Palestinian students on hunger strike at Bethlehem university / des étudiants en gréve de la faim à l'université de Bethléem, 23.01.2012

(c) Anne Paq/Activestills.org, Behlehem, 23.01.2012.

This is a post by Linah Alsaafin ( about the student of Birzeit university, she is making good points:

#OccupyBZU to #BZUProtest

It's a sign of the times we're living in when hashtags are perfectly acceptable as titles, and I'm sure there are countless thesis dissertations in progress attributing this as another significant regime-tackling phenomenons of social media. Suffice to say, it is increasingly obvious where people get much of their news from nowadays.

Last week on Tuesday the 17th, a number of students from Birzeit University protested the totalitarian fixtures regarding tuition costs and financial measures introduced at the start of the second semester, which left 1200 students unable to continue their education because of the expensive costs. Dozens walked inside the administrative building, and were subsequently locked in by security. Thus, #OccupyBZU was commenced.

One of my main problems with my time at Birzeit University was the lack of any concrete student activism, overtaken instead by the simulated scenes and atmosphere of a US high school as shown in Hollywood movies. That's all fine and dandy since not everyone wants to be at the forefront of tackling social change or even challenging Captain Israel to an arm-wrestling match, but when the circumstances are crying out for it, there is no excuse left to remain passive. The glory days of BZU were during the first intifada, the late 80's to the early 90's, where students were largely involved in peaceful resistance against the Israeli military occupation. One such demonstration was attending classes in empty buildings in defiance of Israeli military orders. Students were one of the important driving forces behind the mass protests and civil disobedience in Palestinian society. That of course didn't come without its sacrifices; another name for Birzeit University is the Martyrs' University/ جامعةالشهداء due to its thirteen students killed by Israel.

The Oslo Accords can be explained as the reason for the students' growing detachment from politics, despite the student parties within the university itself being derivatives of Palestinian political parties. The second intifada ushered in armed resistance as the primary method of response against Israel's increasingly unbearable occupation, which contrary to the first intifada, isolated sectors of the Palestinian society from being a true popular uprising. Coordination with the other eight universities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip became more difficult. Factionalism reared its ugly face following the US backed civil fighting between Hamas and Fateh back in 2006. Politics on campus became repressive, and used as a platform to trash talk the rival party. Some male students belonging to Hamas' Kutla Islamiyeh bloc were imprisoned by the Palestinian Authority. Instead of the students of the Fateh university Shabeeba group demanding their release, the act was further augmented by incendiary accusations and wholehearted support. These antics only managed to alienate a large number of students who find no representative as they are not affiliated to any political student party, and "student activism" took the role of proudly parroting each respective party's propaganda.

The above serves as an explanation for the disillusionment concerning the possibility for any meaningful act to take place on campus. These protests against financial matters are hardly news. In fact, it is the norm at the beginning of every single semester. They always take the same cycle: Students protest, each student political party writes up a statement, get out their best throaty orator backed with factional music, and proceed to threaten the university's administration with calls of prolonged strikes. The whole thing lasts for a week, with actions escalating then diminishing as fast as if they never happened, without any success achieved. The same Spartan students go from building to building, classroom to classroom, informing the other students that classes have been suspended for the day, right under the nose of the professor. They order the students to leave the classrooms, leave the building, and join them in a demonstration in front of the administration building. Hardly anyone listens, and see this as an opportunity to hang out with friends. The buildings then get put on lock down for an indefinite time period, even if there are students and professors inside. Tires are burned at the gates of the university, the gates themselves get locked with chains brought from who knows where, and the student portal Ritaj becomes useless as it doesn't give out updates for whether there will be classes on this day or not.

The point is that these drastic actions serve as a cry for attention, as their repetitive nature hardly achieve whatever demands the student parties champion out through the state of the art loudspeakers. But Tuesday, January the 17th excited a lot of people, myself included because it was the first time students staged a sit-in overnight. The following morning, more details began to emerge and were shared on Twitter.

It turned out that students, contrary to initial thoughts, did not purposely mean to stay overnight in the administrative building. 76 students merely went inside to protest peacefully, and found themselves locked in by security after the administrative staff vacated the building. Allegedly, one security guard taunted the students by saying, "Let's see who's man enough to stay here for the night." The radiators were turned off, and the students spent the night without blankets or food, shivering as a storm raged outside. For those who had to use the bathroom, they were allowed outside but were prevented from going back in. As a result, 22 students were left inside the administrative building. The following morning, one student's health deteriorated rapidly but the administrative prohibited him from receiving immediate medical attention. The university dean Dr Khalil Hindi issued a media blackout on the whole situation.

The most austere financial measure imposed was that a student's tuition had to be paid in full before the new semester begins, in order for the student to choose his/her own classes. This is outrageous to say the least. Tuition costs are usually paid in money installments twice a semester, in an attempt to alleviate some families' financial stresses. Non-elected Prime Minister Salam Fayyad may have succeeded in transforming the West Bank, and Ramallah specifically into a capitalist consumerism society, but Birzeit University doesn't host only the privileged rich kids. I remember one time taking a group of high school seniors from Jenin on a quick tour on campus, and one of the chaperoning teachers told me he couldn't afford to send his kids to Birzeit Uni because the tuition was more than his monthly salary. The university is suffering from financial losses because the Palestinian Authority owes it money from three years.

10 students from Bethlehem University went on hunger strike also protesting the changed tuition policies, before #OccupyBZU even started. Speaking of "Occupy" (a word I don't like for apparent reasons) the hashtag was changed to #ProtestBZU because the administration accused the students of occupying the building--ignoring the fact that they were locked in-- thus painting the whole sit-in unfavorably as it is in their interests to do so.

The protest seemingly had the support of the majority of the students, those affiliated with parties and those who were not. For once it wasn't an act pulled by Hamas, or Fateh, or the Left (Jabha). Some even went so far as to label it the Birzeit Spring:

More pictures found here

The protest continued for the next couple of days. The gates of the university were still closed, the students still inside the building. The university's workers' union tried to mediate between the demands of the students and the administration but found that the administration ignored the demands and flat out refused to even talk, let alone negotiate with a group of students who were not the official representative. When the student council finally announced their support for the locked in students, the administration still refused to talk. Even after a committee composed of representatives of all eight student parties as well as from the student council was agreed upon, the administration still refused to talk. Their arrogance is a staple in their job description. The bureaucratic system of Birzeit University is one of the worst I've ever had the misfortune to encounter. Other students brought tents and pitched them outside the gate, where they too staged a sit-in. The media blackout was still in place, with everyone getting updates and information from students on site tweeting away. Reports had it that Dr Hindi cut off the internet on campus, an act that Mubarak would have applauded...or in hindsight, maybe not.

Then on Saturday, a press conference was called at 10am. At 12pm was another press conference for the administration. The blackout was lifted. The vice president of the university denounced the protesting students as having an agenda. For their part, the students finally made the financial and academic demands public. This threw the whole protest into a different light, as some of the demands were pretty stupid, to put it bluntly. Speaking to other students, they told me that the behavior of the protesting students was far from angelic in directing their speeches towards the dean, as if he were a despicable despot. Regardless, if you're going to protest peacefully, willing to endure days of cold and mistreatment, then whatever you're protesting for should be worthwhile, practical, and most importantly, in the interests of the students themselves. Many found issue with the academic demands (seems like the sillier points, such as raising the number of times a student was allowed to fail a class before getting suspended permanently from three to five were omitted, see below) while the financial ones were more sensible.

Financial Demands (translated from here)

• For every student to have the chance to pay his or her tuition in money installments throughout the semester, especially students who have previous debts and did not have the chance to register for this semester, and for them to register on the back of what they could pay according to their financial status, and to pay the rest of the tuition throughout the semester.

• To give preferential treatment to students with special and social needs and students who were prisoners in Israeli jails, and for them to register with ease through what is mentioned in point number one.

• For the university to restart the system of accepting cheques as a form of money installments or at least to find a new mechanism for paying tuition costs as agreed upon by the students and the administration.

• To give scholarships to sibling students without going through the bureaucratic ladder, regardless of whether these students have already received financial aid or not.

• To conduct a thorough survey among all students in order to see who is eligible for financial aid. This way financial aid will not go to students who don't need it, which has posed as an obstacle to the students who are in actual need.

Academic Demands

• To open the registration for classes (add/drop week) especially for students who were late in paying their tuition as stipulated in point number one, and to open sections

• To reconsider the policy of transferring from one major to the next, which grows more complicated without any justification, without affecting the academic and educational level of the university.

• To not give elevated courses to inexperienced or newly graduated teachers and to preserve the quality of academic level

An agreement was reached on Sunday. The administration finally got off its high horse long enough to agree to all of the financial demands, but wouldn't agree to any of the academic ones pointing out it was beyond their reach to make changes regarding this aspect. Normal classes are set to resume on Tuesday, the 24th.

Meanwhile, five students have been hospitalized as a result of the hunger strike they started last Monday. More students have vowed to join in the hunger strike, raising the total to thirty students, seven who have been on strike since last week.

From Ma'an News Agency:

The administration suspended classes last Tuesday, saying it could not ensure students' safety on campus because of the protests, which have included all-night sit-ins.

The student senate, which is leading the protest, said it had tried to end the crisis by offering the university 40,000 Jordanian dinars ($56,400) from the Fatah movement to exempt students from tuition fee increases. It said the university had not responded to the initiative.

Instead of treating symptoms, the source of the sickness must be treated first. Birzeit students may have succeeded in achieving their financial demands, but what about the cause for the rise in tuition costs? It's not all down to the university's miserliness. The Palestinian Authority is in debt, plain and simple. It has done absolutely nothing to build and sustain a homegrown economy, relying instead on overwhelming foreign donor money. Austerity measures have recently been introduced, with citizens required to pay a minimum of a 5% tax increase and a maximum of 30%. The PA takes the billions of dollars it is granted by governments, and hardly invests them in community building projects or in Palestinian society in general, unless you count the mushrooming number of bars and expensive restaurants that cater to the elite. Dissolving the PA would pop the bubble of normalcy under occupation, and there'd be a good chance of Palestinians of finally realizing that their houses, cars, laptops-all on loans- and lifestyles they cannot afford are worth nothing while they are still under Israeli occupation.

So I call on all students in the West Bank to rise up, first against the parasitical PA, then against the occupation once and for all.

Protest against the renewed negociations / Manifestation contre la reprise des negociations entre le PLO et Israel, ramallah, 21.01.2012

(c) Anne Paq/Activestills.org, Ramallah, 21.01.2012.

Follow Up Protest for #No2Negotiations

by Linah Alsaafin
http://lifeonbirzeitcampus.blogspot.com/

In a blatant demonstration of the Palestinian Authority’s colossal gap between the interests of itself and the people it claims to represent, unelected chief negotiator Saeb Erekat will meet up with his Israeli counterpart Yitzhak Molcho for the fourth round of talks in Amman, Jordan on January 25th. The announcement came barely a day after Palestinians protested against the farcical negotiations in front of the PA compound of al-Muqata’a in Ramallah.

Nevertheless, the group Palestinians With Dignity have been quick to issue another statement out, calling for another protest this Saturday the 21st. It is clear that these protests are not reactionary, and will continue until all negotiations between the occupied and the occupier cease once and for all. Last week saw the arrest of a young man who participated in the protest by the PA security forces. He was attacked and interrogated before being released.

In a true and classical behavior that characterizes Arab repressive governments who are merely puppets of western interests, will violence against protesters by the PA escalate?

Below is the statement [emphasis not mine], with a link to a petition against negotiations at the bottom:

Last Saturday 14th of January, we stood in silence in front of the Presidential Compound (Muqata’a) in Ramallah demanding the immediate stop of the bilateral negotiations between Saeb Erekat and Yitzhak Molcho in Amman. The bitter cold did not stop us from protesting against the return to these fruitless talks. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) has retreated from its earlier position that they will not return to negotiations, until settlement expansion is halted and all the political prisoners were released; this represents the bare minimum demands of the Palestinian people.

