A non-violent demonstration in A-Ram today (26.6.04) turned into a battlefield, when theBorder Police used, for two hours, tear gas, rubber-coated bullets and water cannon againstit.
All signs indicate that it was a well-prepared police ambush.
The Israeli demonstrators, mostly activists of Gush Shalom and Ta’ayush, arrived in fivefull buses at A-Ram roadblock. To their surprise, they were received with smiles by the BorderPolicemen and passed the checkpoint without trouble. One of the policemen told the people inone of the buses: “I hope you know what you are getting into.”
The Israeli demonstrators joined the inhabitants of A-Ram in a peaceful march, headed by thelocal youth orchestra and Israeli and Palestinian parliamentarians, religiouspersonalities and political leaders, including MK Ahmed Tibi, Uri Avnery and Mayor SirhanSaleimeh. In a symbolic act of protest, some demonstrators used big hammers against thecement slabs that lie along the road, ready to be installed.
Suddenly, a large force of Border Police appeared on top of the hill that overlooks the road.Without any prior warning, that shot dozens of tear gas grenades at the demonstrators and allways of escape. Many of the protestors were hurt by inhaling the gas. The demonstratorsdispersed in all directions, mostly into alleys, buildings and shops, with policemenpursuing them and shooting gas grenades after them.
That was the beginning of a prolonged attack on the dispersed demonstrators. Whenever a groupof activists assembled, the police attacked them with gas, rubber-coated bullets andstreams of water. The main road of A-Ram looked like a battlefield, littered with burned casesand abandoned posters.
At this stage, local boys started to throw stones at the policemen, well beyond the effectivedistance, and from time to time the policemen stormed forwards and arrested the youths. In oneof the Palestinian ambulance, the shooting cause a fire.
There is not a grain of truth to the story spread by the police that somebody “threw an axe” or“giant hammers” at a police jeep. This is manifestly absurd. All the events were documented onvideo, as well as filmed by foreign TV crews and press photographers. Another story, thatPalestinians wounded a press photographer, is also a complete lie. He was hurt by policemenbefore the eyes of dozens of witnesses.
Several protesters were arrested and brought to the police station Neve Ya’acov settlement.The Palestinians were seated on the ground, their eyes covered and their hands bound. When theIsraeli detainees were told that they were free to leave, they refused, out of solidarity withtheir Palestinian comra des.