IDF arrests top Palestinian nonviolent activist in overnight raid

By +972 Magazine April 30, 2018 | Edit

Ayed Morrar, who led the village of Budrus in a nonviolent struggle against the separation wall, was arrested alongside his son in an overnight raid.

By +972 Magazine Staff

Ayed Morrar, leader of the Popular Committee in Budrus, addresses the crowd, emphasizing women’s role in the unarmed popular struggle and the importance of unity across political lines.

Israeli security forces arrested Ayed Morrar, one of the symbols of the Palestinian popular struggle, along with his son, Ahmed, in an overnight raid on the West Bank village of Budrus Monday. According to Attorney Gaby Lasky, the two are suspected of incitement.

Morrar was a key figure in the nonviolent protests against the separation wall, which swept Budrus during the early 2000’s, after the state announced that it would confiscate 300 acres of land in order to build the separation wall. Those protests would serve as inspiration for other popular protests across the West Bank, in villages such as Bil’in and Nabi Saleh, against the wall and settlements.

In film “Budrus,” which tells the story of the village’s struggle, Morrar says he chose the popular struggle because it was the “avenue that best served Palestinian interests.”

Following the protests that began in late 2003, the village succeeded in returning a large portion of its land, which would have otherwise remained on the Israeli side of the wall.

WATCH: Israeli forces arrest Ayed Morrar and his son Ahmed:

Morrar’s daughter, Iltizam, said that soldiers had arrived at the family’s home at 2 a.m. “They did not even give us the chance to open the door. They broke the lock, took my father’s and my brothers’ ID cards, and told my father and my brother Ahmed that the were being detained.”

According to Iltizam, protests have returned to Budrus ever since President Trump’s declaration to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. However, there have been no protests over the past two weeks, and thus it is unclear why the two were taken into custody.

Following the arrest, the IDF Spokesperson issued the following response:

“Two Palestinians suspected of incitement against Israeli citizens and security forces were arrested in the village of Budrus last night. During the arrest, the door lock was broken in order to allow the soldiers to enter the house. The suspects were taken for questioning by the Israel Police.”

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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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