[Palestine] Clearing a Roadblock: An Example of Cooperation and Courage

The main entrance to Qaryut village is blocked

by a large earth and rock mound.

This week, two MPTers and three other internationals went to the small village of Qaryut to participate in a demonstration against the blockade of a road leading directly from the main highway to the village. The road blockade forced residents to take a much longer access route. It turned out to be much more than a demonstration. It was an example of planning, courage, cooperation and persistence.

Qaryut, a Palestinian village of 2,500, is surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements on three sides. Since 2000, sixty percent of the land around the village has been confiscated by the settlements. Recently Israeli authorities have confiscated an additional 225 acres of agricultural land to build three new roads for the settlements. This land belongs to about 150 Palestinian families living in Qaryut.

Large blocks needed the force of several strong men.

Shortly after noon men and boys, young and old, came down the road and gathered in front of the massive rock and gravel barrier. With shovels, hoes and bare hands they began to remove the road block. Five Israeli occupation force jeeps arrived and soon the whiz of tear gas bombs was heard.

Five Israeli jeeps with heavily armed soldiers arrived in an effort to control this nonviolent demonstration.

At this point about 75 of the younger demonstrators hurried across the field to block the main highway Number 60. The soldiers were forced to turn their attention to this problem, but could not use the tear gas because of its effects on motorists.

In a clever maneuver youth moved to the main highway
to block traffic.

Several stopped for midday prayer.

Meantime work on the road barrier continued and many of the young boys and older men gathered for prayer between the barrier and the Israeli soldiers who had by this time abandoned their plans of stopping the demonstration.

There were loud cheers and whistles as the first car crossed the barrier and made its way to the village.

Cheering and whistling, the crowd greeted the first car across.

Later, at a gathering in the village center, leaders of the demonstration reminded the gathering that this was the 105th time since 2000 that they had opened their road -- and they were ready to do it again!

[Palestine] Burin Tree Massacre

Settlers from the illegal Israeli settlement of Yitzar
cut down 97 olive trees.

On Monday night, September 28, a group of settlers from the illegal Israeli settlement of Yitzar, near the small Palestinian village of Burin, used chainsaws to cut down 97 olive trees belonging to a Burin village farmer. The next morning, internationals, including MPTers, were invited by villagers to come to the site. They found branches and tree limbs scattered everywhere over a 100 square yard area. The Israeli occupation forces had arrived before the internationals. The farmer whose olive trees had been cut down had contacted Israeli authorities to ask for Israeli army presence as protection against further settler violence during the time the cut down olive trees were harvested.

A crew of ten Palestinian men tried to salvage as many olives as possible. The internationals assisted these pickers. At first, the Israeli occupation forces showed no objection. However, a little later another Israeli army jeep came with a new commanding officer who told the Palestinians that the internationals must leave the area. The officer would not give a reason, but it was noted that a settler security jeep had come earlier and its passengers had talked to the commander. After some consultation the Palestinians advised the internationals that it would be best that they leave the area, but asked the internationals to return the following day, which they did.

On the first day, the Israeli military would not allow the internationals in the olive grove.

In the two days following this, the Israeli military were not present in the olive grove. MPTers and other internationals provided accompaniment and labor to the Palestinian workers as they picked and bagged perhaps 30 bags of olives from the destroyed trees. There was no further interference or harassment from settlers.

MPTers for two days picked olives from the cut down trees.

Hearty breaks were enjoyed by all.

On Saturday, October 3rd, the villagers of Burin organized a march to the field of the destroyed olive trees. About 15 internationals, including 3 MPTers, and a dozen media people accompanied the villagers. Halfway to the site, Israeli military jeeps were already in evidence and for a time prevented some of the marchers and media from crossing the highway. Leaders of the march negotiated with the soldiers so that the media and the rest of the marchers could witness the destruction in the olive grove. [The media and the internationals will show the world what illegal settlers had done.]

Israeli military jeeps blocked the passage of marchers, including media, until a compromise was negotiated by the Palestinians.

For a few minutes those in the march were allowed to pile cut branches for burning, but after about 30 minutes the Israeli occupation forces ordered the marchers out of the grove. The marchers returned to Burin feeling satisfied that they had done something to express their feelings about this sad event.

Marchers were only allowed to work a few minutes before being ordered out of the grove by the Israeli occupation forces.

It is difficult to overstate the importance of olive trees to the Palestinian people. Olives are used for light and heat, soap and wood-art, food and oil; they are the mainstay of the economy. The olive harvest is beginning now and incidents like this are not rare. Consequently, the Palestinians must make special preparations for the olive harvest and seek the presence of internationals to help protect them from settlers who try in various ways to prevent the harvest from being completed.