Ma'an: Gaza border violence in 'March

The following is a summary of reports on projectile fire, gunfights, air strikes and artillery fire in the Gaza border area since the beginning of March.

1 March
Armed wings of Hamas and PFLP claim fire at Israeli forces in northern Strip.

Witnesses say Israeli fire injures 22-year-old Gaza man in southern Strip. Israeli military says soldiers did not fire back at factions operating in south, AFP reports force used new "antitank" interception system.

2 March
Witnesses say Israeli force enters southern Gaza under gunfire. No injuries reported. Israeli military denies fire.

PFLP fighters say fired on an Israeli military patrol in the northern Gaza Strip.

3 March
DFLP says fighters fired a C5K rocket toward an Israeli military guard tower in southern Gaza Strip. An Israeli military statement says a projectile hit the Sdot Negev Regional Council overnight, but caused no injuries.

4 March
Israeli warplanes strike car in central Gaza causing no injuries. Israeli military says unfamiliar with incident.

Israeli press reports launch of two projectiles from Gaza late in the evening. No factions claim launch.

6 March
Israeli warplanes target three areas in the central and northern Gaza Strip, causing damage to sports club, tunnel, university building but no injuries.

9 March
Israeli media reports projectile launch from southern Gaza Strip. No faction claims launch.

10 March
Israeli media reports projectile launch from southern Gaza Strip. No faction claims launch.

11 March
Israeli media reports projectile launch from southern Gaza Strip. No faction claims launch.

16 March
An Israeli air strike hits a training base near the former settlement of Nitzarim, killing two and injuring a third.

An army spokesman says the strike was in response to a projectile that had been fired from Gaza earlier in the day.

There were no claims of fire from Gaza factions of fire. Israeli media did not report projectile fire.

Hamas affiliates report Israeli artillery fire east of Gaza City.

17 March
Israeli fighter jets drop leaflets over Gaza advising civilians to stay away from border area. Military confirms operation.

18 March
Israeli military says soldiers fired on by Gaza fighters. Army says its soldiers were "performing a routine activity" in the coastal enclave, and that it would "choose the method of response as per arising security assessments."

No factions claim launch.

19 March
Israeli tanks strike targets in the Gaza Strip in two rounds of fire. Medics say three injured in first round, two in second including children.

Shelling destroys Gaza power lines.

Israeli police say at least 49 mortars exploded within in the regional councils bordering Gaza, including Sdot Negev, and Eshkol regional council. Two lightly hurt by shrapnel, police say.

Hamas claims to have fired mortar shells toward Israeli targets, including the Kerem Shalom and Sufa military bases.. Statement says barrage in retaliation for "crimes and the ongoing air and ground strikes on the Gaza Strip the latest of which targeted and killed two Hamas' fighters."

Two 17-year-old Gazans killed by Israeli fire in the central Gaza Strip.

20 March
PFLP fighters say projectile launched toward Israeli military post on the border near the central Gaza Strip. Israeli media say Grad-style rocket hits outside of Ashkelon.

Israeli artillery fire injures one man in the central Gaza Strip.

NRB fighters say home-made projectile launched toward the Israeli military post at Kissufim, east of the Gaza Strip town of Dir Al-Balah.

21 March
PFLP- GC says fighters fired a projectile toward an Israeli moshav near the Gaza border.

Hamas' armed wing says it will commit to a truce if Israel stops bombarding the Gaza Strip. Al-Qassam Brigades vow to resist if Israel continues to attack the coastal enclave.

Shortly before midnight Israeli warplanes target sites across the Gaza Strip injuring at least 18 people including seven children, witnesses and medics say.

Ten people arrive at the Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and seven others are taken to Kamal Udwan Hospital in the north, the BBC reports.

22 March
NRB fighters say they launched an attack on the Sufa military post shortly after midnight, targeting the site with a homemade projectile.

