Category: Reports - Page 128 - International Solidarity Movement

Once again, Israeli forces raid Nablus homes

19th november 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwwara team | Tell, occupied Palestine

Early morning today, November 19th, at around 1:30 am, Israeli forces raided approximately twenty homes in the village of Tell, Nablus, destroying furniture, televisions and other household items. Mohammed, 73 year old citizen of Tell, describes that soldiers were shooting tear gas, live ammunition and stun grenades, injuring two youths by live ammunition after clashes erupted in the area.

Ransacked home in the village of Tell, Nablus (photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/Tal.village.for.all/)

Furthermore, nine men were arrested without any charges and six men were asked to go to the Israeli security on the following day for security check. The nine men were all released six hours after the arrests.

“These random night raids are a way of scaring the people and demonstrating the occupier’s superiority” states Monther Ishtaya, the mayor of Tell village. He continues: “Also, the night raids are part of the training of new soldiers as well as for the newly appointed local leader of Shabak (Israel’s internal security service)”.

As the village Tell is part of area A, Israeli occupation forces have to coordinate – under the terms of the so-called ‘security coordination’ of the Oslo accords – their entry of the village with Palestinian Authority. According to the mayor, the reality, however, is that PA many times is either not informed or only informed shortly before Israeli forces enter the area.

According to the mayor, Israeli forces enter the village sometimes on a daily basis in order to check people on the street, do night raids and other so-called ‘security measures’. Since the beginning of October, 15 youths have been arrested, many of them sentenced for 6 months and/or forced to pay fines of several thousands shekels.

During the same night, in the village of Kafr Ad-Deak, Salfit, more than hundred Israeli soldiers invaded the village and raided and ransacked 15 houses in the As-Suqqiya area. In addition, they put up posters around the village stating that stone throwing will imply retaliation and punishment. Verbally the soldiers expressed to the villagers, that stone throwing would imply being shot.

Poster put up in Kafr Al-Deak threatening stone throwers (Photo credit: Murad Samara)

Israeli army forces farmers and international off their land near Huwarra

November 18th 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwarra Team | Huwarra, occupied Palestine

On Wednesday, November 18th, 2015, Israeli forces stopped Palestinian farmers with Meta Peace Team, ISM and Rabbis for Human Rights volunteers claiming that they did not have a valid permit for that day. The group had been picking olives just up the hill from the Huwarra checkpoint most of the morning without incident. Sometime late morning the team noticed armed soldiers at the top of the hill watching. The farmers got nervous and collected the olives they had bagged and brought them to their vehicle while the rest of the group continued picking. Shortly afterwards a military jeep drove up towards the olive pickers. Three armed soldiers called down the farmer to speak with them. The military started to leave when a man in a black car wearing a purple shirt drove up and talked to the military and then they came back and demanded the farmers and internationals leave because they did not have a permit to pick that day, claiming that it was supposed to be in two days. An Israeli from Rabbis for Human Rights called the Military authorities and discovered it was actually supposed to be the following day. The team of olive pickers were forced off the land by the Israeli soldiers.

Palestinian farmer and internationals discussing picking permit with Israeli forces.

Soldiers watching olive pickers from distance.

Four homes demolished in Israeli collective punishment

14th November 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Nablus, occupied Palestine

Three storage house with demolished first floor in Al Dahia, Nablus. — Three storage house with demolished first floor in Al Dahia, Nablus

Early Saturday morning, November 14th, four homes belonging to Palestinians accused in the killings of two illegal settlers were demolished. Three of the houses were located in the Nablus area belonging to the families of imprisoned Samir Zahir Kusa, Kerem Lufti Razek and Yahia Haj Hamed.

The house demolitions are a part of a series of punitive measures by the Israeli government with the declared rationale being “prevention” of future attacks. The unlawful collective punishment, however, is breaking international law by meting out vengeance on the entire family, regardless of the fact that they haven’t been found guilty of any crime.

The case of the demolition of Kerem Lufti Razek’s home on the densely populated Al Rawda College Street, Nablus, clearly exemplifies the collective impact of the punitive measure. At 1am on November 14th, Israeli forces entered the neighborhood, forcing the residents to leave their homes, and confiscated their mobile phones to avoid video footage showing the incident. They then put up temporary checkpoints enclosing the area, and at 2:30 am started demolishing the house of Kerem Lufti with explosives.

Not only was the second floor belonging to Kerem Lufti, his parents, two brothers and one sister completely destroyed, leaving only bricks and broken walls, but also the first and third floors of the house were severely damaged and are now unsuitable for living. In the neighboring houses all windows were broken and critical structural elements were extensively damaged by the force of the blast.

Demolished home of Kerem Lutfi Razek in Al Rawada College St, Nablus

Simultaneously, Israeli forces entered the Al Dahia-neighborhood of Nablus where the family of imprisoned Samir Zahir Kusa until tonight was resident. In this case, the first floor housing the wife of Samir and their three children was completely reduced into a dusty pile of rubble and broken walls, while the two upper floors housing the family of a cousin and a brother were seriously damaged as well.

Lower floor of Samir Zahir Kusa's home reduced into rubble and broken walls — Lower floor of Samir Zahir Kusa’s home reduced into rubble and broken walls

Samir Zahir Kusa, Kerem Lufti Razek and Yahia Haj Hamed were detained on October 5th as suspects in the drive-by killing of two settlers from the notorious illegal Yitzhar settlement, Naama and Eitam Henkin, in the Nablus district on October 1st. After the detention of the men, the judge’s decision of demolition was temporarily suspended but was reissued earlier this month. In Silwad village near Ramallah the house of Maad Hamad, who is accused of killing an Israeli settler on June 29th, was the fourth home to be demolished this morning.

