Karmei Tsur settlers have also uprooted olive trees saplings which were planted last Saturday during the Beit Ommar’s weekly nonviolent protest, organized by the Popular Committee in the town, even though these saplings were planted outside the so-called security fence.

The project aims to raise awareness and support for small farming communities and Fair Trade practices across the West Bank. They planted 500 olive saplings in southern Hebron village al-Tuwani before the beginning the marathon on Saturday, which will run for five days. Israeli settlers have uprooted thousands of olive trees which were planted adjacent to each of Karmei Tsure colony, Bayt Ayn colony, Etzion settlements surrounding Beit Ommar over the past few years, but the popular committee together with the Palestine Solidarity Project replant whatever is uprooted to cultivate and protect the land from confiscation.

Israeli police detained three marathon-runners near Hebron on Saturday, including two French nationals, while they were running on their way to Beit Ommar to participate in the olive trees planting.
The two men were later released, but Palestinian Nasser Abu Farha, 47, will be facing a hearing in June on charges of organizing an illegal demonstration.

At yesterday’s demonstration, the protest organizers gave out about 700 olive trees to the farmers in the area and marched towards the Karmei Tsur settlement to protest peacefully against colonization by planting the. As they approached area, dozens of heavily armed Israeli Forces blocked their way and began pushing the activist and beating them. As the activists continued planting trees on the land, soldiers began shooting tear gas and sound bombs at the unarmed demonstrators. A Palestinian man, Saqqar Abu Maria, was hit with a gun butt on his head by soldiers and injured. Despite this repression, the demonstrators accomplished their aim of planting all 700 trees and expressed their resolve to continue to their actions until the occupation is ended.

The settlers wandered through Beit Za’tah and Alkarn neighborhoods before moving onto Wadi Esheikh area close to the illegal settlement of Karmei Tsur to the south of the village. During this provocative tour, the settlers blocked Route 60, the main road connecting Hebron with Jerusalem and the main avenue of transportation for Beit Ommar residents. Palestinian vehicles were prevented from moving in the area. Additionally, Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and sound bombs at Palestinian villagers as the settlers passed through their town. This recent provocation is a continuation of settlement harassment of Palestinians in the area. Another large group of settlers entered Beit Ommar less than one month ago and settlers routinely destroy farmland, stone vehicles, and attack an even kill Palestinians in the village. On January 28th, 2011, Yousef IKhlayl, a 17-year-old Palestinian resident of Beit Ommar, was killed by Israeli settlers as he was working his family’s farmland.

Israeli Forces, heavily armed, became nervous and began shoving the nonviolent activists, pushing several to the ground. Unlike in previous demonstrations, no sound bombs or tear gas was used to disperse the crowd, probably due to the proximity of the villagers to the soldiers. Several organizers then made speeches against the occupation and the activists waved Palestinian flags and chanted before returning back to the village after some time. No arrests were made at this week’s demonstration.

Demonstrators approached the settlement fence and were able to remove a post and some barbed wire before many police arrived and forced them back. The demonstrators remained peaceful, even when the police shoved some of them roughly to the ground. After several speeches were given explaining the illegality of the settlement and the grievances of the Palestinians, the demonstrators ended the protest peacefully. There were no arrests.

The illegal settlement of Karmei Tsur was established in 1984 and has confiscated several hundred dumunms of Beit Ommar land. The illegal settlement is expanding with the construction of new buildings and an outpost further down the hill.

This week’s demonstration decried the murder of Mustafa Tamimi, a 28-year-old Palestinian activist from the village of Nabi Saleh, who was shot in the face from close range with a tear gas canister fired by Israeli Forces during an unarmed demonstration two days before. Mustafa died of his wounds early Saturday and his funeral was attacked by Israeli soldiers who fired tear gas and concussion grenades at his friends and family who has gathered to mourn his murder.

During the demonstration in Beit Ommar, more than a dozen Israeli soldiers blocked the path of the villagers, who waved Palestinian flags and chanted against the occupation. The demonstration ended after a while without any injuries or arrests.

At approximately 8pm the same night, a group of about 25 settlers, believed to be from Karmei Tsur, arrived at the entrance to Beit Ommar and began harassing residents living at the entrance to the village on Route 60. They were accompanied by a large contingent of Israeli soldiers and police, who allowed the settlers to gather at the entrance of the village. Quickly approximately 45-50 residents of Beit Ommar and PSP activists converged on the entrance of the village to prevent the settlers from attacking or further harassing Beit Ommar residents. The Israeli military kept the settlers and the Palestinians apart, and eventually forced the settlers to leave the area.

As the demonstrators walk towards the settlement with their slogans against the occupation, they discovered that garbage from the settlement had been thrown on their land.

Many soldiers stopped the demonstrators before they even could walk up to the settlement fence. “This is a closed military zone, you are not aloud to walk here,” said the soldiers and showed a paper confirming their message.

The illegal settlement of Karmei Tsur was established in 1984 and has confiscated several hundred dumunms of Beit Ommar land. The illegal settlement is expanding with the construction of new buildings and an outpost further down the hill.

At 2 o’clock this morning PSP committee – and Beit Ommar Popular Committee member, Yousef Abu Maria was arrested from his home. Today the Popular Commiittee of Beit Ommar and PSP arranged their weekly demonstration against the Israeli occupation and dedicated the demonstration to Yousef Abu Maria and the attack on the flotilla.

Residents of Beit Ommar were accompanied by many Israeli activists and other activists from many different countries.
“We are angry” one of the Popular Commitee members said. “Today we carry pictures of angry faces as a symbol of our anger.
We are angry:
-beacuse of the occupation
-the attack on the flotilla,
and because you have arrested Yousef Abu Maria.”

Approximately 10 soldiers stopped he demonstrators on their way up to the fence in front of the illegal settlement of Karmei Tsur. The activists withdrew peacefully after speeches were held and the crowd had chanted their slogans.

At this point a representative from the Popular Committee of Beit Ommar started to give a speech along the lines of: “This is our land” and “You have no right to take our land”. In response to this speech the settlers became more and more aggressive. The demonstrators showed their posters, waved their flags and yelled their slogans.
The soldiers started to shoot teargas to disperse the demonstrators. At this point the settlers became rather violent. One of them started to jump onto the fence in a very threatening way. Some of the settlers were spitting at the demonstrators. Immediately after they started to throw big stones at the crowd. A Palestinian photo journalist was hit by a stone, and his head was badly injured. He was bleeding a lot. An activist bandaged his head, using someone’s scarf. Shortly afterwards he was treated by health service personnel from a Red Crescent ambulance.

Many other demonstrators were suffering from the teargas. One Palestinian activist was lying on the ground badly affected by teargas and was carried away by other activists. A French activist fell to the ground and was helped by other activists. The demonstrators withdrew back into the fields and assisted those who needed it.
Inhaling teargas can be very dangerous. Two people from Beit Ommar died as a result of in healing tear gas, the first was a 60 years old woman in 1988 and the second was a 14 months old infant in 2009.

Watch a full movie of the event: