Tag: Demonstration - Page 36 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli forces shoots six, teenager shot in the eye in Kafr Qaddum

24th April 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwwara Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine

Yesterday’s Friday demonstration in Kafr Qaddum continued the trend of senseless and extreme violence from Israeli forces against Palestinian villagers, as the ISM has reported on numerous occasions. Even before the villagers had begun their march, one Palestinian teenager was shot in the foot with live ammunition (a 0.22 caliber bullet) by an Israeli sniper and rushed to the hospital.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Villagers of Kafr Qaddum begin their weekly protest

This weeks march had only lasted for a few minutes before protesters were met with tear gas and stun grenades, causing around 100 protesting villagers to run for cover behind nearby houses.

Teenager most likely loses his eye after getting shot

Sudden panic arose seconds later, when another young Palestinian teenager was shot straight in his eye with a rubber-coated steel bullet. At the time of writing, non-confirmed reports suggests that the boy will not be able to recover from the damages inflicted and will lose his eye. The injured Palestinian was first taken to the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, only to be quickly transferred to Ramallah Hospital for surgery. The ISM is waiting for a final confirmation on the outcome of the injury.

Teenager shot in the eye rushed into the ambulance

The brutality of the Israeli occupation forces only continued after this, first shooting Friday’s third victim in his leg and the fourth in his back, both with rubber-coated steel bullets. Yet another two Palestinian teenagers were subsequently shot. While it remains unclear where the bullets hit their bodies, reports from the ground said they only suffered superficial damages.

The march continues

The villager’s march towards the eastern outskirt of the village resumed after the extreme violence and finally reached a point overlooking the illegal Israeli settlement Kedumim, established in 1975. This is a focal point for the weekly demonstrations, because Israel has closed the road which prior to 2003 connected Kafr Qaddum with Nablus, located 14 kilometers to the east and an important Palestinian commercial center. The road closure therefore significantly increases traveling costs and sharply reduces employment opportunities for the villagers of Kafr Qaddum. Since the Second Intifada the village has seen a staggering unemployment rate of 75 per cent. Some estimates suggest that the road closure has led to a yearly emigration rate of between ten and fifteen per cent of the total population.

Rubber tire burning “not good” for settler laundry

Upon reaching this point of the road, the protest assumed its usual form of villagers setting fire to tires.

This is done as a response to the massive amount of tear gas used against them by Israeli forces and to send a strong signal demanding the road re-opened. Israeli forces usually respond quickly to the burning of tires, as Israeli settlers have issued several complaints that it leaves a terrible smell over the settlement and prevents them from hanging out their laundry to dry.

As yesterday’s fire grew and there was a surprising lack of response from the Israeli military, the Palestinians called of for the discontinuation of the protest shouting halas, Arabic for “enough”.

Prisoners’ day at weekly Bil’in demonstration

17th April 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Bil’in, Occupied Palestine

Over 300 people attended the Prisoners’ Day demonstration in Bil’in. The Israeli army fired endless amounts of teargas and shot one person in the chest with a live ammunition.

After the prayer, protesters marched towards the apartheid wall and the illegal settlement of Modi’in, situated just outside of Bil’in. A truck loaded with a sound system led the chanting crowd. Most were either waving Palestinian flags, holding up banners in support of the Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli prisons to mark Prisoners’ Day, or were holding posters of Bassem, a local who was killed six years ago by the Israeli army. As the march got closer to the wall, Israeli forces fired over 50 rounds of teargas canisters towards the protesters. The area was heavily clouded with this gas during most of the afternoon, which caused many to suffer from its inhalation. The shooting of this teargas also caused the dry grass between the olive trees to repeatedly catch fire.
During the protest, one person was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet, while a 17 years old boy was shot in the chest with live ammunition. He was immediately taken to hospital by the ambulance. His condition is stable.

