Tag: Hebron - Page 53 - International Solidarity Movement

Israel’s silent war on the children of Palestine

29th February 2016| International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Fortunately much of the world is now fully aware of Israel’s apartheid wall and the zionist state’s grotesque, illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories that it represents. But few are aware of the endless number of other apartheid structures scattered throughout Palestine with the direct purpose of further demoralizing and dehumanizing its proud people. At just four and five years old some might wonder if the Sasrriya kindergarten kids in Al-Khalil (Hebron) are aware of the apartheid fence they encounter every morning walking to and from kindy. On Sunday february the 29^th, whilst under the protection of international volunteers, these Palestinian kindergarten kids set off from home for a short yet challenging journey to school.

Palestinian children still find happiness in an apartheid regime — Young minds of the innocent blissfully unaware of the zionist apartheid regime

The kindergarten sits atop a hill. At it’s base is an apartheid fence. This symbol of persecution and maltreatment splits the path below in two. On the left is a well paved and regularly maintained strip. On the right is an old, eroding stretch of rubble littered with waste. The fence and its paths are located in the H2 area of Hebron, home to both Palestinians and illegal Israeli settlers, yet only one is accessible for these young Palestinian kids. With the well preserved strip specifically constructed for exclusive use by zionist settlers and the Israeli forces based in the area to serve them, the young children are forced to trudge up and down the dangerous, uneven path to get to and from kindy. Slipping and sliding on the loose ground below, the internationals always do their best to guide the kids through the uneven rubbish filled terrain and safely to their destination.

International activists do their best to keep the children safe from Israeli soldier harassment

“Its a horrible thing to see. To be exposed to this callous process of oppression and degradation at such a young age… I really feel for the Palestinian kids.” Human rights defender in Hebron.

Palestinian kindergarteners are forced to use the dangerous route by Israeli forces

Parents will only allow their children to attend kindergarten under the guidance and protection of international activists. Each morning volunteers from all over the world pick up the excited children from their homes and make their way up the apartheid path hand in hand. With Israeli soldiers and illegal settlers regularly abusing and harassing the innocent young children, the presence of these international activists is essential to ensure the safety of the kids. But even with the efforts of these human rights defenders Israeli forces and zionist settlers still attempt to dehumanize the kids, often hurling rubbish at them, making animal noises, learning their names to confuse and scare them and even attempting to take their hand and lead them astray. The harassment is so great that even the kindergarten teachers fear for their safety when leaving for the day and seek out the protection of the volunteers through multiple checkpoints.

“The kids are so innocent, they are born innocent… They aren’t born full of hate or division, no child is. But occupation deliberately attempts to poison them with it in the hope of one day labelling them the cause of this disaster.” ISM volunteer.

International volunteers ensuring the kindergarten kids get home safe

“It sums up Zionist Israel perfectly. Gutless and heartless in their ethnic cleansing of Palestine. They can’t even give kindergarten kids a break… They just want to make life so unbearable for these poor people, from every possible angle, so they quit and leave.” International activist on the scene.

Apartheid can be defined as any system or practice that separates people according to colour, ethnicity, etc. The structures built throughout the Palestinian territories are representative of this process of separation and the collective punishment imposed by the zionist State of Israel. Not only are the Palestinians encaged by an immoral apartheid wall built on illegal boundaries, but the young kids of the nation are being exposed to similar structures of division on a daily basis, teaching them a self image of contempt, isolation and inferiority.

The journey to kindergarten crosses an apartheid fence, razor wire and abusive Israeli soldiers

Teachers and kindergarten children are forced to deal with these structures daily, with no end in sight. As the confidence and dignity of the precious Palestinian children is slowly stripped away, those responsible are never held accountable. Much like the excessive force used at many checkpoints, where tear gas and stun grenades are often used on young kids, this psychological abuse is sadly a crucial component of zionist occupation that the rest of the world has long accepted. It is now up to the rest of the world to feel Palestine’s pain and show much needed love and support for it’s wrongly condemned people.

Palestinian kindergarteners full of love

Infamous settler Anat Cohen disrupts peaceful commemoration

27th February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Wednesday evening, 24^th February 2015, a commemoration for the victims of the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), was interrupted by infamous settlers attacking the group of Palestinians and internationals peacefully remembering those killed and the implications of this massacre on basic Palestinians rights.

