Category: Reports

Jordan Valley school named after Vittorio

27 April 2011 | Jordan Valley Solidarity

On Monday 25th the first brick was laid for a new school in the Jordan Valley.

Volunteers from the Jordan Valley Solidarity working with Ras Al Auja community members have been making mud bricks for the building during the last two weeks.

On Monday morning, during the much appreciated visit of Luisa Morgantini, the Italian Parliamentarian from the Communist Party, the Jericho Governor and a delegation of more than 50 Italian people, we officially inaugurated the building of the school which has been named “Vittorio Arrigoni” in memoriam of the Italian activist from ISM (International Solidarity Movement), murdered a few days ago in Gaza.

This school in Ras Al Auja will serve to educate more than 200 children who suffer from a lack of this service around. As Ras Al Auja is located in the Area C, building needs Israeli permission, but these permits either take a lot of years or are never given.

After an emotive moment full of hugs among the volunteers, all of them joined the work, adding one or more bricks to the walls of the school while singing the lyrics of traditional Bella Ciao or the Socialist International enforcing the rhythm and the spirit of this struggle for freedom.

Building a school in Area C, the school of “Vittorio”, means a step further in resistance.

Two children shot in the village of Bil’in

28 April 2011 | Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements

Israeli army enters Bil'in

Today around noon Jamal Atef Al Khateeb (age 15) was shot with rubber bullets in his stomach and mouth, and Nashmi Mohamad Abu Rahma (age 16) was shot with a rubber bullet in his leg. They were transferred to a Ramallah hospital for treatment.

This happened as the Israeli military broke through the village while students were going home from school. The Israeli soldiers started to shoot rubber bullets and tear gas towards the students, causing the two children to be shot.

The soldiers prevented Rani Burnat, a local cameraman, from taking pictures of their actions by threatening to break his camera if he did so.

Izbat Al Tabib set to lose land with creation of wall

27 April 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

Village land between highway 55 and Izbat Al Tabib

The village of Izbat Al Tabib outside Qalqilya is currently being threatened by the creation of a wall, which will annex 1000 square meters of their agricultural land. The village is situated right next to highway 55, and under the pretext of preventing stones being thrown onto the highway, the Israeli Civil Administration plans to build two walls, between which will be a buffer zone of Palestinian land. This will separate Izbat Al Tabib from the highway annexing vital agricultural land.

 

The army is planning to begin constructing the wall on 1st May. Villagers received the notice on 3rd April and were given two weeks to file a complaint. Their complaint was rejected on 23rd and they plan to take it to the Supreme Court on 28th. The army has also recently began entering the village and making arrests.

The village, which contains 45 houses and is home to 247 inhabitants, was built in the 1920’s and is located in area C. The village is not recognized by Israel and 32 out of 45 houses, and a school, have been served with demolition orders. Due to its location, Izbat Al Tabib is extremely isolated: it is the fifth poorest village in the West Bank and villagers have already lost 45% of their land to the illegal annexation wall. Farmers are forced to apply for permits to access areas of their land which are located near to the highway, however these are rarely given and when they are it is only to one farmer at a time.

In 1997 Israel attempted to make the east of the village into an industrial zone, however the village resisted this with demonstrations and after six months plans were dropped.

Mourners gather in Palestine and Italy for Vittorio’s funeral

25 April 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

Yesterday evening mourners gathered in Ramallah and Gaza in memorial events for ISM activist Vittorio Arrigoni. The events were planned to coincide with Vittorio’s funeral in Bulciago, Italy, which was attended by hundreds of people.

Mourners gather in Ramallah
In Ramallah, crowds gathered outside the municipality to hear speeches made by friends, politicians and fellow solidarity activists. Those who had known and worked with Vittorio, including friends from Gaza, recounted their memories of him whilst others spoke of his dedication to Palestine and the importance of the work he had been doing in the West Bank and Gaza. From the Palestinian speakers the message was clear, this was not an act representative of the Palestinian people, and Vittorio’s death was a great loss to all who will continue the struggle for a free Palestine. Mourners also sang some of Vittorio’s favourite Italian songs in his memory.

In Gaza hundreds joined together in a commemorative ceremony held in The Gallery, a cafe and social centre which Vittorio used to frequent. Here mourners shared memories of Vittorio, danced dabka and performed rap songs written about him.

Yesterday President Mahmoud Abbas also posthumously honored Vittorio and Juliano Mer-Khamis with the ‘Medal of Jerusalem’ award, saying that “crediting both martyrs the honoring ‘Medal of Jerusalem’, is the least expression of gratitude for their efforts in serving the Palestinian cause.” He too made clear that “the assassination of the two activists does not reflect the traditions, habits and morals of the Palestinian people and all humans.”

Unprovoked settler attack and military house invasion in Shuhada Street, Hebron

25 April 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

Army gathers outside house in Shuhada Street
At approximately 11pm on Sunday 24, two Palestinians were physically beaten, one also attacked with pepper spray, by Israeli settlers in Hebron. Shortly afterwards, a reported 20 Israeli soldiers forcibly entered a house in Shuhada Street and ordered all under 16s out into the street.

According to a man interviewed by the ISM who lived in the house, two Palestinians, a middle-aged woman and a young man, were hit and the young man pepper-sprayed by Israeli settlers in the unprovoked attack. They fled to Checkpoint 56 located at the end of Shuhada Street.

Around 20 Israeli soldiers forcibly entered the Shuhada Street house containing three families which included young children. The soldiers then demanded that all children under 16 leave the house. The families refused this demand. The man interviewed by the ISM was then forcibly removed from his house, pushed up against a wall and searched by the military.

Whilst the two attacked Palestinians were giving their statements to the police at Checkpoint 56, two Israeli settlers, one heavily armed, watched close by. Witnesses from the Shuhada Street house were taken to the police station to give their statements. The ISM is not aware of any Israeli settlers having been questioned by the police.