7th June 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
Since the Palestinian prisoners began their hunger strike, there has been a protest each week in al-Khalil (Hebron). The majority of these demonstrations have been in the H1 area (under Palestinian Authority civil and security control), not directly against the Israeli military. However, On Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 4th this last week, there were two actions against the Israeli forces in al-Khalil.
On Wednesday at the entrance of al-Khalil, near the city of Halhul, an action was organised with the intention of marching down road 60. After approximately 100 meters, Israeli forces began to fire tear gas canisters, stun grenades, and spray the demonstrators with ‘skunk’ (chemical) water. The protest was pushed back, and when they tried to continue they were once again sprayed with skunk water. This happened several times before clashes broke out between the Israeli military and the local Palestinian youths. The military then sprayed the insides of local shops and homes with skunk water, as a form of collection punishment. During the action, many people were treated for tear gas inhalation by paramedics, and one protester was injured after being shot with a tear gas canister.
Photo by ISM
Photo by ISMPhoto by ISMPhoto by ISMPhoto by ISMPhoto by ISM
On Thursday the 5th, the demonstration was held in Bab al Baladia in the H2 area (under Israeli military civil and security control) of al-Khalil. Approximately 40 people gathered to demonstrate, though were stopped by the Israeli army after just 50 meters. Shaheed Fahme, a local activist, was arrested by the army, who thew many stun grenades towards the protesters. A spokesperson from both the demonstrations spoke to ISM activists and stateed that the belief is that direct action is one of the most effective ways for spreading the prisoner solidarity message to the rest of the world.
5th June 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
For children in al-Khalil (Hebron), the journey to school can be filled with fear, fear of Israeli soldiers, of military weapons, detentions, and arrests. The violence is all too real in this city, and it is unfortunately not an uncommon experience for children, some as young as four-years-old.
International activists try to monitor the checkpoints the children are forced to pass through on their way to school, both to document the events and to stand with the children.
ISM activists monitor checkpoint 29 each school day morning and afternoon. Over the last month, this is what the ISM activists have witnessed:
May 7th: A group of four Israeli soldiers tried to enter in the boys school and detained two young children. However, the teachers of the school were able to convince the soldiers to release both boys. After the soldiers ended the detention, they ran up the street and threw one tear gas grenade and two stun grenades at other schoolchildren. In cases like this it is clear how important the job of the teachers is in this area, and how difficult it is to is educate under military occupation.
13th May: In the morning one 12-year-old boy was stopped and searched by Israeli forces at the checkpoint, he was forced to empty his school bag before the soldiers would release him. After school ended, a 7-year-old boy was detained for 10 minutes with the accusation that he threw stones, he was released without charges.
14th May: Israeli soldiers went through checkpoint 29 in al-Khalil (Hebron), appearing from an alleyway and threw two stun grenades at the children waiting to go to school. No stones were thrown before their weapons were used. Some of the children then threw stones towards the soldiers, who then fired one tear gas grenade. One of the Israeli soldiers repeatedly aimed his gun at both an adult in the area, and the children outside their school.
15th May: One young child threw one stone towards the checkpoint and four Israeli soldiers entered through checkpoint 29. Several children then threw approximately four stones towards the soldiers, one of the Israeli soldiers drew the Star of David (symbol of Judaism) and a crescent moon (possibly symbolizing Islam) on a car window, and then wrote, ‘I want peace’.
‘I want peace’ photo by ISM
The same soldier who wrote ‘I want peace’, then threw a stun grenade at the children as they gathered to go to school.
19th May: Nine Israeli soldiers entered through checkpoint 29, several of the children then began to throw stones towards the soldiers. The soldiers then threw three stun grenades towards the children and fired one tear gas grenade. The second tear gas grenade was fired directly into Khadeagah Elementary School. An ISMer present said: “Today the children are writing one of their final year exams, it’s a terrible way to start the day and many of the kids were really afraid of both the soldiers and their weapons. This sort of aggression in the morning is common in Hebron, the soldiers don’t seem to care that they’re terrifying and tear gassing children, some as young as four-years-old”.
21st May:Several children threw stones towards checkpoint 29 on their way to school. At approximately 07:40, 13 Israeli soldiers and border police officers entered through the checkpoint and fired four tear gas grenades and four stun grenades at the children.
When the exams finished in the late morning and the teachers and school children were on their way home, the harassment began again. The Israeli military detained seven teachers for 20 minutes. One of the teachers spoke to an ISMer present: “We are used to this kind of violence and disturbance, the harassment is continuous and often twice a day”.
Photo by ISM
25th May: At approximately 07:50, three Israeli soldiers ran towards a group of children standing in front of their school. Some of the children threw several stones towards the soldiers. The soldiers then threw one stun grenade and fired two tear gas grenades at the children. Whilst the children was throwing stones, the soldiers were standing behind a group of internationals, seemingly trying to use them as some form of ‘shield’. The incident lasted for approximately 20 minutes, which prevented the children from entering their schools, delaying the start of their end of year exams.
27th May: In the afternoon as the children were leaving school, one Palestinian youth was detained for 20 minutes and five teachers, from the local schools, were detained for 15 minutes. No explanation was given for the detentions.
1st June: Several children threw stones towards checkpoint 29. Israeli forces then fired one tear gas grenade, dangerously close to several children standing to the side of the road.
