Category: Reports - Page 124 - International Solidarity Movement

Increasing collective punishment in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron)

3rd of December 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli forces closed the al-Hareka neighbourhood putting up new roadblocks and completely closing off a whole neighbourhood in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron).

The neighbourhood’s access to the main street has been blocked off with an iron gate for a long time already. Recently, a group of about twenty soldiers arrived to the neighbourhood to further limit the freedom of movement of the Palestinian residents.

Military gate blocking entrance for cars

One resident, a journalist documenting the soldiers putting the new roadblocks that completely barr any access to about 200-300 people living there, was detained by the soldiers for over an hour. Soldiers attempted to stop him from filming this measure of collective punishment, a clear infringement on the freedom of press. In order to reach the main road or leave their houses, people living behind the wall are now forced to walk all the way around and will thus need at least ten minutes more to reach the military gate that is already blocking their entrance.

Children playing on the newly erected wall blocking off the neighbourhood

Watch a video of soldiers installing this new wall:

Or watch video here.

Additionally, soldiers have commanded the roof of a private family home for military purposes and have erected a small military base there. A group of six soldiers is permanently stationed on the family home and “they slept on the roof”, as a school-boy explained.

Israeli forces stationed on a family home

The al-Hareka neighbourhood is bordering the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba, and thus is often the target of harassment and violence both from the Israeli forces as well as the settlers – often under the protection of the soldiers.

This is yet another measure to intensify the efforts to restrict – or completely stop – Palestinian freedom of movement. Such collective punishment measures have sky-rocketed in the recent weeks and months in occupied al-Khalil, and add to the increasing efforts to further exacerbate everyday life for Palestinians and eventually make them disappear completely.

The long journey, for a Palestinian, to get a permit for medical appointments in Israel

December 2nd, 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwwara team |

It can be complicated to be a medical patient in Palestine. It is especially complicated when Palestinians need to have treatment in Israeli hospitals without having permission to travel freely to Israel. The army/DCO can basically give a death penalty when they deny patients travel permits to go for necessary treatment.

Maher has been fighting cancer for 5 years

Maher Falih, a 48 years-old Palestinian from Zawata, near Nablus had an appointment yesterday to go to a hospital in Israel. He has been struggling with cancer for 5 years. Part of that time he went through chemotherapy and radiation treatment in an Israeli hospital, because hospitals in Palestine didn’t have enough expertise to help his situation. It is not out of kindness though, that Israelis have the responsibility of providing health services to those who are occupied, it is a way of controlling. Now Maher has finished his cancer treatment, but he still needs to see his doctor to follow the recovery process. For the last 5 months Maher has been having a lot of trouble getting permission to cross the checkpoints, so he often can’t attend his doctors’ appointments in Israel.

The process to obtain a permission is long and complicated. First, the Israeli hospital to which he has to go must give him, each time, an appointment for the next time. He then has to contact the DCO (District Coordination Offices) to ask for permission on that date. At the moment the DCO refuses to give him the needed paperwork, arguing that since he is no longer suffering from a life-threatening disease, there is no reason for him to go to the hospital.

Yesterday, unfortunately during his last appointment, the doctors found a problem and decided to operate right away, which proves how much he still needs these follow up appointments in the hospital. The Israelis have so much power over life and death for the Palestinian people. For Maher, this was a threat to his life, and could have been a death sentence in the end. Palestinian people are dependent of what the DCO and the army wants, not what specialists want, and the power is in the hands of people who don’t know what they are doing.

“We were walking home and they shot at us”

2^nd December 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On the evening of the 1^st of December 2015, five Palestinian boys were shot at by Israeli forces with live ammunition on their way home to Tel Rumeida. The five boys – between the ages of sixteen and seventeen years – were on their way home, passing through the Jabal Al-Rahma neighbourhood at around 8pm when three soldiers shot at them with live ammunition without any reason. One of the boys managed to run away, while the other four were injured.

The Jabal Al-Rahma neighbourhood borders with the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood and thus marks the border between the H1 and H2 area in Al-Khalil (Hebron). Both the Jabal Al-Rahma neighbourhood and the neighbourhood of Tel Rumeida have been subjected to house raids and increased violence, harassment and closures since the beginning of October. The Tel Rumeida area has turned into lawless zone with the declaration of it being a “closed military zone” on November 1^st, in which heightened harassment, violence and humiliation increasing daily. On the evening of the 1^st of December “we were walking home and they shot at us” explains one of the boys. This happened in the Jabal al-Rahme neighbourhood, in the H1 area of Tel Rumeida – supposedly under full Palestinian control.

