Tag: Ethnic Cleansing - Page 20 - International Solidarity Movement

Collective punishment on the way to school – the Israeli forces’ ‘job’

1st February 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Wednesday, 1st February 2017, Israeli forces intimidated school-children on their way to school. In the process, they closed one of the main checkpoints delaying teachers and school-children as they were on their way to school.

As groups of children were passing the checkpoint in both directions to reach their schools, a few children ran up to the checkpoint throwing pebbles at the big metal structure. These children were immediately stopped by Palestinian adults and shortly after ran off. Despite the fact that the checkpoint is fenced off with metal and it is therefore impossible to actually hit anyone, the Israeli forces immediately came out of the checkpoint-box, as the children ran away.

The soldiers immediately locked the turnstiles, the one leading into the checkpoint box and the one allowing people that have passed the checkpoint to go out onto the street. Three boys, after having passed the metal detector, were locked inside the checkpoint, as soldiers prohibited them from passing the turnstile, keeping it locked. When asked by ISMers to allow the boys to leave, a female soldier told them that she’s ‘doing her job’, and they will have to wait till everything is over. This was after the boys throwing the stones had already left the area. She refused to let the boys go even though they clearly were not involved–insisting that it was ‘her job’. This constitutes a form of collective punishment illegal under Art. 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and is considered a war crime.

A group of Palestinian school children exiting the checkpoint, were locked inside and kept waiting. When the soldier who was suppose to operate the checkpoint was confronted by international activists, her response was: "I don't care. It's my job." — School-children locked inside the checkpoint as Israeli forces deny them to pass and leave – collective punishment of school-children discounted by the soldiers as ‘their job’

Shortly after, people were gathering at the turnstile at the entrance to the checkpoint. A total of two men, two school-boys and one school-girl were trapped on this side of the checkpoint. When they asked the soldiers to open, they were yelled at and told to ‘shut up’. Several left, but others patiently waited for the Israeli forces to allow them in – one by one only, a process that goes very slowly.

Several Palestinian are standing in line at the entry of the checkpoint, as israeli forces stand by and do nothing. — Several Palestinian are standing in line at the entry of the checkpoint, as Israeli forces stand by and deny them the right to pass.

Shortly after, a group of Israeli forces went through the gate at the checkpoint, walking towards the cluster of schools located behind the checkpoint.

A group of frightened palestinian school children are standing by, as Israeli forces invaded the palestinian neighborhood of Salaymeh. — A group of Palestinian school children waiting for their school-bus, as the heavily-armed Israeli forces stand by watching a group of children outside their schools.

As the Israeli forces approached the schools, teachers made sure that their students would get to school, safely past the Israeli forces.

Israeli forces invaded the Palestinian neighborhood of Salaymeh, looking for school children involved in throwing rocks at Israeli military checkpoint. — Israeli forces watching school-children as they go to school.

The soldiers pointed their live-ammunition assault-rifles several times at school-children: a form of intimidation used on school children regardless of their age.

Israeli soldier, carrying weapon with live ammunition, pointed his weapon several times at a large group of school children, standing outside of their school. — Israeli forces pointing their guns and aiming at school-children.

Photo story: Gilbert checkpoint impeding Palestinian daily life (January 2017)

31st January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

In the old city of occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), Palestinians’ freedom of movement is impeded by a large number of Israeli checkpoints. In the Tel Rumeida neighborhood, many school-children and teachers are forced to pass at least one, often more, checkpoint daily on their way to school. The Israeli occupation seriously disrupts the right to education for Palestinians in al-Khalil.

One of the checkpoints that Palestinians have to pass in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood is the ‘Gilbert’ checkpoint in the heart of the Tel Rumeida neighborhood. This checkpoint divides the neighborhood, enforcing the Israeli forces’ checkpoint regime on Palestinian residents only. Israeli settlers enjoy full freedom of movement and rights in and around the illegal settlements. This photo-story of the Gilbert checkpoint illustrates what this limitation of movement means to Palestinian civilians in every day life.

Palestinian journalists were denied entry through the checkpoint, as they were on their way to Shuhada Street, to document Palestinian school children walking through checkpoints on their way to school. — Palestinian journalists were denied entry through the checkpoint. They were on their way to Shuhada Street to document Palestinian school children walking through checkpoints on their way to school.

Palestinian child is stopped on his way to school is stopped at the checkpoint, as the soldier decides to check his schoolbag. — Palestinian school-boy has to pass his school-bag for a bag-search, before being allowed to continue on his way to school.

