Tag: Ethnic Cleansing - Page 43 - International Solidarity Movement

An end to discrimination? Closed Military Zone in Hebron neighbourhood officially stopped

20 May 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

The closed military zone (CMZ) encompassing the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood and Shuhada Street in occupied al-Khalil has officially been lifted.

According to the Israeli army spokesperson, the CMZ-order was not extended, now allowing some non-residents into the area. The International Solidarity Movement and Youth Against Settlements initiated the #OpenTheZone campaign against the CMZ in the beginning of May, with extensive media-outreach through background information, personal accounts of life in the closed military zone, video statements, and on-the ground actions like children’s events, press conferences etc.

The area of Tel Rumeida and the tiny strip of Shuhada Street where Palestinians are still allowed to walk, were first declared a closed military zone on 1^st November 2015, with orders that were continuously renewed. This closure, deliberately only enforced on the Palestinian residents, while Israeli settlers from the illegal settlements within the city kept enjoying their privileges and complete impunity under Israeli military protection, meant for Palestinians, that they were living in a prison: only residents officially registered with the Israeli forces as a number where allowed to access their own homes. Palestinians made into a number and thus not being seen as a human being anymore, were often forced to wait outside Shuhada checkpoint for long-periods of time, be it rain or sun. No friends, family, human rights observers, repair-men or even emergency medical personnel was allowed.

With the last order officially ending on 14^th May, it was first unclear whether yet another extension would be filed. Five days later, on 19^th May, the Israeli army officially announced that the order was not extended. With ‘some’ non-residents now allowed into the area, it appears that this thinly-disguised attempt at forced displacement of the Palestinians in this region continues – in a form only a little more disguised and less media-worth. At the same time, the lists witness to the numbering of people are still lying handy at the checkpoint.

Without an end to the illegal Israeli military occupation of the West Bank an the injustice, humiliation and dehumanization of the Palestinian population can not possibly end.

Aggressive young Israeli settlers provoke anger in Damascus gate, Jerusalem

14 May 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Quds team | Jerusalem, occupied Palestine

The 12th of May 2016 notes the day Israel calls Independence Day. For Palestinians, Israeli Independence Day means the start of the Naqba in 1948 (the Catastrophe) and the loss of their homeland, which is still ongoing today.

IMGP3463(1) — The small but highly provocative group of settlers at Damascus gate. Photocredit: ISM

We had traveled to Jerusalem and had expected a big march of Israelis waiving flags and chanting nationalistic slogans. Last year hundreds, if not thousands, had marched down to Damascus gate on their way to the Western Wall, provoking the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem. Although we did see some flag waiving and heard shouting, we saw no big crowds. As it turned out, the size of the Israeli march was of little importance. The small group of young provocative right-wing Jewish extremists that did come, succeeded in creating mayhem in front of the city wall; sparking anger which resulted in three Palestinians being beaten up by border police, arrested and taken away. A few of the Israeli extremists were also arrested for attacking Palestinian onlookers including children, and fighting with the police- although not until after the events had unfolded and the three Palestinians had already been arrested.

The group came down from New Gate loudly calling for the destruction of Al Aqsa and the building of the third temple, as well as shouting insults to local Palestinians. Border police surrounded them and tried to prevent two of the Jewish extremists from entering the gate. Although border police did attempt to push some of the settlers away most of the group- especially the women who had brought babies with them to this provocative and hateful display on Palestinian land (likely in an attempt to prevent anyone getting close to them; either Palestinians or police) – were allowed to go very close to the entrance of the old city. There they tried to block Palestinians from entering and exiting, continued their provocative shouting and started pushing people. The many border police and soldiers did nothing to stop this behaviour; they only kept them from entering the city and ensured they were not hurt.

IMGP3453 — Right wing Israeli Jewish settlers, with offensive T-shirts featuring Al Aqsa. Photocredit: ISM

After some time of this going on, all of a sudden we hear an angry voice calling out in Arabic and see a young Palestinian moving quickly into the centre of the crowd. Before we knew it, border police had surrounded the young man, and pushed him to the floor. About ten police men and soldiers started kicking him violently, over and over again. We feared for the young man’s life, as many other young Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces for less, but luckily the crowd of people may have prevented the police from using weapons. Finally, they got him on his feet but continued their violent treatment as they put him in handcuffs. While this struggle was going on, two other young men who had likely come to the aid their friend, were put on the floor and violently attacked by soldiers and police. The three were arrested on the spot, but they were not carrying weapons of any kind and had merely reacted to the ongoing abuse hurled at them.

