Settler violence in Hebron escalates after eviction of illagal settler outpost

Settler violence continues in Hebron

Following the eviction of settlers by Israeli forces from the illegal outpost known as Federman’s Farm, close to the Kharsina settlement, there have been repeated attacks by settlers on the surrounding Palestinian communities.

Settlers have attacked Palestinian houses near Kharsina settlement on several nights since. Most of the attacks have happened during the night. Settlers have come in groups of masked men, that have approached Palestinian houses and started throwing stones at the houses and people outside them. There has been international presence every night since attacks began.

On the 3rd of November settlers attacked Palestinians and international activists for the first time around 00.30am. They came in a group of at least masked settlers, though an accurate number difficult to see due to the fact that the attack came from dark grape groves. Settlers started throwing stones at people outside building, both at Palestinian residents and international activists. People who were present had come there to stand in solidarity with Palestinian families threatened by these settler attacks. The attack continued for half an hour, until settlers retreated back to settlement.

A similar attack occurred at 2.00am, with a mob coming to throw stones at people outside the house. Again the attack lasted for about half an hour.

On both cases police and military were called to come and protect people under attack, but they arrived so late that attackers had left the scene. The Israeli army was asked to send troops to protect houses for the night, but they came only in the morning at 6am, for two hours and left again at 8am.

Earlier attacks have happened on November 2nd and October 31st. All attacks have been repeating same pattern and look likely to have been committed by same people.

Four people shot with rubber-coated steel bullets as protesters delay construction of the apartheid wall in Ni’lin

October 31, 2008

The weekly Friday prayer demonstration began at 12.00 near the Ni’lin clinic with residents of Ni’lin praying on their land.


Video courtesy of Israel Putermam

Shortly after the prayer, 200 Palestinians supported by 20 international and Israeli activists marched towards the construction site of the Apartheid Wall.

After arriving at the site to discover that bulldozers were not working, the demonstrators created roadblocks meant to delay the next day’s work and to stop the Israeli army. Not 10 minutes after arriving at the site, 4 jeeps with Israeli soldiers arrived and instantly began to shoot tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets at the demonstrators, The crowd retreated into the olive groves and continued to show their resistance to the annexation of Nilin’s land until 16.00.

Once the soldiers drove back towards their base, several people ran to the construction site in the hopes of disabling equipment meant for the Apartheid Wall. The jeeps quickly returned and fired directly at the demonstrators with tear gas and rubber bullets. The crowd headed back for the town soon after. Injured with rubber-coated steel bullets were Muhamad Imad Tantur (18) who suffered a broken hand from a bullet, Khamis Umirah (28) who was shot in the hand, Ala Ali Khawaja (20) was shot in the back and Sa’ad Ibrahim Umirah (20) was shot in the face.

Ynet: EU condemns settler violence

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Following night of violent clashes near West Bank town of Hebron, Europe calls on Israeli government to put an end to settler violence; meanwhile, rabbi says ‘expulsion’ of Jews reminiscent of past events in Poland

The European Union called on Israel Friday to put an end to violent settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. The statement followed a night of violence near the town of Hebron.

“The European Union once again condemns in the strongest possible terms the acts of violence and brutality committed against Palestinian civilians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank,” the EU presidency said.

“The European Union would point out that it is up to the Israeli government, which has itself condemned these acts, to take the necessary measures to stop them immediately, in accordance with its international obligations,” it said.

Two police officers were lightly injured Thursday night and three women were arrested as security forces arrived at a farm belonging to extreme right-wing activist Noam Federman in the Jewish community of Kiryat Arba in a bid to demolish two illegal structures.

According to the settlers, the security forces used violence against them and injured five of them Friday morning, right-wing activists damaged Palestinian fields and houses in response to the night clashes. The settlers also claimed to have rebuilt the structure destroyed by the security forces.

Hours after the violent clashes, hundreds of Kiryat Arba and Hebron residents and right-wing activists took part in a cornerstone ceremony in the Federman farm.

Kiryat Arba Rabbi Dov Lior, chairman of the Committee of Yesha Rabbis, said during the event that “the expulsion forces activities in the Federman farm remind me of what we went through in Poland dozens of years ago.

Press TV: Peace activists call world to wake-up

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International activists and Palestinians tour the destroyed houses and farms in the Gaza Strip on October 30, 2008

The plight of Gaza residents has come as a shock to human rights activists who are now in the coastal region to expose Israeli crimes.

“The world has been very neglectful… very neglectful of Palestine, and I do not understand how this can be happening, and [how] the world can allow it to happen,” British activist John McDougal told Press TV correspondent Yousef Al-Helou.

“The world sees only the point of view of Israel,” he continued.

McDougal is among activists from the Free Gaza Movement. He arrived in Gaza aboard the SS Dignity along with 26 other unarmed civilians on Wednesday in spite of Israeli threats to stop their voyage.

The Free Gaza Movement has pledged to expose the Israeli apartheid and injustice against the Palestinians. The SS Dignity is the third ship to break the siege on the strip.

The pro-Palestinian activists say by breaking the Israeli embargo and entering Gaza they want to set an example for others to follow suit.

“If I had a message to the world, it would be to wake up, and to understand the level of oppression that the people of Gaza are living through, and to respond to the humanitarian tragedy and crisis that is unfolding here, and to challenge the complicity of our governments in the West and also Arab regimes in the daily massacre of the people of Gaza,” said Irish human rights activist Caoimhe Butterly.

Irish Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire (L) holds a gift from Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on October 29, 2008.
“I have been inspired by civilized beautiful people. I am saddened by the fact that you are living in such an uncivilized situation,” said Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Maguire, who was shot by Israeli forces in a previous visit to the area.

The 1.5 million people residing in the coastal strip have suffered under an Israeli blockade since June 2007. Tel Aviv has imposed restrictions on the entry into Gaza of vital goods, including food, fuel, medical supplies and construction materials.

The Gaza siege has provoked an outcry with peace activists worldwide condemning the human rights violation.

In August, two Greek boats — carrying high-profile people such as Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of former British premier Tony Blair and Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein — arrived in the populated region in defiance of the Israeli blockade for the first time.

Maan: PLC member – Israeli navy fired on activists off Gaza coast

To view original article, published by Maan News Agency on the 31st October, click here

Israeli navy ships fired on activists assisting Gaza fisherman on Friday, according to a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).

PLC-member Jamal Al-Khudari, who is also the head of the Popular Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza, claimed that Israeli navy boats fired toward the activists on Friday afternoon.

“Israeli navy boats fired on [the activists] intensively while they were helping the Palestinian fishermen,” he said in a statement.

“This incident is a violation of the rights of Palestinians to use their territorial water,” Al-Khudari added.

Israeli navy ships were “attacking the fisherman and preventing them from gaining their daily livelihood,” on Friday, the PLC member said.

He called for international and Arab human rights organizations to intervene and “stop such attacks,” including attacks against the group that came in solidarity to break the ongoing siege on the Gaza Strip.