Fuerzas armadas invaden Bil'in buscando activistas internacionales-Army invade Bil'in searching international activists

Español.-
Con el pretext de estar buscando activistas pacifistas internacionales, un grupo de soldados de Israel y policies, invadieron el lunes al amanecer la villa de Bil’in cerca de la ciudad cisjordana de Ramallah, irrumpiendo en varios hogares.
El Comité Popular en contra del Muro y los Asentamientos, en Bil’in, report que los soldados invadieron la villa a aproximadamente la 1.30 de la madrugada irrumpiendo en los hogares de Ali Burnat y Khamis Fathi Abu Rahma.
Las tropas ingresaron a los hogares de manera violenta con el retexto de estar buscando activistas internacionales que habían participado en la rotesta pacífica en contra del Muro y los asentamientos en esa villa. El Comité dijo que los soldados impiedierona la prensa acercarse al lugar y cumplir con la tarea de registrar y que la ofensiva en contra de la ciudad duró por más de una hora. La villa de Bil’in se caracteriza por su participación en liderar protestas de Resistencia pacífica. Sus actividades comenzaron en 2004 y han Ganado la atención internacional convocando a cientos de activistas de distintos países y también de Israel. Las tropas de Israel se manejan con excesiva e innecesaria fuerza en contra de las protestas pacíficas tanto en esta localidad de Bil’in como en el resto de las ciudades y pueblos de Cisjordania, habiendo provocado muchos heridos y muertos.
English.-Under the pretext of searching for international peace activists, Israeli soldiers and policemen invaded on Monday at dawn Bil’in village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, broke into and searched several homes.
The Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, in Bil’in, reported that soldiers invaded the village approximately at 1:30 after midnight and broke into the homes of Ali Burnat and Khamis Fathi Abu Rahma.
Troops violently broke into the homes under the pretext of searching for international peace activists who participate in nonviolent protests against the Annexation Wall and settlements in the village.
The Committee said that soldiers prevented local reporters from performing their duty, and that the offensive against the village last for more than an hour.
Bil’in village plays an essential and a leading role in creative nonviolent resistance against the Wall and settlements.
Its activities started in 2004 and managed to garner a large international attention attracting hundreds of international and Israeli peace activists.
Israeli troops use excessive force against the popular nonviolent resistance in the village, and in several other West Bank villages and towns, inflicting hundreds of injuries and several deaths.