Tel Rumeida, Gilberts Checkpoint — Israeli soldier searching the bag of a Palestinian woman. Officially, these bag-searches are for ‘security purposes’, but Israeli forces often arbitrarily search only some bags. At this checkpoint they mainly search women’s bags, while allowing men to pass without being searched. Palestinians are robbed of even the tiniest bit of privacy at the Israeli forces’ checkpoints.

Group of Palestinian school children passing through israeli military checkpoint — Group of Palestinian school children passing through Israeli military checkpoint. Children are not exempt from the Israeli forces policies and are forced to pass metal detectors daily. On their way to school. Israeli forces sometimes search their bags or force them to wait while checking another Palestinian.

Palestinian child passing through checkpoint and a large group of israeli forces on his way home. — Palestinian child passing through checkpoint and past a large group of Israeli forces on his way home. An ‘innocent’ childhood is denied to Palestinian children living under Israeli military occupation. Sadly, they have to pass large groups of heavily-armed soldiers on the way to school. The practice of soldiers conducting exercises of how to shoot Palestinians to death at checkpoints in civilian Palestinian neighborhoods are the norm rather than the exception.

Palestinian school children passing israeli military checkpoint on their way to school — Palestinian school children passing Israeli military checkpoint on their way to school. These checkpoints often are the reason for Palestinian school-children to reach school late, as they might be delayed, denied to pass or searched.

Palestinian man is kept waiting for several minutes in front of the checkpoint, as israeli forces are checking his ID, violating his freedom of movement. — Palestinian man is forced to wait at the checkpoint, but forced to move several meters back, as Israeli forces check his ID, violating his freedom of movement.

Israeli forces are detaining a Palestinian woman at the checkpoint, unaware that a member of UN delegation is present. — Israeli forces are detaining a Palestinian woman at the checkpoint, unaware that a member of a UN delegation is present. According to international law and the recent UN resolution, Israeli settlements in the Israeli occupied West Bank are illegal.

Israeli forces trespassing Palestinian owned shop located in front of the checkpoint in Tel Rumeida. — Israeli forces ‘checking’ Palestinian shop located near the checkpoint. All commodities and general necessities have to be bought on the other side of the checkpoint, as the area locked up within the checkpoints has no shops. So, whenever a Palestinian needs to buy groceries, he or she must pass the checkpoint.

The checkpoint regime: Israel and the fragmentation of Palestinian society

31^st January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

There are 17 permanent checkpoints in the H2 area under full Israeli military control in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), manned by Israeli forces and impeding Palestinian freedom of movement. The official rhetoric of the Israeli government is that these checkpoints serve ‘security purposes’.

In total contrast to this ‘security rationale’, Israeli forces within al-Khalil have often illustrated how the checkpoints rather serve the purpose of humiliating the civilian Palestinian population and dictating their movement. Whereas most of the checkpoints are theoretically in operation 24hrs a day, a checkpoint near Ibrahimi Mosque is closed every evening around 9 – effectively imposing a nightly curfew on the Palestinian population in this area; in order to circumvent the checkpoint, Palestinians would have to take a half-hour long, extremely hilly detour.

Over the last few weeks, soldiers at Shuhada checkpoint have been observed twice sleeping inside the checkpoint. On 12th January 2017 Israeli forces were fast asleep in the checkpoint, thus effectively shutting down any kind of movement for Palestinians, who were stuck outside the turnstile as they waited for the soldiers to wake up and manually open it for every single person. On January 30th, one of the two soldiers supposedly ‘working’ in the checkpoint was asleep again. Both of the soldiers were sitting behind the bullet proof glass, with one of them obviously asleep, in plain sight of anyone crossing the checkpoint. When asked in surprise, if the soldier is sleeping, the soldier that was awake just shrugged his shoulders.

The official rationale of ‘security reasons’ for the implementation of this checkpoint-regime seems pointless. If soldiers are asleep at checkpoints, unaware of their surroundings, how are they really maintaining security? Instead, the checkpoints serve the purpose of fragmentation and humiliation. They lead to the fragmentation of Palestinian civilian neighborhoods: dividing neighborhoods in the same city from each other by fenced off checkpoints, separating families from work, schools, medical care, basic necessities such as cooking gas or a pack of rice. Additionally, the checkpoints perpetuate the all to common humiliation of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli forces; they force Palestinian men to take off their belts ‘for security reasons’ when they pass through the metal detector at the checkpoint – the soldiers clearly know that the belt is setting of the metal detector and even say so – but force everyone to take it off anyways, merely to humiliate innocent people. The long lines in the rain, where Palestinians are forced by the Israeli forces to ‘wait’ to be allowed to pass the checkpoint without reason destroys their sense of worth and dignity. They often have to stand in the pouring rain with no shelter indefinitely. In this system of humiliation, even a less than a month old baby is a ‘security threat’ and treated as such, without any regard for humanity.

