Despite attempts to follow activists from Tel Aviv and detain them at various checkpoints, 25 Israelis made it into Bil'in and joined some 10 international, several dozens of Palestinians and a bunch of 3D blue avatar characters for the weekly demonstration against the evil Israeli occupation. The demonstrators marched to the wall, where they were met with a shower of gas and shock grenades, which did not discriminate between blue, white and brown people. After the usual attempt to fight the occupation by delivering educational messages to soldiers, covering protesters' heads with scarves and plastic bags, and returning the army's unexploded gas canisters, the demonstration was dispersed by the organizers.
Bil'in, February 12 2010
For the first time in over a month the army did not send soldiers into the village during the demonstration. However, as in the previous week, the army did aim gas canisters directly at protesters after the demonstrations had been declared over and people were on their way back to the village. It seems that the army is determined to turn more demonstrators into martyrs, so please be careful next week.
Even before the weekly demonstration in Ma'asara started reports started coming in that bus full of communist Palestinian activists from Bethlehem is held by the army. A small group of Israeli activists went to check things out and found tens of Palestinians surrounded by army and police at the side of the road to the village. Contact between the activists was forbidden, as the Palestinians were pronounced detained. It wasn't long before soldiers forced the latter back on the bus and off to Bethlehem, where they were to be given their IDs back.
Ma'asara, February 12 2010
Lacking the expected backup the demonstration itself was somewhat small, and held 40 Palestinians, internationals and Israelis, including the determined Samba drummers' band. Soldiers were surprised as the demonstrators marched around the usual barbed wire laid on the road, but soon blocked the march towards the lands and announced the area was a closed military zone. A local activist gave a speech in English, after which the demonstration ended. As people started to return to the village the soldiers followed them, and then suddenly started throwing stun and tear gas grenades at them. Two jeeps then chased some demonstrators into the village, while the other soldiers kept gassing the rest, also threatening there would be arrests. At the end of all this all demonstrators returned to the village, with none wounded or arrested.
Palestinian, Israeli, and International activists marched to the giant gate at the apartheid wall in Ni'ilin today with the message: Our land is behind the wall, this is the season to weed and plant our fields, let us access our fields! Once demonstrators reached the wall, they were bombarded with tear gas by the Israeli army. Some of the village youth retaliated with tones. Shortly after, a platoon of soldiers (from some sort of "special forces") stormed at the demonstration by surprise - some not carrying almost any gear in order to run faster. One Palestinian cameraman and one Israeli demonstrator were arrested. Although charged with the same accusations (violating a "closed military perimeter" order), the Israeli was released after several hours yet the Palestinian was held in prison throughout the weekend.
Dozens of An Nabi Saleh residents were joined by International and Israeli supporters for the weekly demonstration against the exploitation and strangulation by the occupation and the Halamish settlement, which steals land from the village. The demonstrators marched while chanting from the center of the village towards the land overlooked by the settlement. When the marchers were a few dozen meters from some nervous IOF soldiers, many of them set down on the ground and shouted towards the soldiers that this is a non-violent demonstration and there is no reason to disperse it violently. Nevertheless the soldiers attacked the demonstration and even used a canon that shots dozens of canisters at once against the peaceful demonstrators.
Nabi Saleh, February 12 2010
Afterwards, demonstrators fled to different places. In the original location of the demo, some twenty people gathered to start building agricultural terraces to signify that the land they stand on is Palestinian and belongs to the village. This is a land that settlers continually disrupt and do not allow Palestinian farmers to cultivate. The army continued to shot tear gas canisters at anyone at the place who weren't with the main group building the terraces. After an hour the group left the place on its own will. At another location in the village clashes were developing between demonstrators and the army. The army used this time one of its stink tracks to spray severely stinking liquid at the demonstrators or push them back. The soldiers, who for some time have taken control of one of the village's houses, have shot tear gas into houses' yards and on the demonstrators, as well as rubber bullets. Several demonstrators were injured lightly. A few demonstrators threw stones back at the soldiers. The clashes continued until the early evening.
The weekly demonstration in Sheikh Jarrah was attended by over two hundred demonstrators, including the entire threesome of Meretz MKs, who joined the struggle against the "Jewification" of East Jerusalem. Also attending were two blue Na'vis, refugees from the planet of Pandora from the film Avatar, who survived the earlier demonstration in Bil'in and joined the protest against the brutal treatment of mother nature Eywa and the native Palestinian-Na'vi population in Jerusalem as well.
The demonstration went on for about an hour and a half, singing to the sound of the Samba drumming band. At a certain point tens of demonstrators initiated a small march to one of the occupied houses in the neighborhood, which unlike others was not guarded by police. The demonstration then proceeded in two parallel locations and ended peacefully.
Sheikh Jarrah, February 12 2010
