Tag: Jordan Valley - Page 5 - International Solidarity Movement

Peaceful protest ends in deportation and imprisonment

20th January 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Occupied Palestine

On Saturday 18^th January during a peaceful protest in the Jordan Valley, 19-year-old Ahmad Walid Atatreh, a Palestinian activist and 24-year-old Sven W, a German activist who lives in Switzerland, were arrested and beaten after a march held in Jiftlik Adam Junction. Ahmad is a law student, studying at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem.

The march in Jiftlik was organized in protest against a legislation bill recently approved in the Knesset to annex the Jordan Valley to the current state of Israel. While the Israeli government declares that the move is purely for security reasons, the large number of illegal agricultural settlements and theft of Palestinian water rights demonstrate that the motives are largely economic.

Almost 95% of the Jordan Valley lies in Area C, under full Israeli civil and military control. Palestinian Bedouin herders suffer repeated demolitions of their homes and animal shelters, and water tanks are frequently confiscated. A large section of the area is reserved as a firing zone and residents are often forcibly removed from their homes to make way for military exercises.

Approximately 60 people gathered in the Jordan Valley and began a protest holding banners and chanting against the Israeli occupation of Palestine. As the march ended, Israeli forces invaded the area and began to arrest Palestinian demonstrators. Sven W and a British volunteer succeeded in stopping the detention of a Palestinian youth and in the process were both arrested by the Israeli army.

The two international activists were violently pushed to the ground by an Israeli soldier and handcuffed. The British activist managed to escape detention, whilst Sven was blindfolded and forced to kneel on the ground.

One Israeli soldier purposefully pushed Sven’s face in dirty water before taking him behind a military jeep and repeatedly kicking him in the ribs. Ahmad was also beaten after his arrest and received injuries to his knee. The British activist received a similar assault before escaping detention.

During the arrests, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition into the air, and on several occasions pointed their rifles at protesters’ faces.

Sven and Ahmad were blindfolded for 3 hours and were driven to an Israeli military base. While they were blindfolded, Israeli forces attempted to intimidate and frighten the activists by pointing guns in their faces.

At the military base Sven was told he was a “terrorist” and was arrested because he “threw stones”.

Sven is committed to non-violent resistance and during this particular demonstration, no stones were thrown.

Both activists were taken to a ‘medical’ room in the military base where their blindfolds were briefly removed, although their handcuffs remained. Sven told the Israeli soldiers that he had a headache after being unable to see for such a long period of time, and also that his ribs were sore due to the beating he received after his arrest. According to Sven this information was noted down although Israeli forces did nothing to assist with his pain. During this time in the medical room, many Israeli soldiers entered and took pictures of both Sven and Ahmad using their mobile phones.

Ahmad and Sven were then blindfolded again and driven to a police station in the illegal settlement of Ariel, neither activist was given any information with regard to where they were being taken or allowed to contact legal representation. During this drive Israeli forces stopped the car, tightened Ahmad’s blindfold and stole a camera from Sven’s bag, using it to take pictures of the two blindfolded men.

When they arrived at Ariel, Sven was finally informed of the three charges against him, assaulting an Israeli soldier, attempting to steal a rifle from a soldier and blocking a highway and therefore ‘”endangering” lives (however at no moment was anyone blocking the main highway, activists were gathered at the side of the road). The same charges were also given to Ahmad and are completely fabricated for both activists.

Sven and Ahmad spent the night in Ariel police station along with five other Palestinian prisoners. The light was kept on all night with Israeli forces constantly entering the cell, ensuring that none of the prisoners were able to sleep. At one point Sven was woken by a police officer and told he would have court in the morning.

Under Israeli law internationals must be taken before a judge within 24 hours.

In the morning of the 19^th, Sven repeatedly asked when he would be transferred for his court hearing and he was ignored by Israeli police. At this point neither Sven nor Ahmad were allowed to contact legal representation. Ahmad also requested to speak to his lawyer and was told that unless he gave information about the demonstration he would not be allowed to contact anyone.

At 5pm, Sven was transferred from Ariel police station to a terminal at Ben Gurion airport. He was never taken before a judge and was instead asked to sign a piece of paper saying he agreed to be deported to Germany, although he has been living in Switzerland for the last 4 years.

Sven refused to sign unless he was allowed to speak to legal representation. Finally he was allowed to make a phone call, though was unable to get through to his lawyer and therefore unwilling to sign the document.

Sven was transferred to a prison in Ramle, near Tel Aviv, which is where he currently resides. He is expected to be deported on Thursday. When Sven left the illegal settlement of Ariel, Ahmad was still imprisoned. He has now been transferred to Hadarim prison in Netanya and should attend Salem court within the next few days. However he has still not been allowed to contact his lawyer, the first time Ahmad will speak to him will be when he is taken before a judge.

