Open Shuhada Day was commemorated in demonstrations throughout the West Bank this Friday. In the heart of Hebron itself two protest marches took place: one organized by "Youth Against Settlements" and the other by the three leftist Palestinian parties – the PFLP, the DFLP and the communist People's Party. Together, both demonstrations were attended by about one thousand people, including some 100 Israelis and international activists. Both demonstrations were met with army forces, which tried to disperse the non-violent processions with tear gas, "skunk" water cannons and arrests.
While he first demonstration developed into heavy clashes, including stone throwing and Molotov cocktails, the second remained non-violent, and ended when a funeral procession needed to pass through the same street as the demonstration. However, the funeral too was attacked with water canons. A video from this demonstration shows the army's use of an American made non-lethal weapon. One can hear a recording saying "This is a test of the Long Range Acoustic Device – LRAD – from American Technology Corporation".
Meanwhile, weekly demonstrations in several villages joined in on the demand to open Shuhada St. In Ma'asara several dozen demonstrators marched towards lands appropriated by the construction of the "separation fence" – which has recently been restarted after a halt which lasted about three years. They were stopped at the entrance to the village by soldiers, and eventually returned into the village.
Ma'asara
In Nabi Saleh too the demonstration focused on the Hebron struggle. According to the Popular Committees' website: "protesters were shortly met by a volley of tear-gas canisters and rubber coated bullets. Some clashes erupted near the entrance to the village and persisted for a while. At a certain point, an army brigade invaded the village, for the first time in months, to chase and arrest local youth. While not succeeding in making any arrests, the army remained in the village for over an hour, shooting massive amounts of tear-gas and rubber coated bullets inside a populated area".
Similar demonstrations also took place in Bil'in, Ni'lin, A-Dik, and Qadum, where some 200 Palestinian and Israeli demonstrators were met by army forces, which fired tear gas in order to stop them from reaching village lands nearby the settlement of Qdumim. On Saturday, dozens of protestors marched from the village of Beit-Umar towards the nearby settlements, and were dispersed by the army.
Qadum. Photo: Lior Ben Eliahu
Earlier in the week, an unknown group named "Artists for Israel Tomorrow " put out on the streets of Israeli cities hundreds of copies of a fake issue of the popular "Israel Hayom" (Israeli Today) newspaper, proclaiming an end to segregation in Hebron.
