Category: Press Releases - Page 8 - International Solidarity Movement

Call to Action: Join London protest against Israeli demolition ‘charity’ Regavim

Border police guard a bulldozer at it destroys a Palestinian home in the South Hebron Hill’s village of Um al Khair in 2016

On September 1st, UK Lawyers for Israel is hosting a talk by Regavim, a pro-settler NGO with charitable status, pivotal in speeding up demolitions of Palestinian homes across the West Bank and displacement of Bedouin villages in the Negev.

What is Regavim?

Regavim, ‘dedicated to the preservation of Israel’s land’, petitions courts to demolish homes and infrastructure in Palestinian communities. The NGO uses loopholes to ensure that only Palestinian structures, and not illegal settler outposts, are demolished and dismantled, leaving entire communities without proper roads, houses, or even water systems. Regavim has never filed a petition against an illegal Jewish settlement built without a permit, revealing that their goal is not to ensure Israel’s laws are upheld but to displace Palestinian communities.

Founded as a legally-oriented NGO to counter grassroot organisations fighting for the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank, Regavim has received a surge of state funding in recent years, reaching 2,1 million shekels in 2016. It also receives donations through the US charity One Israeli Fund which monetarily supports illegal settlements in the West Bank. Demolitions have more than doubled this year due to Regavim’s actions, doing the work of the Israeli Civil Administration and speeding demolition orders through.

Most recently, Regavim’s work has included lobbying EU to cease funding for the Union of Agricultural Work Committees which supports Palestinian farmers left vulnerable under occupation.

A Regavim drone monitors the demolition of water wells near Um al Khair

Stand against Regavim:

Palestinian grassroots groups in areas affected by Regavim are calling on Solidarity Groups in London to protest the appalling actions the NGO wrecks on their communities. Show your support for communities under constant threat of demolition and hear their testimonies at the demonstration in north west London at 5:30pm. The exact location will be released a day prior. Check the Facebook event page below for updates.

FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/384144279174639/

Testimonies from Palestinian activists fighting Israeli demolitions:

Ali Awad, (pictured below) the Field Coordinator of Palestinian grassroots group Youth of Sumud based in the South Hebron Hills, says:

‘Regavim receives these international donations and now they are able to employ workers on the ground to spy on these Palestinian communities. All of the South Hebron Hills now see Regavim workers when they graze their goats and sheep. When they go out to plant their fields Regavim is there. When they go to harvest their olives, Regavim is flying their drones. The people are more scared of Regavim then they are the settlers. Because before maybe the settlers throw stones or harass us. But now with Regavim, because they have the financial resources, instead of having a sheep killed by the settlers, now our whole animal barns are destroyed. Instead of the settlers breaking a few of our olive trees, now Regavim files a petition to take the whole olive grove. Those who are really concerned about Palestinian rights and peace will work to stop the flow of money to Regavim and stand in solidarity with us.’

Nasser Nawaja, (pictured below) Fieldworker for B’Tselem and resident of Susiyah, says:

‘More than 450 people in the village of Susiyah, including children, women and elderly people, are facing imminent expelling from their land and homes. We live under this constant threat because of Regavim’s legal work in the Israeli courts and the political pressure on the Israeli authorities. At the beginning, Regavim was just a small organization – but now people can’t tell where Regavim starts and the Israeli government begins. I ask all those who are concerned with justice and oppose racism stand against Regavim, raise awareness and defund it.’

ISM stands in solidarity with the people of Kashmir

Left: A girl stands by Israeli soldiers in occupied Palestine, Right: A school girl walks past Indian soldiers in occupied Kashmir

August 16 | International Solidarity Movement | Statement of Solidarity

We, the International Solidarity Movement, express our solidarity with the people of Kashmir as they resist the annexation and occupation of their land by Indian military forces.