26 activistas arrestados en Beit Ommar-26 activists arrested in Beit Ommar

Español.-
El sábado 2 de abril de 2011, más de veinte activistas internacionales y de Israel se unieron a otro tanto de manifestantes palestinos de la localidad de Beit Ommar para protestar por el sitio prolongado impuesto a la ciudad. Si bien la barrera principal fue abierta el viernes por la tarde por las fuerzas de seguridad, las otras vías que conducen hacia Beit Ommar permanecen cerradas con bloques de cemento.
Ondeando banderas palestinas, los manifestantes marcharon por la calle principal, pero antes de llegar a la barrera fueron detenidos por fuerzas israelíes. Los soldados entregaron copias de mapas que señalan que los alrededores de Beit Ommar son zona militar cerrada y amenazaron con arrestar a cualquiera que intentara traspasar ese límite. Un activista israelí intent dialogar con los soldados pero fue arrestado. Luego los soldados comenzaron a arrojar gases lacrimógenos y bombas de estruendo a los manifestantes que permanecían en el lugar y en medio de la confusión dos activistas más fueron detenidos. Algunas horas más tardes, estos tres activistas fueron liberados.
Cuando el gas lacrimógeno se dispersó, los activistas se reagruparon y se volvieron a acercar a la línea de soldados. Los soldados cerraron la barrera sobre la entrada principal y amenazaron con detener a los que permanecieran en el área. Uno de los soldados manifestó que era mejor dejar salir por ahí a los activistas y otro opinaba que debían volver a la villa. Las indicaciones de los soldados eran confusas y ambiguas, no se ponían de acuerdo acerca de cuáles eran los límites de la zona militar cerrada. De acuerdo al papel el área cerrada cubre la zona entre la villa y la ruta 60, pero posiblemente se extiende un poco más dentro de la ciudad de Beit Ommar. Mientras los soldados discutían acerca de cómo aplicar la órden, los manifestantes se dispersaron y se alejaron del lugar.
Algunas horas después de la manifestación , un grupo de veintitres activistas israelíes solidarios con Palestina, llegaron a la barrera impuesta en la entrada principal de Beit Ommar. Protestaron por el cierre de la ciudad y las fuerzas de seguridad comenzaron a empujarlos y a pegarles. Los veintitrés activistas fueron arrestados. Quince fueron liberados antes de finalizar el día y ocho permanecieron durante la noche bajo custodia en la seccional policial del asentamiento illegal Kiryat Arba.
English.-
On Saturday, April 2nd, 2011, around two dozen Israeli and international solidarity activists joined with an equal number of Palestinian residents of Beit Ommar to protest the prolonged road closures in the village. While the main gate was opened by security forces late on Friday evening, other roads leading into the village remain blocked by cement barriers.
Waving Palestinian flags, the protesters marched down the main street towards the front gate of Beit Ommar. They were stopped before the gate by large numbers of Israeli Forces. The soldiers produced paperwork to show that the area around Beit Ommar remained a closed military zone, and threatened to arrest anyone trying to cross it. An Israeli activist attempted to negotiate with the military, but was arrested. Soldiers then threw tear gas and sound bombs at the remaining demonstrators, and in the ensuing confusion, arrested two more Israeli activists. All three were released several hours later.
As the tear gas faded, the demonstrators regrouped and again approached the line of Israeli soldiers. The soldiers closed and locked the main gate, then threatened to arrest the remaining international activists. One soldier demanded that the internationals leave through the main gate, while another insisted that they must return in the village. The confusion seemed to stem from the ambiguous borders set in the closed military zone order: according to the paperwork, the closed area covers at least the area between the village and Route 60, but possibly as much as the entirety of Beit Ommar. As the soldiers argued among themselves about how to interpret and enforce the order, the protesters dispersed without incident.
Several hours after the end of the demonstration, a group of twenty-three Israeli solidarity activists arrived at the main gate of Beit Ommar. They protested its closure until Israeli security forces closed in and began to beat and kick them. All twenty-three activists were subsequently arrested. Fifteen have since been released; the remaining eight remain in custody at the Kiryat Arba settlement police station.

Protestas pacíficas atacadas en varios lugares de Palestina-Several non-violent protests attacked in Palestine

Español.-
En muchas ciudades se realiza cada semana una protesta en contra de la construcción del Muro y de la Ocupación ilegal de Israel. Las protestas de ayer viernes 1 de abril en Bil'in, Nil'in, Al Masara y Nabi Saleh, fueron violentamente reprimidas por soldados de Israel quienes arrojaron gases lacrimógenos y reprimieron con otras armas no letales. Tres manifestantes resultaron heridos al ser impactados por las cañas lanzadas contra ellos desde corta distancia.
Las protestas del viernes que conmemoraron el día de la tierra, el día en que en 1976 los palestinos organizaron protestas en contra de la confiscación de tierras y seis palestinos fueron tiroteados por tropas isarelíes. Desde entonces siempre se organizan marchas en las que participan activistas internacionales conmemorando el llamado Día de la Tierra y protestando contra la confiscación y anexión de tierras palestinas. En esta oportunidad tres personas resultaron heridas en Bil'in cuando los soldados de Israel los reprimieron con gas lacrimógeno y balas de goma.
En la villa cercana de Ni'lin, durante una protesta similar que se desarrolló luego de la plegaria, cuando los pobladores juntos con acompañantes internacionales intentaron acercarse al alambrado que confisca tierras de sus granjas, tropas de Israel los reprimieron arrojándoles gases lacrimógenos y bombas de estruendo, frozando a los manifestantes a dar marcha atrás. Algunas de las personas debieron ser trasladadas para ser atendidas por los efectos de la inhalación del gas.
En la villa cisjordana de Al Masara, cerca de Belén, tropas de Israel usaron gases lacrimógenos para reprimir la protesta semanal contra el muro. Los manifestantes, luego de la plegaria del mediodía marcharon con internacionales hacia donde se pretende continuar la construcción del muro.
Las tropas les arrojaron gases obligando a los manifestantes a retirarse. Algunos debieron ser atendidos producto de la intoxicación por la ihalación de gases.

