13 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
On July 13th villagers in the small town of Izbat Tabib wanted to protest against the illegal Israeli construction of barbed wire fences outside the village, preventing farmers from tending their lands and olive trees.
In the beginning of the afternoon, villagers and international activists gathered at the mayor’s house before the demonstration. Afterwards, the demonstration started and participants headed towards the barbed wire fences, not far from the village entrance. Here the villagers and activists from ISM helped each other tear down the fences, this continued for around half an hour, until the arrival of Israely military jeeps with about 20 soldiers. The cutting of the fences halted, and together the villagers and activists, prevented the entry of the soldiers into the village by means of peaceful singing and demands for Palestinian rights to their rightful
land.
Ibrahim Omar Serhan, 21 years old, was left to bleed to death by the Israeli Occupation Forces, on July 13, 2011
A 21 year-old student was killed by the Israeli army on July 13th in Al Faraa refugee camp, whilst on his way to prayer.
Around 3:30 am the Israeli military entered the refugee camp with several heavily armed vehicles. Ibrahim Omar Serhan, a student at Al Najah University, was on his way to the mosque when he came across a group of soldiers standing approximately twenty meters away.
The soldiers ordered Ibrahim to stop; frightened, he turned around and tried to run away. As he was fleeing, soldiers shot Ibrahim twice from behind – once in each leg – rupturing an artery. Ibrahim managed to get to a house nearby where a local person gave him some basic first aid. Fearing for his safety, people from the camp moved him to a second house away from the soldiers.
He stayed in this house for around twenty minutes waiting for the ambulance, which was delayed due to the army presence in the camp. Soldiers followed the trail of blood that Ibrahim had left on the ground, and forcibly entered the house to arrest him. The family of the house unsuccessfully tried to prevent the soldiers to take him, pleading with them to wait for the ambulance. When the ambulance eventually reached the house, they were unable to assist as no one knew where Ibrahim had been taken. Ibrahim bled to death whilst in the custody of the army. Soldiers only handed Ibrahim over to the Palestinian medics once he was dead.
Ibrahim’s funeral took place at 1.30pm on the same day in the camp cemetery.
During the invasion, the Israeli army arrested fifteen people from the camp, three of whom are still in custody.
The spot where Ibrahim Omar Serhan was shot.
Ibrahim Omar Serhan, 21 years old, was left to bleed to death by the Israeli Occupation Forces, on July 13, 2011
Background
Army incursion and arbitrary arrests in the camp have been frequent in the last few years. In 2008, Fadi Subuh and Mustafa Zalat, 21 and 25 years-old, were killed by the army whilst sitting with friends in the olive trees near the camp.
Al Faraa refugee camp is located in the Jordan Valley, seventeen kilometers North East of Nablus. The camp was established right after the Nakba in 1949 and comprises 8000 refugees from 80 different villages in Palestine 1948. The support of UNRWA, which has been working in the camp since 1950, has declined drastically in the last few years: food relief is now only being distributed to 50 families. Unemployment in the camp now exceeds 70%.
Yesterday, July 10th, was launched the third edition of the Jordan Valley football tournament in Al Awja.
Yousef Lafi, from the Palestinian Football Federation, along with Al Awja club manager, Fathy Khderat and Ibrahim Sawafta, from the JVS campaign, opened the football tournament.
Every speaker emphasized the importance of this tournament as a way of putting light on the Jordan Valley and its specific situation.
They also complimented this initiative as a way of gathering people from the Jordan Valley that should be repeated.
Fathy Khderat, the coordinator of the Jordan Valley Solidarity campaign, restated that JVS will focus its work in Fasayel Wasta and Foqa in the coming months.
The result of the game Fasayel VS Al Awja was 3-1.
Next game will be Zbedat VS Anata, today at 7pm at Al Awja playground.
10 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
On 9th July, a group of twenty Palestinians accompanied by twenty internationals, managed to cut through some fence near the checkpoint at Qalandia.
The direct action was organised by Welcome to Palestine as part of the Week of Action in the West Bank. The action was in defiance against the Apartheid Wall, which divides the West Bank and is central to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Activists were able to cut through the barbed wire fence and plant Palestinian flags on the other side.
10 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
On Saturday 9th July, seventy people – including thirty internationals from Sweden, France, Britain, Australia, Mexico, the United States and Denmark – demonstrated at a military checkpoint outside Nabi Saleh, after the army denied them entry into the village where Palestinians lead peaceful demonstrations weekly.
The demonstration was planned six months in advance by Welcome to Palestine, in order to kick off a week of action. The buses carrying demonstrators were attempting to enter the village of Nabi Saleh, but when people dismounted the buses and began walking towards the military checkpoint, Israeli soldiers responded with volleys of tear gas and sound bombs.
Thirty people managed to reach the checkpoint, with others being pushed back by clouds of tear gas and smoke from fires started by canisters. Soldiers pointed their weapons at the demonstrators and fired tear gas directly at individuals, as the unarmed protestors formed lines to chant ‘We are peaceful, what are you?’
Three Israeli activists were arrested, while one Palestinian boy was shot in the leg with a canister. Other demonstrators severely beaten by the soldiers.
The army only allowed the buses carrying demonstrators to leave with a military escort, which took them to Ramallah.
There are demonstrations every Friday in Nabi Saleh, where the Israeli military has a history of responding extremely violently and often invading the village.
