We are very excited to announce the upcoming 4th annual Open Shuhada Street Campaign from 22-25 February 2013.
The Open Shuhada Street Campaign (OSC) is a Palestinian initiative, aiming to organize an International day of solidarity with the Palestinian residents of Hebron. It was started in 2010 in Hebron and international solidarity actions took place in numerous cities around the world. In 2012 more than 35 different activities were organized.
The Israeli state has imposed on the Palestinian residents of the city a regime of forced evictions, curfews, market closures, street closures, military checkpoints, subjection to military law including frequent random searches and detention without charge, and lack of protection from rampant settler violence, which has pressured approximately 15,000 Palestinian civilians to flee their homes in the Hebron city center, turning it into a virtual ghost town.
The Israeli occupation forces closed Shuhada Street to Palestinian vehicles in 1994, after the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, and then Prevented Palestinian residents to walk there in 2000, in order to provide security for the 600 Israeli settlers occupying the center of Hebron.
More than 500 stores were closed by military order in the center of Hebron, and more than a thousand store owners were forced to close their shops due to checkpoints and closures. At the same time, illegal settlers enjoy freedom of movement in the closed streets and are protected by occupation forces.
The activities of the occupation and its settlers in the city of Hebron have turned the lives of 200,000 Palestinians in Hebron into a living hell and expelled thousands from their homes.
On 25 February 2013 activists and organizations from around the world will join together in solidarity with the Palestinian residents of Hebron/ al Khaleel, through local protests and actions that demand for the opening of Shuhada Street to Palestinians and an End to the Israeli Occupation!
Shuhada Street used to be the principal street for Palestinians residents, businesses and a very active market place in the Palestinian city of Hebron/ al Khaleel. Today, because Shuhada Street runs through the Jewish settlement of Hebron, the street is closed to Palestinian movement and looks like a virtual ghost street which only Israelis and tourists are allowed to access. Hate graffiti has been sprayed across the closed Palestinian shops and Palestinians living on the street have to enter and exit their houses through their back doors or, even sometimes by climbing over neighbor’s roofs.
In 1994, following the massacre of 29 Muslims at prayer by America-Israeli settler Dr. Baruch Goldstein, shops on Shuhada Street were closed and vehicular traffic prohibited on the street. Despite a court case and an admission by the Israeli government that it is illegal, the street is still closed to Palestinians 16 years later. We are focusing on Shuhada Street as a symbol of the settlement issue, the policy of separation in Hebron/al Khaleel and the entire West Bank, the lack of freedom of movement, and the occupation at large.
If you would like to organize and be part of OPEN SHUHADA STREET CAMPAIGN 2013 in your city or your University campus please get in touch with us at media.yas@gmail.com. Also find us on Facebook and Twitter.
HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
OSC offers ordinary people around the world an opportunity to partake in something truly global. If you would like to get involved and organize your own OSC event or action let us know so that we can share with you the OSC Basis of Unity and organizing principles. Here are some ways that you can actively get involved:
Demonstrations, Marches, Vigils, Flashmobs
Organize a film screening about Hebron
Arrange a lecture, workshop,Presentation
Organize a BDS action
Join us online
Photo Exhibitions concerning Apartheid in Hebron
Twitter: Use this hashtag #OpenShuhadaSt to spread the word and educate the masses about Hebron
Video Message: Create and send video messages to community forums, media, and social media outlets urging the international community to use diplomatic pressure to re-open Shuhada Street
Letter-writing and Petitions to the Israeli Ambassador and elected officials in your country asking them to intervene
Write letters to the Palestinian Families in Hebron to show solidarity
Close roads to show the public the effects of closing the main road in Hebron.
Visit Hebron to gain an understanding of the situation and the daily suffering of the people living there.
Any other non-violent activity you feel supports the cause, be as creative as possible!!
For more information please visit our website WWW.HYAS.PS
Settler with a slingshot at Al-Manatir (Photo: ISM)
Saturday morning moments after Palestinians planted metal huts and canvas tents on a rocky hilltop in the northern West Bank village of Burin, Israeli settlers were pelting them with rocks. Armed with slingshots and at least one gun the settlers stormed the Palestinians who were setting up a protest encampment similar to Bab al-Shams in the E-1 corridor, the fourth such encampment in the past month.
