Tag: International law - Page 24 - International Solidarity Movement

Friday Noon Prayer, Hebron (al-Khalil): Oppression, harassment and discrimination

13th January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Friday the 13th of January, during the Friday noon prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque in occupied Hebron (al-Khalil), large numbers of Palestinians were delayed on their way to the prayer, and subjected to ID checks, bag searches and random detainments, carried out by Israeli forces.

Friday is the sixth day in the Islamic week, and as such it represents the day of congregation. It was a day celebrated by the prophet Muhammed, who declared the prayer of Jummah (the noon prayer on Fridays) as a weekly eid. And as such, it is important to many muslims that they are able to go their local mosque, receive the readings from their Imam, and perform the prayer.

Since the Ibrahimi mosque (the fourth holiest sights within Islam) is located in occupied Hebron (al-Khalil), muslim citizens of Hebron attend the Friday prayer here – though not without obstacles. At every entrance to the mosque, checkpoints are put in place, and a new ones built. It is impossible to enter the mosque without first passing through a metal detector and worshippers risk being detained till the prayer is over, which happens often.

On Friday the 13th, two ISM volunteers were stationed at the checkpoint located in the old city, in order to monitor and report back on the number of detainees and other violations of the right to free movement. 38 adult males had their IDs checked by a soldier and 10 were detained. On top of this, 9 boys where detained and had their IDs checked, while one female had her bag searched. Having already waited in line, about sixty individuals in total were hindered from entering to the mosque freely.

The weekly oppression at the Friday noon prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque, is one of many examples of how Israeli forces suppress the Palestinian people’s right to freedom of religion.

Palestinians waiting in line at the checkpoint

Israeli forces detain and ID check Palestinian male.

Group of Palestinian men being detained at the checkpoint.

Israeli forces sit on graves: ‘securing’ Islamic cemetery with barbed wire

16th January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli forces on Sunday, 15th January 2017, have put up new barbed wire at the edge of an Islamic cemetery in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), showing no respect for the graves.

The Islamic cemetery is located alongside Shuhada Street in the heart of the city. After the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in 1994, in which an Israeli settler killed 29 Palestinians praying inside Ibrahimi Mosque, Shuhada Street was slowly but steadily ethnically cleansed of Palestinians by the Israeli forces. Nowadays, the larger part of the road, once the main thorourghfare and market of al-Khalil, is completely forbidden for Palestinians, whose presence has been outlawed by the Israeli forces. Only a tiny strip near Shuhada checkpoint remains, where Palestinians are allowed to walk, but not to drive any kind of vehicles, including ambulances. Shuhada Street is a clear example of the Israeli forces’ steady measures of ethnic cleansing.

The Islamic cemetery borders directly onto the larger section of Shuhada Street where Palestinian presence is entirely outlawed, as the main illegal settlements in downtown al-Khalil are situated here. On Sunday, Israeli forces installed extra layers of barbed-wire at the side of the cemetery bordering Shuhada Street. During a break, soldiers were sitting on grave-stones, without any respect for the dignity and peace of the dead, or their loved ones’ feelings as they see the occupying army stomping through the cemetery, ‘resting’ on grave-stones and lying barbed-wire on the graves. Israeli forces in the past have repeatedly bluntly disregarded this cemetery as a resting place, regularly conducting military exercise inside the cemetery.

Israeli soldier comfortably sitting down ongrave-stone in Islamic cemetery.
Photo credit: Zleikha Muhtaseb

Newborn baby – a security-threat?

14th January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Imagine coming to a checkpoint, manned by a relentless occupying army, on your way home from hospital, holding your new baby who is less than a month old. At the checkpoint, the occupying army refuses to let you pass – insisting that you put your baby on the dirty table, so they can force you through ‘security’ checks. They have no regard for your tiny baby: any Palestinian is considered a threat.

That’s exactly what happened on Friday night at Shuhada checkpoint in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). This is the same checkpoint where, just two days before, Israeli forces denied passage to Palestinians trying to reach their homes, as they were sleeping inside the checkpoint. Israeli forces show no mercy or humanity, no regard for life. Whether it’s a old woman hardly able to walk, or a 20-day old baby, ‘security’ is the word used to excuse the occupying army from treating Palestinians with respect and dignity. Palestinians are collectively considered a population that is a threat to the “Jewish Democratic State.” The state neglects, marginalizes and abuses this exact civilian population in the name of security.

With this mindset, even a 20-day old baby, wrapped up in blankets against the cold and freezing winds is just that – a ‘threat’, stripped of all humanity, not regarded as a human being. Occupying forces demanded that the man put the baby on a table in order to go through normal ‘security’ checks. The baby was treated just like anything else a Palestinian may attempt to bring through a checkpoint: a plastic bag of vegetables, a school-bag filled with books, all a potential threat. The baby had to be kept on a table next to the metal detector, like a bag of vegetables, while the man passes through the metal detector. The metal detector is yet another opportunity for the soldiers to harass Palestinians. Regardless of whether the detector indicates that there’s any metal, a person cannot continue through the checkpoint until the occupying army decides that the person is fine to pass. Maybe they will force them to lift up their shirts for a little extra humiliation. Then the plastic-bags have to be opened one by one, so the occupying army can inspect the contents.

In the midst of this humiliating procedure, the Israeli soldiers forced a man to put the tiny, fragile 20-day old baby on the table like any other possession. There was no respect for the baby’s wellbeing. No consideration of the freezing temperatures, or the possibility of bodily injury. After precariously leaving the baby on the table, the soldiers then forced the Palestinian man to bring the baby through the metal detector, with the baby in his arms. Any arguments appealing to the humanity of the occupying army were ignored.

The absurdity and cruelty of this situation demonstrate how even the youngest Palestinians – babies – are treated like potential terrorists by the occupying army. This child, who has been alive less than a month, has already been forced to feel the full brunt of the continuous illegal occupation that is attempting to ethnically cleanse Palestine of any Palestinian presence. Every Palestinian is a threat. This dangerous ideology is perpetuating a culture of remorseless ethnic cleansing by Israeli forces.

Staring down the barrel of a gun

14th January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

According to the theory of realism within the field of international relations, conflict and war is the outcome of an actual threat (a material/military threat). That is, war breaks out when one country is threatening the security of some other country by accumulating military power. It is, in other words, the Hobbesian war against all, where only the most powerful is safe. Now, if one holds such a belief, it is obvious that war/ conflict is a matter of national security. The less powerful seeks safety by military buildup, while the strongest seeks safety by retaliation. If taken to its natural conclusion, realism absurdly claims that “It is the desire of every state, or of its ruler, to arrive at a condition of perpetual peace by conquering the whole world, if that were possible”

Now, the myth of realism has been debunked on numerous occasions by the course of history itself. For instance, as Alexander Wendt points out, if realism did hold true, then why are “500 British nuclear weapons less threatening to the United States than 5 North Korean nuclear Weapons”? But even though the myth of realism is theoretically debunked, the implications of the theory live on in the minds of most citizens. Being caught between competing parties and media outlets, it is almost impossible to remain absolutely objective when assessing the geopolitical landscape of today. Everyone wants to identify the “bad guy.” Everyone wants a clear explanation for who or what started a war. And that goes for Israel too.
However, if we take a step back from the myth, there should be no doubt as to whom is taking the lead when it comes to the power relation between Israel and Palestine. For while Israel is a recognized state with massive military capacity, Palestine is without an army and de facto subjugated by Israel.
But this is not the image portrayed in the media – not here or elsewhere. People want explanations. People don’t like complicated. So, while the situation of Israeli aggression might be very straight forward by an outside observer, it is not so obvious to Israeli citizens. The media and culture has deeply ingrained in the minds and bodies of the people of Israel that they are under constant attack: that all Palestinians pose a very real threat. The vilification of Palestinians breeds hatred and fear in the minds of Israelis and perpetuates the tension and violence here.
And this feeling – this constant feeling of fear and hatred is undeniable here in Hebron. The way the soldiers interact with civilians is full of distrust and suspicion. Now to be fair, the situation here in Hebron has been relatively ‘quiet’ for more than a month now. There has been no continuous stream of teargas or shootings. And there have not been more cases of harassment than usual. What is left are all the incidents that have been normalized, that is, body searches, ID-checks, long lines at checkpoints and the occasional provocative soldier who is showing off to his mates by harassing civilians. Despite the apparent quiet, there is no sense of safety. For we–internationals and Palestinians–know that whatever happens, happens at the mercy of soldiers. That if they have a change of heart, we are at the receiving end. We know that teargas could easily be flooding the streets tomorrow, and we understand why no one feels safe going to sleep. You never know when it will be your house that is raided at night, or when it will be your friend who is dragged away. The recent quiet and stability is fragile, terrifyingly so.
So while realism is just a disproven political theory, it is well alive in Hebron – the mentality of fear and suspicion–the realist vilification of human beings is causing the conflict.

In memory of Tom Hurndall

13th January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Gaza, occupied Palestine

January 13th, 2017 marks the 13th anniversary of British ISM activist, Tom Hurndall’s, death. He was shot in the head by Israeli forces in Gaza, while working with other ISM members to peacefully protest the shooting by Israeli forces in the Yibna district of Rafah. Human Rights Watch interviewed witnesses of the shooting. One witness remembers:

“Tom was standing in between me and Laura. There were two girls playing behind the barrier, very frightened; they did not know how to speak. So Tom walked forward and led them back down the street. Then he returned. He saw a boy behind the barrier. I saw him too, Salim Barhum. I wonder if I could have helped him more… . Tom went towards the boy, about two to three meters forward. The boy was stunned, petrified. Tom went to carry him, bent towards him with his arms out. Then he fell as a bullet hit him, and blood and brains began to pour onto his chest.”

Tom Hurdall after being shot by Israeli forces
Photo credit: silviacattori.net

Hurndall was wearing a fluorescent vest so he would not be mistaken for a combatant. The official report, however, claims that the commander who killed Hurndall saw a man wearing camouflage and moving towards the soldiers while shooting: the soldier claimed that he simply returned fire. A formal investigation was not opened until months after Hurndall was shot, after immense pressure from Israeli Human Rights groups, the media, and Hurndall’s family.

The investigation was carried out by the Israeli military, while Hurndall was in a coma. It claimed that the causes of Hurndall’s injuries were uncertain. This investigation ignored the numerous eyewitness reports; it was based entirely on the testimony of the commander, who killed Hurndall, and a soldier who was in the area. The majority of the official investigation report focuses on Palestinian attacks and condemns ISM activity. The part of the report that actually describes the shooting, gives an incorrect location—claiming that Hurndall was closer to the military outpost.

The investigation was reopened after Hurndall’s death due to pressure from the British Foreign Office and the Hurndalls. The commander, Sgt. Taysir, was found guilty of manslaughter and admitted to lying about Hurndall having a weapon. He also explained that he was given orders to fire at unarmed people. Taysir was sentenced to only 8 years in prison for manslaughter and obstruction of justice. He was released from prison early—in 2010—for good behavior.

The pressure from foreign governments and Hurndall’s family forced the Israeli military to take some action and assume responsibility. But the short sentencing and early release cause one to question if this is really justice. When we remember Hurndall today, we should realize that the fight for justice and peace is not over. The Israeli forces continue to act irresponsibly and aggressively towards civilians. When Palestinians are killed, the Israeli forces are rarely pressured to investigate and convict those responsible.