Category: Photo Story

Settler tour exemplifies the difficult reality of occupation in the Old City of Hebron – a photo essay

July 7 | International Solidarity Movement | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Every Saturday, illegal Jewish settlers from around the West Bank take a “tour” of the busy souq (market) in Old City of Hebron, the busiest market street in the area since the closure of Shuhada Street. Local Palestinians believe that the Israeli authorities facilitate the tour as a deliberate method of intimidation, making life intolerable and unsustainable for them in order to prompt displacement.

On the tour, current and prospective settlers are given a skewed history of Hebron which disregards and contradicts the documented history of peaceful coexistence between Arabs and Jews in the city before 1948. Instead, it identifies the land’s heritage as solely Jewish. As shown, the settlers are escorted by numerous Israeli soldiers and Border Police officers, who randomly detain Palestinians for ID checks and prevent free movement in the souq during the duration of the tour.

Military and police can also be seen on the rooftops of Palestinian homes, many of which are now empty as a result of forced evictions for surveillance purposes. Palestinians living in the Old City are under constant threat of home invasions by the Israeli military and Jewish settlers, further contributing to displacement and the theft of Palestinian property.

 

 

International and Palestinian Journalists Tear Gassed

November 17, 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Ramallah, occupied Palestine

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) decided to hold its annual meeting in Palestine this year, where they demonstrated at the infamous Qalandia checkpoint on Saturday. The dozens of journalists, holding only international press cards, were immediately met with canisters of tear gas.

“We went peacefully, wearing IFJ uniforms and carrying IFJ cards. It’s obvious that it was journalists who were demonstrating,” explained Nasser Abu Baker, Chairman of the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate, a representative to the IFJ. Nasser was one of the many journalists fired upon at Qalandia.

“In the last four years there were three 3000 crimes committed against journalists, 26 of which were murders… It’s obvious that the Israeli leadership couldn’t accept our demand for freedom of movement, and the scene of IFJ being there, standing with Palestinian journalists.”

Lack of freedom of movement is a common experience for Palestinians in the West Bank, most of whom are unable to leave. The few who leave the West Bank for work face the physical torment of waiting in line for hours, crammed together in zig-zagged cages, and facing the high probability of Israeli aggression.

Qalandia checkpoint is the subject of much reported abuse, though none of this would be known if it wasn’t for the Palestinian press. But their reporting has come with a price: It has created huge controversy and caused them to suffer incredible abuse. Today’s demonstration was no exception.
In Nasser’s words:
“This was a crime against Palestinian journalists… It was crime against the international press.”

Israeli Forces Storm Khan Al-Ahmar: Erect Road Blocks, Suppress Peaceful Demonstration

Around 11.30 am a bulldozer escorted by a police and military vehicles approached the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar and began to move rocks and earth in order to block access to the village via dirt roads on the outskirts to prevent resident and activists from reaching the area.

Soon after, locals and activists approached the bulldozer and started a passive, peaceful resistance by sitting in front of the machine, in order to prevent the aggressors from completing their “mission”.

After a few minutes, a large number of Border Police and regular Police officers reached the area and began to force people away from the machine; the police gave the activists 5 minutes to leave the area.

A short time after they issued the warning to leave the area, the military and police began to use forceful violence. The Israelis aggressor began pushing and dragging the peaceful demonstrators blocking their illegal operation away from the area. During this use of force, the police also used violence towards the medical teams and press who were present at the site. 

An elderly man, very well known in the community as Abu Tiger, was violently attacked during his peaceful demonstration against the actions being carried out by the Israeli forces. After being pushed to the ground he was dragged by multiple policemen, arrested and detained in a police vehicle, during this attack he was bleeding from the head and knocked unconscious.

Multiple other people were arrested during this assault: including Palestinian activist and a French-American professor and activist (Frank Romano).

During this incursion, many people attempted to remove the earth barrier erected by the bulldozer although this was hampered by the Israeli forces.

After the erection of this earth barrier, those present at Khan Al-Ahmar staged a peaceful demonstration on the edge of the highway. This was protest was against both the decision made by the Israeli Supreme Court and the erection of the earth barrier on the day (15/09/2018). The police and military presence during this demonstration was both unnecessary and disproportionate with the border police and Yasam (riot and crowd control unit) being drafted in, to suppress those protesting against the Israeli Occupation.

 

This was yet another arrogant act of violence by the Israeli forces with the intention to intimidate the residents of Khan al-Ahmar and the activists who were there in solidarity with the Palestinian Bedouin community. This attack is further raising the stress and upset for the people of the village, who are anxiously waiting for the demolition of their village and the school. Despite this, the community of Khan Al-Ahmar is not willing to give up in their peaceful fight against this oppressive attack on the place they call home. 

 

Salama remembers Razan

In response to a call for solidarity from Gazan women, a Jewish activist group dubbed “Return” gathered to hold a memorial for Razan AlNajar, at the location of her village of origin, Salameh.

While thousands of women marched towards the border in the Saja’iya area in Gaza, the activists held a ceremony honoring Razan and the protesters shot dead by Israeli snipers. The activist called for the implementation of the right of return and hung photos of the slain protesters placing flowers and candles on a structure that proceeded the Zionist state.

The steering committee of the Great march of return  published  a call   for people to commemorate the fallen protesters. Return has been organizing commemorations inside historical Palestine in locations including the Gaza border fence and the Israeli parliment. Other such memorials are taking place around the world.

The protestors changed Hertzel streets on the road between Salamah and Jaffa to Al-Awda street and Ben-Zvi street to Razan Al-Najar street.

“Razan did not see Salama, but she and all the refugees who are not present here physically are always present here with us, as a void an absence, something that is missing here until their inevitable return. ” stated one of the activists.