubber coated bullet and Waleed Mahmoud Abu Rahme
(20) was hit in his abdomen by a rubber coated bullet. Mohammad Ahmad Issa
was hit in the leg with a rubber bullet. Wajdi shokut (18) was hit by a
rubber coated bullet in the hand.
-
- Ashraf Muhammed Jamal(24) was hit by
a tear gas canister aimed at his head.
-
- Abdullah Abu-Rahme (35 and the Co-ordinatior
of the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall), Muhammad Al Katib (32,
also from the Popular Committee) and Akram Al Katib (34) were beaten.
-
- The demonstration of about 300 people
had marched, singing, chanting and waving flags to the gate in the apartheid
barrier. This week, the gate had been locked open, so the Israeli soldiers
relied on their jeeps and barbed wire to stop the people of Bil'in from
walking into their land. After a while, some of the demonstrators started
to open the barbed wire.
-
- The Israeli soldiers started hitting
people with clubs. A few rocks were thrown from a small group of youth
who were away from the main demonstration in front of the jeeps. The soldiers
then started firing on the peaceful demonstrators at near point-blank range
as they were running away - they were a maximum distance of 10 meters away
when shot.
-
- According to Israeli Human Rights group
B'Tselem, Israeli Military Regulations stipulate that "the minimum
range for firing rubber-coated steel bullets is forty meters. The Regulations
emphasize that the bullets must be fired only at the individual's legs,
and are not to be fired at children" Israeli soldiers fire rubber-coated
steel bullets at Palestinian children during the Bil'in demonstration every
week. Israeli demonstrator Matan Cohen was recently shot in the eye during
a demonstration in Beit Sira. He now has only partial sight in that eye.
-
- The Israeli military usually uses rubber
bullets during demonstrations when Israeli and international activists
are present. When Palestinians demonstrate on their own the military
uses live ammunition or rubber coated steal bullets.
-
- On Sunday, May 14, the Israeli Supreme
Court will hear Bil'in's legal challenge over the theft of their land by
the illegal wall.
-
- Bili'in villagers have been protesting
the wall nonviolently for the last 15 months and have become a symbol of
Palestinian-Israeli-International cooperation.
-
- The route of the wall in Bil'in is designed
to annex the settlement of Modi'n Elite and it's outpost, Matityahu Mizrah,
to Israel along with the land belonging to Bil'in so that these illegal
settlements can continue to grow.
-
- In a separate court case obrought by
the village and Peace Now against the new settlement of Matityahu Mizrah,
the High Court was told of a land-laundering scheme that allowed the real-estate
dealers and settler organizations to convert private land - "purchased"
sometimes through dubious means - into "state land.." Then, before
the construction of the separation barrier, the land was "returned"
to the buyers so that they could establish facts on the ground and press
the Defense Ministry into moving the route of the fence to the east of
the new illegal neighborhood.
-
- After being prodded by the Supreme Court,
the Israel Police's National Fraud Squad opened a criminal investigation
into the illegal construction of hundreds of housing units in the Matityahu
East "neighborhood" of the Modi'in Ilit settlement.
-
- According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz,
hundreds of millions of dollars are believed to have changed hands in the
affair.
-
- ===
-
- ISM Updates http://www.palsolidarity.org
-
- 1.Mohammed Saqer Escapes Death 2. Shofat
Camp Non violent action for Right to Worship Successful 3. Bil'in: Un-cage
Palestine! 4.Border Police Lash Out 5. Police probe building of West Bank
settlement neighborhood 6. Tel Rumeida Journal 7. At last, a peaceful Shabbat
in Tel Rumeida 8. "That terrible feeling inside " 9. Tul Karem
to Rammalah3 road blocks, 5 check-points, 7 cars
-
-
- 1.Mohammed Saqer Escapes Death-
From Israeli Bullet to the Brain May 2nd, 2006
-
- An update from ISM activists in Nablus
on Mohammed Saqer (17), the boy shot in the head a week ago with a rubber-coated
metal bullet by the Israeli army:
-
- After being kept in a medically induced
coma for 72 hours following emergency brain surgery Mohammed successfully
regained consciousness and, amazingly, is able to talk. This is an extremely
positive development given the original opinion of his doctor that he was
likely to be seriously brain damaged, if able to regain consciousness at
all.
-
- His improvement has been so rapid he
has been transfered to the "intermediate intensive care" unit.
