Angie
16th October 2002, 04:13
by Sam Messier in Jerusalem
August 10, 2002
"It seems the Israeli occupiers are more threatened by nonviolent resistance than they are by the rocks and Molotov cocktails that they are met with in the areas under occupation.
Hello everyone,
I'm back in Jerusalem after my week in Nablus. I think by now everyone has seen the press release about the demonstration in Huwara. If you haven't, please see the ISM website at www.palsolidarity.org (http://www.palsolidarity.org/)
I wanted to add a bit of personal comment about the demonstration -- mostly to say that the degree of violent force used against peaceful demonstrators was truly shocking.
The march lasted only maybe five minutes before we were met with violent confrontation by the soldiers.
During that five minutes it was tremendously uplifting -- people marching, singing, clapping, waving the Palestininan flag.
It was a joyful and empowering defiance of he occupation forces. These people have been under curfew for TWO YEARS and were protesting the fact that they are unable to buy food and medicine. After these brief exhilarating minutes, the soldiers let loose with the gas, sound grenades and shot in the air, and they started wrestling Palestinians and internationals into their jeeps.
It was a much more forceful response than I witnessed to a clash with rock-throwing boys in the old city the day before.
It seems the Israeli occupiers are more threatened by nonviolent resistance than they are by the rocks and Molotov cocktails that they are met with in the areas under occupation.
Today as we made our way back to Jerusalem, we stopped at Qalandia checkpoint to change taxis. As we were paying our driver, the soldiers at the checkpoint hurled a tear gas canister so hard that it dented the vehicle. This incident was with no provocation. It is apparently par for the course. We also had to wait 30 minutes on the road while it was blocked by an APC. We were told we could pass, but refused to go until the 25 Palestinian cars were also allowed to pass.
A settler car drove right through during this time. I am very concerned about some Palestinian friends who need to get to Jordan for a flight to Canada later this month. Like the rest of the citizens of Nablus, they are not allowed to leave past the checkpoint at Huwara to go elsewhere in the west bank. Also they are under curfew and aren't even supposed to leave their house.
Every Palestinian in Nablus wanted to talk about the occupation and how it is impacting them. They have a lot to say. It is an entire population that has been traumatized by violence, indignity, and restriction of their basic freedom. Not only are the vast majority of these people not terrorists, most of them don't even support acts of violence against civilians.
They do support violent resistance against soldiers in the occupied territories however. This is their right under international law after all. They are being subjected to collective punishment, and it is having dire consequences for their physical, mental, and emotional health.
I have more to say, but it can wait. It is both good and bad to be out of Nablus -- good because I don't have to listen to gunshots fired at children and bad because I know the gunshots are still happening, and I'm not there to intervene.
Peace and justice,
Sam
( Source (http://www.ccmep.org/delegations/summer2002/081002_Sam.htm) )
August 10, 2002
"It seems the Israeli occupiers are more threatened by nonviolent resistance than they are by the rocks and Molotov cocktails that they are met with in the areas under occupation.
Hello everyone,
I'm back in Jerusalem after my week in Nablus. I think by now everyone has seen the press release about the demonstration in Huwara. If you haven't, please see the ISM website at www.palsolidarity.org (http://www.palsolidarity.org/)
I wanted to add a bit of personal comment about the demonstration -- mostly to say that the degree of violent force used against peaceful demonstrators was truly shocking.
The march lasted only maybe five minutes before we were met with violent confrontation by the soldiers.
During that five minutes it was tremendously uplifting -- people marching, singing, clapping, waving the Palestininan flag.
It was a joyful and empowering defiance of he occupation forces. These people have been under curfew for TWO YEARS and were protesting the fact that they are unable to buy food and medicine. After these brief exhilarating minutes, the soldiers let loose with the gas, sound grenades and shot in the air, and they started wrestling Palestinians and internationals into their jeeps.
It was a much more forceful response than I witnessed to a clash with rock-throwing boys in the old city the day before.
It seems the Israeli occupiers are more threatened by nonviolent resistance than they are by the rocks and Molotov cocktails that they are met with in the areas under occupation.
Today as we made our way back to Jerusalem, we stopped at Qalandia checkpoint to change taxis. As we were paying our driver, the soldiers at the checkpoint hurled a tear gas canister so hard that it dented the vehicle. This incident was with no provocation. It is apparently par for the course. We also had to wait 30 minutes on the road while it was blocked by an APC. We were told we could pass, but refused to go until the 25 Palestinian cars were also allowed to pass.
A settler car drove right through during this time. I am very concerned about some Palestinian friends who need to get to Jordan for a flight to Canada later this month. Like the rest of the citizens of Nablus, they are not allowed to leave past the checkpoint at Huwara to go elsewhere in the west bank. Also they are under curfew and aren't even supposed to leave their house.
Every Palestinian in Nablus wanted to talk about the occupation and how it is impacting them. They have a lot to say. It is an entire population that has been traumatized by violence, indignity, and restriction of their basic freedom. Not only are the vast majority of these people not terrorists, most of them don't even support acts of violence against civilians.
They do support violent resistance against soldiers in the occupied territories however. This is their right under international law after all. They are being subjected to collective punishment, and it is having dire consequences for their physical, mental, and emotional health.
I have more to say, but it can wait. It is both good and bad to be out of Nablus -- good because I don't have to listen to gunshots fired at children and bad because I know the gunshots are still happening, and I'm not there to intervene.
Peace and justice,
Sam
( Source (http://www.ccmep.org/delegations/summer2002/081002_Sam.htm) )