Iyad Burnat

Last updated
Iyad Burnat
Iyad Burnat.PNG
Born (1973-09-12) 12 September 1973 (age 50)
Bil'in, Palestine
Citizenship Palestinian
Occupation(s)Activist, filmmaker

Iyad Burnat (born September 1973) is a Palestinian activist who leads Bil'in's non-violent struggle in the West Bank. He is the head of the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall, [1] which has led weekly demonstrations since 2005 against the Israeli West Bank barrier. [2] He is also head of Friends of Freedom and Justice in Bil’in, [3] a pro-Palestinian organization with the stated aims of building a "wide network of people from all over the globe who support Freedom and Justice for all" [4]

Contents

Activism

In 1990, at 17 years, Burnat was charged and sentenced for throwing stones at IDF soldiers and was jailed for two years. He has been arrested and imprisoned for non-violently protesting Israeli actions more than 10 times since. [5] [6] [ verification needed ]

In 2004, the Israeli military built a wall separating village farmers from their lands, removed 1000 olive trees and restricted travel in the name of protecting Israeli settlers. Since 2005, Bil'in villagers have been engaging in weekly Friday demonstrations against these activities, along with Israeli citizens and international peace activists. Burnat has been leading the demonstrations. [7]

In September 2007 Israel's high court ruled that the wall on the outskirts of Bil'in unnecessarily interfered with the residents without offering any security advantage. Burnat said: "It's not easy for the Supreme Court to return land. This is a historic step...The steadfast peaceful resistance of the villagers of Bil'in resulted in the decision to partially remove the wall in the village." The Washington Times compared Burnat's philosophy of Palestinian protest tactics to the writings of Martin Luther King Jr. or Mahatma Gandhi. [8]

In 2007 Burnat described his choice of nonviolent protest, saying "The belief in one's rights is more important than anything else. If I am confident about my rights, nothing will make me despair...When you resist an Israeli soldier by peaceful means, their weapons become irrelevant." The Christian Science Monitor reported that "the strategy paid off" when Israel's Supreme Court issued a ruling on the path of the fence around Bilin. [9]

In November 2008 Burnat and a group of American peace activists were denied entry into the Palestinian town of Ni'lin. He later was arrested in a November 21 morning raid. [10] He was fined and released in December 2008. [11]

In the May 15, 2009 march, Iyad Burnat was severely injured along with eight others. [12]

In March 2010, Burnat was questioned by officers from Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, after he sent an emailed report about the previous weeks protests titled, "The Third Intifada is knocking on the door". [13] That year he also was banned by the Shin Bet, for security reasons, from traveling to Europe to participate in two conferences. [6] [ verification needed ]

In April 2010 Burnat organized, with Luisa Morgantini, the former vice president of the Italian parliament, the fifth annual Bil'in Conference on non-violent popular resistance against the fence and the settlements. Twenty-five foreign consuls and envoys took part in the conference, including representatives of the United Nations and the European Union. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and lawmaker Dr. Mustafa Barghouti spoke, as did French Parliament Member Jean Claude Lefort. [14]

During a December 2010 protest, where activists dressed as the fictional blue-skinned, pointy-haired, long-tailed indigenous characters of the Na'vi tribe from the film Avatar, Burnat proclaimed partial victory in their protests. Per the Israeli court ruling, Israelis had begun preparations for the construction of the wall's new route which returns to the village 30 percent of its land. He said "We feel relieved and feel the non-violent resistance is successful in its aim." [15] The Los Angeles Times quoted his saying: "Even getting back one inch is an accomplishment...But the wall is still being built on our land, and even the new route will cut down more of our trees. We are going to continue our fight against the wall until we move it all the way back to the 1967 line." [16]

In the July 15, 2011 march, Burnat was injured by rubber-coated steel bullets after international and Israeli supporters joined the villagers in the protest. [17] He led the August 31, 2012 weekly march, which included British Parliamentarians Martin Linton and John Lazman. It was done in solidarity with the family of Rachel Corrie. [18]

