Omar and More

Life moves quickly here. I am increasingly taking video to put it on you tube because sometimes an image is worth a thousand words. On Wednesday, the Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall and Settlements in Beit Sahour hosted a gathering of over 100 town people and guests (inclduing Nabil Shaath of Fatah Central Committee) to brief them on what is going on at Ush Ghrab with the military watch tower erected. The discussion revolved around the popular resistance. We explained the nature of our activities and it was made clear that even though the mayor would prefer that we limit our activities to just being in the park, that the committee has monthly schedule of events that we would like people to participate in. The next two popular resistance events will be 1) a march from the Nativity square in Bethlehem to Rachel's tomb area (Sunday at 11:30 AM), 2) land day events in Ush GHrab throughout the site beginning at 10 AM to 2 PM on Tuesday (in Beit Sahour). Land day will be commemorated in hundreds of cities around the world on March 30th as it has been since the first land day in 1976 when Palestinians inside the Green Line (Palestine of 1948) rose-up against the continued unfair land expropriation. My wife, who because she does not carry a Palestinian ID card, traveled yesterday to Nazareth area and brought pictures and story of the beauty of the stolen lands of the Galillee where my maternal grandmother comes from. The greenery and the richness of the soil reminded me of my grandmother's stories about how idillic rural village life in Palestine was before 1948 and the ethnic cleansing that followed.

We also had a press conference with Omar Ala'Eddin who was abused by the Israeli soldiers. Amira Hass attended the conference and reported the story in Haaretz (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159294.html).

Omar's case was highlighted today in the weekly demonstratiion in Al-Masara also attended by Imam Tamimi. The Israeli military doctor that Omar was brought to see was merely making fun of him. When Omar would try to show him bruises on his side, the "doctor" would look at his arm and so on and telling him to shut up. This is not the first or the last Palestinian to be treated that way. In fact I was reminded by a friend that another Omar was also beaten, this one a young journnalist from Gaza of exactly the same age as our friend Omar from Al-Masara (see story in Haaretz http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/999330.html)

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Israel
• torture
• al-masara
• Palestinian popular resistance
• Dr. Nabil Shaath
• Mazin Qumsiyeh
• Ush Ghrab
• Omar Ala-Eddin
• Israeli soldiers
• abuse of civilians

[TomVeeTV]

Thank you for the video and keep them coming please. Solidarity from California.