Tag: Dogs attack

Ten homes invaded, three arrested in night invasion of Talfit

8th July 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Talfit, Occupied Palestine

In the early hours of Wednesday 3rd of July, the Israeli army conducted a large scale incursion into the northern West Bank village of Talfit, invading and trashing ten houses and arresting three men. The families of these prisoners have not heard from them in the five days since they have been in Israeli custody and their current whereabouts and legal status are unknown.

Abdallah's father with a picture of his imprisoned son (Photo by ISM) — Abdallah’s father with a picture of his imprisoned son (Photo by ISM)

In a sustained invasion from around 1am to 5am, around one hundred soldiers entered the village of Talfit in a number of jeeps, heavily armed and with police dogs. At least ten families, many with young children, were forced by the military to wait in the street for many hours whilst soldiers ransacked their homes.

Twenty-six year old Abdallah Mohammed Najeeb, who works as a nurse in a Nablus hospital, was one of the three men arrested during this night invasion. He was sleeping in his home at 1am when thirty soldiers came to the door, breaking it down with an air pump and flooding into the house with dogs. According to Abdallah’s father, the soldiers ordered all ten family members, including three children under the age of four, to stand on the road for several hours; during this time, some soldiers questioned the family, whilst others were inside overturning furniture and pulling the house apart. After some time, Abdallah was forced into the jeep, wearing just his sleeping clothes and no shoes. He was driven away – along with two other men who were arrested from homes nearby – and no one has heard from them since. No justification or explanation of their arrests was given.

The father of another family had his identity card and driving license confiscated by a military commander, who stated as he took them: “you have no ID”. These will cost at least 800 shekels to replace and in the meantime he will not be able to continue his work as a driver because now he does not have the required documents to legally do so. “The soldiers shouted at them and let the dogs come very near the children – they were so afraid” said the mother of the family about her two children aged three and five, who had been ordered outside for several hours.

A trashed home in the village of Talfit (Photo by ISM)

Several doors of homes had sound grenades thrown at them and some were physically broken in. Of the many houses that were violently searched, destroying property and furniture, some thefts by the Israeli military were also reported; money, mobile phones and even a family photo album in one case. Computers in several houses were dismantled but not removed.

Israeli military night invasions are a regular occurrence in the villages and cities of the West Bank, even those, such as Talfit, that are in Area A, thus supposedly under full Palestinian civil and security control and the Israeli authorities have no jurisdiction. The village of Talfit currently has around twenty people being held in Israeli jails, some for many years. Some are arrested with no justification whilst others are political prisoners who have been imprisoned for exercising their right to resist occupation. Under the Israeli system, Palestinians are tried in military courts, or can be held indefinitely without charge under “administrative detention”.

Israel’s dogs will not keep Kufr Qaddoum from reaching justice

by Amal

26 March 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Neither the attack dog or the dogs of the Israeli court system could keep Ahmed’s spirits down. He held his head up high as he walked into the court room, even while shackled by his feet and hands. His court hearing was rescheduled for a week from now.

On Sunday, the Israeli courts will determine if Ahmed will be released or given a prison sentence. On March 17th Ahmed was the victim of Israel attack dogs as he peacefully demonstrated against the Israeli occupation and its implications on the village, which is located near Nablus. Kufr Qaddoum’s main road has been blocked off by Israeli military for the sake of a nearby illegal settlement. The Israeli apartheid regime is trying to charge Ahmed with “participating in an illegal protest” and “throwing rocks at soldiers.”‘

Ahmed’s uncle, Murad, also was ordered to appear in court on Sunday. But it seems to be an intimidation tactic as Murad appeared and was told to “go home.” An Israeli activist present in support of Kufr Qaddoum residents does not believe this will be the last time Murad is harassed by the Israeli courts.

Sunday, the public will know if Ahmed will be set “free.” Regardless of the outcome, Ahmed will not gain his freedom until Palestine is no longer occupied. Until Palestinians see the end to illegal military Israeli occupation, Ahmed still will not be able to walk down the main road in his hometown. As a result of the apartheid system, Kufr Qaddoum and many other Palestinian towns will continue to protest for their freedom.

Amal is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).

Attacked and arrested: Kufr Qaddoum anticipates an even larger demonstration following Israeli violence last week

by Jonas

21 March 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Last Friday two people were injured and two arrested when the repression of the Israeli army came down on the regular demonstration at Kufr Qaddoum. Attack dogs were used to frighten and incapacitate protesters, besides the usual tear gas, sound bombs and skunk water. But the village is anticipating that this week’s demonstration will be even larger.

Ahmed Ashtawi’s worst nightmare came true this Friday at the demonstration against the roadblock that cripples Kufr Qaddoum’s access to the rest of the West Bank. The 23 year old traffic police officer, who works his station in Qalqiliya, has a phobia for dogs.

“What happened to Ahmed could have happened to any man in this town,” said Ahmed’s cousin, Mahmoud. “We thank God that it wasn’t worse and hope that he will be with us again at the next demonstration.”

