REDFLAG: A Palestinian family fights against occupation

Tamimi family members take on an Israeli soldier

Every Friday since December 2009, the residents of the small Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh have taken to their streets to protest against Israel’s ongoing occupation.

Every Friday, they are met with violent repression from the Israeli military. On 28 August, an Israeli soldier once again attempted to arrest a child from the village. This time, however, the soldier’s actions were caught on film. The video, shot by Bilal Tamimi, shows the soldier grabbing 11-year-old Mohammed Tamimi, while the child’s 14-year-old sister Ahed, his mother Nariman and his aunt Nawal struggle with and finally overpower the heavily armed man.

Online, Bilal’s video amassed more than 1 million views in less than three days, before it was pulled by YouTube on 1 September – supposedly for violating “community guidelines”.

The events caught on camera in Nabi Saleh are not new. Similar stories of Palestinian women preventing the Israeli military arresting children, youth and men, have been documented by Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organisations for decades.

However, during the first and second intifadas, images of resistance were not easily accessible because there wasn’t widespread access to cameras, and the social media of today were either non-existent or in their infancy.

In the last decade, that has changed. Armed with hand-held camcorders, cameras and smart phones, Palestinians are able to document their struggle against Israel’s occupation, as well as the human rights abuses they are subject to, and then distribute the unfiltered images almost immediately.

Ahed Tamimi, speaking with Middle East Eye on 30 August, said of the image of her biting the soldier’s hand: “I didn’t know what I was doing; I was just doing anything to get my brother free”.

Nariman said similarly: “I wasn’t thinking about anything but getting that soldier off of my son, no matter what”.

Ahed and Nariman have been at the forefront of village demonstrations since they started. Along with Ahed’s father, Bassem Tamimi, and other relatives in the village, both have played a leading role in the non-violent popular struggle.

In 2011, Bassem was declared an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience after he was jailed, along with another village activist, Naji Tamimi, for playing a leading role in the weekly protests. Nariman has also been arrested twice for her activism.

Increasing documentation of resistance by Palestinians engaged in struggle against Israel’s 48-year military occupation has resulted in backlash not only from Israel’s occupation forces and politicians but also from supporters of the Zionist state.

Following the incident, the Israeli military threatened to have the Tamimi women arrested. It has stepped up harassment in the village, carrying out night raids and arresting three young men on 8 September.

Israeli politicians, furious at the humiliation of one of their soldiers, have ordered a review of live-fire regulations, with an eye to giving the military more room to kill Palestinian youth. Zionist apologists have dubbed the video of the women as “Pallywood” – a virulent racist slur used within Zionist circles to discredit any Palestinian documentation of Israel’s human rights abuses.

These reactions to the video demonstrate an Israeli sense of entitlement as occupier and coloniser of Palestinian land, and ingrained Zionist racism against Palestinians.

Ahed Tamimi and her family have indeed become some of the most visible faces of resistance in Palestine, but not because what they are doing is staged. It is because the Tamimis and their extended kin refuse to be cowed by Israel’s occupation.

Speaking with Red Flag, Bassem Tamimi explained that his family would continue to protest and document their struggle: “The media is very important. The pictures say a lot. It gives us the opportunity to raise our voices to the free people all over the world and show the reality of the Palestinian people”.

Israeli Occupation Forces invade Nabi Saleh: arrest several youth and men – 8 September 2015

by Nabi Saleh Solidarity

On September 8, Israeli Occupation Forces once again invaded Nabi Saleh arresting several youth and men in the village. Amongst those arrested were Usaid Tamimi and Odai and Loay Tamimi, the twin brothers of Mustafa Tamimi who was killed by Israeli Occupation Forces in 2011
ussaid  usaidIsraeli Occupation Forces invade the home of Usaid Tamimi

twinsTwin brothers,Odai and Loay Tamimi

Photos by Manal Tamimi

Haaretz & Daily Mail: Palestinian Women, Children Stop IOF Soldier Detaining a Minor

by Nabi Saleh Solidarity 28 August 2015

Both Israeli and International media have covered the incident in Nabi Saleh where an Israeli solider attacked and tried to kidnap a young Palestinian boy, only to be over powered by Palestinian women and girls from the village. The women and girls succeeded in freeing the child, who had a broken arm and was being held in a headlock at gun point.

An 18 year old Palestinian youth was also arrested by the IOF on the day.

