internationals arrested

Keeping in mind the ongoing settler violence, over which the Israeli army rarely does anything except make sure that the settlers do not get injured,and the ongoing shooting at farmers trying to tend to their fields, or in fact the obstruction of them even getting there in the first place, there is this rather disturbing news release from ISM:

A German national and an Italian national were taken by Israeli forces while accompanying farmers at 11am. Both individuals have been taken to the police station at Kyrat Arba. Palestinian farmers in At-Tuwani rely on the presence of International and Israeli human rights workers to mitigate violence from settlers.

As soldiers in the area frequently ignore settler violence and rarely interfere to protect the farmers, international volunteers provide support for the Palestinians. The grazing action began around 8.30 am, and the German and Italian nationals were arrested at 11am.

At-Tuwani is a village of 300 Palestinians located in South Hebron Hills. Residents make their living through farming, primarily wheat, barley, olives and grazing sheep. At-Tuwani is also one of several villages under daily threat from extremist settlers living in the area. Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills are daily nonviolently resisting settlement expansion and violence at the hands of settlers and soldiers.

Internationals accompany Palestinians as they perform agricultural work on their land and in other nonviolent demonstrations. Internationals accompany Palestinians as they work their land, use video to document settlers, soldiers, and police, and intervene as Palestinians request.

Palestinians have always been vulnerable under the occupation, and the crimes committed against them are far greater in number, and usually, in viciousness, than those committed against internationals. However, considering reports about American volunteer Tristan Anderson, who was critically injured when a tear gas canister was fired into his forehead, state that he was deliberately targeted, it seems that it may be getting just as dangerous for all internationals. I think that after Gaza, and now that Lieberman is just another further extreme face to an already extreme government, and the world's democratic governments have no problem with what Israel is doing, and in fact, provide the aid and arms for them to continue, peace in our time will not be a possibility for either territory, I'm afraid, and maybe not for the whole world.

There have been horrendous crimes on both sides, one cannot deny it, however, the longer people are treated like animals and their plight, and the reasons for their plight, is ignored by the people who could make a difference, the worse the problem will grow. How can it possibly get any better?

Below are some images from some of the peaceful demonstrations that have been held. There are many peaceful demonstrations, but that does not mean that they are not dispersed with violence. It would be good if our media could show some of these images, too. Rocks and stones get thrown at the Israeli military, but I contend that rocks are not much of a match for the Israeli rubber bullets, sound bombs, tear gas, and live ammunition, which is often used.

Photographas are taken from the active stills flickr page, and information on them can be found here


and here.