Author: ISM Media

They try to steal our history, not just our land

9 August 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

The demonstrations in Nabi Saleh started the 21 of November 2009, after the illegal settlement of Halamish expanded, costing locals in land and their source of water for home and agricultural use, a spring declared holy by the settlers.

Since the beginning of the demonstrations the village faced outstanding repression from the army and the Israeli government, who declared 10 house demolition orders. The Israeli army tried to negotiate  with or blackmail members of the village, promising to withhold the demolition orders if they stop the demonstrations.

More then 220 people have been injured since the beginning of their peaceful resistance to illegal Israeli occupation of their land. Some of the injured include an 11 year old boy who was shot with a rubber coated steel bullet in his head and is still paralyzed. Another example is man who was hit by a high velocity tear gas canister, illegal because unlike usual tear-gas canisters, it is made to be capable of breaking through walls, can fly long distances without sound, does not emit a smoke tail, and has a propeller to accelerate the weapon mid-air.

At the moment there are around 90 Nabi Saleh locals still held in Israeli jails.

We met Manal Tamimi, one of the most active women in the village, who made the point that their resistance is not just for her children in Nabi Saleh, but it is a resistance that involves all Palestine.

In this featured interview with ISM, Tamimi stated, “You can plan things for maximum 10 minutes, I’m not able to decide in which school to send my kids, you can’t decide anything about the future. Children shouldn’t live in fear, they shouldn’t pay this price.”

 

Nabi Saleh consumed with raids while fasting

9 August 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Following the unusually short demonstration on the first Friday of Ramadan, the Israeli army raided the village of Nabi Saleh just before Iftar, the Muslim time for breaking fast during Ramadan, resulting in the detaining of a 14 year old boy for approximately two hours and an excessive amount of tear gas in the village.

These raids continued to happen on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, again 45 minutes before Iftar, while locals prepared to break their day long fasts. On the Sunday invasion 3 jeeps with a group of soldiers started shooting teargas without discretion, even reaching within the homes through open windows.

Manal Tamimi’s child was sleeping in the living room alone where he inhaled a large amount of tear gas for half an hour resulting in him vomiting for over an hour while the army was still in the village. Tamimi states in an interview with ISM that she was scared of the thought that she may have been outside of her home, visiting her mother, and no one would have heard the scream of her child.

Without her presence at home, she says, this invasion may have ended with a fatality within her family.

At the same time her brother, Rami Tamimi, was standing under an olive tree while the soldiers started shooting multiple rounds of rubber coated steel bullets, resulting in a broken finger and a broken arm. According to the villagers of Nabi Saleh, on Monday a large number of Israeli soldiers invaded the village firing tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets randomly at the houses.

The Popular Committee  of the village states that in any case their struggle for justice and human rights will not be stopped by the repression of an army which has violently tried to suppress any form of public advocacy and peaceful resistance.

Jewish settlers storm the Aqsa Mosque

8 August 2011 | The Palestine Information Center

Tension is running high in the holy Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem after Jewish settlers stormed and roamed the plazas of the holy site at the early morning hours on Monday.

The Aqsa guards said that Israeli occupation police escorted the groups of settlers who were roaming the mosque in provocative tours.

They said that the policemen were barricading the settlers in face of the angry Muslim worshipers, who were preparing to confront the settlers.

Israeli policemen and special forces broke into the holy site on Sunday night and forced out worshipers for the third straight night.

Ni’lin continues with strong will despite Israeli raids

8 August 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank  and Ni’lin Sons Group

On the 7th of August at 2:30am, 13 military jeeps entered the village of Ni’lin, took control of its southern region, and proceeded towards the nearby village of Qibya to arrest a Palestinian following an aggressive raid the previous night. Locals curious about the raid  have yet to ascertain why the man was arrested.

This comes following an incitement to escalate tension by the Israeli military in a raid the previous night at 11:20 pm, when two military jeeps raided the town of Ni’lin from the opposite side of the illegal Israeli separation wall through the adjacent fields, and began firing loud flares into the air, resulting in brush fires across these fields.

“The two military jeeps continued their commute until they reached our houses, and raided the house of Ilayan Mousa and started searching the house in an investigation of Mousa. They left the house after half an hour and no one was arrested. They moved from Mousa’s home to the rest of the village, raiding it and stopping in the middle to shoot tear gas grenades at the people and surrounding homes in the streets,” said one local, Saeed, who lives near the Israeli separation barrier that has been the focus of Ni’lin and other village advocacy campaigns and forms of peaceful resistance.

“The wall encloses Palestinians to limit travel, usurps Palestinian land, is a tool for illegal, Israeli occupation, and is a demeaning symbolic and physical injustice to the definition of freedom,” said an international observer from the United States.

One man was hit in the leg with a tear gas bomb and dozens suffered from tear gas inhalation.

The military jeeps left the town yet a group of approximately 45 Israeli soldier raided the fields near the houses and started shooting tear gas bombs and flare bombs, and stayed there until 02:00 am.

According to locals Israel has raided the village of Ni’lin at least four times a month in the past six months. Locals claim the purpose of the military invasions is clear, harassment with various weaponry and constant investigations and interrogations are two of many variables to incite fear in the villages that peaceful resist illegal Israeli occupation . But the ploy of fear tactics is futile, according to Saeed.

“We never get scared or stop protesting. We are continuing our struggle with a strong will and determination.”

Palestinian female prisoners suffer in Ramadan

7 August 2011 | Palestine Telegraph

Israeli prison administration decided to tighten its harsh measures against Palestinian female prisoners of Hasharon during the holy month of Ramadan.

A researcher at the international solidarity foundation, Ahmed al-Betawi, stated that Israeli prison administration refused to allow female prisoners of Hasharon prison to purchase their food from canteen.

He added that female prisoners have suffered from insects and high humidity especially in these very hot summer days, while the prison administration deprived them from using fans.

Palestinian prisoners emphasized that the unprecedented repressive campaign has been escalated by the prison administration during the holy month.

The lawyer of the international solidarity foundation visited Hasharon prison last Thursday and met a number of female prisoners who told him about misery they have lived in.

Palestinian officials condemned Israeli toughening measures that affect the lives of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails, calling for an end to Israeli violent practices and abuses.