International Solidarity Movement - Page 230 - Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.

Attacks on fishermen continue in Gaza

13th June 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza Team | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

During the last weeks, the Israeli military has been shooting at the fishermen of Gaza almost daily with rubber coated steel-bullets and live ammunition. They also kidnapped 15 fishermen. Three of the injured and seven of the kidnapped belong to the Baker family, who are also the family of the 4 boys who were murdered by the Israeli military while they were playing football on the beach during the last massacre in Gaza. Yesterday, in Deir el Balah, the army stole 37 fishing nets and today the shooting went on all along the Strip.

ISM met some of the recently released fishermen from Baker family.

One of members of the family is Ziad Fahed Baker, 21 years old. Three weeks ago, he left the port on his small boat along with four other fishermen. As they were fishing at less than three miles away, the Israeli navy approached and ordered them to leave without taking the nets with them. They answered that they would leave but not without the nets. Ziad knew that abandoning the nets would leave his family without any income, so they ignored the soldiers and started collecting them. At this point the soldiers shot Ziad in the leg, and the 5 fishermen decided to flee to the port. Unfortunately the Israeli gunboat followed them and when they were just a mile and a half from the shore shot the engine of Ziad’s boat. With the boat stopped they ordered Ziad and the other four fishermen, two of whom were also injured, to swim towards their ship. Once in the gunboat they were blindfolded and handcuffed to a metal bar, “What are they afraid of? That we would leave flying?”

They were then taken to Ashdod, where Israeli forces subjected them to the usual routine of insults and humiliations before sending them back to Gaza.

They also explain how the Israeli military bombs the waters where they are working in order to scare away the fish and how the blockade prevents the entrance of all the tools needed for their activity, engines, fibber glass, hooks…

From the 1500 boats that laboured in the past, just 150 are still working today. This year the income of the fishing sector has decreased an 80% regarding the past year.

Ziad’s cousin, Mohamed Zied Baker, 30 years old, was also attacked last week while labouring in Sudania, north of Gaza. They ordered him to stop, shot him with rubber-coated steel bullets, kidnapped him and once in the Israeli boat they handcuffed him and stepped on his head with their boots.

Ziad, Mohamed, Fahed, Walid and Emad – this one, just 16 years old, also got shot with live ammunition and kidnapped – have similar stories to tell.

“They are now targeting the youngest fishermen, almost children”. “They want to scare us, but they can’t, we are Palestinians”.

Story and photos by Valeria Cortés

UN spurns Palestinian children

8th June 2015 | Hemaya Center for Human Rights | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UN spurns Palestinian children
Ban Ki-moon’s decision not to include Israel on the list of violators of children’s rights twists the knife in the heart of every Palestinian parent, making it very clear that in the eyes of the United Nations, Palestinian children’s lives don’t count.

When a military with the most sophisticated and accurate weaponry on the planet can kill more than 500 children in cold blood with complete impunity, as Israel’s absence from the list shows, it reveals more than just the complete disregard for Palestinian lives that has become so commonplace in the halls of power. It also makes it abundantly clear that the UN, the single most important international organisation charged with protecting the lives of the most vulnerable, is failing spectacularly.

Children are the lifeblood of the future. How can any world citizen look at the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Palestinian child death toll from the 2014 Israeli aggression, and this decision, and not be appalled?

At best it reflects the paucity of responsible leadership evident in the UN under Ban Ki-moon’s secretaryship, which has seen public faith in the international organisation reach an all-time low.

At worst it underlines the gross politicisation of an organisation purporting to uphold the rights of ALL humans – and failing.
The only way Ban Ki-moon’s decision – if not his entire leadership in relation to the Palestinian issue – can be called a success is if the intention is to ‘grow’ a generation of increasingly angry cynics with no respect for the abject hypocrisy emanating from Geneva and New York.

Hemaya expresses its utmost disappointment in the attitude to Palestinian children that the decision represents, and calls on human rights bodies and concerned citizens everywhere to roundly reject it by supporting and valuing those Palestinian children who survived, and who continue to suffer under illegal occupation, repression and siege.

Gaza, June 08, 2015

Featured image by Ashraf Amra / APA Images

Protesters shot in clashes at Ofer

5th June 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al Khalil Team | Al Khalil, Occupied Palestine

On the 5th of May, clashes between Israeli occupation forces and young Palestinians, took place in the Palestinian village, Ofer, located just south of Ramallah. Between 3:30 pm. and 8 pm. the area bordering up to the incarceration facility, Ofer Penitentiary was heavily tear gassed by the Israeli military and border police.

This area constitutes the arena of weekly protests, by Palestinians against the imprisonment of minors.

Ofer Penitentiary has at several occasions been the center of attention due to the extraordinary amount of under age-prisoners, they hold. Further more human rights organizations has accused the place of violating the Rights of the Child and the UN Standard Minimum Rules.