4th June 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Huwwara, Occupied Palestine
Photo by ISM
In the late hours of Monday evening, Israeli forces executed 30-year-old, father of two, Alaa’ Mohammed ‘Awadh, at Za’tara checkpoint, in southern Nablus.
The Israeli army claimed that a Palestinian gunman was shot dead after he injured an Israeli police officer in the leg. The villagers of Huwwara stated their amazement at the version released by the border police; Alaa’ was the owner of a phone shop in Huwarra and not politically affiliated.
The taxi driver stated that Alaa was standing next to the taxi, unarmed, when Israeli soldiers opened fire. A relative of the victim said that Alaa’ arrived at the checkpoint to collect material for his shop.
According to multiple sources, the Israeli military prohibited Red Crescent paramedics from reaching Alaa’. The Israeli army seized his body for “security reasons”, loaded him on into a military vehicle for ‘investigation’.
At dawn, Israeli soldiers stormed the village of Huwwara, ransacking the victim’s home, those of his relatives, and his shop, interrogating his parents, his brother and the taxi driver. After the arrival of the military, youth of Huwwara village tried to drive out Israeli forces by throwing stones while Israeli soldiers fired their weapons. One youth was arrested, though his identity is currently unknown. The shops around the village have closed their doors in protest.
At approximately 19:30 yesterday evening, the body was finally handed back to the family, after a short time, the Alaa’s body was transferred to Rafidiah hospital in Nablus.
According to one of the doctors who conducted the autopsy, the majority of Alaa’s wounds were to his chest, abdomen, and both thighs. Alaa’s body held approximately 14 bullet wounds, including a serious wound to the heart and both lungs. His left arm had multiple fractures and a 10×7 cm wound in his left leg. Two fingers were missing on his right hand, and two toes missing from his right foot. Their was also a large wound on the back of his neck.
The funeral march from Nablus to Huwwara (photo by ISM).
At around 2 am on Sunday night, five Israeli military jeeps, three large military vehicles, and some 30 soldiers on foot arrived in the village of Asira al-Qibliya (south of Nablus). In total silence, they started entering Palestinian houses without knocking on their doors first.
That night the Israeli army raided 10 houses, ransacking them with the excuse of ‘searching for guns’. They didn’t find any.
The soldiers kidnapped (‘arrested’) a young man from every house they visited. While two were released soon after, eight remain detained:
Jihad Hammad Ashier, 21
Mohammed Fouas Saleh, 20
Mohammed Abde Ruhan, 20
Sari Bhassam Asari, 21
Brothers Nehmer Fateh Nijim, 22 and Nahsem Fateh Nijim, 25
Mhoattasem Mohammed Salehm, 26
Khaled Ahmad, 24
Images from Asira al-Qibliya facebook page
These attacks on peaceful villagers followed the same pattern: the soldiers would first break the door to enter the house; lock every family member, including the children, in one room, and take their mobile phones away so they wouldn’t call for help; then they would kidnap one young man from each house and eventually leave.
In the house of Khaled Ahmad, his mother had heard the soldiers breaking the first door, so she asked them to wait a bit so that she could get dressed and open the second door herself, but they didn’t listen. Instead, the occupation soldiers broke the second door too and violently pushed Khaled’s mother away. In almost no time, 25 soldiers were inside the house. Khaled’s mother got scared and sick, and asked them if she could get a glass of water, but they refused.
Khaled’s 10-year-old brother has been waiting fearfully for the return of his elder sibling; the family had told him that Khaled had gone to drink coffee and smoke a cigarette with the soldiers and that he would be back soon. The child has been waiting by the door ever since.
Villagers say that the military vehicles came from the Asira-Burin road, while foot soldiers walked down from the nearby illegal Israeli colony of Yitzhar.
The soldiers left at around 5 am. Two hours later, they phoned the families to tell them that the kidnapped shebab [youth] were being detained at Huwwara checkpoint (south of Nablus). They then hung up.
All the shebab have been arrested without any reason given. The families are waiting for their safe release.
This latest attack on Asira al-Qibliya follows numerous previous ones, when the Israeli occupation army terrorized the village with a full arsenal of arms, from steel bullets to sound grenades; threatened children with attack dogs; kidnapped shebab; ransacked people’s homes; and otherwise provoked them.
1st June 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
Photo by ISM
This morning in al-Khalil (Hebron) Israeli forces detained two young Palestinian boys, 10-year-old Fares Abu Senene and 7-year-old Haitham Asrawi for one hour.
ISM activists spoke to an eyewitness who explained that the boys has been held for at least 30 minutes. For one of the boys, his mother stood with him, the other was forced to wait for a further 10 minutes before his own mother arrived.
An ISM activist present said: “When we arrived it was clear the children were really young, far too young to be detained or arrested by heavily armed soldiers. We spoke to several people who saw what happened and they explained there had been an altercation with some settlers from the nearby illegal settlements. It seemed like settlers attacked the children, who tried to fight back, and were then held by the Israeli military. After an hour the children were let go. This incident is just another example of the injustice that Palestinians face from the occupation in al-Khalil.”
![Eight shebab [youths] kidnapped in Asira al-Qibliya](https://palsolidarity.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/asira4.jpg)
