25th December 2016 | International Solidarity Movement |Huwarra team | occupied Palestine
Yusef Sheukhy is one out of many Palestinians in Silwan who has already suffered much from the Israeli presence in occupied East Jerusalem. Five of his children have spent time in Israeli jails; the most recent released on 27 May this year. And on Tuesday 29 November, he and his wife and children got brutality woken up at 3am by Israeli soldiers and workers who had arrived to demolish half of the family’s home. According to Yusef Sheukhy, between 150 and 200 soldiers were surrounding the home and neighboring houses, blocking off the roads, as the workers began destroying his family home.
The Palestinians living in Silwan area of occupied East Jerusalem, Palestine, have faced much suffering from the Israeli military occupation. Daily encounters with violent illegal settlers, several killings and arrests by the Israeli forces, as well as an unnumbered amount of home demolitions.
More than 150 families in the East Jerusalem area of Silwan have recently been given demolition warnings by the Israeli authorities. The exact dates of the demolitions have yet to be revealed, and are very likely not to reach the Palestinians until (at the very best) a couple of days before. The families do not know where to go when their homes are destroyed, and many people are expecting to be homeless in the middle of winter.
Yusef Sheukhy was born and raised in the Old City in East Jerusalem, but when Israel began their illegal occupation of Palestine in 1967, the family was forced to leave the home that had belonged to them for generations. As many other families, they left the city and moved to the poor nearby village of Silwan. Several houses were empty and ready to move into, as many families that were originally living in Silwan had fled to Jordan, fearing for the future under Israeli military occupation. Today, Silwan families are once again being forced to leave their homes without any kind of justifications or proper alternatives provided.
Yusef Sheukhy and his sons built the second house as an extension to the original two years ago, in order to house the big family. Yusef Sheukhy and his wife have six boys and two girls and the three small rooms in the first house are not nearly enough to house a family of ten. His three youngest boys are already sharing a small room, and it is almost impossible to imagine how they will manage to fit in another six adult children in this small space.
Before building the house, Yusef Sheukhy made sure to obtain the necessary building permission from the Israeli authorities that are in control of the occupied city. But a couple of days before Tuesday, the Chief of Police in Jerusalem told the family that there were definite plans to demolish the house, as it was an “illegal construction”. Unfortunately, at this point Yusef Sheukhy was not able to find the permission papers that prove his right to having built the house, and the Israeli authorities did not give him the opportunity to get the papers reissued.
As the Chief of Police, on Monday 28, informed one of Yusef Sheukhy’s sons that the demolition would happen within the next 48 hours, Yusef Sheukhy contacted the Chief of Police in order to gain more time to, through his lawyer, receive a new copy of the original permit. So Yusef Sheukhy had a meeting with his lawyer Monday afternoon, and they would meet Tuesday morning at 8.30 to go through the process of regaining the papers. When Yusef Sheukhy told the Chief of Police that he was in the process of getting a new copy of the permit, he was relieved as the Chief of Police seemed to be willing to wait for this. “He said, “okay, if you can do it we will not do it”, Yusef Sheukhy told us.
But in the end, the Chief of Police gave the family no opportunity to prove their rights or object to the order, as the soldiers arrived without warning in the middle of the night only five hours before Yusef Sheukhy was meant to meet the lawyer and hopefully get his papers again.
But Yusef Sheukhy will not let the illegal occupiers succeed once more in dispossessing his family. He is determined to stand his ground: “We will rebuilt, don’t worry. We will not give up. We are suffering but we will never give up.
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EMAIL TO EU TRADE OFFICIALS
Dear _________
I am writing to you with an urgent appeal concerning a Palestinian village in the Israeli occupied West Bank. This village is called Susiya and it is had already been displaced once to make room for an Israeli settlement. Now it is under imminent threat of being destroyed again. The Israeli military has just informed the residents of Susiya that they will start demolishing buildings after the end of Ramadan in a few days.
For more on the continued harassment of the people of Susya by Israeli settlers and military see http://rhr.org.il/eng/save-susya/ http://972mag.com/idf-maps-village-of-susya-as-forced-displacement-looms/106584/
1) Do not let Israeli settlements gain from plunder and restrict the sale of all Israeli settlement products in Europe. In particular bar the importation of Carmel Wines to Europe.
2) Contact the Israeli embassy and demand that the Israeli government cancel its plans to destroy Susiya for the second time.
