An update from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) mailing list:

1. Palestinian Family shot while cultivating their land near the Wall
2. Bil'in resists the Wall by Dan, Matt, Stefan, Mark
3. Night raid in Budrus

[PHOTO: Indymedia Israel]

 
An update from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) mailing list:

1. Palestinian Family shot while cultivating their land near the Wall
2. Bil'in resists the Wall by Dan, Matt, Stefan, Mark
3. Night raid in Budrus

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1. Palestinian Family shot while cultivating their land near the Wall
Four family members hospitalized, one in serious condition.

April 6, 2005

[Salfit, West Bank] The Abdullah family from Deir Balut arrived to cultivate their land this morning as they have been doing for the last two weeks with the Israeli military's permission. Construction work of Israel's wall is taking place on part of their land.

They told the security to leave their land. There was no violent confrontation. Without warning the private security company guards opened fire on the family.

Four family members were wounded. One is in critical condition, two are stable and one is lightly wounded.

Khamda Abdullah, 24 years old, is in critical condition in Te Hashomer hospital.

Khalil Abdullah, 58 years old, was shot in the rear pelvis and is currently hospitalized in stable condition in Belinson hospital.

Majd Abdullah, 30 years old, was shot in the shoulder.

Samir Abdullah was shot in the leg and wounded lightly, he was evacuated by the Red Crescent to Rafidya hospital in Nablus.

Abu Firas, head of the Deir Balut village council, stated today that the village will continue to struggle for their right to work their lands and to protest the confiscation of their lands for the building of the wall.

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2. Bil'in resists the Wall
by Dan, Matt, Stefan, Mark

April 6, 2005

[Ramallah, West Bank] In a demonstration against the wall today five Palestinian demonstrators were wounded. Two of them were shot with rubber bullets, the rest were injureded from beatings by border policemen. Five Israeli activists were arrested.

Two of the wounded were evacuated to hospital in Ramallah. One of them is a member of the local popular committee against the wall.

For pictures of the demonstration see:
https://israel.indymedia.org/feature/display/2902/index.php

Between 11 and 11:45 a.m. demonstrators gathered in the village of Bil'in. The demonstrators who left at 11:45 totaled just over 100: 10 Israelis, 10 internationals, 80 Palestinians, and some media.

The demonstrators arrived at the construction site (an olive orchard) at 12:00 noon and engaged in peaceful dialogue with the commanding officer until 12:25. More Israeli soldiers gathered.

At 12:25, demonstrators tried to push through the line of soldiers. The soldiers responded with sound grenades and tear gas.
By 12:35 it was peaceful again.

The DCO arrived around 1:15 and told demonstrators to go to court. Demonstrators argued that this process is not working and that what the army is doing in Bil'in is illegal.

Around 1:30 most of the media left.

Around 1:45, the shabab (Palestinian youth) gathering at the back of the demonstration began throwing stones, sporadically.

Around 2:00 pm the commanding officer was hit in the hand by a stone and violence ensued. The soldiers charged, shooting tear gas, throwing sound bombs, swinging their batons at demonstrators.

Soldiers severely beat one Palestinian man with their batons, hitting and kicking him. One Israeli and one international volunteer intervened by jumping on top of him. The man was having trouble breathing, and the soldiers did not stop beating him, while other activists were trying to shield him. Palestinian activists finally managed to carry him to an ambulance on a stretcher.

Five Israeli and two Palestinians activists were detained. The Palestinians were soon released. The five Israelis are still being detained at the time of this report (4pm). Tear gas, sound grenades and stone throwing continued. Physical force was used against the demonstrators.

Two Palestinians were hit by gas canisters that were shot directly at the crowd.

The soldiers drove the demonstrators out of the area around 3:30pm.

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3. Night raid in Budrus

[Ramallah, West Bank] Last night at 11 pm Israeli military raided Budrus, a village in the Western Ramallah district. 15 soldiers came in on foot followed by several jeeps. They entered several houses until 12:30 pm.

The Israeli military took four youth from their homes and detained them. These boys were eventually released after they were interrogated about other peoples' involvement in damaging the Wall in Budrus. Three weeks ago villagers from Budrus tore down over 100 meters of the fence in response to a military incursion during a wedding and the arrest of man from Budrus.

The Israeli military raided the house of Abu Ahmed, Eyad Morrar, a leader in The Popular Committee against the Wall. Abu Ahmed was not in the house at the time.

The soldiers stated they were looking for his 14-year old son, Ahmed. They took pictures of Ahmed and threatened that if the photo of Ahmed matches other photos that they already have, they will come to arrest him this Saturday.

There have been many instances in the last month of the Israeli military invading Palestinian villages that are resisting the Wall and taking pictures of the youth in the middle of the night.

The village of Budrus has been non-violently resisting the construction of the Wall on their land for a year and half with 49 demonstrations. Due to their continued resistance the Israeli military repeatedly enters the village using tear gas, sound bombs, rubber bullets and in some instances live ammunition.

[this update was originally circulated on the International Solidarity Movement's (ISM) mailing list]

[PHOTO: Indymedia Israel]