Category: Features - Page 94 - International Solidarity Movement

Call for Action! Protest to demand Mohammed Al-Qeeq’s freedom!

11th February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement | Palestine

33 year old jopurnalist, Mohammed al-Qeeq, in his hospital bed is today near death. — 33-year-old hunger-striker political prisoner, Mohammed Al-Qeeq, is today nearing death.

URGENT CALL FOR ACTION – Palestinian journalist is nearing death on hunger strike for freedom.

33-year-old Mohammad Al-Qeeq’s health condition is deteriorating rapidly. He has lost over half his body weight, and is unable to see or talk properly; there is imminent threat to his life. An independent doctor visited Al-Qeeq at HaEmek hospital in Afula on Thursday 4 February and said that he appears to be close to death, reported Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHR-Israel), who organized the visit. Although Al-Qeeq refused to be examined, visible signs point to severe ill-health.

This is the time for action; this is to time to mobilize for freedom. We call on you, our friends and comrades in the struggle for justice and freedom to act now. Protest at an Israeli consulate or embassy or public square and demand freedom for Mohammed al-Qeeq. Contact government officials and demand that they break their silence on Al-Qeeq and support for Israeli violations of Palestinian rights.

Al Qeeq is from the West Bank village of Dura near Hebron, where he worked as a TV reporter for the Saudi news channel “Almajd.” His wife Fayha Shalash says Israeli soldiers raided their home in Ramallah on the night of November 21, 2015 blowing up the house door and waking up the family, blindfolding Mohammad and arresting him. Al-Qeeq was taken in for interrogation at Israel’s Kishon (Jalame) detention center north of the West Bank. He was not allowed to make contact with either his wife or his attorney for 20 days.

Shalash says her husband is being held without charge or trial for doing his job as a journalist. She says her husband chose to refuse his arbitrary detention and continue to raise his voice by refusing food and refusing to be detained by Israel as punishment for his opinion. Mohammad began refusing food on the 25th of November 2015, protesting the conditions of his interrogation and unlawful detention. Al Qeeq told his lawyer he was interrogated and accused of media incitement, and that interrogators threatened to rape him and assault his wife if he does not confess to incitement. Al Qeeq said the interrogators told him that he had two options: to confess to incitement or face up to 7 years in administrative detention. He had no option but to go on hunger strike.

Ashraf Abu Snaneh, Al-Qeeq’s lawyer, says Israel is using administrative detention as a peg to silence the journalist and is forbidding him from due legal process. “If the Israeli security apparatus has evidence against Mohammad they should bring it forward to court and at least give him the right to fight for his innocence at court, but holding him on so-called secret files is unfair and unlawful.”

ACT NOW TO SAVE HIS LIFE ACT NOW FOR FREEDOM AND JUSTICE

Home demolition in Beit Hanina forces family to move into Shuafat Refugee Camp, East Jerusalem

10th February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | East Jerusalem, occupied Palestine

Yesterday evening, we went to visit 55 year old widow, Kifaya Rishek, after her home in Beit Hanina, occupied East Jerusalem, was demolished on the 27th of January.

After losing her house in Beit Hanina, where she lived together with her five children and 16 grandchildren, Kifaya has now moved with her family into a smaller 5th floor apartment in the Shuafat Refugee Camp, East Jerusalem.

The Shuafat refugee Camp is completely surrounded by an Apartheid Wall and its residents must cross the Shuafat checkpoint in order to access the city of Jerusalem.

Her son, Ashraf, who used to live with her in Beit Hanina, now rents another apartment for 1.500 shekels a month in the same Camp, where he lives with his 4 children and wife. His brother, Murad, also had to find a new place to live and moved with his wife and four children into the Old City.

Kifaya’s son Sherif pays the rent for the new home where the rest of them live together, costing him 1.700 shekels a month. Kifaya feels very sad as this place is not really her own. In their old house, the children had a patio where they could play outside. Kifaya recalls how much she misses her garden, with all the trees and plants she took care of for years, and today are all destroyed along the house.

The children remember that the night before the house demolition they had asked Kifaya to clean their patio because they were expecting snow to fall and they wanted to play with clean snow in the morning. Since people never know when a house demolition will actually happen, that morning they woke up instead with the Israeli police breaking into their home with dogs, kicking everyone out. To this day, the children say they are scared that the police might come again and raid and destroy their home.

