Tag: Digests

Photo story: Jewish holidays bring harassment to occupied Hebron

6th October 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

The 3rd and 4th of October marked the celebrations of the Yewish New Year. In the occupied West Bank, Jewish holidays, celebrated by the settlers from the illegal settlements. This usually translates to an increase in harassment, restrictions and the presence of heavily-armed military occupying forces and settlers, often not only from the illegal settlements of the respective cities, but additionally ‘settler-visitors’. In occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), with the celebrations for the New Year now past, preparations for the upcoming week-long holiday of Sukkot are already underway.

Palestinian children play outside their homes - right next to heavily armed Israeli forces watching movement of Palestinians — Palestinian children play outside their homes – right next to heavily armed Israeli forces watching movement of Palestinians

During the two-day celebration of the Yewish New Year, the part of Ibrahimi Mosque that has not been confiscated by the Israeli forces has been closed entirely for Palestinians and Muslims. Sixty percent of the Mosque was illegally annexed by Israeli forces who installed a synagogue inside in the aftermath of the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre. Additionally, the nearby Ibrahimi Mosque checkpoint that connects the new Palestinian market (after the closure and ethnic cleansing of Shuhada Street, the former bustling Palestinian market, in the aftermath of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre) with the Ibrahimi Mosque area has been closed for Palestinians since Sunday night. This leaves Palestinians, including residents, school-students and teachers with only few options to reach school, work and their homes, as the closest alternative of Shuhada Street is ‘illegal’ to use for Palestinians under Israeli occupation ‘rules’. On Thursday, October 6th, both the Mosque and the nearby checkpoint were closed as well – even though there’s no official Yewish holiday; yet another arbitrary movement restriction on Palestinians in order to favour settlers.

These movement restrictions, which are solely and deliberately only enforced on Palestinians, have directly impeded the right to education in various areas. At Ziad Jaber school near the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba, school-students, their parents walking them to school and teachers had to cross paths with the heavily-armed settlers, and often undergo bag-, ID- and body-searches based on racial profiling by the Israeli forces. Young adult men are especially targeted by these arbitrary and often humiliating searches, where they are forced to lift up their shirts and trouser-legs, basically getting half-undressed in public.

Palestinian young men are forced to lift up their shirts and trouser-legs by Israeli Forces near Ziad Jaber school

A similar procedure is enforced on Palestinians when Israeli settlers from the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement walk down to Ibrahimi Mosque (the 60% of it where a synagogue was installed) in the evenings. As any Friday night, where the settlers have the same ritual for Shabbat, Palestinians are oftentimes stopped by Israeli forces who completely line the roads the settlers will be taking, in order to allow for settlers to pass the street before allowing Palestinians to continue their way. Often, Israeli forces stop especially young men and force them to undergo similar checks, ordering them to lift up their shirts and turn around, and then lift up their trouser legs.

Israeli forces at night force Palestinian to lift up his shirt

Opposite the al-Faihaa girls school in the Ibrahimi Mosque area, Israeli forces put up an additional CCTV surveillance tower, registering and locking Palestinians’ every movement. The structure is fenced off with concrete blocks and barbed wire, and always manned with at least two soldiers.

CCTV surveillance tower newly put up in Palestinian neighborhood

For the upcoming holiday of Sukkot, where many settlers from the illegal settlements all over the Israeli occupied West Bank are expected to visit the Ibrahimi Mosque (the 60% of it where a synagogue has been installed), preparations in al-Khalil are under way for making the area as empty as possible of any Palestinian presence. New sign-posts are being put up to indicate directions for the ‘visitors’. Changing and ‘Hebrew-nising’ street names, giving Hebrew names to houses illegaly taken over by settlers, etc. has already been identified as one of the tools of the Israeli occupation to lay claim to Palestinian property and streets – an obvious attempt to erase the Palestinian existence in the mind of the people first. At the same time, ethnic cleansing is slowly but steadily taking place, especially in the Old City of al-Khalil.

New sign-post erected by Israeli Forces near ethnically cleansed Shuhada Street

Arbitrary humiliation by Israeli forces in former closed military zone in Hebron

24th June 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

In occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), the Tel Rumeida neighborhood and the tiny strip of Shuhada Street still accessible to Palestinian pedestrians, has seen endless restrictions by Israeli forces.

