AL-WALAJA, EAST JERUSALEM, PALESTINE, August 10 — The racist Israeli rulers showed how much they hate and fear Arab-Jewish unity when they launched a pogrom (a fascist attack) and ordered soldiers to violently attack demonstrators attempting to protest the racist apartheid directed towards villagers in Palestine.
We arrived at the village of al-Walesa, located at the southern entrance to Jerusalem (between the Malha mall, Beit Jallah and the settlement of Har Giloh which are included in the municipal jurisdiction of Jerusalem). The village’s status is “present absentee”; its land belongs to Jerusalem’s municipal jurisdiction while its residents are classified as residents of the West Bank and have no civil rights (they have orange ID cards).
When we arrived we suspected something bad was about to happen. When we took the main road to the village, the IDF (Israeli “Defense” Force) soldiers at the checkpoint stopped us to check our IDs and possibly photograph them. These soldiers gave us the feeling of “what do these Jews have to look for in this Arab area.” This just emphasized the racism of these soldiers. We then continued uninterrupted.
Approximately 20 villagers and 15 activists participated in the demonstration. We walked to where the apartheid wall was being built through the steep mountain terraces. The land was very curved and descended into shallow creeks. In the background we could hear the bulldozer.
When we reached about 200 meters (600 feet) from the construction zone, we encountered several dozen soldiers and three Border Guard officers. The soldiers — members of the Dukhifat battalion — aggressively blocked our access to the site. One officer announced this was a “closed military zone” and gave us five minutes to leave. This was ridiculous since the rough terrain would take much more time to traverse.
Very soon they started arresting protestors, launching tear gas and shock grenades. Since there were far more soldiers than demonstrators, we quickly retreated and tried to take shelter in the village’s houses. The soldiers violently drove us away from the construction site, surrounding us and shooting at us with tear gas grenades. The military arrested up to 12 activists, beating them as they were enraged to see Arab and Jewish workers united and standing up against apartheid.
Other demonstrators began driving away, and, being outnumbered, we joined them. The soldiers began raiding the village’s houses and arresting villagers, mostly children, entering houses with full body armor and guns at the ready.
When one grandmother tried to shelter her grandson and prevent his arrest, soldiers pushed her, and when she refused to give up, one soldier threw a shock grenade at her. This also happened to other villagers, especially parents who crowded around the soldiers in order to defend their children.
Our attack on this Israeli rulers’ apartheid is another example of PLP’s determination to fight racism whenever and wherever it rears its head. The fascistic treatment of these workers is a threat and an attack on the international working class.