Background on demonstrations in villages near Bethlehem

2 January 2013

Several demonstrations are held on a weekly basis in villages near Bethlehem to protest the expropriation of lands and the fact that lands have been isolated on the “Israeli” side of the Separation Barrier.

Weekly demonstrations have been held in the village of al-Ma’sarah since November 2006 to protest the expropriation of vast tracts of agricultural lands belonging to residents of al-Ma’sarah and nearby villages (Um Salamuna, Wadi a-Nis and Jurat a-Sham’a) for the construction of the Separation Barrier near the settlement of Efrata. The barrier will also prevent main road access from the villages to Bethlehem, the district’s main city. The demonstrations in al-Ma’sarah are known as very peaceful. Israeli security forces generally halt the procession inside the village and it disperses within a short time.

In the village of Beit Ummar, there have been regular demonstrations since March 2009. Israeli security forces at these demonstrations are nearly equal in number to the demonstrators, and the demonstrations are forcefully dispersed.

The Separation wall next to houses in the village. Photo: Eyal Hareuveni, B'Tselem, 5 November 2010.

At the village of al-Walajah, the Separation Barrier is being constructed as a cement wall that will completely enclose the village, leaving a single opening to the road that links the village with the town of Beit Jala. The route chosen for the barrier was devised to enable the establishment of a new settlement, Giv’at Yael, on village lands. These lands were annexed to Jerusalem in 1967, but the built-up area of the village remains outside Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel also opposes the proposed barrier route in this area because of unique agricultural terraces, dating back to the middle of the first millennium CE, that preserve an ancient farming practice. Opposition notwithstanding, on 22 August 2011 the Israeli High Court of Justice approved the route. Every Friday demonstrations take place in al-Walajah, protesting the construction of the Separation Barrier. The demonstrations are dispersed by border police using means for crowd control.

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Security forces disperse a demonstration in the village of a-Nabi Saleh, 21 May 2010. Photo: Oren Ziv, activestills.org

Demonstrations

Background on the demonstrations at a-Nabi Saleh

In December 2009, protestors began demonstrating in the village of a-Nabi Saleh against the settler takeover of the nearby al-Qus spring and of other Palestinian land. As a rule, the demonstrations were held once a week until 2016. From the outset, Israel treated these demonstrations as unlawful and dispersed them. In the first few weeks, the protestors held non-violent processions that set out from the village center towards the spring, and reached the main road that separates the village from the spring and the settlement. At that point, although the protestors did not use violence, Israeli security forces dispersed them with various measures, including extensive use of crowd control weapons. After several demonstrations, the military started to prevent the procession from leaving the village and violently dispersed the protestors. In most instances, after the procession were dispersed, confrontations developed between the security forces and Palestinian youths who threw stones at them. During the clashes, which sometimes lasted hours on end, the forces fired tear gas canisters among village homes – forcing the residents to stay inside for extended periods. They forces also employed various collective punishment measures against the residents, including spraying a foul-smelling liquid ("Skunk") at houses and yards, and blocking vehicles from entering the village. Over the years, many scores of village residents were arrested, including minors, and some were sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Over time, the confrontations diminished and the number of regular protestors dropped to several dozen, until the demonstrations stopped altogether in 2016. Though the weekly demonstrations ended, protests are still held in the village from time to time. In addition, security forces occasionally enter the village on various pretexts – at times only provoking residents, at other times arresting some of them, and sometimes searching homes. Over the years, more than 300 village residents have been arrested, about half of them minors. During the incursions into the village, the military's open-fire policy has remained the same as that implemented during the weekly demonstrations. The forces rely heavily on crowd control weapons and live fire – including 0.22-inch caliber bullets ("Two-Twos") fired by snipers at stone-throwers who do not pose a risk to the forces’ lives. To date, since the demonstrations began, hundreds of people have been injured, including many dozens by live fire, due to this policy. At least ten of the persons injured were rendered temporarily or permanently disabled. The military also continues to subject the village to collective punishment. For further information on the conduct of Israeli security forces during the weekly demonstrations in the village, see B'Tselem's 2011 report "Show of Force." Persons killed by Israeli security forces during demonstrations and military incursions into the village On 9 December 2011, Mustafa a-Tamimi, 28, was wounded by a tear gas canister fired by a soldier that hit him in the head while throwing stones during the weekly demonstration in the village. He died of his wounds the following day. On 17 Nov. 2012, Rushdi a-Tamimi, 30, was wounded by live fire during a demonstration in the village in which youths threw stones at soldiers. He died of his wounds two days later. On 12 May 2017, Sabaa' Obeid, 22, a resident of Salfit, was killed by a 0.22-caliber bullet ("Two-Two") fired during a demonstration in the village, after he had thrown stones at soldiers. 'Obeid was shot while he was moving away from the soldiers and posed no danger. On 6 June 2018, 'Iz a-Din Tamimi, 20, was hit in the back by live bullets fired from 45 meters away, as he fled after throwing stones at soldiers during an arrest operation in the village. He died of his wounds a short while later. On 23 July 2021, Muhammad Tamimi, 17, was hit in the back and buttocks by live bullets fired from 30 meters away, after throwing stones at the soldiers during a military incursion into the village. He died of his wounds later that day. On 25 October 2022, Qusai Tamimi, 19, was wounded in the chest by live bullets fired by soldiers from about 80 meters away, after he and other youths burned tires near the entrance to the village. He died of his wounds a short while later.

2 January 2013

No Accountability

Human Rights in the Occupied Territories

The report surveys the broad spectrum of issues regarding the Israeli authorities' human rights record in the West Bank and Gaza Strip over the past year, the 44th year of the Israeli occupation. An interactive version of the report is available online and distributed through social media. The report documents a sharp increase in the number of uninvolved Palestinians killed by the Israeli security forces in the Gaza Strip in 2011. There was also an increase in the number of Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians, compared to 2010.

21 March 2012

Demonstrations

Show of Force

The report documents how security forces have denied residents of a-Nabi Saleh their right to protest and have prohibited demonstrations. In dispersing the demonstrations, the forces use tear gas and other means inside the village itself, harming the villagers. With demonstrations likely to occur following the declaration of a Palestinian state, B'Tselem calls on Israel’s security forces to respect the Palestinians’ right to protest.

12 September 2011