<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<div id="container" class="container font-size5 content-width3">
<div id="reader-header" class="header" style="display: block;"> <font
size="-2"><a id="reader-domain" class="domain"
href="http://samidoun.net/2017/03/protesters-attacked-in-ramallah-by-pa-forces-as-arab-and-international-cities-demonstrate-for-basil-al-araj/">http://samidoun.net/2017/03/protesters-attacked-in-ramallah-by-pa-forces-as-arab-and-international-cities-demonstrate-for-basil-al-araj/</a></font>
<h1 id="reader-title">Protesters attacked in Ramallah by PA
forces as Arab and international cities demonstrate for Basil
al-Araj</h1>
<div id="reader-credits" class="credits">March 12, 2017<br>
</div>
</div>
<div class="content">
<div id="moz-reader-content" class="line-height4"
style="display: block;">
<div id="readability-page-1" class="page"
xml:base="http://samidoun.net/2017/03/protesters-attacked-in-ramallah-by-pa-forces-as-arab-and-international-cities-demonstrate-for-basil-al-araj/">
<div class="td-post-text-content">
<p>Protesting Palestinians in Ramallah <a
href="http://www.wattan.tv/video/200016.html">came
under attack</a> by Palestinian Authority security
forces this morning, including the father of slain
Palestinian youth activist <a
href="http://samidoun.net/2017/03/israeli-forces-delay-return-of-basil-al-arajs-body-as-young-palestinians-plan-international-protests/">Basil
al-Araj</a>, journalists and former prisoners, such
as <a
href="http://samidoun.net/2015/07/khader-adnan-qa-it-is-possible-to-break-the-israeli-occupation/">Khader
Adnan</a>. Later in the evening, PA police also <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/dheishehevent1/videos/1905040759777503/">attacked
a march in Dheisheh</a> refugee camp near Bethlehem
demanding an end to security coordination and honoring
al-Araj.</p>
<p>The demonstration was called in protest of PA security
coordination with the Israeli occupation, under which <a
href="http://samidoun.net/2016/08/take-action-demand-freedom-for-6-palestinian-prisoners-in-palestinian-authority-jails-on-hunger-strike/">al-Araj
and his comrades</a> were initially imprisoned by the
PA after a court hearing was maintained for charges
against al-Araj and his comrades for Sunday, 12 March.
Their arrest was <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/why-mahmoud-abbas-boasting-jailing-palestines-youth">touted
as a significant achievement</a> for PA-Israeli
security coordination in April 2016.</p>
<p>Al-Araj was <a
href="http://samidoun.net/2017/03/basil-al-araj-executed-by-israeli-occupation-forces-after-pa-imprisonment-and-months-in-hiding/">shot
down by Israeli occupation forces</a> on Monday
morning, 6 March, resisting until the end. The prominent
youth activist had gone underground following his
release from PA prison after a hunger strike; four of
his five comrades imprisoned with him have since been
seized by Israeli occupation forces and ordered to
administrative detention without charge or trial. All
six were charged by the Palestinian Authority with
“unlicensed possession of a weapon.” Despite the
imprisonment of four of the young people – <a
href="http://samidoun.net/2016/10/two-more-former-pa-prisoners-seized-and-beaten-by-invading-occupation-forces/">Haithem
Siyaj</a>, <a
href="http://samidoun.net/2016/10/31-administrative-detention-orders-issued-against-palestinians-including-plc-member-and-former-pa-detainee/">Mohammed
Harb</a>, <a
href="http://samidoun.net/2016/10/two-more-former-pa-prisoners-seized-and-beaten-by-invading-occupation-forces/">Mohammed
al-Salameen</a> and <a
href="http://samidoun.net/2016/10/seif-al-idrissi-former-prisoners-among-palestinians-seized-by-occupation-forces/">Seif
al-Idrissi</a> – and the assassination of al-Araj, the
trial was scheduled to go forward as planned, sparking
calls for protest and action.</p>
<p><a href="http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=775910">Ma’an
News reported</a> that at the hearing in the Ramallah
Magistrate’s Court, only the sixth former PA prisoner,
Ali Dar al-Sheikh was present. Lawyer <a
href="http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=775910">Muhannad
Karajah</a> had previously requested that charges be
dropped against the four imprisoned Palestinians, and
that the judge requested documented proof that the four
were held in Israeli prison. When Karajah presented that
proof in the court session today, rather than dropping
the charges, the judge rescheduled the trial for 30
April, reportedly stating that “the four may be out of
Israeli prison” by that time, as they are imprisoned
without charge or trial under administrative detention.
