Category: Nablus

The ethnic cleansing of Palestine continues in Fasayil

5th December 2018 | International Solidarity Movement in coordination with Jordan Valley Solidarity, Nablus team | Fasayil al Wusta, Occupied Palestine

The ethnic cleansing of Palestine continues. Dunum by dunum, village by village, house by house, the people of Palestine face a slow, systematic genocide in their homeland. Two houses were demolished in the south of the Jordan Valley, in the village of Fasayil, on Sunday morning. The Israeli government did not issue a warning. The village of 1,300 people has been facing Israeli assaults on their land since the early seventies, with the construction of two settlements on either side, and a huge farmland in front of them, all less than a kilometre away.

But it was in 2010 that the Israelis came and virtually destroyed the entire village of Fasayil al Wusta. The residents have, since then, built the village back up.

Hassan Mohammed Hussein A´Zayed built a house for his son, who suffers from mental disabilities, and is sensitive to hot weather. “That house cost me 15,000 shekels to build, not only because of building materials, but because of the air conditioning (unit),” he said. The house only lasted one year before it was bulldozed on Sunday, the AC unit along with it.

 

A few metres in front of the newly destroyed house, one can see at least three other piles of rubble that used to be housing units, all belonging to Hassan. This was the seventh time a house of his was demolished. “They keep destroying them. Sometimes with warning, sometimes not. It´s a random policy. There´s no way of knowing what they´re going to do.” Hassan has 8 children.

Aeman Rashaeda, father of four, whose wife teaches at the nearby school, was the next to lose his house, on the same road as Hassan´s. When the Israelis approached him, they told him that it was forbidden to build, and that he was living in a closed military firing zone.

When the complete destruction of the village took place 8 years ago, 10 families immediately fled. This is a village that receives only 1500 litres of water for each household per week; that can never get a permit to farm or build; that cannot dig a well deeper than 150 meters, enforced by Israeli occupation law.

Before the 1967 invasion of the West Bank, this village shared water from a natural spring 4 kilometers up a nearby mountain. It has, since then, been surrounded by 3 Israeli wells – the water now privatised – controlled for settler use. 60 percent of the Jordan Valley has been closed by the Israeli occupation for “military firing and security zone(s)”, but it´s been well known for years to have actually been used for agribusiness. Pick any one feature of the military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, and you will find a policy of theft, of racism, of genocide.

Once again, a non-violent, Palestinian-lead demonstration was met with Israeli Police violence.

2nd December 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Nablus, Occupied Palestine

Once again, Palestinians exercised their right of free speech under international law, and once again, were encountered with tear gas and gunfire. Outside Nablus, demonstrations took place against the continuous construction of Israeli settlements and outposts, imprisonment of Palestinians- young and old- and the Trump administration’s declaration to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. At one point, when the Israeli assault settled, an activist was able to comment on the situation: “We refuse any attempts to make Al Quds a capital of this zionist state, which aims to divide our lands with the ‘Big Jerusalem Project’ or ‘E1 Plan,’ that will be used to connect Ma’aleh Adomim Settlement with Al Quds, through the Palestinian lands and towns, furthering the separation of our land into small cantons.” Constant infringement on rights, humiliation, and collective punishment of Palestinians are at the core of this dreadful conflict, and have been the fuel for non-stop protests throughout the occupied West Bank for years. The most recent example of this systematic cruelty is Isra’a Al-Ja’abis, whose been in prison for 2.5 years, reportedly having been denied proper medical treatment for her severe burns that she got after her car exploded in 2015.

For every lull in violence by the police, came another eruption of tear gas and firing, pushing the protestors back by hundreds of meters. Both Internationals showing solidarity, and the press, avoided rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades. One Palestinian was injured by a live sniper-bullet, reportedly to have been bleeding profusely from his leg. “He’s been taken to the hospital for treatment, and we don’t have updates on his condition.”

Urif: the struggle to study

Urif, the 21th of November

Urif is a small Palestinian village perched on the top of a hill, not far from Nablus. The view is beautiful and clear, overlooked by another scenic hill. A longtime resident tells us that before the 1980s, the locals used to go for walks and picnics in the area, but since the illegal settlers seized it, it has not been possible or safe to walk in this area. No one would dare go too close to the area because the settlers are very dangerous. “The most dangerous of all the West Bank, with those of Kyriat Arbat, in Khalil [Hebron]” says the guardian of the school we met. He adds that settlers from Kyriat Arbat come to join those of Yitzar to attack the surrounding villages on a regular basis.

In the horizon, Yitzar Settlement haunts the school playground

Established in 1983, Yitzar is home to a religious extremist community that has expanded in recent years. The arrival of young settlers has increased the attacks over the past five years. “And it gets worse from year to year,” he explains. The Israeli authorities’ dismantling of the Baladim forward post in June 2017, considered too violent and extremist even by the Israeli authorities, led to an influx of young settlers in Yitzar. However, they do nothing to prevent recurring criminal attacks against Palestinians. In Urif, the last building of the village before the colony, is the boys’ college. So here you never know if students will be able to study until 1:30 pm, the end time of their school day. Ayed Al Qot, the director of the college explains that since September, the staff has been forced to evacuate the establishment seven times. The situation is worse than last year. Behind his desk are tear gas bombs, sound bombs and rubber coated steel bullets collected from the school courtyard. He keeps them there as evidence of their painful, absurd daily life.

Sound bombs, rubber coated steel bullets and tear gas canisters.

Every day, there is always an overwhelming anxiety at the thought that the settlers may arrive and throw stones at the college. In these cases, the guardian of the establishment warns the teachers, the Palestinian Ministry of Education and contacts the inhabitants of the village and the Palestinian Police (who never comes, he adds). The students return the stones at the settlers and the inhabitants come to join them to defend the school and the village. Soldiers who watch the settlers attacks from afar come to suppress the Palestinians’ response. Tear gas, sound bombs, rubber coated bullets and even live ammunition. Less than two weeks ago, fifty settlers attacked the school. Several students were shot and wounded and taken to the hospital. It’s hard to know if the shootings came from settlers or the army, says Ayed Al Qot. One thing is certain, killing people does not seem to be a problem for these settlers, and it has happened several times.

Ayed Al Qot, the director of the college in his office.

Last Monday, it was at dawn that they attacked, which resulted in the school not even be able to open. The clashes lasted more than five hours. So in the face of these constant attacks, school drop-out is high, much higher than in other villages, explains the director. And the program is hard to keep. When the school is attacked, classes are cancelled and students are sent home. During class, young boys find it hard to concentrate, paying more attention to movements from outside than from their teacher. The teaching team is therefore considering alternatives to ensure that they can follow all the lessons; give lessons in the afternoon and on weekends in the center of the village for example. She would also like support to build a security fence and install a roof over part of the playground. So many solutions being put forward, but in the face of a situation where nobody is there to protect the students and put an end to the terror policy of the young settlers, it is hard to know what can really be done to stop the attacks. Some parents surrender and decide to change the school their child attends, but this is not an option for many of the parents.

Everyday, the guard makes a tour of the college before the students arrive to be sure that no colonist has entered. When the classes begin, he places himself on the roof of the school or on the road in front of the building. Teachers regularly ask him if the settlers are on the way, constantly worried. This makes is difficult for the students to study but also for the teachers to teach affectively in such an environment.

A settler scouts a Palestinian school in Urif, to prepare an eventual attack.
That day, we see settlers at the top of the hill. The guard warns residents and the information circulates quickly. Cars go back and forth to see the evolution of the situation. A parent tells us that he leaves his job almost daily to come, as soon as he learns that settlers are in the area. Difficult to imagine the daily life of these people, immersed in endless waiting. Several hours pass, a man from the security service of the colony observes us from the hill, armed. There are silhouettes of settlers, sticks in hand, then they disappear. The wait continues. At 13:30, the school bell rings, luckily they have not been attacked today, leaving a little respite to the students, teachers and parents.

In Palestine, time seems sometimes suspended. People are constantly waiting.

They are waiting for settler attacks, without knowing when they will take place.
They are waiting for the Israeli police to demolish their houses when they are built in zone C “illegally”, because of the lack of permits issued by the Israeli authorities.
They wait at checkpoints, subject to the goodwill of Israeli soldiers to let them pass through.
They are also waiting for the release of loved ones, sometimes without knowing when they will be released.
Then of course there is always the expectation and hope that of one day their land with be liberated and free of the occupation.

Two Palestinians and an International shot at non-violent Protest in Kafr Qaddum

November 23, 2018 | International Solidarity Movement | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine

Fourteen years ago the Israeli Government closed the road between Kafr Qaddum and Nablus, extending the distance to 14 km, effectively making what would be a 15 minute journey for the villagers, into 40 minutes. The protests began in 2011 to reopen the illegal roadblock, and have continued every Friday and Saturday since then.

Israeli snipers inside the village
Israeli snipers were inside the village

Today’s protest, as always, began after prayer. Immediately, the soldiers started firing live rounds, rubber bullets, and tear gas.