English.-
Weekly non-violent anti-Wall protests in a number of towns across the West Bank on Friday, including Bil'in, Nil'in, al Ma'sara and Nabi Saleh, were attacked by Israeli forces wielding tear gas and other 'less-than-lethal' weapons. Three protesters were injured when they were hit by high velocity tear gas canisters fired at close range by Israeli soldiers.

Protesters teargassed at past Bil'in protest (image by activestills)


The protests on Friday commemorated Palestinian Land Day, the day in 1976 when Palestinians organized protests against Israeli confiscation of their land, and six protesters were gunned down by Israeli troops. Palestinians, along with supporters around the world, organize events each year on Land Day to protest the ongoing Israeli confiscation and annexation of Palestinian land.

According to a report from the Palestine News Network, in the village of Bil’in, where anti wall protests have been organized for the past six years, three men were injured when Israeli troops fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at protesters. After the midday prayers in the local mosque finished, villagers were joined by international and Israeli peace activists and marched up the gate of the wall separating villagers from their lands.

Troops stationed there opened fire at protesters injuring three. The men sustained injuries when soldiers fired tear gas canisters directly at them. Many others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.

The nearby village of Ni'lin held a similar protest on Friday. After conducting the Friday prayers on lands near the wall, villagers and their supporters marched up to the gate of the wall separating local farmers from their land. Israeli troops used tear gas and sound bombs to force people back. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.

In the southern West Bank village of al-Ma’sara, near Bethlehem, Israeli troops used tear gas to suppress the weekly protest against the wall. Local politicians along with Israeli and international supporters joined the villagers after the midday prays and marched to the lands where Israel is building the wall.

Troops fired tear gas to force people back into the village; many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.

Israel bloque y sitia a Beit Ommar tal como a Gaza-Israel lays Gaza-like siege on West Bank village Beit Ommar

Español.-
La torre de control que está en la entrada de Beit Ommar cuenta ahora con una barrera metálica que cierra el acceso principal a la ciudad de Beit Ommar.
Desde el 24 de marzo las fuerzas militares de Israel han cercado y desplazado una cantidad inusitada de soldados y por tiempo indeterminado en la villa de Beit Ommar, sur de Cisjordania, y ha arrestado a innumerables jóvenes palestinos, sin cargos, y los ha trasladado a prisiones de seguridad.
Al igual que han bloqueado a Gaza, Israel tiene cerradas por completo las seis entradas de la ciudad de 17000 habitantes y ha prohibido las importaciones y exportaciones de productos, incluyendo gasolina, materiales industriales y otros insumos básicos. A las ambulancias también se les ha prohibido la libre circulación desde y hacia la ciudad.
Este bloqueo es la continuidad de un ataque armado de un colono israelí durante un funeral palestino que tuvo lugar el 21 de marzo.
El colono en cuestión detuvo su auto en la Ruta 60 que une Hebrón con Jerusalén cuando los dolientes acompañaban el cortejo fúnebre hacia el cementerio, y abrió fuego de manera indiscriminada hiriendo a dos hombres palestinos.
Este colono que disparó no está arrestado
Luego de los disparos llegaron las fuerzas de Israel y utilizaron bombas de estruendo y gases lacrimógenos para evacuar a los palestinos víctimas de la situación.
El ataque se suma al incremento de la violencia que se ha desatado en las últimas semanas por parte de los colonos y hacia la población palestina en toda Cisjordania incluyendo Jerusalén del Este.
Los ataques de colonos continúan. Esta semana ha habido ataques de colonos en Ramallah, Jenín, Hebrón entre otras ciudades y sus alrededores.
El ataque del colono de Israel motivó que contradictoriamente a cualqueir suposición lógica y justa, el ejército cercara y dejara en situación de bloqueo a Beit Ommar y comenzara redadas y detenciones de palestinos.
Los seis puntos de entrada y salida de la ciudad permanecen cerrados. Trabajadores y estudiantes en otros puntos de la región ven impedidas sus posibilidades de salir o entrar de la ciudad.