The PLO’s reneging on their promise to the Palestinian people and their return to negotiations implies that the leadership accepts the continued theft and seizure of Palestinian lands, legitimizes the ever-going attacks of the settlers, and furthermore undermines the Palestinian people in whole.

As Palestinians youth, we do not see any benefits from these futile negotiations. We have grown weary of representatives that don’t represent us, a national consensus that does not include us, and an implied future pseudo-state that does not guarantee our rights; specifically the rights of the majority of Palestinians who are refugees and live in exile.

It appears that our message last Saturday fell on deaf ears. The Palestinian leadership is still moving forward with negotiations, despite the Israeli occupation’s expansion of illegal colonies in the West Bank, the continued siege on Gaza, and Israel’s continued practice of the crime of Apartheid against Palestinians.

Nevertheless, we have not been deterred from acting. We demand the Palestinian leadership bears its responsibility in defying all sources of foreign pressure to return to negotiations. Instead of pursuing negotiations at this moment in time, we are in need of a resistance-based strategy. A strategy that begins with the unification of Palestinians and the political, economic, cultural and academic boycott of the apartheid state of Israel. We unequivocally demand that our leadership invests in its people, because when unified, together we can alter the balance of power to our favor.

On Saturday, January 21st at 1 PM we will again protest at the doorsteps of the Presidential Compound (Muqata’a). Join us on Saturday, and let us together stand tall with dignity and full of pride until our demands are met.

Show your support by signing the following petition against negotiations:
http://www.aredaonline.com/petition_against_negotiations

Palestinians for Dignity

Palestinian tweeps on the ground will be using the hashtag #No2negotiations for live updates.

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Un groupe d'activistes palestiniens ont organisé pour la deuxième fois une manifestation contre la reprise des négociations entre l'OLP et Israël qui se déroule à Amman par des rencontres prévues entre Saeb Erekat et son homologue israélien Yitzhak Molcho.
Ces rencontres sont vues comme un recul de l'OLP qui avait assuré qu'il ne serait pas question de négocier tant qu'Israël continue à étendre les colonies. La semaine dernière un des participants à la manifestations avait été arrêté après la manifestation et interrogé pendant plusieurs heures par les forces de sécurité palestiniennes.

Egypt proved to Palestinians that revolution has a point

Egypt proved to Palestinians that revolution has a point

In their attempts to suppress youth demonstrations in Gaza and Ramallah, the two rival Palestinian ruling parties appear to be remarkably in tune
By Amira Hass

At around 10:30 P.M. last Thursday, several brooms and trash bags suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and a few young men began sweeping the square and filling the trash bags. This wasn't Tahrir Square in Cairo, but Manara Square in Ramallah.

An act of imitation, or perhaps, one of inspiration? Cleaning a public space to express a connection to it is not not an Egyptian invention, many here are quick to remind you. Indeed, the hope sparked by the first intifada also led to collective clean-up efforts in various neighborhoods and refugee camps in the Israeli occupied territories. Whatever the case, this is clearly not just about sweeping up dusty asphalt, but rather, an expression of the unwritten correspondence taking place now between Cairo, Ramallah and Gaza.
Rally Gaza - Reuters



The young boys in Manara square - some of whom recently held a hunger strike and camped out here for nights - have also volunteered over the past year to carry out various chores in Nabi Salah, a village that has been waging a popular uprising against the army and Jewish settlers from Halamish, with many detainees and casualties to show for it. So there is really no need to go all the way to Cairo to search for inspiration.

The boys suspended their hunger strike for three days after PA President Mahmoud Abbas announced plans to travel to the Gaza Strip, and activists here say they will do their utmost to make sure he doesn't renege on his promise because as they see it, ending the internal rift among the Palestinians is vital to the success of the popular struggle against the Israeli occupation.

They've been hanging out in the square since the beginning of last week preparing for the demonstration that took place on Tuesday, March 15. Their motto fuses together various elements of the captivating slogans created by demonstrators in Tunisia and Egypt - "The people want an end to the rift, the people want an end to the occupation."

Palestinian and foreign media have reported that the protest in Gaza on Tuesday was violently repressed. Hamas has good reason, then, to claim that the media are biased against it, because at exactly the same time (around 7 P.M. ) that motorcycle-riding thugs in civilian clothes were attacking thousands of demonstrators in Gaza's Al-Katiba Square with batons and sticks and then proceeded to destroy their tents, bullies in civilian garb were also swooping down on dozens of demonstrators in Manara Square.

Without any coordination, the two rival ruling parties were able that day to operate in marvelous harmony. In Ramallah, dressed as demonstrators, the Fatah activists arrived early. Hoisting shiny Palestinian flags fresh out of the sewing workshop and carrying big bullhorns that were able to drown out any other noise, they chanted slogans not particularly friendly to Hamas. In Gaza, Hamas activists used flags, loudspeakers and slogans to gain control of the Square of the Unknown Soldier, but the protesters there outnumbered them and were able to fan out around the city despite attempts to intimidate them. Both sides in the dual-headed Palestinian regime tried out different tactics of repression used by neighboring governments (minus the stinky water, the lethal rubber bullets and the uniforms of the Israeli military court judges. ) The suppression of the demonstrators in Gaza was more brutal and less sophisticated. The thugs acting on behalf of the regime broke the arms of some of the young leaders and beat dozens of the other protesters, including women and children. Hamas security agents, driving cars with dark windows and without license plates, joined the attackers. Journalists were beaten, cameras were confiscated and several people were detained. As one of the protesters described it: "If in Gaza, [Hamas] beats me up in the street in order to intimidate and deter, in Ramallah, they [Fatah] invite an activist out to a restaurant."

But it went beyond tempting someone into a restaurant. When some of the young people insisted on remaining in Manara Square, a bunch of thugs identified with Fatah attacked and beat them. A respectable Fatah delegation rushed to the scene to clarify that "they are not us." The delegation members even brought a tent sent by Abbas as compensation for the two tents that had earlier been destroyed. But the demonstrators refused to accept the gift, showing the same determination they had shown previously when they asked representatives of three left-wing parties to leave the scene. "This is not a photo studio," one of them explained to me, referring to the exaggerated interest of the cameras in prominent personalities. The young demonstrators were also able to identify, smiling as they did, the various plainclothes intelligence officers mingling among them with serious expressions on their faces.

