Operation Dove

NONVIOLENT DEMOSTRATION AGAINST THE WALL IN PALESTINIAN VILLAGE ABOUD
Three demonstrators detained and beaten up by the army, witnessed by an Italian volunteer. Tear gas shoot on children, an Israeli activist detained, some people wounded by tear gas and sound bombs.

Aboud, Ramallah Area – This morning about 400 persons, Christians and Muslims from Aboud, Israelis peace activists (among them some refusniks) and some internationals including volunteers of Operation Dove – Association Community Pope John XXIII – that live in Aboud since one year, had formed a nonviolent march attempting to arrive to the Wall building site, close to the Palestinian village.

Otherwise the Separation Wall has already been completed on the Green Line (the border between the State of Israel and the West Bank 1967 Occupied Territories) 6 kilometers west from Aboud, making already impossible to pass from this area to the Israeli territories, now the Israeli Ministry of Defense is building this Additional Fence close to the village with the probable goal to annex to Israel Bet Arye and Ofarim nearby settlements, established in the eighties on Aboud’s land and declared illegal by an UN Security Council resolution.

Today, the Israeli army had blocked the demonstrators 700 meters far from the building site. No demonstrators acted violently meanwhile the army shoot sound bombs and tear gas (CS, illegal according to the Geneva Convention because carcinogenic) that reached the back part of the demonstration intoxicating women and children. The army launched (thrown) sound bombs and tear gas several times forcing half of the demonstrators to withdraw.

The left part of the march went on for few hundreds meters reaching the second block of soldiers. Here the situation became strained: the demonstrators shouted slogans and pushed the soldiers to force the block.
The army answered with sound bombs. There have been also crossed blows with truncheons and sticks between some soldiers and some demonstrators with other demonstrators trying to get in the way to calm down the situation. .

Three Palestinians have been detained for more than an hour and beaten up by the Israeli army. One Palestinian man has been dragged for 60 meters causing him bruises on the arms. The second one, a teenager, was blocked with the arms behind his back by two soldiers while a third one hit him with the knee on the mouth. (see photo in attach). The third one has been dragged for 30 meters while six soldiers kicked him for several minutes hurting him on the head and the nape also with the stick of the rifle. Then brought him to his knees with his hands tied behind his back and left him in this position for around 35 minutes (an Operation Dove volunteer witnessed and took some photos). The three received some first medical care only after twenty five minutes and have been detained for further 20 minutes before been released without any charge. Before the Palestinian have been released, the muslim demonstrators prayed in front of the soldiers. After the release of the detained, the march had been ended without further violence.

At the demonstrators was present also Mustafa Bargouti, the Palestinian leader Abu Mazen’s challenger in the last Palestinian presidential elections.
Since morning until 4.00 pm, the Israeli army placed checkpoints at the two villages entries preventing Israeli and international peace activist and journalists to join the demonstration.