He was attacked by one of the two attack dogs released by the Israeli border police. It was during the beginning of the demonstration, just as the soldiers had pushed the demonstration back with a heavy bombardment of teargas. One of the dogs got hold of Ahmed’s leg and he fell to the ground. When his friend tried to reach him the soldiers fired more tear gas to keep them away. The dog was allowed to keep biting Ahmed for almost 15 minutes while other protestors and international activists tried to free him.

“I saw that his pants were torn and bloody” sais Riad Ashtawi, one of Ahmed’s relatives who tried to reach him while he was on the ground being bit by the dog. “One of the soldiers carried a rifle with live ammunition, aiming it at me, so I was forced to hide behind a tree. When I looked out I saw how a soldier was about to fire towards my head with a tear gas canister from a few meters distance, so I dove for cover again and the canister hit my leg. As I laid on the ground, unable to move I could still hear Ahmed screaming.”

As Ahmed was on the ground with the dog still biting into his hand, his uncle Morad Ashtawi, one of the leaders of the demonstration, was able to reach him. When the soldiers saw Morad they sprayed his face with pepper spray and put him in handcuffs. The official statement of the Israeli army has been that Morad was trying to hit one of the soldiers.

In the video of the event that has been circulated on the internet since Friday, however you can clearly see that Morad poses no threat to the soldiers and that his only aim is to free his nephew from the dog.

“The soldiers have been out for Morad since the beginning of the protests” said Abu Moushab of the city council, who anticipates this weeks demonstration to be bigger and more forceful than last week’s. According to him many people who have seen the video of Murad being arrested are angry and upset.

Ahmed’s cousin reflected on the question of expectations for next week. Smiling and with laughter in his eyes, he declared, “We are afraid of the dogs, so this Friday we will not come to the demonstration,” bursting with laughter. His humor was refreshing despite the gloom cast by the violent Israeli military.The organizers of the protest expect people to turn up from all over the West Bank for this week’s demonstration in Kufr Qaddoum. The video on Youtube of Ahmed being bitten and Morad being arrested have been viewed over 70,000 times.

Locals worry that their village son has not received care following the attack and his arrest by the Occupation forces. “We still don’t know if he has received any care for the injuries he sustained,” said Abu Moushab. “We have been in contact with his lawyer but they are unable to get any information. All we know is that he was given first aid on site.”

Once the teeth of the dog had been pryed off of Ahmed’s hand he was arrested, accused of throwing stones towards the soldiers.

“This is what they do,” said Abu Moushab. “They accuse people of throwing stones to have an excuse to lock them up for months.”

Now the small village waits for Friday to get to voice their rage against what has happened.”Everyone who has seen the video is very angry, and we will continue the protests with more strength” said Mahmoud.

Jonas is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).

When teargas and rubber bullets are not enough: Israeli soldiers release the hounds on unarmed Palestinian protesters

17 March 2012 | Ni’lin Village

The jaws of Zionism locked – Click here for more photos

In Kufur Qaddoum, clashes between Israeli Border Police officers who shot tear-gas projectiles and rubber-coated bullets and local youth who threw stones at the forces developed. Roughly 15 minutes later – in a scene that seemed as if it was taking place in the American South of the 1960s – Border Police officers decided to sic an army dog at a group of the demonstrators, standing several dozens of meters away. The dog chased after the protesters, biting and locking his jaws into the arm of one of them – Ahmad Shtawi.

For long minutes, the dog would not release its hold of the bleeding arm, even as its handler arrived at the scene and tried to order it to do so. The Border Police officers then arrested Shtawi, despite the fact he was in obvious need of medical attention. Morad Shtawi, a member of the village’s popular committee, tried to reason with the commanding officer into releasing young man. He was then pepper-sprayed and arrested as well.

Two other residents of the village were injured during the demonstration, after being hit by tear-gas projectiles shot directly at them. One was hit in the leg and another in the shoulder.

The weekly protest in Kufer Qaddoum, west of Nablus, was dedicated to the memory of Rachel Corrie – an American protester who was killed after an Israeli D9 bulldozer drove over her in Rafah exactly nine years ago, on March 16, 2003.

In Nabi Saleh, at least three protesters were injured during the demonstration, including an Israeli woman who was hit in the head by a rubber-coated bullet. The two others were hit lightly injured, one by a rubber-coated bullet and the other by a tear-gas projectile. The woman was evacuated to the Ramallah hospital.
Earlier today, large forces entered the village and sprayed a foul-smelling liquid known as the Skunk from a water cannon.
During the night, the army staged yet another raid on the village, the fifth in a week’s time.

In Ni’lin,, demonstration was held despite the rainy weather, the demonstration was dedicated to the American activist Tristan Anderson who was shot by high velocity tear gas projectile in his head by the Israeli soldiers in 13.03.2009 in the middle of Ni’lin village. also commemorating the anniversary to the killing of Rachel Corrie in gaza strip by an israeli military bulldozer.
Israeli soldiers fired massive tear gas canister at protester,rubber coated bullets and skunk water,one demonstrator was hit with a rubber bullet in his hand and was treated directly.