As an active member of The New Fourth Estate, I have been to the Occupied Palestinian Territories four times since June 2005.
One of my contacts, Sami Awad, Director of Holy Land Trust; a non-profit in Bethlehem, dedicated to NON-VIOLENT resistance against the Israeli Occupation and I have marched together against the Occupation of Palestine, which is now in it's 40th year. Sami emailed me yesterday's report on the Nonviolent Action in Southern Bethlehem.
Mohammed Omer, a Palestinian journalist from Rafah and also the winner of NEW AMERICA MEDIA'S BEST YOUTH VOICE Award, emailed me regarding his experience of being threatened at a Gaza roadblock:
Dear Eileen,
I'm scared, i was almost killed or at least bleeding till death. three militants were closing all roads and they sudden, they said to me stop during the curfew, i stop and then the masked-men open fire under my feet hitting the ground under my feet. i thought I'm
killed, and i could not explain or scream as the shooting was louder than my scream, so I said, :" No, don't do that, stop stop, please"
oh, i was in tears, this is the first time I'm begging someone not to kill me, and then the other guy who's also militant was standing in my side and said, we don't want to kill
him, lets shoot him in his legs and leave him bleed.
I said, what? why?
and then he said, your ID, I show it with the press card and then they let me go. I was
scared that they would shoot at me once I turn my back, but alhamdllah this didn't happen, I was scared, scared, scared to death. this was not pleasant experience, and they were doing this, as I got stuck and could not find transport back home, so I went walking in the streets. I'm scared to death. those are just evil and terrible people. I don't wish to be in
that position again.
i can't stand in my feet anymore, I feel pain and scared. those are working for preventive security, which is working closely with Israelis. I was wearing my bullet proof vest, but this
didn't protect me enough. today, more than 10 were killed and tens were injured, many by Israelis, but still some by Palestinian clashes between Hamas and Fateh. they don't want this to be reported.
I didn't tell about this to my mother, she will be scared again!
sad greetings!
Mohammed
"The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything."
Albert Einstein
www.rafahtoday.org
Threatened at a Gaza roadblock
Fighting between Hamas and Fatah factions coupled with the threat of Israeli air strikes is keeping most Gaza residents indoors. A Palestinian journalist from Rafah describes a trip to Gaza City, and a student there describes exam frustrations.
MOHAMMED OMER, 22, JOURNALIST, RAFAH, GAZA:
I live in Rafah but have gone to Gaza City to report on the factional fighting.
On Tuesday, I was stopped by three militants at a roadblock close to the Palestinian Legislative Council. I was walking on one side of the street and another young guy was on the other side.
The gunmen shouted "Stop! Stop!". They made us raise our hands and approach them slowly.
They were Palestinian, definitely, from the accent, but I couldn't see their faces because they wore masks.
They formed a triangle around me - two in front, and one behind.
I said, "Do you know who I am?"
One of those in front said, "We don't care", and shot two bullets into the ground near my feet.
"Let's shoot him in the legs," said the other.
I showed them my ID and my news card. One of them then told me to go - they didn't want to see me, he said.
I was reluctant to move away because I've heard they can shoot you once you turn your back. I could see them shaking and I felt anything could have happened.
So for a few metres I faced them as I walked away and kept eye contact. Then they shouted "Go, go!". They kept the other guy - I don't know what happened to him.
Some groups are targeting men with beards and women with veils
I never expected Gaza to be like this.
I think the men were my age or a bit older. They are working for suspicious people - maybe not even for Hamas or Fatah but for their own reasons.
I've heard some groups are targeting men with beards and women with veils.
I actually went back into Gaza City this morning because I heard on the radio and from a friend that it was OK again.
But it wasn't. I saw a roadblock, empty streets and felt the tension. I was there for a very short time.
Here in Rafah it is quiet, but it's still not safe to go around. Funerals have been going on this afternoon.
The militants have taken positions in Rafah so roadblocks could be their next step.
I've been feeling very depressed since that incident on Tuesday. What if I'd ended up being paralysed by that stupid young man?
Full Story and photos:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/...
Follow Mohammad @
www.rafahtoday.org
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Dear Friends and supporters,
While the news coverage on the situation in Palestine is only focusing on the deadly events in Gaza, it is important to realize that in many areas of the West Bank the nonviolent movement against the Wall continues to grow. The following is a reflection on the latest protest in the Southern Bethlehem villages.
In Peace,
Sami Awad
Holy Land Trust
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http://samiawad.wordpress.com/...
Nonviolent Action in Southern Bethlehem to commemorate 59 year anniversary of the Catastrophe
Posted by Sami Awad on May 18th, 2007
In their continuous commitment to resisting the building of the Apartheid Wall in the villages that are located south of the Holy city of Bethlehem, the local organizing committee dedicated this Friday’s action to commemorating the 59 year anniversary of the Nakbah (the Catastrophe). For almost sixty years Palestinians have been suffering not only from what the Israeli occupation has done but in deeper terms from the neglect of the international community in addressing their basic human rights.
Over one hundred Palestinians, internationals, and Israelis met this day at the location of Abu Elias’s house (a farmer who passed away as a result of a heart attack three days after he received Israeli orders that called for confiscating the biggest portion of his land for the building of the Wall). It is truly incredible to see how empowered local young leaders continue to grow in their courage and commitment to not give up in the face of growing pressure by the Israeli military to suppress any nonviolent action in this location.
As the protestors were gathering, over fifteen Israeli army jeeps came to the location filled with over 150 heavily armed Israeli soldiers, police and what is know as members of the "special intervention force." No force big enough can suppress the dedication of those committed to a cause. The event began with a welcoming in Arabic and English that included a reminder that what we are suffering today is not a result of just the wall being built around Palestinian areas, but it is a result of how the international community has ignored and neglected the legitimate rights of the Palestinians for almost sixty years, especially the issue of the Palestinian refugees who have now had two generations born in very terrible conditions in refugee camps across the Middle East. This was followed by a call to Friday prayer where as the Muslims prayed, small groups of other faiths and spiritual believes prayed in their own way for peace and justice in this part of the world.
The prayers were followed by an attempt of the protestors to walk peacefully on the main street that connects the Southern villages together. The Israeli army response to this nonviolent attempt was brutal and extremely violent. Many were beaten up and two of the Israeli activists were arrested. It was truly incredible to see the zero tolerance that the Israeli soldiers are now being ordered to show towards any group of nonviolent protestors.
A decision was then made by the local committee to move the protest to the land where the construction of the Wall is taking place. As the protest moved down the valley and up to this location, the Israeli army had organized itself to meet us and to also prevent the nonviolent protest from taking place.
The victory for the day was in how the protestors were actually able to push the soldiers to back to an area that allowed us to organize a sit in and then the local organizers (after clearly explaining the injustice that these solders are doing in the name of their government) declared the action as over.
Reporting Daily on WAWA:
http://www.wearewideawake.org/