Tag: Hebron - Page 30 - International Solidarity Movement

Staring down the barrel of a gun

14th January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

According to the theory of realism within the field of international relations, conflict and war is the outcome of an actual threat (a material/military threat). That is, war breaks out when one country is threatening the security of some other country by accumulating military power. It is, in other words, the Hobbesian war against all, where only the most powerful is safe. Now, if one holds such a belief, it is obvious that war/ conflict is a matter of national security. The less powerful seeks safety by military buildup, while the strongest seeks safety by retaliation. If taken to its natural conclusion, realism absurdly claims that “It is the desire of every state, or of its ruler, to arrive at a condition of perpetual peace by conquering the whole world, if that were possible”

Now, the myth of realism has been debunked on numerous occasions by the course of history itself. For instance, as Alexander Wendt points out, if realism did hold true, then why are “500 British nuclear weapons less threatening to the United States than 5 North Korean nuclear Weapons”? But even though the myth of realism is theoretically debunked, the implications of the theory live on in the minds of most citizens. Being caught between competing parties and media outlets, it is almost impossible to remain absolutely objective when assessing the geopolitical landscape of today. Everyone wants to identify the “bad guy.” Everyone wants a clear explanation for who or what started a war. And that goes for Israel too.
However, if we take a step back from the myth, there should be no doubt as to whom is taking the lead when it comes to the power relation between Israel and Palestine. For while Israel is a recognized state with massive military capacity, Palestine is without an army and de facto subjugated by Israel.
But this is not the image portrayed in the media – not here or elsewhere. People want explanations. People don’t like complicated. So, while the situation of Israeli aggression might be very straight forward by an outside observer, it is not so obvious to Israeli citizens. The media and culture has deeply ingrained in the minds and bodies of the people of Israel that they are under constant attack: that all Palestinians pose a very real threat. The vilification of Palestinians breeds hatred and fear in the minds of Israelis and perpetuates the tension and violence here.
And this feeling – this constant feeling of fear and hatred is undeniable here in Hebron. The way the soldiers interact with civilians is full of distrust and suspicion. Now to be fair, the situation here in Hebron has been relatively ‘quiet’ for more than a month now. There has been no continuous stream of teargas or shootings. And there have not been more cases of harassment than usual. What is left are all the incidents that have been normalized, that is, body searches, ID-checks, long lines at checkpoints and the occasional provocative soldier who is showing off to his mates by harassing civilians. Despite the apparent quiet, there is no sense of safety. For we–internationals and Palestinians–know that whatever happens, happens at the mercy of soldiers. That if they have a change of heart, we are at the receiving end. We know that teargas could easily be flooding the streets tomorrow, and we understand why no one feels safe going to sleep. You never know when it will be your house that is raided at night, or when it will be your friend who is dragged away. The recent quiet and stability is fragile, terrifyingly so.
So while realism is just a disproven political theory, it is well alive in Hebron – the mentality of fear and suspicion–the realist vilification of human beings is causing the conflict.

Sleeping on duty – occupation soldiers in Hebron

12th January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On January 12th, 2017, Shuhada checkpoint in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) stayed closed for over half an hour, while–as it appears–soldiers were sleeping. In the meantime, long queues of Palestinians trying to reach their homes formed outside the closed checkpoint.

The Shuhada checkpoint connects the H1-area, supposedly under full Palestinian control, with the H2-area, under full Israeli military control. It leads straight onto the tiny strip of Shuhada Street that has not (yet) been ethnically cleansed of Palestinian presence. For the majority of Palestinian families living in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood, this checkpoint is the only way to reach their homes. On Thursday morning however, the checkpoint remained closed. The soldiers ignored all requests to open the gates, and the two available bells at the checkpoint were switched off. Palestinians leaving the area through a turnstile at the checkpoint repeatedly confirmed that there were no soldiers to be seen inside the checkpoint.

In the meantime, many Palestinians gathered outside the locked checkpoint-gate, waiting to reach their homes. Amongst them were many school-children that had just received their certificates for the end of the school-year.

Civilians gather as the checkpoint-gate remains closed

After more than 30 minutes, soldiers finally unlocked the turnstile allowing the people waiting to enter one by one. When passing through the checkpoint, behind the bullet-prof-glass, one soldier could clearly be seen lying on the ground with his backpack as a pillow, fast asleep. The other soldier, with his eyes barely open, waved people through.

Female teachers protests the arbitrary instructions that further restrict access to the school compound in Hebron H2

9th Januari 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

At Sunday December 8 at noon, when fourteen female teachers of the Qurtuba high-school were leaving the school compound on their way home, the Israeli forces at checkpoint 55 on the Shuhada street blocked their way and kept them waiting on the stairs for more then 45 minutes.

Reason for this harassment was the personal decision of the commander to implement a new rule:

All the women should wait together high up the stairs,

behind the newly installed iron gate-door,

waiting for a soldier command to be allowed to proceed,

have their ID checked and

pass the checkpoint one by one.

The female teachers did not accept this arbitrary new rule, and stayed where they were, waiting to get through. Finally after 45 minutes they were allowed to pass the military checkpoint as a group.

[VIDEO] Commander:
[0’10”] “I take to three .. when I take to three …, all the women behind it” “Because I decided … Because I decided to…I decided … I … yes .. because you obey … everyone obey”
[0’30”] “because I decided to … because I deny you to do what you want now … and this is what I decided … I’m not talking anymore … I say just briefly … If you want to go this way from here you must go after the gate”
[1’33”] You don’t tell me what to do .. no you shut up and I do what I want to .. now you, if you want to leave .. now you wait .. after I tell you … all the woman … I check you, then I let you… “
[2’29”] (pointing at the settler boy) He’s your commander .. He’s the commander of this day
[3’15”] I will touch you … I will touch you … now, go away … now you go back … do you hear me? … go back now”

The brave women of the school have a good reason to protest this arbitrary procedure. There are many Apartheid regulations for the Shuhada street and the entrance to their school, and more of those inhuman rules are expected to come in the future.

[Archive] Children of the Qurtuba school waiting on the stairs, to pass the checkpoint

If they wouldn’t protest it, the 6-10 y.o. schoolboys and 6-20 y.o. schoolgirls might be the next harassed with new implemented Apartheid rules.

For some children in occupied Hebron it can be a traumatic experience to pass these military checkpoints and heavily armed occupation forces all alone.

They go in groups, from their home to the school compound and back, passing at least two manned checkpoints.

Their teachers offered 45 minutes of their free time, after a busy school day, trying to prevent threatening new Apartheid rules, in which Palestinian children are not allowed to pass group-wise.

Shuhada Street and Qurtuba School. (the colors indicate Apartheid regulations) Children have to pass at least two checkpoints on their way to school

More restrictions in Hebron since september 2015, allegedly because of ‘terror attacks’

After the military violence, responsible for the death of nearly 60 young residents of Hebron between September 2015 and March 2016, the occupation forces installed new concrete walls, metal gates and doors, extreme inhuman checkpoints, barbed wire blockades and Arabic text boards with new security instructions.

The occupier gave this violent period the name “Knife Intifada”.
Mainstream media copied this or labeled it the “Third Intifada”
The UN, Amnesty International, some countries Foreign Ministeries, and many other individuals and organizations asked for proper investigation, without success.

Gate door, installed by the occupation forces in November 2015, after an extra juridical execution.

The alleged knife attacks for which the occupation forces produced no evidence, no video footage of their security cameras, no statements by the executed suspects and no legal investigation, are clearly used as a reason for these additional Apartheid measures, i.e. less freedom of movement for Palestinians only, in their own statehood.

Most Palestinian families succeed in adapting to these inhuman situation and peacefully undergo all harassment. As long as their children have a chance to grow up undamaged, without fear or traumas, they can stay, peacefully resisting the ethnic cleansing of their statehood.

Israel is abusing International Law, and should be sanctioned by all other states

The international powers united in the NATO are liable supporters of this Israeli occupation. They are obviously abusing the international law which they agreed on and together signed, because it commits them to sanction those states who violate the regulations in it.

The Palestinian people, targeted by Zionist war crimes for more then 100 years, don’t give up their hope on justice in Palestine, knowing they have the UN and International Law on their side.

After a good day comes a bad day

8th December 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On 7th December 2016, Israeli forces at Shuhada checkpoint in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) detained a group of teachers from nearby Qurtuba school, and then in collective punishment closed the checkpoint to everyone. Just after the teachers were finally allowed to reach their school, the Israeli occupying forces detained a father with his young son who were trying to reach a hospital for medical treatment, and in the end denied them to pass.

Teachers from the Qurtuba school are forced to go through the Shuhada checkpoint every day in order to reach their job. On this particular day, the soldiers who are permanently stationed there, refused eight teachers to get to their students, holding them for more than 1.5 hours. Qurtuba school, thus, had to start their day with the majority of the teachers absent. Not only are teachers and students at the whim of the occupying army as to when and how they commute, they also have restricted access to the staircase connecting Shuhada Street with the school during school hours. The actual staircase leading to the school has been closed by Israeli forces as part of their attempts to ethnically cleanse Shuhada Street.

