MILLS: Courageous Israeli peace activists and the violence at Anatot (Occupied Palestine) 14Oct11 October 13, 2011

by Stewart Mills  -  ME Peace.org  -  9 October 2011

Friday 30 September 2011 – Attack on Israeli peace activists by settlers from Anatot.

It has been over a week since settlers from Anatot attacked Israeli peace activists.

This is the account of the incident from some of the organisers of the peace action from Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity (4 October 2011)

http://www.en.justjlm.org/601

 

Last Friday afternoon, a group of activists visited Yassin al-Rifa’i and his family in the village of Anata village, whose lands have been taken over by the settlement of Anatot (also called Almon). The settlers of Anatot have abused the family for years; in repeated attacks, they uproot trees, block water sources, steal agricultural equipment, and harrass and attack the farmers attempting to reach their lands. On Friday afternoon, it was a Palestinian flag that Yassin put up over a tent on his land that gave the settlers of Anatot an excuse for their pogrom. Dozens of settlers, armed with sticks and rocks, brutally attacked Yassin and his family, as well as the activists that accompanied him. The police were present during the pogrom, but stood on the sidelines and did nothing. Three people were hospitalized with serious injuries, three activists were detained for interrogation. Not a single one of the attackers was arrested.

That same evening, forty activists returned to the scene of the pogrom, in order to protest. When we reached the gate of the settlement, we were forbidden enterance, and we remained in front of the locked gate to protest the settlers’ violence and the lack of police resposibility. The settlers of Anatot quickly amassed at the gate: some had participated in the afternoon’s pogrom, some were soldiers and police officers in civilian dress, youths and grown men seething with hatred and hungry for violence. A number of police officers in uniform that were present did nothing to restrain the raging crowd. The settlers demanded that the gates be opened, and under the aegis of the police officers, they charged us, with fists, rocks, and clubs. One of the attackers tried a number of times to stab activists with a knife. When we tried to get away from the place, the attackers chased us, chanting “Death to leftists!” They were accompanied by a group of uniformed police officers. About 10 demonstrators were injured, three of whom were evacuated for medical treatment. Six cars were seriously damaged, and some were totally destroyed. One car door was etched with Starof David. Despite the attack, which was captured by both stills and video cameras, the police did not arrest a single rioter.

 

Rabbis for Human Rights calls for an investigation

http://www.rhr-na.org/media/press-releases/204-anatot.html

 

New Israel Fund calls for an investigation

http://www.nif.org/media-center/press-releases/1216-rabbis-for-human-rights-north-america-and-new-israel-fund-call-on-israeli-state-attorney-to-investigate-anatot-attacks

 

Geography: Anatot (also known as Almon)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almon,_Mateh_Binyamin

“Almon/Anatot is located on a hill near the ruins of the Hariton Temple and the Prat Stream, between Jerusalem, (Pisgat Ze’ev), and Ma’ale Adumim/Kfar Adumim. It is close to the Palestinian villages ‘Anata and Hizma” (wiki).

 

 

 

http://peacenow.org/map.php

 

Anatot’s land grab

Hagit Ofran, Peace Now’s settlement monitoring expert explains Anatot settlers’ land grab:

http://mondoweiss.net/2011/10/story-of-a-land-grab.html

http://www.slideshare.net/hagitofran/anatot-takeovereng

 

Anatot settlers involved in

- harm with aggravating intent (s 329) – liable to 20 years imprisonment

- wounding – liable to 3 years imprisonment (grievous harm is 7 years)

- unlawful possession of knife – s 186 – liable for 5 years imprisonment

- common assault (s 379),

- actual bodily harm (s 380) and

- hate crimes (s 144F(a))

- affray (s 191)

- threats (s 192)

The following are faces of Israelis who should be investigated by Israeli border police for incitement to violent and/or involvement in assault, actual bodily harm and affray

 

2:52 min

 

3:24 min

 

 

3:26 min

 

3:28 min

 

4:05 min

 

4:21 min – The individual involved in the assault on the woman in the red shirt (at 4:05).

