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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: November 22-28

Activestills — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 16:27:55 +0000

The aftermath of the Gaza offensive, and more: Activestills images tell the stories of the week.

A Palestinian youth uses his sling shot to throw back a tear gas canister shot by the Israeli army during the weekly protest against the occupation in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, November 23, 2012. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

A Nassarsa family member looks at what used to be his home, following an Israeli air strike that completely destroyed it, Rafah, November 24, 2012. Mohammed Tawfeeq al-Nassasra, 20, and Ahmad Tawfeeq al-Nassasra, 18, were killed in the attack, and some family members are still in the hospital. (Photo by: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Two members of the Al Dalu family, Mohammad and Raneen Al Dalu were found under the rubble four days after the Israeli military airstrike that killed nine members of the same family, Gaza, November 22, 2012. (Photo by: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Tawfeeq Mandour Nassarsa lost two sons, Mohammed Tawfeeq al-Nassasra, 20, and Ahmad Tawfeeq al-Nassasra, 18, in an Israeli airstrike on his home, in one of the tents where his family took shelter, Rafah, Gaza Strip November 24, 2012. The home was totally demolished. (Photo by: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Ruins of a Palestinian home in Az-Zaitoun area, Gaza City, November 23, 2012. (Photo by: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

View of a bridge which was demolished by an Israeli air strike. The bridge used to connect Gaza City and Rafah, Gaza Strip November 24, 2012. (Photo by: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Israeli reserve soldiers leave an army base in the south of Israel on November 22, 2012 after a ceasefire ending the fighting was reached the previous night. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

Palestinian students at An-Najah National University donate blood for hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
Nablus, West Bank, November 25, 2012. (Photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Former Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan demonstrates with his father in the West Bank city of Nablus in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners still on hunger strike in Israeli prisons: Ayman Sharawna (147 days), Samer Issawi (116 days) and three others. (Photo by: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

The National Day of Mourning protest marches through Plymouth, MA on November 22, 2012. Since 1970, Native Americans have gathered at noon on Cole’s Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the US Thanksgiving holiday. (Photo: Tess Scheflan/Activestills.org)

Nariman Tamimi, sister of Rushdi Tamimi, killed by the Israeli army last Saturday, gets sprayed by the “Skunk,” a foul-smelling liquid sprayed by the Israeli army, during the weekly protest against the occupation in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, November 23, 2012. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/ 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)

From Ofer to Ramle: Impressions of protests across the Green Line

Omar Rahman — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:10:27 +0000

From the River to the Sea, Palestinians are prevented from protesting freely for their rights.

Yesterday, I attended my first Palestinian demonstration across the Green Line, in front of Ramle Prison. Having been to many protests in the West Bank I was eager to assess the differences between the two events and how the Israeli authorities respond to each.

The day before, I had attended a demonstration in front of Ofer Prison near Ramallah. Both events were in support of the Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails, and therefore, relatively parallel.

In the occupied West Bank, peaceable assembly by Palestinians is prohibited unless authorized by the Israeli military, which does not happen. Thus, any form of collective protest is dealt with harshly by the Israeli military, leaving Palestinians with no outlet for releasing public frustration or protesting for their basic rights.

On Wednesday, Palestinian demonstrators once again tried to reach Ofer prison in order to show their support for the approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners now on hunger strike in what has been billed the “Battle of Empty Stomachs.” Yet before the protest could even begin, the Israeli soldiers assembled on the road that leads to the prison began firing endless volleys of teargas canisters and excessive amounts of plastic-coated steel bullets.

I was nearly hit by these so-called “rubber” bullets on several occasions during the protest, even when I had moved from the front lines to a position in the back a few hundred meters from the soldiers. Some 20 Palestinians were reported injured. In the end, what could have been a peaceful demonstration and public expression of discontent devolved into riot control and stone throwing.

On Thursday in front of Ramle Prison, the scenario was much different. Peaceable assembly was permitted in the vicinity of the prison, to a small area designated by the Israeli police. There the protesters chanted slogans and displayed posters and flags for nearly an hour and a half.

When a bulk of the demonstrators tried to move beyond the metal grate fence erected for them, however, the police moved in quickly and aggressively, assaulting several of the protesters and arresting at least ten of them.

So, although people were allowed to protest, they were ultimately confined by police to a tiny space away from the public eye. As soon as the demonstrators moved outside their little box, the police pushed them back in using force—although without resorting to the type of extreme measures that are routinely used inside the occupied territories against the Palestinians with no rights. Those arrested were dealt with harshly, however, and reports from the jail said that the detainees were beaten by police far away from the watchful eye of the press cameras.

It is unmistakable that the protests are in many ways linked and reflective of how Palestinians are treated on the whole. Although those Palestinian citizens of Israel have more rights than their occupied counterparts, their voice is not appreciated and quickly silenced as soon as it attempts to speak not solely for its own sake but to influence those around them. Their rights protect them to some extent under the law but few would bat an eye if, and when, they are trampled on. Palestinians in the occupied territories are not even on the radar of Israelis and the military can deal with them as they see fit with virtual impunity. In the end, the grievances of all Palestinians are perceived as threatening and are crushed when they try to become more than just a show.

UPDATE:

It is worth noting that several of those arrested at the Ramle Prison demonstration were in fact Israeli Jews, who were not spared the treatment because of their background, but because of what they were demonstrating for. Many of them were the “anarchists” that face arrest often when they protest in the weekly village demonstrations of the West Bank. It will be interesting to hear the testimonies of those arrested to note what differences there may have been in the entire process of their arrest, detention, interrogation and release.