Tears come easily. Today I watched and listened to a hundred Jewish Israelis outside the U.S. embassy affirm that “grief has no borders,” as they collectively mourned those murdered in Gaza. Some people, like Khalil Abu Yahia were known and loved by the Jewish solidarity activists. And from the breaking in their voices as they spoke, I knew that the others who they didn’t know, who apartheid walls, checkpoints, and a prison ghetto kept them from knowing, were loved too.
Grief knows no borders and ceasefire banners at vigil in Jerusalem. Photo Credit: ISM
Khalil had the vision to see beyond the current colonial realities. As Khalil went from place to place in Gaza with his family, trying to find somewhere safe, experiencing explosion after explosion, missile attack after missile attack, he did not despair. With roofs collapsing around him, he wrote, “I am sure that the hearts of my beloved friends will always be a shelter that can never be destroyed.”
In Jerusalem I saw Israeli activists turn themselves into shelter for Khalil and other Palestinians. Everybody held a name and picture of somebody from Gaza who was killed. These pictures and with them, white roses, were placed at the United States embassy. Closing out the memorial, a speaker said: “May the memory of the righteous be a blessing.”
Out front of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, people place down pictures and names of people killed in Gaza, together with white roses. Photo Credit: ISM
I walked from the embassy to the Lion’s Gate of the Old City. I was seeking to return a prayer rug I found last Friday after Israeli police and military beat and dispersed people assembling to pray. I couldn’t find the prayer rug’s person. What I did find was occupation police on horses charging into people praying. Many people ran to not be trampled. But some people, already on their knees, stayed on their knees. I remember one of these men especially. I couldn’t tell if he was intently focused on finishing his prayers or bracing for his prayerful body to be crushed, or both, but the horses stopped just short. Occupation police not on horses, swept in to continue pushing and beating the worshippers.
To be in Palestine at this moment necessitates consciousness of incalculable inhumanity and atrocity. The worshippers outside the gates to Al Aqsa and the Israeli activists who refuse complicity with their government, have something in common. Their courage, strength, will, commitment, perseverance, and vision is, and always will be, stronger than that of the oppressors.
Sophie Scholl of the White Rose Society, before being executed by the Nazi government that she was taught to obey but then learned to resist no matter the consequences, tells whoever will listen, “Stand up for what you believe in even if you are standing alone.” Rachel Corrie, the I.S.M. activist murdered by Israel for refusing to step aside and allow a home demolition, is similarly remembered to have said, “Let me stand alone.”
I am grateful in this moment for not having to stand alone for what I believe in and seeing more white roses.
19 December 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | Ramallah
This morning, ISM volunteers joined with the relatives, friends and supporters of Palestinian detainees at a rally in Ramallah, one of many held across the Occupied West Bank, demanding to immediately rescind the “state of emergency in prisons”, introduced by the Israeli authorities in the aftermath of October 7 and which gives the National Security Minister (illegal settler Ben Gvir) unrestrained powers in relation to the conditions in which detainees are held.
Called for and coordinated by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs and supported by a wide-range of civic society groups, the rallies highlighted the huge upsurge in the numbers of detainees, and the severe deterioration in the conditions of detention, since October 7 under the emergency provisions.
Over two months, the number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons has more than doubled to 7,800, with 4,605 Palestinians (including the 30 people arrested last night) detained since October 7. Of these, 260 are children, 150 women and 2800 are held under Administrative Detention (AD). These figures do not include detainees arrested by Israeli forces in the Gaza strip as Israel does not provide any figures on this.
Even before October 7, the number of Palestinians detained under AD was running at a 20 year high with 1,300 so detained. AD is an apartheid tool used by the Israeli Occupation Forces to persecute Palestinians. It allows for detention for a period of six months, indefinitely renewable, by a military court without charge or trial based on secret security grounds which are not made available to the detainee or their lawyer.
With the powers under the emergency provisions, the security minister has installed a brutal, degrading and inhumane prison regime. Detainees are denied access to visits by lawyers and family members and the Red Cross has been denied access to prisons to monitor conditions. Information from lawyers who have managed to speak with their clients provides evidence that detainees are held in grossly overcrowded cells, denied adequate food and medical care and outdoor exercise and association for education and recreation is severely restricted.
The use of cruel and collective punishment measures such as cutting off water, heating and electricity for long hours is common. Beatings and threats start at the point of arrest and continue within the detention centres. As noted by Amnesty International in its report of November 8, torture is routinely used. Six detainees have been killed in the Israeli detention centres since October 7, with the suspicion that these deaths were as a result of neglect and torture.
The Israeli occupation authorities are committing serious offences against detainees, offences which are in breach of international law. Under international law, torture and other ill-treatment committed against protected persons in an occupied territory is a war crime. The detention of protected persons outside the occupied territory, as is the case of Palestinian prisoners from the OPT held in Israel, is also a violation of international humanitarian law as it amounts to forcible transfer.