After the area was first declared a ‘closed military zone’ on 1^st November 2015, Palestinian residents were put under a closure imposed as a form of collective punishment, denying them their most basic rights and even their humanity – degrading them to mere numbers. Only Palestinian residents registered with the Israeli forces as a number where allowed to reach their homes inside the closed military zone. At the same time, Israeli settlers were free to roam the streets and do as they please, without ever being stopped – a ‘normality’ under the apartheid-rule in occupied al-Khalil.

Despite the lifting of the zone, the stairs leading to Qurtuba school have remained closed for Palestinians. This not only cuts off the main access for all the families using these stairs to reach their homes, but also visitors to the Muslim cemetery and the weekly second hand market in Qarantina. On Friday, 24^th June, Israeli forces denied a Palestinian man walking down these stairs, on the grounds that he ‘is Palestinian’. Whereas first they allowed the man to go down the stairs and turn around the corner, they stopped him right after, ordering him to climb up the stairs again, as he’s not allowed to pass. Two internationals, on the other hand, when enquiring whether they have to go back now, were told that the man was only sent back because ‘he’s Palestinian’, but they clearly ‘were tourists’. The denial of access based on ethnicity clearly is an apartheid-strategy – allowing privileges to non-Palestinians only.

At Shuhada checkpoint, that leads from the tiny strip of Shuhada Street accessible to Palestinian pedestrians into the H1 area of al-Khalil, Israeli forces often delay Palestinians trying to pass. Early Friday morning, they yelled ‘uskut’ (Arabic for ‘shut up’) at Palestinians ringing the bell for them to open the turnstile – repeatedly. Once finally allowed to pass through the checkpoint, a settler youth was standing inside the checkpoint behind the bullet-proof window with the settlers, chatting with them and watching them check IDs. This illustrates the apartheid-policies enforced in al-Khalil – whereas Palestinians are harassed and intimidated, settlers are neighbours and friends – even allowed to be inside the checkpoint with the soldiers. In the early afternoon of the same day, soldiers arbitrarily decided to close the exit of the checkpoint, leading into the H1 neighborhood, claiming that ‘there’s a training’, but refusing to tell when this would be finished, forcing Palestinians to wait without any reason.

These measures are just some examples in a very tiny area within the H2 area under full Israeli military control, exemplifying the arbitrariness and every day humiliation enforced by the Israeli forces on the Palestinian population.

Ramadan in occupied Hebron

12th June 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On 5th June, the holy month of Ramadan started. In occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), the Old City, that till then had been mainly deserted, comes back to life as many stream towards Ibrahimi mosque for prayers.

The Old City of al-Khalil, including the ‘souq’, the market, during the last months, has been mainly deserted. Starting in November, when Palestinians were shot down at Ibrahimi mosque checkpoint by Israeli forces, Palestinians began avoiding to use this checkpoint. The Ibrahimi mosque checkpoint directly connects the souq with Ibrahimi mosque, and is the main checkpoint to reach the area around the Ibrahimi mosque. With, at times, various arbitrary restrictions enforced at this checkpoint, denying any Palestinian between 15-30 to pass, for many the checkpoint stopped being an option for passage.

When trying to avoid this checkpoint, there’s only two options: either walking a long-detour up the hill and then down on the other side, far past the checkpoint; or to take a service-taxi that will drop passengers close to yet another checkpoint, the Queitun or Abu Sneneh checkpoint, that has recently been ‘upgraded’ to include a box where anyone passing inside the checkpoint won’t be seen from outside.

With the advent of Ramadan, many Palestinians now stroll through the market in the Old City to buy groceries or anything else needed in the house, with even more shops opened and prices low for Ramadan. After months of the Old City market resembling more and more a Ghost Street – just like Shuhada Street after it’s forst closure and complete prohibition for Palestinians – it now finally is busy again with Palestinians. The atmosphere during Ramadan is peaceful, and Palestinians pass the Ibrahimi mosque checkpoint for prayers in Ibrahimi mosque.

