One IOF Violation of Human Rights Intensifies

Thank you Davboz for commenting on my blog. It is always good to engage in debates, especially when it is between a Palestinian blogging and an Israeli who likes commenting on Palestinian and anti-Zionist blogs - and who has no blog of his own, only a bloggers ID. So, I hope to see you here again - with friends if you like - and lets debate.
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The central focus of this post is the Bil’in weekly peaceful demonstrations against the building of the Wall and the annexing of Palestinian land, brought as an example of the violation of the freedom of speech and expression by the Israeli Occupation Forces against the demonstrators.

It seems that the IOF were instructed to harden their blows on the Bil’in demo. It has been the trend, since the July war on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. The demonstrations have been going on since January 2005. Ever since and the demonstrators have been met with rubber-coated metal bullets, sound grenades, gas bombs, physical abuse, verbal abuse and arrest squads.



Basque Nationalist Musical group met with bullets and sound grenades
The Basque musical group joined Palestinians, internationals and Israelis in the Bili’n weekly demonstration on the 7th of July. They dressed in full fest costumes and carried bells on their lower backs, keeping the beat for the march that headed towards the Israeli gate in the Wall, which leads to the villages agricultural lands.
The Basques expressed their solidarity with the Palestinians and support for their resistance; "we too have been fighting an occupation of our lands for generations".
The arm manning the location threw tear-gas and sound grenades at the demonstrators and used rubber bullets. They also intended to arrest twice Iyad Buranat, a member of the Bil’in committee against the wall and settlements. The soldiers physically abused the Palestinians who came to his aid.
The demonstration ended with five reported injuries;
"Ahmed Mohammed Hamad, 55, of Bil’in suffered damage to his right ear from a sound bomb.
Mohammed Katib, 33, member of the Bil’in committee against the wall and settlements, suffered bruises and tears to the skin in his left torso from soldiers roughing him up.
Michael, 23, from the US, suffered tears in the skin of his forearms from shrapnel from a sound bomb. His right forearm was damaged when he was thrown by one soldier against another’s shield with extreme force.
Ashraf , 22, of Tulkarem, suffered a rubber bullet to his upper left thigh as he was walking by the soldiers.
Khaled, 18, of Bil’in, was hit with a rubber bullet in the leg.



Palestinian Wedding as part of the Demo Interrupted
Mansour and Iman, two happy couple from Bil’in, celebrated their wedding ceremony as part of the 14th of July Bil’in protest. The army manning the gate in the Wall to the village’s fields prevented the procession from holding the wedding celebration amongst the olive trees.
Few rocks were thrown at the Israeli military vehicles that said to activate a response from the soldiers. However, the response lasted for an hour and an incursion on the Bil’in village and ended up injuring 26 participants, including the bride.
The soldiers used sound grenades and brutal physical abuse against some protesters.

Injuries - 14 July
The bride was hit in the face, across the right jaw with a baton and afterward dragged back in a chokehold, her dress stained with dirt.
Yosi, an Israeli activist, was severely beaten and immobile.
The first round of injuries were from sound bombs:
Fernanado (35, Euskalaria)—bruising to his right thigh
Koldo (32, Euskalaria)—ruptured skin and bruising to his right hip
Rojay Mohammed (press)—beaten after being injured by a sound bomb; afterward the soldiers broke his camera.

Several injuries were sustained from the batons resulting in welts, bruises
and bumps—some several inches long leaving a few with difficulty walking:
Martin (24, Sweden)—bruising on his legs
Ashraf (22, Tulkarem)—bruising to his legs
Sean (20, Ireland)—multiple bruises to his arms and legs
Shees (23, US)—knees and legs beaten
Waji (50, Bil’in)—right arm and hand beaten
Elad (31, Tel Aviv)—knees and hands beaten and bruised
Woody (27, US)—right arm and left leg beaten
Allen (25, Scotland)—severe bruising to his right arm
Mohammed (35, Biddo)—severe bruising to his legs and knees
Amna (US)—legs and arms beaten
Falah Abu Rahma (30, Bil’in)
Megan (23, US)—hit with baton
Yosi (19, Tel Aviv)—knocked unconscious for a brief time
Othman Mansour (45, Bil’in)—needed to be carried to the village.

