Category: Press Releases - Page 122 - International Solidarity Movement

A demonstration will be held in the West Bank village of Salim, near Nablus

21 November 2009

For immediate release

Demonstration to be held in Salim village in condemnation of Israel’s continued occupation and violation of international law.

The village of Salim will host a demonstration this Sunday, 22 November, marking two causes: one, in support of the UN Security Council’s recently adopted resolution to protect women in conflict situations; the other, in protest of the Israeli occupation and the devastation it continues to wreck on West Bank villages such as Salim.

Demonstrators plan to march from the village to Road 557, in display of opposition to Israel’s continued occupation and violation of international law.

Protesters will meet will meet in the Duwar (main circle) of Nablus at 11am, where buses are provided to travel to Salim at 11:30, to meet with local protesters at the municipality building in Salim at midday.

Background

Salim and its people have suffered greatly from Israel’s network of West Bank apartheid roads – smooth, well-maintained, Israeli-only roads that not only provide settlers and military personnel with efficient means of transport far superior to Palestinian travellers, but strategically cut residents off from vast areas of farmland and cause large detours to be made for those travelling on poorly-maintained Palestinian roads.

Road 557, constructed 10 years ago between the settlements of Elon Moreh and Itamar is drawn directly through Salim’s olive fields and blocks 150 families of the village from accessing their land. Every year farmers attempt to enter the land to harvest their crops, every year facing Israeli soldiers that slow, track and in some cases prevent families from entering their own land for the short time it takes to collect their olives.

Seven houses under construction that are located closest to Road 557 have received orders from the Israeli government to halt construction, under threat of demolition if they continue building. These homes still stand unfinished and uninhabited, the families fearful of army reprisal if they attempt to recommence work on their homes.

Various associations and women’s groups across the West Bank have joined forces with Salim to protest the continued Israeli occupation of its land, and also to support the UN Security Council’s recent unanimous decision to adopt Resolution 1888, to end sexual violence in war. The resolution requests warring parties to be held responsible for using rape as a weapon, and encourages member states to provide support and protection to survivors and to uphold justice in conflict resolution.

Israel’s occupation of Palestine has been declared illegal under the Security Council’s Resolution 242, and its settlements declared illegal under Resolution 446.

Al Ma’asara demonstrates against the Wall built on the village’s land

20 November 2009

Some fifty Palestinian, Israeli and international demonstrators marched on Friday noon from the center of Al Ma’asara village towards the route of the Apartheid Wall that is to be built on village lands. Like every other Friday, demonstrators were stopped by Israeli soldiers and boarder police who laid barbed wire on the main road leading to the fence, forcefully preventing the march from proceeding. When asked if their actions had any legal basis, soldiers refused to answer.

Protesters then delivered speeches in Arabic, English and Hebrew, and called upon the soldiers to leave their weapons and join the non-violent struggle for two independent states and against war crimes committed by Israel. Slogans were chanted, and the joint drum band, made out of Israeli Qasamba drummers and the village children, played and cheered the demonstrators up.

During the demonstration several children managed to go around the barbed wire, but were pushed back by the soldiers. Some of them then tried to pull away the barbed wire fence with improvised ropes that were then cut by the soldiers. The children, however, did not give up, and eventually succeeded in tearing the fence apart, after which the soldiers decided to step up and physically push the demonstrators and threatened them with arrests.

Bil’in: Undercovers arrest Palestinian youth at his workplace

Popular Struggle Coordination Committee

19 November 2009

In an escalation of the recent arrest campaign conducted by the Israeli military in attempt to crush the popular struggle against the Wall in the village, an undercover army unit invaded Bil’in this morning and arrested a local youth, 19 year old Mohammad Yassin.

In the morning hours of Thursday, 19 November 2009, a civilian Isuzu pickup with undercover soldiers dressed as Palestinians, drove into the village of Bil’in, searching for residents suspected of organizing and participating in the village’s weekly demonstrations. At around 9am, the soldiers arrived at the garage where Yassin works and arrested him. The arrest involved the beating of Yassin himself, as well as of his brother and his mother, who assumed that the disguised soldiers were just random by-passers attacking their kin.

