23rd August 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil-team | Umm Al-Kheir, occupied Palestine
In the demolition threatened village, Umm Al-Kheir, in the south Hebron Hills, a military truck of the occupation forces arrived in the village to check buildings for potential demolitions. Suliman Eid Hathaleen, a 70-year old resident tried to stop them, but was violently forced to move aside by an Israeli soldier.
Israeli soldier violently forced a resident from Umm Al-Kheir to the side of the road
Suliman was roughly pushed and was thus injured by the soldier. But this is sadly not the first time that the old man was harassed by the occupation forces.
The bruises left on the residents arm, after the Israeli soldier pushed him away violently
An ISM team was at the village to stand in solidarity with the residents of Umm Al-Kheir and filmed the attack .
The resident from Umm Al-Kheir protesting against the demolition threat
23rd August 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
Three underage boys, 2 aged 13 and 1 aged 14, were arrested today in occupied Hebron (al-Khalil), the soldiers accusing them of throwing stones. Up to 40 soldiers went out of their military base in Bab al-Baladdbiya, and raided several houses searching alleged suspects.
Israeli soldiers raiding homes and arresting three underage boys
Israeli occupation forces arresting 3 children
After arresting the three children and bringing them to the military base, the heavy armed military presence stayed in the old town and raided several houses, ID-checking young male Palestinians and blocked the main market street, preventing residents from reaching their houses.
Israeli soldiers blocking the streets, and denying Palestinians access to the streets
The occupation forces violently controlled the crowed by shooting teargas into the crowd, and throwing stun grenades.
22nd August 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Um Al-Kheir, occupied Palestine
Three young Palestinian men were detained by Israeli occupation forces on Friday the 19th of August. The men, residents of the Bedouin community Um Al-Kheir, were held by soldiers for two hours and forced to sit against the fence bordering up to the neighbouring illegal settlement. Four armed soldiers pushed back the surrounding crowd, including the members from the ISM team in Al-Khalil.
Soldiers detaining three Palestinian men
On Sunday evening, members from the Al-Khalil team travelled to the small village of Um Al-Kheir, located right next to the illegal settlement Carmel in the South Hebron Hills. On arrival, a military vehicle was stationed by the road leading to the village, with three men being detained by the military forces. The detained men were Akram Hathaleen (21 years old), Aala Hathaleen (20 years old) and Mahmoud (33 years old).
Soldiers pushing the villagers back
According to the four soldiers, one of the young men had climbed the fence to Carmel, which is an unlikely scenario due to the razor wire surrounding the Israeli illegal settlement. The locals stressed that the man simply tried to access the agricultural land belonging to their community.
Israeli soldier controlling the villagers
After approximately two hours the men were set free, with one of the men being ordered to report to the police station in Kiryat Arba the following day.
Military presence has been prevalent lately in and around Um Al-Kheir due to a strict demolition order. Out of the 70 structures belonging to the village, only two of them will remain after the military carries out the order and destroys the houses. Naturally, this means the end of a village belonging to a Bedouin community which has lived in the area for generations.
What remains of a demolished home in Umm Al-Kheir
The village has faced demolitions almost every year since 2008, with water networks and up to 17 structures being destroyed annually. Settlers of Carmel frequently survey the community with drones to spot construction and send the footage to the Israeli civil administration.
Because of the small distance to Carmel Settlement, Um Al-Kheir lost more and more access to their land over time. Despite being founded as a military outpost in 1980, the first settlers moved in around 2008. In 2012 they occupied a nearby mountain, where the shepherds now need a permission to cross with their herds. Because of the rapid expansion of the settlement, the time to access the grassing lands has increased from five minutes to close to an hour.
21st August 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
On August 9th Israeli occupation forces invaded a home in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). The soldiers came in the early hours at 01 am and stayed inside the house for three and a half hours until they left at around 04:30 am.
The soldiers could not produce a warrant for the invasion, however the police did not react when the incident was reported. Nor did the civil administration of the area. This procedure is nothing unfamiliar for the family: earlier this year the families house was raided, all phones were confiscated and the family was not allowed to film the incident or to get any information about the reason for the invasion afterwards.
Israeli forces in the family home Photo credit: Ayatt Jabari
This time, resident Ayatt Jabari filmed the incident as it took place, and it appears that 35-40 soldiers took part in the operation, ravaging the family’s home. K9´s were also deployed.
The Israeli forces forbid Ayatt to film what happened, but she refused to acknowledge this command in her own home. She has a permission to film and showed it to the soldiers but they still tried to prevent her filming the scene.
Apart from this, the soldiers confiscated all phones in the household, as well as breaking personal belongings, and amongst others the wifi-router, thus prohibiting them from contacting either police, lawyers, friends or international presence, effectively holding them hostages. This is standard procedure for house invasions according to the Israeli human rights NGO, B’Tselem.
During the raid, exit and entrance was denied to anyone but the soldiers carrying out the invasion. The residents, including small children, were forced into a single room in the house and guarded, as the rest of the building was being raided. TIPH (Temporary International Presence in Hebron) was however contacted by Ayatts brother who saw the invasion from his home, before he was also detained for doing so.
Israeli soldier checking ID of one of the family members Photo credit: Ayatt Jabari
The household that is home to 25 residents is located in Wadi Al-Hussein, in the H2-area, the part of al-Khalil that is under Israeli authority. Surrounded by various illegal Israeli settlements including Kiryat Arba, the biggest settlement in al-Khalil, the families are regularly subjected to systematic as well as arbitrary violence and harassment both by settlers and Israeli occupation troops. During Ramadan new checkpoints were built in this area to further limit the residents from already restricted freedom of movement.
As a journalist visited the family the day following the raid, he was stopped and detained at a checkpoint leaving Wadi Al-Hussein.
According to Ayatt Jabari, the motive behind the invasion seemed to be a matter of intimidation or revenge following a recently made court decision in favour of the family regarding their legally owned land. This sort of action is and has long been part of the occupation forces intimidation tactics.
Israeli forces when entering the family home Photo credit: Ayatt Jabari
Ayatt Jabari is part of B’Tselems project, giving video cameras to residents and families often attacked and harassed by the Israeli forces and/or illegal Israeli settlers, giving Palestinian communities a chance to document the regular suppression and violence of the occupation.
20th August 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
On Friday evening the Al Khalil team surveyed the intersection of prayer road. The route leading north towards the illegal settlement Kiryat Arba had Israeli soldiers posted all along, with several military vehicles stationed by the intersection. Both settlers and Palestinians crossed the intersection, and the Palestinian residents were being closely monitored by both soldiers and border police.
Israeli soldiers and settlers in occupied Hebron
As shabbat was approaching, the tension along the prayer road increased and more Israeli soldiers began patrolling. Approximately 15-20 soldiers and 3-4 military vehicles were sent for the intersection. Barriers and fences were used to control passing Palestinians, and many of them were escorted across the street by armed soldiers.
Besides the soldiers and vehicles present on the road, a few were also using the rooftops of three Palestinian houses in order to surveil the Palestinians.
Israeli occupation forces controlling the mobility of the Palestinians
After 9.30 PM the settlers were no longer using the roads, and some military staff left. The Al Khalil team concluded that the situation was under control, and that no Palestinian civilians were hurt by soldiers or Israeli settlers.
The military intervention of prayer road takes place every Friday in Al Khalil, and is one of the many actions developed to control Palestinian access and mobility inside the city.
