By The Popular Struggle Coordination Committee
Hundreds of Palestinian villagers and activists, joined by Israeli and international supporters, gathered this week in five localities in the occupied West Bank to protest the ongoing occupation, annexation of lands and construction of settlements and the separation wall.
Demonstrator in Bil'in on Friday (photo: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills)
In Kufr Qaddoum, some 250 people marched from the center of the village towards the main road that has been blocked by the army for the past year. Shortly after, the army attacked the demonstration with volleys of tear-gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets. It also fired live ammunition in the air. 29-year-old Yehya Shtewe was hit in the head with a tear gas canister and required medical treatment.
The weekly demonstration in Nabi Saleh started shortly after midday prayers, making its way from the center of the village towards the confiscated lands. A small battalion of Israelis fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets and a number of tear gas canisters. Some minor clashes erupted, but the demonstration ended without injuries or arrests.
Dozens of protesters participated in the weekly march In Bil’in. Activists made their way to the Abu Lamon reserve, an area returned to the village after its long popular and legal battle. Some protesters were able to come close to the fence and cut out some 8 meters of barbed wire surrounding it. The army retaliated with tear-gas canisters, stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets, as well as with the “skunk” – a water cannon spraying foul-smelling water.
Friday demonstration in Ma'asara (photo: Lior Ben Eliahu)
Residents of Ni’lin, joined by Israeli and international supporters, marched to the route of the wall after conducting the Ramadan midday prayer in the olive groves. Some clashes erupted between the army and the local youth, however no injuries were reported. A similar demonstration took place in the village of Ma’asara, where two dozens of residents and a handful of activists marched towards their lands. The march was blocked by the army at the entrance to the village, but the army did not used crowd-control weaponry.
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Greg Pollock
I have no idea what the engine of sustained protest is–what keeps people coming back, knowing their goal is years away if that.
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But I am convinced that sustained protests will be necessary as apartheid control expands. There must be a way of fighting back which does not kill. Someone will have to show the way. And it will be a hard, resolved path to take.
Arnold-Canada
Jerusalem 1920. Palestinian Arabs massacre Palestinian Jews. Jaffa 1921 Palestinian Arabs massacre Palestinian Jews. 1929 Hebron Palestinian Arabs massacre Palestinian Jews. All under the watchful eye of the Grand Mufti of Cairo as well as Jerusalem. There was no occupation going on. Why did the Arabs slaughter the Jews. Simply because they were Jews. Be anti Israel all you want 972. That is your freedom of speech. History did not begin in 1967. But it seems it did for 972.
Arib
A few hundred out of the claimed 2.5m Palestinians in the WB. Maybe the other 2,499,000 aren’t interested in violent demonstrations and just want to get on with their lives and thank their god 5 times a day they don’t live in Syria, Iran, Saudia Arabia etc.
talknic
Arnold-Canada August 12, 2012 5:59 am
“Jerusalem 1920. Palestinian Arabs massacre Palestinian Jews.”
Not committed by today’s Palestinians
“Jaffa 1921 Palestinian Arabs massacre Palestinian Jews.”
Not committed by today’s Palestinians
“1929 Hebron Palestinian Arabs massacre Palestinian Jews.”
Not committed by today’s Palestinians
“All under the watchful eye of the Grand Mufti of Cairo as well as Jerusalem”
Never the representatives of today’s Palestinians and were never elected by the Palestinians of the time.
“There was no occupation going on”
Strange…. The British occupied as trustee under the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine until the expiry of the Mandate midnight May 14th 1948 Palestine time. The British even installed the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.
“Why did the Arabs slaughter the Jews. Simply because they were Jews.”
Odd that it began around the same time as the Zionist colonization project got under way. Of course it was never in retaliation for the dispossession the Zionistas caused or because of the illegal Jewish immigration. The Zionist colonization project continues to this day BTW. The incidences you mention have been over for almost a century
“History did not begin in 1967. But it seems it did for 972″
A brand new page was started the day Israel was declared as an “independent republic within frontiers approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations in its Resolution of November 29, 1947″ and was immediately recognized as such.
Any promises that were made before that date and any violences that occurred before that date, became history, no longer relevant to the current legal status of Israel’s recognized sovereign extent, which is what the UNSC resolutions are based on. Try UNSC res 476
Arnold-Canada
Talknic. Why did you bother replying. Your post makes no sense. You keep saying Palestinians have the right to attack and kill Israelis because of “occupation’ My point was that before occupation the Arabs were slaughtering Jews anyway. And why if it was the BRITISH who occupied Palestine that the Arabs did not try to kill them. You want to know why . It was because the British executed anyone immediately who went against them. And you are excusing those deaths of Jews between 1920 and 1929 solely because there was talk of Jews emigrating to Palestine. Does talking about migration of Jews to Palestine give them the right to kill whatever Jews are already there? You are a sick person talknic.
Prometheus
“A few hundred out of the claimed 2.5m Palestinians in the WB. Maybe the other 2,499,000 aren’t interested in violent demonstrations and just want to get on with their lives and thank their god 5 times a day they don’t live in Syria, Iran, Saudia Arabia etc.”
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Agreed. That is the very problem. However it takes a small effort of few to start a war, but great efforts by all to end it.
Prometheus
Talcknick,
“Odd that it began around the same time as the Zionist colonization project got under way.”
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You are distorting facts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1834_Safed_pogrom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1838_Druze_massacre_of_Safed
Long before Zionists, huh?
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Now what I like is that basically you are claiming that not only it does not worth to mention that Jews was massacred before 1897, but it is acceptable to slaughter Jews after year 1897.
Arnie-Canada
Talknic- you said ” a brand new page was started the day Israel was declared as an “independent republic within frontiers approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations in its Resolution of November 29, 1947″ and was immediately recognized as such. I agree with you 100%. To take it one step further… the UN also declared an independent republic of Palestine on the exact same day. Therefore on Nov 29 1947 there was in existence a State of Israel and a State of Palestine….. within “frontiers approved …” So please reply to this question. Why did the State of Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon ,Syria, Jordon , and Iraq all attack the State of Israel on May 15 1948 ? There was no occupation of any Arab land from Nov 1947 to May 1948. Why the attack ?
Arnold
Prometheus- Thank you for the two sites of the Safed pogroms. I did not know the details. My examples just went back to the post Ottomon killings of Palestinian Jews at the hands of the Palestinians Arabs.
jake
The killing of Palestinians: Jew, Muslim or Christian is wrong. All the instances are atrocities born from hatred, fear and bigotry. Executing vengeance upon completely different persons is also atrocity. You have to take the line of reasoning to its extreme, understanding that the justice you are meeting out will likewise be applied to you.