Tag: Denial of Entry - Page 16 - International Solidarity Movement

Collective punishment in al-Khalil through closed military zone upheld

30th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

The Tel Rumeida neighborhood and Shuhada Street, in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) are still declared a ‘closed military zone’ by Israeli forces. This form of racist collective punishment deliberately targeting the Palestinian population, has now been implemented for almost 9 months.

The area was first declared a closed military zone (CMZ) by the Israeli forces on November 1st, after Palestinian residents were forced to register in order to be allowed access to their own homes. Orders for the CMZ have been repeatedly extended, and Palestinians were degraded to a mere number, that Israeli forces marked on their green West Bank ID-Cards and checked on a list of registered ‘numbered’ Palestinians to decide whether or not to grant access for men, women, old people, sick people, repair-men, medical personell etc. through the checkpoints. Anyone not registered as a number with the Israeli forces, is denied access to their own homes.

Family visiting, repair-men coming for urgent repairs, friends coming for a visit, children going to see their parents or grandparents – is only allowed for the settlers living in the illegal settlements. Palestinians are prevented from crossing the checkpoints, if they’re not registered as a number. This kind of collective punishment – obviously and deliberately racist as only applied for Palestinians – is common in al-Khalil, and aims to further increase the pressure on Palestinians to leave the area and thus facilitate the connection of settlements in a ‘Palestinian free’ zone.

“They destroyed the houses, they destroyed our dreams”

27 July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Qalandia village, occupied Palestine

Late Monday evening, Israeli forces entered the village of Qalandia with 15 bulldozers and around 150 soldiers. In the village the Israeli military destroyed 11 new built houses, attacking the residents of the village with stun grenades, tear gas, rubber coated steel bullets and sponge bullets. 7 persons had to seek medical care for their injuries after the assaults from the military.

In 7 of the demolished houses, families had already moved in according to Yosef Awdalla, mayor of Qalandia. The demolition notices, claiming the houses had no permits, were left outside the houses on the ground only 24 hours before the army entered the village.

One of the homeowners, Fadi Awadallah describes how his friend was walking around the house the day before the demolitions, and found a piece of paper written in Hebrew on the ground. One hour after they had figured out what the document said and talked to their lawyer, the army was already entering the village to demolish their home. Fadi, who had applied and paid for an Israeli issued licence to build in area C, did not expect the demolition order since the Israeli authorities had accepted the money and the application. When he tried to explain this to the soldiers they answered him that “they were not there to talk, they were there to demolish the houses.”

The soldiers then pointed their guns to his head and told him that if he didn’t move away from the house they would shoot him.

“They didn’t deal with us as humans, they pushed us back with violence and force” says Fadi whose family had planned to move into their dream house the following week.

“Three years ago we started to build the houses. Why didn’t they come three years ago before we spent all our money on these houses? They destroyed the houses, they destroyed our dreams” says Fadi, explaining that most of the families not only spent all their savings on the buildings but now they are also left with loans that will take them years to pay.

“We came up with the idea about building a house here because we are not allowed to use our house on the other side of the wall.” says Fadi, whose father lives in a house on the other side of the apartheid wall surrounding the village. Without obtaining a permit every month from the Israeli occupation authorities, the family are not allowed to cross the wall that separates the West Bank from Jerusalem.

Since the signing of the Oslo agreement in 1995 most of Qalandia village was classified as Area C, where israel has full control over security and civil administration. Only 2% of Qalandia is constituted as area B, where construction is permitted. Palestinian building in area C has to be permitted by the Israeli Civil Administration and since the Israeli occupation of the West Bank 1967, Israeli authorities regularly demolishe houses in area C, thus breaking international humanitarian law. According to a report released this Wednesday from Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, Israeli authorities have demolished more Palestinian homes in the West Bank in the first six months of 2016 than they did in any year over the past decade .

The Israeli demolition policies systematically implemented by the government and the lack of possibilities to build legally in the area constitutes the ethnic cleansing and forcible transfer of Palestinians.

As Fadi Awadallah points out, “Where are we supposed to be? In the sky? In the space? No, we are staying here.”

Sameeh Huseen holding a picture of his home that was ruined by the Israeli army.

“How are we going to explain this to the next generation? How can we teach our kids about peace when this is what they see?” says Fadi Awadallah.

“We are still here. We will never leave.” Ajaleen Salah Mousa has worked as a teacher for 20 years and has spent all his savings on the house, his dream. “They try to make it hard for us to live here but we will never leave.” — “We are still here. We will never leave.”
Ajaleen Salah Mousa has worked as a teacher for 20 years and has spent all his savings on the house, his dream.
“They try to make it hard for us to live here but we will never leave.”

