The Palestinian village of Kafr Qaddum is located 13 kilometres west of Nablus and has a population of roughly 4300 citizens. Eleven thousand dunams of the village’s land (roughly 52% of the total area) are part of area C, under full control of the Israeli Occupation Forces. Saqerobeed, the former mayor of the village told ISM that, for the residents of Kafr Qaddum, this means being banned from accessing the land where their olive trees are planted. Olives are the main source of employment for the locals.
Saqerobeed, who served as the mayor of the city for six years, told us:
The army gives us permission to reach this land only twice a year; one week during olive harvest season and two other days during the year to take care of the land, which is not enough”. He also explained how settlers often go to these Palestinian lands and destroy the olive trees or impede the harvesting of these.
Other than being denied access to their land, Palestinians in Kafr Qaddum have been banned from using the main road of the village since 2003, one which easily connects it to Nablus. This is because of the presence of a settlement, which was built by the extreme right-wing Zionist group Gush Emunim in 1975 and has been enlarging ever since.
Reaching Nablus used to take only 15 minutes by car, but the trip now takes at least 40 minutes due to this permanent roadblock.
Soldiers shoot at demonstrators in Kafr Qaddum
After bringing this issue to an Israeli court multiple times throughout the years with no result, the citizens of Kafr Qaddum began organising weekly demonstrations in 2011, taking place every Friday.
For the past 12 years, the Israeli Occupation Forces have violently repressed these protests by shooting tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, and live ammunition. On the 12th of August, a 15-year-old boy lost an eye after being shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet. A week after, seven more Palestinians were hit with the same ammunition, one of which led to hospitalisation. The number of people suffering from suffocation due to tear gas reaches the dozens every week, and this includes many children.
During the demonstration of the 1st of September, for instance, the IOF arrived to shoot tear gas canisters outside of a shop where people were sitting while drinking coffee, forcing them to run away immediately. Moreover, 175 people have been arrested for attending these demonstrations, leading the villagers to pay more than half a million shekels of bail-out money over the years. It is also routine for the IOF to place one or two snipers in an abandoned building adjacent to the site of the demonstration.
Demonstrators in Kafr Qaddum
Four attempts at negotiations with the IOF have taken place, the last one in 2014. The community offered to halt the weekly demonstrations if the road was re-opened. During his time as mayor, Saqerobeed participated in these and recounted how, during the last negotiations, they had come close to reaching the goal of re-opening the street. Even though an agreement had been made and the demonstrations were due to be halted, the IOF still refused to open the road.
When asked about the steadfastness with which the villagers attend this demonstration, the ex-mayor said:
We believe in this form of protesting because there is no one helping us from outside. If we ask for help to NGOs and human rights organisations, or other countries, no one will do anything so we do it alone. We will continue even if we lose people to jail, we all pay the price of this, because the alternative is to accept the way things are right now, which is impossible for us.
Residents of Tulkarm – and in particular the Nur Shams refugee camp – woke up to a sad morning on Tuesday 5th of September.
Destroyed buildings in Nur Shams
Dozens of military vehicles, troop carriers, and three Caterpillar D9 military bulldozers accompanied by an Israeli police vehicle stormed the Nur Shams refugee camp – east of Tulkarem City at 3:00 AM.
According to residents of the camp, power lines, water pipes and communication lines were cut off from the first hours of the invasion. The attack continued for almost four hours.
There were also violent clashes between Palestinian resistance fighters in the camp and the Israeli occupation forces that lasted for almost four continuous hours.
Confrontations also broke on most of the main roads leading to the camp. Palestinian youths confronted the occupation forces and military vehicles, and the Israeli occupation forces fired live bullets directly and indiscriminately. Stun grenades and gas were fired at the Palestinian demonstrators.
The Israeli occupation forces completely destroyed five shops, three inside and two outside the camp.
Dozens of Palestinian houses and dozens of cars were damaged inside the camp, and the windows of the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Mosque, the main and largest mosque in the camp, were shot at.
Destruction in Nur Shams
The main street leading to the camp and the main streets of the city were completely destroyed.
Ayed Abu Harb, 21, the eldest of his brothers, and a resident of the camp, was shot in the head while on one of the roofs of the camp’s houses. He was martyred.
Iyad Mustafa Abu al-Rab was shot directly in the head and wounded. Iyad is 37 years old, married and the father of two children. Eyewitnesses said that he was not doing anything, he had witnessed the invasion that took place in the camp and was standing and watching, but the Israeli occupation does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
Iyad Abu al-Rab is now lying wounded in Ibn Sina Hospital in the Jenin city for treatment.
The Israeli occupation forces also prevented medical personnel from reaching the camp to treat and transport the injured, and the medical relief staff and ambulance crews were attacked when they were outside the camp.
The residents of Nur Shams refugee camp, children, women and men, lived in a state of terror that lasted for four continuous hours. The sounds of bullets and explosions continued until the Israeli occupation withdrew from the camp at approximately 7:15 AM.
Palestinian and international activists and officials condemned what happened and what the occupation did in Nur Shams camp. They blamed the Israeli occupation and said that it was the occupation that started the attack against civilians in the camp.
Funeral of Ayed Abu HarbMourning in Nur Shams
The people of the camp mourned the young martyr Ayed Abu Harb, and took him to his final resting place. His family took a last farewell look at him. Meanwhile, the occupation forces continue to kill
Palestinians, and the occupation does not differentiate between anyone.
The people of the camp expressed their anger and steadfastness in the face of the occupation despite everything they are subjected. One resident said: “We continue to resist the unjust and deadly occupation. Our weapons are a legitimate right to defend ourselves, our homes and our land.”
