Demonstrators in Beit Ommar commemorated the 93rd anniversary of the Balfour Declaration today by burning effigies of Zionist leaders. A crowd of around 40 protesters marched toward the illegal Karmei Tsur settlement waving Palestinian flags and carrying large banners denouncing the Balfour Declaration and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

Protesters gave speeches condemning Balfour’s betrayal of the Palestinian people and burned cardboard boxes with pictures of Arthur Balfour, Theodor Herzl, Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, Ariel Sharon and Benyamin Netanyahu.

Soldiers began to shoot tear gas at demonstrators toward the end of the demonstration, after journalists and international accompaniers had left. A group of about ten soldiers lurked in the … Continue reading

On Monday, November 1, 2010 Tha’er Abu Hashem, the son of Beit Ommar Popular Committee member Ahmed Abu Hashem, was released on a 2000 shekel bail after being held for more than 4 months without charge or trial in the Israeli military court system. His younger brother, 17 year-old Yousef Abu Hashem, is still awaiting final sentencing.

On Tuesday, November 2, ‘Amer Abu Maria, the nephew of committee members Mousa and Yousef Abu Maria, is set to be released, after a 5 month sentence in Israeli military court. His was part of a string of arrests of young boys in their final year of school during their final exams, preventing them from graduating from High School and … Continue reading

This week’s demonstration against the Israeli settlement of Karmei Tsur was joined by European Parliament member Luisa Morgantini. Morgantini joined Beit Ommar residents in condemning Israel’s illegal settlements, and spoke out against the Israeli occupation and the continued annexation of Palestinian land.

The demonstration was calm this week, perhaps because of the cold climate brought by the rain. There were no arrests, nor did the soldiers use any sound bombs or teargas. Near the start of the demonstration soldiers did however threaten two members of the Committee with arrest because they had been seen on other demonstrations.

From the start the group split up, so it is hard to say how many … Continue reading

On Thursday, October 28th, 2010, Israeli Forces on foot raided the village of Beit Ommar and arrested two Palestinian youth. Two groups of soldiers came into the village from the nearby Israeli settlement of Karmei Tsur at 3am. The soldiers raided two residences on the outskirts of the village and arrested two youth, both of whom were blindfolded, handcuffed, and brought back to the settlement. Muhammad Ibrahim Abdul Hamid Abu Maria, age 15, and Muhammad Samir Mhana Abu Maria, age 18, have been identified as those arrested. Both boys are participants in the weekly Saturday demonstrations that are organized against the settlements built on Beit Ommar farmland.

Israeli Forces also arrested six additional Palestinians in other areas … Continue reading

On Tuesday, October 26th at 3:30am, Israeli Forces invaded the village of Beit Ommar and arrested five Palestinian youth after ransacking several of their homes.

Thirteen jeeps with a total of about 70 soldiers raided two areas of the village. Residents reported seeing sound bombs and tear gas used by the army. The arrested youth are identified as:

Hassan Yousef Zal Alkam, age 20
Qadum Yousef Zal Alkam, age 19
Waheed Yousef Sabarnah, age 19
Hamza Shidah Younis Sarbarnah, age 16
Younis Ibrahim Sabri Awwad, age 16

All five of the arrested youth have participated in the Saturday weekly demonstrations in Beit Ommar against the nearby Israeli settlement of Karmei Tsur. Three of the men are students in the Al Quds Open University in … Continue reading

On October 25th, 2010, a Palestinian couple from the village of Beit Ommar were injured after an Israeli settler vehicle ran them off the road in the early evening. Wael Awwad Badran Awwad 28, and his wife Sarah Jowwad Fu’ad Qutina 25, were driving to the city of Hebron on Route 60, when a settler car forced him off the road and then sped away. The couple sustained moderate injuries and are currently in the Ahil Hospital in Hebron. Sarah, who is four months pregnant, suffered from a broken wrist and leg. Wael sustained several broken ribs as a result of the hit and run. The front of their car was badly damaged.

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On Saturday, October 23rd, around 50 Palestinian villagers from Beit Ommar, supported by eight Israeli and international solidarity activists, rallied against the nearby settlement of Karmei Tsur despite the entire village being declared a closed military zone by Israeli Forces. Additionally, earlier in the morning at 3:30am, two members of the National Committee, which plans the demonstration every week, had their homes raided by Israeli soldiers who warned them that they would be arrested if they continued to protest against the occupation. During the demonstration, a Palestinian youth was arrested by undercover Israeli Forces and a driver for a press agency was also detained.

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At 3:30am on the morning of Saturday, October 23, 2010, five jeeps of Israeli Forces raided the residences of two National Committee and Palestine Solidarity Project activists in Beit Ommar. Mousa Abu Maria, one of the co-founders of PSP, and Ahmad Abu Hashem, awoke with soldiers surrounding their houses and banging on their doors. At both residences, the activists were ordered to bring their IDs and step outside to talk to a military officer. At Mousa Abu Maria’s house, several soldiers then proceeded to enter his residence and search it, overturning sofa cushions and scattering boxes and clothes across the floor. Soldiers also surrounded the house of Mousa’s neighbor, shinning lights from their guns into his … Continue reading

At 2:30am on the morning of October 21st, 12 jeeps of soldiers invaded the village of Beit Ommar. The soldiers went to three Palestinian homes in the area and arrested four Palestinian residents. The following men were arrested by Israeli Forces:

Malik Ibrahim Sabre Awad, age 21
Rami Rahme Ahmed Bahar, age 28
Mahmoud Ibrahim Khader Sabarna, age 18
Ahmad Ibrahim Sabarna, age 16

All of the arrested were taken to Ezion settlement prison. Israeli Forces periodically raid Beit Ommar in the night to arrest villagers, particularly youth. On the evening of October 11th, Eyad Jamil Al Alami, a member of the Palestine Solidarity Project and the National Committee in Beit Ommar, was arrested from his family’s home and was recently … Continue reading

On October 21st, 2010, members of the Palestine Solidarity Project supported Umm Ziad, a Palestinian farmer with two sons in Israeli prisons, as she harvested her olive trees close to the settlement of Karmei Tsur. Umm Ziad’s olive trees are directly in front of the settlement fence on Beit Ommar land, and she refuses to go to the land alone due to harassment from Israeli settlers or the army.

Fortunately, on this day, the army did not try to stop the group from harvesting, nor did settlers attempt to hinder the work.

Two weeks before, Ziad, the son of the farmer who has mental disabilities, … Continue reading