In addition the soldiers used rubber bullets which hit a few people:
Yasin Farras (14, Bil’in)—in his leg
Ashraf (22, Tulkarem)—in his back
Unnamed woman (36, Europe)—to the back of her head.



Exceptional Non-Violent Response from the IOF
The 21st of July demonstration was overshadowed with grief. The demonstrators carried posters and a 20 meters long black flag to mourn the killing of 425 Palestinian and Lebanese civilians killed since the 28th of June and until the 20th of July. Demonstrators also had sealed their mouths with a tape; "We are against the Arab and International apathy and silence towards the ongoing Israeli violations of human rights" Mohammed Al Khateeb of the Popular Committee of Bil’in explained.
This demo ended with no engagement from the Israeli soldiers manning the gate and, consequently, no injuries.



Demonstrators Being Alarmed for the First Time
The demonstrators on the 28th of July carried a coffin rapped in both the Palestinian and Lebanese flags with "The New Middle East" written on one of the sides. They laid the coffin of the barbed-wire of one of the fences blocking access to the village’s agricultural lands. Immediately, soldiers throw sound-grenades at the demonstrators and followed shortly by rubber bullet shots.
There was some fear and suspicion in the air that the soldiers might cause some severe injuries or deaths amongst the demonstrators. "We must be very careful," Mohammed Khatib, from the popular committee, said. "Four internationals were killed in Lebanon and the Israeli military is allowed to claim that they didn’t do it on purpose because everyone believes them." That fear was also attributed to the fact that the media attention was drawn away from a peaceful demonstration by what was happening in Lebanon at the time.
Fortunately, the demo ended with very few injuries caused amongst the protesters. However, the events uncovering in the following demos proved some of their doubts.

Two Scots in their 50s were amongst the injured and extinguishing fire attempt targeted
Palestinians, Internationals and Israelis carried the Palestinian, Lebanese and black flags on the demonstration of the 4th of August, while mourning the killing of more than a 1,000 Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. The demonstrators attempted to cross the Israeli military reinforced fences that separates the villagers of Bil’in from their agricultural lands that are annexed by the Israeli government. They were met with tear-gas bombs, sound grenades and rubber bullets.
Amongst the injured were Margaret, 52, and John, 53, from Scotland. Margaret was shot in the back with a rubber-coated metal bullet, while John sustained facial injuries from a concussion grenade thrown directly at him. Another Spanish participans, Yasir, was also shot in the back with a rubber-coated metal bullet.
During the demonstration, a tear-gas grenade ignited two fires that lasted for 40 minutes. Some participants from the demonstration attempted to distinguish the rapidly spreading fire, but were shot at and gassed by the IOF.



An Israeli and a Dan receive serious head injuries
Each demonstration in Bil’in has a theme and each one demonstrate a creative means of protest. The demo of the 11th of Aug had the title "New Style of Killing". Some demonstrators carried mock bodies of a Lebanese family killed during the war. Even before they reached their destination, which the site of the Wall, the demonstrators were met with sound bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets. That came despite the fact that an Israeli military court decision that people in Bil’in have the right of freedom of speech through "legitimate resistance".
An Israeli lawyer, Lymor, amongst the demonstrators was shot in the neck and head by rubber-coated metal bullet at close range and a Danish national was beaten by an Israeli soldier on the head by the butt of his gun causing sever concussion. Lymor underwent a successful surgery to remove the bullet and shards of his skull. However, his condition remains unstable. Rina, on the other hand, is still waiting for her test results, but is showing signs of recovery.
* Watch ISM film from the demo on the 11th of Aug, showing Israeli soldiers shooting Lymor and Israeli commander shouting "This is Lebanon!" - Click here