But the confrontation escalated and the encampment, which was to be named al-Manatir, was never established.
Burin is located in the Nablus governorate, which sees the highest rate of settler violence [PDF] in the West Bank. Attacks are almost daily. There are 12 settlements and 36 outposts in the district, and the outposts are often home to the gun wielding “hilltop youth,” a violent gang of settlers known for “price tag” attacks on both Palestinians and the Israeli military. The volatile atmosphere runs through all of the small villages near Burin. Just a few days ago the International Solidarity Movement highlighted Urif, a village a few kilometers from Burin, noting after two months of habitual settler attacks in December 2012 that 17 women had miscarriages, which they speculated was caused by the harassment.
At 9:30 am Saturday morning around 50 Palestinians went to work erecting tents. By 10 am, many supporters had joined them, bumping the number of protesters to 200. The settlers who live on the next hilltop over were irate; one activist described them as being like enraged mothers flinging their bodies across an army of brutes in order to save their young. She said it was like a movie. But the settlers who were dressed in white with their faces covered, were not striving to keep anything they already owned. Palestinians from Burin have a deed for the land where the protest camp was supposed to extend. And according to villagers, the ownership is not contested by the state of Israel.
Army trying to keep the settlers at bay in the beginning. (Photo Katie W., ISM)
Initially the Israeli military kept the settlers at bay. Such harassment is common in Burin, but it is atypical for the army to intercede on behalf of Palestinians. However, the reprieve only lasted a half an hour and by noon the settlers snatched two of the Palestinian’s metallic huts and carted them back up the hilltops.
Fadi Quran, a Ramallah based activist, showed me a video of the settlers stealing the shelters while the military watched without reaction. “It’s apartheid, it’s plain to everyone’s eyes,” said Quran, explaining the military’s crackdown on the Palestinians and relative blind-eye to the settlers. ”Here are the soldiers firing at us and here are the settlers carrying the tent up the hill.”
Reflecting the sunlight, the huts looked like miniature Frank Gehry designs bobbing– as far from subversion as the settlers could walk.
Shortly after the shelters were stolen, a group of about 30 settlers ran off towards the outskirts of the Palestinians village and indiscriminately attacked houses. They threw stones and were soon met by Palestinians who tried to protect their neighbors’ homes by throwing rocks at the settlers.
Back at the protest site the military fired tear gas and live bullets. Unlike other direct actions where the Israeli military positions itself at a distance from the protesters and incrementally advances to meet their opposition, in Burin the army fired while swarmed by Palestinians and settlers. With nowhere left to go the Palestinians took cover inside of Burin’s windy streets.
Tear gas choked the entire village by the time I arrived in the late afternoon. One infant had been rushed to a hospital and later a woman in her twenties was driven out after inhaling too much gas. My first interaction with Palestinians inside of Burin was a mother with three young children who jumped in our car for a ride to cleaner air. I dropped them off and then headed towards the chorus of live fire in the center of town, where the organizers were resting.
By nightfall the Palestinians had lost steam. Most people held small cloths to their faces, soaked rubbing alcohol and distributed by the Red Crescent Society; and one activist gripped a halved onion. For some, the entire day had been spent running from the military. In the evening it was unclear what they were still doing in the village. The protest encampment was cleared hours ago and the huts that were salvaged were now abandoned in Burin’s alleyways. The village was also sealed off by a checkpoint, and 18 were arrested and three injured, according to Tweets that same day from activists. The settlers had shot one Palestinian in the leg and destroyed around 100 olive trees. The injured youth, Zakharia Yaser Nijar, 17, a high school student from Burin, was taken to a hospital in Nablus.
Arrest of Ashraf Abu Rahmah from Bil’in (Photo: ISM)
Before leaving, Amar Eid, 19, from Burin, pointed out to me to three different hilltops that have settlers. I asked him the name of the settlements and he laughed and said, “We can’t know all the names. There’s too many.” The settlements of Adei Ad, Bracha, Yitzhar, and Mitzpe encircle the stone and concrete houses of Burin.
