17 June 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
On June 13th, 20 Palestinian, Israeli, and foreign women dressed in traditional Palestinian clothes attempted to walk the central street in the West Bank city of Hebron but were violently attacked and dispersed by the Israeli military. Six individuals were arrested; 3 international, 2 Israeli, and one Palestinian journalist.
At three o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesday, 20 women managed to enter the closed Shuhada street in H2 area of Hebron. Symbolically dressed in traditional Palestinian clothes, the women aimed to bring attention to the apartheid politics of the Israeli military occupation and the oppression that Palestinian women face on a daily basis. Palestinians are not allowed to walk on Shuhada street in the centre of their city, while Israeli settlers from the local illegal settlements can walk freely.
The procession had just begun when an Israeli settler assaulted the women. Shortly after, Israeli military violently blocked and harassed the women. When several men joined the group they were violently attacked by Israeli police, one of them thrown into the ground. When women attempted to prevent the arrest of a man among them, soldiers attacked them too. One female International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteer was pressed to the ground and prevented from standing up. Eventually she was dragged to her feet by two soldiers, who forcefully marched her off to an Israeli military jeep and detained her.
“When I cried out to the soldier to let me go, I heard someone shouting behind me, ‘not let you go, let you die, in jail you will die,’ I couldn’t see if it was a soldier or a settler’, the detained female volunteer said, who emerged with a bruised eye from the soldier’s violence.
6 were detained, 3 women and 3 men. Several others were injured by the soldier’s brutality. Israeli soldiers prevented journalists from filming and a settler broke the camera of one observer.
“I did not really understand what was going on, everything happened in a rush. I just could not believe how violent they were. When pushing me into the ground, they kicked me in the head and hit me with the bottom of a rifle”, said another ISM volunteer.
When asked why he believes he was targeted by the Israeli military, he replied, “because of the colour of my skin. I am a bit too dark for their liking.”
Another ISM volunteer who was present said, “we were not shouting or anything, just walking, and suddenly we were surrounded by soldiers with machine guns. When some among us were violently dragged by soldiers onto the ground, I was shocked. One girl was bleeding. For what? All we were doing was walking.”
3 of the 6 detainees were released within a few hours. The 3 remaining were arrested and arbitrarily accused of attacking and injuring soldiers. They were held handcuffed and imprisoned for over 24 hours. In court the three international and Israeli participants were freed from charges of attacking soldiers, but convicted for preventing soldiers from arresting. The final court decision prevents them from entering Area A and Hebron city for the following 3 months. If the conditions are broken they are sentenced to pay an amount of 5000 shekels. The 3 declared that they may appeal the decision.
The illegal Israeli settlement on Shuhada street is occupied by some of the most radical settlers in the Palestinian West Bank. Shuhada has been closed to Palestinians since the killing of 29 Palestinians in the Ibrahimi Mosque by settler Baruch Goldstein in 1994. As a result of the massacre, Palestinians were forced to close down their stores, schools, houses, and mosques in the area. Further restrictions were imposed on Palestinians the following years. In the central parts of Hebron, Palestinians face daily harassment by Israeli settlers and soldiers.
Nina Larsson is an International Solidarity Movement volunteer (name has been changed).
Twenty Palestinian children, detained in Hasharon prison, launched on Tuesday June 12, an open hunger strike protesting the harsh prison conditions and the prison administration’s neglect of their demands.
A 17-years-old child Ahmed Lafi, who was one of the strikers, told the Ministry of the prisoners in Gaza that 20 detained children started an open hunger strike to protest the bad and deteriorating living conditions in the prison, where they are not allowed to visit each other and are deprived from their study.
He also revealed that “the prison administration continues to torture and humiliate the child prisoners even after the agreement signed between the strike leadership committee and the prison administration.”
Ahmed Lafi also stressed that the prison administration holds in solitary confinement every prisoner trying to demand his rights amid the bad conditions he witnesses in the jails.
He pointed out that Israeli intelligence use the most extreme torture methods to extract confessions from the children in violation of all international conventions and rights of children.
There are 190 Palestinian children under the age of 18 in occupation jails in very harsh conditions. These minors are treated the same way as adult prisoners; insufficient food, search raids on their rooms by intelligence officers, provocations, medical neglect and denial of education.
