Bil'in : 25 injured in weekly protest against the Wall

Saturday April 25, 2009 02:16 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

On Friday Israeli soldiers violently attacked the weekly non-violent protest against the Annexation Wall in Bil’in village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, injuring 25 protesters. 13 soldiers were reportedly injured in clashes that took place after the army attacked the protestors.

Dozens of residents and peace activists marched towards the Wall and settlements chanting slogans in memory of Bassem Abu Rahma, who was killed by the army in the previous week's protest.

Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated bullets and gas bombs at the protesters. Two local reporters, Fadi Al-Arouri of Reuters and Moheeb Al-Barghouthi of Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda Newspaper were among those injured. Shai Pollack, an Israeli peace activist, was also wounded.

Local sources in Bil’in identified the wounded local protesters as Fadil Al-Khateeb, Odah Abu Rahma, his brother Ahmad, Eyad Bornat, his brother Riyadh, Khalid Al-Khateeb, Abdullah Abu Rahma, Mohammad Al-Khateeb, Wael Fahmi, Taeq Al-Khateeb, Abdullah Yassin, Tamer Al-Khateeb, Nizar Abu Rahma, Mohammad Abu Rahma, Ibrahim Bornat, Adeeb Abu Rahma, and Ahmad Abu Rahma, brother of Bassim Abu Rahma, the man killed by the army last week.

The protest began after the conclusion of the Fourth Annual Conference on Non-violent Resistance in Bil’in.

Among those who took part in the conference were delegations from South Africa, the Catalan government, and Luisa Morgantini, vice-president of the European Parliament as well as Palestinian officials PM Salam Fayyad, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, and member of the Legislative Council Khalida Jarrar.

The protesters erected a memorial to Bassem Abu Rahma in spite of the army’s attacks on them.

“We managed to erect the memorial” Morgantini stated, “We will never forget you Bassem, you were a friend to all of us, we must continue the non-violent resistance and help spread it all over the country”.

Four injured, dozens suffer gas effects in Ni'lin weekly protest

Saturday April 25, 2009 01:48 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMc News & Agencies

Israeli soldiers on Friday attacked Palestinian and international peace activists holding the weekly non-violent protest against the Annexation Wall in Ni’lin village, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah. Four protestors were injured and dozens were treated for the effects gas inhalation.

The protesters marched in memory of Bassem Ibrahim Abu Rahmah, 30, who was killed by the army during last week's protest in Bil’in village near Ramallah.

Palestinian legislator, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, also took part in the protest.

Israeli soldiers met the protesters with excessive violence and showered them with gas bombs and rubber-coated bullets.

Dozens suffocated after inhaling teargas fired by the army, and four residents were injured by rubber-coated bullets. One of them, Mo’min Al Khawaja, 18, required hospital treatment when he was hit in the face with a rubber-coated bullet.

Salah Al-Khawaja, coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall, said that soldiers initially fired 36 gas bombs and then a mixture of gas bombs and rubber-coated bullets.

Al-Khawaja added that dozens of extremist Israeli settlers from settlements around Ramallah marched near the Annexation Wall and chanted “deaths to Arabs” and other slogans calling for the expulsion of Arabs and Palestinians from the country.   

Checkpoint Israeli occupation soldiers thieve 4,000 shekels from Palestinian man during Huwwara "inspection"

Date: 25 / 04 / 2009  Time:  10:02
Bethlehem – Ma’an –

Israeli occupation soldiers manning the Huwwara checkpoint south of Nablus stole 4,000 shekels from a young Palestinian man on his way from Nablus to Ramallah on Friday.

Twenty three- year-old Muhammad Rafiq Abdul Rahman from Ramallah went to Nablus Friday morning to sell his family’s olive oil, said his brother. He completed the sale with his prospective client and was on his way home when Israeli troops stopped him for inspection at Huwwara checkpoint.

Soldiers checked his bags and personal effects, removed the 4,000 shekels of cash from his bags and sent him through the checkpoint.

Israeli occupation forces break into homes, take young men to unknown location

Date: 25 / 04 / 2009  Time:  10:19
Nablus- Ma’an –

 Israeli occupation soldiers invaded Nablus’ Old City on Friday morning and raided several homes in half a dozen neighborhoods of the densely-populated ancient area. They harassed residents and kidnapped three youth identified as:

Yaser At-Tashtush, 18

Asher Ibrahim Qarqash, 24

A’dnan A’nan Khashan 19

The three young men were kidnapped from their homes and transferred to an unknown location.

