Tag: Gaza - Page 137 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli violence continues in Gaza ‘buffer zone’: wheat harvest prevented; three injured by shelling

International Solidarity Movement

20 June 2010

Five female farm-workers returned to the Gaza ‘buffer zone’ early Saturday morning, with the intention of continuing the wheat harvest near Khoza’a village, Khan Yunis. The harvesters were forced to abandon their work after just thirty minutes as snipers attacked the unarmed workers with a barrage of live ammunition. Earlier in the month, the same women harvested for three partial days, but increasingly extreme attacks by Israeli snipers ultimately ended the harvest for fear someone would be intentionally targeted.

On Saturday, the unarmed workers began harvesting at 7am, accompanied by four international activists and several media agencies. The women worked roughly 150-200 meters from the Israeli border. After only thirty minutes, Israeli snipers began shooting around the plainly non-threatening group. Over fifty rounds were fired as international activists communicated the nonviolent nature of the harvest over a megaphone. The attack was more threatening than the opening barrages of previous mornings, putting the workers on edge

After the shooting ended, the group waited in the field until 8:15am, then moved further back to wait for the snipers and jeeps to retreat, like they usually do. At 9:00am, the jeeps were still stationed at the border. The severity of the attack, combined with earlier perilous situations, left the impression that someone would soon be intentionally shot, as is often the case. Consequently, the women were forced to leave the wheat unharvested. A sizeable amount remains in the ‘buffer zone’, highlighting the effect that this particular Israeli policy has on poverty and malnutrition in Gaza.

Women hand-harvesting wheat in the Gaza 'buffer zone'

A primary factor in the decision to abandon the harvest was an attack which occurred Wednesday, June tenth. On that occasion, snipers fired over 50 rounds extremely close to the group, with many bullets landing within a meter of the women’s heads. At such a short distance, any minor deviation would have hit someone.

Concern is expressed among farmers that if land in the ‘buffer zone’ (more than 30% of arable land) is allowed to lie fallow, Israel will seize the wide swath, claiming it is unused. This technique is commonly used in the West Bank, where settlements and the illegal annexation wall prevent farmers from accessing their land or expose them to violence. The land is then claimed because it has not been farmed.

Rubble collectors attacked, injured by artillery shelling near Beit Hanoun

Three rubble collectors were injured Saturday by artillery shelling near the northern city of Beit Hanoun as they collected concrete in the Gaza ‘buffer zone’. This is the second artillery attack in recent weeks. The previous, 27 May, left six farmers seriously injured.

Those venturing to the border regions to gather rubble and steel risk being shot with live ammunition and other weaponry as well as abduction. The Israeli military routinely raids the homes of rubble collectors to make arrests. Persons choosing to assume these risks do so as a result of the siege on Gaza which, along with Israel’s 23 day winter war, has decimated Gaza’s economy. Prior to the brutal assault, 98% of industrial operations were stagnant due to the blockade. The offensive then destroyed or severely damaged some 700 private businesses in just three weeks.¹

The recycled construction materials are vital in Gaza where the Israeli-led, internationally-complicit siege bans all but roughly 35 categories of items from entering. The list of banned construction materials includes cement, steel, glass, and plastic and metal pipes. Over 6,400 houses were destroyed or severely damaged in the Israeli war on Gaza, and nearly 53,000 sustained lesser damages. Hospitals and medical centres, schools, kindergartens and mosques are among the other buildings destroyed and damaged. Since the war, a monthly average of four trucks now reach Gaza with construction materials, less than .05% of the pre-siege levels. ¹

Gaza ‘buffer zone’ background

While unemployment levels hover near 42% in Gaza and 60% of its 1.5 million residents lack food security, ² Israel’s illegal buffer zone greatly exacerbates the humanitarian crisis. 30% of Gaza’s arable farmland, and some of its most fertile, lies within the buffer zone. ³ Farmers who attempt to work in the zone face live fire and crop destruction. The number of crops grown in the zone has consequently been reduced from a diverse range to wheat and other less labor-intensive harvests, which further negatively impacts the nutrition and economic condition of Gazans. An additional 17% of farmland was destroyed in Israel’s war of aggression,¹ making 47% (nearly half) of Gaza’s farmland now marginally usable.