Palestinian Women, Children Stop IDF Soldier Detaining a Minor

Activists at the protest in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh say the soldier used violence against the 12-year-old boy.
Gili Cohen, Haaretz,  Aug 28, 2015
3122644660
An Israeli soldier tried to detain a minor during clashes in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh on Friday, but a number of Palestinian women and children managed to stop him.
According to the army, the youth was throwing stones at the troops, who did not realize he was a minor.
Photographs taken by Reuters and AFP show the soldier surrounded by women and children. In one of the images, a young girl is seen biting his hand.
The soldier was lightly wounded as a result of the altercation. The commander in the area decided to release the minor. The army said that one other Palestinian was detained in Friday’s clashes, along with one foreign activist.
Activists who were at Friday’s protest said that the soldier used violence against the 12-year-old boy, whose arm was in a cast at the time of the attempted arrest. Jonathan Pollak, one of the activists present, said that the boy did not throw stones and that the IDF force, which was in an abandoned building before approaching to detain the boy, could see he was a minor. Pollak told Haaretz that the soldier pointed his gun at the boy when he was detaining him.
155281531
The Israeli army spokesman responded in a statement that there was “a violent disturbance of the peace in Nabi Saleh, in which Palestinians threw stones at IDF forces that were in the place. The youth who was photographed was identified by the lookout force as a stone-thrower, and because of this it was decided to detain him. At the time of the arrest, a violent provocation by a number of Palestinians developed, including women and children. In light of the violent altercation, the commander decided to not to go ahead with the detention.”

767948152 4205266527 reuters

Extraordinary moment that desperate Palestinian women fought and BIT an Israeli soldier after he put boy with a broken arm in a headlock at gunpoint

  • Israeli soldier pins boy to the floor with machine gun held up near his cheek in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh
  • But the gunman is ambushed by young girl who forces weapon from his hand and two women who claw at his face
  • The soldier eventually flees the scene, leaving the young girl to cradle the terrified boy in her arms on the ground
  • Clash happened during demonstrastions against Palestinian land confiscation to expand nearby Jewish settlement

This is the remarkable moment a young girl and two women overpower an Israeli soldier who grappled a Palestinian boy with a broken arm to the floor at gunpoint.

The soldier placed the boy in a headlock while armed with a machine gun during clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters in the West Bank.

With terror etched on his face, the boy is powerless to move as the gunman towers over him, with the muzzle of his weapon just inches from his cheek.

Palestinians scuffle with an Israeli soldier as they try to prevent him from detaining a boy during a protest against Jewish settlements in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah August 28, 2015. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Palestinians fight to free a Palestinian boy held by an Israeli soldier during clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters

But as he pins the boy to a rock, the soldier suddenly finds himself ambushed by a young girl who forces the weapon from his grasp and bites his hand.

Meanwhile, two women claw at his balaclava-clad face and drag him off the youngster, who has his arm in a sling.

Eventually, the gunman flees the scene, leaving the young girl to cradle the terrified boy in her arms.

It is not clear what the boy had done to provoke the soldier into taking such drastic action, but it is not uncommon for protesters, and sometimes children, to hurl stones at security forces during demonstrations.

Terrified: An Israeli soldier puts a young boy in a headlock at gunpoint during clashes between security forces and Palestinian protesters following a march against Palestinian land confiscation to expand the Jewish Hallamish settlement in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh

Terrified: An Israeli soldier puts a young boy in a headlock at gunpoint during clashes between security forces and Palestinian protesters following a march against Palestinian land confiscation to expand the Jewish Hallamish settlement in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh

With terror etched on his face, the boy is powerless to move as the gunman towers over him, the muzzle of his weapon inches from his cheek

With terror etched on his face, the boy is powerless to move as the gunman towers over him, the muzzle of his weapon inches from his cheek

Attacked: As he pins the boy to a rock, the soldier finds himself ambushed by a girl, who forces the weapon from his grasp, and two women

Attacked: As he pins the boy to a rock, the soldier finds himself ambushed by a girl, who forces the weapon from his grasp, and two women

Ambushed: As the girl bites his hand, two women claw at his balaclava-clad face and drag him off the youngster, who has his arm in a sling

Ambushed: As the girl bites his hand, two women claw at his balaclava-clad face and drag him off the youngster, who has his arm in a sling

The soldier fights back as the girl tries to prevent him from detaining the boy during a protest in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh

The soldier fights back as the girl tries to prevent him from detaining the boy during a protest in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh

In her loving arms: Eventually, the gunman flees the scene, leaving the young girl to cradle the terrified boy on the floor

The clash happened in the village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah, during protests against Palestinian land confiscation to expand the nearby Jewish Hallamish settlement.

