Category: Reports - Page 52 - International Solidarity Movement

‘Our kites fly over the invisible borders and reach what we cannot’: ISM speaks to Yasmeen Najjar at the annual kite festival in Burin

29th June 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Burin, occupied Nablus

Burin is a small village located seven kilometres to the southwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, and is home to around 3000 people. The village is surrounded by multiple illegal Israeli settlements, and is subjected to constant violent settler attacks and raids by Israeli forces.

For the past nine years, the village has been hosting an annual kite festival for its residents and their friends and families. The festival is one of the biggest yearly events in the village and is looked forward to by children and adults alike.

Residents of Burin gather on top of the hill outside the village to fly their kites (photo: ISM)

With burning kites being flown by demonstrators from Gaza into Israel as part of the Great Return March, this years display in Burin was particularly poignant. The Great Return March has been protesting the 11 year siege of the strip by Israel.

International Solidarity Movement activists spoke to 21 year old Yasmeen Mustafa Waleed Najjar, the first Arab amputee to climb the highest peak in Africa and one of the organisers of the festival, about what the annual celebration means to the local community.

21 year old Yasmeen Mustafa Waleed Najjar, one of the organisers of the festival (photo: ISM)

“Our village is surrounded by settlements from all angles, as you can see. We fly our kites every year to prove that this is our land. Even if we can’t go there ourselves, our kites fly over the invisible borders and reach what we cannot. We have been organising this festival for nine years, to resist the occupation and show Israel that we are strong inside and out. We can still have fun days in the mountains under their occupation, with music, food and games, bringing joy to our children.

Palestinians fly home made kites at the festival (photo: ISM)

“The idea started as a form of peaceful resistance. Zionist settlers and occupation forces regularly come inside my village to attack us or cause problems. Settlers killed one of my classmates when I was at school, and they come into our houses at night – I remember many times that they entered my house when my family was asleep. They also kill our animals and do a lot of terrible things.

“There is a checkpoint near the village school that my brother and sister study at. The settlers entered the school, protected by soldiers, pushing the students into the classrooms and locking the doors. The occupation has put up watchtowers and fences in close proximity to the school. I remember my younger brother telling me one day, ‘I don’t want to go to school anymore because they always come. I don’t want to go.’

A young girl watches a kite as her father looks on (photo: ISM)

“The village comes together to organise the kite festival to make joy for the children and have fun all together. We stand in solidarity with our community and the Palestinians everywhere who live under this occupation. I volunteer with many organisations, and we do everything to support our people and show the world what is happening here. We are showing the beauty of Palestine to the hearts of others, regardless of the occupation. We invite people from all around, including national groups from my university.

“All the boys in the village make their kites together in the week before the festival. It’s a skill that’s passed down through the generations – their older brothers teach them, and when they are older they teach their younger brothers. It’s become a really easy thing for our kids, and a fun activity to do together and a way to enjoy time with friends and family. It’s a game all of us play – everyone can fly a kite here.

Women watch the festivities from the top of the hill (photo: ISM)

“I was young when the festival started. I remember one year, lots of solders came when we started flying kites on the mountain. They stopped the festival and sent us all back home. We waited for an hour, then all came back and continued to fly our kites! I came with my brothers and sisters and we flew a kite that we had made. It was amazing.

“I can’t remember exactly when I started to get involved with arranging the festival. It was a long time ago. From the age of 11 or 12, the children of our community participate in everything that can bring positivity to our village.”

Read about last’s year’s kite festival here

To keep updated about the village of Burin, visit their Facebook page All for Burin

ISM speaks to ‘Aref Jaber about the increase of raids by Israeli forces in his neighborhood

23rd June 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

‘Aref Jaber lives in the Jaber neighbourhood in the H2 area of occupied Hebron, under Israeli control. He is a local activist and works with Human Rights Defenders filming and publicising the violations of international law committed by Israeli forces in his city.

On June 2nd, ‘Aref witnessed and filmed the murder of Rami Sabarneh, a 37 year old construction worker and a father of three, by Israeli forces just outside his house. The Israeli army said in a statement that Sabarneh had attempted to ram his vehicle into Israeli forces.

