On Sunday morning, thousands of mourners lined Ramallah’s streets for the funeral procession of Mustafa Tamimi, a 28-year-old Palestinian who was killed by the Israeli army this weekend. The procession continued to Nabi Saleh, where hundreds attended Tamimi’s burial. The army reportedly fired tear gas on some of the mourners, beat unarmed demonstrators, and arrested seven activists
Mourners carry Mustafa Tamimi's body through Ramallah (photo: Activestills)
Hundreds of mourners proceeded to Nabi Saleh, Tamimi’s village and the place he was shot by a tear gas canister during the weekly demonstration against the Israeli occupation and the illegal settlement encroaching on Nabi Saleh’s land. Tamimi was shot in the face at close range on Friday and died of the injuries Saturday morning.
Mustafa Tamimi's funeral procession (photo: Activestills)
Those attending the funeral in Nabi Saleh reported that the Israeli army gathered on the hills nearby. They also said that an armored military jeep used to shoot tear gas–a “tear gas jeep” as Abir Kopty put it–was waiting at the entrance of the village when the funeral procession arrived.
When the mourners shouted at the soldiers for killing Tamimi, soldiers cursed them.
After Tamimi’s burial, local youth headed in the direction of the spring that belongs to the village but has been appropriated by the neighboring settlement, Halamish. The army fired tear gas and skunk water on the unarmed demonstrators.
Soldiers and protesters clash in Nabi Saleh Sunday (photo: Activestills)
“In Palestine, even anger is not allowed,” Abir Kopty remarked on Twitter.
Fearful of violent clashes with the Israeli army, some residents of Nabi Saleh called on the youth to stop the protest. They attempted to go on with their demonstration, however, and witnesses on the ground in Nabi Saleh said that soldiers beat a protester to the point that an ambulance was needed.
After an ambulance arrived, Diana Alzeer reported on Twitter that the army continued to beat the unarmed demonstrators. Emilie Baujard, a French journalist, reported that seven protesters were arrested. Leehee Rothschild noted that several Israelis were among those detained.
Several witnesses said that soldiers attempted to choke Israeli activist Jonathan Pollak, who was evacuated to the hospital.
Abir Kopty and other witnesses reported that of the seven who were arrested, three were Israeli, one was Palestinian, and the rest were internationals.
A mourner confronts a soldier with a poster commemorating Tamimi (photo: Activestills)
Here are a few additional photos that Joseph Dana, who attended the procession in Ramallah, put on his Twitter account, @ibnezra, shared with permission:
Mustafa Tamimi's body, wrapped in a Palestinian flag and keffiyeh, being carried in Ramallah (photo: Joseph Dana)
A child overcome by grief as Mustafa Tamimi's body is loaded into a car to be taken to Nabi Saleh, where he will be buried (photo: Joseph Dana)
Related posts on +972:
Mustafa Tamimi: A murder captured on camera
IMAGE: Unarmed protester shot to death by IDF
Nabi Saleh protester hit by tear gas canister dies from wounds
Vicious reader comments left on JPost article on Tamimi
In West Bank, peaceful Palestinian opposition marches on
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Ben Israel
Mya-
After your comment on the other thread where you said the “Israel is like Saudi Arabia”, I am afraid you don’t have any credibility left with me. How can I trust your objectivity in a report like this one?
mya guarnieri
hello “ben israel,”
that wasn’t my comment, that was someone else’s, and yes, i thought it was an interesting comparison.
it’s also interesting that rather than addressing what happened in nabi saleh today or this weekend, you post something off topic.
best,
mya
AMIR.BK
This reminds me of Amos Keinan’s words in his report about the ethnic cleansing of Yalu, Beit Nuba and Amias, in which he participated. The entire report is worth reading but one line sticks out in particular:
.
אפשר להתווכח על התועלת שבהגדלת מספר אויבינו לעתיד, אבל למה להתווכח?
.
“One might argue about the benefits of increasing the numbers of our future enemies, but why bother arguing?”
.
(off topic but the complete report can be found here: http://www.defeatist-diary.com/index.asp?p=memories_new10242&period=27/10/2009-4/6/2010 )
Daniel
Mya-
I think what Ben Israel and others may have a problem with is the language in your reporting.
For instance, the headline says unequivocally that the IDF beat mourners (plural), but in the body of the story you mention a report by witnesses that one person was beat and later that some said they saw Jonathan Pollack being strangled.
Jonathan’s phone number is printed in the emails he sends out every week, you could have called him to confirm or for a quote. Also, one of the only named witnesses is from a tweet by Diana Alzeer. You should mention who she is.
You could also easily get an IDF response. Regardless of if you think it’s bullshit or not, it’s important that it’s there.
I think the problem that I and other people have with 972 is when it’s content ventures into breaking news reporting. As a commentary site it’s great, but when it comes to covering breaking news events the language is far too biased, emotional, and one-sided to be taken as a neutral, primary news source.
And I’m sorry, but quoting a non-sensical tweet that reads “In Palestine, even anger is not allowed” does not add to the coverage.
aristeides
How about “even mourning is not allowed.” Better?
directrob
@Daniel,
This is a blog not a news site so the writers are allowed feelings. Apart from that this article contains enough information to cross check everything said. Compared to for instance Haaretz this site is certainly not worse. Too often at Haaretz the first thing published comes straight from the IDF or the Israeli government and contains “facts” that defy logic. In case of Mustafa Tamini only the third article (by Nir Hasson) started to make sense.
