Category: Action Alerts - Page 9 - International Solidarity Movement

Free Ahed Tamimi!

20th of December 2017 | Samidoun, Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network | Occupied Palestine

UPDATE: Bassem Tamimi, Ahed’s father, has also been arrested by Israeli occupation forces as he went to the court where his daughter and wife are held. Samidoun are updating the alert below and urge people to join the call to free Ahed and Nariman!

UPDATE: Nariman Tamimi, Ahed’s mother, has also been arrested by Israeli occupation forces as she went to the Benjamin occupation police station to support her daughter, reported Bassem Tamimi on Facebook. We are updating our alert below and urge people to join the call to free Ahed and Nariman!

Ahed Tamimi, 16 years old and a prominent activist in the occupied Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh, whosecourage along with that of her family in standing up to armed Israeli soldiers, land confiscation and settlement construction stealing the resources and even the well of their village has become world-renowned, was seized by occupation soldiers who invaded the Tamimi family home on the morning of 19 December 2017.

Ahed’s father, Bassem, posted on Facebook that Ahed was targeted for arrest after she was attacked by Israeli media after she protested occupation soldiers in Nabi Saleh who shot a 14-year-old boy in the head with a rubber-coated metal bullet; the boy, Mohammed Tamimi, is in a medically-induced coma. Tamimi reported that the soldiers violently invaded the home, hitting Ahed’s mother, Nariman Tamimi, and siblings, and confiscating phones, cameras, laptop and other electronics. Ahed was taken away by the occupation soldiers to an unknown location.

Ahed’s visa to the United States in early 2017 was put under “administrative review,” when she was to participate in a tour across the U.S. with writer and activist Nadya Tannous and Black liberation activist and minister Amanda Weatherspoon on Palestinian-Black solidarity and joint struggle. The lengthy delay and effective visa denial meant that Ahed was unable to join the tour live.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network denounces the arrest of Ahed Tamimi and Nariman Tamimi, the latest of over 450 Palestinians arrested by Israeli occupation forces following U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration of recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Issa Qaraqe of the Palestinian Prisoners Affairs Commission stated that approximately half of those detained, like Ahed, Abdul-Khalik Burnat and Fawzi al-Junaidi, are children. There are hundreds of Palestinian children jailed by Israel and frequently subject to beatings, abuse, and interrogations without parents or lawyers present in violation of the law. We urge people of conscience around the world to take action to demand freedom for Ahed and her fellow detained and jailed Palestinian children in occupation detention centers, interrogation centers and prisons – and for Nariman Tamimi and all detained and imprisoned Palestinians.

The resistance of the Palestinian people has never been quelled by arrests or repression, and it must be clear that we, around the world, stand alongside the Palestinian people as they defend Jerusalem and their entire land and people under attack. This includes standing with detained and jailed Palestinian prisoners in their struggle for liberation for themselves, their people, and their occupied homeland.

TAKE ACTION:

1. For supporters in the US: Call your member of Congress to support H.R. 4391, the Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act. Tell them specifically about Ahed’s arrest, and urge them to act for her release. Click here to tell your member of Congress to support the bill. Tell them to pressure Israel to free Ahed and other detained Palestinian kids.
2. For international supporters: Call your government officials and demand action for Ahed Tamimi and other Palestinian child prisoners, and freedom for Nariman Tamimi.Call your country’s officials urgently:
  Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop: + 61 2 6277 7500
  Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland: +1-613-992-5234
  European Union Commissioner Federica Mogherini: +32 (0) 2 29 53516
  New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully: +64 4 439 8000
  United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson: +44 20 7008 1500
  United States President Donald Trump: 1-202-456-1111
3. Call your nearest Israeli embassy and let them know that you know about the detention of Ahed Tamimi in Nabi Saleh and other Palestinian child prisoners. Demand Ahed, her mother Nariman, and the other detained children be immediately released. Contact infomation here: https://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-of/israel
4. Join one of the many protests for Jerusalem and distribute this post and other news about Ahed and the Palestinian prisoners. Get others involved in the struggle for Palestinian freedom! Build the campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel and complicit corporations like HP and G4S.

Witness Report, Video: Israeli War Crimes Against Palestinian Youth in Hebron

December 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | al-Khalil, Occupied Palestine

Witness accounts and video footage confirm that the Israeli army has been and is committing war crimes in dealing with the current wave of protests against the occupation, colonization, and ethnic cleansing in Palestine.

On Friday, December 8, 2017 around 4:30 PM, ISM activists clearly witnessed and filmed a unit of of around 40 Israeli soldiers and commanders in the H1 area of Hebron – which, according to the 1997 Hebron agreement, should be fully controlled by the Palestinian Authority – intentionally injuring the backs, shoulders, and heads of two randomly arrested teens. Much of this occurred after they had been handcuffed, blindfolded, and were held in custody.

The incidents took place shortly after the Israeli forces invaded Bab al-Zawiya from the military Checkpoint 56 (Shuhada Street in H2) and stormed more than 300 meters up Adel Street, as well as two other main civilian thoroughfares.

