Category: Reports

Massive Israeli Settler Attack on Foreign Volunteers in Palestine

Number of Internationals Injured and Hospitalized

[Yanoun, Nablus] Militant Israeli settlers attacked a group of international volunteers working with Palestinians to harvest olives in the olive groves near the Palestinian village of Yanoun.

Immediately after a Palestinian operation in the Israeli settlement of Ariel in the Israeli- occupied Palestinian Territories that killed two Israeli settlers and soldiers, a group of about a dozen armed Israeli settlers spotted the workers from their settlement (which is illegal under the Fourth Geneva Conventions), and descended upon the international volunteers, kicking, punching and beating them with stones and rifles butts. The internationals were out in front of the Palestinian workers, trying to protect them from the settlers. The injuries are as follows:

James Deleplain – US citizen, 74 years of age – repeatedly hit in the face, wound under his left eye and massive swelling, kicked in the back and both the right and left rib cage, with a possible broken rib. James had pneumonia two weeks ago and has been coughing since, therefore the beating, especially in the rib cage has left him in a very weak state.

Mary Hughes-Thompson – US and British citizen, 68 years of age – repeatedly hit in both arms. Possible broken arms. Speaking to Mary while she was on her way to the hospital, she stated “I am convinced they were trying to kill me.”

Robbie Kelly – Irish citizen, 33 years of age- beaten in the face and body with rifle butts. Swollen mouth, bruised ribs and 7 stitches in his left ear.

Omer Allon- Israeli citizen, 24 – cuts and gashes in both legs and bruises all over his body.

Also the internationals’ money and passports were stolen by the attackers, all of whom were of teenage years according to the volunteers. Palestinians in the area may have also been attacked but we don’t have concrete information yet.

Over 100 international volunteers are in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as part of the International Solidarity Movement’s (ISM and GIPP) Olive Harvest Campaign. For more information about this, please see www.palsolidarity.org. Internationals and Israelis have been providing a continual presence in the village of Yanoun, due to constant Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villagers and their property. Last week the villagers of Yanoun left the village, not able to withstand the repeated attacks and denied protection by the Israeli police and military. They only returned a few days ago accompanied by Israelis and internationals, hoping monitor, witness and protect.

Injuries are being treated at Lijnat il-Zakaat Hospital/Clinic in Aqraba: +972-(0)9-259-8550.

For more information:
Sami Hayek: +972-(0)67-758-947
Robbie Kelly: +972-(0) 628-476
ISM office: +972-2-277-4602

Report on Recently Demolished Homes in the Tubas Region

Prepared by: Members of the International Solidarity Movement in Al-Fara’ Refugee Camp.

Town of Ak-Kaaba: Masri Home

Ezzeddine Masri was a member of Hamas who made an operation killing himself and 22 israelis at the Sbarro restraunt in West Jerusalem on August 9th 2001. His action was in retaliation to an attack on a Hamas Office in Nablus on August 1, 2001. The public office was exploded by apache missiles. 8 people, 2 Hamas leaders, 4 office staff and 2 children (ages 6 and 8)walking by on the street, were killed.

The Israeli Occupation Forces arrived at the Masri home at 2am on Sunday, August 4th 2002, nearly 1 year after the operation in West Jerusalem. Their force consisted of 2 tanks, 8 jeeps and more than 200 soldiers. The soldiers kicked in the door to the house awaking Ezzeddine’s parents and 4 children (each under 4 years). They asked a neighbor to knock on the door of the adjacent house. The Occupation Forces arrested Ezzeddine’s father and three brothers. The family had 20 minutes to leave the house and the soldiers asked all of the neighbors to leave the area.

The house was exploded at about 5am. 4 neighboring houses were damaged by pieces of the house and by the concussion from the explosion itself. A large piece of the roof from the house flew over 50 meters, landing on the roof of a neighboring house and smashing a large hole in the roof. Doors were shaken from their frames, a car was destroyed, windows were shattered and there were holes in the exteriors of the neighboring houses. The stable of the Masri house was also completely destroyed leaving 20 sheep dead.

“What is our crime?” Ezzeddine’s uncle asked.

The Red cross visited the house and promised a tent which has yet to arrive.

The father and three brothers were released after 4 days of detention in Ofr detention camp, a newly established prison camp that consists of large tents. They were beaten and interrogated. One of the brothers, who showed us marks from beatings and lacerations from handcuffs, estimated that there were about 7000 palestinians held in Ofr currently.

