Palestinian protests against barrier turn savvy

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"A Palestinian teen tracks Israeli troops with a video camera to document abuse of demonstrators.

A community organizer tours West Bank villages with a PowerPoint presentation teaching the art of creative protest.

These are just two examples of the increasingly savvy methods Palestinians are using to fight Israel's West Bank separation barrier — a campaign whose danger was driven home this week by the death of a 10-year-old Palestinian boy.

Six years after Israel began building the barrier, Palestinian villagers march almost daily in an attempt to halt construction work that threatens to swallow up thousands more acres of West Bank land. Many protests turn into confrontations between youths hurling rocks and Israeli troops responding with tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and at times live fire.

The aim is to slow construction, draw media attention and ensure that Israeli high court judges hearing challenges to the barrier's route "will think twice before deciding such a high-profile case," said Michael Sfard, an Israeli lawyer representing Palestinian villages."

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[subsuelo]

1. You just have to cheer on those protesting Apartheid

The human spirit cannot be kept down

[pelsar]

3. your funny......

its the human spirit that made the wall... preservation of life...(in case you dont know before the wall was constructed israeli busses and restaurants were being blown up by Palestenians who got around the various checkpoints. Only after the wall started going up did they slow down and stop....

[subsuelo]

6. Yeah right

If the apartheid wall were being built on Israel's own land, you might be able to offer up that excuse with some measure of legitimacy.

But the fact that they are building it on Palestinian land seriously calls these excuses into question.

In reality, the wall is meant to steal more land from the native Palestinians, which it is doing. Israel can build anything it likes - on it's own land. But no, it just has to steal more and more from the natives. That is what is really going on.

[azurnoir]

8. Well one explanation

of this was that Israel needed "multi-layers" of defense, call it the "sanitary napkin" defense, makes sure the blood only flows one way.

[pelsar]

12. and it works...the multi layers..

having a single layer means that when one guard falls asleep 30+ people get killed....multiple layers reduces that. its one of those pesky little facts that get in the way when people argue against the check points and wall...

and making sure the 'blood flows only one way"...yep, i and my friends and family actually prefer it that way.....

[azurnoir]

17. But as any experienced user of such an item

can tell you, leave it in place too long and it will develop "leaks".

[pelsar]

22. thats why....

there are nightly raids, mobile checkpoints and a whole bunch of other stuff that makes the Palestinians lives even more miserable...but serves to keep the various potentials bombers and friends rather occupied with staying alive as opposed to killing israelis.

[Vegasaurus]

14. Why would the lives of Palestinians, intent upon murdering Israelis,

be more important to the government of Israel than the lives of their own citizens?

Of course there are layers.

They are to keep Israelis safe, because time and time again, any small window of opportunity leads to suicide bombings of Israelis by Palestinians.

The goal of the government is to make sure that there are no such opportunities.

The wall is very successful that way.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

9. The "human spirit" creates art, not ghettos.

I'm sure there were communinists in Berlin who shared your sentiment, though.

[Vegasaurus]

15. The "human spirit" of Israelis exists because they are alive

Without the wall, more of them would be dead.

[azurnoir]

16. sometimes though art is created

?v=0

[LeftishBrit]

2. I hope they succeed. I think they will achieve far more in these ways than by violence.

As happened in Bilin.

[pelsar]

4. its their only chance...

eventually where the wall isnt built, it will be up to the Palestinians themselves to insure that bombers dont sneak through...otherwise all the peaceful protests in the world wont do any good.....

[azurnoir]

5. You are speaking of

after Israel withdraws from the Westbank?

[pelsar]

13. nope....before

there is hardly going to be a serious withdrawal when the confidence in the PA and its society is below zero....

[azurnoir]

19. Confidence? so the Palestinians have t o "prove" themselves

to Israel before Israel does what it said it do in November? Is this what you are saying?

[Vegasaurus]

20. Are you so deluded to think that Israelis are suicidal?

Of course the Palestinians have to "prove" themselves.

They have done a pretty poor job of it thus far, if Gaza is any example.

The mess in Gaza has only strengthened the hawks in Israel, and the moderates have turned more towards that thinking.

You think Israelis want another Gaza in the WB, and that they would willingly submit to that?

That is crazy thinking.

[azurnoir]

21. Then why was this not stated

at Annapolis or is it "crazy" thinking to think governments should deal honestly?

[Vegasaurus]

23. There is no dividing of Jerusalem right now

The Israeli politicians have made that clear, and are dealing honestly.

They are also honest to say that it is doubtful anything will happen before the end of Bush's term.

[azurnoir]

24. Annapolis reached noconclusions about Jerusalem

Americans
Secretary Rice visited the Middle East on a four day tour of shuttle diplomacy in mid-October to shore up support for the summit,<19> and hinted at the General Assembly of the United Jewish Communities (GA), in Nashville, Tennessee on November 13, 2007, that Israelis are prepared to give up the West Bank in exchange for peace.<20> This was Rice's 8th visit to the region during the Bush Administration.

Palestinian

Mahmoud Abbas addresses the Conference
Abbas stated that a clear agenda was necessary for the conference,<21> and affirmed in early October that only a Palestinian state comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip in their entirety would be acceptable, with any permanent Israeli control of land beyond its 1967 borders subject to discussion on a one-to-one basis.<22> He further demanded that all six central issues be debated at the conference: Jerusalem, refugees and right of return, borders, settlements, water and security.<23>
Abbas has said that he hoped to reach an agreement with Israel by the end of November 2007,<24> which Abbas would then put to a referendum.<25> Furthermore, he has expressed his hope that a final agreement with Israel would be possible within six months of the conference.<26>

Israeli

In October 2007, Prime Minister Olmert indicated that he would be willing to give parts of East Jerusalem to the Palestinians as part of a broader peace settlement at Annapolis,<27> drawing considerable criticism from right-wing Israeli and foreign Jewish organizations and Christian Zionists.<28><29> <30>
On November 27, 2007, Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of the Shas party, announced that his party would leave the government coalition, thereby ending the coalition's majority in the Knesset, if Ehud Olmert agreed to divide Jerusalem. Shas minister Eli Yishai explained: "Jerusalem is above all political considerations. I will not help enable concessions on Jerusalem."<31> Olmert's ability to follow through on his earlier comments about concessions in East Jerusalem is therefore in question.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annapolis_Conference

Just lots of posturing by expected parties and still that does not explain tIsrael's actions on the West Bank

[azurnoir]

7. I would say the Palestinians

are becoming more savvy overall and not just on the West Bank. For every video that is presented to the public there will of course be a Karsenty or HaLevy refuting it or claiming it was faked or edited somehow, this will be true even when the parties have already admitted that they are guilty, however how many times will this be believable, Karsenty "won" his case only seven years and a Niles worth of water under the bridge.

[Scurrilous]

11. There's some pictures of a Pallywood operative on the sidebar next to the article.

A 17 year old Palestinian girl w/ her video camera.

Insidious!!1!

[azurnoir]

18. Maybe she's a "film school" student

:evilgrin:

[ProgressiveMuslim]

10. Hopefully the world can join in solidarity through sanctions, boycotts and divestment. nt