21st May 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
Photo by ISM
This morning in al-Khalil (Hebron), 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.
The incident began at 7:45 and lasted for approximately 30 minutes, which prevented the children from entering their schools, delaying the start of their end of year exams.
School children also face detentions and arrests, with some as young as six-years-old.
When the exams finished today, and 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”.
16th May 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Al Walaja, Occupied Palestine
Photo by ISM
Yesterday 15th May, villages from Al Walaja marched for their right of return, on a day marking the 66th anniversary of the Nakba (catastrophe in Arabic). The demonstration was met with violent repression from Israeli forces with many tear gas canisters fired at the protesters.
In 1948, 70% of the population of Al Walaja was displaced and forced away from their land, as a result of the ethnic cleansing carried out by Israeli forces. After the six day war in 1967, half of the remaining land was occupied by the illegal settlements of Har Gilo and Gilo, leaving the village with only 15% of its original land.
66 years since the Nakba and the land in Al Walaja is in the so called “seam zone”. The seam zone is a term used to describe the land between the Green Line and the Apartheid wall. The seam zone is a closed area for Palestinians and is regulated by a permit system. Palestinians who live, work, and visit the area are forced to apply for a permit to enter the zone, controlled by Israeli authorities. The permit system in the seam zone consists of 12 different types of permits which, need to be renewed frequently and can easily be denied by the Israeli authorities. The apartheid wall (declared illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2004) is also planned to surround the entire village, which will leave the residents with one entry and exit point.
For the Nakba day this year, over 64 associations called for a demonstration in Al Walaja, calling for the right of the Palestinians to reclaim and return to their own land.
“Al Walaja is one of the symbols of the past and present displacement,” said one of the speakers at the demonstration.
Many protesters arrived from different areas in the West Bank, including children the nearby Aida refugee camp
The demonstrators gathered in a large tent at the end of the village, speeches were made, and then the head of the demonstration went downhill to where a metal fence separated an area of the village from the main road.
When the people attempted to pass over this “border”, approximately 20 Israeli Border police officers arrived and tried to stop this action, proceeding to throw stun grenades and fire tear gas canisters at the protesters. Palestinian youths then began to throw stones as several military jeeps arrived, along with approximately 100 Israeli soldiers and border police officers
The Israeli forces climbed up the hill, firing tear gas inside the tent, which was mainly filled with children and elderly men and women. The military forced the occupants out and proceeded to destroy the tent.
Fortunately there were no serious injuries, two journalists and two Palestinian youths were shot with tear gas canisters and received treatment from Red Crescent medics in from Al Walaja, and many demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.
16th May 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Nablus, Occupied Palestine
Photo by ISM
Erected in the duar (city center) in the northern Palestinian city of Nablus, is a large tent utilized throughout the day by those in solidarity with the exceeding-one-hundred Palestinian administrative detainees.
“We will stay here as long as it takes” says Yousef, a Lawyer and University Lecturer, implying that the tent will remain until the hunger strike ceases.
Within the tent sits two fathers who are holding posters of their sons’, both married with children, one a journalist with a masters degree, the other with a doctorate; hence encapsulating the political motives behind these illegal incarcerations.
There have been dispersed hunger strikes by activist groups for one day at a time in solidarity with the prisoners.
Currently on its 24th day, the hunger strike is in objection to the ‘administrative detainee’ prisoner status, prisoners can be detained without a criminal charge, little to no visitation (in some cases none for months), inadequate to no legal representation, exploitative prisoner treatment, and lengthy/nonexistent trials.
On the 20th day salt was excluded from the diet, which now consists entirely of water.
Detainees are constantly denied proper medical care, while clothing is confiscated. Beatings, isolation, and violent raids of prisoner cells are common realities.
In recent developments, the Knesset (Israeli Legislative branch) is debating legislation to grant Israeli personnel authority to force feed hunger strikers.
Meanwhile, the occupants of the tent are calling for more honest and widespread media coverage, alongside an increase in foreign support.
30th April 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Khirbet al-Taweel, Occupied Palestine
Update 15th May:
On Monday the 12th of May, at 7AM, approximately 350 Israeli soldiers, two buses, and several military jeeps arrived at the remote village of Khirbet al-Taweel and ordered the inhabitants of two houses to remove all furniture in order to proceed with their illegal demolition. Previously the IRC (International Red Crescent) had aided the village providing tents as temporary shelter. However, two tents were ultimately seized and one destroyed that morning. The owner of one of the houses apparently offered the soldiers tea saying, “You may take away my house, but you can’t take away my hospitality”.
