Tag: Arrests

Jerusalem Capital of Arab Culture events continue despite ban and heavy police repression in occupied East Jerusalem

On the 21st of March, organizers kicked-off the Jerusalem Capital of Arab Culture festival despite an official ban and heavy police repression by the Israeli Authorities.  The festival, which is supposed to continue through 2009, has been banned in occupied East Jerusalem.  Organizers were determined to defy the ban in order to celebrate Palestinian heritage in the city.  20 participants were arrested for taking part in the activities, and dozens more detained.

Israeli police and soldiers were heavily deployed in Jerusalem’s old city and in the surrounding neighborhoods.   In the early morning of the 21st, at least two organizations that were hosting events were raided by Israeli forces.   At 1pm, hundreds of balloons with the national colors of Palestine were released over the city.  Several of the balloon releasers were subsequently arrested.

Additionally, children’s games, traditional dabke dancing, and musical acts were conducted near Damascus Gate and in the main streets of the old city.  Israeli police harassed several of these activities, while letting others continue unhindered.  At around 3:30pm, a group of clowns began leading a crowd drummers and celebrators through the old city.  More than two dozen police and soldiers surrounded this group, detaining the clowns along with three international solidarity activists.  After around half an hour in the police station, everyone was released.

Palestinian political, cultural, and civil organizations say that activities celebrating Jerusalem as a capital of Arab culture will continue throughout the year in East Jerusalem.  Several other Palestinian cities are also hosting events as part of the festival, including Hebron, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Ramallah.

Israeli police violently prevent cultural festival in occupied East Jerusalem, several arrested

Sheikh Jarrah, Occupied East Jerusalem: Israeli police violently disbanded an event held in conjunction with the Jerusalem Capital of Arab Culture festival in Sheikh Jarrah, occupied East Jerusalem.

At least seven people, including one American and one Danish solidarity activist, have been arrested. One middle–aged Palestinian resident was thrown into a police car with severe bleeding to her head and nose after being roughly handled by police.

Around twenty policemen arrived at the protest tent in Sheikh Jarrah, which was erected to protest the evictions of Palestinian residents in the neighborhood. House evictions and demolition orders number in the hundreds in areas of occupied East Jerusalem, including Silwan and Shu’fat refugee camp.

In November 2008, the al-Kurd family was evicted from their home, and 27 more housing units in the neighborhood also face eviction. The Sheikh Jarrah community has created a tent to protest these pending evictions and to demand that the al-Kurd family be allowed to return to their house. Organizers of the banned Jerusalem Capital of Arab Culture festival attempted to hold an event at the tent as part of a year of celebration of Arab culture.

The police began beating the crowd, most of whom consisted of male residents of the neighborhood as they were praying outside of the tent. At this time, at least seven people, including three female community residents and the two solidarity activists, were dragged off and put into police cars.

Israeli Authorities have banned the festival from taking place in occupied East Jerusalem, which started on the 21st of March. At least 20 organizers have been arrested for attempting to celebrate Arab culture in the city of Jerusalem over the past two days.

Mysterious arrests in Awarta

3rd February 2009

Thursday 29th of January, about one hundred illegal Israeli settlers entered the small village Awarta close to Nablus at about 11pm. The soldiers forced the villagers not to move by stating that they would kill everyone who did so. This lasted until dawn the next day.

On Tuesday 3rd of February, between 1.45am and 3am in the morning, various groups of Israeli soldiers broke into a total of five different houses in the village of Awarta, close to Nablus. During the confrontations 3 young men were arrested without reason. Two others where demanded to go to the Israeli military camp Huwwara the following day without explanation. At around noon the same day the two were immediately arrested when entering the camp. Neither of them where told why they where arrested, nor what charges they face.

Around 1.45 am in the morning approximately 30 Israeli Israeli soldiers surrounded the house of the Qawareeq family and silently broke into the sleeping family’s home. The soldiers asked for one of the family’s’ 21 year old son, Hindawi, who at the time was sleeping in the house of his nephew. The family, frightened by the sudden wake-up from several armed foreign soldiers in their home, were not told why the soldiers wanted their son. During the time the soldiers where searching for Hindawi, they entered Hindawi’s older brother Suliman’s room, who is suffering from a serious case of cancer. While searching his room, the soldiers found and stole, the family’s 4 mobile phones, on which had the emergency numbers for the sick boy’s doctors. Suleiman asked the soldiers not to take the phone because of their importance with regard to his health issues, but the soldiers did not care. While leaving the house, the soldiers also brought the family’s computer which among other things contained crucial information with regard to Suliman’s very complex medical schedule.

About 30 minutes later, the 30 Israeli soldiers marched to Hindawi’s nephew’s home, and forcefully broke into their small house, causing severe damage to the house’s front door and window. The soldiers where shouting and screaming to scare the family upon arrival. The soldiers turned everything in the house up side down, searching inside every closet and underneath every table. They found Hindawi sleeping in the guest room, and arrested him immediately, without letting him get his winter coat or clothes. Hindawi was accidentally carrying some of Suliman’s important medical papers brought from Ramallah. During the soldiers visit in the house they also threatened the family’s 14 year old son violently.

At about 3 am in the morning, another group of Israeli soldiers silently broke into the house of the Shurrab family. The father in the house woke up because he heard some strange noises from the childrens’ bedroom. When he woke up, he saw several soldiers blocking the door of their bedroom, preventing him to enter the childrens’ room to see what was happening. The soldiers beat him in the stomach, and shouted loudly at the mother. When the parents finally managed to enter their childrens’ room, they witnessed several soldiers beating up their 4 sons in their early twenties in their bedroom. Later the soldiers started to ask about the family’s 22 year old son Samer Jafar Shurrab who is recently living and studying in Nablus. They were asking the family intricate and detailed questions about Samer. When they realized that he was not in the house, the soldiers gave the father a document, demanding Samer to go to the Huwwara camp the following day. Samer was immediately arrested upon arrival at the camp around noon the same day. The soldiers destroyed the house’s front door lock mechanism, and broke a window.

At the same time, around 3 am in the morning, an additional group of soldiers also entered the house of the family Darawsheh in the village. The father in the house woke up because of some strange sounds outside, and realized that the house was surrounded by soldiers and military jeeps. The soldiers demanded to speak to his son, Baha’ Edeen Fazi’ Darawsheh, and the soldiers and Baha’ spoke alone in the house’s kitchen for about 20 minutes. 10 minutes later, the soldiers blindfolded Baha’s eyes and put on handcuffs on his hands, taking him away. The family were not told why the soldiers arrested their son.

At around 2am in the morning about 15 soldiers broke in to the house of another family in the village. The soldiers demanded that all family members were to undress completely including the women. They refused, and all the other family members were locked in a room while the oldest brother of the house had to show the soldiers every room and open every closet. He was told that if they were to find more people than what he told them, they would kill him and the additional persons. The soldiers were looking for the family’s son Hani Suleiman Quawareeq, and when they realized that he was not in the house, the family was told to inform Hani that he had to visit the Huwwara camp the following day. Hani was arrested when he went to the camp around noon. Again his family does not know why.

Israeli soldiers abduct four Palestinians from Madama village, steal jewellery and money

On the second day of the Israeli massacres of Gaza, Dec. 29, several homes were invaded by the Israeli Army in the town of Madama, east of Nablus. Four men were arrested and homes were damaged in an invasion unusual in the number of arrestees taken from the town. None of the men has since been released, and none have been officially charged with a crime.

The town of Madama is located approximately 4 kilometers south of Nablus, and is subjected to almost nightly invasions – however the arrest of four men at once is a rare occurence. The town is surrounded on two sides by the aggressive Israeli settlements of Bracha and Yitzar.

At 1am on December 29, the Israeli Army invaded the town. They broke down the doors of the family of Na’im Mohammad Nassar immediately, arresting his 24-year-old son Kamal, who is currently studying in Nablus to become a nurse. Soldiers broke a window of the home, rounded up the family of nine, including a 3-month-old baby, and forced them to stay outside in the cold as the army searched the home. Soldiers grabbed the throat of Kamal’s 14-year-old brother and father, choking them as they threw them outside. The family reports still feeling afraid every evening. Kamal’s mother tried to speak with the soldiers, but was insulted and rebuffed. Soldiers shouted ‘Shut your mouth!’ to her upon being approached in any way. They said nothing about why Kamal was being taken. This same family lost a son two years ago who was very ill and who was held at Huwarra checkpoint for two hours as Israeli soldiers refused to allow him to pass through to the hospital. He died waiting to be let through.

At 1:30am, soldiers broke into the home of Omar Abd-Alkarem Nassar, and arrested his 20-year-old son Yasar. They also threatened to arrest his 13-year-old brother. 7 people were held outside of the home for 1.5 hours. When Omar Abd-Alkarem Nassar asked them “Why are you here?”, the soldiers answered “You have nothing – this is our land and we can come here whenever we want.”

