CPTnet
June 16, 2001
BETHLEHEM DISTRICT: CPTer Anita Fast beaten by Israeli Police at nonviolent
witness
On June 15, CPTers Anita Fast (Vancouver, BC), Bob Holmes (Toronto, ON) and
Anne Montgomery (Brooklyn, NY) joined about 150-200 Palestinians, and 20
Israelis and internationals at a nonviolent witness against the confiscation
of the lands of Al Khader village by the settlement of Efrat. Fast was
beaten by the police for trying to assist two Palestinian women. An Israeli
friend friend of the team, Neta Golan, had her arm broken.
After the villagers prayed, they and the Israelis and internationals began
to walk up the hill toward three mobile homes that settlers had installed in
order to facilitate the confiscation of a huge tract of land for the
settlement of Efrat.
About one hundred meters up the hill, soldiers prevented the group from
continuing. Participants began to make speeches. Rabbi Arik Asherman said
to the soldiers, "I know that you are doing
your duty here, but I hope that your witness of this event will prove to you
that it's possible for Palestinians and Israelis to work together in
coexistence." Then police arrived from the settlement of Efrat and told the
group to leave or they would be arrested. The participants began to move
down the hill.
When the group did not move as fast as the police would have liked, they
charged the group and began beating participants. Fast and Montgomery
attempted to intervene when they saw police beating two older Palestinian
women. One was kicked hard in the behind as she retreated.
"There's no need to use violence," Fast said. She was then hit in the back
of the head by a rubber-coated club or a fist. Police grabbed her and began
alternately shoving her up the hill toward a police van and pulling her by
the hair. "There's no need to be violent. I'm nonviolent. You're hurting
me," Fast said repeatedly. One of the police officers manhandling her said,
"You're crazy." Once she got to the van she was again hit in the back of
the head and had her shirt ripped by the police.
Israeli activist Neta Golan was handled even more roughly by the police.
According to a report by Gila Svirsky, "Neta approached a policeman and
asked, 'What are you doing?' and he started to beat her. When Neta refused
to duck or run away, he became incensed and continued to strike her. Then
he twisted her arm behind her back and began to drag her up the hill. Neta
did not resist, but walked with the policeman. At some point, he handed her
over to a policewoman, who grabbed Neta by the hair and began to drag her up
the hill, even though Neta continued to cooperate. Someone else took over
the twisting of her arm behind her back, and this person continued to twist,
harder and harder, until she heard the crunch of the elbow breaking. Neta
felt terrible pain and told the police she needs medical attention, but they
continued to drag her by the hair and arm up the hill."
Anne Montgomery ran behind Neta, calling for the police to stop twisting her
arm and pulling her hair, but the police ignored her.
The six people arrested were charged with "refusing to obey a military order
to leave" and "resisting detention."
Fast's fingerprints, palm prints, and mug shot were taken. After they read
her the charges, they asked for her statement. Fast said, "The police were
very rough. They dragged me up the hill by my hair and I was nonviolent."
The police initially told the group of detainees that they could leave if
they paid a 5000 shekel fine and agreed not to enter a Closed Military Zone
for the next few months. All of the Israelis and internationals refused to
sign. They then reduced the fine180 shekels, and people still refused to
sign.
"Then they got mad," Fast said in a phone interview "and put us in seperate
rooms. They were really mad at Arik, because they thought he was the
leader. They came in to me and showed me everyone's signature on a paper.
Liad [one of the Israeli women arrested] translated for me. The police had
taken away all stipulations and said we could go if we agreed to return for
a court date."
Regarding Golan's treatment at the police station, Svirsky reported, "Neta
asked to see a doctor, but her requests were ignored. An army medic was
called in, who said that it looks like a break and she needs to get to a
hospital, but the police kept her waiting. There was a lengthy
interrogation and they told her they would release her as soon as she
signed a paper that she agrees not to enter a 'closed military zone' again.
She refused to sign it. 'If it really hurt you, you would sign,' they said
to her. They don't know Neta. Finally, four hours later, they let her out
and then freed the others."
Fast, who was resting at the Mennonite Central Committee office in Jerusalem
at the time of this interview, reported that her shoulders are sore and
there is some bruising on her arms, but otherwise she feels well. "I felt
really quite calm the whole time," she said. "It was not a frightening
experience for me. I was really worried about Neta."
Photos of the event will soon be available at www.clubphoto.com. People who
wish to view them should sign in using [rholmes@basilian.org.]
______________________
Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative among Mennonite and Church of
the Brethren congregations and Friends Meetings that supports violence
reduction efforts around the world. Contact CPT, POB 6508 Chicago, IL 60680,
TEL. 312-455-1199 FAX 312-432-1213 / To receive news or discussion of CPT
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