Year: 2013 - Page 27 - International Solidarity Movement

Updated: Three Palestinian activists arrested during demonstration against road closure in Qaryut

10th September 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Qaryut, Occupied West Bank

Protesters marching towards the road (Photo by ISM)

Update 11th September: Abdallah Abu Rahmah was released at around 10pm last night. Bashar Qaryouti and Salah al-Khawaja have also been released. Bashar has needed medical attention after being beaten during his arrest.

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Three Palestinian activists have been arrested today related to a demonstration against a road block in the northern West Bank village of Qaryut.

More than 150 Palestinians participated in the protest marching from the village towards Road 60, connecting Ramallah to Nablus. As a group of protesters were approaching the road, two military jeeps blocked them, throwing stun grenades and shooting tear gas canisters. Israeli soldiers arrested two activists, Bashar Qaryouti and Salah al-Khawaja and beat others as they attempted to arrest more. Soldiers pursued activists from the road from many different directions and came through the olive trees trying to trap activists, shooting many teargas canisters.

More soldiers arrived in twelve military jeeps and fired teargas at demonstrators who had moved back to the hill. The soldiers occasionally moved forward but mainly stayed positioned by the road. Many demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and three were treated by medical personnel in the field. The demonstrators withdrew at 7pm.

Israeli soldiers taking Bashar (Photo by Issam Rimawi)

A flying checkpoint was set up on the road from Ramallah to Qaryout and Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a prominent Palestinian activist was arrested. Soldiers approached the car with a list containing the names and ID numbers of three local activists. Abu Rahmah was handcuffed and detained for forty-five minutes until the Israeli police arrested him.

Call to action: Join ISM for the 2013 Olive Harvest Campaign

22nd August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Occupied West Bank

olive-harvest14 — Israeli soldier stands next to Palestinian farmers harvesting their olives

At a time of regular settler violence in the West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to join us for the 2013 Olive Harvest Campaign at the invitation of Palestinian communities.

The olive tree is a national symbol for Palestinians. As thousands of olive trees have been bulldozed, uprooted, burned and destroyed by Israeli settlers and the military – according to the UN settlers alone destroyed or damaged over 7,500 trees just in 2012 – harvesting has become more than a source of livelihood; it has become a form of resistance.

The olive harvest is an annual affirmation of Palestinians’ historical, spiritual, and economic connection to their land, and a rejection of Israeli efforts to seize it. Despite attempts by Israeli settlers and soldiers to prevent them from accessing their land, Palestinian communities have remained steadfast in refusing to give up their olive harvest.

ISM volunteers join Palestinian farming communities each year to harvest olives, in areas where Palestinians face settler and military violence when working their land. Your presence can make a big difference, with Palestinian communities stating that the presence of international volunteers reduces the risk of extreme violence from Israeli settlers and the Israeli army.

We support Palestinians’ assertion of their right to earn their livelihoods and be present on their lands. International solidarity activists engage in non-violent intervention and documentation, practical support which enables many families to pick their olives.

The campaign will begin mid October and will last around 5-7 weeks. We request a minimum 2 week commitment from volunteers but stress that long-termers are needed as well. We ask that volunteers start arriving in the first week of October, so that we will be prepared when the harvest begins.

Training

The ISM will be holding mandatory two day training sessions which will run weekly on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please see the join ISM page or contact palreports@gmail.com for further information.

In addition to the Olive Harvest Campaign, volunteers can also participate in regular ISM activities in support of the Palestinian popular struggle.

Join us in our solidarity with the Palestinian resistance at this crucial time of year!

In Solidarity,

ISM Palestine

Two men seriously beaten while attempting to build a house in Tel Rumeida

10th June 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

Yesterday in Khalil, a number of Palestinians were transporting building material to a house in Tel Rumeida. By doing so, they were challenging the army by transporting the material using a tractor on the only remaining road to the house, one which the tractor is not allowed to access. The army halted the transportation of materials and Mufit Al Sharabati (50) was arrested and then severely beaten in a military base. Imad Al-Atrash (19), a young man from Youth Against Settlements (YAS) was also beaten and injured during his arrest. Both men required hospital treatment for their injuries. Mufit requires serious medical attention and was taken to the operation room soon after he arrived at the hospital.

Building work in Tel Rumeida is extremely difficult work even with the correct permits, which Mufit (the property owner) has legally obtained. The realities imposed by the occupation on the ground make it practically impossible to physically carry out the work required. The house in question yesterday required materials to be transported using a tractor, however the only road which leads to the olive groves in Tel Rumeida where Mufit’s house is located cannot be legally accessed by this tractor. Therefore the only option left to the Palestinians attempting to carry out building work, is to challenge this law, risking detention, arrest or injury to do so. With today’s incident this was the situation.

The locals in Tel Rumeida are very aware of the consequences of attempting to challenge occupation law, yet they consistently try to overcome this ban, refusing to give in to this injustice. Yesterday’s episode is only the most recent of a series of previous attempts by these same individuals to bring the building material using the tractor on the banned road. Only two days ago this was attempted and halted by the Israeli army with the tractor being held and the driver detained. Several weeks ago this process was once again attempted resulting in two arrests and the confiscation of the tractor for several hours.

The incident yesterday began in similar circumstances, with the soldiers halting the tractors progress early on its journey. However, the soldiers then decided to arrest Mufit who was later beaten in an army base, requiring hospital treatment where he currently remains. There was also an attempt to arrest Imad, 8 soldiers physically picked him up to carry him to their vehicle, beating him whilst they did so. Imad tried to struggle against the soldiers and was dropped to the pavement where he hit his head on the concrete. When activists arrived on the scene, Imad was semi-conscious, shaking and unable to speak. He was transported by ambulance to the local hospital and has since been released. The fate of Mufit’s house remains to be seen, however the overall picture in Tel Rumeida and other parts of Khalil and the occupied West Bank, is one of continuous attempts at evicting Palestinians indirectly by making their lives and the possibilities for improving their circumstances, more difficult every day.

The Israeli army dropping Imad Al-Atrash on the ground (Photo by Youth Against Settlements)

Imad Al-Atrash receiving medical treatment for his injuries (Photo by Youth Against Settlements)

Photographer injured during weekly Bil’in demonstration

7th September 2013 | Friends of Freedom and Justice | Bil’in, Occupied Palestine

Yesterday, Friday 6^th September, the weekly demonstration at Bil’in continued in solidarity towards prisoners in Israel and in protest of the recent settler attack at Al-Aqsa mosque. During the demonstration a photographer, Mohammed Basman Yassin (21) was shot in the leg by a tear gas canister.

The regular demonstration is organised by the Popular Struggle Committee and included dozens of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists. The demonstrations began in protest against the settlements and apartheid wall that was illegally built on Bil’in land.

The protest march began after Friday prayers from the centre of the village heading towards the annexation wall. The activists raised Palestinian flags and chanted slogans calling for national unity, resistance against the occupation and the release of all prisoners. As the demonstrators reached the wall area, Israeli occupation forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas canisters, sound grenades and “skunk” water (waste water mixed with chemicals). Some of the youth of Bil’in threw stones at the soldiers, who then proceeded to chase the demonstrators into the olive groves and to the outskirts of the village, which is where Mohammed was injured.

Demonstrators overwhelmed with tear gas (Photo by Mohammed Yasin)

Israeli occupation forces spraying protesters with "skunk" water (Photo by Rani Bomat) — Israeli occupation forces spraying protesters with “skunk” water (Photo by Rani Bomat)

Israeli army take two men and hand them to settlers of Esh Kodesh

7th September 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Qusra, Occupied Palestine

Last 29th of August, Israeli soldiers detained two municipal workers from Qusra as they were taking the village’s trash to the local dump. The two men were later attacked by Israeli settlers. Residents of Qusra fear that greater collusion between the army and the settlers will only lead to more attacks.

One of the workers shows his bruises after a settler attack (Photo by ISM)

Early Thursday morning, two army jeeps carrying four soldiers detained the men as they transported trash to the local dump. Rather than transporting the men to the military base at Huwwarra checkpoint, the soldiers deposited the men and their tractor on the lands close to the illegal Israeli settlement, Esh Kodesh. At approximately 9:30, the municipal workers were attacked by six settlers, who beat them with stones and also caused major damage to the municipality’s tractor. Following the attack, both men were taken by ambulance to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, where doctors ordered two to three days bed rest.

After the residents of Qusra were taken to the hospital, the settlers of Esh Kodesh stole the tractor and took it to Shvut Rachel, another nearby settlement. When members of the municipality appealed to the Israeli DCO (District Coordination Office) to locate the stolen tractor, Israeli officials stated that if they found it, they would confiscate the tractor for two months and require the village to pay 10,000 NIS for its return.

Though the village has used the same area for garbage collection for nearly 30 years, in the last three years, the Israeli army has attempted to prohibit dumping in the area. The village has no other areas in which to deposit trash, as all of the surrounding lands are considered area C and also prohibited for use. Employees of the municipality reported that this is the third time that the village’s tractor has been confiscated. The previous times, the municipality was forced to pay a 10,000 NIS fine for its return. Following the most recent incident, the mayor refused to pay the fine due to the violence inflicted upon the two men and his view that the attack was coordinated between the Israeli army and the illegal settlers.

The tractor was damaged by the settlers (Photo by ISM)

Eventually, the tractor was returned to the village, though there was extensive damage that will require more than 2,000 NIS for repairs. In addition to structural damage, the license plate was stolen off the tractor, which will take months to replace due to bureaucratic requirements; moreover, employees of the municipality noted the dangers of a Palestinian plate being in the hands of the settlers, as they can use the green, Palestinian plate to gain access to the surrounding Palestinian villages without garnering suspicion. The municipality reported the theft to both the PA and Israeli police in hopes of preventing future attacks.

Qusra village is located in the northern West Bank, approximately 28 kilometers southeast of Nablus. The villages’ 6,000 residents face constant, weekly attacks from the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Esh Kodesh. Settlers frequently damage and uproot olive trees, burn village land, and attack residents. In 2011, settlers defaced the local mosque and attempted to set it on fire.