Town of Tubas: Fukha Home

Mazen Fukha, 28, a member of Hamas was arested by the isreali occupation forces on Tuesday, August 6th 2002 under the auspices that he was suspected of helping bombers. His family has not been in contact with him and does not know where he is being held until the date of this report.

36 hours after Mazen was arrested, 4am on Thursday, 8th August 2002, the Israeli Occupation Forces came to the Fukha Home, owned by Mazen’s father. They arrived with 16 jeeps and more than 200 soldiers. They told the 9 people in the house (Mazen’s father, mother, sister, wife, brother and 4 children) to exit the house immediately. The people refused because some of the women were without proper clothes. The soldiers entered the house and told the family that they had 20 minutes to leave the house.

As they tried to save some things from the house, neighbors offered to help, but were scared away by shots fired in the air. Both Mazen’s father, Muhammad Sulieman, and his 18 year old brother, Ma’an, were arrested. The women of the family and many of the neighbors were told to go to the municipality building 500 meters up the road.

At 5:45 am, the army exploded the house with dynamite. Rubble from the house landed hundreds of yards from the house. All of the glass in the neighbors houses shattered and many of their door frames were broken from the blast.

Some neighbors were still in their homes and a man who did not understand what was happening approached the house after the soldier had left. He was knocked to the ground by the blast but did not sustain serious injuries.

The family was surprised by the operation because their son has not even had a trial following his arrest. He has not been convicted of anything let alone his entire family.

Mazens mother said: “I was born here and my grandfather and his grandfather. Why do the people from Europe and Russia have the right to live here and we do not? How does someone from Russia have the right to explode my house?”

The Red Cross visited the house and gave the family a small tent. The family does not know where either Mazen, his father, or his brother are being held.

Witnessed By:

Colm Breathnach, Dublin, Ireland
Matt Horton, Los Angeles, USA
David Jarmula, Brooklyn, USA

————————-

After staying in the camp for a week without incident, we were called back to Jerusalem for assessment and planning. It was painful and caused us to question our usefulness as internationals. We cant be with a community forever, so are we only delaying the inevitable? Is it even worth it to begin with? If anything, i guess we made beautiful friends, learned a lot and at least our Irish comrade got the issue into his country’s media.

We left the camp at 5am this morning through Tubas and down to Muasker Tiaseer (Tiaseer Army Base) where we parked in a line of cars to wait for the road to open at 5:30am. When the time came around, we were searched, questioned, passed and continued down the mountains toward Jerhico en route to Jerusalem. From the Tubas region down to the Jordan border there was nothing but military bases, beduin camps and settlements. When we reached the border, i was surprised that it was not heavily fortified (at least compared to the San Diego-Tijuana border i am used to) and i guess it is naive, but that we were close enough to see jordanian villages from the highway.

We passed two checkpoints on the highway to Jerhico where we pulled to the side to allow cars with yellow ‘israeli’ license plates to pass freely while we, with white plates, waited inspection and questioning. After turning on to the road to Jerusalem (al-Quds), we were stopped by a police jeep who also searched and questioned us.

The taxi took us to Qalandia checkpoint, between al-Quds and Ramallah, where we got another taxi to take us into Al-Quds. When we reached the checkpoint into the city, the soldiers looked at us internationals, checked our passports, didnt check any of the palestinians, and turned us around. 20 creative minutes later through residential streets, we arrived at the old city.

I am not sure how long i will be here or where i will go, but i will keep yall posted when i have the chance. Thank you for all of your letters and i hope you are all well. If you cant reach me by email, feel free to call: 011-972-6-734-9442

Matt Horton

Reporte Sobre la Invación de Nablus

by Freddie Marrero

Nunca me había encontrado tan cerca de la opresión descarnada y de la muerte como en los días recientes.

En la mañana del Jueves, 1ro de agosto de 2002, fuimos informados que había prescencia militar en el campamento de refugiados de Balata en Nablus y que estaban disparando y lanzando gazes lácrimogenos para imponer el toque de queda, que desde hace unos días la gente estaba ignorando. Todo el grupo de internacionalistas se movilizó hasta Balata de inmediato. Mientras en una parte de la calle todo parecía transcurir con normalidad, unos metros más adelante había un enfrentamiento entre chicos con piedras y un vehículo (‘jeep’) militar con varios soldados. Los lanzaban piedras y los soldados respondían con disparos al aíre y gases lacrimógenos. Desde una casa podíamos ver la confrontación y hasta allí nos llegó el gas lacrimógeno que contrarestamos oliendo cebollas. Luego de un rato, los militares retrocedieron, cediendo su posición, acompañados de los aplausos de los chicos.

