Anti-Wall Organizers Abducted From Their Homes

Thursday, January 15, 2004 [3:30AM Local Time]

Action Alert!
NONVIOLENT ORGANIZERS ABDUCTED FROM THEIR HOMES

[Budrus, RAMALLAH] Approximately one hour ago, shortly after 2:15 AM, Thursday January 15, 2004 Israeli soldiers came and took away the coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in the village of Budrus, Ayed Ahmed Hussein Morrar They also took away his brother, Na'im Ahmed Hussein Morrar who was just released from Israeli military custody yesterday. On January 2, 2004 their brother Nasir Ahmed Hussein Morrar was arrested for making a public speech against the bulldozing of village farmlands.

Both Ayed, Na'im and Nasir have been active in organizing massive, civilian, nonviolent resistance against the confiscation of their land and uprooting of ancestral olive trees for Israel's planned Apartheid Wall. They have hosted dozens of Internationals and Israelis who have come to work in solidarity with the villagers against the wall, in their homes. In fact, a charge lobbed against Nasir when he was detained on January 2, 2004 was "hosting internationals in his home."

Construction of the wall began approximately two months ago in Budrus with the clearing of larger stones in the proposed path of the Wall. The people of Budrus successfully stopped several attempts of the workers to uproot their trees by using non-violent acts of resistance, including protest gatherings, marches, and obstructing the work of the bulldozers by using their bodies to protect their trees. A few of Budrus' actions were covered by the Israeli and international media, especially the shooting injury of Israeli protester, Gil Naamati, which exposed Israel's uncivilized manner of dealing with nonviolent protesters, creating bad PR for the Israeli military.

The villagers of Budrus are determined to continue resisting the confiscation and destruction of their land, and the erection of an Apartheid Wall that will turn their village into a large prison. They had called for and were organizing yet another demonstration against the Wall to take place later today, Thursday January 15, 2004 at 12:00 noon. The Israeli military and government do not seem to like the negative publicity or the determination of the villagers to resist this Wall and seem to have arrested Ayed and Na'im today in an effort to thwart the demonstration and break the village resistance.

Please call the Israeli authorities and protest the abduction of nonviolent activists in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and demand the safe and immediate release of these men:

Ayed Ahmed Hussein Morrar, ID# 929915163 DOB: 25 February, 1962 Nasir Ahmed Hussein Morrar, ID# 929915106 DOB: ? Na'im Ahmed Hussein Morrar, ID# 929915197 DOB: 22 February 1969

Numbers to call: Ofer Military Prison: +972-2-588-4325 or +972-2-588-4300 Ramallah DCO: +972-2-997-0284/5

Background Information

URGENT ACTION TO FREE PALESTINIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS AND STOP THE APARTHEID WALL

Eight men from the village of Budrus are imprisoned by the Israeli army for their role as organizers of nonviolent resistance to the Apartheid Wall construction. Three have been held in Ketziot prison for one month: Bilal Sami Mustafa Raqan Tayseer Khalisa Behar Muhammed Abdallah Awad

Ketziot prison: +972-8-650-6715 Six others were arrested over a week ago and are held in Ofer: Abdelrahim Omar Mustafa Awad Abdelrahman Omar Mustafa Awad Hamzi Omar Mustafa Awad Mustafa Sami Mustafa Awad Na'eem Morrar (released and re-arrested) Abdelnasser Ahmad Hussein Morrar

Ofer Military Prison: +972-2-588-4325 or +972-2-588-4300

Defend the right of Palestinians to protest in defense of their land. Your calls really do make a difference! Call today to demand their release:

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT www.palsolidarity.org

© Scoop Media