Author: ISM Media Group

Boy Shot Dead by IOF in Nablus

Ayer, 8 de noviembre de 2005, hacia las 5 de la tarde. Recibimos una llamada de teléfono que nos dice que hay movimientos militares en las montañas del norte de Nablus. Parece que hay dos hombres heridos y uno desaparecido. Venimos todos al apartamento de ISM a coger linternas y otras cosas útiles, como cámaras, y desde allí cogemos taxis para ir a la zona montañosa donde se están produciendo los movimientos. Una vez allí, se nos comunica que los dos hombres heridos están ya en el hospital y que el desaparecido podría estar herido.

Nos bajamos de los taxis y encontramos el lugar en silencio, sin movimientos, sin vehículos, no parece que hubiese nadie por la zona. Continuamos subiendo por un atajo, siempre subiendo, subiendo, y continuamente llamamos el nombre del hombre, “Mohamed!” y “Internacionales!” o “Médicos internacionales!”. Decidimos que no es buena idea usar luces que podrían atraer la atención de soldados, porque no estamos seguros de que no vaya a haber soldados aún escondidos por la zona. La luna nos ilumina el camino.

Cuando llegamos al final de la carretera decidimos separarnos en dos grupos; uno seguirá subiendo por el camino y el otro bajará por la ladera, por donde hay vegetación donde podría estar el hombre escondido. Yo me voy con el grupo que sigue hacia arriba y al cabo de unos minutos, se nos une un hombre. Es el tío del hombre – en realidad el hombre es un chico de 14 años. Se une a la búsqueda y después de doblar un recodo y subir unos cien metros más, uno del grupo ve a alguien, tumbado. Algunos hombre, incluido el tío, identifican al chico y gritan y lloran. Alguien dice “miradle el pulso” pero alguien replica “está bien muerto”. Al levantarle, su cabeza cuelga y sangra en abundancia. Uno le lleva en brazo y otro llama al otro grupo; las ambulancias están ya esperando abajo en el punto donde no pueden avanzar más por culpa de una barrera formada con piedras.

Algunos de nosotros entonces volvemos a la montaña porque se nos dice que podría haber otro hombre escondido en la zona, puede que herido. Después de unos quince minutos se nos dice que efectivamente, está herido y ya en el hospital. El nombre del chico es Mohammed Abusalha y tiene catorce años. El funeral será mañana aquí en Nablus a las 10 de la mañana.

Boy Shot Dead by IOF in Nablus

On the 8th of November 2005, at around 5pm. We received a phone call telling us that there were some reports of military movements up the northern mountains of Nablus. We were told there was two injured men, and one missing. We all came to the ISM apartment to get torches and necessary things like cameras, and from there we took taxis to the mountainous areas where the movements had been happening. Once there, we learned that the two injured men had been taken to hospital and that the missing man could be injured.

We left in the taxis and found the place in quietness, no movement, no vehicles, no one seemed to be around. We continued up through a short cut, always up, up, and we kept calling the man’s name, “Mohammed!” and “Internationals!” or “International medics!” We decide it is not a good idea to use lights that could attract soldiers’ attention, as we are not sure if they are still around or not. The moon light illuminated our path.

When we got to the end of the road we decided to split into two groups; one would continue on the way up following the path and the other was to go down the hill, where there was some vegetation and he could have been hiding in. I go with the group that goes up and after a few minutes, a man joins us from the dark. He is the missing man’s uncle – it turns out that the man is in fact a boy of 14. The uncle joins us in the search and after a bend in the path and another 100 metres or so, one of the group sees someone else. A few men, including the uncle, identify the boy and start shouting and crying. Someone says, “check his pulse” but some one else replies, “he is dead”. As they lift him, his head is hanging and still heavily bleeding. One takes him down and another phones the other group; the ambulances are already waiting there at the point where they can not advance any more because of a road block made of rocks.

Some of us then go back to the mountain because we have learnt that there could be another man hiding in the area, maybe also injured. After about fifteen minutes we learn that he is injured and already in hospital.

The name of the fourteen years old boy was Mohammed Abusalah. The funeral was in Nablus at 10am to morning after.

In Rare Move, Israeli Peace Activists’ Convictions are Cancelled

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Yesterday, when Israeli peace activists Neta Golan and Shelly Nativ appeared before Judge Nitsa Maymon-Saashua in the Kfar Saba court for sentencing, she instead canceled their convictions. The rare step was taken after the recommendation of a probationary officer who was impressed by the “humanitarian motivations” of the two activists.

In April 2001, the two were arrested when they chained themselves to olive trees in the West Bank village of Deir Istiya in an attempt to prevent the destruction of the trees by Israeli bulldozers. They had been found guilty of preventing a police officer from performing his duty and preventing a public worker from performing his duty. Neta Golan is one of the founders of the ISM and was one of the international and Israeli activists who were with Yasser Arafat in his Muqata’a compound during the Israeli military siege in 2002.

Neta Golan said: “although, personally this is a relief, it’s only because of the institutional racism of the Israeli state that we as Israeli Jews have been let off in this way. Palestinians are regularly given extremely harsh treatment by the apartheid Israeli legal systems.”

