PHOTOS: Israeli army arrests Palestinian activist at nonviolent demonstration
By Activestills
At one of
the most consistently peaceful weekly demonstrations against the Israeli
occupation, soldiers arrest a Palestinian activist in front of his
three-year-old twin sons.
Israeli
forces arrest Mohammad Brijiah on the pretext that he was "behaving
violently" against the soldiers at a weekly demonstration against the
Israeli separation barrier, Al Ma’sara, West Bank, September 6, 2013.
(photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)
As is usual in this weekly demonstration, members of the Al Ma’sara community, accompanied by Israeli and international solidarity activists, marched from their village toward agricultural lands that will be cut off if the separation barrier is built as planned. The demonstration in Al Ma’sara, though modest in size, is one of the most consistently peaceful demonstrations in the West Bank, and children and families often participate. Episodes of stone-throwing are extremely rare, though Israeli forces still occasionally respond to the march with sounds bombs, tear gas, and as this day, arrests of activists. This week, as about 30 marchers entered the main road from the village, soldiers blocked their path and pushed them back using riot shields. Brijiah verbally confronted soldiers who responded by hitting him with their shields. When Brijiah pushed back against the shields, he was arrested. According to Maan News, an Israeli military spokesperson claimed that Brijiah was taken into custody because he was "behaving violently" toward soldiers. The spokesperson also claimed that Israeli forces fired riot dispersal means, which this reporter observed firsthand was simply untrue on this particular day. It would seem that the military felt the need to exaggerate the actions of its own forces as well as Brijiah’s behavior in order to justify their actions. Brijiah’s arrest follows a pattern of arrests and harassment of nonviolent protesters by the Israeli military. 
Palestinian
activist Mohammad Brijiah and his twin three-year-old sons confront
Israeli forces blocking the road from their West Bank village of Al
Ma’sara during a weekly demonstration against the separation barrier,
September 6, 2013. If built as planned, the wall would cut off the
village from its agricultural lands.
Mohammad
Brijiah verbally confronts the Israeli soldiers blocking the path of
the weekly march in the West Bank village of Al Ma’sara, September 6,
2013. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)
Israeli
soldiers hit Mohammad Brijiah with their riot shields during the weekly
demonstration against the separation barrier in Al Ma’sara, West Bank,
September 6, 2013. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)
Mohammad
Brijiah pushes back against the riot shields that Israeli soldiers were
using to hit him, Al Ma’sara, West Bank, September 6, 2013. (photo:
Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)
A
Palestinian youth films as Israeli forces take Mohammad Brijiah into
custody at the weekly demonstration in Al Ma’sara, West Bank, September
6, 2013. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)
Yarob
Brijiah, age 3, remains with family members at the demonstration after
his father Mohammad was arrested by Israeli forces, Al Ma’sara, West
Bank, September 6, 2013. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)
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