Category: In the Media

Prisoner release: The number game of Israel

19 December 2011 | The Raging Palestinian

Yesterday marked the so called completion of the prisoner swap agreement, which commenced on October 18, 2011, when Gilad Shalit was released for a total of 1,027 Palestinians to be released from Israeli prisons in two separate waves. Yet it must be noted that the numbers do not change any of the ideology or tactics employed by the occupying Israeli entity that continues to suffocate Palestinian security and livelihood.

On October 18, 2011 Palestinians eagerly awaited for the release of their loved ones from Israeli prisons, some of whom spent decades behind the cold walls of Israeli occupation facilities. Many were “exiled” from the West Bank, where their families reside, and others were let “free” in the open air prison of Gaza.

477 Palestinians were released from prison on October 18 after Israel had shot tear gas canisters at the families who waited for their loved ones to come home. Yesterday Israeli troops began to shoot tear gas canisters in Ofer at those waiting for their loved ones to be released during the second and final phase of the prisoner swap deal. This was not about fairness if chemicals were shot to force rejoicing people to cry and choke.

On December 13, 2011 Palestine from my Eyes reported that

A savage group of armed Israeli jailers broke into section 10 of Eichel prison and attacked prisoners aggressively.  They sprayed tear gas and pepper powder into the detainees, which resulted in several injuries and cases of suffocation.  They summoned additional military units to break into all 13 rooms of the section. Adding more savagery, they confiscated all the detainees’ possessions, dragging away TV, fans, banning them from the cafeteria, and cutting off electricity and water, leaving Eichel Prison isolated from the outer world.

In a publication released by Addameer, the Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, it notes that following the first phase of the prisoner swap deal until December 12, an additional 470 Palestinians were arrested by Israel.

477 prisoners were released by Israel, 470 other Palestinians arrested–Israel did a mere substitution.

Yesterday 550 were released by Israel, and one can only expect that Israel will again substitute these for others. It is an industry.

Through the application of simple subtraction, Israel afforded Palestinians 7 released prisoners during the first phase, and time will tell how many Palestinians will be arrested following the conclusion of the prisoner swap deal.  While the application of mathematics onto the strategy of a colonial enterprise seems like an irresponsible stretch, a study of its occupation tactics may quickly conclude that Israel is obviously targeting Palestinians, yet draws fancy numbers ahead of its Zionist policies.

In utilizing a number game, Israel overlooks the individual narratives and cases of each Palestinian individual  arrested or released from detainment. Israel overlooks the diversity of Palestinians, their situations as individuals, and the surrounding details regarding each individual. This does not matter to Israel; if it did, it would not sweep up Palestinians at random or during peaceful demonstrations. The number game reduces Palestinians to just that, numbers, smudging the humanization of each Palestinian individual as Israel struggles to address the equation of Palestinian existence.

The Palestine Monitor notes that since 1967, over 700,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel, equaling 20% of the total population of Palestinians still within the occupied territories.

The numerically marked Military Orders that Israel instills are used to justify the arrest of anyone, whether they are holding a Palestinian flag or coming home from school. And most of the time, the Military Order is unknown to Palestinians until after they have been arrested. Sometimes there is no need for a reason to be arrested, as Palestinians can be detained without a charge for months on end. Numbers are put ahead of these racist orders. Yet they still remain racist.

Numbers are put ahead of the innocent prisoner, whether it is Ashraf Abu Rahmeh counting his days in a kangaroo court or the Tamimis counting the amount of times they had to be dragged off. Numbers count the amount of trees ripped from the soil by price tag fanatics, numbers count refugees, numbers count what international aid amounts to, numbers tell the world how many years Palestinians have been illegally occupied and expelled from their indigenous homeland.

Numbers mark the days of a hunger strike within Israeli prisons by Palestinians starving for justice- numbers are the days it takes for the world to notice.

Numbers can be distracting. But they have no meaning when everyone can be a target of Zionist policy if they stand in its way. When simplifying it and reducing the variables, the common denominator is Illegal Occupation.

