10th June 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Beit Hanoun, Occupied Palestine
Thousands of Palestinians from across the Gaza Strip rallied by the closed Erez checkpoint on Friday, marking al-Naksa (the setback), Israel’s 1967 seizure of the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip, Syria’s Golan Heights, and Sinai Peninsula, ceded to Egypt in 1982.
(Photo by Rosa Schiano)
(Photo by Rosa Schiano)
(Photo by Joe Catron)
(Photo by Mohammed Abedullah)
(Photo by Rosa Schiano)
(Photo by Rosa Schiano)
(Photo by Joe Catron)
(Photo by Mohammed Abedullah)
Israel’s capture of the territories included the ethnic cleansing of over 400,000 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and West Bank, following al-Nakba (the catastrophe), Zionist militias the and Israeli army’s 1948 expulsion of over 750,000 from lands now claimed by Israel.
The effort was part of the second annual Global March to Jerusalem, an international mobilization protesting Israel’s attacks on Palestinians in Jerusalem and promising the return of refugees ethnically cleansed by its military forces.
According to a statement released today by the Global March to Jerusalem, “marches and sit-ins were held on Friday in more than 40 countries around the world, in addition to Palestine. They included a march to the northern border of the Gaza Strip and demonstrations in Jerusalem at the entrance to the Old City where Occupation Forces suppressed and arrested participants.
“Mass demonstrations took place in Gaza, Jordan, Egypt, Tunis, Mauritania, and Morocco, as well as in Yemen, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey. Likewise, there were large demonstrations in capitals and cities across Europe and North America, including gatherings in front of Israeli embassies.”
9th June 2013 | Operation Dove | Umm Al Kheer, South Hebron Hills, Occupied Palestine
On Saturday June 8 an old Palestinian man from the village of Umm Al Kheer, Suleiman Aid Yameen Hadleen, was detained for more than three hours by the Israeli army while affirming his right to access his own land. In the last two days the soldiers denied the Palestinians from Umm Al Kheer the access to their own land until Sunday morning, without any official order.
Israeli forces chasing away Palestinian shepherds from the hilltop (Photo by Operation Dove)
The above-cited land is on a hill that belongs to Hadleen family. On the top of it the settlers of Karmel Israeli settlement in 2011 planted some olive trees and about two weeks ago built a small tent. Two days ago the settlers started to dig holes on the ground with the intention of planting more olive trees in a row that would go along the top of the hill, preventing Palestinians to enter the land behind it. That hill is crossed everyday by Palestinian shepherds, since it is the only way that takes to the valleys grazed by their sheep.
On Saturday June 8, three Palestinian shepherds with their flocks, together with other Palestinians, Israeli activists and international volunteers were chased away from the top of the hill by the Israeli army. Suleiman remained on the place in order to affirm the right to access his privately-owned land until he was brought into one of the army jeeps present on the place. According to his statement, he was blindfolded, beaten and driven around in different army jeeps. The soldiers also prevented him from praying. He was detained for more than three hours and left with no explanation in the Palestinian village of Ar Rakeez.
Umm Al Kheer is a Bedouin village in Area C (under Israeli civil and military administration) built in 1948. It is located nearby the Israeli settlement of Karmel built up in the beginning of the ’80s and still expanding. The village experiences periodic harassment from Israeli settlers and army.
Operation Dove maintains a constant presence in At-Tuwani and South Hebron Hills since 2004.
Palestinian shepherd arguing with Israeli border police officers just before he was detained (Photo by Operation Dove)Israeli border police officers carrying away Suleiman Aid (Photo by Operation Dove)
8th June 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Bethlehem, Occupied Palestine
Beginning in the early morning, with buses coming from all over the West Bank full of eager participants, the Fourth National Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) conference, hosted at Bethlehem University got off to an amazing start with a fully packed auditorium.
As the day progressed, a plethora of agenda items on how to further BDS against Israel were discussed by a wide range of speakers who emphasised rejecting normalisation with Israel.
The goal of this event was not only to promote the BDS campaign within Palestine and to give an introduction to newcomers but also to:
• Share all of the successes and initiatives that the movement has had since its inception, whether they are local, from Arab nations or international. One example of a triumph is the recent termination of certain G4S contracts in illegal settlements.
• Share vibrant, new ideas that could be implemented across Palestine and in the Palestinian Diaspora. One idea from the city of Salfit was door-to-door operation allowing information to spread quickly through neighbourhoods.
• Give an outline of what normalisation is and how it can be combated in culture, academia, and economics.
• Allow the public to question Palestinian officials and civil society representatives about how to strengthen boycott and counter normalisation.
