Israeli army forcefully represses peaceful protests

Israeli administration demolishes homes, beats peaceful activists

TULKAREM – Nada Muzaffar

December 2003

Israeli soldiers and Border Police attacked over 300 Palestinians and 30 internationals at the so called “separation fence” in the Tulkarem region in November, throwing teargas, percussion grenades and beating the nonviolent protesters with batons.

One American, Bruce Groeneveld from Washington, was forcefully detained and remained in custody of the Israeli Army.

Palestinians from Tulkarem and surrounding villages together with activists of the International Solidarity Movement and the International Women’s Peace Team marched towards a gate in the wall outside of the village of Baqaa Al-Sharqia, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “The Wall Must Fall.”

Swedish MPs were also present. Within minutes of starting the peaceful march, Israeli Forces fired percussion grenades and teargas into the crowd. Due to the Israeli Army’s violent response, the demonstrators dispersed and regrouped several times in order to continue the nonviolent protest, each time sustaining more injuries.

Israeli soldiers attempted to arrest one Jewish-American volunteer over five times, but were unsuccessful.

During the arrest attempts soldiers beat a Welsh volunteer leaving a seven-inch welt on his back, hit an American bruising his arm, and repeatedly kicked an Irish man, pulling out a clump of his hair.

Tear gas canisters hit two Palestinian women; causing burning while soldiers with their wielding batons beat several other protestors.

“The violent response of the Israeli Army towards peaceful opposition to the Wall and the ‘ghettoization’ of the West Bank in November was yet another indication that even nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation would not be tolerated. Despite this intolerance, Palestinians and internationals were set to continue nonviolent action against the Wall in the Tulkarem region,” according to the ISM website.

The ISM also reported in November that the Israeli “Civil” Administration, a military government controlling the occupied Palestinian territories, summoned a Palestinian to appear before the military court. Crime cited included “the building of an illegal home for his family on his own privately owned land,” a home that has been demolished four times before.

The administration issued orders declaring its intent to demolish the home within 48 hours.