I am writing to you with an urgent appeal concerning a Palestinian village in the West Bank. This village is called Susiya and it is had already been displaced once to make room for an Israeli settlement. Now it is under imminent threat of being destroyed again. The Israeli military has just informed the residents of Susiya that they will start demolishing buildings after the end of Ramadan, in a few days.
To forcefully evict an entire village is a cruel and illegal act that is about to be repeated by the Israeli military. One cannot escape the conclusion that this policy is a form of systematic discrimination directed at the Palestinians living under Israeli military control. Such an act is so offensive that it implicated those who take part in it as well as those who only let it happen. We urge you to not let this happen and stop the planned demolition of Susiya.
Sincerely ______________
—
-Africa
Angola Raphael Singer consular@luanda.mfa.gov.il
Cameroon info@yaounde.mfa.gov.il
Ethiopia Belaynesh Zevadia embassy@addisababa.mfa.gov.il
Nigeria Uriel Palti info@abuja.mfa.gov.il
Sengal Eli Ben Tura info@dakar.mfa.gov.il
Pretoria Arthur Lank consular@pretoria.mfa.gov.il
Kenya Yahel Vilan info@nairobi.mfa.gov.il
Ghana Sharon Bor-li
amb-sec@accra.mfa.gov.il
-Asia
-China
• Beijing Matan Vilnai info@beijing.mfa.gov.il
• Shanghai Jackie Eldan consulgen-assist@shanghai.mfa.gov.il
• Hong Kong Sagi Karni info@hongkong.mfa.gov.il
• Guangzhou Yaacov Avrahamy info@guangzhou.mfa.gov.il
-India
New Delhi Daniel Carmon consular2@newdelhi.mfa.gov.il
Mumbai David Akov info@mumbai.mfa.gov.il
Tokyo Ruth Kahanoff information@tokyo.mfa.gov.il
Amman cons-sec@amman.mfa.gov.il
Myanmar Daniel Zohar Zonshine info@yangon.mfa.gov.il
Nepal Yaron Mayer info@kathmandu.mfa.gov.il
Philippines Effie Ben Matityau info@manila.mfa.gov.il
Singapore Yael Rubinstein info@singapore.mfa.gov.il
Seoul Uri Gutman info@seoul.mfa.gov.il
Taipei Simona Halperin press@taipei.org.il
Bangkok Simon Roded info@bangkok.mfa.gov.il
Vietnam Meirav Eilon Shahar info@hanoi.mfa.gov.il
-Central America
Costa Rica Abraham Haddad consular1@sanjose.mfa.gov.il
Dominican Republic Bahij Mansour Info@santodomingo.mfa.gov.il
El Salvador Oren Bar El info@sansalvador.mfa.gov.il
Guatemala Moshe Bachar sec-ambassador@guatemala.mfa.gov.il
Mexico Rodica Radian Gordon info@mexico.mfa.gov.il
Panama Alexander Galilee info@panama.mfa.gov.il
-Euro-Asia
Azerbaijan Rafael Harpaz info@baku.mfa.gov.il
Croatia Zina Kalay Kleitman info@zagreb.mfa.gov.il
Georgia Yuval Fuchs press@tbilisi.mfa.gov.il
Kazakhstan Eliyahu Tasman info@astana.mfa.gov.il
-Russia
Moscow Olga Words info@tehila.gov.il
St. Petersberg Michael Lotem info@spb.mfa.gov.il
Serbia Yossef Levy info@belgrade.mfa.gov.il
Ukraine Eliab Byelotserkovski info@kiev.mfa.gov.il
Uzbekistan Carmela Shamir operator@tashkent.mfa.gov.il
-Europe
Mission to UN, Geneva, Eviatar Manor mission-israel@geneva.mfa.gov.il
Mission to European Union, Brussels David Walzer
Austria Zvi Heifetz info-sec@vienna.mfa.gov.il
Bulgaria Shaul Kamisa Raz info@sofia.mfa.gov.il
Cyprus Maria Hadjigeorgiou ambass-sec@nicosia.mfa.gov.il
Prague Gary Koren info@prague.mfa.gov.il
Copenhagen Barukh Binah info@copenhagen.mfa.gov.il
London Daniel Taub info@london.mfa.gov.il
Finland Dan Ashbel info@helsinki.mfa.gov.il
-France
Paris Yossi Gal consul-sec@paris.mfa.gov.il
Marseille Barnea Hassid consulgeneral-sec@marseille.mfa.gov.il
-Germany
Berlin Yakov Hadas-Handelsman botschaft@israel.de
Munich Dan Shaham consul-sec@munich.mfa.gov.il
Greece Irit Ben-Abba pr@athens.mfa.gov.il