(Información completa más abajo, en inglés)

English.-
An Israeli army watchtower overlooks a locked metal gate blocking the main entrance to the village of Beit Ommar, 29 March 2011. (Nora Barrows-Friedman)
Since 24 March, Israeli forces have sealed the southern occupied West Bank village of Beit Ommar for an indefinite amount of time as soldiers continue to arrest young Palestinian residents and hold them in Israeli detention centers.
In a move akin to the four-year-long economic blockade against the occupied Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers have closed the six entrances to the village of 17,000 inhabitants and have imposed a widespread prohibition policy against all major imports and exports from the village -- including gasoline, produce, raw industrial materials and basic supplies. Ambulances have also been prevented from entering or exiting the village.
The closures and arrests followed a brazen attack by an Israeli settler on a funeral procession on 21 March.
The settler stopped his car on Route 60 (the highway linking Jerusalem with Hebron-area settlements) as the crowd of mourners moved towards the village cemetery, and started firing indiscriminately with live ammunition, injuring two Palestinian men, the Beit Ommar-based Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP) reported.
"The settler who shot the two men was not arrested," PSP stated ("Two Palestinians Injured as Settler Opens Fire on Funeral Procession in Beit Ommar," 21 March 2011).
"Israeli forces arrived on the scene and used sound bombs and tear gas to disperse the gathered crowd as medical teams evacuated the wounded," the report added.
The attack came amidst a widespread spate of settler violence against Palestinians throughout the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem.
Settler attacks have continued this week. The Palestine News Network reported that Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in Ramallah, Jenin and Hebron on 30 and 31 March ("Daily Roundup: Settler Attacks in Ramallah, Jenin; Three-year-old Hit by Settler Car; Four Arrested," 31 March 2011).
Following the settler attack against the funeral procession, Israeli forces closed the main entrance to Beit Ommar, as special forces invaded the village and shot tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets before arresting three Palestinian residents, PSP reported on 25 March ("Three Beit Ommar Residents Arrested As Israeli Forces Close Village Streets").
The next day, all six entrances to the village were shut, and continue to remain closed. Beit Ommar residents and international solidarity activists engaged in protests against the closures and collective punishment on 26 March.
On the evening of 27 March, fifteen young Palestinians were arrested and remain in detention at the military base in nearby Gush Etzion settlement. Of those fifteen, seven are under 18 years old. [[The military gave no reason for their arrests and detentions, PSP stated.]]
Hours later, PSP reported, Israeli soldiers "fired tear gas and rubber bullets at villagers attempting to pass the road blocks on foot to board the taxis and buses waiting below. The soldiers refused to let anyone exit Beit Ommar until after their departure roughly an hour and a half later" ("15 Beit Ommar Residents Arrested as Closures, Army Harassment, Continue," 28 March 2011).
Yousef Abu Maria, coordinator of the Center for Freedom and Justice in Beit Ommar (CFJ), told The Electronic Intifada that the indefinite closures imposed on the village have already created an economic crisis for Beit Ommar's 17,000 residents during the last week.
"The industrial factories in Beit Ommar are effectively closed," Abu Maria said. "There haven't been any imported raw materials from the outside. And the gas station will close soon, because there isn't enough gas. Essential products are hard to obtain right now in the village."
Ahmed Oudeh of the PSP and the CFJ told The Electronic Intifada that farmers in the village who depend on exporting their produce to nearby cities and towns are facing a dire financial situation if the closure remains in place. Additionally, pregnant women and people needing medical attention are not able to reach the hospital, as the policy affects ambulance access to and from the village.
The Electronic Intifada witnessed a Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulance being turned away at the front gate of Beit Ommar, forced by Israeli soldiers to find a rural route out of the village. Oudeh said that it could take up to an hour and a half to get back to the hospital in Hebron.
It is against international law -- as outlined in the Fourth Geneva Convention -- for the Israeli military to prevent ambulances from accessing or transporting persons needing medical attention.
Abu Maria further explained that schoolteachers working in the village are having difficulties getting to and from Beit Ommar, since the roads are sealed and public buses and taxis are being turned away by the soldiers at the gates.
"Laborers who work in Hebron or nearby in Saffa village are also being directly affected," Abu Maria added. "They can't drive their cars out of the village or back inside, and many don't have enough money to pay for taxi services to and from work. [These policies are] a collective punishment for the people in Beit Ommar."
Meanwhile, a new section of the Efrat settlement colony on the other side of Route 60 is being built, according to a new map issued by the Israeli military and obtained by the CFJ. Beit Ommar is surrounded by several illegal settlements, parts of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc in the southern West Bank.
Abu Maria said that the Israeli military is planning to erect a fence around the village, and will move the main entrance gate deeper inside Beit Ommar to protect settlers on the road. But the main purpose of the current closures and the fence is to "take more land and expand the settlements," he said.
Beit Ommar resident Naama Hassan Sleibi, 65, told The Electronic Intifada that she and her husband have been farmers their whole lives but continue to lose their land as the nearby Karmei Tsur settlement expands. "We have empty land with no produce," she said. "[The expansion of the settlements] is a huge loss for farmers."
For years, Beit Ommar's residents have been engaged in unwavering actions of civil disobedience against the encroaching settlements and land confiscation policies. Abu Maria explained that part of Israel's intention to impose the closures and control movement of the villagers is to break the steadfast resistance inside Beit Ommar.
"In [the nearby village of] Saffa, next to the Bat Ayn settlement, we are planting olive trees," he said. "The Israeli military said we can't plant there, but we're going to keep doing it anyway. They won't succeed in stopping us."
As the closures continue to paralyze people's lives across a broad spectrum, Sleibi said that she's most worried most about the youth of Beit Ommar. "[The Israeli soldiers] come and arrest young people all the time," she said.
Sleibi needed to go to the hospital in Hebron several days ago for routine medical needs but was turned back by Israeli soldiers. "We can't do anything," she said. "The settler attacked the funeral, but the people of Beit Ommar pay the price."

