Category: Video - Page 14 - International Solidarity Movement

Increasing collective punishment in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron)

3rd of December 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli forces closed the al-Hareka neighbourhood putting up new roadblocks and completely closing off a whole neighbourhood in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron).

The neighbourhood’s access to the main street has been blocked off with an iron gate for a long time already. Recently, a group of about twenty soldiers arrived to the neighbourhood to further limit the freedom of movement of the Palestinian residents.

Military gate blocking entrance for cars

One resident, a journalist documenting the soldiers putting the new roadblocks that completely barr any access to about 200-300 people living there, was detained by the soldiers for over an hour. Soldiers attempted to stop him from filming this measure of collective punishment, a clear infringement on the freedom of press. In order to reach the main road or leave their houses, people living behind the wall are now forced to walk all the way around and will thus need at least ten minutes more to reach the military gate that is already blocking their entrance.

Children playing on the newly erected wall blocking off the neighbourhood

Watch a video of soldiers installing this new wall:

Or watch video here.

Additionally, soldiers have commanded the roof of a private family home for military purposes and have erected a small military base there. A group of six soldiers is permanently stationed on the family home and “they slept on the roof”, as a school-boy explained.

Israeli forces stationed on a family home

The al-Hareka neighbourhood is bordering the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba, and thus is often the target of harassment and violence both from the Israeli forces as well as the settlers – often under the protection of the soldiers.

This is yet another measure to intensify the efforts to restrict – or completely stop – Palestinian freedom of movement. Such collective punishment measures have sky-rocketed in the recent weeks and months in occupied al-Khalil, and add to the increasing efforts to further exacerbate everyday life for Palestinians and eventually make them disappear completely.

The Palestinian civilians of Queitun are locked up by massive roadblocks and skunked for no reason

27th November 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

In the early morning of November 26th, 2015, just a few hours after training some 50 new soldiers for house-invasions, the Israeli occupation army put three massive roadblocks in Sida, a connecting street in the Qeitun neighborhood of Hebron H2 (Israeli controlled). Two of these roadblocks were built with huge watchtower elements of steel reinforced concrete, placed horizontally and put in place with heavy concrete blocks, nearly impossible to remove.

There was no incident in Qeitun that could give any credibility for placing these roadblocks. There is absolutely no security reason for doing this.

Its purpose is clearly to block the traffic in this important connecting street. We can only guess about their further plans.

It has already been announced that the remaining few meters on the north-west of Shuhada Street will be annexed for extending checkpoint 56. In all likelyhood the Israeli state wants to take over the remaining south-eastern part of this historical busy shopping street as well. First by blocking it for all car traffic, and next turning it into an Apartheid Jews-only street, as is Shuhada Street now.

Shuhada Apartheid street. Red: no Palestinians allowed. Purple: No Palestinian cars allowed

That remaining south-eastern part of the Shuhada street is currently the main shopping street of Qeitun, and vital for the economic and social life of this Palestinian neighbourhood.

Further incidents on this thursday 26 November:

From 8 o’clock in the morning, a batallion of the Israeli occupation army was occupying rooftops alongside the newly locked down Sida street. It is not certain though if they will permanently stay there.

At 2 pm the same day, a skunk water truck went on the main street of this neighborhood and emptied its chemical container in the streets, also targeting houses and rooftops alongside the street. Again without any security reason. Just to make life hard and unpleasant in this Palestinian neighborhood of Hebron H2. Please watch video below to get an idea of what happened.

The following day the Israeli occupation army was back in the same neighborhood entering homes, assumably to set up rooftop observation posts alongside the Sida street. While doing this, they scared away civilians with tear gas and bullets.

18-year old boy arrested in occupied Hebron and international banned from the entire West Bank

26thNovember 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team| Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Thursday 26th November, at around 8 am, Israeli forces detained two young Palestinians boys at Quitoun checkpoint in occupied Hebron (Al-Khalil), allegedly throwing stones at the soldiers. On the way towards the police station where the Palestinian boys were taken by the Israeli forces – near the Ibrahimi mosque—two international human rights activists were documenting the events at the scene.

The human rights activists questioned the Israeli forces about the respective name and age of the two boys, one of which was only twelve years of age. Israeli forces refused to answer the legitimate questions of the human rights activists. One of the boys, an eighteen year old from Abu Sneineh was taken to the police station, while the international activists continued to monitor the events and ask for the age of the younger child who was still outside, detained by Israeli forces.

Embarrassed by the questions of the international human rights activists, but most of all by them witnessing this illegal detention, Israeli forces decided to arbitrarily arrest one of the human right activist, claiming that she was disturbing Israeli forces in doing their job.

The child was released after around an hour in detention, in tears and shock.

Inside the police station, the French human rights activist and the Palestinian boy were waiting for investigation, without being allowed to use their phone to inform their families and lawyers

Inside the police station, the French human rights activist and the Palestinian boy were waiting for the investigation, without being allowed to use their phone to inform their families and lawyers.

