Updated: The three Palestinian women activists arrested last week remain imprisoned

21st August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Nablus, Occupied Palestine

Update 26th August: On Thursday, August 22, Leena Jawabreh was sentenced to 30 days (one month) in Israeli prisons, and a 1000 NIS fine. On Sunday, August 25, Linan Abu Ghoulmeh was sentenced to 60 days (two months) in Israeli prisons and a 1000 NIS fine. Myassar Atyani’s case has been held over until Wednesday, August 28.

*******

At 10pm on August 15th Myassar Atyani, Linan Abu Gholmeh and Leena Jawabreh of Nablus district were arrested by the Israeli police with their friend Waroud Qasem in the 1948 occupied areas of Palestine (‘48), what is now referred to as Israel. The three friends who are all political activists and former political prisoners had travelled to ‘48 to visit Waroud who lives in Tire and has Israeli citizenship.

Leena Jawabreh, Linan Abu Ghoulmeh, Woroud Qasem and Myassar Atyani
Leena Jawabreh, Linan Abu Ghoulmeh, Woroud Qasem and Myassar Atyani

They were traveling together in Waroud’s car when they were stopped by the Israeli police and found to be without travel permits; Palestinians living in the West Bank require permits issued by the Israeli authorities to travel outside of the West Bank, including to the Palestinian capital Jerusalem and the rest of ’48. These permits are notoriously difficult to obtain, especially for activists. The four women were subsequently arrested and transported to Hasharon prison. Myassar, Linan and Leena were detained at the prison until their appearance at Salem military court on the 19th of August.

Waroud, also a former political prisoner from 2006 to 2012 was released from Hasharon prsison and placed under full house arrest with her driving license confiscated. She has another court hearing pending. The other three women are now being held in Salem prison awaiting a further court hearing. Leena on the 22nd of August and Myassar and Linan on the 25th of August.

Their families attended their

UPDATED: Three youths arrested in Kafr Qaddum night raid

15th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine

Update 19th August: The three young men from Qaddum had court in Salem today. One of them, Bashar, was released today, but the situation for the other two is less certain. They are currently still imprisoned and are reportedly facing charges which could sentence them to five or six months in jail.

*******

Shortly after the release of 26 prisoners by Israel on the evening of the 13th August, as part of the ‘peace’ negotiations, thirteen people were arrested in the West Bank during army night incursions including three youths from Kafr Qaddum. At 3am on the 14th of August, Israeli occupation forces raided three homes taking three youths away from their families, 22-year-old Bashar, 21-year-old Abraham and 17-year-old Omran. Although several people have been arrested during the demonstrations at Kafr Qaddum, this is the first time in a year that the army has arrested people from their homes.

140820131103
Photo of arrested youth, Bashar (photo provided by his family)

International activists visited two of the three families who had loved ones ripped away from them in the night to fill the spaces in prisons, still warm from Israel’s prisoner release. Bashar’s family hurried to get dressed when the army pounded on the door and shouted at three in the morning. When the family answered the door, the army released two dogs into the house as the children were still sleeping. Four soldiers then followed into the house and demanded the family wake the children and all wait in one room. The army proceeded to ‘check’ the house scaring the children who were distraught after their brother’s arrest, unable to sleep the rest of the night. The family were not allowed to leave the room as the army proceeded up stairs as the father who was weak, ill and disabled was still sleeping and unable to move. The soldiers demanded he be woken, something the family members tried to prevent, especially when the dogs were brought upstairs. The family pleaded not to wake him as he was unable to move, but the army woke him and told him to stay, an act clearly intended simply to intimidate.

Meanwhile one soldier pointed a gun and aimed directly at Bashar and told him to ‘come here,’ then proceeded to ransack the cupboards and rooms. After half an hour they took Bashar and took him into one of the army jeeps where a Shabak agent confirmed Bashar’s identity before they took him out the jeep and walked him away from the village through the olive trees. The family was scared when this happened as they remembered Hamada a 17 year old Kafr Qaddum martyr from 2007.  Hamada was arrested in a similar night raid, blind folded and bound, then was led through the olive tree field in a similar fashion before being shot first in the head and then in the leg. The incident was reported by the Israelis that Hamada was shot whilst trying to escape.

