1st October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
This morning, Tuesday 1st October, Israeli soldiers fired two tear gas canisters and four stun grenades at children on their way to school.
In this case, a few children threw stones and pebbles at Israeli forces as the soldiers stood watching them walk to morning classes. The response from the Israeli soldiers present was incredibly disproportionate.
The incident occurred near checkpoint 29 in Khalil (Hebron) and is not an isolated event. International activists in Khalil monitor several checkpoints each morning, as Israeli soldiers regularly harass, intimidate and fire weapons on children as young as 5-years-old.
24th September 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
Yesterday, Monday 23rd September, a mob of Israeli settlers invaded the roof of a Palestinian family in Hebron, attacked several Palestinians and international activists and beat a 15-year-old unconscious, leading to hospitalisation.
At approximately 5pm a group of Israeli settlers and Jewish tourists entered the roof of the Abu Shamsiyeh family without permission after they had already tried to force their way into another family’s house in the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood. After international activists confronted the invading group and insisted that nearby soldiers remove the trespassers, they eventually left the roof but continued to verbally harass Palestinians and internationals present.
The verbal harassment quickly turned into a vicious assault with several settlers pushing, hitting and kicking Palestinians. Three teenage settlers brutally assaulted Abu Shamsiyeh’s 15-year-old son leaving him unconscious and requiring hospital treatment. He has since been released and is recovering in the care of his family.
In past years, several Palestinians in Tel Rumeida have been severely attacked, beaten and injured by settlers, have lost pregnancies due to attacks, have had their houses broken into and furniture and electrical appliances smashed, trees in their gardens cut down and plants uprooted and poisoned. On a day to day basis, Palestinians have to deal with minor incidents such as spitting, stone-throwing and insults by the settler community. Especially on Shabbat and during Jewish holidays, settler attacks against the Palestinian residents of Tel Rumeida take place.
This incident is particularly concerning in the light of Netanyahu’s recent announcement that settlers would be allowed to move into Abu Rajab house by checkpoint 209 as well as the pending court case decision on the Rajabeh house, which would connect Kiryat Arba with the Tomb of the Patriarchs. It is clear that settlement expansion in Hebron will have disastrous consequences and will come with a great humanitarian cost for the surrounding Palestinian communities.
21st September 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
Sukkot is a joyful festival in Judaism; however its impact upon day-to-day life in Khalil has only caused greater problems for the Palestinians. Many residents of Khalil have commented that it is during this holiday period every year where daily life in the city becomes all the more difficult.
Last week soldiers began preparations for taking over a house next to the container checkpoint 209 (Quatoum/Abu Rish), which belongs to a Palestinian family. The family received a military order informing them that this house would be occupied by the Israeli army until Tuesday 24th September, the end of Sukkot. Due to the large number of Jewish tourists visiting Hebron during Sukkot, reinforcement brigades have been sent to Hebron, and due to lack of accommodation for these additional soldiers, the army decided to take over this Palestinian house and use it as a military base for the duration of the holiday. Residents of this area have stated that since the soldiers began occupying the house, child detainments and arrests have increased, and there are further concerns that checkpoint 209 may be moved in an attempt to increase control in the surrounding area.
Today, Saturday 21st September, several clashes and attacks took place between settler youth and Palestinian children and teenagers in Tel Rumeida. Additionally, as on every Shabbat, settlers invaded the roof of the Abu Shamsiyeh family and verbally attacked international activists who, at the request of the family, were monitoring the entrance to the roof as it is often entered without family permission. In the past, settlers have attacked the family by throwing stones, spitting at, beating members of the family and urinating into their garden.
On Friday 20th September, clashes erupted in the afternoon as Palestinian youths threw stones at checkpoint 56. After the PA (responsible for this area of Hebron which is part of H1) chased away the stone-throwers, the clashes moved into the OldCity and souq of Hebron, which is part of H2 and thus under Israeli military control. Throughout Friday evening and most of Saturday, Palestinian youths were throwing stones and Molotov cocktails, whilst Israeli soldiers responded with sound grenades, teargas and rubber-coated steel bullets. International activists witnessed border police shooting teargas canisters directly at protesters, as opposed to shooting it in an arch as they are supposed to under Israeli army regulations. Further clashes are expected tomorrow as settlers and Jewish tourists invade area H1.
On Sunday 22nd and Monday 23rd September, tens of thousands of Jewish tourists are expected to descend upon Hebron for Sukkot celebrations. On important Jewish holidays, there is a tradition of the settler community, alongside Jewish tourists, visiting a house in H1 (the Palestinian-controlled part of Hebron) which they claim used to be the home of a rabbi and thus holds religious significance. The Israeli military has ordered the closure of the road outside checkpoint 56 leading to Yatta between 10am and 3pm on Sunday 22nd September. The house that the settlers and Jewish tourists pilgrim to is located on said road, however it is the first time ever that the Israeli military has formally ordered the closure of the road and the shops located there. This order is a clear violation of the Hebron Agreement, signed in 1997 by the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government, which divided the city into areas H1 and H2 under Palestinian and Israeli military control respectively.
Soldiers preparing to take-over house by checkpoint 209 (Photo by ISM)
Islam al-Tubasi, killed in Jenin by Israeli soldiers. (Photo by MaanImages)
In an excessive use of lethal force, on Tuesday morning, 17 September 2013, Israeli occupation forces killed a Palestinian civilian and wounded 4 others, including 3 children, in Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank.
According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) and the testimonies of the victim’s two brothers – Kamal, 34, and Mustafa, 23, at approximately 02:30 on Tuesday, 17 September 2013, Israeli forces in about 22 military vehicles moved into Jenin refugee camp, west of Jenin town. A number of young men gathered and threw stones at Israeli military vehicles. In response, Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets and sound bombs. The clashes continued for a few hours, but no casualties were reported. At approximately 06:00, Israeli forces moved back to edges of the camp. Half an hour later, a special unit of Israeli forces backed with 4 military vehicles moved into the camp. They stationed in the center of the camp. Israeli soldiers who were in black military uniform raided 3-storey apartment building belonging to Hussam al-Tubasi. Israeli soldiers blew up the doors of the house and stepped up to a room on the roof where the owner’s sons, Islam, 20, and Mustafa, 23, live. Islam and Mustafa got out of their room to find out what was going on as they heard explosions. Immediately, Israeli soldiers kicked Mustafa, pushed him to the ground and handcuffed him. He saw Israeli soldiers pushing Islam into the room. Two Israeli soldiers then pulled Mustafa down to the second floor and held him in a bathroom. In the meantime, sounds of shooting were being heard on the roof. A few minutes, Israeli soldier stepped down taking Islam who was bleeding. They fired at his legs again in front of the building and took him.
Soon after, Israeli forces brought backups into the camp. A number of young men and children gathered and threw stones and home-made hand grenades at Israeli forces that were surrounding al-Tubassi’s house. Israeli soldiers opened fire indiscriminately. As a result, 4 civilians, including 3 children, were wounded:
Saladin Na’el Ghazzawi, 23, wounded by a bullet to the right thigh;
Mohammed Khaled Taleb, 12, wounded a by a bullet to the thigh;
Abdul Rahman Taha Abu Sirriya, 12, wounded by a bullet to the right knee; and
Mohammed Wa’el Ghazzawi, 16, wounded by a bullet to the right foot.
In the afternoon, an ambulance of Palestine Red Crescent Society moved to Salem military post, northwest of Jenin, and received Islam’s body as he had be pronounced dead in an Israeli hospital. The body was taken to Jenin Hospital, where medical sources stated that the victim was hit by 2 live bullets to the abdomen and 2 ones to the legs.
It should be noted that Tubassi is the third civilian killed in Jenin refugee camp in 4 weeks. On 20 August 2013, Israeli forces killed Majd Mohammed al-Shahla, 21, and wounded 3 others, including 17-year-old Kareem Subhi Abu Sbaih, who succumbed to his wound on 31 August 2013.