Israeli occupation army kidnaps shepherd, journalist near Hebron

Date: 25 / 04 / 2009  Time:  17:48
Hebron - Ma’an -

Israeli occupation soldiers kidnapped a young Palestinian shepherd from the village of Al-Twani on Saturday and ransacked the home of a second Yatta man, ordering him to appear in front of the Israeli intelligence later in the week.

The shepherd was identified as 23-year-old Kamel Salamah Makhamrah, who was herding his sheep near the Ma’un settlement when he was taken. Settlers from the area had let their sheep graze in the same area on Monday.

In Yatta, Israeli armored vehicles invaded then troops searched, and ransacked the contents of the home of Hassan Abdullah Shawahin , member of Fatah regional office. His family was handed an order for him to present himself in front of Israeli intelligence in the coming days. Al-Shawaheen was released from the Israeli prisons four months ago.

The Christian Peacemaker Team in Al-Tuwani reported one man from the nearby village of Amm Al-Khair, a local reporter, being arrested on Thursday and Israeli forces shutting down the area. The reporter was covering a the story of the settlers from the Karamel settlement having resumed building after a court order put a stay on construction pending a hearing.

Four beaten by Israeli occupation soldiers at Al-Ma’sara's weekly anti-wall rally

Date: 24 / 04 / 2009  Time:  17:54
Bethlehem – Ma’an –

Four Palestinians sustained bruises after being attacked by Israeli occupation soldiers during the weekly anti-wall protest in Al-Ma’sara south of Bethlehem Friday.

Tens of locals and international peace activists rallied against the construction of the illegal Israeli separation wall and settlement expansion. Ralliers also marked the death one week ago of Basem Rahmah, killed by an Israeli tear-gas canister shot at his chest in Bil’in.

Villagers, backed by ralliers, requested permission to enter their lands on the far side of the Israeli separation wall, but were denied. The ensuing protest lead to several youth being beaten by Israeli soldiers.

Israeli violence sends one to hospital at Ni'lin anti-wall rally

Date: 24 / 04 / 2009  Time:  17:34
Ramallah – Ma’an –

Dozens choked on tear gas and four others were injured by Israeli occupation forces' rubber coated bullets when clashes erupted between Palestinian youth and Israeli soldiers in the village of Ni’lin during the weekly anti-wall protest Friday.

Residents at this week’s rally commemorated the death of Basem Ibrahim Abu Rahmah, killed by a high-velocity tear-gas canister shot at his chest in Bil’in village’s anti-wall protest last week. They were matched by a dozen Israeli settlers marching on the opposite side of the wall.

Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Mustafa Al-Barghouthi attended the protest, as well as a dozen international peace activists. Barghouthi’s aide, Marwan Abu Ras, choked on tear gas and 18-year-old Mu’men Al-Khwaja was transferred to hospital after being shot in the face with a rubber-coated bullet. Three other youth were lightly injured in the clash.

Salah Al-Khawaja, coordinator of the popular campaign against the Wall in Ni’lin said soldiers fired 36 tear-gas canisters at the crowd, and another dozen randomly into the area of the protest.

The high-velocity tear-gas canisters also caused the critical injury of American peace activist Tristan Anderson one month ago at the Ni’lin protest.

Israeli occupation soldiers shoot at backfiring car carrying family; beat brother as car forced to stop

Date: 24 / 04 / 2009  Time:  16:53
Bethlehem – Ma’an –

The Israeli occupation army attacked the Palestinian family as they drove near the illegal settlement of Etzion south of Bethlehem on Friday.

Two of the Alami brothers, as well as the wife and three children of one of the men, were driving past an Israeli military vehicle when the car began to malfunction and the engine made several grinding noises.

Soldiers opened fire on the car, which was forced to pull over to the side of the road. When one of the brothers exited the vehicle to calm the situation and check on the car, Israeli occupation soldiers approached the car and beat the man in front of his family members.

None of the family members were detained, and the brothers were able to repair the car and drive safely to their destination.