International Solidarity Movement - Page 161 - Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.

Rani Burnat from Bil’in

15th March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Bil’in, occupied Palestine

Rani Burnat is an extraordinary human being in more ways than one. He was left paralysed from an injury sustained during the second intifada, learned to live the remainder of his life in a wheelchair, fathered three children (triplets) and now continues to resist the occupation through peaceful means to this day. His story is inspiring and a prime example of the will of the Palestinian people and their ongoing resistance to an illegal occupation.

On the 30th September 2000, Rani Burnat was going to Ramallah from his home town of Bil’in for a driving lesson. When he got there he noticed a protest gathering to protest Ariel Sharon’s entry into the sacred Al-Aqsa mosque (this of course was the beginning of the second intifada). Rani spotted friends of his from Bil’in and with time to spare decided to join in.

As the protest gathered the Israeli army illegally entered the Ramallah area and cleared the guests out of a nearby hotel, then used the hotel roof as a vantage point and placed snipers. The Israeli military claims that their illegal entry onto Palestinian land was to protect a nearby illegal Israeli settlement that the protest was nearing.

Rani and fellow friends were at the front of the protest when a sniper opened fire using a unique bullet, known as a butterfly bullet, designed to continue spinning upon impact while opening out and inflicting massive damage upon entry and exit.

The bullet entered through the left-hand side of Rani’s neck, puncturing his main artery. It continued through to the right hand side of his body, severing his spinal chord between the third and fourth vertebrae on exit.

As sniper fire continued and pandemonium erupted, Rani was left bleeding on the ground. Fortunately fellow bystanders assisted by applying pressure to the wound on his neck to limit the massive amounts of blood that he was losing. He was then put into a car and driven to the nearby hospital where he was promptly seen by doctors. Rani was the first victim of the second intifada to be treated. Anyone coming into hospital later in the intifada with his severe wounds would undoubtedly have died as staff and resources failed to cope with the influx of wounded.

The doctors applied a stint to Rani’s neck to where the artery had been severed, which remains to this day. He was put into an induced coma for two days, during which time doctors concluded that with the facilities they had they could not keep Rani alive along with the massive numbers of victims that were now being admitted to the hospital as the second intifada intensified.

It was decided that Rani must be transferred to another hospital with more facilities, one cable of taking care of someone in such a serious condition, the only hospital possible was in Jordan. Given his condition he could not make the journey by land and so a helicopter was arranged from the rooftop of the parliament building in Ramallah.

On admission to hospital in Jordan, his loss of blood was so great that he required massive blood donations from a number of donors. Rani would spend the next seven months in that hospital undergoing operations and combatting repeated infections. He says ‘The most important thing for me at that time was that I was alive. The doctors in Jordan made this possible”.

After seven months in Jordan, Rani was able to come back to Palestine for rehabilitation, after a month first back at home in Bil’in seeing friends and family who had missed him, and whom he had missed so much in Jordan.

He then had to go back into hospital in Ramallah for another seven gruelling months of rehabilitation. It was during this time that the severity of his situation became clear to him. “It was an extremely difficult situation to come to terms with, that I would now have to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, paralysed on the right side of my body.” Rani is the oldest of ten siblings with four brothers and five sisters. He had wanted to be an electrician and he talks about the helplessness he felt at that time. But despite this he added, “The personal pain I felt was nothing compared to the pain I was feeling for my family.” However, a huge positive in Rani’s life amidst so much trauma was when he married shortly after the intifada and became father to triplets.

As time passed, Rani learned to deal with the injuries he had sustained, but one thing that he was not ready for was what happened in his home village next as the Israeli government began to illegally confiscate villagers’ land to construct the apartheid wall and enclose illegal settlements.

At this point Rani decided to become a photographic journalist so he could report on and show the world the ugly truths of the Israeli occupation and what it does to the Palestinian people. He says he will only stop when he is dead or the occupation has ended.