Injuries - 11 Aug
Lymor from Israel, shot with 3 rubber bullets at close range, with injuries to head and neck.
Two villagers, El Haj Wa’el Fahene and Nimer Mustafa Abu Rahma were both shot with rubber bullets to their backs and legs.
Gavin from UK, beaten
Martin from Sweden, beaten
Rina from Denmark, hit with a rifle butt on side of head
Jonathon from Israel, shot with rubber bullet
Uri, 20, from Israel, struck by rubber bullet
Rojo Didier, 43, from France, shot with rubber bullet in back and leg
Jonas from USA, struck with rubber bullets on hip and leg
Cheryl, 45, from USA, struck with rubber bullet to the back
Margaret from UK, struck by exploding sound grenade
Yoshki, 22, journalist from Japan, shot by rubber bullet
Abudullah Abu Rahma, beaten



Chemicals
On the morning of the 18th, the Israeli military threatened to use force against the demonstrators in a phone call to a member of the of the Popular Committee of Bil’in. During this demo, the IOF fired blue liquid from a massive tank at the demonstrators, colouring their hair, skin and cloths blue, and causing burning and irritation of skin for at least 7 hours.
"Tear gas was also used against the demonstrators as soon as the water canon was engaged, so it is unclear whether the burning was from gas being absorbed into the wet skin and clothing, or whether the water itself contained a chemical" (ISM 18th Aug report)



Injuries and Arrests - 25 Aug
The latest Bil’in demonstration was met with extreme physical abuse by the Israeli army. Many participants in the demo suffered injuries, one injury of which resulted in a concussion.

Andrianes an Italian activist beaten badly with a baton.
Mansour Mansour the Palestinian ISM Campaign Coordinator was severely beaten with a baton.
Saif Abu Keshek the Palestinian Coordinator living in Spain was beaten with a baton and shot with 3 rubber bullets in the back and one in the leg.
Anna from US suffered injuries on her hand as well as 2 rubber bullets, one in the back and hip.
Lina from Germany suffered a rubber bullet wound on her leg.
Jonathon Pollack from Israel suffered severe beatings with a baton.
Dave from Ireland suffered beatings and a rubber bullet wound to the back.
Magan from US suffered harsh beatings with the baton, including one to her head, resulting in a concussion.
Coby from Israel suffered beatings from a baton.
Adeeb a Palestinian suffered beatings and was detained and later released.
Mohammad Khatib local Popular Committee member was detained and later released.
David from Catalonia was detained and later released.

For more information visit ISM/Bil’in Village

Two Al Quds Brigades Members Assassinated and Long-Term Detainee Released - Bethlehem

I was in bed when I heard the gun fire last night. It went on for at least an hour.
Unfortunately, I was trying to heal some of my scars while this was going on. I could not find out what was happening in the town, then. Well, I did not consider it as an option, really. Was thinking to myself, ‘what if it is a new Israeli invasion on Bethlehem?’, ‘what if I am going to be stuck at home for weeks under curfew, with gun fire and tanks roaring in the background’, ’what if… what if it is someone I know is shot’. I did not want to know.

Today, checking the news - on Ma’an News Agency and IMEMC - I learned that two members of Al Quds Brigades from Obeideyeh, East of Bethlehem City, were killed. One source said that the two parties were exchanging fire before the two assassinated were trapped in a cave. The other got a phone call from the spokesperson of Al Quds Brigade, who informed them that there has been two dozens Israeli military vehicles invading the town under the cover of an war-plane. Commonly, the two sources said that the two were killed by a rocket while in the cave.
“The two were released from an Israeli jail few months ago and soon they were claimed wanted by the Israeli military. An Israeli military spokesperson claimed that the two are involved in planning a shoot out at an Israeli military checkpoint near the West Bank village of Sheikh Sa’ad wounding three Israeli soldiers.” (IMEMC)
The person who carried the act on the checkpoint was killed by Israeli soldiers on the spot, Ma’an reported.

Now, why would those two Palestinian fighters from Bethlehem be released from jail the first place if the Israeli government thought they might still be a cause of ‘terror’.

Also, why would the IOF invade the town to kill them instead of actually detain them while they were trying to pass an Israeli checkpoint, granted that there are at least two Israeli checkpoints placed on Palestinian lands in every single Palestinian towns’ boundaries. Besides, the IOF violated, again, an international law by entering the town. To make my point clearer; soldiers of a “civilised and democratic” state crossing the borders to ‘area A’ - lands administered fully by the Palestinian Authority, scare the s**t out of residents of Bethlehem, hunt down and then kill brutally two Palestinians in their home town, is a bit too much to fathom, don’t you think?

The latest thing I read from Bethlehem news was concerning the release of a long-term administrative detainee from Al Nagav Israeli prison. Majdi al Shrouf served five years in Israeli prisons making him the second to serve the longest period of distractive detention in an Israeli prison.

Let us hope that we never hear the news of his assassination by Israeli soldiers next.


Ma'an News - IMEMC - Administrative Detention; Definition

ISM Film Shows Shooting of Israeli Activist at Peaceful Demo --- and Testimony of an Activist

Click here to watch film from ISM showing the shooting of Lymor.

"an Israeli in critical condition who was shot on neck and just above his right ear with 3 rubber bullets at close range. He has had surgery at Tel Hashomer hospital to remove a rubber bullet that was lodged in his skull. Currently he is in a medical induced coma in moderate but stable condition, but has sustained brain damage of unknown severity. Today his condition is listed as stable but serious since the doctors do not know the extent of brain damage that has occured." Read more from ISM media release, 12 Aug
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Checkpoint Humiliation and Bullets at Peaceful Demonstrations
by Jenny Digi
11 Aug 2006
From Bethlehem Bloggers

On Thursday I left Nablus to travel to Bethlehem, Bil’in and Hebron, never an easy journey. The checkpoint just outside Nablus, Huwarra, was in a bad state when we arrived. 100s of Palestinians; men and women, children and the old, doctors, ambulances, Red Cross vehicles, trucks loaded with fruit and vegetables, students, everyone was being held in the burning hot afternoon sun. As my friend and I debated what to do, either to try and use our passports to get through the queue quicker (which always feels wrong), to leave the Palestinians behind, or to stand in solidarity with them, the decision was taken from us. Suddenly, at the front of one of the waiting groups, shouting broke out and we could see soldiers surrounding one of the men. We pushed our way to the front to try and intervene, both of us on the phone; myself to international human rights workers in the city who could come out to help with the situation, and my friend to an Israeli law group who are able to work on the Israeli commanders to stop them behaving so badly.

As the man who was being beaten was dragged away, the penned in crowd were shouting out to the soldiers to stop, to calm down and to let him go and the rest of them through the checkpoint. We questioned the soldiers about why they wouldn’t let people through, one young soldier, not even in his twenties, replied that the commander had given an order that no-one was to be let through, not even women giving birth. When asked what the justification was, he could give none, adding that just because he was serving in the army didn’t mean he didn’t have a conscience.

There was a family with three young children, the eldest, a girl of about seven, was cradled in the arms of her father - obviously quite unwell, and they were pleading with the soldiers to let them pass. Repeatedly, they were physically forced back by the soldiers pushing them away. I spoke to the soldiers, pointing out the obvious to them, that the child was ill, that she was just a child, and asking them to be let through, eventually after about 15 minutes they were. One of the soldiers kept on pushing towards the crowd, shouting angrily that they had to go back, others fingered the triggers on the guns and pushed them against those of us at the front, sometimes not even seeming to notice when they hit us in the face with them.

Another woman came up holding the hand of her son, a young boy of about 3 or 4 who had just been discharged from hospital, on his other hand was a bandage covering where his IV had been. The mother was unable to afford to pay for a taxi or ambulance to get him home so she was stuck at the checkpoint, having to ask permission from soldiers (who have no right to be there) to get her child somewhere safe. She asked me to help, passing me the letter from the hospital explaining that he had been treated for severe asthma and was only being allowed home under strict instructions, which included avoiding too much heat, dust and smoke. None of the soldiers would let her through, one claimed she was using her son, another kept telling her to go and wait in the immobile line. All the while we were trying to get the soldiers to open the checkpoint, and to at least let the women and children through the waiting crowd, who were getting understandably more agitated. One man who had been shouting at the soldiers was dragged off, his crying wife following behind him. As the woman got increasingly distraught, the crowd pushed forwards a little, then, with no warning the soldier I had spoken to earlier, grabbed hold of her child and as he stepped back towards the military vehicles behind him, the woman and I grabbed the bewildered child and had to pull him from the soldiers arms.

