10 September 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
Palestinian children from the village Kufr Qadoum, whose fathers were detained by Israeli soldiers, carry on the protest: “You Arrested Our Fathers, So We Lead the Demonstration Today”
Five men were arrested in an early morning raid on the town of Kufr Qaddoum Tuesday by Israeli occupation forces.
At 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, 100 soldiers stormed the village, apprehending 5 men: Moyyad, 57, Aws, 24, Mohammad, 24, Wassin, 23, and Ahmad, 23. The men were arrested for taking part in demonstrations.
According to an eyewitness named Morad, soldiers fired tear-gas bombs as the left the village with the men.
“I saw from my balcony on the third floor,” said Morad on Saturday! “I was with my three year old child. The gas came in my house where my wife and children were.”
Morad said that soldiers have arrested at least 100 people and have damaged at least 5 homes in the last year. It was at that time that residents began a weekly demonstration to protest the 12-year closure by Israeli occupation forces of the most direct road from the town to nearby Nablus city.
The road was closed during the Second Intifada and has remained closed to Palestinians. It runs by 3 illegal Israeli settlements, Mitspe Kedumim, Eshkubiyot, and Kdumim South and is open for settlers to use.
Because of the road closure, the 5,000 residents of Kufr Qaddoum must travel 15 kilometers south and east to reach Nablus, a journey that once took one and a half kilometers to complete.
The Palestinians for Kufr Qaddoum have faced on-going harassment by occupation forces. They have also lost 4,000 dunams or about 1,000 acres of land to the illegal settlements near the village. They face restricted access to their agricultural lands by Israeli soldiers and cameras.
Leila is a volunteer at the International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed)
31 September 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
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Firas Nahar Jama, 15, was arrested after Israeli soldiers invaded the village of Kufr Qaddoum during the weekly demonstration.
Mahmood Nasir Batahan (10) was taken to the hospital after being hit by a tear-gas canister. Two others were treated on the scene after inhaling large amounts of tear-gas.
The purpose of the weekly demonstration in Kufr Qaddoum is to protest the closure of the main road that connects the village with the city of Nablus. The road, which passes alongside the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Kedumim was closed for Palestinian access and is only open to illegal Israeli settlers. As a result, the journey to the nearest city has increased from 15 minutes to 40 minutes.
Kufr Qaddoum has also lost 4,000 durums of land to the 5 illegal Israeli settlements that surrounds the village. Farmers seeking to reach their lands face threats, attacks, and arrests. Some of the Palestinian-owned agricultural land has been declared as ‘closed military zones’, and Israeli settlers regularly sets fire to them.
The FPA contacted the Prime Minister’s Office and the Israeli army following the incident in which journalists were beaten with sticks. Minister of Public Diplomacy: Expresses doubt concerning journalists who compare Israel to a dictatorship.
The Foreign Press Association today contacted the Prime Minister’s Office and the Israeli army, demanding an immediate investigation into the incident last Friday in which foreign and Palestinian journalists who arrived to cover the protest demonstrations against land confiscation in Kufr Kadum, near the settlement of Kedumim in Samaria, were beaten.
In a video documenting the incident, soldiers are seen calling on the journalists to halt, advancing toward them with sticks and then beating several of them. As a result of the soldiers’ violence, the hand of a photographer with AFP was injured and he required medical treatment.
A notice published by the FPA says that it “expects immediate and public action by the self declared ‘only democracy in the Middle East’ following Fridays premeditated beating of clearly marked, identifiable members of the press by the IDF. The ‘soldiers’ shown attacking our colleagues are acting like a bunch of thugs. The images we see here are usually associated with failing dictatorships. Their actions are simply criminal assault and it should be treated that way by the Israeli authorities.”
The head of AFP in Israel told Haaretz that “to our sorrow this is not an isolated incident. The journalists and photographers who arrive are detained and sometimes beaten and this prevents them from doing their job. It is very sad and bad, and is part of the weekly thuggery of the military forces.”
The Israeli army spokesperson said in response that “the event is known by the IDF and is being investigated by the commanders. As a rule, the IDF respects and permits the free activities of journalists in the area in order to ensure ongoing freedom of the press even in areas possessing a confrontational character. On the face of it this appears to be an exceptional event and the investigation continues.”
The Minister of Public Diplomacy responded to the letter of the FPA that “the actions of the IDF as seen in the video were brought to our knowledge and at this stage are being examined by the IDF. I found that the language used by the FPA in its response is worrisome, unprofessional and inappropriate to an organisation representing the media. I cast doubt on the ability of journalists, who cynically compare Israeli democracy with dictatorial regimes and refer to Israeli democracy as “self-declared,” to present an objective picture to their readers.”