United States tour

Burnat went on a speaking tour of the United States to talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from November 2012 to February 2013. He initially was denied permission from Jordan to board a flight to the United States. The National Lawyers Guild wrote a letter to the Jordan kingdom urging it to allow Burnat to travel from Amman to University of Michigan. [19] After a week of continued protests, he was allowed to board a flight to Detroit, November 3, 2012. [20] During his scheduled stopover in Frankfurt, Germany, he was further detained by U.S. agents and subjected to several hours of interrogation. [21]

During a Tiffin, Ohio presentation, Burnat showed video clips of Israeli soldiers in riot gear pushing back and shooting rubber bullets and tear gas at unarmed demonstrators, beating an unarmed man, and using noise generation machines to drown out chants and disperse demonstrators. He also showed passive resistance protests of individuals chained to each other and to trees and fences. Burnat stated: "We are not against the Jewish. We are against the occupation." [5] During some presentations he showed the film "5 Broken Cameras" about the struggle in Bil'in, made by his brother Emad Burnat, a farmer. [22] The film won a Sundance Film Festival documentary award [7] and Emad is the first Palestinian nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. [7] [23]

Personal life

Iyad Burnat is married and has five children. [5] Majd, Iyad's eldest son, was shot by an Israeli sniper in August 2014—he was seriously injured.

Prizes

Iyad was the recipient of the James Lawson Award for Achievement in the Practice of Nonviolent Conflict 2015. [24]

Related Research Articles

The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led movement focused on assisting the Palestinian cause in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. ISM is dedicated to the use of nonviolent protests and methods only. The organization calls on civilians from around the world to participate in acts of nonviolent protests against the Israeli military in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli West Bank barrier</span> Separation barrier built by Israel inside and around the West Bank since 2000

The Israeli West Bank barrier, comprising the West Bank Wall and the West Bank fence, is a separation barrier built by Israel along the Green Line and inside parts of the West Bank. It is a contentious element of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israel describes the wall as a necessary security barrier against Palestinian political violence, whereas Palestinians describe it as an element of racial segregation and a representation of Israeli apartheid. At a total length of 708 kilometres (440 mi) upon completion, the route traced by the barrier is more than double the length of the Green Line, with 15% of its length running along the Green Line or inside Israel, and the remaining 85% running as much as 18 kilometres (11 mi) inside the West Bank, effectively isolating about 9% of the land and approximately 25,000 Palestinians from the rest of the Palestinian territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anarchists Against the Wall</span> Israeli anarchist anti-Zionist group

Anarchists Against the Wall (AAtW), sometimes called "Anarchists Against Fences" or "Jews Against Ghettos", is a direct action group composed of Israeli anarchists and anti-authoritarians who oppose the construction of the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier and Israeli West Bank barrier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bil'in</span> Palestinian village in Ramallah and al-Bireh, State of Palestine

Bil'in is a Palestinian village located in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) west of the city of Ramallah in the central West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Bil'in had a population of 2,137 in 2017. In the 2000s, it was known for its regular protests against Israeli occupation.

Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism (QUIT!) is a gay San Francisco Bay Area political action group supporting boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel; and opposing Pinkwashing of the alleged ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. It was founded in early 2001 by a member of LAGAI-Queer Insurrection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Baltzer</span> American human rights activist

Anna Baltzer is an American public speaker, author and activist for Palestinian human rights.

Events in the year 2010 in the Palestinian territories.

This is a list of incidents Israelis and Palestinians in 2011 as part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

Events in the year 2011 in the Palestinian territories.

