In response to a call for solidarity from Gazan women, a Jewish activist group dubbed “Return” gathered to hold a memorial for Razan AlNajar, at the location of her village of origin, Salameh.
While thousands of women marched towards the border in the Saja’iya area in Gaza, the activists held a ceremony honoring Razan and the protesters shot dead by Israeli snipers. The activist called for the implementation of the right of return and hung photos of the slain protesters placing flowers and candles on a structure that proceeded the Zionist state.
The steering committee of the Great march of return published a call for people to commemorate the fallen protesters. Return has been organizing commemorations inside historical Palestine in locations including the Gaza border fence and the Israeli parliment. Other such memorials are taking place around the world.
The protestors changed Hertzel streets on the road between Salamah and Jaffa to Al-Awda street and Ben-Zvi street to Razan Al-Najar street.
“Razan did not see Salama, but she and all the refugees who are not present here physically are always present here with us, as a void an absence, something that is missing here until their inevitable return. ” stated one of the activists.
The 2nd of July 2018 is four years to the day since the kidnapping and murder of Mohammed Abu
Khdeir, a 16 year old Palestinian boy from Shu’fat in East Jerusalem. The shocking nature of his
murder and its context, occurring only 6 days before Israeli bombing campaigns in Gaza, make it a
painful memory for Palestinians.
Mohammed was waiting for friends to eat the pre-dawn meal in Ramadan and was outside his home
at 3.45 in the morning. He was dragged into a car by two or three settlers. He screamed “father, save
me!”. The four settlers who took part (two of whom were minors) then proceeded to beat
Mohammed, covered him in petrol and set him on fire while he was still alive. The autopsy confirmed he had inhaled the burning material confirming he was still alive when he was set on fire and that he suffered internal as well as external burns covering 90% of his body.
Relatives of Mohammed Abu Khdeir hold pictures of him outside his home in Jerusalem (photo: the Guardian)
While many in the Israeli government expressed condolences the violence against the boy’s family
was not yet at an end. His cousin Tariq, a US citizen, was beaten and arrested by police in east
Jerusalem only a few days later. He recalled “they hit me, and they kept hitting me and then I fell
asleep and then I woke up in the hospital.” The police said there he had been involved in violence
but journalists noted that there was no mention of this accusation at the court hearing. He was 15 at
the time.
While the killers were eventually sentenced (although the minors may be released in under 15 years)
the horrific incident must not be viewed as an isolated outbreak. Instead it should be located within
a collection of sentiments coming from the settler community, the military, the media and the
government of Israel. The inevitable result is terrorism against Palestinians. From Mohammed’s killer
Ben-David to the settlers who spat at the Abu Khdeir family when they arrived in court, to even the
Israeli government, the Palestinians and their children are “little snakes” and “Wild Beasts” and
legitimate targets for violence. At 16 Mohammed Abu Khdeir was training to be an electrician.
29th June 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Burin, occupied Nablus
Burin is a small village located seven kilometres to the southwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, and is home to around 3000 people. The village is surrounded by multiple illegal Israeli settlements, and is subjected to constant violent settler attacks and raids by Israeli forces.
For the past nine years, the village has been hosting an annual kite festival for its residents and their friends and families. The festival is one of the biggest yearly events in the village and is looked forward to by children and adults alike.
Residents of Burin gather on top of the hill outside the village to fly their kites (photo: ISM)
With burning kites being flown by demonstrators from Gaza into Israel as part of the Great Return March, this years display in Burin was particularly poignant. The Great Return March has been protesting the 11 year siege of the strip by Israel.
International Solidarity Movement activists spoke to 21 year old Yasmeen Mustafa Waleed Najjar, the first Arab amputee to climb the highest peak in Africa and one of the organisers of the festival, about what the annual celebration means to the local community.
