International Solidarity Movement - Page 392 - Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.

Village of Azmut organises first demonstration against the Israeli occupation and land theft – settler road blocked successfully

10th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Azmut, Occupied Palestine

By Team Nablus

On Friday 10th of May, around 60 people from the village of Azmut, near Nablus, supported by 6 international activists, demonstrated against the Israeli occupation and systematic land theft by illegal settlements. The action was successful, but the residents continue to suffer heavily the effects of Israeli policy in the West Bank.

Demonstrators walking towards stolen Azmut land

The demonstration started from Khirbat al-Aqrabaniya, a village situated at the base of the hill where the settlement of Elon Moreh was illegally established in 1980. The protesters walked for about one hour over the hill to reach a big plane of land (around 500 dunums), which was recently stolen in a land-grab by the settlers of Elon Moreh. After the community of Azmut gathered for Friday prayer, Palestinian flags were placed on the land that the villagers have been working for centuries.

After this, the demonstration moved to the road that was lately built up by the settlers to reach the land that they have taken from Azmut. The protesters blocked the road with large rocks in order to prevent settler’s tractors and cars entering the land. Israeli soldiers and settlers were unaware of the surprise action and were not present in the area during the demonstration.

View of Elon Moreh settlement from Azmut village

The village of Azmut has faced many problems since the start of the Israeli occupation, and their situation was aggravated by the illegal construction of Elon Moreh – stealing over 50% of the village land. The settlement was further expanded four months ago, stealing even more land. As well as this land grab, the farmers of the village are weekly harassed and attacked by the settlers, especially during the olive harvest.

Within the last months settlers have cut down olive trees and attacked houses with rocks, terrorising their inhabitants. Israeli occupation force’s incursions are also part of the daily life of the village. Every week Israeli soldiers come into the village, either for inspections or to arrest people. In the last two months 7 people have been arrested and 5 of them are still in jail in “administrative detention”, without any charge or trial.

The residents of Azmut are struggling for justice and their legitimate right to work their land, and they will not give up protesting until this situation changes. The Israeli land appropriation policy, the settler’s violence and arbitrary arrests by Israeli soldiers are an obstacle to peace and therefore must stop immediately.

Palestinian flag placed on Palestinian land recently annexed by Elon Moreh

Protest against new road block in the village of Al Walaja

11th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Al Walaja, Occupied Palestine

By Team Khalil

Red Crescent medics treat people attacked with pepper spray

On Friday 10th May, Palestinians from the village of Al Walaja protested against a new road block, placed by the Israeli army in one of the two roads giving them access to Bethlehem. The iron barrier that was placed earlier this week, is part of a plan to annex land that belongs to Al Walaja and expand the illegal Israeli settlements of Gilo and Har Gilo.

After the Friday prayer at the mosque, Palestinians marched to the barrier with the intent to cross it and reach on foot their land that is now being cut off by the road. They were prevented by the Israeli army, who violently pushed protesters away. Soon after Palestinians had reached the barrier the Israeli army started throwing sound bombs and tear gas amid the crowd which included children.

Soldiers attempting to arrest young man trying to access his land

Israeli soldiers also used pepper spray on protesters, two of whom had to be removed by medics and transferred to the yard of a neighboring house to receive medical care. The Israeli army followed them to the entrance of the house and threw a sound bomb in their direction. The army also tried to arrest a minor who managed to get away by the intervention of many of the protesters who ran to his aid.

Al Walaja is located between the Green line and the Israeli annexation wall, which effectively surrounds its land. Palestinians of Al Walaja were already displaced during the Nakba in 1948 and the annexation of Jerusalem and many of them are still living in refugee camps in the Bethlehem region. Of those that returned to rebuilt Al Walaja where it stands today, many have faced house demolitions.

Tear gas fired at peaceful demonstrators

Resistance still strong in Nabi Saleh – video and photo essay

11th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

By Team Khalil

Resistance to occupation stays strong in Nabi Saleh – Friday 10th May saw confrontation between peaceful protesters and soldiers and Israeli military incursion into the village, sparking fires from excessive firing of tear gas.

Women lead the demonstration 10th May Friday demonstration at Nabi Saleh, shouting slogans against the occupation and land theft by the illegal settlement of Halamish. In the last few days, settlers threw stones at Palestinian cars on the road below the settlement.

One of the demonstration leaders, Neriman Tamimi, was hit twice with sound grenades thrown at close range whilst asking soldiers to leave her land. She required medical attention. Large amounts of tear gas and sound grenades were used during the demonstration and skunk water was fired directly onto houses and in residential areas.

Palestinian protester states “they’re shooting inside the village at civilians who don’t have any weapons” – a heavily armed and armoured soldier responds, “They throw stones, stones can kill”. No soldiers have been killed or seriously injured at Nabi Saleh, whereas hundreds of peaceful protesters have been injured and there have been two deaths in recent years – Mustafa and Rushdi Tamimi. Shortly after this is explained to soldiers, they throw tearas and sound grenades at the group of women who did nothing but speak to them.