After one hour, they were taken to the police station of the illegal settlement Kiryat Arba for the investigation. The international human right activist was accused of preventing the Israeli forces to do their job and blocking their way, although she merely asked for the age of the boy, as clearly visible in the video

In the official document by the Israeli police, the human rights activist is accused of being a danger to the public safety the Israeli state and was therefore banned from the entire West Bank for two weeks
Until now, it remains unknown what will happen to the eighteen years old boy who had been arrested

Israeli forces continue to target human rights activists during the wave of house raids in Hebron

26th November 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On the 17th of November, around one hundred and fifty Israeli soldiers advanced into Jabal Al-Rahma neighborhood – a neighborhood in the H1 area of Hebron (al-Khalil) just outside of the H2 area that is under Israeli military control. From 7.30pm until 3am the following morning most of the houses in the neighborhood were raided, amongst them the house of human rights activist Badee Dwaik.

On this particular night the soldiers split up to check and register the I.D.s of male Palestinian family members in the whole neighborhood. According to Badee, the soldiers stayed in the house, in which there are six apartments all belonging to the Dwaik family, for around two hours and “were very aggressive” according to Badee.

Upon entering the house, the soldiers forced the nephew of the human rights activist—who has been documenting the incidents in the neighborhood— into a corner and beat him in front of his father, mother, brother and uncles. “It was a scary situation for the kids” describes Badee who managed to document the brutal encounter. When asked for the military order to search the houses, the Israeli forces completely rejected the request and entered the building nonetheless. They started by searching the house Badee’s brother before they reached the apartment of human rights activist Badee.

The family was forced to stay in the living room, while the soldiers searched every room of his house. “They took things from the cubbord and threw it and broke the gold box from my wife”, illustrates Badee.

Badee, who is documenting, monitoring and reporting for Human Rights Defenders Group was filming, while the soldiers aggressively searched his house and confiscated a number of Palestinian flags. The soldiers told him that he should stop filming the raid of his cousins that followed the thorough search of his house. Badee explains that the raid of his house was especially severe because “I was filming them and they didn’t like it”.

Before leaving the house, the Israeli forces broke the camera of the human rights activist, adding it to the list of important documenting devices that the Israeli forces have been intentionally breaking.

Since the beginning of this year, the Israeli forces have broken a total of four cameras and a computer that the Human Rights Defenders Group used to document the growing harassment, intimidation and violence by soldiers and illegal settlers alike. Badee explains that human rights activists “are becoming a target for them (Israeli forces) because we document about Israeli crimes and humiliation of families”.

During the wave of house raids and arbitrary closures as a ‘closed military zone’ of Tel Rumeida and Shuhada Street Palestinian human rights activists have been a target and systematically stopped by the Israeli forces to hinder them from fighting for human rights and justice through documenting and monitoring the hideous crimes of both Israeli settlers and soldiers.

The wave of house raids that have been happening all over Hebron create a situation where the families are left feeling unsafe in their own homes and “get scared and psychologically tired” of the situation explains Badee. “It is a nightmare for the families” to experience these arbitrary house raids says Badee and as long as this keeps happening Palestinian families live in constant fear and injustice.

All credits for pictures and video: the Human Rights Defenders group

Once again, Israeli forces raid Nablus homes

19th november 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwwara team | Tell, occupied Palestine

Early morning today, November 19th, at around 1:30 am, Israeli forces raided approximately twenty homes in the village of Tell, Nablus, destroying furniture, televisions and other household items. Mohammed, 73 year old citizen of Tell, describes that soldiers were shooting tear gas, live ammunition and stun grenades, injuring two youths by live ammunition after clashes erupted in the area.

Ransacked home in the village of Tell, Nablus (photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/Tal.village.for.all/)

Furthermore, nine men were arrested without any charges and six men were asked to go to the Israeli security on the following day for security check. The nine men were all released six hours after the arrests.

“These random night raids are a way of scaring the people and demonstrating the occupier’s superiority” states Monther Ishtaya, the mayor of Tell village. He continues: “Also, the night raids are part of the training of new soldiers as well as for the newly appointed local leader of Shabak (Israel’s internal security service)”.

As the village Tell is part of area A, Israeli occupation forces have to coordinate – under the terms of the so-called ‘security coordination’ of the Oslo accords – their entry of the village with Palestinian Authority. According to the mayor, the reality, however, is that PA many times is either not informed or only informed shortly before Israeli forces enter the area.

According to the mayor, Israeli forces enter the village sometimes on a daily basis in order to check people on the street, do night raids and other so-called ‘security measures’. Since the beginning of October, 15 youths have been arrested, many of them sentenced for 6 months and/or forced to pay fines of several thousands shekels.

During the same night, in the village of Kafr Ad-Deak, Salfit, more than hundred Israeli soldiers invaded the village and raided and ransacked 15 houses in the As-Suqqiya area. In addition, they put up posters around the village stating that stone throwing will imply retaliation and punishment. Verbally the soldiers expressed to the villagers, that stone throwing would imply being shot.