4th March 2016| International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Bil’in, occupied Palestine
Today, groups of Palestinians, Israelis and other activists from around the world marched together in solidarity to oppose the zionist regimes annexation wall and illegal settlement of Modin Ilit. The settlement has been built on part of the once Palestinian land from the town of Bil’in. In 2007 after 9 months of daily protesting, the Israeli court ruled that the wall be re-routed. However after major delays only parts of the wall have been re-routed. 9 years later the locals are still peacefully protesting weekly for the return of the rest of their land from the Israeli government.
Piles of used tear gas and stun grenades from past demonstrations
The demonstration started around 1pm after prayer as it has been every Friday for the past 11 years. Palestinians, Israelis and fellow activists assembled in front of the mosque and began the march to unite against the annexation wall which provides shelter for the illegal settlement of Modin Ilit.
Heavy tear gas cloud
However the peaceful demonstration was unfortunately cut short as Israeli soldiers had already mobilised and made their way onto Palestinian territory in anticipation for the march. The demonstrators were met with a barrage of tear gas fired from a distance by the occupying Israeli forces, not allowing them to progress further. While the tear gas rained down around demonstrators it also landed in several of the local Palestinians yards and homes.
An Israeli activist runs from tear gas
While protesters re-assembled and tried to march on, more and more tear gas was fired causing them to end what was a peaceful march to oppose the barbarous acts of the Israeli government.
The occupying forces will continue to use excessive force in territories that do not belong to them just as the Palestinians will continue to protest peacefully until the world notices these heinous human rights violations being committed by the zionist government and the stolen land is returned to the Palestinians.
A Palestinian man and a Israeli man stand together in opposition to occupation
3rd March 2016| International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
On Saturday, 27th February 2016, as two ISM volunteers were walking on Prayer Road, right next to the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), they were attacked, threatened and insulted by settlers while Israeli forces were watching.
When the internationals were passing by, turning their backs toward a gate that is used as an entrance for the settlers and while looking the other direction over al-Khalil, the settlers immediately threw a stone at them. Shortly after, 2 or more settlers appeared at the fence and began yelling and cursing the volunteers in an extremely abusive and vulgar manner. When the international human rights defenders tried to engage, the settler became more abusive, one of them walked out of the gate, put his hand on a hand-gun he was wearing on his belt and openly threatened the internationals that he would not hesitate to use the gun on them. He repeatedly stated that he was going to shoot them, while another settler brought and unleashed a dog outside.
Illegal settlers and Israeli soldier
As the volunteers turned to return from where they had come from – the only option as Israeli forces were entirely ignoring the hate-speech and open threats to their lives and well-being by the settlers, an Israeli soldier with two cups of coffee walked out the same gate the settlers were using. When asked by the internationals why he did not intervene and stop the settler at any point, he claimed he hadn’t seen the stone-throwing. In contradiction to that, he then quietly said that the settler was not like most.
Illegal settler and Israeli soldiers
This clearly illustrates the impunity settlers enjoy in the occupied West Bank. Regardless of their actions, they are enjoying the full protection from the Israeli forces. Whereas for the international human rights defenders making official complaints with the Israeli police is at least a theoretical possibility, Palestinians making their way to the police station in the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba have repeatedly been told by the civil police that they were not even taking complaints against settlers by Palestinians. The Palestinian families living in the direct vicinity of this illegal settlement thus are forced by the Israeli government to endure the harassment, intimidation, verbal and physical violence by settlers they are exposed to ona daily basis without any way of addressing this impunity.
3rd March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
On the 28th of February around 4:00pm, 12 year old Palestinian boy, Sayed Seder was arrested by 10 heavily armed Israeli soldiers whilst playing football with his friends on the street in front of his family home. The Israeli army claim that he was arrested under allegations he was throwing stones at the guard tower which watches over Al-Shallalah Street and the illegal Israeli settlement that has been built directly behind the street and family home.
Abed, the father of Sayed went down to confront the soldiers after Sayed’s friends came running up to the family home, explaining to the father what was happening. When Abed approached the soldiers to ask them what exactly they were arresting his son for, the soldiers responded by informing him that it was because he was seen throwing rocks at the guard tower above. However, the street is lined with a protective type of fencing above the shops roofs that prohibits objects being thrown up or in the most common cases, being thrown down by illegal Israeli settlers who live above. Abed put the argument forward that it would have been pointless for his son to have been throwing stones with this protective barrier in place. Perhaps the logic of this made too much sense and the arresting soldier quickly changed his story and then began to tell Abed his son was being arrested for stealing a settler child’s football whilst pointing to the ball that Sayed and his friends were playing with. Abed informed the soldier that the ball Sayed and his friends were playing with was in fact a ball that he had purchased for Sayed from a shop in Halhoul just recently. The soldier who was evidently lying and knowingly falsely accusing Sayed of the above allegations ignored any more of Abed’s protests and continued to arrest Sayed.
Al-Shallalah street where Sayed was arrested
From this point Sayed was marched to the Shuhada street entrance gate and taken through while his parents and friends were forced to stand back and watch. Sayed was then taken to the local military base on Shuhada street. Upon entering the military base he was reportedly handcuffed and blindfolded. The blindfold remained on for around 30minutes before being taken off, assuming that it was put on so he could not get a full view of what was happening inside the military compound for security purposes. Sayed alleges that teenage settlers who were allowed into the compound then beat him while the Israeli army simply stood back and did nothing. In recent light of leaked videos showing the torture of young Palestinians by Israeli soldiers whilst being detained does nothing to boost the credibility of the Israeli army or give merit to this bogus arrest of a 12 year old.
Protective fencing installed above Al-Shallalah street and the guard tower
Sayed was later released from custody at around 9pm to Palestinian authorities where he complained of pain in his kidneys. His father arrived shortly after and took Sayed to hospital where doctors examined him. While the doctors could not find physical wounds that would require further attention they did note that Sayed was severely traumatised from the event and was in a state of shock.
Just 3 months ago the Israeli army arrested one of Abed’s other sons who is 10 years old. The reason for the arrest was that he too was suspected of throwing stones at the military. As Abed didn’t believe this and objected he too was arrested with his 10 year old son. They were detained for 6 hours and released without charge.
One significant fact is that Abed’s house backs onto the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit Hadasa. Abed used to sell artisans out of the family home but has had to stop because of ongoing harassment both physical and verbal to himself and to his customers from the settlers that occupy the land next to his home. The front of Abed’s house has been covered in barbed wire by the Israeli military and is adorned with bags of dirty hummus, eggs and other foul items thrown down by the illegal settlers. The army has also boarded up the windows of his family home (without his permission) that overlook Beit Hadasa.
Abed’s home and the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit HadasaThe barbed wire at the entrance to Abed’s house with rubbish thrown down by settlers
While harassment from the settlers in Hebron is often considered an unfortunate normality to most Palestinians living under occupation, the armies continued bogus charges and harassment of Abed and his family give one the impression that the Zionist regime is using a tactical ploy to get Abed and his family out of their home for further settlement expansion.
1st March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza-team | Deir El Balah, Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine
One month ago Mohamed Said El Saidi, 23 years old, and his brother went back to the sea around 5am in order to pick up the nets that they had previously left 2 miles offshore in Deir El Balah.
When they arrived they saw an Israeli warship waiting for them in the distance, once they had collected their nets the Israeli navy vessel approached and told them to stop. “We decided to try escape… we couldn’t afford loosing the boat and the nets”.
However they couldn’t go too far, as the Israeli soldiers immediately shot Mahmoud 11 times with a unique kind of projectile that consists of a cloth bag full of buckshots. They soldiers shot him 8 times in the leg and 3 times to the head. The damage from the shots left him unable to walk, as he couldn’t feel his leg, he was also left very dizzy and disoriented.
Mahmoud and his injuries
Immediately after that, the warship from the occupation rammed them, destroying their small boat and nailing a metal bar on Mahmoud’s neck. In the collision he also got his jaw and nose broken.
Mahmoud in hospital
The occupation forces then took Mahmoud to the hospital and kept his brother for one day before sending him back to Gaza. Mahmoud’s mother explains, “I received a call from the Israeli hospital telling me that my son might die at any moment, and when my other son came back he told me that Mahmoud was dead”.
Mahmoud and his mother in hospital
Mahmoud’s mother was then given a permission slip to leave Gaza in order to see him. He was unconscious for 6 days and couldn’t begin to speak again until 12 days after, as all his vocal cords had been cut by the metal bar. The doctors have told him not to eat anything solid, during the next year he is only able to drink juices and soups through a straw.
