- by Richard Titelius
- The Guardian
- Issue #2111
On Friday 2 August 2024, Friends of Palestine WA held an event to publicise the work of Faz3a in the West Bank at the State Library Theatre in Perth. The event featured a short film. After the film a Zoom link was established to the West Bank in Palestine itself to hear from a number of activists of the group.
Faz3a is a solidarity and support network in the West Bank which seeks to build a strong network of nationals and internationals on the ground to reinforce capacity for ‘Samud’ (holding on to the land), and for regaining ground which has been lost to Israeli settler and state violence. Rushdie Fox from Friends of Palestine introduced the film about the increase in settler and state violence in the West Bank since 7 October 2023 – against Bedouin herders and shepherds. The settlers harass the herders with the intention of intimidating them to leave their land. They then establish settlements usually in between existing Palestinian communities and keep building to divide and overrun the Palestinian communities, all with the active support of the Israeli Defence Force.
Detention without charge has increased tenfold since 7 October 2023. The settlers also use religious discourse to justify land-theft. Palestinian shepherds and herders are not armed and neither are members of Faz3a who support them. Faz3a have motor vehicles and international activists who know the rights of the Palestinians and wage a non-violent war of attrition with the settlers and IDF, pushing back on the most egregious violations of Palestinian rights.
Despite Faz3a’s efforts, the settlers and IDF have succeeded in ethnically cleansing 18 Palestinian communities since 7 October 2023. Since the 1967 war, 700,000 Israeli settlers have now taken up living in the West Bank, displacing or killing the existing Palestinian inhabitants. It is now estimated that Palestinians now only occupy 13 per cent of their land around Bethlehem, while the Israeli settlers have taken the rest. Palestinian people have also taken to living in caves around Hebron to try to protect and retain access and occupation of their land.
Having activists from other countries or internationals as they are known, helps the Palestinian people defend their land. It is harder for the IDF to detain international activists without charge than to do it to Palestinians. There is virtually no one else standing up for the rights of the Palestinian people as the Palestinian Authority has little power or resources.
On the Zoom link, activist coordinator Estin, explained how Western Imperialism through the US and a few countries in Europe allows or enables the settler violence to occur and stands behind the Israeli state. However, Estin also said, international support for Palestine has also been growing.
There are also Israeli activists who have joined the resistance to settler violence. The maintaining of the olive trees on their lands and the harvesting of the olives is an integral part of their way of life. The Palestinians have also chained themselves to the olive trees to try to save them from Israeli bulldozers. The result has been more Israeli violence.
During a question-and-answer session, a question was asked about what the Palestinian people in the West Bank think about the regional support by countries such as Syria and Iran and also Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen. Sahrwa replied that the actions of these countries do not give them much hope. The settlers alert the IDF who come and detain activists. The settlers are also ramping up their violence, sensing that the Israeli state continues to support them and worrying that international pressure might one day end their impunity.
The Communist Party of Australia commends the actions of the activists of Faz3a on the ground in the West Bank and condemns the illegal settlements on the West Bank and the actions of the Israeli Defence Force in aiding and abetting this illegal and immoral displacement of the Palestinian people and the seizure and destruction of their land and homes.
