Category: Hebron

Tel Rumeida: Child settler violence through the lenses of an international activist

by Sunny

5 May 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

A group of approximately 10 to 15 soldiers displayed their ineptitude in dealing with a group of rowdy settler children, roughly between the ages of 8 to 14, who were attemptng to enter Tel Rumeida.

It was an embarrassing episode for the Israeli occupation soldiers who paid more attention to ISM volunteers who were simply filming the situation.  When a settler later confronted me, violently grabbing for my camera, the soldier’s attempts to restrain him were meek and pathetic. It was an emabrassing situation which showed signs of settlers being allowed to behave as they wish with impunity, behaviour which would not be tolerated if it came from the Palestinian side.

As I walked down Tel Rumeida with another ISM volunteer, we were approached by a Palestinian child who claimed to have been confronted by a group of settler children. As we walked to find out what was going on, we found a group of 20 settler children between the ages of 8 to 14, the majority being boys, acting in a rowdy fashion near the junction where H2 meets H1. Surrounding them were roughly a group of 10 to 12 Israeli soldiers.

As we approached the scene, I witnessed several of the children who could not have been more than 10 years old walking in the direction of the barrier separating H1 from H2. If the soldiers were attempting to stop these children, then their efforts were meek, as the children merely brushed aside the soldiers.

As we questioned the soldiers regarding the situation, they shunned us away by replying, “You dont need to know, go away.” As we continued to question them  they continued to ignore us.

As the problem continued, the children became more boisterous,  challenging the soldiers’ authority when ordered not to walk in the direction of the barrier. As the soldiers formed a line blocking their path, the children easily walked through the gaps.

As the soldiers were ineffective in blocking them off they reformed the line right in front of the barrier. Their tactics proved to be worthless as some of the children were seen getting really close to the yellow gate. The occupation forces had absolutely no control of a situation created by a group of misguided children.

While this was going on, Palestinians who were looking on from outside their homes, stared in disbelief as the soldiers showed no signs of being in control of the situation.

As we filmed the behaviour, the children came in our direction attempting to snatch our cameras and our keffiyahs, or traditional Palestinian scarves. As we looked to the soldiers expecting them to intervene, they turned a blind eye and instead they demanded that we switch off our cameras. When asked why they are incapable of dispersing the children, as usual they hesitated and chose the “I dont have to answer any question” stance.

Seconds later an elderly female settler arrived at the scene and marched towards the soldiers. As she approached them she began speaking to them in an extremely aggressive tone even at times pointing her finger in their faces.  She directed her verbal onslaught at the soldiers for a full five minutes after she herself was prevented from entering H1. She continued her verbal barrage without being reprimanded for her behaviour.

As my colleague and I were filming the scenes, we were continuously told to switch off our cameras and move away. As we asked them why they were so keen to remove us and not the settlers, the soldiers began filming us and one soldier had pushed away my colleague.

We refused to move from our position.

As the female settler retreated she walked past me referring to me as “garbage” and telling me “to go back to your own country and help your own people.”

As the settlers dispersed from the location they headed towards Gilbert Checkpoint, we followed them to ensure no further troubles took place. As we caught up with them many of the kids were seen confronting a lone Palestinian woman. There were approximately 5 to six soldiers at the scene who chose to ignore the problem.

As the settlers made there way back into the illegal settlements, we stayed at the location. Three minutes later more settlers were seen walking down Tel Rumeida from a distance heading towards us. One of the settler men, as they came near, was seen confronting a Palestinian man. He had to be discouraged by an Israeli soldier. As I began filming, the settler ran towards me at full speed, violently shoving the camera out of the way. He then confronted me in order to intimidate me. As I began filming again, he continued to grab for my camera, becoming more and more aggressive at the same time. A soldier at this point had attempted to intervene,  but he used less than minimal force in attempting to restrain the man as he continued to threaten me, and reach for my camera.

The soldier finally managed to convince the settler to calm down and walk away, while I, doing nothing wrong, was told to shut off my camera. As he walked away towards the illegal Zionist settlements, so did the others. The soldiers remained to ensure there was no further breach of peace.

Although it was all over. The occupation forces may have believed that they had successfully managed to control the problem. However this was not the case. Imagine the scenario if a group of Palestinian children had attempted to walk into the illegal settlement?

Despite the aggression of the settlers, what appears to be more worrying in this case is the younger settlers: the children. One of the local Palestinian families who have had their rooftop occupied by the Israeli occupation forces have been the victims of a number of attacks coming from young settler girls between the ages of 10 to 12. The children are taught from a very young age to be hateful towards the Palestinians. The hard right, fundamentalist, and Zionist principles passed on from generations clearly shine through these children when considering the events on Tel Rumeida.

Sunny is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).

Idhna: Family faces a third home demolition by Israel

by Sunny

8 May 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On Monday, May 7 in the southern West Bank village of Idhna, Mohamed Temezi was busy working on his caravan home. Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrived unexpectedly and subjected him and his wife Faizah Temezi to a 3 hour ordeal in which they were detained, and beaten. Their new home was threatened with demolition.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) provided the caravan for the Temezi family. They have experienced house demolitions on two previous occasions by the IOF. The first demolition was in 1989 and the second 5 months ago in December 2011. Both took place in the West Bank village of Idhna. Prior to the arrival of the caravan, Mohamed, Faiza, and their son had been living in a tent.

