Resident of Al-Mazra’a ash Sharqiya remove roadbock that prevents them access to Route 60

Thursday, October 16, around 150 residents of the village of Al-Mazra’a ash Sharqiya, joined by Israeli and international activists, gathered in an effort to remove four roadblocks from a road connecting the village of Al Mazra’a ash Sharqiya to Route 60.

At eleven in the morning, cars from the center of town drove towards the congested road. The demonstrators physically removed numerous big stones blockading the access road. They proceeded to the last block, closest to Route 60, and continued their work. Around noon, an Israeli army jeep arrived and attempted to halt the work of the residents. Soon after, three more army jeeps alongside two police jeeps showed up at the scene. Several activists and members of the village tried to negotiate the peaceful removal of the barriers, but the soldiers refused.

While the activists remained close to the soldiers, hoping to block them, Palestinians worked hard to finish clearing the road. With the help of a tractor, the road was cleared. Two cars drove from the top of the hill towards Route 60 as a symbol of the day’s success, but were prevented by the Israeli soldiers. The entire event remained completely non-violent and those gathered to restore the road marched back to the village around two in the afternoon. After leaving, the Israeli army brought in a bulldozer and reformed two blockades.

This road is essential in connecting Al Mazra’a ash Sharqiya and the neighboring villages of Silwad, Deir Jarir, Rammun, and At Tayba to a more efficient path via route 60 into Nablus. According to the 2007 Census of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, an estimated 19,385 residents of the villages that are likely to use this road, Al Mazra’a ash Sharqiya (4,495 residents), Silwad (6,123 residents), Deir Jarir (3,986 residents), Rammun (2,626 residents) and At Tayba (2,155 residents) have been prevented access since the 2nd Intifada. The residents must instead drive south closer to Ramallah to get unto route 60. However, the residents’ drive to Ramallah is also hindered by their inability to use this road. According to the Applied Research Institute in Jerusalem (ARIJ) and the Land Research Center (LRC), the blocked road lengthens the drive between Al Mazra’a ash Sharqiya and Ramallah from 22 kilometers to 40 kilometers.

Given the importance of this road in connecting the surrounding villages to the key commercial areas of Ramallah and Nablus, those participating in removing the blockades today hope to repeat the action until the road is permanently open.

Settlers smash Palestinian family’s car while soldiers refuse to intervene during olive harvest in Azmut

At approximately 10:40 on Thursday morning a Palestinian family from Azmut, in the northeast of Nablus, was harvesting their land near the illegal Elon Moreh settlement when a group of five settlers terrorized the family.

The settlers, wielding bats and knives, proceeded to attack the family car, smashing all windows and slashing all tyres, before retreating up the hill to the settlement.

Handala Assus, the owner of the land was picking olives nearby with his family and five small children when the attack occurred. After shouting at the settlers, demanding that they stop, he quickly ran to the nearby Israeli army base to alert soldiers of the attack. He reports telling the soldiers: ‘Here they are! Come, come to help us’, while the settlers were still in the area. ‘They said to me, go away, go away’. Assus then recalls that it took the Israeli soldiers more than twenty minutes to arrive at the scene of the attack, despite being just fifty metres away. The Israeli soldiers who did eventually attend the scene were not from the nearby base, and when questioned as to why the soldiers from the base had failed to respond one of the officers simply responded ‘I don’t know’.

The Assus family, who were unable to finish their harvesting for the day were very distraught about the damage done to their car. When questioned as to the cost of the damage Assus could only shake his head sadly saying: ‘really I don’t know, really I don’t know’. Others present on the scene estimated the damage to be in an excess of 5000 shekels.

The family, however, seemed most distraught about the lack of response from the Israeli army whose responsibility it is to protect the Palestinians from this kind of attack. Despite Israeli police eventually arriving at the scene, one army officer stated that it would be the security guard hired by illegal Elon Moreh settlement would carry out the investigation.

This is the most recent in a spate of attacks on Palestinians during the annual olive harvest. On Wednesday two cars were similarly damaged by settlers in Turmus’ayya; while on Thursday olive groves were burnt by settlers in Kufr Qaddum; and settlers from Yitzhar stoned farmers harvesting their olives in Burin.

ISM Gaza: ‘Sailors the world over face danger every time they put to sea. However, their risk stems from the elements, not from state-sponsored terrorism’

Personal account of accompanying Gazan fishermen by ISM activist

On Sunday 12th October, I joined a group of international human rights observers dispersed amongst a small fleet of seven Palestinian trawlers from the port of Gaza City. We left port at 8.00am and headed out to sea in a westerly direction. Soon after leaving port we observed two Israeli gunboats some distance away, their outlines like sharks. Predators patrolling Gazan waters seeking prey. On seeing our fleet, they drew closer. At about 9.30am, whilst off the southern coast of Gaza, the distant image of a larger naval vessel appeared on the horizon. We realised it was the ship carrying the water cannon which has previously assaulted Palestinian fishing boats.

The fishermen were incredibly good humoured despite the anticipation of a water cannon attack. They began singing and this led onto dancing traditional Palestinian dabke, reflecting their irrepressible spirit of resistance. Fishermen on two boats traveling alongside ours saw this and joined in too! They then began boarding up their windows and changing into vests and shorts in preparation for their ‘dush’ (shower).

At approximately 10.00am the naval ship reached two Palestinian fishing vessels some distance from the rest of the fleet and began a prolonged bombardment with the water cannon. An ISM volunteer from Scotland was on-board one of the fishing boats, which sustained severe damage to its wheelhouse. At nearly 11.00am it was finally our turn. Initially, a neighbouring vessel close by came under assault from the water cannon. An Italian human rights observer and I were on the roof of our boat observing the attack. He was filming and I attempted to signal to the soldiers to stop firing the high-pressure water. After a while it seemed as though they were about to turn their attention to us. We quickly clambered down and found the Israeli ship bearing down on our starboard bow.

I was standing on the foredeck watching its approach, when the water cannon was suddenly turned on us, directly at the bow. I was hit by the full force of the high-pressure hose and was thrown off my feet, slamming the deck and smashing my hip against the hull. At first, amidst the confusion, I couldn’t see anything due to the intensity of the spray, then realised I was hanging over the side of the port bow. I scrambled to pull myself back in and narrowly escaped falling overboard as the barrage continued. Fortunately, by now, most of the crew had managed to take shelter behind the wheelhouse, but one young fisherman was still out on the bow trying to shield me from the blast.

Three boats in the fleet were squeezed between the naval ship and the gunboat and had limited space to maneuver, especially as they were still trawling. As they attempted to raise their nets, the cables became horribly entangled. However, the navy continued to attack them whilst they were experiencing difficulties. Machinery on one of the boats was damaged and the net on ours was ripped apart. It seemed like it was all just a game to the IOF.

All this is a mere glimpse of the daily harassment Gazan fishermen have endured for years and my bruised hip pales into insignificance compared to everything they have suffered. Many of the fishermen I’ve been to sea with have shown me deep scars from gunshot wounds inflicted by the IOF. At least they lived to tell their tales. Earlier in the morning I noticed a framed photo on the wall of the cabin of a smartly dressed young man. He gazed down at me with gentle eyes and a serene smile. It was a picture of Hany Alnajar, a Palestinian fisherman shot in the head by the Israeli navy in 2006 whilst out fishing in Palestinian waters. He was merely attempting to earn a living to support his family. He left behind three small children. Sailors the world over face danger every time they put to sea. However, their risk stems from the elements, not from state-sponsored terrorism.

There was a lull in the afternoon and we saw a trio of dolphins playing a short distance from the boat, their backs arching through the sun-speckled water. They somehow signified freedom at a point when the gunboats were a reassuringly long distance away. It struck me how tranquil the scene was, as it should be. As we headed towards shore, the sun began to set, casting a rosy glow over the Gaza shoreline. A rather meager catch was brought in by our boat. Every day is a struggle for these fishermen – not only to sustain a livelihood under the ongoing siege, but simply to survive another day.

Two Palestinians injured and five Israeli activists arrested after settler attack in Turmas’ayya

Two Palestinians were injured and five Israeli activists arrested in the village of Turmas’ayya during an Israeli settler attack.

Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement outpost near Shilo surrounded villagers from nearby Turmas’ayya during the yearly Palestinian olive harvest, attacking two villagers who had been separated from the rest of the harvest. Talal Gebrara, an elderly member of the Turmas’ayya municipality, had parked his car and was walking back to the mountains when he was confronted by a carload of Israeli settlers, yelling at him in Hebrew. ‘I didn’t know what they were saying, but I knew they wanted to fight me’. Settlers then punched him in the head, the blow striking his temple. Talal recalls that he tried to fight back, but was quickly overwhelmed when two more carloads of settlers arrived. ‘I am just one old man, and there were twelve of them, from 25 to 40 years old’. After suffering a few more blows, Talal ran over to the nearby Israeli military, who had been standing by, doing nothing to protect him. With the soldiers, he walked back to his car, and found it had been destroyed by the settlers – windows and windscreen smashed and all tyres slashed. Another car parked nearby also had its windscreen and windows smashed by the settlers.

Villagers also report a woman from the village was then attacked by settlers as she made her way back from the olive groves towards the road. Despite having her five small children with her, settlers reportedly sprayed an unknown burning substance in her face, causing redness and swelling.

During these attacks, a 90 year old shelter in the olive groves, belonging to a Palestinian family was torched by unknown persons. Awad Hazama, whose family owns the shelter and the surrounding lands, was harvesting olives at the time, but didn’t see the arsonists. He was accompanied to the lands by Israeli activists, due to the threat of settler violence, which was suspected due to the recent erection of an illegal settlement outpost on the lands.

The accompanying Israeli activists saw the flames and moved closer in order to take photos, when they were set upon by settlers throwing stones at them. The activists report that they attempted to run away, but were cornered by a settlement security guard, who, loading a gun in their faces, demanded they get into his security car, while he called the police. Quickly, they were surrounded by settlers armed with clubs and machine guns. The activists, fearing for their lives, were removed from the situation when they were arrested by Israeli police officers on unsubstantiated charges of arson.

Activists report that the charges were based on the accusations of one settler who they claim was not present during the event. The accusations were levelled at one activist in particular, an elderly photographer.

Villagers, including the family who own the land and structure, reject any suggestion that the Israeli activists were involved in the fire. ‘That’s not true. No’, said Talal, who drove the activists to the olive groves. Many villagers, rather, believe that it was the settlers who torched the shelter, in order to disrupt the Palestinian olive harvest.

‘When they make trouble like this, it’s good for them, because military come and everybody comes and it makes a big problem. Then next year when we want to go to our lands, they [Israeli DCO] will say no.’

Currently Palestinians from Turmas’ayya are only allowed to access these olive groves during olive harvest. They report that if they attempt to go at other times they are attacked by settlers and driven away. This is the second incident during Turmas’ayya’s olive harvest this year, following harassment by settlers on Sunday.

ISM Gaza: Israeli navy again open fire on Gazan fishermen and internationals

This Sunday the 12th October 2008, the Israeli navy continued its violent harassment of Palestinian fishermen. A fleet of seven fishing boats from the port in Gaza City initially spotted two Israeli gunboats operating in Palestinian territorial waters at 08:45. The gunboats began circling some of the fishing boats at the rear of the fleet, and demanding that they turn around and head back towards Gaza City. Some minutes later one of these gunboats opened fire with a deck mounted machine gun – none of the fishing boats were however hit.

By 10:30 the fishermen and some of the six Human Rights Observers (HRO) present on their boats observed a large Israeli naval vessel quickly approaching from their rear. Reaching the two fishing boats at the back of the fishing fleet, the Israeli boat then proceeded to mount two sustained attacks on them with a high powered water cannon. It also opened fire with a machine gun during one of these attacks. It was unclear what the intended target of the machine gun fire was. The wheelhouse of one of the fishing boats did however sustain significant damage – several wooden panels were either punctured or ripped from their framework by the water cannon.

The Israel vessel, upon reaching a further four fishing boats that were hauling in their nets, began assaulting them with the water cannon. The jet from the water cannon knocked one o the HROs off their feet, propelled them across the deck and almost into the sea. As a result of this attack the nets of three of the fishing boats became entangled with each other. Despite the obvious difficulty these boats were now in, the Israeli vessel continued its assault with the water cannon.

For the next several hours, the large Israeli vessel continued its series of attacks on the Palestinian fishing boats. As a result, the windows of two of the fishing boats were broken. One fishing boat sustained further damage to its wheelhouse.

No one was seriously injured on this occasion by the Israeli water cannon. It should be noted however that the use of this weapon against civilian fishing boats, severely endangers the safety of all those on-board. Clearly, there is a significant risk of someone being swept overboard, or sustaining severe injury by either being propelled into some object on board, or having some object propelled into them. In recent weeks the lower back of an Italian HRO was badly lacerated after a water cannon shattered a window in the wheelhouse in which he was standing, and propelled the glass shards at him.