Torture story from 2003!

A few days ago a friend posted a meme on facebook, the meme was made of a Picture of a Palestinian art student playing violin at Beit Eiba checkpoint near Nablus. The meme has the good intention of showing   how brave Palestinians are, facing the Israeli military oppression with music. Yet remembering the year 2004, when this picture was taken, we and the student appearing in the picture considered it a huge insult to the Palestinians in general and to us, students in particular, it was nothing but another attempt by the Israeli fascist to humilate the Palestinians! 

As we argued about the picture, I remembered a story in which the victim encountered an extreme brutality reflected by the Israeli fascist. When I went back home I looked up the report my friends wrote about this case, after reading it, I decided to Post it again. So here you go;

Qasem arm with Star of David curved on it

Qasem used to leave the city of Nablus once every two weeks in order to visit his family in Qalquilia for the weekend, after attending classes at An-Najah National University. At the end of last week, on Wednesday April 30th 2003, he was passing through the Surrah checkpoint on his way back home, when he was faced by two Israeli soldiers. One of them was a Captain. Qasem was one of 6 male students and 20 female students, all returning to their families in Qalqilia.

 Qasem was asked by one of the soldiers if he spoke Hebrew, answered in the affirmative. He was then asked to tell all the students to go back, that they were not allowed to pass the checkpoint. Qasem complied. The male students obeyed the order, while the female students did not move. The soldier spoke again, this time ordering Qasem to move the girls too, all the while cursing him.

The Israeli soldier was angry with Qasem, questioning him, checking his bags as well as his body. While he was checking the student's body, he noticed a spot on his arm, a burn mark. “It is the result of joking between me and my friend,” said Qasem. The soldier, laughing at his ability to bear pain, then took a piece of glass and broke it and, taking Qasem`s arm, began to cut into it a Star of David.

Qasem, feeling pain, started to move. The soldier, who was also the Captain, beat him on his legs, and pulling the arm to him continued his “painting”. Qasem noticed that the soldier drew the star perfectly. With the mutilation completed, Qasem saw that he was losing much blood, but he was not allowed to scream or even to complain. The Captain told Qasem that was enough, and “Isn't this star more beautiful than the other mark?” “Right?” He was then permitted to leave, not properly through the checkpoint but on a rough road. The soldier was apparently angered at news of a new resistance operation in Tel Aviv. 

Throughout this two hour experience, Qasem was alone with the Israeli soldiers, terrified that he would be killed, his family knowing nothing of his whereabouts. It was especially difficult, given that he had not been home for a month. He was completely humiliated and a great deal of his time was wasted. 

Qasem the Law student is again in Nablus, attending his classes at An-Najah University, but he will not go back to see his family until he has finished this semester. He also has a very embarrassing tattoo to live with, on top of everything else.

Best

A

Nabisaleh, another night raid

The Israeli army raided Nabisaleh again, and as before they raided the house of Bilal Tamimi. The Israeli army this time insisted on waking up the children, including Bilal 5 years old daughter.

In the video and as Bilal refused to wake up his own daughter, one of the soldiers said "If you don't want to wake them up, we will do that!" in Arabic. His deceleration was met with an angry protest from Manal Tamimi, Bilal's wife. Obviously the captain ordered his Arabic speaking soldier fuck off, as the soldier gave up seconds later.

Funny story, the soldier felt so threatened from Manal's words, he responded "like wet scared cat" he is not from the Arab Druz minority, which might be true.
PS: He might be from the former South Lebanon Army(SLA) that collaborated with the Israeli occupation through out Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon and fled it when Israel withdrawn it's forces in April 2000.

Later, one soldier attempted to take Manal's photo using his cellphone, but as Manal and Bilal protested the soldier attempt and asked for a justification for this attempt. While Manal was protesting the soldier kept on saying "will u listen to me!?". When Manal told him, he can talks, he got an order over the radio, and simply walked away...
I will kill to know what he wanted to say!

Watch the video bellow.

 

Salute to Bilal and Manal for their bravery.