Infamous and violent settler, Anat Cohen

The residents of the Salaymeh neighbourhood which is located directly next to the Ibrahimi Mosque, have been gathering every day around a nightly bonfire for the last few months. Doing so as an act of defiance against settlers from the illegal settlements, foremost among them infamous settler Baruch Marzel, gathering at a settler-only bus-stop across the street. With their presence, the Palestinians are demonstrating that despite the lethal and non-lethal violence they have to face by settlers, they will not be intimidated by them.

Candles lit in memory of those lost in the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre of '94 — Candles lit in memory of those lost in the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre of ’94

On Wednesday evening, Palestinians and international supporters gathered in an event organised by Youth Against Settlements as part of their Open Shuhada Street campaign. With the importance of this gathering being to stress the vital yet peacefully displayed acts of resistance and defiance against the settlers and Israeli forces’ continuous acts of intimidation, harassment and violence. For the families, the event can and will never be linked to any organisation or party, but will always stay an act of popular resistance any person is invited and welcome to join, as it’s not a one-time event that gives them a feeling of security and solidarity, but the everyday gathering around this symbolic bonfire that is called the ‘tanakeh’ (Arabic word for the barrel the bonfire is lit in).

Candles were lit in commemoration of the victims of the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, in which extremist settler Baruch Goldstein murdered 29 and injured more than 120 worshipers in the Ibrahimi Mosque in cold blood. In the aftermath of this heinous massacre, the Ibrahimi Mosque was divided and the main Palestinian market in Shuhada Street completely closed for Palestinians.

Israeli forces push back Palestinians — Israeli forces

While a documentary about this massacre was screened, Israeli forces at the nearby checkpoint detained three Palestinian men and a girl that were on their way to join the event. Two heavily armed Israeli settlers stopped their car next to the Palestinians that had been detained for already more than half an hour for no reason, and getting out of the car threatened Palestinians. Even though they left, another settler, infamous violent Anat Cohen, arrived and slowly and deliberately drove her car into a big group of Palestinians gathered at the side of the road while insulting them through her open car window. The Israeli forces refused to intervene and let her drive off. She immediately made a u-turn and came back, got out of the car and started threatening, intimidating and attacking Palestinians and internationals, hitting them and trying to slap cameras out of their hands.

More Israeli forces arrive to push back non violent Palestinians

The whole time, the soldiers at the checkpoint were merely watching and refused to intervene and stop the violent assaults. Instead, as more soldiers arrived, they started violently pushing back the Palestinians.

At the end of an event supposed to peacefully commemorate the heinous massacre committed 22 years ago – two Palestinians had to be brought to hospital as a direct result of Israeli forces’ violent assault on a group of people that were being attacked by an infamously violent settler – apparently the only person the Israeli forces were willing to protect as she was allowed to leave without any consequences for the disruption of the peaceful event, the harassment or the violent assaults.

An ambulance arrives to take away injured Palestinians

Demonstrators call for end to unjust restrictions in Hebron 22 years after Ibrahimi mosque massacre

26th February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On 26th February 2016, Palestinians in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) jointly commemorated the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre and protested against the closure of Shuhada Street and the illegal Israeli military occupation.

kids apartheid 2016 — Palestinian children display a sign against the apartheid regime

The peaceful demonstration, organised by the local activist group Youth Against Settlements as part of their Open Shuhada Street campaign, started marching from al-Nimrah mosque after the noon prayer towards the Ibrahimi Mosque. Palestinians, international supporters and journalists from local and international media walked through the streets of the city toward the Ibrahimi mosque, chanting against the illegal Israeli occupation, the illegal settlements and in support of prisoners under administrative detention being held by Israel without charge or trial.

open shuhada st 2016 march — Palestinians from across the West Bank and international activists marched together in solidarity to Open Shuhada Street

The demonstration was in commemoration of the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, in which 29 Muslim worshipers were murdered by extremist Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein when he opened fire inside the mosque during a Ramadan Friday prayer, also injuring more than 120 people. In the aftermath of this heinous massacre, Israeli forces cracked down on Palestinian basic human rights and freedom of movement, closing shops in the once thriving Palestinian market in Shuhada Street and completely barring them from accessing this road that has been declared a sterile area. The Ibrahimi Mosque was divided into exclusively Jewish and exclusively Muslim areas for most of the year, with access to the mosque entirely controlled by Israeli forces.

israeli forces open shuhada — Israeli forces deploying against nonviolent demonstration in al-Khalil

