Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos – May 9-15

This week: Remembering Nakba Day on both sides of the Green Line, demonstrations against the occupation, settlements and the separation wall, social justice protests in Israel, Women of the Wall, solidarity with asylum seekers after police raids and a wall comes down in Lod.

Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos - May 9-15
Palestinian activists confront Israeli soldiers during a march on Road 60, the main north-south route through the West Bank, in a Nakba Day protest, May 15, 2013. The Nakba, literally, the “catastrophe,” marks the massive deportation of more then 700,000 Palestinian, made refugees and driven out of what became the State of Israel in 1948. (Photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

 

Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos - May 9-15
A Palestinian photographer stands during a minute of silence commemorating the Nakba as part of a ceremony that was held by Palestinian and Israeli students at the entrance to Tel Aviv University, May 13, 2013. A right-wing demonstration was held against the ceremony and protesters shouted slogans against the participants, under police surveillance. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

 

Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos - May 9-15
Protesters push a rock in an attempt to block the road during the weekly demonstration in Kfer Qaddum, a West Bank village located east of Qalqiliya, May 10, 2013. There have been regular demonstrations in Kfer Qaddum since July, 2011, protesting the blocking of the main road east of the village, which used to link it to Nablus. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

 

Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos - May 9-15
A Palestinian youth after being pepper sprayed in the face by Israeli forces during a demonstration against the Israeli separation wall being built around the West Bank town of Al Walaja, May 10, 2013. Once completed, the separation wall will effectively surround Al Walaja, turning it into an enclave. (Photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

 

Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos - May 9-15
Israelis march during a protest against plans to continue the erosion of welfare stipends in Israel’s 2014 budget, in central Tel Aviv, May 11, 2013. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

 

Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos - May 9-15
Police arrest a protester participating in a demonstration against the privatization of natural gas found in the Mediterranean Sea. Protesters marched to the house of Energy Minster Silvan Shalom in Ramat Gan, Israel on May 11, 2013. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

 

Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos - May 9-15
Palestinians from the West Bank village of Azmut, near Nablus, pray on their lands to protest against the continuing land seizure by the neighboring settlers of Alon Moreh, May 10, 2013. The illegal Israeli settlement of Elon More has been all built on lands stolen from the village. The protest took place in an area which Palestinians could not reach in the past years, as settlers are in the process of taking over the agriculture lands of the village. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

 

Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos - May 9-15
‘Women of the Wall’ prayer group at the Western Wall plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem, May 10, 2013. (Photo by guest photographer: Tali Mayer/Activestills.org)

 

Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos - May 9-15
A Palestinian activist posts a bulletin protesting the attempt to create a new Israeli settlement called Shdema, on land belonging to the West Bank town of Beit Sahour, May 12, 2013. All Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law. (Photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

 

Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos - May 9-15
Tel Aviv Municipality inspectors and border policemen raided and closed down an African-run shop on Neve Sha’anan street in South Tel Aviv, May 12, 2013. At least five shops and bars, all owned by African asylum seekers, were closed down in a nighttime operation conducted by border police forces and municipal inspectors. The businesses were closed down for not having a legal business permit. Israel officially prohibits asylum seekers from legally working or owning businesses, although tens of thousands of them are employed. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

 

Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos - May 9-15
A Sudanese asylum seeker speaks to local activists during a solidarity dinner event at his restaurant following a raid by the Israeli authorities the previous night, south Tel Aviv, May 13, 2013. Local activists organized a solidarity dinner event, in an attempt to recoup some of the loses the restaurant suffered after municipal inspectors raided the place, pouring bleach into pots of food destroying Several hundred kilos of food, allegedly because the establishment is “a danger to public health.” (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activiestlls.org)

 

Breaking down walls to remembering the Nakba: A week in photos - May 9-15
A section of a separation wall, built between the Pardes Shanir Arab neighborhood in Lod and the Jewish moshav (a cooperative settlement) of Nir Tzvti, was destroyed a few day ago by unknown persons, Lod, May 12, 2013. The wall, 1.5 km long and 4 meters high, was built in 2003, creating a symbolic and territorial partition between the Arab and Jewish residents. Since about 50 meters of the wall were destroyed, police forces raided the Arab neighborhood, arresting a few residents. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/ Activestills.org)