We recognize the same methods of oppression and occupation used by the Israeli government in Palestine being used by Narendra Modi’s administration against the people of Kashmir. Like Israel, India uses “terrorism” and “religious extremism” as a pretext to arrest without a warrant, shoot-to-kill, use live ammunition against non-violent protesters, and engage in collective punishment against civilian populations. Israel also plays a direct role in the occupation of Kashmir, being India’s top supplier of weapons. Israeli agencies including secret service Shin Bet, who are responsible for human rights abuses and killings of Palestinians, also provide training for Indian military units suppressing the people of Kashmir. In a move eerily reminiscent of the illegal Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land, India’s BJP party has recently advocated for building exclusively Hindu settlements in Kashmir, which is now possible by Indian law with the scrapping of Article 370.

Kashmiris’ struggle for the right to self determination and the right to live in peace and safety in their own land started in 1947, when India annexed the region. Article 370 provided the people of Kashmir with certain limited rights and a small measure of autonomy, though the reality on the ground has always been that Kashmiris have lived under the occupation of 700,000 Indian soldiers, making it the most densely militarized zone on earth for decades.

The annulling of Article 370 by Modi’s administration on August 5, 2019, violates a 2015 court ruling by the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Supreme Court on April 3, 2018, both of which ruled that Article 370 was a permanent provision which could not be repealed or even amended. Following the annulment of Article 370, the number of Indian soldiers occupying Kashmir has increased to nearly 800,000. Internet, mobile services, landlines, television, and media access has all been suspended, which together with curfews that cut access to essential supplies like food and medicine, have put the 7 million residents of Kashmir under virtual house arrest and devoid of basic democratic and human rights.

We express our strong support and solidarity with the people of Kashmir as they resist the occupation of their homeland and violation of their rights by the oppressive and racist regime of the Indian government.

Israel permits settler invasion of Al-Aqsa on Muslim holiday

Worshippers flee from riot police in Al-Aqsa

August 11 | International Solidarity Movement | Old City, East Jerusalem, occupied Palestine

Hundreds of settlers invaded the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem’s Old City this morning after Israeli soldiers used tear gas, sound grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets to clear out Muslim worshippers.

61 Palestinians were injured and 15 hospitalised when soldiers and police let loose on tens of thousands of Muslims celebrating the first day of Eid al-Adha.

Just minutes after the morning prayer, the peaceful scene descended into chaos as men and women were beaten by riot police and children ran screaming from tear gas and sound grenades.

A Palestinian from East Jerusalem who witnessed the violence told ISM that he saw an elderly man hit by soldiers, and three other men beaten and covered in blood before being arrested.

The Red Crescent reported that one man suffered a broken jaw while others were treated for rubber-coated steel bullet wounds and burns from exploding sound grenades. ISmers also saw two men arrested inside the Lion’s gate.

Muslims pray at the Lion’s Gate entrance in Jerusalem’s Old City

After many Palestinians fled from the compound, 1,700 settlers in total were given permission to enter – the second time this year during a Muslim holiday. They were escorted by heavily armed soldiers in smaller groups of 100-200. The ultra-nationalists claimed to be seeking entry to commemorate Tisha B’Av, a Jewish holiday, which coincided this year with Eid al-Adha.

However Palestinians believe that the invasion was entirely politically motivated. “It’s a political issue and nothing to do with religion,” the East Jerusalem resident told ISM. “They want to show who has the power, who are the ones in charge. Don’t forget, it’s election time and these fanatics are very important to win over for the Israeli government.”

Hundreds of settlers were waiting by the Dung Gate entrance of the compound near the Western Wall from around 8am, chanting over the bangs of sound grenades exploding inside.

The number of settlers permitted to enter was 17% more than on Tisha B’Av last year when the Jewish holiday did not coincide with Eid al-Adha.

Ultra-nationalist Jews wait at the Dung Gate to enter Al-Aqsa compound

Ultra-nationalist Jews praying in Jerusalem Muslim Quarter

They continued their provocations for the rest of the day, trying repeatedly to enter the Al-Aqsa compound through different gates. As late at 8.30pm, ISMers saw the fanatics holding a ceremony by the Lion’s Gate entrance to Al-Aqsa. A local told ISM that this display has never happened before. “There’s no limits, no limits to what they are doing today,” he said.

The extremist groups had released a call out earlier this week to raid the compound on Sunday.

