Tag: Deir Istiya

Israeli army violently represses peaceful Friday demonstration

Israeli army attack protestors at Friday demo

On Friday, August 4, a peaceful demonstration was violently attacked by the Israeli army around the West Bank village of Deir Istyia, Salfit governorate.

About 30 Palestinians from Deir Istiya, including women, the elderly and children were on their way to the land north of the village, accompanied by a number of Israeli and international observers, to peacefully protest a new illegal Israeli outpost, when they were stopped in a gorge a few kilometers from the village by about 20 armed Israeli soldiers, who prevented the peaceful demonstration from continuing further.
The demonstrators then held Friday prayers within walking distance of the soldiers, after which they began chanting slogans in Arabic and English such as “Ihtilal Barra Barra” (“Out with the occupation”) and “Israel is a fascist state”.

After a few minutes, a Palestinian woman managed to get past the line of Israeli soldiers while waving a Palestinian flag. In response, Israeli soldiers, who were on the road and on the high ground surrounding the gorge, began firing stun grenades into the crowd, followed by tear gas fired at eye level and rubber-coated steel bullets. The mayor of Deir Istyia was wounded by a rubber bullet to the stomach fired at point-blank range, and received assistance from paramedics on the scene.

Citizens of Deir Istyia have been protesting every Friday for two months against a new illegal Israeli outpost that was built in May on Palestinian farmers’ land near the village.

Since 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, some 300 settlements and outposts have been built in the occupied Palestinian territories (source OHCHR). These settlements, where between 600,000 and 700,000 settlers live, are illegal under international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from moving part of its civilian population into the territories it occupies. The illegality of the colonies has been confirmed by various Security Council and UN General Assembly resolutions. Outposts are illegal even under Israeli domestic law (source OHCHR).

Palestinians perform prayers at Friday demo

Illegal settlements are often intentionally built on Palestinian agricultural land and pastures, or in close proximity to a Palestinian village. The illegal occupation of land for settlement construction involves multiple arbitrary violations of Palestinians’ human rights, including restrictions on freedom of movement, house demolitions, expropriation, and diversion of water resources from Palestinian-owned agricultural land to settlements.

Illegal Israeli settlers’ attacks on Palestinian civilians are also a daily reality. OCHA reported an increase in settler violence, with almost 600 incidents registered in the first six months of 2023, while 2022 was condemned for a “record year” of Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank.
“Armed and masked Israeli settlers are attacking Palestinians in their homes, attacking children on their way to school, destroying property and burning olive groves, and terrorising entire communities with complete impunity,” the experts reported.

Palestinians denied passage for Friday prayer in Deir Istiya

6th May 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Deir Istiya, occupied Palestine

*Israeli forces prevent Palestinians to access their own lands for Friday prayer in Deir Istiya*

Yesterday, 5th May, for the second week in a row , a group of Palestinians gathered in the olive groves, just outside Deir Istiya, district of Salfit, for their Friday prayer.

Before the prayer even started, a group of Israeli soldiers denied them passage to an open space near Highway 5066, which connects Tel Aviv to the illegal settlement of Ariel, stating that the prayer would have to take place at least 300 meters away from the road. After harassement and threats from the soldiers, who temporarily restrained Riziq Abu Nasser, one of the leaders of the peaceful protest, another group of soliders was called to the spot, with the Israeli police lingering not far from there. Pictures and videos of the protesters were taken and the Friday prayer ended up taking place where the growing number of Israeli soldiers allowed. The crowd dispersed soon after the prayer was over, in a peaceful manner.

*Palestinians gathered in the olive groves, next to Highway 5066, start their prayer*

This is the second time the inhabitants of Deir Istiya try to peacefully demonstrate against the construction of the highway, that rendered inaccessible their farmlands on the other side of the road. Last year, 15 demonstrations took place in Deir Istiya, and they were heavily repressed and followed by night raids into the village.

*Israeli forces temporarily restrain the leader of the peaceful protest*

After contacts between Israeli authorities, the Salfit Governorate and Deir Istiya municipality, along with the Israeli promise that a new agricultural road would be built, the population agreed to put a stop to the demonstrations. The new road would allow Deir Istiya’s farmers to regain acess not to their own lands – around 2000 dunums in the valley of Wadi Qana – but also to neigbouring villages. The construction of Highway 5066 has become a check-point for Deir Istiya inhabitants, forcing them to walk more than 2 km to access their lands without ensuring their own safety and preventing them to take their cattle, tractors or other machinery with them. Frequent attacks from settlers have also been reported, with no response.

The frequent harassment, both by Israeli Occupation Forces and settlers, as well as the inability to take care of their own lands and crops has led, according to Abu Nasser, to a growing dependency on imported agricultural products and to a serious population loss. Still his belief on peaceful resistance as the best mean to send a message to Israeli authorities remain unchallenged.

