24th November 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
After our afternoon school run today, two of us took a walk around a small part of Al Khalil. The photos are sort of a mini-walking tour of some of the stolen Palestinian land, streets, homes and shops, roadblocks and checkpoints. Note the diagonal iron bars on the shops. These are welded in place to keep their Palestinian owners from re-entering their own shops and businesses. Above the shops are now illegal colonial Zionist settlers living in the once owned homes of Palestinians. On some of the streets Palestinians are prohibited from walking. And no Palestinian vehicles allowed. Al Khalil is unique in that the illegal colonial settlers live right in the city among the Palestinians (of course with colonial Zionist Israeli Occupation Forces and walls and fences to “protect” them and many of these Zionist carry their automatic weapons with them as well. Most illegal colonial settlements are separated or outside of the Palestinian villages, town, and cities (and generally an army base within or next to it. Currently there are over 600,000 living in these settlement in the West Bank and construct of new and expansion of existing ones continues!
Gate locking access to the Abu Haykal family land, now deemed an ‘archaelogical site’ by Israeli forces
A typical road-blockGhost Street – in the process of ethnic cleansing of all Palestinian residentsDiagnol metal bar is welded to doors in order to keep shops and homes permanently closedEntrance to a typical checkpointLeft side of the fence for illegal colonial settlers, right side for Palestinians – often littered with trash by the settlersAnother road-block preventing Palestinian freedom of movement
2oth October 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
This past week marked the feast of Sukkot, which brought settlers from illegal settlements all over the occupied West Bank to al-Khalil (Hebron). There, with restrictions, harassment, collective punishment and intimidation of Palestinians – all in favor of the illegal settlers – the spirit of the Jewish holiday was turned into a feast of intimidation and oppression for the Palestinian residents, going hand in hand with increasing illegal annexation of their land.
With bus-loads of settlers from all over the illegaly occupied Palestinian West Bank pouring into al-Khalil, Israeli forces stepped up the movement-restrictions and checkpoint closures for Palestinians even more, thus making the maze of checkpoints, already almost impossible to navigate into a maze that ends mainly in dead-ends. For several days, the main checkpoint connecting the Palestinian market with the area around the Ibrahimi Mosque was closed for Palestinians, and Palestinian shop-owners in the mosque-area were forced shut by the Israeli forces – all to facilitate settler movement in areas that lack any presence of Palestinians.
The road connecting the settlements in the heart of al-Khalil with the Kiryat Arba settlement on the outskirts of al-Khalil – where only settlers are allowed to drive – has largely been cordonned off with police-barriers.
The area cordonned off by Israeli forces
Thus, school-children were not only forced to pass an even larger amount of heavily-armed military and police forces, but also navigate the maze of complete closures for Palestinians, areas to avoid due to excessive settler presence and the gates put up preventing movement in certain directions.
School-children forced to pass heavily-armed Israeli forces and the maze of police-barriers
Students of al-Faihaa girls school in the Ibrahimi Mosque area, where just recently a new CCTV surveillance tower was put up following and recording every step of the Palestinian residents movement, are now studying right next to a military encampment. The building right next to the girls school entrance has already been mis-used and turned into a military encampement during last year’s Sukkot celebrations.
Building illegally occupied by Israeli forces for a military base
On Tuesday, many of the settlers arriving to al-Khalil on the occassion of the holiday, were ‘guided’ through the Palestinian market by Israeli forces, preventing Palestinians’ access in their own marketplace for hours. Just a day later, soldiers effectively imposed a curfew on the tiny strip of Shuhada Street where Palestinians are still allowed to walk, the Tel Rumeida neighborhood and the Bab al-Zawwiya area. The latter is located in the H1 area of al-Khalil, supposedly under full Palestinian control. With the closure of Shuhada checkpoint for six hours on Wednesday, Palestinian civilians were either locked inside or outside their houses, while settlers were accompanied by heavily armed military forces to a tomb located in the H1-area, forcing shop-owners to close.
On Thursday morning, Israeli forces marched through the streets of al-Khalil, with drums and music, in a pure show of force and power. The march went on the settler only road, that has been ethnically cleansed from Palestinian cars (but does still allow Palestinian pedestrians), illustrating the continuous plans and attempts to connect the illegal settlements in an area ethnically cleansed of any Palestinian presence.
