(MintPress) – As missiles rain down on his country and innocent civilian death tolls continue to rise above 100, Palestinian peace activist Bassem Tamimi sits inside an Israeli prison cell. His crime has nothing to do with violence against Israeli authorities, but it has everything to do with his political ideology and resistance to occupation of the West Bank, a place he calls home.
Tamimi was arrested Oct. 24 during non-violent protests in the West Bank in response to the aggressive advancement of Israeli settlers on Palestinian land. Officially, he has been charged with assaulting a police officer, participating in an unlicensed demonstration and taking part in activity against the public order.
Amnesty International (AI) is challenging the charges as bogus, claiming he was arrested for the simple action of taking part in a peaceful protest — a right guaranteed under international law.
This, by definition, is what AI believes to be a politically motivated arrest, and is thereby labeling Tamimi as a prisoner of conscience, adopting his case to highlight the injustices Palestinians face at the hands of Israeli authority.
“Once again, Bassem Tamimi is being held solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression and assembly,” AI Deputy Middle East and North Africa Program Director, Ann Harrison, said in a press release. “We believe he is a prisoner of conscience and should be released immediately and unconditionally.”
Tamimi was inspired to become an activist for his land for many reasons, but perhaps the most significant is his sister, who was killed by Israeli violence. Rather than further the cycle of violence that often follows such tragedies, Tamimi has taken a peaceful route — yet he still remains a target of Israeli authority. He’s been arrested 10 times and has been threatened, he told AI. He’s also seen his children get caught in the mix, as well as family members.
“Suffering and oppression did not fill my heart with hatred for anyone,” he said in a 2011 address in an Israeli military court, ”nor did they kindle feelings of revenge. To the contrary, they reinforced my belief in peace and national standing as an adequate response to the inhumanity of (Israeli) occupation.”
Peaceful protests, struggling for freedom
A video released by AI shows images of peaceful protesters waving Palestinian flags and demanding the illegal occupation of the West Bank cease. At one point, they walk into Sha’ar Benjamin, a supermarket in a settlement outside of Ramallah that does not carry Palestinian produce, to make their case. An activist resembling a typical college student holds a sign reading, “Boycott occupation and its products.”
These are people who see their land being taken away — their livelihoods threatened and their families suffering. Organizations such as AI have concluded that the Israeli occupation and expansion of settlements in the West Bank violates international law. Their (residents’) cause is not one of terrorism. Simply put, they want to be free to live their lives.
As is the case with Tamimi, they’re not.
After the protest, the video shows aggressive arrests of protesters by Israeli authorities. Officers are seen throwing and pushing protesters. The arrest of Tamimi is also caught on tape, described by the Amnesty International-affiliated narrator as “violent.”
His wife, Nariman Tamimi, spoke to AI about the day her husband was arrested, claiming the manner in which it was done was unjust and a perpetuation of the violent tactics regularly used against Palestinian protesters.
“I was waiting in the street and we wanted to leave,” she said. “A police officer came and began screaming at me, wanting to arrest me. This is when my husband, Bassem, held onto me, so they arrested him, beat him and put him in the jeep.”
The video depicts everything Nariman says, showing imagery of her being harassed by police with her hands in the air, and her husband being arrested. From the point of view of Nariman Tamimi, Israeli forces are cracking down on protesters in areas where resistance is growing — and they’re using violent means to do so.
Tamimi accused Israeli forces of beating protesters who stood up against the occupation. He said targeting women was also used as a strategy, as it generally evoked emotion in the men and called them to defend the females.
Video captured by Amnesty International shows Israeli officials shooting rubber bullets at young men gathered at a non-violent protest.
The violence seen by Tamimi also targeted homes, with Israeli authorities using tear gas bombs and water tanks to disrupt the peace.
Tamimi — a struggle for protest
Tamimi is no stranger to resistent by Israeli authorities. He’s been arrested 12 times as an activist and has never acknowledged taking part in violent actions against authorities or illegal settlers.
In 1993, he was falsely arrested for the murder of an Israeli settler — all charges relating to this were dropped, although not until after undergoing a week of interrogation. In all, he has spent nearly three years in Israeli jails — his charges have never led to a conviction.
In 2011, Tamimi addressed a judge while standing trial in a military court on charges relating to his activity with peaceful protests. He admitted to organizing the protests, but he claimed that he was not responsible for all actions of those who gathered to protest — he was accused of inciting one protester to throw stones at a police officer. While not condoning the actions, he challenged the government on its role as a beacon of democracy in the Middle East.
“Despite claiming to be the only democracy in the Middle East you are trying me under military laws which lack any legitimacy; laws that are enacted by authorities that I have not elected and do not represent me. I am accused of organizing peaceful civil demonstrations that have no military aspects and are legal under international law,” he said.
He went on to describe the reasons for his action of organizing a non-violent demonstrations, painting a personal picture of the struggle he and his neighbors live out on a daily basis.
“These actions are not what will expose the true face of the occupation, where soldiers point their guns at a woman walking to her fields or at checkpoints; at a child who wants to drink from the sweet water of his ancestors’ fabled spring; against an old man who wants to sit in the shade of an olive tree, once mother to him, now burnt by settlers,” he stated.
If Tamimi is found guilty of the most recent charges, he will have to serve more than 19 additional months in Israeli jail. If not, he will be released again, and if he continues to lead and take part in protests, he’ll find himself once again in the cycle of arrest, violence, detention, release.
That’s a cause, though, that he’s willing to take on — not for himself, but for others who are turning to peaceful protest as a way to send the message that they want to live a life without checkpoints and without impending occupation of their land that is creating a dim future for future generations.