Palestinian Spring Story

The following event took place between the 4th and the 23ed of April, 2002. These account is just a line from the biggest chapters of the Palestinian second Intifada.
The April massacre as we calls it, or Operation defensive shield as the Israeli military calls it, played a major role in forming the image of Israel in my mind for years.

Tanks at one of the old city entrances

In Tuesday night as we heard the tanks rolling into the city, my mom insisted on all of us sleeping in my parents bedroom, she was worried the Israeli would open fire randomly on the houses. "They did it before, what will stop them now". 

I put my mattress in my parents bedroom, and sit everything for my evening read, I was reading the Arabic translation of "Ten days that shook the world" John reed account on October revolution,1917. 20 minutes later I decided to sleep. 

I tried to sleep, but the sound of the tanks rolling stimulated my imagination, I draw many mental images of the tanks, fighters, bombs, and even battles scenarios. Men wearing green uniforms setting their anti-tanks canons, waiting for tanks approaching from the western bank of the river..... wait.. What river? Damn communist literature.

Around med night, the Apache helicopters showed up in the sky, didn't to see them, it was hard to see anything in complete darkness. Minutes after their arrival flares filled the sky, then a small light appeared followed with a hissing sound. The first rocket was launched on a barricade in on of Nablus main streets!
3 hours later, around 2AM, I am still awake, my mom woke up on the sound of a rocket being lunched, "it's ok son, it's just a rocket" she said!

"It's the 13th" I said before I turns around and sleep 

  

In 25th of April, after the Israeli left the city, I went back to the small streets of the old city where I grow up. Trying to discover my hometown after the fascist forces added their touch. The amount of destruction was over whelming. It looked like nothing survived the attack intact. everything, everyone was hurt.  

Lets talk about the IDF lies

Earlier today the Israeli army spokesperson on Twitter Avital Leibovich  tweeted a video that she claimed was of an Islamic Jihad rocket launcher in action from the latest ongoing Israeli massacre of the Gaza Strip which until now, has killed 21 people (including two children) and injured over 60 in the past four days. 

The video

I recognized the video immediately as I had already watched the same 10 second clip a few months ago.  After a very short search I found the original video uploaded on October 11,2011, from the time when the Israeli army warplanes killed killing 7 Islamic Jihad members in an airstrike on Rafah, south of Gaza.

Avital through her tweets tried to mislead her followers by implying this video is from the encounter currently taking place in Gaza in an attempt to justify the brutal crimes committed by the only democracy in Middle East. 

Before I end, I must point out this tweet came hours after this post on the IOF blog. The Israeli army propagandists are gleefully congratulating themselves after proving a photo of an injured girl was from a few years ago, but as is the nature of Zionist trolling they have fallen in the same trap and unwittingly made the same mistake. Too bad not all of their followers are brain dead, and once again the Israeli army has its lies exposed.

We are here Because we want Peace.

The Israeli Army raided the Village of Nabisaleh last night! "AGAIN"

This time they raided the house of Bilal Al Tamimi who filmed the raid and the conversation between him and the Israeli soldiers. When Bilal asked the soldier why you are here. 

The soldier answered "We are here because we want peace!"

Every time I hear an Israeli soldier talks to a Palestinian, I feel hatred superiority and dehumanization in his voice and the way he talks.

Which I believe, is something deeply rooted in the Israeli army culture, if not the Israeli society. 

You can sense that from the video. Can't you?

The Weekend in 2 Videos

First Video is from Open Shuhada street protest last Friday. Over 6 thousands Palestinian marched in attempt to open Shuhada street that goes through the old city of Hebron. The street has been closed since 2001.
The annual protest is organised to commemorate the 1994 Ibrahimi mosque massacre. In which the American Jewish doctor Barokh Golishtine killed 29 Palestinian, when he opened fire at the Muslim worshipers during the morning prayer in Ramadan.
The video highlights the brutal arrest of a Palestinian protester who confronted the soldiers and told them to go back, "it's Palestine here", he was pepper sprayed, pushed to the Jeep, then hand cuffed.
He and the other sic people arrested during the protest will be brought to the Israeli military court in Ofer in Monday 27th of February.

