IDF declares West Bank protest villages a 'closed military area'

" Am curious- what possessed SDHD to say 15 injuries? Why not 150 or 1500? If he`s going to lie, why not lie big?" Stay curious. I copied and pasted a sentence from wikipedia which said there were 100 injuries. Are you claiming stone-throwing riots are peaceful? If you're going to be stupid, why not continue posting and prove how stupid you are?

"You need to keep up with the times, old boob.It`s no longer considered anti-Semitic or self-loathing to acknowledge the disproportionate influence that AIPAC holds over the U.S.Congress. " Meanwhile, a JEWISH lobby was referenced, oaf.

"You want to talk about non-violent? Try the protests which were launched toward India`s independence." Azad, Singh, Dutt, Sen, Waddedar, Das, Udham Singh, Benoy, Badal, Dinesh, Bengal Volunteers, Anushilan Samiti, Jugantar, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc. ALL Militants. Now try gandhi, dipstick.

By restricting the movement, protests will not stop. The IDF will then have the excuse to use more force against the protesters, than what they have used so far. Mostlikely, this will radicalize some protesters and they will use force too. Now Israel has won: it can say to the world "we need to defend ourselves" and "see how violent they are" Great excuse for more hostilities against Pals and in the eyes of many, the protests will be delegitimized.

Go home and get your fence of other people's land. Pretty simple, but only if you can stomach peace- a bitter pill for Israel to swallow.

Am curious- what possessed SDHD to say 15 injuries? Why not 150 or 1500? If he's going to lie, why not lie big?

You need to keep up with the times, old boob.It's no longer considered anti-Semitic or self-loathing to acknowledge the disproportionate influence that AIPAC holds over the U.S.Congress. Like many lobbies, AIPAC --which blinding supports Israel often at the expense of US interests -- is extremely powerful- too powerful for my liking.

"the difference between violent and non-violent protest, particularly when that protest has resulted in death" Yes; Palestinian death at the hands of the IDF during peaceful protests at these villages which the IDF meet with the usual assortment of tear gas, stun grenades, rubber bullets and live fire....

two fatal cases in Ni'lin? FIVE!!!! not two!

As Ari 17 says, putting a clamp on two places renowned for their creative, perseverant use of non-violence in weekly demonstrations against the construction of the wall on their land sends a negative message to the world. People have died, been badly hurt and arrested by the army here. Nighttime raids and arrests are common. How long before something breaks ?

from SDHD. ADL and AIPAC are malign Jewish lobbies, which use Jewish votes, influence and money to subvert US policy in the M-E in favour of the Israeli right. If Jewish people want to behave in this discriminatory way, don't whine when others criticise them for doing so. What your lobby groups are doing is spreading an often false, always ethnically biased view that seeks to undermine democracy by the back door and interfere with the USA's strategic priorities. The West has already been conned into one regional war in Iraq with the help of Israel, now the Zio lobbyists are desperately trying to ensnare the US in a war on Iran. Don't know why the FBI doesn't arrest and expel the lot of them for working for a foreign power and attempting to undermine US state policcies.

Israel is finally losing it. Declaring closures on whole villages, just like a banana republic would do. It reeks of desperation. Israel is losing legitimacy and appearing before the world as the authoritarian colonial apartheid regime it is.

"You want to talk about non-violent? Try the protests which were launched toward India`s independence." Azad, Singh, Dutt, Sen, Waddedar, Das, Udham Singh, Benoy, Badal, Dinesh, Bengal Volunteers, Anushilan Samiti, Jugantar, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc. ALL Militants.

Why has it taken the Israeli authorities so long to impliment this ban? It should have been done ages ago.

If a group of Jews get together to form a lobby for a specific purpose, please explain how this is discriminatory and not a description of fact?

Such outraged Americans! Strange, since just a couple of weeks ago our American missiles annihalted 30 civilian members of an Afghan family by mistake. Oh well. Much easier to get off the hot seat and blame those bullying Israelis for defending themselves against a very large population of people who say out loud that they'd like all Israeli's dead - sorry - only the Jewish ones, since they don't want the Arab Israelis dead - cause they aren't Jewish. So when the only thing that gets your goat and attention is Israeli behavior, remember the old adage: People that live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Another thing to remember: Jews no longer voluntarily take rides on cattle cars, and absolutely don't volunteer to die for your sins. Never again.

