Tag: Hebron - Page 19 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli forces violently repress Al-Aqsa solidarity demonstration in al-Khalil (Hebron) [VIDEO]

30th July 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

An Al-Aqsa solidarity march organized this Friday in occupied Hebron was heavily repressed by Israeli Forces. Soldiers and border police fired stun grenades, teargas, putrid-smelling “skunk” water, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition at demonstrators, injuring many. Several young protesters were also beaten and detained.

Palestinians demonstrate in Bab al-Zawiya, central al-Khalil (Hebron)

The Al-Aqsa solidarity march started from the Al-Hussein Mosque and continued on Ain Sarah street towards Bab Al-Zawiya towards Israeli controlled H2. Even before the march reached Bab Al-Zawiya, an Israeli video drone was seen flying above the scene and soldiers were getting ready on the other side of Shuhada checkpoint to face the demonstrators. The march reached Bab Al-Zawiya around 1:30 pm, at which point the Israeli forces came out through Shuhada checkpoint, which separates Palestinians from Shuhada street, and forcing some of the demonstrators ran to Wad al-Tofah Street, while others withdrew to the adjacent Ain Sarah street.

Border police reach stalemate with demonstrators on Wad al-Tofah street

Israeli forces followed the demonstrators down Wad al-Tofah street, firing rubber coated steel bullets indiscriminately at young boys and men. A skunk truck also drove down Ain Sarah and sprayed chemically treated skunk water on houses of uninvolved Palestinian civilians. A standoff ensued in which demonstrators lit tires on fire and a young boy was shot in the leg with live ammunition, before being quickly taken to hospital. Israeli forces eventually withdrew from the scene. These areas are located in the H1 area, supposedly under full Palestinian control.

Palestinian rushed to hospital after being shot by Israeli forces

The demonstrators moved up Ain Sarah, and once the protest seem to calm down the Israeli forces started shooting at demonstrators. At this point two more Palestinians were shot and injured. Israeli police and soldiers drove further along Ain Sarah, got out and started chasing the demonstrators. At 14:46 they detained a minor who, after being pulled down, was beaten down on his head and kicked on his back. Protesters withdrew down Ain Sarah, pursued by police and soldiers firing rubber-coated steel bullets and showers of teargas.

Teenager arrested after having been beaten by Israeli forces

As the soldiers seemed to withdraw towards the Bab al-Zawiya area again, the demonstrators followed them and some started to throw stones and light up tires. The Israeli forces promptly responded with stun grenades, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. The Israeli soldiers also broke into a shop in Bab Al-Zawiya, leaving an explicit note. After violently detaining a 15-year-old boy, they took him into the building, blindfolded him and then transferred him through Shuhada checkpoint. After this, the army returned again to attack the demonstrators.

Note left by Israeli soldiers in a shop that they had broken into in Bab al-Zawiya. The Hebrew states ‘Israel lives’.

One of the following attacks forced the group of young men and teenagers up the hill north of the entrance of the vegetable market. Soldiers positioned on the roof of the nearby building threw teargas and stun grenades towards the demonstrators. With around 50 border policemen in the back and support from a sniper lying at the entrance of the street, a troop of 12 soldiers went up the hill, trying unsuccessfully to break into a building. They proceeded to throw teargas and stun grenades at a group of four activists who were taking photos nearby. At the intersection at the end of the road protestors were showered in teargas and the crowd dispersed. Amidst the teagas fog a teenager, thought to be around 14 to 16 years old was shot, presumably by the sniper down the road, and was evacuated in the car of a passerby. After this incident the soldiers went back down and disappeared from Bab Al-Zawiya.

Israeli sniper takes aim at young demonstrators

The clashes lasted altogether around four and a half hours during which the Israeli forces displayed unnecessary and excessive violence not only towards demonstrators, but also towards the media. The army seemed out of control, breaking into Palestinian offices in Bab Al-Zawiya, demonstrating violence and intimidating journalists, targeting children and beating up demonstrators who were already detained, and not resisting arrest.

