Author: ISM Media - Page 423 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli army attacks four family homes in Beit Ummar arresting an activist and three teenagers

by Team Khalil

2 January 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

A Palestinian activist and three teenagers were arrested by Israeli occupation forces this morning during an early morning raid on the village of Beit Ummar in the West Bank.

Soldiers entered the village at around 1 am to capture Yousef Abu Maria, the coordinator of the recently formed Popular Movement Against the Wall and a father of three children. He was arrested because of his presence in a military zone during a demonstration in June 2012.

Yousef was made to stand outside the police station in the illegal Israel settlement of Karmei Tzur from the time of his arrest until 10 am. He was released on a charge of 1000 shekels (270 USD) and made to sign an agreement not to go near the illegal settlement, some of which is built on Yousef’s farmland.

In separate family homes, three teenagers, Eyad Omer Sbarna, 17, Ehab Omer Awad, 18, and Mohammad Hussain Ade, 17, were arrested for an unsubstantiated charge of throwing stones at Isreali army vehicles. The incident was supposed to have happened during a recent demonstration. As of this afternoon, the teenagers were still imprisoned.

Beit Ummar, like many villages and towns in the West Bank, receives constant violent harassment from the illegal Israeli settlers. Early on Tuesday morning settlers set fire to a Palestinian car and a tractor and painted “The only good Arab is a dead Arab” on a wall.

Team Khalil is a group of volunteers of International Solidarity Movement based in Hebron (al Khalil)

Israeli settlers burn two vehicles and spray paint racist slogans on a Palestinian home in Beit Ummar

by Team Khalil

2 January 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Israeli settlers from the illegal Beit Eyen settlement, which borders the Palestinian town of Beit Ummar, attacked a family home located in area C on the outskirts of Beit Ummar in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

At around 1 am on Tuesday 1 January 2013, Sohel Mohammed Hussein Briget was awoken by the sound of his car engine exploding. Briget gathered some of his family members and went outside to find his car and tractor on fire and his walls vandalized by graffiti.

The family were unable to extinguish the car fire as it was already out of control, however, they managed to salvage the tractor before it was destroyed.

The walls of the property were covered with the star of David and racist slogans in Hebrew that translate to, “The only good Arab is a dead Arab”.

Shortly after 1 am Israeli occupation forces arrived at the Briget home and the soldiers apologized for the actions of the settlers but have yet to make any arrests, even though there is a surveillance camera positioned between the settlement and the house.

This is the second time the residents of the illegal Beit Eyen settlement have targeted the Palestinian home with mindless and violent actions. The same humiliating tactics were used in 2011 when they burnt two other vehicles and spray painted similar hate slogans on the property.

DSCN1096-small — Remains of the burned car

DSCN1097-small — Racist slogans in Hebrew on Briget’s house

Team Khalil is a group of volunteers of International Solidarity Movement based in Hebron (al Khalil)

Local activist detained in Hebron

by Team Khalil

1 January 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Israeli soldiers in Hebron tied up and blindfolded a Palestinian activist this afternoon because he walked on the ‘Jewish side’ of the road.

Issa Amro, coordinator for Youth Against Settlements, was detained on Shuhada Street, sections of which are segregated with the majority reserved for the illegal Israeli settlers and Israeli military, leaving only a tiny portion open for Palestinian use.

Issa claimed he wasn’t walking in the Israeli only section of the road and that the soldier became infuriated when he told him to check the rules with a commanding officer. The soldier then told Issa he would be detained for 2 hours, however, he was released after 20 minutes. Issa believes that one of the illegal settlers had instructed the soldier to harass him.

Locals, members of the press and international activists turned up and the soldiers refused to answer questions about why he was being detained, or let anyone bring him water. One soldier then forced the crowd to stay 25 metres away.