An Israeli military statement says that a "military-use projectile fired from Gaza landed in Eshkol Regional Council" on Tuesday morning, the region to the south of the Gaza Strip. Israeli media says projectile hits western Negev.

Shortly before 10 a.m. Israeli artillery strike injures one man east of Gaza City.

Shortly before noon, an Israeli drone critically injures a second man east of Gaza City.

Around 4 p.m., Israeli tanks shell a home east of Gaza City, killing 5 including 11-year-old and 16-year-old. Family was playing football outside home when shell hit, medics say.

In fourth strike of day, Israeli warplanes fire missiles killing four men south of Gaza City. Medics say victims were members of Al-Quds Brigades. Israel army says fighter jets targeted "group of terrorists" about to launch projectile into Israel.

Palestine Solidarity Project: February-March Report

Marching towards the roadblock, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

1.) Hundreds Attend Women’s Day Organizing Conference in Beit Ommar (March 13, 2011)
2.) Israeli Settlers Invade Beit Ommar Village (March 13, 2011)
3.) Actions in Chicago, San Francisco, Remember Murdered Beit Ommar Youth (March 10, 2011)
4.) Army, Settlers, Destroy Palestinian Olive Trees in Al-Jab’a (February 23, 2011)
5.) 13 Boys Arrested From Playground after Army Represses Beit Ommar Demonstration (February 19, 2011)
6.) Israeli Forces Arrest 9-Year-Old in Beit Ommar (February 18, 2011)
7.) Beit Ommar Demonstrators Protest Settlers, Vow Solidarity With Egypt (February 14, 2011)
8.) One Arrested as Palestinian Activists Block Route 60 Near Beit Ommar (March 9, 2011)
9.) Over 1000 Demonstrate in Hebron to Open Shuhada Street Despite Army Repression (February 25, 2011)
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1. Hundreds Attend Women’s Day Organizing Conference in Beit Ommar

On Saturday, March 12th, 2011, over three hundred women gathered together in the Palestinian village of Beit Ommar for conference organized by the Center for Freedom and Justice, with the support of the Palestine Solidarity Project. Among the participants were approximately 100 Israeli women solidarity activists and about 20 internationals. The 200 Palestinian women attendees came from Beit Ommar and from surrounding villages such as Surif, Al-Arroub Refugee Camp, Al-Jab’a, and Halhoul.

The conference was a new step in a long-standing political cooperation between a group of Israeli women anti-occupation activists and Palestinian women from Beit Ommar area, which began last year with a highly-publicized campaign of Israeli women bringing Palestinian women to the sea and other areas of historic Palestine in defiance of the laws that prohibit such movement without Israeli military permit. Approximately 70 Palestinian women, age 17-50, and 30 Israeli women participated in the campaign of defying the checkpoints, which was inspired by Israeli journalist Ilana Hammerman, who was being investigated for a similar act which she then wrote about in an Israeli newspaper. The conference was organized to expand the joint work between women and marked International Women’s Day. Participants strategized about how to end the Israeli occupation and to increase partnership initiatives between Palestinian and Israeli women. The conference started at 10:30 in the morning, and lasted for six hours. The conference included performances of traditional Palestinian song and dance. A theatrical piece about the occupation was also performed for the hundreds gathered.
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2. Israeli Settlers Invade Beit Ommar Village

On Saturday, March 12, 2011 at around 8pm, three bus loads full of Israeli settlers entered the village of Beit Ommar, breaking into at least two residences and beating the Palestinian occupants. The attacks seemed to be coordinated as part of other settler violence across the West Bank. Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in villages near Nablus, Ramallah, and Hebron.

In Beit Ommar, three buses of settlers from Bat Ayn and Kiryat Arba Settlements stopped on Route 60 near the entrance of the village. The settlers entered a residence close to the Israeli watchtower, breaking everything inside the house and smashing flower pots and destroying trees and plants outside. The settlers then entered another house belonging to the al-Alami family, beating the Palestinian occupants inside the residence.

