4th November 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | As Sawiaya, Occupied Palestine
The villagers of As Sawiaya had gained permission to pick their olives, for just 3 days in the year the Israel army was allowing them to visit their land. These three days were overshadowed by the harassment and attacks from settlers from the illegal Israel settlement of Eli. Since these attacks happen on a regular basis, the farmers asked International activists to attend the olive harvest as a protective presence.
Activists accompanied farmers up to the groves closest to the settlement, which lies on top of the hll. On their arrival they discovered, that the trees were bare for all the olives had been stolen. A private security guard from the settlement, told activists that the permission was only for the Palestinian farmers and that the army was already contacted to ask them to leave. Indeed soldiers arrived but made no attempt to evict the internationals.
Farmers who tried to get to the fields closest to the settlement were prevented from doing so by the Israeli Army.
Activists were able to assist with the olive harvest in groves further from the settlement where the crop had not been stolen
2nd November 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Tawayel, Occupied Palestine
An Israeli soldier in Tawayel
Today, Saturday 2nd November, a number of Palestinians supported by international activists traveled to the village of Tawayel to help rebuild a house for a family that was made homeless after Israeli forces demolished their property on Tuesday 29th October.
By mid morning up to 60 people had gathered on the farm and electricity poles were replaced, however heavy machinery was forced to leave due to fears that the Israeli army would return and confiscate it. Work continued to lay the foundations of the replacement house by hand.
At approximately 3pm Israeli soldiers arrived shortly followed by two military vehicles. Israeli forces inspected the site but did not speak to anyone until the vehicles arrived. The Palestinians present were asked for ID and the questioning was aggressive, one Palestinian was threatened that he would “pay a price” for his involvement.
Construction has been halted as a result of the incursion and the family affected remain housed in a tent. Additionally their livestock are being watered from a truck at considerable expense, as the water reserve was destroyed in the same demolition.
29th October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Tawayel, Occupied Palestine
A family after their home was demolished
Today, Tuesday 29th October, Israeli soldiers invaded the village of Tawayel in the early hours of the morning to demolish several buildings and a water reserve. The demolition continued into the afternoon, where two international activists were detained before being released shortly after.
Early this morning at around 5am, the Israeli army arrived in Tawayel with several military jeeps and three bulldozers. They began by demolishing a sheep enclosure before continuing to destroy the house of one farmer. The former home of this family was completely destroyed, but Israeli forces then demolished a water reserve. This means the soldiers removed the water supplies for several families and their animals in the area.
When Israeli forces continued in their demolition by moving their focus to another house, used as a storage room, four international activists sat in front of the bulldozer to try to prevent the demolition. Several Israeli soldiers and border police told them to leave and when they refused, took one French activist and pushed her into an army jeep. Shortly after this, border police grabbed a German activist, handcuffed him and placed him in the military jeep. The farmers and the internationals then had to watch, while the Israeli army destroyed the storage room. After they were finished, they released the activists, without taking their passports or even their names.
Tawayel is a village close to Aqraba. The landscape is mainly desert, which makes it difficult for the farmers in the area to build a structured water supply. The village is Area B, but many farmers are living outside of the village, where there is more space for their sheep and animals. These farmers and their families have been living in this land for generations, though the army declared it Area C. Most of the houses the farmers are living in are quite old and in the last few years they constructed infrastructure to simplify water supply, they also built new shelters for their sheep in order to protect them from the summer sun, the cold in the winter and wild dogs. For these new buildings the farmers sent several aplications for planning permission, they did not receive a response from the Israeli government and this is why the administration declared those constructions as illegal.
This kind of structured demolition has happened before in Tawayel and the harassment from the Israeli army is ongoing, although they have never bothered to answer the permit requests from the farmers.
24th October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Kafr Qalil, Occupied Palestine
Yesterday, Wednesday the 23rd October, a Palestinian farmer and his family were olive picking in Kafr Qalil together with international activists. Close to the fields is the illegal settlement of Bracha and one settler aggressively intimidated the farmer until he left the area. Later during the day the farmer was able to access the olive trees, but only with close Israeli army and border police surveillance.
At around 7am yesterday morning a farmer, his family and several international activists were trying to pick olives in an area very close to the settlement of Bracha. The land of the farmer is separated by a street that leads to the illegal settlement. Before the group was able to cross this road, one settler arrived in his vehicle. He was aggressive and as the farmer and his family had been attacked in the past, they decided to leave and pick in a safer area. The farmer, his family and the international activists later returned, no settlers arrived and they were monitored by Israeli forces. The Israeli army followed the group and stood on the street observing the olive harvest, though they did not disturb the olive picking any further.
Several years ago illegal settlers destroyed a great number of olive trees to build a garden for their illegal settlement. This year, as well as last year, the farmers in Kafr Qalil have to deal with settler attacks and harassment by the Israeli army and border police. Some of the olive trees close to the settlement were burned and were therefore carrying very few olives this year.
14th October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Qaryut, Occupied Palestine
Yesterday, Sunday 13th October, Palestinian farmers and international activists were picking olives in Qaryut when it was observed that two members of settler security from the illegal settlements of Eli and Shilo were nearby. The settler security then attempted to intimidate the olive farmers, before soldiers arrived and forced both the Palestinians and internationals from the land with a supposed military order.
Israeli soldiers force Palestinians from their land with a supposed military order
At around 9am yesterday, two armed members of nearby settler security approached the Palestinian land and stood on a hill overlooking the farmers, shortly afterwards a military vehicle arrived. Fifteen minutes later six soldiers approached the property of the farmer and declared the place Area C and a closed military zone. The farmers and international activists were informed they had to leave. The farmer and the internationals were given 30 minutes to remove themselves from the area, and were threatened with force. They also confiscated the ID of a Palestinian man who came to mediate and wouldn’t return it for 90 minutes.
The farmer and internationals then moved to another area as the soldiers had said, the day before, it would be safe for harvesting. Suddenly that area had also become a closed military zone. When the commander was asked for some justification for this order, he showed a map printed on paper without any official stamp or signature and refused to allow any photographs of the map to be taken.
This behaviour from the Israeli army was not unsurprising as on Saturday 12th October, also in Qaryut, Israeli soldiers forced the same farmer from his land after nearby settlement security arrived.
