Alaa Fahmy Za’aqiq, 32 years old
Hamad Ahmad Abu Maria, 20 years old
Jihad Ahmad Abu Maria, 25 years old
Yousef Ali Said Sabarna, 19 years old
Nasr Ali Said Sabarna, 27 years old
Hossam Sabr Zaml Abu Maria, 16 years old
Mohummad Wajee Ahmad Abu Maria, 19 years old

Night raids are a frequent occurrence in Beit Ommar, to create fear in the community and to discourage people from resisting the occupation. Residents of Beit Ommar are frequently arrested with no charges held against them, and usually have to pay fines between 1000 and 4000 shekels in order to be released.

To donate to help pay the support costs associated with the arrest of Beit Ommar residents, see: http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/donate/

Jowad Muhammad Jameel Za’aqiq (15 years old) was arrested at around 5pm on Monday, 21 May, 2012. He was helping his father tend to his family land when the arrest took place. His father asked the soldiers present why his son was being taken. He was informed that Jowad (his son) had been seen throwing stones.

Muhannad Mershad Awad (12 years old) and Alaa Yousef Mohammad Abu Maria (14 years old) were both arrested from their respective family homes in night raids at around 2am on Tuesday, 22 May, 2012. The reason for their arrests is unknown.

Night raids are an almost daily occurrence in Beit Ommar. Night raids typically target Palestinian minors, activists and organizers involved in popular resistance initiatives against the Israeli occupation. Israeli soldiers often fail to explain why the ‘suspect’ is being arrested. The detainees are usually taken to the Gush Etzion settlement, which houses a jail and interrogation center. ]]> http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2012/05/22/three-children-arrested-in-beit-ommar/feed/ 0 http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2012/05/21/psp-activists-join-building-project-in-um-fagara/ http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2012/05/21/psp-activists-join-building-project-in-um-fagara/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 11:39:28 +0000 PSP http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/?p=5464 On Saturday, May 19th, 2012, locals together with more than 30 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists (from Norway, the USA, Britain and Italy, amongst others) built a single story prefabricated house in the village of Um Fagara (South Hebron Hills). The event was organized by the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee of Al-Tuwani with the aim of peacefully resisting the Israeli occupation by affirming the right to live of the community of Um Fagara.

Um Fagara is in area C, under both Israeli military and administrative control. It has been subject to a range of evacuations, abuse and demolitions by the Israeli military in recent years. On 24 November, 2011, the Israeli army demolished two houses, a mosque, a barn and a structure containing the village’s generator. Two Palestinian girls were also arrested. They were released several days later.

Despite the close ‘supervision’ of the Israeli police from a hilltop above, most of the walls of the house were finished. The house was paid for by ACTED (Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development) together with the Humanitarian Relief Fund (HRF), managed by UN OCHA.

Around 6pm, village elders from Um Fagara and members of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee detailed their personal experiences of life in Um Fagara under Israeli occupation. They also thanked the activists for their help.
ACTED (Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development) together with the Humanitarian Relief Fund (HRF), managed by UN OCHA, have also funded the construction of a new mosque in Um Fagara and acquired several mobile caravans for the town. They are all under demolition orders from the Israeli military.

The demonstration is protesting against the illegal settlements all over the West Bank which is built on stolen Palestinian land, making it impossible for farmers to work on their land. The demonstration was also in solidarity with Ahmad Abu Hashem, member of the popular committee in Beit Ommar, who was arrested during the weekly demonstration last Saturday.

Sections of highway 60 around Beit Ommar were closed so that around five hundred settlers could cycle to Jerusalem for the march. Highway 60 connects Beit Ommar with the rest of the West Bank. Amidst an extremely heavy presence of soldiers and police the main entrance to Beit Ommar was also temporarily closed, almost completely halting Palestinian life as a result.

Many of the settlers shouted ostentatiously at Palestinian bystanders (many of whom were waiting for the roads and checkpoints to reopen in order to carry on with their respective journeys). A jeep playing loud celebratory music also accompanied the settlers.

As the procession neared the settlement of Gush Etzion (a few kilometres north of Beit Ommar), an 18 year old Palestinian man, Salah Zaghir, was shot by an Israeli soldier on the suspicion that he may have been carrying a knife and planned to attack a soldier or settler. He is thought to be in a critical condition.

Near Damascus Gate, East Jerusalem, a peaceful pro-Palestinian counter demonstration was forcibly suppressed by border police and horses. Five Palestinians were arrested.

Jewish youths provocatively danced in front of local Arab residents and cheered when the pro-Palestinian demonstrators were removed by police. Arab residents of East Jerusalem were also not allowed to reach their homes for several hours during the events.

In Beit Ommar today, soldiers began shooting teargas into the town at 9:30am. At 11am, they shot teargas at schoolgirls as they left school. The gas continued to pick up after a demonstration took place at 1pm, and continued to increase in intensity until about 5pm. The teargas was directed towards people’s homes, the Center for Freedom and Justice (where PSP activists were filming the soldiers), and at anyone walking through the streets. The teargas caused several fires near people’s homes, which were fortunately put out before any serious damage was done. One arrest was made: Hamidan Ahmad Abu Maria (age 17) was ambushed by soldiers and arrested while driving a tractor through the street to his farmland, and then was beaten by the soldiers.