Photographer and journalist Bilal Tamimi being attacked by the Israeli military – he was also shot with a tear gas canister, requiring medical attention. Four people were injured during the demonstration, including one Red Crescent medic.

Several fires were set in dry grass by tear gas canisters fired by Israeli military – two fire engines were required to put them out. Soldiers eventually left the village having invaded for several hours.

Residents of Deir Jreer and Silwad resist occupation and settlement expansion

10th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Deir Jreer and Silwad , Occupied Palestine

By Team Ramallah

At around 9 am today, 150 Palestinians, accompanied by International activists, went to Deir Jreer lands to construct a new road so that local farmers could reach their lands more easily. Two bulldozers flattened the path from the nearest road to the lands located near an illegal Israeli outpost. Israeli military personnel maintained a presence on a facing hilltop but did not intervene. In addition to constructing a new road ‘ the villagers wanted to protest the confiscation of their privately owned land by Israeli settlements and military.

A new road is constructed by the residents of Der Jrier — A new road is constructed by the residents of Der Jreer

In the nearby village of Silwad, approximately one hundred Palestinians, joined by a handful of Israeli and international activists, also demonstrated against land confiscation and settler violence. After midday prayers, demonstrators walked along the main road towards the entrance of their village where Israeli forces were located. Clashes soon erupted; Palestinian protesters threw stones and Israeli forces shot excessive amounts of tear gas canisters, some stun grenades and rubber coated steel bullets at people. The confrontations lasted until around 15.30.

In the past few weeks, the villages of Silwad and Deir Jreer have faced an increase in violence from the settlers of Ofra settlement , the nearby outpost and the Israeli military. Settlers established a new outpost on the top of a hill but Palestinians dismantled it after a Silwad villager was severely attacked by settlers. The village of Deir Jarir was also raided by settlers who set fire to ten of the resident’s cars.

Qabalan and Talfit show their lives under occupation

9th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Talfit and Qalaban, Occupied Palestine

Israeli occupation has created different problems for Talfit and Qabalan. Talfit is proud of its history and wants to protect it from Israeli army night incursion that seeks to appropriate it, as Qalaban struggles to provide water to its population.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Old olive presser in Talfit

Talfit is a village situated south of Nablus, in a valley rich with olive fields. A village proud of its history, especially for its role in the resistance during the 1st and 2nd Intifadas. This resistance resulted in the village being collectively punished with arrests and house demolitions, including the house of a present member of the village council who witnessed those importance struggles of resistance.

In the last months, weekly night incursions by Israeli occupation forces took place in Talfit, provoking concerns from the inhabitants. During these incursions the soldiers have been very interested in the old buildings of Talfit. Antiques such as jars and ploughs have been taken from the village by the army. Larger structures such as old buildings containing milestones and olive presses are photographed by the soldiers during these incursions where they have also been known to write Hebrew and draw the Star of David on the walls and doors of the buildings.

These incursions are of concern for the villagers who worry that their purpose is to try and appropriate their history, which could lead to future problems. Israel has in the past used the appropriation of Palestinian history and culture as a pretext to change the continuity of the history of the Palestine people and the land. A similar strategy was used in Susyia where villagers were expelled and their homes demolished due to the discovery by Zionist archaeologists of an old synagogue, not recognising the villager’s history predating the synagogue and after.

Qabalan, a village near to Talfit, is not unique in the West Bank for the problems of water shortages it faces as a result of the Israeli occupation though Qabalan seems to suffer more than most. According to the World Health Organisation, one person needs an average of 100 litres a day, but according to Qabalan’s village council, their residents receive less than half this amount with an average of 44 litres per person a day. The average consumption of water per person per day by Israel and their settlements is 242 litres. (See infographic by Visualising Palestine and Ewash here.)

The water shortage in Qabalan is a result of this high demand by Israel and its nearby settlements of Rechalim, Shilo and Eli, situated on the mountain overlooking Qabalan. Since the occupation of the West Bank in 1967, Israel controls the water delivering Palestinian water to Palestinians at a higher price than to Israeli settlers and citizens. This is also true of electricity and gas. A large part of Qalaban land is on area C, which Israel is supposed to administer for the good of all people living there, however it has issued demolition orders for 9 houses putting families at risk of being homeless.

Three months ago, settlers from Rechalim attacked the population of Qabalan, burning land, cutting down around 200 olive trees and destroying cars. Furthermore, during the period of the olive harvest, which is of large importance to the people of Qabalan, settlers attacked the people harvesting their olives on land near the settlements. Arrests of Qabalan residents also occur – In May 2013 an 18 year old from Qabalan was arrested and put under administrative detention for several days – held without charges or trial.

The problems created by the occupation that affects the villages and all of Palestine are a direct obstacle to peace. A council member from Talfit summed up the situation saying that “Israel is like a person trying to carry two melons, land and peace. They can either have the land, or the peace, not both.”