The buffer zone has also reduced Gaza’s fishing zones to 1-3 miles offshore. In the first four months of 2010, 19 naval attacks led to two shootings and three arrests, as well as numerous confiscations of fishing equipment. The narrow fishing zone, in which over 3,600 fishermen work daily, is gravely over-fished. ³

Israel’s decision to instate a 300-meter buffer zone is in violation of Oslo Accords, and people are routinely shot as far as two kilometers from the border. Israeli attacks in the buffer zone injured 50 persons and killed 14 between January and April 2010. In the past twelve months, at least 220 Israeli attacks have been carried out, with 116 coming since the beginning of 2010 (as of April 30th). ³

¹ Oxfam: Failing Gaza: No rebuilding, no recovery, no more excuses
² PCHR Fact Sheet: The Illegal Closure of the Gaza Strip
³ PCHR Fact Sheet: The Buffer Zone in the Gaza Strip

Stop the bullets! A call to end the use of live ammunition against unarmed civilians in the Gaza ‘buffer zone’

International Solidarity Movement

19 June 2010

Snipers fired barrages of live ammunition within meters of these women as the hand-harvested wheat two weeks ago

The catastrophic Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, which left 9 dead, has rightly horrified the international community. However, lethal force by the Israeli military is nothing new to Palestinians. In the Gaza ‘buffer zone’, live ammunition is routinely used against unarmed demonstrators and farmers.

* The ‘buffer zone’ is illegal

The Israeli military violently enforces a zone of 300 meters to 2 kilometers along Gaza’s lengthy border with Israel, in direct violation of the Oslo Accords of the 1990’s. This zone claims 30% of Gaza’s farmland, and some of its most fertile.

* The Israeli military shoots unarmed farmers

Farmers attempting to cultivate land in the ‘buffer zone’ are routinely met with barrages of live ammunition and occasional artillery shells. Exacerbating widespread poverty and malnutrition, farmers cannot access one third of their land without facing extreme danger.

* Farmers have launched a campaign of popular non-violent resistance

Unarmed demonstrations are held in the ‘buffer zone’, internationally recognized as Gazan land, to protest the illegal confiscation of farmland which has such grave consequences for Gaza’s struggling population.

* Live ammunition is used as a form of ‘crowd dispersal’ against unarmed demonstrators, with deadly consequences

Unarmed demonstrators in the ‘buffer zone’ are intentionally shot with live fire. In April 2010 alone, at least six demonstrators were injured by bullets. This includes Maltese activist Bianca Zammit who was shot in the thigh while filming the demonstration in clear view of soldiers. The following week, 19-year-old Ahmad Dib was shot at a demonstration and bled to death two hours later.

* The international community cannot remain silent

Human rights activists are prevented from entering Gaza; prevented from documenting and reporting on the humanitarian crisis. Israel uses live ammunition against unarmed demonstrators and farmers because it is shielded from international scrutiny. Tell Israel to stop shooting unarmed civilians on Gazan land.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Contact your representatives to demand that Israel be held accountable for violence against unarmed activists and end the siege on Gaza

Call or email your representative to Israel, http://www.embassiesabroad.com/embassies-in/Israel

Write your own or use the provided letter at the end of the article

2. Support the call from Palestinian Civil Society for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel

After the recent attack on International activists aboard boats of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, the Boycott National Committees have called for an intensification of BDS campaigns and actions around the world (http://www.bdsmovement.net/?q=node/710). While the raid is no longer in the news, Israeli armed forces are still targeting Gazan non-violent activists. Every week near the ‘buffer zone’, demonstrators and farmers are shot at with live ammunition. The violence against these activists, just as the violence against the Freedom Flotilla, cannot be ignored.

3. Target local shops that sell Israeli products, http://www.bdsmovement.net/?q=node/4

Supermarkets, clothing stores and consumer goods from Israel can be the focus of a BDS campaign. Find a campaign in your area or launch one today!

Ongoing campaigns: http://bdsmovement.net/?q=node/54

Activist resources: http://bdsmovement.net/?q=node/49

Sample Letter to your representative:

Dear Ambassador,

If unarmed farmers and protesters were being shot with live ammunition in the United States, Europe or any country which claimed democratic credentials, the international community would be justifiably outraged. Yet Gazans attempting to farm or demonstrate in the illegal ‘buffer zone’ are routinely shot with live ammunition. In the past twelve months, at least 220 Israeli attacks have been carried out in the ‘buffer zone’, with 116 coming since the beginning of 2010 (as of April 30th).* In the first four months of 2010, over 50 Gazans were injured, and 16 were killed in these attacks.

