Category: Features - Page 62 - International Solidarity Movement

The slow creep of ethnic cleansing – closed military zone in Hebron

30th September 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli forces in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) have further expanded the closed military zone (CMZ), now covering the whole Tel Rumeida neighborhood, while setting up new and enforcing existing checkpoints with increased restrictions.

Parts of the Tel Rumeida neighborhood and the tiny strip of Shuhada Street that have not fallen prey to Israeli illegal annexation and ethnic cleansing, creating a ‘Palestinian-free’ zone, have been a CMZ since the end of October 2015. However, the borders of the CMZ have now been further extended to include the entire Tel Rumeida neighborhood. Checkpoints that have formerly been roadblocks preventing Palestinian traffic throughout this neighborhood, are now additionally permanently staffed with Israeli soldiers. Palestinian residents, at these newly staffed checkpoints, are often kept waiting by Israeli forces for hours, denying them passage stating ‘military orders’, while at times at the same moment telling them to ‘just go around’, which would ‘only take 2 minutes’. On Wednesday, 28th September 2016, Israeli forces forced a whole group of Palestinians, including small children to wait to reach their homes for over two hours – and then suddenly just walked away from the checkpoint, thus allowing for Palestinians to pass.

Whereas Palestinian residents, in order to reach their own homes, were already forced to register as residents – a status which, depending on the soldiers mood, might allow them to reach their homes; within the newly added parts of the CMZ, Palestinians are arbitrarily and deliberately kept waiting without any reasons – except for being Palestinians.

Palestinian detained by Israeli forces for trying to reach his own home — Palestinian handcuffed and detained by Israeli forces for trying to reach his own home

These arbitrary and racist practices are not new to the Palestinian population of Hebron in general, and the Tel Rumeida neighborhood in specific. The sole and very obvious aim of these tactics is to force Palestinians to leave the area and thus extended the illegal settlements in this neighborhood by creating a zone ethnically cleansed of any Palestinian presence.

Remembering Muhammad al-Durrah and the stolen dreams of Palestine

29th September 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Gaza, occupied Palestine

Mere days ago, on the 22nd of September, the city of occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) remembered and mourned the murder of 18 year old Hadeel al-Hashlamoun, another Palestinian youth executed in cold blood by Israeli forces outside the Shuhada Street checkpoint one year ago. Today, on the 30th of September, all of occupied Palestine bows its head in mourning and raises its fist in resistance on the 16th anniversary of the deaths of Jamal al-Durrah and his 12 year old son Muhammad.

On this day 16 years ago, Israeli forces unleashed their militarized terror upon the streets of occupied Gaza, firing indiscriminately upon anything seen as a threat, which at this time was any Palestinian within sight. Even Palestinian medics were forced to run for cover as bodies lay bleeding on the ground. On this day, every Palestinian person was reduced to just that in the eyes of the Israeli occupying forces: a body to be targeted. Two of these bodies were Jamal and young Muhammad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arRgkXDLwlM

16 years ago, the world was presented with a French journalist’s video documenting in incriminating clarity the final moments of a young, frightened, innocent boy who had not even reached his teenaged years. As Palestinians run frantically for cover, the camera focuses in on Muhammad as his father attempts to shield him behind a concrete cylinder. In what seems like an instant, gunfire rains down upon the two of them and the entire scene is covered in smoke. As the smoke clears, young Muhammad’s body is seen slumped over his father’s lap. Jamal musters his last remaining strength to sit his upper body up. He wavers back and forth for a few moments, the body of his son laid across his legs, before the spark of life leaves his body as well.

In the 16 years since Muhammad’s execution, Palestine has never ceased to live under the iron grip of Israeli state terrorism. 16 years has brought military crackdowns, arbitrary arrests, fear and intimidation across the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. 16 years has brought countless land grabs in the expansion of illegal checkpoints and illegal Israeli settlements. 16 years has seen Israeli forces and settlements “pulled out” of Gaza, only to be replaced by a complete economic blockade as Israel surrounded its borders on land, sea, and even the militarized sky above. 16 years has brought multiple genocidal assaults on Gaza, the latest, dubbed “Operation Protective Edge”, slaughtering over 2,000 Palestinian lives. Over the course of the last 16 years, the land that Muhammad al-Durrah lived, played, and dreamed on has continued to live under the sledgehammer of an illegal military occupation attempting to erase Palestinian bodies and memories from existence in order to lay claim to a stolen nation.

There is much to remember from these past 16 years, and each day brings more horrors for the people of Palestine. Yet today, let us remember the death of an innocent boy whose only crime was living in the land of his birth. May his unknown, yet forever present dreams shine a light on the entire land of Palestine today and remind us that all we struggle for is life itself.

Reduced to a number – robbing Palestinians of their humanity

25th September 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Palestinians in the closed military zone in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) are reduced to a mere number. Imagine ‘loosing’ your identity to a foreign occupying army not only taking your land, but attempting to take your personality, your identity, your whole existence; reducing you to a simple number on a piece of paper, stripping you of your humanity.

This is everyday reality for Palestinians in the area declared a ‘closed military zone’ by the Israeli forces, an area that has just recently been expanded and now covers all of the Tel Rumeida neighborhood and the tiny piece of Shuhada Street that has not yet fallen prey to Israeli attempts of continuous illegal annexation. At Shuhada checkpoint, the main checkpoint leading from the H1-area supposedly under full Palestinian control into this ‘closed military zone’, Palestinians are subjected to the all too common Israeli forces’ humiliation, delays, and ‘security-checks’. At any of the checkpoints leading into the ‘closed military zone’, all Palestinians are reduced to a mere number on a list of ID-numbers and names.

