Eyewitness account of the shooting of Rushdi Tamimi

by Esti Na: 20 November 2012

I don’t know what to write, say, do. Last I checked – this morning, the number of martyrs in ghazze was over 90. We were either on the street or at hospital with Rushdie. When there’s a hundred martyrs, among them children, babies, sometimes a whole family wiped out, sometimes several children from one family burned/crushed/blown up/.. it’s seems almost selfish to talk about one martyr. Still.
This evening, Rushdie died. After rollercoaster at fkn ramallah hospital. Rushdie, Nariman Tamimi’s brother, the second martyr in less than a year in Nabi Saleh, Rushdie, relative of pretty much everyone here.

I could try to describe who broke down in which way, who needed medical aid, who needed to be carried away, who is still …. in ways I can’t describe. But I’m spent. I should look up what happened in Gaza and here (reports kept coming in off serious injuries, arrests, etc. in WB) but I’m worn out for tonight. Idon’t know any more. It’s all too much, been too much a good while ago. There’s no break, seems keep coming at this community here, people barely manage to get back on their feet when the next fucked up blow comes. Allah yer7amak, ya Rushdie, u Allah ya3tu alsabr 3ala a7lak.

I’ll repost what I wrote earlier about what happened here Saturday. One correction: we are not sure whether the wound on his forehead was from butt of rifle or from being dragged after getting shot, or perhaps beaten or… there’s different versions. we’ll not know cause no one could film as they were shooting life like hell.I held him in my arms trying while Nariman, Naji Tamimi and Hilme fought with the soldiers who wanted to arrest him and shoot at anyone coming close. I claimed he was my brother so they wouldn’t stop me/shoot me. I held him and asked how he was. He said he couldn’t see.

He was in ICU for two days, but “fine”, “stable”, until this afternoon when it was discovered way too late that he wasn’t, he had three temporary cardiac arrests, perhaps internal bleeding, he was too unstable to transport to Hadassa hospital, everyone had to wait for him to either die or get stabilized, we then heard he was stable, people were preparing the transfer, the transportation, and then came the news. his family has talked to him earlier today. the way the hospital dealt with things….. I‘ll write about that later. I’m tired. It hurts so much to see strong people, people i love, in this much pain AGAIN. i’ll stop here.

Nabi Saleh yesterday
what is happening these days in the rest of Palestine is no comparison to the ongoing massacre in Gaza, but as a friend said today “we’re in war and the West Bank is included” – in the sense that they army is using much more violence here. Several people and groups are trying to gather how many people were seriously injured and arrested on this side, it’s hard to know. i’ll post something about that in a bit.

But here what happened yesterday in Nabi Saleh. I’ve never heard so much life ammo being shot before – the video cut out some parts. When Rushdie brother of Nariman Tamimi, Jiji Tamimi, Noura, Shukri, Shaker, etc., nephew of Naji Tamimi among others, uncle of نعم انا جهاد and Waed Tamimi and Tamimi Ahed among others, cousin of Bilal Tamimi and Manal Tamimi among others was shot, they shot life like crazy. Tamimi Rawan Tamimi first tried to continue filming but they kept shooting. everyone kept crouching. Helmy took the camera and got up and was shot at immediately. Nariman – who was at home, actually counting her blessing that nothing serious happened for on Friday – came out running, grabbed the camera and ran down, while they kept shooting around her (video doesn’t make that clear). She only realized it’s her brother when she arrived.

Then hilme and Naji made it down in spite of threats. The soldiers kept pointing guns, shooting and wanting to arrest Rushdie. He had a head wound, while lying there, he said he couldn’t see, now we can. we thought the wound was from another bullet, but it was actually from the butt of a rifle, they hit him in the head when he was shot.

You can see how much his family had to fight and risk to get him away from the army and to hospital. He’s ok, in the sense, he will survive. he’s in the ICU, the bullet entered his leg (he says he can’t feel his leg) and went into his intestines. his family is at the hospital (again), waiting for news, while everyone is hoping no one will get arrested tonight. Interesting how much soldiers tried to hide their faces from the camera …

Video by Boshra Tamimi

16 year-old Anan Tamimi from Nabi Saleh was arrested by Israeli soldiers on his way to school this morning, for the 3rd time in recent weeks

by Manal Tamimi, 02 April 2012

The Zionist IDF arrested the child Anan Naji Tamimi for the third time during the last forty days. Anan was arrested last month form his home at 3am in the morning , his charges was participating illegal protest and throwing stones according to a picture one of the soldiers took during the protest for one of the children while he threw stones.