Forbiding peaceful protests is the end of democracy. Such an edict is unworthy of Israel and will only serve to further drown its image in the Western world.

Israel is terrified, just terrified of a basically non-violent movement. They just can't ( or won't ) deal with it so they fight it as if it were terrorism. With raids, arrests, intimidation and now this declaration. All in the name of security ofcourse! But will it really make Israel more secure? Aren't actions like this going to breed more hatred? Don't the villagers have a right to demonstrate something that has a huge impact on their livelyhood? More basic question, do Palestinians have any rights at all?

In the first six months of 2009 over 100 Israeli security personnel were injured during the demonstrations, some seriously.

"The deaths were Palestinian, caused by the Israeli forces. If you have ever seen Ni`lin or Bi`lin - the stone throwers account for maybe 5% of the total protest " Then the protests are not non-violent. You want to talk about non-violent? Try the protests which were launched toward India's independence. "In my opinion, Michael is part right - yes the stone throwing is bad and not peaceful - but to close off the two MAIN protest areas IN the west bank is a completely atagonistic action." You mean, violent protests are not antagonistic? If the protests weren't violent, you'd have a point about stopping them. But, since they are...

We constantly ask the palestians to renounce the armed struggle against the occupation, but Israel doesnt even allow them to demonstrate peacefully, and the USA -hypocrite that it is- doesn't demand or insist on the people's right to protest peacefully. Every protester is a terrorist, every palestinian is a terrorists, every criticism is antisemitism or jewish hate, every arab peace offer is not acceptable. What does Israel want? Surely, not peace.

Israeli policy, Israel uses it's army and secret police to deal with protesters... just like the Iranian government. Unlike the Iranian government, Israel doesn't deliberately murder protesters... they just accidentally shoot them in the head with tear gas cannisters or rubber bullets.

The deaths were Palestinian, caused by the Israeli forces. If you have ever seen Ni'lin or Bi'lin - the stone throwers account for maybe 5% of the total protest (and usually under the age of 16). However, the IDF have an almost carte-blanche attitude when it comes to using the rubber-coated steal bullets and high powered gas cannisters, they aim at the peaceful Israel, Palestinian and International protesters. In my opinion, Michael is part right - yes the stone throwing is bad and not peaceful - but to close off the two MAIN protest areas IN the west bank is a completely atagonistic action. It also then begs the question, if the 3rd Intifada does occur - which side would be the happiest?

At this rate, there will be sanctions imposed on Israel long before anything happens with respect to Iran.

"Declaring Bil`in a `military zone` is just another way to try and suppress non-violent forms of resistance " Except, they are not non-violent. But, that fact wouldn't alter your ignorant opinion, would it?

People like me have been waerining you for years that, unless Israel changed course, eventually it would lose US support. Looks like that's finally coming true. Oh and by the way, nice of you to raise the questions of deaths in these protests. Who died do you think? Protesters of course.

Declaring Bil'in a 'military zone' is just another way to try and suppress non-violent forms of resistance against the occupation by civil society (which includes Palestinians and Israeli and international supporters). This form of resistance will gain a lot of support from around the world. The only appropriate answer is to ignore the attempt to declare Bil'in and Ni'lin a 'closed military zone' and continue with the weekly demonstrations on Friday. Mass civil disobedience is called for. The third Intifada will be a civil one.

"We all know that the Jewish lobby" We all know that this is anti-Semitic speech, and that if this is pointed out to you, you'll pretend it isn't and that the term, "anti-Semitic" is over-used. But, you did portray Jews in a negative light, racist boob.

"It just goes to show that Israel fears protest more than terrorism" Just goes to show, your feeble mind doesn't understand the difference between violent and non-violent protest, particularly when that protest has resulted in death.

does anyone know? Are all gatherings forbidden? Can no one get in or out? Is it just a tool to make arrests even more easy? ( as if that was needed)

It is sad to see that the military is being used for political purposes.

It just goes to show that Israel fears protest more than terrorism, because it doesn't know how to react except by force and bullying.

I am amiss at the comparison between the US, beacon of Freedom around the world , and the Jewish state terror brought against all Middle Easterners. We all know that the Jewish lobby exerts huge pressure on Our civil servants and elected officials thus fogging our policies and endangering us Americans.