Videos acerca de la demolición de hogar beduino-Videos about Bedouin home demolition

Colonos atacan vehículos y residenes palestinos-Settlers attack Palestinian vehicles and residents

Español.-
Un grupo de colonos exremistas estuvo arrojando piedras a varios vehículos palestinos que se desplazaban por rutas al norte de Cisjordania cerca de Jenín, lastimando a varios residentes y dañando vehículos.
Los residentes trataron de evadir a los colonos y cambiaron su curso para evitar confrontaciones.
Los civiles heridos fueron trasladados y atendido en el Hospial Khalil Suleiman donde recibieron tratamiento médico correspondiente.
Admás de este hecho, una mujer palestina fue hospitalizada en Bir Zeit, cerca de Jalazoun en los alrededores de Ramallah, tras haber sido agredida por colonos.

English.-
A group of extremist settlers hurled stones on Thursday at several Palestinian vehicles on a road near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, causing among a number of resident, and damage to the vehicles.
The residents tried to avoid the settlers and change their way in an attempt to avoid confrontations with the armed settlers.
Several civilians were injured and were moved to Khalil Suleiman Hospital where they received medical treatment.
Furthermore, a Palestinian woman was hospitalized after settlers hurled stones at her car while driving on the Bir Zeit road near Jalazoun camp in the Ramallah district.

Detienen a legislador y civiles en Hebrón y Beit Ommar-Legislator and civils are kidnapped by Israeli army in Hebron and Beit Ommar

Español.-
Soldados de Israel secuestraron ayer jueves por la mañana a cuatro civiles incluyendo un legislador del bloque por el Cambio y la Reforma de Hamas, y los trasladaron con destino desconocido.
Los soldados arrasaron la ciudad de Hebrón en el sur de Cisjordania y secuestraron al legislador Mohammed Maher Bader, luego de invadir su hogar en el centro de la ciudad.
Otro grupo de soldados secuestró a tres civiles de Beit Ommar, al norte de Hebrón, luego de irrumpir violentamente en sus hogares.
Estas tres personas han sido identificadas como Nidal Hosni Hussein Zakeeq, de 19 años, Mohammad Hosni Zakeeq, de 16 años, y Shihdeh Yusef Adel, de 18.
Mohammad Awad, vocero del Comité Nacional en contra del muro y los asentamientos, reportó que el ejército ha cercado las entradas de Beit Ommar desde hace más de nueve días impidiendo a los residentes su libertad de desplazamiento.

English.-
Israeli troops kidnapped on Thursday morning four civilians including a legislator of the Hamas Change and Reform parliamentary Bloc, and took them to an unknown destinations.
Soldiers stormed the city of Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, and kidnapped legislator Mohammed Maher Bader after breaking into his home in downtown Hebron.
Soldiers also kidnapped three civilians form Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, after breaking into their houses and searching them.
The three were identified Nidal Hosni Hussein Zakeeq, 19, Mohammad Hosni Zakeeq, 16, and Shihdeh Yusef Adel, 18.
Mohammad Awad, media spokesman of the National Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, reported that the soldiers have been sealing the entrances of Beit Ummar since more than nine days depriving the residents their right to freedom of movement.