Today’s United Nations Security Council resolution reaffirms international consensus that Israel’s settlements are illegal and harm Palestinian human rights. The resolution seeks the wellbeing of all people in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. It is not an “anti-Israeli” resolution, but a balanced one, which rejects the occupation – not Israel. Hopefully, further international measures will follow – for a better future for Israelis and Palestinians, and against the occupation.
14th December 2016|Press Release|Beirzeit University|occupied palestine
In continuation of its barbaric aggression on our people and national institutions, the Israeli occupation forces stormed Birzeit University’s campus in the early morning hoursof Wednesday 13 December 2016. These blatant attacks and subsequent measures of harassment constitute outrageous interferences to our right to education.
Birzeit University expresses its deepest concern regarding this belligerent military attack on the university, its sanctity, and violation to all the international and fundamental principles involved in the freedom of education.
A large number of heavily armed Israeli forces stormed in Birzeit’s campus at dawn through the western gate, forcing the campus security guards to stand against the walls, and raiding several buildings including the university’s administration building, the Headquarters of the student council, Kamal Nasir Hall and the Faculty of Science. They forcibly deterred our university security personnel as they invaded these buildings, leaving a great deal of havoc behind.
The Israeli military confiscated the students’ flags and banners, and sabotaged properties inside campus and the administration building.
Birzeit University views this attack as very dangerous and a barbaric intrusion. We deplore the conversion of its academic facilities to military barracks, as well as the confiscation of its student property, searching parts of the administrative offices.
As an academic institution that aspires to live by the values of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights, the Israeli occupation needs urgently to stop its aggressive behavior against all Palestinians.
The academic freedom of Palestinian academics and students is severely hindered, due to the occupation, its policies and continuous defiance of the fundamental rights of our people and the sanctity of our universities, and that must be defended.
Birzeit University confirms that these attacks will not deter its commitment to higher education, and the pivotal role it has played since its establishment.
The Israeli occupation had waged an extensive campaign against Palestinian universities in the last two years. In June 2014 and January 2016, Israeli Occupationraided Birzeit Universityand confiscated the contents of student blocs’ offices. They also attackedPalestine Technical University- Kadoori, and the building of the Arab American University of Jenin, as well as Al-Quds University in Abu Dis.
The university calls on the international community and human rights organizations to immediately put a stop to these raids and violations, and actively engage in supporting our struggle for liberation.
5th December 2016 | International Solidarity Movement | Huwwara team, occupied Palestine
Members of the Circus School in Palestine, representatives of the embassies
of Italy, Spain and Switzerland, Amnesty International and ISM were in the
Israeli Supreme Court today to witness the hearing of the appeal for the release
of the Palestinian circus trainer Mohammad Abu Sakha. Abu Sakha has been on administrative detention for almost a year. Administrative detention means that Israeli military can detain him for an indefinite period, without indictment and the right to a trial.
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Mohammad Abu Sakha lost his freedom on 14 December 2015, when he was first arrested and detained at Zaatara military checkpoint, south of Nablus, as he was going to work at the Circus School in BirZeit. On 25 December of that year, he received a 6-month administrative detention, which was renewed on 13th of June 2016.
The hearing session at the Supreme Court went fast. First, Mohammad’s lawyer read the appeal and once he finished few men from the Shabak, (Israeli Security Agency also known as Shin Bet) stood up and passed a file to the judges in the room. After taking few minutes to read the file, the judges promptly decided to dismiss Abu Sakha’ appeal and ended the court session.
Besides Shabak and the three judges, no one knows what is the content of this file, including the prosecutor, Mohammad’s lawyer and Mohammad himself. After one year in Israeli prison Abu Sakha still doesn’t know what he is accused of. The Shabak file, which is classified, might be the only thing that keeps him in prison.
The Ketziot prison located in the Negev/Naqab region, outside the West Bank, is a violation of the Geneva Convention which states that Detainees from the population of an occupied territory must be detained within that territory. During his time in prison he has only been allowed to three visits, all from his mother. On 12 December this year his detention should have ended. His lawyers and supporters believed that he would finally be free but on the same day he was given, again, another 6-month administrative detention period, exactly as it had happen in the past.
Today, no one knows what will happen to Mohammad. Palestinians live under a contempt military occupation. With his work as a circus trainer, Mohammad Abu Sakha fills a much-needed role to bring happiness and light to those around him.
End Administrative Detention.
Free Mohammad Abu Sakha !
12th November 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwwara team | Kafr Qalil, occupied Palestine
For the past six days, international activists joined a Palestinian farmer, Fares Deek, in the harvest of his olives outside Kafr ad Dik village, located inside Salfit governate. For the past 16 years, the area has been a target of expanding illegal Israeli settlements.
Fares field is today surrounded at the north, east and west sides by Lashem settlement, started in 2010, with 700 units inhabited and another large number under construction.
Military check-point at the metal road gate
“They surrounded all my land and cut my road coming to my land. When they finish, I think I cannot come to my land.” Fares explained about the situation he is living in.
Fares reported that until now, Israelies, have stolen 700 dunums to build Lashem, leaving seven families that own fields in the same hill, without their land, only to establish this illegal settlement.
“They stole all my neighbors lands from the north and the east. In the future maybe in the south, maybe me.”
Bulldozer expanding Lashem colony
Eight months ago, bulldozers destroyed the agriculture road that used to lead up to Fares field.
Lashem has also cut him off the road to another field he owns, now on the north of Lashem illegal colony.