Currently the villagers are planning to establish a temporary camp 200 meters away from the previous demolitions as under Israeli law this requires a new demolition order to be enacted. Some of the buildings are historical landmarks under Israeli Law; however any renovations (fixing the roof, adding a toilet) are photographed by the Israeli military in order to ‘justify’ their demolition.
Photo by ISM
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On Tuesday the 29th of April, at 02:00AM, the Israeli army arrived at the small Bedouin village of Khirbet al-Taweel to demolish several structures claiming that they were built without permits. In total, three houses, several animal shelters and the village’s mosque were destroyed.
Photo by ISM
Khirbet al-Taweel has an approximate population of 180 inhabitants. 30 of them are now without homes because of the demolitions, 17 of which are children; the youngest child is only one-year old.
Three families were forced out of their homes at gunpoint at 02.00AM. They had no time to collect their belongings and were only able to take the most necessary items before the demolitions started. The Israeli army took two hours to carry out the demolitions, until 04:00AM, destroying three houses and the village mosque, which was built in 2008.
The three families also lost their water tanks to the demolitions carried out by the Israeli army. In order to get drinking water, they now have to walk 30 minutes uphill to get to the nearest town (Aqraba), and then back.
During the day, the Red Crescent provided the families with some tents. However according to one of the women who were evicted, the Israeli army told them that they were not allowed to stay in the area and had to leave immediately.
The woman stated that: “We have nowhere to go. This is our land, our homes. Where should we go?”
During the past five years, Khirbet al-Taweel has had many demolitions. According to several local villagers, this is a strategy from the Israeli authorities to force local populations to move, and thus expand the illegal farming settlements, located on the other side of the mountain from Khirbet al-Taweel.
13th May 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine
Update 13th May:
The eight youths arrested and held following the night raid in Kafr Qaddum have court on the 15th May, at Salem Court, near Jenin.
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14 people were arrested in Kafr Qaddum during a night raid on the 11th to 12th of May, six of them were released the same morning.
At around 12:30AM, the Israeli army arrived at Kafr Qaddum with approximately 35 jeeps and about 100 soldiers, they entered houses to arrest people, while harassing the residents.
During the night raid, some of the villagers tried to prevent the arbitrary arrests. The Israeli army responded by shooting tear gas canisters and stun grenades, consequently clashes erupted between the invading Israeli forces and youths from the village.
Witnesses reported that the Israeli soldiers walked behind the detainees, using them as human-shields.
The army raided 15 homes, some of which were damaged. Among the raided homes were the mayor of Kafr Qaddum’s house and the house of a member of the Union Council. The latter claims to have been thoroughly beaten and two of his sons were arrested. At around 1:30AM the army entered in the mayor’s house. He recalled that the Israeli army identified him and wanted information about the weekly demonstrations in village. He added, “It’s simply not nice to come here at this time and disturb my children that are sleeping. They can come to the Council Union meeting any time they want, because they are an occupation force.”
At around 2:00AM, the Israeli army stormed into Kamel Ibrahim Barra Wahlid’s house, a member of the Union Council. As he recalls, while the army tried to arrest his two sons, he resisted the army’s intrusion in his house and was then beaten throughout his body and on the head. The Israeli army finally arrested two of his children: Sami Mofid Kamel Barham, 21 years old, a student that would have had his last exam in these days, and Wasim Kamel Ibrahim Barra, 19 years old, released the same morning he was arrested. Wasim was hit in the head by a tear gas canister a year and a half ago. It was shot from a distance of 15 meters, and had caused him serious brain damage and as a consequence he lost his speech ability.
The raid ended at around 3:30AM with the detention of 14 people, 6 of them were released the same morning while the other 8 are currently under Israeli custody in Huwwara’s military base. According to local sources, the arrests are targeted at people that usually participate at the weekly demonstrations, in order to intimidate villagers. As a witness concluded: “Everything is done to stop our demonstration, but the army will never succeed in stopping us”.
The youths that are still under custody are:
Sami Mofid Kamel Barham
Abdel Latif Atomi Hamdan
Harb Mashoor Jomma
Odai Samir Barham
Raed Tayzir Barham
Jafar Khaled Jomma
Anas Waled Barham
Misaab Dawod Ehstawi
Tyre barricade in Kafr Qaddum, 12th May 2014, after the arrests. Photo by Al Masira Kufr Qaddum