The Hamas Interior Ministry claimed, in a press release quoted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, that the demonstrators in Al-Katiba Square were mainly Fatah activists, particularly former members of the security branches. "They tried to use the demonstrations in order to create chaos," the press release said. "They shouted fiery slogans against the government. The security people intervened in order to disperse the crowd and force Fatah to observe the law and maintain security."

In Gaza, the regime has pointed a finger at Fatah (or more precisely, the Palestine Liberation Organization ). In Ramallah, the ruling party has hinted that the blame lies with "left-wing subversion." The fact is that during the March 15 demonstration, a slogan suddenly appeared calling for elections to the PLO's national council (the parliament ). This was immediately interpreted - and justifiably so - as an attempt to transfer hegemony from the Palestinian Authority (that is, Fatah ) to the PLO, albeit a rehabilitated and improved version of the movement. As one young activist enthusiastically explained to me: "With all due respect to the elders of our tribe, the youngest of them is older than 60, and altogether, 50 members of the national council are in a state of coma." Just as they did in Cairo, activities in the square provide a good crash course in political awareness and daring.

Despite efforts to suppress their activities in Gaza and the West Bank, the young people have already put together a long-term plan of action. Their initiative began in the West Bank, but very quickly attracted budding organizations in the Gaza Strip. All this transpired before the revolution in Egypt. But the success of the Egyptian revolution has provided them with a much-needed boost of adrenaline. Just like their peers in Cairo, the Palestinian youth want to free themselves from the shackles of the "there's nothing to do because there's no point" mentality. Egypt has proven that there is a point and that there is a purpose.

activist account of repression of unity protests in Gaza City

This is the account of a female activist on the recent wave of repression of unity protests in Gaza City.


Things are going wild here. Hamas has discredited itself by it's harsh clampdown on demonstrators, but mostly by it's unwillingness to work towards unity. On the 15th of March they took over the demo that they claimed to support. However, in the early morning they put up their stage and soon their green flags were waving all over Al Jundi Square. A group of female students arrived to the square and chanted pro unity slogans, to be hushed out in an aggressive manner by men with green flags. So the youth took the demo to Al Kattiba square to demonstrate for unity away from the banner of any party, be it Hamas or Fateh. At approximately 3 pm, Hamas supporters came with their flags, causing for disruption. They had a Palestinian flag to which they attached a long green part, the party's flag. A stone fight broke out but calmed down rather quickly, as soon as the flags disappeared. Later in the afternoon Hamas had officially declared that it would protect all demonstrators and that they would be allowed to continue as long as it would continue to be non-violent. At the same time, rumors were spreading though that they would clear the square by 5 pm. 5 pm turned into 6 pm. Nothing happened at 6 pm, but a bit after 7 pm a sudden mass hysteria broke out, hundreds of people were running away. I was sitting down, taking a break and was almost run over by them. I couldn't grasp it though. I kept on asking people what they were running from as I hadn’t heard any gunfire. "Run, it's the poliiiice!" was all I got out. I ran away with them not fully comprehending what was happening. A little later, it figured out that they [Hamas] had run into a crowd of people with their jeeps, had set tents on fire and were beating people harshly with clubs. About 20 people ended up in hospital, of whom the majority were girls, mostly with broken limbs. It was crazy. but still I wondered why people were that afraid of wooden sticks. "It's because we know how much they hate people", different people told me.


Twenty minutes later, I passed by the square in a taxi and the square was packed with police and men in civilian dress carrying guns or sticks. Internal security was everywhere and they probably instigated the mass hysteria by collectively running away. It worked, in less than 10 minutes the square was cleared. Later in the evening I heard a friend, who is a journalist, was arrested and threatened that she would better watch her steps if she cares about her life and that of her son.


The day after, the youth decided to go to Al Jundi again, leaving from Al-Azhar university. Once they were inside the university, the police locked them up and Hamas thugs started rioting from the inside. One guy was severely injured and was taken away by an ambulance. Hundreds were supporting from the outside, but after an hour or two the police chased people again with their clubs, indiscriminately of gender. They hit me as well on my leg. It’s a big bruise, which is harmless, but it bet such a hit could break your knee.

Since then all craziness has embarked on Gaza. Yesterday morning, Al Qassam shot 50 rockets into Israel within half an hour, a well coordinated attack, while Hamas was trying to maintain the calm in Gaza and was restricting armed resistance. It is clear to me now, Hamas does not want unity, many of their move or mere PR. Abbas' visit to the coastal enclave won't happen. I wonder: do they even care about Palestine? It looks like they just want power over Gaza. But do they care about the Gazans? This barrage of mortar shells is an ideal excuse for Israel to crack down with excessive violence on Gaza again.


Internal security is everywhere now, looking to arrest more demonstrators, which they have declared to be illegal now, chasing them around, kidnapping them from the street etc. Yesterday evening they raided AFP and Reuters, confiscating their material and ravaging the places. A befriended free lance journalist was picked up from the streets, they took his phone and laptop and all personal belongings and called him a Zionist collaborator in favor of the US because he had a couple of films on his laptop that they didn’t like so much. It’s gone mental here! Hamas is risking another Israeli massacre just to avoid unity. Check Ynet - Tizpi Levni is already hungry for another Cast Lead.


My feeling is that they are using the two martyrs of the other day as an excuse. They supposedly target the Israeli occupation, but create a far bigger internal destruction.

Not only armed resistance is suppressed, peaceful demos in the border area are also outlawed. The young people are angry and disappointed with the government. How they are dealing with freedom of speech and press and the right to demonstrate is outraging.


