Category: Reports - Page 59 - International Solidarity Movement

Children traumatised when Israeli soldiers raid schools

12th February 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Occupied Palestine

This Sunday, 6 Israeli military jeeps with soldiers entered the village of Hares, southwest of Nablus, in order to raid three schools filled with kids of all ages. Around 10 AM about 20 Israeli soldiers tried to enter the school yards of the two high schools. The pupils were in between classes and all out in the school yard. The teachers managed to lock the gate, so the soldiers stopped and interrogated all the cars and the people passing in the street outside.

Being unable to enter, they then moved on the elementary school. Many of the children were scared and tried to go home, but the stressed out teachers managed to collect them in the classrooms, locking the gate to keep the soldiers out. The new Shabak officer of the region was leading the incursion.

That night, Ibrahim, a six-year old boy from the school came to sleep in his father Issa’s bed for the first time. “He always sleeps in his own bed”, Issa says to the ISMers meeting them. “He asked me if he won’t be able to go to school again tomorrow and when I asked him why he would think not he said ‘Cause the soldiers might come again’.” Issa then tried to convince his son that the soldiers wouldn’t come “But he then asked me ‘Who can guarantee that?’ and all I could do was to persuade him to go to school. He does not seem relaxed and still sleeps in my bed.”

Issa also emphasises how many kids in Hares and all around Palestine suffer from similar traumas. “For sure my son is not the only one reacting like this. There are many children having nightmares and wetting their beds every night as a reaction to the soldiers raiding their schools.”

A few years ago Israeli soldiers entered the schools daily. Around 1000 girls and boys met the soldiers every day, but after the village managed to bring up a case towards the Israeli military, the raids stopped. Now many villagers fear the children will once again get more traumatised.

Ahed Tamimi Returns Before Israeli Show Trial

11th February 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Occupied Palestine

On Tuesday morning, Ahed Tamimi once again was brought before an Israeli military court at the Ofer Military Prison. Despite objections from the Tamimi family and Ahed’s lawyer, all media and foreign diplomats were barred from entering the court room during the trial. The prosecution read the 12 charges against Ahed, to which she declined to respond. The 17 year old, who recently celebrated her birthday behind bars, will remain under administrative detention in Israeli prison. Her next court date is on March 11.

ISM sat down to speak with Ahed’s father, Bassem Tamimi, at the family home in Nabi Saleh to discuss the events of the trial. About the court’s decision to remove the media and diplomats from the court room, Bassem told ISM “[The Israelis] don’t want to show the world it’s just a theatre.” Bassem also told ISM about the poor conditions of Ahed’s imprisonment, but said that his daughter was still strong despite her treatment.

When asked if he had any hopes for the upcoming trial he said “No, they are a state above the law”.

Protest marks 30 years since intifada settler murder

Protesters gather on the closed road in front of the illegal settlement Kadumim

10th February 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Occupied Palestine

Yesterday in Kfar Qaddum Israeli armed forces fired live ammunition at peaceful protesters, luckily without injuries. The 8^th of February marked 30 years since Kfar Qaddum’s first march during the Intifada, when villager Abed al Baset Jumal was murdered by masked settlers. Locals gathered today in honor of Baset Jumal as well as in protest of a road blockage that inhibits access to their village; this road has been closed to locals since 2003. The soldiers also fired several rounds of rubber coated steel bullets, teargas and sound bombs.

The march started after the Friday prayer, with the local Boy Scout group accompanying protesters with drums up the main road. Israeli soldiers had positioned themselves on the hill between Kfar Qaddum and the illegal settlement of Kadumim, and before any confrontations started with the protesting youth, the soldiers started to fire live ammunition.

Local boy scouts group performs drum line to commence the protest.

Throughout the protest the military fired tear gas, sound bombs and rubber coated steel bullets, but as one of the protesters noted, “live ammunition hasn’t been used in this way for six years – fired so much, without any reason and directly at the protesters.”

