10th September 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Qaryut, Occupied West Bank
Protesters marching towards the road (Photo by ISM)
Update 11th September: Abdallah Abu Rahmah was released at around 10pm last night. Bashar Qaryouti and Salah al-Khawaja have also been released. Bashar has needed medical attention after being beaten during his arrest.
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Three Palestinian activists have been arrested today related to a demonstration against a road block in the northern West Bank village of Qaryut.
More than 150 Palestinians participated in the protest marching from the village towards Road 60, connecting Ramallah to Nablus. As a group of protesters were approaching the road, two military jeeps blocked them, throwing stun grenades and shooting tear gas canisters. Israeli soldiers arrested two activists, Bashar Qaryouti and Salah al-Khawaja and beat others as they attempted to arrest more. Soldiers pursued activists from the road from many different directions and came through the olive trees trying to trap activists, shooting many teargas canisters.
More soldiers arrived in twelve military jeeps and fired teargas at demonstrators who had moved back to the hill. The soldiers occasionally moved forward but mainly stayed positioned by the road. Many demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and three were treated by medical personnel in the field. The demonstrators withdrew at 7pm.
Israeli soldiers taking Bashar (Photo by Issam Rimawi)
A flying checkpoint was set up on the road from Ramallah to Qaryout and Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a prominent Palestinian activist was arrested. Soldiers approached the car with a list containing the names and ID numbers of three local activists. Abu Rahmah was handcuffed and detained for forty-five minutes until the Israeli police arrested him.
22nd August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Occupied West Bank
Israeli soldier stands next to Palestinian farmers harvesting their olives
At a time of regular settler violence in the West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to join us for the 2013 Olive Harvest Campaign at the invitation of Palestinian communities.
The olive tree is a national symbol for Palestinians. As thousands of olive trees have been bulldozed, uprooted, burned and destroyed by Israeli settlers and the military – according to the UN settlers alone destroyed or damaged over 7,500 trees just in 2012 – harvesting has become more than a source of livelihood; it has become a form of resistance.
The olive harvest is an annual affirmation of Palestinians’ historical, spiritual, and economic connection to their land, and a rejection of Israeli efforts to seize it. Despite attempts by Israeli settlers and soldiers to prevent them from accessing their land, Palestinian communities have remained steadfast in refusing to give up their olive harvest.
ISM volunteers join Palestinian farming communities each year to harvest olives, in areas where Palestinians face settler and military violence when working their land. Your presence can make a big difference, with Palestinian communities stating that the presence of international volunteers reduces the risk of extreme violence from Israeli settlers and the Israeli army.
We support Palestinians’ assertion of their right to earn their livelihoods and be present on their lands. International solidarity activists engage in non-violent intervention and documentation, practical support which enables many families to pick their olives.
The campaign will begin mid October and will last around 5-7 weeks. We request a minimum 2 week commitment from volunteers but stress that long-termers are needed as well. We ask that volunteers start arriving in the first week of October, so that we will be prepared when the harvest begins.
Training
The ISM will be holding mandatory two day training sessions which will run weekly on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please see the join ISM page or contact palreports@gmail.com for further information.
In addition to the Olive Harvest Campaign, volunteers can also participate in regular ISM activities in support of the Palestinian popular struggle.
Join us in our solidarity with the Palestinian resistance at this crucial time of year!
7th September 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Qusra, Occupied Palestine
Last 29th of August, Israeli soldiers detained two municipal workers from Qusra as they were taking the village’s trash to the local dump. The two men were later attacked by Israeli settlers. Residents of Qusra fear that greater collusion between the army and the settlers will only lead to more attacks.
One of the workers shows his bruises after a settler attack (Photo by ISM)
Early Thursday morning, two army jeeps carrying four soldiers detained the men as they transported trash to the local dump. Rather than transporting the men to the military base at Huwwarra checkpoint, the soldiers deposited the men and their tractor on the lands close to the illegal Israeli settlement, Esh Kodesh. At approximately 9:30, the municipal workers were attacked by six settlers, who beat them with stones and also caused major damage to the municipality’s tractor. Following the attack, both men were taken by ambulance to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, where doctors ordered two to three days bed rest.
After the residents of Qusra were taken to the hospital, the settlers of Esh Kodesh stole the tractor and took it to Shvut Rachel, another nearby settlement. When members of the municipality appealed to the Israeli DCO (District Coordination Office) to locate the stolen tractor, Israeli officials stated that if they found it, they would confiscate the tractor for two months and require the village to pay 10,000 NIS for its return.
Though the village has used the same area for garbage collection for nearly 30 years, in the last three years, the Israeli army has attempted to prohibit dumping in the area. The village has no other areas in which to deposit trash, as all of the surrounding lands are considered area C and also prohibited for use. Employees of the municipality reported that this is the third time that the village’s tractor has been confiscated. The previous times, the municipality was forced to pay a 10,000 NIS fine for its return. Following the most recent incident, the mayor refused to pay the fine due to the violence inflicted upon the two men and his view that the attack was coordinated between the Israeli army and the illegal settlers.
The tractor was damaged by the settlers (Photo by ISM)
Eventually, the tractor was returned to the village, though there was extensive damage that will require more than 2,000 NIS for repairs. In addition to structural damage, the license plate was stolen off the tractor, which will take months to replace due to bureaucratic requirements; moreover, employees of the municipality noted the dangers of a Palestinian plate being in the hands of the settlers, as they can use the green, Palestinian plate to gain access to the surrounding Palestinian villages without garnering suspicion. The municipality reported the theft to both the PA and Israeli police in hopes of preventing future attacks.