Bil’in clouded with teargas – *photo by ISM*

The 17th April is Prisoners’ Day in Palestine. Thousands of Palestinians are arrested arbitrarily on a daily basis by the Israeli forces, despite prohibition by international law. According to B’Tselem, “at the end of February 2015, 5,609 Palestinian security detainees and prisoners were held in Israeli prisons”. Since 1967, when Israel furthered its occupation to the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, an equivalent of approximately 20% of the total population in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), and 40% of all males have been detained (CEPR). While in prison, they are subject to wide-ranging violations of their rights and dignity. Such practices may include physical and psychological torture, deprivation of family visits, denial of access to lawyers and unlawful transfer out of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, among many other things. The Israeli occupying forces continue to violate the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, in particular against the Palestinian prisoners.

af1072ce8c42ee7bbb710751c40ec049 — A Guide to Administrative Detentions – *Image by Visualising Palestine*

Today also marked the 6th anniversary of Bassem Abu Rameh’s death. Nicknamed Pheel, he was a much loved figure in the town of Bil’in. On the 17th April 2009, the Israeli army shot him with a teargas canister projectile which killed him shortly after. Aged 30, Pheel had been to all the non-violent protests, activities and creative actions against the apartheid wall in his town. Those who knew him remember him as a caring person who made everybody laugh and had the heart of a child, says Mohammad Khatib, a member of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements.

Bassem's grave in Bil'in - photo by ISM — Bassem’s grave in Bil’in – *photo by ISM*

According to the report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs within the occupied Palestinian Territories, 442 people in the West Bank and 15 people in Gaza have been injured by the Israeli forces since the beginning of this year. On top of this, five people have been killed.

Escalating violence at Friday Demo in Kafr Qaddum

10th April 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine

The Israeli military did not even wait for Kafr Qaddum’s Friday demonstration to start before firing at the crowd of demonstrators today. Before prayers had finished the Israeli military began firing at the demonstration with teargas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets. A 16-year-old child was hit in the head with a tear gas canister. He was taken to hospital with head injuries. International activists working with ISM have observed a pattern during recent Palestinian demonstrations of lethal violence starting at the beginning of the protest.

Israeli military bulldozer- splattered with paint thrown by protesters — Israeli military bulldozer splattered with paint thrown by protesters

The Israeli military at this demonstration consisted of a mix of regular army and Border police. The military used two military bulldozers and a skunk truck to clear rubble and attempt to disperse the crowd. The protesters responded by disabling both bulldozers and skunk truck with bottles filled with paint throw at the windscreens of the vehicles.

During the course of the demonstration Internationals witnessed a child of approximately 8 years old suffering from tear gas inhalation. Another 8 year old was wounded in his hand with a rubber-coated steel bullet.

The military moved into the village using .22 rifles and throwing stun grenades. The demonstration continued until the military withdrew.

Child hit by teargas canister taken away for medical treatment

Four people shot in the first 5 minutes at Nabi Saleh protest

3rd April 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

The weekly Friday protest in Nabi Saleh was met with extreme violence by Israeli Occupation Forces. Four people were shot in the first five minutes of the protest. One man and one woman were shot and wounded by snipers using .22 caliber live ammunition. Both were shot in the leg. Two others, including a 14 year old girl, were later hit with rubber bullets. 6 more hours of protest saw two more injured protesters, private homes attacked with stun grenades, and live fire from M16 assault rifles during the army’s invasion of the Nabi Saleh village.

Protesters march in Nabi Saleh (photo by ISM) — Protesters begin their march in Nabi Saleh (photo by ISM)

After midday prayer Palestinians and internationals gathered for a peaceful protest against the Israeli occupation in the village of Nabi Saleh. Villagers in Nabi Saleh are protesting against the confiscation of their community spring, taken by Halamish settlement in 2008. As the protest made it down the main road leading out of the village it was very violently attacked by Israeli occupation forces:

“We had very little warning. We had only been protesting for 5 minutes before two people were on the ground, shot with .22 caliber live ammunition,” reported an International Solidarity Movement volunteer at the scene.

X-ray photo showing the shattered bone caused by a .22 caliber bullet (photo ISM)

A young man named Hammad from Al Am’ari Refugee Camp near Ramallah, and Manal Tammimi, a woman from Nabi Saleh, were both shot. In both cases the live bullets tore through their shin bones and they were immediately taken to the hospital. Medics on the scene say their injuries will take several months to heal and then only if no complications arise.

Children in the line of fire
A rubber bullet struck a fourteen year old Palestinian girl in the head. The girl is a native of Nabi Saleh village and medics say she was lucky to not be more severely injured.

Home invasions and M16 live ammunition
After the initial attack the protest changed location to a hill on the west side of the village of Nabi Saleh. This time the army responded by invading the village itself. Soldiers shot tear gas down the village streets and stun grenades in private houses. At one point an entire Palestinian family including around 5 children had to flee their home with severe tear gas poisoning after the army shot tear gas canisters into their back yard and the nerve gas spread through the windows.