Medical examination reports
Medical examination reports
The situation of the family has become tragic, “we live in a rented house that we have been paying with the money that Mahmoud provides. Now we also should pay for his care and medicines, but we can’t… his cousin is taking care of his wounds as we can’t pay a nurse to do it”. “Please let the world know what they do to our children… they shoot them, steal their boats, kill them… they leave whole families without income… this is not life”. She continues, “I have another son who was kidnapped by the occupation a year ago… he has 3 children who have stopped going to school because we can’t pay for it”.
29th February 2016| International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
Fortunately much of the world is now fully aware of Israel’s apartheid wall and the zionist state’s grotesque, illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories that it represents. But few are aware of the endless number of other apartheid structures scattered throughout Palestine with the direct purpose of further demoralizing and dehumanizing its proud people. At just four and five years old some might wonder if the Sasrriya kindergarten kids in Al-Khalil (Hebron) are aware of the apartheid fence they encounter every morning walking to and from kindy. On Sunday february the 29th, whilst under the protection of international volunteers, these Palestinian kindergarten kids set off from home for a short yet challenging journey to school.
Young minds of the innocent blissfully unaware of the zionist apartheid regime
The kindergarten sits atop a hill. At it’s base is an apartheid fence. This symbol of persecution and maltreatment splits the path below in two. On the left is a well paved and regularly maintained strip. On the right is an old, eroding stretch of rubble littered with waste. The fence and its paths are located in the H2 area of Hebron, home to both Palestinians and illegal Israeli settlers, yet only one is accessible for these young Palestinian kids. With the well preserved strip specifically constructed for exclusive use by zionist settlers and the Israeli forces based in the area to serve them, the young children are forced to trudge up and down the dangerous, uneven path to get to and from kindy. Slipping and sliding on the loose ground below, the internationals always do their best to guide the kids through the uneven rubbish filled terrain and safely to their destination.
International activists do their best to keep the children safe from Israeli soldier harassment
“Its a horrible thing to see. To be exposed to this callous process of oppression and degradation at such a young age… I really feel for the Palestinian kids.” Human rights defender in Hebron.
Palestinian kindergarteners are forced to use the dangerous route by Israeli forces
Parents will only allow their children to attend kindergarten under the guidance and protection of international activists. Each morning volunteers from all over the world pick up the excited children from their homes and make their way up the apartheid path hand in hand. With Israeli soldiers and illegal settlers regularly abusing and harassing the innocent young children, the presence of these international activists is essential to ensure the safety of the kids. But even with the efforts of these human rights defenders Israeli forces and zionist settlers still attempt to dehumanize the kids, often hurling rubbish at them, making animal noises, learning their names to confuse and scare them and even attempting to take their hand and lead them astray. The harassment is so great that even the kindergarten teachers fear for their safety when leaving for the day and seek out the protection of the volunteers through multiple checkpoints.
“The kids are so innocent, they are born innocent… They aren’t born full of hate or division, no child is. But occupation deliberately attempts to poison them with it in the hope of one day labelling them the cause of this disaster.” ISM volunteer.
International volunteers ensuring the kindergarten kids get home safe
“It sums up Zionist Israel perfectly. Gutless and heartless in their ethnic cleansing of Palestine. They can’t even give kindergarten kids a break… They just want to make life so unbearable for these poor people, from every possible angle, so they quit and leave.” International activist on the scene.
Apartheid can be defined as any system or practice that separates people according to colour, ethnicity, etc. The structures built throughout the Palestinian territories are representative of this process of separation and the collective punishment imposed by the zionist State of Israel. Not only are the Palestinians encaged by an immoral apartheid wall built on illegal boundaries, but the young kids of the nation are being exposed to similar structures of division on a daily basis, teaching them a self image of contempt, isolation and inferiority.
The journey to kindergarten crosses an apartheid fence, razor wire and abusive Israeli soldiers
Teachers and kindergarten children are forced to deal with these structures daily, with no end in sight. As the confidence and dignity of the precious Palestinian children is slowly stripped away, those responsible are never held accountable. Much like the excessive force used at many checkpoints, where tear gas and stun grenades are often used on young kids, this psychological abuse is sadly a crucial component of zionist occupation that the rest of the world has long accepted. It is now up to the rest of the world to feel Palestine’s pain and show much needed love and support for it’s wrongly condemned people.
