Author: ISM Media Group

Tree planting in Balata and Askar refugee camps, Nablus

On Saturday, the 29th of September ISM activists planted around a hundred trees in the martyr cemetery at Balata refugee camp in Nablus. Twenty to thirty volunteers from the H.W.C. (Health Work Committee) and the Tanweer Center in Nablus joined in the planting. The Ministry of Agriculture provided the trees. This continues the cooperation between ISM and various organisations in the Nablus area.

The trees were placed around the graves and pathways of the cemetery. Balata residents of all ages came out to put trees near the graves of loved ones. Some children planting trees for the first time. The refugee camp also provided water to help in the planting.

After the success of that Saturday’s tree planting in the Martyr’s cemetery in Balata refugee camp the action was repeated again on Saturday the 6th of October this time in Askar refugee camp. Three ISM activists joined forces with around twenty volunteers from the H.W.C. and the Tanweer Center and the Ministry of Culture cleaned the Martyr’s cemetery and planted the trees in the area. The action continues to help build strong relations and show solidarity with the various communities in the area and is part of an ongoing campaign of tree planting. IOF forces continue to destroy olive groves in the region and make access to Palestinian lands difficult. This is a strong symbolic act of resistance which also improves the environment of the Palestinian people.

Non-violent demonstration at Um Salamona

Last Friday of a group of 70 demonstrators, comprising of Palestinian, international and Israeli activists, gathered near the town of Umm Salamona, south of Bethlehem, to demonstrate against the planned route of the apartheid wall and the Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) denying local Palestinian farmers access to their farmland.

The demonstration progressed along settler only Road 60 to the farmland near the Efrat settlement, which the Palestinian farmers are constantly denied access to, before being stopped by the IOF. The soldiers immediately sent for reinforcements, who soon arrived at the scene with riot shields. As a result, violence threatened to break out until the demonstrators sat down with their backs facing the IOF, diffusing tension at the scene. A series of speeches followed praising non-violent resistance and citing the success of the this approach in bringing about a court order declaring the route of the wall in Bil’in as illegal.

Under the current plan, the apartheid wall will illegally separate approximately 3,000,000 square meters of Umm Salamona’s land from its Palestinian owners, consequently destroying thousands of grape and olive trees which are vital to the livelihoods of the local farmers.

Soldiers kidnap children before anti-wall demonstration in Bil’in

October 5th, 2007

***This video can seem misleading. The child was not arrested during the demonstration, but one day before. He was released that day but another child, aged 16, was arrested that night, the night before the demonstration.***

On Friday at 1pm after prayers the villagers of Bil’in continued their ongoing protest against the Apartheid wall inside their village. Joined by international and Israeli activists, the people of Bil’in marched to the wall to be met with uncompromising force from the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) protecting the illegal ‘security wall’.

Recently the Israeli high court ruled that the route of the wall was illegal. the court decided the route of the wall must be moved back away from the agricultural land of Bil’in village. This legal victory has not deterred the popular committee of Bil’in from continuing their weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the wall. The nonviolent campaign continues because the Apartheid Wall, and illegal settlements, still exist on land belonging to Bil’in. Unfortunately the IOF have not been deterred from using excessive violence in the shape of tear gas, sound grenades, and rubber coated steel bullets.

Around 100 people took part in the nonviolent demonstration, marching to the wall, chanting, and singing. The demonstration was broken up by massive amounts of tear gas and the unrelenting firing of rubber coated steel bullets. After dispersing the peaceful demonstration the IOF moved up the road and into the village firing into the village all the way. Soldiers stormed into a Palestinian house in an apparent attempt to kidnap someone. Followed by international peace activists armed with cameras the soldiers soon came back out from the house having taken no one. The IOF then stayed on the outskirts of the village indiscriminately firing at anything that moved.

Although there were celebrations in Bil’in less than a month ago the violation of the village still occurs. The Bil’in demonstrations will continue in solidarity with other villages in the West Bank facing the same situation. The spirit of Bil’in will not be crushed by excessive military violence, this has been proved time and time again.

Settlers attack Local Palestinians and Human Rights Observors in Hebron

October 4th, 2007

The final day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot descended into violence in Tel Rumeida, Hebron on Thursday, as a group of settlers attacked local Palestinians and two international Human Rights Workers (HRWs). At approximately 1:45pm a large group of settlers, many heavily intoxicated, marched their way up through the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood shouting abuse at the Palestinian residents. Two international HRWs were at the scene documenting the harassment when the settler leading the march shouted to the crowd that the internationals were, “worse than the Arabs”. A stone was then thrown at one of the HRW’s as the settler crowd became increasingly aggressive.

Violence then erupted as local Palestinians were attacked by the settler group, with punches thrown and a large glass bottle of vodka hurled, narrowly missing a young Palestinian’s head. The local Palestinians, including children, were then forced up onto a nearby road as the army intervened. A group of 8 settler men simultaneously cornered the 2 international HRWs who were filming the attack, attempting to steal and break their camera. The HRWs were repeatedly punched in the body and face as one of the settlers managed to grab the camera before police finally intervened. However, rather than destroy the tape, the settlers carelessly threw it in to a nearby skip where it was quickly rescued with the tape intact, though the camera was in fact broken.

The settlers continued their provocation as they were allowed by the army and police to carry on their march. When questioned later as to whether they saw their job to protect Palestinians as well as settlers, one of the soldiers at the scene replied that he was there “only to protect Jews”, simply shrugging when reminded of the army’s obligations, under international law, to protect all inhabitants of occupied territories.

As of now, there have been reports that two of the settler assailants have confessed to the police as to their involvement and that one of the marchers is willing to testify as to the events. Together with the film recorded by the international HRWs and further evidence recovered by police at the scene, charges are expected to be announced soon, though a vast majority of those involved in the violence will be held unaccountable for their roles in the unprovoked attack.

Two people shot at Ibrahimi Mosque

Old city of Hebron
Tuesday 2 October, 7 PM.

Two Palestinian teenagers were shot and injured close to the Ibrahimi Mosque, the same Mosque where the 1994 massacre took place, killing 29 people and wounding another 150.

According to the injured man, the shooting preceded with him playing with fireworks, causing the border police to open fire. In the firing the other victim is said to have tried to flee, being shot while running.

When the victims of the shooting arrived to the city’s two Al-Ahli and Hebron hospitals, the man’s condition were described as critical with bullet wounds in his stomach and left wrist, and the woman’s injuries as moderate with a wound in one of her knee. An eyewitness reports that a hospital physician told the woman’s father that she will not be able to walk for a long time ahead.

The Israeli army is said to have opened an investigation about the incident.