Palestinian Town Claims Victory for Non-Violence

[JohnLocke]

Palestinian Town Claims Victory for Non-Violence
By Cynthia Johnston -- Reuters
Friday, March 19, 2004
--
BUDRUS, West Bank (Reuters) - When Israel came to build its West Bank barrier among the olive groves of Budrus, villagers flocked to the fields to block its path.
Now the orange and yellow bulldozers have stopped work.
Israel says it will not return to build the barrier in the town's terraced orchards. And villagers are claiming victory for a relatively nonviolent form of protest in a region better known for deadly clashes and suicide attacks.
"We don't have rocks or weapons. We defend our land just with our bodies," said Ahmed Hassan Awad, a Budrus Arabic teacher and activist.
(...)]
"People were very persistent and they managed to stop the wall ... It shows Palestinians there is a third way, a nonviolent way," said Mustafa Barghouti of the Palestinian National Initiative, which backs nonviolent protest.
(...)
Children chanting "God is greatest" led the way at a recent protest, walking and skipping along a pot-holed road to confront Israeli soldiers. Some as young as five or six, they waved Palestinian flags while adults kept order.
Only as the protesters were leaving, did a handful of teen-agers pull out slings and aim at the soldiers, who responded by firing teargas into the retreating crowd.
(...)
The villagers say it is their protests that have stopped the barrier and believe they can be a model to others.
"If many villages do as we did, it will be difficult for them to continue. We succeeded many times to push them away from our land," said Ayed Morar, head of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Budrus.
(...)
Mahdi Abdul-Hadi, director of the Palestinian think tank Passia, said the message of nonviolence was getting across, but did not have widespread support.
"The idea has always been there...It needs leadership. It needs mass support," he said. "There is not going to be a Palestinian Gandhi."
--
Read the rest here.

[rdfi-defi]

1. congratulations to those people who were able to oppose the illegal

occupation through peaceful means (even if just for a day)

if all the people who say they want peace start acting peaceful, peace will come

[drdon326]

2. Interesting

.

[PsychoDad]

3. How long will this last ?

Israeli bulldozers and their drivers have never been too impressed with non-violent protests before.

Maybe Israel fears more of a international outcry if dozens are bulldozed over at one time than just one.

"Children chanting "God is greatest" led the way at a recent protest, walking and skipping along a pot-holed road to confront Israeli soldiers. Some as young as five or six, they waved Palestinian flags while adults kept order. "

Allahu Akbar indeed little brothers and sisters. May Allah keep you safe, and may Israel respect your non-violent protest, and may it be fruitful, Inshallah.

[Aussie_Hillbilly]

4. Great article!

ISM-style non-violence can work after all...

Let's hope with Yassin's death more Palestinians and Israelis come to think that way. Hey, I can dream!