21 year old Yasmeen Mustafa Waleed Najjar, one of the organisers of the festival (photo: ISM)
“Our village is surrounded by settlements from all angles, as you can see. We fly our kites every year to prove that this is our land. Even if we can’t go there ourselves, our kites fly over the invisible borders and reach what we cannot. We have been organising this festival for nine years, to resist the occupation and show Israel that we are strong inside and out. We can still have fun days in the mountains under their occupation, with music, food and games, bringing joy to our children.
Palestinians fly home made kites at the festival (photo: ISM)
“The idea started as a form of peaceful resistance. Zionist settlers and occupation forces regularly come inside my village to attack us or cause problems. Settlers killed one of my classmates when I was at school, and they come into our houses at night – I remember many times that they entered my house when my family was asleep. They also kill our animals and do a lot of terrible things.
“There is a checkpoint near the village school that my brother and sister study at. The settlers entered the school, protected by soldiers, pushing the students into the classrooms and locking the doors. The occupation has put up watchtowers and fences in close proximity to the school. I remember my younger brother telling me one day, ‘I don’t want to go to school anymore because they always come. I don’t want to go.’
A young girl watches a kite as her father looks on (photo: ISM)
“The village comes together to organise the kite festival to make joy for the children and have fun all together. We stand in solidarity with our community and the Palestinians everywhere who live under this occupation. I volunteer with many organisations, and we do everything to support our people and show the world what is happening here. We are showing the beauty of Palestine to the hearts of others, regardless of the occupation. We invite people from all around, including national groups from my university.
“All the boys in the village make their kites together in the week before the festival. It’s a skill that’s passed down through the generations – their older brothers teach them, and when they are older they teach their younger brothers. It’s become a really easy thing for our kids, and a fun activity to do together and a way to enjoy time with friends and family. It’s a game all of us play – everyone can fly a kite here.
Women watch the festivities from the top of the hill (photo: ISM)
“I was young when the festival started. I remember one year, lots of solders came when we started flying kites on the mountain. They stopped the festival and sent us all back home. We waited for an hour, then all came back and continued to fly our kites! I came with my brothers and sisters and we flew a kite that we had made. It was amazing.
“I can’t remember exactly when I started to get involved with arranging the festival. It was a long time ago. From the age of 11 or 12, the children of our community participate in everything that can bring positivity to our village.”
23rd June 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
‘Aref Jaber lives in the Jaber neighbourhood in the H2 area of occupied Hebron, under Israeli control. He is a local activist and works with Human Rights Defenders filming and publicising the violations of international law committed by Israeli forces in his city.
On June 2nd, ‘Aref witnessed and filmed the murder of Rami Sabarneh, a 37 year old construction worker and a father of three, by Israeli forces just outside his house. The Israeli army said in a statement that Sabarneh had attempted to ram his vehicle into Israeli forces.
Straight after the murder, a commander who had been part of the group that killed Sabarneh, along with seven other soldiers who were present, confronted ‘Aref, telling him to delete the video and pointing their rifles at him. When he refused, the commander violently assaulted him whilst saying, “you recorded the soldier who shot the terrorist. If you continue recording or taking photos of the army, I will put a bullet in your head. Do you understand me?”
Soon after, a group of Israeli intelligence officers came to speak with ‘Aref, trying to intimidate him into changing his statement to say that Sabarneh had been under the influence of alcohol when he was shot. ‘Aref refused. That night, his home was violently raided by Israeli forces, ending in both ‘Aref and his wife being rushed to hospital after being physically assaulted.
‘Aref in hospital after he was attacked by Israeli forces (photo: Human Rights Defenders)
Before Sabarneh’s murder, the Jaber family home had recently been raided, in an attempt to threaten ‘Aref to stop his non-violent activism work. Israeli forces threw sound grenades inside the house, and the family were forced to replace the windows and doors. ‘Aref and his wife have five children, some of whom are very young.
On the 23rd of June in the early hours of the morning, ‘Arefs family home was raided yet again. Later that morning, ‘Aref told International Solidarity Movement activists about the experience and the affects on him and his family. (Aref’s statement was translated for ISM by Badee Dwaik, another local activist and member of Human Rights Defenders).