The second video comes from Nabi Saleh, where the Israeli army decided to pay the resident an after midnight visit, in search of Shabab. Such raids became a routine to the Israeli army, as they think if they harassed the people enough, they will eventually stop anti-occupation weekly protest. 

You can hear at 2:10 the soldier saying "We will come again"

Note that couple of weeks ago during a night raid the Israeli army assaulted the family and arrested the brother of Mustafa Tamimi, a young man killed by the Israeli army in December 9,2011. 

Urgent - Action Call for Palestinian Hunger Striker Khader Adnan

Copied from Samidoun

On the 17th of December 2011 (53 days ago), Khader Adnan began his hunger strike in protest of his ill-treatment in Israeli detention and his arbitrary detention without charge or trial (known as Administrative Detention). 

He is in danger of dying at any moment. His wife, Randa, who saw him for the first time since his detention today described his condition as rapidly deteriorating and that he has lost a third of his weight and his hair.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

1.Call and demand the release of Khader Adnan, who has not been charged with any crime but instead is being held under Administrative Detention. 
Call the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC (1-202-3645500 ) OR your local Embassy (for a list, click here).

Call the office of Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs (1-202-6477209) 

Demand that Jeffrey Feltman bring this issue urgently to his counterparts in Israel and raise the question of Khader Adnan’s administrative detention.

2. Organize a protest outside your local Israeli Embassy (for a list, click here).

Post your local actions to the Khader Adnan facebook page here 

Help us spread the word with social media after you take action.
Download this photo of Khader Adnan to use for your social media profile pictures and click on the suggested messages below and they will be automatically tweeted.  

Tweet Now: Take Action Now for #KhaderAdnan http://samidoun.ca/?p=133  #Palestine #Israel

Tweet Now: I just called my local #Israel Embassy to demand #KhaderAdnan’s release. Join me now! ListofEmbassies: http://bit.ly/xoEzsS

Tweet Now: Sign Petition to #FreeKhader hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner http://samidoun.ca/?p=116 #palestine #KhaderAdnan

3. Other Actions

To contact the authorities within Israel, see Addameer’s appeal.

Other ideas for actions and a letter-writing template can be found on this action alert from Samidoun (The Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network).

See Amnesty International’s report and appeal to action.

Khader Adnan, the father of two daughters and with a third child on the way, is a baker, a Masters student in Economics at Birzeit University, and a political activist. Khader, was arrested on December 17, 2011 by masked soldiers who raided his home in the middle of the night (the village of Arrabe near Jenin in the occupied West Bank). Between the 18th and the 29th of January 2012, he was subjected to almost daily cruel and inhumane interrogations. During interrogations, he was shackled to a crooked chair with his hands tied behind his back in a position that caused him back pain. He said that interrogators threatened him constantly and verbally abused him and his family.

Khader was given a four-month administrative detention order on January 8, 2012. Khader’s interrogation period has ended but he refuses to accept the unjust system of administrative detention [more details], continuing his strike on the principle that such detention is a violation of his rights and identity. Administrative detention, a regular practice of the Israeli occupation, violates the internationally-recognized right to a fair trial. International standards for fair trial must be upheld for all political detainees, including those accused of violence, even under states of emergency. A military judge reviewed the administrative detention order on February 1, 2012 and is expected to inform lawyers of her decision later on this week.

Meanwhile, Khader’s health is deteriorating rapidly and doctors don’t expect him to be able to survive for much longer.

From Syria with Love

Syrian activist designed those posters to commemorate the third anniversary of Gaza Massacre. 

Thinking, those people in the middle of their revolution found time to remember the suffering of the people of Gaza. This is a True Arab Revolution. The Syrian people do know their path to freedom. 

Gaza, they have names

From Hums to Gaza, Peace

This is How Israel Interrogate

The Israeli Chanel 2 made a report about the methods used by the Israeli inelegance during Shaikh Mustafa Drini interrogation, the leaked video is mainly in Arabic as the Interrogator spoked it with their victim, but the report itself is in Hebrew. I think you will get the idea. A man with no clothes but a jacket"sometimes" and 3 men threatening to rape him.