Issa Amro, Coordinator of Youth Against Settlements, was stopped last night by Israeli authorities at the Allenby Bridge. He was arrested and taken to Hebron police station, where he was interrogated for hours on suspicion of involvement in organizing the women’s action that took place in Hebron last Wednesday, at the segregated Shuhada Street.
Amro, was traveling to Italy for a speaking tour organized by the Italian Peace Association to meet Members of the Italian Parliament and Senate, and municipality representatives from different Italian cities.
Issa Amro, a prominent popular resistance activist in Hebron, was arrested several times in the past by the Israeli army for participating in activities to protest the occupation practices in Hebron. Throughout the past few years, Youth Against Settlements has been leading the global campaign to re-open Shuhada street, Hebron’s main commerce center that was closed to Palestinian movement in 1994.
Last Wednesday, approximately 15 Israeli and International women dressed in Palestinian traditional clothing walked through Shuhada Street in silence protesting the policy of preventing Palestinian women from accessing the street. The women were shortly stopped by Israeli soldiers and attacked by both soldiers and settlers. Five activists and one journalist were arrested during the action. Later that day, a Palestinian man was also arrested on suspicion of “conspiracy” related to the same action. All seven were released throughout the next 24 hours, three on condition of a 90 day restraining order from area A and the Hebron area.
Palestinian fans hold the sign "Freedom for prisoners" during the opening match of the "Palestine Championship" between the local national team and Vietnam in the West Bank town of Al-Ram, between Ramallah and Jerusalem, on 14 May 2012 (photo: AFP - AHMAD GHARABLI)
During the latest wave of hunger strikes, many Palestinian movements emerged in support of the strikers’ struggle. It is clear that there is persistent action on the ground, but it is still limited to the active circles connected to the families of the prisoners.
At the peak of the strike, when it was crucial to have massive support, many voiced frustration with continued Palestinian apathy, especially when in Scotland and Spain, for instance, thousands marched for the prisoners. Meanwhile, in Ramallah and Nablus, only hundreds bothered to demonstrate.
Despite the long history of Palestinian resistance, current popular action remains limited to small-scale participation. One has to ask, what went wrong?
Before discussing the major factor influencing every single aspect of Palestinians’ lives – the Israeli occupation, one needs to look at the process Palestinians went through since the Oslo Accord of 1993 and the subsequent creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA) that contributed in many ways to Palestinian apathy. Although those who signed Oslo thought they were heading in a positive direction, it is clear today that what they received was a lie. In lieu of a contiguous sovereign Palestinian state, Oslo has given the PA glorified local governance over disconnected city centers. In hindsight, Oslo has been a disaster for the Palestinian cause. The agreement gave much to the Israelis – the colonizers – with minimum concessions, while giving little to the Palestinians – the colonized – while extracting maximum concessions.
One cannot examine the absence of a massive movement on the ground without also taking into consideration the context of separation and division. At present, Palestinians are a separated and divided people. Half of the Palestinian population live in the diaspora and exile, the vast majority in squalid refugee camps in neighboring countries, denied their right of return to their homes and villages. Gaza, ruled by Hamas, and the West Bank, ruled by Fatah, are separated by the occupation. Within the occupied West Bank, divisions also exist. Jerusalem is isolated from the surrounding Palestinian population due to Israeli settlement expansion and occupation. Palestinians with Israeli citizenship were also ignored by Oslo and live in continued isolation from their brethren while suffering daily discrimination in the Jewish “democracy.” Accomplishing the physical unity of Palestinians as a nation to fight apartheid is, thus, difficult. And it’s difficult not only as a result of Israeli policies, and internal division, but also due to Arab countries that host Palestinian refugees, but do not allow them to resist from their borders.
Oslo’s implications pertain not only to geography, demography and land. There were also implications for Palestinian civil society in the occupied territories. Civil society began to be transformed from being part of the liberation movement to “development.” The phenomenon of “NGOzation” has infiltrated Palestinian society. International funders too often dictate to Palestinians their agendas and priorities, killing the spirit of the freedom fighters and resistance in the process.
The Oslo agenda was designed in a way that those trapped in it would have little or no interest in challenging it. Oslo has created the illusion of a “state,” a state for people with no rights and no sovereignty over their borders, resources or fate.