Los chicos ganaron terreno y llegaron a un campo abierto en donde habían dos tanques y un tercero a la distancia. Allí pudimos presenciar otro tipo de confrontación: chicos con piedras contra tanques militares. Vaya espectáculo de David contra Goliath. En cierto momento los chicos se acercaban a los tanques lanzando piedras a lo que los tanques respondían movíendose hacia ellos y lanzando tiros al aire. Los chicos se replegaban a su posición original. Los tanques retrocedían a su posición original. Los chicos jugaban, reían, cantaban un rato para coger un aire y embestir de nuevo. Así sucedió por horas, hasta que sucedió algo lamentable cuando una bala impacto una casa cerca de donde estaba sentado un grupo de chicos jutno a algunos internacionalistas del MSI. Dos chicos resultaron heridos con los fragmentos de bala y cemento. Uno de ellos en un brazo y otro de gravedad en la cabeza. Llegamos hasta la clinica de Balata donde lo habían llevado de inmediato y pudimos ver como lo tranferian en ambulancia, luego de ser vendado y con un suero, hasta el hospital. Luego nos enteramos que tenía 16 años y que sobrevivó.

Por lo sucedido ese día y en la noche anterior en donde escuchamos más disparos que de constumbre, era evidente que las fuerzas de ocupación querían re-imponer por la fuerza el toque de queda que el pueblo de Nablus estaba ignorando masivamente.

En el centro de la ciudad se escuchaban disparos que se iban intensificando entrada la tarde. Tanques caminaban cerca de donde me estaba quedando, en el centro de Nablus. Haciendo ronda en la calle Faisal fueron confrontados por chicos con piedras. Allí abrieron fuego hiriendo un niño en un pie. Llegé al lugar cinco minutos luego del incidente solo para encontrarme con las manchas de sangre en el suelo y un pedazo de carne que otro niño sostenía en su mano para mostrármelo.

A las 12:45 AM recibimos noticias que un convoy de alrededor de 30 tanques, APC y jeeps especializados en demoliciones estaban entrando a la ciudad provenientes de una base militar cercana. Especulamos que el propósito es demoler algunas de las veinti-tantas casas de mártires marcadas para ser destruidas, como castigo a la familia, por el gobierno de Israel. Me acosté a dormir.

A las 4AM, del viernes, 2 de agosto de 2002, me despertaron con la noticia que los ‘snipers’ recien habían matado a un amigo de los dueños de la casa en donde nos estamos quedando. Había comenzado una invación a la antigua ciudad de Nablus. Alrededor de 140 tanques, APC y Jeeps volvían a entrar a la ciudad histórica de Nablus para tomar control de la misma, realizar arrestos y demoler hogares. Entre detonaciones y ráfagas intermitentes, pero incesantes, me dijeron que una llamada acaba de informar que no muy lejos de nosotros acaban de matar a un amigo de la familia que nos albergaba. El jóven salía a su balcón para recibir una bala en su sien. Ráfagas y detonaciones iban acompañadas de llamadas telefónicas al hogar detallando los nuevos heridos en el barrio. En un momento unas ráfagas fueron acompañadas por los gritos de una mujer, que resultaba ser la compañera de alguien que se econtraba en la casa. Cerca, cerca. Una bala traspasó sus dos muslos. Gracias al coraje de los palestinos que arriesgan sus vidas en ambulancias y de otros internacionalistas que les acompañaron, una ambulancia pudo llegar hasta a ella minutos mas tardes y salvarla. Todos en la casa estuvimos despiertos hasta que se hizo de día. Sentíamos mucha tensión e intensidad. Discutimos con los miembros de la familia lo que debíamos hacer si llegaban los militares a registrar o a arrestar a alguien.

Ese día estuvimos atrapados dentro de la casa debido a que el operativo de invasión continuó durante el día y sabíamos que habían ‘snipers’ apostados en uno de los edificios continuos al nuestro. Además de detener a cientos y arrestar a decenas, el operativo consiste en demoler varias casas y edificios. Algunas de estas fueron demolidas en el área cercana a donde nos encontramos, sienténdo la presión del impacto y pudiendo ver la bola de polvo que se levantaba a tan solo unas cuadras.

Irónicamente, durante el día, a pesar de las detonaciones, ese día pude descansar bastante ya que no había mucho que hacer, salvo fumar, escribir y jugar cartas.

