Author: ISM Media Group

The Fire That Will Not Die…

by Tom

A quick look at the forecast and the calendar today might have told one all that you needed to know about how the demo at Bil’in might have been expected to fare. Unseasonally hot weather, combined with it being Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims, both significantly contributed to a somewhat muted protest today. That notwithstanding, at midday today there were still 50 commited protesters, Palestinians and Israelis marching together, supported by an international presence from ISM and the media. Their complaints against the Israeli government, vociferous and persistent, continue unabated against the shameless land-grab perpertated by the ever-expanding, endlessly greedy Israeli state, which swallows Palestinian land by the mouthful and spews only settlement-colonies in its wake. Without recourse to the law, the substance of which is no than the emptiest of charades for Palestinians, the robbed villagers of Bil’in have no other option but to physically protest at the presence of the wall which snakes arounds their homes and steals their livelihoods.

In the heat today, and with many protesting on empty stomachs, the demo was quieter than usual, almost subdued. People tried to pass onto their land, and tried to remove the barbed wire seperating them from what is theirs, but to no avail. In Bil’in today the fire that burns in the hearts of many against the injustices here may have flickered but it was not extinguished. It is a fire that will not die, as it spreads from village to village, providing light in the shadow of the wall.

Olive Harvest Campaign 2006 Gets Underway!

by ISM Nablus

The olive harvest of 2006 in Nablus has officially begun! Although not an ideal starting-date, an olive farmer from the Palestinian village of Azmut and his family who own 150 dunums of land partitioned by an Apartheid settler-only road, decided to start harvesting a few days ago. They fear that the Israeli colonists of nearby Elon Moreh will otherwise steal the olives from the trees closest to them.

This is an annual occurrence that further decreases the family’s harvest, already decimated by the limited amount of harvest-time permitted by the DCO (District Coordination Office – the civil administration wing of the Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank). The colonists generally send one or two young girls to pick the olives, making it extremely difficult for the landowner to protest as anything he might say or do to the girls would be blown out of proportion and used against him by the colonists and their allies in the Israeli military and police forces. Thus, he has remained silent so far.

Previous olive harvests in the Nablus region have also been characterised by a substantial degree of violence on the part of both Israeli colonists and soldiers. In this village in 2004, two Palestinian olive pickers were shot by colonists, killing one. Israeli gunmen have without fail turned up to chase the family off their land and the Israeli army’s sole contribution has been to advise the farmer not to return as “the settlers are crazy and they will kill you”. Apart from physical violence, Israeli colonists also cut down about 300 trees belonging to this family in 2000, and burnt an additional area of land in 2004.

This year the family decided to brave the hot sun in the middle of Ramadan to tend to their fields, without DCO permission and armed only with the deed to their land. On Tuesday 26th September 2006, the elderly farmer, his wife, five of his daughters and nieces, and four international observers picked olives from trees adjacent to the Apartheid settler bypass road. These trees had not been picked by their rightful Palestinian owners for more than 10 years due to colonist theft and constant threats.

The first day progressed smoothly, with no interruptions from colonists or military. The mood was cheerful, almost festive, as branch after branch was picked clean. Certain trees grow only 5 metres away from the settler-only road and each vehicle that passed by momentarily caused conversations to cease and breathing to quicken. Yet the work was soothing and spirits were high despite the heat. When the internationals commented on how meditative picking olives could be, a couple of the women joked about organising working holidays for rich westerners looking for an exclusive getaway. We imagined the brochure – “experience the thrill of a lifetime! Come pick olives in beautiful landscapes. Adrenaline rush guaranteed!”

The promised adrenaline rush was delivered the day after. As we proceeded to pick olives on the other side of the Apartheid road, only 100 meters away from Elon Moreh settlement, two colonist gunmen in a jeep pulled up and got out, carrying their machine guns. They did not approach or shout to us but stood at the top of the hill looking down with binoculars as we worked, talking into their radios and driving back and forth at times. There are cameras set up along the entire breadth of the hillside and so they probably saw us coming on their screens, or were told by someone passing by on the road below us. After about half an hour, five soldiers arrived and told us to stop picking.

