Category: Reports

Israeli Forces use live ammunition in occupied Hebron

22nd September 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Friday, September 22, the usual small scale and unorganised protests next to the Shuhada checkpoint elicited an exaggerated response from the Israeli military. At 2:00 PM approximately 15 soldiers went into H1 in pursuit of the protesters, firing tear gas and sound bombs. Subsequently, the military jeeps spread into multiple focal points of the city, where they continued their assault.

At approximately 3:00 PM, the soldiers fired live ammunition for the second time in one week in the Manara square of occupied Hebron, one of the most densely circulated areas, thus putting at risk passers-by of all ages. Traffic was also disrupted, as roads leading to the square were blocked. Manara is one of the main junctions in the city, therefore drivers were forced to take alternative routes, which created additional havoc in the city.

Throughout the day, the soldiers made nine arrests, of which eight were young Palestinians. Some of the people who were detained did not seem to have been involved in any manner in the protest.

During the afternoon and evening, the soldiers advanced into H1, which according to the Hebron agreement is under full Palestinian control. If so far the army used to enter the area of H1 surrounding the Shuhada checkpoint, during their latest actions, they have begun to invade more and more of the city, thus severely interfering with people’s daily lives and causing financial losses for business owners in the main commercial areas of Hebron.

The soldiers retreated after six hours inside of H1, after 8:00 PM, leaving behind streets covered in bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs.

Moving the Goalposts: Delaying Palestinian Football Justice

Originally published by Visualizing Palestine

For many years, the Israeli football association has given membership status to six teams that play in illegal settlements built on Palestinian land in the West Bank. This is in direct violation of FIFA’s rules, which state that permission is needed to play matches on another member’s territory. Instead of enforcing these rules, FIFA has repeatedly delayed action. FIFA President Gianni Infantino says that a decision on Israeli settlement clubs is coming in October 2017. [Sources: http://bit.ly/vp-fifa]

Moving the Goalposts - Visualizing Palestine

Closure of Kifl Hares following several night raids and arrests

19th September 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team| Kifl Hares, Occupied Palestine

“They punish us in all the ways they can”

The last two weeks, 17 boys and men aged 16-25 have been arrested during night raids in the village of Kifl Hares. Since a week ago, the Israeli military have also closed off the main entrance to the village, which is located south west of Nablus in a hot spot next to the illegal settlement of Ariel. The villagers now have to go through the surrounding villages in order to get out, which leads to an increase of 20 minutes to their daily commute.

(The closed gate to Kifl Hares leading to the main road is guarded by Israeli military.)

Some  nights, the raids happened during some of the Jewish holidays. The settlers made a circle in the village square, dancing, guarded by soldiers placed on the roofs of the Palestinian homes around the square. ISM met the father of two of the young men who have been arrested. The home of the family has been raided six times in the last two weeks.

The first night raid, the father asked the soldiers what they were looking for, and after searching the entire house they replied: “We are just checking if you are OK.” The night raids have been following the main pattern of conduct: the military storms the village and closes it off, enters family homes, forces the families to get up where they then lock them in one room, whilst they destroy the family’s belongings in their search.

The second raid, the Israeli forces woke the village and the family up at 2 am to give them a document with a call for a court hearing. The third time,  the Israeli soldiers forced two of the sons to the Ariel police station, detained them there for two hours, and then released them. The fourth raid,  the military searched the house violently again. The fifth time they arrested a 19 year old son and the sixth time, the 22-year old son. The sons endured days of questioning, and after a rubber stamp in Salem court, they were then taken to Meggido, awaiting another trial in Salem court. The family only managed to see their sons briefly in the court hearing. In 2013 their older son was also kept in military detention for 16 months.

The father told ISM that he asked the commander of the military raiding their home why they come in the middle of the night. The commander replied: “I choose when I want to come”. The commander then threatened the father to steal the family’s land, to revoke his potential work permit and confiscate his car if he would protest more. “They punish us in all ways they can”, the father told ISM.

He told us his wife started screaming when the soldiers entered her bedroom, and the military then questioned why she was screaming. When the father emphasised the horror of the situation,the soldier said: “I have the right to do what I want. If you protest I will have your house demolished.” The soldiers also pulled their 85-year old grandmother up from her mattress in order to check her room.

Several families in Kifl Hares have suffered from similar horrific experiences during the last two weeks. Several villages around the occupied West Bank have also been raided during the night, and the villagers have seen their sons and neighbours being arrested by the Israeli forces. What are these Palestinians being punished for? The father answered: “For being Palestinian.”

 

Israeli forces invade Hebrons commercial center on Friday

10th September 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Friday, 8th of September, large amounts of Israeli soldiers went into the H1 area of occupied Hebron, supposedly under full Palestinian control. The army used teargas and stun grenades at one of the main junctions in downtown Hebron, effecting the accessibility of the Manara square area for Palestinian citizens.

Soldiers at the al-Manara circle in Hebron

After Friday noon-prayer, the normal small scale protests took place by young Palestinians where ten soldiers came out of the H2 area monitoring the protesters in the street. Following this, the protesters backed away and discontinued their protesting. About 15 minutes later, 40 soldiers invaded the area throwing sound grenades within the Old City and moving up into the main central hub of Hebron, in an area supposedly under full Palestinian control, in two military vehicles. Some rocks were thrown at the soldiers by a few Palestinian youth, which was immediately met with unreasonable force by soldiers throwing stun grenades and several tear gas canisters in an area with uninvolved civilians. Many Palestinians were forced to rapidly drive away in their cars in order to escape the suffocating effects of teargas used by the israeli forces in a civilian neighbourhood. These included young children and families, and additionally many shop owners had to evacuate their shops due to the amount of tear gas clouds.

Isreali forces shooting teargas in civilian Palestinian area

The direction of the wind blew the tear gas back towards the soldiers who were throwing it, indicating that this disruption was not thoroughly planned, and many of the soldiers were not experienced enough to handle tear gas in the first place. Consequently, the soldiers were forced back past Shuhada checkpoint and into the H2-area under full Israeli military control. Tear gas, a so-called ‘non-lethal weapon’, causes effects of suffocation and untreated can lead to death. Many of its long terms effects are still unknown.

The teargas clouds in Hebron

Friday is a holy day in Islam, and many Palestinian citizens were enjoying their day off of work in the city-center. Most did not expect to have the city center disrupted by the Israeli forces, and others who work even on holidays, lost some of their daily income. The area which was invaded, is part of the H1-area, which according to the Hebron Protocol, is supposedly under full Palestinian control. This disruption was an extremely exaggerated response, in view of the fact that the small amount of protesters were not posing any kind of imminent threat.

Israeli forces in their jeeps driving towards Hebron city center

 

Israeli military shot 20-year old in the chest with rubber coated steel bullet

8th September 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwwara-team | Kafr Qaddum, occupied Palestine

During the demonstration in Kfar Qaddum today, Friday the 8th of September, a 20-year old Palestinian protester was shot with a rubber coated steel bullet in his chest, and treated at the scene, while camera drones were buzzing above the heads of the participants. The ISM-ers present also noticed how the Israeli military forces were photographing and filming the protesters. This material is usually used in order to arrest participants, often underage and denied access to lawyers.

Israeli military forces taking photos and filming the protesters.

The Israeli army is blocking the road leading from the village of Kfar Qaddum to the city of Nablus since 2003. The closure of the road has doubled the commute to Nablus for the villagers, increasing both travel time and cost. Since 2011 the villagers have protested weekly against this road closure.

The settlement of Quedummim, bulit in 1975, has expanded over the last years, and during just the past weeks new illegal mobile homes have been placed in the outskirts of the settlement annexing more Palestinian land. The caravans are placed strategically in order to connect the two parts of Quedummim, which would cause the Kfar Qaddum villagers losing several dunams (hectar) of land nourishing hundreds of olive trees.

The illegal caravans placed strategically between the illegal Israeli settlement of Quedummim and the land with olive trees belonging to the village of Kfar Qaddum.

The expansion of settlements, blocking of roads and land thefts are witnessed daily in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories.