Tag: An Nabi Saleh

Vittorio Fera free: ‘People need to open their blind eye!’

11th September 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil Team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Vittorio Fera was arrested on 28th August 2015 at a peaceful demonstration in Nabi Saleh in occupied Palestine. He was beaten up several times by Israeli soldiers during and after his arrest and they only handed him over to the Israeli police after repeated requests by his lawyer to do so.

Israeli soldiers accused him of attacking them and throwing stones – claims completely unfounded, as he was documenting the violent arrest of Mohammed Tamimi. The decision on the case was postponed till Monday the 31st of August, where the court released him on a 3.000 shekel bill after 3 days in prison, and the condition to have yet another court on Tuesday the 8th September. Finally, the court took the decision to cancel this court date and relinquish the case.

With no evidence ever submitted to prove any of the claims by Israeli soldiers on the reason of Vittorio’s arrest, this is just the final step in the farce of ‘justice’ provided by the Israeli system. With the final court hearing just dropped, Vittorio’s innocence in all charges can not be officially determined by the court. The soldiers responsible for his wrongful arrest and beating him will not face any consequences on their illegal and immoral behaviour and will be free to continue as if nothing ever happened.

Vittorio’s statement on his case and the media attention:

“When things like this happen to an international, the media immediately starts to spread the news as if it’s an extraordinary case. People need to open their blind eye because these kind of things happen on a daily basis in Palestinian’s everyday lives. We need the same attention and condemnation of these acts of violence, brutality and illegal activity by the Israeli government.

Whereas an international can be deported or declared not guilty and that’s just it, for Palestinians on the other hand, even without any evidence, they can be put in administrative detention and kept locked up in a prison for years without the right to a due process.”

Testimony: Vittorio Fera on his arrest and the Israeli system

Vittorio Fera is released on bail after an extremely violent and terrifying time in Israeli prisons. He is falsely accused of throwing stones  and attacking Israeli soldiers. His case will be in court again Tuesday the 8th of September in Jerusalem.

Here is Fera’s own testimony on the arrest, imprisonment and the international media attention:

 

 

International media attention in the arrest of Vittorio Fera

1st September | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Friday the 28th of August Vittorio Fera was violently arrested by Israeli forces. He was beaten up during the arrest and treated badly in prison. His case was in court Monday 31st of August and is now postponed till the 8th of September. The story has been covered in the media, and we are proud of the international media for bringing the case to the surface and showing the world how people are treated in occupied Palestine.

Vittorio Fera violently arrested.
Vittorio Fera violently arrested.

Especially Italian media have taken this particular case very seriously, and even the city council of Napoli has taken a stand in the case. Here is a message by the mayor of Napoli on the violent arrest of Vittorio Fera from the 31st of August:

“The presence of committed and sensitive people engaged in non-violent actions of testimony in the occupied territories of Palestine are a necessary resource for the entire international community. This activity documents and discourages abuses against the civilian population. The International Solidarity Movement activist Vittorio Fera was engaged in this valuable work near the Palestinian village Nabi Saleh in the West Bank when he was arrested by the Israeli authorities. From Naples, a city that has always worked for peace and coexistence of all the peoples of the Mediterranean, we are asking the Foreign Ministry to work for the immediate release of Vittorio Fera and to guarantee all the necessary practicability for the international and pacifist organizations working commendably in the land of Palestine. “
– Mayor Luigi de Magistris, Napoli
Vittorio Fera was released on bail with conditions yesterday evening. Shortly after the release, the Italian TV station RAI news made an interview with Vittorio Fera. Other Italian media has been interviewing  other activists, who took part in the non-violent demonstration and were present at the court in Jerusalem yesterday morning.
The story has not just reached Italy, but is also getting attention in the rest of the world. The hashtag #VittorioFera has been used on twitter 960 times on twitter and have reached approximately 2000000 people. In Denmark, a member of the parliament, will take up the case of Vittorio Fera and other cases of military violence against internationals in Palestine in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Vittorio is doing fine under the circumstances, and is really happy to be out of the Israeli prison, where he was not treated well. We, in ISM, are really grateful for all the attention on the case of Vittorio Fera, and hope this will make more people see what is going on. This case does not stand alone. Palestinians and internationals get arrested every single day without reason or on false accusations. We need the world to recognize this problem and support Palestinians and internationals in the fight against the injustice, that we see in Palestine every single day.

