Prison as a Weapon Against the Nonviolent Resistance

As mentioned, it was wonderful to see Abdullah Abu Rameh at the conference after being released from his 16 month imprisonment this April. Not only Abdullah, but another citizen of Bil’in, Adeeb Abu Rahmeh, had just been released in December after spending 18 months in Ofer Prison. Both are well known and respected in the community for their nonviolent resistance against the Occupation.

The lawyer that represented Abdullah Abu Rahmeh gave a talk on the strategies the Israeli military uses against Palestinians. She said that the prisons are the only real weapon Israel has against the Palestinian nonviolent movement. 

The tactics used, often begin with the minors of the villages. Unlike international law which recognizes a minor as anyone under the age of 18, Israel considers a minor in the West Bank to be anyone under the age of 16. Often the soldiers will come to the homes of minors in the middle of the night to handcuff and arrest them at gunpoint. The children are then taken to a remote location and since it is against the law to interrogate them in middle of the night, they are forced to stay awake until morning when they are taken to the police station.

They are interrogated after being kept awake all night, denied food, water, use of the bathroom, being blindfolded and held at gunpoint. Then they are asked questions about their own activities at the demonstrations as well as the activities of the suspected leaders of the popular resistance movement. If the children acknowledge to throwing stones at the Wall in the past, this nonviolent act is charged as a criminal offense and they can be put in jail for weeks. The court refuses to dismiss any information given by these minors because they have given it “willingly”. In the recent trial of Abdullah Abu Rahmeh, the judge actually stated that there was no scientific evidence that these children were traumatized.

Another tactic of the prison system is the strict regulations around visiting rights. Under international law, prisoners must be held in the occupied land. This means, Palestinians prisoners should not be taken to prisons inside Israel. Both Abdullah and Adeeb spent their time in prison at Ofer Military Base. While Ofer Military Base is technically inside the West Bank, you need an Israeli Permit to visit it, which is the same for most prisons in Palestine.

A woman attending the conference from the European parliament asked why she was denied permission to visit and tour the prisons and if there was a way around this. The lawyer said that these Palestinians prisoners, such as Abdullah and Adeeb, are considered “security prisoners” and only first degree family members and lawyers are allowed entry to see them. The Red Cross is allowed in to monitor and view the prison conditions, but their reports are not accessible.

As this lawyer said, a democracy is only as good as its prisons.

*Photo by Hamde Abu Rahme of Adeeb Abu Rahme after his release from prison

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign is an integral part of the nonviolent resistance against the illegal Israeli Occupation. At the conference was Omar Barghouti, a founding member of the BDS movement. Barghouti shared the purpose and benefit of BDS, not only as the key to ending the Occupation of the West Bank and the siege of Gaza but to granting all Palestinians, including those within Israel, their full rights. The BDS movement is a call put forth by the Palestinian people, lead by the Palestinian with the support of Israeli and International activists. As Barghouti stated in this video clip from the conference,

“You get to decide whether you can help us or not but you do not put words in our mouth and say this is what you really want. We’re not native idiots who cannot express ourselves. Believe us, we have average intelligence or above average intelligence, we’re quite rationale, and we know exactly what we want – self determination.”

Barghouti also touched on the importance of the Boycott from Within, a group of Israeli citizens both Palestinian and Jewish, dedicated to the BDS campaign. Click here for the video clip discussing the Boycott from Within as well as the greater international community's role in BDS.

To learn more about the BDS movement, visit the website at www.bdsmovement.net

Palestine and the Arab Revolutions

It was no surprise that there was much talk at the conference of the revolutions spreading across the Arab nations. The question often brought up was, what does this mean for Palestinians? What makes Palestine different from other Arab countries? Why have we not seen the same revolution that has happened in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Libya and other countries?

One response that was given was that these countries do not have the geographical separation like the West Bank and Gaza, the physical separation of the Wall, nor do they have the colonization strategies of the settlements and Israeli only roads that are creating Bantustans across the West Bank.

In one of the discussion panels, Dr. Karma Nabulsi who is a professor at Oxford University and until 1990 a representative in the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) in Lebanon, Tunis and the United Kingdom, said,

“Any regime that is representative in the Arab world stands with the Palestinian people because the Arab people are with us. It’s very simple."

Click here for our video clip of her speaking at the conference on the Arab revolutions as well as the Palestinian struggle both within the Occupied Territories, within Israel and among the refugee diaspora.

The 6th Annual Bil’in Conference on the Palestinian Popular Struggle

Like many before, the Spring Team had the opportunity this past Wednesday to travel to the village of Bil’in and attend the 6^th Annual Bil’in Conference on the Palestinian Popular Struggle. It was three days of community and solidarity with Palestinian, Israeli and International peace activists as we came together to discuss the various aspects, strategies and ideas surrounding the nonviolent resistance.

It was also a time to celebrate the latest victories of the Popular Struggle such as with the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions Movement (BDS) as well as the recent release of Bil’in citizens Abdullah Abu Rahmeh in March from Ofer prison after ­­ 16 months of imprisonment and Adeeb Abu Rahmeh in December after spending 18 months in prison.

These next few posts will go over some of the highlights from MPT’s time at the conference in Bil’in, including the weekly Friday demonstration and a special field trip on Saturday to the Jordan Valley where we were able to witness the increasingly dire situations many Bedouin villages are facing.

Spring Team Arrives in the Field

The first two members of MPT's Spring Team to Palestine/Israel have arrived safely in the field and are preparing for the last leg of their journey.

They have met up safely after their flights, and have rested a bit, and will continue on to the MPT headquarters right away.

Watch for more posts from the team very soon!

Nicole Rohrkemper
International Teams Coordinator
Michigan Peace Team

Natalie

Hi,

My name is Natalie and I 'm excited to be going back to Palestine as a co-anchor this spring. After I graduated from college two years ago, I went on my first team to the West Bank with Michigan Peace Team and instantly fell in love with the people and the land. I always knew I wanted to return, but wasn't sure if it would be a real possibility. Needless to say, when this opportunity arose, I was both surprised and thrilled. It has been great getting to know my fellow team members so far this weekend and I'm encouraged and inspired by their dedication and passion. I can't wait to return to the familiar sights, scents and people of Palestine and am grateful for all those who have made it possible.

Denise

Hello, my name is Denise and I am new to MPT, but I am looking forward to traveling to Palestine to do peace work. I am excited about our team and getting to know my team members both this weekend and in the field.

This Saturday some friends are having a party. I am disappointed that I will have to miss it, but they have been kind enough to let me create an MPT display in their front hallway in order to raise awareness about the organization and the situation in Palestine. I hope that this will help us to raise funds for the group to travel. The display includes pictures from Natalie's last trip to the West Bank.

Suzie Q

Hi,

I'm Suzie Q, returning to Palestine this spring as a co-anchor. I was the last member of MPT in Palestine last fall. I did not really expect to ever go back but the opportunity has presented. I am so pleased to meet my team mates and train in anticipation of returning to to Palestine where I will get to see the friends I made there last fall. To think I told all those loving, gracious people that I would probably never get to see them again. It will be so good to have a cup of tea with them & hear what has been happening in their world since the olive harvest. Keep posteed to learn of our progress!

Spring Team Training

Hello from Lansing!

Denise, Suzie Q, and Natalie met last night to form a team that will travel to the West Bank this Spring. Now we are working for the next few days on team building and nonviolence training at the Michigan Peace Team building where we are living and training together. Following, you will find each of the individual introductions for the members of the 2011 Spring Team.

MPT Teams Insider E-News (January)

Here is a preview of the E-News; click here or below to read it in full resolution online!

Read the latest for those interested in following (or joining!) our teams: http://bit.ly/fXw08l.

Click the link above for training dates, application deadlines, 

deployment timelines, budget information and more.

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