Hungary Izrael Allam info@budapest.mfa.gov.il
Ireland Boaz Modai info@dublin.mfa.gov.il
Italy Naor Gilon cons4@roma.mfa.gov.il
Latvia Hagit Ben-Yaakov press@riga.mfa.gov.il
Netherlands Haim Divon consular@hague.mfa.gov.il
Norway Raphael Schutz consular@oslo.mfa.gov.il
Poland, Anna Azari, publicaffairs@warsaw.mfa.gov.il
Portugal Tzipora Rimon israelmb@lisbon.mfa.gov.il
Romania Dan Ben-Eliezer info@bucharest.mfa.gov.il
Slovakia Alexander Ben-Zvi cao-sec@bratislava.mfa.gov.il
Spain Alon Bar info@madrid.mfa.gov.il
Sweden Isaac Bachman info@stockholm.mfa.gov.il
Switzerland Yigal B. Caspi press@bern.mfa.gov.il
Vatican Zion Evrony info@holysee@.mfa.gov.il
-Turkey
Ankara Amira Oron info@ankara.mfa.gov.il
Istanbul Shai Cohen info@istanbul.mfa.gov.il
-North America
-Canada
Ottawa Rafael Barak info@ottawa.mfa.gov.il
Toronto DJ Schneeweiss consular1@toronto.mfa.gov.il
Montreal Ziv Nevo Kulman info@montreal.mfa.gov.il
-USA
Washington D.C. Ron Dermer info@washington.mfa.gov.il
Pacific Northwest San Francisco Andy David Consulardep@SanFrancisco.mfa.gov.il
Los Angeles David Siegel consular-assist@losangeles.mfa.gov.il
Florida and Puerto Rico in Miami Chaim Shacham concal.sec@miami.mfa.gov.il
Atlanta Ofer Aviran info@atlanta.mfa.gov.il
Mid-Atlantic Region Yaron Sideman information@philadelphia.mfa.gov.il
New York Ido Aharoni info@newyork.mfa.gov.il
New England Yehuda Yaakov info@boston.mfa.gov.il
Midwest Roey Gilad contactus@chicago.mfa.gov.il
Houston Eitan Levon concal.sec@houston.mfa.gov.il
-Oceania
Australia Shmuel Ben-Shmuel info@canberra.mfa.gov.i
New Zealand Yosef Livne info@wellington.mfa.gov.il
-South America
Argentina Dorit Shavit info@buenosaires.mfa.gov.il
-Brazil
Sau Paulo Yoel Barnea info@saopaulo.mfa.gov.il
Brasilia Dr. Reda Mansour info@brasilia.mfa.gov.il
Chile Rafael Eldad info@santiago.mfa.gov.il
Colombia Marco Sermoneta info@bogota.mfa.gov.il
Ecuador Eliyahu Yerusalmi info@quito.mfa.gov.il
Peru Ehud Moshe Eitam info@lima.mfa.gov.il
Uruguay Nina Ben-Ami info@montevideo.mfa.gov.il
8th May 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Izbat at Tabib, Occupied Palestine
Izbat at Tabib, a small town of approximately 300 people located in the northwest of the West Bank, has 33 houses with demolition orders pending. The town totals 45 houses, this means that the demolition orders could destroy over 73% the town.
According to a local witness, the majority of the demolition orders have been standing since 2012, in recent years at least two houses have been demolished in this small town. The first demolition took place in 2009, five years after the demolition order was served. The second house was demolished in 2011; just one year after the demolition order was handed to the family. In both cases the Israeli army gave the families only one hour to gather their belongings before their houses were demolished.
Furthermore, there is Alfe Menashe, an illegal Israeli settlement located just two kilometres away from Izbat at Tabib. The growth and proximity of this illegal settlement is forcing the local Palestinian population to abandon their agricultural land. The villagers recall that the illegal settlers are planning to build a factory near Alfe Menashe, which could end up taking over 160 dunums (16 hectares) of land from Izbat at Tabib. An area of land adjacent to the town has had its trees uprooted by Israeli settlers recently. Allegedly this was done in order to clear the area for the future illegal factory. The villagers, however, have begun replanting the uprooted trees with young olive and pine trees.