Pasadas las 7PM llegó un grupo del MSI que había podido caminar por horas por la Antigua Ciudad. Nos dieron un reporte de primera mano sobre la situación afuera: las calles desiertas, repletas de militares, soldados tumbando puertas y entrando a casas para realizar búsquedas y arrestos, palestinos usados como escudos humanos, un número no determinado de casas y edificios destruidos por detonaciones de dinamitas y/o disparos de tanques, incluyendo el viejo edificio de las Naciones Unidas, un escuela, el edificio municipal y varias casas de mártires y de personas buscadas.

En este momento (8:44PM) todo se escucha bastante calmado afuera, en comparación a las últimas 17 horas. Las ráfagas y las detonaciones son cada vez menos frecuentes. En la mañana del Sábado pude salir de la casa y junto a una amiga de Londres caminamos por una hora hasta el punto de acceso de Nablus. Dejamos a un Nablus invadido y desierto con mucha tristeza. Llevándo con nosotros la imágen de la familia que nos albergó por una semana que ya se iba haciendo nuestra. Mi amiga iba rumbo a su avión de regreso, y yo rumbo a Ramallah para reunirme con Palestino-Boricua con quien había quedado en reunirme el día anterior, pero las circustancias me impidieron llegar a tiempo. Queda en Nablus un buen grupo de internacionalistas que sigue documentando la situación allí y trabajando junto a los Palestinos.

La ocupación ha llegado a un punto desenfrenado y necesita que todos digamos basta. Nada de lo que los internacionalistas hemos visto y vivido se equipara a lo que Palestinos tienen que enfrentar día a día. En Nablus la gente mantiene la resistencia, a pesar de todo…

Otro mundo es posible. Hagámoslo.

Addendum: Justo antes de enviar este mensaje me comuniqué con gente en la casa donde me estaba quedando en Nablus. Ayer los militares entraron a la misma y confiscaron cintas de video y rollos de fotos de varios activistas. Nadie fue detenido ni herido y la casa no fue buscada, en parte debido a la presencia de internacionales allí. Actualmente se tiene información de al menos 4 muertos, más de una docena de heridos, más de 50 personas arrestadas y un número aún no determinado de casas demolidas con dinamita.

Report from Nablus

by phone from Paul in Nablus

I spoke with Paul last night (about 9am in Nablus). He, Nat, Leah, Alberto, Jonathon and 2 other ISM volunteers (one from Ireland and the other from Vancouver) are currently in a home in Nablus that has been identified as being at risk of demolition. The 7 ISM internationals arrived to the home last night as family members were stripping the house of all valuables and personal items in anticipation of the house being destroyed. All relatives have now left with the exception of the 2 elderly grandparents (the grandfather is disabled from a stroke), who are being accompanied by the internationals. The house is anticipated to be a target because the son was a suicide bomber. The family described the son as “going crazy” as a result of several friends and family members killed, tortured and taken away and after seeing what had happened in Ramallah last March.

Israeli troupes are throughout the town of Nablus. As Paul and I spoke, I heard several explosions. The ISM volunteers had to hike cross-country into the city as they were unable to pass through the checkpoint. The group of internationals were repeatedly redirected by patrolling soldiers as they walked through the city streets, at times being unable to negotiate as warning shots were fired before they could get close enough to be heard by the soldiers. Yesterday, Paul and the others witnessed approximately 50 men being blindfolded and loaded onto buses near the old city. There were many journalists present. They also came
across a house which had been taken over by Israeli soldiers, confining the two families who lived there to the bottom floor and occupying the upper levels.

The internationals successfully persuaded one of the soldiers to locate diapers in the home and give these to the family, who had an infant locked in with them. Also during the day, they observed two patrols searching homes, following the soldiers from house to house and accompanying the families as they were forced to stand in the street while soldiers ransacked their homes. At one point, a soldier attempted to leave with a 12-year old boy when Paul was able to call attention to this and the boy was returned unharmed. As the soldiers went on with their search, they forced a Palestinian man to enter each home before the soldiers would go inside. The internationals asserted to the soldiers that this is a violation of the Geneva Conventions, forbidding the use of civilians as human shields. The soldiers eventually stopped this tactic after being reminded that “The Israeli army is said to be one of the most moral in the world, and that such behavior has the appearance of calling that status into question.”

At this point, the internationals are planning to stay at the house for as long as it is considered to be a target. IndyMedia has been notified and Paul’s sister called KPFA and left a message there. Apparently the Orange phone does NOT work in Nablus and only a couple of them have other types of phones that are functioning. There is no electricity in the house so they are unable to keep non-Orange phones and video cameras charged. There is a landline to the family’s home, which is how we communicated.

My Arrest and Detention by Israeli Police

The author being arrested

by Andrew Clarno, U of Michigan Sociology Grad Student

On Saturday, August 11, 2001, at about 2:30 pm, Israeli police arrested me while I was standing on the sidewalk at the edge of the American Colony Hotel parking lot.

I had arrived at the American Colony Hotel at around 2:15 pm along with twenty to twenty five other members of the International Solidarity Movement in order to peacefully demonstrate our opposition to the recent Israeli invasion and seizure of the Orient House. For about ten minutes, we witnessed clashes between Orthodox Jews and Palestinian youth and then we began our non-violent protest. As we stood in a line on the sidewalk, holding signs and calling for justice and peace, we were attacked by the police. Without warning in either Arabic or English, the soldiers came towards us, tearing the signs out of the hands of international protesters, while [singling out and] violently pushing and grabbing at Palestinian protesters. We began to chant “No Violence, No Violence”—calling on the police to recognize the non-violent nature of our protest and reinforcing our commitment not to respond violently to the violence used against us by the police. But the assault by the police continued. Soon police were pushing us all down the hill towards the American Colony. I saw several protesters knocked to the ground and kicked by the police while I was being pushed down the sidewalk in a group of protesters.

I had nearly reached the driveway of the American Colony Hotel when a police officer grabbed the beltloop in the back of my jeans with one hand and my right shoulder with his other hand. Although I did not resist, he forcefully dragged me into the street and put my head in a violent chokehold. His tight grip on my neck made breathing nearly impossible as he carried me nearly 100 meters up the hill towards Abu Obeidah street. We turned onto Abu Obeidah street, where the officer shoved me into the back seat of an SUV, then leaned into the front seat and reached around to punch me in the face twice with his left hand.

In all, seven internationals and four Palestinians were arrested at the protest that afternoon. We were all taken to the [former] Russian Compound, [an Israeli area] notorious for the torturous methods of interrogation and the violence perpetrated against prisoners by Israeli guards. One of the Palestinians was then released and the rest of us were charged with illegal assembly. In a seemingly random manner, a few of us were given the additional charge of assaulting a police officer. We were taken to our cells where we were held until 11:00 pm when a judge heard our case and gave the police 24 hours to complete their investigation.

The following day, one Palestinian and one international were released without conditions and five internationals were offered release on condition of not returning to the area of the Orient House. [They reluctantly accepted this unjust offer, but only because their work on the outside is of such immediate importance.] The two Palestinians and I were brought before a judge and the police asked that we be held three days so that they could pursue their investigation of charges that the three of us had attacked police officers. The judge again offered the police 24 hours to produce enough evidence to bring charges against us, so we were returned to our cells and kept in prison another night. On Monday, August 13, 2001, the three of us were again brought before a judge. The police released one of the Palestinians on similar condition as those offered to the internationals the day before.

Regarding the other Palestinian and I, however, the police argued that they had enough evidence to charge us with assaulting the police officers. They asked that we be detained for four days so that they could file charges against us and begin the trial process. The police have taken testimony from a police officer who states that he witnessed me push another police officer. They also presented testimony from the officer that arrested me – the one who grabbed, choked, and punched me. He states that I ignored his requests that I disperse and that I attempted to choke him.

Our attorney, Lea Tsemel, challenged all of this evidence. She highlighted the fact that the arresting officer did not mention this alleged attack in his initial arrest report and that his testimony was taken only after the police had decided to charge me with assault.

Yesterday evening at 7:30 pm, the judge decided that there was enough evidence to charge the two of us with assaulting a police officer, but that there was not enough risk [of flight] to keep us in prison pending further investigation. Therefore, Mahmoud Q. Mahmoud and I were released last night on condition that we not return to the immediate vicinity of the Orient House for forty days and that we agree to show up for further questioning and trial. The police were given forty eight hours to file charges against us—which they have vowed to do.

I insist upon my innocence. I did not physically or in any other way assault or even threaten to assault a police officer or any other individual. I was never given orders to disperse and I did not resist arrest. I have always been a non-violent person and have supported struggles around the world for peace and justice. As part of the International Solidarity Movement Campaign to End the Occupation, I am committed to a program of non-violent actions in support of the Palestinian people in their struggle for national liberation and against the brutality of the Israeli occupation. The violence that day was perpetrated by the Israeli police – not by the protesters. The world has taken notice because the violence was directed against an American citizen and caught on film. But I guarantee that the charges are completely fabricated. I am convinced that they have been designed to undercut the non-violent campaign to end the occupation.

Please do not allow the Israeli police to portray and convict me as a violent offender. Please do not allow them to undermine our struggle for a just and non-violent resolution to this conflict. Thank you. I certify that the above is true to the best of my knowledge.