PCHR is deeply concerned over this crime, which further proves the use of excessive force by Israeli forces against the Palestinian civilians in disregard for the civilians’ lives. Therefore, PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate and effective actions to put an end to such crimes and reiterates its call for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances, and their obligation under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions.
13th September 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied West Bank
Protesters marching along the road (Photo by ISM)
The residents of Kufr Qaddum held their weekly Friday demonstration despite increased repression by the Israeli army in the last two weeks.
At approximately 10:00, more than 80 soldiers in nine military jeeps arrived in the village and positioned themselves on the top of the hill overlooking Kafr Qaddum and on the closed road that leads to the illegal Israeli settlement, Qedumim. The soldiers shot both tear gas canisters and sound bombs before the demonstration even began. Twenty-five year-old Nisfat Mahmoud Ishtawi was struck in the head with a tear gas canister and received medical attention.
During the midday call to prayers, soldiers overlooking Kafr Qaddum repeatedly shot tear gas in the direction of the mosque and many canisters fell into the yard and surrounding houses, despite the fact that there were no clashes with demonstrators at that time. Four weeks ago, Israeli forces fired tear gas directly into the mosque and many people attending the Friday prayer suffered from tear gas inhalation and had to receive medical treatment.
When the demonstration began, protesters from Kafr Qaddum and international and Israeli activists marched toward the closed road where they met extreme army repression. Israeli forces excessively fired tear gas, at times shooting tens of canisters at once toward the protest. Many protesters suffered from tear gas inhalation. As the army surrounded the protest, Israeli soldiers stationed themselves at the entrances of several houses and the residents were unable to leave or return to their homes due to the army presence. Moreover, Israeli forces continuously fired tear gas canisters inside and onto the roofs of several houses which border the road. Paramedics from Palestinian Medical Relief Society repeatedly came to the aid of residents suffering from tear gas inhalation in their own homes, including children and the elderly.
As protesters attempted to reach the area of the road closure on the eastern edge of the village, Israeli forces brought a bulldozer and several army jeeps to prevent the demonstration from continuing. When the demonstration ended, no protesters were arrested and the injured were expected to make a full recovery.
Last week, Israeli forces shot large amounts of tear gas canisters at protesters (Photo by www.facebook.com/gcaballerophoto)
The army has been stepping up attacks on Kafr Qaddum in recent weeks. Last week the army were very aggressive on the demonstration gathering on the hill and firing teargas canisters at a low level so demonstrators would not be able to see them when fired, increasing the chance of being hit and seriously injured. In that same demonstration, the army drove jeeps down the road firing multiple teargas canisters at people, injuring demonstrators and journalists. One man was hit on the head by a teargas canister and a journalist was shot in the foot. Activist Murad Ishtawi was also shot in the leg and had to be taken to hospital and is still recovering from his injury. The jeeps were driven far into the village where the soldiers shot indiscriminately. One teargas canister broke through the window of a house and the inhabitants, who were the sick, elderly, women and children, had to be helped to evacuate, suffering from suffocation from the gas.
On the 11th September the Israeli occupation forces invaded Kafr Qaddum at 3.30am where they arrested three people, 21 year-old Maen Taha Amer Qdoumi, 24 year-old Fadi Basim Jomaa Qadoumi and 16 year-old Ahmed Mohammed Barham Qadoumi as collective punishment for the ongoing demonstrations. The arrests show an escalation in aggression since the last arrest of three people on the 14th August including a 17 year-old child , Omran. Significant is the arrest of Ahmed, a minor, as children arrested are treated similarly to adults in the military court system and are disproportionately targeted for arrest by the Israelis.
One man was hit on the head by a teargas canister (Photo from www.facebook.com/gcaballerophoto)
Arrests and repression continually target the inhabitants of Kafr Qaddum who continue to resist the theft of their land. Demonstrations started in July 2011 after the road that connected the village to the main city of Nablus was made settler-only. Residents of Kafr Qaddum have to make a longer journey to the city which resulted in the deaths of two residents due to the delay of reaching the hospital in Nablus, showing the need and determination of demonstrators, for the historical road to be returned.