-
- His entire family are ecstatic, including
his mother and aunt who kept a bedside vigil during his coma and was distraught
at the seriousness of his condition. The family said that when he fully
came out of coma he opened his eyes and immediately said "Marhaba"
- arabic for hello!
-
- This is the second time in two years
Mohammed has been shot in the head by Israeli forces, and as his aunt said
at the time "The first time was much better. Now, I think its worse.
It's bad".
-
- Certainly, even though he is alive, awake
and able to talk he needs constant medical attention and his long term
condition is not known. He cannot move the left side of his body and it
is uncertain what mobility he will regain. But his delighted mother said
his situation is improving everyday.
-
- Extraordinarily he asked us how we were
doing, even greeting us in English and asking our names. He talked of how
he hopes he will be better soon and how we can visit him in his home in
Askar Refugee camp saying "You are always welcome at my home"
As ISM activist Lauren says "It is really amazing that he is even
alive. It was surreal to even talk to him. What a miracle that he will
laugh and smile again."
-
-
- 2. Shofat Camp Non violent action for
Right to Worship Successful
-
- May 5th, 2006
-
- For photos please see http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/05/05/shofat-families-first-
demonstration-for-right-to-worship-successful-tear-gassed-by-iof/
-
- Residents of Shofat refugee camp in Jerusalem,
along with international and Israeli supporters, today demonstrated non-violently
against the Israeli Border Polices' often violent suppression of the camps
residents' right to cross the checkpoint at the camp entrance to pray in
Al-Aqsa Mosque on Fridays.
-
- Palestinian men women and children marched
peacefully alongside Israeli and international activists to the checkpoint
carrying banners declaring their right to worship at Al Aqsa Mosque and
protesting against construction of the Apartheid Wall next to the Camp.
-
- Upon reaching the checkpoint Border Police
and soldiers, including two mounted officers, attempted to physically block
the marchers' progress. The residents' leaders asked the Border Police
commander why they could not pass and complained about the denial of a
basic human right. Unprovoked by any aggression on the part of the demonstrators,
the Israeli forces resorted to using sound bombs and tear gas.
-
- Scared but undaunted, the Camp residents
continued to press their right to worship and accompanied by Israelis and
Internationals over 60 people were able to make their way past the checkpoint,
despite continued harassment by the Border Police.
-
- Local resident Ibrahim said: "I
am grateful for the people who joined with us today. It's a first step
and we will continue to demonstrate as long as they treat us this way.
Today, they held back because of the presence of press and internationals,
normally they are asking 10 yr old boys for documents or will not let them
pass [documentation is not issued by Israeli authorities to Palestinian
children until age 13] and they always treat worshippers brutally. They
refuse to let buses through so the people have to go by foot whether it
is hot or raining. It's real suffering every day"
-
- Residents of the camp have been complaining
for many months about the behavior of the Border Police in the camp, which
included cursing, pushing, beating and throwing concussion grenades. These
are common procedures at the checkpoint at the entrance to the camp. The
situation deteriorates in particular on Fridays when many worshipers try
to go to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Border Police attack those waiting in line
with particularly harsh violence. The violence of the Border Police in
the camp is not limited only to the checkpoint. In the previous months
Border Policemen have injured dozens of residents, mostly children. Among
them is Abdel Malek Zalbani, an 8 year old child, who was critically wounded
by a concussion grenade thrown during a demonstration against the wall.
-
- The violent behavior of the Border Police
in the Jerusalem area is not a new phenomenon. In East Jerusalem the last
year alone, Samir Dhari from Essawiya and Mahmood Swara from Noaaman have
been murdered by Border Policemen. This violence would not be possible
without the agreement of silence by all the parties involved, primarily
Marhash (the department for investigating Police), which is not attempting
even to pretend to have an investigation in response to the many complaints
that have been filed in the last year.
-
-
-
- 3. Bil'in: Un-cage Palestine! May 5th,
2006
-
- For photos see : http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/05/05/bilin-un-cage-palestine/
May 5th- The non-violent demonstration against the Apartheid Wall on the
land of Bil'in village this week was themed around the economic siege of
Palestine by western powers. Israeli and international activists with pictures
of western leaders taped to their chests carried a barbed-wire cage in
which a Palestinian dressed in Palestinian flags was symbolically trapped.