30% of Gaza’s arable farmland, and some of it’s most fertile, lies within the ‘buffer zone’.* Farmers who attempt to work in the zone face routine live fire and crop destruction, in addition to occasional artillery shells. Israel shoots farmers trying to grow crops on Gazan land for an impoverished and malnourished society.

Unarmed demonstrations in the zone, internationally-recognized Gazan territory, are organized by Gazan farmers. In April alone, at least six demonstrators were shot and injured by live ammunition fired by Israeli snipers. Among the injured was Maltese activist Bianca Zammit, who was shot in the thigh while standing in clear view, filming the demonstration. The following week, 19-year-old Ahmad Dib was shot in the leg and died two hours later from blood loss.

For the Palestinians who escape only with gunshot injuries, the impact extends far beyond initial pain. Daily cleaning of the wound is required, metal plates replace shattered bones, and permanent disabilities are frequent. Such injuries are devastating, as the wounded are frequently the only wage-earner in a large extended family.

The attack on the Freedom Flotilla brought international criticism of Israel’s ongoing human rights violations, but criticism alone is not enough. It is clear that the international community cannot remain silent as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is perpetuated through policies such as this. The use of live ammunition in the ‘buffer zone’ must end.

Sincerely,

(Your Name)

For more information, see:

BDS Movement, http://www.bdsmovement.net/

International Solidarity Movement, https://palsolidarity.org/

Fishing Under Fire, http://www.fishingunderfire.blogspot.com/

Farming Under Fire, http://farmingunderfire.blogspot.com/

Wheat harvest met with live ammunition in Gaza “buffer zone”

International Solidarity Movement

13 June 2010

Israeli forces attacked women farmworkers and international human rights activists with heavy gunfire during three days’ wheat harvest in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israel-imposed “buffer zone” illegally claims over 30% of Gaza’s arable farmland. In Khoza’a village, east of Khan Yunis, substantial wheat remains unharvested despite severe poverty and food shortages, as a result of the attacks.

Tuesday, the first day of harvest, did not take place inside the 300m “buffer zone”. However, snipers approached the harvest in Israeli military Jeeps on two occasions, shooting live ammunition around five
women who were crouching to hand-collect the wheat with four International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activists. The women laid down in the wheat during the attack but did not leave, and harvest continued after the Jeeps had left. Activists communicated the non-threatening nature of the work to soldiers with a megaphone.

A more severe attack was levied Wednesday, as the harvest continued within 300 meters of the fence. 5 ISM activists and 2 journalists were present as Israeli military Jeeps approached at 7 a.m. and fired
several rounds, similar to the previous day. At 8:30, the Jeeps parked on a small hill near the fence. Snipers stood atop the Jeep closest to the workers, with a clear view of the obviously non-threatening hand-
harvest. Israeli snipers then rained over 50 rounds on the women, activists and journalists, causing the women to crawl along the ground and shriek with fear. Rounds of live bullets hit within a meter of
people’s heads, meaning any deviation would almost certainly hit someone. The harvest finished at 10 a.m.

Thursday, the final day of harvest, was cut short by two gunfire attacks at 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. Roughly 20 rounds were fired very close to the farmers and 3 ISM activists present. The women were evidently
more fearful of attack, and those present agreed that a third attack was imminent and would target them. This proved a correct assumption as, soon after finishing at 8:45, 4 jeeps arrived and remained at the
fence. The wheat will likely remain unharvested.

“We were shot at repeatedly with live ammunition; the deafening fizz and crack of the bullets flying past our ears”, states ISM activist Adie Mormech. “The women courageously returned after each attack. On
the last day, after snipers had already come twice and fired many rounds quite close, it was clear that someone would be intentionally hit if we stayed. Consequently, the wheat will not be harvested. It is
infuriating that this violence continues against what is clearly a peaceful endeavor to farm the third of Gaza’s arable land which is patrolled by the Israeli military.”

While unemployment levels hover near 42% in Gaza and 60% of its 1.5 million residents lack food security,¹ Israel’s illegal buffer zone greatly exacerbates the humanitarian crisis. 30% of Gaza’s arable farmland, and some of its most fertile, lies within the buffer zone.² Farmers who attempt to work in the zone face live fire and crop destruction. The number of crops grown in the zone has consequently been reduced from a diverse range to wheat and other less labor-intensive harvests, which further negatively impacts the nutrition and economic condition of Gazans. An additional 17% of farmland was destroyed in Israel’s war of aggression,³ making 47% (nearly half) of Gaza’s farmland now marginally usable.