<i>5 Broken Cameras</i> 2011 Palestinian film

5 Broken Cameras is a 94-minute documentary film co-directed by Palestinian Emad Burnat and Israeli Guy Davidi. It was shown at film festivals in 2011 and placed in general release by Kino Lorber in 2012. 5 Broken Cameras is a first-hand account of protests in Bil'in, a West Bank village affected by the Israeli West Bank barrier. The documentary was shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son. In 2009 Israeli co-director Guy Davidi joined the project. Structured around the destruction of Burnat's cameras, the filmmakers' collaboration follows one family's evolution over five years of turmoil. The film won a 2012 Sundance Film Festival award, it won the Golden Apricot at the 2012 Yerevan International Film Festival, Armenia, for Best Documentary Film, won the 2013 International Emmy Award, and was nominated for a 2013 Academy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bassem Tamimi</span> Palestinian activist (born 1967)

Bassem Tamimi is a Palestinian grassroots activist and an organizer of protests against Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank. He was convicted by an Israeli military court in 2012 for "sending people to throw stones, and holding a march without a permit".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emad Burnat</span> Palestinian farmer and filmmaker

Emad Burnat is a Palestinian farmer and filmmaker. He is the first Palestinian nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Pollak</span> Israeli activist and graphic designer

Jonathan Pollak is an Israeli activist and graphic designer who works for Haaretz. He co-founded the direct action group Anarchists Against the Wall.

Meta Peace Team (MPT), formerly Michigan Peace Team, is a nonprofit, grassroots organization founded in 1993 that seeks to pursue peace through active nonviolence and create an alternative to militarism through empowered peacemaking. MPT provides creative nonviolence training workshops to ordinary citizens with a framework of third party nonviolent intervention (TPNI), and it deploys peace teams to conflict areas both domestically and internationally. Its peace teams have worked in places such as Iraq, Haiti, Bosnia, Egypt, Panama, Mexico, Gaza Strip, and the West Bank; they have also been placed within the United States to create peaceful presences at national and state political conventions, Ku Klux Klan rallies, and gay pride parades, among many other events. MPT also works in collaboration with other peace and justice groups around the globe, including Nonviolent Peaceforce, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Veterans for Peace, the International Solidarity Movement, Peace Brigades International, the Shanti Sena Network, and the Metta Center for Nonviolence. Its current offices are located in Lansing and Detroit, Michigan. MPT is a founding member of the Shanti Sena Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestine Solidarity Campaign</span> UK advocacy organisation

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) is an activist organisation in England and Wales. It was incorporated in the UK in 2004 as Palestine Solidarity Campaign Ltd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Shuhada Street</span> "Apartheid Street" in Hebron, Israel

Al-Shuhada Street, nicknamed Apartheid Street by Palestinians and King David Street by local Israeli settlers, is a street in the Old City of Hebron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestinian stone-throwing</span> Palestinian practice of throwing stones at people or property

Palestinian stone-throwing refers to a Palestinian practice of throwing stones at people or property. It is a tactic with both a symbolic and military dimension when used against heavily-armed troops. Proponents, sympathizers, as well as analysts have characterized stone throwing by Palestinians as a form of "limited", "restrained", "non-lethal" violence. The majority of Palestinian youths engaged in the practice appear to regard it as symbolic and non-violent, given the disparity in power and equipment between the Israeli forces and the Palestinian stone-throwers, with many considering it a method of deterring Israeli military forces and civilians from the occupation of Palestinian lands. The state of Israel considers the act to be criminal, on the grounds that it is potentially lethal. In some cases, Israelis have argued that it should be treated as a form of terrorism, or that, in terms of the psychology of those who hurl stones, even in defense or in protest, it is intrinsically aggressive.