At this point six Israeli military jeeps also entered the village and soldiers shot many tear gas canisters near Palestinian houses. Two Palestinians, 16-year-old Muayad al-Alami and 70-year-old Sabha Abu Ayyesh, were injured from the tear gas. An ambulance took them to a hospital in Hebron for treatment. Israeli soldiers also occupied the house of Saleh Abu Ayyesh and used it as a vantage point to shoot tear gas and sound bombs at villagers who tried to defend their homes from the settler attack.

By 11pm, the buses of settlers had left Beit Ommar but a second group of settlers from Karmei Tsur attempted to invade the southern area of the village. Israeli Forces prevented them from doing as they still maintained positions in Palestinian residences.
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3. Actions in Chicago, San Francisco, Remember Murdered Beit Ommar Youth

Thursday, March 10th, 2011, 7am: Responding to an international call to action, Palestinian solidarity activists in Chicago renamed street signs on downtown street corners commemorating a Palestinian youth killed two years ago by the Israeli military. The activists used ladders just as morning rush hour commuters were starting to arrive in Chicago’s loop, and replaced street signs that read “Honorary Ben Gurion Way” with “Honorary Mehdi Abu Ayyash Way.”

According to the activists, David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, was responsible for drafting policy which intentionally drove Palestinians from their homes and disallowed them from returning. The activists also gave out flyers to pedestrians explaining why they were doing the action, and information about the thousands of unarmed Palestinian civilians murdered by the Israeli occupation.

The activists in Chicago responded to an international call to action to remember murdered Palestinian youth from the Palestine Solidarity Project, a Palestinian-led organization in Beit Ommar village in the southern West Bank which organizes unarmed resistance to the Israeli occupation.

Mehdi Abu Ayyash, aged 17, from Beit Ommar, was shot in the head by Israeli Forces on March 4th, 2009 and died of his injuries several months later. A second youth from the same village, Yousef Ikhlyal, aged 17, was shot in the head by rampaging Israeli settlers on January 28th, 2011.

On Wednesday afternoon, activists in San Francisco unfurled a large banner over the highway reading, “Justice for Mehdi Abu Ayyash,” as part of the international events planned. More actions are expected to take place in the coming weeks in different locations around the world.

Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers reside in the West Bank, a fact deemed illegal by International Law. These settlements are built on land stolen from Palestinians and settlers often harass and even murder Palestinian residents with impunity. To date, none of the soldiers responsible for killing Mehdi Abu Ayyash, nor the settlers responsible for killing Yousef Ikhlyal, have been brought to justice by the State of Israel.
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4. Army, Settlers, Destroy Palestinian Olive Trees in Al-Jab’a

On the morning of Tuesday, February 22, 2011, Israeli Forces, along with the Israeli Civil Administration and several settlers, used two bulldozers and chainsaws to destroy Palestinian olive trees in Al-Jab’a, a small village to the north of Beit Ommar. All of the trees on 200 dunums of land were cut down. Additionally, several irrigation walls on these lands were bulldozed.

The trees belong to several Palestinian farmers, including Mousa Hamdan Abu Loha, Azat Abu Latifa, Ibrahim Mahmoud Abu Loha, Ahmad Sobhia, and Mohammad Abed Al-Latif.

The land where the trees were destroyed were located alongside the Israeli settlement of Bat Ayn. Settlers from Bat Ayn were seen felling trees with chainsaws while soldiers operated the bulldozers. Settlers then piled the pieces of cut up trees into cars.

Al-Jab’a is a small village of around 900 people that is situated west of Bethlehem and north of Beit Ommar. Al-Jab’a lies on the Green Line, the dividing line between Israel and the West Bank. The village is surrounded by settlements, with Gush Etzion to the east, Betar Illit to the north, and Bat Ayn to the south. Israeli settlers, particularly from Bat Ayn, periodically harass the villagers of Al-Jab’a with impunity. Additionally, the main road connecting Al-Jab’a to the nearby village of Surif is blocked by the Israeli Authorities.
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5. 13 Boys Arrested From Playground after Army Represses Beit Ommar Demonstration

On Saturday the 19th of February at 1 pm, the Beit Ommar National Committee held a large demonstration to protest the Israeli government’s decision to expand settlements, with support from the United States. They were joined by Palestinian Popular Committees from Hebron, Al-Ma’asara, Beit Ula, At-Tuwani, Surif, and Wadi Rahal, as well as members from the Beit Ommar municipality. The gathered Palestinian activists were also supported by a large number of Israeli and International solidarity activists.

The army arrived in several jeeps from Karmei Tsur settlement and immediately began shooting tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. Israeli Forces also threw sound bombs at the crowd, hitting a few people directly. A minister from the Beit Ommar municipality was injured in his leg, and a member of the National Committee was injured after a sound bomb exploded on his back. The army continued their attacks, while a group of settlers gathered behind the Karmei Tsur fence to watch the repression. After an hour and half, the demonstrators successfully delivered their message to the soldiers and media and returned to the village with no arrests.

At around 3pm, half an hour after the demonstration had ended, an undercover military vehicle came into the village near Karmei Tsur and soldiers attacked the residence of Husni Za’qiq. Soldiers occupied the house and prevented anyone from leaving. Other soldiers, accompanied by special units, invaded a park full of children between the ages of 12 and 15 years. The Israeli Forces attacked and shot rubber bullets and sound bombs at the children so they could not run away, and then proceeded to arrest 13 of them. Several army vehicles came into the area for support, attacking houses and cars to frighten people so they could not come to the children’s defense. The army shot tear gas and sound bombs toward women who attempted to rescue the youth, and then beat the group of women, including Mona Abu Maria. The army succeeded in taking the arrested children, all of whom are under the age of 18, out of the village. Their families do not yet know where they are being held.
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6. Israeli Forces Arrest 9-Year-Old in Beit Ommar

On February 18, 2011, at 2pm, six military vehicles full of Israeli Forces entered the village of Beit Ommar and began shooting tear gas near the homes of residents. After entering the house of Ahmed Mahmoud al-Alami, soldiers began beating the occupants and arrested Ahmed’s 9-year-old son Mahmoud.

During the arrest, a soldier carried Mahmoud over his shoulder as he took him from his house towards an army jeep. Mahmoud’s mother ran out after him demanding that the soldiers release her son, but her protests fell on deaf ears. At the same time, soldiers blocked off the main street of the village, preventing residents from entering the area. After a while, the soldiers left, taking Mahmoud to Gush Etzion settlement.

Israeli Forces periodically arrest Palestinian minors in the occupied territories. Just this month, several young boys have been arrested from their homes in Beit Ommar alone.
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7. Beit Ommar Demonstrators Protest Settlers, Vow Solidarity With Egypt

On February 12, 2011, Beit Ommar villagers, supported by Israeli and international solidarity activists, surprised the Israeli military by demonstrating in a different area near the settlement of Karmei Tsur. The area chosen is closest to where Israeli settlers are building new houses on land that legally belongs to Beit Ommar farmers. This week Beit Ommar residents were joined by representatives from popular committees throughout the West Bank, including the villages of An-Nabi Saleh, Hebron, Susiya and Towana.

Demonstrators declared their solidarity with the people of Egypt, and celebrated the fall of the Mubarak regime. Protesters gave speeches praising the nonviolent popular struggle that brought down the Egyptian dictator, and calling for a similar struggle in Palestine and throughout the Arab world. Protesters also condemned the continued expansion of Israeli settlements, all of which are illegal under international law.

