+972 Magazine » hunger strikers

From settler reprisals to May Day marches: A week in photos April 25 – May 1

Activestills — Thu, 02 May 2013 09:27:58 +0000

This week: May Day marches from Tel Aviv to Boston, reprisals for the stabbing death of a settler by a Palestinian, protests against domestic violence, demonstrations against settlement expansion, celebrations for hunger striker Samer Issawi, and demolitions of Palestinian properties continue.

Demonstrators march during the International Worker’s Day protest in the center of Tel Aviv May 1, 2013. (Photo by: Shiraz Grinbaum/ Activestills.org)

Activists and families of women who have been murdered by men of the family protest domestic violence in the city of Kufer Karra, April 26, 2013. Convoys of cars drove from the cities of Lakia , Lod , Ramle, and Taybe to protest in Kufer Karra against violence and murder of women. (Photo by guest photographer: Tali Mayer/Activestills.org)

Palestinian demonstrators from the West Bank villages of Deir Jarir and Silwad take cover as Israeli soldiers shoot rubber coated steel bullets during a protest against construction on their land by members of the nearby Israeli settlement of Ofra on April 26, 2013. All Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law. (Photo: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

Palestinian youth help to clean up the celebration party of Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi, as it was canceled after the Israeli police blocked the entrance to the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, preventing from some of the Palestinians who were invited to the party to enter the area. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

A member of the Palestinian Ghaith family stands with the belongings of her family after her house was demolished by Jerusalem municipality workers in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of At-Tur on April 29, 2013. (Photo by guest photographer: Tali Mayer/ Activestills.org)

Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement South Africa, a democratic and membership based organization, held its UnFreedom Day event in Durban every year since 2006. This year UnFreedom Day was held in Cape Town for the first time. UnFreedom Day was mourned at the Sweet Home Farm Community Hall in Philippi, on April 27, 2013. (Photo by: Shachaf Polakow/Activestills.org)

A mock funeral for capitalism was held in downtown Boston as part of International Workers’ Day on May 1, 2013. (Photo: Tess Scheflan/ Activestills.org)

A Palestinian demonstrator throws stones as he stands inside a cloud of tear gas, during a protest of Palestinians from the West Bank villages of Dier Jarir and Silwad against construction on their land by members of the nearby Israeli settlement of Ofra on April 26, 2013. (Photo: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinians, as soldiers stand on the side, during an attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Asira al Qibliya, April 30, 2013. Settlers burned fields and threw stones at houses in the village after an Israeli settler was stabbed to death by a Palestinian man. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Israeli soldiers try to push back Israeli setters after they attacked the West Bank village of Yabta following the murder of a Israeli settler by a Palestinian man in the area, April 30, 2013. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

A Palestinian woman stands in front of her threatened shop in the West Bank village of Sebastia, April 27, 2013. In February 2013, Israeli authorities handed notifications to demolish Palestinian installations in Sebastia, under the pretext of being built without a permit. (Photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Activists and residents of Jaffa demonstrate during a tour held by Amidar company for real estate investors. Amidar — a public housing company that also manages, on behalf of the State of Israel, property that was confiscated form the Palestinian population who fled the city in 1948. Today as Jaffa becomes an attractive area for investment, Amidar is selling houses to investors seeking real estate opportunities. The local population is left with no alternative housing solutions. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

Mansur Abu-Khatzira stands inside his family house, which is under a risk of eviction. The house, belonging to the Abu-Khatzira family for more than 80 years, is a complex of six family homes. The families received an eviction order from the Israeli authorities due to a road planned to be built on their land. Jaffa, May 1, 2013. (Photo by: Keren Manor/Activestills.org)

Tareq and Layla Issawi, the father and mother of Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi, smile in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, a week after he signed an agreement with Israeli authorities to end his strike, May 1, 2013. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

From hunger strikes to the Palestine Marathon: A week in photos – April 18-24

Activestills — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:56:25 +0000

This week: Samer Issawi ends his hunger strike, Israeli authorities demolish Palestinian homes and businesses, action for animal rights, West Bank demonstrations, the Boston manhunt, settlement expansion, a new marathon in Bethlehem, and protests by young and old.

