Members of a ten person delegation to Palestine organised by the Brighton-Tubas Friendship and Solidarity Group joined a demonstration in Al Mazra’a al Qibliya in the occupied West Bank today. Al Mazra’a is surrounded by seven illegal Israel settlements known collectively as Talmund B.

The settlements have been steadily expanding. In the last few years they have expropriated 14,000 denums of Palestinian land (4 denums= 1 acre) and uprooted Palestinian olive trees. The settlement also monopolises water resources in the area. Settlements like Talmund B are illegal under international law. However, the Israeli state encourages the growth of settlements by subsidising colonisers who move to the occupied territories.

Three months ago a further 500 dunams were confiscated from the village and were planted with grape vines.

The Brighton group joined the villagers in marching to the confiscated land. They reached the area where a barbed wire fence marked the boundary of the stolen land. Approximately 50 people crossed the fence and started to remove the grape vines from the land. Also the pipes that take the stolen water were partially destroyed.

As the demonstrators entered the land soldiers and settlers fired live ammunition at them. No warning was given. The group included old people and many young children.

Three members of the Brighton group, Kate Harrison, Caroline Bailey and Sarah Cobham, were arrested and taken to a police station at the illegal Israeli settlement of Binyamin. They are currently being held for questioning.

The villagers told the remaining members of the Brighton group that it was because of their presence that no-one was killed.

The villagers have since been told that they will now not be issued a permit to access their olive fields this season as a collective punishment for today’s demonstration. The community leaders in Al Mazra’a expect to be arrested and interrogated. However the villagers remain defiant, one local man said “we cannot simply sit by and watch our livelihoods being destroyed - we will continue to demonstrate for our rights”.

Personal report of the day at http://brightonpalestine.org/blog/?p=208

More background on Al Mazra’a al Qibliya at http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/10/26/action-alert-non-violent-demonstration-at-al-mazra-al-qiblya-to-protest-illegal-confiscation-of-palestinian-land/

For more details contact Tom Hayes on 07846506710 or email thewallmustfall@riseup.net

www.tubas.brightonpalestine.org.

NOTES FOR JOURNALISTS

1.The Brighton-Tubas Friendship and Solidarity group is a grassroots network aimed at fostering and strengthening links between grassroots groups in Tubas, Palestine and Brighton, UK.

2. 10 people from Brighton arrived in Palestine on October 20th. The delegation includes students, health workers and representatives from Brighton branches of Amnesty International and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. The group will contact grassroots organisations like the Tubas Red Crescent, agricultural cooperatives, students’ unions, Tubas Women’s Group and local trade unions.

3. Over the Summer the group helped to fund and sent volunteer to build a school in Tubas region in defiance of Israeli military restrictions on building. The Israeli army recently issued a demolition order on the school.

4. Sussex University Students Union twinned with Al Quds Open University in Tubas in June this year. The city branch of UNISON in Brighton and Hove is twinned with a union branch in Tubas.

5. A nurse from Brighton is planning to travel to Tubas to work as a volunteer.