Category: Journals - Page 23 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli Border Police question Palestinian children

10th August 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

What started and should have ended a few hours ago as a scuffle between two boys ended up with a Israeli Border Police action that once again demonstrated the racism and oppression that Palestinians face in an occupied city.

Close to Ibrahimi Mosque, an Israeli settler boy and a Palestinian boy got into a fight. It isn’t very clear who started it, but according to the Palestinians who witnessed it, blows were exchanged on both sides. They broke the fight up, and the Palestinian boy went home. The incident happened in view of the Border Police, who initially did not do anything.

After the fight ended, however, the Israeli boy called his father, who showed up with his automatic weapon and demanded to speak to the Border Police.

Led by their commander, the military went into a Palestinian courtyard and interrogated Palestinians they came across. They took two boys and forced them to go to the Israeli child and his father, who declared they are innocent. Only then were they let go.

The Border Police then came entered a Palestinian shop and looked for children. They interrogated other boys they came across, demanding information. They went to another home, and a father brought his child to the commander and the settlers who were observing.

Despite the fact that a fight broke out between two kids, it was the Palestinian kid who was intensively searched for and it was other Palestinian kids who were interrogated and brought down to the settlers.

Had the circumstances been reversed, such an intensive search for an Israeli boy who hit a Palestinian, whether in a fight or not, would not have taken place. This is life for the Palestinian people in Hebron, a city under occupation.

Israeli soldiers enter a Palestinian courtyard, looking for a Palestinian boy who fought with an Israeli boy.

Two Palestinian boys are taken by Israeli Border Police officers to the Israeli settler boy and his father.

Another Palestinian child is brought to the Border Police for questioning

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

Israeli Border Police bring two Palestinian boys over to the Israeli settler boy and his father.

Israeli Border Police interrogate two Palestinian boys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az0zyVKhx3E

Israeli Border Police talk to the father of another Palestinian child at a checkpoint.

Israeli military destroys six homes in Umm Khaeyr

9th August 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Umm Khaeyr village, occupied Palestine

On the morning of August 9, 2016, ten Israeli military jeeps each filled with five soldiers, arrived in the village of Umm Khaeyr. It was 6:30, and most people were still in bed. The soldiers made the people sit down, and did not let them move.

Then they destroyed six houses, three of which were built with funding by the European Union.
According to Bilal, one of the villagers who took us around, the homes were destroyed for allegedly having been built without permits. Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank are very rarely given permission to build homes, even though it is in their own land.

One of the houses was inhabited by an elderly woman and her children. They now live in a shack.

Shockingly, one of the homes had an EU sticker on it, it could not have been more clear that it was built with international assistance.

According to Bilal, the commander told him “everywhere I see this paper, I will demolish without reason”.

As traumatic as this demolition was for the community, it was not the only one they experienced. Such actions are terrible at any point in time, but especially during the winter, when it is cold outside.

One winter, Bilal asked the soldiers how will the women and children whom they made homeless survive.

The answer he heard was short and cruel.

“It is not our business”.

Bilal’s own house had been demolished two years ago.

Fuming, he told us “I worked for this house. The settlers are paid to live here”.

Israeli soldiers not only demolish people’s homes, but also last year destroyed an oven that the villagers use to make bread.

Umm Khaeyr is literally only meters away from the settlement of Carmel. We could see the homes just beside us, most of them nice looking buildings with red roofs. Most were in an area that is surrounded by barbed wire.

According to Bilal, the settlers sometimes come down from their red roofed homes and harass the villagers. In 2012, the settlers stole ten goats.

He described another incident when they came down from the settlement, and beat up some women- then accused the women of assaulting them. Fortunately, the villagers had a camera with them and filmed what took place. The soldiers released the women- and the settlers, although there was video evidence showing them committing assault- and then fined the women one thousand shekels.

While in the village, we saw two army helicopters fly overhead, and later heard a loud BOOM far off in the distance. The village is evidently close to a military training ground. Bilal said that sometimes the choppers land very close to people in another village, and their propellers cause dust and dirt to fly everywhere, including on people whom they land close by.

Despite the demolitions and harassment that they face on a regular basis, neither Bilal or the other villagers plan to give up. They will in most likelihood try to rebuild, even though they know the structures will probably be knocked down again sooner than later. Even as we speak, many other of the buildings in the village- homes as well as buildings where animals are kept- have been given papers that state their demolition is imminent also.

However, they will not be chased away.

“I will stay here, I will not leave this area. This is my land”.

Palestinian flags fly over two of the homes that were demolished today by the Israeli military.

Bilal points to the ruins that used to be a home of a family until this morning, when bulldozers came and knocked it down.

Settler Harassment and Water Shortages in Beit Ummar

8 August 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Beit Ummar, occupied Palestine

Settler Harassment

The difficult situation of Beit Ummar, from Abdullah’s point of view

Ealier today we visited Abdullah Braigheith, a 54 year old farmer, who with his family are facing the risk of getting their agricultural water tank demolished, any day from now. This is their livelihood, without the water for crops they will lose their income. Abdullah and his brother already had to cut down on their production this year; they went from planting 30 dunums* last year to only 5 dunums this year. This leaves the family facing severe economic problems, and the father can’t pay for his kids’ education in university. They are now fearing losing around 3000 dunums of their land, because the settlers want to connect the settlements Gush Etzion and Beit AlBarakeh to make one settlement. Even though they are surrounded by settlements from all sides, they will not leave their land. This is not only due to the fact that they will lose their income, but the land is also their pride and identity.

Thirty five of the family’s apricot trees were cut down by the settlers. The family filed a complaint to the Israeli police, who did nothing to help. Afterwards, the settlers took revenge by setting three of their tractors on fire.

The family went to the Israeli military, who told them to file a complaint. Abdullah asked the military for a video of what happened, since there are military cameras all over the area. The soldiers refused to let them even see the video, because of ”security reasons”. The purpose of the cameras is not to protect people like Abdullah and his family, but instead the settlers who attack them and their property.

The family were not able a complaint since the soldiers did not allow them to see evidence that would make such an action possible. According to Abdullah Braigheith, using Israeli military courts to get justice is futile because the courts are set up to protect the victimizers, not the people who are wronged.

“It’s their own court, we can do nothing about it”, Abdullah said.

Water Shortage

About one year ago, four water tanks were built in Beit Ummar, a project to develop Palestinian water resources and agricultural lands in the West Bank. It was built with funding from the European Union, USAID, UAWC and other NGOs without permission from the Israeli authorities, because they knew that they most likely would not get a permit to built them if they did. Usually they would not receive demolition orders, but they all did, and the farmers, including Abdullah Braigheith, have all been going in and of court since. This meaning that they are now not only dealing with a huge water shortage and harassment from settlers, but are now also using huge amounts of money in court. The fact that even projects like this, funded by the European Union and other NGOs, are under demolition orders, shows how impossible it is for the people living in Beit Ummar and the rest of the West Bank to receive help.

Since the Oslo Accords in 1995, Beit Ummar was put in the calegory which covers 60 % of the West Bank, called Area C, which is completely under Israeli civil military control. In these areas, Israeli settlers have higher privileges which are at the expense of the Palestinian population here. This is clear when you look at the fields in Beit Ummar, where Palestinian farmers are either not able to actually use most of their land, or their plants are dying because of the shortage of water.

Close by, you see the settlers’ fields which are green. The difference is very clear.

Palestinian domestic consumption is on average 70 litres per person per day, with Israeli domestic consumption being on average 300 litres per capita per day. A gross inequality exists, however, between Palestinian communities and illegal Israeli settlements*.

*B’tselem, The Gap in Water Consumption Between Palestinians and Israelis, (2007). Available from: http://www.btselem.org/english/Water/Consumption_Gap.asp.

One of the settlements; Beit Al-Barakeh, right next to Abdullah's land. — One of the settlements; Beit Al-Barakeh, right next to Abdullah’s land.

Abdullah standing at the water tank which is in the risk of getting demolished

Abdullah looking at one of the many dry fields

Denied permission to go to the mosque to pray

13th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | al-Khalil, occupied Palestine

During one of our walks today, we came across a sight that very unfortunately is all too common in this city. A group of men and women were queuing up to go to the Ibrahimi Mosque – believed by both Jews and Muslims in Hebron to contain the tomb of Abraham – to pray.

Palestinians who come from the Souq need to go through a gate that is controlled electronically. Today, one of the border police officers manning it, for whatever reason, decided to make this a difficult and humiliating ordeal for a Palestinian.

A man, his wife, and his mother were going to the mosque to pray.The border police officer controlling the gate let the man’s wife through.When it was the man’s turn, he closed the gate, and told the guy he will not get through. No reason was provided. The man unbuckled and took off his belt and showed he was unarmed, but the officer didn’t care. The man then got upset and began yelling at the officer, who just ignored him and told him he will not be letting him through. Then he refused to open the gate that would let the man leave, effectively leaving him trapped between two gates. Exasperated, the Palestinian man climbed over the gate and started his way back home. The soldiers threatened to chase him and he ran. His wife went back with him.

What security or moral purpose can be achieved by denying a man the right to go to his place of worship, and humiliating him in front of everyone else? He was not trying to start a fight, he was trying to go and pray, along with his wife and mother.

There was no reason for such behaviour on the part of the soldier, other than a cruel display of power. Sadly, these types of things happen again and again in this city. Another aspect of the reality faced by the Palestinians living under Israeli military rule.

The man takes off his belt to show to the Border Police officer that he is unarmed.

As others watch, the man tries to plead with the Border Police officer manning the gate for the permission to go the mosque to pray.

The impossibility to know – navigating the (psychological) siege of Hebron

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

Israeli forces during the last week of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan have increased and stepped up restrictions for Palestinians in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). Thus they are severely limiting Palestinians possibilities to exercise their religion during this most important month in the Muslim calendar, and on a large scale to celebrate the second most important feast, Id il-Fiter, marking the end of Ramadan.

Despite most of the checkpoints in the old city of al-Khalil a maze of restrictions, harassment and intimidation by Israeli forces on daily basis, the restrictions were stepped up even more at the end of Ramadan, enforcing age limit barring any Palestinian between 15-30 from accessing the area around the Ibrahimi Mosque. But it is not just the actual physical occupation, but even more the psychological occupation imposed by the Israeli forces. Whereas the age-restriction in theory is implemented at all three checkpoints allowing to access the Ibrahimi Mosque area, it was only implemented on some days, at some hours, by some soldiers. Thus, trying to reach the mosque for prayer during Ramadan, or visiting family during Eid, no Palestinian would ever be able to tell whether or not they would be allowed. Is the trip to the checkpoint even worth trying, or would Israeli forces deny a person in that age-group anyways? Or would they let a youth within this age-group pass anyways, but then arbitrarily decide to deny another person? Even worse, as a Palestinian, one can never tell whether, even if just on the way to quickly buy groceries from the store close-by, one would ever come back home, as arbitrary arrests are common, as are attacks by settlers. Due to this arbitrariness and the Israeli forces’ complete impunity, one would never be able to tell, whether or not one is be allowed to pass one single checkpoint – and coming from most directions to reach Ibrahimi Mosque at least three different checkpoints have to be navigated.

Similarly, the complete closure of most of the entries and exits of al-Khalil, has been arbitrarily imposed in the first place, and then arbitrarily managed, opening some of the checkpoints for maybe a few hours, but then closing it again, denying anyone from passing. South Hebron suddenly, the last night of Ramadan, and thus the beginning of the 3-day festival of Eid, was declared a ‘closed military zone’, denying any Palestinian to leave or access the area. This happened on the night, where most people were out, celebrating the start of Eid after 30 days of fasting during Ramadan, doing shopping.

On the morning of Wednesday 6th July, the first day of Eid, where Palestinians traditionally go and visit all their family, Israeli forces set up additional checkpoints at most exits of al-Khalil and the surrounding villages, deliberately slowing down the holiday-traffic. In the Tel Rumeida neighborhood, that was entirely closed as a closed military zone for more than six months, families marked a sharp increase in visitors as Israeli forces seemed to have managed to create an atmosphere of fear that stopped Palestinians from visiting their families even during this important holiday. Especially young men – a common target of extrajudicial executions by Israeli forces during the last months – simply didn’t want to risk crossing Shuhada checkpoint, with their family stating that they don’t want yet another Palestinian, a family member, gunned down by Israeli forces without a reason, but with complete impunity.

Additionally to the physical obstacles, that with no doubt are manifold and literally create a maze at times impossible to navigate for any Palestinian, the psychological occupation, the technique of wearing people down, trying to break their will, needs to be taken into consideration. Can you imagine not ever being able to know what will happen, whether you’ll come back home, even if just out for five minutes? This daily insecurity, the inability to ever plan, or even feel safe inside one’s own home, is deliberately forced on Palestinians by the Israeli forces. Rather than a by-product of the occupation, it is a deliberate strategy that amounts to psychological torture in the every-day lives of Palestinians. Despite the ongoing and intensified attempts by Israeli forces to step up on either of these two forms of apartheid-measures and collective punishment of the Palestinian population in attempts to create a coercive environment that in the end would lead to a forced displacement of Palestinians, the Palestinians remain steadfast and defy these attempts at ethnic cleansing.