You may remember reading about the village of Jayyous which I visited last June. I wrote about it in July on my other blog. It is in the West Bank, a Palestinian area. The Israeli security barrier there is a road flanked by barbed wire and it was built on Palestinian land, between the village and the olive groves belonging to the village farmers. Israel uprooted many of their hundreds-of-years-old olive trees and took much of the olive orchard. So, in order to get to their fields, the farmers must cross at a checkpoint that is open limited hours. Each day they wait to be recognized by the soldiers. (See photo of the farmers waiting for the soldier to recognize them). The day we visited, they cheered us and asked us to come every day because they got through the checkpoint much faster when we were there.During the past week, Israeli troops have been storming Palestinian towns in the West Bank, arresting large numbers of people and taking them to unknown locations. They have been attacking Jayyous for the past three days, taking over homes and raising the Israeli flag over them. In the latest attack, they arrested 65 young people, herding them into a nearby school and taking many away.
Recently the town has been protesting the planned re-routing of the wall running through their village because it would entail the destruction of more farmland and uprooting of more fruit and olive trees, making the swath of devastation twice as wide as it is now.
All the principles of land and water confiscation, home invasion and denial of basic rights so common to the West Bank exist there. It is important to contact our Members of Congress at (202-224-3121) and the State Department (202-647-3672) to let them know this village we love is under attack for nonviolent resistance to the theft of their land.
Here is an article from Ma'an News Agency describing what is happening:
Recently the town has been protesting the planned re-routing of the wall running through their village because it would entail the destruction of more farmland and uprooting of more fruit and olive trees, making the swath of devastation twice as wide as it is now.
All the principles of land and water confiscation, home invasion and denial of basic rights so common to the West Bank exist there. It is important to contact our Members of Congress at (202-224-3121) and the State Department (202-647-3672) to let them know this village we love is under attack for nonviolent resistance to the theft of their land.
Here is an article from Ma'an News Agency describing what is happening:
Bethlehem – Ma’an – In a third consecutive day of mass arrests Israeli forces stormed the northern West Bank town of Jayyus near Qalqiliya early morning Wednesday and seized 65 Palestinian youth in an ongoing military operation. As of press time Israeli soldiers had declared the town a “Closed Military Area” and prevented local and international journalist from entering. Civilians are being kept under a town curfew and are unable to leave their homes for school or work. Soldiers told the families of those detained that they were “wanted” by Israeli intelligence.
Local sources said several Israeli military vehicles surrounded the town, blocked the main road using earth piles and rocks, and used loudspeakers to announce a curfew and order all the youth of the town to gather for inspection in the local school. Once the youth were gathered Israeli soldiers separated 20 and took them to an unknown location and by noon more than 65 had been detained.
Eyewitnesses said the military activity was concentrated at the Shamasnah neighborhood and the town’s center. They noted that soldiers occupied several homes and raised an Israeli flag on the roofs of several buildings. According to members of the Stop the Wall campaign in the area Israeli troops have occupied ten homes in the village, each with an Israeli flag hoisted on the roof. The homes are described as tall buildings with strategic vantage points across the town. Two of the raided and vandalized homes were that of Jabir Shamasnah and then that of town’s mayor Abu At-Tahir. According to Israeli sources the village was raided in a sweep for illegal weapons. An army spokesperson told the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, that forces were operating in the town following a rise in the number of incidents involving the throwing of stones at Israeli vehicles. Eight of those taken were identified as: Sakhr Shamasnah, Jabir Shamasnah, Kamal Shamasnah, Adli Shamasnah, Anwar Aarif, Mahir Aarif, Muhammad Bilal and Hamadah Nimir.
The residents of Jayyus organize a weekly demonstration against the construction of the separation wall on village land. Foreign activists frequently attend the events and Israeli soldiers regularly invade the town and harass its residents following the departure of the foreign activists. Meanwhile, Israeli forces on Wednesday morning apprehended two Palestinian university students from the northern West Bank town of Far’un, south of Tulkarem.Soldiers stormed the town at dawn, ransacking a residential building and seizing two students at the Palestine Technical University. Two of the students detained were identified as 22-year-old Sami Al-Jaroushi, affiliated with Fatah, and 20-year-old Fawzi Qarqur, apparently a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) On Tuesday, 30 Palestinians were arrested from across the West Bank, and on Monday close to 50 were taken. All were deemed “wanted” by Israeli authorities and taken to unknown locations for questioning.
***Updated 13:11 Bethlehem time
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