Author: ISM Media - Page 41 - International Solidarity Movement

The olive harvest: Struggle, resistance and oppression

December 31 | International Solidarity Movement | Olive Harvest journal

The olive harvest in Palestine (October – November) represents much more than simply picking olives. While it is an important contributor for the income of thousands of families in the West Bank – with a revenue between $160m and $190m in 2021 according to Aljazeera – it is also a symbol of resistance and defiance towards the occupation. Families come together in the fields and endure and resist systematic harassment by Israeli soldiers and settlers. Settlers notoriously insist on watching olive pickers, throwing stones at them and often attacking them and their vehicles. The IOF regularly allows this behaviour, protecting settlers during these actions, and being an aggressor itself.

Most of the olive trees are situated in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli control. Some private Palestinian lands are inside the apartheid wall or inside illegal settlements, or they are very close to Israeli military areas or settlements. In these cases, farmers need a permit issued by the Israel administration to access their land and harvest. Farmers are normally given 2- or 3-day access permit which is not enough to finish harvesting all the olive trees. In the rest of the areas, there is a coordination programme through the Israeli-Palestinian district coordination offices (DCO) for farmers to ask for a permit. These permits are sometimes refused even on lands far from settlements.

International activists joined Faz3a, a Palestinian youth-led campaign that supports Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest, other organizations and Palestinian families to show solidarity and support during this season. Their presence is a reminder that the international community is aware and documenting the disgraceful treatment of Palestinians.

ISM activists joined farmers in many locations across the West Bank for the 2022 olive harvest. This is what they witnessed:

Al-Janiya, west Ramallah

More than 30 Palestinians, Israelis and international activists joined the Faza3 campaign on their first day in the fields this year in Al-Janiya village, west of Ramallah.

We were there to support the farmer Abu Mohammed who hasn’t been able to access his land since the first intifada. His land is at the edge of three settlements surrounding his village from east, north and south.

Abu Mohammed told activists that every time he tried to reach his land the settlers would attack him and prevent him from entering. His cousin also said that one day Abu Mohammed’s father was attacked by settlers throwing stones, hitting him in his head. He was seriously injured and died a few months after the settlers’ attack.

All day ISM activists on the ground were followed by a drone from a nearby settlement filming their work and movements. Despite this, activists managed to harvest a good part of Abu Mohammed’s land without settlers interfering or attacking, which proves how important international solidarity and campaigns like Faza3 are.

Burin, near Nablus

ISM activists joined Faz3a, with Palestinian and Israeli activists, in the village of Burin, near Nablus, to help the farmer Abu Jamal, a young owner of a olive field attacked several times by Ytzar settlers who also burned his house. We had a successful harvest day and enjoyed the food Abu Jamal’s wife prepared for us. We also met his child, a two-year-old boy who was recently terrorized by settlers. Abu was able to rescue his child, but the settlers attacked and set fire to his car.

Hares, near Salfit

In Hares, near the West Bank town of Salfit, activists joined Faz3a to harvest. The farm was near the illegal settlement of Rivava. The farmer asked for help as he had not received his permit yet, but he believed it is still his right to go and harvest his land.

IOF arrived soon after we started and tried to chase people away. They inspected documents, took pictures, told the farmer where we could and could not go, giving us “only 5 minutes” to finish harvesting olives from this tree or that tree. We worked hard trying to ignore them and we had a very successful harvest under the constant watch of the army.

Husan, near Bethlem

ISM activists joined Palestinian farmer Shireen for the olive harvest in Husan, 19 km from Bethlehem, up on a hill several times besieged by the army. The field has already been burned 6 times (Shireen has lost more than 100 trees) by the illegal settlers of Beitar Illit, who also stole many donums of land. This year, settlers protected by the army stole more land and dumped earth and boulders over olive trees in order to build an Israeli security control station. While the land already taken is becoming a large road to connect Better Eleet with another illegal settlement.

