Israel again detains coordinator of Apartheid Wall protests in West Bank
Israeli military forces have once again arrested a prominent Palestinian activist for his fierce opposition to the construction of the Apartheid Wall separating parts of the West Bank from the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory.
Local sources said Saturday that Abdullah Abu Rahma, who was arrested a day earlier in the village of Billin near Ramallah, was accused by Israelis of “interfering with the work of the army in a closed military zone.”
Abu Rahma, a well-known figure in coordinating protests against Israel’s construction of the so-called separation barrier, has had a record of run-ins with Israeli troops and has spent time in jail in the past for organizing weekly demonstrations.
An Israeli court handed him a four-month jail term in February for coordinating the protests. He was also jailed for 15 months in 2009 on similar charges.
Abu Rahma’s protest over the construction of the wall has even prompted foreign demonstrators and activists from the occupied territories to join his rallies in Billin. Rateb Abu Rahma, Abdullah’s brother, said a number of activists were detained alongside the Palestinian in the Friday rally. There was no official confirmation from the Israelis.
Meanwhile, reports said clashes erupted in the demonstration in Billin with Israeli forces firing tear gas to disperse the protesters.
Abu Rahma began organizing protests over the construction of the Apartheid Wall since Israel began building it in 2002. He and his followers say the move is a ploy to grab more Palestinian lands.
Israelis have recently intensified construction work on some remaining parts of the wall, despite international calls for its halt.
In a non-binding decision, the International Court of Justice ruled in 2004 that construction of the barrier was illegal and, like the UN General Assembly, demanded its demolition.
The Friday protest in Bilin came two days before a mass march planned by the Palestinians to commemorate the Nakba, or 'catastrophe', which is the day Palestinians remember the loss of their homes in the 1948 war which resulted in the creation of Israel and the flight of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
Millions of Palestinians and rights activists around the world are expected to observe the official commemoration on May 15 while a huge march will be held across the West Bank and in the besieged Gaza Strip.
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