In a part of the video you can hear the interrogators threatening him in shoving a stick up in his rectum and taking a picture of him with stick in his ass. Shaikh Mustafa Dirini, talked in an interview following his release in the prisoner swap with Hizbuallah in 2004 about how the interrogators actually did shove a stick in his ass, also a couple of M14 assault rifles bullets as well.
He didn't leave the Israeli prison without filing a complains against his rapist.

The video:

Photo grapes from the video:

after watching this video, I could think of nothing but, Long live the resistance the only way to shove death into those Nazi hearts and minds.

To Mustafa's Mothers

In the name of God the Merciful the Compassionate.

O beautiful mothers who have waited for their sons to return,

My beautiful sisters, which gave to the country what is most dear to the heart,

O most beautiful women dressed in mourning cloth,

For what do you want to sing and cry, what do you want of respect, loyalty, and order,

For when he gave the most precious, when the tender met the land’s call,

With tournament and sacrifice,

His soul went up to the heavens in splendor.

For this is the way of the free among the strain of the martyrs,

Of those who proceeded on the altar of freedom and redemption for Palestine.

For our belle Palestine the spirit pays a tribute and drenches the land with blood.

We comfort you and mourn you because you left like folding clouds in the sky,

So be our symbol who we seek its light.

Perhaps, my dearest sister, perhaps you are grasped in the perturbing sadness and in the numbness wounds,

Our blood defiled above the ground is a rose shining from behind the blockade,

A rose that lights the way for us to renew our path.

Mustafa’s blood writes; on the ground pregnant with the beloved; the opening anthem,

It is for Palestine that martyr fell after martyr, and when his hand captured the stone of the intifada (uprising) and victory,

The spirit of Umm Nizar ululated and Bakr sang.

We wont write about him or enrich him. As the doors of the heart leading to him and the reluctance of his songs with their hopes and aspirations announces his presence in us, and seek our presence in him.

On the walls we see his leaps,

On the ground we trace his footsteps,

In the fields we hear his whispering cry followed by a blessed stone that calls upon him,

We will remember him and will not forget him as he enriches us and we don’t enrich him.

God will bring him closer and purify him and grant him long life.

On our land pigmented with blood, in the village of redemption, the town of martyrs, the village of Nabi Saleh, the intifada of loyalty (uprising) opens the death laden.

Barbarians scatter snipers, invaders of death on the place and on the living,

To steal life and spread grief.

Earth groaned, when the murderers instilled the gas canister in Mustafa’s fragile flesh.

Leading his soul to the sky, to befriend the companions and prophets.

The seventh sky lights up and our mother, earth opens her heart to embrace his pure body to scent its ground with his blood.

On this day resistance is announced on the slopes, on the hills singing songs of revolutionaries for the land,

The voice announcing “we die for our people to live, Long live Palestine!”.

Do not shed tears Umm Mustafa, his soul embraces us to the spectra of freedom,

Through his eyes we will look on the horizon to our victory, the victory of blood over the sword. Dearest sister, it's not easy or easy to self stand in such a situation, but with patience and faith you will come out from the circle of grief to reverence and honor that befit the presence of a martyr. So sleep in the skies Mustafa, and send Umm Nizar my greeting and tell her verily here we stay, like our olives trees resisting until we continue to be. Until we write the statement of victory, of a long desired life - humanitarian up to all the meanings of living of freedom, democracy, justice, human dignity and peace.

‘Peace be upon you the day you were born, the day you departed and the day you will be alive again’.

Greetings of peace to your mother and your father.

With warmth in my heart I dedicate this to you and to them.

Bassem Tamimi

Ofer prison.

إلى آم المصطفى

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

يا أجمل الأمهات التي انتظرت ابنها وعاد يا أجمل الأخوات التي أعطت للوطن مهجة الفؤاد يا أجمل النساء التي ما نزوت في ثياب الحداد لكي ما تشائين من الغناء ومن البكاء لكي ما تشائين من الاحترام والوفاء ولكي ما تشائين من المديح ومن الثناء فحين أعطى أجزل العطاء لبى للأرض النداء بالبطولة والفداء فصعدت روحه إلى العلياء في بهاء فهذا نهج الأحرار من سلالة الشهداء من سبقوه ع...لى مذبح الحرية والفداء لا اجل فلسطيننا الحسناء تدفع الروح مهرا وتسقي الأرض بالدماء فلنا فيك العزاء لأنك رحلت كالغيم 

الملفع في السماء فكن شراعنا الذي نلتمس به الضياء .

