<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1255"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hey all,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I wrote this about the Ta'ayush demonstration today between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.  Cops went wild with violence, and they looked sincerly happy doing it.  btw, I was the one who got kicked in the chest with bruised ribs.  If fuckin' hurt.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Bryan</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>There are pictures here. <A href="http://www.indymedia.org.il/imc/israel/webcast/34934.html">http://www.indymedia.org.il/imc/israel/webcast/34934.html</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>==========</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Peaceful, joint Arab/Jewish demonstration organized by Ta'ayush violently turned away at Bethlehem roadblock </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>By: Bryan Atinsky, Indymedia Israel<BR>Aug.10, 2002 </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>JERUSALEM - The Israeli Border Police and Army violently attacked a group of approximately 700 Arab and Jewish demonstrators who were attempting to enter Bethlehem from Jerusalem for a cooperative Palestinian and Israeli demonstration against the occupation outside of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem. The demonstration was organized by the joint Arab/Jewish organization Ta'ayush.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Eight busloads of demonstrators drove from Teddy Kollek Stadium in Jerusalem and attempted to turn onto the settlement tunnel road towards Bethlehem, where a large number of Palestinian demonstrators were waiting, however, they were stopped by tens of Israeli army soldiers and border police. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The demonstrators exited the busses and made their way quickly down the road by foot, but were soon after attacked by water cannons, horse-mounted police, and foot soldiers who beat and kicked demonstrators as they tried to pass. Several demonstrators were severely hurt in the attack, one who needed to be taken away in an ambulance. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>One Italian woman was hit by the water cannon in the back and was thrown so severely that she cracked her head against the road and ended up with deep cuts in her head and right arm. Numerous people had their legs trampled by two mounted police who ran their horses directly into the crowd of peaceful demonstrators. Several demonstrators were kicked in the legs and chest, one who sustained bruised ribs due to having been attacked by one officer with a running jump-kick with both feet into his chest. A sixty year old woman was thrown into a rocky ravine on her back, by the water cannon; she needed to be evacuated by ambulance soon after. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>One peaceful protestor was arrested during the assault by the Israeli police and army.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>After twenty minutes of the assault, most of the demonstrators sat down in the road and began to chant several slogans and songs against the occupation and calling for the soldiers to refuse to serve. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Approximately thirty minutes later, the demonstrators turned back from the settlement road and began to walk towards the main entrance into Bethlehem through the Gilo roadblock, singing as they marched. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Once more a large contingent of Israeli police officers and soldiers blocked the way, this time just inside the Gilo roadblock. The demonstrators made a group decision to stop their march and cease the demonstration where they were. However, they remained in the border crossing for another forty minutes, singing protest songs and at the end, they received a couple of speeches by cellular telephone (broadcast over a megaphone) by Palestinian demonstrators who were waiting in the Nativity Church in Bethlehem, discussing the importance of these shows of solidarity between Jews and Palestinians.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Soon after, the demonstrators peacefully marched back to their busses and made their way home. <BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>