Editor’s note: See a related article by ISM here. For more photos click here.
In what seems to be a collective punishment for last Saturday´s construction of al-Manateer neighbourhood on privately owned Palestinian land (classified as Area B, according to the Oslo Accords) in Burin, Sunday night saw the Israeli army arrest two young boys from the village.
At around 8:30pm, a supposedly Palestinian ambulance showed up in Burin. Villagers were suspicious as the driver didn’t look entirely like a Palestinian. As young boys realised that the men in the front were plain-clothed Israeli soldiers, clashes erupted between Palestinian youth and soldiers.
Later on, as Ghassan and Mohammad were in a friend’s house, the Israeli special unit, all in black and wearing balaclavas, entered demanding IDs and arrested both men. Ghassan was brought handcuffed and blindfolded to an army jeep and, there, was interrogated by the military commander before being released. In the case of Mohammad, he was taken, also handcuffed and blindfolded, to Huwara military base and then released; not before telling him that he couldn’t take a taxi or otherwise they would arrest him again.
by Katie W.
2 January 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Manatir, Occupied Palestine
I hate checkpoints forcing us to wait and take long detours. I hate teargas, especially when it leaves me unable to breathe. I hate rubber bullets being fired around me. I hate stunt grenades, especially when they are fired directly at me from a distance of three metres, and the impact makes me fall back over. I hate friends getting pepper-sprayed and nearly arrested. I hate to see fellow demonstrators actually getting arrested, especially after being kicked by several soldiers wearing heavy boots whilst laying on the ground. I hate how the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and border police treated us today. I hate the human rights violations I witnessed. I hate the hateful behaviour of extremist settlers who severely injured a Palestinian with live ammunition and who cut down a hundred olive trees belonging to Burin villagers. I hate the fact that Palestinians can’t even be safe in their own houses because the army is shooting teargas, rubber bullets and live ammunition all around the village. I hate collective punishment which, by the way, is illegal under international law. I hate the imam having to urge people to pray at home rather than the mosque as it would be too dangerous to go there. I hate this illegal occupation with all its injustice, suffering and human rights abuses.
I love the fact that my friends managed to de-arrest a Palestinian, saving him from what may well have been several years of prison. I love the fact that everyone was generously sharing food and water. I love kind strangers inviting us to their house. I love random people taking us into their houses to protect us from the havoc outside. I love the brave first aid workers who helped so many of us affected by the teargas and those seriously injured, at great personal risks. I love onions and people who give them out to help ease the effects of teargas. I love making new friends. I love how much common suffering can bond people together and bring out the best in humanity. I love the spirit of defiance of the Palestinian people. I love the spirit of unity and determination among the people of Burin. I love hearing that they felt the barrier of fear was broken, and they will continue to resist the illegal occupation.
It has certainly been a crazy, action-filled, emotional, horrifying, uplifiting,… day. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed this much inhumanity and at the same time so much humanity in a singly day.
Today, the residents of Burin, a village near Nablus in Occupied Palestine, joined by activists from across Palestine as well as a handful of internationals, established the village of Al-Manatir on a hill outside Burin. This is the fourth village in a series of protest encampments, following the establishment of Bab Al-Shams, Bab Al-Karama and Al-Asra last month.
The newly established village of Al-Manatir
The people of Burin have lost much of their land to the nearby illegal Israeli settlements Har Brakha and Yitzhar. Many villagers have lost access to their fields and olive trees and thus their means of livelihood. For years, they have been facing harassment, intimidation and violence by both the settlers and the Israeli army.
Earlier this week, the UN Human Rights Council released its harshest report on Israeli settlements to date, condemning them as “leading to a creeping annexation that prevents the establishment of a contiguous and viable Palestinian state and undermines the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”. The report also harshly criticises the Israeli authorities for deliberately choosing to ignore rather than punishing settlers’ acts of violence, which it describes as “ institutionalized discrimination against the Palestinian people” with the aim of driving them from their land and expanding settlements.
