[liberationtech] Computer seizure in the West Bank

Tue May 8 07:45:37 PDT 2012

I believe these actions, such as those by the FBI on the May First and 
Riseup server, are indicative of the power of online networks for social 
change. The two situations are quite different in that escalation of 
this attack on Palestinian civil society is a very real possibility 
without some international outcry. Some are suspecting that this is 
related to the current hunger strike of thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

----

http://stopthewall.org/2012/05/08/action-alert-stw-office-raided-israeli-military

At 1.30am this morning ten armoured jeeps of the Israeli occupation 
forces and intelligence surrounded and raided the offices of Stop the 
Wall in Ramallah. Israeli military stole 2 laptops, 3 hard drives and 10 
memory cards containing files and photos as well as archive material 
relating to the work that the organisation does in opposition to 
Israel's apartheid wall and the attack on Palestinian human rights that 
the wall and the settlement represent. This is a renewed attack upon 
Palestinian civil society and their struggle against the physical and 
psychological oppression, land confiscation and ethnic cleansing 
policies of the Israel.

It is no coincidence that the Israeli authorities have chosen this 
moment to escalate their repression against the Stop the Wall grassroots 
network of civil resistance against the Wall and the settlements, 
choosing to act on the same day that the Israeli High Court rejected the 
appeals of Palestinian hunger strikers Bilal Diab and Tha''ir Halahleh, 
imprisoned without charge and without trial, effectively condemning them 
to death. Israel is fearing popular resistance and at the same time 
prepares for confrontation and more repression, clearly showing that it 
is not ready to relinquish any of the international sanctioned rights 
the Palestinian people are struggling for.

This is a stark reminder of the 2010 office raid and the 2009/10 wave 
of  arrests of Stop the Wall staff and grassroots leaders. At that time 
we could count on the solidarity of all our supporters across the globe. 
Thanks to the steadfastness of Stop the Wall activists and your support 
internationally, we have been able to staff off the attack and emerge 
stronger than before.

We once again call upon you to support us by:

Spreading the news and publicly express your support to Stop the Wall 
and our work in the media available to you (and please let us know you 
did so!)
Encouraging your representatives and governments to condemn and report 
this further repression of civil resistance and human rights defenders 
organizations.
Let Israel know that their walls cannot isolate anybody!

For photos see: 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stopthewall/sets/72157629631856082/

Background:

Stop the Wall is one of the most vibrant organizations of human rights 
defenders in Palestine, and has been promoting, for almost ten years, 
civil resistance and advocacy campaigns against the Wall and in defense 
of Palestinian rights to self determination. Human Rights Defenders are 
internationally recognized as an essential element in political 
processes and their repression further underlines Israeli unwillingness 
to achieve a just peace.

This raid on the Stop the Wall offices is a clear message that the 
Israeli authorities are fearing widespread nonviolent action will 
challenge their policies effectively.

The courageous steadfastness of the more than 2000 hunger strikers in 
Israeli jails is underlining once more the power of civil resistance as 
part of the Palestinian struggle. Almost daily people are out in the 
streets to protest in solidarity with the Palestinian political 
prisoners, and the discontent with the fruitless and completely stalled 
diplomatic processes is growing stronger. At the same time, the Israeli 
authorities announced in 2011 to UN agencies that throughout 2012 year 
they will systematically displace the Palestinian population in area C. 
While the displacement drive is underway in the Jordan Valley, home 
demolitions are rising and the settlement construction is accelerated, 
the people across the West Bank are always more constraint behind the 
cantons of the wall. Israel is preparing for confrontation and more 
repression, clearly showing that it is not ready to relinquish any of 
the international sanctioned rights the Palestinian people are 
struggling for.

This is not the first time Stop the Wall has been the target of Israeli 
repression. In September 2009 Stop the Wall youth coordinator was 
arrested and the Stop the Wall coordinator, Jamal Juma', was arrested a 
few months later, in December 2009. The Israeli authorities were not 
able to formulate any accusations against either of them and after a 
sustained international campaign, that saw the active involvement of the 
diplomatic missions in Palestine and European foreign ministries as well 
as countless human rights organizations around the world, both had to be 
freed in January 2010. This attack was followed only a few months later 
by an extensive office raid by the Israeli military on February 8 2010 
and mass arrests of grassroots human rights defenders in the villages 
most actively protesting against the Wall.
-- 
Mallory Knodel
Communications Manager :: mallory at apc.org <http://mailto:mallory@apc.org>
Association for Progressive Communications :: apc.org <http://apc.org>
skype/yahoo. malloryknodel :: mobile. +1917.796.6884
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