al-Ma’sara: IOF arrests and intimidates key activists
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al-Ma’sara: IOF arrests and intimidates key activists

On June 11th, 2010, the Israeli occupation forces arrested Hasan Brijiyeh, member of the popular committee against the Wall and the settlements in the village of Al-Ma’sara and took him to an unknown location. During Al-Ma’sara’s weekly protests against the Wall, which have been occurring every week for three years in the village, the occupation forces beat Hasan.

Hasan was pursued by the occupation forces for his involvement in organizing the weekly protest which oppose the construction of the Apartheid Wall and insist upon the struggle to preserve the Palestinian land. As usual, the demonstration started in front of the Zawahreh school
in the village and headed towards the area of the Wall. In reaction, the heavily armed occupation forces suppressed the protest with a large force made up of 11 military vehicles. The occupation forces prevented the demonstrators from reaching the confiscated lands and beat the villagers. Afterwards, three military vehicles forced their way into the village in pursuit of the demonstrators and tried to arrest a number of them.

At midnight before this Friday protest, the occupation forces raided the home of the Stop the Wall coordinator in Bethlehem district, Muhammad Brijiyeh,and detained him along with Omar Ala ad-Din, a fellow member of the
committee, and another young man who happened to be in the home at this time. The occupation forces detained the three men for half an hour and threatened Brijiyeh from continuing his organizing activity for the weekly Al-Ma’sara protests.

This is the eighth time since the beginning of this year that the forces have raided Muhammad Brijiyeh’s house in their attempt to deter him from continuing the popular resistance. Hasan Brijiyeh had been arrested last year for participating in the protest on May Day and Omar Ala ad-Din was released only months ago from prison after having suffered illtreatment and torture for a week in various detention centers.