40 soldiers and several settlers were present at the demonstration. Soldiers shoved and swore at the demonstrators, but did not fire any tear gas or sound bombs, probably due to the demonstration’s close proximity to the settlement. No arrests were made and no injuries were reported.
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8. One Arrested as Palestinian Activists Block Route 60 Near Beit Ommar

On Tuesday, March 8th, 2011, about 70 Palestinians, supported by international solidarity activists, blocked Route 60 (a road that is heavily trafficked by Israeli settlers) near the entrance of Beit Ommar village, between the cities of Hebron and Bethlehem. Traffic came to a halt for almost half an hour as activists waved Palestinian flags and chanted against the occupation. The demonstration was organized as a collective response to increasing settlement expansion in the West Bank and frequent attacks by Israeli Forces on the Palestinian people.

Israeli Forces arrived at the scene just as the demonstrators were returning home. Several of the soldiers chased the activists, catching Azmi Shoyorhi, a well-known anti-occupation activist who had been injured in his leg from a sound bomb thrown by Israeli Forces during last Saturday’s demonstration in Beit Ommar. A soldier took Azmi’s ID and placed him under arrest. Seeing that Azmi was having difficulty breathing on the ground, several international activists stayed with him and requested that the army call an ambulance. After a short while, an ambulance arrived on the scene and medics were able to treat Azmi before he was taken away by the Israeli Military.
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9. Over 1000 Demonstrate in Hebron to Open Shuhada Street Despite Army Repression

On Friday, February 25th, 2011 at around 1pm, more than 1000 Palestinians, supported by Israeli and international solidarity activists, rallied in the city of Hebron to demand the opening of Shuhada street. Shuhada street was once one of the main economic and transportation hubs in Hebron, but now the street is completely closed to Palestinians and only Israeli settlers are allowed to use it.

This demonstration was particularly important as Israel, with the support of the United States, has increased settler expansion in the West Bank. The date chosen was also significant because it coincided with the anniversary of the massacre of 29 Palestinians inside the Hebron Ibrahimi Mosque by an Israeli settler in 1994.

During the demonstration, Palestinian Authority police officers blocked several side streets leading to the area and attempted to prevent some people from attending the demonstration. Israeli soldiers stationed themselves on the roofs of Palestinian residences in the area. As the protesters gathered waving Palestinian flags and chanting against the occupation, Israeli soldiers used sound bombs and tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd. At least nine people, four of whom are Israeli solidarity activists, were lightly injured. Several demonstrators were also detained by Israeli Forces.

international accompaniment at Karmi Zur, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Jailed Bil'in Protest Organizer Abdallah Abu Rahmah Released!

Jailed Bil'in Protest Organizer, Abdallah Abu Rahmah, to be Released on Sunday

Abu Rahmah is expected to be released after having served the 16 months sentence imposed on him by the Israeli Military Court of Appeals for organizing demonstrations. Abu Rahmah will be received by his family, friends and supporters, and will hold a press conference at the prison's gate on his release.

What: Abdallah Abu Rahmah's release from prison
Where: The Bitunya checkpoint, near Ofer Military Prison
When: Sunday, March 13th, 04:00 PM
Media Contact: Jonathan Pollak +972-54-632-7736

Abu Rahmah, the coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, was arrested last year by soldiers who raided his home at the middle of the night and was subsequently indicted before an Israeli military court on unsubstantiated charges that included stone-throwing and arms possession. Abu Rahmah was cleared of both the stone-throwing and arms possession charges, but convicted of organizing illegal demonstrations and incitement.

An exemplary case of mal-use of the Israeli military legal system in the West Bank for the purpose of silencing legitimate political dissent, Abu Rahmah's conviction was subject to harsh international criticism. The EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, expressed her deep concern "that the possible imprisonment of Mr Abu Rahma is intended to prevent him and other Palestinians from exercising their legitimate right to protest[...]", after EU diplomats attended all hearings in Abu Rahmah's case. Ashton's statement was followed by one from the Spanish Parliament.

Renowned South African human right activist, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, called on Israel to overturn Abu Rahmah's conviction on behalf ofthe Elders, a group of international public figures noted as elder statesmen, peace activists, and human rights advocates, brought together by Nelson Mandela. Members of the Elders, including Tutu, have met with Abu Rahmah on their visit to Bil'in prior to his arrest.