18 August | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
On Friday, August 17, 5 were injured and 8 arrested during the weekly protest in Kufr Qaddoum. Israeli soldiers fired tear-gas canisters, rubber-coated steel bullets, and beat protesters with wooden sticks. The village experienced an unprecedented amount of violence during the peaceful demonstration as the village was surounded and invaded by over 100 Israeli occupation forces, leading to several broken arms, the arrests of participants, including 6 journalists, and the asphyxiation of a 60 year-old bystander.
Journalist beaten and arrested by Israeli soldier
Those arriving from outside Kufr Qaddoum were forced to travel around flying checkpoints, posted along the main roads used to reach the village, which would prevent them from their right to participate in the democratic protest.
“Something felt strange about this morning,” Morad Shtayi, Popular Struggle Coordination Committee representative for Kufr Qaddoum said.
Before the demonstration at 11:30 a.m., Shtayi and several other men heard that 14 soldiers had entered houses under construction from the east, where the protest was due to take place.
“We began shouting at the soldiers until they left,” he says.
The demonstration began per usual at 1:15 p.m., with protesters marching down the road leading to Nablus. An Israeli bulldozer was present on the road, with over 30 border police, police, and soldiers standing on the hill to the North. After 15 minutes, Israeli forces descended on the village from the North, firing tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Soldiers also began climbing up the valley from the south, followed by several military jeeps and the bulldozer.
“Protesters fled into the village to seek safety, as they faced tear gas canisters and rubber-coated steel bullets shot from distances of less than 10 meters,” solidarity activist Alma Reventos recounts.
Shtayi said witnesses reported soldiers firing live ammunition in the air as they entered the village in search of protesters.
The bulldozer pushed into the village, causing protestors to run head over heels.
Two Palestinians were arrested by border police, Qassam Aahi, 17, and Abdallah Awni. Israeli forces also arrested 6 Palestinian journalists for reporting on the demonstration; Jaafar Shtayi (Associated Free Press), Nidal Shtayi (Chinese Press), Faris Faris (Palestine Today), Bakir Abd al-Haq (TV Nablus), Odai Qudoomi (B’tselem), and Noah Qudoomi (Alfajir Tulkarem). Among the 6 journalists arrested, 2 were beaten, with Jaafar Shtayi suffering a broken arm. The journalists were released several hours later under the condition that they face imprisonment if they attempt to document the demonstrations in Kufr Qaddoum again.
In addition to the arrests, 2 Palestinians were beaten and a 60-year-old woman fell unconscious after border police repeatedly fired tear-gas inside the village. Rani Suliman Ali, 30, had his arm broken and was kept for a period from seeking medical treatment by Israeli checkpoints outside of the village. Mohannad Shtaiw, was beaten on the back with wooden sticks, and taken to Qalqiliya hospital. Israeli forces finally left the village at 3:30 p.m. with those arrested.
The purpose of the weekly demonstration in Kufr Qaddoum focuses on the closure of the main road that connects the village with Nablus. The road, which passes alongside the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Kedumim, was closed to Palestinian access. As a result, the journey to Nablus has increased from 15 minutes to 40 minutes. This has resulted in hardships because many residents travel daily to Nablus for work, studies, or health care. Kufr Qaddoum has also lost 4000 dunums of land to the 5 illegal Israeli settlements that surround the village. Farmers seeking to reach their lands face threats, attacks, and arrests. Some of the Palestinian-owned agricultural lands have been declared ‘closed military zones’, and Israeli settlers regularly burn them. This demonstration follows 2 weeks in which several young men were arrested from Kufr Qaddoum during night raids by Israeli forces.
Marshall Pinkerton and Alma Reventos are volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement (names have been changed). Video and pictures taken from www.facebook.com/AlMasira.KufurKaddom
16 July 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
On 12 July, the West Bank village of Kufr Qaddoum celebrated the one year anniversary of their weekly, popular demonstration. The regular protests are targeting the closure of their main road in particular, and the Israeli occupation in general.
Kufr Qaddoum residents celebrate the one year anniversary of their weekly protest against the Israeli occupation
One decade ago, the Israeli army closed the road in the name of “security” for the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Qedumim. 20 months ago, the Israeli court ruled that the closure of the road could not be legitimized, however the IOF still claim the road is not safe for transportation and refuse to open it for the residents of Kufr Qaddoum. The journey to Nablus has now increased from 15 minutes to 40 minutes, which is particularly difficult for the many people who commute on a daily basis for education, work, or health reasons.
Since the demonstrations began one year ago, a great number of people have been detained and arrested by Israeli Occupation Forces. Several have been injured, and over a dozen people today bide their time in Israeli prisons. The village experiences regular night raids by the Israeli army
Several inspirational speeches were held on a stage during the commemoration, which included a cultural act when a Palestinian singer got many people dancing.
Hakim M. is a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).
