Category: Reports

Burin Youth Center targeted once again: 10 youth arrested in 200 soldier raid

by Lydia

21 April 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

In a quick and clean opperation, the Israeli Occupation Military managed to arrest 10 young men in two hours, forever altering  the next few months or even  the next years of their life in one swift swoop.

At 2 AM on 18 April, around 200 soldiers entered the village of Burin, south of Nablus and dispersed into teams of 20-30. Soldiers then proceeded to enter the homes of ten families and took away who they wanted. There were unusually no house raids, no extreme “video game styled” soldiers, just quick and to the point.

All but one of the youth arrested can be seen in this gallery:

The mother of Mohammad Sohier Najjar, who is 19 and part of the latest batch of arrests, described how her son was taken. “They [the soldiers] came at 2:30 AM. Mohammad was sleeping outside due to the weather. My husband was already awake and met them on the stairs to the house. They asked if Mohammad was the boy on the floor. He replied, yes. Mohammad was told to change his clothes and that was it. They took him from us.”

Mohammad is 19 and was due to start his exams the day he was arrested with the intention of applying to An Najjah university to study to be a physical education teacher.

Five of the ten arrested were due to start their exams that day, but instead, they will have to bare what is thrown at them by the Israeli military system. If lucky they will be able to re-take the last year of school again when they are released. Mohammad is now the third boy in the family to have been arrested.

Seven of the ten youth arrested were members of the Burin Community Center, named in honour of the martyr Bilal Najjar. Being members of this center comes with an awful chance of not only arrest by Israelis, but that at least a year of imprisonment is very possible. In 2010 25 members of the center were systematically arrested. Up to this month of April 2012 14 members of the Center have been arrested, and nine remain in Israeli jails until now.

Lydia is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).

 

Nabi Saleh: 16 year old shot with tear gas canister

by Rana Hamadeh

19 April 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

The march for justice in Nabi Saleh – For more photos click here

A nonviolent demonstration in the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh last Friday, April 13th was met with Israeli army aggression, resulting in at least six injuries, including a sixteen-year old boy shot above the eye with a tear gas canister.

Following the Friday prayer the village’s residents, and several Israeli and international activists in solidarity, marched down their main road chanting slogans. Children lead the way at first, but ran back to their homes when the Israeli army came into view, anticipating the oncoming violence.

For at least five hours, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) fired ample rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and sound bombs at peaceful demonstrators, as well as between houses and at village residents not participating in the protest. They also employed the use of the ‘skunk truck’, which propels torrents of a sewage-like liquid, again not only on protesters, but on the village’s olive groves and homes.

Six people were injured due to rubber-coated bullets and tear gas fire. Sixteen year old Osama Tamimi was hit above the eye with a tear gas canister. The IOF delayed his ambulance for half an hour before letting it continue to hospital.

The village of Nabi Saleh has been holding weekly nonviolent protests demanding an end to Israeli colonialism and occupation. More specifically, the demonstrations are about the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Halamish. Halamish was built on Palestinian owned land and continues to expand. Halamish and the 250 other Israeli colonies and outposts in the Palestinian West Bank, are considered illegal under international law as they violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and the illegality has been confirmed by the International Court of Justice, the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, and the United Nations Security Council.

The weekly protests began after Halamish annexed Nabi Saleh’s fresh water springs in December 2009. Israel has since protected this theft with the use of military force.

Since Nabi Saleh began regular nonviolent demonstrations, Israel has brutally sought to repress them. The village faces collective punishments such as night raids and mass arrests. Israel has thus arrested more than 13% of the village, almost half of them under the age of 18 years. All but three were tried for participating in the protests.

Last December in Nabi Saleh, Mustafa Tamimi was shot and killed during the weekly protests. Despite these great risks, the village continues to zealously fight for their rights.

 

Rana Hamadeh is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement.

 

Israeli army demolish houses and wells in Kufr ad Dik

by Aura and Robin 

17 April 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Early Monday morning the IOF came to Kufr ad-Dik and demolished three houses and three water wells, along with several tents belonging to Bedouin families nearby. Settlements Bruchin, Alei Zahav, and Pedu’el are expanding quickly, claiming more and more Palestinian land and making life for the people of Kufr ad-Dik impossible.

The soldiers came to the olive groves of Kufr ad-Dik at 7am, armed with ten military jeeps and a bulldozer. After surrounding the area, they began destroying the three houses and water wells which had served as a home and work sheds to several families. Appallingly, the Palestinians present were held at gunpoint during the whole operation.

In four months the Israeli authorities have demolished fifteen houses and Bedouin tents in the area of Kufr Ad-Dik. The houses are used by farmers for agricultural purposes. The farmers use them for storing their equipment and to escape the heat in the summer months. They were particularly important during the harvest, when farmers would live in them for weeks at a time. The destruction of Bedouin tents has left families with no home at all, and no cover in the changing weather.

The Bedouin families had all of their five tents demolished at the same time. They asked the soldiers to spare one tent so that the children at least had somewhere to shelter, but the soldiers showed no mercy, adding that they would be back in one week and if the families had not left the land they would be arrested.

“I have over 600 sheep, there’s no place except here where I can live and support myself and my family” Mohammad, one of the shepherds explain.