The army invaded the home of the Jebir Ahman Massar family at 2am, and arrested 20-year-old Mohammad, who is also studying to be a nurse. The family was again kept outside in cold weather for 1.5 hours without toilet facilities and without being allowed to collect blankets for the children. One 2-year-old boy who was kept outside contracted a cold. Soldiers ransacked their house, dumping belongings on the floors of every room. Soldiers also asked the father, Jebir, for Mohammad’s mobile phone. When he refused to hand it over, they threatened to shoot him.

19-year-old Mohammad Zahirhseen Qut was also arrested – a student in psychology at Al-Quds Open University in Nablus. Neighbours and friends report that soldiers stole jewelery and 500 Jordanian dinars in cash from his home. Also, soldiers invaded the Yamen Cultural and Social Centre, a gathering place for youth in the community. They took the computer from the centre, as well as broke the lock on the door, and threw books and other educational materials onto the floor.

All these families are waiting for their sons to be returned and have heard nothing from them since they were taken by the Israeli military.

Three residents of Ni’lin arrested during night invasion

December 22, 2008

At 2.30 am on the 22nd of December, more than 100 soldiers invaded the village of Ni’lin, abducting three people in their homes. A fourth person they were looking for was not captured. The three arrested were:

Saeed Ibrahim Mustafa Amireh, 17

Mohammed Daoud Husain Khawaja, 17

Mohammed Abdallah Yousef Amireh, 32

At the house of Saeed Amireh the soldiers came by foot and surrounded the house. Approximately 25 soldiers entered the home searching for evidence to connect the family to participation in the resistance against the construction of the wall, yet they found nothing. During the raid the Israeli army put the whole family of ten in one room. After harassing the family for an hour and a half, Saeed was arrested and taken to Ofer prison.

One of the soldiers said in Arabic to Saeed’s father Ibrahim Amireh, “we arrested you two months ago, now we are here to take your son”. Saeed’s father, who is a member of the Popular Committee of Ni’lin, was arrested on the 14th of August also during a night invasion of Israeli soldiers in the village. He was imprisoned and daily interrogated during 16 days and then released. This resulted in him losing his permit to work in Israel.

At 2.30 the army came to the house of Mohammed Khawaja, 17 years old. First they went to his brother’s home downstairs, where they entered and searched the house. They did not find Mohammed so they went upstairs and arrested him immediately. One soldier searched the house looking for evidence in connection with the popular resistance. As it was a swift arrest the parents didn’t have a chance to give him extra clothes, Mohammed has also been taken to Ofer Prisoner Camp, near Ramallah.

At around 3am, 20 soldiers came to Mohammed Abdallah Yousef Amirehs house and called him out, before then arresting him. They also entered his mother’s house downstairs harassing her and searching her house. They took him by foot to the checkpoint from were he was taken to Ofer Prisoner Camp. He is the father of five small children. Without him his family have no income.

During the arrests two jeeps were parked outside the municipality in the village centre. Around ten soldiers stood shooting teargas and sound bombs towards the surrounding houses. They used flares to see if there were any people outside. The army finally left the village at around 5am.

Israeli forces invade Ni’lin regularly in order to arrest people who have been active in the popular resistance against the Annexation Wall being built on their lands. Since the start of the construction of the Annexation Wall in April 2008, more than 60 villagers have been arrested. Out of the 60 held 31 are still in jail, six of them under the age of 18.

The wall annexes 23 hectares of agricultural land from the village. In addition to the wall, two tunnels that are planned that will act as the only entrances in and out of Ni’lin will annex a further 2 hectares.

432 hectares of farming land have already been annexed by the Israeli state since 1948 leaving Ni’lin with only 23 hectares of land that includes the land the village houses are build on.

When the Annexation Wall is finished it will completely encircle the village together with two roads that can only be used by Israelis. The construction turns Ni’lin into a small enclave closed off from the rest of the West Bank.

Excluding Saeed and Mohammed, 4 other children have been imprisoned and so far, they have been held for more than a month. They are:

Ibrahim Khalqel, 16

Majed Hisham Nafea, 17

Sufyan Khawaja, 17

Mohammad Ata Mousa, 14 – On Wednesday 17th December Mohammed Mousa was sentenced to four months and fined 2000 NIS (starting from the day he was arrested).

These children have had their education interrupted and they risk losing a school term. Saeed and Mohammad have been arrested just one week before their final exams of the semester. This is another strategy from Israel to make the daily life increasingly difficult for the Palestinian population, particularly those involved in popular resistance against the occupation.

These latest arrests mark a continuation of the Israeli policy of arrests of those believed to be involved in demonstrations against the Wall.