Any decision to dissolve the PA or change its mandate, especially to put an end to the security coordination with Israel, should be made outside the framework of the Palestinian leaders who have vested interests and are terrified at the prospect of losing them. The sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people as a whole, the PLO, is the body to make such decisions. The PNC (Palestinian National Council), the legislative body of the PLO, had its last meeting in 1996, where its members were appointed, not elected as they should have been according to the PLO constitution. Since Oslo, the PLO has lost its mandate and rebellious identity to the “quasi-state” of the PA. We should not expect that the same heads of the PLO, who also run the PA, would want to voluntarily surrender their power. The PLO is occupied by the same faces who have sat there for decades, stifling all sense of change, snuffing out the resistance element of the Palestinian cause. We should not expect such an ossified institution to bring a new vision.
Apathy, therefore, became a natural result of the frustration at the unchanged leadership. This leadership lacks any strategy or comprehensive vision, except the ultimate soap opera of “negotiations.” Furthermore, the security coordination with Israel is designed to ensure Israelis’ “security” not Palestinians’. In many cases, it also impedes the people from challenging the occupation with its security forces that sometimes block protesters from reaching checkpoints and have no tolerance toward anyone who dares to criticize Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas). It creates confusion; where do we start our fight? Against the PA leaders who failed the people but still hold on to power? Or the Israeli occupation forces that have trapped the PA in such a role and still control Palestinian lives? In order to fight, you need to set your target with clear eyes.
That is relevant to the West Bank under the PA and Fatah, however, Palestinians under Hamas in Gaza face similar challenges, and a regime even more oppressive toward critical voices that might challenge its rule.
Some also have concerns based on their experiences of the second intifada, where an unorganized armed resistance led to armed militias and security chaos. Many Palestinians are afraid an uprising will spiral out of control, and the same chaos will return.
Yet, the main reason for the Palestinian apathy and fatigue remains the occupation and colonization that has not relented since the creation of the PA in Oslo.
Israel attempts to crush peaceful resistance with no regard for Palestinian lives. And that, naturally, deters people from participation. When people go to participate in a protest against the occupation, they take the risk of getting shot, beaten, or arrested. Two-hundred and seventy-five Palestinian martyrs have been killed by the Israeli army since 2000 in popular resistance rallies. (Information taken from the Popular Resistance Coordination Committee).
Arrest means a verdict in a military court. Imprisonment is a near certainty and is far more of a persecution than prosecution. The system is heavily stacked against a fair day in court for Palestinians. According to Haaretz, in 2010, 99.74 percent of the trials of Palestinians in Israeli military courts ended in convictions. Arrest and then charges means a “security file” will accompany any attempt to travel, whether for leisure or studies. It kills the already near-impossible chance of getting a permit, either for work in Israel or to visit family or friends. Arrest means one becomes a target – and in many cases one’s family does as well.
Palestinians have sacrificed much for their steadfastness and resistance, with tens of thousands killed, hundreds of thousands jailed, arrested or tortured, and many others losing their homes or lands or source of income. Their sacrifice is met with non-stop Israeli colonization, their resistance is met with brutal Israeli repression, and their screams met with international silence. Combined, it has made Palestinians question the worth of their sacrifice.
Israel has “architectured” the Oslo agreement to make the occupation more efficient. To Palestinians in city centers, the occupation has become slightly less direct. There, you will hardly feel the occupation, unless you have to go through checkpoints every day or you see the Israeli army raiding your neighborhood at night to arrest your neighbor. Many people abandoned the option of filing for a permit to enter “Israel” to visit friends or family or simply Palestine. Many people gave up the idea of traveling abroad because they would need permission from Israel and they would need to cross Israeli “border” points. Most Palestinians have a “security file” in Israel and, if not them, a family member surely does. People just continue to live their lives, adapting to the reality, with the Israeli occupation sapping their will to resist. They fear losing the little they have left if they challenge the status quo.
Understanding this complexity under which Palestinians live post-Oslo explains the current situation where the will to resist has been drained from the people of resistance. In order to break down Palestinian apathy and fatigue, one will have to break down the many reasons that led to it, starting with Oslo.
Abir Kopty is a Palestinian blogger. Follow her on Twitter @abirkopty.