When Sven is deported this week, he will be the third international activist in less than two weeks to be arrested and deported by Israeli forces. Vincent Mainville and Fabio Theodule were arrested on the 8^th January and deported a week later. Their arrest was ruled illegal by an Israeli court in Jerusalem, although this did not stop their transfer to the immigration center.

One Palestinian and one international activist arrested in peaceful protest in the Jordan Valley

18th January 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Jordan Valley, Occupied Palestine

A Palestinian activist and an international were arrested today whilst peacefully protesting in the Jordan Valley. The international activist is falsely charged by Israeli forces with endangering people’s lives on the road, assaulting a soldier and trying to grab his rifle.

The march held in Jiflleck Adam Junction saw around 60 people gathered to protest against the ongoing demolition of Palestinian houses in the area. The protesters started their demonstration by chanting against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and in opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu.

When the march was almost over and protesters were walking back to the buses, a group of 15 Israeli soldiers standing nearby followed the crowd and initiated clashes.

Two international activists attending the march were pushed to the ground and handcuffed by Israeli forces while successfully preventing the arrest of a Palestinian youth. One of the activists managed to escape from detention, but the other one was blindfolded and forced to kneel for over an hour on the ground.

Before scattering the protest, the military arrested the Palestinian youth, 20-year-old Ahmad Walid, whose arrest had been previously thwarted; he and the international activist were taken in a jeep to Male Akon Military Base and later transferred to Shomron Police Station in the illegal settlement of Ariel where they are currently being held.

Overall, around 40 Israeli soldiers, police and border police were present during the non-violent demonstration in which 60 people demonstrated peacefully.

Constructive Resistance in al-Aqaba

28th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Al-Aqaba, Occupied Palestine

Al-Aqaba, a village with the smallest local council in the West Bank, continually rises above its size and situation by demonstrating community strength through non-violent resistance and proactive development. Since 1967 the village has suffered greatly under the Israeli occupation and faces constant military encroachment and the threat of building demolition. As a result, the original population of 1000 has decreased to the current size of 300 as people left fearing for their safety and livelihoods. The remaining villagers though, led by mayor Haj Sami Sadeq, remain steadfast in their desire to stay and make the village a viable place for people to return to and live. Together they have created a development strategy resulting in new homes and businesses with the help of international involvement and funding.

Local women work in the newly opened cheese factory in al-Aqaba.

Located in the northeast of the West Bank, on the edge of the Jordan Valley, the village and surrounding land is classified as Area C and, therefore, under complete Israeli military control and civil jurisdiction. The Israeli army have been a constant presence in the area since 1967, when the village was declared a closed military zone and has been subsequently used as a firing zone. A mock village of empty buildings within a kilometre of the village was constructed and is utilised for this express purpose. The military exercises conducted in and around the village at times include the use of live ammunition and, as a consequence, 8 villagers have been killed and 38 wounded.

The villagers not only live with the continual disregard of their right to safety and security by the Israeli occupation but have the right to build on their own land repeatedly denied. Labelled a security threat, 97% of the village’s buildings have demolition orders against them, including the kindergarten, the only one in the area, that provides education for 150 children. In the past two years, the Israeli army has demolished several homes, farming shelters and two major roads. The village is unable to obtain building permits for its own land and has had three master plans rejected by the Israeli Civil Administration, most recently in 2011. The village nonetheless refuses to bow to the ongoing pressure of the Israeli occupation and continues to build infrastructure and houses for its future.

Local man at work in the new tea factory in al-Aqaba.

Mayor Haj Sami Sadeq responds to this ongoing struggle by asking, “Is the security of Israel compromised if we want to build a building? Does this kindergarten threaten the Israeli security?” The kindergarten in question was built in conjunction with the Rebuilding Alliance, one of 17 different international organisations and embassies that the village has worked with to help rebuild the community over the past ten years. The Rebuilding Alliance, together with the local Housing Association, have also helped to build three, of a proposed twenty, houses to provide residence for some of the 700 displaced villagers who want to return. Unfortunately the three houses remain unfinished as the $13,000USD required to finish them promised by the Palestinian Authority (PA) has not been forthcoming because of the PA’s current financial situation.

The Housing Association is one of five local groups in al-Aqaba helping to create a stable future for the small community; the other groups at work are the Agricultural Co-op, the Rural Women’s Society, Club for Hope and the Village Council. The Rural Women’s Society helps to operate and run a sewing collective, a tea factory and a newly opened cheese factory. The new businesses create employment for local men and women and are part of a plan that includes the future creation of a herb nursery, restaurant/cafe and conference space that will make the village an even more attractive place to visit.

