Category: Ramallah - Page 13 - International Solidarity Movement

Walking to Qalandia

25th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Qalandia, Occupied Palestine

We began walking in a crowd, full of men, women, and children. I couldn’t began to estimate how many people were gathered, at least 10,000.

The mood was cheerful, people were singing, clapping, holding banners, and waving many Palestinian flags. Cars were driving alongside us and playing loud music. People were standing on roofs; it felt joyful.

As the crowds become larger, though I was still far from Qalandia checkpoint, I could see ambulances driving away, seemingly already full of injured people. As I got closer the mood seemed to change. Youths started running through the crowds and I could hear fireworks in the distance; though as time went on I could know longer distinguish between fireworks and military weapons.

The ambulances were struggling to drive through the crowds; it felt like every few seconds another protester was injured. It was difficult to see, there was smoke in the air and you only knew you of an injury when someone fell to the ground, or the crowd parted for youths carrying their friends away.

As I slowly moved forward, the first sound of a bullet passing by struck a shop door to the side of me. The sound of rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition is very distinctive, it is hard to confuse the two and both were being fired, seemingly at random, into the crowds of people. I couldn’t see where they were shooting from, but I didn’t hesitate to dive down with the crowd. Everyone was holding on to someone else, it didn’t matter if you knew the person or not, at the sound of fire you grabbed the person next to you and tried to shield them, and yourself.

We heard another round of live ammunition and suddenly a young boy standing approximately five feet away from me fell to the ground in the middle of the crowd. He lay on the ground with his arms wrapped around his neck. Everything happened so fast that it took a few seconds for the people surrounding him to realize that he had been shot. Soon after a group of people carried him away but I was unable to see where he was being taken as the heaviest and longest lasting round of live ammunition began. The crowd immediately ducked and began to move backwards; some people crawling while others ran.

Two people have been killed and over a hundred others were wounded. The aim of the protest was to walk to Jerusalem and pray. I’m not sure if people thought this was truly possible, but I think at the start of the demonstration there was hope.

Israeli forces shoot 20-year-old with live ammunition during Ni’lin demonstration

18th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah | Ni’lin, Occupied Palestine

Today at the weekly demonstration in the village of Ni’lin near Ramallah, the Israeli military shot live ammunition at protesters.

Youths from the village in a cloud of tear gas before one 20-year-old protester was shot with live ammunition (photo by ISM).

Palestinians, Israeli activists, and internationals marched through the olive groves belonging to the village, demanding their land back and freedom for all Palestinians, only to be met by a cloud of tear gas.

The group split up as people ran through the trees. The army continued shooting at different groups of people and soon changed their weapons to rubber-coated steel bullets. For ten minutes the army continued to shoot at Palestinians and internationals, as well as the clearly defined Red Crescent paramedics.

The Israeli military slowly moving closer to the crowd of demonstrators. The solders then changed their weapons and began shooting live ammunition at the crowd, shooting a 20-year-old Palestinian in his leg.

Villagers reported that the army has previously used this method to arrest Palestinians, where they shoot protesters in their feet, beat them, and arrest them. At the demonstration today the young man escaped with the help of Red Crescent paramedics.

A Palestinian Red Crescent medic aids the injured youth, while other protesters escspe the continued fire of rubber-coated steel bullets (photo by ISM).

The injured 20-year-old is carried up a hill after injury from the Israeli military (photo by ISM).

A Red Crescent paramedic attends to the injured youth (photo by ISM).

The army continued to shoot at the crowd with rubber-coated steel bullets as they ran away with the injured youth.

After the 20-year-old protester was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment, the demonstration continued with the military firing many more tear gas canisters at the groups of protesters.

Two protesters view the Israeli soldiers present and a nearby illegal settlement (photo by ISM).

