Volume [9]
No. [1]
June 2012
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Volume [9]
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No. [1]
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June 2012
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June 2012Israel Opens Fire on GMJ Protesters |
Previous Editions |
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The Global March to Jerusalem
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History The seed of the idea for GMJ initially came out of the Asia to Gaza Caravan of 2010-2011. In Spring 2011 a small group of Palestinians and Internationals reflected on that previous project and decided that a global march and rally focusing on Jerusalem could be a good way to draw the world’s attention to what is happening in Palestine. As they later said, “The Global March to Jerusalem aims to shed light on the issue of Jerusalem (The City of Peace) as the key to peace and war in the region and the world.”  |
Throughout Summer and Fall 2011 the idea was proposed to
activist
organizations and individuals around the world. In many cases the
initial response was skepticism. As Ghada Karmi said, in an eloquent
article written in the run-up to March 30, “I had not expected it
[Global March to Jerusalem] would ever happen when I first heard about
it.” |
Israel Opens Fire On The Global March to Jerusalem in
Qalandia and Across Palestine
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| Yesterday the Israeli Occupation
Forces (IOF) opened fire on marchers as they headed towards Jerusalem
marking Palestinian Land Day. The Global March to Jerusalem was an initiative that took place across the world, with hundreds of thousands of people involved. Marches were organized within Palestine, 1948 territories, and Gaza, as well as all surrounding countries and parts of Asia, North America, and Europe. Among other things, the march was calling for an end to the ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem and Palestine at large, the right of return for all refugees, and the protection of Jerusalem’s non-Jewish holy sites which are currently at risk. At least two hundred people were injured by the IOF in protests across Palestine, and one young man was killed in Gaza.  |
The Israeli military employed a
series of weapons on the unarmed
protesters, including the ‘siren’, which emits a deafening ringing; the
‘skunk truck’ which propels torrents of a sewage-like liquid;
rubber-coated steel bullets; sound bombs; high-velocity tear gas; and
live ammunition. When I arrived at the protest area, people were running away as tear gas was fired. I ran towards the soldiers, trying to get to the area behind them where journalists were set up. The ‘siren’ was already put in use, getting unbearably louder as I approached, and the street already had a grim look only minutes into the march. People hid behind cement blocks and smoke filled the air. As soon as I reached the soldiers, the ‘siren’ became a quiet ringing. The technology used allows the IOF to propel the sound in a specific direction. |
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A Call For Volunteers |
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| The presence of activists reduces
the risk of violence by extremist settlers and the Israeli army, and
supports Palestinians’ right to protest the occupation, the apartheid
wall, and illegal settlements. International solidarity activists
engage in non-violent intervention and documentation, which is
support that enables villages and individual activists to maintain
their continued resistance. For this year's olive harvest we had a third of the volunteers that we had last year: no more than 20 at one time. This made it impossible to support the families in Nablus with their harvest to the extent we had promised.  |
Now that the harvest is over, our
numbers have decreased significantly
to an average of 10 total, with only 5 long term residents. It is so
difficult with these numbers to maintain a basic presence in key the
areas al-Khalil, Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah, and Jiftlik in the Jordan
Valley, that it is an incredible strain to expend anyone for special
projects, such as to live with families in need of a continuous
international presence. |
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405 Vista Heights Rd. El Cerrito, CA 94530 510.236.4250 www.norcalism.org |