The distinctive double minaret of al-Aqaba mosque.

In 2010 a building in the village was renovated to create a guesthouse to provide accommodation for international visitors, including volunteers who have worked at the kindergarten teaching English. This has helped to counter the negative portrayal of al-Aqaba by the Israeli government and army, who have warned internationals that the village is dangerous and their medical insurance will be void upon entering. One current residence of the guesthouse Maurice Jacobsen, is currently filming the everyday life and situation for a future documentary on the village titled ‘Constructive Resistance’.

In spite of the daily violations of their basic human rights to dignity, security, housing and property the village persists by building hope and life. In this way the small village has become a model for others in community development and how to attract attention from the international community. The ultimate goal has always been to prevent the village from being demolished and for the villagers to live and build on their land in peace. With current demolition orders for it, one only has to look at the village mosque which has a double minaret in the shape of a peace sign. The only one of its kind, it is a permanent symbol of the village’s non-violent resistance when living under occupation.

Constructive Resistance Preview 1.1 from The Palestine Chronicles on Vimeo.

Olive tree planting in the village of Atuf, Jordan Valley

8th April 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Atuf, Jordan Valley, Occupied Palestine

By Team Nablus

On Monday 8 April the village of Atuf in the Jordan Valley, planted olive trees on their land accompanied by solidarity activists. The group planted twenty-five trees, dedicating them to prisoners and international activists killed by the Israeli authorities.

Palestinian activists planting an olive tree (Photo by ISM)

Just prior to the solidarity groups arrival the village reported that the army had come to the village taking pictures and examining maps. This is a regular occurrence for the village which is in the Jordan Valley, under full Israeli military control, and much of their land has been confiscated or they are forbidden to access it.

The village of Tamoun, just next door to Atuf once had 96,000 dunums but now have access to only 36,000. The land is taken by the Army for alleged security or military reasons and the illegal Israeli settlements of Begalot and Roi are both on stolen land from Atuf and Tamoun.

In addition to land confiscation the villages regularly suffer Army incursions and military activity. Once a week, since November 2012, villagers from Ras Ahmar, adjacent to Atuf and a mainly Bedouin population, are forced out of their homes from 4am until 5pm to allow the Israeli Army to undertake military training on their land. Villagers reported they use live ammunition and even fire rockets during this period. Ras Ahmar is home to 170 people, 22 families. With nowhere else to go they are forced from their beds to sit all day, in all weathers, until they are allowed to return.

Atuf, Tamoun and Ras Ahmar and villages like them are in the heart of the Jordan Valley, an area Israel is seeking to annex due to its rich resources and access to the water supply. Under direct Israeli control, Area C under the Oslo Accords, the Israeli authorities have been undertaking a systematic programme of ethnic cleansing, with many villages subject to demolition orders and regular army intimidation. In addition to this Israel seeks to extend its Apartheid Wall through the area, thus annexing the Jordan Valley, separating villages and farmers from their land, and effectively imprisoning a vastly reduced area of the West Bank.

Villagers from Aruf planting olive trees on their land (Photo by ISM) — Villagers from Atuf planting olive trees on their land (Photo by ISM)

Palestinian and international activists waving Palestinian flags (Photo by ISM)

Military order forcing Bedouin population out of their homes (Photo by ISM)

Israeli soldiers doing military training on Ras Ahmar's land (Photo by ISM) — Israeli soldiers doing military training on Ras Ahmar’s land (Photo by ISM)

Summary of nine days of demolitions and displacement in Al Maleh, Jordan Valley

29 January 2013 | OCHA Displacement Working Group, edited by International Solidarity Movement, Al Maleh, Occupied Palestine

On 17 January, Israeli occupation forces demolished 47 (sic) residential and other structures in Hamamat Al Maleh area, displacing 60 people, more than half of them children. On 19 January, Israeli occupation forces confiscated basic emergency tents that had been provided to the families in the aftermath of the demolitions. On 21 January evening, while villagers tried rebuilding their homes, army returned and forced them to stop. A few days later, on 24 January, another 4 structures belonging to one of the displaced families were destroyed. Israeli occupation forces entered Al Maleh again on 25 January to photograph remaining structures. At the same time, a large group of illegal Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, toured the area. The families have been informed by the army that if they erect further shelters or try to rebuild their homes, they will be subject to arrest and their livestock confiscated. As a result, the families have been forced to temporarily relocate to another area to receive basic humanitarian assistance, including emergency tents, after having spent several nights without shelter.