FullSizeRender(2) — One of the young men attacked by border police. Photocredit: ISM

susanne 13 may 323 — Border Police violently restraining a young Palestinian man. Photo credit: ISM

The boys, who were all bruised from the ill treatment by the Israeli forces were not offered any medical assistance. Instead they had to sit and wait for some time by the scene, where the group of young Jewish settlers continued their provocations and calls for the destruction of one of the most holy places for Muslims- Al Aqsa. Then the three were taken taken to waiting police cars, body searched and driven away. We also saw a couple of the Israeli extremists handcuffed and led away to police cars, however they were not subjected to any body searches. The events unfolded in less than 40 minutes, but it was a stark reminder of the system of apartheid that operates in Israel, and in occupied Palestine.

The treatment of the instigators who are Israeli and Jewish, was vastly different to the treatment of the young Palestinians, who are Muslim, reacting to their provocative and aggressive behaviour. Where Israeli Jews were coaxed and pushed, the Palestinians were subjected to extreme violence from the police and soldiers, and arrested straight away. Palestinians are also likely to face significantly harsher punishment for any wrong doing, punishments are often also extended to their families. Israel, it seems, can not see that there is anything wrong with operating an apartheid system as they so blatantly showcase how different groups are afforded different rights and treatment. How long are we going to let them get away with this?

Human Rights Defender Abdullah Abu Rahma arrested and detained

15^th May 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | Bil’in, occupied Palestine

UPDATE 23d of May 2016: Abdullah was released from military prison on the evening of the 22nd. He must return to military court on the first of June for a hearing of the appeal of the military prosecution against the decision to release him.

UPDATE 19th of May 2016: Abdullah Abu Rahma remains in Detention. A military judge ruled that Abdullah can be released on 15,000 Shekel bail but postponed this until Sunday the 21st of May at four PM to give the military prosecution a chance to appeal the decision.

UPDATE 17th May 2016:

Abdullah Abu Rahma remains in Detention. The military prosecution has appealed yesterday’s decision by the court judge at Ofer to release Abdullah, a decision which was made after a video was presented which shows that Abdullah was arrested and beaten while protesting non-violently. The military prosecution were granted an extension to Abdullah’s detainment until tomorrow when there will be another hearing. This will be confirmed by the court tomorrow by 5pm.

On Friday the 13^th of May 2016, the internationally recognized human rights defender and coordinator of the Bil’in popular committee against the wall and settlements, Abdullah Abu Rahma, was arrested during the Alwada Cycling Marathon, which took place in the West Bank Friday. Abdullah Abu Rahma is currently still being held under detention by the Israeli military and his case will be brought to the military court in Ofer Military Base tomorrow.

Abu Rahma, who is from the West Bank village Bil’in, was arrested, after the Alwada Cycling Marathon had reached Bil’in. After reaching Bil’in the attending cyclists where met by approximately 150 heavily armed soldiers, who immediately started showering the cyclists with tear gas and blocked the road, where their route was going. Doing this attack of the peaceful demonstrating cyclists, Abu Rahma was arrest along with an international activist from Israel. The Israeli activist was released shortly after her arrest.

The Alwada Cycling Marathon’s intention was to demonstrate against the illegal Israeli occupation and the apartheid system, that Israel is enforcing on the Palestinians through a healthy and peaceful cycling route from Ramallah to Bil’in. By Israeli Forces attacking the peaceful demonstration and arresting Abu Rahma, they once again show the world, that they do not accept the right to protest peacefully and that they do not apply to the international law, that does not allow Israeli Forces to be on Palestinian controlled areas, which the area of Bil’in is.

Abu Rahma is an important activist for the village of Bil’in and a symbol of peaceful resistance all over the West Bank. For now, he is left waiting for his next sentence, after he has already been imprisoned for his non violent resistance multiple times, and has in the past been charged with both “incitement” and “organizing and participating in an illegal demonstration”. Till now, there has not been declared a charge against him in the current case, but the military court will determine his faith , after having hold him in detention for 4 days, even though he did not commit any crime what so ever.

Please spread this message as wide as possible and put pressure on the Israeli Justice system for his release through media attention or presence in the military court.

To hear more about the case, and get further information and updates, please contact us by email.

For more information about fridays Alwada Cycling Marathon:

https://www.facebook.com/haytham.alkhateeb/posts/10208232017891106?pnref=story

https://www.facebook.com/haytham.alkhateeb/videos/vb.1022320161/10208230395770554/?type=2&theater

For more information on Abdullah Abu Rahma:

Amnesty USA:

https://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/uaa32014_1.pdf

Human Rights Watch:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2010/09/08/israel-activist-convicted-after-unfair-trial

International Solidarity Movement:

https://palsolidarity.org/2015/03/a-decade-of-civil-disobedience-in-my-west-bank-village/

https://palsolidarity.org/2010/02/letter-from-prison-abdallah-abu-rahmah/

Al-Nakba day: The biggest crisis in the history of Palestine

15th May 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Occupied Palestine

Today, 68 years ago, the state of Israel was created on the Palestinian peoples’ home. The anniversary falls after a winter and spring with an escalation in violence and arrests of Palestinians, ever-expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Palestinian capital of Jerusalem, as the de facto take over by Israel of settlements in and around the city. It is estimated that there are approximately 600,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

For the Palestinians it is remembered as Yawm an-Nakba, meaning “Day of the Catastrophe” or just Nakba Day. During the 1948 Palestine War, an estimated 700,000 Palestinians fled or were Expelled, and Hundreds of Palestinian towns and villages were depopulated and destroyed. These refugees and their descendants number several million people today, divided between Jordan (2 million), Lebanon (427,057), Syria (477,700), the West Bank (788,108) and the Gaza Strip (1.1 million), with at least another quarter of a million internally displaced Palestinians in Israel and many more around the world. Later, a series of laws passed by the first Israeli government prevented them from returning to their homes, or claiming their property. They, along withmany of their descendants remain refugees. The expulsion of the Palestinians has since been described by some historians as ethnic cleansing.

Many dispossessed Palestinians continue to hold and treasure the keys to their lost homes, and the key has become a symbol of Palestinian right to return home. United Nations Resolution 194, passed immediately following the Nakba, declares the right of all refugees displaced and dispossessed by the Zionist militias to return to their homes. Almost a million had registered with the UN by 1950, and today there are over 4 million with UN-registered claims against Israel. Compliance with 194 was one of the conditions for Israel’s admission to the UN, to which they agreed but which they have never honored. This right is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which all UN member states are obliged to conform, and following 194 has been re-confirmed by many subsequent UN resolutions. It remains an international demand upon Israel. But Israel has refused to consider this right throughout the various iterations of the “peace process” since the Palestinian refugees return would jeopardize their Jewish majority. So we can only hope that justice will prevail for the Palestinian people.

Celebrating Israeli Independence day from the other side of apartheid fence

13th May 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Verena, Al Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Leaving the meeting I was searching for a safe way to go through the old City of Hebron alone, where there was a celebration of ”Israeli Independence day” going on. I wanted to reach my ISM team members who were already patrolling there. I took off my Kufiya, the Palestinian scarf, because I would probably not be safe wearing it amongst crowds of settlers. I went by taxi to the nearest checkpoint; I got out, passed the checkpoint and descended the hill on the palestinian side.

Palestinian boy watching the celebration of Israeli Independence day. Photo credit: ISM

Loud, happy music had been playing for days and at the main square, there was a stage surrounded by Jewish families cheerfully dancing, clapping hands watching the event going on. Reaching the entrance of the event, even soldiers at the checkpoint were dancing happily.
Only one old palestinian man with a cane was observing the scene melancholically. I felt his grief. Once that had been a palestinian place, with Palestinians celebrating on it. But those days were gone.

I found my friends and we started to walk through the old city, to check on the situation. The streets were empty, houses locked up and you could see Palestinian children behind lattice windows, trying to catch up on some of the events going on outside. Their parents had them made stay at home, being scared of clashes and attacks by settler groups, as they had been in past celebrations of independence day.

Reaching back to the top of the hill, we met some young Palestinian men, watching the festivities from above. Between them and the square was a checkpoint and soldiers. The boys were making jokes to hide their true feelings. One young man told us, that there had been
times when Israelis and Palestinian had celebrated together on this square. After some time we walked down the hill, again on the Palestinian side of the fence. Palestinian boys and men were standing and watching the joyous triumphal dancing and cheering, through the fence.

Palestinian boys excluded from celebration on their land. Photo credit: ISM

Soldiers and jeeps on the other side of the fence protected the square. We stood with Palestinians for quite some time. Young men behind a fence, children and women behind the lattice windows, excluded from happiness in their own country, watching THEM celebrating the day when 68 years ago they violently took over the country.

When the festival ended, settlers flooded the streets so we walked back into the city. Most of them went in cars but walking an empty street we could suddenly hear the triumphal procession coming towards us. Singing, shouting, waving flags the crowd was coming towards us and we sought protection near Israeli soldiers. They would most of the time protect Internationals for not getting media attention for violent behaviour of the settlers. But they would never protect Palestinians from their violence. The next day we heard that the procession had aggressively crossed the Arab quarter.