Additional sources and information:

http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_building/20160727_razed_to_the_ground

http://www.btselem.org/area_c/what_is_area_c

http://www.btselem.org/area_c/state_lands

http://vprofile.arij.org/jerusalem/pdfs/vprofile/Qalandiya_EN.pdf

https://www.ochaopt.org/documents/jerusalem-30july2007.pdf

Photo Story: Friday Prayer at Ibrahimi Mosque- Running the Gauntlet

22nd July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | al-Khalil, occupied Palestine

Every Friday, many Palestinian Muslims come to Ibrahimi Mosque for prayers. To get to their place of worship, and home afterwards, they must run a gauntlet of Israeli military checkpoints. The Israeli Border Police invest their time and effort into making this a difficult and challenging experience for people whose only purpose in coming is to worship God.

Palestinian Muslim worshipers coming from the Souq are forced to wait in a cage. How long this will take- or whether they will get in- depends on the soldier who controls the gate.

They are then forced to stand in a metal detector, as they are searched for weapons. Some are patted down and frisked.

Some people are lucky and are ignored or waved through.

Others are forced to show their documents and open their bags before being allowed in.

Others are humiliated and made to wait and stand against the wall as the Border Police hold their IDs. From a very young age, children experience this humiliation as well.

This elderly man tried to go to his home, but permission was denied. He had to take the long way around.

While Palestinians in Hebron are forced to run a series of checkpoints and humiliations, the settlers have no such worries. They can go wherever they want.

Stopping, harassing and humiliating people can be a tedious job. The Israeli Border Police manning the checkpoint relax with smokes and drinks.

What is a humiliating and demeaning ordeal for the Palestinian residents of Khalil is just another day on the job for them.

Denied permission to go to the mosque to pray

13th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | al-Khalil, occupied Palestine

During one of our walks today, we came across a sight that very unfortunately is all too common in this city. A group of men and women were queuing up to go to the Ibrahimi Mosque – believed by both Jews and Muslims in Hebron to contain the tomb of Abraham – to pray.

Palestinians who come from the Souq need to go through a gate that is controlled electronically. Today, one of the border police officers manning it, for whatever reason, decided to make this a difficult and humiliating ordeal for a Palestinian.

A man, his wife, and his mother were going to the mosque to pray.The border police officer controlling the gate let the man’s wife through.When it was the man’s turn, he closed the gate, and told the guy he will not get through. No reason was provided. The man unbuckled and took off his belt and showed he was unarmed, but the officer didn’t care. The man then got upset and began yelling at the officer, who just ignored him and told him he will not be letting him through. Then he refused to open the gate that would let the man leave, effectively leaving him trapped between two gates. Exasperated, the Palestinian man climbed over the gate and started his way back home. The soldiers threatened to chase him and he ran. His wife went back with him.

What security or moral purpose can be achieved by denying a man the right to go to his place of worship, and humiliating him in front of everyone else? He was not trying to start a fight, he was trying to go and pray, along with his wife and mother.

There was no reason for such behaviour on the part of the soldier, other than a cruel display of power. Sadly, these types of things happen again and again in this city. Another aspect of the reality faced by the Palestinians living under Israeli military rule.

The man takes off his belt to show to the Border Police officer that he is unarmed.

As others watch, the man tries to plead with the Border Police officer manning the gate for the permission to go the mosque to pray.

Kafr Qaddum demonstration met with tear gas

16th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Kafr Qaddum, occupied Palestine

On the 15th of July in the afternoon, the people of Kafr Kaddum took part in a demonstration against the Israeli Army’s continuing theft of their road. The soldiers checked cars going in and out of the village, and stationed snipers in the bushes and on top of the hill. The Israeli Army also brought men in dark uniforms, a special unit that is used to quell prison disturbances. They had a jeep that was loaded with teargas. Clearly, their main goal was to intimidate the demonstrators and stop the protest from happening.

Palestinian demonstrators march towards the road

Palestinians, Israelis and internationals alike were in the crowd. After some chanting, the people tried to do a march but as soon as they got close to the hill where soldiers were stationed, stun grenades were thrown at them. The Israeli soldiers also fired rubber coated steel bullets at the Palestinian youth, as well as several volleys of teargas towards both them and the rest of the crowd. Although no one was hit by their ammunition, many people suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation.

Before leaving the Israeli Army made sure to destroy the main water pipe of the village, which will cost some 3000 NIS to repair. An overwhelming use of force was employed against a people who are simply fighting for the return of their road, which was illegally stolen from them in 2003.