BOYCOTT! Supporting the Palestinian BDS Call from Within, commonly known as Boycott from Within, is an association of Jewish and Arab Israelis who support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Founded in 2008, it describes itself as following the guiding principles and sharing the goals of the Palestinian BDS movement, as delineated by Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Issa Amro</span> Palestinian human rights activist

Issa Amro is a Palestinian activist based in Hebron, West Bank. He is the co-founder and former coordinator (2007–2018) of the grassroots group Youth Against Settlements. Amro advocates the use nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience to fight the Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territories. In 2010, he was declared "human rights defender of the year in Palestine" by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights In 2013, the United Nations Human Rights Council expressed concern for his wellbeing and safety due to numerous accounts of harassment from Israeli soldiers and settlers and a series of arbitrary arrests. At present, Amro is being indicted by the Israeli military court with 18 charges against him. In May 2017, Bernie Sanders along with three U.S. senators and 32 congressmen wrote to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to urge Israeli authorities to reconsider the charges against Amro.

Iyad may refer to:

References

  1. ↑ "Contact Us". Friends of Freedom and Justice Bilin. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  2. ↑ "Iyad Burnat and the Nonviolent Movement in Bil'in". Video and Edited Transcript, Mr. Iyad Burnat, Transcript No. 380 (4 February 2013), The Palestine Center. The Jerusalem Fund. 4 February 2013.
  3. ↑ Letters from Palestine. Wheatmark. 2010. pp. 195–202. ISBN   978-1604944167.
  4. ↑ "About Us". Friends of Freedom and Justice Bilin.
  5. 1 2 3 Kromer, MaryAnn (3 Dec 2012). "Palestinian describes hardships of countrymen". The Advertiser-Tribune. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
  6. 1 2 Amira Hass (1 May 2010). השב"כ לא התיר למפגין מבלעין לצאת לכנסים באירופה. Haaretz (in Hebrew).
  7. 1 2 3 "Palestinian activist seeks U.S. supporters". Leader-Telegram. 10 Dec 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
  8. ↑ Peaceful protests bring down barrier; Israeli court orders removal of disruptive fence in village [ dead link ], Washington Times, September 6, 2007.
  9. ↑ Joshua Mitnick (24 September 2007). "Nonviolent protest gains in West Bank". The Christian Science Monitor.
  10. ↑ Bannoura, Saed (21 Nov 2008). "Palestine: Israeli soldiers abduct the head of the Popular Committee in Bil'in". The Muslim News.
  11. ↑ "How Israel Targets and Suppresses Opposition to Its Annexation Wall". The Palestine Chronicle. 24 Sep 2009.
  12. ↑ "Iyad Burnat among injured in Bil ¢ € ™in as Palestinian nonviolent resistance continues confrontations". Palestinian News Network. 16 May 2009.
  13. ↑ Amira Hass and Haaretz Correspondent (15 March 2010). "IDF declares West Bank protest villages a 'closed military area'". Haaretz.
  14. ↑ Ali Waked, Fayyad: Security gains will help in imposing a state, Ynet News, April 21, 2010.
  15. ↑ Watch: Avatars against the wall in Bil'in, Ma'an News Agency, February 2, 2010; updated February 13, 2010.
  16. ↑ Edmund Sanders, Israel begins rerouting West Bank barrier, Los Angeles Times, February 12, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Israeli Troops Attack Anti-Wall Protesters; Injuring One and Arresting One". Palestine News Network (PNN) - English. 15 July 2011.
  18. ↑ "Dozens of Citizens and International Activists Were Suffocated in Bil'in Weekly March". Palestine News Network (PNN) - English. 1 September 2012.
  19. ↑ National Lawyers Guild letter to Jordanian Embassy,
  20. ↑ Wind, Ella (1 Feb 2013). "Palestinian activist Iyad Burnat speaks to USF students about nonviolent resistance". WMNF Community Radio. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-21.
  21. ↑ "Palestinian peace activist Iyad Burnat at First Parish Peace and Justice Group on November 11". The Bedford Citizen. 29 Nov 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
  22. ↑ Ella Wind, Palestinian activist Iyad Burnat speaks to USF students about nonviolent resistance listen Archived 2013-04-16 at archive.today , WMNF radio, February 1, 2013.
  23. ↑
  24. ↑ "For Scholars and Students".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.