¹ PCHR Fact Sheet: The Illegal Closure of the Gaza Strip
² PCHR Fact Sheet: The Buffer Zone in the Gaza Strip
³ Oxfam: Failing Gaza: No rebuilding, no recovery, no more excuses

Activists to demonstrate outside of European Commission Delegation in Barcelona

NOVA

8 June 2010

The European Union must put an end to the shameful and illegal siege that Israel imposes on Gaza. For 4 years, 1.5 million people have been living in inhumane conditions for having democratically elected a party Israel does not accept; for 43 years, Israel has been blocking all access to Gaza and controlling its territorial waters.

From Friday 11 to Monday 14, when we know the outcome of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, we will rally with nonviolent action at the doors of the European Commission Delegation in Barcelona(P de Gracia, 90)*

(FRIDAY 11, SATURDAY 12, SUNDAY, 13 from 10 to 21h. MONDAY 14, from 10 to time we know the outcome)

The European Union must put an end to the shameful and illegal siege that Israel imposes on Gaza. For 4 years, 1.5 million people have been living in inhumane conditions for having democratically elected a party Israel does not accept; for 43 years, Israel has been blocking all access to Gaza and controlling its territorial waters.

The latest acts of violence, including injured and dead, committed by the ultraconservative Israeli government against the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ in international waters and the sweeping reaction against them that has arisen around the world are a turning point: we cannot continue accepting the impunity and arrogance of the Israeli government and the siege on Gaza must come to an end.

On Monday 14 June, the Spanish Presidency of the EU has its last chance for advancing peace in the Middle East. We demand, as Union citizens, that the EU Foreign Affairs Council approves an urgent plan to put an end to the siege on Gaza in the coming days.

We are calling on unions and cultural, political, academic, and religious organizations, and all citizens in general to support our demand, to submit their statements to the current President of the EU, Mr. J.L. Rodríguez Zapatero, and to read them at the rally **. We are also inviting artists, intellectuals and anyone who wants to join us to show their solidarity in silence, with poems, songs, and drawings.

We are calling for similar actions to take place across Europe and beyond, in front of EU institutions and delegations, Governments, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and municipalities, so that our demands are conveyed to our respective governments.

We do not want history to judge us because we were complicit in the largest and most enduring concentration camp of the century through our silence and inaction.

For the respect of international law. For an end to the siege and the occupation. No more impunity

Organised by: Coordinadora d’entitats Amb Palestina al Cor www.alcor.palestina.cat

ACSUR-Las Segovias, Alliance for Freedom and Dignity, Associació Catalana per la Pau, CIEMEN, Comunitat Palestina de Catalunya, Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya, Moviment per la Pau, Sodepau, Nexes, Nova – Centre per a la Innovació Social, Servei Civil Internacional (SCI), Xarxa d’Enllaç amb Palestina, Fundació Nous Horitzons i Consell de la Joventut de Barcelona (CJB).

(*) This action is part of a whole week of mobilisation in Barcelona against Israel’s impunity – demos on Monday and Saturday and, human rights activists in chains at the Spanish Government Delegation in Catalunya on 4 and 5 June requiring Spanish President Zapatero to demand Israel to allow the Rachel Corrie into Gaza.

(**) Organizations and people who would like to speak at the rally, please confirm if possible day and time: ambpalestinaalcor@yahoo.com

Spokespersons: 635 437 485 / +34 671 002 015 Press: +34 651 341 406 comunicacio@nova.cat www.noviolencia.nova.cat

Weekend demonstrations commemorate Flotilla massacre

International Solidarity Movement

8 June 2010

Bil’in

On Friday June 4th, the village of Bilín’s own Freedom Flotilla ship was attacked by soldiers from the Israel military, after it had been driven to the site of the Apartheid Fence which separates the village from much of its lands. The ship had been accompanied by large numbers of Palestinian and international supporters, including a delegation of 12 from Brazil, who were forced to retreat hastily when the military, out in force and spoiling for a fight, fired repeated salvoes of tear gas canisters into the crowd. The sight of youth attempting to fasten a Palestinian flag and an Israeli flag adorned with a piracy symbol to the fence proved too much of an incitement for the brave troops, who added stun grenades and plastic-coated steel bullets to the rain of terror.