The lawyer has proved that the pictures that they had is not of Anan and they released him after paying 500 dollars guarantee. The general attorney threaten him that he will arrest him again .

After one month, they arrested him again from his house at 2am in the morning , investigate him for 2 hours, beat him and show him the same picture they show the first time. Anan insisted that this pictre is not his and thats why he was realsed the first time.  At 4am in the morning hand cuffed , blind folded the Zionist army released him after they threw him in an empty area and told him to go home alone. He struggled till he could remove the fold from his eyes and walk about half mile on a settler’s street alone. He said that he was very afraid that one of the settlers could see him and maybe they will beat him to death, he reached his home shaking from cold and fear, his hands were swollen from the tight hand cuffed.

This morning after one week of this incident, they [the Israeli military] arrested him for the third time on his way to school, according to the same picture.  Anan is now in Ofer prison and tomorrow he has a hearing for the same cherges (participating illegal protest and throwing stones, as they said they have evidence which is the same picture that the judge refused in the first time because it was obvious that the person in the picture is not Anan ).

This is one story of what our children have to face and how much they have to suffer from this Zionist occupation .

*editor’s note: Anan is the eldest son of Nabi Saleh leader, Naji Tamimi, who was recently released from Israeli prison after spending one year as a political prisoner for his non-violent activism against Israel’s occupation.  Naji was arrested and jailed by Israel’s occupation military courts for organising and participating in non-violent demonstrations against the Occupation.

Nabi Saleh Welcomes Released Prisoner Naji Tamimi, Stands in Solidarity with Hunger Striking Hana Shalabi

by Popular Struggle Coordination Committee: 2 March 2012

This weeks’ protest in Nabi Saleh was held in solidarity with hunger-striking political prisoner Hanaa Shalabi. The village also celebrated the release of Naji Tamimi, member of the local popular committee released after a year in military prison.

Video by Israel Puterman

Naji Tamimi, member of the Nabi Saleh popular committee, was arrested by the Israeli army on March 6^th 2011, and subsequently charged with “incitement”, “organizing unpermitted processions” and “solicitation to throw stones”, together with his cousin and fellow veteran activist, Bassem Tamimi. Returning to his village after a year in military prison, Naji Tamimi opened this week’s weekly demonstration in a speech held above the grave of Mustafa Tamimi who was shot dead by the Israeli army during a demonstration three months ago.

Picture Credit: Yotam Ronen/Activestills

The demonstration then preceded towards the main road leading from the village to the nearby settlement of Halamish, built mainly on Nabi Saleh’s agricultural lands. Protesters carried signs and posters calling for the immediate release of Hana Shalabi, a woman administrative detainee who has gone on hunger strike. Israeli soldiers used tear-gas canisters, rubber coated bullets and the “skunk”, a water canon spraying foul smelling water, to disperse the demonstrators. Some clashes between the army and local youth took place in the outskirts of the village, following which the army invaded the village shooting large amounts of tear-gas canisters inside populated areas. One demonstrator was slightly injured by a rubber coated bullet shot at his arm from close range. He required medical treatment and was taken to the hospital.

Picture Credit: Oren Ziv/Activestills

Hana Yahya Shalabi (30) from the Burqin village near Jenin was released as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal, after being held in administrative detention for over two years (Sep. 2009 to Oct. 2011). During her arrest she was sexually harassed, put in solitary confinement and was denied trial. No allegations were brought against her by the Israeli security forces. On February 16th 2012 she was re-arrested and put under administrative detention for six month along with several other Palestinian prisoners released in the Gilad Shalit deal. Hana began a hunger strike, inspired by the hunger strike of Khader Adnan, to protest administrative detentions and abuse during interrogations and arrests. Hana Shalabi and over three hundred Palestinians are imprisoned for long periods without any charges and are never brought to trial. As a woman, Hana Shalabi faces a great risk of humiliation and sexual abuse, and has already been harassed in the past. Her strike calls attention to the physical and mental violence suffered by Palestinian women and men in Israeli jails.