Tareq and Layla Issawi, the father and mother of Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi, smile with a portrait of their son in their home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, two days after he signed an agreement with Israeli authorities to end his strike, April 24, 2013. Under the terms of the agreement reached late Monday, April 22, Issawi will be released to his hometown of Jerusalem after serving eight more months in jail, after 266 days of refusing food in protest against his rearrest by Israeli forces after being released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange in October 2011. (Photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

The owner of a restaurant, demolished a few hours earlier by the Israeli authorities, stands in front of the ruins, Makhrour Valley Beit, Jala, April 18, 2013. The restaurant was first demolished about one year ago and had just recently re-opened the previous week . (Photo by: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

The weekly demonstration in Kfer Qaddum, a West Bank village located east of Qalqiliya, Friday, April 19, 2013. Kfer Qaddum started to organize regular demonstrations in July 2011, protesting against the blocking of the main road east of the village which used to link it to Nablus. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

Israeli activists take part in an action against animal testing, in the city center of Tel Aviv, April 23, 2013. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

A member of the Jaradat family stands in the remains of his home demolished by Israeli authorities in the Al Tur neighborhood of East Jerusalem, April 24, 2013. Authorities demolished an addition built for the children of the 45-member Jaradat family. Palestinians are routinely denied permission to build or add to their homes in East Jerusalem as part of a municipal policy designed to maintain a wide Jewish majority in Jerusalem’s population. Israeli forces demolished two other houses in the Al Tur neighborhood on the same day. (Photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

Massachusetts state troopers block a road during the search for the second of two suspects wanted in the Boston Marathon bombings on April 19, 2013 in Watertown, Massachusetts. Thousands of heavily armed police staged an intense manhunt Friday for the suspect in the Boston marathon bombings on April 15, 2013 with his brother, who was killed in a shootout. (Photo: Tess Scheflan/Activestills.org)

Israeli bulldozers seen in the illegal settlement of Halamish showing the continued building and expansion of the illegal settlement on the stolen lands of the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, April 19, 2013. (Photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Runners race along the Israeli separation wall as hundreds of Palestinian and international athletes took part in the the inaugural Palestine Marathon which took place in Bethlehem, West Bank, April 21, 2013. Under the title “Right to Movement”, runners had to complete two laps of the same route, as organizers were unable to find a single course of 42 uninterrupted kilometers under Palestinian Authority control. (Photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

Palestinian students of An-Najah National University (NNU) protest after Israeli forces arrested six Hamas student leaders at NNU in the West Bank city of Nablus, April 21, 2013. All of the arrested students are former prisoners. One of them was arrested 5 times before. The Israeli arrest campaign came a few days ahead of the elections at NNU, where Hamas is competing against affiliates from other Palestinian groups for student union positions for the first time since 2006. (Photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Solidarity demonstration with Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi, including his mother, Layla (second from left), outside Kaplan Hospital in the city of Rehovot took place on April 22, 2013. The protesters came to support Issawi while a court hearing in his case took place inside the hospital. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

Issawiya residents take part in a spontaneous parade to celebrate the future release of the hunger striker prisoner Sammer Issawi, in his town Issawiya in East Jerusalem, April 23, 2013. (Photo by: Guest photographer: Tali Mayer/Activestills.org)

Elderly Russian Jewish immigrants protest for proper housing solutions and for public housing outside of the Israeli prime minister’s house in Jerusalem, April 23, 2013. (Photo by Guest photographer: Tali Mayer/Activestills.org)

Samer Issawi accepts deal to end his hunger strike

Michael Omer-Man — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:50:25 +0000

After staging an intermittent hunger strike for some nine months, hunger striking Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi agreed to start eating again, pending the signing of a deal later in the day. The deal would see him released to his home in Jerusalem in eight months.

Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi is taken to his court hearing in the Magistrate Court in Jerusalem, February 19, 2013. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

Update (April 23, 4:10 p.m.): Issawi has signed the deal and ended his hunger strike, Maan reports. He is expected to be released in late December of this year.

