Year: 2013 - Page 28 - International Solidarity Movement

One man arrested during peaceful Al-Masara demonstration

6th September 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Al-Masara, Occupied Palestine

Today, Friday 6^th September, Mohammed Breijeh was arrested during a completely non-violent and peaceful demonstration in the village of Al-Masara. Mohammed will be held until next Wednesday, where a military court will decide whether to release, or to sentence him for taking part in today’s peaceful demonstration.

Soldiers blocked residents from reaching their own land (Photo by ISM)

The protest consisted of approximately 40 people, a mixture of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists, walking through Al-Masara in order to reach the villagers’ land which is located just below Efrata settlement. Mohammed was arrested shortly after the protest began for no apparent reason. When activists confronted the soldiers about his arrest, they were unwilling to give any explanation, many standing in silence, with others positively ignoring the question. Mohammed was taken to Kiryat Arba police station and more information will be available from Wednesday.

The army’s response to the regular Friday demonstrations in Al-Masara is very revealing of the general attitude the Israeli forces have towards Palestinian descent. The speed at which the demonstrators are arrested, and in many cases, the use of unnecessary and disproportionate force when conducting these arrests, is typical. Many of the regular demonstrators at Al-Masara have been previously arrested numerous times in a similar manner. The army has consistently used this tactic of immediate arrests to break up the peaceful demonstrations Al-Masara is known for. A prime example of this tactic in action was seen last month on 16/08/2013, where the army violently arrested Palestinians and internationals including journalists, no more than five minutes after the demonstration started.

Since 2006 Al-Marara has been holding weekly demonstrations that began in protest against the apartheid wall which illegally annexed a portion of the village’s land. Over the years the demonstration has evolved to focus on a number of issues, themes of Palestinian struggle such as erecting tents on annexed land and symbolising the right of return in this manner, with the demonstration today highlighting the plight of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The population of Al-Masara is approximately 1000 people. A small village when compared to some of its neighbouring villages and towns. Nevertheless, its residents show no sign of giving up their struggle, or changing its non-violent nature. Unfortunately, Israeli forces have made their response to this village’s peaceful demonstrations consistently clear: Palestinian descent to occupation will not be tolerated.

New court dates for Tristan Anderson’s civil trial against Israeli military

6th September 2013 | justice4tristan | Jerusalem

New trial dates have been set for Tristan Anderson’s civil case against the Israeli Military. The new dates follow a recent ruling from the High Court of Israel forcing the Israeli Police to re-open their investigation into the near fatal shooting, which occurred when Israeli Border Police opened fire on a crowd of Palestinian and international activists following a protest against the building of the Apartheid “Seperation” Wall in the West Bank village of Ni’ilin March 13, 2009.

Tristan was shot in the face from close range with a high velocity tear gas grenade, causing severe damage to his brain and paralysis to half his body.

The Israeli High Court has ordered the police to actually interview the officers involved in the shooting, who to date have never been questioned about it. (The findings of the new investigative report are scheduled to be released shortly before Anderson’s civil trial has been scheduled to begin.)

“Officers on the ground need to be afraid,” said Gabrielle Silverman, the girlfriend of Tristan Anderson and witness to his shooting. “We need real accountability for police violence, and for abuse against civilians by the military.”

High Velocity Tear Gas is manufactured in the USA.

Illegal extremist settlement of Yitzhar expands during ‘peace talks’

28th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Asira al Qibliya, Occupied Palestine

Around 80 settlers and soldiers brought diggers and steam rollers near the Asira water project and started to flatten ground on private Palestinian land. Residents fear this is the first stage in an expansion of the illegal extremist settlement of Yitzhar that daily attacks Asira and the unfinished water project that will provide the village with the much needed resource.

Construction of illegal settlement expansion, after work was finished in the afternoon (Photo by ISM)

Early in the morning on Wednesday 28th August in Asira al Qibliya around 50 soldiers and 30 settlers set up a tent on the mountain in land between the illegal settlement of Yitzhar and the Asira Water project. Machines were then brought to start work on the land including a digger and a steam roller. The land was flattened in preparation for new illegal structures that will most likely be an expansion of Yitzhar, which is of major concern to the villagers.

The settlement is built on stolen land and the new construction is also taking land from the village, even when organisations such as the UN have visited the site and agreed that it always belonged to Asira, a Palestinian activist working for the village council told international activists. The family who owned the land was given no information by the army about any plans to construct on their property. Any expansion of the settlement not only steals land but puts the villagers in great danger. Settlers from Yitzhar have attacked numerous surrounding villages, attacking villagers, burning land and cutting olive trees. When attacking Asira, settlers have focused most of their attention recently on the construction of a water project that will provide much needed water to the village, presently Asira residents have to buy water tanks to sustain their families. Settlers have thrown petrol bombs to damage the project and stop the workers and recently, on Sunday the 25th August, stole equipment including water pipes. Expanding the illegal settlement puts the water project at greater risk, not just by the attacks of the settlers, but the close proximity to the new expanded settlement could justify it being claimed as a security threat by the army and so demolished.

