Year: 2013 - Page 105 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli forces attack Tammun. 4 injured from live bullets

1 January 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Tammun, Occupied Palestine

From 9am to 6pm Israeli special forces, regular army and border police attacked the village of Tammun, south of Jenin. They used helicopters, many soldiers firing live rounds of ammunition, tear gas and plastic coated steel bullets. 35 people were injured, including 4 with live bullets. 2 children sustained serious head injuries from tear gas cannisters.

The raid began by at least 15 plain clothed special forces driving into the village in Palestinian plated vehicles to arrest a man. They forced the family out of their home, took one Palestinian brother Murad, tied, blindfolded, pushed him against the wall and took him back into the house. They made the family stand outside as a human shield against any resistance to the incursion and, in doing so, committing a war crime. His brother, Mohammed, was forced to assume a stress position for two hours. When he told the soldiers that had a health problem with his chest, they replied that if he said that again they would beat him to death.

The forces interrogated and beat Murad whilst blindfolded. These special forces, called Duvdevan, are known for targeted assassinations. Murad was told to climb over a wall, but fearing that this could be an excuse to kill him, he refused. The soldiers severely beat him for this.

The soldiers vandalised the house, breaking furniture and shooting walls, wardrobes, beds, mirrors and a fridge.

Last year the same family was raided by these forces. The two brothers were stripped naked and tied to an olive tree in their front garden.

Today, soldiers entered another home. They searched it, broke furniture and shot around the house as well. They threatened the mother that if her husband doesn’t hand himself in, in 24 hours, they will kill him. Another 20 homes were searched in the village.

After the plain clothes special forces entered the village around 20 jeeps of regular army followed. They went into houses and took positions on rooftops.

Resistance by the population to this erupted on news of the incursion and people were attacked. Paramedics reported 35 injuries, 2 serious head wounds from tear gas cannisters that are often used as baton rounds. The 2 head injuries were inflicted on children. 4 of the injuries were from live rounds.

The attack continued until after dark with the army using parachute flares to illuminate the village.

The army eventually left the village at 6pm with Murad. The other Palestinian wanted by the Israeli occupation force has until tomorrow morning to hand himself in or he will be assassinated.

Red Crescent attacked during settler raids in Qusra

1 January 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Qusra, Occupied Palestine

While people around the world were celebrating the start of a new year the Palestinian town of Qusra in the West Bank was under attack. Around midnight settlers entered the agricultural outskirts of the town, uprooting approximately 250 trees. Reports from some of the villagers spoke of the Israeli Army lighting parachute flares over the olive groves to assist the vandals.

After a long night, the settlers returned in the morning with dogs. An elderly woman was home alone when she heard stones begin to pelt the outside of her house. Angry voices screamed “come out Arab men, come out and fight”. They trashed the tractor parked in her driveway, smashing its windows. Large stones built up on her rooftop, still visible when ISM visited her a few hours later.

The woman called for help and villagers responded by marching en-mass towards her house. At this point the settlers fled to a hilltop above the town and the Israeli Occupation Force moved in.

Angry clashes followed between the villagers and the Army causing significant casualties: at least 5 people were hospitalised; approximately 20 people were treated on the scene for inhalation of tear gas; around 15 sustained injuries from rubber bullets. While the Army engaged villagers in Qusra, reports came that the settlers had moved on to the village of Jalud. They set up a makeshift roadblock between Jalud and Qusra, terrorising Palestinian cars moving between the two villages.

At around 3pm a Red Crescent driver was driving supplies between Jalud and Qusra when he encountered the roadblock. The driver – Abdul Kareem Hassan – had his vehicle stopped and was pelted with numerous large stones by the settlers. Every window of the vehicle was smashed and Abdul Kareem suffered blows to head from the stones. By the time he was able to reach Qusra he was bleeding from the head and suffering respiratory stress.

A local resident told ISM he could not remember a week in the last two years when Qusra did not suffer from some kind of settler initiated aggression. Today’s attack, however, was particularly severe and an unwelcome start to the new year for the people of Qusra.

Israeli military conducts illegal operations in Tel Rumeida, Hebron

by Wyatt Black

31 December 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

The Israeli occupation forces have shown a large amount of aggression recently in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Al Khalil (Hebron). Three Palestinian homes near the ancient Jewish cemetery were entered and searched on the 30 December. Another apartment rented by internationals had soldiers attempting to forcibly enter that same night, the armies’ alleged reason was to get onto the roof.

Today (31 December) Israeli army personnel entered deep into the H1 Palestinian-controlled area of the neighborhood at 4 pm and apprehended a person at a shop who was using a knife for his work. They detained him for more than an hour, during that time he was kept blindfolded.

The Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron of 1997 cites that “Israel will continue to carry the responsibility for overall security of Israelis” and that “both sides reiterate their commitment to maintain normal life throughout the City of Hebron and to prevent any provocation or friction that may affect the normal life in the city.” In the above described case there is no doubt the Israeli military overstepped their bounds. There was no security threat to any Israeli, therefore apprehending anyone or entering any place was a clear violation of the Oslo III agreement.

When activists arrived at the scene there was no explanation given by the Israeli army for why they handcuffed the Palestinian worker and put him into a police car. The army commander demanded instead that the international asking questions hand over his passport. When the international refused and asked for a police officer, the commander insisted upon having it, even though he has no right to obtain such identification.

In addition threats have been made by soldiers to internationals living in Tel Rumeida. Sound bombs have been used at night in the H1 area around Palestinian homes as well and there have been unconfirmed reports of beatings inflicted to Palestinians by the army.

100_0361-small — Israeli soldiers in H1 and H2 area in Hebron

Wyatt Black is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed)

Villagers in Yasouf plough land near Za’tara checkpoint despite settler harassment

31 December 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, Yasouf, Occupied Palestine

For the last 11 years the villagers of Yasouf were denied entry to their land next to the road by Za’tara checkpoint. This land used to provide the village with much of what was needed in terms of vegetables. Over the last week they have successfully worked some of this land, but not without harassment.

On Wednesday, when the villagers first attempted to plant corn in their fields, inhabitants of the nearby Israeli settlement, Tappuah, disrupted this attempt and drove the residents of Yasouf away. Later, in the night, settlers also uprooted 12 trees on the other side of the village, belonging to a farmer who has been targeted violently three times in recent years. The villagers returned on Sunday more determined to work their land and, again, were confronted with a crowd of approximately 50 settlers. The village elders managed to negotiate the right to remain on this land with the Israeli military. The group of Israeli settlers, not content with disrupting much of a day’s work, went on to burn a tree and destroy wheat fields on the opposite side of the village.

The villagers of Yasouf expressed cautious optimism about being able to plough their land near Za’tara checkpoint, despite having to deal with crop destruction and confrontations. The work is by no means complete; only a small part of their farmland was actually ploughed and only time will tell if the harvest makes it back to the village successfully.

Za’tara checkpoint is a crossroads for two extremely segregated people, divided by an apartheid system. We were told by members of the village council that Palestinians are often insulted and randomly beaten whilst they go about their lives here.