Soldier attempts to arrest Palestinian child after having violently assaulted him

The demonstration was in solidarity with the demonstrations in Jerusalem against the new access restrictions introduced by Israel at the Al-Aqsa compound. The Palestinian community had earlier called for a ‘day of rage’ in response to the restrictions, which Israel described as ‘security measures’.

Palestinian boy holds flag amidst the chaos on Ain Sarah street, al-Khalil

Major clashes in Hebron as thousands take to the streets [VIDEO]

24th July 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-bOe3fXx1o

Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of al-Khalil this Friday to protest Israel’s tightening of access restrictions to Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque. The protest was suppressed violently by scores of Israeli soldiers and police, who fired live ammunition indiscriminately into crowds of young men and boys.

Thousands march in Hebron against access restrictions at al-Aqsa mosque

At least 10 Palestinians were wounded with live ammunition, including one young man shot in the stomach, and another near the heart. Many more were wounded by rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas, with hospitals and ambulances struggling to hope. The situation was made worse by Israeli forces storming the nearby hospital once, and twice occupying its entrances.

Hussein Ben Ali stadium, capacity 30,000, overflows with worshippers

The demonstration followed the closure of Hebron’s mosques in solidarity with those unable to worship at al-Aqsa. Instead, worshippers prayed at Hussein Bin Ali stadium before marching down Ain Sarah street towards Bab al-Zawiye.

Demonstrators assemble in Bab al-Zawiya, before being dispersed by tear gas and sound grenades

Once the march reached the market, some children began throwing stones and fireworks at the gate of Checkpoint 56, which separates Palestinians from Shuhada street.

Soldiers responded by storming out of the checkpoint, firing tear gas and throwing sound grenades. Hundreds of demonstrators retreated back up Ain Sarah street as soldiers regrouped in the square with various armoured vehicles. The soldiers then pushed up towards al-Manarah roundabout, meeting a crowd of young men and boys. Soldiers responded to stones with live ammunition, immediately hitting a 20-year old man in the leg.

Palestinians flee live ammunition fired by Israeli forces

Meanwhile, a similar confrontation was occurring on the neighbouring Ain Sarah street, with snipers shooting a 20-year old man in the foot and a 17-year old boy in the leg.

20-year old shot in foot by sniper on Ain Sarah street

Soldiers and police continued to fire tear gas and .22 calibre ammunition at the crowd, until a volley of stones forced them to retreat towards Bab al-Zawiye.

A man is bundled into an ambulance under live fire from Israeli forces

A second offensive, however, saw Israeli forces push back towards Alia mosque. Palestinian youths continued to throw stones at the heavily-armed soldiers and police, who then sent out a water cannon to spray the boys with chemically-treated, foul-smelling ‘skunk’ water.

Israeli forces shoot foul-smelling skunk water onto Palestinian teenagers

Soldiers pursued the water cannon, and chased protesters into Queen Alia hospital, surrounding it for more than half an hour.

In the mean time, around 60 soldiers and border police pushed forward and assembled with several vehicles at the intersection, while roughly 20 more occupied the roofs of nearby residential buildings.

Smoke billows above Ain Sarah street from a tyre-fire below

Three teenage boys who had been watching the protest from their roof were blindfolded, handcuffed and detained by soldiers that stormed their building.

Three boys are blindfolded, handcuffed and arrested

A group of young Palestinians continued throwing stones at the Israeli forces, as well as rolling flaming tyres down the hill towards them. As soldiers began to push up the hill, Palestinians watching from the hospital parking lot barricaded themselves in, but without success. Doctors asked the soldiers, who were now occupying hospital grounds for a third time in one afternoon, to leave.

Israeli forces assemble at the bottom of a hill

Eventually the soldiers retreated back down the hill, regrouping with the border police and other soldiers. Despite Palestinian teenagers continuing to throw stones and tyres down the hill, Israeli forces began to head back to their bases. Local youths followed them as they made their way back to Bab al-Zawiye and Checkpoint 56.