Now the Temezi family may be facing the loss of a third home. Israel issued a demolition order for their caravan dated May 29, 2012.

Currently, Mohamed is subject to weekly visits by the IOF, threatening that if he does not cease building his home that they will forcibly confiscate it. Mohamed tells the IOF that he will rebuild his home if it is destroyed. Their reply, says Mohamed, is that they will simply demolish it again.

The Temezi family complain of regular harassment and taunting during the weekly Israeli army raids.

On Monday, 8 soldiers arrived at Mohamed’s caravan site and threatened him with arrest if he continued to build. Mohamed refused to comply and was detained alongside his wife, inside the caravan.

During the detention, they were both physically and verbally assaulted. Mohamed was struck by a soldier’s personal radio on his scalp on various occasions while being verbally assaulted. At one point, Faizah attempted to safeguard their electric motor which Israeli soldiers were attempting to confiscate. IOF responded by wrapping cable wire around her neck and forcefully pushing her head into the wall.

As the violent behaviour continued, the Israeli soldiers seized all remaining tools in the house as well as 300 metres of cable which the family required for electricity. There has been no electricity in the house since.

After 3 hours, as soldiers left, they again threatened Mohamed of the consequences of continuing his work. The equipment the IOF stole from Mohamed is valued at some 7000 NIS (approximately 1420 Euros or 1830 USD). Among the equipments seized are those required for access to the sewage system.

This is the first time that OCHA has supplied displaced Palestinians with caravans. The project has also assisted three other families in the valley of Idhna. OCHA also supplied Mohamed with two workers and 41,000 NIS for equipment to construct access to basic amenities such as water and electricity.

OCHA have been informed about the incident, however action has not been taken.

Mohamed has been held under administrative detention (no trial, no charge) on 7 occasions for a total of almost four years. The Temezi family say they fear this visit was not the last, and that they do not want to lose their home a third time. This unwanted prospect may become reality on May 29.

Sunny is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed)

Following settler attack, Palestinian woman arrested in Al Khalil

by Maria and Roda

7 May 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

A Palestinian woman was arrested by occupation police in Al Khalil (Hebron) yesterday after her home was attacked by settlers.

47 year old Jamila Hassan Abdul Fattah Al-Shalaldeh and her family live with two other familes in a home on Zionist controlled Shuhada Street .

Sunday night at 7 o clock, a group of settlers entered the family home with a large mirror, smashing the mirror on the staircase of the house before fleeing to the street. When occupation police and soldiers arrived (the home is across the street from an army post) the settlers accused al-Shalaldeh of attacking them, and the police took her into custody.

The morning of this attack, a nearby furniture shop owned by one of the other residents of the home was attacked by dozens of settlers. The group stole and destroyed furniture and attempted to knock down the walls of the shop.

The home under attack, like other Palestinian homes in the area, is the target of frequent, violent attacks from settlers and occupation soldiers. One month ago the Israeli army raided the home with an attack dog to force the residents to remove surveillance cameras on the exterior of the building, traumatizing the young children living in the house.

The events of yesterday serve as examples of the violence endemic to the lives of Palestinians living in Israeli-controlled zones of Hebron. The occupation forces protect the settlers as they attack Palestinian homes, property, and people of all ages. Palestinians who resist, even, passively, are punished by the police as the settlers remain free and untouched by the law.

Maria and Roda are volunteers with International Solidarity Movement (names have been changed).

Another water cistern demolished, another violation of Human Rights

by Joseph

3 May 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On Wednesday 2nd May 2012, in the town of Al-Baqr, the Israeli occupation forces destroyed yet another water cistern.

The water cistern measuring 16 metres in width and length, and 8 metres in height was used to irrigate approximately 40 to 50 dunams of land. The  land was used for the purpose of farming. The farms were mainly used for growing grapes, and various other vegetables.

 The water cistern, owned by Yihya Jaber, was demolished approximately six and a half hours after the ordeal had begun at 7am in the morning. As ISM volunteers arrived at the scene, we could see the excavator being used to pick up the soil and filling in the demolished cistern. As we approached the scene, three Israeli soldiers told us not to go any closer.

Without giving us any clear instructions of where we were allowed to stand, we attempted to find an accurate view of this illegal demolition. With the permission of a local Palestinian family, we were able to see the carnage from their terrace. As we looked down, the cistern was almost nonexistent and the source of livelihood for many of the Palestinians in Al-Baqr was reduced to rubble and dirt.

The families looked on helplessly.

The soldiers had completely surrounded the scene preventing anybody from approaching the cistern while it was being destroyed. At approximately 1pm the the Israeli soldiers had finished what they came to do, they abandoned the scene taking away their digger and tipper.

Another water cistern demolished, another violation of Human Rights.