لعلك يا أخت الروح في يقضة الحزن وغفوة الجراح ودمنا المستباح فوق الأرض وردة تلمع من خلف الحصار يضئ لنا الطريق لنجدد المسار فدم المصطفى يكتب على الأرض الحبلى بالأحباب الإحياء سفرا يقرأ فيه افتتاح النشيد فلأجل فلسطين سقط من الشهيد تلو الشهيد وحين قبضت كفه على حجرا الانتفاضة والنصر زغردت له روح ام نزار وغنى بكر لن نكتب عنه أو نرثيه فأبواب القلب تفضى إليه وتردد أغانيه وتحمل أماله وأمانيه تعلن حضوره فينا وتبحث عن حضورنا فيه فنرى على السور قفزته وعلى للأرض خطوته ونسمع في المدى صرخته حين يتبعه حجرا مباركا ينشده ويناديه سنذكره ولن ننساه فهو الذي يرثينا ولا نرثيه فالله يقربه 

ويصطفيه وامتداد الحياة يجزيه .

على راضنا المخضبة بدمنا في قرية الفداء بلدة الشهداء النبي صالح انتفاضة الوفاء تفتح كوة من حُسن الموت المحمل برابرة العصر

 ليوزع قناصة الغزاة الموت على المكان والإنسان ليهب الحياة وترسيخ المعاناة تراب يئن يخضبه دم مصطفى حين يغرس ألقتله قنبلة الغاز في لحمه الطري فتصعد روحه إلى العلياء رفيق الصديقين والأنبياء يضئ سمائنا السابعة وتفتح أمنا الأرض قلبها لا احتضان طهر جسده لتعطر التراب من مسك دمه وفي يومه صهلت جيادنا المسرجة بالمقاومة على الروابي والسفوح تغني للأرض أغاني الثوار وتعلن بصوت دمه نموت ليعيش شعبنا وتحيا فلسطين

لا تبكيه يا أم مصطفى فروحه تأخدنا لنعانق أطياف حريتنا الحائرة ونطل من فضاء عينيه على أفق انتصارنا انتصار الدم على السيف فيا أخت الروح ليس الأمر سهلا ولا هينا على النفس الوقوف في مثل هذا الموقف ولكن بالصبر والإيمان نخرج من دائرة الحزن والفجيعة إلى مستوى الإجلال والإكرام الذي يليق بحضرة الدم والشهداء فنم في عليائك قرير العين يا حمامة سلامنا وأقرئ آم نزار مني السلام واخبرها إنا باقون هنا كأشجار زيتوننا نقاوم حتى نستمر في إن نكون ولنكتب في الأحمر القاني بيان انتصارنا للحياة المشتهاة التي نستحقها من بابها الإنساني صعودا إلى كل المعاني الحية من الحرية والديمقراطية والعدالة والكرامة الإنسانية والسلام .

سلام عليك يوم ولدت ويوم رحلت ويوم تبعث حيا والسلام.

وسلام على أمك وأبيك ودفئ قلبي اهديهم وأهديك.

باسم التميمي 

سجن عوفر

Commemorating the First Intifada

يوافق التاسع من كانون الاول القريب الذكرى الرابعة والعشرين لانطلاق الانتفاضة الفلسطينية الأولى.

نحن، مجموعة من الشباب الفلسطيني، أبناء الجيل الثاني للانتفاضة الأولى، كثير منا ولد خلالها، نحني رؤوسنا إجلالاً لأبطال الانتفاضة الأولى، شهداءها وأسراها، أطفالها، شيوخها، نساءها ورجالها.

إننا نرى في الانتفاضة الأولى حقبة هامة في تاريخ شعبنا، على الأجيال أن تتناقلها وتتعلم منها، كما وأنها شكلت نموذجاً تستلهم منه شعوب العالم في نضالها من أجل العدالة والحرية. 

