25 September 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
For the last three days Ahmed Sau and Khalil have been loading bushell loads of white building material on carts pulled by a horse and a donkey as they trek up the steep hill going to Jabel Al Rahmeh. At the other end is a truck filled almost to the top. Several men await Ahmed and unload the wooden cart and the trek begins anew.
As the horses struggle up the last part of the hill, Ahmed and some children help to push the heavy load to its destination. It is in these ways that the Israeli occupation affects the common people. Slowly, it attempts to strangle the economy. A simple truck ride down the hill is turned into a laborious undertaking by several men, children and beasts of burden.
“It has been this way for at least 10 years,” commented an observer.
When asked why they were doing it this way, Ahmed who spoke no English, motioned to the yellow steel metal preventing the truck to go through. Hurrying as evening was fast approaching, he got back on the cart and rode down the hill again.
24 September 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
Haiya and her family are originally from a village called Ber Maael know called Mudaeen near what is now Tel Aviv.
Haiya’s brother was a close friend of Ali Khaleefa, one of the young men who was killed when the Israeli army raided the Qalandia Refugee camp on the second of August. He told us he was with Ali just hours before the soldiers raided the camp and killed him.
Haiya speaks.
We were at the funeral and people were so shocked and angry, the army came in the middle of the night right at the start of Ramadan to arrest two boys about 13 years old. And they killed 2 people even though no one there had any weapons apart from the soldiers. The Palestinians from Qalandia cannot forget something like this.
The Israelis are afraid of the Palestinian people, they are afraid because they know that this land does not belong to them, and they are afraid they will lose it. So they shoot at us to make us scared, but it doesn’t work.
Palestine doesn’t have anyone to fight for her, just the people who live in Palestine. We believe that we need a country, but before, the people here did not have any hopes for a state. Every time we are promised our own country, nothing happens. So now the people are trying to do something for themselves.
Obama said in his speech we wants safety for the Israelis first, second, third and last. He says this as though Israel is the victim! But it is Israel who is slowly killing all our people and taking our land.
I think many of the people of Israel want peace, but the leaders certainly do not.
If the UN does not give us a state then, we must fight with the protests and the stones. I think what is happening now could lead to a third Intifada and Israel thinks this too and they are very scared.
I think the settlers are the worst people in the world, they burn our mosques and they burn our olive trees. You know the soldiers they have orders to shoot bullets and drop bombs. But the mustawtaneen [settlers] do what they do because they hate us. Just today in Hebron they killed a child with a car.
The army will never stop the settlers, they say ‘go home’ but it does nothing because they know that the army will not hurt them.
Of course we would love to go back to our land; we hope to go back. Our grandfather is 83 years old, whenever we pass near the place our home used to be, he cries.
24 September 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
Today at 4 p.m. the settlers paraded as usual around the Old City of Al Khalil, or Hebron, from 4 to about 5 p.m. About 5 international observers, as well as members of Christian Peacemakers Team and World Council Church volunteers witnessed the pompous parade. Over 15 soldiers protected settlers during their weekly walk around the market.
“They came into my shop and started to question me about the Palestinian map I have on the wall,” said Nawal, a local merchant as she pointed to a textile map of Palestine she had on the wall.”This woman said that the map was wrong and that this area was all of Israel, I told her that it was correct and if she didn’t like it she could go elsewhere.”
The procession turned into a minor riot as Palestinian children ran and screamed through the old city while soldiers pointed guns at them, as well as several foreign journalists and about 10 observers.
A member of the armed service police videotaped the crowd. Eventually, after stating to no one in particular that Hebron belonged to the Israelis, a rabbi led the procession into their well-fortified compound and were followed by the soldiers.
22 September 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
On Wednesday, demonstrators at the Qalandia checkpoint were met with a new weapon referred to as the “Scream,” an obnoxious siren that sounded once demonstrators had organized near the checkpoint in spirit of a future Palestinian state.
The new sound weapon was used for the first time. It emits a painfully loud high pitched noise which forces those within a range of 100 metres to cover their ears to protect them from the deafening sound. The device was mounted on the back of a jeep and could target the noise in a specific direction so as not to affect the soldiers standing behind it. The device was used at least 15 times throughout the demonstration, usually for intervals lasting about 2 minutes.
The UN bid for statehood by the Palestinian Authority has been a rallying point for Palestinians throughout the West Bank, in particular Ramallah where Yasser Arafat Square was packed with those standing in solidarity, leading to a demonstration at the Qalandia checkpoint near Ramallah that lasted from approximately 11 AM to 7PM.
The Israeli military sounded an alarm referred to as the “Scream” to disturb the demonstrators, yet they refused to disperse. Thus the Israeli military began to administer what demonstrators referred to as potent tear gas, with a Red Crescent medic stating that at least 20 were treated for tear gas inhalation by medics at the site.
As the siren continued to sound and tear gas continued to rain on the more than 200 demonstrators from the Qalandia refugee camp and surrounding areas, the Israeli military was joined by the Shabat to disperse the protesters. At least 2 Palestinian men were arrested when a 4×4 military jeep was seen taking them away.
The Israeli military began to act violently to the protest with the exclusive use of gunfire after a certain point, with at least 100 rounds fired at Palestinians and international observers. One medic was shot in the leg while a 15 year old boy was reportedly shot in the eye. At least 5 Palestinians were treated for gunshot wounds.
Wednesday’s demonstration comes in light of the UN bid for nationhood this Friday, when it is expected that another demonstration will occur in support of Palestinian statehood.
18 September 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
While farming their land in the village of Qusra, 50 year old Fathalla and his three sons were attacked by a group of armed settlers on the morning of September 16th. The attack came amid recent increase of settler violence in anticipation of the UN vote on recognition of Palestinian state.
Fathalla and his three sons were working in a fig orchad, when one of the boys heard someone breaking the lock on their well. They saw 9 armed settlers, three of them with M-16 and the rest with pistols and a dog. The Abu Reida family decided to hold back the settlers until Israeli military arrived. Following a similar incident, Palestinians reported settler attacks to the Israeli district coordination office, but were dismissed and told to “hold back settlers” next time there is an incident until the army could arrive.
As Fathalla and his sons approached the well, they noticed that one of the settlers was taking a bath in the well, which houses water used for both farming and drinking by the Palestinian family.
“I’m afraid to drink this water now. I think they dirtied it, and maybe even poisoned it, as has happened in the past,” said Fathalla, adding that settlers believed that water from that area was holy and bathing in it rinsed all sins.
In the mean time, one of the Fathalla sons called Qusra’s local sheikh, who announced on the villages loudspeakers that settlers had invaded the village. Fathalla and his sons were preventing settlers from leaving by blocking a fenced road running through the fields. Settlers kept firing their guns in the air.
When villagers approached, settlers panicked and one of them jumped the fence. Fathalla’s19-year-old son followed one of the settler’s who was armed with an M-16.
Another settler released the dog, which attack the young man. As he was being attack and fell to the ground, the settler broke his leg. His brothers left the other settlers to flee, while they assisted their injured brother.
As they were escaping the scene, settlers shot random series of live ammunitation in the direction of villagers, wounding Fathalla Abu Reida in his thigh.
Tought by the previous experience with reporting settlers attacks, Fathalla sons took plenty of pictures documenting the entire incident. Abu Reida family submittted pictures and their testimonies to the Palestinian Authority, who in turn said they would communicate with the Israeli district coordination office.
“I don’t believe they will react. But I still have to do everything that is possible to try to save my land,” said Fathalla.
The Israeli military forces, claiming they were coming to arrest one of the settlers, arrived to Qusra around 1 pm on the same day.
“There were 200 soldiers! Why would they send so many soldiers to arrest one man?, said Fathalla.
Soldiers cracked down on the village, showering it with tear gas at the southern outskirts of the village. Women, men, and children reportedly protested this second invasion by Israelis.
Qusra inhabitants felt their village has become a scene of increasing settler violence over last four months. Settlers activity typically occurs every Friday during the congregational prayer time for Muslims.
The last attack took place on September 5th, when settlers from an outpost of the illegal settlement Migron torched a mosque. Just few days earlier, on August 28th, settlers uprooted 100 hundred olive trees. The entire village came to stop them, yet the army arrived soon after, ordering people to disperse. As Jamal Adli Hassan was walking away, an Israeli officer shot him with live ammunition in his leg.
The surge in violence coming from the illegal settlements in the West Bank last week might be connected to arming and training settlers by the Israeli miliatary in anticipation of Palestinian protests against lack of recognition of their basic right to self-determination as the Palestinian Authority approach the UN for their bid as the 194th country in the world.