Soldiers marching through al-Khalil
Throughout the increasing efforts to illegally annex more and more strips of land, and erase first the memory of the Palestinian heritage as a step to then erase the whole Palestinian population, Israeli forces are employing the ‘power of words’. More and more areas, streets and houses that belong to Palestinians, but in which settlers have already moved in (and were succinctly kicked out by the army), are given Hebrew names, eradicating the Palestinian names. This is just one small step of illegal annexation that even goes so far to call the illegal Israeli settlements in the city center of al-Khalil “Jewish neighborhoods”.
Signs put up for ‘tourist settlers’ in al-Khalil by Israeli forces
With the holiday of Sukkot lasting for another three days, more restrictions and harassment are expected. And even with the end of the holiday, the restrictions, harassment and intimidation of Palestinian civilians solely and deliberately on the ground of their ethnic group, with the continuous illegal annexation of the land, will not stop as long as the illegal occupation is allowed by the international community to continue their efforts of ethnic cleansing.
6th October 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
The 3rd and 4th of October marked the celebrations of the Yewish New Year. In the occupied West Bank, Jewish holidays, celebrated by the settlers from the illegal settlements. This usually translates to an increase in harassment, restrictions and the presence of heavily-armed military occupying forces and settlers, often not only from the illegal settlements of the respective cities, but additionally ‘settler-visitors’. In occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), with the celebrations for the New Year now past, preparations for the upcoming week-long holiday of Sukkot are already underway.
Palestinian children play outside their homes – right next to heavily armed Israeli forces watching movement of Palestinians
During the two-day celebration of the Yewish New Year, the part of Ibrahimi Mosque that has not been confiscated by the Israeli forces has been closed entirely for Palestinians and Muslims. Sixty percent of the Mosque was illegally annexed by Israeli forces who installed a synagogue inside in the aftermath of the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre. Additionally, the nearby Ibrahimi Mosque checkpoint that connects the new Palestinian market (after the closure and ethnic cleansing of Shuhada Street, the former bustling Palestinian market, in the aftermath of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre) with the Ibrahimi Mosque area has been closed for Palestinians since Sunday night. This leaves Palestinians, including residents, school-students and teachers with only few options to reach school, work and their homes, as the closest alternative of Shuhada Street is ‘illegal’ to use for Palestinians under Israeli occupation ‘rules’. On Thursday, October 6th, both the Mosque and the nearby checkpoint were closed as well – even though there’s no official Yewish holiday; yet another arbitrary movement restriction on Palestinians in order to favour settlers.
These movement restrictions, which are solely and deliberately only enforced on Palestinians, have directly impeded the right to education in various areas. At Ziad Jaber school near the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba, school-students, their parents walking them to school and teachers had to cross paths with the heavily-armed settlers, and often undergo bag-, ID- and body-searches based on racial profiling by the Israeli forces. Young adult men are especially targeted by these arbitrary and often humiliating searches, where they are forced to lift up their shirts and trouser-legs, basically getting half-undressed in public.
Palestinian young men are forced to lift up their shirts and trouser-legs by Israeli Forces near Ziad Jaber school
A similar procedure is enforced on Palestinians when Israeli settlers from the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement walk down to Ibrahimi Mosque (the 60% of it where a synagogue was installed) in the evenings. As any Friday night, where the settlers have the same ritual for Shabbat, Palestinians are oftentimes stopped by Israeli forces who completely line the roads the settlers will be taking, in order to allow for settlers to pass the street before allowing Palestinians to continue their way. Often, Israeli forces stop especially young men and force them to undergo similar checks, ordering them to lift up their shirts and turn around, and then lift up their trouser legs.
Israeli forces at night force Palestinian to lift up his shirt
Opposite the al-Faihaa girls school in the Ibrahimi Mosque area, Israeli forces put up an additional CCTV surveillance tower, registering and locking Palestinians’ every movement. The structure is fenced off with concrete blocks and barbed wire, and always manned with at least two soldiers.