Further, Karajah said, the judge dropped charges against
al-Araj only when his death certificate was presented in
court, as the charges “expired” upon his death.</p>
<p>Palestinians protesting outside denounced the trial,
which was also condemned by a number of Palestinian
political organizations, including <a
href="http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=775910">Hamas</a>
and the <a
href="http://pflp.ps/english/2017/03/12/pflp-denounces-pa-trial-of-martyr-basil-al-araj-and-comrades-supports-youth-protests-against-security-coordination/">Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine</a>. The
protesters were violently attacked by PA police shooting
tear gas canisters directly into the crowd, using rubber
bullets, and hitting protesters with batons. At least 11
were injured, including Mahmoud al-Araj, the father of
Basil al-Araj, who was taken to hospital after being
beaten amid shouts from participants that he was the
father of the martyr. Several more were detained for a
few hours, including former hunger striker Khader Adnan.</p>
<p>
Multiple journalists reported that they were <a
href="http://www.wattan.tv/ar/news/200033.html">barred
from covering the protest</a> and some reported the
breaking of their equipment, including reporters for
Palestine TV, Watan and Roya TV. The attack on
journalists was condemned by the Palestinian
Journalists’ Syndicate and several other media
organizations. Palestinian human rights organizations
and NGOs also widely condemned the attack on the
protest, urging accountability for the security forces.</p>
<p>Speaking several hours later, Mahmoud al-Araj<a
href="http://www.wattan.tv/news/200030.html"> spoke at
a press conference</a> alongside Adnan, saying that
the attack on the protest was an attack on his son the
martyr, as well as a violation of the rights of the
people and of the freedom fighters. He noted that a
sit-in was being called for 4 PM tomorrow, Monday, 13
March in response to the attack on the demonstrators
today. He also said that he would file a complaint
against the security services, with lawyer Karajah.
Farid al-Atrash, of the Independent Human Rights
commission, said that the events today were a crime, and
that anyone who gave orders for the attack on civilians
must be held accountable.</p>
<p>Shortly after he spoke, a march in Dheisheh refugee
camp near Bethlehem demanding an end to security
coordination in honor of al-Araj was <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/dheishehevent1/videos/1905040759777503/">attacked
by PA police,</a> who fired on the crowd with rubber
bullets and shot tear gas canisters into the march.
People in the camp r<a
href="https://www.facebook.com/dheishehevent1/posts/1905065413108371">eported
that a child was injured</a> by rubber bullets fired
by PA police inside the camp.</p>
<p>The protests were accompanied by actions elsewhere in
Palestine and in Arab and international cities. In <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/67.Jafra.Port/posts/259372677854503">Gaza
City</a>, student organizations gathered to denounce
the assassination of al-Araj and demand the Palestinian
Authority stop security coordination and arrests against
the Palestinian resistance.</p>
<p>In <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/mohamed.aboelgheit/videos/10155082277233674/">London</a>,
protesters gathered outside the Palestinian Mission,
demanding an end to security coordination and attaching
a large banner bearing Basil’s image to the building’s
railing. The protesters, mainly young Palestinians,
recalled al-Araj’s life and commitment to struggle and
denounced the PA’s role in his arrest, persecution and
eventual assassination.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/SamidounPrisonerSolidarity/posts/1506058696094278">Brussels</a>,
demonstrators came together outside the Palestinian
Mission to the EU, Brussels and Luxembourg to denounce
PA security coordination and remember al-Araj. Several
protesters were personal friends of al-Araj, and
recalled their interactions and experiences with him as
well as his commitment to struggle. One participant,
Hala, recalled her own interactions with al-Araj while
reviewing today’s events in Ramallah. Writer and
researcher <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/david-cronin/exporting-repression-ulster-palestine">David
Cronin</a> discussed in detail the role of the
European Union and the United States in PA security
coordination with the Israeli occupation, while
Charlotte Kates of Samidoun noted the connection of
security coordination with the imprisonment of
Palestinians in Israeli jails.<br>
In Berlin, Palestinian activists gathered outside the
Palestinian mission to Germany to denounce the PA’s
ongoing security coordination with Israel and demand
real action after the killing of al-Araj.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/QudsN/videos/1468366326573597/">Amman</a>,
protesters <a href="https://twitter.com/m_ali5555">gathered
outside the Palestinian Embassy</a>, waving their
shoes at the embassy and holding signs and posters
saluting al-Araj as they demanded an end to security
coordination.</p>
<p>Protesters also gathered in <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/QudsN/videos/1468265313250365/">Beirut</a>,
Tunis and Rabat. <a
href="http://samidoun.net/2017/03/12-13-march-international-protests-against-the-murder-of-basil-al-araj/">More
protests are being organized</a>, and two will take
place on Monday, 13 March in <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1822830484634682/">New
York City</a> and <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/events/661131077422685/">Washington,
DC</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
</div>
</body>
</html>