It used to take Fares 5 minutes to drive from Kafr ad Dik to the land, but to reach it now he has to cross a valley, after driving through Der Ballut and Rafat villages, then he needs to climb for half an hour to the top of the mountain where the field is. The last time he visited that field for the harvest was in 2013. The time and the money needed makes it hardly worth the out-put anymore.
Fare’s mother watching the destruction of her land
Two other settlements, Pedu’el to the south and Ale Zahav, behind Lashem, to the east complete to enclose his field. Just like Lashem, the illegal colony of Pedu’el, is also being expanded. Also to the north of Kafr ad Dik, the village Fares lives in, the new illegal settlement of “Sahar” is being formed on top of the mountain that Palestinians know as, Daher Subeh.
The area is being advertised as a quiet, peaceful place for Israelis to move to, according to Fares Deek.
“Israeli wants to encourage people to live here. As living cost is less, all the water you want is available, good for factories and no taxes!
maybe in the future in Salfit area all the mountains will become settlements.”
Bulldozer working in Pedu’el illegal settlement
“They work quickly, building new units, they look carefully at Salfit area. Compare Jerusalem area and Salfit area, they are doing the same.”
During the first day of the harvest, many settler colonists showed up at Fares field. Some of the colonists where openly carrying firearms and monitored the family while picking their olives.
“I have a bad feel about zionism. About anyone who came to take your land, to take your freedom, and take your hope. How would anyone in the world feel if he had to go through all this?
What that can make people feel? A bad feeling”
There is a well in Fares land that he used to use for drinking water, but 6 years ago after settlerers started to throw down big rocks and to take baths inside it, he couldn’t use it any more.
Dust is being spread from the bulldozers working on Lashem, causing damages for the olive trees.
Bulldozer working at the edge of Farres land at the place where they cut his agricultural road.
“All the years the harvest suffers because of the dust. The olive trees cannot breath good air because of the dust. They are between life and death.”
As we drove with the family towards the field the second morning harvesting, the Israeli army had put up a check-point at a metal road gate in the exit of Kafr ad Dik. The team was stopped for a total of 28 minutes by the four soldiers that were operating this checkpoint. Even though Fares said that he was going to pick his olives, the soldiers demanded to check IDs and kept asking questions.
When we finally got told to leave, Fares said that this was a common occurrence.
“They are doing this only to stress the people.”
This road gate was closed for 5 years between 2000 and 2005, forcing the people of Kafr al Dik to take an alternative route in order to exit the village, Fares explained.
Fares also reported that he has frequent visits from the Israeli forces while working in his field. He explained that there is a military tower in Pedu’el and sometimes the army will arrive very quickly after he enters the field.
“They tell me I have to have a permit to bring people here. I tell them that this is my land I’ll bring people here anytime I want. Sometimes they tell me you have to go back before the sunset. This makes me afraid about the future, about the land, what will happen in the future. I’m not having big problem now, but they will finish the units and come to live here in Lashem, they will tell me “you have no permit to come here”. Maybe they will put gates, fences. That is the future”
Also he thinks that Lashem will be finished in one to two years and that he is not sure if he will be able to harvest the olives next year.
“I’m afraid about the future, about the situation in Palestine, about Salfit, about my village. Israel is building more and more units in all settlements and started to build three new settlements since 2010 till now. That means cut more and more land, making new streets. Where is the solutions if they build more and more? The idea of a Palestinian state will die. And the pressure on Palestinians is always more. That is very bad”
“I want to tell people that we suffer and I invite people to visit Palestine to see with their own eyes to know who has the right to live here. I want to encourage Palestinian people to stay in the land as well.”
10th November 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza team | Gaza, occupied Palestine
Abd al-Kareem Nahid Abu Halloub, a 32 year old paitent had a heart attack on 6/10/2016 and is in a coma for about 36 days now as a result of a sudden fall to the floor. He was convulsed. His health condition is extremely serious as the doctors stated and has to get his treatment in the West Bank. Though, the paitent was denied access through Erez crossing twice.
“We took him directly to Al-Awda hospital and they made him Artificial ventilation to assist him to breath until his heart worked again. In the evening, we took him to the Indonesian hospital in Tal al-Za’tar – north Gaza and the doctors there helped my son with all what they can possibly do. But they advised us to treat him in the West Bank.” Explained the paitents father.
The hospitals in Gaza have limited medical equipment that the medical device needed for treating the paitent Abu Halloub, is not found in Gaza. The paitent needs to get his treatment in a hospital where all medical devices needed for his situation in available as the doctors explained to the paitent’s family.
“We waited 72 hours as the doctors requires and then we sent his medical reports to hospitals in the West Bank and we got an approval from al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron on the reception of the patient. We also had an approval from Makassed Hospital in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, we received a denial from entry from the Israeli side, they refused to give the patient permission to enter through Erez crossing.” The father added.
The paitent Abd al-Kareem Abu Halloub while in the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza
After a week, the family received another refusal for the paitents entry through Erez crossing to get his treatment. However, they are looking for any other ways to make him travel for treatment.
It’s worth mentioning that the Israeli seige of the Gaza Strip that began in mid 2007 has serious repercussion on the Palestinian health sector, resulting in an aggravation of the humanitarian situation facing Gaza’s 2 million people.
According to the International Hummaitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, Israel is obliged to protect civilian people, the wounded and sick in times of armed conflicts. It must prevent the deterioration of the humanitarian situation and allow the free passage of all consignment of medical stores with a decent medical care. However, the Israeli occupation continues to violate these rights. Consequently, the request for permits to recieve treatment outside the Gaza Strip increased.
