3nd March 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, al Khalil team | Occupied Palestine
Israeli soldiers invaded Bab-al-Zawiye today as young people protested the illegal occupation of Palestine. The soldiers used cameras with zoom lenses to photograph the protesters for well over an hour. Israel controls the population register of all Palestinians with a restrictive system of IDs. Protestors that are identified can be arrested from their homes at any time.
Later soldiers pursued youth through the narrow alleyways and streets of the downtown neighborhood exploding stun grenades and firing tear gas. Families with young children live in apartments in the neighborhood where clouds of tear gas frequently fill the streets. A large amount of tear gas was fired right outside an open vegetable shop, affecting their business and causing shop owners harm.
Two young people working in a shop were randomly apprehended by the soldiers when they failed to capture any of the youth protesting. Hassan abu Gezele, aged 16, and Baja abu Haluwe, aged 15, were forced into an army jeep with excessive force and driven away.
The arrests of these two boys speak volumes to the careless criminalization of youth in occupied Palestine by Israeli forces. Unfortunately, their cases are not rare and teenage boys are used to such criminal treatment on the streets of al Khalil/Hebron.
Israeli soldiers close checkpoint 56 leading to the neighborhood of Tel Rumeida for an hour this morning, restricting the freedom of movement even further for Palestinian residents. Israeli settlers were celebrating the jewish holiday Purim as they paraded down Al Shuhada street and gathered outside Al Ibrahimi mosque playing loud music and drinking alcohol. Shop owners had to close due to the fear of violence from the settlers.
Palestinians wait as checkpoint remains closed, children sneak through the exit gate and play games.
Palestinians could not reach their own homes; checkpoint 56 stayed closed long after the parade had passed. A mother was separated from her child who had passed through the checkpoint on his own before its closure. Checkpoint 55 also closed today for 45 minutes just down the road for the same reason.
An Israeli soldier told us the checkpoints were on lockdown for ‘security reasons’. When questioned further the soldier stated, “Orders come from above I cannot do anything.” When pressed about the morality of stopping Palestinian adults and children from their homes the soldier stated, “I’m just following orders, if you ask me again in two years after my service is over I will tell you something else.”
This is the second time this week that Israeli forces have locked down checkpoints for prolonged periods of time in the immediate area. The last time this happened was thanks to a visit by the Israeli defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, on his way to the illegal settlements in and around Al Khalil, Hebron. Checkpoint closures are common in H2, Palestinians are unfortunately used to the constant inconvenience of the oppressive Israeli occupation.
28th February 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, al Khalil team | Occupied Palestine
This morning, armed Israeli Border Police entered Salaymeh neighborhood in Al Khalil, Hebron. They advanced towards the schools and shot one tear gas canister and one stun grenade at school children at 7:45 am. This happened after a single border police provoked the children by kneeling down and pointing her weapon directly at them. International activists also witnessed two bag checks performed on minors, boys no older than 13, an action completely illegal according to international law.
Border Police recede after firing tear gas and stun grenade at students
Also this morning, Israeli forces also fired two tear gas canisters from a roof top beside the Ziad Al Jaber school in the Jaber neighborhood at school children. As a result many children suffered from tear gas inhalation and one child was hospitalized. The teachers rushed to children’s aid, while Israeli forces also prevented a psychology teacher from entering the school.
Palestinian child gets treated for bad tear gas inhalation
After the tear gas was fired, an army jeep was positioned outside of the school Israeli forces were stopping people at random and performing ID checks. The teachers remained weary as the children recovered throughout their lessons.
Teachers rush to students’ aid after inhaling tear gas this morning
Tear gas was also fired at school children in the Queitun neighborhood this morning. Today was a busy day for the Israeli armed forces. Palestinians approach this weekend’s jewish celebration of Purim with caution. Only Wednesday and tension and violence seems to be escalating before and after school hours.
