Category: Reports - Page 8 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli Military Operation in Tulkarm Camp

23 August 2024 | International Solidarity Movement | Tulkarm Camp

*Tulkarm – West Bank*
*22-Aug-2024*
*By Diana Khwaelid*

On the night of August 22, Israeli occupation forces carried out a massive military operation in the Tulkarm refugee camp that lasted 14 hours. Armed clashes took place between Palestinian resistance and Israeli forces in the camp.

**Siege of the camp**
Israeli occupation forces surrounded all the main entrances to the camp, blocking roads with various military vehicles. The siege lasted 14 hours, cutting off electricity, water, and internet. Israeli snipers were deployed on rooftops and surrounding buildings.

**Israeli military reinforcements**
Israeli forces continued to send reinforcements to Tulkarm throughout the operation, centered in the refugee camp. This led to heightened tensions between Palestinians in the camp and the surrounding city.

**Destruction of camp infrastructure**
A month and a half after the last military operation, during which roads and infrastructure were repaired by the municipality and Palestinian Civil Defense, Israeli forces again stormed the camp and destroyed the newly repaired infrastructure. Bulldozers began clearing the main entrance to the camp, known as the Madrasa corridor, and destroyed roads, power lines, water networks, and the sewage system. This destruction of infrastructure by Israeli forces is not the first, nor will it be the last.

**Obstruction of ambulances**
Israeli occupation forces obstructed Palestinian ambulances from entering the camp to transport the injured. Volunteer medical teams inside the camp risked their lives to assist the wounded, and they were the ones who transported the bodies of Palestinians hit by Israeli shelling.

**Destruction and shelling of houses**
Dozens of Palestinian homes and shops were bombed and destroyed, either partially or totally. Israeli forces bombed more than four houses using drones, including one in the town of Aktabah, a neighborhood northeast of Tulkarm.

**Three Palestinian martyrs**
Three Palestinians were killed as a result of Israeli aerial bombardment inside one of the camp’s houses. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, three Palestinians were seriously injured by Israeli shelling while seeking shelter. The martyrs are Imad Shuraim, 34, Muawiya Al-Hajj Ahmed, 30, and Wasim Anbar, 30—all residents of Tulkarm refugee camp. Their bodies were buried three hours after Israeli forces withdrew, with their relatives bidding them a final farewell in the Danaba cemetery near the camp.

Palestinian elder raises his flag in defiance of the occupation forces

Celebrating Resilience: The Burin Kite Festival

June 19 – Once a year, the skies of Burin come alive with a dazzling display of color and resilience. The Kite Festival, organized by residents and activists, brings the community together in a joyful celebration of resistance and steadfast joy. Against the backdrop of occupation, this festival has become a powerful symbol of the daily struggles and unwavering spirit of the people of Burin.

Since 2008, the village of Burin has hosted the Kite Festival almost every year. This small village, nestled among the rolling hills of the northern West Bank, is home to nearly three thousand residents who have cherished this land for centuries. Surrounded by three illegal and oppressive Israeli settlements, the people of Burin face constant challenges and aggressions, yet they remain steadfast in their connection to their home and the children of this town.

They are challenged to find smiles and happiness against the brutality of occupation, but with ice cream and toys and the gift of song they are triumphant. This statement may seem exaggerated to some, but for the people of Burin, it reflects their harsh reality. The Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) regularly invade the village, ransacking homes, arresting residents without charge, and instilling fear among families. The settlers from the surrounding hilltops also pose a constant threat, attacking villagers, burning olive trees, and disrupting daily life. The streets are often blocked arbitrarily in an efforts to psychologically torture this town.

In the face of such adversity, the Kite Festival is a beacon of hope and wonder. Children and families gather on the soil their ancestors have farmed for generations, flying kites that symbolize freedom and defiance. The sight of kites soaring high above the settlements and beyond barbed wire is a powerful reminder that Burin remains resilient and unbroken.

The festival is organized by The Bureen Club and Ghassan Najjar, a resident who refuses to give up on his land or his people. As the festival marks its 16th year, residents reflects on its significance: “While Israeli and settlers are trying to prevent us from going to our lands and they steal it, it is good to see volunteers from around the world who come every time to give us their solidarity with us the Palestinians who are struggling from this occupation, and to reflect the image of the Palestinians that we are a welcoming people and we love life also,” said Ammar an engineer and resident of Burin

The festival’s simplicity belies its profound impact. Each kite, adorned with the Palestinian flag, using recycled plastic or simply yellow like the sun, sends a clear message to the occupiers: this land is Palestinian, and the spirit of its people will not be extinguished. Despite threats and intimidation from the IOF, Ghassan and his fellow organizers remain defiant. There is no intimidation in the beauty and dreaming of kites however, the absurdity of the occupation’s attempts to quash even the most innocent acts of joy is ever present.