On the second day, we found a big tree had been cut down and big stones thrown at her property. This time there were no physical assaults, but nonetheless, settlers caused deep suffering and frustration. Shireen will file a complaint, but to whom if the prime offender is the Israeli government?

At-Tuwani, Massafer Yatta

IOF threw tear gas and violently disrupted the olive harvest in at-Tuwani, a small village in the Massafer Yatta region in the south of the West Bank. More than 50 Palestinians, internationals and Israeli volunteers took part in an olive harvest event organised by Faz3a and the Ministry against the Wall and Settlements in the valley of Humra, near at-Tuwani.

Farmers from the village are exposed to settler violence and harassment neighbouring the 1981 illegal settlement Ma’on and its early 2000’s expansion, the illegal outpost Havat Ma’on.

Not long after arriving at Humra and starting to pick olives, the first settlers showed up, quickly followed by Israeli army and police. Five army jeeps with around 20 soldiers and around 15 settlers were there. Palestinian activists went to the edge of the field facing the army and settlers, raising Palestinian flags and chanting their right to be on their land and in Palestine.

The army reacted violently by throwing tear gas at the crowd, making it impossible for people to stay. Most people were forced to stop and only a small group remained to harvest.

Jibya, north Ramallah

A Palestinian activist was injured and over 12 cars were smashed by settlers in Jibya, north of Ramallah.

ISM and Faz3a activists, joined by international journalists, went harvesting near an outpost of the Israeli settlement of Halamish. The farmer appealed for help because he faces systematic attack from Israeli settlers. He tried to harvest his land a couple of days earlier but was harassed by settlers.

Soon after we started, a group of settlers with M16 arrived, taking pictures of everyone to provoke us. Army and more settlers also joined. Settlers were asking where everyone was from and why we were there, and army tried to remove us saying the area was a closed military zone. People then heard women crying and shouting: settlers had gone down the hill and threw stones and smashed the parked cars’ windows. One of the activists who was on the scene filming and telling the settlers to stop attacking, was injured as he fell on a piece of metal that cut his leg while trying to reach security and he needed 15 stitches.

Khalet, a Faz3a activist, said: “This happened under the watch of the Israeli army. The settlers were armed. We were peacefully activists and volunteers who came there just to help the farmers picking olives.”

Bidu, south-west of Ramallah

Around 40 volunteers, Palestinians and internationals, joined a harvest organised by Right to Movement in the village of Bidu, near Ramallah. We had a successful day with plenty of olives harvested.

The farmer is suffering as two of his sons are unjustly imprisoned by the Israeli occupation and the family in general face difficulties due to the occupation.

Kafr Qalil, south of Nablus

ISM activists joined the Suleiman al-Quni family in Kafr Qalil, south of Nablus, to assist in harvesting their land. The Israeli government granted them permits to harvest on 2 days.

The land is on a hill and valley overlooking the main road into Nablus, near the settlement of Bracha. During the harvest the pickers were watched constantly by a small number of settlers and 6 IOF soldiers, but the day went well without incidents, in an area that is often on the receiving end of harassment.

Kafr al-Dik, west of Salfit

We joined Ali Nassar, a Palestinian farmer from the town of Kafr al-Dik, west of Salfit, who has an olive field near the settlement of Alie Zahav. Kafr al-Dik’s land was confiscated for building Alei Zahav. Ali has around 120 olive trees. We harvested close to the settlement without any issues.

Burin, near Nablus

ISM activists joined Faz3a in the village of Burin, near the Yitsahar settlement. The elderly farmers we were there to help had been attacked and chased off their land the previous day by settlers, and the elderly woman was limping as a result. In the end, the couple were too afraid to take us harvesting because they were threatened by settlers not to return, especially with international support, unless they’d coordinated with the military.

Atara, north of Ramallah

We harvested in Atara Spring, very close to the illegal Israeli settlement of Ateret, which is currently being expanded.

