Chaos at trial for Palm Sunday detainees

Published yesterday (updated) 01/04/2010 14:05

Ramallah – Ma'an –

 Israeli occupation forces so-called military judges inhaled thick tear gas used to disperse protesters in front of the Ofer military court on Wednesday, as men detained during a peaceful Palm Sunday demonstration were set to be tried.

Most notable among the dozen detainees was PLO Executive Committee member Abbas Zaki, who refused to stand in front of the military judge, calling his detention illegal.

Supporters gathered in at the Beituniya military checkpoint outside of the Ofer detention center were tear gassed, with observers in the court saying the smell was so thick that it wafted in the courtroom and caused judges to cough.

Palestinian medics said dozens were treated for tear-gas inhalation and others were lightly injured by rubber-coated bullets.

"We are all Abbas Zaki," one banner outside of the courtroom read, as others condemned his detention and the continued access restrictions for Palestinians, and particularly West Bank Christians denied entry into Jerusalem for religious rites.

Abdul Rahim Mallouh, member of the PLO executive committee, told demonstrators to continue popular resistance campaigns, building on statements to reporters by the Fatah Central Committee on Tuesday, urging an escalation in non-violent protests.

Issa Qaraq'i, minister of prisoner affairs, accused Israeli forces of fabricating the trials of Zaki and the other 11 detainees, in an effort to undermine the popular resistance movement. He said he supported Zaki in his decision to reject the trial, calling it illegitimate.

As a consequence of the chaos at the courthouse, military judges decided to postpone Zaki's court appearance until Thursday.

Palm Sunday detainee Zaki to be fined, released Thursday

Published today (updated) 01/04/2010 12:13

Ramallah – Ma'an –

Palestinian sources expect Israel's Ofar military court to release PLO official Abbas Zaki on Thursday without charge, but to impose a fine for participation in a Palm Sunday protest that breached Israel's separation wall.

Sources said Zaki was set to be released Wednesday, but he refused to leave the prison facility without the 11 others who were detained alongside him during the march that protested access restrictions for religious sites in Jerusalem for Christians during Easter.

Zaki told the court that "my destiny is the same as the others," and refused to even enter the court without the entire group.

Lawyers from the Ministry of Detainees and Prisoners Society working with the Palm Sunday detainees said they were expecting a decision Thursday afternoon.

The situation outside Ofer was reported to be calm, following protests at a checkpoint near the military compound on Wednesday, which were disbursed by Israeli border police using tear gas and rubber-coated bullets, witnesses said.

Two Injured, Two Detained As Israeli Troops Attack Protests In Ramallah And Jenin

Wednesday March 31, 2010 15:48 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Two injured, dozens of people suffered effects of tear gas inhalation, and two were detained, on Wednesday afternoon, when Israeli occupation soldiers attacked protests organized in Ramallah and Jenin, in the central and northern parts of the West Bank.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Ofer military detention center near Ramallah demanding the release of 10 Palestinians detained by troops on Sunday in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. The ten community organizers including Abbas Zaki, a top Fatah leader, were detained during a protest organized on Palm Sunday in Bethlehem city demanding the right of free access to Jerusalem.

On Sunday, residents along with Israeli and international supporters forced their way into the gate of the wall separating Bethlehem from Jerusalem and walked into Jerusalem before Israeli soldiers attacked them using rifle butts and batons. Soldiers forced people back to Bethlehem after detaining 10 Palestinians two internationals and three Israelis.

Today, clashes erupted when protesters tried to force their way into the Ofer detention center where the army is holding the 10 Palestinians detained during Sunday protest. Troops used tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets to force the people away. Two were lightly wounded by rubber-coated steel bullets and many others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation. During the, clashes Israeli soldiers detained two Palestinian youth.

Clashes were also reported on Wednesday when troops attack a protest marking Land Day at the village of Turah near Jenin, northern West Bank. Villagers marched to the gate of the nearby settlement of Shaked originally built on lands taken from the local famers. Troops used tear gas to suppress the protest and attacked local youth who hurled stones at them.

Three Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded during the clashes on Wednesday in Ramallah and Jenin, the Israeli army radio reported. On Tuesday Israeli troops opened fire at protests marking land day in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, killing one child and injuring many other civilians.

Palestinians mark the Land Day since March, 30th 1976, when clashes erupted near the Palestinian town of Sakhneen, in response to the Israeli government's plans to expropriate thousands of Palestinian-owned acres of land. A general strike and protests were organized in Arab towns from the Galilee to the Negev, met with severe violence from the Israeli police killing six Palestinians and wounding hundreds.

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http://www.imemc.org/article/58335