Relatives and advocates for the detainees made it clear at this morning’s rally that Israeli authorities must immediately reverse the inhumane emergency measures imposed on Palestinian prisoners and grant them immediate access to their lawyers and families. Israel must also allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to carry out urgent visits to prisons and detention facilities and to monitor conditions. All Palestinians arbitrarily detained must be released.
18 December 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | Nour Shams refugee camp
By Diana Khwaelid
An Israeli military operation lasted for more than 10 hours in the Nour Shams refugee camp.
Destruction of infrastructure
Dozens of military vehicles stormed the city of Tulkarem on the evening of Sunday, December 16, as they targeted the Nour Shams camp east of the city. The Israeli occupation forces bulldozed the main entrance in Tulkarem and destroyed the infrastructure using one of their D9 military vehicles, as they had previously done with previous incursions. It also destroyed the water network and sewage pipes and cut off electricity and the internet.
Palestinian resistance fighters defended the camp.
There were strong clashes between Palestinian Resisters and Israeli occupation soldiers, who confronted the occupation forces after they stormed the camp, for more than 10 continuous hours. The occupation forces also bombed two houses one with drones and the other with an anti-armor missile.
A state of fear
A state of fear and terror prevailed in the homes and neighborhoods of the camp’s people, both children and women, a long and bloody night described by the camp’s residents, following the Storming of the camp. The sound of explosions and fire was enough to bring terror to the hearts of Palestinians.
Obstructing the movement of medical crews and ambulances.
The Israeli occupation forces obstructed the movement of medical personnel, whether the medical teams of the Red Cross or the Palestinian medical relief and volunteer teams to move easily inside the camp to transport the injured, and the occupation forces obstructed the movement of ambulances and arrested a 16 year-old boy from inside an ambulance on its way to the hospital.
5 Palestinians killed, dozens injured.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 5 Palestinians were killed in the Nur Shams refugee camp, and more than 10 injuries reached the (Thabit Thabit) government hospital in the city, whether by shrapnel due to drone, or fire live bullets .
The five martyrs are: Walid Zahra, Asaad Zahra, Ghaith Shehadeh, Mahmoud Jaber and Jihad Amarna.
A state of sadness and shock of loss.
Hundreds of Palestinians mourned the bodies of the five martyrs, and their families took a last farewell look at them, in a state of great sadness and shock women, men, and children participated in the funeral and chanted words of patience and patience to them and chanted patriotic words in the form of the Camp people in the face of the occupation until the liberation of Palestine.
17 December 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | Jenin
On Wednesday, December 13, I received a message from a fellow actress of the Freedom Theatre informing me that the occupation forces had arrested without charge Mustafa Sheta, theatre director and general manager, Ahmed Tobasi, artistic director, as well as Jamal Abu Joas, acting coach. The arrests took place in a military raid carried out by the occupation forces in the city of Jenin, with their main target being the refugee camp where the headquarters of the Freedom Theatre is located.
Mustafa Sheta was arrested at his home in the city of Jenin, where they handcuffed him and took him, mercilessly, in front of his children. They sat the whole family in the living room and when they identified Mustafa they asked him, “Have you done anything?” To which Mustafa replied, “I have not done anything.” Still, the occupation forces took him away and to this day nothing is known about him.
Mustafa Sheta, Freedom Theater Director, arrested and still imprisoned by IOF. Credit: The Freedom Theatre
On the night of December 12, 2023, Tobasi heard soldiers knocking on neighbors’ doors. He got dressed, put on a winter jacket and got ready because he was worried about them coming to his home.
The next morning, shortly after 9 a.m., the Israelis began attacking and looting the Freedom Theatre. They fired from inside the theatre, destroying the offices and knocking down a wall. Tobasi’s house is directly across from the Freedom Theatre.
Around 11:30 a.m., still fully dressed and still hearing disturbances, he came out and said, “Why are you making all this noise? You are terrorizing children.”
The Israeli army took Tobasi and beat him. They made him take off his jacket and threw him on the ground in the street, in the cold and rain.
Shouting at Tobasi that he should stay there, the army entered his house and broke everything. They smashed his computer screen, his iPad, and destroyed everything they could, even taking the plants and throwing them on the ground.
After breaking everything in the house, the Israeli army took a towel from the house and blindfolded Tobasi. They then went to look for Mohammed, Tobasi’s brother.
Occupation forces handcuffed them both and took them away. They did not have enough clothing for the cold and winter weather.
Jamal Abu Joas has also been captured by the Israeli army.
Jamal recently graduated from the Freedom Theatre School of Performing Arts, where he is now an acting coach and also a freelance photographer.
The army invaded his house, and searched and took everything, including Jamal’s phone and camera. The soldiers have beaten him brutally.
On Thursday afternoon we decided to go to the city of Jenin in support and solidarity for my colleagues and friends from the Freedom Theatre and to document what had happened.
We arrived around two in the afternoon in the city of Jenin, and all the shops were closed. Some boys helped us get closer to the entrance of the refugee camp. Between the sounds of detonations of live ammunition and the smell of teargas we advanced, but only halfway. On the way we had to stop, there was an ambulance and a barricade that blocked the way.