140820131104
Photo of arrested minor, Omran (photo provided by his family)

Omran’s family home was raided also at 3am when at least two jeeps and 40-50 soldiers surrounded the house. The army entered the house straight away as the door to the house was unable to close properly. The family was gathered in one room after they had collected all their IDs. The younger children of the house were scared and could not stop shaking or crying. The soldiers demanded the sons say their names in turn until they identified 17 year old Omran. Omran was one of the four children the Israeli army previously pasted up leaflets about, containing the photographs of four children and issuing a threat that they will arrest them in their homes.

They questioned Omran whilst his father asked to know why they were detaining him. The army said that Omran makes problems for Israeli security and participates in the demonstrations. His father explained that Omran cleans the mosque and so could have been seen walking from the house to the mosque and back, which is in the route where the demonstration takes place. His family report that Omran is one of the best students in his class. His father pleaded with the army that his son is innocent, to which the army replied that if the investigation finds him innocent, then he will be let go. This investigation time has many of those arrested for at least 5-6 months. Omran would be considered a minor under Israeli civilian law as he is under 18. However, under Israeli military law, which is applied to Palestinians, anyone over the age of 12 is charged as an adult.

A list of names was spotted when the soldiers came and so the villagers of Kafr Qaddum fear and feel through experience that there will be other night raids soon. A year ago, the army raided arresting three people every week and on the 5th of April arrested twenty people in one night. When Bashar was arrested he shouted to his family as he was led away blindfolded and bound to ‘make your duty and go on the demonstration, that way I will be with you in Kafr Qaddum and not in prison.’

Palestinian families have many problems due to the occupation that affect their economic well-being. Poverty and unemployment are a big problem and so when families have their loved ones arrested this puts upon them a far greater strain as they attempt to find funds to pay legal costs in spite of having very little hope in the Israeli ‘justice’ system.

The interview was cut short when the army started shooting teargas at a group of youths on the outskirts of the village. The army pushed people further back into the village shooting teargas before retreating back up the hill at sunset. In spite of repeated army repression and collective punishment of the village, Kafr Qaddum has continued demonstrating against the closure of their historic road that was made accesible only for settlers.

Israeli military terrorise town of Beita – full day raid, three arrested

18th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Beita, Occupied Palestine

On the 16th August 2013, Israeli occupation forces blockaded the village of Beita, near Nablus, stopping movement in or out. They proceeded to spend the hours of 10am to 7pm attacking the village with teargas, rubber-coated steel bullets and sound grenades. One fourteen-year-old boy was injured with a rubber bullet to the leg and three others were arrested. Their current legal status is unknown.

Abdel Aziz being arrested (Photo by Feras Zahrawi)
Abdel Aziz being arrested (Photo by Feras Zahrawi)

At around 10am, around eleven jeeps arrived in the area, proceeding to completely surround the village of Beita. Several jeeps blocked each access road to the village, completely restricting freedom of movement. Soldiers in military vehicles then drove into the village, the residents of which were now completely trapped. Storming through the village soldiers shot teargas and sound bombs, some of which were seemingly deliberately fired directly into homes. Some youth emerged from their homes to defend their families and the town from the Israeli military incursion. Others watched from the roofs of their homes, as the teargas fell down on their village.

Nineteen-year-old Abdel Aziz was working in his father’s shop during the incursion, but closed the doors when the army approached the area. Going up onto the roof, he watched as the teargas fell in the village. Around seven soldiers, having seen him on the roof, came to the front door and started banging at it. When Abdel Aziz came to the door, they pushed him inside and immediately started to beat him. He was then dragged outside and searched violently at the jeep. His father and brother, who witnessed the arrest, said that he was then hit in the head and brutally pushed into a jeep, where he was blindfolded and handcuffed. Abdel Aziz is due to start studying law at university in less than two weeks time on the 1st of September. However, his family are concerned that he will not be released in time to begin his course. His father said today “his mother is the most concerned – she is very upset”.

Twenty-year-old Amar Yousef was assisting in the preparation of a family wedding at his grandmother’s home when the soldiers stormed the village. Amar initially sought cover before he witnessed a fourteen-year-old receive a rubber-coated steel bullet to the leg. Leaving the safety of the house, he tried to assist this young boy with his injury. However, he was observed by a group of soldiers and subsequently beaten and arrested. At the age of sixteen Amar was imprisoned for two years, currently he has been attempting to find employment and has found this to be extremely difficult due to unemployment levels in the surrounding area.

A third young man, Mazen Dweikat was also arrested under similar circumstances. After contacting the Palestinian/Israeli military liasion, some of the families were informed that their arrested sons are in Huwwara military base, but that they will not be able to have any legal representation for at least three weeks. The fourteen-year-old who was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet was unable to be treated at a hospital in Nablus because exits from the town were still blocked; instead he was treated by a local doctor in Beita.

Beita is not unaccustomed to assaults from the Israeli military, during Ramadan the village was subjected to a night invasion where teargas was fired. There were no arrests or injuries in this last attack, therefore it seems that as the “peace talks” begin, the situation is escalating; a fact confirmed by the army invading the village once again the next day, 17th August, shooting gas at residents.

Video: Soldiers violently attack and arrest peaceful protesters in Al-Masara

17th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Al-Masara, Occupied Palestine

Yesterday, the 16th August, four people were violently arrested at a peaceful demonstration taking place near the village of Al-Masara, on the outskirts of Hebron (Al Khalil). Around sixty demonstrators calling for the dismantlement of illegal Israeli settlements upon Palestinian land were attacked immediately. Although the protesters had planned to go to the Gush Etzion illegal settlement bloc, to once again construct the Canaan protest village, they were prevented as the protest was disbanded by Israeli soldiers within minutes. Those who had been arrested were later released.

Soldiers violently strangling and arresting protesters (Photo by South West Bank Popular Committee)
Soldiers violently strangling and arresting protesters (Photo by South West Bank Popular Committee)

At around 11.30am the procession began, with many people waving flags and calling chants for freedom. An Israeli military vehicle drove by, immediately turned around and blocked the road. Within two minutes two more military jeeps and one police car had joined the blockade. Heavily armed soldiers stormed the procession, splitting the group into two and beating protesters to the ground. The soldiers pushed protesters back and formed a wall of plastic shields. Four men including two Palestinian and two international protesters were arrested.

One of the arrested men, Abed, was holding a camera and documenting the demonstration when he was violently grabbed and pushed by an Israel soldier. Abed shouted at the soldier to let go of his arm and tried to pull away from the soldiers grasp. The soldier responded by strangling and arresting him. Another protester, Muad Al-lahham, was arrested while calmly waving a Palestinian flag.

Local Palestinians are incensed by the continuous settlement expansion and subsequent annexation of their land that deliberately prevents farmers from harvesting their crops. This disabling act of aggression has led to local Palestinian families being financially crippled. As an act of resistance, the local people regularly hold peaceful demonstrations that are consistently met with force from the Israeli occupation. These acts, usually held on Friday – Juma’a – often use symbolism to convey their message. Two weeks ago the locals erected a tent on occupied Palestinian land, as a mark of resistance to the Israeli settlements.

Palestinians here are used to being arrested at their demonstrations. Yesterday, Mahmoud from Al-Masara had his permit taken from him, which is indicative of imminent arrest. For Mahmoud, this is routine and he calmly smoked a cigarette while soldiers decided his fate. Mahmoud was allowed to maintain his freedom, but he never knows when an arrest may come. Asked why he continues to protest he said: “Our goal is to live in peace and to have our freedom like anybody else in the world. Israelis have occupied Palestine, but they can never occupy our minds.”

Soldiers violently pushing protester to the ground (South West Bank Popular Committee)
Soldiers violently pushing protester to the ground (South West Bank Popular Committee)

The majority of protesters came from the villages of Beit Ummar and Al-Masara, which are both affected by Highway 60, built by Israeli authorities. The highway cuts through the villages, dividing people from their farm lands. As well as this, the inhabitants of the Israeli settlement of Kami Tzur that is close to the villages use intimidation and force in attempt to prevent the farmers harvesting their crops. Other demonstrators came from Bethlehem, Al Fawwar refugee camp, Ramallah and further afield. The force used by the Israeli army at yesterday’s protest, organised by the South West Bank Popular Committee, demonstrates the intolerance toward peaceful protesters who make a stand against this injustice.

Video – Sent to prison for playing with olives

12th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

On Sunday, 11/08/2013, at approximately 4 o’clock in the afternoon, two activists from Youth Against Settlements (YAS) were arrested.  Twenty-one-year-old Abd AlMajeed Bassam Amro, and twenty-year-old Ali Talib Amro were playfully throwing olives at each other when an Israeli soldier came up to them and accused them of throwing stones at his colleague. The colleague in question initially denied having any knowledge of this, but after a brief period, many more soldiers came to the scene and the two youths were arrested and handed over to the police. The police interrogated the youths and rejected to even hear the testimony of eyewitnesses supporting them. The police found enough grounds to charge them based on the accusations of a single soldier, and Ali and Abd AlMajeed were sent to Atsion prison later that night.

Two members of the ISM, as well as many other locals were present as the incident unfolded. Ali and Abd AlMajeed chose to hold their ground and defend themselves against the soldier’s accusations, putting their trust in reasoning with the Israeli forces, hoping that the testimony of many eyewitnesses to the event would be enough to counter the claims of the soldier. Sadly, this was not the case. The soldier accusing the youths called for backup, and within a few minutes, 9 soldiers in total were present. They discussed the incident among themselves for a while and then decided to arrest the youths. The boys were blindfolded as they were led from the scene and handed over to the police.

The two members of the ISM who were present at the scene, immediately approached the police vehicle where Ali and Abd AlMajeed were being kept blindfolded, and demanded that their testimony as eyewitnesses in defense of the accused be heard. The presiding officer asked them to follow in a taxi to Aljabri police station where the youths were being taken for interrogation and ask at the gate to be admitted in to provide evidence.

At the gate of the police station, the eyewitnesses were made to wait for two and a half hours, while the investigating officer initially denied that the youths were being kept in the station. Eventually admitting that the boys were indeed being held there, the witnesses were then told to wait while he considered whether or not he needed to hear their testimony. After a while, the officer told them to go home and that he would contact them if needed, to which the eye witnesses pointed out that the interrogator did not know neither their names nor their phone numbers. Finally, the interrogator came out and told the eyewitnesses to go home, the interrogation was over. “Are you releasing them then?” was the reply of the eyewitnesses, to which the interrogator answered: “no, they’re going to prison.” When questioned as to why the other side of the story was not heard at all, the investigator answered that he required only the word of the soldiers in this case. Later that night the boys were transferred to one of the worst reputed jails in the West Bank, Atsion prison between Hebron and Bethlehem.

Unfortunately this kind of story is by no means a special case in occupied Palestine. Palestinians are tried under military law, granting them little or no rights. In fact the only thing the Israeli occupation court system needs in order to reach a conviction is the testimony of one eyewitness, in many cases the testimony of the very person making the accusation. Twenty-one-year-old Abd AlMajeed father is currently in prison following a conviction of 7 life sentences. He, like his son, was arrested on the testimony of the person accusing him. He had allegedly shot a gun at one of the 400 illegal settlers living in the Tel Rumeida area.

The arrest of the two YAS activists comes less than a week after Israeli soldiers were filmed assaulting a twelve-year-old boy  and about 9 days after a seventy-one-year-old woman died because the occupation forces would not let the ambulance through Hebron’s many checkpoints. Neither of these incidents has had any consequences for the soldiers involved.