Behind us a young girl with a clown mask pushed up into her hair had her face screwed up in fear as she pushed torn plastic into her mouth to try and stifle her screams. Shortly after that, in an apparent acceptance that touching the boy had been very wrong, we were able to get them to let the woman and child through and we accompanied them to the other side. Soon after, other people started following us through in dribs and drabs, though it would have taken hours for them all to get passed, having to go through the ritual humiliation of ID checks and searches.

Today, there was a demonstration in the small village of Bil’in, near to Ramallah. There has been a weekly protest there for months now, against the construction of the Apartheid Wall, and an illegal Settlement, which is stealing yet more land, and more water, from the Palestinians. 10 Palestinians, internationals and Israeli peace activists gathered, at the front of the march, where there were about 10 of us carrying mock bodies of children, signifying those who have died in Palestine and Lebanon, to lay near the gate in the barrier. Before we got near to the site, a line of Israeli soldiers were waiting in a line across the road, in some of their hands were orange sound grenades, others had wooden batons and all had their guns. Our group walked peacefully towards them until we were within a few feet, then, with little warning, a soldier pulled the pin on a sound grenade and rolled it straight at us. The people behind us rushed backwards as we moved quickly to the side, our fingers pushed in to our ears to soften the deafening explosion that soon followed. As we took cover behind a pile of bricks, rubber bullets, more sound grenades and tear gas canisters were flying over us and landing around us.

A group of soldiers went by where we now stood, some people had their legs hit with the wooden batons and more sound grenades were thrown all over. None of us reacted in a violent manner; the Israeli activists tried to reason with the soldiers, some internationals and Palestinians just sat in the way of the soldiers - trying to calm the situation down. Still the soldiers fired at people, one passing by me, pushing his gun against me as he reached for more plastic bullets, most people had returned towards the village, not wanting people to be seriously injured. A young Swedish woman was screaming, holding her ears after a sound bomb had been thrown just in front of her whilst she sat in the road, the woman next to her was bleeding from her arm, hit by flying plastic from the same grenade. The young soldiers seemed both out of control and unsure of what they should be doing; some would start hitting out with the batons only after their colleagues did it, or load their bullets when reminded and when they ran towards the demonstrators it was with little coherence.

As I headed back to the village, between the two lines of soldiers, I saw a small group of people, soldiers and demonstrators, crouched by the side of the road with an obviously injured lad in the middle. Pulling my gloves on (first aid training coming to the fore), I ran up to them, I could see a heavily bloodied bandage lying next to his head, crouching down to get a better look I saw his skull was fractured and there appeared to be white matter showing through. Again, the soldiers didn’t know what they were doing, whilst treating him - doing the little we could under the circumstances - some of them were still firing from nearby, even through their colleagues asked them not to. When we were finally able to move him onto a stretcher the soldiers wouldn’t let us take him to the waiting vehicle at first, as some of the young Palestinians were throwing stones, holding the life of the shot lad hostage. The injured lad, one of the Israeli peace activists, was evacuated to hospital where he has just undergone emergency surgery to remove the plastic bullet lodged in his head.

Plastic bullets are supposed to be a “gentle” way to subdue protests. The unlawful, inhumane and immoral actions of the soldiers today at a peaceful protest are abhorrent. Using tear-gas, bullets, batons and sound grenades against peaceful protestors is another example of how out of control the military are in this country. This lad was shot twice, in the head and in the neck, his only crime was to try and demonstrate for a more peaceful and just world, he stood up against his country and spoke out about the crimes being committed in his name and now he is lying in hospital and may not live.
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For subsequent reports and photos, see the International Solidarity Movement website