Tag: International law - Page 19 - International Solidarity Movement

Demonstration in Nabi Saleh attacked by settlers and Army

3^rd March 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Nabi Saleh, occupied Palestine

Today on the 3^rd March 2017 the popular resistance in Nabi Saleh village held a demonstration against the nearby illegal settlement which has stolen large amounts of the village lands, the road closures affecting their village and the occupation of Palestine. The demonstration started with a group of people going to a local spring which has been stolen by the illegal settlement. Here local settlers arrived with guns and began to assault the peaceful Palestinian protesters who were supported by Israelis and other internationals. After the settlers assaulted many people there, including members of the press, the army arrived and also started attacking the demonstrators and letting off multiple sound grenades. The demonstration moved back up the hill towards the village with settlers throwing stones, the Israeli forces firing tear gas, sound grenades, rubber bullets, and live ammunition at the demonstrators – this aggression was met with stones from the demonstration. Eventually the clashes moved into the village lasting a number of hours with the Israeli forces closing off the main entrance to the village.

*Settler attacking people – photograph by ISM/Charlie Donnelly*

Initially the demonstration walked down a hill to a local spring which belongs to Nabi Saleh but was stolen by the illegal settlement, upon arriving there banners were held and people were chanting. After around 10 minutes heavily armed settlers from the nearby illegal settlements arrived and began to assault people there, including small children and elderly people present at the demonstration. During this confrontation the Israeli army arrived and instead of keeping the settlers back, began to help them assault the demonstration. In this time at least one press photographer had his camera broken by a settler and multiple people received punches and kicks. The Israeli army started to let off sound grenades in the midst to demonstrators who began to move to the hill towards the village.

*Army helping settlers – photograph by ISM/Charlie Donnelly*

Whilst on the hill some people began to throw stones at the Army below. This was met by large amounts of tear gas, rubber coated metal bullets and live ammunition. The Army allowed the settlers to chase the demonstration attacking people with stones, assisting them by firing at the crowd. This attack was held off by the people of the demonstration with stones.

The clashes continued with the Israeli army more frequently using live ammunition and firing rubber coated metal bullets at head height towards the demonstration.

The Israeli army then invaded the town, they were met with strong resistance from the local people, eventually fleeing in their vehicles under heavy amounts of stones being thrown. But not before firing multiple times with live ammunition, rubber coated metal bullets and tear gas.

*The soldiers fleeing the town – photograph by ISM/Charlie Donnelly*

During this time a checkpoint was set up at the main entrance to the town – a form of collective punishment to the villagers for their act of resistance. Afterwards the soldiers proceeded to invade the town multiple times sparking further clashes.

The residents of Nabi Saleh were holding weekly demonstrations since 2009 in protest of the zionist regimes illegal occupation of the village’s land along with the takeover of the village’s spring located near the illegal Israeli settlement of Halamish. However after a large amount of repression the weekly demonstrations stopped last year, with now occasional demonstrations.

Kafr Qaddoum: Israeli forces shoot Palestinian journalist

3th of March, 2017 | Popular Resistance Committee of Kafr Qaddum | Occupied Palestine

Today, at the weekly Friday protest in Kafr Qaddoum, a large number of Israeli Forces raided the village and fired large amounts of live ammunition, rubber coated steel bullets, stun grenades and teargas at Palestinian protesters. One journalist, from Palestine TV, was shot in the head with a rubber coated steel bullet. A group of masked Israeli soldiers also took his telephone, and deleted all of his pictures and videos from the demonstration. The journalist is alive, but will be hospitalized over the night. Later a large number of masked Israeli Forces raided the village, trying to arrest Palestinians, and entering the house of a Palestinian family, scaring the crying children.

Palestinian protesters marching in Kafr Qaddoum, against the illegal closure of their road to Nablus

The protest started with a march at 12.30, after the Friday noon prayer in the local mosque of Kafr Qaddoum. A large group of Palestinians, journalists, and a few Israeli and international activists marched from the mosque towards the closed road that used to connect Kafr Qaddoum with the large city of Nablus.

After marching for around 30 meters, three Israeli Military jeeps and large numbers of Israeli forces arrived. They opened fire on the Palestinian protesters, who retreated back further into the village. Between 1 PM and 3 PM, Israeli forces continuously fired live ammunition, rubber coated steel bullets, stun grenades and teargas at the Palestinian protesters.