As ISM has extensively reported, the Israeli army has also been harassing the town of Izbat at Tabib, although witnesses recall that no major incidents have happened recently. Nonetheless, the Israeli army frequently goes into the small village at night, questioning local villagers and asking for their ID cards. The Israeli army also frequently blocks the local road, which connects Izbat at Tabib with Road 55, forcing the locals to travel through the town of Azzun to reach their village. The last time this happened was approximately two months ago, although local villagers tend to remove the roadblock by their own means.
The town of Izbat at Tabib is located in Area C [under full Israeli military control] according to the Oslo II Accord signed in 1995, therefore building or transit permits are very rarely granted to local Palestinians. Since Israeli authorities do not recognise this town, they have placed almost three quarters of its structures under demolition orders, including the local school.
11th April 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Jawana, Occupied Palestine
Yesterday morning at approximately 7am, the Israeli army destroyed five tents donated by the Red Crescent to a group of farmers in the area of Jawana, between the village of Beit Furik and the ruins of Tana.
Five military jeeps and two civil administration vehicles arrived with a demolition order and proceeded to destroy all the tents. Farmers reported that the Israeli soldiers told them they had to leave the land where the camp was located, claiming that it was in Area C [under full Israeli security and civil control]. They also said the area was being used as a military training ground.
Jawana is actually in Area B [Palestinian civil control, joint Israeli and Palestinian security control], and sources close by have said that there are no military training areas close to the village. There were three families living in Jawana’s camp, with a total of 22 children. The Red Crescent was supporting the families by donating the tents, but after this recent attack, it does not seem possible to replace them. The families are now in a very difficult position, Israeli soldiers have also threatened to take away their water tank if they continue to stay in the area.
This is not the first time Israeli forces have entered Jawana to destroy tents and farmers have been told by Israeli forces to make enquiries at Beit El check point in Ramallah and discuss the situation with the DCO [District Coordination Office]. Haled Khald Hanani, a 46-year-old man, lives in this camp with his wife and eight children, normally spending five months a year in the nearby valley and the rest of the year in Jawana. Three years ago, the Israeli army confiscated his tractor and he was forced to go to Beit El and pay 3000 NIS to reclaim it. Haled and his family have lived in this area for generations, however since 2013 the Israeli army has systematically destroyed and confiscated his property, approximately every three months.
Reports from local Palestinians say that Israeli soldiers destroyed more tents located one kilometer away from the Hanani family. Moreover, settlers from the nearby illegal settlement of Itamar have been entering the village of Beit Furik, provoking and harassing the local population.
8th April 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Idhna, Occupied Palestine
Photo by ISM
After just three weeks in their new home, the Slemiah family from the village of Idhna have received a demolition order from the Israeli army. The newly built house is on land which has been owned by the family for centuries, and the family has now been forced to pay large sums of money to organise many legal documents for the upcoming court hearing.
Wesam Slemiah (28), Ansar (22) and the children Line (2) and Laith (4) live in the outskirts of the city of Idhna, west of Hebron in the West Bank. Wesam borrowed money from his cousin to be able to build the house, and the land he was buliding on has been owned by his family for many years. Shortly after moving in, they received a demolition order from the Israeli army saying that the land did not belong to them. This is something that also has happened to many of their neighbors in the past six years.
In order to prove ownership of the land, the family has had to pay large sums of money to different authorities. Altogether, the costs exceed one month of income for the family. They now have all the papers necessary to prove their ownership, and on 24th April their documents will be taken to a court for further decisions.
During the last six years, two houses in the area have been demolished. The families usually have to pay the charges for the bulldozer to destroy their homes. If they do not have the money, Israeli forces confiscate their ID’s to force them to pay. This has happened to a neighboring family to the Slemiah family, their house has been demolished twice. Partly with money from the UN, that family managed to rebuild their house, a project which ISM took part of, and today their third house is still standing.
As well as demolitions orders that are extremely costly when the case goes to court, many structures used to house sheep and other animals have also been demolished by the Israeli military. Residents in the area also speak of night raids from the Israeli army, and reoccurring harassments that are making everyday life extremely difficuly. The house raids have been occuring in the village since the start of the First Intifada [1987].
Wesam has been forced to stay home from his job since the demolition order arrived. The Slemiah family is worried about what will happen to their new home, and are frightened that the Israeli army could arrive at any moment. When an ISM activist asked Wesam and Ansar what they think of their future, they answered: “There’s an occupation here, what can we do?”.