Israeli Forces ambushed the peaceful march when they were about half way towards the Ibrahimi Mosque, using the roof of a Palestinian family home to throw stun grenades into the crowd of people peacefully making their way to the mosque. As the demonstrators rapidly tried to escape the stun grenades flying at them in from above above in quick succession, Israeli forces began shooting endless rounds of tear gas into the neighbourhood. They aimed mainly, though not only, above the heads of the protesters into the neighbourhood populated by Palestinian civilians not even involved in the march.

israeli forces open shuhada demo — Excessive amounts of tear gas used against peaceful protesters

soldiers tear gassed themselves! — Israeli forces even made themselves sick from inhaling the tear gas they employed excessively against protesters and nearby Palestinian homes

While Israeli forces showered the area in tear gas, the sound of ambulance sirens echoed through the streets. About a dozen people had to be taken to hospital by ambulance for excessive tear gas inhalation. “We were filming with an ambulance next to us and we could see the Israeli army target this ambulance, throwing stun grenades directly at it”, recalled James, an Australian activist.

Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians, one of them a lawyer, the other a journalist. The journalist was directly targeted by the army, that went up to a group of people, grabbed him and walked away with him while ignoring everyone else.

This 7th annual Open Shuhada Street protest comes after months of increasing violence, restrictions and collective punishment imposed by Israeli authorities on al-Khalil’s Palestinian residents. At the end of October Israeli forces began imposing a ‘closed military zone‘ on the short portion of Shuhada street where Palestinians were previously still allowed to walk, along with a large part of the adjacent Tel Rumeida neighbourhood. Palestinian residents and activist groups have been nonviolently resisting the closed military zone, which requires residents to register in order to be allowed into their homes and bars other Palestinian and human rights defenders from entry. The closed military zone, along with the widespread, deadly violence and closures deployed against Palestinians in al-Khalil, has also been broadly condemned by Palestinian and international human rights groups; on the February 25th anniversary of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre, Amnesty International released a public statement calling on Israeli authorities to “lift the discriminatory restrictions, end the collective punishment of Palestinians in the city and protect human rights defenders there.”

Palestinian school children tear gassed by shameful Israeli forces

26th February 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Salaymeh checkpoint in occupied Al-Khalil (Hebron) is notorious for Israeli forces using live ammunition, tear gas and stun grenades to willfully wound, frighten, intimidate and demoralize Palestinan school children on a daily basis. In one of the most grotesque examples of this inhumane Zionist occupation, this checkpoint see’s scared Palestinian kids, many aged five years old and younger, cross through under the protection of their parents and international activists. Their presence is essential to desperately attempt to ensure the sacred lives of these innocent children are kept safe from aggressive Israeli forces. All those involved are regularly exposed to brutal acts of violence with Israeli soldiers almost never being held accountable. On Thursday the 25^th of February, just 11 days after Yasmin al-Zarour was gunned down at the soon to be upgraded checkpoint, for Israeli ‘security purposes’, Palestinian children and woman were attacked by multiple units of the occupying forces as they attempted to get to where all children should have a right to peacefully enter, school.

Palestinian children submissively pass through the Salaymeh checkpoint under the protection of their mothers, fathers, older siblings or international activists. Collectively, these groups of individuals are there to ensure the safety of the children and to limit the dehumazing behaviour of the Israeli soldiers towards the young kids. After being herded through like sheep, a group of young kids decide to return from their school and express their objection towards this brutal occupancy. Much to the anger of the rest of the Palestinian community, the kids throw stones at the soldiers then quickly retreat to their school. This small act of defiance is met with an extreme show of power and violence from the Israeli military. A stun grenade is immediately hurled down the school street by a soldier, scaring off confused and unaware children. At this point, the Israeli forces rush to prepare their full combat gear, putting on their armoured helmets and collecting tear gas grenades and cannisters, all in an effort to pursue the already retreating school children.

Israeli soldiers rush to their full combat gear in preparation for invading the school zone

As if the Israeli forces dominance over the stone throwing children is not already apparent by the extreme imbalance of force shown, fully armoured Israeli soldiers rush beyond the checkpoint into the busy school street. Waving guns in an attempt to scare any innocent bystanders in the process, the soldiers make their way to the Palestinian school. Carefully positioning themselves for the optimal angle, the Israeli commander of the unit teaches a fumbling soldier how to load his assualt rifle with tear gas, then proceeds to fire it towards woman and children. Tear gas soon fills the street and leaves many school children and their protective families struggling to see and breath.

