Shu’fat: Forced to pay taxes from behind a checkpoint and wall – in pictures

by Jenna Bereld and Samar | 19 Dec 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On December 18, 2011 residents of Shu’fat and activists protested against the separation wall in front of the new checkpoint. A certain loss of demonstrators was noted, since thirty-five organizers were arrested yesterday by Israeli policemen in their homes in the Shu’fat refugee camp in the middle of the night.

Forced to pay taxes from behind a wall – Click here for more images

The residents of Shu’fat are Israeli citizens. However, they cannot enjoy the privileges a citizenship normally includes. While the streets in the illegal settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev on the other side of the wall are clean and the municipal services are working, the Shu’fat streets are dirty and waste collection does not exist. Houses taller than two stories are illegal in East Jerusalem, so most houses here have demolition orders.

“All people in Shu’fat must pay taxes to Israel, and still the streets look like a third world country,” one of the demonstrators says.

“They are taking from the poor and give it to the wealthy,” another demonstrator says.

Shu’fat is a neighborhood in the north-east of Jerusalem, though separated from the rest of the city by the eight meters high concrete separation wall. The Palestinian population of 50,000 live more or less imprisoned in the neighborhood, forced to pass through a military checkpoint to reach the rest of Jerusalem. The checkpoint, comprising an observation tower, five stations for armed soldiers to search the cars, and the most recent surveillance technology, was inaugurated last week.

Starting on December 23, there will be weekly demonstrations in Shu’fat after the Friday prayer.

“We will come here to protest every week until this wall has fallen,” promises Jeff Halper from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

Jenna Bereld and Samar are volunteers with International Solidarity Movement (names have been changed).

The separation barrier, separating Shu'fat from the illegal settlement of Pisgat Ze'ev that can be seen behind the wall. According to a survey presented in the book "Negotiating Jerusalem" (Jerome M. Segal), as many as 57 percent of the Israeli Jews support the statement "In order to ensure a Jewish majority when asked, "Do you support or object to redefining the city limits so that Arab settlements and villages which are now within the borders of Jerusalem (such as Shuafat, Um Tuba, Zur Baher) will be outside the city?" | Photos by Sarah-International Solidarity Movement (2011)

Soldiers told the demonstrators to leave of "security reasons" | Photos by Sarah - International Solidarity Movement (2011)

To travel from Shu'fat to other parts of Jerusalem, everyone has to pass the newly built checkpoint and its armed Israeli occupation forces. | Photos by Sarah - International Solidarity Movement (2011)

The Shu'fat demonstration will from now on take place every week after the Friday prayer | Photos by Sarah - International Solidarity Movement (2011)

After the demonstration, Israeli soldiers entered the village of Shu'fat. The demonstrators told the soldiers to leave and called their presence "nothing but a provocation". | Photos by Sarah-International Solidarity Movement (2011)

Israeli occupation forces in the main street of Shu'fat, after the demonstration - Photos by Sarah - International Solidarity Movement

Young demonstrators stepping on the US flag. | Photos by Sarah-International Solidarity Movement (2011)

Source and much more at the ISM


http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/shufat-forced-to-pay-taxes-from-behind-a-checkpoint-and-wall-in-pictures/

IDF fires tear gas, beats mourners after Tamimi funeral

 

Sunday, December 11 2011|Mya Guarnieri

On Sunday morning, thousands of mourners lined Ramallah’s streets for the funeral procession of Mustafa Tamimi, a 28-year-old Palestinian who was killed by the Israeli army this weekend. The procession continued to Nabi Saleh, where hundreds attended Tamimi’s burial. The army reportedly fired tear gas on some of the mourners, beat unarmed demonstrators, and arrested seven activists

Mourners carry Mustafa Tamimi's body through Ramallah (photo: Activestills)

Hundreds of mourners proceeded to Nabi Saleh, Tamimi’s village and the place he was shot by a tear gas canister during the weekly demonstration against the Israeli occupation and the illegal settlement encroaching on Nabi Saleh’s land. Tamimi was shot in the face at close range on Friday and died of the injuries Saturday morning.

Mustafa Tamimi's funeral procession (photo: Activestills)

Those attending the funeral in Nabi Saleh reported that the Israeli army gathered on the hills nearby. They also said that an armored military jeep used to shoot tear gas–a “tear gas jeep” as Abir Kopty put it–was waiting at the entrance of the village when the funeral procession arrived.

When the mourners shouted at the soldiers for killing Tamimi, soldiers cursed them.

After Tamimi’s burial, local youth headed in the direction of the spring that belongs to the village but has been appropriated by the neighboring settlement, Halamish. The army fired tear gas and skunk water on the unarmed demonstrators.

Soldiers and protesters clash in Nabi Saleh Sunday (photo: Activestills)

“In Palestine, even anger is not allowed,” Abir Kopty remarked on Twitter.

Fearful of violent clashes with the Israeli army, some residents of Nabi Saleh called on the youth to stop the protest. They attempted to go on with their demonstration, however, and witnesses on the ground in Nabi Saleh said that soldiers beat a protester to the point that an ambulance was needed.
After an ambulance arrived, Diana Alzeer reported on Twitter that the army continued to beat the unarmed demonstrators.  Emilie Baujard, a French journalist, reported that seven protesters were arrested. Leehee Rothschild noted that several Israelis were among those detained.