From left to right: 10 year old, Tala; 8 year old, Bader; 3 year old, Fajer; 12 year old, Adel; and 5 year old, Mira.

Apart from the new expenses of paying house rent, the family must cover other costs such as taxi transportation for their children to go to school. Just for 10 year old, Tala, alone they must pay a taxi driver 600 shekels a month to take her to school. The Camp has no proper public transportation, leaving many families with no choice but paying taxis.

10 year old, tala, made this drawing in school, showing her home before the demolition and afterwords. — 10 year old, Tala, made this drawing, showing her home before the demolition and afterwords in rubble.

Another difficulty for Kifaya is that she must pay 120 shekels every time she takes her 11 year old granddaughter, Malak, to physiotherapy at the ALYN Hospital. Malak suffers from a physical disability in her legs. Although she receives special disabilities insurance, certain things in her treatment are not covered, such as the machines and her special boots, costing Kifaya another 1.000 shekels every time these need to be renewed as she keeps growing.

11 year old, Malak, has a physical disability in her legs and must take treatment in the ALYN Hospital.

Her new home is tighter and general life in the Shuafat Camp is very difficult. The Israeli Municipality, which is responsible for its services, does not provide sufficient water and electricity, and does not pick the garbage from the streets.

The Israeli Minucipality is responsible for services such as picking the garbage, but they refuse to do so and the streets are always dirty. — The Israeli Municipality is responsible for services such as picking the garbage, but they refuse to do so and the streets are always dirty.

Just as in Kifaya’s case, Jerusalemite Palestinians who come to live here do so in order not to lose their Jerusalem ID’s, which basically allows them to continue living in Jerusalem.

Israel’s policy of house demolitions, together with the ever growing living costs in Jerusalem, are all part of a broader plan to force Palestinians to leave the city or, as a last resource, move into the over crowded Shuafat Refugee Camp.

The streets in the Camp are in very bad conditions with holes and traffic jams are seen everyday.

Intimidating military patrol of Palestinian market

9th February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Tuesday, 9^th February 2016, Israeli forces patrolled the Palestinian market in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), harassing and intimidating residents.

Israeli forces ontheir patrol through the Palestinian market

A group of soldiers marched through the souq, the main Palestinian market since the closure of Shuhada Street for Palestinians after the Ibrahimi mosque massacre in 1994. Any male adult or youth was stopped on their way to work and forced by the Israeli soldiers to lift up their shirts and trouser-pants, as well as throw their IDs on the ground. After throwing their IDs on the ground Israeli soldiers ordered the men to move back, so they could pick up the IDs from a ‘safe distance’. Most Palestinians were dismissed after this humiliating procedure, whereas some of them were detained for minutes or violently body-searched.

Violent body-search of Palestinian young man

International human rights defenders documenting the Israeli forces violations of basic human rights of Palestinians, were intimidated and harassed by the Israeli soldiers in an attempt to prevent them from documenting. Soldiers took photos of the internationals with their private phones held right in the volunteers faces and as an initmidation tactic ID-checked them.

Israeli forces taking photos of human rights defenders with their private phones

During the more than one hour patrol Israeli forces repeatedly pointed their assault rifles at the internationals as well as Palestinians.

Israeli soldier 'ordering' Palestinians to stop by pointing his gun — Israeli soldier ‘ordering’ Palestinians to stop by pointing his gun

Not only adults were surprised and shocked by the sudden presence of heavily-armed soldiers right outside their houses, but also children on their way to school and work. Some children, scared by the soldiers, turned around rightaway after spotting the soldiers and ran back home instead of continuing their way to school or kindergarten. International human rights defenders walked several scared children past the soldiers so they could safely reach their schools and kindergarten.

Two school girls passing the heavily-armed patrol

A mother waiting with children for the school-bus right opposite a group of soldiers

Demonstrators protest closed military zone under threat of Israeli violence

8th February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On 8th February 2016, Israeli forces threatened to attack a peaceful demonstration in front of Shuhada checkpoint in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron).

Israeli forces forcing demonstrators back

Protesters gathered at noon to protest the continued closure of the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood, that on the 1st of November 2015 was declared a ‘closed military zone’ by Israeli forces. Palestinian residents were forced to register with the Israeli army in order to be allowed to live in their family homes and be permitted into the closed zone. At the same time, settlers from the illegal settlements located directly adjacent to Palestinian houses are free to roam the streets with assault rifles slung over their shoulders like an accessories, as the closed military zone was deliberately designed to exclude the settlements while including Palestinian neighbourhoods. Friends and family of the Palestinian residents are barred from access, as are doctors and repair workers; human rights defenders were forcefully arrested and kicked out of their apartments and offices.

