Israeli Occupation Forces Brutally Attack Palestinian Non-Violent Protesters at the Villages of Bil'in, Um Salamoneh, and Ertas

 

Israeli occupation army attacks non-violent protestors at Bil’in 

Friday June 08, 2007 18:38 by Ghassan Bannoura & John Smith - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC Editorial Group

The village of Bil’in, located near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, was on Friday witness to the weekly protest against the construction of the illegal Israeli wall in the area.

Israeli occupation soldiers attack non-violent protestors at Bil'in

As with every week, local residents were joined a number of international activists in their demonstration, the main theme of which this week was to mark the 40th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

As they have on previous occasions, the Israeli occupation soldiers established roadblocks and checkpoints on the path of the demonstration and showered protestors with tear gas, sound bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets before they even reached the Wall. Seven people, including a child and a British activist identified only as Alice, were injured in the attack.

A group of Israeli peace activists sneaked behind military lines and managed to make their way to the gate of the Wall before they were abducted and taken to an unknown location.

As a result of excessive use of tear gas, several olive groves caught fire and a number of trees were damaged.

Israeli occupation army attacks non-violent protestors at Umm Salamoneh 

Friday June 08, 2007 17:03 by John Smith & Ghassan Bannoura - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC Editorial Group

On Friday, Palestinian residents of the West Bank village of Umm Salamoneh, located to the south of Bethlehem, carried out their weekly demonstration against land confiscation and the construction of the illegal wall that will isolate the village from its rightfully-owned agricultural land.

As it has done in the past, the Israeli occupation army established a network of checkpoints and roadblocks around Umm Salamoneh, closing it to activists seeking to join the villagers in their non-violent protest.

In addition to closing off the area, the Israeli occupation army kidnapped 2 local organizers, identified as Mohammed Brejieah and Abdullah Hajaj, as they travelled to the demonstration on Friday morning.

Despite the efforts of the military, the protest went ahead as planned and local residents were joined by a number of international peace activists.

After Friday prayers, the demonstrators marched towards the land scheduled for confiscation. On their way, the group was stopped by soldiers, who beat both protestors and journalists covering the action.

Eyewitness told IMEMC that a military force surrounded the demonstrators on all sides, preventing them from either moving forward or returning to the village.

After a brief scuffle which saw five Israeli activists kidnapped, the organizers decided to bring the demonstration to a close.

Non-violent protestors attacked at Ertas village 

Friday June 08, 2007 16:19 by Ghassan Bannoura & John Smith - IMEMC

A number of demonstrators were attacked by the Israeli occupation soldiers military at Ertas village, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on Friday afternoon while non-violently protesting against Israeli plans to confiscate land in the area.

Approximately 70 residents of the village marched to Palestinian-owned land that is threatened with annexation to nearby illegal Israeli settlements.

Israel is attempting to confiscate parts of the area in order to link the Efrat settlement with the settlement bloc of Ma’ale Adumim, an act that will, in turn, lead to the annexation of additional lands and the isolation of Palestinian areas through the establishment of the Wall and the settlement chain around them.

The residents arrived at the threatened area a short time after Friday prayers. They were met by an Israeli force that punched, kicked and assaulted them. Among those attacked was IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura.

In addition to assaulting the IMEMC correspondent, Israeli occupation forces unsuccessfully attempted to confiscate his camera.

After a short standoff, residents left the area, promising to return the following week.

Following the razing of a field of trees belonging to one family for more than 130 years and amidst Israeli plans to transform the lands into a sewage disposal area for the nearby Efrat settlement, Ertas village has been the scene of frequent demonstrations in recent weeks.

Despite the non-violent nature of the aforementioned demonstrations, Israeli occupation forces have repeatedly attacked local residents, international peace activists, local and international journalists and the Palestinian Minister of Information Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi. Without exception, all these attacks have been unprovoked.