Straight after the murder, a commander who had been part of the group that killed Sabarneh, along with seven other soldiers who were present, confronted ‘Aref, telling him to delete the video and pointing their rifles at him. When he refused, the commander violently assaulted him whilst saying, “you recorded the soldier who shot the terrorist. If you continue recording or taking photos of the army, I will put a bullet in your head. Do you understand me?”

Soon after, a group of Israeli intelligence officers came to speak with ‘Aref, trying to intimidate him into changing his statement to say that Sabarneh had been under the influence of alcohol when he was shot. ‘Aref refused. That night, his home was violently raided by Israeli forces, ending in both ‘Aref and his wife being rushed to hospital after being physically assaulted.

‘Aref in hospital after he was attacked by Israeli forces (photo: Human Rights Defenders)

Before Sabarneh’s murder, the Jaber family home had recently been raided, in an attempt to threaten ‘Aref to stop his non-violent activism work. Israeli forces threw sound grenades inside the house, and the family were forced to replace the windows and doors. ‘Aref and his wife have five children, some of whom are very young.

On the 23rd of June in the early hours of the morning, ‘Arefs family home was raided yet again. Later that morning, ‘Aref told International Solidarity Movement activists about the experience and the affects on him and his family. (Aref’s statement was translated for ISM by Badee Dwaik, another local activist and member of Human Rights Defenders).

“At a little past 2.30am, I was woken by a knock at the door, so I went to see who it was. Suddenly, around twenty five heavily-armed soldiers pushed inside without explaining the reason for their invasion or giving me and my family time to get dressed. They immediately separated us into different rooms, and the commander told me to wake up one of my younger sons, who was sleeping on the sofa in the living room. They then told me to wake up the remaining members of my family who were still asleep.

“The soldiers then forced us into the living room whilst they collected all of our cameras and phones. They kept them hidden for the whole time they were present, making it impossible to call for help or document the raid. Luckily, they didn’t take them when they left. After this, the soldiers began ‘searching’ my home room by room, turning furniture upside down, destroying several parts in the process, and throwing out clothes from cupboards.

“Dozens of Israeli soldiers storm the house of the activist of the group of human rights defenders, Aref Jaber, at one o’clock in the morning. They search the house and damage some of his furniture. They raise an atmosphere of terror among the children and the entire family.” – Human Rights Defenders

“It was obvious that they weren’t searching for anything – they were just trying to make a mess and ruin parts of our home. It’s a form of collective punishment against me, my family and other activists for filming the soldiers.

“When the Israeli forces left my home, they blindfolded and handcuffed my 16 year old son Baraa, and took him with them. I asked why they were kidnapping my son, but the commander just answered, “you will know later”. Then they left, and we had no idea where they were taking Baraa.

“Later this morning an investigator called. He disclosed no information about the reason for my son’s abduction, his wellbeing or his whereabouts. Instead, he told me, “if you want your son to be free, you must pay a thousand shekel.” [Read more about child arrests and bail here.]

“I don’t have this kind of money at the moment. Two of my sons are getting married in mid July so most of our income is going towards preparing for the weddings. We managed to borrow the money from friends and family, and my son was released earlier today.

“When Baraa arrived home, he told me that he was beaten, humiliated and taken from place to place whilst still blindfolded and handcuffed during the 10 or 11 hour period he was away from us. They never took him to a specific place, just dragged him around throughout the night as part of their torturing policy.”

This was the seventeenth time that Baraa had been arrested by Israeli forces, the first time being when he was just eight years old, and ‘Aref says that most of his children have been arrested at least once. His wife also spent four nights in jail for filming the soldiers.

Recently, he has been working on making two apartments for his sons who are getting married and their new families, but Israeli forces came to stop the work for months at a time.

A representative from the UN high commission visited ‘Aref after the raid to discuss the possibility of putting CCTV cameras around his house, and have said that they will support him. ‘Aref told International Solidarity Movement activists, “the raids and attacks are about putting pressure on me and my family to stop us filming the occupation. This is not random work. Usually when these attacks happens it’s not just soldiers, but commanders in higher positions. They are ‘warning’ us to stop our work with the camera.

