Hundreds join protests against occupation around West Bank

By +972 Magazine August 11, 2012 | Edit

Hundreds of Palestinian villagers and activists, joined by Israeli and international supporters, gathered this week in five localities in the occupied West Bank to protest the ongoing occupation, annexation of lands and construction of settlements and the separation wall.

Hundreds join protests against occupation around West Bank

Demonstrator in Bil'in on Friday (photo: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills)

In Kufr Qaddoum, some 250 people marched from the center of the village towards the main road that has been blocked by the army for the past year. Shortly after, the army attacked the demonstration with volleys of tear-gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets. It also fired live ammunition in the air. 29-year-old Yehya Shtewe was hit in the head with a tear gas canister and required medical treatment.

The weekly demonstration in Nabi Saleh started shortly after midday prayers, making its way from the center of the village towards the confiscated lands. A small battalion of Israelis fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets and a number of tear gas canisters. Some minor clashes erupted, but the demonstration ended without injuries or arrests.

Dozens of protesters participated in the weekly march In Bil’in. Activists made their way to the Abu Lamon reserve, an area returned to the village after its long popular and legal battle. Some protesters were able to come close to the fence and cut out some 8 meters of barbed wire surrounding it. The army retaliated with tear-gas canisters, stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets, as well as with the “skunk” – a water cannon spraying foul-smelling water.

Friday demonstration in Ma'asara (photo: Lior Ben Eliahu)

Residents of Ni’lin, joined by Israeli and international supporters, marched to the route of the wall after conducting the Ramadan midday prayer in the olive groves. Some clashes erupted between the army and the local youth, however no injuries were reported. A similar demonstration took place in the village of Ma’asara, where two dozens of residents and a handful of activists marched towards their lands. The march was blocked by the army at the entrance to the village, but the army did not used crowd-control weaponry.

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Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence. We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies. This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza. We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives. Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

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TEST TEST GAL Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence. We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies. This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza. We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives. Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

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