Meanwhile in Nabi Saleh: Reflections on the physical and legal assault on nonviolent protesters

By Rae Abileah, Mondoweiss: 27 June 2011

From the chambers of Congress to the shores of the Mediterranean, non-violent protesters are rising up against the Israeli occupation. And while the action I took to disrupt Netanyahu in Congress one month ago and the CODEPINK delegation preparing to sail to Gaza aboard The Audacity of Hope have received global media coverage, the small West Bank village of Nabi Saleh has been struggling without the attention it deserves.  
 
The people of Nabi Saleh have been challenging the illegal theft of their land and natural spring by the settlement of Halamish since January 2010. Dozens of men and women gather every Friday to voice their opposition to the injustice they face. International and Israeli supporters of Nabi Saleh’s just cause join these weekly creative, non-violent actions. 
 
In an attempt to silence dissent, the Israeli army uses banned high-velocity tear-gas projectiles, rubber-coated steel bullets and at time live ammunition against unarmed civilians. Additionally, between January 2010 and April 2011, the Israeli Army carried out 73 protest-related arrests, rounding up men, women and children. Two of the arrested are cousins Bassem and Naji Tamimi, main organizers and members of the local Popular Committee.  The Tamimis are key organizers in the Nabi Saleh resistance and have been arrested under the blanketed charge of ‘incitement’, similarly to the case last of Abdallah Abu Rahmah of Bil’in who was convicted in an unfair trial and served 16 months in jail.

 

Occupation/Military Court Judgement in the matter of Nagi Tamimi (Translated from Hebrew)

By translation by Frank Khan: 28 June 2011

Naji in Occupation Court 26 June 2011: Photo by Frank Khan

Note on court ruling:

The “evidence” used to convict Nagi was based on testimony obtained from a 14 year old child under duress.  The child had been kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night, held incommunicado from his parents and lawyers and tortured by Israeli occupation forces. 

Please see Reality vs Propaganda: the An Nabi Saleh Protests which responds to the false accusations against Naji, which were initially outlined in an article in YNET and referred to in the military court ruling.

***

THE FOLLOWING IN A TRANSLATION OF THE OCCUPATION/MILITARY COURT JUDGEMENT HANDED DOWN AGAINST NAGI TAMMIMI.

Nagi Mohammad Abed Al Ateef Tamimi, 49 years old, a resident of Nabi Saleh was convicted based on his plea of guilty to the offense of incitement and support of an enemy organization. The original indictment was amended as part of the plea bargain. Nagi has been convicted of being (together with Basem Tamimi) the organizer, party responsible for and inciter of  public disturbances and violent demonstrations in Nabi Saleh from January, 2010 until March, 2011.

Nagi & Basem regularly brought together the youth of the village and other nearby villages dividing them into a number of groups with each group having a specific role as part of the violent demonstrations in Nabi Saleh. They briefed the groups during the week in the Municipal  Building.

One of the groups was responsible for blocking the security forces (SF) access to the village by blocking the village roads with large garbage dumpsters on Thursday nights. Another group was responsible for drawing the SF into ambushes set up by two other groups that would throw stones at the SF. Another group was responsible for gathering gas grenades which failed to explode and transferring them to another group which threw them at the SF. Another group’s job was to close the roads to the SF by burning tires and the use of boulders while another group would throw stones at the SF by the use of sling shots or hurlers. In addition, Nagi organized groups in the villages of Dir Nizam and Aboud to throw stones at Israeli vehicles driving to the Halamish settlement next to Nabi Saleh.

Trial of West Bank Protest Organizer, Bassem Tamimi, to Begin Sunday

Popular Struggle Coordination Committee: 2 June 2011

Photo by Oren Ziv - Activestills

Tamimi, who has already been held in custody for over two months, will plead not guilty to the anti-free speech charges against him before a military court.

What: The opening ofBassem Tamimi’s trial
Where:  Ofer Military Court *
* Entry to the military court must be coordinated with the Israeli army’s spokesperson in advance.

