AxisMundi Jerusalem

In Bilin…every Friday

Click below for a multi-media ’essay’ on the weekly protests staged in the West Bank to protest the barrier Israel is building in and around the West Bank. Israel says the barrier prevents Palestinian attacks in its towns and cities. Palestinians say the barrier is a land grab as much of it is built on land they want for a future state.

Undercover unit

A pro-Palestinian group, Anarchists Against the Wall, has shot the video below showing  an Israeli undercover unit arresting protesters earlier this month during a demonstration against Israel’s West Bank barrier in the Palestinian village of Nilin.

Palestinians call the network of mostly razor-wire tipped fences and towering concrete walls a land grab by Israel, which captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians hope to establish a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Israel says the barrier, deemed illegal by the World Court because it crosses occupied territory, has stopped suicide bombers from reaching its cities and that it can be moved once a peace deal is struck.

The Mysterious Mr. Mitchell’s MacGuffin

It’s a bit like a Hitchock thriller. Nobody knows where he is — not even the U.S. State Department — and nobody knows when he will show up in Israel. All we know is, suspense is building and it’s time to watch out for surprises.

President Barack Obama’s Middle East peace envoy Senator George Mitchell is somewhere in transit — probably – and expected in Israel and the Palestinian Territories next week –  sometime.

A State Dept. spokesman at Wednesday’s regular briefing could not say much at all about Mitchell’s movements beyond he has left Washington.  Could he be in London meeting the Syrian foreign minister? Don’t know.  Is he going to Turkey as well? We will try to find that out. When is he going to be in Israel? Can’t say exactly.

Mitchell is famous for playing his cards very close to his vest and his vest very close to his skin. He gives out very little information when he is engaged in high-stakes mediation.

There is an unmistakable aura of mystery about what is going on at this delicate stage of talks with Israel and the Palestinians to get stalled peace negotiations started again, by resolving what looks like a standoff between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and Washington’s demand that it cease.

Walls and balls

Last week we posted about the fifth anniversary of the International Court of Justice ruling on the separation barrier Israel is building in and around the West Bank.

We mentioned how, despite it being one of the Palestinians’ most hated symbols of Israeli occupation, some people had worked the barrier into their daily lives, using it as a backdrop for movie screenings, restaurant menus and all manner of protest – artistic and otherwise.

Now Cellcom, an Israeli mobile phone company has used a portion of the separation barrier as the backdrop for one of its TV commercials – causing something of a stir in the blogosphere and on social networks like Facebook (login required) and YouTube.

Its not an original idea. As you will have seen in the video in last week’s post – the wall has already been used as a tennis net by activists protesting its existence and, in the video below, to promote an extraordinary idea that an Israeli-Palestinian joint bid for a World Cup soccer tournament might be a catalyst for peace.

Interesting to note that in neither video do you see what’s happening on the other side of the wall as the ball sails over - which is what’s got the bloggers up in arms.

5 Years On: The ICJ and Israel’s Separation Barrier

This week marks the fifth anniversary of the International Court of Justice’s ruling against Israel’s controversial separation barrier, which  is still under construction in and around the West Bank. According to a report from the UN High Commission for Human Rights, about 60 percent of the barrier has been constructed.

Israel says the barrier is aimed at preventing Palestinian terrorism, and says that since the wall has been built there has been a significant drop in attacks. However, the ICJ condemned Israel’s construction of the barrier on land within the West Bank-land Palestinians want for a future state-instead of on the Israeli side of the green line (the 1949 armistice line).

The separation barrier leaves some 80 percent of Jewish settlements on the Israeli side, leading the the ICJ to conclude that “the construction of the wall and its associated regime create a ‘fait accompli’ on the ground that could well become permanent, in which case, . . . [the construction of the wall] would be tantamount to de facto annexation” of Palestinian lands. (Read the entire text of that decision here).

In response to the ICJ’s ruling, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued this statement, where it argued that the ICJ’s ruling on the barrier was the result of a “politically motivated maneuver.” It denies the permanence of the barrier: “The fence is reversible, whereas the lives taken by terrorism are not. Moreover, the fence works. It is a temporary, non-violent security measure and it saves lives.”

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Reuters this week that thanks to the barrier there’s been a “90% plus” reduction in suicide attacks by Palestinians in Israel.

Many Palestinians reject that idea and say the reduction in suicide attacks has nothing to do with the barrier which, after all, they say, is not yet complete and the border between the West Bank and Israel is still porous in many places.

Too Close for Comfort

Every week our photographers and cameramen cover any number of demonstrations organised by activists protesting against the barrier Israel is building in and around the West Bank. Palestinians say the barrier is an Israeli land-grab that stifles freedom of movement and economic growth. Israeli authorities say the barrier prevents would-be attackers from reaching Israel.

You can read more about the controversy over the barrier here.

Covering the demonstrations has become a kind of routine. Most demonstrations happen on Fridays in the early afternoon. Protesters usually arrive along the same route. The Israeli army or Border Police are usually positioned in the same places. Protests start fairly quietly with chanting and flag-waving but almost invariably degenerate into skirmishes where demonstrators throw rocks at the Israeli forces who fire tear gas or rubber coated bullets to disperse the crowd.

Occasionally serious injuries and even deaths have occurred at these demonstrations. Israeli security force personnel have also been wounded during these events.   Our journalists also follow a routine, but their work can be tricky. They try to pick a position where they can film or photograph the demonstrations, while staying out of harm’s way. Sometimes that’s easier to plan, than implement. When covering these demonstrations, our staff wear helmets, body armour, and gas masks. They’ve been trained to operate as safely as they can in these types of environments.

Last Friday, July 3, our cameraman Saed Hawari covered one of the regular demonstrations outside the village of Bilin on the West Bank. The demonstration was not unusual, but our camerman ended up a little too close for comfort. As you can see in the video below, some tear gas grenades bounced up and nearly struck him. Fortunately, he was not hit, and was not injured.

Check out the video below – especially the first few shots.