After Bab Shamas, Palestinians Set al-Karamah Village

Local Editor

Palestinian activists on Friday established a new tented protest village northwest of al-Quds, the second such initiative against "Israeli" settlement building in as many weeks.

Activists set up three tents and a small building, naming the village al-Karamah [Dignity].
Locals said around 400 Palestinians performed Friday prayers in the open area.
Saed Yakrina, an activist from nearby village Beit Ijza, said the camp was "a message to "Israel" and all democratic societies that we are human."
Activists from across the political spectrum, mainly from nearby villages, have gathered and will sleep in the tents overnight.

It is worth mentioning that Beit Iksa, surrounded by "Israeli" settlements, is set to be entirely encircled by "Israel's" separation wall, cutting it off from al-Quds.
"Israeli" authorities ordered the confiscation of 500 dunams of the village's land three weeks ago, and do not permit any new building in the town, Yakrina said, noting that "Israeli" settlements were still expanding.
"We are looking for a life without checkpoints, walls and settlements," he said.

Meanwhile, "Israeli" forces immediately shut down the military checkpoint at the entrance to Beit Iksa to prevent more activists and supporters from accessing the protest site, witnesses said.
On Wednesday, "Israeli" forces tore down the tented village Bab al-Shams, set up to protest "Israel's" plans to build the "E1" settlement on the land, severing the West Bank from al-Quds.

For his part, Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouthi said Bab al-Shams and al-Karama were a new dimension in the Palestinian struggle and that more protest villages would be established.
"The spirit of popular resistance which Bab al-Shams disseminated is being strengthened today in other areas including Izbat al-Tabib and Beit Iksa," the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative said in a statement.


Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org