5 February 2010
By Mazin Qumsiyeh
(Note: I will be in eastern coast
of the USA March 1-10; let me know if you are
interested in inviting me to speak).
Video glimpses from the last 48 hours with emphasis
on Israeli colonial activities in Bethlehem District:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6j9RRVEUMA
Monday started with the news that the Israeli military
has decided to reoccupy part of Ush Ghrab in Beit
Sahour after having left it in 2006 and Tuesday saw
the army begin clearing land of Ush Ghrab. Ush Ghrab
is part public (Palestinian) land but a major part of
it is private lands that was put off limit to their
owners for nearly four decades and used as a center
for the occupation forces in Bethlehem district. From
this military camp, nearly 300 Palestinian homes were
partially or completely destroyed in 2002 and 2003.
This camp was also where in 28 December 2000,
Palestinians and Internationals walked into the
military camp taking it over for a few hours
(organized by the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement
between People). The participants felt empowered and
moved on to form the International Solidarity movement
at PCR (becoming independent movement in 2001 and
moving to Ramallah in 2004). This symbolic place was
vacated by the army in 2006 but the locals were
prevented from using the site located in area C (60%
of the West Bank is under this category of full
Israeli control). Colonial
settlers (funded by tax-deductible donations in the
US) have been visiting the site since 2008 trying to
establish a new colonial settlement. If they succeed,
that would mean the remaining canton/ghetto of
Bethlehem would be surrounded on all sides by
settlements. Ten days ago, the settlers horde
moved down the hill to the childrens' park and
vandalized it.
On Monday, we not only faced this news of planned
Israeli military "reoccupation" of part of Beit Sahour,
but we also joined an event at Jeb Al-Theib near Beit
Sahour where settlers have already taken lots of lands
from Arab Al-Zawahreh and regularly harass the
remaining Palestinians. Settlers, soldiers, and police
from the apartheid state surrounded us as we tried to
plant trees. The media was ordered out first and then
threats and intimidation started. The standoff lasted
nearly four hours. One settler who had three viscious
looking dogs and drives an SUV was there and was
obviously on good terms with the soldiers. I tried to
talk to the soldier in command. He was extremely
racist. He also told me that they will not let us
start something here "like Um Salamuna." Um Salamuna
is a threatened Palestinian hill near a colonial
settlement built on stolen Palestinian
land. For the past few months, we had regular
activities there of land reclamation and tree planting
with help of Internationals and Palestinians from
other areas (invited to help by the land-owners).
Clearly, as they intensify their colonial activities
(primarily land theft), Zionists are worried about the
spreading popular resistance. But on Monday case
unfortunately, we did not have enough people and the
land owners were threatened and told to visit the
officials Tuesday (in their headquarters at
an illegal colonial settlement of Gush Etzion). They
felt it maybe worthwhile to do that to find a
solution. Since we always respect the wishes of the
owners who invited us, we had to disperse. The
colonial settlers must be happy but the local
Palestinians assured each other that they will resist
(popular resistance).
So the next day (Tuesday) we head to the site with a
lot of media and see the army already bulldozing land
around the abandoned military base. We are told to
leave but we hang around. We explain to journalists.
We gather lots of data (including photos and video) to
use later. The Municipality calls for a meeting in the
afternoon and we form a popular committee to thwart
plans for either a new colonial settlement or the
revival of the Israeli military base in the middle of
our town.
After that meeting, we hear a talk from Professor
Nurit Peled-Elhanan about racism in Israeli school
curricula. Berlesconi of Italy is coming to Bethlehem
today and meeting with Abu-Mazen and a minister is
coming to visit meet local leaders about Ush Ghrab....
There is so much to do here.
Feb 1-2 Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6j9RRVEUMA
Other videos
Background on Ush Ghrab: Liberated Land Under Attack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ZaFwi6WBo
An activity 16 October 2008
Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHpdc78xUvg
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjXsutlrHys
A daycare at Ush Ghrab
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liy37Q2LdX4
Children Fly Kites at Ush Ghrab
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnkdCPT3lPI
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD A Bedouin in Cyberspace, a
villager at home
www.qumsiyeh.org
©
EsinIslam.Com
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