At several points, masked Israeli soldiers stormed the village, in an attempt to arrest the protesters. At one point, a large group of masked Israeli soldiers, entered the house of a Palestinian family, who were not participating in the demonstration. From outside the house, Palestinian children were heard screaming and crying, and Israeli soldiers were yelling intensely at the people inside the house.

Large number of Israeli Forces invading the Palestinian village Kfar Qaddoum — Israeli Forces invading the Palestinian village Kfar Qaddoum

Ahmad, a journalist from Palestine TV, was shot in the head by Israeli forces with a rubber coated steel bullet, and was bleeding heavily from his forehead. Israeli soldiers also took his private telephone, and deleted all of the pictures and videos he had made of Israeli soldiers firing live ammunition at Palestinian protesters. The journalist is now hospitalized, where he will stay under supervision over the night.

Palestinian journalist shot in the face by Israeli Forces with rubber coated steel bullets.

A local organizer of the protest described the situation as the feeling of “… a real war, with constant bullets being fired from 1 PM to 3 PM. Children crying and screaming. The situation was so terrifying.”

Israeli Forces fired large amount of live ammunition and rubber coated steel bullets at civilian palestinian protesters — Israeli Forces fired a large amount of live ammunition and rubber coated steel bullets at civilian palestinian protesters

Prior to the protest, Israeli Forces had also set up a roadblock at the entrance to the village, pulling cars over and checking people’s IDs, as an act of collective punishment.

For five years the people of Kafr Qaddum have been holding weekly demonstrations, protesting the closure of their main road to Nablus and the expansion of the illegal Israeli settlement of Kedumim, which surrounds the village. In 2003, the road was sealed permanently by an Israeli roadblock, extending the fifteen minute commute to Nablus to about forty minutes. The roadblock has had severe economic consequences for the people of Kafr Qaddum, as many who once worked in nearby Nablus have had to seek alternatives. The United Nations estimates that movement restrictions imposed by the Israeli Occupation, such as the situation in Kafr Qaddum, cost Palestine about 185 million USD each year.

After more than five years of weekly demonstrations, Kafr Qaddum continues to resist.

Susya faces demolition for the eighth time

27th February 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Susya, occupied Palestine

The village of Susya in the south Hebron hills faced complete demolition again yesterday as the Israeli court, and the villagers, waited for the Israeli government to announce its plan for demolition. The Israeli government asked the court for a 48 hour continuance, which means that the plan will probably be provided to the court on Tuesday 28th February and demolition may begin on Wednesday 1st March.

Internationals from ISM and from Christian Peacemaker Teams were asked by villagers to be present in Susya yesterday to give support should demolition go ahead. The presence of internationals cannot prevent demolition but may encourage Israeli forces to empty the tents about to be demolished with more care, and will provide the international community with documentation of the demolition.

Nasser al Nawajja from the village is used to facing situations like this. He told us that he felt that some demolition this year is inevitable, but that delays are good because when the weather is better it is easier to cope with the disruption and to rebuild. The Israeli government is under intense pressure from local settlers and Israeli right wing political groups to remove Susya altogether, but there is strong pressure and support also from the international community which will make complete demolition difficult. What is most likely, says Nasser, are piecemeal demolitions.

This will not be the first demolition or expulsion faced by the village: since the villagers were turned out of their cave dwellings half a mile away in 1986 for a ‘Jewish archeological park’ they have lived in semi-permanent tent dwellings which have been either demolished or expelled seven times already. This will be the eighth demolition and, Nasser says, ‘We will rebuild. We rebuilt seven times already. We will rebuild again. A seventh and an eighth time.’

Susya is a symbol of what is happening in the rural West Bank. Strong settler pressure for expansion of confiscated land meets weak international pressure to preserve some vestige of hope for a two state solution (still championed by the international community). Who will win this battle is anyone’s guess now that Trump is in the White House. But the lives of the people of Susya continue to be under threat. As Nasser says, ‘The settlers are in the White House now.’

