RAMALLAH: Israeli military forces raided a Palestinian protest village erected near Jenin on Saturday, Ma'an News Agency reports. Activist set up the encampment in the village of Anin, and dubbed it “Asra," or prisoners. Situated aside Israel's separation wall, soldiers prevented several activists and ministers from entering the protest village before they launched an assault that included firing tear gas and using physical force against demonstrators. Although an Israeli military spokesperson told Ma'an that no arrests were reported, witnesses said the brother of a hunger striking prisoner, Yousef Yassin, was detained by soldiers. The spokesperson also said that the soldiers only used riot dispersal tactics as a response to around 200 Palestinians attacking soldiers with rocks.
Al-Asra is the latest in a string of protest villages that mark a new tactic of Palestinian activism. Two weeks ago, activists set up the Bab Al-Shams, or “Gate of the Sun," encampment in the E1 Area of the West Bank to directly challenge Israel's plans to annex the area and build 3,000 settler homes. Within 48 hours, soldiers evicted all the campers and destroyed the village. The following weekend, activists set up Karamah, or “Dignity," near the Jerusalem village of Bet Iksa. Like Bab Al-Shams, the military quickly moved to remove it, and it was taken down last Monday. Ma'an reports that activists rebuilt the village on Friday. Al-Asra marks the first attempt by the popular struggle movement to fuse the issue of prisoners and land annexation together, as it was designated specifically as an act of solidarity with those behind Israeli bars. Protesters march for prisoners in Ramallah. April 2012. In recent years, the plight of prisoners, particularly those on hunger strike, has proved to be one of the rare issues capable of uniting Palestinian political factions. There are presently four hunger strikers: Jazzer Ezzedine, Yousef Yassin, Tarek Qa'adan, and Samer Al-Issawi (who is on partial hunger strike, according to the most recent reports). Their health is quickly waning, a recent press release from Addameer Prisoner Support Network said. In December, there were 4,656 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, according to Addameer. 177 of them were children, and another 17 were members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. BN
