Tag: Burin - Page 4 - International Solidarity Movement

UPDATED: Army raids Burin’s cultural centre

12th April 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Burin, Occupied Palestine

UPDATE 16th June: On Wednesday 12th of June Burin’s cultural centre was invaded again by the Israeli army. They entered the village at 2am breaking into the Bilal Najjar Cultural Centre and taking documents and the centre’s official stamp. The army spent around two hours in the village also breaking into the future cultural centre that is under construction and taking photos of it. The Bilal Najjar Cultural Centre has been closed since the army invaded it on the 11th of April, damaged the building and destroyed all resources within.

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At 2am on Thursday 11 April Burin village near Nablus was invaded by over ten army jeeps, 100 soldiers and border police. The Army raided houses arresting 3 young men from the village and destroying the cultural centre used by the community.

Solidarity activists entered the village shortly after 2am and witnessed soldiers all over the village, detaining a youth and raiding several homes. They were able to enter the home of one family and stay with them as the Army pulled back at around 4:30am. The family had several small children including a baby. Soldiers entered the home, questioning one of the family members and checking the families computer. The family regularly suffer harrassment from the Army due to their community activity, with the last invasion of their home only 10 days before.

The Army appeared to be targeting members of the cultural centre in the village, which is used to organise events, teach english and is a space for local people and youth to use computers and learn. The centre was destroyed , donated computers were thrown on the floor and the doors and equipment were smashed.

Saed Suhail Najjar (18), Muhammad Najjar (20) and Oday Eid (21) were arrested by the Army and are currently still being held with no contact with their families or lawyers. They were all regular attendees at the Cultural Centre. Burin village is regularly invaded by the Israeli Army due to its steadfast resistance to the stealing of village land by the illegal settlements of Yitzhar and Bracha.

These illegal settlements are particularly notorious and the villages surrounding them regularly suffer settler harrassment. On Friday 12 April settlers entered the village of Urif and burnt trees, attacked farmers and damaged property. Settler harrassment has been steadily increasing across the West Bank and are supported by the Israeli Army. In 2008 the nearby village of Asira al Qibliya was subject to a rampage by armed settlers, while soldiers looked on and passed their weapons to them. Several Palestinians were shot and several more have been killed in the villages that surround the illegal settlements. Under international law all these settlements are illegal and despite this fact, Israel continues to build on Palestinian land, stealing more land from villagers who them suffer harrassment from the illegal inhabitants

After the flames, only determination remains in Burin and Madama

3rd June 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Burin and Madama, Occupied Palestine

On Monday 3^rd June, around a dozen settlers from the illegal colony of Yizhar set fire to Palestinian’s fields in the villages of Burin and Madama, destroying at least 50 acres of arable land with olive trees. The settlers were joined by a jeep of border police when 40-50 Palestinians from the village of Burin came out to attempt to put out the fire, with some being stopped from doing so by the border police present.

As people from the two villages south of Nablus were hoping for an uneventful workday, the settlers from Yizhar, renowned for being one of the worst for settler violence, set fire to fields in the Khallat al-Injas neighbourhood of Madama. One young person there desribed how, “then I went there quickly with my friends and tried to extinguish it. During that time the settlers went to the eastern area which is between Madama and Burin. They set fire into the hills there”.Before long, the enormous fires spread across the field and towards the olive tree groves of neighbouring Burin. Shortly after, Israeli border police turned up at the scene in Burin’s land, delaying the extinguishing of the fire.

Salman Valley was a major source of income for Burin (photo: ISM) — Salman Valley was a major source of income for Burin (Photo by ISM)

Of the Palestinians that gathered, the Israeli border police only allowed uniformed firemen and those from the Palestinian Authority’s civil volunteer service to put out the raging fires. Those who approached to help were threatened with pepper spray. The fire was eventually slowed down when the border police left and the community was able to help. Areas of the hills still burned when volunteers were leaving at around 6 o’clock in the evening. The Israeli fire service appeared in case the fire spread to settler-occupied land, but did nothing to help the Palestinians nearby.

One of the farmers stopped from tackling the fires with what was on-hand (photo: ISM) — One of the farmers stopped from tackling the fires with what was on-hand (Photo by ISM)

This level of violence is far from unheard of in the villages of Madama and Burin, which like other villages in proximity to Yizhar, are both subject to regular crop burnings, harassment and serious violence from the illegal settlement, that, with the assistance of the Israeli occupation forces, show no signs of stopping their assault on the surrounding Palestinian land and its inhabitants. Residents of Burin also face harassment from the Israeli army, which includes the tear-gassing of a Burin home, with a months old baby inside, during this February’s ‘al-Manatir‘ action. A protest for which the village has received several military reprisals since, including destruction of the local cultural centre.

Yizhar is at the forefront of settler violence and operates a strict “price tag” policy, where any action taken by the Israeli government on illegal settlements within the West Bank must be met by carrying out harsh and violent crimes on Palestinian communities. It has frequently produced anti-Palestinian propaganda, including literature justifying the killing of Palestinian children and material supporting the actions of mass murderer Baruch Goldstein.

Villagers fighting the fires that lasted from 11:30 until 19:00 (photo: ISM) — Villagers fighting the fires that lasted from 11:30 until 19:00 (Photo by ISM)

A familiar sight for one; a reality to somehow grasp for others (Photo by ISM)

The charred landscape runs between the two villages serving as a cruel reminder of their neighbour's intentions (photo: ISM) — The charred landscape runs between the two villages serving as a cruel reminder of their neighbour’s intentions (photo by ISM)

A 21 year-old man arrested in Burin. Repression intensifies

16th March 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Occupied palestine

On the night of the 12^th March, Israeli forces invaded the village of Burin and arrested a 21 year-old man in his house.

