The Israeli occupation army has declared the Ramallah-area Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh to be a closed military zone in an attempt to suppress a planned demonstration in support of Jerusalem against Israeli ethnic cleansing and U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration of recognizing it as the capital of Israel.

The mass march was attacked by Israeli occupation forces who fired large amounts of tear gas on the marchers, many of whom suffered as a result of inhaling tear gas. They also attacked the demonstration with rubber-coated metal bullets after surrounding the village and blocking the roads and entrances. Journalists seeking to attend the march were prevented from passing through the checkpoint and denied entry to Nabi Saleh.

This latest attack on Nabi Saleh, the village that has been at the center of an indigenous Palestinian land defense struggle after its land and spring were stolen by the illegal settlement of Halamish, comes in addition to repeated raids and arrests, particularly those targeting Ahed Tamimi and her family, one of the largest and most active families in the village.

The order comes shortly following the decision of far-right, racist Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s collective punishment order against the Tamimi family. Bassem Tamimi, the father of Ahed and the husband of Nariman, Ahed’s mother, who is also imprisoned, was banned from traveling outside Palestine. Bassem was previously imprisoned for several years for his involvement in protests and was recognized as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.

The Tamimi family have traveled to South Africa, Lebanon, Europe and elsewhere to speak about the situation in Nabi Saleh and the Palestinian people’s struggle for liberation. This comes as a clear attempt to cut off the Tamimi family from international support.

However, that international support has only continued to grow. In addition to protests in Sydney, Berlin, Athens, Rome, Porto, Lisbon, Dublin, New York, Brussels, Portland, Braga, Toulouse and elsewhere to demand freedom for Ahed Tamimi and her fellow Palestinian prisoners, French trade unionists also showed their support for Ahed. CGT railway workers at a conference in Versailles responded to the World Federation of Trade Unions’ call for solidarity:

Ahed is one of over 300 Palestinian children currently jailed by the Israeli occupation. Each year, approximately 700 Palestinian kids are brought before Israeli military courts and are frequently subject to beating, solitary confinement, physical and psychological abuse and other forms of cruel and inhumane treatment.

In addition, Lieberman withdrew the Israeli work permits of 20 Tamimi family members in an apparent attempt to impoverish the family into submission. Six Tamimi family members, including Mohammed Bilal Tamimi, the son of Manal Tamimi, earlier arrested and released, were also seized by occupation forces on Thursday in pre-dawn raids.

Justifying the collective punishment, Lieberman declared that “Dealing with Tamimi and her family has to be severe, exhaust all legal measures and generate deterrence” of involvement in popular Palestinian resistance.

**

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network denounces the arrest of Ahed Tamimi and Nariman Tamimi, the latest of well over 500 Palestinians arrested by Israeli occupation forces following U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration of recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Approximately half of those detained, like Ahed, Abdul-Khalik Burnat and Fawzi al-Junaidi, are children. There are hundreds of Palestinian children jailed by Israel and frequently subject to beatings, abuse, and interrogations without parents or lawyers present in violation of the law. We urge people of conscience around the world to take action to demand freedom for Ahed and her fellow detained and jailed Palestinian children in occupation detention centers, interrogation centers and prisons – and for Nariman Tamimi and all detained and imprisoned Palestinians.

The resistance of the Palestinian people has never been quelled by arrests or repression, and it must be clear that we, around the world, stand alongside the Palestinian people as they defend Jerusalem and their entire land and people under attack. This includes standing with detained and jailed Palestinian prisoners in their struggle for liberation for themselves, their people, and their occupied homeland.

TAKE ACTION:

For supporters in the US: Call your member of the House of Representatives to support H.R. 4391, the Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act. Tell them specifically about Ahed’s arrest, and urge them to act for her release. Tell them to pressure Israel to free Ahed and other detained Palestinian kids. Call the House switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak to your Representative’s office. CODEPINK has an action to highlight this case specifically.

Call your member of the House of Representatives to support H.R. 4391, the Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act. Tell them specifically about Ahed’s arrest, and urge them to act for her release. Tell them to pressure Israel to free Ahed and other detained Palestinian kids. Call the House switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak to your Representative’s office. CODEPINK has an action to highlight this case specifically. Take action around the world : From 10 January to 20 January, there is an international week of action to contact local parliamentarians in each country and urge the freedom of Ahed Tamimi and her fellow Palestinian prisoners. Find our sample letters and contact addresses in multiple languages here!

: From 10 January to 20 January, there is an international week of action to contact local parliamentarians in each country and urge the freedom of Ahed Tamimi and her fellow Palestinian prisoners. Find our sample letters and contact addresses in multiple languages here! Call your nearest Israeli embassy and let them know that you know about the detention of Ahed Tamimi in Nabi Saleh and other Palestinian child prisoners. Demand Ahed, her mother Nariman, and the other detained children be immediately released. Contact infomation here: https://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-of/israel

and let them know that you know about the detention of Ahed Tamimi in Nabi Saleh and other Palestinian child prisoners. Demand Ahed, her mother Nariman, and the other detained children be immediately released. Contact infomation here: https://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-of/israel Sign the petition. Over 150,000 people have already signed on to demand freedom for Ahed: https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/free_ahed/?feiNukb

Over 150,000 people have already signed on to demand freedom for Ahed: https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/free_ahed/?feiNukb Organize a protest for Ahed or join one of the many protests for Jerusalem and distribute this post and other news about Ahed and the Palestinian prisoners. Get others involved in the struggle for Palestinian freedom! Build the campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel and complicit corporations like HP and G4S.

and distribute this post and other news about Ahed and the Palestinian prisoners. Get others involved in the struggle for Palestinian freedom! Build the campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel and complicit corporations like HP and G4S. Write to Ahed and Nariman. While Zionist jailers frequently censor Palestinian prisoners’ mail, these letters can help bolster morale and even send a message to the jailers and censors themselves. Write to Ahed Tamimi or Nariman Tamimi (choose one and address your letter to one only) at: HaSharon prison

Ben Yehuda, P.O. Box 7

40 330 Israel

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