Yesterday at midnight, Israeli jeeps and soldiers re-invaded Nablus’ old city and re-imposed curfew on its residents. Throughout today, the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC) emergency medical volunteers and IWPS accompaniers delivered medicine, food and supplies to families unable to leave homes due to curfew.
At 1:00pm, three medics and two IWPS volunteers were stopped by four soldiers in a jeep and were asked to give their identification cards. Soldiers held their IDs for about one hour before releasing the medics.
At about 2:30pm, five soldiers interrupted a medical delivery by seven medics (including a doctor and nurse) and internationals by detaining the group for over ten minutes.
In another instance that afternoon, a group of 7 medics, including one doctor and volunteers attempted to reach a heart-condition patient in his home and were stopped by four soldiers. More soldiers arrived, detaining a total of 17 medics plus volunteers for over half an hour. The doctor was released after 40 minutes.
As of 5:30pm, UPMRC workers reported they had assisted approximately 60 people and there were 30 ambulance cases. Numerous houses are still occupied by soldiers, with the residents trapped inside.
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Here is some video footage of the first three days of the invasion. It’s a co-production by the Research Journalism Initiative (RJI) and the anarchist film collective “a-films”.
This Friday the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine will celebrate its 38th anniversary in the village of Bil’in. Speeches will be held in the village after midday prayers before the march to the Apartheid Wall, which has annexed over 60% of the village’s land for the settlement of Mod’in Elit and its ongoing expansion. Two months ago the Fateh party held its 42nd anniversary celebration at the weekly Bil’in protest.
This week’s demo comes at a critical time for the village. A few days ago an Israeli Planning Council legalized the largest-ever settlement construction project in the West Bank, which is illegal even according to Israeli law.
The villagers of Bil’in filed an appeal with the Israeli High Court and a decision is expected imminently. According to their lawyer Michael Sfard, “the takeover of the lands was carried out by a conspiracy involving private developers and Israeli authorities. Thus, criminal companies that stole private Palestinian lands won the protection of the fence – which was intended as a means of security and became a tool for annexation – as well as backing from the planning authorities, whose approval laundered the offenses.”
UPDATE 3PM – all the activists have been released after being made to sign conditions saying they wouldn’t return to the site of their arrest for 15 days
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Six activists have just been arrested for trying to stop work on the annexation barrier in the South Bethlehem area. The four Israelis, American and Japanese activist were attempting to stop bulldozers razing the agricultural land of Umm Salamuna village, south of Bethlehem, which is being confiscated for the route of the annexation barrier around Efrat settlement.
The activists blocked the bulldozers for two hours this morning before a special unit of the riot police arrived to remove them. The activists have been taken to Gush Etzion police station.
Yesterday three Palestinians from Umm Salamuna were arrested for protesting the annexation of their agricultural land, including the Village Council Head Mahmoud Zaqatka. His son, Rashid remains in detention.
Israel plans to annex 700 dunums and confiscate 270 dunums of agricultural land for the route of the Wall in Umm Salamuna. Although the villagers are challenging the route of the Wall in the Israeli Supreme Court, a Court order freezing work was lifted last week and the bulldozers have recommenced razing the village’s agricultural land.
On Wednesday 14th February Israeli Occupation Forces demolished a large number of houses and agricultural structures in four different villages in the South Hebron Hills – Qwawis, M’nezel, Um-Elhe’r and the Abu-Kbeita family near Yatir settlement. The villagers in this area struggle to stay on their land despite ongoing home demolitions, violent attacks and constant settler and military harassment. Please donate what you can to help them remain on the land they have farmed for generations.
Illegal Israeli settlements and outposts (illegal even according to Israeli law) whose residents have stolen most of the area’s agricultural land, have tried for years to drive the local Palestinian
villagers off their land. Unlike the homes of Palestinians, the illegal outposts are not demolished. Instead, they receive electricity and water supplies, paved roads and subsidies for their agricultural enterprises. The Palestinians rely on water from wells, a few hours of electricity a day from a generator, and an ever decreasing patch of land on which to grow crops and graze their livestock. Despite these hardships the indigenous people refuse to surrender to the state-sponsored land grab, aware that they otherwise face eviction into walled ghettos.
