International Solidarity Movement - Page 222 - Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.

Violent arrest of Palestinian man in al-Khalil (Hebron)

29th August 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

A 52-year old Palestinian man was arrested at Shuhada checkpoint in al-Khalil (Hebron) yesterday, for ‘not obeying soldiers’ orders. Israeli forces painfully handcuffed and blindfolded him.

Around 1:30 pm, Hisham Azzeh walked through Shuhada Checkpoint in order to reach his house that is located up the hill next to the illegal settlement in Tel Rumeida. At this first checkpoint on his way home, Hisham passed through the metal detector without it beeping to indicate he had to go back and pass again. Therefore, he continued on his way, but Israeli soldiers yelled at him to go back and pass through the checkpoint again for no reason.

When he did not immediately comply with the soldiers orders, they arrested him. Israeli soldiers painfully handcuffed him with his hands behind his back with plastic handcuffs, without any regard for a recent operation on his hand. The soldiers also blindfolded him, so he was unable to see what happened to him and where he was brought. On the way up the hill towards the military base, the pain, caused by the plastic handcuffs, was so intense, that Israeli soldiers had to allow Azzeh to sit down on the ground, as he was unable to continue walking.

Palestinian man sitting on the ground in pain

Palestinians observing the arrest were continously telling soldiers about Azzeh’s recent operation on his hand and the plate that had to be inserted during this operation. Even though they were explaining the immense pain the plastic handcuffs were causing to Azzeh due to this operation, the Israeli soldiers shouted at them to leave the area and be quiet. Various requests to call an ambulance were denied. Only after Azzeh’s brother, who is a medical professional, arrived and reasoned with the soldiers, they attempted to cut the handcuffs. As the soldiers put the handcuffs too tight, they were struggling to cut the handcuffs without cutting Azzeh’s hands, making the procedure even longer and more painful, with Azzeh suffering immensely and crying out in pain.

Hisham's hand showing scars from the operation. Photo credit: Youth against settlement — Hisham’s hand showing scars from the operation. Photo credit: Youth against settlement

In the meantime, a civil police car was driving past on a regular patrol and got stopped by the Palestinians in an attempt to alleviate the situation for Hisham. After the handcuffs were finally cut off, by-standers cooled his hand first with a bottle of cold water until an ice-pack was brought for him. The police took Hisham Azzeh to the police station after a long discussion. After about an hour, Azzeh was released. He is now doing okay, but is still suffering from pain in his hands.

Police, bystanders and the soldiers standing around Hisham

Harassment like this in al-Khalil (Hebron) is not unusual. Palestinians have to pass through various checkpoints on their way home or to work and often get detained for long periods of time.

Watch the video here

Continual harrassment, threatening and intimidation of Palestinian family by settlers in Hebron

25th August 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

The Palestinian Abu Rajab family in the occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron) is facing continual intimidation by groups of settlers and Israeli forces protecting these settlers in their attempts to take over the Abu Rajab family home.

In the last few weeks, settlers from the nearby illegal Israeli settlements on various occasions have camped outside the home under the protection of the Israeli forces, leaving the family confined to the house not able to leave fearing attacks by settlers as well as settlers taking over the rest of the house.

Settler women with their children blocking the stairs to the Abu Rajab house

In March 2012, a group of settlers from illegal settlements within the city broke the gate of the house and occupied the two upper floors of the house at night-time during Passover. Afterwards the settlers claimed to have legally bought the house, a claim that until now could not be proven legit by an Israeli court. Until the final decision of the court, the Abu Rajab extended family is not permitted to use that part of their home. The same year, one of the sons, in his early twenties, was arrested and put in administrative detention (detention without charges or trial) for a year.

When in September 2013 an Israeli soldier was shot in the neighbourhood of the Abu Rajab house, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu promised the settler movement that they would be allowed to move back into the house.

Settler women, Palestinians sitting opposite

Since the beginning of this year, the threats and attacks by settlers on the family have increased. A month ago, during Passover, settlers again tried to move into the house. Instead of protecting the family from these repeated and unlawful attacks, they threatened the family to leave the house. Since then, settlers again and again camp or even sleep outside the families’ home. On Monday and Tuesday, small groups of settler women with their children have been blocking the stairs to the house’s door all afternoon. The children, all under eight years old, were instrumentalised by their mothers as they are too young to understand what was going on. Palestinian children playing nearby the house were forced by soldiers to leave the area.

Two people violently arrested at peaceful demonstration in Nabi Saleh

28th August | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil | Hebron, occupied Palestine

UPDATE: A court just ruled to keep Vittorio Fera in prison until an actuall decision is taken on Monday. He was violently thrown to the ground and arrested by Israeli soldiers in Nabi Saleh yesterday. He is being accused of throwing stones and attacking the soldiers at the demo – a baseless claim without any evidence. At the demonstration he was filming the vicious assault of Israeli forces on a Palestinian boy, that was attacked and choked by a soldier. Still, the Israeli court ruled to keep him in prison till Monday.
Watch a video taken of the soldiers attacking Vittorio and arresting him: https://youtu.be/KoYEMHi2xbM

On Friday the 28^th of August 2015, two peaceful demonstrators were violently arrested and a child viciously attacked by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian village Nabi Saleh in occupied Palestine. Every Friday the people of Nabi Saleh protest against the illegal settlement build on the villages’ land.

