More Settler Attacks on International Volunteers in Tel Rumeida, Hebron

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Youth from the Tel Rumeida settlement spat on, beat, assaulted, and stoned human rights workers from Canada, Denmark and Sweden yesterday (May 27, 2006). In three separate attacks on internationals and Palestinians the kids were encouraged by adults of the religious extremist Jewish community. Israeli soldiers and police refused to do anything to stop the violence. These attacks occur almost daily in Hebron but on Shabbat they are more frequent and in the last few weeks have become more violent, sending more than two internationals to the hospital.

Yesterday afternoon, on Shuhada Street in the H2 area of Hebron, Jewish Canadian human rights workers Peter Trainor, of Toronto, and Canadian Chris Johnston were filming settlers throwing stones at the Palestinian Qurtuba Girls School. Two women, about 18 years of age, then tried unsuccessfully to rip Peter’s video camera out of his hands. About 10 boys, aged between 8 and 18, threw stones as well as kicking and hitting them. The soldier posted nearby, who was just a few meters away, did nothing to stop the stone throwing despite Peter’s calls for help. Instead he left the scene completely. An adult settler with an assault rifle approached and encouraged the children to keep stoning them.

At about the same time, Danish human rights worker BJ Lund was harassed and spat on at the top of Shuhada Street. The soldiers watched the event and agreed that it wasn’t OK, but when BJ asked why they had not intervened, they gave no answer.

Later that day Anna Svenson from Sweden, Chris, and Peter were attacked by a group of about ten male youth between the ages of 8-15 as they walked down Shuhada Street. The youth spat on them, hit Anna in the face, and taunted the soldiers who reprimanded the youth for spitting. A group of soldiers stood between the internationals and the youth, but the youth just threw the stones over their heads. When the police arrived, they threatened to arrest Anna and Peter if they didn’t leave the area.

Human rights workers are stationed in Hebron to make sure that Palestinian children are safe as they go to and from school past the Tel Rumeida settlement. The settlers regularly throw rocks at the children as they walk past and have told soldiers to put razor wire across the beginning of a path that leads to Palestinian homes. The children have to move the wire out of the way every day. There is an Israeli Supreme Court order that allows the children to use this path but soldiers on duty nearby rarely know this and often refuse to help the children get home safely.

Tel Rumeida is a Palestinian neighborhood in the center of Hebron that the most violent and extremist elements of the Israeli settler movement occupy. Soldiers tell the human rights workers that they feel there is nothing they can do to stop the children from throwing stones or hitting the international volunteers. In an article of the Jerusalem Post on Jan 16th, a senior Hebron Police officer Dep.-Cmdr., Shlomo Efrati, explained their lack of power in the area. “[The police] have been suffering from the settlers for years. The government needs to decide to fortify the police and army in Hebron on a permanent basis since even if we evacuate them they will just go back and take over new homes. It is up to the government to decide if it wants this minority to continue running the city or not.”

For more information contact:

ISM Media Office: 02 297 1824

ICAHD: “Don’t Say ‘We Didn’t Know’ “

From The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions

On 1st April 2006 Nasser, together with around ten other Palestinians tried to enter Israel through the Oranit checkpoint in order to look for work. A army ambush discovered them and opened fire. Nasser was injured in his leg and fell down. Soldiers approached him and began to kick his body all over for a long time. One of the soldiers hit the back of his neck with the butt of his gun. The soldiers found Nasser’s ID card and ripped it to pieces. For about two hours the soldiers did not call for help – other injured friends were taking immediately to hospital in Ramallah. Nasser lost a lot of blood and when he arrived at Beilinson hospital [in Israel], he immediately received a blood transfusion (4 liters [around 9 pints]), including an injection directly to his heart.

After around three weeks in Beilinson, he returned to consciousness. Doctors then told him that they had to amputate his leg.

IMEMC: “Five Palestinians, including three teens, killed by Israeli artillery shells in the Gaza Strip”

Saed Bannoura, IMEMC & Agencies – Friday, 26 May 2006, 21:56

As the Israeli army continued its shelling of Palestinian neighborhoods in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday night, five Palestinians, including three teens – two of them members of the same family, were killed when their home was hit by artillery shells and caught fire, and seven others were injured.