CCTV surveillance tower newly put up in Palestinian neighborhood
For the upcoming holiday of Sukkot, where many settlers from the illegal settlements all over the Israeli occupied West Bank are expected to visit the Ibrahimi Mosque (the 60% of it where a synagogue has been installed), preparations in al-Khalil are under way for making the area as empty as possible of any Palestinian presence. New sign-posts are being put up to indicate directions for the ‘visitors’. Changing and ‘Hebrew-nising’ street names, giving Hebrew names to houses illegaly taken over by settlers, etc. has already been identified as one of the tools of the Israeli occupation to lay claim to Palestinian property and streets – an obvious attempt to erase the Palestinian existence in the mind of the people first. At the same time, ethnic cleansing is slowly but steadily taking place, especially in the Old City of al-Khalil.
New sign-post erected by Israeli Forces near ethnically cleansed Shuhada Street
14th August 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
Surrounded by many Israeli Army and Border Police personnel, a group of several dozen Israeli settlers two days ago went on a tour of Bab E Zawiyeh, an area in Hebron.
Prior to the tour, the Israeli military made a show of force, leaving their base and patrolling down the streets in great numbers. Some of the soldiers ordered Palestinians to move out of the way, others took up positions on rooftops.
Both Israeli Army and Border Police obstructed freedom of movement for Palestinians, denying some permission to go to their homes because the settlers were in the way. Israeli Border Police and Army soldiers got into verbal confrontations with Palestinian youth, and several times forced people to move back. A Palestinian journalist was briefly detained by Israeli Border Police, and forced to show his camera and phone to them.
The event lasted several hours, and caused lots of harassment for the Palestinians in Bab E Zawiyeh. This is not the first time Israeli settlers, protected by the Border Police and Army, entered H1.
H1 is a part of Hebron that is supposed to be under control of the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli Army enters it regularly, showing disregard for Palestinian sovereignty. What happened yesterday was only one example of this.
The tense situation could have ended in bloodshed or even deaths, if clashes broke out. During the tour, the Israeli military settlers once again displayed a lack of consideration for the human rights and dignity of the Palestinian people living in Hebron.
Israeli soldiers blocking traffic in H1A Palestinian man and woman are denied entry to cross the street, as Israeli settlers are escorted on their tour.Two Palestinian woman are denied permission to move past the soldiers.
Israeli Border Police detain a Palestinian journalist and demand he show them his camera and phone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gPrKUzLqNk
Israeli Border Police try intimidating Palestinian young men and boys, ordering them to move back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFI3Caxu7CQ
Despite intimidation efforts by the Border Police, the young men and youth refuse to submit to the occupation.
22nd July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | al-Khalil, occupied Palestine
Every Friday, many Palestinian Muslims come to Ibrahimi Mosque for prayers. To get to their place of worship, and home afterwards, they must run a gauntlet of Israeli military checkpoints. The Israeli Border Police invest their time and effort into making this a difficult and challenging experience for people whose only purpose in coming is to worship God.
Palestinian Muslim worshipers coming from the Souq are forced to wait in a cage. How long this will take- or whether they will get in- depends on the soldier who controls the gate.
They are then forced to stand in a metal detector, as they are searched for weapons. Some are patted down and frisked.
Some people are lucky and are ignored or waved through.
Others are forced to show their documents and open their bags before being allowed in.
Others are humiliated and made to wait and stand against the wall as the Border Police hold their IDs. From a very young age, children experience this humiliation as well.
This elderly man tried to go to his home, but permission was denied. He had to take the long way around.
While Palestinians in Hebron are forced to run a series of checkpoints and humiliations, the settlers have no such worries. They can go wherever they want.
Stopping, harassing and humiliating people can be a tedious job. The Israeli Border Police manning the checkpoint relax with smokes and drinks.
What is a humiliating and demeaning ordeal for the Palestinian residents of Khalil is just another day on the job for them.
24th November 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
Others are forced to show their documents and open their bags before being allowed in.
Others are humiliated and made to wait and stand against the wall as the Border Police hold their IDs. From a very young age, children experience this humiliation as well.
This elderly man tried to go to his home, but permission was denied. He had to take the long way around.
While Palestinians in Hebron are forced to run a series of checkpoints and humiliations, the settlers have no such worries. They can go wherever they want.
Stopping, harassing and humiliating people can be a tedious job. The Israeli Border Police manning the checkpoint relax with smokes and drinks.