As Israel concluded the release of 1,027 prisoners, it announced that it will construct 1,028 housing units to spread its colonial settlements. Israel is outdoing itself again to cause more tension.

Numbers, “`Ala hsabna,” as we say, “For which we take the toll.”

2 Palestinians arrested in Nabi Saleh still in jail for resisting occupation

17 December 2011 | Chroniques de Palestine

In a blatant demonstration of the discriminatory policies used by the Israeli authorities when it comes to deal with protesters; out of the 21 persons who were arrested during the demonstration in Nabi Saleh on 16.12.2011, all the Israeli and internationals were released while two Palestinians are still in custody and are accused with ludicrous charges such as assaulting Israeli settler or throwing stones. This is so outrageous when you see how much the Israeli army kept assaulting the unarmed protesters yesterday, showering them with tear gas canisters and sound bombs directly at heads levels. In response the protesters just kept walking, chanting and shouting slogans, waving Palestinian flags and posters with the portraits of Mustafa Tamimi; killed the week before. Stones were thrown towards the “invaders” after they attack the crowd which was marching towards the entrance of the village.

Mohammad Katib from Bi’lin, one of the leaders of the Palestinian popular resistance, arrested when a group of protesters walked towards the entrace of the Halamish settlement during the weekly demonstration in the West Bank village of Nabi Salih, 16.12.2011. Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org/
Mohammad Tamimi, a photographer of the village of Nabi Salih, is seen getting arrested by Israeli soldiers when a group of protesters walked towards the village’s confiscated spring during the weekly demonstration in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, 16.12.2011. Photo by: Keren Manor/Activestills.org

Both Palestinians who were arrested were unarmed; they were protesting against the occupation and colonization of their lands. Arrests of human rights defenders and Palestinians involved in the popular resistance is no exceptional this is routine practice from the Israeli Occupying forces which this way attempt to curtail any dissent.

This is not an coincidence that they are trying to charge Mohammad Katib, one the main leaders of popular resistance in Palestine. The fact that he is from Bi’lin and was in Nabi Saleh was also significant, it shows that the struggles of these villages are not disconnected. And this is exactly what Israel fears- that the struggles in those villages grow and take the popular resistance to another level.

Mohammad Tamimi from Nabi Saleh was also arrested when he walked towards the Israeli soldiers who were preventing the protesters to reach the village spring which was confiscated two years ago by the settlers. Mohammad is known to be the photographer of the village.

Both were arrested in doing exactly the same thing as the others 19 who were arrested in the same circumstances. Actually the Israeli army should have arrested all of us- the hundreds of protesters who joined this Friday the villagers of Nabi Saleh to raise our voice against the continuing oppression in Palestinians and to honour Mustafa Tamimi, killed in cold blood the week before by an Israeli soldier courageously half hidden in a military jeep. He shot directly at Mustafa’s face from a distance less than 10 meters.

The details about the charges and proceedings against Mohammad Katib and Mohammad Tamimi will be clearer in the next hours and a campaign is now starting to demand their immediate release. If they are arrested and jailed for what they did yesterday, then we should all be.

21 arrested in Nabi Saleh demonstration commemorating the death of Mustafa Tamimi

16 December 2011 | Popular Struggle Coordination Committee

Soldiers attacked the peaceful demonstration, shooting tear-gas projectiles directly at protesters. 21 were arrested in an attempt to block the entrance to Halamish settlement and to reach the village’s confiscated spring

Hundreds joined the weekly demonstration in Nabi Saleh today, marking the killing of Mustafa Tamimi (28), who was shot in the face during the weekly protest in the village last Friday. Tamimi was shot from a distance of less than 10 meters behind the semi-open door of an armored military jeep.

