Tag: Beit Hadassah

Nightraids in the Souk: Israeli Soldiers Terrorize Old City of Hebron

3rd August 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Al Khalil, Occupied Palestine

At around 11:00 PM on the night of August 1st, a fire began in souk of Hebron’s Old City.

The fire was coming from a building that overhangs into the souk from the illegal settlement of Beit Hadassah. The Israeli military came and immediately began detaining Palestinians, saying that the cause of the fire was from a Molotov.

Local Palestinians say that they believe it was actually an illegal Israeli settler that threw the Molotov into the house, as a way to cause problems for the Palestinians. No one lived in the house where the Molotov was thrown. The Israeli military presence became massive with about 70 soldiers, border police, and police, as well as army jeeps and a large armored vehivle. The military was claiming that there was a homemade bomb in one of the houses. They started to forbid movement and surrounded the area, detaining people for several hours.

They detained eight Palestinians, two of whom were arrested, handcuffed, and blindfolded.

The military, claiming Shalaleh street a closed military zone, announced that if people went any further, they would be arrested. CPTers were also present and documenting the situation. A large military vehicle came out through Bab al Baladia from the illegal settlement. The soldiers began raiding houses, looking for the ‘homemade bomb.’

Eventually, a smaller remote controlled robotic device came out from the back of the large military vehicle. The soldiers said that it would be used to detonate the bomb they claimed was hidden somewhere in the souk.

Meanwhile, groups of military and border police were scattered throughout the souk, not allowing people to cross while raiding houses.

A group of 30 soldiers started to force open the gate of a shop with a crowbar in search of a surveillance cameras that may have filmed whatever caused the fire.

The army forced themselves in and broke down the door without even botheriing to ask for the key from the owner of the shop. At this time they also detained a young man near the shop, making him put his head against the wall.

When ISMers were questioning the soldiers about what they were doing, the ‘commander’ told them to back off and then said if he saw them again, he would have them arrested. He also called the soldiers at checkpoint 56 (also known as H1/H2 or Shuhada street checkpoint) and told them to tell the ISMers the same thing.

All accounts of the situation vary, but this is the information ISM knows from what was witnessed and from Palestinian sources.

Palestinian home and market attacked by settlers from illegal settlement of Beit Hadassah

29th July 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al Khalil Team | Al Khalil, Occupied Palestine

At 18:30 PM on the 29th of June 2015, masked settlers from the nearby illegal settlement of Beit Hadassah attacked Palestinian houses and souq (market) with a water hose and stones.
Shadi Sider, a Palestinian man, had to be hospitalized due to a stone thrown by a settler that hit him in the knee. The settlers attacked the Sider family home, the water went inside the living room, completely soaking the interior including a computer. During the attack, an Israeli settler arrived with an assault rifle. Israeli soldiers were present throughout the entire incident, they stood and watched but never intervened to stop the settler violence. They were standing above the Palestinian market, which they occupy.
Six children, all under the age of five years old, were present in the family home at the time of the attack; stones were also thrown at the property. This is not the first time that the family home has been attacked by settlers. Just last Saturday, the settlers sprayed water at the same home and threw stones. The Sider family home overlooks the settler basketball court and illegal settlement of Beit Hadassah.
Twenty Israeli soldiers were present in the souq after the incident today. They came into the Sider home, looked around, and left without speaking to Shadi Sider’s wife, whose home was just attacked by settlers. Time and time again settlers have attacked the Sider family home yet none of them are ever reprimanded for doing so.
Video provided to ISM by the Sider family.

Palestinian arrested after filming settlers throwing stones

17th August 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Occupied Palestine

Yesterday at approximately 5:30 PM in the old city in al-Khalil (Hebron) settlers from the illegal settlement of Beit Hadassah threw rocks and water at Palestinians living on Shalala Street. This is a regular occurance for Palestinian families living close to illegal settlements in al-Khalil. The majority of the time the Israeli military watches from a distance and does not do anything to intervene in the violence and property damage.

One Palestinian, a 35-year old man, documented the stone throwing only to be detained and then arrested by the Israeli military. The man was taken through a yellow gate to an area where Palestinians are restricted from, where the soldiers pushed him around.

The soldiers threw several stun grenades at Palestinians and internationals standing behind the yellow gate, trying to document what was happening through holes of the gate.

Two internationals walked through the checkpoint at the Ibrahimi mosque and down Shuhada street in attempt to find the Palestinian. A group of ten solders and an army jeep stood with two Palestinian men, the man who had been arrested was in handcuffs. A nearby soldier told the internationals that neither of the men was arrested but they were only bringing him the handcuffed man in for questioning, to gather evidence about the settlers who threw stones. After approximately five minutes the solders blindfolded the Palestinian and started walking with him to a nearby army base, Beit Romano. When internationals asked why the man was being blindfolded an Israeli soldier stated, “Because I want to.”

The man was released earlier this morning.

Settler attack instigates clashes in Hebron, one Palestinian shot with live ammunition

6th December 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

This afternoon in Hebron, approximately three illegal settlers, standing on the same roof as several Israeli soldiers, threw stones at Palestinian homes and cars in the old city. This act of aggression caused clashes to break out between Palestinian youth and Israeli forces, where many tear gas canisters, stun grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition were fired. One youth, aged 19-years-old, was seriously injured after being shot with live ammunition in the stomach.

A broken car window, the result of illegal settlers throwing stones (photo by ISM).

The settlers threw stones at Palestinian homes and cars in what is known as Small Shallala Street from a roof in the illegal settlement of Beit Hadassah, damaging a number of cars. This continued for at least ten minutes unobstructed by the guarding Israeli soldiers.

After a group of 5 Israeli soldiers entered the souk (market) Palestinian youth gathered and began to throw stones. The group of soldiers returned to Beit Romano military base and shortly after a further fifteen soldiers arrived and began to fire tear gas canisters and stun grenades.

The clashes continued for more than five hours with the Israeli forces escalating their aggression by firing tear gas canisters, rubber-coated steel bullet, stun grenades and live ammunition at Palestinian youth. One 19-year-old was shot in his abdomen and was taken to hospital for treatment, his condition is unknown.

Palestinian man and his 3-year-old niece assaulted by Israeli soldiers

3rd October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

Israeli soldiers at the Sider family home after the violent incident occurred

On Tuesday 2nd October local Khalil shop owner Abed Sider and his 3-year-old niece were hospitalised after being assaulted by several soldiers.

On the day of his birthday at 6:30pm, Abed had his home invaded by five Israeli soldiers who had come to interrogate his three year old niece on allegations of stone throwing. The Israeli forces dragged Abed from his home into the street; this aggressive action caused injury to his arm which later necessitated hospital treatment. Additionally the Israeli soldiers injured Abed’s three-year-old niece who also required hospitalisation.

The soldiers alleged that nearby illegal settlers from Beit Hadassah had made several complaints of stone throwing from the little girls’ bedroom window that overlooks the settlement playground. The window in question is sealed and caged to protect the Sider family from the constant attacks from the settlers.

An Israeli commander later came to the Sider family home and was convinced by Abed’s brother, Shadi, to view footage of the incident that showed the soldier’s aggressive actions. After viewing the video, the commander stated that the soldiers had been acting “out of accordance” with Israeli army policy and that they will be reprimanded and moved to a new post out of Hebron.

This is another incident in a long line of harassment and intimidation that Abed has had to endure; his seven-year-old son was recently blinded by an acid attack from settlers, and is in Jordan awaiting surgery to restore his vision. The Israeli government has refused Abed and his family the necessary travel permits to visit their son and pay for the treatment.