In an attempt to prevent the settler invasion the Muslim Waqf – the authority that controls the compound – had delayed the prayer by an hour and encouraged worshippers to stay in Al-Aqsa afterwards to deter the Israeli government giving them the green light.

Ultra-nationalist Jews praying at one of the gates of Al Aqsa mosque in the afternoon

Ultra-nationalist Jews praying at one of the gates of Al Aqsa mosque in the evening

But after thousands of Palestinians fled the compound the numbers inside were low enough to be deemed ‘safe’ for settlers to enter.

Muslims were also prevented from re-entering the site for around two hours after.

A Palestinian woman sat crying at the Lion’s Gate after being refused entry and a man was briefly detained and searched. Another woman who was also denied entry and aggressively pushed back by soldiers when she tried to pass said: “I am a Muslim. I am outside. There are Israelis inside. Inside my Al-Aqsa.”

Worshippers were eventually allowed back in to the compound after being forced to wait for hours while settlers roamed free inside.

For the past 10 years, Israel has been making steps to control the holy site, allowing more and more ultra-nationalist Jews to enter.

A movement in Israel’s far right is behind this push for more access to the compound. They are also seeking permission which would allow Jews to pray at the site which is currently forbidden.

Settlers attack Palestinians across the West Bank after Israeli soldier death

August 9 | International Solidarity Movement | West Bank, occupied Palestine

Israeli settlers launched a series of violent attacks against Palestinians across the West Bank last night, smashing car windows and assaulting an elderly man.

Attacks took place simultaneously in multiple locations between 22:00 and 24:00 on the night of August 8, near the illegal settlements of Ofra, Efrat, Howara and Kiryat Arba, suggesting the attacks were coordinated.

An elderly Palestinian man, who was attacked by settlers throwing rocks at Howara checkpoint near Nablus, said he “would have been killed” if he had stopped driving. He was treated for wounds on his shoulder and neck.

Settlers smashed the windows of Palestinians’ cars near the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba, the same place where just last month soldiers dragged a Palestinian family, including a 1-year-old baby, out of their car and beat them. ISMers saw Israeli soldiers protecting settlers in Kiryat Arba last night as they vandalized Palestinian property.

The attacks continued today with settlers burning feed and hay bales in a village in the South Hebron Hills. Activist group Good Shepherd Collective said: “Israeli settlers burnt the animal feed and hay bales of Khaled A’mour in Adirate village in the South Hebron Hills, spray painting “Revenge” in Hebrew to make it a clear sign who was responsible. These price-tag acts of violence are routine, particularly during the election cycles where right-wing political parties are vying for the extremist support often stoke the flames.”

The latest round of violence follows the death of a settler soldier, Dvir Sorek, outside Kibbutz Migdal Oz near Bethlehem. Israeli media immediately blamed Palestinians for the killing, despite police confirming that they currently have no information on the perpetrators or motives. Shin Bet and the Israeli military have begun conducting raids across the West Bank, and establishing new checkpoints.

Earlier yesterday, hundreds of occupation forces raided the village of Beit Fajar and the Al Jalazone refugee camp as part of the massive manhunt to find those responsible for the settler’s death.

The Israeli far-right has called for settlement expansion in retaliation. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, from Primer Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, declared that Israel’s “response” to the killing must be to “apply sovereignty on [annex] the settlements, starting with Gush Etzion.” Gush Etzion, a cluster of 18 settlements illegal by international law, is the region where Dvir Sorek’s body was found.

The international media’s widespread reporting of the death of the settler soldier and Israeli government’s swift and harsh reaction comes in stark contrast to their silence on the deaths of Palestinian civilians. This year Israeli Occupation Forces killed 87 Palestinians (19 children), none of which made international headlines. Less than 4 weeks ago, 7 year old Tariq Zebania was killed by an Israeli settler vehicle while riding his bicycle near his village, west of Hebron. Local media reported that there was no police investigation, and no arrests were made.

Water Series: ‘There’s no law in the world that says you can cut water from humans’

‘Enemies of life’ – Israeli bulldozer rips up water pipes near At-Tuwani

August 3 | International Solidarity Movement | South Hebron Hills, occupied Palestine

This is the second of a series of reports documenting the control and devastation of water sources by Israel as a tool of oppression.

