Additionally, demonstrators chanted against the occupation and waved flags. Among the demands issued by the Popular Committee in Beit Ommar were:

1. Our rights to use this road which is built on a Palestinian land.
2. Our rights to enter freely to Jerusalem which is a Palestinian city without the need to have Israeli security permission.
3. Our rights to move freely on our roads without Israeli apartheid occupation military checkpoints, all the checkpoints (at least 450 in the West Bank alone) have to be removed from Palestinian land.
4. We demand an end to the colonization, apartheid and occupation of our lands in general.

As the activists began playing football, dozens of heavily armed Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters to suppress the peaceful protest by pushing and beating participants. The demonstrators remained steadfast and continued to chant and assert their demands despite this aggression. At a certain point, Israeli soldiers detained Mousa Abu Maria, an organizer with the Beit Ommar Popular Committee and the Palestine Solidarity Project. Mousa was put in a military jeep, but the rest of the demonstrators demanded that he be released immediately. After some time, the soldiers gave in to the demands of the crowd and Mousa was released.

Organizers of the protest asserted that they will continue to carry on their peaceful protests until they have achieved their ultimate goal, ending the occupation and gaining their freedom.

About 50 cars made up a motorcade procession during the action. As soon as the cars arrived at the Israeli checkpoint at the edge of Jericho, Israeli Forces would not let the cars advance. The activists flew Palestinian flags from their cars and asserted their rights to travel anywhere they wished on their own lands in the West Bank. Israeli soldiers detained 5 people during the action, including a 15-year-old girl.

Young Israeli mothers from Tel Aviv and Jaffa and their children joined the Palestinian families for creative workshops and joint games in a public park. The mixed group of almost 80 Israelis and Palestinian women and children enjoyed a delicious picnic meal based on Palestinian cooking. Many Palestinian women activists from Beit Ommar have taken the led in organizing these actions to challenge the occupation.

Asked by a correspondent how they feel about this action and the risks involved, as well as the idea of cooperating with Israelis, one of the Palestinian organizers said: “Our life is hard. We and our children need a break, this is a good opportunity to feel free and happy. Just like the Israeli women, our goal is to make a political statement against the occupation of Palestine. We defy the illegal, inhuman, Israeli system that constantly oppresses us”.

The group issued a statement helping to contextualize the political implications of these actions which read:

“We hereby, publicly reassert, that we do break and shall continue to break the laws and orders that limit the right to freedom of movement of the civilian population in the West Bank. We challenge the wisdom, morality and legality of such decrees. We seek the path of civil disobedience against an arbitrary system that, for the past 44 years, has deprived millions of people of their human and civil rights, placing them under a military regime and behind walls, barriers and checkpoints.”

Settler buses run by the companies Egged and Veolia, connect Israeli settlements which are built on stolen Palestinian land in the West Bank, and deemed illegal under International Law, with cities within Israel proper. Palestinians are not allowed to ride these buses, one of many separate and unequal and policies which constitutes apartheid. The Palestinian Freedom Riders waited at a settlement bus stop in the Ramallah district in the late afternoon of November 15th, surrounded by international media and supporters. Several settlement bus drivers saw the crowd gathered at the bus stop and did not stop their buses to let the passengers board.

Finally, a settlement bus stopped at the six activists boarded wearing keffiyehs and carrying signs that said things like, “we shall overcome.” After a fifteen minute ride as the bus approached Hizma checkpoint, Israeli Forces boarded the bus and demanded to see the IDs of the six passengers. On seeing that they were Palestinian, they ordered the activists off the bus and threatened them with arrest. The activists refused to leave, and were roughly dragged off the bus one by one and placed under arrest.

Unarmed campaigns such as the Freedom Rides are only expected to grow across Palestine as Israeli apartheid policies continue to be challenged.

The olive harvest is a busy season and many hands are required to do the job. Several traditions and rituals are related to the olive harvest, and it is also an important social event. The internationals were glad to help and enjoyed picking the olives in beautiful surroundings, but their presence is not only for fun. International presence and attention can be of great importance because of the continual harassment the farmers face from settlers. Report here

You can help the Palestinian farmers by giving a donation to PSP’s new campaign: “Save the land”

Lately many international activists have visited Beit Ommar.
PSP has also started to give tours in other areas in the West Bank. Read more here <

October 28th 2011. Loads of teargas was shot into the town of Beit Ommar. Residents of Beit Ommar followed a funeral procession from the mosque in the middle of town to the cemetery close to Route 60 and the Israeli watchtower to burry one of the residents who died of cancer. When the procession arrived at the cemetry, Israeli soldiers surounded it and Israeli jeeps gathered at the entrance of town. The Israeli soldiers closed the main entrance to town and at some point they started to shoot teargas.

After some time the soldiers came further into town and shot more teargas.

At 4:00 pm the israeli army brought a bollduzer and blocked all the side entrances and exits of the town with cement blocks and closed the gate at the towns main entrance as a part of the collective sanction policy the Israeli occupation usually impose on the Palestinian population. When a lot of people are gathered it almost always opens up for an opportunity for the army for confrontations with the villagers.

The Solidarity tour programme offers an introduction to the different geographical and cultural regions of the West Bank. The tour is providing its participants with in-depth social, political and historical insights on Palestinian life. Read the full program here. (the program is also available in French, Italian, Spanish and Norwegian).

Watch a short introduction from the Beit Ommar area:

Justice?
Human rights?
Freedom?

Come and see for yourself.

Use the important and unique possibilty:
Visit Palestine!

For further questions or information. Do not hesitate to contact us.
center4freedom@gmail.com

Take a look at other recently published documentaries by PSP:

Watch a summary of a French groups`s experiences in Beit Ommar here:

”For what reason? House demolished in Al Jab`a …

”Land grab” a documentary about the Israeli occupation and a new bypass road.

Due to the ongoing Palestinian solidarity and support of the prisoners` hunger strike the army do not want the residents of Beit Ommar to leave their town or to use Route 60.

The main entrance to the town was closed for several hours in the night, and a road block were put up by the entrance to the fruit market.

Yatta with surrounding areas have a population of approximately 120 000 inhabitants. Many of the inhabitants live in small villages in remote areas.

The demonstrators walked towards the place where a couple of settler families have established themselves with miliary guard of no less than thirty soldiers.

The procession passed onto the shut down road, and walked up the hill to the place where five houses repeatedly have been demolished. The wells have been destroyed and the belongings to the persons who used to live there were scattered all over the place.

The demonstrators continued up towards the military forces in order to reach their land but were stoped by soldiers, military jeeps and police cars.
The National Committee of Yatta has decided to have weekly demonstrations against the wall , land grab, and house demolitions. The demonstrations will be planned by the National Committee in Yatta led by their leader, Khawlan Abu Marir – the only woman leader in the area.

Saturday 24 September 2011: Late on Friday night the Israeli army once again entered Beit Ommar. Two military jeeps positioned themselves inside the town – one near the route 60 highway, and another across the entrance to the town.

From these positions, Israeli soldiers sporadically fired tear gas into residential areas of the town, with several cannisters landing in gardens and next to homes.

These attacks came without any provocation, or any response from Beit Ommar residents. In addition to the tear gas fired into empty gardens, soldiers also fired several rounds along an entirely deserted main street.

In addition to the tear gas, the army also began stopping and searching cars entering and leaving the village, and questioning their drivers and passengers.

Such violence and harassment from the Israeli military is a common occurence in Beit Ommar, where night-time raids and arbitrary arrests happen on a regular basis.