Bullies

Seeing as none of the major networks seem to have reported this I thought I'd at least share it with my friends.

Yesterday a hundred or so Christians making their way from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to celebrate Palm Sunday refused to show their IDs on their way through, making the point that freedom of movement in one's own land is a legal right. Having allowed them through the first section of the checkpoint, soldiers confined the protestors to the no man's land between the checkpoints where they were detained and, according to a friend there, began to beat demonstrators. 15 arrests (or 16 depending on reports) were made, including Abbas Zaki, a senior Fatah official close to Salam Fayyad.

The consequence was a complete closure of the checkpoint, preventing Palestinians and internationals alike from getting through. As we waited to get through there was a sense of disbelief that the collective punishment for an entirely nonviolent demo could be so severe. The checkpoint remained closed today, although it is possible to go through a different exit so the only reason for maintaining the closure is to maximise inconvenience. A pretty pathetic kind of reprisal.

This is the way it goes here. Have a blessed Holy Week.