The military shot with M16s (firing 5.56 NATO rounds) down the narrow streets of the village. “People were shouting to be careful of stray bullets and ducking behind anything that might pass for cover. Being shot at by M16 machine gun fire at a completely peaceful protest that even includes children is both absurd and extreme,” recalled one international activist on the scene.

International activists confronts soldiers (photo by ISM) — Activists confront Israeli soldiers during Friday’s protest (photo by ISM)

Israeli occupation forces are escalating violence on the West Bank
The injuries in Nabi Saleh today and the use of lethal weapons are novelty. In both the villages of N’ilin and Kafr Kadum the Friday demonstration were also met with shots of M16 live ammunition. Internationals present in occupied Palestine report that the use of lethal weapons has never ceased since the massacre on Gaza last summer. In fact, they say the level of violence used by the Occupation, including both .22 and the much more lethal 5.56 live ammunition, is escalating.

Video by Anarchists Against the Wall

Big turn out and high spirits at Wadi Fukin Land Day olive tree planting and protest

31th March 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al Khalil Team | Wadi Fukin, Occupied Palestine

On Monday March 30th about two hundred people commemorated Land Day in the village of Wadi Fukin. The protest, which involved planting olive trees was a response to Israeli theft of village land.

Land Day protest marching in the streets of Wadi Fukin.

After midday prayer around two hundred Palestinians and internationals gathered in the village of Wadi Fukin to commemorate Land Day and support the villagers struggle against the illegal Israeli expropriation of their lands. People from Wadi Fukin, neighbouring villages and internationals started their march towards the green line carrying Palestinian flags, digging tools, playing music and singing, to where the settlement of Beitar Illit is forcibly taking over Palestinian land in order to expand. The protest continued peacefully through the small streets of Wadi Fukin and just before going to the hill above the village every protester was given an olive tree to carry. Spirits were high as protesters climbed the village hill overshadowed by the settlement expansion site and began to take back Palestinian land by planting the trees.

A village caught between settlements and under extreme pressure
Wadi Fukin is in a valley sandwiched between the Green Line to the north-west and the fastest-growing illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank, Beitar Illit. With around 80.000 inhabitants (as of 2014), Beitar Illit is part of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc surrounding and cornering Wadi Fukin. In order to expand these settlements and steal even more land, the apartheid wall is being built on Palestinian land far inside the Green Line around this settlement bloc. Regular Friday demonstrations are held in Wadi Fukin protesting against this continuous illegal land grab.

200 people at Land Day protest in Wadi Fukin, Beitar Illit settlement block in the background.

Military attacking unarmed Palestinians on their own land.
As Land Day protesters reached the Israeli construction site they managed to plant both olive trees and Palestinian flags directly on the site. While Palestinian flags and olive trees popped up on the ground, young Palestinian men and women also managed to take over and plant flags on the unmanned bulldozers and tractors parked there.

After about ten minutes on the site 4 military jeeps arrived with more than 40 soldiers and border police. The military attacked the protesters with tear gas and stun grenades and a police helicopter began circling the area and filming the protesters from the sky. As tear gas clouds drove the protesters from their lands and down the hill, soldiers began kicking down and destroying the newly planted olive trees and flags.

Soldiers and border police gassing protesters on their own land.

Spirits kept high in spite of tear gassing
Though several people suffered from tear gas poisoning the protest continued on the hill between Wadi Fukin village and the settlement expansion on the Green Line. Alternately running from tear gas and planting trees, protesters managed to stay on the hill for an hour continuing to plant and protest.

As everyone returned to the village spirits remained high and the succesful event was celebrated with music, speeches and freshly made bread.

Olive tree and flag planting at Land Day protes, Wadi Fukin.

Land Day – a historic day for fighting occupation and expropriation
Land Day marks the day of a general stike on March 30th in 1976. The strike was a response to the Israeli Government’s expropriation of thousands of dunums of Palestinian land. There were marches in Palestinian cities within present-day Israel from the Naqab to Galilee. Six unarmed Palestinians were killed, 100 wounded and hundreds more arrested. The Land Day was a turning point in the struggle against the occupation as it was the first mass mobilization by Palestinians within the borders of 1948 Israel.

Protests have been and will be continue to be going on all through the West Bank in the weeks surrounding Land Day.