A Palestinian medical source reported that one resident was killed near the Kissufim Crossing after the army fired with heavy artillery at the area.

Also on Friday, two members of the same family were killed and four other residents were injured after the army shelled Izbit Fad’ous, in Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

Eyewitnesses reported that one of the Israeli artillery shells landed near a house that belongs to Qassem family, catching the house on fire in a blaze that killed three and injured four others.

The deceased were identified as Mohammad Yousef Qassem, Mustafa Shihada Qassem, and Arafa Zarandah. Seven other residents were hospitalized, one is in serious condition.

The residents were sitting in front of their house when an artillery shell hit them and the house.

A medical source at Kamal Adwan Hospital, in the Jabalia refugee camp, reported that the bodies of the three residents killed in the attack were severely mutilated.

Meanwhile, an Israeli military source denied shelling the area and claimed that the three residents were attempting to dismantle an old shell apparently fired by the army in previous incident.

Earlier on Friday, one resident identified as Omar Abu Warda, 54, died after the Israeli army shelled Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

Abu Warda suffered shell fragmentations in his back and abdomen while working in his farmland.

One resident was also severely injured on Friday as the army continued firing shells at areas in the northern and eastern parts pf the Gaza Strip.

Israeli troops fired on Thursday evening and Friday morning at least 200 shells at the northern and eastern parts of the Gaza Strip.

Arab American News: “Palestinian activist tours U.S., explains pain and suffering”

by Danielle Smith

For the past month, Palestinian activist Fida Qesta has toured the United States speaking about Nonviolent Resistance and the occupation of Palestine. After her stops in Detroit, Port Huron, Grand Ledge, Lansing and Ann Arbor, she will head to venues in New York. Her speaking tour in Michigan was sponsored by the Michigan Peace Team, a group affiliated with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).

Qesta said that she joined the International Solidarity Movement soon after she learned about the death of Rachel Corrie, a 23-year old American student who was killed on March 16, 2003. Rachel was murdered when an Israeli military bulldozer ran her over while she was trying to stop the demolition of a home in Rafah. Fida said that Rachel’s story meant a lot to the people of Rafah, to know that an American was risking their life for the Palestinian cause.

Qesta said, “I started working with ISM and then the Michigan Peace Team in Gaza. I was a Palestinian Coordinator in Rafah. It was a way I could share my experience with the world.”

Qesta’s family is one of the original tribes of Rafah. She is a Muslim woman of deep faith and prayer. She is courageous and full of hope. Presently she is a student of Languages at the Islamic University of Gaza.

In January of 2004, Israeli forces destroyed her family’s home, and they have remained homeless until this past February. Fida has served as an interpreter for MPT’s violence reduction teams in Rafah.

Qesta said, “My goal is to educate the American people about Palestine and explain what the reality truly is on the ground. I want to share the Palestinian experience with Americans.”

Two years ago Qesta was just trying to survive another day of the Israeli occupation, but the IDF was unrelenting.

In January of 2004 Qesta endured the tragic and senseless demolition of her home. Qesta wrote about it to her friends in the U.S. She said that writing helped her because she felt the truth was being told. She talked about January 2004. She said that the IDF came into Rafah again with fresh attacks. They demolished her neighbors’ homes. Tank tracks were everywhere and their loud engines screamed up and down the streets. A neighbor frantically ran to her house and told her family to leave now. Yet they couldn’t believe that their home would be demolished that night until the tanks rammed her home. Qesta ran out in her nightgown. Trying to keep up, her mom collapsed and just couldn’t get up again. She told Qesta to keep running and to leave her, but the Fida dragged her to a safer place.

In an interview with The Arab American News Qesta said, “The question I get the most is about Hamas being in power. The Palestinian people voted for Hamas and Hamas won the election. They were democratically chosen and that must be respected. The Palestinian Authority (P.A.) had corruption and they were not helping the people in need. They lost the people’s trust. The P.A. didn’t build houses for their people. We waited and waited and they just stole the money. People want an honest government and people believe Hamas will do good things. The American government needs to give Hamas a chance to show itself. They need to respect this democratic decision.

