Tag: Hebron

Ramadan 2016: Harassment, collective punishment and settlement expansions in the occupied West Bank

7th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | West Bank, occupied Palestine

Monday the 6th of June marked the beginning of the Ramadan; the holiest holiday in Islam. The Ramadan is a sacred month in the Islamic calendar, where Muslims celebrate when the Qu’ran was revealed for the first time to the Prophet Muhammad.

For Muslims all over the world who celebrate the Ramadan, it’s a month of prayers and celebrations, with the intention to improve morality and character as well as strengthening ones relationship with Allah.

However, for Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank under illegal Israeli military occupation, the Ramadan is also a month filled with uncertainties and harassment.

Since the beginning of the Ramadan, more than 330 Palestinians have been detained throughout the West Bank; at least 60 of these were children, the youngest being 10-year old Marwan Sharabati from Al-Khalil (Hebron).

Discrimination and aggression in East Jerusalem

Israeli discrimination and aggression has especially been intense in and around occupied East Jerusalem, where thousands of Palestinians from in and outside East Jerusalem go to visit and pray at the Al-Aqsa compound and mosque, the third most religious site in all of Islam.

The Al-Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem was annexed in 1967 as a part of Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank – this annexation was never recognised by the international community.

On Sunday 26 of June, Israeli soldiers broke in and raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque, harassing and disturbing peaceful Palestinians during prayer. Israeli forces also escorted a group of approximately 200 settlers into the mosque, shouting and harassing Palestinians praying. This action was in contravention of a long running tradition that only Muslims would enter the mosque during the final 10 days of Ramadan.

Watch video of soldiers raiding the mosque here

As a result of the clashes, Israeli authorities enforced the understanding to restrict access to Muslim worshippers although also placed punitive restrictions on Palestinians; refusing access to all males under 45 years old, breaching their right to exercise freedom of religion.

On Friday 30 June, Israeli soldiers shut down the Qalandiya checkpoint, preventing thousands of Palestinians, including males younger than 45 years old, to pass in order to reach the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Israeli forces then proceeded to attack Palestinians at Qalandiya checkpoint with live ammunition, rubber coated steel bullets and teargas, wounding 40 Palestinians as well as killing a 63 year old Palestinian man due to massive teargas inhalation.

Watch video from Qalandiya here

Collective punishment and settlement expansion during the Ramadan

After an attack at a market in Tel Aviv, where four Israeli citizens where killed, Israel has conducted a large collective punishment strategy, suspending entry permits for more than 83,000 Palestinians from the West Bank. The 83,000 people impacted had nothing to do with the crime committed, and thereby preventing them from going to Al-Aqsa in the annexed East Jerusalem is another clear example of Israel enforcing illegal collective punishment.

To further ignite the situation, Benjamin Netanyahu announced a large-scale settlement expansion, consisting of a total of 800 housing units in East Jerusalem. The scheme contains of 560 housing units in the settlement Ma’Ale Adumim, 140 in Ramot and 100 in Har Homar and Pisgat Zeev.

Following a Palestinian attack on a 13-year old American-Israeli settler, Netanyahu has also approved construction of 42 new housing units in the settlement of Kiryat Arba near Hebron. The settlements are illegal according to international law, and the UN and EU leaders have denounced the expansion, urging Netanyahu to reverse the decision.

Netanyahu’s actions continue to escalate the situation in the West Bank and completely disregard the recently released Quartet report, which has resulted in the U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon condemning Israel for this continued expansion of illegal settlements.

(Photo credit: Middle East Monitor)

Apartheid and racist restrictions around Ibrahimi mosque

5th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

During the last days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Israeli froces have implemented further restrictions in the area of the Ibrahimi Mosque in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron.) These restrictions deliberately and exclusively target Palestinians in attempts to further cleanse this area of any Palestinian presence.

After 27-year old Sarah Tarayra was gunned down and killed with her unborn baby by Israeli forces at the checkpoint at Ibrahimi Mosque on Friday, 1 July 2016, the checkpoint leading to Ibrahimi Mosque was blocked by Israeli forces for more than two hours. Due to this closure, large numbers of Palestinians on their way to the noon prayer of the last Friday of Ramadan, were stuck at the checkpoint, forced to wait till Israeli forces decided to open and allow the Palestinians to reach the mosque for prayer.

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Palestinian man detained and search before being denied entry while children play in the street

In the days following, Israeli forces at the three checkpoints leading to the area immediately around Ibrahimi Mosque implemented age-restrictions, barring access for any Palestinian between 15 and 30 years old. As these restrictive measures on Palestinians was enforced at all three checkpoints leading to the mosque, it effectively prohibited from anyone in this age group from reaching Ibrahimi Mosque, thus denying them their freedom of religion. In the last few days, a 10-year old Palestinian girl was arrested on settler childrens’ accusations and a Palestinian man beaten up by Israeli forces.

The restrictions though, were implemented not consequently at all times – leaving Palestinians without any possibility to know whether they’d be allowed to pass the checkpoint. Thus, any Palestinian in this age-group is at the mercy of the Israeli forces and the only way to find out whether they’d be allowed to reach the mosque for prayers would be to go to the checkpoint and try to pass. Palestinians have reported, that often certain soldiers at the checkpoints would strictly enforce the restrictions, while others would allow some people in this age group to pass. This uncertainty of whether one would be allowed to pass, leaves Palestinians without any possibility to plan or know whether they’d be allowed to pass, leaving them entirely in the dark about whether they’d be able to reach prayer. At times, even residents in this age-group were denied passage through the checkpoint, denying them to reach their own homes.

As these age-restrictions, as any other restrictions, are only enforced on Palestinians, they clearly illustrate further the apartheid-measures implemented by the Israeli forces, during the last few days especially around the Ibrahimi Mosque. But this is not just yet another illustration of the apartheid system in occupied al-Khalil, but also the continous denial of freedom of religion and movement for the Palestinians in attempts to ethnically cleanse the area of any Palestinian presence.

Palestinian man beaten up by Israeli forces near Ibrahimi Mosque

5th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli forces on 3rd July beat up a Palestinian man at Ibrahimi Mosque in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), leaving him with a bleeding nose.

A border police-men grabbed the man by the neck, after he was trying to leave the area. He then, with his hand firmly gripped on the man’s neck, walked him towards the mosque entrance, deliberately pushing him into a police-barrier, that immediately fell, almost causing the man to stumble and trip over the barrier, which was only stopped by the firm grip of the border police men on his neck. He was deliberately taken out of sight into a room where just two days before, 27-year old Sarah Tarayra was gunned down by Israeli forces while, according to eye-witness statements, she kept affirming that the only thing she has is her mobile.

These kind of rooms, where any observer is prevented from seeing and documenting the events exist at each checkpoint in al-Khalil, and with recent ‘upgrades’ and ‘renovations’ of checkpoints, most checkpoints are now constructed in a way, where anyone being ‘checked’ is inside a box with only the soldiers and no observers. This way, Israeli forces try to further hide and stop any documentation of their crimes.

The Palestinian man was then hit hard in the face by the soldier, immediately causing his nose to start bleeding. Despite trying to hide this unprovoked violence, the man went into the room fine, and clearly came out shaken up and with a bleeding nose. When trying to leave after this vicious attack, he was called back by another border police men that then detained him for an ID-check and photographed his ID. The man had to go to hospital the same night, but luckily his nose was not broken. Still, even the next day, it was swollen, bruised and showed signs of the attack.

Border police with firm grip on Palestinian man's neck
Border police with firm grip on Palestinian man’s neck

As Palestinians in occupied Palestine are subjected to the Israeli military law, they lack any way of addressing attacks on them by the Israeli forces. With the attack being carried out by a border police commander, the highly militarized police of the Israeli forces, any complaint to the civil police would most likely be futile – and instead put any Palestinian at risk of instead being arrested for an accusation by the attacker. A Palestinian’s word or statement, in an Israeli police station, against any member of the Israeli army or police counts for nothing. In the past, the Israeli police at times has even refused to take any complaints by Palestinians against settlers. Israeli forces, as well as settlers, thus have complete impunity in their actions, and as this vicious attack illustrates, even enjoy the support or at least tacit consent of their colleagues.

10-year old girl arrested on settler children accusation

5th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli forces on Monday 4th July arrested a 10-year old Palestinian girl near the Ibrahimi mosque in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), as a group of settler children arbitrarily accused her of throwing an enormous rock at them.

A large group of settler children were playing near the Ibrahimi mosque, again and again harassing a family living next to a checkpoint manned by heavily-armed Israeli forces. When a boy accused one of the Palestinian children of throwing a rock at them, all the settler children and large numbers of Israeli forces gathered at the house. A group of soldiers then entered the house with the settler boy, and eventually came out with the 10-year old girl, crying.

They then walked her off to the police station, despite her young age. Even under Israeli military law, that applies on all Palestinians in the West Bank, the arrest of Palestinian children is prohibited under the age of 12. Under the Israeli civil law which applies even on settlers living in illegal settlements, in contrast, arrests of children are legal only from the age of 14. Despite the girl being only 10-years old – a fact that was repeatedly told to the soldiers – the girl was taken to the police station. The girls mother was prevented by the Israeli forces to reach the police station, which is located on part of a street where Palestinians are not even allowed to walk. Luckily, the girl was accompanied by her aunt, but denied the presence of her mother.

The settlers in the meantime kept harassing the Palestinian family, throwing small stones at the family, sitting on the stairs outside their house, waiting and hoping for the release of the girl. As the house is located directly opposite one of the many checkpoints, this happened in plain view of the Israeli forces, who in the beginning entirely ignored the events and intervened only when realizing that people started filming and taking photos.

After about half an hour, she was released, and Israeli forces explained to her family, that they were just being ‘nice’ as they were sure she threw the rock. The rock the settler boy accused her of throwing at them is so big, that the 10-year old girl would not even been able to lift it up.

Watch the video below:

This illustrates how Israeli settlers, even small children, have complete impunity for their actions, and Israeli forces act upon their every word and wish – even if acting illegally under the Israeli law.

This comes at a time where Israeli forces are enacting severe restrictions on Palestinians in the area around the Ibrahimi Mosque.

Israeli forces escort illegal settlers through al-Khalil (Hebron) old town as tensions rise

4th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after Israeli forces implemented a discriminatory siege on Hebron and less than 12 hours after Israeli forces entered the H1, Palestinian controlled areas of the West Bank’s most populous city, a group of illegal settlers were escorted through the city by Israeli forces.

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Settler Tour in Old City of Hebron

Approximately 100 settlers were escorted through the old city by over 30 soldiers. Israeli forces blocked access to some Palestinians who were attempting to walk through the market or were forced to wait for the large group to pass.

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Palestinians being treated as second class citizens in their own home

Some settlers were openly carrying weapons with one man having what looked to be an M4 rifle slung over his shoulder. The settlers appeared to have no interest in buying any goods from the local vendors and the exercise seemed to be for the sole purpose of further disrupting Palestinian’s daily lives, intimidation and a show of force.

This is just another display of apartheid in Hebron where Palestinians have had their right to movement denied while illegal settlers are escorted through the streets by Israeli forces.