Tag: Hebron - Page 95 - International Solidarity Movement

Demonstration against settlement expansion in Hebron

30th March 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

At noon today approximately 50 protesters held a demonstration outside the Rajabi Building, Hebron, in protest of the recent court decision to let settlers take over the building. Settlers taking over the house would mean a huge expansion of the illegal settlement of Kyriat Aba. Heavily armed soldiers from the Israeli army monitored the non-violent demonstration.

A court decision earlier in March is forcing the owner of the building to sell it to settlers. If the Israeli ministry of defence will approve the settlers moving in, the new outpost will make it possible for the settlement of Kiryat Arba to expand dramatically. The demonstrators wanted to raise awareness of this issue.

An ISM member attending the demonstration describes it as peaceful: “The Israeli army was there, with an ambulance, jeeps and many fully loaded guns. The demonstrators were showing signs in Arabic and English, and chanting against the occupation and the expanding settlements. It was really bizarre being so surrounded by soldiers, just because some people wanted to express their opinion in a peaceful way”.

Armed settlers occupy village land in Hebron

14th March 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Team Khalil | Arab ar Rashyaida, Occupied Palestine

On Tuesday 11^th March 2014 villagers from Arab ar Rashyaida, 15 kilometers (10 miles) west of Hebron, noticed that a large tent and industrial digger had moved onto a hill top on a villagers land. ISM Hebron was called and accompanied local people and Palestinian activists to confront the settlers.

On arriving at the village, the demonstrators parked on the opposite hill and made their way through the valley to the settlers’ encampment. The settlers were armed with automatic hand guns, assault rifles, and dogs to protect the illegal camp. Resistors confronted the settlers in a non-violent way while settlers took photographs on the phones of all the protestors. After a short time a settler armed with a machine gun and dressed in black with his face covered climbed a wall and started to insult a Palestinian activist, stating that he would kill other Palestinians. The activist responded with in a raised voice matching his righteous indignation at the Zionist’s hateful comments. The army soon arrived and attempted to move the protestors from the construction area. On many occasions the leader of the settlers took the soldiers to one side to make suggestions. A proposal was made that, if the settlers camp is dismantled, the protestors can leave and take the matter up in court, but this was dismissed.

Masked settlers and soldiers on Palestinian occupied hill (Photo by ISM) — Masked settler and soldiers on the Palestinian occupied hill (Photo by ISM)

Soon a high ranking military officer arrived and was presented with ownership papers from a villager which date back 130 years. The officer told him that the settlers had ownership papers too (presumably not quite so old!). Meanwhile the settler, with his face concealed, had made his way across to the Palestinians’ cars with his aggressive dog following. A small group made their way across to stop him damaging the vehicles. On seeing the Palestinians approach, the settler made his way down to a taxi driver, that was waiting to drive the ISM team back to Hebron. The Palestinians feared that the settler would attack the taxi driver, so the group drove down the hill to support him. The armed settler then made his way back to the constructions site. Sometime later the Israeli police arrived and arrested the activist who had argued with the Zionist armed settler, who had complained that he was physically attacked. The Palestinian went with the Police peacefully and was later arrested and charged with the assault. Activists exchanged video evidence and the prisoner was released on bail with a payment of 2000NIS. We await a trial date.

Arab ar Rashyaida is extremely vulnerable to occupation by settlers. The land surrounding the village is designated as “Intended Nature Reserve” under the Oslo Interim Agreement, and as such is under full Israeli control. The strategy of building outposts on Palestinian land as a seed to develop illegal settlements is well established and supported by the Israeli authorities, despite the fact that it breaks International Law and the 4^th Geneva Convention.

ISM volunteers attacked by Zionist tourists in Hebron

Two ISM activists walking on Shudaha Street area were brutally attacked by French Zionist tourists who were visiting to attend the weekly settler tour of the Palestinian part of Hebron.

Zionist perpetrator responsible for the attack.

At around 1:30 PM the activists were walking in the direction of Shuhada Street when the 6 young men rounded the corner, upon seeing the activists they spread across the road. Within seconds, the group attacked the ISM activists, chasing one back in the direction of the Ibrahim Mosque and continued to attack while soldiers leveled their weapons at the attacker.

