29th July 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
Israeli forces on Thursday night, 27th July, attacked a peaceful demonstration which was taking place outside Shuhada checkpoint, which leads to Shuhada street in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) . The demonstration was intended to protest the continued presence of heightened security measures at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque.
The demonstrators, who numbered about 30, conducted the late afternoon prayers and some chants.
Palestinians pray at the checkpoint
After half an hour, a young boy began placing flags in the checkpoint fence as several soldiers watched from behind the gate.
Palestinian flag at Shuhada checkpoint
Shortly after, without any warning, around 40 heavily-armed soldiers stormed out of the checkpoint, shouting and throwing sound grenades.
The demonstrators scattered in order to avoid being hit by the stun grenades. Soldiers spent about 20 minutes patrolling the nearby area, which is supposedly under full Palestinian control, before heading back through the checkpoint.
Israeli forces in supposedly Palestinian controlled area
Soldiers refused to comment about the reasons for the attack. There were no arrests or injuries.
Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of al-Khalil this Friday to protest Israel’s tightening of access restrictions to Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque. The protest was suppressed violently by scores of Israeli soldiers and police, who fired live ammunition indiscriminately into crowds of young men and boys.
Thousands march in Hebron against access restrictions at al-Aqsa mosque
At least 10 Palestinians were wounded with live ammunition, including one young man shot in the stomach, and another near the heart. Many more were wounded by rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas, with hospitals and ambulances struggling to hope. The situation was made worse by Israeli forces storming the nearby hospital once, and twice occupying its entrances.
Hussein Ben Ali stadium, capacity 30,000, overflows with worshippers
The demonstration followed the closure of Hebron’s mosques in solidarity with those unable to worship at al-Aqsa. Instead, worshippers prayed at Hussein Bin Ali stadium before marching down Ain Sarah street towards Bab al-Zawiye.
Demonstrators assemble in Bab al-Zawiya, before being dispersed by tear gas and sound grenades
Once the march reached the market, some children began throwing stones and fireworks at the gate of Checkpoint 56, which separates Palestinians from Shuhada street.
Israeli forces push up Ain Sarah street
Soldiers responded by storming out of the checkpoint, firing tear gas and throwing sound grenades. Hundreds of demonstrators retreated back up Ain Sarah street as soldiers regrouped in the square with various armoured vehicles. The soldiers then pushed up towards al-Manarah roundabout, meeting a crowd of young men and boys. Soldiers responded to stones with live ammunition, immediately hitting a 20-year old man in the leg.
Palestinians flee live ammunition fired by Israeli forces
Meanwhile, a similar confrontation was occurring on the neighbouring Ain Sarah street, with snipers shooting a 20-year old man in the foot and a 17-year old boy in the leg.
20-year old shot in foot by sniper on Ain Sarah street
Soldiers and police continued to fire tear gas and .22 calibre ammunition at the crowd, until a volley of stones forced them to retreat towards Bab al-Zawiye.
A man is bundled into an ambulance under live fire from Israeli forces
A second offensive, however, saw Israeli forces push back towards Alia mosque. Palestinian youths continued to throw stones at the heavily-armed soldiers and police, who then sent out a water cannon to spray the boys with chemically-treated, foul-smelling ‘skunk’ water.
Israeli forces shoot foul-smelling skunk water onto Palestinian teenagers
Soldiers pursued the water cannon, and chased protesters into Queen Alia hospital, surrounding it for more than half an hour.
Soldiers occupy hospital parking lot
In the mean time, around 60 soldiers and border police pushed forward and assembled with several vehicles at the intersection, while roughly 20 more occupied the roofs of nearby residential buildings.
Smoke billows above Ain Sarah street from a tyre-fire below
Three teenage boys who had been watching the protest from their roof were blindfolded, handcuffed and detained by soldiers that stormed their building.
Three boys are blindfolded, handcuffed and arrested
A group of young Palestinians continued throwing stones at the Israeli forces, as well as rolling flaming tyres down the hill towards them. As soldiers began to push up the hill, Palestinians watching from the hospital parking lot barricaded themselves in, but without success. Doctors asked the soldiers, who were now occupying hospital grounds for a third time in one afternoon, to leave.
Israeli forces assemble at the bottom of a hill
Eventually the soldiers retreated back down the hill, regrouping with the border police and other soldiers. Despite Palestinian teenagers continuing to throw stones and tyres down the hill, Israeli forces began to head back to their bases. Local youths followed them as they made their way back to Bab al-Zawiye and Checkpoint 56.
Army Jeep leaves Ain Sarah street following the clash
19th July 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Deir al-Ghusun, occupied Palestine
Around 150 farmers in Deir al-Ghusun held a protest last Sunday against Israel’s travel restrictions, which were preventing them from accessing their fields.
Farmers protest movement restrictions in the West Bank
The apartheid wall runs near the town, meaning that farmers require travel permits from the Israeli army in order to travel the short distance from their homes to their fields. The Israeli army have been refusing to renew permits for the farmers for three months now. If this continues, the locals estimate that within two months no one will have a permit. One farmer at the demonstration used to have 14 permits for him and his workers, but now has just one. This means that he is forced to work the land by himself, a difficult task for a man of his age.
Member of the press interviews farmer
Two soldiers guarded the gate as members of the press interviewed the farmers. Israeli activists held signs reading ‘Agriculture is our livelihood, we want our permits back!’, and tried to engage with the soldiers.
Israeli activists protest movement restrictions of farmers in the West Bank
After around two hours, the local military commander arrived in a large Jeep with several escorts, and talked to several demonstrators through the gate. Eventually, five farmers with permits were allowed through. When they returned, the demonstrators dispersed.
Local military commander arrives to speak with demonstrators
Shortly after, in a meeting at the local municipality building, the mayor explained to activists and residents what the outcome of negotiations had been. He said that soldiers had promised to begin renewing applications within the next week, but that all 1,800 applications made in this municipality had to be re-submitted, with farmers paying the necessary administrative costs. Those present expressed skepticism at this promise, and agreed that demonstrations would continue if the promise was broken.
Activists and residents discuss the outcome of negotiations with the local mayor
The effect of the wall on the local economy has been devastating. Where it used to take two minutes for a farmer to reach his land, it now takes thirty – if he manages to acquire a permit. One farmer at the demonstration has olive trees only 40 meters from his home, but it takes him four hours to reach as he must travel by foot, with his olives, through a checkpoint.
While agriculture permits are free, farmers do have to pay administrative costs. Large areas of farmland are now barren a result of the time, money and permission required to reach them. Across the West Bank, in areas of land adjacent to illegal settlements, Israel has refused to grant permits whatsoever due to undisclosed “security issues”.
Soldier locks the gate on the fence separating farmers from their land
The situation in Deir al-Ghusun is mirrored in towns and villages throughout the West Bank, with thousands of farmers affected. The requirement for Palestinian farmers to obtain permits to travel to land located just meters from the wall is despite the fact that the wall is built two kilometers inside Israeli-recognized Palestinian territory.
18th July 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
Israeli soldiers have arrested 19 year old Ahmed Fayez in Hebron’s Old City. The teenager was working with friends when soldiers approached the group, demanding to see their IDs. When Fayez showed his, he was arrested and taken towards Beit Romano military base. He was not seen being taken into the base itself, but rather was taken to Shuhada street, where he was last seen.
The majority of Shuhada Street is ethnically cleansed of Palestinian presence and only accessible for settlers living in the illegal settlements in the heart of Hebron’s old city and international tourists. The once thriving Palestinian market connecting south and north of the city is now only “accessible” for Palestinians if they are arrested and brought to the military base there.
Immediately prior to the arrest, soldiers, border police and civil authorities had been conducting small detonations in a parking lot nearby. The purpose of these was unclear.
18th July 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Burin, occupied Nablus
At the beginning of July the local committee of Burin invited to the town`s 8th Kite Festival of the City. The festival is kind of a tradition for this town, but has not taken place for the last three years, because the main organiser and head of the Burin Youth Committee, Target Organisation for Rural Development, Ghassan Najar was in prison, having been arrested for hosting the last Kite Festival in 2014.
Festivities on the hill
Burin is a small village west of Nablus with 2,000 inhabitants.
Around 400 people participated in the festival, which saw the community organise food, water and music for the attendees, who gathered on a hill in the north of the village. Families from Burin, children form the Jordan Valley and also kids from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus were able to come together to spend a sunny day in the hills and to compete to see whose kite flew highest. The children brought colourful, handmade kites, the men danced and the women handed out delicious homemade treats. The atmosphere was full of peace and joy.
Children with their kites
Every child got a medal as memento for this great day after the competition was over.
Some children proudly showing their medals
The main organiser, Ghassan, has been head of the Target Organisation for Rural Development for several years. This Committee is heavily targeted by the Israeli forces: 25 of the 40 members were once detained up to three years without a charge, laptops were stolen, their belongings were broken and relatives of the members threatened.
Balloons flying in the sky
Military raids are common in Burin, as it is located directly next to the illegal Ariel settlement and surrounded by illegal military and settler outposts. Settlers are constantly threatening the farmers of the village when they go out to work on their land. A huge part of the land is not even accessible for the farmers, as entering the property which is close to the settlement is simply to dangerous. Settler violence is one of the major problems of the community: burned olive trees, stolen olives and harassment are part and parcel of the olive harvest season.
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