www.mediamonitors.net/gilasvirsky1.html
How Israel deals with non-violence
From: Gila Svirsky
Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2001 12:45 AM
Friends,
It's almost midnight in Israel, and I just got off the phone with Neta
Golan who described today's events, which I hereby report. I'm
missing some details, but I don't want to call Neta back, as she's in
pain and needs to rest.
Al-Khader is a small Palestinian village near Bethlehem, which has the
bad fortune to be located near the Israeli settlement of Efrat. For
years, Efrat settlers have coveted the land belonging to al-Khader,
and, in recent months, settlers set down 3 mobile homes on a hilltop
to "establish ownership". The Palestinian villagers decided to stage
a nonviolent protest march today, and invited Israelis and
internationals to join them.
Because of yesterday's killing of an Israeli not far from al-Khader,
several peace organizations decided it was too dangerous to
participate in today's action. As a result, only 20 or fewer brave
Israelis and internationals decided to participate in the action. The
low number of Israelis and internationals made it even more dangerous
for them and the 200 Palestinian villagers who turned out.
The Palestinian, Israeli, and international peace activists all
gathered near the disputed hill, and began to slowly walk up it toward
the incipient settlement. The decision made in advance, and kept, was
that they would not push past wherever they were stopped by the
security forces - police from the Efrat settlement. This was not
exactly an "objective" force. The police stopped the marchers and
gave them 10 minutes to disperse, which the activists decided to use
to make some speeches.
Neta says the speeches were excellent. A Palestinian speaker said
that all Israelis who come in peace are "welcome, welcome, welcome".
Rabbi Arik Asherman of Rabbis for Human Rights, said that "by
justice", this land belongs to the Palestinians, and that justice
ultimately will prevail. Arik also addressed the soldiers surrounding
them: "I know that you are doing your duty here, but I hope that your
witness of this event will prove to you that it's possible for
Palestinians and Israelis to work together in coexistence."
After the speeches, the activists started to move down the hill and
away from the settlement, but it was taking longer than the police had
ordered. So the police swooped down on them and began to swing their
clubs. Neta approached a policeman and asked, "What are you doing?"
and he started to beat her. When Neta refused to duck or run away, he
became incensed and continued to strike her. Then he twisted her arm
behind her back and began to drag her up the hill. Neta did not
resist, but walked with the policeman. At some point, he handed her
over to a policewoman, who grabbed Neta by the hair and began to drag
her up the hill, even though Neta continued to cooperate. Someone
else took over the twisting of her arm behind her back, and this
person continued to twist, harder and harder, until she heard the
crunch of the elbow breaking. Neta felt terrible pain and told the
police she needs medical attention, but they continued to drag her by
the hair and arm up the hill. Anita from the Christian Peacemakers
Team (CPT) ran over to ask them to ease their handling of Neta, but
they began to beat Anita as well.
There were no media present, which contributed to the feeling of the
security forces that no one was "watching". I don't know if anyone
was using the video cameras that we now have in the field, and I don't
want to call Neta back to ask.
Everyone was treated very roughly and six were arrested: Arik
Asherman, Neta Golan, Sergio from the Alternative Information Center,
Liad Kantorowicz, Anita from CPT, and a "young guy" whose name Neta
could not immediately recall.
Meanwhile, while Israelis and internationals were being arrested, the
police chased the villagers not only down the hill, but directly into
their village. On the way, they tore down the temporary structure
that the villagers had set up at the foot of the hill. When the
police entered the village, the Palestinians began to throw stones at
them to get them out, but the Israelis opened fire. Five Palestinians
were wounded. Neta believes not seriously, but I don't have
confirmation of this yet.
In the police station, Neta asked to see a doctor, but her requests
were ignored. An army medic was called in, who said that it looks
like a break and she needs to get to a hospital, but the police kept
her waiting. There was a lengthy interrogation and they told her they
would release her as soon as she signed a paper that she agrees not to
enter a "closed military zone" again. She refused to sign it. "If it
really hurt you, you would sign," they said to her. They don't know
Neta. Finally, four hours later, they let her out and then freed the
others.
The six were released into the settlement of Efrat, where the police
station is located, and they walked the distance to the main road. By
then, other demonstrators had returned to pick them up. They brought
Neta to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, where she was released after
10 p.m. The doctors were shocked that someone had twisted her arm so
badly that they broke it at the elbow.
Neta asked me to write that this new settlement was built after
Sharon was elected, and that he promised the US he would dismantle it.
He did not yet. She said that it pained her to see settlers roaming
the hills at their pleasure, while the Palestinians, who wanted to
demonstrate nonviolently, were being suppressed with violence.
She asked me to say that the suppression of nonviolence only makes
people become violent.
That's the story of today's action at al-Khader. Activists plan to
return until the settlement is removed.
In a related incident from today's Women in Black vigil, two women
were physically attacked by Kach members. The police refused to
arrest them, but the women went to the police station to file a
complaint.
Gila Svirsky
Jerusalem
Rabbis For Human Rights
info@rhr.israel.net
Tel. 972 2 563-7731
Fax: 972 2 566-2815
Mobile: 972 50 607034
Website: http://www.rhr.israel.net
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