Walid Sabarna and Ibrahim Abu Maria were working on their land 150 meters from the settlement, when two security guards from the settlement accompanied by six soldiers approached them at 5 pm. The guards asked the farmers what they were doing here, and they gave the obvious answer: working on their land. The guards responded that this was not the case, but that the land belonged to them and that the farmers should go away.

They then attacked Walid, beating and kicking his right leg. He had an operation on this leg some time ago, and the kicking inflicted great pain. The guards also beat him on the back with rocks. Then they broke a mirror and smashed a window in the JCB backhoe loader, leaving cracks in it, before breaking the front window in Walid’s car. All this happened while the six soldiers just stood by watching.

The settler guards also broke branches on 6-7 olive trees.

Walid is now afraid to work on his land alone. But if he is accompanied by others, among them a couple of internationals, he would feel safer. The settlers don’t tend to attack when this is the case.

A report from the UN shows a rise in settler attacks, with 411 documented incidents in 2011, 40 % more than the year before. Over 90 % of the complaints never lead to an indictment, proving there is no accountability and no justice.

“My Beloved Lamar, forgive me because the occupation took me away from you, and took away from me the pleasure of witnessing my first born child that I have always prayed to God to see, to kiss, to be happy with. It is not your fault, this is our destiny as Palestinian people to have our lives and the lives of our children taken away from us, to be apart from each other and to have a miserable life, nothing is complete in our lives because of this unjust occupation that is lurking on every corner of our lives turning it into eeriness, a continuous pursuit and torture. Despite that I was deprived from holding you and hearing your voice, from watching you grow up and move around in the house and in your be, and that I was deprived of my rule as a human and a father with my daughter your existence has given me all the power and hope, and when I saw your picture with your mother in the sit-in tent, you were so calm staring in wonder at people, as if you were looking for your father, looking at my pictures that are hung inside the tent asking in silence why is my father not coming back, I felt that you are with me, in my sentiment and inside my mind, as if you are a part of my heartbeats, steadfast and the blood that flows in my veins, opening all doors for me spreading clear skies around me, and unleashing your free childish voice after this long silence”.

“Lamar my love: I know that you are not to be blamed and that you don’t yet understand why your father is going through this battle of the hunger strike for the 75th day, but when you grow up you will understand that the battle of freedom is the battle of going back to you, so that I can never be taken away from you again or to be deprived of your smile or seeing you, so that the occupier will never kidnap me again from you”.

“When you grow up you will understand how injustice was brought upon your father and upon thousands of Palestinians whom the occupation has put in prisons and jail cells, shattering their lives and future for no guilt but their pursuit of freedom, dignity and independence, you will know that your father did not tolerate injustice and submission, that he will never accept insult and compromise, and that he is going through a hunger strike to protest against the Jewish state that wants to turn us into humiliated slaves without any rights or patriotic dignity”.

“My beloved Lamar keep your head up always and be proud of your father, and thank everyone who supported me, who supported the prisoners in their struggle, and don’t be afraid god is with us always, and god never lets people who have faith and patience, we are righteous, and right will always prevail against injustice and wrong doers”.

“Lamar my love: that day will come, and I will make it up to you for everything, and tell you the whole story, and your days that will follow will be more beautiful, so let your days pass now and wear your prettiest clothes, run and then run again in the gardens of your long life, go forward and forward nothing is behind you but the past, and this is your voice I hear all the time as a melody of freedom”.

Translated by :IMEU : http://imeu.net/

The demonstration began with a march from the center of Beit Ommar to Karmei Tsur settlement, which was built on stolen Palestinian land. As soon as the demonstrators arrived near the settlement, about 30 heavily armed Israeli soldiers came to meet them. The soldiers beat the participants with their shields, batons and rifle butts. Many of the peaceful protestors were injured. Ahmad Abu Hashem, 46 years old, was arrested after being beaten and hit in the face by the soldiers. An international activist was injured after being caught in a headlock and dragged by her throat by Israeli soldiers while she was trying to protect Ahmad. Ahmad is the secretary of the Popular Committee in Beit Ommar. Two of his sons, ages 22 and 15, have been arrested in the past month. Arresting him and his family members is part of Israeli forces targeting the Popular Committee in Beit Ommar.

Yousef Abu Maria (age 38), the spokesperson for the Beit Ommar Popular Committee, was also injured, along with two other members of the Popular Committee: Mousa Abu Maria (age 34), who was hit in the forehead with a rifle butt, and Younes Arar (age 40), who was beaten on his legs with a baton. One of Ahmad’s sons, age 14, was severely beaten and kicked by the soldiers while on the ground. The demonstration ended with teargas being shot at demonstrators as they were leaving.