Kufr Ad-Dik is surrounded by three hilltop settlements: Bruchin, Alei Zahav and Pedu’el. A forth settlement is currently under construction, further strangling and prohibiting life inside the village. From the ruins of the demolished houses you can see the distant sky scrapers of Tel Aviv and in the good weather you can also see the Mediterranean Sea. Though a large highway cuts its way through their land, Palestinians are prohibited from using it. Instead they have to make a long detour to access villages nearby, insuring the safety of this “settler road”.

Most of the farm land is now area C, meaning that the area is under total Israeli control. Palestinians are unable to acquire any sort of building permit, yet still their livelihood depends on this land. The Israeli authorities claim that they are demolishing houses for security reasons. One of the farmers responds; “ I don’t have any guns or tanks, just my trees. Staying in area A is like living in a small prison.”

Aura and Robin are volunteers with International Solidarity Movement (names have been changed).

West Bank activists remember the life of ISM justice Activist Vittorio Arrigoni

by Sydney

16 April 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Palestinians and International activists celebrated with the spirit of Vittorio Arrigoni this week across Palestine. Memorial events were held to mark the one year anniversary of his murder: two in Al-Khalil (Hebron) with members of the Hebron Defense Committee and Youth Against Settlements and a week of events including a mural creation, video conference with Italy, and a  demonstration concluded yesterday in Gaza.

The International Solidarity Movement continues to mourn the loss of such an amazing colleague and was a grateful participant in these memorial events.

Arriogoni was a close friend to ISM coordinator Hisham Jamjoun. Hisham’s stories about Vik’s dedication to the Palestinian struggle for human rights brought many to tears at the Hebron Defense Committee memorial. The work of the International Solidarity Movement in Al Khalil where ISM maintains a full-time presence was honored as well. Members of the Beit Ummar dabke troupe performed traditional Palestinian dance, and the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish, one of Vik’s favorite authors, was recited. ISM participated in the memorial by creating a slideshow of Vik’s work in Palestine and speaking to the mission of ISM and how the life and work of Vik lives on with us each day.

After sundown, ISM joined Youth Against Settlements for a candlelight vigil and video conference with Vik’s family and supporters at a simultaneous memorial in Rome. The Youth Against Settlement center is located 5 meters from an Israeli settlement and soldier guard station; Italian ISM activists lead the group in rounds of Bella Ciao as settlers and soldiers looked on.

The  memorial in Gaza wrapped up a week of activities to honor, remember, and continue the work of Vittorio. Events included the dedication of the weekly protest against the agricultural no-go-zone in Beit Hannoun, a performance by Palestinian children on the day of Vik’s court hearing, a mural creation and candle light vigil at the Gaza Harbor, and finally a reading from Stay Human and video conference with Italy.

Activists from the International Solidarity Movement are honored to have received such great outpouring of support from across Palestine and around the world.

We continue to keep Vik’s spirit close to our hearts and alive in our work for a freePalestine.

“We must remain human, even in the most difficult times …
Because, despite everything, there must always be humanity within us. We have to bring it to others.”

-Vittorio Arrigoni 1979-April 15, 2011

 

Increasing Israeli army harassment and violence against activists in Hebron

by Paige

16 April 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

In the past weeks the Israeli army has increased harassment against both Palestinian and ISM activists in Hebron (Al Khalil), a deliberate targeting  of those who oppose Israeli occupation and colonization.   This targeting includes the arrest of six international activists, including five ISM volunteers, and four arrests of Palestinian activists, all within a two week period.  The Israeli army also raided a community event in Tel a Rumeida, detained Youth Against Settlements activist Issa Amro directly after his release from jail, and tied another Youth Against Settlements (YAS) activists to a fence.

On April 1st a Dutch activist and two Palestinians, including prominent YAS activist Issa Amro, were violently arrested during an attempt to reclaim a house belonging to the Hebron municipality.  Palestinians and internationals were dragged, kicked and hit, while another YAS activist was beaten unconscious. Amro and the Dutch activist were held for several days.

On April 8th the Israeli army attacked international activists documenting restrictions of freedom of movement and violence against Palestinians in what is supposed to be P.A. controlled Hebron, arresting one Palestinian American activist.  The next day  two international activists were arrested while simply walking through the old city of Hebron. They were interrogated about the events of April 8th and the names of internationals present on that day, then finally released after signing draconian conditions in Hebrew.

Two days later the army violently attacked Palestinian and International delegates of the Bilin conference, arresting 8 Palestinians and 4 internationals.  Two Italians arrested during the conference now face illegal deportation.  The following day the Israeli army detained Issa Amro immediately following his release from jail and then invaded a community health event in Tel Rumeida organized by the Hebron Defense Committee and the Red Crescent, detaining a Red Crescent volunteer.

About an hour later a YAS activist walking in Tel Rumeida was stopped by soldiers, who tied both of his hands to a fence, for over 20 minutes.  After he was cut free, soldiers attempted to illegally arrest him and take him inside Tel Rumeida settlement.  A Canadian activist who intervened was shoved several times by soldiers, though they stopped there illegal arrest of the Palestinian man.  Eventually the police came and ordered the soldiers to release the man.

The escalation of violence and harassment against activists, international and Palestinian alike, will not deter us.  We will never be silent.

Paige is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).