International Solidarity Movement - Page 278 - Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.

Human rights defenders under live fire, one dead

20th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

The Israeli military just shot a Gazan man trying to reach his family, during an announced ceasefire. He was with a group of municipality workers and international human rights defenders who were attempting to retrieve injured people in the Shajiya neighbourhood.

The international activists and municipality workers are being fired at by the Israeli military. The young man who was killed can be seen in green t-shirt. — The international activists and municipality workers are being fired at by the Israeli military. The young man who was killed can be seen in a green t-shirt.

“We all just watched a man murdered in front of us. He was trying to reach his family in Shajiya, he had not heard from them and was worried about them. They shot him, and then continued to fire as he was on the ground. We had no choice but to retreat. We couldn’t reach him due to the artillery fire and then he stopped moving.” Stated Joe Catron, U.S. International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist in Gaza. “Shajiya is a smoking wasteland. We just passed two bombed out ambulances.”

The Israel military has also shelled Red Crescent ambulances as they attempted to retrieve injured people in the Shajiya neighbourhood, east of Gaza City. A ceasefire was announced, during which injured and dead people, could be evacuated from the area, in which at least 60 people have been killed today.

“They said we would be able to evacuate the injured from the disaster zone, but they have been shelling ambulances,” stated Dr Khalil Abu Foul of the Palestinian Red Crescent, speaking from Shajiya.

Now, the international volunteers, including some from the U.S., the UK, and Sweden, are in a rescue centre on the outskirts of Shajiya.

Israeli settlers attack Palestinian family in Hebron, injuring five people including a child

20th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

At midnight this evening in al-Khalil (Hebron), a large group of settlers from nearby illegal settlements, attacked the home of the Al-Sharabati family.

Some of the settlers were intoxicated as they forcefully attempted to enter the Palestinian home; Israeli soldiers nearby watched the incident and made no attempt at intervention. Other Palestinians arrived as the settlers succeeded in entering into the house.

The settlers threw stones inside their house and attacked the family. Eventually the Israeli military arrived, and their response to the settler violence was to throw tear gas grenades and spray pepper spray at the Palestinians.

A 12-year-old boy was hit by a stone and knocked unconscious; he was rushed to hospital in H1 [supposedly under full Palestinian Authority civil and security control].

Four more people from the ages of 15 to 55-years-old were injured. Four of the people, including the 12-year-old child, had to be carried through a checkpoint as the Palestinian ambulance was not allowed to enter the H2 [under full Israeli military civil and security control] area of al-Khalil.

After 30 minutes the Israeli military finally allowed one ambulance to pass through and drive away with one injured person.

The Israeli military detained one youth for two hours. For an hour and 30 minutes the solders prevented Palestinians and internationals from walking near the Al-Sharabati family home.

Some of the solders appeared to make jokes with each other, posing for cameras, and when a Palestinian asked a solder if he would arrest the settlers if they attacked him, the solder responded, “no.”

‘Jews Against Genocide’ hold memorials for killed Palestinian children in front of Israeli govt buildings around the world

19th July 2014 | Jews Against Genocide, posted here | Occupied Palestine

Jews Against Genocide (JAG) held a memorial service in front of the Knesset for Palestinian children killed by Israel in its current attack on Gaza. A pile of bloody dolls was placed at the Israeli Parliament and at other locations around the world. In addition to Jerusalem, memorials were held at the Israeli Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, in front of the Israeli Consulates and embassies in Madrid, San Francisco, Stockholm, and Copenhagen. Other memorials will be held in different locations around the world in the coming days. JAG set aflame to the pile of dolls covered in red paint at Yad Vashem, Israel’s holocaust memorial museum, on July 12th.

“Jews Against Genocide” protest outside the Knesset.

“Jews Against Genocide” protest in Copenhagen.

JAG spokesperson Miko Peled, an Israeli writer, human rights activist, and author of “The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine” stated, “At least 39 children have been killed, and the number continues to rise. I call on people of conscience around the world to support the Palestinian struggle and unite to call for an end to the apartheid regime in Palestine.”