Vicky
Jonathan Pollack was grabbed by the neck and throttled to the point where he needed treatment at Salfit Hospital. I saw this information from Linah al-Saafin, who saw it happening. She said that at one point she attempted to prise the soldiers’ fingers away from Jonathan’s neck. According to her, she and her friends were also hit by the soldiers, so it wasn’t just one protestor getting beaten. Her description of her injuries: “I’ve got a bruise the size of africa on one arm, my knees too, and my knuckles on both hands. Oh and a bump on my head.”
I know Linah to be principled and brave, and I have no reason to suppose that she would lie about being hit, or about trying to prise a soldier off Jonathan. I think a well-researched piece would be better (perhaps with direct interviews with those involved) but considering this was written in the immediate aftermath of the funeral, it’s not too bad.
As for Abir Kopty’s remark on anger not being allowed in Palestine, that is very relevant. Anger is basically equated with violence and used to undermine people who have every right to be angry. I have seen Palestinians get angry and yell at the soldiers after being kept waiting at the machsom for over three hours, only to be shoved back behind the turnstiles and denied passage. Forget that – I’ve seen them being denied passage for scowling. Yes. For a facial expression. Abir is right. Anger isn’t allowed.
Rose
Mya,
Ben Settler is famous for his attempts to skip the core of the issues. Keep going with you work. You are very talented.
AYLA
@joseph Dana–thank you for the poignant photos.
Diana Alzeer
Thank you Mya for great and honest reporting.. @Daniel this is Diana Alzeer btw, , you can check my name yourself.. It’s absurd to see some of you totally off topic.. someone was killed and you are questioning Mya’s objectivity,,, seriously how about you all come to Nabi Saleh and see for yourself!!!
directrob
I guess this is the real thing:
https://carbonatingchange.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/funeral-of-murdered-mustafa-tamimi-ends-in-more-iof-violence-and-savagery/
Rose
DIANA ALZEER,
why they should go to Nabi Saleh? It is so warm at home. In case they decide to make a visit, Mr Ben Settler already wrote that is ready to provide a tank, in order to better enjoy the zoo
Daniel
@Diana Alzeer, @Rose, @Mya, and @DirectRob:
First off, let me say I believe Tamimi’s death to be tragic, just like all the deaths in these protests.
In case you’re curious, I’ve been to protests in Nabi Saleh, Bilin, Nalin, Issawiya and Silwan multiple times, as well as other places across Israel/Palestine.
One shouldn’t assume that just because someone doesn’t like an emotive or sensationalist tone in news reporting that it means they have no first-hand experience whatsoever and have never left the warmth of their home.
972 cannot have it both ways. You cannot call yourself a commentary site and say writers are allowed to express their feelings, and then bemoan the fact that you aren’t taken seriously as a primary news source.
Also, again, a statement like “anger is not allowed in Palestine” is beyond asinine. It’s fine for a tweet, but seriously, the emotion itself is illegal? What about joy? Is joy illegal? Surprise? Disgust? What about Sadness? Gloom?
No, anger is not illegal in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Throwing rocks at soldiers is, as is firing a tear gas canister directly at a protestor. Unfortunately, only the first of these two is usually punished.
Danaa
Looking at the smirk on the face of those “soldiers”. It’s the face of brutish colonizers from time immemorial. It is the face of marauders and conquerors. It is the face of the kossacks siced on villages for the occasional “fun” pogrom (teach the peasants a lesson in humility?). It is the face of civilization lost and barbarism ascendant in the name of raw power. It is the face of the conquistadors taking their bounty from those who can no longer fight back on a battlefield. What happened at the funeral is also a symptom of a people that are in the process of losing their soul. Whichever piece of it is left – assuming there was ever anything there behind the lofty words.
The israel of today that unleashes its thugs in uniform to prey on unarmed civilians is a worm hole to humanity’s past – with all its savagery. It is my belief that what happened and is happening to Palestine has little to do with Jews or Judaism. It has everything to do with a people feeling the sting of conquest denied. The real parallel are Pizarro’s conquistadors and the way they reacted when the Mapuche of Chile refused to disappear.
How dare they, says the smirk on the soldier’s face?
We could do so much worse, say the great troopers with their helmets and automatic weapons pointed at any and all.
They probably will, and soon enough, says I.
How dare you tell it like it is says daniel with his bucket of whitewash.
Serve them right says ben israel, perched atop of glorious be the settler project.
Yes, we can say the palestinians.
Yes, I’ll tell it like it is says Mya.
Yes, we’ll be with you to the end, say the activists, as they get beaten up and arrested.
Just don’t do it in Tel Aviv, says the village, as it parties on.
aristeides
No, Daniel. Throwing rocks at soldiers is only illegal when Arabs do it. Jewish settlers throw rocks at soldiers with impunity. When has a Jewish settler ever been shot by the IDF for assaulting its soldiers?
Sinjim
@Daniel: Mya, please ignore the selfish complainers here who want to make this all about what they want rather than the Israeli violence at this funeral. You’re doing an excellent job as always. Thank you for relaying the raw emotion as well as the facts of this story.
AYLA
would everyone please stop it with the finger pointing at each other? @Rose–you’re writing off BenIsrael, who should use his real name, by playground-level name calling. @Everyone attacking Daniel–on one hand, I really understand that there is no place here, on this post, for much else other than our collective grief. I resect that desire and feeling, a lot. At the same time, Daniel has been to more protests than most people commenting here, n’est pas? Respect, anyone? One reason I don’t like going to those protests often is the tear gas. not to mention the canisters… It’s quite probably that Daniel was giving Mya constructive feedback–take it or leave it.
*
Feel something, people. It’s so easy to sit at home, especially an ocean away from here (if that is in fact a choice; there are Palestinians here who aren’t permitted to visit, which is criminal), and point fingers. if commenting here is not an exercise in opening our hearts and deepening our understanding, it is a superb waste of time.