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NEWS & LETTERS, June 2004Peace activists attackedEditor's note: Below we print excerpts from a report given April 25 by Molly Malekar, the director of Bat Shalom, the women's peace organization that forms the Israeli side of The Jerusalem Link. The Palestinian side is the Jerusalem Center for Women. Thanks to Gila Svirsky for sending this report. * * * We were about 60 women: one-third Israeli, one-third Palestinian, and one-third internationals. We gathered at Bidu to protest the construction of the wall in this village. It was a quiet march, with women carrying signs and walking toward the area where soldiers were guarding the construction of the fence. At a distance of about 30 feet, we stopped because the soldiers turned to point their rifles directly at us. I called out in Hebrew, "Don't shoot, we're not armed, this is a nonviolent demonstration." Suddenly, there was an onslaught of tear gas and stun grenades falling all around us. The grenades fell at our feet and we were choking, unable to breathe. Most ran back. Soldiers charged us and fell upon the women, grabbing some whom they arrested. Most of the women had run back, trying to recover from the tear gas, but I wanted to talk to the soldiers to prevent the arrest of four women. Suddenly, out of nowhere, four horses charged with border police mounted on them. I started to run, but one of them ridden by a young woman in uniform caught up with me and she struck my head with her billy club. I fell, and then a second horse charged toward me and I felt more blows on my head and back. There was no provocation whatsoever at any point while this was happening. * * * Gila also reports: The Israeli women's peace movement placed an ad in HA'ARETZ on May 18, calling for an immediate halt to the violence in the Palestinian refugee town of Rafah, where scores of Palestinians have been killed--including many children--and for a renewal of negotiations for a peace agreement that will extract us from ALL the occupied territories. "True and enduring solutions," we wrote, "are attained by negotiation, not destruction, revenge or humiliation." On May 18, 40 women drove to Gaza to see if they could intervene physically, but were prevented from entering Gaza by the army. The women set up an encampment at the Sufa checkpoint and say they will not leave until the army stops its actions there. Other peace and human rights organizations have placed newspaper ads, and many are organizing a larger delegation to join the women on May 21. |
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