Palestinian hunger striking prisoner Samer Issawi has agreed to end his hunger strike, and will be released to his home Jerusalem in eight months’ time, Reuters reported late Monday night.

The details of the deal were not immediately clear, but Issawi has insisted all along that he would not agree to be exiled, like other released prisoners have. Read more background: here, here and here.

Demonstration in support of Samer Issawi in East Jerusalem last month (Oren Ziv / Activestills)

Updated:

Samer Issawi was released as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange in October, 2011, having served 10 years of a 30-year sentence. He began his hunger strike nine months later, shortly after the IDF re-arrested him in the summer of 2012.

In February, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court sentenced him to eight months in prison for violating the terms of his release, with credit for time served. According to that conviction and sentencing, he was to be released on March 6. However, he still faced the re-sentencing hearings in military court.

Activists in Jaffa have been holding daily protests in solidarity with Samer Issawi, a Palestinian on hunger strike held in an Israeli medical detention center, February 4, 2013. (Photo by: Shiraz Grinbaum/Activestills.org)

Issawi announced this week that he would boycott the military court proceedings against him and that he refused to recognize the legitimacy of the courts.

Issawi’s lawyer, Jawad Boulous, told Haaretz that the agreement will see him serve a total of 18 months (from his arrest in July).

The full details of the deal were expected to be announced later Tuesday, Maan reported.

Palestinians clash with IDF at demonstrations in support of hunger strikers

Haggai Matar — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 20:50:35 +0000

Hundreds of Palestinian took part today in demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, specifically those administrative detainees on hunger strike. Dozens were lightly wounded from tear gas inhalation, and several from live ammunition.

Clashes outside Ofer prison (Yotam Ronen / Activestills)

The main protest today occurred outside Ofer Prison, just outside Ramallah, in support of Samer Issawi, who has not eaten since July 29, 2012, along with the rest of the Palestinians on hunger strike. Hundreds of Palestinians, including MK Ahmad Tibi, Palestinian MP Mustafa Barghouti and Islamic leader Sheikh Raed Salah gathered near Ofer at noon for a Friday prayer before marching toward the prison,some confronting army forces with stones. Forces made extensive use of tear gas canisters, injuring many, and also shot live ammunition, sending at least two demonstrators to the hospital. A Palestinian journalist was also wounded, according to several reports.

Tear gas outside Ofer prison (Oren Ziv / Activestills)

Similar yet somewhat calmer demonstrations also took place near the Jalame checkpoint in Jenin and around the Qalandiya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attended a protest tent in Ramallah and gave a speech about the importance of releasing prisoners as part of the Palestinian struggle.

Scouts supporting prisoners in Jenin (Ahmad Al-Bazz / Activestills)

The popular weekly demonstrations against the wall and settlements, attended by Israelis and internationals every Friday, were dedicated to solidarity with the prisoners. In Qaddum, four people were injured from being hit by tear gas canisters, reportedly shot at a direct trajectory. In Nabi Saleh one teenage girl was injured by rubber-coated bullets. In Ma’asara demonstrators broke through the line of soldiers regularly stationed at the entrance to the village and made it to the settlement of Efrat, where confrontations broke out with local settlers and security guards. In Bil’in some two dozen demonstrators marched to the wall, and were scattered by tear gas and “skunk” water.

Demonstrator overlooking wall and settlement in Bil’in (Haggai Matar)

Administrative detainees are held in prison without any charges being brought against them, on the sole accusation that they pose potential threats to the security of the country. In recent years, several such detainees went on prolonged hunger strikes, and were eventually released. Most famous were the cases of Khader Adnan, Hana Shalabi, and footballer Mahmoud Sarsak. Last year, the power of prisoner hunger strikes grew as thousands joined in strike to better prison conditions. Issawi, who has been on a hunger strike for 200 days, according to reports, is the longest of them all and physicians fear for his life.

From protest villages to hunger strikes: A week in photos – January 31-February 6

Activestills — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:31:23 +0000

This week: Palestinians erect a new West Bank protest village, show solidarity with hunger striking prisoners and demonstrate against the occupation, while a 61-year-old Israeli woman is evicted from her home and Eritrean asylum seekers call for an end to the dictatorial regime in their home country.