“Hamas’ slogan was ‘Rebuilding and Change,’ and I believe this was why they won. Now thousands of people are homeless and these families have no money or aid for any rebuilding. Since the beginning of 2004, my family had to move from house to house seven times. We had to rely on friends and family for shelter. I have two brothers, four sisters and my parents. It was hard because every house had new rules and it was never like your own home. People want help.

“America people can’t ignore the situation in Palestine. I think if they only knew what was really going on, they would help. Every year American taxpayers give Israel five billion dollars. And look at the poor Americans in this country. Your country needs this money more than Israel. The Israelis have money. The money just goes to weapons and causes more problems,” said Qesta.

Jeff Halper, Coordinator of the Committee Against House Demolitions said, “House demolitions have become the hallmark of the Occupation. Indeed, since 1967 Israel has demolished almost 12,000 Palestinian homes, leaving some 70,000 without shelter and traumatized. The systematic demolition of Palestinian homes is an attack on an entire people, an attempt to make the Palestinians submit to a mini-state – or worse, an “autonomous” set of islands under Israeli control. We need to struggle against the Occupation so that both our peoples will eventually enjoy the fruits of a just peace. ”

Qesta has enjoyed her time in the USA and said, “This is my first time in the United States and I can’t believe how big it is. It is a huge country with beautiful trees and most of the people I’ve met have very big hearts. I think average Americans need to understand that they need to give Palestinians a chance.”

Michigan Peace Team (MPT) empowers people to engage in active nonviolent peacemaking. It has been the only NGO able to repeatedly gain entry to Rafah. MPT had several peace-team members in Rafah during the 2004 incursions that demolished more than 2,500 homes .

Non-Violent Demonstration in Bil’in Deliberately Targeted by Israeli Soldiers

by ISM Media office volunteers


People of Bil’in carry flags representing the different Palestinian political parties and call for unity to oppose the occupation

At today’s demonstration in Bil’in, on May 26th, Israeli soldiers once again deliberately targeted peaceful demonstrators. As demonstrators attempted to cross razor wire, heading for the Bil’in village land annexed by the Israeli barrier, the soldiers threw sound bombs and tear gas grenades directly at them, causing several injuries. This violence was unprovoked by any stone throwing.

The demonstration had started with about 100 Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters singing and chanting. They headed towards the gate the Israeli military has installed in the annexation barrier. The theme of the demonstration was a call for unity between the Palestinian factions. A banner carrying the flags of the main Palestinian political factions was carried, with a large Palestinian flag above them all as a message that unity against the Israeli occupation is above political differences. When we go there, the way was blocked by two of the soldier’s jeeps, and a large group of soldiers in riot-gear. Attempts were made to pass, but the soldiers prevented this with their clubs and the jeeps.


Abdullah flies the flag near the occupation fence

After about 10 minutes of trying to get past in this way, the demonstrators started to walk along the fence. When they got to a section in the barbed wire that was less thick than the rest, they started to calmly lay rocks and scrap metal on in so they could pass onto the military road that the military have ripped-up from the land of Bil’in to install. The demonstrators intended to pass to access the stolen village land. This was prevented by several soldiers in riot-gear who arrived quickly. The demonstrators did not have the numbers for another attempt at crossing which may have been successful while the soldiers were busy with the first attempt.


The Arrest of Akram. Credit: Tess Scheflan

After about 5 minutes of attempting to cross in this way, the soldiers got fed up and started bombarding the demonstrators with sound bombs and tear gas. They were aimed directly at the peaceful protesters, hitting several and causing injuries. They threw so many that it seemed they were going to continue throwing sound bombs and tear gas at the demonstrators until they all left. One Palestinian had been arrested though, so the demonstrators stood firm until he was released.


Soldiers Throwing Tear Gas on Journalists

Three international activists from Germany, Sweden, and the US were injured by soldiers who threw tear-gas canisters directly at them. One was admitted to hospital in Ramallah. At least two Palestinians were shot with rubber bullets – one 17-year old was hit in the head.


Credit: Tess Scheflan


Credit: Tess Scheflan