Fadi Jayyousi, a cameraman for Palestine TV was seriously injured and had his camera equipment destroyed. A Norweigan journalist, Karina Lapua, appeared to have suffocated by teargas inhalation but was, fortunately, revived. Several people were struck by teargas cannisters and many others were gassed but soon recovered their equanimity.

Three activists were arrested, including Huwaida Araf, a co-founder of ISM, who had just been released from detention in Israel following her participation in the most recent Gaza freedom flotilla, and a 72 year old Israeli activist, Ilan Shelef, who managed briefly to break free from his captors and legged it away down the hillside with soldiers in hot pursuit. After a good chase the septuagenarian was finally captured and taken back into custody.

The brave spectacle of Mr Shelef, and the attendance at the demo of Dr Mustafa Barghouti (highly appreciated by the swarms of press) buoyed the morale of the villagers of Bil’in, whose resolve and resistance after five years of repression has not waned.

An Nabi Saleh

Roughly sixty Palestinians gathered with Israeli and international activists for the village’s weekly Friday march towards confiscated village land. Flags were displayed from a diverse group of nations, commemorating the Gaza Freedom Fleet. Soldiers met the demonstrators on the main road, and immediately arrested an Israeli activist.

Tear gas was then fired straight at the heads of demonstrators, in direct violation of international law, which dictates that tear gas must be fired in high arcs. The purpose of gas canisters is to release an unpleasant gas which forces demonstrators to move away. It is not designed, nor is it legal, for tear gas to be fired directly at people. This use disregards the original purpose of tear gas, instead using the cans as extremely dangerous projectiles. Monday 31 May, ISM activist Emily Henochowicz was struck in the face by a gas canister fired in such a manner. The blow claimed her left eye and fractured cheek and jawbones.
In An Nabi Saleh, soldiers continued firing in such a manner for an extended period, causing grave danger to villagers who had begun by marching peacefully against the extreme violence against international activists earlier this week. The demonstration ended when participants chose to conclude, although soldiers continued to block the village’s intersection for the next five hours.

Hebron

In commemoration of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Saturday, demonstrators in Hebron carried a boat with flags from countries represented on the flotilla as well as a coffin draped with a Turkish flag, bearing the names of the Turkish activists killed on Monday. The demonstration was contained to the entrance of Shuhada Street where protesters gather weekly, as police and soldiers blocked the procession from its normal route, threatening to shoot anyone who attempted to go further into the old city. Israeli soldiers destroyed the flag-draped coffin as demonstrators attempted to carry it past them.

Iraq Burin

This past Saturday, the village of Iraq Burin demonstrated against Israeli soldiers. Marching out to annexed farmland in recognition of the Israeli inflicted massacre of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, men, boys and International Solidarity Movement activists continue local resistance despite recent settler caused property damage.

The demonstration ended within two hours, A success: no injuries, no arrests. While the Israeli soldiers retreated to their jeeps, locals feasted on unripe plums picked prematurely in celebration. Locals paid homage to those whom died in the flotilla massacre by showing increased vigilance in the face of the oppression. Men and boys stood their ground despite tear gas canisters raining down and the imminent threat of arrests. This past week, however, marked the first time in several months that local settlers have invaded the village and caused property damage. A disgruntled local farmer showed me where settlers had entered and burned viable farmland, this solidifying the need for persistence, resistance, and justice.

Beit Jala

Sunday morning, fifty Palestinians, internationals and Israeli activists demonstrated in the village of Beit Jala against the “Freedom Flotilla” massacre and the construction of the Apartheid wall.

The demonstrators, who were waving flags of the countries whose citizens were on board the boats, tried to reach the village when they were stopped by the Israeli military. After chanting some songs and unsuccessfully trying to move forward, demonstrators moved to the area where bulldozers were working. Soldiers began firing tear gas canisters directly at demonstrators’ heads, again, in direct violation of international law. When the crowd was dispersed, soldiers chased all nonviolent demonstrators and pushed them violently to the main road. One Israeli activist was arrested and taken to the police station.
When all demonstrators were in the main road soldiers threw more sound bombs and pushed them out of the area. After fifteen minutes internationals, Israelis and Palestinians left the village.