Palestinians, Israeli soldiers and illegal settlers are always in close proximity in Shuhada Street and as a result it is an extremely volatile area of the city. On Sunday, Israeli soldiers extended a section of the apartheid road near the Ibrahimi Mosque. The newly constructed barrier runs past a Palestinian home due to be rebuilt meaning that when it is finished, Palestinians will have only half a metre to walk on.

issa-small — Local activist Issa Amro detained in Shuhada Street in Hebron

Team Khalil is a group of volunteers of International Solidarity Movement based in Hebron (al Khalil)

Israeli forces attack Tammun. 4 injured from live bullets

1 January 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Tammun, Occupied Palestine

From 9am to 6pm Israeli special forces, regular army and border police attacked the village of Tammun, south of Jenin. They used helicopters, many soldiers firing live rounds of ammunition, tear gas and plastic coated steel bullets. 35 people were injured, including 4 with live bullets. 2 children sustained serious head injuries from tear gas cannisters.

The raid began by at least 15 plain clothed special forces driving into the village in Palestinian plated vehicles to arrest a man. They forced the family out of their home, took one Palestinian brother Murad, tied, blindfolded, pushed him against the wall and took him back into the house. They made the family stand outside as a human shield against any resistance to the incursion and, in doing so, committing a war crime. His brother, Mohammed, was forced to assume a stress position for two hours. When he told the soldiers that had a health problem with his chest, they replied that if he said that again they would beat him to death.

The forces interrogated and beat Murad whilst blindfolded. These special forces, called Duvdevan, are known for targeted assassinations. Murad was told to climb over a wall, but fearing that this could be an excuse to kill him, he refused. The soldiers severely beat him for this.

The soldiers vandalised the house, breaking furniture and shooting walls, wardrobes, beds, mirrors and a fridge.

Last year the same family was raided by these forces. The two brothers were stripped naked and tied to an olive tree in their front garden.

Today, soldiers entered another home. They searched it, broke furniture and shot around the house as well. They threatened the mother that if her husband doesn’t hand himself in, in 24 hours, they will kill him. Another 20 homes were searched in the village.

After the plain clothes special forces entered the village around 20 jeeps of regular army followed. They went into houses and took positions on rooftops.

Resistance by the population to this erupted on news of the incursion and people were attacked. Paramedics reported 35 injuries, 2 serious head wounds from tear gas cannisters that are often used as baton rounds. The 2 head injuries were inflicted on children. 4 of the injuries were from live rounds.

The attack continued until after dark with the army using parachute flares to illuminate the village.

The army eventually left the village at 6pm with Murad. The other Palestinian wanted by the Israeli occupation force has until tomorrow morning to hand himself in or he will be assassinated.

Red Crescent attacked during settler raids in Qusra

1 January 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Qusra, Occupied Palestine

While people around the world were celebrating the start of a new year the Palestinian town of Qusra in the West Bank was under attack. Around midnight settlers entered the agricultural outskirts of the town, uprooting approximately 250 trees. Reports from some of the villagers spoke of the Israeli Army lighting parachute flares over the olive groves to assist the vandals.

After a long night, the settlers returned in the morning with dogs. An elderly woman was home alone when she heard stones begin to pelt the outside of her house. Angry voices screamed “come out Arab men, come out and fight”. They trashed the tractor parked in her driveway, smashing its windows. Large stones built up on her rooftop, still visible when ISM visited her a few hours later.

The woman called for help and villagers responded by marching en-mass towards her house. At this point the settlers fled to a hilltop above the town and the Israeli Occupation Force moved in.

Angry clashes followed between the villagers and the Army causing significant casualties: at least 5 people were hospitalised; approximately 20 people were treated on the scene for inhalation of tear gas; around 15 sustained injuries from rubber bullets. While the Army engaged villagers in Qusra, reports came that the settlers had moved on to the village of Jalud. They set up a makeshift roadblock between Jalud and Qusra, terrorising Palestinian cars moving between the two villages.

At around 3pm a Red Crescent driver was driving supplies between Jalud and Qusra when he encountered the roadblock. The driver – Abdul Kareem Hassan – had his vehicle stopped and was pelted with numerous large stones by the settlers. Every window of the vehicle was smashed and Abdul Kareem suffered blows to head from the stones. By the time he was able to reach Qusra he was bleeding from the head and suffering respiratory stress.

A local resident told ISM he could not remember a week in the last two years when Qusra did not suffer from some kind of settler initiated aggression. Today’s attack, however, was particularly severe and an unwelcome start to the new year for the people of Qusra.