| man gets shot, palestinians can't even walk down their own road |
[Aug. 11th, 2006|07:49 pm] |
Hey all,
so much insanity, so little internet time.
Below is part of an email I wrote to some welsh journalists about my experience today in Bil'in, in the West Bank. I will continue after it....
"I am writing because today I was present at the weekly Friday demonstration in the village of Bil'in in the west bank, where an Israeli man was shot in the head and neck with rubber bullets, by the Israeli Defense Force.
The demo was attended by around 200 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals. Today the response of the Israeli Defense Force and POlice was particularly violent. Before the demo had moved even half of its customary route from a house in the village to the Israeli 'seperation fence', soldiers began firing sound grenades and then rubber bullets at us. The Israeli activist was shot in the head and neck by rubber bullets fired from closer than the stated minimum range of 50m (estimates of the actual distance varied from 5-30m). After being hit the Israeli man was lying on the ground for around 20 minutes before soldiers arranged for an ambulance to collect him. A female Israeli activist was told by the unit commander to "fuck off" on two occasions when she asked him to call for medical help, before the man was eventually picked up and taken to a hospital outside Tel-Aviv where he has been taken to surgery to remove one rubber bullet from his head.
The unit commander also appeared not to be in control of his unit. He was heard ordering them to pull back, yet they continued to fire towards the demonstration.
The village of Bil'in is on the path of the 'sepration fence' (or apartheid wall), and over half of its' lands will be appropriated by Israel through being on the Israeli side of the wall. The village has been demonstrating weekly for over 1 and a half years, and the demos are regularly attended by both Israeli and INternational activists. My Israeli friends tell me that this level of violence is not currently ususal, and speculate that the war in Lebanon is responsible for the escalation of repression.
There were several other more minor injuries from rubber bullets and sound grenade cannisters, at least 2 Israelis, 2 Internationals and 3 Palestinians were injured. 1 Israeli male was detained but later released. A complaint about the shooting by the IDF will be made to the Police Investiagion Unit of the Israeli Minisrty of Justice.
It was my first day in the West Bank, after last night attending a gay pride demonstration in jerusalem where Police began pushing and trampling demonstrators when a section of the demo chated anti-war and anti-occupation slogans. I am becoming rapidly acquainted with the excesses of Israeli security forces, and ever more convinced of the need to spread the word as widely as possible about the level of daily repression faced by Palestinians. I hope you will be able to assist me with this!!"
I feel quite distant from this... I was present at a demo where someone got shot in the head, but I didn't see it myself and I do not know this mans face, so it seems kind of unreal, remote. Like so much of my experience here, horror impossibly close, yet not HERE.
I am glad I am still running with the queers, they are a supportive bunch.
I think next week I will go to the INternational WOmens Peace Service house in the west bank and spend time with them. Just have to wait for their OK.
.........................................................................
Also there was madness last night. We went to jerusalem to partucpate in a demo that replaced the cancelled World Pride March (y'know, fer gays). (Worth noting that last year at Jerusalem Pride 3 people got stabbed by homophobic orthodox jews).
ANyway, there were no stabbings, although there was a sighting of the leader of the Nazi Party. But when we queers started chanting anti war slogans (some slightly inflammatory I grant you - 'boys and girls, don't fuck soldiers' '1,2,3,4 we don't want this fucking war. 5,6,7,8 sodomy is fucking great') the police basically attacked us, shoving and trampling people and arresting two (probably not a coincidence that these were the 2 carrying Palestinian and Lebanese flags...)
No one was seriously hurt, but some glasses were broken. Perhaps more disconcerting was the attempt by the demo organisers to cordon off us 'bad' demonstrators from the 'good' (zionist?) gays, placing a line of their own security people in between us and sending wandering queers sharply back to our side saying 'your friends deserve what they're getting'
While I welcome discussion about the efficacy of certain choices in a heated situation with POlice, I think standing aside while fellow demonstrators are beaten up by cops is bad news .......
er, my literary skills have finally deserted me..... I will leave you for now..
Don't worry about me but do worry about this crazy fucking place..... Spread the word.....
Love J |
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| Comments: |
Damn girlfriend
It sounds like your in the thick of it. I guess its to be expected that protest conditions would be different in a war zone than on Glebe Point Road. What can I say from this safe distance but don't listen to their sound grenades and don't take any rubber bullets, dress in layers and eat your vegetables and most importantly STAY GAY! You whore of the arabs you! I can see the movie poster now. Josie! Whore of the Arabs! The picture would be of you, your shirt torn seductively across your chest as you crest a mountain of exhausted, satisfied, arab women... We'll make millions! Anyway, you make me feel a little silly, trying to hold a conversation across this gulf of relative intensities.
But I love you still and you are now officially my hero.
From: (Anonymous)
2006-08-14 10:01 am (UTC)
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hey you, sounds like you got your wish to 'engage with ordinary peoples lives'. i watched the video footage of Bil'in and i only know that this is too much for me, i dont want to be there. courage to you + love
xxxjet | |
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