Tag: Hebron - Page 54 - International Solidarity Movement

Join us! For a day of action to #EndHebronMilitaryZone and #OpenShuhadaSt on March 1st

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

Our thunderclap campaign, calling on the international community to pressure the Israeli military to put an end to the closed military zone in al-Khalil (Hebron) will come to an end on the 1^st of March, 2016. Join us for a day of action!

In 1994, the shops on formerly vibrant Shuhada street (martyrs’ street) were forced to close by the Israeli military, and soon Palestinians were not allowed in the area anymore. Within a few years the street became a ‘ghost street,’ with shops and houses boarded up and no Palestinians permitted to walk on most of what was once a main thoroughfare for the city. This arbitrary closure occurred after the Ibrahimi mosque massacre and was said to be a short-term measure. Short-term became long-term; the street has now been closed to Palestinians for 22 years.

4 months ago, the Israeli military restricted movements of Palestinian residents of al-Khalil even more by declaring the last part of Shuhada street, as well as much of the adjacent neighborhood of Tel Rumeida, a closed military zone. Palestinians had to register with the Israeli military in order to access their homes in these zones. This measure resulted in the tiny last bit of Shuhada Street that so far is still accessible for Palestinians – at least in theory – being barred for most Palestinians now – clearly yet another step in the Israeli attempts to force out Palestinians of the Old City in al-Khalil to connect the illegal settlements. This supposed ‘short-term’ measure keeps being renewed by military orders, making life for Palestinians in the area harder than ever.

Let’s not let the Israeli military once again take over more of the city of al-Khalil. It’s time show support to Palestinians struggling every day, living in an apartheid city. It’s time to show the world, once again, what is happening in al-Khalil.

What you can do to act:

On the 1^st of March, our Thunderclap campaign will come to an end, and our message to #EndHebronMilitaryZone will be published on each one of our supporters’ twitter or facebook accounts. The goal is to reach as many people as we can around the world. Support our thunderclap campaign today, join the social media thunder and raise awareness.
Tweet on the 1^st of march with the hashtag #EndHebronMilitaryZone, using sample tweets, photos and videos here provided.
Join our Facebook event page for updates and more information.
If you are in Hebron, attend the events for #OpenShuhadaSt, or share the call in the media.
Call on organizations you work with or are affiliated with to add their names to the Action Alert, and to issue brief statements detailing why the organization is supporting this campaign and why you find it important. Please send all requests to sign and statements to palreports@gmail.com for publication. Please also contact us for versions of the Action Alert in languages other than English and Arabic – we currently have translations available in German, French, and Dutch, and will update this page as more become available.
Organize an event, such as a demonstration, presentation or other campaign to raise awareness on the situation in Hebron and mobilize support in your area
Contact media outlets in your country and call on them to report on the situation of the closed military zone, in Hebron and Palestine in general
Write a message to your elected representatives (MEPs, members of congress or whichever position is the equivalent in your country) using the sample text included in this article, and encourage your friends and contacts to the same
If you are based in Europe, call on your EU representatives to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement until Israel complies with international law
Organize a delegation to visit Hebron, see the situation for yourselves and talk to Palestinians about the restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation. Seeing the conditions in Hebron with your own eyes offers an understanding of the occupation that one cannot get from reading about it. If you want to organize a delegation you can contact the ISM in Hebron at palreportskhalil2012@gmail.com and we will help you and answer any questions you might have.

Wreath-laying in commemoration of Ibrahimi mosque massacre

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

25 February 2016 marks the 22^nd anniversary of the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). In commemoration of the Palestinians killed in this massacre, the Hebron Defense Committee (HDC) organised a wreath-laying at the martyrs cemetry.

Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli settler walked into the Ibrahimi mosque on 25^th February during the Ramadan noon-prayer and opened fire on the worshippers, executing 29 and injuring more than 120 Palestinians. In the direct aftermath of this massacre, Israeli forces started cracking down on Palestinian basic human rights, freedom of movement and freedom of worship. The Ibrahimi mosque was divided into two parts and a synagogue installed in one part with exclusive use for Israeli settlers from the illegal Israeli settlers in al-Khalil. The once bustling Palestinian market in Shuhada Street was closed for Palestinians, their shops forced to close and doors welded shut – and has now become known as ‘ghost town’.

