Tag: Jerusalem

Olive Revolution in pictures

29 August 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On the final Friday of Ramadan, Palestinians and supporters alike peacefully marched towards Jerusalem from four directions in a symbolic attempt to enter Jerusalem, which has been illegally annexed by Israel, preventing fasting Muslims from worshiping during the final holy days of Ramadan. Yet more than just to protect the freedom of worship or even the freedom to access Jerusalem, Palestinians demonstrated the harshness of geopolitical obstructions meant to defy an identity tied to the history of the land. And just as symbolically, the Israeli military attempted to defy the everlasting humanity of Palestinians with a show of force, flying teargas, and typical oppression.

Jewish settlers storm the Aqsa Mosque

8 August 2011 | The Palestine Information Center

Tension is running high in the holy Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem after Jewish settlers stormed and roamed the plazas of the holy site at the early morning hours on Monday.

The Aqsa guards said that Israeli occupation police escorted the groups of settlers who were roaming the mosque in provocative tours.

They said that the policemen were barricading the settlers in face of the angry Muslim worshipers, who were preparing to confront the settlers.

Israeli policemen and special forces broke into the holy site on Sunday night and forced out worshipers for the third straight night.

Bedouin community endures demolitions

24 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On July 24th at around 1PM, a bulldozer accompanied by 10 military jeeps arrived in the Bedouin community of Mughayyar ad-Deir, about 12 km north east of Jerusalem, near the Ma’ale Michmas settlement and demolished residential structures, structures for livestock, and confiscated vehicles, displacing three families.

16 people were affected by this demolition, including children and a baby less than a year old, who were all forced to sleep on the ground that night with no shelter from the sun in the morning. The community had been issued two eviction orders: one was issued two years ago, the other 5 days before the demolition. Israel justified the demolitions by claiming the community was established on land that was a closed military area. Israeli further suggested that if the community had moved 10 meters or so to the other side of the dirt road, then the demolitions would not have occurred.

Israel justified confiscation of village tractors because they were not licensed. Confiscation of their tractors, according to community members, takes away their means of transporting water. It will also prevent them from transporting goods such as food or taking the goods they produce to be sold at markets. The community did not obtain licenses because of the price (1200 NIS per tractor). Of course now that they have been confiscated, they will have to pay fines if they want to get the tractors and the a trolley back.

After the families slept without shelter the night of the demolition, the neighbors constructed a small temporary wood and tin shelter so that the families would have somewhere to sleep. The Red Cross and the ICRC will be returning to the village with basic aid such as tents and perhaps hygiene kits.

Israeli military targets al Khalayla in demolitions

11 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On Monday, July 11th, the Israeli military demolished 5 buildings of local Palestinian businesses in the closed neighborhood of al -Khalayla near al-Jib village outside of Jerusalem. At 6:30am the owner of a window shop received a call  from the Israeli military that part of his business’s building structure would be demolished. Not long after the phone call, he arrived to the shop to find that they had already finished demolishing part of the structure.

At around 8am, the Israeli military destroyed a lumber factory owned by the al-Asmar family for 8 years.  In the process they also took 4 lumber machines, in addition to demolishing part of the al-Asmar’s home that was attached to the factory. One of the sons
explained that the military had come one month prior to issue the demolition. He then mentioned that twenty people were occupying the residences before they were demolished. The police also accompanied the military in 3 Hummers.

Later that morning at 10am, the Israeli military demolished Ismail Abu Rabah’s supermarket. Four months prior they had come to the village to issue the demolition. Ismail explained that he had hired a lawyer to work on the case in Israeli court, but was not successful in suspending the demolition for a longer period of time. Ismail had only short notice before his supermarket was demolished. While he was able to move refrigerators, shelves and products from the store into his home before the Israeli military arrived, the destruction of his business has cost him his livelihood.
In the late morning and early afternoon, the Israeli military demolished buildings of a mechanic garage and a truck and storage company. The owner of the garage explained that the military had arrived only one week before to issue the demolition. At approximately 1pm, structures of the Nasr storage and truck facilities were demolished. One of the sons, Tilal, explained that their equipment and storage structures were damaged, including a tractor owned by the family.

Al-Khalayla is located in Area C on the Jerusalem side of the Apartheid Wall. It is inhabited by about 700 Palestinians, 250 of whom hold West Bank Palestinian ID cards. Approximately half of Palestinians holding West Bank IDs are registered as refugees with the UNRWA.

Violent incitement against internationals in Sheikh Jarrah

2 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

Two international activists were assaulted by 4 Israeli police officers in an unprovoked attack in Sheikh Jarrah this morning.

The two Danish activists were part of a group of five internationals staying at a home which has been partially occupied by settlers. With the support of the Israeli military in an ongoing dispute over property rights in East Jerusalem, a number of Palestinian families have been evicted from their homes and have been left homeless.

Police arrived for no reported reasons at approximately 8:30am and approached one of the activists who was sitting and reading at the gate of the home. Police demanded that he showed them his passport. He and the other Danish activist presented their passports which were then snatched by the police officers . The officers then proceeded to push the activists to the ground and punch and kick them while on the floor. The police took the details of the passports despite having no legal reason for doing so and eventually gave them back after the other activists intervened and told them their actions were illegal. The police continued to patrol the area for the next few hours despite the situation being peaceful.

This is part of an ongoing campaign by the Israeli police and army who are deliberately targeting and violently harassing activists showing solidarity with displaced Palestinians in the East Jerusalem area.

The ultimate aim of the Zionist organizations is to convert Sheikh Jarrah into a new Jewish settlement and to create a Jewish continuum that will effectively cut off the Old City from the northern Palestinian neighborhoods. On 28 August 2008, Nahalat Shimon International filed a plan to build a series of five and six-story apartment blocks – Town Plan Scheme (TPS) 12705 – in the Jerusalem Local Planning Commission. If TPS 12705 comes to pass, the existing Palestinian houses in this key area would be demolished, about 500 Palestinians would be evicted, and 200 new settler units would be built for a new settlement: Shimon HaTzadik.