Israeli forces surround Palestinian activists in a village named Al Manatir on land belonging to the West Bank village of Burin, February 2, 2013. The protest village was established to protest settlement expansion and harrassment faced by neighboring Palestinian villages. (Photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

An Israeli soldier pepper sprays a restrained Palestinian activist at point blank range in a newly created protest village named Al Manatir on land belonging to the West Bank village of Burin, February 2, 2013. (Photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

Activists in Jaffa show solidarity with Samer Issawi, a Palestinian on hunger strike for 194 days and held in an Israeli medical detention center, February 4, 2013. (Photo by: Shiraz Grinbaum/Activestills.org)

Palestinians demonstrate in the West Bank village of Araba near Jenin in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners still on hunger strike in Israeli prisons; Samer Issawi (192 days), Tareq Qa’dan and Ja’far Aiz Din (67 days), February 1, 2013. (Photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Laila and Tariq Issawi, Samer Issawi’s parents, in their home, February 2, 2013. Samer Issawi is extremely unwell, and is being held in the prisoners medical center; he has been on hunger strike for 191 days. The family was prevented from attending his last hearing at the “Shalom” court in Jerusalem, on December 18, 2012. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Demonstration in front of Ramle prison in solidarity with Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi, February 4, 2013. Issawi has been on hunger strike for 194 days and is currently held in an Israeli medical detention center in critical condition. (Photo by: Keren Manor/Activestills.org)

Palestinian activists protest in front of the PLO building in the West Bank city of Ramallah, demanding the intervention of the PLO for the Palestinian prisoners’ life still on hunger strike in Israeli prisons; Ayman Sharawna (More than 210 days), Samer Issawi (195 days), Tareq Qa’dan, Jafar Ez-Din and Yousef Shaban (71 days), February 5, 2013. (Photo by:Ahmad Al Bazz/Activestills.org)

Movers clear the belongings of 61-year-old Rivka Levi, after she was forcefully evicted from her public housing flat owned by Amidar company, Petah Tikva, January 31, 2013. Four activists were arrested trying to prevent the eviction. (Photo By: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

Graffiti in Hebrew reads: “Homesh youth respect”, painted by Jewish settlers of Homesh, seen on a wall of an old Palestinian mosque where the evacuated illegal settlement of ‘Sanour/Tarsila’ was established in 1987, 20 km south of the West Bank city of Jenin. The settlement occupied an area of 39 dunums, and used to be inhabited by 15 families, and was evacuated in 2005. Palestinians villagers said that the Israeli settlers still come to the area every week. (Photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Palestinian children confront Israeli soldiers during a weekly demonstration against the occupation and separation wall in the West Bank village of Al Ma’sara, February 1, 2013. If completed as planned, the wall would cut off the village from its agricultural lands. (Photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

A protester suffers from tear gas inhalation during the weekly demonstration in the village of Nabi Saleh, West Bank, February 1, 2013. (Photo by: Keren Manor/Activestills.org.)

Eritrean refugees living in Israel take part in a protest outside the Eritrean embassy in the city of Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, February 1. 2013. The protesters were calling for the ousting of the dictatorial regime in Eritrea, and the release of all political prisoners. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

The Israeli army set up a flying checkpoint on Road 60, which links the West Bank cities of Nablus and Ramallah. The Israeli army blocked the road for 45 minutes and prevented cars from passing from both sides, February 5, 2013. (Photo by:Ahmad Al Bazz/Activestills.org)

A week in photos: January 3-9

Activestills — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:48:02 +0000

This week: Snow blankets the region, homeless Israelis and Palestinians cope with the storm, repression of hunger strikers extends to their families, and Palestinian residents of Israel and the West Bank resist demolition and displacement.

The Separation Wall between Shu’fat and Pisgat Zeev settlement, seen covered with snow after a winter storm, January 10, 2013. (Photo by: Shiraz Grinbaum/Activestills.org)

A break in the Separation Wall caused by a flood during a winter storm, seen at the edges of Bat Hefer village, January 10, 2013. The flood occurred on January 9, due to heavy rain that affected the Nablus stream to overflow. Research suggests that changes in landscape caused by the Separation Wall also contributed to the flood. (Photo by: Shiraz Grinbaum/Activestills.org)

A Palestinian man walking to the Shu’fat checkpoint in the snow, January 10, 2013. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

A child from Al-Mufakara village cleans out water from a residency cave that was flooded in the storm, January 9, 2013. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

The ruins of Al-Mufakara village’s mosque seen in the snow, on January 9, 2013. The mosque was destroyed by Israeli authorities on December 4, 2012. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

A Palestinian child uses plastic bags as gloves while making snowballs in the West Bank town of Bethlehem after a winter storm that left several centimeters of snow, January 10, 2013. (Photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

A homeless man tries to light a fire to warm himself during a rain storm in a tent camp in Tel Aviv, January 8, 2013. (Photo by: Oren Ziv /Activestills.org)

Shireen Issawi, the sister of hunger striker Samer Issawi, in her home, receiving a phone call from the Israeli police, calling her for another investigation, January 4, 2013. Shireen was arrested in her home on December 18, 2012, two hours after she was prevented from entering her brother’s hearing at the “Shalom” court in Jerusalem. She was accused of assaulting police men, and was sentenced to 10 days of house arrest. Her brother, Samer Issawi is now in poor health condition and held in the prisoners medical center, after being on hunger strike for 161 days. (Photo by: Shiraz Grinbaum/Activestills.org)

The Demolished house of Rafat brother of hunger striker Samer Issawi, seen on January 4, 2013. The house was demolished a few days ago by the Israeli authorities, without a demolition order. Samer Issawi is now in poor health condition held in the prisoners medical center, after being on hunger strike for 161 days. (Photo by: Shiraz Grinbaum/Activestills.org)

Protesters take cover during the weekly protest against the occupation and settlements in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh on January 4, 2012. Under the military order 101, all protests organized by Palestinians in the West Bank are deemed illegal by the Israeli authorities and are routinely dispersed violently, leading to countless fatalities, injuries and arbitrary arrests. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Activists rebuild Palestinian house in Fasayil Al Wusta, which was demolished by the Israeli authorities one year ago. Jordan Valley, January 05, 2013. (Photo by Ahmad Al-Bazz/ Activestills.org)

The children of the Caabia family outside the family’s common tent, on January 5, 2013. The family received demolition orders for some their homes from the Israeli Land Administration, on the pretext of the structures being illegal. Although they have been residing on their private land for several decades, their homes are not officially included in any of the surrounding municipalities and are therefore in an unclear legal status, leaving them exposed to the risk of being displaced. (Photo by: Shiraz Ginbaum/Activestills.org)

Israeli activists and residents of south Tel Aviv protest outside the Tel Aviv municipality against situation in the south Tel Aviv neighborhoods, January 6, 2013. The protest was held after two weeks ago an 83-year old woman was raped near the old bus station in Tel Aviv. Protesters were calling to improve the personal security situation of women living in south Tel Aviv. (Photo by: Oren Ziv. Activestills.org)

A demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag as he looks over the wall during the weekly protest against the wall and the occupation in the West Bank village of Bil’in, January 4, 2012. The weekly demo was marking the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Jawaher Abu-Rahma, who died after she was injured from tear gas during the Friday demo in the village two years ago. (Photo by: Guest photographer Hamde Abu Rahma/ Activestills.org)

A week in photos: December 20-26

Activestills — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 11:41:05 +0000

‘Tis the season for a winter wonderland at weekly demonstrations, shepherds tending their flocks visited by an unheavenly host, ‘no room at the inn’ for African immigrants, five hunger strikers, and a partridge in a pear tree.