In order to remember and commemorate the Palestinians killed in the massacre, the Hebron Defense Committee, representatives of the families of the martyrs of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, the governor of Hebron amongst others attended the wreath-laying at the martyrs cemetry in al-Khalil, where those killed by Israeli forces and settlers are laid for their last rest. In a speech, Hisham Sharabati, the coordinator of the HDC, stressed the importance of the ‘freedom of worship’ that is so often infringed on by the Israeli forces, and the duty to protect this freedom. As direct results of the heinous massacre committeed by Baruch Goldstein, Israeli forces imposed restrictions and closures on the whole Palestinian population – a collective punishment that is illegal under international law – in an attempt to force Palestinians out. According to Hisham Sharabati, thus it is even more important to remember and continue the struggle for their rights, under the motto ‘Dismantle the Ghetto, take the settlers out of Hebron‘ with the aim of ending the illegal Israeli occupation.

The representative of the families of those murdered in the Ibrahimi mosque massacre asked for more attention for the victims families. Whereas the grave of Baruch Goldstein in the biggest illegal settlement right on the outskirts of occupied al-Khalil, Kiryat Arba, has become a shrine that is worshipped by settlers not only from al-Khalil but throughout the occupied West Bank and Israel; while the families of the Palestinian victims are asking for more attention. Instead, they are suffering from the Israeli forces violence, harassment and closures that are violently enforced on the whole Palestinian population in al-Khalil.

22 years after the Ibrahimi mosque massacre, Palestinians still suffer consequences

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

On the 25th of February 1994, a US citizen residing in the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement entered the Ibrahimi mosque in the early morning during the month of Ramadan. Baruch Goldstein, dressed in his army uniform, opened fire on the Palestinians that were crammed inside for the prayer. He killed 29 men and boys and injured dozens before people overpowered him and beat him to death.

That day, many more Palestinians were killed in Hebron during riots protesting the massacre that had occurred, in front of the mosque and the hospital where the injured were treated, as well as in the cemetery were the dead were being buried. In the next few days, protests and marches happened all over the West Bank and across historic Palestine. It is believed that in total, in these few days, 50 to 70 Palestinians were killed, and over 250 were injured.

Immediately after the attack, the Israeli government released a statement condemning this act and affirming that Goldstein was acting on his own behalf. The Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin called Goldstein a “degenerate murderer, a shame on Zionism and an embarrassment to Judaism.” Rabin always affirmed that Goldstein acted on his own behalf and that the Israeli military had no knowledge of his plans. Though his act was condemned, it resulted in many measures that mostly impacted on Palestinians. Instead of evacuating the settlements of Hebron, only a few of the most extreme settlers were temporarily disarmed.

A round-the-clock curfew was imposed. Shops in Shuhada Street were forced shut by the Israeli army, on the pretext of keeping settlers safe on this commercial artery. Many other shops also had to close due to lack of supplies and customers. New checkpoints were installed. Palestinians were first banned from driving and then simply from accessing most of Shuhada Street. Much of these measures resulted in the displacement of many Palestinian families.

In 1997, a protocol was signed between Israel and the PLO, dividing Hebron into two areas: “H1”, controlled by Israeli forces, and “H2”, under Palestinian control. It called for the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from the H1, which represented 80% of the city. To this day, even though H1 is officially controlled by the Palestinian Authority, it remains under overall Israeli control, while H2 is now the home to many violent and extremist settlers. Some of them still go every year to the tomb of Baruch Goldstein to celebrate his treacherous act of murder.

22 years later, all measures that were declared in Hebron on the 25^th of February, 1994 are still enforced, except for the curfew. And settlers are more than ever taking over the city, with the compliance of the Israeli government.

The last tiny bit of Shuhada Street, that was not (yet) declared a ‘sterile zone’ and thus been completely barred for Palestinians, has been under repeated ‘closed military zone’ orders since 1st November 2015. Whereas the majority of Shuhada Street has been completely unaccessible for Palestinians, the tiny strip leading from the recently ‘renovated’ Shuhada checkpoint up to the illegal Beit Hadassah settlement, is slowly resembling a ‘ghost street’ more and more, as only Palestinians registered with the Israeli army are allowed to go there.