The teens were captured near the Hasona Petrol station. If previous child arrests in that area are any indication, they were likely grabbed at random from the street without having been involved in any form of protest beforehand.

The video evidence below, a combination of 3 different camera positions, shows how cruelly the teens are treated by different soldiers, while and after they were handcuffed, blindfolded, and cooperating with the soldiers in walking to Israeli controlled H2.

The almost-raw video footage of all three cameras is included and viewable with the following hyper-links:

Camera 1: from 4:23:10 PM

Camera 2: from 4:23:30 PM

Camera 3: from 4:23:35 PM and from 4:24:05 PM

War Crimes

Human Rights Watch (HRW), an NGO that is widely acknowledged for its monitoring and determination of human rights abuses, compiled a readable publication based on the 685 page ‘ICRC Customary International Humanitarian Law’ study manual.

In the HRW publication, war crimes are defined as:

“Serious violations of international humanitarian law, including the mistreatment of persons in custody and deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian property, when committed with criminal intent amount to war crimes. Criminal intent requires purposeful or reckless action. Individuals may also be held criminally liable for attempting to commit a war crime, as well as assisting in, facilitating, aiding or abetting a war crime. Responsibility may also fall on persons ordering, planning, or instigating the commission of a war crime. Commanders and civilian leaders may be prosecuted for war crimes as a matter of command responsibility when they knew or should have known about the commission of war crimes and took insufficient measures to prevent them or punish those responsible.” [emphasis added]

Based on this definition, the video depicts a war crime committed by the Israeli army, for which it’s soldiers and commanders bear responsibility.

This isn’t the 1st documented war crime committed by the Israeli state or its armed forces against the Palestinian people. Other examples include:

Extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully;
Willfully depriving a prisoner of war or other protected person of the rights of fair and regular trial;
Unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement;
Enforced disappearance of persons;
Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender;
The crime of apartheid;
The transfer, directly or indirectly, by the occupying power of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.

It is the obligation of all states that have signed the multiple international treaties violated here to stop these Israeli war crimes, and a duty of the people to put pressure on their governments to do so.

Than you for the donations to free Ashraf Abu Rahmah!

Ashraf was arrested again on the 27th of October 2017 while giving a group of French solidarity activists a tour of the land that his village of Bil’in won back from the nearby Israeli colonial settlement of Modi’in Elite through their creative popular protests. He was accused of throwing stones at the occupation forces, an accusation he denies. His arrest is the latest in hundreds of incidents of abuse and harassment against Ashraf and other Bil’in activists in an attempt to end their protest against the Apartheid wall and colonial settlement built on their land. But, Ashraf and Bil’in remain defiant.

Ashraf on top of a crane lifting mobile homes to expand the colonial settlement on Bil’in land.

Ashraf’s siblings, Basem and Jawaher were both killed in separate incidents while nonviolently protesting the illegal wall constructed on their land. Their murders only fueled Ashraf’s determination to continue to resist, despite being wounded and arrested repeatedly including an arrest in 2011 when he was imprisoned for 8 months.

Ashraf at his wedding dancing with pictures of his murdered siblings

On the 27th of October Ashraf accepted a plea bargain under which he will remain in prison for 3 months and pay 5000 shekel in addition to a suspended sentence of eighteen months for five years. Had Ashraf not accepted, he would have remained in detention until the end of proceedings against him which would last for a year or more. “Israel is not a democracy. It is not ruled by laws. It is a criminal occupation that is ruled by force alone,” Ashraf told the ISM.

Two other activists from Bil’in are currently in military jail. Leading Human Rights defender Abdullah Abu Rahmah has been imprisoned since the 19th of November 2017 when over a dozen military Jeeps invaded Bil’in village at 2:30 AM and entered several homes. Abdullah who is accused of “damaging the fence” stated, “the occupation has used many methods including, killing and injuring, raiding our homes in order to stop us from exercising our right to protest and struggle against the occupation. But we will not stop struggling until the occupation is dismantled.” 16 year old Ahmad Abu Rahmah of Bil’in, who was also arrested in the raid, was accused of throwing a stone.

Update, December 13, 2017: Abdul Khaliq Iyad Bernat, Hamza Ghazi Al Khatib, and Malik Yassin were arrested today in Bil’n, and Ahmed Adeeb Abu Rahma was arrested yesterday. All four are in their final year of high school. They will join Abdullah, Ashraf, and Ahmad Abu Rahmah in military prison.

Update December 14, 2017 : Abdullah Abu Rahma was released from military prison on bail a fine and conditions. Abdul Khaliq Iyad Bernat, Hamza Ghazi Al Khatib, Malik Yassin, Ahmed Adeeb Abu Rahma, Ahmad Mohammad Abu Rahma and Ashraf Abu Rahma all from Bil’in remain imprisoned.