Several witnesses said that soldiers attempted to choke Israeli activist Jonathan Pollak, who was evacuated to the hospital.

Abir Kopty and other witnesses reported that of the seven who were arrested, three were Israeli, one was Palestinian, and the rest were internationals.

A mourner confronts a soldier with a poster commemorating Tamimi (photo: Activestills)

Here are a few additional photos that Joseph Dana, who attended the procession in Ramallah, put on his Twitter account, @ibnezra, shared with permission:

Mustafa Tamimi's body, wrapped in a Palestinian flag and keffiyeh, being carried in Ramallah (photo: Joseph Dana)

A child overcome by grief as Mustafa Tamimi's body is loaded into a car to be taken to Nabi Saleh, where he will be buried (photo: Joseph Dana)

http://972mag.com/israeli-army-fires-tear-gas-on-mourners-in-nabi-saleh/29447/

Activists: Soldiers open fire toward Gaza demo

Published yesterday (updated) 14/12/2011 00:19

 

Palestinians demonstrate against Israeli incursions and land confiscation near
the barrier north of Beit Hanoun (MaanImages/Wissam Nassar, File)

 

 

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces fired toward Palestinian protesters on Tuesday during a demonstration against land confiscation near the Israeli border, activists said.

Saber Zaanin, local coordinator, said activists and internationals were fired upon while heading toward the destroyed Dumra village north of Beit Hanoun, inside Israel's buffer zone.

Israeli forces fired at them and tanks headed toward the wall. International solidarity activists got on a farming plow, which was pushed inside the buffer zone by 200 meters, he added.

Zaanin pointed out that the activity is a message for the people in Nabi Saleh that they "are not alone facing Israel and its walls", and that the "seeds of resistance planted in the buffer zone area are for peace."

An Israeli army spokesman did not immediately return a call late Tuesday.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=444705

A courageous Palestinian has died, shrouded in stones

Published 02:56 13.12.11 Latest update 02:56 13.12.11

The army spokesman was right - Mustafa died because he threw stones; he died because he dared to speak a truth, with his hands, in a place where the truth is forbidden.

By Jonathan Pollak


Mustafa Tamimi threw stones. Unapologetically and sometimes fearlessly. Not on that day alone, but nearly every Friday. He also concealed his face. Not for fear of the prison cell, which he had already come to know intimately, but in order to preserve his freedom, so he could continue to throw stones and resist the theft of his land. He continued to do this until the moment of his death.

According to British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, in response to the reports about the shooting of Tamimi, the spokesman of the GOC Southern Command wondered on his Twitter account: "What was Mustafa thinking running after a moving jeep while throwing stones #fail." Thus, simply and mockingly, the spokesman explained why Tamimi was to blame for his own death.


Mustafa Tamimi, from the village of Nabi Saleh - son to Ikhlas and Abd al-Razak, brother to Saddam and Ziad, to the twins Oudai and Louai and sister Ola - was shot in the head at close range on Friday. Hours later, at 9:21 on Saturday morning, he died of his wounds. A gas grenade was fired at him from an armored military Jeep at a distance of only a few meters. It was not out of fear that the person who did fired the shot hit him. He poked the barrel of the rifle through the door of the armored vehicle and fired with clear intent. The shooter is a soldier. His identity remains unknown and perhaps it will always remain unknown. Maybe this is for the best. Identifying him and punishing him would only serve to whitewash the crimes of the entire system. As if the indifferent Israeli civilian, the sergeant, the company commander, the battalion commander, the brigade commander, the division commander, the defense minister and the prime minister had no part in the shooting.

The army spokesman was right. Mustafa died because he threw stones; he died because he dared to speak a truth, with his hands, in a place where the truth is forbidden. Any discussion of the manner of the shooting, its legality and the orders on opening fire, infers that the landlord is forbidden to expel the trespasser. Indeed, the trespasser is allowed to shoot the landlord.

Mustafa's body is lying lifeless because he had the courage to throw stones on the 24th anniversary of the first intifada, which begot the Palestinian children of the stones. His brother Oudai is imprisoned at Ofer Prison and was not allowed to attend the funeral, because he too dared to throw stones. And his sister was not allowed to be at his bedside in his final moments, even though she is not suspected of having thrown stones, but because she is a Palestinian.

Mustafa was a brave man killed because he threw stones and refused to be afraid of a soldier bearing arms, sitting safely in the military jeep covered in armor. On the day Mustafa died, the frozen silence roaming the valley was only slightly less chilling than the shrilling sound of his mother's laments which fell upon it occasionally.

Thousands of stone-throwers followed him at his funeral. He was lowered into his grave and stones covered his body. Soldiers stood at the entrance to his village. Even the anguish and solitude of separation was intolerable for the army, who set their soldiers and arms to shower mourners with teargas as they went down to village lands following the funeral. While the soldier who shot Mustafa is at large, six of the demonstrators were put behind bars.

Mustafa, we walk behind your body with our heads bowed and eyes full of tears. We cherish you, because you died for throwing stones and we did not.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/a-courageous-palestinian-has-died-shrouded-in-stones-1.401102

The pictures of funeral and the attack on the mourners (Mustafa Tamimi)

Flowers from the children of Nabi Saleh school to be placed on Mustafa Tamimi grave. ~ Photo by @AbirKopty

http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/the-funeral-of-shaheed-mustafatamimi-murdered-by-israel/