Tag: Arrests - Page 17 - International Solidarity Movement

Continued night raids and arrests in Kafr Addik

24 January 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Tulkarm Team | Kafr Addik, occupied Palestine

In the middle of the night on the 20th of January, the Israeli army entered the village of Kafr Addik, raided a family home and arrested a young man, Saleh Hemedan. The arrest is the latest of several arrests in the village.

addikwm1 — The family’s front door. Photo credit: ISM

The Hemedan family was sleeping in their home when Israeli soldiers quietly surrounded their house Tuesday night. Noone knew what was going on outside until armed Israeli soldiers bashed through the front door and entered. The soldiers started to interrogate Saleh and his two brothers while they were forced to sit in an uncomfortable position. After two hours of asking questions the soldiers handcuffed and blindfolded Saleh. They also kicked in the door to the women’s bedroom, where Saleh’s mother and sister were kept during the interrogation of the Hemedan brothers. When the soldiers left, they took Saleh with them without telling the family why and where they were taking him. They left a shattered and frightened family behind, with two broken doors and a filthy house. The mother wasn’t allowed to speak to Saleh during the time of the arrest and wasn’t allowed to say goodbye.

addikwm2 — Saleh’s mother, Um Mohammed. Photo credit: ISM

“Nobody can understand what went through my mind when they took Saleh away” she says.

Two days before Saleh’s arrest, in the early morning of the 18th, the Israeli military arrested another member of the family, Tareq Hemedan, during house raids in the same neighbourhood. Israeli soldiers first entered the house of Tareq’s uncle. After destroying the door, frightening family members and hitting the uncle’s head, the soldiers continued into Tareq’s home. 30 soldiers stormed the house destroying furniture and doors and arresting Tareq, just two hours into his 20th birthday.

He was taken to Beit Tatikva prison in Tel Aviv outside of the occupied West Bank, which is illegal according to international law. The reason for the arrest and the amount of time he will stay in prison is unknown.

addikwm3 — Destroyed furniture from Tareq’s house. Photo credit: ISM

addikwm4 — Tareq’s mother and sisters in front of cabinet destroyed be soldiers. Photo credit: ISM

These arrests of the Hemedan family aren’t the only ones. During the previous week a 17-year-old boy was arrested and a 13-year-old boy was detained. A villager says that the increased number of arrests is a form of collective punishment due to a recent attack on Israeli security guards in the nearby industrial zone of the illegal Ariel settlement.

Kafr Addik has lost land to expanding illegal settlements like many other villages in the Westbank. As reported previously, Palestinians from the village and the nearby area often demonstrate to protect the last hill that is not yet occupied by a settlement.

Palestinians in the area also suffer from the pollution caused by the factories in the Israeli industrial zones. Since the economical situation is so bad, Palestinians have no other choice but to work on the illegal industrial zones in order to make a living, even though the working conditions are bad and they will always be paid less than an Israeli worker would be payed inside Israel.

In the past the village was already bothered by settlers, who entered Kafr Addik on purpose to destroy the Palestinians’ property. The latest arrests are yet another among the number of threats that the village is facing due to the illegal occupation.

House raids and arrests: Queitun area violently invaded by Israeli Forces

17^th January 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil Team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Yesterday, 16^th of January 2016, the area of Queitun in Al-Khalil (Hebron) in the occupied West Bank was invaded by more than 50 Israeli Forces and more than six military jeeps and two police cars. The Israeli Forces raided multiple houses in the area from 4 pm until 7 pm and arrested at least seven Palestinians from the area before finally leaving the families alone.

Israeli Forces entering house in Queitun

According to witnesses, the Israeli forces entered the area explaining that they heard shooting coming from an unidentified Palestinian home close to the Queitun Checkpoint that leads into the area. However, Palestinians in the neighborhood did not hear any such noises throughout the day.

After the Israeli Forces entered the checkpoint, they raided multiple family homes nearby. In some homes, the soldiers damaged the residents’ belongings and left the homes wrecked. They also beat some residents without any reason. A young man from one of these homes needed medical treatment in the hospital after soldiers violently attacked him.

Young man beaten by soldiers with there guns.

During the three hours that the Israeli Forces spend terrorizing the area and harassing the residents, they arrested at least 7 Palestinians. Three of the arrestees were taken around 4 pm and were all from the Karaki family. They were released after less than three hours.