After some negotiation, we continued picking and the soldiers retreated further down the hill. After another half hour, a DCO representative drove up and spoke to the farmer. Despite not having gained DCO permission prior to going to his field, the farmer successfully talked the DCO officer into leaving us alone. Before leaving, the officer ordered the soldiers to guard us as we worked, once again emphasising that the colonists of Elon Moreh are violent and not to be trusted. We continued working as the soldiers sat in the shade playing with their mobile phones and muttering something about “Palestinians planting bombs in the groves.” We continued picking until the time of day that we had decided at the outset, packed our harvest onto the donkey and left, light-headed and filthy, yet triumphant. The soldiers followed, slipping and sliding among the rocks with their heavy armour.

The family still has many dunums left to pick but have decided to postpone this until after the end of Ramadan due to the extreme heat. They urge internationals to come with them as they continue harvesting after Eid ul-Fitr (the Muslim festival that marks the end of Ramadan), because “if you were not here today, there would be no talk, only guns and threats. We thank you for coming and hope we will meet again someday under happier circumstances.”

This experience shows the importance of international accompaniment for the Palestinian olive harvest. We urge all internationals seeking to build links of solidarity with the Palestinian people fighting occupation to come to Palestine, come to the fields and help ensure that every last olive is harvested.

Israeli Settler Attacks and Harassment in Hebron

by ISM Hebron

27th September 2006: At 1:30pm today a stoning took place on Shuhada Street near Beit Hadassah settlement, which is the street where most of the attacks against Palestinians in the street occur. Eight Israeli settler children, aged about ten years old, threw rocks at the Palestinians and at windows of a home, which were already barred due to previous attacks. The settler children also threw rocks at internationals filming the situation. The attack ended within a few minutes because the two Israeli soldiers stationed at Beit Hadassah settlement forced the children back. It usually isn’t the case that they intervene against colonist settler violence like they did in this instance.

This situation isn’t unusual. It happens several times a week and often while Palestinian children are on their way to and from school. At the moment teachers are on strike because they haven’t been paid for over six month. Despite the large amount of leisure time they have because of this, few Palestinian children can be seen on the streets. They are afraid to go out because of the never-ending attacks from Israeli settlers.

At the same time that the attack against the children on Shuhada street was happening, the home of Zuhair Al-Bayed was attacked by three Israeli settlers, aged around seventeen. They came from the olive groves near Shuhada Street, throwing rocks from above the house. The settlers destroyed one of the solar cell panels the family kept on the roof to heat water. Fortunately no one in the family was hit by the rocks. The home of Zuhair Al-Bayed has been attacked five times, but they are reluctant to call the Israeli police or military: “We don’t want to call them because it takes a very long time before they come. If they do come, they don’t help us or they cause more problems to us than if we wouldn’t call them at all”, said the son in the family.

At 4:00pm about four settler boys, aged 8-10, stoned the Al-Azzeh and Sharabati homes from their Tel Rumeida settlement caravans. Settler adults could be seen in the area throughout the time the children were stoning.

At 4:10pm, an international noticed a group of settler women and children from Tel Rumeida walk up to the Abu Haikel house, located on a hill near the olive groves above the Tel Rumeida settlement. The women were filmed hoeing on the Abu Haikel land within about 30 feet of the home. Later, the group of settler women and children walked back down to the settlement carrying about four rakes and hoes.

Internationals visiting the home of the Al-Azzeh family learned that the family has continued to be without water for 20 days. Women and teenaged males from Tel Rumeida settlement were seen by the family cutting their water pipes, which run directly below the settlement. The Al-Azzeh family and the Sharabati family are without water and have been forced to get water from their neighbors. The family is not able to mop their floors or do anything that requires a lot of water; instead, they are only able to drink and wash with it.

They have repaired the pipes numerous times, but the Tel Rumeida settlers simply cut them again.

Balata Invasion Fails to Dampen Festive Cheer


AP photo

by ISM Nablus

At dawn on September 27th Occupation forces invaded Balata camp with jeeps and an armoured bulldozer with support from Apache helicopters hovering overhead. Military vehicles heading for Balata from many directions were reported. A curfew lasting several hours was imposed on the area and 21 year old Ala’ Mohammad Zaid Shraiah, 17 year old Jihad Yousef Zuqan and 17 year old Abd-Allah Qatawi were arrested.

As in a previous invasion 3 weeks ago the armoured bulldozer plowed through the narrow main street of the camp destroying shop fronts and concrete paving. Children were later seen improvising chairs and see-saws out of the mangled plastic facades whilst reconstruction work was going on. A falafel stand owner, Jamal, didn’t let the invasion dampen his festive Ramadan spirit: “We hardly notice the attacks as they happen so often and we won’t let them spoil Ramadan”.


