March 13, 2019 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Al-Khalil (Hebron), occupied Palestine
Israeli Defense Forces storm into Al Khalil (Hebron), and attack and arrest journalists and internationals before bombarding the city with stun grenades, tear gas, rubber coated steel bullets and live ammunition.
March 13, 2019 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Al-Khalil (Hebron), occupied Palestine
Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian in Al-Khalil (Hebron) on Tuesday while attempting to distribute legal court documents. The Palestinian man was identified as 36-year-old Yasser Fawzi Shweiki.
After the shooting, Shweiki’s body was dragged into the Rajabi House. The army further prevented Palestinian Red Crescent Society’s medics from entering the scene to treat Shweiki.
Human rights workers were attacked by Israeli Police and arrested immediately after arriving on the scene.
The shooting occurred outside the Rajabi House (also called Beit HaMeriva or House of Contention by Israeli press; the Peace House, Beit HaShalom, or בית השלום by Israeli settlers)–which was first occupied by illegal settlers in 2007.
In December 2008, the illegal settlers were forcibly removed from the Rajabi house following a Supreme Court order finding that the settlers submitted “large-scale forgeries of many documents” to the courts. In response to the ruling, Baruch Marzel (ברוך מרזל) (former spokesman for the terrorist organization Jewish Defense League and resident of Hebron) told Ynet “We must go to war.”
Settler violence followed, setting fire to Palestinian fields, olive groves, homes, shops, and cars. At least 2 Palestinians were shot by settlers, including Hosni Abu Saither–shot in the chest at point-blank range on December 4th, 2008. B’Tselem published a video of the shooting:
Israel claims that Shweiki had a knife when he was shot on Tuesday.
Ofer Yohana (עופר אוחנה)–the infamously violent settler that was caught on video in 2016 kicking a knife towards the body of Abdel Fattah al-Sharif after he was shot by Israeli soldier Elor Azaria (אלאור אזריה)–was on the scene of Shweiki’s shooting on Tuesday; he can be seen attempting to stop the filming of the human rights workers’s camera in the first video above.
March 8, 2019 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Ras Karkar, occupied Palestine
This Friday, the inhabitants of the villages around Mount al-Risan–where an outpost has been established by illegal settlers on Palestinian land–gathered for a day of peaceful protest and prayer.
As soon as the religious ritual ended, the military ritual began. Before the villagers finished rolling-up their prayer mat, the Israeli military launched a large number of tear gas canisters upon the crowd.
These events are positive by comparison to the past week. Last Friday, the peaceful protesters were met with tear gas before prayers began. After prayers, the Palestinians were chased out and shot with rubber-coated steel bullets.
March 6, 2019 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
Hundreds of women from all over Palestine met in Khan al-Ahmar on Wednesday March 6. The meeting was a response to a call for solidarity made by the General Union of Palestinian women and the residents of Khan al-Ahmar, as the village is facing renewed threats of demolition.
Women met to begin a new wave of resistance in the village after a year of resisting evictions and demolitions. With the upcoming Israeli election, the extreme right in Israel are once again calling for the destruction of Khan al-Ahmar. Disgustingly, politicians are using cleansing and land theft in an attempt to gain votes from segments of Israeli society.
This event, held on the Wednesday before International Women’s Day is especially significant as it marks the first time for several months that a large group have been able to access Khan al-Ahmar. In January Israeli occupation forces denied PA Officials access to the village. This act of defiance by hundreds of Palestinian women will hopefully be the first of many actions to defend Khan al-Ahmar in the coming weeks.
Solidarity with women, solidarity with Khan al-Ahmar, solidarity with Palestine. End the occupation.
March 01, 2019 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Ramallah, occupied Palestine
Non-violent peaceful protesters met with tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets in Ras Karkar.
In 2018, settlers invaded land atop al-Risan Mountain, which overlooks the three villages Ras Karkar, Kafr Ni’ma and Kharbatha Bani Harith. Since then local Palestinians have gathered in a valley below the mountain every Friday to non-violently protest the theft of their land, trying each week to get past occupation forces who now keep them from accessing it.
Earlier today ISMers attended the weekly protest. We arrived in the valley at 12 midday where a group of approximately 40 locals were gathering. Border Police were stationed on the hillside across from us. As the protesters tried to lay down a large plastic mat to pray on, they were fired upon with tear gas. They tried to set down the mat in several different locations, but were fired upon again and again.
Eventually the border police came down the mountain to talk to the Imam; after a brief dialogue the police stood by while the Palestinians prayed. Once the prayers ended the border police retreated back up the mountain, and shortly after recommenced their tear gas bombardment. They also fired rubber-coated steel bullets, hitting at least one Palestinian.
Some of the younger demonstrators wielded slings, just as David did against Goliath in the Valley of Elah, not far from here. Their rocks fell short of the occupation forces’ defensive line, while some managed to hurl tear gas canisters back toward the border police.
Border police continued to fire tear gas even as protesters retreated, pushing us back to our vehicles. They persisted in their firing, eventually forcing us to leave the site by car. Protesters had to be cautious today as there was no ambulance on site, and serious injuries have been sustained in previous weeks.