Since September 2000, the Israeli military has destroyed more than 500,000 olive and fruit trees. The International Solidarity Movement condemns the Israeli legal system for its defense of war crimes committed by the Israeli military and settlers and its criminalization of non-violent protest against the Occupation.

For more information call:
Attorney Gabi Laski, 054 4418988
Or the ISM Media office, 02-2971824

Human Rights Observers Face Deportation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The four human rights observers who were arrested yesterday, are today appearing before and Israeli judge in the “Peace Court”, Jerusalem. The Ministry of the Interior is seeking an extension to their detention, and are starting the process that will lead to their deportation. On the evening of Tuesday November the 8th at 21:15, the Israeli occupation forces stopped one of the human rights observers while he was trying to enter the international apartment in Tel Rumeida, in the old city of Hebron.

At that time he contacted his fellow observers who were inside the apartment. Four other observers went outside to assist him and were arrested at 21:30. They were all taken to the police station in Hebron where they were accused of obstructing the Israeli occupation forces from implementing their orders.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please call the following numbers and politely ask why the state of Israel is afraid of international observers recording and documenting their military and police operations in Hebron, as well as abuses by Israeli settlers:

Israeli Ministry of the Interior: +972 (0) 2 670 1400
Kyriat Arba Settlement Police Station: +972 (0) 2 996 9400

Their “crime” was to question the right of Israeli soldiers in Hebron to indefinitely confiscate their passports. The incident follows weeks of harassment of ISM and other international Human Rights Observers in Hebron, including an illegal attempt at eviction from the international apartment there by the Israeli military.

See the Hebron region category of the ISM website for more background:
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/category/hebron/

For more information on the Tel Rumeida Project see:
http://www.telrumeidaproject.org

For more information:

Gabi Laski (lawyer):+972 544418988
ISM Media office: +972 2 2971824

Eyewitness Account: Human Rights Observers Arrests in Hebron

On the 8th of November, an international Human Rights Observer (HRO) from Scotland accompanied by two European journalists was stopped by approximately eight Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) soldiers on Shaddah street, Tel Rumida in occupied Hebron. They were asked to show their passports for inspection, which they did but the soldiers tried to take them away. They were not told when and if the passports would be returned. They informed the soldiers that it was illegal for them to take their passports away indefinitely. While the passports were being displayed for the soldiers, they were snatched out of two people’s hands including from the HRO. The HRO again made the point that it was not allowed for his passport to be taken away from him. After several minutes of inspection, the passports were returned one by one. Soon after, in the same place, these passports were again snatched from the hands of the HRO and the journalists. Again, they were inspected and after a period of time were returned. It was not observed that the IOF made any radio contact with their identification registers. The passports were returned after several minutes. The volunteers contacted the local police station and requested their presence. The passports were snatched and returned a third time without any apparent reason. The HRO surrendered his passport again but continued to protest. He then had his arms placed behind his back and was bound by handcuffs. He was bundled into a military jeep with IOF soldiers and the doors were shut.

At this point other HROs arrived and asked the superior officer why the first Observer was being detained. They were told that they would be told “in a few minutes”. An HRO from Scandanavia who was filming the events was dragged to the rear of the military vehicle and held there.

The Police then arrived and despite being requested to intervene on behalf of the detained HROs, began to ask for passports from the two volunteers who where being held by the IOF. The police informed the HROs that they had now taken charge of the operation: “this is a police operation, we are in charge”.

These HROs, from Scandinavia and from Canada both showed their passports but informed the police officer that it was not permitted for them to be taken away. The police man said they “could be taken here” or the two HROs could be taken to the station and inspected there. The police then snatched the passports from the hands of both HROs. Tthe observers refused either of these options and were then informed that they were being placed under arrest and both were forcibly dragged to the Police vehicle, the HRO from Canada being dragged along the ground. They were both locked inside this vehicle. They were both informed that they were being arrested for interrupting a military operation (not a police one).

The Police were asked to address the issue of the first HRO from Scotland who was still being detained in the military vehicle. They were asked on what grounds he was being detained. A Police officer walked over to this vehicle and opened the door and shouted in, ‘you are arrested.’ When asked again on what grounds, he said for refusing to give his passport. It was pointed out that the IOF had his passport and had previously inspected it three times. The police officer appeared not to have been aware of this and explained that he had been told that the HRO had refused to hand over his passport and still held it. The police officer then said he would take the HRO to the police station ‘for a chat’. It was pointed out to him that this was against his will and he was handcuffed; and furthermore, that this was not grounds for arrest. A discussion took place between the superior officer and the police man. The police man then said he was to remain under arrest. He would not explain why.

A female HRO from the US who was filming the proceedings, and had already been manhandled by an IOF soldier, prevented from filming and had her handbag torn from her shoulder, was informed that she too was under arrest. She had been informing the police that it was illegal to transport a person arrested by the police in an IOF vehicle and that she would be concerned for his safety in an IOF vehicle.

She was charged with obstructing a military operation and was instructed to enter the military vehicle. A police officer said he would ride in the IOF military vehicle and this “would make it” a police vehicle. She refused and was physically forced into the vehicle. This was the fourth and final arrest. Other HROs were intimidated, pushed, had arms twisted and on several occasions had attempts at their cameras being snatched and pulled by the IOF.