During the conference, there was a dispute between the Palestinian Minister of Economy Jawad Al-Naji, and an audience member, resulting in the Minister walking out of the room. The argument was triggered by the audience member’s opinion on Mahmoud Abbas and his tactic of normalisation with Israel. The activist who questioned the Economy Minister was reportedly later attacked and injured by seven people, presumably related to the PA forces, needing to be taken to hospital.
After this incident, there were nine separate workshops to attend, ranging from Youth and Students, to Women, Trade and Professional Unions to International BDS campaigns. Information was shared in order for the BDS movement to continue gaining international momentum.
8th June 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
Human rights activist Jawad Abu Eysheh, 39, was arrested Friday 7th June following a complaint he made four months ago about a settler attack.
At 4:20 pm on 7th June, Israeli Police arrived at the house of the Hebron organisation Youth Against Settlements and demanded to see the ID’s of Jawad and three other men present. The police then told Jawad that they wanted to take him away ‘for investigation’, and called the Israeli military to escort Jawad away in handcuffs.
Jawad Abu Eysheh being handcuffed and arrested (Photo by Youth Against Settlements)
Jawad was then paraded through the adjacent illegal Tel Rumeida settlement and taken to the nearby checkpoint 56, before being transferred to the police station in the settlement of Givat Ha’avot outside the city centre.
Despite being a victim of that violent assault in February, it was Jawad who was subjected to arrest today, not the perpetrators. During his detention, Jawad was also forced to submit a DNA sample against his will, and to sign conditions that he will not speak with Baruch Marzel for the next 30 days. Jawad stated he is happy to comply with this stipulation at least. Jawad was released at around 9pm.As well as today’s arrest, Jawad has faced other harassment recently, including not being allowed to walk on the street where his factory space and uncle’s house are located.
The Israeli army and police in Hebron have a long history of harassing human rights defenders such as Jawad and his colleague Issa Amro, and of following the wishes of extremist settlers when deciding who to harass.
7th June 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine
In the early hours of the 7th June, the Israeli military conducted a night raid on the village of Kafr Qaddum for what is reportedly the tenth time in the last three weeks. This follows threats made by soldiers against children of the village and continued harassment, day and night. Friday’s demonstration was a chance for the children of the village to show that they are not afraid and demand justice. Although the peaceful march was violently repressed with excessive use of tear gas, the villagers remain steadfast.
Child pictures with threats by army
Recent weeks have seen a rise in night raids on the village, many for several hours with gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition fired both at random throughout the village and at people who leave their homes to protect their families. During Thursday night’s two hour invasion from 12.30-2.30am, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition into the air to threaten residents and shot multiple rounds of tear gas, some through the windows of people’s homes. One home was that of a seven month-old baby who was suffocated by the gas and had to be treated in an ambulance.
This child abuse follows the army’s recent pasting of posters around the village showing the faces of four 15-16 year old children. The message on the posters read, “We are the army, take care, we will catch you if we see you, or we will come to your house.” During night raids over the course of the last weeks Israeli soldiers have also stolen tyres from the village, which are used in the course of the Friday demonstrations to block the army from entering the village.
At today’s demonstration, the children of Kafr Qaddoum held placards calling for the soldiers to face justice for their threats against them and for their repression of the people of the village and of Palestine. Around one hundred people calling for justice marched through Kafr Qaddum towards the Israeli roadblock which prevents access for villagers to the main road to Nablus; the obstruction means an extra 14 kilometres on the journey and is emblematic of the restriction of movement imposed by the Israeli authorities on Palestinians in the West Bank.
Children of Kufr Qaddum demand justice and refuse intimidation (Photo: ISM)
As protesters walked along the road they were immediately showered with tear gas, which was shot in multiple rounds from ‘the tempest’ – a jeep-loaded device used to shoot up to sixty canisters at a time. Soldiers also shot metal gas canisters directly at the peaceful demonstrators, violating Israeli rules of engagement which state that tear-gas should be shot at an arc into the air. Several people were injured and many suffered from tear gas inhalation and needed to be treated by Palestinian ambulance teams. Tear gas fired by Israeli forces sparked fires in olive groves around the village, requiring the fire brigade to also be called.
Israeli forces continue to threaten and repress non-violent resistance to the occupation with tactics such as threatening children and attacking the village at night, but Mourad a villager today stated, “Despite the fact that our village is under siege and our people suppressed, we are still determined to continue our march and achieve our goals.”
Israeli jeeps with attachment to fire ‘the tempest’ of tear gas (Photo: Kafr Qaddum Media)
