Arrests greet Palestinian freedom riders

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:00:00 +0000

We headed for Road 60, one of the few main arteries in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which is open both to Israeli and Palestinian travelers. When we finally arrived at a bus stop near the settlements of Psagot and Migron, it was difficult to tell whether the bewildered expressions on the faces of the waiting Israelis were due to the presence of the six Palestinian activists – who wore the emblematic checkered "keffiyeh" and T-shirts emblazoned with the words "dignity" and "Boycott Divestment Sanctions"– or the dozens of unruly journalists milling about the road, and even standing on the roof of the bus stop, who were on hand to watch the Israeli-Palestinian version of America's freedom riders of the 1960s.

Drawing inspiration from the African-American struggle to desegregate public transportation, Palestinian activists set their own "freedom ride" on Tuesday, the anniversary of the Palestinians’ symbolic declaration of independence in 1988. Symbolic because, despite their current quest for U.N. membership, Palestinians still live under Israeli military occupation, with all the restrictions on their liberty that that involves, including the freedom to travel, work their land, to build and to manage their own affairs.

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Arrests greet Palestinian freedom riders