In photos: Demonstration in Nabi Saleh

26th April 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

ISM is bringing the story of Friday’s weekly demonstration in Nabu Saleh, 20 kilometers northwest of Ramallah, the Occupied West Bank, in photos.

Israeli forces shot one Palestinian teenager in the head with live ammunition and fired stun grenades at the press.

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Four people shot in the first 5 minutes at Nabi Saleh protest

3rd April 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

The weekly Friday protest in Nabi Saleh was met with extreme violence by Israeli Occupation Forces. Four people were shot in the first five minutes of the protest. One man and one woman were shot and wounded by snipers using .22 caliber live ammunition. Both were shot in the leg. Two others, including a 14 year old girl, were later hit with rubber bullets. 6 more hours of protest saw two more  injured protesters, private homes attacked with stun grenades, and live fire from M16 assault rifles during the army’s invasion of the Nabi Saleh village.

Protesters march in Nabi Saleh (photo by ISM)
Protesters begin their march in Nabi Saleh (photo by ISM)

After midday prayer Palestinians and internationals gathered for a peaceful protest against the Israeli occupation in the village of Nabi Saleh. Villagers in Nabi Saleh are protesting against the confiscation of their community spring, taken by Halamish settlement in 2008. As the protest made it down the main road leading out of the village it was very violently attacked by Israeli occupation forces:

“We had very little warning. We had only been protesting for 5 minutes before two people were on the ground, shot with .22 caliber live ammunition,” reported an International Solidarity Movement volunteer at the scene.

X-ray photo showing the shattered bone caused by a .22 caliber bullet (photo ISM)
X-ray photo showing the shattered bone caused by a .22 caliber bullet (photo ISM)

A young man named Hammad from Al Am’ari Refugee Camp near Ramallah, and Manal Tammimi, a woman from Nabi Saleh, were both shot. In both cases the live bullets tore through their shin bones and they were immediately taken to the hospital. Medics on the scene say their injuries will take several months to heal and then only if no complications arise.

Children in the line of fire
A rubber bullet struck a fourteen year old Palestinian girl in the head. The girl is a native of Nabi Saleh village and medics say she was lucky to not be more severely injured.

Home invasions and M16 live ammunition
After the initial attack the protest changed location to a hill on the west side of the village of Nabi Saleh. This time the army responded by invading the village itself. Soldiers shot tear gas down the village streets and stun grenades in private houses. At one point an entire Palestinian family including around 5 children had to flee their home with severe tear gas poisoning after the army shot tear gas canisters into their back yard and the nerve gas spread through the windows.

The military shot with M16s (firing 5.56 NATO rounds) down the narrow streets of the village. “People were shouting to be careful of stray bullets and ducking behind anything that might pass for cover. Being shot at by M16 machine gun fire at a completely peaceful protest that even includes children is both absurd and extreme,” recalled one international activist on the scene.

International activists confronts soldiers (photo by ISM)
Activists confront Israeli soldiers during Friday’s protest (photo by ISM)

Israeli occupation forces are escalating violence on the West Bank
The injuries in Nabi Saleh today and the use of lethal weapons are novelty. In both the villages of N’ilin and Kafr Kadum the Friday demonstration were also met with shots of M16 live ammunition. Internationals present in occupied Palestine report that the use of lethal weapons has never ceased since the massacre on Gaza last summer. In fact, they say the level of violence used by the Occupation, including both .22 and the much more lethal 5.56 live ammunition, is escalating.

Video by Anarchists Against the Wall