Israeli commander instructs his soldier on how to fire a tear gas grenade at fleeing Palestinian children

Local Palestinian woman and children were the target of Israeli forces tear gas

“This is our third day in a row at this checkpoint and each day its gotten progressively worse. First with stun grenades, then tear gas and assault rifles with the safety pins removed. The soldiers are out of control. It’s beyond shocking. Back home we wouldn’t even have a reference point for this craziness. It’s impossible to contemplate until you actually come here and witness occupation. No one in there would ever imagine that this happens to children in this day and age.” ISM activist on the scene.

Israeli forces continue to encroach into a school zone after already tear gassing the retreating children

A second unit of Israeli forces then enters from the adjacent street, pushing deeper into the school zone as the other unit pulls back. With their safety pins removed and their assault rifles darting from one innocent child to another, soldiers assert their dominance over the unarmed Palestinian people and even begin threatening local drivers in their cars at gun point.

“At one point I thought the Palestinian driver was going to be killed for sure. The soldier was yelling at him in Hebrew whilst walking with the car back in reverse before the poor driver just eventually sped off for his life. An innocent driver… Madness.” Human rights defender.

Israeli soldier threatens to open fire on innocent Palestinian driver whilst soldiers continue to target the school children

“The children? Haha… I am a man… I am THE man.” An Israeli soldier’s response to an activist when questioned about his moral decision to throw a stun grenade at young Palestinian children.

The attrocities experienced by these young Palestinian children are not isolated. They are occurring every day. And they are occurring to Palestinian kids all over the occupied territories. Even with the presence of internationals to bring an element of desperately needed accountability to this horrific occupation, Israeli forces still show no mercy towards the Palestinian people. But with sorrow comes opportunity. An opportunity for the world to come together and bring about positive change. Regarding an issue that is unanimously regarded as sacred, the safety and wellbeing of children is something that no legitimate governing state would ever compromise. With the fragile lives of these children in the balance, it is up to the rest of the world to join together in unity and demand an end to this barbaric treatment and Israel’s apartheid regime.

Palestinian school children enjoying the safety of their class room

Israeli forces continue policy of arbitrary and violent arrests in Hebron’s Old City

25th February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On 25^th February 2016, Israeli forces violently arrested two Palestinian men in the souq, the Palestinian market, in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). Both of them were arbitrarily arrested and finally allowed to leave only after residents intervened.

Palestinian arrested by Israeli forces with arm twisted behind his back

Israeli forces entered a Palestinian house in the souq that is undergoing renovations already in the morning – as settlers from the nearby illegal settlements had repeatedly complained about the ongoing renovation work at the Palestinian house to the army. Following the orders of the settlers, the Israeli army entered the Palestinian market and the Palestinian family home in order to stop the renovations. Similarly, in the afternoon, Israeli forces climbed the staircase to the roof where they stayed for about an hour. International observers that arrived in the house were prevented by the Israeli forces from accessing the roof as soldiers pointed their guns at them to force them to stay at the bottom of the staircase.

When the soldiers finally left the family roof, it became clear that they had arrested two Palestinian men. They clearly dragged one of them, Yusef, down the staircase with his arm painfully twisted behind his back, even though he at no point resisted or fought back. Israeli forces also violently pushed him into a door. A second man, an engineer with the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee that is overseeing the renovations in the house, was forced to come with the soldiers. They briskly walked both of the men to the back entrance of the illegal settlements, where they were held in front of the door that directly leads into the settlement by the group of seven soldiers. The whole time, Yusef had his arm twisted behind his back by a soldier, that would not let go of him. When international observers asked the engineer for his name, in order to be able to inform his family about the arrest, soldiers forcefully instructed him not to talk to them.

Israeli forces dragging Yusef down the stairs

Palestinian families living close to the entrance to the illegal settlement came out of their houses, trying to find out why the two men were arrested. Soldiers refused to give any information though, and only when two residents that were able to speak Hebrew talked to the soldiers, did they say what the problem was. According to the soldiers, Yusef was arrested as his ID was ‘old’, meaning it was worn out. As residents took out their own ID-cards and compared them with Yusef’s to show to soldiers that this does not mean that it is a mere photocopy of an ID-card, but how the green West Bank Palestinian ID-card actually looks like, they eventually let him go. The other man was also eventually allowed to leave.

Israeli forces photographing Palestinian ID with their private phones

The soldiers disappeared back through the door into the illegall settlement located in the historic city center of al-Khalil. The power the settlers living there wield over the soldiers is clearly illustrated by simple complaints by them resulting in soldiers stopping renovations in a Palestinian house that had previously been approved by the Israeli government, and the entirely arbitrary arrest of the two Palestinian men.