As noted by Tony Karon in Time, January 4th, an alliance of Palestinians and Israelis in a popular struggle of unarmed protests against the Wall, the occupation, Palestinian house demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem seems to be gaining steam and causing worry in Israel's government.
This is evidenced in the series of arrests, imprisonments of leaders from both the ranks of Palestinian and Israeli activists, (the Palestinian activists being treated much more harshly) deportations of Palestinian activists in East Jerusalem, and violent repression directed at protesters against the Wall in the West Bank.
Karon points out that their message is directed more toward international civil society than the Israeli public which has moved ever right-ward in recent years.
The self-described leftists and anarchists engaged in direct action in concert with unarmed Palestinian protests are a negligible presence on an Israeli political spectrum whose median has moved steadily to the right over the past decade. But their actions may be directed less at the Israeli political mainstream than at international civil society. The Israeli protesters often use English rather than Hebrew in placards and slogans, and explicitly connect Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories with South Africa's apartheid system. That's intended as a signal to international civil society, which helped end the apartheid regime through its support for boycotts and economic sanctions in the 1980s.
On Friday an unarmed female protester, 36-year-old Jawaher Abu Rahmah was tragically killed after inhaling US-made tear-gas fired by Israeli soldiers at demonstrators in the occupied West Bank village of Bil'in. Weekly demonstrations have been taking place in Bil'in for five years, protesting the wall that has separated the village from much of its farmland, and still has not been moved despite a ruling by the Israeli High Court in the villager's favor.
Joseph Dana reports on the sequence of events leading to her death:
Friday's demonstration, on New Year's Eve, was enormous. Over 1,000 people -- Palestinians, Israelis and internationals -- joined villagers in Bilin to call for an end to Israel's wall. Israel tried to stop the demonstration before it even began by creating a ring of military checkpoints on roads encircling the village to prevent non-villagers from attending. However, their strategy failed as hundreds of activists trekked through the rolling hills to reach the village.
[..]
Once the demonstration reached the village's agricultural lands, which are bisected by the wall, Israeli soldiers fired tear-gas in every direction including directly at protesters. Wave after wave of tear-gas surrounded demonstrators leaving nearly everyone gasping for air. One of the demonstrators was Jawaher Abu Rahmah, who lost consciousness from gas inhalation and never recovered.
In 2009 Jawaher's brother Bassem was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier when a tear gas canister was fired at point blank range at his chest. In total 21 unarmed protesters have been killed by Israeli forces throughout the West Bank since 2005.
Jawaher's death prompted demonstrations across the street from Israel's ministry of defense in Tel Aviv, and at the home of the US ambassador to Israel, James Cunningham, in which the US made tear gas canisters were "returned". Also prompting this excellent editorial appearing in Ha'aretz on Monday: Israel must allow Palestinians to protest in peace. The IDF should allow the demonstrations in Bil'in to take place. It should act only when there is danger to life and property.
Other actions taken by Israel recently in order to repress non-violent political activity includes the pending banning of Silwan community activist, Adnan Gheith, from East Jerusalem for four months, employing a draconian and anti-democratic Mandatory emergency law. See B'tselem for details. Also see Ir Amin's excellent backgrounder on Silwan; Shady Dealings in Silwan (pdf).
Now, according to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan, Adnan has been arrested yesterday by Israeli forces. Please contact the State Department to protest Adnan Gheith's pending expulsion.
The sentencing of Israeli anti-occupation activist, Jonathan Pollack, to three months in jail for his participation in a 2008 bicycle in protest of the siege on Gaza. See unspeakable's diary recent diary, "If there is remorse in my heart", for more detail on Pollack's case.
The arrest of Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh along with seven others in a protest on the placement of the Separation Wall in al-Walaja (just outside of Jerusalem). The route of the Wall will encircle the village's built-up area entirely, separating the residents from both Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and almost all their lands. The case is before the Israeli High Court.
Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh's account of his arrest and what happened/is happening in al-Walaja via theonlydemocracy.
The detention of activist Matan Cohen by "Shabak" via Noam Sheizaf.
Israeli activist Matan Cohen was detained by Israel’s internal security agency (ISA, or ‘Shabak’ in Hebrew) at Israel’s international airport yesterday. According to Cohen, his belongings were searched, and he was informed by a policeman that he is considered "a suspect of hostile terrorist activity."
Cohen, 22, lost his sight in one eye five years ago after being shot by soldiers in an unarmed demonstration against the Separation Wall. He is active in the BDS movement and was one of the four protesters who heckled PM Binyamin Netanyahu during a speech in New Orleans.
The raid on the Palestinian community center of Wadi Hilweh in Silwan and the arrest of its director, Mr. Jawad Siyam, Tuesday.
See Mr. Jawad Siyam on 60 Minutes this past October on Silwan via Eyes On The Ground In Jerusalem.
Finally, as reported in Ha'aretz; yesterday a Knesset plenum decision to support an inquiry into the funding of left-wing, and human rights groups that criticize the IDF is being decried by "leftish" groups:
Peace Now Director-General Yariv Oppenheimer deemed the move "another step on the path toward wiping out democracy in Israel" and as a blatant attempt to persecute critics of Israeli policy.
The New Israel Fund said the Knesset's approval "proves how much the stature of Israeli democracy has deteriorated– even in the house of legislators."....
Sixteen human rights groups signed an open letter protesting the initiative, including ACRI, B'Tselem, Yesh Din, Machsom Watch, Adalah, Mossawa Center, Ir Amim and Hotline for Migrant Workers.
Citing the last paragraph in Joseph Dana's piece on the killing of Jawaher Abu Rahmah seems appropriate in closing.
They [the villagers of Bil'in and leaders of various other popular committees in occupied West Bank villages, i.e., Budrus, Nabi Saleh and Nilin] vowed that the unarmed protests will continue despite knowing that the violent repression of the Israeli military will continue as well. The protesters of Bilin and other villages understand that both history and justice are on their side. They have embraced the tactic of unarmed resistance and have opened their struggle to any one willing to join in respect and solidarity, even to an increasing number Israeli Jews. Their moral clarity should be a model for international civil society, which now more than ever needs to support the popular Palestinian struggle.