“Without the support of the international and local communities we won’t be able to continue this work. I accept the worst is to yet to come, and can still happen. I’m scared they will do something before or during my children’s weddings.”

‘Aref in his home in the Jaber neighborhood of occupied Hebron (photo: ISM)

In the early hours of the 23rd June, the houses of Mohammed Jabari and Behaa Jabari were also violently raided.

“The occupation army storms the house of Mohammed Jabari, the secretary of the old town of Fatah movement, and destroys the contents of the house.” – Human Rights Defenders

Sign the petition calling on the Knesset to oppose the law criminalizing the documentation of soldiers here.

Residents of Tel Rumeida participate in two sit-ins at checkpoints to demonstrate against increased harrassment in the area

23rd June 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil Team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Thursday the 21st of June, a group of around a hundred Palestinian residents of Tel Rumeida gathered at the checkpoint outside of the Jabal Al Rahma mosque to protest against the constant delays, harassment and humiliation that happen in the area. A large amount of the protesters were young children and women, sitting peacefully by the checkpoint.

Residents of Tel Rumeida begin to gather at the Jabal Al Rahma mosque checkpoint on Thursday evening (photo: ISM)

The demonstration was prompted by a recent increase in strip searches carried out by Israeli forces on Palestinian citizens in the checkpoints of Tel Rumeida, which is in the H2 area of the city and so under strict Israeli control. Imad Abu Shamsiya, a resident of Tel Rumeida, stated that on Tuesday the 19th of June, Israeli forces demanded that residents took off their clothes when passing through a checkpoint to enter their homes. Up until now, inspections at the checkpoint have consisted mainly of ID checks, bag checks and body searches, where men are forced to lift up their shirts and the legs of their pants.

A man in Tel Rumeida is forced to remove his clothing at a checkpoint (photo: IMEMC)

A member of the Abu Aisha family who was visiting from abroad told International Solidarity Movement activists, “I was held at this checkpoint by Israeli forces for two hours when I came to visit my father because my name was not written in their book. My father lives here, my brothers live here, we have the same name – but I could not pass to see them in their house for all that time because of paperwork.” Eventually, after a long wait, he was allowed to pass.

On Friday the 22nd June, for the second day in a row, residents of Tel Rumeida participated in a sit-in at Shliva checkpoint to demonstrate against the constant harassment and humiliation, in particular the introduction of strip-searches, caused at the checkpoints in the area.

Residents of Tel Rumeida participate in another sit-in at Shliva checkpoint on Friday afternoon (photo: ISM)

Heavily armed soldiers were stationed at either end of the peaceful protest and after around two hours hours declared that demonstrators had two minutes on the clock to leave.

Heavily armed soldiers were stationed at both sides of the checkpoint on Friday (photo: ISM)

Taysir Abu Sneina, the mayor of al-Khalil, also came to speak with residents and sit in solidarity.

Taysir Abu Sneina speaks to demonstrators through the checkpoint before entering to sit in solidarity with residents (photo: ISM)

Entrance to Palestinian house on Shuhada Street welded shut on multiple occasions; Israeli forces and settlers assault Palestinians outside

11 June 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil Team | Hebron, occupied Palestine.

In the two weeks since the Zahida family moved into their new house on Shuhada street in the H2 area of occupied Hebron, they have been subjected to repeated harassment by Israeli forces and Zionist settlers, resulting in their door being welded shut on multiple occasions whilst they were still inside. Israeli authorities in Hebron want to make Shuhada street an area exclusively for Israelis, and carry this out by closing the Palestinian doors that lead down to Shuhada street.

Shuhada Street in the H2 area of occupied Hebron (photo by ISM)

On June 1, Israeli forces entered the Zahida house and closed the only exit with metal cords. Due to the extensive harassment by Israeli forces, around twenty Palestinian friends and family gathered in solidarity with the residents. All were locked inside the house. After Palestinians managed to break open the door and exit the house, Israeli forces assaulted a 14 year old boy who had been inside with the family. A soldier hit him in the face with the butt of his rifle multiple times.

On Friday 7 June at 8 AM, Israeli soldiers entered the home again, gathering the family in one room, confiscating their phones and keeping them there for a brief period. After detaining the family, Israeli forces broke one of the windows in the house and exited through it. They allegedly said that if the family wanted to leave their home, they should also exit through the broken window from then on. The soldiers then proceeded to seal the house’s only entrance by welding it shut and locking the residents; a young man, his pregnant wife and their two children (age three and four) inside the house for several hours.

At around 11 AM, Palestinian residents of H2 and activists from Human Rights Defenders came together to open the door again and free the family. As the door was being opened, a settler known for harassing Palestinians arrived at the scene. He began to verbally insult activists from Human Right Defenders and film the people present. At the end the door was opened again with the help of neighbors and activists.

At around 9 PM, a group of settlers, protected by heavily-armed Israeli soldiers and police, gathered on the steps to the family’s home. The group of settlers consisted mostly of children and teenagers, who were having a picnic (whilst shouting and trying to intimidate passers-by) on the steps leading to the only entrance directly outside the door, thus trapping the family in their own home for the second time that day. The soldiers stated that the settlers were protesting, but when asked to clarify the reason of the protests, they had no comment. Another group of settler children also physically assaulted a Palestinian woman and a group of children on Shuhada street, whilst under the protection of Israeli forces. The settlers stayed for several hours and left at around midnight.

On the 8th of June, international activists were present in the house with the wife and two children after the Palestinian friends and family had left for work or iftar. A commander and two soldiers entered the house, taking the remaining Zahida family members into a room without their phone and without allowing the activist to enter. The commander then photographed their ID’s and allegedly promised the family that he would “do everything in his power to register them, so they would be left alone.”

An Israeli commander talks to residents of the Zahida family on the doorstep before entering the house (photo by ISM)

On the 9th of June, the same commander (pictured above) returned stating that he could not appeal their eviction order and that they had to leave their home.

In the early hours of the 10th of June, at around 1 AM, a large group of Israeli forces came to the house to weld the front door shut for the last time. Palestinian and international activists were prevented from getting near the house and were forcibly pushed back and assaulted by soldiers, so they wouldn’t be able to see or film what was going on near the house. A soldier, who was preventing people from coming near the house, assaulted a Palestinian child as he tried to pass onto Shuhada street.

A Tel Rumeida resident, Haji Mufid al-Sharbati, was trying to reason with the soldiers but was then detained. It was during his detention that he was assaulted by a soldier and subsequently collapsed. Israeli forces stood by as the elderly man lay on the ground, motionless for around ten minutes, before a stretcher was allowed through the checkpoint and he could be taken to hospital.

Haji Mufid al-Sharbati after being assaulted by Israeli forces (photo by Human Rights Defenders)

Allegedly an Israeli ambulance should have been on standby at the scene, but Haji Mufid Al-Sharbati still had to wait for a Palestinian ambulance to arrive and then for a stretcher to be able to pass through checkpoint 56, before he could get professional medical assistance. He was sent home the same morning and is reported to have recovered.

At around 3 AM, Israeli forces let the people gathered come back onto Shuhada street to check in on the family. By then, the door had again been welded shut. International activists were shown the new way out by a family member, which had been created by knocking down a wall next to their staircase. The new route takes much longer than going through Shuhada street and the staircase leading up to the entrance is very steep and unsafe, with no bannisters to prevent a fall to the street below. For a 4 month pregnant woman and two young children this is highly dangerous.

Yasmine Zahida stated, “I’m worried about our entry and exit now. There’s nothing to hold on to when you walk down the stone stairs and it’s especially dangerous in the dark for me and my children. But I’m happy it’s all over, for now”.

The brother of Sami Zahida informed international activists that Israeli forces had ordered the door shut for two years before they would consider opening it again.

Israeli forces harass and assault Palestinians at Qalandiya checkpoint

Throughout the morning of Friday 8^th June, many Palestinians passed through Qalandiya checkpoint into Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, in order to pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque. The Israeli government allows a slight easing of the travel restrictions that ban most Palestinians in the West Bank from entering Jerusalem, only for Friday prayers during the month of Ramadan. Older men above 45 or 50, women of any age and children under 12 are allowed to pass through to pray in Al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Fridays, although this year the Israeli military have not allowed anyone from Gaza to travel to Jerusalem. Also, despite the easing of the occupation’s restrictions of freedom of movement for Palestinians during Ramadan, many older men, women and children do not get to make it through for arbitrary reasons or because of delays at the checkpoint. It was apparent that many women, children and older men were not allowed to pass through this morning.

