Journalists Join with Villagers of Bil’in in Solidairty With Emad Bornat

[idontwantaname]

Palestinians along with international and Israeli peace activists gathered this morning along with cameramen from different press agencies in solidarity with Emad Bornat.

Emad Mohammad Bornat of the village of Bil’in, video photographer for Reuters and documentary film maker, was arrested on Friday October 6th, 2006 by a Israeli Border Police unit that entered the village, firing rubber bullets and sound grenades.

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Cameramen were marching at the front of the crowd to show their solidarity with Emad. Demonstrators chanted slogans in Arabic, English and Hebrew. One Palestinian activist from the village was detained and dragged away by border police and beaten. The Israeli soldiers didn’t listen to protesters demanding his release. A few minutes later, he managed to escape and run away. One Israeli activist was arrested in the process of de-arresting another activist.

The army followed the demonstration to the village firing sound bombs and tear gas causing a damage to some Palestinian properties, both a Palestinian and a 14 years old boy were shot with rubber bullets,


http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/10/13/bilin-emad/

[shergald]

1. Appeal from Gush Shalom (Uri Avnery)

Urgent: Sign, phone, fax, email to help achieve the release of Reuters video-journalist Emad Mohammad Bornat of Bil'in

Your help is needed to help release Emad Mohammad Bornat of the village of Bil'in, video photographer for Reuters and documentary film maker, who was arrested on Friday October 6th, 2006 by a Israeli Border Police unit that entered the village, firing rubber bullets and sound grenades. Emad is being held in Israeli military custody and will be brought in front of a judge at Ofer military base tomorrow Tuesday the 10th of October.

Please, phone, fax, write to the addresses at:

http://toibillboard.info/gov_addr.txt

Emad, who was filming at the time, was arrested by an Israeli Border policeman. When Emad arrived at the police station in Givat Zeev, he was wounded. The Border Police soldiers claimed a radio "fell" on him in the jeep, on the way to the station. He was taken to the Hadassah - Har Hatzofim hospital and was then taken back to the police station in Givat Zeev. After he was interrogated, the police refused to view the tapes that Emad filmed. Emad is accused of "assault on an officer" and of stone throwing and was sent to the Etzion prison. Israeli Border Police have in the past been rebuked by military judges on false testimonies towards arrested Palestinian demonstrators and their Israeli supporters.

Emad has tirelessly documented the struggle of his village against the wall and settlements, and is known by many other professionals with whom he works and cooperates, giving them video material for their films and reports. He is a man of peace and a dedicated and responsible video photo-journalist. His video footage has been broadcast throughout the world, showing the demonstrations against the wall Israel is constructing on his village's land. It shows the routine, and often brutal, violence of the Israeli military in general and the Border Police in particular on the demonstrations, especially as used against Palestinians.

For more information:

Attorney Gaby Laski: 054 449 18988
Mohammed Khatib: 054 557 3285
Shai Polack: 054 533 3364

See also: Meron Rapaport: Judge orders probe over Palestinian cameraman hurt in Bil'in

By Meron Rapaport, Haaretz Correspondent

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/772866.html (English)

A military judge ordered to open an inquiry into an affair regarding a Palestinian cameraman who was wounded after soldiers arrested him during a demonstration against the separation fence in the village of Bil'in over the weekend.

Witnesses said that Border Police troops had beaten the cameraman, but the army says the man was hurt when a piece of communications equipment hit him in the back of the jeep he was being held in.

Cameraman Imad Bornat, himself a resident of Bil'in, has been documenting the protests in the village since they began around a year and a half ago.

[wellst0nev0ter]

2. This Is How Israel Tolerates Peaceful Protests

I hope I don't hear a word about "Palestinian responsibility" ever again.