Category: Reports - Page 9 - International Solidarity Movement

Women Support Center in Nablus empowers women and girls, resists gendered violence and the Occupation

Women Support

The Women Support Center is a project of the Tanweer Cultural Center and has been active in Nablus and surrounding communities of the Northern West Bank for four years now. It serves women and children with legal, mental health, economic, educational, and recreational initiatives. Designed to encourage independence, safety, wellness, and solidarity among women, they offer trainings in media, legal rights, entrepreneurship, and vocational training, group and individual therapy, legal counsel, sponsorship for gardening cooperatives, and individualized support for ad hoc projects when needs emerge.

Since October, military and settler activity have presented serious risks and delays in regional transportation into and out of Nablus. Palestinians are often forced to wait three or more hours at checkpoints before they are allowed through (if, indeed, they are allowed at all). This presents special difficulties to women and girls, due to lack of safe places to use the restroom. In recent months, the Center installed a restroom for women awaiting checkpoint passage. They also frequently arranged Iftar deliveries so that travelers entering and exiting the city could meet their bodies’ needs, which the occupation was otherwise preventing.

Cars delayed at an IOF checkpoint outside Nablus.

Public women's toilet built by Women Support Center for Nablus checkpoint. — Public women’s toilet built by Women Support Center for Nablus checkpoint.

Hakema Hassan, coordinator of the Gardening Cooperatives program, shared that the economic and social benefits for women who can produce food are immense. The Women Support Center distributes seeds and seedlings, and provides grant money for women to establish and sustain cooperatives. However, many women who would otherwise engage in this work do not feel comfortable leaving the cities—even to their home villages—as settler and military violence have worsened dramatically. “Our car windows have been broken many times”, reports Hassan. And at the aforementioned checkpoints, women face gendered harassment: “They ask us to dance for them…. This is forbidden.”

Other programs, such as upcoming media classes, are intended to offer women and girls tools for their activism. Other recent activist initiatives include: forums on female political prisoners under the occupation, vigils and protests for Gazans resisting genocide, and resistance against sexual violence and gender oppression.

Tanweer and the Women Support Center survive on a small budget—which has been all the more limited since the Israeli government cut off funding since the 7th of October. We invite you to help the Women Support Center and Tanweer to provide lifesaving and empowering services to the northern West Bank by donating at the PayPal account tanweer.nablus@gmail.com.

Palestinian Family at Um Darit Harassed and Isolated

Acts of harassment and terror are a daily fact of life for residents of Masafer Yatta, a collection of rural hamlets at the southern end of the West Bank. One example is Mohammed Abed’s family in Um Darit, where they are surrounded by a rapidly expanding network of illegal settlements.

After the Israeli escalation in October, they have been driven from their home by armed vigilantes and returned to find it largely destroyed. They have had sheep stolen, a vehicle burnt, a washing machine, water lines, and access panel destroyed, sewage system ruined, windows broken, their house turned upside down, and a Qur’an burned. Male members of the family have been imprisoned and beaten, and repeated incursions and acts of vandalism and terrorism are the norm.

Other acts of violence are more subtle: cars, shepherds, joggers, horseback riders, soldiers and armed settlers regularly traverse the closest roads and hills surrounding the house. As elsewhere, the closest settlements of Avigayil and newly established outposts establish themselves in high places and forbid Palestinians from setting foot in the hills and valleys leading to them (or other arbitrary boundaries). As a result, the majority of the family’s land is stolen, for the exclusive use of the State and the settlers.

Settler shepherd grazing on Abed's land — Settler shepherd grazing on Abed’s land

For example, this week a young settler on horseback came off the road attempting to parade through Abed’s yard, garden, and flock, startling the sheep. Solidarity activists on premises asked him what he was doing there and asked that he leave. The belligerent youth aggressively and repeatedly pushed his horse, attempting to force his way past the activists. After 5+ attempts, another settler arrived with a long gun, and menaced the family and activists. Abed states he recognizes the armed settler as one of those that wrecked his home. This settler has also been involved with many other acts of harassment against Palestinians and solidarity activists. After the family spoke loudly about calling the police, two of the three settlers left and a third stayed to graze his flock of sheep on the family’s plants. In following days, this shepherd returned daily, apparently preferring to graze his animals on Abed’s land and in the valley between Palestinians villages over the closer lush valley reserved for only settler use.

Settler on horseback in Abed's yard — Settler on horseback in Abed’s yard

Armed settler guards settler on horseback in Abed's land — Armed settler guards settler on horseback in Abed’s land

These daily incursions affirm what Indigenous activists of Turtle Island (so called Americas) have said for years: colonization is a process, not an event. It appears in the everyday disrespect for Palestinians’ safety, life, land and religion, the increasing isolation of Um Darit from other Palestinians’ villages, daily military and settler harassment, the bright flood lights from the settlement shining into the village. These constant assaults and affronts aim to displace and wear down the spirit of Abed’s family and others like them.

And yet they continue, spending time as family, coloring together, raising cabbage and animals, extending amazing generosity to others, harvesting thyme and other herbs, and remaining steadfast in their commitment to resist through existence.

Occupation Forces Targeted Series of Strikes Kills 7 Aid Workers in Gaza

02 April 2024 | International Solidarity Movement | Deir al Balah, Gaza

Following the offloading of a desperately needed 100+ tons of humanitarian aid into a Deir al Balah aid storage warehouse, a seven-person, three-vehicle World Central Kitchen convoy was traveling a deconflicted coastal road when the first Israeli army targeted strike hit one of their vehicles. As the surviving injured desperately scrambled into the two other vehicles in the convoy, occupation forces fired again, and again until each of the three clearly marked aid transports were destroyed and all seven foreign aid workers dead.

A Vehicle in the WCK Convoy attacked by IOF. Photo Source: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images

News began flashing across global media as World Central Kitchen confirmed the occupation forces’ precision attack on their volunteer aid workers of which included foreign nationals of the U.K.,Poland, Australia, a Canadian/American dual-citizen, as well as their Palestinian driver; 26 year old Seif Issam Abu Taha. They had been coordinating all movements on the ground with Israeli occupation forces, including the movement of their convoy from Deir al Balah which was almost immediately pursued and horrifically attacked again and again by the IOF to ensure the destruction in-totality of all life inside the three vehicles.

World Central Kitchen statement confirming the murder of aid volunteers

In a statement on its massacre of the aid workers’ convoy which was unarmed, emblazoned with the World Central Kitchen logo on all sides and on the top of their vehicle and posing no threat who had communicated this movement with the IOF, Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the “tragic mistake” which killed “innocent people” and stated that “such things happen in war.” The killings of clearly marked humanitarian aid workers has been a routine strategy of the IOF who has, to date, murdered 196 volunteers doing critical aid work on the ground in Gaza as genocide, famine and ethnic cleansing across the strip move unabated across the threshold into its seventh month.

The passports of the murdered WCK aid workers. Photo Source: Associated Press

World Central Kitchen, who had been serving over 10,000 life-sustaining meals in Gaza daily, have now ceased all operations in the area as occupation forces continue the daily murder of unarmed Palestinian civilians, journalists, medical staff and aid workers. A large portion of the humanitarian supplies shipment WCK volunteers were preparing to receive through established maritime aid channels is now headed back to Cyprus from where it shipped and was due to be supplied to Palestinians who are currently, and purposefully, being starved to death by Israeli forces.

Illegal Israeli Settlers Continue Attacks on Shepherds in Masafer Yatta

23 March 2024 | International Solidarity Movement | Masafer Yatta

March 21. @ISM

On March 20 and 21, Palestinian shepherds from the village of Umm Fagarah in Masafer Yatta faced violent attacks and incursions onto their grazing lands by illegal Israeli settlers.

On the 20th March an armed settler, from the illegal outpost Jebel Dov, moved up the Sarura Valley where they intimidated Palestinian shepherds pushing them out of the valley. The settler called nearby settler/soldiers who arrived and backed the settler, forcing the shepherds to leave and threatened to detain internationals present. Police arrived at the request of the Palestinians, recorded identification and left, with no justice for the shepherds.

Armed settler approaching a shepherd on March 20. @ISM

At 9am on March 21, shepherds from Umm Fagarah, moved their flocks onto the hills directly to the south of the village. At 10am, two armed settlers ran down the hill from the nearby illegal settlement of Avigayil, located several hundred metres over the hill to the West. The settlers aggressively pushed the shepherds and their flock several hundred metres down the hill forcing them back to their village. At 10.30 two IOF soldiers arrived, also telling the shepherds to go back into the village.

The loss of grazing pasture through land theft and violent settler attacks has greatly affected one of the remaining sources of income for rural Palestinian villages. These attacks have been ongoing for decades, but are rapidly increasing in frequency and violence.

Illegal settlers coming down the hill on March 21. @ISM

Settlers chasing away Palestinian shepherd and his sheep. @ISM

Settlers and soldiers walking away together. @ISM

Second Friday of Ramadan at Qalandia Checkpoint

22 March 2024 | International Solidarity Movement | Qalandia checkpoint

Women performing mid-day prayers outside Qalandia checkpoint. @ISM

Palestinians perform Friday mid-day prayer outside of Qalandia checkpoint this morning while held at gunpoint by Israeli occupation soldiers, after being forcefully denied their right to enter Al-Quds to pray at Al-Aqsa.

People trying to enter were again met with an intensified militarisation of Qalandia checkpoint of heavily armed occupation border police, some of them masked, and vehicles.

Israeli occupation forces at the checkpoint. @ISM

While the Occupation Force officially has announced that men above 55 years, women above 50 years and children below 10 years from the West Bank are allowed to enter, today numerous people in the applicable age group were denied entry by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) claiming that “too many” had entered.

Close to 12 noon, IOF completely shut the checkpoint entrance.

In resistance, and under surveillance and held at gun point by IOF border police, denied women gathered in front of the closed gate to perform the midday Friday prayer, joined by a group of men.

One of the women stated: “We will pray here, what else can we do? Allah will understand that this is the closest we can get to Al-Aqsa”.

She had come from Al-Khalil with a permission to enter, but was denied entry at two attempts, and so was her 66 year old father; IOF told both that “too many” had entered.

Another 60-year old man who had been denied was told that now he had to apply online a week prior.

As the women were praying, a masked IOF border police officer shouted to disturb the prayers, while another masked officer made dance moves towards the prayers. During the IOFs surveillance of people trying to enter, a border police officer was observed removing the safe on their gun.

A large amount of Palestinian medics were present wearing fluorescent vest saying: “Don’t shoot me, I’m not a target. I am a health care provider”.

IOF dancing and disturbing prayers. @ISM

IOF closing Qalandia checkpoint. @ISM

IOF soldier removing safe from gun. @ISM