The demonstrations against the Occupation in Nabi Saleh have experienced major setbacks in recent months. The demonstrations been taking place for over one year despite serious military repression. The two leaders of the community, Bassem and Naji Tamimi, have both been arrested by Israeli soldiers along with 12 percent of the total population of the village. The demonstration yesterday saw eight people arrested among reckless and violent Israeli army behaviour.
Friday’s demonstration was joined by a solidarity group of March 15ths activists and was larger than usual. The March 15th movement- which has been demanding unity and an end to division within Palestinian civil and political society on the model of the Egyptian revolution- has stayed largely in cities. Their appearance in Nabi Saleh is clearly a move towards greater unity and cooperation within Palestinian society against Israeli occupation.
Roughly, 80 people marched through Nabi Saleh’s main street yesterday afternoon. They crossed into the village’s agricultural fields in order to reach a spring which has been stolen by settlers from the neighbouring Jewish-only settlement of Halamish. However, Israeli soldiers waited for the demonstrators at the end of the main road in the village. Before any stones were thrown by young Palestinian demonstrators, Israeli soldiers attacked the demonstration with tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades. This did not deter the protesters, who kept standing in front of the soldiers in defiance. The soldiers then violently arrested two Palestinian protesters and attempted to arrest a third one. Notice in the video how soldiers thrown unarmed demonstrators on the ground and point loaded assault rifles in their face (2:45 min).
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t0zn-ukzg8[/youtube]
After the soldiers left the fields with the arrestees, protesters regathered and managed to cross the main road and onto a hill that overlooks the village’s spring. The army was slow to respond but when it did, tear gas projectiles were used as large bullets and shot directly at unarmed demonstrators throughout the village. Other army units took over various roofs and buildings in the village as the army took full control of Nabi Saleh. As the process was unfolding, four Palestinians from Nabi Saleh that were not connected to the demonstration were arrested by soldiers on foot in the area.
When the bulk of the demonstration reached the village’s city centre, two Israeli supporters were arrested by soldiers for violating a ‘closed military zone’ which the army had announced but did not inform anyone of with the required warrant. Another Israeli was detained but only briefly as he was holding an Israeli press card.
Of the six Palestinians arrested in the course of the demonstration, three were released by the evening. The whereabouts of the other three are unknown but given the pattern of army behaviour towards Palestinians who nonviolently resist Israeli occupation, they are mostly likely at the Ofer military compound. While the two arrested Israelis will be released this evening, the Palestinians could face months in the Ofer military prison where they will be subjected to a harsh military legal system, specifically designed for prolonged Kafkaesque imprisonment of Palestinians without a viable trial.
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While the world is watching events unfold in Gaza and throughout the Middle East, little attention has been paid to the village of Nabi Saleh. I have personally taken a number of high profile diplomats and representatives to the village over the past months to show them the struggle of the five hundred people who are saying no to Israeli occupation through unarmed resistance and cooperation with Israeli activists.
While diplomats express solidarity with the model of action, little has happened to stop the efforts of the Israeli military in crushing the village through draconian acts against free speech. Recently, the two leaders of the Popular Committee have been arrested and thrown into a vortex of reality known as the Ofer military court system. They will face long trials and almost certainly long prison sentences for their roles in forging friendships with Israeli activists, organizing unarmed demonstrations and coordinating a media campaign of nonviolence against Israeli Occupation.
The international community has been asking for years where the Palestinian nonviolent movements against increasingly brutal Israeli military rule are. The reality is that there are many and they are crushed before they can spread into the cities of the West Bank, where real massive resistance can flourish. Perhaps, the March 15th movement will be able to harness some of the energy and spirit of villages like Nabi Saleh. Or perhaps Palestinian society is weary of another unarmed Intifada in the spirit of the First Intifada. The damage done to Palestinian society during the Second Intifada is a part of life in the West Bank. It is understand why a movement of mass unarmed resistance would be difficult to achieve at this point in time Despite all this, Nabi Saleh is holding steadfast as it continues its demonstrations and moves forward with unarmed resistance in the West Bank.
UPDATE:
There is a protest scheduled to take place in Ramallah’s Manara Square this afternoon in solidarity with two Palestinians from the March 15th movement who were arrested in Nabi Saleh yesterday. These are the protesters which are kicked and thrown to the ground in the embedded video. They have announced a hunger strike during their detainment.