One Palestinian killed and over 25 injured as Israeli military invade Ramallah

22nd June 2014 | International Solidarity Movement| Ramallah, Occupied Palestine

In the early hours of the morning, the Israeli military invaded the Ramallah district of the West Bank; at least 25 people were injured, mostly from the many rubber-coated steel bullets fired by the soldiers. One youth was shot with live ammunition in the head. Mahmoud Atalla Ismael was found dead one hour ago in a building close to al-Manara, shot with live ammunition.

Ramallah, according to the 1993 Oslo Accord, is classified as area A, supposedly under full Palestinian Authority, civil and security control. This did not stop the military from invading the city, continuing their campaign of collective punishment against the Palestinian people since three settler youth disappeared on Thursday (12th June).

At approximately 01:00 this morning, the Israeli army invaded the city of al-Bireh (near Ramallah); next they moved to the Alginan neighbourhood, raiding a local school. In the Imalsharait neighbourhood, Israeli forces tried to arrest a Palestinian youth, who was fortunately able to run away. Clashes broke out as Palestinian youths threw stones to try and repel the military from the area, the army fired many tear gas canisters and rubber-coated steel bullets.

Large numbers of Israeli forces then took control of Al-Manara Square in the center of Ramallah. From there Israeli soldiers threw stun grenades, fired tear gas canisters, rubber-coated steel bullets, and live ammunition.

At some point during this military violence, Mahmoud Atalla Ismael was killed.

One Palestinian woman was injured after Israeli forces threw a stun grenade that hit her in the head. She received treatment from Red Crescent paramedics, stayed until the military left the area, and then left to Ramallah hospital for further treatment.

Palestinian woman holding bloody gauze she used to stop her wound bleeding (photo by ISM).

Ala, a 21-year-old youth, was standing close to Al-Manara when he was shot in the head with live ammunition. “I touched my head and felt the blood, then I fell down to the ground. I was carried to a taxi and taken to hospital, I thought I was gonna die. Five doctors surrounded me and I was covered in blood”.

Ala was fortunate; the bullet struck his skull, and then glanced away. He required four stitches and was able to leave the hospital several hours later.

21-year-old Ala after being released from hospital, his shirt still bloody (photo by ISM).

13 youths were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets and taken to hospital for treatment, an additional two had to be treated for tear gas inhalation. However it is impossible to state exactly how many people were injured by the Israeli military, as many youths shot with rubber-coated steel bullets did not require hospital treatment, some continuing to stay in Al-Manara until the military left the area.

Israeli military jeep leaving Ramallah (photo by ISM). — Israeli military jeep leaving Ramallah at approximately 05:00 (photo by ISM).

Collective punishment in Palestine

22nd June 2014 | International Solidarity Movement| Occupied Palestine

On Thursday 12th of this month, three settler youth disappeared while hitchhiking in the Hebron area of the West Bank. No Palestinian group or organisation has taken responsibility for the disappearance.

15-year-old Mohammad Dudeen was murdered in the early hours of Friday morning (20th) after he was shot with live ammunition by the Israeli military. This was during a raid on his home village of Dura, near the city of Hebron.

Mohammad Dudeen (photo from Defence for Children International Palestine).

Mohammed was not the only youth killed on Friday. The Israeli military raided Qalandiya refugee camp (south of Ramallah) and shot three youths with live ammunition. Mustafa Hosni Aslan, 22-years-old, was shot in the head and died of his wounds later the same day.

Mustafa Aslan at the hospital before he died from his injuries (photo from Maan News).

A Palestinian man in his sixties died of a heart attack on Saturday, 21st, after the Israeli military invaded his home. Hajj Jamil Ali Jaber Souf was at his home in Hares village, near Salfit, when the Israeli military violently broke in and attacked him. One of his nephews stated that the soldiers prevented the family from moving Jabber to a local clinic to receive medial treatment.

The Israeli army invaded the city of Nablus last night at approximately 2AM. The youth took to the streets and clashes ensued as they attempted to drive the soldiers out of the city. Many stun grenades were used throughout the night and a final barrage of tear gas was fired on the youths as the were leaving the city centre at approximately 5AM.