 

4:44 min Settler on the left assaulting Israeli peace activist

 

 

4:55 min – The same settler about to commit an assault on the camera woman

 

5:17 min – The same settler (in 4:55 and 4:44) assaults another Israeli peace activist.  He grabbed him around the neck and then hit him on the head.

 

5:28 min – The same settler (in 5:17. 4:55 and 4:44) now assaults an Isralei peace activist by leaping onto him, grabbing him by the neck, knocking him to the ground and then dragging him.

 

5:34 min – He then picks up a rock and then throws it at an Israeli peace activist

 

5:55 min

 

6: 36 min – The mob – Again we see the individual involved in multiple assaults (5:34, 5:17, 4:55, 4:44).

 

6:49 min – The Israeli peace activist expressly stating her fear as the mob continue to force her and the other activists away.

 

7:25 min

 

7:31 min

 

7:37 min

 

 

7:48 min – An Israeli peace activists car after being attacked

 

http://972mag.com/watch-new-video-of-settler-attack-in-anatot-relea…

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/watch-settlers-left-w…

 

Israeli Criminal Law

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/15/58/43289694.pdf

The following are examples of offences committed

 

PENAL LAW 5737-1977

Article One “B”: Hate Offenses
Offenses motivated by racism or enmity against a public –
an aggravating circumstance

144F.(a) If a person commits an offense out of a racist motive, as defined in Article One “A”, or out of enmity toward a public because of their religion, religious group, community of origin, sexual inclination or because they are foreign workers, then he shall be liable to double the penalty set for that offense or to ten years imprisonment, whichever is the lesser penalty.
(b) In this section, “offense” – an offense against the body, freedom or property, an offense of threat or blackmail, offenses of disorderly conduct or public obstruction and nuisances included in Articles Nine and Eleven of this Chapter, and an offense in the public service or against it included in Chapter Nine, Article Four, all except for an offense for which the penalty is ten years imprisonment or more.

 

Affray
191. If a person unlawfully participates in an affray in a public place, then he is liable to one year imprisonment.

Threats
192. If a person in any manner threatens another with unlawful injury to his or to another person’s body, freedom, property, reputation or livelihood with the intention of intimidating or annoying him, the he is liable to three years imprisonment.

 

Harm with aggravating intent
329. (a) If a person did one of the following with the intention to disable, disfigure or cause grievous harm to a person, or in order to resist or prevent his own or another person’s lawful arrest or detention, then he is liable to twenty years imprisonment:
(1) he unlawfully wounded or caused a person grievous harm;
(2) he unlawfully attempted to hit a person with a projectile, knife or other dangerous or offensive weapon;

Grievous harm
333. If a person unlawfully did grievous harm to another person, then he is liable to seven years imprisonment.

Wounding
334. If a person unlawfully wounded another person, then he is liable to three years imprisonment.

Unlawful possession of knife or brass knuckles
186. (a) If a person has brass knuckles or a knife in his possession outside his own house and premises and if he does not prove that he has them for a lawful purpose, then he is liable to five years imprisonment.
Article Eight: Assault

Definition of assault
378. If a person strikes, touches, pushes or otherwise applies force to another person, whether directly or indirectly, either without his consent or with his consent, which was obtained fraudulently, then that constitutes assault; for this purpose, “application of force” includes the application of heat, light, electricity, gas, smells or any other thing or substance, if it is applied to a degree that causes injury or discomfort.

Common assault
379. If a person unlawfully assaults another, then he is liable to two years imprisonment and that if no different punishment is provided in this Law for that offense or due to its circumstances.
Assault that causes actual bodily harm

380. If a person commits assault that causes actual bodily harm, then he is liable to three years imprisonment.

Assault under aggravating circumstances
382. (a) If any offense under sections 379, 380 or 381(a)(1) or (3) was committed in the presence of two or more persons who combined for the commission of the act by one or several of them, then each of them is liable to double the penalty set for the offense.

 

 

Organisers of the peace action 

 

8:07 min

 

Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity

http://www.justjlm.org/

http://www.en.justjlm.org/

 

Also see

http://www.taayush.org/?s=anatot