“At a little past 2.30am, I was woken by a knock at the door, so I went to see who it was. Suddenly, around twenty five heavily-armed soldiers pushed inside without explaining the reason for their invasion or giving me and my family time to get dressed. They immediately separated us into different rooms, and the commander told me to wake up one of my younger sons, who was sleeping on the sofa in the living room. They then told me to wake up the remaining members of my family who were still asleep.
“The soldiers then forced us into the living room whilst they collected all of our cameras and phones. They kept them hidden for the whole time they were present, making it impossible to call for help or document the raid. Luckily, they didn’t take them when they left. After this, the soldiers began ‘searching’ my home room by room, turning furniture upside down, destroying several parts in the process, and throwing out clothes from cupboards.
“Dozens of Israeli soldiers storm the house of the activist of the group of human rights defenders, Aref Jaber, at one o’clock in the morning. They search the house and damage some of his furniture. They raise an atmosphere of terror among the children and the entire family.” – Human Rights Defenders
“It was obvious that they weren’t searching for anything – they were just trying to make a mess and ruin parts of our home. It’s a form of collective punishment against me, my family and other activists for filming the soldiers.
“When the Israeli forces left my home, they blindfolded and handcuffed my 16 year old son Baraa, and took him with them. I asked why they were kidnapping my son, but the commander just answered, “you will know later”. Then they left, and we had no idea where they were taking Baraa.
“Later this morning an investigator called. He disclosed no information about the reason for my son’s abduction, his wellbeing or his whereabouts. Instead, he told me, “if you want your son to be free, you must pay a thousand shekel.” [Read more about child arrests and bail here.]
“I don’t have this kind of money at the moment. Two of my sons are getting married in mid July so most of our income is going towards preparing for the weddings. We managed to borrow the money from friends and family, and my son was released earlier today.
“When Baraa arrived home, he told me that he was beaten, humiliated and taken from place to place whilst still blindfolded and handcuffed during the 10 or 11 hour period he was away from us. They never took him to a specific place, just dragged him around throughout the night as part of their torturing policy.”
This was the seventeenth time that Baraa had been arrested by Israeli forces, the first time being when he was just eight years old, and ‘Aref says that most of his children have been arrested at least once. His wife also spent four nights in jail for filming the soldiers.
Recently, he has been working on making two apartments for his sons who are getting married and their new families, but Israeli forces came to stop the work for months at a time.
A representative from the UN high commission visited ‘Aref after the raid to discuss the possibility of putting CCTV cameras around his house, and have said that they will support him. ‘Aref told International Solidarity Movement activists, “the raids and attacks are about putting pressure on me and my family to stop us filming the occupation. This is not random work. Usually when these attacks happens it’s not just soldiers, but commanders in higher positions. They are ‘warning’ us to stop our work with the camera.
“Without the support of the international and local communities we won’t be able to continue this work. I accept the worst is to yet to come, and can still happen. I’m scared they will do something before or during my children’s weddings.”
‘Aref in his home in the Jaber neighborhood of occupied Hebron (photo: ISM)
In the early hours of the 23rd June, the houses of Mohammed Jabari and Behaa Jabari were also violently raided.
“The occupation army storms the house of Mohammed Jabari, the secretary of the old town of Fatah movement, and destroys the contents of the house.” – Human Rights Defenders
Sign the petition calling on the Knesset to oppose the law criminalizing the documentation of soldiers here.
26th June 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Khan al Ahmar, occupied Palestine
The Jahalin tribe of Khan al Ahmar were forcibly relocated by Israel from the Negev Desert in 1951. The village’s current site in Palestine is located between the illegal Israeli settlements of Ma’ale Adumim and Kfar Adumim.
Israel wants to forcibly remove the community again to clear land for more illegal settlements.
The whole world is watching. Join us in solidarity at the Tyre School and watch the World Cup, no matter which team you support.