JAG Member Ilan Pappe author of “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine,” Professor at the College of Social Sciences and International Studies in the United Kingdom, director of the university’s European Centre for Palestine Studies, and co-director of the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies wrote, “Cessation of the incremental genocide in Gaza and the restitution of the basic human and civil rights of Palestinians wherever they are, including the right of return, is the only way to open a new vista for a productive international intervention in the Middle East as a whole.”

“Jews Against Genocide” protest in Madrid.

JAG member, Nurit Peled-Elhanan, a professor at Hebrew University, the co-initiator of the Russel Tribunal on Palestine, and a Laureate of the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Human Rights stated, “The international community has not done enough to stop the Israeli regime of occupation… As a result, Israel does not pay any price for seriously violating international law and human values… We, the citizens of Israel and the stateless people of Palestine, cannot bring about the end of the occupation or stop the bloodbath by ourselves… We need you to prosecute the Israeli government and army, we need you to boycott Israeli economy and culture, we need you to urge your government to stop profiting from the occupation…”

“Jews Against Genocide” protest in Stockholm

“Jews Against Genocide” protest in San Francisco

El-Wafa hospital staff attempted to retrieve medicine

19th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement| Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Hospital staff and international activists, from the U.S., Sweden, and the UK, attempted to travel to the recently bombed el-Wafa hospital, in an attempt to retrieve salvageable medical supplies.

When they arrived at the hospital it was, “still smoking from the attack this morning.” Stated U.S. International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist, Joe Catron. The staff and activists were forced to retreat.

Charlie Andreasson, Swedish (ISM) activist, states, “We were waiting to get clearance from the Red Cross to go back to el-Wafa. This is urgent because without medicine, the patients cannot receive proper treatment, and coordination through the Red Cross has not been possible. ”

Previous attempts by the Red Crescent to enter the Shajaiya neighbourhood to retrieve wounded people from this area were met with live ammunition from the Israeli army. El-Wafa hospital is just outside of Shajaiya.

On July 17^th, the Israeli military fired rockets and shelled the hospital, forcing patients to be evacuated to Al Sahaba medical complex.

Basman Alashi, executive director of el-Wafa hospital told ISM, “Due to the emergency evacuation we were forced to move quickly, and had to leave behind important medication, supplies are now running low.”

The embassies of the international activists were informed by the ISM, and asked to do everything in their power to fulfil their responsibility to ensure that Israel respects international law and does not target this delegation of Palestinian and international human rights defenders.

The staff and internationals may try to retrieve supplies again, for now it was impossible.

Israeli forces shoot 20-year-old with live ammunition during Ni’lin demonstration

18th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah | Ni’lin, Occupied Palestine

Today at the weekly demonstration in the village of Ni’lin near Ramallah, the Israeli military shot live ammunition at protesters.

Youths from the village in a cloud of tear gas before one 20-year-old protester was shot with live ammunition (photo by ISM).

Palestinians, Israeli activists, and internationals marched through the olive groves belonging to the village, demanding their land back and freedom for all Palestinians, only to be met by a cloud of tear gas.

The group split up as people ran through the trees. The army continued shooting at different groups of people and soon changed their weapons to rubber-coated steel bullets. For ten minutes the army continued to shoot at Palestinians and internationals, as well as the clearly defined Red Crescent paramedics.

The Israeli military slowly moving closer to the crowd of demonstrators. The solders then changed their weapons and began shooting live ammunition at the crowd, shooting a 20-year-old Palestinian in his leg.

Villagers reported that the army has previously used this method to arrest Palestinians, where they shoot protesters in their feet, beat them, and arrest them. At the demonstration today the young man escaped with the help of Red Crescent paramedics.

A Palestinian Red Crescent medic aids the injured youth, while other protesters escspe the continued fire of rubber-coated steel bullets (photo by ISM).

The injured 20-year-old is carried up a hill after injury from the Israeli military (photo by ISM).

A Red Crescent paramedic attends to the injured youth (photo by ISM).

The army continued to shoot at the crowd with rubber-coated steel bullets as they ran away with the injured youth.

After the 20-year-old protester was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment, the demonstration continued with the military firing many more tear gas canisters at the groups of protesters.