INDEPENDENT NEWS

ISM: Week of Planned Protests and a Poem

Published: Mon 27 Sep 2004 09:40 AM
International Solidarity Movement:Week of Planned Protests and a Poem
1.Activist and holocaust survivor shares a poem on Palestine.
2.Week begins again with Non-violent protests against the Wall and in commemoration of the 4th year anniversary of the second Intifada: Beit Awwa and Budrus
3.Link to summary of protests last week with photos
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1.Hedy Epstein, holocaust survivor and activist shares a poem she wrote this week. The last time she'd written poetry was when she was a teen-ager living in England in the 1940s. When I see the word PALESTINE, I see checkpoints, roadblocks, the Wall, and tortured civilians on the streets. When I hear the word PALESTINE, I hear piercing gunshots, soundbombs, silent screams from a tortured people, and their cries for freedom, justice and peace. When I feel the word PALESTINE, I feel an excruciating pain, bruised and aching hearts of those that lost their loved ones in the struggle. When I smell the word PALESTINE, I smell the acrid stench of teargas, the dust of bulldozed homes of an oppressed, yet dignified people. When I taste the word PALESTINE, I taste the bitterness of injustice and oppression that people have to endure to survive. When I reflect on this, I think about great leaders for independence; I think about freedom, human rights; I think about the long struggle to achieve this, ...and the faint sound of freedom ringing, far away.
Hedy is an long-time justice worker and is also an activist with ISM. She came to Palestine twice this year
http://www.hedyepstein.com
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2.Week begins with planned non-violent protests against the Wall and in commemoration of the 4th year of the second Intifada: Beit Awwa and Budrus
Beit Awwa:
Village of Beit Awwa Organizes to Resist the Construction of the Wall
Village of Beit Awwa Monday, September 27 at 10:00AM Palestinian, Internationals and Israelis
In the last two weeks, Beit Awwa and surrounding are villages have been the focus of non-violent resistance to the Wall. In spite of the violent response of the Israeli Army to the demonstrations, residents of Beit Awwa will protest the illegal wall that is going up on their land again tomorrow.
The villagers of Beit Awwa will gather in the center of the village, joined by Israelis and internationals, and march to the area near the green line where construction of the Wall has resumed.
The aim of the protest is to stop the bulldozers that are preparing the land for the construction of the Wall- a wall that has been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice.
Recently, construction of the Wall has accelerated. In a display of organized, non-violent resistance, villages in the area are determined to halt the destruction and theft of their land.
For more information, please contact:
Mohamad or Salama: 972-52-534-655 Hugh: 972-54-428-5094 ISM Media Office: 972-2-277-4602 or 972-547-358-579
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Budrus:
Budrus Residents, Internationals to March Against Wall 45th Non-violent Demonstration Commemorates:
4th Anniversary of the Inifada.
Tuesday, September 28 at 9am:
Residents of Budrus village, Israeli peace activists (Taayush and Anarchists) and members of the international solidarity movement will demonstrate against the illegal Israeli wall that is cutting through the Budrus area.
The village of Budrus has a strong history of solidarity and non- violent resistance. Tuesday will be the 45th demonstration in Budrus organized against the wall.
The aim on Tuesday is to highlight the illegality of the Wall and the untold suffering and loss of Palestinian life in the four years of the second Intifada.
In the previous demonstration on Wednesday September 22, Israeli soldiers and Israeli border police used extreme violence against the villagers who were protesting non-violently. Tear gas and sound bombs were thrown at men, women and children (resulting in burns to the skin).
Also metal bullets coated with rubber were used without mercy, a total of 17 people received treatment for bullet wounds, four of the bullets were shot into the heads of villagers.
Today, residents of Budrus organized a peaceful demonstration for 9:00Am this morning. However, the Israeli army had issued an order that declared Budrus a "closed military zone." The Israeli army, once again surrounded the school on the edge of the village. Villagers and internationals postponed their protest in order to march together to the school to bring the children home safely.
At 1:30PM they began their march toward the area where construction of the Wall has resumed and were able to reach the site where bulldozers had been working. Bulldozers were not in sight and the protest proceeded peacefully. Upon their return to the village, encounters with the Israeli Army resulted in confrontations between youth with stones in their hands and a fully equipped army using bullets, tear gas and concussion grenades. Eye-witness reports have not been able to confirm the number of injuries at the time of this report.
3. For a summary non-violent protests, September 19-23, go to:
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3117.shtml

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