The use of the undercover army units to capture ‘wanted’ people that are suspected of nothing else than participating in and planning of grassroots demonstrations, represent an escalation of the arrest campaign the army is conducting against the residents of the village. In addition to Yassin, another 27 Bil’in residents were arrested for their involvement in the demonstrations since the 23 June 2009. Among them is Adeeb Abu Rahma, who has been held in detention for more than four months under a charge of ‘incitement’ – a euphemism for organizing demonstrations.

Recently, attorney Gaby Lasky, who represents Bil’in’s detainees, was informed by the military prosecution that the army intends to put an end to the demonstrations through use legal procedures against demonstrators. Lasky stated today that “This is a blatant example of political persecution using legal means, because the charges and the arrests are being carried out not for legal purposes but with political motivations. It is important to remember that it is the state that is in contempt of a High Court of Justice ruling, which affirmed two years ago that it is the demonstrators who have justice on their side, and instructed to move the route of the Wall in the area – something that has not been done yet.”

The secretary of the village council and member of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, Mohammed Khatib, stated that “the Army is determined to crush the popular resistance but we will continue to demand our rights even if we are all forced to do so from inside military prison cells. Even the Israeli court ruled that the Wall on our land is not legal and has to be dismantled. Despite this, not only has the Wall not moved even an inch, but the Army comes to imprison us for struggling for our land, while it itself is breaking the law – its own law.

Extensive Israeli campaign against Palestinian civil construction activities in Area C

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

19 November 2009

New demolition orders issued against 60 Palestinian houses, apartments and other civilian facilities in the West Bank

Israeli Occupation Forces have escalated their systematic campaign against Palestinian civilian construction activities in areas under their full control according to the Oslo Accords signed by the government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1993. Areas classified as Areas C in the West Bank are currently subjected to extensive Israeli campaigns aimed at undermining the Palestinian presence. Israel is also expanding construction activities in settlements and the annexation of new areas of Palestinian lands in Area C, including occupied East Jerusalem and its surroundings. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns all these measures taken by Israel and stresses the legal status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). PCHR calls upon the international community to urgently and promptly take serious action to compel the government of Israel, the occupying power, to put an end to all illegal measures. The international community’s inaction with respect to the impunity granted to Israel encourages Israel to commit further violations of International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, the Organization and Construction Department of the Israeli Civil Administration issued 35 orders to demolish or stop construction works in houses and other civilian facilities in Areas C. In addition, the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem issued an order to demolish an apartment building of 25 flats in occupied East Jerusalem. Approximately 275 individuals, including 180 children, live in these houses and apartments. According to Palestinian sources, since the beginning of 2009, Israel has issued approximately 2,300 demolition orders.

Recently, Israel issued orders to demolish or stop construction works in Palestinian houses or civilian establishment as follows:

* On 8 November 2009, the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem issued a decision to bulldoze an apartment building belonging to Sharhabil ‘Alqam in Tal al-Foul quarter in Beit Hanina village, north of Jerusalem. ‘Alqam began construction works in his apartment building in 2002 on an area of 500 m2. The 7-storey building is composed of 25 residential apartments and was sold to Palestinian families comprising more than 150 members.
* On 12 October 2009, Israeli forces delivered notices to stop construction works in 12 houses and in a bird farm in al-Salahat area in Roujib village, east of Nablus. Five of the threatened houses are resided by 33 individuals, including 22 children.
* Also on 12 November 2009, Israeli forces delivered notices to 11 Palestinian civilians to demolish or stop construction works in houses and establishments in Um al-Kheir area to southeast of Yatta village, south of Hebron. The notices threaten 17 establishments, including residential houses where 57 individuals, including 39 children, live. The majority of the owners of the threatened establishments are members of the Bedouin al-Hathalin tribe. The owners of these establishments stated that notices were delivered to demolish or stop construction works in establishments that are between 50 and 300 meters to the north of the fence of “Karme’el” settlement.
* On 18 November 2009, Israeli forces delivered notices to demolish five houses in ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilia. The houses, home to 35 individuals, including 20 children, are located in the east of ‘Azzoun village where the Israeli settlement of “Ma’ale Shamron” is being established.
* Israeli forces also delivered a notice to al-Bireh Municipality to stop construction works in al-Bira Municipality’s International Stadium under the pretext of the lack of a building license. Sources from al-Bira Municipality stated that the Israeli Civil Administration in “Beit Eil” settlement delivered a notice to the contractor to stop construction works in the Stadium under the pretext of lacking a building license saying the project is in Area C.

