13 March 2024 | International Solidarity Movement | Masafer Yatta
Israeli soldiers arresting a Palestinian woman. @ISM
Today in Susiya (Masafer Yatta), on the third day in Ramadan, a large number of IOF soldiers and armed settlers arrested a Palestinian woman and an Israeli activist, shot live ammunition in the air and pointed guns to prevent documentation.
The IOF and settlers came and arrested the woman while she was picking akkoub in a place where the army said it is legal to do so.
As Israeli and international activists arrived to observe and document, an Israeli activist got arrested and handcuffed for filming. Eleven armed soldiers and settlers guarded the area of the two detained and started to point guns and shoot live ammunition in the air to force the rest of the activists away from the area and prevent them from filming. IOF threatened to detain anyone who would get nearer calling their situation an “operation”.
IOF arresting an Israeli activist. @ISM
After keeping the detained for a long time on the ground in the burning sun, they took both the Palestinian woman and the Israeli activist in a big white van and drove off. A few hours later, the woman was released and the Israeli activist taken to a police station.
The IOF brought in seven vehicles including a green army jeep, a police jeep and four vans and a large number of soldiers and police for the “operation”.
The palestinian woman was picking Akkoub, a wild plant that Palestinians have been picking and using for cooking for decades. Akkoub is amongst the wild plants and herbs that the occupation force has made illegal for Palestinian to harvest under false accusations of over-harvesting; yet another fraction of the ethnic cleansing of all aspects of Palestinian life, culture and history.