This was to signify the fact that Palestine is being made a prison created
by the Israeli state and it's western financiers.
-
- The demonstration reached the fence gate
which was closed to prevent the villagers accessing their own land. As
has been the case for the last few weeks, the Israeli military enforced
the closure of the gate by lining up jeeps and Border Police behind it.
The demonstrators with the cage tried to open the gate and pass, but were
prevented by the Border Police who beat those who got close to them with
clubs. After a short while of trying this, the demonstrators gave up and
instead dumped the cage on a jeep.
-
- As was the case last week, the chanting
group of demonstrators was broken up when the Border Police threw sound
bombs at us. In response, several shebab from the village started throwing
stones at the soldiers, who then opened fire on them with rubber-coated
metal bullets. Most of the demonstrators moved out of the way of this unequal
crossfire, shouting at the soldiers to stop firing at children, or talking
to them in Hebrew to the same effect. Some from the village Popular Committee
convinced the shebab to stop throwing stones. The demonstration regrouped
and some tried to start a noise demo (banging in rhythm on a metal barrier
which is part of the barrier), but the soldiers tried to arrest one of
them - an international activist. Israeli international and Palestinian
demonstrators prevented the arrest, simply by piling on the international.
The soldiers gave up after a short while. After a while, the demonstration
was declared over by the Popular Committee. The demonstration left peacefully,
making sure that the military jeeps were prevented from following us. Shebab
from the village exchanged stones with tear gas and rubber-coated metal
bullets with the soldiers.
-
- No one was arrested this week. One Israeli
demonstrator was mildly bruised (we think by a ricocheting rubber-bullet).
-
-
-
- 4.Border Police Lash Out April 28th,
2006
-
- For photos please see the link below:
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/04/28/1063/ For Audio Report: https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/media/2006/04/339190.mp3
-
- April 28th - The weekly non-violent demonstration
against the Wall in Bil'in was attacked by the Israeli soldiers, as usual.
The demonstrators reached the gate in the annexation wall that is stealing
some 60% of the village's land. The gate was blocked by several jeeps with
Israeli border police standing on top and menacingly waving their clubs
and pointing their M16 rifles at the demonstrators.
-
- The crowd of Palestinians, Israelis and
internationals chanted and sang against the wall and called on the soldiers
to leave the village. Mohammed Khatib of the Bil'in Popular Committee Against
the Wall and Settlements stood on the gate and was beaten by three soldiers
at once, seriously bruising him on the arms. Several other Palestinians
were also beaten, although there ended up being no arrests this week.
-
- Eventually, the military dispersed the
demonstration using sound grenades, which, in conjunction with the beatings,
provoked a few stones from some of the shabab. The soldiers then shot rubber
bullets and teargas at the crowd. A 14 year old boy was wounded and Many
tear gas suffered from tear gas inhalation.
-
- This exchange repeated itself few times.
Each time most of the demonstrators moved out of the line of fire. Israelis
and internationals tried to stay close to the soldiers at the sides, talking
to them and shouting at them - trying to convince them to stop shooting
at children. The presence of internationals and Israelis, along with large
amounts of journalists and photographers means that they rarely use live
ammunition, unlike in places such as Nablus. There, very few internationals
and press are present, and they regularly use live rounds against unarmed
protesters - often children.
-
- The Popular Committee is expecting the
Wall in Bil'in to be completed in July, so they now fear an escalation
in the oppression of the army against the village - in terms of both arrests
and general levels of violence used against the villagers. Abdullah Abu-Rahme,
co-ordinator of the Popular Committee called for as many Israelis and internationals
as possible to join them now - both on the weekly demonstrations and to
stay overnight in the village and the outpost to act as an presence in
case of army entering the village.
-
-
-
- 5. Police probe building of West Bank
settlement neighborhood April 27th, 2006
-
- By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent
27/04/2006
-
- For the original article See: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/709887.html
The Israel Police's National Fraud Squad has opened a criminal investigation
into the illegal construction of hundreds of housing units in the Matityahu
East neighborhood of the Modi'in Ilit ultra-Orthodox settlement. A statement
to this effect was submitted on Tuesday to the High Court of Justice in
response to an injunction issued at the request of the Peace Now movement.
