Volume [6]
No. [2]
December 2009
December 2009
Resistance to the
Wall Continues in Nil'in and Bil'in
ISM Greets Ehud
Olmert in Chicago and San Francisco
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Volume [6]
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No. [2]
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December 2009
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December 2009Resistance to the
Wall Continues in Nil'in and Bil'in ISM Greets Ehud
Olmert in Chicago and San Francisco |
Previous Editions |
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Resistance to the Wall Continues in Nil'in and Bil'inBy Tracie De Angelis Salim, November 2009 |
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"Optimystical" is a word coined by one of the doctors treating
TristanAnderson at a hospital in Tel Aviv. Nancy Anderson, Tristan’s
mom, uses it to express her feeling about Tristan’s recovery. |
Although an Israeli human rights organiza- tion immediately asked for a judicial order forbidding the use of “non-lethal” weapons in a lethal manner, the same weapon killed an unarmed Palestinian activist, Bassem Abu Rahme, only one month later at another dem- onstration in the neighboring village of Bil’in. It was captured on film, as he called out, “Do not shoot. There are children.” Only then did Israel’s State Attorney’s office order the Police to review its guidelines. However, the IOF continue to use deadly force. |
Palestine's Peaceful StruggleBy Mohammad Khatib, September, 11 2009 |
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A few weeks ago, in the dead of night, dozens of Israeli soldiers with painted faces burst violently into my home. If only they had knocked, I would have opened the door. They arrested me. My wife, Lamia, was left alone with our four children. My youngest, 3-year-old Khaled, woke up to the image of Israeli soldiers with painted faces who were taking his father away. He has not stopped crying since. A few nights ago he woke up in terror, sobbing: "Daddy, why did you let the soldiers take you?" That's the way our children sleep--in a constant state of fear.
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Many Americans know that the Obama administration has been
pushing the Israeli government to accept a freeze on settlement
construction. What is not commonly known is that even as Israel
negotiates with the United States, it has been taking steps, including
my arrest, to crush the growing Palestinian non-violent movement
opposing Israel's construction of settlements and the wall on
Palestinian land in the West Bank. |
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Farming In the West Bank
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the Northern California area where I live are many farmers, so I was
excited to learn about the lives of farmers in the West Bank. While
working with ISM in the Nablus area, I met with a group of farmers from
nearby villages. Farming probably isn't easy anywhere, but in the West
Bank, the occupation makes farming even more difficult. Roadblocks make
it difficult for farmers to get to their farms and grazing areas. Many
farmers there are losing the land where their families live and have
ranched and farmed for many generations. It is being confiscated by
Israel to build settlements and roads off limits to Palestinians. One farmer asked me to visit his village, take pictures, and tell people about their plight. I took him up on the offer. This farmer was bedouin and his village is called Wadi Rasha. |
Unfortunately for the bedouin
villages, the Israeli government and military are successfully
isolating them and moving them off their land. They do this by building
huge walls around their villages. These are different walls from the
Annexation Wall. They make it so the village has no access to water or
electricity, and people cannot get to their farmland without a permit.
The government mostly ignores their permit applications, or only issues
a permit that can be used once a year. Before the “security walls” were
built, the bedouin villages used to have water and electricity. But
because of the walls, they now need a permit for water. Permits are not
issued. They live in squalor, sometimes ranching in their own shacks
with very little land and electricity from a generator. Huge pipes, the
infrastructure for water that was the lifeblood of the community, sit
empty. |
ISM Greets Ehud Olmert in Chicago and San Francisco
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Olmert received a very special greeting everywhere during his October
U.S. speaking tour. Volunteers from ISM-Chicago were among thirty who
interrupted his speaking engagement. One by one, they were removed from
the speaking venue. One person was arrested. The scene was similar in San Francisco, where the interruptions began with an attempted citizen's arrest. The SFPD was more strict. They arrested all 22 who participated, including several ISM volunteers, while around 250 of their colleagues demonstrated outside in Union Square. |
In both cases, the demonstrators managed to delay the event by
twenty minutes or more. The message was that although we don't oppose
Olmert's right to free speech, we are against paying him to speak, and
that it is irresponsible to treat a war criminal as an honored guest. [Top] |
Travels in Palestine: Bil'inBy Courtney Day, October 2009
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“Each step we take leaves a blood mark.”
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The weekly non-violent demonstration against Israel’s
Apartheid Wall had just ended. As the dust began to settle, people
descended the hill, stopping to cough, gag or vomit. An older
couple draped in colors of the Palestinian flag sat on a pile of rocks
near the bottom of the hill. The man sprayed squares of tissue
with alcohol, the woman placed them in our hands, and we inhaled the
fumes to remind our brain to breathe then wiped our eyes and faces to
stop the burning sensation. |
Freedom Summer 2010 - Call For Volunteers |
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The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) needs office and field volunteers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. You can help provide protection during non-violent demonstrations, resist home demolitions and land confiscations, accompany children and patients to school and hospital, remove roadblocks, or just share time with Palestinians, listen to them, witness, and help ensure that their voices are heard. More info: solidarity@norcalism.org, 510-236-4250,www.norcalism.org or www.palsolidarity.org
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405 Vista Heights Rd. El Cerrito, CA 94530 510.236.4250 www.norcalism.org |