Credit: ISM
Further up, at the entrance to the refugee camp, there was a convoy of the Israeli army. Journalists were gathered on the edge of the street at the entrance of a hospital and residential house. We waited for about 10 minutes; the sound of the live fire grew louder. But then the occupation forces withdrew and we were able to enter.
We entered through a side street towards the central square of the camp. From the first moment we could see the level of destruction that had been undertaken. The streets were completely destroyed, the doors of the houses broken, the shops destroyed, the water was running all over the place. What were once streets were now muddy fields because the army had also broken the pipes to destroy the water infrastructure. The level of destruction was incalculable.
Credit: ISM
We arrived at the central square which was unrecognizable. Wherever one turned there was graffiti of the Star of David painted on walls.
Credit: ISM
All the surroundings were damaged. We joined with local community members trying to clean a little and see how they could repair what the occupation forces had destroyed. We continued walking towards the theatre. My eyes could not recognize where I was. This place that I walked so many times could not be connected with my memories. The firefighters were putting out a fire in a house that still seemed to be burning We could feel the heat coming off as we passed by.
When we arrived outside the theatre, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The place that I saw so full of life the last time I was there was covered by a spectral silence. The warehouse, the theatre room, the offices, everything had been destroyed. They threw everything everywhere. They broke everything: books, pictures, doors, computers, screens, glass. And again, the Star of David was everywhere one looked. They did this as an exercise in intimidation, cruelty and power. This was not only an attack on life but also an attack on freedom. The occupation forces want to end any type of resistance.
Credit: ISM
I went out to the parking lot again and see a man outside the theatre room. When he turns to me, it takes me a moment to recognize him. He is Tobasi. They have released him. I hug him tightly. I feel relieved to see him again. He asks me how I am. “Confused,” I respond, “I think it’s absurd for me to ask you.” But he nevertheless responded, “Alhamdulillah.”
It is evident that they have hurt him, that they tortured him, that they beat him. It is difficult for him to walk. We entered the office at a slow but steady pace. “They destroyed everything,” he says. When we are in one of the offices outside we hear the noise of a car engine, he turns around and asks me, “Is it a jeep?” No, it’s just a car, but we have to leave. We offer to help clean, but he says, “Later, now it’s not safe. They can come back at any time.
Already on the street outside the theatre, we say goodbye. I told him to write to me, that I will return. He said, “Yes, but in a couple of days, now it is not safe.” I told him that I am here for him, for Mustafa and for the Freedom Theatre. I initially came to do an artistic residency with them, which was cut short by the events that arose after October 7. “Take care of yourself, be careful, stay safe,” he said.
IOF damaged the inside of the Freedom Theatre. Credit: ISM
We continued walking deeper into the camp, reaffirming with our eyes the horror and devastation.
We reached the roundabout where the great monument of the map of Palestine was located, which was knocked down. We advanced a little further and the children around us run and shout at us “Jeish Jeish,” the occupation forces had returned. Explosions were heard and the sound of the siren announcing a new incursion. We didn’t have much time to stop and think of what to do, to either take refuge in the theatre or continue to try to reach the service station to Ramallah. We decided to continue. A Palestinian in a car offered us a ride to the service station; walking wasn’t safe. We tried to insist on giving him money but he more insistently refused. At the service station we said goodbye.
The service advanced towards Ramallah, leaving behind the unprecedented devastation. My memories want to find a place in this reality. It is like trying to put together a puzzle from which several pieces have been stolen.
The next morning Tobasi gives an interview in which he says the attack on the refugee camp has been the most devastating, the most violent since 2002, referring to the second intifada. Jenin is now in some ways the other Gaza.
Children sit outside of Al Aqsa Mosque after being denied entry. Photo Credit: ISM
Israeli soldiers and police once again blocked the majority of worshippers from entering Al Aqsa Mosque on Friday, December 15th. Among those excluded were many young children who attempted to enter but were prevented by Israeli soldiers and police. The soldiers and police also pushed and beat many people away from the gates of Al Aqsa, down Via Dolorosa, out Lion’s Gate, and beyond, including shoving some women. At least one journalist was severely beaten as well and required medical attention.
An Israeli soldier violently assaults a Palestinian women attempting to attend the Mosque for prayer. Still from Video Credit: Silwanic.net
Israel has laid siege on Al Aqsa Mosque since October 7th. In multiple locations throughout Al Quds (the Arabic name for the city of Jerusalem meaning “the holy”), groups of people once again got as close as they were able to the Al Aqsa Mosque, laid down their prayer mats and prayed.
Palestinians pray surrounded by soldiers blocking their entrance to Al Aqsa. Photo Credit: ISM
At the same time that police and soldiers are denying worshippers entry to Al Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers, they are desecrating other Mosques, such as the Mosques in Jenin where soldiers have spray painted Mosques, threw trash in them, and sang songs over the loudspeaker used to broadcast the call to prayer.
Graffiti on Mosque in Jenin. Photo Credit: ISM
Attacks on places of worship are against the rules of war, but thus far Israeli army and police have targeted mosques and churches in Gaza and the West Bank and done so without repercussions from international political bodies such as the International Criminal Court or United Nations.