The closed military zone order is an illegal collective punishment on the whole Palestinian population of this area, that was forced to register in order to be allowed to live in their own houses whereas settlers in the adjacent illegall settlements can walk the roads freely and completely undisturbed. This clearly is just another step in the Israeli policy of making life for Palestinians as hard and humiliating as possible in an attempt to make them leave the area and eventually drive all of them out and connect the settlements.

Every year, Palestinians in occupied al-Khalil commemorate the Ibrahimi mosque massacre and protest against the closure of Shuhada Street and the illegal Israeli occupation. The week, leading up to the 22nd anniversary of the massacre, has seen and will continue to see creative activities and demonstrations. This past week there were also many commemorations of Palestinians, most of whom have been gunned down by Israeli forces and left to bleed to death without any medical help.

Aggressive settler interrupts nonviolent commemorative event hosted by Youth Against Settlements

24nd February 2016 | Youth Against Settlements | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Notorious settler Anat Cohen interrupted a peaceful movie screening, which was hosted by Youth Against Settlements to commemorate the victims of the Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre in 1994.

12596062_930292280358953_36423822_n — Palestinians gather around fire near checkpoint by Ibrahimi mosque, lighting candles

Every night, Palestinians gather around a bonfire in the Salaymeh neighborhood of occupied Hebron to keep watch in case of settler attacks. Today, as part of the Open Shuhada Street campaign, 50-60 people had come here to light candles in memory of each of the 33 victims of the massacre and its immediate consequences, followed by a documentary titled “Hebron Under the Microscope.”

12788033_930292290358952_1751592501_n — Candles lit in commemoration of the victims of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre

29 Palestinians were murdered inside the Ibrahimi Mosque on the 25th of February, 1994, when Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein entered and opened fire at the Muslim worshipers inside. Four Palestinians were killed on the same day in the clashes that broke out around the Mosque in response to the massacre. In the aftermath, the mosque (also known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs) was divided in two, with the larger part turned into a synagogue while heavy scrutiny was imposed on the Palestinians and areas closed completely to them, including an important market and the main street, Shuhada street. In protest of these closures, Youth Against Settlements organizes events around the anniversary of the massacre as part of their Open Shuhada Street campaign, held annually in Hebron and worldwide since 2010.

12767781_930292277025620_985790354_n — Palestinians gathering for the Open Shuhada Street event

During the screening of the documentary, three Palestinians were detained by the army for no apparent reason across the street along with a ten-year-old girl. The coordinator of Youth Against Settlements, Issa Amro, was also detained when trying to reason with the soldiers.

detained girl and men — Israeli forces arbitrarily detained 3 young men and a 10-year-old girl

Then the notoriously aggressive settler Anat Cohen slowed down her car next to a group of Palestinians and hit those who could not escape fast enough. She made a u-turn and left her car to yell at and intimidate the Palestinians gathered in the street. She filmed and verbally and physically attacked Palestinians and internationals while soldiers stood by and did not intervene. Instead of stopping her unprovoked aggressions, they began loudly pushing back the Palestinians, restricting them to certain parts of the street and preventing them from documenting.

pushing palestinians away — Soldiers forcing Palestinians back

Heavy arguments broke out. A man fainted and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance when he witnessed a soldier hit his wife with a gun. The army repeatedly pushed back Palestinians using excessive force. Eventually, Anat Cohen left without facing any consequences for her violent assaults and harassment, witnessed by the army and civil police.

Wael Fakhouri, a resident of the neighborhood: “We work hard to protect ourselves from settler violence.”

Contact: Issa Amro 059 934 0549 issaamro@gmail.com

Children face fear and threat of violence after young woman shot in Hebron

22nd February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

A day after 21-year old Yasmin al-Zarou was gunned down by Israeli forces when passing the Salaymeh checkpoint, many of the children were forced to walk right past where she had layn on the ground bleeding – where her blood is still clearly visible on the ground. Yasmin had passed the checkpoint on 14th February 2016, when Israeli forces shot her several times with live ammunition, critically injuring her. Instead of administering first aid to Yasmin, lying on the ground, writhing in pain and losing massive amounts of blood, Israeli forces were busy violently attacking anyone attempting to help the injured young woman.

