International Solidarity Movement - Page 133 - Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.

School-children tear-gassed on 2nd day of school

29th August 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On 29th August 2016 Israeli forces at Salaymeh checkpoint in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), fired rounds of tear gas as school-children attempted to make their way home through the highly militarised checkpoint.

The Salaymeh checkpoint, for many school-children, is one of the unavoidable checkpoints on the daily way to school and back home. At the highly militarised structures, the children attending schools and kindergartens in the area, are subject to bag-searches, harassment, questioning and detention by the Israeli forces.

On Monday, the second day of school after the 3-month summer holidays, as children were starting to pour out of the schools around noon, Israeli forces threw a stun grenade towards a group of children. Instead, it landed right in front of a girl quietly making her way towards the checkpoint on her way home. Scared by the stun grenade flying towards her and the lound boom of the explosion she ran away in the opposite direction in tears. In the meantime, at the checkpoint, children were repeatedly yelled at ‘to wait’ as Israeli forces refused to open the gate for them to go through the checkpoint in order to reach the other side. Israeli forces were heard yelling at children several times, and ordered a few boys to show them their hands in order to ‘prove’ stone-throwing if they are having dirty hands.

Children running away from the tear gas shot by Israeli Forces

Just a little later, Israeli forces fired rounds of tear gas in the direction of the schools, thus collectivly punishing not only all the school-children, but the whole neighborhood. As the tear gas canisters spread their supposedly ‘less-lethal’ gas and covered the area with the poisonous gas, some children escaped the clouds crying with their eyes red from the gas and coughing when choking on the gas.

This kind of excessive force and collective punishment by the Israeli forces, is just one aspect of the Israeli military occupation these school-children are forced to endure on a daily basis.

As Israel steps up its demolition programme the EU logo gets lost in the rubble

27th August 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Umm al-Kheir, south Hebron, occupied Palestine

The villagers of Umm Al Khair look out at the remains of their EU-funded community center that now lies as rubble. Villagers tell of it as a place where they watched football, did education trainings, community meetings and how it would soon become a kindergarten. The destruction has come as no surprise however, since this is the third set of demolitions in Umm al Khair since the start of the year, with over 15 structures being demolished in a town of just 150 people.

The rate of house demolitions in the West Bank is at the highest it has been in 10 years, with more demolitions in the first 4 months of 2016 than the whole of 2015. As illegal settlements continue to expand Palestinians, especially in the south Hebron hills, are more at risk than ever of losing their homes. Despite condemning the demolitions the EU has not taken any action concerning the 74 million dollars worth of EU projects destroyed by Israeli bulldozers. As the town looks for aid to rebuild its fallen buildings the question is if the EU will continue to turn a blind eye to Israel’s destruction of their projects including schools, playgrounds and housing that have all fallen under demolition orders.

Both Umm al Khair and Susiya are in the process of court hearings to get permits for their buildings, but this hasn’t stopped the demolitions during the court process. Their only hope is the decision of the court to give villages the right to exist and permits for their housing, but currently it seems unlikely this will happen. We can only hope that pressure from the international community and opposition from inside Palestine will lead to the villages survival.

photo following the April demolitions in Umm al Khair Photo credits: Mairéad Nic Gabhann — photo following the April demolitions in Umm al Khair
Photo credits: Mairéad Nic Gabhann

Control and ID-check of Palestinians

23th August 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

As a Palestinian you have to have your ID on you at all times, otherwise you may get detained or arrested. In Palestine they have 3 different kinds of ID. The green ID is for people who live in the West Bank. People who have this ID are not allowed to go to Gaza or Jerusalem. Then there is the green ID for people who live in Gaza, who are not allowed to be in the West Bank or in Jerusalem. And the last one is the Blue ID which is for Palestinians who live in Jerusalem, and they are not allowed to be in Gaza, a permit is needed.

Imagine yourself going to buy a few groceries, and before you leave you have to remember to take your passport with you. This is how it is for Palestinian people every day. Just the fact that you always have to have your ID on, shows clearly how controlled the Palestinian people are, and how there are huge difference on your rights, depending on what family they were randomly born into; Israeli or Palestinian.

Just imagine that soldiers can stop you any time, and there is nothing you can do about it. Not only constantly checked at checkpoints, but also randomly on the street. That’s called a flying checkpoint, and If the soldier is holding your ID you can’t go anywhere , it can be everything from minutes to hours, of them holding you from leaving.

Asking Palestinians how many times they have been detained, they normally don’t give a number, because its uncountable. When you are 16 you receive the ID, so if are younger than 16, but look older, the Israeli military can claim to see your birthday certificate. This is very humiliating, and its often just to show off their power. One of the Palestinian men explains how there is no doubt that it’s not for creating safety, but just pure harassment, when they take their IDs for hours without even checking it. A situation where they are without any kind of rights, and they face comments like:“Would you like to see your god” or “Are you hungry? You should eat something before you die”, which shows how they have no respect for them. And they express how powerless you can feel , cause you know they can do whatever they want without any punishment.

Israeli forces force Palestinian to lift up his shirt during a 'control' — Israeli forces force Palestinian to lift up his shirt during a ‘control’

Security or humiliation?

20th August 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

People queuing up in lines at the checkpoint, a father with his wife, two toddlers and a baby in the arms. Trying to pass.

A soldier yells at the mother who is carrying the baby to go back, “akhora. AKHORA!”, with a loud voice, as if he is in a battle. She gets scared. The man is trying to tell the soldiers that she is his wife and these are his kids.

He keeps yelling.

“AKHORA!”

People outside stand in silence, scared. Some try to tell the soldier they are together. But the helmet upon his head prevents any human sound from reaching him.

The same soldier few days ago yelled at another girl, she panicked and ran away. He bravely he cocked his gun, she was trapped and in a panic, ran to her mother. He put his gun down when he saw a group of tourists wondering what is going on. The girl passed with her mom.

Thanks to the group who were there at the right place, and at the right time.

Israeli Army invades Kafr Qaddum (again)

19th August 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Kafr Qaddum, occupied Palestine

The people of Kafr Qaddum again tried protesting against the illegal Israeli military takeover of their village road, by attempting to march on it. Anticipating a demonstration, the Israeli Army and Border Police and Army moved into the village before the demonstration started. Border Police and Army soldiers blocked the way to the road to which people were planning to march, as well as set up snipers on the hills near the village.

Clashes broke out between them and Palestinian young men and youth, and the military fired rubber coated steel bullets.

After the demonstration began, people attempted to march to the main road, but the Border Police stood in the way and blocked the procession. Clashes then started again between them and the shebab, and they lasted for several hours.

The soldiers, in addition to rubber coated steel bullets, also fired high velocity teargas cannisters. Fired at a rapid speed and often aimed directly at people, they have maimed and killed in the past.

A military bulldozer was also brought in to try to extinguish burning tires that were set alight by some of the shebab. People began throwing rocks at it, and in response a stun grenade was thrown.

Despite the length and intensity of the clashes, fortunately no one was badly hurt or killed.

The struggle to regain the road, and to end the occupation that robs Palestinians in the village and elsewhere in the West Bank of their dignity and lives, continues.