The teachers refused to leave and give up. Instead, they waited outside the checkpoint demanding to be allowed to reach their school. Israeli forces in an act of collective punishment closed the checkpoint, denying anyone else to pass. Thus, residents were stuck outside the checkpoint as well, adding to the number of people attempting to reach their homes or school. A man asking the soldiers to allow him to pass was told by the soldiers, that he could only pass if the teachers leave. Finally, after more than 1.5 hours, the teachers were allowed to pass, except for one female teacher, whom they kept inside the checkpoint box, claiming that she was not a teacher. The director of the school countered that she was recently updated to the list, and that the soldiers clearly missed adding her, and in the end, all the teachers were allowed to pass. This kind of arbitrary detainment of teachers, and at times also school-students, is not new to the Qurtuba school.

Israeli forces discussing with teachers, seen from the other side of the checkpoint

One man trying to pass during that time kept telling the soldiers that he just needed to bring several kilos of rice home. Soldiers told him that he’ll have to wait till the situation with the teachers is resolved, and that “you have a good day, you have a bad day”. When he was finally allowed to pass once the teachers were gone, one of the soldiers, (first making sure that the Palestinian would not understand), insulted him in Hebrew calling him a ‘son of a bitch’. When the man complained to another soldier, he was told to leave.

After that, Israeli forces detained a father with his son, as they were trying to reach a nearby hospital. The man lives in this area, and passes this checkpoint daily without any problems. On this day though, Israeli forces decided that his name is not on their list of ‘registered Palestinian residents’ – meaning that he was not given a number, which would allow him to pass. Therefore Israeli forces kept him waiting with his son, locked up in the exit of the checkpoint, with the turnstile locked, even after the man explained to them that he was taking his son to see a doctor. In the beginning, soldiers said that ‘there’s no hospital’ in this area and they don’t know a hospital there. Even when the man showed them a paper of the hospital, they would still not allow him to pass. When approached by internationals, the occupying forces insisted that they were ‘doing everything they can to let him pass’, while keeping the turnstile, that would allow him to pass, firmly locked. Israeli forces furthermore were adamant that they were not denying the boy medical treatment, as he would get it – eventually. Instead of asking whether his treatment was urgent or not, the soldiers deemed themselves qualified to decide this. They firmly insisted, that they can’t let him pass ‘yet’.

In the end, the boy and his father were denied from reaching the hospital, as one of the soldiers blamed the father, stating that it’s the father’s fault for even bringing his son to the checkpoint, rather than going another way. This other route, that he was speaking of, was the longer and more expensive way around adding about 20 minutes to his trip. This is a ridiculous attempt to move the attention from their lack of consideration for even allowing children to reach a hospital. This is a place where an occupying army can put the fault on the civilian (who thus far had no problems ever passing this checkpoint) bringing his sick son on the quickest way possible to treatment. This then leaves the occupied population in the hands of a force that can determine their needs and lives. In a city where every Palestinian is at the pure mercy of the occupying forces, expecting even the tiniest bit of humanity to be extended to them – futile.

New checkpoints, access control-buildings and street-signs in the historical center of Hebron

6th December 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

As for colonial Israel, nothing happens without a reason. Periods of extreme violence are followed by relative calm periods with more intense colonial construction activities and preparations for the next facts on the ground.

Palestinian daily life is inhumanly restricted by the military occupation and by apartheid rules and regulations. Added to that, the daily lives of the Palestinians can be traumatically dangerous because of the unpredictable military violence against Palestinian men, women, boys and girls.

Following the escalation of Israeli military violence with 230+ Palestinians killed and 1850+ severely wounded mostly from September 2015 to March 2016, the actual situation since then seems one of relative calm and seemingly less dangerous.

But, the violence is in the preparations for the next stage of the ethnic cleansing project.

The occupation forces are remarkably active in replacing three temporary checkpoints by more extended permanent ones, replacing the temporary entrance-control at the Ibrahimi mosque with a new permanent stone building, installing many military streetlights and its newest security cameras on all streets, raising more gates, concrete walls, barber-wire and other barriers, and putting new Hebrew-English street signs in the ethnically cleaned streets and in Palestinian neighborhoods, as if they are in fact Israeli neighborhoods with some remaining Palestinian residents.

In the old center of Hebron, during a period of relative silence, many new colonial structures have been put in place by the colonial occupation forces.

