Shelter at the outpost (foreground), roadblock (middle) and settlement outpost (background)
Internationals were disturbed at the Palestinian outpost* in Bil’in by Israeli military vehicles both during daytime and in the middle of the night. On the night of July 31st at 11:30 pm, the IOF (Israeli Occupation Force) drove a military vehicle directly into the shelter where internationals were sleeping, revved their engines and shone their headlights into it. They did this on a number of other occasions during the days before this incident. In response, the internationals consulted the popular committee of Bil’in about the idea of constructing a “roadblock” with large stones to prevent the Israeli military vehicles coming too close to the outpost. The committee agreed with this idea and so five internationals moved a large number of rocks across the approach road to the shelter. Since then, the army vehicles have been kept away from the outpost.
The roadblock (foreground) and the outpost (background)
On the afternoon of August 4th, a few hours after the weekly demonstration, four soldiers came to the outpost and entered the shelter. The soldiers then attempted to tear down the Palestinian flags that where adorning the outpost. They succeeded in snatching two of the flags, while verbally abusing the one International present. This harassment has occurred over a number of days when the Israeli soldiers, who controlled the gate between Bil’in village and the outpost, had several times refused access to Internationals.
On August 5th, two internationals were not allowed to pass the gate with flags which were brought to replace the stolen ones. The internationals were told that they were not allowed to bring Palestinian flags across the barrier as it was “Israeli land” beyond.
*The outpost is two structures built by the people of Bil’in on land they own, which is separated from them by the Annexation Barrier. It is near the settlement of Matityahu Mizrakh and is an important site for the non-violent joint struggle between Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals. The people of Bil’in with Israeli and international peace activists maintain a 24 hour presence at the outpost. There is a demolition order issued on the two small structures that make up the outpost, while the extensive and much larger buildings that make up the settlement housing complexes, which were also built illegally under Israeli law, have no such order threatening them. All Israeli settlement structures are illegal under international law.
On August 5th, two Human Rights Workers (HRWs) from Denmark were sitting on Shuhada Street in Tel Rumeida. At around 2:45 PM a Palestinian boy, around age 15, wanted to use the stairs at the end of Shuhada Street, opposite the Beit Hadassa Settlement. A group of six settler children, around ten years of age, were hanging out next to the stairs. A Palestinian boy asked the HRWs to accompany him. The settlers tried to trip the Palestinian and the HRWs and kicked one of the HRWs from behind. One of the internationals accompanied the Palestinian all the way up the stairs, while the other stayed at the bottom of the stairs. When the HRWs descended the stairs and went back onto Shuhada Street, one of the settlers kicked one of the internationals on the back of her leg and threw a rock at her neck. Only one soldier was present in the military post opposite the stairs. He yelled at the children and ran towards them, and they backed off.
Around 3:20 PM two elderly men wanted to descend the stairs. A group of about ten settlers blocked their way at the end of the stairs. The soldier told the settlers to leave, but they refused. Two settlers around eight to ten years of age and one teenager, around fifteen years old, hit the elderly men with sticks, and other children threw rocks at them. One of the HRWs began screaming very loudly and ran towards the settler boys, while the other HRW started video taping the attack. The HRWs called the police, but they did not answer. The soldier told the attacking settlers to leave and called the police. The settlers still did not stop.
Four more HRWs came down to Shuhada Street. As the elderly men were leaving, the settlers began throwing numerous rocks at the HRWs. At this point, around 25 settler children and teenagers, between the ages of 8 and 14, and one adult settler woman were present. One American HRW from the Tel Rumeida Project was hit with a brick-size rock in her back and two other HRWs were lightly hit on the legs. At least three TIPH members arrived and observed the situation. The entire attack on the HRWs is recorded on video tape.
At 3:46 pm the police arrived and the attacks stopped. The adult settler woman told the police that the HRWs had entered the Beit Hadassa settlement and were causing problems. The soldier present during the entire incident said that it was not true. One police officer, who the HRWs recognize from daily interactions while on the streets, wanted to hear their version of the story. However, the head border policeman told the HRWs to leave Shuhada Street or he would arrest all of them. The HRWs attempted several times to talk with the head border policeman, but he refused. Since there were no Palestinians in the area, the internationals left Shuhada Street. During the interactions with the police and soldiers, settler girls under the age of 12 stood next the HRWs and mimicked their words and body language.
Approximately 45 minutes later, the internationals went back to Shuhada Street. The police were still present and told the internationals to go away.