Every week he is able, Rani makes the trip up the rocky road in his wheelchair, gas mask and camera at the ready. His wife worries for him every time he leaves but understands that this is what he must do. Rani himself admits that every Friday he leaves he fears he will not come home to his loving wife and children but he continues to go to show the world what is happening.

Fellow activists from Israel who come frequently to the Bil’in demonstrations have translated for Rani what the Israeli army is saying about him, things like “shoot the guy in the wheelchair” whilst laughing amongst themselves. Rani has been shot with rubber bullets, countless amounts of tear gas, had many cameras broken, two wheelchairs wrecked and has even been pulled out of his wheelchair and thrown onto the ground. “The occupying forces have no morals,” he adds.

Two months ago Rani was shot in the stomach with a foam bullet, which releases a liquid that burns the skin on impact. A month later he was shot in the knee cap and also singled out by soldiers and shot in both shoulders with tear gas canisters. Despite all this he continues moving forward.

In 2005 Rani organised a unique demonstration in Bil’in for all the people who have been injured or disabled since the second intifada. He explains that Israeli army used the most tear gas he has ever seen used, firing directly into the group of people, many of whom were restricted to wheelchairs, and causing many of them to pass out from tear gas inhalation including himself. “This is occupation” says Rani.

He doesn’t believe Israel can continue like this and he hopes an end is near, as do all Palestinians. Rani tells of how he wishes to be able to travel to Jenin with no checkpoints and how he wants to take his children to see the sea. Every Palestinian who has been suppressed by the occupation has their own particular dreams of life without Israeli occupation.

“Palestine is a state of peace, Israelis should be able to come and live harmoniously in peace – against occupation”.

“If you come to my house in peace I will welcome you… but if you come to my house to take it from my family, I will fight until my dying breath with all means necessary to defend it”.

11 year old shot in Kafr Qaddum demonstration

15th March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Kafr Qaddum, occupied Palestine

On Friday the 4th or March, Palestinians and international activists alike joined together to march against Israel’s illegal occupation in Kafr Quaddum. During this march, the boy identified as Khaled, 11 years of age was shot with live ammunition and suffered complicated fractures to the bones in his right thigh which have since needed titanium plates to assist in recovery.

The march began as usual and had progressed about 200 meters without seeing any soldiers. Since not being able to see any soldiers the children felt safe and decided to walk in front of the rest of the group.

Shortly after the children had progressed to the front of the march there was the sudden sound of live ammunition being fired. Khaled was hit almost immediately and fell to the ground whilst waving for help.

During the time that Khaled was on the ground the Israeli forces repeatedly threw sound bombs on the ground near him to deter Palestinians from helping whist they tried to arrest him.

A Palestinian man who saw Khaled in trouble ran to the young boys aid through the heavy shooting of live ammunition.

Whilst he was pulling Khaled away an Israeli sniper shot him in his thigh also. However he managed to continue and successfully pull Khaled to a safer point where two other Palestinians were then able to help.

From here Khaled was taken by the red crescent ambulance service to RAFIDIA Hospital in Nablus.

An x-ray scan showed that Khaled had suffered a complete fracture in his right thigh which would require surgery. Khaled was hospitalised for the following seven days.

What is important to note in the case of Khaled is that there were no immediate clashes when the snipers fired on him, he was shot from a strategic ambush by the occupying forces. What danger did these soldiers or snipers face from an 11 year old boy? Why did they throw sound bombs around an already injured and scared Khaled? Why did they shoot the man who also helped Khaled?

Khaled is the first in his class in the 5th grade and now faces an uncertain future through this school year as he is unable to walk for 6 weeks from the injuries that he has sustained plus ongoing rehabilitation after this period.

Whilst the illegal occupation of Palestinian land continues and the continued use of excessive force and inhumane treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli forces continues, so will the marches in defiance of the occupation until the international community acknowledges the Palestinians for the people that they are and the criminal zionist state of Israel is brought to justice for it’s heinous crimes against humanity.