Personally, I feel more uncomfortable here in Gaza because of the authority's regime. What I hear from people who were arrested is that they are accused of being with the West. I know many of the young people here who are involved in these protests, and Hamas is wrongly trying to depict these protests as Fateh instigated, supported by Zionists and their Western allies. I think I personally don’t need to be that afraid, but it's all becoming worrisome, let's keep it at that. Since yesterday, I feel the desperation of Palestine as I had never felt it before. I don't feel the hope now, what is there to have faith in? As my friend across the table has been saying all day: "the atmosphere is dark outside".

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ACCOUNT BY PALESTINIAN ACTIVIST

Last night March 14th, Hamas took over the Square, they brought their flags and their slogans and put a podium/stand with microphones.

Today, 15 March, morning, people started gathering in the Unknown Soldier Square, and in the same time, Hamas brought their supporters holding their "flags" and started singing for Hamas. They run people by cars, beat us with the sticks of their flags.

The "authorities" restricted all the private cab companies from picking people to the Unknown Soldier Square, all water vans from supplying us with water and banned anyone to supply us with microphones and sound systems.

We called out to them, come join us, hold the Palestinian flag and join us, we're here for all of us. Their response was calling us names, violence and mockery.

They had each of their flags made in half, half of it the Palestinian flag and the other half is Hamas' "flag", I said to one of the Hamas guys, "Take down your party's "Flag", hold up the Palestinian flag and come join us." He tore his flag in half, threw down the Palestinian flag to the road, and his exact words were, "Here's your flag, take it; my party's is enough for me."

We tried to go to another field, they blocked the way, and didn't allow us to go into the Soldier Square, so they pushed us into the Katyba Square, which we were fixed on not going to, because it is very dangerous- it is in an empty area, surrounded by police stations, many vacant buildings, but we had to go to secure safety for the people and maintain the peace.

Twice, Hamas supporters came to the Katyba Square and threw us with stones.

At night, they blocked all the ways to where we were, and Hamas thugs and internal security, and the OFFICIAL police attacked us with sticks at around 8.00-8.30 (i remember my sister told me i got home at 9+, so it's something round that).

They came out from everywhere, they burnt the tents. They've arrested people two women Asmaa' Al Ghoul and Samah Alrwag-who was stabbed in the back, many of the 15th of March organizers got into hospital and Hamas went and kidnapped them from there.

They came to where the women were standing right away, everybody ran for their lives, we ended up only 6 girls staying!!

They cornered the six of us and beat the life out of us with sticks, kicked us with their feet, spit on us, called us awful names and threatened us with the choice of firing guns!

Then someone came, and they told us to go home, I told the girls to come with me cause my place was the nearest "virtually", a number of thugs, policemen and internal security agents, walked around us, all the way calling us names and beating us. I walked holding my flag in front of me, and they were all mocking us and laughing saying, "You want to end the division, here's to the division!!" and that was accompanied with a stroke either on the back, maybe on the head, on the stomach or on the hips.

They took many photographer's cameras and broke many.

They're trying to suspend universities tomorrow, to make sure no body goes out, but we will be there. We're staying and like we said before, all what happened tonight will be forgiven; I will forgive, if only they'd come down with us and realize that we are peaceful, we are demonstrating because we're demanding a better future for all of us. I told one of the guys who was beating me, I'm here for you, I'm here for your future and your children's future, but he was deaf to my pleas!

In spite of everything that's happened, the demonstration, till they forced it apart with their sticks and flying chairs, remained faithful to its message, END THE DIVISION.

None of the slogans was biased to any political party, we all chanted and called for unity, for Palestine.

And we will go out tomorrow and they day after tomorrow and the day after that, calling for peace, security and unity.

Our message is, yes, we are willing to die for what we believe in, but that's not what we're trying to advocate.

Why die, when what we're doing is worth living for?

We're out because we want a better future for us and for our children. We're going out because we want to build our independent country. We're going out because we believe in life.

We had enough of death and violence, now we want peace, prosperity, love, LIFE.

We are the youth of Palestine, and we will NEVER cave in or give up, till we earn our right of having a choice in life.

We will not back down till we are free.



REVOLUTION!

- 15th of March activist/protester.
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ONE MORE (blog post by an activist)
with pictures: http://ranabaker.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/march-15-gaza-calls-for-end-to-the-palestinian-internal-division/

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Friend arrested and threatened: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=370192

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Human Rights Watch report
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/19/gaza-stop-suppressing-peaceful-protests

Palestinian youth still holding protest activities in Bethlehem / Les jeunes Palestiniens continuent leurs manifestations a Bethleem, 18.03.2011

(c) Anne Paq/Activestills.org, Bethlehem, 18.03.2011

Speeches, Music, Songs, Poetry and theater were all part of a series of activities led by Palestinian Youth in the Nativity Square during the evening of 18.03.2011.
Some Palestinian Youth have been staying in the protest tent that was erected on Wednesday evening. They continue to call for the end of division between Palestinian parties which resulted in the division between Gaza and the West Bank. The atmosphere was very nice and uplifting. Some special forces of the PA did appear around the tent but did not intervene.
More activities will be organized tonight. In the meantime, some young Palestinians are also staying in Ramallah around al manara square. Today some more demonstrations are also organized in Gaza. In the last few days, somne human rights organizations from the Gaza Strip denounced the attack by security forces on the demonstrators and journalists.
See for instance the press release by Al Mezan:



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Discours, musique, chansons, poésie et théâtre faisaient tous partie d'une série d'activités menées par un groupe de jeunes palestinienne qui ont elu domicile à la place de la Nativité dans la soirée du 18.03.2011.

