The Only Democracy? » Avital Aboody

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02/26/10--13:18: Open Shuhada Street Action in Hebron (chan 1271337)

Here is a short summary of today’s protest in Hebron, longer first person account to follow! This afternoon about 300 Palestinian, Israeli, and International activists met at the Hebron municipality where they made posters, distributed t-shirts and hats, and spoke with media personnel before they began the march towards Shuhada Street in Hebron. The protesters marched in the rain waving flags, linking arms, and chanting slogans in Arabic, Hebrew, and English. The protesters remained true to their commitment to nonviolence, yet they were met by a very heavy army presence which was quick to deploy harsh crowd dispersal techniques that included a heavy amount of tear gas and stunt grenades. The tear gas canisters were fired from all directions, often coming very close to hitting people. A few elderly protesters fainted and were evacuated by ambulance. Protestors scattered and ran ...


02/28/10--06:34: A Closed Street Opens a Door to a Global Movement (chan 1271337)

-By Avital Aboody On the afternoon of February 25, 2010, diverse groups of activists around the world took to the streets to protest the official policy of separation in Hebron that has severely restricted Palestinian freedom of movement in the area around the Jewish settlement, and effectively turned a once vibrant city center into a virtual ghost town. Armed only with the support and encouragement of these fellow activists, a group of approximately 300 Palestinians, Israelis, and Internationals joined hands and marched toward Shuhada Street in Hebron. Shuhada Street was once the sight of the principal marketplace in the city yet has been closed to Palestinians for the past 16 years, justified by the military as a necessary security measure to reduce friction between the settlers and Palestinians in the aftermath of the murder of 29 Palestinians in prayer by a settler named Baruch Goldstein. In preparation for the protest, members of ...


04/27/10--06:30: The Global Movement Spreads: New Wave of Protests in Hebron (chan 1271337)

By Avital Aboody On April 24, 2010 at around 15:45 a group of approximately 50 Palestinian, Israeli, and International activists gathered in Hebron next to the checkpoint gate separating Shuhada Street from the Casbah. The protest was organized by a Palestinian group in Hebron called “Youth Against Settlements” and the organizers hope to hold these protests every week with the intention of disrupting the army-accompanied settler tour that goes through the Casbah (Old City) every Saturday. The Casbah is within H2, an area that comprises 20% of the city of Hebron and is considered Zone B, meaning that it is receives Palestinian municipal services but is under Israeli military control. Both Palestinians and Israelis can access the Casbah, but Palestinians are restricted from walking just a fewer meters further, beyond the imposing gate/checkpoint to the sight of the former marketplace, Shuhada Street. The protestors stood in front of the gate where the ...


05/10/10--09:39: Hebron From All Angles (chan 1271337)

For the past three Saturdays I have attended the new wave of weekly Hebron protests in the Casbah (Old City). The protests are intended to disrupt army-accompanied settler tours that pass through the Casbah each week, and demand the re-opening of Shuhada Street and an end to the occupation of the city. Although for the past two weeks the settlers have changed the time of their tour to avoid encountering our protest, we decided to continue with the protests as planned to assert the Palestinians’ right to move freely within their city. So, each week a group of between 50-70 Palestinians, Israelis, and Internationals gather in front of the gate which blocks entrance to Shuhada Street. We stand with signs in Arabic, Hebrew, and English and pass the megaphone around as different people lead the protesters in a series of call and response chants in all three languages. Some activists take ...