Scene of Yasmins shooting after she was taken away in an army jeep Photo credit: Christian Peacemaker Teams Palestine — Scene of Yasmins shooting after she was taken away in an army jeep
Photo credit: Christian Peacemaker Teams Palestine

A shocking video shows Israeli medics and soldiers standing around her as she lies on a stretcher, interrogating her, not examining her or providing medical care and shoving away her outstretched hands.

https://youtu.be/AZ5Jskw3iDQ

A disabled man in a wheelchair was even pushed over by Israeli forces, who shortly after threw stun grenades at Palestinian residents of the area – all while Yasmin was on the ground losing blood.

https://youtu.be/0N9lFf6c9Tk

The same video appeared a few days later, posted by an Israeli propaganda group – edited to make the disabled man’s crutches look like a rifle.

Even though an Israeli ‘ambulance’ arrived, no one gave Yasmin any first aid. The ambulance was driven by the infamous violent settler Ofer, who is neither medically trained nor operates a functioning ambulance, and who never provides any medical help when arriving on such a scene. He has been seen at several scenes where Palestinians had just been gunned down by Israeli forces on the claim of having knifes, always arriving in the fake ambulance, often taking photos of the dying Palestinians and instructing others not to treat them.

This video shows Ofer commenting as Yasmin lies bleeding on the ground without anyone offering first aid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhLBYENRrKA

Eyewitnesses reported that Yasmin was just passing the checkpoint with her sister when she was shot by Israeli forces. While bystanders were prevented from administering first aid, Israeli forces never attempted to do so. In the end, she was taken on a stretcher in an army vehicle while the fake Israeli ambulance was still at the scene. The refusal of medical help, just a day before, on 13th February 2016, directly resulted in the death of 18-year old Kilzar al-Uweiwi close to another checkpoint in the vicinity of the Ibrahimi mosque. Even though she was shot in the neck, her autopsy indicated that her life would have been saved if she had received immediate life-saving medical treatment. Thus her death directly resulted from the Israeli forces’ policy, demonstrated repeatedly in recent months, of denying any kind of medical help to Palestinians and instead leaving them to bleed to death on the ground.

Yasmin was taken to Shaare Zedek hospital in illegally annexed al-Quds (Jerusalem), and since then information on her condition has not been released. Her parents and family are all al-Khalil residents and must carry the green Isreali-issued West Bank IDs which bar Palestinians without a permit from visiting al-Quds (where Palestinians require blue IDs); they are not allowed to visit their daughter in the hospital and are thus left completely in the dark about her condition.

The morning after Yasmin was shot, schoolchildren were forced to pass the pool of blood that was still clearly visible on the ground, and many children living in the neighbourhood were talking about the incident the day before. Several parents whose children attend a kindergarten directly next to Ibrahimi mosque were too afraid to send their children to the kindergarten after a sleepless night following the shooting.

Israeli forces have announced that the Salaymeh checkpoint, a major passage-way for children on their way to and from school, will be closed from the 21st of February 2016 for three weeks for ‘renovations’. Such checkpoint renovations have already been carried out many times in al-Khalil, with the most recent expansion of Shuhada checkpoint making passage even more harrowing for local Palestinians.

In the past week, children on their way to and from school in the area around the Ibrahimi mosque in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) have endured constant harassment and intimidation by Israeli forces. They face checkpoints guarded by heavily armed Israeli forces and the ensuing bag-searches, ID-checks and harassments on a daily basis. Six schools are situated behind Salaymeh and Qeitun checkpoints; the majority of their students can only reach their schools by passing one of these two checkpoints, as Israeli forces blocked off an alternative route with concrete blocks and barbed wire. Al-Faihaa girls school, located on the main road between the two checkpoints, has repeatedly been threatened by Israeli forces that their main gate will be permanently closed if any boys are seen crossing through the schoolyard and thus avoiding being forced to pass the two checkpoints. The main road which runs past the two checkpoint and the girls’ school directly connects the illegal settlements in the center of al-Khalil with the far larger illegal Kiryat Arba settlement on the outskirts of the city. Thus, on their way to school, Palestinian girls are often confronted with violent settlers trying to hit them with their cars – often driven on roads where only settlers and Israeli forces are permitted to drive while Palestinians are barred from operating vehicles – or physically and verbally attacking them.