This arrest is part of a wave of arrests and repression of the village by Israeli forces since al-Manatir neighbourhood was established on a village’s hilltop in early February.

Al-Manatir neighbourhood was attacked by settlers and evicted by Israeli forces (Photo by ISM)

The hilltop, threatened of confiscation by Israeli settlers and military, has been inaccessible to Palestinians since 2007. Last February, dozens of Palestinians activists established Al-Manatir neighbouhood but the protest camp was soon attack by settlers from Yitzhar and Bracha settlements and evicted by Israeli forces. Seven people were violently arrested, three of them remaining in prison for twelve days. In addition, a young Palestinian boy was shot with live ammunition in the leg by a settler.

Since then, six people from the village have been arrested; two of them are still in prison. Muntasser Mahmoud Eid was taken blindfolded from his house at 2pm and is currently being held in Jalama prison.

The arrest was made after confrontations between Palestinian youth and Israeli forces erupted on the hilltop. Israeli army prevented Palestinians from accesing the hilltop by shooting tear gas canisters at them. Afterwards, at night, at around 2pm, several military jeeps inavaded the village and entered Muntasser’s house; tearing him in hi sleep.

It is expected that more arrests will be made in the following weeks as Israeli authorities clearly want to crush the village’s popular struggle against the occupation.

The Village of Burin, situated in between two of the most violent and fundamentalist settlements in the occupied West Bank, Yizhar and Bracha, has been facing constant harassment, intimidation and violence by both the settlers and the Israeli army for years.

Two residents from Burin arrested overnight: confrontations ongoing throughout today

UPDATE: Baha Adnan Imran 14 years old, who was arrested yesterday on his way home from school, is now being accused of throwing stones and carrying a knuckle duster. He will appear before Salem Military courts tommorow on the northern edge of Jenin.

25 February 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Burin, Occupied Palestine

Mahmoud Nasser Asaus (17) and Magdi Loai Najjar (24) were arrested last night by Israeli forces in the village of Burin and are now being held in Kishon Interrogation Centre in Haifa. Residents of Burin suspect this is the start of a wave of arrest following the Al-Manatir protest that took place In Burin at the beginning of February.

Several jeeps entered Burin at around 2.30am to raid Mahmoud and Magdi’s houses, taking them, handcuffed and blindfolded, to Huwwara military base. At 7am this morning they were transferred to Kishon Interrogation Centre where they are still being held.

These arrests come after the neighbourhood of Al-Manatir was established on a village’s hilltop threatened with confiscation by Israeli settlers. The protest camp was aimed at denouncing Israel’s grab of Burin’s land and to recover the hilltop which has been inaccessible for residents of Burin since 2007.

However, the neighbourhood of Al-Manatir, made up of metal huts and tents, was violently evicted by Israeli soldiers and border police on the same day it was established. Israeli forces protected and accompanied settlers from the nearby settlements of Bracha and Yitzhar; while they were stealing metal huts and throwing stones at Palestinian activists. Simultaneously, around twenty settlers attacked several Palestinian homes on the outskirts of Burin and chopped down one hundred olive trees. When Palestinians ran to the area to defend their homes, stone throwing between settlers and Palestinians ensued. Zakaria Najjar (17), was shot in the right leg with live ammunition by a settler.

During the eviction, eight people were arrested and three of them remained in Israeli prison for twelve days, finally being released without charges. Further reprisals took place in Burin the days following Al-Manatir. Ghassan (23) and Mohammed (19) Najjar were arrested for several hours and interrogated about the protest camp. In addition, the village was sealed off by military checkpoints. The hilltop continues to be inaccessible for residents of Burin.

Following last night’s arrests there have been further incursions into the centre of Burin today. The Israeli army again tried to raid the village resulting in confrontations that began at around midday. Tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets were fired directly into the gathering crowd; as yet no serious injuries have been reported. A further arrest was made by the Israeli authorities, Bahar Adnan Imran who is just 14 years old.

Trial delayed for the Al-Manatir three

06 February 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Occupied Palestine

Three Palestinians are still being held in detention following last Saturday´s Al-Manatir protest camp in Burin. The three of them are suspected of participating in a march without permission as well as throwing stones.

The two adults, Wahid Qadoos and Ashraf Abu Rahma, are also facing potentially an extra charge of assaulting soldiers. Dhia Audhh, the other defendant is a minor from Tammun aged just 17 years old.

Yesterday (5/2/12) the Israeli authorities were pursuing a prosecution, against all three suspects. Today as they arrived in court the military prosecution chose an unusual change of tact. They presented secret files to the military judge explaining why The need five days in order to complete the investigation. According to the military Judge this will include looking into violence from the Israeli settlers that attacked the Palestinians residents of Hai Al-Manatir.

This seems to be as a direct result of attention of the media and human rights groups in the trial.

Although the trial is being delayed so an investigation can be made into the settlers and soldiers violent attacks, the price of the delay is being paid by the three detainees who remain inside Israeli Jails. All three detainees were assaulted by soldiers. Young Diaa was assaulted by settlers, who also egged the soldiers on to “kill him” as they beat him. The military judge didn’t find Diaa’s final high school exams to be a good enough reason to release him or that release to house arrest on bail would suffice for any of the detainees.

The Military Judge ordered them to be held untill the next hearing in their case on Sunday.