Israeli army attacks peaceful demonstration in Hebron and injures protesters : eye-witness accounts

24th February 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On 24th February several hundred people joined together for a demonstration in al-Khalil (Hebron) in occupied Palestine. Palestinians, Israelis and international activists protested together against the occupation of Shuhada Street and Tel Rumeida in the heart of the city, closed by the military after the massacre of 29 Palestinians in the al-Ibrahimi mosque in 1994. The protesters marched from the centre of the city to the military base at the entrance to the closed zone but were fired upon with tear gas and stun grenades within minutes of the start of their peaceful protest. The protesters were immediately forced to disperse with many suffering from tear gas inhalation. Some needed treatment on site and some were taken to hospital.

ISM activists attended in groups of two and three to support, document and protest. Here are some eyewitness accounts:

Group 1

“After midday prayers people started marching towards the old city, chanting slogans against the Israeli occupation and the settlers. After about ten minutes, the march was faced by a sizeable group of Israeli soldiers and border police. They marched towards the Israeli forces nonetheless, but were soon met with two stun grenades thrown towards protesters in the front line and teargas canisters shot throughout the street. I saw a teargas canister hit a north American army veteran below his left shoulder: it is entirely plausible that it was shot intentionally into the crowd. Shooting these canisters directly towards people is not only in direct contradiction of Israeli ‘rules of engagement’ but also potentially lethal.”

Group 2

“I was in front of the demo when the teargas canisters were fired directly into the first lines of protesters. Stun grenades exploded next to me and I couldn’t hear anything for the next minute. Everywhere on the street were clouds of teargas expanding and the demo turned into a big escape. I and many other protesters took refuge in the side streets, hiding from Israeli soldiers and tear gas.”

Group 3

“Our group started near the back. Tear gas started in great quantity within minutes and together with a large number of Palestinians and other internationals, we scrambled up a side set of stairs and spent the rest of the demonstration trapped there, tear gassed frequently and running in different directions to escape. There was no possibility of rejoining the march route. Red Crescent ambulances, with paramedics in gas masks, attended to the large number of people who were suffering from excessive gas inhalation and some were taken to hospital.”

Group 4

“Emotion, censored freedom, pain, oppression, … these are the words which describe the commemoration of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre, fifty years of occupation and the closure of Shuhada Street for over twenty years. After just ten minutes, the Israeli forces showed up in front of the crowd. They immediately stopped the demonstration, leaving no freedom to Palestinians and internationals to commemorate the Ibrahimi mosque’s victims. The atmosphere was tense as Israeli forces started to throw teargas into the crowd. Once again, Israel pretends to be a democracy but leaves no freedom to Palestinians to express themselves and to commemorate those they lost.”

Elor Azaria verdict: a personal view

22nd February 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team, | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Yesterday the Israeli soldier Elor Azaria was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the extra-judicial killing of Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, which happened last year in Hebron. Everybody in Hebron was waiting for the sentence. Everybody knew by one o’clock what it was. Everyone was heavy hearted. Palestinian friends compared a sentence of two years for stone throwing with Azaria’s eighteen months for murder. The implications here on the ground for what soldiers can do with impunity is also clear to all.

We at ISM had been in touch with Imad Abu Shamsiya, the Palestinian who filmed the execution, in case he wanted our support if the settlers were angry at the sentence as he has experienced large amounts of threats and harassment from both soldiers and settlers for bringing this incident to light.

Today I get email from the UK with news of how the case was reported on the BBC flagship morning show:

‘…almost all of the piece consisted of a discussion with their Jerusalem correspondent about Israeli anger that Azaria had been jailed. The fact that Palestinians were angered at the brevity of the sentence was tacked on as an afterthought. It was not explained that the Israeli soldiers are an army of occupation that is protecting settlers who are in Hebron illegally. It was not explained that Abdel Fattah al-Sherif had been lying injured and motionless on the ground for ten minutes and presenting no threat to anyone before Azaria executed him. Al-Sherif was described as “an attacker”, Azaria as “a soldier”. The framing of what happened could have been scripted by the IDF. The impression given was of the IDF acting in support of the civil authorities and being subjected to a military assault by enemy combatants. The right-wing Israeli perspective that Azaria was an inexperienced conscript who acted in the heat of the moment in battle was reported unchallenged. The alternative view that al-Sharif had committed grievous bodily harm or some such criminal assault before being totally incapacitated and that he was then murdered in cold blood by a heavily-armed agent of an occupying power was not given.’

Shame.

To see the video so bravely filmed by Imad which led to the case being heard at all: