7th January 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Qusra, Nablus District, Occupied Palestine
On the 7th of January in Qusra, two farmers working on their land were threatened by settlers carrying guns. Villagers helped them to chase the invaders away before being violently repressed by the army.
On Friday, at 10:30 a.m., two Palestinian farmers were working their land around the village of Qusra when they were ordered by two armed settlers to stop their work and leave the area. The two farmers refused to obey, and called members of the municipality. Soon, about 50 villagers reached the scene, immediately followed by seven Israeli military vehicles, most of them from the border police. They demanded all the Palestinians to leave the area within five minutes.
When the villagers refused to leave, the army began firing tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades. The attack lasted until 3:00 p.m. Seven Palestinians were injured; four of them were less than eighteen years old.
The two settlers responsible for the attack are from the illegal colonial outpost Raheir, totaling less than ten permanent residents.
Friday’s events mark the 65th recorded attack on the village of Qusra in the past two years. Since the beginning of January, 88 olive trees have been destroyed by the settlers and one young man suffered a severe head injury. In the year 2013, 870 olive trees were destroyed and 30 people were injured, five of them severely. 3,11 dunums of land were annexed and access to 500 more was declared forbidden for Palestinians for “security reasons .”
Israeli soldiers fire tear gas at the villagers of Qusra (Photo by Mohammed Abu Ridah)
Large amounts of Israeli forces and Border Police have made several attempts to raid the reclaimed village of Ein Hijleh and in return the villagers stopped their forced advancement into the center of the village. There were many cases of teargas suffocation as well as an injury in the leg resulting from a teargas canisters being shot directly at the youth preventing the raid.
A man suffering from teargas suffocation in the village of Ein Hijleh. (Photo by PSCC)
These events came as a result of Israeli forces confiscating a welcome sign in the name of Ein Hijleh that was placed on the so called Route 90.
Furthermore, two Palestinian youth were injured last night (3rd February) after physical clashes erupted with Israeli Forces. Palestinian popular resistance activist Abedallah Abu Rahmeh was injured in his arm resulting in multiple fractures, as well as Palestinian youth Mohammad Al-Khatib suffered from several rib fractures. Both were taken to a hospital in Jericho for treatment. It is important to note that Israeli forces impeded the entry of the ambulance carrying the patients back to Ein Hijleh and forced the medical crew as well as the injured to continue their way on foot.
The village is under continuous besiegement by Israeli forces in which water, food supplies and medical crews are prevented to enter.
In regards to the village activities for today, (4th February) the villagers have renovated several homes, volunteer work in which 150 trees donated by the Environmental Relief were planted around the village. Evening activities carry on including art activities well as cultural and political discussions.
Moreover, Israeli forces have detained 18 volunteers as they were entering/exiting the village including an international solidarity activist whom was released later on. This escalation comes as a series of attempts by Israeli forces to place pressure on the village as seen from the attempts on raiding the village on the fourth and fifth days (February 3rd and February 4th) of the reclamation of the village. However, the villages prevented these attempts by creating human chains and face to face confrontation.
The organizational committee conducted a meeting in which the weekly agenda for next week was created and agreed upon. The agenda is as follows:
Wednesday: Day of solidarity and expanding popular activities in reviving and renovating the lands and houses of Ein Hijleh.
Thursday: Day for diplomatic participation and embassy representatives to inform them on the situation of Ein Hijleh including information about the siege on the village which bans the entry of food, water, medical supplies, and journalists by Israeli forces.
Friday: Friday prayer in the village followed by a volunteer program for planting trees and continuing the renovation of the homes in Ein Hijleh.
Saturday: Cultural Academic day in which lectures for Palestinian university students will be held to inform the students about the reality and history of Ein Hijleh.
Sunday: Day of prayer will be held in the village to reiterate the unity of the Palestinian people regardless of the religious, ethnic, and political differences.
All days will include cultural activities in which Palestinian academics and artists will take part in during the evening.
Diana Alzeer 0592400300 or 0549168321
Abdallah Abu Rahmeh 0599107069
Salah Khawaja 0598886943
Thaer Anis 0549292422
Israeli forces invading the village of Ein Hijleh (Photo by PSCC)
31st January 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine
In stark contrast to other Fridays, the weekly demonstration of Kafr Qaddum, in Qalqilya district, on 31st January, 2014, was met with a cynical display of theatrics, in which Israeli forces attempted to portray themselves as peacemakers. The presence at the demonstration of a representative from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights led to unprecedented behavior by the soldiers.
For the first time since the demonstrations began in July 2011, an Israeli officer with a megaphone made several polite requests for demonstrators to return to their homes. A female officer was also brought forward and appeals were made to the protesters not to throw stones as there was a woman present. A smaller than usual amount of tear gas was used, although several protesters were hit by canisters aimed at body height.
The weekly demonstration held at Kufr Qaddum is notorious throughout the West Bank for the high level of violent repression employed by Israeli forces. In addition to violence during the demonstrations, Israeli forces carry out regular night raids and random arrests in the town.
Protesters demand access to the road connecting the town with Nablus, which has been closed since 2003. An Israeli court ruled in November 2010 that the road should be reopened, although the military continues to block it. The illegal settlement of Qedumin, whose construction involved the theft of 4000 dunums of land from the town of Kafr Qaddum, lies along this road.
Local residents and international human rights activists spoke with the UN representative, who informed them that UN OHCHR visits in the West Bank must always be coordinated through the Israeli military high command, thus explaining the unusual behaviour on the part of the soldiers.
31st January 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Occupied Palestine
With the arrest of two international human rights activists at Salem Military Court, in Jenin district, on Wednesday 29th January 2014, the total number of arrests of activists in the past month has risen to five, and the number of deportations to four. Arrested activists have reported verbal and physical abuse while in custody. Concerns have been raised within the human rights community as to whether the Israeli military is carrying out a concerted campaign of intimidation and deportation against internationals.
Photo by ISM
Violations of due process
The most recent arrests occurred as two activists, a Norwegian and a Canadian, were attending a hearing for Ahmad Atatreh, a 20-year-old Palestinian activist who had been arrested ten days earlier at a peaceful demonstration in the Jordan Valley.
Following the hearing, which the activists had attended in solidarity with Mr. Atatreh and his family, Israeli soldiers violently dragged the defendant by his handcuffs out of the courtroom. When the internationals asked why he was receiving this rough treatment, the soldiers took the passport from the Norwegian and arrested her on the accusation of having “slapped a soldier.” The Norwegian activist has a long-standing commitment to non-violent solidarity work.
The two remaining activists and the family of Mr. Atatreh left the court facilities and were getting into a car outside when they were approached by another soldier, who subsequently arrested the Canadian, accusing him of interfering with an arrest.
The activists were held overnight in the police station in the illegal settlement of Ariel. While in custody, the Norwegian human rights volunteer was punched in her face by Israeli police.
Under Israeli law, the activists should have been taken before a judge within 24 hours of their arrest. However, as in other recent cases the police disregarded this, instead initiating deportation procedures without following due process.
In the case of Vincent Mainville and Fabio Theodule, (Swiss and Italian citizens respectively), arrested 8th January 2014 while trying to prevent Israeli soldiers from firing live ammunition at schoolchildren, although the judge later ruled that the activists had been illegally arrested, it was too late to prevent their transfer to immigration and therefore prevent their deportation. Neither man was allowed a court hearing as required by law.
“Since the outbreak of the Second Intifada,” says Neta Golan, co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, “of the thousands of international human rights activists who have have been arrested, deported and denied entry, no criminal charges have been brought against any one of them. No international activist has stood trial for committing a crime. Despite this de facto vilification by Israeli authorities, charges have not once been pressed against an international human rights activist.”
Activists verbally abused, beaten while in custody
In addition to violating Israel’s due process laws, in each of these cases the Israeli military have beaten the activists in their custody. The Norwegian arrested on the 29th reports having been beaten at the police station in Ariel.
While in custody, Mr. Mainville and Mr. Theodule were dragged by their handcuffs, causing their wrists to bleed. Mr. Mainville was also kicked in his ribs and his face. After many hours of detention, Mr. Theodule asked for water and was told by a border police officer, “If you want to drink, you can drink my piss.”
While in detention, Sven W. was blindfolded and forced to kneel on the ground for more than an hour. At this time, an Israeli soldier purposefully pushed Mr. W’s face in dirty water before taking him behind a military jeep and repeatedly kicking him in the ribs.
29th January 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Occupied Palestine
On Wednesday 29th January, 2014, two international human rights activists were arrested at Salem Military Court, in Jenin district. The activists, Norwegian and Canadian, were at the court to attend a hearing for Ahmad Atatreh, a 20-year-old Palestinian activist who had been arrested ten days earlier at a peaceful demonstration in the Jordan Valley.
Following the hearing, which the activists had attended in solidarity with Mr Atatreh and his family, Israeli soldiers violently pushed the defendant, who was in handcuffs, out of the courtroom. When the internationals asked why he was receiving this rough treatment, the soldiers took the passport from the Norwegian and arrested her on the accusation of having “slapped a soldier.”
The two remaining activists and the family of Mr Atatreh left the court facilities and were getting into a car outside when they were approached by another soldier, who subsequently arrested the Canadian, accusing him of “attempting to prevent an arrest.”
The activists were held overnight in the police station in the illegal settlement of Ariel. Under Israeli law they should be taken before a civil court judge within 24 hours of their arrest, although in recent cases the police have disregarded this, preferring to initiate deportation procedures without following due process.
The Canadian citizen was released on Thursday afternoon. The Norwegian citizen is being processed for deportation.
In the past month alone, five international human rights activists have been arrested, leading to concerns of a military crackdown on international solidarity with the Palestinian people.
With regard to the case of Ahmad Atatreh, who was arrested on the accusation of assaulting a soldier, the judge postponed the trial for a further month, in order to re-examine the evidence. The next time he appears in court he will have spent six weeks in administrative detention.
The Israeli military judicial system has been criticized by various human rights groups for their lack of fair trial guarantees and discrimination in procedural law. For more information on Israeli military courts see: http://www.addameer.org/etemplate.php?id=291