A protester is throwing back a teargas canister fired by the Israeli army

Murad Shtawie, who is a community leader and organizer in Kfar Qaddum also told the ISM-ers how during the first intifada 30 years ago, the villagers of Kfar Qaddum had one of their first protests where 28-year old Abed al Baset Jumal was killed by masked settlers. Many protests were arranged in the West Bank during this time, and often met by consistent settler violence. On February 8^th 1988, a bus with settlers approached the protest in the east of the village. The settlers were dressed in koffias speaking Arabic, and told the villagers they were on their side. When Abed approached to bid them welcome, one of them pulled a gun and killed him with two bullets – one in the head and one in the neck. The protesters also commemorated this yesterday.

The settler violence is ongoing to present day. About three days ago, settlers from the illegal settlement of Kadumim threw rocks at a farmer north of the village injuring him in the head. He is recovering in the hospital with six stitches.

Israeli soldiers throw sound bombs at the demonstrators.

New construction in Umm al-Khair

14th January 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Umm al Khair, South Hebron Hills, occupied Palestine

Occupation soldiers attempt to stop the work at Umm al-Khair

Video below.

ISMers joined with other international and Israeli activists in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Khair on Saturday at the invitation of the Bedouin community. Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, was a busy day constructing a dwelling for a Bedouin family while Israeli authorities have their day of rest.

Umm al-Khair came into existence in 1948 when the Bedouin villagers fled in the Nakba in 1948 and relocated to the South Hebron Hills. The Bedouin homes composing the village lie only metres away from a fence separating them from the illegal Zionist settlement of Carmel. Settlers from Carmel continually attack the village throwing stones over the nearby fence at night to disrupt their sleep and attempt to pressure them to leave.

In 1981, Zionist Settlers started the illegal settlement of Carmel next to the village. It was provided with modern infrastructure: electricity, water and sewerage. But Umm al-Khair struggles under bureaucratic oppression to build even a simple structure and has to provide its own infrastructure including solar panels for their electricity. Not only can they not get building permits but they are also continually issued with stop work or demolition orders for every structure.

Umm al-Khair (at left) next to the illegal settlement of Carmel

This is why the large contingent of solidarity workers came on a Saturday to speed up the construction of a new family home. The simple structure had to be finished in one day, hopefully before any soldiers arrive and attempt to stop them and while the Civil authorities have their day off. The family immediately moves into their new home and when civil authority seeks a demolition order there is greater chance of fighting the order in the Israeli Court if a family will become homeless.

A military jeep with 4 armed soldiers arrived when construction had almost finished. A young villager explained the conversation, “They say that we have to stop, but we will continue and finish the home today.”

Palestinian villages attacked – yet resisting illegal outposts

12th January 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Occupied Palestine

Today in Kfar Qaddum the protesters, marching towards the road closed off due to the illegal settlement of Kadumim, were suppressed by Israeli military. Protesters were met with teargas and rubber coated steel bullets. Luckily there were no serious injuries. Three days ago though, hundreds of settlers from the illegal settlement of Havat Gilad attacked the neighboring village of Far’ata.

When ISMers spoke to the protesters in Kfar Qaddum, they expressed more relief than usual about there being no serious injuries today. “There is so much violence around the West Bank right now, so if something happened here we fear that it would go unnoticed.” says the main coordinator Murad Shtawi. He showed ISM the video taken by his friends in Far’ata where dozens of settlers forcibly enter the village.

Following the funeral of a recently killed settler from the illegal outpost of Havat Gilad, dozens of settlers attacked the nearby village of Far’ata. The settlers from the illegal outpost threw stones at seven Palestinian homes, breaking windows and causing other property damage. The attacking settlers also damaged trees belonging to Palestinian villagers.

Photos from the security cameras in the Far’ata families’ homes.

The illegal outpost of Havat Gilad, founded in 2002, has had numerous incidents of land theft, destruction, vandalism, and violence towards nearby Palestinian villages. The illegal outpost is scheduled for demolition under an international agreement, but Israel has yet to remove the illegal outpost. Outposts, like Havat Gilad, are illegal under Israeli and International law.

Video of settlers in Far’ata

The villagers in Kfar Qaddum have been protesting the effects of the illegal settlement Kadumim since 2011. Apart from the land theft, which is still ongoing, in 2003 the villagers lost their main connection with Nablus increasing their commute to almost an hour instead of previous ten minutes.