Israeli Occupation Forces Invade Walajah, Bil'in, Hussan Villages, Terrorizing and Injuring Palestinians, Preventing Farmers from Reaching their Lands

Israeli occupation soldiers hold fire at demonstration against Israeli barrier in Al-Walajah

Date: 28 / 09 / 2007 Time: 15:25

Bethlehem – Ma'an –

Approximately 100 Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists marched along the illegal Israeli land-grab, apartheid Wall in the West Bank village of Al-Walajah, near Bethlehem on Friday.

Eleven Israeli occupation police and military vehicles patrolled the area. Heavily armed soldiers watched the demonstration but held their fire.

Shireen Al-Araj, a member of the municipal council in Al-Walajah said the villagers are going to continue their protests every week until they succeed in having the wall moved. "We don't agree with the wall in principle," Al-Araj said. But nonetheless, the village council is hoping the Israeli high court will rule to move the route of the barrier to allow residents access to their lands. The most recent such ruling was in the village of Bil'in, near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Al-Araj said the completion of Israeli barrier would result in the confiscation of approximately 16,000 dunums, or 4,000 acres of land from the areas around the village.

Ilya Ginzburg, an Israeli activist who traveled from Jerusalem to attend the protest, said he feels naturally inclined to side with Palestinians who are resisting the Israeli occupation. "When people are under occupation or any kind of Apartheid regime … my position is on the side of the people who are fighting against it," Ginzburg said.

Though Israeli forces did not directly disrupt the demonstration, soldiers blocked roads leading to the demonstration, which convened on the construction site where the barrier is being erected.

3 Palestinians injured in clashes with Israeli occupation forces near Bethlehem

Date: 28 / 09 / 2007 Time: 14:15

Bethlehem – Ma'an –

At least three Palestinian citizens were injured in clashes with Israeli occupation forces near a mosque in the village of Husan, west of Bethlehem on Friday afternoon.

Local sources said the clashes occurred when three Israeli occupation forces military vehicles went into the village after Friday prayers. Israeli soldiers then began beating the villagers with clubs and fired on them with tear gas. At least three of the villagers were injured and one is said to be in a stable condition.

The Arqoub medical centre in the village told Ma'an that the injured have now been transferred to Beit Jala Government Hospital in Bethlehem.

They have been named as Hassan Salah Hamamra, aged 30, who is in a stable condition after being beaten on the chest with a club, Ahmad Khalil Hamamra, aged 32, who suffered slight injuries and Muhammad Khalil Hamamra, aged 25, who also suffered slight injuries.

Nablus officials: Isreali settlers and soldiers impeding Palestinian farmers

Date: 29 / 09 / 2007 Time: 16:34

Nablus – Ma'an –

Nablus Governor Jamal Muhaisin presided over a meeting Saturday to discuss the problems faced by Palestinian farmers. Present at the meeting were the undersecretary of the agriculture ministry, the director of the ministry's office in Nablus, the head of the Oil Council, representatives of the Red Cross and local officials.

The officials discussed the obstacles farmers in the Nablus region face in reaching their lands. They proposed a joint program to monitor Israeli settlers' and soldiers' violation of farmers' right to access their farms. The group said these violations have increased recently with the olive harvest approaching.

Nine injured in the weekly non violent protest at Bil'in

Friday September 28, 2007 17:20 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News ghassanb at imemc dot org

At the weekly non violent protest at the village of Bil'in, located near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, nine civilians were injured due to Israeli army attacks on the protest.

Villagers, Internationals and Israelis marched after conducting the Friday prayers in the village towards the wall which Israel is building on the stolen village land.

Regardless of the fact that the Israeli high court of Justice, at the beginning of the month, ruled that the section of the wall built in Bil'in is an illegal structure and should be removed. The Israeli occupation forces nevertheless attacked the civilian protesters with batons, sound bombs and tear gas injuring nine of them.

Among those injured were Mustafa Al Khatib, Abdullah Abu Rahmah and Mohammed Khalil.

Israeli occupation army invades Hussan village; three youth injured

Friday September 28, 2007 16:17 by Najeeb Farraj - IMEMC News manarjibrin at gmail dot com

The Israeli occupation army, backed by three armored vehicles, invaded the West Bank village of Hussan, west of Bethlehem, at noon on Friday. Three youths were injured when soldiers attacked them with batons and fired at them randomly .

Israeli occupation forces were deployed several meters from the local mosque of Abu Baker al Sideeq on the village's main street. As local people were leaving the mosque, soldiers stopped and searched them thoroughly.

Clashes erupted between village youths who threw stones and empty bottles. The soldiers fired rubber-coated bullets and tear gas bombs at the youths and severely beat some of them.

Three youth received moderate injuries and were transferred to the local hospital in Beit- Jala.

An Israeli spokesperson claimed that the invasion came after youths threw stones at settlers' vehicles being driven along the bypass road next to the illegal settlement of Bitar Eilit. The settlement is built on the village-owned. Two vehicles' windows were broken. Translated by Manar Jibrin

Peaceful demonstration at al-Walaja village

Friday September 28, 2007 16:13 by John Smith - IMEMC johnsmithimemc at gmail dot com

One hundred Palestinian villagers, alongside Israeli and international supporters, on Friday conducted a non-violent protest at the construction site of the illegal Israeli Wall that is destroying the village lands of al-Walaja.

At Friday mid-day, the protestors gathered for prayers, shortly after which the demonstrators marched towards the wall's construction site, holding flags and banners calling for the Wall to be torn down.

Israeli occupation soldiers surrounded the demonstration, marching with it, but not intervening in protest's progress.

Protestors remained at the site for one-and-a-half hours, while speeches were delivered by local organizers, shortly after which the demonstration peacefully dispersed.

Army prevents Shaikh al Tamimi from reaching Jerusalem

Friday September 28, 2007 15:40 by Manar Jibrin - IMEMC News manarjibrin at gmail dot com

On Friday Israeli occupation soldiers at the Qalandia crossing prevented Shaikh Tayseer Tamimi, head of the Supreme Juridical Council of Palestine, from reaching Jerusalem, informing him that he is barred from entering the city.

Clashes erupted between worshippers surrounding Shiekh Tamimi and Israeli soldiers who fired live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets and tear gas bombs.

In a statement, Shaikh Tamimi, denounced Israel's decision to open a synagogue by the south wall of the al Aqsa Mosque, calling it very dangerous as it coincides with the 8th anniversary of the outbreak of the second Intifada.

The Intifada broke out after the former Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, visited the mosque.Thousands of Palestinians were killed in this period and many more injured.

Al Tamimi called for both Arab and Islamic nations to take a serious stance against Israel in order to save Jerusalem and its holy sites. He also called for the Middle East Quartet, the European Union and the international community as a whole to put pressure on Israel to stop its violations of human rights conventions and international law and its abuse of Palestinian holy sites.

Tanslated by Manar Jibrin

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