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.

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.

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.

This week, men, women and children protested in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, particularly with those on hunger strike. Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahleh are on the 68th day of their hunger strike, and are in grave condition. They are both held under administrative detention, and demand their right to a fair trial and better conditions. In today’s demonstration, many residents of Beit Ommar came with pictures of their imprisoned family members. Israeli soldiers broke the glass of one of the framed pictures, and threatened to arrest the 30-40 demonstrators who were present, claiming that it was a closed military zone. Palestinians responded that they were simply on their own farmland and ignored the orders to leave, and no arrests were made.

In total around 50 soldiers appeared during the demonstration, preventing the 20 or so activists from reaching the fence. The soldiers pushed the non-violent activists roughly onto barbed wire and rocky ground, and soldiers kicked activists in their legs while pushing them with their shields. An Isaeli activist, Kobi, was arrested during the demonstration after arguing with a soldier. He was released late last night without restrictions after the judge ruled that he had the right to freedom of speech and protest. Meanwhile, Hossein Alamy, the 14-year-old boy who was arrested from the Beit Ommar demonstration last month, is still in jail and has not been granted access to a lawyer during his interrogations.

During the demonstration, about 25 activists were stopped from reaching the fence by about 50 soldiers, while border police waited nearby. The Israeli soldiers pushed several demonstrators with their shields and their guns, knocking several people to the ground and into the bushes. Soldiers hit Hamza Abu Hashem, age 14, in the head, and kicked an international activist, age 23, in the leg. In total, at least five demonstrators were injured.

At today’s demonstration, protesters attempted to remove the barbed wire that was on Palestinian land in front of the separation fence. Demonstrators carried posters saying, “no more child arrests” and “free the Palestinian prisoners”. Soldiers arrived after a few minutes with a map showing that the the protesters were in a closed military zone and threatened to arrest all of them if they did not leave. There were about 40 demonstrators present, including a number of women and children. One woman managed to place a Palestinian flag in one of the soldier’s backpack. A police vehicle arrived on the scene, but no arrests were made. They attempted to arrest one international activist and violently shoved him against the fence, but he was able to break free. One Palestinian activist was sent to the hospital at the end of the demonstration after a firework exploded in his hand.

Today’s demonstration was against the illegal settlements and in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on Prisoners’ Day. About half of the arrests in the West Bank so far this year have been from Beit Ommar. Click here to see video from today’s demonstration in Beit Ommar – 14 April 2012

Demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and a sign saying “All Settlements Are Illegal.” The demonstration was against the apartheid wall, against the illegal Israeli settlements, and in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike.

Israeli soldiers started throwing sound bombs at the demonstrators within the first five minutes of arriving at the fence. The soldiers were extremely aggressive and violent today, pushing demonstrators on the rocks, twisting people’s arms, hitting them, and shoving them. Soldiers arrested a 14 year old boy, Hussein Ramzi Khadr Alalamy (pictured left). Several Palestinian and international activists attempted to hold on to the boy to keep the soldiers from making the arrest, and their attempts were met with violence from the Israeli soldiers. An American woman was choked, hit and shoved to the ground, and a Japanese man was punched in the face and also shoved to the ground, where he was kicked in the head.

While leaving the demonstration, a few boys started throwing rocks, and the soldiers started shooting tear gas. One tear gas canister hit a Palestinian man in the leg, and another one hit an American woman in the back. There were at least five people injured: Amad Ahmad Abu Hashim (22 years old); Youness Arar (42); Saqr Abu Maria (42); and two internationals, ages 23 and 24. One of them, Amad Abu Hashim, was sent to the hospital due to his injuries.

Demonstrators today were unable to reach the fence separating Beit Ommar from the settlement due to Israeli forces. Soldiers pushed a couple activists to the ground and would not let them get to the olive tree saplings which had been damaged during the demonstration. There were no arrests and only minor injuries.