A Palestinian girl dressed as Santa Claus marches during the weekly protest against the occupation in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, December 21, 2012. (photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

Demonstrators walk inside a cloud of tear gas shot by the Israeli army during the weekly protest against the wall and the occupation in the West Bank village of Bil’in, December 21, 2012. (photo by: Guest photographer Hamde Abu Rahma/ Activestills.org)

An Israeli activist hands out clothes as African homeless immigrants wait in line to receive a hot meal provided by the “Levinsky Soup” organization, in Levinsky Park in south Tel Aviv, December 20, 2012. The Tel Aviv municipality and NGOs set up two tents as temporary shelters for the winter for homeless immigrants in the park. (photo: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

Handcuffed African immigrants sit in a bus after they were arrested by the immigration authority in South Tel Aviv, December 22, 2012. (photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

A photographer snaps a photo of a youth as he throws stones during the weekly protest against the occupation in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, December 21, 2012. (photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

Palestinian solidarity activists collect stones to clear the rubble the demolished mosque in the West Bank village of Al-Mufaqara, south of Hebron, December 21, 2012. Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists joined the residents of the village for a solidarity action after the mosque of the village was demolished two weeks ago by Israeli authorities. (photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

Israeli soldiers block the way to a herd of sheep while their local Palestinian shepherd tries to go out with them near the West Bank village of Al-Mufaqara, south of Hebron, December 21, 2012. (photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

Palestinians demonstrate in the West Bank city of Nablus in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners still on hunger strike in Israel prisons: Ayman Sharawna (173 days), Samer Issawi (142 days) and another three prisoners, December 20, 2012. (photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Palestinians demonstrate in the West Bank town of Anabta, near Tulkarm in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli prisons, December 22, 2012. (photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Palestinians demonstrate in the West Bank city of Tulkarm in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners still on hunger strike in Israel prisons, December 20, 2012. (photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

A Palestinian woman tries to avoid a road, flooded with sewage from a nearby settlement, in the West Bank village of Kafr Thulth near Qalqilya, December 25, 2012. Locals said that the sewage water has come from the Wadi Qana settlements, especially the Ma’ale Shomron settlement, for four years. (photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

A week in photos: December 13-19

Activestills — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 07:20:57 +0000

Solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, anti-immigrant protests, Hamas marks 25 years in the West Bank, and more. Activestills images tell the stories of the week.

Prisoners’ relatives participate in a protest in front of Najah National University in the West Bank city of Nablus in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners still on hunger strike in Israel prisons; Ayman Sharawna (171days), Samer Issawi (140 days) and three more prisoners, December 18, 2012. (photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Palestinians press their hands against riot shields held by Israeli soldiers during a weekly demonstration against the occupation and separation wall in the West Bank village of Al Ma’asara, December 14, 2012. The Israeli separation wall, if built as planned, would cut off the village from its agricultural lands. (photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

An activist waves a Palestinian flag during the weekly protest against the wall and the occupation in the West Bank village of Bil’in, December 14, 2012. (photo by: Guest photographer Hamde Abu Rahma/Activestills.org)

Israeli women shout racist slogans at asylum seekers during a demonstration against African asylum seekers in Levinsky Park in Tel Aviv on December 19, 2012. The demonstration was led by extreme right MK Michael Ben-Ari. (photo by: Yotam Ronem/Activestills.org)

Tens of thousands of Palestinians celebrate Hamas’ 25th anniversary in the West Bank city of Nablus, December 13, 2012. This is the first time since 2007 that the Palestinian Authority has allowed Hamas to mark the anniversary in the West Bank. (photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/ Activestills.org)

A Palestinian youth holds a mock rocket as thousands of Palestinians celebrate Hamas’ 25th anniversary in the West Bank city of Hebron, December 14, 2012. This is the first time since 2007 that the Palestinian Authority has allowed Hamas to celebrate its anniversary in the West Bank. (photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

Israeli journalists protest the plan to close Channel 10 and the local news network, in front of the Likud offices in center Tel Aviv, December 18, 2012. (photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

A Palestinian activist plants olive trees during a solidarity visit in Khirbat Tana, near Nablus, West Bank, December 14, 2012. Khirbat Tana is a community of around 250 people, located in Area C, southeast of Nablus, in an area declared “closed” by the Israeli military for training purposes. The residents, who have lived in the area for decades, reside in basic shelters (tents, tin structures, old caves) and rely on herding and agriculture for their livelihood. The community has faced several demolitions over the last years and is at risk of being displaced. (photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

A week in photos: October 4-10

Activestills — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 11:22:48 +0000

A Palestinian picks olives during the olive harvest season in the West Bank village of Zawiya near Salfit, October 5, 2012. In 1999, at least 3,000 dunums of village land were lost in order to build the Trans-Samaria Highway (Route 5) connecting the Ariel settlement with the Israeli coastal areas. More than 30,000 olive, almond and carob trees were uprooted in these most fertile areas of the village. (photo: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

An olive tree is seen through a window stained by red paint from an attack by Israeli settlers on a home in the West Bank village of Burin, October 9, 2012. Burin has been a frequent target of attacks by settlers from the nearby Israeli settlement of Yitzhar. All Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal under international law. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

Israeli activists from Ta’ayush help Palestinian villagers from the village Bir el Eid as they renovate stone structures near the Israeli settlement Lucifer Farm on October 6,2012. Every weekend Israeli and international activists accompany Palestinian shepherds and villagers while they face ongoing attacks from settlers and harassment from army and police forces. (photo: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

Tariq Issawi holds a photo of his wife visiting their son, Samer, who has been on a hunger strike in Israeli prison, October 10, 2012. Samer Issawi was one of more than 1000 Palestinians released in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in October 2011. He was re-arrested for violating the terms of his release which stated that he remain in Jerusalem. However, the checkpoint at which he was arrested was within Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries. He began his hunger strike on August 1, 2012. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

A view of the new section in Saharonim prison destined for imprisonment without trial of asylum seekers and refugees, August 31, 2012. (photo: Activestills)

Israeli settlers accompanied by Israeli soldiers tour the Old city of Hebron, October 6, 2012. Nearly every Saturday, settlers go around in groups under the protection of Israeli soldiers and police, harassing Palestinian residents and blocking the street. Around 400 Israeli settlers live in the heart of Hebron’s Old City under the protection of the Israeli army, affecting the lives of thousands of Palestinians living in the area who face constant harassment and attacks by the Israeli settlers and army. Many Palestinians, due to the harsh conditions in the Old City, have left the area. (photo: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Dozens of people gathered in Jaffa on October 6, 2012, to protest and denounce violence taking place in the city and the incompetence of the authorities over the issue. (photo: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

Palestinian youth run from the “skunk”, a foul-smelling liquid sprayed by the Israeli army against protesters during the weekly protest against the occupation in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, October 5, 2012. (photo: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Israeli soldiers raid the West Bank village of Kfer Qaddum during the weekly demonstration against the occupation, October 5, 2012. (photo: Yotam Ronen/ Activestills.org)

Employees of Rafael, an Israeli military company, march behind a replica of an Iron Dome missile in the annual Jerusalem March, October 4, 2012. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

Christian Zionists from the UK offer blessings to Israeli border police during the annual Jerusalem March, October 4, 2012. Christian Zionists have become a potent force in international politics due to their mostly uncritical support for the State of Israel. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

Activists take part in a march from center to South Tel Aviv protesting the discrimination of the city’s southern neighborhoods, on October 9, 2012. During the march, organized by Power to the Community, activists took garbage cans from the city center and moved them to the south, to protest of the lack of sanitation services there. Power to the Community is a new action group of both Israelis and refugees in South Tel Aviv. (photo: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

The sticker on a leg of a marcher reads, “No Human Is Illegal”, as asylum seekers from various countries living in refugee camps in Germany marched from the city of Wuerzburg to Berlin, a 600 km journey that lasted for 28 days. They marched in protest against German migratory laws and policies that govern asylum seekers. They demanded an end to deportations, to stop “Residenzpflicht” (obligatory limited residence), and to close asylum camps in which they are forced to live. The march arrived to Berlin on October 6 where they established a protest camp in which they will stay until their demands are achieved. (photo: Keren Manor/Activestills.org)

A group of Palestinians protest against the policies of the Palestinian Authority with signs reading “Fayyad, Go Home!” and “We will strike until we achieve our demands”, in the West Bank city of Hebron, October 4, 2012. The Palestinian police intervened to confiscate materials that the protesters wanted to use to erect a protest tent. (photo: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

As prisoners reach the breaking point, what will Israel do?

