March 8, 2019 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Ras Karkar, occupied Palestine
This Friday, the inhabitants of the villages around Mount al-Risan–where an outpost has been established by illegal settlers on Palestinian land–gathered for a day of peaceful protest and prayer.
As soon as the religious ritual ended, the military ritual began. Before the villagers finished rolling-up their prayer mat, the Israeli military launched a large number of tear gas canisters upon the crowd.
These events are positive by comparison to the past week. Last Friday, the peaceful protesters were met with tear gas before prayers began. After prayers, the Palestinians were chased out and shot with rubber-coated steel bullets.
March 6, 2019 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
Hundreds of women from all over Palestine met in Khan al-Ahmar on Wednesday March 6. The meeting was a response to a call for solidarity made by the General Union of Palestinian women and the residents of Khan al-Ahmar, as the village is facing renewed threats of demolition.
Women met to begin a new wave of resistance in the village after a year of resisting evictions and demolitions. With the upcoming Israeli election, the extreme right in Israel are once again calling for the destruction of Khan al-Ahmar. Disgustingly, politicians are using cleansing and land theft in an attempt to gain votes from segments of Israeli society.
This event, held on the Wednesday before International Women’s Day is especially significant as it marks the first time for several months that a large group have been able to access Khan al-Ahmar. In January Israeli occupation forces denied PA Officials access to the village. This act of defiance by hundreds of Palestinian women will hopefully be the first of many actions to defend Khan al-Ahmar in the coming weeks.
Solidarity with women, solidarity with Khan al-Ahmar, solidarity with Palestine. End the occupation.
March01, 2019 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Ramallah, occupied Palestine
Non-violent peaceful protesters met with tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets in Ras Karkar.
In 2018, settlers invaded land atop al-Risan Mountain, which overlooks the three villages Ras Karkar, Kafr Ni’ma and Kharbatha Bani Harith. Since then local Palestinians have gathered in a valley below the mountain every Friday to non-violently protest the theft of their land, trying each week to get past occupation forces who now keep them from accessing it.
Earlier today ISMers attended the weekly protest. We arrived in the valley at 12 midday where a group of approximately 40 locals were gathering. Border Police were stationed on the hillside across from us. As the protesters tried to lay down a large plastic mat to pray on, they were fired upon with tear gas. They tried to set down the mat in several different locations, but were fired upon again and again.
Border Police stand over Palestinians during afternoon prayers
Eventually the border police came down the mountain to talk to the Imam; after a brief dialogue the police stood by while the Palestinians prayed. Once the prayers ended the border police retreated back up the mountain, and shortly after recommenced their tear gas bombardment. They also fired rubber-coated steel bullets, hitting at least one Palestinian.
Some of the younger demonstrators wielded slings, just as David did against Goliath in the Valley of Elah, not far from here. Their rocks fell short of the occupation forces’ defensive line, while some managed to hurl tear gas canisters back toward the border police.
Border police continued to fire tear gas even as protesters retreated, pushing us back to our vehicles. They persisted in their firing, eventually forcing us to leave the site by car. Protesters had to be cautious today as there was no ambulance on site, and serious injuries have been sustained in previous weeks.
February 22, 2019 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Al-Khalil, occupied Palestine
This afternoon Israeli occupation forces attacked a non-violent demonstration organised by Palestinian civil society and attended by locals, internationals and Israelis.
Occupation forces invading Bab Al-Zawiye, Al-Khalil
Protestors demanding an end to the illegal occupation of Al-Khalil were attacked by Israeli soldiers and border police who fired tear gas, stun grenades and other “less-lethal” weapons as they stormed the Palestinian H1 area of the city.
During the course of this invasion, the Israeli occupation forces directly targeted members of the press, who were recording their attacks on nonviolent demonstrators. Footage of this can be seen below. If you look carefully you will notice that a child was caught up in the attack. He was very near the checkpoint, directly in the line of sight of the soldiers. Despite his presence the soldiers showed no restraint.
The occupation forces invaded the Bab Al-Zawiye area of Al-Khalil for over two hours, raiding homes, stopping and searching people and cars, and attacking Palestinians. It has been reported that one person was shot in the leg, and one Palestinian man was abducted by the army. ISM activists managed to film the abduction, although the whereabouts and safety of the man are currently unknown.
It is important to note that this morning, a group called Im Tirtzu staged a rally in the occupied part of Al-Khalil to celebrate the fact that the UN Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) had been forced out of the city by the Israeli government. Im Tirtzu, which has been described by the Israeli court system as a fascist organisation, demonstrated freely in the H2 area of Al-Khalil. Even though they have a record of inciting violence against Palestinians and regularly engage in Islamophobic rhetoric, they experienced no violence or restriction on their movement from Israeli occupation forces. Sadly, this type of collusion between occupation forces and the most radical streams of the Zionist movement is all too common. This is the reality of life under occupation.
Against imperialism, from Palestine to Venezuela
Despite the occupation forces’ efforts to stop the demonstration, hundreds of people took to the streets and resisted together. It was a beautiful sight to see Palestinians on the streets together with their international and Israeli comrades, calling in unison for an end to the illegal and immoral occupation. Moments like this give us a glimpse of what can be achieved when we work together to confront tyranny and violence. Let’s keep working, lets keep dreaming, lets keep fighting. End the occupation.
Recently, over 20 demolitions were carried out in the Shu’fat Refugee Camp by the Israeli Occupation Forces to make way for a wider road and inevitable future relocation of the residents of Jerusalem’s only refugee camp.