This new expansion of Yitzhar is an extremely aggressive move by the Israeli occupation given that they are currently claiming to be committed to peace talks. Yitzhar already started to expand during the talks when land was raised near Einabus on the 21st August. The village of Asira feel powerless in the face of these moves.

Wife of kidnapped Palestinian engineer Dirar Abu Sisi holds Gaza press conference

27th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza Team | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Yesterday Veronika Abu Sisi, the wife of Palestinian electrical engineer Dirar Abu Sisi, spoke with media and supporters in the Gaza Strip to denounce the international kidnapping, summary detention and solitary confinement of her husband.

Veronika Abu Sisi, second from right, stands with supporters. (Photo by Joe Catron) — Veronika Abu Sisi, center, stands with supporters. (Photo by Joe Catron)

“We won’t give up until Dirar Abu Sisi is released,” Veronika Abu Sisi said outside the couple’s Gaza City apartment building. “They steal our land, they put us in jail, but we have the right to live here. This is our home. I just hope my husband will be back soon with me and our children.”

Also yesterday, eight other detainees launched hunger strikes in solidarity with Dirar Abu Sisi’s. Five more joined them today.

Veronika Abu Sisi, left, speaks with supporters. (Photo by Joe Catron)

Dirar Abu Sisi, deputy engineer of the Gaza Strip’s only power plant, was kidnapped from an overnight train in Ukraine, his wife’s native country, on 18 February 2011. The Zionist entity announced it had detained him weeks after his disappearance.

On Friday, 16 August, after two and a half years in Zionist captivity without charge or trial, he began an open hunger strike. Following more than a week on hunger strike, in addition to prolonged solitary confinement and other forms of torture, his health, already deteriorating, is reportedly critical.

Young supporters of Dirar Abu Sisi rallied on Gaza on 10 July. (Photo by Joe Catron) — Young supporters of Dirar Abu Sisi rally in Gaza on 10 July. (Photo by Joe Catron)

Dirar and Veronika Abu Sisi have six children: Mousa (13), Malah (11), Aya (9), Mohammad (8), Maria (6) and Osama (4).

Army intimidate village ahead of an illegal land grab

26th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Bruqin, Occupied Palestine

Today, Monday 26th August, Israeli occupation forces invaded the village of Bruqin in the early hours of the morning. The Israeli army then proceeded to enter twelve houses and arrest 11 young men from the village. The men were aged between 18 and 27 and they were held for 7 hours before being released at 10:00 this morning.

Mohanned, a 27-year-old music teacher was one of the young men arrested, alongside his brother, 25-year-old Hammed. The brothers and their whole family were awoken by the Israeli army entering their house at 02:30. The soldiers demanded to see the ID of all the men present and gave no reason for their commands or presence in the village. The situation was very similar for 24-year-old Feher, a builder who was arrested at 03:00. Mohanned, Hammed and Feher were removed from their homes, blindfolded and handcuffed, along with the other young men taken. The Israeli army was described as “aggressive but not violent” with no injuries sustained.

One resident of Bruqin described the invasion as “quiet” although there were at least 50 soldiers in 5 military jeeps and this was “very frightening for the villagers”. He then continued to state that he believed this was supposed to act as an intimidating warning to the people of Bruqin.

It does not seem unrelated that the village is currently at risk of losing 700 dunums of land to the nearby (illegal) settlement of Bruchin. The below picture highlights the areas that are at risk and the residents have been attempting to fight this illegal theft of vital farming land over the last two months. However in order to adhere to the court process, the residents must access their land to attain the correct measurements to supply to the court. However due to violent settler attacks many people are unable to enter their own land and as such the mayor of Bruqin has had to apply for permission on behalf of the Bruqin residents. He is awaiting confirmation and as yet Bruqin has no information on the state of their court battle for land they legally own.

Between the blue and yellow lines is the at risk land (Photo by ISM)i

All settlements in Palestine are illegal under international law and Bruchin is no exception. In 2012, the settler colony of Bruchin was “legalised” by the Israeli government, previously, even Israeli law classed Bruchin as an illegal outpost. Now that Bruchin has the “official” support of its own government, it is attempting to steal land from a number of villages to build 550 new settler homes. The residents of Bruqin, the legal owners of many of the dunums in question, are determined to fight this land grab, but many are apprehensive about repercussions from the Israeli army if they continue to resist. It seems apparent that from this morning’s action, their concerns are unfortunately justified.