5th March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine
On 4th March 2016, the village of Ni’lin held their weekly protest against the illegal Israeli occupation, the illegal settlements and the theft of the village’s land.
Israeli forces ready to shoot at unarmed protestors
Israeli forces attacked the peaceful demonstration inundating the whole area with massive amounts of tear gas. As they came into the village with their jeeps, they directly targeted houses and a public park and thus the civilian population not even involved in the demonstration. Many suffered excessive tear-gas inhalation, ten needed treatment by medical personnel, including a 3-year old boy that was playing with his friends in the public park. Israeli forces targeted the ambulance assisting the injured by firing tear-gas straight at it. Additionally to the large amounts of tear-gas, Israeli forces fired rubber-coated metal bullets at protestors, injuring one person in the leg.
Young boy that was playing in park receiving treatment
Israeli forces also flew a remote-controlled drone over the protest, filming.
26th February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
On 26th February 2016, Palestinians in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) jointly commemorated the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre and protested against the closure of Shuhada Street and the illegal Israeli military occupation.
Palestinian children display a sign against the apartheid regime
The peaceful demonstration, organised by the local activist group Youth Against Settlements as part of their Open Shuhada Street campaign, started marching from al-Nimrah mosque after the noon prayer towards the Ibrahimi Mosque. Palestinians, international supporters and journalists from local and international media walked through the streets of the city toward the Ibrahimi mosque, chanting against the illegal Israeli occupation, the illegal settlements and in support of prisoners under administrative detention being held by Israel without charge or trial.
Palestinians from across the West Bank and international activists marched together in solidarity to Open Shuhada Street
The demonstration was in commemoration of the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, in which 29 Muslim worshipers were murdered by extremist Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein when he opened fire inside the mosque during a Ramadan Friday prayer, also injuring more than 120 people. In the aftermath of this heinous massacre, Israeli forces cracked down on Palestinian basic human rights and freedom of movement, closing shops in the once thriving Palestinian market in Shuhada Street and completely barring them from accessing this road that has been declared a sterile area. The Ibrahimi Mosque was divided into exclusively Jewish and exclusively Muslim areas for most of the year, with access to the mosque entirely controlled by Israeli forces.
Israeli forces deploying against nonviolent demonstration in al-Khalil
Israeli Forces ambushed the peaceful march when they were about half way towards the Ibrahimi Mosque, using the roof of a Palestinian family home to throw stun grenades into the crowd of people peacefully making their way to the mosque. As the demonstrators rapidly tried to escape the stun grenades flying at them in from above above in quick succession, Israeli forces began shooting endless rounds of tear gas into the neighbourhood. They aimed mainly, though not only, above the heads of the protesters into the neighbourhood populated by Palestinian civilians not even involved in the march.
Excessive amounts of tear gas used against peaceful protestersIsraeli forces even made themselves sick from inhaling the tear gas they employed excessively against protesters and nearby Palestinian homes
While Israeli forces showered the area in tear gas, the sound of ambulance sirens echoed through the streets. About a dozen people had to be taken to hospital by ambulance for excessive tear gas inhalation. “We were filming with an ambulance next to us and we could see the Israeli army target this ambulance, throwing stun grenades directly at it”, recalled James, an Australian activist.
Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians, one of them a lawyer, the other a journalist. The journalist was directly targeted by the army, that went up to a group of people, grabbed him and walked away with him while ignoring everyone else.
This 7th annual Open Shuhada Street protest comes after months of increasing violence, restrictions and collective punishment imposed by Israeli authorities on al-Khalil’s Palestinian residents. At the end of October Israeli forces began imposing a ‘closed military zone‘ on the short portion of Shuhada street where Palestinians were previously still allowed to walk, along with a large part of the adjacent Tel Rumeida neighbourhood. Palestinian residents and activist groups have been nonviolently resisting the closed military zone, which requires residents to register in order to be allowed into their homes and bars other Palestinian and human rights defenders from entry. The closed military zone, along with the widespread, deadly violence and closures deployed against Palestinians in al-Khalil, has also been broadly condemned by Palestinian and international human rights groups; on the February 25th anniversary of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre, Amnesty International released a public statement calling on Israeli authorities to “lift the discriminatory restrictions, end the collective punishment of Palestinians in the city and protect human rights defenders there.”
Notorious settler Anat Cohen interrupted a peaceful movie screening, which was hosted by Youth Against Settlements to commemorate the victims of the Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre in 1994.
Palestinians gather around fire near checkpoint by Ibrahimi mosque, lighting candles
Every night, Palestinians gather around a bonfire in the Salaymeh neighborhood of occupied Hebron to keep watch in case of settler attacks. Today, as part of the Open Shuhada Street campaign, 50-60 people had come here to light candles in memory of each of the 33 victims of the massacre and its immediate consequences, followed by a documentary titled “Hebron Under the Microscope.”
Candles lit in commemoration of the victims of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre
29 Palestinians were murdered inside the Ibrahimi Mosque on the 25th of February, 1994, when Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein entered and opened fire at the Muslim worshipers inside. Four Palestinians were killed on the same day in the clashes that broke out around the Mosque in response to the massacre. In the aftermath, the mosque (also known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs) was divided in two, with the larger part turned into a synagogue while heavy scrutiny was imposed on the Palestinians and areas closed completely to them, including an important market and the main street, Shuhada street. In protest of these closures, Youth Against Settlements organizes events around the anniversary of the massacre as part of their Open Shuhada Street campaign, held annually in Hebron and worldwide since 2010.