Certains jeunes Palestiniens restent et campent dans la tente de protestation qui a été érigée, mercredi soir. Ils continuent a reclamer la fin de la division entre les partis palestiniennes qui ont abouti à la division desastreuse entre Gaza et la Cisjordanie. L'atmosphère était plutôt joyeuse . Certaines forces spéciales de l'Autorité palestiniennes sont apparu neanmoins autour de la tente, mais ne sont pas intervenues.
Plus d'activités seront organisées ce soir. En attendant, certains jeunes Palestiniens restent egalement à Ramallah autour de la place al Manara. Aujourd'hui, des manifestations sont également organisées dans la bande de Gaza. Certaines organisations des droits humains de la bande de Gaza ont dénoncé ces derniers jours les attaques contre les manifestants et les journalistes:
voir par exemple le communique de Al Mazan:

Palestinian youth still holding protest in Bethlehem / Les jeunes Palestiniens continuent leurs manifestations a Bethleem, 17.03.2011

(c) Anne Paq/Activestills.org, Bethlehem, 17.03.2011

A group of Palestinian calling for the end of division between Palestinian parties continue protesting and stay overnight in a protest tent, Bethlehem, 17.03.2011. They have been sleeping in the nativity square since the first day of the demonstrations calling for unity on 15th of March. They are determined to stay until unity and their other demands are met (including the release of political prisoners, and elections of the Palestinian national council). This is a new and fresh social movement led by Palestinian youth inspired by what happened elsewhere in the Arab World. They are connected with the other groups which are still organizing protests and sits-in in Ramallah and the Gaza Strip. Some results had already been achieved with 1) a significant number of Palestinians did go into the streets and left their political parties flags behind, clearly asking the PA and Hamas to reach a solution 2) Mahmoud Abbas agreeing to meet Gaza premier Ismail Haniyeh...but as a young Palestinian told me last evening at the nativity square: " I want to see them "make" things and not "say"".
From what I could witness so far, this movement is truly independent and youth-led, and has clear goals and potential...these youth are not naive, they know they cannot change things overnight but they believe in the possibility of change. and more than just believing in it, they make it happen. That might be the best news for Palestine for a long long time. If this movement continues growing and is not kidnapped or strangled by the PA or Hamas, we might witness the start of a revolution that will come as a surprise to many analysts, the international community and Israel...a revolution for which nobody can forsee the end.

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Un groupe de jeunes Palestinien manifestant pour la fin de la division entre les partis palestiniens continuent de protester et de passer la nuit dans une tente de protestation, a Bethléem, 17.03.2011. Ils ont dormi sur la place de la Nativité depuis le premier jour des manifestations appelant à l'unité le 15 Mars. Ils sont déterminés à rester jusqu'à ce que l'unité et leurs autres demandes sont satisfaites ( qui incluent libération des prisonniers politiques, et les élections du Conseil national palestinien). Il s'agit d'un nouveau mouvement social dirigés par des jeunes palestiniens, inspirés par ce qui s'est passé ailleurs dans le monde arabe. Ils sont reliés avec les autres groupes qui sont encore en train organiser des manifestations et des sit-in à Ramallah et dans la bande de Gaza. Certains résultats ont déjà été obtenus avec 1) un nombre considérable de Palestiniens qui sont allés dans les rues et ont laissé leur drapeaux politiques derrière eux, demandant clairement l'Autorité Palestinienne et au Hamas pour parvenir à une solution 2) Mahmoud Abbas a accepté de rencontrer le de facto premier ministre Ismail Haniyeh à Gaza .. . mais comme un jeune Palestinien m'a dit hier soir sur la place de la Nativité: «Je veux les voir" faire "des choses et non pas" dire ".
D'après ce que j'ai pu voir jusqu'à présent, ce mouvement est réellement indépendant et dirigé par des jeunes, et a des objectifs clairs et un grand potentiel ... ces jeunes ne sont pas naïfs, ils savent qu'ils ne peuvent changer les choses du jour au lendemain, mais ils croient en la possibilité de changement. et plus que simplement croire en elle, ils sont en train d'agir pour le réaliser. C'est peut-être la meilleure nouvelle pour la Palestine depuis très très longtemps. Si ce mouvement continue à croitre et n'est pas detourné ou étranglé par l'Autorité palestinienne ou du Hamas, on est en train d'assister au début d'une révolution qui viendra comme une surprise pour de nombreux analystes, la communauté internationale et Israël ....et dont personne ne peut encore prédire la fin.



see also PNN article:

Youth Continue to Demand National Unity in Bethlehem

18.03.11 - 15:28

Ghassan Bannoura – PNN Exclusive – Three days after thousands of Palestinian youths rallied in the West Bank and Gaza Strip demanding national unity, a group of youth continued their sit-in in Bethlehem’s Manger Square. The young men and women are calling their tent a "unity tent," which they erected in the square on Tuesday, March 15. The protestors are part of the March 15 Youth coalition, which organized rallies in Gaza and West Bank cities to demand national unity and a new Palestinian National Council based on a one-person, one-vote model for all Palestinians around the world. After midday prayers ended at the nearby Mosque of Omar, youth chanted today, “The people demand national unity. Hamas and Fatah, unity for Palestine.” Manger Square Today -Photo by Circarre Parrhesia Joudat al-Sayah, one of the youths, told PNN, “We are staying until all our demands are met. We been here for three days so far and we are not leaving until our demands are reached.” The sit-in started on Tuesday with only 9 youths. Organizers say the number of people joining them in the tent is increasing every day. “We were 9 on the first day," said al-Sayah. "On Wednesday we became 30, last night were reached 90 and today we are 100. We expect the number to rise.” The protest tents set up by the youth in Ramallah and Bethlehem have not been attacked by security forces as yet. On Wednesday night, however, Palestinian police tried to remove the Unity Tent in Bethlehem without success.

Demonstration for unity / Manifestation appelant a l'unite, Bethlehem, 15.03.2011

(c) Anne Paq/Activesills.org, Bethlehem, 15.03.2011

Why Palestinians will protest on 15 March
Rawan Abu-Shahla, The Electronic Intifada, 14 March 2011

We are a group of Palestinian youths who have come together for the sole purpose of leaving behind our political identities and affiliations, and deciding to put our best interests above all else, united under our Palestinian flag. We have called for peaceful demonstrations on Tuesday, 15 March across the Palestinian nation -- in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, the territories of 1948 and the Palestinian diaspora, calling out together one slogan: "The people want to end the division!"

We call for peaceful actions in support of unity in the Palestinian political scene under one banner, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Division in the Palestinian body politic has affected every aspect of our lives: socially, economically, educationally and intellectually. It is ordinary Palestinians who have paid the price of the four-year long division that serves no one but the Israeli occupier.