بهذه المناسبة نؤكد إيماننا بالمقاومة الفلسطينية الشعبية كجزء أساسي في نضالنا من أجل الحرية وتحصيل حقوق الشعب الفلسطيني، غير القابلة للتصرف أو المساومة أو التفريط، وبمواصلة النضال حتى تحقيق الحرية والعودة.

 عليه، نتوجه بنداء لكافة أبناء شعبنا في الوطن والمنفى بإحياء هذه الذكرى من خلال تكريم صانعي الانتفاضة وأبطالها، ومواصلة طريقهم.

 كما نتوجه بنداء لكافة المدونين الفلسطينيين في الوطن والمنفى بتخصيص مدوناتهم يوم التاسع من كانون الاول لنشر قصص أو مقابلات مع شخصيات عايشت الانتفاضة الاولى أو مقالات أو صور وأشرطة توثق الانتفاضة، وندعو كل مبدع فلسطيني، أن يقدم شيئاً في هذه المناسبة وفق ما يراه مناسباً وممكناً.

عاش شعبنا وتحيا فلسطين

December 9^th this year is the 24th anniversary of the First Palestinian Intifada.

We, a group of Palestinian youth, children of the First Intifada, bow in front of the heroes of the Intifada, its martyrs, children, elders, women and men.

We view the Intifada as a significant era in the history of the Palestinian people that future generations need to learn from, and that many have used as a model in their fight for justice and freedom.

In this occasion we confirm our belief in the Palestinian Popular Resistance, as a principal part of our struggle for freedom and Palestinian rights that are not open for compromise. We support the struggle to achieve freedom and the right of return.

Based on that, we are calling out to all our people in Palestine and in exile to commemorate this anniversary, by honoring the heroes of this Intifada and to follow in their footsteps.

We are also calling out to all the Palestinian bloggers in Palestine and in exile to dedicate their blogs on the 9th of December to honor the people of the First Intifada through writing stories from the Intifada or conducting interviews with the heroes, publishing videos or photos etc. Also we call every Palestinian artist to dedicate something for the Intifada.

Long live our people and long live Palestine

Black and White

Every time I sit and talk to new foreigners coming either to study Arabic in Beir Zeit, or to spend the summer volunteering in some NGO or doing some work somewhere, the hell I care, I hear the same old talks. Ohh I love Palestine and Palestinians, I am so coming next year, freedom, Love, Peace... CRAP CRAP CRAP and finally BS.

I usually listen to them talking passionately about the amazing time they spend at this village or that. "ohh i am sooo in love with tea and Meramyeh and na'a na'a" they would also talk about the Wara'a Enab they ate the other day too, and they always finish it with "Ohh, Ahmad living with those people, sharing food with them, made me understand their pain, I feel like I am one of them." (seriously, already? You came like a week ago!). I usually smile, and think "how deep lady gaga’s lyrics are!?" 

Most of those people never stayed in Palestine longer than the usual 3 months, they come in, have a nice trip, and maybe hook up with either a Palestinian, or an Israeli(you never know) Then they get on an airplane and get the fuck out of here. Many we never see again(Thank God), some return;"they come back to liberate Palestine".

Ramallah down town 

About a month ago a friend of mine asked me to meet up in a bar in Ramallah called Bait Annesah, despite my promise to myself not to step a foot there, I went to see this friend, as she was leaving the next day. I finally got in the pup,, after convincing the bouncer that I am part of a group, which was waiting  for me inside.

I walked up to sit with my friend, who was already sitting with a group of Palestinian(i am not sure) Europeans and Americans. The conversation carried on, while I sat there saying nothing, until one of the so called Palestinian said "Existence is Resistance, being here is part of resisting the occupation". I looked to their faces for reaction, I saw nothing but approval. I said bye to my friend directly, as I couldn't stay any longer;I would kill someone if I did.

FYI: existence is resistance when your house, land, or even bar under threat of being attacked by settlers or army, when your existence as individual effect the Israeli policies in your area. Existence is NOT resistance if you are sitting in a bar in Ramallah downtown! 