12493542_1316630135029498_6541160703640448877_o-2 — Arrest in Queitun. Photo Credit: CPT Palestine

At the same time 40 soldiers entered the Abu Ramooz family home in Queitun to search before going to the neighbor’s house to arrest Hammad Said, 19. During that time, the 8-year-old sister of Hamad was struck in the head by a soldier after asking the Israeli Forces why they were attacking her brother and taking him away. The soldiers then went back to the Abu Ramooz family and arrested Wasam Abu Ramooz, 20, local shop owner Yunis Serbel, 32, and Shaudi Abu Hadid, 48, who was taken from his house where he was alone at the time. These four men had not been released at 8 pm and the families were still not being informed about where they were or what was happening to them.

More than 50 Israeli Forces took part in the mission in Queitun leaving many families in fear.

House raids and arrests like these are not uncommon in the area of Queitun that has been suffering from ongoing harassment and military presence. The Israeli Forces took over a whole floor of a Palestinian house more than a month ago and have been using it as a military outpost. The increasing amount of harassment in the area has left many families afraid of letting their children play in streets and opening their shops. This is a clear example of how the military occupation affects the everyday lives of Palestinian families.

ACT NOW ! Put an end to the ‘Closed Military Zone’ in Tel Rumeida and Shuhada Street, Hebron

11th January 2016 | Action Alert

last updated 21st January 2016

*** Arabic version below ***

The undersigned organisations are calling on the international community to take immediate action regarding the continuous closure of the Tel Rumeida neighborhood and the part of Shuhada Street that has remained accessible to Palestinian residents since the Ibrahimi mosque massacre in 1994, in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). For more than two months, Palestinians and internationals have been denied access to this part of the city since the Israeli occupation forces have declared the area a ‘closed military zone’.

The ‘closed military zone’, first declared on November 1st 2015, was designed to include Palestinian neighborhoods while excluding adjacent illegal Israeli settlements. This discriminatory closure is being upheld by continuously renewed ‘military orders’ that lack official signatures or stamps. Palestinian residents were forced to register with the army or else risk being barred from their homes, while Israeli settlers are free to roam the streets without being stopped.

“This is yet another step in pushing Palestinians out of Tel Rumeida and Shuhada street”, says Jenny, from the ISM team in al Khalil.

Such a restriction of movement clearly constitutes a collective punishment on the whole Palestinian community, illegal under international law. Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva convention specifically states that “no protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.”

Tel Rumeida resident Abed Salaymeh explains : “soldiers and settlers are making life for the Palestinians intolerable to force them to leave their houses voluntarily. This is a crime under international law. They are targeting activists to silence the truth and stop the truth from reaching the whole world.”

International and local activists are increasingly at risk of direct attacks by Israeli occupation forces and settlers from the illegal settlements in al-Khalil, as activists are specifically targeted for their efforts to document and report on human rights abuses.

Activists are denied access to areas by Israeli occupation forces and face unfounded arbitrary arrests, such as on the 3rd of November, the 26th of November, 27th of November, and on the 28th of November; purely on Israeli forces’ accusations that lack any evidence. Human rights defenders, whose work the United Nations stressed as important, are increasingly threatened even inside their homes and offices or illegally kicked out of them. The closed military zone was expanded and extended until the 31^st January 2016.

The Israeli forces’ attempts to silence the Palestinian voice on the events goes hand in hand with the closure of Palestinian radio stations in clear infringement of the freedom of press and opinion, acknowledged in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948, article 19: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

“It is important to document in order to expose Israeli crimes”, explains Imad Abu Shamsiyyeh, a Tel Rumeida resident.

These inhumane measures come after Israeli occupation forces gunned down Homam Adnan Sa’id, 23, and Islam Rafiq ‘Ebeido on the 27th and 28th of October in the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood. While the Israeli government claims that both were ‘neutralized’ when attacking Israeli forces, many eye-witness statements refute this claim; CCTV footage has not yet been released by the Israeli forces. Since the beginning of October, a total of 163 Palestinians have been shot and left to bleed to death without medical aid in a similar manner in what Amnesty International refers to as ‘unlawful killings‘.

The outlined measures, restrictions, and human rights violations are focused primarily and exclusively on making the Palestinian voice – and in the long run the inhabitants of the area – disappear altogether.

The undersigned organisations call for:

An immediate end to collective punishment and the ‘closed military zone’ order in Tel Rumeida and Shuhada Street;
Cessation of threats and harassment of Palestinian residents as well as foreign and local human rights defenders;
Removal of restrictions on movement throughout the Old City of Hebron;
stopping the imposed military law on Palestinian residents as they are civilians;
Suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement until Israel complies with International Law;
Removal of all illegal Israeli settlements from Hebron.
Reconsideration of the status of “charity” of the Hebron Fund, that allows people to make tax-free donations to an organisation funding the illegal settlement of Israelis in the city of Hebron
Cessation of unconditional US Aid to Israel until it complies with international law.
Release of the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, as provided in article 17 of the 1949 Geneva Convention I “[Parties to the conflict] shall further ensure that the dead are honourably interred, if possible according to the rites of the religion to which they belonged, that their graves are respected, grouped if possible according to the nationality of the deceased, properly maintained and marked so that they may always be found”.

Signatories (continuously updated):

Alternative Information Center (AIC)
Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine (APJP)
Assopace Palestina
BDS Slovenia
Boston University Students for Justice in Palestine
Chico Palestine Action Group
Christian Peacemaker Teams Palestine
Delaware Neighbors Against the Occupation
Dominican Palestine Coordinating Committee
Edmonton Small Press Association
Education Equals Making Community Connection
Football Against Apartheid
Gaza Action Ireland
Health Work Committees
Hebron Defense Committee
Hebron Rehabilitation Committee
Human Rights Defenders Group
Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC)
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) – Finland
International Middle East Media Centre
International Women’s Peace Service
International Solidarity Movement
ISM Italy
Leeds Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Love without Borders
Memphis Voices for Palestine
Merton PSC
Middle East Crisis Support – Woodstock, NY
Minnesota Break the Bonds Campaign
Newcastle Palestine Campaign
Operation Dove – Operazione Colomba
Philly BDS
Popular National Conference for Jerusalem
Rural Women’s Development Society
Sacramento Regional Coalition for Palestinian Rights
South Coast People for Peace and Justice
The Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC)
The General Union of Palestinian Teachers, Hebron
The Hampton Institute
The Palestinian Farmers Union
The Popular Committee for Palestinian Refugees in Hebron District
The Union of Palestinian Working Women’s Committees
The Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees
Unison Northumberland
Women’s Studies Centre
Youth Center – Palestinian Medical Relief Society

If your organisation wishes to support the call, contact us at: palreports@gmail.com

********************** Arabic version **********************

نداء عاجل، ضعوا حدا لأمر الاحتلال العسكري الذي يغلق (تل الرميده) و (شارع الشهداء) في الخليل.

إن المنظمات والهيئات الموقعة على هذا النداء تدعو المجتمع الدولي الى اتخاذ إجراءات فورية تجاه الاغلاق المستمر لحي تل الرميده وذلك الجزء من شارع الشهداء الذي بقي متاحاً أمام حركة المواطنين الفلسطينيين عقب مجزرة الحرم الإبراهيمي في الخليل المحتلة في عام 1994. منذ أكثر من شهر منع الفلسطينيون والدوليون من دخول هذا الجزء من المدينة حيث أعلنت القوات الإسرائيلية عنه كمنطقة عسكرية مغلقة.

المنطقة العسكرية المغلقة أعلنت اولا في مطلع شهر تشرين الثاني/ نوفمبر 2015 وتطال السكان الفلسطينيون والأحياء الفلسطينية بينما تستثني البؤر الاستيطانية غير القانونية، هذا الإغلاق المعبر عن التمييز العنصري مفروض بأوامر عسكرية مكتوبة متجددة وتفتقر حتى إلى التواقيع والاختام الرسمية. السكان الفلسطينيون اجبروا على تسجيل أسمائهم لدى الجيش والا فإنهم سيقعوا تحت خطر الإبعاد عن بيوتهم، بينما المستوطنون يحظون بحرية التجوال والحركة بدون قيود.

هذه خطوة إضافية للضغط على الفلسطينيين لمغادرة بيوتهم الواقعة في تل الرميده وشارع الشهداء” كما قالت جيني (Jenny) من حركة التضامن الدولية (ISM) في الخليل.

هذه القيود على الحركة تشكل بوضوح عقابا جماعيا لكل المجتمع الفلسطيني وتعد خرقا فاضحا للقانون الدولي. تنص المادة (33) من اتفاقية جنيف الرابعة على أنه “لا يجوز معاقبة أي شخص محمي على مخالفة لم يقترفها هو شخصيا. تحظر العقوبات الجماعية وبالمثل جميع تدابير التهديد أو الإرهاب”

يقول المواطن الفلسطيني عبد السلايمه الساكن في تل الرميده: “الجيش والمستوطنون يعملون على جعل حياة المواطنين الفلسطينيين لا تطاق من أجل دفعهم لأن يتركوا بيوتهم بشكل طوعي. هذه جريمة وفق القانون الدولي. انهم يستهدفون النشطاء من أجل طمس الحقيقة ومنع وصولها للعالم“.

يعيش النشطاء الدوليون والمحليون في خطر متزايد جراء الهجمات المباشرة من القوات الإسرائيلية والمستوطنين غير الشرعيين، انهم مستهدفون بسبب ما يقوموا به من توثيق ونشر لانتهاكات حقوق الإنسان.

النشطاء يمنعوا من الدخول إلى مناطق بأوامر قوات الاحتلال ويواجهون خطر الاعتقال التعسفي، مثلما حصل في 3 تشرين الثاني/نوفمبر الماضي وأيضا في 26 و 27 و 28 من ذات الشهر دون وجود أي أدلة لدى الجيش على اتهاماتهم الباطلة الموجهة للنشطاء. المدافعون عن حقوق الإنسان والذين يقومون بعمل تؤكد على أهميته منظمة الأمم المتحدة يواجهون مخاطر متصاعدة حتى داخل بيوتهم ومكاتبهم ويطرَدون منها بصورة تعسفية وغير قانونية.

تحاول السلطات الإسرائيلية إسكات الصوت الفلسطيني خلال الأحداث الجارية تزامنا مع إغلاقها لمحطات إذاعية فلسطينية في خرق فاضح لحرية الصحافة والرأي والمقرة في الاعلان العالمي لحقوق الانسان لعام 1948 والذي ينص في المادة 19 منه “لكل شخص الحق في حرية الرأي والتعبير، ويشمل هذا الحق حرية اعتناق الآراء دون أي تدخل، واستقاء الأنباء والأفكار وتلقيها وإذاعتها بأية وسيلة كانت دون تقيد بالحدود الجغرافية“.

التوثيق مهم جدا لفضح الجرائم الإسرائيلية” كما قال عماد أبو شمسية المواطن الفلسطيني من سكان حي تل الرميده.

تأتي هذه الإجراءات غير الإنسانية عقب قيام القوات الاسرائيلية بإطلاق النار وقتل كل من همام عدنان السعيد “نحو 23 عاما” و إسلام رفيق اعبيدو في 27 و 28 تشرين الأول/أكتوبر في حي تل الرميده، وكانت الحكومة الإسرائيلية حينها قد بررت عمليتا القتل بأنهما جاءتا ردا على هجمات حسب ما ادعته، في حين نفى شهود عيان هذه الإدعاءات ولم تقم قوات الجيش بنشر تسجيلات كاميرات المراقبة خاصتها والمثبته في المكان لتأكيد ما تدعيه.

منذ بداية شهر تشرين الأول/اكتوبر أطلقت النار على ما مجموعه163 فلسطيني تركوا ينزفون من دون تقديم اسعافات أولية لهم أو علاج طبي حيث وصفت منظمة العفو الدولية ( Amnesty International ) ذلك بالقتل خارج نطاق القضاء.

الإجراءات الاحتلالية المذكورة المناقضة لحقوق الإنسان هدفها إخماد الصوت الفلسطيني وفي المدى البعيد هدفها إجبار سكان المنطقة الفلسطينيين على الرحيل والإختفاء بشكل كامل.

إن المنظمات والهيئات الموقعة على هذا النداء تطالب بما يلي

الوقف الفوري لسياسة العقاب الجماعي بحق الفلسطينيين في حي تل الرميدة وشارع الشهداء وإنهاء الأمر العسكري بإغلاقهما.

وقف التهديدات والمضايقات ضد السكان الفلسطينيين، وكذلك ضد نشطاء حقوق الإنسان المحليين والدوليين في تل الرميده وشارع الشهداء.

إزالة الحواجز والقيود على الحركة المنتشرة داخل البلدة القديمة من الخليل.

وقف العمل بالقوانين والأوامر العسكرية الاسرائيلية على السكان الفلسطينيين المدنيين.

إيقاف اتفاقية التعاون بين الاتحاد الأوروبي وإسرائيل حتى تلتزم اسرائيل بالقوانين الدولية.

إزالة كل البؤر الاستيطانية غير الشرعية من الخليل.

إعادة النظر بمكانة “الخيري” التي يحظى بها صندوق الخليل (Hebron Fund) والذي يتيح الفرصة للأفراد من عدة دول بتقديم التبرعات التي تخصم من ضرائبهم للمنظمة التي تمول الاستيطان في الخليل.

وقف المساعدات الأميركية غير المشروطة المقدمة لإسرائيل حتى تنصاع للقانون الدولي.

إعادة جثامين الفلسطينيين الذين قتلتهم القوات الإسرائيلية لذويهم وفقا لما تنص عليه المادة (17) من اتفاقية جنيف الأولى لعام 1949 والتي ورد فيها “على أطراف النزاع التحقق من أن الموتى قد دفنوا باحترام وطبقا لشعائر دينهم إذا أمكن، وأن مقابرهم تحترم وتجمع تبعا لجنسياتهم إذا أمكن وتصان بشكل ملائم، وتميز بكيفية تمكن من الاستدلال عليها دائما“

الموقعون:

حملة مقاطعة اسرائيل في سلوفينيا

حركة التضامن الدولية
غزة اكشن, ايرلاندا
الحركة الاسرائيلية ضد هدم البيوت
الحركة الاسرائيلية ضد هدم البيوت, فنلندا

لفرق المسيحية لصنع السلام/ فلسطين

لجنة التنسيق الدومينيكان فلسطين

اتحاد لجان العمل الصحي

لجنة الدفاع عن الخليل

لجنة إعمار الخليل

مركز الشرق الأوسط الدولي للإعلام

خدمات نساء السلام الدولية

حملة التضامن مع فلسطين/ ميرتون/ المملكة المتحدة

مجموعة دعم منكوبي الشرق الأوسط/ وودستوك/ نيويورك

حملة مقاطعة اسرائيل في مينوسوتا/ الولايات المتحدة

حملة التضامن مع فلسطين في نيوكاسل

منظمة حمامة السلام/ ايطاليا

هيئة مؤتمر القدس وشدوا الرحال

الاغاثة الزراعية

اتحاد المزارعين الفلسطينيين

اللجنة الشعبية للاجئين في محافظة الخليل

اتحاد لجان المرأة الفلسطينية

نقابة العمال “يونيسون” نورث أمبرلاند/ المملكة المتحدة

مركز الدراسات النسوية في الخليل

المدافعون عن حقوق الانسان

الاتحاد العام للمعلمين الفلسطينيين/ الخليل

اتحاد لجان المرأة العاملة الفلسطينية

حركة التضامن الدولية, ايطاليا

منظمة ادمنتون للصحافة الصغيرة

حب بدون حدود

مهندسون ومزارعون للعدالة في فلسطين

مركز تدريب الشباب المجتمعي/ الإغاثة الطبية

معهد هامبتون

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Ziad Jaber school marks start of winter holidays after another semester under occupation

10th January 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | al-Khalil, occupied Palestine

On Wednesday, 6^th January 2016, schools in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) marked the start of the winter holiday by handing out certificates to the students and giving awards to the best students.

Teachers and students taking photos with report cards

At Ziad Jaber elementary boys school, school started at 9 o’clock with a ceremony where teachers handed out certificates to all the students, who had finished their final exams before the holidays in the weeks before. The best students from each class were also awarded certificates for their outstanding achievements.

Throughout the school year thus far, teachers and students have had to face harassment, intimidation and violence from both Israeli forces and settlers from the adjacent illegal Kiryat Arba settlement. At the military gate blocking one of the roads leading towards the school, teachers have been body searched before their students’ eyes on an almost daily basis. Even students, despite their young age, have often been forced by Israeli soldiers stationed both at the military gate and at another checkpoint on the other side of the main road to wait to either have their bags searched or to lift up their shirts and trouser legs.

Teacher forced to lift up his shirt by Israeli soldiers

Student forced to take of his jacket by Israeli soldiers

As the main road leading past the school connects directly to the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement, settler harassment has also been common for both students and teachers. More than once, settlers have intimidated students and threatened violence or ordered soldiers to arrest children. In an incident on 30^th December, infamous and violent settler Ofer, who usually drives in an ambulance even though he has no medical training, commanded soldiers to arrest children, claiming that they were throwing stones. Luckily teachers from the school were able to stop Ofer from entering the schoolyard.

Students looking at each others certificates — Students looking at each other’s certificates

The impact of all the harassment, intimidation and violence students face on a daily basis on their academic achievements can hardly be estimated. That it impacts the accessibility of education – a basic right for every child – is without doubt. Growing up in Israeli military occupied Palestine takes a huge toll on childhood.

Students leaving school for the holidays with their certificates

Photo story: newly expanded Shuhada checkpoint is even more difficult to traverse

January 6th 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | al-Khalil, occupied Palestine

At the end of December Israeli forces re-opened the newly expanded Shuhada checkpoint in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). The checkpoint had been closed since December 7th, when Israeli forces had declared they would be conducting “renovations” for a then-unknown period of time.

Officially known as Checkpoint 56, Shuhada checkpoint separates Bab al-Zawiye, a Palestinian neighborhood in the H1 (nominally Palestinian-controlled and administered) part of al-Khalil and Tel Rumeida, part of Israeli military-controlled H2 and currently covered in part by a closed military zone order first issued on November 1st.

walking through wm — Palestinian family leaving Tel Rumeida, crossing toward Bab al-Zawiye

The checkpoint was rebuilt with a high fence blocking the entire street and additional turnstiles and metal detectors. The turnstiles make it very difficult for anyone carrying heavy, bulky luggage or even several bags of groceries to pass. Israeli authorities also added a completely closed off room in the center of the checkpoint, where Palestinians are questioned and searched entirely out of site of any onlookers, media, or human rights monitors.

As in previous versions of the checkpoint, there is no possibility for any car or truck – even an ambulance responding to an emergency – to pass; any vehicle larger than a baby carriage must take a time-consuming detour in order to enter or leave Tel Rumeida.

woman walking high view wm — Shuhada checkpoint as seen from a nearby window in Bab al-Zawiye, an imposing barrier Palestinian families living in Tel Rumeida must navigate

The new checkpoint has already become a flashpoint for Israeli military aggressions against Palestinians, which include the arrest of 38-year-old Wafa’ Sharabati on Monday afternoon by Israeli forces who first claimed she had a discrepancy in her ID then accused her of being a troublemaker and threatened to plant a knife on her. Wafa’s family and local activists staged a sit-in outside Shuhada checkpoint to protest her treatment and the continued humiliation and harassment faced by Palestinians forced to endure the checkpoint and the closed military zone.

family waiting for release copy — Wafa Sharabati’s family staged a sit-in awaiting her release

ppl in front of shuhada wm — A large group of local activists and residents gathered after Wafa’s arrest in front of the checkpoint, which has has been the site of countless demonstrations against the Israeli occupation of al-Khalil

rubber coated metal soldier wm — He never fired, but this Israeli soldier spent much of Monday afternoon on the roof of Shuhada checkpoint, prepared to attack nonviolent Palestinian demonstrators with potentially deadly rubber-coated metal bullets

A sign on the H1 side of the checkpoint explains the protocols for passing through: metal detector, bag search, no animals allowed through, checkpoint closed if there are any clashes. The 4th instruction reads “wait until the soldier will allow you to pass.” Sometimes people can pass in six minutes; sometimes they must wait for over an hour, outside and exposed to any weather, before being allowed to pass the few meters of turnstiles, metal detectors, fences and walls between them and the streets leading to their homes.

Lines on Monday evening left many, including young children, waiting for nearly half an hour in the cold night. Only Palestinians who are registered in the closed military zone can ever pass through the checkpoint; family members of residents, journalists, human rights defenders and internationals have all been barred. Even Palestinians who are registered have reported being forced to wait for over an hour only to be harassed and threatened by the soldiers inside the checkpoint.

Activists have planned another protest for Thursday morning to continue the struggle against the closed military zone, the even harsher regime at the newly reopened checkpoint, and the continued closure and Israeli military occupation of al-Khalil.