Our campaign to end the division started out as a thought which stirred discussion, and some youths decided to give it a try and did everything possible to make this initiative happen. Day after day, the idea grew and became a plan and then a public decision to not be silenced anymore, not to be terrorized or oppressed and most importantly, not to be ignored and forgotten anymore. That is how we came to our decision to demonstrate on 15 March, state the public's refusal of the status quo and the practices of the political "leadership."

It is an idea so beautiful in its simplicity and purity, that all the political parties' attempts to alter it, complicate it, or accuse those behind it of serving some subversive agenda, have failed. And after discovering that this is a genuine movement that reflects nothing more than the conscience of the Palestinian public being awakened, the political parties are in distress and confusion. To oppress or not to oppress? -- that is the question they now face.

In recent weeks, we worked to spread the idea among the people, encouraging them to participate with their families, to trust that their voice will be heard once they raise it, and to trust each other and understand that we are all in this together no matter what political affiliations or beliefs we hold. We have sought to convince them that with unity in our call and in the field, we will vanquish the fear that is nesting inside us, and that when we stand together as one to claim or rights, no one can harm us or oppress us.

The peaceful 15 March demonstrations will be the start of a series of activities, and the first day of an open-ended sit-in. The main idea is that we're staying until the political "leadership" wises up, subjects itself to the people's demands and takes serious actions toward fulfilling them. What happens next is totally in the hands of the people.

This movement is from the people, and for them. As for Gaza Youth Breaks Out (GYBO), and all other participating groups working in the field, we have only the honor of initiative. All else now depends on how the Palestinian street responds, and on how strong they can be.

Things will be hard; there are threats, whether of violence from controlling parties, or fear of chaos. But we have complete faith in our call and in our people. We are betting on the patriotic Palestinian conscience to act up, and for all to learn to accept, respect and salute our differences, forgive the past and start anew, showing the world a true Palestinian example of tolerance. Our calls are peaceful and our only purpose is to restore the lost harmony in Palestinian society.

The campaign to end the division is a long-awaited public decision to move, and to cast away all the fears. There is a long list of reasons why people are so fed up and why they are going out to make their demands heard.

Palestinians have now come to understand that through their silence and submission to the political parties' wills, through accepting to be manipulated and terrorized, they become accomplices just as guilty as the parties themselves.

The people are going out so that they will do their part in bringing change, and breaking out of the general air of indifference that has been filling our hearts for the past four years.

We Palestinians, with all our different backgrounds, will no longer be ignored. We will claim our rights as citizens and human beings to be respected, protected and recognized as the sole source of legitimate power. Our government must understand that we the people are a force to be reckoned with. We will not be deceived by speeches -- we've had enough of those. We believe that actions speak louder than words and we, the Palestinian public, are doing our part with this initiative to give the "leadership" one more chance to earn our trust.

The day of a one-way relationship between the governors and the people will be, come 15 March, over.

The division among Palestinians must end. It has weakened our cause and instead of remaining the internationally-renowned symbol of a righteous and lawful struggle that it has always been, it has deteriorated into an illusion of authority and positions, allowing our occupier and real oppressor, Israel, to violate us. Israel continues to kidnap and imprison more innocent Palestinians without fair trials, to invade our territories, wreck our homes, uproot our trees, steal our heritage, bomb our cities and besiege the Gaza Strip for five consecutive years. Israel continues to violate UN resolutions without anyone holding it accountable. And with the lack of a proper Palestinian leadership, there will be no stopping Israel from doing what it wants.

So our message is clear and simple: end the division, turn to Palestinian public opinion and work for the prosperity of Palestinians to pave the way for the establishment of our democratic, independent Palestinian state. Unity is due.

Our call goes out to every Palestinian, be true to yourself, be true to your cause, be true to the sacrifices that our great people have given throughout 63 years of suffering. Go out on 15 March, denounce the division and anyone who stands by it.

Together in the name of our sacred cause, our martyrs and our prisoners, we call for unity under our Palestinian flag. There's absolutely no doubt in our hearts that our peaceful demonstrations will be the dawning of a new Palestinian day, where every Palestinian feels that he or she belongs.

Rawan Abu-Shahla is a member of Gaza Youth Break Out and lives in Gaza

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Pourquoi les Palestiniens manifestent le 15 mars

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Nous, un groupe de jeunes Palestiniens, nous sommes réunis dans le seul but de laisser derrière nous nos identités et nos affiliations politiques, et de décider de placer notre intérêt avant tout, unis sous le drapeau palestinien.

Mardi 15 mars 2011 - Manifestation à Gaza

Nous avons appelé à des manifestations pacifiques, ce mardi 15 mars, à travers la nation palestinienne - dans la bande de Gaza et en Cisjordanie, les territoires de 1948 et la diaspora palestinienne, avec un seul slogan : « Le peuple veut mettre fin à la division ! »

Nous appelons à des actions pacifiques en faveur de l’unité sur la scène politique palestinienne, et sous une même bannière, celle de l’Organisation de Libération de la Palestine [OLP].

La division dans le corps politique palestinien a touché tous les aspects de notre vie : social, économique, éducatif et intellectuel. Ce sont les Palestiniens ordinaires qui ont payé le prix de la division qui dure depuis quatre ans et ne sert rien d’autre que l’occupant israélien.

Notre campagne pour mettre fin à la division a commencé comme une simple idée qui suscite la discussion, et certains jeunes ont décidé de lui donner réalité et de faire tout son possible pour faire que cette initiative aboutisse.

Jour après jour, l’idée a grandi et est devenu un projet et ensuite une décision publique de ne plus se taire, de n’être ni terrorisés ni opprimés et, surtout, de ne pas être ignorés et oubliés. Voilà comment nous sommes arrivés à notre décision de manifester le 15 mars, refusant le statu quo et les pratiques de la politique du « leadership ».

C’est une idée si belle dans sa simplicité et sa pureté que toutes les tentatives des partis politiques de la modifier, la compliquer, ou d’accuser ceux qui sont derrière elle de servir les objectifs de la subversion ont échoué. Et après avoir découvert qu’il s’agit d’un véritable mouvement qui reflète rien de plus que la conscience en éveil de l’opinion publique palestinienne, les partis politiques sont dans l’inquiétude et la confusion. Réprimer ou de ne pas réprimer ? Telle est la question à laquelle ils sont confrontés aujourd’hui.

Ces dernières semaines, nous avons travaillé à diffuser l’idée parmi les gens, les encourageant à participer avec leurs familles, à avoir confiance dans le fait que leur voix sera entendue une fois qu’elle sera exprimée, et à se faire mutuellement confiance et à comprendre que nous sommes tous pareillement impliqués, indépendamment de nos affiliations politiques ou nos croyances. Nous avons cherché à les convaincre que unis dans notre appel comme sur le terrain, nous allons vaincre la peur qui niché à l’intérieur de nous, et que lorsque nous nous tenons ensemble comme un seul homme pour affirmer nos droits, personne ne peut ni nous nuire ni nous opprimer.

Les manifestations pacifiques du 15 mars seront le début d’une série d’initiatives, et le premier jour d’une série illimitée de sit-in. L’idée principale est que nous restions sur place jusqu’à ce que la politique de « leadership » se soumette aux exigences du peuple et prenne des mesures sérieuses pour les respecter. Ce qui se passera ensuite est totalement entre les mains du peuple.

Ce mouvement est celui du peuple, et pour lui. En ce qui concerne Gaza Youth Breaks Out (GYBO), et tous les autres groupes travaillant sur le même terrain, nous avons seulement l’honneur de l’initiative. Tout le reste dépend maintenant de la façon dont la rue palestinienne réagit, et sur ​​sa force.

Les choses seront difficiles, il y aura des menaces, qu’il s’agisse de la violence des partis dominants ou de la peur du chaos. Mais nous avons une confiance totale dans notre appel et dans notre peuple. Nous parions sur la conscience patriotique palestinienne, et pour que tous nous apprenions à accepter, à respecter et à saluer nos différences, à pardonner le passé et à recommencer à zéro, à montrer au monde entier un véritable exemple de tolérance parmi les Palestiniens. Nos appels sont pacifiques et notre seul but est de restaurer l’harmonie perdue dans la société palestinienne.

La campagne pour mettre fin à la division est une décision attendue depuis longtemps par beaucoup, pour abandonner toutes les craintes. Il y a une longue liste de raisons qui font que les gens en ont assez et qu’ils sortent dans la rue pour faire entendre leurs revendications.

Les Palestiniens ont fini par comprendre que par leur silence et leur soumission aux volontés des partis politiques, en acceptant d’être manipulés et terrorisés, ils deviennent les complices tout aussi coupables que ces partis eux-mêmes.

Les gens prennent la rue, amenant leur part du travail pour imposer le changement et pour sortir de l’atmosphère générale d’indifférence qui a paralysé nos cœurs ces quatre dernières années.

Nous, Palestiniens, avec toutes nos différences, ne seront plus ignorés. Nous revendiquons nos droits en tant que citoyens et êtres humains qui doivent être respectés, protégés et reconnus comme la seule source d’un pouvoir légitime. Notre gouvernement doit comprendre que nous, le peuple, représentons une force avec laquelle il faut compter. Nous ne nous laisserons pas tromper par des discours - nous en avons assez. Nous croyons que les actions sont plus éloquentes que les mots, et nous, l’opinion publique palestinienne, contribuons à cette initiative pour donner au « leadership » encore une chance de gagner notre confiance.

Après le 15 mars, la relation à sens unique entre les gouvernants et le peuple sera abolie.

La division entre les Palestiniens doit être terminée. Elle a affaibli notre cause et au lieu de rester le symbole, de renommée internationale, de la lutte juste et légitime qu’elle a toujours été, elle s’est détériorée dans une illusion de pouvoir et de postes, permettant à notre occupant et notre vrai oppresseur, Israël, de nous martyriser.

Israël continue de kidnapper et d’emprisonner les Palestiniens innocents, à envahir nos terres, à détruire nos maisons, à arracher nos arbres, à voler notre patrimoine, à bombarder nos villes et à assiéger la bande de Gaza depuis cinq années consécutives. Israël continue à violer les résolutions de l’ONU sans que personne ne le tienne pour responsable. Et en l’absence d’un leadership palestinien adéquat, il n’y aura rien qui empêchera Israël de faire ce qu’il veut.

Donc, notre message est clair et simple : mettre fin à la division, se tourner vers l’opinion publique palestinienne et travailler pour la prospérité des Palestiniens en ouvrant la voie à la création de notre État palestinien démocratique et indépendant. L’unité est une nécessité.

Notre appel est lancé à tous les Palestiniens, à nous-mêmes, pour que nous soyons fidèles à notre cause, aux sacrifices que notre grand peuple a supporté tout au long de 63 années de souffrance. Sortez dans la rue le 15 mars, dénoncez la division et tous ceux qui ne vivent que par elle.

Ensemble, au nom de notre cause sacrée, de nos martyrs et de nos prisonniers, nous appelons à l’unité sous notre drapeau palestinien. Il n’y a absolument aucun doute dans nos cœurs que nos manifestations pacifiques seront l’aube d’un jour nouveau.

* Rawan Abu-Shahla appartient au mouvement Gaza Youth Break Out et vit à Gaza

14 mars 2011 - The Electronic Intifada - Vous pouvez consulter cet article à :
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/ar...
TRaduction : Naguib pour info.net

Demonstration for unity / Manifestation appelant a l'unite, Ramallah, 15.03.2011

(c) Anne Paq/Activestills.org, Ramallah, 15.03.2011.

Thousands of Palestinians gather in Ramallah to call for the end of division between Palestinian parties, which include the release of all political prisoners and new elections for the Palestinian National Council, 15.03.2011.

Des milliers de Palestiniens ont manifesté a Ramallah pour demander la fin de la division entre les partis, ce qui inclue la liberation de tous les prisonniers politiques et la tenue d'election du Conseil national Palestinien, 15.03.2011