This is one of the too many statements I heard from many of those same pretentious, arrogant white-people, with a big colonialist and orientalist mentality. And just to help you understand why I said what I said, I am adding a couple of those statements I heard:


"The Palestinian keep fucking it up." American. "they wont give up!"

"I really can't understand why you people love violence that much" European. "coffee?"

"Palestine will be much better, if you got rid those bearded fanatic" European. "who?"

"I can't believe this man, he told me I can't drink in there, so dark age" European. "OK"

"I dressed as Palestine for Halloween this year." American. "not going to ask how!" 

"I don't think Palestinians understand, what non-violence means" American. "TRUE"

This post is not directed against a lot of the great people who got to knowthe Palestinian cause as their own, standing at the front line in Nabi Saleh, Bilin and Nilin, or spend hours documenting and translating to expose the Israeli practice against my people. I have nothing but respect and appreciation for them, this post is against those who think by spending a week or 2 hanging out in Ramallah bars and expensive restaurants, they can claim to understand me, my people and my cause. This one is against everyone who thinks he/she has the right to judge my people, based on their standards.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged" Luke 6:37

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Israeli Activists report about the attempted lynching of Palestinian farmers and Israeli activists by Anatot settlers, with Israeli police collaboration - 30/9/11

a. Background, as reported by activists:

For four years Yasin Abu Saleh el-Rifai and his wife Iman are fighting an almost doomed battle to save their land. The plot has belonged to his family, the el-Rifai family, for generations and it is his land, by inheritance. His grandfather's tomb is situated there too. The impressive structure of the tomb still stands, but the settlers have desecrated it, removing the bones from the tomb and destroyed the any remains in order to eliminate the evidence. Unfortunately for him, and for many other residents of Anata, some of them members of his family, an Israeli settlement by the name of Anatot (aka Almon) was built on their land in 1982. This settlement has grown over the years and today its fenced-off area includes hundreds of acres of private, taboo-registered Palestinian land, which the Palestinian owners cannot access. 

A few words about this settlement:  the settlers of Anatot are some of the worst people. It is a secular, extreme right-wing settlement of police officers and army officers, some of them retired. So the law is with them…and far away from the public eye they do what they want, a constant rampage. Sicilian Mafia in Israel of 2011. Netanyahu's personal driver is also a resident of Anatot.   

El-Rifai's story is somewhat different from the story of the other Palestinian landowners. He and his wife, an Israeli citizen, formerly Jewish with a "blue" ID are allowed to enter the settlement and they are not denied access to the land. This is not the case for the other landowners, who are not Israeli citizens, and are therefore required to conduct impossible coordination procedures in order to reach their land and cultivate it.

Their 'blue' ID cards have not spared el-Rifai and his wife a great deal of agony. In recent years Anatot's settlers have been doing all they can to try to expel them from their land. The land that appears to be barren in the clip was once full of olive trees. Settlers ran over el-Rifai's wife with a mini-tractor, the two were beaten on several occasions, requiring hospitalization. Yasin was also stabbed. Their share of misery has also included the uprooting of all fruit trees on the plot, destruction of agricultural equipment, contamination of the water well by throwing carcasses and garbage into it, burning the cave which is located within the confines of the plot, constant uprooting of any newly-planted trees, threats against the two as well as physical assaults on them. Countless complaints have been submitted to the police, but nothing has been done to stop the abuse. El-Rifai and his wife have not given up, and against all odds they are trying to hold on to their land. Yasin, desperate to find some support, contact activists through the Internet a few months ago.

b. Activist Tal's account:

On Friday, a group of Israeli activists from various groups came down to sit with Yasin on his land, drink coffee, eat something, plant a few symbolic trees, and raise a Palestinian flag on his plot. We were certainly not looking for trouble. We were a small group, women and elderly people among us.