The other activist was chased, tripped and kicked in the body and face by the Zionist assailant until he was chased away by the two soldiers. On gaining his feet, the activist was punched in the face by the man who had just chased his companion away. The activist ran and the army stopped his pursuer.

The incident was reported to the police, who found two of the attackers in Shuhada Street and took their details. They were not detained as it was the Sabbath when religious Jews are rarely arrested. The activists were taken to a local Police station to make a statement and overheard aggressive integration of a Palestinian prisoner.

We also received a report that an Italian tourist was attacked by 10 religious Zionists in the city on the same day of the attack. After his beating, was told that if he wants to come back he must wear a Kippah.

Palestinian children continue to be imprisoned

9th March 2014| International Solidarity Movement, Team Khalil| Hebron, Occupied Palestine

On Tuesday 4th March, 14-year-old Wassem Rajabi from the Jabal Johar area of Hebron (al-Khalil), was detained and driven away by Israeli soldiers on his way back from school. This Thursday, after nine days in prison, his family will go to the police station to find out his fate. Recently, more than 50 children from the area have been arrested and imprisoned. In the last week alone, between 15-20 children were arrested, all under the age of 18.

Wassem Rajabi is from a family with few resources. His father died eight years ago in a work-place accident inside the 1948 areas, and he now lives with his mother, an older brother and two younger sisters. When Wassen did not come home from school last Tuesday, his family discovered he was taken by the Israeli military, imprisoned and transferred to Ramallah. He was charged with throwing stones at Israeli forces. His family have stated that he was at home at the time the incident were supposed to have occurred. As Wassem is only 14-years-old, he is too young to be imprisoned according to the United Nation’s declaration of human rights. However, Israeli forces detain and prolong detentions for children on a regular basis.

Wassem’s family has been told that he will spend 10 days in prison and will have to pay 2000 shekel, an amount impossible to raise by the family. If they do not pay this money, Wassem he could be facing as much as six months in prison. This coming Thursday the court will give their decision.

The Jabal Johar area is in the southern part of Hebron, very close to several illegal settlements. The children of the area need to pass one or more checkpoints to travel to their school, and are often subject to attacks from tear gas canisters, stun grenades and other forms of harassment by the Israeli army. International groups have reports of children as young as seven-years-old being detained by the Israeli military, and each week children as young as four have to pass through clouds of tear gas to reach their classes.

Fifth annual Open Shuhada Street demonstration in Hebron

21st February 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Hebron Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

The fifth annual “Open Shuhada Street” campaign took place on Friday the 21st of February in Hebron. Five people were arrested and 13 treated after being shot by rubber-coated steel bullets during a peaceful demonstration to open Shuhada Street for Palestinians.

On the 21st of February about two thousand Palestinians and international human rights activists took part in the “Open Shuhada Street” demonstration in Hebron, Occupied West Bank. The demonstration, organised by Palestinian activist group Youth Against Settlements and Hebron Defence Committee, started at the Ali Al-Baka mosque and then went towards Bab Al-Baladiya. Bab Al-Baladiya is a small square in front of the gate leading to Al-Shuhada Street at the illegal settlement Beit Romano.

Shortly after arriving at Bab Al-Baladiya the Israeli Forces threw a large amount of stun grenades right into the crowd of peaceful demonstrators and shot teargas at the part of the demonstration that had not yet gotten close to Bab Al-Baladiya. Several Palestinians were arrested following the chaos caused by more than ten stun grenades being thrown in a short time span. This dispersed the demonstration into several smaller groups.

Following the demobilization of the peaceful demonstration by the Israeli forces, clashes erupted near Bab Al-Zawiye.

According to medical sources thirteen were treated for injuries caused by rubber-coated steel bullets and a large number was treated at the hospital or on the spot for excessive teargas inhalation. A total of five were arrested.

Al-Shuhada Street, once the main market street in Hebron, was made off-limits to Palestinians following the Al-Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in 1994, when American-born Israeli Baruch Goldstein shot and killed 29 and wounded 125 Palestinians that had been praying inside the mosque.

The street was partially reopened to Palestinians following the Hebron Protocols in 1997 but was closed again to Palestinians after the outbreak of the Second Intifada. February the 25^th, 2014 marks the 20^thanniversary of the massacre.