ISM members were helping to harvest on behalf of the land owners who were attacked on multiple occasions last year whilst harvesting, so were afraid to harvest this year.

On multiple occasions, the settlement security stopped to ask what we were doing, if it was our land, and told the Palestinian farmer not to make a mess and to keep the road clear. At one point two settlers stopped their car to get out and watch us.

Attacks and disruption in Al-Khalil as settlers celebrate Sarah’s Day

December 29 | International Solidarity Movement | Al-Khalil

Around 30,000 settlers gathered in Al- Khalil (Hebron) on Saturday, November 19, to celebrate Sarah’s Sabbath and wreaked havoc in the Old City market, attacking Palestinians and their shops, houses and destroying cars. This happened under the watch of the Israeli army who cordoned the area so that settlers could go around “safely” and arrested and injured Palestinians as they tried to defend themselves.

Settlers arrived from all over the West Bank the previous night and slept in tents around the Ibrahimi Mosque and in Shuhada Street, which has been under Israeli control since the mosque massacre in 1994. During the night, settlers went around some Palestinian neighbourhoods, chanting racists slurs and threatening people, under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF). Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzmar Yehidit party and now set to be Israel’s national security minister, was also seen in Shuhada St and attended the march the day after.

Early on the Saturday, the army went out of the Shuhada St checkpoint and started putting up fences for the safe passage of settlers in the Old Town. They removed people from the streets and ordered Palestinian shops to close, therefore disrupting one of the busiest days for business. Badee Dweik, from Human Rights Defenders, told the ISM: “Saturday is one of the most important days for shopping and business for Palestinians, because people from ’48 come to shop in here.”

ISM activists in Shuhada St witnessed hundreds of settlers, lots of them armed, allowed out of the checkpoint at the end of the road. On the street, settlers were threatening to break into the few Palestinian homes left in Shuhada St, shouted and threw stones from nearby roofs.

This year, for the first time, settlers marched in the Old Shalala street. Passing through Khalil’s Old Market, they destroyed stalls, threw stones and hurled abuse at Palestinians. Around 20 Palestinians were injured and 9 were arrested. 11 cars were destroyed and many houses were attacked. Around 100 settlers gathered around the house of Imad, a well-known activist, and threw stones at it.

“This time was more violent than other years,” Badee continued. “Settler attacked Palestinian families, broke houses, broke inside the houses, attacked cars, threw stones. Soldiers, instead of controlling them, also invaded some Palestinian houses and arrested people since last night.”

“It is a cooperation between army and settlers. Settlers are just army without uniform, this is the only difference.”

ISM activists also witnessed attacks and abuses in the Jaber neighbourhood, a Palestinian neighbourhood located between the Kiryat Arba Israeli settlement and the Ibrahimi Mosque. Settlers went around shouting racist slurs and threatening local Palestinians or throwing stones, saying that the city and country is theirs and they have the right to move around. IOF also threw sound grenades, scaring the residents.

Alaa Jaber, a resident of the neighbourhood, told the ISM: “Today few settlers stormed this neighbourhood, and we went after them to tell them they were not allowed to come here, it is a Palestinian neighbourhood. They neglected us. They were heading towards my family’s house. Even the soldiers told them they had to leave, but they did not respond.

“Two settlers showed me pepper spray to threaten me. The soldier saw that the settler had the pepper spray, but they didn’t say anything. They only asked me to go inside my house.

“Every time settlers have a ceremony, the Palestinians are forced to stay at home. They steal our moments. They make us stuck at home. If we go out, we are afraid the settlers will attack our home.

We feel like we’re living in a ghetto, isolated from any support.”

The situation has been exacerbated by the newly-elected government in Israel, which saw Ben Gvir leading the third party in government.

“They have a very extremist ideology that Palestinians should not exist here and now the settlers will be more violent because they think they have more protection since they have the third political party who can defend them,” Badee added.