The demonstration held today commenced peacefully from the center of the village towards the spring confiscated by the nearby settlement Halamish. Shortly after arriving to the point where Tamimi was shot last week, the march was attacked by a shower tear-gas, shot by Border Police battalions, in both arch direction and directly towards protesters. Massive amounts of tear-gas were shot continuously for approximately 30 minutes, despite the fact that no stone throwing was taking place. In addition, the “Skunk” truck carrying foul-smelling water was used to spray the entire area including the large crews of press present.

During the same time, a group of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists were blocking the entrance to the settlement of Halamish, built adjacent Nabi Saleh, on privately owned Palestinian land. 10 protesters were arrested in this attempt.

In the village, clashes started erupting between local youth and the army. A small group of protesters, who managed to get quite close to the spring, were also arrested. A Palestinian woman was pepper-sprayed by a Border Policemen for no evident reason. Several protesters and media personnel were slightly injured by tear gas canisters. One of them was evacuated to receive medical treatment.

Another group of Palestinian protesters were arrested while already leaving the village, when a taxi going to Ramallah was stopped by the army. All commuters were taken off the car and a number of them were arrested. All arrestees were taken to the Benyamin police station and most of them are charged with road blocking and entrance to close military zone.

Background

Late in 2009, settlers began gradually taking over Ein al-Qaws (the Bow Spring), which rests on lands belonging to Bashir Tamimi, the head of the Nabi Saleh village council. The settlers, abetted by the army, erected a shed over the spring, renamed it Maayan Meir, after a late settler, and began driving away Palestinians who came to use the spring by force – at times throwing stones or even pointing guns at them, threatening to shoot.

While residents of Nabi Saleh have already endured decades of continuous land grab and expulsion to allow for the ever continuing expansion of the Halamish settlement, the takeover of the spring served as the last straw that lead to the beginning of the village’s grassroots protest campaign of weekly demonstrations in demand for the return of their lands.

Protest in the tiny village enjoys the regular support of Palestinians from surrounding areas, as well as that of Israeli and international activists. Demonstrations in Nabi Saleh are also unique in the level of women participation in them, and the role they hold in all their aspects, including organizing. Such participation, which often also includes the participation of children reflects the village’s commitment to a truly popular grassroots mobilization, encompassing all segments of the community.

The response of the Israeli military to the protests has been especially brutal and includes regularly laying complete siege on village every Friday, accompanied by the declaration of the entire village, including the built up area, as a closed military zone. Prior and during the demonstrations themselves, the army often completely occupies the village, in effect enforcing an undeclared curfew. Military nighttime raids and arrest operations are also a common tactic in the army’s strategy of intimidation, often targeting minors.

In order to prevent the villagers and their supporters from exercising their fundamental right to demonstrate and march to their lands, soldiers regularly use disproportional force against the unarmed protesters. The means utilized by the army to hinder demonstrations include, but are not limited to, the use of tear-gas projectiles, banned high-velocity tear-gas projectiles, rubber-coated bullets and, at times, even live ammunition.

The use of such practices have already caused countless injuries, several of them serious, including those of children – the most serious of which is that of 14 year-old Ehab Barghouthi, who was shot in the head with a rubber-coated bullet from short range on March 5th, 2010 and laid comatose in the hospital for three weeks.

Tear-gas, as well as a foul liquid called “The Skunk”, which is shot from a water cannon, is often used inside the built up area of the village, or even directly pointed into houses, in a way that allows no refuge for the uninvolved residents of the village, including children and the elderly.

The interior of at least one house caught fire and was severely damaged after soldiers shot a tear-gas projectile through its windows.

Since December 2009, when protest in the village was sparked, hundreds of demonstration-related injuries caused by disproportionate military violence have been recorded in Nabi Saleh.

Between January 2010 and June 2011, the Israeli Army has carried 76 arrests of people detained for 24 hours or more on suspicions related to protest in the village of Nabi Saleh, including those of women and of children as young as 11 years old. Of the 76, 18 were minors. Dozens more were detained for shorter periods.

