[Palestine] Return to Iraq Burin

After a month recess during Ramahan, the weekly Friday protest at Iraq Burin, a small village 6 miles south of Nablus, resumed this week. Seven internationals, including 3 MPTers, were invited to be present. By noon on Friday a group of 200 or more from the region and the village gathered together in front of the village mosque.

Villagers, other Palestinians and internationals prepare to march toward the confiscated land.

All joined in in chanting and clapping.

At 12:15 the march began with flags, banners and the chanting of Arabic slogans. This was to be a peaceful, nonviolent demonstration. As the march approached the area claimed by the illegal Har Bracha Israeli settlement which was built on confiscated Palestinian land (including 25 acres of confiscated Iraq Burin land), Israeli soliders were seen across the valley and others above the hill crest.

Suddenly white clouds were seen on the ground as the Israeli Occupation Forces started shooting tear gas bombs. (For more details on Iraq Burin and the Har Bracha settlement, see an earlier MPT blog, August 22, 2009: http://mptinpalestine.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-08-28T05%3A33%3A00%2B03%3A00&max-results=10

One of the group, a Palestinian woman, took the megaphone and passionately told the Israeli Occupation forces in English that the Palestinians people were there to protest that their land had been unjustly taken away and that the Israeli army had no right under international law to be there.

As some young people began to encroach more into the "off-limits"area (but Palestinian land) near the Israeli soldiers, more than 30 soldiers were visible. A total of about 30 tear gas bombs were volleyed by the Israeli soldiers at the nonviolent protesters. Protesters protected themselves by moving away from the tear gas smoke.

Tear gas bombs were fired by the Israeli army at unarmed nonviolent protestors.

However one young man who had moved ahead was hit in the head by a tear gas bomb and had to be evacuated. (It was later reported that he had a head wound requiring five stitches.) Two other individuals, including a member of the media, were overcome by tear gas and had to receive medical treatment.

Village youth carried the press agent to the ambulance for treatment from tear gas inhalation.

Ambulances were on alert for effects of the tear gas bombs - injuries or inhalation.

After about an hour, demonstration leaders called the group together and advised them to end the protest. The group slowly returned to Iraq Burin, vanquished again by overwhelming force, but satisfied that they had made a statement against the illegal occupation.

[Palestine] Night Raid in Bil'in

On Tuesday, September 15th, MPT was called to assist with a possible invasion of Abdullah Abu Rahme's home. Abdullah is a nonviolent resistance leader in the village of Bil'in.

For three months there have been frequent raids at the home of resistance leaders. These home invasions are carried out by commando-type soldiers of the Israeli Occupation Forces. They gain entrance by jeep or by foot and climb over the gates and walls of the village homes in the middle of the night.

Armed, masked and well equipped Israeli soldiers invade Palestinian homes.

Bil'in has lost sixty-five percent of its village land to Israel for settlement construction. A nonviolent demonstration at the apartheid wall in Bil'in has been taking place for five years. At 2:00 a.m., six internationals, including three MPTers, went to the home of a nonviolent resistance leader, Abdullah Abu Rahme, and found soldiers had already invaded the home and blocked any further entrance. When international presence was noticed, the Israeli commandos radioed for reinforcements.

Israeli occupying forces barred the gate.

From behind the gate, soldiers ransacking the home could be seen and heard through the windows. Two internationals and several Palestinians scaled the fence and tried to enter the home. Other Palestinians pounded the gate and demanded entrance. MPTers called through the gate rebuking the soldiers in the yard and near the gate.

Israeli soldiers forced entry into the home.

Palestinian scaled the gate.

Those who entered the yard were blocked from entry to the home. However, one Palestinian, Mohammed Khatib, slipped in the door when the soldiers were not blocking it.

An additional twelve soldiers arrived and continued with the invasion. Many soldiers mingled inside and outside the gate and in the street.

MPTer confronted one of the invading Israeli soldiers.

Suddenly two MPTers discovered that the next door home of Abdullah's brother was also being invaded. MPTers and other internationals followed the soldiers into the home to provide protective accompaniment to the parents and three small children.

Israeli squadron leader directs the invasion of the home
where small children are present.

Children listened as the soldiers confronted their parents.

Parents and children watched while soldiers searched their home.

The frightened children clung to their mother and father. Soldiers asked the MPTers to "babysit"the children while they ransacked this home. MPTers refused this request as the mother wanted to be with her children and have MPT go with the soldiers.

Four soldiers ordered the father to open the door to every room in the home where they searched for Abdullah. In the basement, the soldiers found Palestinian flags, posters and banners, including posters with the picture of Bassem, a young Palestinian who was killed by a tear-gas bomb in March 2009. These flags and banners, used during the village demonstrations at the apartheid wall, were confiscated by the soldiers.

Soldiers confiscated posters used during the weekly Bil'in demonstration.

MPTers and other internationals interacted with the soldiers with comments such as "You are violating international law!" "This is an illegal invasion." "I am embarrassed that US tax money is being spent like this." "Go home and go to bed."

One Israeli soldier said, "I know what I am doing is illegal." Another said, "This is Israel."

By 2:45 a.m., the invasion was coming to a close. Abdullah was not found, but the Israel army will continue to harass his family and invade his home and village looking for him.

At that time, Mohammed Khatib came out of the house badly beaten with head and abdominal injuries. He was transported by ambulance to the hospital in Ramallah.

Mohammed Khatib was beaten by Israeli soldiers.

The soldiers left in several jeeps. Internationals stayed in the street to be with the accumulating crowd of villagers.