With your help, ISM, and Israeli peace groups, Ta’ayush,Gush Shalom, The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, Women’s Coalition for a Just Peace,Ta’ayush, ISM, Rabbis for Human Rights, The Israeli Committee against house demolitions, Gush-Shalom ,Coalition of Women for Peace, Machsom Watch, Yesh-Gvul, and Rabbis for Human Rights, are working to rebuild the houses and structures as soon as possible. Rebuilding will start over two days in March. Villagers have requested that internationals maintain a permanent presence in the area after the rebuilding to offer protection from settler violence.
It is estimated that around $36,000 will be needed to rebuild all these houses and structures. The costs below are for the materials and transportation of them to the different locations. The costs include: cement, blocks, stone, sand, concrete and roofs.
Um al Kheir 1 concrete house – NIS 37,000
5 other houses – NIS 62,000
Qawawis 7 houses and 1 agricultural structure – NIS 14,800
Imneizil 1 house and 1 agricultural structure – NIS 9,800
Abu Kbeita Family 2 houses and a tent – NIS 6,700
Lawyer’s fees NIS 21,000
Total NIS 151,300 ($36024)
For more details on the recent demolitions click here
For more on the Israeli policy of ethnic cleansing in the South Hebron Hills click here
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ISM-USA
PO Box 5073
Berkeley, CA 94705
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Israeli forces broke into the Turkish Bath in the Old City of Nablus at 11:00pm and used it as a military base for two days. The soldiers broke the door to the entrance of the baths and searched through everything. Soldiers left one room of the baths in ruins, with broken tiles, open lockers, soap, towels, and sheets thrown on the ground, and light fixtures ripped out of the wall. The stained glass on the ceiling was damaged, the water pipes were taken apart, the wooden ceiling was ripped apart, and the mirror was cracked.
The Turkish bath is 400 years old and holds great economic and cultural significance for the people of Nablus. Many people use the baths everyday and several families depend on it economically.
2. Human Shield Update, February 25 and 26
On February 25, at 3 am in the Old City of Nablus, Israeli soldiers invaded the home of a local vegetable vendor from the Yasmin quarter. The soldiers took him out of his home to accompany them while walking around the Old City. The soldiers forced him walk in front of them as a human shield.
On February 26, soldiers returned to the same man’s house and interrogated him about his children. The soldiers ordered the man to help negotiate their way to the location where another local man was recently killed. They took him to another building and interrogated him about two families. The soldiers exploded a bomb in the wall next to him, separating two rooms. Soldiers also used the same man’s home as a base and consumed his food.
3. Hospital Blockade and Restriction, February 25 and 26
On February 25 at 3:30am, Israeli forces invaded Al-Watani Hospital in Nablus. The director arrived at 7am and met the army commander and more than 10 soldiers with their jeeps parked inside the hospital area. The director stated to the army that their presence was illegal according to international law. Soldiers remained at the hospital for two days, checking IDs of all patients, doctors, visitors, and staff in addition to searching every car, handbag, and package. The hospital services remained open, but many patients and staff were afraid to go near the building.
On February 26, soldiers threw tear gas near the hospital, which entered the building.
4. Man in Coma From Tear Gas, February 26
A 47-year-old tailor and father of seven is in critical condition at the Nablus Hospital after going into cardiac arrest. The man inhaled tear gas in his home, which thrown by Israeli soldiers after a confrontation with Palestinian youth. According to a family member, the man told his wife he could not breathe and the family immediately called for medical help. Israeli soldiers prevented an ambulance from reaching the man for one hour. At the same time, IOF forces were detaining twenty-five UPMRC emergency medical volunteers so they could not respond to the call. By the time the man reached the hospital, his condition was severe. According to his doctor, he has no chance of recovery.