The Israeli occupation forces unloaded hundreds of tear gas canisters throughout the day as well as rubber coated steel bullets and live ammunition. One Palestinian got shot in the leg with live ammo. Two others were injured, as occupation forces hit them with tear gas canisters.

The first one fell, with an open wound in his stomach, and the soldiers fired another round of teargas at the spot, making it difficult and dangerous for medics to reach the young man. With the help of protesters however, the man was dragged out of the fog of cs-gas and brought to the nearest hospital before he suffocated.

Settlers set Palestinian home on fire

31st May 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al Khalil Team | Al Khalil, Occupied Palestine

Around 12 PM Saturday night the 30th/31st of May, Imad Abu Shamsiyeh woke up to the sound of stones being thrown at his home, in Tel Rumeida, Al Khalil (Hebron). This is not at all out of the ordinary for the Abu Shamsiyeh family – they are often harassed, sometimes daily, and attacked by Israeli settlers.

As he went out of his house to see what was going on, Imad discovered that part of his house had been set on fire by Settlers. He saw the six young Israeli settlers escaping from his roof, as he went back into his house to get his wife and kids out of the burning building. The settlers – all appearing to be in their early twenties – accessed the roof of Imad’s house and poured gasoline down one side. They then proceeded to set the whole area ablaze including a sofa situated in the terrace.

Accompanied by neighbors Imad put out the fire. Afterwards, he approached Israeli soldiers who had been positioned nearby his house when the incident occurred and asked what they had witnessed. The soldiers answered by accusing him of starting the fire.

Burnt out scraps of Shamsiye's sofa — Burnt out scraps of Shamsiye’s sofa

The day after, (31st May), Imad went to the police station to report what had happened. Despite the fact that this was far from the first time the family had been violently attacked by Israeli settlers, the police discarded the report as a minor issue, and did not follow up on the case.

As mentioned previously, the Abu Shamsiyeh family have been victims of multiple incidents of settler violence. Only two months ago settlers poisoned the water tank on top of the house. This water tank is the source of all of the family’s water supply. As a result of frequent settler violence, including stone throwing, the family has put a fence up over the top of their terrace to protect themselves.

The fence over the Abu Shamsiye family's terrace — The fence over the Abu Shamsiye family’s terrace

Imad Abu Shamsiyeh is the deputy coordinator of Human Rights Defenders, a Hebron based group for documenting the violation and harassment carried out by soldiers and settlers in the West Bank. Several hours before the house burning, he reported a knife attack by settlers against Palestinians youths in Tel Rumeida.

Israeli forces break the arm of a Palestinian man at peaceful protest, Beit Ummar

30th May 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Beit Ummar, Occupied Palestine

Demonstrators in front of Beit El Baraka

Today in Beit Ummar, just north of Al Khalil (Hebron), Israeli forces broke the arm of local activist Yousif Abu Maria, and then arrested him. Yousif was protesting with a group of around 30 local Palestinian activists outside an illegal Israeli settlement. While the police and military attempted to arrest Yousif he was subjected to excessive violence that resulted in his arm being broken. Israeli occupation forces continued to violently arrest him even though his cries of pain were obvious.

At 10.30 am the group drove to the gate of the Beit Al Baraka building. Roughly four years ago the old hospital and church complex was purchased by the right-wing Israeli Zionist group, Israeli Land Fund, under the guise of a Christian refurbishment organisation. Aryeh King, director and founder of Israeli Land Fund, had brought the property to support the illegal expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.

On reaching the complex the Palestinian activists marched to the front gate chanting for a free Palestine. The Palestinians were joined by many Israeli and international activists. Seconds after arriving over 20 boarder police, police and military, quickly surrounded the group. The occupation forces then began pushing people back with their rifles. Yousif was injured and thrown to the floor. An Israeli activists then attempted to pull him away from the violence, but was also assaulted and pepper sprayed in the eyes. Both Yousif and the Israeli activists were dragged away to the military jeeps parked near by, but Yousif was then arrested and the Israeli activists was released without any repercussions.

Yousef Abu Maria on his knees after occupation forces broke his arm, during the arrest

A large amount of sound grenades were also used. Around 20 of the heavy metal grenades were thrown, some directly at protesters causing superficial injuries. After forcing all protesters to move away from the fenced off complex, Israeli police then questioned and checked the ID’s of many of the activists.

Soldiers pepperspray Israeli activist (in blue shirt) after forcing him to the ground — Soldiers pepper spray Israeli activist (in blue shirt) after forcing him to the ground

The Palestinian group finished the protest with the promise to return and continue to use non-violent action to resist the expansion of illegal settlements that both annex Palestinian land illegally and are detrimental for the economy and existence of Palestinian communities. After an increase in Israeli military and police presence over the past two months around the Al Baraka building, the residents of Beit Ummar worry that, if occupied by settlers, the complex will lead to further disruption of the entire region.