Category: Reports

Israeli Colonist Attacks Continue Against Beit Ommar Farmer

by Palestine Solidarity Project

On September 20, 2006, in the village of Beit Ommar, activists with the Palestine Solidarity Project visited the farmland of Abu Jaber and his brother Abu Sameer. This is the third time that activists with the Project have met with the farmers to document damage done to their land by nearby Israeli colonial settlers.

Three months ago, international activists began meeting with Abu Jaber and Abu Sameer, though attacks on their land date back many years. These activists previously visited the farmers in July and August of this year. On September 15th 2006, five days prior to PSP’s visit, Abu Jaber and Abu Sameer’s land was once again attacked by settlers from Bat Ayin. These attacks have become more frequent as the olive harvest approaches, and presently, the land is attacked nearly twice per week.

Typically, when the settlers come to the land, they cut olive and plum trees, and grape vines. They uproot trees from the earth and throw stakes and plants into nearby bushes. Olives, plums and grapes are picked from the trees and stolen, while some crops are thrown to the ground to decay in the sun or to be eaten by illegally grazing settler livestock.

While at the activist’s last visit similar destruction was photographed, videotaped and documented, on this visit, the damage had increased. More plants had been destroyed, more crops had been stolen and more of the farming infrastructure had been removed and mangled.

For several years prior to the attacks in 2006, Abu Jaber and Abu Sameer have been attempting to litigate against this problem through the Palestinian Land Defense Committee, which joins Israeli and Palestinian lawyers to aid farmers in trouble. As of now, this attempt to seek justice through the Israeli court system has been fruitless. This experience is common for Palestinians seeking to have their grievances addressed through the legal system of the Occupation. The nature of the Occupation creates parallel and unequal legal systems for Palestinians and Israelis seeking to solve their problems through the court. Had Abu Jaber attacked the farm land of the Bat Ayin settlement, the Apartheid court system would have likely fined and imprisoned him, though when the situation is reversed, nothing happens and the racist nature of the Occupation courts is made apparent.

For more information on the Palestine Solidarity Project, please contact palestine_project@yahoo.com or visit the website at: palestinesolidarityproject.wordpress.com

Illegal Barriers in Hebron Region Destoryed

by Palestine Solidarity Project

On September 15, 2006, Palestinian and international activists removed large sections of a razor wire barrier erected on Palestinian land in the Al-Khalil (Hebron) region, and designed to isolate and bisect a village.

The fence was repeatedly cut, metal stakes removed, and the razor wire ripped to be rendered unusable. The activists worked in teams, sabotaging the fence in many strategic areas. By the end of the action, the activists had destroyed large tracts of the barrier, and created more than six entry and exit points in the fence. Each entry/exit point created spanned more than seven meters. Having accomplished their goal of opening the crossings, the activists returned safely without being observed by Occupation forces.

On September 17, 2006, for the third time in approximately two weeks, Palestinian and international activists carried out a successful direct action to remove illegal fence and razor wire barriers in the Al-Khalil region. The activists were able to open at least six entry and exit points in the razor wire barrier. The section of the barrier that was targeted was very near to an Occupation checkpoint, and the activists were able to complete their work prior to spotting soldiers en route on foot.

These particular barriers, both located in the Al-Khalil region, were chosen because of frequent requests made to PSP by members of the communities affected. The existence of these illegal structures restricts the movement of the Palestinian people and redraws the West Bank borders in the name of Israeli ‘security.’ The military claims that the barrier is necessary to prevent attackers from crossing into Israel. This fence is the preliminary installation of what will soon become part of the Apartheid Wall.

The route of the barrier has annexed some families by placing them on the ‘Israeli’ side of the barrier, isolating their homes from their villages. Many farmers in the villages have similarly had their land annexed; the barrier makes their land inaccessible. Now, with the fences disabled, the Palestinians are able to reach their homes, and farm land more easily. By destroying the fence in several locations, PSP was able to create access points for farmers and other travelers to enter and exit the area. This action was also designed to slow the progress of the Apartheid Wall by delaying the process and making it slower.

This is the third direct action undertaken by PSP in two weeks. PSP is a newly developed, Palestinian-led, non-violent movement to resist the Israeli occupation.

For more information on the Palestine Solidarity Project, please contact palestine_project@yahoo.com or visit the website at:
palestinesolidarityproject.wordpress.com

Updated 26th September.

Israeli Soldiers Steal Millions of Shekels from Palestinians

by ISM Nablus

At around twelve o’clock on Tuesday night Israeli special forces entered four West Bank cities in a raid against money changers and banks. By four o’clock the military had left, with up to 6 million stolen shekels in their possession.

The Israeli military stole money from Jenin, Tulkarm, Ramallah and Nablus. In the latter, the Jordan National Bank and three private money changers were targeted. Unable to open the bank’s treasury, the Israeli forces stole around NIS 500,000 in total from three money changing enterprises and arrested one of the owners, 40 year-old Ghilab Swidan, from his home.