An ISMer in al-Khalil (Hebron): “For the past week in Hebron, there has been a heavy military presence. Solders from the Israeli military have been taking over Palestinian homes for their own use and harassing people in the streets with body searches. Many people have been detained, beaten, and arrested.

Settlers from the illegal settlements walk around armed and have been attacking Palestinians on the streets. Today the Israeli army attacked the residents of the Qeitun neighbourhood in Hebron. They entered several times during the day, but this evening the solders attacked an 11-year-old boy by hitting him on the mouth. They arrested two Palestinians and searched the locals for no reason. The solders continued the violence with property damage, ripping apart a local car under the guise of a ‘search’.”

Last night Israel’s army invaded Ramallah district from three directions – Qalandia, Beituniya and Beit El, reaching as deep as Arafat Square inside the city. Pal Media offices in Baloa’ were raided. In Burj al-Sheikh, the army raided the office of a prisoner that was released in the Shalit exchange deal, and used it as a firing post against youths attempting to repel them from the area. The youths sustained multiple injuries from rubber coated steel bullets. In Batn al-Hawa the army raided a charity building and confiscated computers.

Nablus Street, al bireh, Ramallah (photo by Samer Nazzal).

These are just some examples of life in Palestine over the last nine days. According to Maan News, approximately 370 Palestinians have been arrested since last Thursday. The Israeli military have been brutal in their tactics of collectively punishing the citizens of Palestine for the disappearance of three Israeli youths. All over the West Bank, in villages, towns, and cities, Palestinian homes and offices have been raided, cities have been held under siege, people have been injured, arrested, and executed.

In Gaza, Israeli warplanes have targeted several locations and caused extensive property damage and injuries, spreading panic among Palestinian civilians.

The Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 33, states that: “No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited. Pillage is prohibited. Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.”

Violence in Ni’lin

14th June 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Ni’lin, Occupied Palestine

A Red Crescent paramedic, present at the Ni’lin demonstration last week, spoke to ISM about the protest last Friday, 6th June. He explained that the demonstration began as the protesters marched towards the apartheid wall, with Israeli soldiers firing tear gas canisters and rubber-coated steel bullets.

After just 15 minutes, a 41-year-old Palestinian protester was shot in the leg with a 0.22 live ammunition bullet. The soldiers had been hiding in the olive trees next to the apartheid wall and were unseen by the demonstrators. When a Red Crescent volunteer tried to give the wounded protester medical treatment, after placing a bandage on the bleeding wound, he was attacked by the Israeli soldiers. The soldiers kicked the volunteer and used their guns to beat his face, after the demonstration he was taken to the hospital to receive treatment.

The 41-year-old who was shot by the Israeli military was then arrested and held for two hours, before being ‘handed back’ to the Red Crescent ambulance at the Ni’lin checkpoint. He had received some medical treatment from the Israeli paramedics, but this wasn’t immediate, and he also had wounds, including a cut on his head that required one stitch, where the Israeli forces had beaten him while he was arrested.

The protester is now slowly recovering, the 0.22 bullet fractured his tibia [a bone in his lower leg], and it will be another month before he is healed.

The demonstration yesterday was fortunately less violent, there were no injuries or arrests. However, before the protest could begin, the military moved a long way out from the apartheid wall, pushing the demonstrators deep into their own olive trees. The military fired many tear gas grenades and canisters and some of the protesters suffered from tear gas inhalation, requiring support from Red Crescent paramedics. At least twice during the demonstration, Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters directly at protesters, both highly dangerous and in contravention to Israeli military procedure, which is shooting them up into an arch to lower the impacted velocity.

Ni’lin began demonstrating in 2008, against the apartheid wall’s construction. The protests continued after the wall was completed, and since 2008, five villagers from Ni’lin have been murdered by Israeli forces.