Omar Rahman — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:52:38 +0000

A fateful moment awaits as Israel is forced to choose how it will handle the Palestinian prisoner revolt.

In the next few days, something momentous will occur. A group of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike for over 60 days will either be released from incarceration in Israeli prison without charge or trial, or they will likely die.

And it will not end there, either. Many more have followed them down this perilous road of life, death and principle. In fact, thousands more.

Two Palestinians—Khader Adnan and Hana Shalabi—have already crossed the finish line, securing their release from prison—through deals cut with the Israeli government. Yet will Israel release any more, and in so doing, allow the military justice system, in place in the occupied territories for decades, to crumble?

Know their names. Bilal Diab. Thaer Halahleh. Hasan Safadi. Jafaar Izzedine. These men and thousands more men and women—prisoners with no rights—have usurped some of the power from their jailers and are challenging the system of imprisonment that has been used to subjugate Palestinians for nearly half a century.

Under the radar, Israeli leaders are scrambling for a way out. All types of measures have been used to break the will of hunger strikers, including excessive bouts of solitary confinement and psychological pressure aimed at weakening their resolve. The tactics have not worked. As thousands have joined the hunger strike movement it appears it has gone well beyond Israel’s ability to stop.

The future remains uncertain. Will the death of prisoners in Israel jails ignite the occupied territories or will they simply fizzle out? Although very little seems capable of mustering mainstream Palestinian society these days, the reaction to this eventuality is unpredictable. Prisoners are a decisive issue for Palestinians (read here). Moreover, as the peace process comes to an inglorious end, the status quo is increasingly fragile. The political and economic horizons for Palestinians are beginning to close once again. Times are changing.

LATE ADDITION:

One reader pointed out the connection to Bobby Sands and the IRA hunger strikes of the early 1980s. This connection was pointedly made during the 66-day hunger strike of Khader Adnan (coincidentally Sands would die of starvation on the 66th day of his own hunger strike). @RichardL also gave a link to a Guardian piece on the impact of the IRA hunger strikes, which ended in the deaths of 10 prisoners during Margaret Thatcher’s government and its impact.

The death of 10 men in the 1981 hunger strike was to prove a defining moment in the struggle between the Provisional IRA and the British government or, to be more precise, the prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.

The end of the strike after seven months was reported at the time as a victory for Thatcher’s fortitude. In fact, it proved to be the opposite. It boosted the ranks of the IRA, radicalised nationalist politics and can now be seen as the beginning of the process that led to Sinn Féin’s emergence as a vote-winning political party on either side of the disputed Irish border.

The article also discusses the English press’s coverage of the IRA hunger strikes. There is really little reason to discuss the Israeli press’s coverage of the hunger strike movement because it has been next to negligible. In the words of Haaretz columnist Akiva Eldar in an interview with me:

[Israelis] don’t give a shit. They think that they deserve it. And in the best case they should rot in a jail for the rest of their life. In the worst case they should be executed. And it is a waste of money to keep them there and to feed them.

This is the way they feel good with themselves. You see, most Israelis don’t really care about anything that is connected with Palestinians, or with ‘the other.’ They are so busy with their victimization, which they will never give up. So, prisoners are the victim of the occupation, victims of the violence, victims of the situation. But Israelis will never give up their right to be the victim. This is not only in regards to the prisoners, but to the occupation…

Yet the parallels to the IRA hunger strikes are remarkable. As the Guardian article notes:

But there was no genuine attempt to answer that question. Instead, the response was pitiless. “I will shed no tears when Sands dies,” wrote John Junor, then editor of the Sunday Express. “My only hope is that if and when he does every other IRA terrorist will go on the same sort of hunger strike in sympathy. And stay on it until they are all in wooden suits.”

As I reflect upon all this, I do it with the belief that the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is steadily moving its way down a new path. The resolution of this conflict at the official levels of state, where they have worked to no avail for at least the last 20 years, is coming to an end. The people are once again taking action into their own hands. The hunger strike movement will do nothing for the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority. But it will be a lightening rod in the hands of those who wish to continue to rally those inside Palestine and around the world to their cause.