In light of the above, PCHR reiterates that:

First: according to International Humanitarian Law and numerous UN Resolutions, the Palestinian West Bank, including east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are classified as occupied territory.

Second: the natural growth of the Palestinian families requires that these families implement construction activities in order to meet their growing living needs. Because of the complications of getting building licenses, Palestinians are forced to carry out construction works above their houses to meet their residential needs.

Third: Settlement activities in OPT are illegal and constitute a war crime. Israeli forces apply an apartheid system regarding construction works in Palestinian villages on one hand and in Israeli settlements on the other.

PCHR strongly condemns Israel’s recent measures and all settlement activities and plans in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and calls upon:

1. The High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their legal and moral obligations under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure Israel’s respect for the Convention in the OPT. PCHR believes that the conspiracy of silence practiced by the international community has encouraged Israel to act as if it is above the law and to continue to violate international human rights and humanitarian law, including continued measures to create a Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem.
2. The international community to take urgent and prompt action in order to compel the government of Israel to put an end to all settlement activities in the OPT, especially in occupied East Jerusalem, and to dismantle Israeli settlements, which constitute a war crime under International Humanitarian Law.
3. The European Union/ EU member States to activate Article 2 of the Euro-Israel Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect human rights as a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU States and Israel. PCHR further calls upon the EU States to prohibit importation of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the OPT.

Settler incursions of Palestinian homes in Sheikh Jarrah

18 November 2009

On Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 10:30am, one of the settlers who are occupying the Ghawi family house in Sheikh Jarrah, climbed over a wall in order to enter the neighbouring Palestinian property. Amal Qassem, who lives in the house, was shocked to discover the settler in her backyard and another settler handing tools and a ladder over the wall to him. They stated that they were going to repair water leaks in the wall and refused to leave.

Amal Qassem reported the trespassing to the police who arrived 30 minutes later. Only after that the settlers finally left.

Settler trespassing the Palestinian property

The second settler involved in the attempt to enter the Qassem property

Later that day, at 2pm, another two settlers living in the occupied Gawi family house, attempted to enter a Palestinian property across the street. Claiming they had the right to enter, they opened the gate leading to the house owned by the Kurd family and walked through, making their way to the half of the property which has been occupied by settler security forces since the forceful takeover on 3 November 2009. The family, who gathered outside of their house succeeded in their attempt to stop the settlers, who eventually left.

The settler’s claims to have the right to enter the house, however, contradict a verbal agreement reached with the Israeli police on 3 November 2009, the day of the house take-over, which instructed the settlers to stay away from the house and allowed their security forces to stand on the street outside the gate. Despite this agreement, settler security forces have continued to occupy the house. The al-Kurd family have asked the security forces several times to show police or court orders that give them the right to be on their property, but the security forces have failed to produce such a document. On the day after the settlers’ provocative action, an Israeli court issued a written statement that the court will reach a decision about the occupied house on 29 November.

Kurd family posting the latest court order on the door of their occupied house

The al-Kurds have become the fourth Sheikh Jarrah family whose house (or part of it) has been occupied by settlers in the last year. So far, 60 people have been left homeless. In total, 28 families living in the Karm Al-Ja’ouni neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, located directly north of the Old City, face imminent eviction from their homes.

In a strategic plan, settlers have been utilizing discriminatory laws to expand their presence in Occupied East Jerusalem. Palestinians, who face difficulties in acquiring building permits from the municipality, are often left with no legal recourse for extending their homes to accompany their growing families. The Israeli authorities exercise their abilities to demolish and evict Palestinian residents, while ignoring building violations from the Israeli population in East Jerusalem.