 

Record number of Palestinians displaced by demolitions as Quartet continues to talk

13 December 2011 | Amnesty International

There has been a sharp rise in demolitions of Palestinian homes in 2011 © Amnesty International

Israeli authorities have stepped up unlawful demolitions in the West Bank including East Jerusalem over the past year, displacing a record number of Palestinian families from their homes, an international coalition of 20 leading aid agencies and human rights groups said today.

The statement comes as the Middle East Quartet meets in Jerusalem in its latest effort to revive peace talks.

The sharp rise in demolitions in 2011 has been accompanied by accelerated expansion of Israeli settlements and an escalation of violence perpetrated by settlers, the groups said.

The humanitarian and human rights groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Oxfam International, are calling for the Quartet to hold all parties to the conflict to their international law obligations. The Quartet must, therefore, press the Israeli government to immediately reverse its settlement policies and freeze all demolitions that violate international law.

“The increasing rate of settlement expansion and house demolitions is pushing Palestinians to the brink, destroying their livelihoods and prospects for a just and durable peace. There is a growing disconnect between the Quartet talks and the situation on the ground. The Quartet needs to radically revise its approach and show that it can make a real difference to the lives of Palestinians and Israelis.” said Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director, Oxfam International.

The evidence of rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground includes:

  • Doubling the number of people displaced by demolitions: Since the beginning of the year more than 500 Palestinian homes, wells, rainwater harvesting cisterns, and other essential structures have been destroyed in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, displacing more than 1,000 Palestinians, UN figures show. This is more than double the number of people displaced over the same period in 2010, and the highest figure since at least 2005. More than half of those displaced have been children for whom the loss of their home is particularly devastating.
  • Accelerating settlement expansion: Plans for around 4,000 new settler housing units have been approved in East Jerusalem over the past 12 months – the highest number since at least 2006, according to Peace Now. In November, moreover, Israel announced plans to speed up construction of 2,000 new units in the West Bank including East Jerusalem.
  • Sharp increase in settler violence: violent attacks by settlers against Palestinians have escalated by over 50% in 2011 compared to 2010, and by over 160% compared to 2009, the UN reports. 2011 has seen by far the most settler violence since at least 2005. Settlers have also destroyed or damaged nearly 10,000 Palestinian olive and other trees during this year, undermining the livelihoods of hundreds of families. The perpetrators act with virtual impunity, with over 90% of complaints of settler violence closed by the Israeli police without indictment in 2005-2010.
  • Impending threat of forced displacement of Bedouin: Up to 2,300 Bedouin living in the Jerusalem periphery could be forcibly and unlawfully relocated if Israeli authorities follow through with their reported plans in 2012, which would destroy their livelihoods and threaten their traditional way of life. Rural communities in the Jordan Valley are also facing the prospect of further demolitions as settlements continue to expand.

“The Quartet should call ongoing settlement expansion and house demolitions what they are: violations of international humanitarian law that Israel should stop,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

“Israel’s escalating violations show the fundamental failure of the Quartet’s approach. It’s time for the Quartet to understand that they cannot contribute to achieving a just and durable solution to the conflict without first ensuring respect for international law,” said Phillip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Interim Programme Director, Amnesty International.

Live updates from Sheikh Jarrah – Visit ISM’s Night Watch blog

14 December 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

ISM has been following the situation of the Al Kurd family from Sheikh Jarrah since 2009 and has kept a presence in the garden of their home.

On December 4th  Nabil Al Kurd and his mother, accompanied by international and Israeli activists went to the Court of Magistrate in Jerusalem and sat in the courtroom. After 40 minutes of intense argument between the lawyer of the family and the lawyer representing the Jewish committee, the decision left the Al Kurd family with 2 options regarding their home.

The first option would involve paying rent from now in addition to the amount of “years of rent” and signing a paper stating that the Israeli government, being the owner of the land, would not need any kind of authorization if they decided to use the land. If the family refuses to fulfill the conditions of the first option, they would face the second option:  the family would could be evicted at any time.

As ISM maintains a presence in Sheikh Jarrah, please visit Sheikh Jarrah Night Watch.