Sarah’s Day or Sabbath is one of the most important holidays held by the Chabad/Hasidim Jews, and it has been used by Israeli settlers to intimidate and antagonise Palestinians living in Al-Khalil.

IOF destroys Isfey al Fauqa school for second time in one month

On 6th December Israeli occupation forces (IOF) confiscated two tents, which were being used as a school in Isfey al Fauqa, a village situated within the region of Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills. Israeli forces – with tear gas canisters at the ready – also destroyed a toilet which had been donated to the community by international NGOs. They used sound bombs to disperse the local residents – including schoolchildren – in the process.

A bulldozer manufactured by British company JCB, and a crane manufactured by Italian company Fassi were used in the demolition. There have been calls for action by the Palestinian movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against the international companies complicit in these demolitions.

This is the second time in two weeks that the IOF has demolished the newly opened school at Isfey Al Fauqa. On 23rd November the IOF destroyed the previous school buildings. On that occasion soldiers also used sound bombs against local residents.

Solidarity visit

We visited Isfey al Fauqa school the day before the second demolition took place. Local residents told us that the school had been established to provide education for 22 students – from the villages of Isfey al Fauqa, Isfey al Tahte, Tuba and Musa Zain – who would otherwise have to walk at least 4km over the mountains to get to school.

The day before the demolition happened we played games with the kids inside the tents and helped to paint a mural on the rubble. One young boy told us “I love my school”, and a little girl sang a popular song to us over and over again. Some of the words she sang translate like this:

“You will find me on my land

I belong to my people, I sacrifice my soul for them

My blood is Palestinian”

Local residents told us that they would build their school again.

What’s the context:

The communities of Masafer Yatta have been under more and more intense pressure since May 2022, when the Israeli High Court ruled that there was nothing to prevent Israeli forces from expelling Palestinian residents from the area. This has resulted in increasing violence and harrassment from the Israeli Occupation Forces.

All twelve communities in Masafer Yatta – which are home to 2,800 people – are under threat of expulsion.

Local people have been fighting to remain in Masafer Yatta since the Israeli army established a firing zone there in the 1980s, in contravention of international law.

Now, the residents of the nearby village of Khallat al Dabbaa – just a few kilometres from Isfey al Fauqa – are preparing to resist against expulsion they are calling for international support. Please do not forget these communities, contact us if you can come to join their struggle here in Palestine, and check out the Save Masaffer Yatta website.

“This will be a school again”

Soon after the confiscation, new tents were brought to Isfey al Fauqa, so that the residents could continue in their struggle for their children’s education. One local resident told us that “no matter how many times they demolish our school, we will rebuild it again and again”.

Families Not Firing Zones: Defiance in Masafer Yatta

16 October | International Solidarity Movement | Masafer Yatta

For the last 42 years the Israeli occupation forces have been slowly but surely grinding the region of Masafer Yatta into dust. Now, in 2022, the various injunctions, petitions, hearings and a halfhearted international condemnation have amounted to nothing. The Israeli army has again successfully pushed through their application to forcibly transfer some 1,200 Palestinians to make way for a military firing zone. This is ethnic cleansing happening before our eyes.

At the gates to the valley lies the village of Khallat Al Dabaa, a well established resilient community. Persistent and violent Settler attacks, deliberate police negligence, military harassment, and the imminent threat of eviction makes life here increasingly difficult. A large portion of the Masafer Yatta valley has been designated a live firing range for military training dispute the existing residents. This is means displacing and demolishing the homes of 215 Palestinian households that have lived in these hills for generations, now under constant threat of eviction. In Khallat Al Dabaa, 20 structures have received demolition orders. The order demands that they personally destroy their own homes. Adding salt to the wound The residents had until the 29th of September and as they did not comply they will be charged for the cost of demolition. All the while the military training persists. Dropping bombs and firing live ammunition. Demolition and violence has been the only certainty for the communities of Masafer Yatta.

