Bethlehem activities against Israel occupation of Jerusalem, West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights

Stop the Bleeding of Bethlehem

Let’s work together to put an end of 40 years of occupation 

Political parties together with local NGOs, social and political activists, and the people of the Bethlehem area are inviting you to join them in their activities against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza strip, and Golan Heights. There will be a series of activities organized by different groups during the next week. 

Tuesday June 5

Political and Islamic parties, Alkhader Municipality, and the Popular Committee of Alkhader village are organizing a march to road 60. The aim of this march is to close the road in opposition to the settlers. The gathering will take place at Alnashash Gas Station-at the southern entrance of Alkhader village. We will meet at 1:15 in the afternoon following the noon prayer. 

Wednesday & Thursday June 6-7

A group of local activists in cooperation with the Bethlehem Municipality is organizing a photo gallery at
Manger Square.

The photos will focus on the impact of the annexation wall on the Bethlehem area. Informational materials on the Israeli occupation will be available for dissemination.

 Friday June 8

The people of Artas village, the popular committee, and political parties are inviting you to join them in their weekly demonstration against the wall and land confiscation. The gathering will be in front of the village mosque at 1:15 following the Friday prayers. 

Saturday June 9

The National Christian Organization Network and Alruwwad Center in Aida refugee camp are organizing a gathering at 5:00 pm in Aida refugee camp next to the annexation wall.  

Approximately 73,226 Dunams, (18,000 Acres) of land is being expropriated and some 20,000 Palestinian residents will be consequently trapped between the Wall and the Green Line (the internationally recognized armistice line of 1967) in the Bethlehem area.  

The people of the Bethlehem area need your support. Join us in our ongoing acts of resistance to all forms of the Israeli Occupation, including the wall, military checkpoints, settlement construction and expansion, and land confiscation. 

Nonviolent Action in Artas after Friday Prayer

At least two hundred Palestinians, accompanied by a number of Israeli and International peace activists marched to the confiscated land in Artas village, south of
Bethlehem, on Friday after the noon prayer.    The villagers demanded the Israeli army stop bulldozing their land and uprooting their trees.  Troops prevented the villagers from entering onto their land and pushed them away.

Several attempts by the villagers and their supporters to break through the army line failed as more reinforcements arrived in the area.  Troops took prisoner one of the international protesters and refused to release him, despite a proposal by the protestors to end the demonstration if the activist was released.

Samer Jaber, an Palestinian activist of the Stop the Bleeding of Bethlehem Campaign said there will be many nonviolent actions in several villages in Bethlehem and today’s action will not be last.

 

Last Saturday, Israeli bulldozers began bulldozing land and uprooting trees in order to prepare for building a sewage system for the benefit of the adjacent Israeli settlement of Efrat, which according to the villagers will badly affect their agriculture. 

The settlement is built on land confiscated from Artas, Al-Khader and the nearby villages.  This settlement is part of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, which Israel is planning to keep control of although it is entirely built on occupied land in the West Bank.

 

The villagers along with international supporters camped at the land for few days before the army stormed their camp and removed the tents on Sunday morning and took prisoner several Israeli peace activists.

In the afternoon, a press conference was held in during which Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Minister of Information, stressed the importance of the nonviolent resistance against the wall and settlements.

 

Following the press conference the local and foreign media left the site, after which Israeli troops charged the villagers and assaulted them after they had replanted the trees uprooted in the morning.

 

 

In addition to several others, Dr. Barghouthi was also pushed and beaten by the soldiers.

On Monday afternoon, the Israeli security guards fired on a number of journalists who were covering a nonviolent protest by the villagers. 

The security guards opened fire at Nael Shyukhi, Reurters’ reporter and cameraman, and IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura.

 

Troops arrived to the site and took prisoner three of the village’s residents.  The three were bailed out four days later pending a court hearing.  They were accused of allegedly throwing rocks at the bulldozers, a charge that they vehemently deny.

 

Adham, one of the three arrestees told IMEMC that they were beaten badly by the Israeli soldiers in the Gush Etzion settlement.