International human rights organization Amnesty International condemned Abu Rahmah's conviction as an assault on the right to freedom of expression. Human Rights Watch denounced the conviction, pronouncing the whole process "an unfair trial".

Israeli organizations also distributed statements against the conviction – including a statement by B’Tselem which raises the issue of questionable testimonies by minors used to convict Abu Rahme, and The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) which highlights the impossibility of organizing legal demonstrations for Palestinians in the West Bank.

Legal Background
Abu Rahmah, the coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, was acquitted of two out of the four charges brought against him in the indictment - stone-throwing and a ridiculous and vindictive arms possession charge. According to the indictment, Abu Rahmah collected used tear-gas projectiles and bullet casings shot at demonstrators, with the intention of exhibiting them to show the violence used against demonstrators. This absurd charge is a clear example of how eager the military prosecution is to use legal procedures as a tool to silence and smear unarmed dissent.

The court did, however, find Abu Rahmah guilty of two of the most draconian anti-free speech articles in military legislation: incitement, and organizing and participating in illegal demonstrations. It did so based only on testimonies of minors who were arrested in the middle of the night and denied their right to legal counsel, and despite acknowledging significant ills in their questioning.

The court was also undeterred by the fact that the prosecution failed to provide any concrete evidence implicating Abu Rahmah in any way, despite the fact that all demonstrations in Bil'in are systematically filmed by the army.

Under military law, incitement is defined as "The attempt, verbally or otherwise, to influence public opinion in the Area in a way that may disturb the public peace or public order" (section 7(a) of the Order Concerning Prohibition of Activities of Incitement and Hostile Propaganda (no.101), 1967), and carries a 10 years maximal sentence.

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flags wave proudly #3, originally uploaded by michaelramallah.

Jailed Bil'in Protest Organizer, Abdallah Abu Rahmah, Released One Day Behind Schedule

Jailed Bil'in Protest Organizer, Abdallah Abu Rahmah, Released One Day Behind Schedule
Abu Rahmah was released this evening, after having served the 16 months sentence imposed on him by the Israeli Military Court of Appeals for organizing demonstrations. Abu Rahmah was received by his family, friends and supporters at the prison's gate and vowed to continue the struggle.

After much delay, Abu Rahmah who was supposed to have already been released yesterday, was finally released from the Ofer Military Prison this evening. He was received by hundreds who waited for him at the prison's gate.

Abu Rahmah, who during his trial was declared a human rights defender by the EU and a prisoner of conscious by Amnesty International, vowed to continue struggling against the Occupation, despite his unjust imprisonment and the six-months suspended sentence still imposed on him. He said, “On my release, I have no intention to go back home and sit there idly. In fact, by imprisoning me they have silenced me long enough. Our cause is just, it is one striving for freedom and equality, and I intend to continue fighting for it just as I have before”.

Media Contact: Jonathan Pollak +972-54-632-7736

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For more information:

Alternative Information Center (Israel)

AFP

Ha'aretz: 'Construction in West Bank settlements quadrupled since end of temporary freeze'

05.03.11

According to data by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, settlers began building over 114 houses during the 10-month settlement freeze, and began construction of over 427 houses since October 2010.

By Chaim Levinson

Since the end of the settlement moratorium five months ago, the construction rate in West Bank neighborhoods has quadrupled, data from Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics revealed Saturday.

According to the data, over 114 housing units that settlers started building during the 10-month settlement freeze have been completed, as well as over 1,175 housing units which were started before the temporary moratorium.

The data also reveals that construction of over 427 housing units has begun since October 2010.

The Central Bureau of Statistics noted, however, that the data is based on partial information, and that there has also been a dramatic rise in illegal construction in West Bank outposts that has not been officially documented.

The data does not include caravans and tents that are often placed in illegal outposts to settle the land.

Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have been on hold since Israel's 10-month freeze on new settlements expired at the end of September 2010.