Any sign of humanity – erased with the humanity of the Palestinians, who are not persons, but just another number on a long list of numbers. At any of the checkpoints leading into the ‘closed military zone’, Palestinians are one of those numbers – and without a number, they’re nothing. It’s as simple as that, with a number, registered with a foreign occupying army as a resident in your own home, your own neighborhood, you can make it through the checkpoint. Being a number, you might – and only might, as soldiers at the checkpoint can virtually do whatever they want with complete impunity – be allowed to go to your own home.

But being without even a number, not having one’s existence reduced to this mere number on a list, a Palestinian is nothing, nothing. You’re either reduced to a number, or you’re not, not at all. You don’t exist, you don’t have the ‘right’ to go to your home, a ‘right’ being something that the occupying army is almost priding themselves for giving you, for being so nice to even permit a Palestinian to become this mere number on a list. As a number, you might be allowed to go home, to bring your shopping through the checkpoint to your house, as a child to ride your bicycle and eventually be allowed to pass the checkpoint with it. A number might be allowed to pass the checkpoint to go to school or back home after school finishes, to reach their home when their sick, or be carried out of the checkpoint in medical emergencies, as ambulances are not allowed on the ‘settler-only’-road.

A number is ‘privileged’ by the Israeli occupying army to do all these things, to be granted the slightest possible pieces even of the most basic human rights. But a nothing, a no-one, someone that didn’t make it on the list? A father visiting his son and grandchildren. A daughter visiting her sick mother. Siblings coming to congratulate for a birthday or new-born baby, to celebrate a new family member, a family birthday, an important holiday, that traditionally is celebrated with the extended family. A nothing is no-one, nothing is allowed, nothing is possible.

A nothing will be denied at the checkpoint by soldiers ‘just following orders’, soldiers who, if hearing the slightest doubt due to their inhumane, racist and apartheid actions, will refuse that they’re political. In a situation where a soldiers mere presence as the occupying army at a checkpoint denying Palestinians the right to reach their homes or loved ones is a political statement. A statement of support of the apartheid and racist regime that calls itself the ‘only democracy in the Middle East’. Soldiers would defend the action of only checking and numbering Palestinian residents with ‘Israelis don’t pass from this checkpoint’ – openly admitting their racist and apartheid actions, but choosing to defend them as ‘just following orders’. Actions that any human being must recognized are non-defendable, non-excusable – and solely, openly and deliberately aimed at annihilating the existence of a people.

Anyone defending these kind of actions, of reducing a group of Persons to numbers on a list, and trampeling the mere existence of the one’s not dehumanized and humiliated like this, with their feet making them nothing, denying their whole existence; can not hide behind a uniform or orders, or excuse their behaviour. Reducing people, persons with wishes and hopes, dreams and fears, to a number, robbing them of their identity and personality – their humanity – to mere numbers on a list, or even a nothing, a no-one.

Hundreds inspired at the launching of the Palestinian Youth Forum

25^th of September 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Ramallah, occupied Palestine

On Saturday 24th of September, over 250 Palestinians from across the West Bank and East Jerusalem gathered in Ramallah for the starting conference of the Palestinian Youth Forum. This launch marks a new moment for this youth-led movement to form a clearer and stronger identity.

The forum was organized by 54 Palestinian representatives from ten different youth committees across the West Bank. One of the distinguishing characteristics of this forum and movement is that it is entirely youth-led. The morning offered a series of inspiring speeches from leaders across the progressive movements. And in the afternoon, attendees broke into smaller groups to target discussions on specific areas of interest and connect with others working on similar issues.

This movement is organized by and for all Palestinian youth, includes those in the West Bank and Gaza, in ’48 and in the diaspora. One of the youth organizers of the forum, Hadil Shatara, states, “We’re Palestinian youth carrying the burden of our national and social challenges. We’re aiming to make changes locally and internationally”. This forum launches a wider movement for youth to impact Palestinian society at large.

They will be working on social and economic levels including unemployment, women’s issues, Palestinian curriculum, political prisoner issues and other efforts to resist the ongoing occupation of Palestine. They intend to impact what is happening internally, as well as collaborate with international efforts, including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

An initial meeting of youth across Palestine took place in 2009 and they have been building and working on issues since. Among other work, they played a particularly important role in the prisoner strikes in 2012. This forum marks a new moment in collaboration and organization of a Palestinian youth-led movement. It made clear that they are engaged in and energized to work towards an independent and democratic movement focused on social, economic and political justice for the people, by the people.

Attendees listening to opening remarks at the starting conference of the Palestinian Youth Forum

World Week of Peace 2016

24th September 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Bethlehem, occupied Palestine

Fire. That seemed to be the theme yesterday as we celebrated World Week for Peace in Bethlehem. Fire, when tear gas canisters erupted into flames in the Aida refugee camp, showing the continued violence. Fire, as we lit candles in the shape of the West Bank, signifying hope. And fire in our hearts, symbolizing our determination to fight for justice until peace prevails. Although the evening began with empty seats, this was not due to a lack of attendants. In an all too symbolic manner, tear gas filled the air during our worship service for peace, causing our visitors to seek immediate shelter inside. Once the tear gas finally subsided and mint leaves were passed out, then a beautiful service was finally able to begin. Following the beautiful words preached by our speakers, we demonstrated that love, hope, and peace will always prevail. This was shown by igniting tear gas canisters outlining the borders of the West Bank. But these canisters contained candles instead of the harmful smoke they usually carry. As each candle was lit, a prayer and a promise was made to dismantle barriers by continuing the nonviolent fight against the occupation, knowing one day that the wall will fall!