Qusra village is located in the northern West Bank, approximately 28 kilometers southeast of Nablus. The villages’ 6,000 residents face constant, weekly attacks from the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Esh Kodesh. Settlers frequently damage and uproot olive trees, burn village land, and attack residents. In 2011, settlers defaced the local mosque and attempted to set it on fire.
22nd August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Beit Hanina, Occupied Palestine
On the morning of the19th August, two hundred soldiers in thirty-eight jeeps and with two military dogs dismantled several tents housing the Tal ‘Adasa Bedouin community in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina.
Destroyed homes and furniture in front of the Apartheid Wall (photo by ISM)
At around 6am, Israeli soldiers surrounded the Bedouins tents, pointing guns at the fifty-three residents, which includes twenty-eight children. The family members were separated into three groups, always under the threat of guns, and were not allow to move for three hours. Children were not permitted to go to the bathroom nor to have anything to drink or eat.
At 9am, two armored bulldozers invaded the camp, destroying all the tents, animal facilities and furniture. The two military-trained dogs attacked the sheep and goats of the Bedouin, causing them to scatter all around. The Bedouins, worried about losing their flocks, ignored the soldiers orders and ran after them, managing to bring them back.
Three hours later, the soldiers left the area but before fining the community with 70,000 NIS for use of the bulldozers and – according to Israeli authorities – for illegally occupying the land. One of the eldest men of the community was told by Israeli soldiers that they have to clear the area within the next ten days, otherwise they will be arrested.
Destroyed Bedouin homes (photo by ISM)
The Red Cross and Palestine Red Crescent personnel visited the community after the demolitions and provided the Bedouins with nine tents. However, when international activists visited the community, there were only twenty-eight people left. Most of the children were moved to Jericho where they won’t be able to continue their schooling as they are already registered in the schools located in Beit Hanina area.
Surrounded by mountains of rubble and damaged furniture piled up around the area Abo Hosean Kaabna stated; “We have been living in Beit Hanina for over 60 years, since 1948 after being forcibly displaced from Al Khalil during the Nakba in 1948”. “I have been taking care of that olive tree for 16 years”, continued with deep sorrow on his face and tears in his eyes, pointing out a large tree in front of him.
If the threats of the Israeli authorities are carried out, next Wednesday, the soldiers will go back and arrest the remaining Bedouins, as the community has no intention of leaving the area.
“Please, don’t forget us. This is not finished yet, we will have to face other problems later. Our community will have to look for another place to live but we don’t know where we could go and families will be forced to be separate again”, said Abu Hosean Kaabna.
This Bedouin community received a demolition order last June and since that time they have been expecting the order to be enforced, without knowing the exact date that their homes would be destroyed.
The Tal ‘Adasa Bedouin community has been living in Beit Hanina for over 50 years after being displaced from Hebron and Beer Seba areas during the 1948 Nakba. Despite living within the Jerusalem boundaries, residents of this community only hold West Bank IDs. In 2006, the Annexation Wall was constructed to the east and west of the community, isolating it from the rest of the West Bank. Israeli authorities rarely issue them permits to cross Qalandiya checkpoint and access the West Bank, cutting them off from villages such as Bir Nabala and Ram, where they have family relatives.
For nearly the past twenty years Israeli officials have attemped in several occasions to force them off their land. However, even after the Israeli forces demolished their houses, residents of Tal ‘Asada remain steadfast on the land.
21th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Balata Refugee Camp, Occupied Palestine
Last night, hundreds of settlers accompanied by Israeli forces invaded Balata refugee camp in Nablus to pray at Joseph’s Tomb. Israeli soldiers shot tear gas canisters and sound bombs at residents who protested the incursion – three youths were reportedly arrested.
At around 12am, several buses carrying hundreds of settlers, escorted by Israeli military, invaded Balata refugee camp. The settlers went to Joseph’s tomb to pray while Israeli soldiers separated into various groups and patrolled the area around the tomb. Residents of Balata, outraged by the incursion, left their homes to protest the invasion and were soon met with tear gas canisters and sound bombs shot at them. Soldiers blocked all entrances of the refugee camp, severely restricting movement of people in and out of the camp.
International activists were present at the scene and could witness how Israeli soldiers were shooting the teargas canisters directly at people rather than in an arc as the Israeli military guidelines on shooting teargas dictate. Soldiers also fired teargas directly into the narrow residential streets, several times hitting and damaging civilian cars. No one was injured there are reports that three Palestinian youths from the area were arrested.
Running from the tear gas canisters fired at protesters, one resident stated: “This happens every week. This is our life in the camp; constant settler and army invasions…the Israeli army comes with the settlers to protect them while they are praying but we, Palestinians, have no right to be in our camp”.
Indeed, this type of incursion is part of the daily life of Palestinian refugees living in Balata camp. Israeli settlers believe that Joseph’s tomb is a holy place, where Joseph is buried. Thus, groups of extremist settlers storm the camp and perform religious rituals on a weekly basis. Israeli soldiers, as usual protecting the settlers, shoot tear gas canisters and sound bombs at residents around the tomb.