*Palestinian farmers from Deir Istiya have their Friday prayer while being watched by Israeli soldiers*

Israeli forces take a next step in threatening 3 families from Deir Istyia.

December 9th, 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwwara team | Deir Istyia, occupied Palestine

In the end of November we told the story of three families, living in the outskirts of Deir Istyia who were under daily threats and harassment from the Israeli forces. Now the threatening from the IOF has reached another level for these 3 families. Last week the soldiers cut both the electrity ground cable to the house and a couple of days later the powerline, one of the families was therefore without electricity for 7 hours. The family waited an hour and a half before they dared going out, see what happened and why the electrity went off. When they went out, the soldiers started shooting teargas towards them and their house, while shouting that they should leave the area. The Israeli forces also threw stones at the houses.

We visited the families twice last week. Both parents and children were traumatized after repeated attacks. We realized how Israeli Defence Forces are threatening vulnerable families to take over their houses and land that have been theirs for decades. One of the families who used to live there moved into the village of Deir Istyia last year. Now the army is trying to make these three families’ lives so unbearable that they too would decide to move out.

Collective Punishment for Deir Istiya village

6th January 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Deir Istiya, Occupied Palestine

On 29th December, Israeli military barricaded the village of Deir Istiya, Salfit with a roadblock.

This type of roadblock, termed an ‘earth mound’, is a pile of rubble and earth dropped over the road to obstruct access.

It prevents access from the village to the main road towards Nablus and Qalqilyah where many Deir Istiya residents work and study. Residents and visitors must use the southern route to get in and out through the village of Hares. Hares is a small village with narrow winding roads. The increased traffic through Hares causes congestion and increases risk of car accidents. The diversion of at least 8 km adds to fuel costs as well as journey time.

On the 4th January, a 58 year old resident of Deir Istiya suffered from a heart attack. The increased time to reach Nablus hospital could have proved fatal. The patient is still in intensive care in Nablus hospital.

Residents of the village managed to reopen part of the road a couple of days after it was blocked. The army returned and only fortified it with even larger boulders that were impossible to remove by hand.

Villagers say the army closed the road as ‘collective punishment’ for a youth who had thrown a Molotov cocktail at a car passing from a nearby illegal Israeli settlement but no arrests have been made. There are 5000 people living in the village of Deir Istiya. This kind of collective punishment is illegal under international law, breaking Article 33 of the 4th Geneva Convention.

The roadblock was partially removed late last night by the Israeli military, possibly after pressure from human rights organizations including the Red Cross. This now allows vehicles precarious access to the main road to Nablus. The blockade however, still obscures most of the access into and out of the village, particularly problematic in emergency situations, and for parents with children, the elderly and disabled.

The road was last closed in November under similar circumstances.

Settlers attempted to kidnap and shoot two young Palestinian children

15th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Dear Istiya, Occupied Palestine

Yesterday in the village of Deir Istiya, two young boys, Hasim Abu Zeed (13) and Hathem Yaser Abu Zeed (9) were attacked by Israeli settlers.

Every day Hasim and Hathem’s family have to cross a road, which separates their homes from the village. This puts them in a dangerous position, exposing them to settler harassment and violence.

Yesterday evening when they were passing a road to visit a store in the village, a car drove by and dragged the two boys inside. Hasim screamed, causing people to wake in the village, this appeared to unnerve the settlers and the two boys managed to escape into the olive fields, close to their house.

While the boys ran, one of the settlers pulled out an M16 and tried to shoot them, and also fired into the sky. Thankfully neither boy was injured.

When the Israeli soldiers arrived, they offered the family protection for four days, but left after an hour.

The family is now extremely frightened; especially as this was not the first time one of their children was targeting by colonial settlers.

Seven months ago, Hathem’s younger brother, Ibrahim Yaser Abu Zeed (8) was crossing the street when a settle car ran him over, dragging him several meters before driving away. When the boy was found his wounds were so severe that it seemed likely he would die.

He was taken to a hospital located inside the state of Israel and fortunately survived, traumatized and badly injured, he returned to his family. Several months later, he still has to use a prescribed cream on his wounds to help the scar tissue heal. The cream costs 170 shekels, which is a serious financial burden.

Physical violence from settlers in Deir Istya is not uncommon; the situation is the same in so many other Palestinian villages close to illegal settlements. Deir Istya is being surrounded by settlements, which continue to steal more and more Palestinian land. The village itself is located in area A (under full Palestinian Authority civil and security control), but it is surrounded by area C (under full Israeli military civil and security control).

Nine people in the Zeed family live in in two rooms. The father of the family attempted to erect a tent for his goats beside the house, which Israeli soldiers immediately demanded him to destroy himself, or they would force him to pay them to destroy it.