A 19-year old resident of Nablus witnessing the house demolition in Al Dahia stated: “If they destroy our homes, we will build a hundred new,” exemplifying that despite having to face brutality, violence, displacement and destruction, the Palestinian spirit of sumud endures.

Neighbouring home at Al Rawda College St. with damaged walls, roofs and windows

Israel is experimenting with dynamite (TNT) to demolish Palestinian homes, instead of the older procedure of using Volvo Excavators. The collatoral damage on neigboring houses was clearly visible. It is an extension of the collective punishment, which is illegal by international law.

Today released video of the Israeli army, promotes the new demolishing procedure to the world.

Internationals and Palestinian arrested in Bil’in demonstration

13th November 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Nablus, occupied Palestine

Update: 15th November 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Nablus, occupied Palestine

Italian acitivist Antonio Fresta photographed day after been arrested and beaten by the police.

Four human rights defenders arrested in Bil’in on 13th November when peacefully observing a demonstration against the apartheid wall have been let out on bail. All were held at the police station for approximate 10 hours, interrogated, photographed and fingerprinted. Embassies of the activists contacted the police station, providing assistance to detainees. Police was first reluctant to define reasons for the arrests. Main reason presented later was an accusation of the activists being on a “closed military zone”, despite the lack of signs signifying the area as one. In case of some of the detainees the police kept changing the reason presented for the arrest. Police has so far provided no evidence for the accusations.

As the video evidence clearly portraits, the Italian activist Antonio Fresta was repeatedly denied medical assistance by the ambulance personnel during the arrest. The police officers refusing the medics to approach or place Fresta on a stretcher were identified by their first names, Nikolai and Ruslan. Both were in border police uniform and appearing to be of higher rank. Fresta had the sim card of his phone confiscated and later returned by the police. Fresta’s credit card also disappeared from his personal belongins after they were taken by the police.

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Four human rights defenders have been arrested this afternoon at a demonstration against the apartheid wall in Bil’in. Approximately sixty villagers and supporters spread out throughout the valley and the human rights defenders were peacefully monitoring the situation when they were attacked.

Palestinian activist Mohammed Khatib, American Jewish Code Pink activist, a Finnish activist and Italian activist, Antonio Fresta, were arrested. Antonio was assaulted and repeatedly pepper-sprayed from close range in the face. They are presently still detained.

Italian brutally pepper-sprayed and arrested — Italian man brutally pepper-sprayed and arrested

At approximately 1pm two women, an American and a Scandinavian, were walking along the road near to the wall with 3 other people when Israeli Forces advanced and detained both of them. When Mohammad al-Khatib approached the Israeli forces to question why the women were being detained, he was also detained and arrested. The soldiers then shot several rounds of teargas across the valley, and ran after a Chilean and Italian filming nearby.

American woman peacefully participating in the demonstration arrested

According to Australian ISM volunteer Phoebe, who was also present at the scene, “there were just a few men throwing stones at the wall, far away from two jeeps, and far away from those they arrested, and then they seemed to come directly for our friends and arrest the first Palestinian who came near them.

“While moving away from the rain of teargas, the Italian was chased, beaten and pepper-sprayed repeatedly, before being arrested and dragged into a jeep by Israeli forces. Despite the fact that he did not resist arrest nor break any perceivable law in his actions, he was denied medical assistance from the nearby ambulance and has been taken directly into custody. The Chilean activist stated “We were running because they were shooting and I think Antonio fell. They sprayed him right in the eyes again and again. I told them we are not doing anything wrong, but then they kept going.”

The Italian man brought to the military vehicle

Italian_man_3 — Antonio Fresta beaten by soldiers after being pepper sprayed.

Human rights activists evicted from Tel Rumeida apartment again

12th November 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Yesterday, international activists regained access to their Tel Rumeida apartment after being denied entry for a week. This morning at 8.45am another activist tried to enter the apartment but was prevented by soldiers, even after showing them the rental contract granting her the right to reside in Tel Rumeida. Soldiers then came up the stairs to the front door and threatened the three activists with arrest if they failed to leave the apartment within five minutes.

After a short delay, the police arrived and demanded the activists open the door and leave the building. When the activists questioned this, the Israeli forces replied that they were in a closed military zone and were not allowed to be there. This was despite the activists having demonstrated the right to reside in the property on the previous day.

The Israeli forces began to batter down the front door with a crowbar. When they were unable to get in after 10 minutes, other soldiers climbed onto the roof and smashed their way in through the roof access door within a few minutes. The commander and two soldiers entered the room where the activists were sitting without showing any resistance.

They demanded the activists leave, stating they had no right to be in the area and they were acting illegally. They then claimed that they had checked with their lawyers and the contract ‘is illegal…because it’s a closed military zone’. The commander said the activists are not residents, just ‘guests’ and that they didn’t understand the contract because it was written in Arabic.

Then several more soldiers entered, together with 2 police officers. They took the activists’ passports and told them to leave aggressively. They also showed them the closed military zone document. When the activists questioned the army’s right to break in to the apartment, the police officer told them to take the case to court.

The commander then twisted the arm of one activist, forcing him to the floor, although none of the activists offered any physical resistance. The activists were then escorted out of the apartment, down the street to checkpoint 56 and out of Tel Rumeida.