[palsolidarity] Farmers / Internationals Arrested for Harvesting

["Edvino Ugolini" <edvinoug at tin.it>]

STOP THE WALL!



INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT

October 8, 2003
For Immediate Release

FARMERS / INTERNATIONALS ARRESTED FOR HARVESTING



[JAYYOUS, Qalqiliya]  Two Palestinian farmers and two Swedish peace
activists were arrested this afternoon by Israeli soldiers in a campaign of
harassment against farmers insisting on their right to access their land.



This morning, after Israeli soldiers announced that they would again, for
the fifth day in a row, not allow farmers to access their land, dozens of
Palestinian farmers, joined by 40 international and Israeli peace
activists, broke through the gate that divides the people of Jayyous from
their farmland and poured into the olive groves to harvest.  Coming out of
their fields, every farmer was stopped, his/her identity card taken by
heavily armed Israeli soldiers, and the farmer forced to wait.  One of the
farmers, Imad Abdelkader Khalid, who tried to explain to the soldiers that
he was needed urgently at home was verbally and physically abused by a
soldier, who after firing his M16 rifle over Imadâs head, put him on his
knees, handcuffed and blindfolded him.



A dozen of the peace activists who were monitoring the situation from the
other side of the fence because they werenât being let through were all
threatened with arrest and further detainment of the Palestinians if they
did not move away.  The soldiers gave the internationals 10 seconds to
retreat but as they started walking back, the soldiers rushed through the
gate and grabbed Marthen Gunnarsson and Rickard Wickman, both Swedish
citizens and volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement.  The
two peace activists were handcuffed, blindfolded and thrown into a military
jeep.



When the soldiers decided that the farmers could all go home, the farmers
refused to leave without Imad and sat on the ground.  Two soldiers grabbed
Samih Samha, a local farmer, and ISM peace activist and three soldiers went
for Majdi Naji, an 18 year old farmer, who had spent the day harvesting
with his mother.  ISMer Huwaida Arraf, who was sitting with the farmers,
grabbed hold of Majdi to try to cover and prevent him from being taken and
both Huwaida and Majdi were dragged across the ground, before she managed
to completely cover him.  Majdi safely got away and Huwaida was dragged by
three soldiers and thrown on the other side of the gate.  Soldiers then
began gassing the internationals, who were made up of men and women of all
ages, including a number of elderly human rights workers; the soldiers
laughed as they fired over 5 tear gas canisters at the group trying to
ensure the safe return of farmers from their land.  A jeep full of New York
Times journalists were also threatened with arrest by Israeli soldiers if
they did not leave the area.



At the time of this writing, 7 hours later, Samih, Morton, Rickard, and
Imad have been released.  But we still need your help!



The Israeli military produced an order today, that the farmers of Jayyous
will not be able to pass through to their lands for the next 10 days ö
complete closure.  Of course, this is completely random and can change, or
be extended as the Israeli occupation sees fit.  Is this what President
Bush meant when he said that Palestinians should not suffer from this wall?
Please write to your elected representatives!



Also, please bombard the Israeli District Coordinating Office (DCO) in the
Qalqilya region (responsible for the schedule of the farmersâ gates) with
phone calls protesting this treatment of Palestinians farmers.  Let them
know that you are monitoring what they are doing and working to expose this
brutal system of Apartheid and human rights abuses:

DCO: +972 9 775 9217/8


Israeli Ministry of Defense:
Fax: +972-3-696-27-57 / +972-3-691-69-40

For more information:
Huwaida: +972-67-473-308

Laura: +972-58-628-014
(Swedish) Morton: +972-67-972-316



*Pictures available at www.palsolidarity.org we hope to make video
available on the site soon.



END



INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT
http://www.palsolidarity.org