Today, Palestinians joined together to engage in non-violent, direct-action resistance against the illegal occupation and in particular against the settlements. The people of Burin decided to fight back by creating “facts on the ground”, mirroring Israel’s illegal settlement policy.
Along with about 250 people involved in this action, we helped carry material and set up several tent structures on a hill which is village land but has been inaccessible to Palestinians for a number of months due to the illegal settlement of Har Brakha. A handful of soldiers arrived at the scene immediately after the action began, apparently alerted by the settlers. The initial atmosphere among us was full of energy and enthusiasm, as people continued to carry up materials and build tent structures, undeterred by the onlooking soldiers. Among much singing, chanting and flag-waving, the village was officially declared open by Palestinian activist leaders and named Al-Manatir, after the traditional stone huts Palestinians built in their agricultural lands, which were used as shelter for the watchmen of the fields. Gradually, however, IOF reinforcements began to arrive at the scene, as did settlers from Har Brakha. Soon, scuffles broke out between settlers who were clearly mad with rage and determined to tear down newly set-up Al-Manatir and attack us, and the army, who was desperately holding them back to prevent escalation. Following further military reinforcements, most settlers left the scene and instead went to attack a house in Burin itself. Ugly scenes of violent clashes ensued, with the army mostly looking on and doing little to deter the settlers. A 17-year old Palestinian was shot in the leg by live ammunition fired by a settler.
Settlers and the army on the scene
Meanwhile, things were also heating up back in Al-Manatir where soldiers soon began firing teargas, sound grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. Forced to retreat due to the strong effects of the teargas, we would run back to take cover somewhere and recover from the gas, and then bravely march forward again to face the IOF anew. For a couple to a few minutes we would chant, wave flags and even perform some dabke (traditional Palestinian folk dance), until the army would force us to retreat again by firing stunt grenades and teargas. This pattern continued for about two hours, during which dozens of people were injured, mostly from being hit by teargas canisters and sound grenades, whilst many more severely suffered from the effects of the teargas. Four Palestinians were also arrested; probably the most heart-breaking scene I witnessed today was an activist being brutally dragged away by four soldiers, who repeatedly kicked him with their heavy boots as he lay on the ground near unconscious towards the end.
View of Burin from Al-Manatir
The IOF forces became increasingly hostile and aggressive, not only using weapons but also brutally pushing back people and threatening us with arrest, causing some people, especially female residents of Burin, to leave the protest. During the stand-off with the army we were gradually pushed further and further back to the edge of the hill, eventually loosing all our tent structures. A desperate final attempt to hold on to Al-Manatir by sitting down on the ground failed after soldiers threw several sound grenades right at us as we were seated, hitting several of us. My memory becomes slightly shaky at this point, as I was under shock from being hit by a stunt grenade. Quickly, the protest dispersed as those of us still remaining at this point were being forced down the hill under continuous firing of teargas and stunt grenades.
Back down in Burin village, some activists returned home, whilst many decided to stay to show solidarity and offer support and protection should the army or settlers re-attack. We had time to rest a little, introduce ourselves to one another and exchange experiences and opinions on what had just happened. People shared food they had brought, and various kind village folks invited us in for drinks. Although we were exhausted by the intensity of the events and shaken by all that had happened, the overall atmosphere seemed to be one of contentment and pride that we had managed to stand our ground and put up a good fight for a considerable amount of time. We had been sitting on a village family’s veranda, sipping coffee, chatting, exchanging photos and videos for about half an hour, when suddenly a teargas canister landed right in our middle, causing us to quickly jump up and take cover somewhere. What ensued was another couple of hours of fierce attack on Burin village by th IOF. Soon the village mosque was completely filled with teargas after some of its windows were broken by the canisters fired. The whole downtown area soon became inaccessible, and people were forced to leave their houses and take cover somewhere further up in the village. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to not even be able to feel safe in your own home, because any time it could be attacked by soldiers or settlers. Whilst we were sitting out the attack further up in Burin, shebabs threw stones, the army kept firing back teargas and even various rounds of live ammunition, and the ambulance drove around feverishly picking up the injured. After about two hours, the army retreated and people were able to come out of hiding and return to their houses.