Army Jeep leaves Ain Sarah street following the clash

Explosions and arrest in Old City of occupied al-Khalil

18th July 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli soldiers have arrested 19 year old Ahmed Fayez in Hebron’s Old City. The teenager was working with friends when soldiers approached the group, demanding to see their IDs. When Fayez showed his, he was arrested and taken towards Beit Romano military base. He was not seen being taken into the base itself, but rather was taken to Shuhada street, where he was last seen.

The majority of Shuhada Street is ethnically cleansed of Palestinian presence and only accessible for settlers living in the illegal settlements in the heart of Hebron’s old city and international tourists. The once thriving Palestinian market connecting south and north of the city is now only “accessible” for Palestinians if they are arrested and brought to the military base there.

Immediately prior to the arrest, soldiers, border police and civil authorities had been conducting small detonations in a parking lot nearby. The purpose of these was unclear.

Apartheid illustrated: Israeli soldier shoots another soldier in Hebron

6th July 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Tuesday, 4th July 2017, Israeli forces were conducting a ‘military training’ in a civilian Palestinian neighborhood near Gilbert checkpoint in Tel Rumeida in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). The result of this ‘military training’ was a fatal shot by one Israeli soldier to the other. The injured commander was immediately evacuated to hospital by an Israeli ambulance, and was later confirmed dead. The Israeli forces immediately closed the whole area to Palestinians by closing all the checkpoints, collectively punishing the civilian Palestinian population. The army, after the incident, announced that these ‘military trainings’ will be suspended in al-Khalil.

The whole incident, though, needs to be contextualized: an occupying army conducted a ‘military training’ near a checkpoint installed for the control and humiliation of the occupied population, in a civilian residential neighborhood. Immediate medical assistance to the injured occupying soldier, with an ambulance that, without any problems, was granted immediate access to the injured.

Military trainings, under international humanitarian law, are prohibited in civilian areas. The Israeli occupying army in al-Khalil, and all over the occupied territories, though, conducts trainings in civilian areas. This serves two functions: for one, it is more ‘real’, a training in the area where the perceived ‘enemy population’ is living, and second, the intimidation of the population. Israeli forces in al-Khalil are sometimes seen ‘practicing’ the ‘neutralization’, as it is called in Israeli rhetoric, of Palestinians at checkpoints. In those cases, a Palestinian that allegedly carries a knife is seen as a threat to the life of the heavily armed and armored occupation forces – and thus has to be shot and, as documented in so many cases, left to bleed to death on the ground without any medical assistance. The idea is always to shoot to kill.

Whereas an Israeli soldier or settler from the illegal settlements would immediately receive medical assistance, as Israeli ambulance are free to pass, Palestinian ambulances, and actually any Palestinian vehicles (often including donkeys and bicycles) are not allowed to drive on one of the roads in al-Khalil – which conveniently connects the settlements in down-town al-Khalil with the Kiryat Arba settlement on the outskirts of the city. Palestinian ambulances, as they are not allowed on this street, instead, are often detained by Israeli forces at the checkpoints, denied to pass and thus denied access to give first aid.

Immediately after the incident, the Israeli forces closed all the checkpoints in the area, effectively putting the area under curfew – for Palestinian residents. Any Palestinian civilian inside the area, thus, was prevented from leaving, and anyone outside trying to reach their homes, was prevented from coming back home. This is clearly collective punishment of the Palestinian civilians, who are not involved in the incident at all – other than living in an area that the Israeli forces are trying hard to rid of any Palestinian presence. Whereas Palestinian movement was completely restricted and Palestinians trying to film the incident and it’s aftermath were stopped and harassed by soldiers. Settlers, however, from the illegal settlements, were allowed to move around freely. In a separate incident, a settler beat up a Palestinian young man, causing his face to be unrecognizable as it was covered in blood. The settler though, can be sure that he’ll enjoy full impunity under the protection of the Israeli forces.