4 June 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
On June 5, 2012, Palestinians will gather in the streets of Al Khalil (Hebron) to memorialize Naksa Day. ThisNaksa Day marks the 45th year of the illegal occupation of Palestinian land by Israel, as a result of the 1967 war, leading to the displacement of thousands of Palestinians.
The demonstration is planned to commence in H1 territory (Palestinian Authority control) of Al Khalil near the municipality buildings. After gathering, the procession will march towards H2 territory of Al Khalil (Israeli military control). Upon reaching H2 area they will attempt to enter and carry out a peaceful demonstration.
It is predictable that that the protesters will not step foot into H2 territory without being confronted by the Israeli military. It is also predictable that they will not be deterred by the soldiers and their M-16s. As is the case for peaceful protesters in the occupied West Bank, they will continue to march despite the grave risk of military violence, to demonstrate the injustice Palestinians have faced since the illegal annexation of their land by Israel.
According to the Oslo 2 agreements in 1995, the Palestinian city of Al Khalil was split into H1 and H2 territory. The former is under Palestinian control whereas the latter is occupied by the Israel and some 650 settlers, despite being home to over 30,000 Palestinians.
Palestinians’ freedom of movement within the H2 district has been severely restricted, to the degree that they are detained and arrested arbitrarily on a daily basis. Palestinians are also prevented by the Israeli military from walking down the central Shuhada street, despite the lack of a law or ethical reason forbidding them from doing so. As well as facing harassment by soldiers, Palestinians face the humiliating verbal and physical abuse of the illegal settlers who are considered among the most radical and violent of settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Impunity under International Law
UN security resolution 242 specifically states that Israel withdraw from territories acquired as a result of the war as all territories acquired through war is deemed as inadmissible under international law.
After the Nakba in 1948, Israel acquired 78 percent of what was Palestine. 64 years later, Israel occupies all of Palestine and most of the land has been made inaccessible to Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza.
Under the Oslo Accords the West Bank has been divided into Area A, B, and C. Area A is governed or more accurately, administrated by the Palestinian Authority. Area A is only 18% of the West Bank, whereas Area C controlled by Israeli military and security forces is 62% of the land. In Area C, Israel retains authority over law enforcement and control over the building and planning sphere. A total of 60,000 Palestinians live within Area C and they face all forms of constraints on their livelihood due to restrictive planning and zoning policies, demolitions and displacement, access restrictions, settler violence, and water scarcity. There are also a number of humanitarian issues such as poor nutrition and lack of access to services such as education and health. This is primarily due to the restrictive planning policies which have prevented Palestinians from gaining access to a better public service infrastructure. Apart from these problems they face road blocks, poor roads, and lack of transport systems in remote areas.
According to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), over 1.4 million Palestinians live in 58 refugee camps across the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. 10 of these refugee camps were created to accommodate more refugees as a result of the 1967 war.
Socio-economic conditions in the camps are generally poor, with high population density, cramped living conditions, and inadequate basic infrastructure such as roads and sewers. While Palestinians continue to live in desperate circumstances, illegal Israeli settlements continue to increase. 120 Israeli settlements have been illegally erected in the West Bank since the 1967 war, housing more than 500,000 settlers. 200,000 of the settlers live in east Jerusalem. During this period of settlement expansion, Israeli forces have carried out over 24,000 demolitions of Palestinian homes, water cisterns, and agricultural properties such as olive trees.
As well as illegally occupying Palestinian Land, Israel conquered over 1,250 square kilometres of the Golan Heights following the 1967 war. The appropriation of the Golan Heights led to the forced migration of almost 130,000 Syrians. Today there are over 32 settlements in the territory, accommodating 20,000 Israeli settlers.
Israel has repeatedly violated international law on several occasions. The building and expansion of settlements is a direct breach of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention as confirmed by the International Court of Justice. The continuous crimes carried against Palestinians in West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Syrians in Golan Heights are a direct breach of article 43 of the Hague Regulations which states that an occupying power must restore and maintain public order and civil life, including public welfare, in an occupied territory. As Israel continues to breach their lawful obligations, the international community turns a blind eye, giving them impunity under the law.
The march in Al Khalil will commemorate the tragedy of the Naksa. Come June 5, the anguish and the hurt of the Israeli occupation will echo across the world from al Khalil.
Sunny is a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).