What do I take away from this day? To be honest, I will probably need a good few days to really digest all this. However, right now, I feel immense respect for the Palestinian people, their fighting spirit, deep courage and willingness to take great risks as they’re standing up for justice. I feel great hope in the power of non-violent resistance and popular grassroots movements. However, my heart is also heavy at the thought of the repercussions that our action will definitely have for the people of Burin. Already today, one hundred olive trees were cut down in revenge by settlers, and further acts of reprisal will certainly follow. Everyone expects the army to come raid the village tonight, beating up and arresting many residents.
I would like to close my account with the encouraging statement of Ghassan Najar form Burin: “Today Burin has broken the fear barrier: we went to our land despite the military’s orders and we will continue to do so.” May the courage and determination of the people of Burin and all Palestinians continue to grow as they fight the illegal Israeli occupation until victory ensues and peace, dignity and justice triumph in this land.
Video of a youth Palestinian brutally attacked and arrested by IOF in Al-Manatir
Katie W. is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed)
The European Union is actively supporting Israel with its current trade agreements. Enough is enough; keep the pressure up, 2013 is the time for justice in Palestine.
As more and more of us become aware of the systematic denial of Palestinians human rights by Israel military occupation, it is time to make our elected representatives aware of the growing and unstoppable pressure for peace and justice.
The EU should be playing a leading role in implementing policies to ensure that Israel ends its illegal occupation, uphold international law and respect Palestinian human rights.
Instead, they are supporting Israel’s occupation by:
allowing illegal settlement products to be traded across Europe
by using EU tax-payers money to fund Israeli military companies that are responsible for killing civilians and supporting Israel’s military occupation
As recommended by European Union consuls general in East Jerusalem and Ramallah in a recent report, the European Union must divest from settlements and economic sanctions should be put on bodies and companies involved in settlement industry. A report submitted to the UN´s Human Rights Council by an independent fact-finding mission, has also called on all relevant international actors, private or state-connected to take “all necessary steps” to ensure that they were respecting human rights, “including by terminating their business interests in the settlements”.
This is a step forward but not enough; keep the pressure on EU representatives to suspend trade agreements with Israel until they fully and completely abide by international law.
It is time for actions, not words. Tell the EU to act now.
29 January 2013 | OCHA Displacement Working Group, edited by International Solidarity Movement, Al Maleh, Occupied Palestine
On 17 January, Israeli occupation forces demolished 47 (sic) residential and other structures in Hamamat Al Maleh area, displacing 60 people, more than half of them children. On 19 January, Israeli occupation forces confiscated basic emergency tents that had been provided to the families in the aftermath of the demolitions. On 21 January evening, while villagers tried rebuilding their homes, army returned and forced them to stop. A few days later, on 24 January, another 4 structures belonging to one of the displaced families were destroyed. Israeli occupation forces entered Al Maleh again on 25 January to photograph remaining structures. At the same time, a large group of illegal Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, toured the area. The families have been informed by the army that if they erect further shelters or try to rebuild their homes, they will be subject to arrest and their livestock confiscated. As a result, the families have been forced to temporarily relocate to another area to receive basic humanitarian assistance, including emergency tents, after having spent several nights without shelter.
Hamamat al Maleh area is home to around 260 people residing in three clusters of communities: 1) Hamamat Al Maleh, 2) Hamamat Al Maleh – Al Meita and 3) Hamamat Al Maleh – Al Burj, which have existed in the Jordan Valley since the 1970s. The communities have suffered demolitions in the past, including in 2011 and 2012, and have also suffered repeated temporary displacement due to military training exercises carried out by Israeli occupation forces in the area. Prior to this year’s demolitions, the affected families had received a combination of stop-work orders (30 July 2012), demolition orders (August/September 2012) and eviction orders from a closed military area (6 November and again on 31 December 2012). The lawyer of the families had tried to challenge these orders on numerous occasions, submitting the last request for postponement on 20 December 2012.
