International Solidarity Movement - Page 94 - Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.

Kafr Qaddum Commemorates the Beginning of the Second Intifada

29th September 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Kafr Qaddum, occupied Palestine

Palestinian and international activists marched in Kafr Qaddum today to recognize two important events. September 28th marked 17 years to the day since the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000, during which an estimated 3,000 Palestinians lost their lives, and the construction of the Apartheid Wall began. The march in Kafr Qaddum also celebrated the recent admission of the State of Palestine into INTERPOL, a step viewed by many as part of a larger push for statehood.

Israeli military forces entered Kafr Qaddum from the settlement of Kadumim. Foto: Dunia

The march was met with two Israeli Armed Personnel Carriers, from which soldiers fired rubber coated steel bullets into the crowd, which included roughly two dozen children. No activists were injured in the clashes.

Additionally, according to Palestinian community leaders, settlers have been stealing olives from trees in Kafr Qaddum – the livelihood of the farmers – for the past two days. The settlers have continued to harass the Palestinians with impunity despite protests to the Israeli Army by the District Coordination Office (DCO).

The smoke from the tires the protesters are burning meet the soldiers.

Since 2011, the villagers of Kafr Qaddum have had weekly marches toward the main road, which has been closed since 2003. The road is closed off due to the establishment of the illegal settlement of Kadumim, and has severe effects on the daily commute for the villagers of Kafr Qaddum.

Israeli Forces use live ammunition in occupied Hebron

22nd September 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Friday, September 22, the usual small scale and unorganised protests next to the Shuhada checkpoint elicited an exaggerated response from the Israeli military. At 2:00 PM approximately 15 soldiers went into H1 in pursuit of the protesters, firing tear gas and sound bombs. Subsequently, the military jeeps spread into multiple focal points of the city, where they continued their assault.

At approximately 3:00 PM, the soldiers fired live ammunition for the second time in one week in the Manara square of occupied Hebron, one of the most densely circulated areas, thus putting at risk passers-by of all ages. Traffic was also disrupted, as roads leading to the square were blocked. Manara is one of the main junctions in the city, therefore drivers were forced to take alternative routes, which created additional havoc in the city.

Throughout the day, the soldiers made nine arrests, of which eight were young Palestinians. Some of the people who were detained did not seem to have been involved in any manner in the protest.

During the afternoon and evening, the soldiers advanced into H1, which according to the Hebron agreement is under full Palestinian control. If so far the army used to enter the area of H1 surrounding the Shuhada checkpoint, during their latest actions, they have begun to invade more and more of the city, thus severely interfering with people’s daily lives and causing financial losses for business owners in the main commercial areas of Hebron.

The soldiers retreated after six hours inside of H1, after 8:00 PM, leaving behind streets covered in bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs.

Live ammunition fired at protesters in Kafr Qaddum

22nd September 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Kafr Qaddum, occupied Palestine

During today’s march in Kafr Qaddum, three protesters were injured by rubber coated steel bullets fired by the Israeli armed forces. When it looked as if the soldiers had retreated, they surprised the demonstrators by re-entering the village and fired several rounds of live ammunition.

Shortly after the march had started, the Israeli military entered the village and fired sound bombs, rubber coated steal bullets and tear gas at protesters. A 22-year old got shot by a rubber coated steel bullet in his shoulder and a 20-year old and a 46-year old man got shot in their hands. All could be treated at the scene.

It was some time ago that the military used live ammunition in Kafr Qaddum. One of the demonstrators told ISM that it reminded him of the dramatic incidents between 2014 and 2016 where many people were shot with live ammunition. Six of these people were children under the age of 11 and six people got shot in the upper parts of their body. Some of them are still suffering from their injuries. Four people got killed. During this period there were also 170 protesters arrested and kept in military detention from 3 months to 24 months.

Since 2011, the villagers of Kafr Qaddum have had weekly marches towards their main road which have been closed since 2003. The road is closed off due to the location of the illegal settlement of Kadumim, and have severe effects on the daily commutes for the villagers of Kafr Qaddum.

A video of the protest can be found here:

Arrests of young Palestinians continue in occupied Hebron

20th September 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

During the patrol around the old city, on Wednesday the 20th of September at 4 PM, the Al-Khalil team ran into a group of about 20 soldiers and followed them through the market in the Old City. The armed forces surprised the merchants, who were confused as to why they were there.

The soldiers were stationed in front of the market and the situation escalated quickly, with sound grenades being used in a crowded and highly circulated area – in an attempt to diffuse the crowd. This disrupted the normal activity of the shop owners, who needed to rapidly close their businesses and seek shelter, which definitely resulted in financial losses.

The actions of the Israeli military were met with resistance by locals and the soldiers quickly resorted to firing rubber coated steel bullets. They progressively advanced towards the commercial center of Al-Khalil, which was filled with people of all ages; exposing them to stun grenades and tear gas. The inhalation of tear gas, a supposedly “less-lethal” weapon, causes severe tearing and suffocation and if untreated can lead to death. Its longterm effects are also unknown and it’s extremely dangerous for people with respiratory conditions.

The Al-Khalil team witnessed four arrests of young Palestinians. One of the arrests was particularly violent, with four soldiers trying to detain an unarmed man. He was eventually put to the ground and was later hospitalised with multiple injuries inflicted during the arrest.

The actions of the military lasted for approximately two and a half hours, until approximately 6:30 PM, during which the center and other areas of Al-Khalil were an insecure environment.

Moving the Goalposts: Delaying Palestinian Football Justice

Originally published by Visualizing Palestine

For many years, the Israeli football association has given membership status to six teams that play in illegal settlements built on Palestinian land in the West Bank. This is in direct violation of FIFA’s rules, which state that permission is needed to play matches on another member’s territory. Instead of enforcing these rules, FIFA has repeatedly delayed action. FIFA President Gianni Infantino says that a decision on Israeli settlement clubs is coming in October 2017. [Sources: http://bit.ly/vp-fifa]