When: Sunday, June 4th, 2011, at 9:30 AM
Media contact: Jonathan Pollak +972-54-632-7736

After more than two months in custody, the trial of Bassem Tamimi, a 44 year-old protest organizer from the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, will finally begin Sunday. Tamimi, who is the coordinator of the Nabi Saleh popular committee, will plead not guilty to the charges against him. He will, however, admit to having organized demonstrations against settlement expansion and argue that it is i,n fact, the Israeli Occupation that should be on trial.

Tamimi’s detention was recently extended indefinitely by an Israeli military court. The judge ordered him to be kept in remand until the end of legal proceedings. The indictment against Tamimi is based on questionable and coerced confessions of youth from the village. He is charged with incitement, organizing and participating in unauthorized processions, solicitation to throw stones, failure to attend legal summons, and a scandalous disruption of legal proceedings charge, for allegedly giving youth advice on how to act under police interrogation in the event that they are arrested.

Free Bassem and Naji Tamimi

May 18, 2011: Popular Struggle Coordination Committee

Recent events have once more proven the potency of civil resistance, and its ability to bring about change and end injustice. From the Arab Spring to the recent demonstrations commemorating the Nakba, ordinary people are affecting change. While Abdallah Abu Rahmah is finally out of Israeli prisons, a new wave of repression is underway in the West Bank, and more protest leaders have been rounded up as Israel once more is set to suppress civil resistance to the Occupation. we need your help to stand by them.

[7]  [8]Recently, two leading protest organizers behind bars. Naji and Bassem Tamimi from the village of Nabi Saleh were jailed on equally dubious grounds to Abdallah Abu Rahmah. They were arrested based on confessions from teenagers who were themselves seized in midnight raids, denied legal counsel, and beaten. This is not justice.  We must raise our voices again to secure their quick release.

The case against both Naji and Bassem is based on coerced confessions of teenagers taken at gunpoint from their beds in the middle of the night by Israeli soldiers. The main “evidence” against them is the testimony of a 14 year-old who was beaten up on his arrest, denied legal counsel, denied his right to have his parents present during his questioning and instead of being told by his interrogators of his right to remain silent, he was told that “it is better you tell the truth”.

Please consider making a donation [9] towards Bassem and Naji Tamimi’s legal defense and/or use the templates in the following links to send an email to your Minister of Foreign Affairs and ask that your government acts for their release.

Source URL: http://www.popularstruggle.org/free-tamimis

Click to go to the template for your country|  USA [10]  |  UK [11]  |  Canada [12]  |  Australia [13]  |  Germany [14]  |  France [15]  |  Spain [16]  |  Poland [17]  |  Italy [18]  |  Portugal [19]  |

When Montgomery comes to Nabi Saleh

By Mark Perry

Foreign Policy Magazine: Tuesday, April 26, 2011

On March 24, the Israeli government arrested Bassem Tamimi, a 44-year-old resident of the small Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh, which is just west of Ramallah. Tamimi was arrested for leading a group of his neighbors in protest marches on a settlement that had “expropriated” the village’s spring — the symbolic center of Nabi Saleh’s life.

Tamimi was brought before the Ofer military court and charged with “incitement, organizing unpermitted marches, disobeying the duty to report to questioning” and “obstruction of justice” — for giving young Palestinians advice on how to act under Israeli police interrogation. He was remanded to an Israeli military prison to await a hearing and a trial. The detention of Tamimi is not a formality: under Israeli military decree 101 he is being charged with attempting “verbally or otherwise, to influence public opinion in the Area in a way that may disturb the public peace or public order.” As in Syria, this is an “emergency decree” disguised as protecting public security. It carries a sentence of 10 years.

Israeli Army arrests local protest leader in Nabi Saleh

6 March 2011 | Popular Struggle Coordination Committee

Naji Tamimi during a demonstration in Nabi Saleh. Picture credit: Nariman Tamimi 

Naji Tamimi, member of the Nabi Saleh popular committee and one of the leading figures in the struggle against the annexation of village lands by the nearby settlement of Halamish, was arrested last night during an army night raid on the village. The military also searched the home of another popular committee member, Bassem Tamimi, absent at the time. These last few weeks saw the army waging an extensive arrest campaign against village residents, specifically targeting minors.