Hamamat al Maleh area is home to around 260 people residing in three clusters of communities: 1) Hamamat Al Maleh, 2) Hamamat Al Maleh – Al Meita and 3) Hamamat Al Maleh – Al Burj, which have existed in the Jordan Valley since the 1970s. The communities have suffered demolitions in the past, including in 2011 and 2012, and have also suffered repeated temporary displacement due to military training exercises carried out by Israeli occupation forces in the area. Prior to this year’s demolitions, the affected families had received a combination of stop-work orders (30 July 2012), demolition orders (August/September 2012) and eviction orders from a closed military area (6 November and again on 31 December 2012). The lawyer of the families had tried to challenge these orders on numerous occasions, submitting the last request for postponement on 20 December 2012.

According to initial information the communities are located on a land owned by the Latin Patriarchate, with reportedly owns around 7,000 dunums of land in the area. Some of the land, including the land where Hamamat al Maleh-al Meita stands, has been designated by the Israeli military as a closed military zone for training purposes. However, the other two communities seem to be located outside the current boundaries of that area.

Here is a brief history of the nine days in Al Maleh:

Pre-2013: Since 2009, four demolitions took place in the Al Maleh area, all in Hamamat Al Maleh – Al Meita, on the grounds that the structures were located in a Firing Zone. During these demolitions – three in 2011 and one in 2012 – seven residential structures, 10 animal structures, and one beehive were demolished, resulting in the displacement of 36 people and affecting 35 others.

17 January 2013: Israeli occupation forces demolished 47 (sic) residential and animal structures: 20 residential tents (18 inhabited/2 uninhabited), 20 animal structures, five kitchens and one toilet in Hamamat Al Maleh – Al Meita and Hamamat Al Maleh. Two water tanks and a solar panel were also damaged. As a result, 10 families comprising 60 people, including 36 children, were displaced and two additional households including three children were affected.

19 January 2013: Between 6.30 am and 8 am, Israeli army confiscated 37 emergency tents (including 14 new tents given by Red Cross) provided as humanitarian assistance in response to the demolitions on 17 January, leaving the families without any shelter for themselves or their animals. The area was subsequently declared a closed military area and access to the area was restricted through existing checkpoints as well as several flying checkpoints. International observers and journalists were denied access.

21 January 2013: The Palestinian DCL (District Civil Liason), the Israeli DCL and the Tubas Governor carried out a joint visit to Al Maleh. Israeli army indicated during the visit that they would try to find an acceptable solution, but no further information has been received in that regard. In the evening the people of Al Maleh tried to rebuild their homes and tents. However, within one hour the army returned to demand that they stop rebuilding. Army’s message is clear: “If you are going to put up any tents, structures, build anything, we are going to demolish it and punish you by confiscating your animals.” People slept in fields, fearing further army retaliations.

24 January 2013: At 8 am in the morning Israeli occupational forces once again demolished homes in Al Maleh: a residential tent, a tent used for storage, a kitchen and a livelihood structure (for bees). A family of nine people including six children, was displaced as a result. Army bulldozers swifted off to Jiftlik to carry out another destructive piece of work.

25 January 2013: Israeli forces took photographs of all remaining structures in Hamamat Al Maleh as well as in Al Farisiya. A group of Israeli settlers, including women and children, visited the area on the same day, accompanied by Israeli soldiers.

The communities in Hamamat al Maleh are some of the most vulnerable in the West Bank. The restrictions imposed on their lives and livelihoods, including their repeated evacuation to make way for military training exercises, has increased their levels of poverty and their dependence on aid. These recent developments have had a devastating impact on the families, leaving them without adequate shelter, disrupting their livelihoods and access to basic services, and has resulted in trauma, particularly amongst the children.

Repeated displacement of civilians, combined with the destruction or confiscation of their property and the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian assistance, raises serious concerns under international law. Israel, as an occupying power, has an obligation to protect civilians at all times and to administer the territory for their benefit, ensuring that people’s basic needs are met. International law specifically prohibits an occupying power from forcibly displacing or transferring civilians, regardless of the means or methods used, or to destroy or confiscate private or public property.

Now the villagers are relocated to another area. An NGO has provided shelters as part of humanitarian response, funded by EU. Israeli occupation forces keep taking photos of the village. The governor of Tubas is in communication with Latin Patriarchate. The village of Al Maleh continues to “exit by resisting”, the latest example being on 26 January by planting olive trees and organizing a fun day for children, supported by other Palestinians and international activists. Israeli army reacted by closing off the area during these activities and by installing a temporary roadblock until late hours. Sources say that “the demolitions were inevitable as the Latin Patriarchate did not prolong the contracts to the villagers”.

See more photos here. Related information can also be found on Jordan Valley Solidarity. See call to action here.