Author: ISM Media Group

Haaretz: ILA destroys Bedouin homes to make way for Jewish town

By Mijal Grinberg, Haaretz Correspondent

The Israel Land Administration (ILA), with the assistance of an unusually large police force and IDF soldiers, demolished dozens of tin shack homes Monday in unrecognized Bedouin villages Um Al-Hiran and A-Tir in the northern Negev.

The ILA is destroying the village and evacuating the inhabitants so that a Jewish Community named “Hiran” can be established in the area. Fourteen shacks, which housed some 100 people, have been destroyed by bulldozers so far.

Bedouin women tried to get their children out of the house but police wanted to speed up the process so they grabbed the play pens with the children inside and did not let the mothers come near.

“Tonight we will sleep on the ground”, Fajua Ab Abu Al-Cian said.

Young men, roughly 18-years of age, wearing orange shirts are taking part in the evacuation, removed the Bedouin’s property from their homes and put it in piles on the ground outside.

Haaretz has discovered that these teenagers are outsourced workers who are employed by a contractor hired by the ILA. According to the evacuators, they are being paid in cash without any labor rights.

According to Adallah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, the residents of the village have been living there for 51 years. They were transferred to the site in 1956 while under martial law. The land they originally owned was transferred to Kibbutz Shoval, while the Bedouin were leased 3000 dunam of land for agriculture and grazing.

In August 2001 the ILA submitted a report on the establishment of new communities, which included Hiran. The Bedouin residents living in the area appeared under the title of “special problems” that may affect the establishment of the community.

The government approved the establishment of Hiran in 2002, and in 2004 the state submitted a court order claiming that residents of Al Hiran should be evacuated as they are using state lands without permission.

Video: Arrest of Head of Bilin popular committee

_____________________
A Video of the arrest of Iyad Burnat,head of the popular committee in Bil’in, During the demonstration against the annexation barrier on the 22 of June. Iyad was injured by teargas, when a couple of soldiers ran to him and arrested him for no apparent reason. He was taken for questioning in Shaar Binyamin police station, and from there to Ofer prison. An officer remanded his arrest by 4 days, which are very likely to become 8, after which they will have to bring him in front of a judge if they want to keep him. Attorney Gaby Laski will filed an urgent request for his release.

Tel Rumeida: Breaking and Entering Palestinian Homes

By The ISM Media Team

On June 22nd, 2007 at about 6:30 pm two international human rights workers were walking up the stone staircase past the graffittied house on which is written “Watch out Fatima will rape all Arab Woman,” signed by JDL (Jewish Defense League).

The HRWs noticed that the gate door had been crowbarred open and they entered the area to see if any settlers or soldiers were inside. They found that the house had been slept in, and that there were mats on the floor. In the same room there was some feces on the floor. No one was present in the home.

When the HRWs left they tried to close the door but it was too bent, by a crowbar, to close so they left it open. The HRWs later informed a Palestinian human rights worker about this incident, and he said he would inform the owner of the home.

The next day at about 3:00pm, June 23rd (Saturday), three HRWs were walking by the same house and again entered the area. The house was the same as the day before though on this day there were a group of Palestinian children playing next door.
The HRWs innitially assumed that the house had been entered by soldiers as had happened on many previous occasions about a year earlier. They asked the children about the entry into the home and if it was solders that had entered.

The children responded, however, that it was Israeli settlers that had entered the home two days before. It was difficult to determine exactly when the settlers entered the home, or for how long, since the HRWs could not speak good Arabic.

The house will be monitored closely until the owner of the home can make sure to secure his home.

Tel Rumeida: Fear of Settlers Prompts Palestinians to ask for Escorts

By the ISM Media Team

Saturday 23rd June: At about 12:30 pm three Human Rights Workers (HRWs) were patrolling through the Olive Groves when they discovered a group of soldiers bathing at Abrahams Well located next to a Palestinian home. They watched the soldiers briefly until a Palestinian woman and her young son appeared in the doorway of their home. The Palestinian woman requested that the HRWs escort them to the checkpoint on Shuhada Street. She told the HRWs that because it was Shabbat she usually would not leave her home, because she is afraid of the settlers, but on this day she had some business or an errand that she had to do.
The HRWs escorted her to the checkpoint without incident and the Palestinian woman and young boy left to continue with their business.

The HRWs then walked down Shuhada Street towards the Beit Hadassah settlement where a Palestinian woman then called from her window and invited the HRWs for a drink of water. This woman, who was about 50-60 years old, told the HRWs that that morning at 4:00am Israeli Settlers had attacked her home and tried to break in. She said that for about ten minutes they had stoned her house and then tried to break the door down but did not succeed. She told the HRWs that she was alone in the home, at this time, with only her young five-year old granddaughter. The woman then invited the HRWs to see the view of Beit Hadassah and said that often the Settlers throw rocks at her home, and her neighbours home, during the night from the roof of the settlement.

When they arrived back in the Olive groves they encountered another young woman who requested that she be escorted to the checkpoint. The HRWs complied and asked her if she had seen any Settlers in the olive groves that day, and she said yes, and that because it was Shabbat she was afraid she might be attacked. She thanked the HRWs when they reached the street, and said she could walk the remainder of the distance to the checkpoint.

Tel Rumeida: Naked Soldiers

By the ISM Media Team

As Human Rights Workers undertake patrols through the Olive Groves of Tel Rumeida, it is common to see Settlers bathing at the Ibrahimi Well, which the Settlers consider a religious location. The well is located within the Olive Groves next door to a Palestinian home and is also beside a frequently used path that Palestinians, both men and women, pass through. On June the 23rd however, a hot Shabbat day, a group of three HRWs passed by the Ibrahimi Well to find a number of on and off duty soldiers bathing at the well. This wouldn’t be an issue, however some of the soldiers were completely naked in full view of Palestinian homes whilst changing into their swimming shorts. There was absolute disregard by the Soldiers for Muslim culture or to have any sense of modesty in a culturally sensitive location and environment.