New fortified checkpoints

Three new permanent checkpoints, replacing the smaller ones, surrounding the Shuhada Street area and a new permanent access control building in front of the Ibrahimi Mosque

checkpoint36-closure — New Shuhada street checkpoint

As an alleged logical result of the preceding period of violence, named ‘Knife Intifada’ in the Israel News, the Israeli occupation fortified all checkpoints surrounding the Suhada Street and Ibrahimi Mosque area.

All four new structures are in place and ready to be used for more restriction of the Palestinian residents on their way to and from their neighborhoods, their mosques, their shops and their schools.

At each checkpoint, the residents have to pass two metal turn-gates, of which one is closed by design, and two remotely lockable doors .

new-qaitun-chkpnt-27 — Concrete surveillance cabin inside Qeitun Checkpoint

They also have to pass through a closed concrete surveillance box with soldiers behind bulletproof glass.

From outside the checkpoint, it is impossible to see what happens with the man, woman, boy or girl who enters this inhuman soldier- controlled room.

Imagine that you can be executed and left bleeding to die, totally unseen by other residents, journalists and human rights observers who are in the vicinity of this inhuman steel & concrete military surveillance structure.

New Hebrew-English street signs

Many new street signs, some of them replacing the traditional Arab-Hebrew-English street signs, but most of them are new signs and text boards.

Some of these street signs, on which the Arabic language has been eliminated, point to illegal colonial settlements naming them “Jewish Neighborhoods”, as if the colonial settlers are the only existing populations.

The other signs and text boards refer to alledged Jewish history and heritage, as this is the true and only history in this Palestinian city-center.

The occupation changed the name al Khalil (most of western people don’t even know this real name) to ‘Hebron’, locking the front doors of nearly all family houses in this central part of the city. This changes the reality in a way that it will fit into the Zionist colonial narrative, in which (Greater) Israel belongs to the Jews and the “Arabs” (Palestinians who could be either Muslim or Christian) are the intruders.

The Israeli state reserved multi-million dollars for these new signs and text boards.

The state’s ethnic cleansing project

The native Palestinian residents who rightfully resists to leave their homes, their neighborhoods and their lands, see their cultural identity and a prosperous future incrementally exterminated and will have a more harsh time being confronted with the next period of military occupation violence, due to the additional permanent restrictions in movement.

h1h2-closure-2590 — No entrance in Hebron-H2

With the deterrence of their weapons, surveillance and prisons, with the threat of another military escalation, and due to the peaceful character of the indigenous Palestinian residents, the occupation forces can do what they want in occupied Palestine.

The collaborating western mainstream media and political institutions will allow them to proceed with their war-criminal agenda. International law seems to be a cynical joke.

The new Israeli legal draft that will forbid the Islamic call for the prayer is just another attack on the culture, religion and identity of the native Palestinian people, whose land and resources are stolen by the colonial Israeli State, supported by all NATO countries and Australia.

By kidnapping and imprisoning children, who traumatically have to undergo extreme psychological torture, the colonial state tries to effectively destroy the next generation of native Palestinians and any hope for a better future for the Palestinian people.

preparations for new settlement expansions

Since the execution of more then ten Palestinian residents at the Gilbert checkpoint in Tel Rumeida, this Palestinian Neighborhood is inaccessible for anyone who is not implicitly listed as an resident. Inside the neighborhood, on top of the old Jewish cemetery a new temporary army base was built, and removed a year later. The new street signs now refer to it as the ‘old Jewish cemetery’ and a new ‘Chabad cemetery’, open for new funerals.

Next to this Jewish cemetery compound, lies the part of Tel Rumeida, that was destroyed for archaeological reasons. It is is now surrounded by a new military steel fence and made ready for possible new settlement expansions. It already has the new name “ancient Tel Hebron” on all those new street signs.

On another compound in Hebron, between the Shuhada Street and the remaining part of the Palestinian souq, until this year in use as a temporary army base, a new colonial settlement is announced to be build. It will initially consist of 28 new colonial houses. It is, just like all settlement construction, illegal by international law.

Replacing an Israeli army base by an illegal colonial settlement isn’t a new unprecedented strategy. In the first years of the occupation of the West Bank, the colonial settlement Kyriat Arba arose illegally in a very temporary Israeli army base on the North East hill of Khalil (Hebron). Today it houses some 7000 colonial Israeli settlers, and is the reason for many restrictions, harassment and attacks on the Palestinian population in al-Khalil.

This is the sad reality of a 70 year Zionist colonization of Palestine, the Israeli strategical approach to non-violent Palestinian resistance since 2005, the silence of the mainstream media, the unconditional support of the US, and the refusal of politicians in all NATO countries to apply to international law and put sanctions on Israel.