Children that grow up under military occupation are unfortunately accustomed to this kind of treatment on their way to and from school, all of them hoping to avoid hospitalization and someday see a free Palestine.
21st February 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, al Khalil team | Occupied Palestine
Yesterday a Palestinian shop owner, age 24, was arrested for selling bracelets to passersby outside Ibrahimi Mosque checkpoint.
The mosque checkpoint was bustling with young men selling bracelets and key chains to tourists as border police singled out one to detain and later arrest. The young Palestinian owns a shop close to the checkpoint; border police detained him for two hours before sending him to the police station for three hours. Eventually, he paid 500 NIS to be released and has returned to his shop today.
In addition to paying bail, he has to attend a court hearing in six months at Ofar, a military prison in Ramallah. When asked, he is completely dumbfounded as to why he must attend a court hearing in several months. He is also anxious about not receiving a receipt for his large bail, worrying the border police could charge him again.
The shop owner says his experience is far from rare in al Khalil, as the oppressive Israeli occupation has normalized unsolicited arrests of young men and boys. His cousin chimes in saying, “Being in jail inside or being in jail outside, it is the same.”
This man’s arrest coincided with a 14-year-old boy’s arrest on the same day for allegedly throwing a rock at a surveillance camera, and two 13-year-old boys’ arrest a few days prior for being attacked and provoked by settler children. All of them have since been released, however, they all remain weary towards police and settlers as the occupation continues.
International Solidarity Movement Al Khalil/Hebron Team 16/02/2018
Today a demonstration was organized by Human Rights Defenders and Hebron Defense Committee under the umbrella name Dismantle the Ghetto. Around 300 Palestinians prayed inside and outside the mosque and shortly after prayers they marched from the mosque to Bab Al Baladia which was once a Palestinian gold market before the settlers and occupation forces shut it down and forced Palestinians out. Israeli forces immediately came through the gates of the illegal settlement at Bab Al Baladia and proceeded to throw many stun grenades and fired tear gas down the street at those who were demonstrating peacefully for their basic human rights.
Video of the march to Bab Al Baladia:
Palestinian vehicles were stopped at gunpoint by the Israeli army and car keys were taken as drivers were forbidden from continuing down Shalala street. Palestinians on foot were made to stop in the middle of the road at gunpoint lifting the top parts of their clothing, their ID’s were also checked before being allowed to walk past.
A Palestinian pedestrian made to lift Tshirt by the Israeli army
Clashes then followed immediately after at Bab Azawiyeh. Israeli forces entered H1 area from checkpoint 56 under Palestinian control pointing their guns at Palestinians on foot and at vehicles before firing even more tear gas. Clashes went on between Palestinian youth and armed Israeli forces for around three hours, Israeli snipers were positioned on adjacent rooftops.
Video of clashes in Bab Azawiyeh:
The heart and economic center of Al Khalil/Hebron, Al shuhada street was once a major part of the Palestinian market which was closed in 1994 after a settler called Baruch Goldstein from a nearby illegal settlement opened fire inside the Ibrahimi Mosque killing 29 Palestinians and injuring over 100. Israeli occupation forces imposed draconian rules and apartheid orders on the Palestinian population as collective punishment instead of punishing the settlers. As a result of this, many shops were forced to close and these unjustified orders still exist today. This is why Al Khalil, Hebron is known as the ghost town. Palestinians are forbidden from walking down or driving down their own street and those Palestinians who refuse to leave cannot even open their front doors onto Shuhada street, as the Israeli army welded their doors shut. There are many areas with such severe measures in Hebron which prevent Palestinians from access and freedom of movement. Twenty checkpoints are in the heart of the city which Palestinians have to pass through daily, whilst Israeli settlers face no measures or restrictions whatsoever.
The commemoration of the Ibrahimi massacre falls on the 25th of February every year Al Khalil, Hebron. We expect to see many actions and demonstrations organized against this immoral ongoing occupation, unjust military orders and the expansion of illegal settlements.