Palestinians gathering for the Open Shuhada Street event
During the screening of the documentary, three Palestinians were detained by the army for no apparent reason across the street along with a ten-year-old girl. The coordinator of Youth Against Settlements, Issa Amro, was also detained when trying to reason with the soldiers.
Israeli forces arbitrarily detained 3 young men and a 10-year-old girl
Then the notoriously aggressive settler Anat Cohen slowed down her car next to a group of Palestinians and hit those who could not escape fast enough. She made a u-turn and left her car to yell at and intimidate the Palestinians gathered in the street. She filmed and verbally and physically attacked Palestinians and internationals while soldiers stood by and did not intervene. Instead of stopping her unprovoked aggressions, they began loudly pushing back the Palestinians, restricting them to certain parts of the street and preventing them from documenting.
Soldiers forcing Palestinians back
Heavy arguments broke out. A man fainted and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance when he witnessed a soldier hit his wife with a gun. The army repeatedly pushed back Palestinians using excessive force. Eventually, Anat Cohen left without facing any consequences for her violent assaults and harassment, witnessed by the army and civil police.
Wael Fakhouri, a resident of the neighborhood: “We work hard to protect ourselves from settler violence.”
Contact: Issa Amro 059 934 0549 issaamro@gmail.com
21st February 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
On Sunday the 21st of February, the people of Hebron along with fellow activists gathered for part of a week long campaign against occupying Israel to show solidarity and oppose the closure of Shuhada Street to the Palestinian people.
Shuhada Street has been closed to Palestinians since 1994 after Baruch Goldstein, a zionist extremist, entered Ibrahimi Mosque and opened fire with a machine gun, killing 29 people and leaving 125 wounded. During this time the street has fallen into the occupiers hands and has later been renamed King David Street. The Palestinian people are no longer allowed to enter the street while illegal settlers inhabit the area. The closure of this once thriving Palestinian market is the reason Palestinians protest to this day.
At 11am the people of Hebron gathered around the entrance to Shuhada checkpoint. The campaign activities of the day started by erecting a solidarity tent and displaying pictures of the occupying forces brutal show of force towards the Palestinian people. Palestinians of the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood and the tiny strip of Shuhada Street that is still accessible for (some) Palestinians, have been protesting the closure of their neighbourhood since it was first declared a ‘closed military zone’ on 1st November.
Palestinians creating murals on military blockade Photo credit: Youth Against Settlements
Within a few minutes of the pictures being erected an aggressive group of soldiers from the occupying Israeli forces made their way into the Palestinian area of H1. They began by forcefully pushing participants of the campaign back towards what they deemed a suitable distance and then further when they felt like displaying more military might. From here they barred anyone from getting any closer while they began to tear down the pictures that had been erected in solidarity withthose that have suffered under the illegal occupation.
This did not stop the people of Hebron as they continued with peaceful activities. Painting large canvas murals to show their solidarity and objection to the closure of Shuhada Street.
Palestinians drawing murals Photo credit: Youth Against Settlements
At around 2pm, young Palestinian children threw some pebbles at the soldiers who were behind the armoured checkpoint. Almost instantly the waiting occupying forces emerged, hurling stun grenades at children and innocent bystanders. After a while they began to shoot steel coated rubber bullets also. Using excessive force as is a classic trademark of the illegal occupying forces.
Israeli forces emerging from the checkpoint into supposedly Palestinian controlled H1Soldier ready to attack campaigners
Tomorrow the people of Hebron will unite again to campaign against the occupation with more activities and more shows of defiance and opposition towards Israel, their illegal settlements and the closure of Shuhada Street.
20th February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
On 20th February 2016, the Hebron Defence Committee, the Human Rights Defenders Group and other popular struggle committees organised a demonstration under the motto ‘Dismantle the Ghetto, take the settlers out of Hebron’ in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). Israeli forces attacked the peaceful demonstration with stun grenades and arrested several activists.
Demonstrators marching under the banner of ‘take the settlers out of Hebron’
The demonstration started after the noon-prayer at Ali Bakr mosque and peacefully marched towards the entrance to Shuhada Street in the Palestinian market, chanting against occupation and for their freedom. Once the peaceful march reached Bab al-Baladiyya in the Old City of al-Khalil, Israeli forces quickly started gathering behind the gates that lead directly onto Shuhada Street – that has been closed off for Palestinians since the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in 1994.
As the Palestinian, Israeli and international activists joined hands in trying to take down the military gate that locks off the access to Shuhada Street for Palestinians, allowing exclusive use for settlers from the illegal settlements only, the Israeli forces suddenly attacked the protestors throwing more than a dozen stun grenades at the crowd of people. While the demonstrators were running for cover, trying to avoid being hit by the stun grenades, the Israeli forces unlocked the military gate and came running into the Palestinian market.
Protestors at the gate leading into Shuhada Street
Israeli forces arrested a total of 12 activists from Hithabrut – Tarabut group and moved them to the Police station for interrogation. While 8 where released, 4 were charged with attacking officers.
Israeli forces using excessive force arresting an activist
As can be seen on this following video, Israeli forces attacked several protestors, beating them and threw stun grenades directly at the press – that was visible wearing flag-jackets and helmets reading ‘press’.
The demonstration was held in commemoration of the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, in which extremist settler Baruch Goldstein murdered 29 Palestinians and injured more than 120 when he opened fire on whorshippers inside the Ibrahimi mosque.