In another flashpoint, Palestinian protester hurled stones at Israeli army bulldozer during clashes which following a protest against Israeli settlements in Qadomem, Kofr Qadom village, near the the West Bank city of Nablus.

They come a day after the European Union’s outgoing envoy to the Palestinian territories said the 28-nation bloc was moving forward with measures against Jewish West Bank settlements.

The envoy, John Gatt-Rutter, did not provide a timeframe. But his remarks to reporters underline European discontent with Israel’s continued expansion of settlements in territory that Palestinians want for a future state.

Israeli solider attempts to kidnap 12 year old boy in Nabi Saleh and is overpowered by Palestinian women and girls

by Nabi Saleh Solidarity, 28 August 2015

Israeli Occupation Forces invaded Nabi Saleh today and attempted to kidnap a 12 year old boy.  However, Palestinian women and girls managed to overpower the soldier and free the boy before he was taken away. Israeli Occupation Forces also arrested an 18 year old Palestinian youth.

Video by Bilal Tamimi

11923603_1128681230494278_9065235154308296811_nPhoto by Shadi Hatem

**

Photos by Bilal Tamimi
11889415_10152911371581371_7798377164633923908_n 11954554_10152911371556371_1249135179323176708_n11902334_10152911375736371_1334804339893885823_n11053146_10152911376606371_4931186171287173900_n11949320_10152911376731371_3531599781167528125_n21019_10152911371541371_866784202536617016_n11947694_10152911370786371_2751586786135767663_n11953090_10152911375896371_3117073132930188643_n

11899918_10152911376116371_7477836216946020697_n

11899874_10152911376106371_3960962914506683656_n 11899918_10152911375871371_1257728757628262573_n 11902456_10152911376001371_1654310410864813367_n family soldier boy family soldier hurting boy soldier without mask11889439_10152911376921371_2564738485468283116_n11053185_10152911377011371_5134447028566578215_n

Israeli Occupation Forces falsely arrested photographers during Nabi Saleh protest, court rules

11951368_988545937863918_7644792514082098265_n                             Nabi Saleh – teargas fired by IOF. Photo by Manal Tamimi

11954774_988553671196478_7067320470336901335_n                                 Arrested photograpahers in Israeli Occupation Court

IDF falsely arrested photographers during Palestinian protest, court rules

Israeli soldiers arrested two Israeli and one Palestinian photographers during a demonstration in the West Bank. What followed showed just how differently Israelis and Palestinian detainees are treated.

By Oren Ziv / Activestills.org / 23 August 2015
Published: +972 Magazine

Soldiers arrest Palestinian photographer Bilal Tamimi and Israeli artist David Reeb during a weekly protest against the occupation, Nabi Saleh, West Bank, August 21, 2015. (photo: Haim Schwarczenberg)

Israeli soldiers arrested three photographers, two Israelis and one Palestinian, during the weekly protest in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh last Friday. On Saturday night, an Israeli court ruled that there was no reason for the arrests and released the two Israelis from detention.

On Sunday morning, Israel Police agreed to release the third photographer, Bilal Tamimi, without conditions, following a request by his attorney. Tamimi is expected to be released soon.

Weekly anti-occupation demonstrations have been taking place in the village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah, for the past several years. Every week, dozens of Palestinians, Israelis and international activists march toward a spring that has been taken over by residents from the nearby settlement, Halamish. The soldiers arrested Tamimi, himself a resident of the village, toward the end of the demonstration, as village youths clashed with soldiers on a nearby hill.

A short while later, the soldiers arrested B’Tselem Spokesperson Sarit Michaeli as well as Israeli artist David Reeb, both of whom have been documenting the protests with their cameras for years. The two were arrested for refusing to clear the area, which they deemed a “closed military zone.” The soldiers, however, refused to present the required, written order.

The three were taken to the Binyamin Police Station, where they discovered that along with violating the closed military zone order, Reeb and Tamimi were accused of attacking an officer, while Michaeli was accused of obstructing a police officer in the line of duty. After their interrogation, Michaeli and Reeb refused to sign off on the conditions of their release, which would ban them from the village for two weeks, while setting their bail at NIS 1,000. Upon refusing, the two were taken into detention. Tamimi was not offered these conditions and was taken straight to jail at Ofer military prison.

“It was clear that the arrest was unlawful,” Michaeli said following her release. “The fact is that they agreed to release us, even on condition, while it was clear that they would never allow Bilal the same conditions. That is why we refused to agree to those terms, even if it meant a night in jail.”

