Mourners at the funeral of Mustafa Tamimi were attacked today with teargas, women were beaten and 8 people were arrested, 2 were Israelis and 6 were international solidarity activists, one of the activists at the funeral wrote the following:
“IOF soldiers were savagely beating anybody within their vicinity, three or four soldiers at a time grabbing men and throwing them to the floor, kicking them violently and stamping on their heads. As I stood back from the scene taking photographs, a soldier suddenly lunged towards us entirely unprovoked and threw one of the ISM activists I was with against the barrier of the road, doubling him over it as his body crashed to the ground.” Read more here.
Also, an account of the violence in the Guardian here.
Pause for a moment and imagine the international outrage if this had occurred in Syria. The UN would convene, the Arab League would impose more sanctions, Erdogan would make another speech. But alas it is Palestine and the only hope we have this will ever be addressed in any official capacity is for Matthew Lee from the Associated Press to bring it up with Victoria Nuland. Nick Kristoff will ignore Palestine for the time being and reappear in a few months and ask if we found our Gandhi yet. Susan Rice will scowl down any attempt to criticize Israel over its insane violence. And, Obama will be increasing his financial and moral support to apartheid Israel on a daily basis until the election.
Yesterday activist Linah Alsaafin wrote an incredibly passionate piece on Electronic Intifada about the murder of Tamimi:
The images are tattooed forever inside my eyelids. A bloody pulp on one side of his face. The pool of blood rapidly increasing. (Mama, there was so much blood.) His mouth slightly open, lying supine on the cold road. His sister screaming, her face twisted in grief. The young men weeping, looking like little boys again.
I hate them for making us suffer
I loathe my enemy. I will never forgive, I will never forget. People who say such hatred transforms a person into a bitter cruel shell know nothing of the Israeli army. This hatred will not cripple me. What does that mean anyway? Do I not continue to write? Do I not continue to protest? Do I not continue to resist? Hating them sustains me, as opposed to normalizing with them. Their hatred of me makes reinforces the truth of their being murderous machines. My hatred of them makes me human.
I can’t sleep. The shock flows in and then dissipates, before flooding back in again. I see no justification is implementing such violence on a civilian population, no sense in the point-blank murder of a man whose rights are compromised, and whose land is colonized and occupied.
She was among those beaten today, she is pictured at the bottom of this pile of people that threw themselves on her to prevent her arrest.
(Photo: Activestills.org)
I recently told Linah that I felt Israelis now have her in their sights, she’s becoming a more visible and well known fixture at protests against Israel’s land theft. Here she is confronting Israeli soldiers on November 25, 2011:
I hope Linah makes a quick recovery from what transpired today, her anger is helping to sustain our struggle. Israel is right to fear her.
Below is a letter from activist Abir Kopty to Tamimi:
Dear comrade Mustafa
Last Friday, I wasn’t there… I couldn’t make it to Nabi Saleh and I regret.
I could not be there to stand with the brave people of Nabi Saleh in this difficult time, and I could not be there to say good bye.
Please forgive me Mustafa, when I first heard you were shot, and then saw the pictures, I had to struggle with my stomach feeling that you will not make it. And you did not. How would you survive tear gas canister shot in your face from 2 meters distance, and then delaying your treatment by the Israeli criminal army?
I remember your braveness during Nabi Saleh’s weekly rallies, facing the army with open chest. I apologize to you for not having your courage. Your life isn’t worth less than mine.
Today, Mustafa, we all cried during the protest we held in Ramallah. We decided first to make it silent, as a symbolic funeral. No one could remain silent, and we chanted like we never did.
It was the first demo I ever attended where most of the protesters were crying. Crying and screaming, crying and chanting, crying and singing.
Your murder Mustafa, made us feel so hopeless and powerless. We ask your forgiveness that we could not save your precious life.
Dear Mustafa, for the time being I’m afraid to make promises, as we have learned not to make promises bigger than us. I can only promise you that I will continue going to Nabi Saleh, I will not give up the hope, exactly as you didn’t. I promise you that your courage will keep inspiring me and giving me strength.
Rest in peace comrade.
Let’s get this typical bit of Zionist response crap out of the way immediately:
“What were those protesters thinking? Don’t they know that the IDF has a history of violently interfering with Palestinian funerals? This is just asking for trouble. What a stupid and unproductive move on the part of Palestinian resistance! And taking pictures? More provocation. (Of course, if there were no pictures, the Zios would insist this was all made up to make the most moral IDF look bad.) Better they should have all stayed home (assuming they still have homes that haven’t been demolished yet).
We now return you to your regular broadcast.
Outrageous. Those IDF people are savages.
They are behaving like mad dogs.
Another Palestinian hero. Linah versus the IDF thugs. That is one incredible act of bravery. Americans are taught to worship the bravery of USAF pilots that drop bombs from 20,000 feet on defenseless villagers in Afghanistan. The biggest threat that they face is lack of sleep. And here we get to see true bravery on the part of a young Palestinian woman. When will the people of the US realize what it is we are supporting in Israel. If this story ever hits the mainstream discourse, US aid to Israel would be history. In fact we would see federal prosecutors in the US frog marching Zionist fund raisers for the IDF and the WB settlements being arrested for abetting terrorism. May that day come soon.
No shame.
No decency.
No humanity.
As a background (JP):
“IDF sources said that Tamimi was injured during a violent demonstration against Israeli security forces near the village of Nabi Salah in Samaria. Soldiers and border policemen fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrations. Palestinians said that Tamimi was hit in the face by a gas canister.
IDF troops treated him at the scene and he was later evacuated to the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva, where he died.
IDF sources said that Tamimi had thrown a number of rocks at security forces and that a slingshot was found on his body when he was taken to the hospital.”