Supporting Fayzeh

15th August 2017 | Supporting Fayzeh | occupied Palestine

Many of you know Fayzeh and Issa Souf from the West bank village of Hares. Fayzeh has been recently diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer. She has been hospitalized for the last month and has began receiving chemotherapy. Issa and Fayzeh’s dedication, generosity and kindness have touched and given hope so many people. Now, their friends who have received so much from them over the years are trying to do all we can to support them through this challenging time. We invite you to send prayers, encouragement, and support through this group. We have also created a fund to support the family with the expected related expenses and to try to support them in whatever way we can in this time. You can send money via paypal by going to https://palsolidarity.org/donate/ and clicking “Support Fayzeh Souf”.

Background: In May 2001, When Fayzeh was pregnant with their first child, Israeli soldiers invaded Hares. Issa went out to bring his brothers children, who were playing outside, indoors. As soon as he stepped out of the house one of the soldiers shot him. Issa fell to the ground. The soldiers surrounded him, kicked him and yelled at him to get up, he tried, but he couldn’t move. The bullet was lodged in Issa’s spine and he remains paralyzed from the waist down.

Most people would not have survived. But with Issa’s emotional and physical strength and Fayzeh’ s devotion and care, Issa not only survived, but he and Fayzeh continue to contribute to their community and to anyone that comes in touch with them. Their home remained an open and supportive center for nonviolent activism. In the last ten years Issa has organised retreats and healing camps for children, adults and teenage female ex-prisoners.

When Fayzeh gave birth to Ward, their first son, Issa was already paraplegic. I remember how tall Issa used to be, but Ward only knows his father in a wheelchair. Issa and fayzeh wanted Ward to not miss anything because of Issa’s injury, so when Ward said he wanted a brother, Fayzeh got insemination treatment and gave birth to twins, a beautiful girl, Heba, and a beautiful boy, Hamudi. After that, when Heba said she wanted a sister, she repeated the treatment and gave birth to another set of beautiful twins, Bissan and Ibrahim. Ward is now 16, Heba and Hamudi 14 and Bissan and Ibrahim are now 7.

A few months ago Fayzeh began complaining of stomach pains. The hospitals in the West Bank do not have the equipment to do the necessary scans so It took another month and a half to get a correct diagnosis. This time, it is Issa that has not left Fayzeh’s side, though it has meant that they have both been away from the children more than they would like. We will do our best to keep you posted on how Fayzeh and the family are doing.

Click here for all the updates

Call to action: Olive Harvest 2017

10th July 2017 | International Solidarity Movement | Ramallah, occupied Palestine

At a time of regular settler violence in the West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to join us for the 2017 Olive Harvest Campaign at the invitation of Palestinian communities.

The olive tree is a national symbol for Palestinians. As thousands of olive trees have been bulldozed, uprooted and burned by Israeli settlers and the military – (over half a million olive and fruit trees have been destroyed since September 2000) – harvesting has become more than a source of livelihood; it has become a form of resistance.

Despite efforts by Israeli settlers and soldiers to prevent them from accessing their land, Palestinian communities have remained steadfast in refusing to give up their olive harvest.

Palestinian woman protests the destruction of the olive trees

ISM volunteers join Palestinian farming communities each year to harvest olives, in areas where Palestinians face settler and military violence when working their land. Your presence can make a big difference, with Palestinian communities stating that the presence of international volunteers reduces the risk of extreme violence from Israeli settlers and the Israeli army.

We support Palestinians’ assertion of their right to earn their livelihoods and be present on their lands. International solidarity activists engage in non-violent intervention and documentation, practical support which enables many families to pick their olives.

The harvest will begin in start-October and run until mid-November. We request a minimum 2 week commitment from volunteers but stress that long-termers are needed as well. We kindly ask volunteers to start arriving in the first week of October, so we are prepared when the harvest begins.

Israeli soldier stands next to Palestinian farmers harvesting their olives

Training

The ISM will be holding mandatory two day training sessions which will run weekly on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please contact palreports@gmail.com for further information.

Ongoing campaigns

In addition to the olive harvest, there will be opportunities to participate in grass-roots, non-violent resistance in Palestine.

ISM maintains a constant presence in Hebron, where settler harassment and violence is a regular occurrence. Lately, Israeli army violence has escalated for Palestinians living close to the illegal inner-city settlement. Israeli forces have used the Palestinian neighborhoods for military training, and heavily repress any form of resistance, responding with collective punishment as they lob dozens of teargas canisters and stun grenades onto Khalil’s population and even schoolchildren. As harassment, humiliation and violence became a daily occurrence, ISM is present to document these extremely violent responses, and to serve as a protective presence.

In addition to these activities, we participate in the weekly demonstrations in Kafr Qaddum, Nabi Saleh, Ni’lin and others where our presence is requested and protesters face excessive force by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).

Come! Bear witness to the suffering, courage and generosity of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation.

Experiencing the situation for yourself is vital to adequately convey the reality of life in Palestine to your home communities and to re-frame the debate in a way that will expose Israel’s apartheid policies; creeping ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem as well as collective punishment and genocidal practices in Gaza.

In Solidarity,

ISM Palestine