Ni’lin: Israeli soldiers repressed the weekly popular march in Ni’lin, west Ramallah, as they threw dozens of tear gas bombs. This Friday’s march in Ni’ilin was part of the mobilization efforts for the global mobilizing effort “Israeli Apartheid Week” and was entitled “Racism of Israel” as people of the village repeated slogans criticizing the Israeli Occupation’s violations at check points in the West Bank and criticized the companies supporting these check points, such as: HP, that developed new computer systems for the checkpoints, Motorola, and Caterpillar. They also stressed the need to stand in solidarity with the captive Hana Shalaby who has been in an open hunger strike for 23 days in rejection of the Israeli administrative detention order against her and against hundreds of Palestinian captives and prisoners. Israeli soldiers shot dozens of gas bombs directly towards the protesters as the march approached the Apartheid wall’s gate. Dozens of protesters got injured from suffocation due to inhaling the gas, and that lead to the outbreak of clash between Israeli soldiers and the protesters for hours in the afternoon.
Ahed Khawaja, coordinator of the Stop the Wall Campaign in Ramallah, stated that this march was to confirm the link between the movements against apartheid in South Africa and the Israel occupation’s apartheid. And also to stand to solidarity with Hana Shalaby who’s been on hunger strike for 23 days in order to achieve justice and dignity for all Palestinian captives in Israel’s prisons.
Al Ma’sara: the Stop the Wall campaign organized a march in Ma’sara village at the front gate of the village, standing in solidarity with captive Hana Shalaby who’s been on an open hunger strike for 23 days. Protesters stressed the need to mobilize an international campaign of solidarity with Hana Shalaby before her situation becomes dangerous, as she is already at risk and denounced the violations of the prisoners’ exchange agreement by the Israeli occupation. Jum’a Zawahra, activist in the Stop the Wall campaign stated the need to stand with the Palestinian captives in their struggle against repression and torture policies used on them by the Israeli occupation. He also stated that administrative arrests are illegal and an obvious violation of the Geneva conventions and the international human rights law. He added that Hana Shalaby’s struggle gave every Palestinian a sense of dignity, challenge, insistence of freedom, and resistance to the occupation. At the end of the protest, the occupation forces repressed the protesters and prevented them from reaching their lands. Israeli soldiers arrested Ra’fat ‘Alaa’ Aldeen and another protester for several hours. Later both were released.
Beit Dajn: The Israeli occupation forces repressed the popular march organized by the people of the village of Beit Dajn, east Nablus, on Friday. The march was organized to protest against the closing of the main street leading to the village. There were many clashes between the protesters and Israeli soldiers as the soldiers threw dozens of tear gas bombs on them. No injuries were reported.
Bil’in: Dozens of Palestinian citizens and international activists suffocated severely after inhaling tear gas, two of the protesters were shot with metal coated rubber bullets, while participating in Bil’in’s weekly protest against the settlements and the apartheid wall and standing in solidarity with the imprisoned Hana Shalaby in her open hunger strike. Israeli soldiers shot rubber coated metal bullets, tear gas and sound bombs directly towards the protesters, injuring Abd Allah Yasin (18 years) Abd Khatib (18 years). The participants in the march held the Palestinian flags and walked through the village’s streets chanting and calling for national unity, resistance to the occupation, the release of all Palestinian captives, and freedom for Palestine.
Stop the Wall campaign confirmed in a statement the need to stand with the captive Hana Shalaby in her open hunger strike underlining that the Israeli occupation government carries full responsibility over her life; Stop the Wall has civil society and local and international human rights organizations to immediately intervene to save Hana Shalaby’s life, work towards the release of the Palestinian prisoners, the cancelation of administrative detention policy and an end to the abuse against prisoners. The committee condemns the deliberate murder of the martyr Abu Zakareya Abu Azzam in Yatta, and the sentencing of activist and photographer Hamza Bernat to 18 months in jail and a five thousand NIS fine for his participation in popular demonstrations.
Kufr Qadoom: The Israeli military forces attacked the popular protesters in the weekly march in Kufr Qadoom as the march approached the main gate closing off the village from the main street. Israeli soldiers shot hundreds of tear gas canisters directly towards the protesters, injuring many and dozens suffocated while inhaling the toxic gas. Nevertheless, Iyad Shtewi, media coordinator of the weekly events in the village, stated that these marches are an important part of the Palestinian resistance and a show of rejection to all forms of Israeli occupation policies and will continue despite the repression by the Israeli forces every Friday.