The Aldababseh brothers Jeber, father of five, Mohammed, father of twelve, and Amer, father of four, have had their homes demolished five times each over the past four years by the Israeli occupation forces. The vital school, the generators, the water pipes and five wells were also destroyed. Water pipes now have to be hidden from the army and settlers. Jeber said to ISM: “If they demolish everything we will rebuild, we have nowhere else to go. This is our home and this will be our grave.”

In a show of defiance from the local community and the activists on the ground, The ISM, together with the families of Khallet Al Dabaa has been painting large bold clear statements on the walls of the houses. Statements asking questions such as: “Where will I sleep”, “where will they stop”.
One statement reads “this is a home just like yours”. This is aimed directly at internationals asking them to draw a parallel with the situation here and their own lives. Your home is somewhere you will thrive in, sleep in, raise your family and somewhere you should feel safe. We want the international community to question what lengths they might go to protect their own home. This writing is not for the Israeli soldiers who come here for “military training”. The apartheid soldiers come here to evict, demolish and terrorise the community. It is unrealistic to think that this work will stop them in their tracks. This work is here to highlighting the human cost of this forcible transfer and raise international awareness. It’s is a call to action. The time is now. We must support these communities before they are eradicated. You can do this by either joining us on the ground here or from afar sharing and circulating as much information as you can. Solidarity can come in many forms.
In clear bold black and white text one statement reads: “LET ME LIVE MY LIFE” this has proven to be a daily challenge here and across the West Bank. We know this will contribute to a better appreciation of this urgent situation.

Making a stand and saving the village of Khalat Al Dabaa is specifically essential because Israel’s brutal occupation will not stop here. The local resistance committees and the ISM activists on the ground have resolved to do everything they can to help these communities survive this ordeal. If this village goes, it paves the way for the rest of the Masafer Yatta valley and the West Bank to be erased from the map.

Mahmoud Darwish sums up why the people stay, and how they have the strength to resist.

علَى هَذِهِ الأَرْض مَا يَسْتَحِقُّ الحَياةْ

We have on this land that which makes life worth living.

Olive Harvest 2022: Call for Volunteers

September 15 | International Solidarity Movement | Occupied Palestine

ISM is issuing an urgent call out for volunteers to join the 2022 Olive Harvest at the invitation of Palestinian communities, starting next month.

Olive trees are a national symbol in Palestine. As hundreds of thousands of trees have been uprooted by the Israeli military and illegal settlers – more than 11,700 olive trees were destroyed in 2021 alone – harvesting has become more than a source of income, but a form of resistance.

Recent years have also seen an explosion in settler violence against Palestinian communities, and a series of illegal settler outposts set up across the West Bank.

The new outposts – primarily located in the northern regions of the West Bank close to the cities and towns of Salfit, Hares and Nablus – puts Palestinian farmers in these areas at an increased risk of violence and attacks this Olive Harvest.

ISM is calling for volunteers to join Palestinian farmers on the ground to support them to assert their right to earn a living and be present on their lands.

International activists joining the harvest engage in non-violent direct action, practical support and document human rights abuses against Palestinians, which enables many families to pick their olives. ISM activists work alongside other international organisations to support farmers during the Olive Harvest.

The harvest will begin on October 1 and run until mid-November 2022. We request a minimum 2 week commitment but we ask that if possible, volunteers could stay as long as they can. Our work is dependent on relationships with the Palestinian communities in which we work, and a long-term presence is a massive help towards that end. We kindly ask volunteers to start arriving in the first week of October if possible, so we are prepared when the harvest begins. ISM activists will receive training upon arrival with information on what to expect and how to act in what can be tense situations.

To register your interest in joining the Olive Harvest this year contact ismtraining@riseup.net

When: October 1 – mid-November

Where: the occupied West Bank, Palestine

How to sign up: email us at ismtraining@riseup.net

More information on the Olive Harvest:

https://www.btselem.org/settler_violence/2021_olive_harvest