Roadblock Built Up Despite Israeli Promises

Demonstration In Sarra: Roadblock Built Up Despite Israeli Promises

Local residents in the Palestinian village of Sarra, along with international and Israeli activists, will hold a demonstration on Friday, August 31st 2007, at 1 pm in Sarra village, Nablus region.

On the 25th of August, Israeli Occupation Forces entered the village of Sarra to close a roadblock that they claimed would remain open. The Monday before, (20th August) international activists joined Palestinian villagers in removing a road block that turned a 5 minute journey to Nablus into half an hour.

There was to be another demonstration the Friday after, but it was canceled because the local mayor said the Israeli authorities (DCO) had told him they would open the roadblock permanently the next day. This happens only a few days after Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Haaretz that he plans to replace permanent checkpoints in the West Bank with mobile ones, to ease restrictions on Palestinian daily life.

Ehud Olmert charged Barak with the task of easing movement restrictions in the West Bank two months ago.

Contrary to what the Israelis told the Palestinian mayor, Israeli soldiers arrived on Saturday, forcing a Palestinian villager to use his tractor to close the roadblock. After the soldiers left, the man re-opened the roadblock. Then the soldiers came again, however this time at night.

From one in the morning to 2:30am they entered homes and interrogated the inhabitants, occupied houses and kicked out the families inside, confiscated knives and CDs from houses, pushed people around and shot live ammunition into the doorways of shops and homes, as well as into the water tanks above the homes.

The demonstration will take place this Friday, August 31, at 1:00pm, after the jumaa prayer. To get to Sarra, take a shared taxi from Nablus.

ENDS

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