Around 6:00 PM, the HRW who was assaulted with the brick-size stone was again sitting on the street, this time at the top of the hill. The soldier who was present during the attacks on Shuhada Street stopped by and asked her, “Are you OK? Are you injured?” The HRW told the soldier that her back was hurting. He said that the boys were very stupid and bad, and then apologized for her injury. He then said that he wasn’t allowed to do anything about the settler boys.
by Michael
Yesterday, August 2nd, hundreds of people waited for hours at Huwarra checkpoint, which is the main entrance to Nablus from the south and one of the most restrictive in all of the West Bank. Everyone was packed into the terminal, while soldiers allowed one to pass at a time, after undergoing humiliating searches and questioning. Yesterday, the average waiting time at Huwarra was over two hours.
Over the course of six hours, international activists working with ISM were able to escort many people through the illegal barriers, and facilitate the release of men detained without charge. Through physical accompaniment, negotiation and other non-violent means, the ISM was able to pressure Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) soldiers into allowing the passage of many Palestinians. Using this tactic, they were able to allow many pregnant women, small children and people with medical issues to pass. Without international accompaniment, the soldiers do not have any interests in treating Palestinians as humans and often force them to wait the entire day in the hot sun.
In response to the international presence, the soldiers brought an additional 15 soldiers, and threatened the ISM activists with arrest, while the soldiers pushed, screamed and physically attempted to stop the internationals from documenting the closure with cameras. The internationals witnessed IOF soldiers pushing Palestinians, grabbing some by the throat, and continuously touching Palestinian women after being asked not to do so. The internationals were also threatened violently by soldiers with M-16 machine guns. On one occasion, a female soldier told a female activist, “Fuck you, I will shoot you with my big gun,” after the international asked why the Palestinians were being delayed.
In the end, activists were able facilitate the crossing of about 20 people, forcing the IOF to create a “humanitarian line,” where women, children and the elderly were allowed to pass with more efficiency. After exhausting the patience of the soldiers at Huwara, the activists moved to Beit Iba checkpoint on the road to Tulkarem.
At Beit Iba, activists found eight young men in detention, one of whom was in isolation in a metal cell not much larger than the width of his shoulders. The man, named Bashir, had been in detention for over 8 hours, and when asked why, the soldiers told the activists that he was a “wanted, dangerous, terrorist.” After investigation, it turned out that the man had been detained that morning after he intervened in the case of an IOF soldier sexually harassing a Palestinian women. Once again, when the activists attempted to remain in the checkpoint to speak with the detained men, activists were physically assaulted, and threatened with arrest.
The other seven men were detained in a metal pen, surrounded by razor wire. Many had been there for close to six hours. The ISM activists brought them food, water and phones to call their families. Most of those detained were university students from al-Najah in Nablus, one was a Palestinian Authority policeman, and one was a taxi driver. The students had final exams the next day and most reported being stopped every day. When asked, the soldiers said they were detained because the Israeli intelligence had flagged their names.
After over one and a half hours of negotiation, the activists were able to pursuade the soldiers to let Bashir out of isolation and put with the other men. After an additional 30 minutes, all the men were released. As the ISM was leaving Beit Iba, a man of approximately 16 years of age was pulled from the crowd of waiting Palestinians and the IOF attempted to detain him. The man’s ID was not cross referenced with the list of “wanted persons,” and the soldiers gave no justification for singling him out. In response, ISM activists physically prevented the man from being taken by surrounding him with their bodies, and after de-esculating the situation, they accompanied the man to the front of the checkpoint. ISM activists remained with the man during his “interrogation,” in which the soldiers asked him very little. When this was over, the soldiers attempted to detain him again, but the activists were able to successfully accompany him out of the checkpoint. Although he was unable to pass into Tulkarem to visit his mother he was at least not arrested.
On July 30th, the Palestinian NGOs Network “PNGO” organized a demonstration in solidarity with the Lebanese people in front of the United Nations head quarter in Gaza city. Similarly, over twenty international humanitarian aid agencies and non-governmental organisations have joined forces to issue a joint appeal for action on July 27th in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Thousands of children, women, youth and NGO representatives participated in the demonstration condemning loudly the Israeli massacres committed in Lebanon and raising their solidarity with the people of Lebanon.
The demonstrators called for immediate international investigation into the Israeli war Crimes in both the occupied Palestinian Territories and Lebanon.
Ma’an news printed the press release, which is as follows:
International non governmental organizations providing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza warn that more and more people are in need of help as hostilities between Israel and Palestinian factions continue unabated. Humanitarian access to the hardest hit communities remains difficult, and access of humanitarian staff in and out of Gaza is restricted to expatriate staff only. While global attention quite rightly focuses on the Lebanese civilians trying to escape the fighting in Lebanon, the 1.4 million people of Gaza are trapped, unable to flee from the current hostilities.
The undersigned international non-governmental organizations call upon the international community to work with all parties to:
-Adopt an immediate cease fire and seek a peaceful resolution of the crisis,
-Ensure full access to humanitarian assistance for Palestinian civilians living in Gaza to realize their critical needs, and
-Protect the lives of civilians in Gaza, in particular children, and the essential infrastructure that supports them in accordance with international humanitarian law.
International NGOs in Gaza are overwhelmed by calls for assistance as families struggle to cope without incomes, and without the means to ensure their families are safe and protected from the violence. For example, on Friday July 21, 2006, Fuad’s family fled in the middle of the night from the village of Shokeh in the southern part of Gaza- just like tens of other families in this village – when a military incursion supported by tanks began firing in the direction of their tin shacks. Eleven-year-old Fuad woke up terrified. He says: “We had to leave the house immediately. I don’t know how long it took us to walk to Rafah. Although we are living in a tent now, it is better for us because maybe it is safer for us here.”
As NGOs scale up their humanitarian response, they have assessed the impact of the recent hostilities on their ongoing programs. In Beit Lahia 27 greenhouses recently rehabilitated by CARE were completely destroyed and another 23 were damaged in the last month. Approximately 100 square meters of the Beit Hanoun Municipality playground, rehabilitated by Save the Children, was severely damaged and 30 meters of the playground’s wall were knocked down. World Vision’s partner agency, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, reports extensive damage to their Beit Hanoun office and loss of equipment as a result of a recent incursion.
Other NGOs report recent damage to project sites, delays in implementation due to lack of access, and the freezing of donor funds for certain activities.
The last six months has seen a steady deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The households hit hardest are those who rely on salaries from the Palestinian Authority. The public institutions that deliver basic services such as health, water, sanitation, and waste disposal are severely compromised as a result of the fiscal crisis. Rising costs due to fuel and commodity shortages, problems in bringing in supplies and difficulties in reaching the most heavily impacted areas, severely hampers the ability of NGOs and public institutions to monitor, assess and provide assistance to the people who need it most.
Action Against Hunger (ACH)
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
Campaign for the Children of Palestine
CARE International
Community Habitat Finance International (CHF)
Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI)
Italian Consortium of Solidarity (ICS)
Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC)
Gruppo di Volontariato Civile (GVC)
Lutheran World Federation
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP UK)
Medecin du Monde France
Medecin du Monde Greece
Medecin du Monde Spain
Medico International
Mennonite Central Committee
Merlin – Medical Emergency Relief International
Oxfam International
Palestine Group of Sweden
Relief International
Ricerca e Cooperazione
Save the Children Alliance
Solidarite Socialiste, Belgium
Swedish Cooperative Centre
Swedish Organization for Individual Relief (SOIR)
United Nation Association International Service (UNAIS)
World Vision Jerusalem
For More Information, Please Contact:
Jennifer Moorehead, Save the Children UK (jennifer_scpal@palnet.com)
George Sahhar, CARE ( sahhar@carewbg.org)
Allyn Dhynes, World Vision (allyn_dhynes@wvi.org)
Asira Al Shamaliyeh, a town of about 12,000 located a few kilometers north of the mountains from Nablus, has come to suffer under a new aspect of occupation. Asira has in recent months been effectively cut off from Nablus by increasing restrictions at the Sabatosh checkpoint. In addition to the weekly incursions by the occupation forces located in the mountains next to the town, which Israel claims are of the highest security importance, soldiers at the checkpoint are now distributing a form of personal abuse to the Palestinians attempting to pass.
Villagers, most of whom can only cross the checkpoint by taxi or service (shared taxi), are being turned away unless they make personal purchases for the soldiers at the checkpoint. Demands for hummous, cigarettes, cola, candy, and the like are made by soldiers under threat of restriction of movement. Furthermore, the soldiers are demanding the drivers pay for the purchases themselves, with a false promise of reimbursement when they return to the checkpoint. This humiliating behavior is enforced on the drivers whose livelihood depends on fares between Asira and Nablus, often taking their profits for the day. Soldiers even selfishly take food, drinks, and candy bought by Palestinians while in Nablus for their families back in Asira.
This stealing and lying from the soldiers continues as another humiliating form of daily harrassment in the Nablus region.