As the scene was abandoned the families come out, staring blankly in despair to what is left of a structure they so desperately relied on. It was one of a series of blows delivered to the Palestinians of Al-Baqr as the tally of water cisterns demolished by the Israeli occupation in Al-Baqr alone, rose to 8 just in the space of the last two years.  The illegal destruction of this water cistern will affect the lives of 30 to 40 Palestinians.

 The demolition in Al-Baqr was not the first time the Israeli occupation forces had destroyed this water cistern.

It was first demolished in 2010. Just like the demolition of 2010, Jaber had recieved only two to three weeks notice about it from the Israelis. Jaber and the local Palestinians whose livelihood depends upon these water cisterns, were informed that the reason for why the demolitions were taking place was due to the fact that neither of the families had a permit for the water cistern. According to Dr Shahaad Attili, the minister of Palestinian Water Authority, water cisterns do not require a permit from the Israeli Civil Administration, thereby rendering the pursuit of a permit as another useless exercise.

Despite it being unnecessary to be in possession of a permit,  it is common knowledge that it is near impossible for Palestinians to obtain permits for land illegally occupied by the Israeli Government. On both occasions that Jaber had applied for permission, they were turned away on the grounds that “It is Israeli Land” or “It’s too close to the security road,” or “It’s an agricultural area,” and finally “It’s too close to the settlements.”

The cost for applying for a permit is approximately a thousand shekels, and now the cost of complaining about the demolition is normally between a total of 15000 NIS. Even if he does manage to afford this fee, which is highly unlikely, it will most likely be a futile battle against the discriminatory and apartheid policies of Israel.

 In the past two years according to Daikonia, over 44 water cisterns hve been destroyed in land falling under Area C, affecting the lives of over 13,500 people and displacing 127. In the past month alone, a total of 7 water cisterns have been destroyed in West Bank with yet more structures under threat.

This is a clear violation of the Israeli-Palestinian joint agreement from 2001, the “Joint Declaration for Keeping the Water Infrastructure out of the Cycle of Violence.”

It is also important to note that Israel has denied the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention by occupying Palestinian land but have accepted the applicability of the Hague Regulations. Under Article 43 of The Hague Convention Israel, as an occupying power over both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, has the ultimate responsibility to ensure that public order and safety are upheld in the territory it occupies, including securing the welfare of the population. Its impossible to see how Israel is securing the welfare of the Palestinian population when they are illegally destroying water cisterns that will cause them severe hardship.

For more photos click here

 The village of Al-Baqr remains under constant threat of demolition. Not only the remaining water cisterns, but the houses face the same consequences as they are considered “illegal.” This adds more burden to the strains of Al-Baqr.Even for electricity, all families are required to purchase cards which offer a limit of kilowatts lasting only two to three days. The closest hospital is also 25 kilometers away, shorter routes to the hospital have been made inaccessible for Palestinians by Israeli occupation forces. It is also very difficult for children to get to schools everyday as they have to travel long distances.

 As demolitions continue in Al-Baqr the illegal Zionist settlements populated by migrants to stolen land continue to expand, the two nearest settlements being Harsin and Kariat Arba. Two years ago the main road leading into the town was opened up so the settlers can come and gawk at the plight of Palestinians. However the Israeli Government refers to these outings as “tours.”

   Joseph is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).

The right to water: Water cistern demolitions in Hebron area

by Joseph

23 April 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On Monday April 23, 2012, the Israeli occupation forces destroyed four water cisterns outside of the city of al-Khalil (Hebron). Two of the destroyed cisterns were located in the Abweire area, a small agricultural neighborhood of 400-500 residents northeast of al-Khalil. The other two cisterns destroyed were located in Hal-Houl, south of al-Khalil. The demolitions came just one week after another four cisterns were destroyed in the Meshroona area south of al-Khalil.

Palestinians in these areas, who are located in Area C, are forced to depend on rain water cisterns for their crops and livestock because of unequal distribution of water resources to surrounding illegal, Zionist settlements. The destruction of such cisterns is part of a calculated strategy of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing in occupied Palestine. According to the Israeli organization Diakonia, water cistern demolitions over the past two years have directly affected almost 14,000 Palestinians, among whom several hundred have been forced to leave their homes because of lack of water. International law forbids the targeting of structures essential for the survival of the civilian population.

The day after their water cistern was demolished, activists with ISM visited members of the Ashfour family in Abweire in order to talk and survey the damage. The occupation forces did not stop with removing the top of the cistern, but actually smashed the sidewalls, rendering the structure totally useless. The occupation forces came without warning in four jeeps, an armored personnel carrier, an armored bulldozer, and another armored earth-wrecking machine, along with personnel from the Israeli permits and construction offices. They claimed that the cistern was constructed illegally, without the necessary permits, and began to destroy the cistern.

Within an hour the Ashfour family’s hopes for irrigating their crops lay in ruins. According to Hisham Ashfour, the cistern had been built almost ten years ago and served not only his family but about fifty people in his neighborhood. The other cistern destroyed in Abweire was also rendered completely unusable, having been filled in with dirt by an Israeli bulldozer.

Joseph is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).