According to initial information the communities are located on a land owned by the Latin Patriarchate, with reportedly owns around 7,000 dunums of land in the area. Some of the land, including the land where Hamamat al Maleh-al Meita stands, has been designated by the Israeli military as a closed military zone for training purposes. However, the other two communities seem to be located outside the current boundaries of that area.
Here is a brief history of the nine days in Al Maleh:
Pre-2013: Since 2009, four demolitions took place in the Al Maleh area, all in Hamamat Al Maleh – Al Meita, on the grounds that the structures were located in a Firing Zone. During these demolitions – three in 2011 and one in 2012 – seven residential structures, 10 animal structures, and one beehive were demolished, resulting in the displacement of 36 people and affecting 35 others.
17 January 2013: Israeli occupation forces demolished 47 (sic) residential and animal structures: 20 residential tents (18 inhabited/2 uninhabited), 20 animal structures, five kitchens and one toilet in Hamamat Al Maleh – Al Meita and Hamamat Al Maleh. Two water tanks and a solar panel were also damaged. As a result, 10 families comprising 60 people, including 36 children, were displaced and two additional households including three children were affected.
19 January 2013: Between 6.30 am and 8 am, Israeli army confiscated 37 emergency tents (including 14 new tents given by Red Cross) provided as humanitarian assistance in response to the demolitions on 17 January, leaving the families without any shelter for themselves or their animals. The area was subsequently declared a closed military area and access to the area was restricted through existing checkpoints as well as several flying checkpoints. International observers and journalists were denied access.
21 January 2013: The Palestinian DCL (District Civil Liason), the Israeli DCL and the Tubas Governor carried out a joint visit to Al Maleh. Israeli army indicated during the visit that they would try to find an acceptable solution, but no further information has been received in that regard. In the evening the people of Al Maleh tried to rebuild their homes and tents. However, within one hour the army returned to demand that they stop rebuilding. Army’s message is clear: “If you are going to put up any tents, structures, build anything, we are going to demolish it and punish you by confiscating your animals.” People slept in fields, fearing further army retaliations.
24 January 2013: At 8 am in the morning Israeli occupational forces once again demolished homes in Al Maleh: a residential tent, a tent used for storage, a kitchen and a livelihood structure (for bees). A family of nine people including six children, was displaced as a result. Army bulldozers swifted off to Jiftlik to carry out another destructive piece of work.
25 January 2013: Israeli forces took photographs of all remaining structures in Hamamat Al Maleh as well as in Al Farisiya. A group of Israeli settlers, including women and children, visited the area on the same day, accompanied by Israeli soldiers.
The communities in Hamamat al Maleh are some of the most vulnerable in the West Bank. The restrictions imposed on their lives and livelihoods, including their repeated evacuation to make way for military training exercises, has increased their levels of poverty and their dependence on aid. These recent developments have had a devastating impact on the families, leaving them without adequate shelter, disrupting their livelihoods and access to basic services, and has resulted in trauma, particularly amongst the children.
Repeated displacement of civilians, combined with the destruction or confiscation of their property and the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian assistance, raises serious concerns under international law. Israel, as an occupying power, has an obligation to protect civilians at all times and to administer the territory for their benefit, ensuring that people’s basic needs are met. International law specifically prohibits an occupying power from forcibly displacing or transferring civilians, regardless of the means or methods used, or to destroy or confiscate private or public property.
Now the villagers are relocated to another area. An NGO has provided shelters as part of humanitarian response, funded by EU. Israeli occupation forces keep taking photos of the village. The governor of Tubas is in communication with Latin Patriarchate. The village of Al Maleh continues to “exit by resisting”, the latest example being on 26 January by planting olive trees and organizing a fun day for children, supported by other Palestinians and international activists. Israeli army reacted by closing off the area during these activities and by installing a temporary roadblock until late hours. Sources say that “the demolitions were inevitable as the Latin Patriarchate did not prolong the contracts to the villagers”.
More than 500 stores were closed by military order in the center of Hebron, and more than a thousand store owners were forced to close their shops due to checkpoints and closures. At the same time, illegal settlers enjoy freedom of movement in the closed streets and are protected by occupation forces.