Israeli artist David Reeb seen as he is brought before a judge at the Jerusalem Magistrates Court, August 22, 2015. (photo: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Michaeli and Reeb were brought before a judge at the Jerusalem Magistrates Court on Saturday night. During the hearing, Attorney Neri Ramati, who represented the detainees on behalf of Attorney Gabi Lasky’s office, asked the police representative whether the soldiers presented Michaeli and Reeb with a written copy of the closed military zone order. When the representative admitted that they had not done so, Judge Gad Arenberg ordered the two be released without condition.

“In this case the judge decided to release the detainees not only because they were not shown the closed military zone order, but also because they demanded to see the order and were arrested. Furthermore, the judge noted that the detainees were filming and were not connected to the clashes taking place,” said Ramati following the decision.

It is important to note that because it is unclear whether violating a closed military zone order is in fact illegal, and because it is doubtful whether such a violation merits arrest and release on condition, soldiers and policemen often tack on additional violations such as obstructing or attacking an officer. “Violation of a closed military zone order has no parallel offense in Israeli law, and we have never had a case in which someone has been accused solely of violating such an order. In these cases the police always add additional offense.”

Michaeli points to the different treatment that she and Reeb, both Israeli citizens, received, as opposed to Tamimi. “David, Bilal, and I were arrested at the same spot and interrogated over the same offenses, but we were treated differently, since Bilal is Palestinian and is subject to Israel’s military law. We are Israelis, and thus enjoy the benefits of Israel’s civilian legal system.”

B'Tselem Spokesperson Sarit Michaeli (center) is seen after a judge ordered her release from detention without conditions, August 21, 2015. (photo: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Following the court’s unequivocal decision Saturday night, Israel Police accepted Attorney Ramati’s request to release Tamimi without conditions.

Tamimi’s release is not an everyday occurrence. Most Palestinians arrested in the occupied territories remain in detention until the end of legal proceedings. Moreover, the military legal system almost never offers alternatives to detention, such as house arrest, while the conviction rate for Palestinians in Israel’s military courts stands at 99.74 percent.

Several months ago, soldiers violently attacked Israeli photojournalist Haim Schwarczenberg and a Abbas Mumani, who works for AFP, as they attempted to comply with orders to leave the area. The army decided to try the attacking soldiers after the incident was filmed and first published on +972 Magazine,

Nabi Saleh: Israeli forces ‘ambush’ demonstrators, injuring 2 with live fire

By Nabi Saleh Solidarity: 24 July 2015

On Friday in Nabi Saleh, Israeli Occupation Forces opened fire with live ammunition during Friday protest against Israel’s occupation and land grabs. The IOF shot a 17 year old boy twice in the leg with live ammunition and a 27 year old man in the thigh with live ammunition.

Video by Bilal Tamimi

Video by Israel Puterman
***

Israeli forces ‘ambush’ demonstrators, injuring 2 with live fire

July 24, 2015 MAAN NEWS

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Two Palestinians were shot and injured by Israeli forces Friday during a weekly demonstration in the occupied West Bank town of Nabi Saleh, witnesses said.Israeli forces had reportedly set an “ambush” near the path where demonstrators planned to walk, opening live fire as the marchers headed towards land confiscated by the neighboring Halamish settlement.During the incident, forces shot a 17-year-old with two live bullets. Witnesses say a bullet passed through one thigh, entering and settling in the teen’s other thigh, while a second bullet hit him in the back.A 27-year-old was also shot in the leg. The injured demonstrators were taken to a hospital in Ramallah for treatment.Israeli soldiers attempted to prevent the ambulance carrying those injured from leaving the scene for a short period of time, witnesses added.An Israeli army spokesperson had no immediate information on the incident.Two Palestinians have died from live Israeli fire in the past few days, bringing the total number of fatalities at the hands of Israeli forces to 17 since the start of 2015.Rights groups have criticized Israel for disproportionate use of force against unarmed civilians during demonstrations.While crowd control weapons are intended to be non-lethal, many methods used by Israeli forces can cause death, severe injury, and damage to property, critics say.Residents of Nabi Saleh — similar to villages and towns across the occupied West Bank — have staged weekly demonstrations for years in protest of private land confiscated by Israeli authorities.Large portions of the Jewish-only Halamish settlement is built on land belonging to Nabi Saleh residents.

(TamimiPress/File)

(TamimiPress/File)

(TamimiPress/File)