Israeli Occupation Forces pay a "social visit" to Bil'in today

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Wednesday January 06, 2010 14:29

by TD - Free Palestine Campaign

"Just doing my job"

At Dawn today, some 35 to 40 Israeli Occupation Forces in 6 jeeps and a troop carrier raided the home of Rani Ayub in the West Bank village of Bil'in: there were no arrests as Rani was arrested four weeks ago in his home and has been held, incommunicado, since then in the notorious Mascobia (Russian Compound) police/interrogation center in West Jerusalem with no family visits, access to lawyers or even a charge. Iyad Burnat, head of Bil'in's Popular Committee say's the occupation soldiers were on a trawling exercise, seeking documentation and Rani Ayub's mobile phone.

Photo: Hamde Abu Rahma

When repeatedly challenged to justify their heavy presence in the village, all that was proffered by way of explanation was that they were there "to talk" and and one at least was "just doing his job."

This raid follows hard on the heels on what appears to be an attempted kidnapping of children in Bil'in yesterday which was foiled by Bil'in photographer; Hamde Abu Rahma who discovered them hiding in an olive grove well equipped with creature comforts such as camping matts for sleeping to ease the discomfort of lying flat on the ground - two Bil'in children; Amar Rayed Al-Kateeb, 13, and Sameer Jadallah Al-Kateeb, 14, were kidnapped by IOF soldiers two weeks ago whilst playing in an olive grove on the outskirts of the village close to the Apartheid Wall, Sameer is still held incommunicado in Israeli custody, Amar was released in the the early hours of the following day to his parents.

In the ongoing repression and criminalisation of all nonviolent resistance to the occupation the present modus operandi of the Israelis is to arrest or kidnap Palestinian children or teenagers and terrorise false confessions out of them in order to frame the prime movers in the peaceful protests or else charge the leading lights with bizarre Kafkaesque offences such as that of Bil'in Popular Committee Coordinator, Abdullah Abu Rahma, who faces a charge of "possession of arms" (spent tear gas canisters). So it goes in the West Bank and Bil'in.