As the olive harvest season approaches (starting in October until mid/late November), the International Solidarity Movement is calling all activists and supporters to join us on the ground in Palestine.
While this is a period when Palestinian families get together in the field and celebrate harvesting, it is also a time of increased violence and harassment by illegal Israeli settlers and Israeli soldiers. Palestinian olive trees are often close to settlements or inside Israeli “military areas”.
There will be therefore a strong need for volunteers to join the harvesters and form a protective presence. International volunteers are being called for by Palestinian communities, so there will be a strong welcome too.
Here is a quote from of volunteers who have been in Palestine with ISM during summer 2023:
“While here, we’ve been proud to be part of the International Solidarity Movement, and to uphold the 20 years history of internationals following Palestinian leadership and supporting the struggle using non-violence. ISM in the past had up to 100 volunteers on the ground, spread across many different areas. During Covid, numbers dropped off entirely, and since then have remained low. Having a larger group of us here over the summer has enabled us not only to provide protective presence and support in Masafer Yatta, but also to reconnect with and establish contacts, and work on building structural capacity both in the ISM presence within Palestine, and the international support groups.”
This journal contains some more early summer 2023 updates from ISM voluteers.
You can find more info on joining us here. For the olive harvest, we encourage you to plan your trip to attend training at the start of October, or start of November. However, whether you are ready to book flights, or if you are in the earlier stages of considering travelling in the next weeks or months, please email at ISMtraining[at]riseup.net.
Archbishop Atallah Hanna in front of the separation wall, Jerusalem. Via MEE/Micheala Whitton
On Wednesday, August 23, ISM volunteers met with Archbishop of Sebastia, Atallah Hanna, to discuss solidarity with the Palestinian struggle and the conditions of Palestinian Christians under the occupation. The Archbishop is an outspoken critic of the occupation and has been arrested in the past and had his passports seized by the IOF for his work. During our meeting with him, he answered the following questions.
What are the conditions for Christian Palestinians under the occupation?
The situation of Christians in Jerusalem and in Palestine generally does not differ from that of the rest of the Palestinian population. Christian Palestinians are both Christian and Palestinian; they suffer just like the rest of our Palestinian population. In fact, the occupation, with its injustice, oppression, and its targeting of the children of our Palestinian people, does not distinguish between a Palestinian Christian and a Palestinian Muslim. We all suffer from the occupation and its practices. The occupation targets us all, yet in the face of it, we remain steadfast as we hold onto our homeland. We are true defenders of the justice of our cause. I would like to take advantage of this occasion to salute all those in solidarity and all our friends who have come from different parts of the world to express their solidarity and support for the Palestinian people. Thank you.
What is your view on religious unity in the Palestinian resistance?
Christian and Muslim Palestinians are one people fighting for the same cause. We respect all religions, cultures, and peoples. We do not harbor hatred for Jews, and we are not enemies of Judaism. Instead, we reject Zionism and racism. We respect all monotheistic religions and all humans, regardless of their religion or cultural background. I believe that the force that must unite us is our love for Palestine and our fight for its liberation. The Palestinian issue/cause is not just for Palestinians; it is a cause for all free people in the world, regardless of their cultures, backgrounds, religions, or ethnicities. We reject religious fanaticism, we reject hatred, and we demand dedication to cultural diversity, forgiveness, and the acceptance of pluralism so that we are all united in our defense of Palestine.
What can internationals do to support the Palestinian cause?
I believe that your presence in Palestine [ISM] is a message in itself—a message of solidarity that affirms the justice of the Palestinian cause. Of course, we appreciate your efforts and your volunteering. It is essential that upon your return to your countries, you carry the message of the Palestinian people to your own communities. What we desire are friends from around the world, people who understand the justice in our cause. We hope that you can become ambassadors for Palestinians in your countries and the nations to which you belong.
The family of Maher Al-Akhras, who is on hunger strike in Israeli prison. Credit: Diana Khwaelid
“I will go on a hunger strike until I get freedom or martyrdom.”
This is what the prisoner Maher Al-Akhras (52), from the village of Hajjah, Jenin district, said after the Israeli occupation forces raided his house and arrested him without charges last Thursday night, August 24.
The prisoner Maher works as a farmer. He owns a farm with cows and takes care of his family of 6 children, the youngest of whom is his daughter Toqa, who is 9 years old. He is a man who loves his family, supports the families of prisoners and martyrs and is always present for help and solidarity.
He is considered one of the most famous prisoners who went on an open hunger strike in order to get freedom. He is a former prisoner, and the Israeli occupying forces have not brought clear charges against him.
Credit: Diana Khwaelid
Maher suffers from a difficult health situation, and his wife said that she feels afraid for her husband, since he suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes, and recently underwent surgery. The lawyer also said that he is in pain and does not feel well. Maher refuses to take any medication from the Israeli prison administration and to get treatment, because he was arrested without charge and wrongfully. He is one of dozens of prisoners who were arrested without a clear charge, and are held under administrative detention in Israeli jail. This is one of the ways through which the occupation imposes its control on the Palestinian people.
His daughter Toqa added that she worries for her father, and she stressed that the occupation is unjust and brutal and that she misses him very much. Like any child in the world, she has the right to live with her father in peace.
Her mum assured her that Maher is a strong person and believes in his just cause, that his will will not be broken, that the Lord is taking care of him, and she hopes that he will be released.
Maher’s mother, who is 74 years old, said that she misses her son, and she is worried for him because of his health, and prays for him day and night, until he comes out safely. She believes that the occupation’s racist practices will not continue, and that the occupation will disappear.
Maher, who has been on hunger strike for 6 days, is sacrificing his life and health in order to demand his freedom, to tell the occupation that the Palestinian people have the right to live in freedom and peace.