These kind of military trainings in the aftermath were declared ‘suspended’ in the city of al-Khalil. However, only because a soldier was killed, not because of their illegal nature in civilian areas or a possible threat to the occupied population.

This incident illustrates the apartheid system installed by the Israeli occupying forces in al-Khalil, and all over the occupied Palestinian territories. An apartheid-strategy that aims to displace the Palestinian population from their homeland in favor of illegal settlements.

A day in Umm al-Kheir, threatened by demolition by Israeli forces

29th June 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Our day in Umm al Kheir started with a common flying checkpoint, set up by the Israeli forces in Zif. Our mini-bus driver dind’t want to pass this control so we got out of the car and walked through the control and then waited for our friend from the village to pick us up. We had some spare time and bbserved the soldiers controlling nearly every vehicle trying to pass and wrote down their plate-numbers. After we got picked up we tried to enter the village, which is only accessible through one road. This road is directly next to the illegal settlement Karmel and therefore entirely under the control of the Isreali forces. An Israeli police-car was stationed directly at the entrance to the village to stop and control every passing car, so we made a u-turn to avoid yet another control and contact with the police and instead waited until the police had left to enter Umm al Kheir.

The fence separating Umm al-Kheir from the illegal Karmel settlement

Umm al Kheir is located in the South Hebron Hills in the south east of Yatta. The village is divided in different parts: on one side there is the bedouin village Umm al Kheir and a bit further the village itself with the mosque and around 1300 inhabitants. We visited the Bedouin part of Umm al Kheir. This part of the village is located directly next to the settlement: the playground for the children is surrounded by fences which separates the settlement from the village, the main road through the village leads directly into the settlement and is frequently used by settlers. The whole life in this beautiful peace of land is dominated by their settler-neighbours: except of one house in the village, every house has several times been demolished and is constantly threatened by demolition by the Israeli forces. The location directly next to settlement and in Area C is reason enough for the Israeli administration to reject building permits and thus ignore the villagers trying to live their every day lifes (The vast majority of building permits in Area C for Palestinians are denied). Umm al Kheir is not connected to any water or electricity supply system, and the Israeli government refuses those services for the village. Meanwhile the settlement directly adjacent to the village has electricity 24 hours a day. Umm al Kheir on the other hand is dark in the night, just lit by the light shining from the settlement and the chicken-farm on the other side. The Israeli administration build a mast system to ensure the power supply for the chicken-farm directly through the village. This power cable, cutting through the village, highlights even more how communities in the South Hebron Hills and anywhere else in Area C are humiliated by the Israeli forces and deliberately left alone in their fight for dignity and their basic needs such as water or electricity.

But Bedouins are strong people and so the people of Umm al Kheir remain to their land, raise their children, find love and happiness. A solar panel installation was installed to ensure at least the basic electrical needs. This plant was build on the only house in Umm al Kheir, which is, according to the Israeli administration not ‘illegal’ and thus not under threat of demolition.

The inhabitants, left without shelter after a demolition, rebuild their houses after a demolition. There is a community centre, a playground and even a library in this tiny village. Everything is build without a permission and was demolished several times but the will to fight for the land and their existence is bigger than the bulldozers.

Umm al-Kheir library and community-center

We met unbelievable warmhearted people, made new friends and had a delicious Iftar, made by the local women. Because of the bedouin hospitality we felt directly at home and enjoyed strolling around between the sheep and discovering which plants are growing in the garden.

But as mentioned before, Umm al Kheir is threatened by house demolitions, as every house has an outstanding demolition order. The army keeps coming to the village, taking pictures of the shelters. Also camera drones, controlled by settlers are appearing regularly to record any possible changes. Umm al Kheir fears demolition after the end of Ramadan and has requested protective presence in the village. We already spent a night there with a team, as are other groups such as CPT.

Rubble from a recent demolition by Israeli forces

This is not just about a few houses, this is about homes and the existence and Umm al Kheir, which shares its fate with so many small villages around the whole occupied West bank, which suffers under the Israeli occupation.