A large military force, including a plain-clothed snatch squad, raided the village at 2:30am...
The arrest of protesters in Nil'in is part of a broad campaign Israel is waging in an attempt to contain grassroots protest against the occupation and quash the Palestinian popular struggle across the West Bank. As part of this campaign more than 30 wall-related arrests have been carried in the village of Nil'in alone since 16 December 2009.
Similar arrests waves, which accompany Israel's diplomatic and media assault on the popular struggle, as well as an increase of violence on the ground, have also taken place in the villages of Bil'in, Budrus, Beit Duqqu, Jayyous and most recently, Nabi Saleh, a 500-person community where 26 people have been arrested in the past five months. Full story & Video
By Mazin Qumsiyeh:
Our ten hour ordeal with the occupation forces started at 8:30 AM as we gathered in the small village of Al-Wallaja....A tiny store with an elderly
women who insisted on making me coffee and not charging me. Idyllic
setting except for the heavy bulldozers now carving the hills to separate
the remaining people from their lands via an apartheid wall that is planned
to completely ring the village. This village that already lost much of
its lands is in the unfortunate position of being near the Green line
sitting on rich agricultural lands and the Israelis want the land but do not
want the people that come with the land. Israeli military has already
demolished homes in eth village (most were rebuilt) and fined others for
building without permits (which are not issued in this village). The heroic
villagers inspired so many including Internationals and Israelis to join
them in their popular resistance. Earlier, I shared with you many videos of
the actions. Today's even started as we came through the woods and sat in
front of the bulldozer.
As the soldiers gathered their forces around us, you could feel the soldiers
preparing themselves for attack. We remained calm and peaceful. They
dragged us one by one forcefully from the bulldozed lands. They picked the
four of us for arrest for no obvious reason. George from Canada, me from
Beit Sahour, and two brothers from Al-Walaja (Dia' and Nafez). They were
particularly brutal with the two brothers using pepper spray repeatedly,
hits with clubs (twice), and once with the rifle butt especially on Dia'.
Dia' could not see for a long time. They took us down the hill with full
military escort and demanded our ID cards on the way (I and Nafez had them,
Dia' and George did not carry them). At the bottom of the hill sits a
checkpoint for cars (mostly settlers) crossing into Jerusalem (from the
illegal settlements of Har Gilo, Gilo, and Gush Etzion complex of
settlements). There we were told to sit and wait as two private security
guards were brought to supplement the four soldiers guarding us. Half an
hour, an hour, two hours passed by. We spend time talking to soldiers
explaining why they are wrong to punish people trying to defend their lands.
I finally asked to go to the bathroom. They refused. I insisted and
finally they escorted me to an outhouse (portable type). Other followed.
Time passed. Officers came and said for us to sign a paper claiming all it
said was that in our detention we were not beaten or mistreated. We refuse
to sign. Finally, they receive the green light to arrest us officially so we
are driven through Jerusalem and on to the investigation offices near
Qubbit Raheel (Rachel's tomb). Along the way, Dia'a nd Nafez comment that
this is unusual for them to enter Jerusalem (forbidden to them since the
Oslo accords). Al-Walaja is in the area of the area that they consider
Israeli territory (the Gush Etzion complex of colonial settlements).
Al-Walaja sits even partially on land annexed to Jerusalem, yet its
residents are given Greed ID cards like me meaning West Bank Palestinians
not allowed into Jerusalem.
We arrive at our destination and are locked up in a metal container. Two
more hours pass by. Only some time soldiers come in and we talk to them.
In all three we talk to three Arab soldiers including Marzouq and Madi (I
nicknamed them M&M of the Israeli occupation army), three Ashkenazis, one
Sephardic women who never smiled and seemed out of place, and one Ethiopian.
Some are cold and distant, others argumentative but not knowing much, and
yet others slightly more open and listen to what we had to tell them. I was
proud of the Al-Walaja brothers using calm logic to explain: what would you
do if some came and uprooted trees that your grandparents planted for you?
How would you react if your source of life and livelihood is taken? But
most of the nearly 40 soldiers and police officers we encountered along the
way only uttered few words of orders and refused to engage with us. To them
it seemed like a routine job. As they hauled us from one place to another,
they would be chatting or texting on their mobile phones or joking with each
other about things (I really have to take Hebrew classes).
The "investigator" finally arrives. We are finally allowed to make the call
to a lawyer. The lawyer advises and we follow his advise. Each
individually is taken to see the investigator. We are asked to sign other
papers and again we refuse (in Hebrew). They force us to put our thumb on a
separate form that merely has our names, ID numbers etc on it. Handcuffs
are added and mobile phones are taken from us. As each one is returned to
the container, we brief each other. We wait. The handcuffs are hurting. I
notice it says on mine 'Hiatt-Made in England'. I think to myself this
whole mess was made in England (Balfour declaration and all that). An hour
later, we are told they will take us to court and that each of us is to call
a relative or friend to bring NIS 2500 (about $750) to the court in
Jerusalem to use as bail. The phones are returned to us to make the calls.
We are then ordered to get on the van to go (we presume to court). But then
they change their minds. We don't know what is going on. We are told not
to use the mobile phones but we do when we are alone. My family manages to
gather the money and as my wife is on the way nearly an hour later, the
lawyer sends a message that we need to wait as they are negotiating with the
judge. Yet another hour. We are then ordered on the van. They take us to
Talpiot police station where they fingerprint and photograph us. Dragged
like criminals with handcuffs in this now rich neighborhood. Old Jewish
woman stares at me on the way out and I wish I am allowed to speak to her to
tell her our stories. On the way in the back of the van, I tell the fellow
inmates that this was an Arab neighborhood before the ethnic cleansing of
1948. Many Arab houses still stand taken over and converted into everything
from residential villas to bars. We go back to the container holding pen.
The handcuffs still hurting.
It was now nearly 5:30 and we were starving (no food and many of us have
left home without breakfast and held since about 9 AM). We had asked for
food on occasions. Finally they bring us some bread, each a slice of cheese
and a small packets of jam (I guess because we have been in handcuffs for
four hours at least and that is formal arrest). We devour it quickly and
wonder whether this is a sign of us staying longer or that we would be
released soon. Another half an hour and we are dragged (this time together)
in front of a new investigator who asked us to sign a release form that says
that we are told to stay away from the wall (yes it says the wall on
official Israeli documents) for 15 days and if we don't we will be have to
pay each NIS5000 (about $1200). A friend from Al-Walaja was kind enough to
come and cosign to ensure that we will follow the stated orders.
George's situation was not clear. They insisted on seeing his passport. A
friend finally brought it after George was threatened with immediate
deportation if he did not get the passport. The lawyer andus tried to
persuade them to let him go. They asked me to translate for him at first
that he must reappear at the same place Sunday and we thought they were
releasing him with us. But alas, it was not to be. I hope he will not be
deported anyway (their words are always not to be trusted).
The three of us were released but the soldiers did not give us our ID cards.
In our jubilation at being released, we also had forgotten to ask about them
(they had them for the 10 hour ordeal). So I came back with my wife and she
was allowed into the checkpoint and an hour later, I had the ID cards. We
had visitors from Jenin staying overnight with us and I was supposed to work
with my technologist at the University today. But here I am way past
midnight still writing this note and uploading a video. Tomorrow (Friday)
there will be a demonstration in Al-Masara and the lettuce festival in
Artas and other work to do. Life goes on in the land of Apartheid. La luta
continua. Stay tuned.
PS Here is a video from last week in the same village of Al-Walaja of me
explaining to soldiers a bit of the reality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
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