Israel is escalating its war on water in the South Hebron Hills, demolishing wells, ripping out kilometres of pipeline and even confiscating trucks carrying emergency water tanks to parched villages.

In the sweltering month of July, five demolitions targeting water infrastructure were carried out, leaving Palestinian farming villages without access to water.

The latest took place on Wednesday July 31, when the Israeli Civil Administration – the body that governs Area C in the West Bank – cut pipes supplying water to houses and farmland in the area of al-Jaway near At-Tuwani.

Tariq Hathaleen, a local activist from the South Hebron Hills, says that the number of demolitions on water sources has “more than doubled,” this year compared to previous years.

He told ISM: “Now in the summer it sounds like the Civil Administration has a plan to restrict Palestinian access to water in the South Hebron Hills, in Area C in general, and that’s actually to put more pressure on those people to move them away from those villages.

“Because the Civil Administration don’t have a direct excuse to expel those people from their land but the plan is to put more pressure to make them leave by cutting their water sources.”

On July 4, bulldozers destroyed three water wells outside the town of Dkeika, a day after they came to the same area and uprooted over 500 olive trees.

A village elder is detained while trying to protect water sources on July 4

The destruction of the wells and trees have affected around 1,200 people, 60 per cent of them registered as refugees. according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Four water cisterns were also destroyed on July 24 in a park between the villages of Umm al-Kheir and Umm Daraj

“I know the reality of these people,” Tariq, who was at the demolition, adds. “I call them the enemies of life and they prove this by cutting trees, by cutting water pipes, by cutting the lives of people.”

The Good Shepherd Collective, a group that advocates human rights predominantly in the South Hebron Hills, puts the escalation of demolitions down to the actions of far-right settler NGO Regavim.

Regavim, which receives Israeli tax-payers money and has charitable status, spies on Palestinian communities, looking out for structures built without a permit and reporting them to the ICA. They then speed up demolition cases in the courts through petitions.

Their devastating impact can be seen by the steep rise in demolitions in the South Hebron Hills; 65 structures have been bulldozed or confiscated so far this year, compared to 23 structures in the same period last year, according to OCHA.

The al Dababsh family watches as their home is razed to the ground in the village of Khalet al Dabeh

“For anyone who still has qualms about the placement of blame on the state or Civil Administration for the act of demolitions, the message of these continued demolitions in natural areas should serve as a clarifying message,” the Good Shepherd Collective said.

“The state, the settlers and the organizations like Regavim that push forward the destruction of these areas, structures and resources for Palestinians are not motivated by the preservation of humanitarian rights, environmental laws, or the protection of the natural environment.”

The series of attacks on water sources in July comes after Israel ripped out a huge pipe network earlier this year that had supplied 12 Palestinian towns in the South Hebron Hills with running water.

The pipes were built in secret and took four months to install. But just six months later, Israel destroyed them, cutting the 20km lifeline.

The 12 villages have had to return to the old method of accessing water – by transporting tanks on tractors along poor roads which wears down the tyres and wastes precious work days.

Transporting water in this way adds to the economic burden of the area’s small villages, costing 30 shekkles for one cubic metre. In contrast Israelis pay just 8 shekkles per cubic metre.

And even the trucks are not safe from Israel’s war on water; on July 15, 18 water tanks were confiscated by Israeli soldiers. In the same raid, several thousand dollars of water pipeline and drilling equipment to install the pipes were also taken.

“The feeling is hard to accept, the fact that those people, those humans out of blood and flesh agree on themselves to cut other peoples’ lives by cutting the water,” Tariq tells ISM.

“It’s far from doing something legal. There’s no law in the world that says you can cut water from humans and forbid him from having water access. Its insane.”

A bulldozer destorys water wells while a Regavim drone hovers above

The South Hebron Hills is in Area C of the West Bank which means it is under full Israeli control. Palestinians in this region are denied building permits even to install water pipelines or wells, and are not allowed to hook up to the water network that Israel has laid across Palestinian land to supply illegal settlements.

As a result, villages in the area are subject to unrelenting attacks on not only their water sources but farmland and homes.