In the end, the checkpoint-regime is solely implemented for this kind of humiliation and fragmentation: aiming to create a coercive environment that will facilitate forcible displacement of the Palestinian population. The checkpoints facilitate the expansion of existing illegal settlements. It allows Israel to eventually grab enough land to connect a consistent stretch of illegal settlements that are free of the indigenous population, the Palestinians.

Abusive harassment of Human Rights Defenders in Bil’in continues

27 January 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Bilin , occupied Palestine

Abdullah Abu Rahmah was released by an Israeli military judge on Tuesday night the 24th of January after being arrested when he attended a court hearing. He had been home for 24 hours when at 1AM Thursday the 26th, thirty masked, armed soldiers surrounded his house, pushed open his door, and raided his home.

Abdullah, his wife Magida, and their four children had their phones taken away and were forced into one room, where they were held, as soldiers went through their belongings and ransacked their home. An hour later the soldiers left with Abdullah’s laptop. Abdullah’s brother, Rateb Abu Rahmah’s, apartment in the same home was also raided.

Abdullah was arrested On Monday the 23d of January when he showed up for a hearing in Ofer military base to attend the trial of Ahmad Odah, Khaled Ektishat, Mohammed Khatib, Akram Khatib, Lama Nezih and Jameel Barghouti. These Palestinian activists had been arrested during a non-violent protest of Israeli plans to annex the Maale Adumim colonial settlement, which took place on Friday the 20th of January. They had all been released after being imprisoned for four days. The soldier, who was supposed to be translating the proceedings of the military trail, notified Abu Rahmeh that he was detained. Abdullah was handcuffed and leg shackled and taken to Maaleh Adumim colonial police station.

In 2010, Abdallah has been arrested 7 times and served 16 months in prison after being convicted on charges of “incitement” and “organizing and participating in an illegal demonstration”. Abdullah continued to advocate for nonviolent action and Human rights from prison. During Abdallah’s imprisonment Catherine Ashton recognized Abu Rahmah as a Human Rights Defender,

The computer of another nonviolent activist from the Bil’in, Ashraf Abu Rahmah, was confiscated on 21.9.2016 when soldiers raided his home and has since not been returned. His wife Rana Abu Rahmah was home alone, as Ashraf works during the night, when soldiers forced their way into her home. Ashraf, was shot on camera while he was blindfolded and handcuffed in 2008, the Israeli press reported last week that, Omri Borberg the commander who gave the order to shoot him has been promoted. Two of Ashraf’s siblings Basem and Jawaher were both killed in separate incidents nonviolently protesting the illegal wall constructed on their land. Ashraf himself has been wounded and arrested repeatedly including an arrest in 2011 when he was imprisoned for 8 months.

Bil’in is a symbol of creative popular resistance to the Israeli annexation wall and settlements. The village waged a successful campaign which resulted in their winning back half of their agricultural land that would have been separated from the village by Israel’s apartheid wall. “Israel is not a democracy. It is not ruled by laws. It is a criminal occupation that is ruled by force alone”, said Ashraf. Abdullah stated:, “In the last twelve years the occupation has used many methods including, killing and injuring, raiding our homes in order to stop us from exercising our right to protest and struggle against the occupation. But we will not stop struggling until the occupation is dismantled.”

Violent raid on family home – Israeli forces keep family locked up

22nd January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli Forces raided a Palestinian family home on Thursday night in the Jabari-neighborhood near the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron).

A group of approximately 50 heavily-armed Israeli forces, accompanied by a dog, surrounded the house at 1am and woke up the family for a house-raid. The soldiers prevented all the family members from filming by confiscating their cameras and mobile phones and forcing everyone in a single room. The Israeli forces then proceeded to take out each person, from the 6-month old baby to the grandfather, by themselves for a body-search, while keeping the rest of the family inside the one room. The family was kept in this room for more than two hours.

During this time, the soldiers raided the whole house, destroying furniture and walls with knifes – wreaking havoc on the house. Once they decided to leave, they told the family that they had to stay inside the room for another five minutes before being allowed to leave. The soldiers would leave the cameras and mobile phones in the kitchen. This clearly was meant to prevent any photo- or video-footage of the soldiers inside or even near the house.