This morning, messages began to arrive about a “demonstration” being held at Qalandia checkpoint, between Jerusalem and Ramallah. Nine people, including a journalist, were reportedly detained.
This evening, the IDF spokespersons office sent around this message:
“Approximately 90 Palestinians attempted on Sunday morning (Dec. 26) to breach the Qalandiya crossing, hurling rocks at security forces on the scene. Six rioters were arrested and taken for questioning by security forces. Nine months ago, four Palestinians who tried to breach the same crossing were arrested when they hurled rocks and threw a firebomb at security forces. During that event, no injuries were reported among IDF forces and the Palestinians were transferred for security questioning. Following the incident, the Central Command decided that the crossing would be closed for a day“.
UPDATE: A first SMS message during the morning suggested that internationals — NOT Palestinians — had been arrested at Qalandia. This was not, however, mentioned in the IDF announcement (shown above). On Monday, the Jerusalem Post reported, quoting Israel Radio, that nine French nationals (including one journalist) were arrested at Qalandia, and will be deported: “The Interior Ministry will deport nine French activists arrested while demonstrating at the Kalandia crossing into Jerusalem on Sunday, Israel Radio reported on Monday“… Then, the JPost incongruously just added the information supplied by the IDF announcement, which mentioned only six persons arrested: “About 90 Palestinians and international activists threw rocks at security forces, and six rioters were arrested and taken for questioning in the incident on Sunday”. This JPost report can be viewed here.
UPDATE TWO: Press TV reported today that “The protesters were rallying on Sunday against the illegal apartheid wall that Israel is building across the occupied West Bank, organizers told AFP … Israeli police claim the arrests were made after protesters tried to cross the Qalandia checkpoint north of East al-Quds (Jerusalem). A spokesman for the French EuroPalestine activist group said nine French citizens were arrested at the demonstration, adding that one Palestinian detained at the protest was later released. Earlier on Saturday, French activist Layli Ben Saffi was detained by the Israeli military during a protest against Israeli settler activity in the West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron)”. This is reported here.
The Jordan Times picked up a report from Agence France Press which quoted the spokesperson for the Israeli national police [not Border Police, which is part of the Army] saying: ” ‘Our forces today dispersed protesters who were throwing rocks at us and proceeded to arrest nine people, including some foreigners’, Micky Rosenfeld said. ‘The protest took place at the Qalandia checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, and the police made arrests after the activists tried to cross the checkpoint’, he added. A spokesman for the French EuroPalestine activist group said nine French citizens were arrested at the demonstration. A Palestinian detained at the protest was later released, he said On Saturday, another French activist, Layli Ben Saffi, was arrested by the Israeli military during a protest against Israeli settler activity in the West Bank city of Hebron. He was released on Saturday evening. Some 70 members of the EuroPalestine group have spent the last week in the Palestinian territories on an observer mission, a group spokesman said”. 32927