Israeli forces eject woman from Qalandiya checkpoint waiting area

After ejecting her from checkpoint waiting area, Israeli forces push woman to floor

Outside a pedestrian entrance to the waiting area from the main road, at around 1145am, Israeli police assaulted a middle aged woman, ejecting her from the waiting area and shoving her onto the floor. Watch a video from Quds News Network here. Israeli police and border police then closed a pedestrian entrance towards the checkpoint from the main road and made many of the people, mainly women, trying to pass through walk around. Israeli forces pushed and shoved many young men and children gathered outside the checkpoint. Many Palestinians go to Qalandiya on Fridays during Ramadan to protest the ongoing travel restrictions that prevent them from going from the West Bank to the occupied city of Jerusalem. Some gathered to pray outside the checkpoint after not being allowed to pass through.

Israeli forces push people back from entrance to Qalandiya checkpoint waiting area before 12pm

Men not allowed to pass through Qalandiya to pray in Al-Aqsa mosque gather to pray outside checkpoint

Israeli police pushes boy in waiting area outside Qalandiya checkpoint

Israeli border police points tear gas launcher at people outside Qalandiya checkpoint

After pushing men towards the exit of Qalandiya checkpoint, Israeli security officer raises pepper spray at people

Israeli security officer threatens people at Qalandiya checkpoint

Women and children not allowed to pass through Qalandiya checkpoint to go to occupied Jerusalem

Inside the military checkpoint, Israeli forces harassed many men, women and children, some of whom were allowed to pass through while others were forced to wait for hours inside the checkpoint. At around 12pm, Israeli forces closed the main checkpoint going into Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli forces continued to assault people within the checkpoint, and one border police pointed a tear gas launcher at a crowd of men, women and children, threatening to fire tear gas at them. Israeli forces pushed a metal fence against a group of women and children, and started to push people out of the checkpoint, assaulting several women. The same Israeli border police officer who had pointed his tear gas launcher at a crowd of people then assaulted a group of women and children as he pushed them out of the checkpoint. Another Israeli border police officer pushed men and women from the checkpoint and threatened them by raising pepper spray in their faces. As far as ISM observed, no one was injured during the assaults, although two young girls around the age of 9 or 10 were visibly upset and crying. Outside the checkpoint, Israeli police and border police continued to push people away, including a group of women sat on the floor in a shady area, for no apparent reason.

One man, from the Nablus area, aged 50, had not been allowed to pass through to Jerusalem, and was stuck on the Ramallah side of the checkpoint, not able to meet his friend in Jerusalem and attend prayers at Al-Aqsa. As men, women and children continued to be pushed back from the checkpoint after it was closed, he laughed as he said, ‘what, do we need a Jerusalem ID to be here [in the waiting area outside of the checkpoint] now?’ He told ISM that he has been inside occupied East Jerusalem on the other side of the Israeli-controlled military checkpoints, and that it makes him sad. ‘Because it’s beautiful, and it’s our land, it’s my land.’ Many other men from the West Bank have never been allowed into the occupied city of Jerusalem because of the Israeli occupation’s travel restrictions. For more on the extent of travel restrictions imposed on all Palestinians across the occupied West Bank see here.

At around 2pm many Palestinians arriving on buses from Jerusalem walked back through Qalandiya checkpoint, returning to the rest of the West Bank. Israeli border police continued to harass people who not allowed through and were stood waiting for their friends and family to return. A group of border police started to push Palestinians selling bread, sweets and drinks on the Ramallah side of the checkpoint, demanding that they move their stalls away, despite there being plenty of room for people to walk through. Israeli border police seized cartloads of bread, sweets and drinks from the market sellers, moving them inside the gates of the checkpoint, and did not allow them to sell their goods for at least half an hour. ISM observed as two Israeli security forces filmed the Palestinians passing back through the checkpoint, apparently on personal mobile phones. One Israeli security officer approached international observers to harass and film them.