AP photo

Ynet: UN Envoy Condemns Israeli “Ethnic Cleansing” of Palestinians

Special UN envoy on human rights in Palestinian territories says in special report Israel’s actions in territories can be described as ‘ethnic cleansing,’ adds three-quarters of Gaza population depend on food aid for survival

from YnetNews, 26th September 2006. By Ali Waked and Reuters

United Nations Human rights envoy to the Palestinian territories John Dugard has published a report Tuesday where he does not shy away from sharply criticizing Israel and the West for the situation in Gaza. “Israel has turned the Gaza Strip into a prison for Palestinians and have thrown away the key,” he said, adding that “in other countries this process might be described as ethnic cleansing.”

In the report handed to the UN Human Rights Council Dugard wrote that “life in Gaza has turned to be intolerable, appalling and tragic.” According to him, 75 percent of Gaza’s population is dependant on food aid for survival, and the destruction left from Israeli bombings is “intolerable.”

Dugard also mentions the situation in the West Bank where there is a danger of a humanitarian crisis because of the security fence which is as bad as in Gaza.

The South African lawyer, who has been a special UN investigator since 2001, repeated earlier accusations that Israel is breaking international humanitarian law with security measures which amount to “collective punishment.”

Dugard also attacked the United States, the European Union and Canada for withdrawing funding for the Palestinian Authority in protest at the governing party Hamas’ refusal to accept Israel’s right to exist.

“If… the international community cannot … take some action, it must not be surprised if the people of the planet disbelieve that they are seriously committed to the promotion of human rights,” he said.

“Israel violates international law as expounded by the Security Council and the International Court of Justice and goes unpunished. But the Palestinian people are punished for having democratically elected a regime unacceptable to Israel, the US and the EU,” Dugard said.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN headquarters in Gevneva Itzhak Levanon said in response that “the report lays the blame solely on Israel and does not hold the terror groups responsible for taking the Palestinian people hostage.”

Saddest Ramadan in 40 years

To many residents of Gaza, this month of Ramadan is the poorest and saddest holiday since 1967. According to them, the economic situation has never been worse and the holiday feasts have never been as lacking as this year.

Abed Srur, a construction worker from Gaza said that unlike the Ramadan tradition, for their fast ending meal they eat only rice with no meat. He said that his income since May has been only NIS 3,000.

The Palestinians continue to be troubled by the closure imposed on the Strip that prevents the transfer of goods and people and hurts the ability of traders and workers to support their families.

Srur also said that the salaries that the Palestinian government has promised to pay its employees have not been paid because of conflicts between the government and Palestinian President Abbas. “Ramadan has never been so sad,” said Srur.

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In 2004, Dugard described the situation imposed by Israel in the Palestinian territories as worse than South African apartheid:

UN agent: Apartheid regime in territories worse than S. Africa
Ha’aretz, 24th August 2004. By Aluf Benn

South African law professor Prof. John Dugard, the special rapporteur for the United Nations on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, has written in a report to the UN General Assembly that there is “an apartheid regime” in the territories “worse than the one that existed in South Africa.”

As an example, Dugard points to the roads only open to settlers, from which Palestinians are banned.

In his report presented early this month, Dugard is highly critical of Israel for its “continuing violations of human rights in the territories.” He said Israel is blatantly violating the International Court of Justice’s ruling on the separation fence, and has declared it will not obey it.

The report was disseminated among the member countries ahead of the September General Assembly session meant to discuss the fence.

Dugard, a law professor from South Africa, was a member of a Truth Commission at the end of the apartheid regime, and was appointed by the UN in 2001 as special rapporteur for human rights in the West Bank and Gaza.

He called for a general arms embargo against Israel in May, in response to the IDF operations in Rafah, similar to the arms embargo imposed on South Africa in 1977.

According to government sources in Jerusalem, Israel is currently leaning toward cooperating with the various rapporteurs of the UN, and responding to their questions and requests.

But there are two exceptions to that rule: Dugard, and the special rapporteur for food, Jean Zigler. Israel refuses to cooperate with them because of the language of their mandates, and what it regards as their unfair approach. According to the sources, Dugard’s assignment was phrased in a way that discriminates against Israel.

But the government does not prevent Dugard from traveling in the territories and Israel, to meet people and to report as he wishes.