When the soldiers started shooting, some of the residents of the Jabal Al-Rahma neighbourhood reacted quickly and tried to help the injured boys. Two of the boys immediately had to be evacuated to Alia Hospital in Al-Khalil (Hebron) where they had to spend the night. Both of them were shot with live ammunition into the legs and foot respectively. One boy immediately had to be brought to Al-Ahli hospital with serious injuries to both his stomach and legs. He had to undergo two surgeries to remove four bullets and is still in critical condition. The fourth boy was shot into the chest and then taken by the soldiers, before anyone could offer any first aid and bring him to a safe area. So far, it is unclear how severe his injuries are and where the soldiers have taken him.

The soldiers made use of their fire arms without there being any threat to them or anyone else and thereby severely injuring minors and unlawfully kidnapping one of them. Despite these illegal and highly immoral actions, they don’t have to face any consequences for their actions, whereas the families of the boys have to deal with the additional hardships of the impunity of Israeli forces.

Free Mahmoud Abujoad!

29th November 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Huwwara, occupied Palestine

UPDATED: 05.01.2016

Congratulations! With 420 US dollars collected we have now reached a third of the amount needed to cover the costs of the lawyer, who is representing Mahmoud in the Israeli court. However, we still have to collect 867 US dollars.

Please, keep sharing the campaign and encourage the people who care to donate through PayPal on our website, every contribution matters!

Free Mahmoud!

*****

UPDATED: 28.12.2015

So far, 310 dollars have been collected. We are still far away from the 1287 dollars we need to cover the costs of the lawyer, Khaled Al Araaj, who will be representing Mahmoud in the Israeli court. Please continue your kind donations!

*****

Palestinian human rights activist and community supporter Mahmoud Abujoad, from the Deishah refugee camp in Bethlehem is still in prison waiting to be reunited with his wife and family! Mahmud was arrested on September 9th 2015 whilst traveling with his newly wedded wife to Jordan on a family holiday. He is being charged by the occupation authorities under allegations of throwing stones at a demonstration against Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge” massacre in Gaza, more than a year ago. A military judged ruled to release him on bail and his loved ones gathered the money that was needed with your help. However, the military prosecution appealed and the decision to release him was overturned as an act of collective punishment.

Newly married Mahmoud Abujoad and his wife Sireen

Military Judge Lt. Colonol Shmuel Keidar said in his decision “ I believe that the court can deviate from the micro-considerations regarding the defendant himself and to include considerations of general deterrent, considering the wide population in the area. Because of these things I believe it is not wrong to use the the reason of general deterrent straightaway or for detention and should express it as much as the situation needs. For all of these reasons I accept to keep him until the end of proceedings.”

Now, Mahmoud and his family and friends are appealing for support for 5,000 NIS (1,287 US$) for the costs of the lawyer, Khaled Al Araaj, who will be representing Mahmoud. Please donate through PayPal on our website, every contribution matters!

Free Mahmoud!

Mahmoud and his wife Sireen, married just three months at the time of Mahmoud’s arrest in Jordan by Israeli authorities.

Illegal Israeli settlers threaten to burn a family of 11

28th November 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Madama, occupied Palestine

Earlier today, November 28th, a group of Israeli illegal settlers, in the presence of three Israeli soldiers, threatened to burn down a family in the village of Madama, occupied West Bank.

At noon, 25 settlers from the nearby settlement of Yitzhar trespassed the land of the Palestinian village Madama. Once they had reached the outskirts of the village they started yelling and threatening a family. The family, who previously had problems with the settlers from Yitzhar, includes 9 children and an additional one is expected within two months.

1 illegal settler hiking on the hills around Madama, accompanied by 2 israeli soldiers. — 1 illegal settler walking on the hills around Madama, accompanied by 2 Israeli soldiers.

The settlers, some of whom were armed with rifles, were standing within 100-150 metres from the family’s house when they were yelling at the family. The illegal settlers were threatening the family with facing the same end as the Dawasheh family, referring to a previous attack this year where a settler firebombed a Palestinian family. 18 month old Ali Dawasheh was burned alive and both his parents later succumbed from the arson attack, leaving 4 year old Ahmed as the only surviving member of the family.

The settlers today also yelled at the family that they would be the next Mohammed Abu Khdeir. Mohammed was only 16 years old when he was kidnapped outside his house in the neighborhood of Shuafat, East Jerusalem. The kidnappers, later found out to be Jewish Israeli nationalists, beat him up and forced him to drink gasoline before finally burning him alive, from the inside out.

After today’s attack, the family in Madama is feeling even more insecure. Due to repeated attacks by the settlers the family recently got founding by the authorities to put up a barb wire fence, surrounding the house. And the father of the family has put a cover on the windows to protect his family from potential rocks thrown by the settlers.