Palestinians praying outside Ibrahimi mosque

Especially on Friday, large crowds of Palestinians flocked to Ibrahimi mosque for prayers, so many that some of them had to pray outside the mosque. Despite the heavy Israeli forces presence, the majority of the worshippers was allowed to pass the checkpoints without major delays or denials of entry. Again, after months of detentions at checkpoints on the way to prayer and arbitrary detentions, this is only a slight relief from every-day harassment. On the way to prayer, to exercise their freedom of religion, Palestinians still have to cross various military checkpoints – just to pray inside Ibrahimi mosque.

Watch a video of how these checkpoints look like for Palestinians (video credit: Christian Peacemaker Teams Palestine).

Open The Zone: press conference

13th May 2016 | Open the Zone campaign | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On 12th May 2016, the Open the Zone campaign held a press conference in front of Shuahda checkpoint in Hebron – protesting the continuous collective punishment and denial of human rights to Palestinians in the ‘closed military zone’.

Palestinian children waiting at the checkpoint

The press conference was launched with a children’s event offering a chance to the Palestinian children forced to live under a closed military zone order since 1^st November to draw their hopes and dreams inside an outline of the closed military zone. During the children’s event, a few children, on their way home, were kept outside the checkpoint, causing a small boy to start crying as Israeli forces refused to open the turnstile for them so they could go through the checkpoint in order to reach their homes.

Children drawing outside Shuhada checkpoint, the 'entrance' to the closed military zone — Children drawing outside Shuhada checkpoint, the ‘entrance’ to the closed military zone

The governor of Hebron, Dawood Zatari stressed how, even though the situation throughout the H2-area of Hebron under full Israeli control is difficult, the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood and Shuahda Street that are under the closed military zone (CMZ) order are a grave concern. Kamel Hamed, the mayor of Hebron, that visited the CMZ on 9th May reiterated the municipalitie’s commitment to the people living in this area and encouraged the steadfastness of the families. Abed Salaymeh, campaign spokesperson and Shuhada Street resident, illustrated the families perspective of life in the CMZ, while Zleikha al-Muhtaseb stressed the impact of the CMZ on the children living in this area.

Children's drawing of Shuhada checkpoint — Children’s drawing of Shuhada checkpoint

The Open The Zone campaign was initialised by the International Solidarity Movement and Youth Against Settlements to bring the thinly-disguised attempts of forced displacement by the Israeli forces within and through the CMZ to the world’s attention and achieve an end to this form of collective punishment.

While during the event, big numbers of Israeli forces gathered behind the checkpoint, closely observing the events, after the press conference was finished, they increased the scrutiny with which they checked every single person attempting to go home – ensuring that they are registered as a number. This dehumanizing numbering of Palestinians needs to stop – Palestinians are people, not numbers!

a group of children in front of Shuhada checkpoint, facing big group of soldiers

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Open The Zone: municipality delegation visit to CMZ

10th May 2016 | Open The Zone Campaign | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Yesterday, 9^th May 2016, the Mayor of Hebron and several employees of the municipality of Hebron visited the closed military zone in Shuhada Street and the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood in the framework of the Open The Zone campaign.

The delegation on Shuhada Street, with Shuada checkpoint in the background and a group of settlers passing them

The delegation from the municipality arrived to the neighbourhood through the Gilbert checkpoint, where they were surprisingly allowed to pass despite not being registered as numbered residents in the area. During their visit, at several points they were denied to continue by Israeli forces. Walking on the tiny strip of Shuhada Street still accessible to Palestinians, they were denied to go up the stairs to Qurtuba school that for more than half a year have been closed for any Palestinian, despite them stating their function as a delegation including the mayor of Hebron. When trying to walk down the same stairs from up near Qurtuba school, they were again denied passage by the Israeli forces.

Delegation detained at the stairs leading to Qurtuba school

The delegation visited several families that have been living under closure in the closed military zone (CMZ) since 1^st November 2015, and listened to the demands of the families. Additionally to electricity and water-connections for the Shuhada Street kindergarten, this included an ambulance, as recently several Palestinians in need of an ambulance were denied this medical assistance by Israeli forces, at times for ridiculous reasons such as ‘it’s Shabbat’. This problem has been long-running, as in the whole area, even before the CMZ, Palestinian vehicles – thus including ambulances – are not allowed to drive. With the CMZ ambulances are now required to get additional permits – additional to the permits to be driving on this settler-only road – before being allowed to enter the CMZ.

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