Israili soldier threatning Palestinian women and children at non violent demonstration in Nabi Saleh. Photo credit: Karam — Israili soldier threatning Palestinian women and children at non violent demonstration in Nabi Saleh.
Photo credit: IssamRimawi

Today at around 3 pm one Palestinian male, Mahmoud Tamimi, and one international activist was arrested in the Palestinian village Nabi Saleh close to Ramallah. They were arrested during a Friday demonstration against the illegal settlements on the land belonging to the people of Nabi Saleh.

Only a few minutes after the protesters peacefully started their march towards the gate, which is regularly blocked by the military preventing any movement in- or outside of the village, the Israeli army began attacking the non-violent protesters with dozens of rounds of tear gas.

The soldiers then ambushed the demonstrators escaping the clouds of tear gas by surrounding them. They attacked and then arrested Mahmoud Tamimi, shoving him down the hill towards the illegal settlement, where he was forced to lie on the ground.

Israili soldier strangulationa Palestinian boy at non violent demonstration in Nabi Saleh. Photo credit: Karam — Israili soldier strangulating a Palestinian boy at non violent demonstration in Nabi Saleh.
Photo credit: Karam

Around the same time, a Palestinian boy was violently attacked by a soldier throwing him to the ground, choking and almost suffocating him in the process. “While the boy was screaming in pain his family came to rescue him from the soldiers’ vicious assault”, Josephine, a Danish activist explains.

Israili soldier attacking Palestininan boy at non violent demonstration in Nabi Saleh. Photo credit: Karam — Israili soldier attacking Palestininan boy at non violent demonstration in Nabi Saleh.
Photo credit: Karam

A group of peaceful international demonstrators trying to document the attack on the boy, was ambushed by another group of soldiers, who violently pushed a 31-year old Italian man to the ground and proceeded to arrested him.

Both the Palestinian and the international were being held captive in a military jeep by the Israeli army for almost nine hours, before being brought to a police station.

Gaza talks back: Demonstrations and “International Solidarity Week for Anarchist Prisoners”

This Monday 24th of August, as every Monday, the families of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have gathered at the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza City. Tens of people joined them in order to show their support, denounce the conditions that the prisoners suffer and to demand the freedom of all the Palestinians kidnapped by the occupation.

In a new proof of its solidarity with the oppressed people of the world, the Palestinian former prisoners have shown its support to all the Anarchist prisoners jailed around the world, during the second “International Solidarity Week for Anarchist Prisoners”, 23-30 August 2015.

“International Solidarity Week for Anarchist Prisoners”

At the same time it took place at the UN headquarters in Gaza City a huge demonstration where the Union of workers of UNRWA demanded the Agency Commissioner-General to back down from its decision of reducing the number of teachers, increasing the number of students per class, stopping the recruitment of new staff and reducing the medical services to the refugees.

Demonstration in Gaza against the Agency Commissioner-General\s decision on less teachers and mre children in each class.

They also demanded the salaries owed to them and asked the UNRWA to reconsider its policies regarding the recruitment of foreign staff as it takes a disproportionate share of the UNRWA budget.

They also demanded the UN States to assume its commitment with the Palestinian refugees and to stop denying them their rights.

Hundreds protest against Israeli seperation wall in Bait Jala

Sunday morning around 300 Palestinians and Internationals demonstrated side by side to block the uprooting of olive yards related to the construction of the apartheid-wall. The protesters where all non-violent and all stood up for the Palestinians rights and for a free Palestine.

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Protesters successfully removed the illegal metal fence, which was put up by the Israeli occupation forces to prevent local Palestinians from reaching their land and harvesting their olives. The fence was carried away by internationals and Palestinians. This was a huge success for the the local Palestinians, whose land have had their land taken away.

_BuabG81meUARe6pxvWgwC5ke_JsgtsqG1vwJNyLtQg,9lFAe5UVwsO8Iby66GAfv1o-gSAp1fyklnD4vz7L0uE,uJ9Hrr4x6QPV4Wv79FV7iWaKLqYz1zm5ocUaOH2Y1IU — Border Police showering demonstrators with teargas

After the fence was taken down, Israeli forces brutally attacked the non-violent protesters, shooting rubber-coated steel bullets, sound-grenades and dozens of teargas canisters. Three persons had to go to the hospital for suffering of excessive tear gas inhalation.

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The Israeli state confiscating land of Beit Jala people using the expansion of apartheid wall as an excuse to clear the way of land-grab and expanding illegal settlements near the village. This is a huge problem for the local Palestinians who can’t harvest their fields and live their live freely.

Watch the video of the demonstration here: