Tag: Demonstration - Page 67 - International Solidarity Movement

A Steadfast Prelude to the Nakba: Duheisha resists

15th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

By Team Khalil

On the 14th May 2013 , a day before the Nakba, on the edge of Bethlehem, a demonstration to remember the day of the catastrophe in 1948 marched from Duheisha refugee camp to the entrance of the village of Al-Khader. Demonstrators then clashed with the Israeli military between 11am and 1pm.

Al-Khader was the chosen site of the demonstration as the villagers there have recently had one of their agricultural roads closed by the Israeli military.

Hundreds of Palestinians of all ages (7 to 18+) from Duheisha and surrounding areas came out carrying right of return flags and chanting for freedom and an end to the occupation. Israeli troops fired numerous tear gas canisters and rubber coated steel bullets at the unarmed demonstrators. Some of the young Palestinian children spoke of their martyred fathers as they were resisting the soldiers of occupation.

During the demonstration, female school children were passing through the area to get home were also indiscriminately fired upon with tear gas canisters causing one student to collapse who had to be evacuated in an ambulance.

Israeli tear gas canisters set fire to Palestinian land and when the fire brigade showed up to tackle the blaze, they too were pelted with tear gas canisters .

Duheisha refugee camp was originally set up as a temporary humantarian solution to the Nakba, where 750,000 Palestinians were forcefully expelled as their villages were ethnically cleansed and destroyed. Duheisha houses Palestinians from over 45 different villages that are west of Jerusalem and Hebron.

Photo essay: March through Nablus and Tulkarem commemorates the Nakba

13th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Nablus and Tulkarem, Occupied Palestine

By Team Nablus

Today, at around 8am, over thirty people from the Palestinian General Union of People with Disability marched through the city of Nablus to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Nakba.

Participants gather in Nablus before the march (Photo by ISM)

People marching along al-Quds Street in Nablus (Photo by ISM)

After the march, a bus drove participants to Tulkarem where they were joined by approximately 40 more demonstrators. Together they continued the march through the city of Tulkarem. They sang and chanted slogans remembering the 1948 massacre and reclaiming the right of return.

Palestinian Scout's band leading the demonstration (Photo by ISM) — Palestinian Scout’s band leading the demonstration (Photo by ISM)

Demonstrators marching through Tulkarem (Photo by ISM) — Participant with sign symbolizing the Palestinians’ right of return (Photo by ISM)

Two young demonstrators participating in the march (Photo by ISM)

The marched finished at the Israeli Chemical factory on the outskirts of the city. Demonstrators hung Palestinian flags and flags calling for the right of return from the wall.

Protesters hang Palestinian flags on the wall (Photo by ISM) — Protesters hang Palestinian flags on the wall of the illegal Israeli chemical factory (Photo by ISM)

Residents of Deir Jreer and Silwad resist occupation and settlement expansion

10th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Deir Jreer and Silwad , Occupied Palestine

By Team Ramallah

At around 9 am today, 150 Palestinians, accompanied by International activists, went to Deir Jreer lands to construct a new road so that local farmers could reach their lands more easily. Two bulldozers flattened the path from the nearest road to the lands located near an illegal Israeli outpost. Israeli military personnel maintained a presence on a facing hilltop but did not intervene. In addition to constructing a new road ‘ the villagers wanted to protest the confiscation of their privately owned land by Israeli settlements and military.

A new road is constructed by the residents of Der Jrier — A new road is constructed by the residents of Der Jreer

In the nearby village of Silwad, approximately one hundred Palestinians, joined by a handful of Israeli and international activists, also demonstrated against land confiscation and settler violence. After midday prayers, demonstrators walked along the main road towards the entrance of their village where Israeli forces were located. Clashes soon erupted; Palestinian protesters threw stones and Israeli forces shot excessive amounts of tear gas canisters, some stun grenades and rubber coated steel bullets at people. The confrontations lasted until around 15.30.

In the past few weeks, the villages of Silwad and Deir Jreer have faced an increase in violence from the settlers of Ofra settlement , the nearby outpost and the Israeli military. Settlers established a new outpost on the top of a hill but Palestinians dismantled it after a Silwad villager was severely attacked by settlers. The village of Deir Jarir was also raided by settlers who set fire to ten of the resident’s cars.

Settlers and Israeli forces suppress second joint Friday protest in Silwad and Deir Jarir villages

3th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah, Occupied Palestine

By Team Nablus

Teargas being shot at demonstrators in Deir Jarir

Around four hundred Palestinians, joined by a handful of international activists, participated in today’s weekly demonstration organised by Silwad and Deir Jarir villages on their lands, upon which settlers from Ofra set up an illegal outpost more than four weeks ago.

Today, at around 12pm, several hundred people from Silwad and Deir Jarir villages gathered on a hilltop facing the new outpost to hold their second weekly protest. As they were waiting for more people to join them, around ten settlers invaded the nearby Palestinian valley and clashes ensued. Israeli forces, already present at the scene, began shooting tear gas canisters at Palestinians.

After the midday prayers were performed on the hilltop those who were gathered started marching towards the new outpost. Israeli soldiers assembled in a line facing the protesters immediately started shooting extensive amounts of tear gas canisters and rubber coated steel bullets at the people.

The march was then dispersed, with several people suffering from tear gas suffocation and requiring assistance from Palestinian Red Crescent personnel. One international activist was also shot with a plastic coated steel bullet. As clashes continued to erupt between Israeli forces and protesters, settlers appeared again at the scene. Palestinian protesters went forward to push the settlers back from their land and were soon met with more tear gas canisters and rubber coated steel bullets fired by Israeli forces.

Confrontations between Palestinians lasted for another hour until the settlers retreated from the scene. The extensive use of tear gas throughout the afternoon led to a number of fires being sparked on the agricultural land that continued burning throughout the clashes.

Yesterday, a jeep driven by settlers drove on to the land broke down a gate and ran over top of 35 olive trees destroying them. Settler attacks often occur in these villages, settlers from nearby Ofra settlement recently raided the village of Deir Jarir, setting fire to ten of the resident’s cars. Earlier in April settlers severely attacked a Silwad villager who used to be a judge, beating him with an iron rod until he lost consciousness. Silwad has seen consistent clashes in recent weeks due to this violence and the establishment of the illegal Nezah Benjamin outpost twenty days ago.

Trees destroyed by settlers on 2nd May 2013

This outpost consist of caravans and huts situated on Palestinian farm land that the residents of Silwad, Deir Jarir, Taybeh and Ein Yabrud have been denied access to for over a decade. A settlement outpost is the first move made by settlers when conducting a land-grab in the West Bank; establishing temporary buildings which are protected by the military and eventually made permanent, in order to establish ‘facts on the ground’ and steal Palestinian land.

This is the second weekly demonstration that the villages of Silwad and Deir Jarir have held together to protests the land theft and settler violence and more demonstrations are expected to be organised in the following weeks.

Video: Israeli forces try to crush protest at Hagai roadblock

26th April 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Hebron, Occupied Palestine

By Team Khalil

Danish activist injured by tear gas canister

On Friday 26th April, around sixty Palestinian and international activists were met with dozens of teargas rounds and rubber-coated steel bullets while protesting against a road closure in the Wad al-Huriyeh area of Hebron. The road is adjacent to the illegal Israeli settlement of Hagai.

Tear gas was fired immediately by Israeli forces as the demonstration started, with rounds fired directly at protesters. A Danish activist was hit in the stomach by a tear gas canister, and many other activists suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. Israeli forces later fired on the non-violent demonstration from two separate locations at once, increasing the danger to protesters.

Following the end of the demonstration, the Israeli military invaded Wad al-Huriyeh and sprayed foul-smelling skunk water over Palestinian houses, in an act of collective punishment against the townspeople for organising the protest. The Fourth Geneva convention specifically prohibits such collective punishment and intimidation of civilian populations.

Demonstrations at Hagai roadblock have been taking place for over two months. The road has been blocked since 2008, adding 12km to the journey between Hebron city and Al Fawwar refugee camp and villages and towns in the South Hebron Hills.