The coordinator of the demonstration, Murad Eshtewi, was hit with a live round in the right thigh. After being transferred to an ambulance, a fellow demonstrator took his place, speaking into the megaphone.

In response to the tear gas and gunfire, the youth began throwing stones – deemed by Israel as a crime punishable up to 20 years in prison.

Several internationals were present, including those from ISM, IWPS, and the Press. A 65-year-old Italian national – a volunteer with ISM – was shot in her left thigh by a rubber-coated steel bullet. “I was just standing there,” she recalls, “It was good that I was turned away. I could’ve been shot in the knee.” Another young boy was also shot in the leg, and was carried off into an ambulance, reportedly in shock.

This attack on another peaceful demonstration against the illegal road block, only confirms the increase in aggression by the army. Discouraging protest by the Palestinians, and international solidarity thereof, is the only take-away from an attack like this. “They used less bombs and tear gas… But they used more bullets,” another demonstrator states.

Demonstrations by Palestinians and Internationals are expected to continue for this Saturday, and the following weekends.

‘Our kites fly over the invisible borders and reach what we cannot’: ISM speaks to Yasmeen Najjar at the annual kite festival in Burin

29th June 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Burin, occupied Nablus

Burin is a small village located seven kilometres to the southwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, and is home to around 3000 people. The village is surrounded by multiple illegal Israeli settlements, and is subjected to constant violent settler attacks and raids by Israeli forces.

For the past nine years, the village has been hosting an annual kite festival for its residents and their friends and families. The festival is one of the biggest yearly events in the village and is looked forward to by children and adults alike.

Residents of Burin gather on top of the hill outside the village to fly their kites (photo: ISM)

With burning kites being flown by demonstrators from Gaza into Israel as part of the Great Return March, this years display in Burin was particularly poignant. The Great Return March has been protesting the 11 year siege of the strip by Israel.

International Solidarity Movement activists spoke to 21 year old Yasmeen Mustafa Waleed Najjar, the first Arab amputee to climb the highest peak in Africa and one of the organisers of the festival, about what the annual celebration means to the local community.

21 year old Yasmeen Mustafa Waleed Najjar, one of the organisers of the festival (photo: ISM)

“Our village is surrounded by settlements from all angles, as you can see. We fly our kites every year to prove that this is our land. Even if we can’t go there ourselves, our kites fly over the invisible borders and reach what we cannot. We have been organising this festival for nine years, to resist the occupation and show Israel that we are strong inside and out. We can still have fun days in the mountains under their occupation, with music, food and games, bringing joy to our children.

Palestinians fly home made kites at the festival (photo: ISM)

“The idea started as a form of peaceful resistance. Zionist settlers and occupation forces regularly come inside my village to attack us or cause problems. Settlers killed one of my classmates when I was at school, and they come into our houses at night – I remember many times that they entered my house when my family was asleep. They also kill our animals and do a lot of terrible things.

“There is a checkpoint near the village school that my brother and sister study at. The settlers entered the school, protected by soldiers, pushing the students into the classrooms and locking the doors. The occupation has put up watchtowers and fences in close proximity to the school. I remember my younger brother telling me one day, ‘I don’t want to go to school anymore because they always come. I don’t want to go.’

A young girl watches a kite as her father looks on (photo: ISM)

“The village comes together to organise the kite festival to make joy for the children and have fun all together. We stand in solidarity with our community and the Palestinians everywhere who live under this occupation. I volunteer with many organisations, and we do everything to support our people and show the world what is happening here. We are showing the beauty of Palestine to the hearts of others, regardless of the occupation. We invite people from all around, including national groups from my university.

“All the boys in the village make their kites together in the week before the festival. It’s a skill that’s passed down through the generations – their older brothers teach them, and when they are older they teach their younger brothers. It’s become a really easy thing for our kids, and a fun activity to do together and a way to enjoy time with friends and family. It’s a game all of us play – everyone can fly a kite here.

Women watch the festivities from the top of the hill (photo: ISM)

“I was young when the festival started. I remember one year, lots of solders came when we started flying kites on the mountain. They stopped the festival and sent us all back home. We waited for an hour, then all came back and continued to fly our kites! I came with my brothers and sisters and we flew a kite that we had made. It was amazing.

“I can’t remember exactly when I started to get involved with arranging the festival. It was a long time ago. From the age of 11 or 12, the children of our community participate in everything that can bring positivity to our village.”

Read about last’s year’s kite festival here

To keep updated about the village of Burin, visit their Facebook page All for Burin