Demonstrators gathered in front of Shuhada checkpoint

The demonstration, organised by the Hebron Defense Committee, walked up to Shuhada checkpoint (checkpoint 56) chanting against the illegal collective punishment exerted on all the Palestinian residents resulting from the closed military zone. Israeli forces immediately gathered at Shuhada checkpoint, the checkpoint just recently ‘renovated’ into a cage-like monstrosity that makes reaching their homes and schools even more humiliating, intimidating and dangerous for Palestinians. Throughout the demonstration Palestinian school children on their way home were denied passage through the checkpoint.

School-children forced to wait at Shuhada checkpoint

Israeli forces had previously ordered demonstrators already gathered at the protest tent in front of the checkpoint, which has been organized by Youth Against Settlements for over a month in protest of the closed military zone, to leave the area.

Israeli forces ordering protest tent to leave the area

As soon as Palestinians started gathering in front of the checkpoint, Israeli forces advanced towards the peaceful demonstration dressed in heavy “riot control” gear and with their machine guns cocked. They immediately forced the Palestinians to move back, threatening them to shoot tear gas at the demonstrators peacefully exercising their right to protest. Even after complying with the order and moving further away from the checkpoint, Israeli forces stood outside the checkpoint aiming their guns at the gathering – even though they were in the supposedly Palestinian-controlled H1 area of al-Khalil. A group of soldiers entered a house in the H1 area, using the roof as a vantage point to surveil the demonstration.

Israeli forces threatening the use of force against peaceful demonstration

February 8th marks 100 days since the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood was first declared a closed military zone. With the renewal of the order till the 1st of March, Palestinian residents face yet another month of arbitrary threats, humiliation, violence and denial of their most basic human rights by Israeli forces. The area covered by the closed military zone order includes the tiny strip of Shuhada Street where Palestinians are still allowed to live after the 1994 Hebron Mosque Massacre that was taken as an ‘excuse’ by Israeli forces for the closure of the main Palestinian market in Shuhada Street. This closure of the majority of Shuhada Street for Palestinians is protested yearly in the Open Shuhada Street Campaign.

Jerusalem family threatened with demolition order

8th February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Quds team | Jerusalem, occupied Palestine

Israeli authorities on 2nd February 2016 issued a demolition order for the fence and gate surrounding the Amro family’s home in Wadi al-Joz in occupied East Jerusalem. The family was given 48 hours to remove the fence and gate before an imminent demolition.

The house is home to Nureddin and Sharif Amro, two blind brothers living with their elderly mother, their wives and their seven children, all of whom have lived in this house for their whole lives. A part of the home was demolished on March 31, 2015 when Jerusalem municipal authorities and police surrounded the house at 5:30 am, locked the Amros in one room, and demolished part of the house around them and much of the yard, trees and the wall that protected them from the busy street. During this demolition, Israeli forces attacked Nureddin’s brother as well as his children and wife, and buried their belongings in the demolished rooms under rubble. This demolition was completely illegal even under Israeli law, as the family never received a demolition order.

All the Palestinian homes in the neighbourhood adjacent to the old city in Wadi al-Joz are under threat of demolition by Israeli authorities as the land has been zoned by the municipality as a national park. Israeli authorities have long used this strategy of land zoning and confiscation across occupied East Jerusalem in their campaign of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians, while continuing to promote settlement building, which is illegal in the occupied territory including East Jerusalem under article 49 of the 4th Geneva convention.

This demolition order comes at a time when Israeli forces are stepping up demolitions of Palestinian homes, leaving many families homeless. The Amro family’s only hope now is that the Israeli courts will actually consider their appeal against the demolition of the fence.

Additional Resources:

Read an interview with Nureddin Amro about the house demolition: http://thisweekinpalestine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/February-214-2016.pdf (page 24 f.)

Nureddin’s article about his home demolition in The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/israel-wrecked-my-home-now-it-wants-my-land/2015/07/31/79808fca-36cf-11e5-9d0f-7865a67390ee_story.html?tid=pm_opinions_pop_b

Report on demolition of the Amro family house in March 2015: https://palsolidarity.org/2015/04/home-demolition-in-jerusalem-they-want-our-land-we-need-help-to-protect-it/