Continuous struggle for justice in occupied Hebron

15^th March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On 9^th March 2016, Israeli forces yet again demolished the illegally erected synagogue-tent on private Palestinian land close to the illegal Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron).

The synagogue-tent was build up by settlers some years ago opposite the main entrance to the biggest settlement on the outskirts of the city, Kiryat Arba. Even though it is privately owned Palestinian land, Israeli forces have never even attempted to stop the settlers from going onto the land and illegally erecting the so called synagogue – first as a tent, later on as a more permanent structure.

Settlers gathering on the Jabari family land with police protection

The land is located in between the entrance to Kiryat Arba and a second illegal settlement of Givat Ha’vot – and strategically connects the two with a set of stairs which already cuts right through the land. The Jabari family who legally owns the land has been fighting this in Israeli court for years. Even though the court ruled that they are the legal owners, the family are banned by the Israeli forces from using the stairs and even ordered to leave and threatened with arrest by Israeli soldiers when they try to go onto their land. Settlers, on the other hand, freely trespass on the land protected by both the Israeli army and the civil police.

After the synagogue-tent was last demolished in April 2015 in accordance with the Israeli court’s decision, settlers returned only a day later to start rebuilding. The structure was demolished yet again on 9^th March this year.

For years the families living in the direct vicinity have faced settler harassment and attacks on an almost daily basis. At the end of last year, Israeli forces put an additional tent, a military checkpoint, on the land. Palestinians walking down the main road next to the land are stopped, checked, interrogated and searched by the Israeli forces. This is a road which only settlers and Israeli forces are allowed to drive on. Palestinians must walk.

This clearly illustrates the way that Palestinians not only in al-Khalil, but all over the Israeli occupied West Bank, have barely any chance of successfully addressing illegal land-theft or any other violations of their basic human rights. Humiliation, violence, attacks and crimes against Palestinians are going unpunished as settlers enjoy complete impunity and injustice prevails.

Targeting playgrounds in Ni’lin

14th March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Friday, 11th March 2016, Israeli forces again attacked the non-violent protest in Ni’lin in the occupied West Bank, showering the village, including a public park and playground, in tear gas.

Tear gas cloud in the fields of Ni'lin — Tear gas cloud in the fields of Ni’lin

For years the villagers of Ni’lin have been protesting the illegal theft of land and the apartheid wall that separates the village from the majority of their land. This stolen land has been used to erect the illegal settlement of Modi’in Illit.

Israeli forces violently attacked the peaceful demonstration that started after the noon prayer, shooting endless rounds of tear gas, not only towards the demonstrators, but also directly at a public park and playground. Last week, several children in the park suffered from tear gas inhalation during an attack on civilians who were completely uninvolved in the demonstration. Because of this, fortunately this week no children were on the playground. But this is also gross violation of a child’s right to play – leaving children restricted to their homes where they are still at risk of being tear-gassed by Israeli forces.

Children's playground showered in tear gas — Children’s playground showered in tear gas

The anniversary of Tristan Anderson and the ongoing struggle

13th March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil Team | Ni’lin, Occupied Palestine

On the 13th March 2009 around 4:30pm, Tristan Anderson, an ISM volunteer from the US was critically wounded by the occupying Israeli forces while peacefully demonstrating against the ongoing occupation of the West Bank village of Ni’lin. The wounds he sustained were from a high velocity/long range tear gas canister that was used against him at a distance of around 50-60 meters.

Sunday the 13th of March will mark 7 years since his wounding and represents the ongoing struggle for justice that Tristan, his family & friends and the people of Palestine face against the occupying forces and their tactics to perverse the course of justice.

