Israeli Occupation Forces Kidnap 16 Palestinian Civilians, Threaten Assassination of Two, Injure 5 in Bil'in, Prevent Peace Rally in Al-Ma'asara, on August 15, 2008

Israeli occupation army invades West Bank cities and kidnaps 16 civilians

Friday August 15, 2008 12:14 by Rula Shahwan - IMEMC News

The Israeli military invaded the West Bank cities of Hebron, Tulkarem and Ramallah on Friday at dawn, as reported by local sources.

The Israeli occupation army invaded Hebron at dawn, driving miltary vehicles through the streets and kidnapping a total of nine Palestinian civilians.

In Tulkarem Israeli occupation troops invaded nearby villages kidnapping four civilians and taking them to unknown destination.

Israeli occupation troops also invaded Ramallah, searching several houses and renditing three civilians to unknown destinations.

Israeli assassination threats force two Palestinian young men to turn selves in

Friday August 15, 2008 11:58 by Rula Shahwan - IMEMC News

Local sources reported that two young Palestinian men turned themselves in to Israeli occupation soldiers on Thursday evening after their families received assassination threats from the Israeli intelligence services.

The two men from Nablus went to the Huwwara checkpoint, approximately five kilometers outside the city. The checkpoint one of the most notorious in the West Bank and effectively cuts off Nablus from the cities to the south; civilians will often stand in line for hours waiting to pass through and cars without an Israeli license plate are not allowed to pass.

Wijdan Sarawi, a former Palestinian woman prisoner told Ma'an's news agency that her eighteen year old son Hamzah Sarawi and his friend Imad Darwish, also eighteen, had turned themselves over to the Israeli occupation forces at the checkpoint.

She explained that Israeli occupation troops stormed her family house in Nablus on Wednesday morning, inspected the house and damaged parts of its interior under the pretext of looking for her son Hamzah, who wasn't home at the time.

She added that the Israeli occupation army called the family dozens of times telling them that if Hamzah and his neighbor Imad Darwish did not turn themselves over, an undercover Israeli force would assassinate both of them.

Hamzah will be the second of Sarawi's sons to be detained by Israeli occupation forces. Hamzah's elder brother Sami is serving a five year term in an Israeli detention center.

Five injured in non-violent protest in Bil'in

Date: 15 / 08 / 2008 Time: 18:35
Ramallah – Ma'an –

Four international peace activists and a Palestinian child were among those injured by fire from the Israeli occupation soldiers in the Bil'in protest on Friday afternoon.

This week's protest was staged as a sports day that included dozens of children's soccer teams, which came to play on the Bil'in village field.

The day was organized by the Popular Campaign Against the Wall, and the village sports clubs under the slogan of "no for the wall, no for the construction of the settlement."

A delegation of supporters from the group "the generations of Palestine" visited the village for the sports day, and watched a movie on the village's experiment with popular struggle. Members of the Popular Committee presented a full explanation of the project of the village, then took the visitors to the site of the wall, which prevents local farmers from reaching their land.

Israeli occupation forces attacked the protesters by shooting tear gas canisters, rubber-coated steel bullets, sound grenades and water polluted with animal manure and chemicals, preventing them from reaching the wall.

Fifteen-year-old Amjad Abu Rahmah and four international peace activists were moderately injured after being hit with rubber coated steel bullets.

Anti-Apartheid Wall rally in Al-Ma'sara prevented from reaching protest site
Date: 15 / 08 / 2008 Time: 17:41
Bethlehem – Ma'an –

Dozens of residents of the village of Al-Ma'asara south of Bethlehem were attacked with sound bombs by Israeli occupation soldiers, clubs and rifle butts as they tried to reach their protest site outside of Bethlehem.

The group of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists were surprised to find the route to the construction site of the separation wall, where they hold regular non-violent protests, blocked with barbed wire and dozens of Israeli soldiers.

After trying to continue towards the wall several protesters were lightly injured as Israeli troops stopped them from moving forward.

The protest was held where the road was blocked, and three different speeches were given.

The spokesperson of the popular anti-wall committee in Bethlehem Muhammad Breijiyya gave the first speech, which focused on the recent death of Palestinian national poet Mahmoud Darwish who was the writer of the Palestinian struggle.

A second speech was delivered in English by local leader Mahmoud Zawahra, who urged foreign solidarity activists to continue partaking in popular activities in Palestine, saying that he believed their participation will lead eventually to a Palestinian triumph over occupation.

Representative of the Bethlehem anti-wall campaign Mazin Al-Azzah delivered the last speech, here he thanked all who participated, and promised the peaceful protests would continue.

The Al-Ma'saara protest was organized by the Palestinian popular campaign and national anti-wall committee. Protests are held weekly where dozens of local residents along with foreign and Israeli solidarity activists gather and try to reach fields where the wall is being constructed.

Weekly peaceful protest at Al-Khader village

Friday August 15, 2008 16:12 by Rula Shahwan - IMEMC News

A group of fifty internationals, peace activists and non-violent protesters marched in protest against the illegal wall on Friday midday at Al-Khader village located near Bethlehem.

IMEMC’s correspondents reported that the protest took place after the Friday prayer at the village. A group of fifty non-violent demonstrators marched in protest against the apartheid wall being built on the village lands.

Israeli occupation troops stopped the protest. No injuries were reported.

Weekly non-violent protest at Bil'in

Friday August 15, 2008 15:34 by Rula Shahwan - IMEMC News

The Israeli occupation army dispersed the weekly non-violent protest in Bil'in village north of Ramallah on Friday midday with gas, guns and grenades.

After the weekly Friday prayer, a group 300 internationals and peace activists marched ain solidarity with the people of Bil'in village. The protest was against the illegal wall being built on the local village lands.

The protestors were also demonstrating against the Israeli killings of local civilians and the illegal closures and confiscation of lands and property. The protestors walked towards the wall with the intention of reaching the villagers lands behind it.

Israeli occupation troops attacked the protest by shooting CS gas canisters, rubber-coated steel bullets, and concussion grenades at the protesters.

Dozens civilians were reported as suffering from gas inhalation. Israeli occupation troops also threw manure and chemical water at the protestors.

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