The three exchange shops are all badly damaged. After forcing and blowing open their doors with dynamite, the Israeli military proceeded to ransack the shops, throwing the contents of the offices onto the street outside. They then stole around NIS 250,000 from each in cash and checks, claiming to have information that this money was to be used to fund militant operations against Israel and to support Hamas.

The two money changers who escaped arrest are adamant that they know nothing about the intended usage of the money they handle. The Palestinian authorities do not know why precisely these companies were targeted but Palestinian police officer Hassan Meyrat says, “this is not the first time it has happened. Three years ago, the Arab Bank was raided and millions of shekels stolen.”

In that particular incident, the Israel National Treasury was forced to return most of the stolen money to the bank. This time, with several smaller companies targeted, it is not clear what will happen. The Jordan National Bank is, however, considering pressing charges against the Israeli army.

Although no money was taken from the three-storey Jordan National Bank, the damage sustained to it’s main office in Nablus city centre is extensive. The director of the bank, Abdul Latif Nasif, estimates the reparation costs to amount to around NIS 2 million. The stairway leading up to the office is strewn with glass, the remains of filing cabinets, window blinds and smashed computer screens. The Israeli military also broke most of the windows, punching holes in them for their snipers.

The Israeli military fired heavily throughout the city center during the entire operation, but no one was injured. Ghilad Swidan remains in Israeli custody.

As if economic sanctions and an economic blockade were not severe enough measures, the Israeli authorities have decided to raid some of the remaining sources of Palestinian capital on unsubstantiated allegations of ‘terrorism funding’.

Brian Avery Petition Successful

by Peter

The Israeli Supreme Court allowed Brian Avery’s petition for a criminal investigation to be opened into his shooting in Jenin in April 2003. The IOF has until now refused to investigate the shooting. The court gave the IOF 45 days to explain to the court why no investigation was carried out. A date for a final hearing will then be set. This is unlikely to be for several months.

Even though the IOF was ordered at a previous hearing in February 2005 to investigate the shooting and interview witnesses who had already submitted statements, it failed to do so.

The IOF has consistently ignored decisions of the Supreme Court to identify who shot Brian and this could be his last bid for justice from the Israeli authorities. Despite the IOF’s obstruction of the judicial process Brian remains determined to find out who left him with severe facial injuries.

The case was featured in Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, The International Herald Tribune, and local US media such as The Wilmington Star and WWAYTV3.

More Land Confiscation in Bethlehem and Hebron districts

by Hugh

The ghettoization of the southern part of the West Bank has escalated recently with confiscation orders being issued for the Apartheid Wall, settler-only roads and the expansion of settlements. Last Friday an order for the confiscation of a further 100 dunums of agricultural land was issued in Al Khadr village southwest of Bethlehem for the continuation of the building of the Wall. At the weekly demonstration in Al Khadr last Friday hundreds of residents marched from the town square after prayers to the site of the Wall in protest.

In other areas in the south, confiscation orders were issued for the continuation of the Wall and the construction of a new settler-only road linking the Gush Etzion settlement block, the Karmel settlement south of Hebron and 1948 Palestine. Israel has been seeking international funding since 2004 for 52 settler-only roads totalling 500 kilometers.

Military orders confiscating 152 dunums of land were handed out in the towns of Um Salamuna, Beit Fajjar and Beit Ummar on 7th September to allow a 6.6km continuation of the wall around the Gush Etzion settlement block. A military terminal will be built in southwest Bethlehem at Um Salamuna.

In Um Salamuna the Wall will annex 200 dunums of land and uproot more than 800 olive trees 1500 grape vines and a large number of almond trees and other pine trees. Seven extended families from the town are entirely dependent on this land.

In Beit Fajar, the wall will isolate 1000 dunums, planted with grapes, olive trees and almonds. One resident said:

“This land will be annexed to Migdal Oz settlement and the owners are forbidden to access their land, and especially the soldiers and settlers have tried many times to buy the land, but the people refused to sell it, so they decided to take it using the wall.”

In Beit Ummar the footprint of the wall will destroy 715 dunums south of the town. Alterations to the route of the wall mean that it will now isolate 6000 dunums of farmland, rather than the original 5000. Again the land is richly planted with grape vines, olive trees and almonds. A further 750 dunums from is to be confiscated from the south of the town for the construction of the new settler-only road.

In the last two months occupation forces have begun uprooting land to the south of the town in order to expand Karme Zur settlement. The settlement is to be surrounded by an electrified fence annexing a further 450 dunums.

A few months ago villagers from Beit Ummar and international supporters successfully resisted the destruction of agricultural land for the expansion of Karme Zur by blocking bulldozers. Although a lawyer representing Beit Ummar and Halhul villages managed to get a temporary stop work order from an Israeli court the bulldozers continued to destroy land. :

https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/07/02/bu-block-bulldozers/
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/07/04/1327/
https://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/07/05/1332/

Residents in Beit Ummar and surrounding villages vow to resist the annexation of more of their land in the coming months.