Americans seldom get news about what goes on day in day out in the West Bank of Palestine. This is the story of life under military occupation. Next to the F16 and Howitzers, no weapon has been as effective against Palestinian neighborhoods and homes than the Caterpillar bulldozer. Although Caterpillar, after a divestment and boycott campaign last year, mainly in England and Europe, has agreed to stop selling Israel its major instrument for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, house demolition, it has not agreed to stop selling Israel parts. Most of these bulldozers continue to operate efficiently bulldozing homes in the West Bank.
The International Solidarity Movement, ISM, has reported the deployment of these bulldozers in the Hebron region recently as shown below. It gives some idea of what is going on every day in the West Bank. Fortunately, no deaths were reported yesterday. It was the day before yesterday, I believe, that the Israel Defense Forces assassinated three Palestinians in Nablus. Extra-judicial assassinations Israeli Defense Force hit squads in the West Bank, which is militarily occupied, are now permitted by the Israel Supreme Court.
Here are headlines about some of yesterday’s events, and a few paragraphs about each (reprinted with permission):
APPEAL: Help South Hebron Villagers Stay on their Land
February 28th, 2007 | Posted in Hebron Region
On Wednesday 14th February Israeli Occupation Forces demolished a large number of houses and agricultural structures in four different villages in the South Hebron Hills – Qwawis, M’nezel, Um-Elhe’r and the Abu-Kbeita family near Yatir settlement. The villagers in this area struggle to stay on their land despite ongoing home demolitions, violent attacks, and constant settler and military harassment. Please donate what you can to help them remain on the land they have farmed for generations.
Illegal Israeli settlements and outposts (illegal even according to Israeli law) whose residents have stolen most of the area’s agricultural land, have tried for years to drive the local Palestinian villagers off their land. Unlike the homes of Palestinians, the illegal outposts are not demolished. Instead, they receive electricity and water supplies, paved roads and subsidies for their agricultural enterprises. The Palestinians rely on water from wells, a few hours of electricity a day from a generator, and an ever-decreasing patch of land on which to grow crops and graze their livestock. Despite these hardships the indigenous people refuse to surrender to the state-sponsored land grab, aware that they otherwise face eviction into walled ghettos.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/02/28/south-hebron-appeal/
PNN: Palestinians mount nonviolent resistance campaign as Israeli forces escalate land confiscation
March 1st, 2007 | Posted in Press clipping, Bethlehem Region
Israeli forces have escalated land confiscation throughout Bethlehem during the past several days, targeting Umm Salamuna in the south and Beit Jala in the west.
The Israelis are building the Wall through Bethlehem, further isolating the West Bank from Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinians will be segregated from one another, human rights sources report.
In the Bethlehem District’s southern town of Umm Salamuna, the confrontations continue between the large contingent of Israeli forces who are confiscating the land and the residents who are trying to stop them.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/03/01/pnn-bethlehem-wall/
DFLP Anniversary demo in Bil’in village this Friday
February 28th, 2007 | Posted in Press Release, Bil’in Village
This Friday the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine will celebrate its 38th anniversary in the village of Bil’in. Speeches will be held in the village after midday prayers before the march to the Apartheid Wall, which has annexed over 60% of the village’s land for the settlement of Mod’in Elit and its ongoing expansion. Two months ago the Fatah party held its 42nd anniversary celebration at the weekly Bil’in protest.
This week’s demo comes at a critical time for the village. A few days ago, an Israeli Planning Council legalized the largest-ever settlement construction project in the West Bank, which is illegal even according to Israeli law.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/02/28/bilin-dflp-pr/
There are peace activists working in the West Bank continuing to protest Israel’s confiscation of Palestinian land, which Americans never hear about, like the activity this headline describes:
Six activists arrested for blocking work on Wall
February 28th, 2007 | Posted in Press Release, Bethlehem Region
UPDATE 3PM – all the activists have been released after being made to sign conditions saying they wouldn’t return to the site of their arrest for 15 days.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/02/28/umsal-bulldozer-arrests/
This headline alone speaks for itself:
Nablus Old City siege by IOF: Turkish bath invaded, human shield updates, hospital restriction, man in coma from tear gas
February 27th, 2007 | Posted in Nablus Region
IOF attack South Bethlehem farmers, 3 arrested
February 27th, 2007 | Posted in Press Release, Bethlehem Region
UDPATE March 1st – Rashid remains in detention in Etzion military detention centre. Rashid was abducted for assaulting a soldier after being beaten by the IOF.
UPDATE and CORRECTION February 28th – Mahmoud, who is the Village Council Head, was released last night but Rashid, his son, remains in detention.
UPDATE 6.30PM – Mahmoud and Adil Zaqatka have been released but Village Council Head Rashid Zaqatka remains in captivity at Gush Etzion police station.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/02/27/pr-umsal-27-02-07/
All of this material came from of the ISM front page, which is updated daily. Anyone interested in learning about what it means to live under a military occupation, bookmark this website and visit occasionally. It gives one a better feel of what the Palestinian people have been dealing with for 40 years. Many have had their homes and lands confiscated. In 1967, when Israel invaded the West Bank, approximately 100,000 Palestinians fled or were ethnically cleansed from the region. Since 1967, another 100,000 have been forced to leave often due to loss of their homes to house demolitions and then refusal by the military government to issue permits to allow homeowners to rebuild on their very own land.