-
- The police investigation is focusing
on Modi'in Ilit council head Yaakov Gutterman, other senior council officials,
entrepreneurs and large construction companies, Jewish real estate dealers
who acquired privately owned Palestinian land, lawyers and settler organizations
involved in "land redemption."
-
- Hundreds of millions of dollars are believed
to have changed hands in the affair.
-
- According to police suspicions, a lawyer
at one of the settler organizations purchased the land in question based
on an affidavit submitted by the mukhtar of Bil'in, who claimed that because
of the security situation, he was unable to get to the village and collect
the signatures of the landowners.
-
- During the course of Tuesday's legal
debate, the High Court was told of a land-laundering system that allowed
the real-estate dealers and settler organizations to convert private land
- purchased sometimes through dubious means - into "state land."
Ahead of the construction of the separation fence in the area, the land
was "returned" to the buyers so that they could establish facts
on the ground and press the Defense Ministry into moving the route of the
fence to the east of the new neighborhood.
-
- Peace Now attorney Michael Sfarad, who
is also representing residents of Bil'in on whose land Matityahu East is
being built, has provided the state with documents allegedly indicating
that Gutterman and other council officials had a hand in illegal construction
on an unprecedented scale. The documents include a letter in which the
council's legal advisor warns the council engineer that entrepreneurs are
constructing "entire buildings without permits, with your full knowledge
and in total disregard for planning process and the law."
-
- Furthermore, a report sent to the Interior
Ministry by the council's comptroller notes that construction in the new
project is going ahead contrary to the state's approved urban master plan.
-
- Following a Haaretz report on the affair
early in the year, and in keeping with a directive from the State Attorney's
Office, the Civil Administration in the West Bank took over law enforcement
duties at the new building sites in the settlement, issuing injunctions
to cease all the construction work and sending out inspectors to ensure
that these were upheld. At the same time, the head of Peace Now's Settlement
Watch unit, Dror Etkes, submitted complaints to the police against all
those involved in the affair.
-
- At Tuesday's High Court debate, the state
said it had no objection to extending the construction ban, but said it
was opposed to razing the illegal structures that had already been completed
or were near completion. The state also said it saw no cause to evict individuals
who had already moved into their apartments.
-
-
-
- 6. Tel Rumeida Journal May 4th, 2006
For photos see: http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/04/28/settlers-vandalise-
school-property-in-tel-rumeida/
-
- Monday, April the 24th
-
- Today was a quiet day. Volunteers doing
a lot of work preparing for the press conference on Wednesday. A Press
release and open letter to the police and army about rising settler violence
are being drafted.
-
- Jerusalem Post visit Tel Rumeida and
visit two families who recount stories of settler and IDF violence. I hope
their words get through to the journalists because it is obviously painful
for the people to tell their stories. While we are with the journalists
and international and a Palestinian are spat at and threatened by settler
children on Schuhada Street.
-
- Tuesday, April the 25th
-
- The morning school run goes well. Three
settler visitors wearing the orange threads signifying opposition to disengagement
come to talk to the soldiers.
-
- As we are leaving a soldier comes to
check our passports, he grabs our passports out of our hands and tells
us we are being detained. We try to reason with him but he is obviously
intent on causing us as much trouble as he can. In the end five internationals
from CPT and ISM are detained for three hours at the Bab-a-Zawiyye Machsom.
After three hours the shift changes and we are released immediately - it
is patently obvious that this particular soldier does not like the internationals
and wants to cause as much trouble as he can, his peers do not seem to
share his animosity.
-
- The Jerusalem Post are here again and
watch what we on the school run with interest. Surely they must wonder
why so many internationals are needed to watch this group of schoolchildren
walking home.
-
- The soldiers stationed near the Tel Rumeida
settlement stop three schoolgirls from walking home. The family that these
girls belong to has won a court battle for access to the land below the
Tel Rumeida settlement. However, today the soldiers are not aware that
the family have permission to use the path to their home and they have
to wait by the guards post dangerously close to the settlement buildings.
A settler child emerges and throws a stone before he is shooed away by
the soldier. This exact same situation occurred last week and could be
avoided if IDF soldiers were properly briefed.
-
- Wednesday April the 26th
-
- Settlers from Beit Hadassa settlement
in Tel Rumeida on the outskirts of the old city of Hebron vandalised a
school path at Qurtuba school which is used by local Palestinian children.
The path was being built with money from TIPH (Temporary International
Presence in Hebron). The builders had just laid bricks along the path above
Beit Hadassa settlement.
-
- At 2pm on April 26th builders had stones
thrown at them by children from Beit Hadassa. Shortly afterwards international
Human Rights Workers (HRWs) saw an adult settler looking at the building
work and making several calls on his mobile phone. Between 6 and 7pm yesterday
a group of 20 adults and children from Beit Hadassa climbed the steps to
the school and began tearing up the bricks and throwing them down the steps.
Soldiers are stationed at a guardpost 50 feet away. Local Palestinians
said soldiers did try to intervene but did not stop the vandalism. Police
attended but no arrests were made.
-
-
-
- 7. At last, a peaceful Shabbat in Tel
Rumeida May 4th, 2006
-
- This Saturday, the 30th of April everybody
was apprehensive about further settler attacks. Over the last three shabbats
settlers have mounted more and more organised attacks against internationals
and Palestians in Tel Rumeida. There was a large intrernational presence
in response.
-
- Internationals and Palestinans have been
active this last week in trying to draw attention to the increasing level
of violence in Tel Rumeida. On Wednesday a conference was held highlighting
the escalating violence and an open letter was sent asking the police and
army to protect Palestinans in Tel Rumeida.
-
- Throughout the week international volunteers
have been speaking to the army units in Tel Rumeida and impressing on them
the danger posed by settler attacks and asking that they intervene if attacks
occur.
-
- Settler violence has been covered in
the mainstream media including the Jerusalem Post and some TV stations.
-
- On Wednesday an organised group of settlers
attacked workers at Qurtuba school in Tel Rumeida and later destroyed school
property. Palestinians and internationals made calls to the DCO and the
police asking for more policing near the school.
-
- On Saturday an unprecedented number of
border police were present at Qurtuba school stationed close to the place
where the attack occurred on Wednesday. We can only assume that at least
some of our efforts were worthwhile.
-
- The day passed without any trouble whatsoever.
It seems that the large numbers of police coupled with the numbers of internationals
and the fact that the settlers know that the media is watching has had
a preventative effect. My only hope is that we an maintain a focus on Tel
Rumeida in weeks to come.
-
-
-
- 8. "That terrible feeling inside
" April 30th, 2006
-
- By Leila ALHaddad from Gaza For the photo
please see the link below: http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/04/30/that-terrible-feeling-
inside/ or a-mother-from-gaza.blogspot.com/
-
- Ok I admit I've been a little lazy this
week. Part of that is has to do with the fact that, wrapped up in my pre-travel
anxiety as it were, and my mad rush to tie up as many loose ends as possible
and write as much as possible, I think I burnt myself out.
-
- That and being here can be overwhelming
at times; this week has been one of those times. Sometimes I'm too caught
up to notice, but then on a "down" week, it catches up to me.
I feel powerless, even crushed, in the face of an ugly, foreboding, larger
than life force that seems to grow and mutate with every passing day. It
is everywhere and nowhere at once. And try as you might, you cannot hide
from it.
-
- It squeezes you tighter and tighter,
instilling within you a feeling of helplessness and dejection and isolation,
until you begin to feel you are alone, even among 1.5 million others. And
there is nothing you can do about it.
-
- Sometimes I don't want to do anything
about it. I just want to run away, somewhere I hope it can't reach me.
Sit on the beach, listen to the troubled stories that the Gaza's lonely
Mediterranean is desperately trying to tell. "Take me to the beach
at sunset, so I may listen what the beach says.when it returns to itself,
calmly, calmly."
-
- Yousuf frolicked about in the sand, building
and destroying his imaginary creations, pleased with his new-found prowess.
He glanced over at me, sensed something of sadness in my eyes, and patted
me on the shoulder-"ma3lsh, mama, ma3lish" he said. "It's
ok".and suddenly, just like that, everything was.
-
-
-
- 9. Tulkarm to Ramallah: 3 road blocks,
5 check-points, 7 cars April 29th, 2006
-
- by Abdel-Karim Dalbah
-
- How long does it take to travel from
the north-east of the West Bank, to the centre? In such a small area of
land, you might think not long. A Palestinian ISM co-ordinator gives an
account of a the realities of trying to get out of the prison that the
Israeli military is turning the north into.
-
- An average journey Drive distance: 90
km Drive time: 90 min max - directly in one car. Cost: 15 shekels by bus
or 20 to 25 shekels by car (service) On the 23rd of April 2006 and for
more than five months Drive distance: more than 300 km Drive time + walking
+ waiting at checkpoints: 5 hrs, 30 min Cost: 65 Shekels WHY Because of
the Israeli policies of closure and checkpoints and the fact that I am
a Palestinian from Tulkarm (in the north of the West Bank). HOW I left
my home at 8:30 am and walked to the bus station. There were no buses,
and no direct cars so I had to take the sevice to Innap checkpoint (15
km east). Before we reached it, we were stopped by a flying checkpoint
after 5 km. We waited about 15 min in a long line of cars before our driver
decided to go back and take another road, going around the checkpoint.
This added another 15 min as we had to go 200m east around the check point
and continue to Innap (the main checkpoint). We reached Innap and waited
there about 15 min when the soldier came and told our driver that it was
forbidden for anyone to pass today. So the he had to use another road to
drive around . We reached a road-block just 1 km east of the checkpoint.
The cost had increased from 5 to 10 shekels by then.
-
- The end of the first part.
-
- When we reached the road-block we had
to walk about 200 m to cross it. We started waiting for a car to take us
to Ramallah. When one arrived the driver was asking for 50 shekels each
which is too much - it's normally 20 or 30 maximum. After 10 minutes, I
took a taxi with four others to a village called Funkuk, halfway to Ramallah.
This cost 10 shekels each. From there, a taxi driver offered to take us
to Borgeen road block for another 10 shekels. We agreed to this but after
driving for about 20 minutes we were stopped by another flying checkpoint
near Haris. The soldiers prevented us from passing, so the driver took
us back to Funduk. He offered another choice - to try another long road
through different villages. Along the way we had to get out of the car
several times because the parallel road we were taking to avoid the road-blocks
was so rough. After driving more than an hour we reached the Borgeen road
block - it cost 20 shekels to get there.
-
- The end of the second step.
-
- After we passed the road blocks, we felt
like we were about to reach Ramallah, taking one last service. However,
the drivers said not it would not be that simple. The soldiers at Attara
checkpoint near Bir Zeit were apparently not allowing people from the north
of the West Bank to get into Ramallah.
-
- However, at the road-block before Attara,
we would be able to pass and then get another car to Ramallah. What should
we do? We agreed to this plan and drove (10 shekels each) to Attara checkpoint
which we reached after 45 minutes, passing through some villages that I've
never been though before. Instead of a car waiting on the other side of
the road block there was a Border Police jeep which stopped anyone from
being near by. We stayed there about 30 minutes, trying to pass though
the main checkpoint, at first with a taxi and then by trying to speak to
the commander. We tried to point out to him that we were all over forty
years of age. After a long time he said "sorry. You can go and try
to get in through Qalandya". When we asked about going that way we
discovered that it would cost 20 shekels more.
-
- The end of the third part.
-
- Eventually, we decided not to go that
way but also not to go back since by this point we were less than 4 km
from Ber Zeit [which is just north of Ramallah]. Instead, we decided to
get past by walking. This meant we had to go over the mountain - but we
would have to pass away from the checkpoint so that the soldiers at the
military tower couldn't see us. So after we had walked about 3 km, we finally
reached Ber Zeit town, from which we caught a car for only 4 shekels each.
We finally reached Ramallah at 2:30 pm, tired and hungry, but happy.
-
- The end of the fourth step.
-
- The ministry of education was closed,
where I needed to go to sign a paper for my sister. I missed it for today.
I also missed the training of new ISMers, so I decided to go to my nephew's
house to have a rest for a while, but because I was so tired I slept for
about 2 hours. The day is over.
-
- I spent the next day doing some work
till 6.00pm before I went back to the car station to leave for Tulkarm.
After 15 minutes the car filled up and we drove directly to Tulkarm. On
the way we passed through the roads that were forbidden for us to pass
on the way to Ramallah. Not one check-point stopped us! One of the men
in the car said "it is very easy to get into the prison".
-
- This situation has lasted for over five
moths for Tulkarm and Jenin residents - it is a collective punishment.
The Israeli government claims this is for security reasons.
-
- _____
-
- Thank you for your continued interest
and support for the International Solidarity Movement!
-
- Please consider a financial donation
to help continue the important work of the ISM. You may donate securely
online at our website: http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/donations
|