As we were sitting there, eating and laughing, Yasin received a call on his mobile phone, and the settlement's security officer threatened him that "people want to come up and beat you to a pulp, if that's what you want, keep the flag there". The phone call was recorded. You can listen to it here:

Afterwards, seven police and military vehicles appeared on the main road. They stood there for half an hour. Then a few civilian (privately-owned) cars drove up to them, and there seemed to be an exchange going on. All of a sudden, all the military vehicles disappeared, except for one police car, and within minutes tens of private cars gathered on the road. Around 50 people came out of these cars, led by an army officer and a border police, who were not trying too hard to stop them...The rest is history. They came up to us, cursed us, beat us with stoned and clubs and iron rods, plundered. Yasin was thrown to the ground, his head cracked open with an audible bang (he's not a young man, and he suffers from a heart condition and diabetes). He lay motionless on the ground for a few minutes, his wife holding his head and trying to stop the bleeding. We formed a protective ring around him, so that the bloodthirsty settlers don't reach him. At that time I thought he was dead. I yelled "get an ambulance", but no one paid attention. Miri (an activist) saw another activist, Edo, being beaten right next to a police officer, the settlers taking his camera. The officer was speaking on his phone. She approached him and said: "They stole Edo's camera and now they are hitting him!". The officer's nonchalant response was "you're interrupting my conversation". I stood there trying to prevent the attackers from reaching Yasin. A police officer came and took me away saying he's doing it to protect me. None of the officers protected Yasin. None of the attackers were pushed back or detained. Three of us were arrested on false charges and released later that evening because there was no case against them. The settlers chased us with their cars, causing damage to our cars, all the way up to West Jerusalem. Police officers who drove along, escorting us, did  not think something had to be done about that. An entire spectrum of Anatot settlers, children, youths, women, the young and the elderly participated in the attempted lynching. No one would have cared if we had been killed there. Only the police who would have had to account for this…

c. Activist Guy's account:

Three months ago, we, Taayush activists, received an appeal from the couple. They were almost desperate and they asked for our help. We came down there, another activist and I, and we met a lovely couple, whose sole request was not to be driven off their land and not to suffer physical abuse and damage to property.

Due to various constraints, it was difficult for us to help at the time, but we did try to enlist various activists and groups. In recent weeks, activists have come down a few times and planted new trees, but each time, after a short while el-Rifai found them uprooted.

Today, Friday 30.9.11, a few of us decided to come and visit the couple. We numbered around 15 people. we brought work tools with us, such as hoes. Needless to say, we were welcomed with open arms and much love.

A short time after our arrival, we saw the settlement's security vehicle stop on the main road. It seemed that the security officer didn't like our presence there and called the police. A Border police team arrived, but they didn't intervene or interfere. Gradually, more and more settlers gathered on the main road, approximately 200 Meters in front of the hill where we were working. By noon, more than 20 settler cars could be spotted there. Then we saw two of them going up towards us, and I immediately called the police and alerted them to the danger. Below us, on the main road, we were able to see a few police cars, but they didn't prevent the two settlers from approaching us. When they came near us, they cursed and threatened us. Other settlers began to go up the hill towards us, dozens of them... 

I called the police again, I warned them that bloodshed was imminent, I begged them to send the policemen who were present uphill, towards us, but to no avail. The settlers came up to us, and attacked us. This was simply an attempted lynching. I was punched a few times, knocked down to the ground, and when managed to lift myself up, I saw a border police officer. I ran to him and begged him to protect me, to save me, I practically hung onto him. But they just kept hitting, not heeding his calls to step back. They broke one of the cameras which I was holding, snatching it and throwing it to the ground and trampling over it. More punches and I am screaming and seeing the end. Again, I find myself on the ground, again lifting myself up and starting to flee, my glasses are gone and I don't know where I'm running, and I do see the settlers approaching me, and screaming at me. I ran towards the road and saw a police officer. Weeping and distraught, I asked him to save me. 

He took me to the car and somehow I along with another activist managed to escape and exit the settlement.

But what about the rest?

They continued to be beaten, and the attempted lynching went on. Three of us are still at the hospital, one with a head injury, and I came out of all this, miraculously, with just one arm broken and lots of bruises.

for more data:

1. A preliminary report with two clips and photos was published on Mondoweiss yesterday:

here

2. A new (third) and longer clip from the attack was posted on Youtube today:
here

3. Images:    here
here
here
here

4. A new report - translated testimonies (key points highlighted):
English
Hebrew

Source: Anarchist Against the Wall