This year, the festival also acts as a show of solidarity for the children of Gaza and a memorial for 3 children murdered by the IOF:
Muataz Eid (12) – 22/11/2023
Amer Najjar (9) – 5/3/2024
Mohammed Eid (19) – 6/3/2024

Members of their community and family were present as the entire festival also calls for Palestinian unity. Coordinated with residents all over the world, kites will be flown simultaneously in a show of solidarity. Children and families from all over the West Bank will join the festival, flying their kites above the settlements, reclaiming the sky with hundreds of Palestinian flags.

The Burin Kite Festival is a testament to the resilience and determination of the Palestinian people. Amidst music, some subtle dancing, and the joyous laughter of children, the festival conveys a simple yet profound message: the right to smile, to have fun, to be happy, and to live freely. As the kites soar high above Burin, they carry with them the hopes and dreams of a people who refuse to be silenced.

Long live Palestine.

Resisting Colonization in Beita

Child confronting Israeli soldiers, July 19, Beita.

24 July 2024 | International Solidarity Movement | Beita

Residents of Beita, south of Nablus, have restarted the weekly Friday demonstrations to resist the further theft of their land. In June, the Israeli security cabinet greenlighted the “legalization” of Evyatar, an outpost established on Sabih Mountain, situated on the outskirts of the town.

Beita residents have a long history of steadfastly resisting the colonization of their land. While demonstrations had almost ceased since October 7 due to the escalation of violence from Israeli occupation forces, July 5 saw a renewed push with dozens of Palestinians, accompanied by international and Israeli activists, marching down the adjacent mountain and through the valley towards the outpost.

The protestors were met with violence from the army as they burned tires in a show of protest. In response, volleys of tear gas were used to disperse the crowd, followed by rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition.

On the following Fridays, the army prevented the protestors from marching down the valley and instead pushed everyone back, firing tear gas which set fire to the surrounding fields of olive trees.

Field of olive trees burning due to tear gas. July 19, Beita.

Israeli settlers first tried to take over lands belonging to the town of Beita at the top of Jabel Sabih in 2013 and again in 2018, but were repelled by popular resistance mounted by the people of Beita. Settlers returned again in May 2021 to establish the Evyatar outpost, this time with documented support by Israeli forces stationed to guard them.

By July 2021, the Israeli army was forced to evict the settlers, striking a deal with them that steps will be taken to legalize the settlement at a later stage. The settlers left but the structures remained and the land was not returned to Palestinians. Settlers returned to Jabel Sabih in June 2023.

The establishment of the new outpost sparked an unprecedented wave of resistance, mobilizing thousands to demonstrate day and night in the vicinity of Jabel Sabih, trying to scale it to repel the settlers and dismantle the outpost. The Israeli response was one of intense military repression, killing 17 protestors over the past few years, causing serious injuries to thousands, including many suffering debilitating injuries, and arresting hundreds more.

The land represents a strategic spot on the road stretching all the way from Tel Aviv to the Jordan Valley, allowing for contiguity between Israeli settlements while preventing the latter for Palestinian villages.

**Martyrs**

– Mohammed Hamayyel, 15 (March 11, 2020)
– Islam Dwikat, 22 (April 9, 2020)
– Karam Amin Dwikat, 17 (October 15, 2023)
– Issa Sliman Barham, 40 (May 14, 2021)
– Tareq Ommar Snobar, 27 (May 16, 2021)
– Zakaria Maher Hamayyel, 25 (May 28, 2021)
– Mohammed Said Hamayyel, 15 (June 11, 2021)
– Ahmad Zahi Bani Shamsa, 15 (June 16, 2021)
– Shadi Ommar Sharafa, 41 (July 27, 2021)
– Imad Ali Dwikat, 38 (August 6, 2021)
– Mohammed Ali Khbeissa, 27 (September 24, 2021)
– Jamil Jamal Abu Ayyash, 32 (December 1, 2021)
– Fawaz Ahmad Hamayyel, 47 (April 13, 2022)
– Immad Jareh Bani Shamsa, 16 (October 9, 2023)
– Mohammed Ibrahim Adili, 13 (November 23, 2023)
– Maath Ashraf Bani Shamsa, 17 (February 9, 2024)
– Ameed Ghaleb Said al-Jaroub, 34 (March 22, 2024, died of a bullet wound injury to the head sustained on August 21, 2023)

Israeli soldier harassing the press. July 19, Beita.

Tear gas thrown at protestors. July 19, Beita.

Israeli State Files Indictment Against Anti-Zionist Israeli Activist

Jonathan Pollak arrested in Nabi Saleh. Credit: Oren Ziv/Activestills.

Jonathan Pollak, a long-time anti-Zionist activist from Jaffa, was slapped with an indictment for two counts of incitement to violence on Sunday (14 July, 2024). The indictment revolves around calls to join the Palestinian struggle against Israeli colonialism, made in a January 2020 article published in Israeli newspaper Haaretz, and in a June 2021 speech during the Yeshayahu Leibowitz Award ceremony. In both cases, Pollak called on those within the settler society who oppose Israeli Apartheid and colonialism to join the Palestinian struggle for liberation and integrate in it as a minority, under Palestinian leadership, and “march in the footsteps of the children of the stones and Molotov cocktails.”

Pollak has been the target of persecution by Israeli right-wing groups such as Ad Kan and Im Tirzu for several years, and this indictment is also the direct result of a campaign by these organizations. In 2018 Ad Kan used an esoteric judicial procedure and filed a private criminal complaint against Pollak and two other activists. He refused to attend hearings or cooperate with the proceedings in any way, and was wanted by the authorities for over a year before being arrested. In 2019, after Ad Kan published a post asking the public for help locating Pollak, he was attacked with a knife by two men who called him an anarchist. The article subject to the current indictment was published the day Pollak was apprehended, and the investigation into it for incitement was opened on his release after Ad Kan’s case was kicked out, in order to sweeten the pill.

On receiving the indictment, Pollak said: ” The only exceptional thing about this indictment is that, this time, Israel filed it against one of its Jewish citizens. In practice, it is merely one in hundreds such politically motivated indictments filed against Palestinians, both those who hold Israeli citizenship and those living as subjects under military rule. In contrast, the innumerous Israeli citizens, journalists and politicians regularly and blatantly calling to starve babies, indiscriminately kill innocent civilians, commit war crimes and genocide, go completely unscathed. It would suffice to examine the list of prosecution witnesses to understand who truly stands behind the indictment and what its purpose is. It is unabashed political persecution in service of Israel’s extreme right, meant to silence any support for the Palestinian struggle for liberation, and is part of the attempt to stifle the Palestinian struggle itself.”

The trial is set to open in October.

Israeli Settlers Harassment in the Jordan Valley

15 July 2024 | International Solidarity Movement | Jordan Valley

Activists and members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) recently faced harassment while working in a popular tourist spot in the Jordan Valley.

The activists focused their efforts on Ras Al-Auja (Ras Al-Ein) where water access is severely restricted for Palestinians, often limited to a few hours a day. Settlers have exacerbated the situation by blocking roads leading to water sources and stealing livestock. They integrate their herds with Palestinian flocks and then falsely claim ownership, reducing Palestinian herds significantly. While safeguarding the spring where locals fill their water tanks, activists also monitored settler shepherds who frequently encroach on the village land. .

The spring serves not only as a water source but also as a communal gathering spot, offering a rare moment of relief and socialization for the Palestinians. International volunteers had their duties interrupted by reports of settlers invading Palestinian land just up the road, necessitating a division of their attention between multiple locations.

At one site, a settler wearing a tank top with the letters KKL/JNF and a kuffiyeh was seen wielding a metal bat aggressively. This settler circled the activists car and tried to intimidate them by placing his hands on the bat and motioning towards his radio. The settler was wearing a kuffiyeh as appropriation of Palestinian culture. This is a disturbing trend that erases and undermines Palestinian traditions.

Once finished observing and documenting this settler, the activists encountered a caravan of camels led by settlers also wearing kuffiyeh, who soon turned aggressive. These settlers surrounded the activists’ car, taunted them, lunged and screamed in the ears and made sexually suggestive comments, showcasing tactics intended to intimidate and drive Palestinians from their land. This harassment lasted for almost an hour.