Tristan was 38 years old in 2009 when he was severely injured. Tristan’s girlfriend, Gabrielle Silverman, an American-Israeli who witnessed the ordeal was quoted as saying:
“We were at a demonstration against the wall, against the Israeli apartheid wall in the West Bank village of Ni’lin, which is about twenty-six kilometers west of Ramallah. I was very close to him when he was shot. I was only a few feet away. The demonstration had been going for several hours. It was wrapping up; it was almost over. Most people had already gone home. We were standing on some grass nearby a village mosque, and Tristan was taking pictures [when] he was shot in the head with the extended range tear gas canister.”

Jonathan Pollack, an Israeli activist with the group “Anarchists against the Wall” who was also at the demonstration in Ni’lin said Tristan was hit at around 4.30pm inside the village, at least 1km from the barrier. However, as is often the case at many of the protests, there had been stone-throwing. He said Tristan had never thrown any stones or taken any violent action towards the soldiers {engaging in any form of violence is strictly forbidden within the codes of conduct for ISM volunteers}.

It is reported that for hours before he was shot, Tristan was nowhere near the annexation wall. The weapon at the time used on Anderson had only recently began being used by Israeli forces against West Bank demonstrators. It comes in a black canister labelled in Hebrew “40mm bullet special/long range”, and is silent when fired, according to demonstrators. The instructions of use for tear-gas is to be fired in a bow above – and not directly at – protestors. It is reported that Anderson was hit from a distance of around 60 meters, well short of the parameters for ‘long range’, which has the capacity to be fired around 400 meters.

Tristan was rushed to the Tel Hashomer hospital in Israel. The injuries that he sustained caused the loss of sight in Anderson’s right eye whilst doctors had to remove portions of his frontal lobe and shattered bone from the skull. At the time it was not clear if Anderson would survive or how much brain damage he would incur from the large scale of injuries that he sustained from the attack.

Years later Tristan continues to require around the clock care because of cognitive impairment and physical disability. He is also paralyzed on half his body and uses a wheelchair.

Whilst initially there were no charges laid against Israeli military, new evidence emerged showing the officer responsible for incident. “Sergeant Jackie” is named as the border patrol officer who shot Anderson in the clip filmed by a Palestinian activist from Ni’lin. An Israeli state attorney was then able to identify Jackie, whose face is not clear in the clip, by applying facial recognition software.

Just as important as identifying Anderson’s shooter, the video also shows that the border patrol unit Sgt. Jackie was at a distance much less than the distance stated in the testimony given during the military investigation. The video also displays a clear example, showing how far the Israeli military is willing to go to lie, cover up and try to protect their story.

The Israeli military described the protest as a “violent riot”, saying that “approximately 400 rioters threw a massive number of rocks at security forces”.

“Israel regrets that the Israeli and foreign nationals co-operate with violent rioters against the building of the security fence, whose purpose is saving the lives of Israeli citizens,” it said. “As such, any Israeli, Palestinian, or foreign national who illegally participates in a violent demonstration takes upon himself the risk of personal harm during the dispersal of these disturbances.”

Supporters of Anderson hope the new evidence will be instrumental to both his current civil suit, as well as re-opening a criminal investigation against the Israeli military. “Both sides,” said Silverman (Anderson’s girlfriend), “have a political point to make in the courtroom,” explaining the case is in part about negligence, and in part about Israeli’s systematic use of violence against Palestinians.

Just one month after the shooting of Tristan Anderson, 30 year old Bassem Abu Rahme was killed from a tear gas canister that was shot directly at his chest at close range by an Israeli soldier. The Israeli military insists on not indicting the security officer who killed Bassem Abu Rahmen, despite being provided with enough details to find him.

The silence that ensues the actions and lack of justice brought upon the Israeli forces, the so called ‘most moral army in the world’, is defeaning. One must question the international communities role in negligence and ponder why the excessive use of force, the continuous cover ups and the criminal actions of the Israeli military’s actions remain unquestioned on an international level and are being allowed to continue without serious investigation or global condemnation.